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House of the Dragon Appreciation Week 2023

Day 4: Favorite relationship ➥ Alicent and her children

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“Oh Aegon abused Sunfyre by using him in battle, Rhaenyra didn’t do the same to Syrax so she’s better! It really shows her magical Valyrian blood is more powerful”.

No goofy, Rhaenyra didn’t use Syrax during the war because she was in pain.

She was physically recovering from a traumatic childbirth for most of the time and literally could not participate in the war effort the way Aegon did. It’s almost like that thematically falls in line with the misogynistic aspect of the dance.

The Greens use misogyny as a tool against Rhaenyra and the worst part is that her being a woman hinders her when she least expect it, almost as if validating the misogyny used to usurp her. It’s sickening.

In the misogynistic reality Rhaenyra lives in childbirth becomes just one more hindrance against her. A fact that was exasperated by the slow loss of her children who we know despite her many flaws she loved. It’s not that being a woman is a hindrance or being pregnant is a flaw - it’s the fact that in a misogynistic society it will absolutely be used that way and it is used against her time and time again.

Mind you the Greens aren’t the only ones who use misogyny as a tool. It’s the same reason Daemon’s sadism targeted Helaena and her children. Misogyny is easy and targeting Aemond or Aegon would be difficult. That’s why he sent B&C after her and her children because he knew that in a misogynistic society women in general are easily abused and it worked effectively keeping Helaena and her dragon out of the war effort because of the trauma that was inflicted upon her.

Turning a positive - the unwavering love these women had for their children into a - negative to be used against them.

Therefore robbing the Greens of a dragon rider and Queen the exact same way The Blacks must have felt after Rhaenyra was incapacitated by the Green usurpation.

Would Rhaenyra have likely still had a traumatic childbirth without being usurped, sure. Would she still been unable to participate in the war because of her traumatic birth, probably.

However I don’t think individuals typically see things that clearly especially when they’ve been wronged. Rhaenyra herself blames the Greens for the loss of her daughter and her rage throughout her traumatic birth.

Ultimately I think that’s much more interesting to think about rather than “my character’s blood purity is better than yours”.

Not to mention the using the dragon in battle is abuse to the dragon is the silliest argument I’ve ever seen. As if House Targaryen’s entire inception didn’t involve them using their dragons for their own benefit in war.

#hotd #rhaenyra targaryen #helaena targaryen #hotd meta #some great analyse how misogyny affects BOTH sides

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💔����🇸

#free palestine #palestine #student protest

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‼️🇵🇸🇮🇱 20 bodies in mass graves may have been ‘buried alive’: Palestinian Civil Defence member

🔸 Source: Al Jazeera

#free palestine #this is horrifying

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Genuinely insane to me that there are Targ stans claiming that the Targs, an incestuous family of former slaveowners of a colonial empire, came to Westeros and were corrupted by the evil eViL Andal culture and religion.

Like what??? The Andals and the faith of the seven are absolutely not without their own systemic issues (nor are the first men) BUT to argue that the rulers have been corrupted by the people they conquered is INSANE.

#anti targ stans #hotd #a song of ice and fire #anti targaryen #show!danys girlboss moments anf hotd really rotted peoples brains #like maybe the incest bloodmagic slaver people using wmd are NOT good people #this take shouldn't be controversial

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[Dune part two (2024) dir. Denis Villenueve // Hope in the air by Laura Marling]

#dune part 2 #dune #princess irulan #irulan corrino #irulan #she has peak my father is the worst man alive and i am his favorite daughter vibes #and now she gets to have the worst husband as well

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hello everyone ! it has come to my attention that tumblr has been supporting israel by running pro-israeli propaganda. i just wanted to make it known here (especially for people who are paying for the ad free experience, merch, etc).

here’s a link on how you can support palestine : https://arab.org/click-to-help/palestine/

#free palestine #palestine #free gaza

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she is my enemy

#dune #pauljessica #paul atreides #jessica atreides

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Hot take, but redemption and forgiveness are not the same thing.

Redemption, per definition, requires previous wrongdoings. Saying those wrongdoings mean a character no longer deserves redemption is nonsensical. To deserve redemption, they need to acknowledge their faults and work to better themselves (which Tamlin does).

Forgiveness is a different thing. It can only be given by the victims of said wrongdoings.

A character can be forgiven but not redeemed.

Or they can be redeemed but not forgiven.

#Tamlin redemption arc #acotar #tamlin #i would argue that in the story #tamlin already redeemed himself #but hasn't been forgiven by Feyre #as an additional hot take Rhysand has been forgiven by Feyre but hasn't been redeemed

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Hundreds of people are about to board a flotilla and deliver urgent humanitarian relief to Gaza. Please share this video and follow Gaza Freedom Flotilla. The more people watching, the safer the participants.

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Rhysand wouldn't be half as annoying if Sjm had the guts to let him be cringe.

He is plenty cringe already, but I don’t think Sjm is aware of that fact.

#anti rhysand #acotar critical #anti sjm #sjm critical #every time rhys is on page I'm gagging #and not in a good way #all of his lines are stupid af #but they are treated as if they were brilliant in canon #he is such a fail!husband and fail!HighLord #but imagine #the potential if canon acknowledged this would be endless

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Israel has deployed auto-firing quadcopters that emit the sounds of crying babies.

https://xtwitter.com/jam_etc_art/status/1780038184828608975

There is no possible reality where this is in any way capable of being passed off as self-defense. It was never self-defense. It is, and always has been, a genocide.

Crying babies. Crying babies. This is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, meant to draw out and kill civilians while also making it far more difficult to locate and aid children who are trapped or alone.

If you have money to spare, please consider donating to some of the fundraisers on Operation Olive Branch to help people escape this genocide.

End the occupation. Free Palestine.

#free palestine #palestinian genocide #gaza strip

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I think a lot of people view the morality of these characters as an inherent state of being instead of a result of their actions.

So to them, Rhys was "acting bad" but is actually a good person. Meaning that even his most unsavoury actions are still done by an inherently good person with good intentions. While Nesta and Tamlin are bad people, so every thing they do no matter how good is still done by a bad person. And when you're seen as inherently flawed, no good deeds can redeem your perceived moral shortcomings.

This isn’t a dig at whoever said this, that’s a totally valid reason not to like her… butttt it’s the most lukewarm take ever. Nesta antis conveniently forget that Feyre massacred a village, and that Rhysand also put Feyre through shit and never apologized, he just self-pities or started fucking her. I’ve never come across a true Nesta-anti who doesn’t love Rhysand for some reason.

“At least Elain was nice to Feyre” How about the fact that she wasn’t a war criminal 😭😭

Obviously personal character totally comes into play here, but Nesta hate is argued soley by the fact that she was mean to Feyre and how that trumps the good she did. Okay thats fine, but when it’s Rhysand he’s actually caring and super sincere? How does his actions throughout his reign NOT trump his good (that good also not actually being “good” because it was literally just his job).

How does the actions he committed while “wearing a mask” NOT trump the fact that he was wearing a mask and “actually good”

idgaf if you hate Nesta, but when u do so on account of her morality and then turn around and love every other character who has committed actual crimes it gets weird.

Same with Rhys and Tamlin, @moonsomnia said it best, Rhys is Tamlin in a sexy font. They both let women (Feyre and Nesta respectively) waste away while under their “protection.” They both abused Feyre, but Rhysand was desperate and trying to save Feyre so it was okay 🙄 (he was not trying to save Feyre, he was saving himself) AND SJM tries to tell us Rhysand is a good high lord, yet shows him being a bad high lord, and tells us Tamlin is a bad high lord, yet shows him being a good high lord.

Conclusion? SJM sucks at writing and is a bad person! Again! Istg that’s the conclusion of every post I make because she’s the root problem of everything wrong with the ACOTAR fandom, from the bigotry and hate she sows to the lack of reading skill and selective permissiveness of abuse.

p.s. I use Tamlin and Nesta pro tags, not because I condone their actions but because the hate they get is underserved half the time when the same energy needs to be kept for other characters.

ALSO HOW DID EMERIE GET A SINGLE VOTE ON THE LEAST FAV ACOTAR CHARACTER

#Tamlin and nesta both can never be truly redeemed #if you see them as inherently bad people #who don't just have to make up for their past actions #but also the fact that they are inherently seen as less than other characters #this is also why every single action they take is perceived as having malicious intent #Tamlin purposely starving Feyre #and giving up her sisters etc #Nesta being mean to Cassian #and telling Feyre about the pregnancy etc #while every action Rhys takes no matter how destructive #is good intentioned #anti sjm #anti rhysand #pro tamlin #pro nesta #nesta archeron

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I'm aware that their conquest of Westeros doesn't completely fit the definition of colonisation. This is why I literally wrote that it is debatable to call the conquest itself colonialism.

However, it is a fact that the Targs were colonizers, or at least direct descendants of colonizers. Ancient Valyria was undeniably a colonial empire. As dargon lords, even on the lower end of the pecking order, the Targs were still part of it.

All of the wealth, resources, and dragons that they used to conquer Westeros is a direct result of their past as colonizers.

The dragons are also a key part of their identity, so saying if they didn't have them, they would be like any other house doesn’t really mean anything.

And as for the first Men and the Andals; yeah, I agree they colonized Westeros as well.

I guess you could make the argument that at the time, the main stories take place, they have been there so long that they now belong in Westeros. But at the time, they 100% colonized Westeros.

House of The Dragon Hot Take #11

House Targaryen is an allegory for colonization. From the very start of their line they have taken things that aren't theirs. Whether it be people, land, kingdoms, and lives. Until Aegon I, Visenya, and Rhaenys came around and waged war against everyone in Old Valyria and the neighboring kingdoms, House Targaryen really wasn't all that important. They weren't even the most powerful house in the kingdom because it wasn't their kingdom until they tore it away from the rulers and killed the people who disagreed. Same with what they did with Dorne for years. House Targaryen is full of colonizers, blood purists, and terrorists of all kinds. While this is not me saying I hate every Targaryen character, I am saying that it's important to know that they are a realistic representation of colonization because:

They came in > They stole the land and the throne > They killed the people that disagreed or tried to defend themselves > Their families took over until their house finally died out.

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The show is, at times, so close to making an interesting point about class and social hierarchy but then just doesn't go through with it. It is endlessly frustrating.

Rheanyra seeing Alicent as her own sidekick is such an interesting observation. It gives so much context to her reaction after Alicent marries Viserys.

Despite Alicent repeatedly reaching her out, Rheanyra continuously rejects her. As Queen consort, Alicent is no longer Rheanyra's subordinate. This clearly bothers Rheanyra, as shown with the minstrel.

By marrying her father, Alicent has risen above her station, and that is the real sin to Rheanyra.

It makes me so upset knowing that they cut the scene in which Rheanyra confronts Alicent about the marriage. Based on the alleged script, this moment would have delved into some of these more complicated nuances.

Something striking about the relationship between Rhaenyra and Alicent that the show tries to awkwardly scoot past is that time and time again, Alicent sacrifices her own interests and desires for Rhaenyra's benefit, while Rhaenyra never does the reverse. Alicent teaches Rhaenyra history, dresses and crowns her for her investment ceremony, comforts her after her mother's death, advises Viserys *against* naming Aegon heir, supports reconciliation between Rhaenyra and Viserys that ultimately gets her father and sole supporter fired, seriously considers switching sides to her despite the severe risk to her own children, and goes against her father to try and save her life. The most Rhaenyra gives Alicent is a few hollow words of praise in episode 8.

Though the show doesn't seem to realize it, their relationship isn't one of equals, but of master and servant. Otto and Alicent are parallels in this sense - both are in a sense, servants of the Targaryens who do not wish to merely serve. But the show buys into the expectation of their service and Targaryen masterdom uncritically: the great crime of Otto and Alicent is their attempt to subvert the natural order of things rather than meekly serving their Targaryen masters. It's why Alicent is most sympathetic when she is loyal to Rhaenyra, but the reverse isn't true, because why would Rhaenyra be expected to do anything for a mere servant like Alicent?

Which really just goes to show the big class blind spot the show has. By presenting "goodness" as solely a function of how closely one can follow Viserys' orders, they're regurgitating one aspect of medieval social customs to oppose another. With this context, Rhaenyra and Alicent's relationship feels less healthy and a lot more like a premonition of Alicent's relationship to Viserys, with similar power imbalances. Rhaenyra and Alicent love each other, but Rhaenyra sees Alicent as a sidekick at best, doesn't take her seriously as someone with her own inner life and desires, and is sensitive to Alicent's perceived disobedience ("questioning my virtue is an act of treason.")

I think it also gives context to Criston and Alicent's relationship, given that Criston is *also* relatively low nobility, and a servant to the Targaryens, who feels taken advantage of by them, and whose great crime is trying to be something other than a servant, to *make* kings, not just to serve them.

#class really gives the character relationships a lot more texture #its a shame the show wasnt interested #< prev tags #there where a couple moments with young Rheanyra #where I thought the show would get into some of the larger class issues #for example when Rheanyra sneered at the op of the small folk #but then older Rheanyra is suddenly deeply concerned for the suffering of the people #except of course when she lets Daemon murder a rando #the show is kinda confusing in its messaging #hotd #alicent hightower #rhaenyra targaryen