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immaturityofthomasastruc · 7 months

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IOTA Reviews: Revelation and Confrontation

Well, here we are. The final seven episodes of the season. For the most part, Season 5's episodes have been boring at worst and passable at best, with only about four episodes I'd consider to be outright bad. That pretty much disappears starting here. It's like the writers held back for most of the season, and just as the final arc was about to begin, right when most of the audience was led into a false sense of security, they were like:

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Let's get into the twentieth and twenty-first episodes of Miraculous Ladybug's fifth season: Revelation and Confrontation

So, for an episode titled “Revelation”, you'd assume it would focus on Marinette and Adrien finally learning the other's secret after all these years, right? Nope, it's a Lila episode, as in Lila is the character we follow. How does it open? By revealing that Lila has different moms she's conning into believing she's their daughter.

I believe Linkara best captures my reaction to this.

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YEP. Right out of the gate, we get arguably one of the dumbest plot twists in TV history. For an episode that's supposed to help us learn more about Lila's life, it's only raising more questions than it's answering, and it feels like it was there just for the sake of shocking the audience.

First off, why is she doing this? What does she possibly have to gain living with three random women who, as far as I can tell, have no political, social, or financial power whatsoever? Her entire motivation is lying to make herself look good so she can kiss up to famous people and ride the coattails of their success. Who the hell are these three people and why did Lila chose to pretend to be their daughter? In fact, are any of them even her biological mother?

Second, how did she even pull this off? I can somewhat buy her tricking her peers into believing her lies, but three grown women all believe this person is their daughter? Did she fake a DNA test or something? Did she frame some other kids for murder? Is one of them the kid in Omelas? Did the other moms adopt Lila? They must have, because I'm pretty sure any of them would know they were pregnant, but how did she fake being an orphan? How has she not been caught? The scene establishing this shows her ending a call with one of her mothers right as another one enters her room. You're telling me nobody has ever walked in on Lila talking with one of her mothers?

Third, just how long has she been doing this for? Has she been doing this her entire life? Did she frame her real mother for tax fraud at the age of five so she could explore the world? When the hell did she start doing this, and how did she even get the resources to do it? Does she have more than three moms?

Finally, what the hell does any of this tell us about Lila? We already know she's a liar and a villain, but what does learning she lies about who her mother is accomplish for the narrative. Outside of a single line to Sabine later on that heavily implies she wants to make her her next mother, this scene is entirely pointless. Sure, it shows how effective of a liar she is, but that's what the episode is already setting out to show us! We already know she's manipulative, so what's the point of any of this?!

Jesus Christ, we're only on the first scene, and I'm already pissed off. You see what I mean about these last seven episodes?

After lying some more, Lila learns an update to the Alliance rings has Kagami replace her as the female avatar. When she goes to ask Gabriel why he's cutting off ties with her, we learn just why Gabriel is such a tactical genius.

Gabriel: You were only the face of my brand in exchange for a mission: to monitor my son's relationships and keep him away from bad company. You failed. My son got close to this Marinette Dupain-Cheng who's been nothing but a terrible influence on him. But you did give me one excellent idea: to create a new media-friendly pairing for my son, which is why Kagami Tsurugi will be the new female face of the Gabriel brand. Perfection itself! All that remains to do is perpetuate this facade until it becomes truth in everyone's eyes. And until jealousy eats away at Marinette Dupain-Cheng...

Lila: But... What's to become of me?

Gabriel: You just remain what you are. Nothing.

Because it's not like Lila is easily your most competent ally (at least, by comparison), and is the only one who doesn't hate your guts, right? Seriously, Lila's biggest motivation other than fame is to ruin Marinette's life, and for the most part, as bad as the writing has been, she has been mostly effective in damaging her reputation (Chameleon, Ladybug, Adoration). For God's sake, if it wasn't for her, you would have been exposed as Monarch earlier this season in “Illusion”! Say what you will about Lila as a character and how stupid everyone acts when she's on-screen, but at least she's good at her job.

Lila walks off fuming, and Gabriel considers akumatizing her, but doesn't want to risk it because of how much she hates him... even though multiple Akumas over the course of the show were people who hated Gabriel or wanted revenge on him (The Bubbler, Simon Says, Style Queen, Heart Hunter, Passion, Action). It also doesn't stop him from akumatizing Lila later on in the episode, because her hatred is now directed at Marinette. And as we all know, it's physically impossible to hate more than one person at a time.

After a quick scene showing Marinette and Adrien's relationship is now public knowledge, we cut to class, where Ms. Bustier is handing back tests.

Also, despite being in the second trimester of her pregnancy (which hasn't been mentioned since the New York Special, over two years before this episode premiered), Ms. Bustier is wearing no maternity clothes to speak of, just her usual outfit with a noticeable baby bump.

I'm obviously not an expert, but I don't think that's good for the baby. If anyone reading this has experience with being pregnant, feel free to correct me.

Ms. Bustier points out that Sabrina put her name on both hers and Chloe's. Ms. Bustier naturally wants to know what the hell is going on.

Ms. Bustier: How long has this been going on?

Chloe: Oh, since we learned to write-- I mean, since Sabrina did.

Yep, after almost five seasons, the writers are now officially resorting to making dumb blonde jokes, the only kind of humor rivaled by fart jokes and racist jokes in terms of being overused and unfunny.

Ms. Bustier lets Sabrina off with a warning and decides to help Chloe make up for the lost work and salvage her academic career. For some reason, even though this is a reasonable response to discovering one of your students has been cheating for years, Marintte has a problem with this.

Marinette: Everybody knows that Chloe been cheating, taking advantage of Sabrina and not making any efforts compared to the others... for years! And the only consequence is that she's going to get help?! Of course, we need to support students who have problems, but not when they're the problem!

If you had a problem with Chloe mistreating Sabrina, THEN WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU TELL MS. BUSTIER YOURSELF? Even Lila points out that Marinette should have pointed this out to the teachers as class representative (I'm not sure if that's a thing in French schools, but let's assume it is for this episode's sake), but Marinette herself says she chose not to.

Marinette: Why would I have? She doesn't have difficulties! Only privileges! And if you need proof to see how the teachers will let her get away with anything!

What was it Alya said in “Origins”? Something about evil triumphing if good people do nothing? Eh, I'll think about it later.

Also, who's to say this isn't a punishment? Chloe is still going to have to make up her work, she'll need more attention from the faculty as a result, summer school is most likely on the table now, and who's to say her dad won't have problems with this? Yeah, we know he's a spineless coward, but let's assume he'll actually act like a parent for once, for the sake of argument.

Despite outright saying that she neglected her duties as class representative, Marinette is shocked Lila takes the chance to suggest she replace her for the job. Later at lunch, like what's happened in every other Lila episode, Marinette tries to tell Alya that Lila is a liar, Alya doesn't believe her for a second, and nothing changes. Oh wait, I forgot to mention that this time, Adrien and Nino are there too! That makes it different!

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Seriously, why are we still doing this? It's almost the end of Season 5, and even though Alya is one of Marinette's trusted confidants, the show still needs to have this drama with her not believing her. It honestly feels like a lot of the Lila episodes this season were originally written before Season 4 aired, but something changed, so they just threw them here when it makes no sense for Alya to still doubt Marinette after all this time. It's also why they randomly threw this line in to remind us that Alya knows.

Alya: You know, even Ladybug accepts help from Scarabella every once in a while.

Yeah, mind telling me what happened the last time Alya transformed into Scarabella?

OH RIGHT.

It's during this little conversation where we get the first hint of the episode's moral, and believe me, I'll get to that. Alya tries to reason with Marinette that maybe it's possible for Lila to help Chloe change for the better, which Marinette vehemently refuses to believe. We're clearly supposed to see Alya as being too naive and is oblivious to Lila's true nature, but neither of them know just how bad she really is. We, the audience, know that Lila has worked with Gabriel and Monarch willingly in the past (Heroes' Day, Chameleon, Miraculer, Illusion, Adoration) and that she's living under several fake identities. Yeah, we know Lila hates Marinette and tried to get her expelled in “Ladybug”, but nobody else knows just how bad she is. It doesn't help that Marinette's reasons for Lila only amount to “She's a liar!”, and not “She tried to get me expelled!”, intentionally making her come across as petty so it's easier for Alya to doubt her.

Another thing that makes the whole “Alya thinks Lila can help Chloe change” deal is that we already know Marinette has done nothing to really stop her behavior as class representative or as Ladybug, so it's hard to really act like Marinette contributes a lot to the job, especially when, once again, she willingly admitted to not even trying to reach out to the other teachers about Chloe's grades or how she's using Sabrina to get by in class. Even though Alya doesn't know about Lila's true nature, she's not wrong when it comes to believing someone else could bring something new to the position of class representative.

And this only gets worse, as we see Lila's latest plan to win over the class.

Lila: My dear classmates, I am convinced that even the worst person can change if you reach out to them. And to prove it to you, Chloe, will you be my deputy?

(The whole class gasps in shock)

Chloe: (sighs and walks to the front, putting on a fake smile)

Nino: Wow, is Chloe actually going to be a mere deputy?

Alya: That is so not Chloe!

Rose: Does this mean it's already working?

Mylene: Can Lila actually get her to change?

Marinette: (slams her fists on her table) This is so crazy! It's all lies!

Lila: Poor Marinette... couldn't succeed because she was too busy with her love life, as well as being reminded of her disdain for Chloe. But you know me. You know all about my humanitarian work. I'm used to going into conflict zones. I can do this. There are two weeks left. What do you have to lose? Help me, help Chloe change. Vote for me!

OH, YOU NO GOOD MOTHERFU---

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Sorry, sorry. Had a little... episode there. Where were we?

Okay, first off, wow. Are you trying to seriously piss off your fanbase? The whole argument of being able to appeal to the humanity in the worst person is one of the biggest arguments people in favor of Chloe redemption make, so you know damn well this scene was targeted towards them. What was the original draft for this? A still image of Thomas Astruc flipping off the audience?

Second, once again, Lila isn't wrong. As far as we know, Marinette did nothing to really help or stop Chloe over the school year other than foiling the occasional scheme. While we know it's a lie, can you really blame the rest of the class for believing Lila will actually make things better for them by finding a way to stop Chloe from bullying them? It doesn't help that the case Marinette makes for her class representative campaign is that she's giving up on helping Chloe, saying she sucks, and that she's going to help the rest of the class instead. Because we all know showing blatant bias against one of your classmates is a surefire way to win the favor of your peers, right?

As for the speech itself? Well...

Marinette: My dear friends, of course, you should always do everything in your power to help people. And we all hoped that Chloe would become a better person. Ladybug reached out to her. Ms. Bustier reached out to her. So did Adrien and so did I. You all reached out to her. This proves how big your hearts are. And yet, Chloe remained the same. Why? Because as far as she's concerned, having a big heart is a weakness to be exploited. Chloe already believes she's better than all of us. So... don't be fooled. I, for one, am done wasting my energy in vain. As class representative, I'd much rather help all of you because you deserve it a thousand times more.

So here's the main moral of the episode, kids: If you ever decide to be the bigger person and show kindness to someone who is mean to you, it's going to bite you in the ass sooner or later, so never try helping other people change. I just... what the fuck, Astruc?

Yeah, the show tries to point out that being kind to others is still important, but the context of the episode itself doesn't show any examples. You could have used Kim as an example of someone who has changed his ways, but “Derision” retconned him into not being a bully, and Felix isn't even in this episode, so he can't be used as an example. The episode never really provides an argument showing the difference between people who can change their ways and people who choose not to, which is why the lesson doesn't work. How exactly is a child watching this supposed to tell when they're being taken advantage of for their kindness? For a show with an opening that has the lyrics, “The power of love always so strong”, this episode really isn't doing a lot to encourage its audience to show compassion to others.

And we're not done yet. Lila makes up a sob story relating to getting fired, and tearfully says there's no hope for Chloe. Once again, the writers think by having a villain say stuff certain fans believe in, it's meant to automatically invalidate the argument. What are you going to have Lila say next? “Felix should face consequences for his actions”? “Gabriel is far worse than Chloe will ever be”? “Somehow, Chloe is worse than either of her terrible parents”? I'm all ears here.

The entire story was a gambit by Lila so she'd have a cover story, as she plans to attract an Akuma with her sheer hatred for Marinette. Like I said earlier, Monarch assumes that since Lila hates Marinette at the moment, it's impossible for her to harbor any negative feelings towards his civilian identity, choosing to akumatize her into Hoaxer.

Ignoring the fact that the name sounds like it belongs to an antidepressant, Hoaxer is an okay recolor of Volpina. There's not much else to say visually. Her powers involve brainwashing anyone who hears her lies through the Alliance rings... even though she was already able to manipulate others through lying, so this seems like a redundant power to give her. Sure, she can also teleport through the Alliance rings, but that's just something Lady Wifi could already do. Monarch also gives her the Fox Miraculous' Mirage to use so she can create fake footage to back up her lies... even though she already has the power to make everyone believe her lies. Yeah, this upgrade is kind of pointless, isn't it?

Hoaxer's first lie is to say that Marinette is really Monarch. With the exception of Adrien, Ivan, and Mylene (who don't wear Alliance rings), the entire class is brainwashed into hunting Marinette, believing they'll save Paris if they stop her. After Adrien points out how it wouldn't make sense for Marinette to be Monarch if she wants Lila to expose her secrets, he ducks out to transform into Cat Noir, soon meeting up with Ladybug.

Ladybug and Cat Noir steal an Alliance ring from Officer Roger to learn how this power works, only to learn the brainwashing is only effective as long as the victim is wearing an Alliance ring. Hoaxer senses that one of her victims lost their ring, so she turns the rest of Paris against the two heroes by saying that they're from the planet Saturn and fart bubbles that destroy the ozone layer. Believe me, I wish I was able to come up with a line that stupid.

Ladybug summons her Lucky Charm, and gets a sewing machine. She goes back to her house, only to be ambushed by Alya. Ladybug takes off the ring and detransforms, lending the Ladybug Miraculous to Alya so she can transform into Scarabella as part of her plan. Because even though Alya has already been exposed three times in the past two seasons, the animators paid for the Scarabella model, and goddamn it, they're going to get their money's worth out of it. While Cat Noir fends off some brainwashed civilians, Hoaxer uses her powers on Nathalie to get her to send all of Gabriel's private secrets to her. How Monarch doesn't sense this is anyone's guess. Marinette pretends to appeal to Lila's conscience as part of a plan involving her, Scarabella, and Cat Noir, but Lila then rejects the Akuma with ease.

The Akuma somehow de-evilizes itself, Scarabella makes her only contribution to the fight by using Miraculous Scarabella to fix the damage, Monarch still doesn't know Lila now has intel on his civilian identity when he should have a telepathic link with her, and instead blames Marinette for all of his problems.

Back at school, Adrien apologizes to Marinette for not telling her to act against Lila, something that should be huge. It's just that both of them make it about how bad he feels, not about Marinette.

Adrien: I'm sorry, Marinette. I was wrong. I shouldn't have told you to act against Lila. If you give the slightest opportunity to people like her, they'll grasp at it and cause disasters in no time. And now, you're the one who looks like a bad person.

Marinette: You thought you were doing the right thing. Just like with Chloe. That's another reason why I love you, Adrien. You always want to see the good in other people. But sometimes, the good we think we see in some people is just a reflection of our own, and we end up being fooled by our own kindness. But we'll find a way to expose Lila eventually.

Nevermind the fact that Lila's lies haven't done anything to negatively affect Adrien at school, only Marinette, so his little pity doesn't feel earned. There's a difference between feeling bad about something and making it all about you. Also, once again, the episode's moral still comes across less like “mean people can take advantage of your kindness” and more like “never trust anyone, as your attempts to show kindness can backfire horribly on you”.

Lila is elected class representative, and Alya still believes her over Marinette. How does Marinette respond?

Marinette: I decided to let her have her way so I can finally prove to you all who she really is.

Spoiler alert, next episode, someone other than Marinette does the heavy lifting to expose Lila, and I doubt it was ever part of Marinette's plan.

The episode ends with Lila learning all of Gabriel's secrets, which would have been a much better opportunity for her to learn he's Monarch instead of learning about it off-screen as far back as “Emotion”.

THE BIGGEST IDIOT OF THE EPISODE IS... MARINETTE

Once again, Gabriel was very close to earning the Biggest Idiot Award for the third time for ditching Lila for no reason and later giving her the tools needed to learn his deepest and darkest secrets, but Marinette edged him out here. Not only did Marinette outright admit to neglecting her responsibilities as class representative, blamed Ms. Bustier for not doing anything about Chloe when she hasn't done anything to stop her either, and made a very poor argument for her reelection campaign by saying that being nice is bad. But hey, maybe her genius plan next episode will make up for it.

“Confrontation” starts off with Adrien struggling to fill out an orientation form for what kind of school he wants to go to next year and what he'll study. I'm not really an expert in French schools, but I'll assume this is how things are done there. Either way, Adrien isn't willing to fill out the form because as we saw in “Pretension”, Gabriel is planning on sending him to a private school in London next year. Why Adrien wasn't excused from this assignment is beyond me.

Adrien: If Marinette finds out that my father's decided to send me to a private school in London next year, it will break her heart and mine, too.

Again, it's really funny how a huge portion of his screentime in Season 4 involved being angry at Ladybug for keeping secrets from him, yet now, Adrien sees nothing wrong with keeping secrets from Marinette, even when it's inevitable that she'll find out. Then again, Plagg's response isn't any better.

Plagg: I know how I would feel if I had to be separated from you, Adrien, and there is nothing funny about that at all.

Then why did you force Adrien to give up his Miraculous in “The Kwamis' Choice”?! I'm pretty sure that was all your idea, as was what happened afterwards with Monarch almost winning.

As Marinette worries about the career stuff, but through some flashbacks showing just how selfish and one-dimensional Chloe and Lila are, she's not exactly confident they have her best interests in mind. Also, remember how Marinette said she supposedly let Lila win at the end of the last episode in order to make progress on finding a way to stop her?

Marinette: I feel like I'm betraying our friends by entrusting their forms to such awful girls.

As we'll later learn, while she does come up with a plan to expose Lila, it was after this scene that it happened, so this doesn't really make it look like Marinette has any ideas to stop Lila after she won at the end of the last episode. After the rest of the class fills out their forms, Lila destroys them all so Sabrina can forge their handwriting. Of course, not before we get another “funny” scene where Chloe struggles to understand their own plan.

Lila: After you destroy the forms, you'll fill out new ones using your talent for forging student's handwriting. I'll tell you what to write.

Chloe: Not so fast! You're using too many words to explain your plan!

GET IT? DO YOU GET IT?! SHE'S RICH AND BLONDE, SO THAT MEANS SHE'S STUPID! WHY AREN'T YOU LAUGHING AT THIS COMEDY GOLD?!

Meanwhile, Nino calls for another meeting of the totally useful and not at all irrelevant Resistance, citing an issue. Because they're all planning to go to different schools next year, they're not sure how they can help Ladybug and Cat Noir... other than, oh, I don't know, meeting outside of school? It doesn't matter, because everyone unanimously volunteers to go to the same high school next year. Well, everyone except Nathaniel, but that's not important.

After Marinette gets a call from someone, Mylene suggests that the class go on strike against being forced to decide their careers so early in life. This would have made a lot more sense if you chose to do this before submitting your forms, but hey, whatever floats your boat. Adrien finally figures out what he wants to do, so he hands his form over to Lila. What did he write down?

Lila: (reading the letter) “I've been thinking a lot, and still not know what I would like to do later in life. The only thing I know for sure is that I love Marinette Dupain-Cheng. But I guess that doesn't really help you. I'm sorry. Adrien Agreste.”

Minimum wage at Wendy's it is. Good choice, Adrien.

Yeah, I think now's as good a time as any to talk about how flat Adrien's character has been this season. Even though Adrien has gotten more character focus thanks to not being hampered by loads of other side characters and temp heroes, he hasn't really had a lot of strong moments overall. Scenes that should feel like a big deal, like him accidentally Cataclysming Monarch or realizing he has feelings for Marinette are usually downplayed or brushed off so we can see how those events affect other characters. We don't get any scenes with Adrien feeling guild for possibly condemning a man to death because more focus is given to Gabriel dealing with his impending demise. We don't get any scenes that show how Adrien has come to see Marinette in a romantic light because more focus is given to Marinette struggling to deal with his sudden confession. And here's this scene. Rather than showing Adrien developing an interest in something he wants to do for a career, a huge sign of his growing independence, what do we get? Adrien saying he loves Marinette and admitting he has no goddamn idea what he wants to do with his life. Such a defining moment for one of the two main characters in the show. I'm just saying, if the last season made a big deal about Adrien wanting to be treated more importantly, why is he still getting shafted by the narrative?

And for the umpteenth time this season, because Chloe is the one saying that Adrien's form is “pathetic”, we're supposed to not agree with her, even though this is supposed to be a serious form that your teachers will see. Just what is this show's obsession with using strawmen to try and invalidate criticism? I've seen more nuanced takes from political cartoons.

Lila and Chloe present the forged forms to the teachers, assigning all kinds of inaccurate assignments for careers that the students don't want. Lila manages to get one student in particular held back, Marin—Juleka. Yeah, Juleka, Lila's most hated enemy is being forced to repeat a year. Why didn't Lila try to keep Marinette held back?

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To be fair, Lila's plan is to slander Marinette specifically, but screwing over the entire class feels like a bit of a reach. I don't even know if part of Lila's plan was to attract an Akuma or not. Speaking of, Monarch senses Juleka's negative emotions and sends a Megakuma her way. Because it's a day that ends with a “Y”, the Magical Charm does nothing, so for the sixth time in the series (not counting her brief appearance in “Ladybug”), Juleka is akumatized into Reflekta. I swear, at this point you could make a drinking game for every time an old character model is reused this season.

Reflekta's design is pretty alright. I like the idea of the shy and quiet Juleka getting a brightly colored form that's impossible to ignore, and her power to make everyone else look like her fits her character. Unlike other returning Akumas this season, Reflekta gets a noticeable upgrade to her powers, as now she can essentially create a hive mind with all of her victims on top of getting the Tiger Miraculous' Clout to do some extra damage. Wow, it's almost like the Miraculous powers should actually serve as upgrades to established powers instead of being the only thing that gives the Akuma their powers.

Reflekta goes to town assimilating more victims, Marinette does nothing to get the still pregnant Ms. Bustier to safety so she can dart off and transform into Ladybug. By the time Ladybug and Cat Noir meet up, the city is crawling with Reflektas.

Ladybug summons her Lucky Charm, getting a plastic tape dispenser. Using Cat Noir's staff and the tape, the two put up a fake brick wall poster in an alleyway. The two heroes split up and draw a Reflekta's attention respectively, pretending to be helpless once they reach a “dead end” at the fake brick wall. When the two Reflektas try to use Clout, Ladybug and Cat Noir duck out of the way, letting the two attacks collide.

Ladybug de-evilizes the Megakuma, uses Miraculous Ladybug to fix the damage, and gives Juleka yet another useless Magical Charm.

And while you'd think this is where the episode ends, unfortunately, we're only halfway done. Id anything, this entire fight was pointless, and it's going to lead to a lot of problems with the pacing later on.

Back at school, Lila takes the opportunity to pin the blame on Marinette, though when Marinette points out how good Sabrina is at forging handwriting, Sabrina admits to helping them out. While the blame is still on Marinette, Chloe and Lila follow Sabrina when she runs out of the classroom. In the bathroom, Sabrina is still upset about what she had to do, and when Chloe and Lila confront her and try to keep her in line, only for Sabrina to reveal it was a trap for Chloe and Lila to confess their plan in front of the rest of the class, and one that had been set up a few days ago by Sabrina and Marinette.

So after an episode that went out of its way to show how apologetically irredeemable Chloe and Lila are, Sabrina is the one to ultimately turn a new leaf and is the key player in stopping Chloe and Lila's tyranny. Let's go into all the reasons as to why this failed to be a triumphant moment.

First off, why is Sabrina the key player who helps finally expose Lila? Why not Adrien, or Alya, or anyone else in Marinette's class? Rather than work together with her friends to show she wasn't lying, Marinette only works with Sabrina, and they act like they're the close friends working together. What, you thought Adrien or maybe Alya would help Marinette expose Lila like the end of the last episode hinted at? HA! Of course not.

Second, Sabrina's redemption is forced as hell. I'm not saying Sabrina turning a new leaf is entirely impossible, but the show just expects us to forget all the times she's gone along with Chloe's bullying antics (Origins, Mr. Pigeon, Lady Wifi, Dark Cupid, Horrificator, Darkblade, Reflekta, Zombizou, Stormy Weather 2, Lies, Sole Crusher, Gabriel Agreste, Derision, Adoration), and even in this episode, she still helped forge the new forms for Chloe and Lila. Remember how “Derision” said Chloe's actions couldn't be excused by how poorly she was treated by her mother? Funny how Sabrina's actions can be excused by how poorly she was treated by Chloe. The redemption honestly could have worked if it was Marinette who reached out to Sabrina and saw the good in her, teaching the lesson that while some people refuse to change, that doesn't mean other people can't change either. But instead, Sabrina's just a good guy because the plot said so, a deus ex Sabrina if you will.

Third, this was Marinette's plan to stop Lila? Like I said, while the previous episode made it seem like Marinette had an idea on how to expose Lila, this episode showed that Marinette had absolutely no plans prior Sabrina's call, and she handed over the sheets to Chloe and Lila earlier. What was Marinette even going to do if Sabrina didn't call? This only makes Sabrina's redemption feel even more forced, because that was what led to Chloe and Lila being exposed.

And finally, we don't even get a lot of resolution with Marinette's classmates believing Lila over her once she's exposed.

Yes, there was a deleted scene where Alya and the others apologize to Marinette instead of just Ms. Bustier which was supposedly cut for time constraints, but why would you leave that out when Marinette's friends believing Lila over her has always been a sore spot among viewers? If only there was another scene that could have been cut out of the episode that added nothing to the plot over an important character moment showing how guilty Marinette's friends feel.

Chloe and Lila are expelled by Mr. Damocles, but then he gets a call from Andre ordering him to keep them in and do nothing to change the forged forms. Normally, this would be something to make Andre out to be a bad guy, but like Sabrina, because he's being belittled and ordered around by someone else (in this case, Audrey), we're meant to sympathize with him. Trust me, it gets even worse next episode.

Mr. Damocles is upset enough to attract another Megakuma from Monarch. You would think Marinette would transform into Ladybug and save him,but the episode does something different. Somehow, because of the other students telling him to believe in himself, all of their Magical Charms resonate with Mr. Damocles' Magical Charm. And then, his Magical Charm transforms into a shield which de-evilizes the Akuma as soon as it touches it?

I'm sorry, WHAT!?

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Yeah... that just happened. I'm happy the Magical Charm actually did something for once, but I don't get why this was the climax of the episode. Why did this episode spend more time focusing on Juleka, Sabrina, and Mr. Damocles instead of Marinette's final battle of wits with Lila? Forget it, it's almost over anyway.

Mr. Damocles sends in the correct forms for the students before he resigns as principal, and we then cut to Ms. Bustier realizing that Chloe is pure evil and needs to face consequences for her actions. What does Chloe say that causes her to come to this revelation?

Ms. Bustier: Where's Lila?

Chloe: How should I know? I'm not the betrayer's mother.

Yep. A somewhat rude answer to a question Chloe doesn't even know the answer to is the last straw for Ms. Bustier. Maybe it's the hormones? Ms. Bustier decides to give extra attention to Chloe going forward, and somehow, that's different from Ms. Bustier wanting to help Chloe make up her schoolwork at the beginning of the last episode. But what happened to Lila, you may ask?

Oh my God, she's cosplaying as T'pol from Star Trek: Enterprise! The fiend!

Yep, Lila abandoned her old school and moved onto one of her other lives, now calling herself Cerise. Okay, a few questions.

First, was she wearing makeup as Lila or something? I'm not sure if it's the lighting in this one scene, but I swear, her skin looks lighter than Cerise here.

Second, how is Lila going to blend in under her new identity when for a while, she was the face of the Gabriel brand? What, is she going to claim that “Lila” is her twin sister or something?

Third, if Lila's trying to blend in as Cerise, why did she throw her old wig in the trash, in broad daylight?

Fourth, why wasn't this scene the one used to establish Lila has multiple lives? It actually feels plot-relevant, unlike the revelation of her having three different mothers last episode.

Finally, we're really going to brush over Lila facing any setback to her vague goals? She got expelled, and we don't even get to see her face consequences for her actions after all these years? What a load...

THE BIGGEST IDIOT OF THE EPISODE IS...MARINETTE

Yep, Marinette got the award twice in the same two-parter, and this is her third one at that. Adrien was sort of close to winning it with his stupid application form and not doing anything to stop Lila himself, and even though Marinette's plan to expose Lila worked, I still had to give it to her. She willingly gave her and her friends application forms to Chloe and Lila without any plans in case they tried something bad, had absolutely no plan to stop Lila in general until Sabrina came alone, and didn't think to simply de-evilize a Megakuma targeting her principal when Lila was able to sneak out with no problem.

Anyway, these episodes SUCK. I know it might not seem as noticeable compared to my reviews last season, as I've been trying to not get too angry, but I still couldn't stand these episodes.

As always, Lila's lies are incredibly stupid and don't work under the suspension of disbelief, especially with what we learn about her here. What I don't get is that we still don't know why Lila does what she does. I still don't know why she is so obsessed with getting the better of Marinette and Gabriel outside of being petty, and given what happens by the end of the season, it makes her unclear motivation even less excusable. In a pair of episodes meant to give more focus to Lila as she tries to ruin Marinette's reputation right before the school year ends, we really needed more depth for her character.

Marinette wasn't any better. What should have been a standout moment for her this season, she spent most of these two episodes complaining about Chloe and Lila when she did nothing to really stop them, and only made progress when Sabrina had a change of heart out of nowhere. Hell, even then, Chloe and Lila barely faced any setbacks for their actions. Marinette honestly felt very underutilized in what should have been an important set of episodes for the season.

Adrien didn't fare any better. He barely got to do anything and unlike Marinette, he wasn't even involved with the final plan, despite the ending of “Revelation” hinting that he and Marinette were going to work together to stop Lila. And then there's the form he filled out where he pretty much confirmed that he has no goals in life and that the writers just have no idea what the hell they want to do with him now that he's Marinette's boyfriend.

But let's talk about what I think really killed these two episodes, specifically “Confrontation”: The unnecessary focus on side characters. I can understand why Ms. Bustier needed more focus in these episodes, considering it was focused on the school environment, but I can't give that kind of lenience to “Confrontation”. That episode decided rather than focusing on Marinette finally outsmarting Lila, we needed more focus on Sabrina, Juleka, and Mr. Damocles. Why did we need to give Sabrina a change of heart over Marinette's friends working together to help her expose Lila? Why did we need Juleka to be targeted by Lila and subsequently akumatized by Monarch in a gambit to slander Marinette when all Lila had to do was have it look like Marinette tampered with Chloe's form? Why did we need an extended sequence of Mr. Damocles fending off an Akuma with the help of his class when he had no real presence in this arc, and if anything, took Chloe and Lila's side more often than not (Ladybug, Derision)? I don't get why the writers chose the tail end of the season to actually develop some of its side characters at the expense of major players like Marinette, Adrien, and Lila.

Look, these episodes were just awful, okay? And somehow, things manage to get worse as we get closer and closer to the end of the season.

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ystrike1 · 7 months

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Life as a Tower Maid: Locked up with the Prince - By 연한 (7.5/10)

They're roommates! Kidding, he's her prisoner. Waking up in the role of a minor villain has never been more inconvenient. Our protagonist has no special powers, no noble blood, and the man she lusted after thinks she's a creep. That's alot of problems to fix before love can bloom. No wonder it grows twisted, with a couple like this.

Rose is a pervert. An awful maid who covets the handsome adopted prince. The current king is infertile, so a boy of high bloodline was adopted into the family. He's great. He's perfect.

The king grows jealous of his adopted son.

So he builds a sealed magic tower, and he throws his son in.

With Rose.

He tells Rose to torment him and she agrees. She's angry. Jaded that he will never love her, because he is so perfect. She and the king are birds of a feather. They're too jealous of the next king to see how foolish they are. Albert will one day take power. His father, and his crazed fan, will be punished for mistreating him.

Rose uses a magic wand to control his body while he is inside the tower.

Luckily he has magic. He's one of the strongest mages around. He can break out of the tower. He can steal the wand. He just needs time.

He already has political support by the way.

Rose and the King are doomed.

Rose is easy to fool. She thinks her torture is breaking him. She thinks he's her toy, and she's so blessed. Thank goodness the king hates his adopted son. Now she finally, finally gets to have the man of her dreams. A submissive toy that can only move with her permission.

Albert is just acting.

His kisses. His compliments. His body??? That's all worthless. He lies through his teeth, and he executes Rose after he decodes the wand.

Huzzah!

A new king rises

....

...

Rose changes.

She apologizes for kissing him. She says she knows he has powerful magic, so she wants to switch sides. She says she knows he's too great to ever be hers now, so she will help him. She will lie to the king. No more torture. She'll report detailed torture, but he can train in peace instead. She says he will be able to escape much sooner.

She only expects monetary compensation as one of his employees.

He doesn't trust her at first...

The kitchen.

Rose suddenly loves cooking more than lust. She watches over his health. She jokes with him. She says she dreams of a normal life in the village.

He's flabbergasted.

The evil Rose has been replaced with a Korean Woman, and she's a great cook.

The Korean Woman wants to be very far away from Prince Albert. His destined love is someone else, and he's very scary.

He tests her.

She barely reacts, and she's just scared when he fake flirts now.

They...have fun instead.

Albert likes fun and cooking.

He starts to develop a little crush on her.

Why?

Well he was adopted by the king because he's an orphan. His parents died of disease. His two beloved elder brothers poisoned him. Then, they both died fighting each other for the right to succession.

Then when he got adopted his adopted dad hated him too. Oh also the king only adopted him as a joke. He wanted the citizens to hate his son. The pathetic weak sickly orphan. Albert was supposed to be a prop to make him look cooler.

...so yeah he's a lonely guy.

Joking around with New Rose makes him happy.

He doesn't even want her to mention other men. He stops caring about their contract by chapter ten. He wants her to only ever praise him. I expect more yandere nonsense.

#yandere #male yandere #yandere male #yandere boy #recommendations #recs #rec #recommended #webtoon #otome games #otome #otome game #otome isekai #Life as a Tower Maid: Locked up with the Prince

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the-broken-truth · 10 months

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A Father's Son [Part One] - Miguel O'Hara w/ Teenage Spider Son Reader

Summary: Hi, I'm [Name] O'Hara. As the son of Miguel O'Hara, the leader of the Spider-Society and Spider-Man 2099, I strive to be one of the best Spider-Men under the guidance of my mentors Jessica Drew and Peter B. Parker. However, it's disheartening that my father doesn't acknowledge my efforts and instead holds onto memories of my late sister Gabriella, with whom he destroyed the past. While I am my father's son, I yearn to be recognized for who I am.

[Earth-928 / Spider-Society / Main Hub / Your POV]

It is said: "Children should not be burdened with the successes of their parents, no more than their failings.", whoever made that statement should have passed it on to my Father - Miguel O'Hara. This man was stubborn and obsessed with success when it came to her preservation of the Multiverse but he could never stop and take a look at what was before him and appreciate what he had; always wanting more than what he could care for... least with his work, because it seemed like he never wanted me and cares not for my achievements in the Spider-Society.

My name is [Name] - [Name] O'Hara - and I am the only son of Miguel O'Hara, in fact, I am his canon son; the child he was meant to have instead of the daughter he tried to raise from another universe. I was 12 years old when he left me to replace the dead version of himself and he returned a broken man after he caused a canon event & an entire universe to collapse because of his greed and selfishness. I tried to be there for him, to make him see that while I wasn't Gabriella I was still useful, I was still his son and I wanted him to love me but he just looked t me and shook his head before he left out of the room, leaving me to cry alone with Lyla comforting me until Jessica and Peter came to get me and take me home per my father's request.

Now, I am 15 years old - one of the best spider-men in the field, and today, I was on a solo mission to take down a Varitant of Doctor Octopus & return him to his proper earth. I managed to find him on Earth-876 and defeated him before wrapping him up in a web and doing a scan of him - he belonged to Earth-656. I opened a portal to his proper earth and sent him there before opening another portal to my home and jumped in before reappearing on the other side in the Main Hub of the Spider-Society. I was greeted by Peter and Jessica before I heard a rather grumpy voice speak from the upper level.

"[Name], we need to talk. Now." My Father said as he had his back turned to me with his hands on his hips and his head shaking once again; he was upset at something but it couldn't have been me, I took care of the variant alone without a single scratch. I looked at Jessica and Peter before webbing my way up to my father's platform and looked at my father's back.

"Yes, Father?" I asked him with my hands in the pockets of my spider suit but when he turned around, he looked rather pissed off.

"What the hell were you thinking, boy?" He asked me with his deep tone but I just looked at him with confusion in my eyes.

"What are you talking about? I took care of the anomaly and returned it to its proper earth all on my own." I said with pride in my voice but his glare was too much for me to bear. I miss his brown eyes but the red was a side effect of the Spider Injections.

"You weren't supposed to go alone, I was supposed to go and deal with the Anomaly." He said.

"What does it matter who deals with the anomaly? It's dealt with and there was no other reason for you to be in that world, right?" I asked.

"I found an Orphaned Version of Gabriella on that Earth and i was going to bring her here to raise." Those words made my heart freeze, again with this?!

"ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS?! YOU WANTED ANOTHER VERSION OF GABRIELLA AFTER YOU CAUSED A CANON EVENT AND DESTROYED AN ENTIRE UNIVERSE?! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND, FATHER?!" I roared at him.

"This version doesn't have a parent, taking her from her universe and bringing her here wouldn't have caused a Canon Event." He said but the anger in me was too much.

"Why can't you just be happy with what you have?! You have me, I'm your son! Your Real Son! A son you made with your wife, who you divorced becuase she wasn't able to have more children!" I pointed at him, eyes flowing with tears.

"I need Gabriella. You aren't her. I don't want nor do I need you." He said. I just stood there and soaked in what he just said.

He didn't need me?

He didn't want me?

Fine.

Then, he was about to lose me forever.

I turned away and jumped off his platform before walking out of the Main Hub with Jessica and Peter at my sides, I didn't want to speak to them, I needed to see someone who understood me. I needed to see my mother.

#spiderverse #miguel o'hara #spider!reader #son reader #male reader

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i-cant-sing · 2 years

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Okay, so the new OC I'm introducing yall to is... Dimitri.

Basically, this dude is a mafia man. But he's like very, very rich and powerful, like the type that controls politics and shit. Now, Dimitri has a 3 year old son, Xavier, who goes to the school where reader teaches. In fact, you're his class teacher.

Dimitri met you for the first time during the parent-teacher meetings where you updated him on his son's progress. To say that he was immediately smitten would be quite the understatement. However, Dimitri doesn't obsess over you, nor is he in love with you. He can't afford to do that, not with his line of work. For all he knows, you could've been sent to spy on him and Xavier or worse, to hurt them. So he pretty much forgets about you.

That is until one day, someone tried to kidnap Xavier from the school, threatening everyone with a gun. Almost everyone fleed, except for you. Not only were you successful in hiding away Xavier, but you had also somehow distracted and delayed the kidnapper, who only ran away once he heard the police sirens. But not before, shooting you.

Fortunately, someone had rushed you to the hospital and you made it.

Dimitri (after making sure his son was safe) came to the hospital to thank you and even paid for your surgery and stuff. Of course, he didn't tell you he had enemies as a mafia leader. No, no. To you, he was just a successful business man and that kidnapper (who had been caught and brutally tortured by Dimitri's men) was just some fucking perv. Anyways, now you had permanently made a spot on Dimitri's radar.

The school had given youbsome time off to recover, and Dimitri very graciously offered to drive you back.

After a 2 months or so, you were ready to return back to work, only to find putvthat you've been fired and replaced. Well, that sucks.

Luckily for you, Dimitri who had came to pick his son up saw you. He took you out to a coffee shop to thank you once again, and you tried basically caught up on stuff. When you told him about how you got fired, he offered you a job.

"Would you like to be Xavier's nanny? Well, actually, you'd have to be his caretaker and private tutor."

"I- what?" You thought he was just doing this out of pity or guilt. But he assured you, he actually did need help.

"Its just- my wife had died soon after giving birth to Xavier. She was sick." He cleared his throat, looking sad over the mention of his wife. "Xavier is... a bit different. He's a quite child, a good kid really, but... he's a little emotionally detached. I've reached out to professionals and all, but they've never really made much progress with him. But you... you're different." He took a sip of his coffee. "I don't know what you did, but Xavier has become attached to you. He talks a lot about you, could go on for hours until he falls asleep."

You smiled.

"I try to make time for him, I do really. But I suppose I am somehow lacking. I just- I do need your help. You'd really be doing me a favour by taking this job." He sighed.

So you accepted. (You'd be an idiot not to, especially after seeing the pay)

The job was easy. Really, you didn't have too much of a hard time. Xavier was a good kid, easy to bond with, very well behaved. He often shared details about his life with you, something you noticed he didn't do with anyone else. Perhaps, he sees you as a friend. Sure, most of the things he overshared were funny ("I saw the maid kissing the chef!"), but some details were... a little concerning to say the least. You think he hallucinates, or just has a very vivid imagination, perhaps he even daydreams. Because when Xavier tells you "daddy came home with blood clothes. I told him to clean up because you didn't like dirty things! I sang him the "clean up" song you taught me!" Certainly, there is no way that is true.

You've told Dimitri about his son's vivid imagination, and he looked shocked to hear that, promising that he will talk to him about it, or even go to a psychiatrist for help.

As for Dimitri, he's a pretty decent boss. He waits with his son every morning until you come, wishing you both a good day before leaving for work. He usually returns in the evening, after you've put Xavier to sleep. You wish him a good night, and he always looks like he wants to say something, but he just nods and has his driver drop you off to your place.

Now, reader had moved into the city recently and she's just getting used to knowing her new surroundings. She doesn't have a car so she tends to walk around (when she isn't being picked and dropped by Dimitri's driver) and she feels like she's being watched. At first, she thinks it just her paranoia, but then it happened.

A bouquet of roses and a small letter attached to it, right outside your door.

Flowers for my flower, my favourite one of all❤

You would've thought they were for someone else, but it was addressed to your name. It weirded you out, because you don't remember making anyone new who would send you such a gift.

But things only got worse from there on, because once a week (which later became everyday), you got a bouquet of flowers and a letter that mentioned details about your life you don't remember telling anyone about.

It really got to you when your secret admirer started writing creepy details about your daily life, as if he was living right inside you.

You did not want a stalker, and you especially didn't need a creep to endanger Xavier. So, you went to the police, who laughed right in your face, telling you that with vicious and actually terrible crimes happening in the city, getting flowers from a lover isn't their top priority. Meaning they weren't going to help you.

So you decided to take some caution yourself, and added security cameras in your home, and then installed an app that would let your family and friends know about your whereabouts, should you go missing.

Things turned even worse for you the following months. The feeling of being watched only increased, someone continued dropping bouquets and letters with disturbing personal details about you.

"My dear Y/n, how do I say I miss you in a way that will make your heart ache as mine does? You are a sight for sore eyes, and so is your pink underwear."

Your friends took you to a club for a night out, to get your mind of things. And it did, you danced and drank until things started to feel a little numb.

You sobered right up when you got another letter with flowers the next day, along with coffee and painkillers. Inside your house.

"My sweet, it hurt me to see other men touch you and dance with you. Your friends certainly do not have your beat interests in mind, having you endanger yourself like that. You're lucky I was there to make sure none of those vile men took you home, although it pained me to see you put yourself on display like that.

But I forgive you. My heart won't ever hate you, no matter how much you hurt it."

You threw the coffee and the flowers and the letter in the trashcan outside. You immeadiately called your landlord, a sweet old lady, and trued to switch places. You possibly cannot stay here after that creep had been inside your house. But she told you that she couldn't really help you because of a "new clause" in the lease. So all you could do was change the locks for now.

Somewhere along the way, you started dating a guy. He was a sweet guy, and he would always come over when you didn't feel safe inside your own home. Well, one night, he was over for a romantic dinner at your place. You both had moved over to the couch, where you had started to inch closer to kiss him, but you both jumped back when you heard a loud crash outside. You looked out the window, only to find his parked car completely crushed.

You called the cops, and soon your date left with the cops to file a report. However, only 10 minutes later, someone knocked on your door. When you opened the door, there was no one, only a letter. With trembling hands, you opened it.

End things with him. Or it'll be him that's broken next time.

Your paranoia gets the best of you. Its just- its just not safe for you here, anymore. So, you go to Dimitri, hand him your resignation, along with a replacement, saying you had to leave town. He tries to inquire more, saying that perhaps he could help you in some way, but you say it's a family matter. So, he agrees and gives you your last cheque

Then, you go to your apartment and pack your stuff up, returning the keys to the landlady, who agrees into ending your lease when you bribe her with the cheque Dimitri gave you.

You then go to the bank to get the rest of your savings that'll be enough for you to move to another city, if not country. However, the bank says they've frozen your account and cannot give you access to your money because of a technical issue.

You're walking back to your old apartment, hoping that you could somehow beg the landlady into giving your apartment back again as you realise how truly fucked you are.

You are currently homeless, jobless and penniless.

And when you look over your shoulder and see a black van following you, you know you can never catch a break.

You break into a sprint, picking up the speed when you hear the van speed up after you. All you could think was you were gonna die tonight.

Too absorbed in your fright, you didn't see where you you were running, until a car almost hit you, finally making you stop as you fell to your knees.

You were still looking behind to notice the driver getting out of the car to check on you.

"Y/n? Oh my- are you okay?" You finally snapped back, gasping as you realised it was your old employer- Dimitri.

You stumbled up towards him. "Please, oh my god- there is a van following me! Please, help me." You said pointing behind you, and sure enough, Dimitri saw the black van.

"Okay, shh its okay. Im here now." He continued glaring at it as he pushed you towards the passenger seat. "Get in the car. I'll drive you home."

As soon as Dimitri drove away from that van, you finally broke down, telling him everything, about the stalking, the creepy gifts, the bank issue, etc.

Dimitri nodded, giving you his handkerchief as he tried to console you. "Its okay, everything is gonna be okay. You can stay with me and Xavier until the bank unfreezes your account. I'll hire you back, and if you'd like, I can get a private investigator to look into the creep. Hm?" You tried to turn down his offer, but he insisted. Besides, you needed the kindness, something you haven't had in a while.

Exhausted, both physically and emotionally, you fall asleep in the car. Dimitri looks over at you, and he can't help but tuck a stray hair behind your ear.

He can't help the way the corner of his lips quirk up.

He is the one who had the school fire you.

He is the one who owns the cops.

He is the one who bribed your landlady to "evict" you.

He is the one who bought the bank and had your accounts frozen.

And he is the one who had been sending you all those letters and gifts, and the one who set the van after you.

He is your stalker.

Now do you guys like the name Dimitri, or do you think Alexei or Nicholas would be better? Or something else? Also, suggest surnames, preferably Russian.

So what do you guys think???

#yandere Dimitri #yandere ocs #yandere oc #my oc #Dimitri my oc #yandere #yandere mafia

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wakkoroni · 9 months

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✨Damian Wayne Headcanons pt 3✨

Okay last part I promise-

Damian walks his dog every morning and every night. A stroll around Gotham, Bruce knows Damian has the training to defend himself. Thing is… Damian got comfortable with his routine so he isn’t as alert as he used to. He got kidnapped one time and the way they found out wasn’t with a ransom call. It was Titus that ran back home and barked at the door until someone opened. They eventually found him looking unamused and bored out of his mind. Needless to say the kidnappers didn’t walk out without a scratch. They may or may not have gotten a broken arm. Damian thinks this is overkill but whatever. Now someone walks with him when he walks Titus until Bruce gains enough trust in Gotham to take care of his son.

Damian is autistic. Idk how to accurately present this so if anyone wants to join feel free to

There are moments where he gets an art block and he gets so frustrated when that happens. Anything he draws will be torn up and just cry probably. He will walk up to someone who isn’t busy so they can give him ideas on what to draw. Usually it’s Jason cause he’ll give him book characters to draw based on the description and it’s fun to draw them while Jason reads. Sometimes it doesn’t work and Jason takes him somewhere so he can take a break and calm down.

Jason is such a good brother to him and they met in the league. I will die on this hill

Jason was one of Damian’s trainers in the league. He only took on this job so he could take care of Damian while he was little and he wouldn’t train him that hard. But it didn’t work because Ra’s found out and replaced him. Jason begged for his job back and had to be harsher in order to keep it. He’d make it look like it was rough but it wasn’t that bad as the other trainers. He still had to hurt Damian and the cries is a sound that still haunts him to this day. So that’s why if he can make Damian laugh or something that isn’t crying, he will gladly do it.

Damian probably got branded and when the others found out they got sooooo mad. Damian is just confused because he thought that everyone had one to show what family they belong to.

He also believes that he is expandable. He was raised to give his life for the mission and Bruce didn’t really… teach that out of him. So any dangerous mission comes up that could possibly end with suicide he will volunteer. The others can try and talk it out of him but like it doesn’t really work. He fully believes that it’s okay for him to die in order for the mission to be successful.

“What do you mean I’m not supposed to die? I’ve dead 6 times already, clearly the world doesn’t want me. I was raised to be a weapon, I serve no purpose other than to die”

Pt 1. Pt 2

#damian al ghul #the vibe speaks #batfam #damian wayne #tim drake #jason todd #dick grayson #incorrect batfamily quotes #batfam headcanons #damian wayne headcanon #vibe headcanons #bruce wayne

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phoenix-kite · 2 months

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Reverse Robins AU - Outline

Sorry but this is a long one and a sum of my current ideas. A lot has changed from my first post.

Batman = Battinson or Brucie (either way Bruce is a good if not mid dad because I said so and I get to decide)

Damian starts off with the League until the recently formed Justice League makes a move against them. The mission is barely successful and Damian gets hit in the crossfire. The JL is horrified that the League would have a kid there and they take him to be fixed up. DNA tests are run to figure out who this kid’s parents are and they learn he’s Bruce and Talia’s son. Bruce has to step up and be a father for this small, violent, traumatized child and does so by letting him be his sidekick. Damian decides to go by Nighthawk. Eventually Dami wants to become his own hero and he becomes JadeWing. When Batman dies he takes up the cowl as a sense of duty but is seen constantly shirking his responsibilities.

Duke (he does not have meta powers) sees that Riddler has control of the city so he decides to study up on riddles to free them. This is how he meets Bruce for the first time. Duke’s parents have recently been jokerified and Bruce feels bad because he should have defeated Joker ages ago. Bruce decides to foster Duke until he grows close to the boy and adopts him. Bruce lets him be Nighthawk which angers Dami and Dami tries to kill him. Joker kidnaps his parents and Duke dies. He comes back to life to find out he’s been replaced and Joker is still around so he becomes Blue Veil. (I need more suggestions to flesh this out more.)

Cass had recently met Dami when the JL attacked the League base. She had become very protective of the boy and she snuck on Diana’s invisible jet to make sure he was taken care of. Once she realized he was safe, she tried to leave but she had nowhere to go and ended up roaming Gotham’s streets until she was put into the foster system. She ends up running into Nighthawk and sees him perform a move only Damian knew how to do (using katannas of course) and she figures out their secret identities. Damian dies and Duke leaves so Bruce becomes more violent. Cass hates this so she steals the Nighthawk costume and just shows up to a fight that Batman’s losing. Bruce is appalled by this and tries to get rid of her but she just keeps on showing up. Eventually Cass is made Nighthawk and later adopted. Duke shows up and is upset that he was replaced but he’s not angry at Cass so he really just breaks in (I don’t know where he’s breaking into because I have yet to do my superhero team research. I am begging for an assist). They end up having a heart to heart. Bruce dies (gets lost in the time stream???) and Cass tries to convince Damian to search for him but Damian quits being a hero altogether during this time. Cass single handedly brings Bruce back and stays nighthawk until Spoiler starts showing up. Cass feels betrayed by her family since they didn’t believe her about Bruce but she’s also concerned they just didn’t understand her. She decides to seek help to be fluent in more than body language. (It might be unrealistic that she never picked up English since she was only five years old at the time she left the League but I’m struggling. Either cut me some slack or offer me a solution at this point. Also this reason for her abandoning nighthawk doesn’t seem to fit well so please help.) ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Anyway, she ends up returning as Nightingale (for now because I do want to expand on this. She will end up becoming her own separate hero.)

Tim has been stalking the vigilantes for a while. He figured out their secret identities because he followed them back to the cave and hacked his way into not being picked up by scanners and not setting off the boundary alarm (RIP quadruple flip or whatever it was). A couple years later he finds out his parents run one of the largest child trafficking rings in the world. He tells Batman and Janet and Jake lose all of their work and are supposed to go to jail (they're not insane so not to Arkham) but they pay their way out of it. They trace a call Tim made to the Oracle hotline and he gets beaten near death because of it. Tim realizes Batman will never truly defeat his parents as they were already rebuilding their empire. Tim becomes Spoiler (I am in desperate need of a better name) to spoil his parents’ nefarious plans. Batman only sees Tim as the spoiled kid from next door. A rich kid with a cushy life that’s trying to play at being a hero. Batman tries to tell Tim he’s not allowed to fight. Tim says he’s going to fight anyway so Batman decides to make him Nighthawk and train him while Cass is gone. Tim’s father finds out that Tim is Nighthawk so he kills him. Or did he? Tim is not dead but was recovering far away from his father. When he comes back to Gotham he tries to kill his parents. Steph understands his anger and offers to train him to be batlad. Eventually Tim does kill his parents and he abandons batlad for his own anti-hero persona (currently unnamed).

Steph (I know that canonically she is the C-list villain Cluemasters child but that’s not going to work here partially because it’s not angsty enough) is the Joker and Harley’s child but Harley put her up for adoption. Somehow (please give me ideas for how) the Joker finds out that Steph is his kid so he, in a stroke of genius rather unlike him (possibly someone else's idea???), he hires some thugs to kidnap her and make it look like a random kidnapping gone wrong (as in fake her death). He sends her off to learn how to fight as well as Batman but also to keep Harley from knowing about her. She grew up with villains but the Joker only visited occasionally. Joker thought Batman was too concerned with the Penguin and thought that Bruce ought to be paying him more attention so he decided to test out Steph by sending her to kill Penguin. Steph succeeds but she is so disgusted by what she did that she runs away and Joker isn’t able to find her (again I could really use reasons why). Joker decides to draw her out by threatening to kill Commissioner Gordon. Joker decides to kill two birds with one stone by having Batman bring Steph to him. Steph saves Gordon’s life so Oracle and Batman decide to make her Batgirl.(I need ideas for a big reveal where Steph realizes Bruce is Batman.) After Batman dies Steph slowly distances herself from being Batgirl and focuses more on trying to meet her bio mom and getting back with the Browns (her adoptive family). Steph decided to pass the title on to Tim (as batboy or batlad) so he’d be taken more seriously by the bats. She finds out her adoptive father, Arthur Brown, is Cluemaster so she runs away and decides to become Black Bat. She uses this name until Joker is killed (by Duke or a joint effort. She finally settles on the name Orphan.

Jason discovers he’s a meta at age 10. He decides to hide this information because his dad is desperate to save Catherine from cancer but he can’t afford chemo. (I would greatly appreciate it if someone could tell me more about Jason’s parents.) Jason’s worried his dad would use him to aid his goon life. Catherine dies and Willis becomes a raging drunk to cope with the loss. Willis neglects his work for two-face so he’s killed. Cue tiny tire thief Jason. Batman finds out Jason is an orphan and he means to adopt him but he dies before that can happen. Jason joins We Are Nighthawk to help the city and escape Sheila. Sheila wants the Joker to leave her alone so she tells him about her meta son (I don’t know how she knows). The Joker wants to make Jason his Joker Junior. We Are Nighthawk offers both family and protection for Jason. When Bruce comes back he doesn’t want to be Batman anymore but a talk with Jason convinced him otherwise. Bruce then adopts Jason who decides he doesn’t want to be Nighthawk. He becomes Daybreak (unless someone gives me a different idea for his meta powers).

Dick’s parents’ die and he decides to go after Tony Zucco. Bruce was not there the night of their death. Instead he runs into Dick while he’s on the hunt for Zucco. Bruce decides to adopt Dick and help him move on from his revenge. (I can’t decide if I want Dick to kill Zucco anyway or not.) Dick ends up becoming Nighthawk.

Also if you can't tell I am desperate for help so please answer my many questions in the comments.

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shanieveh · 11 months

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BACK TO DECEMBER — reading club !

scaramouche x gn!reader

NAME—an achiever all their life, this new school was more laidback than previously but that did not mean you loved it more. as the memories of the past haunts you at your wake, all the supposed academical achievements you easily got were all the more useless, and the reading club becomes a comfort

KAMISATO AYAKA — the popular girl and president of the reading club. every guy has been in love with but also secretly has a crush the biggest crush on a girl, and will probably be kicked out once her strict rich parents heard about this, she gets high grades and often speaks of her brother abroad and his hot european bodyguard

KAVEH — a multitalented man who regularly breaks up with his boyfriend and roommate, alhaitham. he also gives you amazing love advice that he never follows and no matter what he tweets online he will be the first to knock at your door and comfort you on your off days.

XIAO — who will gladly beat up the person you are tweeting about so you can just shut up (affectionate) is also the campus emo boy but will soon be replaced by a certain transferee student. xiao doesn't care about doing well in school for he is a billionaire's son and most likely will be rich his whole life

YOIMIYA — silly girl who dreams of the cottage core lesbian aesthetic. also has a bunch of hit posts from her random rambles online and a favorite of the elementary students. she wishes to help you about your emotions, but she is too busy being an icon and a legend

VENTI — a poetic song writer who creates masterpieces that makes fun of all of his friend's sorrowful and miserable lives. often gets low scores on purpose to get the teacher fuming at him and often braids your hair and becomes a parlor when you cry over the past.

KAEYA — who acts like the biggest playboy but never in a relationship, he often creates thirst posts in tiktok but too shy to talk to anyone who actually develops feelings for him. he is also friends with so many people, all of which describes him as mysterious entity. he also probably knows your whole life story before you setting a foot in your new school

MONA — only went to the reading club when she realized how heavily financially supported it is by its rich sponsors. she makes tarot card readings online and does a manifestation subliminal affirmations every time an exam is near and even gave you rose quartz and believes you will be with your lost love because of it

BACK TO DECEMBER — masterpost || late night drinking buddies

SUMMARY: you were childhood bestfriends with scaramouche, and with many unanswered confessions and one sided goodbyes, you both meet again, but now he wears a cold glance even turning agressive when his eyes wander yours, and it all came down the day he became the top of your class, beating you and rejoicing in success. his smile was because of your pain. maybe you could turn back time where promises actually never broke, and love was a beautiful thing.

TAGLIST: @yukiipc @wanderchive @user11918163805279 @gekkow @moon-320 @meowmeowmau @mine-lu @sunaaa @lxkeeeee @faaariiii-world @lazy-sanns @sketcheeee @divinechicha @virette

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thebubblesareevil · 2 years

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Phantom?

I wanna say this would take place towards the end of season1 young justice

Klarion had been up to his old habits again but this time he was summoning and binding ghosts to his will causing a whole new brand of chaos. the league is getting desperate calling every magic user they have at their disposal to figure out how they can combat the ghosts. While each of them have their own methods they are usually up agains shades rather than fully formed ectoplasmic ghosts. Both the justice league and the young justice team have met to discuss their next move. They all keep trying to come up with solution when then are interrupted by a young girl that appeared from thin air asking if they needed help everyone is immediately on guard prepared to attack

The girl (ghost?) backs up with her hands up and exclaims Woah woah chillax everyone I’m here to help! Batman immediately jumps in demanding she identify herself she says that’s fair the names phantom. Zatanna looks surprised and says that can’t be true Batman says a simple explain and Zatanna tells everyone about how phantom is a ghost who fought off other ghosts hundreds of years ago but to her knowledge phantom is a myth and well male

“Phantom” immediately gets offended im not a myth im dead there’s a difference and so what if I decided to be a girl this century that’s very sexist of you I mean really

Zatanna tries to apologize but “phantom” just says whatever I don’t care whether you believe me or not I’m here to help. Klarion is messing with my friends and that is not okay. She immediately starts explaining her plan and The rest of the league joins in

In the end they decide to use “phantom”as their secret weapon and she travels with Zatanna Conner Kaldur and Robin. When they get to Klarions base they get in position and wait for the signal but Phantom gets bored and start talking to the others asking about what it’s like being on a team and what each of their powers are she gets excited to hear about Kaldur being Atlantean and what that’s like before moving on to Conner asking what it was like being Superman’s son Conner immediately gets defensive and states I’m not his son I’m his clone. Phantom freezes and seems like she has a million and one questions but moves on to Zatanna just as they get the signal to attack.

The fight was hard but phantom managed to pull through and they were able to stop Klarion and free the ghosts. When it was all said and done everyone was injured in one way or another they had all gotten back to base to report their mission success to the league and were talking when a voice comes from behind “phantom” having fun? She turns around quickly and immediately tackles a tired looking teen to the ground yelling DAD what are you doing here you’re supposed to be sleeping. Everyone is confused after all how could an ancient ghost have a dad? He managed to sit up and replied that he’s so glad she brought that up because last he checked he was about to go fight Klarion the witch boy when the next thing he knew he was asleep In his room in his lair. Phantom? rubbed her neck and said sorry about that but you’ve been working so hard lately cw and her thought he needed a break.

Wally chimes in “what’s happening here?” And the teen says oh right nice to meet you guys I’m phantom. And this is my daughter Specter. Reaction is immediate and they start to get mad at her for lying to them and how she put the whole team at risk, they went in there thinking she was centuries old and she was a child. Kaldur jumps in to defend her and says that her help was invaluable, Danny thanks Kaldur and states that he’s not that much older than her and she is just as capable as he is at beating back klarion.

Things calm down and it’s Wally who asks how exactly Spector is his daughter.

They look at each other and laugh before Danny explains that he took her in as his ghost daughter but she was actually a clone made by his arch nemesis created to replace him. You could hear a pin drop even without super hearing before the team all slowly looks back and forth between conner Spector superman and phantom.

Danny and Elle just look at each other and say what did we say?

Honestly I forgot about this but please enjoy this vomit that has spewed from my brain :)

#Danny phantom #dani phantom #justice league #young justice #Klarion #Zatanna #dick grayson #kaldur #conner kent #brain vomit #i do not control adhd

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neerbear · 7 months

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To celebrate reaching (over) 1k followers on here, I am opening up a DTIYS challenge!

PRIZES:

Fully shaded character half body

Fully shaded character bust

Flat colour character half body

HOW TO ENTER:

You have 2 options - you can either redraw the same pieces as me (the one above) OR you can choose EITHER (or both!) of these characters and ANY of their designs (see ref sheet below) and draw them in ANY pose + setting YOU want!! This DTIYS challenge is supposed to be as open/free as possible, so I suggest you go with the second option and let your imagination run wild!!

OUTFITS REF:

I'll have a quick bio about each character at the end of the post - so check that out as well to get inspo!

I will be reblogging ALL the entries I find! If I didn't reblog yours - feel free to DM me, I might have missed it.

RULES:

No tracing!

Absolutely NO AI (at all, in any shape or form)

Must follow me (if you post on multiple social medias, following me on just one of them is enough)

Use the #neerDTIYS and @ me!

Gore and nudity (nsfw included) are ALLOWED, just tag them properly so others can filter easily!

ABOUT THE CHARACTERS:

This is just for those that will be drawing from their own imagination (or just want to know more)!

Master Hua / Lin Meixiu

Former Goddess of War. In her human life, she used to be a general, who got gravely injured during war and decided to spend her last moments with the people, leading to her hearing how everyone was grieving losses or dying from injuries, cursing the war, the rich and the generals themselves. A strange man saved her - the (then) God of War - and appointed her as his disciple. She trained under him and after his demise, she became the new Goddess of War, with everyone praising her strength and intelligence. After the Great Heavenly War against the devils, Goddess Lin Meixiu concentrated on trying to protect peace, so no more wars would ever happen. Her companions, the other Gods, took in disciples after that, yet she was the only one who refused any disciple, stating that the best God of War is self-made and only by being strong enough to defeat her can anyone hope to replace her. This angered a student who desperately wanted to become her disciple, to the point where he'd train every day and challenge her every year - but he would always lose. He and his friend (who turned out to be the son of one of the devils she killed in war) hacked a plan to get rid of all the current Gods and replace them. Their plan was successful, and after watching all of her brethren die, Lin Meixiu was prepared to join them, but (because of her great inner strength) she survived, injured and weak. Instead of returning to the Heavens, she stayed in the mortal realm and lead a simple life there.

Xiao Shuilong / Guo Xifeng

Her true form is that of a dragon, but she has successfully cultivated a human form. When she was little, her dragon village faced a great disaster. The Heavens blamed the dragonfolk so they sent the Goddess of War to investigate and kill them. When she arrived, however, she quickly understood the situation and saved the dragons, instead. Before she left, she performed a dance for them, as a gift to the young hatchling of noble blood. The dragons then swore their undying loyalty to her. When Guo Xifeng grew up, she decided to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming the Goddess' disciple, so she headed to the heavens to sign up as a student. She won every competition and caught the eye of all the Gods, who allowed her to choose any God she wanted as her master (assuming that God agreed to it, as well). She instantly asked for Goddess Lin Meixiu, but was informed of her passing. During her moment of shock and horror, she was appointed as the disciple of the current God of War, instead. Every day, she would ask about her Goddess, but no one gave her a truthful answer about her passing. One day, long into her training, she overheard her teacher discussing the matter of Lin Meixiu's death, in which she found out the truth. In a fit of rage, she decided to avenge her Goddess by murdering the two Gods, but she was defeated and sent to the dungeons. There, the devil's son poisoned her with his demonic energy and she went mad, turning into her dragon form and destroying half of the place before being defeated again and sent crashing down to the mortal realm, heavily injured and with amnesia.

THEM

The injured dragon was found by a woman, who helped heal the dragon enough to give it a human form and drag it back to her home to further heal it. When the dragon lady woke up, it was obvious she had lost her memories. The strange woman introduced herself as an ordinary flower spirit named Hua. She named the dragon Xiao Shuilong, since she was found in the waters outside. Although Hua wanted to continue living her life, Xiao Shuilong was determined to retrieve her memories, so the two of them started investigating her origins. Every so often, the demonic energy in Xiao Shuilong's body overwhelms her, making her go crazy and turn into her dragon form - but Master Hua found that with dual cultivation, she is able to suppress demonic energy and bring Xiao Shuilong back to sanity. This might have heavy consequences later down the line... The rest you'll just have to read when the novel comes out 😉

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sweetcloverheart · 10 months

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Actually I’m still bitter about the finale - here’s an AU

I’ve lovingly decided to call this “Because the Butterflies Hate You” AU (Because Butterfly Effect is a spiteful bitch as Gabriel will soon learn).

So Gabemoth does as leaked and tries making his wish to “undo his past mistakes” via taking on Emilie’s coma status and giving his life for hers.

Un(Fortunately) for him, my version of Gimme is petty AF and the dictionary definition of the Jerkass Genie trope+monkey’s paw, so it grants his wish by taking him literally and undoing all his choices that lead him here to this moment - including his meeting Emilie. Should have been a bit more specific on that part Gabbie-boy!

So instead of croaking, Gabriel wakes up in his old family flat from back when he was still Gabbie Grassette. A quick search of his things and his old diary reveals that in this new reality, Gabbie’s attempt to strike out on his own fell flat, as never meeting Emilie meant he never met her parents or Audrey and Andre to help get his fashion career off the ground and create his “Gabriel Agreste” persona to escape his past. After too many failures in attempting to start up his own brand, he eventually (and reluctantly) returned home and took over the family frystand as was originally ordained for him.

Needless to say, Gabe’s not happy about this (nor the fact that he’s still alive, because that means Gimme didn’t use him as the wish’s price as planned), especially since despite all his googling, he can’t find anything about Emilie in the new reality (or Nathalie and Adrien).

So he gives temp control to one of his family employee’s and asks Harry (Who’s comedy career sadly failed to take off) to drive him to Paris under the guise of “Fry research” to see if he can gather clues there (and maybe see how much this world differs from the old one)

When he arrives, he sees the entire city has changed. Certain shops aren’t where they’re supposed to be or replaced with unfamiliar businesses, different people have taken different roles and jobs, and there’s no one who recognizes him. Even Andre, Audrey, and Tomoe are no longer the same people they were in the original universe either...

But even with all that, Gabriel still can’t find any sign of Emilie. Even researching her family turns up no clues for him (though that blasted Amelie seems to be doing well though). He had originally assumed she somehow still managed to break away from her parents, but none of that explains why he can’t find anything about her. It’s like she vanished into thin air. The only real clue he has is that she clearly didn’t find any success as an actress in this universe since he can’t find her filmography.

The same goes for Nathalie - though she seemed to have had a very detailed and lucrative career as an archeologist and explorer a few years back before she all but disappeared from the public eye some odd months ago. Conspiracy theorists point the finger at the mysterious research benefactor from her last expedition, but so far her case has many people stumped.

Which just leaves Adrien - and while his son seems to no longer have articles or magazine covers to track him with in this universe, Gabriel at least hopes one thing hasn’t changed in the universe.

“...Gabbie?” “Yes Harry?” “This isn’t about fry research is it?” “What makes you say that?” “*Gestures to the fact that they’re two grown men hanging outside a middleschool in a van*” “...” “...” “...I promise this makes sense.” “Do you now?”

Luckily for Gabriel, he was actually correct on that point - the Adrien of the new universe still attends Francois Dupont, and he spots him exiting during the lunch bell with some friends (Though that Dupain-Cheng girl isn’t with him - Strange...?). He still looks the same as the old universe, the perfect image of him and his beloved’s dream child

...Except, isn’t his hair a little darker? And the shade of green for his eyes is way off - nothing like the subtle emerald hues of his wife? Also, is that a cane? And why is he wearing that trashy bargain bin outfit for? Just what did that blasted Gimme change to cause his son to become so different!?

Before he can question it more though - a Sentimonster attacks. Yep, still a thing in this universe. Gabriel gets separated from Harry in the chaos but remains calm. After all, if there’s still an active Peacock user (which means it got fixed in this world as well), then that must mean the butterfly must be active too, which also mean that blasted Ladybug and Chat Noir are still around. They should be able to help him.

And Chat (or at least a new one it appears) does show up alongside three other heroes...but there’s no Ladybug among their numbers. An akuma never shows to help the sentimonster either. They take down the creature and rescue civilians caught up in the attack, but the damage done around the school remains as the children are forced to leave early, Adrien included.

Naturally, the lack of a Ladybug wielder despite the Peacock (and what happened to the Butterfly Miraculous? Is it not active? Was it never found?) still being in play is concerning, but Gabriel’s more interested in following his son (who technically isn’t really his son anymore but eh - semantics), to make sure he gets home okay - aaaaaand maybe learn more about his new life in the post-wish verse and possibly find a clue about Emilie. After all, if their son still exists, that must mean she still used Dusuu’s powers to create him which also means his wish didn’t change anything

Of course, it’s just then that Gabriel gets ambushed and dragged away into a random alley. When he finally regains his wits he learns his attacker is...

Marinette (wielding the Pig Miraculous no less), who as it turns out, still remembers the old timeline too - and is very pissed at Gabriel for that backstab venom (oh, and also for throwing the fabric of the cosmos out of whack because he thought he knew better than her, his wife, and the centuries old cosmic demigod).

Lucky for him though, she’s prioritizing undoing his universe-sized goof up over payback (for now), so now the two have to work together to find the Ladybug, get the Cat’s new owner to help them, and undo Gabriel’s wish to turn things back to normal. Hurray...

#ML Salt #ML AU Idea #Clover Rants Miraculously

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lewyn-martell · 1 year

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DAEMON TARGARYEN & VISERYS I TARGARYEN

Q: George said that the biggest conflict in this show is not between people, but within somebody's own heart. What do you think it’s your character's biggest conflict in their heart? PADDY CONSIDINE: My biggest conflict... I should never have been named king. Q: Why? PADDY CONSIDINE: Because really, in my heart, I wasn't built to do it. MATT SMITH: I don't know, that's a tough one. His biggest conflict is himself, to be honest. And, uh, his brother. Something to do with his brother, probably. Don't know what.

— Rotten Tomatoes TV interview with Paddy Considine (plays Viserys) and Matt Smith (plays Daemon)

***

He's always kind of flipping sides, I suppose, in many ways aligning himself with his brother or he's not... I don't think it's about an ambition to [the] throne and all that. I think a lot of it is about his brother.

— Matt Smith, Entertainment Weekly

***

I think [Daemon] has a sense of duty to his family, weirdly. I think he’d lie on his sword for his brother or Rhaenyra.

— Matt Smith, Los Angeles Times

***

Q: The most prominent relationship Daemon has in the premiere is with his brother, King Viserys, and the contrast is striking. Viserys wants to be liked, while Daemon really doesn’t care what people think. A: That’s true. But what I uncovered, which perhaps wasn’t there in black and white, is that there’s a deep fragility to Daemon, actually — particularly when it comes to his brother. He cares what his brother thinks. The rest of the empire can go stick it. He doesn’t really give a toss.

— Matt Smith, The New York Times

***

— House of the Dragon, 1.02 “The Rogue Prince”

***

[Daemon] had been among the brashest of Viserys's supporters prior to the Great Council and had even gathered a small army of sworn swords and men-at-arms when rumours claimed that Corlys Velaryon was readying a fleet to defend the rights of his son, Laenor. King Jaehaerys avoided bloodshed, but many remembered that Daemon had been ready to come to blows over the matter.

— Maester Yandel, The World of Ice & Fire

***

As for the king's own views, all the chronicles agree that King Viserys hated dissension. Though far from blind to his brother's flaws, he cherished his memories of the free-spirited, adventurous boy that Daemon had been. His daughter was his life's great joy, he oft said, but a brother is a brother. Time and time again he strove to make peace between Prince Daemon and Ser Otto, but the enmity between the two men roiled endlessly beneath the false smiles they wore at court. When pressed upon the matter [of succession], King Viserys would only say that he was certain his queen would soon present him with a son.

— Archmaester Gyldayn, The Rogue Prince, or, A King's Brother

***

RHAENYRA: You haven't come to court in an age. DAEMON: Aye. Court is so dreadfully boring. RHAENYRA: Then why come back at all? DAEMON: I heard your father was hosting a tournament in my honor. RHAENYRA: The tournament is for his heir. DAEMON: Just as I said. RHAENYRA: His new heir. DAEMON: Until your mother brings forth a son you are all cursed with me.

— House of the Dragon, 1.01 “The Heirs of the Dragon”

***

— House of the Dragon, 1.01 ��The Heirs of the Dragon”

***

I think they are normal brothers. And there's a huge amount of love there, and I think it's complicated. You know, there's a sort of deep, dark history that surrounds them.

— Matt Smith, S1 EP1: Inside the Episode

***

[Daemon struggles to finish while having sex with Mysaria and gets frustrated] MYSARIA: What troubles you, my Prince? [Daemon covers himself] MYSARIA: I could bring in another. Perhaps a maiden. I have several. [Mysaria uncovers his head to look at him] MYSARIA: I could even arrange one with silver hair. [Daemon stays quiet, sullen] MYSARIA: You are Daemon Targaryen. Rider of Caraxes. Wielder of Dark Sister. The King cannot replace you.

— House of the Dragon, 1.01 “The Heirs of the Dragon”

***

Ostensibly, most people are afraid of Daemon. And it's interesting for someone to say that Viserys is weak. As soon as Viserys goes "Oi, Daemon, wind your neck in", Daemon does. It's like your word is rule. And Daemon shuts up eats his porridge when he's told to. But only from him.

— Matt Smith, HOTD: Official Podcast - Everything we know about House of the Dragon

***

MATT: Oddly, he says to his brother "You're weak", but I think that's all about him going, "I don't feel recognized". Everything Daemon does is the response of going, "I want you to recognize me." You know what I mean? "Please. I love you. I love you. I love you." So he's just a really annoying... he's his annoying little brother. You know what I mean? PADDY: Yeah. MATT: And I think that's what we landed on, isn't it? PADDY: Yeah. MATT: Without ever really talking about it. PADDY: And it's weird in families, you know. There's things within my own family. There's estrangements. There's a strange psychology of cutting people out and punishing them with silence and things like that. And it's just, you know, why can't we just call each other up and say, "I love you"? It's hard. And I felt, even when we were making it, that Daemon just wanted Viserys to say, "I love you." MATT: Yeah. PADDY: And Viserys sort of knew that, but begrudgingly, it's like, "I'm not gonna say that to you." He doesn't hate Daemon. Doesn't hate him at all. He's just not going to give Daemon what he wants. MATT: Which is odd, though, isn't it? For someone who's so bright and sensible, and such a, you know, in many ways, quite an astute man, he's still not capable emotionally of doing something really simple. Like, he's quite complicated emotionally, Viserys, isn't he? PADDY: I think so too, yeah. There's a lot going on.

— HOTD: Official Podcast - Everything we know about House of the Dragon

***

VISERYS: My family has just been destroyed. But instead of being by my side, or Rhaenyra's, you chose to celebrate your own rise! Laughing with your whores and your lickspittles! You have no allies at court but me! I have only ever defended you! Yet everything I've given you, you've thrown back in my face. DAEMON: You've only ever tried to send me away! To the Vale, to the City Watch, anywhere but by your side! Ten years you've been king, and yet not once have you asked me to be your Hand! VISERYS: Why would I do that? DAEMON: Because I'm your brother. And the blood of the dragon runs thick. VISERYS: Then why do you cut me so deeply? DAEMON: I've only ever spoken the truth. I see Otto Hightower for what he is. VISERYS: An unwavering and loyal Hand? DAEMON: A cunt. A second son who stands to inherit nothing he doesn't seize for himself. VISERYS: Otto Hightower is a more honorable man than you could ever be. DAEMON: He doesn't protect you. I would. VISERYS: From what? DAEMON: Yourself. You're weak, Viserys. And that council of leeches knows it. They all prey on you for their own ends. VISERYS: ...I have decided to name a new heir. DAEMON: I'm your heir. VISERYS: Not anymore. You are to return to Runestone and your lady wife at once, and you are to do so without quarrel by order of your King. [Daemon steps forward toward him, but the Kingsguard stands in his way] DAEMON: Your Grace.

—House of the Dragon, 1.01 "The Heirs of the Dragon"

***

PADDY: I think he's somebody who's trying to be a king that pleases everybody and ultimately that has a very detrimental effect on him later on. Q: And Daemon is the opposite? MATT: Yes, in many ways. But they're weirdly similar and weirdly opposite, like all siblings. But yeah, in many ways he's very opposite. He's reactionary, he's impetuous, violent, he's attention-seeking, there's a madness to him. PADDY: Yeah, he is attention-seeking. MATT: Yeah, totally. PADDY: And there's nothing worse if you're an attention-seeker and you're being ignored. MATT: And you're going 'notice me! notice me!'

— Entertainment Tonight

***

Viserys has a very complicated relationship with his brother. He deeply loves him, but he loves the idea that Daemon will change and be somebody else, and Daemon is not a person who changes. And Daemon also desperately loves his brother. I mean, they have this really kind of beautiful, conflicted, complicated relationship, and Daemon just wants his brother to let him in and to be at his side. Everybody thinks that Daemon, you know, wants the throne, and wants to take it from Viserys. He wants to be at Viserys' side. He wants, really wants to be Viserys' Hand. But Viserys doesn't trust him because of the way we see him act. So it's this argument of "Why don't you trust me?", and it's like, "Well, because of the things you do." And he's like, "Well, I do the things that I do because you don't trust me." So it's this really, again, it's a deeply conflicted, complicated relationship between the two brothers, but I think Viserys is aware the whole time.

— Ryan Condal, HOTD: Official Podcast Ep. 1 "The Heirs of the Dragon"

***

Absolutely not, no. He can't fix his brother. And I don't think he thinks he can. What he does is occupy his brother. Keeps him occupied. If we keep Daemon over there and put him in charge of that and keep him busy, you know, well, no one's talking about him and then everything's fine. [...] Every job he's had, he's messed up. I can't fix him, I can't fix my own daughter. I can't fix anybody. It was never about trying to fix him. It was just that dysfunction that brothers have with their own egos.

— Paddy Considine, HOTD: Official Podcast - Everything we know about House of the Dragon

***

— House of the Dragon, 1.01 “The Heirs of the Dragon”

***

DAEMON: You've matured yourself these last four years, Princess. [Rhaenyra looks down] DAEMON: You'll get used to the attention. RHAENYRA: The attention I can endure. It's the rest I could do without. My father seems content to sell me off to whichever lord has the biggest castle. [Daemon looks down smiling] DAEMON: There are worse things to be sold for.

— House of the Dragon, 1.04 “King of the Narrow Sea”

***

There’s a deep and quite profound love between [Daemon and Viserys], and I hope that’s something that comes alive throughout all 10 episodes. The thing with Daemon is he just keeps pushing — pushing the envelope, pushing the boundaries, pushing the rules that were in place around him. But it’s weird. The more time I spent with palace intrigue … He’s got a strange moral compass of his own. What looks like he’s just being erratic and mad, he thinks he’s doing the right thing.

— Matt Smith, The New York Times

***

Daemon has a great affiliation, and love, and admiration for his brother, the King. But Daemon's all swords and knives, really. I do think on some level, he wants to cause chaos. I think he's interested in chaos, I think he survives in chaos quite well. He's got a very quite clear moral compass. And you're either in it or you're out of it.

— Matt Smith, Height of an Empire

***

— House of the Dragon, 1.04 "King of the Narrow Sea"

***

VISERYS [TO RHAENYRA, IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE BROTHEL SITUATION]: The responsibility I have handed to you, the burden of [the knowledge of the prophecy]... It is larger than the throne, the King. It is larger than you and your... desires.

— House of the Dragon, 1.04 “King of the Narrow Sea”

***

PADDY: Viserys does love Daemon. Massively. They just can't articulate it between each other. Daemon in Viserys' eyes is a fuck up, he's always bringing trouble to his door. But a part of Viserys envies Daemon because part of him wishes he could go off and do what Daemon does. MATT: And also what Daemon wants is, he says to him, he's like "Come with me." You know what I mean, "Be my big brother, let's go. We could have it all" and, you know, "Why are you fucking doing all this, ruling the kingdom with a sane mind?"

— HOTD: Official Podcast - Everything we know about House of the Dragon

***

— House of the Dragon, 1.01 “The Heirs of the Dragon”

***

DAEMON: It was never my brother's strongest trait. CORLYS: What? DAEMON: Being King.

— House of the Dragon, 1.02 “The Rogue Prince”

***

If it was difficult when you were just you and your kid, now suddenly it's about the impact of those choices that you made, how you fuck your kids up, turns them into terrible leaders. Or amazing ones. And they impact every single other member of that society. And I think that's fascinating, and different characters carry the weight of that knowledge in different ways. Daemon could care less. He doesn't care, he just wants to be close to his brother. He doesn't give a shit about the throne. [As for] Viserys, it's all he can think about. "Will I be remembered as a good king? Will I be remembered as just this guy who just kept things going in peace time?"

— Miguel Sapochnik, HOTD: Official Podcast Ep. 6 "The Princess and the Queen"

***

I think he's saying it with a degree of sincerity, 'The Heir for a Day', yeah, amen. That was the point as he said it. And then he goes back- I think he's just really frustrated at his brother. He wants to shake him and go 'Wake up. I love you more than everyone else. I love you more than everyone else.' It's just, you know, misplaced love, I think. It's what it's all about.

— Matt Smith, The Wrap

***

MATT: I don't think Daemon said it-- from his point of view, he's not saying it in a bad way when he's in the pub, or in the brothel, whatever, when he's talking - the reason he's in trouble. I think with Daemon, again, there's just the sort of very deep, deep love for his brother. And I think there's a strange sort of fragility to him. It's all about acceptance, and he's cross, he's annoyed at his older brother for ruling like this and not accepting him. So I think they're all genuine concerns. I don't think it's particularly histrionic from him. PADDY: I think Viserys is torn between being a brother and being King. I think if it was anyone else who uttered those words, they'd be dead. MATT: Heads would roll. PADDY: And I think for Viserys, again, it's the guilt he feels for making the choices he makes in the first episode. And I think sometimes Viserys perceives Daemon as somebody that abuses his position quite a bit, abuses his privilege a little bit at times, whereas Viserys doesn't have that sort of gene in him, really. He doesn't abuse his position as king in any way, and I think sometimes Viserys feels that Daemon gets away with things because he is the prince. MATT: And ironically, Daemon's like, ‘why can't you just get away with things with me?’ Q, PADDY: Yeah. MATT: Because there was a time when they used to go out together. They were more equal, weren't they? PADDY: Yeah. MATT: Not equal, but [hand gestures].

— Digital Spy

***

— House of the Dragon, 1.01 “The Heirs of the Dragon”

***

It is Viserys waiting for that heir to come along and putting poor Queen Aemma through these multiple stillbirths and miscarriages and pregnancies to try to get to that, to protect the realm. Because once he has a son, then he doesn't have to have the conversation with Daemon. He can just say, "I'm sorry, bro. You know how it works. It's my firstborn." But until he has that, it's Daemon in the eyes of most of the realm.

— Ryan Condal, HOTD: Official Podcast Ep. 1 “The Heirs of the Dragon”

***

— House of the Dragon, 1.02 “The Rogue Prince”

***

Matters became more complicated when, with Ser Otto Hightower's encouragement, King Viserys announced his intention to wed the Lady Alicent, Ser Otto's daughter and the Old King's former nursemaid. For the most part, the realm celebrated this union. [...] Not all was so joyous in the Vale, however, where Prince Daemon was said to have whipped the servant who brought him tidings of the marriage [...]

— Maester Yandel, The World of Ice & Fire

***

Laughter and love ruled the Red Keep [the night of the wedding between Viserys and Alicent]... whilst across Blackwater Bay, Lord Corlys the Sea Snake welcomed the king's brother Prince Daemon to a war council. The prince had suffered all he could stand of the Vale of Arryn, Runestone, and his lady wife. "Dark Sister was made for nobler tasks than slaughtering sheep," he is reported to have told the Lord of the Tides. "She has a thirst for blood." But it was not rebellion that the rogue prince had in mind; he saw another path to power. [...] The Sea Snake was determined to put an end to the Triarchy's rule over the Stepstones, and in Daemon Targaryen he found a willing partner, eager for the gold and glory that victory in war would bring him. Shunning the king's wedding, they laid their plans in High Tide on the isle Driftmark.

— Archmaester Gyldayn, The Rogue Prince, or, A King's Brother

***

— House of the Dragon, 1.02 “The Rogue Prince” & 1.03 "Second of His Name"

***

Daemon goes to war for his own motives, essentially, because I think... He wants to. And irregardless of the consequences, because it gets his brother's attention.

— Matt Smith, S1 EP3: Inside the Episode

***

Prince Daemon had at last returned to court [for the great tourney in honor of the fifth anniversary of the king's marriage to Queen Alicent]. Wearing a crown and styling himself King of the Narrow Sea, he appeared unannounced in the skies above King's Landing on his dragon, circling thrice above the tourney grounds... but when at last he came to earth, he knelt before his brother and offered up his crown as a token of his love and fealty. Viserys returned the crown and kissed Daemon on both cheeks, welcoming him home, and the lords and commons sent up a thunderous cheer as the sons of Prince Baelon Targaryen were reconciled.

— Archmaester Gyldayn, The Rogue Prince, or, A King's Brother

***

— House of the Dragon, 1.04 "King of the Narrow Sea"

***

He loves his brother very much, but he knows if his brother turns up at a wedding there’s going to be trouble. Being king has estranged him from Daemon. Daemon has a head for adventure and can behave irresponsibly at times. He’s always pushing the boundaries of what’s acceptable, and Viserys is always making excuses for him.

— Paddy Considine, The Hollywood Reporter

***

RHEA ROYCE: Husband. What brings you to the Vale? Or have you, at last, come to consummate our marriage? The Vale's sheep might be willing, even if I'm not. Our sheep are prettier, after all. Or perhaps your brother has at last had his fill of your company? Cast you aside in favor of a little girl... What will you do now? Will you strike the child down?

— House of the Dragon, 1.05 “We Light the Way”

***

— House of the Dragon, 1.04 "King of the Narrow Sea"

***

When he comes back, he's not looking for his brother anymore. He's somehow looking to get back at his brother. And Rhaenyra becomes the apple of his eye.

— Miguel Sapochnik (Showrunner / Executive Producer / Director), S1 EP4: Inside the Episode

***

RHAENYRA: You seemed so content on Dragonstone. Why did you come back? [Daemon stays silent] RHAENYRA: There is surely more to your return than simply taunting my father. [He smiles and touches her necklace] RHAENYRA: So... What do you want? DAEMON: Only the comforts of home.

— House of the Dragon, 1.04 “King of the Narrow Sea”

***

Q: What is it about [Rhaenyra] that resonates with [Daemon]? A: There’s that family bond that he is so invested in. It really, really matters to him. And probably he feels a certain kinship with her that he’s maybe lost with his brother.

— Matt Smith, The New York Times

***

It's a very complicated situation, isn't it. But, I think a lot of it is about trying to get a reaction from his brother in the early instances, and it's about trying to wind his brother up and annoy his brother. As you see, when the series goes on, it's not as black and white, as Paddy says, having an interest in your young niece. It's much more complex than that, really, as the Targaryens are, you know. It's a strange, strange, complex family.

— Matt Smith, The Wrap

***

— House of the Dragon, 1.04 "King of the Narrow Sea"

***

It's the idea that Daemon is using Rhaenyra as a way to get to her father. Ultimately, his impotence in [the brothel] scene is a reflection of the fact that he knows deep down what he's doing isn't right.

— Miguel Sapochnik, S1 EP4: Inside the Episode

***

ALICENT: It is not in Rhaenyra's nature to be deceitful. I cannot say the same for your brother. VISERYS: You believe he lied? ALICENT: How often does he speak the pure truth? VISERYS: How does confessing to such things serve him? ALICENT: By reducing you.

— House of the Dragon, 1.04 “King of the Narrow Sea”

***

Q: Do you think Daemon loves Rhaenyra? Because he's a tricky one, too, you know? I mean, he's brutal. A: I think Daemon idolises Viserys, and because Rhaenyra is an extension of Viserys and represents pure Targaryen fire, I think Daemon is in love with that. But I think, also, Daemon gets bored easily.

— Olivia Cooke (plays Alicent), HOTD: Official Podcast Ep. 7 "Driftmark"

***

When it's put to Viserys that Daemon may have had sex with Rhaenyra; I think that's where the dragon comes out in Viserys.

— Paddy Considine

He once again banishes his brother, but what he feels more than anything is manipulated.

— Miguel Sapochnik

S1 EP4: Inside the Episode

***

— House of the Dragon, 1.01 "The Heirs of the Dragon" & 1.04 "King of the Narrow Sea"

***

In a pure creative writer's sense, it's thrilling because it's so freeing, and it allows you to be, at once, devotedly faithful to the source material and also incredibly free and creative to make different decisions and to turn an expectation on its head. To take the event, that little line in the book about Lady Rhea having her skull crushed in a fall from her horse, and turning that into a whole scene and a motivation for Daemon to strike back at the king who's always held this loveless marriage that's basically a prison for Daemon, to keep him controlled and keep him from doing the things he wanted to do. So Daemon goes and destroys it.

— Ryan Condal, HOTD: Official Podcast Ep. 10 "The Black Queen"

***

— House of the Dragon, 1.05 "We Light the Way"

***

Prince Daemon knew that his brother would not be pleased when he heard of his new marriage. Prudently, the prince and his new bride took themselves far from Westeros soon after the wedding, crossing the Narrow Sea on their dragons.

— Archmaester Gyldayn, The Rogue Prince, or, A King's Brother

***

Daemon's tried to remove himself from Westerosi politics, and go live across the sea in a place where it can't affect him and twist him the way that it always did when he was at home.

— Ryan Condal, S1 EP6: Inside the Episode

***

ALICENT, REFERRING TO VALYRIA’S MODEL: It is truly wondrous what you've built. VISERYS: Oh, no. I only pore over the histories and provide the plans. The stonemasons built the structures.

— House of the Dragon, 1.02 “The Rogue Prince”

LAENA: I miss my brother, Daemon. As I think do you. DAEMON: I miss Westerosi strongwine. It could be depended on for a few hours of peaceful oblivion. This amber shit that they drink here... LAENA: Do you never long for home? DAEMON: No. LAENA: I don't believe you. DAEMON: Believe what you please. LAENA: You laud the virtues of Pentos, but you have no interest in it. If you did, you would venture into the city, but instead, you spend your time here, in the library, reading accounts of the same dead dragonlords whose legacy you claim has no hold on you.

— House of the Dragon, 1.06 “The Princess and the Queen”

***

In 116 AC, in the Free City of Pentos, Lady Laena gave birth to twin daughters, Daemon Targaryen's first trueborn children. [...] From High Tide, he sent a raven to his brother in King's Landing, informing His Grace of the birth of his nieces and begging leave to present the girls at court to receive his royal blessing. Though his Hand and small council argued heatedly against it, Viserys consented, for the king still loved the brother who had been the companion of his youth. "Daemon is a father now," he told Grand Maester Mellos. "He will have changed." Thus were the sons of Baelon Targaryen reconciled for the second time.

— Archmaester Gyldayn, Fire & Blood: Being a History of the Targaryen Kings of Westeros, Volume 1

***

— House of the Dragon, 1.07 "Driftmark"

***

They haven't seen each other since he banished him again for robbing his daughter's innocence, and saying horrible things to him [sic]. But Viserys has gone through some stuff, and his health is failing, and I think he's feeling more like he wants family around him now than he probably was when he sent Daemon away.

— Ryan Condal, S1 EP7: Inside the Episode

***

VISERYS: Daemon. I know we've had our differences, but let them pass with the years. There's a place for you in my court. If there's something you should need. DAEMON: I need… nothing.

— House of the Dragon, 1.07 "Driftmark"

***

The governance of the realm was a daunting task; the king needed a strong, capable Hand to shoulder some of his burdens. Briefly he considered sending for Princess Rhaenyra. [...] He considered his brother as well, until he recalled Prince Daemon's previous stints on the small council. [...] His grace chose familiarity, and recalled to court Ser Otto Hightower, the queen's father, who had filled the office before for both Viserys and the Old King. Yet hardly had Ser Otto arrived at the Red Keep to take up the Handship than word reached court that Princess Rhaenyra had remarried, taking to husband her uncle, Daemon Targaryen. The princess was twenty-three, Prince Daemon thirty-nine. King, court, and commons were all outraged by the news. Neither Daemon's wife nor Rhaenyra's husband had been dead even half a year, to wed again so soon was an insult to their memory, His Grace declared angrily. The marriage had been performed on Dragonstone, suddenly and secretly. Septon Eustace claims that Rhaenyra knew that her father would never approve of the match, so she wed in haste to make certain he could not prevent the marriage.

— Archmaester Gyldayn, The Rogue Prince, or, A King's Brother

***

— House of the Dragon, 1.08 "The Lord of the Tides"

***

— House of the Dragon, 1.08 "The Lord of the Tides"

***

Even at the end, there aren’t words in that relationship. Daemon helps him up there, and he puts the crown on his head, and that said everything that he’s never said, without uttering a word.

— Paddy Considine, The New York Times

***

— House of the Dragon, 1.08 "The Lord of the Tides"

***

It's like all this corruption and all this fighting, this is what it does. This is what being a king does. This is the effect of all of this on me. Why can't we just love each other? It sounds really naff, but it's like, "Why can't we just love each other? Why can't we just make this work?" […] I don't think he ever wanted to be king; it's a burden. He's just doing a duty. He was too human to be king. […] When he takes his last breath he maybe feels like he's done all he can, and he's put his house right. He did his best. He kept this secret belief in the prophecy, and kept that with him until the day he died. And that's all he could do.

— Paddy Considine, S1 EP8: Inside the Episode

***

— House of the Dragon, 1.10 "The Black Queen"

***

— House of the Dragon, 1.10 "The Black Queen"

***

I think in this scene, [Rhaenyra] gets a message from beyond the grave the moment that she understands that Daemon wasn't chosen. ‘Wow, it was never you.’ Simultaneously, Daemon gets shafted from beyond the grave by his brother, who he loves more than any other character in the show. On the one hand, he can say that he doesn't believe in prophecies. But he was never trusted to anyway.

— Emma D'Arcy (plays Rhaenyra), GQ

***

[Aegon’s prophecy] certainly is a burden. We know that [Rhaenyra] knows it, we know that Daemon does not. And whatever little bit he heard, he was very dismissive of.

— Ryan Condal, HOTD: Official Podcast Ep. 10 "The Black Queen"

***

Q: Shouldn’t he at least have told Daemon or others about the prophecy? A: No way, not at that time. That’s something that we struggled with. There was a scene that was deleted after Aemma (Sian Brooke) died, where Viserys meets with Daemon and he tries to hint at this idea of prophecies and what the gods mean to him. He was trying to get some idea where Daemon’s at with his beliefs, but the tone of the scene was never quite right. There’s no way that Daemon would even connect to that — he’d laugh Viserys out of the room. He’s not into dreamers or things like that.

— Paddy Considine, The New York Times

***

Look, I think Daemon has a lot of good aspects to him, but there is this darkness in him that he really struggles with. And his core injury is the fact that Viserys rejected him. Everybody thinks that Daemon wanted the crown, and maybe he did. Maybe he toyed with the idea a bit. But really, really deep down what he wanted was to be Viserys' Hand. He wanted to be his brother's guy. He wanted to help him and protect him; it's the thing he tells him in the first episode. So, when Daemon learns after this hell of a day he had where he learns that his brother is dead, he maybe thinks that his enemies, the Hightowers, helped him along. He learns that the throne, his wife's birthright has been seized and stolen. It's been an emotional day for Daemon. And then on top of all that, when Rhaenyra tells him, casually, that 'oh, that big secret that we passed from King to heir through the whole bloodline...', the fact that Viserys never told him. He never named him Prince of Dragonstone. Daemon was never Viserys' heir, ever, in his mind. And I think it just shatters him. And I think it's not a... It is an act of violence against Rhaenyra, but it is a lashing out of a wounded man, and it's the only way that he knows how to express it. And the way we always wrote Daemon and his, uh, complicated, let's say, relationship with Rhaenyra was that he really does see Rhaenyra as an extension of his brother. And I think there is a part of Daemon that is in love with his brother. In maybe not a sexual sense, but in a 'I need to have it be a part of me'. And because he couldn't have that, that's a large reason why he pursues Rhaenyra. So, in that moment, I think it's all those things coming together in confluence. Perhaps in that moment where he just lashes out, he sees Rhaenyra as a further extension of Viserys. Because he can't put his hands on Viserys, that's the next best thing.

— Ryan Condal (Showrunner / Executive Producer / Writer), Official Game of Thrones Convention, Dec 9th 2022

***

— House of the Dragon, 1.10 "The Black Queen"

***

His brother’s death is going to have a bigger effect on him than he probably even realizes.

— Matt Smith, Los Angeles Times

#house of the dragon #hotd #asoiaf & got #daemon targaryen #viserys i targaryen #daemon x viserys #shipcest #daeserys #visaemon #daemon targaryen x viserys i targaryen #house targaryen

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lemonhemlock · 11 months

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Greetings! I was reading some of your wonderful posts and got a question. Does Cregan's agreement with Jace even make any sense? Cregan really agreed to fight for the Blacks because *checks notes* an obvious bastard proposes to give his heir the hand of his daughter, the very same one who's nowhere near conceived and may not come to exist if Jace only has sons, not to mention that Jace isn't even married to start trying to produce her. It's wobbly in the very best, but then, are there many cases where the support Team Black gets is completely reasonable?

Hi, Melody! 🍋 Overall, I think there are many contradictions with the Northern pact, some of which you've already pointed out. For some reason, GRRM was set from the start on the Starks supporting Rhaenyra and he had to go back in the story to manufacture reasons for that support. Was he successful? It's a matter of debate.

Out of all of Rhaenyra's allies, bar her direct bannermen, the Starks supporting her makes some degree of sense, but only if the Pact of Ice and Fire is real, because, as shoddy as it is, at least they get something out of it. Cregan gets a sister for a Queen (supposedly, if Jace married Sara Snow), which comes with a lot of direct access to the throne and the political influence it entails, and also a princess as a wife for his son, ensuring the same kind of bond to the throne for the next generation.

Now, I don't think this is a foolproof pact, but it must be the best GRRM was able to come up with for a story that spans a few chapters in Fire and Blood, so more like a novella, not really even novel-length. There's that to consider, too. The amount of effort isn't going to be the same like in the main serieas.

To come back to the Pact, I think there are kinks with that, too. The allegedly honour-obsessed Starks have no problem with the fact that Jace is a visible bastard and are so eager to fight for him as the future king? They think it's perfectly reasonable for the crown prince to marry a bastard girl and that everyone else is just going to accept that? Not one, but two bastards on the throne? That would be political suicide. Also, bargaining with children that don't exist yet, so not exactly something tangible.

Furthermore, after Jace dies, why does Cregan not demand a similar arrangement from Rhaenyra (maybe with Joffrey as a replacement)? At that point, he is fighting for her for free. When he comes to KL to fight Aegon II, why doesn't he bring the same demands to Aegon III?

Not to mention that his support is so lackluster in the first place. He sends the Winter Wolves, yes, but takes a whole of two years (?) to actually raise his banners for Rhaenyra. Again, that's something I'm inclined to categorize as a storyline weakness, because GRRM needs to keep the Starks out of the main battles, otherwise the Blacks would be way too overpowered. So he has characters act in an implausible manner to compensate for the poor distribution of allies during the Dance.

A further question would be why GRRM is so set on the Starks supporting Rhaenyra. They could have just been neutral and it wouldn't have changed much of the story. One theory I've seen is that it's supposed to mirror the future alliance between Daenerys and the Starks, at least as far as fighting the Others is concerned. The Pact of Ice and Fire is too fanciful a name for a shoddy agreement that didn't even amount to anything, so maybe it is supposed to act as some kind of historical foreshadowing. Perhaps the eggs Vermax is said to have laid at Winterfell will come into play later, too.

#ask #melodymidway #cregan stark #house stark #anti jacaerys velaryon #for filtering purposes #sara snow #fire and blood critical #division of houses during the dance of the dragons

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bydragonfireandblood · 1 year

Text

Honestly, best part about watching HotD was that it gave me a free blocklist to weed out any jonsas (because ridiculous number of the green stans seem to be jonsas!) I might've missed the first time around with GoT. But what's absolutely baffling is how many claim to be feminists. I'll go to their blog to block them and their bio will be something like "She/her, feminist" and it's just like... what kind of mental acrobatics do you have to be doing to believe that??

Let's see, shall we? Just off the top of my head, jonsas (and fairly often Sansa's more... "special" stans) like to

Put down Dany and Arya for not being "feminine enough" (i.e. their ideal femininity, which ig means women can't be anything else). As if expecting women to conform to a standard of what's "feminine enough" isn't part of the problem :/

Constantly claim Sansa can't be held accountable for her mistakes because she's a child, but then regularly claim another child is unforgivable for her mistakes and should die for it

Imply (and sometimes even say) that Dany shouldn't be breaking the wheel. You mean the patriarchy? You, an alleged feminist, don't think the patriarchal system ASoIaF has is awful and dumb??

Suggest that Jon is actually going to politically manipulate Dany by pretending to love her but really he's doing it for Sansa. That is... disgusting on more levels than I could count, but I'll simplify it to "wanting to see an ending where a woman is manipulated sexually and then murdered by her male lover when she's no longer useful is gross and you should feel gross" because apparently they can't read at more than a 2nd grade level

Ignore the fact that this already-misogynistic plotline would be, in their dreams, so the man can get together with their favorite woman instead. Because putting down a woman like a dog in favor of another woman isn't bad, apparently

Absolutely hate the fact that Dany is a subversion of the prophecied hero trope because she's the "Princess who was promised". This would be a wonderful twist on the trope instead of the sexist "but actually it was the man all along!" one, which has been done to death already

Crack jokes about Dany being infertile and how that would "make Sansa a better wife for Jon, bc she can give him an heir". Ah yes, implying it's a woman's duty and purpose to have kids and that anyone who can't is broken. Wonderful example of feminist rhetoric, you guys

And this very much extends to the green stans too! Little wonder so many stansas seem to love Alicent, since they're both "women who have to suffer through the patriarchy". Let's see what our precious, definitely-feminist Alicent has done, shall we?

The big one: actively trying to prevent a woman from rising to the Throne so she can be replaced by her son, a man

The son, I should add, being utterly unfit to rule and she knows it (unless she's absolutely fucking stupid, there's no way she could not know Aegon would be a bad king). I mean, he assaulted serving staff, disappears to the slums to watch his bastards fight to the death, and when he was supposed to be king he fled. Rulership material indeed :/ But Alicent seems to think a penis makes him suited to rule despite all that

Straight-up admits that Viserys was less suited to rule than Rhaenys on account of temperament... but then in the next breath ask Rhaenys to help her uphold the male succession that fucked her over, in favor of a man even less suitable for kingship than Viserys was

And on the note of the serving girl... silencing rape victims is not feminist. At all. I recognize HotD's societal standards are different, but idk, they sure like to apply modern standards like war crimes to Dany and Rhaenyra so I think I'll do the same here

Resents Rhaenyra for finding happiness in her own relationships. Look, what happened to her was awful and I felt bad for her, but once she turned around and started putting other women down for not suffering like she did, instead of trying to see the system that caused her suffering ended... that's where she went wrong. (Also I feel like reminding everyone Laenor was gay. Did greens want Nyra to maritally rape her husband?? How dare a woman have an enjoyable sex life)

Book Alicent legitimately hoped that "mayhaps the whore will die in childbirth" because that's absolutely a feminist girlboss thing to say

Look, I have no problem with people liking or even defending either character for some of their actions. Even I'd admit the Greens are fun to watch despite being in the wrong, and that Sansa's bullying means her arc has potential for character growth towards realizing her ideal femininity is wrong. But when their stans start attacking other women for not accepting and conforming to the system? That's why I usually see urls/lots of posts about these characters as a red flag

If you're one of these people and I somehow haven't already blocked you? Please go outside and work on the internalized misogyny a bit before you claim to be feminist

#anti sansa stark #anti sansa stans #anti greens #anti green stans #anti alicent hightower #anti alicent stans #anti daenerys antis #qitn believers dni

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guessimate · 3 months

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We are concluding the 2nd rotation in the Asian part of my town with the Tians. They are getting a free goat from the ROS gods, which makes sense, since they have sheep already. I ended up just giving them 2 goats - a male and a female, for the chance of producing baby goats, because they really just started and they had some disposable money.

I rolled for a ROS for them again, because I felt like I went too easy on them. The 2nd ROS decided I would have to fulfill their wants this round (otherwise I'd need to do the same next round, but for fears). It was not difficult to achieve, but I must say Hiroki had the weirdest wants for a Popularity sim. He wanted to buy stuff, and get some skill points (that part I can understand, as it was autumn). The illness must have changed his priorities in life. Sadly, I couldn't get him a lot of the stuff he wanted (TV? toy dog pen (bunny)? I really wanted to give him a recliner, but the want wouldn't fulfill). He did get to Charisma level 5 at least.

I found a job for the man of the house, as this family is not going to be selling anything for a while. There was a vacancy in the Culinary career, and this is the perfect job for a food provider, and Hiroki's One True Hobby happens to be Cuisine, too. Hiroki also wanted to hire a nanny, but that couldn't happen... I'm guessing that means he prefers going to work instead of staying home though.

~*~

Tasuku is a Taurus. He's 6 Neat and 6 Outgoing just like his dad. He's also 4 Lazy like his mom. But he's also more Playful (9) and Grouchy (3) than both of his parents. Both Fumi and Hiroki are 7 Nice.

Fumi taught Tasuku all of his toddler skills (she actually wanted to teach him all 3, which is quite rare in my game). His dad taught him the Nursery Rhyme, because I wanted him to remember something related to his firstborn.

I wanted to wait with more babies, like I did with the Lao family, but Fumi wanted another baby, and I was supposed to be fulfilling wants...

So their next baby was meant to be twins, but one of them was not meant to be due to terrible rolls. I also rolled 3x at birth, as if it was a twin birth, but Fumi still survived it, so I guess it was just that unfortunate infant. Hopefully they will get one more later, but nothing will replace the unborn twin.

Fumi threw two birthday parties for her firstborn this round, in both cases when the man of the house was at work. Is it offensive to her husband? I don't know, but he works late, so I am not blaming her.

I wanted to add that I'm not sure if Fumi really wanted to throw the 2nd birthday party for her son, or for the occassion of her giving birth. Her husband just came back home and the party was halfway through, when she started giving birth and everyone ran to her. I named the newborn Hanako. She's a blue-eyed girl with black hair.

~*~

On the very last night of their rotation the burglar decided to come over. I flipped a coin and it decided that I should let Hiroki beat her up. I flip a coin for it now, because the Anyone Fights Burglars mod is always successful. I think the burglar wanted to steal some of the sheep, but she didn't get to do it fast enough.

Hiroki had two days off, I believe. Overall he got promoted once so he's on level 2 of the Culinary career track, which doesn't pay very well. But he has earned earned 966$ total.

500$ - rent

386$ - tax

97$ - tithe

They needed to pay 986$ (rounded down to 950$) + 500$ rent for last round. They are left with some change they could use to set up a store, but I don't think they'll be selling anything before spring comes.

There is 8800$ in the town's bank... Let's say it was all spent to erect the monastery from earlier, because the unfurnished building is worth around as much. I imagine the monks are starting out sleeping on the floor or something...

#ts2 #thesims2 #the sims 2 #medieval charter challenge #mcc #Tian #shepherd #round 2 #ancient

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horizon-verizon · 1 year

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Fire and Blood: Aegon II

DISCLAIMERS:

1) Very, Very Long

2) NOT a Justification of Aegon as a Good Person, Because Fuck Him. He is not a “Poor Little Prince”.

Mini-Disclaimer: This is a Headcanons and are subject to change (except the part about him being a rapist). You are welcome to disagree with them.

Before the Dance

Aegon was born to Viserys I and Alicent Hightower a year after they married. Despite being a boy and his mother’s and Otto’s pressing, he did not replace Rhaenyra as Viserys’ official heir.

And unlike Rhaenyra (ten years his senior), “The Realm’s Delight” he never had the blatant or apparent admiration of the courtiers, peasants, etc.

Early on, he and his brothers developed resentment, then hatred, for Rhaenyra and her first three sons: Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey Velaryon.

The enmity between Queen Alicent and Princess Rhaenyra was passed on to their sons, and the queen’s three boys, the Princes Aegon, Aemond, and Daeron, grew to be bitter rivals of their Velaryon nephews, resentful of them for having stolen what they regarded as their birthright: the Iron Throne itself. Though all six boys attended the same feasts, balls, and revels, and sometimes trained together in the yard under the same master-at-arms and studied under the same maesters, this enforced closeness only served to feed their mutual mislike, rather than binding them together as brothers. (F & B; “A Question of Succession”)

Image Credit: doug wheatley from Fire and Blood

Now, to Imagining how Aegon’s Childhood (God, why....)

In a feudal society, individualism as a priority is not a substantial concept shared amongst the different populaces like it is for some societies today.

You may come from a noble house with a distinctive history, image and notable deeds that shaped the customs of the land ruled. Or you are the ruled--the peasant that are told to work for the nobles.

Of course, it’s way more complicated when put into action and in real life, with rich merchants, illegitimate children, etc. having sometimes influence enough to present an economic and political opposer and negotiations done. But generally, a feudal society is shaped by what role you play in maintaining the hereditary cultural order above most else.

Here this kid is learning from a young age that men customarily inherit authority and power over the House and its household, much less an entire country and its inhabitants. He knows about primogeniture. And seeing that aristocratic and royal children learned about their own house’s history--that it is tradition or a precedent for sons to inherit power, and traditions usually define the identity of a house and its members as well as the relations to each other (Brackens vs Blackwoods; “Winter is Coming”). But he eventually learns that his father, Viserys, was able to ascend despite being the son of a second son because the lords were allowed to vote for him based on the principle that a man and those of the male line are the “best” and preferred leaders, troubling the precedents of both undemocratic succession and male primogeniture.

If we’re going by male primogeniture, Laenor Velayron should have been the heir/king. If by equal primogeniture, it should have been Rhaenys Targaryen who ruled, and then Laena Velayron after her.

Viserys’s whole line, in another world, would have been mere secondary princes.

Yet, he was not chosen by the former king, but chosen by his own future subjects.

But isn’t a king supposed to be made by the last king?

Even with Jaehaerys' choosing and allowing the lords to choose, they still were those he decided to be the "final" deciders of who would lead them. As if this were some sort of Spartan oligarchy. there is this contradiction or paradox of monarchial leadership and succession: what the king desires then rules and what his subjects want from him and in a king.

Aegon learns about this (if he bothers). But he hates it and represses its implications for him: that his own claim is vulnerable to circumstance of others’ various and changing desires, that he is vulnerable to others. So Aegon, eventually--like Alicent--makes his choices.

He also would have heard the courtiers, Alicent, her ladies-in-waiting, his wet nurse and other nurses, her brother Gwayne and father Otto, and even other servants talk about it in whispers or aloud as he went his way around the Red Keep, constantly talking about the succession. Some would say how Rhaenyra is so cool, so beautiful, so precocious (not Alicent or Otto). Others that she doesn’t deserve the crown for her gender or her character, being so hostile to Alicent (his mother).

Despite all of this, his father never once seemed to change his mind or express any strong conflictions about it.

Going by how angry he got with Otto and declared against those who wanted to replace Rhaenyra (who weren't even that prepared to rebel against her once they saw Viserys firm)', it doesn’t appear that he was ever expressively reluctant enough for anyone to think he had real regret naming Rhaenyra heir.

Whatever the truth of these allegations, there was never any doubt that King Viserys still meant for his daughter to follow him upon the Iron Throne, and her sons to follow her in turn. By royal decree, each of the Velaryon boys was presented with a dragon’s egg whilst in the cradle. Those who doubted the paternity of Rhaenyra’s sons whispered that the eggs would never hatch, but the birth in turn of three young dragons gave the lie to their words. The hatchlings were named Vermax, Arrax, and Tyraxes. And Septon Eustace tells us that His Grace sat Jace upon his knee atop the Iron Throne as he was holding court, and was heard to say, “One day this will be your seat, lad.”

(Fire and Blood; “A Question of Succession”)

(Viserys may or may not have, but it would take a clear event or a trustworthy, fair and as-neutral-as-possible, observer who was there in court.)

Alicent and Otto would have felt that to convince Viserys to change his mind, Aegon will have to present himself as the better option. And play at Viserys’ heartstrings or desire for family and harmony.

(Headcanonning time) So they may dress him from the moment he can be in group gatherings to create images suited to the persons they anticipate will see him at particular setting. Parties? Dress him up in intricate colors reminiscent of a king. Alone with the king at breakfast? Dress him up in subdued colors and simple stitching, maybe even have him just wear white to connote innocence and make him that much more attractive to engage with. Let everyone else also see how “bright” and “comely” Aegon seems. (Of course, he never manages to get a moniker like Rhaenyra celebrating his personality, so that would have quickly failed.)

Not only with dress him, but instruct his behavior from as early as when he only begins to understand to obey so he may receive positive attention.

But, the king is the one with the final say (customarily and as precedent) over who the next ruler will be while he is alive--not his councilors nor his wife.

Aegon could have known this too obviously. He could have felt a frustrated futility in Alicent’s and Otto’s words and actions along with his own desire to be recognized as worthy to lead in his father’s eyes when he sees no change in Viserys’ behavior or determination.

All they did was temporary and substantial as light sand, undependable. But, still, so much emphasis on a thing and it will stick to you.

Aegon, being a child and not being around his father 24/7 (since kings aren’t like other noblemen and peasants, having separate apartments and doing several duties apart form their children), Aegon likely didn’t feel that Viserys truly saw him as worthy to inherit the crown and that was also why Voserys stuck with Rhaenyra. So Aegon may have felt that his father thought him “worse” than a girl (which is sexist thinking).

In spite of the importance that a lot of people around him place on custom, tradition, and precedent.

So, it’s easy to see that Aegon develops an "interesting" (not a positive connotation here) sort of inferiority complex. Everything that he is, it would be compared to Rhaenyra as well as all the other kings that have existed. Even by his mother and Otto.

In other words, he makes himself a loser.

Alicent and Otto may have tried to prepare him for kingship through his education and so did not treat him as a second son but as a son who will inherit the household/leadership position. They also likely would have tried to instruct him how to create an image for himself and use other, subtler tactics for other nobles to see him as the more/only candidate for kingship.

They could have impressed on him to act as “kingly” as possible, or their interpretation of that, to please Viserys and others around him more than to be kingly for the sake of being a good king. Who he keeps as his friends, how he speaks to Viserys and Rhaenyra, how he learns to fight under trainers--with little talk of anything else, like his hobbies and interests. His character could have been constantly evaluated and even held in contrast to Rhaenyra-- “you’re better” but maybe also, “don’t do that and be like Rhaneyra/Maegor”, even though at turn they may before said he was nothing like her. And even as a small boy he would have heard Alicent and Otto talk and hear instructions to catch Viserys’ attention. Maybe Alicent would be more inclined to excuse his behavior than Otto but she would still obsess over how he acts and presents himself “for his sake”.

He also might have looked at Daemon’s indiscretions and wondered how Viserys can be so lenient on him.

And there definitely no love lost between him and Daemon.

quick to anger and slow to forgive. At the age of fifteen, he was known to be a lazy and somewhat sulky boy, inclined to gluttony at the table and given to swilling ale and strongwine, traits he carried to adulthood. A Wiki of Ice and Fire

AND

Following the ancient tradition of House Targaryen, King Viserys wed his son Aegon the Elder to his daughter Helaena. The groom was fifteen years of age; a lazy and somewhat sulky boy, Septon Eustace tells us, but possessed of more than healthy appetites, a glutton at table, given to swilling ale and strongwine and pinching and fondling any serving girl who strayed within his reach.

(Fire and Blood; “A Question of Succession”)

His Masculinity and Misogyny

Because this is a sexist world, so we expect most trueborn man to be instilled with a sense that a position he could have had was given to a woman instead would make him feel like a weakling/woman. There are always exceptions, but Aegon is definitely not one of them.

Rhaenyra is preferred and yet Alicent and Otto press on him to act only in the way that they see fit. It is likely to have felt (key phrase: “he felt”) suffocating and demoralising.

All his life he would have occupied a more “passive”, or “passified” position than an heir would/should have: being talked to or over, then praised, the told what to do even into his teens. (Again, in his perception.)

Being a king, or being seen as deserving of it, speaks to his gender identity as a a trueborn firstborn man in this society because Alicent and Otto both would have impressed on him that it was so both indirectly and verbally.

And everything in this world is valued through its given gendered properties: male (active; hard; fast; strong) vs female (passive; soft; slow; weak).

So he also hangs onto things that give him a sense that his presence is potent, bigger, and autonomous--his dragon Sunfyre, alcohol and sex/sexual assault.

Sexual assaulters and rapists are losers. They rape and SA because it makes them feel more powerful than those they feel should not have power yet they see sometimes do. Often, when they can’t confront the real contender, they go after those that they can hurt with less consequences to themselves.

Alcohol and sex with those who can’t really say no (rape) also while also seeking ways to dissociate with conflicting judgements on who he is and what he is meant to do and be to himself and those around him. Wine both grounds him and muddles him and the rapes and sexual assaults make him feel the active one in an interaction as they also distract him; he doesn’t have to focus on others’ words about him or Rhaenyra and he also can just focus on his simplest, immediate desires.

Sunfyre is a symbol of his legitimacy and Targaryenness, the gold scales a reminder of his lineage and maybe a sign of his own eminence. Besides that, he would get to fly around, by himself, away from the court and his family. Possibly, these were the times he was actually the happiest and clear-headed and free.

By being passed over and being reminded of it, boiled down to how something has been “stolen” from him that also displays and “proves” his substance as a man, he may have felt that that through sexual assault and alcohol that he was fulfilling that silent dream of masculinity denied to him.

Ironically, his dependency on only what pleasures his body can give him would not have likely endeared him to others around him (even his own siblings), because he is so emotionally stunted, resentful, and impatient--even with the statues he had commissioned later after his brothers’ deaths.

I don’t think he was especially close to Aemond, Helaena, or Daeron because of the dissociation and because he himself is a way for Alicent to protect the others, creating another heavy obligation--which is one feature of ASoIaF. His family would have been together more for duty than love.

Duty vs Love

Being made to feel like a device of duty and ambition perhaps wouldn’t encourage his already compromised ego into intimacy, creating an emotional void. Alcoholics are not commonly free with their affection either, especially when they are men.

His siblings also might have looked at him as their future, or as an assignment. A duty. Someone to support for the kingship more than a friend.

And none of this is to say that he deserves the throne and it should be given to him or Rhaenyra should just give it to him (fuck that!), that he is a good person, or that he deserves to be allowed to do what he wants--it is to say that he is a perfect example of feudal patriarchal purity and thus a terrible human being who chose to use women’s bodies as if they are toys.

He just can’t be allowed to actually rule over others as he is and by being a male, his overblown sense of his entitlement over female persons and his hatred for Rhaenyra does not present a hopeful future for how he would have dealt with women doing wrongs.

And what about his coronation? Runicter, Septon Eustace and Mushroom all refer to Aegon being away from the keep when Viserys died and Alicent brought the council members together in the green council. Two of these sources say that he was having sex--Mushroom with a more scandalous claim than Eustace, but actually correct as Eustace. confirms the garlic the girl (12-13) and tries to make it sound better by saying she was a merchant's daughter. (Class rather than the fact that he, a grown man, is fucking a preteen without it "even" being a forced arranged marriage, which just makes it so much the worse!)

Aegon even protested being crowned at first, one of them being that he shouldn’t “steal” from his older sibling, if we were to believe Eustace when he says that he eventually gives in when Criston Cole mentioned how Rhaenyra would not spare him or his family if she wanted her own illegitimate sons to sit safely on the throne.

However, Aegon did a quick switch up (below) after he got his crown, and I think this just shows that he always wanted it and didn't actually need much persuading.

Because being demanded to “step up” when you’ve been slacking all your life is agitating--a major shift unwelcome. Like a hard yank out of a lifetime of dreaming....or he saw what he'd always been wanting just given to him and grasped it tight.

(He also might have felt resentful of taking what what he felt should have been his and rejected it as a small “fuck you” to both Rhaenyra and Viserys, though I don’t think it’s this. He wants validation too badly. *EDIT* If we believe Eustace. If we don't, then--and I do not--its obvious that he always wanted to rule but never thought to build character bc he was given that monarchial entitlement. Loser.)

The Dance

Aegon II would have felt a strange euphoria after being crowned and “officially” become king. What stands in his way from completely consolidating power and realizing his role, his manhood, is his more popular sister. And they never got along or spent time together, so he’d be eager to get rid of her and his nephews through violence and dragons.

Yes, it’s kinslaying and:

he likely doesn’t feel her to be real kin and he is a character who depends on his sensual experiences as well as those things that symbolize power for self worth--Rhaenyra’s emotional and physical distance is too constant for him to see her as a true sibling

Rhaenyra is openly against Alicent, his mother

Rhaenyra is both a woman and the person keeping him from getting what he’s been owed for all his life

he marries his other sister, Helaena, and wives are not really the type of equal that we modern folks would consider our spouse to be--royal siblings are not just siblings -> they are his subjects and if they are women they are also his sexual partner -> he has learned to see more as devices to show power or that which is mostly under his authority---Targaryens do not usually regard their siblings as just siblings. quite literally, a sibling could be everything and anything: lover, enemy, peer/friend, child/dependent, superior, subject, etc.

So with every pushback like how Rhaenyra’s supporters coming out the woodwork, her supporter’s military wins...it’s no wonder he was ecstatic at Lucerys’ death at the hands of Aemond and the claws of Vhagar. Targaryen might seems on his side.

Aemond Targaryen...who would henceforth be known as Aemond the Kinslayer to his foes...returned to King’s Landing, having won the support of Storm’s End for his brother Aegon, and the undying enmity of Queen Rhaenyra. If he thought to receive a hero’s welcome, he was disappointed. Queen Alicent went pale when she heard what he had done, crying, “Mother have mercy on us all.” Nor was Ser Otto pleased. “You only lost one eye,” he is reported to have said. “How could you be so blind?” The king himself did not share their concerns, however. Aegon II welcomed Prince Aemond home with a great feast, hailed him as “the true blood of the dragon,” and announced that he had made “a good beginning.” (F&B; “A Son for a Son”)

Perhaps this is one of the only moments that he actually felt close or obtained intimacy with Aemond. Or feels like he has.

Aemond now proved himself to be an agent that will “prove” him and his strength and kingly authority. Aegon sees Aemond apart from being this guy who’s better than him in the physical stuff, like a warrior. (I can’t imagine that going away, but now it isn’t the only thing. Doesn’t fix things, though. There’s stil not enough of genuine love. Even w/the statues.)

When he’s butting heads against Otto for what he thinks is inaction, he is frustrated at Rhaenyra continuing to display a seeming competency or validity over him and at missed chances to display his own prowess. With Criston’s encouragement to show his strength and his son Jaehaerys’ murder, it gets to a point where he flagrantly dismisses Otto’s bids at less violent attempts to cow Rhaenyra, and it definitely leads into his decision to put himself in danger and fight with Aemond against Rhaenys and Meleys.

That was the first time he ever used Sunfyre for battle and it came with grevious self harm and harm to his dragon: he got many burns, broke bones and Sunfyre’s wing was incapacitated enough that he had to be left behind for a time in the field to be fed and recover, while Aegon also stayed in bed for the rest of that year. He had to be carried around in a litter when he wasn’t sleeping.

And later, when he finally escapes King’s Landing and reunites with Sunfyre at Dragonstone to recover, he must have generated enough sick anticipation and rage to kill Rhaenyra through his dragon in front of his legitimate nephew’s face. Before then, he had flown Sunfyre again only to be attacked by Baela and her dragon Moondancer. In that altercation, he got even more injuries, shattering both of his legs.

It was a mistake that brought on by the need to revenge and to prove his masculine strength and right to rule after years of being pushed into a more “feminine” passive position. His son’s death would have been one motivation.

And now he’s in an even worse passive position than he had ever been in, where he has to stay put and still be carried in a chair. He feels his crippledom worse than before. Worse and similar to how he’s been told to depend on those he felt in his way and worse/similar to when he was just a prince. When his life meant being a comparison to Rhaenyra.

After Daeron and Aemond’s deaths, he would want to have made some symbol of his own kingship through their sacrifices. When these two died, Aegon lost the most dependable (practically and theoretically) supporters to his claim. To put up statues of them was to not only try to claim intimacy and show how loyal they were but to publicly show that he was worthy of their sacrifice. It's also a claim on the land, that he and his family can do what they want with it, because he is king.

In all this time, he has, maybe in his eyes, been “disproven” and flouted as the rightful Targaryen heir. But like Rhaenyra with her position as heir for many years and others denying her, he is not going to just give up after having been king and been crowned for some time. Not after gotten the injuries that would have stayed with him for all his life if he had been allowed to continue. He probably felt that he had to hold onto his claim more and give meaning to his losses, despite also feeling like a cripple. Maybe he felt that his father’s dismissal of him came from a real place and he wanted to banish that feeling through cruelty.

Resentment, terror, rage, desperation, self-loathing--what a cocktail for a ruler.

After Rhaenyra’s Death

Image Credit: doug wheatley from Fire and Blood

I believe that by this time, Aegon was so desperate to hold onto the power he had finally “assured” through Rhaenyra’s death.

But as proven later, people still fought against him. That feeling that his power was like as unreal as sand--falling through his fingers, like how it felt before he was crowned--it creeps in again, making him more fearful than ever before.

He refused to grant clemency to those who had supported Rhaenyra and to even cut off pieces of his nephews to intimidate those still fighting. He wanted all these people dead and when some actually appeared to be close enough to threaten him, he took Alicent’s suggestion to mutilate Aegon III, which seemed to prompt Corlys and Larys to put their plan to assassinate him in action.

“Your Grace,” the Sea Snake said, when the rump of the once proud green council had assembled, “you must surrender. The city cannot endure another sack. Save your people and save yourself. If you abdicate in favor of Prince Aegon, he will allow you to take the black and live out your life with honor on the Wall.”

“Will he?” King Aegon said. Munkun tells us he sounded hopeful. His mother entertained no such hope.

“You fed his mother to your dragon,” she reminded her son. “The boy saw it all.”

The king turned to her desperately. “What would you have me do?”

“You have hostages,” the Queen Dowager replied. “Cut off one of the boy’s ears and send it to Lord Tully. Warn them he will lose another part for every mile they advance.”

“Yes,” Aegon II said. “Good. It shall be done.” He summoned Ser Alfred Broome, who had served him so well on Dragonstone. “Go and see to it, ser.” As the knight took his leave, the king turned to Corlys Velaryon. “Tell your bastard to fight bravely, my lord. If he fails me, if any of these Braavosi pass the Gullet, your precious Lady Baela shall lose some parts as well.”

(F&B; “The Short, Sad Reign of Aegon II”)

Yeah, he’s a charmer, this one.

#aegon ii #fire and blood characters #fire and blood comment #aegon ii's characterization #the targtowers #the greens' characterizations #sunfyre #asoiaf #fire and blood

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