if I see one more post about Aegon “bullying Aemond his entire life”, I will go fucking ballistic, I swear to g—
scratch that, I will actually go ballistic right now. this is the “Aegon doesn’t deserve such a shitty treatment” club and I’m the self-proclaimed CEO. we are about to do some analyzing and reading so BUCKLE UP.
gonna make one thing clear first — Aemond was bullied when he was a child. no one denies that, no excuses can be made for that. I’d only like to note that there wasn’t only one bully. here’s a quick reminder:
now that we successfully counted to three, let’s look over Aegon’s other horrible crimes relationship with Aemond throughout the years.
📍 the night Aemond lost his eye (S1EP7), Rhaenyra suggests he should be “sharply questioned” (she means tortured) so they can learn who told him that her sons were bastards. Viserys, in his perpetual denial, angrily asks Aemond “who spoke these lies” to which he replies that it was Aegon. it is clear that Aemond does that to deflect suspicion from their mother but his words come as a surprise to Aegon.
he’s in a tough spot — Viserys demands the answers “as their king”, not their father (to signify his authority and pressure them into telling the truth). and Alicent screamed in Aegon’s face and slapped him just a minute ago, so he may be less eager to defend her. he can easily lie and say that he overheard some maids gossiping or that he can’t remember where the rumor came from. instead, it takes Aegon about 5 seconds to back Aemond up.
📍 we didn’t get many scenes with young Aegon and Aemond in general, but here’s a short bit people keep overlooking: when Harwin and Criston start fighting, Aemond and Aegon instantly gravitate toward each other. and moreover, Aegon puts a hand over Aemond’s back (which to me is either a protective or a comforting gesture). what a horrible brother, truly.
📍 next we see them all grown up before dinner in S1EP8. I think it’s safe to assume that if Aegon has been bullying Aemond all these years, Aemond wouldn’t want to spend a second in his company. he’s seated between Helaena and Otto, both of whom are dear to him, so Aemond can stay at the table and chat with them. and YET, not only does Aemond voluntarily talks to Aegon, but their conversation seems friendly (you can barely hear it in the show so here’s the enhanced audio). Aemond makes a joke about Aegon’s drinking habits — Aegon quips back — and then, what a shocker! Aemond starts venting his frustrations to Aegon (“Even when the noose is so tight, they expect us to break bread”). nothing would’ve stopped him from venting to Otto but Aemond stays with Aegon. he wouldn’t have done that if there hadn’t been some level of trust between them. he wouldn’t have done that if he hated Aegon’s guts.
📍 at dinner, when Aegon pisses Jace off and the brunet springs to his feet, Aemond stands up too, which forces Jace to act as if nothing happened and come up with a toast. Aegon watches him with a shit-eating grin on his face. it’s the face that screams “I know you won’t dare to act up in front of my brother and my brother has my back”.
when Aemond makes a toast and calls Rhaenyra’s sons “strong”, Aegon raises a cup to that. he can sit this one out — Aemond has his personal vendetta against the boys, and it would be safer for Aegon not to meddle. but what does he do instead? when Luke gets up from the table (clearly intending to go to Aemond), Aegon instantly stands up, comes up to Luke and not just stops him but slams his face into the table right in front of Rhaenyra without thinking twice. and it doesn’t look like Aegon is just messing with him — no, it looks like he wanted to do that for a while. like Aegon finally got his chance to stand up for his brother too. AND he also stops Baela from joining the fight.
📍 S1EP9 is when we get a glimpse of Aemond’s ambitions: he deems himself better than Aegon, he thinks he deserves to be king. but once he finds Aegon and they get into a fight, it turns out that Aegon knows that Aemond is a better choice. he doesn’t want to fight him, he begs Aemond to let him go. and Aemond can do that — Criston has his back to them, so Aemond could’ve pretended that Aegon managed to break free. and even once they caught Aegon, I have no doubt that Aemond could’ve helped him escape. but it seems that, despite his displeasure, Aemond values his family the most. he can’t betray his mother’s trust, and he knows Aegon is the first in line to the throne. Aemond envies him, yes, he may even hate him because of that. but he values his family the most.
📍 as @florisbaratheons noted, during the coronation scene, when Aegon glances at his family, Aemond looks right at him and gives that tiny nod that says “I may hate this and think I am better for the job as king. But I’ve got your back.” I like that Aemond is the one who keeps eye contact in that scene. He could’ve turned away to signal his dissatisfaction with the situation, there wouldn’t have been any consequences for that. But he didn’t.
📍 what I find interesting about S1EP10 is the beginning of Aemond’s dialogue with Luke. that’s the boy Aemond wished to get back at for years and yet, he starts by saying “Did you think that you could just fly about the realm trying to steal my brother’s throne at no cost?”. Aemond could’ve skipped that part — imagine him saying smth along the lines of “Wait, Lord Strong! Don’t you think you and I have other matters to discuss?” (to which Luke answers that he doesn’t want to fight and the conversation goes on). instead, Aemond makes a point to remind Luke: my brother is the king, and I came here on his behalf. you can argue that Aemond doesn’t do it for Aegon specifically but for his family in general. but Aegon is a part of the family, and S1 Aemond has his priorities straight.
📍 as much as I hate comparing the show and the book (these are two different things and should be viewed as such), I’d like to remind you that Aegon was the only one who stood by Aemond’s side after Luke’s death. I wonder why we didn’t get that scene… I guess it’s because it would be kinda hard to call Aegon “the main bully” after he literally throws Aemond a feast. but we do get to see Aegon supporting his brother: in S2EP1 he welcomes Aemond at the small council meeting despite his mother’s protests (“Aemond is my closest blood and my best sword”). and he trusts Aemond wholeheartedly, that much is obvious.
📍 let’s get to the most controversial part — the brothel scene in S2EP3: some people believe Aegon is being a bully at that moment. those people seem to forget one little detail:
it’s been only a few days after the death of Aegon’s son whose murder was a direct result of Aemond’s ruthless actions. does Aemond ever address it? does he express his condolences? does he mayhaps help to catch the killers, being the skilled fighter that he is? the answer is NO.
I do think Aegon’s joke was cruel (I wrote a whole post about it) but that’s all it ever was — a JOKE. the humiliation comes not from the things he says but from the fact that Aemond is found in a vulnerable position and surrounded by a group of strangers while his brother laughs at him. TGC explained it best:
I also love @notbloodraven’s take on that scene:
Aegon lashing out so cruelly at Aemond seems to be an effort in making Aemond feel as badly as he does and blaming him for Jaehaerys without actually saying the words.
would this be the right way to act? no. but there’s no right way to grieve and to cope with the loss — and HIS SON WAS BEHEADED so maybe take 1% of the sympathy you show your favorite character(s) and cut Aegon some slack.
+ other things worth talking about:
📍 @bietrofastimoff23 analyzed S2EP3 beautifully and I can’t help but mention the scene that happens before Aegon goes to the brothel. it’s the moment when Larys suggests that Alicent and Aemond are plotting against Aegon. he isn’t surprised by the idea that his mother can do that — but the second his brother is mentioned, Aegon’s face falls and he shakes his head no. because there is no way Aemond would ever do that to him. and instead of asking for any proof, he asks Larys “who spreads these lies?” and then commands him to “tend to them.” Aegon can ask him to spy on Aemond, to find any dirt on him, find any weaknesses he can use — he does not.
📍 it turns out to be true — Aemond was plotting behind his brother’s back. which is treason btw (I don’t think Criston intended to keep things from Aegon — he probably believed that Aemond would let Aegon in on their plan). and Aegon does have the power to remind Aemond of his place — he can throw him off the council with a snap of his fingers, he can take offense at Aemond’s attempt to publicly humiliate him (their conversation in High Valyrian — Ewan himself calls it a “public execution”). but that’s not what happens: as TGC phrased it, Aemond’s betrayal “breaks a bit of Aegon’s heart off”. an actual bully would’ve immediately pushed back, but Aegon silently sits down and doesn’t argue, he’s so defeated he can’t utter a word. he has the means to be a bully but he doesn’t contemplate it for a second.
📍 I don’t want to talk about S2EP6 because it makes me sick but I will reiterate one thing: never ONCE Aegon made fun of Aemond’s disability or tried to cause him any physical harm. just want to point that out.
there is no moral to this story, I guess. if you managed to read till the very end, thank you. if you still hate Aegon, that’s your opinion and you are allowed to have one — but please, for the love of god, just stop making shit up. no, Aemond was NOT bullied as an adult, absolutely nothing suggests that he was. Aegon was naive to blindly trust him and it backfired on him, that’s the actual story. and if you are so eager to hold Aegon accountable for his mistakes, maybe it’s time for Aemond to take responsibility for his actions too.
+ some of my favorite critical posts about Aegon and Aemond: x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x.
P.S. I will not argue with anyone so please don’t waste your time — I consider all my arguments solid and that’s enough for me. if you are thinking of sending me anon hate, pls go take a walk instead, it will do you more good. 🌿
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I often say that I’m a firm believer in “never say never”, and sometimes life rewards me for that. for example, I always thought I’d never write any dark fics. not once. not everrrrr.
you will never guess what happened...
(ngl I’m very nervous to post something so different from everything I’ve ever written. BUT ALSO different from the usual approach to this topic that I’ve seen people mention/take. or maybe I’m overthinking idk)
anyways, dark!Robby coming to your dashboard next week
> UPD fic posted here 🙃
picking “All the things she said” by t.A.T.u. (a Russian pop duo of two girls who were once openly gay) for a show about two hockey players falling in love with each other was an insane (and absolutely the best) choice.
BUT I do need to yap about the pure art that was that whole ✨club scene✨.
Ilya coming in for a distraction, in hopes he’ll stop thinking about Shane for at least some time. we don’t see him having fun (and I suspect he wasn’t), he just chugs alcohol. he’s indifferent. he goes to get another drink (but hey, at least he’s not thinking about Shane!). and then he — suddenly, unexpectedly — notices Rose’s friend at the bar. and the friend gives him a sign, and instantly, Ilya knows that Shane is here. he turns around slowly (the camera work in that moment was SO FCKING GOOD), he searches for him, he can’t stop himself. and when he sees Shane dancing with Rose, Ilya’s face doesn’t change much. except for how tense he looks. except for the sigh he can’t hold back. he waits for his drink — and he looks at Shane again. and again while he’s drinking. and it seems like Shane is enjoying himself, and that’s the last thing Ilya sees before leaving: Shane with someone else, Shane who apparently moved on, Shane who doesn’t need him.
which is untrue.
because barely a second after, when Shane notices Ilya’s teammates, it startles him. and he’s not hiding any of his feelings, he is incapable of it — he is visibly nervous, he is anxious. he does try acting like he’s okay — but that act only lasts until he sees Ilya too. Ilya who is with someone else. and suddenly, Shane wants nothing of what’s going on around him. he can barely look at Rose, barely can kiss her. he finds an excuse to leave. and he looks at Ilya again — Ilya who’s kissing some girl, Ilya who apparently doesn’t need him — and Shane is heartbroken. and yet, they both — standing in the crowd, in the dark, under the flashing lights — keep looking at each other. they can’t stop themselves.
for anyone who says “the show is just about s-e-x”, pls try actually watching it. because you have to be blind to disregard that immeasurable amount of YEARNING.
girlies (and fellas?) who write for Robby, please tell me you also get annoyed at how many tag variations that man has.
like, was the official first name even necessary if he goes by another one?? does anyone check any tags with “michael” or should I only go with the ones that have “robby” in them? do I need to add “dr”??
HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO CHOOSE
one of the many things I absolutely love about Heated rivalry is that there’s no feeling of impending doom. no “I’m dreading the finale”, no “I hope no one dies”. because we KNOW this is a love story with a happy ending. even though season 1 doesn’t end with a wedding and confetti in the air, it ends with them being happy and in love and accepted by the people they care about. and it’s a breath of fresh air for the audience, I think.
I mean, I am a bi woman, so obviously, I can’t speak for gay men. but I believe that it’s an issue for everyone in the LGBTQ+ community. queer people in tv shows and movies are constantly suffering, being killed off, being told to keep their feelings a secret, hiding their true selves, being ashamed and misunderstood and not accepted, like that is supposed to be normal.
and I don’t think you even need to be a part of the unfairly treated community to realize that it’s UNFAIR TREATMENT.
that is why I’m feeling incredibly grateful to Rachel Reid, who wrote the book, and to Jacob Tierney, who brought it to life so beautifully. so now we have a story queer people can actually enjoy, a story that says:
you can still be happy. yes, do it scared. yes, your feelings and your love matter, and you are worth it, and you deserve happiness.
and you will get it in the end. 💙
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y'all are whining about the lack of reblogs and comments, meanwhile you yourself only reblog your friends' fics. just a bunch of hypocrites jerking each other off in a circle. that clique behavior is what's killing the writers community. and once any of you get to the top, you stop caring about fic recs, since it's apparently beneath your dignity to share a fic that doesn't come from a popular blog or outside of your friend group. look through the pitt tag, it's just ppl praising the same 20 stories at the top, even if some of them are slappy ai porn. the situation would've been different if authors themselves cared to make a change. you only care about some illusion of internet popularity so stfu. go bitch to your friends on discord instead of clogging the dash with your complaints.
I’m gonna be honest, “jerking off in a circle” kinda implies you aren’t ready to have a civil conversation lol
what you are calling a clique sounds like a basic friend group that everyone’s allowed to have. same goes for your personal preferences when it comes to reading fics. if someone reads and reblogs and shows support to all the same authors, it probably means that person just vibes with their writing style.
also, your “the same 20 stories at the top” argument doesn’t make much sense, because what do you think got those stories to the top? and the answer is engagement. if readers don’t engage with fics (aka reblog them. on this site that was meant for reblogging, in case anyone forgot), no new authors will be able to grow an audience and/or get any recognition.
while I did notice that authors these days tend to interact with each other’s fics less often, it can be explained by a lot of factors. some people may not have enough time, some want to focus on their own stories. some do prefer to only stick to their friend group, yes. but I also don’t think you can force engagement, so getting mad at everyone who doesn’t read your fics is simply pointless.
I also can openly say that more than 50% of fics I’ve reblogged came from authors who haven’t interacted with any of my stories once. but I still enjoy finding new reading material, and I like showing support to other creators. so if anyone wants to throw “you only reblog your friends' fics” allegations at me, maybe do some basic fact-checking (I do have a fic recs tag).
P.S. guys, there’s apparently a circle for jerking off on each other’s fics ??? how do I get in 🥺
making posts in defence of that pasty man is just pathetic. as if he isn't friends with NW, what's there to fangirl over lol
not sure what posts (plural) you are talking about, since I only made one — yes, to address the dumb discourse about how Shawn should apparently be ashamed of collaborating with Quinn. Shawn, who’s shown nothing but respect to his colleagues, to the Quinn team and to his predominantly female fanbase. Shawn, who was fully on board with catering to the needs of said fanbase (and unashamedly so). Shawn, who’s hard-working and funny and doesn’t take himself too seriously but gives his all to every single project he works on.
seems like enough good reasons to “fangirl over” him. and yes, I wholeheartedly support and like that man.
So, I sent this ask and I think you misunderstood me.
I was not accusing you of using ai, it was partly a comment about the state of fic tags across fandoms in general and also a response to the other anon bitching about people only reading from the same few authors.
What I was actually trying to say was why someone as a reader (me, I'm the reader, it was a personal observation) would choose to read and interact with fics from just a few authors and not with every fic in the tag.
My ask was supposed to be about x reader tags in general and not about you, I thought I was clear but also English in not my first language so I may have worded it wrong or the sarcasm came across badly.
Regarding ai fics, there are quite a few characteristics that you see over and over in them but I don't go to people's blogs to accuse them of using it: I just block them. I'm firmly in the don't like don't read camp, I have never once, not even as a teen, sent hate or told someone I didn't like their fic or something that happened in it. If I don't like it I'll stop reading and if I don't want to see anything from the author again, I just block them.
With fics what happens is that they're contagious: maybe from 10 fics that seem like ai, 9 are and 1 is just someone that has just started writing and is just copying styles to find something that works for them. That's also part of why I just block them and never accuse them.
In one part of my ask I may have been bitching about people that come from tiktok and use fanfic tags to post memes or as a personal diary clogging the tags and making it difficult to see actual fics. I may be a bitch for that one but I also just block them when I come across them and never interact.
So, I'm sorry that I worded it in a way that made my message get lost and I'm especially sorry that I came across as an arrogant bitch.
I learned English as a teen reading Bucky Barnes fanfic. After years of reading I realized that I was no longer googling words and took a placement in an academy and landed in a preparation course to sit for the B2. Fanfic gave me the knowledge and vocabulary to pass with grade A and a 185/190 and certified at a C1 level. I would NEVER want to demean or belittle something that has given me so much. Especially as a poor girl who couldn't even afford an English academy in a third world country and could avoid years of paying thanks to it.
My comments came from a place of having enjoyed beautiful and complex writings that I feel are going extinct. That's why I was "defending" the position of only reading from a few people.
What I'm saying is something that I've been seeing in a lot of writing, not only fanfic. I've also seen in a lot of media and across 2 other languages (Spanish and Italian, I have no idea how it is in other languages) too, everything feels dumbed down compared to how it was before ai and I feel like I'm been choked by ai content everywhere, including places that were supposed to be sacred like fanfic spaces.
So, tldr: what I'm saying is that I was not speaking maliciously, I was just being sarcastic and I'm sorry that for everything I've learned I wasn't able to convey what I wanted to say in the way that I wanted it to come across.
thank you for sending a follow-up message!
I didn’t think you were accusing me, so I wasn’t offended, you don’t have to apologise. sorry if my reply sounded a bit harsh. my frustration comes from the fact that we now live in a reality where any piece of media can turn out to be ai, but we have no tools to actually detect and filter out that shit.
regarding the ai accusations, I find it frustrating because not only I’ve heard about it from the anons' messages other people receive, but I’ve also noticed some authors vaguepost about ai fics gaining popularity. and at this point, it just feels like there’s an elephant in the room people keep dancing around. if there are authors who use ai (and it can be PROVEN), I’d love to actually know who they are. I have no intention of starting any public drama, but I’d gladly block those people so I wouldn’t interact with their fics by accident.
I am firmly anti ai, and I’d hate to waste my time on reading and, which is worse, sharing/recommending any ai content.
as for “beautiful and complex writings that are going extinct”, I totally get you. but I also feel like something has to be said about the fandom’s etiquette when it comes to engaging with fics. I’ve seen dozens of authors post stories they clearly worked very hard on, only for them to get just a handful of comments at best and not too many reblogs. it’s disheartening and can be very demotivational.
so the best thing you can do as a reader is to make sure you show your love to the writers whose fics you find enjoyable. because artificial intelligence doesn’t spend hours plotting and writing a story, but real people do, and it’s very important for us to support each other. so hopefully, the art of fanfiction doesn’t die out, and more people will be motivated to post their fics.
