Anonymous asked: Why is Elia agreeing to polygamy so irksome for you?
Because it runs completely counter to her own interests, self respect, and exists solely to make the adulterous, disastrous love affair of Rhaegar and Lyanna more palatable.
Elia Martell marries the crown prince in all acceptable honor and suffers greatly to give him a daughter in the first year of the marriage. Rhaegar rewards her with national humiliation at Harrenhal by publicly declaring his interest making his cousin’s underage betrothed his mistress. Much how Aegon the Unworthy tried to do poor Naerys but was stopped by Aemon.
Speaking of parallels to Aegon the Unworthy, why the in the seven hells would a Dornish princess be happy her husband was trying to recreate Daemon Blackfyre? A Dornish queen and her half Dornish son facing off against a favored high born bastard; a centuries old conflict that ended in Elia’s own lifetime. Elia might has well be sharpening the blade Rhaegar uses to cut the throats of their children as to approve of him fucking a rival into Lyanna Stark.
Rhaegar could have taken a discrete mistress or carry on a quiet affair nearly any other woman on the planet. Instead he chooses the daughter of one Lord Paramount and betrothed of another. He runs off with Lyanna and kicks off a war. Leaving Elia alone on Dragonstone. Leaving Elia and their children in reach of /Aerys/.
If you insist on making Elia complicit in Rhaegar’s crimes, why isn’t Elia and their children in Dorne? Why aren’t they hidden away in Essos? Why was Aerys able to get his hands on them and hold them hostage?
Elia is Dornish; therefore she is polyamorous. That is a ruinous, racist piece of tripe. Oberyn Martell has an open relationship with a long term paramour so his brother in law can abduct and have an affair with another woman? Rhaegar isn’t Dornish; he doesn’t get to use his wife’s culture against her. Doran Martell never took another lover after Mellario left. Quentyn Martell was a virgin.
Plug Cersei Lannister or Catlyn Stark into Elia Martell’s situation and Rhaegar’s actions are suddenly beyond the pale? How interesting only white women are worthy of respect and honor.
It is ‘irksome’ because it degrades and dehumanizes and drags Elia down to a footstool for Lyanna Stark. And that is all people like you care about.
Thousands of people died for this little love affair. Elia and her children died. Thousands of her countrymen died. It is irksome that these are acceptable casualties as long as your self insert gets her hot little hands on that crown.
And polygamy has been illegal since before the reforms of Jaehaerys. It is illegal under the Faith of the Seven. It is illegal under the Old Gods. The last Targaryen king who tried enforced polygamy had dragons and he failed. Rhaegar has none.
Interesting how Rhaegar keeps pulling up parrellels to the worst historical dragon kings.
the only stories that ever pulled off the “chosen one girl rebelling against the government caught in a love triangle between a golden-hearted boy and a broody loner” trope were the hunger games and jesus christ superstar
i’ve read and watched some stories about magical cures for disability that i thought interacted with the concept in interesting ways, but what i like about bran’s story is that it’s so brutally cut off from him but at the same time everyone is saying it to him. jojen and luwin both try to tell him that he has to be at peace with who he is now, with what he can do now, and they are direct when they say it while being kind and compassionate but bran doesn’t want to hear it. and then he gets to the cave and that door really does slam shut right in his face. i think this is interesting because that’s what reality is - there are no miracle cures, however much you may wish for one, however long you may search for one. there is only now, and this body that you have.
“Ned had named that murder; Robert called it war.” (agot 93)
“In war you kill your enemies. Didn’t your father teach you that, boy?” (asos 227)
the IRONY of lord karstark referencing ned to justify the murder of “enemy” children during wartime—not knowing that ned and robert had the same fight over the targaryen children. both ned and robb stand over the bodies of these dead “enemy” children and name it murder, even though the killers are their own allies.
“When he had protested that the young prince and princess were no more than babes, his new-made king had replied, ‘I see no babes. Only dragonspawn.’” (agot 93)
“They were captives, locked in a cell, asleep, unarmed … boys. Look at them!” (asos 227)
During one of my many ASOIAF rereads, I noticed that the North is about to have a lot of ruling ladies — as soon as the current political sh*tstorm is over with and some sort of order has been established, that is.
HOUSE CASSEL: We don’t know if the Cassels have lands or a castle, but Beth Cassel is the only remaining Cassel still alive.
HOUSE CERWYN: After the death of her brother, Jonelle Cerwyn became the new Lady of Cerwyn.
HOUSE DUSTIN: Currently ruled by the badass Lady Barbrey Dustin.
HOUSE FLINT OF WIDOW’S WATCH: Currently ruled by Lady Lyessa Flint.
HOUSE HORNWOOD: The succession of Hornwood is a bit tricky ( thanks, Ramsay ), but there are two viable candidates. Larence Snow, the bastard son of the late Lord Halys Hornwood, and Berena Hornwood, his sister and the wife of Leobald Tallhart.
HOUSE KARSTARK: As Harrion’s whereabouts are unknown, Alys Karstark is currently either the lady or heir of Karhold.
HOUSE MANDERLY: As the heir of White Harbor Wylis Manderly has no sons, if he doesn’t father one, eventually the rule of White Harbor would pass to his eldest daughter Wynafryd Manderly.
HOUSE MORMONT: I mean… do I even need to mention this one? Current ruler is Maege Mormont, and her heir is Alysane Mormont.
HOUSE POOLE: We don’t know if the Pooles have lands or a castle, but Jeyne Poole is the only remaining Poole still alive.
HOUSE REED: Given that Jojen is pretty certain he will die soon ( and I believe him ), the rule of the Neck will eventually pass to Meera Reed.
HOUSE STARK: Though Bran and Rickon are still alive, and I firmly believe they will remain that way, it’s very likely that Sansa Stark might rule in Bran or Rickon’s name.
HOUSE TALLHART: After the deaths of her father, Helman, and elder brother, Benfred, Eddara Tallhart becomes the Lady of Torrhen’s Square.
It all has a very post-Dance of the Dragons feel to it. To quote Fire and Blood Vol. 1:
“So many lords, both great and small, had perished during the Dance of the Dragons that the Citadel rightly names this time the Winter of the Widows. Never before or since in the history of the Seven Kingdoms have so many women wielded so much power, ruling in the place of their slain husbands, brothers, and fathers, for sons in swaddling clothes or still on the teat. Many of their stories have been collected in Archmaester Abelon’s mammoth When Women Ruled: Ladies of the Aftermath.”
“Winter of the Widows.” Wow. I see you, George. I see you.
from my sources adjacent to tumblr–from which i can spread rumors and insider information freely because i dont give a fuck about ever working in the tech sector–im hearing this round of firings was focused on purging the senior staff, and not just from support but from the entire remaining tumblr workforce. i’m hearing there are about 25 people left.
My interest is piqued, please explain this domino effect
henry viii breaks with rome -> england spends a solid century in various states of religious turmoil -> anglicanism is eventually established as the national religion -> catholics, including guy fawkes, grow frustrated with james i’s protestantisn and try to overthrow him -> guy fawkes night becomes a national holiday in which effigies of fawkes are burnt -> the effigies become known as “guys” after him -> the word “guy” goes from meaning “effigy of guy fawkes” to “poorly dressed man” to “a generic, unspecified man” -> the word “guys” goes from meaning “a group of men” to both “a group of men” and “a group of people, of mixed or indeterminate genders” -> some people remain uncomfortable with the second meaning of “guy”/“guys” because they still associate it more closely with the first -> et voilà
Boxing legend and entrepreneur George Foreman has died, his family announced Friday. No cause of death was provided.
Foreman was a two-time world heavyweight champion in his boxing career and took home a Gold medal at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City.
He later became known for his George Foreman Grill business.
He was 76.
Foreman’s family, in a statement shared to social media, noted that the iconic boxer was “surrounded by loved ones” at the time of his death.
“A devout preacher, a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grand and great grandfather, he lived a life marked by unwavering faith, humility, and purpose,” read the statement, shared alongside a picture of Foreman with his family.
ALT
