m00na's special hell

Like, it's a line that already exists in ASOIAF. Cersei, who is notoriously well-adjusted and comfortability with her gender and sexuality, already has a similar line. "She had the heart of a warrior, but the gods in their blind malice have her the weak body of a woman.". You are not supposed to think that Cersei is enlightened, or that her conceptions are valid.

In history, it was said by a woman who never experienced child-birth. Rhaenyra has experienced this 6 times, in a world in which a guy with poultice and a saw is the best doctor around.

Also, her capabilities as a warrior are never in question. No one has ever said "Rhaenyra, dragon-battle is no place for a woman." And book!Rhaenyra would not have a tantrum over this.

Instead, it has always been: "Rhaenyra, you're the figurehead of our faction. The council of 101 established that the principle of proximity is tantamount when female lines are considered. Therefore, if you die, we have no legitimate claimant."

Chapters: 5/? Fandom: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (TV) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Major Character Death, Underage Sex Relationships: Kiera of Tyrosh/Valarr Targaryen, Aerion Targaryen (Son of Maekar I)/Original Female Character(s), Lyonel Baratheon/Original Female Character(s) Characters: Kiera of Tyrosh (A Song of Ice and Fire), Dunk | Duncan the Tall (A Song of Ice and Fire), Valarr Targaryen, Baelor "Breakspear" Targaryen, Aerion Targaryen (Son of Maekar I), Maekar I Targaryen, Daeron Targaryen (Son of Maekar I), Aegon V "Egg" Targaryen, Gwin Ashford | Androw and Robert Ashford's Sister Additional Tags: targaryen princess, Baratheon Overstimulation tent, targ daughter syndrome, POV Original Female Character, Age Difference, she's 17 sorry, but i won't mention it, Older Man/Younger Woman, toruneys, We're sleeping on this man, I'm making this aesthetic and adding moodboards later, PROMISE ME you'll come back and check it out, Maekarlings | Maekar I Targaryen's Children, Bratty Princess, but in a nice way, no beta we die like baelor, Timeline What Timeline, Warning: Lyonel Baratheon, kinda Dark Lyonel, but not really, Period Typical Attitudes, Period-Typical Sexism

  Summary:

Arriving at the Tourney of Ashford, Princess Maelithelle, Aerion's twin sister was resigned to her fate.

Sit and look pretty before she's tucked back into the jewellery box or her brother asks for her hand.

To be completely honest, i've always found the discourse around whether or not Viserys maritally raped Alicent to be uninteresting because:

The no camp is intellectually dishonest. They hide behind the facade of "actually, it's ok because in their religion and culture, consent does not exist in marriage. I refuse to comprehend that the medieval setting is in fact a social commentary." Tell any of these people "Ok! so therefore Cat's treatment of Jon is justified because their religion preaches that bastards are covetous and devious," and see how quick that line of thinking evaporates.

It's a moot point.

It's so clear that it is nigh impossible for Alicent to meaningfully consent to sex with Viserys. He's ~ 25 years older than her, her father's employer and her best friend's father, she lives in his house, and he's the king, as well as having years of sexual and romantic experience whilst her value is tied to her virginity.

It's not interesting or important whether Alicent could convince a jury of her peers under their legal and moral framework that she was raped. I do not believe that is how we are expected to digest and engage with the time period.

The far more interesting question is this: What does it mean to experience this injustice in a world that does not give you the vocabulary to rationalise it?

I hate HoTD, but in my opinion, it actually succeeds in raising this issue. s1 Alicent dresses very conservatively as an adult, suggesting shame. She is disconnected from the children the union produced. She self-projects onto Dyana. She is visibly distressed and frightened when he summons her to have sex, and when Rhaenyra alludes to it. She reacts very negatively to other women having sex. She becomes obsessed with the idea of duty.

Imho, Cersei is another example of this phenomenon, in that she victimises other and "fawns" attempting to use sex to gain power.

See also, Tyrion and Theon.

For a work that so deeply explores themes of trauma and how unaddressed it festers and corrupts; it baffles me how this is the one issue that people quibble over.

In response to a sentiment I see a lot from greens, and generally permeates online discussions. ( I need to stay off of reddit, ik) There is a trend of bafflement that the general audience is less forgiving of Aegon ii, who rapes a servant girl, and Daemon/Rhaenyra.

To be honest, I don't believe that this confusion is genuine. To me, it reads as reactionary in nature; greens fans attempts to display blacks as hypocritical and overly emotional. Even perfucntory.

The willingness to forgive crimes such as murder and disregard for life and unwillingness for rape and sexual assault is simply a natural expression of a sentiment that is commonplace: Villains which are intimate and personal are far more reviled than impersonal.

Murder, as portrayed in media, is often viewed as a necessity or means to an end. I need you dead so I can [goal]. This is much more justifiable and impersonal in the minds of an audience as the calculus is "your life is less important than [goal]'. I know how this sounds to defend, but the majority audience will never be in a position in which they have to forfeit their lives. It is, in a twisted way, a recognition of agency. An acknowledgement of the humanity and personhood of the victim.

Rape and sexual assault - on the contrary - are intimately cruel and dehumanising. The calculus is "your happiness, security, safety, wellbeing are less important than my temporary pleasure." The stakes are compounded in a medieval setting such as Westeros; in which contraception is largely non-existent and a woman's worth is tied to her virginity. Hence,, it is inherently dehumanising.

This doesn't even need to weigh into sexual assault. Joffrey's torment of Sansa is inherently personal and serves no larger purpose, which makes him far more hated. Theon murders two miller's boys to maintain his occupation. Joffrey is hated more than Theon. Hate to bring up HP but Umbridge's crimes are far more detestable due to the condescension, and Voldemort is a nazi.

Does this sound like a story that is in anyway remarkable in Westeros, a fortune in anyway a deviation for the noble lady? No?

WRONG I was talking about Androw Farman.

He's a failure and a terrible loser king, but an example of how alien and how oppressive the Westerosi system is, that the second a man - someone not brain-washed by septas to accept it - was thrust into it, he snapped.