#dun-jons and dragons
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my innate talent is creating d&d characters that will do nothing but piss off the rest of my intensely catholic party
#d&d tag#radio free junebug#dun-jons and dragons#the transmasc ex nun turned cowboy bounty hunter#the aasimar bard that rebels against the celestials by loving humanity#the demon who's just super sexy hot
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#only the truth#you are muh queen#i dun wan it#jonerys#targaryen#jon x daenerys#jon snow#daenerys targaryen#house of dragons#hotd#daemon x rhaenyra#daemon targaryen#rhaenyra targaryen#rhaegar x lyanna#house targaryen
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ok ok when I first saw the "laenor fakes his death" rumor I dismissed it as wishful thinking because, lol, this is asoiaf not ofmd, the bad explanation is usually the right one.
but I keep seeing it and... I can't help it
I WANT TO BELIEVE
first and foremost, killing off joffrey/laena/laenor in back to back to back episodes is uhhh quite the egregious diversity loss for a modern tv show. it's plausible the writers are aware of that and want to avoid completing the trifecta. think of the tweets. hbo probably did.
secondly, since there are screencaps of a fight, I have a theory that if qorl was actually sent to kill laenor, it will turn out he was sent by vaemond not daemon. (larys kinslay inspo icon.) the show already had daemon unambiguously jumpscare murder rhea. having him also kill laenor just feels... tired? it's not fresh, it's not exciting, it's not popping. in f&b after laenor's death, vaemond starts calling rhaenyra's kids bastards and insisting he's the rightful heir to driftmark. he's a plausible plotter. wildcard!
thirdly, and this is just personally entertaining to me, I would find it very funny if, after repeatedly insisting on his valyrian right to have multiple wives, daemon ends up in a two husbands marriage with rhaenyra and laenor. I would personally quite enjoy that reversal. (plus daemon is bisexual in the supplemental materials now, so, bonus.)
I'm prepared to be disappointed but...
WHAT IF
#house of the dragon#house of the dragon spoilers#hotd#laenor velaryon#daemon targaryen#yes yes i'm fully prepared to apply my clown makeup if it just turns out daemon kills laenor#but i dun want it#'but wouldn't that make daemon and rhaenyra's kids illegitimate if laenor ever turns up again?'#that's why you get valyrian married cause it's fine then just use that targ dragon power to remake reality force people to accept it#that's daemon's whole argument the first two times he tries to do a bigamy#third time's the charm!!#what's a few more bastards between friends it's fine#also it would have interesting implications for jon's legitimacy if the targ royal line is descended from secret bigamy#i'm getting too enamored of this idea i'm in too deep#gotta be prepared to let it go#tumblr deleted this when i went to post it i retyped all this from memory i hope someone finds it mildly amusing lol
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Tbf I’m not shocked you can’t picture what Jon’s show is going to be about. Y’all don’t think of him as his own character with his own wants or needs. He’s only there to be a one dimensional love interest for y’all. Don’t worry though the people writing the show actually care about his character.
Omg. Idk why you're so pressed. He always wanted a lady wife and Winterfell and he said it himself. It was a "hunger" as "sharp as a dragonglass blade." It's Aegony that made him one dimensional. If you mention last season Jon Snow, people would mock him with "I Dun Want It." That what they remember. Also, I can't picture it because I always thought he'd stay in Winterfell or just die. There's little theories of him being "King" Beyond The Wall. In fact, I know y'all don't have theories of him surviving after Dany died so why are you so arrogant? You wish he was dead. You don't care about him. Don't come here with your fake concern for his supposed character.
I love Jon Snow so much I wish he would marry a beautiful princess after slaying the dragon like the hero that he is. Like in the songs and it is called A Song of Ice and Fire.
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The key five are incredibly misunderstood by D&D, so very misunderstood. Think about it.
They turned:
- Bran into some weird mindless, one-note zombie,
- Tyrion became witless and made foolish choices that he never would have,
- Daenerys somehow became mad (even though her whole thing is *not* ending up like her father), in which she killed thousands of innocents for no fucking reason (even though she's all about PROTECTING THE INNOCENT, so, uh ????????)
- Jon went all I dUn wAn iT (even though his book version is incredibly ambitious to the point where he *dreamt of being a conqueror like his hero, The Young Dragon*) but the most understood seems to be Arya.
They had no fucking idea of what to do with her, and it showed. It showed so fucking much.
#they think her arc is all about vengeance when it's about family and identity#they think she lives to be a tomboy when she's a very obvious feminist#george literally modelled her after feminists he knew back in the 60s and 70s like ???????#ArYa WiLl bEcOmE aN eXpLoReR is said by people who dont know her arc either#you think someone who longs to make a pack and be reunited will somehow be like 'aw naw i should fuck off to bum fuck nowhere#even though i dream of home'?#NO#when asked about what she was reminded of when she smelled the candles burning in the hobaw she thought of HOME#someone who is so adaptable will absolutely NOT see the changes to Winterfell and think she should leave#she would not abandon her family like that#nor would she leave because things are a little different#asoiaf#arya stark#ramble
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God, I saw this one meta writer (who is good actually and called Dark Dani and was anti targ restoration years before the GOT finale) make a post speculating that Jon will find out his parentage in the crypts which fine and then was like "but why the crypts?" is it because 1) Ratgar's harp is in there, 2) L's bridal clock is in there (don't even get me started on R and L getting "married" lmao), 3) could L being in the crypts be a nod to her being a princess? And I was reading this thinking.....or maybe because Ned had a dead fucking body to store and a fucking crypt was the logical place to put it???? Like are people okay lmaoooo?? Anyway if Ned really hauled some harp from DORNE to the North as a nod to R and L's "great love" I'm glad Joffrey gave his head the snip!!!! One of the few good things Joff would have done if that was the case IDC LMAO.
"Rhaegar's harp is in the Stark Crypts" is going to haunt me to my dying day. Cannot believe how popular it is.
And it also undermines the fact that Ned buried his brother and sister next to their father, because it was where they belonged, despite the fact that most of the people buried there were the Lords of WF. Like, Ned breaks with tradition in order to have his entire family together again, and it's such a Ned thing to do.
Why would he bury the harp of the man who broke them apart, who imprisoned his sister who only ever wanted to be free with her???? (I will never believe in romantic R+L) Nevermind that Ned was on complete lockdown when it came to Jon's parentage, no way he's leaving a who-dun-it level clue down there. He was having enough heart attacks with Jon constantly yelling "I am the Young Dragon" at the top of his lungs.
The "Lyanna's maiden cloak" theory makes me want to gnaw my own leg off.
#And the parentage reveal is already set with short king Howland and his moving castle'#the harp is unnecessary#branwen answers
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WIP game! High Tide & Dragonstone plus Daemond :D
Hellooo!
High Tide and Dragonstone
It's a post GoT AU in which Dany is Queen (un-mad) and named Jon (they're not together) Prince of Dragonstone and Theon Lord of High Tide which happens to be vacant. On the beach at High Tide, Theon finds 5 dragon eggs. He reaaally wants to give them to Jon (past feelings), but decides to go the official way and tell the Queen about it. She takes two and tells Theon to bring the rest to Dragonstone, because if you're going to court a prince you better bring a really good present. Yes, Dany ships Greysnow (that sentence feels so weird 😂) So a few days later Jon is morosely hanging around Dragonstone (he dun like it) while Davos tries to cheer him up when they spy sails on the horizon. Is that a Greyjoy ship? Jon asks, and Davos nods, yeah looks like the Sea Wolf.
Well that's like the first 2 parts, the rest is pretty vague yet, but will involve Greysnow courting, and the important question: How to hatch a fucking dragon??
Daemond
....that's actually just loads of fucking. That goddamn EPC has annexed my head 🤦🏻♀️
Thank you for the ask 🥰
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“FOR HIS IS THE SONG OF ICE & FIRE” // HOTD S1 E1 Analysis
⚠️⚠️ SPOILERS FROM FIRE & BLOOD ⚠️⚠️
And we’re back, bitches!
Holy shit the pilot episode for House of the Dragon was soooo damn good! And that’s no question because the one’s handling the show are the very same people who took part in some of the best episodes of the main series. So far as a book reader, HOTD seems to be steering towards a very faithful adaptation to its source material, (with exceptional changes), and I am EXCITED! From the handling of its cinematography, to the beautiful dialogue, and the eargasm music. (I’ve been listening to The Prince That Was Promised on repeat while re-reading Fire & Blood.) You could tell that the people behind HOTD have made this show with so much love for the source material.
The first episode’s got so many high points to talk about, but for me, I wanna talk about my standout favorite scene, which is the “swearing fealty to Rhaenyra” scene. First of all, absolute GOOSEBUMPS. The music playing (The Prince That Was Promised) was used so tenderly here, especially when Visery’s chooses to name Rhaenyra as his heir. Hauntingly beautiful—I almost cried, lol! Sidenote: it’s quite odd how the show changed Rhaenyra and Visery’s dynamic from “absolute beloved daughter” to “never being enough for her father.” But more on that in a future post. (Careful for spoilers if you haven’t read F&B.)
This scene above, was my standout, mainly because of the implications it has for the books. One of my favourite things about ASOIAF, is not just the characters, but the worldbuilding. The lore. Which unfortunately was royally fucked and thrown into the trash bin during the main series. (Thank you DOUBLE DICKS! -_-t ) But now with this one, with GRRM at the helm, we FINALLY get the re-introduction to the fantasy, the heart of ASOIAF.
I know a lot of people give this whole scene flack for being too “forced and cringy” and also downright sickening because of how shit plays out in the end of the main series—but this particular scene came from GRRM himself. Him confirming that while, Aegon conquered Westeros to rule, he also conquered the realm because he had a vision of the Long Night; needing to unite the people for this cause. I honestly found it confusing that people were getting mad at George for confirming this “theory.” No offence, but I thought it was already well known that the Targaryens knew about the Long Night? Aegon “Egg,” Jaehareys II, Maester Aemon, Dany, RHAEGAR TARGARYEN???
Anyways, this scene may lead us to three things:
The writers know the main series fucked up so bad that they needed to retcon/soft reboot the worldbuilding.
They are preparing for the SNOW SPINOFF involving Kit Harrington. (Please on the old gods and the new’s sake!)
They are making HOTD tie in more to the books!
Honestly, all three is up for grabs, but I’m willing to bet my ass that the 3rd option is their true intention with showing us this scene. The showrunners and GRRM have repeatedly said in interviews and promotions that HOTD will be more faithful to books. And with that, will be canonizing some stuff from the books. In particular, the mysterious events surrounding the Dance of the Dragons.
That’s why this is my scene-stealer! This scene not only honours the lore, but implies of what is to come in the future books if we get them! It basically confirms that the show’s ending with Dany going “mad” and getting killed off like a rabid dog, and Jon being the “i dun wan it” king, and Arya “killing” the Night King will all go down far differently in the books.
Anyways, talking about the lore and this scene, one of my most despised moments from S8 of the main series was Arya killing the Night King. And before anyone comes for my head, my followers here know that Arya is my FAVOURITE female character in the books. So that is why I was absolutely appalled when she was the one dealing with the killing blow in S8. Not because she did it, but because her character/arc did NOT fit in line with story. The lore. Which is what it made it so awfully unsatisfying.
And now here, HOTD is finally making it clear, canonizing that yes, there is in fact key factors in who should become the Azor Ahai.
This scene never happens in the books. But it can be speculated that the Targaryens definetely knew about the Long Night considering so many Targaryens in the main series (books) know about it. They are in fact, educated on it too.
Basically, a woods witch (The Ghost of HIgh Heart) prophesied that AA would come from Aery’s “the mad king” and Rhaella’s line. It is the reason why King Jaehaerys II forced the two of them to be married. (Towards the end of his life leading up to the Tragedy of Summerhall, Egg had become increasingly obsessed with bringing back the dragons.) Which is why so many book fans have speculated that the one to end the Long Night will either be Jon or Dany, or both. Obviously with other key factors. And this ties in with what King Viserys says in this scene. (No screen shot)
“And if the world of men is to survive, a Targaryen must be seated on the iron throne. A king or queen strong enough to unite the realm against the cold and the dark.”
The one to end the Long Night, the one strong enough to unite the kingdom, will be a Targaryen. (Jon, Dany, Stannis, Rhaegar, etc etc etc.) The Ghost of High Heart has accurately predicted events in the main series, which only strengthens these clues, Aegon’s dream, Viserys quote. It MUST be a Targaryen.
In A Clash of Kings, Dany has a dream of Rhaegar Targaryen. He points out to her that the dragon must have 3 heads, and that “his is the song of ice and fire.”
“He has a song. He is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire. There must be one more. The dragon has three heads.
Most readers speculate that the reason why Rhaegar “took” Lyanna was because he believed, clued in, that AA must have 3 heads (2 partners, Visenya—Aegon—Rhaenys) and must be born of equal parts fire and ice. *wink wink* It’s the main series’s title. Lyanna being of the North, and Rhaegar being the blood of the dragon literally translate to ICE AND FIRE. Jon being the very product of this metaphor.
“Aegon called his dream, “The Song of Ice and Fire.”
In this scene, while King Viserys tells Rhaenyra this prophecy, this secret, we immediately cut to Lord Rickard Stark, kneeling and pledging fealty to her. When I noticed it, I was immediately on the fucking floor.
Add on to that the AMAZING soundtrack playing in the background, which is unsubtly titled, “The Prince That Was Promised!” (Go! Listen to it now on Youtube before I piss myself!”)
Same way how Miguel Sapochnik cut from the “Promise me, Ned” scene to “Jon Snow King in the North,” in GOT S6 EP10, he does the exact same thing here, but waaaay more subtly.
It’s an easter egg that only book readers will be able to catch, but foreshadowing for what is to come not just in the future of Thrones, but later in the Dance of Dragons.
This is the part that hammered it home for me. The directing was so subtle but adds so much weight to the story. And of course, great directing only comes hand in hand with great writing.
It’s no secret that one of the reasons why I’m team Black is because Rhaenyra’s side literally has the most number and coolest houses backing her claim to the Throne. And one of them being House Stark.
(Guys, I’m telling you, Team Black, the North, has some of the coolest moments in the Dance of the Dragons—and I hope the show adapts ALL of it! Lol.)
And one of those cool/pivitol moments involving the North is when Jace Strong Velaryon rallies the North & Winterfell to fight for his mother, Rhaenyra’s cause.
Jace is honestly a sweetie. He literally has the likes of Book!Robb but mostly Book!Jon in him. ❤️
Anyways there are rumours as to what truly went down at Winterfell when Jaecerys asked for Lord Creagan Stark’s support. But… one rumour suggests, (and I hope HOTD confirms it) is that during his stay at Winterfell, Jace fell in love and married Rickard’s bastard Stark maiden, Sara Snow.) 🥺
“They had spoken their vows Winterfell’s own godswood before a heart tree, and only then had she given herself to him, wrapped in furs amidst the snow as the old gods looked on.”
It’s a beautiful line, and a beautiful rumour because it also potentially ties in with *future parallels between two certain characters?? Maybe. It’s a dream of spring.
But it also adds in the weight of King Viserys words to Rhaenrya. See, in order for Jace to gain House Stark’s support for his mother, he made a deal with Creagan Stark, that a marriage would be sealed between their two families. This was known as “The Pact of Ice and Fire.”
The implications these have are that of something obvious. In order for the Long Night to end, there must be BALANCE. A Ying and Yang.
And amongst these ever so changing alliances, House Stark, and House Targaryen would always and forever be bounded. No matter how much history forgets, these two house would always find a way back to each other. Back to this pact.
King Visery’s begs Rhaenyra to promise him to keep his secret. To hold it dear because it is essential in the future. But what I’m thinking is that she does promise her father to never speak a word of this prophecy, and to protect it. But because of the dance, she forgets and it eventually becomes lost to the future generations of the Targaryens. Like how they kill the dragons, they also kill the dream, the prophecy. But when Dany’s dragons are born, magic is once again reborn.
Though, hidden, this prophecy does regain its relevance when The Ghost of High Heart reveals it once more.
This is where the speculation comes in.
This pact, would make a lot of sense because it might suggest that before eventually forgetting, Rhaenyra may have told this prophecy to Jace. And it is because of this dream/knowledge, that he is able to convince Lord Stark to becomes allies with House Targaryen. (Team Black.) Fighting not just for the Throne, but for the realm. To protect the people from the future end. And it’s sealed through a marriage, a promise of Ice and Fire.
And if Jace actually did marry Sara, then this pact has already come in to fruition once. It is a common theme in ASOIAF for history to repeat itself. But the bottomline is, that when duty is to be called, fire and ice, Targaryen and Stark will always be allied together. (That I think is Jace’s legacy.)
Not to mention the whole “Promise me, Ned, Promise me, Rhaenyra” parallel. With Ned’s promise, assuming R+L=J is correct in the books, ties well in with the prophecy. As Ned literally protects this secret of Jon’s true birth. Same as how Rhaenyra’s promise is to keep this whole prophecy a secret, and to protect it. This prophecy is built on PROMISE. Ice & Fire, polar opposites but two elements built to restore and keep balance to the world. All consuming, and never broken.
The things I love most about ASOIAF is the layers upon layers of storytelling you will find when reading the novels. And the same could reign true for the show too. It’s big, vast and complex. George has spent years and years crafting this story (seriously, how has he not gone insane yet???) that even after multiple rereads, you can still find new meanings under the text.
Obviously, I didn’t even cover half of what makes this scene remarkable. What it means to the story. But despite what others say, what others deem this scene as cringe or out of place, I thought it fit perfectly. It’s why it’s my scene-stealer out of all the wonderful scenes in the pilot episode. Because not only does it reintroduce this world to you, but it clarifies that yes, the main series made a mistake(s), but they’re going to fix it. And it starts with the heart of ASOIAF. Yes, there is scheming, murder, and sharp politicking. But it is called Ice and Fire. It’s a fantasy to its core, just with a touch of realism to balance it out.
(Anyways, this was a fun write up. It’s sooo good to be back after a long ass winter hiatus. So i’ll probably be doing these scene analysis essays weekly. We’ll see how I feel, lol! But obviously, they’ll be more in correlation to the books. CAN RAMIN DJAWADI PLEASE LEAK THE OPENING SCORE FOR HOTD ALREADY! I FUCKING NEED IT, GODS BE GOOD!)
#a song of ice and fire#asoiaf#house of the dragon#hotd#rhaenyra targaryen#house stark#house targaryen#game of thrones#daenerys targaryen#jon snow#jonerys
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Welcome to the 2020 AO3 Ship Stats Top 100!
This list shows the 100 pairing tags with the most fanfics posted on Archive Of Our Own as of August 2 2020. There are 68 M/M pairings, 19 F/M, 3 F/F, 7 Gen and 3 Other. (Please note that on AO3, ‘Name & Name’ indicates platonic or familial ‘Gen’ relationships, while ‘Name/Name’ is used for romantic and sexual pairings.)
Of the 200 names on the list, 26 belong to women and 3 to characters of indeterminate gender, compared to 25 and 4 respectively in the 2019 list. There are 52 POC and 7 racially ambiguous characters, compared with 46 and 8 last year.
For more information on this project, please see the FAQ post. You might also want to check out the Top 100 pairings of 2020 or the Top 100 Femslash Pairings. This stats series is also available on AO3.
A text-only version of the list is below the cut.
Rank Change Pairing Fandom Works Type Race
1 0 Castiel/Dean Winchester Supernatural 84563 M/M White
2 0 Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Sherlock (TV) 61544 M/M White
3 0 Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski Teen Wolf (TV) 59286 M/M White
4 0 James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers Captain America (Movies) 49659 M/M White
5 0 Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 40312 M/M White
6 1 Steve Rogers/Tony Stark The Avengers (Marvel Movies) 36264 M/M White
7 -1 Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson One Direction (Band) 33126 M/M White
8 0 Keith/Lance (Voltron) Voltron: Legendary Defender 30317 M/M Amb/POC
9 50 Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens) Good Omens (TV) 28208 M/M White
10 -1 Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester Supernatural 27696 M/M White
11 0 Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood Shadowhunters (TV) 24787 M/M Whi/POC
12 -2 Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime) 24333 M/M Whi/POC
13 0 Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung | V Bangtan Boys | BTS 23339 M/M POC
14 15 Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren Star Wars Sequel Trilogy 21306 F/M White
15 -1 Min Yoongi | Suga/Park Jimin Bangtan Boys | BTS 19851 M/M POC
16 4 Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Miraculous Ladybug 19631 F/M Whi/POC
17 -5 Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin) Merlin (TV) 18688 M/M White
18 7 Jeon Jungkook/Park Jimin Bangtan Boys | BTS 17867 M/M POC
19 0 Sirius Black/Remus Lupin Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 17686 M/M White
20 -5 Sherlock Holmes & John Watson Sherlock (TV) 17417 Gen White
21 0 Pepper Potts/Tony Stark Marvel Cinematic Universe 17384 F/M White
22 18 Peter Parker & Tony Stark Marvel Cinematic Universe 17366 Gen White
23 -7 Dan Howell/Phil Lester Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF) 17316 M/M White
24 -6 Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter Hannibal (TV) 17257 M/M White
25 21 Bakugou Katsuki/Midoriya Izuku Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 16824 M/M POC
26 -3 Kim Namjoon | RM/Kim Seokjin | Jin Bangtan Boys | BTS 16682 M/M POC
27 -10 Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel Glee 16175 M/M Whi/POC
28 24 Bakugou Katsuki/Kirishima Eijirou Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 15375 M/M POC
29 -5 Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies) 14736 M/M White
30 -8 Levi/Eren Yeager Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan 14304 M/M White
31 22 Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 14073 M/M POC
32 -2 Keith/Shiro (Voltron) Voltron: Legendary Defender 13925 M/M Amb/POC
33 -5 Armitage Hux/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren Star Wars Sequel Trilogy 13475 M/M White
34 -8 Gabriel/Sam Winchester Supernatural 13166 M/M White
35 N Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù 13132 M/M POC
36 14 Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor Supergirl (TV 2015) 13048 F/F White
37 -10 Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki Supernatural RPF 13046 M/M White
38 -7 Loki/Thor (Marvel) Thor (Movies) 12863 M/M White
39 -6 Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin The 100 (TV) 12750 F/M Whi/POC
40 2 Jung Hoseok | J-Hope/Min Yoongi | Suga Bangtan Boys | BTS 12668 M/M POC
41 -6 Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan Once Upon a Time (TV) 12286 F/F Whi/POC
42 N Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier IT (Movies – Muschietti) 12227 M/M White
43 -6 James T. Kirk/Spock Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies) 12015 M/M White
44 -10 Rodney McKay/John Sheppard Stargate Atlantis 11951 M/M White
45 -9 Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams Hawaii Five-0 (2010) 11750 M/M White
46 2 Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 11700 F/M Whi/Amb
47 -9 Clarke Griffin/Lexa The 100 (TV) 11651 F/F White
48 -7 Harry Potter/Severus Snape Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 11582 M/M White
49 -5 Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich Shameless (US) 11436 M/M White
50 -11 Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov The Avengers (Marvel Movies) 11340 F/M White
51 6 Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru Haikyuu!! 11155 M/M POC
52 -20 Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak Arrow (TV 2012) 11147 F/M White
53 -10 Clint Barton/Phil Coulson The Avengers (Marvel Movies) 10642 M/M White
54 -9 Enjolras/Grantaire (Les Misérables) Les Misérables - All Media Types 10604 M/M White
55 11 Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio Haikyuu!! 10486 M/M POC
56 -7 Mycroft Holmes/Lestrade Sherlock (TV) 10450 M/M White
57 -10 Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan Once Upon a Time (TV) 10301 F/M White
58 11 Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 10190 F/M Whi/Amb
59 6 James Potter/Lily Evans Potter Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 10125 F/M White
60 13 Kim Taehyung | V/Park Jimin Bangtan Boys | BTS 9891 M/M POC
61 -10 Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield The Hobbit - All Media Types 9875 M/M White
62 -2 Loki/Tony Stark The Avengers (Marvel Movies) 9781 M/M White
63 -5 Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones Torchwood 9666 M/M White
64 -9 Frank Iero/Gerard Way My Chemical Romance 9574 M/M White
65 -11 Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Doctor Who (2005) 9568 F/M White
66 5 Jeon Jungkook/Min Yoongi | Suga Bangtan Boys | BTS 9498 M/M POC
67 -3 James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers Captain America (Movies) 9347 Gen White
68 4 Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 9269 F/M White
69 -8 Castiel & Dean Winchester Supernatural 9122 Gen White
70 -14 Zayn Malik/Liam Payne One Direction (Band) 8967 M/M Whi/POC
71 -3 Fox Mulder/Dana Scully The X-Files 8825 F/M White
72 4 Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester Supernatural 8791 Gen White
73 N Dazai Osamu/Nakahara Chuuya (Bungou Stray Dogs) 文豪ストレイドッグス | Bungou Stray Dogs 8768 M/M POC
74 -12 Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper Sherlock (TV) 8560 F/M White
75 -8 Inquisitor/Cullen Rutherford Dragon Age: Inquisition 8175 Other Whi/Amb
76 N Aziraphale & Crowley (Good Omens) Good Omens (TV) 7928 Gen White
77 -14 Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold Once Upon a Time (TV) 7927 F/M White
78 -3 James T. Kirk/Leonard "Bones" McCoy Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies) 7855 M/M White
79 4 James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader Marvel Cinematic Universe 7724 Other Whi/Amb
80 6 Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto Naruto 7705 M/M POC
81 N Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou Haikyuu!! 7629 M/M POC
82 -8 Allison Argent/Scott McCall Teen Wolf (TV) 7592 F/M Whi/POC
83 N Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion The Witcher (TV) 7573 M/M White
84 -14 Dean Winchester/You Supernatural 7555 Other Whi/Amb
85 4 James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark Marvel Cinematic Universe 7456 M/M White
86 -7 Arthur/Eames (Inception) Inception (2010) 7397 M/M White
87 -10 Jim Ellison/Blair Sandburg The Sentinel (TV) 7366 M/M White
88 N Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 7325 M/M POC
89 9 Poe Dameron/Finn Star Wars Sequel Trilogy 7239 M/M POC
90 -6 Peter Parker/Wade Wilson Spider-Man - All Media Types 7206 M/M White
91 4 Kim Taehyung | V/Min Yoongi | Suga Bangtan Boys | BTS 7176 M/M POC
92 -14 Josh Dun/Tyler Joseph Twenty One Pilots 7082 M/M Whi/POC
93 N Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth Game of Thrones (TV) 7063 F/M White
94 -9 Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski Teen Wolf (TV) 7047 M/M White
95 -2 Jon Snow/Sansa Stark Game of Thrones (TV) 6939 F/M White
96 -15 James Bond/Q James Bond (Craig movies) 6897 M/M White
97 -17 Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime) 6876 M/M Whi/POC
98 -16 Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV) 6824 F/M White
99 N Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol EXO (Band) 6630 M/M POC
100 N Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren Star Wars Sequel Trilogy 6506 Gen White
#ao3#archive of our own#fandom stats#fandom statistics#fandom racism#fandom sexism#sexism in fandom#racism in fandom#fandom research#acafandom#slash fandom#femslash fandom#ao3 ship stats#things i made
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Victory is in Your Veins
Chapter 9
Day Two Hundred and Nine: The Dragon Queen
The bone-white spires of Vaes Drivi in the distance were a boon to her sore eyes. After her sons slew the riders in the Painted Hills, those that remained swore to follow Daenerys’ khalasar. Even thus bolstered by horses, travel was slow on the plains, waylaid by prowling shadowcats. Three horses had died from snakebites and the weak streams were not enough to water horse and man alike. Yet more time was eaten away by their Lhazareen guide departing to seek her own people. The shepherdess would tell her tale to the chieftain and tiger-eyed godswife who would travel to meet them at Vaes Drivi.
A headache throbbed at her temples. The sun was a hot yellow eye bearing down on them. She longed for water, for shade, for rest. Still, she had not survived two journeys through the Red Waste and learned nothing. Daenerys kept her spine straight and her grip on the reins easy. Khal Lanno had fallen before her sons, and the second best mount the khalasar had to offer was the dun she now rode. A strong, hard-mouthed stallion. It took a great deal of her concentration to maintain her seat. It was a tacit test on the part of the newest Dothraki. A khal must ride, after all. The dun too, was worn out from the long march with little water. His proud head drooped, ears lax and pointed outward.
“Khaleesi?” Kovarro said, offering his waterskin. Daenerys sipped. It tasted more like mud than water, but she was grateful for it all the same. A plume of dust rose. Daenerys rose in the stirrups and spied her own dragon banner gleaming in the harsh sunlight. Relief sluiced through her. Respite before they travel south through the Bone Mountains to Slavers’ Bay. There they would find soldiers. Soldiers to win back her true home.
~
Day Two Hundred and Nine: The White Wolf
Facing death as many times as he had, Jon’s sleep that night was deep and restful. There was no help in fretting. He would live or die. Gamemakers were notoriously cruel and unpredictable. She did not visit him, but Jon was grateful for that too. Dreams of her stirred longings he would rather keep buried.
“Valar morghulis,” Jon said under his breath. Not today. I have business to finish. Morrgys will die by my hand.
The routine was familiar. Jon woke to the screech of the key in the lock. A Twin fastened his chains, led him to baths. No costumes or varied weapons this time. Jon was given a tunic of unbleached linen, belted at the waist, leather sandals strapped up to the knee. Weapons too, would be easy to find and keen as pain. It was blood the crowd wanted. As an added spice to this elimination games, the slaves would be shackled in pairs. Morbo was chosen as Jon’s partner. The Twin snapped the manacle shut to Jon’s wrist with a thin grin. Their mutual dislike for one another was no secret. Jon eyed Morbo narrowly. He looked fit. Lean and strong. Lightning quick as most Dothraki were. Time would tell if he Dothraki would try to knife him rather than fight together.
Like everything else in Volantis, the arena was old and lavish—slaves labored day and night to maintain it. Towers of gleaming white marble, every thoroughfare line with painted statues of past champions, even the torch sconces were chased in gold. Fused black dragon road paved the horseracing track. Tiered seating towered over the white sand of the arena floor. The most lavish boxes overlooked the arena, closest to the action. Triarchs and princes often sat there cosseted by their slaves. To Morrgys’ disdain, Volentenes could even flood the arena to stage mock naval battles. In his master’s opinion, this was frivolous nonsense that mocked the true meaning of the fighting pits: to achieve eternal glory by conquering one’s opponent. Jon’s loathing for slavers did not negate his awe at the architecture. Westeros’s marvel the Wall would have dwarfed the building, but Jon couldn’t help but remember the sorry state of Castle Black. Even Bran the Builder would have marveled the grandeur.
From Morrgys’ telling, the arena seated ten thousand, the same as the famed Daznak’s Pit in Meereen. ‘The best games are in the world are seen in the three sister cities of Slaver’s Bay,’ the native Astapori said. Still, Jon could see the master was nervous. He paced as the slave cart waited for their turn down the avenue to the arena. Slave masters were said to draw lots to determine their arrival time, but Jon heard grumblings from the Twins that the lots were fixed and bribes were rife. Tycho’s master Azmeher zo Queknak was a third-generation slaver, and Meereenese. He also had three more of the most prestigious champions and thus, Morrgys loathed him.
Crowds were thick. All were quivering with the promise of entertainment. Hawkers threaded through the throngs with skewers of meat, loaves of bread, cold water or flagons on wine. The fame of experienced slave fighters lit a madness in some of the spectators. They painted banners, shouted chants, shrieked and tore at themselves when they fell. Tycho, as a prestigious champion, was some ways ahead. The din of the crowd shred at Jon’s ears. So many people. The people of the entire North could fit into this building. The stink and the noise . . . Jon lowered his gaze, seeking an inward calm. With each step, he was reminded of Morbo. The taller man took long, brisk strides, forcing Jon to speed his pace lest he be dragged.
From the upper tiers, wealthy children sprinkled flower petals down on the arriving fighters. Crushed petals released a faint waft of perfume as they walked. The chant for Tycho died down. Morrgys’ slaves began down the queue. There were a couple shouts for Morbo, or Drazhen, Morrgys’ Ghiscari spearman. Then a woman caught Jon’s eye. Free and Volantene by her dress.
“Zokla timpa! Zokla timpa!” The chant caught, echoing into the entrance of the cavernous arena. It sounded as if a thousand voices shouted the name Morrgys gave him.
White Wolf. White Wolf! WHITE WOLF!
From his palanquin, Morrgys grinned and laughed, as if the adulation was his own. Had it been for himself, Jon would have heaped abuse on their heads, cursed their mothers, spat at them. But the mob was often the deciding factor in a match. More than once, Morbo had been saved from a slit throat by the crowd chanting: Life! Life! Life! So Jon waved and grinned at the crowd, loathing himself with each step. As his eyes cast over the crowd, Jon noted the slaves. Some were cheering, some were silent. One, a girl in a leather collar standing closest to rope cordoning off the crowds, watched him with solemn black eyes. Jon watched and she held up one tiny fist and held it tight. Jon let the false smile fall and he gave her a grave nod. Missandei had held up her end of the bargain. Now Jon had to find a way to speak to the crowd. And also not die, he thought ruefully.
Horse races and other lesser matches filled the morning. Mostly criminals thrown in with animals. A couple matches with starving children. In the bowels of the arena, Morrgys’ four pairs of slaves were plied with food and water, guided through gentle exercise with trainers to loosen their muscles. Morbo kept the chain between them taut, hampering both of them. Jon cursed under his breath in frustration.
“Listen, rider,” Jon began in mangled Dothraki, “if we want to live, we--”
“Speak Common, krol. You sound like a simpleton in the horselord tongue,” Morbo said sharply. Jon lapsed gratefully into Common, allowing the dig to slide.
“Listen. I don’t know why we’re rivals. I don’t know and I don’t care. Do you want to live?” he said sharply, yanking the chain between them for emphasis. Morbo’s thick black brows snapped together.
“Yes.”
“So do I. We need to learn to work together. And fast.”
The threat of death was a potent motivator, Jon thought dryly. The next hour, Jon and Morbo tested the movements the chains allowed. While he could fight with either hand, Jon was thankful the manacle tethering him to Morbo was on his left wrist. Morbo would have to fight off-handed, but he was skilled with either. Jon nodded, anticipation drawing his belly taut. Soon. Soon.
“It would be easy to cut off your hand and slip free--” Morbo suggested, after their arms tangled trying to move.
“Cut off my hand? Why not your hand?” Jon asked. It might have been a trick of torchlight, but Jon could have sworn the rider was smiling. Jon snorted. Morbo shrugged.
“I have use of it,” he said.
“I have use of mine as well,” Jon shot back, “now just focus on using your godsdamned speed and we should make it out alive.”
Any trace of humor left Morbo’s expression.
“Elimination games are meant to keep slaves in line. Champion grows too popular; masters begin to sweat. Tycho has forty-one kills to his credit. Too many.”
Jon remained impassive. There was no way Morbo could know about what he and Missandei planned. A savage excitement kindled. Let the masters sweat. Sweat and begin to know the fear of who they beat and raped and abused for their comfort and enjoyment.
“Then I’ll kill him. Solve their problem for them,” Jon said bitterly. Morbo spit into the sticky yellow mud.
“Kill too many and you will be next, Ver.”
“Ilon vīlība se morghūljas syt aōha jaqiarzir, O Jaqiarzus Mēre!” {We fight and die for your glory, O Glorious One!} Jon uncrossed his free arm from his chest. He tried not to gawp at the sheer breadth of the arena. Yards and yards of perfect white sand, marred here and there by drying pools of blood. Wild beasts could be loosed from hatches in the flooring, he knew. The match before had been a pack of jackals against three women. The jackals won. And the noise. Gods, outside there had been some relief from the din, but hemmed in by arena walls, the cacophony of so many voices was like thunder, harsh in his ears. His heart thundered along with it, his palms slick with sweat. A glance darted left down the line of paired slaves. Where was Tycho?
The triarch of Volantis answered, though his voice was lost in the crowd’s enthusiasm. An orator scaled the stair near the triarch’s box, garbed in a ridiculous green tokar.
“Begin!” he boomed.
The slaves scattered. Looping the excess chain around his arm, Jon loped back alongside Morbo. Not many pairs had made the same accord as Jon and the Dothraki. By Jon’s estimation, half began fighting each other. Of Azmeher zo Queknak’s three pairs, one was arguing where to run. Another pair had one slave snapping his partner’s neck and yanking the chain off the corpse. The third ran in tandem—Jon couldn’t see the distinctive green flash of Tycho’s dyed hair. Where in the seven hells was he?
“Sword, Ver!” Morbo hissed in his ear. Jon followed Morbo’s gaze and saw the gamemakers had dropped pairs of swords at regular intervals.
“Go!” Jon shouted.
The two of them sprinted across the sand. Longswords in the Westerosi style, whetted to a keen edge. Yes! We have a fighting chance. Tycho was famed for his skill with a bravo’s blade, a water dancer. The heavier Westerosi sword would slow him. He and Morbo each took one and ran for a strategic position near the arena’s edge. Jon measured his breathing, his senses sharp. Jon tested the sword with a couple singing swings. It felt good in his hand.
“There! Go!” Jon said, pointing to a pair of slaves attacking another. It easy to knife them both through the back. He and Morbo struck as one. The crowd howled and jeered as the blows hit home. The ever-thirsty sand drank down the red blood. A grim pleasure kindled. He and Morbo had sparred more in the past seven months than Jon ever had with anyone else, save perhaps Robb. They knew each other’s fighting styles and spacing as well as their own. Of the attacked pair, one was on his knees, bleeding from a wound to the belly. A thickset slave slashed out at Jon. He parried. Once, twice. On the third swing, he was too slow. Jon opened his throat with an almost casual flick. Easy.
Something was off. A shift in shadow.
“Ver!” Morbo’s shout. Jon ducked and shifted right. The sword whistled through the air. Another pair of slaves. A burly one, Lyseni by the looks of his shorn silver hair. The other was Dothraki. From his knee, Jon parried a blow. The shock rattled up his arms, singing through him. Morbo moved to slash at his attacker. The chain dragged Jon left, mistiming his parry. The Lyseni’s sword caught him, a grazing slash along the ribs. Jon grunted, the pain sharpening his focus. He dodged a heavy overhand, then cut. Deep, along the groin. Jon finished the swing with an artful flourish. Gouts of black-red blood poured from the wound. The Lyeseni’s life measured in heartbeats. Jon left him to die and rounded on Morbo’s attacker, in time to see the Dothraki run him through. The cheers were deafening, hooting as blood gushed on the sand. The Dothraki bent and cut the other’s braid in victory.
A slight tremor moved through him. The thrill of a fight. Sweat stung in his eyes. Jon tugged the chain to get Morbo’s attention. Across the arena, several pairs were locked in battle. Where the fuck was Tycho? A flutter of movement distracted him. Above the arena in the stands, spectators waved banners. Several showed a green profile and crossed bravo’s blades for Tycho, a couple gold Dothraki horses, one with a manticore, and a couple white wolves.
“Come, Ver!” Morbo said, pointing with his bloodied sword to a knot of battling slaves. Jon pried the Lyseni’s sword from his dead hand. Another sword in his off hand would help his parries. He and Morbo struck in much the same manner, slaying another two pairs in rapid succession.
Another muscled slave, a minor champion from Pentos, was using the chain with the severed hand of his partner as a flail, killing one attacker. Several pairs danced around the periphery, unable to get close. One hacked at champion’s leg, opening a shallow cut. Jon checked the blow with his off hand sword. The chain wrapped around the sword, useless. The manacle thudded painfully against Jon’s wrist. He dropped the sword and followed Morbo as he traded blows with the champion. Morbo spilled his entrails on the sand, and Jon finished him with a blow through the throat.
By now, the two of them sucked in air greedily. Jon licked his dry lips, trying to ignore the sticky blood dampening his tunic, his burning legs and aching arms. Blood dripped down the blade of his sword to slick the hilt. He discarded the sword and took up a fresh one. Jon hefted the chain, an idea blooming.
“Let’s go!” Jon shouted. He and Morbo ran as another pair squared off against them. Stretching the chain taut, he ducked low. With a curse, both the slaves landed on their faces.
“Wai--!” one started to say, his blue eyes wide. Jon rolled the sword point down and thrust quick. It took strength the pierce the muscle and bone caging the heart, but strength Jon had. Morbo cursed. He swiveled, saw his partner clutching his sword arm. Blood wept between his fingers. Jon ducked an incoming blow. No time to pull the sword free. Jon caught the opponent’s sword arm in a loop of chain. He yanked up and out. The skinny Essosi’s arm snapped. A wet sort of snap. He shrieked and the crowd jeered. Jon smiled grimly. Gods, there was such relief in shedding blood, even if it wasn’t the masters. The slave fell to his knees. There was no fear in his face, only grim acceptance. He lifted his chin to accept Jon’s death blow. He was young, closer to Bran’s age than Jon’s.
“Find peace, brother,” Jon said in bastard Valyrian.
“Konīr āeksia morghon issi daor,” he said. {There are no masters in death.} Jon gave him the relief he wanted in a quick clean blow. The boy sank into a heap on the hot sand with a sigh. In another life, the boy would have been an artist, a potter. Then some master had beaten him into a killer and he died alone on the sand by Jon’s hand. Jon pulled the blade free, panting. Weariness lay heavy on him. A part of Jon longed for the peace of oblivion. But the red thing in his chest snarled. Rage and vengeance remained unquenched. Gods, had it been hours, years since that blustering fool shouted at them to fight? Somewhere in the seething sea of the spectators, master and slave alike watched. If they won, if he and Morbo were declared victors, what would he say to them?
Jon cast a glance around the arena. There were only a few pairs left. Not many left now.
“That scratch won’t slow you, hmm?” Jon said, nodding to the blood running in sluggish drops down Morbo’s left arm. He shrugged. The banter was pointed, but surprisingly light. Removed from the opposition of rivals in the training yard, Jon could see Morbo being something of friend.
“The bite of a fly.”
The monotony of it began to settle on him. Raising his arm to bring the sword down and through another enemy. The resistance of flesh and bone as he hacked. The heat. The sweat streaming down his face. His dry, sticky tongue. The ever-present head-rattling roar of the crowd.
“They pulled Tycho from the games,” Morbo shouted over the din of the crowd.
“Aye. They’ll save his death for another day,” Jon said.
“We sho--” Morbo began. A wet tearing sound. The red point of a blade emerging from Morbo’s lower chest. Jon’s cry of rage was lost in the cheers of the crowd. Jon lost himself in the red, hacking down the one who had knifed Morbo. He and his partner both fell. Jon decapitated one in a double handed blow, the other he sliced down the arm, the thigh and let the thirsty sand drink its fill. The savagery was unnecessary, wasted too much precious energy. But Morbo was dying.
“Ver,”Morbo wheezed, blood reddening his teeth and trickling in sticky threads from the corners of his mouth. The wound was a red hole, making a horrible wet sucking sound as he tried to breathe.
“Get up, Morbo. There’s more to do,” Jon said gruffly, taking the proffered hand. He cast a wild glance around. There were no more slaves near them. In fact, only two pairs remained from Jon’s count. Two more and they would win!
“My strength is gone,” Morbo coughed. His black eyes shone fiercely.
“Make them pay, Ver. Make them pay!” Be it the other slaves, the masters, or something else, Jon didn’t know, but he promised just the same.
“Look up. Look at the sky. The stars are waiting,” Jon whispered. The gate to the Nightlands and the god of his fathers. Morbo’s eyes looked up and he breathed his last. Despite his weariness, the diffuse ache of his muscles and his wounds, Jon stood.
“I’m sorry,” he said, sawing off Morbo’s hand to free himself. He coiled the chain and set off at a sprint, plucking up a fresh sword as he went. A hand-and-a-half sword, a bastard sword. Perfect for me. Jon and the red thing within were in perfect accord. Blood they would have. Buckets and oceans of it until they choked and drowned in it. He was intent incarnate. A savage wild thing. The crowd saw him, the noise tipping up to a fever-pitch as he slew one. And another. And the last with horrific ease.
“Zolka timpa! ZOK-LA TIMPA! ZOKLA TIMPA! ZOKLA TIMPA!”
The words beat in his head like the multitude voice of a god. He had won. He lived—but only after so much meaningless death. Jon’s eyes scanned the sea of humanity. Slave and master alike. He said only what they would understand.
“Death!” he screamed at the top of his lungs, raising his bloodied fist in the air
“Death! Deeeaaaathh!” The word was a harsh drawn-out scream from his dry throat. The cheering mellowed in confusion. Then somewhere in the throng, he heard it.
“To masters!” someone answered.
“Death!” Jon screamed again.
“TO MASTERS!”
The chant took on a life of its own, catching like a wildfire: “Death to masters! Death to masters!”
Fighting erupted in the stands. Foremen with crossbows ringed the lowest tier of the arena, aimed at Jon. He waited, standing stock-still, waiting for the blow that would kill him. It never came. Instead, Morrgys emerged from the shadows of the Gate of Life, with the Twins and a dozen bodyguards in tow. One Twin struck out, snagging Jon around the throat with his whip. Jon choked and clutched at the leather as red stars burst along the edges of his vision. Morrgys drew Longclaw. From the tremor in his wrist, he was unused to the weight. Weakling. His face was impassive, but Jon could see something cold grow in his piggish black eyes. Fear. Morrgys set the Valyrian steel edge of Longclaw beneath Jon’s chin and waited.
“Master, I didn’t—I---” air was precious. The black began to creep closer. All he heard as the black closed over him was Morrgys’ cold voice: “You’re lucky you won. All you’ve earned is The Pit. A month, if I feel charitable.”
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Hilarious how the most lasting legacy of GOT (besides snark at the ending), is S1 memes (sweet summer child, winter is coming, etc.) and the Lannisters: I can't tell how many times since GOT ended that I've heard references to Cersei, Joffrey, the Red Wedding, and the idea of the Lannisters being THE example of a fucked up family. Hardly anyone brings up Daenerys or dragons, and maybe "I dun want it" gets a reference but otherwise Jon doesn't come up either.
honestly the best part of the show was when it was the starks vs the lannisters. the only characters who came out of the second half of the show looking good were sansa and cersei
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problem solving: toting around the pc of an absent player in a fishbowl (she is a water genasi)
#radio free junebug#dun-jons and dragons#d&d tag#stanley downs’s terrible horrible no good very bad day
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I finally 😏 know how Jon feels about the throne.
House of the Dragon
i DuN wAN it
I do wanna know who Sansa heir was? What happened to the starks in General would be nice. And Tyrion did he marry have kids? Gendry? Just ugh 😩 what is the tax policy's
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The Watch: Why Did the Discworld Adaptation Do THAT to a Major Character?
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MAJOR SPOILER WARNING KLAXON! Do not read until watching The Watch episode 2. Also contains major spoilers for the Discworld novels Men At Arms and Night Watch.
Now that the spoiler warning is out of the way: why did The Watch kill off one of its main characters, Sergeant Detritus, at the start of episode two?
Sergeant Detritus the troll is one of the main characters in the Ankh-Morpork City Watch in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. He started out as a bouncer and security guard and had a brief career in the Disc’s even briefer dalliance with moving pictures, but he really found his calling as a member of the Watch, joining the Night Watch under then-Captain Vimes during a diversity drive, and progressing to Sergeant in the City Watch after Vimes took over both branches. He is one of the longest-serving Watch members, along with Commander Vimes, Captain Carrot, Sergeant Colon, Sergeant Angua, and Corporal ‘Nobby’ Nobbs.
It is quite surprising, then, to see his abrupt exit at the start of episode two, “Ook” (and it’s even more surprising to see him taken down by crossbow bolts, given that he is literally made of rocks). What gives?
Although Detritus is not the victim, there is plenty of precedent for the death of a Watchman in the books. Plot-wise, Detritus is more or less filling the role of the dwarf Sergeant Stronginthearm. Stronginthearm was introduced in The Fifth Elephant and killed by the serial killer Carcer Dun at the beginning of Night Watch. Carcer Dun’s character, motivations, background, time period… just about everything have been changed from the books, but he and his cronies kill Detritus here, suggesting Detritus is broadly taking Stronginthearm’s role as a colleague killed by Carcer.
The death of Detritus in the show could also be compared with the most affecting death of a Watchman in the Discworld series of novels, that of Lance Constable Cuddy (another dwarf – Pratchett really had it in for dwarf Watchmen) in Men At Arms. Numerous Watchmen have met their ends over the course of the novels, some before the story starts, several during the events of the Glorious Revolution of 25th May in Night Watch, and others, like Stronginthearm, here and there as the plot demands. Indeed, in Jingo, a voice from an alternate timeline informs us that the entire Watch from that other leg of the Trousers of Time have been killed, including Detritus.
But Cuddy’s death stands out because he was introduced, along with Angua and Detritus, as an incoming main character, and his death is rather more shocking and unexpected than most Discworld deaths. He and Detritus, after overcoming the traditional Disc rivalry of trolls and dwarfs, had become very firm friends. His death has a profound impact on Detritus, as well as the rest of the Night Watch, and his loss is probably the closest to the death of Detritus himself here in terms of its impact.
Detritus’ death, then, combines the deaths of Cuddy and Stronginthearm – a death that marks Carcer Dun out as a really bad guy, that has a major impact on the Watch, and that our remaining heroes must grieve. But the question still remains – why Detritus?
Cuddy and Stronginthearm, after all, were both dwarfs. For reasons best known to the writers and producers, The Watch has not included any dwarf Watchmen at all; both the deceased dwarf Watchmen have been written out, and Cheery Littlebottom, who was a dwarf in the books, has here become a human instead. Surely, rather than killing off a beloved character who remained very much alive throughout the Discworld’s 41-book run, it would have made more sense to include Cuddy or Stronginthearm and have Vimes saved by one of them?
The spectacle of the scene may have had something to do with it. In the show, Detritus rushes forward and takes not one but many crossbow bolts for Vimes, shielding his Captain with his substantial body – clearly, if a dwarf were to save him, the action of the scene would have had to play out differently, as they couldn’t have physically blocked the bolts in the same way.
We can’t avoid the sneaking suspicion, though, that this had more to do with budget than anything else. Looking to another well known fantasy show, Game of Thrones infamously stopped featuring the direwolves as they got bigger, killing them off as quickly as possible and simply avoiding showing Jon’s surviving direwolf Ghost even in scenes where the wolf was a crucial character. The reason was that putting the huge wolves on screen required a hefty dose of CGI, and the budget was taken up with the more plot-crucial and visually spectacular dragons.
Sergeant Detritus seems to have been a combination of practical effects (a man in a suit) and CGI, and must have been a considerably more expensive member of the Watch than the remaining characters, who are mostly human (with one exception). It’s possible that, knowing they needed to kill off a character early on to establish Carcer as a villain, the show-runners decided to axe the most expensive member of the Watch.
cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });
This is all speculation, of course, but we hope it’s not too much of a sign of things to come. Fantasy television done well is expensive, and having to make plot decisions driven by budget is something for which we definitely don’t envy the writers and producers involved. But television drama where the cost-cutting can be spotted and the characters are at the mercy of the budget is not ideal – here’s hoping the artistic reasons were first and foremost in everyone’s minds!
The post The Watch: Why Did the Discworld Adaptation Do THAT to a Major Character? appeared first on Den of Geek.
from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2MmugqC
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Even now thinking of Dany is empowering despite the vitriol, you know? I loved GoT and what I think of when I hear GoT is a revolutionary, vulnerable yet strong girl that rides dragons and gives a shit. Not Jon "I dun want et" Snow, not Princess Brexit, not Chucky Stark, not King CCTV. Just Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen. By rejecting S8's narrative I feel like I'm claiming Dany for myself, there's a power to it. A power that inspires me to be better and do good. D&D could never.
I desperately hope I get there some day.
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jonerys week, missing moment #5: bending the knee
The uproarious hooting and hollering the Great Hall erupts into after Daenerys legitimises Gendry as a Baratheon gives Jon an idea. Tormund is reluctant to part from his company, so boisterous and overbearing in his affection for the man he calls King, but Jon manages to remove the wildling's arm from its protective grip around his neck and brings himself to Daenerys' side of the table. He leans down towards her ear and whispers that this will only take a moment. She catches his eye when he lightly touches his hand to hers as he rises, gesturing that he wishes her to stand as well. He smiles at her and gives her room to pull her chair back. "Please, Your Grace, just follow my lead."
He brings her to other side of the table, capturing the attention of most guests present as the two most powerful people in the room move together. Jon addresses the people first, ensuring a lull in the festive chattering and cheering before he turns back to face his partner. He offers her another smile as she looks at him, ever so slightly confused by his actions, and it is as tender and full of admiration as always. He lowers himself to the stone floor on one knee and Daenerys links her hands together, now understanding what he is doing but somewhat uncertain of what to do with herself. She would smile wide and open at him if she did not think these Northerners might take it as arrogance. He is doing what she needs him to do, and she loves him for it.
“Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, I pledge myself, my sword, and my kingdom to you and your cause." A pause, another smile. "Long may you reign.”
For a moment the Hall remains in utter, captivated, torturous silence. Daenerys' heart plummets to her toes before it flutters back into position ready to burst as the soldiers, smallfolk and nobles inside these walls celebrate for her just as they had for her toasts to Arya and to Gendry, chanting out tributes for Daenerys Targaryen, First of her name, the Dragon Queen. Long may she reign!
Jon is a hype man and you can’t tell me he isn’t. If AH DUN WANNIT so badly then do something about it. So here, he does the right thing and publicly bends the knee to Daenerys during the feast in Winterfell. his bannerman are here as well as her own forces, they’re celebrating victory against certain death, and she had a critical role to play in all of that. now is about the closest to perfect a time as he’s gonna get to do this. why the hell wouldn’t he
frankly both this and tomorrow's are s8 fix its but this right here gets me heated. like my man......everyone....is right there...daenerys is off to the side clearly feeling unappreciated..Bend That Knee !
#daenerys targaryen#jon snow#jonerys#game of thrones#jonerysweek#reposting cause i just realised this wasnt in the tags idk why. probably my asinine meta tags...#i just wanted to say that i didnt feel well when i painted it so thats why its a disaster dang tumblr dont punish me!#cj draws
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