#childbride

[blueiight]

“Louis de Pointe du Lac” vs. “I am the vampire Louis du Lac”. The jumbled up recollection Crispin gives the tourists of 1132 Rue Royale thats emblematic of the tale Lestat spun at the ball in season 1, the classic Southern gothic invoked when discussing “the [unnamed] local Creole hustler and his child bride running a Voodoo court in the back-yard”, vs Louis meeting with Lestat to grieve Claudia he saved from a burning house only for her to be executed by fire 40 years after the fact. “I am the vampire Louis du Lac”. Now geneaologically unmoored from plantation Pointe du Lac, allowed to live past the JCS that would’ve killed him as a mortal, “I didn’t know it was a gift.” he embraces a modern sort of predation in Dubai. “I own the night.” “I may learn to live honestly.”

[foursaints]

TARYN DUARTE MENTION ON SAINTS FOURSAINTS TUMBLR BLOG WE WIN WE WIN

yes i feel somewhat normal about her

[fordtramarina]

do U guys fuck with stancest agegap perchance

[rhaenyradelights]

when you say rhaenyra is not daemon’s childwife, what do you mean?

this has been ennumerated exhaustingly by people much better with words that i, but they very very very specifically do not get married until rhaenyra is a grown woman, and that is both a result of daemon's aborted attempts at "saving her" from him, and a source of real deep pain for rhaenyra. it is so incredibly important to the crux of their dynamic that rhaenyra's childhood was marked by the euphoria of being around daemon and then long (frequent) periods of being separated from him. that's where the whole vision at harrenhal comes in....

he sweeps in and then he leaves the wreckage behind. and though a very large part of this is because of viserys, and daemon's continual banishments as punishment, it still harms her irrevocably. and even as he takes her to the brothel, he stops, and he does try to save her. it was never going to work, but it's like. very important that he tries. and not only does he try, but he leaves for a decade. and he is entirely ready to leave her again and go back to pentos with the dragon twins, before she stops him. and she, as an adult, proposes a marriage that is both politically advantageous but also an attempt to stop the constant wounding from abandonment that she carries with her. they get married in the style of old valyria, with a blood bond (are they not already bonded by blood), so that he can never leave her again in any way that matters.

but at this point. she's an adult. he's left her alone for ten years, and her childhood before then was a tapestry of dashed hopes. in all the spaces he left behind grew her fears of inadequacy, her fears of abandonment, her fierce attempts at Becoming Him when he wasn't there to be himself, an independent life carved out of a very particular cage of expectation but still, in rhaenyra's own word's, droll tragedy.

and so now when they fight, they are bringing a specific set of hurts and resentments and histories - tied to viserys of course, but also a result of the rope-burn from the stretched cord between them, and the tension between rhaenyra's current role as his queen that he must prostrate himself for, and his wife/niece, who remains, as always, the most beloved person in his life.... and rhaenyra's knowledge that even as he has married her, crowned her, and serves her, she can never truly stop him from getting on caraxes and acting of his own free will, and leaving her. he is the sword, he wants to be beholden to her and serve her, but she is not his childbride, and she never was, and that's a source of profound regret and also the site of some of their deepest pain.

[aurabora]

so viserys is a neglectful father that never showed any interest in aegon, but is also simultaneously the only reason for aegon being a rapist and drunkard? not yknow…the primary parent (alicent) raising aegon, which in it of itself is false seeing as there’d be a legion of nursemaids and servants that’d tend to the royal children. queens didn’t do that kind of thing despite condal trying to portray alicent as some poor girl pulling all nighters with a job and kids.

alicent, who enabled her son and had routines her place to silence aegon’s victims instead of yknow…punishing or curbing aegon’s ways, is not held responsible?? its only viserys’ fault? not the one raising and instilling such values into aegon??

[alicentsaegon]

Listen, listen. The Catholicism has to have come from SOMEONE for the next generation Targaryens to explain why Baelor and Naerys specifically were like that. Aegon III is too depressed to be an involved father + he died young, Vizzy T was a child having children, Larra is ABSENT. This leaves Jaehaera only.

[cuntstable]

they make me so sad im actually gonna kill myself

[overbearingstruggles]

I dunno what I expected from their house but I’m glad I guessed right. It really screams boring ass sad beige rich white southern people. 😐

I like the house 🤷‍♀️

[lastmanstandin]

Love Me Like You Do 💖 Karolina Protsenko Violin Cover ft. Barvina #short...

[bumblesimagines]

Burning Love

Request: Yes or No

Summary: As the eldest son and heir to the Iron Throne, Prince (Y/N) Targaryen has many responsibilities; most of which his darling sister hopes to share with him one day.

Pronouns: He/Him/His, M!Reader

TW/CW: Targcest/Incest (Full-blooded Brother-Sister), Aemma lives!! and Alicent is not a childbride, mentions of stillbirths and miscarriages (Aemma's pregnancies)

Collecting HOTD oneshots like pokemon cards at this point

~~~

It was known that Targaryens had... questionable traditions. Traditions those with outsider perspective could only force themself to understand.

There was the act of putting a dragon egg in the cradle of a babe and hoping the egg would hatch sometime soon after to ensure the babe was bonded to a loyal protector they'd grow up alongside of; a tradition started by Rhaena Targaryen, eldest daughter of King Aenys I and Queen Alyssa Velaryon. Targaryens were Dragonriders, bonded with the very beasts they used to conquer the lands and pull them all into one kingdom (with the exception of Dorne, of course). They cremated their dead, a custom from Old Valyria, often with the help of a dragon belonging to their closest kin. 

And of course, the most infamous and often looked down upon custom, wedding kin to kin. Another custom from Old Valyria that many followers of the Seven turned their cheek upon, for they found the act of wedding siblings to siblings and so forth (apart from cousin to cousin) a sin. Faithful followers could voice their complaints as much as they wished, but Targaryens were kings, queens, princes, and princesses. Nobody could or would stop them from keeping their bloodline pure if they so wished. 

Descending from a long, historic, and proud family, Rhaenyra grew up listening and learning the tales of those who'd come before her. Aegon the Conquer and his faithful sister-wives, Rhaenys and Visenya; the many rebellions and fighting brought on during the lives of King Aenys I and King Maegor the Cruel; The Old King Jaehaerys who'd chosen her father, Viserys, as heir over his own late heir's daughter, Rhaenys; and of course, the histories written during the early stages of her father's reign. 

Her beloved older brother had been two when King Jaehaerys named their father heir and three when their father ascended the throne whilst their beautiful mother, Aemma Arryn, carried her in the womb. The fourth person to ever hold little Rhaenyra in their arms had been her brother, closely supervised by their parents and the maester attending the birth, of course. With a healthy son and daughter, Viserys and Aemma hardly needed for more children, but they tried anyway. Their attempts never carried to term, however, and any little ones that did were either stillborn or died mere hours or days after birth. 

Still, Rhaenyra never needed for any more siblings. Her brother was enough, in her humble opinion. He cared for her diligently, especially during their younger years when he eagerly wished to play with her, even if it meant the two of them being gently scolded at the end of the day for dirting Rhaenyra's dresses with mud and dirt. (Y/N) treated her as his equal, even showing her how to use a wooden sword when he began his training and helping prepare her for dragon-riding on Syrax. His own mount hardly needed much training in the Dragonpit, for the mighty Vermithor's first rider had been the Old King.

As time passed, the siblings were forced apart more often than Rhaenyra enjoyed. She'd made up her mind long ago that she and (Y/N) would one day be wed, and she'd be his formidable sister-wife. Their parents merely chuckled about it when she'd first told them at the age of seven, her squeaky voice and flushed cheeks only drawing cooing from Aemma and sweet smiles from Viserys. The absence of her brother had been stark, his time taken up by training, studying, and spending time with the Small Council, but Alicent Hightower had quickly taken his spot as Rhaenyra's companion. 

However, in due time, (Y/N) became man-grown, and while Rhaenyra quickly followed with her flowering, as heir and prince, (Y/N) became the most eligible bachelor in all of Westeros. It took time for it to become apparent to Rhaenyra but her eyes and ears opened when she heard their parents speaking of it. Many families, highborn and lowborn, offered their daughters through letters or visits to Kings Landing. Lannisters, Baratheons, Starks, Brackens, Blackwoods, Tullys, and plenty more came forth. Even Otto Hightower made a passing comment about wedding Alicent to him. It was infuriating.

"In truth, I do not understand your irritation, Rhaenyra," Alicent spoke gently, her slender fingers working on embroidery. A flower she'd seen in the gardens, or something along those lines. Rhaenyra hadn't truly been paying attention to her dear friend. She'd been too focused on silently fuming at the sight of her brother showing one of the highborn ladies around the Red Keep. Every giggle, every blush, every bat of her eyelashes made Rhaenyra tick. "It's wonderful to watch one's brother fall in love."

"You wouldn't understand, Alicent." Rhaenyra sighed. "It is like the love King Jaeherys and the Good Queen Alysanne had."

Alicent faltered at her words, her head lifting to eye her friend with a small grimace. "You do remember our lessons, correct? King Jaehaerys and Queen Alysanne had to wed in secret, for they knew that not even their mother approved in fear of another uprising from the Faith. Nobody has made a fuss over your parents since they are cousins, but who knows what may happen if you wed (Y/N)."

"(Y/N) is everything King Jaehaerys was, Alicent. He is beloved by the Realm." Rhaenyra reminded her friend with a small smile, pushing herself off the cushioned seats and smoothing her hands over the front of her dress. Her earrings swung slightly when she tilted her head slightly to the side, the ends of them brushing against her shoulders. Her eyes tracked (Y/N) as he lifted the lady's hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles before departing. "He will be a good king, and if I could prove it, I would be a good queen. His queen." Her feet began moving automatically. 

"Rhaenyra," The name tumbled out of Alicent's mouth, her hands fumbling with the items in hand. "Where are you going?"

Bunching up the skirt of her dress in her hands, Rhaenyra grinned over her shoulder and chuckled at the concerned look on Alicent's features that only grew at the sight of her mischievous glint. "To speak with my brother!" 

With a goal in mind, Rhaenyra entered the castle and followed the distant figure of her brother as he cut down hallways with long strides until he reached his bedchambers. Rhaenyra took a moment to herself to catch her breath and rake her fingers through her long silver locks before she approached the doors and nodded for the guards to open them. She stepped inside, a smile appearing across her lips when (Y/N) turned to look at her. 

"My favorite sister," (Y/N) cooed, taking a seat at his desk and unrolling a letter. Rhaenyra rolled her eyes in return, clasping her hands together behind her back and taking small steps toward him. He skimmed the contents of the letter, his face giving away nothing of what it spoke of. "Is there something you require, Nyra, or are you suffering from boredom? I have plenty of lords and ladies who'd be happy to keep you busy." 

Rhaenyra scoffed quietly and (Y/N) gave a small grin. "I hear Father is urging you to find a wife."

"The Small Council is urging him to urge me, more like. They believe it is time to begin having children. Seeing as Father and Mother had great difficulty, they wish for me to have an heir by the time I ascend the throne to ensure there won't be issues later on." (Y/N) explained, coiling the letter back up and pulling out a blank paper. He dipped his quill in ink and began writing. "Otto has been... more friendly as of recently. He speaks incredibly highly of Lady Alicent." 

"You'd tell me if you were interested in someone, wouldn't you?" Rhaenyra reached over the desk to pluck the quill from his fingers, setting it aside and raising her brows at him. (Y/N) slumped back in his seat and laced his fingers over his midsection, a hint of amusement twinkling in his eyes. Rhaenyra rounded the table and without thinking twice, she plopped down on his thigh. 

"Nyra,"

"You know as well as I do who you should wed, (Y/N). I know what a good queen should be, and I do not care about status or riches like the families of those ladies do. We have the blood of the dragon in our veins. Nobody would truly understand us." Rhaenyra spoke softly, her bottom lip slightly jutting out as she placed her palm over his cheek. His own hands unlaced, one moving to press against her back. 

"The Small Council-"

"Fuck the Small Council." Rhaenyra huffed, earning a quiet chuckle from her brother. "You are the prince, the heir. Whatever it is you choose, they must deal with it. It is their job to counsel, to offer their advice and opinions, not to dictate what you do. We could mount Syrax and Vermithor and fly elsewhere to wed in the customs of Old Valyria." 

A gentle sigh escaped (Y/N), and he leaned forward to press a delicate kiss to Rhaenyra's shoulder. The princess relaxed at the action, her hand moving past his cheek to the back of his head. (Y/N)'s lips curled up. "You are insufferable." He told her with a gentle laugh before leaning in to press their mouths together. He drew back too quickly for Rhaenyra's liking. "But a good ruler is a patient one, Nyra. If you wish for us to wed, or to lay together-" He brushed their lips together teasingly. "-you must wait. Father and Mother will be easy to convince." 

"Does it matter if we wait?" Rhaenyra tilted her head and batted her lashes coyly, the feigned innocence prompting (Y/N) to roll his eyes. She rose from his lap and dropped her hands to his, tugging on them until he stood up from the chair. She smiled widely, devilishly even, and slung her arms around his shoulders. "We will be wed, regardless. It will not matter." 

"I have things I must do, Nyra." (Y/N) gave a heavy sigh and shrugged his shoulders, his hands coming to rest on her waist. "As I said, you must be patient. If you wish to speed things along, you should speak with Mother. She'll always be the key to winning Father over." He told her and planted a kiss on her temple before settling back down on the chair. 

"Will we be like that someday?" Rhaenyra asked softly, stepping out of the way so he could resume his letter. She toyed with the rings along her fingers, the thought of becoming one of those couples who genuinely cared for each other bringing a smile to herself. It was a desire all ladies had. While sons could marry whichever woman of age they desired, ladies had to hope the husbands their fathers or elder brothers chose were good men. She'd seen far too many times the faces of girls her age married and chained to men old enough to be their grandfathers. 

(Y/N) paused his writing and lifted his head to look at her, offering a reassuring smile. "Someday." He nodded. 

"I look forward to it, then."

[edwardseymour]

oh so at least somebody gets it!!

hold on everyone i’m thinking abt courtly love and katherine howard and henry viii and ‘suck the rot right out of my bloodstream’

[foursaints]

also i think harry potter is a more interesting character when you allow james to be extremely morally grey. imo this is more reflective of canon: he was a bully. he was blindly privileged. he harassed lily and treated it like a joke. and no matter what, he's still a man who wanted to marry "the brightest witch of her age" and saw absolutely nothing wrong with making her his jobless prospectless pregnant housewife at 19 years old! that's entitlement!

like in doing this, james technically carried on centuries of misogynist conservative pureblood tradition (marrying women off to be teenaged childbrides) without another thought. this is the environment in which he was raised. and he told himself it was ok and progressive because he, like, wasn't racist to her for being muggleborn and genuinely loved her as a person, or whatever. but that's the bare minimum! and it shows that he had no qualms with participating in pureblood culture & tradition when it suited him, because he literally materially did. a better james potter would never have been comfortable with letting her take on that role.

and the series themes are more resonant when harry's parents aren't both just, like, nebulously ontologically good. it's really poignant when harry spends his entire life being taught to idolize a man who was, in actuality, kind of a piece of shit— and grapples with this as he grows up, ultimately choosing to be different. the lesson is that both good (and cruelty) can come from anyone, regardless of birth circumstances or house placement, because goodness is a choice.

[aurabora]

alicent is a “childbride at 15” and suddenly her growth is stunted forever and she can’t be held accountable for her actions but luke was “nearly a man” when he died at 13 so therefore he deserved to die and has to answer for the “sin” of taking his uncles eye out? mkay.

[nogoodsheepstealing-greatgrandma]

Show Alicent: Deals with her abuse by the patriarchy by declaring war on her friend for having premarital sex, and works to uphold the patriarchy by usurping the first Queen of Westeros in favour of her serial rapist son. Despite claiming to fear for her children's lives she turns down the peaceful solution of a betrothal, citing disgust at marrying her daughter to a 'common-featured' bastard.

TG Stans: "TB just can't handle complex female characters - in fact when you think about it Alicent is the real feminist character!"

Book Rhaenyra: Upon ascending the throne she has to deal with a war-torn realm, an empty treasury stolen by the greens, and the sickening grief of losing four children. She is faced with the difficult decision of having to raise unpopular taxes while needing to keep the lords on her side - protecting both the fragile stability of her reign and the survival of her remaining children. Under these circumstances she is faced with the dilemma of deciding on the inheritance rights of two girls with younger brothers. Her Hand warns her that deciding in the girls' favour will alienate the lords forever. Her husband insists she should reward two dragonseeds with lordships by serving up the girls to be childbrides. Caught between a rock and a hard place, she placates the lords by deciding in favour of the sons, and placates the dragonseeds by offering them smallholdings on Driftmark instead. The decision backfires as said dragonseeds then turn on her, committing one of the most brutal war crimes of the Dance. This drives Rhaenyra into paranoia over further betrayals and the subsequent danger to her remaining children - made worse by her panicked council and the word of her trusted Mistress of Whispers. In a tragic twist, in her fear and paranoia she is encouraged to suspect the friends of her own deceased son, shattering his legacy of forming the Dragonseeds.

TG Stans: "SEE SHE WAS JUST A HYPOCRITE ALL ALONG! SHE DIDN'T CARE ABOUT WOMEN OR BASTARDS SHE JUST THOUGHT SHE WAS THE EXCEPTION - NO SHADES OF GREY HERE, SHE'S JUST A BITCH AND YOU ALL FELL FOR A GIRLBOSS-"

Book Helaena: Jumps out of a window

TG Stans: "And THAT is how you go insane with grief in a nice feminine way!"

[cuntstable]

like obviously almost all fault for the conflict lies with viserys’ selfishness and incompetence as well as otto’s manipulations and hunger for power at his daughters expence. and obviously alicent would be a symphathetic character regardless. but like despite how fucked it was otto wasnt exactly lying when instilling in alicent the belief that rhaenyra and her claim was a direct danger to her and more importantly her children. because even if rhaenyra herself wouldnt harm them, her descendants or even more likely DAEMONS ogre ass would, since their very existance posed a continued threath to the blacks. and i think alicent started to believe that even rhaenyra could be a danger to them when you know. her son got his face mutilated and she was the only person in a room full of powerful individuals who cared about his wellbeing where as rhaenyra suggested the 10 year old should be tortured for info on where the kid heard her sons were illegitimate. it demonstrated than when push comes to shove rhaenyra will put herself and her children over alicents family. and im not saying that rhaenyras the villain or more evil either btw, allicent tries to stab a child in that same scene LOL and ultimately both women are willing to start a war that will kill thousands etc etc. but like was she just meant to go Okay ☺️ when even her bum husband stared at their sons gouged out eye and all he cared about was rumours about rhaenyras kids

and you guys would hate me if i said i think alicent was justified in taking a side against rhaenyra

[lacehartz]

uhh i just need to be his innocent little girl!!! i'm such a slut for barry🤭 i need him to manipulate me into doing the filthiest thing!! i would be so pathetic omg

being barry’s daughter.. sigh it’s such a need ! cw in tags.

he’s definitely homeschooling you !!! he’s gotta make sure you aren’t learning anything he can’t directly control, doesn’t want you to suddenly grow a conscious and realise that what he does to you isn’t exactly right … barry’s classes are all abt drugs ‘n money, and how to help out your dad when he’s feelin’ bad. oh, he’s got an ache down there? that just means you gotta put your mouth on him! he’s too tired to put the work in? that means you gotta ride him instead !!!

does not let you leave the trailer ever !!!! on a rare occasion when he shows up with you somewhere, everyone thinks you’re just his childbride — a young ‘lil thing he picked off the road and made his. he never corrects the rumours, because at least then they all believe you’re taken. he doesn’t have to worry about you floundering off after any other boy when they think he’s your husband.

barry’s so the type to make you do icky things just because he can — his boots are dirty? you bet he’s asking you to get down and lick them clean. he’s your dad, he’s providing for you, of course he can do whatever he wants with you.