Also, Like, “Arya’s Only Nine”, She’s Been In Sewing Classes Since She Was A Toddler. She Should

If there’s one thing that this episode has proven me is that Aemond is indeed a mama’s boy

i don’t kno if it’s intentionally vague because of spoilers for the future or if it’s it meant to be the only cultural legacy of valryia is turning essos into a slaving culture and burning people alive but either way valyria is ash and the targs are killing themselves over ghosts instead of just accepting they are regular old westerosi people, like what actually *is* valryian culture targ stans always go on about, what was it? what do we know about it?

I need more Silly season 3 Steve Harrington with Eddie Muson because you know Eddie would love it but also be so confused. Like King Steve has a personal Handshake with Dustin?? King Steve giggles?? King Steve is sassy and wears strawberry lip gloss?? This is not the person he hears rumors about, King Steve didn't fling his arms around so much, king Steve knew how to flirt with girls. What is going on?? And why is this so attractive??

I also need more Mom Steve and Eddie Munson. Imagine Steve has to bring something to Dustin at school and Eddie is walking on the table when there a shout "Eddie Muson! Get down before you break your neck!" Steve just stands there with hands on his hips, The kids rolling their eyes like God Steve stop being such a mom. Eddie doesn't know what to do so just sits down with a quiet "Yes, Mommy." Pulling his hair in front of his face. Then Steve pats his shoulder, maybe even a little kiss on the forehead with a "Good boy." Says hi to the kids before leaving.

Eddie is screaming inside, the whole cafeteria is confused and Steve doesn't realize what he did until he's laying in bed later that night.

Turns out King Steve Harrington is kind of weird.

pastel mugs

Still haven’t finished Blood, Sex and Royalty yet (planning on finishing it this Thursday) but one thing I do really enjoy about it is how the actors show moments of silliness/levity or just human moments of exasperation with their characters. Obviously this production has them act with modern mannerisms but there are ways of doing this more historically in character. I’m thinking Jeremy Irons as Robert Dudley groaning and resting his head on the table during a frustrating council meeting or his facial expression as he mocks the Duke of Anjou, or in The Virgin Queen when Elizabeth balls up a piece of parchment and playfully throws it at Robert’s head which triggers lightheared parchment fight between two old friends. It’s absolutely delightful.

I feel like sometimes period dramas get too caught up in making their characters super serious and in earnest all the time, especially if the characters are well known historical figures. But they were still humans too - they would have pulled faces, rolled their eyes, shared inside jokes with their friends and have moments of awkardness or bursts of emotions. They didn’t always have the perfect one-liner ready as a response. They were not cool and collected all the time, even if they were monarchs - and especially when they were not on display. I seriously doubt Elizabeth for example walked around in her private rooms, back straight and face impassive for example. Which is why when Cate Blanchett’s Elizabeth audibly sighs with relief and her shoulders slump forward after her heavy coronation mantle is taken off of her, or when she gets flustered and frustrated preparing for her first big speech to Parliament, it feels so wonderfully human.

Shows like Wolf Hall, The Tudors and even the Starz historical dramas I think sometimes lean too far into presenting themselves as “serious” historical dramas that they make their characters larger than life and forget the fact that they also were human beings.

so weird that in young royals August is called to be backup man and told that he's second in line. Like he's Wilhelm's 2nd cousin, so they share great-grandparents. What happened to the family, like so that's skipping so many people actually. All of Wilhelm's first cousins, aunts/uncles have to be dead for that to happen!! Did Kristina's parents only have her? Possible sure, but royalty has been so intense about having more than one child with the whole heir and spare(s) thing.

Geralt meets Jaskier and is like *sniff sniff* ‘yeah this guy’s part elf, I’m not going to comment on this because it’s a very personal thing to bring up in mixed company and also none of my business’ & never once questions that Jaskier knows this bcos like, that’s the kind of thing people know about themselves, right? and it’s a touchy sort of subject so it’s understandable that Jaskier doesn’t really talk about it, w/e

& then years later Yennefer comments on how improbably youthful Jaskier is and Geralt’s like ‘yeah he’s part elf’ (cause like, we’re all ambiguously-human friends here, nbd)

but Jaskier is like ‘what the fuck? are you talking about?? no I’m not???’ and Geralt is like ‘…..fuck.’