How Far Can A Person Bend Before They Break And How Long Can The Broken Be Wielded Before They Turn Double

I just finished watching Pretension, and it was phenomenal. While the episode soothed many of my worries, it also left me with so many questions. Yet there were things that were undeniable.

There was only one thing that the episode outlined crystal clear... CHOICE or the lack of it.

Gabriel promises Tomoe that he will regain control of Adrien... which is why it hurts when Adrien is unable to stand by Marinette's side as it's the first time he realizes that something is wrong. It's not that he is scared of betraying his father... it's that his body won't listen to him.

The fact that Gabriel literally offered Marinette the equivalent of an 'envelope of cash in exchange for leaving my son'.

Felix's words about sentibeings really broke me...but they held power, they truly reflected the oppression faced by him, Kagami, and Adrien... if you brink life into the world, you owe them a certain responsibility.

What truly horrified me were the ironies of the whole thing...

The way Gabriel gives Tomoe the ability to grant herself the power of choice only to take the very same away from her daughter...The way both Tomoe and Gabriel were shown to have a choice while Kagami and Adrien and even Felix weren't... as if they were less than living beings.

And finally, the way Gabriel said that he dictates what people buy.

The one thing I LOVED was Marinette standing up to our local uncooked prawn (gabe)

My other mlb rants:

Passion l Emotion l Perfection l Illusion l Transmission pt1 l Transmission pt2 l Protection

I feel like this season of House of The Dragon is going to be utterly ruthless in it's approach.

As always, the intricacies never fail to take my breath away...

Last season, the opening showed blood on rock... rock that does not stain. But this time, we see blood tainting canvas, likely to leave deep gashes that won't be washed over, won't signify beginning anew.

This is further seen in how the last shot we saw of Rhaenyra was with her back facing the fire and darkness in her eyes. Yet, here we see in in the same room with a map of the seven kingdoms... alit with fire, demanding Aemond's life and walking out without a word.

Fire in all it's duality is clearly seen when alicent lights a candle for Viserys parallel to Luke's pyre being burned and finally as she wished to quell her guilt, lighting a candle for Luke, only for it to cut to Rhaenyra being obscured by flames, signifying that this stain isn't going to be washed off, it's not a rope that's frayed, but one that's cut.

And finally, Helena saying beware of the rats but not knowing who it is... Alys, who betrays information or her, who betrays herself.

In all its glory, there are four fronts that are going to impact the game moving forward:

Alicent's desire for victory, and whether she sees it in sleeping with Crison Cole, or allowing her soul absolvement from guilt by making peace between her and the blacks (Rhaenyra).

Otto's thrist for violence and who he deems (un)worthy enough to sacrifice.

Rhaenyra's vengeance, and which wing will forever be grounded next.

And Daemon's venerence towards Rhaenyra and who he's willing to betray for it.

If Luka ends up being The Supreme, I'm gonna sue Thomas Astruc.

The new miraculous world episode has me hooked!

I might be completely wrong about this, but since the world's are complete parallels it only makes sense that the one who chose to be true to himself DESPITE knowing the true identities of ladybug and chat noir turns out to be the evil mastermind which means that the Supreme is none other than Luka.

I truly can't get over how well mlb portrays symbolism:

"Sometimes, destroying is the right path to build the new."

The way it starts with breaking when shadybug loses hope in her wish after seeing plagg and tikki's kwami forms explode. The way Shadybug truly sees what she has become when she sees a shattered mirror and how Marinette makes her realize that she could be different by seeing her reflection in a fixed one.

(The parallel between both bugs facing each other was beautiful)

The same way looking at Adrien, at his own (albeit, distorted) reflection, Claw noir also feels the same, like somehow both LadyNoir reflected what they truly wanted.

Throughout the episode, Hawkmoth continues to wear glasses and does not come face to face with Betterfly, showing that he does not wish to change even on the inside.

But either way, the best part of the episode was how when both Marinette and Adrien were talking to Shadybug and Claw noir, they were talking to their past selves as well... Marinette to herself who had been bullied relentlessly by Chloe and Adrien to himself before he started going to school and met all the people in his life.

HotD episode 9 was bewildering. Being the first episode solely about the greens, I was apprehensive regarding how it'll be carried by the audience... in one word? Powerful.

What truly made the episode were certain quotes which blew my mind.

"We do not rule, but we may guide the men that do."

"And yet you toil in your service to men... you desire not to be free but to make a window in the wall of your prison."

The words which truly sparked the desire to break free in Alicent. Free from the clutches of her father, free to make her own decisions.

We see this particularly during the coronation when:

Alicent is the one on screen, between the swords when the words 'A new king' are spoken.

Alicent stands between Meleys and Aegon. A dragon facing another desiring equal standing. Two queens who never were facing each other.

"It is our fate, I think, to crave always what is given to another. "

Helena's words overlapping with Alicent's meeting with the lords to establish Aegon on the throne. And in the end Alicent and Aemond craving it for themselves.

And finally "There is no power but what people allow you to take."

Mysaria's words left me gaping. It truly embodied the entire scenario of power is temporary being highlighted in the episode.

I believe that we might also compare these words to Aemond's condition as he too is not able to take anything apart from what is handed to him.

(I have not read the books and all my interpretations are based solely on the show.)

HotD episode 4 was marvelous, it once again denoted the importance of symbolism, no matter how subte it cues and in doing so, kept my attention solely on the screen for its entire duration.

This episode has left me with a bunch of thoughts and speculations to be made:

We start with the image on Rhaenyra toying with the necklace gifted to her by daemon, even during the tour to select her suitor which set the stage for the rest of the episode quite splendidly.

The scene which took my breath away was actually the one in the courtroom, right when Daemon enters while Rhaenyra stands in the crowd. We see Daemon moving towards the throne in plain sight while Rhaenyra walks towards it in the crowd (making her approach out of the public eye), but in the end, they share a frame and move together. This, once again illuminates the subtle imagery and symbolism.

Daemon clearly showed Rhaenyra the play as a test of her tenacity and determination (you can't change my mind) but at the same time, I think he wanted her to actually open her eyes to observe the realm and not follow Viserys' stead to become a ruler blind to what occurs around him.

I somehow feel that the scene in which Daemon withdraws from Rhaenyra is a great insight to what he's feeling at the moment. It somehow starts as disbelief, verging on regret and later manifests as anger?? Following it, the scene where Daemon asks for Rhaenyra's hand (with a dagger to his throat, commendably) reminds comedically of bridgertons I have to marry you to protect your virtue.

I loved how Viserys didn't spare Otto any agony and embarrassment, and made him spell each bit of the rumor, (painstakingly so).

And, him calling Otto out for spying. Although, it was funny how Viserys called Otto's schemes 'obvious' while failing to notice them for the past 4 years. The bit where Viserys takes away the pin was GLORIOUS.

(I can rewatch this scene a billion times)

The PARALLELS throughout the episode were amazing!

The first one we observe is that while intimacy with Viserys is clearly a means for Allicent to survive despite it making her feel lifeless, (and helpless, all the same). We see Rhaenyra seeking Daemon's touch as it seemingly makes her feel alive and in control of her life.

This also throws light on the subject of free will, while the conversation between Alicent and Rhaenyra already established how Rhaenyra was privileged to receive a choice regarding who shall win her hand, Alicent wasn't. We see the same yet again, when Rhaenyra approaches sir Criston.

Another parallel this episode draws is an ironic one where Viserys tells Rhaenyra to let go of her desires and choose duty while he was the one who refused to marry Leana Valarion in order to marry Alicent. Which highlights the disparity between the genders, once again.

(I have not read any of the books and all these are based solely on my interpretation of the show.)

The Unsung Heroes

He lifts on his shoulders,

The weight of all our sins.

He does not know where his journey began,

Nor how it would end.

He wraps his arms around his sister,

He lifts her off the ground.

Promising to return safely.

A silent wish to which he felt bound.

He kisses his mother's wrinkled forehead,

Cherishing each moment,

Like an extraordinary treasure,

He had just found.

For, far away he would be,

From his family's loving embrace.

Staring at the snow-capped hills,

Or the depths of the sea.

He thinks aloud on peaceful nights,

When the winds lull him to sleep.

'Honor I'll bring to my mother,

The promise to my sister, I'll keep.'

A broken promise, an open wound,

He lies on the ground.

The sanguine hue of his blood,

Cakes the mud around.

I pray for those who stay awake,

In the darkest hours of the night.

Who live and fight for our sake,

Regardless the pain and the plight.

The silence cries, it cries for them,

Those who left behind their names.

A soldier dies, he dies condemned,

Becoming a distant face in a wooden frame.

His sister asks why her brother,

Was mercilessly slain.

His mother's screams echo,

As she screams in disdain.

Heavy breathing, bloodshot eyes,

Where did they go wrong?

Clutching his badge to their chests.

Walking on their own.

After the war, he didn't return,

And they were left alone.

Oh, mighty warrior, our fearless protector,

Never were you wrong.

In the hearts of those who love you,

Always will you belong.

The Demiurge of Destiny

The silence seeps out of the earth and into her bones.

The darkness creeps, it creeps close and into her soul.

She stands still, unyielding but nonetheless alone.

Her strength comes from those who live down below.

Living in an idyllic fantasy, free from any woe.

As she lifts with her petite hand, the shield to palisade,

The mephistophelian misery that obscures their fate.

She receives no recognition, for in history she has never been portrayed.

She adorns no gowns, no ornaments present in her locks that cascade.

Yet, her eyes they hide behind the vizard as she attends the ephemeral masquerade.

To watch her principles, to keep them safe.

The fires burn bright inside the ostentatious room.

Yet, in her veins, the cold blood morbidly looms.

She makes herself unobtrusive to the human eye.

As she stares at the cacodemon, its flesh charred and dry.

They battle fierce and they battle fast.

Each time they clash, one of them nearly falling apart.

Both fought the other trying to outlast.

The hellion sneers and questions her act, it taunts her, it taunts the people behind her back.

'You fight for them? These people there?

Who burnt your home without care?

Who turned the forests dark with despair?

Who'd agonize in the hurt ne'er?'

She inhales closing the apertures of sight,

Her heart in agony, her mind in plight.

Yet, her body stands, it stands to defend,

Staring at the demon she wills to rend.

'It matters not what my heart decides,

It matters not if the rivers run dry.

Gods are gods till the men decide.

And for these men, I shall lay down my life.'

The night dawns as she enters her hearthstone.

Blood trickles from her side as she suppresses a groan.

Shadows that loom chilling her down to the bone.

Fatigued and weary as she looks at the moon that shone.

She fights her battles, she sits on her throne.

She looks after the humans like they're young saplings she had sown.

She looks out to the horizon and into the unknown.

Shield in her hands, protecting on her own.

"To nurture is to grow, and to grow is to conquer."

The following poem is a tribute to my parents, who have worked to the bone for my sister and I, who have loved us and made us capable enough to make our decisions, making us the people we are today...

Mid-day Memories

Like sentenials they stand, like palisades they preserve,

No wound the barbarous realm causes them, they deserve.

They fight for our rights, for my sister and I,

They fight for our future, so that no-one can deny.

She sits through the ephemeral daylight hours, she sits deep in thought,

Worrying for our battles, many gray hair which have brought.

Like gentle whispers of gales that thread the mellow fields,

Her hands, they soothe the cracks that materialize at the confidence we refuse to yield.

The path he voyages invites many a foe,

To heal he journeys, to dispel all woe.

Like the midnight moon, he stays awake,

Enduring all the afflictions for our sake.

Like the wolves that howl at the plenilune,

He plays for us his sweetest tune.

They sit alongside till our sorrows fade,

Stories they spin together to distract, endlessly cascade.

Sings tirelessly each note the way a nightingale,

They mould us for the world, guide us in the way for the sightless, the brail.

HotD episode 8 reminded me of thunder; when quiet, it's easy to forget it's there, but one must never mistake it's silence for weakness.

The entire episode was raging, in it's own subtle way. Littered with silent imagery and all in all was breathtaking.

We see that Rhaenyra, once again wears Daemon's necklace but only in his company, she always chose to wear a different one when in court as if change into battle gear.

When Viserys walks into the throne room, we see his hunched, bent figure which gives us a glimpse of Rhaenyra standing ahead, head high, in front of the throne. We see this again when Viserys steps down from the throne.

We see how Alicent stands outside Viserys' bedpost, only coming in to feed him milk to poppy, to Weaken him. While Rhaenyra sits beside him, to assure, to strengthen. The way Rhaenyra silently weeps while thunder roars behind her.

I LOVE how all the men around Rhaenyra know that the women are strong and capable but never hesitate to defend them. The way Viserys wanted Vamond Valarion's tongue but Daemon claimed his whole head as revenge for speaking against Rhaenyra, how Jace was ready to attack- no, tear apart Aegon for how he disrespected Baela but also, respected her enough to stop when she said so.

The episode also carries several ironies on various fronts.

The way alicent described the star symbols as a sign of presence of higher authority but in the end, after her conversation with Viserys, convinced herself to be the higher authority.

The way the entire scene with the toasts started as seeming genuine to becoming malevolent until the room boiled over with the words 'each of then handsome, wise and strong'

And finally, the way Viserys reach out to the heavens on his deathbed, seeming reaching for Aemma having only two words on his mind... my love.

I have not read the books and all my interpretations are based solely in the show.

House of the Dragon, Episode 8:

Not Alicent thinking that Viserys was talking about her rapist firstborn while he answered Rheanyra's question on his deathbed, regarding her being the 'prince' that will unite them as one, especially mere hours after we see them being hospitable after years.

Syrax providing Daemon and Rheanyra's children with three eggs, for their three children, befitting their station as trueborn children of dragons.

Funnily enough, Daemon being a classy malewife and manslaughtering Vaemond Velaryon for badmouthing Rhaenyra (all true, by the way), screamed Will Smith Energy (not that I condone what he did in any way).

Lastly, wondering why Aemond Targaryen's actions seem so familiar, why his mannerisms are something that remind us of someone we've witnessed before? Me too! Each and every action, sly retort, and taunt, gives the viewers of Daemon Targaryen in his prime, impulsive, agitated, and having a keen taste of violence.

But where Daemon's actions reflect underlying hurt, and the urge to protect and safeguard his family, Aemond's actions are a result of his dysfunctional upbringing and the deep seethed wounds caused by the callous words of his own blood at the time he didn't have a dragon, and thus, no proper position as a dragon himself.