#remembering princess alice on her birthday

[philibetexcerpts]

“Above all, Alice loved being near Philip. Occasionally, however, there were what the Princess Royal called ‘not arguments, but let’s say slight differences of agreement. My father would then go off down the corridor muttering and she would be in her room muttering too. I realized that she could not hear a word he was saying and yet the conversation followed completely coherently. Maybe he had already made his point, and she knew what he would be saying.’”

Alice: Princess Andrew of Greece by Hugo Vickers

[grandmaster-anne]

Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark/Princess Alice of Battenberg Victoria Alice Elizabeth Julia Marie ♓ 25 February 1885 ✞ 5 December 1969

[daenysx]

Hi, thank you for you answer I have this idea for a Aemond x reader.

Reader is pregnant with Aemond first child. On a ball our a birthday, comes to an accident and the reader going into labor. Aemond tries to protect his wife, but its to late and he can do nothing except to hold her hand am and prey.

I hope u can understand what i mean, english is not my first language c:

thank you for this request, i hope you like it!

requests are open!!

my masterlist

come back to me

an accident leads to an early labor and prince aemond never lets go of your hand.

your prince looks quite bored as he watches the bright lights and people dancing with each other. his hand stays on your thigh, rubbing circles, comforting both you and himself. he's never liked these events, there are too many people and he has to engage conversations with them even if he despises them. he doesn't like the act of pretending, doesn't like the loud voices.

your hand stays on your swollen belly, a habit since your belly started growing. you are carrying your first child. the baby is perfectly healthy as the maesters told you and will be born in two moons. you hold aemond's hand, resting on your thigh. you try to comfort him with soft fingers and a reassuring smile. he looks at you, his lips curved into a little smile.

it's the king's name day. even though viserys targaryen is not present all the evening, he was there at the table for a few moments until he felt tired. the feast still goes on; people dance, eat, and drink. aemond is bored and doesn't want to see his mother's teary eyes, helaena's absent smile, and aegon's scandalous behaviours. his brother keeps drinking like there's no tomorrow and doesn't hide his greedy eyes towards maids.

you bring your face closer to aemond's ear, "would you like to leave, my prince?"

he gives you a worried look. "are you alright, my love?"

you nod, "i am, but we can always use my pregnancy as an excuse to retire early."

he smiles slyly. he loves how you feel his discomfort and try to make it better for him. he would love to leave now, go to your shared chambers and help you sleep with his kisses. he nods, "let me tell my mother."

he stands up, goes to talk to alicent. you stand as well, take a few steps to the stairs connect the royal table with other tables that other people are seated. as you see aemond approaching you, you turn your head to alicent's way and give her a little smile. you turn your direction back to the stairs and walk slowly.

then comes the moment of aemond targaryen's worst nightmare.

you can't even recall how, but your foot slips when you are on the stairs and you lose your balance. your hand immediately goes for your belly but you can't stop yourself from falling.

a sharp pain. that's all you feel. your head feels heavy and your legs don't seem to remember how to carry you. aemond isn't quick enough to catch you from the distance he stands. he goes to your side, sees your face covered in the look of pain and desperation. his hands stay on your body, checking if you are alright.

"my love...talk to me, please."

you sob, everyone is there, too crowded and there is no air. pain. between your legs. the ground is shaky. everything is blurry.

"aemond...our baby-it hurts."

alicent screams for the maesters. her voice is not clear in your ears, your hands never leave your belly. they carry you to your chambers, far away from people. aemond is there, his heart beats too loud, he can hear it. the distance between his eyebrows close as he yells at people around.

you are on the bed now, the pain is there. you hear aemond's voice, explaining what happened to the maester impatiently. the maester tells him that the birth might be started.

"aemond- too soon- too soon. do something, please!" your eyes are slightly open as you beg your husband. you fear of losing your baby. you don't even consider your own life, but your husband does.

aemond would burn the city to the ground if you die.

"the princess must give birth right now, my prince."

you try to reach for his hand. he is there by your side. he looks like he is in pain, he kisses your hairline and holds your hand. "stay calm, my love. we will be alright."

your prince is a rational man. he knows he should keep you calm and strong. he can endure this pain, he can even get used to it. if he wants you to stay healthy and alive, he should ease off your worries. the birth is earlier than it would be under normal conditions but that shouldn't mean the baby and you will be in a certain danger.

"i know the birth is early, but you shall be alright. you are my strong wife, remember? try to stay calm for us, for me and for our baby, please. i'm right here with you."

his voice is an anchor. you try to breathe steadily and even though your head hurts with the feeling of imbalance you do not wish to care for it.

the maester and your handmaids are in the chamber. they are in a rush, all devoted to you and your prince. you can understand that aemond's presence and his stern voice helps little for them to complete their duties.

you hear the maester's desperate voice. "my prince, you shall not be in here."

your husband answers with the coldest tone. "if any of you ever dare to tell me to leave my wife, i will make sure of your painful deaths caused by vhagar."

the maester accepts his words unwillingly. you care little for it. you are too tired, you don't know what to do, you don't want to die here. aemond stays next to you, holds your hand and caresses your hair with his free hand.

"you will not leave me. did you hear that, sweet wife? everything will be fine."

you blink slowly. you try to hold onto that warm tone of his voice. you feel the maester's hands on your body, he keeps telling you to push. you spend all your strength but it feels impossible. it feels like death and you are more scared for your baby than you are scared for yourself. with a little conscious you pray for your baby. for your husband. let them be fine.

aemond is terrified. there's no other word to describe how he feels. he is scared. he keeps thinking about the endless possibilities. he tries to look strong but this is harder than all the battles and duels.

alicent is in the chambers too, watching her son with worried eyes. she fears for your life, she prays and prays and prays. she sees how aemond tries to create a safe space for you. how he tries for you to focus on the birth instead of the fear of death.

"once more, princess."

you scream. you are sure the entire keep is covered with your screams. you lost the count of time. how many hours have passed, is it morning yet? you don't know. then you feel a sudden relief. your baby leaves your body and all your muscles shakes at the feeling.

"a son, your grace!"

you try to see your baby but you don't have the strength to lift your head enough. a boy. a beautiful boy. you wait to hear his cry but there is no voice. aemond stays frozen, he doesn't let go of your hand, his tears are ready to fall.

then the most beautiful sound you've ever heard fills the room.

your son cries and the maester smiles. "there is nothing to worry now, my prince. the little prince looks quite healthy. "

aemond smiles and looks at you. he knows how tired you are but you manage to give him a smile anyway. the relief of your son being healthy and safe is too strong to resist and you close your eyes.

the maids clean the baby and wrap clean, white clothing around him. aemond reaches to hold his son. his son.

the feeling is quite strange for the one eyed prince. he still fears for you but holding his baby in his arms is a relief. he holds him for what feels like an eternity. he memorises the baby's facial features, all the same with his, only with the shape of your mouth. he watches, mesmerised and happy.

alicent approaches closer to her son. aemond looks at her and puts the baby in her arms securely after pressing a little kiss on his forehead. alicent smiles to her grandson, proud and relieved. her worries lessen when she sees how healthy the baby is even though he was born two moons early.

aemond sits on the edge of the bed. your handmaids clean the bed, there is no blood now. you are in a clean space, your eyes closed and your hair messy. he brushes his fingers on your cheek gently, prays to the gods to give you back to him. he prays for you to find your balance again, to be happy now that your son is here. he prays for you to wake up, to tell him you're fine, to ask him about the baby's name. he wishes for you to tell him all your name choices and decide what's your desire to call your boy. he just wishes for you to come back to him.

he keeps stroking your cheek when you open your eyes. your eyes are unfocused for a moment, then you see him. he looks exhausted but when he realizes you open your eyes, he cups your cheek. "my love?"

"aemond, our son-" your voice doesn't feel like your own. you can't complete your clumsy sentence.

"he is alright. a perfect boy, healthy and safe. how do you feel, my lady?"

you sigh in comfort when he tells you about your son. "i'll be better."

"yes, you will. you will be better. than we will choose a name for our boy, hmm? would you like that?"

you nod. "yes. it would be lovely."

your prince takes a deep breath. the experience was terrifying but you survived. he leans and kisses your forehead affectionally. "you have done perfectly. i love you."

"i love you. thank you for never leaving, my prince."

he shakes his head. "i will be by your side until the end of my days."

[yuurei20]

Strange question but!! Yk how the villains are treated as heroes? How on earth did the heroes stories work if they, uh, yk, dont have the villains? Like i briefly remember TWST!Jafar hijacking Aladdin’s plan to fake being a prince, so theres not rlly any more “aladdin” story, but im curious how other stories went if u know! Are the OG heroes still treated as heroes, etc etc, that fun stuff

Hello hello! Thank you so much for this question!!

The different interpretations of history that seem exist in Twst are fascinating, and one of my favorite things is the part in Book 6 where Lilia seems to insinuate that the Disney stories that we know might not actually be what really happened, because history is written by the victors:

These "classic" stories--were they, too, twisted to suit an agenda? Is the truth closer to what is taught as history in Twst, or is it somewhere in the middle? It is so interesting to think about!

For the most part it seems that the heroes from the stories we know are not turned into villains in Twst, and the deeds that are attributed to them were actually done by multiple characters from different folklore:

For example, Harveston has stories about miners and customs based on "a young lady who made a wish at a well," a "traveler" who cleaned a stranger's home and then a tale about "some princess who wished to fall in love right away," as if the young lady, princess and traveler are three separate people.

While basing their traditions on the miners, the lady and traveler, they also deify the Fairest Queen, as if they are all independent individuals with no overlap.

One of the more interesting parts of the Fairest Queen's history, in particular, is that there is actually a "dastardly villain" in Harveston folklore that stalks a woman who is then saved by forest creatures.

The huntsman is--just like the queen--not a villain in the Twst universe. Who was who, and what really happened? 👀

For the Scalding Sands, it seems that the unnamed princess and the sultan from local stories are just as revered as the Sorcerer of the Sands himself, with the sultan known to be the person who named the Sorcerer as his vizier and retaining their connection from the story we know.

Much like in Harveston, the history of the Scalding Sands seems to attribute what we believe to be the history of just one character to multiple individuals: Kalim talks about the Sorcerer saving his country from a street rat, who was a swindler/charlatan/usurper who tried to trick the sultan and princess, in a rare case of a "hero" being vilified.

But they also have folklore about "a poor but kind-hearted young man" who shared his food with children, and whose marriage to the beautiful princess they celebrate every year with a festival.

Whereas the Disney movies make the charlatan and the kind man into one person, in Twst's history it seems they were two different people.

Diasomnia is very big on the Thorn Fairy, and they also talk about the human king who feared her, the princess whose birthday she was not invited to (Silver: "Was their king raised in a barn?") and the three presents that the princess received.

Lilia talks about a trio of fairies that were not able to break the Thorn Fairy's curses and also put an entire kingdom to sleep, while Silver comments on how Lilia is consciously, intentionally emulating the three fairies from that tale with his cooking.

Silver and Malleus discuss "some faeries" raising a child for 16 years without magic, but they do not seem to know why they did so, and it is unclear if they believe that those faeries and the three faeries that put the kingdom to sleep are the same or different people.

Heartslabyul seems to separate Alice into two different characters as well, referring to a 1-km-tall giant that the Queen of Hearts tried in court and a child that got lost in the castle as if they were two people.

The only reference we get of the "heroes" of the Lion King tale are Jack referring to the King of Beast's "rascal of a nephew" and Leona mentioning that he deposed his brother "to build a better, wiser kingdom."

While the characters seem similar to the stories we know it's possible that the timelines are slightly different, with the rebirth of the pridelands being attributed to the King of Beasts himself rather than his nephew.

The history of the Sea Witch in Twst might be the most fascinating: the characters reference the Sea Witch taking someone's voice for a contract and making a shapeshifting potion to facilitate love between a mermaid and a human, but also turning herself into a human and being proposed to by a prince the next day, with no acknowledgement that the human from the first tale and the prince from the second might have been the same person.

They also talk about the eels flipping over a boat and a mermaid princess who had trouble walking on land, but there is no mention of the princess being in the boat in the eel story.

Octavinelle even acknowledges that the Sea Witch once made herself huge and sunk a ship with a whirlpool and "some even labeled her a monster," saying that she was later lauded as a compassionate figure after turning over a new leaf. (While the less-than-pleasant deeds done by the Sorcerer, the Fairest Queen and the King of Beasts in the stories that we know are never mentioned.)

Silver's tale from Halloween seems to be an exception to this rule. Everything done by the "hero" in the tale we know is still attributed to the hero in the story that Silver knows, and the enemy army is still the enemy army.

To the initial question: it seems that the heroes from the histories that we know are still being regarded as heroes in Twst (though they tend to get separated into multiple people), while the characters that we know as villains are also highly regarded. This sometimes includes their pasts (in the case of the Sea Witch and the Queen of Hearts), being separated from their pasts (in the case of the Hunter) or with no mention of their pasts (the King of Beasts, the Sorcerer of the Sands, the Fairest Queen, the Thorn Fairy).

(Not a lot of information about the King of the Underworld when compared to the others! Idia mostly just talks about how charismatic he was. Ortho suggests something about "the truth" about him being closer to Idia's own situation than they have been taught, but Idia is not convinced.)

Also: there is a reference to a hero rescuing his ladylove from the Underworld in Book 6, so it seems the hero in that tale remains a hero in Twst as well!

[wondereads]

An Extended List of Retellings

It was recently Tell a Fairy Tale Day (02/26), so here's an updated and expanded list of retellings for all fairy tale- and folklore-obsessed readers!

*Key at the end of the post*

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert (Fairy Tale-esque)

Alice's grandmother is known for her collection of stories that has spawned a cult-like following, spawning plenty of fanatics to follow Alice and her mother around. But this new group is strange, weirder than the rest, and when they take Alice's mother, she must literally dive into the world of her grandmother's stories to save her. (YA, low fantasy)

Damsel by Elana K. Arnold (Fairy Tale-esque)

Ama remembers nothing. All she knows is that she was saved by Prince Emory from a vicious dragon. It seems she will be taken care of for the rest of her life as a pampered princess, but as she learns more about her new home, the more darkness seems to well up around the edges. *read trigger warnings* (NA, high fantasy)

The Frog Princess by E. D. Baker (The Frog Prince)

Princess Emeralda is about to be caught in an unfortunate engagement, but she finds an escape in a talking frog. A frog who claims he is a prince, a perfect excuse to escape a betrothal. What she doesn't expect is being turned into a frog herself with no clue how to change both of them back. (MG, high fantasy)

The Wide-Awake Princess by E. D. Baker (Sleeping Beauty)

Princess Gwen was tragically cursed to fall into a magical sleep, so when her younger sister, Annie, is born, she is given only one christening gift—the ability to resist any magic. When the curse comes true and Gwen falls asleep, Annie sets out to find her sister's true love and wake the kingdom again. (MG, high fantasy)

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (Peter Pan)

From an orphanage in London, Peter and his mysterious friend, Molly, arrive at a faraway island. There, pirates and adventures abound, but nothing is as exciting as a precious new substance that can cure wounds, give flight, and keep people young forever. (MG, low fantasy)

The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor (Alice in Wonderland)

When Wonderland, land of dreams and imagination, undergoes a bloody coup, Princess Alyss Heart is forced to flee to the real world, taking on the name Alice Liddel. Years later, she is needed to win Wonderland back, but is it time for Alyss' imagination to be saved? (YA, low fantasy)

The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley (multiple)

Sabrina and Daphne Grimm have bounced from foster home to foster home before their formerly-unknown grandmother takes them in. She seems like everything two children could want, but Sabrina doesn't trust her. Not only does she serve outlandish foods and have an outrageous amount of locks on her house, but she seems to believe their town is full of fairy tale characters, all with mysteries that need solving. (MG, magical realism)

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani (multiple)

Agatha and Sophie are best friends, but they couldn't be more different. Agatha is ugly and unpleasant and Sophie is pretty and kind, so when they're taken to the School for Good and Evil, it seems obvious who's Good and who's Evil. However, when the girl's places are switched, they must put things to rights. (MG/YA, high fantasy)

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo (The Little Mermaid)

Lira is a vicious siren, known for her collection of prince's hearts. However, a serious mistake of hers leads the Sea Queen to transform her into a human, trapped until she can bring her the heart of Prince Elian. Lira is a practiced killer, but Elian is a trained hunter, and sirens are his prey of choice. (YA, high fantasy)

The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer (multiple)

Alex and Conner have had it rough since their father's death, but they find comfort in their grandmother's book of stories. When she leaves it to them on their birthday, they never expected for it to be a portal to another world. This world is full of all the fairy tales they know and love, but they're trapped there, and ways back are hard to come by. (MG, low fantasy)

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn (King Arthur)

In an attempt to move on after her mother's death, Bree attends an early college program. However, she starts to see things, things her friends can't, and she soon discovers a secret society on campus made up of the descendants of King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable. However, this group, the Legendborn, may be tied to Bree more than she knows. (YA, magical realism)

Midnight Robber by Nalo Hopkinson (Caribbean and Yoruba Mythology)

In a futuristic world modeled off of Afro-Caribbean history and mythology, criminals are sent to the world of New Half-Way Tree. No child has been sent before until Tan-Tan is taken by her father, who is on the run from the law. When Tan-Tan's experience takes a turn for the worse, she finds strength the figure of the Robber Queen from myth. *read trigger warnings* (adult, science fiction/fantasy)

Splintered by A. G. Howard (Alice in Wonderland)

Alyssa is a descendant of the famous Alice Liddel, but it's not all roses and tea parties. Madness runs in the family, and Alyssa has heard bugs and flowers speak to her since she was young. It's only when she's a teenager that she learns it's a curse, and the only way to free her family from it is to return to Wonderland and put the original Alice's mistakes to rights.

Stain by A. G. Howard (very loosely The Princess and the Pea)

Princess Lyra is destined to bring her kingdom, one of perpetual day, and their rival, a kingdom of perpetual night, together. However, when her wicked aunt steals her identity and casts her out, she loses her memories and is taken in by a witch from an enchanted forest. There, she lives in disguise, known as a young boy named Stain. (YA, fantasy romance)

Enchanted by Alethea Kontis (The Frog Prince)

Sunday is the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, a powerfully magic number. Anything Sunday writes comes true, so she takes care to only write what has already happened. She finds someone to share those stories with in a talking frog near her home. Little does she know that the frog is an enchanted prince; specifically, the prince responsible for the death of her older brother.

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (Cinderella)

Ella was given a gift at her birth from a fairy, but it's done nothing but make her life miserable. Forced to obey every direct order, Ella loathes her gift of obedience, especially when she is forced to deal with a demanding father and a horrible stepfamily. Ella takes it upon herself to track down the fairy who 'blessed' her with some help from her family's cook, Mandy, and the charming Prince Char. (MG, high fantasy)

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine (Snow White)

Aza is by no means the fairest of them all, but she has the unique gift to imitate others and throw her voice. In the kingdom of Ayortha, which values song above all else, it's an invaluable trait. One the new queen of Ayortha, Queen Ivi, plans to capitalize upon. Ivi lacks singing talent, so she hires Aza to help her deceive the kingdom, but how long can they keep up the charade? (MG, high fantasy)

The Princess Tales by Gail Carson Levine (multiple)

Six stories: The Fairy's Mistake (Diamonds and Toads), The Princess Test (The Princess and the Pea), Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep (Sleeping Beauty), Cinderellis and the Glass Hill (Cinderella), For Biddle's Sake (Rapunzel), and The Fairy's Return (The Golden Goose) (MG, high fantasy)

Ash by Malinda Lo (Cinderella)

Abused by her horrible stepmother, Ash finds solace in stories. Those stories seem to come to life when she encounters a faerie, and her wishes of being stolen away may finally be granted. However, Ash begins to doubt that course when she meets the king's huntress and she finds herself torn between two worlds. (YA, fantasy romance)

Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell (Peter Pan)

Gwendolyn has always thought her mother was crazy for thinking monsters were chasing them, but then she and her best friend are kidnapped. The place they're taken to, Neverland, is full of deception, and Gwen must find out how to get them both home and whole again. (YA, low fantasy)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (Cinderella)

Cinder is a cyborg in a futuristic world ravaged by sickness and prejudice, but she scrapes by as a mechanic. One day, during a job for no one other than the prince, she discovers information that could tip the balance between the people of earth and the dreaded Lunars. (YA, science fiction)

The Squire's Tales by Gerald Morris (King Arthur)

A series retelling the tales of the Roundtable, beginning with Terence, an orphan who becomes squire to the famous Sir Gawain. Together, they must foil a plot against King Arthur as Terence discovers his own abilities. (MG/YA, historical fantasy)

Uprooted by Naomi Novik (Beauty and the Beast)

Agnieszka is forfeited by her village to the wizard known as the Dragon in exchange for his protection against the horrible Wood. She finds herself more of an apprentice than a servant, but the Wood is stirring, and it's up to her and the Dragon to drive it back. (NA, high fantasy)

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (Rumpelstiltskin)

Miryam has brought her family's moneylending business back from the brink of bankruptcy. All is going well until an ill-timed boast on the roads lures the attention of the king of the Staryk, fae-like creatures made of winter and obsessed with gold. But there's a bigger threat that threatens to consume humans and Staryk alike. (NA, high fantasy)

Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes (Alice in Wonderland)

Dinah has trained her whole life to become queen of Wonderland alongside her father, finally earning his love. However, out of the blue, her father brings home her half-sister, his illegitimate daughter. With conspiracies brewing, Dinah must hold onto her throne now that another candidate has entered the picture. (YA, high fantasy)

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh (Shim Cheong)

As their home is ravaged by storms and floods, the people of Mina's village sacrifice a young girl every year, hoping she may be the "true bride" of the sea god. One year, the offered girl is Shim Cheong, Mina's older brother, Joon's, beloved. In an effort to save her, Mina throws herself into the sea to find a fantastical world under the surface. (YA, historical fantasy)

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige (The Wizard of Oz)

Amy is a friendless teenager from modern-day Kansas, so a surprise trip to the land of Oz would seem like a blessing. But this version of Oz is twisted, dark, and ruled by none other than the other girl from Kansas, Dorothy herself. (YA, low fantasy)

The Shadow Queen by C. J. Redwine (Snow White)

Lorelai is the crown princess, but she's also a fugitive. Ever since her kingdom was taken by a wicked queen, she and her brother have been forced to run for their lives. She and the queen share one quality, magic, but if Lorelai ever uses it, she'll be guiding the queen straight to her. (YA, high fantasy)

The Blood Spell by C. J. Redwine (Cinderella)

Blue is an aspiring alchemist, hoping to turn other metals into gold to help the people of her city. However, when her father tragically dies and a cruel woman seizes everything Blue knows, she has to turn to her childhood rival, Prince Kellan. Kellan has his own issues, such as a growing pressure to marry, but the worst is the disappearances that seem to rise in number every day. (YA, high fantasy)

Half Upon a Time by James Riley (multiple)

Jack the 13th is supposed to be a hero, save a princess. He thinks that isn't likely to happen until a 'princess' from our world literally falls into his arms. Soon, Jack realizes that this girl's grandmother can be none other than the famous Snow White, but she's been kidnapped, and it's up to Jack and the 'princess', Meg, to save her. (MG, low fantasy)

The Evil Queen by Gena Showalter (Snow White)

Everly lives the life of a normal teenager until she discovers she's not of this world. In this other land of magic, she's a part of a prophecy, one that mirrors the classic tale of Snow White. That would all be great if she weren't destined to become the story's villain, the Evil Queen. (YA, low fantasy)

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan (Chang'e)

Xingyin's mother, Chang'e has been imprisoned on the moon for years for stealing the Celestial Emperor's elixir of immortality. When Xingyin's magic flares and she is in danger of being discovered, she must flee the moon. She ends up in the Celestial Kingdom, where she works her way up, hoping to find a way to free her mother. (NA, high fantasy)

Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu (The Snow Queen)

The Snow Queen made a mirror meant to show people the worst in the world, and when it shatters, a shard gets stuck in the eye of Hazel's best friend Jack. When the Snow Queen whisks him away, Hazel must travel through a treacherous, wintery forest to save him. (MG, low fantasy)

Malice by Heather Walter (Sleeping Beauty)

Alyce is the infamous Dark Grace, whose powers bring curses and misfortune, unlike her sisters, who can conjure gifts and beauty. She dreams of escaping the prejudiced Kingdom of Briar, but her growing powers and an involvement with the royal family could keep her trapped forever. (adult, fantasy romance)

KEY

MG: middle grade, ages 8-12

YA: young adult, ages 13-18

NA: new adult, ages 18-early twenties

adult: ages 18 and up

high fantasy: fantasy stories set entirely within another world

low fantasy: fantasy stories split between our world and another

magical realism: fantasy stories set in our world, often interwoven with aspects of modern life (not the Latin American literary movement!)

historical fantasy: fantasy stories set in a historical setting of our world

fantasy romance: fantasy stories focused on romantic plotlines instead of other forms of plot

[apricia]

For ever by your side/ Aemond Targaryen x reader

Prolog: Alyssa Targaryen - Second of her name

King's Landing was in a celebratory mood. People celebrated Princess Helaena Targaryen's first name day. The little princess was barely aware of the celebrations held in her honor. Slept peacefully in the care of her governess. A big tournament drew all the lords, ladies and knights to the capital. While King Viserys, his Lord Hand, and the small council enjoyed the brutal games, Queen Alicent rubbed her plump belly. Her daughter's first birthday was just celebrated and she was already carrying her third child under her heart. She knew it would be a boy. Felt it in her heart. Another son for the king. Another descendant of Valyria. Silver hair, purple eyes. Alicent had wished that at least one child would not have these traits, but she knew that Valyrian blood was strong and at least her loyalty to the king would never be questioned. She was a loyal wife, a good queen. Just like her father asked of her. And so she once again carried a child of the king. It would only be a few months, if even weeks, until the birth. Not an event she was looking forward to. She remembered too much the pain of her last delivery. Squeezing Helaena out of her body had been excruciating, not nearly as easy as Aegon's, if childbirth could even be called easy. Alicent flinched when she was kicked in the ribs just as one of the opponents was knocked off his horse. A little fighter was growing inside her, she was sure of that. "Your Grace, I hate to interrupt the celebrations in honor of the Princess, but there is one matter that you must attend to. It cannot be postponed." Ser Harrold Westerling appeared next to the royal couple and although his voice was low, Alicent understood every word. What troubled her was the deep furrows on the Lord Commander's forehead. "What's so important, Ser Harrold, that it can't wait until after the tournament?" Viserys asked, frowning at his follower. "A woman has appeared in the keep, demanding an talk with you, Your Majesty." Alicent pricked up her ears at the word woman. She gritted her teeth and looked at her husband. Viserys was loyal to her, she knew that. Although he wasn't the husband she would have chosen for herself, she couldn't deny that he was good to her. Loving, decent and kind. He took no other women into his bed. No, he wasn't in the least like his brother Daemon, who hated his own wife and shared a bed with every whore in Fleabottom. A tight smile appeared on her face. No, thank the gods the king wasn't like that. "What woman?" Viserys demanded, and Alicent found him glancing sideways at her. Ser Harrold cleared his throat and his cheeks suddenly blushed with embarrassment. "She is a whore, Your Majesty, but she says the matters she has to discuss with you are important." Alicent struggled to her feet and rubbed her stomach. The little warrior in her had stopped kicking, as if he, too, would hold his breath and want to know what important matter it was that demanded the king's attention on his daughter's nameday. "Husband, it seems to me that the matter is urgent, we should deal with it immediately," Alicent smiled at Viserys. She knew perfectly well that Ser Harrold had only wanted to speak to the king, but something told Alicent that she needed to meet this woman. This whore who considered herself important enough to demand an audience with the king and whom the guards let into the keep instead of publicly flogging her and sending her back to the whore house she came from. "My dear, you don't have to come. Enjoy the tournament, I can take care of it myself." "No, a little walk is good for me. Your son is very active today." To emphasize her words, she rubbed her bulging stomach with a smile. Not long now and she would be holding her third child in her arms. Viserys nodded and offered her his arm. The carriage ride into the keep didn't take long, but Alicent certainly hadn't been prepared for what awaited she there. In the great hall stood a woman, beautiful, dark hair, dark eyes, and her skin was sunkissed. She looked too elegant for an ordinary whore, was dressed too finely and her posture too self-confident.

"What's the meaning of this?" Viserys demanded, helping Alicent down the few steps in the throneroom. "Your Majesties," the woman said in a musical voice that made Alicent squint. The woman held a basket in her hands and from a distance the young queen saw that something was moving in it. "My name is Mysaria, Your Grace. I -" "You are friend of my brother's, I remember you." Viserys eyed the woman, then looked skeptically at the basket in her hands. "Still, I don't understand what you want here. For your last interactions with my brother, I could have had you killed." He looked at the Kingsguard and grimaced as if he wanted to lynch them for taking him away from the tournament for a whore who was consorting with his brother. "I know that and I am very grateful to you for showing mercy to me, my king. But the affairs with Prince Daemon at that time do not bring me here today. At least not entirely." "Then what brings you into the red keep?" Alicent now demanded to know. Her hand rested on the bulge of her stomach. She was glad to have left the children with their wet nurse. Aegon was three years old and far too wild to endure his curiosity and energy for any length of time. "I'm coming at the behest of a friend." The way she used the word friend let everyone in the room know that said friend was also in the industry as Mysaria. The woman put down the basket and took out the bundle inside. There was a scream and Alicent flinched. A child's cry echoed through the room and Alicent narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Whose child is this?" demanded Viserys, who seemed to be losing patience. "Your brother's." Alicent's eyes widened and she stared at the crying baby in the whore's arms. One look was enough to know that this child was of House Targaryen. Silvery white hair, purple eyes. Alicent let out a snort. They were brought here because Daemon got a whore pregnant? Was she serious? Alicent understood an important matter differently. But Viserys stepped forward and stopped just inches from Mysaria. His eyes on the child. "She is beautiful," said the king in awe. "She is, Your Majesty. But sadly motherless now. Which is why I'm here." Visery's eyes darted from the whore to the child in her arms and to Alicent, who was watching the situation suspiciously. "Motherless? What happened?" "Her mother died in childbirth last week, Your Grace. It's common for women like us to stick together and raise children that result from relationships with our clients, but this is different. She is different” said Mysaria, smiling down at the child as she said her last words. "What do you expect from the king?" Alicent asked unabashedly and stepped closer to the whore and her husband. "That he tracks down Daemon so he can take care of his bastard himself?" Mysaria shook her head. "Your brother is in town, I've already spoken to him. He doesn't want anything to do with the child - his only child, mind I say." Alicent nodded. She didn't think much of Daemon, never did. He was wild, moody and selfish. Didn't understand honor, duty and loyalty. "Daemon is here?" Viserys asked. Sorrow in his voice. "He was." Alicent said nothing about the fact that her brother-in-law had not even had the decency to appear before the king or at his niece's second nameday celebrations. Gods, how she despised this man. "And he rejected this enchanting being?" Viserys asked further. A smile appeared on the king's face and only then did Alicent realize that the child had stopped crying. Instead, it looked at Viserys. Alicent guessed the child would be a few months old, maybe three or four. Her husband grabbed the little creature and stroked his cheek. A chuckle was heard. "What do you intend to do, husband?" Alicent asked, putting a hand on Viserys' shoulder. She prayed that the king would force his brother to take the child. It would be a fair punishment for this lecher. Alicent would only be sorry for the child. Having Daemon Targaryen as a father was a shame. This man was a disgrace. He had already rejected his child without even meeting it. Viserys looked at Alicent, back at the baby. "Does she have a name?" he asked Mysaria. "Not yet, her mother hadn't given her one, she fell ill with a fever right after the birth and wasn't able to take care of the little one." Viserys nodded his understanding and then stretched out his arms. "May I?"

Without hesitation, she placed the child in the king's outstretched arms, who held it tightly to his chest. Alicent saw the smile on her husband's face. He was always in a good mood when it came to children, although Alicent wished he would bring that cheerfulness and warmth to her own children more often. The only person who she ever sah Viserys to bring such an loving expression was Rheanyra. As if she was his only child and Alicents children with him were worth nothing.  "Alyssa," came the king's voice. "Her name should be Alyssa and she should live here in the keep with us." His words were full of warmth, but at the same time there was a determination that made Alicent swallow. Alyssa had been his mother's name. A woman the king always spoke good things about. Of her beauty, her kindness and her strength. "You want to take the child in?" she asked her husband. He nodded. Alicent was expecting her third child, but she had no intention of raising another - a stranger, mind you. Especially not when it was the offspring of Daemon, who fathered it with a common whore. "Alicent, you may not understand, but it has always been my wish that my children and my brother's grow up together. As cousins, maybe more as siblings. I wanted our children to be close." Alicent understood her husband's wishes only too well. He always wished to be closer to his brother. To have a good relationship with him. But unfortunately that was not the case. Therefore, she could understand the wish that at least their children understood each other. Still, it wasn't what she wanted. "Unfortunately, by the late Lady Rhea, my brother had no children and I do not care who the mother of this little creature is. She is my niece and is now under my protection. I want her to stay here and grow up alongside my children. She will be an excellent playmate for Princess Helaena, don’t you think, my dear? Perhaps for our next child as well." Alicent put a hand on her stomach and felt another kick. As if the unborn in her agreed with his father's words, as if he wanted to keep Daemon's daughter as a comrade. Alicent nodded, knowing she couldn't change Viserys' mind. "Then let her stay." She stepped closer to her husband and looked at the little girl who was still smiling at her uncle. "Alyssa Waters," Alicent said, smiling. "No, my dear," contradicted the king. "Alyssa Targaryen, second of her name." Alicent's eyes widened. "Targaryen?" she asked, stunned. This kid was a bastard. She was the daughter of Daemon Targaryen and an unnamed whore! "Yes, Alyssa Targaryen," Viserys repeated his niece's name. "As king of the realm, I legitimize her. She's my brother's only child and I don't care about her origins. If she grows up here in the keep, alongside my children, then she'll be what she is: a Targaryen. And she's meant to be treated such are. From today, in her cradle, there will be a dragon egg by her side. Syrax laid two eggs. Our child will have one, and she shall have the other." And with that, the fate of this child changed from one second to the next. The daughter of a whore, insignificant and destitute, had become a princess, entitled to her father's inheritance, and future dragon rider in the blink of an eye. Alicent just looked at her husband without a word and shook her head almost imperceptibly. What was it about this baby that made her legitimate? Gave her a dragon egg? Was she that engaging? So special? Alicent strongly dared to doubt. But she would discover in time that Viserys wasn't the only Targaryen men who was immediately charmed by the child. Her unborn child, her second son, would follow his father's example.

[yaeggravate]

Unraveling Princess Fischl

So I recently finished studying Princess Fischl in a lab and the results I got were kinda crazy.

As a disclaimer, I do this just for fun. I like connecting dots and solving puzzles. But I'd rather you draw your own conclusions. In this post I will try to dissect the mysteries surrounding the Prinzessin. And you really can't talk about Fischl without including Kaeya. I've even got a surprise guest star for you.

WARNING: this post is VERY long, click on that Read More at your own risk, otherwise you'll be stuck scrolling forever.

For simplicity's sake Princess Fischl will be referred to as Fischl while playable Fischl will be demoted to F.

PART 1: MIDSUMMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

Most of this will use the books Legend of the Shattered Halberd and Flowers for Princess Fischl as a source. These books are authored by someone named Mr. Nine. The books are published by Yae Publishing House. So keep in mind there's a non-zero percent chance Mr. Nine is actually just a certain Nine-Tailed Fox.

F's alternate outfit is called Immernachtstraum. This is a reference to Shakespeare's play Midsummer Night's Dream. In German the play is called Ein Sommernachtstraum. So you can see the similarities (Immernachtstraum means Eternal Night's Dream.)

Kaeya is in part based on the Indian changeling prince from the same play. The character Oberon, the Fairy King, is the french derivative of Alberich. The play itself is basically about people getting into Shenanigans so absurd it might as well be a dream. Oberon and his wife Titania are actually key players in quite a bit of different media… But as much as I want to delve into that, this isn't a Kaeya post.

Just remember for now that Titania is the Fairy Queen.

In the book Flowers for Princess Fischl, there is a mention of a Sommernachtgarten. It is described as a Domain possessed by someone highly skilled in the magical arts. Sommernachtgarten seems to have existed in Teyvat. The domain Midsummer Courtyard, which has the Thundering Fury set, tells us the Sommernachtgarten was buried underground.

The domain is located in Starfell Valley. It's nearby Starfell Lake and Starsnatch Cliff. Starfell Lake is said to have been formed by a fallen star.

Fischl is also equated to a star that fell down. Notably, in F's birthday letters, and in Legend of the Shattered Halberd.

Birthday Letter: Day of Destiny… On the day of a sacred star's descent from the depths of the night sky into this realm, I, the Prinzessin der Verurteilung, have asked Oz to cross the ocean and bring, me exotic treasure.

LotSH Vol. 1 The story was that an iron meteorite had fallen from the sky five or six years ago, and convention dictated that as nature's treasure it belonged to the imperial family.

Starsnatch Cliff is the only place where Cecilia flowers grow. These flowers have a triquetra shape, which is similar to Kaeya's passive talent Glacial Heart. Kaeya has been featured with these flowers in his birthday arts, and even invites the Traveler to go see the flowers with him.

Alice: With enough bombs placed in proper positions, even huge cliffs like Starsnatch would crumble into dust in a second. With flatter terrain, Mondstadt would surely look much nicer. But that unctuous Cavalry Captain rejected my proposal instantly. He even asked me to stay away from Starsnatch Cliff.

Furthermore, when Alice proposed to blow Starsnatch Cliff up, Kaeya denied her request and warned her to never go near there again… Starsnatch Cliff also overlooks the Nameless Island which is shrouded in mist and invisible on the map.

菲谢尔 = Fischer = Fischl

Fischl's name might be a reference to the Fisher King from Arthurian legends. One name of the Fisher King is Amfortas. In the game Anfortas is the name of the Knight Marshal of the Schwanenritter; he's thee Alberich who stepped up as Regent King when Irmin was indisposed.

Perhaps Fischl was the original "Fisher King" and the kings who came after her, like Irmin and Anfortas, fulfilled her role. …But this would imply Fischl was once the ruler of Khaenri'ah. That would be crazy, right? Right, guys?

PART 2: THE PRINCESS OF JUDGEMENT

When I was analyzing the 8-pointed star, I discovered these 8 points could actually correspond to the Guardians of the Eight Directions in Hinduism.

For some reason, ascension gem stones are named after Hindu gods (with the exception of Electro). This isn't the case in the original Chinese naming however.

Still, I tried to mix and match the gemstones to a direction.

North: Kubera, The God of Fortune -> GEO

South: Yama, The God of Justice and Death -> ???

East: Indra, The Lord of Heaven and God of the Weather, Sky, Rain, and Storms -> ELECTRO

West: Varuna, God of the Seas, Oceans, and Rain -> HYDRO

Northeast: Ishana, God of Birth, Death, Resurrection, and Time -> DENDRO

Southeast: Agni, God of Fire -> PYRO

Northwest: Vayu, God of the Winds and Air -> ANEMO

Southwest: Nirṛta, God of Death, Sorrow, and Decay -> CRYO

Hydro (Varunada), Pyro (Agnidus) and Anemo (Vayuda) gems already have the same names as the Hindu gods so that was easy. The Electro gemstone Vajrada is named after a sword but it belongs to Indra, God of Weather, Rain and Storms.

That just left me with Cryo (Shivada), Geo (Prithiva) and Dendro (Nagadus). Ishana is the God of Birth, so I'll assign him Dendro. Kubera is the God of Fortune which is Geo because Mora.

Now Cryo is a bit puzzling, because it's named after Shiva, who in Java and Bali Hinduism is actually the direction in the center. Some crazy implications here for our buddy the Tsaritsa because Shiva is the God of Destruction within the Trimurti, a trinity of deities. The other two are Brahma, God of Creation and Vishnu, God of Preservation.

In Java Hinduism, Brahma and Vishnu would correspond to the directions Zenith (South) and Nadir (North). Whether this is hinting at something about the nature of the Tsaritsa is unclear. When you see Three Deities you think Moon Sisters, right? However, we can't rule out the possibility that Genshin decided to mix these deities up. Let's just spare ourselves the headache for now and forget about this. This is a Fischl analysis after all.

So instead, let's have a look at the Cryo gemstone's original name in Chinese. The stone is simply called Grieving Ice.

哀叙冰玉: Grieving Ice

Since Nirriti is the God of Sorrow, I decided to assign them Cryo. Now we are left with one deity, Yama: The God of Justice and Death. Well, it can't be Hydro, because we already assigned them to a God. So it has to be someone else.

Fischl's title is the Prinzessin der Verurteilung. Which translates into Princess of Judgement. According to Legend of the Shattered Halberd and F's voicelines, Fischl's role was to act as a judge.

More About Fischl: I To condemn the guilty, to sanctify the just, and to draw all castaway dreams into the embrace of the infinite Immernachtreich. This is the birthright of the Prinzessin der Verurteilung, and her burden. None may gainsay it.

What's interesting is that Fischl uses magical arrows to shoot down the "enemies of fate".

About Us: Shooting Down the World Beast Should this world, like a beast prowling in the night, covet your dreams, then I, Prinzessin der Verurteilung, shall fell it with my ensorcelled arrows of judgment!

Feelings About Ascension: Intro My magic arrow cries out my holy name as it streaks through the night, praying that the violet lightning of retribution shall strike the enemies of fate down from the skies!

On the 8-pointed star, there's an arrow pointing upwards. Kaeya, Clothar and Halfdan's stars on their outfits and even F herself have the arrow pointing downwards.

The achievement you get when you find this door is called "Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here". Which is a reference to the entrance to Hell in Dante's Inferno.

The Immernachtreich is described as a place where all things will eventually flow into. Immernachtreich literally translates into Eternal Night Realm…

Flowers for Princess Fischl: Phantasmagoria Every good, bright and noble thing must eventually fall to inexorable entropic destruction, and the final destination of the universe is the realm-in-waiting of the Prinzessin, Immernachtreich. This is the fate of all worlds, of the universe, and all who live in it.

In the Immernachtreich Apokalypse, Leon calls Fischl the Soteria.

Soteria means salvation, preservation. It's used as an epithet for Persephone and Hecate. Persephone was forcibly made Queen of the Underworld, and Hecate is also known as the Goddess of the Underworld and Witchcraft…

Look, I don't want to claim Fischl was the secret 8th Archon or anything, because lest we forget Khaenri'ah was a godless nation who would've been Fischl's enemies. But why then would Khaenri'ah have this giant star referencing the 8 deities as their emblem in the first place? Seems a bit counterintuitive. I don't have the answers for now, and perhaps the 8th "archon" was simply Irmin. Or maybe it's not even representing a god but an element or a direction.

Regarding Oz, he is a not so subtle reference to Odin/Irmin but is also a reference to the Wizard of Oz. In the first book, it was revealed this wizard was literally just some guy pretending to be powerful. Eventually Oz starts working as an advisor for the true ruler of Oz, Princess Ozma, who is the inspiration behind Fischl. We'll get back to that later.

This Oz's full name is Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs. OZ is actually short for Oscar Zoroaster. Zoroaster is referenced in Flowers for Princess Fischl.

In a distant causality, if the philosopher Zarathustra was not chosen, then the opera writer would have gained victory in the contest over the will of the world.

This does make you wonder if Irmin really was the true ruler of Khaenri'ah and if he even existed the way we believe he did. Perhaps Fischl got Irminsnapped and now everyone believes Irmin was always the One-Eyed King.

Of course this is all my personal speculation and I could be way off here.

Wait, before we move on to next section, I want to point out something that always gets ignored:

Kaeya and Mona, when they cast their bursts, summon the same 8-pointed star. This is unique to them alone. Could there be a connection between Khaenri'ah and witchcraft? Or is either Kaeya or Mona an outlier?

PART 3: HEXENZIRKEL

In the trailer Mage's Teaparty, there are eight witches shown. However, we only know the names of six witches, and there is a chair missing at the table.

There is a slideshow where the figures of the eight witches are shown, minus Andersdottir who is represented by the book The Boar Princess.

Observe the witch on the broom and the little witch. The design of the little witch is similar to the design of a famous fictional character who got pulled into another world: Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz books.

Dorothy is illustrated as having twin tails and wearing a farm girl dress. Dorothy's character was influenced by the character Alice, from the Wonderland books.

Originally I assumed Alice Genshin might be based on book Alice. However, it's the Narzissenkreuz quest that's based on the Wonderland books and Mary-Ann who takes the role of Alice.

With that in mind, could Alice Genshin actually be more of a Dorothy inspired character instead?

Now, Dorothy had a very good friend, called Princess Ozma. Ozma seems to be the inspiration behind Fischl.

So who is Ozma? I only have the Wiki to go on because I'm not about to read 40 books, but by the sound of it, Ozma is the current ruler of the realm of Oz. She is the daughter of a human king and a Fairy Queen. Her mother Lurline was the one who created Oz and turned it into a Fairy country.

Ozma took it one step further and separated Oz entirely from the outer realms making it invisible to outsiders. Everyone who enters Oz never ages.

If you're an F main I'm sure you know by now Fischl created another universe and founded paradise.

Now I want you to take a look at the witches portrayed in these circles. There are two witches holding a sphere. In F's cutscene from the Summertime Odyssey event, she is also holding a sphere which contains the Immernachtreich which you can see in the header image of this post and below.

You might think a glowing sphere represents a crystal ball to scry in, but that poses a problem since known prophet Barbeloth is probably represented by the witch holding a waterdrop, which is Hydromancy. So the glowing sphere might not necessarily mean a prophetess.

As for the identity of the other witch with the globe, I believe this could be Alice, since she was the one who created the domain/dreamscape of the Veluriyam Mirage. It could also be Rhinedottir who is creating something in a flask.

So Orb = Domain/Realm/Creation

Furthermore F's specialty food is Die Heilige Sinfonie, which has a Magic Hexagram painted on top… (Die Heilige Sinfonie translates into The Holy Symphony.) As mentioned before, the Sommernachtgarten could only be created by someone with great magical powers…

Magic Circles is Ceremonial or Arcane Magic, and according to a note left by Master Ruggiero in Bravais' study, Arcane Arts originated from a pre-Remurian civilization.

So someone must have taught humans magic. Might sound obvious, but it begs the question of WHO?

PART 4: FREYJA

To answer this question we need to dip our toes into Norse mythology. As you know, Odin is Irmin.

There was a war between two groups of gods: the Aesir and the Vanir.

Eventually they had enough and decided to exchange hostages as a peace offering. The goddess Freyja, originally part of the Vanir, joined the Aesir which would be Odin's group. As a sacrificial priestess, she was the one who taught the Aesir dark magic, which included seeing into the future. The implication here then is that Odin was taught black magic by Freyja.

This magic is known as seiðr. Seiðr is derived from *soi-to- which means rope/string. The distaff, a tool used for spinning wool, is associated with dark magic. There are images of women riding distaffs as a broom, similar to a witch riding a broomstick. To quote the Wiki: "In any case, the string relates to the "threads of fate", that the Nornir spin, measure, and cut. " Wait, that sounds familiar:

F, joining the party voice line: The threads of your fate lie in my hands!

Scholars suspect Freyja is the same person as Gullveig who was involved in the Aesir-Vanir war. Gullveig was attacked by the Aesir with spears; she died and was reborn three times. When Fischl tried to visit the Kingdom of Eternal Twilight she was also attacked by its people and "shed her blood on the sacred emblem" whatever that means. It was Oz who saved her, pledging his loyalty to her.

Freyja sometimes is conflated with another goddess named Frigg. There has been much debate whether or not these two goddesses stem from the same deity. Frigg is part of the Aesir and usually Odin's wife.

I mention this because in the book Hex and Hound, one of the characters is named after Frigg: Nottfrigga. This book is about two twin witches sharing the same body. In the book we find out that they were the daughters of a powerful witch, but witches are unable to keep more than one offspring of the same generation. This led to Nottfrigga's twin sister Magdalene eventually dying, and her using magic to sustain her sister inside a magic bracelet.

In Norse mythology, Nott is the personification of night. Nott's father is named Narfi. This really got my attention, because Fischl's full name is Fischl von Luftschloss Narfidort. (Fischl of the Castle in the Sky Narfidort.)

In the Hexenzirkel teaser, every witch is represented by a teacup (or in the case of Andersdottir, an inkbottle) but the saucer next to Nicole's teacup is empty. Since this saucer belongs to the same teaset this could mean one of the missing witches is Nicole's twin sister or a relative.

So what could Fischl's role be in all this? Perhaps she's one of the twin sisters, or their mother. Perhaps she's even an ancestor. ...Or completely unrelated to them and I'm full of shit.

PART 5: THE HARBINGERS

F's theme shares a leitmotief with the Fatui Harbingers theme.

F's theme: Sieh an, mein Sommernachtgarten! Signora's theme: Saltatio Favillae

Obviously this means Fischl is Capitano.

Composers don't do these things by accident. This is hinting at something. Either Fischl is connected to the Harbingers, was/is one of the Harbingers, or she is indeed the Tsaritsa.

Which is not as crazy as it sounds.

In Legend of the Shattered Halberd, Fischl possessed someone else's body. And if she is Freyja's equivalent, who died three times, then it's possible she could've been reborn as someone else. In the book, it was Mir who summoned Fischl into Weiyang's body and sacrificed his eye to appease her. Pierro is working for the Tsaritsa and has his right eye covered for reasons unknown. Having been a royal mage who would have had access to Khaenri'ah's restricted library, perhaps it was Pierro who summoned Fischl into the Tsaritsa's body.

The Tsaritsa is collecting the seven Gnoses, Fischl had to collect seven of the nine Ominous Swords to repair the Divine Halberd, which would be herself. She already had two of them in her possession… Could also be that the Tsaritsa is trying to revive her. This would imply Fischl is the Third Descender. Since she came from another world, this is not impossible.

The Fisher King, Fischl's possible namesake, was struck with a wound that could only be healed by a "pure fool" who would ask him the right question. ...Fatui is Latin for fools. If the Tsaritsa really is/is possessed by Fischl, then creating an organization of fools starts to make sense: the fools are her saviors.

This could also connect to the empty 10th seat within the Harbingers. The vacant spot could be a reference to the Siege Perilous, which was an empty seat reserved for the one successful in obtaining the Holy Grail by way of saving the Fisher King.

Usually this is accomplished by Percival, who later finds out his mother is the sister of the Fisher King. In the story, Percival keeps failing to return to the kingdom of the Holy Grail since it is an otherworldly place. Does that not remind you of Kaeya trying to find Khaenri'ah but failing halfway through?

Going back to Princess Ozma, an evil witch cast a spell on her that turned her into a little boy named Tippetarius. This was done to prevent Ozma from ascending to the throne. Tip was unaware of his true identity until he was transformed back into Ozma.

tippet /tĭp′ĭt/ noun A covering for the shoulders, as of fur, with long ends that hang in front.

As noted in The Marvelous Land of Oz, Chapter 23, Tip has brown colored skin.

…Kaeya, blink twice if you need help.

As a staunch hater of things that don't make sense, I highly doubt this means Kaeya is Fischl; the game would never go there. Perhaps being "Fischl" is simply hinting towards the fact that he will become one of the Fisher Kings.

That would certainly explain this random hangout ending.

Now, here's where things get really crazy.

Remember Anfortas? The Knight Marshal of the Schwanenritter who took over as regent after Irmin became indisposed? At the time of writing, Anfortas's fate remains unknown.

As said before, Anfortas is the name of the Fisher King in Arthurian legends. Fischl's name might've been a nod to that.

But it gets weirder.

T.S. Eliot's poem The Waste Land combines Arthurian legends with the legend of the Fisher King. In it, he associates the Fisher King with the tarot card Three of Staves.

The Man with Three Staves (an authentic member of the Tarot pack) I associate, quite arbitrarily, with the Fisher King himself.

…We have seen this symbol somewhere before. On the constellation wheel of the Fatui Harbingers. By process of elimination this constellation belongs to Il Capitano.

👏🏽👏🏽CONGRATULATIONS CAPITANO YOU ARE KAEYA'S NEXT TOP GRANDPA 🎉

Kidding of course, but I doubt this is a coincidence. This doesn't necessarily mean they are the same person, maybe Capitano simply mindmelded with Anfortas. It's a fantasy game, everything is possible at this point.

Wait a minute… three nails, three deaths… Uhhh maybe Fischl really did turn into Capitano.

👏🏽👏🏽CONGRATULATIONS CAPITANO YOU ARE PRINCESS DIANA'S NEXT REINCARNATION 👸🏼

PART 6: THE THIEF AND THE MAGE

Alright, for this section I want us to keep in mind the following things:

Fischl is a fallen star

Fischl may have been a mage

Fischl could be connected to Irmin and thus Khaenri'ah

The play of the Veluriyam Mirage is written by Zosimos. This play stars Kaeya as a Thief, Klee as a Mage and Idyia as a last minute heroine added to the story.

You see, Zosimos originally wanted to write a story based on rumors he'd heard about a thief and a mage. This means the play might not be entirely fictional. The problem is that Zosimos combined Idyia's backstory with the story of the Thief and the Mage, making it hard to tell which bits belong to Thief's story.

We know at least that Alice was the mage who helped Idyia. But what about the Mage who helped the Thief? Who was she? Could it have been Alice or someone else?

For that we need to consider the character Kaeya was playing. It's unknown who he is, but if Klee was playing her mom then it stands to reason Kaeya must've been playing someone connected to him. Before you get excited, this does not necessarily mean someone related to him by blood. Could also just be someone from Khaenri'ah. Heck, we don't even know the gender of the mage, for all we know they could've been a man.

Now, the soundtrack that plays during Kaeya's part is called Towers of Afrasiab. This name has come up before. In the play of Kaeya's hangout, the character he plays opposite of is called Frasiyav. The location of the Khaenri'ahn door is called Hangeh Afrasiyab.

I personally suspect Afrasiyab is either Irmin or the founder of Khaenri'ah.

Afrasiyab is a character from the Persian epic, the Shahnameh. Afrasiyab lived in an underground iron palace held up by hundreds of columns. (If you look at the architecture in Hangeh Afrasiyab, you'll see little reliefs of men holding up a ceiling above them.) Afrasiyab lacked the divine royal glory known as Khvarena and was obsessed with obtaining it. In the play they say Frasiyav lost because he lacked the blessing of god…

I mean it can't get any more obvious than that. So this could mean the dude from Kaeya's hangout was Irmin. Which does raise a bunch of questions, such as who is the identity of the Prince in this play? And why were they at war?

Should be noted in the hangout's play, Frasiyav offered hostages as a peace offering. Kind of reminds me of the war between the Aesir and Vanir… Also, Kaeya's character Prince Qubad is based on Siyavash who eventually married into Afrasiyab's family…

Towers of Afrasiyab then could refer to Khaenri'ah. In the Veluriyam play, the Thief is also from a dark realm. I hesitate making the assumption that this guy is Irmin or Kaeya's pirate grandpa so I will refer to him as simply the Thief.

In the play, the Thief witnesses a shooting star falling from the sky and follows it. However, what he finds is not a star but a young woman. Well, we know Fischl was also a star that fell down. And we know Fischl visited the Kingdom of Eternal Twilight and got bodied for her efforts. Oz took her under his wings and saved her life.

If the Thief encountered the Mage this way it would explain why the Mage helped him as a way to repay him. Perhaps the Mage taught him Arcane arts or helped him protect the "Dark Realm", who knows?

If this Mage really was Fischl and the Thief someone connected or related to Kaeya it would explain why Fischl and Kaeya seem to be connected.

About Kaeya F: His nature is obscure, his fate a mystery, and his speech a vexing tapestry woven of both fact and fiction… Perhaps he and I share the burden of mystical sight…

About Fischl  Kaeya: Hmm? You think Fischl having one eye covered is very fitting given her title of Prinzessin der Verurteilung. Hahaha, if that's the case, that must also make me a descendant of some kind of former royal lineage, no?

Furthermore, in Legend of the Shattered Halberd, Fischl's partner in crime, the man who summoned her, is named Mir. This is a reference to Mimir, the severed head from Norse mythology who acted as an advisor to Odin.

Mr. Nine states Fischl was attracted to Mir… and that Oz was more of a familiar of Fischl.

In Wagner's opera Der Ring des Nibelungen, Mimir is known as Mime, the brother of Alberich.

....😮‍💨

Well, I have to say, even after all of that, I am completely stumped. If anyone knows what's going on, let me know, because I for one would love to know WHAT'S GOING ON FOR ONCE. GIVE IT UP FOR KNOWING WHAT'S GOING ON

[bananadrinkxxx]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐲𝐞 (3)

[Aemond Targaryen x female Lucerys Velaryon • fem! oc!reader]

[warnings: sex content, fights, harassment, angst, smut, domination, violence, targcest (uncle/niece)]

Only for 18+

[description: Boarding School - Modern Setting. Lucerya avoided her uncle for years but Aemond remembers and he is on his mission to make her life a living hell.]

Masterlist for all available parts (click here)

Baela raised an eyebrow as she looked at Lucy. "Hmmmm..."

Lucy rolled her eyes in annoyance. "What?"

"Nothing."

"Baela."

"Lucy?"

"Rhaena!," her cousin called out as she entered the room. Slush ice cream in hand, she plopped down on Lucy's bed and eyed the two girls curiously. "Is this a new game?"

"Apparently so, except your sister won't tell me what it's about," Lucy said reproachfully, crossing her arms in front of her chest. 

"Presumably it's about your outfit."

"What about my outfit?"

"Hmmm..."

"Rhaena!"

Rhaena laughed and Baela couldn't help laughing either. "Sorry, Lucy. If you go to the party like that, I'm sure half of you will get you a ticket to church as a birthday present."

"You don't need tickets to get into church."

"You know what I mean."

Lucy looked down at herself, then in the mirror. She was wearing long denim pants and a red sweater. Her hair was up. What was wrong with that?

"Have you ever been to a party?" asked Rhaena curiously, sipping her slush ice cream. 

"Of course."

Of course not.

She had never been particularly interested in going to parties. But maybe that was because she didn't have very many friends. She preferred to enjoy a night with pizza and Netflix or a good book. She was not a very extroverted person.

"Hmmm..."

"If one of you utters another 'Hmmm', I'll be forced to hurt you."

The threat worked and Rhaena went rolling her eyes to her closet, rummaging through it until she seemed to find something she liked. She tossed Lucy a top, which she caught in irritation. 

"Here wear something.... new."

"I don't need anything 'new'," She made quotation marks with her fingers. "I have a closet full of clothes."

"I've seen your clothes. Believe me, you need this."

Well, maybe they were right after all, because Hugh Hammer couldn't take his eyes off her. Most likely it was because of her charming charisma.

Or because she looked like a clown because Rhaena and Baela wanted to test their make-up skills on her. 

But Lucy preferred to believe in the version with charisma.

Inevitably, her grandmother's favorite choice of words came to mind. 

Alicent had always called it a strong presence.

By now, she had understood the message behind it.

If the joke were not at her expense she would even laugh about it.

"You look very lovely, Lucy." Hugh winked. He was cute. Lucy hoped he didn't see how red she was blushing.

When Rhaena had given her the dress after rejecting almost everything from her closet, she had briefly considered just staying in her room. The dress was tight against her body and drew every non-existent curve of her body. She thanked him and stroked through her open hair, which went over her chest. Rhaena had curled her tips slightly. 

Lucy looked around.

'Dragonpit Party' they call it.

It almost seemed like an arena. Dragonpit was said to be over a thousand years old and the shape was similar to that of a dragon. 

Basically, it was just an incomprehensible collection of stones that ended in a cave.

"Nice, right? The first time I saw 'Dragonpit' I was shocked," Hugh explained when he saw her amazement. "Want something to drink?"

Lucy asked him for a beer. "Your wish is my command." He made a bow and left to fulfill her wish.

Finally someone who gave her the princess treatment she deserved.

She looked around. It felt like the whole school was here. She saw many people from her year, but other years were also represented. Everyone was here.

"Hey, lucky lucy," and to her dismay, also her Uncle Aegon.

He had given her the nickname when she accidentally set fire to her mother's kitchen. She had always been fascinated by fire.

Since then she was 'lucky lucy', because bad luck seemed to follow her. It was shortly after she had freed Aemond from his eye.

"You finally look like a lady."

She knew exactly what Aegon was alluding to and she screwed up her face.

The guy had invented the word 'perversity'.

"Bye, Aegon," she turned around, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him. 

"What, no hug for your favorite uncle?"

"You're not my favorite uncle."

"You're breaking my heart."

"If you had one."

"Double attack, my poor heart," he groaned in mock disappointment, clutching his chest, "Yet you're my favorite niece."

"I'm your only niece."

"That's why it's even more special."

"What do you want Aegon?" asked Lucy annoyed as she grew tired of Aegon's games. Where the hell was Hugh? Had he drank her beer on the way and was about to go back for more?

"Why do you always think I want something?"

"Because you do," she said, annoyed, bracing her hand on her hip. "So?"

"Who are you here with?"

"Hugh?"

"Who?"

"He was in your year before teachers finally understand that you are not the brightest candle on the cake? By the way how did you manage that? Do you only use your head to cut hair?"

"Cute. Almost as cute as the fact that Hugh and Aemond, hate each other."

"And?"

"Do you think Aemond will be pleased?"

"About what?"

"That you're here with him?"

"I don't care."

"Really?"

"Yeah?"

"Really really?"

"Aegon, I'm about to punch you in the face."

Aegon rolled with his eyes. Sometimes Lucy wished it had been Aegon and not Aemond whom she had taken an eye. "They fucking hate each other. Hugh and Aemond can't stand each other and haven't since day one. Enemies without chance to be Frenemies." Lucy was sure Aegon thought he was super funny. "He's probably only going out with you to annoy Aemond."

"And?"

Aegon raised an eyebrow. "I notice right now you really don't know my brother a single bit." 

"Well, I don't care for Aemond."

"Oh, very good to know, then I'm sure you don't care that Aemond has forbidden anyone to talk to you."

Aegon laughed and turned around, well at least he wanted to, because Lucy grabbed him and pulled him back. "What did you say?"

He was joking. He had to make jokes. 

"No one here will come for your sweet heart, Lucy. That Hugh doesn't care was obvious to me, but didn't you wonder why every boy here ignores you?"

In fact, she had noticed that boys quickly disappeared when she came, but Lucy hadn't measured it with much importance. Boys were crazy. 

She had never been popular with boys.

In elementary school she had been bullied because she wore braces, and after that she had been to an all-girls school that rarely allowed male visitation other than her own family.

Her experience with men was limited. Almost zero.

"You're lying," Lucy judged, pressing her lips together.

"Maybe, maybe not, but you'll find out soon enough if I'm lying to you, which I would never dare to do, by the way, or if I'm being honest with you. Not even Jacaerys told you, hmm?"

Aegon patted her on the head and left her with a wink. He enjoyed this situation too much. 

This could only be a joke. 

She looked around. She searched for glances from the boys, but as soon as she met the eyes of a male individual, he turned or looked away.

Aegon was fucking right. 

Anger gripped her.

She would kill Aemond Targaryen.

"How dare you?"

Aemond looked at Lucy with a raised eyebrow as she stomped furiously toward him, pushing aside an innocent boy who looked at her as if she had been drinking gasoline. But she had a mission and no one was going to stand in her way when she was about to kill her uncle. 

"Dare what?" 

He sounded almost bored.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Lucy pressed out angrily, clenching her hands into fists.

He sat unconcernedly in front of her, the self-proclaimed queen of the school, Alys Rivers, on his lap, condescendingly surveying her from top to bottom.

"I don't know, but feel free to explain."

Lucy snorted. "You can't play me like I'm a pawn. I know you know exactly what this is about. Do I have to spell it out, or does your brain work without help?"

"So it's true what they say about her," Alys whispered to her friend, who giggled, but Lucy had understood her perfectly. Alys hadn't made much of an effort to speak softly. 

"What do they say about me?" Lucy would have been a much more mature person if she didn't respond to her provocation.

But she wanted to see heads roll.

"Hmm, this and that." Alys laughed. Lucy wanted to set the woman on fire. 

"Well, then take this and that and stick it up in your ass," Lucy said, giving Alys the middle finger. Then she raised her second middle finger and presented it to Aemond, who looked at her mockingly. 

"How obnoxious," laughed Aemond. He stood up and pushed Alys off his lap, who looked at him indignantly. He stood directly in front of Lucy, who tried to meet his gaze.

Now just don't show any weakness. She ignored the feeling of running away and lifted her chin to look taller.

Not that it did any good with Aemond's superior height. 

"Your manners are deficient, dear niece."

Lucy snorted. "My manner is suited to your wickedness."

"I can't help it when there is no boy who is interested in you," Aemond said, brushing a strand of hair from Lucy's face. "I guess you're just too ugly. I guess your dad's genes were too strong."

Lucy had no idea what demon was possessing her, but she didn't care. She took the beer from Aemond's hand and shook the contents in his face.

Those present drew in their breath in shock, and no one dared speak another word. 

Aemond had his eye closed while the beer dripped from his face and hair. 

Lucy's heart quivered and the anger in her body made her tremble.

For a brief moment Lucy felt satisfied, superior, at least until Aemond opened his eye.

His gaze was cold. Almost murderous.

"You shouldn't have done that," he spoke softly and before Lucy knew what was happening, he grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder like a wet sack.

"What the hell," Lucy screamed, stunned, trying to break free, but Aemond's grip was hard and unyielding. "Put me down right now, you asshole!"

Aemond didn't care about her words and neither did those present who watched as Aemond dragged her into the woods.

Okay, now he was really going to kill her. 

But she would not go down without a fight.

Before that, she would take his second eye.

Once in the forest, Aemond suddenly let go of her and Lucy fell to the ground, groaning.

"Oh, now we're showing our true colors, huh? Enough with the facade, I guess."

Lucy jumped up as quickly as she could.

"No facade, Aemond. You are an ass, and I just can't spend my whole life apologizing to you."

Aemond laughed bitterly and came closer. Too close. 

"No you can't? But I can spend mine without my eye?" 

Lucy winced. Damn it. She hadn't wanted this after all. The only thing she'd wanted was to protect Jacaerys.

"Fuck, Aemond, I am sorry, okay? But this is no reason to make my life a fucking hell. Why are y-"

“You’re sorry? Really? You took my eye, and you dare to say you’re fucking sorry?," Aemond snapped.“You don’t sound sorry.” Aemond jumped forward, crowding Lucy against a tree. 

She was beginning to think that was their thing. Him pushing her against something. 

"What are you doing? Stop it!"

"Why? Do you feel helpless?" 

"You can't-"

"I can't what?" interrupted Aemond, looking down at her. "I can do anything. I own this school and you owe me something."

"That's not right," Lucy breathed, trying to pull away from him, but Aemond wouldn't let go.

“Are you going to start preaching about morality? I thought we were over this and you accept the truth.”

"What fucking truth?"

"That you liked it. That feeling. Being powerful."

"I have no idea what you talking about."

“Careful,” Aemond hissed. “I don't like liars."

"I am no liar." She believed in what she was saying, and yet there was this little voice in her head telling her otherwise.

Aemond tsks. His hand darted out and grabbed her throat. His index finger stroked her carotid artery. Did he feel how strongly her heart was beating?

Lucy swallowed. 

“You have beautiful eyes, little Lucy," he whispered. "You think I won’t do it?” Aemond continues. “Taking what is mine?” With his other hand he stroked her lips, almost scratching.

"Stop it, Aemond." His grip around her neck became stronger and Lucy got less air with every second.

"Maybe I can't take your eye right now, but don't think, that I'm going to be gentle with you. I always win in the end. I take what's owed to me."

He pressed himself against her, his upper body against hers. She had never stood so close to a boy before.

“You scare me,” is all that came out of Lucy's mouth. She stood there frozen. For the first time, she was really afraid of Aemond. 

Aemond's gaze was penetrating. She had no idea what he was thinking. He watched her, surveyed her face, and for a moment Lucy thought he had changed his mind. That he would take her eye.

But then he suddenly let go of her and moved away from her.

"Good."

With these words, Aemond turned and left her behind. Lucy looked after him, trembling, and slid down the tree. She felt the tears want to spill over and for the first time she allowed herself to show weakness. 

Being here was hell.

Aemond would make her life unbearable.

He would not leave her in peace for a second.

"Lucy?," she suddenly heard a voice beside her and she looked up, startled. Hugh was standing in front of her, looking down at her anxiously.

"What happened? Where is Aemond? I heard he dragged you out here."

Lucy wanted to say something, to calm the situation, but no words passed her lips and she shook her head.

"Did he hurt you ? What did that asshole do?"

Anger entered Hugh's eyes and before Lucy could say anything, Hugh turned and ran towards 'Dragonpit'. "I'm gonna kill that motherfucker."

"Hugh! No wait," Lucy screamed in panic, stumbling over her own feet as she jumped up and tried to catch up with him. 

But Hugh was faster and before she reached him he had gotten to Aemond, who looked at Hugh in surprise before he had the latter's fist in his face.

Taglist:

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@watercolorskyy @marvelescvpe @ammo23 @launotfound

@ladylyanna91

[philibetexcerpts]

“Sophie arrived to visit Alice on her way to India. She came with an invitation, this time from the Queen, to come to live at Buckingham Palace. She warned her mother of the dangers of staying in Greece, as outlined to her by Philip in England, and by her husband, Prince George, who had been briefed by his sister Queen Frederika.

Alice had been fiercely independent for many years but lately her sense of isolation and loneliness had intensified. She listened with interest to Sophie’s proposal and the problem of the King’s plane. When she heard that it was the Queen herself who had issued the invitation her eyes brightened. ‘Lilibet said that?’ she asked. ‘We go this afternoon.’”

Alice: Princess Andrew of Greece by Hugo Vickers

[gojuo]

I heard many people say that if the showrunners were good writers they would definitely make aegon and rhaenyra parallel each other. And tbh it's such an interesting take , because that would flesh out the conflict and make it very grey as it should have been. Also the fact that syrax is yellow and sunfyre is gold and you know... Gold and yellow are very similar so i think it's an interesting detail from GRRM. So what you think about this ? If u have given the chance to write their dynamic and how they parallel each other, how will u do it? I'm curious

Syrax and Sunfyre couldn’t be more different to be honest 😭 Syrax for starters is useless and lazy, never went out into battle, never hunted for her own food, forgot she could fly and breathe fire, essentially letting the mob of KL kill her, her one and only kill is Joffrey, etc. etc. She was worthless and did nothing during the entire Dance, mirroring her rider I guess 😭😭😭 Sunfyre contrary to that was a much younger dragon who DID ride out into battle, who DID hunt for his own food (balanced diet of other dragons, grand maesters and princesses #healthygainz), who has THE most dragon kills, who was horrifically injured but still kept on fighting kept on surviving who refused to die all to find his way back to Aegon and to help him achieve his goal of killing Rhaenyra, WHO SHOULD HAVE DIED TEN TIMES OVER BUT REFUSED TO ALL FOR AEGON BC SUNFYRE KNEW HIS BELOVED RIDER NEEDED THAT MONSTER DEAD AND HE COULDN'T LEAVE THIS WORLD BEFORE HE MADE SURE SHE WAS GETTING DIGESTED 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 Also exactly mirroring his rider...

Anyways this is about the dragons but dragons do resemble their riders so I feel like this would also be their dynamic. They’re just too different. Both in the book and in the show. In the book Rhaenyra is hungry for violence and makes the declaration of war first, she never cared for her siblings (always calling them her half-siblings), was gleeful when they died, when she was young in court she made fun of them along with Daemon to entertain herself, etc. Aegon in contrast had to be convinced to take up the crown, he says “What kind brother steals his sister’s throne?” (paraphrased, I don’t have the passage with me right now) when Criston tried to persuade him (RIP Kingmaker Cole, one of the most butchered Greens on the show), insinuating that he had resigned himself to being unwanted, only being convinced to ascend the throne himself because him and his entire family would have to be killed in order for Rhaenyra to have a smooth succession, etc. etc.

In the show they obviously tried to soften Rhaenyra’s canon ass personality bc they need their Daenerys 2.0, but then again, she was also beefing with her little 2-year-old brother on his birthday????? Like.. “No one is here for me,” she cries but they are at her baby brother’s birthday party ????? I’m fucking crying why was this grown woman so upset people were celebrating Aegon’s birthday, as if she herself didn’t get birthday parties every single year too 😭 Anyways show!Rhaenyra is less bloodthirsty and deliberately awful, but she still makes the declaration of war first, she still beefs with her baby brother, she still never makes an effort to get close to them (evidenced in the Driftmark episode), all in all she still doesn’t see them as family.

If the show was in my hands, I would have never whitewashed her character (bc she would be the antagonist and Alicent/Aegon the protag so lol) so if it was up to me, I would have had young Rhaenyra trying to bond with Aegon, but failing miserably because of her own feelings of doubt and insecurity of her position. And also, because Daemon is grooming her and slowly turning her against her siblings because he has his claws in her bc in my version of the show, Daemon would be the unequivocal villain of the series, serving no one but himself, not even Rhaenyra. Remember that he was starting with grooming her when she was 8 years old after being named heir. He, being as self-serving as he is, would have more chance of getting close to the throne as Rhaenyra’s King Consort than being uncle to King Aegon. (He doesn’t give a shit about her, he just cares about her power & title.) So Daemon would be poisoning young Rhaenyra against her siblings and since she would be feeling isolated in her younger years, fearing that her father would replace her with Alicent and their kids, it would be just way too easy for Daemon.

I think what I would do is that because of the big age gap between Rhaenyra & Aegon + Daemon always all up in her ear + her fucking off to Dragonstone for most of Aegon’s life, I would have had their characters be paralleled (Rhaenyra is loved by their dad and is the heir and has all his attention vs. Aegon is loved by the court + has better PR and Rhaenyra fears her position will go to him). Any interaction I would have them do would be extremely strained and filled with vitriol and resentment and bitterness, but I think what would be best for them is their interactions not being face-to-face but mostly through ranting about the other behind their backs. Aegon, whenever the family believes he’s fucked up and the frustration becomes too much for him, he’d just be like, “Who the hell cares what I do? Father only sees sister anyways/Sister-who-is-more-of-a-stranger-to-me is the one who will inherit everything that should have gone to me so why even bother?” etc. etc. such moments of vulnerability. For Rhaenyra, we would have such moments when she’s younger and Aegon is newly born. As a girl who’s lost her mother, who’s watching as her father is with a new wife, she would feel like she and the memory of her mother is getting replaced by Alicent & Aegon, and the fear of losing her only family (her dad) to someone that is not her and then also losing the inheritance her father gave her to someone that is also not her would make her a young and insecure girl, feeling isolated (perfect moment for Daemon to begin his grooming) and extremely hostile towards Aegon. As they grow older, Rhaenyra would see how Viserys cares so much for her and loves her whereas Aegon sees none of it, so she would be feeling vindicated and rub that in his face, only showing him apathy and spitefulness whenever they brush shoulders in passing. But what do I know, I’m just some girl writing fanfiction... Instead, the superior CondalHess are going to have their first and last interaction be when he kills her 🙃

[pocket-ozwynn]

Do you have any random facts about your characters that are just too random to put into 1 post? I'm a baby creator still not knowing a lot about my own works yet so it's really interesting to see creators knowing their characters more in depth. Basically, a fact dump of your characters would be very much appreciated! 😳

SCREAM oh you're so sweet fr 😭 bless you @smolcomfycat

AAAAAAAH okay so I'm using this as a self-indulgent "it's my birthday so I'm just gonna ramble about my blorbos because they make my heart sparkle", so find everything you'd like to know below the cut 💜

(if y’all have any additional questions, feel free to shoot an Ask! This is just kinda of the top of the iceberg of what I could ramble regarding kdaflsjkgfjd)

-Freyja's jersey number 26 is in reference to my birthday:)

-Freyja & Alice’s ship name is Herbeau

-Rowan & Zelly’s ship name is Rolly

-Zelly's inspiration was taken largely from the fact I was really into watching Twitch/was fascinated with Streamer culture during 2020-22.

-Zelly swears like a sailor, so sorry you’ll never see me actually write that lol

-Both Zelly & Rowan were born outside of the continental U.S. in Offline Valor.

-Like Freyja, her sisters all have names taken from Norse mythology. 

-Freyja asked out Alice first, but after a few dates Alice was the one who eventually ask if he could kiss her.

-Freyja loves to rock climb.

-Freyja focuses better when she has something to fidget with.

-Alice went as unnamed for more than 6 months. Originally he was just called Freyja’s “little beau” which helped prompt the eventually surname Beauchamp.

-Alice is a musical theatre kid! He’s been in three productions and was the lead in one of them as well. 

-Genesis Day and Kaiju!Freyja really came a from common complaint regarding Kaiju/Giant Monster movies and how the human element is always the weakest/most boring. So I decided to blend the elements of the Human & the Monster to really dissect and peel back some new themes and dynamics. (plus I also discovered some things about myself during the course of designing her Kaiju form. ...no, why do you ask if I'm a monsterfu-)

-Alice was designed with the central color of lavender and purple in mind, and that was back when I only owned a single dark purple shirt which was too small for me. Now I have two lavender hoodies, and several lavender and purple shirts/button-downs. Honestly it was an experiment to have Alice wear lavender before me because I really wanted to ALLOW myself to love that color, and now I can't separate myself from it.

-Zelly’s full first name is Zelda. She was named after Zelda Fitzgerald however, and not after Princess Zelda. She grew up being called Zelda by her parents but once she got older and expressed an interest in streaming she started to go by Zelly because she thought it was incredibly cringe for a video gamer to be seemingly named after a fictional character.

-Freyja is canonically built like Lusia from Encanto, and now it's so much easier to explain to people what Freyja's shape language is for commissions and such. 😭

-Rowan was taught how to dance by Princeps Lazuli before their falling out. He can still dance, but is sheepish about it.

-Rowan was adopted by Clan Ash when he was roughly 8 or 9 and was raised by a woman named Thistle, who is the sister of Oleander. There's some spoilers as to Thistle's role within the Clan, but I love her<3

-Oleander was instructed by Clan Ash’s leader, Lowlord Yucca, to train Rowan how to fight and kill when he was roughly 11 or so.

-When designing Lazuli, I wanted the main color of their house be a dark turquoise because I remember my Mom wearing a lot of turquoise jewelry growing up. So my brain automatically associates turquoise with finery and royalty.

-When designing Maura I knew I didn’t want her to fall into the “popular plastic” trope. Rather, I wanted her to be the “sweater vest wearing, smiley business major going to Sunday School who no one would suspect is utterly toxic and manipulative.” I think the specific wording that came to mind was “viper in sheep’s clothing.”

-In AUs where Freyja is a Human (namely Offline Valor/Borrower!AU & Emotional Shifter!Alice AU), she rides a motorcycle and does a lot of mechanic work for her family and friends.

-Rowan’s main titles--Unmowable, Crownbreaker, Matchside--come from three separate instances of his direct involvement in stopping coups/takeovers of different kingdoms within the area. He earned the first and third titles thanks to attempts on his life, while the second--arguably the most famous epithet--is the most recent, and was earned after disposing the last tyrannical monarch of the greater area roughly two or three years ago when he was 23.

-The inspiration for Rust comes from my childhood love of powerful, masked brutes/bounty hunters whose faces you might never ever see or you'd never hear speak.

-There is deeply sentimental feelings for Rowan regarding his cloak (which is, in fact, a cloth that's used to clean glasses).

-Rust isn’t a full-blooded Borrower.

-Fireteam Griffin was my first attempt to really include new AU-centric OCs for Genesis Day & the Kaiju!AU. Because I knew that the story would start off with Maura & Alice together (and Alice purposefully isolated from other friends as a result), so I wanted Freyja her own friends that weren't tied solely to Alice. Inspired by other ensemble casts (Power Rangers, Voltron, the original Halo novels), I wanted Freyja to have a small cast of pseudo-siblings. I ended up loving the dynamics of Ekland, Williams, Delgado, and Hunter SO much that they're now going to be included into the University!AU as the "Griffin House" and will all play different sports and be besties with Freyja. Sergeant Buck will also be in GTU but will be a professor and maybe the Griffin House act as his research assistance or somethin’.

[starlghted]

𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘥 𝘤𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘥 ft. the njbc

" it won't be long, will you stop fussing! " the princess mused, as a badly manicured hand laced with the petite croatian's perfect manicure. the blind fold had been for ' dramatic effect ' all to aid the surprise ⸺ now secrets and an overly honest norwegian usually didn't mix, she was the girl who'd accidentally told her english cousin her best friend ' died ' ( the very same best friend, she held on to now ) when madlena had uninvited alice to her birthday tea party, when they were 10 years old. not one of her finer moments, but she had promised and a promised to a wide-eyed gorgeous american with raven curls, was in arianna's book, the sacred sort. " it's a blind fold lena, pretend you're getting a facial. " separate private jet flats and the ' keeping apart of the new reconciled love-birds ' had proven a challenge, but one quick text to her boyfriend as the blonde led the brunette towards her destination ( a little mermaid themed royal suite, playing ' kiss the girl ' ) surrounded by everything, madlena would deem a favorite ( yes even paulo the cannoli much to aria's dismay ) " here. " she positioned the girl who's romantic dreams she was sure, she'd help come true. " not yet, it can't come of yet. " gesturing towards her boyfriend, she watched the american pull a reluctant third wheeling italian forward.... " hold on to this.. " hands were placed together. " and.... 3.... 2.... 1 "

" the third person, is supposed to be a stranger! " massimo protested, his mind having gone to the ' dirtiest ' possible scenario the italian could possibly think of ' and the giraffe is not my type, i've had blonde and crazy already ' and boy had he, the boy still woke up frigid cold from nightmares of his ex standing over him with a knife. ' that could mean something good right? ' he remembered asking the american more than once. a question he didn't really want an answer to. " the blindfold.... kinky, wayland. " he teased his now blushing best friend. " i'm proud. " he added once again, before he was sushed and just like that, massimo found himself being pulled into the middle of what to him was the tacky ' rapunzel suite ' arianna had been obsessing over from the moment it had been announced. his hand was placed over another's and the united ' now ! ' from both the american and norwegian, startled him but not as much as the sight that befell him the moment eyes met a familiar gaze. mouth ajar for more than a minute, the boy quickly dropped the croatian's hand. " well KISS ! " the excited blonde clapped as lightly pushed her best friend forward. " do not be useless massimo. " that earned a glare, and the avoidance of his ex girlfriend's own surprised gaze... consequence of a secret they had wordlessly agreed on. " uh... " more stumbling words. " i'm shy, maybe if you turned around. " performance anxiety, that was a first but nonetheless it was all he could think of. " you truly, truly shouldn't have. "

[theroyalsims]

THE QUEEN, PRINCESS ALICE, AND CROWN PRINCESS ANYA GRACE THE BALLET

This evening, The Brindleton Royal Theatre had a very special premiere of the brand new play, The Night Swan, by the late renowned playwright, Sir Marcial Hawse. The play is Sir Marcial’s final work before his death last year at the age of 95. 

Aside from its all-star cast, the event attracted the glitterati of Brindleton. The already elite and star-studded audience was even kicked up a notch by the attendance of not just one, but THREE royals!

(Above: The royal guests enjoyed the play from the royal box, also referred to as “The Queen’s Box”. The Royal Theatre was transformed into a magical garden, the setting of the play, and was decorated with live blooms, foliage, and even an impressive waterfall.)

Her Majesty The Queen was accompanied by The Crown Princess as well as Princess Alice, who is the Royal Patron of the Brindleton Ballet Society. The royal trio occupied The Queen’s box, where Her Majesty and Their Royal Highnesses enjoyed the best seats in the house.

(Above: The Crown Princess, Her Majesty, and Princess Alice were seen watching the three-hour show rather intently.)

The three-hour play, which included multiple costume changes, and intricate set designs, seemed to impress the royal guests. Princess Alice, who herself used to dance ballet and was a member of the ballet society, looked especially thrilled by the performance. 

(Above: Swans and Royals Rub Elbows - The Queen and Their Royal Highnesses met and chatted with the cast and crew after the show.)

After the show, The Queen, The Crown Princess and Princess Alice then proceeded to meet some of the members of the cast. Isadora Hinggies, who play the titular Night Swan, revealed that Her Majesy congratulated her and the entire production for a job well done:

“I was practicing what to say in my head and I was trying to remember the protocol for meeting The Queen, but I think Her Majesty noticed I was a bit tense, so she took my hand, shook it, and told me she loved the performance. I was really relieved! She’s really very nice and very personable. She makes you feel very comfortable around her. She thought everyone did brilliantly and even shared that she used to dance ballet as a child, but it was Princess Alice who was really gifted. She also asked me how long I’ve been dancing and she seemed shocked when I answered that I’ve been at it since I was three, but she laughed and said she’d keep that it mind for her grandchildren.”

For the trip to the theatre, the royal guests pulled all the stops - we’re talking fancy dresses, jewels, and tiaras! We just love a surprise tiara outing, and tonight, we were lucky to get three in one go!

(Above: The Queen wore her mother’s tiara, The Queen Ophelia Birthday Tiara, with its emerald attachments to complete her green-themed look. Princess Alice, meanwhile, stuck with her own birthday tiara which she received on her 18th birthday, designed and commissioned by her father, the late King Leopold.)

Her Majesty went monochrome with a nearly all-green get-up comprised of a long-sleeved green gown, her mother’s birthday tiara worn with the emerald cabochon pendants, and its matching suite. 

Princess Alice, meanwhile, wore a butterfly print gown with a full skirt and quarter sleeves. HRH opted to accessorise with a diamond necklace and earrings, and topped off her classic french twist with her own birthday tiara.

(Above: Classy with a hint of Sexy - The Crown Princess turned heads and impressed with her statement red-and-white lace dress. Her Royal Highness showed off her toned legs and strappy heels thanks to the dress’s thigh-high slit.)

And then there’s The Crown Princess who most definitely did not disappoint. While we often see the heir to the throne in re-worn dresses and relatively comfy/casual outfits, HRH switched it up tonight and decided to go ultra glam in a red and white two-piece dress that boasts a daring -yet still classy- thigh-high slit. The Crown Princess also brought out the big guns, especially with her ruby and diamond drop floral earrings, which she complemented with matching cuff bracelets and a large ruby ring. For her choice of tiara? HRH wore one of her faves: the ruby and diamond Brindleton Foliage Tiara, one of the most recognisable diadems in the royal collection. Fun fact, the tiara is one of the few “blood princess tiaras” in the vault - meaning it can only be worn by blood princesses born into the royal family. This is why it can be worn by The Queen, The Crown Princess, Princess Eleanore, Princess Alice (although she’s never been photographed wearing it), and even Princess Ingrid (still technically hasn’t been photographed wearing it), but the late Queen Ophelia never got a chance to do so. That’s because the late queen was born a commoner who married into the family, hence, not a blood princess, making her unqualified to don the ruby and diamond headpiece.

Thanks for the surprise tiara outing, Your Majesty and Your Royal Highnesses! And may we say, it’s really quite lovely to see all three of you in one super fancy engagement!