I like villains because I am small chicken noodle who cries at sad dog videos, but also I sometimes wish I could destroy the world and so I need villains to live vicariously through.
I’m gonna write a story about this. A henchman to a villain who is like giving their money away to the homeless and giving inspirational life advice and takes in all the stray animals, but they follow around this evil villain, and just encourage all their evilness, eating popcorn whilst they coo over their cute new puppy and watch the world burn.
He was equal parts amused and annoyed as his gaze scanned over the desecrated statue.
Wouldn’t the dalish call this sacrilege?
Sitting atop the large wolf statue at the heart of an abandoned inquisition camp was the gods awful hat he wore to the orlesian ball. It had been crudely nailed into the wolf’s head, causing the stone beneath it to crack and chip.
It wasn’t the only statue to be messed with. No, In fact it grew more outrageous with every statue he came across. She must’ve received intel about him and his spies being in the Emerald graves for her to have set this up.
The next statue he came across was dressed in lambs wool and plaid weave. Another statue had its eyes ‘x’ed out and a vulgar streak of red paint around the neck.
One statue had been disassembled in such a way that head of the wolf was where the rear was supposed to be.
He knew very well what she was implying with that one.
Another statue wore a dog collar with a tag that read ‘bad dog.’
His favorite desecrated statue was by far the one with a pair of Ellana’s underwear shoved in its mouth.
His scouts were about, and so he absolutely did not steal the underwear. (Yes he absolutely did, who is he even trying to fool?)
By the end of his time in the Emerald graves, he’d begun to enjoy finding the statues. It made him smile, though he tried not to. Sometimes he let out a chuckle before he could stop himself.
It was all so...very Ellana.
And so when he came to the last statue in the graves, his time in the forests running short, he felt far more somber than he thought he would.
With a strange sort of trepidation, he approached the wolf statue.
When he saw what awaited him, he let out a mix between a sigh and a strangled laugh.
Sitting at the front of the statue like an altar offering was a plate of expensive frilly orlesian cakes and a note sitting on top. Written in large, sloppy handwriting that was definitely Ellanas, were the words “definitely not poisoned.”
He let out a snort, shaking his head. He flipped the note over, for it was unlike Ellana to say so little. On the back was more sloppy handwriting.
“P.S. okay, so they’re a little poisoned.”
He clutched his head in his hand, shaking as he tried not to laugh. His scouts paused in their jobs, watching him with curious and confused faced.
When he finally composed himself, he stuffed the note in his pocket and disposed of the cakes lest the local wildlife try to eat them.
Character relationships I think Hope Mikaelson would have with other characters from the TVD universe:
Elena Gilbert: I think Elena is genuinely happy for Hope and doesn’t judge her based on her father, though it might be different if she’s around her kids. I think Elena has learned enough to know that people can change and grow and be different from their family. I think Elena would take a very nurturing approach with Hope, but I don’t think Hope would like Elena very much. Even though Elena doesn’t judge Hope, I think she still has a tendency of judging others and Hope knows the world is too grey for that.
Damon Salvatore: I think these two would have to get over initial suspicion, mostly from Damon’s side. I think he would be wary of her because of Klaus, but I think if they did ever manage to get along it would be a hoot. They have a similar sense of humor and a similar moral code imo.
Stefan Salvatore: I think like Elena, Stefan would not judge Hope, or at least try not to. I think he’d try to guide her like Alaric tried to, but I think he would do a better job of it. Stefan knows very well how dark people can get and would try to always make sure she never felt she had to go that way.
Bonnie Bennet: Once Bonnie got over her initial suspicions and wariness, she’d act as a guide for Hope around magic. I think Bonnie would teach Hope more about the morals and ethics around magic than her family did, but she wouldn’t completely ignore the topic of darkness like the school. I think Bonnie would be someone Hope would go to for advice.
Kai Parker: I know these two briefly met, but I would’ve loved to see more interaction because I think it would be very interesting. I think Kai would be curious about Hope and would likely try to use her for magic and rituals. However, I do think he’d think she was funny and enjoy that she can go quip for quip with him, but he’d be annoyed by her moral code. He would ultimately betray her in some form.
Katherine: I’m honestly not entirely sure how this relationship would go. Katherine would definitely hold Klaus against her, like Aurora, but I also think Katherine wouldn’t be fully driven by revenge, especially if there was a way she could manipulate Hope for her own means. I think Hope would put Katherine in her place a little bit.
Caroline: I know these two have interacted as well, but we don’t get to see too much of it. I imagine Caroline didn’t have the suspicions and worries that Alaric did. She saw Hope as a kid needing guidance, just like all the other kids at the school. I imagine out of everyone, Caroline is capable of seeing the true Hope; the dark and light parts of her, and she’s not afraid of them because she saw those parts of Klaus too. She believes Hope is the kind of person Klaus would’ve been if his life hadn’t been what it was.
I can’t imagine people having more than one kid because I have two cats and I seriously want a third but I’m always asking myself how I’m gonna be able to pay enough attention to all of them equally.
1. I did see some of the big leaks before the episode aired, but I didn’t fully watch the episode until sunday night. This gave me some time to cool off after hearing about some of the shit that happens.
2. I don’t think the scenes between Daemon and Rhaenyra are AS jarring and upsetting as I was originally going to think, but I do still have a big problem with them, and we’ll get into why.
3. Daemon is the perfect mixture of good and evil. He is morally grey, that is how George rr martin intended him. I think there are a lot of reasons why people were upset with Daemon’s scenes in episode 10. One of them is that the show is not doing a very good job with Daemon’s characterization. They cannot seem to find the balance between good and evil for him, and I think it comes across as jarring to a lot of viewers, myself included. I love villains. (My favorite HP character is Tom Riddle). When it comes to fiction, I’m not so much worried about the good and evil of characters, but I do want good characterization and I want consistency with those characters. They ignored some of the bad things Daemon does in the book (killing Laenor and Harwin, rumored) but give him a kill he doesn’t do (Rhea). They try to portray him as a man who loves his family, but they consistently remove scenes that do so, and add scenes that make him appear callous to his family.
It’s so jarring in the season finale that it pulls you (or at least it did me) directly out of the fiction. I’m not mad at Daemon for choking Rhaenyra and ignoring her- I can’t be, because it doesn’t feel like it was him who did it. It doesn’t come across as ‘daemon did this bad thing’ it comes across as ‘the writers made daemon do this bad thing’. It feels very inauthentic to the character and it doesn’t allow you to enjoy (or hate) the scene or the characters.
If you didn’t feel that way, that’s fine. Every person is going to interpret the characters differently, but I think there’s enough people who found it jarring that maybe there’s some validity to the way some of us feel about it. We’re allowed to hate it and think it was a stupid decision and didn’t fit the scene or the character. And some of us are (reasonably) wary after the ending of GOT season 8.
4. This brings me to a direct contrast to this scene. A lot of people were mad about Aemond killing Luke being an accident, and at first, I didn’t know how I felt about it either. After the memes (which were hilarious) and watching the scene for myself, I think I actually like it. I think it brings some realism to the fact that dragons are not easily controlled. I don’t think it detracts from Aemond’s character. He wanted to torment Luke, he wanted his eye, but I do think Aemond loves his family and was wholly aware that killing Luke would for sure bring about war. To me, it brings complexity, it didn’t remove me from the fiction. It brings even more complexity when you think about the fact that Vhagar is a creature of war. Regardless of Aemond telling Vhagar to stop, it’s still his fault for chasing after Luke in the first place. I do still think the show is making some stupid choices around the Green’s (specifically Alicent) but I think this wasn’t a bad move.
5. A lot of people were also complaining about Rhaenyra being weak or not wanting war, but I didn’t get that impression. I think Rhaenyra is trying to live up to the legacy of her father. She wants to be a good Queen, and that means making good decisions for the realm. She knows her father wouldn’t have wanted war. Rhaenyra knows the cost of war to the realm. I don’t think she really had any intention of ceding to Aegon, but I do think she was trying to be responsible with all the lives that were now in her hands. (Although, I do think young Rhaenyra would’ve done more after Daemon put hands on her). I also think people saying Rhaenyra didn’t feel anything after the death of her father is wrong. Rhaenyra, to me, comes off as compartmentalizing. She’s focusing on the problem that hurts less to avoid the thing that is actually tearing her apart inside.
6. The book page was stupid, and I really wish Rhaenyra had thrown it in Otto’s face.
7. I felt like the vermithor scene was stupid too. And while I will never complain about seeing dragons, it felt more like they were trying to show off one more dragon before the end instead of the scene having any sort of point to the story.
8. Give Baela and Rhaena some fucking lines for fuck’s sakes. You’re not as progressive as you think you are for putting black people in a scene to stand around.
9. Why is Syrax still so fucking tiny?
10. She should’ve roasted Otto, but that’s just the me that wants blood, and not what would have actually made sense in the fiction.
11. I know this one is controversial, but I didn’t like the ending. I felt like Rhaenyra would’ve broken down at that point, but I get what they’re trying to show.
12. I have this theory that young Rhaenyra killing the boar in episode 3 is the equivalent of Daenerys letting her brother be killed by Khal Drogo with a blank face. “She was mad all along!”. I hate that bullshit. Not that it really matters with Rhaenyra. I’ve already determined I shall forgive her of any crime.
13. Arrax wasn’t being stupid, Arrax was terrified, as was Luke. Arrax was trying to defend himself and his rider against a dragon that was terrorizing them. Don’t blame baby Arrax, he was just scared.
14. Lord Borros being illiterate is the funniest fucking shit.
15. Rhaenyra is such a good mom and I hope she burns everything down.
Well see you've gone and left out the crucial information that it's not normal to have ever had that issue. How am I, someone who has never lived in a world where being bothered by socks was not a thing, supposed to have known that?
I have found a workaround for my issues with socks, and therefore this question is not about me. It's about everyone else in the entire world who hasn't figured it out yet.
Tbh as a writer, I’m kinda over this idea of “it’s the writers work let them express their story how they want it,” like, sure, but don’t character assassin your own fucking characters. If I was a successful published author/writer and a large majority of the fan base told me the character wouldn’t do that, I wouldn’t be too proud to maybe wonder if I’m wrong. I may be the writer, but the fans have been on this journey too. They may even know the characters better than me sometimes. And, to add, a lot of times authors are so worried about shock value, being subversive, or getting to this one plot point that they will character assassin to do it. Being the author does not automatically mean you’re making good story telling or character growth choices.
I think something that’s so interesting to me is how my experience as a fan is way more impactful to me than my experience as a writer or creator. Maybe it’s just me, but there are characters I love more than all of the characters I’ve ever written combined. I care more about their stories than I do the stories of my own characters.
I’ve gotta get off the internet. Jesus fucking Christ the spoilers from hotd ep 10 are driving me nutty. I can’t, I haven’t even recovered from Daenerys I can’t take another character assassination
Me: “I actually think the majority of us enjoy the company of both men and women and everything in between but we’re all too repressed by societal expectations to notice it,”
Alicent: “my lady, why are we having this conversation?”
Me:”….I’m saying it’s cool if you want to bang Rhaenyra. I do too,”
Alicent: *gasps in disbelief and outrage.*
…
Otto: “we need to have a conversation,”
Me: *hands him lube”
Otto: “what is this?”
Me: “oh it’s to help with your head. Ya know, cuz it’s stuck up your own ass,”
…
Me: “ya know, I really don’t understand how I ended up here,”
Larys: “you really don’t know why you’re in a cell?”
Me: *shrugs* “telling the truth isn’t illegal, Larys but in this society I bet a foot fetish is. Mind your business.”
stormborns
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