#i know they needed a way to show her favored enemy connection to dragons but poor vex

[grailfinders]

Grailfinders #332: Dobrynya Nikitich

today on grailfinders we’re saying good riddance to Tunguska and the year 2023, but not before getting one last build in! our final build in 2023 is none other than Dobrynya Nikitich, the legendary bogatyr dragon slayer. and dragon rider, it turns out. maybe even just dragon? tbh I stopped reading this event after the story chapter that was almost literally just every character gathering around to say the sentence “Koyanskaya is not Daji” over and over. I might not have a great handle on what Nikitich is, but I’ve got what she can do down pat, so let’s get into the build!

Dobrynya’s a Drakewarden Ranger to have a permanent dragon partner to ride, as well as a Champion Fighter for a meatier axe, and a Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer to grab her armor phantasm, as well as her later ascensions. I mean she’s definitely got a lot of draconic blood, it’s just all wrapped up in a pervert horse. oh god I just realized he's staring at her underwear in the FA art what the hell

check out her build breakdown below the cut, or her character sheet over here!

next up: wait a minute, didn’t we just shoot you into space?

Ancestry & Background

our first question of the day is, “what the hell is Nikitich?” our second question of the day is “do we really want to waste time waffling on what she is when Custom Lineage exists?”

answering no to the latter gives her +2 Charisma as well as Darkvision and the Strike of the Giants feat to fight for better working rights for meteored animals. or it gives you a frost strike you can do once a turn proficiency times a day to deal an extra d6 of cold damage and force a constitution save on whatever you hit, reducing their movement speed to 0 for a turn if they fail. I know the ice axe doesn’t show up until third ascension, but I think a treat is warranted here.

Dobrynya talks a big game about how tenuous her connection to humanity is, so she’s an Outlander now for proficiency in Athletics and Survival. Folk Hero would also fit here, but a dragon is not a beast in D&D, so that animal handling proficiency would be completely wasted.

Ability Scores

I’m not going to lie, this build needs a lot of stuff, so we’re just going to point buy things this time around. even then, it’s pretty hard to get everything where it needs to be. Strength, Dexterity, and Wisdom will be set at 14, the former two to be good with an axe while wearing a bikini, and the last one so we can multiclass, and to make your dragons’ breath a little hotter. Constitution is at 13 so we don’t die. meanwhile, Charisma is all the way down at 9. we’ll need to invest a little for multiclassing later, but she’s not the life of the party. that means we’re dumping Intelligence at 8. not much worse than charisma, but she does leave all the thinking to others most of the time.

Class Levels

1. Ranger 1: starting off as a ranger nets you proficiency in Strength and Dexterity saves, as well as Animal Handling, Nature, and Perception. I know your dragon isn’t a beast, but there’s Fou who… is probably an aberration. well, at least there’s Taigong Wang’s tapir, which… also isn’t a real animal… but there’s the sheep thing! yeah, I don’t think that counts either. so much for an animal sanctuary, huh?

for further bafflement, we’re actually going with mostly OG ranger features this time around. but if you’re going to be a dragonslayer, it probably helps to have Dragon as a Favored Enemy for advantage on checks to track and find out about them. thankfully, most dragons are pretty easy to track on account of their size and their tendency to hang out in the sky. that being said, you need to slay/mount a white dragon before this is all done, so getting used to the Arctic is a must. thankfully, you’re a Natural Explorer up there, so it’s pretty hard for your traveling group to get lost or slowed down. you can also track creatures a lot better!

2. Ranger 2: second level rangers get a Fighting Style, and the Dueling style will even out the damage differences between two-handing and one-handing your battleaxe. you really need to lean over your dragon if you want to hit anything, so a free hand to grab onto something helps out a ton.

you also learn some Spells this level- Hunter’s Mark lets you deal extra damage with every attack against a target for up to an hour, and you can swap it to another as a bonus action if the first gets ko’d. it also gives you another bonus to tracking the target down! it’s hard to get species-specific bonuses in D&D, but if you only use this spell against dragons it’s kind of the same thing, right?

also, you get Jump, to jump. getting onto the back of a dragon after every time you attack is rough without something to boost you up.

3. Ranger 3: at third level you gain a Primal Awareness of the world around you, giving you some extra spells as you level up. I’ve said it before that I’m pretty sure your dragon isn’t a beast, but it’s better safe than sorry, so you get Speak with Animals for free. you can also cast Longstrider now to dash as a bonus action. when your main way to attack is hitting things with a big piece of metal, some extra movement can be very helpful.

you also become a Drakewarden this level, which gives you a Draconic Gift- it’s Thaumaturgy and a language. thankfully, you also get a much cooler draconic gift- your Drake Companion. you can summon a small dragon as an action whose appearance and breath type you decide on. it moves after your turn, but it can’t do anything but dodge unless you spend your bonus action commanding it. you can summon your drake once a day for free, or re-summon it by spending a spell slot. since you can decide on your drake’s appearance and breath weapon separately, you aren’t shackled to ice-type attacks this entire run, thank goodness. tbh I don’t think we ever see Nikitich’s ride use its breath attack. it could be anything! it could even be ice! though we don’t get any breath attacks until level 11- right now, this just gives it a damage immunity, and it can use its reaction to add its element to a nearby creature’s regular weapon for one attack, dealing an extra d6 of damage.

4. Ranger 4: use your first Ability Score Improvement to bump up your Charisma to multiclassing levels. I wish we could keep this lower to match her… her, but we’ll make do.

5. Ranger 5: fifth level rangers get an Extra Attack each action, as well as second level spells! you get Beast Sense for free, but we’re more here for Magic Weapon. it’s not quite the glowy blue axe you get at third ascension yet, but this should help cut through dragons a bit easier.

6. Fighter 1: bouncing over to fighter gets you another Fighting Style, like Great Weapon Fighting. now if you hold your axe with both hands, you can re-roll 1s and 2s on your damage dice. with your dragon, giant strikes, and hunter’s marks, you can add a lot of dice to your axe.

you also get a Second Wind once per short rest, healing up as a bonus action. in most builds this is basically free healing, but even with the draconic wrinkle it’s still a nice addition.

7. Fighter 2: second level fighters can Action Surge once a short rest, adding an extra action to your turn

 this doesn’t give you more bonus actions, but it’ll be super useful later.

8. Fighter 3: third level fighters get their subclass, and as a Champion you get an Improved Critical, allowing you to crit twice as often. again, you can add a lot of dice to specific attacks, so adding them all to a crit just makes it even sweeter.

9. Ranger 6: now that we’re a couple levels in, let’s start talking about how we’ll take down Koyanskaya. if we’re going into Tunguska, we need to get prepared- that’s why this level you get another Favored Enemy in beasts and another Natural Explorer biome- forests. that should help with most of what you’ll be facing in there. probably.

10. Ranger 7: at seventh level you forge a Bond of Fang and Scale with your dragon, granting it a flying speed, and letting it grow large enough to ride on- though you can’t do both at once. it also starts adding elemental damage to its own attacks, and giving you resistance to the chosen damage type.

also, you can cast Lesser Restoration now. it’s not quite debuff immunity, but curing a debuff right after you get it is pretty close, right?

11. Ranger 8: for our next ASI, pick up the Fury of the Frost Giant feat for +1 Constitution, permanent resistance to cold damage, and when you get hit by an attack you can blast them back with ice, forcing them to make a constitution save to avoid cold damage and being frozen in place. you can do this proficiency times a day.

your Land’s Stride exists now too, so you can pass through any nonmagical terrain without worrying about being slowed down or hurt by plants.

12. Sorcerer 1: it’s been long enough, let’s ascend. as a Draconic sorcerer you get Draconic Resilience, giving you an extra 1 HP per sorcerer level (so. 1 for the build) and a permanent mage armor effect as long as you’re not wearing real armor, making your AC 13 + your dexterity modifier. it’s not super strong with your dexterity, but if you’re going to stand in front of 999 turrets this should help some miss.

you also learn some charisma-based spells! light and message are just kind of here because… why not. a lot of stuff in FGO glows for no reason, and if you’re on the Chaldea team they’re going to give you a communicator at some point. Blade Ward is another layer to your armor, giving you resistance to physical damage, and Sword Burst is spinning around in a circle. it’s a neat trick!

you also get a breath weapon a little early by casting Burning Hands. as a level one spell it’s pretty weak, but it can always be upcast.

13. Ranger 9: ninth level rangers don’t get a lot, but third level spells are nice! now you can Speak with Plants (boring) or turn that axe into an Elemental Weapon! this gives your weapon a +1 to hit, and deals 1d4 damage of an elemental type on hit. it’s not as good as hunter’s mark, but it does work on any weapon, not just your own attacks. also, flaming axes are cool.

14. Ranger 10: tenth level rangers get a third Natural Explorer biome like, for example, Mountains. sadly, “blasted hellcape” and “corporate office” aren’t biomes you can pick from- partially because they’re synonyms. that being said, if you’re stuck in the death zone you can use Nature’s Veil to hide yourself as a bonus action, becoming invisible for a round up to proficiency times a day.

15. Ranger 11: eleventh level rangers get their guts thanks to casting revivify, and your Drake’s Breath finally kicks in- as an action, you or your drake can breathe elemental damage in a cone, forcing everyone inside to take elemental damage if they fail their dexterity save. you can use this once a day for free, and you can gain extra uses by spending spell slots.

16. Ranger 12: now that we have multiclassing and feat stuff done, we can finally get a handle on your Strength for more accurate and damaging attacks.

17. Ranger 13: thirteenth level rangers get fourth level spells, letting you get in touch with your wild side and become a Guardian of Nature. there’s two ways to use this spell, but we’re here entirely for the first, turning you into a cat monster… turning you into more of a cat monster, increasing your walking speed and darkvision distance, and giving advantage and bonus damage to strength-based attacks.

18. Ranger 14: fourteenth level rangers get one last Favored Enemy, so let’s track down Koyanskaya and end that Aberration once and for all! (she is an aberration, right?)

if things go south you can Vanish as a bonus action, which despite coming later that NV, only lets you hide rather than actually vanish. you also can’t be tracked without magic, but you’re level 18, your enemies have magic by now.

19. Ranger 15: fifteenth level drakewardens have stronger breath attacks as well as a Perfected Bond, adding more elemental damage to your dragons attacks, and making them large enough to ride on while flying. on top of that, you can now spend your reaction to give yourself or your drake resistance to an attack proficiency times a day. it says “or”, but you can always be a rules lawyer and say it’s an inclusive or! I won’t tell!

you can also cast greater restoration this level, reducing the effects of exhaustion or removing one effect that is charming, petrifying, cursing, or reducing a stat or HP total of yourself or a party member. again, it’s not debuff immunity, but it’s the closest you can get in D&D.

20. Ranger 16: use your last ASI for more Strength. it’s not complicated, but neither is Nikitich.

Pros & Cons:

Pros:

I’m not going to sugarcoat it, I’m giving riding a dragon its own spot on the pros list. why? because riding dragons is cool, and you’re playing an RPG to feel cool.

as far as actual gameplay goes, you are fantastic at dishing out Burst Damage. whether that’s piling all sorts of damage modifiers onto a lucky crit, or action surging to blast a crowd with two breath attacks at once, you can fire off a lot of damage in a short amount of time. (also, while it’s technically not Rules As Written, you should be able to easily argue that freezing them in place with frost giant stuff would at least give them disadvantage, if not a force failure, on dex saves, forcing them to take the full brunt of 20d6 damage if you time it right)

as a ranger, you have a surprising amount of Utility for a mostly martial fighter, greatly improving your party’s time while traveling and providing emergency debuff removal and revivals. you’re no healer, but sometimes staying alive is a victory all its own.

Cons:

your multiclassing requirements alone use three ability scores, and that’s before we factor in the two other stats we need for the build to play well. all this means we never really get a chance to get the abilities we want high, which leads to…

weak spells that are easily avoided by enemies. your casting modifier for both kinds of spells is only a +1, so they’ll be whiffing a lot before you reach level 10.

we don’t even get started working on your strength, your main attacking stat, until level 16. even if we skip over the giant thing for later, that’s still not until level 11. you’re not very accurate for a majority of the build, let’s leave it at that.

#fgo #fate grand order #D&D 5e #DND #Dobrynya Nikitich #Ranger #Sorcerer #Fighter

[blurrycriticalroleposts]

#critical role #the legend of vox machina #vex'ahlia #vex #i know they needed a way to show her favored enemy connection to dragons but poor vex

[iheartbookbran]

Ok so actually my biggest problem with the whole “Daenerys will burn KL” theory—not even the Mad Queen Dany theory, which is of course very sexist for obvious reasons, but just like, the idea that Dany will ~accidentally~ ignite the wildfire in the city, burning it all to the ground. That, at first, doesn’t sound that bad, but the longer I think about it the more I hate it because tbh it doesn’t do anything for her character? And also… that fate for her is just down right cruel.

Like, the most frequent argument I see on why this would be at all satisfactory for Dany’s arc is basically that it would be a sort of lesson for her about the dangers of unchecked power and the real threat the Dragons can pose on humans and that she shouldn’t use them to fight against other people. And that’s all well and good, excellent message… except that’s not something Dany’s ever really needed to learn? Not anymore that her fellow rulers, which I will touch on more detail later, but in general Dany has seen what the abuse of power can do. Starting with her conflicting feelings regarding Viserys and how she recognizes that even though he was her brother and she loved him, he also abused his power over her as her older brother, her only family and her king; she feels guilt about the atrocities Drogo committed to the lhazarene and tries to help them; she feels so much guilt about not handling things correctly in Astapor that she decides to throw away all her plans to go to Westeros and instead stays in Meereen.

And about not knowing the true danger that her dragons can pose? I mean, this is the same girl that literally agonizes across several of her ADWD chapters because Drogon killed a child, and then takes the extreme measure of caging Rhaegal and Viserion to prevent that from ever happening again. I think she’s at least a little bit aware that the dragons can be dangerous, thank you very much.

Ok so this got long...

Anyways, the only time Dany legit uses Drogon to harm someone and not just as bluff was at the house of the Undying, where she was being attacked, and in Astapor… and like, lmao, that asshole Kraznys mo Nakloz and the rest of his slaver buddies deserved it. Don’t at me. Also, Dany’s hardly the only one with a big magical and deadly beast at her disposal, why didn’t Robb had to go through some horrifying traumatic incident to learn he shouldn’t use Grey Wind in battle to tear his enemies’ throats. Bran will be learning about the dangers of abusing power, but that’s linked to his magic powers and an actual reprehensible thing he’s doing, not the use of his glorified prehistoric dog to kill, which he’s done, just like Robb. By all means let the narrative hold Dany accountable for her mistakes… but her actual mistakes and not shit she has no control over, because she doesn’t have much control over Drogon or the other dragons even though she’s trying to, and that’s very obvious in her last ADWD chapter where she’s delirious and Drogon could kill her at any moment, and she knows that.

The other big argument people make for Dany burning KL (even if it’s by accident!) is that it will teach her about the price of war, that someone as young as her shouldn’t be leading armies and conquering kingdoms, and that fighting for the Iron Throne is not a worthy cause, and I feel like that misses the actual point of her story by a mile. First of all because a) Dany is hardly the only teenage ruler in the story and b) this is a fantasy medieval story, a lot of the characters shouldn’t be doing the things they do, aaaand yet. Also speaking of other teenage rulers with far more power that they should have—Robb and Jon, being the biggest examples.

Granted, Robb and Jon aren’t exactly successful during their time as rulers, they’re literally betrayed and killed by their own men (even if Jon will technically come back for round 2 of bullshit he’s too tired for). But the moral of their stories is not that they lost because theirs was an unworthy cause and they were stupid kids wholly unprepared for their roles. And I actually partially agree! They are just kids, including Dany, and they shouldn’t be responsible for looking after so many others and going to battle, but their cause is still just and worthy, even with all the mistakes they make along the way. Robb didn’t loose because he was wrong in demanding justice for his family or trying to protect the riverlands from the Lannisters and their minions, he lost because Tywin Lannister was a giant coward who couldn’t take him out in a fair fight.

Likewise, it isn’t wrong of Jon to try to incorporate refugees from beyond the Wall into Westeros. He’s not too stupid and honorable to do politics like his father (how I hate when people insult Jon and Ned like that), and while he did some very obvious mistakes that inevitably ended in a coup and in him dying, this is more connected to his inability to let go of his ties with his family (mainly Arya or who he believes to be her), and in isolating himself from his friends and the people he could actually trust.

I’ve always thought that Dany and Jon share a parallel narrative within the story, so while Jon is struggling with that Dany is faced with similar problems. She cages her dragons, that to her represent the only family she has left, and she tries to compromise with the slavers, marry a man she doesn’t love, pretend she’s ok with reopening the fighting pit. While she tries her best to rule wisely in Meereen, it all comes at the cost of betraying herself and her beliefs, so it’s no surprise when it all crashes around her and she’s betrayed and nearly killed. Ironically, it is Drogon who comes to rescue her.

If they are monsters, so am I.—Daenerys II, ADWD.

This is hands down one of my favorite Dany quotes from the whole series, and I hate that it’s been given such a negative connotation in the fandom, when for me it represents Dany’s humanity and compassion at the fullest.

GRRM has a knack for humanizing the ‘monsters’ of his story, for showing the good in the outcasts and the ugly and the scary. He embraces their ‘otherness’ and makes them the heroes of his stories; Arya, Bran, Brienne, Dany, Tyrion, Jon, Theon and many others are all compared to monsters or beasts at one point or another in the books.

Dany sees herself in her dragons, literal monsters in every sense of the word. Later on she faces Drogon inside the pit, and in that moment you could say that she accepts that ‘monstrous’ part of her, and in doing so she’s saved from her fate of dying at the hands of the men who would crucify innocent children and gleefully profit off of the suffering of their fellow human beings while watching them fight each other to the death for their own amusement. Now tell me who’s the real monster in this situation.

But shortly before that happens, Dany is able to see the humanity in Tyrion, an outcast who has been branded as monstrous and unlovable due to his disability all his life, a man who has come to believe in his abusers’ rhetoric about him so strongly that he’s started to act cruel and detached. She saves his life. She sees value in his life when few others would, because she cares.

I’ve always find it funny that the “dragons plant no trees” is—another—example fans use to argue in favor of Dany’s descent into Darkness™ because the actual scene goes like this:

You are a queen, her bear said. In Westeros.

"It is such a long way," she complained. "I was tired, Jorah. I was weary of war. I wanted to rest, to laugh, to plant trees and see them grow. I am only a young girl."

No. You are the blood of the dragon. The whispering was growing fainter, as if Ser Jorah were falling farther behind. Dragons plant no trees. Remember that. Remember who you are, what you were made to be. Remember your words.—Daenerys X, ADWD.

Now am I the only one who finds it at least a bit relevant that it’s freaking Jorah Mormont aka Jorah the Enslaver whom Dany’s subconscious, at her literal lowest moment, utilizes to represent this particular thought, which btw I’ve always interpreted as Dany’s own self-loathing manifesting in her, and this is something she’s actually always struggled with—the idea that she’s not enough and she’s failing. Because above all things, even Westeros or the Iron Throne, what Dany wants is peace, she wants to plant trees.

When Dany made her descent, Reznak and Skahaz dropped to their knees. "Your Worship shines so brightly, you will blind every man who dares to look upon you," said Reznak. […] This match will save our city, you will see."

"So we pray. I want to plant my olive trees and see them fruit." Does it matter that Hizdahr's kisses do not please me? Peace will please me. Am I a queen or just a woman?—Daenerys VII, ADWD.

But of course the world doesn’t work like that, and so long as there’s Jorahs and Tywins and Eurons out there, men who would take the freedom of humans and submit them to their will, Dany can’t have the luxury of peace, just like Jon can’t have the luxury of belonging and family so long as there’s people still beyond the Wall who need his protection.

And I think that’s fine. It’s fine that Dany failed, it will help her develop as a character and realize that there’s no room to compromise with slavers, the metaphorical monsters of the story who do far more harm than the other more literal ‘monsters’ of the story. So that when she has to face down Euron Greyjoy—who btw, there’s a high chance he will end up stealing one of Dany’s dragons via Victarion using Dragonbinder… y’know, as in enslaving one of her children and using said dragon to inflict god knows what horrors, yet not many people ever consider this for some reason?—she will know. When she has to face down the Others, the magical ice fairies with no regard for human life, she will know.

That’s why I believe that it would make absolutely no sense for Dany to have to go through such a tragic and traumatic experience like burning a whole city even by pure accident, over something that’s either never been a problem with her character or she’s well into her way of learning anyways, so it would just feel repetitive. As I have pointed out, she’s already reached one of the lowest moments of her arc. Not saying there will be no other blows for her, and probably the destruction of KL will be one of them, and knowing Dany she will feel responsibility over it no matter what, but that doesn’t mean she has to be the culprit, intentional or otherwise.

#yes i wrote this whole thing because i actually love the ‘if they are monsters so am i’ quote and i’m trying to push my agenda on others #jk i spend like half a minute in an anti dany blog and i was like. war #but i don’t regret it so #daenerys targaryen #stormborn #pro daenerys #asoiaf #asoiaf meta #a song of ice and fire #valyrianscrolls #meta #my meta

[ayuuria]

Yashahime Translation: Animage October 2021 Issue

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The Beast King’s Daughter

“Hanyō no Yashahime” depicts the battle of three princesses who carry the blood of a demon king. In ‘The Second Chapter’ which broadcasts in October, the one who holds the key to the story is another princess who makes a new appearance.

With overwhelming strength, Sesshōmaru and Inuyasha’s father, the Dog General, was known as “The Beast King of the Western Lands”. The three (girls) Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha inherited the said beast king’s blood.

Despite being inexperienced, Towa and the others have constantly grown in battle. In episode 24 of ‘The First Chapter’, an evenly matched battle unfolds between Towa and Moroha, enraged by Setsuna’s death, and “The Beast King of the Eastern Lands”, Kirinmaru, who is equal to the Dog General. Though Kirinmaru was injured, he successfully landed a single stroke.

Starting from ‘The Second Chapter’, another daughter of a beast king appears before Towa and the others. Her name is Rion. Surprisingly, it is said that Kirinmaru also had a daughter. Rion is an existence who for 600 years has been sealed in Mt. Musubi, which is said to be where the Dream Butterfly is. Exactly who sealed her and for what purpose? Just like Towa and the others, within her is likely an inherited strength of a beast king but her powers are unknown.

There are still many mysteries surrounding Kirinmaru’s daughter, Rion. While it is not yet known whether she is an enemy or an ally to Towa and the others, if she is willing to lend her strength, she will likely become a reliable existence to them as they shoulder many difficulties.

Character Bios

Rion Kirinmaru’s daughter who has been sealed within the barrier of Mt. Musubi for 600 years. It seems her meeting with Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha will move destiny but… …?

The Dream Butterfly The butterfly of the dream world. A spirit. It is said that when they appear in the real world, they devour people’s dreams and those who have been devoured become unable to sleep or dream entirely.

Higurashi Towa Sesshōmaru and Rin’s daughter. She fights with Kikujyūmonji, a demon sword with a blade created from demonic power. The attack she unleashed when she became enraged from Setsuna’s death took on the shape of two blue dragons.

Setsuna Sesshōmaru and Rin’s daughter. In episode 24 of ‘The First Chapter’, despite wounding Kirinmaru during their battle, the tables turned on her and she lost her life.

Moroha Inuyasha and Kagome’s daughter. When she puts on rouge, she goes on a rampage that ends quickly but when Setsuna lost her life, she managed to fight without losing her composure.

Kirinmaru The Beast King of the Eastern Lands. It appears he spares some leeway with the Yashahimes such as naming Towa’s technique ‘Twin-Headed Azure Dragon Wave’, but?

The Parent Needs to Pull It Together More!

Kirinmaru has considerably complicated child rearing. In contrast to that, Rion is a girl with a straightforward upbringing. I can’t say the specifics yet but when I see parent and child, as a father of a daughter in her 10s myself, I think “The parent has to pull it together more” and I also get a sense of “I guess even if the parent complicates things, kids will grow up on their own.” By the way, Fujita Saki plays the role of Rion. She also took on the role of the mean heroine in my previous work “Fairy Ranmaru~ Anata no Kokoro Otasuke Shimasu~”. Just when I thought I finally defeated her in “F Ran” (Shortened name of said previous work), I meet her again in “Hanyō no Yashahime”… … I felt a mysterious fate (laughs).

- Director Hishida Masakazu

I Felt Destiny from the Lives of Towa and Co. Director Hishida Masakazu 

Synchronizing With His Own Life?! Empathy Towards Towa’s Situation

— In the previous issue’s interview, Director Hishida, you said that you felt that “it was fate that I should accept” the offer for this current work which was memorable.

Hishida: I worked at Sunrise’s Studio #1 for a long time, but I started to do work for Tatsunoko Production in 2008. From there, I mostly worked at Tatsunoko but now Sunrise has called me back for the first time in 13 years. Just as I’m wondering what sort of work it’s going to be, they tell me it’s a work that carries on the world of “Inuyasha”, (the work) that taught me the foundation of production. Not to mention, the protagonist, Towa, is a girl who was flung from the feudal world where she was born and raised, to the modern era, and then returns to the feudal (era) again after 10 years. I felt Towa’s situation synchronized with mine and all I could think was that this was fate.

I’m about the same age as the director of ‘The First Chapter’, Teruo-san (Director Satō Teruo), and our careers are just about the same too. Teruo-san worked at Studio 1 for the longest time while I on the other hand, got thrown outside and came back… … I thought that aspect felt similar to Towa and Setsuna’s life (laughs). That’s why watching Towa and Setsuna’s relationship in “The First Chapter” was very tough. Like, they were such close sisters so why doesn’t she remember… …

— To change it to your position Director Hishida, it’s like “You returned to Sunrise for the first time in a while but the people you used to get along with have forgotten about you” kind of a situation.

Hishida: It’s exactly that! The current staff of Sunrise’s Studio 1 don’t know me, and they don’t thank me (laughs). You see, I was the one who revived the steppingstone for the “becoming a producer by being a production assistant” route that came to an end at Studio 1! There weren’t many before me but afterwards, there were a lot of people that took that route and flew the nest like Fujita Yōichi-kun, Watada Shinya-kun, and Kyōgoku Takahiko-kun! No one is really grateful so Fujita-kun and Kyōgoku-kun would always say to me “I should’ve crushed you back then!” (laughs). As I watched Setsuna not remembering Towa, I ended up remembering that.

— You seem to have an unusual attachment to Towa and Setsuna’s relationship (laughs). Well then, what sort of impression do you have of Moroha and Sesshōmaru?

Hishida: Moroha has a brilliance to her. It’s amusing that she inherited Inuyasha’s mischievous side, and she’s got a similar silhouette to Inuyasha as well, so I feel that she is a real eye-catching character. When Towa and Setsuna take center, the story becomes heavy no matter what, so it’s fun to watch Moroha soften the place up.

Then, regarding Sesshōmaru in this current work, I felt “He’s a father”. I bet in his own way, as a father, he wonders how to interact with his daughters. Even while carrying out a strict “trial of courage and cowardice”, he still concerns himself with his daughters which I feel is a little human like. I’m also a father of two girls so I can relate to him somewhat. In the last (scene) of “The First Chapter”, he purposefully hands over a broken Tenseiga to Towa but he wouldn’t do that if he didn’t care about them. He just gives a pass like “Do something about it with this” and I think that is also (a form of) training in a sense.

Also, drawing wise, the pattern of Sesshōmaru’s kimono is still brutal (laughs). “Inuyasha” was an analog cel anime back then so (drawing) that pattern was even more difficult. At the time, the suggestion “Let’s omit the pattern on Sesshōmaru’s kimono” was made but Director Ikeda Masashi opposed it. I didn’t understand why Director Ikeda was so fixated on that pattern back then but thinking about it now, I think it was the right call. Since it could be said that Sesshōmaru’s existence is one of two wheels in the work that is “Inuyasha”, he probably didn’t want to make him plain wherever possible.

The First Attempt At ‘The Second Chapter’ Storyboard Was Like A “Trial of Courage and Cowardice”

— Next, please tell us about Kirinmaru’s side. In ‘The First Chapter’, many of their actions were puzzling so by all means, any hints to their activity in ‘The Second Chapter’!

Hishida: At first, I couldn’t quite understand Kirinmaru, but once I heard he was a father with a daughter, I understood. While he is a person who’s thinking “I want to surpass the Dog General”, his feelings of admiration towards that man and wanting to show his strong side to his daughter are feelings that I completely understand now. Kirinmaru has had many mysterious aspects up until this point, but I’d like to depict his emotions in ‘The Second Chapter’.

Just like her younger brother, Kirinmaru, Zero has also become obsessed with the Dog General. In any case, she lives on her “love”. Zero’s womanly heart is a little complicated, but I also feel that seeing her persist with her earnest feelings for the Dog General is cool.

Also, I think the parts of Riku, who’s neutral towards Towa and the others, that were difficult to see up to this point will become clear in ‘The Second Chapter’. How he feels about Towa will be brought to the forefront, so I told Fukuyama Jun-kun who plays him, “In ‘The Second Chapter’ please go with a slightly handsome boy feeling route” (laughs). By the way, Fukuyama-kun was the one who played the main character in my director debut work “Onmyō Taisenki”. The name of the role (character) was ‘Riku’. ‘The Second Chapter’ is a story about the ‘fate’ that connects people together, and I also felt a mysterious fate from that.

— What did you think of production for episode 25 (episode 1 of ‘The Second Chapter’) which continues from the shocking last scene of Setsuna’s death in ‘The First Chapter’?

Hishida: It was such shocking last scene that I was overcome with the feeling of “Why are you passing the baton to me at such a difficult spot!?”! I truly thought this was a ‘trial of courage and cowardice’ (laughs). I did the storyboard for episode 25 myself, but coming into the work midway, it took me some time to understand the story, so I really struggled. Until now, the record holder for storyboard that took me the longest was episode 13 of “Gundam Reconguista in G” with 2 months. However, this time, it took me 3 months.

— To say that it easily overtook that “G Recon” (shortened form of “Gundam Reconguista in G”) that you struggled so much with (laughs).

Hishida: Yes. My worst record was brilliantly made new! However, on the reverse side, I thought with ‘The First Chapter’ ending like this, there’s no doubt you’d want to see the continuation. In that sense, they passed the baton in the best way so I should meet up to that (expectation). It was tough but I put my all into it!

— ‘The Second Chapter’ is loaded with things to be curious about aside from what will happen to Setsuna like Rin who’s sleeping within the Tree of Ages and Inuyasha and Kagome who’ve been trapped within the black pearl.

Hishida: I can’t talk in detail about that yet but I will say “There’s no way it would end like this!”. I would certainly like for everyone to look forward to October.

In the new key visual for ‘The Second Chapter’ that is overflowing with lively motion, the three princesses show gallant expressions with weapons in hand. What exactly is beyond Towa’s reaching hand… …? Also, when will we get to see ‘Sesshōmaru & Rin’ and ‘Inuyasha & Kagome’ standing side-by-side together as shown in this picture?

#Yashahime #Hanyou no Yashahime #Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon #translation

[platonic-prompts]

Creatures from Folklore: Slavic Region A-D

You ever need different creatures to base things off of, or just want some legends for a setting? Or heck, you ever just want to chuck a creature at someone and say you’ll figure it out? Well, do I have the posts for you. This one will focus on the Slavic Region but I’ll make more at a later date

Ala are considered to be demons of bad weather in several folklore, including that of Bulgarians, Macedonians, and Serbs. Their main purpose is to lead thunderclouds that produce hail towards fields, vineyards, or orchards to either destroy the crops or to loot and take them. They are very voracious and really like to eat children. Though one shouldn’t assume they limit their tastes to Earth, no. They sometimes try to devour the sun and moon which lead to eclipses and if they succeed it means the end of the world. People who encounter one may find their mental and physical health as well as their lives at risk. It is, however, possibly to gain her favor by approaching with trust and respect. These good relationships can be very beneficial since she (the ala) can make those with her favor wealthy and save their lives if they are in danger. Ala can take on many different forms: black wind, giant creatures with no distinct form, a monster either humanlike or snake like witha  huge mouth, a female dragon, a raven, various human and animal shapes. Ala can also possess people’s bodies. They live in the clouds or in lakes, springs, hidden remote places as well as caves, inhospitable mountains, forests, or even a huge tree. Usually hostile towards humans, they have powerful enemies capable of defeating them like the dragons.

Alkanost have an incredible voice, capable of making anyone who hears her song might forget everything in their search for paradise. A creature of good who resides in the garden of the gods or whatever version of heaven required, the alkanost has the head and bust of a woman and the rest of the body is that of a bird. Sometimes this creature lays eggs which assist in the changing of winter to spring. Basically she wouldn’t sit on her eggs just dump them into the Ocean-Sea and when they reached the bottom the weather would turn fair. Though i think that takes her out of the running for parenting awards.

Anchutka is a small malevolent spirit, residing most often in water or a swamp. Even without wings, it is capable of flight. One of its nicknames is the one without heels. This is a common theme to look for, as oftentimes evil forces have a limp. Though in some storied this spirit has lost their heels because they got bitten off by a wolf. This spirit is often a sidekick to a water spirit called Vodyanoy, and as such you should never say its name aloud since it will always show up.

Aspid, a type of dragon with a beak and other birdlike elements, resides primarily in the mountains, preferring solitude. When it invades a region, nearly always it caused universal devastation.

Baba Yaga: I’m pretty sure a lot of people know about Baba Yaga, the witch who lives in a hut with chicken legs and goes around in a mortar and pestle. She does carry a broom though, but she only uses it to sweep away her tracks.

Bannik is a spirit who rarely does any good for anyone. A mischievous spirit that has the appearance of an old man with long claws, he’s a spirit that inhabits the banya (steamhouse). Whenever people bathed in the banya, they would always leave on the third or fourth session to let Bannik have his privacy. They would leave him offerings of soup and regularly thank him. Bannik had the power to tell the future and if asked a question he would softly touch the askers back if it was a good future or flay it if it was a not so good future. Oh and Bannik, when angry, would claw off the skin of those who annoyed him. The banya was also the place of Russian childbirth, so there were measures taken to keep him from interfering. Part of the midwife’s job was to keep him away. And with good reason. Legends say that he ate or flayed children. So therefore the midwife would dip stones in the water and throw them in the corner to distract the steamhouse spirit.

Bauk hide in dark places and holes and abandoned houses. There they wait to grab, take away, and devour their victims. They have a clumsy gait and can be scared away by light and noise.

Babay, possibly the same thing as the bubak, isn’t often described so children will come up with what is most terrible for them. But despite this, Baby has been described as a black and crooked old man. When he is descibed he tends to have some traits such as muteness, lacking arms, or walking with a limp. He carries with him a bag and a cane. Baby lives in a forest or a swamp or a garden only to come out at night to walk the streets and scoop up the children he meets. He will walk close to windows and watched the children sleep. If they aren’t he’ll scare them with noises. Or sometimes he even hides under kids beds to take them away if they get up.

Błędnica is a forest demoness, who leads people astray before leaving her victims alone in the midst of the forest to die of starvation or be eaten by animals. She is usually described as a young and pretty girl. The only way to chase her away is to use strong spells or to sacrifice something at home or during your hunt.

Blud is a fairy in Slavic mythology. An evil deity who causes disorientation and leads a person around and around aimlessly.

Bukavac lives in lakes and pools, coming out at night to make a loud noise. A six-legged monster with gnarled horns, it would jump people and animals and strangle them.

Bubak is often represented as a scarecrow with a skeleton as frame, which is connected with darkness, it is a type of boogeymen used to scare children. The skeleton often is describes as wearing a heavy black coat where it hides the children it steals.

Cikavac, a mythical creature from Serbian mythology and it kinda feels like a basilisk but way weirder. This thing is a bird that has a long beak and a pelican-like sack. You can acquire one at the low low price of your sanity and clear face. For you see, in order to get one, you need to take an egg from a black hen which a woman now needs to carry under her armpit for 40 days ( is now a good time to note that chicken eggs hatch after 21 days or so) and one cannot confess, cut nails, wash their face, or pray. After that the cikavac would suck the honey from other people’s beehives and suck milk from other peoples cows and then bring it back to their owner. It would fulfill its owner’s wishes and it would allow its owner to understand the animal language.

Chort, a demon or a humanlike spirit in Slavic folk tradition.  They are not exactly evil characters. Yes they try to trick people into selling them their souls in exchange for useless gifts. Yes those people are carried off into hell. But they are sometimes tricked into doing such things as building castle walls in a day. Sometimes is depicted as trying to bring evil characters to hell. A small, hairy man with a tail, horns, and one or two hooves. But due to shapeshifting abilities, the chort is able to appear in nicer forms and tries to trick people while in them. Though these transformations aren’t and can’t be complete, so there’s a way to know if one is dealing with a chort whether it be by small horns in curly black hair or a hoofed leg hidden within high boots. Though they share similarities, a chort is not the devil.

Čuma, aka kuga, is a personification of the plague in Serbo-Croation myths. Typically appears as an old woman wearing white, though in some cases has been depicted as a young woman. Direct mention of them were avoided and were usually referred to by godmother or aunty. According to belief, they lived in a far away land where they came from to infect people. Due to their hatred of dirtiness, if they found a dirty household they would be eager to infect it. Due to this, if a plague appeared,every house and its occupants must be thoroughly cleansed. In addition one could make offerings to of food, clean water, basil, and a comb.

Domovoi are household protectors, generally seen as kind spirits though they would harass the family they protect if said family was rude or unclean. This usually took the form of pulling small pranks until the family corrected their behavior. While domovoi are shape shifters, most depictions show them as small, bearded masculine creatures which are reminiscent of hobgoblins. In order to complete his chores and to fulfill his duty of protecting the house, the domovoi would assume the shape of the head of the household, sometimes working in the yard while the real head of household was asleep. (Guess spirits don’t have to worry about identity theft charges). They were also capable of turning into animals, rarely taking the form of a dog or a cat. Another facet of the domovoi was their ability to act as an oracle. Predictions are as follows

Dancing and laughing= Good fortune would come

Rubbed the bristles of a comb= a wedding would happen soon

Extinguished candles= Misfortune would fall upon the household.

Dziwożona, a type of female swamp demon from Slavic mythology, sometimes called Mamuna or Bognika, who lived in the thickets near rivers and streams and lakes. Thought to appear with foul weather around trees and swamps, they are known for being malicious and dangerous, and usually were previously living humans. Several types of people would be at risk of turning into one after death, such as: midwives, old maids, unmarried mothers, pregnant women who die before giving birth, and abandoned children who were born out of wedlock. Some depictions include an ugly, old woman who had a hairy body, long straight hair, and I quote “breasts so huge she uses them to wash her clothes”. I don’t know what that actually means and I don’t want to find out. She also wore a red hat with a fern twig attached. In case she wasn’t weird enough, she’d watch women with their little children.  Just chilling around making the kid sick and making schemes to get the mother away from the kid when she’d replace the kid with one of her own, a foundling/changeling.

#i spent 5 hours on this #you better appreciate me lookigng through a bunch of stuff only to find exactly what was on wikipedia #info post #not a prompt #Creatures from folklore vol I #that's what im gonna call this part #part 1 of...idk 3 4 or 5

[theusurpersdog]

He Would Make a Monster of Me

In the same way Dany’s political struggles reflect her personal misgivings, the way she interacts with everyone around her is a reflection of her internal struggle. Through the bonds/professional relationships she forms with Daario, Missandei, Hizdahr, Skahaz mo Kandaq, and Reznak mo Reznak, we see several different sides of Daenerys, as well as further understand what appeals or attracts her. While Daenerys was always going to make certain choices, the way she interacts with people close to her helps to push her into being a darker person, more paranoid and less willing to help.

Skahaz mo Kandaq and Reznak mo Reznak

Skahaz, more commonly referred to as the “Shavepate”, and Reznak are the two advisors Daenerys has that are highborn Meereenese. The way Daenerys interacts with the two of them offers a lot of insight into her thought processes; while she has a general distaste for both men, Dany much prefers the Shavepate and listens to many of his suggestions, while completely ignoring Reznak, even though on the surface they are the same. So, what is the difference?

The Shavepate firmly rejects Meereen; getting his nickname because he shaved his head, swearing off the hairstyles that are Meereenese tradition. While Reznak is also loyal to Dany, he does no such displays of elaborate commitment. Both men try desperately to keep Dany’s favor, showering her with all sorts of compliments and never daring to speak out of turn, but the Shavepate realizes something that Reznak does not; Daenerys’ hatred of Meereen is easily exploited. Because of this, he is able to keep Dany blind to all of his schemes and becomes a much more valued advisor than Reznak, even though Reznak would be a much more trustworthy ally for Dany.

Before I get into how Dany being manipulated by the Shavepate affects her arc, I want to make the case for the Shavepate’s duplicity. A Dance with Dragons is so detailed that a lot of people seem to miss how he works behind the scenes, but the more you re-read the more it stands out. The most suspicious thing he does is the implication that he is the one who poisons Dany’s locusts; I won’t lay the case for that out here, because the Meereenese Blot essays have already done that. Of course, that’s not a confirmed detail, but it makes much more sense than Hizdahr poisoning them; and as I’m about to argue, fits perfectly in line with the Shavepate’s previous actions.

Every chance he gets, the Shavepate tries to lead Daenerys towards violence as a solution to her problems. When the Sons of the Harpy kill one of Dany’s men, he suggests torture:

“Skahaz, I have changed my mind. Question the man sharply.”

“I could. Or I could question the daughters sharply whilst the father looks on. That will wring some names from him.”

It’s implied that he’s been torturing people before this, but he escalates the violence by involving innocents this time. As I laid out in my last post, this does nothing to help Dany; all of the information learned from the torture is false, and only works to turn the Nobles against her. Yet, through the entire book, Skahaz fights to keep torturing. That only makes sense if he is trying to sow discord between Daenerys and her enemies. He also suggests to Dany that she kill Hazzea’s father to keep the secret from getting out; while it’s easy to argue that the suggestion was made in good faith, it’s equally likely he hoped Daenerys would get caught killing one of the poor Meereenese and turn her remaining allies against her. And even if the suggestion was made in good faith, it does not speak well of him that he would kill a man for grieving his daughter.

And when Daenerys is tempted by Xaro Xhoan Daxos to leave Meereen, this is his reaction:

Reznak mo Reznak gave a piteous moan. “Then it is true. Your Worship means to abandon us.” He wrung his hands. “The Yunkai’i will restore the Great Masters the instant you are gone, and we who have so faithfully served your cause will be put to the sword, our sweet wives and maiden daughters raped and enslaved.”

“Not mine,” grumbled Skahaz Shavepate. “I will kill them first, with mine own hand.” He slapped his sword belt.

Reznak’s reaction is the one you would expect Dany’s advisors to have; having turned their backs on the most powerful people in the city, Reznak and Skahaz should depend on Dany to protect them. Yet Skahaz encourages her to leave, not fearing for his safety if she were to abandon the city. That suggests Skahaz has many friends to keep him safe, even though he has never mentioned these powerful friends to Dany.

And, even more suspiciously, he slowly builds himself an army right under Daenerys’ nose, with her permission. The Brazen Beasts are technically sworn to serve Dany, but they wear masks and change every day, and she thinks to herself she has no idea who they are. In practice, they would be the Shavepate’s men; that’s made clear through Quentyn and Barristan’s chapters after Daenerys leaves, when Skahaz uses them to stage a coup. The more you go through Skahaz’s actions and analyze the advice he gives Dany, it becomes abundantly clear he has a lot going on behind the scenes - none of it particularly in Dany’s favor.

Yet she doesn’t notice any of it; yes, she has general suspicions, but she is much more wary of Reznak, even though he has none of the red flags Skahaz does (him begging her to stay is more than enough proof that he is loyal to her; if he were going to betray her, it makes no sense to try and keep her if she would willingly go. And it also suggests he has no other allies or backup plans; he needs Dany to stay). She overlooks Skahaz’s strange behavior because she wants to listen to him; she wants to torture and punish the Meereenese nobles so she lets him, and even though she isn’t seriously tempted to kill Hazzea’s father, she isn’t repulsed by the idea (as she should be) because a part of her wants to believe he is a liar and deserves to die.

Daenerys is very good at resisting many types of flattery, never being fooled by Hizdahr’s compliments or Xaro Xhoan Daxos’ proclamations of her beauty. But she is easily fooled by the flattery of agreement; she gives Skahaz far too much power because he shows as much distaste for the city as she does. In previous books, there were hints that Dany did not take kindly to being disagreed with, like when she snapped at Jorah or Barristan, but it was always tempered by her own indecision; when she asked them for advice, she genuinely didn’t know what she was going to do. But she knows what she wants to do in Meereen, and just needs someone to tell her it’s okay, which Skahaz is eager to do. By simply disliking Meereen, Skahaz can convince Daenerys to do almost everything he asks, while gaining status and power.

Daario Naharis and Hizdahr zo Loraq

Daario and Hizdahr are Dany’s two suitors through A Dance with Dragons, and the way Dany responds to them, loving one and feeling nothing for the other, is incredibly insightful as to what drives her. I talked a lot about Dany’s hatred of Meereen in my first meta, and her relationships with Skahaz and Reznak works as a great illustration of that; and on the surface, the same is true of Daario and Hizdahr. But, while Hizdahr’s Meereenese ties definitely influences Dany’s opinions of him, her apathy towards him isn’t driven by it; she isn’t attracted to him because she simply isn’t. Yet she feels an almost magnetic pull to Daario. This contrast is very telling.

The relationship Dany has with Hizdahr is notable for how little is actually there. Through her chapters, much is made over the marriage that may or may not happen, depending on Hizdahr following through with 90 peaceful days, but almost all of the thoughts Dany has focus more on the idea of marriage itself, and how that would ruin her relationship with Daario; Hizdahr himself isn’t very important to her. Unlike everything else connected to Meereen, which Dany absolutely hates, she feels nothing strongly (positive or negative) about Hizdahr; perhaps because he is quick to disassociate himself from traditional Meereenese things, shaving his hair, abandoning his tokar, offering to marry her, quickly obliging to the requests she makes to change the wedding customs, and so on. She thinks to herself how annoying it is that he always asks about the fighting pits, but in a playful way that is more jest than anger. I say all of this to make one thing clear: Daenerys has no moral issue with Hizdahr. He may or may not be a better or worse person than Daario, considering he owned slaves and is looking out for himself in stopping the killings and going along with Dany, but that’s not what turns her off to him (it does bother her when they attend the fighting pits together, but that is after they have entered a loveless marriage). Throughout her chapters, she thinks to herself that he is handsome and well-spoken, even charming. She just doesn’t love him:

Hizdahr took her by the shoulders as tenderly as if she were a baby bird. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to hers. His kiss was light and dry and quick. Dany felt no stirrings.

"Shall I … kiss you again?" he asked when it was over.

"No." On her terrace, in her bathing pool, the little fish would nibble at her legs as she soaked. Even they kissed with more fervor than Hizdahr zo Loraq. "I do not love you."

Oppositely, Daenerys is passionately in love with Daario, who she does have moral issue with:

“He would make a monster of me,” she whispered, “a butcher queen.”

He has a sellsword’s conscience, she realized then. That is to say, none at all.

Further, Daario’s amorality is what she finds attractive in him. GRRM’s POV structure means that we see the world through Dany’s eyes, therefore everything we know is filtered through her understanding; and all we know of Daario is his outlandish physical appearance, that he is a sellsword, and that he is a terrible person. Dany doesn’t know anything about his life, how he grew up, or any other personal details.

Barristan brushes this off as young girls always wanting the hottest, flashiest man to be with (which says a lot more about him than her. . .), but there is a lot more going on. A huge part of why she is attracted to Daario is how guiltless he is. As I’ve tried to detail through all the books, Dany has these impulses to “be a dragon”, to sack cities and conquer continents, burning whoever gets in her way; the only problem being how awful she feels about the collateral damage. I’ll get into it even more in my next meta, but Daario is very similar to Daenerys, but he has none of the moral hang-ups she does. He is living proof that her worst impulses are okay. So, after Hazzea’s death, when she is questioning her own morality for allowing that to happen and has to chain her dragons, she uses Daario as an escape.

She knows that she could never sleep with him or marry him, and at first barely allows herself to think of him; she intentionally sends him away from her, and only lets herself lust after him but not act on those feelings. But the more she has to commit to Meereen, the more she begins to break her own rules. And when she has to make the ultimate sacrifice and commitment to Meereen in marrying Hizdahr, she finally gives in and sleeps with Daario. The more Daenerys gives to Meereen, the more she allows herself to escape into Daario. This isn’t strictly bad – Daenerys is giving a lot to Meereen, and everyone needs some way of escaping.

But Daario isn’t a pure escape as much as he’s an excuse. At the end of A Storm of Swords, Daenerys makes the choice to stay in Meereen, temporarily giving up her pursuit of the Iron Throne. But when she made that choice, she didn’t fully understand the weight of it, thinking she could still be the mother of dragons. But Hazzea’s death makes her realize that she has to give up that part of herself; and from that moment forward, everything Dany does in Meereen is one more piece she has to give away. And on the surface, she is giving these pieces away, sacrificing her dragon nature for the good of her people. But the more pieces she gives away, the more intense her affair grows with Daario. The more she ties herself to the city, the more she withdraws from it:

On the day that he returned from his latest sortie, he had tossed the head of a Yunkish lord at her feet and kissed her in the hall for all the world to see, until Barristan Selmy pulled the two of them apart.

Daenerys’ dragons are too big a temptation for her to really give up, and Daario is the way she holds onto that piece of herself. And while she feels forced into giving up her dragons, mostly by her own feelings of guilt, Daario never makes her feel ashamed of that part of herself:

And who would ever dare to love a dragon?

She found herself thinking of Daario Naharis once again

Missandei

The relationship between Daenerys and Missandei is one of the most complex bonds Daenerys has, and is one of many that pulls her in two different directions. Missandei looks up to Dany as a mother, and even convinces Daenerys to see herself that way. But underneath the maternal themes of their relationship, it reveals how inherently childlike Daenerys still is at heart, in both good and bad ways.

When I say “childlike”, I don’t mean immature, petulant, or stupid. The way Daenerys interacts with Irri and Jhiqui is much better at illustrating those aspects of Dany’s character, since her handmaidens are similar in age to her, yet Dany treats them very different than she treats herself. In her first chapter, she thinks this:

Dothraki were wise where horses were concerned, but could be utter fools about much else. They are only girls, besides. Her handmaids were of an age with her

Daenerys is often dismissive of Irri and Jhiqui, largely because of their age, yet doesn’t see herself as a young girl even though they are the same age. She can see all the flaws of youth in her handmaidens, but can’t see them in herself. This is best on display when Irri and Jhiqui argue over Rakharo:

“Rakharo is blood of my blood. His life belongs to me, not you,” Dany told the two of them. Rakharo had grown almost half a foot during his time away from Meereen and returned with arms and legs thick with muscle and four bells in his hair. He towered over Aggo and Jhogo now, as her handmaids had both noticed. “Now be quiet, I need to bathe.”

Daenerys’ impatience with Irri and Jhiqui’s crush is intensely hypocritical, considering her own near-obsession with Daario Naharis.

But her relationship with Missandei brings out a different kind of inner child in Daenerys, and the way the two interact is fascinating. In Meereen, Dany is constantly arguing with everyone; Skahaz and Reznak are out for themselves and she fights with them often, Hizdahr tries to make her more Meereenese, Daario tries the opposite, and Barristan pushes her toward Westeros. Amongst all the fighting, Missandei is the only one who always agrees with Dany:

Only the little scribe Missandei seemed to share the queen's misgivings.

only Missandei seemed to hear

The way that Daenerys and Missandei always agree draws an interesting connection; to see through Dany’s eyes is to see through the eyes of an eleven-year-old girl. This isn’t entirely bad; Dany looks at things with a clarity that only children can. She can look at something horrible, like the Unsullied in Astapor, or the poor Lhazareen women, and instantly feel sick over it; unlike the adults around her, who find it easy to justify horror. And when the sick people from Astapor are outside the walls of Meereen, it allows Dany to be the only one unconflicted about helping them.

But it can also be an extremely negative character trait. The same clarity that Dany uses to help people also forces her into a certain simplicity; children see the word in black and white. She fails to see her own responsibility in what happened to the Lhazareen women, fails to see the patterns she perpetuates with the Unsullied, and so on. Particularly in Meereen, this becomes a problem. In Dany’s eyes, her deciding to stay should be the end of her problems; she chose to do the right thing, so why is everyone fighting her on it? She doesn’t understand that even though the city being taken from the Masters was a good thing, the savage way it was done leaves scars. Looking all the way back to A Game of Thrones, it’s clear that Daenerys doesn’t understand that sometimes doing the right thing is hard. She spends the whole book trying to fight this truth about herself, constantly trying to seem, to be, older than she is. But she can’t, because it is the only reason she chose to stay in Meereen:

“I was tired, Jorah. I was weary of war. I wanted to rest, to laugh, to plant trees and see them grow. I am only a young girl.”

Back when I wrote about A Storm of Swords, I said Daenerys may not be capable of happiness; the same pervasive melancholy that defined Rhaegar seemed to follow Daenerys, too. And this is why: the young girl in her wants too many different things. She’s impatient and selfish, wanting to take what is hers, to sail to Westeros and sit the Iron Throne. But the conquest makes her feel tired and weary; war does not sit with her. So she tries, many times through every book, for peace; but peace does not sit with her either. She cannot be happy. Unless something breaks; a piece of her gives up, making way for her other desires.

Betrayals

In every relationship she has, Daenerys is constantly searching for signs of betrayal. Since the House of the Undying, she knows she is destined for two more betrayals (under the assumption Mirri Maz Duur was the first), and when Ser Jorah’s treason was revealed at the end of A Storm of Swords, Daenerys starts to grow genuinely paranoid:

“What if Daario has betrayed me and gone over to my enemies?”

Other nights she tossed in her bed, imagining that he'd betrayed her, as he had once betrayed his fellow captains in the Stormcrows

Has Reznak made common cause with Hizdahr and the Green Grace and set some trap to snare me?

The Undying of Qarth had told her she would be thrice betrayed. Mirri Maz Duur had been the first, Ser Jorah the second. Would Reznak be the third? The Shavepate? Daario? Or will it be someone I would never suspect, Ser Barristan or Grey Worm or Missandei?

It gets to the point that all Daenerys can see is potential slights against her:

The tumblers who came next failed to move her either, even when they formed a human pyramid nine levels high, with a naked little girl on top. Is that meant to represent my pyramid? The queen wondered. Is the girl on top meant to be me?

Daenerys has been worried ever since Mirri Maz Duur “betrayed” her, and the Undying made it worse, but the precarious politics of Meereen serve to push Daenerys over the edge, where she has trouble trusting anything and starts to treat people in a way that would cause their betrayals.

Foreshadowing

Quaithe reappearing in Dany’s life instigates her obsession with prophecies and betrayals by giving her a new set of riddles:

“Hear me, Daenerys Targaryen. The glass candles are burning. Soon comes the pale mare, and after her the others. Kraken and dark flame, lion and griffin, the sun’s son and the mummer’s dragon. Trust none of them. Remember the Undying. Beware the perfumed seneschal.”

Through this series of metas, I’ve mostly focused on the foreshadowing that comes from Dany’s character development, and ignored breaking down some of the more blatant author attempts to clue in his audience. But A Dance with Dragons really pushes those elements into high gear, because Daenerys already has one set of prophecies, and then receives another quite early in the book and is left pondering what it means through all of her chapters.

And that’s actually very unique within A Song of Ice and Fire. While there is plenty of prophecies, they are almost never actually told to someone; the prophecy of Azor Ahai isn’t given to Stannis, he hears it and makes it his own, and the same thing occurred with Rhaegar and the Prince that was Promised. The only other character to actually be given a prophecy is Cersei (I’ll write more about that connection some other time . . .); so the choice to have Dany know that certain things will happen to her, and have her struggle to understand what it all means, is very interesting.

One thing I think people forget is that Dany’s interpretation of her prophecies is entirely fallible; just as Cersei is convinced Tyrion will be her valonqar, Daenerys interprets some of her prophecy wrong in an attempt to put it behind her; wanting to believe that Ser Jorah and Brown Ben Plumm are her second and third betrayals so she won’t have to fear anymore. But I’m very convinced Jorah is not Dany’s betrayal for gold; he himself says many times that he didn’t do it for money, and even Dany’s subconscious knows that (this excerpt is from her hallucinations on the Dothraki Sea):

"You betrayed me. You informed on me, for gold."

For home. Home was all I ever wanted.

I believe Dany still has two more major betrayals coming in The Winds of Winter or A Dream of Spring. I’m not sure of what her betrayal for gold will be (perhaps Euron, since there seems to be a connection drawn between her loves and betrayals?), but A Dance with Dragons offers many clues as to her betrayal for love, which I am convinced is Jon Snow. Starting in A Storm of Swords, Dany starts to notice that her dragons fight often amongst each other, mostly due to bullying by Drogon; considering Drogon has always been a stand-in for Daenerys herself, I don’t think it’s too much of a leap to assume this foreshadows how she will interact with the other two “heads of the dragon”, Jon likely being one.

A Dance with Dragons is also the book that changes how Dany will come to Westeros; before, she was very focused on how she would be received, worrying about bringing Dothraki and thinking that she wanted people to cheer her on. But the choice she makes in her last chapter means that can’t happen anymore. Not coincidentally, A Dance with Dragons is also the book that has a lot of imagery of Daenerys and wolves:

Dany would make a poor meal for a wolf or lion, but even a poor meal was better than none.

"The Lamb Men. Would that lambs had teeth."

"That would make the wolves more cautious, no doubt."

My flesh will feed the wolves and carrion crows, she thought sadly, and worms will burrow through my womb.

All of these examples are illusions to the Starks, but there is one particular instance that can only be Jon:

Off in the distance, a wolf howled. The sound made her feel sad and lonely, but no less hungry.

I tie this specifically to Jon because of the context in which it is said (these lines fall directly before the above quote):

Poison. It had to be poison. The honeyed locusts. Hizdahr urged them on me, but Belwas ate them all. She had made Hizdahr her king, taken him into her bed, opened the fighting pits for him, he had no reason to want her dead. Yet who else could it have been? Reznak, her perfumed seneschal? The Yunkai’i? The Sons of the Harpy?

Daenerys is contemplating the idea of her lover killing her, and then hears a wolf howl that makes her feel sad and lonely.

#daenerys targaryen #anti daenerys #game of thrones #asoiaf #asoiaf meta #A Dance with Dragons

[ilikelookingatthings]

Thoughts on Akatsuki no yona: chapter 196 part 1

hmmm.....do I believe kyk-sook about the talk with the king Il and yu-hon?.....I don’t trust mndern day adult version of him in the slightest....but there isn;t much reason to believe he’d lie as a child/teen. Its a interesting situation where Yona is hearing about what happened from Yon-hi’s diary which Yon-hi over heard from the talks of kyk-sook telling soo-won and the other men. but we saw the talks up close like we were there which gives us a reason to think the report must be completely what happened because WE are seeing it as kyke-sook describes. but if we think about it logically we still don’t know for sure.

On one hand it makes it easier to picture and get a grasp of what happened and who said what because we see it as if we were witnessing it ourselves. On the other my extention of disbelieve is having trouble trusting it. it gives off the vibe of ‘how do you know about the things you weren’t there for’. Like kyke-sook was quite a bit away... how did he hear everything? how did he remember everything word for word? We also know lots of people were disappointed in yu-hon not being chosen so would kyk-sook lie to soo-won to get soo-won motivated?

But then again the proof was that soo-won looked at the corpse and was able to find the stab wound that was easy to miss and that it was in the back which lines up and proves those events. AND we know Il has motive.

It would be very easy to think Il thought Yu-hon killed Kaashi. Il has been paranoid his brother would find out her identity f for years. His brother was willing to kill all the priests, women and children included. Heck Il had saved Kaashi from literally burning alive in that fire that first time which had been on yu-hon’s orders. Kaashi was attacked after being invited to visit yu-hon’s wife and the last time kaashi and yon-hi got together was when yon-hi collapsed after the conversation with Kaashi. If Il found out about yon-hi’s illness and the connection to the king hirryu blood King  Il would have good reason to suspect his brother might try picking a fight with yona or the priestess/wife if his brother projected his sense of helplessness about his wife’s situation onto them.

We and Yon-hi knows how much yu-hon cared about his brother and wanted to support him and appreciated other people who see his younger brother’s worth. no liking people already depressed before his brother has done anything yet for example. telling yon-hi and his son thathe wants to support his brother and the country. Wanting his brother to hang out with him instead of the priests to the point his tone was too harsh and made Il feel bad for enjoying the one thing people dont carepare and look down on IL for. Yu-hon was really bd at getting his feelings across properly to his younger brother. H e wants to support his brother but he never properly let Il know about that.

even when yu-hon has the best intentions to help he tends to forget to talk to the people involved and his help can hurt. like how yu-hon killed all the priests without asking and yon-hi was terrible sad and hurt because none of her family approved of that and her mom killed herself as well as hurting his brother by taking away the only people who didnt make fun of him(the priests), a lie from his brother hiding yon-hi’s bloodline. then seeing up close and personal and murder and killing of priests who hadn’t done anything warenting being set on fire  and the people letting his brother get away with wjth.

There is a chance that yu-hon ordered kaashi or Yona to be attacked if he thought the influence was too strong and dangerious because she was a priest and he thought his brother would rely on the priestess words too much. Or it could have been a attack on Yona due to her being the reincarnation and yu-hon associating that with his dying wife. All of the people supportingyu-hon who heard the words seem to think Il was influenced or deluded thanks to the priestess and that fixationon the religion is the only reason Prince Il was chosen by the original king.

But I do wonder...the priestess kaashi was already dead and Il knows his brothers the popular one. what did he think his brother would do? Il was already going to be king? and we know Il did cry. Yu-hon was thinking of the long term survival of the kingdom and he aparently had a dream of taking over the whole continant according to his followers. Yu-hon definitly seems the more reasonable one daying that Il needs to focus on using the people and puting in work and to not just rely on the gods. Yu-hon was the one actually properly trained to be the leader of the country for years and has the broad enough sense to know you have to rely on people. but we also know Il is right that Yu-hon might care forthe people close to him he will do bad stuff he shouldnt do without a second thought seeing it as justified as a means to a end.

It makes sense why Il wouldn’t trust his brother. especially since we know grief can change people and Kaashi died very recently AND Il is now the king while knowing he isn’t supported by anyone other than Mundeok.

Its easy for us to belive that Il is mistaken and that yu-hon didn’t kill Kaashi. but we are also only viewing him through yon-hi’s lense. the mahoriy of what we see are his good intentions that don’t come out right and trust he fully commited to supporting his brother since he told his wife and kid that.

But Il is also his brother and has seen how far yu-hon will go in other aspects and that even hen you think your safe with the brother if he finds a reason to see you as a enemy yu-hon will change and act swiftly. Though  I wonder  why Il thought stabbing his brother was the only way. Like couldnt he have looked into who killed his wife and get evidence it was his older brother and judge him in a court?

Did Il think no one would convict him because of how popular he is and that he’d get away with it just as Yu-hon got away with killing all those priests because he was so popular and everyone would prefer him? did Il not want his brothers reputation ruined?

Yon-hi seems to truly believe its possible that Yu-hon killed Kaashi and thats pretty telling. though of course one murder doesnt mean its okay to murder someone else and king Il knew yu-hon had a kid so thats cold. I don’t get why Il wouldnt have done something about kyk-soo since it was clear he witnessed the murder and that it wasnt a accident.

Il seems focused on the dragons and praying....but I wonder if its also a result of no one believing in his abilitities? he has spent years of everyone critisizing him instead of teaching him including his brother, even that wasn’t his bro’s intentions. The one thing he was good at was praying. We know Il showed kindness and consideration to even commoners but we also know he didn’t leave the capital much so probably didn’t have alot of experience seeing how sometimes force is nessacary since the one big show for force what what happened to the priests that he saw. and he robably didn’t have favorable thoughts about the cutting up the head thing. I wonder if Il thought he couldn’t rule with his bro by his side because he couldn’t trust him and might see him as a threat to Yona. Though Il being hyper fixated on religion does seem to be his MO and him bringing up that soo-won can’t replace king hirryu and stuff like that later.

Its definitely noticeable that the ‘cowardly king’ nickname that even Il calls himself...I wonder if Il thinks its fiting because he stabbed his brother in the back and pushed him off the cliff instead of listening to him. Though it makes sense that if Il killed his brother why he wouldn’t want soo-won marrying Yona and that he faced his death head on. I wonder if Il though his brother would stop yona from becoming ruler or something?

I’m kind of enraged that the men told literal child soo-won about his dad literally being murdered by his uncle. They let him dig up his fathers dead body to check the wounds O.O

He is a CHILD. and while its smart because as a kid he would be less likly to get in trouble if found out and Soo-won chose to do this. Soo-won wouldn;t have looked into this if he wasn’ told about the murder. And aparently telling a literal child about it was better then them telling the mom? the PARENT that her husband had been killed by his brother. They let soo-won dig up his fathers corpse and never though to ask her opinion? Like soo-won is practical and he seems unaffected discussing everything but the fuck?

#akatsuki no yona #Il #kye sook #yon-hi #yu-hon #soo-won #yona #kaashi

[jane-fucking-seymour]

Legend of the Six Chapter 18: Countermeasures

Words: 5372

AO3 Link

Reblogs appreciated! 

Anna of Cleves, the Dragonslayer, Battlereeve of Holbein and Last Daughter of the Rose.

That was her full title as of recent. It had grown since she had set out of Holbein to protect her friends, and she’s pretty sure it’s going to chance at least once more: to an even longer title, or to be stripped down to just Anna of Cleves, the Traitor.

The first is a list of accomplishments that few will ever achieve or surpass.

The other is way shorter.

They both have their advantages.

She was thinking about that very thing, a bag in her hands, as she slowly comes to a stop in the middle of the forest. She’s still a ways away from where she’s sure Avril and Bessie will be, and the fighting hasn’t reached here yet. She didn’t expect an enemy this far out from the battlefield.

Though, really, can she consider the woman in front of her a real enemy?

The woman in question speaks, hand on her sword.

“By Order of the Realm, I demand you stand down.”

Anna looks down her nose at the woman in question.

“Lyrena.”

Lyrena - Maria - narrows her eyes, tensing.

Anna has a hand on her sword, but it’s not unsheathed. 

“I’m not here to fight you,” Lyrena replies. 

Anna tilts her head, considering her options: she could strike first, but she doubts Catherine would much like hearing about that. She could just try to walk past, but she doubted that Maria - Lyrena - would let her.

Anna knew what Catherine was up to in the Blessed Sanctuary in Holbein; it couldn’t be interfered with, but this situation in particular needed to be handled with great care.

Anna takes a deep breath.

“Are you going to fight Catherine? Because if you are, then you’re here to fight me.”

Lyrena tensed, a hand on her own sword, but she shakes her head.

“I’m not.”

“Then why are you looking for her?”

“Never said I was.”

“You didn’t need to.”

“You’re stalling.”

“It’s working.”

Silence. Lyrena straightens up a bit, shaking her head.

“I’m not going to fight her… not if she’s truly who she says she is.”

Anna leans back, a bit more relaxed now. “You’re still doubting that?” 

“I don’t know who to believe at the moment,” Lyrena narrows her eyes. “I watched her die.”

“You didn’t, though.”

“I did.”

“You didn’t.”

“I held her as she did.”

Anna leans back in thought for a moment before she tilts her head in thought.

“You know, one of the things I never understood about you, Maria-”

“Lyrena.”

“-Maria, is how you just let yourself believe it without verifying.”

Lyrena looks angry. “What?”

“The death of a Blessed… it would have been a lot more dramatic, wouldn’t it have? You’ve seen it before, after all. You know how Blesseds die - like a Phoenix, reborn from ashes. Much like how they’re created, actually.”

Anna circles around Lyrena now, fairly comfortable in the given situation; she’s not the one under the spotlight right now.

“Did you honestly think Catherine would just die like that? You’ve seen Blesseds die before, Maria, I know you have. So why did you believe that she was just cut down like that?”

Lyrena shrugs, but she looks highly uncomfortable. “The King and Mary told me as such. And Mary was furious and angry and I… needed to take care of her.”

Anna’s gaze softens.

“Exactly what Catherine would have wanted you to do.”

“Exactly.”

“Still doesn’t explain why you made yourself believe it so easily.”

“Do you have any idea how much I looked for her?”

Anna is silent, so Lyrena continues.

“I looked EVERYWHERE for her. I was supposed to have a link to her if she was alive, I was supposed to know. I didn’t know shite.” 

“So that’s why you thought she was dead?”

“I thought she was at the very least not on this plane of existence,” Lyrena explains. “I thought they saw her being taken to another realm and trapped there. It was a bunch of grunts, a bunch of soldiers, I figured they just didn’t know what they saw.”

Anna says nothing once more, so Lyrena continues.

“I have always had a connection with Catherine, even before we became what we are. It never faded but it… never was really there again. It confused me.”

“Maybe it was intentional.”

Lyrena raises an eyebrow. “What?”

“Maybe it was intentional, on Catherine’s part,” Anna replies. “Maybe she was trying to protect you or something. I know she can dampen her powers, she’s been doing that ever since I started travelling with her. Maybe she’s powerful enough to do that on multiple levels - like her connection to you.”

“And leave her alone without help? Why would she do that?”

“To save you. If Henry was on the warpath and, from what I heard from Catherine herself, was willing to slaughter anyone in his way, I would imagine he would have came after you next.” Anna nods. “Almost certainly, actually. So maybe Catherine kept you in the dark because she was protecting you.”

Lyrena looks down. “So she… left herself open to attack and peril… to protect me?”

Silence.

More silence.

Then, a very frustrated growl.

“That bloody idiot!”

Anna chuckles at that as Lyrena puts a hand to her head in shock.

“Of COURSE that’s what she did! She had this planned all along, didn’t she? Oh, when I get my hands on that girl, I swear-”

“She’s in the Holbein Sanctuary,” Anna replies. She steps out of the way. “Go on, then.”

Lyrena raises an eyebrow. “You’re just going to let me go?”

“Yeah.”

“You trust me now?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re her Squire, and now that the light’s been shined on the situation, I highly doubt you’ll hurt your Blessed. Pretty sure there’s a law about that, actually.”

Lyrena chuckles at that before she shakes her head.

“I might hit her, in all honesty.”

“Good, then you can knock some sense into her about being so selfless that it almost costs her her life.” Anna smiles. “If anyone can do it, it’s definitely you.”

Lyrena nods and, with a pep in her step, rushes off and away, towards the Holbein Sanctuary.

Anna chuckles before looking up at the sky.

“Didn’t really take long to convince her of anything, did it, Kitty?” Anna asks, a soft smile on her face as she looks over at the path in front of her. Once she was sure Lyrena was gone, she moves forward and into a nearby cave.

She walks in taking very careful, specific paths through the winding cave, eventually ending up in a supposed dead end…

… and with a knife to her throat.

“What brings you to the shadows?” Comes a voice from behind her.

With a deep breath, Anna recites the words.

“A rose that bleeds with the heart of its people.”

The dagger is put way. Anna can’t help but smile.

“I know it’s been a while,” Anna says, slowly turning to look at the woman in question. “But I would have thought that my best Scout in Holbein would have been able to recognize me regardless of-”

But then, suddenly, Anna is completely knocked backwards by the force of the hug her Scout gives her.

Anna laughs as the girl hugs her tighter.

“Hello, Bessie. It’s been quite a long while, hasn’t it?”

“It’s been years, you absolute-” Bessie starts, but then she just hugs Anna tighter.

“I know, Bess. I’m sorry,” Anna says quietly, pulling the girl close. “Has Avril been treating you well?”

“Yeah, and I can’t believe I missed you last time she saw you!” Bessie says, standing up to let Anna up. “We’ve been putting up the good fight, as always. It’s been a bit rough with you away, but we’re making do.”

“As I expected you two to do,” Anna replies, a gentle hand on the girl’s shoulder before they start walking towards camp. 

Bessie smirks. “I heard you guys really made up last time you were here.”

Anna rolls her eyes. “We didn’t think we were going to see each other again, Bess.”

Bessie raises an eyebrow. “I found that hard to believe when Avril said it, too.”

“Yeah, yeah, you little brat.”

“Hey!”

They continue the banter until they reach the headquarters and, of course, Avril herself.

“Hey, babe.”

Avril looks up and is very much relieved. “My two favorite people,” Avril says, moving past Bessie to hug Anna. Then, softer, so only Anna could hear: “I’m so glad you’re safe.”

“Same, my love,” Anna says. “But we’re not done yet, are we?”

Avril sighs. “We never are.”

“We almost are now, though. We will be soon. Once we take him out of power, we’ll be done.”

“But then it’s a contest for the crown of the Realm.”

“I already have an idea and I know that the majority of the Six are on board with it.”

“Majority, eh? That’s incredible, even Jane and Anne?”

Anna’s face hardens. Avril frowns. “What?”

“Jane… Jane is no longer with the party.”

“What happened?”

“She killed Katherine.”

“Oh.”

They’re all silent. Bessie’s eyes are wide for a moment before she squeezes them shut. She seems to be praying as Avril continues.

“So Janey was working with Henry all this time after all? That might explain how we got jumped, she’s probably been feeding information back to the Realm.”

Anna nods, quiet, and Avril gently smoothes out the girl’s hair.

“I’m so sorry about Kitty, love. I know how close you two were.”

Anna slowly nods.

“We… will do something about that later,” Anna says with a nod. “In the meantime, I need a favor.”

“Anything for you,” Avril replies with a small grin.

“Could we take these to your blacksmith?” Anna asks, showing her a bag. Avril looks inside.

“Dragonscales?” Avril asks, raising an eyebrow. “Where in the world did you find these?”

“Off the dragon I killed,” Anna replies nonchalantly. Bessie laughs when Avril gives her a look.

“Excuse me???” Avril exclaims.

“During a bump in the road just before Seymour betrayed us,” Anna replies with a shrug. “Got my hands on a few before coming here - they washed ashore, I’m assuming, because there was plenty there. I think there’s enough in there for gauntlets, not much else.”

Avril nods, handing the bag to a soldier, who quickly rushes off in the direction of the blacksmith.

“We’ll get that done quickly,” Avril says. “While we’re waiting, let’s chat, yeah?”

Anna follows Avril and Bessie for a while, to a spot in the woods surrounding them, going until they are sure they’re out of earshot of anyone else.

“So… had a lot happen, hm?” Avril asks, leaning against a tree.

“It was honestly going really well until Seymour pulled that,” Anna says with a sigh. “Anne was distracted by her suspicions of Catherine that she really didn’t see this coming. None of us really did.”

“I thought you said you had some suspicions about her reign?” Bessie asks.

“I did,” Anna replies, “but it was moreso about her work at the Heart. I just… never thought she’d betray us like that. And Kitty… she didn’t deserve that. Not at all.”

Avril steps in then.

“Do you think she’ll expand what you saw?”

“Almost definitely,” Anna nods. “Mind Magicks will be at their peak, as well as anything else she worked on… I’ll need to confirm with Cathy what it was, but I imagine she delved into more dark arts than just the mind.”

“Do you think anyone can best her magicks?” Bessie asks.

“Probably not unless there was something in the library in Seymour.”

“Not even Blessed Magicks?” Avril again.

“Catherine didn’t seem to think so, but maybe with our new… reinforcements, from the Sanctuary, she’ll be able to whip something up.” Anna’s tone softens. “It would be nice to see what the spells that fell Katherine be able to be completely countered.”

“Without any practical means as of yet, it’s the best choice we have,” Avril says.

Bessie frowns. “What about Elizabeth? Does she know of anything? She trained under Jane and Cathy, right?”

Anna shrugs.

“I’ll ask Elizabeth next time we see her.”

“Is Elizabeth truly with you?” Avril asks.

“As far as we can tell. Anne’s going to confirm when we meet again.”

“So basically, the next time you lot meet, it should be time to go.” Avril concludes.

“We should be, yes,” Anna replies. “We split up to make preparing a lot faster, considering what’s happened when we’ve waited a bit too long. Admittedly, we were kind of wandering for a bit, but Catherine managed to whip us all into shape soon enough.”

“And now there’s a chance to take him down, right?” Bessie asks.

“I think the Dawnlight Faire will be the best bet,” Anna replies. “And it’s a bit poetic: a new dawn with a new Realm. I think the rest will like that.”

“That’s only a few weeks away,” Avril says. “You’re sure you all will be ready?”

“I don’t think we’ll have a choice. The Dawnlight bolsters a king’s power every time it comes around thanks to the festivities. He’ll likely try to make another push for Holbein then- if he doesn’t have it by then already, anyways.”

Anna sighs.

“Regardless… now’s not the time to speculate. I’ll need to consult Catherine, but I think that’s the decision she’ll make for the Six.”

“She’s the leader?”

“She was born to be one.”

Bessie stands up. “We’ll likely need to head back, by the way. The blacksmith’s probably done with your gauntlets.”

Anna blinks. “Already? That’s fast.”

“He’s the best at his craft in the Realm or Holbein, of course he can get it done fast. He’s a very high level smith, you know,” Avril replies, walking back towards base. 

Anna and Bessie, with a shrug towards each other, follow.

When they get there, sure enough, the gauntlets have been made.

“And you’re sure they’ll be fine?” Anna asks, raising an eyebrow at the items on the table.

“Of course!” The blacksmith replies. “Made them special for you. The scales are actually wonderful material to smith, it was almost like cutting through butter once I got them hot enough. I think they turned out rather nicely.

The gauntlets almost matched the red in Anna’s armor, with the tips acting like claws in a sense. They’re bound together by soft leather; Anna knows she’ll likely be able to move quite well within them just by looking at it.

“You’ve certainly done well, sir,” Anna says with a grin, taking them and trying them on.

When Anna puts on the gauntlets and for a moment, they do nothing. But then, suddenly, magicks from the gauntlets surge through her arms and into her body, her eyes going dragonlike as she gasps, eyes wide as she gets a vision of the dragon itself, staring straight at her.

“Anna?” Avril asks, steadying the woman. “Are you okay?”

“I… think so…” Anna looks down at the gauntlets with a smirk. “Oh, looks like you had some power to give me, eh?”

She extends a hand towards a lighted torch and, after focusing, curls her hand into a ball. The flame fizzles out immediately. When she releases her hand, it comes back to life. Anna holds out her own hand and, suddenly, there’s a fireball in her hand. It’s unlike any magicks that Anna’s been able to control before; it’s more wild magick, more natural.

She feels the gaze of the dragon in her mind soften with approval.

Bessie makes a low whistle sound.

“So… the dragon’s scales… allow you to manipulate fire?” Bessie asks, eyes wide with wonder as she moves over to the scaled gloves. 

Anna blinks, looking down at the gauntlets. “I… guess so?” She shrugs, looking back at Bessie with a shrug. “I see the dragon in my mind now. He’s impressed- oh, and his name was Peleazar, for what it’s worth.” She looks down at the armor that was now fitted comfortably over her hands. “The Gauntlets of Peleazar.”

“Quite the name,” Avril quips, touching one of the gauntlets. “They’re a bit warm to the touch.”

“I think, if I practice enough, I can make my swords a bit hotter to the touch, then, right?” Anna asks.

“How am I supposed to know?” Avril asks, but Anna chuckles.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean you. I meant the dragon.”

Avril blinks before responding.

“...Oh, yeah, right, that’s a totally normal sentence to say.”

Bessie bounces on over, looking the gauntlets over closely. “You can probably do a lot with these, right? And the dragon… wants to help us?”

“Not really,” Anna replies. “At least, that’s what it feels like. It’s more of a respect thing, I think. I beat him, so he wants to respect that.” She shrugs. “That’s what I’m getting, anyways.” Anna tilts her head. “The soul of a dragon literally at my fingertips, eh? This’ll be interesting.”

“Leave it to you to get all the fun equipment,” Avril quips, gently nudging Anna with her shoulder. Then, with a nod towards the forest: “Think you and your new gauntlets can take care of a few Realm men?”

Anna nods, moving towards the spot Avril nodded towards. “How many?”

“About 20,” Bessie says. “Mostly footmen. No ranged weapons from what I saw. Their ranged squadron might have been the one that Ellie’s unit took out.”

“Good, I’ll make this quick, then,” Anna says with a nod, quick to hasten her step towards the enemy. It was a thrill to the battle that she absolutely adored, but this time around felt… different. 

She felt more powerful than ever.

With a deep breath, she felt the dragon’s presence in the gauntlets, surging energy towards her heart and mind. The dragon’s gaze fell upon her once more and, with a bloodcurdling yell within her mind, she felt Peleazar’s spirit flow through her.

She suddenly pulsed forward at breakneck speeds - faster than Avril and Bessie by a longshot - and took on the men head-on.

As soon as she saw them, time seemed to slow to a crawl; it was a peace and serenity that helped her focus and realize what she wanted to do, the path to victory suddenly more clearly visualized in her head than ever before.

Oh yes, she thought, she and Peleazar will get along quite well.

As she moved, she used her own intuition and skill to take down the men; while the dragon’s soul allowed her to essentially slow down time and some more magickal abilities, it didn’t help her aim or otherwise utilize her skills. It was utility, not actively helping. It seemed to want to help, but the battle itself was up to her.

Anna would have it no other way.

Her movements are fluid - they always were, it was the signature of the Ruby Knight of Holbein - but had a bit more spark thanks to Peleazar’s fire literally at her fingertips. The men around her try to attack at once, but a quick swing of her blade brings about a fire so bright and scorching that it staggers three men and blinds another.

“That’s… incredible!” Bessie says. Avril stops slightly in front of Bessie, watching as well.

“Quite the show,” Avril says, watching closely, “but I need you to go survey the area. We need more information, there’s no way these guys can be the last.”

Bessie nods, though she’s not taken her eyes off the battle just yet: Anna is fighting with the strength of 50 of the best warriors of Holbein, a fire in her eyes that is moreso an amplification of her usual strength in battle than it is a new flame entirely. 

No, Avril thinks, this is still Anna, absolutely. She’s just getting some extra help from a - as far as she can tell - friendly dragon.

Avril looks back at Bessie and raises an eyebrow. “Well?”

Bessie snaps out of it, looking back at Avril. “Oh! Right. Going!” 

Bessie is quick to instantly pulse away, practically dancing in the tree branches above them as she moves effortlessly away to do her job.

Avril looks back at the fight and, when she sees Anna start to straighten up, is quick to take a throwing knife out and strike down the last man.

Anna raises an amused eyebrow.

“I could have gotten that,” Anna quips.

Avril shrugs, walking towards and then past Anna. “You know how I always like the last word, babe.”

Anna rolls her eyes goodnaturedly before the two start to rush back to camp, swords at the ready.

When they’re surrounded by 40 or so men, they end up back to back, swords and shields at the ready.

“I kind of feel sorry for them,” Avril quips with a smirk.

“They never learn, do they?” Anna asks. 

Bessie returns just in time to see the ending of the ill-fated, very swift battle: the Battlereeve of Holbein and her Second in Command are a deadly combination for a few reasons, but especially due to their fighting styles together.

Well, Bessie thinks, they certainly don’t call them the deadliest combination in Holbein for nothing.

When they’re done, the three of them enter the main battlefield, working closely together with the other Holbein warriors to help take out the rest of the push. With most of the current Realm squadron defeated, the remaining soldiers go to retreat.

“Looks like we’re good for the moment,” Bessie says, watching from a treeline as the men rush off. Avril, directly under her, looks at what Bessie is looking at and sighs in relief.

Anna, however, narrows her eyes. 

“This isn’t right. The Realm just doesn’t… retreat.”

It’s just in time for an explosion to happen somewhere to the south.

“That’s near the base,” Bessie says, and immediately Anna is on her feet, rushing towards the mayhem. Avril and Bessie, of course, give chase.

Immediately upon arriving, they all stare in shock: it’s not Realm against Holbein here. It’s…

“Do we have a mutiny?” Avril growls out, standing in front of Bessie as she gets her sword out.

“No,” Anna says, shaking. “It’s… it’s the Madness. Oh, gods, that’s why there wasn’t many - because they were… they turned our own.”

“Did they control them at all?” Avril asks.

“I don’t think so, there wasn’t any time,” Bessie replies. “They just… broke people’s minds.”

“We had been warned that there was a new type of Mind Magicks on the field but this… this is terrifying,” Avril finishes, right before she looks at Anna. “What do we do now?”

Anna, however, is just… frozen, on the spot, the flashbacks to various warriors turned to Madness, the ones she had to strike down and the ones that she met too late, the ones that turned on their families and, in a moment of consciousness, realizing what they’ve done with a horror Anna can’t describe. The Madness was a terrible thing that turned friend against friend, family against family, and now it was driving her forces apart.

“Anna! Orders!” Avril yelled, but Anna can’t shake it just yet.

Not when the one that’s rushing towards her looks so much like Katherine.

The woman’s eyes are wide, pupils dilated, and nose bleeding; telltale signs of the Madness having taken hold. Anna can’t help but wonder if this would be what Katherine would have looked like if she had succumbed to it instead of-

It’s the second swipe of the woman’s blade that makes Anna finally snap out of it as she, with a gentle “I’m so sorry,” throws the woman into a nearby tree. She looks up and, with a new focus, nods.

“Help who we can, strike down who we can’t. They’re too far gone.”

Avril nods and heads over to a group of men that are fighting the Madness-plagued soldiers. Bessie, still shaking, follows along, though she keeps an eye out for her fellow Scouts, hoping that they hadn’t fallen to the Mind Magicks.

By the time they’re through, the wave is defeated, but there are far more Holbein on the ground than the Realm.

The body preparations go throughout the night, with the remaining Holbein forces working to identify and separate the dead from both sides. When it’s done, a company of white knights with the Realm crest appear in the dead of night.

“Reapers?” Bessie asks.

Anna nods. “Let them through, keep the peace.”

The Reapers say nothing as they take the Realm’s dead and move along. White knights with the Holbein crest appear and do the same.

“Usually they’d get a Blessed to bless the bodies at their Sanctuary, right?” Bessie asks, tilting her head as she watches the Realm’s Reapers do their work. 

“That’s right,” Avril nods. “A kingdom’s Reapers are part of the Blesseds. They’re not actually Blesseds, though. They just help move bodies from battlefields to Sanctuaries for Blesseds to perform Final Rites.”

“But…” Bessie frowns. “The Realm’s Sanctuary is destroyed, isn’t it?”

Avril frowns back as Bessie continues.

“So where are they taking the bodies?”

It’s a question that goes unanswered, as the Reapers eventually disappear into the shadows with their job completed.

For the night, it’s peaceful.

After checking on the remaining men and making sure scouts headed back to Holbein with the request for reinforcements (as well as a letter from Anna to her parents), the trio gather in the privacy of a tent to try to figure out the next move.

Anna, however, can’t seem to shake today’s events for the moment.

“That’s how they took the First and Second Forgotten Kingdoms,” Anna says, voice barely above a whisper. “That’s what Cathy said, at least.”

“The Parr girl was well known in Weston as a cleric, right?” Avril asks. “I imagine she saw as much of this as we did.”

“And as it progressed,” Anna agreed. “Gods, this is-”

“I know,” Avril says with a nod. She looks out at the battlefield. “We’ve… lost a lot of people today.”

“Too many to hold this position,” Anna says, “but that’s not what we need to do right now. We honor and bury our dead, we honor their dead, then we retreat back towards Holbein. We need to play defensive now.”

“We can’t just go off playing defense forever,” Avril argues, and Anna shakes her head.

“You’re not going to. When the Six take him down from the inside, from the Capitol, we’ll make sure to give you the signal. For now, I just… need Holbein to hang on. Just a little longer.” Anna looks back at Avril. “Just for a few more weeks.”

“This is a… crushing defeat, Anna,” Avril says with a sigh. “But I’ll make the call for reinforcements. We’ll hold out.”

Anna nods. “Thank you.” She looks at Bessie. “You and your squad is needed more than ever.”

“We won’t fail,” Bessie says. “I’ll grab the intel, Avril will make the adjustments, we’ll be okay. We can hold out for as long as you need us to.”

Anna watches Bessie, determination evident, before Anna nods with a soft smile. “We’ll win. I swear. This fight… it’s a very tough loss. Many people died. But we can’t let them die in vain. The First, the Second, and all the others lost to the Realm’s butchery… they will pay. The lost will be redeemed.”

Avril nods and, when Anna leans against her, gently takes her hand.

“We need to rest, all of us,” Avril says.

“No, we need to honor the dead, and-” Anna starts, but Avril cuts her off.

“There’s nothing we can do about that right now,” Avril replies quietly. “We need to rest. Come on.”

Bessie waves at them as Avril leads Anna away. They end up in a private area of the headquarters - what’s left of it, anyways - and closes the door behind her.

She takes Anna, puts her on the bed, and gently pulls her close.

Anna immediately nuzzles into the crook of Avril’s neck. Avril smiles at the contact, pulling the woman impossibly closer.

“Tell me what you’re thinking, babe,” Avril says quietly.

“I’m thinking that the Reapers will have their hands full very soon,” Anna says against Avril’s skin, sighing. “And that there will be more to lose.”

“You know,” Avril says. “This is what I love the most about you.”

Anna raises an eyebrow. “I thought it was my backswing?”

“Close second,” Avril banters back with a chuckle. “But I mean your heart, Anna. Even back in the battle, you were trying to see how many you could save, not how many you could cut down. It’s why you’re such a good leader - and the best thing Holbein has going for it.”

Anna frowns. “It doesn’t feel like enough sometimes… but I know that I have you and Bessie and the others to back me up.”

“Of course you do.”

“We’ve got a long way to go, Avril.”

“But it’ll be worth it,” Avril replies. “It has to be.”

“They’re fighting dirty. They lie and cheat and are committing war crimes.”

“And they’re the most powerful country in the world, they can get away with it for now.”

“Someone has to stop them.”

“That’ll be us.”

“Yes.”

There’s silence as Anna’s grasp on Avril relaxes and she closes her eyes. Anna nods.

“We’ll stop them.”

Avril gently kisses the top of the girl’s head and closes her own eyes. They’re both asleep relatively quickly.

Hours later, Bessie Blount is standing at the nearby overlook, watching with curious and sharp gaze at the forest below. She doesn’t even stop looking as she drops down from the treeline to meet who she knows is there - Avril and Anna, arriving after a decent night’s rest.

“Enjoying the last of the night, Bessie?” Anna asks, smiling as she feels Bessie lean her head against her shoulder. “Could be the last peaceful night we have for a few months.”

“I imagine so,” Avril replies with a nod. “Lots of things are bound to happen soon. Might as well enjoy it while it lasts.”

Bessie nods silently, looking out at the sky for a moment before she looks up at Anna.

“Do you think the others are doing okay?”

Anna keeps looking ahead. “I know they can handle themselves, but… Cathy was off to lead a revolution. Anne might do something she’ll regret, but she’ll pull through for Katherine. Catherine’s got her hands full and Jane…”

Avril looks down. “Do we need to mention that one?”

“She’s still part of the Six,” Anna replies. “She’s still part of our group. And we promised to get justice for her, too.”

Avril is shocked. “You honestly don’t think of her as a traitor? She killed Katherine, Anna-”

“I know, I was there.”

The harshness in Anna’s voice makes both scout and second look at the Battlereeve. Anna’s face is hard, anger clear, but something else…

In the distance, as Dawn breaks, a ray of Blessed energy shoots into the sky.

Anna stands up taller, stepping in front of the other two.

“I need to go,” she says simply. She looks over at Avril and Bessie. “Catherine needs my help.”

“Do you think Catherine is in trouble with Maria?” Bessie asks with a tilt of her head.

“She might be,” Anna replies. “I’ll need to go fast, then, don’t I?”

She looks down at her gauntlets and, with a smirk, throws her hands out and to the side in a dramatic fashion. As she does, ethereal wings spawn from her back. 

She smirks, testing them by flapping a few times, before she goes for broke and just jumps…

… straight into the air, and now she’s flying.

Avril looks impressed, Bessie looks starstruck.

“I’ll meet up with you soon,” Anna says with a nod.

“You better,” Avril replies. 

Anna and Avril share a moment before Anna nods, waves, and heads out, flying into the waiting dawn.

Bessie looks over at Avril. 

“Are we ready, then?”

Avril nods, turning from the edge to head back down towards camp. The scout dutifully follows as Avril continues:

“Let’s start the end, Bessie.”

#lots #legend of the six #six the musical #six the musical fanfiction #six the musical fanfic #six fanfic #six fanfiction #sixfic #anna of cleves #avril #bessie liw #bessie #maria liw #maria

[nightqueendany]

Original Final Season 7 - Episode 3: The Last of the Dragons

It’s Tuesday. You guys know what that means...

ON DRAGONSTONE

As in show canon 7x03, Jon Snow arrives on Dragonstone, finally meets with Daenerys Targaryen and immediately informs her and her allies about the Army of the Dead. Everyone is in shock, this is not where this meeting was supposed to go, they’re all a bit at a loss for what to do, the meeting is adjourned abruptly

Though it’s been brought up by both their councils (separately, in private), neither Jon nor Dany mention a marriage alliance in public to each other

When Davos questions him about it later, Jon tells him he wants to see whether Dany would be a worthy Queen first (though that’s not the entire truth), and Dany is too overwhelmed by Jon’s news of the Night King to make such a proposal just yet (and too attracted to Jon to make a well informed decision about something as serious as marriage, but she only tells this to Missandei ;)

Jon and Theon privately discuss Sansa, Jon tells Theon, “What you did for her is the only reason I’m not killing you”, Theon apologizes to Jon for betraying House Stark and tells him that he always wanted to be a Stark, always thought he had to choose between the two, this impossible choice - Greyjoy or Stark - but Sansa made him realize he never had to choose, he could be both

The conversation leaves Jon dazed and we know he’s taking Theon’s words and thinking about how he’s both Stark and Targaryen

Baelish immediately gets to work on Dragonstone, reuniting with Varys and Tyrion, trying to get as much info out of everyone as possible, he knows Jon and Howland talked privately at Greywater Watch but doesn’t know what about, Davos doesn’t know either

Baelish keeps on Jon’s case about his meeting with Howland but Jon deflects, saying they just discussed “his father”, Baelish switches tactics, brings up the potential marriage alliance with Daenerys again, Jon is still sorting through his feelings about being a Targaryen period and doesn’t want to talk about it, furthering Baelish’s suspicions, their relationship is a little reminiscent of Season 1 Ned/Baelish but Jon is much more aware than Ned was and much less trusting

IN KING’S LANDING

Cersei continues to enjoy the attention from Euron, he’s not honorable like Jaime and encourages her to do her worst to those who speak against her, starts to become the devil on her shoulder

Cersei is executing “enemies” left and right, anyone who’s been found by Qyburn’s little birds speaking against her, they’re brought to court, given a “trial”, and then are given some grisly punishment (reminiscent of Joffrey - “Which do you favor, your fingers or your tongue?”)

After watching an “enemy” die in a particularly gruesome fashion, Cersei excitedly, finally, takes Euron to bed because Jaime isn’t in the mood when she wants him

IN OLDTOWN

Sam and Gilly pour heavily into the books he stole from the Restricted Section, Sam comes across a book on the Children of the Forest, their worship of the weirwoods, their culture, the symbols they’ve left behind in certain areas and what they possibly mean

IN WINTERFELL

On Jon’s instructions, Sansa attempts to organize troops/supplies to be sent to the Wall to reinforce it but Bran advises her against it, telling her he doesn’t know why, but it doesn’t feel right, he’s still having tremendous difficulty controlling his visions

Sansa and Arya discuss being “home” and how it doesn’t really feel like home even with the three Stark kids all there together again, Sansa says she hasn’t felt at home since they first left Winterfell but Arya disagrees, says there was once when she felt at home after they had left, Sansa asks her when/where, Arya explains it wasn’t a place, but a person who came to feel like family, she asks Sansa if she ever had anyone like that in her life, Sansa thinks on it and replies yes, she had a person like that - neither of them says the names

As Jon had required it of everyone 12-60 to train daily to prepare for the fight against the dead, Sansa insists she train as well, is inspired by watching Arya and Brienne fight, and Arya begins to train Sansa, her first lesson: stick ‘em with the pointy end.

Arya and Bran reminisce and grow closer, he tries to explain to her what the 3ER is, etc. She asks him if he can see anything, he tells her he can if he focuses and knows where to look and asks if she wants him to try to find anything or anyone in particular, Arya hesitates

BACK ON DRAGONSTONE 

Dany is wary/cautious of Jon, discusses him with a small portion of her council - Theon, Tyrion, and Melisandre (the ones who know him best), when Theon and Tyrion leave, Melisandre mentions that both Jon and Dany are “magic” and that this is why she believes they’re both TPTWP, she tells Dany about how she brought Jon back to life, that that is what Davos meant when he said Jon “took a knife in the heart for his people”, this revelation obviously shakes Dany

Jon and Tyrion talk about the dragonglass, Tyrion mediates between him and Dany on this point, arranges another meeting between them

When Jon asks Dany about the dragonglass, she confronts him about Melisandre’s words, he reluctantly tells her it’s true that he died and came back, things are a little awkward, he asks her about when she hatched her dragons, she tells him the story, says that now they’re the last of their kind, as is she, “the last of the dragons” which, like his conversation with Theon, leaves Jon reeling as he’s continually confronted with the fact that he’s half-Targaryen

Varys and Melisandre watch Jon and Dany interact from a clifftop, they discuss how she “brought ice and fire together”, it’s “the Lord’s will,” Varys calls into question her “magic” and sacrifices, brings up the sorcerer who cut him, Mel echoes Kinvara’s words “If you are [Daenerys’] true servant, you have nothing to fear from me” which freaks Varys out

The title is in reference to Dany’s line to Jon about she and Viserion, Rhaegal, and Drogon being “The last of the dragons,” unknowingly also speaking it to the only other remaining “dragon” as Jon is a Targaryen and when she says this to him, Jon knows he is also a “last dragon.” (Also, this is my cheeky self stealing from Season 8′s “The Last of the Starks” because fuck you D&D. I mean, they stole it from themselves first anyway because S7 Dany says, “I am the last Targaryen, Jon Snow,” - the last Targaryen, the last of the Targaryens, the last of the Starks, the last of the dragons - meh, same thing, so really, I’m just stealing it back).

Episode 3 Inside the Episode: The Last of the Dragons

1) Sam and Gilly finding things in relation to the COTF:

This one is pretty obvious. We’ve been hearing about the COTF for seasons, Sam informing Stannis back in S5 that they used to hunt with dragonglass, etc. Even though they’re apparently all dead now, we still need to know more about their connection to the Army of the Dead.

And seriously, what the fuck else were Gilly and Sam supposed to find in those damn books Sam stole from the Restricted Section? This was made out to be such a big deal but even the “important” piece of information from show canon Season 7 - Jon’s parentage - wasn’t from the Restricted Section books, it was from the books Sam was tasked with transcribing as punishment for curing Jorah! 

So having Sam and Gilly actually find some useful information from those books just makes sense and is a payoff for so many scenes and a plot that was NEVER paid off in canon.

2) Melisandre’s convo with Dany about Jon being “magic”:

This was DEFINITELY hinted at in the S7 outline leaks! Dany and Jon’s “cliff” conversation in 7x05 originally was supposed to be them talking about how they’re both “magic”, Dany already knowing about Jon’s death. This was also the scene where he calls her “Dany” for the first time. In the context of show canon and the Aired Episode, this dialogue would have been clunky and awkward, but framed the way I’ve outlined above, would actually make it make sense.

3) Varys and Mel’s face off:

This has been hinted at since Season 6 with Varys’ confrontation with Kinvara. Varys is very anti-red priests and we were owed a showdown between him and them. The Red Priests and Varys should have had a much more involved conflict because of what material we got from prior seasons so Mel staying on Dragonstone to advise Daenerys (which is what she will be doing in this version of the story), finally delivers on something that has been set up for a while. 

4) Mel staying to advise Dany?

Yes, Mel is staying to advise Dany. Honestly, Mel’s story in show canon Seasons 7 and 8 is the biggest hint of a retcon because they kind of just threw her around and inserted her in places as if to let the audience know that they hadn’t forgotten about her, but she didn’t really have anything to do. 

Many of Mel’s lines from show canon also hint at a previous plot because so much of what she says and does just doesn’t make sense and is never paid off. “I’ve brought Ice and Fire together.” That was pointless. “Where will you go?” “Volantis.” That was pointless. “I have to die in this strange country.” That was pointless. 

All of these seem like really significant lines but nothing ever came of them. Like, what was the purpose of Mel going to Volantis? Just to hang out before the Long Night so she could come to Westeros to die after the dead were defeated?? Many of us thought she was going to come bringing the Fiery Hand with her but nope, nothing said about why she was there, we were just supposed to accept it. 

My guess is that D&D just liked some of Mel’s original dialogue so much “I’ve brought Ice and Fire together,” “I have to die in this strange country, just like you,” that they kept this all in their scripts but when they decided to go with the Mad!Dany storyline instead, Mel didn’t really serve a purpose there and so D&D could never pay off these lines that they set up. 

So Melisandre staying and advising Dany makes a lot of sense. She was at Jon’s side throughout Season 6, it follows that she would then want to be at Dany’s side through Season 7. So far as her relationship with Jon, well, they’re not in the North and Mel is a guest of Dany’s on Dragonstone, as is Jon, so he and Davos really can’t do much about it. 

5) Arya asking Bran about...:

I know this storyline I’m setting up will seem a little odd to some people. But bear with me! In show canon, Arya didn’t have much to do (and neither did Sansa) once Jon went to Dragonstone, so that’s how the Starkbowl of Winterfell came about - it just gave those two something to do to fill screen time. Which was incredibly obvious and really idiotic and way out of character for both Sansa and Arya. 

Here, in getting back home and Jon immediately leaving, this would leave Arya feeling lonely and isolated. She came home for Jon and then he just left. It would make sense that she would try to reconnect with her remaining siblings - hence her teaching Sansa to fight and trying to understand Bran’s 3ERness. 

In being away for so long, Arya really would have come to appreciate the meaning of family, and when she gets to Winterfell, she realizes there are people missing. It’s not enough. She wants more of that human connection back, that feeling of family. So she’s going to go looking for it, with Bran’s help.

Aaaaand that’s it for Episode 3. You guys can comment on these and tell me what you think, as questions etc. It’s allowed. Don’t be shy. (cough-please comment and tell me what you guys thing-cough).

Original Final Season 7: Preface Post

Season 7 Episode 1: Family, Duty, Honor

Season 7 Episode 2: Greywater Watch 

Season 7 Episode 3: The Last of the Dragons (Current episode)

Season 7 Episode 4: Dragonglass

Season 7 Episode 5: The Storm

Season 7 Episode 6: Summerhall 

Season 7 Episode 7: A City Fit For A King

Season 7 Episode 8: Protectors of the Realm

Season 7 Episode 9: The Battle For The Dawn

Season 7 Episode 10: ?

#game of thrones #anti got #anti D&D #alternate season 7 #daenerys targaryen #jon snow #melisandre #varys #petyr baelish #Sansa Stark #Arya Stark #bran stark #Samwell Tarly #gilly #Cersei Lannister #Euron Greyjoy #Theon Greyjoy #Davos Seaworth

[jonsafan-blog]

The Tarly Troubles

Sansa’s main objection to Daenerys before Jon left to Dragonstone was that she was an unknown element. Daenerys had just arrived from Essos, and while it was possible stories of her adventures had become known to the North, her personality would not have been.

However, Daenerys is her father’s daughter - the man who burned their grandfather alive and made their uncle watch.

While they could trust Tyrion more than most people in Westeros, Daenerys was coming to Westeros to conquer it, including the North. That made her a de facto enemy to the Starks.

The problem in this situation with the Mad King isn’t just that the Mad King was evil, but that the Starks were part of the rebellion to overthrow the Targaryens. The Starks benefitted from the demise of the Targaryens.

Daenerys is well aware of that.

The Starks have their own experience with traitor families.

Even though Jon pardoned Ned Umber and Alys Karstark and allowed them to keep their castles, this was considered an unusually merciful action. Sansa would never have executed them, but she did worry that the same advisors responsible for helping the previous Lords of the house would continue to advise Ned and Alys to act against the Starks.

Sansa appeared to get along well with Ned. He is a child who shares the name of her father, so perhaps that is part of it, but I imagine there is a different pressure to Ned and Alys’s continued loyalties given they are not the only Northern houses, but these two houses were the ones primarily responsible for aiding the Boltons in the Battle of the Bastards.

That makes them outliers - not the norm. Half of the Seven Kingdoms rebelled against the Targaryens, and the remaining families: Lannisters, Tullys, and Arryns, are also rebels of that rebellion. The Greyjoys are also included in that list, but Yara pledged for Daenerys long before she set sail, which resulted in Yara retaining her crown similar to Dornish princes.

Putting Sansa’s own experience with traitors to her family, it makes sense why she would be wary around Daenerys. Daenerys might think it prudent to strip the Starks of their lands in the North if she came into power. Daenerys might also strip the lands of the Lannisters, Tullys, and Arryns as well.

Sansa is not aware of Daenerys’s desire to break the wheel, but it is clear that Daenerys likely consider stripping the rebellious families of their lands.

Or, she could simply execute Jon after arriving on Dragonstone because he believed to be Ned Stark’s son.

This is what Sansa worried about before Jon left.

That didn’t happen, which I imagine does assuage some of the worst fears for Sansa, though it does not remove a fear which is certainly at the back of her mind:

Daenerys is Queen now, which means she can take away the North if she so pleases.

The only reason Daenerys was likely accepted into Winterfell wasn’t just because she was helping them with the White Walkers, but because Jon still lived.

As it stands, Daenerys is still an outsider - an unknown element, to the Northerners. They aren’t sure if she will respect their way of life should they all survive the war.

They had already lost their right to self-rule because of Jon, and history has proven that some Targaryens were insane and attacked their vassals.

That Daenerys would be Queen in the south would mean that she is removed from their influence. The Northern lords would not have a seat at the table like they do with the King in the North.

However, the current objections Sansa and the Northerners have against Daenerys is assuming she is a rational ruler now but that they fear for their future, either in her late rule or in her heirs.

Her father wasn’t always insane. King Aerys was once a beloved king for many years in his early reign, but his insanity gripped him and he even acted out on former friends.

This insanity is a known trait among Targaryens, and something which is described with a coin: when a Targaryen is born, the gods flip a coin. That means there is effectively a fifty-fifty change Westeros will have a terrible ruler. An insane ruler.

But again, Daenerys is merely a Targaryen, not necessarily the worst of her family. She has freed slaves and done a lot of good. She is also helping the North fight against the White Walkers and she wants to overthrow Cersei.

The North hates slavery. They need help against the White Walkers. Cersei is also the devil incarnate to them.

All in all, the North should reasonably expect a positive alliance with Daenerys.

Only there are inklings she may not be a great ruler, and the North is very aware of that.

There is a lot working against Daenerys going into season eight. Some of it was in her control, and some of it is just her own misfortune.

She has not received an appropriate Westerosi education

Daenerys was pursued by Robert for much of her early years and was raised by her older brother who was barely more than a child himself. They depended upon charity to survive, and Daenerys was effectively ignorant of her homeland.

We know this because she latched onto Jorah and his gift of books on Westeros. He was like an oasis in the desert for her.

Upon arriving in Westeros, it is clear Daenerys isn’t fully informed on how to approach different families and cultures.

As an example: everyone in Westeros mocks the North for their severity. However, they are not unaware of what a typical Northerner is like.

Daenerys seems completely unprepared for handling the North and Westeros in general. However, I get the sense this miscommunication does not come across as naive ignorance, but willful disregard.

Northerners do not like pretense, but they know southerners still pretend.

Tyrion tried to reach out to the North in the Great Hall using Jon as the bridge. It did not work, but it showed sincerity Daenerys did not... because Daenerys does not know it is expected that she will try to bridge the gap between them.

She also appears to misunderstand the gravity of winter and the importance of the house structure in Westeros, given her own ill-prepared state going into the war and her dismissal of the importance of the Tarlys in the power vacuum of the Reach and southern kingdoms.

Jorah is at her side

I love Jorah Bear. He’s the best. But the Northerner’s wouldn’t think so.

On the surface, he appears to be a boon, not a detriment, but it is important to realize that Jorah committed a serious crime in Westeros when he sold poachers into slavery. He did not hand them over to face justice, but profited of their servitude. His wife’s expensive tastes were not an excuse... and he knew that. He fled Westeros rather than face justice himself.

His father, Jeor Mormont, actually abdicated his position as Lord of Bear Island to give his son an opportunity to lead the house... meaning his son had far more money that he would have had previously.

Combined with the fact that he became a mercenary in Essos, he likely has a very negative reputation even before his connection to Daenerys is considered.

And he is her longest-serving advisor and her closest friend. I’m glad she hasn’t abandoned him, and she shouldn’t, since he is loyal to her and provides pretty good advice most of the time, but it is clear his presence actually detracts from her influence in the North rather than helps.

She is a Dothraki khal

The Dothraki are the most hated people from Essos in Westeros. They live nomadic lives pillaging and raping everyone in their path. They are like the Ironborn, but worse.

Before Daenerys became an abolitionist, she was the wife of the most famous Dothraki khal. It was rumored that Khal Drogo was working with Viserys to invade Westeros. This never came to pass, but that Daenerys leads an army of Dothraki to invade Westeros is not in her favor when it comes to winning the hearts and minds of Westerosi.

Jon was killed for letting in Wildlings, and Westeros prefers wildlings to Dothraki.

Her dragons are monsters

Before even getting into what her dragons have actually done, it is important to note that dragons are considered the weapon of mass destruction in this universe. The Valyrians almost took over the whole world because of their dragonriders, and the Targaryens took over an entire continent with just three dragons.

Dragons themselves are animals that can burn entire armies and castles. They have voracious appetites and can be difficult to control.

They also have a mind of their own, which means they can go rogue and cause a lot of damage.

Daenerys didn’t come to Westeros with the most powerful army in the world - she came with nuclear weapons she intends to use on its people. She intends to keep those weapons to keep those people in line.

She likely intends to hatch more dragons and keep the symbol of her famiy’s power in tact.

And there is every sign in the world that bringing dragons into the world and keeping their requires bloodshed. The attempted hatching at Summerhall resulted in the death of most of the Targaryens even before Robert’s Rebellion.

Dragons, and everything connected to them, are very fatal.

She already lost a dragon.

Daenerys wants to help the North, but her help has already resulted in the war against the dead being more difficult than it already was.

The problem with creating weapons is that once something is in the world, it’s hard to take it out of the world. Nuclear weapons on Earth have proliferated, and it is an earnest fear of many governments and individual citizens that it may come into the hands of a rogue nation or terrorist cell.

That’s exactly what has happened in with the Night King.

Before the battle was a fight against a traditional army that happened to be undead. Now the battle is against an undead dragon that can cause just as much damage as a traditional dragon but is a lot harder to kill.

And that weapon has destroyed the wall - one of the greatest wonders in the world. Before the war had been about keeping the White Walkers on the other side of the Wall, but now they are past the wall and there is no way they can get the White Walkers to retreat and stay trapped behind it.

The North and Westeros have lost their greatest defense mechanism against the worst army in the history of the world - that is now a lot stronger because Daenerys lost control of her weapon of mass destruction.

All might have been forgiven if Daenerys was who she said she was and not who people feared her to be

The crux of the mistrust towards Daenerys by the North, and especially Sansa, is that Daenerys has a lot going for her and what goes against her can be forgiven by unfortunate circumstances or twisted in a favorable light for her allies.

However, this benefit of a doubt is given to Daenerys because she claims to be all her great titles in a positive and affirming way without being the Mad King that was her father.

But when Daenerys participated in her first real battle in Westeros, she did everything she wasn’t supposed to do and confirmed the fears of Tyrion by doing so.

She burned an entire army indiscriminately, and then burned alive those who would not submit to her.

This indiscriminate execution is the exact reason Robert’s Rebellion happened in the first place. Rhaegar and Lyanna running off instigated the conflict, but it did not happen in isolation of other events. Westeros was angry and afraid of the mad king for some time, and when Sansa and Jon’s grandfather went to King Aerys to demand justice, justice was answered with torture.

Not, "I’ll look into it guys” or even “Tough luck, I believe in my son” but murder. And a murder that everyone at court felt powerless to stop. The Starks weren’t even the first people burned alive at court. Nor were they the last. There were many other pyromanic executions at court.

While Westeros is unaware of it, Aerys also planned to burn all of Kind’s Landing down until Jaime stopped him.

That’s what happened on the Gold Road. Daenerys decided that the Tarlys deserved a painful death similar to the method her father preferred. This went against the advice of her advisors, and everyone watched in horror as they were unable to prevent an event very similar to what caused Ned, Robert, and Jon Arryn to raise their bannerman in rebellion in the first place.

Sansa fears that Jon bent the knee not to save the North, but because he loved Daenerys. Sansa also knows that love makes people blind - it blinded Robb and resulted in his death, and Sansa fears that Daenerys may just be a pretty Aerys.

There is not yet any proof of Daenerys being a mad queen.

But not for lack of evidence - the North just isn’t aware of what happened at the Gold Road yet. And once they know... it might change everything.

It will change the North.

It will change how the North perceives Daenerys.

It will change how the North perceives Jon.

Among the Starks, it will also damage the relationship between Jon and Sansa the most.

What happened to the Tarlys is a fundamental problem for the North in their acceptance of Daenerys that cannot be disregarded because it confirms all their worst fears about Daenerys.

It also confirms their worst fears about Jon.

When Jon left for Dragonstone, he did so against the wishes of his people. He then did not communicate his intentions or provide updates on his progress effectively. This lead to the Northerners believing he abandoned them when they needed Jon most.

They wanted to make Sansa their Queen.

Sansa is their rightful queen.

She turned them down because Sansa does not want to be Queen for the sake of power. She merely wanted to return home. She wanted to be safe. She wanted to be with her family. Jon was part of her family.

However, the Tarly Troubles present a different set of problems to the story for everyone involved. We know this because of what happened before Daenerys even arrived in Winterfell.

Once the North knows about the Tarlys... everything changes.

Daenerys becomes a threat, and so does Jon.

Why? Because Jon was incommunicado with Daenerys for a long time, and during that time Daenerys was burning armies and noble families.

Jon may not have known, but will the Northerners believe him?

I’m hard-pressed to believe that this is something that can just be smoothed over. They were already ready to depose him. Had Sansa been less of a person, had she loved him less, she would have seized power for herself.

So why would the North suddenly change?

The answer is they won’t.

Jon Snow is Jon Snow. They call him the King in the North whose name is Stark, but his name is not really Stark... is it?

And that’s before the fact he is a legitimate Targaryen comes into question and it looks like he is colluding with his real father’s family.

There are other Starks in the world... capable Starks in their mind. And she also helped lead the North against the Boltons. She was the one who brought a friendly long-allied army to their cause.

She did not leave the North.

Now we as fans know that Daenerys is not mindlessly evil and we know that Jon is loyal to the Starks, but the North isn’t so sure, and the Tarly Troubles will really put a light on those issues.

Going into this season, it is clear that a lot of fandom theories and are not only possible... but necessary to resolve the political tension in the story.

The best way to ensure the North is ruled by a Stark is to put a Stark into power. However, that political tension is not resolved by Sansa staying in the North and Jon ruling in the south.

The North never wants to be ruled by a southern leader again.

That said, it would be ridiculous to presume that Jon won’t redeem himself in the eyes of the North in a major way. The North will come to trust Jon again, though they will always have a nagging worry about his lineage.

The easy solution is one of two paths should Jon survive the end of the series: He never marries... or he marries the Stark the North realizes they want: Sansa.

Jon is not even nominally a Stark, even though he was raised by Ned and his cousins accept him. He was a Snow, and eventually, it will be revealed that he is a Targaryen.

That’s a problem.

It’s also not just a problem for the North - the southern houses will want to eliminate the legacy of the Targaryens, and Sansa has strong connections to the Riverlands and the Vale.

Remember: Catelyn was able to take Tyrion hostage in the Riverlands and have him tried in the Vale. This is important, because that is two kingdoms of which Sansa has potential influence in - two kingdoms that also hate the Targaryens.

It’s no mistake or coincidence that Sansa has been held up as the “key to the North” or that she has been seen as the second-coming of Catelyn Tully. That she also spent an impressionable amount of time in the Vale and is loved by Robin Arryn is also no coincidence.

Sansa is politically powerful. Arya and Bran are never held up to the same standard... because their role narratively is not to be the ruler of Winterfell.

But Jon and Sansa coming together is not just a matter of politics. When Sansa confronts Jon about bending the knee to a Targaryen queen, it is clear that she is personally hurt by his decision. She is, in essence, jealous.

Some people read this as political jealous while others believe it is personal jealousy.

Either way, there is a strong amount of jealousy there which suggests Sansa is not just ideologically opposed to Jon’s actions on a pragmatic level... she feels personally attacked.

That’s an interesting emotion given the fact we know Sansa chose to abstain from taking Jon’s power even when it was easy. Even when it was legally hers.

Even though Jon himself admitted she was responsible for winning the Battle of the Bastards.

But Sansa doesn’t see Jon as King of the North as being personally robbed. She was happy.

Sansa was not happy when Jon appeared loyal to Daenerys over his own family... over Sansa.

And the way Sansa’s jealousy is made clear is one of romantic intentions.

Sansa believes Jon bent the knee because Jon is in love with Daenerys. Not in love with her ability as a ruler... in love with Daenerys.

The Tarly Troubles confirm the seed Littlefinger planted in Sansa’s mind last season when he said that Jon and Daenerys might marry because she was attractive.

Throughout the last season, Sansa was worried because Jon left the North and did not communicate his intentions. When he returned, all her worst fears were realized:

He gave up the crown Sansa fought for him to keep because she loved him more than power.

He gave away the security of the North’s future post-Long Night even though Sansa didn’t fight for Winterfell for the coming war... she fought for it from the Boltons to have forever.

He didn’t tell her anything that was happening while he was away.

Sansa may think Jon kept the news about the Tarlys from her so that she would accept he bent the knee. People lie for the people they love, and if Sansa believes he lied... she will definitely think he did it for love.

So what Sansa and Jon need personally is to reunite on more equal terms. In this world, hierarchy is a powerful thing. You are either in power over someone, or someone is in power of you. This is true in the Stark family. Although Sansa jokes that Arya will need to call her Lady Stark, it is true that Sansa has a higher rank than Arya and they have a different relationship dynamic because of it.

Before Bran and Arya returned, Jon and Sansa were uniquely positioned as equals. He was King in the North, but Sansa was Lady of Winterfell. This is symbolically two halves of the same position historically, and both Jon and Sansa treated each other as equals. So too did the North once Jon had left - Sansa can step into his role when he is gone, and it is presumed that Sansa would have expected him to be Lord of Winterfell had she gone.

Their entire aesthetic is as a power couple: Jon is Ned Stark and Sansa is Catelyn Stark. Jon brings the military might of Ned, while Sansa brings the political savvy of Catelyn.

They needed each other to rule. They still do.

Sansa will never find an equal in Jon when it comes to a military commander. Jon will never find a political equal in Sansa when it comes to understanding the social dynamics of Westeros.

But they have temporarily split apart when Jon went south, and then forever split apart by Daenerys’s arrival.

The Tarly Troubles send them running in completely separate directions entirely.

However, is marriage alone enough to solve the personal break between Jon and Sansa?

No.

Ned and Catelyn were not on good terms at the start of their marriage. Catelyn had felt betrayed in a similar way that Sansa did. She had lost faith in Ned even though he was a famously honorable person.

It took years to build their relationship again. It’s even stated in the books that Catelyn knew men fathered bastards... but they did not bring them home. And Ned never admitted to Jon’s mother either. This led Catelyn to believe that Ned was in love with another woman. Catelyn was very jealous.

Catelyn only ever asked about Jon’s mother once... and she had been so frightened by Ned’s response she never asked again. She grew to distrust Jon overtime because she feared that Jon’s grandchildren would one day be a threat to her own grandchildren. Jon was always considered an outsider because of it.

Jon brought Daenerys home. Sansa never expected that. He also would not tell her the truth about Daenerys. And Daenerys was a threat to the future of the Starks in Winterfell... especially in Jon was in love with her!

Because you know - the Ned and Catelyn parallels are never exhausted with Jonsa! And nor are the Ned, Catelyn, and Targaryen child parallels!

But Ned and Catelyn did get married, and they did fall in love. And you know who represents the love of that union?

Sansa Stark.

She was the first child born after Ned and Catelyn’s fallout. She was the promise that the Stark line would continue.

Sansa has also been the promise of the Stark line since Robb died.

There is also a lot of show-related anxiety Catelyn had for not “loving a motherless bastard” which we were reminded of in the teaser.

It’s important that Sansa loves Jon more than anyone else as the symbol for Catelyn.

And it’s important that Sansa and Jon continue on as Starks, which they can only do together politically and personally.

Jon needs to feel truly loved by someone else. He also needs the freedom to love another person and have a child without the name Snow. It’s something he has wanted all his life... and what he has always secretly wanted is to have a child with the name Stark.

Which only Sansa can give him.

Likewise, Sansa wants to feel loved herself. She has been abused for so many years by the men in her life. However, all she has ever wanted was to marry a prince and have his babies... but then she realized that brought her pain, so now all she wants is what she has.

But she no longer has what she had before Jon left for Dragonstone, and the irony was that Jon, whom she had, was also a prince.

Jon was part of her family, and now she fears she has lost him to Daenerys.

I don’t think Jon not marrying Daenerys but then marrying another woman would ever fix that worry for Sansa, just as Jon marrying Daenerys and naming his child Targaryen would ever answer his dream of having a child with his name. Jon always assumed he was a Stark, and I don’t think he can shed that desire for the name for Targaryen. He might as well have been Jon Sand.

Jon and Sansa are uniquely the answer to all their hopes and dreams, and the pain both are experiencing at the beginning of season seven is because they have been pushed on different paths and that path is about to get more treacherous because of the Tarly Troubles.

Jon and Sansa don’t want to be separated. They want each other. They were reunited as a power couple to take back Winterfell because that is who they are and who they will be.

And the story can only end with them having each other.

#jonsa #jon snow #sansa stark

[cannoli-reader]

A Thought or two on the race of the Wheel of Time casting.

So “The Wheel of Time” has cast a group of people to play the characters born to Two Rivers families, Nynaeve, Perrin, Egwene & Mat.  And there have been concerns.  And there have been people making knee-jerk assumptions that these concerns are entirely founded in racism. And hey, maybe there are some. But I don’t think all of them necessarily are. 

First of all, some personal context. I am not really a SJW or much concerned about race issues in general. I am white, of entirely European ancestry, but I haven’t the slightest bit of “white guilt”. “Get Out” did not make me the least bit uncomfortable because I had absolutely no comprehension of the white characters. I understand that “representation matters” in media, but it matters to white people as well, which is why ‘Hollywood’ which is not a monlithic entity, mostly casts white people.  I don’t care if there are not enough black people or too many white people in any given movie.  We can have Scotsmen playing Lithuanian-Russians or try to pass off their burr as a brogue. We can have Terry Molloy, Stanley Kowalski and Vito Corleone, members of immigrant communities from very different parts of Europe, played by the same man. 

That said, while I think adaptations have a degree of responsibility to be faithful to the original work or to the historical time period, I don’t care that Michael Jordan and Reg E Cathay and Jessica Alba were cast as members of a family that is white in the picture books in which the Fantastic Four originated or that black paratroopers were in “Overlord”. I would not approve of T’Challa being played by a white person, because that IS important to his character.  And insisting on casting a woman of color as Cleopatra in the name of historical accuracy instantly destroys my respect for you. 

What we know about the appearance of the Two Rivers people is that they seem to be about average height for their part of the world.  Nynaeve & Egwene are short by modern standards (for a white or black North American), while Perrin is tall and Mat above average. They have somewhat darker complexions than the very Nordic-looking Aiel and possibly Andorans, but on the other hand, no character ever uses Two Rivers folk as a touchstone for dark skins, the way they do the Sea Folk or Tairens.  Even Domani are often mentioned as having coppery colored skins, with Two Rivers people using the terminology the same as lighter-skinned people, suggesting that they too, are lighter-skinned than the Domani.  When Elaida points out that Rand’s natural skin tone is unusually light for a Two Rivers native, she pushes up his sleeve to show the untanned skin, which to me suggests that Two Rivers people are not much, if at all, darker than a very pale person tans. So people do have a point that the actors for Perrin and Nynaeve, at least, if not also Egwene, are darker than they are portrayed in the books.

To which I say, “So what?” The important thing is that Rand is clearly different from the others.  That is probably even easier to convey visually if they use actors from different races, so Rand clearly stands out.  It might have been more interesting to make Rand the person of color, but then you’ll turn all the stuff into racial issues, and we don’t need that in discussions of the show.  Seriously, that was one of the more tedious parts of reveling in all the on-line criticism of Season 8 of Game of Thrones, which I prefer to think of as HBO’s six-part documentary, alternatively titled “Cannoli Was Right All Along.”  They didn’t kill off the Dothraki because they are racists, they killed off the Dothraki, to the extent that they did, because they long ago jettisoned everything else in service to spectacle.  Which brings me to the point that TV writers can’t be trusted and there are lots of other concerns in what they are going to do, beyond letting some black folks get full of themselves because Nynaeve would make Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman and Rey hide under the bed when she’s annoyed at them. 

One of the problems in “Game of Thrones” was that a lot of adaptational choices were not thought through, long term, nor were the implications. Like how Daenerys crowd-surfing on her freed slaves would look, compared to her riding her horse through a cheering crowd.  Or how abandoning a lot of the world building meant some things made very little sense.  If you read the books, between the lines, you know that the Dance of the Dragons (a war in-universe, not the book title) pretty much put paid to the idea of a woman inheriting the Iron Throne. But on the show, all we heard about that is that Stannis thinks the name is stupid.  In the books, he has definite opinions, including that the losing female contender was a traitor for attempting to claim the crown over her younger half-brother. But this sort of world-building would justify the characters’ stated preference for Jon’s gender over Daenerys in Season 8.  Going by the show alone, that makes no sense, because most of the nobles left at this point are women, and very few of the male lords would have reason to favor Jon over Dany, or else they were opponents of Dany for other reasons, like their die-hard support of Sansa, who was pro-Jon. The show’s worldbuilding undercut their own point of conflict, but they tried to fall back on book worldbuilding they had never serviced and made deliberate choices to omit characters or storypoints that would have supported that detail.

At this point I can’t see how the particulars of the Two Rivers’ ethnicity would affect the story, but I also thought cutting fAegon from “Game of Thrones” was a good idea when Season 5 rolled around.  To the extent that it is an issue in the story, the Two Rivers district of western Andor was once the heartland of a legendary nation called Manetheren.  When the nation was betrayed by their allies, the army fought alone to hold the ford of one of those eponymous rivers for far longer than anyone had thought possible, with civilians taking up arms to join them in hopes of preserving some fraction of the population.  In the end they all died fighting, but the enemy force was wiped out as a result of their defense, and so the few survivors who had got out came back, rebuilt their homes and said “We’re only leaving this country feet first.” But they lacked the human capital or resources to rebuild the nation and have been reduced to a rural farming community centered around a trio of villages.  There is a fourth village, called Taren Ferry, at the river crossing that is the only known way in or out of the Two Rivers, but they don’t have much to do with the rest of the area, and are looked at askance by the proper Two Rivers folk.  

It is also established in the text that the Taren Ferry people are the only ones to interbreed with outsiders or to have much intercourse with them at all.  The people living deeper in the Two Rivers are an isolated culture and breeding population.  Itinerant enterainers, merchants buying their crops and peddlers selling goods they cannot make themselves are their only contact with the outside world, and at one point a character actually scoffs at the idea of marrying one of them.  Rand is physically unique because his father, nearly equally uniquely, left the Two Rivers as a young man and came home with a wife from somewhere else and their baby.  

Because the Two Rivers people have only been reproducing among themselves for two thousand years, certain characteristics are reinforced in their genetics.  This is revealed when one of them, in a moment of stress, facing the same enemy that destroyed Manetheren, starts shouting in the language Manetheren spoke, using phrases specific to Manetheren.  This is later diagnosed as a kind of racial memory emerging, and strongly suggests that the character is a descendant of strong geneological connections to the last king of Manetheren. A second character feels a sort of recognition, suggesting a lesser degree of this Old Blood as it is called in the books. The other two native Two Rivers people don’t feel it. 

Now here’s the two fold problem with the casting.  The problem is not Marcus Rutherford and Zoe Robins, it is Barney Harris. They should ALL be the same race.  They’re isolated and have had very very few reproductive encounters with outsiders. Mat Cauthon should not be played by a clearly white actor if the rest of the Two Rivers is something else. 

But the really funny bit comes with the implications of the casting with regard to the Old Blood. 

Because these are the two people who are not the purest royal-blooded Two Rivers folk:

and 

while this is the one with maybe a hint of the blood of the legendary hero-king:

and THIS is the pure-blooded descendant of ancient royalty:

Ooops.  Gonna be fun when the people whose major problem with Missandei’s death is that a black woman didn’t have get to be in the last two episodes, watch the scene where Rosamund Pike tells THAT GUY, up there, how special his bloodline is.

But maybe they just rolled with the casting choices because they are going to skip the Old Blood issue. Okay. But like I said above, you never know what’s going to bite you in the butt seven or eight seasons down the road.   But the cynical part of me is greatly amused at the implications of the apparent mixed race heritage of the Two River people, and what it suggests about who the nobles and who the commoners were in the glory days of Manetheren.  On the other hand, you get the suggestion that the barriers between lords and commoners came down as they fought side by side to save their land and then worked side by side to make their community survive and we got people intermarrying without regard to the old social divisions.

[keptvigil]

DUNCAN.

DUNCAN WAS HIS FIRST REAL father figure. Eamon was certainly a sort of father figure, but based on the way Alistair talks about him and about the rumors he was his bastard and that whole situation, I don’t think he was allowed to view Eamon as a father in full. It was one of those situations where Eamon gave him enough attention and validation to give him a taste (and earn his favor) but little enough that he was still starving and thus more malleable to Eamon’s will. I do know there’s an unsent letter to Eamon in Alistair’s WoT entry wherein he addresses Eamon as “Uncle”. This was written not long after Duncan recruited him, though, and I honestly have my doubts as to whether he was allowed to call Eamon uncle at that point. It was probably one of those things where he was allowed to address him thus in private and with permission, but it was presented as a sort of privilege which could be rescinded as punishment. He was only Eamon’s when he behaved.

Duncan, then, was the first person to see any value in him as a person. Everyone else only saw his royal blood or his connection to Eamon or his sword arm or — the list goes on and on but the point is no one ever cared about HIM or what HE wanted. Alistair, the person, was ignored except when he was being beaten or berated, making him cling to those who showed him even a modicum of kindness (i.e. Eamon, the storyteller, Dennet). He was never good enough, never important enough, never what he should be. He was forced into one shitty situation after another, and when he complained, his feelings were invalidated on the basis that he should be unconditionally grateful he wasn’t abandoned to die as an infant. It was just a shitty time, my dude.

Then Duncan came, and Duncan asked him what he wanted. He did nothing to truly distinguish himself in the tourney Duncan observed, and I’m inclined to believe it was Duncan’s relationship with Fiona that drew his attention more than anything else. He was clearly miserable — so miserable any fool could see it from a mile away. That caught Duncan’s attention, too, and I’m sure he wondered whether Alistair might do better if he wasn’t just Fucking Suffering. (And, he did; he improved in leaps and bounds after being recruited.) Nevertheless, although Duncan threatened to invoke the Right of Conscription in order to recruit him, I headcanon that came after explicitly asking Alistair if he wanted to join. Alistair says at different points that Duncan could see he was miserable, that he was the only person who ever cared what he wanted, and that he risked a lot of trouble to recruit him. And, he really did. The Grey Wardens had only been allowed to return to Ferelden when Alistair was born in 9:10 Dragon, and the order was so small Duncan (according to Alistair) would say that being Warden-Commander in Ferelden didn’t mean much. They relied heavily on the goodwill of the crown and had a LONG way to go to get in the good graces of other parties. They were walking on some delicate ass eggshells. This is why Duncan wouldn’t have invoked the Right of Conscription to recruit Bryce Cousland’s youngest child / the Cousland pc in the human noble origin, despite believing they were a fine candidate — arguably a better one than Ser Gilmore. This is also why he makes a point to tell Alistair to play nice with the other groups at Ostagar and scolds him when he gets smart with the mage. They need every shred of goodwill they can get, and they have precious little as it is.

This should help put into perspective just how big of a deal it is Duncan went to such lengths for Alistair. They could not afford to make enemies of Grand Cleric Elemena and the Chantry, but Duncan risked just that for him. For this miserable, lonely young man no one had ever cared about. He looked at one who others called worthless, who believed himself worthless, and deemed him worthy of the future of his order in Ferelden. It was HUMONGUOUS — especially from Alistair’s perspective. It left him feeling indebted to Duncan, yet? Duncan didn’t feel the same way. Alistair owed him nothing. The life of a Warden was a high enough price to pay, he would say, and that made him more noble in Alistair’s eyes. Every time anyone had been even remotely nice to him it had come with strings attached, but Duncan expected nothing. Nothing! Inconceivable.

After that, Duncan continued to mentor him. He didn’t ignore him or pass him off to someone else. He mentored him personally. He didn’t just teach Alistair to fight and reveal secrets of the order; he really mentored him in life, too. In many ways, it was closer to a father-son relationship than mentor-mentee. He loved that man, and Duncan loved him in return. That he only had him in his life for six months is a true tragedy.

It’s just. so telling, I think, that he specifically laments not having something of his to remember him by. This comes after Alistair talks about his mother’s amulet. Growing up, that amulet was his prized possession and was one of the very few he had. It’s doubtful it actually belonged to Fiona, but he believed it had belonged to his mother, and it was everything to him. It created this sort of . . . need ? That’s not the right word but, like, this strong desire for something physical to remember his loved ones by, especially after their death. The fact that he specifically mentions wanting something of Duncan’s and the Warden can later give him Duncan’s shield, paralleling the conversation about his mother’s amulet and giving that to him, speaks volumes as to his feelings on Duncan. That man was his father, plain and simple.

Tangentially related but he also mentions in ambient dialogue that Eamon had once bought him a golem doll at the Wonders of Thedas shop in Denerim. He wonders if they still carry them. The storyteller in Redcliffe in DA:I, to whom he was presumably close as a child, mentions him begging her to tell him stories and carve him toy soldiers. There’s also the amulet from his Joining and the fact that he specifically is the one to hand the pc Warden theirs and the way he does. Growing up with so little (the little he did have being gifts from people he believed cared about him) and then losing all of that at one point or another — it’s just created this Thing in his mind where you give people you love physical reminders and you want the same from them. It doesn’t have to be expensive. It just has to be meaningful, like the rose from his romance. And, BOY HOWDY, lemme tell ya that him giving his beloved that rose — as soul-touching a sign to him as it was to Leliana — is A Big Fucking Deal.

#01. CAMP | QUEUE: I’ve seen the things that I must do. #ask to tag #this one was from an anonymous sender #⊰ headcanon | primary ⋄ I have made mistakes; I continue to make them ⊱ #⊰ duncan ⋄ the only person who ever cared about me ⊱

[pyropsychiccollector]

            Invel pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as his gaze remained forward. They had not yet reached Magnolia, but they would soon.

            “Fascinating… Of the Spriggan 12 members, only five remain uncaptured. Four of the twelve were even killed off…”

            By his side, Yajeel shivered in shock and horror.

            “Four of the twelve are dead…?! Does that mean Ajeel…?” He trailed off, not wanting to fathom the thought.

            Invel shook his head.

            “No, Ajeel remains uncaptured. Apparently, Larcade and Bloodman disappeared after his Majesty’s demise, which leads me to surmise they were Etherious. Wahl was eliminated by a member of Fairy Tail… and apparently Acnologia slaughtered God Serena. As for Dimaria and Neinhart, they are detained in Hargeon, and Brandish remains a captive in Magnolia.”

            Yajeel stared down at the ground, immense sadness in his eyes, as they continued their march.

            “This war inflicts a heavy toll… I never would have imagined over half of the twelve could be defeated. I dread to think the losses we have suffered amongst our other soldiers…”

            “They serve their purpose.” Invel coldly remarked. “I am more concerned about the twelve; we cannot afford any more deaths. Neinhart can bring back the four that have passed away, but it will be a troublesome burden on his Magic power, even for him. I do not know how Irene plans to proceed, but Ajeel, Jacob, and August will most certainly make their respective moves on Magnolia. I have faith that in time, Brandish will be freed, and the tide will turn back in our favor. As for myself, I believe it would be beneficial to make a detour to Hargeon and secure Dimaria and Neinhart…”

            Yajeel looked up at Invel in shock.

            “You plan to make the army change course?”

            Again, Invel shook his head in denial.

            “No. I will leave everyone under your care – keep advancing and do not stop for anything. No matter how much the enemy begs, give them no quarter. I will deal with Hargeon myself.”

            Having given his orders, Invel took his leave. Yajeel stared after him with a lost expression. Was there truly nothing else that could be done? Though he would like to call off the Western flank, Yajeel was just an old man who now answered to the Spriggan 12; Invel was going to pursue vengeance no matter the cost, Irene would likely go along with him, and Lord August…

            “What would you have me do, O Magic King…?” Yajeel thought aloud, reluctantly following Invel’s orders as he hobbled along.

            ~*~

            The Moving Temple, Olympia… a majestic, proud, and ancient structure-

            “Hey, wasn’t this thing a water vehicle? How come it can fly, too?” Racer butted in on Angel’s inner monologue. A vein pulsed on Angel’s forehead as she twitched.

            “You’re really going to complain at this point? Really?” She hissed.

            Racer shrugged nonchalantly.

            “Got a while ‘til we arrive, right? I’m bored.”

            The twitching intensified.

            “Would ya let me off this deathtrap already?!” Cobra groaned as he sat in a fetal position. Forgetting her ire for a moment, Angel chuckled mirthfully.

            “You’re still going on about that? I thought you said motion sickness was a First Generation Dragon Slayer problem?”

            Cobra groaned louder.

            “I was wrong, okay? Never gonna make fun of Dragneel again.” Cobra solemnly swore. And he wasn’t lying through his teeth, for once.

            Midnight shook his head in dry amusement.

            “We’re not nearly at the Northern battlefront yet. If anything, we only passed by Magnolia a short while ago.”

            “Then let me off there.” Cobra muttered stubbornly. “Northern’s not the only battlefield.”

            Angel raised a delicate eyebrow at the Dragon Slayer’s attitude.

            “You’re really willing to defy Jellal’s orders?”

            Cobra scoffed at the inquiry.

            “Jellal and Meredy went off on their own. Don’t see why we gotta move as a unit!”

            For a while, Angel and Cobra just stared at each other, neither seeming to budge on their stances. Then, Angel spoke up again.

            “… You really don’t want to be on this ship, do you?”

            Cobra deadpanned at her. No, no he did not. Now that he got some fresh perspective courtesy of his queasy stomach, vehicles were manmade monstrosities. Real Frankenstein shit right here. People had two legs for a reason, right? To walk on the ground. Not have the ground move for them. Just as Kami intended.

            “If Cobra wants to get off in Magnolia, I can go with him, if that’s what you’re all concerned about! Oh yeah!” Richard abruptly chipped in.

            Midnight rolled his eyes.

            “Erik’s a big boy. If he insists on getting off, he goes alone. We need all the muscle we can get on the Northern battlefront. Muscle includes you, big guy.”

            Rather than be irked his real name was used instead of his codename, Cobra smirked at being given exactly what he wanted. An opportunity.

            “You wanna just ditch me, huh?” He stood up on two shaky legs, but his grin never losing its cockiness. “That’s fine. I won’t be alone. I’ll get to see Cubelios again!”

            … Unfortunately, Cobra’s big confident moment was ruined by his face looking like he was going to blow chunks.

            ~*~

            Makarov narrowed his eyes as he stared at the map of Fiore.

            “The Spriggan Shields in the East have stopped moving… Have they stopped their advance?”

            Mavis looked just as grave. Despite the death of God Serena being very good news for them, the deaths of the Four Gods of Ishgar – particularly Warrod – hit Fairy Tail’s First Master hard. She was the only Founder left alive now. Well… ‘alive’ might be a bit of a stretch, at least with the current state of her body…

            “There’s this unrest that I’m feeling…” She murmured. And not even a few moments later, the doors to the Guildhall were shoved open with impressive strength. Everyone was tense as the newcomer took a look around casually.

            “Hmm… This is a neat Guild…” The dark-haired man muttered, hands stuffed in his pockets. “The sweet smell of liquor… absorbed into the wooden walls of this place…”

            “Wh-Who are you?!” Mest exclaimed. The new man grinned.

            “One of the Spriggan 12, Jacob Lessio, from the Alvarez Empire… At your service!”

            “When did he…?!” This brought about mass panic, and Warren inspecting the map to see if it was functioning properly.

            “Those markers have no meaning to them…” Jacob grinned as he slipped his hands behind his back, gentlemanlike. “Ya see, we’ve got this mad Wizard called August on our side, and… Well. That makes fooling your radars not that hard at all!”

            Cana glared at Jacob.

            “So you walk into our Guild alone?” She asked skeptically.

            Jacob chuckled darkly as he walked over to a random table, like he didn’t have a care in the world.

            “I don’t have… an army, or subordinate. But that just makes me all the more versatile. The man I told you about, August, he’s on his way here, too. He really has mad skills, I wouldn’t mess with him! But, hey, have you guys heard of Respect-for-the-Aged Day? Hm? Oh, you don’t have it here?” Jacob sat down comfortably, crossing one leg over the other. “We have it in Alakitasia, though. It’s a day where you respect the elderly and show your appreciation for them… And it just so happens to be today. So there’s no way I’m letting Old Man August do any hard work, thus my early arrival here!”

            Jacob then turned to Kinana with a suave smirk.

            “Hey, give me some liquor, won’t you? The stronger, the better…”

            “We’re not giving you anything!” Makarov barked, a stormy expression on his face. Jacob sighed theatrically as he leaned forward in his seat.

            “Well, it’s too bad, then… I was about to toast to the life you’ve lived up ‘til now, but… Let me tell you this, though. Assassinations are my work. And I’ve never failed any of them before.”

            Max scoffed at Jacob’s assertion.

            “Would you really announce that you’re an assassin, just like that?”

            Jacob raised two fingers to his eyes.

            “That’s a good point! But, assassination in its very foundation, is the art of hiding oneself in the darkness and hunting without noise. But I don’t do that. Do you know why? That’s because there is no need for me to hide!” He began to bring his palms together. “The only things I need to hide are the dead and witnesses… But by then, there won’t be anyone left!”

            “Dead bodies and witnesses?!” Cana exclaimed, just as Jacob’s palms connected. In the next moment, there was a blinding light throughout the Guildhall, and then everyone but Jacob and Mavis vanished. As if they faded from existence.

            “N-No…” Mavis whispered in dread, before she began panicking. “Makarov?! Macao?! Cana!! Everyone… where are you?!”

            Jacob tilted his head slightly.

            “Oh…? There’s one more… A ghost, I see…”

            Mavis tensed as she eyed Jacob warily.

            ‘The only people that can feel, hear, and see me are those from the Guild!’

            “There you are!” Jacob made a shooting motion with his fingers, and Mavis found herself in pain suddenly.

            “’There you are?!’ AHHH!” She choked out. ‘Wh-Why?! I don’t even have a body…!’

            “Heyyy… I’m pretty sure you could talk to me if you put some effort into it, no?” Jacob spoke carefreely as Mavis lay hunched on the ground, groaning in pain. “I think I’ve got it, though. So you’re the Fairy Heart that the Emperor has been talking about… So tell me, where is your ‘body’? Tell me!”

            Jacob continued to hurt Mavis through some means, leaving her unable to speak, save for her shrieks of pain. In the basement, the top of her body began to bleed mysteriously…

            “I’ll return your Guildies, if you tell me!” Jacob promised. Mavis’s eyes widened.

            “H-Huh...?”

            Jacob stood up and towered over Mavis.

            “They’re currently in the boundaries between life and death, but technically still alive! But if I let them go, then they will die…”

            ‘Everyone’s still alive…?’ Mavis thought to herself in shock.

            “You’re the only one that can save them…” Jacob stressed, making his demands clear through a threat.

            ‘If I choose my Guild members… Then it would mean giving up the entire world… But can I even trust this man?! What do I do…?’ Mavis glared at Jacob defiantly, feeling conflicted. But before she could make her decision, Lucy came up from behind and kicked Jacob brutally, dressed in her Taurus Star Dress.

            “Are you okay, First?!”

            “Lucy!! You’re okay!!” Mavis exclaimed happily.

            “Happy, too!” Lucy replied with a thumbs-up. Happy floated in the air with his wings and looked around.

            “Huh…? Where is everyone?”

            “He’s got them hidden somewhere!” Mavis informed them. “We’ve got to take him down!!”

            Lucy switched over to her Capricorn Star Dress.

            “Oh, so he’s the reason for that weird Magic!”

            “Bring everyone back!!” Happy demanded.

            Jacob groaned as he sat up on the floor.

            “Impossible… My Magic should have covered the whole Guild…” He grunted as he stood up.

            Lucy and Happy giggled mischievously, revealing they had received aid from Horologium. Lucy had lost her clothes as a result of the abrupt save, but she salvaged that through the Star Dresses.

            “We’ve got the Celestial Spirits’ protection!” Lucy grinned, wagging her finger proudly.

            Jacob grinned right back, unsettling Lucy and Happy.

            “Aha… If you had disappeared like you should have, you wouldn’t have to go through something as scary as this…” He cocked his head at Mavis. “Hey, spirit! I’m changing my terms. I will now tear this girl to bits. So come down if you feel like it… But if you don’t, then enjoy the show! Maybe all I’ll leave behind for you will be her head!”

            Jacob rummaged in his jacket before throwing some invisible blade, a dagger.

            “Lucy, watch out…!” Mavis cried out.

            Lucy, unable to think on the spot, stood there and tried to shield her face. However, at the last second, Loke appeared and deflected the blade. He then stood up at full height and straightened his tie.

            “Now, that’s a terrible thing to say to a Lady…”

            “Loke!!!” Lucy and Happy cried out in glee. Jacob just stared at the Lion Spirit blankly.

            “You seem like a chivalrous gentleman kinda guy… Tell ya what. I’ll let you leave here with that broad – save her from seein’ something so unsightly. I’ll even throw in the cat! Waddaya say?”

            Loke frowned at the offer. He got into a fighting stance.

            “Thanks for that ‘generous’ offer, but as a knight in shining armor, I’ll gladly give you my all!”

            ‘Knight in shining armor? Really?’ Lucy deadpanned in her head. She twitched as Happy stared up at her with puffy cheeks, as he clearly held giggles in.

            Jacob rolled his neck, getting several cricks out.

            “Well, don’t complain when I rip her to shreds, then. I did give you the chance to back out!” Jacob then vanished from view. Lucy, Loke, and Happy whipped their heads around in an attempt to see which direction the Spriggan Shield would be coming from. Loke cried out in pain as he was abruptly sent flying by a punch; in the next moment, Jacob appeared again, standing where Loke had been. Lucy stared in open-mouthed horror.

            ‘I… I didn’t even hear him…!’

            “What the hell was that?!” Loke’s arms were up in a defensive position as he glared at Jacob. The Spriggan Shield wasted no time in striking Lucy and sending her careening into a wall with a savage kick. “Lucy!!!”

            Just as Loke started charging at Jacob, the man disappeared again, and the Lion Spirit found himself overtaken again by the strange man appearing right at his side, mid-sprint.

            “You got no chance in hell, prettyboy! Go back to that sparkly Celestial plane!”

            Jacob struck Loke yet again, and followed up with a few more successive strikes as the Spirit tumbled on the ground. From her spot over by the wall, Lucy grimaced and held up a Gate Key.

            “OPEN! Gate of the Sea Goat, Capricorn!” The aforementioned Spirit then shimmered into existence by her side.

            “How may I be of assistance, Milady?”

            Lucy pointed at Jacob angrily.

            “Take him down!”

            Capricorn nodded tersely.

            “Right!” He entered the fray, managing to catch the Spriggan Shield off-guard with a swift kick and several punches.

            “Another one?!” Jacob growled as he blocked the next few strikes and dished back a punch at the goat. “You’re just makin’ things harder for yourself, brat!”

            Jacob then disappeared again. Capricorn frowned shrewdly.

            “Sir Leo…”

            Loke stood up shakily.

            “Yeah, I think I’m getting the hang of it now…”

            “He’s using ‘Stealth’!” Mavis piped up from where she was still collapsed on the floor. “It’s complete transparency camouflage!”

            Jacob then appeared over her and stomped down on her head.

            “That’s not all. I can also see that which cannot be seen. Like this ghost girl, for example!”

            “Bastard… Take your damn feet off of…!” Lucy growled, but then Loke and Capricorn took action.

            “Shining Lion!!!” Loke emitted a brilliant light around himself that caused Jacob to raise his arm to shield his eyes. “Tag, you’re it!!!”

            Loke punched the man like a speeding bullet train, sending him reeling back across the floor.

            “Now this guy’s a pain in my ass…!” Jacob growled as he squinted his eyes. He attempted to fight back with another invisible weapon, but Capricorn stepped in and snagged it in midair after ascertaining what kind of movements Jacob was making with his hands, catching Jacob off-guard and allowing Loke to get more hits in. Jacob roared furiously. “DAMNITTT!!!”

            Jacob let go of that whip and in quick-draw fashion brought out his gun again and shot both Loke and Capricorn, making Loke dispel the light and Capricorn drop the whip. Jacob smirked, pocketing the gun and picking up his invisible whip effortlessly, proceeding to wave it all around, striking both Celestial Spirit and human alike. Believing himself to have the upper hand, Jacob homed in on Lucy and increased both the speed and power of his strikes.

            “You ain’t stoppin’ the Spriggan 12, brat!!! We always get what we want, all for the sake of our Emperor!”

            Though Lucy was his primary target, Loke and Capricorn were still kept at bay with the occasional lash of the whip. The man was certainly skilled at wielding it. Not even Happy and Mavis were spared.

            But just when all hope seemed lost, a fast-moving blur appeared behind Jacob.

            “I can hear it… You’re scared of these Fairies actually putting up a fight!”

            Jacob whipped his head around at the sound of the new voice, but it was too late.

            “WHAT?! HOW’D YOU…!” He cried out as Cobra, channeling Poison Dragon Slaying Magic into his hand clawed at Jacob’s backside and sent him flying. Cobra gave a toothy smirk at his handiwork, even as Lucy, Happy, Mavis, Loke, and Capricorn stared dumbfounded at him.

            “Sorry I’m late… those jackasses wouldn’t actually drop me off at the Guild, so I had to walk. Still, seems like I made it.”

            Despite being enemies with him in the past, Lucy couldn’t help breaking out in a wide smile.

            “Cobra!!”

            “Just in the nick of time!” Happy cheered.

            “Th-Thanks…” Loke’s expression was torn between a grin and a grimace, as he was clutching at his injuries. Capricorn straightened his sunglasses.

            Cobra suddenly frowned as he turned to face the assassin, who he’d disregarded for a few moments.

            “Ya got a lotta nerve, attacking this Guild! Don’t think I’ll let you off the hook. Even if you beg, I’m kickin’ your ass into next week.”

            Jacob stood up, wiping a few flecks of blood off of his mouth. His back now had a huge gash in it, and he could feel some poison circulating throughout his body now.

            “Funny, I was about to say the same to you, punk… Striking a dignified gentleman while his back’s turned! I won’t forgive ya!” He disappeared once again.

            Lucy and the rest were worried about this development, but Cobra just grinned cockily and charged up Poison Dragon Slaying Magic in his fists and perfectly countering Jacob before he could materialize at his side.

            “Gentleman?! Don’t make me laugh!” Cobra dished out an uppercut under Jacob’s chin and then slugged Jacob in the chest, making him appear again. He didn’t let the assassin have breathing room, he followed up his initial attacks with more savage punches that whittled away at Jacob’s power because of the poison. “You Alvarez chumps come into our turf and whine about getting attacked?! Man the fuck up!”

            Jacob managed to catch Cobra’s next punch, and attempted to strike him in the face, but the maroon-haired man craned his head to the side and dodged the punch. Jacob’s eyes widened as he felt a searing pain in the hand he caught and withdrew it from Cobra’s poison-coated fist.

            “The hell are you?! You’re weaker than me!!!” Jacob clutched at his hand, which had developed some kind of burn or rash from coming into contact with Cobra’s poison.

            Cobra just smirked cockily and continued to press his advantage.

            “Me? I’m but a humble Dragon Slayer… And you’re no dragon. You’re just a two-bit punk of an assassin. Poison Dragon ROAR!” Cobra brought his hands together and unleashed a stream of Poison Dragon Slaying Magic that overtook Jacob and made him scream out in agony. And while his opponent was in a petrified state, Cobra charged right through him with scaly claws for hands. Jacob coughed out blood as he sank to his knees, before collapsing to the floor unceremoniously. Claw still outstretched and his body still leaning forward, Cobra smirked darkly. “… Show’s over!”

            Lucy and the others appeared flabbergasted as they drank in the scene. Cobra’s hands returned to normal as he stuffed them in his pockets.

            “H-H-How did you do that?!” Lucy yelped. “I thought you’d need our help for sure!”

            Cobra sneered.

            “I just used my greatest strength without tellin’ him about it… He didn’t even have a clue. I can hear thoughts, remember? He could cloak his body, muffle his movements… But his thoughts rang loud and clear!”

            “Amazing…” Loke muttered while Capricorn helped Lucy to her feet. But before they could celebrate, Happy cried out fearfully.

            “W-W-Wait…! That guy! He took everyone somewhere!”

            Lucy’s eyes widened at the reminder.

            “That’s right…! Without that guy, who knows what’s going to happen to them?!”

            Cobra rolled his good eye.

            “Relax, they’re fine.”

            And just as they were going to press Cobra about his nonchalant attitude,  a brilliant light shone throughout the Guildhall as everyone reappeared. Everyone looked confused about what had just happened, but looked none the worse for wear.

            “I guess with that guy knocked out, he can’t maintain his Magic…” Loke deduced correctly, while Makarov took a step forward and glowered at the fallen assassin.

            “Lock him up! He had the nerve to endanger our Guild, so he will be given no quarter!”

            Cobra gave the Guildmaster a smug grin as it was his turn next, when Makarov turned to him. Jet and Droy moved to comply with their Master’s command. Lucy followed after them, as she wanted to check up on Brandish.

            “Yo. Glad I decided to get off here, or you guys would be screwed!” Cobra decided it was best to leave out the part that he just wanted off Sorano’s deathtrap because he was feeling sick…

            Makarov nodded tersely in gratitude.

            “For saving the lives of my children, and protecting our First Master, you have my eternal gratitude…” He turned his head to eye Warren, who was checking on the map. “I take it Crime Sorciere have decided to lend a hand?”

            Cobra spread out his arms lazily, gazing up at the ceiling.

            “Pretty much. Ishgar’s our home, too, y’know? Plus, Jellal’s got that whole vendetta against Zeref anyway…” He eyed Makarov with a modicum of delight. “And… I won’t deny it felt good to get my pound of flesh.”

            Makarov nodded in understanding. Kinana then broke away from the crowd and ran up to Cobra with a bright grin on her face.

            “Erik…!”

            Cobra frowned marginally, but reluctantly accepted her hug all the same. He kept his eye on Makarov, though.

            “Your help is appreciated, Cobra.” Makarov replied honestly. “Though Zeref is dead along with our Natsu, we still have a war to fight. Alvarez won’t give up because their Emperor is gone – if anything, they will strike back out of revenge. We also have Acnologia to worry about…”

            Cobra grimaced at the summation of current events, still holding Kinana securely.

            “Sounds like a mess, alright… So that fireball got himself killed already, huh?”

            “Not without taking Zeref with him.” Makarov affirmed, to which Cobra nodded blankly.

            “Guess I shouldn’t have expected anything less… So what now?”

            Warren shook his head sadly as he set down the device with the map of Fiore.

            “With August jamming our radar, I can’t get an accurate picture of where we stand… There are at least four Spriggan Shields to worry about, though. Ajeel – who Erza beat, but didn’t capture. Invel to the West. August to the East. And some unknown Spriggan to the North…”

            “Sounds better than I was expecting…” Cobra remarked dryly. Makarov shook his head.

            “On the contrary. We fought tooth and nail to reach this point! And the harshest battles are still to come… August, the King of Magic, is in a league of his own. He is possibly more powerful than Zeref ever was.”

            Cobra’s eye bulged in shock and horror.

            “You want to fight a monster like that?!”

            Makarov turned to the side, appearing deep in thought.

            “Not if we can speak with him… And I think we have someone that may be willing to do that for us. That is, if she’s willing to cooperate…”

            ~*~

            Brandish eyed Lucy as Jet and Droy dragged in Jacob, clothes in tatters. Next to her, Marin looked shocked that Jacob had been taken down.

            “… I’d like to speak with your Guildmaster.”

            Lucy, Jet, and Droy all froze at the request…

#Fairy Tail #Invel Yura #Yajeel #Cobra/Erik #Angel/Sorano #Midnight/Macbeth #Hoteye/Richard #Racer/Sawyer #Jacob Lessio #Lucy Heartfillia #Loke #Capricorn #Mavis Vermillion #Brandish Mu

[grimtwin]

Honest opinions on all YYH characters. Go!

On ALL of them? There’s not a single character in YYH I don’t like in some manner, but all of them is too much. I’ll do the “main” characters.

Yusuke -  One of the few main characters of an anime/manga series that I honestly like. Perfect rendition of a stubborn, emotionally repressed teen trying to figure out his place in life. Most of his problems in life would be solved if he just bit the bullet and took shit seriously though. I think what I like best about him, is how he does things that no one ever expects him too, always surprising everyone.Kuwabara - He’s far too loud and a bit thick skulled, but even then, he’s still a cool dude. Sticks to his morals, chivalrous when you don’t see it much anymore, and the guy was literally in agony, crying over Yusuke’s death in the first episode, a guy who was meant to be his mortal enemy. He’s just a good guy through and through, and I appreciate how willing he is to sacrifice himself for his teammates. Kurama - For the longest time, I wasn’t sold on Kurama. I thought he was a bit…underwhelming, I guess you could say. Especially after we saw that little memory flashback between Gouki, Hiei, and Kurama. You could tell Kurama was smart, but in every arc, he was getting his ass handed to him in some way. It wasn’t until the Territory stuff that I really started to respect Kurama for his strategic ways and completely terrifying mind games. His mental battles with Game Master and Yuu Kaito are probably my favorite moments of his…but then that utter savagery against Elder Toguro is really got me to step back and go…”whoa. This is not a dude to be fucked with.” Youko is cool though. You could tell his full demon form was much better than Shuichi in battle moments.Hiei - Total bad ass, rude as can be, but deep down he’s a good guy. Its obvious he cares for Yukina, and despite how much he tries to hide it, cares for his buddies as well. Favorite male of the series, I appreciate how he can be so utterly ruthless, but then turn around and be furious that an enemy killed their own comrade. More emotionally stunted than Yusuke, it was nice to see him grow throughout the series. Pretty sure the guy has an inferiority complex though, since he gets so angry when his strength doesn’t match Toguro’s, or that Spirit World ranks him only at an Upper B class demon. Dragon of the Darkness Flame is the coolest attack int he series. I hate how tall his hair is. He should have relations with Botan.Botan - Love everything about her. She’s what got me into the series in the first place. Five minutes into the show and she’s mocking the shit out of Yusuke’s death, then a few episodes later, possessing Keiko’s mother in order to convince Keiko to go save Yusuke. Time and time again, she puts herself in harms way to protect friends and enemies alike. She’s just too good of a character; cute as a button, funny as hell, has the best reactions in the entire show. Should have relations with Hiei. Yukina - She is so fucking adorable. And I think people overlook just how mentally strong this woman has to be. Her people are forced to repress their emotions so their tears aren’t stolen for profit, so that’s one thing. She abandoned her people in search of Hiei which eventually led to her capture. Manga wise, she was held prisoner for years, and probably endured untold tortures, but still walked away from it liking humans because of what Kuwabara and Yusuke did. She’s incredible.

Keiko - In a world full of demons, spirits, and super powers, she’s just a plain human girl, and that’s largely why she’s overlooked or generally looked down on. I’ll admit, she’s not incredibly interesting as a character because of that, but that doesn’t mean she’s bad in anyway. She grounds Yusuke and is his main connection to his life in human world, toward the end of the series. That serves a strong purpose as well. Shizuru - Strong, feisty, gorgeous as hell, and could beat my ass. This is the kind of woman I’d happily bring home to meet the folks. Not that I’m into being beaten…>.>. She’s so cool though. Tough when it’s needed, but has these moments of tender, gentleness that seem to be missed when people look into her character. Comforting Botan after the death of Genkai, the way she smile at Yukina when she worries for Kazuma, the apparent love she had for Sakyo. She’s a very interesting character I wish we got to see more of. Genkai - Genkai is the type of teacher I wish I had. The hands on, no bullshit teacher who’s actually trying to knock some sense into your head. I thought she was so crazy cool throughout the series; training Yusuke, kicking ass in the Dark Tournament, making Shishiwakamaru fall for her, setting up Yusuke’s kidnapping, blowing through Game Master’s video game, and finally, after her death, getting Yusuke to stop shaking in his boots and make a decision which saved his home city and Spirit World. What is not to like about this woman?

Koenma - At first, I did not take Koenma seriously in any way. Like Yusuke and Kuwabara, I was laughing at the baby who thought he was top shit. It wasn’t until the Dark Tournament, where he showed up at the finals (even though he was ready to bail out at the first sign of trouble) and offered up his life along with Team Urameshi, that I got some respect for him. He upped his game in Chapter Black by going out and trying to stop Sensui himself; reviving Game Master, and trying to use his Mafuukan to kill Sensui and close the Demon World portal, and going as far as to reject Spirit World in favor of supporting Yusuke. He had his cool moments. Still think he’s more of a comedic character though, which is fine. 

If you want others, jut lemme know. 

#Yu Yu Hakusho #Yusuke Urameshi #Hiei #Botan #Kurama #Kuwabara Kazuma #Shizuru Kuwabara #Keiko Yukimura #Yukina #Genkai #Koenma #YYH

[carterhaughs]

vir lath sa’vunin

The end of the Fifth Blight heralds a new dawn for Ferelden and her peoples, but consolidating support for the young new king will not be easy, and rebuilding would be an arduous task even without the threat of residual darkspawn and fresh new horrors lingering in the wake of the Archdemon. Aelinor Surana and Alistair Theirin will need all the strength, savvy, cunning, and knowledge they can muster if they are to heal their country's hurts. With help from friends new and old and their love for each other, they will face down adversity as they always have: together.

Read @ Ao3

Note: "Vir Lath Sa'vunin" is a line from Leliana's Song - the one she sings to the warden after Zathrian and/or the Lady of the Forest die during the Nature of the Beast quest line. It is an old elven song that Keeper Lanaya may share with you in the form of a codex entry. The line means "we love one more day." 

Relevant to this chapter: There is an actual in-game conversation you can have with Anora in which she will directly ask you if you and Alistair are together. It really took me off guard because in my playthrough I was careful not to mention anything to Anora about Alistair other than that I think he would make a better king than she thought. But she was too sharp for my love to go unnoticed lol. You can see that conversation here. 

Chapter 3: A Fereldan’s Best Friend

Aelinor entered after the announcement of the arls and teyrns in attendance but before the banns. Traditionally, the king’s chamberlain would have been second only to the king, but she had feared seeming too much of an upstart by taking her place at his side, much as he had wished her to dare it. She had become chamberlain during his coronation ceremony and like his kingship it had been openly communicated to the rest of the kingdom, but there had been no separate ceremony conferring the title and responsibilities on her. This would be her first formal appearance as the chamberlain and with so many visiting dignitaries present, she could scarce afford to make mistakes.

She came in through a side door with little fanfare from the major domo as per her request, and bowing to the king, attempted to melt into the crowd and mingle with Leliana’s advice in mind. She could feel many sets of eyes on her, leering, appraising, disdaining. Her heartbeat fluttered in her throat, but she kept her spine straight and her gaze level. There were no mages here, and the only elf besides herself in attendance was Shianni, but there were a few other familiar faces. Her background being what it was and feeling the need to justify it, she inhaled deeply and approached the gaggle of chantry sisters first.

“Sister Justine!” Aelinor inclined her head in the direction of the Denerim Chantry’s curator, who was surrounded by a number of other church officials deep in conversation. “How are your studies progressing?” Sister Justine smiled and motioned her closer. Her dark blond hair was elegantly braided as usual, though there were dark shadows beneath her eyes. Ever since the discovery of the Sacred Ashes’ final resting place she had likely been burning the candle at both ends.

“Lady Surana, come, we were just discussing the latest excavation in the old temple above Haven. The etchings we have made of verses long lost from the Chant are an archivist’s dream–both those you found, and those Brother Genitivi and many others have uncovered since.”

“Long lost? Or stricken?” remarked one of the other sisters with a sour expression. Justine raised an eyebrow at her.

“Wilhelmina, you know very well none of them connect to any of the Dissonant Verses, or perhaps to any verses we know of at all. Taking joy in their recovery is far from controversial.” Wilhelmina sniffed but said no more, narrowing her eyes at Aelinor. Being an elf and a mage and a public official, she was a flagrant offense to the natural order of things most conservative Andrastians adhered to, so it was hardly surprising.

“I can understand Sister Wilhelmina’s caution,” Aelinor said, hoping she would seem reasonable rather than sycophantic, little as she cared to appeal to someone so ready to hate her. “I did find a great deal of these writings in the den of dragon cultists, after all. But so long as we have veteran researchers like Sister Justine and her fellow scholars on hand, I trust they will parse the truth from the apocryphal. In any case, the authenticity of the ashes themselves can hardly be doubted. Without them, all of Denerim may have been corrupted by the Blight now, so I think we can all agree that the Maker had a hand in our deliverance, regardless of what may yet be discovered.” Though Wilhelmina stared her down obstinately, many of the other sisters looked at her thoughtfully or even nodded enthusiastically as Justine did. Leliana’s advice was working like a charm.

Suddenly all the sisters about her were bowing, and Aelinor turned to find that Alistair was standing right behind her, clad in leathers threaded with the strong geometric designs characteristic of the Alamarri. She bowed herself even as she sighed inwardly. He had not held out for very long.

“Your Majesty?”

“My dear sisters of the Chantry, I must allow you to excuse Lady Surana for a moment, as Arl Wulff desires her audience.”

“Yes, of course, King Alistair,” said Sister Justine. “Thank you again to you both for your service to the Chantry. I very much look forward to sharing my findings with you in the weeks and months to come.” Aelinor nodded and moved to Alistair’s side as they walked away. The dining hall was vast and Arl Wulff was located conveniently at its far end.

She noticed Alistair’s arm twitch at his side, no doubt out of force of habit. When they walked alone together, it was rare indeed that he did not take her arm in his own.

“Alistair...”

“Yes, my dear, I know,” he whispered. “I know being within twenty feet of me in the public eye makes you uncomfortable, but people will talk no matter what. We do not need to be miserable, merely professional.” She looked up at his face, but he was staring straight ahead and talking out of the corner of his mouth. So Leliana had managed to get through to him too. She smiled.

“No, you’re right. There have been few female chamberlains in the history of the country in any case, much less mage or elven individuals who have held the position, male or female. They were always going to talk. We can enjoy each other’s company even in public if we are discreet, which you have been. I am grateful for it.” He nodded slightly, and could not suppress a half-smile from quirking the edge of his lips.

“You should be. It’s all I can do not to kiss you right now.” She could feel her flush creeping up the back of her neck again and blessed the high embroidered collar she wore for covering up the worst of it.

“Not to worry, Your Majesty...I’ll be certain to show you how grateful I am once we’re alone.” Alistair said nothing to that and instead cleared his throat a bit too loudly and placed his hand for the briefest of moments at the small of her back, guiding her toward the upper right corner of the room below the dais where the Arl of the West Hills commanded a lively group of nobles. They quieted and bowed at the king’s approach, eying her with curiosity.

“My chamberlain, Lady Aelinor Surana.” She curtsied, and meeting their gazes afterward was not nearly as daunting as she had thought it would be. Of course, it helped to have the king at her side, but this crowd in general seemed to take her presence in better humor than many in attendance.

“How fare the West Hills, Arl Wullf?” she asked. The south had taken the brunt of the horde’s incursion, and would be slow to recover. But she did not want to shy away from the obvious.

“Poorly,” he replied, “but improving with the help of the capital. There is green there still, and the fall will yield a harvest. In the meantime, your efforts with the dwarves to lower the price of provisions for us in the Frostbacks have proven most helpful. And the horde itself is all but vanquished.”

“And yet,” said a new voice in careful, even tones, “is not much of the ‘help of the capital’ owed to Orlais? For it is their Wardens who have bivouacked there with the king’s approval.”

A new face emerged from the crowd, fair-skinned and clear-complexioned. Anora Mac Tir. Aelinor turned and regarded her levelly, but without malice.

“Lady Mac Tir, I need not remind you that while the Wardens have historically overstepped their bounds on certain occasions, their loyalty has always been to themselves and to their mission of protection against the Blight. In the West Hills, the Blight remains and is combated with their help. There is no ambiguity in it in my accounting, but I invite you to find some yourself, should you seek it.”

“If you don’t trust the Wardens’ understanding of it, I wonder what you consider mine, Anora?” Arl Wulff added gruffly. “The self-important prattle of an old man who seeks to solicit favors for his holdings? If you don’t believe me, visit my arling or any portion of the south yourself. The farmers fending off raiding parties and dying of plague will surely lay your suspicions to rest.”

“I did not mean to question the gravity of your situation,” Anora replied coolly. “Merely to point out how easily the enemy might move on us once these Wardens overstay their welcome.”

“Regardless of the loyalty of the Orlesian Wardens, under other circumstances Ferelden would have had its own force,” Alistair cut in, voice hard and sharp with anger. “But fate would have it otherwise, it seems.”

“Indeed,” replied Anora. “Fate would have them on the throne and in the palace chambers.”

Aelinor controlled her sharp intake of breath even as her heart pounded in her ears. Anora had baldly put the question to her prior to the Landsmeet–did she have feelings for Alistair, given the way she spoke of him in such glowing terms? Why did she believe an inexperienced and naive young man like himself could be king? Aelinor had merely replied that she thought Alistair would make a better king than Anora believed and the then-queen had let the matter drop. But of course, she had held onto her read on the situation. It was correct, after all. And Aelinor almost laughed aloud at the pun and how it could be taken as merely a statement of truth or as a double-entendre: a chamberlain in the palace chambers. It was meant to get a rise out of her and Alistair, but she would not let it. Hopefully, Leliana had schooled him well enough that it would not get to him either. She would have put a hand on his shoulder to remind him of the necessity of restraint but of course that would have just put proof to Anora’s thinly veiled accusation.

But before she could so much as speak, there was a commotion in the small crowd as her mabari barreled through the assembled nobles to reach her side, bumping his muzzle against her hand and squeezing in between herself and Alistair.

“What are you doing here, boy?” she said sharply. He wagged his tail and barked with gusto, then looked up at the rest of the crowd with dark, liquid eyes suggesting an innocence Aelinor knew he did not have. “Well, as he seems to have introduced himself without all due courtesy, I shall do my best to atone for him on his behalf. This is my mabari, Shadow. I managed to heal him of the Taint he contracted at Ostagar and he’s followed me ever since.”

Arl Wulff crouched down to get a better look at him and Shadow barked excitedly. “A fine beast. If I am not mistaken, he has recently sired several litters of puppies known for their resilience and ferocity as much as their sweet temper. I gave one such whelp to my daughter.”

Aelinor smiled, grateful for the sudden change in topic. Shadow was a sly creature, indeed. “Yes, he’s been helping to replenish the kennels here in Denerim when he is not at my side. His mate is Bertie, a bitch from the long line of Theirin hounds.” The other nobles gathered around eagerly to ask more questions about his pedigree and the line he was sire to, and Anora’s slight seemed all but forgotten. Aelinor looked for her in the crowd, but she was gone.

“Bertie?” asked Arl Wulff, no doubt amused at so plebian a title for a descendent of the likes of “Sentinel,” and “Duchess.”

Alistair grinned. “Yes, short for Camembertie.” His stomach growled audibly and he leaned over Shadow to speak to Aelinor above the vigorous mabari breeding discussion Shadow’s entrance had set off. “It will be time for dinner soon, thank the Maker. I wasn’t sure how much more of that I could take, but you weathered it well.”

“I’m sure we’ve not seen the last of it,” Aelinor replied, scanning the crowd for Anora and finding her near the group of chantry sisters she’d spoken with earlier. “But I think we managed to make a case for ourselves and maintain our dignity. It wasn’t just my doing, either, Alistair.”

“No, of course not! Shadow takes the lion’s share of the credit.” She rolled her eyes but his slight smile and the gentle tilt of his head in her direction told her that he knew he had done well and that her assurance was enough.

#alistair theirin #female warden #warden surana #alistair x warden #alistair x surana #intrigue! romance! dogs! #what more could you ask for

[sparda3g]

One Piece Chapter 827 Review

The joy of Wano Country exploration continues. With the promising setup from the last chapter, this one is more of a cooldown for Strawhats with the absence of Luffy. When you read the chapter’s title, “O-Toko the Kamuro,” it’s certain that a new character will be introduced. While that’s true, it delivered more than that. It brought in amusing moments that the series is well-known for with new interesting theories to think over for a long period of time.

After some of the heavy content as well as buildup from couple of chapters ago, it feels good to sit back, relax, and enjoy the scene with Strawhats hanging out like good times. Case in point, eating Sangoro’s specialty soba. No foodgasm required. Sanji continues to amuse me with his bias outlook. Sanji is very dismissive to guys; only wants to hear praise from women. Besides, it’s like a fanfic come true when seeing Robin as a Geisha; who can blame him.

The part that made me laugh is Franky’s suggestion. He suggests to add alcohol to favor the Samurai, so they can recruit them, which is a really good idea. Sanji on the other hand finds this idea awful. That face is hilarious. Clearly, he is only there to attract the ladies. So much for building up an army. It’s comic relief; it’s not needed to get so serious. The following scene however is the time to shift gear.

Kaki, Kuni, and Suke are part of the Kyoshiro Family, cutting the line to ruin the fun. The short term for them would be douchebags. Sanji keeps it civilized, though tells them to go back in line to wait for their term. Committed to his code of chef I see. Apparently, Sanji has to pay a random fee to those guys for “security” in order to open a shop. Smell that? That’s bull crap. I do like Sanji’s response with confidence that he got this secured. It doesn’t stop them from being douchebags.

They begin to destroy the shop because well, I’m tired being redundant. They even knock a kid’s share. That’s low. It was weird though to see that kid crying yet laughing. I honestly thought Oda has drawn his/her face wrong by accident, like “Oh crap, that kid is supposed to be sad, not laughing!” Sanji’s face however is not wrong; he is pissed and because he’s a chef to the core, that’s a red flag for those guys. Got to like Franky getting hyped for a fight. Sanji has been comical for a while, but now it’s time to show his badass side.

His specialty soba is on the ground, leaving uneaten. When he says, “eat all of it,” he doesn’t joke around. He satisfied me by kicking the crap out of one guy. Serve him right. To make the satisfaction even better, Franky steps in and does a damn suplex on one of the other guys. How damn cool is that? Sanji force-feed the down victim with dirtied soba; as if to say, “Eat it! Eat the damn soba, asshole!” Yes, they most likely caused a stir that will bring in even worse opponents in which, in hindsight, it happens, but the satisfaction is warranted.

It’s time to connect the chapter’s title. It turns out that kid earlier is Toko, a child from the capital, and no, the reaction earlier isn’t an error. It was intentional, though it was still odd to see someone laugh and cry at the same time, and I don’t mean within one emotion. Part of me had a bad flashback to Koala’s past, where she was forced to smile despite the suffering. I wonder if it’s the same, though there’s a small tweak to her. Sanji is a nice guy, aside from his biasness, and gives her another dish of soba. Charming.

Toko’s design is simple, but it’s her expression that stands out a lot. It reminds me of that story with the Joker from Batman series transformed Robin into Junior. She laughs all the time and for some reason, it’s contagious. Everyone begins to laugh along with her. I don’t know if she has a devil fruit and something is up from where she’s from. By the way, the pun from Oda continues with her name. If you add ‘O’ to her name, which would be O-Toko, it reads “male.” Get it? Oda is seriously having too much fun here and I like it.

Toko may be the point of the chapter due to the title, but it’s what she leads to that’s pretty interesting. As the title reads, she’s a Kamuro, a young girl who attends to high-ranking Courtesans, and it’s almost time for them to appear. The aftermath of her departure is funny. Usopp compliments her for being funny, Robin saw her cute, and Sanji breaks the trend by talking about the Courtesan Procession being true. The man has his priority all right.

The old lady appears out of nowhere, who is Robin’s master in Geisha, to tell the tale of one lady, who is the only one chosen so far as one who is called the dream of all men. Her name is Komurasaki and her beauty with charisma can sway men like no others; even those that are from the most sophisticated countries. She is above the Goddess. She is perfection. That is a hell of a overhype statement and I dealt with one fandom earlier. Won’t say whom. That is one beauty that is unheard of. This almost sound like a setup for a hysterical twist. I like how all the guys are very curious.

The interesting development is Robin has been accepted to meet Shogun Orochi. That means the long wait for the face’s reveal is nearly over. Elsewhere, Komurasaki is walking down as the people practically give her a hero’s welcome. I got a good laugh at the reactions surrounding her. She is so beautiful that it blinded a man. My eyes! She is so beautiful that her beauty legitimately knocked out 20 people from blood loss. That’s hilarious. If Sanji sees her, get ready to say your farewells. I seriously wonder if this is one massive troll from Oda.

There are two more interesting developments and one of which involves with speculations. The first one is the Kyoshiro Family next move. Kyoshiro received the report about Sanji kicking his men’s ass. He doesn’t have time to deal with him as he is invited to Shogun Orochi’s Banquet. Instead, he will have Queen to send assassins to take care of this matter. Supposedly, they’re known to cause a huge stir, but he doesn’t care. Looks like Sanji and others now have a new trouble ahead.

The next development is interesting as we catch a shadow of what supposed to be Orochi. It looks like he too is a Dragon, though with multiple heads. I wonder if Oda will have us looking at that form and save the human form later. For that matter, what’s the story behind that form? The developments in this chapter point towards to the reveal, so we can expect more of him very soon.

Another interesting speculation is the identity of Komurasaki. She appears to be a nice person based on how she treats Tomo. With that said could she be Momonosuke’s sister? It’s clear that her character was emphasized heavily throughout the chapter. Why the importance? Also, we don’t get to see her face; same goes for the sister. I know they have a different name, but since her family name is taboo, she must have gone through a drastic change of persona. Maybe she is needed to grow up rather than skipping 20 years in order to fulfill the prophecy her mother foreseen. After all, she attracted the one and only Orochi, the sworn enemy of Oden. Perhaps Tomo reminds her of her old self. These are all speculations and it’s exciting to think of more.

This was an amusing and interesting chapter. It has good comedy, fun moments with satisfying results, and plenty of interesting developments. Clearly, the next big focus is on Orochi and with the setup like this along with other tidbits from earlier chapters, I’m excited to learn more. Unfortunately, there’s a break and what’s worse, there’s a longer break on the horizon. It’s the holiday season after all. We got a long time to speculate. Next time, expect more twists and turns.

#one piece #chapter 827 #review #spoilers