Alicent Hightower - Blog Posts
One day we need to have a legitimate discussion on how Jace and Luke weren’t even bullies and how Aegon was Aemonds biggest torturer. And that day is today.
- Alicent herself knew this was true. “You may cuff him about as you wish at home, but in the world we must defend our own” she says after trying to frame Jace and Luke as “savages.”
-Alicent refers to Jace and Luke as Aegons “playthings” in the same scene. What kind of power dynamic do you really think was at play here? Aegon clearly liked to toy with his vastly younger nephews and influenced them.
- Mind you, Jace and Luke were 5-7 years old and NOT aware of the feud that ran in their frayed family. They lack the awareness of characters like Aemond and Aegon who are repeatedly reminded by Alicent that Rhaenyra’s family is a THREAT and that they are bastards who are beneath them in station.
-In contrast, there is not a single scene of Rhaenyra speaking about Aegon, Aemond, or Helaena in derogatory ways to her children. Even in the books, it’s evident that the feud between the children is entirely one-sided with the Greens growing up and *learning* to resent Jace, Luke, and Joff.
-the teasing in and of itself was so mild. What makes Aemond upset is that he doesn’t view Jace and Luke as his equals.
-to Jace and Luke, this was normal teasing. From Aemonds perspective, he’s being emasculated by younger boys who he views as sub-human and unworthy despite having dragons of their own because he’s been TOLD and ASSURED that they’re bastards.
- THIS IS WHY THE TEASING ACTUALLY SETS HIM OFF, NOT THE SEVERITY. Need we be reminded how strongly Aemond feels about “blood purity”? In a show about the Targaryen dynasty, he’s the only character to mention it.
Bonus:
- Aegon hating and wanting to tease Aemond is so on brand for them as characters. Aemond is a momas boy and Aegon is the disappointment. The allure to make his life hell is there.
(note i love both characters very much and i stan both rhaenyra and alicent, just to let you know before you jump on this short little thread and spout hate bc i love their characters and find them both fascinating).
i think there's a very interesting conversation to be had about alicent and rhaenyra BOTH representing facets of 'white feminism' because i see team green stans an team black stans accusing the other of being white feminists. just as a disclaimer neither of them are are ultimately feminists because feminism simply does not exist in medieval times and both of them do not really fight for women as a whole, they are working for their own goals and achievements, but they aren't working for the rights of other women (especially smallfolk women, the most oppressed on the hierarchy).
starting with alicent, i really think she represents the kind of white feminism of using the patriarchy to oppress other women. she becomes embittered with the injustice being done to her and she sees how no one feels sorry for her, so she comes to embrace the system that had made her a victim to oppress other women and strip away their rights (as seen in her silencing dyana or arguing for aegon's right to the iron throne over rhaenyra). many white feminists use the patriarchy as a tool in order to oppress other people all the while focusing on their rights and distancing themselves from their victimization by becoming representations of the patriarchy themselves. alicent is a victim of marital rape, a child bride, a victim of her father's abuse and she sees a way of escaping her victimization by utilizing the very same system that had nearly destroyed her to assert her power over women and making it 'fair.' because if she has to suffer other women must suffer with her, they're not allowed to escape their consequences, they have to follow the order like she did, they have to sacrifice like she did, and they have to follow their duties like she did. and so i really think she is emblematic of the aspect of white feminism of using the patriarchy to oppress other women.
rhaenyra is emblematic of 'white feminism' because she fights for herself and herself alone. of course she wants what's best for her stepdaughters and will protect them, but she doesn't care about the rights of the smallfolk women, because she's content to keep that same system in place so long as she is ruling. she is fighting for her rights as a female heir in the face of men, but that doesn't necessarily extend to other women who have been oppressed and which i think is a key aspect to white feminism, they don't fight for anyone but themselves, it's not intersectional, it's only aligned in their own interests. rhaenyra herself does not pursue oppression of other women like alicent does but she's certainly not helping other women either, she's helping herself and focuses on what will benefit herself and her family.
a very very short but concise analysis because rhaenyra and alicent are two very different characters and they have been oppressed in different ways and so they react differently, they are resilient in their own ways (alicent by embracing the patriarchy/religion that had victimized her in the first place and feeling the need to exact her vengeance on other women. rhaenyra by fighting for her rights and her rights only against the system that she believes has stolen from her). and perhaps 'white feminism' isn't the correct term to use because feminism simply does not exist in these medieval times, but both of them are very emblematic of the term that the greens and the blacks throw at one another because nuance is simply gone and we have to reduce characters to buzzwords and hate them because they defy what we think look like good characters.
it makes me laugh when I go on twitter or tiktok and see people complaining that alicent and rhaenyra were the only two posters to be released first because it’s just like….people still don’t want to acknowledge that this is THEIR story at the end of the day. everything in this plot revolves around these two women and their relationship with each other. everyone is simply a side player to their show
Alicent Hightower
"where is sacrifice?"
First Love/Late Spring-Mitski/On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous-Ocean Vuong/The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath-Sylvia Plath/:P/Hope in the Air-Laura Marling/Sharp Objects-Gillian Flynn/Holy Wild-Gwen Benaway/Sharp Objects-Gillian Flynn/Unknown/Cutting for Stone-Abraham Verghese
Young Alicent
House of The Dragon
Wife-Mitski/HOTD 1x04/SK/HOTD 1x05/HOTD 1x03/Unknown/Youthful Writings-Albert Camus/Diaries-Franz Kafka/Ophelia-John Everett Millais/HOTD 2x07/Rilke's Book of Hours: Love Poems to God-Rainer Maria Rilke/HOTD 1x01/HOTD 1x03/The Brothers Karamazov-Fyodor Dostoevsky/HOTD 1x03/Call My Name-Melissa Febos.
Do they think think that "strong female characters"="good people"?
- Rhaenys is an oracle of wisdom that only wishes for peace. Heleana doesn't have a taste for dragon riding or anything really, she's just there to have visions. Alicent is left behind and ignored... so she goes and talks with the enemy? And apparently Rhaenyra's ending in s1 and luke's murder meant nothing for her outside of 2 episodes? Are they scared of showing a woman acting out based on her emotions? I feel like anyone would be overwhelmed if a family member (not even a child necessarily) ended up being killed by the opposing side.
I feel like these people would instantaneously combust if you presented them with characters like Cersei or Catelyn, even Sansa.
No matter how good your actors are, they can only do so much if the script you are giving them is nonsensical. You can have characters who are conflicted and make wrong choices based on their situation. But Alicent giving up Aegon like that, as if her getting in front of Meleys to protect her family wasn't a pivotal point for her in showing her choice to Rhaenys last season? Rhaenyra too shouldn't have even given Alicent the time of day when she already tried and did basically the same as her but got told it was "too late" and an invasion of King's Landing is inevitable at this point. I know they shared a relationship together and do think that even if it was long ago, it still can determine how they interact with each other, but even that being the case, sometimes you need to prioritize some things over others. I don't doubt that Alicent cared about Rhaenyra, but that didn't stop her from advancing her own interests with her family. I don't doubt that Rhaenyra cared about Alicent, but she still put herself and her family first by leaving King's Landing and pretty much never visiting again, even when her father was there wasting away. That's what makes them interesting. The conflict within themselves and choosing one thing over the other. That even if it hurts, some things just turn sour.
Not even mentioning that since it's obvious that Rhaenyra will take the city, this whole interaction could have happened then and with bigger stakes, like Alicent begging for her life and Rhaenyra having to make the choice of whether she dies or is imprisoned or something.
This whole scene gives me the impression that they wanted a dramatic and emotional scene for the end of the season so they came up with this.
they're such losers i love them<3
what always manages to break me is that rhaenyra was alicent's first and ONLY love unlike rhaenyra who did fall in love with other people and was able to somewhat fill the alicent hole in her heart but nooo not alicent; her gay ass was never able to move on, not until her very last breath.
evelyncelia coded
me explaining my house of the dragon x the boys x supernatural crossover dream that keeps repeating
"you need to stick to one fandom" fuck you
let me tell you about the crossover i dreamt of between House of The Dragon and Supernatural and how absolutely it could make sense if you let me write the script on 10 espresso martinis and coke
my autocorrect is feeling brutal today
and i feel attacked
idc that she can be a cunt sometimes, i love her
also she is so pretty
give me 10 vodka redbulls and an ipod with unlimited music (preferably all of Chappell Roan and Lady Gaga music) and send me to the House of The dragon timeline so they can think i'm their god and i can go and finally tell Alicent to fuck all of it and go marry Rhaenyra before it's too late
i am both of them at the same time, okay?
house of the dragon x the unequal marriage (vasili pukirev)
alicent shedding the green as she steps into the lake, alicent's arms mimicking the movement of the bird's wings, alicent washing off the weight of religion and removing the chains of duty. alicent free at last.
rhaenyra picking up those chains and wrapping herself in the weight of religion, rhaenyra believing herself the messiah who has come to save them all. rhaenyra'a god complex snapping into place as she finally finds herself with the advantage in this war.
alicent liberated. rhaenyra indoctrinated.
parallel lines forever unable to meet.
The challengers x hotd agenda continues
Alicent and Aegon ii
