#for the nightmares he tends to have

[reginrokkr]

» @maquiscursed asked: a kiss between furrowed brows to try and comfort (you know from who 😔)

Every eventide fall brings the most terrifying darkness to those who don't stand entirely under light's shade or luminosity brilliance, whispers of the Abyss grow louder and all demons concealed within roused with invigorated drive to crawl from the skin of the cursed outside or scream in pain byproduct of conflicting celestial light within that, like moonlight will never be silenced by night's black mantle, neither will the abandoned seraph's.

With it comes excruciating pain that never goes away nor it ever ameliorates with continuous building of pain tolerance and, despite Dáinsleif's best effort at concealing it, fair eyebrows knit in a frown within the composure he insists to uphold until he returns to his own chambers. For even if he knows it is safe to present himself however he is to Neuvillette —either out of courtesy of reciprocating the rex's confidence to do so with him, as an expression of shared trust or both—, he loathes to show the worst of him to the Iudex. The most immediate justification for that being his sorrowful gaze at the earliest notice of pain, of concern and lament as if all of this were his own.

Albescent lashes flutter close to take deep breaths, having proved in the past effective to calm his alarmed senses back intro tolerant tranquility just for a little longer until both of them part to sleep each on their room. Amidst his exercise to calm down he feels softness of plush lips pressing a kiss betwixt his brows, prompting Twilight to open them sufficiently to note his beloved's merciful attempt to make him feel better. Stellar pupils quiver within sapphire depths, half-lidded as they are, roseate lips part to heave a sigh of newfound relief he didn't know he would feel when pain flourishes in all its inclemency. ◜Forgive me.◞

It is far from the first time Neuvillette saw this within centuries of blooming relationship the two of them had and even yet, regardless of how much he learned about his own pain spikes, hardly ever it was from his own mouth as much as it must've been from observation alone. Opposite to him, ever the honest one who never once hesitates to communicate how he feels in all his confusion and disorientation as new humane sentiments weigh on his heart, no matter how indecent it may be of him as the maximum exponent of this nation or embarrassing to him, if he ever felt that way. Perhaps... perhaps he would do better in practising the same as Leviathan does, if only to give him more concrete information of what he feels like instead of the sorrowful thought of a mind drifting within a whirlpool's eye with naught specific and thousands of painful beliefs, right or otherwise.

◜I must admit...◞ Strong chest rises and falls in a deep breath, albescent lashes open further to reveal glimmering crystalline blues as his hand reaches for the other to bring it to his face. ◜...you make it feel better.◞ It is not a white lie or a half truth to make Neuvillette feel better, no— but earnest truth to at least give him a spark of hope that not everything is futile and, however little the gestures, they contribute to his betterment. Dáinsleif nuzzles lovingly the palm of the dragon's hand before his own lips plant a soft kiss on the same spot where an intriguing mark is displayed on his gloves, he noticed.

◜The pain tends to grow bigger at night, when the demonic darkness of this world is at its more influential.◞ Hesitant as he is, his refusal to let Neuvillette in the dark despite the knowledge he already counts with is bigger. ◜Strangely enough, it would seem that my nervous system is less prone to confound your touch with a magnified version as per the corruption's distortion. Almost as if... it has grown accustomed to it.◞ There is naught Dáinsleif has to validate this nor he knows if it makes sense altogether, but there is no denial that one way or another, he feels soothed. Either because it has been long enough since he acquainted himself with a merciful, soft touch of another or perhaps because he learned to trust his eyes more, to ground himself more on the dragon's good heart despite the lingering pain.

Long fingers tighten their hold on Leviathan's hand a touch more, glacial sapphires bore into iridescent lavenders, a vulnerable gaze even he would scold himself for presenting himself in such degree of weakness if were he see himself. ◜...Sleep with me, Neuvillette.◞ What would be otherwise a hesitant question born from the belief of being too emboldened is nothing but a plea, in truth— a result of growing confidence in himself that, despite the fact that his broken mind may think otherwise, he, too, matters.

[sadlynotthevoid]

I'm not sure if I told you guys about the time I dreamed that 20ish Jason Todd died yet again and Death was pissed off because "really? Again? Wtf Batman. The universe doesn't keep reviving your son just so you can see how much he lasts!" And "He has a work to do you know?!". Besides, she's fond of the bright young soul.

So, she calls her uncle to help him. And what you know? Her uncle is the God of Death (because yes, my brain is like that sometimes). They sit to talk and come up with a solution.

First, taking advantage of the effects still present of the last time-space crisis and the spirits protecting the soul, they regress the time of this universe to when Jay had just left All Caste, way before he had came back to Gotham.

Then, Death places Red Hood!Jason's memories on the soul of his younger self. Not too harsh to force his soul to crack, but not too light to let them fall. Just deep enough so he finds them when he meditates.

And by last, God of Death tells the spirits where they should guide the boy to. The perfect place for him.

Where is the best place for a soul who craves for home and safety? Of course, that's with someone who has the heart to care and accept a new loved one and the determination to protect them.

That's how Jason Todd, teenage assassin in an existential crisis, ends up waking up in the softest bed he has ever been in some foreign country. At his side there's a redhead teen sitting in a sofa, a book in his hands and other boy— this one with black hair and pajamas— lying on his lap.

The redhead— Cale, as he presents himself— is mysterious but kind hearted guy. He also knows things. So much so that if he weren't as he is, Jason would suspect. As things are, he knows he's just used to collect information. A bit like a bat, but not quite. A bat would plan how to use it against the possible enemy. Cale? Well, he doesn't even bother to hide what he realized about him. He's also ridiculously casual about it.

Who offers an assassin if they want their hidden weapons back? This guy, apparently.

Jason only knows he's not totally unconscious because at one point an old guy entered with tea and pastries for the three and Cale, the little shit, choose that moment to reassure Jason.

"Don't worry. My butler is an assassin too and we don't treat him different for it."

The old geezer almost let got the porcelain teapot to the floor. Though, points for him for recovering so fast.

"Young master? May this Ron know who you would be talking about?"

"Hm? Who do you think? Hans? The only thing he can kill is Rok Soo's humor. It's you, obviously."

"..."

Rok Soo, the sleeping beauty complex guy pretending to be asleep on Cale's lap, was sweating badly. If everyone in the room weren't already aware he was clearly pretending, someone may had thought he was ill.

Later on, he realizes there was a reason Cale had said that at that moment.

He's looking at the butler subtly terrorize the boys to behave, treating the siblings like two particularly mischievous puppies. Then he turns around and uses the same tune to advise him to be careful with his wounds. And that's when he thinks 'Oh. He doesn't see me as a menace'.

Of course he doesn't. His employer just confirmed he's aware of his identity— at least partially— and his own nature. The biggest advantage of an assassin is their secrecy. After their identity is exposed, the only reason they won't attack is if the assassin believes the risk is worthy. Telling the assassin he knows he's an assassin was his way to show Jason's own intentions: none.

Jason didn't intend to end up in that field where these teens find him. He didn't intend to be brought in their vacation house. He definitely didn't plan that the people to found him passed out would be whoever these rich guys were.

But he didn't have anything against all of this either.

Well, maybe the wound. He could make it without the blood loose and the soon-to-be scar to add to his collection.

Either way, at least he had a safe place to stay and think. Just think. Because, the memories he saw— what is he supposed to do now that he has his answer?

His da— Bruce. Bruce didn't care for him as much as Jason does for Bruce. Bruce obviously didn't love him as he thought. And certainly, Bruce was way more willingly to harm him than he believed.

And Jason— well, Jason couldn't waste a second life on a man who didn't put hin even at the same level than the Joker of all people. But maybe his expectatives were too high? He hadn't planned what to do if his life was meaningless to him.

So, Jason needed time. Time to ponder and heal. Those things are better done in a safe place.

That's what Jason has in mind when Cale offers him to stay with them.

[rambunctioustoons]

you ask Sundrop Fnaf what gender they are, they answer "oh, you know! :)". Does not elaborate.

you ask Moondrop Fnaf what gender they are, they open their mouth and Hiss at you.

[outeremissary]

Bringing out a funny question for the asks that I know already exists in some form. What is the worst thing Balthazar does in their story?

God. What a question when he’s done So Much Shit that the one big list I have isn’t even comprehensive. I think in terms of scale of impact it might be blowing off Jamandi’s summons for the sake of personal relationship drama. That’s not a very interesting or funny answer but also HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE DIED. And it truly does come from such a lack of concern for the lives of others- he’s not particularly fond of Jamandi and feels she demands more than she returns, so in his eyes her life and the lives of every other person on that plain just don’t matter very much. In a petty way, he’d like for her to suffer crippling losses and get off his back. The faceless masses of Rostland who absorb the brunt of that are just numbers to him. And more importantly, how could Jamandi and the threat that is currently firmly a Her Problem be considered in the same breath as Tristian at all?

In terms of smaller scale things… being pretty willing to help Jaethal do Basically Anything isn’t really great when that culminates in super murdering Nortellara, and also having endorsed her holding that unlucky Nortellara look alike against her will all fucking game prior. That’s not awesome. That doesn’t speak well of someone. I know that on my romance run there was a feeble last minute “wait maybe we shouldn’t murder your daughter for…. reasons” that she rejected (still a funny move of hers) but that’s not canon to me. The canon of my heart is very much Balthazar having been All In on killing Nortellara and being upset that Jaethal might be willing to consider backing down because he was at the time trying very hard not to think about if maybe he had an important relationship of his own to mend. Murder your daughter so I don’t have to think about the consequences of my own actions Jaethal :/

But of course there's also this so really who can say

[prompt list]

[goblinssweetestleaf]

A tale of dumbassery, a sailor, and one innocent bi-stander (aka. Eddie Munson)

Eddie was crouched on the curb of the building when one of the back doors to the mall suddenly flung open. He was behind the mall near the dumpsters, so it wasn’t uncommon for people to slam the door with their legs while their hands were full of garbage bags. What was not normal, however, were the tiny shorts on this guy's ass. 

There were no shorts that needed to be that short. Though it was the eighties, crop tops, and short shorts on men were a trend. That didn’t mean Eddie had to enjoy it. If anything, he enjoyed it so much that it did a full one-eighty into a bad case of loathing. 

But this sailor, in his short blue shorts, maybe one in a million because Eddie's enjoyment was doing a full three-sixty on repeat. He’s pretty sure his eyes were doing that silly animated thing too, where they continuously popped in and out of his skull.

As he kept watching this fine-looking sailor, he noticed the other man struggling to carry three garbage bags in his two hands. His arms were visibly straining from the weight. The man was also purposely stumbling to the dumpster to avoid one of the leaking bags, leaving a trail of melted ice cream behind him. He was a walking disaster just waiting to happen and Eddie found himself slightly more into that than he had previously thought.

What can Eddie say? He has a thing for dumb men and nice asses. And this gorgeous, gorgeous fool in front of him was the epitome of dumbassery. 

Eddie was so distracted by this man that his cigarette burned to the nub, and he wasn’t paying attention to the heat slowly beginning to reach his fingers. Not until it was too late did he notice the tiny lit flame against his skin. Some of the ash landed on his pants, hands, and even his favorite ‘Ride the Lightning’ tee.

“Fuck,” he yelps as he hops up and purposely drops the nub under his show to put it out. His right hand, which got burnt, was doing a dramatic jazz hand skit, while his left made a feeble attempt to brush off the ash. He then looks back up to see the sailor, who had been two-thirds of the way to the dumpster before Eddie did his small fire dance, was now looking at him.

From where he stood, Eddie could hear the other chuckling at him. Embarrassment washed over him before it slowly turned to anger when he finally comprehended who he was looking at.

Standing almost ten feet away from him was Steve Harrington, the same Harrington who was a complete douchebag in high school. Now, said douchebag was holding back soft laughter. The asshole even opened his mouth, probably to give Eddie shit, when the bag that had been leaking the entire way to the dumpster finally broke. 

Ice cream and trash go everywhere, most landing on Steve's shoes and hairy legs. 

Eddie doesn’t hold back the laughter that catches him by surprise, his anger leaving him before he can say anything too stupid. However, he quickly stops when the other boy's gaze falls back on him. 

He’s afraid he’ll have to run away from a trash-covered king, but that fear quickly dissolves when he hears Steve's laughter slowly join his. 

“I suppose that's what I get for being an asshole.” Steve comments, scrunching his nose in disgust as he steps out of the puddle of sour milk at his feet.

He looks back up, about to say something to Eddie, but the door he exited less than five minutes ago flings open. This time, a disgruntled girl with a slight bob and matching sailor suit emerges.

“Hey, asshole-” She stops mid-sentence, her expression morphing into disgust as she processes the mess surrounding Steve. 

Eddie glances back at Steve who is now frantically moving much faster than before. He throws the garbage over the dumpster and quickly begins to pick up what he can, which isn’t much before he runs back to the girl at the door.

“Sorry, I didn’t see the bag was ripped until I was like five feet away from the exit, and I was hoping to get it all mopped up before you noticed, but the bag broke and–” Steve’s words were flying a mile per minute, each hitting his coworker in the face all at once. 

Once again, Eddie is surprised by the boy's behavior and so is Robin, whose name tag he had managed to catch when she takes a step back from Steve. Who now reeked of garbage and seemed oblivious to this fact along with what personal space was.

“Ok, ok, I get it, dingus.” Robins's hand moves up in a stop motion. Both she and Eddie watch as Steve’s anxiety train slows down to a halt before it goes too far off the rails. 

“We can get a janitor to clean it up or something, but I need you to get back in there before I piss myself. I’m having one of your kids watch the booth while we are away and I don’t think we have enough time to piss and get you cleaned up before they start robbing us clean.” Robin rambles out. 

Eddie can’t help but think that the two were perfect for each other because they sure did ramble a lot. 

Eddie’s existence is again ignored as the two sailors head back in. Before Steve is completely gone though, he sends a small finger wave Eddie's way. 

And at that moment, Eddie decided he was going to loathe that boy's ass forever.

Ahhh I'm slowly getting back into a flow of things and strangely this one shot took me forever to write which I am not used to. (Though I am considering expanding this into Eddie finding Steve and Robin fucked up on the truth serum though I am not sure, I am willing to take opinions though)

[tetedurfarm]

just in case anyone had the idea that himis are foolproof because how can you mess up being long and skinny

well

this is how

[scorchedmazes]

minho has 1000% fallen out of his hammock MULTIPLE times. leading to gally, jorge, vince, etc. helping him and thomas build a small hut that they end up sharing.

[breezy-cheezy]

Whumptober No. 9 THE VERY NOISY NIGHT 

Sleeping in Shifts | Tossing and Turning | Caught in a Storm

I was lamenting how behind I’m getting on whumptober but!! Then I remembered, day 9 is one I actually did early! Headcanon Diluc deals terribly with storms (dad died, almost killed his brother, all when storming) and perhaps sometimes Venti pays a visit to help :’’) 

The song is Lullaby for a Stormy Night by Vienna Teng! It’s such a sweet one, aaaaa

Please don’t tag with ships! All relationships portrayed here are strictly platonic!

[antiqua-lugar]

the terror has me itching to fall into another rabbit hole about victorian racism because they absolutely nail the despair james would feel at "not being even English" but I need the details of what the Victorians were thinking about the Brazilians specifically. It's already pretty wild that James ends up embodying the English fear of miscegenation of all things, which right now I can't remember if it's openly addressed when it comes to Francis and Sophia or it's only implied (I am aware about the essays on how the Irish are an inferior race of "white gorillas", I don't believe for a second Sir John wasn't) but the ties to a different colonial empire...they had a caste system too, to add to the mindfuckery.

[swinging-stars-from-satellites]

😭💔

[pear1ridge]

the states dont have crate day how am i supposed to explain what kind of guy wiremu is when u dont understand what it means to be a Crate Day Guy

[running-in-the-dark]

I'm pretty sure at this point the person that has appeared the most in my dreams/nightmares (apart from people I actually know/used to know in real life) is Jarvis Johnson. it happens a lot, he'll just randomly show up all the time. like last night he was in a (particularly gruesome and unpleasant) nightmare that I had. didn't make any sense but it was nice to get a break for a second :)

[goldentigerfestival]

The 30 day Tales challenge... in one post or else it would never get done!

Favorite Tales game: Legendia

Favorite Main Male Hero: Yuri and Senel

Favorite Main Female Hero: Kohaku

Favorite Side Male Character: Moses

Favorite Side Female Character: Stella

Favorite Canon Pairing: Senel/Stella + Shing/Kohaku

Favorite Non-Canon Pairing: how official is stahn/leon at this point i wonder

Favorite Opening Song: Destiny

Favorite Location: ??? idfk the entire Legacy??? I'll go with Werites Beacon for simplicity I guess. feels like home

Favorite Mascot: Giet. don't tell me he's not a mascot, I'm not listening. (and if you want to try having that discussion my answer is still the Oresoren so we're not getting far, are we)

Favorite Monster: ??? also dfk, probably something cute except i don't like hurting cute so i guess we're stuck

Favorite Boss Battle: UHHHH listen it hurts to say but Vicious; bc the raw emotion that went into that entire storyline ate me whole

Favorite Villain: since I'm avoiding antagonists here (such as Duke who aren't explicitly villains) and prefer to go full villain, Creed.

Least Liked Character: not opening THAT can of worms!!! :D

Your First Tales Game: boooo boriiiing. Symphonia like the other half of the western population. no fancy answer here

Your Favorite Scene: ??? I mean, there's... a lot I guess??? Stahn pleading with Leon moments before disaster??? Kanata crying that Vicious was okay and came back to them??? Moses saying literally anything ever in any scene ever??? the end of Innocence but when you choose Spada as your soulmate bc I'm a bias little fuck??? anything with Yuri and Flynn being happy together??? the entirety of Legendia???

Funniest Scene: idk but it either had Moses in it, Vicious in it, or it was Spada's "I can't believe you mixed up Frosty the Snowman with the Abominable Snowman"

Saddest Scene: Moses' Character Quest cutscene (if not the whole fucking CQ), moments during disaster with Leon, moments during disaster with Asch

Favorite Quote: a lot of stuff Vicious said ngl. can't think of nor pick one off the top of my head but every time he Gets Serious it's one of those and I fall in love further every single time. but if we wanna be REEEALLY simple? "Yeehaw". thanks, Moses. maybe Yuri has said something cool enough to get on the top list, but I'm not sure anything is trumping "yeehaw", and maybe that's equal to something Vicious said

Favorite Piece of Gameplay Music: Scutum - Decisive Battle. Pour one out for Rebirth having the fucking BEST battle theme ever.

Most Shocking Reveal: ??? I'm... not sure at this point. Giet??? was it Senel??? maybe Mathias and Ruca??? Ratatosk and Emil??? I kind of want to say Ratatosk and Emil because I remember being very impressed with the direction of the plot, in that the main protagonist/player character was actually the villain the whole time that the antagonist was trying to kill the whole time. definitely not a plot direction you usually get in JRPGs. Giet's story still hit like an entire brick building 100 storeys high falling on me though

Favorite One on One Fight: that was actually FUN??? uhhh idk Vicious against Kasque. what did you expect me to say???

Favorite Skit: way too many skits to have even a semblance of an idea. I'm going to assume it was either something related to Yuri and Flynn, Moses, Vicious, Spada or Stahn. that's about the closest I can pinpoint

Favorite Tales Spell: I don't... think I have one...

Favorite Tales Weapon: -bangs fist on desk and gets really obvious really fast- BLOOD SINS, BLOOD SINS, BLOOD SINS. after that the Swordians

Tales World You Want to Live In: honestly Legendia's and Graces' seem the most reasonably normal compared to the rest, but also shiny fingertips and Moses is a pretty solid Legendia

Favorite Animated Tales Series/OVA: (don't say rays don't say rays don't say rays don't say stahn/leon) probably First Strike if only because it focuses on Yuri and Flynn who I love, but Abyss' anime was very solid compared to the other Tales animated series that were just heavily condensed versions (or worse in Eternia's case, not even being relevant to the main story). like, I would not recommend the animated series to anyone prior to playing the game except for Abyss, which is the full major story and I have inarguably rewatched that anime more than I've played the game. I guess in terms of general animated, FS, but in terms of actual consistency to the game it came from and dedication it had in retelling the story faithfully without skipping 80 percent of it, Abyss

Favorite Tales Outfit: RICHARD??? HEEEELLO??? not arc F though that shit is too fruity for me. also Leon has VERY enjoyably bright colors that make him stand out and as a Very Deeply Definitely Not Obsessive Leon Enjoyer, I very much love that. Aegis also has a really nice outfit. Asbel's is pretty but definitely not Richard level of I'm obsessed with this look

Favorite Game Plot: -breaks everything in your room and your neighbor's room for good measure- TURN IT BACK ON NAMCO I'M PAST MY LIMIT SO I'M PROBABLY IN OVERLIMIT (Crestoria. it's that or I'm saying Legendia again. Innocence and Hearts both are really close runner ups tho!!! definitely the most unique in the franchise imo out of the mainline games and sadly confined to "nobody fucking cares about them and never did")

Favorite Game Ending: so that's got... layers. it really depends on the sub topic. I guess in terms of a happy ending, Graces (the Wii version specifically, getting Richard back. don't really care for the ending of arc F and lean more toward disliking it). in terms of a depressing fucking ending that makes me Very Upsetti, Destiny. there is literally nothing happy about Destiny's ending for me. like yeah we saved the world, but at a LOT of cost and it's just depressing. I've wanted to make a post about that anyway, but basically it's a type of ending they don't really make anymore (especially in Tales), and the emotional impact for me was a lot heavier than the other games, with Destiny 2 lingering right behind it. both Destiny games were just DEPRESSING, and no matter how bittersweet Destiny 2's ending was, it's still DEPRESSING. Vesperia at least had a more outright happy ending (that wasn't completely changed by a post game ending arc with a totally different ending) and I finally at that point didn't lose my favorite character to Certain Final Boss Death or Recurring Side Character I Came To Love Dying Unceremoniously and Undeserved. only a couple of top favorites actually came out of their games alive for me by Vesperia in terms of games I know + release timeline (to put it into perspective, by the time of Vesperia in release order (so not the order I played in bc I don't really remember the whole actual order at this point), out of all the games I know, my favorite character death toll was five to three survivors not counting Vesperia. still haven't played Eternia so I'm not counting that one). so I guess like, my answer is a whacky combination of Graces for the Wii, Destiny and Vesperia. maybe if Hearts hadn't killed my mans off then it could've had it all. 😔

[damadorias]

Ngl I got like, an old unfinished dreamswap fic au ig ??? That's just been sitting there for years and lowkey I'm tempted to actually continue and share it mayhaps if it's not too cringe, it would be good practice for my original stuff since well,,, I'm still fckn tryna write doranverse lmao,,, my perfectionist brain is in editing hell with doranverse rn so idk maybe practice fics would help with that, and also bc it's fun writing dreamswap stuff ngl even if I have no idea how accurate I am with the cast, lots of ppl like my older dreamswap fics to this day on ao3 so ig that's something good

[tomatoluvr69]

Ok soooooo turns out visiting a city where a lot of old friends are is all fun and games until you are forced to crawl over hot coals every waking moment (you must text them* to make plans and you have plans ominously awaiting you at all times & you know you’ll be subjected to catch up chats at the start of every single one & you will be anxious to find out if you can still vibe casually with these people or if it’ll be stilted an awkward & & &

*most despicable despisèd activity ever I just want to read my books buy expensive coffees go dumpster diving and lie

[navree]

I like to think that people accusing Alicent and Otto of grooming/taking advantage of Viserys are just being disingenuous because they don’t like Team Green (lol) or the characters, but I will say that I don’t think the show did a good job of condemning Viserys.

I don’t think a show should whack you over the head with its message, but the show didn’t really elaborate on his failings to both his family and the realm. Otto was condemned twice by the narrative - when Viserys exiled him and during Alicent’s “our hearts were never one” confrontation, and while Otto did pimp out his daughter, ultimately the responsibility lies on Viserys. He has ultimate power, he straight up acknowledges that Alicent was a set-up (but then goes on to rape her at least two more times to conceive Aemond and Daeron 🤔). Why doesn’t Otto for ex confront him about that? Instead it’s treated as a set-up for Viserys to allow Rhaenyra to find a husband of her choosing like he did, so it’s positive because #FeministGirlDad.

I don’t mind Alicent mourning him, I just don't like how it was done. (Sansa had a better reaction to Baelish’s death imo.) She’s then made to carry out his “final wish” with that prophecy and during the Green Council we don’t get any politics: no elaboration on Aegon’s solid claim, no discussion about Rhaenyra’s politically inept decisions and how that puts the Greens in danger, nothing that is a direct result of Viserys’s actions. That’s where the show failed imo.

Also, the show spared Viserys from having to come face-to-face with what he did to Aemma (preferably a conversation between him and Rhaenyra). Instead he got a tragic send-off where he reunites with his “true love”. 😒

Yeah, the show kinda screwed up a bit with Viserys and with pointing out that he's kind of the worst. I think it's a combination of things, like Paddy being one of the more high profile stars attached for the first season (and arguably the protagonist of the pilot episode even more than Rhaenyra) along with him just being a good actor and quite good at eliciting sympathy while in the role, as well as the fact that they do primarily want to make Viserys seem sympathetic. The show doesn't acknowledge unsympathetic elements of Viserys because the show doesn't necessarily see him as unsympathetic.

HOTD is clearly pushing a more sociological element of storytelling (if I'm being cynical, I'd say in an attempt to recapture the magic of GOT and that article after it ended about how the first seasons worked because it focused more on societal stuff while the later seasons went back to more psychological stuff akin to what we typically see in shows and movies) where the events that lead up to the Dance are influenced by just the world that these characters live in, and how being socialized in that world makes them take certain actions. So the focus is more on that than on the deliberate actions taken by certain people, which is why we get the focus on "Otto gave Alicent to Viserys as a distraction because in Westeros women are pawns for their fathers to use like that" but not "Viserys is a grown fucking man who made a choice to engage with Alicent and then choose to marry her against all advice".

And it is likely also, as I've said previously, that what appears to be a decentralized writing room continues to give us more character inconsistencies, and Viserys I think is as much a casualty of that on the par of, like, Daemon or Rhaenys.