#ty dani for a great project

[stevesbipanic]

@steddiemas Day 31: New Year's Eve

There was always a certain magic in the air on new year's eve. Steve could feel the bubble of excitement in the countdown and it almost felt like a clean slate washed over you as the fireworks brought in the new year. When he was little his parents would often take him to New York for the big celebration, his father often hosting a party. After they stopped returning home as often, Steve brought in the new year with Tommy and Carol getting drunk on his father's whiskey.

1983 he spent alone and hoped that 1984 would be better, it wasn't, well except for the kids coming into his life. 1985 saw him cuddled up in the living room with Robin watching the fireworks on tv, he hoped 1986 would be their year.

"Stevie, do you have plans for new year's?" Eddie had asked at Christmas dinner, Wayne had insisted he joined them when he heard Robin and the Hendersons wouldn't be in Hawkins this year. "Not really, Robin won't be back, I might just turn in early." He was kind of sad to be spending it alone this year.

"No! You've gotta have fun Steve! Come join us here, Rudy a couple doors down always lights up the best fireworks!" Eddie explained excitedly and who was Steve to say no to that face.

Steve had gotten to Eddie's around 8, a pack of beer and a warm smile on his face when Eddie answered the door.

"We've gotta get you your own key one of these days, Stevie, you're here enough." If that warmed Steve's heart that was his business.

Wayne wouldn't be back from work until 11, getting that holiday pay to help them through the rest of winter. The boys didn't mind, curled up on the couch watching movies, laughing and drinking beer. Steve felt a soft buzz from the alcohol but the butterflies were certainly because of the boy sitting across from him.

When Wayne got home they switched the TV to the countdown of the final hour of the year. Eddie moaned about the pop music they played but didn't seem to mind as much when Steve was pulling him up to dance around the trailer. Soon it was time to head outside with all the other neighbours to watch the fireworks.

"Here, Stevie, I know the perfect spot," Eddie said pulling Steve up to lay down on the trailer roof. They could see Rudy setting up the fireworks on the hill, sleepy looking kids still just staying awake gathered with their parents. The radio crackled as the last song finished and the countdown began.

Ten!

Steve could feel the magic start to fill the air, the new year was so close.

Nine!

He hoped that next year they'd all be safe, that next year would be their year.

Eight!

Next year he's going to make sure he spends it with Eddie, this has certainly been his favourite new year's eve.

Seven!

He turns away from looking at the hill to the other boy to find him already looking at him, there's something in his eyes.

Six!

"I'm glad you're here this year, Stevie."

Five!

"I'm glad I'm here with you, Eds."

Four!

Eddie's face is holding a soft smile and his eyes flick down to Steve's lips.

Three!

Oh, that's what that magic was.

Two!

Steve took a chance and lent forward, pressing his lips softly to Eddie's who immediately pushed back against him smiling.

One!

Fireworks went off behind them but they didn't care as they pulled away, twin smiles on their faces. Yeah, 1987 was going to be their year.

Ao3

[ray935sworld]

I fear I'm not confident enough to post the stuff I write online yet. Soon, though, I do want to write stuff specifically to post on here, but that might be a bit (I am also deep into writer's block rn I fear). I will definitely also give you my thoughts on other stuff as well soon trust 🙂‍↕️

I will literally never complain about getting all of your thoughts. It is so very fun to read !!

I'm shaking Dani so hard rn. MY BOY, I'M SO SORRY. It's so very confusing for him, I'm sure. (Also record scratch Part 2 ‼️ I'm so hyped) But I'm so sorry for laughing just a tiny bit at Dani's pov simply because of how harsh the whiplash would be. Like, "Wow, I'm gonna get eaten out alright, nvm, okay, let's veer for a blowjob- THAT'S NOT A BLOWJOB" The concept is so silly in a this is also a serious topic way. Also, the idea that Dani is frustrated cause Jorge is taking his sweet sweet time and Dani then trying so desperately to speed things up and it goes the opposite direction (ofc I'm ignoring the topic of feeding off of someone is such an intimate idea that yeah...but that doesn't apply AS much here).

Also, yes, the hunger thing. Obviously, I mentioned it a bit before with the double entendre but I see it should be looked at a deeper level cause yes, real hunger and sexual hunger are two very different things, and I simply can't imagine how Dani felt in that moment cause yes as you mentioned, why does he look THAT hungry. Again, with the prey thing, Dani enjoys it to a point, but also, the wtf aspect is so so very much there. Like...the thought isn't even gonna cross his mind. All Dani is gonna possibly think is just why, why, why, and the logical excuses he can come up with, and all of them are nowhere near close enough because he simply doesn't have the context or knowledge needed to get there. I think even if he did know vampires existed, there would be the trust aspect of it all again cause Dani, in his eyes, can't see why Jorge would think he'd take it wrong. Cause Dani loves him entirely and completely, so ofc he'd take the vampire thing as well as he can cause it's Jorge. But Jorge obviously wouldn't think that way cause ofc stuff like that isn't gonna go well. Projected vampire guilt, dare I say, cause he hates it. Why would anyone else feel differently?

I'm gonna scream, the idea of Jorge putting SOOO much effort into making sure Dani is safe when drinking from him is AHHHH WTF RAY THAT'S CUTE. That's a level of devotion and adoration I can only dream of reaching. I can't imagine many vampires going to such lengths to ensure the safety of their partners. They'd rather not drink from them at all to avoid the risk or simply not care (but that's just me and knowing the inherent...aspect of selfishness that can follow a vampire....the inverse of the guilty, the selfish).

I'm back to my screaming about Dani portion of my yapping. It's so very extreme of me to say Dani was choosing between life and death cause he wasn't but he could have been... (Jorge we know you would literally never but I'm so dramatic) and that's such an actual insane level of trust...DANI YOU LOVE THAT MAN SO MUCH I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE 🫵🏻

Jorge, I know Dani lectures your ass about your insecurities and guilt cause he so doesn't care about the aspects you think he cares about. (Skip forward: you have proven my point, he does lecture him ty ((Skip forward again: I READ YOUR MIND))) I could say something so very insane about kissing someone with their blood on your lips but I think I'm gonna keep quiet about that one...

VEIWING YOURSELF AS A MONSTER *slams credit card on table* I'm so interested Ray, I'm so very into tropes like that (I'm seeing a pattern here, either I'm very easy to please or you just know the way to my heart). SKILLET MENTION, I love that song so bad, I have it on a few of my playlists. I do adore giving tropes/stories/concept/people songs all the time, it's a bit of my thing I fear. YOUR YAPPING WAS GREAT MWAH MWAH I LOVED IT

Moral of the story is just trust clearly. That's it /j

AAAAH, I totally get that. But IF you ever want to post something PLEASE tell me so I can read it :)

YES PLS LAUGH. IT'S FUNNY. I was laughing while writing it too! To me Dani literally was like "yippie yippie. Sexy time. Not gonna walk for - WHAT THE FUCK? BLOOD? Wrong body liquid being sucked! Wrong body liquid!" Sorry Dani. (oh yeah drinking blood can be so intimate and romantic, especially when the vampire SAYS how much he needs it. AAAAGHH. chewing on my finger. But yeah that's another story)

Oh I so agree. The switch from prey (sexual) to prey (food) would be WILD. Biggest wtf moment. And imagine Dani is trying to understand it. Because obviously there was a switch in Jorge in that moment. Cause he wouldn't just jump from one to the other. So there was a point or something that caused the switch. (Dani saying all the 2 meaning food/sex things) And it's Dani so he also wants to understand what was going on with in that moment. Like when he was drinking has blood. Dani wants to understand why Jorge couldn't keep his need to drink blood pushed down. Like... Did he not had enough before? Does he need more? Is it a general problem? Was there something triggering his hunger? And of course he wants to UNDERSTAND the hunger. Because he as a human has no idea what it's like to be hungry like that and to have the hunting need and the blood lust and all that. (Okay Jorge would definitely get insecure if he has to describe that, unless he describes it DURING a blood lust and gets some blood afterwards. As a little treat. Hihi. OH. Jorge fake hunting Dani when they agreed Jorge can drink from him. Like Dani being chased around their house only to be grabbed by Jorge and thrown on the bed/ against a wall and drink from him. Yep. I can definitely see something like that.) And ooooh. Dani not understanding why he would think of Jorge any different. MY HEART. MYYYY HEEAAAAART. And Jorge being all like "I'm a monster and you are-" And then Dani is already on him, cuddling.

OOOH. THE SELFISHNESS OF OTHER. Okay what if Jorge knows other vampire that have human partners who have hurt them like seriously? Liek full on faint, hospital, blood transfusion or even worst? And that's why Jorge never wanted to drink from Dani and now doing it without telling/ asking Dani - oh heartbreak. THE GUILT. THE GUILT. And Jorge being all worried and apologetic. Meanwhile Dani trying to calm him and Jorge is like "Fuck... Dani, don't you get it, I could have killed you!" "And I trusted you that you don't. I trust you with my life. Literally." Dani is REALLY down bad for that man.

I think the self view as a monster and guilt thing from Jorge and the need to understand it fully to make sure Jorge is okay from Dani would be the next big points.

Okay - that's my yapping for now. I had to write it slightly rushed so if I didn't say anything specifically to the other stuff... I AGREE. I ABSOLUTELY AGREE. YES YES YES. NO COMMENTS TO ADD. But I have to get to my apprenticeship now so I hope you enjoyed this!!

[atopvisenyashill]

@nellie-jane says: The overall costume design is so disappointing especially with how much thought GRRM himself put into the pitfits he describes in the book for sansa for example - the purple wedding dress having the stark color but matching the hairnet - or her own wedding dress being a white lace gown like the one Arya ruined with the blood orange but this time being cut more daringly to show that she's being forced into adulthood (also Stark colours). It's annoying how much they deviate. Like I get that it's for reasons but so often their choices were so dumb. That being said there are a lot of elements of the GOT costume design I really like- like the Sansa Tyrion wedding dress looking super constricting/like a straightjacket or the dragonfly necklace etc. It's just so underwhelming when you see fanart (I really love the russian inspired stark fits!). Also hate how they RARELY dressed characters in their house colours.

Not to be like AND ANOTHER THING on my own post but GOD YEAH the house colors thing was so annoying especially when her reasoning was like "Cersei is being serious" or "she's wearing blue in honor of Drogo" "oh color theory" WELL IF YOU LIKE COLOR THEORY WHY IS THERE NO COLOR. HMMMM.

Tyrell colors? Green and gold. What does Margaery wear most often? BLUE! House Stark colors? white and grey. What are the Starks mostly wearing? BLACK! House Targaryen colors? Red and Black. What is Dany mostly wearing? Honestly BLUE AND WHITE. The Tyroshi love their bright, flamboyant colors. But what does Daario wear? EXCLUSIVELY LEATHER. W H Y??? It's so baffling at almost every turn.

I think early Sansa and early Cersei are really where Michele excelled and its why I think it's baffling that she seemed so against color later on. Margaery, for all that she should have been wearing more green, does a really good job expressing power through her clothes-

You see she starts out much more lowcut as she's trying to compensate for the fact that their marriage is unconsummated. She wants to project to everyone that there's no need to worry about ~the rumors~ because her and Renly are fuckin every night.

She starts easing into more Womanly but less provocative clothing once she gets to KL - she wants to tempt Joffrey, wants everyone to understand she's a woman grown, but she's still untouched, she's still a maid!We see her start to favor Tyrell symbols during this time as well, frequently wearing that Certified Tyrell plunge and the flower designs (it should be GREEN and not BLUE tho).

As it goes on, however, she starts to lean more into the typical matronly KL style aka her neckline doesn't plunge as much, her top isn't a cross body, cutting back a bit on the florals. She's also purposefully not wearing Lannister colors - I wish they'd had her lean into the BARATHEON colors because I don't understand the brownish gold choices (Tyrell color is more yellow than gold, Baratheon color is straight up yellow) but she's trying to set herself apart from Cersei while also setting herself up less as a lover and more as a confidant (I know they changed it so she's statuatory raping Tommen here, but I'm gonna be real honest, I think that change was for a) shock factor and b) to punish Natalie Dormer for criticizing them. Once again, I wish D&D a very DIE).

So clearly Michele understands how to use color and dress to Make A Statement - as you say, she does this a lot with Sansa's clothes initially, where we see Sansa switch to a more Southron style of hair, then shift into emulating Margaery's style when they're friends, then shift back into emulating her mother's more simple, Northern look. I also loved the dragonfly and purple stuff - I've raved about the purple dresses before, but I also like it because Sansa loves her stories, she loves Jenny of Oldstones, so tying her to dragonflies is a great choice! But then just completely seeping all color from her when in the books, Sansa is purposefully trying to wear STark and Tully colors to get someone to realize who she is, when even Ned makes it a point to mostly wear white and gray, but no we're putting him in brown. BLEH. MICHELE. USE COLOR!!!

Hey how come all the costumes in the final couple seasons of got were just black leather with pointy shoulders and chains

the real answer is that michele clapton is a hack and fraud who hates me, personally.

but there's probably a few reasons. i think irl, people associate black, leather, and wide shoulders with power, intimidation, more serious energy so to visually signal that sansa, cersei, dany, etc are now Power Players they have to put them in those costumes. michele clapton especially really loved using black leather and chains to signify Someone Is Being Serious - she has that interview where she talked specifically about Cersei and Dany wanting to be taken seriously by shying away from colors, using "chains of intent", and emulating the men who had the greatest affect on them ie Tywin and Viserys. You can really see when you look at Michele's interviews that she's bringing her own view of things into the costumes, which, yeah that's how it works (there's like a joke that Bear McCreary, for example, uses his partner as a singer in all of his soundtracks purely because he just wants to hear her sing lol) but I do think you really see the limits of her creativity there too. She has this idea that extravagance = unseriousness which is incredibly at odds with the way George has built up his world - I mean, Aegon IV was out here wearing like a 9 pound crown, and Daeron II wore it as well specifically to show how serious he is about being King. Roose wears all pink! The Tyrells are always awash in color, hell the Lannisters are always awash in color. The only person it makes sense to shy away from color is Dany - I imagine it was just easier for Viserys to find black leather to wear and buy that still showed his house colors than something red so that's why he leaned on it, and it would make sense that Dany is trying to emulate the only other Targaryen she knew by dressing the way he did when she feels like she's finally stepping into her role as The True Queen of Westeros. For Cersei, Sansa, even Arya, I think it's deeply silly that she took that similar approach.

Like, I do think some of her choices were okay - I love that she usually has Dany wearing trousers of some sort underneath her dresses because she felt like she always needed to prepare to run away, for example. I love Cersei's coronation dress, if not the ugly crown. I liked her dedication to making sure the Sons of the Harpy masks looked handmade and not factory produced. I love that Arya outfit in the last season, and I liked the attention to detail there when it comes to the coat looking slashed by Arya herself to make it fit her in the way she wants it to. I think where Michele consistently fails is a) the idea that the North is somehow less interested in fashion when the reality is that the North simply has different taste in fashion because they have a vastly different climate than most of the other kingdoms (similar to Dorne) and b) she tends to conflate feminimity and androgyny with weakness or silliness and masculinity with strength. It's not to say that you shouldn't think about the ways in which We As A Culture define power when designing a costume but just uncritically regurgitating "man = strong, woman = weak" sartorial work is lazy beyond belief. Jany Temime is leagues better, like even with some of my criticism of her work, I think she just has a much deeper understanding of color work, silhouette, and the way character informs style.

(people through a FIT in the tags of that post i linked tho even tho the op was Literally just making a gifset showing the costume change? no it's problematic to say "dany is trying to be taken seriously by emulating her brother" even though...that's literally exactly what she's doing. once again, targ nation are babies, sorry for my hater rant here but that post is one of the most annoying pile ons in this fandom to me).

[poorquentyn]

Do you agree that Aegon's storyline is just a big test for all the other characters?

Yes, he serves as a test for Dany and Tyrion, but *enormous intake of breath*

I think Aegon's role in the story cuts deeper than that. What Aegon is, is fantasy. He is epitome and emissary of the genre. Every detail is in place. The exile prince, his squad of mentors, his waiting army, the sun catching the dewdrops on the breeze as it teases his banners. It's all there, all perfect, an idealized genre self-portrait captured as if on the big screen...and then the projector breaks, and the film snaps and starts to burn.

Because of course *zoom out* there's this entire other story around that cozy lil self-contained bubble narrative, one called A Song of Ice and Fire that's been going on for five books! And once that bubble bursts and the self-contained narrative sets out to conquer that big ol' pre-existing narrative, well, that's when the jaws clamp shut.

See, Varys is certain that he's cut the Gordian Knot for good this time. He's figured out how to save the world. He's got this gigantic practical joke simmering in the genre's juices. He's tying up the loose ends, putting the final pieces in place, happy to preen in public while secretly plotting to pull everyone back from the abyss if he has to personally send millions into the Void himself to do it. He will wade across oceans of blood, Utopia forever calling from just over the horizon...

If that all sounds familiar, I think that's because it's supposed to.

Ozymandias' blood-soaked joke was built (in-universe, no less!) from the stuff of horror and scifi comics, decades' worth of pulp detritus mashed together into one Ur-Image, and Varys' joke too is designed as fulfillment and parody of the generic ideal, with medieval fantasy as the genre in question. To the Citizens of Westeros, and The Readers Who Inquire Within It: here is my answer to my riddle. The "perfect prince." Don't look too closely, now! You might smudge the paint!

And that's the problem: the generic ideal is an image, nothing more. Aegon's probably a Blackfyre, he's not the main character, Dany is coming with fire and blood. His name was stolen for him, a disguise as much as the hair dye. There's no *there* there. In essence, GRRM is laying out the genre's shortcomings as a built-in counter-narrative to his own, illuminating what he's done differently with the actual protagonists. Here's what it would look like if the Targaryen claimant came back to Westeros with an army right after they were introduced. See how it doesn't feel earned, compared to Dany, who we've seen struggle for multiple books in Essos with power and death and the longing for home? Here's how it would go if Rhaegar's son knew all along who he was and what his destiny was, all handed to him on a platter. See how empty that is, compared to Jon, who has had to build his own identity from scraps and fragments and the hard-earned certainty that the wildlings are among the people he is sworn to protect?

If the genre-reconstructionist drumbeat throughout ASOIAF is we can tell these stories better, than Aegon's storyline is an absolutely necessary part of that whole. This is the story not told better; these are the tropes left unvarnished and unexamined, and as such this is the kind of fantasy that needs to be put to bed. The ironic scare quotes that seem to hover around every narrative element in Aegon's story are there by design. Like a lot of self-conscious genre commentary, it borders on parody, and as such, it is supposed to feel fake. The real deal is elsewhere in the narrative, where being the hero is slow, fitful, complicated, deeply human, impossibly moving work. Tell these stories better; the "perfect prince" as a cherished ideal must die so that Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen, the imperfect princes, may live.

To what emotional end, one might reasonably inquire? The pathos, as with any dream-machine that explodes shortly after takeoff, comes from the dreams put into it. Duck inventing his own name, Haldon missing half his maester, Jon Connington chasing his ghosts into the grave...castoffs and exiles all, shoring their fragments against the ruin. They're projecting it all onto the boy, just like Varys, just like the reader does to so many cookie-cutter genre protagonists. The sadness comes from peeling back all those layers and realizing that Young Griff is just a random kid who could've been happy riding the Rhoyne for the rest of his days. Instead, somebody told him he was Aegon VI Targaryen, the main character of a fantasy story, and ruined his life.

Aegon is the "mummer's dragon," which makes him a puppet, which makes his story about thinking you're the protagonist even though you're actually a puppet, and "the hero never dies" but puppets burn. Take a look at his not-cousin Quentyn, his fellow Not The Hero squinted at by the narrative spotlight in ADWD, if you're wondering at his fate. Georgie very deliberately soaked Quent in tropes like they were gasoline, and then lit the match. He's doing the same for poor Aegon.

As such, for me, Aegon ranks alongside Quentyn and First Book Sansa in terms of the author's angriest writing about his own genre. Fantasy here is rendered as a series of mirages designed to funnel you onto the slaughterhouse floor. "What am I doing here? Father, why?" ADWD is bitter and direct about the lies these kids are being told, from the ashes of the dragonpit beneath the Great Pyramid to the trail of skeletons outside Varamyr's lair. Beyond satire, beyond deconstruction, this is the author recreating the entire genre as a subplot and then burning it down. This, the author is saying with Aegon's story-within-a-story, this is what you're used to. It's what I'm used to. And it's not good enough. Here are its bones, Jon and Dany and the readers back home: build something better with them.

Aegon is a sword swung at Gordian's Knot, only for it to shatter. I think we are meant to see him as Tyrion saw him, that night in the Sorrows: perfect and frozen, staring at the Stranger as it crawls toward him with its hands outstretched, not believing until it's too late that it's for real this time.

The archetype crumbles into the abyss. Fantasy dies. Fantasy is born. Fantasy lives again. Aegon's bones are picked clean in no time, and the stories are prowling, hungry. Come on, step right up, who wants to be the hero? You? You? You...?

[safehavenlgbtq]

LGBTQ+ Playlist

Earlier this week we showed you a body positive play list, but now we have put together even more songs that our Talk Leaders connect with. This is our everything and anything LGBTQ+ playlist. It involves all identities and even songs about coming out. We hope you enjoy it!

Let us know your favorite LGBTQ+ song below!

All-American Boy -Steve Grand Animal Style -Murs Around -Russel Elliot Beautiful Day -Brett Every Behind Closed Doors -Matt Fishel Bored Of Straight Boys -Matt Fishel Born This Way -Lady Gaga Boy -Tom Henrik (youtube) Boyfriend -Tegan and Sara Boys Will Be Boys -Benny Brave Man -Will Young Cliffs Edge -Hayley Kiyoko Coming Out -Ally Hills Define Me -Ryan Amador Different -Naomi King Don't Wait -Joey Graceffa Everyone Is Gay -A Great Big World Finally -Matt Fishel Ghost -Halsey Girl or Boy -Dani Shay Girls -Beatrice Eli Girls/Girls/Boys -Panic! At the Disco Girls Like Girls -Hayley Kiyoko He Likes Boys -Simone Battle Help Me -FindingConnor (youtube) Him -Geo Loise Hold Each Other -A Great Big World Honey -Kehlani How To Know If A Girl Is A Lesbian -Ally Hills I'm Still Your Fag -Broken Social Scene I Don't Do Boys -Ellektra I Kissed A Girl -Katy Perry In Love With a Straight Girl -Ally Hills It's OK To Be Gay -Tomboy It Does Get Better -The L Project It Gets Better -Todrick Hall Kiss Like A Woman -MONA LGBT -Cupcakke LGBTQIA (A New Generation) -Matt Fishel Little Game -Benny Love Is Love -Trey Pearson Make It Stop (Septembers Children) -Rise Against My Body Is A Cage -Arcade Fire My Boyfriend Is Gay -Hailey Rowe Only A Girl -Gia On Your Side -The Veronicas Pink Triangle -Weezer Radio Friendly Pop Song -Matt Fishel Real -Years & Years Same Love -Macklemore She Keeps Me Warm -Mary Lambert She Likes Girls -Metro Station Son Of A Preacher -Tom Goss Spectrum -Boyinaband Start Again -Ryan Dolan Stay -Steve Grand Stranger in a Photograph -Tom Henrik (youtube) Tell Me A Story -Skylar Kergil (youtube) The First Time -Matt Fishel The First Time He Kissed A Boy -Kadie Elder The Gay Song -Lesbian Answers The Love You Have In You -Asbjørn Transgender Dysphoria Blues -Against Me! True Colours -Cyndi Lauper True Trans Soul Rebel -Against Me! Ur So Gay -Katy Perry We're Taking Over -Bea Miller We Stand United -Ray Isaac When A Man Is in Love With A Man -Of Montreal When Boy Meets Boy -Matt Fishel Who Am I -Ty Nic (youtube)

[wendynerdwrites]

Recovered Jonsa Fic#21: A Tourney Favor Part 1

Part of my fic repost project, here’s one back by popular request!

Normally, Jon Targaryen would not think much of the object in his hand. A silk handkerchief like countless others he’d seen courtiers carry his whole life. This one, albeit, is very fine: edged in lace, with a direwolf, a dragon, and the initials SS embroidered with soft grey thread. A prince’s life is often filled with finery, even for a second son born of scandalous circumstances.

It’s not the only one that has been offered to him, but it’s the only one that matters, and he takes great care in tying it to the wrist of his gauntlet with the forget-me-not ribbon his lady cousin also provided. He’s never been a great devotee of the lance, preferring the sword, but today he is determined to win.

A few yards away stands his older brother, getting his armor checked over by a squire. His ornate dragon helm is nestled in his arm, and his handsome Valyrian features are twisted into a scowl. About his own wrist is the black and red favor of their Aunt Daenerys.

Most men would be thrilled to bear the favor of Daenerys Targaryen, one of the few ladies in the realm whose beauty was not exaggerated. And Jon suspects that Aegon always intended to wear their aunt’s favor. Daenerys has been Aegon’s unofficial betrothed for years, and is a remarkable young woman, as strong as she is lovely.

But that isn’t the point. The point is the expectations Jon’s pig-headed brother had.

In particular, that he’d have the pick of whichever lady he wanted, and among them would be Jon’s cousin.

Lady Sansa of House Stark made her formal introduction to the royal court six moons prior, serving as a lady to Jon’s sister, Rhaenys. The fourteen-year-old maiden from the North made a great  impression, to say the least. She found herself a highly treasured companion of both princesses and the subject of many a song. People whispered of her blue eyes, red hair, full lips, and porcelain skin and declared her the first real rival to Princess Daenerys in beauty. She’d even been nicknamed the Winter Rose by the court.

Aegon had been among those who had paid her great attention, inviting her for walks in the garden, seeking her as a dance partner at many a banquet, requesting songs from the minstrels that were written in her honor.

It angered Jon immensely. Aegon had a habit of breaking hearts and disrupting the households of their sister and aunt with his philandering. Not formally betrothed, Aegon was free to promise any girl the world. In addition, there were his classic Valyrian looks, his polished charm, and his status at court. Women tended to be putty in his hands. More than one young lady found herself in tears.

At first, it seemed Sansa was to be another victim. To be fair, she had good reason to believe Jon’s brother’s promises. A match between them would make plenty of sense politically. She was connected by blood to three of the Great Houses of Westeros, after all. Three Houses whose loyalty House Targaryen could stand to secure. It isn’t as if Sansa was anything less than an ideal royal bride.

Jon, Rhaenys, and Daenerys wasted no time, however, in enlightening her to the facts. King Rhaegar is obsessed with blood purity. Though he was savvy enough to dangle his eldest son’s hand as a way to entice powerful lords, he has intended for Daenerys and Aegon to wed since Dany’s birth. Aegon knows this.

Jon suspects that his half-brother would take a certain perverse joy in humiliating a daughter of House Stark regardless. After all, his mother suffered great humiliation and turmoil thanks to their father’s obsession with Jon’s mother, Lyanna Stark. Aegon likely would have considered that the perfect garnish to a beautiful conquest.

After being enlightened, Sansa thankfully began keeping Aegon at arm’s length. She entertained him just enough to keep him from suspecting Jon, Rhaenys, or Dany of anything (the crown prince’s temper being notorious). So, just last night, Aegon smugly marched up to Lady Sansa during a formal dinner and, in front of the entire court, requested her favor.

He was not the first to do so that evening. But while Sansa’s prior refusals lacked explanation, the denial she served Aegon did.

“I am honored, My Prince,” she said demurely, setting down her fork and wiping her mouth, “But I cannot.”

“Whyever not?!” Aegon sputtered. 

“It is promised to another,” she replied.

“Who?!”

“Your brother, Prince Jon.”

At first, Jon hadn’t felt too excited. He thought it merely a convenient lie Sansa made up to get out of favoring Aegon and slighting Daenerys. Then this morning she came to his tent personally to deliver it.

That alone was a surprise, as normally a lady would have a servant deliver her favor. But his cousin sent his squire outside and moved close to him. “I’m sorry for springing that on you, Jon. I meant to offer it to you when the dancing began, you see.”

“Offer it to me?” He’d replied, stunned. It was supposed to be the other way around. Sansa blushed.

“I know it is a bit improper but… I wanted it to be you. I made this special, see?” She unfolded the silk and traced the design of the dragon and the wolf with her finger.

Jon almost thought himself dreaming. He still does. Sansa stole his heart the moment she arrived at court. He’d not said a word, fearing rejection, fearing that he’d appear to be one of many or worse, no different than his brother. But for six moons he’s dreamt of red hair and blue eyes. 

She’d kissed him before departing to join the other ladies. Just on his cheek, but that is enough to make his head swim.

He’s never won a tourney before, but he intends to today.

Jon has never been the braggart type, but he cannot help grinning as he prepare to mount his horse for the first tilt. He cannot help but move his right hand about more than he normally would. He cannot help but take in every jealous face in the yard. After all, it wasn’t just Aegon who sought this prize.

Of all the men in court, Jon wears the Winter Rose’s favor. Even his father had to solicit Lyanna Stark’s affections. Jon’s mother didn’t offer hers to Rhaegar. But Sansa has offered hers to Jon.

Jon cannot help but beam. He spots Dickon Tarly, the son of the Lord of Horn Hill, near the watering trough. Dickon was another who sought Sansa’s favor. 

“My Lord of Tarly,” Jon says, striding over to the young man and holding up his wrist, “Is not my lady’s stitching finer than any you’ve seen?”

Dickon reddens. “She made it herself?”

“Aye, special for this tourney.” He unfurls one of the edges, revealing one of the dragon’s three heads. “You see? She added my sigil to it.” 

“Very fine.”

“That’s enough, Prince Snow!” 

Jon cringes at the sound of Jaime Lannister’s voice. “Prince Snow” was a nasty nickname Aegon crafted when they were boys, the joke being that Jon was actually a Stark bastard. It had gained popularity at court. Many of the men in the yard laugh at the Kingsguard’s barbs, Aegon loudest of all.

But for once, the words and the laughter bounce off Jon as if he were made of rubber. He grins. “I do not think one can truly boast enough in these circumstances, Ser Jaime. But I can see how a man who has only ever boasted his sister’s favor might not understand.”

More laughter, louder this time. Ser Jaime reddens. Jon beams.

[thrashermaxey]

Ramblings: Hayes Contract, Iginla Retirement, Larkin, Giroux, Wilson, and More – July 31

  It’s almost here! Tomorrow is the day the 2018-19 Dobber Hockey fantasy guide is released. There are projections, articles from the Dobber team, and a whole host of other fantasy goodness for readers. Be sure to head to the Dobber Shop and get yours early.

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A special thanks to the contributors here at Dobber Hockey for making Bubble Keeper Week a resounding success. They do a great job of researching the topics necessary for our readers to succeed in their leagues and covering this topic seemed to help a lot of people make some tough decisions. Or at the least, helped provide a much-needed second perspective.

And thank you to the readers. I know there are some people that just like to avoid hockey for a couple months and you guys hopping into our comments, asking us questions on Twitter, and perusing are articles is what made the week as fun as it was.

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Jarome Iginla had his retirement press conference yesterday. Rather than rambling on (pun intended) about his career accomplishments (I’ve already done that), I thought this was an interesting story to come out from Sportsnet:

Brian Burke just told me on-air that before signing Jaromir Jagr last season, the Flames had long talks about bringing Iginla back, but chose to sign 68 instead.

— Faizal Khamisa (@SNFaizalKhamisa) July 30, 2018

Hindsight is obvious now considering how things worked out with Jagr but it would have been cool to see Iginla have his final season in a Flames uniform. He would have been limited, sure, but seeing the send-off the Sedins had in Vancouver was special and it would have been just as awesome to see Iginla do the same.

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According to Elliotte Friedman, Cody Ceci is asking for $6-million in arbitration while the team offered $3.35-million. Splitting the difference, barring a deal between now and the conclusion of the arbitration case, cap leaguers can expect Ceci’s contract to be about $4.6-million or so this year. He could be worth that in real-time stats leagues but is certainly not worth that in leagues that don’t count hits and blocked shots.

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There was an interesting article over at TSN yesterday from Travis Yost. He contextualized Brock Boeser’s rookie season to see what kind of comparable seasons there had been in the past. The name that topped the list was Patrik Laine. He then looked for comparable 2017-18 seasons for Laine and Boeser’s name topped the list. I encourage you to read the article to get the entire context, but Boeser and Laine were the closest comparable names for both.

That’s not what interested me, though. What interested me was the second name on the list of comparable seasons for both Boeser and Laine: Alex DeBrincat.

As Yost mentioned, having a season like they did will produce similar names. Nonetheless, seeing DeBrincat’s name listed alongside two players on the verge of superstardom has me excited for what DeBrincat could bring in 2018-19. 

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Reading Cam’s Ramblings from yesterday, I agreed with him on one point: keep an eye on Kailer Yamamoto. I know the team signed Ty Rattie and Drake Caggiula, but there’s a very real possibility that both Yamamoto and Jesse Puljujarvi are the right wingers on the top two lines this year.

Yamamoto showed very well in his nine-game stint even if he didn’t find the score sheet. The line generated a lot of chances and sometimes players are just snake-bit for a couple weeks. Puljujarvi was better than people realized last year, he just didn’t get a real opportunity to shine.

I’m excited to see the line combinations they go with in camp. It seems very plausible something like RNH-McDavid-Yamamoto and Rieder-Draisaitl-Puljujarvi is run as the top-6. Maybe they do stick with Rattie on the top line to start but I don’t see it as a long-term solution. There may not be a need to draft either Yamamoto or Puljujarvi in most fantasy leagues, or Yamamoto at least, but be quick on the waiver wire.

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Kevin Hayes signed a one-year, $5.125-million contract with the Rangers on Monday, avoiding arbitration. He’ll be a UFA after the year so it seems like he’ll be a deadline asset to trade. That’s a lot for cap-league owners, though.

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Replying to a comment the other day in my Ramblings about Evgeni Dadonov made me realize something: Dylan Larkin had 63 points last year, and only eight of the came on the power play. Not only that, he was the first forward in a decade to tally at least 63 points while shooting under 7 percent. The last forward under the age of 25 to do it was Brad Richards in 2002-03. That’s not actionable fantasy information, I just found that interesting.

Anyway, it’s not hard to see Larkin having a monster season this year. He had a career-best in individual points percentage but the level he found himself shouldn’t be a concern. He was at about 73 percent and the top playmakers and producers in the NHL, names like Kopitar, Panarin, MacKinnon, Hall, and Gaudreau found themselves in the 70-80 percent range. If the belief is Larkin is a burgeoning star (that is my belief), his IPP level isn’t a concern.

If that shooting percentage rebounds (it will; he can’t shoot 3.7 percent on the power play again), and he can boost his PP production overall, there could be a huge year coming. As always, the caveat is that my personal projections won’t be finished for another month (I don’t know how Dobber does it) but if Larkin pushed to be nearly a point-per-game player this year, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least. He’ll probably be on a lot of my teams.

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For as little there is to talk about hockey in late July, this tweet from Dobber kicked up a pretty good debate:

Claude Giroux is 30 years old. He will most certainly reach 1000 career points before he's done. Hall of Famer?

— Dobber (@DobberHockey) July 27, 2018

The topic of Hall of Famers from the current generation is one I’ve been thinking about lately. There are slam-dunk cases which don’t warrant discussion like Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Jarome Iginla, and the like. It’s the borderline guys who bring the debates. Guys like Giroux, Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza, Rick Nash, and Marian Gaborik. Before you yell at me, I’m not saying those guys are all Hall of Famers. I’m saying after the obvious cases, there are maybe 20 guys worthy of at least a discussion. They are some of the names on that list.

Anyway, back to Giroux.

He was late becoming a full-time NHLer, with his first full season coming at the age of 22. Was it really his fault they let him toil in the QMJHL and AHL before bringing him up? He had 48 goals and 112 points in 63 games in his D+1 year and 38 goals and 106 points in 55 games in his D+2 year. They had him start 2008-09 in the AHL and he was over a point per game for nearly half the season. While I don’t know the circumstances around keeping him off the full-time roster for so long (maybe Philly fans can shed some light in the comments), he appeared ready offensively long before he got to the NHL for an 82-game season.

Over the last eight years, he ranks 2nd in points (only Crosby is ahead), 5th in points per game (ahead of names like Ovechkin, Tavares, and Getzlaf), and 1st in assists. Those are very impressive numbers that span nearly a decade.

There’s always the question of hardware. There are zero MVPs, zero scoring titles, and zero Cups. Those things matter to HOF voters. If the Flyers win a Cup in the next few years, this is a different conversation for a lot of people.

The final sticking point is usually one of whether he was considered one of the top players of the sport at a given moment. I think some people might remember the Baton Has Been Passed arguments from years ago which were always silly. Giroux did have a five-year span (2010-2015) where he led the league in points. Guys like Crosby and Ovechkin were certainly still the impact players ahead of him, but of the non-generational players, it’s hard to look down your nose at a player who led the entire league in scoring for five years.

A final determination cannot be made right now, obviously. Giroux is heading into his age-31 season and there’s no telling what the future holds. What if he puts up a couple more 90-point seasons? What if he puts up a couple more 90-point seasons *and* adds a Stanley Cup? Or maybe he continues hardware-less for his career, 2017-18 proves an anomaly, and he returns to the production levels of 2015-17. Regardless, where he stands right now, outside of the guys that are clearly HOF-bound, Giroux is at, or near, the top of the next tier.

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I guess it’s time to weigh in on the Tom Wilson contract.

The first thing that jumped out at me: there really aren’t (m)any comparable contracts. We are looking for the following conditions:

Early 20s and an RFA

Low career goal totals

Low career point totals

High career PIM totals

Stanley Cup

Long-term contract with a significant cap hit

That’s why when I see a name like David Clarkson thrown about, it doesn’t really apply. He signed his deal after his age-28 season as a UFA. You can’t really use guys like Antoine Roussel, either (though seeing what he signed for as a UFA should give you an idea about the value of Wilson’s contract). There was this tweet from Jeff Veillette:

Chart for an upcoming @faceoffcircleca article: Here is how Tom Wilson's point production stacks up to what @CapFriendly feels are the most comparable contracts to his in the cap era, and how those players produced leading up to their deals: pic.twitter.com/agZ2nubbpr

— Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) July 29, 2018

None of the players on that list fits his description to a tee, but one sticks out: Andrew Shaw.

Shaw signed his deal with the Habs after his age-24 year, had never cracked 40 points, had one 20-goal season, and had two Stanley Cups. His contract was for six years at $3.9-million (which, again, despite cap increases, should tell you the value of the Wilson contract).

Anyway, that’s where the argument gets lost. The argument isn’t whether they are NHLers. Both Wilson and Shaw are good enough on talent alone to be on someone’s third or fourth line. The question is whether they are 100% worth the value of the contract, or 80% of the contract, or 60%, or 50%. Saying, “maybe they overpaid by $1.5M or $2M a year but it’s not a big deal” misses the point. Washington is a team with $1.1-million in cap space. Next year, they have over $67-million in commitments with just 13 players signed and Jakub Vrana, Andre Burakovsky, Chandler Stephenson, and Christian Djoos as RFAs. It’s a very real possibility that in 300 days they’ll need that extra $2M in cap space.

Again, this isn’t a “he’s not an NHLer” argument. He’s the prototypical cap-era fighter. A guy who can both throw punches and play with skilled players while not being an anchor to that line. The question is whether that particular skill set is worth nearly $5.2-million a year and whether it might cost them the ability to sign someone like Burakovsky in 10 months. We’ve seen this happen often recently with Cup champions. Players get signed to long-term deals and then when the cap crunch comes they get bought out, traded for another bad contract, or shipped out of town with a young player and/or draft picks to rid the team of the contract.

The Caps have their Cup in the Ovechkin Era. It really doesn’t matter what they do for the next decade. They could be a lottery team for years and the fans will always have this one magical year. And maybe Wilson takes another step in development, though at the age of 24, most players are pretty much done developing.

For fantasy, cap owners will have a decision to make. In leagues that count hits and PIMs, he’ll probably still be worth his contract. He’s one of the elite in both categories, and if he can continue to provide double-digit goals and 30-some points, it’s worth it. In leagues that don’t count hits or PIMs (especially both), he’s not worth it.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-hayes-contract-iginla-retirement-larkin-giroux-wilson-and-more-july-31/