#the dragon Prince season six prediction

[orchid-merryweather]

Thinking about how both times Callum uses dark magic, he then connects to a primal source

First, in order to save a dragon, a creature of the sky, he turns chains into snakes, he then connects to the sky acanum

Then, while in a boat on the ocean (hear me out here folks), he uses dark magic, again turning chains into snakes to free himself, he then connects to the ocean arcanum

Makes me think about why/how humans have dark magic in the first place

Because I'd always thought that we were supposed to assume that Aaravos was the one that taught humans dark magic, in order to corrupt and control them, but I'm realizing that it's far more likely that someone else did

When Vieren, Claudia, and that one guy in the flashback with Sol Reagem use dark magic, they aren't doing it with good in their hearts and to achieve a net positive outcome. Vieren killed the king of the dragons. Claudia acted so violently towards that one dragon that it was 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙞��𝙙 of her. That one guy was defending a city full of innocent people that was clearly not his first use of dark magic and his soul was already corrupted.

They used dark magic in acts of evil and their souls became corrupted because of it.

Callum used dark magic as a last resort to save the lives of others. He used it in small amounts and with good intentions

I used to think that we were supposed to assume that Aaravos taught the humans dark magic. But, what if it was someone else? I still think it was a Startouch elf, I don't think that the power of dark magic could have originated elsewhere. I believe that some other Startouch elf gave the humans dark magic.

Dark magic, as was given to the humans, was not supposed to be used the way we see it used by Vieren and Claudia, but how we see Callum use it

I believe dark magic was given to the humans as a way of forming connections with the arcanums

Its purpose was supposed to be to help humans connect with magic, dark magic is a bridge between having and being without a primal source. The first use of dark magic and the following dark magic coma prepares the body for the use of magic which it is not used to

And when Callum has his dark magic coma, we see that a lot of his dream is sky/storm based alongside his rejecting of corruption

His rejecting of that corruption of his soul prepares him to use magic, and then all the weird sky/storm stuff is of course the building of his connection to the arcanum

I wish we could have seen Callum's pov when he used dark magic the second time. We know that dark mages only have the dark magic coma the first time they use dark magic, but we don't know how connecting to a second arcanum works. Did he have some weird dream first? Or did he suddenly understand the arcanum?

Of course, I could be overanalyzing this entirely, but I just don't think it's a coincidence that Callum's understanding of an arcanum and use of dark magic are never far apart.

Now for my prediction

Callum is going to understand the star arcanum. To do that, he first needs another instance of using dark magic

It's going to happen at the starscraper. It's going to be revealed that the Celestial Elves (an ancient sect of skywing elves for those of you who don't remember) are supporters of Aaravos. After finding out that Rayla and Callum are against Aaravos, and that they know where he is, the Celestial Elves lock them away, wanting to free him. Here Callum uses dark magic to get him and Rayla out, and being at this place that is clearly connected to star magic, he forms a connection to the star arcanum. We will also get to see what happens when a human connects to a primal source that isn't their first because we didn't get to see that in s5 with ocean magic

[keepofkandrakar]

the brain got thinking…

s4 rayla said something about all of them making it out or being safe and just being super worried about everyone’s well being (been a hot minute since i’ve watched s4) and it just sounded — and i thought i read somewhere from another user with a similar theory — like it came from personal experience. and how stella was found alone and she just adopted the lil thing. and for some reason i got thinking…

what if rayla made her first and only 🔪 in those two years?

okay, hear me out

rayla’s venturing through xadia or wherever and she comes across a(n elf?) girl not too much younger than herself. they just kinda run into each other in the wild — elf girl is running from undisclosed reasons and rayla’s is obvious — and elf girl is like “hey! let’s stick together!” and it’s like golden retriever/black cat duo.

but of course, as they journey they become super tight and along the way the elf girl finds stella and is like “LET’S ADOPT HER. I SHALL NAME YOU STELLA.” anyway they’re venturing, something something somethinggg, and then suddenly they’re ambushed by elves hunting down elf girl. elf girl is frantic and like “we gotta go” and rayla is confused/concerned. as the three are fleeing from the elves, an arrow hits elf girl to the point rayla is supporting her as they flee. but the ambushers are closing in and she’s slowing rayla and stella down so elf girl looks at rayla straight in the eyes and says “you need to unal1ve me.”

of course, rayla’s like “fuck no!” but elf girl starts telling her that she’s only slowing them down. the ambushers are after her because she knows too much, is too much — descended from the first ones (but she doesn’t say that) — and it’s better for her to d1e then and there than for the ambushers to find her and do something so much worse. she’s begging her to, forcing her to promise her she’ll go back to that human mage she knows rayla’s absolutely smitten with, promise to take care of stella, promise to end her now before something worse comes for her.

and rayla keeps that promise.

elf girl is bleeding out to death and rayla and stella are gone in the foresty expanse of xadia or whatever. it haunts rayla in the back of her mind, and then at full force in season six when suddenly dots start connecting like stars in a constellation and she’s forced to admit what happened. to callum. to her friends. to the new city of elven folk they encounter up in that new location where the nova blade is (memory is fading i’m sorry).

everything begins to make so much sense now.

[sorinethemastermind]

Claudia The Dragon Prince S7 Theories

There's so much I want to say about Claudia, so expect to see more of her in the coming weeks. But let's start with my Season Seven predictions!

In the final moments of Season Six we see Aaravos holding her up to the moon, and I know I'm not the only one who likened this to the pearl; she is now the one trapped.

But according to the show's writers, it doesn't seem like this dynamic will be in black and white. They said that Aaravos lost a quirky daughter, and that Claudia lost a father. But now they've found each other, and they complete each other in a way that will ultimately be tragic (paraphrasing here).

So what will be tragic? How do they complete each other?

Aaravos gives Claudia purpose, something that Viren always gave her. As she said;

Claudia needs this purpose, she needs someone to guide her, and someone to be her family.

Claudia gives Aaravos his daughter back, in a way. She's been cast out by the others and needs direction. She needs someone to show her the way. And he can do that.

So what is tragic?

Even if they do complete each other. Even if they do create a sort of found family. This bond ultimately comes from lies.

Aaravos is the reason that her father is gone.

Aaravos manipulates her in her moment of grief.

Aaravos takes advantage of her need for direction.

And Terry can see that.

He says that Aaravos' story may have started out as a story of love, but it got twisted along the way.

And it's almost the opposite with Claudia. She started out as an "asset" but may become something more to him. However their origin will always be one of manipulation and corruption.

Terry can see this, and I think that he will help guide her down the right path. I'll get more into how I think that's going to go later in a post dedicated to him.

So ultimately, I think that Claudia and Aaravos will have a bond, something that helps complete them. But the tragedy will be that it was always doomed. Aaravos used her, and eventually she will see that. And she will turn against him.

And I think that Soren will be there to support her in that decision. Claudia thinks that her family is gone.

But she has Terry. And she has Soren.

And I think together they'll find the right path.

I think Claudia's deep truth is family.

And that she'll find it the same way Callum found his.

[lesbosaur1]

My BSF and I are big Theorists! Here's our predictions for Season Six of The Dragon Prince!!

Also we predict that she will kill Terry! Also with the season five cliff hanger I assume Viren dies! Yay!

Now @TheDragonPrinceOfficial on Twitter (X) has released that the first episode of Season Six is called "Moment of Truth" and that Callum might end up getting possessed further. Also it might be fanart I'm not entirely sure but there is multiple theories of a Startouch elf that might be Aaravos's love interest? The way that he looks it seems he might be a bit Sunfire. Sorry for the long post!

[pianostrings]

Predictions for House of the Dragon S3:

- Opens after Rhaenyra has taken King’s Landing

- There are only six episodes (S4 will have four, S5 two and any follow up seasons will have one episode per season)

- All battles happen off-screen

- Alicent moves to Dorne

- Alicent and Rhaenyra bump into each other every second episode to fulfill their interaction quota

- Prince Daeron has an Australian accent. His name is pronounced Darren but, like bogan. He also goes by Dae-gun. He refers to Tessarion as his old lady Tessa (she’s younger than him)

- Major characters will die and receive one (1) follow-up mourning scene with at least two characters present. They will never be mentioned again.

- Corlys is seen on ships

- Rhaenyra and Daemon argue

- Writers find a way to keep Otto alive so Rhys Ifans can stay on the show

- Aemond spends all season plagued by ghosts in Harrenhal. Alys pity bangs him while guilting him. Vhagar has a nap. The ghosts do not haunt her.

[raayllum]

bloodmoon huntress has been shifted from coming out sometime in march 2022 to april 5th, 2022 (according to barnes and noble). not only is this release date more solid, it really makes me think we will get s4 either in december 2021 or early january 2022 at the latest, and that the purposes of releasing a moon fam focused prequel (since it’s about younger rayla, so how could it not be, realistically) is because the “saving parents from coins” plot line will take a bit more centre stage in season five. fingers crossed and here’s hoping!

[minisquachi3]

Hey I really need to share this because I’m rewatching the three first seasons of the dragon prince and. I think I have a theory. Prediction even.

So… ⚠️*WARNING, SPOILERS!*⚠️

I’m on episode 1 of season two as I type this and specific scene came up and it made me realize something… right off the bat, I have nothing to back this up but I heavily believe that the box Callum has from the start is the prison Aaravos is trapped in. Or is potentially the key to unlocking him or something on the lines of that. Now if this is true, playing with this idea/going off of this.

Through out the show from season one to now four we see certain symbols that represent all six “Primal Sources,” on the box glow! Now in first season last phew episodes, when the moon was full as the gang is heading up the mountain to save the dragon egg. The Primal Source rune for the moon was glowing! In season 2 episode one. Lujanne the moon elf who’s illusion mage tells Callum for example direct from this scene- the primal source for moon is strongest when the moon is full, and for the ocean when the tide is high. Now going back to season one as already mentioned same last two episodes, the symbol glowed when the moon was full.

That being said my theory/prediction is they need all six Primal Sources at their strongest at once near the box or at the box in order to activate it for whatever it does. And if this is the case, if it involves Aaravos, this would sort of make sense since, finding all six Primal Sources at their strongest at once in order to unlock something would be pretty tough. Also make this fyi would make it hard for someone to break free as their only escape from their prison. With things that happened with Callum in season 4 getting possessed by Aaravos, I have a bad feeling it might have something to do with that. Like an accident or something. Doesn’t help Callum is also throwing himself in his studies when it comes to magic…!!👀👀

I’ll add more as I rewatch everything by and eventually season 4 as well! But that’s all I have for now 👀👀…

This is my theory/prediction- and I’m sticking to it! 👏

[eyes-of-mischief]

weekly fic recs | 6

prompt: mythical creatures

fandoms: bnha, dc, mdzs, tgcf, solo levelling

bnha

Complicated Creation by Elemental

Midoriya Izuku is medically quirkless, not technically homeless, perpetually exhausted and doing his damned best despite it all. He also sees spirits, which might be cool if not for the fact that a) no one else does, b) they really don't like him very much, and c) he's pretty sure the heroes now think he's a villain working for the League.

Aizawa Shota just wants to take down Overhaul, rescue Eri, keep his students alive, get some rest, and find out how this Deku kid knows things he absolutely should not know about his personal life and the Shie Hassaikai case.

Unless Nighteye's right, and the kid really is a villain.

The Dark Below by DarthPeezy

(mature) (graphic depictions of violence, major character death)

Izuku must learn his place in a broken and cruel world. He must learn the cost of being a hero. He must learn the cost of changing the world to his own image. In a world divided by factions vying for control, oppressive governments, and sympathetic villains, Izuku must decide his place amongst the chess pieces. He'll have to decide what to make of the broken dreams and shattered faith of an indifferent world. He'll need the power to rise above the mire and muck of despair.

Thankfully, he was never quirkless.

Sometimes quirks hide until they are triggered. Izuku tasted death and found it lacking, every flavour bitter and lacking spice. In the moments between death and life, he gazed into the howling abyss and it followed him home. Everything he thought he knew about the world is a lie. There are monsters lurking in the dark below, always waiting and always watching.

They wait patiently, waiting for one to sit upon a throne of crystal madness and eternal suffering. They have waited for aeons and will wait until the end of eternity.

They wait for Izuku Midoriya.

dc

Vampire Bats by Sohotthateveryonedied

Despite the many, many obstacles, having his kids turn into vampires isn’t as tragic as Bruce anticipated it would be. Whenever one of them is grounded, all Bruce has to do is hang a cross on their door and they’re sufficiently contained. And the energy boost has been incredibly helpful on patrols.

bela lugosi's dead by TheResurrectionist

Small towns seem even smaller when you’re trying to hide. When the entire family can’t keep a secret, Bruce Wayne--struggling vampire dad--finds out that they’re basically microscopic.

“So, since there aren’t as many deer near the town this year, the state’s giving out individual buck tickets.” Jim said. “The seasonal hunters spoke with me, and we were hoping you could, uh,” he looked away, clearly uncomfortable with the subject matter. “...stick to the does until November.”

“Stick to the does.” Bruce repeated, raising his eyebrows. “Yeah, uh.” he drew up short, struggling to form a response. “Uh huh, I think we could definitely, uh...do that.”

Ways to Hunt by Skalidra

(explicit)

The first time Slade sees the mer, the beast is trapped. Tangled up in a fishing ship's net and lying on the deck in front of him, shrieking and hissing at anyone who even thinks of coming near. Slade's hunted enough mers to be cautious, but also enough to not let the boy scare him. The first order of business is to get the mer the hell off the ship.

More Precious Than Gold by Drag0nst0rm

Most dragons sleep on their hoards.

Bruce's hoard sleeps on him.

Or: Bruce is a dragon. Predictably, he hoards orphans.

mdzs

brave new world by Quixiote

There is magic still hidden within the world, if one were to look. Sometimes it comes to you on the breeze. Sometimes it comes to you after much searching. For Wei Ying, it comes to him in the form of a inquisitive six year old picking up a ribbon.

Or, the co-habitation saga of a single father, his son, and a shape-shifting seal prince.

there & there & there, the sea by bleuett

(mature)

When Wei Wuxian puts these pieces together, this is what he gets: there is a village to the south of Yunmeng. It can only be found by walking the border of the ocean until you reach it. It’s possible you may not find it. There is something special in this village. Something that allows them to create a remedy that will heal any illness.

——————————

Wei Wuxian goes searching for a cure and long lost memories in a village where things are not what they seem.

this river runs to you by sundiscus

Framed by the soft morning light, sleek hair swept back and pale blue robes not even slightly rumpled, he looks almost inhuman.

He looks like the last person who should be knocking on Wei Wuxian’s door.

In which Wei Wuxian is a curse worker secretly searching for a lost dragon, Lan Wangji is his new assistant, and the two things may not be entirely unrelated.

A Good Enough Reason by Zeebie

(explicit)

Lan Zhan allows Wei Ying to take his finger into his mouth and suckle for a moment. Wei Ying’s tongue curls against and around him like a dog with a spoon of peanut butter, and Lan Zhan’s chest grows warm with contentment. Then Wei Ying starts to bite down. Lan Zhan pulls his finger away and uses the same hand to slap Wei Ying, open-handed, across the face.

--

When Wei Ying feels too monstrous and out of control, Lan Zhan helps him.

tgcf

Iridescent by hypermoyashi

(mature) (graphic depictions of violence)

It seems that, when it came to saving one another, Hua Cheng and Xie Lian were growing to be experts.

Or the one where Xie Lian is a mermaid, and Hua Cheng grows up to be the most notorious ghost pirate who happens to reside in Xie Lian's cove. Purely by coincidence.

a kind of guilt by parsnipit

(mature)

“Alright, alright,” Xie Lian amends hastily, “but it’s just a little pinch. It can’t hurt that bad. It’s not any worse than what we sometimes do in bed, when you—” “Gege!” Hua Cheng looks really aggrieved, now. “How can it be the same?” “Because you’re doing what I want,” Xie Lian says, trying dutifully to ignore the heat creeping across his face. “Would it help if I ordered you? If San Lang didn’t have a choice?”

Hua Cheng and Xie Lian are trapped and starving; the solution, to Xie Lian, seems obvious. Hua Cheng disagrees.

Wasting Away by UmbraSoleil

(explicit)

The floating island-esque heaps of human refuse that made up Xie Lian’s home were an attractive spot for astray sea life. Even more so, they were a place where Xie Lian—a castaway scavenger merman—could live out the rest of his days undisturbed and alone. Certainly, it was an unluxurious and physically taxing lifestyle, but apart from the occasional tremor in his fins and the swelling ache in his gut, Xie Lian didn’t have any complaints.

That was until Xie Lian attracted the attention of a particularly nosy human.

A human who…Xie Lian can’t help but suspect…

…is trying to court him…?

solo leveling

fear is the monster you forgot to flee from (fear is the monster that won't let you go)

Jin-Woo reawakens. But he reawakens… wrong. Different. Changed. Monstrous.

(Some do not see it. Others do and are rightfully afraid. And then there are those who are afraid and still want it. They want it, until they cannot live without it, and Woo Jin-Chul finds that he is terribly susceptible to the latter.)

[smileysuh]

Masterlist

© smileysuh — all rights reserved. reposting/modifying of any fic, reaction, or piece of original writing posted on this blog is not allowed. Translations not allowed.

MASTERLIST IS WONKY PLEASE USE THIS ONE: HERE

Series

The Cam Baby Series  ↳multi group/member camgirl!reader universe CEO NCT Series  ↳poly sugar daddy nct, different pairings.  

Group Masterlists

Ateez  BTS Got7 Monsta x NCT/Wayv Seventeen Stray Kids Coming soon... The Boyz, Astro, Victon

ALL ONESHOTS UNDER THE CUT

NCT (all units)

Invidious: dom! Johnny & Jaehyun  ↳4.1k, smut, reader insert ↳Synopsis: You’re Johnny’s fuck buddy and usually he doesn’t care about who you’re sleeping with. Until he sees a bite mark that looks awfully familiar on your ass. 

Whist: Yandere! Lucas & Taeyong  ↳4.5k, smut, reader insert ↳Synopsis: When one of your yandere boyfriends, Lucas, removes the diamond choker from your neck to mark you, Taeyong is not pleased.

Whist pt 2 : Yandere! Lucas & Taeyong ↳2.7k, smut, reader insert ↳Synopsis: You say yes to their proposal, and your boyfriends are very happy about it.

Fallen: fallen angel Lucas ↳6k, smut, reader insert ↳Synopsis: Lucas hates humans, but when he meets you, all bets are off.

The Dragon : boxer/badboy Lucas ↳6k, smut, reader insert ↳Synopsis: your best friend is Ten, and he does NOT want you hooking up with his boxer bad boy roommate Lucas. 

NiceGuyJohnny : Johnny ↳1.5k, smut, reader insert ↳Synopsis: Part of the CamBaby series, where Johnny suggests being a cam girl to make money, and all of your idol fuck buddies watch Johnny eat you out on camera for the first time.

Lucas99 & Hendery99 : Lucas & Hendery ↳3.6k, smut, reader insert ↳Synopsis: part of the Cambaby series, where Lucas just wants a blowie in an alleyway, and then an unexpected friend shows up.

Switch: ceo! Johnny & Jaehyun & Haechan ↳6.4k, smut, reader insert, ceo masterlist here ↳Synopsis:You’re Johnny and Jaehyun’s sugar baby girlfriend. The new ceo, Haechan, makes Jaehyun jealous and Jaehyun invites Haechan over for dinner. They assume Haechan will be submissive, but he proves to be more of a switch than either Johnny or Jaehyun expected. 

Switch part 2 : ceo Johnny & Jaehyun & Haechan ↳5.6k, smut, reader insert ↳Synopsis: Jaehyun usually takes you on tuesday lunch dates alone, but this time he invites Haechan. 

Switch part 3 : ceo! Johnny & Jaehyun & Haechan  ↳4.1k, smut, reader insert ↳Synopsis: Club nights always end in the four of you finding a quiet place somewhere so you can get railed. 

Switch part 4 : ceo! Johnny & Jaehyun & Haechan  ↳12.9k . smut, reader insert ↳Synopsis: Someone predictable gets jealous, in unpredictable ways, which leads to a lot of emotions bubbling to the surface, which you all must face.  

New : Ceo! Doyoung & Taeyong ↳12.5k, smut, reader insert, ceo masterlist here ↳Synopsis: They care about each other, but something’s missing in their dynamic. That something is you.

Break : demon/ceo Haechan ↳8.5k, smut, reader insert ↳Synopsis: He asks you for a drink 3 times, and since you’re at work bartending, you say no. He proceeds to buy the whole bar and tease you until you’re begging for him. 

Ex : Haechan ↳5.1k, smut, reader insert ↳Synopsis: It’s been a year since you both walked away, a year since you talked, but a chance enounter opens old wounds. 

Hungry : Lucas & Jackson (GOT7) ↳3.4k, smut, reader insert ↳Synopsis: Jackson notices his friend Lucas is into you, so he makes sure his friend’s dreams comes true. 

Set Up : Frat! Johnny ↳13.8k, smut, reader insert, *enemies to lovers* ↳Synopsis: Johnny is never rude to anyone. which is why your four frat friends, Doyoung, Taeyong, Mark and Haechan think it’s so odd that you clash heads with the six foot Chicago native. Lucas has a secret, your friends try to play match maker, and you get sabotaged on multiple occasions, but it’s just another week at the frat

GOT7

Open Season : Mark & Jinyoung & Jackson ↳5.2k reader insert smut ↳Synopsis: Jaebum accidentally says that his fuck buddy can fuck who they want, which apparently means it’s open season for the entire Hyung Line to get with her.

Open Season pt2 : Mark & Jinyoung & Jackson & Jaebum ↳8.2k reader insert smut ↳Synopsis: Jaebum finds out about the reader sleeping with his friends and things get smutty.

A Lil Flipper : Mark ↳3k, reader insert smut ↳Synopsis: At a Tuan family event, you realize Mark is the man you want to make babies with. Is it the best decision? Probably not, but who cares. 

PubGMarkT : Mark  ↳2.6k, reader insert smut ↳Synopsis: Part of the CamBaby series, where camgirl!reader fucks Mark while he plays video games. 

beommie : Jaebeom ↳3.7k, reader insert smut ↳Synopsis: Part of the Cambaby series, where the boys in the chat are quick to make fun of Jaebeom’s ‘furry con attendee’ status, so he makes them eat their words. 

TheJinyoung : mean dom! Jinyoung ↳4.7k, reader insert smut ↳Synopsis: Part of the Cambaby series, where Jinyoung isn’t too interested in playing for the camera, but he is more than happy to make you work for it. 

Hungry : Jackson & Lucas (NCT) ↳3.4k, smut, reader insert ↳Synopsis: Jackson notices his friend Lucas is into you, so he makes sure his friend’s dreams comes true. 

BTS

Four Days: Suga & Namjoon ↳4.8k Sugamon smut ↳Synopsis: You have an essay to write for school and Namjoon enforces a ‘no sex’ rule until it’s complete. Suga plays along with it but it’s clear you’re all getting impatient. 

Nefarious: yandere! Tae & JK  ||  moodboard ↳7.4k Yandere Taekook smut ↳Synopsis: You know you’re being followed. It’s been months. You finally take matters in your own hands to draw out the man following you. Turns out its not one man but two, and they’re completely in love with you. ↳inspo tags: Tae, Jk, Taekook

TaeTae: Taehyung  ↳4.6k, smut ↳Synopsis: Part of the CamBaby series, where camgirl!reader hasn’t seen Taehyun in a while and he shows her how much he missed her. 

Quickie: Taehyung   ↳2k, smut ↳Synopsis: Taehyung shouldn’t be allowed to wear a suit in the morning before work because it looks way too god damned sexy. 

Ateez

Mine: Seonghwa & Hongjoong  ↳3.4k, reader insert, smut ↳Synopsis: When your fuck buddy Hongjoong gets jealous of who you’re talking to at an event, you prove to him that you’re not only single, but can fuck whoever you want... by dragging Seonghwa into the cross fire.

Hyungs: Seonghwa & Hongjoong & San ↳4.7k, reader insert, smut ↳Synopsis: Hongjoong and Seonghwa share a girlfriend, and when San shows interest in her, they realize that maybe keeping her to themselves is a little selfish. 

8th Grade: Yunho & Mingi ↳8.9k, reader insert, smut, fluff.  ↳Synopsis: They’ve always just been your best friends. But Covid quarantine is making you all way too horny. 

Jealousy: Hongjoong ↳2.5k, reader insert, smut. ↳Synopsis: Your boyfriend is a little touchy about how close you are to his friends Mingi and Yunho.

Seveneteen

Winner : Mingyu ↳1.7k, smut, reader insert, *established relationship au* ↳Synopsis: Your bae deserves a reward after kicking ass at racing on a little kid sized go kart.

Night Out : Mingyu & Vernon & Wonwoo ↳4.3k, smut, reader insert ↳Synopsis: Vernon goes out for a night with Mingyu and Wonwoo to experience the ‘fun’ they always have. You go out to find a hot guy to take you home, you score threefold. 

Cuff 1: S.coups & Vernon & Wonwoo ↳4k, smut, reader insert, *established relationship au* ↳Synopsis: You and Vernon want to try bdsm, S.coups and Wonwoo help.

Cuff 2 : Hoshi & Vernon & Wonwoo ↳3k, smut, reader insert, *established relationship au* ↳Synopsis: You and Wonwoo get propositioned by (mainly) Hoshi, and Vernon.

Monsta x

Pillow Prince : Hyungwon & I.M ↳3.7k, smut, reader insert, *established relationship au* ↳Synopsis: You and Changkyun have been dating forever, and have a spicy reputation. You both figure movie night with Hyungwon can be a lot more fun if less clothes are involved

[krixel]

1, 5, 9, 15

1) What fandom(s) did you join this year?

I guess the best answer is The Dragon Prince. I watched the series as it released, and enjoyed it, but for some reason, it didn’t invest me to the point of seeking out the fandom for it. Then, while stuck in quarantine, I rewatched it and it struck home. I think having more free time than I’ve had in ages also helped, but it kind of dragged me back into participating in fandom in general, and now I’m writing fanfiction again for it and others, which I would not have predicted.

5) What creative work are you most proud of (you own or someone else’s)?

Hmm, good question. I think for myself, there’s a few this year for my writing, which is funny because I’ve also probably struggled more with writing this year than any other, but there are a few pieces I can look at and actually see improvement.

I’ve got some stuff brewing in my original work, which has been on the back burner for a while, because I finally feel confident enough as a writer to try and tackle it. As for things actually posted, Dreaming Wide Awake is probably my favorite piece for TDP, because I just really enjoy the style my writing took in that one, and it came across pretty much how I envisioned wanting it to go, which almost never happens.

I don’t know if this counts because it technically didn’t get posted in 2020, but I’m pretty proud of my upcoming Beyblade fic. I think it has some of my best writing to date, in certain places, and I mainly set out to write it for myself, so it’s been more enjoyable.

9) Recommend something that you really enjoyed in 2020.

Ooh, yay! I love recommending things, and despite what a terrible year this was overall, I encountered some great media.

Book: Kings of the Wyld - this was 100% my escape novel and I’m about to start re-reading it once I finish the current book I’m reading. It was just such a joy and ticked pretty much all my favorite boxes.

Video Game: I’m going to be predictable, but the FFVII:Remake delivered for me, and I’m just a sucker for that world and characters, so it was nice to get a bit of a fresh take with old friends. Also, high-def Reno. I love that slimy bastard. I also sank an insane amount of hours into Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Stardew Valley.

Music: To the shock of absolutely no one, Poets of the Fall! They chose 12 of their past songs and re-recorded them in live acoustic sessions at the Alexander Theatre in Helsinki, Finland, and the result is gorgeous. I think they can be found in most streaming services under a collected album now, or all the live videos are on youtube.

15) What are you looking forward to coming out in 2021?

Hopefully the next season of The Dragon Prince. XD I’m so behind on everything, and 2020 was such a bonkers year, I don’t even know release dates for things anymore.

Um, I’m actually quite excited for the Shadow & Bones adaptation to release on Netflix in April. I’m curious how they combined the Grisha Trilogy/Six of Crows story lines.

I’m sure there are books coming out, but I can’t think of any of them, and I’m years behind on my TBR, so a bunch of series I have intentions of reading are releasing conclusions in the next year, but I still need to read the first books.

[emperorlotorr]

Main The Dragon Prince thoughts

Making these up as I go: Good stuff™

Aaravos being set up as the big bad? I’m so for it, not what I expected but ten times better

Brodigies strong as ever, can’t wait for them to see Viren and the descent he’s spiralling into because of Aaveros

Aarevos’ voice actor, I didn’t like him narrating but god do I love him in s2, he’s doing such a fantastic job!!!!

Viren being fleshed out, shown that he truly believes he’s doing good and being manipulated by Aarevos in the end: A+

That red dragon, I seriously hated. Why was she circeling some innocent town? Yeah Soren shot first but there’s a border for a reason and if you cross it you gotta face the consequences (as Sarai and co did with Thunder) plus she burned innocent civilians, if dragons are as sentient as the show suggest that dragon knew what it was doing (I might be a bit biased, i love Soren and she hurt him)

Claudia is not going down the dark path so many predicted!! Unlike what most thought it’s Soren who was almost gonna go dark and Claudia was always weighed down by the wrongness of her mission!

Sarai, just, Sarai I love her so much

Gren is “being chained up” I love one (1) innocent chained up boi

Corvus got more attention and he! deserves! it!

I like how the moral highground Callum and some others are standing on towards Dark magic is kinda adressed with Claudia saying he’s “judgemental”. Humans eat creatures too, what’s the difference? Lujanne herself feeds her pet grubs (living worms) and she feeds it to her guests.

Callum as a sail was the fucking highlight of this season

Some okay stuff I guess?

Callum “finding” his sky arcanum feels a bit cheap, if thousands of humans throughout thousands of centures never got it whilst living in a magical land with magical creatures why does he? It was foreshadowed that creatures are able to pocess more arcanums/arcana (is that how you write it?) with Aaveros being the master of all six for some reason

Viren...You didn’t guess that the guy whose name gets literally burned out and molded out by a creepy darkness in every book might not be the one you should trust? Don’t ask him just smash that mirror

That final moment was so anticlimactic though, who the fuck is that dragon? He wasn’t built up it’s just “oh noo! It’s!! that dragon with the wound on his face i guess?”

[obsidianarchives]

Game of Thrones Recap: S8E2 - "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms"

Let me get this out of the way up top, I am and have always been a sucker for bottle episodes. While your mileage may vary and I can understand being disappointed if you were expecting more plot than character payoffs, this was everything I could have asked for in a prelude to the devastation we all know is coming. Only one location this week, so let’s get into it.

Winterfell

I don’t know what Jaime thought was going to happen, but the Kingslayer showed up about 19,999 soldiers short on the bill and was immediately hemmed up and brought to trial after arriving in Winterfell like a thief in the night. Daenerys was ready to feed Drogon the man who killed her father (and if he kept pushing it, a side of Tyrion), and Sansa was all too ready to help before Brienne of Tarth stepped in to vouch for him. Finally giving respect to the depths of their relationship, her word was enough for the Lady of Winterfell and Jon, who wants NO smoke between his sister and his love, is just happy to have another hand in the fight. He exits stage left, giving Dany the cold shoulder as soon as she bangs the gavel, ignoring his beloved like he’s 1995 Dumbledore.

Ratbag, slave trader, creepy old pervert Jorah, who for some reason is still hanging around, managed to convince Daenerys to save Tyrion’s head and job as Hand for now and also advised her to have a direct conversation with Sansa instead of ruling by exchanging petty looks. In an overdue change, we’re getting to the point and having characters act like adults instead of talking about each other this season. There is a thawing of relations, as the two powerful leaders find common ground and Sansa explains that her standoffish nature is less about Dany specifically and more about ensuring the protection of her people.

She knows men do stupid things in love (and out of love) and while the Dragon must have three heads, Sansa wants to make sure her people are protected should Jon make decisions with the wrong one. She apologizes for the lack of formalities last episode, but isn’t here for the kiki and wants to know what will happen to the North after the battle with the dead. Dany is as non-committal as Stevie J, but her answer is cut short by the arrival of Theon back in Winterfell. I didn’t like the looks Sansa and Theon were exchanging here, but hopefully it’s just the bonds of friendship and not a more romantic suggestion. I have never seen it for Theon, his redemption arc, shipping him with anyone other than death, or as a staff, record label, and a MFing crew and I’m not about to start now.

The Night’s Watch and Brotherhood Without Banners holdouts (primarily Tormund and Dolorous Edd) made their way to Winterfell from the disaster with the Umbers at Last Hearth less than a day ahead of the army of the Dead. With all the expected players finally assembled, the armies of the living try to come up with some sort of strategy, and their plan centers around setting up Bran as bait to get the Night King in the open. For the first time we begin to get some sense of what the White Walkers may actually want, and chief among that is killing Bran as the holder of living memory. Theon volunteers to guard him, which means he’s as good as dead, but no great loss there. Breaking up the war council, Jon avoids Dany again, still having not told her about being first in line for the throne.

After experiencing even more microaggressions, Missandei and Grey Worm realize they’ll never be welcomed in Westeros, and being disgusted with the racism, make plans to retire somewhere warm and safe when this is all over. Which means they’re going to die. BUT THEY’D BETTER NOT! I need someone to rescue them and fly them to Wakanda. By the old Gods and the new.

GHOST BYKE! They finally remembered Jon’s closest companion and friend was not one of the direwolves they needlessly killed, as Winterfell is transformed to the Wall South. We see Jon, Edd, and Sam once again as the Watchers on the Wall, this time atop the Starks’ castle, reflecting on all they’ve seen and mourning their fallen brothers Grenn and Pyp. Inside, Jaime and Tyrion are also going down memory lane, which turns into a fireside chat joined by Brienne, Podrick (who Neville Longbottom’d ALL the way up), Tormund, and Davos. Tormund tries to measure his dick against Jaime and teaches the children about the virtues of calcium.

Trading war stories and all this unlikely group have survived to this point, Tormund — ever the feminist — is disgusted that Brienne is not yet a knight. After she downplays how much the honor would mean to her, Jaime realizes it’s past due and as an anointed knight himself, commands Brienne to kneel as he confers the honor upon her. There’s a touching bit of hesitation on her part, as a woman who has been taunted all her life has to pause to see if this is just another mockery, but in a stirring and surprisingly intimate scene, she finally attains her lifelong goal. Which, unfortunately, means she’s also going to die.

Atop the walls, the Hound and Arya are having another one of their stilted, yet loving conversations, during which Sandor Clegane admits fighting for her changed him. However, being interrupted by Lord Beric reminds Arya there’s somewhere she’d rather be and goes to find Gendry. After stalking her prey and realizing Gendry is here for her murderous ways and still as fine as ever, she drops all pretense and asks his body count as she starts stripping, deciding she wants to celebrate Easter Sunday by hopping on that boy right there in the forge. Our little baby psychopath is all grown up and made good on six years of lust.

Outside, Lady Lyanna Mormont read her cousin Jorah for filth for even fixing his mouth to tell her anything. Unfortunately, the scene did NOT end with her banishing him from the North and our sight, but with Sam rewarding the worthless weasel with the Tarly family’s Valyrian steel sword “Heartsbane” in memory of Lord Commander Jeor Mormont. Back at the fire, Podrick channels his inner Pippin from Lord of the Rings and uses his gifted pipe, er…pipes to sing on the verge of battle. As we see a montage of loving couples (and Sansa x Theon) spending their last night together, we end with Daenerys finally walking up on Jon in the crypts as he stares at his mother’s statue. Jon finally tells her the truth about Rhaegar and Lyanna, and by extension, himself. Instantly, the love leaves Dany’s eyes and she looks at Jon now as a threat and rival, growing colder than the winter outside. Before they can finish their conversation however, they are interrupted by horn blasts. The dead are here. It’s. About. To. Go. DOWN!

With next week’s “Battle of Winterfell” bearing constant comparisons to the Battle of Helm’s Deep in Peter Jackson’s The Two Towers, it’s interesting that this episode should share so much in common tonally with The Return of the King: a kingdom on the edge of war, awaiting its inevitable destruction before the dawnless day. The episode posits that life is intrinsically linked to memory and history. What better way to spend a last night with the forces of the living than by reminiscing. The last enemy that must be defeated is death, but the battle is not lost as long as the memory of what was lost is preserved.

Book-Specific Notes: I try to keep theories and predictions (at least those informed by the text) separate for the particularly spoiler-averse, so read on at your own discretion. The choice to use Jenny of Oldstones for Podrick to sing before the battle was potentially telling. For a refresher, this is also the song that Tom of Sevenstreams sings as payment to the Ghost of High Heart for her visions. The song laments the Tragedy of Summerhall, which saw the death of several legendary figures, but was also the night Jon’s father (and Daenerys’s brother) Rhaegar Targaryen was born. The Jenny of the song is the wife of Duncan Targaryen, who gave up his claim to succession and chance to rule the Iron Throne out of love. It's also strongly hinted that the Ghost of High Heart is the same witch who made the prophecy that The Prince That Was Promised would come from that specific Targaryen lineage.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say the show is tipping its hand yet, but there are a number of interesting parallels. But also, the lyrics might spell trouble for those that we saw in the montage as Pod sang:

High in the halls of the kings who are gone Jenny would dance with her ghosts. The ones she had lost and the ones she had found And the ones who had loved her the most.

[rxcusant]

wow hey more peopled liked my hoshimeguri sora sketch than i thought so

Hey, who wants some context!!! and further rambling of the au!!! its all about traveling the stars and theres a dragon and everyone has beautiful designs and my faceclaim is an assassin in it

[its a little long tho because of the Lore (TM) so uh. fair warning]

Hoshimeguri, or Star Tour Observer, was an original event and storyline in IDOLiSH7 like 4 months ago? I think? anyway if you wanna get a little glimpse over everyone and the stars you can go right here but otherwise im gonna quick run thru everything cause i rly love hoshimegu (the PV is gonna pop up first you can either watch it and rock out to Hoshikuzu Magic or click out and skim thru everything)

the prologue for hoshimeguri is, as roughly translated,

in the beginning a myriad of stars crystallized into a form known as the ‘Star Gem’. The gem contained the power to grant any wish. People prayed to the Star Gem for blessings and obtained joy and fulfillment in their lives. People prayed to the Star Gem for evil purposes and brought about calamities. People grew covetous of the star Gem, breeding hate and resentment. The Star Gem that had granted millions of blessings had instead become a vessel for millions of curses. the Guardian of the Star Gem prayed for the Star Gem to be sealed away. The wish was granted the Guardian fell into eternal slumber. The Star Gem could no longer hold its form and split into six pieces. A single massive planet split into six with it. On the verge of sleep the Guardian created a being to oversee the worlds in his place. To journey across the stars, watching. the ‘Observer of the Stars’ bore witness to countless moments, countless stars, and countless lives.

so.. in less fancy speak, there was a Star Gem that granted wishes but people misused it’s power for Bad Stuff. the Gem’s Guardian sealed it away and the Star Gem split into six little gems-- and created the six worlds i’m about to explain-- and the Guardian pulled a ventus and fell asleep, but the last thing he did was make a cool dragon to observe and watch over life.

so this brings us to the six planets/worlds/stars one thousand years later!

First off-- Eterno! aka where I shoved Sora and Riku, ill expand on them later

Eterno is a desert star, covered in sand and sunlight. the planet Alba once waged war with Eterno to steal their sunlight a dozen years ago and drained the planet of its resources in the process. During the war the royal family disappeared so Eterno doesn’t have any ruler or security. Being a wasteland Eterno is considered a worthless star so nobody bothers or troubles it beyond some trading at the port.

Secondly we have Bestia!

Bestia is covered in dense forests and jungle, inhabited by several types of animals. The people of Bestia have beast blood and animal parts like ears and tails so this is basically the furry planet. the people of Bestia are looked down upon for this though. Bestia is home to a large trading port and many from starts all over come to trade in Bestian goods.

Next is Alba!

Alba is a star covered in darkness as the other planets block the sun’s ray from reaching them. Alba's main specialty is minerals and so bright crystals are their symbol. the former king invaded Eterno to steal their sunlight however the current king, Carnelian, regrets that war and would like to set things right between the stars.

Then we have Lama, the star of steel! i love Lama, two of my favorites are from this star!!!!!

Lama is a star with strong military power, easily overcoming the other stars in terms of strength. Lama is currently recovering from a long civil war between the former king and the people. The former king treasured military might and soldiers above all else-- in particular, those that could provide weapons for warfare. Anyone who couldn’t was subject to a life of poverty and servitude. Eventually the people rebelled an the civil war raged on for years. the prince at the time, Orion, with the help of an assassin, Erin, faked an assassination of the king (instead locking him up) and when the news reaches the rebel forces they called off their forces. The rebels had no issue with Orion becoming king since he carried out the assassin order and thus Orions peaceful reign as King began, working to rebuild relations between the people of Lama and the royal family.

next up is Sirenia! this is where i put Kairi, ill expand on that later.

Sirenia is blessed with water and canals everywhere. Every year they hold a festival to celebrate the rainy season. The people of Sirenia are relaxed and laid back because their star hasn’t been attacked or invaded in many years (with the former king using most of his power to essentially cut off Sirenia from the other stars with a magic wall, and trading was regulated). The residents love the arts and music and living life freely and creatively. The residents also practice in hydromancy, using water to predict the future and learning tarot cards and fortune telling.

Lastly is Mistero which i admittedly remember the least about

Mistero is a mysterious star but faith in the Star Gem is strong. There exists a large temple on the star however divine energy prevents people from entering. Mistero was the original planet before the planet and Star Gem split into six pieces. Its on this world that the Guardian, Vega, still sleeps. His attendant, Capella, still waits for him to wake.

aaaaaaand those are the stars! oh my god that took an hour to type. WELL SINCE THIS IS ALREADY REALLY LONG WINDED I’LL TRY TO KEEP THE AU WITH SORA AND RIKU AND KAIRI BRIEF EVEN THO IM SURE THATS WHAT YOU’D BE HERE FOR INSTEAD OF IDOL JUNK djfgnks

i dont have anything concrete but my current concepts are-

Sora and Riku grew up on Eterno together. Having known about the existence of other stars but always being too young to travel themselves the two decided one day to leave and explore them all together. Eventually the day came where the two of them snuck onto a ship, not entirely sure where it was headed. Once the ship docked on Sirenia Sora and Riku made a break for it, not wanting to be discovered as stowaways. 

Kairi lives a carefree life on Sirenia with her friend Namine and instructor Aqua. Aqua teaches the girls hydromancy altho Namine holds more of an interest in drawing and painting. Kairi however is extremely skilled in hydromancy and one day receives a sign about dual forces about to enter her life. She doesnt know what to make of the vague message tho and puts it to the back of her mind for a week maybe.

And then came the day she ran into Sora and Riku. the two of them stuck out like a sore thumb in their Eterno attire. Kairi warned them about how trade and visitors are carefully regulated and any intruders aren’t to be taken lightly. the boys apologize and explain they just wanted to explore some new worlds. Its with that Kairi agreed to help them out but only if they let her come with them, since life in Sirenia while carefree can get dreadfully dull doing the same thing over and over again. Kairi arranges passage under the guise of aiding other stars with her fortune telling and sneaks Sora and Riku onto her ship. 

And thats how the three of them began their own Star Tours ha cha cha

also side note i bet Vanitas and Ventus are brothers from Lama raised by xehanort to be soldiers in Lama’s military but neither of them are really Cool with this idea and probably just take off one day jdfhgkjf dont ask me what terra or xion and roxas and axel are doing because i have NO IDEA what star to put them on

yeah. thats the hoshimeguri au right now. //jazz hands; if you made it this far thank you for indulging me i owe you my life

[quotespicture]

https://quoteswithpicture.com/game-of-thrones-finale-review/

Game of Thrones Finale Review

By MA Iliasu (Kano State, Nigeria)

  Season Finale; Game of Thrones. Episode Finale; The Iron Throne.

A wise man once said: “There’s nothing in the world more powerful than a good story. Nothing can stop it. No enemy can defeat it. It unites people better than Armies, Gold and Flags ever can.” That wise man is no one but Tyrion of house Lannister, the imp, the daemon monkey, the pisser over the edge of the wall and the almighty hand of the king – the wise man with the sharpest tongue in Westeros. The perfect proof of Lord Tyrion’s submission is how George RR Martin, an American storywriter unites over one billion world population with the greatest story ever written, ever told and turned into motion picture in man’s living memory – the Game of Thrones.

White or Black, Asian, European, Caribbean or African, Arabic, English, Latino, French, Spanish, Hindi, Chinese, Swahili, Hausa or Yoruba, underage, ageing or aged; one seventh of the world population, and everyone is a Game of Thrones fan. And by fan, I mean the kind of fanatic level of fanboyhood. What makes Lord Tyrion’s submission even more unbelievable is the fact that its author is authored by the man we’re just trying to prove writes the greatest story ever told – with the stuff someone said in his own stuff. Wow! This is levels ahead of human beings comprehensible ability.

David Benioff and D. B Weiss also mustn’t be left behind, their infamous application of logic has wrapped up the story which its fluidity has the potential to flow until the last day, at an intensive, competent and adventurous pace. The episode finale has rationalized and solved many of the puzzles that have been in place since the inception of the show, from episode one – “Winter is Coming”, to episode last – “The Iron Throne”, in the most efficient, rational, logical and idealistic way possible. Justice is served to all; the sword is swinged by him who serves the sentence, and to him whose sentence was served, the nothingness in the truth of him who said I’m the king has been proved, the slaps of honour have been worn in both silence and noise, the status quo is disrupted against all the odds, and the real power is proved just as the script is written; the greatest of all powers is knowledge just as bit much as the inevitability of change is the biggest truth.

The talking points:

1. Don’t bury your head under the sand of delusion, not everything comes through inheritance, the biggest determinant of materiality is fate, and one must accept what it throws at him, no matter why, when and how. It’s just up to one to be ready before or when it arrives. The rightful-ness of everything lies in its righteousness, and for things to function in desired way, that which is rightful must be that which is righteous.

After all the political brouhaha amongst the prominent houses, the determination and the claims of bloodline lineages, and all the explanations and predictions; the person that gets to rule is a crippled son of Ned Stark who couldn’t lift his arm right to fire an arrow. Who would’ve thought? The boy, who was named after his uncle Bran, who was also named after Bran the Builder travelled north of the wall to find the missing tape in the cassette of his fate. Robb Stark once said to Lord Manderly: “If Bran can’t be lord of Winterfell before me, Renly can’t be king before Stannis” and I wish he was alive to see Bran as the king of Andals right in the sight of rightful heirs, and there’s nothing anyone of them can do about it. Isn’t that a great lesson? Ladies and gentlemen, please to Brandon the Broken, the first of his name, the king of the Andals and the first men, the lord of the seven kingdoms and protector of the realm. Long may he reign!

2. No one should eat his cake and still have it. No one should pass the sentence and refuse to swing the sword. No one should take a debt and refuse to pay. What all this is trying to prove is that people must take their words seriously if world is to be any liveable environment for the living.

Daenerys Targaryen made promise of mercy, but fulfilled it with a wrath. She’s taken a debt of betterment, but paid it with aggravation. No one should get away with that. Jon Snow on the other hand has been a consistent soldier of mercy, truth, honour and honesty. He’s the personification of that proverb: “Truth is worth more than a pound.” The two lovers are complete opposite of each other, but still have so much affection for each other in a “love is blind” kind of way. Their characters define the ideals of human coexistence; take your word serious and be remembered as the greatest, but take it as a joke and be remembered as the worst.

3. Jon Snow as bigger name than Aegon the Conqueror, and Brandon the Builder in history of Westeros would be a very fair argument. Within his short life he had been a bastard, a steward, Lord Commander, a prisoner, wildlings saviour, King in the North, rightful heir to the iron throne and saviour of the realm. In all of the mentioned, he has been the greatest that has ever bear the title. No man has served the realm closer to how much Jon did. He died and came back. He’s stupid, clueless and indecisive, but which honourable, honest and brave man is not? He has the blessings of prince Rhaegar, Ned Stark, Lord Commander Mormont, Aemon Targaryen, Mance Rayder, Stannis Baratheon and Cersei Lannister. And for everyone who is against him being sent back to the wall, remember, there has to be a Stark and a Targaryen every time in Black, and a man who is good at commanding, and very dear to the Wildlings, Jon meets that criteria, in fact, he’s the only one that meets that criteria. Jeor Mormont did give him the long claw for a reason. And Maester Aemon defined love to him for a reason. Ghost agreed to follow Tormund to the wall for a reason. Edd Tollett refused the Lord Commander post for a reason. It’s for Jon to guard the realm till eternity, and it’s fair to say the realm is safe till eternity. The greatest man that ever lived in Westeros. He indeed knows nothing, but who else knows something?

4. The new small council is just a testimony of the past great councilors. Lord Tywin’s blood must always be there to be hand of the king, because no one had ever been better at it. Tyrion was sent by his father to serve in his place for a reason. Bronn of Blackwater has the cunning of Petyr Baelish, and even bigger love for gold. He also knows what it takes to convert an empty bag into bag full of gold. Samwell Tarly has learnt a great deal from Maester Aemon, and from Maesters in the citadel. He’ll make a better Maester than Pycelle. Davos Seaworth is an experienced smuggler who survived every single battle without a shred of combat ability. No one is better at brokering a deal, he’ll be of great service as the master of the ships. Brienne of Tarth as Lord Commander of Kingsguard would allow Jaime to sleep peacefully in his grave. With the only vacant post remaining is Master of Whisperers. But who in this life or another do you think could resemble Varys, let alone replicate his job? RIP Lord Varys, may the soul of Dany rot in hell for taking you away from us.

5. Yuval Noah Harari is apt; “Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.” When – Lord Commander Mormont forbade Samwell Tarly to die, Mance Rayder died while being burned alive for refusing to kneel, Craster marrying his daughters to himself, The hound threatening soldiers to rape their corpses if they run, Stannis Baratheon admitting to murder while being helpless, Robin Arryn sucking his mother’s breast while been at the age Brandon Stark was ruling Winterfell in place of Robb, and Edd Tollett saying his mother farted while dying that the whole bed shook, I thought I heard it all. I thought I’ve seen it all. Then boom!!! Lord Edmure Tully stood right there in front of lords with hope for them to endorse him as the king of six kingdoms. Wow! I think this is the greatest insult an entity has ever suffered, and I was there asking God to offer me a chance to give Edmure the greatest flogging he has ever received. What a dunce! And he truly meant it.

6. The north is finally a recognised independent dominion. North has always been an arena for extraordinary stubbornness. They worship old Gods in trees instead of fire and new, stay in snowflakes through the winter and bowed only to the dragons. The fury of northern lord matches the fire of a dragon. Greatjon Umber couldn’t agree for Lord Glover to lead northern banners until he got his fingers eaten by a dire wolf. Lord Karstark murdered two Lannister boys because Lady Catelyn set Jaime free, which costed him his head and he didn’t regret. Lyanna Mormont killed a giant in such a young age, and once wrote a reply to Ramsay saying her house recognises no king but the king in the north whose name is Stark, and we all know Ramsey. These people shall never bend before anyone who is not a northerner, and they got one in Queen Sansa, a brilliant lady with experience, with a fine lineage and beautiful face. I am that northern soldier who bends when she was done getting crowned. Our Queen! Arya Stark on the other hand refused to be the Lady of Storm’s End, instead wants to see the boundary of Storm’s End. Cold little bitch, as the hound puts it. That girl can’t live in a world where there’s no people like Ned Stark, Sandor Clegane, Blackfish and Jaqen H’ghar. The hero of the realm!

In the end, there are some missing stuff in the season finale that needs to be accounted for such as: 1. How did they rebuild King’s Landing within days? 2. How did they rebuild the wall in such little period? 3. Samwell Tarly still has the bows of Night’s Watch, how did he become a Grand Maester with bows, when did they pardon him? 4. It has been seen when the Unsullied sailed to Naath, but what happened to the Dothraki, who knows where they go? 5. What happened to or where is Ellaria Sand and her daughter? Are they still rotting in the dungeons of King’s Landing? Did the girl die from Cersei’s poison, did Ellaria watch her rot? Is she alive or dead?

Rating: 4/5

  Return to Movie Reviews

[i-just-like-commenting]

The Northrop Frye Theory of A Song of Ice and Fire (or, why you can be certain this series won’t have a downer ending)

The affinity between the mythical and the abstractly literary illuminates many aspects of fiction, especially the more popular fiction which is real enough to be plausible in its incidents and yet romantic enough to be a “good story,” which means a clearly designed one. (p 139)

This quote comes from Northrop Frye’s 1957 essay “Archetypal Criticism” in his book Anatomy of Criticism: Four Essays. An influential Canadian literary critic, Fye is especially known for his work on William Blake. I’d been familiar with his theory of the four mythoi (generalized story patterns) since high school, and while reading A Song of Ice and Fire I became convinced that Martin has to be aware of it as well. Thus I decided to read the entire essay it comes from to test the idea (not an easy task; it’s 110 pages of very dense text), and that conviction has grown to the point that I want to write the man to ask him directly.

Of course, it doesn’t entirely matter if Martin has read Frye’s work, because his mythoi are archetypes. Frye’s theory of archetypes doesn’t necessitate a collective unconscious like Jung’s; rather, he’s talking about the cultural legacy Western society has inherited primarily from Hellenistic and Biblical traditions, the tropes and symbols we all recognize instinctively. It’s part of our cultural unconscious, the background noise we’ve all received since childhood.

There’s a lot in this essay that could be applicable to aSoIaF, such as how wolves and dragons are classic archetypes of evil or at least dangerous and untamed nature, or how literature versus mythology gives you more freedom to subvert archetypal meaning, but I want to focus on his idea of mythos, and how he argues that there are four major mythoi, comedy, romance, tragedy, and irony, and that they archetypally correspond to the four seasons, spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

You should already be able to guess a little of where this is going.

Spring is comedy, which in its broadest outline is not just a story with a lot of humor, but a story where upstarts - often young or from marginalized categories - take on an absurd obstacle (especially a social convention) and win. Villains tend to be more laughable than hated, and ideally it ends with as many people being redeemed/included as possible.

Summer is romance in the Medieval sense of the term, which is a good vs evil story. The hero has to defeat a great evil (a tyrant, a monster, a witch, etc.) usually through great sacrifice (sometimes even their deaths) but either they or their cause ultimately triumphs in the end. Quest narratives from Greek mythology or Arthuriana fit in here, as would Tolkien, Harry Potter and most comic book superheroes.

Autumn is tragedy, where a hero is doomed by their own choices but also by a sense of inevitability, where fate or a kaleidoscope of forces beyond their control or awareness force their downfall. Heroes fail or become villains themselves. Society winds up in a worse state than it started out at, or innocence is jaded by experience.

Winter is irony, where the purpose is to expose an unjust system without necessarily meaning to defeat it. Much irony uses humor to make the criticism go down easier (pure invective works well in essays but not in fiction) and becomes satire or parody, but there is a measure of anger and contempt here not present in traditional comedy. Humor isn’t required, though, and Frye includes  Brave New World, and 1984 in this genre, accurately predicting that dystopia would become a trend.

Now, these mythoi are not completely clear-cut and they tend to bleed together at the edges. If a comedy emphasizes the villains and how ridiculously bad they are, it bleeds into ironic satire. If the villains are downplayed and the focus is on the struggle of the heroes, it becomes more romantic. Likewise a romance can turn tragic when a hero’s own weaknesses are the cause of evil or his difficulty in defeating, and so forth and so on.

I would argue that the seasons in A Song of Ice and Fire, once that can go on for years, for complete stories or complete arcs, correspond fairly well to Frye’s model. Allow me to present some examples:

The Dance of the Dragons explicitly takes place during autumn (harvest season in the North) and is a tragedy of epic scale, with huge amounts of death and devastation across the countryside. Jealousy and ambition - not to mention the sexism of inheritance laws and schemes laid down decades ago - lead to the near-destruction of Westeros. The next king Aegon III grows up in winter and becomes a depressed fatalist who dies young, a parody of the usual boy-king tropes associated with summer.

“The Hedge Knight” is set in late spring, and has the set up to be a spring story, wherein a self-appointed hedge knight and his squire defend a puppeteer from an evil prince. The emphasis on Dunk as a character and the underdevelopment of Aerion, however, should hint that this is already a more romantic comedy. By the end, it has indeed become a summer story, with the deaths in the combat to reach its happy ending. It is still a fairly comedic (that is, innocent and uncynical) romance, enhanced by the awareness of the reader that you are seeing the origin story of a good king and his Lord Commander.

“The Sworn Sword” takes place in full summer and presents as a simple summer story of good Ser Eustace vs the evil Red Widow, who Duncan even imagines like a witch. This is subverted as Duncan realizes his master was a traitor and the witch a victim of circumstance, but rather than lead to true parody (an ironic category) this merely means a reevaluation of what the “sides” in play are - conflict vs peace. Through a battle where Duncan even figuratively dies (near-drowning is often a metaphor for death), peace prevails and while the wedding isn’t his, Duncan still wins the lady’s heart (a common chivalry trope).

“The Mystery Knight” is a little later in the summer, and we even get dragons, metaphorically at least. This is the one that most conventionally follows a summer storyline, since the people wanting to foment another rebellion for no good reasons are clearly the wrong side here - not that all the people on each side are purely “good” or “evil,” just that a rebellion for the reasons they give serves no purpose. What’s more, from an archetypal perspective it’s actually Glendon Flowers takes the role of the hero, not Duncan. He goes through early battles, is betrayed and imprisoned, then rescued so as to defeat Daemon, vindicating himself and dissipating the rebellion. Dunk, Egg, and Brynden Rivers are his supporting characters, as fitting their positions as a rustic knight, a hidden noble, and a wizard.

That Aegon V’s reign starts in winter is sign that, for all his good intentions and successes his reign as a “good king” will ultimately be undone later, to serve only as a foil to the bad rulers we meet later. And oh would I love to know what season Summerhall burned in...

Then there’s the False Spring whose infamous tourney is mentioned so often in the books. Howland Reed gets his dignity restored by a scrappy woman, one of them is the mystery knight who wins the cheers of the common folk, and Lyanna gets a token from a prince. Total set up for a comedy, right? But of course this isn’t; it’s a false spring, immediately followed by winter resuming, so we really just saw autumn, as Rhaegar’s choices regarding Lyanna precipitates a series of disasters that ruin him, her, and the nation.

Now, what about the main story itself? Well, we start in late summer in A Game of Thrones, and the first novel does indeed resemble a tragic romance, as Ned dies as the victim of intrigues he had no way of knowing about, but his cause is ultimately taken up by his son and by Stannis. More importantly, we have another hero much more obviously go through a struggle-death-rebirth arc at the end in the form of Daenerys and her passing through the flames to become the Mother of Dragons.

Ned’s death, however, is “the sword that slays the season,” and autumn follows in A Clash of Kings and it continues until the end of A Dance with Dragons. I don’t think I will be controversial in saying that the tragic is the main tone of the series, as even heroes with the best intentions fail, and as many of the villains themselves are revealed to be tragic figures warped by their pasts or their cultures. If I were to go through every point of tragic archetype that winds up in this series, this post would be even longer than it already is. Suffice it to say that Littlefinger is an archetypal tragic antagonist (p 216) and Frye’s six descending stages of tragic hero - from innocent child to antivillain - has some obvious parallels to the ordering of tragic moments - from Bran’s fall to Cersei’s walk of shame. One of my favorite quotes of this essay should resonate with any fan of the series:

Of course we have a natural dislike of seeing pleasant situations turn out disastrously, but if a poet is working on a solid structural basis, our natural likes and dislikes have nothing to do with the matter. (p 215)

Ultimately even disaster and misery can be entertaining if well-written.

As for winter, it should also be noted that for all extents and purposes it is winter in the North for all of books 4 and 5, and the triumph of the Boltons, their farce with “Arya,” and our only potential hero being Theon of all people stinks of irony. Snowfall begins in the Riverlands just after Jaime takes Riverrun, a sign not just of looming famine but that whatever hopes Jaime had for undoing the damage his father did will ultimately be in vain. And of course the chaos that Varys’ assassination of Kevan will bring to King’s Landing is also pure winter material, and comes precisely as winter arrives.

But what will the series be overall? Certainly various character arcs or storylines have different tones, but can I predict what the entirety of A Song of Ice and Fire will be? Yes: it will be a romance.

Why can I be so sure? Frye subdivides the romance into four parts: the agon, a hero’s initial challenges and setup, the pathos, where the hero faces off against their enemy and often loses, the sparagmos, after the hero’s defeat when all hope seems lost, and the anagnorisis, either the literal rebirth or the postmortem recognition of the hero as others finish what they started. Thus Frye concludes:

The four mythoi that we are dealing with, comedy, romance, tragedy, and irony, may now be seen as four aspects of a central unifying myth. Agon or conflict is the basis or archetypal theme of romance, the radical of romance being a sequence of marvellous adventures. Pathos or catastrophe, whether in triumph or in defeat, is the archetypal theme of tragedy. Sparagmos, or the sense that heroism and effective action are absent, disorganized, or doomed to defeat, and that confusion and anarchy reign over the world, is the archetypal theme of irony and satire. Anagnorisis, or recognition of a newborn society rising in triumph around a still somewhat mysterious hero and his bride, is the archetypal theme of comedy. (p 192)

In spite of all its tragedy, in spite of all its subversiveness, this is still ultimately a romance, a hero story, good triumphing not evil. I mean, the evil is literally represented by winter, the classic mythical enemy of a romance (p 187), and the heroes aided by spirits of nature, who “represent partly the moral neutrality of the intermediate world of nature and partly a world of mystery which is glimpsed but never seen, and which retreats when approached.” (p 196)

The difference is that of mode (here you have to go back to the first essay in the book, p 33-34). Traditionally romance has been written in what Frye would call “mythic” or “romantic” mode, where the heroes are either flat-out divine (as in Greek myth or the figure of Jesus) or human but endowed with marvelous powers (as in most fairy tales or Biblical legends). Sometimes it is written in “high mimetic” form, where the hero no longer has superhuman power but is still larger-than-life in their abilities. It is almost never written in "low mimetic”  that emphasizes the ordinariness of its protagonists, how they are just like us, or in full ironic mode where the “hero” is someone we’re meant to scorn or pity.

Tolkien wrote somewhere between high mimetic and romantic (though his Silmarillion is mythic) which is what we’re used to in fantasy novels. Martin’s innovation is starting us in low mimetic or even ironic and gradually pushing us up into the realms of the supernatural. That’s why it’s harder to recognize the romantic element of A Song of Ice and Fire than in The Lord of the Rings. It feels like it should be irony, a deconstruction, but it is in fact Martin’s attempt at a more realistic (in the sense of believable human characters) reconstruction of the oldest, most archetypal fantasy tropes.

And so of course it will end in spring - or at least, with a dream of spring, the hope that out of this awful mess a better society can be built in the ashes of the old. THe Republic of Westeros...? Maybe that’s asking too much. I’ll settle on Sansa Stark, First of Her Name.

[raayllum]

tdp: where do we go from here?

or my ARC TWO (s4 and s5) predictions

So. S3 happened. A lot happened, not only in the season itself, but in the way it wrapped up 90% of the main arcs of the first main arc of the show. Even before it was announced that there would be three main arcs (and even before the seven seasons planned in total reveal, if I remember correctly) I had three main predictions

Narratively, at least one timeskip has to happen

Aaravos as endgame big bad and a unifying threat for both elves and humans to deal with on a large scale

Zym would be home by S4, and it wouldn’t fix Everything

So honestly, watching S3, and given how the season ended, I was gratified more than shocked. There were shocking moments in the season, for sure, but narrative wise, things had panned out the way I’d predicted, if not even better than I thought they would. 

I also definitely got things wrong, though. I thought they’d return Zym home a little later, Rayllum had another season to go before being canon, and that returning Zym home would mean less than it ended up doing so, as I thought it would be a gesture from just one human from one kingdom, not Duren and Katolis together from the King and crown prince, amid other elves and important humans like Janai (the new Sunfire queen) and General Amaya. 

That being said, here are my predictions going forward, as an expansion on the three I’m still holding, and the three that may lie ahead

A Timeskip

I’ve been gunning for a timeskip since March 2019, and honestly longer, if I think of when I first wanted it internally. It was something I was always very sure on narratively, just because it made too much sense, for these reasons down below:

The show had no fixed end of when Zym had to be returned. With no ticking clock (think of how in ATLA, everything was mandated by the Comet’s return) it gave an opportunity for things to stretch beyond just a few weeks, months, or even years

Seeing Zym grow into a slightly terrifying force of nature would make all too much sense, and while untrue, give weight to Viren’s words that he “would’ve become the most powerful creature in the world!”

Give Callum a reasonable amount of time, largely off screen, to connect to the other primal sources, otherwise multiple ones would have to be crammed into one or more seasons and it could begin to feel repetitious to see him connect to five other ones

Now it’s been confirmed that there will be a timeskip in between Books Three and Four. Yet because I wanted it so much, I did doubt myself a little. I also know that some people are hesitant about having a timeskip, and that’s totally understandable. (I personally got used to them because the “How to Train Your Dragon” franchise, including the tv show, has five timeskips.) The main concern seems to be of what if the timeskip is too big, but I don’t think that would happen for a number of reasons.

I’m personally betting on anytime from three months to one year as the time skip between S3 and S4, specifically six months. We don’t want to keep Aaravos cocooned for too long and have to keep flashing back for information, but long enough for things to settle. A timeskip of this manner would:

Allow Ezran time to grow and settle into his kingship in a time of peace - or working towards it in better ways than he was previously able to

Solidify Ezran’s council (Opeli and Corvus) and Soren reinstated as crown guard for the true king

Give a reasonable amount of time for Callum to more or less master sky magic and set hit sights on another arcanum

Rayla having fulfilled her duty as a Dragon Guard for a while, so that when the story picks up again her leaving it makes sense

Show off more established Rayllum, in a more secure way than in the immediate aftermath of 3x05 did

Zym can grow (and his relationship with his mother) now that he is no longer what binds the Trio together in quite the same manner

But mostly, for post-war politics which I’ll get into it down below

Post-3x09 Politics

Season three hinted at a lot of really interesting Xadian politics, and told us some really important things too. Namely that the elves are non united and each type/group seems to operate under their own command. The Dragon Queen is less of a reigning monarch and more just a monarch for the dragons themselves, which some elves then choose to serve. It also shows that among dragons there’s big issues of dissent, like Sol Regem, a previous monarch (however that works) being uncaring about burning his technical prince alive.

That’s not to say that what Ezran and to a certain extent, Katolis, did doesn’t matter. Katolis and Duren’s alliance will be stronger than ever, and with Janai as the Sunfire Queen, you’ll have her factions as well (having Amaya, who was such a prominent General at the Breach, in a relationship with her / on her side doesn’t hurt either). 

I am curious about the other human kingdoms though, as two lost their rulers and had no replacement mentioned, but they clearly aligned with Kasef. In addition, King Ahling will have survived and recovered from his encounter with the shadowy assassins, but will have to come to terms with how his son died. And it was still never confirmed to any of the human kingdoms that Xadia hadn’t staged that attack in the first place, but Viren with dark magic.

Things will be strained in more ways than one, and I’m really excited to see where it goes. And also how it can reflect in our main characters, specifically the trio... 

Political Trio Theory

This is the theory I’m most excited for it, and it hinges on our core three: Ezran, Callum, and Rayla. Each are completely different people than they were at the start of the series and they’ve grown so much and have chosen new responsibilities or paths for themselves. And of course, because it’s me and my brain, I have gone the angst route.

Ezran and Rayla’s relationship is one that is one of my favourites and has always been very sweet. They don’t tend to really disagree and Ezran was the first one to trust her, even if he was the only one out of the two princes who was her target. Rayla to a certain extent also takes care of him, and it’s Ezran in more ways than one that brings her and Callum together. So I think, to a certain degree in the next arc of the show, we’re also going to see him rip them apart. 

That’s not to say Ezran will do so maliciously or on purpose, or that I think Callum and Rayla will break up. I don’t think any of those things. But I kept thinking about Rayla’s line in 2x08: “You’re not my king. But you are my friend.” 

Rayla is still an elf from Xadia with her own duties, and her own political loyalties. Ezran also has a different responsibility to his own people, the other human kingdoms, and to upholding peace. Callum, meanwhile, is caught in between. He’s a human who will likely live in Xadia and can connect to a primal, but he’s still a prince of Katolis. He loves Rayla but Ezran is his brother and the only family (other than Amaya) that he has left. 

So basically, I think Ezran and Rayla are gonna disagree on something major, and while I think Callum will align a bit more with Rayla’s viewpoint, I think he may still choose to stand by his brother’s side. What the disagreement could be about, or why, I don’t know. But I think Callum is going to be torn between two places and people, and he’ll have to make some really hard decisions. I also think that Rayla will understand him standing by Ezran better than Ezran would if Callum just flat out sided by her, but that is just flat out speculation. 

This would also take the external conflict and internalize it hard, particularly because not only have Ezran and Rayla never disagreed to the same magnitude that Callum and Rayla did, but that they would probably work to resolve it because of the effect it’s having on Callum, too. 

Our trio has been our solid ground, to speak, for all of Arc 1, and given that Arc 2 is really going to shake things up, and the idea of peace being just as hard as war (but more worthwhile) I wouldn’t be surprised to see it extremely tested before they re-solidify, stronger than ever.

The Coins

When we see Viren after the fall, it’s unknown if the bag of coins is with him. However we do know that Rayla knows there are elves in there, and that Gren knowns Runaan is one of them. Rayla also knows that her parents didn’t run away and would therefore think them worthy of being saved. 

Viren and Claudia being spotted would be motivation enough for her to leave the Dragon Guard, perhaps, along with Callum and some allies to try and find the coins. I also think a confrontation between Claudia, Callum, and Rayla is coming eventually, given how messy their history is and how much resentment Claudia would hold towards Rayla (who is the reason Viren died, after all). 

I think by the end of Arc 2 (aka s5) Rayla’s parents and Runaan will be out of the coins so we have everyone together before the final Arc and all the fun possibilities and character work that can bring. It also might be one of those moments, since S5 will presumably end on a terrible note (especially since Arc 1 ended on such a high note at the end of the day) in a very ‘Empire-Strikes-Back’ sort of way, with of “at least we have this good thing that happened / we’re all alive.” 

Aaravos Backstory

We got more hints of this in S3, but given that something is going to be emerging out of that cocoon at one point, I wouldn’t be surprised if we get more of the full story. Especially since now Claudia is embroiled in Viren’s relationship with Aaravos, which might deteriorate while hers simultaneously improves.

I also think it’s important to get out Aaravos’ backstory, and why he was imprisoned, and all of the possibly good and evil things he’s done explained to the audience at least, so we can understand the full weight and consequences of why him getting out of that mirror is a “Oh shit no” moment when the time comes. 

But yeah, that’s basically all I got for now, and I hope you enjoy my theories! Feel free to add yours or discuss them down below! :)