#dani just got the youngest child privilege

[caitlynmeow]

As unreasonably strict as Alicia can be at times, she can be shocking when she sees nothing wrong in allowing a twelve years old to sip on some wine at dinner.

She’s the og wine mom plus she owns her winery and imports the finest wine across the world. So it’s natural that her own children would develop a taste for it and learn to appreciate good wine from early on.

[lori133]

GOT II - The Bran Saga

Second day of reading seventy pages from Catelyn (2) till Catelyn (3). A lot happens but also, not a lot that's not Bran centric happens. I got too lazy to do the chapter per chapter thing, so I'll just write down my thoughts while reading.

Catelyn (2)

First we start with Cat and Ned being intimate when she gets the secret message from her sister.

While reading her wishes to give Ned another child, I kept wondering... what for? I mean, I know that before the more children you had, the better. But Cat is a sensible woman, she must have known that at some point a son of hers would be sent to the Wall as was Stark tradition, right? The only reason I can think of her wanting another child is the coveted youngest daughter; Sansa is bound to marry a high lord and Arya is not the kind to stay at home with her eldery parents.

Going back to the plot, Ned was totally right to try to nope out of the drama of being hand of the king. He was also super on point on comaring himself to his father who went south and never come back. Foreshadowing is mad strong for Ned.

I loled at Cat being surprised she and Robb were staying north. What did she think? That they'll let a steward in charge? I mean, they do exactly that one book from now, but still, it makes sense to leave and adult and the heir in charge.

Lastly, Cat was totally right to tell Ned Jon was his and not hers. He should have taken Jon to the south with him, or sent him as a ward to another northern house if he was afraid because of Jon's hypothetical Targ blood. This will be an unpopular opinion but Cat's bad relationship with Jon is all on Ned, he should have made up a story about Jon's origin (he already told Robert there was a Wylla, why not repeat the story) and assuage Cat's fears of ursurpation.

Arya (1)

Ah the glorious war of sisterly rivarly. To be fair to Sansa, it was Arya who butt in her gossiping, Arya who yelled, attrating the Septa's attention, and Arya who was not paying attention to her stitches. It isn't Sansa's fault she is more suited to the role society expects of her.

I remember reading this as a tomboy girl and thinking Sansa was vapid (she is) and mean (maybe, but not here), but it was just nother consequence of the conditioning that other girls are the enemy; a little like what happens here.

Bran (2)

I adore Bran and I think GRRM does as well. The prose always flows somewhat better on his chapters, as do the descriptions of the places. I feel that it is through his pov that the most worldbuilding gets done. Through his eyes, Winterfell seems like a magical place, full of adventure and wonder; contrasting to everyone else describing it as a dump.

The tower scene is still so good, just like Bran, we the readers have no context of what is being plotted and by whom. And just like him, we think everyhting will be alright until bam! Anyways, great intro to Cersei's paranoia and Jaime absolutely lack of care.

Tyrion (1)

Again Jaime dgaf, I imagine it must be very frustrating being his sibling and seeing all the privilege he gets and how unserious he takes everything.

While I did say I haven't watched the show, I must have seen the slap scene at least twenty times via reels and I have to say that while Joffrey reads nearly he same as the actor, both the Dog and Tyrion have much more flair and charisma on screen than on paper. Kudos to the actors for adding a bit of charisma to the otherwise stilled scene.

Jon (2) -> I wrote nothing on this and two hours after have literally forgotten what happened.

Daenerys (2)

And I keep on being reminded why I skimmed through Dany's chapters. Not a fan of all the coupling that's going on and how it is described basically as men coupling with interchangeable women who have no say on it. All of it was quite terrible to read, and I would never understand why couldn't Dany (and the rest of them) be a couple of years older. It is just the same shock if she were fifteen than thirteen, only Drogo wouldn't be bedding a literal child. :/

Moving on, why was Viserys so entitled??? You would think that being absolutely destitute and having no followers other than you seven years younger sister would teach him some humilty, but it didn't? He is on Illiryo's charity but still acts like his boss? It is his sister's wedding to the most powerful guy in the continent and he expects to be served first? This feels seriously like a YA mean girl.

Ned (2)

Yeah, Bobby B is a shitty king and Ned is not even in KL and his frustration is already through the roofs. I feel for him and the inevitability of his failure. That comparision with Jon Arryn... Ned can you please stop narratively dooming yourself for a second?

Note to myself: Who even put the dragon skulls in the throne room? Aerys for max Targaryen rep? Tywin in a gothic allegory of the Targaryen fall?

Tyrion (2)

Benjen/Tyrion Highschool AU anyone? Both youngest sons, both dutiful counterparts to their more celebrated brothers and controversial sisters? I'm grasping at straws I know, I just really liked their one (1) interaction. It was just the right amount of petty.

Another character with lots of foreshadowing. Being obssessed with dragons and draming of having is a very Targaryen trait. So I'm starting a count of characters who dream/want to have a dragon; so far it is just Tyrion (and Aemond and Rhaena from Hotd).

Lol the dragon skulls was Aerys. I haven't read Fire and Blood and now I wonder wether it was always like that or was it just Aerys drama? Did Viserys I have Balerion over there? Did Aegon I put Meraxes on display? Somehow I don't think so.

It is also interesting that despite Vhaghar surviving Meraxes, Meraxes skull was noted by Tyrion to be bigger than Vhaghar's. It would be interesting if Vhaghar was Visenya's craddle egg and they did the conquest so late because they were waiting for Vhaghar to grow.

Note to myself: Meraxes skull was in Dragonstone in Hotd, but for some reason it is in the Red Keep afterwards.

Catelyn (3)

The Targaryens: passing Aegon's dagger along with it's prophesy from ruler to heir. Joffrey: Giving it to the first hobo he finds for him to use as the least inconspicious muder weapon to kill a comatose boy. LMAO.

[khaleesiofalicante]

hello dani

I wanted to ask... I remember you said you were grown up as a catholic, and you were religious, and and you never got a less than A grade. I think you are still the same about always getting the best marks (I know you probably don't take exams anymore asfh but I meant in general, like you always like to do perfect when you do sth, idk why but you give that vibe)

But I know that you're not religious anymore. And yk how here every parents dream is to have a good religious intelligent child? It's literally the definition of THE perfect child or sth.

I guess what I'm trying to ask is that... What was their reaction to your changes? Because parents sometimes doesn't act like you belong to yourself, it's like you belong to them so they have the right to be angry when they think their child is changing and isn't the way they want them to be.

Because well, I used to be one too. I used to do EVERYTHING my parents asked me to do, and I always had the best marks and everything and it was enough for me I guess, because I liked when they approved of me, but when the COVID pandemic started, I went into sth like depression? Idk what it was but I didn't have the energy to do anything, I hated living, studying, and all of that and I fucked up my exams and my parents were sooo disappointed. And everyone kept saying what happened?? You have great potential why are you wasting it? And my friends were doing fine, some of them used to always ask me for studying advice and their marks weren't as good as mine but now they're doing sm better, and my parents always keep comparing them to me and say things like " you remember that xyz always asked you for advice? Now look which university she got into!!!" They don't say "and look where you are" but I can hear it anyways. And like, I always liked studying, I still do, but when they keep asking me to retake the same exam so I could get a better mark to study a certain course I just hate it. I can't enjoy it, it's like torture. And the sad part is, I really like that course, and studying science in general, but now because of the pressure and everything I just hate it. And it makes me want to cry. I don't know what to do, when I say anything they say "but this is what you want too" and I can't say no and when they ask "why did you become so lazy? What happened to you?" They won't understand even if I explained! Also they raised me religious too and now always shame me when I do sth that isn't approved by their religion, I can't even dress the way I want because my father says "you make me feel ashamed with the way you dress" and when I ask what's wrong with my clothes he just says " I don't like you to dress this way. We don't dress this way" and honestly, I just want to run from here... But I can't do that without feeling like a loser. Because everyone says "you wouldn't have done this if you got into that university they wanted that year. You wouldn't do this if you were still their perfect girl" and I don't even know anymore...

Hello, love.

Thank you for sharing this with me.

About how my parents reacted:

I think a few factors play into their reaction:

My parents, as much as it hurts to admit, are quite negligent.

I have youngest child privilege. I was always allowed to choose differently. For eg: My older sisters were 'pushed/encouraged' to study conventional topics like economics and accounting and maths. I said I wanted to study 'history' and I was allowed to do that. I've always gotten my way in my family.

I wasn't allowed to/didn't even think to identify as an athiest/stop going to church until I was over 18. The more I grew up, the less control I felt they had on me.

You see, my family dynamic is a little complicated. When I was 18, our family went through some shit. So our roles shifted. Our parents become financially (and otherwise) dependent on my sisters and I. So they had less say in what we could do. Of course, they are parents and they still tried to control us, but not as much as before.

I wanted to stop going to church after I was 16. But my father (before he left) kinda forced me or would yell at me when I didn't join the nightly family prayers or go to church. My mom is more relaxed/negligent in the "do what you want" way.

So after my father left, I stopped going to church. My sisters didn't ask me anything. My mom didn't either. It just happened.

So it wasn't really me taking a stand and making a big deal about it. I just decided one day to stop going to church and nobody said anything about it.

But now my extended family knows i'm an atheist but they don't really care (my mom's side - they are pretty chill).

I also feel like I got away with a lot of stuff (Even in school) because i was a "star pupil". Like I would not go to school and bunk classes and get into trouble every week but I never got punished because I got good grades. Fucked up logic tbh.

I hope you get to exercise more independence and autonomy as you grow up. Right now (i think) you are a dependent and therefore your parents feel the need to remind you that - as most parents do.

A lot of what they do and say seems very shitty to me. Even if there is nothing you can do about it, i hope you do understand it's shitty. because when you don't, we normalize this kind of behavior.

it's shitty. you don't deserve it. i hope you know that.

you know i'm at an age where people keep asking me to get married and my response ALWAYS is "if you want a wedding so bed, then you get married".

so yeah. if your parents want a degree do bad, ask them to go get one. this is your life. yours.

i know these things are easier said than done.

i know a lot of us don't have control over what we say or get to do - not until we become financially independent and move out.

but for now, i hope you know this is wrong and shitty. i hope you remember so that one day when you CAN talk back, you remind them of this.

sending you a lot of love and strength.

you'll make it out. i hope one day someone will ask you about how you made it out and you get to tell them your story <3