#coronation commentary

[thee-rat-king]

The crowd: May The King Live Forever!

My brother, nine year old anti-monarchist: well that’s not going to happen

[newsbites]

News from Australia, 21 May

A prominent First Nations journalist has quit ABC citing a lack of support over racial abuse he experienced.

2. Queensland is seriously considering making kindergarten free across the board.

3. The Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has declared the biggest job growth for a new government on record.

4. Side hustles will come under scrutiny this tax season as the Australian Taxation Office cracks down on businesses.

[victoriademedici]

who needs a functional economy when you could pay for a billionaire pensioner's hat party instead

Why does no one ever have an original thought anymore? Anyways, Public figures get public events. That’s common sense. They’ll stop having expensive coronations when thousands of people stop traveling to see it and billions more stop watching it across several media.

I know inflation is an issue but Charles can’t scale it down to a barbecue or something because people want to see it and it is a very big historical event. Hopefully the celebrations can be cheaper and inflation less of an issue in the future but there’s literally only 2 coronations a century. And just out of curiosity, how do you feel about celebs that have their big-scale polluting parties every week and give nothing to the general public?

[theroguedragon3]

Fire & Blood Vs House of The Dragon

Aegon’s Coronation Debacle (RANT)

TW: Mentions of rape

Aegon’s character assassination

Of course, in the book it does not explicitly state that Aegon forced himself on the maid, therefore it is up to the reader to determine the character’s intentions. It doesn’t disprove the fact that it could’ve been consensual, where the girl may have had a crush on a Prince and once, he gave her attention, she willingly coupled with him, while unfortunately getting pregnant as a result (Westeros clearly weren’t aware of the pull-out method🤣).

Firstly, the writer’s decision to actively choose the malicious option on Aegon’s portrayal as a rapist, immediately destroys any arguments on why the viewers should prefer his claim over Rhaenyra’s. The writers could’ve chosen to feature his lesser characteristics with a scene of a woman asking him money to help raise his bastard son, only to brush her off. A guard could inform the Queen of the delicate situation, as she arranges a meeting with her and buys her silence. Alicent’s confrontation with her son, followed by his speech on not wanting this destiny, would allow at least some viewers to feel sympathy, prompting them to side with his claim. Instead, when he gave that monologue, I like most viewers, felt no sympathy and would go on to label him as a rapist.

  Coronation Rant

I’m still in disbelief that the writers managed to once again screw Aegon over during his own coronation scene and by extension Alicent’s passing on the torch moment, to her daughter Helaena, the newly crowned Queen consort.

 His mother, Queen Alicent, beloved of the smallfolk, placed her own crown upon the head of her daughter, Helaena, Aegon’s wife and sister. After kissing her cheeks, the mother knelt before the daughter, bowed her head, and said, “My Queen.”

As much as Alicent’s character is depicted as an evil stepmother to Rhaenyra, this scene depicts her devotion to her children. She was ambitious and willing enough to secure her son’s claim and ensure her daughter would be his future queen. She kisses Helaena’s cheeks in front of thousands of smallfolk, an act of affection, before she crowns her queen and bows to her declaring her as such.

Instead, we’re left with the underwhelming biggest plot hole then the three unreliable narrators combined, when Rhaneys busts through the trap door on Meleys and could have literally ended the whole war before it had even begun. The claims of it’s not her war holds no weight, when she obviously sided with Rhaenyra and allowed her dragon to be used in team black’s planning, by protecting the Gullet, thus being a part of the war.

The writer’s explanation is even worse, where they claim she looked at Alicent protecting her child and was moved by her displayed acts of a maternal love, therefore she didn’t turn them to ash. Um, it seems recollections may vary, and the writers forgot Rhaenys will die battling two of Alicent’s sons, where she clearly didn’t care about being branded a kinslayer, otherwise she could’ve outflown both Sunfyre and definitely Vhagar, as Meleys was the faster dragon. Who knows they may even alter this event, because the source material doesn’t matter. I wouldn’t be surprised if they choose to make Aemond lose control of Vhagar and she shoots flames at Rhaenys, accidently injuring Aegon in the process, ending with Aemond screams of NOOOOO, with his arm outstretched towards a falling Aegon🙄.

  After the coronation, the remaining Kingsguard escorted Aegon to his mount, a splendid creature with gleaming golden scales and pale pink wing membranes. “Sunfyre” was the name given this dragon of the golden dawn. Munkun tells us the king flew thrice around the city before landing inside the walls of the Red Keep. Ser Arryk Cargyll led His Grace into the torchlit throne room, where Aegon II mounted the steps of the Iron Throne before a thousand lords and knights. Shouts rang through the hall.

I’m not going to lie but I was really looking forward to this scene, I really wanted to see Sunfyre and this would’ve been the perfect opportunity to properly introduce Aegon’s dragon. They could’ve shown the character’s shift from being unwilling and hesitant at becoming King, to basking in the cheers and reminding the people of the strength of the house Targaryen by mounting Sunfyre, followed by the ending shot of him sitting on the Iron Throne, while those he now has power over, cheer for him.

Overall, the coronation was a spectacle for the sake of inserting a shock factor scene, that ultimately crumbles under close inspection and results in poorly written characters.

[asecondglassofcinnamonwine]

🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍

[askaceattorney]

Dear Anonymous,

I’m a Detective with experience in Forensics Science, not a Coroner expert. I’ve never even touched a dead body.

I’d ask someone that has a bit more experience in that department.

- Ema Skye

[birindale]

Visual development by Soyun Park, clean-up by Mike Collins

[mechanical-menagerie]

“To the person proclaiming their love for me in the inbox.... I appreciate it, but, I am married only to my work.” Coroner laughs, smoothing out the ribbons on her screen. “But I hope you get the professional help you need.”

[gaykarstaagforever]

Yeah well I just crowned myself King of this delicious baked chicken.

[valiantroyalty]

No one get help bc Ariel is quickly falling in love

[thee-rat-king]

Commentary by the nine year old Australian anti monarchist (my brother):

- the crown has gone. I think they’ve gone back in time and they’re going to do it all over again

- look! The arm chairs are back!

- AHA! My dad has moved from the Good Spot on the couch. I shall claim it.

- “I wonder who decided to have the coronation so long? Someone much be against a short coronation”

- “I wonder what percent of Lady Jane Grey’s reign was taken up by her coronation.” He’s just started getting into horrible histories. I’m very proud

- “I wonder if there’s the coronation version of eloping?”. I think he’s bored with all the pomp and circumstance (tm). Fair. I am to.

- oh. Dad moved because he was turning the tv off. It’s 9:30 pm, and time for nine year olds to go to bed.

Well. It’s been a good run, everyone!! I’m not going to watch the rest of the services, because honestly I don’t care enough if Junior isn’t here to chat with. And TikTok will give me the recap of any drama tomorrow.

G’night!

[bones-and-bondage]

After that edited version of the correspondence earlier today I decided to go actually get a screenshot of the real correspondence from Gortash's chest upstairs in the Flymm house.

So here's the deciphered correspondence back and forth, notated down. I am still of the personal opinion that Enver Gortash and the Dark Urge were using the Sending spell (or was it the message spell? brain fog be fogging) to send their cipher coded messages back and forth easily, as you could send 25 words at a time. I honestly wouldn't doubt if Gortash had to sometimes send his messages in two parts, or took extreme time composing them, because he is quite verbose. But while I was in there I noticed a few other items, and now I'm wondering if they are randomly generated or if they are there every time, because if they were CHOSEN SPECIFICALLY to be paired with this little journal of their discussions, well.

The journal itself, which I do adore being called a scrapbook.

This potion. Throughout the game, the Dark Urge has had a LOT of commentary on poisons, and knows oh so much about them. It makes absolute sense that his closest associate would have lots of antidotes on standby, just in case. With the kind of planner Gortash is, he would of course be prepared for anything.

This though. I actually ignored all the items in the chest except the book initially, but the fact that it was a red gemmed ring really kept gnawing at me, so I waltzed my ass back upstairs to go look closer at the chest's contents and I nearly choked on my drink. "A ruby like a drop of blood sits at the center of this ring." My heart almost stopped. It's so simple, but so Bhaalist coded. What other sort of jewelry would the Chosen of Bhaal give to someone who proudly calls them their "nearest and dearest"?

I wonder if he locked it up and hid it away after he found out what happened, and because of how beset he'd been gearing up for the Coronation, when he found out that the Dark Urge was not actually dead, he had no way to safely retrieve it.

[ventique18]

Edit: this post was made months before Diasomnia release.

- Delusional OC sketches and headcanons: Malleus' mama and papa -

*seduce, not saduce lmao sorry I'm tired

Malleus Draconia never met his parents, but Lilia could vividly remember them as if he only last saw them yesterday. Malleus' father (whose name also happened to be Malleus) was a student of his and had a consistent air of superiority about him-- he walked and talked with such confidence befitting that of the majestic horns that adorned his head like a crown. In dragon anatomy, you see, large, beautifully sculpted horns are a clear indicator of how fertile and desirable its genes were. So there was never a doubt that this man was a natural attractor for many a woman.

... Except nobody ever stuck with him. The prince had a terrible personality. He went on and on, on and on with prattling about anything and everything under the sun (actually mostly about weapons and griffons and philosophy and geography) to the point that ladies thought he was self-centered and was looking for a mirror to marry, rather than a wife. That was not true however. He was simply an excitable boy.

He had reached a record age of three centuries (still wifeless) when he decided that being stuck in Briar Valley was limiting his viewpoint of the world. He had enrolled at an academia overseas, and that was when he met his future bride: Matilda. Upon meeting eyes with her, he had known that it was love at first sight. (It was not. He merely thought having another dragon fae as queen would benefit his country.) And so, relentlessly, day in and day out, he pursued her in order to win her affection.

The lady simply treated him like furniture, however.

Still, everyday he would sit at her table in the library. He would first attempt to flirt with her, but as he noticed how focused she was in drafting her blueprints, he would give up and eventually become engrossed in whatever he was studying. He would scribble down notes and make commentaries to himself about this and that, and to be honest... She found that quite endearing. He had a frivolous mouth, but he was earnest in his pursuit of developing his country.

She had been secretly watching him, and one fateful day, she accidentally let out a giggle. A secretive acknowledgment of his presence. And of course, sharp as his draconic ears were, he returned her gaze and happened upon her beautiful smile.

That was when he realized that the words he sang to her-- the "you're lovely as blooming flowers in the spring", "your voice is as melodious as a crystal bell in winter"-- were all very, very true. The next words he had uttered were finally taken straight from his heart, and then for the very first time since they met, she had replied to him with lips upturned in an elegant crescent.

The following year, when he returned to Briar Valley for the holidays, his mother Maleficia almost squealed in pleasant surprise that her son had brought home a lovely bride. It was a blur after that. Lilia could recall how the castle seemed to have turned upside down with how lively it had suddenly gotten; secretive dates, a wedding, a coronation, pregnancy woes, and... a sudden despair.

The couple had created life, but paid for it with their lives.

Whenever Lilia was recalling this story to the toddler he was tucking under the covers, he would come to a sudden halt. Little Malleus would ask why, but he would just shake his head and ruffle the boy's hair.

"I was just thinking how great a king and queen your father and mother had been. They were strong, and brave, and kind..."

"Will I grow great like them, too?"

Lilia paused and gazed into the boy's eyes. Then, with a smile, he stroked his tuft of hair and patted him to sleep.

"Of course, dear. Now sleep. A future king needs to be strong and healthy to be great. You won't grow up without sleep!"

They were gone too early. Far too early; they never even saw what their child looked like beneath the shells.

For now, he would burn every moment of this boy's tiny smiles in his memory, so that he could recall in detail every moment of this child's beautiful life when he finally reunites with his old friends.

[thoughtfulstudentsalad]

Akatsuki no Yona's greatest yet most underrated strength: foreshadowing

I don't see anyone discussing this, but Akatsuki no Yona has insanely good foreshadowing, like on par with Attack on Titan levels. You only realize after a re-read. The hidden easter eggs, unopened pandora's boxes, lines of dialogue or actions that were Chekhov's guns...

It's like reading a mystery novel with the prophecy, Zeno's underlying insanity, Suwon's intentions and leadership, the political intrigues, Yona and Suwon being foils, Hak and Suwon's broken brotherhood, the commentaries about King Il's leadership, religion vs atheism, Yona's future-seeing powers, debates of free will vs fate, violence vs pacifism, moral dilemmas, personal wishes vs greater good, etc. etc. it's so rich and meticulously put together.

There were signs that Suwon was terminally ill and blood-related to Hiryuu (his appearance, his love for people, his dialogues about rushing his coronation and being willing to die later). There were signs that Zeno was going to betray the group ("i didn't approach her at first because i was testing her. i admit it wasn't very nice.", or "I will have my wish granted at the end of my journey, even if it goes against the gods") It goes right under your nose. Yet you can see that potential in their characters, their dialogues, their actions. It makes sense.

Even now there are great scenes will only make complete sense after they are recontextualized.

It's not why I heard the manga was good, but it's why I continued to read. You could really tell that the author had an idea of where she wanted to take the way and knows how it would end.

We just don't know it yet.

[sallysavestheday]

A Russingon Retrospective

Maedhros! Fingon! All the angst and tenderness and bitterness and the wasted potential! I've been in the mood to try some new things with them recently, which was a reason to look back at the overall arc of my Russingon fics and see what might be a good addition. I've written more of them than I'd realized...if you're in a Russingon mood, here's a tasty sampler (newest to oldest, a mix of angst and humor and horror and fluff, all canon-compliant or canon-adjacent):

The Marriage of True Minds (M: 1,900 words). Maedhros and Fingon experiment with ósanwë's many uses and permutations. Spicy.

The Region Cloud Hath Mask'd Him From Me Now (T: 2,000 words). Misty meetings (and missed meetings). Bring tissues.

In These Altered States, Rejoice (T: 1,300 words). Reborn Maedhros and Fingon adjust to their new lives.

Between the Shadow and the Soul (M: 600 words). Fingon is tired of waiting for Maedhros to make a move, and makes his own.

Hyemation (T: 500 words). Fingon finds some closure after the Helcaraxë by wintering over at Himring with Maedhros.

Tender Morsels (M: 600 words). Horror-ish. They love each other, but they are monstrous. Cannibalism, voluntary mutilation. Mind the tags.

Hymn/Dirge (T: 350 words). It is Lalwen who marries them.

Full Disclosure (T: 2,000 words). Epistolary commentary on Finrod's relations with the many peoples of Beleriand. Mildly spicy humor.

All The Way Home We'll Be Warm (T: 1,100 words). Maedhros finds Hurin annoying until he solves the problem of how to make Fingon happy when visiting Himring in the winter. Humor.

A Thousand Years and More (T: 600 words). Fingon doesn't adjust well to being reborn without Maedhros.

The Quality of Mercy is Not Strained (T: 600 words). Fingon tries to play word games with Mandos around the concept of Doom. He is not successful.

Helcaraxë (T: 300 words). Fingon's thoughts on ice (and Ice). Pairs nicely with Hyemation.

Long-Remembered, Long-Imagined Touch (T: 350 words). Reborn Fingon is disappointed in his new hands.

And a Voice Answering Called to Him (T: 800 words). Maedhros and Fingon at Fingolfin's coronation.

Enjoy!

[kingwuko]

So I was reading the transcripts for the commentary of season 4 episodes and I've been thinking about how Wu was basically being used in the beginning.

Leading up to the coronation it's really hammered into us how Wu is not fit and prepared to be king. He's more interested in the fame and adoration that comes along with it. He's excited about a big dramatic ceremony. Mako is kind of horrified by this. "Shouldn't you be getting ready to, I don't know ... rule a whole nation?" Wu brushes it off and says he'll have advisors for that. Mako questions it to Raiko. "You sure that's the guy you want running the Earth Kingdom?"

Here's the thing: yes, that is absolutely what Raiko wants. He is thrilled at the prospect of having a puppet on the throne. He is sending his advisors with Wu to handle the day to day of governing. And do you think he's sending advisors who will do what's best for the people of the earth kingdom, or will those advisors do what's best for Raiko?

Raiko is happy to send Mako off with Wu, if it will keep Wu happy and complacent. Lin says it directly. "Sorry kid, you're just a pawn in Raiko's political schemes". Mako is confused and doesn't understand how this could be happening. He works for the Republic City police department and can't grasp why he is being sent away. But Raiko has authority over the police and he will send over one good detective if it means keeping a hold on the royal crown.

We see so much of Wu being ridiculous, a joke, we see that he is so clearly going to be a bad king, that it obfuscates the real issue: Raiko wants control, and power, and he is more than happy to exploit a young, naive, under-prepared Wu to grasp it. He sees Wu as a puppet, and Mako as a pawn to keep Wu on his strings.

Raiko has shown throughout the series that he is actually very manipulative and ruthless and not above taking advantage of these young people (remember he manipulated Mako in season 2 into telling him Korra's plans, which was a huge catalyst for their very violent breakup), as long as it keeps him in power.

Wu was a victim of manipulation by an experienced politician. But by the end of the show, he took control of his own destiny and decided to do what was best for himself and for his people-not Raiko. And that was, in part, because of Mako, who helped him grow into a more responsible person.