Some Icons Of My Art. Use With Credit Please!

From a narrative standpoint, Elia Martell's brutal death has two main consequences:

1. give nuance to Robert's Rebellion.

At first, Robert Baratheon and his allies seem to be in the right. They are supposedly the heroes who raised an army to depose the tyrant and pyromaniac king, as well as “rescue” Lyanna Stark from the “clutches” of Rhaegar. Like in a fairytale, the noble warriors go against the evil dragons.

Yet, as the story progresses, we find that's not the truth. The main warrior, namely Robert, is not noble and good. The supposed main evil dragon, Rhaegar, is not evil — he is actually a tragic figure, just as Lyanna is.

Just as Elia Martell is.

Her death in the sacking of King's Landing is one of the most brutal and unfair of the Rebellion. Thus, as readers, we ask ourselves: was it really worth it? The rebels were supposedly fighting against Aerys II's tyrany and ineptitude to rule, against the unfair and cruel death of innocents like Rickard and Brandon Stark. Yet here it is this woman who is coldly murdered; Robert laughs at the corpses of her children and rewards Tywin Lannister for his loyalty.

The question of “was it really worth it?” is posed by GRRM himself in an interview, when asked about Robert's Rebellion.

To sum it up, he wants his readers to reflect and arrive at their own conclusions. And he does pose the question: was the violence in Robert's Rebellion justified?

Well, one thing is for sure: he gives nuance to this happening. Elia's death, as brutal as it was, serves this purpose.

[Personally, I frown upon the brutalization of Elia and other female characters, but that's not what I'm discussing on this meta.]

2. putting Dorne into play.

Elia was the beloved sister of Doran Martell, the Prince of Dorne, and Oberyn Martell. After her death, they spend years, up until the timeline of the main series, planning their revenge against the Lannisters and their allies. That involves a Targaryen restoration as well (first with Viserys, now with Young Griff and Daenerys).

It is clear, thus, how Elia and what happened to her are the main motivators for Doran and Oberyn Martell. The Lannisters are their enemies and will pay for what happened to Elia and her children. The themes of vengeance and war are explored here, especially through Doran Martell.

He wants to avenge his little sister, yes; but he also hesitates. He knows the costs of war and is wary of it. Innocents always end up paying an unfair price.

In conclusion, Elia's death is not even about Rhaegar and Lyanna and their relationship. There are more layers to it.

Rhaegar's wives

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i watched one (1) video on how to draw hands that changed my life forever. like. i can suddenly draw hands again

these were all drawn without reference btw. i can just. Understand Hands now (for the most part, im sure theres definitely inaccuracies). im a little baffled

My sisters got covid and I'm like 'damn, that's still a thing? Wild'

He'll poop outside if he must!

idk man the nervous system makes me kinda nervous

I wish it was easier to find aro / ace / aspec historical figures.

there are quite a few examples of queer historical figures, because it's easy to point at a person and say, "their letters and their living situation makes it very very likely that they were romantically and/or sexually involved with this other person." it is much harder to find evidence of a person being aspec, since the lack of evidence of something doesn't mean that something isn't there.

not to mention, the aspec is so diverse and often abstract that it's hard to pinpoint what qualifies as aspec when the person themself isn't here to find a label that they want.

I just want someone to look at, to relate to, to prove that we've been here all along.

i’m 100% not joking when i say that my gut reaction to this image is “this is a being of incredible power”. i know that totally sounds like a joke i would make but i’m legitimately scared and impressed by and in awe at this thing

Lichen growing on only the black paint of a speed limit sign.