Mal's thought dump

She is so specifically tuned to find and know and understand death, who the restful dead are and who the restless are, and she wanted to be a zoologist which is just a blanket study of life right beneath the bigger umbrella that is biology. And yet, because she is squarely in the middle of that as an undead being, she can’t apply a goddamn thing from either knowledge set. So instead she quite literally jams them together going, I know death and life and animals. Clearly, I am half-bat.

Except she died and came back. Her heart’s not beating and she cannot accept that, won’t even entertain the idea because if she came back wrong where does that leave her? Especially if she came back feeling the exact same way she always did, loving animals and being biased towards herpetology. Even the name Bat Child is fucked. She’s not a bat or a child. She’s forty years old and stuck in her twenty year old college student body! But she can’t be taken seriously as an adult because she got turned just shy of looking like she has any life experience. So… she gets treated like a child, and she’s less than human, and that makes her Bat Child.

Fucking chef’s kiss, no notes.

Tanselle- Incredible DM. Her storytelling ability is unmatched. So engaging you forget your playing and you want to know what happens next. Does silly voices for each character and doesn't forget any of them. When playing she never breaks character.

Lyonel- best DM ever. Makes the game challenging but fun. Knows every character and works with other players to get satisfying story arcs. As a player... plays as a bard trying to fuck every enemy. EXCEPT the dragon. He will always try to kill the dragon as quickly as possible.

Egg- he's a little kid. All little kids are great at playing make believe, which is dnd without math. He would be so creative in his character’s story and would have fun ways of fighting monsters. Will grow to become a great DM. He plays as a paladin most of the time, but has been getting into being a wizard lately.

Rowan- Would fool around so much. Explores every single little nook and talks to every npc. The player that the DM loves because she stumps them by remembering every ability she has. Studies the guide like no one's business. Plays as a rogue.

Raymun- Started playing because of Rowan. Gets really into it, especially if the campaign has political undertones to it. Gives shockingly good speeches to rally the other players. Also plays as a bard but also as a cleric.

Dunk- He's a little confused but he's got the spirit. Needs help calculating his point totals. Keeps his characters simple as to remember their story. Will always try to save the day. Does NOT loot dead characters. Plays as a paladin every time. Wanted to play was a barbarian once, but started feeling self conscious about himself. His characters are very much just him.

Daeron- Could be great at DnD. Always asks everyone to start a group for it, but when the time comes around to start playing he flakes out. Is forever the absent player. If he does show up it is an hour into the game. CONSTANTLY rolls nat 1's. Believes his dice are cursed. Prefers less intense sessions. Likes one off games. Plays as a bard to spam viscious mockery. Once played as a sorcerer and was really good at it, but felt weird the whole time.

Baelor- Will not actively play DnD, he's too busy, but he does enjoy it when invited. He enjoys the strategy involved in the game and as great during battles. He studies the rule book and DM's either love it or hate it. Cannot for the life of him roleplay. He sucks at pretending to be a silly character. Plays as a ranger or fighter.

Aerion- DnD is for losers and he is not a loser. Aerion does what cool people do and larps as a dragonborn. He has a full costume and everything. Has been banned from some larping sites as being too violent against other players. Gets VERY into his character and story.

Valarr- Doesn't play. Does not want to look silly playing it. The mechanics confuse him mainly with spell slots. Doesn't understand why anyone would play it.

However a scenario where Dunk dies instead of Baelor is like the worst of them all. Especially if he lives long enough to win and swear himself to Baelor and then dies in Baelors arms.

Like yes he is some no name Hedge Knight and his death absolutely shouldn’t matter but because it’s Dunk the ripple effects are insane.

Egg is never forgiving his family or himself. This is Aerions fault, Aerion has killed his brother/father for doing the right thing and there is no world where that vengeance and hate doesn’t ruin Egg. There is no quiet moment with Maekar as he drops the knife there’s only a grieving child screaming at his father to let go of him so he can rid the world of a monster wearing human skin. He’s never forgiving his father either for helping to get Ser Duncan killed and there is just nothing Maekar can do to bridge that gap with his son. There is rot in his house and now there is no kind Hedge Knight to guide Egg on his future path. I can easily imagine Egg running away to be a Hedge Knight in this scenario as he tries to carry on Ser Duncan’s legacy as best he can.

Baelor is alive but has to live with the knowledge that his family killed the last honourable knight in Westeros. In the same way Baelor haunts Dunks narrative Dunk is forever haunting Baelor. Every time he has to make a ‘dishonourable’ choice as King or is considering a knight before him he can feel Ser Duncan’s gaze in the back of his neck. Cannot look at Aerion ever again. Idk just Baelor judging every knight he meets against the imaginary Ser Duncan the Tall he has on a pedestal in his mind and they (and he) just never living up to those standards. Will not shut the fuck up about the good knight he knew for less than 48 hours. The good man who was for a moment his man.

Targaryen PR? On the floor. The Targaryens don’t care for justice or honour, didn’t you hear about how they killed Ser Duncan the Tall? The man larger and stronger than an elm tree who saved those maidens from the wicked Prince Aerion Brightflame? Yes Breakspear fought for him but we all know he did it so that he could just appear like he cared about justice. It was a rotten thing they did to him and he was right in his reply. Sing the one about the brave knight and the wicked red dragon again won’t you bard? It always goes over well.

Lyonel Baratheon now has a legitimate grievance against the Targaryens 30 years early. Genuinely acting like he’s Ser Duncan’s widow the way he’s grieving and railing against the royal family. They killed his Knight! Somehow gets Dunks shield and has it hanging up in the throne room of Storms End and pointedly brings it with him whenever he gets dragged to court. Baelor sees the shield once and it genuinely nearly kills him. The rest of the time Lyonels there they basically have a grieving widow off (Dunks been dead for a good decade).

Raymun Fosserway (Dunks actual widow) is beyond justified in his hatred of the Targaryens, always said there was something wrong with that family and he was damned right! Green Apple Fosserways grow up knowing that the royals can’t be trusted.

Ser Duncan the Tall and Egg over the years. Aegon's telling Dunk about some cool dreams he's been having in the second pic

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