u/Blazing-Flame-2982

I have started to find it quite annoying how pretty much all reactors just blindly accept the narratives and side with Rhaenyra for the most superficial reasons, like her having a vagina. Even when the show just gets worse in terms of storyarcs and the logic of it, they might acknowledge it as being weird but then shrug it off and question no further. Whenever TB commits murder or mass slaughter it's "badass" if a TG member does it it's "horrible and evil". All the way back to how they dunked on a young Aemond for defending himself for being ganged up against and beaten up. It's all "yaas queen" and "oh they have more black guys on their side so I am TB, right on bring down those majority whites". Why are all reactors such tools?

They at least kept to the part where he cunningly divided the treasury and sent a majority to Casterly Rock, but he's still "missing in action" from the Gullet, which he isn't in the books obviously. But we still have the whole storyline where he makes it back to King's Landing and Rhaenyra tortures him for weeks for intel. There are pretty much always two kinds of Lannisters in that family, Tytoses, or Tywins. Jason was a Tytos, Tyland is definitely a Tywin. And deserves his canon badassery as the "hooded hand" he will become.

Still can't get Lannister armour right though. They always look odd and mismatched in all series.

In the books Rhaenyra goes to town with him to no end, but Tyland takes it like a champ and says nothing whatsoever. He then emerges and continues to serve on the Small Council very ably "left blind, maimed (his fingernails and toenails cut off, as well as his ears), and gelded. His disfigurement was known to cause new ladies at court to faint at the sight of him", which alone is something a Lannister would not be used to being known for comeliness. Jason and Tyland's father Tymond was known as the most attractive man in Westeros in his day and a womanizer.

My fear is that they just ignore or change this entirely to favour Rhaenyra.

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Tywin was a visionary thinking far ahead of anyone else in the game of thrones. The scene where he tells Jaime "we could establish a dynasty that lasts a thousand years" reveals his true plans. Since his childhood he has been fixated on the idea of House Lannister. Its wealth which is famed all the way to the Shadow Lands, its seat Casterly Rock, the most magnanimous castle in the known world (book version) and its milennia long history in Westeros as kings and ruling house. And yet they have chafed under the Targaryens for centuries and many Lannisters like Tywin's own father and Jason Lannister in Dance of Dragons have made their reputation suffer immensily as being toothless lions, opulent and lazy buffons. House Lannister isn't in its proper and deserved place in Tywin's mind.

Tywin's true plan was to outdo the Targaryen accomplishment and supplant them as rulers of Westeros. To avenge their humiliation under the dragons and rise in prestige more than ever before. I always saw the throne room scene as Tywin literally and figuratively shitting on the Targaryen legacy. Riding a horse into a throne room is extremely disrespectful, but it's the Red Keep. And Tywin does not care about the Red Keep, it's the heritage of Aegon the Conqueror. It can suffer any humiliation he sees fit. The true seat of power in Westeros in Tywin's plans was always Casterly Rock. And indeed de facto it was during the decade of Lannister rule in King's Landing. Tywin played the longest long-game of all. To undo Aegon the Conqueror's work step by step and make House Lannister the new center of Westeros.

And animal cruelty to booth. I love lions. I look forward to Daemon literally crashing and burning for this.

The first being that they cut one of the greatest battles completely and we only got the same kind of lame, aftermath scenes we get in the first seasons. Secondly, they changed the whole freakin' battle's outcome to a black victory when, even at Jason Lannister's death it was a greens victory. And Jason died from a random hedge knight named Pate Longleaf getting lucky in the midst of battle, not due to the Stark greybeards who did not even show up at this battle.

The greens proceed to also win the Battle at Acorn Hall under Adrian Tarbeck who assume Westerlands command, and only loose at the Lakeshore where they are ambushed and encircled by the greybeards.

But of course we cannot allow the evil patriarcic greens to be shown military success oh no. The righteous forces of queen Rhaenyra must be invincible.

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I couldn't resist another one of these since I imagined another scene prior to Adam preparing the charge on Extermination day where he's talking to Emily on his way outside the pearly gates. A scene that could've given us insight into Adam's status and lore more, and the workings of Heaven. Again disclaimer, I'm on Adam and Lute's side but include Emily's perspective for the theoretical scene.

Emily trails behind Adam frantically as he strides towards the gates of Heaven through the promenade, finishing up a delicious shake nonchalantly, clad in his inversed robe with his mask off

Emily: Adam please just listen to me, I get why you feel you need to do this and I even agree with you there are surely awful people in Hell but we can't just kill them all as a response, doesn't that make us just like them?

Adam halts a second

Adam: Mmmmmhm...no. Trust me Em, you show one second of weakness and those losers in that miserable abyss will trample all over you. That's the whole point of being the ambassador of Heaven at the embassy. We keep those f***ers in line.

Emily: But Charlie is-

Adam: Off limits. Don't worry, your weird kink for the princess of "koombaya and rainbows with murderers and blasphemers" Adam makes exaggerated naive expressions to this comment is safe. Not that I wouldn't relish putting that brat in her place.

A crowd of Heaven citizens across the street spot Adam and Emily walking

Crowd: Yeeeaah Adam!! My man! Extermination day baby, give those sinners the Hell they love so much!! Got tickets to your next concert, Heaven undefeated!!

Adam does the rock sign in response while sipping his drink

Adam: Tickets half-off for supporters!

Emily: Ever since you revealed the extermination at court Heaven has seen its first societal rift since its foundation in eons unremembered between pro and anti-exterminators.

Adam: It's Heaven Em. Our "rifts" consists of mild disagreements around girly tea parties and frat-boy beach outings or a mannered debate panel during the celestial festival, that eventually lands in polite indifference in favour of our hallowed unity. Civil war isn't possible here you know that. We have the most reasonable, measured and self-controlled souls in history up here.

Emily flies ahead of Adam and stands in front of him as they reach the gates, her hands on his shoulders

Emily: Seriously Adam, I have half a mind to request a Holy of Holies, an audience with God and let him know what's going on down here on the paradise level.

Adam looks intently at Em but then starts laughing

You're gonna tell my dad? That's your solution? Oh for crying out loud Em haven't you put two and two together yet? Adam dons his mask and then looks deeply into Emily with a smirk Who do you think gave me this job from the start?

Emily: Wh--what?

Adam: Look at me Emily, what am I?

Emily examines Adam up and down a moment

Emily: Uh...really tall?

Adam: Ye--NO ugh. I'm human. Ex-mortal. I wasn't born here in Heaven, I was born on earth. Yet I can do this: Adam summons angelic flame in his hand Now why is that? There is only one single being who can make new angels, or upgrade human souls. Big G Himself.

Emily: God, assigned you leader of the exorcists?

Adam: Adam imitates a powerful and thunderous voice "Protect paradise, Adam, and guard against Hell" were his exact words before the other arcangels encircled me and poured out a fraction of their power into me. Hasn't said much since but you know big G, His ways are mysterious as they say on earth. And this is why, for those of us with divine ordainment, extermination is entertainment. What is more rewarding than obeying the man Himself.

Emily looks shocked, but gives out a big sigh and grabs Adam's hand before he leaves out the gate

Emily: I remember how overjoyed I was when you were given entrance to Heaven Adam. Despite all that happened on earth. God may have said protect Heaven, but I think there are those in Hell who deserve a chance to belong to that protection, just as you were.

Adam's smirk disappears, replaced with vulnerable eyes.

Lute: Sir! The troops are ready for inspection.

Uh...yeah, coming Lute.

Adam looks back one last time, looking into Emily's eyes with the softest tone yet

Adam: We'll talk about this when I return alright? I promise. There are still things you do not know. But for now, they die. All of them.

Adam leaves out the gate to this troops, Emily starts to leave, hearing Adam's voice echo behind her

Adam in the distance: Extermination day is here b***hes, we're gonna go down there and exterminate demon ass!

Emily: Be careful Adam.

Emily flies off

End scene

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I always found Adam's reaction at the trial scene interesting in contrast to Lute (who was loving the reveal), while Adam seemed rather nervous. His "what's the big deal" sounded more uncomfortable than gleeful, like he did not want Emily to find out. And after the trial when he sends Charlie and Vaggie off, he tries to joke it off but when he sees Emily (and Seras) reaction he does something he doesn't do for a single other character in the series, he apologizes and even looks genuienly sorry before flying off. We also have the fact that despite knowing Adam intimately Emily never once shows displeasure or annoynce at his presence or actions. A deeper relationship was just screaming to be filled out here. I would've liked for Adam to have a scene where he comes to Emily after and tries to justify himself (disclaimer I am all for the exterminations but from Emily's perspective) going something like this:

Adam descends to a quiet pond in Heaven where Emily sits and weeps, landing behind her and approaches slowly

"Emily."

"Extermination Adam. Butchering, slaughtering of human souls without mercy or forebearance, how could you?"

"Look Em I..It really isn't what you think-"

Emily snaps back and flies up to his face

"NOT WHAT I THINK? How is it not what I think Adam, how is it not that the man I got to know as the first soul in Heaven, who's like an uncle to me and who taught me how to play and sing, who used to help the first winner souls adjust and not freak out in Heaven, who played for traumatized souls who died horribly to calm them down, that this man now has spent 7 years murdering his own descendants?"

"Murder? MURDER??"

Adam takes his mask off and this is instead the first we see of his face, first reflected in the pond where the mask lands then we see him angry face front

"Do you even know the f'ed up shit I have seen in Hell for years and years on end Emily? Hell is full of the most messed up, vile, disgusting excuse for souls you have never seen, because you live in this bubble of happiness and joy which I AND LUTE MAINTAIN FOR YOU! BECAUSE I WANT TO PROTECT YOU FROM ALL THAT SHIT! They are the murderers Em, we are the executioners."

Emily is stunned and silent

"Sigh, there was a rebellion Em. Long ago Hell tried to rise up under Lilith, a woman who was literally made for me, and betrayed me for Morningstar the self-absorbed clown of Hell. Who then proceeded to turn my next wife against me, and get us kicked from Eden. They ruined my life, turned my first born son into a killer, and my second son payed the price. As you well know. I have had to watch centuries of murderers, rapists, liars, manipulators, dictators, abusers and scammers defile my legacy and send scores of souls to Heaven. That. Is why I convinced Sera of the purging. To show those scum in Hell who is really the boss. Heaven sits on the greatest powers in the universe, and we never used it to render real consequences for sinners. I wouldn't let them do to Heaven what they did to me on earth. The exterminations are supposed to do two things; serve justice, for me, for victims of sinners in Hell, and to safeguard those who I will never allow to go through any of that. Like you."

Emily ponders then looks up

"I know you Adam, I know how much loosing both Lilith and Eve hurt you. You may think you are justified in this, but you're letting your hatred of the past cloud your judgement. I just wish you could have tried to find another way. And not find so much joy in it. Even if to protect us, protect me".

Emily starts to fly off, turning with an angry tear in her eye

"But hey, "extermination is entertainment", right?"

Adam looks down, sad, lifts his helmet and looks at it, sighing. From a nearby balcony Lute looks angrily at Emily flying off. End of scene

Adam and the angels have lived for milennia in Heaven under the notion that they can't be killed or even harmed. Adam himself has been up there for 6000+ years by Biblical canon. He hadn't felt an ounce of discomfort for that long.

But when finding out that one of their exorcists had died, he didn't freak out like Lute but calmly just planned for a major extermination and a payback. Some might say that's Adam being too stupid to get the implications and not being tough but nope. Because later in this very fight Charlie spears him in the arm, and feeling pain for the first time in forever and realizing Charlie could harm/potentially kill him he doesn't back away or run, but stands up grinning pleased at the idea of a real fight and lounges straight back into the fight with no hesitation, and still wins.

And even as Lucifer shows up and throws him three blocks away, he still goes right back at it and fights a being Adam has to know is more powerful than him. Even after Lucifer beats him bloody and pounds him into a crater it takes seconds for Adam to get back up and angrily resist, not surrendering in fear or tiredness until ambushed and murdered.

To be fair an arcangel is stronger than anything in Hell save Lucifer, and Adam likely knew that but the argument still stands that Charlie had an angelic trident and had a chance to mortally wound Adam.

Fine, Adam is dead and gone and will only appear as Lute's wishful thinking. Stupid imo. but fine. But we still have so many others who could make an appearance. The other arcangels like Gabriel, Rafael, Samael, Uriel not to mention lead arcangel Mikael. They need to compensate the loss of Adam with other epic and badass Heaven characters. You can do any of these angels and give them their own unique look and music style. Though I'd like it if they kept the rock theme of angels going, to me it is very fitting considering angelic history in the Bible is very metal.

Art by silentzound on tumblr. Arcangels showing up as celebs to an event in Heaven.