Dreamfyre You’re Still The Mother Of Daenerys’s Dragons In My Heart And Will Be Until GRRM Comes

It’s funny how Criston’s line about how every woman should be treated like the mother is used as an example of how he’s a misogynist who has a Madonna/Whore complex when the topic of the conversation between him and Aemond is the red light district and sex workers. Criston includes them in his label of respectable women. How on earth can he believe in the Madonna/Whore dichotomy when he says treat prostitutes like the mother? If anything he obliterates the dichotomy. This line of Criston is arguably one of the most progressive thing any HOTD character said. Heck even ASOIAF too. The only other character who shows any care towards sex workers is Brienne of Tarth. To be the only one that can be compared to Brienne in this situation is impressive as fuck. And I will not stop reminding this fandom of that.

Something striking about the relationship between Rhaenyra and Alicent that the show tries to awkwardly scoot past is that time and time again, Alicent sacrifices her own interests and desires for Rhaenyra's benefit, while Rhaenyra never does the reverse. Alicent teaches Rhaenyra history, dresses and crowns her for her investment ceremony, comforts her after her mother's death, advises Viserys *against* naming Aegon heir, supports reconciliation between Rhaenyra and Viserys that ultimately gets her father and sole supporter fired, seriously considers switching sides to her despite the severe risk to her own children, and goes against her father to try and save her life. The most Rhaenyra gives Alicent is a few hollow words of praise in episode 8.

Though the show doesn't seem to realize it, their relationship isn't one of equals, but of master and servant. Otto and Alicent are parallels in this sense - both are in a sense, servants of the Targaryens who do not wish to merely serve. But the show buys into the expectation of their service and Targaryen masterdom uncritically: the great crime of Otto and Alicent is their attempt to subvert the natural order of things rather than meekly serving their Targaryen masters. It's why Alicent is most sympathetic when she is loyal to Rhaenyra, but the reverse isn't true, because why would Rhaenyra be expected to do anything for a mere servant like Alicent?

Which really just goes to show the big class blind spot the show has. By presenting "goodness" as solely a function of how closely one can follow Viserys' orders, they're regurgitating one aspect of medieval social customs to oppose another. With this context, Rhaenyra and Alicent's relationship feels less healthy and a lot more like a premonition of Alicent's relationship to Viserys, with similar power imbalances. Rhaenyra and Alicent love each other, but Rhaenyra sees Alicent as a sidekick at best, doesn't take her seriously as someone with her own inner life and desires, and is sensitive to Alicent's perceived disobedience ("questioning my virtue is an act of treason.")

I think it also gives context to Criston and Alicent's relationship, given that Criston is *also* relatively low nobility, and a servant to the Targaryens, who feels taken advantage of by them, and whose great crime is trying to be something other than a servant, to *make* kings, not just to serve them.

BEHOLD KING AEGON SECOND OF HIS NAME 🗣️

KING OF THE ANDALS, THE RHOYNAR AND THE FIRST MEN 🗣️

LORD OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS 🗣️

AND PROTECTOR OF THE REALM 🗣️

I am so done with Team Black's fake sympathy for Helaena and her children.

fr! it reeks of victim blaming. acting as if ‘oh i’m so sorry for her, she should’ve done better and marry jace/advocate for rhaenyra/go to dragonstone’. none of these people put themselves in helaena’s place and see how for her, rhaenyra isn’t kin, alicent and her brothers are. why would she ever betray them? that’s her mother, her brothers, her husband and father of her children. rhaenyra means nothing to helaena because helaena means nothing to rhaenyra. she knows that daemon hates hightower, that he hates her and her brothers. she’s not safe with them. all of helaena’s suffering is due to rhaenyra and daemon, so she’s right to hate them all she wants.

Thank you for your honesty, Ser Criston.

Alicole banging at the start of season 2?

Am I dreaming? (If I am, don't wake me up.)

Jokes aside, I am reaaally happy about this. Our girl Alicent deserves some joy in her life, especially knowing what is about to happen.

Though I do pray that whatever goes on between them occurs after b&c, or at the very least, not during it.

The last thing I want to see is Ali being horrendously punished for thinking about herself for the first time. Also, you know, Alicole, Alicent and Criston antis would have a field day, hating on them for getting it on as Helaena and her kids suffered.

(As if their beloved blacks weren't responsible for this tragedy in the first place but whatever.)

We should also take into account the fact that Alicole acting on their feelings after b&c would add a lot more meaning to their relationship in general.

Two souls broken by grief, finding comfort in one another by completely forgetting about their duties and positions after years of repressing what they felt.

I'm all for it

MAYA ANGELOU ‘Phenomenal Woman’

Am I the only one wondering how the velaryons are still on team Black's side?

Like seriously, Rhaenyra and Daemon disrespect them at every given occasion, yet they still somehow want to support her claim.

Strike 1 was Rhaenyra cheating on their son and not being called out on it by anyone.

(She and Laenor have a deal and both cheat on each other, but his parents don't know that. For all they know their daughter in law has been disregarding her duty as his wife and claiming her bastards as Laenors.)

Which is already not great at all since that means the next lord of the tides won't be an actual Velaryon.

Despite everything though Corlys is willing to overlook that because "history remembers names, not blood." but that doesn't mean they are happy with this.

Strike 2 was everything that happened with poor Laena. Daemon prevented her from going back to Driftmark to be with her family and she died far from her parents and her beloved home, which is already horrible.

Then at her funeral their former son in law starts laughing. I honestly would have snapped at that point.

But that's not even the worst part! Because not long after her funeral, Rhaenyra and Daemon have their only remaining child murdered so they can get married.

(Once again, Laenor isn't actually dead, but his parents can't know that.)

So now, both of their kids are dead, indirectly or directly because of D*emyra.

And then they get married immediately! Their spouses have barely stopped burning and they are already tying the knot, without even pretending to be grieving for their losses or wait the required period of mourning like in the books.

And all of this is without even considering how Vaemond was brutally executed by Daemon for telling the truth about the strong boys's parentage, and calling them not his blood.

The velaryons have shown support for them on pultiple occasions and got shat on every. single. time.

Yet for some reason they still think Rhaenyra should be in charge.

In the end, even during the dance they still draw the short end of the stick.

Rhaenys is killed by Aegon and Aemond because, in spite of her strength and ability as a dragon rider,she can't beat two dragons by herself, and Rhaenyra basically sacrifices her by sending her all alone to help their allies.

Corlys is damn right for saying that with more reinforcements his wife would have lived.

Oh and then we have that whole mistery affair that Jace has with Sara. Obviously it's all speculation and rumors, but if it were true, that would just be the last blatant insult to house Velaryon. They deserved much better.

thinking so hard about caleb wittebane.

caleb is the most important character in the show. caleb died 400 years before the first episode. caleb is the reason philip came to the boiling isles, and caleb is the reason belos wants to destroy it. you cannot tell me that “saving humanity” is the only motivation for the man so obsessed with the brother he murdered. it’s his moral excuse to take revenge on the people he sees as having taken his brother away, a justification to himself that what he did was acceptable. he knows it isn’t.

Continua a leggere

- Parallels between Alicent and Rhaenyra.