#I do believe he and iron fan do care for their son

[py-dreamer]

Bout DBK and lil Red Son before he was sealed away...

Do you think DBK, used like that 'soft voice' we all use when talking to babies.

Like Red Son was small enough to fit into the palm of his hand, how else was he supposed to talk to his tiny miracle without so much as blowing him away with his voice.

Do you ever think DBK could be lowkey a bit scared of how he might accidentally hurt his son. He was an absolute beast on the battlefield and while he most certainly would never hurt his family, there was no guarantee something wouldn't happen with this tiny baby

Do you ever think how DBK was so ready to learn to be gentle for once (you saw mans' smile after the samadhi fire ritual, you saw how he remembered his son's birthday, time of day in canon) if it meant being close to the glorious heir he and his wife created against all odds....

And then that chance was stolen from him.

And DBK never learnt to be gentle. His voice never softened to that degree ever again.

And it never will.

(@violetjedisylveon, psssstt u can use this for ur tangled au and perhaps DBK can use that soft voice for the first time in 18 years when his family can finally reunite?)

[ace-and-the-rpg-horrors]

it is not really a shock that this fandom has a bit of a misogyny problem, but i think a specific one is how the boys are often somewhat babied and given all sorts of pity for every single tiny thing they go through, while the girls with similar issues are often ignored entirely. there are many examples of this, but right now, i am going to talk at length about the Tenmas and the Shinonomes in particular, as them being pairs of siblings allows very direct comparison.

firstly, the one that irks me most: Tsukasa Tenma, and how a ridiculous number of his fans will make absolutely everything about him. including Saki's disability. i do think it's right to acknowledge the impact on him as well- but it gets overdramatic really quickly. i'm sorry to be harsh, but Saki did not spend her childhood in and out of hospitals, believing that she was dying, just for half the fandom to completely brush over her trauma and be like "oh... poor, lonely Tsukasa..."

i rather hate this, because not only does it feel quite ableist to skim over the one directly suffering from the condition in order to massively favour someone who happens to feel a bit of the knock-on effect, but it's also used to unreasonably villainise the Tenma parents. people will go on about how "neglected" Tsukasa was... very well, how exactly would you have handled the situation? they did their absolute best. it was a highly unfortunate situation for everyone involved, and it's unfair to deem Mrs and Mr Tenma as "bad parents" simply because they prioritised their dangerously ill daughter over their confident son who always assured them that he'd be alright. yes, they could have made better choices for Tsukasa, such as hiring a babysitter... but i think people tend to forget that Saki's illness flared up very suddenly and randomly. as the good parents the Tenmas are, they very likely couldn't think properly due to their panic for their daughter. it was instinct to drop everything and get her immediate help. and Tsukasa himself understands this, so it's an absolute wonder that the fandom doesn't. he was not ignored. he was phoned, updated on the situation, reassured that his sister was recovering... and praised by his parents for being such a wonderful brother.

also, with the situation of Saki's hospitalisation, i do feel like Tsukasa's own personality is sometimes not taken into account, ironic since it's him that everyone's interested in. because i would, in fact, be more critical of the Tenma parents, had Tsukasa been a more fragile child. if he had been the type who was easily scared, who could not handle being by himself, who would, in fact, have been traumatised from being left alone- i would say that the Tenma parents would have deserved the treatment they get from the fandom. but... that's not Tsukasa. it has been shown that Tsukasa was always a very bright, self-assured boy, positively brimming with confidence. even when little, he was creative and strong- and his parents knew this. they could have some peace of mind during a stressful time, knowing that their son could entertain himself with ease, such as how he was practising some acting just before his mother rang him. all of this is shown within the Dazzling Stage event which is, funnily enough, the very same event that the lovers of Tsukasa angst latch onto.

of course Tsukasa was heavily concerned about Saki. he is an incredibly caring person, why wouldn't he be? and yes, of course he missed her while she was in the hospital. no one is trying to deny that, nor minimise his suffering. the fandom does that to Saki. while acknowledging that Tsukasa was affected is good, in fact, it is very interesting to see the impact of disabilities beyond those directly affected... it's the fact that it is majorly Tsukasa's issues that are focused on that confuses me. it's disproportionate. i do wish we saw just as much sympathy and discussion about Saki herself, in addition to her brother. the psychological impact that her illness and consequential exclusion had on her, as well as the obvious physical aspect. because that is just as interesting, if not potentially more so, and i will be making a future post about it.

moving on from the Tenmas, i'd now like to talk about the Shinonome siblings, in a little less detail, considering i personally have not witnessed the unfairness of their treatment as much as that between the Tenmas. though, make no mistake, it still exists.

now, Ena is a character who i feel has a certain percentage of those who dislike her. and what are the general traits that people point out when asked why they aren't a fan? from what i've seen, it is her anger management issues, past violence, and a general "tsundere" type of personality that earns her this criticism. i'm not saying she does not have any of this. she absolutely does. she is flawed, as good, complex characters should be. though, everything she is despised for... who else regularly displays the exact same traits?

none other than her own brother, Akito. yet the dislike for him, while it is obviously around, does not seem quite as common as hers. a very short and hot temper? check. shows of violence? check. a sometimes harsh way of speaking? check. can sound aggressive and off-putting on occassion? check. Akito and Ena are incredibly similar when it comes to their more negative traits. i suppose it's not a surprise, considering that they were both brought up in the same, questionable environment. though, why does Ena seem to be hated so much more?

most will bring up the very infamous mention of how Ena and Akito's fights would get physical when they were younger. and how this makes Ena an "abuser" because supposedly, as she is the elder one, there was an imbalance in power... but was there really? it is incredibly controversial to say, but i do believe that the violence between them, particularly that which was committed by Ena, is quite exaggerated by fans. and here is where i think that Akito tends to be babied.

Ena was not significantly stronger than Akito. perhaps not ever physically stronger than him at all except when they were literal babies. there is only one year of difference between their ages. in the current day, it is no debate that Akito is one of the strongest characters, regularly going on runs, being able to sprint with Tsukasa on his back, while Ena is quite on the opposite end of the spectrum, preferring the indoors and such. what i am saying is that it is absurd how the fandom makes it seem like Akito was some utterly defenceless little toddler that was getting beaten up by his Big Bad Sister. realistically, he was fully capable of fighting back- and he does. it's hardly as if we see him cower before her. he has absolutely no issue retorting to her in a snarky manner. when people bring up the whole drama of Ena scratching him, they conveniently forget what he says directly afterwards- that he could dodge her attacks. not to mention, sibling fights getting physical and a little violent is incredibly common, take it from me- i am an oldest sister myself. if you call Ena an abuser, you are saying that you want half the older siblings in this world behind bars.

oh, and people will talk until they're blue in the face about how the "nasty" and "crazy" Ena scratched up her brother when they were younger- are we forgetting that Akito punched Toya in the literal main story? that left a massive bruise on his cheek. that isn't talked about nearly as much as some common sibling scrap.

if you can let similar behaviour slide from Akito... how come it is unacceptable from his older sister? who is, arguably, from what has been shown in the story so far... under the greater amount of stress from the tension within their family. it was her that was explicitly discouraged by their father. we haven't seen such conflict between Shinei and his son, have we? that's not to say that Akito's current personality isn't also explained, having grown up in that environment, but why is it that Ena receives so much less sympathy than him when she, understandably, lashes out?

Saki and Ena have both had it rough. in their own, very different, ways. yet, a staggering amount of pity is given, not to them, but to their respective brothers.

and i must, sadly, wonder... if the mere genders of these four characters happened to be swapped and all else remained as it is...

... would the perception of any of them be quite the same?

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Seeing that Epel and Rook used their unique magic, it makes me think everyone is gonna use their unique magic. Like imagine Kalim using his magic against his enemies or Jade use shock the heart for answers. Imagine reaching to Heartslabyul where everyone but Ace use it. This makes me think of Ace since he is a mysterious character and unclear motivation compare to the rest. What will be his dream? Will his unique magic be shown?

That’s true! Looking back, every character that is now “awake” has used their UM at least once:

Malleus uses Fae of Maleficence/Fae Maleficence to 7-37; this is the source of all our troubles in book 7 💀

Silver uses Meet in a Dream in 7-51, then again multiple times to dream hop and to wake up various students.

Lilia’s Far Cry Cradle is revealed in 7-81’s battle map via a flashback sequence. It is thanks to his UM that he understands the origins of the lone infant he finds in the ruins of Castle Wildrose. He blesses the baby and takes it under his wing as his own son… Silver.

Sebek’s Living Bolt, shown in 7-84, allows him to reach Silver and pull him out of the darkness that has swallowed him.

Idia uses Gate to (the) Underworld to open the gates to Tartarus and escape it in 7-114.

Book 7 confirms that Ortho is not capable of a UM, but is is his uniquely robotic ability to transfer his consciousness that allows him to adopt his Cerberus Gear in 7-50, infiltrate Sage’s Island, and return with valuable information to combat Malleus.

The magical glass coffin that Epel conjures with Sleep Kiss/Crimson Slumber in 7-135 protects Neige. It also (theoretically) slows the effects of Vil’s curse (the poisoned apple juice).

Rook uses I See You in 7-135 to tag Vil (who is sinking into the darkness of his dreams). This makes it easier for the gang to locate where Vil has gone.

Finally, in 7-138, Vil’s Fairest One of All allows him to poison Neige (who, up until this point, has been keeping tabs on him and preventing him from escaping the grasp of the dream) and rejoin with Yuu and co.

I guess since this is such a climactic book, the devs decided to go all out and have each boy show up and show off their own special power. This means we’ll most likely see the rest of the main NRC students using their UMs to help us out in the dreams! (Sasuga power of friendship…)

As for Ace! Now would be such an opportune time for him to develop his UM 😳 I believe the popular fan theory is still “Ace’s UM will allow him to copy others’ magic” since he mimics voices well and has a talent for quickly learning new skills (like dancing, as seen in book 5). And hey, if that’s the case then maybe Ace is the one who will be able to reverse Malleus’s magic if Malleus won’t willingly do it himself. Just spitballin’ here. Maybe Ace is frustrated that he can’t contribute in any way…? And then that feeling manifests as something?

How poetically ironic—the first student we meet ends up being the last to get their UM but also one of the final pieces of the puzzle to take OB Malleus down. It works out really well for Ace’s character too; he is the only character of the main cast who sees through the bullshit and calls people out, not caring about how influential or powerful they are.

I don’t actually think he’s that mysterious relative to other characters—we still barely know anything significant about Rook or Jade, for example (despite already diving into Rook’s dream). Rather, I think it’s more accurate to say that Ace has more simple desires. He just wants to be able to do what he wants when he wants, to not have to worry about his future plans. I don’t think his dream would really be anything that drastic; I see it as Ace living a chill life with his friends.

[toomanythoughts2]

Here's some miscellaneous Metalocalypse headcanons. I'm gonna put them here just to get them down.

Skwisgaar has flat feet, which will result in leg problems later in his life.

Toki has nerve damage to his back and he can't feel it in places. He has to go to massage therapy for it every week so it doesn't get too bad.

Murderface has long hair, his fro is just so dense. It's as long as Skiwsgaar's hair.

Stella Murderface is William Murderface's paternal grandmother, so his mother is Stella's Daughter-In-Law and his father is their biological son. Murderface's looks skipped his father, so his father and his mother were average looking individuals. The idea that Murderface's looks were the catalysis for his father's mental break were probably intensified because of the paternal skip.

Murderface's mom was very excited for William's birth. She spent a long time getting ready for his arrival. William was a wanted, planned child, whose mother was fully encapsulated in being a good mom. She took so many photos of her pregnancy and had a baby book prepared. Mama Murderface was fully ready to be a mom. When William was born, she fell in love with him. William is probably less than a year when they died, but more than 4 months. Up until their death, his mom obsessed over him, loved him, cared for him. There are so many baby photos of him up until their death, and his baby book ends at the same age of when they died.

Murderface has multiple photos of his mother tucked safely in his room. He looks at them when he's feeling particularly sad and lost. He'll look back over the home movies she took, listen to her voice, listen to how much she loved him and how she was waiting for him. He blocks out his father in the video as much as he can. He hates him more than he hates himself.

Toki has a hobby grave yard. However, he is not afraid of any hobby and will at least become competent in them.

Pickles still doesn't really understand the internet. He's got the concept but it alludes him for the most part.

Toki's family is actually the black sheep of the majority of the family and Toki is the black sheep within the black sheep.

Toki was on his way to becoming the next Reverend after Aslaug, but the family at large was very wary of this possible development. They avoided Toki at all cost due to his presence with death and his possible future position in the family.

Everyone has neck pain from head banging and windmilling, so they have physical therapy on their necks to keep them strong and to stop any further deterioration.

Nathan has back pain. Like really bad back pain. Him and his father, since they are larger men, have consistent back issues that make it hard to stand for long hours.

Rose is Nathan's biggest supporter. She co-signed on the apartment, she helped get him his first van, she helped pick out stage clothes, she painted his nails. He would read his lyrics out to her (and his dad) at the dinner table and she would help him with lyrics and support his direction. Rose knew that Nathan's life was not leading him to college, but to something else, and she fully believed that he could do anything he set his mind to.

Skwisgaar is double jointed and can pop and crack his knuckles. Murderface and Pickles DESPISE it.

While there are many "Deaddy Bears", there is only one true, original Deaddy Bear. It's the one that got burnt up in "Dethkids" but it came back afterwards. Why? BECAUSE IT'S POSSESSED! ITS A POSSESSED DEADDY BEAR KINDA LIKE THE VELVETEEN RABBIT! TOKI MADE IT BE ALIVE WITH HIS LOVE AND THE TRUAMA! TOKI NEVER QUESTIONS IT AND THE BAND IS VERY WORRIED ABOUT IT!

Murderface has gotten himself stuck in the Iron Maiden before.

There's a lot more wholesome/domestic moments within the band dynamic than their fans or even the label knows about. It's regular shit, like a routine they have worked out with themselves about how to live with each other without going crazy.

They do the "Do you want my broccoli?" "I can take your rice." "Here, take the pepper, I dont want it." kind of switch with their food when they go out. It's just a choirs of plate scraps from one plate to another.

[itsabouttimex2]

Stuffie Reactions Two:

Tang, Macaque, Red Son

(Part One: Sun Wukong, MK, Azure Lion)

(Ok, all yandere stuff aside? This man has plushies. No way he doesn’t have a finished Journey to The West set. I refuse to believe otherwise.)

As with most of your quirks or interests, Mr. Tang maintains a consistently supportive attitude. He’s not always the best role-model, what with being both somewhat lazy and a little bit of a mooch… but he’s got a good heart.

Even with a plague of obsession to cloud his mind and heart, Tang is still rather rational. He understands the sentimental value your plush has to you, and also knows very well that he’d massively be on your bad side for interfering with it. So there’s no threats of destruction, no forced removal-

Unless you’ve done something that seriously “warrants” one of his very rare punishments. Things like: putting yourself in serious danger, underage drinking, any type of drug use, starting fights, etc.

(He shares most of these rules with Pigsy, though the demon is quite a bit more strict.)

He’s more of a “lock it away in a cupboard for a few days” guy than anything, and gives it back after he’s worn you down into writing a full-length essay about what you did wrong how you’ll do better next time.

Could be worse, frankly.

Alright, let’s get this out of the way- Macaque is a pretty awful person. He’s often cruel for the sake of being cruel. He enjoys hurting people and brags about doing it. We also see that he’s not exactly sentimental about the past- not like Wukong is, not how MK misses the simplicity of his early adventures. I can’t imagine he’d care much about one little toy, especially if it’s particularly worn out or well-loved.

Our Six-Eared Simian is pretty high on the list of character who would outright destroy your plush. (Alongside Demon Bull King, Red Son, Huntsman, Spider Queen, and Lady Bone Demon.)

But usually; aside from mild teasing, he pays it no mind. He’s on the move with you frequently, and at least ensures that the little thing never gets left behind. Hell, when he’s (very, very rarely) feeling soft? Macaque might come around while you’re asleep and tuck the plush into your arms.

So, what could prompt him to destroy your toy? Here’s a few- running away, calling him out for his crimes, helping Wukong or MK, trying to fight him, repeated refusal to obey his orders, frequently “hard” swearing at him, substance use, etc.

(Interestingly, he won’t tear it all at once- swearing at him causes him to puncture a small hole in the fabric, running away causes him to tear off a limb… after, why throw away a useful tool of punishment when he can stretch it out for all it’s worth?)

Lots of landmines to avoid, basically.

Out of all characters, Red Son may well be the one who cares the least- he doesn’t see much value in any of your possessions, except those that he himself gifted to you.

Other characters like the Mayor or Azure might understand the plush’s importance, but choose to use it as a tool of punishment. Someone like Syntax (or Mei, but we’ll get there) would modify it to accommodate a camera. The Spider Queen would probably destroy it to sever connections to your past life- and then tsk and half-heartedly try to patch it up with her silk when she sees how distraught you are.

Some like Sandy would spoil you with plushes and stitch up any rips by hand. Iron Fan might use it to belittle you when she sees fit to lay down some “discipline”, hoping to make you feel insecure and childish.

But Red Son? He simply… doesn’t care.

It’s a possession. An item like any other. No dearer to one than a shirt or chair should be. (Unless he/his parents gave it to you. Then, and only then, will Red Son muster some genuine sympathy and understanding for how precious the object is to you.)

I’ve spoken about this several time, but I’ll say it again here- in most cases, Red Son starts off viewing Y/N as a pet. As the seasons progress they move upwards in Red’s personal hierarchy, from worthless peasant to funny pet to dear friend to cherished family.

So not only does Red not really respect your possessions- but he doesn’t really respect you, either. You’re a silly little human, meandering and small.

So, if you do ever act up, or try to escape…

He really doesn’t see in harm in torching the thing to ashes.

Nor will he understand why you’re crying.

But at least you’ve learned your lesson.

[quitealotofsodapop]

Well, that saves them a trip to FFM, Uwkong is right there with them! Problem is getting him to actually go fight the Demon Bull King is a little trickier. Who gonna take care of MK while he's gone!? What if Wukong accidentally destroys Pigsy's Noodles or hurts them during his fight!? Wukong isn't exactly known for being able to take down enemies without casualties or property damage!

And that doesn't even get into the co plicatwd matter of that being Wukong's actualnolder brother out there and the amount of guild he had having been forced to seal him away the first time, much less being expected to do it a second.

MK also grabbed the staff again and refuses to let go.

prev.

Wukong is panicking hard, cus DBK's sealing was supposed to be his *last* big fight. He officially hung up his golden armour when MK came into his life.

Pigsy appreciates Wukong's cautiousness on the matter; especially the parts on who takes care of MK + what if the restaurant gets demolished in the fight? He honestly expected the Monkey King to be more reckless, but clearly he's matured since his Journey-ing days.

Tang is pouting that he won't see the Monkey King is his legendary glory, and this sparks off a bit of an argument between the adults and Mei (who believes that DBK needs to be taken down). Sandy is trying his best to mediate the situation when they all notice that *someone* is missing.

During their argument, MK decides to just Leave and hope for the best.

Due to the chaotic nature of MK grabbing the Staff and Mei grabbing him and speeding away on her bike before the Demon Bull family could see, DBK didn't actually get a good look at the Little Thieves before they escaped.

When DBK finally sees up close who he's beefing with he's... less than impressed.

DBK, disgusted: "Has Sun Wukong become so cowardly as to elect a mere calf to fight for him!? MK: "Hey! My baba isn't a coward!" >:( DBK, shocked: "Sun Wukong... is your father?" MK: "Yeah! He's the strongest baba ever!" Red Son, still in fight-mode: "I disagree!" MK, turns and starts swinging: "I disagree with your face!" Red Son, dodging: "That doesn't make any sense!" DBK: "ENOUGH!! I do not care who disagrees with whom! What I do care about is seeing my younger brother once more!" MK, remembering: "Oh yeah!! You and baba were brothers during the war! He told me all about you and Princess Iron Fan, and how you fell in love, and how you had Red Boy and-" (*continues rambling*) DBK & PIF: (*turn their attention to one another*) PIF: "He's certainly Wukong's child..." DBK: "Has my xiandi sent his child ahead to free me to make up for the mistakes of the past? Was my resurrection poorly timed?" PIF: "He literally fell onto our son as he managed to lift the Staff, I wouldn't be surprised if Wukong and his child have been waiting to greet us." DBK: "We must ask." DBK: (*turns back to MK, who's already gotten into another argument with Red Son and is biting him*) DBK: "Child, where is your father now?" MK, stops biting: "Umm... I left him at Pigsy's." DBK: "Left him!? You mean you went to confront me without his permission?" MK, sheepish: "He didn't want me to go in case I got hurt..." DBK & PIF: (*sharing another look*) "He's become afraid of me..." "Only afraid that you may wish his child harm." "That hurts more than any cudgel to my skull..." (*Pigsy's food truck finally appears*) Wukong, bursting out the side with his armour half-fastened: "TIME OUT!!! NOBODY MOVE! I did not give Xiaotian permission to fight! Now let's calm down and- nobody's fighting? What gives?" DBK: "I have no intentions to fight your child, xiandi." Wukong, sigh of relief: "Phew! That's one BIG worry dealt with! Now comes the matter of grounding my son till he's a hundred!" (*turns to MK*) "Young man, I TOLD you not to go running off with that Staff! It's a weapon, not a foam sword! Just wait until your aunts and uncles here about this!" MK: "Aww man!!" Tang & Mei, disappointed: "So we aren't going to see The Monkey King and DBK fight?" "Boo!"

Fortunately as it turns out, DBK is far more interested in learning how his little bro became a dad than actually fighting. Wukong and the rest of the adults decide to sit down for a long overdue talk while their kids get acquainted (i.e. MK and Mei both arguing with Red Son for being so rude and chasing them earlier).

PIgsy, Tang, and Sandy feel a little awkward being there, but clearly the Demon Bull Couple think they belong. Tang is especially delighted to be sitting and having tea (Sandy provided) with THE Monkey King and THE Demon Bull King and Iron Fan Princess!!

MK is forced to put the Staff away unless absolutely necessary, the monkey cub pouting all the while.

[ball-of-butter]

youre like the only account i look at on here for red queen content (specifically maven) so please go full psychological analysis on maven please. i love your posts they itch my brain perfectly

omygosh anon 🤭 tyyyy tyyyy

theres so much to say about maven and its kinda crazy considering he doesn’t get that much actual page time. so keep in mind that many people could have different interpretations of his character, since he is quite elusive. and i may or may notttt be biassed idk.

the first thing i believe: he's a character that, for all his supposed motivations, had no ambition or dream of his own. he was a complete vessel of his mother’s spite, so he makes for a pretty interesting paradox. mare was haunted by a ‘false’ maven that didn't exist (debatable). cal was haunted by an ‘erased’ maven that used to exist. what is maven haunted by? everything and everyone? he’s a ghost himself, he’s the one who usually did the haunting, but even when you get his POV in the books, there’s a tragedy in the negative space you find. there are clear holes in his psyche that he also subconsciously attempts to fill (his memories always fight to bubble to the surface, but they invoke feelings he can’t feel anymore) and never can. despite how pissed off he is at everyone and everything, he so very clearly yearns for love and approval, to the point where he is absolutely delusional about it. there he was, shocked that mare would reject him after he imprisoned and betrayed her and the scarlet guard. here’s him outraged that anabel lerolan would side with cal after he plotted her son’s murder.

elara basically sculpted a monster, and i don’t think that can be debated since its pretty clearly stated in text. even maven knew what she took from him and the extent of the abuse— but he didn't care because she gave him the love he craved. she couldn’t fill it all, if maven’s obsession with mare was anything to go by. i do think elara genuinely loved and adored him, but i don’t know if i would use the word ‘enabler’ for her because it seems too soft a word. maven is elara. elara dies and maven can’t survive on his own for long without her. he was her iron fist in a way, but neither had much interest in norta as a country like most scheming for the throne usually do– which i find so interesting. it wasn’t political, only personal.

now then there lies the debate of choice— some maven fans are completely comfortable heaping all of the blame onto elara and calling it a day. but i think even elara was failed in a similar way maven was. red queen is cool because it shows how evil is encouraged and nurtured in oppressive societies, how certain individuals even in privileged positions will be abused and neglected, how vices are taught to be hidden rather than treated and how violence is perpetuated as the surest, most permanent decree. every character is affected by this system in some way, and i could talk about it for years but i’ll save you the time. my point is that this would apply to maven, but that doesn’t make him void of choice. it’s sort of predictable that he would make the terrible choices he did in the series considering he never had the chance to escape what predestined narrative was already planned for him, but no one was physically forcing him to burn his initial into mare. no one was physically forcing him to try slaughter a whole race of people. no one physically forced him to blow up naercey, or taunt cal after forcing him to murder his dad, or psychologically torture mare when he kept her as prisoner. yes, there’s nuance but maven is also much too comfortable with being a terrible person, because thats what ultimately earns him love, respect and approval.

i don’t think maven could’ve been saved, not because 'the damage was too bad,' but because he had no desire to be saved, and no one but cal had wanted to put in the effort to save him. i always find it interesting how cal secretly resented mare for killing maven, even though it was such a longtime coming, and he would never voice it because considering all maven had done to her, she had more than the right. but i don’t want to yap so much about maven’s relationship with cal because i’ll be here forever. nor do i want to talk too much about his relationship with mare. i'll only say that when i was talking about his death scene i did mention how much of an impact both of them had on each other, how maven was so scary to mare because he was a viable twisted path that represented the worst of her. i think mare could’ve been (my biassed interpretation) a path for him too, but he was so far gone by the second book and especially after elara’s death that he never considered it (would’ve been too late for him then anyway). i have some thoughts on the chances of maven rehabilitating if he had the tools and will to. some thoughts. they won’t go here though.

lastly i just want to link this post which had super interesting additions by @lucy-the-cat that delves into maven from a psychological perspective. its sooooo well written and i still think about it to this day.

last thing i wanna do is glaze a bit so im just gonna 😭 its refreshing to see this sort of villain be portrayed as an mmc who isn’t attractively suave and super misunderstood and depressed and supremely intelligent for what he does– maven is intelligent and sad, but he's presented as a floundering, insecure, delusional brat that the fmc understands entirely. something so refreshing in how he can only either be hated, and at best, pitied.

[drakaripykiros130ac]

Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen being attacked for decisions made by members of her Council is an actual thing, I realize. And its basis is 21st century misogyny found in certain “fans”.

Here are some examples:

1. B&C was orchestrated by Daemon, as retribution for the murder of Lucerys Velaryon. Daemon sent Rhaenyra a letter from Harrenhal (in the book canon, he was already there when news reached them), in which he promised her that her son would be avenged. That’s it. She was informed that Daemon would do something in retribution, but she wasn’t filled in on what.

And somehow, Rhaenyra is responsible for B&C. How? Because she didn’t stop Daemon? (As if she could). And even if she knew what he was about to do, why should she have stopped him? Her child was murdered in cold blood. The war had not yet begun. Her innocent boy was an envoy, and he was murdered while peace terms were still being considered. Rhaenyra is a mother in pain. The only thought running through her mind at the time was that her child was murdered. She didn’t give a damn about any of the “green” children. Why should she? I know I wouldn’t if I were in her place.

Rhaenyra had no knowledge of B&C and was not in any way involved, nor did she care enough to stop it. And I repeat, why should she?

2. The situation with Ladies Rosby and Stokeworth. I am super tired of hearing how Rhaenyra is “evil” because she didn’t support the ascension of other women in positions of power at the time.

First and foremost: How is that her job? Oh, that’s right. It’s not. She had her own fight against the patriarchy and her success could have paved the way for other women to be permitted a better life in the future.

Secondly, it was Corlys, Rhaenyra’s Hand, who insisted that Ladies Rosby and Stokeworth be passed over. Corlys is the one who viewed Rhaenyra as an exception to the patriarchy.

Change doesn’t happen all of a sudden. It needs to be small, like Rhaenyra’s successful ascension on the Iron Throne. Turning the Realm into “Barbie Land” overnight would have brought down the whole system, not changed it.

Rhaenyra’s decision to heed Corlys’ advice was correct. But I also think she should have followed Daemon’s advice as well and arranged marriages for the girls with Hugh Hammer and Ulf White.

In any case, this situation is not Rhaenyra’s fault, nor was it her choice. It was Corlys’, you know, the man who’s not only her Hand but who commands the Realm’s largest fleet and finances Rhaenyra’s actual war. The fact that certain TG stans believe Rhaenyra could have done whatever she wanted in this scenario and ignored Corlys’ advice proves they don’t know shit about politicking.

3. The raised taxes in King’s Landing: once again, not Rhaenyra’s idea. It was her Master of Coin, Lord Bartimos Celtigar, who came up with this solution.

And as bad as it sounds, it is the only possible solution to the crisis, because the Greens are the ones who stole all the gold from the treasury and left the Realm impoverished (something for people to chew on, when they have the nerve to claim that TG = Team Smallfolk).

Now, when it comes to Alicent, however, she is somehow the “victim” of the decisions made by the men around her.

Hypocrisy much?

[rynnthefangirl]

Your answer shows me what I already think, you, fans of this boys, dump all the emotional responsibility on Aegon and Viserys, they have to choose between family and having their right, and the fact that they did not want it is something that you assume. Aegon "You are sitting in my chair " Targaryen does not seem to reflect what you say and Viserys was a great hand and the year he reigned a great king .

And no, Jace did not die saving anyone, that is not mentioned in any text, only in a video where they do not even represent his physical appearance well, flying quickly between the ships spitting fire is not the best way to save Viserys, something that he again did not achieve if we assume that he tried it since Viserys became a father at 13 and was married to a woman older than him at 12, otherwise he would be a courtier, all because of a shitty idea had by Jace. Nothing is ever mentioned about Viserys in relation to Jace, he may have perfectly felt conflict with him and Rhaenyra, since they are the ones ultimately responsible for what happened to him, regarding Aegon, his relationship with the "Velaryon" princes is mentioned to say he adored them to compare them with Viserys (there is an abysmal difference, Aegon and Viserys were infinitely closer) and the feelings of a 9 year old boy are not those of a man who is aware of what was happening around him.

I will make assumptions but so will you, the only thing I believe is that the responsibility of giving up their "rights" as others have done before would fall on the "Velaryon" princes who are the ones who occupy a place that does not belong to them perhaps ambition and the desire to occupy a throne at all costs is not a characteristic attributable to Aegon and Viserys🤷🏼‍♀️ despite their traumas they were still men and Targaryen princes of their time and that your legacy (the legacy of House Targaryen) is reduced to some random house of the seven kingdoms to make alliances or that they predispose you to join a celibate order where that surname will die with you does not give me the impression of being what they would want. It is an issue that goes beyond them as people, it is a duty to their house. They also give the kingdom a stability that Jace would never give them, since anyone can threaten and oppose the reign of an illegitimate son, it is not so easy when your name is Aegon Targaryen and no one doubts your kinship, so that quality of Aegon and Viserys of caring for people would still be present since they would give stability, unlike others.

The "Velaryon" would have the throne and would be the new dragon lords while the legitimate Targaryens get crumbs. Because yes, this is what would happen. Jace would reign with the surname Velaryon. The fact that he would reign with the Targaryen is an invention of the series that makes no sense. But again it will always be the same, Aegon and Viserys are the ornaments that only have the right to speak when everyone dies and there is no one else to support and of course they have no other life than to be sad. But hey, everyone has their own interpretation of these characters, I will always support them as kings and heirs in any possible scenario.

It is not ambition to want something that is yours, it is justice.

Aegon "You are sitting in my chair " Targaryen does not seem to reflect what you say.

The context of that quote is Aegon dismissing his Hand and regents after having been manipulated, controlled, and assailed by ambitious lords for the past six years, at great risk to himself and his loved ones. Such an attitude cannot be assumed to apply to a situation where he never experienced the Dance and Regency, and his brother sits the Iron Throne.

Viserys became a father at 13 and was married to a woman older than him at 12, otherwise he would be a courtier, all because of a shitty idea had by Jace.

Regardless of the consequences, the point is Jace's intentions, which were explicitly said in F&B to keep his brothers safe. And reminder that despite the things Vis suffered in Essos, he did fare much much better than his brother did in Westeros. Had he been with his father's friends in Pentos, he likely would not have suffered at all. Given the horrors and danger that befell Aegon in Westeros, Jace's idea to get A&V far away from the conflict was not a bad one. It was just awful misfortune that their ship happened across the Greens.

Nothing is ever mentioned about Viserys in relation to Jace, he may have perfectly felt conflict with him and Rhaenyra.

And he may have loved them and not blamed them at all, so your point? Like you said, we have no info on this, nor on Aegon's feelings beyond "he worshipped them as a boy". Whatever we think is only headcanon. For my own part, I do in fact headcanon Aegon and Viserys having very complicated and mixed feelings about their family, especially Rhaenyra. But that is about my interest in angsty complex character dynamics, not some need to fulfill my bias by making Rhaenyra and the Velaryon boys either hated or loved.

Perhaps ambition and the desire to occupy a throne at all costs is not a characteristic attributable to Aegon and Viserys.

It isn't.

They were still men and Targaryen princes of their time and that your legacy (the legacy of House Targaryen) is reduced to some random house of the seven kingdoms to make alliances or that they predispose you to join a celibate order.

What do you think every second, third, fourth, fifth, etc. son of every house in Westeros does? Not being the one to continue on the main ruling branch of your family is a common experience expected of everyone who is not the first born son.

They also give the kingdom a stability that Jace would never give them

This is the one thing I agree on, and the only reason I have to be against Jace taking the Iron Throne. That being said... starting a war for the throne... also destabilizes the realm......... So one could say that Jace should abdicate in favor of his brothers for the sake of stability, but if he does not, then that is not a justification for A&V to start a war that will get thousands killed. It's the same thing as when TG say "oh Rhaenyra's reign would never be accepted so the Greens had to usurp the throne for the good of the realm" even though their action of usurping the throne quite literally destroyed the realm as much as or more than any possible instability from Rhaenyra's reign would have.

Jace would reign with the surname Velaryon. The fact that he would reign with the Targaryen is an invention of the series that makes no sense.

Is this not literally how things work in Dorne. I don't recall the Martell name being lost during all the times that the reigning ruler of Dorne was a woman with a consort from another house.

Also, this is not an argument against a bastard ascending the throne. This is an argument against a WOMAN ascending the throne. This would be an issue even if Jace was Laenor's true born son. Which means it has nothing to do with his legitimacy, and has to do with the idea that Targaryen blood being passed down from a mother doesn't "count" as much as Targaryen blood being passed down from a father.

But again it will always be the same, Aegon and Viserys are the ornaments that only have the right to speak when everyone dies and there is no one else to support and of course they have no other life than to be sad.

I think this is the most interesting line of all. Because all the value you have ascribed to A&V is entirely tied up in ideas of legitimacy and Targaryen blood purity, rather than anything about them as unique people and characters. They are the best because they are trueborn, because they are Daemon's sons, because they are the rightful kings, because they are pure Valyrian blood.... but you could replace them with characters of entirely opposite personalities and backstories, and that would all be true. They are "ornaments" to your ideas of the glory and legacy of House Targaryen.

For me, my love of them is tied entirely to their unique characteristics and identities. It's not just them being sad-- though of course their traumas are certainly a part of their characters-- it is every single thing they say/do/think/feel/experience/love/hate/fear. They are rich, complex, and fascinating characters. I am in truth, hardly a Velaryon boy stan. I like them, sure, but that's it. I just like them. They aren't even among my top 10 favorite Targs. Aegon III is my all time favorite Targaryen and Viserys II is definitely top 5. I'm not saying that others' don't do this, but don't think for a second that I am shoving them aside or into convenient minor roles to prop up their half brothers. Quite the contrary, the characters of A&V are first in my heart and first on my priority list.

It is not ambition to want something that is yours, it is justice.

The throne is not some sacred thing. Truth is, it is NOBODY’S right. Absolute monarchy is a terrible system of government, and nobody should hold that kind of unchecked power. It isn't "justice" to start a war that risks bringing your own people death and devastation over some messed up idea that you are entitled by birth to be the most powerful person ever. Aegon II believed that is was his right to rule over Rhaenyra because he was born with a schlong. If he believed that it was his by right, does that make him "just"? No, no it does not. It makes him a greedy warmonger.

Like do you think I care whose parents had a ceremony before they fucked, and whose didn’t? I don’t. If GRRM came out tomorrow and revealed via Word of God that Daeron II was in fact the Dragonknights bastard, it would not change my opinion on the First Blackfyre rebellion one bit. I still would not support Daemon. A true king wears the crown not because he wants it or feels entitled to it. A true king wears the crown because the REALM needs him to. THAT is what Aegon III and Viserys II understood. That is why they are better than Aegon II and Rhaenyra (though ofc Rhaenyra >>>>>> Aegon II, always).

If you want to imagine an Aegon and Viserys who would fight their brother for the throne, and cheer them on as they tear the realm apart because it’s their “right” and we can’t have dirty bastards on the throne… I’d recommend taking another look at Aegon II. Because that is his character. And to be clear I’m not saying Jace would be in the right in this hypothetical— it’d just be the Dance all over again, both sides refusing to give up a crown for the good of their people. I love Aegon because he represents an END to that kind of attitude. He makes peace with former Greens, he compromises, he leaves his uncle in the line of succession to avoid conflict, he sits by Tyland Lannister’s bedside to comfort him as he dies. That is why I love him, and his brother.

[iris-sistibly]

The Targ Talk: House of the Dragon S2

Episode 6 commentary

The way Alicent is surprised that Aemond is also treating her like shit, and her acting like as if she doesn't recognize Aemond anymore, I mean girl...

Show Alicent was manipulated by her father into thinking that Rhaenyra would kill her sons, and I think the reason why she believed him was not only because it was Rhaenyra who exposed Otto and convinced her father to remove that leech from his seat (in exchange of her marrying Laenor), but also because Rhaenyra lied about Daemon not touching her (again, I don't think Rhaenyra trusted her enough to confess about what happened in the brothel and after that because she knew that Alicent is a puppet of her father). In Alicent's perception, if Rhaenyra could do all those things, then what are the chances of her not going as far as getting rid of her half-brothers so no one could challenge her claim to the throne right? So she instilled in her sons' minds about Rhaenyra killing them once she sits on the iron throne, hence their fucked up relationship with their sister (and nephews).

Book version is more straight to the point though, Alicent was so adamant at putting Aegon to the throne that she has taught her own children to hate Rhaenyra and their sons because they were their rivals (apart from Rhaenyra of course). Either way, book or show version, Alicent was still part if not the reason why her sons ended up this way. Slut-shaming Rhaenyra, allowing them to call their sister the whore of Dragonstone, making them feel like they are far more superior because they were born males and has more right to the throne was something she herself taught them. Funny thing is, just like everyone else pointed out, she thought she was exempted from their misogynistic bullshit.

Helaena once again getting dragged into this whole mess was painful to watch. This wouldn't have happened had Alicent agreed to marry her to Jace instead of Aegon, fanfictions and delusions aside, let's face it--Jacaerys would have treated Helaena way better than Aegon ever did. But you know what hurts more? Alicent acting like she cares for Helaena the most yet she allowed this to happen to her.

Aemond Targaryen finally showing his true colors (aka his book version). He has grown cockier since becoming the Prince Regent, but his arrogance will lead him to his demise.

Now that Aegon knows that his life is in danger in the hands of his own brother and enlists the help of Larys, I'm kinda hoping that he'll plot some sort of revenge towards Aemond, and the fight between the brothers would be the key to the greens' downfall.

I am hoping to see a more feisty version of Helaena, the scene where she faced Aemond for the first time since becoming Prince Regent gave me a spark of hope that the writers would give something better for Helaena, some sort of character development that will help her to finally stand up for herself (and her daughter). Also I want to see her riding Dreamfyre even just once.

Seasmoke choosing his rider will always be badass. I agree with what other fans pointed out that he's most likely the father of Dany's dragons since he looks more similar to them compared to Syrax. At least Seasmoke and Syrax were able to do something Leanor and Rhaenyra never did.

Speaking of dragons, it was indeed a crazy idea for Rhaenyra to heed Jace's advice, but with a big-ass grumpy old dragon on the opposing side, they're gonna be needing more dragons. Syrax and Caraxes would have stood a chance against Vhagar considering that Sunfyre is severely injured, Tessarion and Daeron are still MIA. Putting Helaena and Dreamfyre in the battlefield is out of the question/non-negotiable. But because, the Haunting of Harrenhal starring Daemon is like a whole-ass season long, Rhaenyra is still at a disadvantage. She is a dragonrider, but she obviously can't command all of the other dragons. Daenerys was able to do that to all three of her dragons because she wasn't just a dragonrider, she was their mother. Rhaenyra isn't. Having more dragonriders would increase her chances to win the battle, but if Rhaenyra carefully weighs her pros and cons, she'd do something to ensure that none of the dragonseeds would betray her. But then again, if you've read Fire & Blood, you know what happened.

Never underestimate the power of the smallfolk, that is why Otto wanted to get them to the greens' side by using the death of Jaehaerys to paint Rhaenyra as the bad person. But one thing that old prick didn't realize was that he needed to do much more than just earn their sympathy. Having Mysaria on Rhaenyra's side, someone who has lived the life, knows the struggles, and knows exactly what the people need gave Rhaenyra the advantage. By giving them something the greens never did, she successfully provoked the ire of the people towards the usurpers and get their support. The kissing scene between Rhaenyra and Mysaria to me doesn't feel romantic (at least not for now). Though I have to say that the latter is exactly who the queen needs at this point, someone that Daemon should have been for her.

Nice to see Paddy Considine make a cameo in the show. We all know that the Viserys is the person that Daemon loves the most, but the truth is, I expected more action and more thrilling scenes from Daemon this season. Matt Smith didn't lie when he said that we're gonna see a weaker Daemon but I feel like the Haunting of Harrenhal feels...dragging. Maybe I'm not just used to Daemon not committing war crimes but ngl I was expecting him to get his shit together this episode.

Joffrey telling Rhaena that he wants his mother and the scene with the baby dragon are just making my chest tight (knowing what will happen to him and all of the dragons).

[autism-autobot]

LMK Angst Fic Part 7

Part 6:

"What song does the cuckoo clock play?"

was the question that Sun Wukong never expected to bring him to tears.

It was such an innocent question spoken by Red Son but had clearly been ripping away at his own heart.

Wukong and Nezha were visiting the Demon Bull Family when he asked that, completely out of context and ignoring the previous conversation had between the elder immortals. Wukong hadn't expected to feel his entire soul shatter at the sound of it, how could he?

Princess Iron Fan didn't know what her son was talking about so she asked why such a simple question seemed to weigh so heavily on her son's and brother-in-law's hearts.

Wukong attempted to suppress his tears as he answered her.

SWK: There was this cuckoo clock that Sha Wujing had made for me a while back. As a wedding gift.

SWK: It would cuckoo a certain amount of times before small figures of us pilgrims would dance and spin around to a song Zhu Bajie had written.

RS: Do you remember when you used to allow me to play with Uncle Wukong's children, mother?

PIF: Of course! They were the only children who weren't scared of you nor were too weak to be proper playmates to you.

PIF: But then all that changed when we had that incident with your father.

RS: Yes, well, whenever I would come over to Uncle's house, we would all spin around whenever the clock struck any hour.

SWK: You didn't even care if it was the middle of the night when it sounded, you kids would still dance around it if you were awake.

RS: Indeed. We would have sleepovers in your living room where the clock was and I have very fond memories of us getting up out of bed at horrendously late at night to dance with the figures.

SWK: *full on sobbing at this point* Yeah, I know. I would often hear a chorus of your guys' footsteps spinning around in place when you really should have been in bed.

RS: *also sobbing* It just really pained me that while reminiscing about those days long gone that I couldn't even remember what the song was that we had danced to so many times.

RS: You think it would be engraved into my memory but it isn't.

RS: What song did the cuckoo clock play uncle?

SWK: I don't remember! I let one of my daughters bring it with them when they moved out of my nest.

RS: OH, THEN I SHALL NEVER HEAR IT AGAIN!!! HOW AWFUL!!!!

PIF: I can't believe that you both would get so emotional about a cuckoo clock.

RS: IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE CUCKOO CLOCK MOTHER!!!!! That was a fundamental and sacred part of my childhood! And it is no more! I am grown now, as are Wukong's children, my best friends, brothers and cousins. Those days are far behind us now that we are young adults, and I can't even be bothered to remember those moments properly!

DBK: I remember feeling a similar way when I was but a young calf. My grandfather had passed away from a terrible illness when I was about half your age, son.

The Demon Bull King remained untearful but empathetic as he continued.

DBK: When he was alive, he would run around chasing me, my siblings and my cousins with shaving cream upon his face in a half-hearted attempt to scare us.

DBK: After his passing, I would smell the brush that he used to shave himself with, as it still smelled like him. We didn't move his things for over a year after he passed.

DBK: When we did, I was devastated to find that my grandmother had thrown his comb away, never to be seen again. When I had forgotten the smell of the brush, it was a pain unlike any other.

DBK: I understand the pain of moments long gone, and how hard it can be to cope. Though it is good that you have made these memories. I can only offer you my support during this time, my son, and that, you have in full.

Nezha spoke up while hugging Sun Wukong from behind as they wept together.

Nezha: It is better to feel the pain of what once was, than it never having been, is it not?

The five spent the next several hours talking, reminiscing about their respective childhood memories and what had become of each person who has touched their lives since then until it was time to part.

Red Son messaged Wukong's children about the cuckoo clock. As he did, Nezha's words rang in his mind, comforting his bleeding heart.

It is better to feel the pain of what once was, than it never having been.

Part 8:

Masterpost

[slankyyy-revs-the-world]

While sifting through my dms with oomf, I found I shared my Gautier-Brainrot™ essay. Figured why not repost it on my new blog since my old one got nuked. This is going to be divided in two parts, this is Part 1 cus tumblr just??? wont let me post the entire essay for Some reason. Here's the sparknotes version of my 1k word ramble above the cut:

Miklan-Stans and Sylvain-Stans ironically share the same issue of blaming Matthias on everything just to woobify their fav Gautier-Man because it's cleans up the messy family of House Gautier into clean boxes.

I can't exactly fault Gautier-fanon for making Matthias into a really abusive terrible dad because in base Houses; he doesn't even have a name, Margrave Gautier is only a vague concept. Post-Hopes, Matthias was characterized and recontextualized—a lot of fans tend to ignore the nuances Hopes gave just to default him into abusive dad ever

Matthias is a deeply interesting character; he's a character so deeply defined by loss, yet who held such high ambitions as he believed in Lambert's future and legitimately tried brokering peace with Sreng. He cares deeply about his sons and grieves for them, but because of how jaded he's become, he's always failing to ever express that to them

Same criticism I have with Matthias fanon I have with Miklan. Disclaimer: Miklan had agency with his actions, I'm not pretending like he's a hapless victim—the two extremes around his character are extremes I dont like (Miklan was a total victim guys!!!! vs Miklan was a totally evil person guys!!!)

The more content Hopes gave us about the Gautier's is way more compelling than the scraps we got from Houses actually.

Addendum: with the Miklan-Stans and Sylvain- Stans, of fucking course most woobiefication always share the same take of 'Let's blame Matthias for everything because he is the sole root of my Gautier Blorbo's mental anguish hundred-fold!!!!'. Which that's just really boring honestly because it cleans up the very messy family situation of House Gautier into nice clean boxes; people say that they love messy and complex families in media but then immediately jump to make the one character the villain while everyone else was hapless victim of circumstance. I'm more lenient with fanon during the 3Houses era since at the time, the game didn't even give Margrave Gautier a name, he was at most a vague concept left up to fill the blanks. When Hopes came out and we got more Matthias characterization and context for the situation of Gautier-Sreng, sucks that people chucked it all out of the window to just make the flattest interpretations ever. Which sucks because I absolutely adore Matthias as well (how Gautier enjoyers look when I roll up loving ALL Gautiers that is not just Sylvain) and he gets cartoonishly flattened to be this horrible awful abusive father in a Post-Hopes fandom. Matthias is a man destroyed by loss; who believed in the same starry-eyed future that Lambert did, who tried to bring that future to fruition. Even after he lost not just the love of his life but his second unborn child in a violent raid by Sreng forces, Matthias still tried to broker peace with Sreng (methods of brokering peace were dubious since he brought home a child political hostage). He become cold and closed off after his first wife died, doing a complete 180 in his personality from being a talkative and friendly guy to the Margrave who's fixated on ensuring the border is secured. After Lambert's death—it's clear that he gave up on ever reaching that lofty future Lambert got him to believe in. This man is deeply good to his friends, he's loyal to his country and shares a close bond with Rodrigue—but for the life of him, he cannot ever express how he truly feels to the point where Sylvain says that his true emotions/thoughts could fill a whole library. Matthias has completely closed himself off from other people, being dubbed as the Wall of Ice because of how little he lets people see of him; all to the detriment of his sons. Yet Matthias grieves, my god does he grieve deeply for Miklan—despite putting up an exterior of indifference, he wishes to avenge his death in Azure Gleam, Rodrigue comments how he holds so much regret for how Miklan turned out. He is also very aware that he has not been the greatest father, yet he cares deeply for Sylvain as well and sees so much of his younger self in him; it literally talks Rodrigue chasing after the man to get him to apologize to Sylvain. Yes, this criticism against Matthias fanon applies to Miklan content as well, same thing I said about Matthias fanon pre-Hopes era also applies here too. I'd much rather explore how House Gautier was shaped by military necessity to defend a hostile border and Matthias's grief about losing his beloved wife had helped shaped Miklan for the worse rather than taking one of those two extremes.

[rythmicjea]

Archie's Dream 5x04

Should I be finishing up my chapter for Narwals? Yes. Am I? No. Instead, I can't get Archie's dream out of my head. Season 5 is considered to be "the worst" season. That's because the majority of people don't understand it. There are so many layers to this season. It's like a 14 hour long episode of the X-Files. If you take episodes 1-3 to really be the end of season 4 (and we all should) it's the shortest season out of all of them.

The show needed to get everyone back together in Riverdale. That's how shows like this work. The impetus is Archie's dream. On the surface it's a warning that Riverdale is in trouble. The soul of Riverdale is on the verge of collapse. And yes, that is true. Get closer though, and you start to see the shadows underneath.

The dream opens in the boys locker room of Riverdale High. Archie Andrews is giving his team a pep talk before the game. His voice is darker, deeper, it's that of a drill sergeant. He prepares them saying it's not going to be easy. That they have never faced anything like it but they cannot be afraid. He barks, "Do you know why?" And they answer "Because we're Bulldogs!"

The camera lingers on Reggie. Why Reggie? Here's the thing most people don't recognize about Mantle the Magnificent. He may not like you, but if you go to Riverdale, you're a Bulldog. And he will defend any Bulldog for any reason. That's why he's so offended and incensed that Jughead wears his Serpent's jacket. Because to him, Jughead is spitting in Riverdale's face. Jughead is one of Riverdale's sons and that should mean more.

We see the General tell them that their mission is to save their fallen brother. The next shot is of a football field as No Man's Land (the stretch of land between two trenches in war). There are football players in the background running plays. There are bombs going off and artillery fire whizzing by. I am an avid football fan. I grew up on Ohio State football. A football game is often referred to as a "battle". You'll hear phrases like "Battle on the Grid Iron". Each game is life or death for the players and the fans. But this is more than just a football game. This is actual life or death.

Reggie goes down. Shot in the chest from enemy fire. This is representative of how Reggie is on the "wrong" side in the season. He's aligned himself with Hiram. He doesn't care for the town and the school that he once loved so deeply.

Archie is then flown into the air by a bomb. He doesn't want to go further. He doesn't think he can. You would think that he would look at his target. Instead, he sees Cheryl. She's in her Vixens uniform. And while you can hear the squad cheering, Cheryl isn't speaking. She smiles at him, with tears in her eyes, nodding at him to go forward. Why is she here? They weren't particularly close. Why would she care about his mission? Because Cheryl has lost a brother. She knows that pain of not being able to help and the guilt that comes with surviving. She can't let Archie go through that.

Then we see the fallen soldier. We don't know his identity until Archie gets to him. It's Jughead. A chest wound pouring out blood. His heart was broken by his first love and his best friend. Jughead only says one line and it is "I just need a little help". We come to learn in the season that Jughead has become an alcoholic. His line is one that many addicts say. It's so simple to believe that with just a little help they can overcome their affliction. A lot of times it's said to get a fix. Just a tiny one to help get through the withdrawal.

On the sidelines is everyone who loves Jughead. The Serpents, Betty, Veronica, and Pop. They're all cheering for Archie to do what needs to be done. And at the last moment we see Hiram standing with a gun pointed at Archie. In the first four seasons it was always about Archie vs Hiram. But everyone forgets that the actual thorn in Hiram's side was Jughead. It's Jughead that exposes him. It's Jughead that picks up the pieces of his parental duties for Veronica. It's Jughead who is willing to risk everything to see Hiram exposed for all of his corruption and evil deeds. And Hiram knows it. But Hiram can't do anything to Jughead without exposing himself. That's why he willingly lets Jughead take himself to the slaughter against the ghoulies. Hiram was behind riot night. And that gunshot wound in Jughead's chest? Who's to say it wasn't Hiram who pulled the trigger?

Archie's dream tells the story of season 5. There's many reasons for him to come home. He declares that Riverdale is "dying" and they need to save it. But it's not Riverdale that he has to save, it's Jughead. He hasn't spoken to Jughead in seven years. When he calls his three friends, Betty and Veronica drop what they are doing immediately to answer. Jughead is the only one who hesitates. We never see him answer. Jughead is the most reluctant to stay.

NO ONE on the show knows how to handle an addiction. Not even Jughead. He knows how to take care of his father but it was never his responsibility to save his father. And FP? FP gets sober cold turkey. He falls off the wagon at his retirement party. He is magically able to handle alcohol responsibly. That's not how addiction works.

Archie offers Jughead a place to stay and a teaching position at the school. Archie lets him go when he needs to go back to New York without any questions asked. Archie is the subliminal support system that was taken from Jughead at the end of high school. He doesn't know what to do exactly (and he has his own issues - PTSD) but he can do the passive things to help his brother.

After seven years of silence, Archie has a dream that tells him his best friend and brother is in danger and he's the only one who can help. And if that's being an invitation back to a safe place and a warm bed then he does it without hesitation. To many Archie IS Riverdale. He is the heart of the town. But, Jughead put Riverdale on the map. Jughead is the town's conscience. To Archie, Jughead is Riverdale.

[the-monkey-ruler]

You said that demons do not have communities or clans according to the ancient literature of Chinese mythology, however, in Journey to the West, they have caves, children, sworn brothers and adopted family and subjects that I believe you mentioned obeyed the king for protection and survival. Wouldn't that be something to do as a community or groups? they would be quite large groups. or would this just be called groups? However, I understood it that way, so sorry if that's not the case.

My other question is, I see that it is repeated a lot that "minions" serve the demon kings, so are Minions like other lower-ranking demons and they should not necessarily be the same species as the demon king? (Like, in the first chapters, I see that two demons put themselves at the service of Wukong and it is implied that they were not monkeys)

You said that demons do not have communities or clans according to the ancient literature of Chinese mythology,

You must have misread what I say because I said that clans were "rarely" the case, not that they didn't exist. Please be aware of that.

however, in Journey to the West, they have caves, children, sworn brothers and adopted family and subjects that I believe you mentioned obeyed the king for protection and survival.

Well, you answered yourself in that question. I have always taken it that clans are imminent family or biological relatives, with leeway to adopt kids, but otherwise, sworn brothers and kingdoms are not counted. You can be sworn brothers but of different clans, like Wukong has his family the Sun Clan but none of his sworn brothers or their kingdoms were a part of that. And that you can have kingdoms but they can not your clan as kingdom are more minions following a demon king as their boss rather than a family.

Anyway, demon clans are rarely the case because there are few demons that either marry or have children. We see this a few times but in comparison to the many other demons that is what makes it very small. The smallest 'clan' that I wouldn't consider a clan with White Deer and his adopted daughter White Faced Fox. I would say that maybe the Bull King, Iron Fan, Jade Face, and Red Boy could be considered a clan. The Spider Sisters 'adopted' bugs as their sons of fear of death so take that as you will. And the Nine-Headed Lion adopted 7 lions of his own to be considered family. The only one that has a real clan title though is Wukong as he gave his entire kingdom the honor of being his grandkids and calling themselves by his surname. You will see that with most kingdoms, Kings don't just adopt all their subjects and give them their surnames.

Wouldn't that be something to do as a community or groups? they would be quite large groups. or would this just be called groups? However, I understood it that way, so sorry if that's not the case.

Also I wouldn't consider the kingdoms in Xiyouji are communities as I considered them military strongholds instead. While kingdoms do have multiple assets such as housing, food, and health, I think that communities would also cater to education, child care, and an economy. Demons rarely make their own goods, there are no farmer demons, no craftsmen demons, no demons that made raw materials or items, all they have the take from human villages. Demons have to pillage and plunder because they cannot make things for themselves because they just don't have the resources or well-established community to do so. Demon Kingdoms are more glorified palaces with the royals and the servants organized in a military personal. They are made for the purpose of the Demon King in question and yes they are a group of demons together but they only thrive under their King when they work for them. They are not given education or opportunities to learn arts as members of a 'community' but rather should be more regarded as 'hired help' that are there for their own needs as well to work under the 'company'.

Demons don't work under kings to have a place to settle down or raise a family, they are there to work under their King and fulfill their duties. Demon Kingdoms provide shelter, food, and protection but only if the minions agree to work for their keep. I wouldn't consider this a clan as they are not a family, and I wouldn't consider this a community as it runs more as a military. While you can consider that a community of some kind I personally think of a community being more well-rounded than that.

What I was trying to say with that there are few communities is that you rarely see demon towns or demon neighborhoods. We never see demons that are part of a community that isn't military-oriented or serving under their King. We never see demon civilians or demon villagers. And the only time we do see demons that are not in militaries/kingdoms is when they are loners and trying to cultivate their qi more by eating humans. Demon can certainly have connections and friends but when it comes to complex civilization compared to humans or the heavens, then it is certainly lacking.

My other question is, I see that it is repeated a lot that "minions" serve the demon kings, so are Minions like other lower-ranking demons and they should not necessarily be the same species as the demon king? (Like, in the first chapters, I see that two demons put themselves at the service of Wukong and it is implied that they were not monkeys)

And yes the minions that serve demons kinds are to be considered low ranking and often if is the case they are different spices. As said before demons have to cultivate individually so it is rare if demons are of the same family. We see this often in Xiyouji if you see what kind of animals the servants are when Wukong kills them. Sly Devil, Wily Worm, Hill-Pawing Tiger, and Sea-Lolling Dragon all work under Silver Horn and Golden Horn but they are considered a bird, bug, tiger, and reptile if we trust their namesakes. Benbo'erba and Babo'erben are a sheatfish and a black fish working under the Wansheng Dragon King. Shifty-and-Freaky and Freaky-and-Shifty are both wovles under the Grand Lion Saint of Nine Spirits. Spring Grace is a fox working under Great King Jupiter's Rival. All of them are different species for the most part and all are much weaker than their King.

Wukong is a special case in that MOST if not all of his subjects are his monkeys whether that being macaques, gibbons, or horse monkeys. The only exceptions are two one-horned demons that gave Wukong the idea of his "great sage" title. But even then Wukong didn't care when they got captured as he didn't consider them his 'kind'. They were not his clan.

The tigers, leopards, wolves, insects, badgers, foxes, and many more were captured but not a single monkey. Wukong adopted his monkey and thus made his clan being only his monkeys, but to anyone else under his kingdom or under his sworn brothers, they are more like hired help.

Kingdoms can provide a lot and even provide a common-minded group with a common goal but they shouldn't be mistaken for a family clan nor should they forget that there is a hierarchy that must be followed where the King is the top priority and not its inhabitants.

If I had to make like a list of most close-knit to most military it would be.

Clans/Family/Adopted - fairly rare and very small (excluding Wukong)

Communities/Villages - nearly non-existent

Sworn Brothers - rare but mostly made mostly for the sake of military connections.

Kingdoms/Military - Most common

If you have the time then I would suggest to anyone to please watch 小妖怪的夏天 from 中国奇谭. This shows Tang Sanzang's journey from the perspective of a minor demon and what it is like being under a demon king. AND I THINK IT IS PERFECT. Great animation and voice acting but also what is is like being a weak demon compared to demon generals or even a demon king... AND THEN COMPARED TO SUN WUKONG. It does a great job showing the power structure of demon kingdoms and I think that is captures how kingdoms are meant to be more military-focused and job oriented than anything family or community-centered. Personally, I think this is a close-perfect interpretation but this is just an interpretation and people can have different idea of how kingdom hierarchies are seen. And even shows how Yaogaui react to Sun Wukong, a yaoguai like them being seen as a hero.

Please give this a watch even if you just wanna see a SECOND of Sun Wukong in the end. (Also please watch after the credits if you don't wanna be sad I promise it has a happy ending.)

[nrilliree]

https://www.tumblr.com/spacerockfloater/745120064183943168/oh-i-absolutely-sympathise-with-alicent-criston?source=share

Favoritism isn't the issue; the problem is that he is negligent and petty towards innocent children who haven't done anything to him.

2. Alicent demanding the baby immediately after birth was purely out of pettiness and as a power play. Joffrey's hair color won't change in an hour. Allowing Rhaenyra to spend time with Joffrey and letting the baby be bathed and changed wouldn't magically change his hair color.

3. It's funny how fans of the TG always say Rhaenyra taking Joffrey to Alicent was her decision, but Alicent showing her feet to Larys in exchange for information is coercion, even though he never blackmails her and she has much more power than him.

4. Criston is just a big hypocrite who believes himself morally superior to judge and insult others when he has gotten away with killing a nobleman, hitting the future king consort and son of a Targaryen princess, as well as causing a disturbance that endangered several nobles during the party and still getting away with it.

Criston insults Rhaenyra, but never shows any kind of disgust towards Aegon, who harasses the maids and enjoys watching children tearing each other apart; that should tell you something about him. The man was even quite proud to call him the true heir to the throne and put a crown on his head. That's a big demonstration that he doesn't really care much about morals and justice.

5. The first thing Aegon did as King in the book was literally fire Otto, and in the show, he's heading down the same path. 😭

6. If Daemon is a pedophile, then Criston is too. Why do people act like Criston is a teenager and the same age as Rhaenyra?

7. It's ironic that he says Daemon massacred people when Team Green has a bunch of murderers (including Criston himself), and Alicent ordered Larys to get rid of Mysaria, causing him to burn down a brothel full of innocent women and possibly children...

This is why I use the teacher argument, because I can bet my left arm that if these people were in Rhaenyra's position and some person they hurt in the past took it out on the children they have power over, he wouldn't be so keen support such situations. Criston is in a position where this shouldn't happen.

Especially since Alicent knew Aemma's story very well and knew that giving birth could also have consequences for Rhaenyra. She knew well that Rhaenyra would bring the baby herself (because it wasn't the first time), but she demanded it anyway.

Of course. Because Alicent is more the victim. Rhaenyra is a spoiled cunt and deserves what Alicent did to her, and Alicent is a poor thing who was forced to do everything.

Criston is justified (like Alicent) for everything he has done, because he is a pawn of the system oppressed by the monarchy, and it is very good that he decided to stand up. That's right. And I can bet that if the situation at the tournament were reversed and Criston won and then Daemon attacked him FROM BEHIND, they would not call Daemon an honorable winner, but an asshole who cheats and plays without honor. And for me, Criston doesn't have even an ounce of pure honor after everything he's done.

To this day I still don't know why Aegon thought Criston would be a good replacement for Otto. Just…why him? Criston has never even led anything on his own, so where did you get the idea that he would be a good Hand :P?

It seems to me that Criston's fans: a) like a large part of TG, do not know the definition of pedophilia, b) have no idea how old Criston is. AND HE IS FOUR YEARS YOUNGER THAN VISERYS. He's Daemon's age! But he's more handsome, so we forgive him :P?

You know what? I really think that this person is either a troll or is so detached from reality in own belief that everyone is stupider and less educated that a discussion with him is pointless :P

[ffsanaaaa]

Ok, now that the first pjo season is finally over (😭) I want to share my pitch for the future adaptations from the Riordanverse, because since daydreaming is for free I will now pretend I work with Rick and Disney and tell you what I'd do if I were their Kevin Feige.

First of all, do we all agree that if Heroes of Olympus really gets adapted it should be a separate show, and not PJO 6th season, right?? I hope so because they're completely different stories. So, if we will already get 2 connected shows, why can't we get more?

And maybe it's because I'm a big marvel fan but I really believe in the power of crossovers. There's something magical about seeing characters originally from two different worlds/stories interacting with each other, and I'm not only referring to the MCU. I mean, remember the episode where Hannah Montana and the Wizards of Waverly Place all went aboard on Zack and Cody's cruise ship?? Or when all the Disney Princesses appeared together on Ralph Breaks the Internet???

So imagine having 2 original spin-offs released in the years between each season from PJO. That way we would get the chance to meet not only Camp Jupiter but also some of the characters who are originally from there before HOO.

My idea of a title for the first show is "The Children of Rome", and the story would be set right after the events from Sea of Monsters/PJO Season 2, where we would follow Reyna as one of the main characters and all the journey she went through after her encounter with Percy and Annabeth on Circe's Island.

From being kidnapped by pirates to being trained by the wolf Lupa (which I think it would be really nice to actually see, since we only got a brief explanation of how it works in the books) until she finally arrives at Camp Jupiter and is first welcomed by Jason. Here I think there's even a great opportunity for a parallel between him and Thalia, since season 2 will have ended with Thalia resurrection and her iconic line (that could be adapted so to fit her last name) "I am Thalia Grace daughter of Zeus", so Jason's first introduction could be with him saying "I am Jason Grace son of Jupiter" (I already have chills only from imagining the scenes).

This could be a 3 or 4 seasons show, where we would see Reyna and Jason ascending to Praetor and their battle with the titan Krios, and in the last season (after PJO’s last season) we would see Nico's, Hazel's and Frank's arrival, wrapping the series with Jason disappearing.

Now for my second spin-off idea, it would be set after Titan's Curse/Season 3 and we would follow The Hunters of Artemis, which is already a great title by itself, and I would be satisfied with only one season but I would definitely not mind if we got more!

It would be a simpler show, with basically badass (ace) girls adventures, to see what they've been up to during the events of book/season 4, while we also get to know more of Thalia, her past trauma and how she misses her brother since she doesn't know he's alive. The Demigod Files story, The Sword of Hades, where Percy, Nico and Thalia go to the underworld and meet Bob could even happen in this show through her pov, that way we would understand better why she got so shaken with their encounter with the goddess of ghosts and regrets.

All of that would be a nice contrast with Jason's journey, since he was too young when he got to the Camp and doesn't remember much from his past with the exception that he was abandoned, so he doesn't even imagine that there's someone who cares and misses him. All of this would culminate in HOO first season when they finally get reunited.

No, it’s not a coincidence that I’m focusing a lot on Jason, but ironically the reason for that is not because he’s my favorite character, actually between the seven demigods from the prophecy he’s one of my least favorite, and I hardly ever find people in the fandom who has him as their favorite, which I think is pretty sad (specially now that I finally finished reading The Trials of Apollo, because I honestly I want to scream everytime I think about how much he is underrated and poorly explored as a character).

What I believe to be the reason for all of this is that, even though they’re nothing alike, Jason is often compared to Percy due to both being the son of one of the most powerful gods in Olympus and pretty much the leaders of their respective Camps. But that’s still not a fair comparison, because it’s like “who do you prefer, the boy we’ve known for 5 books already in which we got to first know this amazing world through his eyes, thoughts and feelings… or this dude we just met and that people say to be as good as him?”

Not only that, but between all the new characters we get to know in HOO (if I remember correctly) Jason is the one with less flashbacks scenes, and I get that this happened because he lost his memory, but this makes that most of the information we have about Jason's past is told to us, and not showed.

So, deep down, we know why Jason's personality is so different from Percy's. We know he'd struggled since he was a little kid due to the pressure of being raised to be a leader in such a cold and harsh environment. We know that even though he was immensely admired in Camp Jupiter he was still deeply lonely and insecure, mainly because of the lack of a parental figure to give him unconditional love making him believe that he only had value if he was of use.

We know he is incredibly powerful and led the Camp through tones of victories. But we haven't seen any of this half as much as we've seen him getting hit on the head, so in the end that's how he's most remembered: a nice and serious guy that got hit a lot on the head.

A spin of series would give the fans a chance of really seeing all that and understanding Jason (and other characters like Reyna and Thalia) better. And, again, it might be simply because I'm a huge MCU fan, but I truly believe that if we got to meet the roman characters and camp before HOO the feeling of seeing those worlds collapsing together and interacting would be so powerful!!

In the books what happen is that we see characters that we don't know yet (therefore don't like yet) arriving at a place and meeting characters that we already love, and then in the second book is the opposite, we see a character that we already love arriving at a place and meeting characters that we don't know yet (again, therefore don't like yet). But if we got to meet everyone separately all we would feel right away is excitement!

I’m not in any way trying to demerit the books!! It’s just that now with the series we have the chance of doing something new, of really adapting this story to a new media format in the best way possible! And, since the spin-offs would be original stories, the writers and Rick not only would have the opportunity to create more freely but also to surprise the fans who had read the books already.

I’ve been sitting on this Idea since the Disney+ show was announced and I know the odds of it happening are pretty low, but I decided to share this idea with othe people who also loves these books so we can freak out together.