#also otto is to blame for alicents predicament in the show

[reignof-fyre]

It's infuriating that the fandom whines about show!alicent being forced into a marriage young when daemon was too but no one is complaining about that like ???? Wtf double standards much?

#anti alicent stans #double standards #daemon targaryen #also daenerys was forced into a marriage #sansa too #as much as i hate her #and a plethora of other people in westerosi history #and our own #because that was NORMAL for them #also otto is to blame for alicents predicament in the show #book!alicent quite happily seduced the king for power and prestige #the show took away her agency and everything that made her a good character #like usual

[dragonsfromthemoon]

Am I the only one who finds it weird that Alicent stans mostly blame Viserys and Rhaenyra for Alicent’s suffering but rarely blame Otto, who is the one who made her go to Viserys in the first place? Viserys definitely is to blame as well, but he never would have looked at Alicent in a romantic way if Otto hadn’t made her go to him when Viserys was vulnerable and grieving after Aemma’s death. Otto is the main instigator of most of this entire mess, and yet I hear Alicent stans actually praising him for his schemes and excusing him by saying “He just acted the way most medieval noblemen would with their daughters.” Like, what? Otto is the #1 person who ruined Alicent’s life, but most Alicent stans I’ve seen do whatever they can to excuse him.

Anon, you are not alone on this! I find it very weird as well.

Well, one could rightfully argue that Viserys also had some part of the blame. He did allow his daughter's friend to approach him in that manner. Nevermind that had the writing been better, Alicent's honour would be no more and her virtue put into question and the source of gossip, for no maid would be on the king's chamber without being spotted and suffering the consequences of it. Alicent stans love to claim that Rhaenyra never bears brunt of her actions, but who was clearly protected by the narrative and by bad writing here, huh? But let us forget que quality of the writing for a while. Viserys did not take into consideration Alicent's feelings and desires; he simply married her and bedded her as he saw fit. Given the show material and parting from a somewhat Watsonian perspective, I will not excuse him. This man was the king. Had he been wiser, he would have noticed the ploy behind Alicent's visits and her unwillingness on it.

I cringe writing this, because the show strays so much from the book canon. And I hate with a passion the changes made to Alicent's characters, that only served to weaken it.

But, yeah, show-wise, Viserys is not the only to blame for Alicent's suffering. Otto is right there. He had no problem to prompt his daughter to visit the king and make use of his grief and guilt over Aemma's death. He had no care for her, nor her feelings. Alicent was, in this sense, his pawn. And how I hate it, because book Alicent was very out-spoken on her ambition and articulated her own party of supporters. Otto was one of them, but have no doubt that in the beginning, the Greens' head and mastermind was Alicent.

Could show Alicent have disobeyed her father? Thought of a way out of her predicament? Those are interesting questions to ponder over. Either way, her character had no agency (as in the writers did not give her choices to consider and an inner conflict over her circumstances) and she bided by her father's wishes.

Now this brings me to show Rhaenyra. How is she to blame for any of what happened to Alicent? She certainly did not want her best friend marrying to her father. She was surprised by it. Even felt betrayed. Show Rhaenyra did not command Alicent to go to Viserys's quarters, be married to him and bear his children. In fact, what we have is Alicent, for jealousy or envy or zealotry, participating in Rhaenyra's suffering. Not the other way around. And let's not forget Rhaenyra was also lowkey obliged to marry as her father wished.

Back to Otto, they can make excuses for him because it fits way better their narrative of "bad Targaryens!" to put all the blame on Viserys's and Rhaenyra's shoulders. Otto is no Targaryen (and we know this fandom can be passionate about hating the Targaryens), so there lies the double standard. The cherry on top was that uwu poor Alicent had no allies, thus her father was needed. She was uwu sad when he was sent away. This will sound gross, but if Otto can be excused on the basis of being a medieval noblemen and that's how they act towards their daughters, so can Viserys. Viserys can be excused, because that was the way most medieval men acted towards their wives. Yet Alicent stans don't even realize the hypocrisy of their argument.

This much to say I pretty much agree Otto was the he #1 person who ruined Alicent’s life.

#house of the dragon #hotd #alicent hightower #otto hightower #viserys targaryen #rhaenyra targaryen #ashter answers