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unicoo · 2 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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cinematic-phosphenes · 5 months ago

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HoTD S2x01: A Son for a Son (I have thoughts and I'm keeping them here)

The Stark theme and Cregan doing his best Sean Bean accent have me nostalgic.

If getting conscripted to the Wall is an honour, then why does budget Jon Snow look unhappy about it?

No Sara Snow, okay. I’ll live with it. No Jace/Cregan (b)romance, not okay. Tumblr made me want it, only to be so denied by the showrunners.

Not more Targ colonialism erasure. "We colonised an entire continent to save the world, no really. And look, even the noble Starks agree with it!" is such a shit take, even if it's canon. I like the Targ characters, but let's not erase the original Aegon's colonial crimes.

Jace looks so pretty! Major glow up.

Dragonstone has a dragon hangar! Yay for worldbuilding!

Daemon calling Vhagar a hoary old bitch reminds me of this absolutely amazing Vhagar POV fanfic I read. (Soon the god's hoar by eldritcher on AO3) (The fic is spoiler-y for the rest of the Dance, jsyk.)

Yes, Rhaenys! Put Daemon in his place! Also, her dragon riding outfit!!!

Alyn, I see you doing an Egg by shaving your head.

Why in the hell does no one take Helaena’s visions seriously?! She’s right every time. (Can I blame ‘I had a dragon dream once’ Viserys for this? Because I want to blame Viserys for this. Look at the mess you left your kids in, Viserys! I hope Balerion bites your ass in the afterlife.)

And here we see the 'Our lives are in danger, so let's fuck about it' trope in action. I’ve heard a lot of Alicole hot takes. “Criston Cole is ‘unmanly’ for going down on a woman” is the absolute hottest of hot takes I’ve had the misfortune of encountering.

Otto giving Alicent and Criston Cole that look as they walk in. He knows what they’ve been doing.

Aegon grinning at his son like a fool. Aegon giving Jaehaerys attention and wanting him to learn how to rule even though he’s only six. Aegon trying to do better than deadbeat Viserys did. Aegon talking about pony rides in a way that suggests Jaehaerys often gets pony rides, possibly from Aegon himself. If you told me last season Aegon would somehow turn out to be the best father on this series ….. (Yes, I know that when it comes to being a dad the bar is in hell’s basement here. Yes, I know the way Aegon treats his illegitimate kids is horrific. I think there’s definitely been some retconning here and S2 Aegon is not the same character as S1 Aegon. They should have portrayed him this way from the start.)

Alicent wrote Rhaenyra letters to apologize for Luke's death and she's expecting a response?! Girl ....

My kingdom for a scene of the Greens finding out that Aemond killed Luke. My kingdom for a scene of Aemond deciding to just fully commit to the villain persona and lie to say he killed Luke intentionally. Such a missed opportunity.

Larys being an intimidating creep to Alicent again. He should go fall down some stairs.

Alicent scrubbing her skin raw. She is not okay. (I want to see Alicent cracking. Let Olivia Cooke act!)

Rhaenyra’s grief over Luke is heartbreaking. Emma D’Arcy is acting their heart out. And Syrax crying too, nooo.

Aegon walking in sync with his fratboy squad. You know they practised that entrance during one of their nightly seshes in the throne room.

Are they going to show the throne cutting Aegon?

“On further thought, I have decided ….” Aegon is hilarious.

It’s Hammer time!

Larys already angling for the Hand’s position. I know this guy is ambitious, but damn.

Just Alicent looking ethereal reading letters.

Mysaria’s accent has been toned down! (Why was Mysaria fleeing King’s Landing though? Maybe I’m missing something but I don’t get it?)

“We swore an oath to protect the whole of the royal family. So what were we to do when they turned against one another?” Jaime Lannister echoes.

"I want Aemond Targaryen." Chills. Rhaenyra only says four words all episode and it's these four words.

Jace trying to keep it together and be professional to give his report. Jace looking so much younger and more vulnerable when he’s back with his mother. I’m not crying, you’re crying.

Scenes with Rhaenyra at Luke’s funeral interspersed with scenes of Alicent paying tribute to the dead, including Luke. My heart. That empty space next to Alicent in the sept where Rhaenyra used to pray. They are an absence in each other’s lives.

Rhaena crying for her betrothed, nooo.

Why didn’t they have a dragon light Luke’s funeral pyre?

The return of the Daemon crime hoodie, now upgraded to a war crime hoodie.

Making it unclear if Daemon told B & C to go after another son if they can’t find Aemond or if B & C just went rogue – that’s a cop out by the writers. Unless it comes up again. EDIT: Daemon said 'a son for a son.' He was giving them carte blanche to go after another son if Aemond is MIA.

Daemon reluctantly admitting Aemond is a good fighter. I love to see it.

Why do I get the sense that Aemond also knows about Alicole?

“Rhaenyra is a cunning spider. Long ago she pulled Alicent into her web. Intoxicated her. It is not your mother’s fault.” “Her Grace speaks with two tongues. Alicent holds love for our enemy.” So they’re both obsessed and very much not over Rhaenyra. Do Alicent and Cole both think of Rhaenyra while being unholy together because it kinda seems like it?

Ewan Mitchell as Aemond is so mesmerizing. That man has presence.

Why the fuck has no one tried to map the secret tunnels into the Red Keep and close off the ones that allow randoms to sneak in/royal minors to sneak out?

The entire Kingsguard is in the throne room guarding Aegon? And they don’t stop the ‘rat catchers’ working at night? Even if the rat catchers were supposed to be there, I feel like it would still be protocol to stop and question them. Have none of these writers been pulled over by the cops for no reason/even slightly suspicious behaviour?

I think the build up to B & C should’ve focused on Helaena and her kids instead of B & C creeping around, arguing for no reason and committing gratuitous animal abuse. (That dog kicking scene looked so real, I watched the end credits for a disclaimer that no animals were harmed in the making of.) They could’ve shown Helaena getting the kids ready for bed, reading them a story, etc. They established a connection between Aegon and Jaehaerys pre B & C but none between Helaena and the kids before it happened. Lost opportunity.

B & C was very different than I expected before I was spoiled. I guess I see what the writers were going for with Helaena’s response to B & C. She’s dissociated rather than hysterical. She’s been painted as a character who’s distanced from the world around her in general, so perhaps this is an in-character trauma response for her. Plus you could see the absolute terror in Phia’s eyes. Helaena was terrified and traumatized. She was just quiet about it.

As for her just pointing out Jaehaerys instead of trying to bargain or plead more for his life … I guess it’s because they’re characterizing her as very literalist, straightforward and honest to a fault as part of her ‘strangeness’? So she just took B & C at their word and didn’t try to change their minds because after the necklace offer failed, she assumed they couldn’t be swayed and would definitely kill her and both kids like they threatened to if she didn’t point out Jaehaerys to them. As for not pointing to Jaehaera – that wouldn’t accomplish anything. If they didn’t check that they really had the boy, one of her kids would still be dead. If they checked and discovered she’d lied, they might kill both kids. She was a mother who didn’t want either of her kids to die but perceived she couldn’t do anything to save both of them, so she felt she had no choice but to point out Jaehaerys. And then she grabbed Jaehaera and got her to safety when she saw the chance. At least she could save one of them.

As for Helaena saying they killed ‘the boy’ instead of saying his name Jaehaerys – I don’t see that as her being insensitive and uncaring about her kid. I think she was just repeating B & C’s exact word use in her dissociated state. She was on auto pilot at that point.

I do get what the writers were going for … but it’s not going to translate well to most of the audience I don’t think. I see many people interpreting it as Helaena not caring about Jaehaerys and not trying hard enough to save him. “Why didn’t she offer up her own life like any mother would?” If a large part of the audience misinterprets or misunderstands a scene or a character’s intentions or motivations, then that’s a failure on the part of the writers IMO. I’m not upset they didn’t make B & C more graphic or violent in the physical or psychological sense. (In the book, their twisted mind games were just as horrific and brutal and every bit as violent as the physical violence). But I do think that scene could have been better executed in a different way. And including Maelor probably would have worked better to illustrate the horrific, inescapable situation Helaena found herself in between a rock and a hard place.

Where the fuck are the guards? In the throne room with Aegon? Sent away by Cole to hide the fact that he’s in the queen dowager’s bed? The Greens never considered infiltration or a stealth attack? They really got complacent because they have Vhagar guarding the city.

Alicent and Cole doing it in Rhaenyra’s old room, in Rhaenyra’s bed!! Are they both imagining they’re with Rhaenyra too?! Because this is giving … high levels of dysfunction. They’re both haunted by Rhaenyra

The only thing I’ll say about Alicole is that they really should have shown them getting together for the first time. When, how and why did that happen? Who instigated it? How did they both feel about it? Again the writers don’t show the motivations they had in mind for the characters, resulting in the viewers drawing different conclusions than they’re ‘supposed to’ and it works against the story. The interviews I’ve watched seem to say it’s consensual on both their parts. (I know there’s a power imbalance that makes it problematic, but I don’t think the writers see it that way.) Again, showing the start of their first sexual encounter would have been better writing (IMO) because it could have been used to illustrate consent.

The last thing I’ll say about Alicole (okay, so I wanted to say two things) is that showing it after B & C that way by having Helaena walk in on them cheapens B & C. The true shock and horror here is that a child was murdered in front of his mother. Why add the cheap shock value of someone walking in on their parent in flagarante?

All in all, okay episode, kind of weird. Looking forward to see what they do with the rest of the material.

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awfulassassin · 7 months ago

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holland, 1945

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reignof-fyre · 5 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 · 3 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 · 8 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 · 5 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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susellesie · 1 month 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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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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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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hllywdwhre · 1 year 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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yunaff05 · 3 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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horizon-verizon · 2 years ago

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No, not really "on the surface".

LINK to @rhaenyragendereuphoria's post about feminism and Rhaenyra's story

LINK TO @brideoffires 's post about the effect of Rhaenyra's loss on Westerosi women at large, since I do not intend to make this a long reblog.

House of the Dragon is skeetering on the edge of a really fascinating conversation in its portrayal of Alicent and Rhaenyra — the promises of feudalism to women.

On the surface, Rhaenyra looks a bit like a feminist hero. She is a woman, demanding and asserting power in a patriarchal world that would deny her the crown on account of her gender. But if you look any deeper, it quickly becomes apparent Rhaenyra is not advocating for any real change. She is not reflecting any further on the oppressive nature of feudalism beyond how it affects her. She does not argue that succession changes should be widespread or shows no concern with the general treatment of women in the Seven Kingdoms, even the women directly before her, such as Rhaenys and Alicent.

The very nature of Rhaenyra’s “birthright” cannot be disentangled from the patriarchal system she supposedly is challenging. It assumes that the men who used force and subjugation were legitimate in claiming power. For Rhaenyra to be queen, it necessitates the belief that the passing over of Rhaenys was valid, and Viserys had the absolute authority to name his own heir, expanding the power imbalance between the king and his subjects.

And then we have Alicent Hightower, the embodiment of what a feudal noblewoman should be. Feudalism denies women direct access to power and, in exchange, promises them that if they are loyal and obedient, they will be given respect, dignity, and security. Their husbands will be their protectors. They are promised a safe, predictable transfer of power from their husband to their eldest son, ensuring them a place with the new generation.

Alicent does everything her society tells her she must, but she is denied the benefits. Her husband largely ignores her and her children. He is meant to be their protector, but when her son suffers a horrific injury, Viserys shows no concern, no interest in accountability. She is not even assured the one promise of security any other queen would be granted—namely, that her eldest son become king.

For Rhaenyra to gain direct access to the patriarchal, oppressive power held by feudalism, she has to rip away the security feudalism promises to Alicent. It’s a horrible, awful system, and goes to show how difficult changing things truly is in any meaningful sense.

#Alicent Hightower #team green thoughts #house of the dragon #hotd #fire and blood #rhaenyra and alicent #westerosi feudalism #feudalism #rhaenyra targaryen #rhaenyra and feminism #asoiaf fandom #hotd neutrals #anti neutrality #alicent is denied the benefits because she was a woman and women always lose in a patriarchy but to assume that because rhaenyra isnt #a feminist nor could bring anout the change you want to see immeditaely is to deny that her story is still a feminist one #because Alicent unlike Rhaenyra does not choose to do a single thing that is not complaint to patriarchy while rhaenyra does #feudalism may suck but even women jave a choice and alicent chose wrong #when we talk about how alicent could not reap any bendit from her compliance we should conclude that that sort of compliance is utlinately #self destructive because what is being asked of a woman (the ideal behaviors) are all already oppressive #so of course alicent loses even though rhaenyra does too #but rhaenyra loses because alicent took it upon herself to try to gainsay and weaken rhaenyra for alicent's own benefit #and i am not talking about her protecting her kids #if she truly just wanted to protect her kids and that was it she would not antagonize a person who could easily put down a rebellion if her #siblings do not get in her way (but they did because Alicent decided to tuen them against her)#the aystem may suck but if you go around being overly compliant and then trying to bring other women down along with you by using #patriarchal precepts of female behavior to condemn their modes of taking back power even vilifying them for it #all youre doing is ensuring your own sociopolicial setback and the set back of other women in Westeros #because that is the other thing #rhaenyra doesnt have to be a feminist in order to be the new precedent for women in hight and active politcal positions

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