i still cannot believe that people consider having lovers outside of a political marriage as cheating
a lot can be discussed about how raging misogyny and the patriarchy in westeros has led to unequal standards for women to uphold and suffer from
as highborn women are not allowed the same sexual freedom that highborn men get to experience, and even if these women do have relationships outside of their marriages, they are usually scorned and shunned by society for daring to practice sexual autonomy
it’s unfair, i am very aware of this fact
(that’s why i’ll never understand team green stans)
but george has never ever condemned his characters for finding and experiencing love outside of doing their duty.
never.
we’re not unfeeling machines that lack emotions. we’re humans who are, more often than not, led by our hearts. and grrm does a phenomenal job when creating characters, as they truly feel human.
so yeah, it’s a bit disappointing that people dumb down what is clearly a very complex situation to “cheating” (btw george himself calls rhaegar and elias relationship complex and he’s never implied that they loved each other in a romantic sense).
to reiterate, i am well aware that highborn women and men are held to different standards, however, if you have a problem with characters working through, around, and sometimes failing to overcome the social structures that cause their suffering, then you must have a major issue with george’s exploration of the human heart in conflict with itself.
george’s characters aren’t robots and that’s what makes them interesting. they do things for very human reasons. they’re biased. they’re traumatized. they’re conflicted. but they’re still reaching for a better tomorrow and they’re still trying to find happiness.
so i’ll never consider rhaegar and lyannas relationship as cheating, or something unsightly that should be scorned. for they simply dared to find and grasp love in a society that would rather shackle them to unhappy marriages, which is very commendable.
oh… and do you know what george does criticize?
political marriages lol
he makes it clear that selling women off as broodmares and forcing men into marriages they don’t want is a recipe for disaster.
of course the eventual fallouts of these relationships is super interesting to read about, but you should never ever support the systems in place and the societies that benefit from pushing people/characters into these incredibly unhealthy relationships
so while i find it interesting to read about characters navigating these relationships, i’ll always be the first person to condemn these societies for forcing this fate onto them. i’ll also always be the first person to root for characters who do their best to find happiness outside of their political/arranged marriage
sorry that i don’t condemn a character for finding love outside of a loveless marriage
instead of getting angry at rhaegar and lyanna and being very nonsensical in the main tags about it, how about you turn that anger onto the patriarchy, which is rooted in every single institution and family in westeros, the patriarchy that refuses to allow women to have the same amount of sexual autonomy as men?
(this is why i despise team green :))
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HERMIT A DAY MAY - DAY 21
BDoubleO100 x Stand Still, Stay Silent
For Bdubs I chose the webcomic Stand Still, Stay Silent!
I chose this comic for BDubs because this comic takes place mostly in forested wilderness and has some of the most beautifully painted backgrounds I have ever seen in anything. I'm sure I don't need to explain why I wanted to represent BDubs with that.
I love the way this one turned out and I put a lot of effort into it, but it pales in comparison to how skillfully Minna Sundberg plays with light and shadow to make textured, atmospheric settings for her story.
While the comic is very beautiful, it is a post-apocalyptic story and does feature some disturbing imagery so discretion is advised.
To learn more about Stand Still, Stay Silent continue below the cut.
(Gamers Outreach, you know what to do!)
Stand Still, Stay Silent is a story which takes place in a post-apocalyptic version of Scandanavia. The comic heavily draws from Scandanavian mythology.
The story opens with the world succumbing to a strange pandemic. A century later, humans hide in reinforced settlements to protect them from the "silent world" - the wilderness outside their settlements, which is home to plague infected creatures.
The story follows a misfit group of humans as they explore this wilderness to gain a deeper understanding of their hazardous world. Also the art is absolutely gorgeous.
Style references:
Just your average stunning panel from this comic.
The wilderness in this story is as much a character as the characters themselves.
The title design
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Everybody needs good neighbours ~♪
Happy halloween, @aliteral-ghost! I've been meaning to properly draw False for a while now, and finally got a chance to do so for your @mcyt-halloween gift!
...Not quite sure what level of spooky this is though. Maybe a 2? Blood on the Clocktower is intrinsically pretty spooky and the game False played was extremely fun, so I wanted to try designing a haunted-looking False in full fortuneteller garb.
Fun fact: below all those opacity layers and blue filters, False's outfit is mostly coppery bluegreens and browns in honour of her Empires look, with the dark green cape matching her hermit skin's jacket.
(early WIP image with flat colours & minimal effects below the cut ↓)
Anyway I hope you like it! :D
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I'd Appreciate Your Input
Relationship: Bojan Cvjetićanin/Nace Jordan/Jan Peteh
Rating: Explicit
Word count: 10k
Excerpt:
Jan brushes his thumb over Bojan’s cheek and his voice is gentle when he speaks again. “You’ve already been so patient,” he says and Bojan’s eyelids flutter at the praise. “I haven't even heard you complain once… you really are on your best behaviour tonight, hm?”
“I’m right, aren’t I?” he continues and brushes some of Bojan’s hair out of his face, tucks it behind his ear. “There’s something special you want to ask for?”
Bojan swallows, then nods and there is a light blush on his cheeks.
“You can talk now,” Jan smiles and Bojan takes a deep breath.
Read it here!
[very heavily inspired by this piece by @luluxa]
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