Keep in mind she's got Warrick blood in her from her great-grandmother. Not to mention something I like to call the BRANFIELD RAGE which Asher and Ryon both have.
In Talia's head she's probably got an image of her doing this to Torrhen:
YO BADGE, it might've seemed to you like I've forgotten about the au, but m8, that ain't true at all!! I was just really busy sulking & being sleepy & counterproductive lately. BUT! I did follow all that's been happening & even though it's probably too late for me to rant about Gared's prologue, I just want to say that it was truly a great thing & I can see it fitting perfectly between the parts of Sown in Sorrow (basically, in my mind I'm just putting these posts there, bc it truly makes everything better)). It gave more development to the North Grove squad & that couldn't've been easy, given how many different & interesting characters it comprises. Tbh, they were all greatly developed in other au parts as well, everybody contributed to the plot, but this prologue totally had even more interesting details for each one of them. Also, there is the Stillport stuff & don't even get me started on how bloody important Stillport & everyone there is. For me, the town & it's people will forever be the biggest victims of this feud. Honestly, house Forrester can sit down & shut the fuck up about how they've suffered the most — they made their own damn mistakes & had their own godddamn bone to pick with the Whitehills. Stillport's inhabitants went through hell & did nothing to deserve it. They literally had nothing to do with this war, but they suffered the most from it. House Whitehill will need ages to live this down & I can see Greta having to finally speak up & suggest that Torrhen makes amends — it's her mother's house that was nearly ruined, the place she visited as a child, a place where she probably has friends left. I can't even imagine how horrible she must feel about what happened there. What I'm trying to say is, Stillport is hella important & we need to see more of it, need to see it's people & give them a part in the story, because they deserve that, & deserve so much more too. Long story short, hopefully, next part of Gared's prologue is gonna shed some light on how the survivors are faring.
As for the current events unfolding — obviously, there isn't much I can say, since only a couple posts are out, but boi, are those couple of posts bloodcurdling & promising. I honestly should've anticipated this happening, Talia & Torrhen meeting, since those two are... how shall I put this — two main pillars of this story? Talia is one of the most beloved, well-developed & important characters of the original game. Torrhen is the Whitehill, who, in the au, was given the biggest insight & development of all the people in his family, probably making him one of the most multi-dimensional & complicated heroes ttgot has ever seen. Back when we didn't have the first part's redux, Talia's & Torrhen's interaction was one of the biggest setups for the future story, these powerful intriguing scenes. Their paths haven't crossed for a long time, but plot-wise, it makes so much sense for the two to meet now, at the highest peak of the story, the turning-point.
I sort of anticipated a "Talia meeting Roslin" thing more, but I'm pretty sure it can still happen. Ros could leave her hideout if seeing Torrhen in danger, I believe, but again, I don't know how the fight will go from now on. I can see Torrhen promising Talia justice for Lyarra's death, on the other hand though — I can't see her believing him. Somebody is probably going to show up, perhaps Gwyn or Alanna — it interests me most what the latter is up to right now. I really like the plot point where she accidentally shot Torrhen, because it was quite an original one — characters scarcely ever miss when shooting in this setting, & that's a lil bit unrealistic from where I stand. Knowing Alanna & their relationship though, I don't think she is hiding from Torrhen's wrath — my guess is that she'd rather make her amends by protecting him & Roslin. I'll have to stop now, bc I'm now coming up with more crazy theories... Anyway, I'm hyped & itching to know what's going to happen next. No matter what it's gonna be, I know you're not going to disappoint.
Long story short, hopefully, next part of Gared's prologue is gonna shed some light on how the survivors are faring.
I'm honestly not sure I'm going to continue it. It did pretty poorly in terms of feedback and everything, so I don't think there was enough interest to justify continuing it. It's a shame, really. Some of my favourite images I've made were in those first 7 posts.
I honestly should've anticipated this happening, Talia & Torrhen meeting, since those two are... how shall I put this — two main pillars of this story?
I don't think it's very subtle, haha - this thing started off with the intention of just being Talia's storyline, and I'd say she's definitely the main character of this story so naturally she's the one here at the climax instead of Rodrik. Though I did give Rodrik his climactic battle with Torrhen like he needed.
Knowing Alanna & their relationship though, I don't think she is hiding from Torrhen's wrath — my guess is that she'd rather make her amends by protecting him & Roslin.
The idea was that Alanna believes that because she didn't kill Ned in one shot, she allowed him to scar Roslin and doesn't want to risk Torrhen blaming her for it, so she's gone AWOL. Granted, she'll probably come crawling back at some point but it does open up some opportunities for her to do some stuff alone, such as find out her true parentage.
YO BADGE, it might've seemed to you like I've forgotten about the au, but m8, that ain't true at all!! I was just really busy sulking & … morebeing sleepy & counterproductive lately. BUT! I did follow all that's been happening & even though it's probably too late for me to rant about Gared's prologue, I just want to say that it was truly a great thing & I can see it fitting perfectly between the parts of Sown in Sorrow (basically, in my mind I'm just putting these posts there, bc it truly makes everything better)). It gave more development to the North Grove squad & that couldn't've been easy, given how many different & interesting characters it comprises. Tbh, they were all greatly developed in other au parts as well, everybody contributed to the plot, but this prologue totally had even more interesting details for each one of them. Also, there is the Stillport stuff & don't even get me started on how bloody important S… [view original content]
She is still trying to kill him after he told her he wouldn't hesitate to subdue her. Torrhen follows his personal code very strongly, though, so he doesn't intend to kill Talia.
I'm honestly not sure I'm going to continue it. It did pretty poorly in terms of feedback and everything, so I don't think there was enough interest to justify continuing it. It's a shame, really. Some of my favourite images I've made were in those first 7 posts.
The choice is yours, obviously, though I would definitely recommend to continue. You don't really need to "justify" it or anything, as long as you yourself like the idea — the au should be your story & contain whatever you like & deem interesting, even if someone else doesn't. & again, Stillport & the North Grove squad are great things to explore.
The idea was that Alanna believes that because she didn't kill Ned in one shot, she allowed him to scar Roslin and doesn't want to risk Torrhen blaming her for it, so she's gone AWOL. Granted, she'll probably come crawling back at some point but it does open up some opportunities for her to do some stuff alone, such as find out her true parentage.
It reminds me, I completely forgot that Alanna's brother-cousin (or whatever else shall we name their extremely awkward relation to one another) is in this very keep right now : O I don't expect the revelation to hold place right in that chapter, but that's just a neat detail. I like how this whole situation lets us take a different look at Alanna as whole — her confidence & smugness stripped off, leaving her in a more vulnerable position.
I've always been strangely fond of her character, in a way — not that I like her personality much, it's just, she's been in the au for such an awfully long time, since the Whitehill's side of things was only starting to get more insight, was featured in rp, fanfiction & even went through some serious ooc development, the way I see it. She makes me feel very nostalgic & I even think I might have a soft spot of sorts for her?... Strange, but true, even though a lot of things she's done make me really, really mad. I guess, I just admire her loyalty, I tend to get attached to heroes that depict it. I'd love nothing more than to see a scene of her & Torrhen meeting again after this incident, or just to learn how it went if it won't be pictured in the au. I'm not yet sure how I feel about it, but I want to hope those two can reconcile. Fuck, I'm getting feelings for something that involves Torrhen fucking Whitehill, can you imagine this? I love how the more I write out my thoughts about the au, the more of them I get & the more emotions arise as a result. Now all I can think about is their relationship & my predictions regarding Torrhen's reaction to her leaving & then coming back. I meant for this comment to be half the size it turned out, but instead ranted again & got myself all emotional in the process, even though I didn't expect it to happen over Torrhen & Alanna, of all things.
Long story short, hopefully, next part of Gared's prologue is gonna shed some light on how the survivors are faring.
I'm honestly no… moret sure I'm going to continue it. It did pretty poorly in terms of feedback and everything, so I don't think there was enough interest to justify continuing it. It's a shame, really. Some of my favourite images I've made were in those first 7 posts.
I honestly should've anticipated this happening, Talia & Torrhen meeting, since those two are... how shall I put this — two main pillars of this story?
I don't think it's very subtle, haha - this thing started off with the intention of just being Talia's storyline, and I'd say she's definitely the main character of this story so naturally she's the one here at the climax instead of Rodrik. Though I did give Rodrik his climactic battle with Torrhen like he needed.
Knowing Alanna & their relationship though, I don't think she is hiding… [view original content]
I really wanted to actually comment on what's going on in today's part, but after a revelation of sorts I just couldn't bring myself to, because of how damn emotional it made me (yes, the au has made me madly emotional twice tonight). It's just, looking through previous posts, I suddenly realized a very simple, yet genius truth—
Talia has stabbed Torrhen with a dagger, that he returned to her so that she could kill Gryff with it
Badger, I don't know if this was intentional or not. I wasn't even 100% sure it was the same dagger before you explicitly confirmed it on tumblr. But I know that it was a great deed of yours, to make it happen, & that I'll forever be grateful to you for this thing. It's not even half of what I wish could happen, but... if Torrhen has got at least some karma for what he's been doing to Gryff, not just general bad stuff happening to him, but an actual bloody backfire, a consequence for his actions — it was all worth it. Life was worth it, & all the pain was worth it, & even if now Gryff is going to get tortured & killed in the next chapter, & Torrhen — live happily ever after & pass at the age of ninety and five in his warm bed, surrounded by grandchildren & old hunting hounds — it was still fucking worth it. If only I knew this would happen, I'd never even think of choosing to throw the dagger away. Thanks to this & thanks to you, my life has gained a little bit more meaning. I have to stop, bc me making most things in the au so damn Gryff-centric is probably already getting tiring, I just thought you should know how great you made me feel today. Thank you again.
I'm not even sure the whole Gryff angle was intentional, but I'm going to say it was for the sheer reason it makes me look smart.
Torrhen's a guy. Torrhen's a dude. Torrhen's a human. He's messed up twice now - once with the dagger, again with the whole Ned & Roslin situation. Just shows he's prone to making errors even if things do go his way 99% of the time. I think this scene really does go to show he can make mistakes. He's vulnerable here, especially with the realisation of what happened to Lyarra, with Roslin in clear danger, and how he's already fairly injured.
This all said... I look forward to your reaction tomorrow :]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
I really wanted to actually comment on what's going on in today's part, but after a revelation of sorts I just couldn't bring myself to, bec… moreause of how damn emotional it made me (yes, the au has made me madly emotional twice tonight). It's just, looking through previous posts, I suddenly realized a very simple, yet genius truth—
Talia has stabbed Torrhen with a dagger, that he returned to her so that she could kill Gryff with it
Badger, I don't know if this was intentional or not. I wasn't even 100% sure it was the same dagger before you explicitly confirmed it on tumblr. But I know that it was a great deed of yours, to make it happen, & that I'll forever be grateful to you for this thing. It's not even half of what I wish could happen, but... if Torrhen has got at least some karma for what he's been doing to Gryff, not just general bad stuff happening to him, but an actual bloody backfire, a consequence for his actions — it was all… [view original content]
This all said... I look forward to your reaction tomorrow :]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
Hmmmm, lemme guess, it is going to be something horrible that will make me feel bad about gloating over Torrhen being stabbed? Nah, I don't think so, man. Highpoint's walls could literally collapse, killing all the nice & shitty people there alike, & it wouldn't make me not feel great about that stab. But you did hype me even more & I can't wait to learn what it's gonna be.
I'm not even sure the whole Gryff angle was intentional, but I'm going to say it was for the sheer reason it makes me look smart.
Torrhen… more's a guy. Torrhen's a dude. Torrhen's a human. He's messed up twice now - once with the dagger, again with the whole Ned & Roslin situation. Just shows he's prone to making errors even if things do go his way 99% of the time. I think this scene really does go to show he can make mistakes. He's vulnerable here, especially with the realisation of what happened to Lyarra, with Roslin in clear danger, and how he's already fairly injured.
This all said... I look forward to your reaction tomorrow :]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
Here we are, folks. It’s the big’un. The last choice of the AU, and the one I’ve been thinking about for so long. Before you make a decision, remember to take everything into account.
Oh, and I might not post tomorrow so the poll can total up a bit : )
This is a very interesting choice. I'll be very interested to know what happens in the other choice that wasn't picked by the majority because I feel both will have very interesting outcomes long-term and short-term.
Part 3.142
Here we are, folks. It’s the big’un. The last choice of the AU, and the one I’ve been thinking about for so long. Before yo… moreu make a decision, remember to take everything into account.
Oh, and I might not post tomorrow so the poll can total up a bit : )
[POLL] (closed)
Torrhen, you persuasive son of a bitch. I really like how you made that last image in deciding his fate. Imagine trying to make this decision while this music is playing.
I've been thinking long and hard about this, and I vote for Talia to...
Part 3.142
Here we are, folks. It’s the big’un. The last choice of the AU, and the one I’ve been thinking about for so long. Before yo… moreu make a decision, remember to take everything into account.
Oh, and I might not post tomorrow so the poll can total up a bit : )
[POLL] (closed)
... SO, you've done it, Badger. First of all, let me admire the bravery it must've taken to give such a choice to the readers — deciding whether one of the most well-developed & complicated heroes deserves to live or not. Torrhen is by no means among the most beloved or nice characters, but, as I've already mentioned before, he's one the best in terms of how much effort has been but put into him. I honestly never expected you to actually go through with something like this — it always seemed to me that Torr's plot armor was on par with ingame Ramsay's, tbh xD Apparently, you got a lot more balls than that. That's something worth admiration.
Regarding the choice itself, I can say I expected the votes' ratio to be a bit more even, but if we come to think of it, it actually makes quite some sense. The major choice between peace or revenge is something I've been anticipating since the beginning & I'm pretty sure many others did too. It might not be a big shocking plot twist, yet it doesn't make it a bad thing. This subject, this major decision has been an ongoing topic in both the game & previous au parts. The choice had to be made, people had to decide where house Forrester would stand, and I do believe we've made the right one, but gods... Did it come with a cost for me :ь In the end, for all my personal issues with Torrhen & some other issues this outcome arises — I couldn't let Roslin witness her father's death. I couldn't take Greta's well-deserved happiness away from her. Couldn't possibly give Alanna the biggest fucking guilt issues for the rest of her life. Seven fucking hells, I couldn't let people continue dying over pointless! stupid!! shit!!! This is what I've wished to achieve ever since playing first episode, so it would've been just wrong for me not to pick "hope". I can also see why so many others chose it, despite the fact, that in general discussions most people seem to be down for revenge rather than peace-making. Torrhen is to blame for so little things that affected Forresters, compared to many others. He didn't kill any of them or even their allies (well, only counting their allies anyone other than me actually cared about), wasn't the one responsible for most of the things going down. One major thing I can see readers blaming him for is Errol's coma, & even then he wasn't completely unjustified. It's easier to keep a level head when not facing Ludd, Gryff, Randyll, Boros — characters people actually hate. I don't feel like Torrhen is hated by many, so it also made peace an even more attractive idea.
There is also that seemingly little detail, with Ros picking Torrhen's dagger, & I'm not sure whether it'll come into play now, with people choosing against killing, but I'm pretty confident, that if we did decide to murder him, the dagger would play a part. I can see that kind of thing being a turning point for Roslin, especially having read the speculations on how Torrhen's death could affect her on tumblr. I can honestly see her attacking Talia is she went through with the kill, not finishing her off (I mean, come on, this is Roslin we're talking about, she wouldn't be capable of it yet, at least physically), but maybe giving her a scar? You know, Badger, after the au's over & we get to see how the choice worked out, you're going to have to tell us what would've happened in the other case. That's not even up for discussion, man. You'll have to do it xD
This definitely doesn't just magically solve all the problems. We still have grieving & furious Namond, Rodrik in quite a disturbed state of mind & with his sword hand missing, Myles & his torn loyalties, Boros running around like a headless chicken after realizing he has done fucked up (seriously, if the dude has any brains left, then he is currently galloping away from Highpoint at the speed of light). I wouldn't put it past someone (I honestly don't know who exactly) to make the "Elissa move", just stabbing somebody in the heat of the moment & screwing up the fragile truce. Let's just hope this won't happen, alright? I can also pretty much see how the problems can be solved — sating Namond's bloodlust by Boros's death; as for Rod & Myles — eh, we can just disregard whatever those two have to say & gently push the teen & the injured man aside while Talia & Torrhen, two most sensible people in the keep, are having some warm wine & discussing the terms of a future alliance. One more prediction I have is Gwyn stumbling upon Rodrik & tending to his wound, dunno why, I just have a feeling this is something that could happen. A bit far-fetched, maybe, but that's just my feeling.
The last thing I'd like to say is that the choice did come with a cost for me — don't read the following paragraphs if you're already tired of my habit of making everything Gryff-centric. You see, I think I've already mentioned it somewhere, that one of my oldest au theories was Torrhen making peace with the Forresters & offering Gryff's head as a gesture of good will. "But hey, Gryff's dead already, with Ashwoods showing up & stuff" someone might say, & you see... It is logical. And it is the thing that is most likely to happen, but... That is actually what makes me not believe Gryff will be killed by them or Gared's group. It just — how do I put this? — makes too much sense. There wouldn't be any plot twist here. There wouldn't be an interesting ending to whom I like to consider an interesting character. It would literally just be a perfectly logical & called-for plot point, which wouldn't make it terrible or ruin anything, but which would make it sort of too generic & dry for my taste.
So yeah, my hope in Gryff's survival prevails, but with Torrhen still out there, it would give that thirdborn exactly what he wanted — a perfectly justified reason to execute him & all the due satisfaction from it. This is why I actually hesitated before choosing [SPARE]. Torrhen's death, while having a horrible effect on everyone else, would give Gryff a lil bit more of a chance to survive. As long as Torrhen is alive — there is literally no place for Gryff in ttgot universe. You said it on your blog already — he can't go to Ironrath, Highpoint or Warrick's Bastion, so where can he actually go?.. I don't know. It does feel like death is the only way to escape Torrhen for him at this point. You can pretty much ignore this rant, this chapter isn't even about Gryff, I don't know why I'm even putting this here. I guess, it's just so that you don't think I'm a horrible person for as much as considering killing Torrhen in front of Ros. Those are my reasons for that.
Part 3.142
Here we are, folks. It’s the big’un. The last choice of the AU, and the one I’ve been thinking about for so long. Before yo… moreu make a decision, remember to take everything into account.
Oh, and I might not post tomorrow so the poll can total up a bit : )
[POLL] (closed)
Part 3.142
Here we are, folks. It’s the big’un. The last choice of the AU, and the one I’ve been thinking about for so long. Before yo… moreu make a decision, remember to take everything into account.
Oh, and I might not post tomorrow so the poll can total up a bit : )
[POLL] (closed)
Part 3.142
Here we are, folks. It’s the big’un. The last choice of the AU, and the one I’ve been thinking about for so long. Before yo… moreu make a decision, remember to take everything into account.
Oh, and I might not post tomorrow so the poll can total up a bit : )
[POLL] (closed)
Man, when I called the poll it was 80 votes to 79. I have a feeling there was some attempted rigging in there too considering I've never seen 159 votes before, so I had to... improvise and take everything into account. That said, what the poll said when I called it is what the result was.
I think it's about time Torrhen was a bit humbled, to be honest.
Part 3.143
Man, when I called the poll it was 80 votes to 79. I have a feeling there was some attempted rigging in there too considering … moreI've never seen 159 votes before, so I had to... improvise and take everything into account. That said, what the poll said when I called it is what the result was.
I think it's about time Torrhen was a bit humbled, to be honest.
Now let's go get your brother. He might need a hand.
Oh, my God, Torrhen, you did not.
That's real funny, considering how he recently cut one off of him.
Part 3.143
Man, when I called the poll it was 80 votes to 79. I have a feeling there was some attempted rigging in there too considering … moreI've never seen 159 votes before, so I had to... improvise and take everything into account. That said, what the poll said when I called it is what the result was.
I think it's about time Torrhen was a bit humbled, to be honest.
Part 3.143
Man, when I called the poll it was 80 votes to 79. I have a feeling there was some attempted rigging in there too considering … moreI've never seen 159 votes before, so I had to... improvise and take everything into account. That said, what the poll said when I called it is what the result was.
I think it's about time Torrhen was a bit humbled, to be honest.
Part 3.144
Wakey, wakey, eggs and bake-y...
...which is what I should've done earlier because I fell asleep after staying up all night and missed my usual post time because I dozed off.
It took until one of the more recent scenes (I think it may have even been this one) for me to realise that he reminded me of Negan from TWD. I think it's the lengths they both go to to put on a show.
It took until one of the more recent scenes (I think it may have even been this one) for me to realise that he reminded me of Negan from TWD. I think it's the lengths they both go to to put on a show.
Part 3.144
Wakey, wakey, eggs and bake-y...
...which is what I should've done earlier because I fell asleep after staying up all night and missed my usual post time because I dozed off.
It was up to Hugar what it was -- Torrhen was basically saying 'name one thing and you can have it', but Hugar declined the offer (because as we previously heard, his goal was to get his mother to come home with his youngest brother and that's out of Torrhen's hands).
Comments
Keep in mind she's got Warrick blood in her from her great-grandmother. Not to mention something I like to call the BRANFIELD RAGE which Asher and Ryon both have.
In Talia's head she's probably got an image of her doing this to Torrhen:
Also her best friend just died and she's MAD
YO BADGE, it might've seemed to you like I've forgotten about the au, but m8, that ain't true at all!! I was just really busy sulking & being sleepy & counterproductive lately. BUT! I did follow all that's been happening & even though it's probably too late for me to rant about Gared's prologue, I just want to say that it was truly a great thing & I can see it fitting perfectly between the parts of Sown in Sorrow (basically, in my mind I'm just putting these posts there, bc it truly makes everything better)). It gave more development to the North Grove squad & that couldn't've been easy, given how many different & interesting characters it comprises. Tbh, they were all greatly developed in other au parts as well, everybody contributed to the plot, but this prologue totally had even more interesting details for each one of them. Also, there is the Stillport stuff & don't even get me started on how bloody important Stillport & everyone there is. For me, the town & it's people will forever be the biggest victims of this feud. Honestly, house Forrester can sit down & shut the fuck up about how they've suffered the most — they made their own damn mistakes & had their own godddamn bone to pick with the Whitehills. Stillport's inhabitants went through hell & did nothing to deserve it. They literally had nothing to do with this war, but they suffered the most from it. House Whitehill will need ages to live this down & I can see Greta having to finally speak up & suggest that Torrhen makes amends — it's her mother's house that was nearly ruined, the place she visited as a child, a place where she probably has friends left. I can't even imagine how horrible she must feel about what happened there. What I'm trying to say is, Stillport is hella important & we need to see more of it, need to see it's people & give them a part in the story, because they deserve that, & deserve so much more too. Long story short, hopefully, next part of Gared's prologue is gonna shed some light on how the survivors are faring.
As for the current events unfolding — obviously, there isn't much I can say, since only a couple posts are out, but boi, are those couple of posts bloodcurdling & promising. I honestly should've anticipated this happening, Talia & Torrhen meeting, since those two are... how shall I put this — two main pillars of this story? Talia is one of the most beloved, well-developed & important characters of the original game. Torrhen is the Whitehill, who, in the au, was given the biggest insight & development of all the people in his family, probably making him one of the most multi-dimensional & complicated heroes ttgot has ever seen. Back when we didn't have the first part's redux, Talia's & Torrhen's interaction was one of the biggest setups for the future story, these powerful intriguing scenes. Their paths haven't crossed for a long time, but plot-wise, it makes so much sense for the two to meet now, at the highest peak of the story, the turning-point.
I sort of anticipated a "Talia meeting Roslin" thing more, but I'm pretty sure it can still happen. Ros could leave her hideout if seeing Torrhen in danger, I believe, but again, I don't know how the fight will go from now on. I can see Torrhen promising Talia justice for Lyarra's death, on the other hand though — I can't see her believing him. Somebody is probably going to show up, perhaps Gwyn or Alanna — it interests me most what the latter is up to right now. I really like the plot point where she accidentally shot Torrhen, because it was quite an original one — characters scarcely ever miss when shooting in this setting, & that's a lil bit unrealistic from where I stand. Knowing Alanna & their relationship though, I don't think she is hiding from Torrhen's wrath — my guess is that she'd rather make her amends by protecting him & Roslin. I'll have to stop now, bc I'm now coming up with more crazy theories... Anyway, I'm hyped & itching to know what's going to happen next. No matter what it's gonna be, I know you're not going to disappoint.
Part 3.140
Man, how long has it been since these two spoke? Part One, maybe? When Torrhen dumped Talia and Royland off at Ironrath?
I think the last time they spoke was at Ironrath.
Torrhen's gonna go all Dishonored on her ass.
There's vengeance in those green eyes...
At least they're not on top of a moving horse.
I'm honestly not sure I'm going to continue it. It did pretty poorly in terms of feedback and everything, so I don't think there was enough interest to justify continuing it. It's a shame, really. Some of my favourite images I've made were in those first 7 posts.
I don't think it's very subtle, haha - this thing started off with the intention of just being Talia's storyline, and I'd say she's definitely the main character of this story so naturally she's the one here at the climax instead of Rodrik. Though I did give Rodrik his climactic battle with Torrhen like he needed.
The idea was that Alanna believes that because she didn't kill Ned in one shot, she allowed him to scar Roslin and doesn't want to risk Torrhen blaming her for it, so she's gone AWOL. Granted, she'll probably come crawling back at some point but it does open up some opportunities for her to do some stuff alone, such as find out her true parentage.
God I love Torrhen!
Me too, man. Me too.
Part 3.141
Fire's hard to do... so I apologise for that in advance.
Wow... that's a bit brutal to do to a child
Roslin... please do not.
She is still trying to kill him after he told her he wouldn't hesitate to subdue her. Torrhen follows his personal code very strongly, though, so he doesn't intend to kill Talia.
The fire looks okay to me.
I hope Roslin isn't thinking about going for that knife.
The choice is yours, obviously, though I would definitely recommend to continue. You don't really need to "justify" it or anything, as long as you yourself like the idea — the au should be your story & contain whatever you like & deem interesting, even if someone else doesn't. & again, Stillport & the North Grove squad are great things to explore.
It reminds me, I completely forgot that Alanna's brother-cousin (or whatever else shall we name their extremely awkward relation to one another) is in this very keep right now : O I don't expect the revelation to hold place right in that chapter, but that's just a neat detail. I like how this whole situation lets us take a different look at Alanna as whole — her confidence & smugness stripped off, leaving her in a more vulnerable position.
I've always been strangely fond of her character, in a way — not that I like her personality much, it's just, she's been in the au for such an awfully long time, since the Whitehill's side of things was only starting to get more insight, was featured in rp, fanfiction & even went through some serious ooc development, the way I see it. She makes me feel very nostalgic & I even think I might have a soft spot of sorts for her?... Strange, but true, even though a lot of things she's done make me really, really mad. I guess, I just admire her loyalty, I tend to get attached to heroes that depict it. I'd love nothing more than to see a scene of her & Torrhen meeting again after this incident, or just to learn how it went if it won't be pictured in the au. I'm not yet sure how I feel about it, but I want to hope those two can reconcile. Fuck, I'm getting feelings for something that involves Torrhen fucking Whitehill, can you imagine this? I love how the more I write out my thoughts about the au, the more of them I get & the more emotions arise as a result. Now all I can think about is their relationship & my predictions regarding Torrhen's reaction to her leaving & then coming back. I meant for this comment to be half the size it turned out, but instead ranted again & got myself all emotional in the process, even though I didn't expect it to happen over Torrhen & Alanna, of all things.
I really wanted to actually comment on what's going on in today's part, but after a revelation of sorts I just couldn't bring myself to, because of how damn emotional it made me (yes, the au has made me madly emotional twice tonight). It's just, looking through previous posts, I suddenly realized a very simple, yet genius truth—
Talia has stabbed Torrhen with a dagger, that he returned to her so that she could kill Gryff with it
Badger, I don't know if this was intentional or not. I wasn't even 100% sure it was the same dagger before you explicitly confirmed it on tumblr. But I know that it was a great deed of yours, to make it happen, & that I'll forever be grateful to you for this thing. It's not even half of what I wish could happen, but... if Torrhen has got at least some karma for what he's been doing to Gryff, not just general bad stuff happening to him, but an actual bloody backfire, a consequence for his actions — it was all worth it. Life was worth it, & all the pain was worth it, & even if now Gryff is going to get tortured & killed in the next chapter, & Torrhen — live happily ever after & pass at the age of ninety and five in his warm bed, surrounded by grandchildren & old hunting hounds — it was still fucking worth it. If only I knew this would happen, I'd never even think of choosing to throw the dagger away. Thanks to this & thanks to you, my life has gained a little bit more meaning. I have to stop, bc me making most things in the au so damn Gryff-centric is probably already getting tiring, I just thought you should know how great you made me feel today. Thank you again.
I'm not even sure the whole Gryff angle was intentional, but I'm going to say it was for the sheer reason it makes me look smart.
Torrhen's a guy. Torrhen's a dude. Torrhen's a human. He's messed up twice now - once with the dagger, again with the whole Ned & Roslin situation. Just shows he's prone to making errors even if things do go his way 99% of the time. I think this scene really does go to show he can make mistakes. He's vulnerable here, especially with the realisation of what happened to Lyarra, with Roslin in clear danger, and how he's already fairly injured.
This all said... I look forward to your reaction tomorrow :]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
Hmmmm, lemme guess, it is going to be something horrible that will make me feel bad about gloating over Torrhen being stabbed? Nah, I don't think so, man. Highpoint's walls could literally collapse, killing all the nice & shitty people there alike, & it wouldn't make me not feel great about that stab. But you did hype me even more & I can't wait to learn what it's gonna be.
Part 3.142
Oh, and I might not post tomorrow so the poll can total up a bit : )
[POLL] (closed)
This is a very interesting choice. I'll be very interested to know what happens in the other choice that wasn't picked by the majority because I feel both will have very interesting outcomes long-term and short-term.
Torrhen, you persuasive son of a bitch. I really like how you made that last image in deciding his fate. Imagine trying to make this decision while this music is playing.
I've been thinking long and hard about this, and I vote for Talia to...
SPARE him.
... SO, you've done it, Badger. First of all, let me admire the bravery it must've taken to give such a choice to the readers — deciding whether one of the most well-developed & complicated heroes deserves to live or not. Torrhen is by no means among the most beloved or nice characters, but, as I've already mentioned before, he's one the best in terms of how much effort has been but put into him. I honestly never expected you to actually go through with something like this — it always seemed to me that Torr's plot armor was on par with ingame Ramsay's, tbh xD Apparently, you got a lot more balls than that. That's something worth admiration.
Regarding the choice itself, I can say I expected the votes' ratio to be a bit more even, but if we come to think of it, it actually makes quite some sense. The major choice between peace or revenge is something I've been anticipating since the beginning & I'm pretty sure many others did too. It might not be a big shocking plot twist, yet it doesn't make it a bad thing. This subject, this major decision has been an ongoing topic in both the game & previous au parts. The choice had to be made, people had to decide where house Forrester would stand, and I do believe we've made the right one, but gods... Did it come with a cost for me :ь In the end, for all my personal issues with Torrhen & some other issues this outcome arises — I couldn't let Roslin witness her father's death. I couldn't take Greta's well-deserved happiness away from her. Couldn't possibly give Alanna the biggest fucking guilt issues for the rest of her life. Seven fucking hells, I couldn't let people continue dying over pointless! stupid!! shit!!! This is what I've wished to achieve ever since playing first episode, so it would've been just wrong for me not to pick "hope". I can also see why so many others chose it, despite the fact, that in general discussions most people seem to be down for revenge rather than peace-making. Torrhen is to blame for so little things that affected Forresters, compared to many others. He didn't kill any of them or even their allies (well, only counting their allies anyone other than me actually cared about), wasn't the one responsible for most of the things going down. One major thing I can see readers blaming him for is Errol's coma, & even then he wasn't completely unjustified. It's easier to keep a level head when not facing Ludd, Gryff, Randyll, Boros — characters people actually hate. I don't feel like Torrhen is hated by many, so it also made peace an even more attractive idea.
There is also that seemingly little detail, with Ros picking Torrhen's dagger, & I'm not sure whether it'll come into play now, with people choosing against killing, but I'm pretty confident, that if we did decide to murder him, the dagger would play a part. I can see that kind of thing being a turning point for Roslin, especially having read the speculations on how Torrhen's death could affect her on tumblr. I can honestly see her attacking Talia is she went through with the kill, not finishing her off (I mean, come on, this is Roslin we're talking about, she wouldn't be capable of it yet, at least physically), but maybe giving her a scar? You know, Badger, after the au's over & we get to see how the choice worked out, you're going to have to tell us what would've happened in the other case. That's not even up for discussion, man. You'll have to do it xD
This definitely doesn't just magically solve all the problems. We still have grieving & furious Namond, Rodrik in quite a disturbed state of mind & with his sword hand missing, Myles & his torn loyalties, Boros running around like a headless chicken after realizing he has done fucked up (seriously, if the dude has any brains left, then he is currently galloping away from Highpoint at the speed of light). I wouldn't put it past someone (I honestly don't know who exactly) to make the "Elissa move", just stabbing somebody in the heat of the moment & screwing up the fragile truce. Let's just hope this won't happen, alright? I can also pretty much see how the problems can be solved — sating Namond's bloodlust by Boros's death; as for Rod & Myles — eh, we can just disregard whatever those two have to say & gently push the teen & the injured man aside while Talia & Torrhen, two most sensible people in the keep, are having some warm wine & discussing the terms of a future alliance. One more prediction I have is Gwyn stumbling upon Rodrik & tending to his wound, dunno why, I just have a feeling this is something that could happen. A bit far-fetched, maybe, but that's just my feeling.
The last thing I'd like to say is that the choice did come with a cost for me — don't read the following paragraphs if you're already tired of my habit of making everything Gryff-centric. You see, I think I've already mentioned it somewhere, that one of my oldest au theories was Torrhen making peace with the Forresters & offering Gryff's head as a gesture of good will. "But hey, Gryff's dead already, with Ashwoods showing up & stuff" someone might say, & you see... It is logical. And it is the thing that is most likely to happen, but... That is actually what makes me not believe Gryff will be killed by them or Gared's group. It just — how do I put this? — makes too much sense. There wouldn't be any plot twist here. There wouldn't be an interesting ending to whom I like to consider an interesting character. It would literally just be a perfectly logical & called-for plot point, which wouldn't make it terrible or ruin anything, but which would make it sort of too generic & dry for my taste.
So yeah, my hope in Gryff's survival prevails, but with Torrhen still out there, it would give that thirdborn exactly what he wanted — a perfectly justified reason to execute him & all the due satisfaction from it. This is why I actually hesitated before choosing [SPARE]. Torrhen's death, while having a horrible effect on everyone else, would give Gryff a lil bit more of a chance to survive. As long as Torrhen is alive — there is literally no place for Gryff in ttgot universe. You said it on your blog already — he can't go to Ironrath, Highpoint or Warrick's Bastion, so where can he actually go?.. I don't know. It does feel like death is the only way to escape Torrhen for him at this point. You can pretty much ignore this rant, this chapter isn't even about Gryff, I don't know why I'm even putting this here. I guess, it's just so that you don't think I'm a horrible person for as much as considering killing Torrhen in front of Ros. Those are my reasons for that.
Gotta go with hope. That's my playstyle.
D'ya think I didn't notice that Roslin's about to shank Talia? I'll spare this craven if it means Talia survives.
Part 3.143
Man, when I called the poll it was 80 votes to 79. I have a feeling there was some attempted rigging in there too considering I've never seen 159 votes before, so I had to... improvise and take everything into account. That said, what the poll said when I called it is what the result was.
I think it's about time Torrhen was a bit humbled, to be honest.
Oh, my God, Torrhen, you did not.
That's real funny, considering how he recently cut one off of him.
Like I said to someone on tumblr - Torrhen may be a little bit humbled, but he's not gonna stop making puns.
This meeting in the Great Hall is sure to be tense and quite a HANDful (Torrhen just couldn't resist could he xD)
I forsee a lot of hand puns in the future.
Torrhen, what a punk.
Part 3.144
Wakey, wakey, eggs and bake-y...
...which is what I should've done earlier because I fell asleep after staying up all night and missed my usual post time because I dozed off.
I keep on getting the handsome jack vibe from Torrhen in this AU, and I love it
It took until one of the more recent scenes (I think it may have even been this one) for me to realise that he reminded me of Negan from TWD. I think it's the lengths they both go to to put on a show.
Yeh him too. He's a very intriguing antagonist, yet one you can sympathise with (Talking about Torrhen here)
Oh man... I can tell this'll be an exciting scene. Maybe a highlight for the entire story even.
Wait...So the AU is almost over?
In... a manner of speaking; Part Three is almost over.
Part 3.145
Well, I think this is going well.
What was this "thing" he was going to give him?
It was up to Hugar what it was -- Torrhen was basically saying 'name one thing and you can have it', but Hugar declined the offer (because as we previously heard, his goal was to get his mother to come home with his youngest brother and that's out of Torrhen's hands).