I will never forgive HOTD for making me sit through TWO Rhaenyra births and TWO Rhaenyra weddings…

But never having us see Alicent’s wedding or births. Scenes that would have forced the fans to confront the true reality of how despicable her situation is. It would force viewers to see a child, devastated, as she walks down the aisle to her creepy old man of a husband. It would force viewers to watch a little girl have a child. Completely unprepared and alone, crying for her mother and finding no sympathy. She has no father to protect her. No mother to guide her and comfort her. No husband who cares about her.

It would force team black to stop seeing her as the evil seductress, for even a moment. And see her true vulnerability. See how she doesn’t, and never did, want this. See how these are not consequences of her actions, but instead the consequences of the men around her that she has to suffer for them. Because they don’t care about her. Viserys doesn’t care about her.

These are scenes that are meant to bring sympathy to her character. To give Alicent a reason to be righteously angry at the family and system that broke her down and stole her childhood. It gives Alicent a valid motive to fight aside from fear. And it takes away the chances for team black to deny her suffering at least a little bit.

Because as the current narrative sits, it’s easy to ignore Alicent’s experience and warp it into a much more pleasant story. They see Alicent “seducing” the king and then she is already married. And then she’s pregnant and the babies magically appear. No screaming or crying or bleeding involved. All is good. The teenager definitely didn’t suffer at all. And by doing this some people can’t sympathize as much or they are given allowances to intentionally not sympathize.

Instead. The current narrative allows for Alicent to be the seductress, the crazed woman, the jealous bitch, and the villain. But if we saw what she actually went through. Alone, scared, suffering, neglected, and holding it all in. We would be allowed to see her as she truly is. The victim. Finally crushing under the weight of it all and lashing out.

(And the narrative would be all the better for it because instead of feminist icon team vs crazy trad wife and co (as far as team black sees it), we would have woman fighting against patriarchal narrative for her own claim vs woman fighting against patriarchal narrative to destroy the people who hurt her)

Ah, the wars they will be fought again The holy dove, she will be caught again Bought and sold, and bought again The dove is never free — anthem by leonard cohen

Aegon is constantly accused of having sadistic tendencies, but even if we decide that the rumors about child fighting pits are true, how exactly does this differ from this:

So do I understand correctly that it's okay to enjoy watching brutal murders as far as they're technically legal? Even if it doesn't change the essence of what's happening? The moral standards of TB, which I'll never understand.

Princess Jaehaera, King Aegon II, and Queen Cassandra Baratheon

(Requested by Anonymous)

{I’m going to go back to writing my House of the Dragon fanfics instead of making memes now}

“Alicent is pure evil in the books, the show whitewashed her so much!! 😩🔥”

The books in question:

Prince Regent 👁️👄⚫️👑 ,, it looks much better on me than it did on him”

what do you think of this tik tok post about Team green being jealous of team black?.

https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSFt7fLYu/

So this TikToker's thesis is basically that the characters on team green is angry at the characters on team black when they should be angry at "the system that upholds the status quo," and thus their rage is misplaced. Why isn't Alicent angry at the patriarchy rather than being mad at Rhaenyra for not toeing the "conservative" line?

It's actually a bit crazy making, as someone with more than a passing knowledge of history, to see takes like this make the rounds and get traction. There are multiple layers of silliness but I'm going to focus on the assertion that their rage is misplaced, that they should be raging against "the system" instead.

First, let's get one thing out of the way. Of course the system is the issue. If you put Rhaenyra and Alicent in the modern world, half of their problems would disappear. Inheritance, bastardy, fuck, in most modern countries the monarchy wouldn't exist at all. Of course we have systemic issues in our world too, and so they'd have a whole slew of other problems.

The problem with applying a systemic critique to the actions of characters in Westeros is that you have to be aware that the system exists before you can rail against it. We, the audience, can understand that the problem is a systemic one, but we can't expect Alicent or Rhaenyra to understand that much less to act upon a systemic understanding of their issues. We're talking about a psuedo-historical period in which people still believed in the divine right of kings. Alicent and Rhaenyra are BOTH conservative by any meaningful metric. There was no such thing as liberalism in Westeros, no progressive movement. Smashing the patriarchy is about 4-5 social movements down the line for a people who haven't even had a schism in their church yet much less a protestant reformation, a scientific revolution, or an enlightenment, all of which were important stepping stones to the development of the idea that governments are systems that are controlled and determined by human beings, rather than a set of privileges granted to an elite class by god/the gods. You can't be angry at a system when you're not even aware there is a system. So from the start this argument is based on a false premise and while I could go into the specifics of how Rhaenyra's actions shouldn't be celebrated as liberated or progressive because even SHE doesn't see them that way, the so-called "game of thrones historian" needs to pick up an actual history book first before we can have that conversation.

Just the fact that HBO had to change blacks characters and their actions completely so they can be likable says a lot about them, don't you think so?

It’s not fair that they added this sweet potentially autistic character that has moon symbolism and a blue silver dragon just for her to have like three lines.

Shout out to the post-Dance Hightowers who did not even attempted to free Alicent from her imprisonment. They really said "Thanks, but you can keep her. Good luck with her, tho!" 😬

Why should Team Green be on the throne?

YOU’VE ESCAPED CONTAINMENT! They know about you on other social media platforms as well!! 🤣🤣🤣

lmao i'm honored to be included on that list with so many people i respect in the fandom <3

"Average Team Green fan is bastardphobic" "Team Green thinks irl bastards are worse than other people" "Team Green fans are bad people because they actually don't like bastards"

Not sure if y'all know this but... fiction is not real life, and recognizing or discussing the actual dynamics of a cruel and unjust fictional world as it is written by the author does not equal an endorsement, promotion, or adoption of those elements or beliefs as they exist in that fictional world or in real life.

In real life, I and likely most if not all Team Green supporters could care less about the institution of marriage as one of making legitimately born babies. Personally I don't care if your parents were married to each other. Many people don't get married and still have families together. Children are children, people are people. Luckily in the modern world, in many places, having children out of wedlock is not really even that much of a taboo anymore. People can do what they want as long as they're happy. If I get married and/or have kids ever, that's my own business. I have no specific duties expected of me by my family or the world and the messages coming from society that I as a woman need to be married and make babies before I get too old? I can just ignore that. Nothing happens if I do.

In the fictional world of ASOIAF though, this is very clearly and unequivocally not the case at all. Westeros is obsessed with blood and bloodlines. Blood brings power. Blood continues power. The blood and the name together bring power. Great houses intermarry to bring themselves more power and alliances, under the agreement that the next generation will share the blood of their parents and families and that blood will preserve their power and status as it has for generations. This is essential to feudalism and the way that power and inheritance works (in Westeros and in the real-life history upon which it was based).

This is why it's such a taboo to have or be a bastard in Westeros, and why it's illegal to try to place a bastard in the line of succession. Marriage alliances are built on the principle that the trueborn children made from those matches will come from those particular parents and pass down that particular family's blood. If someone without that blood tried to claim that name and power, people would view that as the family losing the power they've held for generations. They would see it as an injustice. Wars would be willing to be fought over it. It's an indisputable fact that in this world trying to place a bastard in the line of succession will lead to bloodshed. This is especially the case for the Iron Throne. If you don't agree, read the source material and rethink how this world views women, bastards, bloodlines, and the right to the throne.

I'm not sure when people started thinking that the discussion of in-universe conflicts and issues as they exist in fictional worlds actually reflects on an individual's real life personal values or feelings. People knowledgeable of the world of ASOIAF criticize the character of Rhaenyra for birthing three obvious bastards (while she is already on rocky political ground as the first woman named heir) and then attempting to unsuccessfully gaslight everyone into thinking they are legitimate heirs despite the opposite being so clearly true. This criticism stems from knowledge and awareness of the world, beliefs, and laws of Westeros (that Rhaenyra herself also knew but believed herself to be the exception to). Yet when people point out how dangerous or stupid it was of her character to do this, knowing everything that is known about the world of ASOIAF and this specific conflict, suddenly stans feel the need to defend the vision of her that exists in their heads (one incorrectly furthered by the show's adaptation of the character as a modern feminist girlboss who can do no wrong) and make up fake scenarios or claims about the world of ASOIAF or about the critics to support their incorrect takes.

Saying Team Green fans, those who are not a fan of Team Black, or those who criticize the show's adaptation are bastardphobic in real life is similar to those Team Black stans who claim that Aegon's actor is a morally corrupt rape apologist because he plays a character who got written to be a rapist (likely after he was cast, by the way) or people who say authors shouldn't write a scene about murder or murderers because it endorses or promotes such behavior. Y'all really out here rewriting the Hays Code and essentially campaigning for censorship of media because you can't distinguish between real life and fiction. It's crazy that media literacy is at such an appalling state, though unfortunately it's clear that certain forms of internet fandom have really exacerbated issues that have already existed. Now, any character can be shoehorned into specific categories or types or memes that fit their understanding of media and those who disagree or desire actual thought, complexity, and analysis to go into stories or characters apparently shouldn't have a voice or platform to express their point of view, or if they do, it means something about them as a real-life human beyond this person is interested in discussing the story.

I've previously expressed that despite the fact that I love this story as a truly a morally gray conflict with gray characters that tells a rich sociopolitical story of a family tearing itself apart for power, and despite the fact that there are no winners, heroes, or correct sides to this conflict, I would call myself a Team Green supporter. And largely this is due to the lack of media literacy and understanding of the source material that the writers and general audience (see: uncritical Team Black fans) seem to have and the absolutely insufferable ways that they seem to constantly want to demonstrate to everyone that actually they're right and correct in their surface-level takes.

Team black and Team green: *wanting house Martell to join them on their side to fight*

Prince Qoren Martell:

✨Both made by me✨

✨Bonus one- also made by me✨