#i think there will be 3 in total

[the-darkness-does-not-bargain]

Act I, Scene I: The Wedding

The wedding of Rhaenyra Targaryen and Laena Velaryon was a grand affair, of course.  The ceremony was held in the Sept, with sunlight streaming through the fine glass windows, and the benches were crowded with highborn attendees from all across the continent.  Hoary old Rickon Stark was there with his son Cregan, sitting two rows behind Jason Lannister and his young wife.   The widowed Lady Leonette Tyrell sat beside Alicent’s own family, and all of them were kept away from the representative of House Martell, who had come as a peace ambassador following the war in the Stepstones.  Everyone was talking amongst themselves, and the Sept’s high ceilings created a reverberating echo that only quieted when the High Septon called for the ceremony to begin.  Alicent could hardly think in the noise, but the proceeding silence was just as jarring.

Rhaenyra cut a dashing figure in her wedding attire.  Her cloak was a masterpiece of midnight black velvet with an army of red dragons flying upon it.  The three-headed sigil of House Targaryen was embroidered in the center, encrusted in a mine’s worth of rubies.  Blackfyre hung from her belt, a gift from her father.  It was customary for alphas to wear a sword during their wedding ceremony, but carrying the Conqueror’s sword was an especially pointed statement.  Here is my heir, your future queen, Viserys was saying.  Look upon her and bend the knee.

Laena was stunningly gorgeous in her own right.  Her dress was vibrant, shimmering, and blue as the Summer Sea.  Pale seahorses danced along her skirts, and her arms, fingers, and neck were swamped in silver jewelry.  She was perfectly put together, but Alicent knew she had been up early that morning, having her skin perfumed and her curls tamed.  She’d yawned incessantly all through the breakfast feast, to the gentle chastisement of her mother.

Alicent was in no position to judge, as she’d spent the morning dealing with her own problems.  Three months in, the hardships of pregnancy were already weighing heavily on her.  Her breasts were sore and sensitive, requiring frequent massage, and all her gowns were being resized to accommodate her growing belly.  The dress she wore today had been mercifully altered, but even so, she prayed the ceremony would end swiftly so she could change out of it.

“You look lovely,” Rhaenyra had mumbled when they waited for the wheelhouse.  Her cheeks had flushed when she delivered the awkward compliment, but it warmed Alicent to hear.

At the altar, however, the princess only had eyes for her bride.  Don’t her cheeks hurt?  Alicent thought, watching Rhaenyra’s face split into the biggest smile she’d ever seen.  It barely budged when she recited her vows, and remained in place even after the ceremony as their carriage rode through the streets of King’s Landing.  There was even an echo of it on Viserys’s face, one of the few times Alicent could discern a resemblance between them.

The wedding festivities were many and grandiose, and the following feast was entirely too lavish.  Over 70 dishes were served alongside 50 desserts, and wine and mead flowed faster than water, splashing into cups with such vigor that it made her ill.  The curse of morning sickness had passed a week prior, but Alicent still found her constitution sensitive.  She nursed a single cup of wine through the entire evening, and avoided the punch after she saw a lord of the Fingers pour something into it from a hip flask.  Even when her husband called for toast after toast, she kept her lips dry and her head clear.

The bride and groom were not concerned about such things.  Though neither drank heavily, their inebriation was apparent when they laughed and stumbled onto the dance floor for their first turn as newlyweds.  It was heartwarming to watch.  Or it would be, if Alicent’s heart was a kind or magnanimous thing.  As it was, the sight just made her dour.  She refused all offers to dance, citing tiredness from the baby, and sulked at the high table while the celebration passed around her.  Viserys was her only company.  His health had improved a great deal in recent weeks, but he was still easily fatigued, so he too refrained from joining the throng.

“A few more weeks, and I’ll be good as new,” he assured her.  “Mellos insists I still limit myself to our daily walks, but I mean to host a grand hunt once he gives his approval.”

“A hunt would be exciting, my love, but you must be careful.”  If her response was hollow, she hoped he didn’t notice.  He’d been sweeter to her, of late. The babe had won his attention back for now, and he’d spared no expense in the past three months meeting Alicent’s every wish.  He could be a kind man, when he thought to be.  Yet his expensive presents were paltry compared to the single gift given by his daughter.

Rhaenyra had shown up at her door a day after the Grand Maester confirmed her pregnancy.  “I heard the news.”  Her cheeks had been pink; from exertion or shyness, Alicent couldn’t say.  “C-congratulations, my Queen.”

Alicent’s lips had trembled when she tried to smile.  “Thank you, Princess.  The King and I are very happy, and your well wishes mean a lot to both of us.”

“I’d like to do more than simply offer well wishes,” Rhaenyra had pushed, stepping closer to her.  “If you’ll allow it, I want to give you a promise.”

“A promise?”

“For the babe,” the princess nodded.  “Syrax will soon lay a clutch of eggs.  When the child is born, I will bring one for their crib.”

Alicent had been startled out of her inner turmoil by this information.  “You would put a dragon egg in the crib of ou- of a baby?”

Rhaenyra had grinned so proudly at her.  “It’s tradition.  All Targaryen children have a dragon’s egg placed in their crib.  Father would do it, but he doesn’t venture into the Dragonpit anymore.  So I will.”  

She’d said it with such conviction, and such eagerness too.  She was excited about the babe.  Alicent could hardly believe it.  At best, she hoped Rhaenyra would be kind to her “sibling”, if not close, but even her most far-fetched fantasies hadn’t considered this to be a possibility.

She was happy for their child.  She already considered them a true Targaryen.  She was going to give them a dragon’s egg.

I love you.  The words had sprung to her tongue with force enough to dislodge teeth, and she barely bit them down in time.  Rhaenyra had rambled on about something to do with the Dragon Keepers, but Alicent had been too stunned to pay attention to it.  She only recovered when the princess bid her a cheery farewell and marched away.

Ever since then, the illuminated histories and brand new horse that Viserys bestowed upon her meant next to nothing.

“The bedding!” Someone shouted from the crowd, quickly followed by dozens of raucous, cheering voices.  “Bedding!  Bedding!  Bedding!”

Alicent’s teeth dug into her cheek as Rhaenyra and Laena, still laughing, were shuffled to opposite sides of the hall.  Laena was swarmed by loud, obnoxious alphas while pretty, preening omegas danced circles around Rhaenyra.  

“You could join them,” her husband suggested, to which Alicent quietly balked.

She could join them, yes.  No one would look twice at a mated omega joining the bedding ceremony of her alpha friend.  But she couldn’t bring herself to.  Unlike those silly creatures fluttering about her, Alicent knew Rhaenyra’s body intimately.  She knew how it felt, its curves and contours.  Her touch would be too familiar, and even if no one could possibly notice, Alicent couldn’t shake the paranoia.

Her restraint was also due to jealousy.  She was not so craven as to deny it.  To participate in the bedding ceremony would be to prepare Rhaenyra for someone else, and she would rather die than do that.  So she simply glared as careless, lustful hands stripped away the princess’s clothes.  Soon, Rhaenyra and her entourage were out of sight, and the revelry continued in her absence.  Alicent stayed at the high table, and asked the nearest servant to refill her cup.

[technovillain]

i come from the universe where everything is the same except disney heroines get like an ounce of their fathers' obviously dominant genes and their clothes are like 80% more historically accurate. it's beautiful here.

[2] [3]

[xxplastic-cubexx]

obligatory beach divorce doodling

bonus rough cover redraw of x-men #41 (1995) But Beach Divorce below cut

[valeriapryanikova]

a guy that is cute or smth

[itsybitsybatsyspider]

[hinamie]

i'm exactly as normal about him as I thought I'd be

[mienar]

small town buzz

instagram | shop | commission info

[solfinite]

extra doodles below

[rocketbirdie]

just move on already.

[rochenn]

Snapshots

[lauraneedstochill]

if I see one more post about Aegon “bullying Aemond his entire life”, I will go fucking ballistic, I swear to g—

scratch that, I will actually go ballistic right now. this is the “Aegon doesn’t deserve such a shitty treatment” club and I’m the self-proclaimed CEO. we are about to do some analyzing and reading so BUCKLE UP.

gonna make one thing clear first — Aemond was bullied when he was a child. no one denies that, no excuses can be made for that. I’d only like to note that there wasn’t only one bully. here’s a quick reminder:

now that we successfully counted to three, let’s look over Aegon’s other horrible crimes relationship with Aemond throughout the years.

📍 the night Aemond lost his eye (S1EP7), Rhaenyra suggests he should be “sharply questioned” (she means tortured) so they can learn who told him that her sons were bastards. Viserys, in his perpetual denial, angrily asks Aemond “who spoke these lies” to which he replies that it was Aegon. it is clear that Aemond does that to deflect suspicion from their mother but his words come as a surprise to Aegon.

he’s in a tough spot — Viserys demands the answers “as their king”, not their father (to signify his authority and pressure them into telling the truth). and Alicent screamed in Aegon’s face and slapped him just a minute ago, so he may be less eager to defend her. he can easily lie and say that he overheard some maids gossiping or that he can’t remember where the rumor came from. instead, it takes Aegon about 5 seconds to back Aemond up.

📍 we didn’t get many scenes with young Aegon and Aemond in general, but here’s a short bit people keep overlooking: when Harwin and Criston start fighting, Aemond and Aegon instantly gravitate toward each other. and moreover, Aegon puts a hand over Aemond’s back (which to me is either a protective or a comforting gesture). what a horrible brother, truly.

📍 next we see them all grown up before dinner in S1EP8. I think it’s safe to assume that if Aegon has been bullying Aemond all these years, Aemond wouldn’t want to spend a second in his company. he’s seated between Helaena and Otto, both of whom are dear to him, so Aemond can stay at the table and chat with them. and YET, not only does Aemond voluntarily talks to Aegon, but their conversation seems friendly (you can barely hear it in the show so here’s the enhanced audio). Aemond makes a joke about Aegon’s drinking habits — Aegon quips back — and then, what a shocker! Aemond starts venting his frustrations to Aegon (“Even when the noose is so tight, they expect us to break bread”). nothing would’ve stopped him from venting to Otto but Aemond stays with Aegon. he wouldn’t have done that if there hadn’t been some level of trust between them. he wouldn’t have done that if he hated Aegon’s guts.

📍 at dinner, when Aegon pisses Jace off and the brunet springs to his feet, Aemond stands up too, which forces Jace to act as if nothing happened and come up with a toast. Aegon watches him with a shit-eating grin on his face. it’s the face that screams “I know you won’t dare to act up in front of my brother and my brother has my back”.

when Aemond makes a toast and calls Rhaenyra’s sons “strong”, Aegon raises a cup to that. he can sit this one out — Aemond has his personal vendetta against the boys, and it would be safer for Aegon not to meddle. but what does he do instead? when Luke gets up from the table (clearly intending to go to Aemond), Aegon instantly stands up, comes up to Luke and not just stops him but slams his face into the table right in front of Rhaenyra without thinking twice. and it doesn’t look like Aegon is just messing with him — no, it looks like he wanted to do that for a while. like Aegon finally got his chance to stand up for his brother too. AND he also stops Baela from joining the fight.

📍 S1EP9 is when we get a glimpse of Aemond’s ambitions: he deems himself better than Aegon, he thinks he deserves to be king. but once he finds Aegon and they get into a fight, it turns out that Aegon knows that Aemond is a better choice. he doesn’t want to fight him, he begs Aemond to let him go. and Aemond can do that — Criston has his back to them, so Aemond could’ve pretended that Aegon managed to break free. and even once they caught Aegon, I have no doubt that Aemond could’ve helped him escape. but it seems that, despite his displeasure, Aemond values his family the most. he can’t betray his mother’s trust, and he knows Aegon is the first in line to the throne. Aemond envies him, yes, he may even hate him because of that. but he values his family the most.

📍 as @florisbaratheons noted, during the coronation scene, when Aegon glances at his family, Aemond looks right at him and gives that tiny nod that says “I may hate this and think I am better for the job as king. But I’ve got your back.” I like that Aemond is the one who keeps eye contact in that scene. He could’ve turned away to signal his dissatisfaction with the situation, there wouldn’t have been any consequences for that. But he didn’t.

📍 what I find interesting about S1EP10 is the beginning of Aemond’s dialogue with Luke. that’s the boy Aemond wished to get back at for years and yet, he starts by saying “Did you think that you could just fly about the realm trying to steal my brother’s throne at no cost?”. Aemond could’ve skipped that part — imagine him saying smth along the lines of “Wait, Lord Strong! Don’t you think you and I have other matters to discuss?” (to which Luke answers that he doesn’t want to fight and the conversation goes on). instead, Aemond makes a point to remind Luke: my brother is the king, and I came here on his behalf. you can argue that Aemond doesn’t do it for Aegon specifically but for his family in general. but Aegon is a part of the family, and S1 Aemond has his priorities straight.

📍 as much as I hate comparing the show and the book (these are two different things and should be viewed as such), I’d like to remind you that Aegon was the only one who stood by Aemond’s side after Luke’s death. I wonder why we didn’t get that scene… I guess it’s because it would be kinda hard to call Aegon “the main bully” after he literally throws Aemond a feast. but we do get to see Aegon supporting his brother: in S2EP1 he welcomes Aemond at the small council meeting despite his mother’s protests (“Aemond is my closest blood and my best sword”). and he trusts Aemond wholeheartedly, that much is obvious.

📍 let’s get to the most controversial part — the brothel scene in S2EP3: some people believe Aegon is being a bully at that moment. those people seem to forget one little detail:

it’s been only a few days after the death of Aegon’s son whose murder was a direct result of Aemond’s ruthless actions. does Aemond ever address it? does he express his condolences? does he mayhaps help to catch the killers, being the skilled fighter that he is? the answer is NO.

I do think Aegon’s joke was cruel (I wrote a whole post about it) but that’s all it ever was — a JOKE. the humiliation comes not from the things he says but from the fact that Aemond is found in a vulnerable position and surrounded by a group of strangers while his brother laughs at him. TGC explained it best:

I also love @notbloodraven’s take on that scene:

Aegon lashing out so cruelly at Aemond seems to be an effort in making Aemond feel as badly as he does and blaming him for Jaehaerys without actually saying the words.

would this be the right way to act? no. but there’s no right way to grieve and to cope with the loss — and HIS SON WAS BEHEADED so maybe take 1% of the sympathy you show your favorite character(s) and cut Aegon some slack.

+ other things worth talking about:

📍 @bietrofastimoff23 analyzed S2EP3 beautifully and I can’t help but mention the scene that happens before Aegon goes to the brothel. it’s the moment when Larys suggests that Alicent and Aemond are plotting against Aegon. he isn’t surprised by the idea that his mother can do that — but the second his brother is mentioned, Aegon’s face falls and he shakes his head no. because there is no way Aemond would ever do that to him. and instead of asking for any proof, he asks Larys “who spreads these lies?” and then commands him to “tend to them.” Aegon can ask him to spy on Aemond, to find any dirt on him, find any weaknesses he can use — he does not.

📍 it turns out to be true — Aemond was plotting behind his brother’s back. which is treason btw (I don’t think Criston intended to keep things from Aegon — he probably believed that Aemond would let Aegon in on their plan). and Aegon does have the power to remind Aemond of his place — he can throw him off the council with a snap of his fingers, he can take offense at Aemond’s attempt to publicly humiliate him (their conversation in High Valyrian — Ewan himself calls it a “public execution”). but that’s not what happens: as TGC phrased it, Aemond’s betrayal “breaks a bit of Aegon’s heart off”. an actual bully would’ve immediately pushed back, but Aegon silently sits down and doesn’t argue, he’s so defeated he can’t utter a word. he has the means to be a bully but he doesn’t contemplate it for a second.

📍 I don’t want to talk about S2EP6 because it makes me sick but I will reiterate one thing: never ONCE Aegon made fun of Aemond’s disability or tried to cause him any physical harm. just want to point that out.

there is no moral to this story, I guess. if you managed to read till the very end, thank you. if you still hate Aegon, that’s your opinion and you are allowed to have one — but please, for the love of god, just stop making shit up. no, Aemond was NOT bullied as an adult, absolutely nothing suggests that he was. Aegon was naive to blindly trust him and it backfired on him, that’s the actual story. and if you are so eager to hold Aegon accountable for his mistakes, maybe it’s time for Aemond to take responsibility for his actions too.

+ some of my favorite critical posts about Aegon and Aemond: x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x.

P.S. I will not argue with anyone so please don’t waste your time — I consider all my arguments solid and that’s enough for me. if you are thinking of sending me anon hate, pls go take a walk instead, it will do you more good. 🌿

[femimation]

Jax and Ragatha are both eachother’s antithesis and parallel.

That is to say: They’re doing the same thing in opposite ways.

In the Jax post I made I mentioned at the end that I think Episode 4’s mask theming goes beyond the main focus of Gangle, specifically that it also applies and is shown through Ragatha and Jax’s storylines.

Let’s dive into that more! The episode literally starts with an interaction between these three.

Obviously Gangle’s comedy mask would have to break to kickstart this episode, and obviously Jax would probably be involved in that, but I still think it’s very deliberate that this scene only contains these 3. They’re the characters the episode is about and that you’re supposed to pay the most attention to. They’re the ones wearing masks, (literal or metaphorical) following the episode’s main theme.

But focusing on Ragatha and Jax, the both have very notable behavior changes in this episode for different reasons. Ragatha acting different because of the stupid sauce and Jax after the training/employee reevaluation/torture thing.

Heeeere’s where I may lose some people: I think their behavior changes are meant to evoke the typical behavior of the other in some subtle ways.

Some specific examples before I generalize: On the stupid sauce, Ragatha essentially repeats a sentiment Jax made earlier in the episode.

She isn’t “acting like Jax,” she says it in a bit of a nicer Ragatha-y like way. She even acknowledges that she was being rude.

On the other hand, once Jax is mellowed out, he asks Pomni how she is. The past three episodes have had Ragatha constantly doting over Pomni and asking her how she’s doing.

Which again, is not to say Jax is “acting like Ragatha” exactly, he’s nowhere near as interested or overbearing as Ragatha typically is.

But that’s all still part of my point, they aren’t mirroring the other one to one, not even close, but their roles are swapped regardless.

Ragatha speaking her mind to everyone however rude it may be: Telling Gangle she’s annoying, Zooble that they’re grouchy, Jax that she hates him, complaining about Pomni’s connection with Gummigoo.

Jax being calm and even downright friendly: Exchanging pleasantries with Pomni, not messing with Ragatha in her… state, (barely even reacting to her) going along with the adventure until it’s over.

Not exactly like the other, but evoking the other. I think this is written purposefully.

Why? Refer to the title of this post. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that these two’s own respective focus episodes are going to be back to back as episode 5 and 6. They’re the same and they’re opposites.

Ragatha’s “mask” is being overbearingly caring, wanting everyone to like her and think of her as nice or even motherly. She will act like this regardless of how she really feels about something.

Jax’s “mask” is being unbearably antagonistic, wanting everyone to think he only cares about his own entertainment and that their wellbeing never even crosses his mind. He will act this way regardless of how he really feels about something.

Their swapped roles in this episode is a display of these masks beginning to slip, making their parallels abundantly clear.

Gangle’s drawing posted on Glitch’s social media really runs this all home for me.

Gangle draws herself with Pomni and Zooble, all happy and talking with eachother. Pomni and Zooble are upfront with the other characters, they aren’t wearing masks. The both make effort throughout the episode to be there for and help Gangle. Therefore, they can be connected with. Their care is always genuine because they’re always honest.

Ragatha and Jax can’t be connected with. Ragatha, despite probably being a genuinely sweet person, is too far behind her mask to reach and tell what of her is genuine and what is a performance. Jax… acts like Jax. Even though he’s probably quite an average person behind the mask.

Jax and Ragatha are both unreachable to the other characters for the same reason, despite their typical behavior being so opposite. Their true selves are both hidden behind opposite masks.

[abstractfrog]

SILVER BLAZE PART THREE - happy jonkday everyone. one of these days i'll draw a scene that doesn't take place at night

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Out of sight, out of - wait.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[mroddmod]

little scrapped comic bc it felt a bit ooc to me in hindsight

[turtleblogatlast]

AU where Leo is trapped in the Prison Dimension for months instead of minutes and the only way he gets by with his sanity intact is through recording himself talking to his wrist comm.

When they finally manage to get Leo back and make him rest up to heal, Donnie can’t help but listen to the recordings left behind.

He’s not sure what exactly he’s expecting, only that his subconscious is screaming at him that it has to be heartbreaking, that it has to be torturous.

Instead, what Donnie is subject to is a full thousand hours’ worth of Jupiter Jim and Lou Jitsu crossover fanfiction. More than one part in the series. Spanning well over a million words.

(The worst part is that it’s actually good.)