#who loved him; who didn't leave or bully or disappoint him. this dragon was the healthiest relationship Hiccup ever had.

[tenebrius-excellium]

Thinking about Httyd...hot and perhaps too personal take: To me, Httyd was more than anything else a movie about emotional starvation. And Forbidden Friendship was the sweetest, briefest celebration of relief from that.

Afterwards, everybody basically told Hiccup to man up “because that’s just life” and I will never forgive Httyd2 and Httyd3 for that.

[fatum679]

The screenwriters are completely unprofessional and mediocrity.

hotd s2x02

The second episode was a complete disappointment for me.

My poor Helaena, no one comforts her, no one is around, Aegon walked past ignoring her. The mother talks about the debt while violating the debt.

We were not shown the Dreamfyre and how the body of Prince Jaehaerys is burned. More screen time was spent on Rhaenyra's suffering. Of course, why would showrunners show the suffering of other characters if they are not Rhaenyra.

And stop comparing Jaehaerys to Luke. Luke was 14, Rob Stark fought a war at 14, Luke was a dragon rider, he had a conflict with Aemond since childhood, he participated in his uncle's bullying, he and other children attacked him, he cut out Aemond's eye and did not bring apologies. This injury dooms him to lifelong suffering and health problems (do not forget that Aemond’s eye was pulled out without normal painkillers. Such wounds lead to infection, necrosis, fever, and the fact that Aemond did not die is very lucky) Jaehaerys did not bully anyone, he didn't cut out anyone's eyes, he was an innocent baby.

Helaena as a character is incredibly interesting and I'm disappointed that we weren't shown her normal relationship with the people, how she takes part in the small council or communicates with her dragon. I'm afraid that she will remain a background character. I'm disappointed that no one came to console her. And I didn't like the way Helaena spoke about ordinary people, because we know from the book they loved her. But I understand that she does not want to show her grief.

How the constant emphasis on Rhaenyra irritates me. We see Helaena and are then shown Rhaenyra and her children. We understood that she is a Mary Sue and the main character, but we can do without these cheap parallels and comparisons. This woman wanted to torture her little brother after her son cut out Aemond's eye. She didn't love her siblings, she ignored them, she is not a good big sister. Rhaenyra literally created the cause and created the effect. But they propagandize us that she is a “kind-hearted person”.

Daemon was shown as he really is and was in the books, finally. That he doesn't care about anyone except himself and his ego.

Aegon ignores Helaena. I am once again convinced that they have nothing in common, he was not even interested in how Jaehaera was feeling. Aegon acted like a fool by killing all the ratcatchers. But an even bigger mistake was putting them on display. Aegon remains a fool and makes mistakes.

Otto Hightower is the only one who really deserves to have a crown. He is ambitious and has no real love for his family, but he is a man of politics, he knows what is best for the kingdom. I support him as a ruler. Now I wonder what Viserys said about Aegon.

Criston Cole disappointed me. You talk about a white cloak even though you yourself are not faithful to your oaths. The writers keep making all the green party characters so repulsive. However, Criston just annoys me.

Alicent continues to care more about Rhaener than her children. She doesn't want to hold a public funeral for Jaehaerys, not because she cares about Helaena's feelings, but because she cares about Rhaenyra's reputation.

Alicent and Criston are a big disappointment. Alicent doesn't think about her children. Aemond is ready to pay the whore and talk about his mental traumas. Alicent does not reassure Helaena, Aemond, or Aegon. Alicent is a bad mother. She ignores everything. I don't like Aegon, but Alicent should have consoled him instead of walking past him. What is wrong with you? Where is your dead grandson's lit candle?

Fuck what the writers did to Aemond. I understand that childhood trauma and bullying leave consequences for the rest of your life. But Aemond, get your shit together. I consider this a retcon. Aemond from the first season would not go to a brothel, would not cry to a whore and would not pay for consolation. This doesn't look like him. Aemond from Season 1 would have gone to Vhagar and told her everything. I just watched this scene on 2x. The scene was disgusting to me. What is their age difference? 30 years? I hate alysmond and I hate Aemond x Madame. Madame seems to be manipulating Aemond. Thank fuck there was no milk sucking.

Jaehaerys was kill. Aemond, how much can you cry about Luke's death. Take responsibility for your actions, accept the fact that there were reasons for revenge and you did it because you wanted to take revenge for all the pain and suffering. It infuriates me. Why don't you talk about the death of Jaehaerys?

Corlys and Rhaenys talk about Daemon after sex. You guys don't have anything else to talk about. Maybe you could invite him into your bed? Cringe.

Laenor was dead - no one doubted it.

Mysaria was made not guilty of anything - obviously. Female characters on the black side can't be bad.

There is no drama in the twins' battle. I thought Ser Arric would be shocked by the prince's death and, like a twin, would be saddened by Jaehaera's condition and volunteer for the mission himself. But again we have evil greenies and he had no choice.

Daeron is exists.

BDSM games from Alicent and Criston.

The screenwriters are completely unprofessional and mediocrity.

🤮🤡

[aphrodisiac-siren]

Aemond Targaryen x OC (Eirlys Valeryon)

Excerpt from ‘Innocence’ on wattpad

After Aemond loses his eye, his childhood companion and betrothed visits him the next morning.

~

The servants in the castle had all heard of the event that took place and each tried to sneak a glance at the wounded prince, treating him like some sort of spectacle up for display.

Aemond hated it, both the stares and how he looked now.

"It'll heal" Eirlys tried to sound enthusiastic as she reached for his hand to offer some solace "it may take a while but-"

The girl had decided to visit him, despite her brothers asking her to just leave him be. And as much as she loved her brothers, she loved her friend Aemond as well and wanted to see how he was doing after being badly injured the night before.

"I won't Eirlys" Aemond sighed "I've been maimed for life"

"Aemond-"

"I'm sure you don't wish to marry me now" he looked down at their hands, observing how cautiously she was holding on to his "I look hideous"

"No of course not" the princess responded, the thoughts never crossing her mind. She was filled more with concern over anything else when she first saw him. And even now, all she was worried about was how painful it must be for him to endure all of it.

"I wish you hadn't called them bastards" she softly muttered as she gently traced his knuckles with the tip of her finger "you promised you wouldn't say it"

"I promised I wouldn't say it around you" the boy clarified "they accused me of stealing a dragon. How do you even steal a dragon? You claim one, and if I wasn't meant to ride Vhagar, I'd be burned until I was dead"

"You didn't have to chose a dragon that belong to the girls' late mother" Eirlys tried to explain "and then proceed to be rude about it"

"Your brothers really have a knack for turning the story around in a way that makes me the villain" the boy scoffed in disappointment "and you just take their word for it"

"But-"

"I've just claimed myself a dragon" he went on "the largest one alive. Couldn't you be a bit happy for me?"

"But they're not the only ones at fault here" she spoke "if you'd been nicer-"

"If I'd just done this or just done that. it's always my fault isn't it?" he snapped, his voice starting to falter with each word as a wave of emotions washed over him "I've just lost an eye and been blinded permanently and yet you still find reason to vouch for them. When will you start to look at things from my perspective? How I'm the one they tormented for never having a dragon, something clearly out of my control. How I'm the one they bully for it, how I'm the one who has lost an eye"

Aemond looked away and covered his face with his hands as tears began to stream down his face, his shoulders shaking as a result of his crying.

"W-why won't you ever stand by me l-like that" he managed to ask in between his sobbing "you're supposed to be my f-friend, you know that I w-would defend you"

Eirlys felt her heart clench.

She'd never seen Aemond lose his composure and cry before. She nervously wrapped her arms around him, afraid that she might hurt him if she hugged him too hard.

"I'll always stick by you" she sadly told him as he leaned against her, melting into the hug while he continued to cry, unable to bottle his emotions any longer "you know that"

"Then for once, believe me. I was the one who was attacked first" he told her, his head leaning on her shoulder "I only acted on it after it, I swear this to you"

"Alright, I believe you" she gently squeezed his shoulder as a way of assurance.

She held him in a close embrace until he stopped crying, wiping away at his tear stained face before he cleared his throat.

"Do you want to know about how I claimed Vhagar?"  He sheepishly asked as he sat up straight, but still refusing to fully look at her to avoid the princess seeing his face.

"Tell me everything" she eagerly responded, leaning forward slightly in anticipation for Aemond to tell her about how he'd finally got himself a dragon.

The princess patiently listened, quiet invested in his story of how she was hostile at first but then let him climb into the saddle, following his command to take flight.

He gushed in excitement about how the rush of adrenaline filled him as he soared amidst the closed while the cool night's breeze blew against him. How he'd almost fallen out the saddle and how despite it being his first time flying a dragon, he managed to somewhat learn how to manoeuver the large beast by himself.

"Perhaps one day we could fly together" he suggested "when I'm fully trained with how to control her"

"Me? Fly Vhagar with you? I don't think Ember would like it very much" Eirlys informed, referring to her dragon "and I doubt Vhagar would either"

"Oh nonsense, if I like you, so shall she" he tried to assure her "besides, it'll be just one flight. What could go wrong?"

"A lot of things apparently"

"You'll be fine" Aemond waved her off "just trust me"

"Oh I trust you" the princess gave him a look "I don't trust Vhagar"

"She'll warm up to you" he simply stated "I know she will"

Aemond and Eirlys continued on their little debate about Vhagar. Eirlys smiled subconsciously as she looked at Aemond enthusiastically rant on and on about the dragon. She was happy that at long last, Aemond had no reason to feel exiled.

Full story:

[did-we-imagine]

These are very interesting points. I really like your conclusion because it sounds like the most likely explanation for Zhao's rather high position in the navy & at court per canon (especially considering it doesn't have to rely on us filling the blanks" like with the two other theories aka this doesn't need any "secret revelation" to be made to be considered accurate).

Also yes, I love your analysis for Ozai's character. He definitely is irrational and heavy handed when he feels threatened/disrespected, but at the same time he didn't kill Iroh despite him being twice-disgraced (did I miss some logical reason aside from maybe trying to keep his dwindling supporters from rioting and/or him not considering him a threat which I suppose could have been the same for Zhao in that scenario? I personally see Ozai as someone who would be ready for the kill, but for some reason Iroh's situation leaves me mitigated). However, I am well aware that hypothetical-bastard-son-of-Azulon!Zhao definitely isn't as important a person as Former-Crown-Prince/Dragon-of-the-West!Iroh. Thus would be much easier to kill without causing big problems like a civil war.

Honestly, I can't make up my mind on anything when it comes to Zuko's position in the FN because I know Ozai hates his guts (he sees him as a disappointment), but I'm not sure if canon!Ozai gave enough fucks to encourage mistreatment or simply wanted him out of his sight. I do agree that Zuko seems like he has been used to being disrespected (my boy is definitely compensating, especially in the storm when he argued with Jee), and yes, it says a lot about Zhao that he literally enjoys bullying a traumatized 15/16 yo boy. I think his brashness, his arrogance, his hotheadedness, his ambition, coupled with his loyalty to Ozai were what bought him those unearned promotions (from a technical p.o.v at least). Whatever the reason was, Ozai must have believed that no matter how vicious Zhao was, he wouldn't be able to compete with him for the throne. The most logical and straightforward explanation would be that he simply doesn't have any claim to it, be it legitimate or not.

Thank you for your answer.

PS: The thing with Ozai is that the devil is in the details imo because i've seen so many interesting characterizations which were different due to individual preferences/perceptions, but still managed to be accurate/realistic thanks to the gaps left by the authors.

To be perfectly honest, Ozai/Zhao isn't a crack ship, and in fact given Zhao's track record, it's one of the more plausible explanations for his career trajectory.

[thevindicativevordan]

On Kong Kenan/Super-Man

It should've been him. He should've been the Superman of 5G/Future State/right now not Jon, and he should be the one getting an HBO Max series not Val. Hell he should be getting a movie!

God this dude is literally the best legacy character Superman has ever gotten, wholly his own person with his own lore and status quo while still building on the idea of "Superman". I am so pissed at DC for essentially just dropping him after his ongoing ended, what the hell Lee? You keep trying to make the Wildstorm characters happen, I need you to get my man Yang another Kenan book.

Have to admit I was a bit nervous at first about whether or not Kenan would be a worthwhile character. Yang's New 52 Superman run had been a disappointment to me overall, with only the the arc where Superman has underground wrestling matches against forgotten gods really sticking with me. Now he was introducing a brand new Superman? Didn't feel like he had "earned" that yet. But from the first issue I was hooked on this new character.

Kenan was unlike any other member of the Superfamily. He wasn't kind or sweet, he was an asshole! He was a bully! He was fantastic! Right from the start Kenan was set up to undergo a very different kind of character journey than the other members of the Superfamily. Empathy, humility, respect for people weaker than himself, these are all traits most heroes wearing the S-shield already posses by the time they first don the crest, but not Kenan.

Like all bullies he was even a bit of a coward himself at first, trying to bail on the experiment meant to give him Superman's powers right as it begins. After "saving" Lixin (the kid he bullies and steals lunch from every day) from Blue Condor he demands all the money Lixin has on him as payment. He's not courageous or selfless either at the start, Kenan is as much of an opposite of Superman as you can get short of being Bizarro. Learning the appeal of these traits formed the basis for his growth over the course of his series.

Seeing Yang bring in a lot of recognizable "Superman" elements in the series, but with a twist, was also great. Kenan is the one who bullies "Luo Lixin" rather than the traditional Clark/Lex friendship of Pre-Crisis and Birthright. Initially Kenan develops a crush on intrepid reporter for Primetime Shanghai, Laney Lan, but she dismisses him as too young and Kenan eventually ends up pursuing Avery Ho (Flash) instead. Baxi the Bat-Man of China has a similar relationship with Kenan as the traditional Superman/Batman in terms of being vitriolic best buds, however Baxi is the one who has the most respect for authority while Kenan is the rebel. Kenan is a part of the "Justice League of China" which does not meet with the approval of the already established Chinese superheroes, the Great Ten. That contrasts nicely with the good relationship the Justice Society and Justice League have, as well as seeing Yang lampshade the "Chinese copy" trope and incorporate that into his storytelling.

One of the funniest differences is how Kenan chooses to immediately reveal his identity as Super-Man to the world by taking off the compliance visor he was forced to wear, contrasting with Clark's choice to hide his identity. He was so eager to impress people that he never gave any thought to the danger he could put himself or his family in by revealing his identity until it was too late, something Clark is well aware of and has taken great pains to keep his identity secret. Was a missed opportunity for DC to have Kenan comment on Clark copying him for once when he outed himself under Bendis.

But one of the most poignant differences between Clark and Kenan is the gulf in separation between their relationship with their parents. Clark has a loving relationship with Ma and Pa Kent, trying to live up to their lessons as best he can. In contrast Kenan's mom was believed to have died in an airplane crash when he was just a child, and he never really knew her. His father was distant from him after that and the two weren't really close despite Kenan's attempts to impress him. So Kenan lacks that strong connection while still clearly loving both of them.

Pa Kent's death is one of the most tragic examples of Clark's love for his parents, and I've always been a fan of takes where Clark promises his father to fight for the powerless on Pa's deathbed. Kenan gets a similar scene at the start of his career, his dad "dies" (after being exposed as Flying General Dragon, a pro-democracy "supervillain" from the Chinese authorities perspective) and wants Kenan to promise he'll fight for Truth, Justice, and Democracy. But because Kenan's dad never really bonded with him, Kenan doesn't know what those mean, and can only promise that he never wants to see people die, something his father takes comfort in at least. In classic comic book fashion it's revealed that Dr. Omen, Kenan's "boss" and the one who gave him his powers, saved Kenan's father, because she is Kenan's mother! Kenan's relationship with his parents forms a lot of the crux of his character arc, and seeing how Yang utilizes the classic Superman concept of family kept the storytelling exciting.

Yang's brilliant exploration of the concept of "Superman" through the prism of Chinese culture was a great way to differentiate Kenan as well.

I absolutely freaking love how he tied to the concept of Qi to the S-shield in particular. Connecting the shape of the shield with the way Kenan has acquired his powers along the path of the Bagua (eight trigrams used in Taoism that represent the fundamental principles of reality), with his octagon S-shield outline representing all eight principles together, was mindblowing! So was the idea of restricting Kenan's access to his powers unless he was actually acting in a Superman manner, that tied his character growth to his power growth in an entertaining manner. There were so many characters and concepts that meshed Chinese and DC lore together, like how Emperor Super-Man was Kenan's "Doomsday", they even recreated that iconic dual kill shot! The Chinese Wonder Woman Peng Deilan, being based on the Chinese Legend of the White Snake! There was even some Korean mythology referenced with the Aqua-Man member of the JLC "Dragonson".

Yang also managed to do a Superman Blue/Superman Red story with Super-Man Yin/Super-Man Yang!

Shameful that it took me a while to realize what Gene Yang was doing but once I caught on I was touched. You can tell how much Yang loved Superman and his mythology, and how he was excited to incorporate as much from Clark as he could, while still using it in a way that was solidly Kenan's. And not just Superman's mythology, but the history and lore of the entire DC Universe. I-Ching got to be brought in, fleshed out, and used as Kenan's mentor! The "Yellow Peril" villain from Detective Comics #1, the comic DC gets its name from was brought in and revamped as I-Ching's twin brother All-Yang! Hats off to Yang for taking a racist caricature and attempting to make him into something more.

This series was a beautiful attempt by Gene Yang to build a space for Asian heroes and villains where they could be more than stereotypes, Kenan himself being a defiant mold-breaker in every regard as the complete opposite of most Asian characters in Western media (a jock, a bully, loves his dad but not on great terms with him, a powerhouse as a hero, etc). So much thought and hard work was poured into this by Yang and his team of artist collaborators.

Especially the costumes, man Kenan had so many great looks. From his starting outfit (which is my favorite Superman variant not worn by Clark himself), to the one with the Yin/Yang shield he acquired later on, to his Super-Man Yin & Super-Man Yang outfits, Kenan looked damn cool. Part of me is bummed they didn't go with the Chinese character shield they toyed around with, but I loved how Yang used the "s-shield" as a plot point, so I'm not too broken up over it.

All that great work Yang did to build that space up has been more or less forgotten sadly. It was nice to see Kenan in the DC Asian Month Celebration issue. Avery is going to be in Justice Incarnate at least (unsurprising considering she was created by Williamson). So fucking bummed that Superman Family Adventures cartoon didn't happen, they were going to have Kenan and John Henry Irons in it! Would've been a dream come true for me to see Irons in animation again, and Kenan making the jump to outside media! Maybe that would've encouraged DC to let Yang keep writing New Super-Man, or at least encouraged them to use him elsewhere instead of allowing him fall into Limbo.

Unfortunately I'm not sure what the future holds for Kenan. Jon is being pushed as Clark's replacement in the comics, with DC keeping all the other contenders such as Kon benched. Calvin is leading the Justice Incarnate team likely due to the upcoming Coates reboot that will make Clark black. Val will probably get something once Taylor leaves Jon's book or once they officially announce the HBO Max show is happening. So where does that leave Kenan, my new favorite PoC legacy hero? Currently my only hope is that Yang is working on something for DC involving him. Yang left Batman/Superman, where I was hoping to see a Baxi/Kenan team up, to go work on "exciting other opportunities" per his Twitter. So fingers crossed that there's something in the works for Kenan!

One day I hope he gets his day in the sun again.