AO3 Gremlin MDNI, Please And Thank You 💕

26 y/o Fanfic writer with too much (then not enough) time on her hands.

[darkcommet]

It’s so wild reading a fanfic set in a medieval fantasy land where your disease and the character living with gets like a legitimate narrative arc.

Not because Type 1 Diabetes shouldn’t get a legitimate form of representation in fiction of any sort… but because any time I’ve ever seen it shown in pre-1900s fiction or fantasy the character is usually a side character doomed to die of the disease.

It’s honestly kind of nice seeing it here though.

[darkcommet]

I noticed a little bit of a commentary going on in a chapter I recently posted for Drowing in a Dream and I just feel like maybe I should point some things out because it is relevant to not only the story but how the fandom sort of views Elia.

Now, before we get into this I do want to preface everything with my regurgitation of ‘we do not have an Elia of Rhaegar pov and the people who talk about Elia are incredibly biased sources’

As readers we have no true insight into Elia’s character outside of what we learn from Oberyn or Barristan. We know that Elia was a kind woman, a gentle person, smart, and fiercely dedicated to her children but… the fact of the matter is neither Oberyn nor Barristan are entirely unbiased characters. Their perception of Elia is absolutely warped by their experiences with her. And, ok, yeah, it’s a decent understanding of her character but it’s NOT an Elia POV.

So, in the latest chapter of Drowning I noticed someone (and no nate to this commenter because this is an intentional narrative point on my part) made a comment about how Elia seems to take advantage of Berylla / look down on her to some extent. While that sort of dynamic is absolutely not what we’re going for in this relationship, I do think there’s something to be said about the situation Elia is in and how she’s going to respond to it all.

Because we’re looking at a girl who grew up incredibly privileged and relatively sheltered given the supposed state of her health throughout her life. This if a girl who grew up in a place where women were allowed a lot more freedoms, but who herself was restricted in some ways due to her status as a Princess of Dorne.

Elia has no experience “roughing it” so to speak and it’s unfair to think that she’d just be good at being out in the middle of the woods or hiking through the mountains with two kids and a broken wrist. It isn’t entitled fair to just expect her to pull her weight because she really isn’t in a position to be helpful because Berylla isn’t going out of her way to teach Elia how to be helpful.

Like it isn’t a matter of Elia looking down on Berylla and expecting her to do all the work because Berylla has also set the dynamic. Roughing it out in the woods, fighting soldiers, going unnoticed are all things Berylla is GOOD at. It’s stuff she’s familiar with.

Elia’s skills are in politics and maneuvering through court life. Which is going to be INCREDIBLE important in later chapters as they get into Dorne and start interacting with Dornish people / lords. That’s the weight she’ll have to carry because Berylla knows jack all about Westerosi politics.

Now, to touch on the whole power dynamic between the two… yeah. There’s absolutely a sense of “I’m better than you” and that’s intentional. We’ve seen Elia reflecting on how she thought Berylla was vapid and ‘sheepish’ before they spent any real time together. This is a common sentiment in a lot (if not all) of the High Nobility of Westeros.

Just because Elia and the rest of the Martells are Dornish doesn’t mean they aren’t probe to being snobs. Oberyn in cannon is very much an asshole because his status as a Prince of Dorne allows him to behave a certain type of way. Doran is also that way, Catelyn Stark is that way, Tyrion is that way, Sansa is that way (and I love Sansa let’s make that fucking clear). Literally ALL of the Westerosi upper class are snobs and look down on those who aren’t of a similar station to themselves. It isn’t limited to Elia.

So being annoyed with Elia is valid because Berylla is pulling a lot of the weight in the current chapters… but there’s also a nuance here I think some of the readers might be missing out on a little. Because Elia is incredibly capable of pulling her weight, she’s just out of her depth here (and still sporting a broken wrist and coming off an illness that could have killed her) like we need to give her a little grave here.

Especially when we remember that Berylla could absolutely be assigning Elia tasks / teaching her how to rough it and just hasn’t. That’s a choice Berylla has made and it isn’t entirely Elia’s fault for not stepping in the way some of the readers might want her to.

[whateverthought]

Anyway, Howland and Lyanna is a great ship and I can't wait till he shows up and tells the stories he told his kids about her joys and childhood while explaining how he killed Arthur Dayne

[icarusofathousanddays]

What if you donned armor to defend my honor, and that act set you on a road that ended with you and hundreds of thousands dead? What if I crossed the kingdoms with your brother in a desperate bid to save you? What if I killed one of the finest swordsmen of the age to reach you? What if I stumbled into the tower and found your brother holding your dead body, and had to take your hand from his? What if I went home and years later told my children about you? What if I was the only person who still told happy stories about you?

I am so excited to learn about Lyanna through Howland’s eyes, if he is, as I suspect, the person who will finally reveal the truth of Jon’s parentage.

[bluecoolr]

Here comes big bro

[I like to think they went a little insane during the battle of the redgrass field]

[darkcommet]

I went to start working on another chapter of Roots and realized I haven’t updated in… a minute. A hot minute, one might say.

So, yeah, an update will be coming.

[darkcommet]

do u have any tvd fics you've read recently that you would suggest? been looking for new reads and love roots sm!

Recently I've been on an ASoIaF kick, so I have plenty of recent recs for that. But I do have some TVD fics that I keep going back to, and I'll list them below, but most of them are from an earlier post and mostly WIPs.

Ghosts don't bleed (But she sure does) by Thiefindarkness

mercurial by wearethewitches

Wild Hunt by Cupcakemolotov

roulette by malignance

Chef's Kiss by morallygreymaniac

these are just a few. I have more Mikaelson!harem on my favorites page but these are a couple I tend to reread pretty often.

[darkcommet]

Drowing in a Dream out of context

[darkcommet]

In the words of Helen Parr, “We are officially moved in.”

[darkcommet]

Hey so I know it's been a while since your work a lonely spell to conjure you by was deleted from ao3, but I was wondering what the reason was. I'm sorry for asking so late, I just recently got back into reading and I just saw it 😔

You’re fine!

Basically I wrote myself into a corner and just wasn’t happy with the story. The premise was solid, I think, but the further in I got the more it fell apart. I might revamp it in the future, but maybe not. Kind of up in the air right now.

[darkcommet]

In light of AO3 being down (may she be revived hale and heart) here’s a little out of context sneak peak of the Roots chapter I’ve been working on.

[darkcommet]

Quick Update about Updating Fics.

First off, nothing's being deleted and nothing is going on a hiatus.

I'm just getting ready to move and I'm currently in the process of getting the last of my things loaded up and moved. Unfortunately, between work and other obligations I have right now it's just a little trickier for me to find the time to update.

I feel like I'll have something updated hopefully before the weekend of the 14th, but I can't promise anything.

I'm just letting you guys know because while I have been working on chapters for some of my active stories, I'm probably not going to be able to finish them soon.

Just thought I would let you know what was going on because I might be in ghost mode this next week.

[batmanlovesnirvana]

fcking tired of ppl fan-casting Deepika Padukone as Elia Martell

like… y’all swear you’re being progressive but it lowkey feels like the same lazy Hollywood move where every brown role just goes to whoever’s most famous and vaguely “exotic” … Dorne isn’t a catch-all for “non-white” It’s heavily inspired by Andalusia, Moorish Spain, Palestine aka Mediterranean, North African, Middle Eastern influences. not just “Indian = close enough.”

its not even about Deepika specifically, she’s stunning and talented. It’s abt how ppl keep flattening cultures into one interchangeable aesthetic. Dornish ≠ generic brown. the food, architecture, history, vibe … it’s pulling from Iberian and MENA influences, not South Asian ones.

and it’s frustrating bc it feels like y’all only ever cast Indians as Dornish characters, like that’s the only reference point for “tan and regal.” thera are so many actors from North African, Middle Eastern, or Spanish backgrounds who actually align more with the inspirations behind Dorne.

Idk. It just feels lazy.

[darkcommet]

Now is there perchance a chance that we will get a Elia x Berylla x Oberyn x Ellaria situation? Asking for a friend of course.

I mean…. never say never.

[darkseldarines]

#don't ruin your brother's day challenge: impossible

[darkcommet]

I knew Baelor was going to die but I wasn’t ready to actually see it…

[myladyship]

Imagine just casually saying that you are craving a certain food. Your husband, Maekar, is quiet for some reason.

You look at him, and he looks like he's having war flashbacks.

Unknown to you, the craving you are having is the same one Dyanna had throughout all her six pregnancies.

Before you could ask him what's wrong, he let's out a defeated sigh and tells you he'll satisfy your cravings. All the while praying for a daughter this time because he can not handle another boy.

[darkcommet]

Drowning in A Dream

There's something wrong with Berylla Brax... everyone's heard of the accident. How she'd fallen going to break her fast and hadn't woken for nearly a moon's turn. When she did wake up Lady Berylla came back different. Quiet, observant, intense in a way she hadn't been before.

As she watches the Berylla wipe blood off of her stolen sword Elia supposes she should be thankful for the oddities of her savior.