Spotlighting Another Campaign!!

Emma D'Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen HOUSE OF THE DRAGON S02E01 | dir. Alan Taylor

Have you ever felt like Martin doesn't like Cersei? The way he writes about her made me question? I mean she is both evil and stupid and it seems like we are supposed to laugh at her.

Cersei is pretty evil, and while I don't believe she's stupid, it's hard not to laugh (incredulously or otherwise) at her many, many bad ideas over the course of the series. Especially in AFFC.

But it's also clear to me that GRRM has compassion for this villain he's created - and that he has right from the start.

Let's put this under a cut for domestic violence and sheer length.

Ned touched her cheek gently. "Has he done this before?" "Once or twice." She shied away from his hand. "Never on the face before. Jaime would have killed him, even if it meant his own life." Cersei looked at him defiantly. "My brother is worth a hundred of your friend." Eddard XII, AGoT

GRRM chooses to frame the pivotal confrontation between Ned and Cersei with the reality of the domestic violence Cersei has experienced. Whatever else happens in that scene, whatever else she's done that might or might not be justified, the author makes sure the reader knows, Ned knows, that Cersei has good reason to hate Robert.

When she hesitated, then sat, Tyrion knew she was lost, despite her loud declaration of, "I will not marry again!" "You will marry and you will breed. Every child you birth makes Stannis more a liar." Their father's eyes seemed to pin her to her chair. Tyrion III, ASoS

This is re-emphasised as Tyrion witnesses Tywin's abuse of Cersei. Even Tyrion, who also has good reason to hate Cersei, cannot help but see how their father completely ignores Cersei's desires, reduces her autonomy to rubble, and above all makes her feel small. This is quite deliberately in Tyrion's PoV to make that dissonance stronger. Cersei is awful, but Tyrion can take no satisfaction in Tywin mistreating her.

Similarly,

His sister sat in a puddle of wine, cradling her son's body. Her gown was torn and stained, her face white as chalk. A thin black dog crept up beside her, sniffing at Joffrey's corpse. "The boy is gone, Cersei," Lord Tywin said. He put his gloved hand on his daughter's shoulder as one of his guardsmen shooed away the dog. "Unhand him now. Let him go." She did not hear. It took two Kingsguard to pry loose her fingers, so the body of King Joffrey Baratheon could slide limp and lifeless to the floor. Tyrion VIII, ASoS

Cersei's grief over watching her son murdered in front of her is a key character moment for her. Is Joffrey a good person? No. Is Cersei's immediate response of demanding Tyrion's arrest a good and just idea? No. Is that grief still real? Absolutely.

It was more than Cersei could stand. I cannot let them see me cry, she thought, when she felt the tears welling in her eyes. She walked past Ser Meryn Trant and out into the back passage. Alone beneath a tallow candle, she allowed herself a shuddering sob, then another. A woman may weep, but not a queen. Cersei III, AFFC

That lasts. It's not healthy but it is genuine. The author isn't putting this in here so we laugh at her. The author is putting this here to help us remember throughout the parade of evil and stupid crap Cersei's about to do that Cersei is a human with human emotions.

And when all that crap has backfired on Cersei, the author makes sure we know that the punishment inflicted on her is not for her sins but instead for her biological sex. He shows her break from that treatment.

Words are wind, she thought, words cannot hurt me. I am beautiful, the most beautiful woman in all Westeros, Jaime says so, Jaime would never lie to me. Even Robert, Robert never loved me, but he saw that I was beautiful, he wanted me. She did not feel beautiful, though. She felt old, used, filthy, ugly. Cersei II, ADWD

The walk of shame is just misogyny, pure and simple, nothing to do with what Cersei's actually done wrong. It is deliberately not karma out to get Cersei. It is deliberately not comeuppance. It is a reminder that Cersei has a point all those times when she points out she's been treated differently because of her sex - even if it's not the whole of the reason people don't respect her.

Even if a reader doesn't think Cersei deserves mercy, even if a reader finds her political bumbling funny, there's a lot around her that shows us that the author wants us to think carefully about what made Cersei both a horrible person and a horrible politician. She is most definitely not there just to be the butt of the author's joke. That's Victarion.

Daemon went to his death absolutely willingly.

After getting a letter from Rhaenyra stating she no longer trusted him. And then he went to prove his loyalty to her. A letter that took the joy from his eyes. A letter that Rhaenyra sends in response to paranoia driven by Mysaria that also leads to Addam Velaryon choosing to prove his loyalty too. I mean seriously do people even read that part of the book ?

So much of the pushback against Daemon’s love for Rhaenyra — and like I’m talking before the show; from the book — is people who just don’t want Rhaenyra to be loved in that way. They don’t want her to have a husband that put his loyalty to her above everything.

The “he didn’t want her” or “he cheated” narrative is never really about Daemon at least from what I’ve seen. It’s always about what that says about Rhaenyra and her “undesirability”.

Everything, even the whole 'Daemon loved Laena more' is about Rhaenyra. It's about Rhaenyra not being good enough for them, it's about Rhaenyra having flaws, it's about them hating her and not wanting her to be loved. They hate that Daemon loved her. They hate her because she is a woman with ambition and flaws and for that they want everyone to not put her first. It's all about misogyny.

“oh yes, i am very reasonable and normal about this subject!!”

*proceeds to mass reblog any related content*

Jaehaera and Aegon III would have been more interesting.

Jaehaera was tiny and slow to grow. She did not cry, she did not smile, she did none of the things a babe was meant to do.

Aegon III was now eleven, Jaehaera only eight. Once wed, they had very little contact with one another save on formal occasions, and even that was rare, as the little queen was loath to leave her chambers.

“They have no joy in them; they neither laugh nor play. The girl wets her bed at night and weeps inconsolably when she is corrected. Her own ladies say that she is eight, going on four.

So, in what world is that forced ''relationship'' more intresting? It was torture for both of them, it would have never worked and they would have avoided each other for the entirety of it (as they did when they were children); Jaehaera would never heal Aegon III and he would never heal Jaehaerea; They were both 'broken', Aegon got along with Gaemon and Daenaera because they were 'happier' and the opposite of his state.

But Green stans don't care how the forced marriage and pregnancy would be cruel to Jaehaera (that she is eight, going on four); They want the green bloodline to have continued, because no matter what they say, the fact that the Green line did not survive bothers them, that's why many of them even cling on the supposed bastards Aegon and Aemond have;

And no, I don't wish for Jaehaera to die, she was an innocent girl and did not deserve to suffer and be killed for a man's ambition (Peake); But there was no chance of healing for her and Aegon in that marriage, nor was it more intresting.

As for HotD.... I doubt there would be even a wedding between Jaehaera and Aegon III, they have 16 episodes to cover the entire war and the aftermath, and the fact they aged down the characters (especially Aegon III and his arc with Stormcloud and seeing his mother die) tells me they don't really care about the children; the show is about ''Alicent and Rhaenyra'' after all, so maybe they will give Alicent a different death and it would be a wrap for HotD.

u can butchify rhaenyra all u like (tho the truly goated option is 2 butchify alicent, or both of them) but i lose 5 years off my life every time artists cut off her beautiful hair

Hell is probably just being a lazy germaphobe

“so lucerys / jaehaerys / rhaenys died for nothing?”

that’s the point that’s the point that’s the entire fucking point - in the book as well!! there was never any POINT!! there is never going to be a winner here!!

rhaenyra will die, aegon will die, alicent and daemon and jace and aemond and helaena will die. for nothing. because the end of this will be a broken, traumatised, dead-inside eleven year old aegon iii on the iron throne with an eight year old jaehaera for a wife who commits suicide at the age of ten, two years after being forced to marry the broken king.

the dance of the dragons is a dragon eating its own tail. it’s all for nothing and no one wins.

Hannibal (2013-2015)

1x01 - “Apéritif”