#madkingplay

The play is simply madness and I don’t care if this comes off ignorant but if that play DO happens to be canon, if how Elia and Ashara and Lyanna and the gang were butchered is canon… George, my bro, just keep WOW and DOS in draft. Don’t even release them atp.

The characterization of Rlia, Ashara, and Lyanna in the play is as simple as this: try to make the audience pity poor and naive Rhaegar as possible. Poor Rhaegar, he was manipulated by the selfish and greedy women around his life 🥺 he’s so baby, he can do no wrong.

The play sounded quite frankly like a fanfic written by a thirteen year old. I have read fanfics in the ASOIAF fandom that were ASTRONOMICALLY written better, fics that felt like George was writing them himself. One could also argue that there’s been a long streak, a long line of evidence pointing to the conclusion that GRRM always intended for Rhaegar to be portrayed as this innocent and unassuming guy who did no wrong. I’ve heard from many ppl that have been in the fandom for long that there’s been multiple instances where GRRM has declared that Rhaegar + Lyanna were a love story, an almost mirror to Romeo and Juliet. But here’s the thing, GRRM himself could come to my front door and say that Rhaeger was right all along, that him taking Lyanna was the right way, and I would only hate the mf more.

But im getting out of topic here? , here are my thoughts on the play and the fandoms reaction:

1. The play seemed (to me) to be written by a straight, white male or a bunch of straight, white males. Because only that demographic would come up with such idiotic plots and characterization.

2. The play obviously favors Rhaeger, and that take isn’t solely because of my dislike for Rhaeger, it’s seeing the thread detailing the play and realizing that a majority of the characters were assassinated for the sole purpose of making Rhaeger look ‘good’ or more better.

3. I might be made fun of but the characterization of the Dornish characters (Elia and Ashara) read very much like Orientalism (omg Edward Said, if only u were still alive). Apparently according to GRRM and the Mad King writers, all Dornish characters are bisexual, polyamorous, and sexually open minded, they’re so sexually open minded that they’re okay with their husband running off with a teenage girl. They’re so sexually open minded that they become ‘pen pals’ with said teenage girl. Omg all Dornish ppl are hot g bisexuals with no brains, representation 😙🎊😙🎊

4. I would’ve much preferred if they portrayed Elia to be a meek fool or an arrogant fool, whichever is best, because then the route of her actions actually makes sense. You can’t make a character ‘politically savvy’ and then proceed to make her pull one of the most dumbest move ever. If Elia is ‘politically savvy’ then Cersei is Machiavelli reborn :)

5. I’ve been concentrating solely on Elia and not the other characters, specifically the female characters. Rhaella (mother of Daenerys) suddenly being the abuser and abusing Viserys (and Aerys suddenly being the chill one???). Rhaella cursing her unborn child (Daenerys) to go mad or something of that nature, genuinely what even is this play?

This isn’t even the entirety of my thoughts on the play, I just stopped here because I have some things to do, but my goodness, what a disappointment.