honestly sometimes there's no better feeling than rereading a fic you've written and coming out of it going, "yeah that actually this DOES slap. exactly what i wanted to read. fucking nailed it."
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@catelynsghost
honestly sometimes there's no better feeling than rereading a fic you've written and coming out of it going, "yeah that actually this DOES slap. exactly what i wanted to read. fucking nailed it."
The first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was even more perfect than I could have dreamed⚔️
Elia week2026 | Day 2: Family
The very first meeting between the Princess of Dorne, Elia Martell, and Queen Rhaella Targaryen.
— By the talented @adelikashere for @eliaweek
【2026.5.10】
This is why I actually prefer the Rhaenyra fans pre-HotD, they didn’t mind that she was a terrible ruler nor were they trying to insist she had more in common with Catelyn than Cersei 🤦🏽♀️
The current ones however…
Now… Any criticism of Rhaenyra gets treated as support for her enemies, while any acknowledgment of her privileges, mistakes, is misogyny. And increasingly, people try to recast her as a character she simply isn’t.
I’ve genuinely seen a lot arguments trying to position Rhaenyra as having more in common with Catelyn Stark than Cersei Lannister, which is strange because one of the most interesting things about Rhaenyra is that she’s written to foreshadow for what will happen to Cersei and she also share a lot of traits with her characteri: entitlement, paranoia, a willingness to use intimidation and a belief that power rightfully belongs to her and her bloodline.
But reducing Rhaenyra to a perpetually victimized underdog strips away a lot of what makes her interesting in the first place.
The older fandom seemed more comfortable with evil women being evil women (both she and her brother aren’t that much different.) You could like Rhaenyra without pretending she was an ideal ruler. You could acknowledge the sexism she faced without turning every criticism of her into an attack on women as a whole.
Ironically, I think that version of the character was far more interesting than the sanitized version people defend today.
Even before the show, most readers understood that Book!Alicent was a political rival to Rhaenyra, not a fairy-tale villain evil stepmother whose entire role was tormenting her stepdaughter.
How Misogyny Forged the Dance of the Dragons | House of the Dragon Series
After a long time—and two seasons later—I decided to put myself through both the displeasure and pleasure of watching House of the Dragon. The reason I say “displeasure” is because of how vividly graphic the series is in its violence and abuse, mostly against women. Yes, the series depicts the brutal deaths of men, but it’s how it displays women—as objects and tools for men—that stands out. And it doesn’t hide it. The story literally revolves around two women, both mothers, who begin as childhood friends and end up on opposing sides of a war for the Iron Throne.
I did watch Game of Thrones, and the throne melting into a puddle was the best ending for the franchise. It was the symbol of power that so many craved—the reason countless lives ended brutally and without remorse. It tore apart families, turned friends into enemies, and planted dangerous ideas. It wasn’t the throne itself; it was the meaning behind it. It became the center of attraction for the worst kind of souls.
Before I get into the nitty-gritty of this post, I have to talk about the ignitor that started it all in House of the Dragon—the one responsible for the downfall of many family lines: Ser Otto Hightower. He is proof that reason and logic can be just as corrupted as irrationality.
Otto is a self-serving man. He may be well-spoken and a grieving husband, but that’s the deceiving part of his character. His intention from day one was to ensure the rift between Viserys and Daemon expanded. Otto may have served three kings, but that’s the problem. He had his daughter with him at King’s Landing and placed her near Princess Rhaenyra. I didn’t have to see it to know he planted Alicent like a pawn. The moment she walked into his office and he told her to comfort King Viserys after the death of the queen—specifying what she should wear, even mentioning her mother’s green gown—I knew he was making her look enticing for the king to get her into position. I see this series as a chessboard, and the characters are chess pieces. Otto treats his daughter like a chess piece to move into position. Alicent is the well-groomed chess piece. Naive and anxious. She destroys her fingers. That's a tic from distress.
However, despite the suffering that comes along, Alicent does what she’s told without objection. She’s the embodiment of a compliant girl—obedient, submissive, and self-suppressing. She clings to dignity, righteousness, and the rigid morality of what a lady’s role should be. She often uses the word sacrifice to challenge Rhaenyra, because Rhaenyra is her opposite. Rhaenyra represents everything Alicent envies and feels compelled to condemn through the ideals she clings to.
Rhaenyra desires freedom from her roles. She doesn’t want marriage; she enjoys wearing pants, carrying a blade, and exploring the wild. As an adult, she says that if she were born a man, she would have been handed a sword the moment she could hold one. She says it often: “If I were born a man instead of a woman.” When she escapes the castle with her uncle, she relishes the freedom. As a lady, she’s always guarded—like a caged bird. She wants to lie with whomever she chooses, without consequence. Men can be physical with whoever they want, and no one bats an eye. But women are expected to maintain their virtue—essentially, their virginity.
When Rhaenyra chooses to indulge in physical affection and abandon her “virtuous” duty, Alicent spirals into judgment and shame toward her childhood friend. I don’t blame Rhaenyra for not being honest with her, because Alicent married into the family. The day Viserys declared Alicent his next wife, their trust fractured. Rhaenyra wasn’t naïve—she knew Alicent had been placed before the king by Otto’s design. Once Alicent became queen, Rhaenyra couldn’t trust her with secrets or her true self. Even though she missed her childhood friend, she kept her distance. That’s why she lied about the brothel and didn’t reveal she lost her virginity to Ser Criston Cole.
Cole is the perfect reflection of Alicent’s blinding righteousness. Both represent moral superiority twisted by guilt. Cole killed Laenor’s knight and lover after realizing he was the one Rhaenyra cared for, becuase they were trying to figure out who. However, when Rhaenyra rejected Cole's self-serving marriage proposal, he spiraled—losing all honor and reason. His shame for breaking his vow of chastity turned into hatred. Instead of blaming himself, he blamed Rhaenyra. Because he had to work his way up—thanks to Rhaenyra—he let guilt guide his reason. When she married Laenor, which was a lavender marriage, he saw her as the root of all evil. He calls her a spider and treats her children cold with spite.
I feel so bad for Rhaenyra, who should have left King’s Landing after her first child was born. Her family endured endless scrutiny, yet she never reduced herself to Alicent’s level.
Ser Otto Hightower sowed countless misconceptions into Alicent—convincing her that Rhaenyra would kill her children, which never crossed Rhaenyra’s mind. Every misconception fueled Alicent’s behavior. Even her mishearing of Viserys’s dying words led her to justify her actions. And who killed one of Rhaenyra’s children first? Aemond. Alicent’s second son killed Luke. Her firstborn, Aegon, assaults servants, and she doesn’t see that her sons are cruel while Rhaenyra’s are better men. Aemond lost his eye because of his own cruelty and stole a dragon during mourning. Alicent’s sons embody entitlement—the twisted version of her righteousness.
Eventually, all the misconceptions her father had planted came crashing down. Otto was exiled from King’s Landing by his own grandson—a fitting end for a man who calculated his family’s climb to power. His decisions were biased, favoring entitled male behavior over women’s autonomy. Even with Daemon, he failed to grasp that a woman’s life in society carries dire consequences for wanting agency. Alicent constantly framed Rhaenyra as someone to be downgraded and removed from the path to the throne, still playing into her father’s ideals.
She, too, sinned—ashamed of enjoying her desires with Ser Criston Cole, the same knight who deceives himself constantly. I honestly want that character gone; I’m tired of hearing him speak and act. Everything he does shows how blind people become to their own biases. He’s not a poorly written character—he’s doing his job well, making me despise him. That’s the point. Cole represents how dangerously blind someone can become when they focus all their hate on someone who simply wants freedom—to make her own choices, not to be judged so harshly.
In the end, Rhaenyra will die because of the misconceptions others uphold, because she became the vessel for their shame, guilt, and mistakes. Alicent only heard a prophecy—one word, “Aegon”—and that was enough. No thinking, no questioning. Deep down, she always wanted the throne. She wanted a reason to take Rhaenyra’s inheritance. Deep down, she wanted to destroy her childhood friend. All she needed was one word to justify her darkness.
Alicent represents the woman who acts as the pillar upholding misconceptions that keep men in power.
Rhaenys was the queen who never was—but she would have made a good ruler with her chosen consort rather than Viserys. Why? Because Ser Otto Hightower would have never been the Hand. Rhaenys' husband would most likely have been her Hand. Even she recognized that all she would inherit was a burden. Corlys would’ve inherited that burden too.
Viserys allowed the people around him to divide him and his brother. The people around them wanted that division. Viserys tried to break the cycle by supporting a woman’s claim, his daughter and first child, to the throne and removing gender as a limitation. Alicent and her family made that transition harder, costing many lives. And whose fault is it? Her father’s—Ser Otto Hightower’s. By upholding his ideals, Alicent became responsible for the deaths of her children, grandchildren, Rhaenyra’s family, and the realm itself.
I hope people see how structures divide women and prevent women from helping each other. Mostly, I hope people understand that Alicent was shaped by her father, and all her fears and misconceptions were sown by him. The enemy of Westeros is the Hightower family line. It caused the war in the first place. And I saw how each step led to that war. And it led to the death of an innocent woman caught in the middle of it. Yes, Rhaenyra is the victim of everyone in this series. She pays the price with her own life and family because of old ideals and the pursuit of power.
Lmafo @sansa-stark-is-me
(The enemy of Westeros is the Hightower family line. It caused the war in the first place. And I saw how each step led to that war. And it led to the death of an innocent woman caught in the middle of it. Yes, Rhaenyra is the victim of everyone in this series.)
My favourite bit of this gem
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vaquera fall ⋆ winter 2024
My prediction of what happens at the beginning of S3:
Jace dies and all hell breaks loose
Alicent for some reason has a change of heart so tells Aemond to leave Kingslanding
Rhaenyra seizes Kingslanding and doubles down once she realises her brothers escaped
We’ll probably get a scene where Alicent tries to convince Rhaenyra she didn’t know Aegon and Aemond wouldn’t be there but she doesn’t believe her
Rhaenyra feeds Aegon’s supporters rats whilst forcing Alicent to be a maid OR Alicent dresses as a maid as part of her escape plan
Alicent then tries to flee with Helaena and Jaehaera but is obviously caught
Rhaenyra keeps Helaena as a hostage and orders Alicent to bring her Daeron and Aemond
Alicent first goes to Harrenhall to get Aemond and then the Reach for Daeron, with Daemon accompanying her
We’ll then get the imposter!Daeron plot
What happens next is anyone’s guess, either Alicent does another 180 in personality and now decides to protect her sons by not revealing the fake Daeron’s identity or she continues her role as a traitor. It will depend on whether or not HBO’s higher ups force C&H to fix Season 2’s backlash, or the writers refuse to budge because their narcissism means they can’t accept they made a mistake.
Either way I do believe we’ll finally get a Rhaenyra with a bite in her, no more sobbing mess whinging about peace.
I do like your topic 8 and 9 connections.
Makes a lot of sense that the whole fake Darrin plot was created so Alicent has something to do in this season.
Notice how many characters are going to be interacting in Harrenhal. Think about it. Why this happening now?
Going deep down on Alicent mind, after s2, at this point whatever else could show to us here?
This season has a battler in almost every episode. But somehow we are getting tg character dive in. Isn't interesting? 🤔
I think this is a safe prediction. We know the Gullet is episode 1, and my guess is that it'll take up the last 20-25 minutes. They may or may not leave Jace's survival ambiguous for show only viewers, only to officially confirm with the very beginning of episode 2 that he didn't make it. Although the background is blurry, Rhaenyra's anguished "have you not betrayed your queen" appears to be at Dragonstone.
My guess based on this scene plus some of things that Jace's actor has said in interviews is that he+ the Black council decided to go ahead with the Gullet first, while keeping Rhaenyra locked away. This of course results in his death and all the devastation. I also think this will cause her to break her end of the deal and leave for Kingslanding earlier on the 2nd day (I don't know if it was meant to be on the third day or AFTER 3 days) That being said a LOT can happen in 3 days.
2. All I feel safe predicting is that it's Aemond. I've seen people suggest its Helaena, but I'm sorry its not her who thinks she's invincible. PLUS it works against the Rhaencient logic that Rhaenyra is safer. And as how they'll play her warning - again who knows after season 2.
I think her warning to Aemond could have multiple reasons. One) She needs him to leave so the city can be surrendered and because she (and Aemond even if he wont admit it) knows holding it on Vhagar alone is impossible. This is the safest prediction for me as it was part of the deal. B) If they want to keep her concern for smallfolk consistent, she knows that her son deciding to engage in dragonfire against 6+ dragons = horrible devastation for people of Kingslanding plus itll doom Helaena and Jaehaera C) Kingslanding is also important politically, its a symbol of legitimacy. The king/queen rules from Kingslanding. But again, I dont have any expectations.
I've seen both shippers and antis (or basically anyone with a little sense who doesn't like that effing storyline) speculate that she's deliberately leading him to Harrenhal (even though using the writers own logic, the only son Alicent was forced to sacrifice is Aegon. A son for a son.) but the thing is yes Alicent tells Rhaenyra he'll be in the Riverlands but she doesn't specify Harrenhal. Remember from the book Daemon and Nettles spent a long time trying to find Aemond in the riverlands and were failing.
Obviously getting rid of Aemond will be a priority for the Blacks but imo they're not going to devote all their dragons to him first. For instance In the book, 3 dragons were considered sufficient for defense of Kingslanding (Syrax, Seasmoke, Tyraxes) We could have Aemond correctly predict this move, although the only dragon he'll ultimately be right about is Syrax.
4. I definitely think we will get a scene where Rhaenyra accuses Alicent of breaking her deal, but as to how they play it who knows. Like is the latter going to lie and say she didn't know he would be missing which is honestly plausible when you think about it but whatever but the real truth is that she was never truly intending on following through anyway? This would be a good way to run back 2x08. Or Alicent was resigned to it so she is telling the truth to Rhaenyra but she also tells her that despite this she's still happy he got away and not sorry she can't bring herself to regret it? Again after season 2, its really hard to tell. But season 3 does have new ones.
5. I DO think rat feast + maid Alicent is real. Like I explained in my comments, its a VERY toned down version of brothel queens where you still achieve the same objective (humiliation and we all know these s2 writers have a kink for it so it would fit the pattern). However I don't think itll be part of an escape attempt with Alicent.
Instead based on the trailers and stills, Alicent, Helaena and Jaehaera will attempt to escape BEFORE the fall of Kingslanding. I think they will manage to get Jaehaera out however something will happen and they can't go with her. Although I wouldnt put it past the writers to not have Rhaenyra put a bounty as she did in the book, either way Jae can't be in kingslanding the story wouldn't work for multiple reasons.
This will be their later second failed escape attempt, where they will be caught and brought to the throne room. Helaena's hair and cloak is the same plus although we can't see Alicent's braid looking at it I can see her a)earrings b)it looks like the same cloak. IDK I feel confident that these two pictures are connected.
6. I mean the safest bet is that Helaena will be a hostage. Alicent going to Harrenhal seems confirmed, but logically IDK why Rhaenyra would send her. Like I said in the comments, it makes more sense for it to be a form of punishment and control. To keep Alicent and Helaena from each other (it depends on whenever they really commit to Rhaenyra the Cruel) Not to mention control, there should be people in the castle who are still sympathetic to Alicent and people can be powerful symbols so I'd want her removed where people can't help her.
cersei
THE DAUGHTERS OF ALYSANNE AND JAEHAERYS: SAERA
Such a fierce little thing she is, they say, she has no need of comfort. They are wrong in that, I fear. All men need comfort
with Elle Fanning and Roxane Mesquida as Saera and Anamaria Vartolomei as young Saera
is jorah considered lower born than lynesse on account of house mormont being poor(er)?
@chena-h i’m sure he’s also just being self deprecating about the whole thing on account of the age gap too but when he explains it to dany he really talks about himself like,,,,,,he’s petyr baelish trying to win over cat ya know. i wonder how much of that is the truth, how much of it is perhaps like north/south sort of stuff, and how much is just his own opinion of himself. he mentions bear island is remote and too far north as part of why it’s poor, and we know from aly that they get attacked regularly by ironborn which i’m sure doesn’t help. but mormonts marry starks plenty so i doubt it’s the nobility of the background rather than the wealth aspect.
Yes. Even if the Mormonts and Hightowers were more equal in terms of wealth, Lynesse was absolutely of a higher birth.
I do agree that Jorah is trying to make himself more sympathetic but I don't think he's being self-deprecating here tbh.
The Mormonts are an old house (Eddard II) whereas the Hightowers are ancient (like the Starks for example) and that distinction does tend to matter. For example, Robb tries defending his marriage by reminding Catelyn the Westerlings are "better blood" than the Freys, since they're an "ancient line, descended from the First Men." In contrast, the Freys date back six centuries which is still a long time (longer than the Targs were on the throne anyway) but still considered a blip.
So, Jorah was being honest when he was like "yeah I don't know how her dad said yes".
but mormonts marry starks plenty so i doubt it’s the nobility of the background
AFAIK there's one recorded instance of a Mormont marrying a Stark (Alaric Stark) so I'm not sure if that's technically true? TBH I'm blanking on which of their vassals tended to marry into Winterfell the most.
the Valyrian steel sword
TBH I think Longclaw is more of an "that single important heirloom held by an otherwise poor family" than an indication the Mormonts being on the same level. I mean the Hightowers had their own sword in Vigilance.
People can never decide what Alicent is either she’s an all-powerful mastermind manipulating everyone around her and somehow more responsible for the dance than the king himself, or she’s an irrelevant npc who supposedly did nothing during the Dance and only matters because the show expanded her role.
The hypocrisy is insane. They inflate her agency when they want to blame her for everything, then strip it away when they want to dismiss her importance entirely. And the misogyny spills over onto Olivia Cooke too, because people say genuinely vile things about her and imply she only got the role through favoritism instead of talent.
Dare I say it this post could be addressed at some TG fans @sansa-stark-is-me
arya stark and nymeria
which starkling (incl. jon) reunion with lady stoneheart are we most likely to see in twow (which is definitely coming out soon)? what do you think is the endgame for lady stoneheart?
arya, 100%. arya's the character who had a whole character arc journey in the riverlands during ACOK/ASOS and saw the extent to which the war was ruining the lives of the smallfolk regardless of side. she's the character who has met the brotherhood and has bonds with characters like edric, genry, and thoros. arya's the character who dragged catelyn out of the river through waring through nymeria, and saw her mother's corpse, and in some respects, helped pave the way to LSH's whole situation because nymeria recovered cat's body. arya's the character who has had to consider the cost of vengeance and how much a life is worth, arya's the character who has thought about taking lives (as LSH does), arya's the character who has the most connections, both just in terms of her character having made bonds and thematically, it makes sense.
but also i just don't think other characters are positioned for it. bran's stuck north of the wall. rickon is probably unlikely to leave the north and is potentially marked for death or madness depending on how badly his shaggydog tale on skagos has gone. jon is a little more likely, but it depends on the timing of jon's resurrection and how long it takes him to deal with the battle of the bastards, the campaign in the north, etc. sansa could arguably deal with her entrapment in the vale in time for her to see her mother in the riverlands - but i also just think that given arya has all those existing ties, it also deprives arya of an interesting arc to give that to sansa? besides, it is arya who is both positioned both logistically (not far from braavos - one sea journey, arya's already beginning to question the house of black/white, nymeria's in the riverlands) and thematically. sansa's relationship with her mother is relatively uncomplicated, one of admiration and seeking approval (sansa's more interesting parental relationship is with ned imho), whereas i think arya's trickier relationship with cat has something that ought to be resolved.
previously, arya has previously questioned her relationship with catelyn, wondering if she's a bastard as a small child, wondering if her mother would accept her if she's dirty - a child's insecurities but ones that speak to how fraught things appear - and yet taken on the mantle of 'cat of the canals' in her honour. it would honestly be deeply fitting, given arya's investment for the smallfolk, and as a refutation of the idea that she's not cat's child (when she's fearless like cat and has a temper like cat and takes initiative like cat and knows how to observe and assess like cat - she IS cat's child) for arya to inherit the brotherhood from lady stoneheart and direct them to a truer purpose - in this case, that would just be arya getting them to commit to fighting against the long night. it also allows arya to put her previous idea of vengeance and murmured list of people she wants dead away. it works really well thematically for arya as well as a good response to the idea of tyranny through violence.
for all these reasons i think arya is going to be the character who will put lady stoneheart out of her misery. she will kill her just as she fished her body out of the river. i also think it's quite possible she will take robb's crown, the nailed crown of bronze and iron, from LSH, and then crown the next king in the north (imo that's jon but that's the subject of another post)
old fandoms w me are like three categories like 1. the ones I would absolutely still hang out in when the interest grabs me again (which is most of them tbh) 2. the ones I was in for maybe a couple months and then never thought about again and 3. divorce and a restraining order