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Aemond is the father of Helaena's children.

Helaena and Alicent aren't beloved.

Rhaenyra is the chosen one.

Aegon is a usurper.

It's all green propaganda.

GRRM:

King Aegon is the father.

Queen Helaena and Queen Alicent are beloved.

Rhaenyra is just a princess who was hated by people.

King Aegon II Targaryen.

I wrote it.

How is it that in a book where characters are committing murder, rape, and even fucking baby exchanges, it is SANSA who needs to repent for her ‘crimes’?

Tell me again how Sansa is a shit person because of one mean thing she said to Arya in a fight but Jon, canonically called a ‘bully’ was the fucking paragon of good behavior as a child. Who’s gonna write the edgy Jon-was-a-pre-canon-bully fanfic huh?? That’s right. Fucking no one. Because we know Jon’s poor behavior at the Wall was driven as much out of his lack of awareness and appreciation of his privilege as it was by his struggle to reconcile the Wall of his dreams with reality. His behavior was an anomaly for him. 

Tell me again how Arya’s seeming class blindness in AGOT is so much better than Sansa’s raging classism. Who’s gonna say it was Arya’s fault Mycah got killed, because she didn’t recognize or appreciate her own privilege? Fucking no one. Because she’s nine, a child, and we’re not monsters.  

Sansa was selfish for expecting things that were already promised to her, but Arya wasn’t? Sansa is selfish for wanting to go to a tourney that’s being held in her father’s name. Sansa is selfish for expecting to be…married to her betrothed? Sansa is selfish for romanticizing/building up the life she is already expected to live? Sansa is selfish because she says Arya will ‘ruin everything’? Lemme tell you I have an older brother and I sure as fuck have ruined plenty of things for him as a kid stuff his friends lent him, that one time he went to watch some Hunger Game movie with his school friends and thought I would be mature enough to tag along and I really really wasn’t. That’s kind of what siblings do???? If Arya comes across as less ‘selfish’ than Sansa, then that’s because she’s hardly ever denied, and even when she is she’s made to understand why. Arya wants to learn to fight? Arya wants to flout expectations? Arya wants to take Syrio along on the ship? She gets it all. Is she selfish? NO. She’s a child. THEY ARE BOTH CHILDREN.

Sansa is mean, for having sibling fights with Arya? Never mind that she’s grieving the death of a part of her, Lady. Jon lashing out at the Wall may be an anomaly, but Sansa lashing out isn’t? WHY. Sansa is vindictive? Sansa who cried when fucking Joffrey dies? Sansa who is repeatedly described as sweet? Innocent? Courteous? 

When exactly is Sansa vindictive? When she doesn’t trust her father- who has been a pretty shit parent to her and fully deserves her distrust- to make the best decisions for her (as he hasn’t in the past) and decides to break one (1) rule in her life to…go to another adult to explain her problem? When she lashes out at Arya in her very valid grief because no one seems to give a flying fuck about helping her deal with it? When she utterly and absolutely ices out Tyrion, the fully grown Lannister man she has been forced to marry? Fuck you.

Ok no. I know. She’s power hungry. Just dying to be queen. I quake in my boots when I read her POV, honestly. Never mind that she is not the one who makes or even influences the decision to betroth her to the prince. (Alright she does in the show. But hey, Arya of the show is a misogynist, Jon is an absolute moron and Tyrion is the good guy so I won’t put a whole lot of stock in show characterization.) Never mind that Sansa’s desire to marry a ‘prince’ is driven more by her romanticizing  and wanting to have a life like the songs, and less to do with power. But nooo. Sansa wants to marry a lord even as late as ASOS. She’s willing to marry Willas because he’s a lord. 

Right. Because it is so much more terrible for a girl to want to marry a rich, powerful, upper class guy to get her out of her current shitty situation where she is utterly powerless, than it is for a slave owning girl to order the massacre of 13-years-old, upper class children. People forget that their fave wouldn’t be the character she is now if she hadn’t been married off to a powerful man all the way back in the first book, who unwittingly gave her a position of power of her own for the first time in her life. Or there wouldn’t be any dragons, there wouldn’t be any khaleesi. Isn’t that how patriarchy works??? Fuck Sansa for daring to want what Dany got- control over her own life via marriage. 

I’m just so tired. The point of Sansa’s character is that she’s empathetic. She’s soft. She’s polite and courteous. She’s nice to Sandor when he doesn’t deserve it. She calls Jon half-brother because that’s the politest term she can use. She stands up for others (Dontos, the people right before the riot, Tommen, fuck she even warns the Tyrells about Joffrey) even when she’s at her most powerless. She cries and feels bad and prays for her abusers. She’s unwilling to play ‘the game’. She chooses to continue to believe in and place value in the songs and stories as ideals that deserve to be lived up to in the midst of a harsh reality that has driven lesser people to nihilism and bitterness. This is who she is. To dismiss these things for the sake of making her out to be some mean and petty little girl is to misunderstand her entirely. 

^^^ This is one of the reasons I fell in love with Sansa Stark. This girl, no more then a teenager. Stuck her neck out to save a strangers life. She risked her own personal safety telling Joffrey, a psychopath she knows has a short temper, “You can’t!” Not just speaking up against him, but telling him that he cannot do something.

And then comes up with an excuse as to why he can’t, right off the spot. She gets lucky, and Sandor Clegane backs the excuse up. But she doesn’t stop there. She continues to weave her manipulation of him after Joffrey announces he will have Ser Dontos killed the next day. She is clever enough to come up with a lie that will stroke Joffrey’s ego and convince him not to murder Ser Dontos.

Sansa didn’t have to do this. She already stopped them from killing Dontos right there. But she wanted to make sure he was safe even after that.

What’s even more amazing about this scene, it shows how Sansa is very brave in the earlier seasons. More then some fans like to acknowledge. She’s 14 here.

And yet we have a reminder that this young girl, was able to do something not a single grown man, out of 500 of them, were able to do. Nor any of the “greatest” Knights in the Seven Kingdoms were able to do either.

Sansa Stark didn’t just stand there and watch, she spoke up because it was wrong. Even if it was a dangerous thing to do. She had nearly the same obstacle against her, a deranged and insane King who was taking pleasure in this atrocity. One who could murder you at any time. And still, still she was brave.

And even after! Afterwards when Ser Dontos comes and gives her the poisoned necklace, he thanks her for this act. But she doesn’t even think twice about it! It wasn’t some big moment to her where she was so kind and merciful, this girl then tells him “Anyone would have done the same.” But we know that isn’t true! She doesn’t think this act is anything more then what’s extremely brave!

Game of Thrones Cast imagines the ultimate happy ending for their characters (x)

bonus:

These damn bloodthirsty men are icing out the gentle, capable women who can actually lead… except neither of our female leads have done anything or shown any desire to do anything.

That Alicole scene where she tells him to fuck off after he says he’s protecting her from war since she doesn’t have the guts for it is clearly meant to portray Cole in the wrong, but like he’s genuinely right? This version of Alicent doesn’t even believe in the Greens’ claim, doesn’t want to fight, and inexplicably has not viewed Rhaenyra as an enemy since Driftmark. Why would she want to be Regent during a war effort? And why should the Greens entrust her in that role when she’s done nothing but make doe eyes at Rhaenyra? On the flip side, Jace’s frustration with his mother is also meant to be viewed similarly, but it’s the same story! She disappeared for days right after an assassination attempt at the height (kinda?) of a war, left her council in disarray, all to just kinda ask Alicent to end the war with no real plan of how to do that.

This show can’t decide if Rhaenyra and Alicent are the main players in the Dance, or helpless victims to the war machine of men around them. It tries to paint both as true at the same time, so neither message really lands.

And the actual conflict at the heart of this story? All wasted in the face of that nonsense. The final shot of S1 with Rhaenyra turning around “war in her eyes” was thrown out the window once that Sept scene happened. Green dress moment? Few episodes later and Alicent can’t stop talking about how good a Queen Rhaenyra will be lol. She doesn’t even know what’s going on in the Green Council. Blood and Cheese? I don’t think Jaeherys’ name has been said since then, the ratcatchers and that damn dog have had a larger impact on the narrative.

My thoughts exactly! I was thinking it didn't matter what happens in hotd since the Starks will prevent Rhaenyra's line from sitting on the throne in a couple of generations permanently. There's a Stark ruling in the North and another ruling the 6 kingdoms. 👑

House stark will survive anything! They are the heroes of both show and book canon.

𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓 : 𝐜𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬, 𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐮𝐧𝐲𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧, 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐨𝐧.

𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓 : 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐤, 𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧, 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐨𝐧’𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐬.

Absolutely awful that Tom and Olivia have to try and save their characters

Tom had to fight against Aegon’s characterization in season 1, and lost, as we all know. They tried to make him a fool and tried destroy his bond with Sunfyre, despite it being the pivotal bond in the Dance

Olivia asked what they are planning Alicent’s endgame is, and they told her they don’t know. They have Alicent sell Aegon to the wolves like he’s a lamb, and Olivia tried to at least show that Alicent hates this, and loves Aegon

like.... in what world??? how am i supposed to buy that aegon and aemond are any worse than daemon?? than viserys? but only the men who support rhaenyra get redemption arcs, even when those redemption arcs do nothing to address the rot in their characters. daemon's most problematic trait isn't that he coveted his wife's throne. it's that he's a misogynist who was physically violent with said wife after he groomed her as a child in retaliation for a conflict with his brother (and i happen to like the guy!!!). it's that he's dismissive of women in general, including laena and his daughters, and was downright nasty to rhea for the entirety of their marriage until he onscreen!murdered her. and okay, some of these, like aemond and aegon's, are fanon crimes, but none of this is ever brought up, none of this is addressed in any meaningful way, it's okay because he bends the knee to rhaenyra and builds her an army and swears to never leave her. redemption. he is a man cleansed of his sins and we must accept him as such.

i beg your absolute pardon??? alicent hightower will OFFER UP her sons to rhænyra for her and helaena’s lives???????

“Queen Alicent demanded that one of Lucerys Velaryon’s eyes should be put out, for the eye he had cost Aemond.”

“Queen Alicent echoed him. “Nor will they spare my children,” she declared. “Aegon and his brothers are the king’s trueborn sons, with a better claim to the throne than her brood of bastards. Daemon will find some pretext to put them all to death. Even Helaena and her little ones. One of these Strongs put out Aemond’s eye, never forget. He was a boy, aye, but the boy is the father to the man, and bastards are monstrous by nature.””

“Queen Alicent had commanded Larys Clubfoot to learn [Blood’s] true name, so that she might bathe in the blood of his wife and children, but our sources do not say if this occurred.”

“None was allowed to disturb [Aegon II’s] rest, save his mother the Queen Dowager and his Hand, Ser Criston Cole.”

“Words of these plans soon reached the ears of the Dowager Queen, filling her with terror. Fearing for her sons, Queen Alicent went to the Iron Throne upon her knees, to plead for peace. This time the Queen in Chains put forth the notion that the realm might be divided; Rhaenyra would keep King’s Landing and the crownlands, the North, the Vale of Arryn, all the lands watered by the Trident, and the isles. To Aegon II would go the stormlands, the westerlands, and the Reach, to be ruled from Oldtown. Rhaenyra rejected her stepmother’s proposal with scorn. “Your sons might have had places of honor at my court if they had kept faith,” Her Grace declared, “but they sought to rob me of my birthright, and the blood of my sweet sons is on their hands.” “Bastard blood, shed at war,” Alicent replied. “My son’s sons were innocent boys, cruelly murdered. How many more must die to slake your thirst for vengeance?” The Dowager Queen’s words only fanned the fire of Rhaenyra’s wroth.”

“And I of him”

Alicent saying she loved Viserys? Basically flagellating herself infront of Rhaenyra and Rhaenyra gets to scoff at her. She also wants to leave with only Helaena?? Not her other three children???

This isn’t character assassination, this is character disembowelment!! Alicent of season 1 has been flayed open and her organs strewn around the floor for Rhaenyra to spit on.

This is not a story about a civil war, it’s now a story about women being dragged into war by men and then everyone realizing ‘wow, war sucks’ omg so deep so much enlightenment.

The people responsible for the outrage are the television media, and the conservative pundits hoping to ignite controversy for political gain.

And doing so by throwing women under the bus, alongside queer, dark, and intersex people, as per usual.