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itskindofidontknow · 5 months

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What dreams know about love?

Chapter 5

Dream of The Endless/Morpheus x Love!OFC

Summary: The Queen of Love has grown used to the absence of her husband, the Dream King. After banning her from the Dreaming, they only saw each other when Morpheus summoned her for social or marital duties. He would go decades without calling for her, enamorated by a variety of mistresses. It broke Love's heart. Not that her husband cared. However, after being imprisioned for a century, The Dream King wants to regain his Queen's love. She doesn't believe him, not after centuries of neglect. The question is: Can dreams repair a broken heart?

Tag: Established relationship, arranged marriage, regency romance, eventual happy ending, angst, morpheus is a dick prepare to hate, love is eoster from west germanic mythology, typos are to be expected

TW: Wet dreaming, fingering, self-pleasure

A Bath. A nice warm bath, that was all the Eoster could think. Some people clear their head under cold showers, Eoster liked to soak her head under a nice milky warm pink water and let the smell of a variety of flowers fill her head. She barely stopped to talk to any subject besides a polite acknowledgment nod, here and there, going straight to her bedroom, calling for the maids.

The bath was quickly fixed, and in no time, Eoster's entire body was immersed in the water, only her eyes and nose peaking out. A mix of flower petals danced around her moving in a slow and directionless pace. At first she tried to tune out everything related to Morpheus and his return, resting her head against the cold white porcelain, trying to relax, leaving the worries on the other side of the door. A few moments passed before she realized that she was getting a headache trying to convince herself not to think about their reunion. It was like telling someone not to think about a pink elephant, it becomes impossible not to think of anything other than a pink elephant.

If Love couldn’t turn off her thoughts, she decided to turn her attention to something else. A game she always liked to play: Guessing from which flowers the loose petals belong to.

Half an hour went by, as she lazily watch the petals and made lwaves pushing away those that she identify. Love manage to name roses, peonies, some lotus and a few rosemary’s petals. There was still some left, but the distraction didn’t prove enough to keep her mind away from her apprehensions.

This rare alone time was a small pause that allowed to forget she was a queen, that she had countless romances to supervise, marriages to bless, entities to teach, concerts and poetry readings to endure. A moment where she could inhale the sweet and healing smell of flowers and welcome the watery warmth, letting her mind go numb and her thoughts run free.

Some days, when she felt loneliner than most, she would check if there was any maid around, and if there was none, Love would remedy her loneliness herself. Gently sliding her fingers through her thighs, shvrieng from delicate touch, dwelving in that feeling that was scarying and exciting. Fingers dancing, enticing her flesh, until meting her core.

She shyly let her fingers touch the sensitive skin, sliding between her folds, experimentating with touches that provoke more delicious shrivels. Sliding a finger inside herself, thinking of no one in particular, just the touch. How she longed for someone who would want to touch her, to crave her flesh, to see her body curve and hear the whimps of pure lust.

A few years after her king absence, maybe her stupid heart started to forget about how her husband really was, because during those alone moments, she often began to think about Morpheus and imagine being one of his mistresses. Both in a hot bath, she laid against his wet chest, synching the beat of their hearts. A peaceful silence, enjoying a moment where they were not queen and king, husband and wife, but simply lovers entangled in each other arms. His hand would travel through her body, lightly caressing her lily white skin, caressing her breasts, the tip of his fingers playfully brushing against the sensible nipples, making his wife melt under his touch, humming in a languily approval. His hand would travel lower until reaching the bottom of her belly, cruelly teasing her, before pulling her closer by the waist. They would stared at each other, Love lost in his deep blue gaze, as he asks a silent consent, and reached for her lips. An innocent kiss that deepens as he would slide his fingers between her folds, slowly working on her, nourishing in her pleasure.

Love would indulge in her imagination thinking about his lips against the soft skin of her neck, not being able to contain himself, leaving love marks along her neck, marking Love entirely as his. The gentleness of his hands in her breasts, not squeezing them hard to over stimulate himself in coming faster, but to entice her, nipples aching for his mouth, his hot breath against them. How he would curl his fingers inside her, adding one after the other, revel in hearing the sweet whimps and pleads, seizing the chance to steal sloppy kisses from her, feeling her body tremble but cruelly keeping a slow pace. He would not just put himself inside her and pushed it until finished, avoiding at all costs looking at her. Not in her imagination. He would slowly stretch her out, while sweetly kissing her, dwell in her needy moans, whispering promises of love and other unpoetic secrets woken by their carnal union. Sometimes when almost reaching climax, she could imagine hearing the sound of his low sultry voice against her ear, a tone she imagined he would only use in private, asking her to come for him, to wake up all their realms with her lustful pleas.

She always felt ashamed of the inappropriate thoughts after relieving herself. Knowing that those imaginary scenarios were foolish fantasies of a lonely wife. Even though she couldn’t help but keep turning to them again and again. It was her pink elephant.

But now, after reuniting with her actual real husband, she doubted she would ever indulge in her immaculate fabrications ever again. His return, his whole presence, was a constant reminder that her fantasies were not only products of imagination, but impossible ones. That thought grew a bitter feeling inside her. One more thing Morpheus took away from her. Nothing ever would be safe from him. And if that was not enough there was the whole present situation.

He said her court could go to the Dreaming.

A court that was not fond of him.

He said the Solstice Festival could be held at the Dreaming.

He agreed to the stupid idea of inviting his Endless siblings.

His ruined realm would hold the most important festivity of the season.

And on top of it all, the cherry on top of the cake: Eoster needed to move back to the Dreaming.

Just the thought of it, made sour memories come back to hunt her. Sleeping alone in a cold room filled with blueish light that penetrate through her curtains; pillows wet from tears; hearing footsteps outside her room, and thinking, hoping, that maybe it was her husband. That maybe he would bust through the door and fall in his knees, repenting of all his sins, asking, begging for her forgiveness. Foolish dreams. She could live with a terrible marriage while in the Garden, it was her realm, her people, and she could bury all her misery deep inside her heart and fill the days with nothing but a blissfull routine, applauding harp solos, enjoying afternoon quadrilles, accompaning mortals through their love journeys. But in the Dreaming, everything was foreign and cold, she felt like a naive deluded young queen again. Loneliness and tears filled those palace halls.

Eoster let her body smoothly submerge, closing her eyes. If only she could disappear. Maybe if stayed hidden in her bath long enough, Morpheus would forget about her, and his sister, Lady Death, would come visit her. A much pleasant company. The thought was appealing, if not for knowing that Elijah would probably start a war in Love’s name against probably, due to his dramatic nature, all Endless siblings, and would most likely destroy her realm and everything dear to her heart.

Elijah needed Love, the lovefolk needed her, mortals needed her. She could deal with her husband. Today, she lost her temper, but it was their first encounter. She would regain her calm composed demure. And Morpheus would not get a single tear from her. He would have her back. An uncaring, vague, passionless wife. Just like he always wanted her to be. He would not get through her.

A shiver ran through her spine. The Dream King. Was it time already? She tried to ignore it, maybe he did summon her by mistake, but the tingles continued. She grunted in a very unlady like manner, emerging to the surface, clearing her eyes with the back of her hand. Eoster jumped when she saw Elijah with her fluffy tower next to the bath.

"My Queen, I believe the water is already cold. I can ask to heat more, if that is your wish." He politely said it, eyes upfront, a posh way of saying that she was taking too long. "Thank you, dear cupid, but there is no need for it. I-" Another shiver, more intense. Eoster even had to stop talking after the cold feeling took over her body.

True Marriage’s callings is one of the things that she really wished somebody could've explain it. One can not ignore the calling. It only grows stronger, more annoying, a literal pain. "As you see, the king is calling." She got up, some petals stuck in her skin. She wrapped herself in the fluffy towel, as her cupid helped her to get out of the bath. "I am afraid there is no nuptial’s nightgown ready for you, my lady. All the tailors and seamstress were full, and none wished to help their queen." The brown haired cupid accused bitterly. Elijah and the old tailors and seamstress had an ancient feud. Love didn’t meddle in those, preferring not to ask, avoiding picking sides.

She lightly scold him, knowing nothing would change. "Don’t be villanous, Elijah." He bowed his head respectfully. She had a hint the feud was something about the cupid undecidedness and impatience for immaculate perfect clothes. The old cupids are known for being stubborn and workers of their own pace and schedule. One could have the most beautiful original pieces by their hands, however it could take an eternity. And if rushed, it would take double the eternity.

Nevertheless, they were not fans of the 'stuck-up cupid’ (as she heard one of them called Elijah). Even Love had to be patient and careful on how to speak or demand anything from them. They could simply ignore it, or do it slowly as a cupid could, taking a millenia to finish an easy task. An delay entire operations. Nothing in the universe, expect a good cup of lovers' tea, biscuits with pure nectar, and a very convincing apology, would, maybe, in a good day, be enough for them to forgive an insult.

As they entered Lady Love's bedroom she saw three dresses perfectly laid in her bed. "I took the liberty on selecting a few options that might please the Dream King." Elijah went by the mattress, deciding which to show first. The chosen first option was a long silk golden dress with a bare back. It could pass as nightgown. Love glanced at it, not in the mood for gold. "We could try the lilac one, maybe some violet petals in a loose braid to match it." The cupid suggested, understanding the look as a disapproval of the first choice, taking the second option, a delicate tulle lilac attire, loose fitting but lots of transparency.

It was not the dresses she disapprove, but the fact that she had to wear them to please a king that could not be pleased. "Let's do hair first." Love turned away from the bed to her vanity, siting, while taking the hair pins off. Elijah dropped the fabrics, and quickly was behind her, brushing the long curls, untangling and smoothing them. "Did Lucienne talk to you?" The cupid didn’t take his eyes of the hair while responding. "Yes, my lady." He paused for a moment, and Love thought he would not give her the details, but this was Elijah. There were always details. "Poor thing, I only explained half of our traditions for the day, and what she would have to take care of" Places at the table, dinner options, color palettes, entertainment, appropriate topics of conversations, who to invite, who to avoid… "She looked as lost as a little lamb. I told her we could revisit everything tomorrow, but I am afraid she might resign." Both shared a complicit giggle.

At the same time it was a ludocris idea to resign over a simple party execution, it seems quite fiting for the librarian. Librarians are not versed in the practice of entertaining. Yes, Lucienne was more than a simple librarian and would do her best, of course. The woman never escaped duty, she was too loyal to her lordship for it. But Love feared her best wouldn't be enough for the Solstice Festival. "If the burden becomes too heavy, ask the Emissary to assist you both, but don't bring him into the Dreaming. Like a...Distant consultant." Love didn't mind her cupid's lover. Not at all. The Emissary has been around for years, he was as much part of her court as any other, and had quite an eye for anticipating crises. His clever wits also amused the Queen, and he had that daring nature that reminded her of Desire without the bad parts of trickery. Dream, on the other hand, would become insufferable if he knew Desire's creation was thinking of freely walking in his realm.

"Before fallen in desperation, Lucienne also mentioned that I am to have a private audience with Lord Morpheus." He glimpse at the queen in the mirror, she turns to face him, confused. "A private audience with you? Why?" Morpheus didn’t mention this to her. Why? If he wanted to discuss the Solstice Festival it didn’t need to be a secret from her. Maybe he was ashamed of not knowing about the traditions of his own wife realm? That never bothered him before, besides he has a librarian, she could do the search. "Did Lucienne mention the topic of discussion?" Love inquired trying to make sense of that strange meeting. "She did not. Lucienne only said that the king needed to finish some pending business, and he would summon me right after." Love fell silent, turning to the mirror, frowning, as Elijah returned to her hair. Dream needed to rebuild the Dreaming, that was the ‘pending business’, but what was Elijah’s part in this puzzle? she didn’t have the faintest clue.

After finishing a loose side braid tied with a piece of lace fabric in a small bow, Elijah had to tap the brunette on the shoulder, for she was lost in her deep trail of thoughts and theories trying to make sense of Morpheus’ plans. It’s not intending to meddle and ruin his plans, truthfully, although he would never believe her, it was the other way around. Love wanted to know his real intentions so she could dodge them and not be blamed for trying to ruin it.

Eoster lightly shook her head, as she got up, and stopped, looking to the dresses in the bed. Three perfectly beautiful and appropriate choices. Any husband would be delighted to see a wife dressed in any of them. ‘It is a mockery’ She thought. Why would she dress beautifully as it was their first night of honeymoon and they were a loving couple, when Dream would rip them off, and not even look at her face when finding his pleasure? Love doubted he would notice if she was dressed in a carefully made nightgown or a simple rag. He did not care. The only care he had was to roughly touch her body to entice his manhood, until he was ready to penetrate her. Any clothes she wore were only a reminder of her shame. Especially when destroyed and cast aside on the floor. A cheap but precise metaphor for her own self.

Love turned to her wardrobe, opening the white doors engraved with small flowers hand-painted in great details in each corner. She scanned through the beautiful gowns, formal attires and seasonal frocks, each more unique and ravishing than the last. It was until the very end, her fingers brushed against a thick long cotton fabric, an old camisole, that left all for imagination. Shoulders were only exposed thanks to the off-shoulder neckline. "Our king never really cared for them, did he? We might learn something from his never ending wisdom." Eoster didn’t mean to sound as sarcastic as she did, but after saying it, she did not regret it. How can she regret the truth?

Not once in centuries he complimented her, or spent more than a second looking at his queen before commanding her to lay down. So why should she care? Eoster took the rustic gown off her hacks, and happily gave it to Elijah. The cupid looked at it, and back at the determine look at Eoster’s face "Indeed, my queen." If Eoster didn't know better, she could swear Elijah gave her a proud look with a little smile in his lips. A small inculpable rebellion. An implied message that she might attend to her marital duties, as expected, but it was nothing more than a barely tolerable obligation. One that she was tired of dressing up, pretending it was her duty to sweet her husband's eyes. When in fact, Love was lying to herself, trying to ease the pain. Maybe wearing those nighgowns, it would feel like a happy wedding.

It never did.

@littlemoistcarrot @lokigirlszendaya

#the sandman #the sandman fanfic #dream of the endless fanfic #morpheus x reader #morpheus x wife #morpheus x ofc #dream of the endless x reader #lord morpheus #eoster #queen of love #sandman netflix #what dreams know about love?#dream of the endless #tom sturridge

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bohemian-nights · 1 year

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What We May Mend (Chapter 1)

Word Count: ~6,908

Rating: Mature

Pairing: Daemon Targaryen × Laena Velaryon

Warnings: Difficult Childbirth; Attempted Suicide

Description: In the year 126 AC Lady Laena Velaryon survives her difficult in a foreign land surrounded by strangers. With a second chance to mend their fractured marriage she and her husband Prince Daemon Targaryen return to Westeros with their children in tow as chaos unfolds around them.

AN: Basically, no one is writing for them(which is a crime if you ask me). I’ve gotten multiple asks about them so here is my attempt at giving Laena the happy ending she deserved😊 Keeping that in mind, this is a multi-chaptered work based on show canon(which means physical descriptions including the lack of violet eyes among others will be left out). I'm planning around 5-7 chapters, but that may change 🐉

Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6

Death was a foreign concept to her. As foreign as the Golden Empire of Yi Ti, whatever lay west of the Iron Isles, or even the wild plains of the barren North. Driftmark was a fortress of life. Neither melancholy nor illness plagued her childhood. Her parents had not been taken away before their time from battle nor sickness. Her brother, cousins, and uncle had been blessed with good health and fortune as well. There was laughter, adventure, and childish mischief to be found in abundance.

Lady Laena Velaryon had known that many girls could not count themselves half as lucky as herself. Not even her cousin Princess Rhaenyra whose mother had died before she had reached her fifteenth nameday, but the silver-haired cooper-skinned Velaryon girl had not given much thought to death. The stranger had rarely visited the isles' rocky shores and all but once entered the white stone walls of High Tide to call home its inhabitants. On that one occasion, Lady Jocelyn Baratheon had been enveloped in the stranger's embrace.

Laena was but five when her grandmother passed on to the realm beyond that of the living. ‘Twas on the eve of her sixth nameday. She could recall the tall once black-haired woman whose hair had turned gray in the final year of her life well enough at that moment when she was closer to the Stranger than death itself.

Age had not withered her regal continence nor rendered her unable to speak fondly of the early days of her elder half-brother's reign, the old king Jaehaerys, Laena’s grandfather though she could not recall, who had passed on a mere year past. True enough the Baratheon lady had never fully forgiven the man for his slight against Laena’s mother, but perhaps it was nostalgia that caused her to look upon those days with longing wistfulness. The world is always brighter when viewed from afar.

It was those early days that were happiest. That seemed as if the Old King's golden reign would stretch on for an age. That the fate of the blood of the dragon, the last dragonriders of old Valyria was assured at long last, but those days had turned sour. Leaving behind only the bitter taste of ruefulness on the tongue.

Jocelyn Baratheon was the last of the old lot. Her brother, Lord Baratheon, who was as fierce a defender of her daughter as she herself, had gone shortly after the Old King. Her beloved husband, the crown prince, the only man she had ever known, her Aemon, was taken before his time at the hands of vipers. She was to be his queen and yet he never wore his crown.

Her half-sister Good Queen Alysanne, her only sister, more a mother than a sister for she was the only mother she had ever known, she had died of woe long ago from all her heartache.

All were gone. She alone was what remained of them. Of a time that had faded away and lived on only in the memories of the few.

The once great Baratheon lady had grown weary at a court she no longer recognized. The faces had changed, but she had not. She had come to Driftmark to be among her family. The house of her mother who had given her life to bring her into this world would be her final resting place. Her refuge.

“You have his eyes.” She had given Laena a half smile as she lay in her bed wheezing. A frail hand the color and shape of bone reached up to touch her cheek. Her lady grandmother had caught a chill that she could not shake. The first time she had struck ill, Laena was told, since she was sick with the shivers as a wee girl an age ago. She had taken to reading to her every night while her mother braided her hair. Easing her mind while she slipped away from her flesh.

It had been peaceful when she finally passed on. Dying in her sleep. A look of contentment upon her pallid face when a serving girl found her the next morning. A natural end to a full life. It was Laenan’s mother's wails reverberating off the walls afterward that made it so sorrowful. She had taken to her own bed for the fortnight that followed. Her sobs drowned out the waves that crashed on the shore.

Not even her father's sweet temptations with little trinkets, a fool, and singers from all the seven kingdoms and across the Narrow Sea bring back light to her eyes. Not even his boisterous laughter or that of her uncle, the gossip of her aunt, or the gaggles of her cousins filled their halls, and soon enough the sea called with the waxing oh the moon for her father and he went with it. She and Laenor did their best to cheer their dear mother up in their father’s absence, but the stranger was a cruel foe. Their home became as quiet as a tomb for that short time.

Her mother only dared to venture out from chambers when Laenor had received a gash and sprained his ankle when he had done what all growing boys were prone to do. Sought for action where there was none in a castle that had fallen victim to the Stranger. “Get down from there, Laenor.” She had said running to a tree at the mouth of the cove. She had flown out of the castle like a bat fresh out of the seven hells. Her long silvery-gray hair once had been black trailing after her. Hazel irises widened with panic. A mother's fright, one Laena would know well in time.

“Come to me.” She had motioned him to climb down from the ledge where he had fallen to. “That's it, my love.” When Laenors leg had been set to right and her mother's fears abated that night, laughter returned to Hide Tide once more, and death remained an ever-present shadow looming in the background. Waiting for the moment to strike once more.

No matter how foreign the stranger may seem, Laena supposed her life was shaped by death. If her grandsire had not been killed before her grandsire had died her mother would be the queen. She may be heir to the Iron Throne or rather Laenor would and she would be his queen in the tradition of their Targaryen forbearers. Though the thought of that minor detail made her stomach roll even now.

Though she supposed whatever would’ve happened, whatever way the dice had landed if she were she would not be here right now. In a foreign distant land. Among strangers. Bleeding out upon white sheets. Her lifeblood steadily slipped away from her. As sure as the sands empty into the bottom of the hourglass. Grain by grain.

It was a strange experience. Laena could not see the stranger, but she felt him there in these humid chambers. Right there beside her. Over her shoulder. Breathing down the back of her neck. Causing the hairs on her damp neck to stick up and stand on their ends. Death clung like a second skin. Waiting for the pain to run its course and drain what was left of her before he called her back with him.

She had known pain before. A broken arm from falling off a tree. Climbing to see the last of her father's warships head off to the Stepstones. A cut upon her foot from Laenors first sword grazed the skin when she had dropped it, not realizing how heavy it would be to wield it. The cramps radiated out from her abdomen when she got her moon blood and was bedridden for the first night. A bruised rib when she made her maid lace her stays tight enough to show off her figure during the visit of a visiting Sealord and his son from Bravos who later be engaged to for a time. and the hundred times after that for each suitor that came to Driftmarks rocky shore all ending with one.

She had known the pains of the birthing bed well enough. Laena had taken to it twice now. The first time had been long and rather taxing. She labored for a day and a half. She had not thought she would make it lying there upon sweat soaked and the Gods know what else sheets, twisting herself into a ball, but then out came Baela. Her fearless girl. A little red squalling babe with a set of lungs upon her that alerted the whole manse of her arrival.

Rhaena’s labor had been quick. A mere two hours after her pains began did she pop out into the world. A tiny thing she was. Smaller than her sister, quieter too, but just as precious in the eyes of her young mother. Where her birth had been easier than Baela’s, what followed afterward had not.

Laena had bled for a fortnight straight. Apart from short jaunts to take a turn around the gardens she was regulated to the confines of her chambers for a moon. Much to her displeasure, she was too weak to feed her daughter from her own breast. A wet nurse had to be called for while she spent her days in bed.

The recovery had been a slow one, but she had recovered. She had become herself again, her girls blossomed, and the pain of the birthing bed had become a distant memory. This, however, was different.

The Stranger had visited with the night this time. Such pain he brought. Laena could feel him in her bones. Exhaustion seeped through every pore. As if every muscle in her body craved to give in. To give up. To meet the stranger who held his hand for him to join her in his cold embrace.

Never before had she felt so unlike herself. Tired. She was so very tired. She could no longer push. Been instructed not to push even if she could. Her legs were numb. Her silver curls painted to her clammy forehead with her own sweat.

Her eyes desperately wanted to shut. Calling for rest. A moment of respite. Her arms ached from holding herself up hunched over the bed. From the near-death grip of the midwives hand. Even lifting her fingers to inch up the bedpost for a tighter hold was a strain.

Laena burned with something she could not name. A foggy bog that she seeped into overpowering her, but some part of her kept her in a hazy state of half-dream half-wake. A candle flickering in the wind. The past and the present intertwined in its dimming glow.

She could hear the waves crashing back on coming in from the open window that had meant to cool her down. The room frayed. Faces came in and out of view. Switching between her mother's smile and the nurse's worried pallid face as she wiped the beads of sweat off her brow. Voices muffled and low as if they came from the other end of a cavernous tunnel and yet she kept a hold to the last shreds of her wit and strength. A tiny ember. The last snuff before the light went out.

“My brave girl.” She could make that out with startling clarity. It came from her princely husband. They stood huddled up in a half-shadowed corner of the chamber whispering to themselves, the healer having left her side. He was a swarthy man who sweat like a pig. If he did not open his mouth one would think he was Dornish. Laena was not particularly fond of him.

There was something in his person, in his manner of address which, how he always deferred to her husband which made her uneasy. She wished to be back within the safety and care that could be found at her father's house, surrounded by her cousins and aunts who would fuss over her, with her mother by her side who, or at least have a maester who knew her body better and would not act as if mere paranoia was the cause of her woe, but she had little choice in the manner of her present circumstances.

“The magister has healers who will take care of you Laena.” Daemon had replied when she confronted him in the library where he spent his days. Obsessing over their family's history twirling a glass of sweet wine from the magister's cellars in his hand.

It was a final plea, a desperate plea for she had asked him a dozen times before throughout this pregnancy where she felt her body weakening little by little with every passing day, but he dismissed her with his usual care. Placing a kiss on her belly as their babe greeted his father with a little kick before he went back to his reading. There was no room for argument. He was in one of his moods. He was always in a mood.

Her husband had replied to what the healer spoke in that absent-minded way of his. The way that reminded her his mind was a thousand leagues away. Across a narrow sea. To the alleyways, taverns, and well-tread roads that made up King’s Landing to his ailing brother, to the Iron Throne, or perhaps even his beloved niece. Laena could not tell. Not anymore. Mayhaps she never could.

Or mayhaps she had been the occupier of his attentions and affections at one point. Perhaps it had been she who evoked his passion. Before Baela when they had first wed? When he had whisked her away to this place from her home. Winning her hand away from the Braavosi Sealord's son with the plunge of Dark Sister through his skull. The excitement of it. He had always been one for the dramatics in the most spectacularly brutal fashion.

Basking in the glow of his victory. Claiming his prize. A bride of his own choosing. A Valyrian bride to wash the stain off his ill-favored union with Rhea Royce. The vale-bride that had been chosen for him. The bride he never wanted nor favored.

Her father, the great sea snake, was all too keen to give him her hand. To give him his prize for ridding him of an unfavorable match despite his dear wife’s protests. Despite the whispers that swarmed him. He killed my cousin. Blushed her to death. Budgeted her to beyond recognition He’s the devil.

Laena herself ignored their tales and dismissed her own mother's warnings. “He is charming, but charming men seldom make for good husbands, my sweet girl. Let us find you some lord who will make you laugh.”

She did not need some simpleton who would make her laugh. She had someone who made her feel more than that. She had someone who caused her belly to erupt with flutters when he threw a smile her way or his pale green eyes met dark ones.

He was not particularly handsome, his lips were too thin and his brow was hairless and prominent. His face was rather primal, but he was tall, his jaw strong, and there was something magnetic about him. Daemon Targaryen could command a room with a single glance. Why should she not want him? Why should she not have him?

She was Lady Laena Velaryon. She was the blood of old Valyria through and through. She came from not one, but two ancient and proud lines. Even her Baratheon blood was forged in the flames of Valyria. She was the dragonrider of the largest and oldest dragon in the known world. The last living vestige from the time of the conqueror.

The Rogue Prince wanted her. He had wanted her by his side. To be his wife. To bear his children. He saw who she was and he wanted her. They were the blood of old Valyria. Like called to like. They were made for each other. She was his match. She was his wife.

Wife was just a title she learned. She was so very naive then. Young and in love with the idea of him. An ideal was not enough nor was a title. It did not keep one warm at night. Comfort one when their heart aches. Or while they were bedridden with sickness.

No, Daemon Targaryen had not married her for such feelings of adoration and cherishment. He had married her for an empty title. For her name. Still, she liked to think that she had been enough for him. That she had been what he had wanted. That he had wanted her for more. That they had a chance the same as any other.

Mayhaps after Baela they still had hope? When he thought that she might give him the solace he looked for. The peace he craved. what he made no effort to hide.

She had given him a girl to be sure, but there would be more babes to follow. Her own mother had given her father a girl first then her brother came. Why should it not be the same for her?

She was still young and healthy. Had just celebrated her seventeenth name day. Daemon himself was in the prime of his life at six and thirty. There would be babes a plenty. “The next one shall be a boy husband.” He did not say anything. In fact, he seemed rather in awe of the tiny red-faced babe in his arms. Taking her little hand broken free from her swaddle to wrap around his pointer finger. Bringing the small fist up to his lips to place upon as he stared down at her, utterly entranced, but she knew.

When a letter from Kings Landing arrived announcing the birth of Jacaerys Velaryons she knew. She saw the light gone in his eyes. In how he did not let the wine in his cup go empty. She knew what she must do. What she must give him. It was a son he wanted. Just a son. A son and he would be happy. A son and they would be happy. She would give Daemon Targaryen his sons.

After she had almost given him his long-desired heir, but had only delivered another girl? Did she dare hope then? This one was more of a disappointment than the last for she was not even a dragonrider. Her egg withered in her cradle. Turned to stone. There was no use for the girl. For their sweet Rhaena.

What was one to do with two girls and no son in sight? No heir. Two girls. Ten years gone by and all she had given him was two girls. Every raven arrived from home a bitter reminder. Son after son. Year after year. A full life lived across the Narrow Sea. A life he was no party to. A son was not all he wanted.

How he burned those letters and stiffened at the mere mention of her name. At the suggestion that they return. Your brother would surely find you a position at court. Dismissing her words with a smile that did not reach his eyes and a swig of Pentos wine. Pouring over text and drinking himself to bed. Baela only managed to win his attention with her Valyrian or their rides. The better part of him. Rhaena was lucky if she got so much as a good night kiss from her dear kepa. Her failure.

Yes, wife was only a title. For there were some days he would not even come to her bed. Those days were better despite their loneliness. He was drunk when he climbed on top of her and put this babe in her. Pushing her into the bed. Pushing into her. One thrust. Two Three. In and out. She lost count. Merely trying to distract herself from the dull ache of the stretch.

“Forgive me.” He left her lying there as his seed slipped from her heat. Hastily throwing on his clothes as he scrambled out of the chamber. She did not see him until the next night at dinner. Having to sit through it with a smile that pulled at her mouth from its strain as he and the Magister discussed his son's return from Braavos. A handsome boy with a head of brown curls who was a mere two years Baela’s senior. He was apt to introduce them. Her husband could not seem more delighted by the prospect.

She did not make him content. She was not the wife he wished for. Her failures in the birthing bed proved that. Her failings to bring him his desires prove that. Laena Velaryon was a disappointment.

He could not even look at her. She lay in her deathbed, soiled, blood pouring from her at an alarming rate and he could only spare her half a glance before he moved it back to whatever it was that captured his attention on the stone floor underneath him. He did not notice her. Not even now.

Mayhaps he never had. Not really. Why turn his attention, his affections to her? She had never been what he wanted, only a thing he had settled for. She was always a thing that he was burdened with. What he had settled for. A prize, indeed. A consolation prize.

A Valyrian wife, but the wrong Valyrian wife. Children that were just Targaryen enough, but just as Velaryon in truth as they were Targaryen. A life of comfort and ease, but no action. Close, but not quite. Not what he truly wanted. Second choice. She was his second choice.

The Stranger mocked her with his silence. She could feel him and yet he said nothing. Just waiting. Waiting for her own body to give now the rest was gone. Now that she could not avoid it. Could he laugh? Mayhaps? Mayhaps not.

“We could pry open the womb.” He stuttered ever so slightly. Ringing that cloth covered in her blood and tears in his hand. She felt a chill run up her spine. The Stranger reached to hold out his hand. Waiting.” Try to remove the infant by way of the blade.”

“Would the mother survive it?” Her husband had turned his body away from her. He would never notice her. The healer shook his bowed head. A quiet no confirmation fell from his lips. It was he who looked as if he saw a ghost. Her life for her babes. If that. She knew how this tale would end.

No, she had never been what he wanted. She could not give him what he wanted. Second choice. She who had burdened him with her failings. With her inadequacies. She who could perhaps serve him better in death than she ever could in life. The cold reached her shoulder.

Would he notice if she slipped from the room? Into the night air? Just beyond the castle's walls? Made her way to Vhagar? Grabbed his hand? Ran into the Strangers embrace?

A dragonriders death. Or at least death at the hands of something which she loved. Something which did care for her. Something that did not which to only take from her.

Yes, that was preferable to this. Preferable to being carved like a stuffed pig. Served up for a grand feast. A feast worthy of a prince.

He hadn’t noticed. He hadn’t noticed when she pushed the maids away who tried to hold. She pulled herself up on shaky legs to make her way to the door of the chamber. He hadn’t noticed. A wide-eyed mousy girl shrieked a my lady when she slipped through the doorway. The others gawked with open mouths like a fish gasping for breath on land with horror. Not speaking a word at her retreating feverish figure hunched over, but he hadn’t noticed.

“Mother,” Laena thought she had heard. Thought she’d seen a little brown worried face peeking out of the nursery that she shared with her sister. Baela for she was too tall to be her sister. Their host had been gracious enough to offer them chambers of their own, but the girls were as thick as thieves. They could not be separated nor should they be.

She ignored that small voice. The call of a mother. She did not want to know if it was real or a figment of her clouded mind. A trick of her imagination conjured up by the Stranger. Prayed it was only a mirage.

Baela was asleep, warm in her bed. Dreaming of the trip her father had promised he would take her on the morrow. Riding on the back of Caraxes. Her dragon was too small to mount, but she already had a taste for the skies. “Faster kepa. Faster.” She’d say as she would cry with glee. The wind would whip around their faces as they dove and gilded through open blue causing her eyes to water with happy tears.

“Eglikta, nyke jaelagon naejot jikagon eglikta.” Higher, I want to go higher. Her Valyrian would be clunky, but she improving. Soon she’d be better than her mother. Would be better than her.

Laena hoped Daemon would keep to that promise. Perhaps he’d bring Rhaena along with them. The girls would need a distraction. Surely no one would fault him for providing them with one. He’d want to do it. He’d be relieved to be out. He was never one to be idle and she doubted that would change on account of her absence. He’d be free.

Of course, he’d have to mourn her propriety’s sake. For six moons, a year, a very long year, but any bit of freedom he’d have during this mourning he’d welcome. Relish in it. Yes, he’d take her riding tomorrow and the next day after.

That little voice did not follow her on her hobble down the corridor. Nor were her ears met with the little patter of bare feet other than her on stone. It seems the mother was kind enough to grant her one. Her babies were asleep safe in their beds. With not a care in the world.

With a shaky hand upon the banister, Laena turned the corner leaving the guest quarters towards the backstairs that the magister's servants use. It was safer that way. If anyone should come looking for her they’d think she’d use the ones. They’d look for her there. Not creeping around like a beggar woman.

No one followed her. No one looked for her. Not a single soul. There was some relief in that. If they had happened across her they would surely force her back. Back to that chamber. Back into that soiled bed. A lamb for slaughter.

She felt the chill upon leaving the warmth of the manse. It had not been a particularly cool day, but the nights in Pentos were cooled by a western breeze from the bay that bordered its shores. Cool enough to need a cloak of one we’re to venture out for a night stroll, but not Laena felt as if she had stumbled into winter.

Goosebumps erupting over her sticky bronze skin. Every step felt like she walked in water. Her legs felt like lead. She knew if she were to look down at her feet she’d be met with the sight of her lifeblood. If she were to stop she would collapse into the dirt and never get. Mayhaps she was not as careful as she thought for anyone could find her, but it would soon matter not.

She was close. So very close. Home. She was almost home. Away from here. Away from the cold. Away from the pain. Nothing could touch her. She would feel nothing. Not the sharp edge of the healer's blade that would pierce her belly. Not Daemon’s disappointment. Not her own longing for what she could never give. A life that would never be hers. With a kiss from her dragon's flame, it would all end.

It was only by the Stranger's hand that she made it to Vhagar. Stumbling over the pieces of gravel beneath her feet. The pain made her double over. Dropping to her knees. Bowing her head. Pleading. Begging her for release.To be free.

“Vhagar Dracarys. Dracarys. Dracarys. Dracarys. Dracarys.” She had croaked it out half a dozen times to the old dragon, but she would not move. Her voice grew weaker with every plea Threatened to give out. Already sore from screaming, she continued on. She saw no other way. Descending into tears, but tears did little to endear Vhagar to help her. Remaining as unmoved as ever.

Her mouth opened and closed over and over, but she made no move to bring forth fire. To end her riders' suffering. “Dracarys.” She would not move. Only fanning Laena’s damp face with hot dry air. Not a flame to be seen. No orange glow cast.

“Dracarys.” Another wave of pain came over her. It was hard to breathe through it. To force air through her lungs so that she may speak.

“Dracarys.” A whisper. A final plea. Yet she did nothing. Unbowing her head so that brown met golden red. She pleaded with her eyes for Laena had no voice left in her. Her gaze went soft. A lamb begging for the Shepherd to guide her. To save her from the wolves.

Pity was there. Reluctance too. A resistance to do as she was bid. Like a dog commanded to leave his wounded master on a hunt. but that pity had one out. Understanding. Just for a moment. She understood what she wanted.

Vhagar opened her ancient mouth to reveal an orange glow. A glow that burned her skin, feeling the heat making her sweater soon blister and peel if she were to keep at this distance, but that would be the last pain she would feel. For the glow would burn bright and engulf her in its fiery bite. Laena raised her head. Closing her eyes to meet the fire. Let me be free.

“Laena.” She heard his voice. In what would be her final moments left on this mortal plane it was his voice she heard. Carried across the dirt in the windless night. How cruel the Stranger was. He brought her here on her knees with pain shooting through her only to prolong her suffering. How he laughed at her expense. Stinging heat fading bit by bit. As if it had never been. The Stranger laughed indeed.

“No Vhagar.” The glow dimmed. It must have dimmed at the sound of her husband's panicked roar for Laena no longer felt its searing burn. She no longer could feel the brightness of light on her eyelids.

Her dragon had been released from her obligation. Given a choice. Vhagar came to with shame. Did a dragon have shame? Realization that what she was about to do was too rash? Too final? Too desperate. Nothing good ever came from desperation. Not even now while the Stranger made a joke of a dying woman.

The flap of wings reached her ears. With a gust of wind bringing back a chill to her bones. Vhagar deserted her. She was left alone with him.

Laena refused to open her eyes. Refused to see what had become of her. What was going to become of her. Mayhaps she could have tried to run, but she would not get very far. She did not think she could even pull herself to her feet much less hobble her way to wherever Vhagar had flown off to. It would be a crawl. A slow crawl. If that. Her lifeblood that left a steady trail from her womanhood painting her thighs crimson told her otherwise.

“You’re freezing Laena.” He wasted no time enveloping her in his arms. Tucking her carefully into his person. Placing an arm under her legs, the other bore the weight of her back while her head rested underneath his chin. Like a bride. Like how he had so very long ago. Her gown had been a lovely embroidered thing of white Myrish silk rather than the soiled nightgown she wore now. Not a single curl was out of place. Her silver mane shone in the candlelight. Her head had been crowned with a golden diadem. A single ruby placed at its center. She was a vision.

Daemon had refused the bedding ceremony that her uncle called for to carry her back to their chambers himself. Halfway along he had begun whispering something rather naughty into her virgin ears which caused her to burst into a fit of giggles as she was thrown over her groom's shoulder. There would be none of that now.

He must have been closer than she realized she decided. It’s the only way he reached her with such speed. He had no blanket nor cloak with him, but the heat coming off his person warmed her. He felt like a fire. Why was he so warm? Had he always been this warm? This solid?

She clung to him. Burying herself into his chest. Resting her silver curls into the pocket-marked skin of his neck that told the story of the man she loathed and loved. That he cradled their own babes into when they had been little things.

She did not wish to, but he was the only thing keeping her here. The only thing that was here. She longer felt the Stranger's ominous presence. His laughter in her head had left and had been replaced with a pounding in her head. There was only him now.

“What were you thinking?”I would've been free. I would have freed us both and then you would not have had to pretend as you do now. He was doing a good act of it.

“If you had left me. I would not be freezing.” Her voice was so very small. A murmur. A croak really. Hardly recognizable to her own ears. Did she really sound like that? Like an old woman? So very weak. If he had not placed her head near his ear would not have heard her.

“My darling.” He hadn’t called her that in a while. A long while. The last she had was on her twenty-fifth nameday. The night of her twenty-fifth name day. The last time they had truly made love. He had been sober. Gentle. Present.

He spoke her name with such reverence, whispered things into her ear which made her cheeks flush in heat with such tenderness. In the afterglow of their peaks, he had not pulled from her. They had simply laid their breathing each other in as he petted her. He made love with his words where his body had been spent and she savored every morsel of it, but she wouldn’t give too much thought to it now. Desperation caused one to speak falsities laced with honey.

Still, there was something, something in his voice, something thick and unsaid that caused her to open her eyes the slightest to meet his. Pulling herself from where she buried her head to find that they were glassy. Filled with unused tears. Threatening to spill from those green depths.

Laena had never seen him cry. Not once. Not even when she presented Baela to him. Her mother had said that her father could not stop crying when she had placed her in his outstretched arms, but not the Rogue Prince. Never Daemon Targaryen. It was shock , she decided. He was just in shock. She had shocked him.

“You’d be free of me. No healer’s blade required.” He’d be rid of her without another stain on his name. Without it weighing on his conscience. If he was even capable of feeling remorse through that dark haze of his.

“I won’t let them cut you Laena.” She laughed. Did she really mean so little to him? So little that he would not even give her the truth? Did he truly believe she was so naive? After being with him these ten years as his wife, that she knew nothing of him? Of how little his word meant when he gave it out so freely. When he spoke lies so freely from those pale lips. With his airs. His smirks. Mayhaps he believed his own versions of the truth. He had told so many of them. It must be hard to keep up with them, but she remembered.

“You will if it will give you the son you want.” It was men like him did. Proud men. Lords, princes, and kings alike. The need for an heir was too great to pass for men like them. ‘Twas what his brother had done. His wife’s life for a son, a babe who had only survived a night. His wife who he butchered for an heir that lived but a day.

Aemma Arryn had been no more with the swipe of a blade at the command of her husband. A command that left him plagued with guilt and regret and no proper heir to show for it. He had loved his wife, claimed to love her, and yet he murdered her all the same. All for a son. Such as men like him do.

A sharp pain ran through Laena’s abdomen. It had begun to dull before then. Distracted by her abandonment and the cold she felt in it, but that mind-numbing ache was a reminder that the worst was not over yet. That this fight was pointless. That him trying to save her, to make amends after ten years of misery was pointless. Daemon pulled her closer to his warmth, the lines upon his brow made all the more prominent with his worry, but it was no good.

She would still be dead by the end of it. Laena had found dying to be a rather exhausting business. There was no point in wasting any more breath on the matter. Her fate was inevitable.

“Take care of our girls or I shall haunt you.” Her last attempt at humor. Daemon did smile at it and Laena herself could find little amusement in it.

Her one regret. Leaving her girls alone in this world. It was selfish. To take her life so violently when she’d leave them behind. Without saying so much as a goodbye to them. It was heartless. To leave Daemon to pick up the pieces.

To explain to them what she had done. How does one explain that to a child? Why their mother would no longer be able to tuck them into bed at night. Why when they turned to find her smile they’d only find thin air. Why everything had changed in the blink of an eye.

Laena herself did not know what it was like to live without a mother. If RhaenysTargaryen had any faults it certainly did not lie with her mothering for she had always been there for her children. No septa, wetnurse, nor nanny could replace the comfort of a mother.

It was she who fretted over them when they were sick—staying up with them through the night wiping sweat from their brows, singing them lullabies, recounting stories of old to lull them to sleep. She who would kiss their bruises away. She who would listen to their woes without complaint. She who Laena could always depend upon. Only a raven need be sent and she would journey from the ends of the earth to her.

Her girls would be without that comfort, but they'd have her mother. That much she knew. Her mother would care for them as she had her and Laenor when they were little. That much Laena could take comfort in. They would not truly be alone. Just without her.

“You will take care of them yourself.” He must have lifted from the ground because the throbbing increased tenfold. With each step he took she could feel it moving through her. Shooting through her wave after wave. Her back, her belly, and her head were all burning. A stab here. A pinch there. She had thought she had known pain, known weakness, but this was all-consuming agony. She went limp in her husband’s hold.

He was with her, she knew he was holding her but he began to sound distant. The blood pounding in her head muffled his speech. It sounded as if they had journeyed into a dark cavern. She on one end of it, he on the other. His voice was a faint echo yet he would not cut that shallow cord of communication. “You will see them grow and have children of their own. You will not leave me. I will not let you leave me.”

At his last words, his voice broke with a choking sob. A hitch in his breath shook her. Something wet landed on the apple of her cheek. Making its way to her chapped lips. The taste of salt left a kiss upon them.

Mayhaps she had thought too cruelly of him. It was not every day that one witnessed their wife attempting to light herself on fire to escape them. Mayhaps there was sincerity. Something. Yes, something other than the darkness that resided in him.

“You’ll die old in your bed Laena. I promise you—” If he had made any other promises Laena did not know. The pain became too much for her to keep awake. Her eyes fluttered shut before they reached the manse.

Ao3 Link:

#daemon x laena #hotd fic #hotd fanfic #laena x daemon #laena velaryon #daemon targaryen #daemon targaryen x laena velaryon #bnhotdfic #I hope this is to everyone’s satisfaction 🤞🏽

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butterflydm · 1 year

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wot reread: towers of midnight (chap 27-38)

spoilers for towers of midnight

This gritted teeth reluctance of Egwene's, where she knows that they can't afford to face the Seanchan now because the Last Battle is more important -- this is the vibe. This is the energy. We need more of this when talking about the Seanchan.

2. Anyway, Egwene is trying to reach out to Rand's allies to convince them that he needs to be convinced to stop his plan of breaking the seals. This section works better than the earlier ones imo because Darlin, etc. doesn't know about the big epiphany and Rand's shift in perspective, so instead of another person reassuring Egwene that Rand is ~much better now~, we get a more measured response that talks about loyalty, and the Seanchan to the west, and that they all knew that the Dragon Reborn would likely go mad before the Last Battle so this shouldn't really be a surprise and he's still the only horse in the race.

3. They receive word that the watchtowers of the Borderlands are beginning to go dark -- a sign that the Last Battle is truly beginning. Egwene learns that the Hall is meeting without her, and goes to the meeting. After some Aes Sedai political wrangling, Egwene manages to get them to trade authority over the armies with authority in dealing with monarchs and rulers, aka Rand, who rules Illian. She also does some important loophole closing to make it harder for another secretive group like the Black Ajah to depose an Amrylin as happened to Siuan.

4. There is a certain amount of hilarious irony in Faile being hurt over Morgase using a different name and hiding her noble identity given the way Faile entered into this story (though Faile does realize this herself after a moment). But then she admits to herself that her real worry is that Morgase, as a fair woman, might fairly decide that Perrin really is a murderer, and they would have to deal with the consequences of that decision.

5. While a bubble of evil attacks Perrin's camp, Morgase and Galad are talking off in the Whitecloak camp. Morgase thinks about how she wishes she'd done a better job teaching Galad about shades of gray, so perhaps he wouldn't have been drawn into the Children of Light, with their black and white philosophy. She does her best to impart some shades of gray teachings to him now: good people can make mistakes sometimes and that's as important as knowing if a crime itself happened (basically that intent does matter when judging for a crime). She does not quite convince him, because... idk we need to draw out Perrin's plot more I guess. And the bubble of evil means that Perrin is asking for more time on his side too.

6. Okay, so Tam hasn't left at this point. But Perrin has been casually talking about how Elayne is planning to marry Rand*, which means it should be buzzing around the camp as gossip, which means that Tam should already know about Elayne when he first meets Min in Tear. There was zero indication about this in the Tam scenes in TGS but since it seems obvious that Tam should already know, I'm going to imagine/pretend that he talked to either Min or zen!Rand (once he returned) about these rumors about the queen of Andor wanting to marry Rand.

Anyway, Tam tells Perrin that he needs to leave on special ~Aes Sedai business~ but that he's proud of him. I guess that's nice. And then he leaves, off to go be in the ending of TGS and nearly get killed by his son. So that's where Perrin is in the timeline.

*this really does illustrate how infrequently Perrin thinks of Rand and how quickly he manages to dispel his visions of Rand compared to Mat, since he apparently has NOT been watching Rand constantly having sex with Min in recent months -- or maybe the ~Pattern~ just knows that Mat is more interested in seeing Rand during those times than Perrin is? Because Perrin actually DOES know Min and Elayne both separately -- he spent that winter between TGH & TDR spending a lot of time with Min and she even confessed to him that she was fated to fall in love with Rand (though didn't know if he would love her back), and he was in Tear when Elayne and Rand were together as well -- so you'd think that he'd consider what it might mean for Elayne's marriage hopes that Min stole her boyfriend, since he doesn't know about the shared love confessions, yet the only thing he mentioned as a potential objection to the marriage is that Rand might be too busy ~conquering his next nation~. I mean, I guess he could have been making poly assumptions but that's really the sort of thing that maybe should have actually been in his thoughts at some point, lol.

7. Haha, Elayne finding a loophole in the "required bed rest for a week" rule laid down by her midwife. <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 ilu Elayne. Anyway, she's here to see a demonstration of Aludra's dragons! It's interesting that Mat explained to Elayne that Aludra's main motivation is to get revenge against the Seanchan, which potentially means that he told her about the Seanchan destroying the Tanchico chapterhouse and murdering & enslaving the Illuminators there. But, yes, the first public demonstration of the 'dragons' (aka cannons) is a success. After agreeing to give her all the resources that she requires, Elayne makes Aludra swear that she will keep the creation of these a secret, but Birgitte feels anxious about the idea of them anyway. "The world just changed."

8. Perrin's crash course in How To Wolfbrother: Dream Edition continues. This time, he's learning how not to be afraid of himself as Young Bull and how to confidently control the wolf dream around him when he's inside it. Over a handful of days. This is the first time Perrin finds out that this is the dreamplace of 'everyone' and not just wolf-related people. Hopper brings Perrin to a city so that he can walk through the 'fear dreams' of the people living there, so that he can do an accelerated crash course in How To Wolfbrother. And I do find all this wolf-development good but... wow, it feels so belated. Mat got his war memories in TSR and struggled with them over the course of TFoH but had basically accepted them by LoC. Perrin found out he was a wolfbrother in EotW and is only now finishing up his coursework in How To Wolfbrother.

9. It's interesting that the wolves are waiting on Dragonmount for Rand to face his moment of decision between destruction and life. We've only had hints of how connected the wolves feel to the Light & to the Dragon Reborn. Kinda wish we'd gotten more. One of the downsides of how Jordan kept dividing up the storylines and separating everyone, I suppose, plus the general theme of Team Light having rotten communication skills and keeping secrets from each other.

I really do feel like Sanderson rushed Rand too much in TGS and then idled with him in ToM and I think it would have worked better to have the ruthless Rand arc paced out more with the other characters in ToM rather than climaxing at the end of TGS. I'm also kinda... eh on whether or not we needed Perrin there ~in spirit~ with Rand on Dragonmount? I'm not sure we needed an outside PoV of this scene when we had an internal one already? I like the descriptions well enough but I am tired of always seeing Rand from the outside in ToM. But, anyway, Rand chooses life and the wolves all celebrate. It's kinda funny that the wolves are so into Rand and he... barely has any clue that wolves are related to the Last Battle in any way? I don't think anyone (Perrin) has mentioned that he's a celebrity to the wolves.

10. I am more than halfway done with ToM and I feel like barely anything has happened yet, lol. "Let's all catch up to Rand's moment of being awesome" didn't work for CoT and I'm not sure why Sanderson decided to repeat that again for ToM. There are definitely some chapters and PoVs that I am enjoying but overall this book feels like filler half the time, which is a WILD choice, bro.

11. Mat is dicing, and it seems to partly be a vibe check to see if his luck is with him (see, this is what I meant earlier about how Elayne's supernatural guarantee is more guaranteed than Mat's is). Strike nine-point-three as Mat notices the wide smile of a "raven-haired beauty". He is now preemptively telling (some) women that he's married in hopes that they will do the work of not being flirty rather than him doing it. Strike ten-point-three, as Mat regretfully thinks about how the innkeeper's wife is very pretty but her husband would assault him if he looked at her for too long so he only glances at her briefly.

12. He's been walking around with his face uncovered all day, hoping to draw the gholam to him now that he has a plan on how to deal with it. It works after a while and the two of them fight (in streets that are being kept clear by the Band keeping other people away). The gholam is able to get his medallion away from him, but Mat has borrowed two of the copies from Elayne and discovers that they still work against the gholam. Ah, and the secret weapon is finding a way to trick it/back it into falling into the Gateway created by one of the Kin. This is a good chapter, for the most part, except for some minor things here and there, that are mostly annoyances that were pre-baked into Mat's new characterization from Jordan in CoT & KoD. The gholam thing unfortunately does feel like it turned more into a personal vendetta, which I think is a shame, but I'm glad that channeling was an essential part of defeating it. Mat has, since parting from his slaver wife, now worked extensively with free channelers -- Teslyn saved his life against the gholam before, and it's Elayne connecting him to the Kin (who had to escape Altara to avoid being enslaved by his wife's people) that saves him here and helps him defeat the gholam.

13. Strike eleven-point-three as Mat notes one of the Kinswomen who is plump and pretty and would "fit nicely on his knee".

14. Yikes on bikes that Mat wants to give a slaver, who is hostile to channelers and who wants to torture and enslave them, a medallion that would protect her against channeling (though this plan of his does make an asshole move that Tuon pulls later somewhat ironic). Though he isn't aware of the copies' flaws, it sounds like, and one of those flaws is that they protect against some weaves but not against the most powerful, so Elayne could, for example, still balefire Tuon's ass if she were wearing one of the copies.

Also, I bet that Mat did NOT tell Elayne that he was planning to give her hard work to a slaver who would be willing to torture, degrade, and mind-break her if given the chance. Honestly, once Elayne does find out who Mat is married to, she has every right to feel completely betrayed by him. He used her to aid someone who would be willing to torture her and the people under her protection. And he's so deeply in denial about Tuon (thinking of her ~as a person~ as completely separate from her position ~as a powerful enforcer of slavery in a slaver society~ and behaving as if 'protecting Tuon' doesn't support the Seanchan Empire in any way -- this is the bullshit that his "your empire is my enemy but you aren't" double-thinking allows to him to believe despite it being nonsense) that it doesn't even occur to him that what he's doing here is a complete betrayal of the trust that Elayne has placed in him. And after Elayne saved his ass here too -- both with the copies of the medallion, and also because she and Birgitte are the ones who came up with this plan for him.

...I wonder if the medallion copies would prevent a sul'dam from using an a'dam, since (unlike the original) they do not allow the wearer to channel while wearing them. It seems logical that they would block the link created by the a'dam.

15. Anyway, Mat is basically pulling the exact same "I am on both sides and neither at once" routine with Tuon & the Westlanders that Gawyn pulled with the loyalist Aes Sedai and Egwene, so I can only hope that this means that Mat will come to his senses post-canon the way that Gawyn came to his senses and picked the right side once he learned that Egwene was imprisoned by the White Tower. There are a few easy ways that a post-canon narrative could make that happen.

Honestly, it's more likely that Tuon will grossly violate Mat's sense of morality past the bounds of what he can take than that she won't, given what we've seen of her personality and beliefs. If they have multiple kids in the future and Tuon raises them in the Imperial Seanchan way, Mat will rebel against having his kids sabotage and undermine each other to attempts to appeal to empress dearest; if he sees someone in a collar that he recognizes than this may bring things home to him in a way that it seems like he's forcing himself to ignore when the slaves are all strangers; if they have a channeler kid who Tuon tries to collar, etc. Lots of things could cross the line, and all of those things seem perfectly in her character as has been shown thus far in the books.

The interesting thing to me here is that Mat gets to fence-straddle without getting the fandom hate that Gawyn got for it. Is it simply because the reader got to know Mat for much longer before he started his fence-straddling ways in CoT? Is it because Mat has a more amusing internal narration so people are willing to forgive him for more than they would other characters? Is it because of who gets hurt because of the fence-straddling?

Gawyn's fence-straddling meant that he didn't help Rand during/after Dumai's Wells and he also killed some number of Warders during the coup. Mat's fence-straddling means that so far he's been complicit in forty Aes Sedai getting enslaved by the Seanchan plus an unknown number of injuries and deaths, and he's currently plotting to give Tuon a tool that would help her enslave more Aes Sedai (even if he chooses to be in denial over the fact that she could use it that way).

16. General Bashere and his army finally arrive with Asha'man to give Ituralde some relief. Rand shows up too, a little bit later, and apologizes to Ituralde for how he has failed in making peace with the Seanchan and in giving him the support that he needed. Rand goes out alone to kill a massive wave of Shadowspawn by himself.

17. Rand processes that he was angry during the recent fight with the Shadowspawn... and that that's OKAY. He's allowed to be angry as long as he processes and controls that anger appropriately and doesn't lash out at his allies. Very important step!

lol we also get updated on Min's Old Tongue prophecy analysis project re: Callandor. It's... lol, whatever. I guess it gives Min something to do.

Once again, I wish so much that we were actually in Rand's head and not just getting him filtered through other people's PoVs.

18. So Nynaeve has given a full report of her time with Rand to the Amyrlin & Siuan (who is clearly still one of Egwene's main advisors at this point? She's the only person in the meeting with Egwene and Nynaeve). She is capable of communication, just not with Rand. *sigh*

Nynaeve defends Rand here against Egwene (she says that if the Asha'man's behavior is Rand's responsibility, then the Aes Sedai's behavior is Egwene's responsibility), but was never willing to tell him anything when she was with him. The rest of the scene is them sketching out their plan to take out Mesaana (using Egwene as bait again). Nynaeve suggests working with Rand, but Egwene shoots the idea down.

19. Gawyn is just... casually hanging out with Elayne in Caemlyn? We didn't actually get to see their reunion? Well, that's disappointing. Gawyn guesses that Rand is the father of Elayne's kids and she mentions that if he is, it would be smart not to tell anyone about it, as it would make them targets. Gawyn and Elayne talk some various things through re: Rand and Egwene and, in the end, Elayne helps Gawyn let go of his hate of Rand. She releases from his obligations in Caemlyn, so that he can fully devote himself to Egwene & the White Tower. It's a sweet scene, honestly. It gets quoted sometimes as Elayne doing a Take That at Gawyn over classism but that's not really the approach she's taking at all with him.

20. While he's here, he takes out the dagger that was dropped by the assassin and examines it, getting a started reaction from one of the nearby 'Kin', who is actually one of the ex-damane (Marille), who recognizes the dagger and what it means. He finds out that the Bloodknives are Seanchan assassins who are sent personally by the Empress. Suicide troops left behind to murder Aes Sedai, in this case. They've murdered several women already, and those deaths are also ones that Mat is complicit in. We get a reminder here that "the Seanchan treated their damane worse than animals" as Marille cowers and whimpers when Gawyn's voice raises.

(And Tuon would happily do this kind of emotional damage to Mat's sister Bode, or to Egwene, or Elayne, or Aviendha, or Nynaeve, or Moiraine, etc. -- though that does remind me of how it, in retrospect, it does seem like the composition of Mat's party that escaped Ebou Dar was another deliberate choice to shield Mat from the true horror of what the Seanchan do to these women -- he has never met an native Seanchan ex-damane, who has had to reconstruct herself from the ground up after having been taught since fifteen or sixteen years old that she is a subhuman monster. But having someone like that around during the circus journey would have been an even stronger indictment of Tuon as a person and of her society as a whole, so potentially that's why Jordan avoided it)

21. So GAWYN gets to hear the explanation here that all sul'dam are capable of learning to channel, something that no one has ever gotten around to telling Rand. Kaisea, the ex-sul'dam (who was also Low Blood, it sounds like) that Gawyn meets here, is insisting that she belongs in the collar now. If Elayne is so sure that it will undermine Seanchan culture for this news to spread, then it's baffling to me that she isn't spreading the news! This should be a major (deliberately planted) rumor, especially in cities and villages near or across the Seanchan border (it's entirely possible that this was originally part of Jordan's plan for the Seanchan, before he decided to slow-walk them starting in CoT, for the sake of the outriggers that will never happen).

Gaywn learns that the ter'angreal rings that the Bloodknives wear gives them the ability to blur near shadows but it comes at great cost -- once activated, death will come to them, usually in a couple of weeks and at a month at the longest. Around now is when he gets the message from Egwene to return to the Tower. Instead of doing so, he has the knife sent back, with the message that the assassin is Seanchan (and the details of how they work). Also, just as the Seanchan declare their army Ever Victorious (and their empress ~may she live forever~) they also say that the Bloodknives are impossible to survive if you're their target. You can always count on the Seanchan to declare that they are The Best and Most Perfect at everything, despite the evidence being against them. From what I've seen in the books, the only thing they're actually 'the best' at is propaganda (though both of those traits -- claiming to be superior and only really being superior at SAYING they're superior -- are pretty common for fascist-style governments, so I guess that's all true to form).

22. Perrin is STILL planning to disband the armies that he has gathered (after the trial, before he goes back to Rand). wtf dude! I don't care if you don't want to lead them; hand them over to Rand and HE can lead them. He has stopped complaining about leading them publicly, at least.

23. Perrin has figured out that there's a connection between the weird dome in the wolfdream and the inability of channelers to create Gateways in that same area in the waking world. Oops, there's a section here where Faile's PoV becomes Perrin's for a few paragraphs and then swaps back to Faile's, without the normal spacing markers that the books use for PoV swaps in the same chapter.

24. Conclusion of the trial: Perrin "killed unlawfully" but did not "murder" the Children of the Light, because the Children did not have authorization to act within Andor's borders, so Morgase is treating it as a clash between two mercenary bands. Then she throws the sentencing to Galad. Galad asks if Perrin will stand by the sentencing, Perrin says that he will... but only after the Last Battle. Galad agrees to those terms and says he will name the sentence itself later.

(in light of our Dain Bornhald casting news -- this is the culmination of his own series-long arc, where he learns and begins to believe that Perrin was not responsible for his father's death)

24. Tonight is the night that Egwene plans to face off with Mesaana in TAR. They have their trap set. Egwene also asks Silviana to send Gawyn another letter requesting his return but to make sure that she asks this time instead of telling. Egwene would probably have had more success if she'd written the letter herself, lol.

25. The frustrating thing about the Whitecloak trial being the trigger for Perrin's character arc climax here is how he has committed much worse deeds since then and not regretted them. I don't care about the results of his Whitecloak trial. I want him on trial for selling two hundred women into slavery! Anyway, he's heading into the wolfdream to try to kill Slayer, while Faile is in charge of handling the retreat through the Gateways in the waking world. He isn't able to kill Slayer, but he finds the dreamspike that was being used to prevent Traveling and starts traveling north with it, so that his people will be able to leave.

26. While Nynaeve keeps an eye on the fake location for the TAR meeting that is meant to draw out Mesaana, Egwene attends the real meeting, which is between Aes Sedai, Wise Ones, and (for the first time) a handful of Windfinders. We know that Egwene's big goal is that she would like all women who can channel to be 'tied' to the White Tower in some fashion, so I'm guessing this meeting is going to be an attempt at making that work. The Windfinders describe the White Tower taking people in a very poetic way: "The White Tower inhales but does not exhale -- that which is brought in is never allowed to leave." And the Wise Ones are feeling some solidarity with that vibe.

Egwene agrees with this point and says that they may have been wise to keep their abilities a secret, but then says that the White Tower does have some knowledge that they do not... and they begin to work out a potential bargain. Accepted being sent to learn from Wise Ones or Windfinders... and apprentices being sent to learn from Aes Sedai and then being allowed to return to their people instead of being required to stay with the White Tower. It feels like she's taking the lesson that she saw with Nynaeve in the Testing here and applying it to the Aiel & Atha'an Miere. She also agrees that the ter'angreal that belong to the Aiel and to the Atha'an Miere can be agreed to belong to them, without the White Tower trying to snatch them away because they've declared ~all ter'angreal~ to be theirs.

27. They also talk here about the other 'common foe' that they share -- the Seanchan. That an alliance between their three groups will make it easier for them to stand together against the Seanchan. The bargain still needs to be ratified by each of the individual parties' people but it's a pretty sound one, imo.

28. Mesaana attacks the decoy location and, by ta'veren coincidence, Perrin's journey north with the dreamspike has led him to Tar Valon. And Gawyn manages to return to Tar Valon via Gateway right before the dreamspike arrives and cuts off the city.

29. Carlinya is dead OFF-SCREEN. She was killed by Mesaana off the page? That's so rude. tbh, I actually do wonder if maybe she was supposed to have been one of the women abducted by the Seanchan (due to the viewing that Min had) but no specific notes were left about it? While ravens are somewhat associated with the Dark One, they've been a lot more strongly associated with the Seanchan. But I do wonder if maybe the reason that ELAIDA was the named one who was taken by the Seanchan was so that the readers would be like "oh she deserves it tho" and not hold the Seanchan as accountable for their slave raid as they deserved to be, and as they might be if a non-hostile Aes Sedai were the featured one being abducted.

30. So Egwene, the Aes Sedai, & the Wise Ones are fighting Mesaana and the Black Ajah, while Perrin fights Slayer and Gawyn races to try to protect Egwene's sleeping body from the Seanchan Bloodknife assassin(s).

Nothing about this climax is impossible to do if Rand is still ruthless!Rand imo. He's not really related to what's happening here at all. Dragonmount could have happened after this and it would have been fine, story-wise. I'm feeling pretty strongly overall that it was a mistake to pull the trigger on Rand's epiphany back in TGS.

31. Perrin and his less than a week's worth of Accelerated How To Wolfbrother coursework vs Egwene's year-plus of training (since she started her dreamwalker training in the same book where Perrin & Faile got married, and they just had their anniversary), yet we're supposed to buy that he's become Epic Good at it.

I mean, Sanderson really was caught in a Catch-22 with Perrin tbh, because of how Jordan had stalled Perrin's character arc out. He is SO FAR BEHIND the other characters at the start of TGS that he kinda has to do this accelerated sort of character arc, where he went from driving in reverse to jumping ahead so that he could be with the rest of the pack but... man, there's just Too Much Perrin in this book.

32. The big battle: Gawyn kills the Bloodknives (proving once again that the Seanchan talk of being The Most Superior is just talk) but almost dies in the process. Perrin moving the dreamspike here trapped Mesaana in place; Mesaana attempts to use the same trick on Egwene here that Nynaeve used on Moghedien, imagining an a'dam on here, but Egwene is able to force the thought away and the collar off again (using, in part, the hard-earned control of being Aes Sedai, but also her Dreamer abilities in TAR).

But again, here, we have the reminder of how fucking awful it is to be enslaved by the a'dam, as Egwene fights her panic about temporarily being collared. So again, the narrative has not forgotten how awful the Seanchan are... in the plotlines of the female characters. Egwene is able to take Perrin's "it's only a weave" thought about balefire and turn it into "it's only a piece of metal" about the a'dam. And she is able to turn her will against Mesaana and defeat her permanently. When Egwene wakes up, she finds the bloody scene with Gawyn and the dead Bloodknives, and she bonds Gawyn to save his life.

33. The nightmare that Perrin pulled Slayer into is someone dreaming in terror about the Last Battle. Perrin seems like he's potentially realizing here the full gravity of the Last Battle in this nightmare? Maybe when he wakes up, he'll stop trying to send away volunteers who want to fight in the Last Battle. He's able to use the nightmare to destroy the dreamspike but has to flee before he can kill Slayer; with Hopper's last dying thought to him to "seek Boundless".

That seems like a good place to stop, since there's a PoV change in the next chapter.

#wot #wheel of time #wot reread #towers of midnight #wot book spoilers #wot spoilers #perrin aybara #egwene al'vere #mat cauthon

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favroitecrime · 10 months

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As great as the exchange of hostages was, we need to remember a few things:

1. Palestinian prisoners are hostages. A lot of them children. False arrests with pretenses of committing violence backed with such poor evidence it’s a disgrace. Also, most of the ‘confessions’ are through brutal interrogation (cc: torture).

2. They arrested just as quick, if not quicker, than they released. They kidnapped people with no charges so they can force them to be part of the ‘exchange’ so that the hostages who WERE supposed to be part of it stay in jail.

3. The stories coming from freed Palestinians are fucking horrific. No food, no water, stripped, left naked, no blankets or pillows, barely a mattress to sleep on, bloodied, beaten, sexually assaulted, raped, humiliated, and straight up murdered. Some of the kids released are detailing how the IOF killed other hostages in front of them. Yeah.

4. They went around terrorizing the families of the hostages meant to be released threatening them & even beating them as a warning to not celebrate.

5. They shot a teenager for celebrating someone’s freedom. The IOF lady said it like it was a perfectly good reason to end a life.

6. They’ve announced Jenin as part of the war zone now and they’re encroaching on more of the West Bank. Ramallah being one of them. Neither are next to Gaza.

7. They’ve killed several Palestinians during this ‘ceasefire’. November 29, 2023: a teenager and a 9-year-old were killed.

8. They are not honoring the ‘ceasefire’. Dozens of Palestinians in Gaza have either been abducted or killed for attempting to go back North.

Not a single hostage held by Hamas has spoken of any mistreatment. These people are leaving happy, smiling, literally shaking hands, laughing with, & dapping with Hamas soldiers. Zionists are losing their minds trying to push forward the ‘“their loved ones are being held hostage obviously they’re doing it so they won’t get hurt” narrative, but considering the hostages released have been reported to be in good health, that seems extremely doubtful.

Take the time to look up some of those statements. One hostage wrote them a thank you note because her daughter felt like a queen with how well they treated her. They gave the kids candy, they allowed the hostages to see & talk to each other, played with the kids if the kids asked. Compared to the ones being given by Palestinian hostages & then watching more get kidnapped is just… and now merciless bombing across Gaza with threats telling people in Gaza to evacuate even more South. There’s no more South left. Don’t quiet down now, you need to be screaming louder than ever. Free Palestine 🇵🇸

#tag: important #free palestine #gaza #hostage exchange #ceasefire #palestine #anti israel #anti zionist

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redjaybathood · 2 years

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(am I writing jaytim (?) dick killed joker au after yesterday? yeah and what about it)

Jason never liked the "come back wrong" trope. He feels vindicated, now, walking the streets of his hometown and not recognizing anything at all.

He didn't come back wrong. It was everything else that turned topsy-turvy.

Even this one thing he wanted more than anything else - Joker being six feet under - was messed up. Nightwing was the one who did it. And while he didn't turn himself in, he didn't stick around either. Dick Grayson turned his badge in, leaving Bludhaven PD the same nightmare of corruption and institutional racism, and was globe-hopping with Arsenal (who lost his daughter, and even a chance of getting revenge, seeing as Oliver Queen shot the bastard and was awaiting trial, currently) and Starfire (Jason wasn't sure what that was about).

And Bruce, he got himself a new Robin. But it alone wasn't what made him feel sick.

With Joker being long gone before Jason finished his training with All-Caste, with Gotham being raised to the ground and rebuilt again, now with cheap materials in even poorer neighborhoods, boondocks; while fancier districts like Fashion, or West End, had historical landmarks erased, and the stupid ceiling-to-floor windows of business centers and shopping malls came into being instead. Come on, this is just a trauma due to a shockwave from an explosion nearby, waiting to happen! And these monuments to corporate greed served the community none, taking up valuable public space.

But most importantly, people.

Yeah, Joker was gone. But, as he traced the information by reports, official and not so much, of what happened during No Man's Land (how did it happen? How did it happen?)... Gangs got much more power than before. That time when the only way you could survive was being in a gang, with a top honcho telling you what to do, or you would literally starve... It changed Gothamites for the worse. It didn't help that companies like Luthorcorp were "helping" with rebuilding efforts, pocketing much of the city relief fund and taking contracts from local enterprises. Didn't help that freaks like Two-Face, Penguin, and Scarface, who stayed in Gotham, got more power after they stuck it out. Mafias were weaker, sure. Street-level gangs wised up.

It all made Jason want to go mad. Except that wasn't a luxury he could afford now.

See, along with the intel gathering, one of the first things Jason had done after getting into Gotham was check on his old connections. Not Batman - he knew about Robin, and he was yet to decide what he wanted to do about it. He was putting off any confrontation before that.

But his friends - people he mostly left behind after Bruce picked him up.

And, see, here's the thing. While he was still alive, he kept tabs on them. He knew when Harlowes moved to a new house. He was able to sneak Max some money - he didn't even ask Bruce for it. Won in a poker game with Two-Face, at some point before he found out he killed Willis. He was worried about Numbers' decision to apply to military school, so asked Bruce to find a good one, if there was such a thing. He ran a background check on Gabbie's fiance and warned her anonymously about him scamming his past girlfriends. After Chris, Jason asked Bruce about setting up a fund to help with legal representation for youthful offenders.

It wasn't much. They, Max said once, would rather have him there, with them. Not with them, with them, living in the slums. They knew he was better off living conditions-wise being off the streets than on them. But just like, hanging out. Talking to them for more than 5 minutes when he dropped something off - it felt like charity, like he was buying off his guilty conscience that he didn’t want to be seen with them anymore.

Yeah, but Jason could not be in three places at once. And if Robin was his job, and Jason Wayne was his cover for said job, Jason Todd had to give way. Every time.

Until there was nothing more to give.

But even after his death, Gotham still took from him.

The worst thing, the thing he didn't think he would ever be able to forgive himself, was Max Dawkins. Dead at seventeen. Few weeks before Jason came back home. At the time Jason probably was still doing katas, or kissing Essence under a three-thousands years old tree that was vaguely related to sycamores, now. Or was training his vision to focus on the future with his right eye and the past with his left.

Point is, Jason doesn't even know and will never know, and it doesn't even matter, because Max won't be any less dead.

Overdose, can you believe that? Max didn't even sniff glue when they were both young and stupid. They want to believe he would go hard on speed after receiving acceptance letter with full ride scholarship for GCU? He wanted to drag the cops who closed the file on Max as soon as the medical examiner sewed him back, onto the street, behind the dumpster his body was left behind, and...

He stopped that trail of thought. Fumbled for the phone. Opened BetterMe Mental Health app. Grief, his plan for today said.

He put the headphones in.

Three minutes later, he stood up straight and cracked his neck this side and that. What he loved about this app was, unlike with Ducra, it was a really low-commitment, no risk of being thrown out of his own body on astral plane, meditation. It wasn't a panacea, but it helped. He wasn't throwing things around, he wasn't screaming at no one, he wasn't crying. He was breathing evenly. He was thinking straight.

The report he stole said the body was in the morgue, still. Unclaimed. The autopsy was obviously a hack job, with inconsistencies showing how little the ME cared about a dead guy nobody will come to claim. It's not like he will get an opportunity to recommend a respectable funeral home to make sure your loved ones were comfortable on their last journey - and that the ME gets his kickback. Now, though, this guy will find out what a real kick in the back feels like.

No. He can't make noise.

He got Talia to agree to reinstate him among the living, legally-speaking (done thanks to her contacts in Qurac councilship), and then take her last name.

It was the most 'fuck you, Bruce' way for Jason to return to the States. He was alive again, and Bruce had no idea, and he wouldn't, because Jason Head nee Todd wasn't his in any way. Anymore. But if he wanted to keep it from Bruce without going fake identity for the rest of his life, he needed to be low-key.

So. Jason Head went to the city morgue as himself - but also a third cousin twice removed of Maximillian Dawkins' maternal aunt. Which, actually, was the truth. There was a reason Max was tasked by his grandma to hang out with him from time to time when things went rough at home. That, and Catherine never liked Chris.

Good judgment, if only she could apply it to Willis as well.

He waved a couple of hundred dollars bills around. Said he wanted to take Max to bury him - but he also wanted to find out what actually happened. And couldn't they redo the autopsy?

They could, agreed the guy. He even allowed Jason to be present.

Downstairs, they almost ran into a girl. Despite the poor lighting, Jason didn't plan to take off his sunglasses, hat, or a jacket that added bulk to his shoulders, not until he needed to put on a white suit and protective mask, glasses and gloves. He still managed to see the way her makeup was a touch overdone, didn't mash with the brand clothes she was wearing, and the hair, he was pretty sure, was a wig.

He noted the name and the bullshit excuse the girl gave, and stopped trying to supress his irritation and impatience.

The girl gave him a once-over too. Asked why he was there. Jason told the truth: he was here for his nephew, preparing for the burial.

"Why not during working hours?"

"Because I work during working hours," Jason explained to her. "Nobody is going to give me a day off, doesn't matter if I'm his only family."

"Capitalism," the girl sighed.

Jason huffed a laugh.

"Yeah, I don't think I would have paid leave for this somewhere like China or North Korea. It's funny but the exploitation of the working class doesn't stop regardless of what fancy words they use to keep the sheep complacent."

"Are you an anarchist?" The girl eyed him warily and even moved a bit back, almost dropping into a defensive stance.

"What I am is tired and have a long to-do list, ma'am." He stepped closer to the opposite wall and motioned for her to go on.

She caught herself not quite finished mouthing off "ma'am" and finally, thankfully, left. Jason looked at her gait, slightly swaying on way too high heels (in Jason's estimate, anyway; he would never be able to walk a step in them).

"Are all of your doctors so..." He said when he caught the ME looking at her as well.

He didn't like that gaze.

"Fine?"

"Rude."

#jason todd #my fics #dick killed joker au #max honey i am so sorry for fridging you again you deserve better

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thevindicativevordan · 8 months

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Comics this week ?

Superman #10 - Wish the Old West story had gone longer and Terra-Man’s showing wasn’t as good as I hoped, but Redondo’s art still made this an enjoyable issue. Ending confirms Lena II is not the person wearing the Lexcorp power armor. Betting it's her aunt, Lena I (Lex's sister), last we saw of her she was imprisoned under Lexcorp tower by Lex during his SuperLex phase. Guess where the Revenge Squad breaks into during their assault on Lexcorp Tower? With Lex's extended family becoming more prominent, she's the only one left who hasn't shown up and is still alive.

Superman: Lost #10 - Final issue is out and it’s… interesting. On one hand the science of it all kinda makes sense and I can sorta follow along with how Priest managed to cut the proverbial Gordian knot he tied for himself. It all ends up being a fakeout of course, Hope’s baby isn’t Clark’s at all, it’s the kid of the guy she killed. Clark yanks a version of himself from earlier in the timeline and sends him back to Lois so she can get her husband back rather than the stranger he’s become. It’s an interesting approach in line with Priest’s love of messing with the timeline. Emotionally though… I dunno I don’t like how Priest ended up doing fake outs at every turn. Given this ends with there being two Supermen, one who is still the “classic” version and the other who has changed so much in 20 years, I don’t get why he didn’t just do the same story except Clark actually did cheat and had a kid with Hope. Ending would have been the same, he yanks an "unspoiled" version of himself from earlier in the timeline to be with Lois while white suit Superman accepts he’s changed too much to return to his old life. That would have been more satisfying to me personally, and taken more advantage of this being an Elseworld. Enjoyed the story all the same.

World’s Finest #23 - Gog's motive here reminds me of the motivation for the Big Bad of Arcaneum. Stories where the afterlife is a real thing raise interesting moral questions that I enjoy seeing explored. What Gog is doing is monstrous, but his plan to kill Darkseid via a suicide mission that will also guarantee all the heroes who die undertaking it get into Heaven/Valhalla is super fucked up because it does make a twisted sort of sense. If you know Valhalla is real and you know how to get there, is it a terrible thing to ensure that a bunch of people go there even if you use reprehensible means? They get to live forever in bliss after all. Of course the Supermen aptly demonstrate my feelings regarding that this issue. Looks like Darkseid is going to thin out the heroic ranks regardless unfortunately, maybe Gog will get what he wants after all.

GL: WJ #5 - I can't decide if John continuing to use a construct of his sister to set his mom at ease is wholesome or fucked up. Can something be both at the same time? I feel like it will end badly. Totally get why he does it, had a similar experience with my grandma. There's no happy ending where dementia is concerned. It does call attention to how both Stewart and the Queen are using the dead for their own purposes. Stewart is obviously morally better, he’s not enslaving his sister’s soul and all he wants is to help his mom, but it is a point of overlap between the two. Another great moment is where he tells Shepherd that heroes are as fragile as the people they protect, and flashes to his mom was so good. This series has done a great job showing John's emotional core beneath his stoic exterior.

JLvGvK #4 - Aquaman unleashing a Kraken to beat back the Monsterverse Kaijus is the kind of dumb fun I’m here for.

Hellblazer #1 - Team doesn’t miss a beat from where they left off, great start. For a second I was hoping to see Levi Kramel show up instead of Holland, but the swamp being turned into a golf course is the first acknowledgement I’ve seen of how the South has become more “business friendly” since the 80s when Moore wrote about the area.

Wonder Woman #5 - As a "Circe is Wonder Woman's archnemesis" believer, it made me happy that Sovereign was nervous about recruiting her and conceded she might possibly use him to her advantage rather than the other way around. Turning Steel into a pig before accepting the offer made me cackle too. Also as someone who thinks Grail doesn't have to suck, Sovereign respecting her enough to recruit her in person was a nice touch. Grail being the evil dominatrix certainly is one way to build her up as a foil for Diana. Glad King is not having all of the Wondy villains meekly follow Sovereign's lead, they all show that they're not lackies like Steel is by bullying him when he tries to recruit him. What the hell is going on with Angle Man though, I'm intrigued. Yara sounded off but I do think King mostly understood what drives each of the Girls. Yara's a hothead who cares underneath all her bravado, Cassie is the tomboy who became more comfortable with herself after meeting Diana, and Donna is Diana's little sister and thus the most like her. Donna challenging Diana to playing video games actually made me smile, do I like Donna now? I don’t know if I want to connect with that character given her convoluted nature, but King is winning me over. And yeah I loved how they decided fuck their oaths actually, they were going to help Diana like it or not.

Fantastic Four #16 - Lovely issue featuring the kids, I’m a sucker for whenever it’s shown that while she might be smarter than her dad, Val is still just a kid and makes mistakes. I also like how Franklin is portrayed as a capable pilot, something he has in common with his Uncle Johnny.

#weekly reviews

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lemonhemlock · 2 years

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i know i've converted my blog into asoiaf meta for the most part, but now that the champions league is back and madrid are set to face liverpool again next week, i remembered this article and just... with all this talk of meta-narratives and arcs and symbolism... can you feel nostalgic for something that happened just last year??? this is going to be super indulgent but i am most definitely feeling thoughts & thinking feelings right now !!!

so for anyone who has no idea what i'm talking about, how about i introduce you to a tale of uncanny resilience in the face of the impossible? not just of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, but of the over-praised, overachiever, drenched in privilege and exposure, that the rest of the world learns to despise, bc they become sick and tired of their (supposedly manufactured) success? what happens when you're the villain in everyone else's story and the world is rooting against you anyway but you also just kind of stop performing for whatever reason?

do you just lay down and take it? accept that your luck has run its course and endure the critiques and the slander with gritted teeth?? once you reach that level of transcendence, is there truly any going back? are you even of this earth anymore?

so that is how madrid dragged itself through the champions league in the 2021-2022 season. the undisputed queen of europe, with an unequaled (then-) 13 titles under her belt, the team that had achieved the impossible feat of winning 4 titles in 5 years, now became the team that everyone wrote off. cursed with the most onerous bracket in the history of the knock-off stages, doomed (blessed??) to face-off the most nefarious avatars of modern footballing culture - first paris saint germain, a PR-sanitizing tool for the crimes of the qatari political elite, then chelsea, a team owned by a russian oligarch with a similar function - also the acting champions of europe, to boot.

four difficult matches that no one expected madrid to survive and nearly took us out so many times. until they didn't. until we opened our eyes each time after the final whistle and there we were, still standing. and there they were, gone, vanquished. a nightmare you wake up from, disoriented, asking for the date, time, place, context. what year is this. is it safe to come out? is this real? have we done it again? what are the odds to us, other than mere suggestions, foolish calculations that only heretics give credence to?

Against PSG they had come down from 1-0 down, 2-0 on aggregate to win 3-2, gifted a way back and scoring twice in a minute, three in quarter of an hour. Against Chelsea they had gone from 3-0 down on the night, 4-3 down on aggregate, with 10 minutes left to win 5-4 on aggregate. It had been extraordinary that they were even standing, but this is the team you have to kill a hundred times. If not, know that they’re coming for you.

the whole world knows that you never, absolutely, under no circumstances, let madrid worm their way into the final, because that's as good as surrendering the title to them and calling it a day. as surely as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. if divine intervention is needed, it will come. inexorably. real madrid are god's team, baby.

so the world throws the hardest hurdle at us for the semi-final. the greatest obstacle. the best chance at making us fail. pep guardiola's manchester city. another such propaganda toy, this time for the UAE, a soulless, plastic club. the embodiment of manufactured apathy. but who's counting. the first leg ends 4-3 for them. the goals didn't stop coming, so i remember asking myself why were they both dressed in blue. light for man city, dark for madrid. what a peculiar choice. what a peculiar year.

In Manchester Real Madrid faced 16 shots. They were beaten 4-3, but celebrated that almost as a victory given how overrun they had been, aware that the difference could have been far greater; rarely can City have felt more like they had lost a game that they had won.

but it is in the second leg that they remembered who they were. we had just forgotten, you see!! a momentary lapse of judgement. it is just before the finish line when you muster up that last ounce of strength and command your feet to press you forward. undaunted visionaries violently upturning any kind of logic or common sense! what was supposed to happen candidly did not happen. it's that easy. it's that simple. flippantly refusing to capitulate!!! our white flags don't mean the same thing as everyone else's! how silly they were to think... !

There were 39 seconds left and Real Madrid needed to score twice or they were out, halted at the gates of the final, their luck running out at last. Eighty-eight seconds later they had done, collective madness taking everyone. Somehow, they had forced extra time; soon, they had the winner, which by then you knew they would. Look in the top corner of your screen. It had shown 89:20 RMA 0 – 1 MCI (3-5). Look again and it showed: 94.13 RMA 3 – 1 MCI (6-5). And it had taken a few seconds to update the score.

delusion that becomes truth itself??? because you make it so???? sometimes seeing truly is NOT believing, you need to re-make reality in your image and according to your own hallucinations of grandeur!! sometimes you are pygmallion and that scoreboard is your galatea goddamn it. you're not lying to yourself, you're prophesizing what you will create out of this world!

The champions of France, Europe and England all eliminated at the Bernabéu.

What happened was the most ridiculous resurrection of them all: even more implausible, the margins finer, the race against the clock more frantic, like they were watching that video back again only on fast-forward, everything flashing by.

There was something mystical at play; some fate, some force that means that the more you fight it, the more inevitable it becomes.

liverpool surely hate our guts. two lost UCL finals against us, the first fraught with enough controversy to last a generation. i don't know what's going to happen next week. we might as well lose & forfeit this season. but, even so, we'll always have something other teams don't. that bright, celestial belief in our strength and our resolve, that vision that only we can see and deliver forth, even in the face of the absurd, of the hopeless.

and i think that there's inspiration in that. i think it's a neat reminder that we have so many stories of our own to tell and there's a power we wield in fleshing them into existence.

The players knew: they had seen the video that proves it.

so go forth and be brilliant!! bring around your own remontada!

“We’ve come back, we’ve come back!” he shouted, leaping about celebrating. There’s something about that “we” that stuck in the throat. He wasn’t alone, some fans turning and trying to get back in. Had they learned nothing? Do they not know this team they support? Of course you have come back, you fool.

#to make an asoiaf comparison #real madrid are SO aegon/sunfyre coded it's not even funny #god's team baby #godchosen; anointed by the high septon himself #and the gods are cruel are they not?#i was really going through it last year and not in a good way so seeing them pull this off week after week #ngl makes me emotional to think about #if they can do it i can do it #real madrid #sports journalism #UCL 2021-2022 #sid lowe #the kingdom of god is within you because you ate it

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queensparkblogs · 2 years

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How To Be Like Londoner On London Underground - 5 Top Tips!

The London Underground has its own quirks. The hustle and bustle of the tube is an experience in its own right, and navigating your way around London’s underbelly can be a thrill ride if you’re not sure what you’re doing.

London is easy to explore from London Hotel Queens Park, which is well-placed to access the London Underground.

There are some conventions to take notice of. You won’t get arrested if you don’t comply, but you’ll almost certainly get some steely glares or even a telling-off if you stand on the wrong side of the escalator.

Here’s 5 tips on how to be like a Londoner on the tube.

1: Use the Escalator Correctly

This is the number one most important piece of London etiquette. When you ride an escalator, you walk on the left only, and stand on the right. Everyone standing and simply riding the escalator stands on the right to let anyone who's in a rush through on the left.

It’s simple to remember - always stand on the right in the direction of the escalator. After a long, tiring day, you might find yourself drifting towards the left. Don’t panic - it happens!

2: Don’t Hang Around or Dawdle

The pace of life in London is fast, and you’ll definitely notice that on the tube. If you can move with determination, then do so, especially if it’s busy.

Obviously, it’s up to you to go what pace you can, but if you’re holding others up, expect them to push past you. The rush is particularly intense in the morning - be sure to fuel up at some breakfast restaurants London!

3: Don’t Make Eye Contact

This is one of London’s greatest stereotypes - people don’t make eye contact on the tube, they don’t talk, they don’t acknowledge anyone’s presence, they just keep to themselves.

To be fair, it’s the same on most tubes and public transport. Those few minutes you get to yourself on the train might be some of the only ‘quiet’ moments you get all day!

In the evening and at night, when people start going out and partying, you’ll definitely notice more interaction on the tube. But for the most part, it’s somewhere people like their relative privacy.

5: Be Polite

British people are famous - or perhaps even infamous - for being polite. Londoners will get bumped into by others and apologise to them even when it isn’t their fault.

Despite the stereotype of Londoners being rather cold, people are generally polite. Politeness goes a long way in London.

6: Mind the Gap!

The number one rule: mind the gap between the train and the platform. Some trains don’t meet the platform particularly well and you’ll have to traverse a small gap.

It’s rarely an issue, but you’ve got to keep an eye on it, and some platforms are worse than others. You’ll get used to the announcement, “please mind the gap between the train and the platform”. The underground is easy to access from hotels near Paddington Station UK which is excellently placed near the capital’s West End.

#London Hotel Queens Park #breakfast restaurants London #hotels near Paddington Station UK

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wkil-109-fmx-radio · 3 years

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[Zone Info]

Events:

Helium I - Fought between 1993 and 1998 when tensions between governments around the world finally turned to war. Nuclear warfare wiped out Northern-Middle Eurasia, most of South America, South-Eastern North America, and Southern Africa. The war ended when what was left of Europe and Asia surrendered.

The Rise of Better Living Industries - BL/ind started as a weapons manufacturing/power company that rose into a major monopoly and self-governing body that overthrew the US toward the end of the first Helium War. It immediately began an effort to bring “peace” to the nation by ridding the country of all individualism and “radical” beliefs, believing that different ideas would turn into conflict. This quickly turned into ridding the country of creativity and self-expression to make a perfect, crime-free society.

Helium II - Fought between 2006 and 2011 when Better Living Industries had taken control of what was left of North and South America and began attacking the rest of the world, trying to rid the planet of ideas that didn’t match theirs. The East Coast started rebelling against the West Coast, where BL/ind had established their capital in what was once Los Angeles but had been renamed Battery City. A wall of nuclear bombs was dropped around the Rocky Mountains and thanks to the radiation around the globe affecting the radio waves, no one knows for sure whether there is anyone else living on the planet outside of Battery City and its surrounding Zones.

The Rise of the Rebels - Since the very beginning of Better Living Industries’ reign, rebels had appeared. When Battery City was established as BL/ind’s capital city, settlements started popping up in the desert outside of the city. On the East Coast of North America, a massive rebellion effort was led against BL/ind during the second Helium War. As the years passed, more rebels started appearing in Battery City and moving to the desert, eventually renamed The Zones, especially after BL/ind seemed to have destroyed the East Coast rebels. Rebels in the Zones became known as Killjoys and rebels in the city became known as Juvie Halls. Rebels began attacking Better Living Industries factories and facilities, hoping to weaken the company but only resulting in angering BL/ind.

The Fires of 2012 - From April till August of 2012, Better Living Industries began lighting fires across the Zones in an attempt to destroy the Killjoys, as they had grown out of BL/ind’s control. The Fires got out of control and ended up spreading to some Better Living Industries camps and buildings that were still stationed in the Zones. As a result, BL/ind blamed the rebels for the Fires and denied any claims of the truth. The blame being placed on the rebels sparked the start of the Analog Wars.

The Analog Wars - Fought between 2012 and 2017 or, to some, from 2012 to the present. The Analog War wasn’t your usual war; it was mostly small battles in the Zones or sabotage of BL/ind or rebel facilities. Better Living Industries describes it as “an effort to suppress the rebels and their radical and dangerous ideals.” During the war, BL/ind established the Draculoid and S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W units.

The Pig Bombs of 2017 - On July 4, 2017, Better Living Industries dropped a series of bombs in Zone 8 to destroy the Killjoy farming communities that were settled there. BL/ind had previously withheld using nuclear weapons in the Zones because they didn’t want the radiation destroying Battery City so they settled for dropping them in Zone 8, although they ended up also destroying several important Better Living Industries facilities in the process. The bombs wiped Zones 7, 8, and 9 off the map, left some places in Zone 6 uninhabitable, and created a wall of radiation around the Zones and Battery City, trapping them and isolating them from the rest of the world. This marked the end of the Analog Wars, although some believe that since there was no official surrender or treaty, the war is still going on.

Places:

Battery City - The capital of whatever is left of the US that Better Living Industries can control. In Battery City, the citizens are required to take “Happy Pills.” In the city, BL/ind controls the weather, the way people dress, where kids go to school, and where adults work. Every citizen has a set routine, sent to them in the morning along with their medication. In the center of Battery City is the Better Living Industries headquarters which is the tallest building and largest complex in the city and home to the Director, the head of BL/ind.

The Underground - The subway systems under Battery City where many juvie halls live and plot against Better Living Industries. “The Underground” doesn’t always literally mean the subway systems and can be used as a relative term for anywhere juvie halls may live.

The Outskirts - The edge of Battery City, bordering Zone 1. This is where lower-class citizens live, along with some juvie halls, as this is the least regulated part of the city.

The Zones - The desert surrounding Battery City, where the Killjoys live. As the number of the Zone gets higher, so does the population, as the Killjoys like to be as far away from Battery City and BL/ind headquarters as possible.

Route Guano - The most used interstate in the Zones, running from south-eastern Battery City all the way out past Zone 6.

The Getaway Mile - The interstate south of Route Guano, which is shorter and goes more south but is often used for quick escapes from Battery City.

Death Valley - The area outside of Zone 6 that is dangerous and completely uninhabitable due to the extreme radiation.

Lighthouses - Well-known places across the Zones that provide sanctuary for Killjoys on the run

Train Station Avenue - A popular lighthouse along Route Guano in Zone 5 that is notorious for fights, food, and hitchhikers

The Nest - The largest lighthouse in the Zones, located next to DESTROYA in Zone 4

DESTROYA Site - The home of DESTROYA, a massive droid built by Better Living Industries to destroy the Killjoys during the Analog Wars but ended up malfunctioning and turning against them. The droid was shot down and has remained there ever since.

The Bunker - An underground bunker turned nightclub in Zone 6, popular for raves and huge amounts of attendees

Witch’s Hut - A small hut in Zone 6 where a supposed prophet of the Phoenix Witch lives

The Tracks - A race track in Zone 5 used for competitive drag races where parties are held and bets are placed for your favorite racers

Vocabulary:

Angel Cake - Killjoys who travel across the Zones selling food for cheaper prices

Audition - Initiation rituals that gangs in or outside of Battery City may have for you to be able to join. What you have to do varies from gang to gang

Babysitter - a term used to poke fun at a gang leader but also used as a genuine term for gang leaders who may be visibly older than the rest of the gang

Bacon - dead or dying Dracs and Crows

Batt out of hell - a term for new Killjoys but not used in a derogatory way

Batt Rat - a derogatory term used by Sand Pups to describe new Killjoys who just escaped the city and don’t know the Zone ways

Black Smith - someone who’s good at repairing or modifying technology or cars

Bifrost - places in the Zones that were so greatly affected by bombs, that the sand turned to glass

Blanket drive - driving at night with the headlights off, the windows down, and the music turned up loud

Carbons - The currency used in Battery City and the Zones. One carbon equals four dollars

Chilly - something or someone that’s suspicious

Clap - a physical fight

Cloud - A large group of Draculoids and S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W traveling through the Zones

Compass Rose - a Killjoy who knows the desert like the back of their hand

Costa Rica - things that went crazy or got out of control

Crash Queen - a daredevil or thrill seeker who is known for doing things that could easily get them killed and doesn’t care

Deadfaced - taking Battery Acid

Dead Pegasus - a fuel company in the Zones

Debut album - someone’s first love

Digital - An important moment shared amongst two or more rebels that they know they will never forget

Draculoid - droids and brainwashed Killjoys designed to kill rebels. Also called "bats" or "Dracs"

Drifter - someone who lives a nomadic lifestyle and strays from commitment in relationships

Drifting - A relationship that isn’t strictly anything but simply some sort of attraction between two individuals. A sort of go-with-the-flow, whatever happens, happens kind of relationship

Drive sidestreet - another way to tell someone to piss off. Also could use “get off the highway”

Dust Trail - an urban legend or a term used by non-religious Killjoys to describe religious Killjoys’ beliefs

ElectroKat - the most popular battery brand in Battery City and the Zones

Exterminators - High ranking Better Living Industries officials placed in charge of S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W units

Fact News - The one news program in Battery City, notorious for spreading lies to the citizens

Favorite Record - someone’s significant other

Firefight - a fight using ray guns

Fly half-mast - that state after having recently lost someone close to you

Gearhead - someone who’s obsessed with all things mechanical

Gemini - someone suspected of being a spy for Better Living Industries

Ghost Chase - Searching the Zones for someone who is possibly, or most likely, dead

Ghosted - killed. Also can use "dusted"

Graffiti Bible - A collection of religious writings across the Zones, mostly talking about how DESTROYA will come back to life and destroy Battery City and the Phoenix Witch

Gravehead - crazy Killjoys who have lost everyone and everything and throw themselves into dangerous situations

Gravity - anything that brings you down

Groupie - someone who travels with different gangs and trades favors for food, water, and protection

Halo Head - religious Killjoys who believe their beliefs put them above everyone else, especially non-religious Killjoys

Happy Pills - Pills issued by Better Living Industries that they say will lift your spirits and protect you from the radiation but make you more submissive and easier for BL to control. The rebels call them "Battery Acid"

Hit the red line - run away, usually from a bad/dangerous situation

Icy - when someone dies or goes missing in a suspicious way

Juvie Hall - rebels who haven’t left the city, usually because they can’t or because they’re working with the Killjoys to smuggle supplies out to the Zones and/or give them information from the city

Killjoy - rebels who live in the Zones

Lawyer - someone who ruins all the fun

Mailbox - small landmarks in the Zones where an old mailbox is painted and decorated and filled with letters, mostly to people that other Killjoys have lost. The more religious Killjoys believe the Phoenix Witch delivers the letters put in the mailboxes to the dead

Maple Plaza - Places in Zone 6 where radiation is still very thick and dangerous

Mega - interchangeable with "wicked"

Motorbabies - people who live and breathe all things car-related

Mousekat - a cartoon character from Battery City

Murder - a magazine in the Zones with Zone news

Pangea - A friendly gathering of two or more gangs

Paperboy - someone who travels across the Zones collecting news, gossip, and reporting deaths, usually for Dr. D or Murder magazine

Phoenix Witch - a supposed deity of the Zones, looking out for the rebels and carrying the souls of the dead into the afterlife

Pigs - another term for Dracs and Crows

Plus - A battery replenisher used by droids that are known for being highly addictive

Power Pup - a pre-moistened dog kibble brand that is often the only source of food in the Zones

Ray Gun - guns that shoot high-powered lasers instead of bullets. Rebels often customize them

Rebel - anyone who actively works against Better Living Industries

Ritalin Rat - drug addicts, usually used for those addicted to Happy Pills but can be used for Zoneweed addicts as well

Robin Hood Honey - party going Killjoys that look beautiful but don’t act like it

Rongee Kay - Killjoys who wander from party to party

Royal - something fancy or high end

Runners - juvie halls who smuggle supplies into the Zones

Sand Pup - someone born in the Zones or someone who has lived there most of their life

Sand Worm - a derogatory term for Killjoys used by Better Living Industries

S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W - BL loyalists specially trained to destroy anything they deem worthy of destroying. Also called "Crows"

Screwhead - someone who parties too much and thinks too little

Shiny Magazine - a magazine for mature readers in the Zones

Shiny - interchangeable with "awesome" or "cool"

Shower Curtain - A rare day when the sun is behind the clouds and the heat isn’t so unbearable

Smiley - someone acting suspiciously

Sour - something off

Squeaky - not having committed a crime against Better Living Industries but still wanting to rebel against them. Also used when someone seems to avoid fights or dangerous situations even though they’ve never done that before

Static - another word for sand or remote areas of the Zones

Trojan Horse - a painfully obvious lie

Tumbleweed - someone who wanders the Zones, living a nomadic lifestyle, having no home or gang

Vend-a-Hack - A device used by Killjoys to hack into Better Living Industries vending machines to steal various supplies

Vending Machine - Dispense a variety of items, including ray guns, batteries, ammo, stickers, stress toys, Plus, Power Pup, and water

WKIL 109 FMX - Doctor D’s pirate radio station that plays news and music

Zone Rat - a derogatory term for Killjoys used by Better Living Industries and some Battery City citizens

Zoneweed - a popular drug grown and passed around in the Zones

#mcr #my chemical romance #killjoys #the zones #danger days #better living industries #bl/ind #party poison #fun ghoul #jet star #kobra kid #death tw #drugs tw

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90spumkin · 4 years

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The Other Girl

Summary: Reader fears Spencer may be cheating, what happens when she learns about the other girl?

A/N: The first part of this fic is based off the song The Other Girl by Kelsea Ballerini and Halsey and the ending is based of the song Two Black Cadillacs by Carrie Underwood.

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem! Reader & Spencer Reid x ‘the other girl’

Warnings: cheating, implied smut, implied death/murder

Word Count: 1K

Y/n really tried not to think the worst, but as time went by the dark clouds swarmed her mind. Her and Spencer had settled down for a movie when his phone started buzzing with 5 minutes between each buzz indicating a new message. Spencer wasn’t big on texting so of course this peaked y/n’s attention. Spencer said it the BAU group chat and left it at that. Y/n didn’t question it and had no reason to not believe him.

That was until he started leaving the room almost every time, he got a phone call, not texting till much later than Penelope to let her know the team was home, and then there was the not touching her at all. She was no profiler, but all this just screamed in her mind that he was cheating. She couldn’t confront him, she would lose him completely, so she decided to just write all of her feelings and thoughts in a journal.

Her journal was focused on what she thought the other woman was like, or was she the other woman? None the less she was filled with so many questions.

I bet you're from out West somewhere Hazel eyes and dark brown hair, and everything you wear fits you just right. I bet you drink martinis dry, and never let him see you cry. I bet you're more promiscuous than I. I bet you're bold I bet that's why you seem to occupy his mind I bet you're smart, but do you know about me?

One day while she was home alone waiting for him to return from another long case, she finally talked herself into talking to him and try to ease her troubled mind. She rehearsed the conversation repeatedly in her head. Went through the list of endless ways the conversation could go. When the doorknob jiggled and she heard him unlock the door, her heart stopped.

They were having a nice dinner, and she didn’t want to ruin it, but she knew if she didn’t say anything now, she never would.

‘Spencer, are you happy?” She asked him while she tossed the food around on her plate. He looked up at her with confusion etched on his face, “Of course I am, why wouldn’t I be?”. Y/n just shrugged her shoulders losing confidence to continue the conversation.

Spencer laid his fork down and reached across the table to grasp her hand in his, “Y/n please, tell me what’s wrong. She didn’t take her eyes off where their hands were joined and her wedding band glimmered in the dim light as she spoke, “Well, this is the first time you’ve touched me in any way in over a month.”

Spencer was up from his seat and around the table in a flash. He pulled y/n up from her chair and held her against him, “I am so sorry. My mind has been in a very dark place and- “, he trailed off and pulled back a little to look in y/n’s eyes, “- that is no excuse to not show you any affection and love.” That night it was like it used to be when they had first started dating.

Their dinner was full of laughs and stories about their days. When they were getting ready for bed Spencer watched y/n change clothes with lust darkening his eyes. She felt heat in her stomach as he moved toward her. That was the first night since their wedding night that she could say that they truly made love. There was nothing, but soft kisses and gentle touches.

That next morning after Spencer had left for work, y/n began to write in her journal again. Seeing the previous days entry slightly dampened her mood.

Are you the one he's talking to when he gets up and leaves the room? He comes back with a distance in his eyes. Maybe I should be the one to leave, but damn when he starts loving me, it makes me think I'm all that's on his mind.

After that night things seemed to start looking up. Spencer paid more attention to y/n, and there didn’t seem to be any more sneaking away to answer a text or phone call. Everything that y/n thought had been happening seemed like a far-off dream.

It was around 2 in the morning when Spencer’s phone started ringing. Y/n felt the bed move and heard Spencer mumble a ‘hello’. Next thing she knew, Spencer was jumping out the bed and fumbling for clothes. He stuttered out an excuse, but he didn’t sound sure of himself, and then he was gone.

Y/n didn’t go back to sleep after that, and Spencer didn’t come back home before she left for work. With her mind running on over drive and her body struggling from lack of sleep, she decided to stop by her favorite coffee shop. As she was going in, she saw JJ coming out.

“JJ, hey!” Y/n stopped the blonde who gave her a warm smile and an even warmer hug.

“Oh my gah, y/n. How are you?” JJ asked as if she hadn’t seen her a few weeks ago at Rossi’s.

Y/n hesitated to realize that JJ wasn’t with Spencer on the case he claimed Agent Hotchner had called him in for. She decided not to say anything, not want to rope the woman into the mess that lived in y/n’s head.

The conversation was short and sweet. The two women parted ways with claims of making plans. One left oblivious to the other’s stormy emotions.

A few weeks went by, and things were still going well between Spencer and y/n. She had the day off and decided to use her spare time to clean the apartment. While picking up Spencer’s pants from the floor, his phone fell out of his pocket and started to vibrate. Y/n didn’t recognize the number but answered anyways.

“Hello?”, y/n was hesitant and formed it more as a question.

It was a woman on the other end, “Ummm is Spencer around?” Y/n took a deep breath, all of her worries flooding her mind once again. She took a deep breath before responding, “This is his wife, and I think we need to talk.”

Two months later y/n stood in a black veil staring at the place everyone was laying roses. Across the casket she shared a crimson smile with the woman in a matching veil before she turned and walked away. Spencer had been keeping a secret for a lot longer than either woman had realized, and now they too were keeping a secret. That was the first- and only-time y/n had ever seen the other girl, and this was the first case in a long time the BAU couldn’t solve.

Tag list: @criminalmindzjunkie @brooklynxnicole @the-queen-of-moons @imdefinitelyfloating

#spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid x you #spencer reid fic #spencer reid angst #dr. spencer reid #spencer reid fanfiction #criminal minds #fanfic #fanfiction

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lightleckrereins · 3 years

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Why the pink peplum for parr?

Welcome to design analysis with Sofia. Aka why the six pink alt pants should have a peplum. Under the cut.

So first lets establish what pink pants would be. Six costumes can be divided into two main categories. Principal costumes and alt costumes. The alt costumes come in four (so far) colors that are different to the principal ones but work for all of them (to different degrees of success). At first the costumes consisted of one top and one bottom made to resemble one of the first covers of the alt that wore it first, plus a Cleves top and jacket for the first Cleves cover, originally teal. The elements they reference to the principal costumes are (this is really basic the full analysis of this will eventually come):

Black alt: Originally worn by Grace Mouat as alt. Seymour/Howard. It takes the skirt shape and full dress look from Seymour, and nothing obvious for Howard except the “k” chocker she eventually got. This costume was originally designed as a swing design for the first UK tour when Grace was the only cover in the cast.

Teal alt: Originally worn by Vicki Manser as alt. Boleyn/Cleves. It takes the greenish color from Boleyn and the shorts from Cleves.

Orange alt: Originally worn by Courtney Stapleton as alt. Aragon/Seymour. It takes the orange (close to gold) color from Aragon and the pants from Parr. The sleeves could reference either of them.

When Six first opened in Chicago the first non-Cleves alt variations appeared in the shape of teal pants and a black Boleyn skirt. Worn by Nicole Kyoung-Mi Lambert and Mallory Maedke respectively. The variations are a change of bottoms and sometimes sleeves or tops (mostly for Cleves) made to keep the general design of the costume but with a similar look to the principal costumes. What these take from the principal costumes is mainly the shape of the bottom part, but with cutouts resembling the alt top. Let’s see what it looks like with the black alt as it is the only one with variations for all six.

Aragon: Open skirt, might have alternating colors on the panels.

Boleyn: Shape of the skirt.

Seymour: Shape of the skirt.

Cleves: Whole costume. Only one that changes top as the jacket is taken off during get down, so the regular alt top doesn’t work for this.

Howard: Open skirt with clear panels and a horizontal line near the bottom

Parr: pants

During the 2019 West End cast change (and the start of the second UK tour) two major things got introduced to the alt costumes: the updated orange costume and the new pink one. As the original alt costumes this two were made to resemble the first covers of the queen (or queens who wore it first). Some elements this two costumes had later appeared in the newer versions of the principal ones so in a way the inspiration went both ways

Orange alt: worn by both Hana Stewart and Harriet Watson. Hana is alt Seymour/Parr and Harriet is alt Aragon/Parr. The costume follows Harriet’s covers as they are the two queens this costume was based on originally. From Aragon it takes the color and to some extent the peplum, from Parr the pants and the peplum (the peplum didn’t appear on either until months later, but it is one of the design elements that ties them together), again sleeves might reference both. Also, Aragon and Parr have a cutout design that is very similar to the orange alt cutout.

Pink alt: originally worn by Shekinah McFarlane who was alt Aragon/Cleves but only wore it for Aragon; and later by Zara MacIntosh as alt Aragon/Howard. It looks like it is mostly based on Zara’s covers. From Aragon it takes the skirt, peplum, and general shape (even if Aragon wouldn’t get the peplum until months later, from Howard it takes the pink color and the cutout design.

All of that was the context I had when creating the game. But now that the long explanation is over lets actually get into the pink pants, I made for the six dressup game, and why those get a peplum.

First when working on the game I was sure I would make more alt variations than the ones we had seen. Because otherwise we would be left with only three orange variations and one pink. The full list of what I’ve made is and why it looks the way it does is:

1. Cleves transformation underlayer for all alts: literally just a recolor of the red one.

2. Teal Aragon: new Aragon skirt but in teal

3. Orange Aragon: two separate versions first is basically the peplum but in the shape of the skirt, second is the new Aragon skirt but with the orange cutout

4. Orange Boleyn: Boleyn skirt but with Orange cutout

5. Orange Seymour: alt Seymour skirt in orange

6. Orange Howard: Howard skirt with one of the orange cutouts and no solid panels on top (I tried a few versions, and this is the one that looked more balanced.

7. Pink Boleyn: Boleyn skirt with pink cutout

8. Pink Seymour: alt Seymour skirt in orange

9. Pink Cleves: following the teal shorts and orange jacket but in pink

10. Pink Howard: Howard skirt in alt pink color

11. Pink Parr: this whole post is made to explain this one

So, from that list you can see that most of the alt variations I designed are basically recolored versions of existing costumes as that was the obvious way to make it, but in the middle of figuring out pink I realized the peplum was indeed the obvious option.

I already mentioned the pink skirt is the Aragon shape with the Howard color and cutout. Comparing it to the rest of the alt variations I had three options as to what to do for pink Parr:

Black: Both Aragon and Howard skirts have no peplum and that is the same case with Parr

Teal: No Aragon skirt but Howard and Parr have no peplum

Orange: No Howard and same costume for Aragon and Parr which has a peplum.

If you consider the main pink skirt is clearly Aragon and has a peplum the orange path is the obvious one. And then add the fact that the pink sleeves are huge and some extra volume in the bottoms balances it. The answer is there: pink parrplum.

#six the musical #six costumes #six dressup game

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wefoundloveunderthelight · 3 years

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Stacy's WIP Update

Been really busy writing and editing some of my stories, so I figured it was time for an update on where I am currently!! Lots of progress and new stuff getting ready to enter my brain and I'm really excited about all of it.

Stacy's Tortured Crew: @teamhook @kmomof4 @stahlop @lfh1226-linda @ilovemesomekillianjones @itsfabianadocarmo @mariakov81 @qualitycoffeethings @zaharadessert @jrob64 @jonesfandomfanatic @natascha-ronin @tiganasummertree @xarandomdreamx @therooksshiningknight @batana54 @superchocovian @onceratheart18 @ultraluckycatnd @snowbellewells @karlyfr13s @the-darkdragonfly @xsajx @deckerstarblanche

Currently Posting or Starting:

Skyline Manor

Chapter 5 of 13 (Will wrap on 8/26)

Currently Posting on Thursdays

Emma Swan has never been defined by the choices she made in her life. Things haven’t always worked out the way she wanted them to, but she has no regrets. Bringing her son into the world was the greatest decision she ever made, even if it means she must co-parent him with her immature ex. She has a happy life, a loving boyfriend, a brother who looks out for her, and the best friends she could ever ask for.

Killian Jones is defined by the choices he’s made in his life. Things have never worked out for him the way he’s wanted them to, he lives with regret. After his previous affair with a married woman ended in misery and a restraining order, he made a drunken promise to his brother that he would never have a relationship again. Living up to that promise hasn’t left him lonely, he dates freely yet continuing to live the happy life of an unattached bachelor.

This is the story of a mischievous little boy, obsessed with fairytales, and looking for adventure, decided to cast and create his own fantasy and maybe cause a little mischief and magic along the way.

Love or Duty

Begins posting on 7/29

Chapters: 8 (Will wrap on 8/27)

In the Enchanted Forest, a war has been brewing as Queen Regina tears through the East in an effort to gain power over all the lands. Two Kingdoms that have long been separated by bad blood and resentment stand in her way, Jonesboro in the West, led by King Brennan and Misthaven in the North, where King David refuses to stand down.

Recognizing that they cannot survive on their own, the men meet to forge a plan under one cause. A marriage between their oldest children, Prince Liam and Princess Emma would unite their people to fight side by side, destroying any chance of Queen Regina succeeding in taking their lands.

Given no other option, the pair agree to the union and set about preparing for their royal wedding. But will Princess Emma, who never intended to take a husband get more than she bargained for when she meets the Prince’s infuriating brother, Killian Jones.

In Progress: (Editing)

Void of Extinction

Begins posting on 9/2

Chapters written: 9

Storybrooke 2052, James Rogers wakes from a nightmare with no recollection of his past, only to be told that he has been granted a new beginning. However, as he tries move forward with his life, he finds himself haunted by a blonde woman with emerald, green eyes. Plagued by headaches and visions he can’t explain, he is approached by a mysterious man who warns him that he has become one of the Void, a group of people who have had their existence stolen from them.

Emma Swan is alone, on the run, and hiding out with her young son, Henry. Terrified that she will be found by the Gold Collective before the information she is protecting can be uploaded into the database, she knows that only one man can protect her, only one man can save them, but Killian Jones has disappeared without a trace.

In Progress: (Writing)

Mystery of Pixie Hollow

Chapter written: 4

Pixie Hollow, the premier traveling children’s amusement park has come to Storybrooke and single mother, Emma Swan can’t wait to take her son Henry for a day of adventure. He’s only out of her sight for a moment, seconds at most, until he’s nowhere to be found. Emma is thrust into her own mysterious nightmare as her research into the theme park turns up a history of missing children. Unsure of who to trust, the only person who believes her is an infuriating man, Killian Jones, a single father, who has been searching for his daughter, Alice for the past five years.

Treasure Seekers

Chapter written: 0

The legend of Blackbeard has made the tiny town of Treasure Island a famous tourist hot spot for adventurers and treasure seekers far and wide. The locals use the tall tale to sell trinkets and spin the story in order to make enough of a living to survive the off season. Natives Liam Jones and his brother Killian, orphaned as teenagers, use the money set aside by their parents to create Jones Adventures, Inc. With the help of their childhood friend, Emma Swan, the three set the stage to excite and thrill their passengers as they sail around the island on the infamous Jolly Roger, while searching for the fabled Blackbeard’s treasure.

Though no one on the island, nor most of the tourists believe the tale of buried treasure with untold fortunes, there are those who venture to the island with a gold gleam in their eye, ready to change their fate. It is those visitors that Liam has learned to avoid, unwilling to take on the risk of dealing with the unscrupulous nature of the individuals who come searching for the hefty payday, until he gets an offer from Gold Enterprises that he simply cannot refuse. One week, one million dollars, no questions asked. What could possibly go wrong?

The Retirement Plan

Chapter written: 0

Killian Jones has had an illustrious career as a decorated Police Detective for the Storybrooke PD. Though the years, and the losses have taken a toll on his desire to serve, he can’t seem to find the courage to walk away. Determined to leave the force, the Police Chief makes him a deal. If he gives her one more year of service, and he hasn’t changed his mind, she’ll give him a full early retirement payout, allowing him a fresh start to retire to a houseboat off the coast.

Emma Swan has always been a risk taker, never caring much about the rules, as long as she got her man. When she joined the police force in Phoenix, she always knew that one day she wanted to be a detective. Even though she had the highest collar rate of anyone else in the precinct, her stubborn attitude and inability to play by the rules always cost her the exam. When her Captain approached her about an opportunity in Maine, one that came with the title of Detective and a chance for a fresh start, she jumped with both feet.

But when her fresh start becomes tangled with her past, Emma learns that dealing with her new cantankerous partner might not be the only thing that changes her life.

#stacy's wip's #captain swan #killian jones #emma swan #captain swan fics #captain swan au #captain swan modern au

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yurimother · 4 years

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LGBTQ Manga Review – Syrup: A Yuri Anthology Vol. 1

Shakaijin Yuri, stories featuring love between adult women who have left school, is a well-established corner in the Japanese Yuri market. Over the past few months, the scene started to pick up its full force in the West. English audiences are experiencing new Shakaijin series, both contemporary like Still Sick and older such as The Conditions of Paradise. For me, there are few works so prolific and intrinsic to the Shakaijin boom as Syrup. In Japanese, the subtitle reads Shakaijin Yuri Anthology. While the English release drops the subgenre's label, the content remains the same, an anthology dedicated to nothing but Yuri love stories featuring adult women from some of the Yuri industries best. However, Syrup's focus on mature and workplace stories more than piqued my interest. However, readers will likely be disappointed with this inconsistent and often forgettable anthology that is just as sour as sweet.

One of Syrup's main draws is its contributors. Some of the best in the Yuri world touched this manga, and even Western Yurijin will likely recognize a few of the names like Yukiko (Futaribeya), Itou Hachi (Kindred Spirits on the Roof), and of course Morinaga Milk (Girl Friends). It is always exciting to read a story from one of your favorites. Even I, who cares rather little for authorship, was happy to see Ohi Pikachi, who wrote the incredible Our Teachers are Dating, among the list. It also provides readers with a chance to familiarize themselves with unfamiliar creators like Amano Shuninta and Kurogane Ken, who grace the anthology with some of its best chapters.

Another benefit of having such a variety of contributors is the plethora of different art styles in the anthology. There is such a stark yet fun contrast between more mature or sensuous styles like Matsuzaki Natsumi and Ito Hachi's bubble moe characters. The manga spans almost every point between these two styles, and just flipping through the pages to look at the artwork can be a fun experience. Of course, some are more polished than others. Mochi_Au_Lait's simplistic and flat style stands as an unfortunate outlier among some other fabulous artists. However, their story, "The Cram School Teachers," is one of the funniest in the anthology. Not every story's aesthetics will suit all readers, but that is the point of a collection, to sample a wide array of talents. Fly's beautiful cover illustration wraps the fantastic art within, standing as a crown jewel of Yuri manga covers.

Unfortunately, the plot and characters are not nearly as enjoyable as the art. While a mixture of aesthetics can add to a work, different story styles often feel inconsistent. For this reason, I usually prefer collections of a single author's short stories, like Rouge Nagashiro's Eve and Eve and Morishima Akiko's The Conditions of Paradise. However, a unifying theme can often correct this issue. Sadly, a few too many of the stories seem to revel in the more "adult" allowances of adult characters and ironically created some of the most immature entries in the anthology.

Before diving too deep into the weeds of mediocrity, there are some chapters in Syrup worthy of highlight. Two of the best chapters, Shioya Teruko's "Promise" and Kurogane Kenn's "Rose Quartz" feature women in established relationships taking the next step in their relationship. Reading about these women celebrate their feelings for each other is wholesome, charming, and even sensual. The latter of the two stories is also one of the few to use adult content in a way that feels more mature. It clarifies the characters' love and attraction for each other, rather than just flashing a panel of exposed breasts for fanservice. It is great to see artists use their allowance to show a little more in profound ways while not letting it run away from them. It demonstrates admirable restraint and thoughtful writing that respects its characters.

Other interesting chapters include "Mama X Mom," which is less about the sexual relationship between two women and focuses on the character's emotional bonds in a unique situation. Ito Hachi's "First Grown-Up Love" perhaps lives up to the Syrup title the most, as it is an adorably sweet and fluffy tale of first love at adulthood. As one of the longer stories, it also has a bit more time for subtly and, thus, it includes some of the stronger and more interesting characters.

Sadly, most of the stories in Syrup are incredibly mediocre. Telling a compelling narrative with interesting characters in such a brief form, in some cases as short as six pages, is a daunting task that most chapters fail to overcome. They are utterly dull and forgetful, with characters designed with little more than maybe a job and the fact that they are interested in a woman in mind. They leave little impression, and even in the moment of reading, one finds themselves tired and wishing for the passage to end. A few tales show some modicum of potential, like Kodama Naoko's "Daily Smile," but they often end before they can get going.

A few dull chapters are acceptable, as tastes will vary, and many will enjoy some of the stories that left me utterly unenthused. However, where Syrup struggles are in its weak chapters. Some, like Yoshimura Kana's "Coward Queen," a confusing and offputting depiction of two women making a pornographic movie, and Matsuzaki Natsumi's "My Femme Fatale" revel far too much in displaying as much nudity as they can get away with before being labeled as porn. The former of these portray a lust for sadism that clashes with the rest of the primarily mundane anthology. It might even spoiler the next several chapters, as it is one of the first stories and leaves readers with immense displeasure.

There are some questionable attitudes towards boundaries and crossing lines, even outside the more salacious and exploitative stories. Depictions or descriptions of actions like staring at a woman's underwear or breasts, or awkwardly splurting out "I'm a virgin," are tossed out casually, often portrayed as romantic. Now, this manga is a work of fiction and can be enjoyed even with some more questionable aspects, as they usually are not deal breakers here. However, the dated attitudes feel like something out of an '80s comedy, not in a manga that, in all else, appears to at least attempt to hold an air of realism. This pervasive element at best makes an already struggling story worse, but it can add unpleasant notes to otherwise delightful offerings.

There is no better example of potentially compelling work squandered by its unsavory elements than Morinaga Milks "Working with an Angel." It starts pretty well, introducing readers to an entertainment agency manager with a forbidden otaku friendship with a model. However, instead of taking a more intelligent or realistic approach of the two trying to keep their growing relationship secret or a heroic, "consequences be damned," declaration of love, the story turns sleazy. The model wants to show her naked body off to the manager as the latter admits that she spies on the models while they change. Off-putting is the most generous review of this final chapter.

While Syrup: A Yuri Anthology has a few bright offerings of sweet and compelling relationship between adult women, it is incredibly bogged down by forgettable and mediocre stories. Few stories can present more than a weak premise and characters best described as "female" within their short page count. More objectionable, with a few notable exceptions, Syrup muddles its attempts to show how grown-up Yuri can by mistaking boobs and fanservice for maturity. Yes, Shakaijin stories, tales of adult women can be sexy. In fact, they should be more than willing to describe inelegance and lust; after all, for many people, that is what love is. Still, too often, Syrup forgets the heart, affection, and emotion, substituting them for cheap, uninspired story beats and characters. There are some chapters worth readers' time, but unless you are a hardcore fan of a contributor, this is an easy skip

It is challenging to award ratings for Syrup, as each story's merits vary. Some are a comfortable 8 or 9 and others a measly 2 or 3. However, the majority of the book was unobjectionable yet poorly constructed fluff, as respected in the scores below.

Ratings: Story – 5 Characters – 3 Art – 8 LGBTQ – 6 Sexual Content – 8 Final – 5

Review copy provided by Seven Seas Entertainment

Purchase Syrup: A Yuri Anthology Vol. 1 digitally in print: https://amzn.to/39ObT5F

Legally purchasing manga helps support creators and publishers. YuriMother makes a small commission from sales at no additional cost to the consumer.

#yuri #manga #reviews #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtq+#queer #gay #romance #art #lesbian #lesbians #wlw #girls love #gl #syrup #sweet #comics #anthology #collection #literature #books #anime

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traeumenvonbuechern · 3 years

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June Wrap-Up

1. Can't Take That Away (Steven Salvatore)

Carey Parker dreams of being a diva, and bringing the house down with song. But despite their talent, emotional scars from an incident with a homophobic classmate and their grandmother's spiraling dementia make it harder and harder for Carey to find their voice. Then Carey meets Cris, a singer/guitarist who makes Carey feel seen for the first time in their life. With the rush of a promising new romantic relationship, Carey finds the confidence to audition for the role of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, in the school musical, setting off a chain reaction of prejudice by Carey's tormentor and others in the school. It's up to Carey, Cris, and their friends to defend their rights--and they refuse to be silenced.

2. Sanditon (Jane Austen)

Written in the last months of Austen's life, Sanditon features a glorious cast of hypochondriacs and speculators in a newly established seaside resort, and shows the author contemplating a changing society with scepticism and amusement. It tells the story of Charlotte Heywood, who is transported by a chance accident from her rural hometown to Sanditon, where she is exposed to the intrigues and dalliances of a small town determined to reinvent itself - and encounters the intriguingly handsome Sidney Parker.

3. The Witch King (H.E. Edgmon)

Wyatt would give anything to forget where he came from—but a kingdom demands its king. In Asalin, fae rule and witches like Wyatt Croft…don’t. Wyatt’s betrothal to his best friend, fae prince Emyr North, was supposed to change that. But when Wyatt lost control of his magic one devastating night, he fled to the human world. Now a coldly distant Emyr has hunted him down. Despite transgender Wyatt’s newfound identity and troubling past, Emyr has no intention of dissolving their engagement. In fact, he claims they must marry now or risk losing the throne. Jaded, Wyatt strikes a deal with the enemy, hoping to escape Asalin forever. But as he gets to know Emyr, Wyatt realizes the boy he once loved may still exist. And as the witches face worsening conditions, he must decide once and for all what’s more important—his people or his freedom.

4. One Last Stop (Casey McQuiston)

For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures. But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train. Jane. Dazzling, charming, mysterious, impossible Jane. Jane with her rough edges and swoopy hair and soft smile, showing up in a leather jacket to save August’s day when she needed it most. August’s subway crush becomes the best part of her day, but pretty soon, she discovers there’s one big problem: Jane doesn’t just look like an old school punk rocker. She’s literally displaced in time from the 1970s, and August is going to have to use everything she tried to leave in her own past to help her. Maybe it’s time to start believing in some things, after all.

5. Between Perfect and Real (Ray Stoeve)

Dean Foster knows he’s a trans guy. He’s watched enough YouTube videos and done enough questioning to be sure. But everyone at his high school thinks he’s a lesbian—including his girlfriend Zoe, and his theater director, who just cast him as a “nontraditional” Romeo. He wonders if maybe it would be easier to wait until college to come out. But as he plays Romeo every day in rehearsals, Dean realizes he wants everyone to see him as he really is now––not just on the stage, but everywhere in his life. Dean knows what he needs to do. Can playing a role help Dean be his true self?

6. The Cruel Prince (Holly Black)

Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences. As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

7. Boy Queen (George Lester)

Robin Cooper’s life is falling apart. While his friends prepare to head off to university, Robin is looking at a pile of rejection letters from drama schools up and down the country, and facing a future without the people he loves the most. Everything seems like it’s ending, and Robin is scrabbling to find his feet. Unsure about what to do next and whether he has the talent to follow his dreams, he and his best friends go and drown their sorrows at a local drag show, where Robin realises there might be a different, more sequinned path for him . . . With a mother who won't stop talking, a boyfriend who won't acknowledge him and a best friend who is dying to cover him in glitter make up, there's only one thing for Robin to do: bring it to the runway.

8. Felix Ever After (Kacen Callender)

Felix Love has never been in love—and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it’s like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What’s worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he’s one marginalization too many—Black, queer, and transgender—to ever get his own happily-ever-after. When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages—after publicly posting Felix’s deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned—Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn’t count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi–love triangle.... But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself.

9. Wuthering Heights (Emily Brontë)

Lockwood, the new tenant of Thrushcross Grange on the bleak Yorkshire moors, is forced to seek shelter one night at Wuthering Heights, the home of his landlord. There he discovers the history of the tempestuous events that took place years before: of the intense passion between the foundling Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, and her betrayal of him. As Heathcliff's bitterness and vengeance is visited upon the next generation, their innocent heirs must struggle to escape the legacy of the past.

10. Ace of Spades (Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé)

Welcome to Niveus Private Academy, where money paves the hallways, and the students are never less than perfect. Until now. Because anonymous texter, Aces, is bringing two students' dark secrets to light. Talented musician Devon buries himself in rehearsals, but he can't escape the spotlight when his private photos go public. Head girl Chiamaka isn't afraid to get what she wants, but soon everyone will know the price she has paid for power. Someone is out to get them both. Someone who holds all the aces. And they're planning much more than a high-school game...

11. The Queer Principles of Kit Webb (Cat Sebastian)

Kit Webb has left his stand-and-deliver days behind him. But dreary days at his coffee shop have begun to make him pine for the heady rush of thievery. When a handsome yet arrogant aristocrat storms into his shop, Kit quickly realizes he may be unable to deny whatever this highborn man desires. In order to save himself and a beloved friend, Percy, Lord Holland must go against every gentlemanly behavior he holds dear to gain what he needs most: a book that once belonged to his mother, a book his father never lets out of his sight and could be Percy’s savior. More comfortable in silk-filled ballrooms than coffee shops frequented by criminals, his attempts to hire the roughly hewn highwayman, formerly known as Gladhand Jack, proves equal parts frustrating and electrifying. Kit refuses to participate in the robbery but agrees to teach Percy how to do the deed. Percy knows he has little choice but to submit and as the lessons in thievery begin, he discovers thievery isn’t the only crime he’s desperate to commit with Kit. But when their careful plan goes dangerously wrong and shocking revelations threaten to tear them apart, can these stolen hearts withstand the impediments in their path?

12. Weekend Girl (Alex Powell)

Ashley Kingston is a genderfluid university student with a major crush on attractive and charming Nolan. He seems just too perfect to be true. What happens when Ash meets Nolan while dressed as both a man, and a woman? And even more confusing, what happens when Nolan seems enamoured of both versions of Ash? A twisty-turny romance filled with fun and shenanigans.

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istumpysk · 4 years

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FIND SANSA’S HUSBAND™

After Daenerys Targaryen died, and Game of Thrones wrapped up about 5 minutes later (a time for wolves…?), many viewers were left with so many unanswered questions, and I’m going to argue that no bigger plot point was left unresolved than the Stark line of succession. As in, who will Sansa marry and/or father her children.

Now I noticed almost immediately something hilarious emerge through all that uncertainty, and that’s this almost canon-like widespread belief that Sansa will in fact marry...

Some Guy. Some Noble. Some Highborn. Some Northerner. Some Lord. Some Heir.

“Sansa will obviously marry some Northern son of high nobility to unify the kingdom.”

“Sansa will probably marry some 2nd or 3rd son of a major house in the South, to strengthen Southern alliances and trade opportunities.”

I know you’ve seen it, and it’s amazing, isn’t it? Oh, you know, Sansa is going to marry some man of high nobility, probably Northern but maybe not, potentially an heir but maybe a 3rd or 4th son as they’ll have to abandon their titles. It’s just that simple guys.

Listen, I’m not going to sit here and pretend this mystery holds the same weight as who ends up on the Iron Throne, but Sansa’s eventual marriage and her potential suitors is a colossal moving plot throughout the entirety of the series. It’s the foundation of some of the biggest storylines, linking the biggest characters and houses. It’s not a minor detail. To suggest Some Noble Guy is just going to show up behind door number two in the final act or epilogue, and that will be the end of that, is asinine. And it’s lazy.

And I promise you their primary motivation, whether they even realize it or not, is to dismiss and downgrade the importance of her and her storyline. Sansa is going to marry Some Noble Guy. It’s not really necessary information, you can move on now.

Besides being complete bullshit, it of course also begs the question -

Whom, exactly, are they speaking of?

Here’s the thing, we already know the major houses, we already know the major players, we already know the noteworthy fathers and sons across the entire continent, and their status within the story. Meaning, we already know Sansa’s husband. He has a name. He’s out there, sitting on one of the pages, just waiting to win the lottery.

So compelled by this mystery, motivated by being so annoyed, and suddenly having all the time in the world while in quarantine, I decided I wanted to find him.

So, join me on this journey as I play the game of,

Before we get started, I think it would be wise to examine George R. R. Martin’s own words regarding Sansa, marriage, and nobility, then try to apply his logic to our search parameters.

Credit to @kellyvela / @butterflies-dragons for quotes:

Pretty obvious stuff here, but a good reminder as to why suggesting Sansa will marry Some Noble Guy is so profoundly stupid. Regardless of whether you believe Sansa will finish the story as Lady of Winterfell or Queen in the North, it’s important to note, she’s a big fucking deal. She’s the product of two great houses and kingdoms aligning. She wouldn’t marry just any noble.

So far Sansa Stark (not including bastard Alayne Stone) has been betrothed to, planned to marry, or married the following:

Prince Joffrey Baratheon, future King of the Seven Kingdoms

Willas Tyrell, future Lord of Highgarden, Lord Paramount of the Reach, and Warden of the South

Tyrion Lannister, son of Tywin Lannister (Hand of the King, Lord of Casterly Rock, and Warden of the West)

Robert Arryn, Lord of the Eyrie, Defender of the Vale, and Warden of the East

Are you noticing a pattern here? I got to say, these names feel a bit more significant than Some Noble Guy.

Let me be clear, I’m not fangirling over here and suggesting Sansa is the most important person in the story and can only end up with the bestest most special guy. These matches are standard across all great houses.

Lyanna Stark? Betrothed to Robert Baratheon, then ran away with Rhaegar Targaryen. Catelyn and Lysa Tully? They married the heads of House Stark and House Arryn. Cersei Lannister? Only future King Rhaegar Targaryen and crowned King Robert Baratheon were good enough. Margaery Tyrell? On her 3rd “Baratheon” King. Arianne Martell? Was secretly betrothed to potential King Viserys Targaryen, courted by Edmure Tully, wished to marry Willas Tyrell, and is now sniffing around Aegon VI Targaryen. Myrcella Baratheon? Trystane Martell. Asha Greyjoy? Outlier. It’s a long story involving a seal.

And this isn’t just a set standard we can assume from George R. R. Martin’s interviews on the subject, or an inference we can make from other highborn matches made within the book. It’s explicitly acknowledged within the text.

Here’s Cersei’s thoughts on Sansa marrying Petyr Baelish, at the time the former Master of Coin on the King’s small council, and current Lord of Harrenhal and Lord Paramount of the Trident.

(Thank you @kellyvela for bringing it to my attention)

The Lord Paramount of the Trident is too lowborn for Sansa! It’s simply impossible, she thinks. Coming from the family that didn’t spare Sansa any amount of insult.

So I ask you, as we examine all potential candidates, keep that all in mind. There is a certain caliber of man that must be met.

Now regardless of everything I just said, I do agree with the logic of Sansa marrying a Northern man, even if he’s slightly below her status. If she is to be Queen, it makes the most sense she would marry someone from within her own kingdom.

So what I did was comb through every single noble house (38 of them!) in the North to find potential matches, while prioritizing the larger houses.

Here we go.

Oomf. Pretty poor selection. Seriously, I’m not fucking with you, that’s the entirety of what’s known and available from every single house. All 38 of them. It’s that bad.

So the next time some asoiaf-know-it-all tells you Sansa is going to marry a Northern son of high nobility, I desperately need you to show them that and beg them to tell you who. Because... wow. Also worth mentioning, there are still many wars to come.

Nevertheless, there’s still some names here that have potential, and I plan to do my due diligence and investigate them all.

Before that though, real quick, I’ve established an easy to follow system that ranks the probability of Sansa marrying any of these characters. We’ll call it Odds of the Crown.

From lowest to highest probability:

👑 LOL, stop.

👑 👑 There’s virtually no reason to believe this will happen.

👑 👑 👑 It’s not impossible?

👑 👑 👑 👑 Maybe. There’s definitely a chance.

👑 👑 👑 👑 👑 Okay, you have mine and Sansa’s attention.

Let’s begin.

HARRION KARSTARK

Why this will happen:

The Karstarks are a principle noble house in the North, with ancient relations to the Starks.

After Robb executed Rickard Karstark, Sansa marrying Harrion might repair this once strong alliance.

Why this won’t happen:

Sansa’s brother chopped his father’s head off. Kind of awkward.

Harrion is the only son of Rickard Karstark, he would have to abandon his titles, and leave Karhold to Alys/Sigorn.

Harrion is currently being held captive by the Lannisters, with his great uncle Arnolf plotting with the Boltons to get him executed.

On the show the Karstarks sided with the Boltons in the war, and Sansa notably opposed granting Alys Karstark the rights back to Karhold for their disloyalty. By the end of the show the house was presumed extinct.

Chance of this happening: 👑 👑 👑 It’s not impossible?

JOJEN REED

Why this will happen:

He’s the right age.

House Reed is one of the more prominent houses in the North, and remains incredibly loyal to House Stark.

It would be super cute if the friendship between Howland and Eddard produced a marriage between their children.

Why this won’t happen:

Jojen paste. The kid knows his fate, and it’s not a good prognosis.

Jojen is the only male heir of House Reed. He’d have to abandon his titles, leaving Meera Reed as the heir to Greywater Watch.

Chance of this happening: 👑 👑 There’s virtually no reason to believe this will happen.

UNNAMED UMBER SONS

Why this will happen:

The Umbers are one of the larger noble houses in the North.

Given there’s apparently more than one, should Sansa marry an Umber, the house would still have a male heir to continue its lineage.

Why this won’t happen:

They don’t have names? Ranking very low on the relevancy scale here.

The show chose to depict the Umbers as siding with the Boltons in the war, had Sansa oppose giving them back the rights to Last Hearth, and then killed the last remaining member. Very curious decision from the writers if they were aware of any potential marriage.

Chance of this happening: 👑 👑 👑 It’s not impossible?

ROGER RYSWELL, RICKARD RYSWELL, ROOSE RYSWELL

Why this will happen:

Because Sansa is desperate at this point.

Lord Rodrik Ryswell was once keen on marrying his daughter to Brandon or Eddard Stark, perhaps this social climber gets his wish for a Stark union with one of his sons.

Why this won’t happen:

Very strong alliance with House Bolton: The Ryswells were the first to declare for House Bolton, Roose Ryswell is Lord Bolton’s namesake, and the first daughter of the family was Roose Bolton’s second wife.

While I haven’t been able to confirm their ages, I’m under the impression they’re all too old.

Chance of this happening: 👑 👑 There’s virtually no reason to believe this will happen.

BRANDON TALLHART, BEREN TALLHART

Why this will happen:

They’re the proper age and from a noble house previously sworn to House Stark, and that’s about it.

Why this won’t happen:

This is offensively below her status. Brandon and Beren are from a secondary branch of House Tallhart.

Super irrelevant. Beren is briefly mentioned in ACOF, but otherwise both get the appendix treatment throughout the entire series.

They’re currently being held captive by ironmen.

Chance of this happening: 👑 👑 There’s virtually no reason to believe this will happen.

LARENCE SNOW (of House Hornwood)

Why this will happen:

He’s the proper age, and has been described as smart and courageous.

Given House Hornwood is now extinct, legitimizing Larence and marrying him wouldn’t really muck up that line of succession.

There is a lot of bastard/snow foreshadowing and symbolism in Sansa’s story.

Why this won’t happen:

Who? Larence is briefly mentioned in ACOK, and is never brought up again. He gets the appendix treatment in both ASOS and AFFC.

He’s a bastard, and even if he was legitimized, he’s still way way below her status.

Chance of this happening: 👑 👑 There’s virtually no reason to believe this will happen.

And...

Yeah, that’s it. For real.

If Sansa is to marry a Northern man of nobility, there’s your options. I expected it to be bad, but not laughably so.

I don’t sense any real contenders there, but you tell me. Do any of those men seem likely? Will one of those men marry Sansa Stark, become Prince Consort to the Queen or Lord of Winterfell, and father the heir to House Stark? I feel like we’re probably on the same page here.

So now what? Well we carry on with our search, and it looks like Sansa is going to have to travel South to find someone worthy.

Now I can envision Sansa making certain concessions with regards to nobility to marry a man from the North, but I absolutely can not see that happening should she marry a man from the South. He will have to be from a family of the highest nobility, with any union greatly benefiting the North in some capacity.

So I’ve gathered a list of the 4-6 biggest houses from each kingdom (In retrospect I was way too generous) to try to find our man, placing higher priority towards the Vale and Riverlands, where Sansa has strong familial bonds and established military alliances.

Houses that were disqualified? House Lannister and anybody that serves them, House Greyjoy and anybody that serves them, and House Frey. Common sense guys, her family and people died fighting these antagonists. There’s no way anybody would approve of her marrying someone from that group, nor would she want to.

Now let’s take a look.

There it is, 31 of the most powerful, wealthy, and noteworthy houses in all of Westeros (minus the North), and who is available for Sansa to marry.

You might disagree with my selection of say, the 5th strongest house in the Riverlands, and that’s fine, but just realize the likelihood of Sansa’s husband coming from the 5th or 6th biggest house in a kingdom is astronomically low. I went way above and beyond to make a point. The biggest players are here, and they’re all that matters.

Now there’s certainly more to sink our teeth into here as opposed to the North, but admit it, you’re a bit shocked at how bare this cupboard looks as well, aren’t you? And let me remind you once more, there are still many wars to come.

I’m not going to go through every single candidate here, it goes without saying, some of these are so far-fetched and irrelevant it’s not worth the time, but I do plan on scrutinizing the majority, so grab a seat.

ROBERT ARRYN

Why this will happen:

He is the appropriate level of status and rank.

Sweetrobin is enamored with Sansa, and his mother planned to marry them.

He is her cousin, and there’s a certain unspoken security that comes with that which can’t be understated. Her safety as Queen/Lady will be paramount.

While definitely too young now, he’s much closer to her age than many other suitors.

The show had the Vale playing a role in the battle for the North and against the dead, which could easily happen in the books. Sansa might have to pay that debt with marriage.

Why this won’t happen:

Lord Robert Arryn is the last remaining member of House Arryn, an ancient great house. If we are to assume Sansa will remain in the North, it is pretty unrealistic to believe he’ll abandon his seat, effectively killing his house.

Closer to her age, but still really young.

While Robert is smitten with Sansa, she’s hardly in love with him.

Chance of this happening: 👑 👑 👑 It’s not impossible?

HARROLD HARDYNG

Why this will happen:

Currently plotted to marry SanAlayne Stone, and he might just cross the finish line.

Proper age, handsome.

The cocky, brash antagonist turned decent, humbled man is a popular trope. Sansa might just fall in love with him after a fumbling start to their relationship.

Why this won’t happen:

While Harrold Hardyng might be the heir to the Vale, until he actually takes that seat, he is of very very low nobility. This is not a match that in any way benefits the North, and it’s borderline insulting.

If the plan is to marry a Southern Lord to strengthen alliances with other kingdoms, she should probably pick somebody from the Vale that Robert Arryn actually likes and approves of.

Harry’s got some bastards. Not a deal-breaker, but it’s definitely something to be concerned over. It poses a threat to her children.

The show creators knew the ending and still chose to cut this character.

Chance of this happening: 👑 👑 👑 👑 Maybe. There’s definitely a chance. (I know I know, but they’re planned to marry, how can I go lower)

ANDAR ROYCE

Why this will happen:

The Royces are the second most powerful house in the Vale, and one of the oldest most powerful houses in all of Westeros. Proper high nobility.

Yohn Royce is a notable foe to Petyr Baelish, and was Sansa’s perpetual shadow on Game of Thrones, suggesting there might be more to this relationship than they let on.

Sansa notably had a crush on Andar’s younger brother, Waymar. In GRRM’s world of genetics, they’ll likely look very similar.

Why this won’t happen:

Yohn Royce has no other sons left, leaving nobody to carry on this proud family lineage.

He’s been getting the appendix treatment the past 3 books, despite SanAlayne being in close proximity.

It would have been very easy for the show to have Lord Royce’s son present and around Sansa, if it was meant to be a significant relationship.

Chance of this happening: 👑 👑 👑 It’s not impossible?

DONNEL WAYNWOOD, WALLACE WAYNWOOD, ROLAND WAYNWOOD

Why this will happen:

One of the larger noble houses in the Vale.

All three are close to an appropriate age.

The Waynwoods supported Lord Yohn Royce pressuring Lysa Arryn to enter the War of the Five Kings, presumably against the Lannisters. Lady Waynwood is also no friend of Petyr Baelish. They have the correct enemies.

Wallace dances with Alayne Stone in TWOW, putting them in close proximity. One point for being semi-relevant.

Why this won’t happen:

Barely any text dedicated to any of the three.

We’re in lower nobility territory.

Sansa describes Roland as horsefaced and homely, and Catelyn describes Donnel as stocky and homely. In GRRM’s world of genetics, Wallace will also be unattractive. Queen Sansa likes pretty things.

Chance of this happening: 👑 👑 👑 It’s not impossible?

GILWOOD HUNTER, EUSTACE HUNTER, HARLAN HUNTER

Why this will happen:

Principle house in the Vale, and I’ve got nothing else.

Why this won’t happen:

Gilwood is close to 50, and it’s safe to assume his brothers are not too far behind.

Chance of this happening: 👑 👑 There’s virtually no reason to believe this will happen.

PATREK MALLISTER

Why this will happen:

House Mallister is one of the most prominent houses in the Riverlands.

Patrek is good friends with Edmure Tully, and was a member of Robb Stark’s personal guards.

Catelyn describes Patrek’s father as handsome, making it a high probability Patrek is also handsome.

Why this won’t happen:

I can’t nail down an age, but I’m pretty confident he’s close to Edmure’s age (30ish). Much older.

He apparently enjoys drinking and women, which doesn’t please Queen Sansa.

He’s still being held captive after the Red Wedding.

He’s the sole heir of House Mallister.

Chance of this happening: 👑 👑 There’s virtually no reason to believe this will happen.

BRYNDEN BLACKWOOD, HOSTER BLACKWOOD, EDMUND BLACKWOOD, ALYN BLACKWOOD

Why this will happen:

There sure is enough of them to go around! And they’re all around Sansa’s age.

One of the main families sworn to House Tully.

Ties to the North. Descendants of the First Men, used to rule most of the Wolfswood before being driven South. Their banner is a flock of ravens surrounding a dead weirwood.

Members of the house spend a lot of the story in close proximity to Catelyn and Robb.

Historically there exists a marriage between a Blackwood and Lord Cregan Stark.

Why this won’t happen:

There is almost no text dedicated to any of the four boys. All four get brief mentions in ADWD, with one minor appearance. Pretty low on the relevancy scale.

We’re definitely venturing close to not high enough nobility.

Chance of this happening: 👑 👑 👑 It’s not impossible?

WILLAS TYRELL

Why this will happen:

Seems like a decent guy, and high points for narrative relevancy as he’s already been romantically linked with Sansa.

The Tyrells are one of the richest, most powerful families in all of Westeros. This alliance would serve the North incredibly well.

They do have sons to spare in case Willas decides to give up everything.

Kind of has a circular “happy ending” feel to it.

Why this won’t happen:

It would be absolutely insane for the heir to Highgarden to abandon everything and go play husband to Sansa Stark in the North. There’s been nothing to suggest he‘s stupid in love with her enough to do that.

Politically it’s kind of messy. The Tyrells supported Renly and then Joffrey in the War of the Five Kings. They’re known opportunists.

It’s hard to imagine a scenario where they’ll be in close proximity to one another ever again.

Chance of this happening: 👑 👑 👑 It’s not impossible?

LORAS TYRELL

Why this will happen:

Sansa is weak in the knees.

Why this won’t happen:

Gay, in the Kingsguard, and apparently in the midst of dying at Dragonstone.

Chance of this happening: 👑 👑 There’s virtually no reason to believe this will happen.

GARTH HIGHTOWER, HUMFREY HIGHTOWER

Why this will happen:

Not including the 9 principle families Game of Thrones focused on, the Hightowers are likely the richest, most powerful family in all of Westeros.

Garth is a 2nd son, and Humfrey a 4th. They would not be sacrificing the heir to House Hightower.

Why this won’t happen:

It’s hard to pinpoint their ages, but Garth is simply too old. Humfrey is anywhere between 15-28, with the high end being more likely.

They have absolutely no ties to Sansa or House Stark. This marriage would come out of nowhere.

Chance of this happening: 👑 👑 There’s virtually no reason to believe this will happen.

HORAS REDWYNE, HOBBER REDWYNE

Why this will happen:

The right age, and prominent house.

They get a few mentions in Sansa chapters, so not totally irrelevant.

Twins, so House Redwyne could spare one.

Why this won’t happen:

Hobber is called as a witness in the trial of Joffrey Baratheon’s death, implicating Tyrion and by extension Sansa.

Sansa and Jeyne used to call them Ser Horror and Ser Slobber, and laugh whenever they appeared. They’re ugly. What? Don’t pretend this isn’t important.

Chance of this happening: 👑 👑 There’s virtually no reason to believe this will happen.

EDRIC DAYNE

Why this will happen:

Proper age, and described as a nice boy.

Comes in close proximity to Sansa in King’s Landing, and then attempts to befriend Arya in ASOS. He believes his wet nurse is Jon Snow’s mother, making them milk brothers. He’s not entirely irrelevant.

He goes by Ned, which is kind of poetic I guess.

Why this won’t happen:

His family fought against the Starks in the rebellion, it’s believed Ned Stark killed his uncle.

He apparently abandoned his station as Lord of Starfall, and pledged service to the Brotherhood without Banners. Now he’s unaccounted for, getting the appendix treatment the last two books.

Simply put, not high enough nobility.

Chance of this happening: 👑 👑 There’s virtually no reason to believe this will happen.

DONNEL SWANN, BALON SWANN

Why this will happen:

I have no idea.

Why this won’t happen:

Because obviously it won’t.

Chance of this happening: 👑 👑 There’s virtually no reason to believe this will happen.

GENDRY, EDRIC STORM

Why this will happen:

Sansa and bastards are like peanut butter and jelly.

Some people believe the story is destined to finish with a Stark and Baratheon marriage, and Sansa finishing her arc married to a legitimized Baratheon bastard is really funny.

They’re the proper age, nice boys, and attractive.

Gendry lived as a lowborn, and while Edric lived comfortably at Storm’s End and was acknowledged by his father, it’s easy to envision both abandoning their titles for love/marriage.

Gendry spends a lot of time near Starks.

Why this won’t happen:

I can’t even begin to understand the rationale of having Gendry and Arya have sex, if the writers knew him or Edric (it’s a merged character on the show) end up with Sansa in the books.

Edric is in Essos, and Gendry is at the inn at the crossroads, still unaware of his parentage. It’s hard to picture how these storylines merge, or how either is placed in a position to romantically pursue Sansa.

Even if legitimized Gendry is way too lowborn for Sansa.

Chance of this happening: 👑 👑 👑 It’s not impossible?

AEGON VI TARGARYEN (Young Griff)

Why this will happen:

He is an appropriate age, and seems like a decent enough guy.

If he’s truly Rhaegar’s son, he is the proper level of nobility.

A lot of people believe this is foreshadowed in the books.

A lot of people believe the story will end with a Stark and Targaryen marriage.

Why this won’t happen:

He might not be Rhaegar’s son.

How in the world in his story ever going to merge with Sansa’s?

If he is Aegon Targaryen, it’s hard to imagine him abandoning the throne to be Sansa’s husband, unless they have an opportunity to fall madly in love. How? Where?

If he isn’t Aegon Targaryen, why is Sansa marrying him?

Arianne Martell, another very single very highborn lady from another great house, is probably going to meet him first.

Chance of this happening: 👑 👑 👑 It’s not impossible?

And...

Yeah, that’s it. (Well... kinda. Ahem.)

So we just went through the 31 most powerful houses in the rest of Westeros, and I can’t say I feel confident with any of those names. Harry wins by default? Sweetrobin gets the girl? Willas makes a comeback? Aegon VI for the win? Admit it, for everyone it really feels like the reasons it won’t happen far outweigh the reasons it will.

So is that it then? Not exactly. There’s a few left, we’ll call them The Leftovers. Prominent characters that for whatever reason have been disqualified, or never considered, but have strong associations to Sansa’s story or the North.

Let’s take a look.

TYRION LANNISTER

Why this will happen:

Well, they’re already married, so that certainly helps in meeting the necessary criteria.

The marriage might never be annulled.

GRRM has a hard on for Tyrion.

It wouldn’t be a stretch for them to be married, and have him stationed in King’s Landing with Bran, while Sansa remains at Winterfell.

Why this won’t happen:

It’s taken a year, but I feel we’ve all come to terms with the fact that he will in fact be Hand of the King to Bran Stark. Meaning, he’s not in the North. Difficult to produce an heir that way.

With his father dead, it’s hard to understand why Tyrion would want to remain married to Sansa without her returning his affection.

Petyr Baelish will choke before he allows this to continue.

Let’s be real, if Tyrion actually wins the girl in the end, that’s his equivalent to winning the Game of Thrones. They 100% would have written and filmed this ending for Peter Dinklage if it actually happened.

Instead they had her reject his ass one more time, in case Tyrion didn’t get the message.

Chance of this happening: 👑 👑 👑 👑 Maybe. There’s definitely a chance. (I’m only saying this because he’s already her husband!)

JAIME LANNISTER

Why this will happen:

"I have made kings and unmade them. Sansa Stark is my last chance for honor."

Why this won’t happen:

Age? Lannister? Kingsguard? Pretty committed to his sister?

Chance of this happening: 👑 👑 There’s virtually no reason to believe this will happen.

PODRICK PAYNE

Why this will happen:

He’s the correct age, and he spends a lot of time near Sansa or people associated with Sansa.

Why this won’t happen:

His house serves House Lannister.

His cousin cut off her father’s head.

His house is lower nobility, and he’s of an even lower branch within that house.

He’s not a Sex God in the books, he’s a scared little boy who never speaks.

Chance of this happening: 👑 👑 There’s virtually no reason to believe this will happen.

JORAH MORMONT

We are absolutely not discussing this.

Chance of this happening: 👑 LOL, stop.

PETYR BAELISH

Why this will happen:

Petyr Baelish is very good at getting what he wants, and he has no greater ambition than marrying CatSansa Stark and taking the Iron Throne.

Why this won’t happen:

She’s going to destroy him.

Chance of this happening: 👑 LOL, stop.

RAMSAY BOLTON

Why this will happen:

I mean there’s absolutely no way Sansa will ever willingly marry Ramsay Bolton as Lady or Queen, but he could certainly capture her before that, rape her, and father her bastard, which she could later legitimize.

Why this won’t happen:

The show would have just done that? It’s not like they spare her any amount of horror.

Chance of this happening: 👑 👑 👑 It’s not impossible?

THEON GREYJOY

Why this will happen:

He’s from a great house, I guess.

Because Theon Greyjoy is an asshole, who likes to fantasize about bedding Sansa Stark.

The show liked to tease this potential for some completely bizarre reason.

Why this won’t happen:

Greyjoy. Bad.

It’s very important to me that you understand book!Theon and show!Theon are very different people.

Um, he’s a pretty big reason why her family and people are dead.

Not to be an ableist on main, but I don’t see how taking on a husband who can’t produce heirs is of any benefit to the crown.

If you think show!Theon is a shell of a human, wait until you get a load of this guy.

Chance of this happening: 👑 👑 There’s virtually no reason to believe this will happen.

SANDOR CLEGANE

Ohhh, boy.

I’ve been waiting for this one, if I’m being honest. Remember at the beginning of all of this I shared two quotes from GRRM regarding Sansa and nobility? I have one more thing for you to read. Here’s an interview he did with Time magazine in 2011:

Buckle up.

Why this won’t happen:

HE’S TOO OLD. George R. R. Martin has told you he’s too old, and then in case you didn’t get the message, played an integral role in hiring a 40 year old Rory McCann to play opposite a 13 year old Sophie Turner. Does that happen if he knows they’ll eventually be romantically involved? No, of course not, you dunce.

His house is pledged to House Lannister! Are you stupid? Are you dumb? Why is Sansa marrying anyone from a house that stood in opposition to Robb? Why would anyone in the North approve of that?

Oh but you want to tell me he’s disavowed the Lannisters, House Clegane and the Kingsguard? Yeah, that’s great, that means he’s LESS THAN A NOBODY now. No titles, no lands, no power, no money. This is the equivalent of the princess running away with the stable boy. IT DOESN’T FUCKING HAPPEN. Even as a Clegane serving as a knight to the King, he is so far below her nobility it’s absurd. House Clegane doesn’t even own a god damn castle.

You know Beauty and the Beast? Yeah, he’s a prince with a castle and staff. Spot the difference.

He’s a piece of shit, who terrifies her.

Hopefully he’s dead.

The author is legitimately shocked you ship this. Why would the author be surprised you’re shipping something he’s trying to signal? You ninny.

The show went out of their way to have her reject his ass ONE MORE TIME for the slow ones.

Are you looking for the reasons why this will happen? They don’t exist.

Chance of this happening: 👑 LOL, stop.

Woo, glad I got that off my chest. I apologize if you ship Sandor and Sansa and I’ve offended you (not really, it’s gross).

Anyway, what do you think? Any of those men work for you? Probably not. I mean Tyrion has a leg up on everyone else, simply because he’s already married to her, but it’s hard to envision that marriage surviving given what we know about the finale.

This sucks. We’ve gone through everybody!

38 Northern houses, 31 non-Northern Westerosi houses, random characters, and all we’ve turned up with is some pretty shoddy candidates.

Poor Sansa. I guess that single, perfectly aged, high nobility, Northern son just doesn’t exist.

...

Unless....?

JON SNOW

Why this will happen:

He’s a Northerner.

He is an appropriate age.

Assuming he’s a legitimized son of Lyanna Stark and Rheagar Targaryen, he is of the highest nobility.

Unlike almost every other candidate, Jon Snow can and will easily abandon all titles and his family’s name to marry Sansa and/or produce an heir for House Stark.

Given how the show played out, there’s a high probability their storylines are on a collision course.

There’s a certain safety and security with Sansa marrying a family member she grew up with, which will be paramount if she is Queen.

Whether you choose to believe it or not, a lot of people believe this is heavily foreshadowed in the books. A lot of people believe this saga will finish with a Stark and Targaryen union.

In the books exists a prophecy that Daenerys Targaryen will be betrayed for love, and the show seemed to confirm Jon as that betrayer, and positioned Sansa as the reason for that betrayal. Things that make you go hmm.

The original outline, etc. etc.

Why this won’t happen:

He’s apparently exiled by the end of the books, calling into question the timeline in which this could possibly happen.

Being a bastard Targaryen or a legitimized Targaryen is not remotely ideal. The Targaryens have a history of butchering Starks, and another one is about to napalm King’s Landing.

While cousins marrying is not considered incestuous in Westeros, Sansa and Jon grew up as brother and sister, which complicates this. Sansa is nothing if not extremely proper, conservative and moralistic. Marrying her half-brother might be too hard for her to overcome, even if they weren’t close.

This is never discussed, but I feel required to point out that Arya (and to a much lesser extent Bran and Rickon) might not be comfortable or approve of this union, which would weigh heavily on both of them.

He’s kind of dead, and we don’t know what kind of weirdo is coming back.

Chances of this happening: 👑 👑 👑 👑 👑 Okay, you have mine and Sansa’s attention.

WELL THEN.

Sure, personal biases exists, but I feel strongly anyone being impartial can admit one of these men makes a lot more sense than the rest. I won’t hold my breath though.

So is that it then? Are we declaring Jon Snow the winner? Not quite, there exists a few other possibilities I shouldn’t just ignore. Let’s argue them.

Sansa ends the story single.

You know I used to think this was complete bollocks, but after completing this, it truly feels like it’s either this or Jon Snow.

I’ll tell you why I don’t think it will happen though. If George ever finishes the series, that will likely be the end of it. At his age and health, it’s hard to envision a sequel in which we could learn how or if the Stark lineage continued. Leaving Sansa single, and never answering how House Stark lives on -- the central house of the entire series -- is like leaving a hole the size of an asteroid.

Sansa will choose to never marry or have children.

Boy do you not understand Sansa Stark. Missed by a lot of people who suggest this, is the cause for most of the conflict in the series: disputed lines of succession. More than perhaps any other character, Sansa understands her role within society as a Lady and future Queen, and the responsibility that comes with that. She is extremely dutiful by nature, most especially when it comes to marriage. If you believe Sansa will ever purposely choose to bury her house, never produce an heir, and allow the North to disintegrate into civil unrest and war, you’re not good at reading.

George R. R. Martin is also kind of a traditionalist (and pig). If you believe he’s building Sansa to eventually become some ra-ra feminist who don’t need no man or child, you might need a reality check.

I think there’s also something to be said about people conflating show!Sansa and book!Sansa. One still very much dreams of love, marriage and children. But even if you do believe book!Sansa will slowly evolve to mirror her show counterpart, who was the first person to highlight the issue of Bran not being able to have children? Sansa.

Sansa’s arc is about self-empowerment, not marriage/love.

Why not both?

Sansa ends up in another kingdom, married to a Lord.

I guess my question would be, who exactly is running Winterfell then? Five year old Rickon and a wildling? I wish you the best of luck with that theory.

Sansa dies.

Keep dreaming.

Sansa’s husband has yet to be introduced or made relevant.

I mean, sure? That possibility exists. Sansa could eventually meet and fall in love with unnamed Umber son #2, and have a happy ending. It feels extremely unlikely at this point in time though, and I would question why the show wouldn’t at the very least allude to it. GRRM is also a man who likes foreshadowing, and burying clues for almost every major event that takes place. I’m not sure why he would be stalling on this.

Bran, Rickon or Arya will continue the line of succession.

Well the first one most definitely can’t, the next is 5 years old, and the last one doesn’t seem thrilled with the idea. But admittedly, she’s very young and has a lot of life to live. Sure, this could happen. In the middle of the ocean.

Sansa is actually gay.

That’s an interesting interpretation of the character. Have fun on ao3.

Sansa will legitimize and mother an orphan/bastard.

Sure? I don’t hate this at all? Though, I would wonder why the show just didn’t take 2 minutes to show her fostering children who lost their parents in the war with the dead, allowing us to draw that conclusion.

This also has the potential to be devastating to the North, and Sansa would definitely not be able to have her own children should she make this decision. Disputed lines of succession are a recipe for disaster throughout the series and side books.

There also seems to be a great importance put on the magic of Stark blood and Starks being in Winterfell, but maybe GRRM is trying to tell us through Daenerys Targaryen that blood purity propaganda is stupid as shit. Who knows.

***

I think that’s it?

So what is the conclusion?

I’m tired, the conclusion is that she’s marrying Jon Snow or he’s providing her with an heir. There’s nobody else.

Actually no, the real point of this was to point out the absurdity of diminishing this storyline and the fanbase essentially asking you to reconsider every single thing you know about ASOIAF. The conclusion of Sansa’s story, and the prosperity of House Stark through her, is extremely important. It’s not a minor detail.

Some Noble Guy? Complete bullshit. I know them all, and now you do too.

tl;dr

Found him. His name is Jon.

#sansa stark #asoiaf #jonsa #jon x sansa #jonsa meta #anti sansan

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