Happy November 29th, Everybody! If You Didn't Know, Today Is International Day Of Solidarity With The

TW: death, child death, mass murder, corpses (they're blurred)

percy apologizing to luke when he hit him in their final swordfight in the woods. they were actually fighting and percy still apologized when he struck luke. i will be crying for eight to ten business years

Seeing the reports yesterday about how as of November 27, while Israel had released 117 hostages as part of the agreement, it has taken 116 new captives from the West Bank should tell you a lot about Israel.

One reporter said something like "for every family celebrating the return of their loved one from Israeli captivity, another family is mourning due to the detention of their loved one by Israel"

Israel hates nothing more than to see Palestinians rejoice, this is why they banned celebrations and distributing sweets in the first place.

Ophelia (1894) by John William Waterhouse

Eye of Madness / Eye of Greatness

pairings: targaryen family x platonic! velaryon oc

tw: blood, prophecies (?), my first tumblr fic, kind of dark idk, au, self-harm, helaena is kind of ooc

description: Elaena Velaryon was born during one of the worst storms that the Red Keep had ever faced. King Viserys even believed it may have been the start of the Long Night, but no, it just marked the birth of Princess Rhaenyra’s second-born child. A girl. A beautiful little girl with amethyst eyes and a shock of curly brown hair that matches her older brother’s. The Gods had picked the girl for something special. A change of fate. A coin was tossed in the air that day and started its spin.

a/n: hey! hi! hello! so first tumblr fic... exciting. I mostly wrote stuff on wattpad and do a bunch of random short stories in my own time but I've never actually written a one-shot anyways I hope you enjoy this random little fic I wrote on a whim. Also I did choose Elaena as a name because I'm spiteful and wanted something that followed the whole Targaryen same name thing

p.s. I am taking requests so send any hotd stuff in and I'll get to it as soon as possible

part 1 / part 2

Elaena Velaryon was born during one of the worst storms that the Red Keep had ever faced. King Viserys even believed it may have been the start of the Long Night, but no, it just marked the birth of Princess Rhaenyra’s second-born child. A girl. A beautiful little girl with amethyst eyes and a shock of curly brown hair that matches her older brother’s. The Gods had picked the girl for something special. A change of fate. A coin was tossed in the air that day and started its spin.

Sitting next to aunt Helaena, I absentmindedly turned the pages of the book but barely paid attention to the words. My third brother, Joffrey, had been born earlier that day with the same brown hair that rested on the heads of herself, her brothers and the Commander of the City Watch, Ser Harwin Strong. I knew I wasn’t my father’s child ever since I was capable of identifying human faces but it still hurt to hear about mother’s misdeeds gossiped about in the halls. Poison seeped into the walls of the Keep and blood was tainted green. That’s why I preferred to stay by the side of my aunt, who even with her little peculiarities was more similar to Elaena than anyone gave the girls credit for.

The door of the bedroom slammed open, making the girls jump and in strode the Queen. Helaena’s mother and my step-grandmother - even if she was the same age as my mother. She carried a mask of annoyance and her scowl only deepened when she noticed me sitting next to Helaena on the ledge. 

I quickly abandoned the book and curtsied. Even if she was going to be cruel it was better to bear it with a brave face. I enjoyed spending time with Helaena and we shared an affinity for bugs but the Queen never liked me or my brothers. She didn’t want bastards tainting her children by spending time with them.

“Your Grace.” Alicent's face pulled up into a strained smile and gave me a little nod of acknowledgement. “I shall be going then, my mother most likely requests my presence so soon after her labours and the hour grows late. As always it was a pleasure, my dearest aunt.” Helaena gave me a small smile and threw up the hand that was stroking one of her little critters to give a wave. 

“Very well. It was nice to see you, Princess.”

“Your Grace.” I gave her a nod before slipping out the door and shutting it behind me. Ser Erryk or Arryk stood outside the door, I could never remember which was which. 

“Princess, would you be needing an escort?”

“No, I am quite alright, Ser. Thank you.” He gave me a stiff nod and I walked off slowly until I turned the corner. There I started off into a full sprint toward mother’s room. I bounded through the halls and burst through the doors, catching mother’s stern glare.

“What did I say about running through halls?” I pouted but relented under her calculating glare.

“Only to do it when you wouldn’t disturb the servants. Sorry mother, I just wanted to come visit you.”

“Very good and it’s quite alright, sweetling. How was your time with your aunt?”

“Splendid, we found this beautiful spider that shimmered with different colors in the light.” I came over and gave her a tight hug, careful to not put too much pressure on her stomach. Knowing it must be painful after giving life to another human being. Slipping under the covers and having mother tuck me under her arm was when I noticed that mother’s handmaidens were picking up clothes and packing things away.

“Mother? Why are you packing?”

“We’re leaving, sweetling. Your aunt Laena died, we are going to Driftmark for her funeral. We should have left a long time ago.” Mother murmured the last bit under her breath, making me tuck my chin up and look at her quizzically. 

A familiar shiver of unease ran down my spine. The hairs on my neck raised up in warning. The words of prophecy and the smell of scorched flesh clouded my senses. Voices whispered in my ears, their usual muttering turning fiercer. Flames encase the flesh while a man becomes a kinslayer, but not by his own hand. No, but by his treacherous mind. Brother against brother for a green Queen. Green with envy and red with spite. 

“El? Sweetling?” I felt mother shaking my shoulder and I realized I had been straying again. The smell of burnt flesh still remained on my mind as I gave her a reassuring smile. Madness gains roots and grows. A coin had been tossed. Greatness and madness. A Targaryen born of a storm. Gods. Coin. Tossed. I cuddled into her side and gave her a little smile.

“I’m alright, mother. Are we finally going to meet our cousins?”

The salty smell of the sea drifted past my face as I watched Aunt Laena’s coffin being lowered into the water. Vaemond’s insults lost to the torrent of ice and dragons that roared in my mind. I knew I would gain a dragon one day but today was not for me. Today was the day for Aemond. I brought my eyes up and looked to my left hoping to catch his eyes or Helaena’s as mother’s hands tightened around my shoulders in response to the Valyrian spewing from Vaemond’s mouth. 

Jace’s warmth permeated through my cloak as he intertwined our fingers. Giving his hand a little squeeze, I moved my eyes to the front and found the eyes of a tall, handsome man with shoulder-length Valyrian hair. Daemon Targaryen. Not my intended target but an interesting one nonetheless. He continued locking eyes with me as he took the attention from Vaemond’s insults with his laughter. Bold. Laughing at his late wife’s funeral. Well it was said that he murdered his first one, so this behaviour was really not that unexpected. I gave him a small nod of gratitude as I let my eyes stray once more. 

I finally catch Helaena’s eyes and return the knowing look she sends my way. So she knew, of course she knew. I offer her a small wink and smirk which she responds in turn with a small laugh that she quickly hid behind a cough. The sound of a loud splash caused me to look back over the ledge and into the churning water.

I traced patterns on the rough stone as Jace stood next to me, overlooking the sea. We had gotten the news that Harwin had died in a fire at Harrenhal. I knew Jace was grieving in his own way. He was angry as well, probably because we couldn’t attend his funeral in favor of going to one of an aunt we never knew. I felt my mother's warm presence behind me as she joined us at the railing. 

“Have you seen your father? Your little cousins have lost their mother, could use a kind word.” I nod but Jace only gets angrier, he takes the chance to voice his thoughts before I can interrupt him.

“I have an equal-”

“Not now, Jace. The days grow darker and night will shroud us all in blood.” Jace’s eyes widen and mother sends me a sharp look. I needed to warn them in the only way I knew possible but mother was always careful to never have others hear my mutterings, vastly different from the Queen’s behavior with Helaena.

“Go to your cousins, Jace. I shall speak to Elaena on my own.” He nods and surries away, giving me a small reassuring smile. His eyes still holding the fear he obtains whenever I speak the whispers out loud.

“Darling, what did you see this time?”

“Nothing of consequence, mother. You cannot temper fate.”

“Elaena.”

“You know I can’t tell you more. You know I’ve tried.” I pleaded softly, disastrous consequences had come from me trying to tell her more than riddles.

“I know, sweetling. I know.” She pulls into a hug which I quickly reciprocate, my shoulders relaxing and the whispers ceasing for a moment - a comforting blankness surrounding my head.

“Why don’t you go see your aunt, hmm?”

“Of course.” She gives me a little smile and I bound across the courtyard where my aunt and uncles are located, giving the King a small smile which he returns with a larger one.

“Spool of green, spool of black…” I crouch down next to my aunt and slowly offer my hand to the spider which easily climbs over my fingertips. Hel ceases her mutterings once she notices my presence and offers a kind smile, lightning sparkling behind her eyes.

“Hello.”

“Hello Hel. She is quite the beauty.” I offer the spider back to her, the little creature gracefully climbs back into her pale hands. Helaena hums back in approval and I sit there crouched next to her as I thumb the hilt of my dagger, overhearing Aegon’s disgusting remarks. Sometimes I imagine how easy it would be to just take the blade and drag… no, not yet. It’s not the time for that yet.

Hel and I had moved over to one of the ledges and we were contently looking over one of the critters I had found hiding under one of the stones. Nursing a small cup of wine and leaning my head on Hel’s shoulder, I saw mother approach our little bubble from the side.

“Hello Helaena, El.” Helena gives mother a small nod before looking back down to the little beetle.

“Mother.”

“You better prepare for bed as the hour grows late.”

“Of course, mother.” She nods and squeezes my shoulder before making her way over to Jace and Luke. I give Hel a little kiss on the cheek and she gives me a contented smile as I leave, joining my brothers as we head over to our assigned rooms. 

The raised voices of my cousins and brothers outside my room waken me from the lightest of slumbers - dreams of a past filled with dragons and conquerors. It had started.

“We should wake her.”

“Nothing good comes out of waking El. She’s…”

“Well?”

“Different.” Luke pipes up.

“What do you mean different?”

“We don’t have time for this! Let’s just leave her be and we’ll come find her when it’s over.” 

They rushed away from my room and I slipped out from under the covers. Taking the dragonglass blade that sat at my bedroom table and tucking it under the sleeve of my nightgown, I sat down next to the fire and watched the flames dance. Dragons must not dance. Waiting. Waiting for the Gods’ coin to stop spinning. And waiting for a decision to finally come to be.

A while later after I heard Vhagar’s screeches outside of the window, my grandmother and grandsire arrived at the door. Slamming it in the progress of frantically trying to find me. 

“Elaena! Come quickly, girl.”

“What has happened?”

“We do not know but we are needed in the Main Hall. The King has requested our presence.” My eyes widened and I quickly bounded up from my place on the furs. The hilt of my dagger secured against my palm, we flew through the halls. The torches painted wild stories against the stone walls - about the future, the past and the bloody present.

I enter the fire-lit hall to find people fussing over One-Eyed Aemond, my bloodied brothers and cousins. Rhaenys instantly rushes to the sides of my cousins and Luke and Jace pull me into a hug, Jace’s arms protectively enveloping both of us.

“Jace! Luke! Are you two alright?” I gingerly touch their faces and they give me strained smiles.

“I’m glad you weren’t there, dear sister.” Was the only thing Jace supplied me with as mother burst through the doors, her hair in a frenzy and Uncle Daemon walking in behind her.

“Jace? Luke? Elaena!” She rushes over to my bloodied brothers and then looks to me for answers. I shake my head and she nods, knowing I didn’t have any part in this. Sensing the same confusion in my eyes that mirrors her own. Moments later chaos erupts as everyone starts shouting, I close my eyes in a grimace but the ringing in my ears increases. The sound of a coin spinning gets louder. Metal twinkling and grating against stone.

Everyone continues to debate about the events that transpired. Voices intermingle as insults are thrown and people are questioned. The words suddenly become so clear. 

“Blood for blood. Green for Black. The threads weave and interweave. The girl born of the storm will be at the mercy of the coin…” The song starts but it is not all clear yet. This song must not accompany a dance. Blood is demanded by the Queen, who rushes at my brothers in determination but mother intervenes. The blade of prophecy is aimed at my mother’s heart as Alicent harshly speaks against my mother’s face.

“Where is duty? Where is sacrifice? It’s trampled under your pretty foot again.” 

In that moment I feel the hilt of the dagger fall into my hand. It is time. I take out the shining steel, ripping the seams of the white gown. No one is watching the second-born Princess. The coin stops spinning. The Gods have chosen. And they have chosen…

I grip the dagger hard, fate has a funny way of balancing the scales. This will prevent a future where my brothers die. For my sacrifice, the Gods will accept my plea. The plea I made when I was only a babe in my mother's womb. Eyes open to the prophecies and bloody future of my house.

The dagger slides over my left eye. An amethyst iris forever lost. The steel cuts through flesh and blood runs down my face. I feel none of the expected pain. Maybe because I have had so long to prepare for this moment that pain has become a distant echo. Blood for blood. An eye of madness. An eye of greatness. 

Ringing fills the hall as I let the blade drop, the steel resounding throughout the room. Blood drips, drips, drips. Heads turn trying to find the source of a noise and when they notice the little girl with a deep laceration over her youthful face an echoing gasp is heard. That is when a second blade is heard fall. 

“Elaena!” Mother turns to face me with a horrified look.

“Blood for blood. An eye for an eye. You have now found your justice. Let us play no more foolish games.” I give a grand bow and smooth out the now blood-stained nightgown. My mother rushes in front of me and gingerly cradles my face, tears forming on the edges of her eyes, making them misty. The Queen’s hands cover her mouth as she stumbles back. They say Targaryens are closer to Gods than men but the Gods still have cards to play.

…madness.

so... thoughts???

yes babe you’re so bunny a certain hunger my year of rest and relaxation boy parts the pisces gone girl milk fed nightbitch the bell jar the virgin suicides earthlings pizza girl vladimir and ily for it

AEMOND TARGARYEN + tumblr tags

"grandpa" "dont call him that" is going to be iconic, watch me be right.

the urge is so very strong