#ianite

not because i condone his actions in the series, fuck no. but because from a writing perspective, in his shoes, everything he does makes sense.

most people consider him the antagonist of early s2, but when you actually look at his character, he's a dad just trying to make it work.

is his approach problematic? definitely. but from a world building perspective, it makes complete sense.

he grew up a prince, became king when his dad went missing and his mom fled after killing his wife and daughter. a sudden load of responsibility that, while i dont doubt spark would've prepared him for, i do doubt anything could've prepared him for how the transfer in political power came. and someone had to find the bodies, and i dont remember if they say in the series because it's been a while since i rewatched, but i think it was helgrind just because i remember his mom only fled after helgrind banished her. which i feel is a valid response to finding that your mom just killed your wife and daughter.

i mean think about it, you only get married if you love someone so much that you want to grow old with that person, you have kids together when you both agree youre ready for the responsibility together. having kids in a kingdom is like insurance of having people in line for the throne too, and considering the blood moons, having that insurance is pretty important. furthermore, just statistically, it makes sense they could've had a miscarriage at some point that just isnt brought up, not saying that they did, but they happen every 1/3 pregnancies on average so it's possible, not that that adds much to the argument other than maybes, but just throwing that out there that they could've already had a loss, and thats what made helgrind care so much about his family(?).

but speaking of family, we can infer from marthas dialogue that ianite was an absent mom. which, from helgrinds perspective, as her first born son, would've strained that bridge horribly.

so, for a mother who's hardly even there, to take away your own wife and daughter, you cannot tell me with a straight face that you simply wouldn't crash out, or at least want to distance yourself.

not to mention, it happens after spark is gone. meaning there's probably a wonder if she simply behaved herself because spark was there, if killing them both was ever somehow justifiable, if it was fair. because remember, ianite is supposed to be the goddess of balance. was it fair that, after spark, helgrinds dad, goes missing, that he should lose his wife and daughter, freya and alva, in probably the most gruesome deaths imaginable? ianite lost a husband she cheated on with a tree (who she murdered immediately after they broke up btw) and probably other countless life forms on her 'travels', helgrind lost a dad who likely taught him everything he knew about running a kingdom. their cries are not the same. and it boraders on "i cant be happy, so neither can you" kind of territory comming from ianite.

so, when you disect his actions and words when the series begins, he starts off away from home, royal buisness, likely regarding trades i think since they specialize in trading fish and whatever steves farm produces. but he returns to find the very substance ianite used to kill his wife and daughter is begining to incroach again. and, out of an act of the trauma association, he wants it contained and destroyed. hes even willing to offer the heroes places in the kingdom when their homes are in danger, even offering a space in his castle as a study (i think only mentioned in tuckers pov but maybe sparklez found it at some point?) just so efforts to rid the world of such a horrible disease can be achived quickly.

but, of course, the universe has a way of making broken men break more, and it not only comes back, but it comes back like a vengeance, trying to consume the very castle helgrind had called home for essentially his whole life, as though ianite herself had grown restless in her isolation, and wanted to steal from him what little remained of sparks works, the memories, the castle they once called home.

and meanwhile, his son, his remaining child, is trying to say that the woman who killed his wife and daughter, is good. like, excuse the actual fuck out of me, but no, fuck no, she isnt.

i get that andor either didnt see what happened, or that he possibly repressed it if he did see it. but to actively call the murderer of your mom and sister someone "good" and "just misunderstood" is actually braindead. and most fans only see andor as great because he's a friend to sparklez, who also is problematic character-wise for a whole other can of worms.

also, while i dont agree with the dictatorship mianite creates, what other option was there for the world? people are dying because of the blood moons regularly more than ever. (and while mianite is to blame for the blood moons, it gets also confirmed that mianite isn't conciously causing them.) but the fact he wants praise, while fucked up, makes sense from the perspective of wanting to be thanked for keeping people safe from the terrifying monsters at least.

which brings me to the point of helgrind wanting the kingdom to follow mianite, because mianite at least gives a shit enough to not run when the going got rough with dianite dying and ianites murdurous tantrum before running away. and don't get me wrong, i fucking hate s2 mianite the character as much as everybody else because of the shit that guy pulls. but you can hate a character and understand them enough to appreciate how the writing got there.

but ultimately, a lot of helgrinds true character is revealed in the episode where they go get mianites heart, but most people aren't looking into the character like that and i find that sad.

in the episode, helgrind is under some kind of illusion spell where he thinks he's home again, he thinks he has his wife and kids again, he thinks hes happy again because he has his family and theyre safe and nothing bad ever happened to them. and to cut a long story short and spoil the episode; he dies, having forgotten the truth of his mourning, and his last words were a scream for his family (who are an illusion because of the messed up magic bubble he's been stuck in for irl months (which translates to in game (and thus in universe) years btw)) to run to safety and leave him in the crumbling rubble of the castle, where he is crushed to death.

i just personally feel like the character helgrind got a lot of shit in the fandom, because so many people root for who they're watching instead of looking into any character whos against them. its easier to have compassion for a friend than a foe.

i still don't condone the act of andor being sent to prison and having his wings torn off, but i can at least understand the writing behind why it got to that point.