#general ominous narrative fuckery re: summerhall

[fruitageoforanges]

i think one of the things i find compelling about rhaegar is that he’s a very good example of how selfish and destructive a martyr complex is. from what we know, it doesn’t feel like his obsession with the prophecy was overtly egotistical — less ‘i’m great ergo i’m the prince that is promised’, more ‘oh fuck, if this is true then unless i do these very specific things everyone and everything i know is doomed’.

and yet. there’s still something selfish about that. about assuming you have to be the one to solve the world’s problems. even when it eats you up, even when it isn’t some glorious purpose but a terrible shadow hanging over you. to assume you’re the only person who can do something — and, ironically, in trying to fulfil the prophecy and prevent the destruction of everyone he lover, he doomed pretty much all of them.

#asoiaf #asoiaf meta #rhaegar targaryen #to be clear this is just my interpretation #but i find it so interesting #and a very good example of how self-destructive behaviours are still selfish and destroy other people #i think the proverbial coin teetered more towards madness in his case #and by that i mean a combination of hereditary mental illness #general ominous narrative fuckery re: summerhall #and having aerys as a father #created a unique cocktail of awful that was destined to end somewhere tragic #also to be clear: not at all interested in rhaelya. that’s not fucking romantic. it’s creepy.