HONEYCOMB AND APPLE PIE

I underwent a new culinary adventure tonight to gather inspiration for the food of my fantasy world. I got to taste organic honeycomb and strawberry pie, both of which I never tried before. In the early to middle medieval times, the only sweet substance available in most European kingdoms was honey and villages had their own beekeepers. Other forms of sugar would not be available or become an everyday taste until the sixteenth century. In Tudor times, there were custard tarts topped with pomegranite seeds. I could not find that dish anywhere so I had to make do with a strawberry pie. The honeycomb was so sweet it tickled my tongue in a pleasant way though I had to spit out the beeswax once I drained it of honey because I received conflicting advice of whether or not the beeswax was edible. The strawberry pie was coated in a sweet and fruity sauce, the strawberries themselves were plump and juicy, and the crust was crunchy with a slightly buttery aftertaste. Overall, I think these descriptions will come in handy in future works.

MOVIE NIGHT WITH THE BOO BEARS

It is movie night and I am about to watch Gremlins 2 with my own Gremlins, the Boo Bears!

A FANTASY ARMS RACE

Arms races have always served a significant role in the formation of governments and escalation of wars. In medieval times, there was an arms race between arrows and armor in which armor technology continually advanced to counter arrows. When nuclear weapons were first created, there was an arms race between the United States and Soviet Union that lasted for decades and almost created World War III. I am thinking of featuring an arms race in my second fantasy book. Before the events of Numen the Slayer, dragon warfare did not exist, which made them the ultimate weapon of mass destruction in Gradaia. Therefore, this arms race will involve ways to counter dragons. It will be an arms race between dragons, blood magic, human engineering, and dark alchemy. I already have ideas in mind of what this arms race will produce and it is going to be an epic clash between man, beast, and sorcery.

NEW CYBORG CHARACTER

While I do have experience when it comes to writing about a cyborg character, I am thinking of creating a new one that will be based on a sense of realism and believable level. Due to the physical frailties and limitations of the human body, the number of cybernetic components a person can realistically acquire are limited. This can be overcome by augmenting the organic components with nanomachines, which will allow more extreme cybernetic enhancements. With prosthetic arms, a proper cyborg could lift about three tons or five when combined with nanomachine enhancements. In addition, these arms would have enough gripping strength to crush every bone in a person’s hand. With prosthetic legs, a proper cyborg could run about fifty miles per hour and jump fifteen feet in the air. If you apply implants in the eyes and ears or replace them completely, you can augment the cyborg’s senses such as being able to hear sounds at varying volumes and distances or see in night vision, infared, and so on. I also did research and discovered that the only internal organs in the torso that can be replaced with transplants include the heart, lungs, liver, intestines, kidneys, pancreas, and thymus. If you can replace all of these organs with cybernetic implants, you can greatly boost the cyborg’s stamina, vitality, and longevity. With the brain, with carefully applied implants, you can boost the cyborg’s intellect and overall mental processing. In general, I am looking forward to tinkering with this character idea when I start working on my superhuman series.

STRANGE MEDIEVAL USES

I discovered in my medieval research that there was a surprising ingredient in several everyday items and tasks: URINE! When dying fabrics different colors, tailors would use stale urine from a man. In fact, throughout the 1300s London had buckets in street corners where men would “donate” their urine so that it would collected by dye workers. The reason the use urine to dye fabric is because the ammonia in the urine would make the dye change color. They also used urine while making soaps because the ammonia in the urine acts like a natural bleach. In Tudor kitchens, cooks would use child’s urine to change the color of gelatine molds. It may sound disgusting at first, but this was the norm of Tudor cooking because they valued the presentation and appearance of food rather than the taste and texture. Even if the food did not taste good, it had to look good as though it were part of an art gallery.

VAMPIRE CHARACTER

For my new superhuman series, I am thinking of including a vampiric character. However, he will be nothing like the vampires in Twilight, Underworld, Blade, or any of the vampires you would find in classic stories. In fact, he will not be a true vampire at all, just a mutated imitation of one with vampire-like mannerisms and abilities. He cannot be killed with silver, garlic, crosses, or stakes through the heart. He will be completely vulnerable to sunlight, but it won’t kill him even though it will hurt REAL bad. I am even going to put his powers on a more believable level in that he won’t have any magic powers like shapeshifting and mind control. He will be superhumanly strong enough to lift two to three tons and break rock with his bare hands. He will be fast and agile enough to run at over forty miles an hour, jump over ten feet in the air, and climb walls like Spider-Man. Like Wolverine, he can regenerate, which prevents him from aging and allows him to heal any injury or disease, even being shot in the head. His senses would be heightened to the point in which he can see in the dark, hear the faintest sound, and smell a drop of blood from a mile away. His bite strength would also be impressive and rival that of an alligator, which is 3,700 pounds per square inch. Apart from sunlight, the only drawback of having his condition is his uncontrollable thirst for blood. Because of his predatory nature, he will literally have no choice but to kill to get blood because his vampiric body will not let him starve no matter what. He cannot process solid food or ordinary liquids so there is no other substitute for blood for him to live on. If he does not feed every four or five days, he will enter a berserker rage and indiscriminately and mindlessly kill and feed on everyone and everything that moves until his body has had its fill. This will serve as an inner struggle that will make him a flawed character trying to live in an already cruel world.

NEW SUPERHUMAN SERIES

In many of my previous posts, I mentioned the creation of a new superhero book series after The Young Guardians. I have tinkered with the idea for quite some time and I think I now have a firm idea of what the story should be about. It will take place in a dystopian future in which everything bad that is happening today reaches its fullest level (pollution, nuclear war, political corruption, terrorism, xenophobia, racism, corporate facism, etc.). I don’t think it would be fair to refer to the main characters as “heroes”. Instead, they will just be average citizens who are defying the status quo of their wretched world. This will be similar to the people who join protests against Trump, but on a more extreme level. I am planning to write this new project when I am done with the Magnus Dynasty Saga and it will be an even more complex story oozing with moral ambiguity. I will keep you updated on this new writing adventure!

IS THE IRON THRONE STILL RELEVANT?

When it was first created, the Iron Throne was intended to be a symbol that would unite the Seven Kingdoms under a single banner after thousands of years of infighting. For a time, the Iron Throne’s intended purpose was good for the realm, but it gradually turned into a symbol of tyranny, corruption, and treachery. Due to this, the power and absolute authority the Iron Throne promised started two of the largest, bloodiest, and most destructive civil wars Westeros has ever known: The Dance of the Dragons and the War of the Five Kings. The War of the Five Kings, in particular, had switched hands so many times and warped the line of succession so greatly that no one in their right mind would trust the Iron Throne’s credibility ever again. Also, with so many kingdoms kept under the the ruling monarch’s boot, many people will want to be free from the Iron Throne’s influence forever. However, as long as the Iron Throne exists, Westeros will never know freedom and peace. Therefore, it makes sense that the Iron Throne should be destroyed and for all kingdoms to become independent. That is the only way to permanently end the cycle of war, corruption, and treachery. If the plot leak I uncovered is true, then Daenerys Targaryen went through all that trouble only to destroy the very object she wanted her whole life. That is a bittersweet way for the story to end because Daenerys went through so much hardship just to destroy her ancestors’ legacy for all time. It is bitter because all the effort she put in to her quest will be in vain, but it will be sweet because she will have broken the wheel she had sworn to break. As the Breaker of Chains, she will break the biggest shackle of them all, a tyrant’s throne.

GAME OF THRONES: POST-SEASON 8 CROWNLANDS

As I mentioned in my last post, it has been revealed that Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, their unborn children, and remaining two dragons will survive in the end. In the plot leak I mentioned in my last post, Daenerys will give birth to twins, one who is a boy who inherited Jon Snow’s Stark features of black hair and grey eyes and a girl who inherited Daenerys’s Targaryen features of white hair and purple eyes. Due to this, I think all modern Targaryens will either have black hair and grey eyes or white hair and purple eyes, but they would always have the long face of the Starks. It is unknown if Daenerys and Jon will have more than two children, but if so then that would serve House Targaryen even better. Drogon and Rhaegal will probably start roosting on Dragonstone and lay a clutch of eggs, which would be available to future generations of Targaryens. Dragonstone is easily the best place to breed and house dragons in all of Westeros, even more so than the Dragonpit, and has been for three hundred years.

With the Seven Kingdoms independent and the Iron Throne destroyed, Jon and Daenerys  will likely rule the Crownlands and abandon King’s Landing, replacing it with Dragonstone as their seat. With no Iron Throne, King’s Landing would be reduced from the capital of an empire to the largest and wealthiest trade center in Westeros, which would serve as the bulk of the modern Targaryens’ wealth. Jon and Daenerys will probably give King’s Landing to their most loyal supporter in the Crownlands, whoever that is. The fertile farmlands of Crownlands would also serve as the kingdom’s main source of food alongside trade with both the rest of Westeros and the Free Cities of Essos. The Kingswood would remain the Targaryens’ private hunting ground. Tournaments and other festivities would be held right outside the gates of King’s Landing.

In terms of military, it has been stated in a semi-canon source that the full military strength of the Crownlands would be between ten to eighteen thousand strong while its navy was over two hundred ships. Once Westeros has stabilized, I can imagine that these numbers will remain the same after a few generations of healing. It may be small compared to the rest of the Seven Kingdoms, but its strength would be explosively augmented by dragons. If a rebellion breaks out, it can be swiftly ended with just a dragon or two. Dragonstone by itself can hold a garrison of around five hundred men, which is increased to around three thousand when combined with the other islands in Blackwater Bay.

With Houses Frey and Tully all but extinct and the Riverlands practically leaderless, I wonder if Jon and Daenerys would negotiate the annexation of the Riverlands to the modern Crownlands. This would more than double their military strength, increase their wealth, and boost production of food. The Riverlands had been fought over and conquered countless times since the Dawn Age, but Jon and Daenerys would be the first to peacefully gain the Riverlands through negotiation instead of war. In total, this modern Crownlands will grow into a kingdom that stretches from the western coast of the Riverlands to Dragonstone. It would be a kingdom that would be roughly the same size as the Reach and a third of the size of the North. It would be a worthy inheritance for Jon and Daenerys to pass onto their children and descendants.

As the actual head of House Targaryen, I can imagine Jon Snow bringing a Stark-like flare to Dragonstone. It is a nice thought if Dragonstone becomes as peaceful and lively as Winterfell was before the War of the Five Kings. While Daenerys would teach their children dragonriding and when to ruthless, Jon would teach them Stark honor such as “the man who passes the sentence must swing the sword.” Longclaw would replace Blackfyre and Dark Sister as the new Valyrian steel sword of House Targaryen and Jon would probably hang it above the mantle in the Chamber of the Painted Table. Also, I can see Jon salvaging a weirwood tree from the Winterfell godswood and planting it on a hill on Dragonstone, which would be where future generations of Targaryens would execute condemned criminals, have weddings, and worship the Old Gods of the Forest like the Starks before them.

In terms of politics, I can imagine Jon and Daenerys marrying their son and daughter to two of their Crownland vassals, Houses Velaryon and Celtigar. Like the Targaryens, the Velaryons and Celtigars are of Valyrian descent and they intermarried one another multiple times to keep their Valyrian blood pure. Marrying their son and daughter to each of these Houses would not only ensure the purity of the blood of the dragon, but it will allow them to reconnect with their old vassals and cousins. After this, the incestuous practices of House Targaryen will be brought to a permanent end. Over time, they would probably marry their descendants off to the other noble Houses across the Crownlands/Riverlands in order to consolidate their hold on the kingdom. In two or three generations, the Crownlands/Riverlands will be firmly in House Targaryens’ hands. Once their hold on the modern Crownlands is complete, future generations of Targaryens would improve foreign relations with the other sovereign kingdoms by marrying into other royal families. This would further guarantee the duration of the peace that untold thousands (or even millions) died for.

In the past, Targaryen kings were titled “King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm”. However, those titles were only relevant as long as the Iron Throne existed and the Seven Kingdoms were united under a single banner. With the Seven Kingdoms independent from one another, the modern Targaryens would adopt new titles to suit their new position. I can imagine them styling themselves as “Lords of Dragonstone and Kings of the Blackwater and the Trident”. The heir apparent to their throne would retain their title “Prince or Princess of Dragonstone”.

Overall, I think the Crownlands/Riverlands will be an adequate amount of land for Jon and Daenerys to manage after Season 8 and it should be safe in their hands.

GAME OF THRONES SEASON 8 ENDING (SPOILERS)

I finally know what will happen in Season 8 of Game of Thrones and how the series will end. I have been keeping tabs on a YouTube channel called Talking Thrones for years and he was right about everything about Season 7 before it was even aired. Because of this, I have no reason to doubt the revelations he presented.

George R. R. Martin did warn us that the story would have a bitter-sweet ending and now I finally understand what he meant. Let’s start with the bitter part of the ending. Ultimately, no one gets the Iron Throne in the end. The reason for this is because it was destroyed after Cersei was defeated. Daenerys Targaryen does ultimately win the Iron Throne, but she decides to destroy it because it is the wheel she wanted to break all along. Besides, even though she would have had the Iron Throne the price would have been too great because of the catastrophic loss of life both in the War of the Five Kings and the new Long Night. Therefore, Daenerys would no longer see the Iron Throne worth it. With the Iron Throne ceasing to exist, the Seven Kingdoms will also be disbanded. So, here is the overview of the bitter part of the ending: Seven Kingdoms ravaged, untold thousands slaughtered, and bloodlines severed. And for what? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!! Everyone who has died in the fight for the Iron Throne throughout the series has died in vain!

Due to this revelation, I think the Iron Throne is the One Ring of Game of Thrones. Both are objects of power that can corrupt whoever wields them and cause mass destruction. In addition, the only way Middle-Earth and Westeros can know peace is the destruction of both the One Ring and the Iron Throne.

More aspects of the bitter part of the ending will involve over two thirds of the remaining characters being wiped out while fighting both the White Walkers and Cersei. After fulfilling his purpose as the three-eyed raven, Bran Stark will lose all of his greensight powers and die. King’s Landing will be in ruins after the final battle against Cersei, but most of the wildfire will not go off. Winterfell and almost every castle in the North will be in ruins and the battlefield where the White Walkers are defeated will be littered with tens of thousands of corpses.

Now for the sweet part of the ending. Even though two thirds of the characters we have come to know and love will die, the survivors will have a happy ending as they rebuilt Westeros. Each kingdom will become independent and a new series of rules are put in place to prevent the rise of another tyrant like Cersei. Among the surviving characters will be Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Sansa Stark, Arya Stark, Gendry, Tyrion Lannister, Jaime Lannister, Brienne of Tarth, the Hound, Bronn, Samwell Tarly, Gilly, Little Sam, and Daenerys’s remaining two dragons Drogon and Rhaegal. When the Seven Kingdoms become independent, Sansa and Arya Stark will rule the North, Jaime and Tyrion Lannister will rule the Westerlands, Samwell Tarly and Gilly will rule Hornhill and possibly the entire Reach, Gendry will be legitimized as a Baratheon and rule the Stormlands, and Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen will rule Dragonstone and possibly the Crownlands to raise their children and dragons. With the dawn and spring approaching, Westeros is beginning to stabilize and peace is restored though at a terrible cost.

Another aspect of the bitter part of the ending is that even though the Iron Throne will be destroyed and peace is restored to the realm, there is no way of knowing how long that peace will last. The possibility exists that someone in the distant future may develop ambitions to conquer the Seven Kingdoms under a single banner start the cycle of corruption, war, and treachery all over again. For example, even though Jon Snow and Daenerys may be content to live out their days on Dragonstone, their descendants may follow in Aegon the Conqueror’s footsteps.

Overall, this is the ending I would like out of all the possible scenarios and I look forward to seeing it next year.