#house of the dragon review

[so-what-then]

House of the Dragon season 2 review

Highlights:

Better Aegon.

Criston becoming a decent character.

Giving Rhaena parts of Nettle’s subplot.

The idea of Daemon’s vision quest in theory.

Aemond trying to get shit done, what a king 👑

Lowlights:

Literally everything else.

Not a single redeeming female character. Not a single one.

Alicent is a punk bitch.

Rhaenyra is fucking stupid.

Why. Would you make Mysaria, the sneaky worm lady, a pacifist philanthropist?

Helaena reduced to pacifist spoiler machine when she could've been a confused oracle with her own arc.

Where 👏Are 👏The 👏Battles👏?

Nothing happens even when stuff is happening! No one's death means anything!

Dialogue sucked. How many more moody shots of characters staring into the middle distance and meditating on the unfairness of the world do we need?

“The innocents” MAN FUCK THE INNOCENTS THIS IS WAR.

They neutered and sidelined my boy Corlys! His subplot deserved more.

Daemon’s vision quest should have lasted 2 episodes tops.

Stop with the “sOnG oF ICe&fIRe” omg so stupid.

We don’t need forced queer rep from Rhaenyra and Mysaria of all people 🥴

The dragonseeds plot development happens in the most scooby doo way possible.

While giving Rhaena more to do is good in theory, having a dragon roam freely has consequences for the lore.

Honestly what the show chose to include and not include is baffling. Why drop Jace’s time in the North? Why not show Rhaena attempting to tame Seasmoke instead of referencing it in passing? Why include another shot of Alicent looking depressed? Why is Gwayne there if he doesn't do anything? Why show a Rhaenyra and Alicent sleepover multiple times??

In conclusion, hollywood feminism and stupidity ruined hotd. Don’t let the media gaslight you into thinking otherwise, this show is sexist as hell and butchers the source material.

[imperatorcaesaraugustus]

Jace, Mysaria, and the Dragonseeds: Disruptions to the Social Order

(this is one section of my House of the Dragon Season 2 Review)

One of the most significant storylines in season two of House of the Dragon is that of the Dragonseeds, lowborn descendants of Targaryens who find themselves thrust into an unexpected position of privilege and power for having claimed dragons. The Dragonseeds demonstrate an uncharacteristic level of social mobility for Westeros, embodying an inherent challenge to the status quo and the attitudes that uphold it. Around this issue, the characters of Jacaerys Velaryon and Mysaria come to represent opposing perspectives. Mysaria, a commoner who has managed to rise to a position of power and influence, sees them as a vital asset regardless of their origin, while Jace, a member of the nobility whose position is somewhat precarious, views them as an existential threat.

            Let us start with the Hull brothers, Alyn of Hull and Addam of Hull. We are introduced to Alyn first, a serious, stalwart, and dutiful man working in the Velaryon fleet. We are told that he is the one who saved Corlys from an incident that nearly cost him his life last season, and Corlys attempts to reward him for this, raising him up to command a ship in the fleet, though Alyn is very resistant to Corlys’ aid. His brother, Addam, is shown to be a more free-spirited person, but receives little screentime until he is confronted by the dragon Seasmoke. Alyn swears his loyalty to Rhaenyra without hesitation but is still heavily mistrusted by the members of Rhaenyra’s council. It is also at this point that I believe it is confirmed that Corlys is the father of Alyn and Addam, though I can’t be sure because I read Fire and Blood and thus knew from the jump what their lineage was. When the decision to find more Dragonseeds is made, Corlys goes to speak with Alyn, who decides not to make the attempt but rather to stay with the fleet. Alyn then chastises Corlys for the way he and his brother were ignored growing up, forced to live in poverty and work for everything they achieved because they were bastards, and to be honest if I just wrote out the text of that speech instead of writing this section of the review it would get most of my point across.

            After the brothers of Hull, the Dragonseed we see the most of is Hugh, known in the book as Hugh the Hammer. We first meet Hugh petitioning before Aegon on behalf of the smiths of King’s Landing. He asks for a portion of the payment for the weapons and armor being made for the war to be paid in advance, as waiting for payment after the fact is placing them in a difficult financial position. To Hugh’s surprise, Aegon agrees to this demand, but it becomes clear later in the season that the institution of government never made good on these promises. Hugh serves as our primary perspective on the smallfolk of King’s Landing throughout the season. When Melys’ head is paraded through the city after Rook’s Rest, he is the one who voices the collective realization that dragons are not gods, but just meat. We see through his struggles to take care of a sick daughter the hardship that is imposed by the blockade on King’s Landing, and he is present for the start of the rioting that occurs when Rhaenyra sends food. When the sowing of the Dragonseeds occurs, we learn that he has a negative view of the Targaryens due to the treatment of his mother, Saera, but he goes to Dragonstone in the hopes of acquiring a better life.

            The next story I want to look at is that of Mysaria. Season one established her as the head of a network of operatives working towards the betterment of the conditions of the smallfolk, but her base of operations is burned by Larys. She is found in this season attempting to leave King’s Landing via ship, and her capture leads her back into Daemon’s control. He promises her freedom in exchange for her help in arranging the Blood and Cheese incident but leaves for Harrenhal before he can grant her that freedom. Rhaenyra, after some deliberation and to Mysaria’s surprise, makes good on Daemon’s promise, but Mysaria stays in her service. Mysaria becomes one of Rhaenyra’s most trusted advisors, the only one who does not doubt her ability, even developing into the beginnings of a possible sexual relationship towards the end of the season (though it only seems to be present in the one episode and is not touched upon again). In her position of power, Mysaria consistently voices the potential that lies with the smallfolk of King’s Landing, and her idea to send food to the city successfully causes the people to riot against the Greens.

            And now let us talk about Jace and about the sowing. In this season, Jace chafes against the position he is in, too important as Rhaenyra’s heir to contribute to the fighting. He desperately wishes to advance the cause, taking his own initiative to treat with House Frey in order to do so. It is from this same desire to contribute that he proposes the idea to Rhaenyra of searching outside of the Targaryen family for new dragonriders, notably wanting to find them from among the nobility of Westeros. When the attempt with Ser Darklyn fails and Addam of Hull turns up with a dragon instead, it is Mysaria who presents the idea that the lowborn descendants of Targaryens are, in fact, the best place to look. This upsets Jace greatly. He, being widely perceived as a bastard, is less secure in his position than most of those around him. Rhaenyra can afford to disrupt things somewhat in order to gain an advantage in the war, but Jace correctly identifies that his own legitimacy is further called into question when bastards are provably able to ride dragons. And his fears seem to be proven right after the sowing occurs. Addam and Hugh are respectful, but Ulf the White treats Jace as an equal, just a fellow dragonrider. And when Rhaenyra flies to Harrenhal, she brings Addam with her and leaves Jace behind.

            The reality, of course, is that Mysaria is right, and so is Jace. The smallfolk have power in numbers and they have the potential to be just as capable as the nobility. And because of this, the power the nobility has over them is fragile. The Targaryen claim rests foremost with their dragons, as that is the power through which they enforce their will. If the lowborn are capable of riding dragons, then what is there to separate Targaryens from commoners? Monarchs are just people, and dragons are just meat. This season does a good job of highlighting the arbitrariness and unfairness of the social order here. Alyn’s tirade against Corlys in which he highlights the way his life differed from that of Laenor simply because they had different mothers is the best example of this, though the effectiveness of Mysaria’s smallfolk-focused strategies also underlines this theme. There are some places where this falls short, however. For one, the scenes where Corlys is talking with Alyn prior to the final episode never seem to go anywhere. But more substantially, Jace’s position as a protagonist means that his concerns are given weight. We see Ulf as unduly rude, as an interloper who refuses to see Jace as his superior, when these themes should lead us to the conclusion that Jace is not, in fact, superior to Ulf in any inherent way. Both of them, and Addam and Hugh as well, are the descendants of Targaryens, and the only difference is that Jace was raised as though he were a trueborn son.

            This leads me into the final thing I want to discuss. The above has been an analysis based on what is in the season, but now I want to turn to something that wasn’t. If you want to stop reading here, feel free, it should be a more or less complete review without this next bit. For those of you who want to continue, however, it’s time to talk about Nettles (probable spoilers for Rhaena’s story next season).

            Nettles is a character in Fire and Blood, the book from which House of the Dragon is derived. Nettles was one of the characters who showed up for the sowing of the dragonseeds, but the book suggests that she was not actually the descendant of Targaryens. For one thing, she is described as having brown skin, black hair, and brown eyes (the Velaryons in the books have pale skin, as do all people of Valyrian descent). This doesn’t fully preclude the possibility of her being a dragonseed, but when combined with the way in which she claimed her dragon, it seems likely she was not. Targaryens seem to have some sort of magical bond with the dragons they ride. Each person can only ever ride one dragon, each dragon only has one rider at a time, and the way a dragon and rider choose one another is somewhat mysterious. Nettles, however, used a different method. The dragon she went after was Sheepstealer, a wild dragon whose preferred food was sheep. Nettles would bring the dragon sheep until it was full enough to be docile, at which point she mounted it, a method much closer to taming an animal than the mysterious mystical connection that comes with being a Targaryen.

            Dragons are, among other things, an allegory for power. The Targaryens can ride dragons because of their blood. It is through their lineage and their racial purity that they claim the right to rule. In this way, they are emblematic of the feudal monarchy over which they preside. Nettles has none of these things. She is lowborn and dark-skinned, and yet through her ingenuity she claims a dragon anyway. Unlike the other dragonseeds, she defies the common knowledge that only those born from a certain lineage are able to ride dragons and – in the allegory – able to rule. Rhaena, who seems to be taking Nettles’ storyline in the show, does not fulfill this thematic role. She is, unquestionably, a member of the royal family. She views herself as being of lesser worth because she has not claimed a dragon, but there is not much evidence of others holding that opinion. She believes she was sent off to the Vale because she was unimportant, and it is true that she could not contribute to the fighting, but the tasks of keeping safe Rhaenyra’s children and working to maintain a critical alliance are not the trivial things Rhaena thinks of them as. Rather than being the most disadvantaged of all the characters and claiming a dragon anyway, Rhaena is more secure in her position than even Jace and her lack of a dragon has become an issue of self-worth more than anything. Self-worth is important, but I find it to be a very disappointing substitute for Nettles breaking the illusion that enshrines the nobility’s monopoly on governance.

[margarita-life]

Daemon & Rhaenyra | I CAN'T TRUST YOU (HOTD 2X02)

"...But now I have seen that your heart belongs only to you. ..."

#houseofthedragon #rhaenyratargaryen #daemontargaryen #daemyra #houseofthedragonseason2

[mesillusionssousecstasy]

House of the Dragon 2x01 : Review

First of all, sorry to deliver this review a bit late (one day after and not the same day) than two years ago. I have a full time job and unfortunately, I cannot wake up in the middle of the night (5am) than sleep even less.

Anyway. Here's my review.

It's seems that this season will be less exciting (not the same) than season one has we already know the outcome / the end.

The introduction with the embroidery is very nice, but I think I prefer the introduction with the blood during season one. But the embroidery is incredible.

Also, the landscapes, especially the one from the first scene, are incredible too.

I don't think I would have opened with the north, knowing that the scene was so short and we couldn't even have a glance of Winterfall. It seems that Jacaerys was only there for a day.

At least, it's confirmed that Dragons cannot cross the wall!

Sorry, but I love Prince Daemon. I really don't think that he is a bad characters, yes he has many flaws, but I really think he is driven by blood, dragon and honour.

What happened to Corlys Velaryon? Where was he injured? Also it seems that this dagger is important.

I love the way Helaena plays. But I would have thought that they would give us a hint between her and Aemond.

WTF Alicent! You are a fucking hypocrite. Both of them, her and Ser Criston Cole. Doing the same thing as they blamed Rhaenyra for doing it. Parallel with season one and Sir Cole's white cloak. Rhaenyra brings down the white cloak as Alicent brings up the white cloak.

The edit and the camera corners are incredible. Everything is in the detail.

Is Aegon crazy (scene at the grand conseil)? No, I think he is just stupid and too much spoiled.

I don't believe and I can't imagine Rhaenyra has the type of a crying lady. I see her as a strong woman, not a weak one.

There was one correct thing coming from Aegon's mouth! The most important scene for this episode : "Our victory depends on the efforts of the smallfolk."

Larys Strong is still plotting (nothing knew here).

Otto is still a cautious and smart man.

I like the return of the White Worm. And no, Daemon is not using her as a lover on the side.

Erryk said something very truth to Daemon during their conversation: "Arryk and I were named to the Kingsguard at just 8 and 10. And we swore the same oath: to defend the whole of the royal family. So what were we to do when they turned against one another?

Interesting relationship between Daemon and Rhaenyra? Can they feel each other? Can they communicate with each another? I never saw them connecting the way they did in this episode. There was love definitively.

The camera's way of shooting is incredible.

I don't think that this Rhaenyra is very realistic.

I didn't know that Daemon found a way to get inside King's Landing.

Daemon Targaryen is such an interesting character.

I laughed when Ser Cole was talking about himself, instead of Rhaenyra.

There was something Foreshadowing when Otto talked to Aemond.

The scenery is incredible too.

I love the way it's filmed.

It was incredible for Blood and Cheese to pass in front of Aegon without him and his friends knowing.

There was something very out of place with the statue of King Viserys.

Poor dog!

Is the symbol of rats important? What does it mean?

Foreshadowing regarding the drawing on the wall!!! I really hope it wasn't for Daenerys. It was clearly a dragon burning King's Landing. What wasn't we seen this during season one?

Blood and cheese was very well done, even if I preferred the version in the book.

Helaena doesn't have three children? I thought it was between the big and the small one. Also why the Queen is alone?

And it was even worse when Helaena caught her mother in the act. Nevertheless, I thought that she would take refuge at Aemond's side.

I liked the last scene of the show (meaning) : Alicent's face.

Finally, Daemon truly loves Rhaenyra. There is not question there / about it. There is definitively something there. He did what he did because his wife, his Queen demanded of him. It seems that they are connected in some way.

Good night.

[lyrasky]

【ハウス・オブ・ザ・ドラゴン】シーズン2第4話ネタバレあらすじ 解説『偽りの末路』感想 House Of The Dragon2-4

【ハウス・オブ・ザ・ドラゴン】シーズン2第4話ネタバレ あらすじ解説『偽りの末路』感想 House Of The Dragon2-4 #HouseOfTheDragon #ハウスオブザドラゴン #EmmaDArcy #Targaryen #MattSmith #RhysIfans #SteveToussaint #EveBest #GameOfThrones #ゲームオブスローンズ #dragon #PaddyConsidine #FabienFrankel #GrahamMcTavish #ElliottTittensor #LukeTittensor #JeffersonHall #TomGlynnCarney #OliviaCooke #EwanMitchell

  可哀想に、可哀想に ww。 今回の悲惨な終わり方に「自業自得とはこのことだ」と納得。こうなることは初めからわかりきったことだった。にしても、こんなに早く終わりが来てくれるなんて。嬉しい〜！！きっと第4話を見た人の全員が喜んだと思うっ。 ただこの物語はターガリエン家をはじめとするドラゴンの血筋や関連の人間たちの滅亡のストーリー。だからこれから先、まだまだ色々な事件が起きるのです。壮大なストーリーと言われていますし、本家までまだ200年以上あるからね。 だから話が複雑。その上「キャラクターが多くて、おまけに名前が激似ときているから話がわからなくなるー！」とイライラしてるそこのあなた！安心してください！ 大丈夫ですよ、Lyraのこのブログを読めば丸わかり！一緒に【ハウス・オブ・ドラゴン】の世界を楽しみましょう。 Continue reading…

[thankyouriez]

House Of The Dragon Season 2 Episode 4 Recap... And Yes, Lots Of Dragons!

[haveyouseenthisseries-poll]

The full top 100 list can be found here, and this post was inpired by this poll!

[emynarnen]

Harrenhal on Airbnb (and its most recent review)

[fandom]

Much to discuss.

So y'all are discussing it, and then some. Ncuti Gatwa wraps up his first season on Doctor Who in style, naturally, as House of the Dragon gets underway with its second. Fans are sending best wishes as Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter 263 is delayed while creator Gege Akutami recovers from illness. And, just as bears poop in woods, we celebrate the many Cats of Tumblr. This is Tumblr’s Week in Review.

Dungeon Meshi

House of the Dragon

Artists on Tumblr

Interview With The Vampire

Doctor Who

Palestine

Laios Touden | Dungeon Meshi

Helluva Boss

Marcille Donato | Dungeon Meshi

Falin Touden | Dungeon Meshi

Jujutsu Kaisen

Bridgerton

Cats of Tumblr

Batman

Pride Month

Polin | Penelope Featherington & Colin Bridgerton, Bridgerton

Izutsumi | Dungeon Meshi

Hazbin Hotel

Senshi | Dungeon Meshi

Ace Attorney

[feminist-cult-following]

saw a reviewer describe episode 5 as alicent “learning that patriarchy exists” and I have to laugh because alicent has always been just as aware of the patriarchy as any other woman on this show, if not more. she has been shackled by it her whole life. her understanding of the patriarchal society in which she lives is a key component of her character. I swear people watch this show with their eyes closed

[navree]

aegon looking at other people while doing king stuff most of the time

aegon looking at his son even while doing king stuff

(seriously give tgc all his laurels because it is insanely hard to capture "love" as a concrete emotion on someone's face because of how interior and varied it is as a feeling but there's no other way to interpret how aegon looks at jaehaerys other than with so much love)

[nonbinarylesbianherb]

S2 episode 6 has now reached 6.3 rating due to review bombing.

I really hope the writers and actors aren't deterred by this and keep showing us more queer action in the show

[imperatorcaesaraugustus]

Jahaerys, Rhaenys, Aegon, and Cole: The Brutality of War

(this is one section of my House of the Dragon Season 2 Review)

Like the other sections of this review, I have named this one after the principal characters discussed. This section, however, is in truth less a discussion of certain characters and more a discussion of certain events. Here we will analyze the consequences of the defining incidents of the beginning and middle of the season: Blood and Cheese and Rook’s Rest.

            The Blood and Cheese incident is the name given in the book to the murder of Aegon’s son, Jahaerys. Daemon, seeking retribution for the death of Luke at the end of last season, travels to King’s Landing to speak with a guard of the city watch and a ratcatcher of the Red Keep. He hires them to sneak into the Red Keep and kill Prince Aemond, but he does not give clear instructions on what to do if Aemond cannot be found. So long as blood is spilled, any blood will do. And so the two assassins, after encountering a series of obstacles and disruptions to their plan, finally stumble upon Helaena and her children, the twins Jahaerys and Jahaera. They decide that killing Jahaerys would be the best way for them to achieve their goal, a son for a son. After a moment of confusion, Helaena tells them which child is which, and they cut Jahaerys’ head off.

            The death of Jahaerys ripples out among the members of the Green faction. Aegon is driven to fury, desperate to exact revenge against Rhaenyra for what has been done to his family. Criston Cole is also motivated to act, but out of guilt. He was with Alicent when the incident occurred and therefore could not prevent it, but he cannot admit this fact, so he projects this onto Ser Arryk, sending him on an assassination mission to Dragonstone. Aegon promotes Cole to Hand of the King for this, dismissing Otto who is pushing for a more measured response, and thus his grief leads to the inevitability of greater bloodshed and the death of the possibility of more diplomatic solutions. Ser Arryk, for his part, is spotted by Ser Erryk, and so brother kills brother in an act of tragic violence that produces no greater ends. Helaena, meanwhile, says to Alicent that she does not feel as though she can grieve Jahaerys since so many others are also suffering in this war. She is correct in her understanding that everyone in the city is a victim of the war, just as Alicent is correct in saying that Helaena still has the right to grieve. When Rhaenyra first meets with Alicent this season, the death of Jahaerys is a major reason why they are unable to stop the war.

            The second event I want to discuss is the Battle of Rook’s Rest. In this battle, Cole and Aemond conspire to set a trap for the Black faction. They attack the seat of a member of Rhaenyra’s council in the open, hoping that a dragon will come to lift the siege. When one does, Aemond will attack with Vhagar. The plan starts off successful, with Rhaenys arriving on her dragon Melys, but before the trap is sprung Aegon shows up on his dragon Sunfyre. In the end, many die, including Rhaenys, and Aegon is left horribly burned.

            Rhaenys’ death is deeply felt among the Black faction. Rhaenyra looses her most capable dragonrider and one of the only members of her council who does not constantly doubt her, but more relevantly to the theme we are focusing on in this section, Corlys mourns her loss deeply. He questions his support of Rhaenyra, having already lost his daughter and, he believes, his son. In his eyes, the connection to Daemon and Rhaenyra has cost him his entire family. He begins to consider the future of his house in this difficult time, asking Baela to be his heir, but she turns him down. She is a Targaryen, not a Velaryon, eager to follow in the footsteps of her grandmother. Through this war, even one of the most powerful houses in the

            Aegon’s story after Rook’s Rest is the story of a discarded veteran. Before the battle, he was eager to fight, wanting to contribute to the war. Afterward, he is told by Larys upon waking that he will forever be remembered as someone who survived dragonfire, but materially he has been pushed aside, his throne taken from under him by the brother who burned him. The only one who seems not to forget him is Larys, who understands what it means to exist as a disabled person in the society of Westeros. Larys informs Aegon of the harsh reality of what his new life will be, consistently pushing him to improve faster so he may survive in an uncaring world.

            It is through Cole that we see the effect of battles such as Rook’s Rest on the common people. Cole is deeply traumatized by the destruction he witnesses, men burned to death and left as suits of armor filled with ash. He begins the season eager for war, doubling down once Jahaerys dies and he is made hand. After, he is unable to think of anything but the agonizing death that awaits so many when dragons are led into war.

            The question now is whether or not these stories and this theme worked in the show. Let us start with Blood and Cheese. I did not like Blood and Cheese, but my disappointment largely comes from comparing it to the book, and I want to try and examine the show on its own merits here. The beheading of Jahaerys was a truly horrific act, and it does serve to highlight how the cycle of revenge and the decent into war causes the death of innocents. But I do feel the gravity of the moment was somewhat undercut by the comedy of errors that was the infiltration of the Red Keep. One could read it as being part of a broader theme of poorly thought-out actions having serious consequences, in line with the death of Luke at the end of last season, but I just don’t think it really lands here. Helaena’s reaction to the death of her son, both in the moment and afterwards, seems to have been a matter of controversy among some fans. She shows very little outward reaction and later says that she does not feel like she can grieve. I personally had no issue with the immediate reaction, it seemed very clear to me that she was shutting down in response to the event, clearly traumatized even if she was not crying and wailing. As for her later statement, I read it at the time as Helaena not allowing herself to grieve rather than genuinely feeling no grief, but that is admittedly a charitable reading and I don’t know that her later scenes really supported that interpretation. The battle between the Cargyll twins was excellent, however, and solidly supported this theme with how tragic and ultimately pointless it was.

            In contrast to Blood and Cheese, I thought the actual event of Rook’s Rest was very well done, displaying not just incredible spectacle but also showcasing the horrors of war. As for the aftermath, each story supports the theme in a different way. Rhaenys dies, leaving behind a void that cannot truly be filled. Baela is inspired to follow in her footsteps, showing the ways in which the drive for war spreads and ensnares further generations, an ever-descending spiral of tragedy and revenge, while Corlys is left alone, his whole family lost to Rhaenyra’s war. Aegon lives but is physically disabled. He is given credit for the victory and for the death of Rhaenys and Melys, and Larys tells him that he will be forever remembered for the extraordinary feat of surviving dragonfire, but these platitudes do not change the position he is in. He has been discarded, left in his bed while his brother rules the kingdom. If he were to become to inconvenient to Aemond, he would be killed. The Grand Maester works to heal him, but it is Larys and only Larys who understands him. Finally, Cole is physically unharmed, but mentally he has been scarred by the battle. The things he has seen, things that he himself helped bring about, haunt him. Of everyone, Cole’s post-battle story epitomizes this theme the most strongly, though I think of them all Aegon’s story is the best done and one of the strongest in the entire show. It does stand out to me having written this that this particular theme is shown with the Greens far more than the Blacks, but I think that may just be an accident of where we are in the story, and we cannot forget that the season begins with the reaction to the death of Luke. Neither side is devoid of loss, and both will experience more, for that is the inevitable consequence of war.

[possessedopossum]

The Veilguard: my full review [positive, long post, less about game mechanics and more about meta, spoilers]

The thing that makes Veilguard special to me is how self aware the game is. In every dialogue, plot twist or quest I can feel the presence of somebody who wanted to share something with me. Be it personal experience, message, pain or joy. As of 2024, many games have lost their creative spark. Video game industry is no longer a nerd only zone, it's a business no different than others. Many studios utilize AI to write their plots, chase after current trends or simply make decisions that would create the biggest audience possible at the expense of something people love the franchise for. Veilguard did well, because it showed me something I haven't seen in a very long time: the human soul.

Perhaps you have noticed it on your own. The world has gone completely nuts after the covid. Or maybe it has always been this way and I only noticed it now. It is not a surprise to me that players want their game to be darker, to have more aggressive dialogue and to have a morally grey or even evil protagonist. For the past few years I've been feeling like someone had turned the lights off. And the game gave me an impression that someone at bioware feels this way too.

Only negativity gives content creators views and money these days. Open any social media, read any post or watch any video. If something is on top, it's almost always a hate post. What was the last movie most reviewers enjoyed? The last game? Perhaps the one that was released 10 years ago? What was the last time, you, my dear reader, have smiled? Not bitterly or sardonically, but out of genuine joy?

It is extremely fitting that Rook's mentor figure is Varric. Varric is somebody who always sees the best in people. He grew up in one hell of a city but he still loves it. He can find something to laugh about no matter how dire the situation is. He is a people person who can build friendship with anybody. Varric is very charismatic and tends to avoid conflict. He is a chronic liar but that doesn't make him bad because he never lies with malicious intentions. And in some ways, Rook is similar to him.

Yes, Rook can't be a complete asshole. Because the game is not about being an asshole. One of our antagonists, Solas, considers the world to be sick. Modern Thedas is a grave mistake that haunts him. He can't forget and move on because even the elves themselves wear his mistakes on their faces. Many things that are normal to the player character aren't normal to Solas. The world is so wrong and disgusting to Solas that he is willing to sacrifice things and people who are dear to him just to make the twisted world better.

Rook is nice because they are supposed to represent what is good in modern Thedas. They are supposed to be somebody who thinks the world is worth fighting for. And to a certain extent, their factions as well. The crows are contract killers and the lords of fortune are thiefs. Grey wardens are very concerned with politics and all the secrets they refuse to share constantly get people killed. Mourn watch has their immoral power hungry politicians as well and veil jumpers are sometimes willing to trade people for ancient secrets. They all aren't without sin but that's not the point. The point is, even with all the ugliness and darkness, there is still a place for light. And the light in the darkness is the exact message bioware tried to convey. The crows not being comically evil is not bad writing. It is a conscious writing choice to give us a human face for something we consider ugly and not worth fighting for. The player is metaphorically Solas, who needs to be persuaded that the world is worth at least something. The writers didn't need to bare the souls of player factions in all their mistakes, imperfections and cruelty. Because they showed us the factions' humanity. Some cruelty is still there, on the background, but it doesn't overshadow what is good. The crows, no matter how terrible, are a family. Viago may call Rook an idiot and while Rook considers their training literal torture, they sure love Viago back.

In fact, familial love is one of the core themes of the Veilguard. We have Emmrich and Manfred, Davrin and Assan and uncle Endrin, Lucanis and Caterina and Illario, Taash and Shathann, Bellara and Cyrian. It's a bit less direct with Neve and Harding. Neve has a lot of love for her city which is almost like a person to her, and Harding...I'll explain with a quote. "You're Lace Harding! You're more than this rage! You believe that the world is beautiful! That people are good! Hold onto it, hold on to who you are!".

Even the evanuris share the theme of family. Rook can compare Elgar'nan and Solas to relatives who can't get along. Elgar'nan calls Ghilan'nain his sister. Both shards of Mythal consider modern elves her children. Different but no less beloved, as Morrigan puts it.

Veilguard shows family without rose-tinted glasses. It shows that sometimes to love your children is to sacrifice something else you love (Lichdom for Emmrich), that parents have their own problems that may harm their children no matter how much parents wish to protect them (Shathann understands she is not the best mother and has complicated relationships with the Qun that harmed Taash), that sometimes parents do not understand their children at all and it's only up to children themselves to close the gap in understanding (Mythal, Solas and Rook), that familial love and desire to protect your family may turn into something ugly (Caterina being cruel to her grandchildren to prepare them for harsh realities of the antivan crows).

There is conflict in Veilguard, of intergenerational nature. Companions and their families, Rook and their faction leader, elves ancient and modern. It's up to the player how to deal with the last one. Humans, dwarves and qunari may not share blood ties with ancient elves but they still live in the world ancient elves created. As Rook, you're allowed to lash out in anger at Mythal and Solas. You can call Mythal guilty of all modern problems and fight her. You can bind Solas to the veil by force, call him asshole and express your frustrations with him multiple times throughout the game. You can also express sympathy and forgive them both. Because forgiving is neither condoning nor condemning, it's understanding and letting go. Being understood and allowed to peacefully let go of his mistakes is the exact thing that Solas needs to change his mind.

I believe that the Veilguard companions are one of the very best I've ever seen in a video game. They may not have as many different fates as for example Alistair has but is goodness measured with the amount of ways a character can be killed? I love the Veilguard crew because they all feel very real. Their personal problems are universal and very close to the player. Taash's story is not about being non-binary. It's about growing up, finding your place in the world, separating from your family and learning to appreciate it despite the mistakes your parents did while parenting you.

It's hard to decide who is my favorite. Taash's story made me cry but so did Harding's and Bellara's. The last scenes of Lucanis romance made me feral. I can't stomach the scene where Davrin and Assan die. The consequences of destruction of Minrathous/Treviso were hard to look at. I felt guilt, and if a game makes me feel something, it's a good game. I laughed, I cried, I was afraid and I felt joy, I was angry, I felt shame, I felt love. The game made me feel alive, I played through Rook's story like it was my own, what not to love about it?

The double blight wreaking havoc in Southern Thedas is sad but beautifully symbolic. Almost like a love letter from a long lost lover, It felt like bioware's meta commentary to me. "Yes, a whole lot of time has passed. We are no longer as young as we used to be, and so are you, not only the player, but our treasured friend as well. We have changed, you have changed and so did the world around us. Gaming and the video game industry are not what they used to be. We will never be able to go back no matter how much we want it because the only path that is left is the path forward. It doesn't mean that we no longer remember our shared past, no. We may not be able to go back but we promise to remember it fondly. We are still capable of creating beauty and the past will serve as a foundation for something new. We still have hope, and so should you".

The Veilguard to me is about nostalgia as well. I don't want to feed my inner Solas who sees the current world as sick. I want to make space for my inner Rook who is hopeful about the world just enought to fight for its future.

[ladyloveandjustice]

My Favorite Books I Read in 2023

I read a ton of good novels last year- 36 in all (and uh, 78 manga/graphic novels, but we'll examine that in another post). Here's a link to my Goodreads year in books (the manga is at the beginning, the novels start with Siren Queen) and my storygraph wrap up.  

I reread a ton of Discworld this year, and it's as spectacular as ever. But what about new reads?

Well, here are my favorite books I read in 2023!

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

This is an autobiographical memoir about the abusive relationship the author went through with her ex-girlfriend. It's absolutely gut-wrenching, and at times, achingly beautiful. Machado uses the house she shared with her girlfriend, which she calls the "dream house", as a back drop. It's a place she always wanted and also a place she became trapped in, Machado's language is beautiful as she explores the relationship from different lenses-- The Dream House as Lesbian Cult Classic, the Dream House as Noir, the Dream House as Creature Feature, the Dream House as Stoner Comedy....All facets of the relationship are explored in a way that grips you by the throat and makes you remember everyone who ever tried to suffocate you-- but it also explores the hard work of moving on, of picking up the pieces, of living and embracing tenderness along with hardship.

I especially related to Machado's struggle to talk about abuse between queer lovers because of her fears of giving homophobes more ammunition...and when she says "we deserve to have our wrongdoing represented as much as our heroism, because when we refuse wrongdoing as a possibility for a group of people, we refuse their humanity", I felt that deeply.

This wasn't just one of my favorite books this year, it goes on the list of all-time favorite books. I wish I had this kind of writing style. I'll be returning to this again and again.

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao

A middle-grade novel about a Chinese-American teen who feels a bit alienated from his heritage, which becomes a bit of an issue once he finds out the First Emperor of China has possessed his A.R. Gaming Headset. Now he needs to close a portal to the underworld with the help of other kids possessed by emporers.

This was a whole lot of fun, and often quite poignant. I was unsure if I could really enjoy middle-grade books as an adult, and this absolutely proves I can. There's a lot of really interesting Chinese history blended with action-packed fantasy, and exploration of the complicated feelings a kid can have about their own heritage . The dynamic between Zachary and Qin Shi Huang was so entertaining with the Emperor being villainous, heroic, charismatic, detestable-- and Zachary realizing how his complicated feelings about him mirror his relationship with his culture at large. There was also a lot of fun with other historical figures, and Xiran's take on Wu Zetian is a joy. (Also, if you like Yu-Gi-Oh!, you'll probably like this, since Xiran says it was one of their influences).

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

Rose is young woman who's raised in a fundamentalist Christian household, and she's a devout, obedient daughter. But some weird things are happening. She's seeing a terrifying demon everywhere, insects are coming out of her mouth....and she's possibly having feelings about other girls. What's going on?

Yes, this is by the Chuck Tingle who makes all those Tinglers. But THIS one... will make you tingle with fear! It's a great horror novel! It's skin-crawlingly creepy at times, but also does a great job digging into how fundamentalist dogma harms queer people, and the hypocrisy of such beliefs. The conversion camp aspect is handled tastefully, and overall it was a great spooky read that's also ultimately very affirming, cathartic, and hopeful.

Qualia the Purple by Hisamitsu Ueo

You might go into this thinking it's just a quirky yuri light novel about a schoolgirl and her crush who sees everyone around her as robots (like literally, when she looks at someone she sees a robot instead of a human). But it quickly becomes surreal queer psychological horror steeped in absolutely wild applications of quantum mechanics and thought-provoking time travel.  Some of the quantum mechanics  exposition dumps were a bit much but I deeply enjoyed having my mind cracked open by this book. 

It's one of the most interesting takes of time loop stories I've seen. But it definitely covers a lot of rough subject matter, including a relationship with a serious age gap and extremely messed up relationships, so be cautious if you have triggers.

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

This book follows Miri, whose wife goes missing on a deep-sea submarine mission for six months. Miri thought her wife dead, but she miraculously returns one day...but her wife has changed. She's like a stranger. She may have bought the horrors of the sea home with her.

This is a gripping exploration of grief and loss combined with a delicious, slow horror that creeps under your skin. There's excellent Lovecraftian and body horror elements to the novel, but it works very effectively as a metaphor for a loved one going through trauma, and a relationship starting to crumble because everything seems different. A moment that really stuck out to me is when Miri copes with her wife's disappearance by frequenting an online community where women roleplay as wives with husbands missing in space. The way the online drama of the community interacted with her grief was  both funny and heartbreaking. 

This is another example of a book that makes me deeply jealous with its lyrical writing, and another one for the ever-lengthening all time favorites list.

Otherside Picnic Volume 8: Accomplices No More by Iori Miyazawa

The latest entry in a series about two girls exploring an alternate dimension full of creepypasta monsters, while also falling in love with each other. See my other reviews here and here.

This volume has the payoff to a lot of careful character work and relationship building, and it was completely satisfying. In fact, it was...show-stopping. Spectacular.  Incredible. I loved the exploration of how love, sex, and romance are so different for different people and it's impossible to put it in neat boxes. The frank and messy conversation our leads have about their relationship was perfect and so was that absolutely  bonkers, wonderful finale. This is another one for the all times favorite list, and I loved it so much I wrote a extremely long review/recap here. 

Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality by Eliot Schrefer

This was a well-researched, well-crafted, easy to read book that explores queerness (mainly homosexuality, bisexuality, trans and genderfluid expressions in animals, and even the question of if and how animals can related to gender) in the animal kingdom. Though it's definitely aimed at teens, I learned a lot from it (who knew female bonobos were such life goals) and it presented its information in a fun way. It included some interesting examinations of how proof of homosexuality and bisexuality in animals was historically suppressed and filtered through homophobic assumptions. If you want to learn a little animal science in an accessible format, definitely check this out.

Night’s Edge by Liz Kerin

The story follows Mia, a woman in her 20's living with her vampire mother. Her whole life revolves around not drawing suspicion towards her Mom. She also has to make sure to feed her Mom some of her blood every night--lest her mother fall back in with her abusive boyfriend and start hunting humans.  But when Mia meets a cute girl, she starts to dream of living her own life...

It was a really interesting use of vampirism as a metaphor for both living with a parent struggling with addiction and having an abusive parent. It's just a well-told, heartwrenching tale that got deep into the character's mindsets. I thought the ending was bit abrupt and rushed, but it did make more sense once I realized this was the first in a duology. It's a fascinating take on vampires, and I'm interested in seeing more.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

This novel follows a middle-aged Muslim female pirate living around the Arabian Peninsula. She's supposed to be in retirement, but wouldn't you know it, she's lured in for one last job! I she rescues a kidnapped girl,  she'll have all the riches she needs to set her family up for life. So Amina begins her adventure of fighting demons and monsters and ex-husbands. But the job might not be all it seems.

This novel is full of all the entertaining swashbuckling action and shenanigans that any pirate story should have. It's a rollicking good time, and feeds my craving for middle aged women going on quests and kicking ass. Amina's journey is a fun, wild ride full of dynamic characters and interesting mythology!

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

Juniper is friends with a successful Chinese-American author, Athena Liu, and has always been deeply jealous of her. When Athena dies in front of her, Juniper decides to steal her manuscript rooted in Chinese history and claim it as her own. But plagiarism might catch up with her...

This is a strong example of a book I thought was really well-done, but one I'm probably never going to read again. The way it depicted Twitter drama is just too accurate and I got anxiety. It did such a good job putting you in Juniper's awful shoes so you can feel the pressure close in along with her. The book's commentary on the insidious racism of the publishing industry was effective, and it made a horrible character's journey fascinating to follow. I was so intrigued yet anxious I had to force myself to finish the last few pages.

Bonus read:

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldtree

A very cute novel about an orc named Viv who decides to retire from the violent life of a bounty hunter and run a coffee shop instead. She ends up getting a lot of assistance from a succubus named Tandri...and my, is that a slow-burn coffee shop romance brewing? This book reminds me a lot of various cozy slice-of-life anime, and it's nice to be getting more of that feeling in book form. I wish there was a little more specific to the fantasy world rather than making it a coffee shop that line up 1 to 1 to a modern day shop, but it was definitely a sweet read.

[this-world-of-beautiful-monsters]

if you look at it through smudgy/rosecolored glasses long enough the 1x8 dinner scene is really just helaegon trying very hard and absolutely failing to talk jacela into a foursome.