eir

they've ruined everything about her character that even part of the fandom is turning against her, calling her stupid and that she should've died with jace given her choice of fighting in the battle of the gullet and it's not even fucking canon the book! rhaena is depicted as a young woman who's adored and gentle, kind hearted even. she holds for the finest of jewelery and clothing, being the dragon rider of her beautiful, pink dragon: morning. and yet, they've gone ahead and ruined her character and entire arc in the show, they've single handedly fucked up so badly.

It is said that the play is under George’s supervision. I did not care about the prophecies in it or the fact that Daenerys appears in Rhaegar’s dreams with her dragons; she is one of the most important characters in the story and has a major role, so that makes sense.

But what bothered me was the disgusting justification of Rhaegar’s actions.

And the claim that Lyanna was communicating with him through the same dreams about the Song of Ice and Fire, as if she was willingly accepting this relationship.

What is even worse is the claim that Elia accepted this relationship and did not object to it.

So, in the end, neither Lyanna nor Elia are victims, and they do not deserve sympathy for what happened to them, because they supposedly created and chose this fate themselves. As if Rhaegar was the innocent, dreamy man with pure intentions who deserved love, while the women should simply bear the consequences of his decisions.

Rhaella being bitter after years of abuse is not the issue. The issue is her abusing her small son over her evil husband, while the evil husband is portrayed as the loving, protective parent to Viserys. And she's racist, too?????

Lyanna having a will of her own is not an issue. The issue is her acting downright insane for a prophecy it wasn't ever even hinted she was into in the books. By all accounts her motivation was supposed to be escaping Robert and infatuation with Rhaegar.

Elia playing the game of thrones isn't the issue. The issue is her playing it in a way that does not even benefit her, her children, or Dorne, only benefits her husband and others. Just read any Elia-cemtric story, and you will see how much her fans love her playing the games to benefit herself.

Ashara could have a thousand lovers for all I care, but I can't deny its uncomfortably orientalist.

Do I even need to say why hinting Daenerys will go mad pisses her fans off? I'm not even a fan of hers, but I can see why people who are do not like this. Or the fact that she has to share being Azor Ahai with Jon.

These are genuine grievances from people who adore these female characters and A Song of Ice and Fire. It's unkind to dismiss them with the lie that they don't care about anything beyond the female characters being "perfect victims".

Four-headed beast redo

That Mad King play was the most misogynistic shit ever.

Rhaella, the same woman who hugged her half-Dornish granddaughter while her horrible rapist husband was openly racist, is now racist to her daughter in law & also she's abusive to son who she was canonically stated to have protected & who loved her so dearly he lost his humanity selling away the last thing he had of hers to survive.

Elia, the woman who was raped & murdered because her husband publicly humiliated & abandoned her her for a teenager was in on it & actually contributed to her own downfall, which resulted in the brutal death & the murders of her children.

"Rhaegar only lost at the Trident because he had a dragon dream mid battle" oh ok

"Elia was fine with Rhaegar taking a second wife and was penpals with Lyanna" oh ok

Elia is written as the sweetest character we meet in the entire series; little nuanced, since what we get is from people who remember her fondly, and still, they all agree on everything that’s said about her.  I don’t doubt that Elia had a political vein, being the second daughter and dornish, which is exactly why making her so stupid is beyond ridiculous. I am well aware some will say that this isn’t racism, but why couldn’t she be closer in personality to her book counterpart? In the current political climate, I honestly can’t see why that atrocious plot twist and the even worse changes were necessary. 

It’s almost comical how afraid George Martin seems to be of recognizing what he did to her in her books. He can’t blame his precious boy, so, obviously, Elia must be the architect of her own demise. It was all Elia’s idea, so it was fine. She wants power but will happily and stupidly do everything to push it away and to put her kids - who she almost died giving birth to - in danger. It’s a cruel, coward, and poorly written plot. I can’t believe the writers did so little research that they didn’t know anything about the (racist and misogynistic) discourse surrounding her online. 

My biggest issue with Elia’s characterization is that it starts from an interesting premise before collapsing under its own contradictions. I genuinely liked the idea of her supporting Rhaegar in removing Aerys from power. That aligns with House Martell’s interests and gives Elia real political agency. But then the story pushes the “girlboss” angle so far that it becomes self-defeating.

Having Elia actively support Rhaegar and Lyanna’s relationship undermines her own stated goals. If her priority is strengthening House Martell, why would she support a situation that threatens her children’s future? Aegon may be the eldest son, but Rhaegar has already proven himself willing to disregard his marriage for the sake of prophecy and obsession. He believes his third child is the Prince That Was Promised, so what is stopping him from legitimizing that child, naming Lyanna his queen, and setting Elia aside? A half-rotten onion is still a rotten onion. Once Rhaegar has shown he is willing to abandon one duty, there is little reason for Elia to trust him with the rest.

The story seems aware of this problem, so instead of addressing it, it sidesteps it. Elia is rewritten as someone who never cared for Rhaegar romantically and is instead in love with Ashara. But Ashara herself exists largely as “the love interest,” making the relationship feel less like a meaningful romance and more like a convenient excuse to remove any emotional conflict. Rather than developing Elia and Ashara’s relationship for its own sake, it mainly serves to make readers more accepting of Rhaegar and Lyanna.

There’s also a broader pattern that weakens many of the female characters. The women are written as so relentlessly calculating, ruthless, and “strong” that they lose much of their humanity, while the men are softened by comparison. Rhaella’s desperate desire for a child that is destructive, while Aerys is reframed as simply wanting a child who will bring peace. Rhaegar is the one cautioning Lyanna against becoming consumed by prophecy. Elia becomes an untouchable political mastermind, and Ashara is reduced to an endlessly liberated “girlboss” who wants countless lovers.

The problem isn’t that these women are ambitious, politically savvy, or morally gray. Those traits can make for fantastic characters. The problem is that the story seems to equate strength with emotional detachment, constant competence, and a rejection of vulnerability. In trying so hard to make its women appear powerful and independent, it strips away much of the softness, insecurity, and emotional complexity that make characters feel like real people. Ironically, that ends up making the male characters seem more grounded and sympathetic than the women, despite the story’s apparent intentions.

Princess Elia Martell of Dorne.