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unicoo · 4 months ago

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The way we watch Alicent get pimped out by her dad, sworn to secrecy by the king, forced into a marriage with the same man (who isold enough to be her dad), maritally raped by said old ass husband & forced to carry his heirs in quick succession, all while still growing up herself and losing her only friend…….yet somehow, someway, there are people out there who………blame Alicent…the child? Book!Alicent is a different story, but to sit and WATCH show!Alicent go through all of this manipulation and grooming and abuse, and hate her?! Yeah some of y’all are sick 😭 I’m not even joking because like…..what?!

We are supposed to feel bad for Rhaenyra being forced to marry………but not Alicent? Why? Someone tell me why & quickly!! And don’t you dare say “sHE seDucEd vISerYs”, no, she was manipulated and then told to keep it secret by her king! He knew it was wrong yet didn’t gaf, so where is his hate? Are we being hypocrites guys?

We are supposed to feel bad for Rhaenyra & her kids, but not Alicent & hers who were ignored and treated like shit? Once again where is Viserys’ hate? QUICKLY, tell me!!! He’s neglecting his kids guys, we don’t support that do we?

We are supposed to hate Alicent for how she treated Rhaenyra, but not Rhaenyra for how she treated Alicent? (Especially when it was shown Alicent was trying and she didn’t become hateful until RHAENYRA LIED to her) Why, tell me, tell me, tell me. And don’t you dare say “sHE BEtRayEd hEr bY mARryInG ViSeRYs” SHE DIDNT HAVE A CHOICE!!! If we know Rhaenyra didn’t and we feel oh so bad for her, and we know most noble women don’t have a choice, then why are we mad at Alicent like she did? tell me please I BEG!

We scream girl boss for Rhaenyra wanted a son for a son, sorry make that sons for a son, yet Alicent is Beelzebub for wanting Justice for her son (WHO WAS A KID!!!! He hadn’t done shit yet, he was sweet and dragonless & got bullied, then maimed, YOU WOULD BE MAD TOO, lie & say you wouldn’t 😐) anyone who doesn’t understand Alicent’s motives behind the eye for an eye incident is either not a parent or is a heartless monster 🤷‍♀️

Y’all quite literally watched Alicent’s villain origin story and said why she so mad? Are you…..are you seriously dumb or just fucking with me? 😭

Y’all are pro Rhaenyra because she’s a “feminist” yet y’all hate every women who isn’t Rhaenyra……to me it sounds like…….✨hypocrisy✨

And how does one stand for a war against misogyny only to participate in the misogyny themselves? 🤔

The dance is a war against misogyny yet……….no one is stopping the misogyny, just dressing it up with cute excuses and throwing the blame onto the other side………..

(Also like it’s not far fetched to believe Rhaenyra would’ve had Alicent’s kids dealt with, especially since she’s hated Aegon since before he was a baby. My guy was 2 and she was beefing with bro like…. And you can’t say “AliCEnt & OtTo didN’T lEt tHeM hAVE a rElAtiOnsHIP” ummm SHOWwise that is untrue Rhaenyra just didn’t wanna fuck with them kids 😂)

#hotd #anti hotd stans #team neutral #the real misogynist hide behind team black banners #anti team black stans #alicent hightower #Alicent Hightower deserved better #Alicent and her kids deserved better #TELL ME #QUICKLY #ANSWER please #I wonder how many people this is going to make mad?#let’s see how many bullshit excuses can be made #you can like a character AND hold them accountable

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berriesandcherry · 1 month ago

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House of the Dragon needed villains

Hi! I don't want this to be a controversial take or to attack any actor, but there has been something about HOTD that has been bothering me, and I need to get it out. Also, I made a post for Team Black, too. Since everyone was a huge letdown compared to the book, I just don't like HOTD adaptation of events.

When I read the Dance of the Dragons, it felt clear that, unlike A Song of Ice and Fire, the Dance has a “right” side and a “wrong” side, at least legally. The question for lords and political figures wasn’t who was the better person or leader, but rather: Who is the rightful heir?

The lords who supported Team Black backed Rhaenyra because she was named heir by King Viserys I and held her title as Princess of Dragonstone until she was crowned queen. In a monarchy, the king’s word is law—going against it is treason. Just as Aegon IV’s legitimization of his bastards went unchallenged because it was the king’s will, Rhaenyra’s status as heir should have been final.

The lords supporting Team Green, however, chose Aegon II based on tradition and Andal law, which prioritized male heirs over females. Their claim becomes murkier with precedents like the Widow’s Law, but their main argument was that a son comes before a daughter.

No one cared if they were good people because the lords themselves were not good people (there are exceptions, obviously).

As viewers, with modern values, we’re encouraged to root for Rhaenyra. She’s the eldest, has more experience, and her main pre-Dance flaw—entitlement—is natural for a princess cherished by her father and the realm. Also, she was the only surviving child of a couple that had lost many children, so she was very loved and shielded. Picture Sansa pre-GOT or Myrcella.

Here we see it, everyone cherishes her! She never knew any hardships before her mother's death.

"At the center of the merriment, cherished and adored by all, was their only surviving child, Princess Rhaenyra, the little girl the court singers dubbed “the Realm’s Delight.” Though only six when her father came to the Iron Throne, Rhaenyra Targaryen was a precocious child, bright and bold and beautiful as only one of dragon’s blood can be beautiful. At seven, she became a dragonrider, taking to the sky on the young dragon she named Syrax, after a goddess of old Valyria. At eight, the princess was placed into service as a cupbearer…but for her own father, the king."

Obviously, she had flaws:

"She was very proud and stubborn, and there was a certain petulance to her small mouth."

"Though Rhaenyra could be charming, she was quick to anger and never forgot a slight."

Even her flaws—pride, stubbornness, and a tendency to hold grudges—are balanced by her charm and strength.

In contrast, Aegon II is portrayed in the books as a lazy, gluttonous, and abusive young man. For example:

"The groom was fifteen years of age; a lazy and somewhat sulky boy, Septon Eustace tells us, but possessed of more than healthy appetites, a glutton at table, given to swilling ale and strongwine and pinching and fondling any serving girl who strayed within his reach." (Septon Eustace, a Green supporter)

Mushroom (a very unreliable source but still not completely untrusting) says this:

"Prince Aegon was “at his revels,” Munkun says in his True Telling, vaguely. The Testimony of Mushroom claims Ser Criston found the young king-to-be drunk and naked in a Flea Bottom rat pit, where two guttersnipes with filed teeth were biting and tearing at each other for his amusement whilst a girl who could not have been more than twelve pleasured his member with her mouth."

And Munkun prefers another "more suitable" version where the girl is a wealthy merchant's daughter. Even more “respectable” accounts show him as unfaithful, neglectful, and unfit for leadership.

What HOTD Missed: Leaning Into Villainy

The issue I want to raise is this: House of the Dragon missed an opportunity to lean into the Greens’ flaws and make them true villains. Villains aren’t just hated—they’re fascinating. Look at Cersei, Tywin, Ramsay, and Roose Bolton. Their cruelty and ambition made them memorable, even loved by fans for their depth and complexity.

Instead of inventing new crimes for characters like Daemon or new storylines like Criston/Alicent, HOTD should have preserved the Greens’ darker traits from the books. I won't add all of them, it's not necessary to make my point, even though Criston Cole could easily be added here.

“I can’t judge them. I have to write them as if they’re making their case to God why they would be allowed into Heaven….There are a lot of people who get inspriation from [Colonel Jessup’s] speech because when they hear [it] they think, ‘you know what? He’s absolutely right. He has a point.’ I’ve gotta believe in that argument when I’m writing it. If [I] don’t, [I] really run the risk of having someone twirling their moustache”. (Aaron Sorkin, Masterclass)

Alicent should have been older and the "evil stepmother" trope that they hate is actually something interesting to explore! It's like saying you want to avoid an "evil queen" trope with Cersei, no! That's her appeal! A complicated villain could emerge from a woman torn between pity for a motherless child (Rhaenyra) and her own ambitions. You can make her religion weight on her decisions. You can make her a mother who refuses to see the faults of her children in favor of what she will gain once they have power. You can make a woman bitter about seeing a child have the power she had to marry a man to be able to grasp. A complicated relationship with her father can be drawn with manipulation and issues and make it interesting!

Aegon could be an abuser, a bad man, and an absolutely unworthy heir and still be interesting. You see characters like Tyrion be genuine monsters and still have people root for him. You can show a little brother who knows what's coming, who hates his position, his marriage and his sister, who once he gets power grows to patch up his issues with the expectant eyes of the small folk and supporters. You can show him being a bad father while thinking he is good. You could've had a man whose crown changes his character as he tries to heal himself with power.

With Heleana — while not a villain— she is surrounded by them. Her character in the books is forgettable, sure, but shows her having a genuine love for her father, for her mother. She knows she is just Aegon's wife in her mother's eyes, but she loves her. She is a bad person, but she is her mother. Imagine a sweet, naïve princess whose love for her mother blinds her to Alicent’s flaws. When crowned queen, she betrays her sister, a choice that haunts her after her children are murdered due to the people she loved and took risks for. When her children are murdered, she could have the dragondreams the showrunners gave her. Not everyone have them since childhood. Her descent into madness, fueled by guilt, dragondreams, and grief, could have been one of the show’s most tragic arcs.

Aemond was a wasted potential. Aemond didn’t need bullying to justify his self-esteem issues. He’s Baelon “the Brave” gone wrong—a second son destined to serve his brother, who claims Vhagar and becomes a fearsome swordsman. His lost eye shaped his personality: paranoia, resentment, and a thirst for power. Take Euron, for example. He is horrible, and yet people are fascinated by him. Alys Rivers was his slave as she was his wife, she could be a witch, let's give her that, show her struggle to tame him enough to send him to his death in order to avenge her family— Show him having power over someone completely, like they did with Joffrey and Sansa. Show how losing his eye affected him, maybe people giving him dirty glances, including Maris Baratheon and her comment that drove him to kill Lucerys! Include Floris/Ellyn/Cassandra's attempt to hide their disgust when either is chosen to be his bride, how people's perception of him changed because of what happened at Driftmark. Show how deep him losing his eye changed him. Because it was the core of his character.

And Daeron is THE forgotten child™️, the Addam/Daeron ship was actually an interesting twist to his character, but I won't include ships for the sake of the post. However, show how he is different as he was raised by the Hightowers. Highlight his bond with Heleana’s children, his love for Tessarion, and his shift from an idealistic boy to a man consumed by revenge. This would make his later actions both understandable and heartbreaking.

“The relationship between the hero and the opponent is the single most important relationship in the story. In working out the struggle between these two characters, the larger issues and themes of the story unfold.” (John Truby, The Anatomy of Story)

Villains matter

“The more powerful and complex the forces of antagonism opposing the character, the more completely realized character and story must become.” (Robert McKee, Story)

Well-written villains are a highlight of ASOIAF. The Dance of the Dragons is a tragedy, but the Greens’ flaws could have added layers to that tragedy because of how avoidable it was. Instead, HOTD made them more sympathetic, sometimes at the cost of depth. Alicent became a pawn; Aegon, a "pitiable" drunk; Heleana a dreamy woman who spoils the show; Daeron is not even there; and Aemond, a bullied boy. While these changes humanize the Greens, they also strip away the darkness that made them fascinating in the books. Imagine HOTD with Alicent as the ambitious stepmother, Aegon as a tyrannical yet broken king, and Aemond as a power-hungry second son. The Greens wouldn’t just be the opposition—they’d be villains we love to hate, like Tywin or Cersei. That complexity is what HOTD needed to make the Dance of the Dragons truly unforgettable.

#a song of ice and fire #fire and blood #aegon ii targaryen #alicent hightower #aemond one eye #aemond targaryen #heleana targaryen #daeron targaryen #I'm not team green #I'm team black all the way #Rhaenyra and Laena are my babies but all the characters had potential that was wasted #I'm trying to sound neutral so this is taken seriously #house of the dragon #i can be team black and still appreciate team green's potential #rhaenyra targaryen #team black #team green #not a hate post to the characters #It's hate to hbo

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awfulassassin · 8 months ago

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holland, 1945

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reignof-fyre · 6 months ago

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I'd like to say something: just because you "neutrals" aren't chosing sides in hotd doesn't make you somehow mortally superior to people who have chosen and stand by the side they have chosen.

Stop with the fucking superiority and smugness jfc fuck off

#anti neutrals #anti hotd neutrals #anti greens #anti green stans #pro team black #queen rhaenyra #king consort daemon #daemon they'll never make me hate you #alicent theyll never make me like you #anti alicent hightower

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theancientwise · 5 months ago

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The only reasons why i'm still going to keep watching Hotd

Sunfyre (if my baby dragon is indeed dead, i'll kill every HOTD writer and then myself);

Aegon and Larys: their storyline is very interesting and i want to see Aegon's revenge so much after what Alicent did in the last episode;

Haeleana: i got really attached to her;

Aemond: Ewan Mitchell was so good at playing this bad boy;

all the dragons;

Corlys Velaryon;

Otto Hightower: he must come back and snap some sense in his idiot daughter asap.

the dragonseeds: unlike the majority of people, i really appreciated each one of them, even Ulf (his scene with that petty boy Jace was fabulous) and i want to watch their growth.

For the rest (Rhaenyra, Alicent, Daemon, Jacaerys, Baela, Rhaena, Criston Cole etc), well

I don't care a single f***

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alishaaxo · 9 months ago

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Culmination Of Resentment

Team Neutral Critique Of HOTD Characters

A metallic clang sounds out beneath as heavy breaths echo throughout the room, encompassed with a silent terror.

An eerie absence of speaking only highlights the abnormality of the situation.

Until a voice finally shouts out, breaking the short moment of silence which were once dictated by pause of confusion and pain.

“How dare you?”, raged the voice with an authoritative voice bellowed out in distress.

“You preach on and on about duty while your dastardly son lurks into the night to claim the dragon of the women whose funeral we are attending! And you dare to attack me, your future Queen!”

Rhaenyra yells out her anger with the fury culminated from years of resent upon the girl she loves and hates both equally with passion.

Alicent Hightower; the Green Queen.

Her once-bestfriend turned rival as betrayal struck the Targaryen in her girlhood prime.

“You sit upon your throne beneath my naive coward of a father while you and your beastly father cower upon his body to feast like crows and spread rumours about me! Have you forgotten who betrayed who first? You snidely chat with your oathbreaker of a swornshield while forgetting that both he and you gained your position due to the Targaryens you despise so much!”

“I on the other hand haven’t dared forgotten how you snuck into my fathers bedcambers in your mother’s dresses, indecent for an proclaimed virtuous maiden, on the night of my mothers funeral.”

The crowd of white-haired onlookers begin to murmur as if reassessing their evaluation of the Queen of most holy and devout beliefs.

A dark-skinned man lurking in the corner of the Velaryon-Targaryen crowd stirs in anger.

Jealously in his eyes as he recalls his lovely daughter Laena who had lost her chance to be Queen to this miserly women and lost her life, only to have herself be disregarded at her own funeral.

Alicent screeches with anger “I was a maiden at my wedding! At least I can say that unlike you who lost herself in the thralls of brothels and sworn-shields, married to a sword-swallower birthing pug-nosed bastards!”

The retort blares out within the crowd as an onlooker of Velaryon heritage rages at the disservice done to his house, being reduced to a brown-haired unlawful child as heir to his house, ancestry desolated by a whoreson and his rogue of a mother.

“Enough of this!”

“ Alicent!”

“Rhaenyra!”

“Your feud has gone on too long. We are family! The bonds of our house must stay strong as our kingdom depends on us! Put aside your petty grievances!” King Viserys, the near-skeletal figure of a man clamours, fury moving his decaying body to stand with power.

“Our son has lost an eye and you’re call this petty! Your beloved daughter has called for the torture of your son and yet this matter is petty! How dare you!”

Alicent held his gaze, eyes bewildered in shame and wild in anger.

“You are the beginning root of all disservices done to us all! You wanted a son for heir but only from your precious Aemma. Whom you butchered like a pig for your heir for a day. You married me, the daughter of your friend. The age of your daughter!”

Viserys attempted to look down in shame but ceased as his eyes laid gaze upon Alicent, reminded of the once-youthful gaze in her eyes, turned erratic with this culmination of anger seeping through her.

“Then only named Rhaenyra heir out of shame and guilt, yet continued your mistakes of the past with your new family! Do you even remember our children’s names or are you too busy crying over your Aemma and playing with your Valyrian model to do so!”

The children, beaten and downtrodden look to their kingly ancestor, both brown-haired and white-haired alike glance to him with a judgement in their eyes. New-found for the grandchildren who have only regarded Viserys as a loving paternal figure, re-evaluating their thoughts on the shameful man.

A figure moves to the forefront of this moshpit, beridden with emulsing wrath towards all central individuals.

“Talking of sins, duty and respect while you desecrate my daughter’s funeral with this insolent feud!”

Rhaenys Velaryon stands firm in position, outrage fuelling her as she disregards the broken household in front of her gaze.

“All standing here have done a great disservice to my daughter and are debasing her further now. You’re son thought to claim my daughter’s greatest companion on the day of her remembrance!”

“And You!”

“Fornicating with your rogue of an uncle on his wife’s funeral, your own cousin and the sister of your husband!” Rhaenys snapped while the crowd of individuals loudly muttered.

Her husband stood beside her, towering over the others, portraying a tall statue of a man while his beloved wife let out her sequence of grievances.

“Cease the conversations now Viserys. This matter is finished and the Royal Household is to vacate Driftmark immediately.” Corlys commented in a calm yet commanding tone.

The children begun to cry, overwhelmed with the events unfolding and ushered out by their rageful yet tempered down mothers, focused on their children.

#asoiaf #hotd #game of thrones #got #rhaenyra targaryen #alicent hightower #laena velaryon deserved better #team neutral #team black #team green #house of the dragon #normalise loving most characters yet understanding they did wrong!!#fanfic #ao3 fanfic #ao3

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darklinaforever · 6 months ago

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I have no idea what show you are watching at all

I am not on any side I am an impartial viewer and merely stating what the plotline are. I am not rewriting it to suit my agenda like you and so many other people are doing. I am talking strictly about the show without the book being brought into it

Otto Hightower is an ambitious man who reaches too high. Alicent is his beautiful young daughter who is meek and biddable. Otto hold power as the Kings Hand and his daughter is a high value pawn for him to play by marrying her off to the highest bidder. When Aemma dies, Otto sees his opening and takes it. He forced Alicent forwards in a revealing gown to visit the king alone where she will probably lose her virginity or be manhandled and be compromised by the king who will be duty bound to marry her. Otto is playing on Viserys lust for beautiful women despite his grief. Alicent is visibly reluctant and frightened and is so when she is to be married to Viserys. Later she shuts down and does her duty. She wants to be the lady Alicent again.

Rhaenyra knows she is not the son Viserys wanted and she wants the freedom accorded to a son. She starts taking that freedom for herself, doing as she pleases. She speaks to Daemon as equals, she speaks informally to Criston and seems to have a good friendship with him. After Daemon rejects her she comes home drunk, hurt and horny basically. Criston is there. He is good-looking dashing knight. Liters the maidens dream. I'm pretty sure Criston is attracted to Rhaenyra but he wasn't going to act on it. It seems like he's living his romantic chaste fantasy protecting the woman he loves from afar. The issue is Rhaenyra holds power in a technical sense as the kings daughter. There is a power imbalance. When Rhaenyra puts moves on him, Criston is thinking of his vows etc. She puts him in a very difficult position professionally and also risking his life if he rejects her Rhaenyra could turn nasty and go to her father telling lies or if he doesnt reject her he could be killed for breaking his vows if found out. It's Criston who is in unfair position and then there's just the temptation he feels personally. There is many layers to this. Is Rhaenyra abusing her position. Is Criston being abused. Is Rhaenyra just acting on impulse and pushing Criston into surrendering to what they both feel. I don't know. Criston cannot confide in anyone or seek help as it is treason to question the princess virtue. The fact is her rejection of his proposal and the guilt over his vows being broken lead Criston to suicide. He has feelings for Rhaenyra being rejected and then all his personal dreams of being a king guard is ruined. My end opinion Rhaenyra was thoughtless and drunk and confused by Daemon she came home and saw Criston and acted on impulse/old attraction, but then abused her power by pushing herself onto him after he initially rejected her. Criston is put in a terrible position that has consequences for him. If Rhaenyra had been a man the narrative would be different. If Criston was a woman calling msn Rhaenyra a cunt she would be a girlboss.

There is shifting scale of power in the show, Alicent has no poeer, Otto has power, but through Otto Alicent gains power. Criston has no power but Alicent elevates him.

I do think Criston is a hypocrite by sleeping with Alicent because he made vows and could try to regain his honour by acting virtuously but he isn't. I don't feel sorry for him now. I felt sorry for him during that point in time with Rhaenyra.

And Alicent, a queen who sleeps with Criston Cole isn't likely power imbalance maybe ? 😂

Wouldn't Criston Cole rather want to kill himself more because he literally massacred a man for free ?

Rhaenyra did not abuse Criston Cole. He was more than happy and willing. You have to stop the bullshit after a while.

And no, many including me have already explained that gender reversal does not work. Rhaenyra could never have the position that Criston Cole had at that time as Kingsguard.

And sorry, but being neutral to me is just as ridiculous as being TG.

#anti alicent hightower #anti alicent stans #anti criston cole #anti otto hightower #anti team neutral #hotd #house of the dragon #anti hotd #anti house of the dragon

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stray-cowboy-cat · 1 year ago

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God I’m coming out as an Alicent lover sorry guys..

#i love her #alicent hightower #queen alicent #she’s so pretty #olivia cooke #my beloved #also I’m neutral PLEADE I’M NOT TEAM GREEN I SWEAR I JUST LOVE PRETTY WOMEN #anyways #team smallfolk #all the way through

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susellesie · 2 months ago

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my opinion on s2 Alicent is that house of the dragon needs to be different from game and thrones, and that most of the criticism of house of the dragon is a reactionary instinct to relive certain beloved characters and tropes from game of thrones.

let me be clear; house of the dragon as a show is already going into characterization with a lot of options for characters and tropes off the board because they've already been done in game of thrones. they're already going to have to work with the instinctual assumption from the audience to relate back to what they know. rhaenyra = daenerys, otto = tywin, and alicent = cersei.

now, obviously these aren't exact matches. i'm talking about sweeping personality and the tropes they march. cersei, specifically, is the trope of the feral mother. she kills for her kids (in the books at least - technically in the show too, but that was revenge and i'm talking about premeditated murder) she lives and dies by her kids. her ethical code, goals, all of it rests on her children.

and cersei is an amazing character. she's fascinating to read and watch, and lena headey's performance will live in my brain forever. but cersei is one of the main characters throughout game of thrones. and say what you want about season 8- god knows i won't defend it - but her arc ends there, for better or for worse, after all her children have died before her.

now, years after watching game of thrones slowly decline and eventually bomb in the final two seasons, the show writers are tasked to explore these new characters in a prequel. to be the first "new" asoiaf content to air on television since. the reality of house of the dragon is that it has to be different from game of thrones. it just does. hotd has to be its own show with its own characters.

so, here's what i'm getting at; alicent is the deconstruction of the trope of motherly devotion.

alicent in season one has the exact same ethical code as cersei; do whatever to protect my children. even if that means taking the throne from my childhood best friend, even if that means forcibly removing her from power. and in driftmark, this escalates, if only temporarily - alicent shows a willingness to harm a child to avenge the harm that has been done to hers.

asoiaf have always asked tough questions of the reader. what do you do if someone hurts someone you love? how do you act with honor if honor gets you killed? cersei's character asks an audience a question: what would you do to protect your children? and to the audience, that question is simple, it's easy. anything. it's the thing that redeems cersei when her actions are irredeemable; she does it out of love.

alicent's character asks a different question is season two, one that i think will be explored more in season three. what would it take for you to stop supporting your children?

no matter what joffrey does, cersei is a bystander to it, and often an accomplice. that is the devotion that makes up her character, and the trope she represents in the story. alicent is the deconstructed answer cersei's dilemma, and i think ultimately what cooke, condal & co. are trying to say is that there is a reality where "a mother's love" is a trope.

think about media today. think about the characters we think of when we think about mothers. cersei, cat, rhaenyra? all mothers so devoted they die for it. the concept of a mother's love is so idolized by the media that we don't think about the woman behind the mother. the woman becomes more mother than person, a shield for children both good and evil. (not talking about George's wrting - i'm talking about the way people view these characters commonly.)

and it's unrealistic. it just is. for every mother who is completely and utterly devoted to their good, well behaved child there is another who has raised a child who ended up committing sexual violence, or domestic abuse, or hurting others in general. and that's not to say children/people who grow up to do these things do not deserve to be loved by their mothers - that's to say the expectation that mothers should always be not only forgiving, but silently accepting and an accomplice to the actions of their children is not the feminist trope people might think it is.

cersei is already the example of the dedicated mother. we saw that arc play out on screen. Alicent is the deconstruction of the devoted mother who is tested beyond belief. who is challenged in the worldviews she has held her entire life. and the decision at the end of season 2 - the decision to choose rhaenyra over her son, half dead, who never took ruling seriously, who sought revenge by killing innocents, is something many dedicated mothers have had to do in their lives too.

it's not an easy thing to stomach, because we have been told through media our entire lives that a mother who does not choose or defend her children is the evilest of evil. but that is an antiquated trope for a reason.

we have to be able to move past the reactionary instinct to desire the things that make us comfortable, and one of the things that makes us comfortable are the tropes we rely on. alicent's s2 characterization is the deconstruction of that trope.

#alicent hightower #character analysis #i lost my mind writing this for 20 minutes after binging the haunting of hill house #anyways i stand with my cancelled wife alicent hightower #asoiaf #hotd #house of the dragon #pro alicent hightower #pro ryan condal #team neutral

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hllywdwhre · 2 years ago

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You know everyone shits on Alicent for marrying Aegon to Helaena and Daemon for going after Rhaenyra but Rhaenys and Corlys literally offered up their 12 year old daughter to Viserys who was like 40 and that just gets ignored like carry the same energy

#this is a neutral statement #simply pointing this out #it’s not team black or team green propaganda #alicent hightower #aegon the second #helaena targaryen #daemon targeryan #rhaenyra targeryan #daemyra #corlys velaryon #rhaenys targaryen #laena velaryon

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callahanisms · 2 years ago

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Hi can I request headcanons for HOTD where they fall into their crush’s breast and what would their reactions be?

hi! of course you may. some of these might sound a little awkward? mostly because i feel like most of the characters would be a little more graceful. so for some of them it's not exactly falling and more like leaning into.

ser criston cole

ser criston was a man of grace. or so he would like to believe. in truth, he was a bit clumsy outside of battle. after all, the feet needed for battle was much different than the feet needed for dancing. today was a festival for the mother, a very important day for people who worshipped the seven. but it was especially important considering queen alicent’s ascension into unofficial power, acting in accordance to her husband. she was, after all, the mother of the realm. you invited ser criston to dance with you, which he found unacceptable. but alicent insisted he take the night off, have some fun. there were other kingsguard to make sure she was safe. and when he danced with you, he fumbled a bit. and somehow, after tripping over his own feet, he lands in your chest. you’ve never seen a man get so embarrassed and red, as if he was already drunk. he apologized profusely afterwards for his...accident, we’ll say.

“i...i am so sorry. my apologies (y/n). i didn’t mean to be...indecent. i greatly respect you and it was not my intention.”

daemon targaryen

daemon’s tired and exhausted after a long day of work. so when he comes to visit you in your room, you’re surprised to hear him say that he doesn’t want anything. things were not going his way and he placed a heftier pouch of coins than usual, telling you he just wanted your presence. you sit on the bed, leaning against the headboard as he strips down to his undershirt. and then, he approaches you, falling into your chest face first. you ask if he’s comfortable and he lets out a muffled response, which you interpretted as my brother is a thorn in my side. of course, daemon’s liked you for some time now. but he doesn’t feel anything but peace when he lays on you. he just sits there, basking in the comfort of your presence.

“my brother aims to be rid of me. but i see those men for who they truly are, especially the hand. alas, i do not want to talk politics. your chest is almost too comfortable.”

rhaenyra targaryen

not many people would choose to ride with the princess. but syrax was now big enough to fit two people and of course, rhaenyra asks you to ride with her. as someone sworn to protect her (secretly, of course, an oath you swore to queen aemma during her final days), you agreed to go with her. considering that you were the more sturdy of the two of you, you sat behind rhaenyra. syrax ascended into the sky and naturally, she leans back into you. but you fail to notice the way her cheeks dust pink, how she realizes that beneath her head at the moment is your chest. it’s almost too embarrassing for her, to be nestled between the chest of someone she cared about on a romantic level. by the time syrax levels out, she’s quiet with embarrassment which is unusual.

“i’m. ahem. i’m just fine (y/n). it’s a bit chillier up here than usual, which is to be expected since the seasons have begun to shift.”

alicent hightower

pregnancy was exhausting. of course it would be! her body was changing, organs being crushed against one another, her own bones being taken by her child. alicent just needed to lay down. she had been walking all day, somehow, without rest for her sore feet and aching muscles. she found you reading at the godswood, studying for your exam most likely. and she approaches you, asking about your day. of course, you’re taken by surprise. the queen after all is asking for you. she’s always asking for you it seems and you were blind to the fact that she desired you, wanted you. of course, her father’s agenda would not let her pursue you outside of secret meetings and subtle hints (which you did not get). seeing how lethargic she looked, you offered her to lay on you, as a buffer between her body and the rough wood. she was all too eager to take it, sitting down between your legs and laying back. it wasn’t until a few minutes later did she realize just where she had laid her head.

“i am perfectly fine (y/n)! thank you for your concern. i am just...tired. aegon is a boy with too much energy and i cannot keep up in this state.”

aegon targaryen

it’s not unlike him to be drunkenly wandering the red keep late into the hour. most people tend to shrug the prince off since this was common place. but you were surprised to see him open the door to your room and shut it behind him. aegon has this wide grin on his face. it wasn’t the sadistic kind of grin that you were used to seeing from him, but kind of...sad? and lovelorn. he mutters something as he crawls onto the bed and hugs you, burying his face deep within your chest. you let out a small sigh and run your fingers through his hair, letting him mumble to himself and fall asleep. he doesn’t even have a reaction in the morning when he wakes up, still in the same place. all he knows is that he likes you.

“the duties expected of a prince are too much. i wish to run away and drink only wine and ale and eat only bread. a life of luxury.”

aemond targaryen

you were very much a fighter. it was for that reason that aemond became obsessed with you. he wanted to best you in combat since he was a young boy. you always seemed to beat him. not this time. he has surpassed your skill level. and to be fair, the last time you saw him was years ago after his scar had finally healed up. he was a handsome young man and he had an obsession with you that reached deeper than just merely besting you. there had been rumors that you were to be with his older siblings (helaena or aegon, the details were fuzzy). and helaena quickly deduced from the way he talked about you that he was smitten. she teased him lightly of course and he denied it. but he couldn’t deny it that afternoon when he finally bested you, having you pinned to the ground and the side of a dagger pressing lightly against your skin. yield. is what he said before being kicked down. and falling into your chest. not squarely in the middle, a bit above it. but he feels it nonetheless and never have you seen a man move so quickly, getting off of you to throw something at his brother.

“helaena, it was a disaster. after all these years, i finally best (y/n) only for aegon to come ruin the moment. what do i do? what if (y/n) thinks i’m indecent and not a proper man?”

helaena targaryen

helaena just needed to reach for something that happened to be above you. she was conducting her own research and needed a book to refer to. you just happened to be there and she had already started reaching, getting on her tippy toes. it was then she leaned forward a bit too much and placing her face in your chest. you fail to notice how flustered she gets, only turning your head slightly to reach up and get the book she needed. thank the gods you were oblivious. she would probably collapse from embarrassment if she knew you saw how red she was.

“i am not sick aemond! i am healthy. something...happened in the library. with (y/n). and before you get angry and jump to conclusions, please let me explain.”

jacaerys velaryon

you have been seeing the prince for a while now. being on dragonstone was still surreal to you. nevertheless, the two of you spent a lot of time at the beaches of dragonstone, soaking in each other’s presence and enjoying each other’s banter. but you failed to notice the inkling of attraction developing in jace’s eyes whenever he looked at you. he always looked forward to seeing you. what happened was so sudden: he just tripped over something and you caught him, his face buried in your chest. his ears went bright red and you figured it was because jace, usually light on his feet, managed to trip over nothing (perhaps your own habits were rubbing off onto him). he apologizes afterwards and his ears deepen in color at your light teasing.

“it’s...it’s not that funny! someone could witness us and think the wrong thing!....of course i do not care what others think! i just worry...for you.”

#hotd #house of the dragon #hotd x reader #hotd headcanons #ser criston #aemond targaryen #aegon the usurper #alicent hightower #rhaenyra targaryen #daemon targaryen #helaena targaryen #jacaerys velaryon #male reader #female reader #gender neutral reader

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yunaff05 · 4 months ago

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vultures - chapter one. (assurance and aloneness )

fanfic: the retelling of house targaryen and the dance of the dragons. a universe where princess rhaenyra firstborn child was a woman. princess valaena velaryon, daughter of laenor velaryon and rhaenyra targaryen, the heir to the iron throne, princess of the realm that does not accept her for what she is to come.

word count: 2.7 k (not proofread)

click here for the prologue

after valaena had heard the news of her mothers labours, she had been scurrying herself all through-out the halls of the red keep. gripping her dress skirt anxiously and demanding the hand maiden who had been chasing after her that she would take her to her mother. wanting nothing else but to be beside her in such a dire time, but instead being brushed over and guided to the chambers of her younger brothers. unwillingly.

the excuse of the handmaiden being: "birth isn't a thing for a young princess to be witness too" - leaving valaena with no time to retaliate and now stuck under the supervision of the lord commander of the nights watch, ser harwin strong.

valaena clicked her tongue in irritation, knowing that the handmaiden was right to a point.

the horror of birth was already horrible enough from just rumors and her own mothers words alone. yet it felt wrong to just to sit on a rug next to jace and luke. playing with wooden dragon toys while their mother is suffering in pain a floor below.

"do you think it will be a boy or a girl?" luke asked curiously and out of the blue, making valaena snap out of her own head. though, before she could think of a response, jacaerys beats her to the punch "i bet its a boy" - his words being as smug as his face.

valaena finding it only appropriate to roll her violet eyes at such an opinion. crossing her legs under her dress skirt as she traced her pale finger over the wooden details of the dragon in her hand.

"another brother? the two of you are already bothersome enough"

jace and luke snapping their heads towards valaena at the audacity. luke gasps while jace simply rolls his brown eyes. the sound of ser harwin's well-known deep chuckle echoed off the walls as the lord commander kneeled down next to jacaerys. lifting up his calloused hand to ruffle the prince's brown locks that matches his.

"boy or girl, it doesn't matter, all that matters is that the babe shall be healthy. right?"

ser harwins wise words make it impossible not to agree with. jacaerys lowering his red face as he began to nod his head that was plastered with a small cheery smile. lucerys and valaena following suit as the duo nodded their heads. valaena sighing at the fact harwin strong always seemed to be able to put an end to any bickering or argument between the three of them.

"well, i'm still praying to the mother for a sister. theres hardly any girls my age around the keep or kings landing in general"

"theres helaena" jace quickly responds with as harwin stands back up from him. valaena snaps her eyes to jacaerys with a raised eyebrow, seeming unamused by his answer.

"helaena does not care for friends. all she cares about is slugs and bugs" stating her opinion bluntly, she lowers her sullen gaze with a pout now on her lips. "shes dull"

jacaerys parts his lips like hes willing to say something in defense, his eyebrows furrowing. yet nothing leavess them, instead returning to a pout on his face. moving his gaze from valaena to luke, the youngest brother in his own world as he waves the wooden dragon in the whimsical air he seems to be surrounded in.

moments pas and silence lingers in the air with mild mutters, the boys playing with their toys and valaena playing with the hem of her skirt mindlessly. all until the loud screeching sound of wood creaking is heard.

everyone catching the sight of rhaenyra walking in with laenor by her side. and a new babe being held in his arms.

"mother!" jacaerys calls out first. him instantly gets up from the ground with valaena doing the same. lucerys tagging behind the duo as they rush up to their parents..

"how was the birth?" valaena answers in a hurry as she stands infront of her mother who is currently being guided down to the divan by ser harwin. rhaenyra only sighing while plopping down onto the velvet divan. with a weak smile, she looks up at valaena.

"bearable enough to say the least" raspy and tired. valaena reached out to give her mothers hand a squeeze of comfort. rhaenyra looking up at her firstborn daughter with tenderness and her heir returning it back with devotion.

valaena and rhaenyra's moment was as short as it lasted, it cut short at a loud clunk. valaena snapping her violet eyes and turning her body at the sight and sound of jace lifing up the lid for the incubating dragon egg and luke hovering over it.

"i let jace choose the egg this time" valaena said proud and petty with a grin. letting go of the warmth of her mothers hand to stand next to the brothers.

"luke wanted to choose it instead" jacaerys tone created tension in the air, the glare he sent up at valaena being the flame to it. "so really he was the one who did so" reaching his hand out to ruffle the hair on top of luke's hair. a sweet 'thank you jace' leaving the sweet boys mouth while valaena stood dumb founded.

"and it looks like the perfect one" rhaenyra mutters out awkwardly with a weak chuckle. trying to cut the stale air in half. the princess attention flickering from her children to ser harwin as he began to ask about the babe.

looking away from her brown haired brothers, she waddled over to her father. him having been coddling the new addition to the family ever since he entered the room, and valaena was eager to finally see the baby her mother had been carrying for nine moons. looming over the baby's face, she reaches out to pull against the blanket to view the small and round face.

valaena's eyes lowered and amused by the baby, rubbing a finger against the cheek with adoration. red cheeks, faint brown hair and long eyelashes. "boy or girl?" valaena asks her father in a mumble. continuing to stand on her tippy toes to look down at the babe, earning a chuckle to leave laenor's throat. "a boy" he said confidently and proud.

"joffery"

to think the gender of the babe couldn't disappoint her anymore, hearing the name changed that ideology just as quick as she thought it.

"joffery? why joffery" standing flat on her feet, she tilts her head to stare behind herself to look at if the mother approved of such a name. rhaenyra making eye contact with her daughter as she lowers her head, glancing away to avoid the confrontation of the name she does not herself agree with.

"well it is joffery" laenor abruplty adds, pressing his lips into a small frown as he reaches out to pat valaena's familiar silver hair. her watching as her father passes joffery to ser harwin. valaena pouting for a mere second until lucerys suddenly comes out of nowhere to push her aside.

"father, can i hold joffery?" lucerys quips as he is already reaching over to hold the babe, valaena slapping luke's hand away from the babe as luke begins to whine about it. promptly, the feeling of a strong hand grabbing onto jacaerys shoulder is felt. only to realise jacaerys is suffering the same fate as it is their father who is pushing the three out of the room. lucerys trapped between the two elder siblings.

"no, ah, ah, back to the dragonpit you three! before they send off a search party"

"what! no! father!" the sound of valaena's loud complaints and the boys groans about going to the dragonpit is turned into muffles as the door is closed by laenor. the prince nodding his head at the lord commander before leaving rhaenyra and harwin alone with joffery.

valaena and her father came to an agreement. instead of her having to go to the dragon pits, she would instead have to spend that time with septa jeyne. reluctantly, she accepted a horrible fate, one that was more preferable than being belittled by her cocky uncle aegon and his minions. sadly, those minions being her idotic brothers.

as valaena awaits for her her old hag of a septa to appear. she sits in her apartments, playing with a strand of her hair in boredom. then the sound of the her door clinking open to reveal not her old, slim and wrinkly septa. but an unfamiliar face who steps through the doors. old, yes, but round and stout.

"forgive me for my lateness princess, i seemed to have gotten lost in the halls" valaena can only sit there with a raised eyebrow, her late arrival being the futherest thing from her mind right now.

watching the septa place down her basket filled off fabrics and needles, valaena examines the septa who has no care in the world while rubbing her dress between her fingers nervously. "where is septa jeyne" plain and straight to the point.

the septa lifted her hooded eyes to the clueless princess. smacking her lips and sighing. "she died last night, i am the replacement in her stead, septa essie"

surprise and shock widens her purple eyes, a shift in the princesses demanor happens as she wiggles in her seat. "how?"

listening to valaena, septa essie continues to keep her gaze lowered as she grabbed at the equipment to move from the basket to the table. "quite sad really, choked on her dinner" shaking her head, the septa sighs with conflict "may the seven bless her soul" hearing the fate the befall her previous septa did not make valaena feel grief or mourn, but rather challenge her to fight back against the grin that threatened to pull on her lips. the fact of how befitting the cause of death of septa jeyne being too perfect it could be seen as the last laugh of the gods then a blessing.

"is something funny my princess?"

that question forced valaena to look at the septa with the permamnt frown on her face grow at the princess' giggles. shaking her head, valaena reaches to cover her mouth in attempt to control her laughter. though the actions and thick air of awkwardness only adds to the fire of laughter in her stomach. "i-it is nothing septa essie" the septa did not do anything in response, and valaena took that as a sign to continue to laugh and giggle to her hearts content.

"ow!" valaena yelps in a high pitched at the feeling of the septa whacking her hands with a stick. snapping her eyes wide at the sight of a red line appearing on her hands. "how dare you-" another whack is landed on her, but instead on her ankle that instantly retreated to hide under the chair.

hissing valaena leans down to rub her sore ankle with her sore hand. "how dare you-" but before the princess could finsih the words coming from her lippy mouth, the septa opened her own in contend. " my job with you princess valaena is to make you a proper lady before anything else." she said intelligibly as her unimpressed look stayed on the pouty silver haired princess.

"to teach you manners, simplicities of court how to become a proper maiden" stepping slowly to stand beside the princess, the septa lifted her stick to rest on her other hand with an analytic stare. the wrinkly face of the septa lowered down next to valaena's youthful and round one. feeling the cold from her and the heat radiating off herself.

"princess do not laugh at the face of the stranger"

valaena's face was red, eyes screaming at the septa at the audacity of hurting a princess, an heir. clenching her fists as her chest rises and falls with finding it a struggle to control the anger inside of her ribs.

though, by some miracle, valaena bites her tounge. an action never seen before. instead of choking the septa herself, she prays that she'll die the same as septa jeyne. choking on her dinner and dying alone and cold, befitting this fat hag than septa jeyne the fool herself.

rhaenyra had given birth in the morning and now is attending a small council meeting in the evening. wishing herself to be resting in bed being pampered, but finding it to be impossible to miss any meeting with the looming threat that is alicent hightower. such a threat that shouldn't be left to sit beside her father's side without counsel.

as usual, the two sit opposite eachother on the thick wooden table with each of their marbles placed in their holders and a thick tension that makes it hard for the rest of the members of the small council to breath.

the queen consort and the heir to the iron throne constantly butting heads with each other at every given chance.

a new topic for the duo too detest one another. one declaring that the blackwoods and brackens drama is a riverlands problem, the other declaring its the crowns problem. finding an excuse to make it valid enough to pass. the queen scoffing in annoyance,

now switching to the topic that has been haunting the small council since the beginning of king viserys reigen. the stepstones.

the whole discussion of it being overtaken by alicent and rhaenyra's own personal fued. the whole of the small council lords watching and listening to it reluctantly. having to hear this once a week was enough to drive anyone insane, the king himself having only lasted so long with the two with plain ignorance and denial.

"the cost of war is greater!" rhaenyra declares loudly, cutting off the old lord beesbury from finishing his weak attempt of a sentence. turning her head back to face alicent's baffled expression with a stern look. lowering her gaze to the black marble ball her fingers had been playing with this whole meeting.

"but we have been lax, and the old monster now lifts its head" says the princess, clearly getting her point across as every lord in the room stays quiet with no choice to agree. even the king and queen themselves having no defense to it.

as silence now fills the room, alicent sniffles and snaps out of her thoughts."let us be finished" - being what she finally mutters out with a shake off her head. the king weakly agreeing as he pats his forehead dry from the sweat beading from either the arguments or heat.

the lords stand up from their seats as the queen alicent does the same thing.

"wait" rhaenyra calls out unexpectedly. everyones attention now on her, especially alicent's harsh gaze. rhaenyra glancing away for a moment, she softens her voice for the next words to exit her mouth. "i wish to speak"

rhaenyra flickers her gaze to her father, the king. the two making eye contact that ends with him sighing as he nods his head. already falling back into his seat with a grunt of reluctance "be seated" the lords having no choice but to fall back onto their wooden seats and listen to the princess. the only one who stood standing being alicent hightower. rhaenyra going to join her as she stands off her own seat and stares into the queens gaze with a straight back.

"i have... felt the strife between our families as of late my queen" rhaenyra pauses as she stares to see alicent's unamused face. the queen consort still seeming to think nothing of rhaenyra's honey coated words. seeing sucha response, rhaenyra purses her lips and tilts her head "and for any offense given by mine i apologize" - the princess words being more hurried and clear.

"but we are one house" lifting her violet eyes to alicent's hazel ones, her eyes soften for a millesecond "and long before that we were friends"

alicent's face only furrows as rhaenyra's words continue to try and persaude the queen. sucking in another breathe, she looks down at the table with her eyes seeming to scan every crevice of wood.

"my daughter, valaena, will inherit the iron throne after me. i propose we betroth them to your son, aegon, ally ourselves, once and for all"

silence befalls the room.

alicent's eyebrows raised and lips part. a non descript expression of shock resting on her face rather than her irritated sight usual plastered on it everyday. even when the queen's opinion is unknown, the kings opinion on the proposition is as clear as day. nodding his head in agreement with a proud glint in his eyes.

rhaenyra smiling at the sight of her fathers approval that was already promised.

"let them rule together"

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alicentalicent · 22 days ago

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This quote is so beautiful and informs us even more about the things we’ve discussed about the lake scene, but I’m really zooming in on the “this beautiful, dead thing” part. And this is why.

The lake scene is, in my opinion, one of the most important scenes in the show, and I was waiting with bated breath since we saw Alicent by a lake in the official teaser. I thought she would attempt to kill herself, and I theorized about what would lead her to that state. I even remember on Twitter we were worried about how that scene would unfold.

I think the beauty of the scene comes from how it was built around the hinge of life and death. This is the moment when Alicent confronts herself, really sees herself in a mirror, and sees the path before her. She comes to this lake after hitting rock bottom in all possible ways, lost and defeated. She’s seeking a reason to live. This is the climax of her liberation arc.

She tries to free herself from a life of doctrine, from principles and a purpose that was thrust upon her, a life that wasn’t really what she wanted. Still, she had rationalized and normalized it in a way that it became what she wanted, or at least she believed so, because otherwise, life would be unbearable. But, clearly, she fails at that because she’s been miserable for a long time, in her cage.

So we have this moment of Alicent going to the lake, trying to physically escape her prison, The Red Keep, if only to breath air that is not absolutely foul, if only to feel the nature around her, if only to swim for a bit.

And once she’s in that lake, she starts shedding all these parts of herself that made her what she is, she’s cleaning herself from the belief system that gave her purpose, from her father’s voice in the back of her head, from all these things that she doesn’t want, and we get to the hinge moment, the climax where it could go “without all of this I don’t have anything to live for” or it could become “I am a blank slate”, with all the empty space to fill with something, but what is this something.

Going back to Loni Peristere quote, this moment is a baptism. And baptism in Christianity symbolizes the death, the burial and the resurrection of Jesus. In some Christian religions, when you get baptized it means that you are rejecting everything that you were before that moment and you are cleaning yourself from all the sins you’ve committed because you are symbolically dying, and death is the only way to clean the sins from our soul. In the baptism, by dying and leaving all of that behind in the water, you resurface as a clean slate for God to fill with purpose, because now all of the things you previously believed, your priorities, are changing to center God in your life.

Alicent being baptized by clarity implies that she goes through this death, so it is actually a suicide, a suicide of the past self that she tried so hard to be her whole life. We have this beautiful moment where it looks like she could actually be dead, but she’s not. The scene is filmed with that intention, as Loni Peristere, the director of the episode, says in the Still Watching podcast: “And when we have that shot underwater of Olivia’s beautiful red hair kind of moving into the camera, I wanted everyone to say, she’s gone. And then she moves and opens her eyes. And then there’s this magical thing that happens when you see what she’s seeing and she sees the bird in the sky.”

So in this pivotal moment, where she could’ve ended up in a place of “I have nothing to live for,” it actually becomes “I do have someone to live for, and it’s Rhaenyra.” And she’s been trying to avoid this truth her whole life but now she’s in a place where she can accept the things she actually wants. That’s the beauty of that scene primarily, but what I like about the “beautiful, dead thing” quote is that you cannot have a baptism without that person dying, so it goes hand in hand, the idea of her liberation tied to her death.

We need to acknowledge that Alicent died, in a symbolic way. Alicent chose to die. And the Alicent that we get now, the “I am at last myself” Alicent exists because she allowed herself to kill that part of herself and become someone new, someone that could actually reflect on what she wanted and why she wanted it and do something about it.

But of course we know that it’s hard for her to actually express herself and deal with all of that because she's basically a newborn baby in an emotional sense. Her epiphany just happened. You don’t actually go to a lake and suddenly become a new person but the symbolism of it, and knowing that we actually have a symbolic suicide in the story, and that it was a good thing, it’s key to understanding Alicent and her choices moving forward.

"Olivia did this incredible thing where she floats, and we see her hair from underwater," Peristere says. "She looks like this beautiful, dead thing. Of course, she's alive and very happy. She's getting baptized by clarity."

– Director Loni Peristere on the scene with Alicent Hightower at the Lake in episode 2x07 "The Red Sowing" from the House of the Dragon Season 2 Companion Book

This beautiful, dead thing

Baptized by clarity

Her clarity is symbolized by the bird, which leads her to Rhaenyra on Dragonstone. And according to another quote by Olivia, Alicent is her rawest self in that meeting.

– I am at last myself.

#house of the dragon #alicent hightower #rhaenicent #hotd #hotd alicent #lake scene #the best alicent scene in this season #the specific religion i was referring about what baptism means is jehovah's witness #also i think its important to have conversations about death in a more neutral and understanding way #i think modern western society has a very bleak perspective about death when it can have other meanings #at least in a symbolic way #im not sure if i should tag other stuff pls help me with that if theres something missing #bear the burden alone should be in my spotify wrapped with how much i listened to it after this scene #cw suicide mention

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