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xhanisai · 3 years

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Would you be willing to share your Mariblanc recs?

Sure! There's so many that I have read and enjoyed- but it would take me forever to find all of them. So, I've gone through my AO3 bookmarks instead. Below, here's a list of other people's mariblanc and Chat Blanc related fics that I absolutely loved and I'm sure you will love too.

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Blanc Skies (ongoing + SFW) - By 11JJ11

Little kitty on the rooftop, Not alone For he has his Lady.

(In which Chat Blanc was able to win.)

I really like how dark and angsty this story is. It's a what-if scenario that many of us often theories about and I'm super happy that this talented writer has started this fic. It's quite heavy and I really like the way that both Marinette and Chat Blanc are depicted here too. I personally can't wait for the next update~

A lovely read for those who enjoy reading dystopian like stories and love the build-up of dread and tension.

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Hello, My Old Heart (finished + NSFW) - By QuantumChickpea

Chat Blanc was first known as Adrien Agreste, but that name was dead to him now. He no longer cared to hear that name and if anyone chose to even so much as speak it, he would send them to the keep.

Adrien Agreste was a prince, a knight in shining armour, that obeyed his father’s every word and the only heir to the throne. But none of that mattered anymore when his father was long gone. Murdered and trialled for treason. (Blancweek2021)

This one is a royalty AU and turned out to be sweeter towards the end than I was expecting (and I liked that a lot hahah!). I really liked how Chat Blanc was first depicted as a cold, ruthless prince and it took Marinette's determination and love to bring him back to the way he was. It's a trope that I really do love and it works perfectly with the mariblanc dynamic. Although angsty at first, it has a happy ending.

A great read if you have a love for medieval/royalty AUs as well as some sweet, sweet lovemaking.

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a happy ending (finished, oneshot + SFW) - By maketea

Ladybug and chat noir have five minutes to talk after she deakumatises him.

Technically, although he's been purified, he was Chat Blanc so it counts lol. Regardless, it's short and sweet but each line still packs a punch and is quite powerful and emotional. I really liked the pacing and the bittersweetness but also, the hope towards the end was the cherry on top. Another what-if scenario that we wish that canon has tackled during the episode.

A nice read if you like seeing Ladybug slowly fall for her partner and mourning over what they could have had as well as some soft intimacy.

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freedom [doesn't come free] (finished + SFW) - By Bronte

You know that part where Nathalie just marches into the Dupain Cheng Boulangerie Patisserie with that smug little smirk on her face and literally supports our favourite father of the year as he threatens (I repeat, threatens) our fourteen-year-old protagonist?

Yeah, me too.

This is a Chat Blanc re-write.

Oh my God, when I say that this story cracked me up, I fucking mean it. It's witty, hilarious, pure serotonin for the body and it's basically everything we could have had! It's a really well-done rewrite with a balance of everything you could want and the author's tone throughout the chapters is consistently enjoyable.

An awesome read if you want to laugh your ass off and watch Gabriel Goosebutt-Haired Agreste get what he deserves whilst Marinette and Adrien have the happy ending they deserve.

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been here before (finished, oneshot + SFW) - By Boogum

The sight of Marinette with her hair down is a slip of ice on his spine. It's the little prickles that creep along his skin, whispering to his soul of familiarity. Of been here before. It's the haze of dreams and echoes of loneliness and ice, and it leaves him frozen.

Or, in which Adrien starts to remember the events of Chat Blanc.

Another what-if scenario that was so well written and just so enjoyable to read. The slow-burn of confusion and grief that takes over Adrien was conveyed brilliantly and the angst hits the spot just right. I really liked the pacing, the description and the ending bound the whole story together in a nice little bow.

A wonderful read for those hungry for Adrien angst and figuring out his feelings for Marinette.

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Blanc Figment Series (Ongoing? + SFW) - By True_InTha_Blue

Memories and Emotions are a magic of their own and Ladybug faces her fears once again when Sandboy returns. What should she do when her fears not only affect her but her partner when already their relationship is strained? What should she do, when blue eyes know what lies beneath the mask?

The fact that I stayed up all night to read both the prequel and the sequel in the series says a lot lmao. These fics deliver with the dread and memories of Chat Blanc throughout as well as feeding our Marichat needs. It's angsty, emotional but also full of comfort and it's unique with the depictions of the main characters. I personally loved the lore and usage of magic conveyed throughout the story and it doesn't fail to keep you intrigued.

A great read if you love to see both heroes falling for each other all over again as they tackle Chat Blanc who seems to have developed his own sentient power.

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Trouble in White (finished + SFW) - By imthepunchlord

Finding your soulmate is supposed to be uplifting, and amazing, and just... miraculous. But for Marinette, it wasn't any of that. Her soulmate, he... he was... What does one do when your soulmate is an akuma?

This is one of the first few fics I came across in the beginning, before Chat Blanc was introduced in canon and it does not disappoint. It has a good balance of angst, comfort and love and of course, has my favourite trope: Marinette changing Chat Blanc both metaphorically and physically through purification lmao. It's sweet, it's enjoyable throughout the chapters and the ending is satisfying.

A nice read for those who not only love soulmate AUs, but also a good slow burn romance with the dilemmas of angst in the background that comes to play.

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That's it for now- there are also many other wonderful Chat Blanc related stories in my bookmarks (and probably hundreds more that I'm yet to read) but right now I'm running out of time and have lots of work to do lol.

Feel free to add anymore more mariblanc/chat blanc recs to this post!

#my asks #ml recs #miraculous ladybug and chat noir #miraculous ladybug #mariblanc #marinette dupain cheng #marichat #adrien agreste #chat noir #ladybug #ladyblanc #love square #not my stories #other people's fics #ml fanfic #ml fanfiction

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butterflymar · 4 years

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DAY 2: FAVORITE BL DRAMA

I have quite a few... I can’t choose just one so bare with me lol

Life Senjou No Bokura

Synopsis According to MyDramaList: One day after school, the serious Ito and the child-like Nishi meet by chance, as each endeavors to remain walking on the sidewalk`s white line. As time goes by, Ito recognizes he is drawn to Nishi in a way that is new to him. Nishi, for his part, is frustrated that they only get to meet on the sidewalk. Ito decides to act upon his feelings and kisses a surprised Nishi, who agrees they need to walk side by side for a change. The sparks between them are undeniable as their relationship blossoms in high school, survives the college years, and matures into adulthood. A deeply moving work that bears witness to loving partners, whose unchanging feelings must co-exist within a world of changing realities.

My Personal Thoughts: I already wrote a review for this so I am going to re-share some of those thoughts here. This is one that I have watched countless times already. They went by the manga for mostly all of the episodes and I appreciated seeing that. They gave more context for certain details that may have been lost while reading the manga and translated it to screen. I think they depicted the age gaps well too. For 4 episodes only, I feel that they did a great job including the most important aspects. Actually now that I think of it, I would have loved to see more of them in their early 20s depicted on screen because that was like one of there honeymoon phases and I’m a hopeless romantic lol but that’s just a personal preference not complaining. Also, the show stopped at age 40 and they could have gone on throughout there entire lives but I understand why they chose not too. The manga is great as well!!! I think that the main actors depicted beautiful true love very well. They had amazing chemistry. Japanese BL’s have that special spark about them that I love. I also loved that it showed there relationship from high school till there later years. I don’t see that a lot with BL’s. They usually just stick to one time period. The aspect about them being connected by a line in relation to there love was a nice touch as well. I am glad that it has a happy ending as well. This is a pretty quick one to watch and a great one at that!!! If you haven’t watched it yet, I would highly recommend it!!!

I Told Sunset About You

Synopsis According to MyDramaList: Teh and Oh-aew were best friends until a boyhood line of reasoning turned them into rivals. Years later as they're preparing for university admissions, both pursuing interests in the field of Communication Arts, the two meet in a Chinese language class. Their reunion awakens complicated and unstable feelings.

My Personal Thoughts: Same as above, I already wrote a review for this so I am going to re-share some of those thoughts here. This is DEFINITELY one of my top BL shows of the year 2020. This is such a beautiful masterpiece of a show!!! I remember when the preview trailer first came out… I was already hooked!!! I was on the lookout for it and it did not disappoint me one bit when it finally started. I looked forward to seeing it every week. It made me feel all of the emotions. I was up here sitting in my room crying over everything. I don’t think any other BL has made me this emotional before in my life. The two lead actors really DELIVERED!!! I could feel every single stare, every single body movement, and every single touch. You could cut the TENSION with a knife!!! No one couldn’t tell me that there wasn’t a magnetic true love between these two. I know this sounds cliche but it's like they were destined to be together from when they were childhood friends. Also, I would love to see them in future projects!!! The cinematography in this show is TOP FREAKIN NOTCH!!! Every single scene is just so beautifully shot. The cinematography alone makes me want to cry lol I saw somewhere that someone said the filming of the show reminded them of an indie film and I totally agree!!! The writing and directing on this show was impeccable to me!!! No cringy dialogue and every single line served its purpose well. This is movie grade writing. I also wanted to quickly just say that I loved the attention and callback to details throughout like with the tutoring book that Teh made for Oh-aew that was left empty by the end of episode 4, the flower that was supposed to be colored the same as Tan’s garment but Teh colored it red because he was thinking of Oh-aew, the rubbing of Oh-aew’s back when he sniffles, the references to Teh’s favorite actor, and the use of Chinese phrases to get meaning across. I could go on and on but wow I just loved how they really connected all of the details throughout. I can’t wait for Season 2!!!

Theory of Love

Synopsis According to MyDramaList: Third is a filmology major and a member of the Savage Team along with his best friends Two, Bone, and Khai, but he has a secret. Third has been secretly in love with Khai for years. For three years, he has kept his secret love in his heart, silently supporting and loving Khai while knowing there is absolutely no future between them since Khai is as straight as a streetlight pole and also an absolute player. To make matters worse, Khai has a "no dating friends" policy. How long can Third love Khai silently while watching Khai bring a different girl home every night? Third has tried to see Khai as just a friend. But has failed time and time again. Because as easy as it is to fall in love, to stop is just as hard. Maybe even harder. That is until Third learns a secret that breaks his heart completely. But when Third decides to stop, Khai decides to start.

My Personal Thoughts: As sad as this show can make me feel at times, I love rewatching it. I still to this day think that it is one of the most well written BL’s that I have seen. Everything flows nicely and everything connects. Your not left wondering how you got from point A to point B. I thought the show had great character development especially when it came to Khai’s character towards the end of series. I know a lot of people had mixed feelings about his character due to how careless and dare I say stupid he acted at times but if he can make the audience hate him that much as a character... I would say he is doing something right!!! Gun’s acting never fails to amaze me!!! He really is one of the best actors I have seen. I know he had to be drained from all of that crying that he did throughout the show though lol It just goes to show that when you truly love someone you can’t just stop what you are feeling inside that easily no matter how the other person feels about you or treats you. As the old saying goes, love is blind. I also loved the friend group as well and Two and Bones side stories with the teacher and crush from school. They added to the shows greatness and didn’t take away from it. The friendship dynamics throughout the show was I feel something that really kept me engaged. The cast acted well together. There was no awkwardness or hesitation. I feel everyone bought there best for this drama. They incorporated the movie references so cleverly and I love how the title of each episode was the title of a real romance film. Just the overall theme of film was very intriguing to me. This drama left me filled with heartache and a rollercoaster of emotions but the ending is worth it!!!

HIStory3: Make Our Days Count

Synopsis According to MyDramaList: At first glance, high schoolers Xiang Hao Ting and Yu Xi Gu appear to be polar opposites: While Xiang Hao Ting is an outgoing, hot-headed extravert and some-time bully, Yu Xi Gu prefers to keep a low profile and focus on his schoolwork. They seem bound for totally different futures – the bookish Yu Xi Gu looks destined for academic success, while life is just a long popularity contest for Xiang Hao Ting. But a quirk of fate – and a crucial intervention by a female schoolmate – results in the two young men’s paths crossing. But there is more to both young men than first meets the eye. Xiang Hao Ting was not always this way. He started out as a perfect student until he discovered the joys of going off the rails. And Yu Xi Gu has a reason for being so aloof and studious: His parents died in a traffic accident while he was younger, and he is being fostered by his aunt. As such, he works hard to get good grades in an effort to win a scholarship and ease the financial burden on his relatives. Yu Xi Gu also works part-time at a convenience store, where his manager Liu Zhi Gang has developed a crush on a man he has met at the gym. Back at school, meanwhile, Yu Xi Gu and Xiang Hao Ting find themselves drawn together, and passions ignite. The former notices that he has the unique ability to bring Yu Xi Gu out of his shell – and becomes intent on melting his cold-as-ice exterior. What will happen when their two worlds collide? And can love be the catalyst that helps bring these two unlikely students together – as their high school days draw to a close?

My Personal Thoughts: I will stand by this notion for all of my days but this show is one of the best shows I have seen PERIOD!!! Not even best BL shows I have seen but just in general. It highkey saddens me that it is rated at an 8.1 right now on MyDramaList due to how it ended when other than that... it’s a top notch show. This was one that I watched as it was airing and I would get excited to see it every week. My clown self should have known by the title “Make Our Days Count” that some mess was about to occur but I didn’t pick up on it. Now, I just disregard the last episode (WE DON’T KNOW HER!!!). You can just tell that they had a great budget for this series. The production was on point. It had great cinematography, great storylines, and it felt realistic too. The main couples acting was OFF THE CHARTS AMAZING. I loved the whole opposites attract thing going on. Although the show was set in high school... it almost didn’t feel like it nor did it have those typical clichés going on. I liked how it dealt with topic of LGBTQ+ acceptance as well. I wasn’t so sure about the side couples relationship at first but I grew to love them as time went on. One last thing I wanted to point out was that even though I am always looking for a happy ending... I learned from this show that not everyone can get a happy ending. That’s not how life works sadly. In real life, there have been a lot of people who were truly in love and lost there partners tragically. Although it may be hard to accept the outcome, it is something that happens in real life. This is a drama that you appreciate even more as time goes on. It truly is a gem of a series!!!

TharnType

Synopsis According to MyDramaList: Type Thiwat is a handsome freshman with a passion for football and spicy food. Although he’s a friendly boy, he hates gay people because, in his childhood, he was molested by a man. His life turns upside down when the new academic year of college brings along a charismatic roommate, Tharn Kirigun. Tharn is a gorgeous, compassionate music major, who is also openly gay. When Type learns this, he is determined to make Tharn leave the dorm, as he won't live with a gay person. Tharn is equally determined not to give into Type's homophobic tantrums. With a gay guy and a homophobic guy that have to share a small space together for the rest of the year — what can possibly be the outcome of their story? Hatred? Or maybe love?

My Personal Thoughts: *Goes to hide in a corner* I know this drama is problematic and controversial as hell but it’s like a train wreck that you can’t turn away from. What truly carries the show I feel is the chemistry between MewGulf. I don’t think I would have enjoyed the series as much if other actors were cast in those roles. They just exude confidence, passion, love, and lust. In terms of the storyline, I found it to be a chaotic occurrence of situations where I just had to know what was going to go on next. Everything that occurred had me intrigued for the next episode and so on and so forth. I loved Type’s character development. One quick thing I want to touch on was I know there were a lot of problematic things that happened which I will touch on at a later date but one thing I wish people were more understanding of was Type’s outbursts, thoughts, and feelings in certain situations. He was a victim of sexual assault so I felt the way he handled certain things was in response to what he had gone through as child and I think some viewers kind of missed that and were almost too harsh on him. Everyone processes and deals with trauma differently. This show went through so many twists and turns and I honestly lived for it especially the shocker towards the end of the series. I didn’t see that one coming at all!!! Despite all of its flaws, this show still holds a special place in my heart.

Honorable Mention:

Cherry Magic: As of today, this show has 4 episodes left and I think I am just going to come out and say that THIS IS MY FAVORITE BL OF THE YEAR!!! It’s a beautiful Japanese BL and I rewatch the old episodes while I wait for new ones to come out alot. It’s such a fluffy, heartwarming, and precious Bl series!!! I love it to pieces!!!

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tobeornottotc · 4 years

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Things to look out for in TKEM to know where the show’s going - King Arthur Part 2 (Lee Gon)

Gon as King Arthur

The Unbreakable Sword

In the legend of Arthur, Excalibur is the legendary sword that is associated with the right sovereignty of Britain and magical powers. Basically, it claims Arthur as the rightful noble blooded king. Again, this goes back to how fatal Lim’s plan is, it just won’t be because it goes against Fate. Only the pulling of the sword from the stone act could not be performed except by "the true king” again the motif keeps repeating about this, Noble blood. It focuses on the fated and correct heir to the throne. Which is Gon hence why he is given two different swords in the show. One can represent the sword in the stone- I believe this is the actual sword bestowed by his father and the sword he uses to threaten Lim on the phone about the rightful ownership of the throne. Then there’s beautiful Yeong and Eun sup who is my opinion the representation of Excalibur. In Arthurian legend the sword and the stone may be the same and may also be different. Excalibur was given to Arthur by the lady of the lake (will go into more detail about her later)

“ Excalibur's scabbard was said to have powers of its own, as the one wearing it would not lose even a drop of blood, Any wounds received while wearing the scabbard would not bleed at all, thus preventing the death of the wearer”

Yeong as the unbreakable sword, and Eun Sup who protected Gon in episode 10 preventing him from essentially bleeding and dying. Yeong has been assigned by Gon as his protector from their childhood, and he gladly has taken the role, its his sole aim, Eun sup also takes on this role for the good of mankind. Yeong becomes the weapon of Gon, his greatest one, he confidently states happily about how great Yeong is when he’s confronted by the gangsters, and he always feel safe being watched and looked over by his unbreakable sword. The transfer of the sword when they were kids was the transfer of the responsibility to Yeong. In a way the first sword which probably would be used to kill Lim represents the rightful ownership, whilst Yeong (remember as well that Gon uses the sword for protection since he was a little child) is the sword he uses for protection of himself and his monarchy. The ending where Excalibur is thrown back into the lake makes me feel unsettled, I can see Yeong sacrificing his self to save Gon, but we know that is what is in his fate. Yeong has not yet been visited by Fate yet so I will keep hoping that means he doesn’t die.

Merlin and the prophecy – Lady Noh

King Arthur is counselled by the one and only magician also old and always in the know of his tragic fate Merlin. Merlin has powers and is seen as an incredibly wise powerful wizard. This is so easy for me because Lady Noh has been the mischievous elderly magician in Gon’s life. In the first episode she uses talismans to get Gon to fall for a woman and sets people to find him when he disappears. She sets a kid to ask about Gon and love as well during the conversation about Alice in the wonderland which minutes later Gon is chasing after Luna in the same week he meets Taeul. She also knows that Taeul’s id card would be stolen and tries to figure out who did so before we know what’s going on. I think both she and Buyeong who has now died both were in the know of Gon’s fate. She secretly introduces Gon to Yeong and states cryptically that it is meant to be so. She never asks Gon where he goes and leaves him to surrender to his destiny even when she feels sad at the fate he has. He still must succumb to his fate which is to always choose Taeul. She also is the one who held the flute and Taeul’s id card and reintroduces it to Gon when they discuss his need to know who saved him. She reads books foreshadowing all about a man in search of his loved one, waiting hopefully to find her one day. She hires Nair I can see her doing this because she can tell that Yeong is connected to her. The all-knowing, powerful woman who has already pushed Gon to his fate is exactly playing her role in the show as Merlin. It makes so much sense and I’m so happy it finally clicked for me. But what’s more intriguing is she’s following Fate, not fighting it which is another clue that Fate is on Gon’s side, Fate will help him find a loophole to escape his tragic fate.

The Knights of the round table

I didn’t mention this link with Lee Lim, but it also is connected to him as well. The round table was a symbol of unity of knighthood under Arthur’s reign gifted to him by Guinevere. Its all about people who are aiding Arthur in his quest. This represents the groups of people on both sides that are brewing for both Gon and Lee Lim. For Gon it’s the detectives and Taeul, and his legion of bodyguards that follow him and protect him. For Lee Lim it’s the subjects he’s been grooming endlessly for his final battle formation. Gon has his own knights by being the rightful heir to the throne, and falling in love with the girl who is connected to helping him also protect the world from Lee Lim. Again, Gon’s round table is for protection. Lee Lim on the other hand uses vengeance and envy to groom his people, they kill to be part of his round table, they are in debt to him and stay because of fear. Lee Lim is again using his round table for violence and hate. Lee Lim truly is a warped version of Arthur I think its because he’s convinced him self that by drawing the sword, he had become the right King. Lee Lim’s round table also show up and help him kill his brother, they then faked their suicide and escaped to the other side of Korea lying in wait. His own team is larger and that’s why I think he’s the one who has a round table of ‘knights’ that helps him on his quest. And the interesting thing about this is one person can join the round table of both. And that’s Kang Shin Jae.

Also I just remembered the episode where Taeul pretends be a body guard along side Gon’s team and I think that’s exactly the image I have of the round table for Gon, his body guards, her, and the detective squad are all part of his table.

Lancelot and Guinevere

This brings me to the next topic again. Shin Jae is the most likely to be Lancelot. I have another theory which I will discuss after this. Shin Jae’s role as a ‘knight’ will be vital in the downfall of the Arthur of the story. He might become warped with jealousy and being upset at his fate that he chooses to betray Gon and Taeul. I don’t believe this because he is at the beginning (our present time, I will explain this in another post) with Taeul interrogating Lee Lim. So, he like I said can be the Lancelot and Taeul his Guinevere in that equation to Lim’s Arthur. If Shin Jae is not the Lancelot to Gon’s Arthur, then who is it? I’ve read another theory on this and I know that Lancelot must be part of Gon’s round table, he’s his closest confidant. Its not Yeong however because as mentioned Yeong has no reason for jealousy with Gon or betrayal, he’s busy playing the role of Excalibur.

My focus is on Seok. I’ve been told he’s acting fishy; he lies about the library which we know exists, he also acts fishy when Gon tells him to find a 70-year-old man like he knows Lim does not look 70. He has every potential to be the Lancelot that betrays Gon. Anyone in his bodyguard group though could do this too. But the reason I’m still struggling with this is where’s his connection to Guinevere. I can see KES however using Lancelot’s plight of choosing between God (Justice and being good) vs Temptation (Being evil and lusting for wealth instead of Guinevere). He doesn’t have to betray Gon due to jealousy of love but can just be jealous of his ownership to the throne.

So, this brings us to the next question. If Gon is Arthur who is his Guinevere? Taeul? I disagree I think she’s more of a knight instead as mentioned before. But I almost forgot someone else who’s desperate to marry Gon for the throne, who is so interconnected with Lee Lim’s plans and is being recruited secretly as a pawn. Lee Lim has an eye for Prime minister Koo. Lady Noh also distrusts her intentions with Gon calling her a ‘lunatic bitch’ and telling her that Gon would never be able to love her because she wants to crush not win his heart. Its fascinating no?

I think this then makes sense to me, Koo is Guinevere in this case because she is also connected to Gon’s monarchy, she’s his right-hand man and has control over affairs of Coria. She’s greedy and covets the throne not for the right reasons, and if she goes against him it would cause Gon to trip like how Guinevere’s relationship with Lancelot causes Arthur to fall. Another person that could also be this role is Luna, but I don’t think she’s evil, so I won’t delve deeper into that theory. Koo acts in my opinion as the most likely to be Gon’s Guin.

Who is Mordred then?

This is another one because obviously Mordred is the one who kills Arthur. So obviously Lee Lim can be the Mordred but that doesn’t add up for me. So, this is only a theory in who could potentially end up being the person that causes the downfall of Gon. I think its to do with his mum and his Korean dopple ganger!! I know right? We still have her as a character that is under Lim’s capture, and she seems to be held captive for a reason. We also did not see Gon’s parallel die by the hands of Lee Lim, we were told it. For a show that’s really using the show does not tell rule it doesn’t add up. Why didn’t we see the body like we saw for the father, why was the scene of Lim meeting Gon’s mother so secretive and full of withheld information? Is Gon 2.0 alive? Is he Jaded; has he been raised by Lim to destroy Gon? Also again deep the story of Arthur and Mordred, Mordred as little child was almost killed because of a prophecy that he will cause Arthur’s downfall but failure to kill him ended up causing him to be raised on hate and vengeance against Arthur who is his uncle/father in different stories. So, what if Lee Lim’s failure to again get rid of the little boy who Gon thinks is dead is the closest person to him that can cause his downfall? What’s more like a familial bond, than an actual blood link between both Gon and his Mordred? This is only a theory as mentioned I don’t know if Gon 2.0 exists but if he does, he’s going to definitely play the Mordred character to Gon’s Arthur. Let me know what you guys think about this.

The quest for the Holy Grail

This is another brain dump/ theory. But the story revolves around the quest of finding the holy grail an artifact that presents an otherworldly power that even Arthur’s knights are incapable of achieving. This for me makes sense and connects to Gon’s quest and Lee Lim’s to find the other part of the magical flute from their counterpart. The Flute like the holy grail represents a powerful object that has powers that no one fully understands and is seen to show that Arthur’s England is going to last and survive. The title the King eternal monarch again comes back here, because that’s the aim of the end of this story, one person is meant to find the flute and use it when whole to ensure his monarchy and reign lasts forever. However, in the legend this quest ends up as a failure. This is also interesting because it also foreshadows futile attempt at getting that happy ending that Gon is looking for. This made me worried that we might have a sad ending, but I don’t think so. If Lee Lim is the Arthur, then failure to achieve this quest makes sense because it means Gon wins the battle and he never gets to achieve his aim. If Gon is Arthur, this means that something has gone wrong that prevents him from fulfilling his aim and his monarchy never stays stable. This is where we go back again to the prophesied tragic fate between him and Taeul. Instead of completing the quest for the flute, Gon must keep relieving this whole thing all over again, his quest never ends because he’s always going back in time to find Taeul. Because of this, his monarchy is eternal but not really done properly. In the end the quest is deviated and prevented from being complete because the Flute will always be broken and Gon will always have to go on a quest to find the other half. Like how he’s also searching for his other half, Taeul every single time. The worst we can get as an ending for this show is an open ending where Gon must keep restarting this fate, I really hope we find a way out of this loop though. This also is a reason for why Lee Lim as Arthur also fails this quest too. He never gets to have his reign of the two kingdoms because of this eternal loop.

Reincarnation- The once and future King.

At the end of every legend of Arthur, Merlin believes he’ll come back again by reincarnation. Like I said Lady Noh is our Merlin, she seems to understand that Gon has a tragic fate to keep repeating this cycle. The theory is that Arthur will one day return and save his people. Therefore, although tragic, there’s a hopeful premise to the show, Gon will keep returning and finding Taeul and one day he’ll end up getting out of the loop. Whilst Arthur will use reincarnation to reappear, Gon will use the one thing he’s had by his side! Time, to cross the universe, reopen the gates and meet Taeul. Therefore, his eternity is Taeul, he’ll always keep looking for her, staying king in his own world and time, and fighting Lee Lim. But he will always end up being the one to save the people and his kingdom.

#the king eternal monarch #the king: eternal monarch #kim eun sook #King arthur #lee gon

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xsecretblastsx · 4 years

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1x14 - The Blair B*tch Project

A new week (well not so new) and a new recap. This episode is so Mean Girls Upper east side version, and it was fun.

As usual, recap after the break

Thoughts I had while Watching the episode:

Is always such a delight to star an episode with one of Blair’s Audrey Hepburn inspired dream sequences, this one in particular is one of my all time faves though.

“You don’t have anyone” auch, also very simliar to watch said to her on the last episode :(

“I’m in mourning of my old life” I wonder how many times Blair thought that through the whole show

Chuck annoying Serena to no end will never get old.

So was this suposed to be Bart’s penthouse?

Chuck was always so charming with Lily, and it’s curious because it was genuine. Same with Eric,he was nice since the beginning, honestly the merging of the Van der Bass family is one of my fave plot points in the show.

I wonder what Serena did on spring break that she hadn’t talked to Blair.

This is why women say men are the worst, so Chuck and Nate get to be all offended by the mere sight of Blair, as if she was the only one in the wrong here.

Poor Blair, yoghurt is so sticky. Also I’m not a fan of Nate here, he finds it funny and then he’s al concerned about Jenny’s tender nature. As if.

Nice and neutral would never work for Blair the same way it works for Serena, even if she wanted to.

The way Jenny came up with a plot against Blair on the spot just to avoid an expensive dinner, like wow.

“Don’t put your dirty package on the table, If i had a dime for everytime i heard that” Same Erick, same.

Gotta love Blair and that hostess

Getting Blair to wait alone at Butler, that was brilliant Jenny, taking that dress.. not so much. She may be really smart and devious, but she still has a lot to learn.

Bart really was such a lousy dad, which in turns makes Chuck even more jaded and like to do worst, such a vicious cycle.

15000, for a custom made Valentino, auch Jenny.

Rufus is so naive here, but then again he doesn’t know Blair. Yet what she tells him about the struggle ain’t wrong.

Wow she stole the same dress twice. I guess Little J no more.

So Serena is annoyed by Chuck not only by his little pranks, but because he’s nice towards her mother and brother, that actually makes more sense in a way.

Also I love Lily’s line: “Chuck might be excentric but he’s not diabolical” it’s funny and also a bit telling of why Chuck actually likes her.

That was brilliant Blair, that Jenny cake is quite the thing. Also what the hell is she wearing.

Is ain’t wrong Rufus is kind of a hotty... for a dad.

Even though she’s being talking about the same thing non stop, it’s funny to watch Dan complain about Serena talking to much, when he suffers from verbal diarrhea half the time, but who am I to judge

Blair really is in her bitch element here.

Jenny’s argument with her dad was so real, because both on them are right in some way. It ain’t easy. And once has to be either very mature or antisocial for it not to bother you.

I’ve said it before but I love Eric and his sense of humor, and he has some of the most underrated lines on this show, even deep and hard stuff is funny

It’s awful and yet I love that sweater with the dolphins Chuck’s wearing. I also would like to know why is so easy to feel bad for Chuck Bass.

Dan’s also super critical of his dad, and I’m like is there someone out there this guy doesn’t judge?

This is one of those times I wish I didn’t know what was coming, because I still remember how curious I was to see Jenny’s plan towards Nate.

Eric is quite loyal, being mad at Serena because she drove Bart to kick out Chuck.

Well played Jenny, well played, that last look she gaves Blair is sooo good, it’s the moment when Blair really realizes how worthy of an adversary Jenny is.

I love the ending of this episode, is one of my faves. It ends with an unlikely victory for Jenny, a tad of mistery, and a great song.

For real, I love “Sour Cherry” by The Kills.

When I think about my favorite episodes in S1 this one normally doesn’t came up, but I think it should. Is a really good one. Jenny’s the star of this episode and weirdly I don’t mind. I love her dynamic with Blair, especially in the first two seasons and this is the episode when it really takes off. This episode is also the start of the Van der Bass family which I also love for many reasons.

So Jenny and Blair, at the time of this episode this was one of Blair’s lowest points, she lost her Queen B title and not only that but she’s shunned out by everyone, even getting yoghurt dropped on her head, what a change. She says at the start of the episode that she’s in mourning of her old life, and while it was meant to be just a display of her dramatic personality, this is really the end of her old life, the Blair we met in the pilot had a completely different future ahead of her, pristine reputation, not as single crack in her pefect image, with a blue blooded boyfriend and a place at the top of the hierarchy, that Blair never came back entirely, and that’s good. Obviously it will take her the rest of the show to grow up and mature, but I like seeing her fight for what she wants in a way that lets her devious brain shine, and she got quite the adversary.

Jenny is in many ways the perfect rival for Blair. In theory Jenny shouldn’t be a formidable oponent in the way she is, she has no connections, no name, no money, and yet she plays the game almost better than anyone, she’s smart, ambitious an cunning, which are traits she shares with Blair. She’s also a hardworker and willing to do what it takes to get what she wants. This episode she shows how brilliant she because it was almost impossible to bounce back from getting caught with that dress she stole, and one can tell Blair thought that was a sound victory and she can’t quite believe when Jenny shows up with Nate and has claimed back her spot. It was great to see, and I some ways even I love Blair I find myself rooting for Jenny, she’s that good.

HonestlyJenny can give Blair a run for her money and yet I’m not sure she entirely realizes it, because Jenny is fighting against Blair’s shadow in her mind, she can win battles but I get the feeling she doesn’t believe she can win the war. In part because she still has a lot to learn, but in some ways I think Jenny feelsi at disadvantage againgst Blair in a similar way Blair feels toward Serena: a rival that is ahead on the race just by virtue of who she is, with envy and admiration in equal parts.To me their dynamic is interesting through the whole show because Blair even if the doesn’t want to admit it fears Jenny too, a new younger queen in the making, with the ability to knock her dow even it seems unlikely, it’s a tale as old as time, a bit like Queen Elizabeth the first and Mary Queen of Scots. And this is just the first episode of this battle,I really love this part of the show.

The other big plot this episode is the merging of the Van der Woodsen and the Basses which is great because we get to see more of these two broken families and learn more about them. Serena is obviously not happy about this,particularly the part about living with Chuck; at this point we know they were all friends before, but I got the impression out of the group they liked each other the less, with a poor opinion of each other. Their behavior throught the whole season reinforces that and honestly through the season Chuck has not given her even one small reason for her to like him, and I feel part of the reason Chuck was so eager to plot against Serena with Blair was because he got a first row sit to the mess she left when she run for boarding school, with a heartbroken Nate and a devasted Blair. And yet while Serena constantly sees the worst ih him, he’s actually trying for once, as hard to believe as that is for her.

If this episode made one thing obvious is how much Chuck always wanted to have a family, he’s genuine in his compliments to Lily as extravagant as they may seemed and he’s really good with Eric too, they took really quick to each other because they have felt inadequate at some point or another, he eventuanlly makes the effor with Serena too, as Eric explains to her when he gives her a message from him (which backfires, but no the point) and for all his bad qualities Chuck can be a very non-judgemental person when he wants it, this episode for instance Serena gets him kicked out of the penthouse and yet as soon as she apologizes and ask for his help he let’s it go. Because as we see his relationship with Bart is awful, his father always expects and believes the worst of him, and even when he’s nice it ends up being not genuine, and so for the first time via the Van der Woodsens he has the oportunity to get a family life that it’s more than that.

At his core Chuck is a lonely person, which is part of the reason he latches so easily to Van der Woodsens here, sure he had Nate but that was it, and Nate as good hearted as he is not the most reliable person, it’s quite noticeable this episode, aside his new found relationship with the Van der Woodsens, since Nate has dropped their friendship he’s basically on his own in every scene this episode, even more son than Blair who was Serena, even if Serena is flighty and always gets caught up in something, and sure enought the episode ends up with the mistery of who is “G”, which was intriguing the first watch because imagine a person that gets even Chuck Bass like oh no! But that’s for next episode.

Randoms bits I’ve noticed

The timing of this episode is sort of weird. Last episode seemed like it was the end of January or something like that, and now this one is after spring break, and since thanks to gossip girl wikia, we know Jenny’s birthday is on March 30th, and Serena says to Blair about her “3 week old scandal” and I’m like, I mean it’s possible, but then the first to episodes after the holidays had to be like really way too long after the holidays, and that doesn’t makes much sense either.

We also got a new location for the school, I sort of like the other one better.

When the girls throw yoghurt on Blair’s head, all the yoghurt cups are turne upside down.

At the top of the piano there’s a picture of Chuck as a little kid (which is actually Ed), guess Bart wanted to a least gave the impression he care. I do love the fact the show asked the actors for photos of themselves when they were kids. The ones on top of the piano at the Waldorfs are pics of Leighton as a kid.

Feel like saying it againg, but this was such a good ending:

#gossip girl #gossip girl recap #gossip girl rewatch #1x14

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trinuviel · 5 years

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Was the Stark Ancestral Sword Ice the Original “Lightbringer”?

In a recent interview Nikolaj Coster-Waldau hinted that there might be a deeper meaning to the fact that Jaime Lannister and Brienne Tarth wields Valyrian steel swords made from the Stark ancestral sword Ice.

(The HuffPost)

Ice was a great sword of Valyrian steel that has belonged to House Stark for times immemorial. We see Ned Stark wield it in his capacity as Warden of the North in the very first episode of season 1 and he is decapitated by his own blade in episode 9 of the same season.

In season 4, Tywin Lannister ordered Ice melted down and reforged into two new swords meant for his son Jaime and his grand-son Joffrey Baratheon - so that House Lannister could once again have Valyrian steel (House Lannister lost their Valyrian sword Brightroar in when King Tommen II sailed to the ruins of Valyria).

That was a rather painful moment for fans of House Stark - seeing a symbol of their House appropriated by their enemies. Ice was made into two new swords. Joffrey named his sword Widow’s Wail (because he’s a little shit) but Jaime gave his sword to Brienne of Tarth who named it Oathkeeper.

There’s a beautiful sort of poetic justice to the fact that the remnants of Ned Stark’s sword are going to be wielded in defense of Winterfell and Ned Stark’s children. However, NWC’s words seems to hint that the deeper meaning of these two swords goes beyond the emotional resonance of this. In fact, his words reawakened a theory that has been puttering about at the back of my head for a while: What if Ice was the magical sword of the Lightbringer myth? It may sound like a bit of a reach - and maybe it is - but I have several reasons for thinking that Ice may in fact have been the original Lightbringer.

JAIME’S DREAM

According to the Jade Compendium, Lightbringer burned fiery hot when wielded in battle - it was, in short, a burning sword. Burning swords appear multiple times in ASoIaF as I’ve elaborated on in this essay. One of these times is during a dream that Jaime has in ASoS. When an injured Jaime is being escorted back to King’s Landing, he has a vivid dream whilst sleeping with his head on the stump of a Weirwood tree. In this dream, Jaime wields a burning sword:

“I gave you a sword,” Lord Tywin said. It was at his feet. Jaime groped under the water until his hand closed upon the hilt. Nothing can hurt me so long as I have a sword. As he raised the sword a finger of pale flame flickered at the point and crept up along the edge, stopping a hand’s breath from the hilt. The fire took on the color of the steel itself so it burned with a silvery-blue light, and the gloom pulled back. (ASoS, IV)

Brienne appears in his dream and she, too, is given a sword that takes flame:

Brienne’s sword took flame as well, burning silvery blue. The darkness retreated a little more. […] Brienne moved her longsword back and forth, watching the silvery flames shift and shimmer. Beneath her feet, a reflection of the burning blade shone on the surface of the flat black water. (ASoS, Jaime IV)

What is especially noteworthy here, is the fact that the two swords burn with a silver-blue fire!

This is a significant detail since the prophecy of Azor Ahai come again calls Lightbringer not only a burning sword but the Red Sword of Heroes!

"In ancient books of Asshai it is written that there will come a day after a long summer when the stars bleed and the cold breath of darkness falls heavy on the world. In this dread hour a warrior shall draw from the fire a burning sword. And that sword shall be Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes, and he who clasps it shall be Azor Ahai come again, and the darkness shall flee before him." - Melisandre (ACoK, Davos I)

I’ve previously argued (here and here) that the prophecy of Azor Ahai may not be what Melisandre and the audience think it is. It is very possible that GRRM will subject this part of the story to a epic Prophecy Twist - and that the prophecy is not the promise of a saviour but rather a warning.

Now let’s get back to Jaime’s dream. In this context, this dream may foreshadow both he and Brienne will wield Valyrian swords in the Great War - but the fact that the swords burn silver-blue sets them apart from the prophecy of AA coem again. Jaime has this dream before he returns to King’s Landing where Tywin gives him one of the two Valyrian swords that he had made out of Ice, the ancestral sword of House Stark.

Jaime gives this sword to Brienne when he sends her on her mission to find and protect Sansa Stark. He asks her to fullfill the oath he gave to Catelyn Stark and that is why Brienne names her sword Oathkeeper.

The second sword made from Ice was given to Joffrey who named it Widow’s Wail. It is unclear what happened to this sword after Joffrey’s death but it is assumed that it is kept in trust for Tommen until he grows older. Will Jaime eventually wield Widow’s Wail? I find this quite possible given this dream - and since Jaime does indeed wield Widow’s Wail in seasons 7 and 8, the show might just have spoiled this particular plot point.

However, Jaime’s dream might also hint that the two Valyrian swords made from Ice are special in a more magical sense. They burn like Azor Ahai’s magical sword Lightbringer burned, according to the myths and legends. Yet they burn with silver-blue fire as opposed to the red flames of the prophecy of AA come again. Thus, through this dream imagery, the remnants of Ice are connected to Lightbringer on the level of associative logic.

THE LAST HERO

The myth of Azor Ahai and the legend of Lightbringer are stories that have come out of Asshai, on the far end of the world. So could Ice actually be Lightbringer? This is where we have to take a look at the figure of the Last Hero, which is the character who is credited with leading the defense against the Others in Northern lore. The story of the Last Hero goes like this:

How the Long Night came to an end is a matter of legend, as all such matters of the distant past have become. In the North, they tell of a last hero who sought out the intercession of the children of the forest, his companions abandoning him or dying one by one as they faced ravenous giants, cold servants, and the Others themselves. Alone he finally reached the children, despite the efforts of the white walkers, and all the tales agree this was a turning point. Thanks to the children, the first men of the Night’s Watch banded together and were able to fight—and win—the Battle for the Dawn: the last battle that broke the endless winter and sent the Others fleeing to the icy north. Now, six thousand years later (or eight thousand as True History puts forward), the Wall made to defend the realms of men is still manned by the sworn brothers of the Night’s Watch, and neither the Others nor the children have been seen in many centuries.(TWoIaF, Ancient History: The Long Night)

(The Last Hero. Art by Roman Papsuev)

Who was the Last Hero? No one really knows but I’ve argued that you can make a case that the Last Hero was none other than Brandon the Builder, the legendary founder of House Stark, the architect of Winterfell and the Wall as well as the Hightower in Oldtown and Storm’s End, the ancestral seat of House Baratheon. Why do I think that the Last Hero was Brandon the Builder? It was this snippet of text in The World of Ice and Fire, the companion book to the series, that lead to my identification of the Last Hero with Brandon the Builder:

Maester Childer’s Winter’s Kings, or the Legends and Lineages of the Starks of Winterfell contains a part of a ballad alleged to tell of the time Brandon the Builder sought the aid of the children while raising the Wall. He was taken to a secret place to meet with them, but could not at first understand their speech, which was described as sounding like the song of stones in a brook, or the wind through leaves, or the rain upon the water. (tWoIaF)

In the myths of the North, the Last Hero sought the secret cities of the Children of the Forest - and now this piece of information from Maester Childer’s book Winter’s Kings or the Legends and Lineages of the Starks of Winterfell places Brandon the Builder in those self-same hidden cities. That is too much of a coincidence in my humble opinion.

If the Last Hero was indeed Brandon the Builder, founder of House Stark, then how does Ice come into the equation? Interestingly, in ADwD the text reveals another intriguing piece of information:

I found one account of the Long Night that spoke of the last hero slaying Others with a blade of dragonsteel. Supposedly they could not stand against it.” ��Dragonsteel?” The term was new to Jon. “Valyrian steel?” (ADwD, Jon II)

Thus, the text hints that the last hero wielded a sword of Valyrian steel and that a weapon of this material could slay a White Walker. This is something that the show confirmed in season 5 when Jon Snow killed a WW with Longclaw, which is made from Valyrian steel.

The question now is this: How did the Last Hero/Brandon the Builder get a Valyrian steel sword before the rise of Old Valyria (the rise of Valyria and the Dragonlords is generally placed after the Long Night in the historical chronology of GRRM’s world). Furthermore, if Ice was the original Lightbringer, then what is the connection between the legend of Lightbringer and Valyrian steel swords?

THE MYTH OF LIGHTBRINGER AS AN ALLEGORY

I have previously written about how the legend of Lightbringer works as a subversion of the trope of the Magic Sword on a meta-textual level. Many readers fail to realize that magic swords already exists in Westeros!

GRRM has specified that Valyrian swords require magic for the forging, which means that every single sword made of Valyrian steel is, in fact, a magic sword!

However, he doesn’t specify what kind of magic is required to make Valyrian steel. Some fans have speculated that dragonfire was necessary to forge Valyrian steel and while I understand the reasoning it doesn’t strike me as particularly practical in its application. Instead, I think that there’s a clue hidden in the companion book in the section on the Free City of Qohor because the smiths of this Essosi city still know the secret to rework Valyrian steel:

The properties of Valyrian steel are well-known, and are the result of both folding iron many times to balance and remove impurities, and the use of spells—or at least arts we do not know—to give unnatural strength to the resulting steel. Those arts are now lost, though the smiths of Qohor claim to still know magics for reworking Valyrian steel without losing its strength or unsurpassed ability to hold an edge. (TWoIaF, Ancient History: Valyria’s Children)

It is a secret jealously guarded:

Maester Pol’s treatise on Qohorik metalworking, written during several years of residence in the Free City, reveals just how jealously the secrets are guarded: He was thrice publicly whipped and cast out from the city for making too many inquiries. The final time, his hand was also removed following the allegation that he stole a Valyrian steel blade. According to Pol, the true reason for his final exile was his discovery of blood sacrifices—including the killing of slaves as young as infants—which the Qohorik smiths used in their efforts to produce a steel to equal that of the Freehold. (TWoIaF, The Free Cities: Qohor)

This is an interesting story though it should be taken with a grain of salt, especially since Ice was reforged in King’s Landing by Tobho Mott:

Tobho had learned to work Valyrian steel at the forges of Qohor as a boy. Only a man who knew the spells could take old weapons and forge them anew. (AGoT, Eddard IV)

Mott, however, used magic when he reforged the ancestral Stark great sword Ice into two new Valyrian swords for House Lannister :

But Valyrian steel is stubborn. These old swords remember, it is said, and they do not change easily. I worked half a hundred spells and brightened the red time and time again, but always the color would darken, as if the blade was drinking the sun from it.(Tobho Mott to Tyrion Lannister, ASoS, Tyrion IV)

Whilst Mott was trained in Qohor, I seriously doubt that he could get away with killing someone unnoticed. However, it is possible that some kind of blood magic is involved in reworking Valyrian steel. Blood magic doesn’t have to involve murder as Melisandre demonstrates with the use of blood fattened leeches.

This brings us back to the myth of Lightbringer, which is the story of how Azor Ahai forges a sword in the holy fires of a temple and then quences it in the heart’s blood of his faithful wife Nissa Nissa:

A hundred days and a hundred nights he labored on the third blade and as it glowed white hot in the sacred fires, he summoned his wife. ‘Nissa Nissa,’ he said to her, for that was her name, ‘bare your breast, and know that I love you best of all that is in this world. She did this thing, why I cannot say, and Azor Ahai thrust the smoking sword through her living heart. It is said that her cry of anguish and ecstasy left a crack across the face of the moon, but her blood and her soul and her strength and her courage all went into the steel. Such is the tale of the forging of Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes.” - Salladhor Saan to Davos Seaworth (ACoK, Davos I)

(Azor Ahai and Nissa Nissa. The Forging of Lightbringer. Art by Amok)

The role of myth is a recurring theme in ASoIaF. GRRM plays with the idea that ancient myths contain a kernel of truth, a truth that has been distorted over millennia of retellings. A lot of fans seems to think that the myth of Lightbringer functions as a kind of recipe to create an extra-special magical sword. However, while myths contains kernels of truth in GRRM’s universe, they are not necessarily to be read in a literal manner. I don’t think that a prophesied hero will have to kill a loved one to make a magical weapon. I suspect that the myth of Lightbringer is to be read allegorically rather than literally.

The myth of Lightbringer tells us two things about the creation of this magical blade:

There is smith craft involved - “Azor Ahai labored sleepless in the temple, forging a blade in the sacred fires.” (ACoK, Davos I)

A blood sacrifice is involved - “Azor Ahai thrust the smoking sword through her living heart. It is said that her cry of anguish and ecstasy left a crack across the face of the moon, but her blood and her soul and her strength and her courage all went into the steel.”

This actually dovetails nicely with what GRRM himself has said about the making of Valyrian steel:

Q: A brief question about Valyrian steel - is it the metal that makes the sword so special (provenance, age, etc), or is it the forging (spells, techniques)

GRRM: Forging techniques and spells, actually. There is magic involved in the making of Valyrian steel. (x)

If we read the myth of Lightbringer allegorically then the sacrifice of Nissa Nissa signifies what type of magic was used in the creation of Valyrian steel, i.e. blood magic.

Let’s get back to the the legend of the Last Hero. As said, Sam discovers an ancient text in the library at Castle Black that states that the Last Hero slew a White Walker with dragonsteel, i.e. a Valyrian sword. In this context, it is worth noting that in Old Nan’s retelling of the story, it is specifically mentioned that the Last Hero loses his sword during his quest:

He set out into the dead lands with a sword, a horse, a dog, and a dozen companions. For years he searched, until he despaired of ever finding the children of the forest in their secret cities. One by one his friends died, and his horse, and finally even his dog, and his sword froze so hard the blade snapped when he tried to use it. (AGoT, Bran I)

A frozen blade shattering in the cold sounds a lot like what happened to Ser Waymar Royce when he duels with a White Walker in the prologue of AGoT:

His blade was white with frost; the Other's danced with pale blue light.

...

Ser Waymar Royce found his fury. "For Robert!" he shouted, and he came up snarling, lifting the frost-covered longsword with both hands and swinging it around in a flat sidearm slash with all his weight behind it. The Other's parry was almost lazy.

When the blades touched, the steel shattered.

A scream echoed through the forest night, and the longsword shivered into a hundred brittle pieces, the shards scattering like a rain of needles. (AGoT, Prologue)

The Others bring a cold so intense that it shatters steel swords. Only a magical blade might stand a chance against their ice swords.

If the Last hero was indeed Brandon Stark, and if he did indeed wield a blade made of Valyrian steel, then it is most likely that this sword was Ice, the ancestral blade of the House he founded. If this is indeed the case, the its very name, Ice, could obliquely refer to the fact that it was used to kill a being that was essentially “Ice Made Flesh” (I’ve argued elsewhere that the text implicitly depicts the Others as beings of embodied ice).

THE HIGHTOWER

Let’s just assume that Ice was indeed the dragonsteel blade that the Last Hero (Brandon the Builder) wielded against the Others. The question remains: how did he get his hands on a blade of Valyrian steel when the Valyrian Freehold did not yet exist? In this context, it is worth noting that the myth of Lightbringer and the prophecy of Azor Ahai come again appear to originate in Asshai and not in Valyria. Maybe the secret to forge Valyrian steel wasn’t actually discovered in the Valyrian freehold but in Asshai? This is where this essay gets even more speculative.

In this section, I’ll be drawing on a four part theory that the user u/sangeli published on reddit a few years ago (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4). The gist of this theory revolves around the hypothesis that the Valyrian Dragonlords weren’t native to the Valyrian peninsula but that they were the descendants of the Great Empire of the Dawn, which u/sangeli locates in Asshai. The chaos of the Long Night cause an Asshai’i diaspora (possibly because Asshai was ground zero of some kind of magical catastrophe that rendered the place sterile, which I’ve written about elsewhere). One of the places where the Asshai settled was the Valyrian peninsula and the companion book does offer some weight to this argument:

In Asshai, the tales are many and confused, but certain texts—all impossibly ancient—claim that dragons first came from the Shadow, a place where all of our learning fails us. These Asshai'i histories say that a people so ancient they had no name first tamed dragons in the Shadow and brought them to Valyria, teaching the Valyrians their arts before departing from the annals. (TWoIaF, Ancient History: The Rise of Valyria)

However, u/sangeli goes further and theorizes that some of the Asshai’i also settled in Westeros, more specifically in the location that is now known as Oldtown. It is one of the oldest, perhaps even the oldest of the cities of Westeros and its origins is lost in the mists of time. That doesn’t necessarily mean that it was founded by an Asshai’i disapora but u/sangeli presents the mysterious structure of fused black stone that constitutes the foundation of the Hightower as a piece of evidence for their theory:

Yet mysteries remain. The stony island where the Hightower stands is known as Battle Isle even in our oldest records, but why? What battle was fought there? When? Between which lords, which kings, which races? Even the singers are largely silent on these matters.

Even more enigmatic to scholars and historians is the great square fortress of black stone that dominates that isle. For most of recorded history, this monumental edifice has served as the foundation and lowest level of the Hightower, yet we know for a certainty that it predates the upper levels of the tower by thousands of years.

Who built it? When? Why? Most maesters accept the common wisdom that declares it to be of Valyrian construction, for its massive walls and labyrinthine interiors are all of solid rock, with no hint of joins or mortar, no chisel marks of any kind, a type of construction that is seen elsewhere, most notably in the dragonroads of the Freehold of Valyria, and the Black Walls that protect the heart of Old Volantis. The dragonlords of Valryia, as is well-known, possessed the art of turning stone to liquid with dragonflame, shaping it as they would, then fusing it harder than iron, steel, or granite. (AWoIaF, The Reach: Oldtown)

The base on which the Hightower rests is made from fused black stone in an unknown technique the is eerily reminiscent of the magical arts of Valyria. Yet the architectural style of this edifice shares no similarities with the architecture of Old Valyria:

The fused black stone of which it is made suggests Valyria, but the plain, unadorned style of architecture does not, for the dragonlords loved little more than twisting stone into strange, fanciful, and ornate shapes. Within, the narrow, twisting, windowless passages strike many as being tunnels rather than halls; it is very easy to get lost amongst their turnings. Mayhaps this is no more than a defensive measure designed to confound attackers, but it too is singularly un-Valyrian. (TWoIaF, The Reach: Oldtown)

I must admit that with evidence like this, I do find u/sangeli’s theory that the Hightower was founded by an Asshai’i disapora both interesting and convincing. As do I find their claim that House Hightower may indeed descend from these people, especially since the companion book also raises the issue of the origins of House Hightower:

The reasons for the abandonment of the fortress and the fate of its builders, whoever they might have been, are likewise lost to us, but at some point we know that Battle Isle and its great stronghold came into the possession of the ancestors of House Hightower. Were they First Men, as most scholars believe today? Or did they mayhaps descend from the seafarers and traders who had settled at the top of Whispering Sound in earlier epochs, the men who came before the First Men? We cannot know. (TWoIaF, The Reach: Oldtown)

The reason I bring up the Hightower in relation to the Last Hero and the secret of Valyrian steel, is because Brandon the Builder had a connection to the Hightower as the purported architect of its upper levels. Furthermore, the Hightower is associated with the Night’s Watch through the image of the Lighthouse as a positive image of fire - a beacon in the darkness, which I’ve written about elsewhere.

(Left: Hightower in Oldtown. Art by Ted Nasmith, Right: Sigil and Motto of House Hightower)

If we accept that there’s usually a kernel of truth in the myths and legends within GRRM’s fictional universe, then we may speculate that Brandon the Builder did indeed visit Oldtown and the mysterious fortress that forms the base of the Hightower. If u/sangeli is correct in their theory, then the people who inhabited this mysterious structure of fused black stone may have been Asshai’i refugees from the GEotD - and they may have known the secret of forging dragonsteel steel. The Hightower may indeed have been the place where Ice was forged.

All of this is, of course, highly speculative, if the Last Hero did indeed wield a blade made of Valyrian steel before the Valyrian Freehold existed, then I haven’t come across another theory as to why he would have had such a blade.

(GIFs not mine)

#asoiaf #a song of ice and fire #game of throne #lightbringer #ice #valyrian steel #azor ahai #the last hero #oldtown #the hightower #asoiafmeta #asoiaf meta #gotmeta #got meta

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florrickandassociates · 4 years

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TGF Thoughts: 4x05-- The Gang Goes to War

under the cut

This episode starts with Caleb and I don’t totally hate it. This means the writers are doing a good job with him so far. I’m surprised I feel that way considering I loathe the plot he’s here for.

This is the first case heavy episode in ages and I have more thoughts on the fact that somehow the space from 6x19 has become military court than I do on the case. As always, that’s not to say it’s bad (tbh, this case was the exact right blend of simple and captivating it reminded me of old school TGW). It’s just to say I have literally nothing to add.

Lucca’s off to visit Bianca. She is still extremely uncomfortable with very wealthy people.

Oh, a mention of babysitting! Kind of sad I’m surprised.

I forgot to mention that this ep is on the shorter side, almost network length. Woo!

Lucca describes her life as “I have a toddler. I’m trying to make partner.” Remember how last season either Lucca or Rosalyn (or MAIA hhahahahhahahaahahhahaahahahhahahahaahahhaahhaah) were going to be made partner and that plot just vanished?

Lucca says that of work, family, fitness, friends, and sleep, the three she’s chosen are work, family, and sleep. I believe it. Though we’ve seen Lucca exercise probably more than most TGF characters? But that was before she had a baby.

If you leave your phone on while you’re on a plane and someone places a voice call would your phone actually ring?

Marissa TOTALLY has a crush on Caleb.

Oh, a Francesca mention AND a mention of Lucca and Marissa being friends?! The continuity fairy likes me today!!!!!!!!

Caleb threatens to quit (I think he knows he wouldn’t be taken up on that offer) unless Mr. Firth lets him take a month for this case. Come on, Caleb. This is TV lawyering. This case will take two costume changes and you know it! Months are a thing for real lawyers.

Diane and Adrian aren’t in their offices, so when Firth finds a partner to assist on the military case (I do not understand why this is a thing he is doing in the first place, but alright), it’s Liz. How conveniently awkward!

(Adrian just isn’t in this episode-- he is apparently at a conference in New York-- and Diane is barely in it, and I’m fine with that. LET LIZ AND LUCCA SHINE!)

(Liz and Lucca are my faves, if that wasn’t obvious.)

Awkward awkward awkward, fucking your boss is very awkward. I hate everything about this plot in theory and yet somehow like Liz, Caleb, and maybe even the idea of Liz and Caleb, but every time I think about the boss/employee dynamic my only thought is: NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Liz’s divorce! Continuity fairy has blessed me again!

I do really like Caleb.

I somehow almost turned that last thought into a rant about Maia and I’m not gonna do that to y’all in this Maia-free season.

Rich people are getting away with more shit in Julius’s court. He’s resigned to it, until he meets his alter-ego from the play again. I get that they want to use this device to show why he’d change his mind so suddenly but omfg please don’t remind me of the last episode.

My first thought was “maybe that long ass episode was even longer and this is a cut scene” but Julius seems to be wearing a different tie in this scene than he was before. Oof.

JUDGE KUHN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love Judge Kuhn. I think I said this last week but it isn’t often we get truly good, considered characters who want the best and actually take fair steps to see it happen. Judge Kuhn is great.

And so is the actress playing her. Her expression as the seat shrinks-- which is some Kingsian bullshit-- makes the joke work.

This episode relies a lot on that device Jane the Virgin loved where back to back scenes will be linked by a theme or a word. In this case, Julius and Liz/Caleb are both dealing with continuances. Yay for structure, even a simple case related structure!

“A sofa would have blown up here”... I can’t, y’all. “A conference table would have blown up here”. Is this a joke about coronavirus or a real need for more graphics or both? I lean towards it being a joke, but before I say that lemme play these credits side by side with last week’s…

Okay so there are differences. Last week there was an aerial view of a wine bottle exploding while this week there’s a second one in the background. They replaced an exploding coffee set with the sofa text. There are some other differences too. But not enough to convince me they didn’t have footage they could have used. So I think it’s a joke.

Welcome back, season two Diane. I missed you, ya weirdo!

(But like actually Diane is staring out the window at a bird, not doing anything or responding to questions. Why so weird?!)

Now that Diane isn’t hunting down answers on 618, she has “nothing to do.” Oh, suddenly no one in the world is in need of pro-bono assistance? Sure!

Continuity on the SWATting, too!

AND A WILL REFERENCE.This episode may be nothing special but it sure is endearing.

Diane explains that Judge Kuhn is tough but fair and Will ended up liking her. That’s a pretty good summary.

Diane spots the woman who she dreamed was Weinstein’s lawyer in a meeting, drawing dots. Guess that’s one of the drawbacks of having windows everywhere. She chases her up the stairs to STRL and asks if they know each other because, and I quote, “I had a dream and you were in it. You were Weinstein’s lawyer.” HOW FUCKING WEIRD ARE YOU TRYING TO BE, DIANE? Are you microdosing again?! (This feels so season two.)

Props to this lady (do we know her name? Has it been said on the show) for taking that weird-ass comment in stride and joking she probably didn’t do very well. She needs a favor-- she has a case in front of Judge Cain and wants Diane to sit with her.

Diane asks about the dots. Apparently this lady draws-- and counts!-- dots. Hundreds of thousands of them. During meetings. Because it’s calming and nothing matters. See?! Season two!

Lucca does get a little bit of work to do on vacation-- Bianca wants to buy the resort.

Case stuff happens.

Someone explain to me what the fuck this bright neon lighting in the office late at night is all about. Why is it so bright?! Why do the colors change!? Am I just supposed to accept this?! I suppose it’s no weirder than a woman who draws dots instead of taking notes-- and admits to it-- but WHAT IS HAPPENING?!

I know there is supposed to be some sort of parallel between the case having an element about disobeying your superior and the Liz/Caleb dynamic, but as you will recall, I hate everything about the boss/employee plot AND find it incredibly boring so if you would like to see analysis of that parallel… I’m not your gal.

Oh look I can see the office bathroom of Willicia sexytimes in Liz’s office

My god this lighting is distracting.

It sounds to me like Caleb is in the legal field for idealistic reasons. I can’t get a sense of if wanting the country to stay the same is liberal or conservative or admirable or misguided but it’s definitely something. (I have a feeling he means “stay the same” as in “return to 2016” though.)

Since she has not been in the military, Liz worries out loud that she hasn’t lived much of a life. This leads to flirting and intimacy and another hookup. Bleh.

Creeper from Kurt’s office comes to visit Julius and compliments him while basically telling him to keep quiet and be corrupt. He promises Julius the chance to move up the ladder and implies Julius should rule in favor of some rich donor.

Julius, who, like all characters on this show and maybe just people in general, does NOT like being told what to do, promptly does the opposite. And he feels really, really, really good about doing the right thing.

Case stuff happens.

Lucca now gets invited to play poker with a bunch of millionaires and celebrities. Lucca is highly uncomfortable. The names of the celebs are bleeped which is… not as clever as I think it was meant to be.

Also I’d be uncomfortable in this situation too. I’m just ready for this plotline to go somewhere beyond “Lucca is uncomfortable with rich people”.

Recapping goes fast when most of the show is case stuff.

In another throwback, Diane (lit by the weird lighting) is watching what looks like a parody of SNL allowing 45 to host? Or maybe it’s just some unfunny bit that goes on too long? Odd target for a parody at this point in time.

Whatever the point, it prompts Diane to start drawing dots of her own.

Lucca’s luck at the poker game is fantastic. Bianca encourages Lucca to keep her winnings-- she wouldn’t give back a stuffed animal or goldfish won with someone else’s money at a carnival, would she?

Case stuff, now involving 45, happens. This is a missing season two episode, I swear.

Wow lol those establishing shots and stock footage do NOT convince me that Lucca lives in Chicago. Nor do they convince me that anyone involved with the show has visited Chicago.

Case stuff happens!

Another Lucca and Marissa scene! Lucca asks what to do about her poker winnings. Marissa says Lucca should keep the money because Bianca doesn’t need it-- get Bianca a gift if she feels guilty.

Diane sits next to the seemingly nameless lawyer and they compare their dots. Unfortunately for Diane, the case she’s decided to sit in on as a favor? It’s another case in front of Julius, and it also gets 618’d. How convenient for the plot! When Julius doesn’t go for it, Diane is intrigued and reenergized. She boldly goes to Julius’s chambers to suggest trading info about 618.

No matter how many times I write “618” in the context of Memo 618 I still think 618 = Loser Edit.

Case stuff happens! It’s good for Caleb and Liz!

MALCOLM GETS MENTIONED BY NAME! CONTINUITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Caleb and Liz continue the tradition of using meals as code for sex and now I have to watch them kiss. Pass.

Lucca gets Bianca a gift of a goldfish and a giant stuffed bear (a reference to their earlier convo about carnivals). Cute, but I still don’t quite get where this plot is going.

There’s a “Skye and Moon” logo on the plane. I wonder if that is the name of Bianca’s cosmetics empire.

Oh, it’s over. This episode was perfectly fine. Nothing challenging, nothing innovative, but a solid and enjoyable outing closer in length to the average TGW ep than the average TGF one. After last week’s long-ass episode, this is really all I wanted/needed.

#tgfthoughts #the good fight

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the-walnut · 6 years

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The Umbrella Academy- Five

So, for no other reason than the fact that I just love to over-analyze shit:

*SPOILER ALERTS!!!!!!!*

We all know how dysfunctional the Hargreeves family is, and I know lots of people have been looking at the relationships the siblings all have with one another and are picking those apart, which is really cool. I love seeing all the theories that are popping up and the headcanons and whatnot- but one thing I want to see more of (which I know has been catching traction slowly) is Vanya and Five.

I’ve come across a couple people talking about this, but I want to expand on it a bit. In episode one, of course, we hear Vanya talk about how she used to leave the lights on and make Five snacks just in case he found his way home one night. And of course, adding to that, when Five does make it home, he talks to Vanya about her book and he’s not bitter. Unlike the rest of their siblings, who are all pissed about Vanya’s biography, Five tells her it’s well written, that he read the whole thing, and that it was a ballsy move, which is the best feedback we see her get throughout the entire season. It’s validating, even if it is in a snarky Five-ish way.

It’s been pointed out by a few people on here, but there are more scenarios than this. Vanya is the first person Five goes to after the Griddy’s Donuts attack and when he needs someone to listen, and Vanya, upon her power surge in the finale, goes through each of her siblings’ rooms, remembering times when they shunned her or let her down- all of them except Five. She doesn’t go near his room, and he’s the only sibling she doesn’t recall with anger, which is intriguing to me. And while one could argue that maybe it’s due to a genuine lack of memories including him due to his disappearance, which is fair, I find it interesting that Ben was part of that sequence as well.

When Five first decides to time travel and is arguing with Hargreeves, they make it very clear that Vanya doesn’t want him to push it, and he notices, but still leaves anyway.

This is what I really wanted to get to.

The first people that Five yells for when he gets stuck in the future and finds the Academy in ruins are Vanya and Ben. Instead, he finds the bodies of his other siblings, all of them far older than he remembered them being.

And believe me, there’s no way he wouldn’t have known it was them. Five’s a genius, and even before he managed to jump back in time and find his family again, he would have known who they were. Combined with the fact that he knew what year it was, due to the newspaper (hence how old they all should have been), as well as the fact that they were all in the rubble of the Academy, matched the physical characteristics of each of his siblings, and, of course, sported that umbrella tattoo, he absolutely would have known. One other thing that he would have noticed immediately? That two bodies were missing. Particularly, the first two of his siblings that he thought to look for, because damn it, Ben is small and meek and doesn’t like using his powers, so how could he have handled this, defended himself against this kind of utter annihilation- but Vanya, Vanya is powerless. How could Vanya Hargreeves, Number Seven, the girl who “cried when they stepped on ants” and loved the violin, and had no powers have survived that amount of destruction?

She couldn’t have.

So how long do you think he searched for bodies before realizing that he wasn’t going to find any? That maybe he could find four of his siblings because they’d gone down fighting right at the very end, but that the other two could have been buried under five feet of concrete and brick and memories, the first victims of a fight that had been too harsh for them to win?

Later, he finds Vanya’s biography and it’s like a punch to the gut because somehow, despite all his intelligence, he had never really thought of a time or place in which one of the siblings would be gone before the rest of them- that, in a way, because they’d all come into life at the same time, they’d all leave it that way as well. And yet, as he reads, he discovers that Ben, the brother he couldn’t find, wasn’t ever going to be found in that rubble pile, because Ben hadn’t lived long enough to be a part of it. But almost in an equally damning way, the fact that he’s holding that paperback in his hands, with the picture of a woman he doesn’t recognize on the back- a woman with his sister’s name, and her sad, drained smile, and the same shoulders that slump like she has the weight of the world on them- means that Vanya did survive up until the apocalypse. Survived up to it, and could do nothing to defend herself when the time came. Died, and died the same way she’d done most things when they were kids- alone.

And maybe that’s why he holds onto that book like a lifeline, choosing to write his equations and thoughts along the margins and in between the sentences created by his sister’s hand, even if her words are sharper and more scathing than he can remember Vanya ever being. It’s the closest he can be to explaining his thoughts and plans to them, circling important memories and writing the occasional response back in the corners of crumpled pages, tiny notes of familiarity and remembrance that keep him going. That biography doesn’t serve as a notebook so much as a motivator to get the damn equations right and return home to them, save them, save everyone before it’s too late to save them at all.

So when the opportunity comes, he does his time with the Commission and cuts all ties with guilt and emotion each time he pulls the trigger, reminding himself that with every kill, he’s a day closer to fixing things, to making sure that it doesn’t end this way, that he’s not the only one of the Hargreeves children who makes it past thirty. Taking a life here or there to ultimately save the lives of billions seems a small price to pay in a twisted sense he doesn’t want to think too deeply about.

When he makes it back and realizes he has literal days before the end of the world, it’s both a breath of air and an overwhelming amount of pressure. Turning to Vanya for help feels natural because it’s what he’s done for the last few decades, writing out all his thoughts in her book, rereading paragraph after paragraph until he has the whole thing near-memorized. Her voice, her writing, the work that she dumped her time and energy into that none of her other siblings appreciate, that was his link back home. Whether she realizes it or not, his going to her and saying “You’ll listen,” isn’t by random chance. He goes to Vanya because she’s the person he’s been subconsciously been bouncing ideas off of and turning to since the first day he found that smouldering biography in the ruins of an old life, now unfamiliar.

Out of sheer necessity more than anything, he finds himself reaching out to his other siblings as well, frantic above all else to stop the apocalypse (something that nobody else seems to understand the full gravity of), the fate of humankind being a burden that needs a little spreading around at times.

Family means a lot to Five, and he demonstrates it in small ways throughout the course of the season. Sure, he can be a self-confident smartass, and his concerns are often veiled but if you look, they’re there. His first question to the Handler, upon having her make him an offer, was whether or not he could go back to his family. Upon making it home, he asks about Ben, whether or not his death was bad, warns Vanya about her windows, and checks in with Klaus after his return from Vietnam. Despite his conflict with Luther, he reminds him that he’s lived a lifetime already, and that Luther should be more concerned with looking out for himself than watching Five’s back, taking the time to analyze and change the scene before leaving with the Handler the second time to ensure none of his brothers would get hurt. Clearly at one point or another, he has the time to look into Allison’s life and find out about Claire, saying that he wants to meet her. And then there’s also Diego, who he thinks ahead for in order to have his name cleared, as well as talk to him about Patch.

When Five first tells the Handler what his conditions are for returning to the Commission, the first priority on his list is the survival of his family. All of them. The only exception he’s willing to make in regards to priorities over his own brothers and sisters is ending the apocalypse. That’s the line.

So when they first find out that Leonard is Harold and can’t get a hold of Vanya, Five has two strikes against this man- one, is that he’s the supposed cause of the apocalypse, which makes him the priority to get rid of in the first place, but the second strike is that Five knows something the rest of his siblings don’t- that Vanya’s body isn’t found with theirs. And while he claims “Vanya is not important,” he immediately follows up with, “I’m not saying I don’t care about her, but if the apocalypse happens today she dies along with the other seven billion of us.” He tells his siblings that Harold Jenkins, the man Vanya’s with, is their main priority without ever telling them that on the day of the apocalypse he found all of their bodies except hers- meaning she might not have died in that house.

Horrifically, and previously unthought of, she might have died only a day or two before the apocalypse. And it doesn’t take a brilliant mind to put together the pieces that if she’s with a murderer, there’s a good chance she’ll be a victim. So no, his priority isn’t finding Vanya- his priority is finding Harold and killing him before he initiates the apocalypse or potentially does anything to his sister, because Vanya’s storyline in regards to the end of the world isn’t clear. They can focus on finding her after both threats are gone.

After finding Harold dead, Five is the first one back at the Academy to start searching for Vanya and see if she’s come back. Upon discovering that their sister is still nowhere to be found, Five’s immediate reaction to Diego trying to leave is to ask, “Where are you going? Vanya’s still out there.”

Even when everyone else seems to find better things to do and nobody questions where Vanya Hargreeves ended up after the incident with Leonard, the first thing out of Five’s mouth when he finds an armed Hazel pointing a gun at him and standing in his doorway is not the anticipated and appropriate “Are you here to kill me,” but, in fact, “Do you have my sister?”

With all of this leading up to the fact that Vanya causes the very event that Five’s been working to prevent for a literal lifetime, the solution that we expect to see from him (as we’ve seen in other scenarios up to this point) is that averting the apocalypse is priority over even his own family and, therefore, Vanya has to die to guarantee the world’s safety. And yet, at the end of all things, when Luther questions whether or not they should be bringing Vanya with them, Five answers on everyone’s behalf that they’re not leaving Vanya behind- that she’ll always be the cause of the apocalypse, but maybe they can prevent it if they help her, which is what she needs. While the easiest solution would be to off Vanya and prevent any chance of the apocalypse occurring, Five is (for once) willing to risk the whole apocalypse happening all over again on the chance that they might be able to mend past rifts and build the bridges that they never did with their seventh sibling.

So, to summarize, I want more Hargreeves sibling interaction, particularly between these two, because I’m up for some quality character development coming out of this, and I think they definitely have the potential to build off of it.

#the umbrella academy #the umbrella academy five #the umbrella academy vanya #theumbrellaacademy #this was a way longer rant than I anticipated #sorry folks

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alyblacklist · 6 years

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Transcript of James Spader interview with CNN - March 1, 2019

Source / Audio available here

AMANPOUR: And now, we're going to turn to an actor who's played some eccentric characters in his time. James Spader revels in offbeat like the award-winning cult hit of its time, "Sex, Lies and Videotape." And also, mainstream blockbusters like "The Avengers." He currently stars in a political thriller called "The Blacklist." As one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives turned informant. This series has bagged him two Golden Globe nominations and the show has gathered a huge global following. Our Hari Sreenivasan spoke to the Hollywood star just recently. HARI SREENIVASAN, CONTRIBUTOR: So, for our viewers who have not watched the show, what's "The Blacklist" about? JAMES SPADER, ACTOR, "THE BLACKLIST": In the first episode, a man who was on the FBI's most. wanted list gives himself up to an assistant director of the FBI. They take him into custody. He's been wanted in many different countries and so on so forth and considered armed and dangerous. And he said that he wants to make a deal with the FBI. SREENIVASAN: He was an informant now? SPADER: Of sorts. He is steering them towards people that they've never heard of and that they aren't even aware are out there. SREENIVASAN: In this season, there's a pretty significant plot twist and that his kind of immunity is compromised. He is now -- SPADER: Yes. SREENIVASAN: -- brought to justice or in the process of being brought to justice. We have a clip. Let's take a look. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SPADER: Officer Baldwin asked for some identification and I gave him a false ID so magnificent even I started to believe my name is George Murphy. He said I looked around nervously. But the truth is, I made fun of the man. I refused to give him the respect he somehow believed he deserved. It happens. I get impatient, I make a comment I might regret. It's one of my biggest issues in therapy along with some residual anxiety from childhood and a sexual fascination I'd prefer to discuss in chambers. (END VIDEO CLIP) SREENIVASAN: That sort of quintessentially him. I mean, there's a certain irreverence to everything he does, it doesn't matter that his sort of life is on the line. In this case, he still jokes. SPADER: He's very confident. SREENIVASAN: Is that easier to play over five season, six seasons that you get to know a character a little bit better? SPADER: I was looking for something that was very fluid in terms of tone. So, I was successful, I think, in finding that in that this is a show that has at -- in a different -- by turns, very, very emotional, very funny, very intense, sometimes disturbing or startling. And sometimes a lot of those things all at the same time. And I wanted a character who I would still, after a period of time, if the show continued to run, a character that was enigmatic enough to me that I would still be surprised by him over time. SREENIVASAN: Yes. SPADER: And I'd still be curious about him over time. I remember when I first read the very first episode, pilots, you know, by the end of the story, you knew less about him than you knew at the beginning really. Anything you learn about him just poses more questions. And so, I knew that this was a character that would have a certain amount of staying power for me, at least -- SREENIVASAN: Yes. SPADER: -- in terms of curiosity. SREENIVASAN: Are you surprised that it's doing so well? I mean, everybody hopes that the project that they're working on succeeds. Here you are average of 7 million plus people watching, six seasons into it. SPADER: I responded to the material and responded to this character and that's all I have as a gay really is what my opinion of it is and I was intrigued by the sort of marriage between a sort of method -- sort of serialized sort of mythology to the show, married with the procedural. But I have no idea. I mean, I really have never been very good at that part of this business. I'm pretty selfish in terms of my reasons for taking things and they really -- it rarely has anything to do with what a response by it may be from -- for others or from others. But I -- SREENIVASAN: What does it have to do with? SPADER: It really has to do with my interest in the material in the world that the story lives in. If it's something that I'm interested in exploring, then I'll do it. SREENIVASAN: You know, this year, you've also, in the episodes, had story lines that have talked about and what is the meaning of truth, the internet is influencing so many things, conspiracy theories, and these are topics that America is challenged with right now. I'm assuming this is an intentional act from the writers, yourself. SPADER: I mean, listen, there's no question that, you know, one's life seeps in and the world around you is -- a show is a sponge to a certain degree, in terms of that. But it's interesting that there's a big storyline that's going on right now and -- on the show that the writers were working on long before it became a news item. And the same thing would happen on another show that I worked with for a long time, "Boston Legal," where we really weren't ripping from the headlines. SREENIVASAN: Yes. SPADER: And yet, again and again, I get a script and we'd be working on something and it became -- by the time it aired, it was timely. SREENIVASAN: You know, given that you've worked at "The Practice," "Boston Legal," do shows with multiple hit seasons, do they get better over time? Because I've heard from some people that the first couple of seasons are really where everybody just got their nose to the grindstone, third season, fourth season, now the money is starting to roll in, changes the dynamic a little bit? SPADER: There are a lot of things that can be deciding factors in terms of how something changes and develops over time. Now, for instance, "The practice," I came in on the last season. I think was the eighth season of that show. And I was brought in because six cast members had been let go. And what had happened was, the show had been on, it was in its eighth season. The ratings -- I don't think the ratings were as strong as they might have been in the past. And the show got picked up by the network for another season and they had had their licensing fee cut in half. So, David Kelly felt he couldn't make the show, the quality. So, he had a choice, he could either continue with the show at a much-reduced licensing fee, in which case he'd have to fire people or he could end the show and, by that time, by an eighth season, the amount of people who are making their living on a television show is enormous. SREENIVASAN: Right. SPADER: And he decided to keep those people employed for another year. And so, he fired six actors. And I met with him and he said, "I'd like to have you come in and be on the show." And he basically was burning this house down that he built. And that's what that character was doing. But then, halfway through the season, the network came and said, "Well, how about another series with this same character, you know." SREENIVASAN: And you get a spin off? SPADER: Yes. So, all of a sudden, I did "Boston Legal." But here you have -- I was brought in as a destructive force on "The Practice." Now, how do you construct a series around, you know, a -- you know, just to -- around the cat and a hat -- SREENIVASAN: Yes. SPADER: -- which is what David conceived of when he thought of that character. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SPADER: And you don't even know who I am. You do have the slightest idea who I am. Am I -- should I -- am I supposed to recount all the points of my life leading up to this moment and then -- and just hope that it's coherent, that it makes some sort of sense to you? It doesn't make any sense to me. You know, I was there. You know, I don't have the slightest idea who I am and I -- I'm supposed to be able to explain it to you. And why? Tell -- no. You tell -- tell me why? Why do I have to explain myself to you? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because maybe I can help you. (END VIDEO CLIP) SREENIVASAN: When I look back at these characters, clearly, it's someone who doesn't like himself in some ways, at least, according to some of the other characters. In this show, "Blacklist," recently, there has been a shrink that kind of looks at your deepest darkest corners and says, you know, your fear is that you're an impostor.You go all the way back to Steff, a horrible character back in "Pretty in Pink" and the other characters are telling you that it's really -- that your floating is some of the stuff that's driving you. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SPADER: Listen, I'm getting really bored with this conversation, all right. You know, if she wants your little piece low-grade -- take it, you know. But if you do, you're not going to have a friend. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If that's right? SPADER: Yes, that's right. (END VIDEO CLIP) SREENIVASAN: Are you drawn to this sort of thing? SPADER: I don't believe that to be the case. SREENIVASAN: You're good at it. SPADER: I just don't know if that's really what it is that's driving. I don't know whether that really what was driving Alan Shore and I'm not convinced that's what is driving Reddington. I don't know how much merit I give to that. SREENIVASAN: OK. You look for conflict in characters, because they're -- SPADER: I do. SREENIVASAN: Yes? SPADER: I do. SREENIVASAN: Is it -- are they more fun to play? SPADER: Yes. It is that that is still the most compelling aspect of the character in "Blacklist" is that is the dichotomy that I find and the conflict that I find in him all the time. And by the way, I was very spoiled and that -- you know, it's -- listen, it's -- to a certain degree, it's my design. I mean, that's also what I found most compelling about that kind -- other character that we're talking about, you know, Alan Shore, is the dichotomy in him. And this man, Raymond Reddington, who is so ruthless and brutal at times, who is incredibly vulnerable and thoughtful and has such an understanding for the quality of life and the beauty of life and the value of life and what would be the thing that would teach him that and give him such an incredible appreciation for life is that he's so familiar with the loss of life. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) [13:30:14] SPADER: All those years I spent worrying about you, fancying myself your guardian angel, I should have taken one look at you and known you'd be fine. (END VIDEO CLIP) SPADER: And he's so familiar with the taking of life. And I think that has given him a -- a very keen sensibility for the cost of loss of life. SREENIVASAN: Uh-huh. SPADER: You know, it's a strange thing to play, but somebody who has completely come to terms with the end of his life at some point. And yet - SREENIVASAN: Fully present -- SPADER: Fully present and fearless, in a way. I think his comfort with his own mortality probably gives him great confidence, no matter what the hell's on the other side of a door that he might be walking through. SREENIVASAN: So I've read that you're detail-oriented to a point of obsessive-compulsive. Is that accurate? SPADER: I -- I think I'm in a job that is -- that's conducive to that disorder, if you want, for lack of a better term. I've only had it been helpful for me as an actor, having a compulsion toward attention to detail or a compulsive attention to detail. SREENIVASAN: Are you still learning as an actor? SPADER: Yes. SREENIVASAN: What are you learning now that you maybe didn't figure out in the last 20 years -- SPADER: The same crap I was learning at the very beginning. Sometimes it's as simple as to slow down a little bit, and sometimes it's as simple as speeding up a little bit. Sometimes the best direction in the world is do it quicker or do it slower. You know what I mean? It's -- SREENIVASAN: Yes. This is where you came to find your future in acting. What, did you drop out of high school? SPADER: I did. Not a future in acting. I really -- SREENIVASAN: Just to find your future? SPADER: New York has always represented a very -- very, very important part of my life. It was the place that I left home to move to. SREENIVASAN: You opted into this. SPADER: This is what I wanted. I -- I loved this city, and I still do. I still -- I'm really one of those people who -- I don't really need to leave New York very much. Like I love to travel. I do love to travel, and I know there are people that, oh, well, you know, the city's only bearable if you can get the hell out of it. I don't agree with that. I love the city to live in. I'm one of -- I really truly believe that New York is the most wonderful place on earth to live and a terrible place to visit. It's actually much better for living. You can actually live a very calm and relaxed life here, because you don't feel like you have to fit everything in. You come here and visit, and it's like you're exhausted by it. And therefore, people perceive the city as an exhausting place to be. And I don't find it that way. I find a calm in the center of this chaos. SREENIVASAN: James Spader, thanks so much. SPADER: Thank you.

#the blacklist #james spader #interview #long post

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realfxntasy · 5 years

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The decline of Game of thrones SPOILERS INNIT

So the show has finally came to an end, it took the world by storm with its twists and turns, the violence, intrigue, characters, worlds and winning the award of most genitalia shown on a TV screen. But the last season was unfortunately blasted with lots of heat, negative opinions rained fire on the show’s creators just as Dany did to all those innocent Kings Landings citizens. So where did the beginning of the end start for game of thrones? Let us take a look at thrones in its entirety and talk about what happened to the show we all once loved.

I absolutely loved the first six seasons, they were incredible, season one introduced us to a world of deep political intrigue, not your usual fantasy, this one was incredibly dark and realistic, realistic even when it had zombies and dragons, like a world that really could exist, because the show managed to capture so elegantly the motives of each character and why they acted as they did. Seasons two, three and four brought the same brilliant realism, intrigue and storytelling but upped the ante with some incredible spectacle, I remember watching the battle of kings landing for the first time, seeing the shot of wildfire explode and thinking this show was just something else, season three brought serious shock in terms of the red wedding and season four showed off the shows continuous ability for intense battle sequences mixed with great character development during the battle for the wall. The first four seasons for me are basically near perfect, I’m sure there are flaws here and there but none I can remember too well, they facilitate game of thrones as one of the greatest shows on television.

Season five is where things began to change a little for me, not greatly though, season five was still fantastic, the plot with the sons of harpy, the tensions on the wall, in Mereen and so forth but I felt the pacing did struggle at some points especially in Mereen and Kings Landing, luckily by the end of the season I felt things really begin to kick off as Dany had to fall to the whims of the slavers and re open the fighting pits, Cersei got in hot bother with the sons of the harpy and was arrested for her sins and who could forget Hardhome, it was amazing. However even though season five was still a high quality part of the thrones story it does to some degree begin to mark the beginning of the end as this was when things really began to deviate from the books, I hadn’t read the books the first time I saw season five so I wasn’t sure what I was missing out on, but my god, I’m up to date on the Song of Ice and Fire novels now and there is some difference, mainly where a certain place named Dorne is concerned, this is where most people’s complains about season five stem from, the whole Dorne arc seemed to be a little rushed and quite flimsy at points, but this was game of thrones, it had delivered so much, so why would we have been worried? Well I certainly wasn’t but looking back now this was where you can really put the show creators into question, they properly deviated from the books this time and it was up to them and their own creativity and it was the first time the show seemed to fall short a little, not that I hated the Dorne arc or anything but at the same time the frustration people feel comes from how good it was in the books I believe.

Season six, I really enjoyed season six, it was the point where the show seemed to really be moving on to its grand conclusion, Bran was having visions about Ned Stark and Lyanna and if you had seen any internet theory video on the fabled R + L = J then you knew what was coming, the hype was real, Jamie was facing off the Blackfish in a part now taken from the books, rather than his Dorne arc which the show writers created the season before and the change in quality here with a sequence from the book was more evident, the battle of the bastards gave us one of the most gut wrenching and intense battles not just on TV but really in any medium, straight out of a movie really, who could also forget Cersei’s glorious revenge against everyone who ever screwed her over when she blew up the Sept of Baelor and finally the season ended with Dany making her way to the seven kingdoms, season six for me was absolute quality and I think we were all pretty hyped for what was to come in season seven.

But then, all of a sudden, something was different. Season seven was when things began to truly go downhill; the show had veered off from the books fully now and it was up to the show’s creators to keep the quality up, season seven for me was poor for a number of reasons, the biggest flaw for me was how they had completely thrown away game of thrones’ realism, not in terms of fantasy, the white walkers and dragons are fine, but how it became a show where things happened for plot convenience and really badly at that, people were using teleportation all over the map by this point like the show was an MMO or something, beyond the wall was the perfect example of this, we see Jon, Tormund, the hound and the rest of the gang travelling north to capture a Wight, its cool to finally see so many beloved characters in one place but at the same time the whole thing feels messy, it looks like a hard and long trek and they send Gendry back to the wall when they’re in trouble because he’s ‘the fastest’, Gendry makes it back to the wall in record time and sends a raven off to Dany, the raven reaches her and she’s off to the north to fight the white walkers, meanwhile Jon and the gang are surrounded by hundreds of the dead, things felt so sped up by this point, there was no pacing, everything was going on at once. Another issue with season seven was to do with the death of intrigue and compelling writing, Kings Landing, where pretty much every scene from the show was riddled with genius dialogue and political stakes was now completely forgettable, not once in season seven or eight did you actually see a crowd of nobles watching the queen decide the fate of the realm, it was simply Cersei and her closest allies treating with Euron and not much else, I was really disappointed with how little interest seemed to be going on in Kings Landing, as for Winterfell, my god, I was furious with the treatment of one certain character, Arya, she was easily one of my favourite characters in the show until this point. The entire debacle for me was over how her relationship was handled with Sansa, they seemed to force some kind of split between the sisters for the sake of it and it just felt completely uncalled for, I get that sisters are like to argue but Arya was pointing out such strange things about Sansa, she was genuinely trying to do what was best for the people of Winterfell but Arya began accusing her of all sorts, of being power hungry, narcissistic and self-serving, I really just didn’t buy it, if they gave it more time and some more development of such an idea like Sansa really trying to uproot what Jon was doing as King in the north then I would have understood, but it really just seemed like the show creators were forcing a divide between the sisters so they could have an excuse to build tension, then have them reunite to kill Littlefinger, which to me was also a bit of disappointment, I think a lot of us didn’t expect Littlefinger to go out so easily, he seemed like he could have a plan for almost anything, if it did come to the point where he was put on trial for being more or less a giant snake wouldn’t he have something up his sleeve? like how maybe the Lords of the vale are under his rule, bound by law to serve their lord, when Robb Stark executed Lord Karstark the north lost all Karstark men, when Sansa executes Littlefinger the Vale just shrugs it off, meh, is basically their reaction, this is the vale which loyally served a lunatic of a women, everyone could see how much Lysa Arryn had lost her mind, but the laws are laws, people must follow their Lords and ladies, such is the nature of Westeros and its culture, or so we’d think, the men of the Vale allow their Lord Littlefinger to perish, Littlefinger being a supposed genius, wouldn’t he think something like, I don’t know, ‘I should probably make sure all the vale is loyal to me so they love me and protect me’ the man is always tactical and conniving, finally he is the Lord of an entire people and he doesn’t really use this to his advantage at all. The dynamic between Dany and Jon Snow was fairly interesting; Jon refuses to have the North bend the knee to the iron throne once more regardless of who is sitting on it, but he also needs Dany for the obsidian down in the Dragonstone mines, it’s a pretty interesting plot, yet still I found the dialogue wasn’t as conveying as the previous seasons where the words which came out of characters mouths were like music to my ears. It was in season seven I began to worry that the lack of episode count in the season really pushed the writers to hurry up and get this thing moving, therefore sacrificing a lot of the shows quality.

Let’s move on to the final season, game of thrones had a much needed years break it seemed to me, I was glad about this, I mean look how long it’s taking Georgie to write the next book Winds of Winter so by all means go ahead HBO and give the show some time to work on what it needs to, so the first episode aired and well, I was excited you know, they had a year off so things seemed to look up, but erm, well I wasn’t exactly super impressed by the opening scenes, one in particular, we’ve got Tyrion and Varys in a carriage, famed for their trading of incredible wit and knowledge, clearly the years have not been kind to Tyrion as all he can muster up in this scene is, “I have balls and you don’t” I know it’s not much but for me it really just set the tone of how dialogue would be handled this season. The next episode picked things up a little for me, there was more character development, Samwell is traumatized by the news of his father and tells Jon of his true heritage and Sansa is also none too happy about Dany and the power she now has over the North, it seemed like things were moving in the direction of some in-fighting, Sansa would maybe raise the north up against Dany, Jon would be highly conflicted on the matter and friends would have to turn on friends, classic game of thrones, I was thinking maybe they would end up destroying each other, and as the white walkers come they are decimated, too busy fighting politics the white walkers end up causing serious damage the living, thus the lesson is humanity could not hope to survive divided. Anyhow the white walkers invade in episode three, now this episode for the most part I found really enjoyable, the action was crazy, it was intense and the visuals were something else, scenes like the Dothraki swords being lit on fire got me all chuffed about how far the show had come and Arya being trapped in the library with a bunch of Wights was gut wrenching, however then comes the end of the episode, in a twist pretty much nobody was expecting, Arya kills the Night King, well damn, there it was, the apocalypse was over, it was very strange to say the least, no one expected it to happen, I was one of the people who was a little optimistic about the season still, I got it, so the Night King is beat and the final battle is for the iron throne, ok I guess it is all about the Iron throne at heart but still it did leave a strange taste in my mouth as the shows greatest enemy was defeated before the final episodes, it felt like whatever could happen now was just a little underwhelming compared to the fight against the dead, all this we heard about no wars mattering but the great war as Jon would say, but now it was over. In the next episode Dany declares optimistically that ‘the we have won the great war, now we will win the last war’ ok cool I get it, I’m thinking let’s see what the show has to offer from here, the party scene shows that everyone loves Jon Snow and that Dany is becoming very insecure about her ability to rule as everyone loves Jon and that he is also the rightful heir to the throne, this all seemed well and good to me, things were getting interesting, sure the dialogue still was off par compared to earlier seasons but I was still behind the program here, despite my fears, by this point a lot of people seemed to have lost faith in game of thrones, I understand this, the decline here was evident but I was kind of hopeful that despite the bad writing and entire rushed feel of the final season the ending would be satisfactory, therefore not taking away from the shows overall glory. As episode four continued some more questionable things began to happen, Rhaegon is straight up shot out of the sky with four straight bolts placed perfectly, it all happened in an instant, so fast I couldn’t really process it, Dany then goes into a rage and heads straight to Euron’s ships to toast them all, as at least a dozen more bolts are shot this time and Drogon is arguably in better range they all seem to miss? The plot armor is pretty strong here, never the less Dany retreats and Euron’s fleet destroys Dany’s. Oh and I almost forgot to mention, let’s take a pause from the episode and have a look at one certain character, Euron Greyjoy, if you haven’t read the books then I’ll explain things for you, Euron from the books is a straight up psychopath, his presence is felt in every page he’s in, the way he is portrayed in the books is brilliant, he’s extremely selfish, power hungry, savage yet also comes across intelligent in a horrifically manipulative way, he’s also very mysterious, the man came back from travelling all over the world, he’s seen things no one else in Westeros has but in the show, he’s pretty dull to be honest, he’s mad but in just a silly lunatic fashion more than anything else, I just don’t think anyone is that bothered about Euron in the show, he’s not a great character, I’m ok with things being different from the books, its fine, but Euron isn’t different to the book in an interesting way, he’s just a really bad version of the real Euron, this is illustrating my point further that the writers don’t seem to be handling things well if it’s not taken from the book, which is sad because in earlier seasons there’s scenes that aren’t in the books that are exclusively part of the show that are brilliant pieces of dialogue, every exchange between Littlefinger and Varys in the show is purely the show writers creation, ‘the chaos is a ladder’ scene isn’t in the books, and it is one of the shows definite high lights. Back to the main story, Dany makes it to Kings Landing and Cersei declares she will not be making peace any time soon, thus beheading a captured Missandei, ok so we all know what is coming, one final battle for Kings Landing. Episode five, some scenes in this episode are actually great, Tyrion setting Jaimie free and them having a brotherly bond hit me hard, visually everything was excellent and you truly felt right in the middle of the onslaught. Drogon absolutely rips through Euron’s fleet like butter, which was weird to me because the season set up how dangerous the scorpions (the giant dragon killing crossbow machines) were to dragons but apparently not, there’s plenty on the city walls and on Euron’s ships but Drogon evades all and destroys every one of them, finally he flies back to the front of the city and destroys the golden company who are meant to be pretty formidable but they completely disappoint, they just act as more cannon fodder really, also I was well salty that no elephants appeared, why even set that up just to tear down our expectations? Then the moment that shocked us all, the men of Kings Landing surrender despite Cersei’s commands, yet Dany decidedly burns the whole city anyway and murders plenty of innocents as part of her rage. So this is where pretty much 90% of the shows audience turns on the show, that’s not an exact statistic but it seems like a whole lot of people got furious here, I want to go in deep on Dany’s turn to full madness, some of it can be explained, she was insecure that the thing she has worked for so hard is now out of reach because she is not in fact the true heir despite believing that for most of her life, she’s lost two of her dragons and one of her closest advisers betrayed her via her lover revealing he is in fact the true heir, it’s tough we can definitely say that, but does it merit what the creators did with Dany, overall no I don’t think so, certain signs were indeed there, she nailed nobles of Mereen to crosses independent of their part in the slave trade and burned one of them to root out the sons of the harpies, from her slow decline you could see how Dany becomes less of savior to more of a lawful bad in serve of the greater good, she wants the best but she’ll be absolute in judgement to achieve it, however the slaughter we see in Kings Landing is chaotic evil, not lawful, it’s just utter madness, killing soldiers in an army is lawful and cannot be avoided, their all farmers and villagers when you think about it, enlisted into the ranks but in war killing them is virtually unavoidable, however I don’t think Dany could see murdering innocent children as unavoidable, the greater good always seemed in her best interest, serving the oppressed in society, here she murders everyone she claimed to once motivate her, her turn to madness is just, well, mad. Her character is completely butchered and not just her, Cersei’s ending I found to be pretty underwhelming, I felt the shows undoubtedly greatest villain should have gone out in a blaze of glory and madness, Cersei was truly mad, yet she gives up completely while Dany takes the spotlight of lunatic, it just doesn’t seem right, it feels completely rushed. Moving onto the final episode, I was hoping despite all that had happened this episode could make the ending still satisfying to a degree, everyone would have to fight Dany and restore order to the kingdom, again the visuals are stunning, the scene where Drogons wings fly over Dany and it looks like she’s half human half dragon was crazy good, I also loved how the throne room looked exactly the same as it did in season two when she had her vision of the red keep, but the action is over before it starts, with Jon killing Dany while she kisses him, it was certainly an anti-climax, what happens from here is by far the worst.

This is where I just wanted the show to end already, there are so many strange things going on in the finale, Grey worm decides to not kill Jon Snow despite already being shown as blood crazed and exclusively loyal to Dany, Grey worm has been in Westeros for maybe a year or less I’m not sure and at no point does he show any care for the other lords of the kingdom, only his queens law, as you’d expect, he’s from the other side of the world and it was Dany who saved him from slavery, he only came to Westeros to serve Dany, but for some reason he keeps both Tyrion and Jon alive and awaits the judgement of some nobles he barely knows or cares about, and what great judgement they all have. This was the biggest crime of all for me, Tyrion spouts some absolute garbage about stories uniting people, to one point I get it, everyone loves a good story about their ruler but really it just wasn’t a very convincing reason overall for me, and to choose Bran as the King of Westeros, what… the … f### ok so the reasoning for Bran to be king is that he, well, knows everything, but this isn’t even a good reason, a king must have heart, he must sympathise with his people and make a choice for the realm he believes is right, having an overpowered omniscient wizard as king is a terrible choice, Bran is so un-relatable, he can’t even connect to his siblings, telling Sansa how she looked beautiful during one of the most traumatising moments of her life and completely freaking her out for example in season seven, Bran also has zero experience ruling anything, he is literally the least suitable choice for king out of everyone sat there, just elect the Dornish geezer because he has a cool beard, that makes for a good story, Brans sister who has survived the Lannisters, Littlefinger and Ramsey Bolton and has also got experience ruling the north is just passed up for the magical tree wizard, I was happy Sansa ended up ruling the north but really did Tyrion not consider her for the throne? She even shows her commanding presence when she completely shuts down her uncle who tries to state why he should be king. Now what about the other characters, Jon gets sent back to the wall, what an unsatisfying character arc for the man rising above his constant mistreatment through childhood as the bastard, as the soldier on the wall, to lord commander, to king in the north, the ultimate underdog, oh then back to the wall, it’s just ridiculous and he doesn’t even seem bothered, neither do his siblings, then he goes off with the wildlings to I assume become king of the free folk which isn’t really explained but we just take it as it is, poor effort I think. The complete decline of smart decisions is shown off with the new small council, why is Bronn on the small council! This is completely baffling, I liked Bronn’s whole point of all Lords and houses beginning out as cut throats, Littlefinger started out from nothing but he’s a devious genius who worked his way up to the small council, Bronn is just there, chilling as the new master of coin literally nothing but a bloodthirsty mercenary, I mean who needs someone with actual knowledge of Westeros’ economy anyway? It was simply so we could see a familiar character we once liked be there for maybe an attempt of fan service or something, it’s strange the final season on one hand feels like a bad attempt of fan service but then also a bad attempt of completely subverting fan expectations.

So, game of thrones, this is how I feel overall, it was my favourite tv show hands down, it was genius, the first four seasons are near perfect to me, I’d say the decline of this show is down to two main things, the deviation from the books, unfortunately the writers of the show don’t live up to George R.R Martins masterful way with words, the rushed nature, they only had two seasons to finish everything up, with less episodes too, we cannot fully blame the writers, I think in earlier seasons they demonstrated an ability to make great original content for the show, but with the added pressure of finishing the show in just two seasons and thirteen episodes this just put things in disarray, the mistreating of characters, bad dialogue, flimsy plot choices and an unsatisfactory ending. However despite this I’d say we can still enjoy the good parts of this show, like any form of art, its subject to interpretation, nothing can be perfect and this is ok, I hope the writers of game of thrones take all criticism constructively and don’t get disheartened by the some of the monumental hate they’re getting, this is how art improves, through feedback, I don’t think game of thrones should be rewritten or anything like some are proposing, take it for what it is and enjoy the show for what it once was, a masterpiece and it’s not like there were not some enjoyable parts in the last season, the battle for Winterfell in episode three of season eight was genuinely incredible to me, and who’s to say if you loved the last two seasons you’re wrong, this is simply my opinion so by all means if you loved game of thrones all the way through, more power to you, don’t let others ruin your opinion, I think it’s important for us all to have our own opinion on shows and other forms of entertainment, this is mine, let me know yours! Thanks for reading, peace dudes : )

#gameofthrones #gameofthronesreview #got season 8 #tv review #fantasy #a song of ice and fire #d & d #george rr martin

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saeitoshi · 6 years

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Alright, this is going to be a theory post first of all focusing on Flame possibly cheating to help Soulburner whenever he uses his “Burning Draw” skill. The overall question being addressed is: Are the Ignis cheating to help their duelists win?

If Flame cheating for Soulburner is true, then the possibility opens up to Ai also cheating for Playmaker with his “Storm Access” skill. However, there’s not really any concrete evidence for this case that I can think of from the top of my head (plus I unfortunately don’t have the time to rewatch all 50+ episodes), but I will address this case as much as I can.

The post will wrap up with the significance of this theory if it does end up being true, which focuses mainly on the information we learn in Episode 43. I did not expect this part to be such a long section at all, but re-watching the episode surprised me with much more potential foreshadowing than I expected.

A quick heads up, this is by no means defending the writing, but simply a theory that may explain the purpose behind the direction that the writers have taken.

1. Flame’s potential cheating with Soulburner’s “Burning Draw.”

A major issue that has many worried is the constant Soulburner wins since his appearance, especially the back-to-back victories against Go and Blue Girl. Could it be purely poor writing? Perhaps. However, it could also be exceptional writing as it deliberately shows his victories repeatedly. All of Soulburner’s wins so far ultimately rely on his skill “Burning Draw,” which depletes his LP to 100 but allows him to draw a card for every 1000 LP he lost.

What if his skill, however, is being manipulated by Flame? What if whenever Soulburner uses “Burning Draw,” Flame hijacks the duel disk and shuffles the deck so that Soulburner draws the exact card that he needs to win? This would give reason to showing Soulburner winning again and again, to emphasize that he only wins through Flame’s cheating, and not through his own prowess.

For Flame and Soulburner’s case, this post is only going to be looking at Episode 56, since I feel like the earlier episodes with them didn’t give any obvious hints towards this possibility. If this theory is true, then I believe that the writers deliberately placed these hints in this particular duel where Soulburner was being pushed to his limits, where he struggled the most in the entire series thus far.

It started in the middle of the duel when Soulburner is down to 900 LP at the end of his turn. When Flame notes that Soulburner is whining, he says this:

Now these comments by themselves can be easily played off as Flame being the sarcastic AI that he is, as even Soulburner notes, but he continues on:

I’m going to analyze these two lines first before showing more screenshots.

a) For the first line, Flame is repeating the exact words that Soulburner said in reference to Soulburner praising Blue Girl for her dueling skills as the charismatic duelist and hero of LINK VRAINS, and yet this line still holds meaning in Flame’s case.

If Flame is using it in the same manner as Soulburner did, then Flame “being an excellent AI partner” that gives Soulburner “the edge” over Blue Girl is an objective truth. If Flame was simply the “compassionate observer” that he teases that he is, then this is less of an objective form of assistance, but more of a subjective form based on feelings and emotions that doesn’t necessarily actually help Soulburner with his duel. An objective form of help is more concrete, like something that can actually affect the end result of the duel.

b) The second line is much more apparent, as Flame notes that with his help, Soulburner’s “dormant abilities may bloom.” This line implies that Flame can do much more than simply cheer from the sidelines to aid him in the duel. Especially in the context of duels in VRAINS, Flame could be referencing to Soulburner’s skill when he says “abilities.”

Moving on to later on in the duel, by the end of Blue Girl’s next turn, Soulburner states that he is in a “pretty bad situation.” Flame responds as so:

Flame mentions that there is ONE card that will turn the duel around, and both Soulburner and Flame know exactly which one it is (the card “Fusion of Fire”). Notice the LARGE amount of cards in Soulburner’s deck, and yet Flame insists that it is still possible to win. However, it would take a miracle to make it happen with that many cards left in the deck.

Soulburner then proceeds to draw, but is not able to draw the card he needs to win and says this line:

Flame’s response to this is the most intriguing to me, and made me start thinking about the theory in the first place:

Although again, this can be played off as his sarcastic self, another way to interpret this is that Soulburner never relied on destiny in the first place to help win any of his duels, including those that he won with his skill. Soulburner instead had other ways that ensured his victory, and that his amazing draws that won him duels were not simply due to luck.

Flame continues his response with this:

This can also be interpreted as Flame not wanting Soulburner to lose, but Flame is purposefully taunting Soulburner to use his skill. However Flame keeps mentioning to Soulburner to forget about destiny, because it’s irrelevant in the outcome of the duel itself.

Of course when Soulburner does use his skill, lo and behold:

Soulburner gets the card he needed. Flame also mentions destiny a third time over the course of a couple of minutes, as if to imply to Soulburner that he doesn’t need a “Goddess of Destiny” to draw the right card; he just needs Flame to do it.

This basically results in the end of the duel, so there’s not much else to mention for Flame and Soulburner’s case. In my opinion, this was the most vocal that Flame has been during a duel with Soulburner, which brought his comments into my awareness even more than it normally would.

An ending note: after the duel when Soulburner praises Blue Girl for becoming stronger, Flame ends it off repeating this same line again:

Flame, I get it, you’re important.

On a more serious note, repetition can be a very important factor in the context of foreshadowing. Similar to how Flame kept on mentioning “destiny,” the fact that he continues to say that Soulburner won because he had “an excellent AI” to help him starts to bring this fact to the viewers’ attention, that perhaps Flame was actually the deciding factor of Soulburner winning the duel, through his possible manipulation of Soulburner’s skill in the final turn.

2. Ai’s potential cheating with Playmaker’s “Storm Access.”

Like I mentioned before, there is not really any obvious hints that I know of which Ai gives away about possibly cheating (and therefore no screenshots to accompany this section). Even so, there may possibly be foreshadowing in the previous episodes that I'm not aware of, but won’t be addressed here unfortunately.

However, I will address the possible implications pertaining to Ai’s influence with Playmaker’s skill “Storm Access,” which allows Playmaker to grab a new card from the Data Storm when his LP reaches 1000 or lower. Similar to Soulburner, Playmaker has not yet had any losses in the series, and Playmaker’s winning streak all started with the first duel in Episode 2 when he first used his skill.

We all know that by this current arc, Ai is able to fully manipulate the Data Storm where he can freely summon and dissipate it at will. However the question remains, how much control did he have before this?

In Episode 1, Ai was able to at least summon the Data Storm, but whether that was the full extent of his control is unknown. Although it is possible that after leaving Yusaku for 3 months, he went from having almost no control of the Data Storm to having complete control of it, the power gap seems to be an extreme one to leave off-screen. However, what if instead of it being a large power jump, Ai actually had much more control than was initially assumed?

By Episode 42, we can tell that Ai could not control the instability of the Data Storm, so what else could he have control of if he did have more than we thought? The cards available for Playmaker.

Again, I’m not aware of any blatant signs that Ai has dropped to imply this, but if Flame does prove to actually hijack Soulburner’s skill, then it is also a viable possibility that Ai would do the same. Ai has been known to lie to Playmaker before with no ill intentions, and since we know that Ai from the beginning was aware that Playmaker was his duelist from the Lost Incident, Ai would be more than willing to influence the cards that Playmaker would receive in the Data Storm to help him win his duels.

3. What is the significance of this theory to the plot if it’s true?

The significance is essentially found in the major plot point of this series. Revisiting Episode 43, Ryoken explains the entire backstory of Dr. Kogami and the Ignis, and talks about Dr. Kogami’s prediction after “billions of simulations:”

If we assume the “billions of simulations” are in fact true, then the Ignis will be the cause of humanity’s downfall. This heavily implies that there will be tension between humans and AIs in the near future. However, if there are humans like Yusaku and Takeru who get along with their Ignis, then how would this ultimately become an issue? As long as the winning team (aka Playmaker and Soulburner) keep winning, the end result should be that humans and AIs live peacefully.

There are two possible reasons that this could occur:

a) Playmaker and Soulburner both lose and SOL Technologies/the other unknown enemy begin to mistreat the AIs and trigger a war between humans and AIs.

This is certainly a possible route that can happen, but it’s less likely of the two. The main reason is that Dr. Kogami never predicts that only some of the Ignis will be the cause of humanity’s end, but rather all of the Ignis play a certain role in this, including Ai and Flame.

In this first situation, Ai and Flame would both still stay by Playmaker and Soulburner’s side regardless of whether they lost or not. Therefore they would not be able to have any part in being a part of humanity’s enemy.

(Also if this theory also becomes true, then there is no way Playmaker and Soulburner would ever lose with Ai and Flame’s help and this reason becomes a completely moot point.)

b) Ai and Flame ends up being the ones distrusted by the duelist counterparts, and inadvertently trigger the war between humans and AIs.

This reason is more plausible, especially because we know that the Ignis are more than capable of lying when they need to after Ai’s example.

There’s no denying that both Yusaku and Takeru have a deep bond with their AIs. Even though Yusaku denied having any trust in Ai early on in Episode 42, there have been subtle hints in the following episodes that show that Yusaku does care about Ai.

The trust that Yusaku has with Ai isn’t necessarily spoken, given Yusaku’s reserved nature, but rather in Yusaku’s facial expressions. Throughout the series, there are even moments of silence in some episodes where you simply observe Yusaku’s expressions to understand him as a character (this could even be made into its own post). Regardless of whether he speaks it or simply shows it with his expressions, Yusaku does view Ai as a close companion.

However, what happens if Yusaku and Takeru’s trust between Ai and Flame dissolves? The tension between humans and AIs that already exists (as we saw with Windy’s distrust in humans in Episode 55) would grow even more, and without any Ignis/human pair able to mitigate the tension, it would only continue to augment through the help of SOL Technologies/the other unknown enemy.

If this second reason does end up being the correct one, how would the trust between the two pairs be lost? We can find the answer in this theory. If indeed this theory is true, then Yusaku and Takeru’s trust in their AI partners can easily be lost if they find out that all of their duels have been rigged by them.

Dr. Kogami continues his explanation further:

Even Dr. Kogami himself is shocked to find out that AIs will become enemies to humans. He believed that the Ignis only have good intentions for humans, and that they could coincide peacefully with each other.

Then we can start to wonder, what if both the simulations and Dr. Kogami’s belief that the Ignis simply want to help people are correct?

It could easily be possible, again, with this theory. If Flame and Ai actually are cheating, they have pure intentions to assist Soulburner and Playmaker to help them win their matches. However, this could also lead to a potential strain in their trust if the two duelists ever found out about it, leading to an eventual tension between humans and AIs.

In fact, if we keep listening in on Ryoken’s conversation with his father, when Ryoken asks why the Ignis would do such a thing, this is what Dr. Kogami explains:

These are the exact words that Dr. Kogami says is the primary cause. Let’s dissect these two lines for a moment.

c) In the first line, he mentions that the AIs will essentially be watching over humans. If we think about the current Ignis that are with their duelists, they are basically “supervising” humans, specifically their human partner from the Lost Incident.

Now we start to think, what is the actual definition of “supervision” by the AIs that Dr. Kogami is referring to? Is it simply just observing, or giving emotional encouragement? Or is it something more practical, like, for instance, useful assistance to make sure that their duelists will be okay no matter what? (a.k.a. Flame and Ai cheating through Soulburner’s and Playmaker’s skills to ensure that those two always win.)

d) The second line is much more prominent when you align it with this theory. The concept of Flame and Ai cheating through their “supervision” would cause people (i.e. Soulburner and Playmaker) to view AIs as their enemy due to their distrust of them. Once again, this would lead to the inevitable clash between humans and AIs.

This is basically all of the information provided in Episode 43, and there’s not much to say beyond this. I do want to emphasize that in regards to this theory, if the humans and AIs do become enemies because of everything listed, Hanoi would still ironically be the main culprit that started it all.

This in itself could also be its own post, but basically Hanoi were the ones who attacked Cyberse first, the ones who ultimately caused the reunion of humans and Ignis who were living in their own separate worlds. They were the ones who instigated the distrust between humans and AIs (which is confirmed by Windy’s distrust in humans after the Hanoi incident).

Even though the distrust would be amplified due to this theory, the original cause would still be from Hanoi’s hands, in spite of their ultimate goal to avoid conflict between humans and AIs.

#vrains #yugioh vrains #ygo vrains #yugioh #ygo #spoilers #theories #text #long post #random me #this took an extreme amount of time but i hope you all enjoy it! i certainly had fun making it :')#the total time making this was over 8 hours haha #thank you to all who managed to read it! i really appreciate it if you were able to ^^#feel free to leave any additional hints that you may have noticed throughout the series or any comments as well!

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callunavulgari · 7 years

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Year-In-Fic

How many fics did you write this year? What was your total wordcount? 26 fics, which is a million times better than my nine from last year, so I’m counting it as a win! 59,441 words, so clearly all of those 1-2k fics added up.

Fic Roundup!

1. Piece From a Satyr Play | Star Wars | Reylo | 141 words

Her hair is done up in white ribbons, three enormously lopsided buns trailing down the back of her neck.

2. Wasted Early Sunday Morning | Star Wars | Reylo | 434 words

Her skin is smoother than his, smoother than many of the people that he’s touched in his life, and he aches to touch it now, watching her stretch lazily in the early morning sunlight, spine arching like a cats.

3. Cosmic Love | Stargate Atlantis | Mcshep | 786 words

There’s solid matter under the palm of his hand, a beating pulse, and a heart to go with it. A living person that Rodney thought that they’d lost.

4. can’t help but be wrong in the dark | The Flash | Barry/Julian | 2,942 words

The day that Allen had snarled an insult back in response to one of Julian’s cutting remarks, he’d gone home and fisted his cock furiously, thinking about the slant of Allen’s mouth and how it would look smeared with come. How Allen’s hair would feel, knotted in Julian’s fingers as he fucked his mouth.

5. eat flowers, breathe light | Stargate Atlantis | Mcshep |1585 words

John gives Rodney a dreamy smile, swaying slightly towards him, and says, “You have really beautiful eyes, you know that?”

6. Bifurcation Theory | Teen Wolf | Stiles/Derek/Lydia | 7208 words

Lydia sucks in another shaky breath, trying to think of a polite way to explain that she’s sorry, that this was a mistake, and she didn’t mean to bother him. Just as she’s opening her mouth, Derek sighs gustily, the sound breaking apart with static in her ear. “What’s Stiles done now?” he asks, his tone resigned.

7. Ain’t At Home (Home’s Where I’m Going) | Horizon Zero Dawn | Aloy/Everyone | 6857 words

“Not all comforts are bad,” Vala whispers, and Aloy shudders apart.

8. love, can’t protect you now | Stargate Atlantis | Mcshep | 1635 words

“When they come,” Rodney tells him quietly, “I won’t kill you.”

9. Say You’ll Be There | The Flash | Barry/Iris, Barry/Thawne | 1159 words

Barry swallows, fingers tangling with hers, and says, “Storms make me think of him.”

10. it’s warm, this skin i’m living in | SGA | Rodney/John | 1,170 words

When he is thirty-seven years old, John Sheppard thinks about the universe.

11. it’s good to be in love, it really does suit you | KH | Sora/Riku/Kairi | 1,694 words

“We’ve done dangerous before.” Sora shrugs. “Getting a mortgage was dangerous, but we did it anyway.”

12. a hazy shade of winter | Stranger Things | Steve/Nancy/Jonathan | 1,863 words

In November, they build a tree house.

13. can’t deny your appetite | SGA | Mcshep | 4,031 words

John finds out that there’s a vampire in Atlantis the day after they’ve stepped through the gate.

He finds out that the vampire in question is Rodney McKay four weeks later, when they’re all hunkered down in the yawning shadow of some crumbling ruins and Rodney looks at him, his eyes eerily bright in the darkness, sees the blood on John’s face, and says, “Oh.”

14. caught off guard by you | FFXV | Prompto/Noctis | 1,671 words

“I just got you back,” Prompto says quietly, words muffled into the curve of Noctis’s neck.

15. take me to church | Teen Wolf | Sterek |3,129 words

Derek scoffs. “You want to take me back to Quantico.”

16. how to be eaten by a woman | Star Wars | Reylo | 1,350 words

“So why don’t you do it?” he asks, breathless. His chest is heaving, his mouth open, gasping for breath.

“Do what?” Rey asks, and thinks about biting his mouth.

The corners of his lips tick upwards. Kylo squints at her, half-smiling. “That.”

17. move the stars for no one | SGA/Labyrinth | Mcshep | 3,049 words

“You have no power over me,” Rodney whispers, just to see the way that the Goblin King’s eyes narrow - how he steps closer, until his narrow hips are pressed up against the footboard.

He slouches in towards Rodney, sways toward him, his clever eyes hooded, and smiles like he’s won something. Asks, “You sure about that?”

18. is this love? | SW | Reylo | 4,013 words

“It’s okay,” her brother tells her on their wedding night, lowering himself to sit on the floor beside her, until his nose is level with her shaking knees. When he smiles, he looks like a monster. “You don’t have to love me.”

Then he goes to sleep on the couch, taking only a threadbare pillow from their marriage bed.

19. rise again | SGA/SW/Dishonored | Rey, Emily, and John Sheppard | 952 words

“You’re Emily Kaldwin.” A pause. “You are, aren’t you?”

Emily blows out a loud sigh, giving him an annoyed look, as if he’s to blame for the fact that she’s the most recognizable face in all the Isles. “Might be.”

“Huh,” the girl says, and takes a seat right there on the floor. “I’m Rey.”

20. i hope you’ll be happy, miss tara joan | SGA | Rodney/John, original child character | 360 words

They turn off John’s life support on a Thursday.

21. blue lips, blue veins | Voltron | Keith & Allura | 655 words

“I am not,” he says stubbornly, “kissing you awake.”

22. jewel of the south | Dishonored/Star Wars | Corvo & Rey | 686 words

The girl watches him warily, hunkered down in a nest of blankets in the corner. She’s a squatter, that much is obvious from her thin, patched clothing and the general disrepair of the apartment that Corvo’s found himself in. He blinks around, eyes lighting on a sofa, a desk, a couple rat-gnawed shoes.

“You’re bleeding all over my floor,” she says flatly, her eyes heavy on him.

“I’m bleeding all over your balcony,” he corrects, and wavers hard enough that his other leg gives out from under him. “And I’m mostly sure that it isn’t yours.”

23. when the autumn moon is bright | SGA | Mcshep | 2,881 words

There weren’t, strictly speaking, supposed to be wolves in Atlantis.

24. hard and heavy, dirty and mean | Stranger Things | Steve/Billy | 2,846 words

“Remember,” he whispers in Steve’s ear, his breath hot. “You wanted this.”

25. I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus | SGA | Mcshep | 3,855 words

Rodney can’t see much about the man inside of the Santa costume from where he’s standing, the wig and beard hides what the suit doesn’t, but there’s something in his mannerisms that makes Rodney feel a spark of familiarity. He swallows and is still trying to puzzle it out when the Santa finishes with the little girl and turns their way.

John Sheppard looks back out at Rodney from behind a fuzzy white Santa beard, his eyes widening almost imperceptibly as they shift from Rodney to Charlie and then back again.

Jesus - fucking - Christ.

26. The Yawning Grave | Star Wars | Gen, Possible Reylo | 2,489 words | WIP

does the skywalker choose the path, or the path the skywalker? [or: the sabriel au that no one asked for]

Best story I wrote this year: take me to church, hands down. Coming back to Sterek, after two years away felt like coming home. Stepping back into Stiles and Derek’s world, into their feelings for each other, was an amazing experience. I miss them, and I love them still, and the story that I gave myself the chance to write was dreamy and quiet, and just so entirely conveys the feel that I wanted to achieve this year.

What’s your favorite story this year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you the happiest. Probably a toss up between is this love?, take me to church, and move the stars for no one. Those were the fics that I felt most at home in, the ones that came easily and quietly, like stepping into a comfy robe.

Okay, NOW your most popular story. hard and heavy, dirty and mean comes in first at 992 kudos, 12,356 hits, and 228 bookmarks. I had the good fortune of posting it right after Stranger Things 2 came out, so it got nearly as much traffic as the fic that I wrote last year for the Stranger Things fandom. It is entirely filthy locker room porn between Steve and the latest asshole to be introduced to the high school, and basically exactly the itch that I needed scratched after watching the season. Story of mine most underappreciated by the universe, in my opinion: I’m, um. Maybe a little bit put out that I published the first chapter of The Yawning Grave, and it’s only gotten seven kudos. I mean, it’s a prologue, and I made it abundantly clear that I wasn’t sure when the next three chapters would be out, but it was still a little bit of a downer, considering how long I’ve been fretting about the fic itself.

Most fun story to write: jewel of the south was super fun to write, but I tend to have fun with all of my crossover prompts. Imagining Rey in the Dishonored universe (twice!) was great fun, and I would totally do it again. I’m going to pretend that this isn’t tickling the portion of my brain that wants to write a Reylo AU where Rey is the street orphan in Karnaca that Empress Ben Organa runs into when he’s on the run. Don’t think that way, Heather.

Story that could have been better? I think that all of my fics could be better in certain ways, and the day that I don’t feel that way I’ll have gotten too conceited to live. I think the one that bugs me the most is one that I haven’t even published yet. Because I hit a snag with the plot and can’t decide if I feel like going back and changing everything or if there’s a handy work around. If we aren’t counting this one, caught off guard by you was the Prompto/Noctis tragic love story that was supposed to be two or three times as large as it is now, and also feature tent sex.

Story I wrote to fix things: take me to church and Bifurcation Theory. The first I wrote because I received a prompt regarding Derek and Stiles around the time that the first episode of the last season aired. I didn’t watch it, but I did see the scene where Stiles does a literal spit-take upon seeing a shirtless Derek on screen in his FBI class. My brain basically went, ‘huh, they’re gonna fuck it up’ and so I just went for it. As far as I’m concerned, it’s canon.

The second I wrote after I’d reluctantly let myself watch season 6. 6A? Whatever. I was pretty intrigued by the idea of Stiles being taken and forgotten, and I don’t mind Stydia, so I watched it and Bifurcation Theory is basically what I wanted to happen.

Longest completed fic this year: Bifurcation Theory, at 7k. So, you know. Not particularly long at all.

Fandom you enjoyed writing for most this year: I actually had a lot of fun dipping my toes into the Stargate Atlantis fandom this year. The people are all really great, and I wish that I’d been around for the old days. Alas, I was up to my eyeballs in anime and Kingdom Hearts.

Favorite character you wrote this year: Toss up between Lydia and Rodney. I like both of their brains, for - weirdly - a lot of the same reasons. Lydia in Bifurcation Theory felt comfortable. A lot of the fic itself is full of tropes that I love. Angst, road trips, little food places that are entirely based off of cafes that I frequent, two people having sex because they’re pining after a third. And Lydia herself is strong and soft and just. I really like writing girls, and Lydia is one of my favorites.

Rodney is just easy.

Most memorable comment this year: Basically every comment that I got on take me to church? Some people welcomed me back to the fandom, others made comments on exactly what I wanted them to feel about the fic - slow, sleepy, and according to one reviewer, tired, but hopeful. I wanted them to be able to feel the atmosphere of the fic above all else, from the quiet echo of the church to that southern sun shower to the shitty apartment. I even had someone comment on the little town in North Carolina that I used as the setting, so all of them were a delight.

Also, I feel the need to say that @popkin16 has some of the best comments and every time I publish a Mcshep fic I eagerly wait in the hopes of a comment from her. They make me really happy.

Fics you wanted to write but didn’t:

Okay, but I’ve written so little compared to what I’ve wanted to. The Sabriel AU is definitely at the top of this list, though I’m hoping to fix that soon. I have the SGA fic where John is a wraith, the SGA fic where John is dead and Rodney is raising his kid, the Enjolras/Grantaire fic, the roadtrip/beach fic that never got written because I couldn’t figure out if I wanted it to be Voltron, Kingdom Hearts, or SGA, the long ass Dishonored fic that spans all three games and basically centers around the idea that the Outsider, Corvo, and Emily come together as the most dysfunctional family ever, the prompt-fics that I started but never finished, the Beetlejuice AU, the girl Cisco AU, the bodyswapping Reylo fic... and those are just ones that I liked enough to jot a sentence or two down somewhere.

Oddest story: Probably move the stars for no one. I mean... it is a fic where John Sheppard is the goblin king. Though I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus was a little crackier than I usually get. Hardest story to do: Hah, my answer to this question last year was the Sabriel AU. That... is still at least slightly true, though the wraith John AU has been a pain in my ass and isn’t even out yet. Of those that I did actually publish this year, caught off guard by you which gave me so much trouble that I eventually just published it as is. Fortunately, a lot of the fic that I wrote this year were little things that niggled their way into my brain, so they came naturally. I didn’t do any challenges or secret santas or big bangs, so I didn’t have to force myself to write anything. Easiest story to write? Again, a lot of them sort of wrote themselves since they came out of my brain mostly formed already. can’t deny your appetite was probably one of the easiest, as were all of the ones that I’ve already mentioned on here. take me to church was pretty high up there.

Most mining of your own history in one story: take me to church and Bifurcation Theory, probably. For the first one, I spent a lot of time in chuches as a kid, a lot of time in cars, and well, the entirety of my childhood in the south. Stiles’ apartment is also completely based off of my last apartment. Well. The building anyway. I had two other roommates and a lot more furniture in my actual apartment, but the layout is all the same.

The vegan cafe that Lydia and Derek stop at is based off of Cornerstone Cafe in Columbus, right down to the probably-gay teal haired kid and the pretty college girl who checks out Lydia. I’m pretty sure there are other bits I’ve borrowed, but that’s the one that stands out.

Oh! Also, it’s good to be in love, it really does suit you. There’s... a whole lot of domestic mumbo jumbo in that. Also, weed smoking on what is an exact replica of my back porch. Actually, scratch that, upon rereading this I realize that it is also an exact replica of my house, minus the weird clock. The table holding Riku’s moon flowers holds my bougainvillea and a couple of my coffee plants in real life. Mickey-the-cat is not mine, but he is based off of BMO, who is. Looking back on it, I’m actually 100% sure that what inspired this entire fic was coming home from work and watching the fireflies with Nick on our back deck. We have a really dense knot of trees surrounding our backyard, and the fireflies are NUTS in the summer. It’s really gorgeous back there.

Themes, or absence thereof: Atmosphere. Feeling-the-fic. Slow, quiet love and burn-you-up passion. Where did you publish/archive your stories? Ao3, as per usual. Story I haven’t yet written, but intend to: Sigh. Fingers crossed that I’ll get the Sabriel AU out at least. Though this question has reminded me that I wanted to finish the Carmilla AU as well.

Sexiest moment (excerpt): “Did he ever fuck you?”

“Yes,” Derek gasps, a ragged catch to his voice. Her smile grows and then carefully, she crawls off of him, leaving him blinking at her blankly.

“Good,” she whispers, and hitches her knee invitingly. “So you can fuck me how he fucked you.”

He blinks at her and for a moment she thinks that she may have broken him, but then he’s surging into motion, pinning her to the bed, and sliding home in one smooth movement. She gasps, head thrown back against the pillows, and wraps her legs around his waist. They hold like that, both trembling, sweat on their skin and the smell of sex heavy in the air. His lips hover over hers, so close that if either of them moved even an inch they would drag together, his breath hot against her lips. His eyes dart down to her lips before they jerk back up to her eyes.

“Does that mean I should kiss you how he kissed me?” Derek asks, his voice wrecked, and she whimpers, high and desperate.

“Yes,” she breathes, wetting her lips. “Please.”

(or)

“Who else has been touching you like that, Harrington?” Billy whispers, his lips catching on the curve of Steve’s ear. He licks his lips, tongue flicking out like a snake, like he’s tasting Steve. Like he wants to eat him. “Was it your daddy?”

Steve’s heart is pounding, adrenaline singing in his veins. He’s let this go on too long, has all but given Billy the advantage here - Steve's let himself be backed up against the shower, the handle digging into his lower back.

With a sigh, Steve finally opens his eyes and looks at him.

Billy is standing too close, fully clothed and soaked to the bone, his own hair damp from the spray. The only thing he seems to have thought to take off is his jean jacket, which has been flung thoughtlessly at the benches behind them. His shirt is near translucent against his chest. When he sees Steve looking, he grins, touching the purpling bruise that hasn’t quite faded from Steve’s lower lip.

“Now this one I remember giving you,” he remarks, pressing in closer, until his head is under the spray too, tilted towards Steve.

Steve’s breath hitches and he tries to backpedal, going up on his tiptoes when he finds that there’s no more ground to give. The handle digs painfully into his lower back, but he can’t be bothered to care. He gasps as the hand cups his jaw, Billy’s fingers lingering over another bruise before they begin to skitter down the column of his throat.

Billy grins at him and leans down, pressing a strangely gentle kiss to a fist-shaped bruise at the base of his throat.

“You wear them well,” he whispers, lips slick against Steve’s skin.

Crackiest moment (excerpt): “Dinner should be ready around then,” he says with a shrug, and realizes with an abrupt, sinking sensation that Charlie is going to think that he’s inviting Santa Claus to dinner with them. “I’m uh, shit, here.”

His cheeks go ruddy with embarrassment as he rummages through his bag and comes up with an uncapped green pen and a pad of crinkled yellow paper. He quickly scrawls their address across it before tearing it off the pad and shoving it John’s way. Jesus fucking Christ, the entire food court just watched him set up a date with Santa.

“I, um,” Rodney says, becoming increasingly aware of the surge of noise coming from the disgruntled soccer moms waiting in line. He cringes, dragging Charlie down a few steps. “I’ll just see you later. Maybe.”

He trips on the rug once he reaches the landing, but catches himself on a reindeer before he can go sprawling into the nearby fountain. His face is on fire, but when he looks back up, John Sheppard is smiling down at him, fond and horribly, achingly familiar.

Favorite dialogue (excerpt): “Come on,” Stiles says, pushing to his feet. He turns once he’s up and grabs Derek’s hand, yanking him upright before Derek can think to protest. “I’ve got a place.”

Derek looks at him, his nose wrinkling dubiously. “You have a place in Murfreesboro?”

Stiles raises an eyebrow back, refusing to give ground. “I have a place in Virginia. It’s like, a three hour drive, tops. Less if I speed.”

Derek scoffs. “You want to take me back to Quantico.”

“I’m an intern, Derek. Pretty sure they’re not going to go looking for you under my mattress. Come on,” he coaxes, jostling Derek with his elbow. “You know how this works, we’ve done it before. Safest place to be is right under their nose.”

“This is a little bigger than hiding in the closet every once in awhile so your father doesn’t notice that you're harboring a fugitive, Stiles,” Derek tells him. He shuffles backwards, but Stiles follows him, always a little too close. When Stiles refuses to look chastised Derek reaches out and grabs hold of his wrist, stopping him at arm’s length. He swallows. “We aren’t talking about you getting kicked out of your program if they find me. You’ll go to prison.”

Stiles watches him, his eyes dark. Knowing. He takes a pointed step forward, always pushing, and turns his wrist in Derek’s grip. He’s still watching as he threads their fingers together carefully, his palm a dry rasp against Derek’s.

“I know,” he whispers, and leans in to press their mouths together.

(or)

“You have no power over me,” Rodney whispers, just to see the way that the Goblin King’s eyes narrow - how he steps closer, until his narrow hips are pressed up against the footboard. He reaches out, curling long, elegant fingers around the cold metal rungs between them, and though he hisses out low through his teeth when he finds the sting of iron waiting for him, he does not look away.

John is a looming figure in the shadows, a slash of moonlight thrown across his face illuminating the smirk that sits there. He slouches in towards Rodney, sways toward him, his clever eyes hooded, and smiles like he’s won something. Asks, “You sure about that?”

“No,” Rodney admits and pushes himself up. The cracked saucer is in John’s hand, empty. Rodney licks his lips. “Not at all.”

“I love you,” he offers quietly. It’s the only secret he has left.

John cocks his head, letting go of the bars and coming around the side of the bed. He is human enough, save the glint of gold in his collar and the slight sharpness of his teeth. He smells real, and absurdly, Rodney wants to dance with him.

“Nothing is freely given,” John says, but it sounds like a question. There isn’t an apology in his eyes, but Rodney hadn’t expected there to be one. The empty saucer in his hand was proof enough.

Rodney shrugs. “Your rules, not mine.”

Favorite lines (excerpt): It’s raining when they leave the church, a warm downpour that leaves everything smelling of green things and wet earth. The sun is still shining, giving the parking lot a strange, otherworldly air. Stiles squints out into the glare, mashing the button on his key fob until an anonymous black sedan honks back at them, the tail lights flashing red.

Stiles bounds across the parking lot, holding a hand over his head to ward off the rain. A hint of ankle winks back at Derek as he scrambles gracelessly into the driver’s seat. Derek follows at a more sedate pace, swinging by the car that he’d bought for a couple hundred bucks from a local hick’s junkyard. He grabs his bag from the back and the picture of Laura that he’s got pinned under the visor, but leaves the rest to rot in the parking lot. Someone will find it eventually.

When he climbs into the passenger seat he’s uncomfortably damp, but can’t bring himself to be troubled over it. He feels lighter than he has in months. Maybe years.

“What happened to the jeep?” Derek asks, dragging a careless hand across the unfamiliar dashboard. The jeep had reeked of Stiles, of junk food and sweat and a little like the cheap cherry-scented pine tree he had looped over the rear-view mirror. This car still smells new, fake leather and plastic, with the faintest undercurrent of boy.

“Left it with Scott,” Stiles says easily, sliding the key home and turning the ignition. It doesn’t even fight him for it. “It wouldn’t have made the trip.”

That was true enough. Derek watches the parking lot disappear from view, relaxing into his seat more and more as the minutes pass. Derek is tired. It's been days since he's felt safe enough to catch more than a few hours of sleep in his shitty car, head propped uncomfortably against the window. Here, with Stiles next to him, Derek’s body is finally beginning to cave in to the need for sleep.

He makes himself stay awake for awhile, long enough for Stiles to flick the radio over to some generic top 40’s station. He keeps it quiet, occasionally mouthing along to the words, but never once getting loud enough to be offensive. The third time that Derek jerks himself out of a light doze, Stiles turns to him incredulously and says, “For god’s sake, just go to sleep. I knew what I was signing up for when I saw those bags under your eyes.”

(or)

The first time that Rey sees her brother practice the art, she is being fitted for her wedding dress.

He is not strictly speaking supposed to be in the room with them, but none of the servants have quite worked out how to tell him to leave, and Rey doesn’t care one way or another herself. From her understanding, seeing the bride before the wedding makes for a bad match. It brings misfortune on the future household. Bad crops. Dead cattle. Some tales even say that it leads to an empty womb.

Let them be unlucky, Rey thinks with a sniff.

Her brother is reading, half-reclined on the settee to the left of the door, his leg crossed at the knee. It’s been well over an hour since he’s moved to do anything more strenuous than turn a page. Whatever lies within the book's pages has captivated him thoroughly, his mouth having gone ever so slightly slack as he mouths words to himself, black eyes intent.

The sun is beginning to set, the room growing long with shadows around them.

Rey is watching him when her brother flicks his wrist lazily, still absorbed in his book, and calls a ribbon of scarlet flame to the palm of his hand. It winds itself lovingly between his fingers, circling around and around his wrists, like some lazy beast.

Startled, Rey’s breath catches in her chest. Blinking, her brother looks up, catching her eye over the flame, the red glow casting him in a devilish light.

He cocks his head, and she wonders at his expression, the curiosity there as he unravels the flame outward, letting it find the wicks of the fat, ivory candles on the desk next to him. He quirks an eyebrow at her.

The room is still half in darkness, the last of the fading sunlight leaving them.

Rey licks her lips and steels her expression, flexing her fingers nervously before she raises her hands and cups them together. She doesn’t look away from him as she calls on her oldest friend, the familiar blue flame licking first over her knuckles and wrists, teasing, before it settles between her palms. She lights the rest of the room like that, and doesn’t pay any attention to the way the seamstress is fretting about Rey scorching the sleeves.

Her brother’s eyes are dark and intent on her, his book forgotten.

(or)

Rodney’s mark started out small, elegant slashes of color splashed across the meatiest part of his bicep. At the time, Rodney was six years old and didn’t much care for the idea of soulmates. There were cooler things than a bunch of blue paint on his arm, like black holes and the crowded, complicated mess of wiring inside his dad’s alarm clock. He’s going on nine when his mark changes, the familiar blues and greens and whites of sea and foam now a backdrop for the gleaming ferris wheel laid over top the waves, black lines on cool colors. He stares at it, lips pursed, and can’t for the life of him decide if he actually likes the new addition. When he’s thirteen the dark silhouette of a sleek, dangerous looking airplane is added to the mess. The plane itself is larger than the waves, larger than the ferris wheel, so long that the tip of it’s pointed nose touches the inside of his elbow. He grimaces at it, touching the curve of its broad back with one finger. It takes an hour of hunting through books at the library before he recognizes the shape of the SR-71 “Blackbird.” By the time Rodney’s fifteen, two more things have been added - a horse made out of shadows and edges, indistinct black smoke licking up the insides of his forearms and the mandelbrot set that sits neatly underneath it, an expanse of beautiful lines and inky dark that go clear down to his wrist. At fifteen years old, Rodney is significantly more interested in his soulmate than he was when he was six years old. He’s moved to America and is the top of his class at one of the most prestigious colleges in North America. He doesn’t like the majority of his peers and is beginning to realize that it’s entirely possible that he just doesn’t like people in general. He’s prickly, bad-tempered, and his ego has swelled to be the size of a small city. Whoever his soulmate is, she apparently likes the ocean, ferris wheels, planes, horses, and math. Rodney, who enjoys exactly one of those things, doesn’t have very high hopes.

Fic goals: I’m going to carefully not say anything about finishing the Sabriel AU, because that way lies madness. Instead I will say that in 2018 I would like to a) write something novel-length, b) write something original, and c) focus more on original characters. ....Additional goal: write over 60k.

#heather says what #heather writes #2017 #new year's memes #the year that became a meme

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renlyisright · 4 years

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Season 8 Episode 1 - A Hearty Welcome, A Hearthy Farewell

I may have done a goofy. The first seasons I DVR’d as they came to the Finnish public TV. Then I upgraded to DVD’s, and now I bought the last season on Blu-ray. The problem being that I have no way of getting screenshots from them, as my computer doesn’t have a Blu-ray-player. And I’m not going to get one just for this, streaming is the future and so on.

But if I take a screenshot from an earlier season and just CGI it to look like this latest season everything should be fine, right?

That’s what I thought. Let’s start.

Oh, a new opening. Super cool. With only three places of importance to show, it can spend its time showing lots of details and fresher events in the sun things. Rings. Whatever they are.

The thing showing the rebirth of the dragons shows also the comet. Back when it showed up in the sky, everyone had different explanations to what it meant. Apparently at the point in history where this model is made, its connection to the dragons has won out. It makes sense, nobody cares about Stannis becoming the Lord’s Champion anymore. If he had won, then maybe, but he didn’t.

The season starts with a kid running in a forest. I have absolutely no idea how much time has passed since the beginning, but this kid must have been a toddler, if not even that, when King Robert came to Winterfell.

Now it’s a different time. A different queen. Daenerys Targaryen, first of her name etc etc, rides North with her armies and dragons.

There’s a lot of allusions back to the first episodes. The elders have fallen and now the young generation have grown into their roles. I have started to rewatch the show from the beginning while I exercise, and some things in those early episodes are just painful to see. Littlefinger did his absolute best to get Ned killed so he could make his moves on Catelyn. Earlier I said that without Littlefinger the war may have been averted, but the cat of Jaime and Cersei was already out of the bag and Jon Arryn would have soon told Robert, and that man would have been furious.

Oh, and Cersei saying “We have another wolf” makes me stop feeling any way sorry about her. Well, there wasn’t much sorry left anyway, she has been busy digging her own hole, but come on.

She is not taking abandonment well. Her entire family (not including unseen cousins and other kin) has either betrayed her or died. Now she plans to add the rest of the first group to the second. After letting Jaime go, she thinks again and now sends an assassin after him.

An assassín, which is Bronn. Out of all possibilities. Of course, she feels like that’s a poetic way to do it, but really. If he feels like the dragon lady is more likely to win, whoops, suddenly a desertion happens. Cersei may have planned this like “If he deserts, then I have found another weak point and can just send another assassin to take care of him too”, but Cersei hasn’t been that good in actual political intrigue. If she can’t just murder her way out or can’t bribe someone to do it for her there’s not much else in her playbook.

Oh, and time to breasts: 20:57. As this is the last season, here’s a fancy graph:

I have no idea if there’s any correlation with anything else that can be seen here and what it can mean. Remove the seventh season and it’s symmetrical, that’s about it. I don’t even remember why I started to mention them. It’s a graph. I have several in my Master’s thesis, too. They seem to be something you have to have.

I really like Daenerys’ white dress with red fabric under it. Looks warm and fancy.

Sansa has called all banners to Winterfell. They are making their stand there, with everyone in one place, leaving as few people to be picked out by the dead as possible so there’s not another Hardhome. The dead get more soldiers with every win, and they don’t need to worry about supplies or logistics. Good thinking, but the people of the Last Hearth, the closest settlement to the Eastwatch, haven’t arrived yet. Oops.

Well, they’ll arrive. Oh, they will. But if the Dead have intel (do they? Once again, how much do the Walkers plan?) what they should do is just siege Winterfell and continue killing everything they find in the North. The dead don’t need food, and they don’t catch illnesses. They can just wait. It’s the living who have a deadline to a battle, or they don’t have enough food to feed their army, as Sansa points out.

The Golden Company arrives at King's Landing, with a new character, Strickland, commanding them. Not Daario, but that was a bit crack theory, as he already commands the Second Sons. Maybe he’ll cross later, with Yara’s fleet, perhaps. There’s so little time left that I doubt we’ll see Essos again outside of a possible ending montage. So if Faabio Naharis wants to be seen (and likely killed), he has to get himself over here.

The Company didn’t bring elephants. Not suitable for long sea voyages, they say. That’s a disappointment, but I understand them not wanting to risk it. Cersei, being Cersei, doesn’t. She wants those elephants. Well, I want them too, so for once me and Cersei are on the same side.

Euron gets to share a bed with a queen. That achievement done, is he more likely now to just skip it if the situation gets bad for Cersei? I’d say not. He’s always been ready to skip it, and he seems like a person who wants more when he gets some.

Yara is rescued by Theon, very quickly. Euron is still in the Red Keep and so can’t confront them. So their eventual confrontation is delayed. I’m as sure about it happening as I’m of anything in this show (which, let’s be fair, is not much). But if there’s a fleet battle before the end, who else could there be but the only ones who still own fleets? Salladhor Saan?

Yara leaves for the Iron Islands, she plans to retake them while Euron is busy. And Theon wants to go to the North to try to pay back for his crimes. Commendable, let’s hope that the dead wait until he gets there.

This episode is full of scenes telling of how much characters have grown during their years of adventuring. Theon now respects the upbringing he had with the Starks and seeks redemption, nobody underestimates Sansa anymore, and Arya respects and protects her. Jon has the loyalty of the North and the Free folk. The dragons, having grown the most during the story, are full grown and can be ridden by people other than Daenerys. (And then we have Cersei, who has learnt nothing, except perhaps how to be a mini version of Tywin, and that playbook doesn’t work anymore).

Flying a dragon bareheaded in winter seems like a great way to freeze your ears off.

“Lord Glover wishes us good fortune, but he’s staying in Deepwood Motte with his men”. I’m not at all surprised. Not at all. As being wrong runs in that family, this was expected. I wouldn’t be surprised if Lord Glover still comes to Winterfell, but he’ll likely walk.

Sam didn’t hear about his family yet, but now he does, and from the executioner herself. It’s a one-two-blow, and really upsets Sam. There’s this super cool new queen who Jon loves and who has come to rescue everyone, and whose followers say they follow her out of love, and also she has executed your brother and father. Sure they walked into it themselves, especially Randall who decided that he can betray Olenna, but he will put a line to Cersei. Grrr. Still, it’s not any easier to Sam. Hopefully Daenerys learns something about this.

And then there’s Bran, who has spent the episode watching everyone. That’s why he’s also in this post at several points looking at you. He knows what you did.

Now he talks Sam into telling Jon about his mother. Sam does it right near Ned Stark’s tomb. “The next time we meet, we’ll talk of your mother.”

At this point Sam thinks that Jon should be the king, because he would be much better at it than Daenerys. But, once again, they have the Night King to worry about, can they allow themselves to worry about this now? Jon just had a talk with Sansa that any of this doesn’t matter as long as the Dead are marching.

Speaking of the Dead, Tormund and Beric did survive the break of the Wall, and have arrived to the Last Hearth with the other survivors of the Eastwatch. And it’s dark. Super dark. Welcome to the winter. It’s summer on this side of the screen and so I can’t see a thing.

They find trails of fighting, but no bodies, which tells immediately which side won. Beric finally flames his sword so I can see, and they find Edd. Is it Lord Commander Edd now? And does it matter at all? They find the Umber boy, dead, in the middle of an art installation. So the Walkers a) can figure out who is the leader, and b) are sadistic enough to leave messages like this. It’s not a trap, as one dead who is stuck to the Wall isn’t much of a trap. It’s for morale, so the Walkers do understand things like that.

Edd is confident that they can get to Winterfell before the Dead. Something this optimistic coming from Mr. “We are all going to die”, I take as a certainty.

The whole world comes to Winterfell. It’s the place to be now. One hooded character arrives among refugees. It’s Jaime, here to seek redemption in the apocalypse as well. He can start with the familiar-looking person looking at him from a wheelchair.

Good luck. But this person is able to watch your whole life, to see if you deserve a chance or not. Hope for the best.

#game of thrones #renly is right

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rowdyprofessor · 7 years

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Saat Soch: IPKKND3 Episode 8

Here there be spoilers!

1. I’m impressed with this board.

Look at the back of his waistcoat!! I likey. But the pants!! WHY THE PANTS?!!

I liked the way they linked Advay and Chandni’s pain. Advay’s exasperation with Murli is amazing. I enjoy Sobti’s acting so much :D

2. A study in contrasts

I was angry at this ‘lol look at how different they are’ segment last night. It’s the kind of thing you do to establish a romantic couple. I’m disappointed it’s happened so early.

What kind of an alien eats noodle laddoo and raw chilli? This is worse than the bread and tomato sauce. (OMG they’re the same kind of weirdo heathen alien.) There are similarities, though, such as both of them eating noodles.

And while I’m complaining (Hi, I had a bad day!) why on earth do the sisters have matching pyjamas?! And HOW MUCH MONEY IS 7 UP PAYING 4LIONS ANYWAY?!

“Main nafrat ke liye ek family, kuch rishte, aur ek dil toh todh hi sakta hoon.” [I can break apart a family, some bonds, and a heart for hatred.]

Is he talking about Chandni’s heart or his own? I think he’s unknowingly talking about his own. I think there’s a part of him that knows how easily it would be to fall back into the memory of Chandni -- I feel like he has to constantly remind himself to hate Chandni (like the poem/lyrics).

The colours Veer is wearing are similar to Advay: green and gray and black.

His Abbu is hilarious -- “Kaun banega biscoot!” ... “Tiretube.”

3. Indrani and Chandni

The two mausis aren’t impressed that Indrani wants to replace gehu (wheat) with bajra (pearl millet) and jowar (sorghum) because Chandni says it’s healthier. They suggest that Advay is Chandni’s boyfriend (she must’ve met him on the evil Interwebz),

The sisters (changed out of their pyjama-wale-kapde) and are talking boys while oiling one another’s hair. The talk turns from boys to beating up boys to Chandni’s nameless tormentor. But he’s not nameless for much longer, because Meghna knows all about him:

Advay. Advay Singh Raizada. London-return. Maths professor, musician, and rich.

Side note: I guess this means we won’t see him professoring. He’s like Shivaay -- never goes to work. Gul did mention that they built that elaborate office set for IPKKND and it didn’t go over well, so maybe she’s given up on giving her heroes actual jobs.

Shikha is convinced that he couldn’t have been behind the poster trick, but Chandni’s flashbacks reveal that she knows better. Indrani is also convinced that it was Advay.

OMFG the editing.

ETA: Look at this shot!! Advay and Chandni are again linked to Shiva and Parvati.

4. Advay’s plan

And here he comes, my drama llama bitwa, yet again marching into this house as if he owns it.

Advay: “Aap ki beti ki phir se badnaami ho gayi.” [Your daughter was dishonoured again.]

Ahh. So he knows about her disappearing and how she’s already been shamed for it.

I enjoyed the double meaning in Advay’s words when he addressed Chandni. Wheels within wheels within wheels!! I also loved all the (secret) looks Advay gave Chandni to check whether she was following his plans within plans. He’s obviously enjoying this.

The ASR theme kills me dead.

This was an excellent plan on Advay’s part. Get a stranger -- who can’t connect him to the affair -- to bring up what happened sixteen years ago so he can gauge their reactions and come in as a saviour. This is the behaviour he exhibited in the promos as well.

5. Saas-Damaad

He looks like such a seedha-sadha-ladka when he’s addressing Mrs Vashisht (his future Saasuma).

I absolutely love this interaction between saas and damaad. I love the way she warns him off Chandni. And the way he sort of stares at her (Is she really taking a panga with me?!) and then is distracted by his two saalis and Mausa-ji as they attack the poster dude.

Honestly, they’re both such brilliant actors. I find myself thinking, sometimes, that Sobti and Ritu carry this show.

6. No. No. No. No.

I was so angry over this last night.

I loved the wink and the remixed Rabba Ve instrumental, but what the hell is going on here??!!

It’s much too early, in my opinion, for Advay to transition to Romantic Hero. And while I’m absolutely expecting Chandni to fall for his act, she has nothing to fall for at the moment. She has a few genuinely terrifying words and actions and seems bizarrely confused over his intentions.

It’s not that I didn’t expect this, I just didn’t expect it in Episode 8 when Advay hasn’t even done anything to warrant confusion. Some part of me wants to say she might recognise her Dev, but it wasn’t indicated in the flashbacks so I doubt it.

7. Of notes and cages

Kajal Mausi has something sensible to say (for once) about their blackmailer not needing to do anything else after the letter, but Indrani is convinced that Advay has nothing to do with all of this.

I love how Shilpa and Murli are helping Advay!! I also enjoyed the symbolism of a cage, because as Advay says, you need a cage to catch the bird! But again, you have to wonder who is caged here -- Chandni, or Advay himself.

ETA: Look at Indrani putting moonlight (Chandni) in a cage. It seems to me that her actions in trying to get rid of the blackmailer will trap Chandni somehow.

Precap: Again with the pants. I guess I have to get used to the style *sigh*

“Lene nahin, dene aaya hoon.”

Okay, colour me intrigued.

Theories:

1) Advay’s plan is to win her family over and marry her, and then destroy the family from within. Perhaps he will find the blackmailer and ‘punish’ him to gain the family’s trust.

2) Veer will try to prank Advay with hilarious results.

Will I continue?

After the awesomeness of the last episode, I feel like I was slapped in the face with this one. I was hoping to enjoy this show for a while before they started to push the romantic angle. A part of me wonders if they’ve reacted to fan pressure and decided not to make the story as dark as originally planned?

I’ll watch the next one though ... I’ll round off the week!

#ipkknd3 #iss pyaar ko kya naam doon #advay singh raizada #barun sobti #shivani tomar #chandni narayan vashisth #saat soch: ipkknd3 #mine

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rosemarynightingale11 · 8 years

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Why Jim is most probably alive

Okey, so, first of all, I know this is not the blog where I should write this, but I found it better than the others I have, and, after all, sometimes a good chat about a tv show is as good as a chat about books.

Yes, I am talking about Jim Moriarty from Sherlock. After I’ve watched the new episode, couple of days ago, I started to wonder: what about Jim? Is he alive,or not? How did he survive? Everyone questions his death. And, I’m not saying that he didn’t die just because he’s my favourite character, but I really made up a whole theory last night as I couldn’t sleep…

First of all: what does Jim want? That is the tricky question that haunted my mind lately. I mean, I really want to see what is his purpose. Who is Jim? He is a murderer, that’s for sure, a too intelligent one, I could say… He has a lot of people who work for him, so that means that he is really powerful. We don’t know how he really got so strong, most probably, by playing with their minds and threatening and scaring them in order to be faithful to him. I won’t question his childhood and whether he is really a person with a mind problem, or everything was caused by a childhood drama, etc. I don’t even consider him a psychopath… I mean, I kind of feel that he is too clever for a simply psychopath, he is more like a crazy genius with bad purposes. So, what does he want from life? Power? Well, he already kind of has it,and, also, I couldn’t understand what type of power would he want: controlling the US president’s mind, being the master of the earth?? Ha, very funny, but we both know he doesn’t want that. And it isn’t money either, he could already have them in a really easy manner. So, back again to Jim, being a too clever psychopath killer. He doesn’t only want to slay, no, no, he wants to play with people’s mind, he wants to plan the murder, he likes to think. We might say he is the most intelligent person on earth… Maybe, even more intelligent than Sherlock and Mycroft. So, he wants to show off? Nope. Maybe yes, maybe he wants to show people and his enemies that he is so much better than them, that he could destroy them. So, he needs a mouse. He is the cat and he needs a mouse to play with,a really clever mouse, and, as we both know, the small mouse becomes Sherlock. He is intrigued by his intelligence, and then, he tries to challenge him. He has to know if there is another un-ordinary person like him… Jim is quite selfish, actually… So,now the big question: if he really finds a person like him,would he like to destroy it,or to enjoy the game? I don’t really think he would like to murder someone like him… Sherlock wants Jim dead because Moriarty is a killer, and, after all, Mr. Holmes really cares in his own way about people,he wouldn’t want them to die because of his incompetence to catch someone like James. But Moriarty doesn’t have any reason to kill Sherlock. Sherly doesn’t stay in his way. I don’t believe there would be a way to put Jim in jail, he has too many people and he knows how to bribe the judges/witnesses…. So, he wants Sherlock dead because….??? Most probably is because he wants to show Sherlock, and actually,to show himself, that he is way more brilliant than anyone,that he could destroy a mastermind, that he is the KING. That’s it. He is the only King.

So, now, let’s go to another fact. Sherlock sent Jim the message to meet him on the rooftop of the building. Yet, Jim, as we know, he is really intelligent. Theory one: So, he gets a message from his so called “enemy” to meet on the roof, so, there is no way that Sherlock would choose that place if he didn’t know about Moriarty’s plan. Jim knows that Sherlock knows about his plan. If you knew that you will be obliged to kill yourself, would you really want to play your enemy’s game? Wouldn’t you fight for your life? Would you go on the rooftop and do what the murderer tells you? Of course not. Most probably, Sherlock will fake his death. Because he is clever too, yes, too clever to let a thing like that happen. So, Jim knows that Sherlock will fake his death. Could he stop him? In a really weird way,yes, but that wouldn’t keep the theatrical part of the final act. So, then, the plan was: Sherlock dies, everyone believes that there is no Jim Moriarty and Richard Brook is actually a poor actor paid by a selfish sociopath. BUT THAT’S IT!!! Why would ever Jim want not to be recognised as the greatest villain?? If Sherlock commits suicide, yes, Jim destroys him, but he also destroys Moriarty himself. But he is the king. Jim would never do something so pathetic, filled with so much lack of courage. If you really want to destroy your enemy, then, you wouldn’t kill him behind his back, nooo, you will murder him while starring in his eyes and letting everyone know that you did something horrible but you could never be caught and blamed for that. So, Jim knows that Sherlock will fake his death. While he is on the rooftop, he waits, he waits for it. He waits to see the bravery, he waits to see if Sherlock actually passes the test. He wants to find out if Sherlock is really an ordinary person or not. And he finds out that he isn’t. He knows that Sherlock won’t die. So why the bloody hell would he kill himself?? He knows that Sherlock won’t die, that he will win. Why would he give up like a coward to everything? Killing yourself, while knowing that you enemy will for sure win your OWN GAME, that is the most stupid thing ever. Of course he will fake his death. Yes, that wasn’t the final problem, that was the test that Sherlock had to pass. Now, Sherlock will always be haunted by the idea of Jim being alive. And, when he will be the weakest, Jim shall attack. He only wants to show his power, his skills. Or he only wants to play with someone as intelligent as him, and he wants to destroy him just to feel his brilliance. (I shouldn’t explain how he actually faked his death, but I have couple of theories in my mind).

Now,theory 2: Jim is clever, yes, but he still thinks, as he says, that Sherlock is an ordinary person. So, when he gets the message, he doesn’t think that Holmes would fake his death at all…. He gets on the rooftop and he sees that Sherlock slowly accepts his own destiny and admits to lose in front of Moriarty. But then, Sherlock changes his mind. And Jim knows that he is like him… Not ordinary at all. He knows that. Before “killing himself”. So, Sherlock is not ordinary. But he would probably jump, right? Because, if Jim is dead, there is no way to stop the assassinate of his friends, unless Holmes jumps or Jim calls off everything (which won’t happen). But, as Jim being dead, there are so many possibilities for Sherly to fake the fall. And Moriarty just found out that Holmes is not ordinary at all, that he is intelligent enough to escape that situation,could James take such a risk??… could James commit suicide, knowing that probably Sherlock will win, finally, that battle? Could he give up just like that?? No. Of course not. Killing yourself, in that context, sounds too stupid for me. I believe he did that mostly because of the drama. Sherlock won’t look at his body, so, he will be haunted by his foe’s existence all his life.

I believe that the final act was only a final act for both their lives. Their faked deaths. Jim tested Sherlock’s limits, so that, after a while, he would finally do the final act. It’s just, there is no way for Jim to shoot himself, because, first of all :it’s not completely dramatic, second of all: he dies under the name of “Richard brook” which is not the way a mastermind would ever want to be remembered, third of all: he would never die without knowing for sure that Sherlock died, fourth of all: again, that is not the way the most dangerous and most brilliant murderer, king of all,would die, and fifth of all: the story can’t be ended like that: hero dies, and villain also, but, ya know, maybe the hero survived, but the villain surely died, and, yep, there is no winner of this war…

Jim is alive. I know it. He will appear, sooner or later, most probably in the last episode of the series 4, because he always appears in the last episode of every series.

He managed to stay alive.

#sherlock season 4 #moriarty #sherlock #jim moriarty #fake death #theory #rooftop #the fall #final act #staying alive #Jim's suicide

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