#we’re reading powerful

[sweetreveriee]

Different parts same book

[throwawayasoiafaccount]

if westeros was created to reflect our modern society instead of being loosely based off of western medieval society, then i think people would understand that these political marriages are for alliances, not love, and would agree that the modern lower class sentiments towards marriage are simply not applicable to these arrangements and both bride and groom cannot and should not expect love from their partner.

if our story occurred in a modern westeros very similar to our own modern society, then a lot of the obstacles our characters face would not happen because, simply put, modern society benefits from equality.

as an example, i am quite (100%) certain that the introduction of gender equality and other modern values and advancements to westeros would only be beneficial to rhaegar and elia, which means that this ideology benefits westerosi society on an individual level.

so, in this modern westeros au, if rhaegar and elia still married for a political alliance, and then had two children like they did in asoiaf, they could then peacefully divorce and write out a contract that secures both rhaenys and aegons inheritances. if lyanna and rhaegar met and fell in love while rhaegar and elia were married then the misunderstanding that sparked a war would never have happened. why? because lyanna would have a say in who she marries in this modern au. also, elia would have possibly been seeing others as well. why? because this was a political marriage and love shouldn’t be expected, so why would anyone be concerned about either party finding love outside of their marriage? plus modern westeros would have dna testing so there’s no reason to question the paternity of their children.

also, if elia had a child with someone else (in this hypothetical scenario, perhaps her lover died) and rhaegar decided to claim that child as his own while knowing that he’s not the real father in order to give this child a better life, then this wouldn’t be a problem either. why? because rhaegar’s in the know. (i’m only bringing this up bc of the rhaenyra and laenor situation. guys… laenor is perfectly aware that biologically those kids aren’t his, yet he still claimed them and loved them bc he and rhaenyra had an agreement. i do not understand why real ppl are even concerned about jace, luke, and joffs parentage. in the eyes of the law those boys are legally laenors.)

however, since asoiaf isn’t based off of our modern society and is instead a society riddled with misogyny, xenophobia and other social issues without the progress and advancements that we in the 21st century have benefited from, i will concede one thing to these antis who harp on and on about how selfish rhaenyra and rhaegar were for loving someone who wasn’t their spouse and for having a child(ren) out of wedlock.

because yes, rhaegar and lyanna’s love can be considered an act of selfishness, and rhaenyra loving harwin and having children with him can also be considered selfish.

but guess what? love in general is a very selfish state of being. you are prioritizing your partner and your desires over everything and everyone else in your life.

one of the greatest love stories of all time, romeo and juliet, is a tale of two selfish lovers who seek to be together despite the immense hatred between their families. selfless and dutiful children would never love an enemy. and yet, despite romeo and juliet’s love story ending in tragedy, no one would ever argue that these two lovers were in the wrong for simply trying to be together even though their love caused their families great grief. why? because the feud between the Montagues and the Capulets was stupid. and the story ends with the characters agreeing that this feud went on for long enough and acknowledging the fact that this petty feud between the families was the cause of their misery and the tragedy that befell them.

though the circumstances of all three love stories are different, it’s undeniable that these lovers were selfish for prioritizing their own desires over their duties to their houses.

to end this little spiel, i’d like to mention that the reason i first brought up a modern au was to remind people that the only reason rhaelya and rhaenyra’s relationship with harwin can be so decisively called selfish is because these characters live in westeros. and westeros is a fucked up society rooted in systematic oppression, violence, and abuse and other forms of exploitation in order to further the agenda of the powerful despite the harm it causes. any modern comforts and progressive ideas hinder the control the patriarchs have over their families and put a name to the bigotry expressed against these unconventional relationships. so yes, their love is selfish because being unconventional in such a backwards society is a recipe for disaster, especially since both of these relationships hinge on a woman deciding to take control of her sexual autonomy, which is a big no no in westeros since a woman’s body only belongs to her father and husband. so yes, these love stories are selfish because these characters are prioritizing themselves in a society that benefits from them losing their autonomy and harms them and their loved ones when they try to take back their autonomy.

to finish off, the reason i brought up the tragic love story of romeo and juliet is to remind people that even though rhaegar and lyanna’s love was selfish, other characters still need to be held accountable for their actions that helped to escalate this misunderstanding into a tragedy that consumed all of westeros.

[fishyartist]

Danny phantom episode “Girls night out” deserves more hate. Like it’s the worst of season 3’s shift into more generic superhero cartoon plot lines imo, it’s gender politics are noxious. Something about the art is especially not working for me. ember and spectra should be trying to maul each other.

[rooolt]

Utterly abysmal stats I rolled for a level 5 character today (plus all bonuses and ASIs)

[hobermallowed]

2024 is the year we get back to posting our fics

[shorthaltsjester]

i am a big fan of using real world philosophies to analyse fictional worlds on the watsonian level, they’re a particularly good way to make abstract theories more concrete, but if you look at things like actual literal deities that do have inherent power compared to other beings and uncritically say how they’re just like the one percent or some shit, i beg you to crack open a book and review what the hell reification is or move on to other hobbies.

[aroaessidhe]

2023 reads / storygraph

The Poisons We Drink

YA urban fantasy

a girl who brews powerful potions is coerced into making potions to interfere with D.C.’s most influential politicians in an attempt to stop a dangerous Witcher Registration Act from passing, and will do anything to protect her sister after their mother is killed

bi MC, nonbinary love interest

arc from netgalley

[no1ryomafan]

Whenever I think back to the very obvious fact in canon Ryoma basically becomes one with a god machine in most of the canons he’s in, it’s probably not a shock that while I would’ve never saw this coming, that a character I like experiences such a weird fate given the fucks I was obsessed with prior to him turned into THESE:

Not even mad about this btw even if it’s weird but wondering if Ryoma’s case is better or worse then being a floating toku device lmao.

[awek-s]

sad I can’t have days off yet but it makes sense but I reallllly wanna go to this event at my uni and I can’t get back at that time via any form of transport so id have to stay overnight and I can’t do that bc id need to miss an unplanned day of work a week

[acourtofquestions]

QoS pg. 324: ROWANS BACK, ROWANS BACK — I'm squealing like a little kid, barely a sentence in, but the second I heard “pine and snow” I started crying like Aelin — CAUSE ROWANS BACK!!!

[simgerale]

me when i don’t see a simgerale post 😔 IMY but i know ur busy <3

anna!!!! </3 i miss you too!! life is rolling along and i find that adulting requires more of my time than ever )^: that said, i’ll be near my pc for two weeks so maybe i’ll do some sim things?? we will see 💛💛

[megagrind]

One of these days when I finish my capstone and my animated pilot and get a job and become financially stable and get an ounce of free time I WILL sit write that thesis long essay I recite to myself before bed every night

[labyrynth]

*opens jgy tag*

“the difference between WWX and JGY is that JGY is straight-up evil. he isn’t a victim of circumstance or anything, he was just BORN dirty evil. he had so many options and he GLEEFULLY chose to murder little boys and girls.”

“(unlike WWX, who is NEVER selfish and is ALWAYS selfless and ALWAYS knows what’s RIGHT and WWX saves CHILDREN’S LIVES. how many children did jgy save?? NONE.)”

…*closes jgy tag*

[binders-and-beanies]

People make cutesy blanket statements about “fun mental health tip just gaslight yourself into feeling ok” but then when mental health professionals study for years to learn which techniques work for what issues and populations it’s suddenly “omg therapists try to gaslight you into feeling ok :/“

[heureuxinthegeneralsense]

Even the phrase ​“eat the rich” feels trite. It neatly sums up a tote bag slogan era of anti-capitalism in culture, cutesy shorthand that’s now entirely representative of a watered down, inoffensive type of politics. You could argue that satire born out of this politics is predictable because its targets are predictable: we all know rich people suck and perhaps they don’t necessarily deserve nuance. But the beauty of good satire is in using a scalpel to eviscerate a subject, by having a distinct perspective and striking with precision. - Patrick Sproull, "Why all ​“eat the rich” satire looks the same now"

[colesterstrudel]

is it because of supernatural

Don’t ever speak to me again, actually 💀 bc what in the FUCK