I spent more time thinking about how the agriculture of Braavos works than probably anyone reading cares but I'd like to think that the in depth worldbuilding is part of the appeal of reading this fic.
Braavos was founded by escaped Valyrian slaves and the city was kept secret for a long time so I imagine they needed to be relatively self sustaining.
Protein source: fish & rooftop goats and sheep.
Carb source: potatoes due to having a high yield
Alfalfa is grown to feed the goats, and other crops that have high yield are grown on different islands reserved for farming.
Gnarly
Admittedly the song 'Gnarly' by Katseye has been stuck in my head. Gnarly became a surfer slang word in the 20th century. I felt it was too modern to just use but I think Urchin would love using that word so I had her invent it.
Philia Marriage
Urchin and Helaena entered into a philia marriage in Lys (the legally binding nature of a ceremony performed without witnesses by an 11/12 year old is yet to be seen). Which is a platonic marriage.
If they were in Lys their union would be viewed the same way as a normal marriage, if one of them died the other would be considered next of kin and their widow.
People in a platonic marriage are allowed to take sexual partners but any child conceived is considered the child of the two philias, and not the actual biological parent.
The Masseuse
The healers/masseuse mentioned are physical/occupational therapists/sports medicine but I can't have that modern of a job. Shoutout PT/OT people, love you guys <3
Lanista
Lanista is a Latin word for a trainer or manager of gladiators.
Archambeau
Archambeau is a French last name meaning bold or daring.
Monsieur Frog
Monsieur Frog is a Persian cat inspired by a cat one of my mutuals was taking care of (the real life cat is much nicer). Originally Persian cats did not have flat faces, the short flat nose is a result of inbreeding from US breeders.
Knife Throwing Tricks
Video where I got Helaena's knife trick ideas from.
Braavosi Funerals
Since Braavos has the Faceless men who view death as a gift I decided that Braavosi would have a death with dignity culture. Building off of canon events of people going to the House of Black and White to take poison and die, I have it that they throw funerals before and are celebrations of life rather than somber mourning.
So, I’ve been pretty open about my writing style which is “plan nothing, but make it seem like you do”, and sometimes there’s things that just don’t work out. Not just whole snap shot ideas, but the theme/plan of them. The post-snapshot 50 arc of the swap came around probably ten or fifteen chapters earlier when I sent @randomthingsthatilike123 a really unhelpful word document that literally looked like this;
E-ONE: 13, 37, [33], 50 / E-TWO: 15, 31, [24], 47
Looking back, I understand that I intended to swap Kara Danvers, who is 24, with Kara Callaghan, who is 33. Nothing else planned, just, “I want to do this. So I will.” The plot behind how it happened didn’t matter, because I knew I’d make it happen somehow. So with the knowledge that I was going to be doing this eventually—shrug, when exactly, I didn’t care—I began typing up a meeting between Kara Callaghan and canon!Cat Grant.
Having done forty-six chapters since coming up with this plot idea, the tone of the whole event has changed—not to mention Alondra who was a spur of the moment addition while I wrote snapshot 51. No, literally, I was like, “I should make them have another kid” and worried about the details later.
But, anyway, I figure I’d let you guys enjoy the madness that is an unfinished snapshot that’s been scrapped because I’ve changed my mind too many times and it’s no longer relevant. Not that you might not see some similarities to the actual chapter of this meeting.
Note: Yes, those little brackets are part of my system, I don’t even write chapters in chronological order, I jump around as I like and then connect them.
The day starts out as usual.
“Laura,” it isn’t yelling, it’s talking loudly.
Even if it doesn’t end that way.
Your new assistant staggers just a little too long, and trips over her gaudy wedge heel and into the mail cart that is—by your estimate—a half hour late. No less than three bodies hit the floor, and there’s no hope for the papers that are submerged by the tumbling coffee cup. Kara’s computer hobbit stares on in complete horror. Arms, and legs, and cursing in at least two languages later, your assistant walks in with a laminated layout, slicking away coffee with the bottom of her shirt.
“H-here you are, Miss Grant,” she stammers, offering you the dark roast scented sheet, “The layout you asked for.” She’s shaking enough that you can practically hear her knees knocking together from underneath that insistently spring themed romper.
“I don’t recall requesting that it be dipped in expresso,” intoning, hand on hip, eyebrow cocking.
“I—no—of course not, but—you see,” she’s not going to last long, you can see it in the flush of her neck, and the way her fingers jumble and screw together. “There was an accident.”
You almost feel bad, almost—not really, “I have eyes, Laraine. I see how you maintain yourself with all the grace of a cancelled CW show.”
You spend the next fifteen minutes squinting at what might be passible English if you had suddenly reverted to a uneducated ten year old who speaks a very regional dialect of Swahili as their primarily language. But as it stands you do speak English—quiet well, on even your worst of days, which this is shaping up to be—and you expect the same from your writers.
Aren’t you just an unreasonable bitch?
Which explains how—an hour after that realization—you’re being politely reprimanded by Human Resources, which is led by a small seventy-three year old woman who thinks you would like to partake in her decade old strawberry foiled candy whenever you’re asked to explain why there’ve been a rash of firings that don’t seem to have much precedent prior to the incident.
You’re CEO, own fifty-nine percent of the stock options, and your name is on the damned building for fuck’s sake—can you outlaw the term the incident?
Does that break any fair employment act?
If it does Human Resources will probably add it to the folder with your name on it—again, you own the company, you don’t see how your name isn’t on all the folders—with the words incidents underlined and bracketed.
Sufficed to say, the day begins its slow tumble into hell an hour after lunch—give or take a diatribe; the drain on society that is social security, and the work ethic of millennials.
You try to split your dislike of the generations equally.
[ something happens here ]
[ probably nothing too important ]
[ TALKY TALKY ]
“The balcony,” the voice comes in from said balcony, and you turn to see Kara, one hand against the railing, the other pressed to her temple like she has a headache—which is fairly interesting because there is very little doubt in your mind that your former assistant is indeed the last daughter of Krypton. “It’s facing the wrong way.” She isn’t looking into the office, but up, like the outside of the building might explain whatever conundrum she’s in the middle of.
Stepping around your desk, and walking toward the sliding doors, you take in your resident hero—she’s wearing the usual fare, a pale cream colored shirt, with what seems to be very stylized ducks stenciled onto the fabric. It’s properly bohemian, and you don’t completely hate it, but it clashes with her skin tone. Her slacks are a little tighter than she usually wears them, snug and—dare you say—clingy, and you’re ready to say the outfit is a general success. If success could be measured in levels of failure—and then she turns to face you.
You’ve been a proprietor of the written word for the entirety of your life, you’ve spun sentences about the most beautiful sunset in the isles off the coast of the Philippines, you’ve woven stories about the crisp air at base camp of Mount Everest—you’ve taken people on journeys without ever asking them to step outside their homes.
So why can’t you define what’s different about Kara tonight?
Her eyes are the proper shade of extraterrestrial blue—bright, and drowning, and all manner of appealing—and her hair is the same burnished gold that too many socialites have to turn to the dye bottle to achieve. She’s curved, and firm, and so giving—despite the fact that you know she is anything but. She’s molten rock, and supple waves, a walking juxtaposition of herself.
“I didn’t realize you had architectural aspirations, Keira,” you drawl, tucking hands into the loose pockets of your slacks, leaning your shoulder against the doorframe. “And here I am, underutilizing your obvious expertise.” She’s looking at you like she’s having difficulty breathing, chest stuttering, and eyes widening—there’s a darkness in them, you notice, a shadow that you’ve witnessed in the hungry children of Africa, or the soldiers who flinch from a backfiring car. Has it always been there, or has it only been there since Myriad?
You’re growing concerned—which you’ll never actually admit—because she’s blinking rapidly like something has gotten caught in her lashes, and she’s trying to remove it—but can’t. Sucking air through her teeth like she’s not of the mind to open her mouth properly, trying to get as much air into greedy lungs as possible—desperation, and confusion, slanting the smooth lines of her face.
And she’s moving toward you.
No—stumbling toward you.
Feet hardly articulate enough to navigate around the furniture still between you, she hits the chair’s arm, and—as you figure—it spins out of her way like it never existed at all. She’s right in front of you before you can properly assess your options. Hot, hot palms bracketing your cheeks, and you’re not accustomed to being touched without explicit permission given on your part, so you flinch—which makes her flinch, but she doesn’t release you. If anything her grip tightens, not hard enough to cause pain or discomfort, but it is firm and unyielding.
“Zrhueiao,” she says, and her voice is different—not horribly so, but lower, and slower, like she has to pluck the words from her mind carefully before she’s able to say them. You don’t recognize the word from any of the three—and a half—languages you speak. “Something’s wrong.” Assertive, but her words are still shaking, like they’re simply trembling out of her mouth and falling into your ears. You lift your hands to cover hers, trying to pry her hands from your face—but they’re like steel.
Aptly so.
Kara isn’t usually this careless. She’s so good at pretending to be pliant, to bend how humans bend, that sometimes, when you’re tired, you forget that she’s really indestructible. When she hisses as her toe hits the edge of a desk, when she shivers and shakes. This tremor is different—like the plates of the earth rumbling until they come together in earthquakes and tsunamis.
“Keira,” you begin, and then amend, “Kara.” And now you’ve got her attention. Little swirls of star dust and the pitch cast of black holes in eyes that are wet, and glistening—and you see a blatant difference.
No pock mark near her eyebrow—no little scar that tethers absolutely ordinary Kara Danvers to impossibly extraordinary Supergirl.
Just smooth skin, and a furrowed brow.
Later, you’ll blame the fear beginning to mix into your blood, or the air of intimacy that Kara’s cultivated far too easily—but you’re lifting your hand to brush your thumb over the offending area. There’s nothing there, not that you truly expected to feel anything. She’s watching you, intensely, and doesn’t flinch or shy away from your touch like so much of you thought she might, despite the scalding hands still framing your cheeks.
“It’s gone.” You say, not able to help yourself.
She frowns, “What?”
“Your scar.”
Now she does move away, a stumble, like how she moved toward you, and when she spins to rest both hands on the railing, you don’t move closer. There’s a crackle to the air around her—a snap and fizzle in the night that doesn’t sit comfortably in your stomach. Kara’s threading hands through her hair, gripping tight enough to make her knuckles go white, and her forearms quiver.
[ some other paragraphs, or something ]
[ probably some dialog too ]
“How do you know you can trust me?” You ask, because she’s been here for less than an hour, and she’s willing to trust you with her deepest secrets, ready to fold you into her truths without any struggle, any effort. “You’re not exactly from around here.” And Kara—your Kara, your mind supplies—struggles with that trust. Keeps that last veil between you, and so much of you can’t even blame her, because at the slightest sign of trouble—you pushed her away. You tried to foster the idea of professionalism, which was really just poorly hidden vitriol.
She’s walking closer, an amble in her step, thumbs hooked into the loops of her too tight pants, and something simmering in her eyes. “Are you saying you’re the untrustworthy type?”
You scowl, to hide the jump in your heartbeat, “Hardly.” You scoff, “I’m saying—how do you know?”
“You’re not that different than her—my Cat, that is—a little sharper at the edges, but,” she hedges, but there’s something dark and promising in the way her extraterrestrial lips wraps around my Cat. It’s intimate, and throaty, and you like how it sounds on her tongue too much. “Underneath all that is the same heart.”
So you deflect. You push away the sudden hammering beat of your heart, and the clammy feeling of your palms from where you’ve clenched them into fists. Your arched brow is your shield, and your words a trusty dagger, “Well, you’re definitely the same naive, blindly trusting do-gooder as Keira.”
“Why do you call her that? You say my name, so you know hers.”
[ CUE STUNNED SILENCE ]
[ or some desc with no talk ]
[ fuck talky ]
“Your mother calls me that—Keira. Says I’m not worth knowing properly.” Her breath is fanning against your cheeks, and her eyes seem as dark as the sky above—glittering abysses that threaten to consume you, to make your knees weak and shoulders curl. “Is that the case, Miss Grant? Is she not worth knowing?”
[ stuff ]
“Honestly? I don’t know what to make of you without the cape,” you say to this stranger wearing her face.
The Moltisanti Villa is inspired off of ancient Roman villas, specifically Villa Poppaea
Villa Poppaea - Wikipedia
Fight Scene
The fight scene towards the end is taken from the opening scene of Romeo & Juliet, the very famous "do you bite your thumb at us sir?"
Chapter 55
Laenor's song
Laenor sings Surrender by Cheap Trick to Helaena after she got hurt. Helaena's verse includes a joke that Tyroshi recruiting gays for the war but her fathers are definitely not gay.
Sports Game
I included a sports game because my friend S messaged me saying "fanfiction should have more sports" and complaoned about how organized sports are almost never featured in fictional world and she argued it's good for battle prep, staying in shape, and fun. So she found an ancient roman organized sport for me to use for Myr since I drew off of Italy/Ancient Rome for inspiration for Myr.
This conversation is very funny considering S is not in the HOTD fandom and will never read my work but she has repeatedly helped me research for it.
Harpastum - Wikipedia
We don't have a ton of information on Harpastum rules so I borrowed from another game believed to have been a revival of Harpastum that is still played today
Calcio storico fiorentino - Wikipedia
Giovanni's Sonnet
The opening line is from a Shakespeare sonnet, the rest was written by me, I had originally intended to write all fourteen lines but it's not easy trying to write a poem so I cut down the lines.
The Play
The play Lorenzo takes Helaena too is Coriolanus. The concessions they eat are based off of what concessions would've been sold during that time.
There were no dress circle lounges nor mezzanine bars 400 years ago. Back then, audience snacked on cold nibbles and ready-made street food
Chapter 56
Caterpillar Brows
Caterpillar Brows is a faceless assassin... we'll see how and if that comes up in the next arc.
The green drink
Helaena drinks absinthe which has a 45 - 74% alcohol by volume so she is... very drunk. It also allegedly has hallucingenic effects. And according to @brielyse95 tastes awful.
Chapter 57
(see Romeo & Juliet section and Lorenzo's Death for details)
Chapter 58
Helaena's being raised by dramatic gay dads so they raced back to their quarters to catch her in the act of sneaking back in.
"reeling ripe" is an old timey word for drunk
Chapter 59
Again we see Helaena being haunted by the life she should've had when she notices a girl about her age with a baby. Her thinking "my night is young and full of merriment" is taken from GoT Melisandre saying "the night is dark and full of terrors." Helaena is boldly in defiance of her fate and traditional symbolism of nighttime, instead finding pleasure and youthfullness in it.
The stag, wolf, and dragon costumes are an Easter egg for Robert, Lyanna, and Rhaegar.
Stags, or stag antlers can also be used to symbolized being cucked or made a cuckhold which is why Helaena laughs at the costume.
Chapter 60
Helaena's sexuality is something that is continually explored by her as the story goes on. Originally she's labeled as "frigid" for not particularly being enthusiastic about physical intimacy in the Volantis whorehouse which Helaena believes. Now that she's a couple years older she finds herself wondering if she was truly frigid or just a child (it's the latter).
The poison Helaena has heard tales of is the strangler, the poison that will eventually kill Joffrey Baratheon.
Strumpet is an old timey word for slut.
An original purpose of bridesmaids was to protect from kidnappers and evil spirits, hence why her and Chiara are dressed similar.
Lobster's were originally food for poor people, hence why Lorenzo shows disdain at the idea of eating one. It's like she's talking about wanting to eat cheap ramen.
Romeo & Juliet
This arc is heavily inspired by Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet.
Brielyse95 helped reassign the names of the different characters and here's her reasoning behind them:
Moltisanti- Many saints, this family is the patron of the temple
Coppola - made hats, now patron of the arts
Romeo: Giovani- means “god is gracious” there’s an association with divine favor and benevolence. It’s also the Italian version of John and usually refers to John the Baptist someone o felt was the first missionary in Christianity and the name Romeo means pilgrim to Rome or someone from Rome. I felt the Giovanni was the closest in meaning and association to the name of the character
Juliet: Chiara- so the name for Juliette means young girl and I wanted something similar-ish, the problem with her name is that it would’ve been too obvious who she was and I didn’t want to be corny so I chose a name that meant bright and clear, Romeo was know to be into the arts and I imagine that “love at first sight” to an artist would feel like clarity. The name is also associated with
Saint Clare of Assisi is primarily known as the founder of the Order of Poor Ladies, which later became known as the Poor Clares,and for her embrace of a life of poverty and prayer. She was a close follower of Saint Francis of Assisi and is known for her profound spirituality, courage, and dedication to her religious order. She is also the patron saint of television and those with eye diseases.
Friar Lawrence: Federico- means peaceful ruler and I wanted to acknowledge the friar’s intentions for peace despite the fact that it goes awry in the original play.
Tybalt: Leonardo- The name's core meaning revolves around the idea of a lion's bravery and strength, conveying a sense of courage and fearlessness, I felt this was a good name for someone who was hotheaded and thought more with his sword, especially because Tybalt’s motives with in the play revolve around his family’s honor and pride
Mercutio: Alessandro- defender of man kind or defender of men, Mercutio dies in defense of Romeo
Benvolio: Lorenzo- primarily means "from Laurentum" or "crowned with laurel". Laurentum was a city in ancient Rome, and laurel wreaths symbolized victory and honor. In some adaptation of the play that I’ve seen it’s usually Benvolio who honors Romeo and Juliette after they’ve passed. I also think think about the association with nature and felt that Benvolio was one of the characters that was most down to earth.
Count Paris: Francesco- means Frenchman and well… this one was just lack of creativity on my part, Paris a city in France and thus Francesco the Frenchman.
Rosaline: Sofia- means wise, she was definitely wise to not continue a connection the the son of her enemy house.
Nurse: Alessia- similar to Alessandro, the nurse was Juliette’s primary defender so to speak and I wanted to find a way to honor that and give her an actual name.
Prince Escalus: Aurelius- I named him after a political philosopher
The monologue she hears when first stepping foot on to Myr (chapter 54) is from the opening monologue of Romeo & Juliet
The fight scene from Chapter 54 is based on the opening scene in Romeo & Juliet
Chapter 57 Helaena comments that she hears a nightingale only to find out its a lark. This is inspired off of a scene in R&J where Juliet argue over whether a bird is a nightingale or lark, as she's trying to get Romeo to stay longer.
In Chapter 58 Alessandro (Mercutio)'s outfit is inspired by Romeo + Juliet 1996. During the party scene he dresses in drag and does a dance performance. Alessandro doing this in my fic is a nod to the 1996 film
Some of the dialogue of everyone teasing Giovanni is also taken from Romeo & Juliet from the scene where Mecrutio entices Romeo to going to the party.
Lorenzo's Death
Lorenzo's death has been foreshadowed since the start of the Myr arc:
When Helaena first steps onto the Myr dock, the first thing she hears is the opening monologue from Romeo & Juliet, which tells the audience the lovers will die. She has a feeling of dread which foreshadows that this arc will end in a tragedy.
Lorenzo for a first date takes her to a temple that contains his family crypt.
in Chapter 59 Helaena dresses up as a monarch butterfly and it's mentioned that it's a marigold yellow. Monarchs and marigolds in Mexican culture are associated with day of the dead.
Lorenzo dresses up as a moth, which can symbolize death. When Helaena offers to switch costumes and he declines, it's a sign that only he is the one marked for death of the two.
At the end of the night Lorenzo goes to kiss Helaena but is interrupted by Alessandro calling for him, foreshadowing the abrupt end of the relationship.
In chapter 60 Helaena hears an owl when she goes back to the temple where the Moltisanti crypts are - owls can also be used to symbolize death and foreboding.
Lorenzo gives Helaena a tear drop shaped pearl that's blue right before going into the market where he'll die... I was getting heavy handed with it lol.
Why Did You Have to Kill Lorenzo You Monster?
Short answer: Drama & My mutuals.
The Myr arc went through multiple edits. It was originally supposed to be a brief blip, only like maybe 10K in total. Lorenzo was going to die but not have a romantic relationship. It got suggested by Brielyse95 that I turn Lorenzo into her first boyfriend, so to speak, and that would make the death more impactful.
And even though it was HER idea, she's been calling me a whore and a monster for the past couple months leading up to this arc. IT WAS HER IDEA! He was just going to be some guy that died! Helaena was going to have a normal time in Myr eating lemon cakes and playing sports and some guy was gonna die and we were all going to go: damn and move on but nooooooooooooooooooooooooo Brie said Lorenzo should be her boyfriend. This pain? The pain you feel? The pain that she feels? SHE CAUSED IT! And then she's been spending weeks, months, going "and then you kill him" every time I developed his character!
The insane thing is, she's mild compared to the way Reddish bullies me! The Hague is going to show our DMs in court for war crimes you monster. "Have mutuals" they said, "it'll be fun" they said. THEY'VE UNIONIZED AGAINST ME! THEY'RE WRITING FRUSTRATINGLY EXCELLENT REVENGE MPREG! They're calling me a monster whilst turning around and dropping anvils on my favorite characters.
That mpreg is at 71K now... do you know what it's like to have seventy-one thousand words of revenge mpreg written for you? I am either greatly loved or hated behind belief let me tell you.
They're monsters! All of them.
...
Anyways
I also ended up deciding to make it inspired by Romeo & Juliet due to destructive family feuds being something that is a struggle Helaena has and will deal with.
Lorenzo's death was originally going to be via a Faceless Assassin using the strangler poison, but when my mutuals read it they found him dying during the sword fight in the courtyard.
While ramming a ship was the common way that ships were defeated in the ancient mediterranean, this specific sinking is modeled after the Empress of Ireland. A river cruise liner that sank because it collided with another ship. When the current pulled it away it unplugged the whole and cause water to rush in. Tragically the ship sank in 15 minutes, as the crew did not have time to close the water tight doors. You can watch a video about it here.
Corvus
A corvus is a boarding device that was used by the Romans, starting with the First Punic War. The Carthaginians had the superior naval force, while Romans had the superior army. The corvus allowed them to levy their fighting process on the sea.
Corvus (boarding device) - Wikipedia
The Final Battle
The battle is inspired by the Battle of Cape Economus from the First Punic War, it was possibly one of the largest naval battles in history, though in this story I did make the ships smaller.
I have made the Indigo company a combination of the Carthaginian and Roman forces. Roman forces had the Corvus and their ships were built well enough that it made them more resistant to ramming. However the Carthaginians had the superior naval force.
This is the battle formation of the naval battle that is followed in chapter 50.
The Final Duel
The duel between the officer and Laenor is inspired by the duel between Arthur Dayne and Ned Stark.
Her Fourteenth Name Day
That line is a reference to GoT with Dany finding out she’s pregnant. It’s also written to be a juxtaposition, Helaena is high on life, she’s receiving the praise and admiration she has always yearned for. Not only that but it is for something outside of motherhood, she had to work to become good at fighting and killing, whereas having a baby is something her body is built to do.
The people around her cheer like it’s a birthday party but instead they’re celebrating the end of a battle and her killing a man. I liked the contrast of the joy and the jarring seriousness as we watch Helaena’s worldview be altered.
The lullaby Mendigo and Helaena sing is "mine all mine by mitski." This song is a common lullaby/love ballad amongst the poor and enslaved of Lys.
I felt a song with the chorus "nothing in the world belongs to me but my love, mine, all mine, all mine." would resonate with impoverished and working class people.
What's a Queue?
Queue means dick in french.
Ivy the Cat
Ivy is inspired by a real life cat my mutual @williamthegirl knows who she describes as "having evil in her heart." I hope I did her justice.
Saera Targaryen
I wrote Helaena reading of her great-aunt Saera's "death" in into the storm and it's so nice to have finally written that payoff, and for Helaena to discover she had been lied to about the truth.
Helaena & Mendigo's Fight
Inspired by the kind of fight you have with your friend when you're twelve and its 2am at your sleepover. Being twelve is hard and the fights can be brutal, but usually you both have calmed down by the following school day and apologize or move past it. Unfortunately Mendigo and Helaena can't apologize because they leave on separate ships the following morning.
German/Swiss German Translations
special thanks to @pinkb00bsocks for giving me translations. I did not expect to have a native swiss german speaker as my reader but I'm so happy I do because I get to add more detail into my story.
Die Grüne Perle - (German) The Green Pearl
chuchichästli - (swiss german) kitchen cabinet
this was included because pink informed me that that is the first word native speakers love teaching non natives.
Wie seit me - (swiss german) how do you say
Er hob meine Röcke hoch und verspeiste mich als wäre ich ein Nachtisc - (german) he lifted my skirts and feasted on me like I was dessert.
Er het mini Röck ufglümpft und mi verspiese aus wäri es Dessert gsi - (swiss german, bernese dialect) he lifted my skirts and feasted on me like I was dessert.
I thought it would be interesting if Braavosi healers and the faceless men have a somewhat symbiotic relationship with each other. Healers facilitate bringing their patients there for euthansia, which allows the assassins to gain more faces, in return the assassins loan them bodies. The dissection is inspired off of the dissections I had to do for my anatomy and physiology classes.
Perle's Reading
The book Malyk reads to her is the Princess Bride. The book she gets from a book store is the story of Achilles, but if mpreg was involved. The story has the pregnancy happen in their leg as a nod to A True Story by Lucian of Samosata, a second century Syrian satirist. In this story the main character ends up on the Moon, which is only inhabited by men.
"The first is, that they are not begotten of women, but of mankind : for they have no other marriage but of males : the name of women is utterly unknown among them : until they accomplish the age of five and twenty years, they are given in marriage to others : from that time forwards they take others in marriage to themselves : for as soon as the infant is conceived the leg begins to swell, and afterwards when the time of birth is come, they give it a lance and take it out dead : then they lay it abroad with open mouth towards the wind, and so it takes life [...]"
Zeus also famously gestated Dionysus in his leg until he was born.
The descriptions of the island are inspired by Grand Cayman in the Caribbean.
The scene of her finding a mango tree by following parrots was inspired by a hike I took on that island and came upon a mango tree filled with parrots.
Adoption
My idea behind this (beside it being very sweet) is that dragonlords had a pratical reason for intermarrying and that was to make sure the ability to control dragons stays limited to the forty families. Blood is what matters so adopting someone and making them indistinguishable from a trueborn heir for all intents of purposes isn't something they're going to do.
But for families who don't have magic blood they need to protect, I imagine wouldn't be opposed to adoption.
The Sigils
Qarl Correy doesn't have a house sigil and when I was researching I mistook Qarl Corbray for him but after realizing the error I was attached so I made him a relative of the house.
^^ House Velayron Sigil
I used the capricon symbol as the inspiration for the simplified version of the Velayron symbol.
