I did say the choice didn't have that much impact: Myles would've got mad no matter what (just like Telltale!), be it because Talia kept calling Ned his father like she does here, or because he could tell she was lying to him. I'd say this shapes Talia's personality more - is she willing to lie to get what she wants, or feel obligated to tell the truth?
It's one of those choices that would lead to something like those fierce passion/strength and nobility rating at the end of season 1.
Today on me constantly building up theories about what's gonna happen next, while not anticipating the most obvious stuff. Seriously, this is something I should've foreseen, because that's what you'd expect from a teenager that Myles is. I will not say I fully blame him (not going to say I am not even slightly mad at him either), because clearly, Torrhen knows how to present information so that it serves his needs. Peggyoung has voiced most of what I think about all this on tumblr. It's highly disturbing for me how brainwashed Myles seems, to the point of completely disregarding his original family, that has suffered greatly because of the Whitehills, those he claims to be "a real family" now. Everything is pointing towards him sticking by that decision — if he discovers Ned attempting to kill Greta, that'll be pretty much a point of no return, the way I see it. I do not believe in Myles actually hurting Talia now, but to fight against his dad?.. Wouldn't put it past, wouldn't for a second put it past him.
This whole situation for me is also a reflection of au's another tendency, this time the one, that has to do with Torrhen. It's how this man manages to always get his way, which can be seen through small & seemingly meaningless details. Needs to lowkey kill Gryff? Here, have two schemes — the Talia's one, & when it doesn't work, the Ashwoods, boom, the fourthborn's practically in the grave. Got a man on your council, that does not share everyone's love for Ros? Here comes the opportunity to be rid of him & remain with clean hands. I want this boy as part of my family? Here are the convenient facts & the right way to offer them, kid's thoroughly brainwashed & content. All of these are the result of Torrhen's smarts, but they are also a result of luck. I don't know whether it's obvious for people or not, but Torrhen is a lucky fucking bastard on top of his strength, charisma & cunning. His ego might be giant, but hell — it simply represents reality. From where I stand now, this man — while still human, who can slip or make a mistake — is motherfucking invincible. And you know what? I love it.
I hate the things that happen because of it, I hate how characters I love suffer while he prospers, if he was weaker or just wasn't there, things would be so much lighter, & I could be so much happier... But I don't want that. I don't want an au without Torrhen to fuck shit up & drive me up the wall. I don't want to be happy, & content, & relaxed — I want his power to be un-fucking-leashed on me & all I love, to cause pain & destruction, to cause me to snap & be angry. He is a bloody boss. He is the "I love to hate him" man, because I hate him, and I love that. I could go on forever about this, but let's just say — it's situation with Myles that triggered such a response from me. I'm sorry for being weird & over-the-top, but what is going on with Myles? It made me emotional as all hell. Of course, I'm probably overreacting, & things might lighten a bit in future posts, but right now, this is what I think, because when a kid is led to believe, that Karl-fucking-Whitehill would make a better dad than the man who adopted him & raised as his own for thirteen years? I honestly feel like I'm justified. I can totally see Torrhen painting Karl to be a great guy, because that's how he feels. The moral situation Myles is in is complicated as hell & I just don't see an easy way out of it for the poor guy.
Trust me, these analyses you post make my bloody day. They may well be over the top, but that's what I love about them. They're so in-depth, it feels like the same amount of time and thought has been put in as it takes me to make a post, and that makes it all feel worth it.
I can't really respond much without saying something redundant or giving away spoilers, but I can say this much: your analysis of Torrhen is spot on with his plans upon plans. He does so love planning for multiple outcomes to make sure he has every base covered.
And Myles... Myles is very stockholm syndromey right now. Torrhen legitimately wants the kid around, but having come from months of abuse at the hands of the Warricks the poor bastard (pun E N T I R E L Y intended) is bound to develop some sort of warped appreciation for his newfound uncle.
But yeah - keep doing what you're doing. I love these posts you write.
Today on me constantly building up theories about what's gonna happen next, while not anticipating the most obvious stuff. Seriously, this i… mores something I should've foreseen, because that's what you'd expect from a teenager that Myles is. I will not say I fully blame him (not going to say I am not even slightly mad at him either), because clearly, Torrhen knows how to present information so that it serves his needs. Peggyoung has voiced most of what I think about all this on tumblr. It's highly disturbing for me how brainwashed Myles seems, to the point of completely disregarding his original family, that has suffered greatly because of the Whitehills, those he claims to be "a real family" now. Everything is pointing towards him sticking by that decision — if he discovers Ned attempting to kill Greta, that'll be pretty much a point of no return, the way I see it. I do not believe in Myles actually hurting Talia now, but to fight against his da… [view original content]
Peoples, I'm considering putting a 'Featured Article' section on the front page of the wiki. What would you cast your vote for to be the first featured character/event/location/house?
Peoples, I'm considering putting a 'Featured Article' section on the front page of the wiki. What would you cast your vote for to be the first featured character/event/location/house?
Peoples, I'm considering putting a 'Featured Article' section on the front page of the wiki. What would you cast your vote for to be the first featured character/event/location/house?
Don't worry about having one for every category, it only has to be one page. There'll only be one featured article at a time, so it could be a character, house, event or location : )
With all due respect, previous post just had me all ":O" & "what the literal fuck" out loud... Because, apparently, I was more than justified in my anger towards Torrhen. Things Myles was saying — his whole life being a lie, him not existing — those are, like, some deeply fucked up ways for a kid to feel? Look, the way I see it, Torrhen had control over delivering the information, over explaining it to him, over explaining the way things are, and— and he fucking fucked the fuck up the only job he had. Either he was the one to plant those seeds in Myles's mind, or he simply didn't bother to make sure he was okay, with no misconceptions, not traumatized by the revelation. Apparently, he didn't. It looks more like he made the whole thing look far worse than it actually was, because it served his needs & set Myles against Eddard, never mind how harmful it turned out to be for the boy. Like, holy shit, Torr, you're a fucking asshole. I don't care whether he intentionally made it worse or just didn't care enough — he is not to be trusted with being responsible for this kid. Personally, I need no more proof of that.
Talia's the one who's been speaking most sense & making me feel better throughout all this. I absolutely loved how she tried to reason with Myles & how she grasped the fact he wasn't, in fact, being himself — I just wish she had an actual chance to try & persuade him, as I believe her to be capable of that. All in all, I hope the two will get at least a little more interaction, because I got very good vibes from they conversation, although it ended badly. Talia's generally such a reasonable, calming presence — I've been really enjoying her scenes lately. For some reason, my favorite POV chapters for her are the remade first ones & the ones from Highpoint plotline. Everything she says or does just feels so great, & makes me feel like I'm back in episodes 2-4 of the original game, because those had my absolute favorite Talia moments, & back then she was even among my favorite characters. Throughout the au, however, she's pretty much been one from the beginning — I just felt it more in the said parts. Although I love different POVs & plotlines, it's real nice to have the focus back on her, because you obviously handle Talia's character with a lot of love & regard, making her performance believable & generally awesome. This is prolly a bit weirdly phrased, but, um, hopefully I managed to make a clear point xD
& of course, I gotta give Talia credit for giving Lyarra some hell — even though I adore that fiery muffin, she needs to find her chill & come back to her senses. As I've already stated somewhere, I think, I totally understand why she just rushed into the fray & that was ic for her... But that doesn't make the action any less bloody stupid. Lya has that air of slight naivety, despite her intentions, & I'm getting quite a disturbing feeling, that something not good is going to happen to her soon. I don't mean that she'll die or even get seriously hurt, more like, witness something bad, eye-opening, something that'll make her realize how childish she's been acting to this point. Hopefully, I'm wrong, but that's a hunch I have. As for what's about to happen in the very next post — I'm not quite sure, but my, do I have the strongest wish for Roslin to appear. I'm confident that she is to play a part soon enough, but don't want to make any more predictions for now, as those are quite blurry. Let's just hope it'll indeed be her, & not someone nasty, like my son 27658, namely, Boros?.. Because, well, I hate to admit it, but he is my another guess for who is about to get some screentime soon :ь
With all due respect, previous post just had me all ":O" & "what the literal fuck" out loud... Because, apparently, I was more than justified in my anger towards Torrhen. Things Myles was saying — his whole life being a lie, him not existing — those are, like, some deeply fucked up ways for a kid to feel?
I think Myles is a bit fucked up anyway, considering he spent three months at Warrick Bastion being beaten and likely questioning why he was even bothering to stay alive.
Look, the way I see it, Torrhen had control over over explaining it to him— and he fucked up. Either he was the one to plant those seeds in Myles's mind, or he simply didn't bother to make sure he was okay, with no misconceptions, not traumatized by the revelation. Apparently, he didn't. It looks more like he made the whole thing look far worse than it actually was, because it served his needs & set Myles against Eddard, never mind how harmful it turned out to be for the boy.
Torrhen wouldn't feed Myles information to turn him against Ned - Torrhen barely even knew who Ned was before the guy himself showed up at Highpoint. Plus Torrhen considers Myles family (he is his nephew) and we know how family-centric he is (with the exception of Gryff).
It's more of a wrong place, wrong time thing. The way Myles is acting, he's just been informed of his true parentage and is reacting badly to it - which is why he's being so aggressive and confused. Torrhen told Myles 'your dad is not your dad, my brother is your dad' and then got the call that the Forresters & co had arrived so he couldn't have a proper sit down with Myles and explain things from the beginning - we know how much Torrhen admired Karl, he'd definitely treat the man's son with as much given the right amount of time. These conclusions about Ned being a liar are all drawn by Myles himself with what little information he had. He's singling out Ned because Isabel is his biological mother while Ned's the 'pretender'. Torrhen and Greta have treated him well since his arrival at Highpoint so he wouldn't turn on them.
Combine the fact that Torrhen is so blind to Karl's horrific nature, Myles has only heard good things about the bloke so he's probably this shining god of a man in his mind. I'm hesitant to say that's even Torrhen's fault, because Torrhen's a victim of Karl's manipulation - meaning Karl is literally manipulating his son from beyond the grave.
With all due respect, previous post just had me all ":O" & "what the literal fuck" out loud... Because, apparently, I was more than just… moreified in my anger towards Torrhen. Things Myles was saying — his whole life being a lie, him not existing — those are, like, some deeply fucked up ways for a kid to feel? Look, the way I see it, Torrhen had control over delivering the information, over explaining it to him, over explaining the way things are, and— and he fucking fucked the fuck up the only job he had. Either he was the one to plant those seeds in Myles's mind, or he simply didn't bother to make sure he was okay, with no misconceptions, not traumatized by the revelation. Apparently, he didn't. It looks more like he made the whole thing look far worse than it actually was, because it served his needs & set Myles against Eddard, never mind how harmful it turned out to be for the boy. Like, holy shit, Torr, you're a fucking asshole. I don… [view original content]
This started out as a little joke thing, as most stuff in the AU does, and now it's just fullblown. @littlehandmaiden and I have this whole rule 63 subplot occuring in the south.
So, uh, anyone remember Genna Forrester? Gregor's half-sister from the vision sequence of Ironrath long ago, early in part 3:
She's s… moretill alive. Living in the Crownlands - at Bronzeholm, the seat House Pyne, with her husband and six children.
Today I made a post of Genna and her family, and they might look familiar, but... different somehow.
This started out as a little joke thing, as most stuff in the AU does, and now it's just fullblown. @littlehandmaiden and I have this whole rule 63 subplot occuring in the south.
Wellll, it looks like Torrhen has actually been kinda sorta redeemed for me on this one... Only on this one though xD Thanks for the narrator's perspective, it makes certain things more clear. Not saying I don't wish Torr would grow some critical thinking & reconsider his view of Karl — yet, on the other hand, it wouldn't exactly change much now, so it might be worth it just letting things stay the way they are. After all, even if someone opened his eyes, what good would come out of it aside from Torrhen loosing the respect for his guardian figure & realizing his previous life was even more shitty than he used to believe? Like, as long as he keeps it to himself, I'd be fine... But imposing it on Myles? Yeah, makes me mad, even if it's not his fault.
With all due respect, previous post just had me all ":O" & "what the literal fuck" out loud... Because, apparently, I was more than just… moreified in my anger towards Torrhen. Things Myles was saying — his whole life being a lie, him not existing — those are, like, some deeply fucked up ways for a kid to feel?
I think Myles is a bit fucked up anyway, considering he spent three months at Warrick Bastion being beaten and likely questioning why he was even bothering to stay alive.
Look, the way I see it, Torrhen had control over over explaining it to him— and he fucked up. Either he was the one to plant those seeds in Myles's mind, or he simply didn't bother to make sure he was okay, with no misconceptions, not traumatized by the revelation. Apparently, he didn't. It looks more like he made the whole thing look far worse than it actually was, because it served his needs & set Myles against Eddard, never mind how harmful it turne… [view original content]
I know how to mess with other peoples' emotions because this scene messed with mine too. I started feeling ill when it came to the ten-minutes-until-post mark today D :
Now that you’ve all survived today’s post I think I ought to reward you with an announcement. During the Christmas break of the au (probably the 23rd into the new year), I’m going to start posting a smaller-scale series based on Gared’s story before he met Rodrik at Morgryn’s logging site. How he met Targan and Signa, how he got south, and the trouble he ran into there.
Posts will be 1-3 images long with no dialogue, and instead have a summary of each scene under the image.
If you have any more questions about this miniseries, just hit me up here (or in my tumblr inbox)
How long does Gared"s journey last back from the North Grove to the Logging site, like how many days or weeks is it. Also, when he arrives at the Logging site, which point is this at in the TV show?
Now that you’ve all survived today’s post I think I ought to reward you with an announcement. During the Christmas break of the au (probably… more the 23rd into the new year), I’m going to start posting a smaller-scale series based on Gared’s story before he met Rodrik at Morgryn’s logging site. How he met Targan and Signa, how he got south, and the trouble he ran into there.
Posts will be 1-3 images long with no dialogue, and instead have a summary of each scene under the image.
If you have any more questions about this miniseries, just hit me up here (or in my tumblr inbox)
I don't entirely know yet, but it begins around the time of the three-month-gap between the first season of the game and the AU, and the point I'm up to in making the miniseries is just after Torrhen arrives at Rillwater.
It's a very vague time frame right now, but you should be able to pick up on what's happening when as certain characters appear during times they were absent in the AU.
How long does Gared"s journey last back from the North Grove to the Logging site, like how many days or weeks is it. Also, when he arrives at the Logging site, which point is this at in the TV show?
Now that you’ve all survived today’s post I think I ought to reward you with an announcement. During the Christmas break of the au (probably… more the 23rd into the new year), I’m going to start posting a smaller-scale series based on Gared’s story before he met Rodrik at Morgryn’s logging site. How he met Targan and Signa, how he got south, and the trouble he ran into there.
Posts will be 1-3 images long with no dialogue, and instead have a summary of each scene under the image.
If you have any more questions about this miniseries, just hit me up here (or in my tumblr inbox)
Hello, allow me to try & be serious for once (just to fail miserably & start throwing lame sarcasm & "smart-ass" lines at you, since that's my way of coping), because none of the feelings I got from today's post have anything to do with fun or even irony. I believe, we all know & share that insider joke about "Badge bein so cruel & destroyin our preciousss childs & tearin our hearts out, haha", because, while a joke, it is partially true. Characters of the au have died already, they did. Minor characters died, those that we liked, but weren't terribly attached to & whose deaths we just sorta got over. Nameless soldiers died, to be forgotten the moment you got to the next picture. More major heroes died, those that we loved, those that we treasured, those whose deaths affected us a lot — like Royland or Tom. Assholes died, giving readers satisfying moments of vengeance — Rickard Morgryn as a perfect example. Comedic reliefs died, those funny dicks like Derrock, whom nobody aside from me cared about anyway. The au has always had the balls to kill, it had never tried to make it look like good guys were some immortal beings, or that all antagonists were about to get a redemption arc. Yes, some heroes did posses & still posses a plot armor, but for the most part, it has always been a fair game for everyone. Yet now... What happened now changes everything, I believe that much is clear.
The thing about Lyarra's death is — those kind of things aren't supposed to happen & I don't mean that in a "killing teenage girls is morally wrong" kind of way — quite obviously, wrong things just exist, & not much can be done about it. What I mean is — quite a strong stereotype of those things not being supposed to happen from the storytelling point of view sits in my head. Allow me to explain this a bit:
Lyarra is no ordinary character of the au — for me, she has always been more than that, and I mean— more than just an au character. It's a little hard to imagine now — the au has been with us for more than a year (sorry, but I can't say for how long exactly), and for all this time, throughout every change the story has undergone, throughout all the ooc stuff that happened, she was there. I remember it all, because, even though I was not yet an active member of the fandom at that time, I saw how she came to life with other Glenmores, just stalking your blog & sending occasional anons, witnessing the au — what was to become such an important & big thing in the future — be born. She has always been there. That was a constant. She was featured in the modern & twd au thingies & drawings you made. She was being developed, given personality, going through changes, slowly yet surely winning over our hearts. I believe, she was the first character you roleplayed as, and my — did some great things happen in the rp. She was a great, important, integral part of the story au told us, but whether you meant for it to be that way or not — she was more than that. Part of the fandom. Part of the rp. Part of the way we've grown to view ttgot universe. She has always been special, because she has always been a source of hope — but not in a "pure sunshine" way Roslin & Kyra did. Oh no, she was not a perfect one, not an innocent little thing. She was a human being (not to say that Ros or Kyra aren't, but fuck, you get what I'm trying to say, right?). She was full of life, character, emotions, charisma, flaws. A part of Talia's backstory — but not just that. A great character in her own right — yet that wasn't it. There were just so many things featuring her — au's plot, roleplaying verses where a variety of things happened, theories, crack, art. An inseparable part of what we call ttgot fandom. A hero so clearly beloved by you — and it is, in a way, your love for Lyarra that made us love her as well. Her death is hard to believe because of that in a way — after possible scenarios of her future being roleplayed, after me dreaming of her being together with Ostyn, after you obviously loving her so much it felt like you wouldn't have the strength to not give her a happy ending. I have grown to believe she couldn't get harmed because of that, I grew to imagine her future as a given, & that's why all that being destroyed just felt wrong. Part of me is honestly still in denial, but I'm working on facing the truth of it, facing that she is not going to wake up in the next scene, that a magical maester will not appear, & that it's not going to be okay.
Her death has taken such an emotional toll on everyone by a variety of reasons, but I can only really speak about mine. It's sad, really sad how I'm only starting to remember all the ways she is connected to other heroes now, & discovering more & more things that will never be the same with her gone:
Talia's best friend & source of comfort, their relationship can be spoken of forever. For me, them being so different always did the trick, them supplementing each one, their contrast that created perfect BROTP chemistry. This is the second time for Talia to loose someone in the au, and gods know which time to just lose a friend. As much as I hate it, this is bound to harden her. This is bound to change her. This is bound to erase something in her soul, & replace it with far worse things. It won't be just a reason for her to snap in the next posts or something, that's a life-changing event, a point of no return.
Kyra's big sister figure, the role she took after Arthur's death. One of the most gut-wrenching aspects of this loss — how, honest to gods, will Kyra ever be able to get over this? Get over loosing her sibling guardian once again?.. I don't know. I don't want to think about that, because it makes me physically sick.
Ostyn's love. Remember what I said about their pairing being the most important one in the story?.. Yeah. Don't even try telling me you didn't take that into account when coming up with this plot point, cuz I'm not gonna belieeeeeveee yaaaa.... (okay, see, I told you, here it comes, lame-ass attempts of being funny, caused by the fact that my chest hurts from the inside a bit & I wish I could have an actual cry but I can't). Thinking of ways for them to be happy & together has been my guilty pleasure. Thinking of ways for two characters I care about to have an actual happily ever after. It seemed perfect. It was in character, it made sense, it had chemistry, it was so, so special, that small nerdy teenage love story, that is now over.
Namond's little sister. I'm starting to get redundant & repeat myself, using the word "important" for the hundredth time in this post, but I'm at a loss of all other words. Their's was that 100% believable sibling relationship, the one where it looks like they are about to kill each one, where they have fights, & can't seem to get along, & are both total assholes sometimes, but where they still love each other. The last thing about sums it up. Nothing else really matters. Last words they exchanged are the last words they deserved, & I'm scared of imagining what Namond must feel right now, & I'm back at the point where I want to protect that man. This will change him. This will change something in him forever, but I wonder — does this change have to be for worse? There is no denying his pain, neither anger, but something tells me, Namond could possibly learn from this, learn something about treating his loved ones, & just generally, learn something that'll help him be a better person.
As we move on from the effects this will have on the characters, from my point of view, there is one more reason for me to be personally affected. It's the way Lyarra's death is going to affect the plot — I remember you saying it happened for the narrative, and it wasn't even that necessary, since I know you don't do things merely for the shock value. Naive as it makes me seem, right up to this point, I have had hope in Infiltration of Highpoint ending peacefully. In characters being able to see the situation's core, to realize there's a solution that benefits everyone. Technically, that hope still exists, but practically — it is nearly shattered, because something like this simply won't let heroes keep level heads, neither should it. Things have just got much, much more personal than they were before. Everything's falling apart. With Ned attempting to kill Greta, with Lyarra dying, with Talia, without any doubt, now hungry for blood & vengeance, everything is falling apart. Hope has always been barely tangible, in form of small things — couple soft words from Gwyn, a portrait, a guess, a phrase, a thought, a doubt. But all of that is nothing compared to something this big & horrible & devastating. Compared to a body of a friend & their blood & their dying words & three people, who will not take this lying down.
Getting some of what I feel off my chest, I can actually take a moment & appreciate that you don't forget to give character development to every party, even the one to blame for the tragedy. Something tragic has always been there in Boros's storyline for me. His hesitation before hitting Kyra, his reaction to Lya's death... Is he a bad man, responsible for what happened? Yes. Is he also a man, who probably did not mean to do as much harm as he caused, & generally has had some very bad luck in his life? Hesitation in my voice, but also, yes. As you would expect, I am not giving up on him due to this, no matter what, never mind the fact, that my prediction about Namond killing him is more than likely to come true now. I still want more of him. I still want to understand him. I still have that protectiveness & empathy for most hated heroes inside of me, & it'll probably stay there forever. Judge me for it, if you want. That's simply the way I am.
The matter of Boros is also the matter of how the plot is about to develop from now on. We all know Torrhen's opinion on him, as well as killing women & children. Would it be in character for him to let Namond deliver justice for Lyarra's death? I believe so. We also have Randyll, and we all know his opinions on his children's worth. Would it be in character for him to stand by & watch, or even somehow use his son's death to benefit the Whitehills? I believe so. Not that simply throwing that bone to the Glenmores would solve much now — things run much deeper, & though I'm thinking about this battle's ending a lot, part of me is unwilling to share these thoughts just yet. There are still many things to take into account. Myles's & Ned's soon-to-be meeting, Gwyn, Roslin, a possibility of us being given a choice... It is hard to tell. When I'm commenting next posts, I will get to that, but it's probably too early for me to jump to conclusions. For now, I have two questions I need to ask you. The first one — is "Harrowed" the chapter where we'll see how the Infiltration of Highpoint ends? Second one — if we are going to be given a choice through the course of the remaining parts, can it possibly be that one option will lead to one ending, & one — to another, or are things more linear? If this can't be answered without spoilers, just say so, I get it. It'd sorta aid me in theorizing stuff.
I probably haven't said all I planned to (while still saying too fucking much), but I have to stop now. It's been a tough post, but one I loved nonetheless. It has also been a plot point, that can be talked about forever & ever. I probably haven't been able to properly express all the ways why Lya's death is so shocking & influential for me, but I know something for sure — she will not be forgotten. Not after all you've done with her character. Not after all the well-deserved development she got. She is dead, but not gone. She will never be gone. Through your art, through your writing, she lives on (okay, starting to sound dramatic & fake here, time to tone it down). I can't say I cried, like many people today probably did, but for a while, this made me feel empty. And it made me think a lot, and I'm going to think more about this, and that is good, because if anything, au is there to make us all think. & that's important. That's something to thank you for, Badger.
I can't respond to much of the first three paragraphs because it's your opinion and thoughts on the post, but let me just say this: she's only gone in this plotline. I'll still draw her, there'll still be modern AUs, and you can damn well be sure there's a place for her and Ostyn in AGOKAF. All these things:
au's plot, roleplaying verses where a variety of things happened, theories, crack, art
Aren't going away, but... she's not here in this any more, and that's the chilling part. I felt ill myself when it was ten minutes before it was time to post, because that meant it was finally going to happen. I don't think I prepared myself enough for it, and things only speed up from here on out.
You're right about this event being a catalyst for characters like Talia and Ostyn and others, but it affects so many characters in so many different ways. Namond was there, and he'll think this was his fault. Hugar saw it too. Kyra has to be told about this, and having lost two protectors she might harden and turn herself into a shield for Valeris or something.
Syrena. Boy, my girl Syrena Glenmore. Remember who her dad is and what he did? Yeah, something's gotta happen there. Myles saw this too, and who knows how that'll affect him. Maybe it'll humble him, maybe it'll fuck him up. Nestor and the Greysons? The Warrick Wankstain known as Boros? He knows he's fucked because Torrhen gave the order not to hurt women or children so who knows what he'll do?
Remember what I said about their pairing being the most important one in the story?.. Yeah. Don't even try telling me you didn't take that into account when coming up with this plot point, cuz I'm not gonna belieeeeeveee yaaaa....
I can't say that exact quote came into my head as I may have outlined or made the scene already, but as you can probably tell by now it was done in part to affect Ostyn as well as Talia, Kyra, Syrena, Myles, Namond, Hugar and all the others.
Hello, allow me to try & be serious for once (just to fail miserably & start throwing lame sarcasm & "smart-ass" lines at you, s… moreince that's my way of coping), because none of the feelings I got from today's post have anything to do with fun or even irony. I believe, we all know & share that insider joke about "Badge bein so cruel & destroyin our preciousss childs & tearin our hearts out, haha", because, while a joke, it is partially true. Characters of the au have died already, they did. Minor characters died, those that we liked, but weren't terribly attached to & whose deaths we just sorta got over. Nameless soldiers died, to be forgotten the moment you got to the next picture. More major heroes died, those that we loved, those that we treasured, those whose deaths affected us a lot — like Royland or Tom. Assholes died, giving readers satisfying moments of vengeance — Rickard Morgryn as a perfect example. Comedic… [view original content]
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I did say the choice didn't have that much impact: Myles would've got mad no matter what (just like Telltale!), be it because Talia kept calling Ned his father like she does here, or because he could tell she was lying to him. I'd say this shapes Talia's personality more - is she willing to lie to get what she wants, or feel obligated to tell the truth?
It's one of those choices that would lead to something like those fierce passion/strength and nobility rating at the end of season 1.
Whoah, dude! Put that away!
if he fucking lays a finger on her...
Does Myles have what it takes to kill a Forrester? Does he even have a will to attack Talia?
He will lose his fingers
I hope so...
Today on me constantly building up theories about what's gonna happen next, while not anticipating the most obvious stuff. Seriously, this is something I should've foreseen, because that's what you'd expect from a teenager that Myles is. I will not say I fully blame him (not going to say I am not even slightly mad at him either), because clearly, Torrhen knows how to present information so that it serves his needs. Peggyoung has voiced most of what I think about all this on tumblr. It's highly disturbing for me how brainwashed Myles seems, to the point of completely disregarding his original family, that has suffered greatly because of the Whitehills, those he claims to be "a real family" now. Everything is pointing towards him sticking by that decision — if he discovers Ned attempting to kill Greta, that'll be pretty much a point of no return, the way I see it. I do not believe in Myles actually hurting Talia now, but to fight against his dad?.. Wouldn't put it past, wouldn't for a second put it past him.
This whole situation for me is also a reflection of au's another tendency, this time the one, that has to do with Torrhen. It's how this man manages to always get his way, which can be seen through small & seemingly meaningless details. Needs to lowkey kill Gryff? Here, have two schemes — the Talia's one, & when it doesn't work, the Ashwoods, boom, the fourthborn's practically in the grave. Got a man on your council, that does not share everyone's love for Ros? Here comes the opportunity to be rid of him & remain with clean hands. I want this boy as part of my family? Here are the convenient facts & the right way to offer them, kid's thoroughly brainwashed & content. All of these are the result of Torrhen's smarts, but they are also a result of luck. I don't know whether it's obvious for people or not, but Torrhen is a lucky fucking bastard on top of his strength, charisma & cunning. His ego might be giant, but hell — it simply represents reality. From where I stand now, this man — while still human, who can slip or make a mistake — is motherfucking invincible. And you know what? I love it.
I hate the things that happen because of it, I hate how characters I love suffer while he prospers, if he was weaker or just wasn't there, things would be so much lighter, & I could be so much happier... But I don't want that. I don't want an au without Torrhen to fuck shit up & drive me up the wall. I don't want to be happy, & content, & relaxed — I want his power to be un-fucking-leashed on me & all I love, to cause pain & destruction, to cause me to snap & be angry. He is a bloody boss. He is the "I love to hate him" man, because I hate him, and I love that. I could go on forever about this, but let's just say — it's situation with Myles that triggered such a response from me. I'm sorry for being weird & over-the-top, but what is going on with Myles? It made me emotional as all hell. Of course, I'm probably overreacting, & things might lighten a bit in future posts, but right now, this is what I think, because when a kid is led to believe, that Karl-fucking-Whitehill would make a better dad than the man who adopted him & raised as his own for thirteen years? I honestly feel like I'm justified. I can totally see Torrhen painting Karl to be a great guy, because that's how he feels. The moral situation Myles is in is complicated as hell & I just don't see an easy way out of it for the poor guy.
Trust me, these analyses you post make my bloody day. They may well be over the top, but that's what I love about them. They're so in-depth, it feels like the same amount of time and thought has been put in as it takes me to make a post, and that makes it all feel worth it.
I can't really respond much without saying something redundant or giving away spoilers, but I can say this much: your analysis of Torrhen is spot on with his plans upon plans. He does so love planning for multiple outcomes to make sure he has every base covered.
And Myles... Myles is very stockholm syndromey right now. Torrhen legitimately wants the kid around, but having come from months of abuse at the hands of the Warricks the poor bastard (pun E N T I R E L Y intended) is bound to develop some sort of warped appreciation for his newfound uncle.
But yeah - keep doing what you're doing. I love these posts you write.
Peoples, I'm considering putting a 'Featured Article' section on the front page of the wiki. What would you cast your vote for to be the first featured character/event/location/house?
I'd pick House Ashwood. One of my favorite Houses at the moment.
BTW I don't think the link works.
My vote would be Talia and House Forrester. Not sure about event and location yet.
Don't worry about having one for every category, it only has to be one page. There'll only be one featured article at a time, so it could be a character, house, event or location : )
Ooh, that's a good one!
Part 1.123
I love Talia's last line in this post. It's so against the mood that you can tell she's just saying it without thinking XD
That was brilliant.
Worst first impression ever!
Just like my dogs, this boy sucks at first impressions.
Part 1.124
ayy lmao deus ex machina
Feeling a little angst, are we, Lyarra?
Wow, Lyarra. Where'd the anger come from?
With all due respect, previous post just had me all ":O" & "what the literal fuck" out loud... Because, apparently, I was more than justified in my anger towards Torrhen. Things Myles was saying — his whole life being a lie, him not existing — those are, like, some deeply fucked up ways for a kid to feel? Look, the way I see it, Torrhen had control over delivering the information, over explaining it to him, over explaining the way things are, and— and he fucking fucked the fuck up the only job he had. Either he was the one to plant those seeds in Myles's mind, or he simply didn't bother to make sure he was okay, with no misconceptions, not traumatized by the revelation. Apparently, he didn't. It looks more like he made the whole thing look far worse than it actually was, because it served his needs & set Myles against Eddard, never mind how harmful it turned out to be for the boy. Like, holy shit, Torr, you're a fucking asshole. I don't care whether he intentionally made it worse or just didn't care enough — he is not to be trusted with being responsible for this kid. Personally, I need no more proof of that.
Talia's the one who's been speaking most sense & making me feel better throughout all this. I absolutely loved how she tried to reason with Myles & how she grasped the fact he wasn't, in fact, being himself — I just wish she had an actual chance to try & persuade him, as I believe her to be capable of that. All in all, I hope the two will get at least a little more interaction, because I got very good vibes from they conversation, although it ended badly. Talia's generally such a reasonable, calming presence — I've been really enjoying her scenes lately. For some reason, my favorite POV chapters for her are the remade first ones & the ones from Highpoint plotline. Everything she says or does just feels so great, & makes me feel like I'm back in episodes 2-4 of the original game, because those had my absolute favorite Talia moments, & back then she was even among my favorite characters. Throughout the au, however, she's pretty much been one from the beginning — I just felt it more in the said parts. Although I love different POVs & plotlines, it's real nice to have the focus back on her, because you obviously handle Talia's character with a lot of love & regard, making her performance believable & generally awesome. This is prolly a bit weirdly phrased, but, um, hopefully I managed to make a clear point xD
& of course, I gotta give Talia credit for giving Lyarra some hell — even though I adore that fiery muffin, she needs to find her chill & come back to her senses. As I've already stated somewhere, I think, I totally understand why she just rushed into the fray & that was ic for her... But that doesn't make the action any less bloody stupid. Lya has that air of slight naivety, despite her intentions, & I'm getting quite a disturbing feeling, that something not good is going to happen to her soon. I don't mean that she'll die or even get seriously hurt, more like, witness something bad, eye-opening, something that'll make her realize how childish she's been acting to this point. Hopefully, I'm wrong, but that's a hunch I have. As for what's about to happen in the very next post — I'm not quite sure, but my, do I have the strongest wish for Roslin to appear. I'm confident that she is to play a part soon enough, but don't want to make any more predictions for now, as those are quite blurry. Let's just hope it'll indeed be her, & not someone nasty, like my son 27658, namely, Boros?.. Because, well, I hate to admit it, but he is my another guess for who is about to get some screentime soon :ь
I think Myles is a bit fucked up anyway, considering he spent three months at Warrick Bastion being beaten and likely questioning why he was even bothering to stay alive.
Torrhen wouldn't feed Myles information to turn him against Ned - Torrhen barely even knew who Ned was before the guy himself showed up at Highpoint. Plus Torrhen considers Myles family (he is his nephew) and we know how family-centric he is (with the exception of Gryff).
It's more of a wrong place, wrong time thing. The way Myles is acting, he's just been informed of his true parentage and is reacting badly to it - which is why he's being so aggressive and confused. Torrhen told Myles 'your dad is not your dad, my brother is your dad' and then got the call that the Forresters & co had arrived so he couldn't have a proper sit down with Myles and explain things from the beginning - we know how much Torrhen admired Karl, he'd definitely treat the man's son with as much given the right amount of time. These conclusions about Ned being a liar are all drawn by Myles himself with what little information he had. He's singling out Ned because Isabel is his biological mother while Ned's the 'pretender'. Torrhen and Greta have treated him well since his arrival at Highpoint so he wouldn't turn on them.
Combine the fact that Torrhen is so blind to Karl's horrific nature, Myles has only heard good things about the bloke so he's probably this shining god of a man in his mind. I'm hesitant to say that's even Torrhen's fault, because Torrhen's a victim of Karl's manipulation - meaning Karl is literally manipulating his son from beyond the grave.
So, uh, anyone remember Genna Forrester? Gregor's half-sister from the vision sequence of Ironrath long ago, early in part 3:
She's still alive. Living in the Crownlands - at Bronzeholm, the seat House Pyne, with her husband and six children.
Today I made a post of Genna and her family, and they might look familiar, but... different somehow.
This started out as a little joke thing, as most stuff in the AU does, and now it's just fullblown. @littlehandmaiden and I have this whole rule 63 subplot occuring in the south.
That's really cool. I think I like Arwyn Pyne the best.
Wellll, it looks like Torrhen has actually been kinda sorta redeemed for me on this one... Only on this one though xD Thanks for the narrator's perspective, it makes certain things more clear. Not saying I don't wish Torr would grow some critical thinking & reconsider his view of Karl — yet, on the other hand, it wouldn't exactly change much now, so it might be worth it just letting things stay the way they are. After all, even if someone opened his eyes, what good would come out of it aside from Torrhen loosing the respect for his guardian figure & realizing his previous life was even more shitty than he used to believe? Like, as long as he keeps it to himself, I'd be fine... But imposing it on Myles? Yeah, makes me mad, even if it's not his fault.
Part 1.125
There's a callback to Ostyn and Neds' first interaction in this post.
Nice one, Lyarra. XD Way to shut him up.
Nice callback.
Part 1.126
This one was painful to make
I'm crying... And I'm not joking. This part was the most heartbreaking one in the au...
This is the most heartbreaking and rememberable part of the au for me (yet). How do you do it Jake? How do know how to mess with our emotions?
I know how to mess with other peoples' emotions because this scene messed with mine too. I started feeling ill when it came to the ten-minutes-until-post mark today D :
...No... Not like this...
Now that you’ve all survived today’s post I think I ought to reward you with an announcement. During the Christmas break of the au (probably the 23rd into the new year), I’m going to start posting a smaller-scale series based on Gared’s story before he met Rodrik at Morgryn’s logging site. How he met Targan and Signa, how he got south, and the trouble he ran into there.
Posts will be 1-3 images long with no dialogue, and instead have a summary of each scene under the image.
If you have any more questions about this miniseries, just hit me up here (or in my tumblr inbox)
How long does Gared"s journey last back from the North Grove to the Logging site, like how many days or weeks is it. Also, when he arrives at the Logging site, which point is this at in the TV show?
I don't entirely know yet, but it begins around the time of the three-month-gap between the first season of the game and the AU, and the point I'm up to in making the miniseries is just after Torrhen arrives at Rillwater.
It's a very vague time frame right now, but you should be able to pick up on what's happening when as certain characters appear during times they were absent in the AU.
I never expected the AU to affect me this much. I'm heartbroken!
Lyarra was one of my favorites
Would this be set immediately after the Season 1 ending or is there a short timeskip?
There's a timeskip, we won't be seeing the North Grove at all.
Hello, allow me to try & be serious for once (just to fail miserably & start throwing lame sarcasm & "smart-ass" lines at you, since that's my way of coping), because none of the feelings I got from today's post have anything to do with fun or even irony. I believe, we all know & share that insider joke about "Badge bein so cruel & destroyin our preciousss childs & tearin our hearts out, haha", because, while a joke, it is partially true. Characters of the au have died already, they did. Minor characters died, those that we liked, but weren't terribly attached to & whose deaths we just sorta got over. Nameless soldiers died, to be forgotten the moment you got to the next picture. More major heroes died, those that we loved, those that we treasured, those whose deaths affected us a lot — like Royland or Tom. Assholes died, giving readers satisfying moments of vengeance — Rickard Morgryn as a perfect example. Comedic reliefs died, those funny dicks like Derrock, whom nobody aside from me cared about anyway. The au has always had the balls to kill, it had never tried to make it look like good guys were some immortal beings, or that all antagonists were about to get a redemption arc. Yes, some heroes did posses & still posses a plot armor, but for the most part, it has always been a fair game for everyone. Yet now... What happened now changes everything, I believe that much is clear.
The thing about Lyarra's death is — those kind of things aren't supposed to happen & I don't mean that in a "killing teenage girls is morally wrong" kind of way — quite obviously, wrong things just exist, & not much can be done about it. What I mean is — quite a strong stereotype of those things not being supposed to happen from the storytelling point of view sits in my head. Allow me to explain this a bit:
Lyarra is no ordinary character of the au — for me, she has always been more than that, and I mean— more than just an au character. It's a little hard to imagine now — the au has been with us for more than a year (sorry, but I can't say for how long exactly), and for all this time, throughout every change the story has undergone, throughout all the ooc stuff that happened, she was there. I remember it all, because, even though I was not yet an active member of the fandom at that time, I saw how she came to life with other Glenmores, just stalking your blog & sending occasional anons, witnessing the au — what was to become such an important & big thing in the future — be born. She has always been there. That was a constant. She was featured in the modern & twd au thingies & drawings you made. She was being developed, given personality, going through changes, slowly yet surely winning over our hearts. I believe, she was the first character you roleplayed as, and my — did some great things happen in the rp. She was a great, important, integral part of the story au told us, but whether you meant for it to be that way or not — she was more than that. Part of the fandom. Part of the rp. Part of the way we've grown to view ttgot universe. She has always been special, because she has always been a source of hope — but not in a "pure sunshine" way Roslin & Kyra did. Oh no, she was not a perfect one, not an innocent little thing. She was a human being (not to say that Ros or Kyra aren't, but fuck, you get what I'm trying to say, right?). She was full of life, character, emotions, charisma, flaws. A part of Talia's backstory — but not just that. A great character in her own right — yet that wasn't it. There were just so many things featuring her — au's plot, roleplaying verses where a variety of things happened, theories, crack, art. An inseparable part of what we call ttgot fandom. A hero so clearly beloved by you — and it is, in a way, your love for Lyarra that made us love her as well. Her death is hard to believe because of that in a way — after possible scenarios of her future being roleplayed, after me dreaming of her being together with Ostyn, after you obviously loving her so much it felt like you wouldn't have the strength to not give her a happy ending. I have grown to believe she couldn't get harmed because of that, I grew to imagine her future as a given, & that's why all that being destroyed just felt wrong. Part of me is honestly still in denial, but I'm working on facing the truth of it, facing that she is not going to wake up in the next scene, that a magical maester will not appear, & that it's not going to be okay.
Her death has taken such an emotional toll on everyone by a variety of reasons, but I can only really speak about mine. It's sad, really sad how I'm only starting to remember all the ways she is connected to other heroes now, & discovering more & more things that will never be the same with her gone:
Talia's best friend & source of comfort, their relationship can be spoken of forever. For me, them being so different always did the trick, them supplementing each one, their contrast that created perfect BROTP chemistry. This is the second time for Talia to loose someone in the au, and gods know which time to just lose a friend. As much as I hate it, this is bound to harden her. This is bound to change her. This is bound to erase something in her soul, & replace it with far worse things. It won't be just a reason for her to snap in the next posts or something, that's a life-changing event, a point of no return.
Kyra's big sister figure, the role she took after Arthur's death. One of the most gut-wrenching aspects of this loss — how, honest to gods, will Kyra ever be able to get over this? Get over loosing her sibling guardian once again?.. I don't know. I don't want to think about that, because it makes me physically sick.
Ostyn's love. Remember what I said about their pairing being the most important one in the story?.. Yeah. Don't even try telling me you didn't take that into account when coming up with this plot point, cuz I'm not gonna belieeeeeveee yaaaa.... (okay, see, I told you, here it comes, lame-ass attempts of being funny, caused by the fact that my chest hurts from the inside a bit & I wish I could have an actual cry but I can't). Thinking of ways for them to be happy & together has been my guilty pleasure. Thinking of ways for two characters I care about to have an actual happily ever after. It seemed perfect. It was in character, it made sense, it had chemistry, it was so, so special, that small nerdy teenage love story, that is now over.
Namond's little sister. I'm starting to get redundant & repeat myself, using the word "important" for the hundredth time in this post, but I'm at a loss of all other words. Their's was that 100% believable sibling relationship, the one where it looks like they are about to kill each one, where they have fights, & can't seem to get along, & are both total assholes sometimes, but where they still love each other. The last thing about sums it up. Nothing else really matters. Last words they exchanged are the last words they deserved, & I'm scared of imagining what Namond must feel right now, & I'm back at the point where I want to protect that man. This will change him. This will change something in him forever, but I wonder — does this change have to be for worse? There is no denying his pain, neither anger, but something tells me, Namond could possibly learn from this, learn something about treating his loved ones, & just generally, learn something that'll help him be a better person.
As we move on from the effects this will have on the characters, from my point of view, there is one more reason for me to be personally affected. It's the way Lyarra's death is going to affect the plot — I remember you saying it happened for the narrative, and it wasn't even that necessary, since I know you don't do things merely for the shock value. Naive as it makes me seem, right up to this point, I have had hope in Infiltration of Highpoint ending peacefully. In characters being able to see the situation's core, to realize there's a solution that benefits everyone. Technically, that hope still exists, but practically — it is nearly shattered, because something like this simply won't let heroes keep level heads, neither should it. Things have just got much, much more personal than they were before. Everything's falling apart. With Ned attempting to kill Greta, with Lyarra dying, with Talia, without any doubt, now hungry for blood & vengeance, everything is falling apart. Hope has always been barely tangible, in form of small things — couple soft words from Gwyn, a portrait, a guess, a phrase, a thought, a doubt. But all of that is nothing compared to something this big & horrible & devastating. Compared to a body of a friend & their blood & their dying words & three people, who will not take this lying down.
Getting some of what I feel off my chest, I can actually take a moment & appreciate that you don't forget to give character development to every party, even the one to blame for the tragedy. Something tragic has always been there in Boros's storyline for me. His hesitation before hitting Kyra, his reaction to Lya's death... Is he a bad man, responsible for what happened? Yes. Is he also a man, who probably did not mean to do as much harm as he caused, & generally has had some very bad luck in his life? Hesitation in my voice, but also, yes. As you would expect, I am not giving up on him due to this, no matter what, never mind the fact, that my prediction about Namond killing him is more than likely to come true now. I still want more of him. I still want to understand him. I still have that protectiveness & empathy for most hated heroes inside of me, & it'll probably stay there forever. Judge me for it, if you want. That's simply the way I am.
The matter of Boros is also the matter of how the plot is about to develop from now on. We all know Torrhen's opinion on him, as well as killing women & children. Would it be in character for him to let Namond deliver justice for Lyarra's death? I believe so. We also have Randyll, and we all know his opinions on his children's worth. Would it be in character for him to stand by & watch, or even somehow use his son's death to benefit the Whitehills? I believe so. Not that simply throwing that bone to the Glenmores would solve much now — things run much deeper, & though I'm thinking about this battle's ending a lot, part of me is unwilling to share these thoughts just yet. There are still many things to take into account. Myles's & Ned's soon-to-be meeting, Gwyn, Roslin, a possibility of us being given a choice... It is hard to tell. When I'm commenting next posts, I will get to that, but it's probably too early for me to jump to conclusions. For now, I have two questions I need to ask you. The first one — is "Harrowed" the chapter where we'll see how the Infiltration of Highpoint ends? Second one — if we are going to be given a choice through the course of the remaining parts, can it possibly be that one option will lead to one ending, & one — to another, or are things more linear? If this can't be answered without spoilers, just say so, I get it. It'd sorta aid me in theorizing stuff.
I probably haven't said all I planned to (while still saying too fucking much), but I have to stop now. It's been a tough post, but one I loved nonetheless. It has also been a plot point, that can be talked about forever & ever. I probably haven't been able to properly express all the ways why Lya's death is so shocking & influential for me, but I know something for sure — she will not be forgotten. Not after all you've done with her character. Not after all the well-deserved development she got. She is dead, but not gone. She will never be gone. Through your art, through your writing, she lives on (okay, starting to sound dramatic & fake here, time to tone it down). I can't say I cried, like many people today probably did, but for a while, this made me feel empty. And it made me think a lot, and I'm going to think more about this, and that is good, because if anything, au is there to make us all think. & that's important. That's something to thank you for, Badger.
I can't respond to much of the first three paragraphs because it's your opinion and thoughts on the post, but let me just say this: she's only gone in this plotline. I'll still draw her, there'll still be modern AUs, and you can damn well be sure there's a place for her and Ostyn in AGOKAF. All these things:
Aren't going away, but... she's not here in this any more, and that's the chilling part. I felt ill myself when it was ten minutes before it was time to post, because that meant it was finally going to happen. I don't think I prepared myself enough for it, and things only speed up from here on out.
You're right about this event being a catalyst for characters like Talia and Ostyn and others, but it affects so many characters in so many different ways. Namond was there, and he'll think this was his fault. Hugar saw it too. Kyra has to be told about this, and having lost two protectors she might harden and turn herself into a shield for Valeris or something.
Syrena. Boy, my girl Syrena Glenmore. Remember who her dad is and what he did? Yeah, something's gotta happen there. Myles saw this too, and who knows how that'll affect him. Maybe it'll humble him, maybe it'll fuck him up. Nestor and the Greysons? The Warrick Wankstain known as Boros? He knows he's fucked because Torrhen gave the order not to hurt women or children so who knows what he'll do?
I can't say that exact quote came into my head as I may have outlined or made the scene already, but as you can probably tell by now it was done in part to affect Ostyn as well as Talia, Kyra, Syrena, Myles, Namond, Hugar and all the others.
Part 1.127
Trauma is one hell of a drug.