oleander

he/him || emitting various forms of radiation || uncurated slop that i enjoy

[lizardsfromspace]

Hi, I noticed your story has conflict in it, and I was wondering why you didn't just write people who are right doing everything correctly with a note saying "I enthusiastically co-sign everything in this story"? Must be some kind of mistake haha

[oleanderblooms]

i did like this ep better than the last! and i also liked the last ep!

[loveyazy]

Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, First of her name, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lady of the Seven Kingdoms, protector of the realm.

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON (2022-?) 3.02 | Queen’s Landing

[allyriadayne]

Really cherish jace's manic eyes asking baela to go die with him. Jace voice I must seem to act for her claim and mine

[moompl]

Aegon and Larys are genuinely one of the best duos in this show I was dying at their scene this episode

[jace-targaryen]

aegon II targaryen + larys strong ↳ house of the dragon 3.02

[scion-of-alicent]

Fic Recs: Larys Strong (part 1)

Here is a selection of some of my favourite fics that feature Larys Strong from House of the Dragon.

Some are: character studies, fics that feature a particular paring (Larycent, for instance), and some are where he only appears as a supporting character, but I included the fic because the way the author wrote him was superb.

The fics will align with my tastes and do not appear in any particular order or rank.

I did my very best to write my notes in a way that was (mostly) spoiler free.

Happy reading!

The Hour of the Cockroach by TheSithVirtuoso

COMPLETE; 2.6k words.

Set during the events of the Hour of the Wolf in F&B, this work features a conversation between Cregan Stark and an imprisoned Larys. It's quite dialogue heavy—with all the Medieval flourishes of the ASOIAF world—but that's really where characters like Larys get to shine. The relationship between Cregan and Larys was incredibly fascinating because their ideals and beliefs are so different; duty and honor vs. deception and guile. The power dynamic is fascinating as well, because even though Larys is the one imprisoned and sentenced to die, he dances verbal circles around Cregan and seems wholly unbothered by his proximity to the Stark executioner—it's as if his death is merely a slight inconvenience. The work is philosophical, haunting, dark, and even in his final hours of life, Larys remains in control.

Of Rats and Weirwoods by Aliffo

COMPLETE; 3.5k words.

As soon as I watched Alys in S2, I couldn't wait to read fics that explore a relationship between her and Larys. In this fic, Alys is both an ominous and kind mentor figure to Larys. Her character truly leaps off the page, and you can just hear Gayle's Scottish drawl drip from every piece of dialogue. The authors depiction of Larys is exceptional. As a child, he's a little bit cheeky and more than a little bit judgmental. He's an observer, a watcher, a boy with a bad leg and a talent for lip reading. He's not quite the person we, as viewers, know from the show, but it's easy to imagine how this boy becomes that man. The writing is beautiful. Just... beautiful. It's deeply poetic, the descriptions are so vivid and rich, the foreshadowing of future events and fates is stunning, and the ASOIAF language it features would fit perfectly into a GRRM novel.

the fire spread throughout my bones and stayed by silent_heaven

COMPLETE; a little over 1k words.

This is another work that explores the relationship between Alys and Larys, but unlike the previous rec, this one really emphasises their family connection. Alys is fourteen, and is akin to an older sister. The way the author physically describes her is gorgeous. There's also some slight Alysmond, for those interested. Larys is nine and is grappling with his greenseer gift. What I enjoyed most about his POV is his thoughts around Harwin and his father; his anecdotes of the Strong family in those early years at Harrenhal felt incredibly authentic and real. The fic is an stunning exploration of family, of blood, of fate. What makes a family a family? If your sister is this cursed bastard, why does she look so much like you? If what you see with your eyes closed is what will come to pass, then why is your home burning? Why do you taste ash on your tongue?

Firebug by 2_ticky

COMPLETE; 2.2k words.

If you have siblings, reading this fic will gut you like a fish. Out of all the wonderful works that I've included on this list, this is by far the one that caused me to experience the most emotional turmoil. Do with that information what you will. Throughout the TV series, Larys is depicted as being many things: a nobleman, a cripple, a confessor, a confidant, and (rather briefly, as most details are when they don't include a member of the Targaryen family) a brother. This fic digs into that sibling relationship, and by GOD is it full of feelings and angst. Harwin, both literally and figuratively, haunts Larys. It's so sad, guys. So unbelievably sad. Read it.

Covenant by Halja

COMPLETE; a little over 500 words.

Although quite short, this work—all prose, no dialogue—is a beautiful look into the relationship between Alicent and Larys. Beautiful is an understatement though, because every single line of this fic is pure poetry; like, I need those sentences tattooed on my body effective immediately.

Nothing can stop us from becoming nothing by killinggame (@necrofacility).

COMPLETE; 2.8k words.

Larys and Aegon's relationship in S2 is captivating on several levels, especially their potential for romance (or, what either man could constitute as romance, anyway). Set on a ship bound for Essos, the pair are orbiting each other with all the tasty flavours of co-dependency and shifting power dynamics. Aegon, in true Aegon fashion, is somehow brimming with insecurity and full of unmitigated confidence; is this both endearing and frustrating? Yes. And no one is experiencing these emotions more than Larys. The man balances the roles of servant, guide, and confident with practiced ease, and the author's writing transitions to each of those facets with utter smoothness and subtly. The pair have a very "whatever the fuck these two got going on" dynamic that is quintessential to any larysgon fic, and this work does this deliciously.

~

[owlysrivers]

rest in peace diva 😔 your lethal side eyes will not be forgotten 🕊️

[owlysrivers]

rest in peace diva 😔 your lethal side eyes will not be forgotten 🕊️

[wyldfell-deactivated20241011]

not to be all jurassic park, but i don't think larys strong's motivation has anything much to do with a desire for power or position. (or maybe i just think that's the duller interpretation of his actions over the last two seasons.)

i keep coming back to his scene in the garden with young alicent and his association with symbols of nature. (the only character [other than alys] who is shown to have this same level of connection with nature is helaena btw, a parallel which has always been 👀 delicious to me because they are both outsiders, both highly intuitive, both underestimated.) and here is where i get all jurassic park, because life finds a way. in larys's case, it's not beautiful or comforting or hopeful; he doesn't look to nature as a way to find solace the way helaena does. for him, life is brutal, arbitrary, and cruel. he sees that. and i think he draws power from knowing that he sees that. yes, he wants positions of authority as a "fuck you" to people like his father and ser simon strong (lest we forget his ableist af comments about larys), but more than power for power's sake (which is very littlefinger), i think he seeks, above all, self-realization. that's why i dig matthew needham's *shrug* answers whenever he's asked about larys's prime motivation. i don't think larys knows, and i don't think it matters and that is the point.

as his personal symbol, he chose the firefly, an insect which undergoes complete transformation during its life cycle and which is noticed only in darkness. and its way of emitting light is highly intentional: it uses flash patterns to attract a specific mate (or prey). larys often ~flashes his lights, so to speak, and then waits to see if his intended target will respond. but he doesn't attach himself to a specific person or course of action or plan. he shifts with the changing winds. he chooses alicent, then he throws her over. he chooses aegon, then pivots to aemond when he becomes prince regent, but aemond won't bite - they have nothing in common; he is a creature of steel and rationality while larys is, at the end of the day, as earthy as alys rivers. they are of dirt and soil and forces of nature - so he pivots back to aegon. this isn't about wanting to be hand of the king. hell, larys has a lordship he cares nothing about. this is about him needing his mind to never stop working. this is about life, parasitic, predatory, persistent, striving until the day it dies because that's what life does - it exists beyond the structures of morals and ethics, cares nothing for politics or religion, though it does acknowledge the existence of forces greater than itself.

in fact, i think he believes in chaos in the greek sense. the world is a void. anything might happen. and his insight - his ability to see in the dark, to generate his own light like a firefly does - gives him the right to create and destroy.

[motorway-south]

so mad that people are saying larys looks good now. i wanted to fuck him when he had a desperate crush on a teenage queen

[15-lizards]

Larys looked so beautiful because every time he grooms someone he gets rejuvenated like mother gothel when she makes rapunzel sing

[ararebloom]

after ewan mitchell's commentary - aemond + larys having some unspoken alliance to send cole to die in the riverlands because they're both jealous of him fucking alicent is extremely funny

[owlysrivers]

it warms my heart to see people realizing larys is hot 🥹

[wyldeout]

Literally Aegon and Larys in the carriage

[moompl]

Aegon is looking at Larys like he’s crazy

[ararebloom]

he looks so good omg.......