#i agree with the conclusion but not the argument towards it if that makes sense. i have my own sort of...

[fideidefenswhore]

Catherine [of Aragon], [Princess] Mary, and Anne Boleyn are enemies of Cromwell and do not fare well at her hands. In fact, [Mantel's] focus on Cromwell seriously undermines the claim her account is more authentic than Michael Hirst['s].

Writing Mary I: History, Historiography, and Fiction

[kckt88]

A Dragon's Heart III

Summary:

As Aemond struggles cope in the wake of Viserra's departure he makes a confession to Alicent and Aegon confides in Rhaenyra.

Warning(s): Angst, Arranged/Unwanted Marriage, Swearing, Family Drama, Dragons, Infidelity, Uncle/Niece Incest, Smut, Oral Sex, Semi Public Sex, P in V, Revelations, Referenced Character Death.

AEMOND x O.C

Word Count: 8,600

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the House of The Dragon or Fire & Blood characters nor do I claim to own them. I do not own any of the images used.

Comments, likes, and reblogs are very much appreciated.

Tag List - @jasminecosmic99 @kaelatargaryen @yesterdayfeelings-blog @immyowndefender @0eessirk8 @darylandbethfanforever9 @killua2dot0

The atmosphere in Storm's End was thick with tension, the sombre weight of the funerals lingering like a storm cloud over the ancient castle.

The discussions regarding the succession had been heated, with various lords and ladies voicing their opinions on who should inherit Borros Baratheon’s seat.

The halls had echoed with disagreements—some advocating for Rhaegar, others for the unborn child Viserra carried, some for Cassandra or Maris. But none had found consensus, and the shadow of uncertainty loomed over the castle.

Rhaenyra and Daemon, their faces stern and resolute, had stayed behind after the ceremonies, not just to pay respects but to ensure that House Baratheon’s future was secured—and their own interests protected.

The arguments had been many, and Daemon’s temper had flared more than once, his hand often hovering dangerously close to the hilt of Dark Sister. 

In a private chamber, away from the prying eyes and ears of the castle, Rhaenyra, Daemon, and Cassandra faced each other.

The tension in the room was palpable, a silent battle of wills playing out between the three of them.

Cassandra broke the silence first, her voice cold and biting. "I wonder what would the Lords of the realm think if they knew of Viserra's affair with the Queen's one-eyed brother? And that her children are really bastards?"

Daemon’s hand clenched around the hilt of Dark Sister, his knuckles whitening. The underlaying insult towards his daughter was almost more than he could bear, and it took all his restraint not to unsheathe his sword then and there.

Rhaenyra, sensing the rising tension, interjected calmly. "There is no need for anyone to know of anything, Lady Cassandra. We can keep this matter between us—if you agree to my terms."

Cassandra's eyes narrowed; suspicion etched into her features. "And what terms would those be?"

"In exchange for your continued silence, I will name you Lady of Storm’s End," Rhaenyra stated plainly, her tone leaving no room for doubt. "Furthermore, I will arrange a marriage between you and Lorian Tyrell and your firstborn child, regardless of their gender, shall be named the heir to Storm's End, plus I will lower your taxes for the next two years-"

Cassandra hesitated, the offer tempting but the bitterness of her loss still fresh. "And what of the murder of my father and sister? Am I to believe that justice will be served?”

Rhaenyra’s expression remained composed, though a flicker of annoyance crossed her eyes. "My council is investigating the incident, but as of yet, no conclusive evidence has been found."

Cassandra scoffed, her anger simmering beneath the surface. "It’s obvious who the culprit is—Aemond. He had more to gain than anyone with my father out of the way. He’s now free to marry Viserra, and by that marriage, he will be the future King Consort."

Daemon let out a harsh, mocking laugh, the absurdity of the accusation too much for him to contain. "Aemond? Do you truly believe he had the means or the opportunity? He was never been absent from his duties. There were countless witnesses who can attest to that."

Rhaenyra nodded in agreement. "The notion is ridiculous. Aemond wasn’t involved. His every movement is accounted for."

Cassandra opened her mouth to argue further, but Daemon, his patience finally worn thin, cut her off. "Enough. You will accept the Queen’s generous terms in exchange for your silence, or House Baratheon will burn."

As if on cue, the castle shook with the echoing roars of Caraxes and Syrax, their fury filling the air, a reminder of the power Daemon and Rhaenyra wielded.

Cassandra stiffened, her face paling as she realized the seriousness of the threat.

Glaring at Rhaenyra, Cassandra finally relented. "I accept your terms."

As Rhaenyra and Daemon turned to leave, Daemon paused, leaning in close to Cassandra, his voice a low, dangerous whisper. "Mind your tongue, Lady Cassandra. Speak ill of my daughter again, and you will regret it."

Cassandra swallowed hard, her defiance faltering under the weight of Daemon’s words. She watched silently as they left, the door closing behind them with a finality that left her feeling as though she had narrowly escaped a dragon’s maw.

Outside the chamber, Rhaenyra glanced at Daemon, her expression a mixture of relief and irritation. "Must you always resort to threats?"

Daemon smirked, unrepentant. "Only when it’s necessary, my love. Now can we leave this fucking castle"

"I think it best-" replied Rhaenyra.

"Do you think perhaps we could make a stop on our return journey to the Red Keep?" asked Daemon smirking.

"To what end valzȳrys?"  questioned Rhaenyra, as she straightened the golden crown on her head (Husband).

"I find myself wanting my wife-come ñuha idaña perzys. I know of an inn we can make use of" replied Daemon as he took Rhaenyra's hand and practically skipped his way back to where Caraxes and Syrax were waiting (My twin flame).

Another week had passed, and Aemond’s mood remained dark and volatile. The confirmation of Cassandra’s acceptance of Rhaenyra’s terms had brought little comfort; if anything, it only deepened his frustration.

Despite the successful negotiations, Viserra was still kept away on Dragonstone, and the distance gnawed at him, a constant, unbearable ache.

His frustration boiled over during a training session in the courtyard, Ser Erryk Cargyll had been his sparring partner that day, and things descended into chaos pretty quickly and it took three guards to drag Aemond off Ser Erryk before he nearly beat the man to death, leaving the seasoned knight bruised and bloodied on the ground.

After hearing about the attack, Alicent could no longer ignore the feeling of uncertainty that swirled in the pit of her stomach, she had grown increasingly concerned by Aemond’s behaviour and she needed to speak to him.

She found him the dimly lit library; the heavy silence of the room was only broken by the crackling of the fire.

Alicent approached him, her expression a mix of worry and frustration. "Aemond, we need to talk," she began, her voice firm but tinged with concern.

“About what?”

“I’m worried about you” replied Alicent

"I'm fine, Mother-" said Aemond not looking from the book in his hands.

Alicent’s eyes narrowed, her patience wearing thin. "You are not fine. Your actions speak otherwise. Beating a knight nearly to death, avoiding your family—this is not you."

Aemond’s grip tightened on the book, his knuckles turning white. "I said I’m fine."

"Stop lying to me!" Alicent snapped, her voice rising with a mix of anger and desperation. "You're not fine, Aemond! You're falling apart, and I can see it as clearly as everyone else. You’ve always been the strong one, the composed one, but now-now you’re crumbling, and I don't understand why!"

Aemond’s control finally cracked, and he slammed the book shut, the sound echoing through the library. "I can’t cope with being separated from Viserra any longer!" he shouted, his voice raw with emotion. "I need to see her, to feel her and I want my son!"

The silence that followed was deafening. Alicent’s eyes widened in shock, her hand trembling slightly as she processed his words. "Your-what?"

Aemond scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. "Oh, come on, Mother. Don’t act so shocked. Deep down, you knew that Rhaegar is my son."

Alicent shook her head, her voice faltering. "No-no, that’s not true. He’s Borros’s son, you couldn’t—"

“I was the one who lost an eye; you have no excuse to be so blind!" Aemond interrupted, his voice cold and cutting.

Alicent’s shock quickly turned to anger, her voice trembling with emotion. "How could you be so foolish, Aemond? To get involved with a married woman, to father a bastard—"

"Because I love her!" Aemond’s voice was loud, filled with a mix of pain and defiance. "I’ve always loved her"

Alicent stared at him, her expression a mix of disbelief and horror. "How long has this been going on?"

Aemond’s eyes were dark, filled with a storm of emotions. "Since the night of the Driftmark petition," he admitted, his voice low.

Alicent gasped, her face paling as the words sunk in. "You-you’re lying," she whispered, unwilling to believe it.

"I’m not," Aemond insisted, his voice steady. "-After the fight with Jacaerys, I followed her to her chambers, and I took her maidenhead. Then at Storms End after she offered her hand in marriage to Borros, I went to her room and spent the night fucking her. Then on her wedding day I fucked her before the ceremony, she spread her legs for me and it felt so good-"

Alicent’s hand flew out before she even realized what she was doing, the sharp crack of her slap echoing through the library.

"How dare you be so vulgar!" she spat, her voice shaking with fury and disbelief. "What happened to my dutiful son? The one who was always so perfect, so obedient?"

Aemond’s eye hardened, a cold smile playing at his lips. "I grew up" he replied, his voice laced with bitterness. "I grew tired of being the perfect son who works for everything and receives nothing. So, I saw what I wanted, and I took it."

Alicent’s heart ached at his words, her mind reeling from the revelations. The son she thought she knew was slipping away from her, consumed by his love and obsession for Viserra.

"Aemond-" she began, her voice softer now, almost pleading. "This path you’re on, it will only lead to more pain. Please, think about what you’re doing."

Aemond’s expression didn’t waver. "I’ve thought about it more than you know, Mother. I will have Viserra and Rhaegar back, and no one will stand in my way."

With that, he turned and left the library, leaving Alicent standing there, her heart heavy with the weight of her son’s choices.

Aegon found Rhaenyra in her solar, the room lit softly by the afternoon sun streaming through the high windows. She was seated at a large wooden desk, a quill in hand, reviewing parchments with a furrowed brow.

He hesitated at the doorway, unsure of how to begin. Rhaenyra glanced up, noticing his presence, and offered a small, polite smile. "Aegon," she greeted him, setting the quill down. "What brings you here?"

Aegon stepped inside, his usual bravado replaced by an uncharacteristic seriousness. "I need to talk to you. It’s about Aemond."

Rhaenyra’s expression grew more concerned, her attention fully focused on him. "What about him?"

Aegon sighed, running a hand through his silver hair as he tried to gather his thoughts. "He’s not doing well. The separation from Viserra and Rhaegar-it’s tearing him apart."

Rhaenyra looked at him, her gaze searching. "Yes. I’ve noticed his temper has been worse lately”

"It’s more than that," Aegon replied, his voice strained. "Aemond’s losing his mind. Granted he’s always been intense, but this-this is different. He’s on the edge, and I’m afraid of what might happen if we don’t do something."

Rhaenyra leaned back in her chair, considering his words. "I sent Viserra and Rhaegar to Dragonstone for their safety and to quell the rumours”.

Aegon shook his head, his tone more urgent. "I understand that, but Aemond can’t cope without them. He’s never known what it’s like to be loved unconditionally. Our mother, for all her attempts to be a good mother, isn’t as loving or nurturing as she should’ve been-"

"Aegon" whispered Rhaenyra.

"-Aemond has spent his life trying to prove himself, to earn love that should have been freely given. Viserra-she’s the first person who made him feel like he was worth something, that he was deserving of love. She completes him in a way no one else can."

Rhaenyra’s eyes softened as she listened, her heart heavy with the truth in Aegon’s words. "I never realized-"

Aegon pressed on, his voice thick with emotion. "Aemond is falling apart without her. He’s been isolated and unloved for so long that when he finally found someone who loves him as deeply as Viserra does, it became everything to him. Without her, he’s lost."

Rhaenyra’s gaze dropped to the parchment in front of her, her fingers tracing the edges absently. "But the scandal—"

"Scandal be damned!" Aegon interrupted, his voice rising with frustration. "Aemond deserves to be happy! He deserves to have the love that’s been denied him his whole life. It’s too late for me—" He paused, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. "—but not for Aemond. He has a chance to have what I’ll never have. Please I beg you sister, don’t take that away from him."

Rhaenyra’s heart clenched at his words, the raw emotion in his voice piercing through her own concerns.

She had seen Aemond’s growing instability, but hearing Aegon’s plea, the way he laid bare Aemond’s pain and longing, struck a chord within her.

She nodded slowly, her resolve softening. "I never wanted to hurt him, Aegon. I just wanted to protect them all"

"I know," Aegon replied quietly, stepping closer to her. "But keeping them apart is causing more harm than good. If Aemond is kept away from Viserra and Rhaegar any longer, he’s going to have some kind of breakdown. And when that happens-I’m not sure if anyone will be able to bring him back."

Rhaenyra let out a long breath, the weight of Aegon’s words settling heavily on her shoulders.

She looked up at him, seeing the earnestness in his eyes, the desperate hope that she would listen and act before it was too late.

"I’ll send for them," she finally said, her voice soft but firm. "Viserra and Rhaegar can return to the Red Keep”

Aegon’s expression softened with relief, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. "Thank you. You’re doing the right thing."

Rhaenyra nodded, her mind already racing with the arrangements that needed to be made. "I hope this will be enough to bring him back from the edge."

"It will," Aegon assured her. "Viserra’s love will be enough."

As Aegon left the solar, Rhaenyra sat quietly, the decision she had just made echoing in her mind. She hoped, for Aemond’s sake, that it would be the right one.

Aemond stormed into his chambers, his mood as dark as the night outside. The maid who had been tidying up startled at his entrance, quickly bowing her head.

Before she could offer any words of welcome, Aemond snapped, "Leave. NOW!" His tone left no room for argument.

The maid quickly gathered her things and hurried out of the room, the heavy door closing behind her with a muted thud.

Alone at last, Aemond began to strip off his armour, piece by piece.

The chest plate, the pauldrons, the vambraces, all discarded with little care, until he stood bare in the dim candlelight.

He wrenched off his eyepatch and moved to the basin where a bath had been drawn earlier, the water still warm. He sank into it, letting the heat seep into his tired bones.

For a moment, he closed his eye, trying to shut out the world, trying to wash away the frustration and anger that clung to him like a second skin.

After the bath, Aemond dried himself off and dressed in a loose cotton tunic and sleep pants. He glanced at the food tray the maid had left behind, his stomach growling faintly. He picked at the food, eating only enough to quiet the gnawing hunger before pushing the tray aside.

He tried to settle down with a book, one of the many he had collected over the years, hoping to lose himself in its pages.

But the words blurred before his eye, his thoughts too tangled to focus. The strain in his eye worsened, a dull headache forming at the base of his skull.

With a frustrated sigh, he snapped the book shut and tossed it aside.

He lay down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, his mind racing despite his exhaustion. His thoughts inevitably drifted to Viserra and Rhaegar.

How he missed them. The emptiness in his chest was like a gaping wound, one that no amount of duty or distraction could heal. He felt foolish for being so consumed by it, for feeling so dependent on their presence, but he couldn’t help it. They were his world, and without them, he was lost.

He thought back to the older women he had bedded before Viserra and he realised that whilst they may have taught him how to pleasure a woman, he himself had never experienced true pleasure until he was with Viserra.

The sex with the women felt good at the time, but after it always left him feeling hollow and empty to the point where he thought something was wrong with him, seven knows Aegon offered bragged about his conquests and the delights of the women he bedded, or sometimes the men if his drunken ramblings were anything to go by.

Aemond never truly understood it until Viserra. Fucking her was euphoric, and it always left him wanting more, no matter how many times he sheathed himself inside her, it was this feral need inside of him to possess her at all times.

Daemon told him that Targaryen's would often call to their own, their dragon's blood singing for one another. Maybe that's what is was.

Was it the reason why Daemon was so insistant in his pursuit of Rhaenyra, and why they would often be seen sneaking off somehwere, but then why wasn't Aegon or any of the others like that?

Did it only affect certain Targaryen's or did finding their perfect mate awaken something inside of them?

As he lay there, his thoughts began to spiral. What if something happened to them? What if Viserra fell ill again on Dragonstone, and he wasn’t there to protect her? The thoughts gnawed at him, feeding his anxiety until finally, exhaustion began to pull him under.

His heavy eyelid drooped, and he surrendered to sleep, hoping it would bring him some peace.

But peace was not to be found. His dreams were vivid, almost cruel in their clarity. He dreamt of Viserra and Rhaegar, holding them close, feeling their warmth, their love. For a brief moment, he was content. But then, it twisted into something darker.

He saw Viserra, her face pale and frightened, Rhaegar crying in her arms. Aemond tried to reach them, but his feet were stuck, as if rooted to the ground. No matter how hard he strained, he couldn’t move.

And then Borros Baratheon appeared, his face twisted into a grotesque mockery of life, his dead eyes gleaming with malice.

He wrapped a hand around Viserra’s throat, squeezing as he dragged her into the darkness. 

Rhaegar’s cries for his mother echoed in his ears, desperate and filled with fear. Aemond fought against his invisible restraints, but it was no use.

Just as the nightmare seemed to reach its peak, Aemond suddenly felt a soft touch on his cheek. His heart stuttered as he heard a sweet, familiar voice.

"ñuha jorrāelagon" (My love).

He opened his eye, the nightmare dissolving into nothingness. Before him, sitting on the edge of his bed, were Viserra and Rhaegar.

Viserra’s hand was still on his cheek, her touch warm and real.

Rhaegar, with his bright eyes and innocent smile, threw his little arms around Aemond’s neck, hugging him tightly.

“Kepa” exclaimed Rhaegar (Father).

Aemond sat up, shock and disbelief warring within him. "Am I dreaming?" he asked, his voice hoarse, afraid to believe what his senses were telling him.

Viserra smiled softly. "No, my love. We’re real and we’re home."

Aemond woke late in the morning, sunlight filtering through the thick curtains of his chamber.

He glanced down and saw Rhaegar, fast asleep, snuggled up to him with one hand curled against his chest.

A tender smile tugged at Aemond’s lips as he watched his son, peaceful and content in his slumber.

A faint rustling caught his attention, and he turned his head to see Viserra sitting at the table, absentmindedly picking at the breakfast foods that had been delivered while he was still asleep.

Her hand rested gently on the small swell of her stomach, a sight that made Aemond’s heart skip a beat. He couldn’t tear his eye away from her—Gods, how beautiful she was.

Even in the simplicity of the morning, with her silver hair loose and her expression relaxed, she was a vision of grace and love.

Noticing that he was awake, Viserra looked up and met his gaze. A soft smile spread across her face. “You looked like you needed sleep, so I didn’t want to wake you,” she said quietly, her voice laced with warmth.

Aemond carefully detached himself from Rhaegar, ensuring the boy remained undisturbed, and slipped out of bed.

He crossed the room in a few strides, his focus entirely on Viserra. When he reached her, he bent down and kissed her passionately, pouring all the longing and relief of the past weeks into that single, fervent embrace.

"I’ve missed you," he whispered against her lips, his hand cupping her cheek.

Viserra smiled, her hand coming up to rest over his. “I missed you too,” she murmured back.

Aemond’s gaze dropped to her stomach, his fingers following. He placed his hand gently over the small bump, his touch reverent.

“It’s only been a few weeks” muttered Aemond.

 “I know-” replied Viserra softly.

“Mayhaps there’s more than one babe” whispered Aemond.

“Don’t even joke about that” said Viserra.

Aemond laughed softly before he leaned in and kissed her again, a tender kiss full of love and gratitude.

Then, an idea seemed to occur to him, and he looked at her with a mischievous glint in his eye. “Stand up for a moment,” he requested.

Viserra raised an eyebrow, curious but obliging. She stood, and Aemond took her place on the chair, patting his knee invitingly. “Come, sit,” he said, his tone serious despite the playful request.

Viserra let out a soft laugh, shaking her head slightly. “You can’t be serious,” she said, though her smile betrayed her amusement.

Aemond met her gaze with unwavering intensity. “I’m deadly serious.”

Still laughing softly, Viserra gave in and sat down in his lap. She felt his strong arms wrap around her, pulling her close as he pressed his nose into her hair, inhaling her scent deeply.

It was a sensation he had longed for, missed more than anything else in the world.

“Never leave me again,” he muttered against her ear, his voice rough with emotion.

Viserra turned her head slightly, resting it against his. “I won’t,” she promised softly.

Aemond held Viserra close, his arms wrapped securely around her as he pressed a flurry of soft kisses across her face—on her forehead, her cheeks, the tip of her nose.

Each kiss was a whispered promise, a declaration of the depth of his longing. He breathed in her scent, letting it fill his senses, and leaned in to murmur in her ear, “What if I don’t attend to my duties today? What if we just stay here, shut away from the rest of the world?”

Viserra laughed, the sound warm and soothing, like a balm to his soul. “As tempting as that is,” she replied, her voice laced with affection, “I have matters to discuss with my mother, and I promised Rhaegar that he could play with Jaehaerys today.”

Aemond pouted slightly, the image of the two of them alone and undisturbed still lingering in his mind.

But Viserra placed a gentle hand on his cheek, her thumb brushing against his skin as she assured him, “We won’t be far from one another. And mayhaps tonight, Rhaegar can sleep in his own chambers, and we can have some time alone.”

He caught the mischievous glint in her eye, the subtle suggestion in her words, and his heart quickened. “I can’t wait,” he whispered, his voice low and thick with desire. “We have a lot of time to make up for.”

Viserra’s smile widened as she nodded in agreement. “It was torture without your touch,” she admitted, her voice soft. “I spent many nights longing for you-my fingers never satisfying me same way yours do”

Aemond’s lips found hers again, a deep, passionate kiss that sent a surge of arousal through him.

He was lost in the feel of her against him, until a knock at the door broke through the haze of their shared desire.

Aemond growled softly, annoyed at the interruption. “What is it?” he called out, his voice tinged with frustration.

Ser Erryk’s voice came through the door, cautious and formal. “My Prince, I was concerned as you are late to attend your duties as Commander of the City Watch.”

Aemond huffed, reluctantly pulling back from Viserra. “I’ll be there as soon as I’m able,” he replied, trying to keep the irritation from his voice. “I slept late.”

Viserra chuckled softly as she adjusted herself in his lap. “It’s just as well we were interrupted,” she teased, her fingers brushing his hair away from his face. “It wouldn’t do to indulge in our desires with Rhaegar still in the room.”

Aemond couldn’t help but smile at her words, leaning into whisper in her ear, “Tonight.”

Viserra nodded, her eyes sparkling with the promise of what was to come. “Tonight,” she echoed softly, sealing the agreement with a gentle kiss.

Alicent stood at the edge of the garden, her hands clasped before her as she watched the scene unfolding before her.

The sunbathed the Red Keep’s gardens in a warm, golden light, casting a soft glow on the vivid green of the grass and the delicate colours of the flowers in bloom.

Viserra was sat beside Helaena on a wooden bench, their heads close together as they spoke quietly, occasionally breaking into gentle laughter.

Nearby, Rhaegar was running across the lawn, his small legs carrying him after Jaehaerys and Jaehaera, their high-pitched giggles filling the air.

Maelor sat contentedly beside his mother, playing with his toys, his brow furrowed in concentration.

The sounds of children’s laughter echoed through the garden, mingling with the rustle of leaves and the distant hum of the city beyond the walls.

Alicent allowed herself a rare moment of peace, letting the joyful sounds wash over her. For a brief moment, it felt as though the weight she had carried for so many years had been lifted.

There had been a time when such a scene seemed impossible. The realm had been on the brink of war, sister against brother, a brutal fight for a crown that now rested on Rhaenyra’s head.

Her father Otto had been so certain that Rhaenyra’s reign would mean the end for them all. He had warned her that Rhaenyra would demand Aegon’s execution, that she would call for the blood of her children to secure her succession.

But Rhaenyra had proven him wrong. She had been merciful, more than Alicent had ever imagined possible. Aegon had been spared, and so had her other children. And now, there was a sort of unity among them—a fragile peace that had taken root, nourished by the passage of time.

Alicent’s gaze drifted to Rhaegar, who had just tackled Jaehaerys to the ground in a fit of laughter. The boy’s silvery hair gleamed in the sunlight, and Alicent’s heart clenched with a mixture of emotions.

Rhaegar was Aemond’s son—her grandson. How had she not seen it before? The resemblance was undeniable. The sharp features, the intense gaze, even at such a young age.

He was his father’s son in every way that mattered.

Aemond’s choices had pained her deeply. His involvement with Viserra had been a scandal, one that Alicent had struggled to accept.

The son she had raised to be dutiful and restrained had acted out of passion and desire, entangling himself in a web that could never truly be undone. But now, looking at Rhaegar, Alicent saw beyond the mistakes, beyond the scandal.

She saw a future, a legacy. Rhaegar was a bridge between two worlds—between the blacks and the greens, between her son and Rhaenyra’s daughter. He was proof that something good could come from the chaos, that there was hope for a future.

Alicent sighed softly, her heart heavy with the complexity of it all. She had been a fool not to see it sooner, to recognize the bond between Aemond and Viserra, to see Rhaegar for who he truly was.

A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she continued to watch, feeling a warmth in her chest that had been absent for far too long.

For now, she would hold on to this moment, to the sound of children’s laughter, and to the hope that the future might be kinder to them all.

Later that evening, Aemond sat tall on his horse, the reins held loosely in his gloved hands as he looked down at Viserra, who was standing beside him with a curious smile.

With one smooth motion, he reached down and offered his hand to her. She took it, and he effortlessly pulled her up into the saddle behind him.

As she settled into place, her arms instinctively wrapped around his waist, and she leaned forward, pressing her cheek against his back. “Where are we going?” she asked, her voice filled with playful curiosity.

Aemond glanced over his shoulder at her, a small, secretive smile playing on his lips. “You’ll see,” he replied, his tone teasingly mysterious.

With a gentle nudge, Aemond urged the horse into a trot. “Open the gates!” he called out, his voice commanding as they approached the main gates of the Red Keep.

The heavy iron gates creaked open, and the horse moved smoothly out onto the cobbled streets of King’s Landing.

As they left the bustling city behind, the sounds of the market and the chatter of the people faded away, replaced by the rhythmic clopping of the horse’s hooves on the ground.

Viserra tightened her hold on him, feeling the warmth of his body through his leathers. She closed her eyes briefly, savouring the moment—the freedom and the closeness.

The road soon gave way to a grassy meadow, Aemond guided the horse through the tall grass until they reached the centre of the meadow, where Vhagar and Vermithor were resting side by side, their eyes following the approaching pair.

Aemond brought the horse to a stop and dismounted first. He then turned and extended his hand to Viserra, helping her down from the saddle. Once her feet were on the ground, she looked up at him, her eyes filled with wonder.

“I thought we could use some time away,” Aemond said softly, his hand still holding hers as they stood before the dragons. “Just us. Somewhere we can be together without the world watching.”

Viserra smiled up at him, her heart swelling with love and gratitude. “It’s perfect,” she whispered, stepping closer to him.

“Helaena has agreed to watch Rhaegar for the night,” he said, his voice low and gentle.

 “That was good of her-”replied Viserra, a smile spreading across her lips.

“Let’s get going, shall we?” said Aemond.

With a determined nod, Viserra turned toward Vermithor and began the familiar climb up the rope ladder to the dragon’s saddle.

She moved carefully, the small swell of her belly making the climb a bit more challenging than usual. Halfway up, she paused to catch her breath, her hand resting lightly on her stomach.

Aemond, standing at Vhagar’s side, noticed her hesitation. “Are you alright?” he called up to her, concern lacing his voice.

Viserra glanced down at him and gave a reassuring smile. “I’m fine,” she replied, determined to reach the saddle.

With renewed effort, she continued her climb until she finally settled into Vermithor’s saddle, securing herself with the straps.

Aemond watched her closely, only mounting Vhagar once he was sure she was safely seated. He climbed the ladder with the ease of long practice, settling into the saddle with a sense of anticipation.

Turning his head, he caught Viserra’s gaze and gave her a small nod. “Follow me,” he said, his voice carrying over the wind.

Viserra took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she felt Vermithor shift beneath her. The powerful dragon roared, his massive wings unfurling as he prepared to take flight.

Vhagar was already in the air, her enormous wings slicing through the sky as she ascended.

Not one to be outdone, Vermithor followed, launching himself into the air with a thunderous roar that echoed across the landscape.

The two dragons flew side by side, the sensation of flying together, of being so high above the world, sent a thrill through Viserra. She could feel the exhilaration in her veins, her dragon’s blood singing with delight as the wind whipped through her hair.

Beside her, Aemond was similarly enthralled, the tension of the past weeks momentarily forgotten as they soared through the skies.

After an hour of glorious flight, the dragons began to descend, circling a secluded spot near the river Wendwater. The area was serene, far from the prying eyes of court and the pressures of duty.

The dragons landed gracefully on the soft sand near the riverbank, their wings folding as they settled down.

Viserra carefully unfastened the straps and began her descent down Vermithor’s ladder. Once her feet touched the ground, she looked around, her eyes wide with curiosity.

The peacefulness of the river, combined with the rustling of leaves in the trees, created an atmosphere of calm that contrasted sharply with the bustling life of the Red Keep.

She didn’t have to wait long before Aemond joined her, landing beside her with a soft thud. He smiled as he took her hand, their fingers interlocking effortlessly.

Without a word, he led her toward a tent nestled among the trees, its entrance partially hidden by the thick canopy above. The tent was simple yet inviting, a small sanctuary away from the demands of their world.

Aemond held the tent flap open for Viserra, his eyes never leaving her as she stepped inside. The interior was cozy, with furs and blankets spread across the floor.

It was a space meant for them, a place where they could be themselves without the weight of crowns and expectations.

“Is this where you and Aegon disappeared off to earlier?” asked Viserra.

“Possibly” replied Aemond smiling.

“I think it’s wonderful”

Aemond gently pulled Viserra into his arms, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Tonight, it’s just us,” he whispered, his voice full of promise and affection.

Viserra smiled up at him, her heart full as she leaned into his embrace. “Just us,” she echoed softly, feeling the tension of the past weeks melt away.

Aemond pressed a tender kiss to Viserra's lips, his touch filled with reverence and longing. "I want to make love to my wife amongst the stars," he whispered against her lips, his voice full of desire and affection.

Viserra's smile was radiant, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "Then let's do just that," she replied softly, her heart fluttering in her chest.

Aemond nodded, brushing a stray strand of silver hair from her face before reluctantly pulling away.

“Wait here,” he said, his gaze lingering on her for a moment longer before he turned and disappeared into the trees.

Viserra watched him go, her hands resting protectively on the small swell of her stomach, feeling the life that grew within her.

It wasn’t long before Aemond returned, his arms laden with wood for the fire. He dropped the bundle onto the ground not far from the tent’s entrance, his movements efficient yet filled with purpose.

Turning toward Vhagar, who watched them with keen eyes, he gave the command with a firm voice. “Dracarys.”

Vhagar, ever obedient, opened her massive maw and unleashed a stream of fire onto the wood.

The flames roared to life instantly, crackling and snapping as they devoured the dry branches. Aemond chuckled, waving his arms to ward off the intense heat.

"Little enthusiastic on the fire there, old girl," he commented, his voice light with amusement.

Viserra couldn’t help but giggle at the sight, her laughter filling the air with a melody that Aemond found irresistible.

There was no sweeter sound in the world than her laughter, a sound that resonated in his soul and made him feel more alive than he ever had.

As the fire settled into a warm, steady burn, Aemond turned his gaze back to Viserra. She stood near the tent, bathed in the soft glow of the firelight.

Her braided silver hair shimmered like moonlight against the backdrop of the darkening sky. She was dressed in her riding leathers, the familiar outfit clinging to her form, accentuating the slight swell of her stomach.

That small curve was a constant reminder that she carried his child, their second, and the knowledge filled him with a fierce, possessive pride, his blood growing hot under his skin.

Aemond’s breath hitched as he took in the sight of her, his pulse quickening with each step he took toward her. She was so beautiful, so utterly perfect in every way.

The firelight danced across her features, highlighting the softness of her expression, the curve of her lips, and the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. She was his—completely, undeniably his—and the arousal that surged within him was impossible to contain.

With a predator's grace, Aemond stalked toward her, his single eye dark with desire. Each step was deliberate, filled with purpose, as he closed the distance between them.

The fire crackled behind him, casting long shadows across the ground, but all he could see was her—his wife, his love, the mother of his children.

As he reached her, Aemond wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close against his chest. His hands were firm yet gentle as they slid down her back, feeling the warmth of her body through the leather of her riding clothes.

He pressed his lips to hers in a kiss that was both passionate and tender, pouring all his love and longing into the connection. He kissed her with an intensity that left them both breathless, his heart pounding in his chest as he felt the heat of her body against his.

“I can’t wait any longer,” Aemond whispered, his voice rough with need. “I want you, Viserra. I need you.” His hands moved to her hips, guiding her closer to him, their bodies pressed together in a way that made his desire almost unbearable.

Viserra’s breath hitched as she felt the heat of his arousal against her, her own body responding to his touch. She reached up, threading her fingers through his hair as she kissed him back with equal fervour, her heart racing with the anticipation of what was to come.

“Then take me, Aemond,” she whispered against his lips, her voice trembling with a mixture of love and desire.

Aemond backed Viserra towards the entrance of the tent, their hands pulling at each other’s riding leather’s, removing them as quickly as they could until they were a heaped mess on the floor.

“-Aemond” moaned Viserra as he placed his hands on her shoulders and encouraged her to lay on the heap of fur blankets.

He gently covered her body with his as he sucked and licked at the delicate skin of her neck, leaving red marks in his wake.

Viserra moved her head to the side and moaned loudly as she felt Aemond’s teeth nipping at her skin.

Ooo A-Aemond” exclaimed Viserra as he moved down her body, nibbling her at her skin as he went.

He paused at her breasts, his tongue taking turns to swirl around her rosy nipples.

“I can’t wait for these to fill with milk-” groaned Aemond as he pressed his face into the soft pillowy mounds.

“Me either” replied Viserra softly, she knew Aemond enjoyed tasting her mother’s milk, but she enjoyed the closeness and also the relief he would give her, as nursing often left her full and sore.

“So beautiful” whispered Aemond as he lowered himself and pressed a series of gentle kisses to the swell of her stomach.

“T-t-tickles” laughed Viserra as the ends of Aemond’s long silver hair swept across her skin.

“Hmmm”

“Aemond” gasped Viserra as she felt him move lower.

“Such a pretty cunny " breathed Aemond spitting on her before he ran the flat of his tongue up Viserra’s soaked slit, from bottom to the top, tasting her.

“Oh, my god” moaned Viserra her eyes rolling into the back of her head.

“That’s it my sweet. Let me hear you”. 

“YES! It feels so good. Don’t stop. Aemond. Please” begged Viserra.

"Delicious" purred Aemond as he began lapping at Viserra, running his tongue along every fold.

"More" panted Viserra. "Please. I need more”.

Aemond inserted two fingers, sliding them in and out of her slick wet folds.

“Oh, fuck" whimpered Viserra; her chest heaving.

 Aemond’s fingers were soaking wet as they continued to pump in and out of her tight heat.

“I can’t wait to get my cock inside you. I don’t want to wait any longer, come for me” moaned Aemond.

Gods his cock was so hard, it was almost painful.

Finally, he felt Viserra’s inner walls start to flutter around his fingers, squeezing them. Her back arched taut as a bow, and she screamed her release.

Aemond pumped slowly and lapped at his wife whilst she came.

Soon her tense body went slack and pliant, her chest heaving with every breath.

Aemond slowly moved up Viserra’s body, pressing kisses to her soft body as he went, until he reached his desired destination.

“Kostilus issa jorrāelagon” whispered Viserra as she writhed against him (Please my love).

Aemond couldn't wait any longer. He surged forward and sheathed his hard cock into Viserra’s soaked cunt causing her to shriek in surprise.

“That’s it, take all of me” moans Aemond as he begins to move.

Viserra can’t think of anything but the deep penetrating thrusts that greet her, causing her to wail and moan, causing tears form in her eyes, before running down her cheeks.

Aemond wanted to fuck her hard, but he knows he can’t, he doesn’t want to harm the babe.

But she’s testing his restraint as he feels her clenching around him.

“YES! YES! AEMOND! I CAN TAKE IT. HARDER. PLEASE” screams Viserra.

“FUCK!” shouts Aemond.

Aemond lifts Viserra’s legs onto his shoulders and wrapped his arms around her thighs, squeezing them together as he thrust his cock a little harder into her soaking wet cunny.

“Aemond! I’m going to come. Oh, fuck!” screamed Viserra.

“That’s it baby-come for me” exclaimed Aemond as he felt her clenching on his cock.

His wife always looked amazing when she came. Her head thrown back in pleasure, her eyes alive with lust, and her pale skin shining with sweat.

Aemond could feel the tension in his abdomen, but he didn’t want to come. Not yet.

“I love you-I fucking love you” groaned Aemond as he moved Viserra’s legs off his shoulders and manoeuvred her onto all fours, she whimpered as his cock slipped out, but he bent forward to press a series of kisses to her glorious arse, his hands kneading the soft flesh.

“P-Please Aemond” begged Viserra, her voice slightly muffled as she pressed her face into the soft fur blankets.

Aemond stuck his finger in his mouth before he ran it over her puckered hole.

“Is this alight?” breathed Aemond.

“Y-Yes. Put it inside me. I can take it” whimpered Viserra.

“Tell me-Tell me if it’s too much” replied Aemond as he slowly pressed his finger inside her.

“Ooh Aemond, yes. Please. More” babbled Viserra as he moved his finger in and out before adding a second.

“Your doing so well-my darling” moaned Aemond as he moved his fingers inside his wife, his other hand taking his cock and sheathing himself inside her once again, his eye rolling into the back of his head.

Viserra arched her back and screamed as Aemond thrust into her, the sound of his hips slapping against hers echoed through the air.

“Fuck-that’s it” moaned Aemond, his fingers still curling inside her.

“P-Please. Valzȳrys” whimpered Viserra (Husband).

Aemond removed his fingers and grasped hold of her hips, thrusting a little faster then he was before, his stomach muscles tensing.

He then took hold of her hair, twisting his fingers in the messy braid before he slowly pulled her backwards, her back colliding with his sweaty chest.

Aemond held Viserra tight too him as he fucked her, his cock reaching deep inside her.

“Give it to me Issa zaldrīzes” pleaded Viserra her head lolling back onto Aemond’s shoulder (My dragon).

“Give me another-come for me again” whispered Aemond as he slid his hand under the swell of her stomach and used his long fingers to stroke her pearl.

“Oh-yes-oh” moaned Viserra as her peak suddenly erupted, her hands tangling in Aemond’s hair as she pulled him in for a messy kiss.

Aemond could feel the tension building in his abdomen again, as he thrust his cock inside her.

“I want you to come on my cock again, but not like this-” muttered Aemond as he once again withdrew from her wet heat and laid on the blankets.

“-Aemond” exclaimed Viserra breathlessly.

“Ride me baby” replied Aemond as he manoeuvred Viserra on top of him.

His hand moving to his cock, rubbing it along her folds before she sunk down and completely engulfed him.

“Oh” gasped Viserra as she rolled her hips against Aemonds.

“That’s it ñuha nūmio, take it. Take all of me” (My pearl).

Aemond placed his hands on her hips and marvelled at his wife as she rode him.

Viserra dug her nails into Aemond’s chest as she moved her hips against his, his cock hitting the sweet spot inside her perfectly.

“A-Aemond” moaned Viserra as he moved his hands to her breasts, rolling her rosy nipples between his long fingers.

“Let go baby, I can feel you clenching around me again” exclaimed Aemond.

Viserra’s thighs began to burn, as she felt another climax approach.

“AEMOND” screamed Viserra.

“I’m going to fill you with my seed-”

“Y-yessss Aemond, I want it-I want you-” babbled Viserra as he moved her back onto the ground his cock never leaving her warmth as he moved inside her, chasing his own end.

“God. I love you- I love you-” groaned Aemond as he exploded. His cock throbbing and twitching as he finally spilled his seed.

The morning sun cast a soft, golden light over the quiet landscape as Viserra stirred from her slumber.

Her hand instinctively reached out to the space beside her, but instead of finding Aemond, she was met with the cool, empty fur blankets.

"Ñuha jorrāelagon" she murmured softly as she pulled a blanket around her naked body and rose from the warmth of their bed (My love).

Stepping out of the tent, she noticed that fresh wood had been added to the fire, the flames crackling merrily in the early morning chill.

"Aemond?" she called out, her voice carrying through the still air.

Viserra scanned the area, her eyes falling on the slumbering form of Vhagar, whose massive breaths disturbed the loose sand around her. Vermithor, however, was nowhere to be seen.

Just as she was about to call out again, a sudden shadow loomed over her. Viserra barely had time to react before a heavy thud echoed through the air, and the body of a dead stag dropped to the ground in front of her, its blood spraying across her face and chest.

She screamed in shock, stumbling back as she tried to wipe the blood from her face.

Vermithor landed gracefully beside Vhagar, trilling affectionately as he folded his wings. Viserra grimaced, still wiping the blood from her skin, and shot a glare at her dragon.

"Thanks for that," she muttered dryly, and Vermithor cooed in response, as if proud of his offering. Vhagar, unimpressed by the disturbance, opened one eye, huffed in annoyance, and promptly returned to her slumber.

Aemond emerged from the sea just as Viserra was recovering from the shock, his naked body glistening with seawater as he approached her with a carefree smile.

"Aren't you a sight," he teased, laughter dancing in his eye as he took in her blood-splattered appearance.

Viserra scoffed, still a little rattled. "I guess Vermithor thought we needed feeding,"

Aemond chuckled, nodding in agreement. "He's not wrong. It's not good for you or the babe to go without food for much longer," he remarked, glancing at the dead animal "A stag, how fitting."

Viserra nodded, her initial shock fading as she found herself smiling at the situation. With a playful shrug, she let the blanket slip from her shoulders, revealing her bare form to the morning light.

She couldn't help but laugh as she noticed the way Aemond suddenly stopped what he was doing, his gaze fixed on her, captivated by the sight.

She blew him a kiss, enjoying the effect she had on him, and turned toward the sea. The water was cold but refreshing as she waded in, washing away the blood and grime from her skin. The chill was invigorating, waking her senses and leaving her feeling renewed.

When she returned to the camp, Aemond had moved the stag a safe distance from the tent. A large slab of meat now hung over the fire, cooking slowly.

"I didn't know you could cook," Viserra remarked, her tone light as she joined him by the fire.

Aemond grinned, clearly pleased with himself as he offered her another blanket "What can I say? I'm a man of many talents," he replied, his voice laced with that familiar confidence.

"Indeed, you are," Viserra agreed, leaning in to kiss him gently.

After finishing their meal, Viserra and Aemond sat close together, enjoying the warmth of the fire and the comfort of each other’s presence.

Viserra rested her head on Aemond's shoulder, feeling utterly content.

But then, the tranquil atmosphere was interrupted by the first few drops of rain. They hit the ground softly at first, then more rapidly, until the rain began to pour down in earnest.

Viserra glanced up at the sky, expecting Aemond to suggest retreating to the tent, but instead, he stood and held out his hand.

“Dance in the rain with me,” he said, a playful smile tugging at his lips.

“There’s no music-”

“We can make our own” whispered Aemond.

Viserra hesitated for only a moment, the warmth of the blanket tempting her to stay put. But the look in Aemond’s eye was irresistible, and she found herself smiling as she abandoned the blanket and took his hand.

The rain drenched them both as they moved together, their naked bodies swaying in the downpour.

They giggled like children, spinning and twirling, water streaming down their faces and bodies.

The cool rain on their heated skin was exhilarating, and they pressed kisses to each other’s wet faces, tasting the sweetness of the rain mixed with their shared laughter.

Then, without warning, Aemond stopped. He slowly descended onto one knee; his eye full of emotion as he placed his forehead against Viserra's swollen stomach.

The rain continued to fall around them, but it seemed like time itself had paused.

“Marry me” Aemond whispered, his voice low and filled with longing.

Viserra’s heart skipped a beat. “We’re already married,” she replied softly, her hand resting gently on his head.

“Yes,” Aemond agreed, looking up at her with intensity. “In the ways of Old Valyria. But after our babe is born, I want to wed you in the eyes of the Seven. I want the realm to see that you are mine and I am yours.”

Viserra’s eyes filled with tears, though whether from the rain or emotion, she couldn’t tell. “Yes-I’ll marry you” she said, her voice trembling with happiness.

“Y-Yes?” questioned Aemond.

“Yes-yes-yes” exclaimed Viserra.

Aemond stood swiftly, pulling her into a passionate kiss as the rain continued to pour down on them, soaking them both.

The world around them seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of them in that perfect moment.

But then, the rain abruptly stopped.

They broke their kiss and looked up to see that Vhagar had extended her wing over them, shielding them from the rain.

The mighty beast huffed affectionately, her huge eyes watching them with a surprising gentleness.

“You big softie,” Aemond laughed, looking up at his dragon with affection.

“Just like her rider,” Viserra teased, her eyes sparkling with love.

Aemond smirked, a mischievous glint in his eye. “I say we change that,” he said, taking Viserra’s hand and guiding it to his already half hard cock.

Viserra laughed, her voice a soft melody in the quiet of the night. “You’re insatiable,” she murmured, though her tone was full of affection.

“Only when it comes to you, my darling,” Aemond replied, his voice husky with desire.

[oikoraart]

I might explode if I don't share this, so here goes an unhinged rant/theory that has to do with the Book of Bill. brace yourself!!

ALRIGHT SO background: yesterday I read a post talking about Silas Birchtree being one of the best iterations of "Bill using a human body as a flesh puppet" (agreed), and somewhere (I can't recall if it was op or a comment I'm sorry) there was this joke about Bill having a thing for people with tree surnames. and I was like haha funny yeah, and then moved on with my day.

but NOW IT HIT ME.

IT'S NOT SIMPLY TREES, OR LIKE, ANY KIND OF TREE.

HE FIRST WENT FOR A GUY WITH THE SURNAME BIRCHTREE. BIRCH. YOU KNOW, THAT WHITE TREE THAT LOOKS LIKE IT HAS EYES ALL OVER???

AND THEN, OH THEN HE WENT FOR PINES. A PRETTY TRIANGULAR-LOOKING TREE IF YOU ASK ME.

AND- OKAY I'M PROBABLY JUST REACHING HERE BUT HEAR ME OUT.

DOES HE,, DOES HE HAVE SOME SORT OF STRONGER INFLUENCE/PULL TOWARDS THINGS THAT SOMEWHAT RELATE TO HIM?? (not really sure why he'd go for trees* twice but- TRIANGLES, EYE(S), BILLS?, CIPHERS)

AND YOU MIGHT BE THINKING "nah he's just that badly egotistical, he picks like that on purpose" AND AT FIRST I WAS ALSO GOING TO JUST SIT WITH THAT CONCLUSION (and not write this post) BUT LIKE ACTUALLY NO THAT'S NOT IT.

BECAUSE alright let's say for the sake of argument that Bill could've had anyone else with a big brain and self-esteem issues construct his portal (debatable) and he just happened to choose Ford because "ehehe surname relating to me and birth defect too"...

BUT HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN SILAS???

THE GUY JUST RANDOMLY DIED. HE CHOKED ON A COIN THAT HE TOSSED AFTER FAILING TO MAKE BUSINESS IN THAT TOWN. JUST THEN DID BILL KICK HIS LITTLE CULT-FOR-PORTAL-CONSTRUCTION PLAN INTO MOTION, WHICH, NO MATTER HOW YOU LOOK AT IT, WAS DESTINED TO FAIL FROM THAT CHOICE ALONE.

HERE it is WAY harder to make the argument that he could've picked anyone from the town because, unless he was planning to fail on purpose, why would he choose a rotting body as a host?? it makes no sense: it puts a time limit to get it all done before the body is completely useless. it doesn't make any sense unless that was his only option. maybe he was already planning on entering the guy's dreams but then he just dropped dead and Bill went "ah shit. well, time to work with what we have, I guess!"

SO! in short, I believe that whoever Bill uses as his puppet/anchor to this world has to meet the requirement of somehow relating to him (his imagery and/or motifs), not just out of preference, but because it's a must, some sort of limitation or arbitrary rule that he has to follow, for him to be able to get to you.

...and personally I think that THAT'S SO COOL AND INTERESTING OMG MR. HIRSCH YOU ARE SUCH A BIG BRAINED MAN-

SO YEAH. I might be going a little insane. perhaps. cheers to that!!

now I have to figure out how/if this rule checks out with Alex Hirsch himself because (canonically? I think?) Bill has controlled him before and (iirc) is implied to still be tethered to him in some way

*the only explanation I can think of for trees would be the fact that [tree -> three -> triangle] but like idk that might be too far. or maybe that's precisely why he can only go for things related to specific trees, like [birch = tree + eyes] and then [pines = tree + triangular shape]. maybe the rule is even more complex than I first thought... hmmm

[familyabolisher]

Apologies if you've answered this before, but I've been following you for a while and the way you approach literary analysis is so interesting, and your takes have made me reflect on and reconsider the way I approach a text and how to respond to it! So I wanted to ask: when you read other people's takes/analysis for a particular piece of media, how do you determine if it's good or not? And not in a way where you decide it's "good" in the sense that the person you're reading has uncovered the One True Interpretation you could get out of that piece of media, but in the sense where you feel like it was worth your time, and hit the spots that you're looking for in particular when it comes to media analysis.

I'm asking because I've taken to reading more media analysis and commentary online a lot more nowadays, and sometimes I'll read something I'm not quite satisfied with but can't exactly articulate why I feel that way. I never know if it's in the particular language used or in the length, or in the details, because frequently I find that at the end of my reading I don't even disagree with the take or its premise, which makes my dissatisfaction all the more confusing. So I do like hearing about how other people approach things to try and figure things out for myself, and I respect a lot of your positions, so. How do you do it?

Thank you! I feel like “good/bad” is a very broad framework to be using here; I wonder if it might be more helpful to come to conclusions about analytical work based on how useful you found it. There’s a lot of critical work that I consider to be completely useless to me, but that doesn’t necessarily make it ‘bad’ or even ‘wrong’; it’s just not doing what I want it to be doing. Some questions you might want to ask could include:

Is this elucidating? Does this explain what it purports to explain, does it answer the questions it wants to answer and/or pose new questions that weren’t immediately legible in the text? Has it developed an idea clearly? Has it given you some new angles from which you can think about the text? In short: did you get something from reading it?

Is the argument followed to its furthest possible conclusion? What I mean by this is like, media analysis is often a process of asking a lot of “why” questions: why is X like this? Why is this significant? Why X and not Y?—over and over until you run out of questions to ask. I think the big thing to watch out for here is whether or not a piece of analysis lays out its observations as though events, characterisation, relationships, etc., are phenomena emerging organically (as though it were “real life”) rather than being narrative choices made with intention (and some impetus towards figuring out what that intention is). Saying that X character is like Y is far less compelling than saying X character is like Y because Z when Z is an argument that extends beyond the boundaries of the narrative itself. Narratives are a series of deliberate choices; we want to know why those choices were made and whether we agree with them.

To give an example: let’s say we’re talking about the significance of Shiv’s pregnancy in the final episode of Succession. Following it through to its conclusion might look like this:

I start out by saying, “Tom being favoured over Kendall as CEO of Waystar is in part due to Shiv’s pregnancy reaffirming the Roy family bloodline, something that Roman establishes Kendall as being functionally incapable of doing.” The first question we should ask here is: why is reaffirming the bloodline significant?

From here we can say, well, we know it’s significant because Roman uses the word ‘bloodline’ to mark Tom/Shiv as favourable, and this tells us that there is a logic of eugenics running through Logan’s empire. This is good, but we’re still operating in wholly diegetic territory ie. the only terms we’re setting for our argument are those of describing conditions internal to the narrative. The next question we’re asking is: why are the Succession writers bringing this question of eugenics and bloodlines into play here?

From here, we can go in a bunch of different directions—for argument’s sake, we can think about Succession’s relationship to imperial/monarchic narratives of dynastic succession crises and how the show generates tension in part by transposing those narratives onto an American capitalist media empire in order to suggest that networks of capitalist hegemony and the means by which such a hegemony is sustained can be discursively linked back to such dynastic interplay. We might then point to eg. Caroline and the British aristocracy and this question of blood purity that Logan’s relationship with her + his discarding of Connor introduces; can we think about the British imperial aristocracy as a crutch on which American capitalism rests, or are we being asked to consider how these imperial superpowers are a) functionally interchangeable and b) mutually sustaining, or? We can look at the fact that Sophie Roy is brown and Iverson is implied to be autistic (and obviously the fact that neither is biologically related to Kendall and the suggestion that social ‘inferiority’ is therefore hereditary) to identify whose bloodline a practice of eugenics within hegemony seeks to retain and who it seeks to dispossess, and how this links back to the willingness on the part of the siblings to collude with (or even openly support) a fascist when it becomes in their best interest to do so. We can ask questions about reproduction of the bloodline as a means of reaping the rewards of hegemony (Shiv) or punishment within the borders of said hegemony for impotence and sexual deviance (Kendall and Roman). All of these lead us from arguments about the internal conditions of the Roy family towards conditions of the ruling class articulated through the family structure. All of this is compelling, but it begs the question of: why are we able to extrapolate all of these conclusions from the narrative configuration of the Roy family? Where in the text is it evinced that this kind of metonymic reading is coherent?

Finally, we link this back to Succession by understanding the Roy family as effectively metonymic for the ruling class as a united body (and why it’s effective for a family unit to take on such a metonymic role! What does this tell us about the relationship between the cluster of kinship relations we call the “family” and hegemony?) as is pretty transparently evinced throughout the show, and which is what gives meaning to this series of observations and allows us to extract an argument towards thematic significance out of what was initially just a set of observations about what was ‘happening’ on-screen.

I hope this is a clear example—I just went with it because most people on this website are at least passably fluent in Succession by now, lmao. The point is, you keep asking questions until you’ve followed the throughline through as far as it can be followed. In evaluating a piece of critical writing, you always want to be asking: why is this there? Why is this important? A weaker piece of critical writing will often avoid or else seem not to consider these sorts of questions. As a general rule of thumb, the more a work of critical writing seems to take for granted, the weaker it tends to be.

How well does the argument match the expectations you might have? Is this line of interrogation something that you’ve considered before, and what conclusions did you draw? Does the argument fall in line with your conclusions; does it challenge or develop them by introducing something you hadn’t considered, or do you think that your understanding identified something that the argument missed? If you were asked the question that the piece purports to respond to, how would you respond?

What are the blind spots of the argument? This is similar to the above, but is specifically concerned with asking what the piece might have missed or what assumptions might be limiting its scope. This means looking for the assumptions upon which the argument rests and trying to unpack and challenge them in order to understand how they took the form that they did. An example of this might be the kind of “female rage”/“teenage girl ferality” arguments you often see circling about Yellowjackets: what narrative does this idea of girls’ youthful ‘rage’ implicitly exonerated from harm contribute to? What do we do when we reify the idea of ‘teenage girlhood’ as a unique, impenetrable state that affords those who ‘experience’ it a uniquely elevated condition, or when we flatten these characters into the apparently equalised category of ‘teenage girl’? How do these arguments elide questions of race in Yellowjackets as regarding eg. Lottie or Taissa, and how can we follow them through to think about blind spots not only in the argument but in the show itself? No argument can feasibly encompass every possible nuance and perspective that one could bring to a text, obviously, but a stronger piece of critical writing will try to get into these underlying assumptions with depth and thoughtfulness and try to put some work into showing why they came to the conclusions that they came to; again, it’s about what gets taken for granted, what the writer presumes can go unspoken, and whether we ought to drag it to the surface and take a better look at it.

How well is the argument substantiated? Here I would expect reference to the source material—how well are these references selected? Are they consistent? Is there some cherry-picking happening—can you think of a point in the text where the claims being made might be challenged or contradicted? Does the argument impose stasis or unilaterialism onto something that in the text is in fact depicted as dynamic or otherwise in development? How well does this hold up with your interpretation of these moments—can you interpret them differently? What do you make of that ambiguity?

Can you place a value judgement on the argument made? In other words: do you agree? This is basically just about synthesising your responses to all the other questions and evaluating how on the mark you think the argument is; how you would respond to it, how you might develop it, how it might have developed your understanding of the work or else can be applied to other parts of the text (or indeed, other texts).

Ultimately I think the best thing you can do here is develop your own positions on texts to the best of your ability—I find that writing my arguments out helps me to get to grips with them better—and engaging with analytical work relative to that, ie. going in with your own solid sense of understanding from which your response can be crafted; I have an older post here on some of the questions you can start asking when you’re looking to do so. Obviously this means keeping an open mind towards arguments that contradict your own or that you may not have thought of before, but knowing what you think and why you think it will make it a lot easier to notice what might be missing or contradictory in someone else’s work (or, again, what you yourself might have missed). Critical work is (imo) best thought of as a dialogue rather than a straightforward imparting of knowledge; how someone else’s analysis informs your own, and how yours informs theirs, without flattening this dynamic into a deference of superior authority on either end, is the clearest and most productive way to think about it all.

I hope this is helpful!

[kishimotomasashi]

Alright, Uchiha Clan oppression longpost

This is the unavoidable, and often central, topic people tend to surround their Naruto politics takes on, and is as a result a big, ugly discourse-generator. It's also a subject I'm definitely always thinking about when it comes to Naruto as a noted Sasuke stan, and my thoughts on it have changed gradually over the years. I'm making this post to share what my current interpretation on "how and why the Uchiha Clan were oppressed" is.

Before I do that though, notice on what this post is not:

I'm not writing a "discourse ender", a take meant to be spread around with the claim of being the only correct interpretation of events. This is a post I wrote to share the exact way I rotate an aspect of the manga in my mind, and to convince people that looking at it from this angle is interesting. Basically: it's not that serious, I think about this because it's fun.

This isn't a "character-bashing" post or whatever either, so like if you agree with what you read here, I suppose I can't stop you from using those infamous "anti-[X]" tags, it's just that making a post that warrants them has never been my intention.

Along with that, I do want to address the by now very well established fact that Naruto the series is Not Very Good, and has glaring inconsistencies in its writing. The Uchiha Clan drama is definitely not exempt from this, and in its case the failures in Kishimoto's writing usually show in inconsistent power-scaling, in which we're made to accept weird leaps in logic (how does a 13 year old get rid of what we're told is one of the most powerful and feared clans internationally?) That being said, those particular inconsistencies are kind of irrelevant to this particular post, and don't much change the fact that the Uchiha Clan Massacre did happen. I'll be taking it as a given that if you're reading this, you're accepting to suspend your disbelief of those events on a technical level, and are more interested in how I make sense of it all more on the diegetic social/political level.

With that settled, we can get to the important part now:

The most popular take (as far as I've personally seen) on the events that led to the Uchiha Clan's downfall is the one that takes Madara at his word: the Senju have been oppressing the Uchiha since Konoha's conception, and Tobirama becoming the 2nd Hokage gave him the opportunity to put the Uchiha in a more socially disadvantaged position (police force), gradually earning them the villagers' ire, which was the catalyst for their eventual genocide.

This interpretation works if the end goal of your analysis is to say "Tobirama really fucking sucks". I don't think this conclusion is an unreasonable one, since Tobirama's hostility towards the Uchiha is great enough that he can callously tell a 16 year old genocide survivor that if his clan "self-destructed for the sake of the village, so be it". However, to me, the circumstances surrounding the Uchiha Clan are much wider-encompassing and more fascinating than narrowing their fate to a single man in fan meta written to convince you to hate him, so it goes without saying that I don't think "this is all Tobirama's fault" is a very interesting lens to look at this from.

I also don't buy the argument that making the Uchiha cops was (originally) to their detriment. We'll get back to that in a bit. I suppose this depends on how you look at Tobirama's character, but I think that when he said he made the police force as a sign of trust and to give the clan something useful to do in Konoha, he was being genuine. Arguing the opposite requires you to either believe that a law enforcement order could ever be in an oppressed position by default, or that Tobirama created a fundamentally useless new institution because he just hated the Uchiha that much. I think the former is a weird thing to argue if you're trying to be Leftist about all this, and the latter is a very ungenerous interpretation of Tobirama's character in which his own "racism"/pettiness overshadows his more utilitarian instincts to ensure that the village his brother built was safe and functioning. Obviously you could interpret that, but that leads us back to the "everything is Tobirama's fault" take, that I already mentioned I find lame as hell.

So then, how do I think the Uchiha Clan was oppressed? Because I think they indisputably were, or I wouldn't be making this post. Well, I think it was less "The Senju/Tobirama have always wanted to lord over them and wanted them dead", and more: they became gradually more socially disadvantaged during the era of Hidden Villages, with the consecutive world wars creating a souring global opinion on kekkei genkai clans.

(I'm gonna base my arguments primarily on what we see happen in the manga, and I'll add in some information from the fanbooks/databooks that weren't contradicted by what we see happen in Kishimoto's canon)

Let's start with what we know, definitely, that canon tells us:

Kekkei genkai clans are discriminated against to a very high extent, leading to things such as their mass slaughter (eg, the Uchiha Clan obviously, but also kekkei genkai clans like Haku's clan in the Land of Mist), and a vulnerability which puts them in positions where they're likelier to be targeted and kidnapped (eg, Hinata, but also Orochimaru having a whole criminal entreprise built on kidnapping and experimenting on people possessing kekkei genkai).

The trend for their discrimination is in being scapegoated. When Haku talks about the genocides in the Land of Mist (I refuse to call it the Land of Water sorry it sounds so stupid), this is how he describes them:

(chapter 59)

basically, it's not shinobi as a whole who are badly seen even though all sorts of them were likely participating in those wars: it's kekkei genkai clans in particular. Compare this to the Uchiha Clan being blamed for the Nine Tails attack (I mean one of them certainly was responsible, but was entirely unaffiliated with the rest of the clan) and being roped off to the edge of the village as a result.

Kekkei genkai clans are also frequently described by characters as being a bit "wilder" and more violent than usual shinobi. Tobirama calling the Uchiha "cursed", Kushina describing the Uzumaki as being "a bit savage", and Kakashi introducing us to the concept of kekkei genkai initially with these fun visuals:

(chapter 25)

The thing that's interesting about all this is the context in which it exists: the shinobi villages aren't technically "nations", but I think it would be accurate to liken their possessiveness of their secrets and paranoia regarding outside intrusion + conception of themselves as unified cultural entities + incredibly harsh treatment of dissidents (becoming a rogue is essentially a death sentence) to nationalism. There's an intentse "in-group vs out-group" feeling here.

Not to mention that canonically that shinobi have always been tools of imperialism for greater powers. While Hashirama's initial dream was to put an end to that, it eventually became corrupted; there was already discontent regarding land and resource allocations during his tenure as Hokage, and while we have no idea why the 1st War started, we know that by the time we're on the 2nd one, Konoha had become a tool for the Land of Fire's imperialist expansion (and was apparently was expanding its influence as a military village, too).

(chapter 436)

Basically, the "in-group vs out-group" conception that had once solely been clan-centric widened, and became this new concept of shinobi villages.

This is important because nationalistic sentiment inevitably rises during war; as a result, there's be a sharper eye for who'd turn traitor, who wasn't supporting the military effort, who would endanger their nation/village, etc. With this, there would be greater suspicion directed towards kekkei genkai clans, because they're more "genetically predisposed" to being unpredictable, because they would appear more loyal to their own than to the whole of the village, because they were the likeliest to turn traitor, and so on.

This would be a gradual process going on since the 1st War, but I believe that the 2nd War was where this kickstarted into becoming so much worse, because that one saw the destruction of Uzushio. It was a village composed entirely of a single clan, didn't bend to any of the big 5, and the Uzumaki were "savage" and had abilities that were greatly feared. It would be interesting to consider the idea that their associations with Konoha would have done them more harm than good here, too, given that Konoha was the Big Bad in the 2nd War and an alliance with them would not have been viewed positively.

It's thinking about all this in context, where nationalism was at its peak, where there's an idea that genetic chakra abilities impair swathes of people from being regular functioning shinobi like everyone else, is how we can imagine the Uchiha were discriminated against. They had another disadvantage to them as well, given that one of the first deadly attacks committed on Konoha was done by one of them. If we want to go back to the police force argument, it would be interesting to consider the idea that while it had been a good position for them at first, the utility and influence of the institution gradually eroded over time, and by the time the era where the massacre happened came along it became nearly meaningless since most of its original functions had been assigned elsewhere; as the kekkei genkai clan discrimination rose, the Uchiha also fell victim to it and their influence within the village significantly reduced out of fear of them.

The surveillance and the sequestering of the Uchiha Clan came after two important events; the first being the 3rd Great Shinobi War, and the second being the Nine Tails' attack on Konoha which happened barely a year post-armistice. Konoha was barely recovering from global armed conflict when half of it was destroyed in that attack; tensions are high, the Hokage is dead, and so the village saw an incredibly convenient scapegoat in the Uchiha clan.

So... yeah, that's how I see it! I find this a more fun interpretation than just pointing fingers at individual characters, because it allows me to consider the wider worldbuilding of the Naruto world, and also doesn't assume the Uchiha's position was especially unique and the end-be-all of all the problems with Naruto's politics. It's certainly important, but it's part of a greater network of problems too!

[fryday]

Idk. I could see Dan really having commitment issues. He used marriage as an example in the stereo show, so I will too. It is kind of telling that he and Phil aren't married despite being together for 15 yrs. Maybe that's a personal choice for both of them, or maybe Dan is too scared. It took him 10 yrs to buy a house with Phil and he made it sound like it was something Phil was pressuring him to do, but he was unsure about. And if he actually hasn't put a label on what he and Phil have (which we don't know, but just for the sake of argument) like some phannies suspect, that could also be a sign of commitment issues. He was reluctant to put a label on his sexuality too because he thought it might change. That's part of the reason it took him so long to come out. He has had the same career since he was in his early 20s, but I always got the sense that he felt like it was something he had to do, because he had nothing else and they needed to make a living. He never had a consistent upload schedule and would often go months without uploading. I think Phil probably pushed him a lot in his career too. Dan is also kind of wishy-washy. He goes back on what he said and contradicts himself a lot. If I were to guess, I'd say it's a mix of abandonment and commitment issues. He's afraid of commitment bc he thinks he might change his mind, but he's also scared of the people he loves leaving him. But what do I know? Lol

Well this is a loaded argument. Again, idk much about commitment or abandonment issues, nor am I the most studied phannie scholar out there, so I'm not gonna say too much about what his behaviours have been like or what they might indicate. I see some of your points. There are a few things you mentioned that I read differently from you, though.

Re: marriage, just as far as what they've said on camera, it's not something either of them want. (See the Devan wedding episode.)

We know for a fact he was reticent about buying the house at least at first, but I don't know where you got the impression that Phil was pressuring him into the decision (genuinely don't know; that's not me being aggressive). I think if he still seemed unsure about it, it's because he does have issues with commitment in general and that general problem isn't going to go away when you decide to commit once, but I'd hope that he made that decision because his own love for and trust in Phil overcame his fears, rather than because he was forced into it. (And it REALLY doesn't seem that way to me.) Also, buying a house with someone isn't a small deal. I don't think 10 years is an unreasonable timeline to get to that point, especially when at the beginning of that timeline they were broke early-20-year-olds who would spend a lot of the rest of that time building their wealth.

I don't think Dan actively hated his job in the first few years at least, but I agree that him sticking to it for 20 years isn't necessarily a sign of him being super committed. Lots of people stay in jobs they hate or dislike or are apathetic towards simply because it's something familiar and they know how to do it well. It's also not NOT a sign. So. Shrug.

I have basically the same conclusion as you at the end of this, though, anon. Idk if I know anything about Dan Howell, really. I'm just a fan of his content. <3

[menalez]

As a Eastern European living in Italy, I agree completely. We do face a lot of discrimination, but it’s not ‘racism’ (people love using that word specifically because it muddles the issue). Also I do feel like they want to use the word racism to denote how serious the hate they receive is, but that’s so so wrong and disrespectful and cheapens the experiences of people of color. They need to put in the effort to raise awareness about their own discrimination without piggybacking. It’s so embarrassing. No harm in using another word jfc. Also absolutely not ‘as bad or worse than’ what people of color face. That’s just delusional and often deliberately malicious. (White) Eastern Europeans can and often are very racist, it’s crazy how I can hear someone complain about their own discrimination and in the same breath make racist remarks! Like, hello?! So yeah. Sorry for this kinda useless message, in conclusion I just agree completely and you are so right.

totally agree, and i want to also emphasise that im not tryna argue that the criteria to being a poc or to being able to claim u experience racism is not being racist to other poc. you can find racism towards specific groups of poc in basically every group... east asians to darker skinned populations (black ppl, south asians, southeast asians, etc), arabs to southeast asians, south asians, and black ppl, iranians to arabs, black ppl to asians & middle easterners, etc etc etc like no racial demographic or ethnic demographic is free of this and i do think that for us to combat racism and white supremacy, we need to also challenge each other and fight racism within our own communities bc we are stronger together.

WITH THAT SAID... yeah i think when the discrimination a group faces can be very clearly tied to other factors, it makes no sense to then turn around and insist that its actually racism that is the root of the discrimination & that therefore white people actually do face racism bc x group of white people sometimes get mistaken for poc (an argument i heard about italians, spaniards, and greek ppl) and then face racial discrimination based on the assumption that theyre actually not european (so .. misdirected racism) or bc y group of white people are looked down on for classist & xenophobic reasons by other white people. racism exists at a systematic, institutional level and involves a "dominant"/"superior" race discriminating against others in various areas of society on the basis of their race, that’s not the experience of eastern or southern europeans

[hamliet]

Saw an argument questioning why Wuthering Heights is taught in school since it's a racist book with harmful stereotypes where the villain is a dark skinned man who wrecks havoc in the lives of civilized white people. Now correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that the exact opposite of what the book is doing? I mean not only is Heathcliff not the villain but there's no 'good' people in the book? Everyone is despicable (pretty much) and the book also shows how people's attitude towards Heathcliff changes once he gets rich and becomes a 'gentleman', and how the toxic environment of Wuthering Heights changes a seemingly sweet-natured girl like Isabella for the worse. Also, in the second generation, Hareton, the white boy is the 'savage' and Linton who is Heathcliff's son is the 'gentleman', so again and again it seems like Emily's point is that it's not people's skin color that makes them, but the environment and the way they're treated. But like that discussion had so many people agreeing that I'm questioning my own understanding 😭

(I do get why some people don't like that both Heathcliff and Linton die and the property is returned to the two white families. But also, in a literal sense, he does get his revenge against the two white guys who did him wrong but young Cathy and Hareton had no part in Heathcliff's suffering and they both did develop and became better individuals something which Heathcliff and Catherine failed to do, partly because of their circumstances and partly because they're Heathcliff and Catherine. I'm talking a lot of nonsense but what I'm trying to say is no-one defeats Heathcliff, Heathcliff defeats himself by blindly running after revenge)

Yeah lmao. That's misreading at its unfinest. It's also, frankly, simplistic and anti-intellectual, and to quote what I reblogged yesterday, fundamentally a conservative argument instead of a progressive one.

Heathcliff is human.

That's kinda the point. Heathcliff gets dehumanized by everyone around him, so he becomes Lord Byron basically, which is a human reaction. Like, not everyone reacts to abuse (including racism) in a positive way, and not every story has to be a morality tale. Wuthering Heights is dark and gothic, more tragic than fairy tale. It also never pretends to be anything it isn't.

Anyways, the attitude that because Heathcliff is not a good person means that he's a racist caricature is not actually progressive. That's delving into another racist trope--the idea that the color of a character's skin determines how they can be portrayed.

Heathcliff is a person. Well. He's a character. But he's very, very human, and that's what makes the character so controversial and resonate so deeply centuries later. Readers are intended to wrestle with the novel's themes, with their empathy for the characters and with their horror. Ironically, these kinda of stories are, imo, far more likely to provoke actual progressive personal growth in a reader than a modern YA story that uses characters as tokens.

Look, I'm not out here trying to argue that there's nothing to critique in the classics, or even that someone can't be triggered by this issue and its portrayal in this particular novel. It's still a 19th century English novel. Was it progressive for its time in a lot of ways? Kinda. Was it still a product of its time, though? Yes, absolutely. (So are we all.) Are there elements to criticize regarding its portrayal of race, among other social issues? There definitely are.

To repeat myself, there's plenty to be critiqued. However, to argue that the entire book shouldn't be taught based on this is... no. It's a bad conclusion, and it's a dangerous argument.

The critical thinking skills are so lacking that it's alarming and reflective of the ouroboros of society: the serpent consuming its tail, young people who think they're being very progressive but who are actually just wrapping around to become the exact thing they purport to preach against.

Literature is an art meant to reflect the messiness of humanity. Wuthering Heights is so well-known because it does that very well for a lot of people. Not everyone, but that's okay. If you remove the messiness, you don't have humanity. If you blunt the pain, you're not being honest. If you're not being honest, you're perpetuating the problem.

[heartofstanding]

So, Helen Maurer thinks Margaret Beaufort killed the Princes? But... Maurer is a respected historian in the WOTR field, isn't she? She had a book on Marguerite of Anjou, right? Have you read her article, her reasons to think it was Margaret Beaufort? I'm baffled, I thought this theory was just admitted ok the "Gregoryverse", and that serious historians had more likely candidates (like Uncle Richard)

Hi, sorry for the delay in responding to this ask, I wanted to read the article before doing so. Yes, Helen Maurer is a respected historian and was one of the first to re-evaluate Margaret of Anjou's reputation and her research directly challenges a lot of pre-conceived notions of Margaret as the evil she-wolf - her book on Margaret is pretty much the standard and it's really good. Maurer is also, afaik, the first person to name Margaret Beaufort as a "main suspect" in the deaths of the Princes.

Does Maurer actually think Margaret Beaufort killed the Princes? Well, yes and no. Firstly, she says in the preface to the 2000 republication (the article was first published in 1983; the 2000 republication can be read here (pdf)) that her intention was to have "some fun" and construct a story "consistent with the arguments laid out, which would also compete on the level of 'story' with Shakespeare's marvelous concoction". In other words, her theory isn't an academic argument for What Really Happened (she's evasive about whether she really agrees with the conclusions of her article), but an attempt to offer up an alternative story that's just as compelling as Shakespeare's version.

Secondly, her conclusions are significantly different from the usual "Margaret Beaufort killed the Princes" story. For Maurer, Margaret may or may not have influenced the Duke of Buckingham into realising the Princes had to be killed but it was Buckingham who convinced Richard III that it had to be done. Then, "the order [was] given, by the only man" (that is, Richard III) "who had the power to give it".

I'm not very familiar with this stage of the Wars of the Roses to be able to properly assess Maurer's arguments and judgements. Keeping that in mind, I think it hangs reasonably well together as a story of one possible version of their deaths. We don't know what happened to the Princes, we probably never will - even if their remains are found and conclusively identified as them, it won't tell us who killed them or the exact details of their death.* As it is, this reconstruction fits with the evidence and arguments Maurer presents and it does make some sense - it's the least idiotic version of "Margaret Beaufort killed the Princes" that I've read.

That's probably because, in Maurer's reconstruction, Margaret's guilt is limited. She realises the "need" for their death and might have nudged Buckingham in that direction, if he needed nudging, but it is Buckingham who convinces Richard and Richard who orders their murders. Maurer's version of Margaret's intriguing also casts doubt on the idea that Buckingham needed much convincing, if any, to kill the Princes:

Once Richard's replacement had been contemplated, within the perceived instability of a situation where rivals to his throne (the Princes) already existed, it was but a short step to recognizing that the Princes would have to go. If they threatened Richard, they would be an even greater threat to anyone who supplanted him. I believe that Margaret understood this. She would have had more reason to think about this aspect of the situation than Buckingham. It was her son who, at this early point, toward the beginning of Richard's reign, was directly threatened by the sense of instability. Buckingham was not. But it may be that Buckingham had already, on his own, considered murdering the Princes, either to further secure Richard's title and his own ascendancy, or for other, more far-reaching reasons. Whether Buckingham had already thought about it or whether it was just now suggested to him by Margaret, I believe it most likely that their communication on the matter was circuitous and cautious, neither one willing to openly commit to such a course in the other's presence. One of them may have observed that if Richard were to order the Princes' deaths, the suspicions already being cast upon him might be expected to multiply and turn to active opposition. And there I believe they left it, without a definite conclusion.

It's worth noting that the original article is 40 years old and very little was changed for its republication. There appears to have been minimal scholarship on Margaret Beaufort when the article was written and it shows its datedness in other ways, such as the summation of Elizabeth Woodville's character. There have been a lot of new theories about the Princes since then, including the now-popular multitude tof theories that one or both survived (which Maurer, writing in 1983, felt these theories were unconvincing). Maurer also acknowledges, in her 2000 preface, that should she write the article from scratch again, it would be a very different piece.

* This is assuming that the Princes were killed (which I think they were) and that the skeletal remains said to be Princes in the urn at Westminster Abbey aren't actually the Princes, which seems likely. At any rate, the skeletal remains would need to be DNA tested to properly identify them and we still wouldn't know who killed them.

[shellofhappiness]

I’m sorry I came at you too aggressively, I just get frustrated for whatever reason when I see people kind of.. diminish their relationship? Like truly I just want to get behind why so many people believe their relationship was an unrequited one of sorts?

Hey, it's okay! I actually wasn't expecting to get any kind of response back, so I'm very pleased! I'm humble enough to admit in retrospect that there was also quite a bit of bite in my tone when initially replying to you, but since you got back to me making a clear effort to be more considerate and explain where you were coming from, I'll do my best to go about my perspective in a way that's less emotionally-charged! That aside, I sincerely hope you've been well since our last interaction. No hard feelings, water under the bridge! 🤍

This is mostly me going off the top of my head about why exactly it’s not uncommon to see people bring up the concept that Dylan didn’t care as much for Eric ( From my perspective, I think the better way to word this point is “Eric cared more for Dylan” rather than “Dylan didn’t care as much for Eric,” because it removes the negative connotation. ), so forgive me if I forget any notable details and such! Despite that, I'll still be providing sources for what I can.

First, I want to clarify that “unrequited” may not have been the most ideal word to use in my original post, and I apologize for the confusion that caused. I firmly agree that during their last year(s) together, EH and DK were the closest people in each other’s lives. They both obviously cared about NBK and subsequently, each other, blurring the lines between them and their act of requiem. They, together, were NBK, their own final solution to every single hardship they had ever faced, both separately and by each other’s side, all coming to a conclusion that could start and end with their hands, all in their own control.

I used the word “unrequited” to describe just how much it meant to Eric in particular. It both meant their entire lives to them, quite literally, but to Eric, from what we can gather, just a liiittle bit more that it was the two of them specifically than his partner in crime. For Eric, it was the act of going NBK in a symbolic sense, but for Dylan, his desire stemmed from the cruel reality of committing a national tragedy and then kicking the bucket. I think this shows well in what we know of the basement tapes. Eric is emotional and the certitude sets in, but he knows this is what he wants. Dylan is more emotionally withdrawn, mostly expressing anger at everyone who has wronged him. Now, I don’t want to neglect the argument that it could be DK used aggressive behavior as a mask to hide the dread he felt overall throughout filming. I’m not foolish enough to deny there wasn’t any of that from his end, but who knows why exactly he acted the way he did and how it could’ve contrasted off the record? 

Dylan was Eric’s final answer the entire time, contrasting Dylan who settled for Eric. I completely understand how using the word “settle” could come off as a diminishment of their bond, but it’s the best word I can think to use when we take into account that Dylan originally fantasized about constructing some kind of doomsday with their mutual friend, Zach ( Who Dylan was notably closer too / sought out more, & who Eric had a sudden disdain for up until before judgment day … jealousy? Heheh, just playing. ).

Dylan frequently wrote about Zach in what we have of his writings. We know it’s Zach because the first censored mention of him in his journal matches the time frame of when Zach started dating Devon. Other pages of him mentioning and lamenting Zach’s redirection of attention towards him in favor of his own life are here, here, and arguably here. While Eric is brought up a few off-hand times in his writing, showing he did truly consider the bond they had, it was never anything in-depth like how he wrote for Zach or his Halcyon Girl. If anything, I think the word “unrequited” would better be described for Zach and Dylan’s friendship, being that Dylan was the one who would make more of the effort to see & interact with him, while Zach went with the flow, hardly making the effort to reach out in comparison. This can be seen in pretty much anything you read about Zack’s recount of his time with him. While this is more minor, I still think it’s interesting that DK even wrote down Zach’s birthday on his school planner, to emphasize how much he meant to him ( He did not write down Eric’s birthday though, for anyone curious. ). 

"I have always been interested in the body language between Zack and Dylan in the video in the auditorium. Zack actively walks away from Dylan and almost acts aloof around him, during a time in which Dylan still trusted and cared for Zack deeply." Absolutely. To the point I couldn't actually identify Zack during the first times I was watching this video. I was told by the research community that Dylan and Zack were best friends so what I was seeing on the screen didn't match at all what I had read. I didn't see friends there, I was seeing a boy avoiding the sound tech boy as if the latter had the plague. Dylan's body language in that video is also very interesting, the way he seems lost on that stage or defends himself in a very Dantean way when another student touches the sleeve of his duster.

thanks for your reply! i agree with you completely, he brushes dylan off and even makes an effort to look away from him. dylan kinda follows him around but zack is acting like he’s too busy and milling about. he kinda gave me “how guys act when they think girls are looking” lol it’s just fascinating to me because supposedly he and zack called each other every night and played quake; and dylan felt so strongly toward zack, almost possessive. but then…zack was encouraging yoshi to take dylan’s place and talking poorly about him everywhere else. that’s not a friend to me. it’s possible dylan sensed this and it only drove him closer to eric, who he felt “got” him and his motives

Here’s a discussion I found on Reddit that covers the friendship between Zach and Dylan which gives some important perspective on the two of them! The ending of the second person’s reply really stands out to me, it’s something profound not just anyone would consider.

Unrelated, but while digging for information, I found Zach’s senior yearbook quote which is so funny. Literal lifelong trauma was behind this easy statement before he even knew what was coming. 😭

Here are two ( one, two ) really good posts from The Everlasting Contrast that discuss the concept of DK & EH not being as close as people make them out to seem. While I don’t agree with them 100%, they still address the more notable points and ideas on why people have come to the conclusion that we’re discussing, better than what I could paraphrase!

Another reason I could think as to why people have this idea is because of Sue Klebold. Now, I know a lot of people hold contempt against her, rightfully so to a certain extent, but she was still his mother at the end of the day, and what she said should be taken into account whether we respect her or not. I am waaayy too burnt out to find any exact quotes from her book or interviews, but I’m sure we’re all familiar with the narrative she pushed that Eric was an extremely troubled boy and Dylan felt bad for him, so he befriended him out of pity at the expense of him having to bear some of his violent outbursts or questionable tendencies… I don’t know, man. I don’t care at the moment either! I recall in an interview, she referenced a section in her book where she mentioned that Dylan would complain about Eric to her behind his back about how he was out of touch he was, but don’t take my word for it. Even if Dylan said this to his mom to get her off his back about Eric, it still implies some kind of ulterior motive to paint your friend in a bad light for your advantage. He could’ve been more respectful, but once again, who knows? It’s one of the more complicated facets of Dylan’s self that people avoid delving into because it goes entirely against the whole “Sunshine Boy” image Sue perpetuates. 

Now, this is a lot less significant than the things I brought up previously, but another instance that came to me with the idea of Eric “caring” more, is the preparation they wrote down for NBK. Dylan only has a few pages ( one, two, three, four, five, six.), two of them being outfit mockups, while Eric jot down everything he could think of & consider relating to it ( one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, even more unlinked! ). I know it can be argued that DK did a better job leaving no traces of evidence, including the hypothetical he had written more down and thrown it away before they followed through with their plans, but it’s just another interesting little thing to consider.

This was very much rushed towards the end, I apologize … Despite that, I think I brought up everything that could answer your question! So, if you want to look more into it for yourself, you know what leads to follow. ^.^ I might come back and edit this post later down the line to be more formal, considerate, and even personal, but for now, this will do. I hope I provided some sort of aid to your inquiries … until we meet again!

[onstoryladders]

one of the things that make bylers and miIevens view of the show utterly incompatible is the way we see el and her feelings towards mike (but more specifically her feelings towards her relationship with mike)

ive seen people say that bylers only care abt mike and will and don't give a damn abt her, but that's just a misunderstanding based on the fact that they see els arc in a totally different way than we do

for example the way i see it, el reached the peak of her pain (when it comes to her love life) at the start of s4 when she and mike fought in lenora. when mike told will that it felt like a fight you can't come back from, he wasn't exaggerating at all: it was the truth. there's no coming back from that, and the "from el" written at the end of what could very possibly have been els LAST message to mike is proof of that. she left that love behind

now why do i think that?

because of the way the whole storyline has been structured:

- el spends basically the whole season away from mike because she chooses to. she focuses on something else, her priorities lie in finding herself and the truth about her own past. once again her arc points towards self discovery and independence, and with this i don't mean to say that she has to be alone in order to be independent, but that she needs to find who she is OUTSIDE of her relationships. when mike says that she's a superhero he's once again imposing a certain view on her that she doesn't want. she needs to decide for herself. she needs to find who el hopper really is

- mike works through his internal conflict with the help of the other love interest. literally wtf lmao

- when el reunites with mike and will, she has the same reaction with both. now of course shes happy to see them, but when we get to the surfer boy place, she doesn't seem mad at mike anymore. she seems tired, contemplative, sad like she reached a conclusion........

why is that important? because if mikes monologue had to be what FIXED their relationship then she would've still been mad at him at that point. there wouldve been conflict because that's how stories work – up and down and up and down. so she would've avoided him or just kept her distance in general. but she doesn't. because she's done

IMAGINE FOR A MOMENT if the surfer boy scene went differently. imagine mike just telling her "ily" and she smiling and saying "ily too 💖💖 you finally said it 💖💖💖💖" it wouldve been so fucking anticlimactic lol

- mikes monologue doesn't fix shit because we don't see them together anymore. like yeah she puts her head on his shoulder in the hospital, but if the monologue was really meant to be this grand turning point for their relationship they would've put more focus on its aftermath.... and they didn't

- mike telling her "you're my superhero" goes against the core of els character arc throughout not only this season but the whole show. mike didn't learn anything

now im not saying ppl have to agree with me on this, even though of course i think this is the interpretation that 1) makes the most sense and 2) is most significant and compelling storytelling-wise. im just saying that once you see things this way the "byler don't care about el" argument crumbles because that's literally false: we don't want el to suffer and be alone against her will, we want her to leave mike behind because we genuinely think that it's what's best for her because her storyline SUPPORTS THAT

meanwhile wills story doesnt support heartbreak at all because of the way his feelings for mike are interwoven with his feelings about his sexuality

[bean-spring]

My take on 2x06 & jealous Brett because I just remembered I have social media and I can tell this stuff to people other than my fiance

Inside job s2 spoilers / Breagan my beloved / PLEASE DO NOT REPLY WITH HATE i can't stand negativity

- My overall take because I am a very organized person (I am not)

Whether I liked the episode or not really depends on the actual meaning behind it. The plot and structure were excellent! Ron and Brett's little rivalry was hilarious and I felt Reagan's anxiety all the damn time. I really enjoyed it and I always appreciate Andre's screentime <3 However, there is some stuff that just... Doesn't make sense? The ending is what I would call... Not rushed, per se, but forced.

I found the episode funny and cool (and stressful if you relate to Reagan or Brett in any way) and really worth it! But that's it. It's like they were trying to build a really sad and shocking climax for Reagan's relationship with Ron, but using a filler episode as the conductor. The whole episode focuses on Brett and his negative feelings towards Ron to end up with Ron and Reagan taking a break from each other. Which is not a bad way to focus on the story, but I feel like if they wanted us to focus on Reagan and Ron ONLY they would've made the episode only about them, and make the Brett/Ron argument shorter and less crucial for the plot.

I also feel like the conclusion (Ron deciding that maybe work is too dangerous for them) makes sense! But Reagan's? She says something about balancing work and their relatioship, and it makes sense too, but they don't really show how work affects their relationship in specific.

Another thing that just feels odd to me is Brett's behavior. Of course, this whole post is to defend my view as a Breagan shipper and you might think that I'm just gaslighting manipulating girlbossing you into thinking he was jealous, but I couldn't care less about people's opinions (that's a lie, I kin Brett). I genuinely think Brett was acting weird and definitely not in character if it's meant to be seen as only platonic. I didn't even ship Breagan this much until I finished the season and without having them in mind I still thought he was acting a bit too strange.

Aside from the ending and Brett's behavior (which I will address now), the episode is really good! One of my favorites for sure, and it's not even because Andre has more than three lines (It really makes a difference, though).

- The ending and how it made my girl Reags dirty

Let's start off with the ending, just like when you find an interesting movie on TV but you're too tired to watch it from the beginning so you just enjoy what's left without context!

Ron's conclusion makes sense, but Reagan's "We will find a way to balance our lives and jobs" just... Doesn't. You may not agree with me about Brett being jealous, but this is something that's been bothering me for a while and I know I'm right.

Ron decides, after being chased by his girlfriend's coworkers, realizing that her BFF doesn't like him and that Cognito is darker than he thought, that it's not a good idea to mix work and love. Which is fair, to be honest. He literally saw clones of Hitler and organs of babies, like, I wouldn't feel safe there either.

But it's not what Ron thinks about Cognito and work that bothers me, because nobody would want their girlfriend working there. What he thinks is completely valid and although I didn't like the fact that he ghosted Reags (dude just text her my girl was literally begging you for a proper answer), he has the right to want to step out from that world. What truly makes me angry is Reagan's search for the perfect reality in the last episode.

I know what's the point they were trying to make: Reagan is a workaholic and wouldn't be able to keep a stable relationship with Ron.

Which makes a lot of sense and it's not out of character at all! God knows Reags has been obsessed with Cognito and being the boss and changing the world for forever. But the show doesn't give us an explicit example of that.

I know. We aren't dumb. We read between the lines. We get Reagan. It's inside the subtext and her entire persona. Easy to see, easy to understand, doesn't need to be explicit.

This argument would work if it wasn't because there's no subtext! We don't see (not even ONCE) how work is more important for Reagan than Ron. In fact, it's the opposite. Every time she has to choose between work and love, she chooses love:

Date with Ron >> Their mission in Rome -> Rome on fire

Desperately trying to convince Ron to work for Cognito and forgetting about actual work to a point where you would think she wouldn't get anything done if Ron was there with her -> Zombie apocalyspe (that was on Brett but she was the one forcing him to get along with Ron so-)

Being scared to lose Ron in one of the timlines >> Actually saving the timeline (by this I don't mean she didn't care about the timline and the others, but she was pretty much focused on not losing Ron. Which is valid and pretty damn romantic so go girl!!!)

(This is not Reagan slander, by the way! She's been through A LOT and deserves to be selfish. I support women's rights but most importantly I support women's wrongs!)

So how the hell my girl (at the end of ep 6) gets to the conclusion that they couldn't balance both things? She was doing pretty well until the Halloween party, and it didn't even get in between their relationship, it just proved Ron's point about the work not being safe. Which, again, makes sense, but doesn't really get in between their lives in the same way the last episode says.

Episode 6: Work is dangerous and it gets in between our relationship. We have proof. Here's a whole episode putting Ron in danger to prove it.

Episode 8: Work gets in between our relationship because Reagan would put work first. Which makes sense due to her personality, but we've been proving otherwise the whole damn season!

Just stick with one reason or develop both of them but don't change them!!!!

We suppose Reagan would be a workaholic girlfriend if Ron worked there due to her personality and ambition, but we don't actually see it? And it's not really that important and y'all must be thinking I'm reading too much into it, but I just think an explicit confirmation of Reags caring more about work than for Ron would've been great. The different realities in which she treats him like shit aren't out of character but feel odd, considering that she's been choosing him over work multiple times this season. Man, just a little tiny example I'm not asking for much.

Maybe it would've been different if she hadn't gotten that promotion. Maybe she would've been happy with Ron. I know those realities are focused on the possibility of changing the world she didn't have before Ron asked her to move in together, but... I don't know. As if she didn't care for her job before the promotion, y'know?

Basically, for me the whole workaholic thing appears out of nowhere and doesn't make sense with the Ron/Reags dyamic we've seen.

And this whole thing is connected to episode 6 because I think that episode would've been a great moment to introduce both points of view: Reagan prioritizing work and Ron not finding their jobs safe enough.

- The writers' decision and how I would've written the episode because I apparently have too much free time in class to think about this

The episode is great, but I don't understand why Brett is the protagonist here. If the conclusion is meant to be about Reagan and Ron taking a break from each other and asking THE question ("Is work getting in between our relationship?"), why is Brett the one we focus on through the episode?

If it's meant to be just a slight dislike and just not getting along with Ron, why is it so damn crucial to the plot? It's not just Brett wanting to be friends with Ron in a silly, little, sitcomy way. It's Brett wondering WHY he feels like that towards Ron. It's Brett wanting to support his BFF's boyfriend but not being able to do it for no reason whatsoever. It's literally Brett provoking the reason why Ron decides to take a break from Reagan.

Whether it is meant to be romantic or platonic, Brett is technically the reason why Ron acts like that in the end. He even makes a whole zombie apocalypse happen! Just because he didn't like Ron! C'mon it's absurd to think that's strictly platonic. This plot has been going on for years in thousand of different sitcoms: F/M best friends! One starts dating someone! The other doesn't like them! They don't know why! Wow, turns out they were in love the whole time and didn't realize they were jealous.

Classic trope for best friends to lovers.

But yeah, let's say it's platonic. Let's say Brett's reaction to Ron is just a silly plot device to make the guy realize Cognito is dangerous and even the simplest guy with the most innocent intentions could cause an apocalypse.

Why make the episode focus on Brett, then? If his feelings for Ron aren't that related to his relationship with Reags, why are those the ones to make them question their rellationship?

If it's just platonic then I find the episode a bit unnecessary.

If they wanted to show us how work affects them, and not only Brett, why wouldn't they make an episode about that in specific? It isn't that hard.

I personally would've kept the same plot: Reagan trying to convince Ron to work for Cognito using the team's opinions and views on their work!

They go to Brett and everything's the same. They don't get along. It's uncomfortable. But it stays there. Brett makes some comments about how fun it is to work for Cognito but accidentally reveals how dangerous it is, and Ron starts getting a bit worried and confused because... Where the hell has been his girlfriend working?

Then they go to Andre, Gigi, Glenn, Myc... Basically, individual meetings with each. Funny sketches. All of them fuck everything up by talking about work and how it actually is and Ron gets scared with every experience he hears.

And meanwhile, Reagan gets caught up with work! There's drama everywhere! Something something someone died. Something something the Hitler clones scaped. Something something Kanye West is a nazi now and we need to end him. Something somehing zombie apocalypse.

That way we see Reagan sort of neglecting her relationship with Ron because of work, and Ron realizing how dangerous it is.

It doesn't need to be all about Brett. At all. The ending is still the same.

So why would they make Brett the main plot point, wondering why he acts the way he does, if not to be important later? Not to mention that his character is reduced to this from this episode to the end.

- Reasons why Brett could dislike Ron and why I think they don't make sense bc this dude would get along with fucking Mussolini

"Ron made fun of Brett's interests and was lowkey mean to him!"

Brett is a pathological people pleaser, and as the pathological people pleaser I am I can confirm that that wasn't the reason why he disliked Ron. Brett likes everyone. Everyone. No matter what they do. It's not even... Like, like. It's just having to see the best in everyone because he wants to be able to get along with them so they don't hate him.

Making fun of his favorite music? Drinks? Comedian? That's soft compared to what half of the people he knows say to him. Literally you could meet him for the first time, tell him that Friends is a shitty sitcom and he would literally tell you that you're right and then cry while watching the finale.

He's constantly putting other people first and swallowing his opinions and pride, so why not sharing the same opinions as Ron would make him dislike him? It doesn't make any sense.

Besides, Ron wasn't even mean or intentionally hurting Brett. And even if he had been, Brett would've probably been the one apologizing, too. He has encountered horrible people through his life and you're telling me that Ron, his best friend's boyfriend, is the one that makes him dislike someone for once? Not buying it. Doesn't make sense.

"Brett is just worried about Reagan."

Literally doesn't make any sense because Ron hasn't shown any signs of being a bad boyfriend. And if that was the case and Brett was just being an overprotevtive best friend, it would've been explicit. There's no need to hide it in the subtext. And it wouldn't even make sense for the last episodes.

"Brett has abandonment issues."

Yeah, this one's true I can't fight against this one. However, it doesn't prove anything. He can have abandonment issues and still be in jealous. It can be both!

"He's just scared of losing his best friend."

Once again, yeah, true. But it doesn't make sense to me! The reason why Brett is so obsessed with Ron is because he can't figure out why he doesn't like him. If it was meant to be platonic they would've just said so explicitly and it wouldn't have been the main plot.

"They just don't have chemistry."

Ron is like a sad boy version of Reagan with religious trauma, there's no reason why Brett wouldn't like him. They do have chemistry! Brett is the sun, Reagan is the moon, and Ron is an eclipse! (not in a bad way like- I hope y'all have seen that friendship dynamics pic because otherwise this doesn't make sense but I swear it's really cute).

They end up having chemistry and getting along! But only because Ron gave Brett a reason to like him, which Brett has never ever needed before.

"It's just a plot device lmfao stop looking this much into it."

Maybe???? But idk I would like to be a screenwriter someday so looking into things a lot is my thing.

- Brett and his people pleaser soul slowly breaking through the episode

Canonically, Ron is the first person Brett has ever disliked. Which might be an exageration because this boy tends to say stuff like this a lot, but as far as we know it's canon. So, having that in mind, we know that Ron is actually the first person to make Brett panic over not liking someone.

It's completely normal, he just wants to make Reagan happy. Everything he does is for Reagan. Can we PLEASE remember that he's doing this for Reagan? Because I think we don't talk about it enough.

The thing about Brett not liking Ron is that Brett doesn't know why he dislikes him...

Despite being a horrible father and boss, Brett likes Rand! We've seen them interacting or, well, at least we haven't seen Brett hating him. Brett likes Myc despite being a total asshole to him and the others, and he probably is the only one (except Andre) that considers Myc to be a real friend. For literal no reason. Brett still likes his bullies. He likes his shitty family. He liked Reagan although she treated him like shit in the first episode.

And maybe it's not like, like. But it's enough to make him have a normal life with them and be able to to be of service for their approval (istg this guy's just like me fr).

So why's this any different with Ron? Maybe the writers were just trying to make this a plot device and forgot about Brett's inability to hate people. But is that really what happened? Why make it the main plot of the episode, then?

And why make Brett ask himself why he didn't like Ron?

If it was because of not sharing interests or being mean or whatever (something tangible) it would've been obvious. But he spends the episode asking himself that. It's not just a silly little dynamic, it's Brett actively wondering why he doesn't like his best friend's boyfriend.

In fact, the first time he finds out about Reagan being with someone else he's excited for her! He's happy! And I don't want to project my neurodivergency on him, but maybe the fact that Ron was just an idea and not someone tangible for him yet made him unable to picture him as a threat. And when he truly is there, he finally has someone to be jealous of.

He ends up having a soft spot for Ron, but it's only because he explicitly gave him a reason to like him. And then the last two episodes his whole character is reduced to missing Reagan, projecting on a golden retriever they have to kill, and sacrificing his happiness for Reagan's.

Yeah, totally platonic! As if this clearly wasn't the same exact plot of every romantic comedy to ever exist.

-B plot and parallelisms through the season because I've rewatched this like three times already since it came out. I need therapy. Please help me get out of here.

You thought I had forgotten about Rand's plot??? Well, jokes on you, I was waiting for the parallelisms!

I couldn't care less about the B plot in this episode. If I'm being honest I found it funny but didn't really understand the reason behind it until the last episode and after rewatching it a couple of times.

B plots are often meant to be the juxtaposition between character arcs, parallelisms or just funny little stories to make the main one softer. This time it's the three of them.

Basically, two boys fighting for a girl. That's it. That's like the whole plot. Tamiko comes to the conclusion that work is what made Rand such a shitty and crazy person. Do I really need to say more? Like I'm genuinely tired of writing and the parallelisms with this subplot are pretty much obvious.

Then we have more parallelisms in the finale!

"I had everything. I had my job, I had power. I know it's a fucking cliché, but it's true. You don't know what matters most until you lose it." - Rand about Tamiko and Reagan, 2x07

Brett is well aware of how much he loves Reagan, but maybe not in what way exactly. Her dating someone else might just be that thing that tells him: "Yes. This is it. You're losing her forever. She's gonna move out and be with another man and you're going to be abandoned again. She doesn't love you as much." And I don't know if they're going to keep up with this thing next season, but it wouldn't be weird to follow this statement.

Although I know this quote is meant to be about Reagan and Ron and probably about her regretting not moving with him next season, so the Brett thing is just a theory.

"You can't just hit a button over and over and expect a relationship to go back to the way it was. And I know it's scary to give up control." - Reagan about her parents and her and Ron, 2x07

Once again, obviously about Reagan and Ron. But would it be crazy to think this could be about Brett too? Like wanting constantly to go back (after finding out about Appletone) to when it was just Reagan and him. Talking to the dog as if he was Reagan. Missing her. Wanting her back. The thing about Brett is that he doesn't hit any buttons to go back because he cares more about Reagan's happiness than for his own. But yeah, I think it makes sense.

"And I got this. All I care about is that you're happy." - Brett to Reagan, 2x08

"And as long as the person you love is happy, maybe you can be happy later." - Reagan about Ron, 2x08

"Thanks for sticking by when no one else did. A good leader wouldn't drag their best friend into their dad's bullshit. I don't know if we'll ever get back to our realities, but I've seen yours and it looks good. If I succeed I'll see you again. But if not... Good luck, Brett." - Reagan to Brett, 2x07

"I searched a thousand lifetimes for the one that would make you happiest. And you'll find it one day. Just... Without me. [...] I'll miss you, Ron, and I know it were possible, you'd miss me too." - Reagan to Ron, 2x08

Do I need to say more or....?

They both parallel each other so damn much- And to be honest, maybe it is unrequited. It probably is unrequited. But it could go both ways someday! Let's be optimistic.

-"I listen to Accidentally in love from the Shrek 2 soundtrack every day!!!!" Brett. Love of my life. Is it the vibes or the lyrics?? IS IT BECAUSE THE VIBES OR THE LYRICS????? ANSWER ME BRETT HAND-

"So, she said, "What's the problem, baby?" What's the problem? I don't know. Well, maybe I'm in love. Think about it. Every time I think about it."

"How much longer will it take to cure this? Just to cure it, 'cause I can't ignore it if it's love. Makes me wanna turn around and face me but I don't know nothing bout love."

The writing team choosing the song Brett could mention while starting an uncomfortable dynamic with his best friend's boyfriend: What about a song about falling in love accidentally and not being able to stop it?

Okay so maybe it's not THAT specific. Maybe they just wanted a silly little song from a silly little movie so people would look at Brett, smirk and say "haha he's just like me fr". But?? Is it really?? As I said I want to be a writer and I wouldn't choose something as important and cool as a character's favorite song (okay maybe not FAVORITE CANON but he loves it so) just for the memes. It has to mean something, c'mon.

-Why I think Breagan wouldn't destroy the show (as some of you say) and actually would make them one of the most powerful couples ever (this has absolutely nothing to do with my love for coworkers to BFFs to lovers)

I do agree with a lot of you: We need more M/F platonic relationships. However... Have you ever considered that Brett and Reagan are just... Not really that platonic anymore? It's not the first time we've seen this. Mostly in sitcoms! Jim and Pam from The Office, Jake and Amy from Brooklyn 99, Nick and Jess from New Girl, I can keep going... And going... I kin Brett I know about sitcoms!

Reagan loved Ron. She truly did. But it's true that he needed a normal life and she was... Midnight rain. Sorry, Taylor Swift reference. But!! Reagan would end up choosing work and it doesn't mean she doesn't love Ron, it's just that work is equally important to her and knew he wouldn't be happy if they stayed together.

But it could work with Brett. it works with Brett. Because if they dated he would understand Reagan's priorities. He would be always there for her. And he wouldn't try to keep her away from danger (he would be worried sick, ofc, and always would be there to help) because he knows Reagan wants that.

They work well together and their dynamic is sweet, a bit cliché and easy to build. Maybe it's the easy path but that doesn't mean it's necessarily bad.

As an aroace person I love platonic dynamics, but maybe this is not the one we need!! Or maybe it is, tbh I couldn't care less because either way I trust the writers to give us a great relationship development, whether it is romantic or platonic. But idk I would like to see more of Reagan with the other guys and Brett with Gigi! Maybe Andre and Gigi? It would be great not to rely on just one platonic friendship.

And by the way, there's also this possibility of them being completely platonic and Brett not being jealous. Maybe he's just a good best friend that feels a bit worried about his friendship and that's all! If you don't agree with my opinion, that's great too! Just respect everyone's points of view on this because I've seen a lot of hate towards breagan shippers and it's a completely harmless ship!! <3

If there's any mistakes just know that english isn't my first language and it's like 3 am here right now-- Thanks for reading!!!! <3

[cant-get-no-worse]

I like that some sensed people are still able to recognize that whether Erling Haaland or Leo Messi take the award home, it's valid. Changes from all the others ~ wave hand in a general direction ~ people. Not even to mention how past and current football figures agree on it too. Soothes my mind.

Honestly I'm just tired of talking about it, since 1) it's silly 2) it's settled 3) it's simple. Let's make it plain.

"Why not just put the goals?"

There are awards for the best goalscorer. This isn't one of them.

Brief comparison

Haaland had a maddening records breaking season, won the treble, but didn't show up for the semi and finals of those. Messi did an average club season (equal to, if I remember correctly, the "excellent" season of Antoine Griezmann so, there's that.) and an all-time World Cup campaign. It's a WC year; it has since after 2010 (year of change of criterias + voting participants) weighted on the BO's results.

The reason it's a close call this year is cause of the treble (huge weight) balanced by the ghosting of Haaland during those crucial points vs WC all time balanced by the average club season of Messi. Haaland being a 9 means that when he's not there, he doesn't do anything for the team. Stems from his position. Whereas if Messi doesn't score, he still has his passing and playmaking which, picture me surprised, actually make him having more impact as a player for his team.

Look at the pic. Make the needed mental gymnastics. To get to the conclusion that one of them is robbing the other is mental. Both are deserving.

WC's weight

It's ultimately this and the WC's weight (and I sure ain't about to get into an argument comparing the treble, insane achievement that can be achieved every year, to the WC, insane achievement that can be achieved once every four, and being the MOTT of said tournament) that makes it tip towards Messi, even though I expect the votes to be close. The WC has been held over Messi's head for more than a decade. Everyone knew that if he put a consistent season and a good WC campaign, he'd been a strong contender. He had a consistent season and had an all-time, MOTT WC campaign. Point's made.

Criteria : Vital role

Another point: the "vital role in the team and honours" criteria. Haaland makes this City team dominate, not a shadow of doubt. But Kevin de Bruyne is the one that's vital to it. Take away KDB and Haaland isn't there (once again: stems from his position. He's a 9.)

Due to his national team not being in the WC (which once again : he's indeed from Norway, a NT which hasn't much WC history. But, in 2018, Messi single handedly drew Argentina to the WC. Haaland wasn't capable of this.), he couldn't prove himself to be crucial there either. So, Haaland is important but not vital to this City team, whereas Messi was important in PSG (a-fucking-gain, 40 G/A, this isn't an argument) and vital for his NT. There you go, one criteria more.

Sweet sweet "robberies"

When you got R9, Wenger, Henry, some France NT (Griezmann and others, can't recall), Hazard, Silva and co - current/former players who played and know the weight of the WC - saying Messi deserves it; the club coach of Haaland saying they'd both deserve it ; and you arrive to the conclusion that Messi is robbing Haaland (or, for that matter, that Haaland would be robbing Messi), then the true reason of your positionning can't be clearer.

And finally,

Those are what you call robberies. Can't be one when both deserve it. Haaland will be just fine and will have plenty of WC-free seasons to destroy every records available and show up at crucial points. Chill. I'm done talking about this, people are to stuck to their own opinions to be changed atp.

This is a fun night, I'm so ready to make fun of everyone's fit and awkward talk. It ain't that deep. Hope everyone, whether for Haaland, Messi or bloody Musiala has fun!

[nightcolorz]

Quick disclaimer: I mean no hate or ill will at all to any fanfic writers who’ve written this trope. You’re all very talented and u shouldn’t let my personal taste stop u from writing what u want to write. This is just me complaining for fun bcus I’m a brat and I care way to much about stupid internet stuff concerning my vampire blorbos. Also this isn’t directed towards any individual fanfic and/or fanfic author since I’ve seen lots of works that include this, and wouldn’t be able to name or remember any specific work even if I wanted to bcus I dislike this sm that I rarely stick around for long when this comes up in stuff I read. So plz don’t be like “oh this is about xyz isn’t it?” Bcus I guarantee u it is not

I’ve noticed this trope that’s become common enough to be annoying to me recently concerning Nicki. This isn’t a fanfic exclusive phenomenon, it’s also present as a general attitude among amc iwtv fans mostly which is a rant for another day. But basically what it boils down to is fanfic writers (pretty much always in AUs for reasons that will become obvious) characterizing/utilizing Nicki as the romantic rival for loustat and/or bitter ex who we should be rooting against bcus he’s interfering with the Ship. I really dislike this trope! As someone who’s a certified Nicolas de Lenfent fanboy it’s so disappointing whenever I come across a fanfic that includes Nicolas as a reoccurring character and he ends up being stripped of all his nuance and character traits and boiled down to unlikable romantic rival. It sucks! And it’s frustrating especially bcus theirs literally canonical loustat romantic rivals (Antoine/Antoinette for show fans bcus tbh this is a very amc exclusive occurrence) that could easily fulfill this role! And if that doesn’t suit your fancy we have love interests of Lestat that r generally disliked/unlikeable (at least imo) that could be used in a similar way (coughcoughDavidTalbotcoughcough). And u could make an argument that those characters just don’t have Nicki’s brand of drama and emotion and yes! I agree! That’s why I’m frustrated! Bcus I would eat up a fanfic that explored a love triangle or rivalry between Nicki, Louis, and Lestat where shit hit the fan over the unique conflict and drama that would unravel considering the characters and their dynamics + history, au-ified or otherwise, but I’ve never come across a fanfic like this! And trust me, I read a lot of fanfic. It’s just a little saddening for me tbh. I love Nicolas sm, I don’t like reading about him as the shitty ex bf and the shitty ex bf only, with little to no depth. The reason I’m complaining about this is bcus it’s reached the point where it’s clogging the Nicki character tag on a03 a bit, I keep finding fanfic with him in it and checking it out only to find him portrayed as a stock bitter ex character. And I honestly don’t know where this characterization even came from when it comes to the show fans? Bcus Nicolas has only ever been framed in the show as Lestat’s tragically and mysteriously dead first love, and it’s like, idk how u can hear about that and come to the conclusion that this guy would make sense as the romantic rival? Like poor Nicolas lol, he’s literally dead let him rest 😭. He doesn’t have any part in this ship drama 💀. And now I’m getting a lil off track and verging onto general Nicolas hate in the fandom and not just in fanfic, but whatever, I all ready decided I’m not touching that. But u know, as a side note, Nicolas in book canon was never once framed as someone who’s existence is a threat to loustat and the validity of their love, so u don’t need to make him about that! Louis and Lestat r immature messes who can’t function healthily ever but not to the point where Louis has beef with Lestat’s literally dead ex boyfriend 💀 c’mon now

also if I didn’t make it clear my beef isn’t with framing Nicki as a villain I love me a messy bitter bitch.My beef is with stripping him of all that makes him interesting for the sake of having a generic romantic rival in ur fic. Not a fan of that. However I am all for messy bitter bitch Nicki. Idk this phenomenon just comes off as weird and kind of upsetting to me. It’s kind of like if the John Wick fandom had a trend where ppls self insert ocs or y/n characters had drama with John Wick’s dead wife…it’d be uncomfortable. (I’m not in the John Wick fandom so idk if this is an actual thing lmao).

[feminismisstillahatemovement]

IMO, people are overly harsh towards Marx. Governments have been enslaving & pillaging since their invention, so claiming he motivated bad behavior seems like a big claim. Like, there are books which advocate for radical pacificism/love/tolerance, that have been used by advocates for violence and hate. One conclusion you can draw from that is those books are actually quite sinister, deep down. Another conclusion you can draw is about human nature. But we tend to blame the books. That to me feels like motivated reasoning rather than reasoning to seek truth. Yes, there are people pick up those ideas and turn into monsters, but it's clear to me that can occur with basically any good idea you can point to, from atheism to capitalism to Marxism.

"IMO, people are overly harsh towards Marx."

Marx was clearly an influential and important thinker, and since he never held any political power, the argument could be made that he should no more be held personally responsible for the horrors of Communism wherever it has been practiced than Einstein should be held personally responsible for every person who died in Hiroshima.

On the other hand, the reason Communism has failed and turned into a nightmare every time it has been tried is that his assumptions and predictions about people and power and human nature were so wrong, and it is only through people attempting to establish a political system based on his fundamentally flawed set of beliefs that a hundred million people died. The buck's got to stop somewhere.

"Governments have been enslaving & pillaging since their invention, so claiming he motivated bad behavior seems like a big claim."

If you read that sentence back, you yourself will see that it makes no sense: "these institutions over here have been doing bad things for a long time, so claiming this other person in this other place incited other people to do other bad things cannot also be true".

"Yes, there are people pick up those ideas and turn into monsters, but it's clear to me that can occur with basically any good idea you can point to, from atheism to capitalism to Marxism."

I would mostly agree: it is the lynchmob-like tribalism that inevitably occurs in any shared ideology that is the greater threat that we need to be most vigilant of. But that doesn't excuse the people who called for the formation of the lynchmob in the first place. And in Communism's case, that was Marx.

[thyandrawrites]

I love reading your insightful thoughts on topics regarding mha and especially touya you alone bring my hype up

I just wanted to ask, after having read your rei meta (which I agree with wholeheartedly) I can't help but feel kind of a distaste towards some actions towards some members BECAUSE of the narrative framing

Rei calling her son "dabi" in the hospital scene was so distasteful considering she was ready to forgive her husband after everything but it almost narratively seems she holds no such regard towards the son whose demise she took part in regardless of intention

Also in the mental hospital scene where fuyumi was telling that "natsuo is the only one who isn't letting begones be begone" like hello? we are talking about you dead brother who mer his end due to your father's actions?

I don't know I am pretty sure it's because of horikoshi and I shouldn't think like this blaming the characters because he is the writer after all but the way he writes rei and fuyumi sometimes is so distasteful to me that I almost wish touya never returns to that home where he was labeled a black sheep simply for being self aware because of how they used him as a scrapegoat especially in the hospital chapter

Ps i am well aware touya will probably reunite with his family and all will be well but it's the narrative choices that kind of make me dislike them even endeavor who is pathetic is at leadt enjoyable to read in a sense that he stays true to character to an extent. Shouto is on the way of reaching an epiphany about how to reach his brother as family instead of a hero so i still have hope for him and natsuo is still true to character kind of in the hospital chapters but fuyumi and rei got me fighting against everything in me to not dislike them. Even toga and freaking afo calls him touya but his family is stuck with dabi like bffr

Hey! First of all, thank you for reading my stuff! I'm glad it can bring you some positivity in these otherwise trying times as a Touya stan. 

Now, to answer you... I debated how best to approach this reply, because there's a number of ways I could go about this. But you specifically mentioned the framing, so I'm gonna build my argument on that. 

So. How is Horikoshi framing Touya in the eyes of the Todofam? As you said yourself, they’re treating him like the black sheep to Shouto's golden child, and uniting to stop him. 

From what I understand, though, you seem dissatisfied with the execution because you think that while every other fam member acts coherent about either blaming or wanting to rescue Touya, the Todoroki women are outliers because they have instances where they go back on that resolve to save him to blame Touya instead. 

Am I getting this correctly? 

If so, I think there is a problem with that conclusion. It's not just the women who go back and forth, and in fact, I think Rei and Fuyumi are the mildest ones of the bunch. But for reasons that I'm going to dissect later, I also think the fandom… latches on to them as exceptions, and in the process doesn't understand that it's meant to be a family narrative in which all of them are imperfect. 

(putting this under a cut for length)

I think it’s important to remember that all the Todorokis agreed that Touya needs stopping. Not just Rei and Enji, or not even just the two heroes, Shouto and Enji. All of them gathered in that hospital room to discuss family matters, and they reached that conclusion as a collective decision. 

Now, I’m stressing this because the language they used is peculiar. We all noticed that they said that Touya needs stopping, not saving. But when it comes to the Todofam, that word carries a certain weight, and I don’t think it was used randomly here. 

As this person pointed out in this post, Touya was always asked to “stop” whenever his self-awareness or his attempts to be acknowledged disrupted the family dynamics. This is less apparent if you haven’t checked out the revised flashbacks in chapter 302. But the fact that Horikoshi went back to alter the storyboard and narration for the tankobon release means he wanted to draw more attention to something, to make it clearer for the audience. And indeed, the why becomes clear when we see Shouto confront Dabi and echo the same words: “please, stop.”

[source]

The Todorokis haven’t yet reached a place where they can fully sympathize with Touya. In Shouto’s case, it’s because he doesn’t know his brother; he can empathize with Touya’s circumstances, but not with Touya’s reasons. After all, Shouto is a successful creation. He never faced the brunt of the entire family’s blame and disappointment. As a result, he doesn’t understand that this approach is doomed to fail, because it echoes the scoldings Dabi’s used to. 

Whenever someone tried to reason with Touya, it was always framed as if the root of Touya’s unhappiness (and the family’s by extension) was his refusal to quit his ambitions. Basically, they told him that it was his fault, and not his father’s for putting those ambitions in him. Even if it’s Enji who’s guilty of rewriting Touya’s sense of self around an impossible goal, the one who’s held accountable for it is the victim. 

Not only do they all ask Touya to stop over and over (and not his father), but Touya’s also blamed for the fallout of Enji’s abuse. First, he was framed as the reason for Enji to keep making replacements, then for why Enji isolated Shouto from his siblings. It’s always because of him. Because Touya couldn’t quit. 

Even now that the family supposedly knows better, they’re still struggling to move on from that pattern. Just like how back then Touya was always singled out as the disruption, as the element of unrest, Dabi is still pushed into this role. Except now he’s singled out as the disruptive element that exacerbates not only the inner dynamics of the family, but of society as a whole. Once again, his refusal to stop is making things worse for everyone willing to just lay down and take it in silence. Because of it, he’s not regarded with sympathy. Instead, all the flaws he addresses are his responsibility to bear. It doesn’t matter if those issues existed before him. He becomes the suitable scapegoat.  

Now, all of these are things you seem well aware of. But you still singled out Fuyumi and Rei as subjects of your ire, and I don’t think that’s entirely fair. If this was something we could blame just on one character, or just on Rei and Enji as parents, we wouldn’t have heard the same words repeated by multiple family members. We would’ve at least seen someone push back against them. 

Instead, even Shouto is still torn between seeing Touya as a villain and as his older brother. Linkspooky wrote an excellent post on this recently that I encourage you to check out. 

This makes sense for him because Dabi was just a villain to him until a while ago. He has no solid memories of Touya because as a kid he wasn’t allowed to exist in the same room as his siblings. Yet, he has several memories of his brother as an enemy. He fought against him. Dabi kidnapped his classmate. So that mental divide is at least somewhat justified. It’s hard to wrap your head around the fact that your presumed dead brother, who you only saw as a normal kid in your sparse memories, committed atrocities and tried to kill you and your dad (and himself). 

However, I also think this divide works on a societal scale as well. During the present arc, we’ve seen the hero kids struggle to reconcile the idea of the League as victims with the crimes they’ve committed. Those two sides should coexist; one doesn’t exclude the other. Hurting people doesn’t mean someone can’t have hurt you first. The kids seem aware of this, unlike the rest of society. They see the League’s victimhood. The problem is, they still think in terms of which side weighs in more, which one deserves more of their heroic efforts. And because the people they’ve hurt are multiple, while their victimhood only involves a single person, the good of the many always ends up being more important than showing sympathy. 

This is what happens with Uraraka, for example. She remembers Toga’s tears, and wants to help her smile, but because Toga is part of the League and wreaked havoc in several cities with the PLF, killing many innocents… that sympathy becomes conditional. So Uraraka looks at the destroyed landscape to remind herself that there’s also another side of Toga. One less worthy of her concern. One that deserves it, because this suffering she’s experiencing is Toga’s own fault. If Toga wants to live her version of a happy life, she tells her, she also must be ready to live with the consequences. 

This sentiment is the same that Shouto later directs at his brother. You can’t blame dad for the lives you took, he tells Touya, because you did those things, not Endvr. They are your own fault. 

The problem with this approach is that it asks victims to put their shit together on their own, for everyone else’s convenience, without anyone else involved in fixing a broken system. And most importantly, it also asks victims to face the consequences of their actions, while also turning around and not holding abusers accountable for their own. 

The fact that this idea is explored through Toga and Shigaraki as well makes me think it goes beyond the Todofam’s dysfunctionality. But to bring this back to them… 

Do I think it’s distasteful that the framing treats Touya this way? Yes. It hurts to watch on a near constant basis, even when I know there’s likely a reason for it. But at the same time, I dislike on principle when people hold Rei and Fuyumi to a higher standard than the men in the house for displaying character flaws. 

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not accusing you of purposeful malice or anything like that. You're clearly struggling against your instinctive dislike, and you came here to discuss it, so I presume you're looking for reasons to either reinforce it, or to let go of it. I hope that by the end of this, you will find some more reasons to be kind to them regardless of the quality of the writing. 

What I’ve noticed during my time in this fandom is a certain... expectation, almost...? for women to always perform the role of "perfect victims", with the penance of getting the brunt of the fandom's anger when they don't. 

What does that even mean? 

In short, women in fiction aren't given the same leniency as their male counterparts when it comes to displaying said flaws. While for men having any is typically regarded as a good thing because it gives the character depth, when women do something “wrong,” they get crucified. 

I believe this happens in the bnha fandom as well, particularly amongst Todofam stans. While Shouto, Natsuo and Touya are all allowed to be imperfect, and their rough edges get widely recognized as faucets of trauma, Fuyumi and Rei aren't given the same sympathy. 

As I mentioned above, Shouto gets to be undecided and to direct unkind words to his brother without the same backlash from fans. Natsuo is allowed to put faith in Enji because he shows reluctance to trust his old man. But the women are hated because they take a less belligerent approach to Enji’s atonement. 

I believe that the reason why so many fans struggle to like Fuyumi and Rei is because they misread them. Their lack of outright hostility is widely interpreted as forgiveness, when in fact, it’s not quite written that way. I find that equating their willingness to let Enji try to be a better person with forgiveness is a flattening of their depth as abuse survivors. 

I think much of the blame Rei faces isn’t actually rooted in anything particularly bad she did in canon. Most of the things we can blame her for are also things that Enji did alongside her, and Enji did them with far more cruelty and selfishness. But! I also think that some people have an instinctual dislike of her because she’s written with a lot of stereotypes of submissive femininity in mind, and that understandably makes a lot of folks uncomfortable. 

What I’ve seen is that because Enji is a pos, people have turned to Rei in hopes she could be a better parent, or someone okay-ish enough to make up for the bad, you know? And that’s totally fair. I’ve done the same. But I also think that in the process, people sort of created this idealized version of her that then didn’t live up to her canon characterization. They—perhaps subconsciously—wanted her to be a good victim and a good mom, when she’s meant to be neither. I think she’s more nuanced than that, and that perfect victims don’t really exist anyway. 

But because they expected her to balance out Enji’s bad, they don’t really know what to make of a character who’s now written to parallel him in many ways. While she did not hit her kids, she still hurt them in other ways. While she tried her best to oppose her husband’s will, she still didn’t oppose it in a way that mattered when it came to Touya’s mental well-being in particular. Just like Enji, she was shown to be neglectful and avoidant of her eldest.

This makes her a nuanced character. Just like Touya, she can have done horrible things and still be a victim because the two things can coexist. But expecting her to be just one over the other, ironically, results in the same scapegoating Touya’s being subjected to by the narrative. 

The fact that she’s a victim and that she ended up hurting others as a result of unaddressed and spiraling mental health problems aren’t factors that are battling for dominance. You’re not supposed to look at her and think “the bad she’s done outweighs the good, hence she doesn’t deserve any sympathy.” If you’re not doing that for Touya, why are you doing it for her? 

To address the one complaint you mentioned about her, the fact that she calls her son “Dabi.”

She does that once. 

In fact, if you look at it closely you’ll notice something interesting. She calls him “Dabi” when she’s thinking of him as a villain. When the topic of fighting comes up, and with it, the emotional baggage that “stopping” Touya already has as an ongoing theme. But Rei also calls him “our son” when she’s apologizing to Hawks for the burns, and she calls him “Touya” when she’s confronting Enji. To me, this confirms the idea I talked about above, the mental divide that makes it harder to reconcile the villain with the crying boy they remember. Rei, like Shouto, loves Touya, but her reaction isn’t perfect because she’s an imperfect victim living in a flawed world. 

In the grand scheme of things, the issue with the framing of Touya as a bad sheep does exist, but I don’t blame it on Rei specifically. I think there’s a fundamental difference between her calling her son “Dabi” that one time versus Enji privately thinking of Touya as a mass murderer. 

Putting this out there for those who can’t read japanese. The word (in kanji) Enji uses here reads tairyousatsujinsha. Which means indeed “mass murderer.” We only know that he’s even referring to Touya because the furigana (which typically shows the actual reading of the word in kanji) reads a different word, musuko, “son.” 

So, sure, might be more internally coherent as an asshole who can’t face his actions, but getting angry at Rei for calling Touya “Dabi” seems rather… mean-spirited imho, when it’s not even on the same magnitude of alienation Enji shows for the blood of his blood here. He doesn’t even call him the more generic word for villain. Not his chosen villain moniker, either. He goes straight for the moral upper ground of calling attention to Dabi’s crimes, when he can’t even properly own up to his own.  

Anyway. Moving on, there’s also the topic of Fuyumi. You mentioned that her line “letting bygones stay bygones” was in the hospital chapters, but I couldn’t find it there. Were you by chance referencing this?

because if so, I believe the above panel on the left comes from a fan scanlation. If you compare it to the official Viz translation, her words don't carry quite the same edge. Now, the wording is similar enough that it might be an instance of Viz correcting the release at a later date (it has happened before. Japanese is a tricky language). 

But since you quoted this line, let’s discuss the nuance. 

In the picture on the left, Fuyumi appears less sympathetic towards Natsu. It reads like she's blaming him for being too stubborn to let the past go, while also minimizing the extent of his trauma as something that can be just… brushed off. As something that should stay in the past. 

As opposed to that, the version on the right puts more emphasis on the process of grieving, on Natsuo's mental well-being. "Can't seem to let go" still carries the same implication that closure on Touya’s death is desirable, but her phrasing is soft enough that it comes across like she's sad about Natsuo’s sadness. Like she wishes he'd let himself find some peace, after all this time.

I'm bringing up both these versions because I wanted to compare and contrast them to the original. See, the jp text says this: 

Which translates to: "Only Natsuo can't lower his raised fist." 

Being fair to the eng translation, all these versions more or less say the same thing. She's still singling out Natsuo for reacting differently from the rest of them. Which does indeed seem like she’s blaming him for it.

However, the original wording has a completely different nuance imho. By bringing attention to his raised fist, Fuyumi is commenting on Natsuo using anger as a coping mechanism to deal with his grief. The emphasis then is not so much on whether or not she thinks he should "let go" or "let bygones be bygones," but on the fact that Natsuo is stuck in that defense position. His fists are permanently raised, and he cannot let them lower. He's constantly poised for a fight, and as a result, he always slams headfirst into one. 

I think this confirms my reading of Fuyumi as a mediator, as someone trying her best to de-escalate all the fighting in the house. 

In this post I explained why I think she's stuck into a part herself. As the big sister who stepped into the role of caretaker at a young age, Fuyumi displays all the traits of someone who learned early on to fear explosive tempers, and resorted to acting like the patient one to protect her siblings. She sorta acts like a… fire-retardant blanket, so to say. She attempts to put out fires before they can get bigger by sucking out the air that keeps them alight. She’s shown doing this with Natsuo during dinner, and she’s shown often playing mediator to avoid explosive tempers from bursting. 

I think a lot of people read her as someone pursuing her idea of a perfect family because she remembers a time where things were better and wants that again. The problem with that, imho, is when people call her selfish for it. When they say she’s pressuring her brothers into forgiving Enji like she did. I find that—at least the latter part—a malicious misreading rooted in badly hidden misogyny. Why is she not allowed to want things that are at odds with her brother’s wishes, but her siblings are allowed to want things that are at odds with hers? Why is she perceived as selfish for it, but her brothers are not? And why is the reading of her as forceful in this pursuit so widespread, when she made no attempts to steer Natsuo back in both times he stormed out the room?

It seems to me like the same issue with Rei. Fuyumi needs to be a good victim and a good sister, or be crucified if she dares have flaws and imperfections. But again, just like Rei, she’s a victim as well, and she has trauma too. I think people shouldn’t presume that her feelings for her abuser are clearcut and black and white. 

I know it’s easy to dislike her because she seemingly “forgave” Enji, but so far she’s never stated that. It’s the audience’s inference that she has. The fact that she wants a shot at having a more normal family doesn’t mean she thinks Enji did a 180°. It just means she’s willing to give him a chance to be a better person, which is something that Shouto’s also shown doing. But because Shouto remains hostile while Fuyumi makes an effort to treat Enji like a person, it’s widely assumed she must have no complex feelings for her father, or that she’s okay with moving on. 

I find that an oversimplification. Don’t get me wrong, I know the Todoroki women are much less fleshed out than the men. Rei doesn’t even have a character profile yet. But because of this, I wish the fandom didn’t jump for their throat based on those few sparse lines we do have. Just because Horikoshi hates women doesn’t mean we should all follow in his example 

Let’s all allow ourselves to think these characters can have depth. To experiment and play with ideas when something’s yet unconfirmed, to headcanon and theorize and fill the gaps of missing info like we do for other (male) characters. I promise it’s much more fun than getting angry or upset at all the failings from canon

If that's not your cup of tea... that's fine, but I hope I was at least able to make you consider something you hadn't thought of before