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me again!! :) for the up the mountain event :)
okay this is super, super cute and really romantic - i know you think this kind of sweet, sweet fluffy stuff is your kind of thing but you do it so so well honestly. this is just... ahhhhh <3 i lovelovelove how he doesn't say "marry me" or make any big plea - it's just there, unspoken but it doesn't need to be spoken as such because they both know what they - well, he - means by saying she could stay there. the actual words would be so unnecessary, they understand each other so well and i love how it seems like they've both been thinking about it, separately, the idea of her staying there, but they've never spoken about it before - perhaps baela's never even really believed it's possible, and she needs alyn's encouragement to go for it.
and ahhhh that final moment: when alyn whispers in her ear and he knows it's a bit cheating perhaps haha to be close to her when he says it but he can't help it any more than she can help staying there like she's stuck :P it's so magnetic, that whole moment, it's so strong and so vivid and so deeply romantic and it's so so good <3
i'm so happy that they're (maybe, hopefully??) getting a happy ending too - they're so good together, even with everything they've been through, and i just want them to be happyyyyyyyy :)
laura xx
hiiiiiiii me for the up the mountain event :)
i really love how you take all these prompts and spin something so different to what i would have thought it would be with them - so many different twists on the usual kind of emotions, so many little scenes with so much packed into them, even where they're actually kind of simple, slice-of-life-type moments. it's so so good and super interesting and ahhhh i love it :)
and this!! i wasn't expecting like,, meeting the family to be post-everything, just rhaena (and aegon but mostly rhaena) and her, with alyn meeting her for the first time since he and baela kinda became he and baela (i don't know enough to know if they would have/did meet before this, maybe maybe not - but there's a big difference between meeting someone as just another kid or a cousin as opposed so your sister's boyfriend/lover/other half). and i love the way it's so tense, how for baela it's odd and strange and affecting not because it's alyn meeting rhaena, but because it's alyn acting formal, in a way which reminds her of past traumas and hurts and ahhhhhhh it's so clever as a twist and i really love it, how simply it's presented, through the images and everything, and how it's a short moment even in this, but it's a heavy moment at the end of this all the same.
also i lovelovelove the note about how baela and rhaena are identical twins (i'm assuming they're identical at least?? it's implied they're identical i think with the note about them no longer looking like each other) and how they're kind of not so much now, post-everything, and baela seems to feel that difference even as she's glad to have rhaena back. it feels a bit like rhaena is a reminder of what baela was like, a bit, before the war. but they're still sisters and it's still the three of them and i love how they seem really close :)
ahhhhh i love all of these (can you tell??) :P
laura xx
Back for more murder mystery reviews!
Ooh, this is such a painful twist of the prompt. When she thinks about who she'll be forced to marry, she spirals into thinking about the unfairness of it all and all the apin she's been through :(
When she finally sees herself in the mirror for who she is now, I can totally understand the tornado of emotion that she falls into. I love how you name all the jewels and the silver and gold that she throws, destroys. It's a great way to show how much she despises all the frills and gildedness that covers the pain and loss she feels </3
The way that he understnads her is also so heartbreaking, but it's definitely just what she needs. And he reminds her who she is and who she can be!! Ahhh, I literally can't stand that they can't be together, why must this happen. I love that last moment where she says "fire and blood" and then they cheers, it seems so hopeful, which gives me just a bit of relief from their angst </3
thank you again for this amazing chapter!
Cat
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Oof, this one is NOT fluffy. The dream is, but the rality, not so much (my favorite type of fluff, also)
I love the way that Baela so vividly remembers the islands from her childhood. The way that she just wades into the water without worry for her dress, it's clear that she's so comfortable here.
Alyn is definitely the dreamer of the two -- Baela dreams, but she knows what reality is. The way that he stands just close enough to her that she can sense his presence UGgghh. And he thinks no one can stop her from doing what she really wants, which is her dream, but again, not a reality. So she just stands there and continues to daydream I just dieeee. this is so painful!!! and the daydream is fluffy enough :)
thanks again!
Cat
Hi again,
back for more murdery reviews!
AHHHH this is so amazing! I love some good family reunions, and this is the perfect example of one. It's so clear in the first section how much Baela loves Rhaena, especially with the way she dismisses all the strange looks and judgements. And with Aegon, she feels they are the last of their kind, in a way.
When Alyn bows to Rhaena, you can tell that Baela is watching him and seeing the two of them together as her family <333 they both know her so well!! She thanks him for keeping Baela out of trouble, and he denies that he can even attempt. I love how happy this moment is.
I don't think Baela ever needs anyone's approval, but she wants Rhaena to be happy with her choices. And secretly, I think that Rhaena is in total approval of them together <3
thanks again!
Cat
Back for more murder mystery reviews!
I love the way you describe her sneaking out in the first section -- It turns from a serious, avoid people at all costs scenario to a mischievous, gleeful event when she meets up with Alyn.
And when they get into the city, it's so clear that she's feeling a sense of freedom that she's needed. The way she says "breathe the filth of the city," implying that she can't breathe when she's in the Red Keep, I just love that.
And I also love the comparison of their love to them sneaking out to the city -- she watches him from afar, knowing that something is between them that they can't talk about. The fact that they can't admit that being together wouldn't work, Being together is like sneaking out and breathing in life <333 I die
thanks again!
Cat
Hi there,
back for some murdery reviewing
I love how playful this chapter is after the first few heavier chapters. It's so satisfying to see Baela in control and in a position to tease someone. And Alyn can't even wait for the dance to fully end before he interrupts and whisks her away again <3
That little blush is so UGHh, just knowing that he's a little embarrassed at how jealous he is :))) and she loves it, so evil. I also love the way that you talk about the beat slowing down and the couples going unnoticed. It's like they fell into their own little world :)
Their trust is so plain here! Even though he's jealous, he's laughing at the end about how much he hates wolves. It's all in jest, and they both know that they have someone to come home to <3 my poor heart
thanks again!
Cat
back for more murder mystery reviewing!
I love this idea for this prompt! It seems like they're building something together, especially with how he's taking her out on a small boat -- it's a small introduction to something new to her. I love how she learns the ship and the nuances of it. The way it's written makes everything seem so romanticized <3
And I feel like I can hear her laughter! I love your descriptions and how it makes me feel like I'm on the ship with them. When she says she feels like flying, that's even better, because it's what she truly loves.
The freedom is what she's needed, what she's truly missed about flying :) I love this fleeting moment between them! It feels so real and just a perfect piece of time.
Thank you
Cat
Hi again,
back for more murdery reviewing!
Oooh, now that we're through the angst we get to see their love and reconciliation. I love that, to her, he is home. And that they're together like children, running around and only needing each other. Even though they do have to talk about real things, it's almost like secrets don't matter in the dark <3
I love that question -- "would you even have gone over to him?" -- because it's all that mattered to her. That she was locked away and staying true to herself, was he? Sharing this together is such an intimate thing, because neither knows what the other has gone through, truly, but they need to heal together. I just, UGGHH
Thanks again!
Cat
Hi there,
back for more murdery reviews!
Your description is always so fulfilling and vibrant! I love the way you use color in that first paragraph. And I love also how you write her vindication, how she won't be the one to kill the Green King, but for all the people that she wanted to do that for <3
I love the angst with the fluff, this is kind of my favorite way to read fluff. :) I love how Alyn saying her name breaks her out of her memories, brings her back to the reality, even if it's not where she wants to be </3 I love how you continue to use color throughout this, with the green eyes and the amythest and ruby. It keeps me so connected and in this world.
The fact that their history doesn't matter anymore and they just need each other's embrace is so UGhh. It's always so much more satisfying to see reuniting like this, for me.
thanks again!
Cat
deni! :) you will get sick of me at some point haha but i'm here again for the up the mountain event :)
okay so i love this one. i really really love this one. there's something so thrilling about it haha - like, it just perfectly encapsulates the idea of sneaking out when you shouldn't be, about the thrill of being recognised, of having this kind of "yes this is me and i'm with him and fuck who cares" attitude and in sharing this kind of conspiracy almost with alyn and it's so so good :)
i lovelovelove the way you describe the kind of party (??) they go to: all open, roaring flames and roast meat - simple food - and beer and loads of peple around having a good time. it just sounds so fun and even without it being described, worlds away from what baela's used to - for her it's a real experience with a capital E and i love that for her and i love how alyn's taken her there because he knows that it's an experience for her, as much as it's the thrill of the princess and the pauper being seen together :P
ah you just write them so well together - in everything you write them in, they know each other so well and they get on so well and they have so much chemistry, it's wonderful :)
laura xx
denii!!! me again for the up the mountain event :)
there's something impossibly vibrant about this one and i really, really love it!! it's just... everything: the images you use, the way you describe them, the dancing, the flirting, the jealousy, the glee baela feels when she gets what she wants - everything about it is kinda big and bold and brash and full of colour and life and ahhhhhh it's so so good.
i lovelovelove the description of the room at the start: the candles and the dragon skulls make such a creepy kind of setting which is so sharply contrasted by the dancing and merriment going on underneath - and i love that. it's so good and so cool. and the dancing!! i love how it's a quick dance, fast and reckless and charged with emotion and heat and baela loves it - but it's not about the stark lord she's dancing with, it's about alyn and they both know it (the poor stark lord doesn't lolol but oh well he'll cope :P). i don't really know enough to know when in their timeline this happens - i'm assuming afterwards because of the comment about her beauty being rarer than before - but there's something of an edge to this, almost hysterical and challenging, kind of like a fight - like she's pushing him and he goes after her.
the little note about how he whispers how he hates wolves is so childish and so petty and i love it too :P poor alyn :P
laura xx
hiiii deni!! back for the up the mountain event :)
this has really made me miss sailing, you know that right?? ahhhh it's been so long - the way you describe it is just... so good and so perfect to describe it, the weightlessness and the zipping along and the wind in your hair and everything... small boats are definitely more fun too: zippier, bouncier, wetter :P even though they're probably slower than bigger boats, they feel faster in a way
i love how alyn's sharing this with her and baela seems to have been reluctant at first but now she's gone and she's learning about sailing - but it is also so much learning about him too. because it's something he loves and was born doing and grew up doing - and i love how she immediately thinks of her dragon and flying and how much she loves that and feels born to it. it's such a lovely moment in their relationship and i love the depth there is to it, even when it's such a simple moment :) plus i love that baela throws herself into it, even if she wasn't exactly jumping at the thought at the beginning - she looks at everything and she learns stuff, because it's alyn :)
this isn't the most obviously fluffy moment but god it's super cute. it's really just so sweet, the way they're able to enjoy the time together, sailing together alone on the water, having fun - it's such a beautiful change from the last chapter as well with all the heartbreak and the trauma of war and fire.
laura xx
deni!! :) me again for the up the mountain event :)
this is so sad but so sweet at the same time and you blend the two emotions so so well ahhh it makes me ache a little bit <3 it's the way there's something so comfortable between them, but still the weight of the past and all those secrets and the things they haven't yet said - and perhaps can't yet say. and there's a real care to the way alyn is described as running his fingers over her scars - like he's checking she's there and she's okay. it feels tentative, almost, but in the blunt way baela's voice just says it, it sort of cuts across the gentleness - which is then kinda funny with the way alyn is then described as matter-of-fact and blunt. which he is!! but like, baela is too - just inside her own head.
i loved the description of the tower, too. the way you focus on the smell of it with the salt and smoke and how much that's like home for baela - comforting and familiar. i loved the repetition of the dark and the damp, too - things that aren't normally included in a description of somewhere comfortable, but here it really is and it's so good and such a nice twist on it :)
bahhh i don't really feel like i've done this justice in this review, but it's just so good and so heartache-y and i love it <3
laura xx
deniiiiiiii i'm here for the up the mountain event :) <3
okay so i will freely admit that i know nothing about the house of the dragon stuff or the targaryen stuff pre-got, so i'm going into this kinda blind haha but - BUT it doesn't matter because even if this was OF it works so so well.
it's so intriguing and so emotional - baela's disorientation at the beginning as she thinks about how different it all looks to when she was last there, her anger at the green king, her worry about her siblings, the tears and the grief that still isn't dulled any for so many of her family and friends. it's a real rollercoaster for all it's less than 500 words and i lovelovelove it. it's packed full of stuff and it's all so good :)
i love how clear baela's character already is - and she's messy, yes, but she's so real: she's protective of her family, she's angry, there's a sense (to me at least) that she was helpless at some point - or felt helpless - and that she's grown beyond that. she feels kind of brittle towards the end, when she whirls, grabbing her dagger - on edge and frightened but with a side of potential violence that is a bit paranoid but justified, by the sounds of it - and then when she sees alyn and she goes to him and she feels, even through the writing, like she's relaxing a bit because he's there and that makes things better. she's so complex and complicated and i lovelovelove it.
as always your description in this were beautiful: i loved the descriptions of dragons like jewels, it was so gorgeous, and definitely fitted for a targaryen to view dragons like that!! :P
laura xx
Hiiiii! I came by your fluff collection and ohmygod, so glad that I did because fluffy with a massive does of angsty is good thing on any given day.
This chapter was just loaded with stunning description that had this beautiful sort of rythm to it. There's a lot of heaviness, a lot of tragedy and loss, but also something sort of hopeful. Countless slip sthrough death's fingers and yet here I stand. This line had to be one of my favorites. It just shows that's she's been through a lot - but she stands strong and I love that about her immediately.
And then that ending. She immediately thinks she's in dangers (fair, given that she's obviously just been through a war) but the moment she realizes who it is, she feels safe again, which is just so heartwarming and makes me really excited to see what you do with these two.
It was a great start and I'll be coming back for more <3
Love, Quilly.
okay so first if all #sad and #sadddd and just plain #sadddddd because moondancer :sob:
idk i just love the way baela loves/loved her lil dragon bby and it's really visible in your writing, the way she remembers her dragon, the way her pain is palpable -- it's all just very descriptive and she feels as if she’s literally pulling at strings to keep herself going. i mean like, i know she’s pretty badass and all but even badass people get hurt, especially when it comes down to someone they loved.
so when alyn takes her sailing and after her initial scepticism i love that she manages to get something positive out of it, that it kinda feels like flying and that there's a lil something to compensate for the fact that there's no more moondancer.
of course, the greatest thing is that alyn *knew* this would be something she would enjoy, that it would make her feel good and that's just a++++ chef's kiss fluff ☆
kris
The angsty jealousy angle is such a great way to use this prompt. Caught singing or dancing is usually like an adorable little moment of innocent unawareness, but here it's a hyperawareness and anything but innocent. And even better because I don't think she's really been "caught," I think this was the point all along. XD
Oops I realized that a couple chapters ago I called him Baela when that's actually her. XD
The meeting of the sea and sky is so nice here, how it takes some convincing to get her to try this out because she's not of the sea like him, but then when it comes down to it, in certain ways it's not so different, at least not in the sensations. <3
The scars as sort of a memorialization or a history of all these things that happened that he wasn't there for is a really nice use of this prompt! Scars always tell stories, but this one is a story they both already knew, it's just that he wasn't there for her side of it. <3
Hi Deni! I've been gone a while so I'm doing the flash review thing to catch up on all the things I've been missing!
I watched GOT but I know nothing about this ship, oops.
There's something like really delicate in this scene of desolation, this quiet moment of solitude which isn't peaceful but just kind of suspended in time, and then Baela and the touching foreheads bit kind of anchors it all. <3
Melanie
Deni! I am back on a Game of Thrones kick (well sort of), so naturally I was going to check out this story. ;) Admittedly I don't know much about Targaryen history. But I am SUPER excited for the upcoming HBO show! But anyway, it didn't really matter that I didn't have a lot of knowledge of Baela and her relationship with Alyn and what pulled them apart and what is now bringing them together because you do a marvelous job of showing that from the get go in this piece!
Baela's feelings about the war, the king of the times, and returning home feel very complicated. But in a very good way. Because I got this sense that she's often had to suppress a lot of her feelings and to maybe not acknowledge things like fear and/or trauma that comes whenever you're living through a war. And that is what makes the forehead touch at the end with Alyn so meaningful. I felt this overwhelming relief alongside Baela. She's home now. Things aren't like they once were, but coming home and being reunited with Alyn again means a lot to her.
Anyway, I am intrigued and will be continuing this series! :)
<3 Courtney
PS TAG (unless the gods have other plans ;))
deni! i'm here for review tag and i'm excited to check out your fluff ♥
i love this so much. your descriptions and inner voice are so powerful right from the start, and i love how this is only half about baela reuninting with alyn as it is about baela coming home and dealing with the aftermath of the war. it's been a long time since i read the books, but honestly, that didn't really matter with the way you wrote it; i could feel baela's emotions in her grappling with coming home and what it means next for her and for her family. it's almost complicated, knowing that they've won and things are supposed to be better, but you can't really be sure about that and you did such a great job expressing that
and the relief when she's seen alyn, that they're trying to grasp onto each other to make sure they're really there, that they're real and not just some part of each other's imagination - it's this quiet moment but i think that makes it really powerful, and i love how you took the prompt into this quiet moment
your writing is gorgeous and i'm excited to read more of these and see where you take them ♥
what i really loved about this chapter is that it's as much a fluff piece about baela's home as it is about her and alyn.
like, all the descriptions really drive that point home, they're almost a love letter to dragonstone and i feel like that makes us feel more connected to baela – after everything that she's been through, she's home now, where she feels (mostly since #trauma) safe and she's letting herself enjoy the scents and sights that mean home to her and that's just beautiful.
and with alyn i love that he said no when she asked about going over to the greens, despite all the threats against her and how many times aegon wanted to behead her…with her ferocity, loyalty and convictions i'm kinda thinking that she wouldn't want that for alyn and if he'd done that or he told her that he would have, he would’ve fallen in baela's eyes – i don't know whether you were going for this but to me that's,,,,just fucking beautiful.
kris
Author's Response:so i'm awful at responding to reviews but one hiiii you are the best and like bang on with the vibes because 100% she'd never have forgiven him if he had gone over. and weirdly hearing that he'd never have shifted in his loyalty is her testing him, despite it being her life he'd have saved. if he'd said he would have gone over or lied to her it would have been end of because she's like that
also so much of this is going to be a love letter to dragonstone becuase nothing screams fluff like volcanic rock and dark twisting towers ......
d x
heyy friend, i'm here for our swappy swap :D
i love how this is like full on angst but a bit of fluff sprinkled in at the end because it's very much you and it's very much what i like so you've got me like spot on in taste, obviously and of course because how could you not :P
your descriptive language is amazing and i love it very much, all of the images you create with words in this first chapter are at the same time mesmerising and terrifying and beautiful -- like, realistically i know they're a product of war and trauma and ptsd, but at the same time i can't help but appreciate them because of how gorgeously you manage to paint this entire atmosphere, it almost feels like i can touch it, yk? idk if that makes sense, i've got a couple of glasses of wine in me but hopefully it does? basically i'm just majorly fangirling over here over your descrptions :OOO
also baela on her own is such an intriguing character, i think it's super cool that you decided to take her on and write her "after-canon" story in a way, and alyn being there when she's finally home and sortof just standing there in the harbour looking at ships and basically just making sure she's not totally imagining it all in her head in some dark cell is just a++++ beautiful. i love how when she sees him she has this immediate reaciton of feeling she's in danger because sshe doesn't realise at first who's speaking but then there are absolutely no words needed between the two of them, they're just there for each other and it's gorgeously fluffy in an angsty way which checks out and is great.
i loveee this
kris
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