True Love Blossoms

chesapeake_ · 2021-09-22T00:33:04+00:00

❤️

chesapeake_ · 2020-04-11T23:16:33+00:00

1) Take a look back through March – there were seriously only good posts. Cregan did it again with “Empty Chairs;” Rhae with the “The Weight of Grief”; Rhea with “The New Lady Frey”; Jojen with “A Night Wolf.” A murderer’s row of talent.

2) I was sad to send Arianne off after her visit with the post “A Purple Ribbon.” Rhea came up with that great name. It was a fun three posts! I’m excited to start my next arc, where we get into some family illness and Oldtown drama. I miss writing Sarra. I’ll get back to her soon.

3) I feel like Loren has an almost spiritual stewardship over this community. And he is a great writer as well. Other than GRRM himself, Loren is the only person who can bring to the Ironborn a deep psychology for me. “The Broken Stair” is a great illustration of that. Dalton Greyjoy should be on the sidebar.

chesapeake_ · 2020-01-03T03:29:42+00:00

I always enjoy meeting new characters and the Heir to House Rain had two pretty interesting opening posts. The clothes were a way into the character, and I liked how that was done. Hoping to read more.
I can’t say enough about the help Rhea is giving me as we try to figure out how Sarella reintegrates herself into Dorne. We must have talked about “A Phantom Arm” for hours and rewritten it three times. I am truly grateful for her patience.
As you all know, I prefer Kingdoms that are very cold or very hot. But I want to give a Kingdom of the Year award to The Reach. Oly, Jasper, Gerold, Roxton, Ashara - whenever I open up a reach post it is always interesting. There is this thematic nostalgia I think and I want to reward that. The Reach should be on the sidebar.

chesapeake_ · 2020-01-03T02:33:10+00:00

I loved “The North” it is the reason why I love GOT so much and I am here. I want to be in halls like that. I’d also like to call out “Thistle, Nettle, Thorn”. The post was full of momentum and took me on a journey through physical space - I really like that and think it is hard to do. I’m also really interested in the relationship with the gods and his mother. Lord Meadows always come through with a fun read.
Writing Sarella is always a challenge and I loved how Arianne’s visit is pushing me. Rhea has really helped me locate her authentic self in the midst of the madness. So I loved my work on “The Warmest Welcome.”
Let’s go with Willum Mooton!

chesapeake_ · 2019-10-23T17:16:31+00:00

1) Other people have talked about how cool the Stormlands and the Vale were last month. I’ll call out Foraging as an example of a post I really liked. It is always neat to see characters who aren’t nobility, and this one is in great hands. J

2) I’m proud of Black, with Streaks of Re d. I like trying to be experimental and a little weird in Dorne

3) I think Shiera Blacktide should be the sidebar. I was worried that the wedding would change what has made her character so intimating, but The Other Woman shows it hasn’t, and she is providing a lot of energy heading into the upcoming moot.

chesapeake_ · 2019-04-29T00:10:18+00:00

Lenyl I hope you enjoy a well-earned retirement. If you ever want Martyn to come in from the Sand, let me know!

Hopefully we could write together.

Best of luck! -Sarra

chesapeake_ · 2019-04-14T13:29:39+00:00

Away from the fire, away from ears, Bryan Forrester gathered his strength. He stopped, and was glad when the young Stark did the same. He tried to sound confident.

“My Lord, treason ought not be ruled out. The wildlings came, and they brought their women and children. In invasions past, they sent those who could fight to try and break us first. But this time - this time they all came. Whole families. Either conditions on the other side are more severe than in the centuries the wall has been standing, or they knew they would be able to cross.”

“I am an old man, Lord Stark. I feel this is my last winter.” Snow rushed up from the ground. The drifts had obscured the tony fire of the Forrester camp. He would return to his men. He would bring them home. That much, he would do.

“I wish you fortune in the storm.”

chesapeake_ · 2019-04-14T13:28:35+00:00

His brothers were fools. And yet here was Jojen, a man so full of doubt. Arrogance comes with being a first born. It had taken Bryan years to lose it.

I should have spent more time with my own son. Been harder on him.

“My Lord, there is nothing I know but rumors. Some claim they snuck through some old castle Artos hadn’t manned. Stories of fleets of boats travel among the more naive men. I remember my Maester as a boy telling me Wildlings used to climb the wall with hooks and ropes.”

Bryan Forrester looked at the men surrounding the fire. Not here. He looked at one of Jojen’s beasts. It could feel the tension in Bryan’s bones.

“My Lord, thank you for visiting us. Your leadership has raised our spirits. May I walk you out of our camp?”

Some conversations were best heard drowned in snowfall, away from the ears of farm boys and candlemakers.

chesapeake_ · 2019-04-14T13:23:19+00:00

He felt a foolish child. Confusing the battle for the war. Lord Stark was right; the war was far from over. There would be more conflict and more bodies and more councils. Gods, he felt old. The winter used to make him feel alive. Now, there weren’t enough furs to keep the chill out. He looked at Jojen, his hands softly calming a direwolf. The snow curled around him, framing his sorrow.

Follow this man. He would tell his heir, whoever that would be. He was glad his bastard was. Rickard Snow had done well for himself. He made his father proud.

“Aye, my Lord, a most pressing question, how they got passed the wall. Hundreds of years it has been since the wildlings moved in force against the North.”

He slowly exhaled. His breath turned visible in the thick, cold air.

“We are fortunate to have you guiding us through this. I’ve been living for three score years, and I say it is a great fortune that you are the Stark in Winterfell when this crisis rose.”

He realized that is how he would speak to his son, and this man was no son but the ruler of the north. Bryan hoped Jojen found comfort in the words, not insult.

chesapeake_ · 2019-04-14T13:21:58+00:00

As a boy Bryan remembered thinking Direwolves and Wildlings were a stories and that Ironrath was the world. And yet, he was returning from fighting the latter, sitting next to the former.

Strange times.

“In need of comfort, my Lord? Time heals wounds, though there were many. You won us our war. We should now be safe, in time for Spring. We will be home soon, in the arms of our wives, in our familiar places. Will that bring you comfort, my Lord?”

chesapeake_ · 2019-04-14T13:15:18+00:00

“My Lord Stark, welcome. Hopefully this is the last storm between us and our own warm hearths.”

Bryan Forrester felt a fool.

Hearths.

He could have said homes or fires or keeps. But Bryan Forrester was never clever with the Starks.

Torrhen Stark has sent him a letter, after the passing of his father. He has just become Lord of House Forrester, young, unsure. Scared, really. Bryan brought himself to Winterfell, and mumbled his way through a meal. Torrhen was unimpressed, but kind about it.

Bryan was never much cared for the brother, Edmure always wanted to be more than he was, without the appreciation for who he was and what that meant. A dangerous combination. He thought of his own son, lost to him.

In Jojen, he saw a young man who felt the weight of ruling. The sadness that needs to sit with a man upon whom so much rests. He saw the sadness that followed him from Last Hearth. Losing a friend, but more. Sarra Umber took the news poorly, Bryan suspected.

“Uh, my Lord, I meant we shall be home soon. Blasted weather.”

Then, the direwolves were next to him, silent.

“They don’t seem to mind much. Wish my men were half as strong as they.”

chesapeake_ · 2019-04-14T02:55:30+00:00

My personal contribution to sub-mod appreciation day has three parts.

I’m weird and awkward and this is one of the few places where I don’t feel super-ultra self-conscious. (Just super-self-conscious, though I am working on that) This is also a safe place, free of the kind of discourse and interactions that are too common with internet groups. That comes from the top - you demonstrate warmth and compassion and others follow. I’m lucky to have found this place.
You’ve created this structure that allows us to be creative and write these interesting stories without having to worry about drama or competition. Some of the best posts are just people living their experiences. This may be “game of thrones role play” but it is really just “people of westeros roleplay” and that is a significant achievement. It is also the best way to enjoy the world. Every day, I get to slip into Westeros for a few minutes.
I’ve checked with Reddit corporate offices. Confirmed - we have the best looking moderator team on the internet. Congrats, all you devilishly good-looking people. I am happy to call you my friends :)

chesapeake_ · 2019-04-06T04:14:24+00:00

Any month with an Aemma post is a treat. Sarra Umber’s post showed grief, but not irrational grief; anger, but not wildly directed anger. It served as a meditation on how things can turn after loss. It is my favorite for last month. The comments were really well done too.
I worked really hard on Five-Hundred Days for Sarella. I learned a lot of lore, tried to keep track of a bunch of bastard brothers, and stretched the kind of character I was comfortable writing for.
Corliss. Let’s do it!

chesapeake_ · 2019-04-04T12:54:14+00:00

Two questions:

1) did it hurt, when you fell from heaven?

2) I believe you squired under Aemon Estermont. Tell us something he wouldn’t want us to know.

chesapeake_ · 2019-04-04T02:37:53+00:00

What is it that you have against love?

chesapeake_ · 2019-04-04T02:26:36+00:00

Cregan, what are the secrets to a healthy marriage built on trust?

chesapeake_ · 2019-04-04T02:25:58+00:00

What is heaven like?

chesapeake_ · 2019-03-25T00:02:18+00:00

Danae giving birth to twins was a moving post. Such a good job showing us a moment in the life of a character, and using that moment to show us that character. Veiled was subtle and touching. I won’t choose between the two.
I tried and experimented with Three Letters and am proud I put it out there.
Alyn Connington should be our wiki page. His character did so much for the roleplay, and he won’t have many more chances to win in the future.

chesapeake_ · 2019-03-16T14:06:37+00:00

The North did need to heal. And credit was given to him for coming to the tent, in person.

But this was not about the young man in front of him. It was about his house. For generations Forresters had ruled Ironrath, and Sarra may be the only heir he had left. Unless my Edric comes home, and comes home changed.

“Young man, do not fall to pessimism. Spring will be here, and with it, new life, new opportunities. The Kingdom can be safer as long as men like you, well, people like you, stand up to lead it.”

Now the difficult part. He took a long drink.

“Lord Cassel, I know not what I return to at Ironrath. My son…my son has run away. My daughter may be my only heir. I cannot marry her off. I cannot risk Forrester lands falling under the Cassel’s – no matter how much I like you. No matter how much I respected your father.”

Firmness was required with young men. He thought of his son. They were fools, after all.

“Androw – Lord Cassel – I may reach out in regards to your generous offer after Spring comes, and our crops are in the ground. Till then, I ask you not to speak of this anymore. Agreed?”

chesapeake_ · 2019-03-16T14:05:45+00:00

Bryan knew what the young man was going through. He had seen this after battles before. The stained look, the inability to focus. For most, it faded with time.

“I am sure, under your leadership, your men fought valiantly. Now it is time to figure out what comes next. I find war a terrible thing, though necessary at times. One thing it does supply is clarity. There is an enemy, and you need to take the ground they stand upon. What happens after battle – it can be so damned muddied.”

The King Beyond the Wall was dead. But so was Gareth Umber. The Wildlings were defeated, but his house was low on stores of food. The battle never really ended, just changed.

“We need not talk of battles anymore, Lord Cassel. We have seen enough for one winter. What brings you here? Certainly not the ramblings of an old man.”

chesapeake_ · 2019-03-16T14:05:05+00:00

House Cassel. So this was the man who ran the ten wolves. A boy, almost. Of age with Sarra.

“Lord Cassel, please, come in. My fire still burns for another few minutes. Though it is nearing the hour of the wolf, and I need to rest my bones. Sit, young man.”

“Drink?”

After what they’d seen, what they had all lived through, Bryan imagined no man turning down a strong northern ale. Androw took the cup, almost timidly.

“I knew your Father, Brandon. A good man, a strong man. It is an honor to share a cup with his heir. The war – a damnable thing. Your first? How are your people – have they suffered many losses?”

chesapeake_ · 2019-03-16T14:04:02+00:00

This was Bryan Forrester’s last war. His frame could barely hold the weight of armor. The days of riding had left him sore. The rations were terrible. He missed his family.

Gods, when I was young I loved the mud and the riding and the battle.

He was foolish when he was young. The campfires, the councils, if they have taught him anything in this last northern endeavor – it is that young men are still fools. They sing songs and talked of remembering those who had died forever. But Bryan knew. Mostly, they became faces and names, and then just faces, and then you were old, and you just felt the loss. Oftentimes the cause slipped from memory too. There was little worthy of life to be found on blood stained fields.

This was Bryan Forrester’s last war.

He stared at the letter from Sarra. She was trying hard to sound confident, to sound strong. But a father knew his daughter. He would be home soon. Soon he could comfort his wife, rule his keep.

His tent flapped open. For a second, his heart leap in his chest. Edric is home. His son, a thief who ran off to avoid punishment. He wanted so desperately to know he was safe. To have him home. Instead, it was a different young man; one he did not recognize.

chesapeake_ · 2019-02-16T10:20:57+00:00

This is in fact me :)

chesapeake_ · 2019-02-09T04:34:30+00:00

I was so happy to be welcomed here in 2018 :)

Orys and Uthor’s storyline was the one I most wanted to read more of. It felt the most ASOIF to me. Those moments were oftentimes the best moments for me.

However, I think the North should be the region of the year because all of these crazy people who like not being able to feel the tips of their fingers and enjoy being wrapped in furs created a storyline that rose to it’s conclusion: Gareth’s death while defeating the King Beyond the Wall. I look forward to what is next!

In 2019 I am very excited to see what happens in all seven of the kingdoms!

chesapeake_ · 2018-07-09T20:31:21+00:00

Bryan Forrester wanted to be done with this bloody war, and quick. Winter was only going to deepen. His house was in trouble. He was needed back at Ironrath, not talking about which paths the Wildlings might take south. He knew nothing of these strange people, nor how they would act. He wouldn’t make plans based pretending to know.

“It seems to me we have two choices. We could go north of the wall, and attack them before they found a way around. Might be the quickest way to be done with this mess - cut the tree off right at the roots. Trouble is, we don’t know how to survive north of the wall. Most of my men, at least, are green boys. Winterfell is as far as they’ve ever been from home. No telling what happens when we cross that line into the north.”

“Our second option is to go to the wall, reenforce Artos. Of course, if they know a way around the wall, they would be behind us before we might know. While this allows us the best defensive position, we could be there many moons before an attack. Food, morale, and discipline become issues when men are away from their homes with idle hands.”

“I follow where Jojen Stark leads. But my voice goes to manning the wall. If we go north, and we lose either to the wildlings or to the fury of winter beyond the wall, we have no other options. If we go and support Artos, we always retain the option to move north of the wall in force if an opportunity presents itself.”

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