octoberwitchsblog - Tumblr blog

[octoberwitchsblog]

made another one

[octoberwitchsblog]

there's something about the x-men desperately trying to protect their people while being forced to keep their oppressors happy in order to not be obliterated themselves

One of my favorite things about X Men 97 is how it consistently says “fuck respectability politics.” Marginalized people shouldn’t have to act like saints when our very existence is treated as a crime. We are allowed to be angry and bitter and fight back against our oppressors without our anger being used as “proof” of our inhumanity.

[octoberwitchsblog]

[octoberwitchsblog]

"... a stark reminder that genocide is about more than just the premeditated mass extinguishing o human life; it's also about the calculated, and often vindictive, destruction of a people's culture, language, history, and shared sites of community." [source: Gabrielle Bates on X, formerly known as Twitter. 11/27/23.] Original post they are responding to on Literary Hub: "Gaza's main public library has been destroyed."

[octoberwitchsblog]

crying because an elf prince, dwarf lord and a fucking king of men dropped everything and ran over 100 miles with barely any rest, to rescue a couple of halflings (who were worth nothing outside the shire, and functionally little more than a burden) because they were their friends.

screaming and throwing up because the golden boy of gondor, the steward's eldest son and his pride and joy; noble heir of the house of húrin, sacrificed his life for those self-same halflings

[octoberwitchsblog]

it's the fact that aemma BEGGED viserys not to harm her while she was dying. she SCREAMED at the top of her lungs, she repeatedly said that she was scared and asked what was going on and NOBODY answered her. nobody cared about her from the moment viserys prioritized the child. they don't even tell this pregnant woman who's literaly on the verge of exhaustion that they're going to move her to open her belly !!! viserys hears her screams, her begging and holds her hand and yet not once does he pity her enough to truly care about her. and don't talk to me about the rest of the court, they don't even care to tell rhaenyra that her mother is dying. she is happy and cheering on the tourney and no one even bothers to tell her what's going on, even so that she can say goodbye to her mother. what an UGLY man.

[octoberwitchsblog]

Love this !!!

colour of your phone background + aesthetic

favourite animal + aesthetic

name + core

movie you rewatched multiple times as a child + aesthetic

favourite time of day + aesthetic

first word of your favourite song + aesthetic

this is all very eclectic I must say

thank you for tagging me @vhagar-balerion-meraxes

Go to Pinterest and search:

colour of your phone background + aesthetic

favourite animal + aesthetic

name + core

movie you rewatched multiple times as a child + aesthetic

favourite time of day + aesthetic

first word of your favourite song + aesthetic

no pressure tags, mostly some people from my fave discord: @sansas-amythest-hairnet @targaryen-dynasty @zaldritzosrose @dr-aegon @octoberwitchsblog @appalachy

[octoberwitchsblog]

Amy Winehouse passing ice pops to the neighborhood kids outside the window of her North London home (2008) photog. Gareth Cattermole

[octoberwitchsblog]

”Men think about the Roman Empire” “What’s the female version of the Roman Empire” SHUT UPPPPP. SHUT THE FUCK UPPPPPP. AS A WOMAN I LOVE THE ROMAN EMPIRE. AS A WOMAN I LOVE ANCIENT HISTORY AND BATTLES AND POLITICAL INSTABILITY. THE “GIRL VERSION OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE” IS THE ROMAN EMPIRE. IM GOING TO STAB YOU 23 TIMES

[octoberwitchsblog]

If I might add mr. James Baldwin ; "Love takes off the masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within. I use the word "love" here not merely in the personal sense but as a state of being, or a state of grace - not in the infantile American sense of being made happy but in the tough and universal sense of quest and daring and growth."

love is real and it’s the only thing that will save us in the end

[octoberwitchsblog]

Endless X-Men 97

[octoberwitchsblog]

Am I the only one who's actually bothered by HBO "pick a side" marketing campaign ? Not only does it not relate to the core of the story (why should we pick a side in a family that's just destroying itself and a whole continent with it) but also, I find it very weird to encourage that sort of behavior from fans when they know that it's going to reverberate on the actors. Olivia Cooke already got bullied for months after season 1, and now Tom Glynn-Carney as well, without talking about the disgusting transphobia towards Emma d'Arcy. All the hate discourse genuinely makes me sick. This is a complex story about misogyny, grief and generational trauma, not a football game and it's kinda disappointing to see the network treating it as such. People in this fandom are already toxic asf and have been since the days of game of thrones but HBO is really capitalizing off of it and it's really disgusitng.

Don't pick a team. Appreciate the story for what it is and stop using art to fuel your hatred.

[octoberwitchsblog]

these are SUCH interesting questions, and what I love most about it is that all of it is right, he's one of the most complex characters I've ever encountered in any medias. And yeah, the difference between how the writers see him and how tgc portrays him is very ambiguous, that's why a lot of his character is clearly going to be defined in the next season (mainly because shit is about to go down for everyone). The notion that he rejects any person who could give him love makes me CRAZY.

(your takes are so well thought. this is what I keep tumblr for !!!)

(we are definitely starting this riot if they butcher his writing)

I want more aegon character development so bad, I want it so fucking bad, give me more juicy details about his personality, make him come ALIVE, MAKE HIM FEEL REAL. how dismissive is he? what are his true weaknesses? (the kinds that could make him bend, leave him crying on the floor). what are his true desires? he's NOT a broken boy, he's too calculating for that (yep, he's calculating when he needs to be; he was described as such by tgc himself during the hotd panel w jack gleeson)

- do NOT tell me he cares about his father's neglect, he never respected the guy, he will forever remember him as a sickly, senile old man who did very little, and nothing else; his grandsire and criston took upon the role that viserys failed to fulfill. aegon didn't grow up fatherless

- do NOT tell me he was abused by his mother or grandsire - whenever he's slapped he's slapped for a reason (neglecting his duties as a Prince, debasing himself, abusing those of lower status etc. ). he's spoiled continuously, and his overindulgence is the greatest proof of that.

I would also question aegon not feeling loved by alicent; I would question that sentiment GREATLY!! prior to coronation, when aemond and criston finally find aegon, his first reaction, once he's taken, is to ask for his mother: he demands to see her, thinking she would help/protect him. would he have done that as someone who thinks he's not loved by his mother?

him asking her whether she truly loves him or not when alicent once again tries to TALK SENSE into aegon later, more than that - asks him to rule without cruelty and not kill rhaenyra - reads as an open manipulation on his part: he quite literally interrupts alicent, his voice is cold as he asks the question ("do you even love me?") that he knows his mother will not be able to ignore precisely because she does indeed love him. he changes the subject, avoiding answering her as he knows she'll ask him to make a promise next, avoiding the discussion altogether, by using deflection paired with an attempt to evoke guilt.

tgc described aegon as calculating for a reason. the scene proves this description to be true, and I can't help but wonder if there's more. WHAT ELSE IS THERE? who is aegon really? just how power hungry is he? was one of the reasons behind his reluctance to become king his realisation that he'd never be able to wrestle with otto and take all the power to himself? again, what are his true weaknesses? because, judging by his actions later on, it's not booze or shindigs - indulging into both was either an attempt to feel in control (of others: brother, prostitutes, kids in the fighting pits, people of lower status) or an attempt to forget he never had one to begin with

[octoberwitchsblog]

I really really love how well-thought and put together these notes on Aegon are because they all emphasis on how complex of a character he really is. The distinction between abuse and discipline is very tricky, especially over boys (and in a medieval setting where society basically allows them to do everything they want). I'm really heavy on calling the treatment he receives when he's younger abuse and I'm not specifically talking about physical one. There's absolutely no denying that Aegon had all the liberties a boy could have and he totally profited off that, but a lot of it is, at its core, neglect (which doesn't excuse his actions at all !). A lot of the Green's failure with Aegon is that they made him into this figure and catalysis of their own ambition when they spent half of his life leaving him totally alone, not only neglecting the king they wanted him to be but also the child, which made him basically a ticking bomb. The abuse he went through in that psychological sense also compares to Aemond's and Helaena's, particularly their responses to it. Helaena shuts off as a mean of self-preservation (my poor girl) but Aemond and Aegon fall into the "classic" consequence of child abuse victims ; wanting to please above all. That's the horrible thing with all of this, abuse does not teach you how to love or how to be your own person ; it only teaches you how to please. Aegon fails at pleasing because he considers it already failed but Aemond never stops trying. That's why he has this sense of failure that's specific to him as the first son ; he'll never be the son Viserys wanted, he'll never fully be loved by Alicent because he represents her own abuse.

I hadn't thought about him blaming Alicent for his own actions but it's totally clever in the sense that it plays on the fact that, yes, she wasn't the best of moms to him, but all of his actions are still his own fault. Nobody made him do it all, he still has to take responsibility for it and he's totally unwilling to do that. I've also been thinking about what you said in the first post that there was a big side of manipulation in his talk with Alicent in the carriage in episode 9. I had never seen it that way but these posts provide me with a new lecture on these scenes that's really fascinating because of all the things that go into Aegon's character. I think the kids are very aware of the unfair way they were treated by Viserys and to some extent by Alicent, but he is the only one to use it against her. Really, really fascinating and I can't wait to see how that's going to play out in season 2.

(that scene of viserys giving wine to baby aegon is absolutely horrible, I had totally forgotten about it)

I want more aegon character development so bad, I want it so fucking bad, give me more juicy details about his personality, make him come ALIVE, MAKE HIM FEEL REAL. how dismissive is he? what are his true weaknesses? (the kinds that could make him bend, leave him crying on the floor). what are his true desires? he's NOT a broken boy, he's too calculating for that (yep, he's calculating when he needs to be; he was described as such by tgc himself during the hotd panel w jack gleeson)

- do NOT tell me he cares about his father's neglect, he never respected the guy, he will forever remember him as a sickly, senile old man who did very little, and nothing else; his grandsire and criston took upon the role that viserys failed to fulfill. aegon didn't grow up fatherless

- do NOT tell me he was abused by his mother or grandsire - whenever he's slapped he's slapped for a reason (neglecting his duties as a Prince, debasing himself, abusing those of lower status etc. ). he's spoiled continuously, and his overindulgence is the greatest proof of that.

I would also question aegon not feeling loved by alicent; I would question that sentiment GREATLY!! prior to coronation, when aemond and criston finally find aegon, his first reaction, once he's taken, is to ask for his mother: he demands to see her, thinking she would help/protect him. would he have done that as someone who thinks he's not loved by his mother?

him asking her whether she truly loves him or not when alicent once again tries to TALK SENSE into aegon later, more than that - asks him to rule without cruelty and not kill rhaenyra - reads as an open manipulation on his part: he quite literally interrupts alicent, his voice is cold as he asks the question ("do you even love me?") that he knows his mother will not be able to ignore precisely because she does indeed love him. he changes the subject, avoiding answering her as he knows she'll ask him to make a promise next, avoiding the discussion altogether, by using deflection paired with an attempt to evoke guilt.

tgc described aegon as calculating for a reason. the scene proves this description to be true, and I can't help but wonder if there's more. WHAT ELSE IS THERE? who is aegon really? just how power hungry is he? was one of the reasons behind his reluctance to become king his realisation that he'd never be able to wrestle with otto and take all the power to himself? again, what are his true weaknesses? because, judging by his actions later on, it's not booze or shindigs - indulging into both was either an attempt to feel in control (of others: brother, prostitutes, kids in the fighting pits, people of lower status) or an attempt to forget he never had one to begin with

[octoberwitchsblog]

I very much agree with this take but "whenever he's slapped, he's slapped for a reason" is WILD. Aegon is fourteen (or thirteen ?) during the episode at Driftmark and whether or not it's the first time Alicent and Otto hurt him, his face after she slaps him in front of the whole court is painful asf to watch. Tom Glynn-Carney makes the same one after Alicent slaps him in this chambers. When you've been hit as a kid, you become that hurt kid again everytime someone hits you and I don't like people denying it as a form of abuse. He is awful with everyone and he was abused as a kid, in more ways than one ; two things can be true at the same time. That part of his childhood is very important to understand him as an adult, especially with his relationship with Alicent. He is still that kid who wants to please, fails and locks himself in the bottle. It's even more interesting to take that point of vue while still being very aware that he acts like a piece of shit with absolutely everyone because he considers himself as an automatic failure no matter what he does (as he explains to Alicent in episode 8). Him being king is the first time in his life that his family supports him in any way and he's drunk on that power. I very much like how this post emphasis on the way he can be manipulative as well. His writing is very complex.

I want more aegon character development so bad, I want it so fucking bad, give me more juicy details about his personality, make him come ALIVE, MAKE HIM FEEL REAL. how dismissive is he? what are his true weaknesses? (the kinds that could make him bend, leave him crying on the floor). what are his true desires? he's NOT a broken boy, he's too calculating for that (yep, he's calculating when he needs to be; he was described as such by tgc himself during the hotd panel w jack gleeson)

- do NOT tell me he cares about his father's neglect, he never respected the guy, he will forever remember him as a sickly, senile old man who did very little, and nothing else; his grandsire and criston took upon the role that viserys failed to fulfill. aegon didn't grow up fatherless

- do NOT tell me he was abused by his mother or grandsire - whenever he's slapped he's slapped for a reason (neglecting his duties as a Prince, debasing himself, abusing those of lower status etc. ). he's spoiled continuously, and his overindulgence is the greatest proof of that.

I would also question aegon not feeling loved by alicent; I would question that sentiment GREATLY!! prior to coronation, when aemond and criston finally find aegon, his first reaction, once he's taken, is to ask for his mother: he demands to see her, thinking she would help/protect him. would he have done that as someone who thinks he's not loved by his mother?

him asking her whether she truly loves him or not when alicent once again tries to TALK SENSE into aegon later, more than that - asks him to rule without cruelty and not kill rhaenyra - reads as an open manipulation on his part: he quite literally interrupts alicent, his voice is cold as he asks the question ("do you even love me?") that he knows his mother will not be able to ignore precisely because she does indeed love him. he changes the subject, avoiding answering her as he knows she'll ask him to make a promise next, avoiding the discussion altogether, by using deflection paired with an attempt to evoke guilt.

tgc described aegon as calculating for a reason. the scene proves this description to be true, and I can't help but wonder if there's more. WHAT ELSE IS THERE? who is aegon really? just how power hungry is he? was one of the reasons behind his reluctance to become king his realisation that he'd never be able to wrestle with otto and take all the power to himself? again, what are his true weaknesses? because, judging by his actions later on, it's not booze or shindigs - indulging into both was either an attempt to feel in control (of others: brother, prostitutes, kids in the fighting pits, people of lower status) or an attempt to forget he never had one to begin with

[octoberwitchsblog]

Living 10 minutes away from the library as a kid was the luckiest I got in life

[octoberwitchsblog]

Bloodraven x Shiera Seastar commission for lovely @feanors-silmarils 💗