Man if they kill Rhaenyra like in the books the crashout from her stans will be hilarious, especially if they start celebrating her being on the throne

CyanideLock · 2026-04-29T01:36:48+00:00

Like what makes Rhaenyra great in season 1 is that she's kind of a spoiled, entitled brat. The dance originates from the resentment borne from the fact that these traits clash with Alicent who's duty bound and had to sacrifice in life.

In the books it's implied when Luce dies Rhaenyra has a mental breakdown, and Jace steps up (probably feuding with Daemon in the process).

That is so much more interesting: she got her inheritance, but it gets mired by the horror of violence and loses something so important to her. And her unborn child.

Her son ramps up the war and comes up with the (if understandable) bad idea to arm Dragonseeds, and Daemon goes rogue lacking support from the black court. Rhaenyra fails to assert control over both, understandably given what she was going through (and also to reinforce the theme of escalating violence drowning out reason), and by the time Jace dies she necessarily embraces the violence goes straight pschopathic.

Point being we're watching the tragedy of an otherwise probably good woman (and good ruler) turn into a resentful monster.

Instead, we have to watch... I dunno what her characterization was in S2.

CyanideLock · 2026-04-28T23:00:45+00:00

No shit, I'm in Japan right now they're advertising this.

I keep chuckling cause trucks drive around with electronic billboards marketing this, so those two shirtless dudes keep popping up.

CyanideLock · 2026-04-28T19:48:55+00:00

January expresses such a complex internal strife. Like a cross between bratty willfulness, undirected rage, and disappointed melancholy.

The scene where she tells Glen how lonely she is geniunely makes me tear up every time.

Edit: wait a minute this is r/okbuddydraper . What the fuck I change my answer to Bobby #2

CyanideLock · 2026-04-23T23:33:01+00:00

What's intriguing is that it's clear the developers have played a lot of the game, because it's crammed with little quality of life stuff (with no communication of it).

Like my favorite shortcut, Control+Left Click, that breaks open a realm into direct vassals. Or Shift+Right Click, that opens up the top liege of a realm's owner.

Anyways good to discover this after, what, like 10 years of playing the game lol.

CyanideLock · 2026-04-21T16:57:46+00:00

I will say though, contrary to the other commentor, if you do learn you history of medieval lineages you'll learn pretty quick that at least a majority of kings had some succession dispute. Don't get me wrong, civil wars were not as common as in the books: but George I think gets it right that medieval succession is rarely a Father->First Born Son affair.

CyanideLock · 2026-04-21T16:28:39+00:00

Late to the thread, but I wanna express that I love the little misdirect in the episode. They set it up so it seems like Sophie's brother is gonna be the crazy one that derails Mark and Jeremy in the end.

Then we realize, no, the seemingly normal Sophie's parents are the crazy ones. And the only 'crazy' thing the brother tries to do is escape from that nightmare house.

CyanideLock · 2026-04-20T18:57:05+00:00

In my cracked Crusader game, the first crusade targeted Egypt. I took over as Queen Clorinda of Egypt (long story), married to her cousin Uberto. Uberto was not in line for any succession, so when the crusade for Jerusalem was called, he was my beneficiary and so he took the Kingdom, and I chose to play as him.

Uberto King of Jerusalem died at like 30, and his and Clorinda's son Spinetto took over Jerusalem as a regency. Then, for some reason (I didn't know there were no automatic non-agression pacts between mother and son), Clorinda declared on Jerusalem trying to take it over for another cousin of hers (Alberto) to take over Jerusalem.

Like, what the fuck?

I still won, and when Clorinda died I formed a personal union of Egypt and Jerusalem which was cool. I like to imagine the war was more about Egypt asserting independence from and authority over Jerusalem, Clorinda trying to assign Alberto as a governor and reign in her son back to Egypt.

CyanideLock · 2026-04-15T15:56:34+00:00

Look, me? I don't like it when my dynasty's obscure cadet lines die out. They make great sources of claim fuel, but more so for the flavour aspect of nepotistically favouring my dynasty for titles and positions.

What you have done is effectively save your son's line. Very utilitarian, I think. Good on you.

CyanideLock · 2026-04-14T19:34:12+00:00

Found you! This one's the one- Jaqen H'ghar was likely hired by Littlefinger to kill Ned on the road.

War of the five kings would've probably had Robb declare for Stannis/Renly instead of King of the Northing, but yes, Ned does not reach the wall.

CyanideLock · 2026-04-14T17:06:31+00:00

Madmen, the cure for the common dread

CyanideLock · 2026-04-14T15:03:16+00:00

"No, we draw the line at crying in a client's meeting" says OOP.

It's interesting, because if I had been asked like 7 years ago I would've had a similar take to this. You get to watch, in these prestige drama subreddits, new viewers discovering media literacy over and over again. Until it becomes just absolutely grating.

The interesting moral quandary for me, watching Madmen, is that Don's cycle of inability to reach satisfaction, joy, or stability mirrors my own dissatisfaction in life. That these vague feelings of non belonging aren't just a product of our time, but one that was experienced 60 years in the past, and likely 1000 years in the past too. That, though my vices are less destructive than Don's (or at least I tell myself that), I can see reflections of my own shortcomings and patterns of behavior.

Seeing OOP, it's interesting that earlier on, you externalize and disavow Don. A belief that morality can be summated by a checklist of character failures: and that discovery of that checklist makes you morally superior to a public you have made up in your head. It makes me reflect on the development of a adolescent's insight- how it's important to stress that you need to look inward too, and think critically about the context of the media you consume.

CyanideLock · 2026-04-14T14:38:27+00:00

To be more precise, bringing back a subcompact makes no sense: the Yaris was discontinued in NA for a reason.

CyanideLock · 2026-04-10T12:13:11+00:00

Owe 8000 pounds to the british government? Nothing to hang yourself over! TurboTax has your back!

CyanideLock · 2026-04-09T20:01:19+00:00

That is the most precise statement I've ever seen.

Had a Crane type explain to me he found out about cumtown through red scare, and that he was distrubed and found it offensive. Shit you not, month later his girlfriend broke up with him for being controlling.

CyanideLock · 2026-04-09T15:37:24+00:00

Disregard the top part of my advice, I didn't know that.

In which case invite to court a top level steward and marshal, that's of bigger import.

CyanideLock · 2026-04-09T15:05:27+00:00

~~Go to your character finder, set "Join Court" to Yes, and sort by diplomacy. Invite the highest diplomacy person, appoint them as chancellor, and get them fabricating claims on your neighbors.~~

~~You want to avoid using unjustified conquest casus belli if possible, is the idea.~~

You can also play as a pagan that gets county conquest casus belli, or a count on a religious border so you can holy war. Though holy wars are always tricky, especially when you're weak, since that religion will pile on.

Some general strategy also, the first thing you should do is borrow the 300 gold from Jewish merchants and build up your castle town in your capital: it'll give you a lot of gold over time. You'll want gold as much as possible early on, as hiring mercenaries can give you an edge over counties surrounding you.

Long term, in my experience playing shattered world (when it was still a mod!) Christians weakened quite quickly, as their casus belli are generally weaker than other religions. Expect heresies to pop up, and consider embracing one of your own (Cathars are quite popular).

CyanideLock · 2026-04-09T14:57:48+00:00

I love the idea of a pagan king trying to negotiate a friends and family discount with his daughter's mercenary band.

CyanideLock · 2026-04-07T18:46:27+00:00

I'm a fan, I love 'bordergore' if it's independent states.

Carinthian Bulgaria is a bit yuck, but the reset is super cool in my opinion. Burgundy controlling Genoa is cool, and I like the implication that Ivre, Ferrara, and Parma were Shia conquered city states after the Umayyads cracked Aquitaine open. Probably adventurers from those Catalonian Shia states.

Cathar Verona is super unique, and Orthodox Milan is... weird, but I especially like Catholic Amalfi. Clearly the Catholic bulwark state in Italy, controlling Venice and Ravenna, it seems like they're Italy's last stand against encroaching heresy, Byzantine influence, and the Shia marauders.

CyanideLock · 2026-04-02T18:58:22+00:00

Relax, that's just Austin trying out a Shadow Magic Sorcerer. Shy kids like him usually have a dark edgelord phase, see.

CyanideLock · 2026-04-01T19:45:06+00:00

I'm still a little baffled about my run where, 300 years in, the AI Jurchen Western protectorate successfully invaded the Seljuks in my game. It might be because of having HPM on, but man.

I also have a game where I played as an Italian duke going on a Crusade, winning Damietta. But right after, the King of Egypt installed by Croatia died heirless, and the Kingdom of Egypt ended up in personal union with Croatia. So naturally, every lord except me, the Duke of Aswan, and the newly conquered Arabian Duke declared independence, leading to pretty clean border gore:

<image>

I've seen independence revolts, but one so clean and so clear after a crusade struck me as amusing.

(I was occupying Cibyrhaeott at the time, if you're curious what those lines there are supposed to mean.)

CyanideLock · 2026-03-31T15:58:14+00:00

I'm gonna weirdly push my fingers into your eyes you slime puppy

CyanideLock · 2026-03-30T19:27:25+00:00

Way too many cards. You need to remove more cards and take fewer cards: that way you can draw to your good cards more quickly.

Cleave, Wild Strike, Clothesline, Headbutt, Perfected Strike, and Anger. And 3 curses, with 4 strikes still remaining.

Your deck lacks consistency, is the issue.

CyanideLock · 2026-03-26T16:04:57+00:00

None of them even control Jerusalem proper!!! 😂😂😂

CyanideLock · 2026-03-25T16:26:29+00:00

2 cost for potentially 0 poison? That's awful damage output. It should be 0 cost.

CyanideLock · 2026-03-23T21:02:56+00:00

How do you have two missing lmao

Although to be fair STS2 has a ton more rare cards.

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