#emperor hotd

[askhotd]

Group drawing on Aggie.io on 10/20/2023. Friends, in order from top left to bottom right: @downinmybeastheart, @heavenascensiiondio, @jhonny, and @robeatnic.

This was so much fun! Thank you everyone!

[nyracel]

i think the biggest problem i have with the whole team discourse in f&b + hotd is that it isn’t just about which characters you like more/who you want to sit on the throne at that end; it’s that each side is fighting for completely different ideologies, regardless of one members personal beliefs. grrm could not have made it anymore clear.

team black isn’t just fighting for rhaenyra to be queen, they’re fighting for the monarch’s right to choose an heir, for the oaths they swore years before, for the complete opposite of precedent/tradition: the king’s word is law. team green isn’t just fighting for aegon to be king, they’re fighting for tradition, that no matter the words of a king being law sons will always come before daughters, that oaths are fickle and don’t matter. each side is in some way fighting back against what’s already been established for the kingdom, but the end goal is completely different.

we’re not given as much insight into why most of the houses initially sided with rhaenyra, but we do have an inkling into how the green council felt and acted, however. jaehaerys choosing baelon over rhaenys (against andal tradition, the king can choose his heir) is one point. the great council of 101 is another. alicent, despite being the leader of the council, is removed from the equation and shoved off to the side when it comes to swearing oaths of loyalty between the members on account of her womanhood. daemon being a second coming of ‘maegor’ (despite what we know would be a better suited title for aemond, but i digress) is also used. when discussing who would side with them the vale is automatically disqualified from the list, due to them presently being ruled by a woman, jeyne arryn. she doesn’t choose to fight for rhaenyra for the sole reason of them being kin, but because her own right to rule can and will be put into question if aegon steps over rhaenyra. because she is a woman. she does so in spite of her dislike for daemon (and his supposed maegor-ness) too.

even if one were to look at each characters personal feelings about the succession the fact of the matter is that rhaenyra is usurped because she is a woman. it’s stated almost blatantly multiple times before and during the war. the greens use scapegoats and smokescreens in attempts justify it (her ‘bastards’ chief among them, but legally her sons live and die as the trueborn children between her and laenor, with the reminder that septon eustace refutes this claim to begin with). even when she is killed grrm has her breast pricked to arouse a dragon that doesn’t want to kill her (and why is that?). aegon ‘wins’ against her and is king, but then why is jaehaera, as his last living remaining child not named his heir? why is aegon iii put ahead of her, despite being the enemies son? these are rhetorical questions. aegon had no plans to ever consider her his heir, he made it clear with how excited he was to marry cassandra baratheon and produce more ‘strong’ sons. his dragon (who had fought and bled for him the entire war) wasn’t mourned properly, he couldn’t wait to hatch a ‘new dragon, prouder and fiercer than the last.’ yet he wasn’t even capable of doing that in the six months before he too was killed.

it’s also safe to mention that grrm created an entire separate lore story, one that would seem to have no bearing on the original story unless you’re capable of understanding symbolism. the amethyst empress is usurped by her younger brother the bloodstone emperor, and the first long night ensues from this decision. rhaenyra (amethyst = arryn blue + targaryen red) is usurped by her younger brother aegon ii (bloodstone = hightower green + targaryen red) and the dying of the dragons, the very creatures needed to stop the next long night, are eradicated, along with the magic needed to hatch them and keep them alive (until). the war is the blacks (power, death, grief, rebellion, restraint) versus the greens (ambition, greed, jealousy, anger, wealth). the amethyst empress is important to the main story in the same way that rhaenyra is important, that snubbing the women (an integral aspect to the power the targaryens held) of house targaryen can lead only to disaster. daenerys is the key, the one to break the cycle and fix the wrongdoings caused by her ancestors obsession with power. mother of dragons, mhysa, breaker of chains, slayer of lies, daughter of death, the dragon queen, azor ahai come again, the prince that was promised will bring the dawn.

you can argue for technicalities sake all day, but there is a meaning to this story beyond the scope of rightful heirs. and it shouldn’t be shoved off to the side just so you can praise your favorites and hate those who go against them. it makes for a poor consuming of the actual story. fire and blood was created as a history book to expand on daenerys as a character. her family, what and where she’s come from, and how she relates to them. she’s the antithesis to every targaryen that’s come before her, a hero in her own right. the only targaryen’s we can say are radically important to dany’s story are the conquerors (aegon the conqueror with teats) and rhaenyra (the amethyst empress). i don’t know, just some food for thought.

edit: i have revised some of my opinions on this through a further reread but the gist of it is still the same.

[rozzsum]

SPOILER FOR EP 8 (LEAKED)!!!

HELLO HELLO THE MAIN CHARACTER OF ALL ASOIAF!!!

[synkverv]

(DUNE RHAENICENT AU) During the long rule of the tyrant, Leto II Atreides, a leader emerges from the outskirts of the known galaxy. Rhaenyra, daughter of Viserys, has long been trained to take the planet Arrakis to sever the God-Emperor's supply of spice and his connection to Shai Hulud. With her Bene Gesserit concubine, Alicent of the High Tower, she marches against Leto.

Rhaenyra: I will tame Arrakis and I will end the damned Atreides' reign of tyranny. Who is one man to decide all our fates? My father wished to see us all free of that despot, and it's my destiny. Alicent: The universe can only know peace with you at the helm, Rhaenyra, and the power of the Bene Gesserit behind you. I believe this, I know this.

[cbswonder]

Rhaenyra Targaryen/Amethyst empress

Aegon Targaryen/Bloodstone Emperor

[tweedfrog]

Mom come pick me up HOTD twitter is doing "is this female character gender nonconforming or is she chafing at the restrictions imposed upon her by a rigidly patriarchial society" discourse again as if 1. There's a definitive answer to that question and 2. This isn't an issue we see (and is still unsolved) in actual real life history

[coldraindropsss]

Amethyst Empress, Bloodstone Emperor, Tiger-woman

[fadingstudentbananacookie]

Any history geeks on Tumblr, do you think the relationship between Jaehaerys and his daughter Saera resembles that of the historical figures Emperor Augustus and his daughter Julia the Elder?

[kiren-a]

“victim”

[thesims4asoiaf]

~Ts4 Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon/ ASOIAF Lookbook +CC Links~ Blood Betrayal/The Long Night

•YITISH MYTHOLOGY•

As always, they are both available in the gallery! EA ID: FaePorcelain

skin

Amethyst Empress

Hair/headdress, dress, nails, hand tattoos, fingertips, eyelids, eyeliner, eyeshadow, cheeks, pores, blush, eyebrows, eyelashes, eyes 2, lipstick, rings, necklace, nosemask 1 2, earrings, teeth, boots

Bloodstone Emperor

Hair, floating acc, eyes, eyebrow, eyeliner, under eyebags, pores, cheeks, eyelids, mask, crown, outfit, boots, fingertips, rings, blush, necklace, lipstick, nosemask, ears, eyeshadow, face tattoo, teeth, skintone

[chic-beyond-the-wall]

What the wife of The Yellow Emperor would wear

[nyracel]

Rhaenyra's Usurpation and the Dying of the Dragons

There is nothing that Rhaenyra Targaryen could have done to prevent the Dance of Dragons from happening.

Let me repeat; There is nothing that Rhaenyra Targaryen could have done to prevent the Dance of Dragons from happening.

It was set in stone the minute that Jaehaerys heeded the words of his son Vaegon and held the Great Council of 101. It was set in stone when Viserys was named heir over Rhaenys and Laenor. It was set in stone when Viserys decided to name Rhaenyra as his heir, marry Alicent, and have more children, specifically sons. It was set in stone when Viserys allowed the children of his second wife to claim dragons. It was set in stone when Viserys kept Rhaenyra as his heir and failed to prepare her and the realm properly for her rule.  It was set in stone when Viserys allowed the seeds of discourse to run among the children due to his wife and her faction. It was set in stone when Aegon usurped the throne. It was set in stone when Aemond murdered Lucerys despite guest rights and terms of peace.

Rhaenyra could have been the picture-perfect heir, ‘Jaehaerys himself come again’, and still would have been usurped. Rhaenyra could have not had ‘bastards’ as her heirs, and she still would have been usurped. Rhaenyra could have remained at the Red Keep, rather than the heir’s seat on Dragonstone, and she still would have been usurped. Rhaenyra could have been at the Red Keep when Viserys died, and she still would have been usurped.

There are many themes in this book series that GRRM has chosen to bring to light and criticize, but the Dance of Dragons' main theme is that Rhaenyra was usurped because of her gender. Had she been born a man, there would have been no basis for any of Alicent’s children to have a claim to the throne, beyond being spares. They would have garnered no support, and Team Green as a whole would not exist. The excuse that it is because of her ‘bastard’ children, which, legally, they aren’t, is just that: an excuse. In GRRM’s original draft about the Dance of Dragons, Rhaenyra was married to Harwin from the get-go, and all of her children were undeniably legitimate, yet the war still took place.

A gender-based succession crisis was inevitable, so it is no small wonder that it did occur under one of the weakest Kings’ in the Targaryen’s rule. Jaehaerys set the wheels in motion, and Viserys drove full-speed past the stop sign. He almost single-handedly led his daughter, and their dynasty, straight to their deaths. Otto and Alicent wanted power, and the only way they were going to continue to have any was if Aegon was on the throne. Their scheming began when Rhaenyra was 9-10 years old, what could she have possibly done at that age to prove she wasn’t worthy of the Iron Throne?

Rhaenyra’s biggest crime in Westeros was that she dared to be a woman; a woman who wanted her inheritance. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. If the war didn’t happen then, it was going to happen at some point, further generations down. It is no coincidence that after Rhaenyra’s death dragons ceased hatching, save for small, weak creatures that would not last long. The magic died with her. Her story’s resemblance to the Amethyst Empress all but confirms that. The equilibrium of Ice and Fire is put into shambles once again upon her and the dragons' deaths; the Long Night is now inevitable.

Rhaenyra was damned if she did and damned if she didn’t. Her story is meant to be a tragedy. A tragedy whose meaning seems to be getting lost along the way in this fandom.

[echos-muses]

Dance of the Dragons v.s. the Great Empire of the Dawn

Rhaenyra & Amethyst Empress Parallels

(amethyst empress art by Oriana Wiesner @ownix, rhaenyra targaryen art by AbigailSinsArt on deviantart)

both were named their father’s successors

both were cast down and slain by their younger brothers, who crowned themselves rulers

both of their deaths began times of strife

The Amethyst Empress was the legendary eighth ruler of the mythic Great Empire of the Dawn and one of its last monarchs. She succeeded her father, the Opal Emperor but was cast down and slain by her envious younger brother, who crowned himself the Bloodstone Emperor. According to the annals of the Further East, it was the Blood Betrayal, as his usurpation was named, that ushered in the Long Night.

and as we know, rhaenyra’s death was the beginning of the end of the dragons. after she died the dragons began to grow smaller and weaker.

Aegon & Bloodstone Emperor Parallels

(bloodstone emperor art by sanrixian, aegon art by aLEK on artstation)

both were not named heir by their father despite being the eldest sons

both slayed their elder sisters and stole the throne

their actions both caused periods of strife

The Bloodstone Emperor was the legendary ninth and last ruler of the mythic Great Empire of the Dawn. He was the son of the Opal Emperor and the younger brother of the Amethyst Empress, who succeeded their father. Envious, he slew his sister and proclaimed himself the Bloodstone Emperor. The Bloodstone Emperor's reign was a reign of terror. His usurpation became known as the Blood Betrayal in the annals of the Further East, which claim that the act of usurping his sister's throne ushered in the Long Night. He practiced torture, dark arts, and necromancy. He enslaved his own people, took a tiger-woman for wife, feasted on human flesh and cast down the true gods of Yi Ti to worship a black stone that fell from the sky.[1] Some scholars believe him to have been the first High Priest of the sinister Church of Starry Wisdom.

the bloodstone emperor’s blood betrayal began the long night, and aegon’s blood betrayal began the end of the dragons.

this is by no means a hateful post, however if there is any hatred and false information spread from this post, i will report and block. this is just informational, using information from the wiki, further verified by the books.

[doctorsadiepond]

The Emperor

stability, structure, protection, authority, control, practicality, focus, discipline

[tweedfrog]

Everyone who thinks Criston Cole failing upwards is unrealistic in House of The Dragon needs to look at Halotus the food taster who had Emperor Claudius die on his watch (from poison ⁉️) and retained the food taster job under -> Nero and then when Nero died he somehow got a promotion to procurer under -> Emperor Galba like Criston is nowhere near the failure big leagues he needs to start accidentally killing more people and gaining even more promotions

[coldraindropsss]

Jaehaerys Targaryen