Starting The Last Of Us S01e03: Am I Supposed To Care About This Ancap??????

Oh and also can we all agree to boycott Stranger Things until they give us our queer ships or at least just one of them? Or at least just a coming out scene? Or at least until they stop using Will’s suffering to boost milkvan? Or at least until they stop turning concentration camps into tourist traps? Or at least until-

"Alicent resents Rhaenyra having the freedom that she never did." This is a pretty common hotd take which is complicated by the fact that Rhaenyra doesn't actually really have that much more freedom (she also has to marry and have children, and also ends up in an abusive marriage). So I'm wondering what if Alicent knows that? What if her resentment isn't that Rhaenyra never has to pay the price for her transgressions/freedoms, but that Alicent and her family are the ones who pay for Rhaenyra's freedom. When Rhaenyra goes out with Daemon, putting her reputation and marriage prospects in jeopardy, it's Otto who loses his job (after he saves her from likely having to marry Daemon). When Rhaenyra has obvious bastards that will create multiple succession crisis's, it's Aemond who loses an eye and is threatened with torture, and Vaemond who gets murdered. Alicent spends most of the series under the assumption that if Rhaenyra has to choose between giving up being queen and murdering her half brothers she'll choose the latter, gaining her freedom by harming Alicent. In this context her resentment makes a lot of sense and is more than just spite and jealousy (though I'm not saying those aren't present).

This also has me thinking what if Alicent is the more self aware one of the two of them? I think she knows how shit her situation is in a way that Rhaenyra might not until episode 10 when Daemon chokes her. Alicent at least by episode 9 recognizes her father for what he is and in her own small way able to fight for what she wants (Rhaenyra's survival and peace). She at least knows she's in a prison and is able to build a window in it, as Rhaenys condescendingly described. Rhaenyra on the other hand might truly believe that she's the exception to all the sexism in Westeros. That her name, her dragon and her father mean that she isn't like all the other girls. And for a while that's true. She gets to do things that no other woman in Westeros could get away with. She either doesn't see the cost to Alicent and Criston and Otto and Aemond and Vaemond, or she see their fates as their own faults. That all collapses in episode ten when she sees how completely alone she is. The men who are supposed to be obeying her seem more inclined to listen to Daemon and Daemon will not place her needs above his own or at least won't without first assaulting her.

This then allows for an interesting thesis of the show if it was intentional. We're given two women who have very different responses to patriarchy, but neither approach can save them. Obedience won't save them, promiscuity won't save them, a dragon won't save them, the right husband won't save them, the right father won't save them. The only thing that could have maybe saved them is solidarity, something that we see Alicent give up on in episode 5 (whether Rhaenyra has ever considered using her position or privilege to help another woman is an open question).

Obviously there's no definitive proof of this idea, but I find it interesting and that it adds depth to the tension and bitterness between Rhaenyra and Alicent.

The Luca effect

absolutely need every single character in hotd to go through the harrenhal haunted house experience

I’m super into Newsies right now. I loveee it. And as in most fandoms I get obsessed with, I have latched onto a few ships. And it has come to my attention that JackCrutchie apparently gets a lot of hate? So Um basically I loveee discussing Newsies and like I don’t care what you ship as long as it’s not a pro ship but if you’re like super anti-JackCrutchie to the point where u think u have to explain to me why u don’t like the ship, please just block me. 🙂

I hate Netflix so much

#🤬netflix

Reblog In 5 seconds for good luck

mike really told el “my parents will be like your parents and my sister will be like your sister” and the GA said otp 😍

Labour by Paris Paloma was written for Alicent Hightower btw.

Whenever I see someone claim that Alicent has a crush on Criston, I lose twenty years off my lifespan