As A Finnish Person, I Hate Everything That Has Something To Do With Sweden, But As A Homosexual, Young

toxic codependent familial dynamics this. toxic codependent romances that. what about toxic codependent coworkers. i can’t do my job without this guy here or i’ll kill myself.

Rhaenys: Whether it's to my daughter or to someone else's, your father will remarry sooner than late. His new wife will produce new heirs, and chances are better than not that one of those will be male. And when that boy comes of age and your father has passed, the men of the realm will expect him to be heir, not you. Because that is the order of things.

Rhaenyra: When I'm Queen, I will create a new order.

Rhaenys: How I wish that could be, Rhaenyra. But the men of the realm already had their opportunity to appoint a ruling queen at the Great Council and they denied it.

Rhaenyra: They denied you, Princess Rhaenys. "The Queen Who Never Was." But they bent the knee to me and called me heir to the throne.

Rhaenys: Do you remind your father's men of that as you carry their cups? Here is the hard truth, which no one else has the heart to tell you. Men would sooner put the realm to the torch than see a woman ascend the Iron Throne. And your father is no fool.

As a history buff who's been most interested in Henry 8th and his quest for a male heir and all the inheritance messes after his death, I was real fucking excited for HOTD.

The Iron throne should go to Aegon II. By all logic it really should.

Viserys got the throne by being Jaehaerys' second son's oldest son because the man didn't want his eldest son's daughter on the throne basically. That sets a president for shit:

Throne should go to the eldest son available, not to a daughter or through a daughter

Aemma dies in childbirth because Viserys wants a male heir. He wanted that boy so much that he fucking had c-section done on Aemma with no regard for her, he just wanted the son. That son would have been his heir.

Then he names Rhaenyra heir because he doesn't want to give the throne to Daemon (me neither). Viserys names Rhaenyra heir but he doesn't make a decree or law that the oldest child should inherit the throne regardless of sex. This is an exception for Rhaenyra and Rhaenyra alone.

Back to Henry 8th whose basically only known for wanting a son. Both his daughters Mary and Elizabeth went down in the line of succession when Edward was born. Even though Edward was born from a third marriage and had older sisters, he was the heir.

It's not complitely the same situation and Westerosi politics are a little different than in our medieval/early modern period but the princible is the same.

Also in a famously and unrelentingly misogynist world like Westeros a lot of people will favous Aegon on the sole point of him being a man. No matter which one is on the throne both are in danger.

Rhaenyra on the throne:

If she herself doesn't give a shit and doesn't wish Alicent's kids any harm, someone does

Aegon and his siblings are in danger by just being Viserys' children and having a very strong claim to the throne

Someone in Rhaenyra's camp will get the idea of offing Alicent's kids in the name of Rhaenyra's claim

Also Daemon is on Rhaenyra's team and I would not trust my kids' safety in his hands, he killed his wife. I would not trust him not to kill his nephews

Aegon on the throne:

Rhaenyra will be in danger by just being alive and Viserys' child

Someone in Aegon's camp gets the same idea to kill her in order to protect Aegon's claim even though he nor Alicent would want no such thing

All about the coming war could have been prevented by A) changing the inheritance law, B) not making Rhaenyra an exception and getting a male heir by second marriage, or C) making Aegon heir when he was born. Or Aegon and Rhaenyra could have married (horrible age difference but a solution) and ruled as an equal pair.

gooby woobies

sansa was lowkey a badass in a very understated way. when she said to joffrey “or maybe he’ll give me yours” and looked him dead in the fucking eyes like “yeah, i said what i said”…do you know how unhinged that was? that boy had just executed her father and pretty much every northman that came to king’s landing with them and she had the balls to say that to him???

Bruce forwarding Wayne Enterprises advertisement emails to Tim for him to deal with only to realise too late he's actually been sending them to Jason.

He only finds out as he's driving down town and sees a giant billboard reading 'Wayne Enterprises. Our CEO is getting plowed by Superman. Can you say the same for yours?'

Suprisingly, the share price goes up.

Hanging out with old people rules because after a while they trust you enough to confess to murder totally unprompted

The years go by. The retail jobs that Steve thinks are temporary keep piling up, but he has no idea what else to do with his life so he just keeps on keeping on.

Until a large tree falls on the lawn of the little house he managed to buy and he gets the quote on removal and the number literally hurts his soul.

He buys a small chainsaw instead. Over the course of a few weeks, he gets most of the branches cut up. He collects some large rocks from down by the quarry and digs out a fire pit in his backyard. On his days off, his friends come over and they sit out back and have a few beers. The pile of wood dwindles. The giant trunk is another story though. His chainsaw isn't big enough for it. Burning it would take forever, and Steve's terrified he'd disappoint Smoky the Bear. He's at a loss.

Until he sees another giant trunk in someone's yard carved into a bear.

He knows what to do then. Not a bear, but something else. Through trial and error, the trunk becomes the rough shape of a woman, the remnants of the branches like a crown on her head. It's not as amazing as the bear he saw, but it's his. He finds he loves the smell of sawdust and the feeling of creating something.

Just like that, Steve realizes what he wants to do. It takes several months and a lot of yard sales, but he scrounges up the tools he needs to start woodworking. He learns to measure twice and cut once. He makes tables and chairs and carves them with art and designs that get better and better the more he learns. Shockingly, people actually buy his pieces.

Even more shocking comes the realization that he's making enough money to do it full time. He puts in his two weeks notice at Melvald's and hands in his assistant manager badge.

He's not sure he's happy, but he is content. It feels good to work hard and actually have things to show for it. It also feels good to work muscles he hasn't used since high school. He carries on for a few years like that, creating and learning and creating some more. Then Eddie Munson blows back into town. Invited back so Hawkins can have their most famous alumnus sing the national anthem at homecoming. Steve's honestly surprised he shows at all. "Can't believe you didn't tell them kiss your hairy ass," Steve says. Because of course Eddie ends up around his fire pit, sipping on Steve's cheap beer like he doesn't have three Grammy awards on his mantel. The years fall away with each drink, reminding Steve of just how much it had hurt when Eddie left. He'd wanted Eddie so bad back then, more than he'd ever wanted anyone. He can feel the echoes of that deep ache across time.

"Pfft. Don't you know all famous people wax our asses now? All the rage in LA." Eddie cuts a look at him and smirks when Steve rolls his eyes, grateful for the lighthearted moment to snap him out of his maudlin nostalgia. "Really though I thought about it, but then I thought it would be way funnier to donate a metric fuckton of money to Hawkins High with the stipulation that it go to the theater and band programs. Kind of bummed they couldn't honor my other request though."

"Which was?"

"My old Hellfire throne. I miss her, but apparently she's not around anymore. Something about water damage."

"Oh yeah. Water main busted a few years back and flooded the theater. I remember that." "Yeah. Had to settle for the promise they'd make a game lounge and stock it with all the supplies a budding young nerd needs."

"That's really nice, Eds."

Eddie shrugs. "I've been known to be nice on occasion. You'll come to homecoming, right? Moral support?"

Steve hasn't been to homecoming in years because he sees the other people who stayed in town all the time, and he has no interest in seeing the people who didn't. He can only answer the same questions so many times. Oh, I'm doing woodwork now. Yep, I still live right here. Nope, still not married, no kids.

He goes though, and he answers the uncomfortable questions. Because Eddie asked him to. Because no matter how long it's been, Steve can't deny that some part of him still...

He says goodbye after, and Eddie leaves again, and Steve tries not to think about that too much in the following days.

He's halfway into the project before he realizes what he's building. He'd seen Eddie's throne quite a few times back when. What he doesn't have memories of, he makes up. He adds his own touches too, making it a throne fit for a rock star, a nerd, a friend.

He carves ornate patterns, he creates scenes of dragons being beaten back by a man with a guitar, crowds of people that could be knights or concertgoers.

It's his favorite piece he's ever done, and his hands are shaking when he dials Eddie's number. He gets an answering machine and stumbles through a message.

"I made you something. I guess it's kind of silly, but it's here in Hawkins if you want it. Or I'm sure you can afford the shipping if you don't want to come. Just, I made you a chair. It's more of a... Well, you'll see. Unless you don't want to... It's Steve by the way." He hangs up before he can embarrass himself even more.

Eddie doesn't call him back. One day passes and then another. Steve tries not to let it get to him. He works on orders and new projects. He enjoys his little backyard oasis. He rents a few movies and thinks they're okay.

He's debarking some wood in his driveway when the rental car pulls up, Eddie stepping out in ripped jeans and an old Metallica tee. "Hi again, Stevie."

"Oh." Steve clears his throat. "The thing's in the garage. I'll..."

Eddie doesn't say anything for a long time, circling the throne, running his tattooed fingers over each little detail.

"You made this whole thing?"

"I did."

"For me?" Eddie looks at him then, one hand still touching the wood like he doesn't want to let go. Even under the harsh lights of the garage, his eyes are such a warm shade of brown that Steve forgets to breathe.

He nods. "For you."

"Why?"

There are a hundred answers Steve could give, but he spent so long not knowing who he was or who he wanted to be. Too long. "Because you'll always be the one that got away. Because some part of me will always want to make you smile no matter how long it's been."

Eddie falls into the throne like he just got the wind knocked out of him.

"You don't have to respond to that," Steve says. "You can just say thank you and take the chair."

"I can." Eddie blows out a breath. "But that would be incredibly stupid considering half my early ballads are about you."

"What?" Unfair. Steve doesn't have a chair to fall into.

"Oh sure, I changed the hes to shes for a while there because..." Eddie waves his hand. "But they're about you, Steve. God, I should've asked you out. I just thought..."

Hearing those words is a lot like seeing that carved bear all over again, something clicking into place that wasn't quite right before.

"Go out with me now then," Steve says. "Or stay in. I've got a frozen lasagna and I rented Contact."

"Steve Harrington? Asking Eddie 'the Freak' Munson on a date? Did hell freeze over?"

"Pfft." Steve takes a step closer toward what he wants most. "Hell froze over in 1986, Eddie. You were there."

Five months and a lot of long distance phone bills later, Steve opens Harrington Woodworking in Los Angeles. That same day, Eddie takes photos for Rolling Stone posing in an ornate throne in his living room. He tells the reporter exactly who made it and what he means. At concerts, he starts singing those ballads the way he always wanted to. More often than not, Steve stands in the wings singing along.

Y'all ever wonder if Mike's gonna realize how important he is to Hawkins' survival when he sees how hard Nancy and them epic failed in stopping Vecna. He's usually the one besting the UD by foiling all the takeover plans with his counter planning, and the ONE TIME he goes on vacation for spring break Dustin and co can barely manage anything without it falling to pieces. They are desperately trying to get Mike on the phone line for assist.

Would Mike hear from Lucas about Max's broken Walkman cuz of Jason stepping on it, and as Lucas speaks Mike is internally thinking up how he would've easily solved it by having a failsafe (backup Walkman in case it gets broken etc). Cuz that's what he does, he's a strategist. He comes up with a Plan A to Infinity when stuck in a corner.

Mike only thinks, as of right now, that El needs him but it's actually the Party and Hawkins in general that rely on Mike's ability to connect the dots/see the bigger picture. He's really minimizing himself to being that loser who stumbled upon 'Superman' El when he's such a quick thinking leader. I mean, it should really give Mike some food for thought in how shitty things became without his presence for a boy that believes he's better off being a self-sacrifice.