"And...someone Cut Down The Fucking Ratcatchers."

alicent & motherhood

thinking abt that tiktok someone made about why we never see alicent giving birth, but we see aemma, laena and rhaenyra TWICE and how it's a way to disconnect alicent from motherhood, but also a way to keep the audience from perhaps empathising with her.

THIS alicent...

... is the alicent that gave birth to all her children. alicent was like 15/16 giving birth to aegon, and 18/19 giving birth to daeron. ik the hotd timeline/character ages are kinda cooked but like she was a mother of four before turning 20.

when alicent was pregnant with her fourth child, rhaenyra was pregnant with her first. not to mention that rhaenyra chose the father of her children, and while of course there was pressure on her to get pregnant, alicent had absolutely no choice in it. not when, or with who. would it have continued? would she have had more children if viserys didn't get so sick?

anyway. i just think it's weird that people have literally NO empathy for her, especially when it comes to her and her children.

For all TB fans saying "Rhaenyra wouldn't kill children." Your legit wrong.

She didn't care that Jaehaerys died in the books only that it made her look bad, and she felt bad for Helaena nothing else. She put a price on Jaehaera and Maelors heads, yes a 6 and 2 year old were sentenced to die cause she didn't want any chance of her losing the throne. When people did find Maelor they cut him in pieces and handed him piece by piece to Rhaenyra and she paid them for their "work".

Also she's not the feminist you think she is, she legit would tell woman asking if they could inherit there families seats "a son comes before a daughter." So why the hell should Rhaenyra be any different? Why does she get the throne if a son comes before a daughter?

You all really hold her on this pedestal that isn't even hers, she's not a Child loving kind queen, she's not a feminist girl boss queen. She's a cruel queen, so much so she was called "Rhaenyra the Cruel." And "Maegor with teats." You know how much bad and cruel shit you got to do to be called those things? Too much for you TBs to be comfortable with.

The Forest Beauty | (Aemond x f!modern!reader) (intro/?)

Summary: time traveler decides to live her new life out in the kingswood, avoiding the new world she finds herself in until an encounter with a certain one-eyed prince changes her life.

Warnings: dark!themes, dark!aemond, obsessive!aemond, book!aemond, no intimacy (smut starts with part 2), intro and first part are kinda a slow burn to introduce the storyline & character Non-Canon Storyline: 3 years post war – greens won, Aegon's only son was k*lled and only has two daughters remaining, he cannot produce more heirs, Helaena is alive but depressed, Aemond serves as prince regent ever since Aegon got injured during the war and is chronically sick and getting weaker, Aemond is to inherit the iron throne soon, Aemond k*lled Alys Rivers along with all other strongs, Aemond broke the betrothal to Floris Baratheon when he became Prince Regent and won the war (Also, I'm not a native english speaker, please be patient with me)

Divider @targaryen-dynasty

masterlist part 1 >

It was another ordinary day in your life, your small and peaceful life that you had built yourself after you were thrown back into this ancient time. Luckily you grew up on a farm, homeschooled and away from cities.

All the skills you learned there and your fathers passion for bushcraft and fishing, that he started to force onto you teach you passionately at the tender age of six, being the thing that kept you alive and safe, allowing you to live freely and without fear, deep inside this thick and abandoned forest.

Throwback:

You arrived here two years ago. Before that, you lived a happy and content life on your parents’ farm, being homeschooled and focusing your home study on biology and philosophy, as these were your passions, apart from nature and animals.

You worked with horses – having grown up with your own and having learned traditional practices of horsemanship and hoofcare from your mother, who also taught you a lot about herbalism. You earned money this way, training horses for other people until one day, your own died of old age. It left a big hole in your heart, an emptiness that none other could fill. In your grief, you lost your passion. You could no longer enjoy the work with horses, every time you looked at one the fresh wound in your heart would bleed again, dulling all your senses.

That’s when you decided to leave the farm and venture into the big city of Kings landing, attending college there to study anthropology and philosophy. You felt out of place, the stuffiness of the city air plaguing your nose everyday on your commune, the loudness of the city drowning out all thoughts you had. Luckily, you did enjoy the studies, spending most of you time in the massive library filled with more knowledge than any human could ever obtain in a single lifetime.

But without your work, you soon needed to find a way to provide for yourself. That’s when a rumor spread through the school about an open position in the physics department. What at first seemed like easy money would soon be the worst mistake of your life, or so you thought. Looking back, you should have become suspicious when, instead of having you sit in the machine in your everyday clothing like always, they would start to put you in linen clothing and have you hold a bag with unknown contents. You didn’t worry though – This is all a gimmick, you were convinced. Nothing but the unrealistic dreams of some nutcases that had too much money at their hands. Fine by me, you thought. You could comfortably pay all your bills and even have some extra cash left over. It was a day like any other, months of studying, sitting in a weird machine and going home afterwards – although this time, you didn’t. Everything turned dark and when you woke up, you found yourself laying inside a forest. Panicking you look around. It didn’t take long for you to realise what happened, it actually worked. You check the bag, some water, food, two knifes, some rope, some other bits and ends – and a few coins, hopefully accurate recreations of todays currency, you think. You get up and walk, walk and walk until you find a way to a close by city.

Kings Landing, you recognise a few landmarks, mainly the castle that towers over the entire city. You had toured it when you first arrived in Kings Landing, back in your time, of course.

You roam the streets for a while, just people watching as you try and figure out how the people of this time function and how much your coins are worth, what you can actually afford with this. Disappointed, you realise it wasn’t much after all. A few weeks of food, but only if you didn’t have to pay for accommodation. With it, a few days, perhaps a week at most. This won’t work, you recognize quickly. And how would they find me if they come looking?

Staring out into the the busy streets of the market you notice a carriage next to a store, the fabric covering the loading bed pulled back and revealing a few tools. An axe, a pickaxe, a small shovel and more. You remember all the times you build bushcraft shelters with your dad, an axe being the only thing you are missing to be able to do so now. You’re not proud of it but you look around, making sure no one is watching and quickly take a few tools, hiding them between your cloak and dress as you hurry away, making sure no one saw what you just did.

You return into the forest, kingswood its called, venturing off beaten paths and building yourself a small shelter in the general area where you woke up in. I hope they come get me soon, you think to yourself as you sit in front of a small campfire that evening, eating some of the food you found in the bag.

But they don’t. No one comes. You wait days, then weeks, then months. The daunting realization of being stranded here alone made you sad at first but your survival instinct soon took over.

You found your way around this forest fairly quickly, locating a better place to live far deeper into the forest. A big river isn’t too far away and the thick growth shows that no one ever comes here. A perfect place to hide from unwanted visitors.

You build another shelter, a small shelter dug into the ground, the walls, roof and ground made of slim trees and branches you cut, a small firepit that you made with stones and clay you made by mixing the river water and dirt. You covered the top of your shelter with leaves and moss. Its hidden away nicely, no one would notice your little home even if anyone were to stray so deep into the forest. You cannot stand in it, only crouch and sit up, but its best this way. I need to stay safe at all costs.

And this becomes your life. You learn to adapt, using all your knowledge and skills to make sure you’re safe and always fed. You do venture into the city or out into the countryside every now and then, making friends with a few farmers and learning how to trade your skills and knowledge with horses and herbs for money or goods. Buidling a smoker out of pine tree branches and wood you can smoke the fish you catch and also smoke bellpeppers that you then dry and turn into spices and sell to other merchands, earning you a small, yet reliable income.

The winters are cold, but your small shelter heats up well and with the money you make during the summer you can afford warm clothes and food when you are unable to catch or grow it yourself.

And so you live this life, a quiet and peaceful life. You're content but you would be lieing if you said you weren't wandering the forest mindlessly from time to time, looking around for anyone that might be coming for you. Will I live like this until the end of my life? You wonder often, trying to invision what your future will hold.

Throwback ends

You wander around the woods, returning from another day of working in the city and coming closer and closer to your home when you start to feel uneasy, as if you’re not alone in the forest. You stop and listen, noticing the sound of footsteps close by. With careful steps you approach the sounds, noticing a head full of silvery hair between the trees and watching it carefully.

A man with an eyepatch, dressed in black leather clothes and carrying a long, sheathed sword on his hip. You monitor him carefully; his hands behind his back as he is gazing out into the treeline, he seems to be taking a stroll. But this deep within the forest?

You stalk him for a while, trailing his steps as you make sure to stay hidden. Too busy with staring at him you don't notice a branch on the ground, stepping on it and causing a loud *krack* sound.

The silver haired stranger turns around quickly, facing you and making eye contact. You know it's too late to hide now, as his lilac eye meets yours and a wicked smile forms on his lips

“Hello there, little one. Are you lost?”

woah...

Can't wait for the Aemond Prince Regent era

I love a character raised to be a weapon as much as the next guy. But what really gets me is a character raised to be a shield. Who can’t fathom being needed—or even being wanted— beyond keeping others safe. Who believe they are alive only to insure someone doesn’t die. no matter the cost. Characters who self-sacrifice not because they think they deserve it, but because no one else does deserve it, and it’s their job to protect.

Characters who’ve been told that’s why your important. Your worth something because this other person/ thing is important, and you are here solely to keep them safe.

Bonus points if it’s not a legitimate job they’ve been given. Maybe at one point it was, but now that they are free from it, they haven’t given up that mentality. No one is forcing or asking them to do this, but they need to. They need to in order to be deserving.

House of the Dragon Review

The Good:

- Aegon and Tom Glynn Carney. Aegon is the one compelling character this season, and his arc is great. He tries to be a good King but can’t protect his son. He tries to get Alicent’s love, but can’t no matter what. He tries to save his people but he gets destroyed in the process. He trusts his brother who betrays him. And Tom acts with his whole heart and soul. They’re truly the only good this season and the only reason I’ll keep watching

- Larys, Matthew Needham, and his relationship with Aegon. Just *chef’s kiss* The best relationship on the show. So much manipulation but genuine growing fondness too. Can’t wait to see Tom and Matthew inevitably do press for season 3 together and talk about the relationship in depth

- Ramin’s score. He is the only thing that’s consistent through GOT and HotD

The Meh:

- Rhys Ifans is a great Otto, but they criminally underutilized them

- Rook’s Rest was an amazing episode but they still had Rhaenyra be the hero by giving her a “divine” reason to go to war

- Episode 1 also was meh because Blood and Cheese being botched ruined what would otherwise be a great episode

- Ep 2 is similar to Ep 1. LOVED the Green scenes and the Twin scene, but they had Rhaenyra feel bad about what happened which is SO out of character. I also don’t like the propaganda angle they took with Blood and Cheese with Otto

- Aemond becoming his book self was great, but it was done rushed and sloppily. They underutilized both Aemond and Ewan

- Phia and Helaena are also great but again, criminally underutilized

- Olivia is a fantastic actress, despite what they did to Alicent

- The Dragon seeds being burnt by Vermithor would be in the Good if they didn’t try to brush it off and still claim Rhaenyra’s innocent

- Daenon and Alys scenes were either incredible or a total snooze fest. No inbetween. They were repetitive and not all the Daemon haunted scenes were necessary. Matt and Gayle are great though

- Criston and Fabien are underutilized, especially post Rook’s Rest

The Bad:

- What they did to Alicent. It is unforgivable. They threw her character away in favor of Rhaenyra. They can’t stand the thought that a woman doesn’t worship Rhaenyra

- Everything with Team Black. This is not hyperbole. The scenes were dull, designed to sanitize them so they are the Good guys and destroy them in the process. The actors, I’m sorry to say, are not on the level of the Green actors. Even the better Black actors (Emma and Steve) have stiff moments through the season

- Sexual humiliation and degradation of the Greens. This isn’t the place to get into it, but people have talked about it elsewhere

- Sanitizing Rhaenyra still, even after episode 7 and trying to make her a hero

- Sanitizing Viserys. The man raped Alicent and abused his children that weren’t Rhaenyra. Why are the Greens holding him in high regard?

Overall, I’d say a 5/10. All it took was the show having Black centered episodes to descend into GOT season 8 levels, since the Green episodes are SIGNIFICANTLY better

watching the leaks like:

"As the power shifts, and Rhaenyra starts to gain more power, it starts to ebb with Alicent. There's always this like, you know, invisible umbilical cord holding them together." - Olivia Cooke for The Hollywood Reporter

Okay , I get that a lot of people are mad at Aemond for what he said about Alicent, and on the other hand, a lot of people are acting as if Alicent raised a monster in Aemond, and that Aemond’s mindset toward Alicent is rooted in misogyny, because apparently people have convinced themselves that he sees women as ‘less than human’ and his mother is also impacted by that.

So no, that’s not the case. Aemond calling Alicent a fool for her empathy toward Rhaenyra is due to the fact that, the Blacks would never have this type of love, empathy or hesitation toward the Greens, and from childhood he has been tormented by Viserys and the Blacks. I was close to saying that Alicent planted this idea in his mind that the Blacks were his enemies since childhood, so of course, her going back on what she had taught him is angering to him. 

The reality however is, Alicent didn’t do that. She didn’t really have to. Aemond lived a life growing up where he knew he was second to Rhaenyra and her children in every way, and where he knew his father did not have the same love and empathy for them as he did Rhaenyra and the strong kids. They bullied Aemond, took out his eye, and his father did nothing but threatened to have he and his mother (and brothers) punished/tortured for speaking up. 

This war is about the throne as much as it is about getting back at, in Aemond’s mind, his abusers, his tormentors, the people who hurt him. He NEVER had the power to do that growing up, he knew early on that Rhaenyra and her family were granted a sort of protection that he wasn’t, that his mother wasn’t. He had to watch his mother, who was a victim of abuse and grooming, navigate in a world where all they had was each other.

He doesn’t see Rhaenyra as a sister. He sees her as an extension of her son’s who bullied him, who caused him to lose an eye. He sees them as an extension of his father who neglected him, who raped his mother so he could be born, yet treated him like he was invisible and did nothing to gain justice for his missing eye.

So why would he love Rhaenyra? Rhaenyra is Viserys in his mind, and Viserys abused his mother, that family tormented him since he was a child….so yes, of course Alicent is a fool to him for having empathy for the people who abused and tormented them.

And if this AFTER Blood and Cheese--it adds insult to the wound. His nephew was killed, his niece was threatened with rape, his sister has lost her mind because of it...so why would he feel empathy for Rhaenyra, whom he probably blames for B&C?

LOL you took this so out of context it's funny, really.

No, that man ain't the brightest. His temper makes him do less than intelligent things all the time. That man is a war criminal. Yes, so are many others in the show and books but that doesn't make his actions any better. It also doesn't make anyone elses actions any better or worse. Aemond has done horrible and inexcusable things. His tragic backstory and (as mentioned) the handsome face of Ewan do NOT make that fact dissapear.

I'm sick of the whole infantilization of adults (fictional or real) and their crimes purely because they are good looking, that is the only thing I was trying to say with my comment! This is not hate, only a realistic understanding of him as a character with all his aspects.

Lastly: I am NOT a native speaker but I am trying my best and learning everyday. To go for my spelling and/or grammar is such a low blow, really goes to show your character.

Originial Post & Comment:

This person can't even finish a proper sentence, can't even form a coherent sentence, can't make a point without resorting to aggressive hate mongering, and they're calling Aemond a "stupid, violent, impulsive little psychopath". TB does take on after their faves.