artemis

professional lurker and cal kestis enthusiast

[bitterhalf]

im sorry it's so funny to me how aemond and aegon are having a telepathic argument about which of them was their mother's favorite child and all the while she literally traded them both in a heartbeat for helaena's life weeks ago

[artemis-muse]

Rhaenyra viewing herself as a curse on her children, too afraid to even meet the eyes and hear the voice of her last brown-haired boy

oh they’re cooking

[artemis-muse]

being in your 20s is so funny because suddenly everyone is getting married and having kids but you’re here googling “early signs of strep” and “how long can soup last in fridge” and “does too much caffeine make your right arm feel weird”

[esvvel]

"Thousands died. Yet none of these losses were felt so deeply as that of Jacaerys Velaryon, Prince of Dragonstone and heir to the Iron Throne."

This scene was so heartbreaking but at the same time so devastatingly beautiful. I HAD to draw it.

[artemis-muse]

so season three is really just religious zealot vs religious zealot huh

[artemis-muse]

Personally loved seeing the slow, crumbling decay of the crown’s status be mirrored by Rhaenyra’s growing panic and paranoia

Everytime she gets caught in another Green scheme or sees the rats scampering in the hall, I imagine her mind screaming “was it worth it? was it worth it? was it worth it?” while her heart never manages to say yes

Rhaenyra has everything she wanted but it’s not how she imagined and isn’t that tragic

[artemis-muse]

Maybe I’m beating the dead horse but I keep thinking about the parallels between Rhaenyra and Viserys as parents.

Viserys failed Rhaenyra. Him “steadfastly upholding” his decision to name her heir was constantly overshadowed by what he let slide. He never reprimanded Alicent for her slanders or the attack at Driftmark. He brought back Otto, despite knowing about his complete self-interest re: his grandchildren on the throne. He allowed Rhaenyra to be bullied out of her place at court, ignoring the hostility between the two branches of his family, and therefore weakened her position in the public and noble eye. The times he did step were often too late, and without much of a punishment. Viserys the Peaceful got his name for continuing the peace, but he did so at the cost of never seeking justice for his daughter when she was wronged. If Rhaenyra had been born a man, these insults would have never been tolerated.

Rhaenyra is a good mother - she loves her kids more than anything. But she also weakened their claim, just as Viserys did hers. Raising her children away from King’s Landing removed their access and influence in court. Sure, they can learn the histories and High Valyrian from anywhere, but now they’ve grown up to be faceless names. Aegon, no matter what you think of him, grew up with a continued presence in court and has therefore been constantly evaluated, tested, judged, and respected (if you can call it that). The people know him. Jace is just a boy living across the sea with dubious parentage and no public knowledge of his character, his strength, his diplomacy, or anything else. Rhaenyra expected her already-weakened claim to hold steady for her already-weakened children without a maintained presence and fight. She did a wonderful job raising her kids, but her protection cost them their future.

If it’s not obvious, I think about her choice to leave King’s Landing way too much. I can’t blame her for it though. Jace and Luke would not be the kind, goodhearted boys they were if they’d stayed. King’s Landing and its court were a poison that had already begun to sink in by the time they left. It was better for them to go, just as maybe it was better for them to not live through the brutality and pain that would have come from trying to defend their claim, even long after the war ended.

I wonder what she would have done differently, knowing that the price of all of it would be her boys

[puncertainty]

continuing traditions

[artemis-muse]

AND ANOTHER THING

was so excited to see rhaenyra carrying a sword until I realized it belonged to jace

[audreyvoilax]

Obsessed w them

[artemis-muse]

Jace trying to feel worthy his whole life then saying “was this not always our purpose?” before putting his life at risk… oh I’m not hungry

[artemis-muse]

Seeing Jace hate and idk guys but if my mom started saying she was putting her faith and trust in the same woman who spent my whole life attacking my legitimacy, targeted my family to the point we had to move and leave court for years, then helped steal OUR birthrights for her known grapist son… yeah I’d be pissed too.

All seriousness though, I think Jace is a beautifully complex character that gets written off too much because people only read him at face value. They see his outbursts (where yes, he says some bad things) as true values, not the projections of an insecure, scared 16 year old who doesn’t feel worthy of his position. He calls bastards “mongrels”, but let’s keep in mind he’s probably been called that and worse by his future subjects, his so-called family, and members of the royal court. If “mongrels” can take his place, then what purpose does he serve? Why should anyone even want him? He’s not allowed to fight, he can’t leave Dragonstone, and he’s too young and inexperienced to be a true, respected advisor. He doesn’t feel like anyone needs/wants him. The addition of common-born dragon riders just reaffirms his perceived uselessness. All those times he lashed out are just the culmination of his stress, fear, and a desperation to keep his ever-shrinking foothold.

The unfortunate timeline of the show makes us skip over a lot of would-be pivotal development scenes, but it’s not hard to realize that his life has been hell throughout the decades of offscreen jumps. Jace is definitely a product of relentless harassment re: parentage and I think Rhaenyra failed to come to his defense just as Viserys failed to come to hers!!

[shmooseee]

carl…(foggy)

[dudethatsmypillowcase]

They just started Star Trek.

Also more Adrian NOWWWWWWWWWW I love the idea everyone has that they are 1. Triangle and 2. Giant compared to Rocky.

[atomikats]

curiouser and curiouser

[nebulations]

[ID: A Project Hail Mary comic titled "After the Explosion". Grace and Stratt stand together, and Stratt lights a cigarette and says, "Dr. Grace, please ensure I am not bothered." Grace: "Yeah OK--" Stratt: "I am allotting myself 3 minutes to mourn." Grace asks with surprised suspicion, "Wait. 3 minutes?" Stratt: "Yes."

Grace: "Last time we lost someone you only asked for 1." Stratt: "Yes. I allow myself 1 minute per significant loss." Grace: "Oh okay." He frowns, then starts counting off on his fingers: "DuBois... Shapiro..." He turns to Stratt, who's turning away, and asks, "Wait a second, who's the third?" Stratt walks away, and Grace repeats concernedly, "Stratt? Who's the third??" Stratt thinks to herself while smoking, "Can't believe I gotta kill this guy." End ID]

[hollenix]

for the good of all mankind

[bluemuffin-draws]

Dancing (centrifuging) with you

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