shewolf090

[shewolf090]

I feel like a lot of liberals, especially the younger generation, don't really have any core beliefs other than "let everyone do as they please!" they're radical individualists. If something makes me happy, then it's good. If something makes them happy, then it's good because who am i to get in the way of someone else's happiness and freedom. No structural analysis. No attachment to anything other than individual personal fulfilment. Very spineless imo and antithetical to socialism and feminism.

[shewolf090]

I'm not on twitter but

[shewolf090]

It’s actually wild how much blame Brandon Stark gets for riding to King’s Landing. People act like he was impulsive and irresponsible for reacting to what, from his perspective, looked like a kidnapping. Yes, his method was reckless, but he was also responding to a threat against someone he cared about, whose safety Rhaegar had just made questionable by publicly claiming her.

“How could Rhaegar have known Brandon would react like that?” He already tried to challenge Rhaegar at Harrenhal over the crowning. It wasn’t exactly unpredictable.“How could anyone have known it would start a war?” What did they think was going to happen?

But somehow Brandon gets dragged for overreacting, while Rhaegar, who vanished for a year and left Elia and their children politically exposed in Dragonstone or the Red Keep, gets read as noble or tragic. Brandon is condemned for reacting to a perceived threat. Rhaegar is excused for ignoring real danger that did happen. It’s always “Brandon should have known better,” but never Rhaegar..

“Weren’t their fates kind of self-inflicted?”“Was it really Rhaegar’s fault, though?”In fact,in order to whitewash Rhaegar and absolve him of blame,they have to pin everything on someone else.At this point, I’m honestly afraid the next thing they’ll say is that Rhaenys cried too loudly,or why didn’t Elia save herself?

Let’s review all the things Rhaegar didn’t know:

First, he didn’t know Brandon Stark would ride straight to the Red Keep.Second, he didn’t know Aerys would respond by murdering both Brandon and Rickard.Third, he didn’t know war would would escalate this much.Fourth, he didn’t know the Rebellion had dragged on for over a year and the royalists were losing.Fifth, he didn’t know Tywin would ignore the king’s summons,and show up with betrayal instead.Sixth, he didn’t know he’d get his chest crushed by Robert.Seventh,he didn’t know Aerys would hold Elia and the children hostage.Eighth, he didn’t know the Targaryen dynasty would fall.

No wonder Rhaegar's Jon Snow’s father—turns out “knowing nothing” runs in the blood.

And why is Brandon condemned for recklessness, while Rhaegar is mourned as a tragic hero?Guess Brandon didn’t haunt the narrative. That's the standard arguments made by Rhaelya stans.Characters who can’t haunt the narrative are always the ones who get ignored, dismissed, or looked down on…Which really makes me wonder—what do Rhaelya stans think of Brandon Stark? Are they the same ones who mocked Brandon? Do they even acknowledge that Brandon was killed because he was seeking justice for Lyanna?

[shewolf090]

i am crowning rhaegar targaryen with the title of 'Potential Man' since the dumbass will never be kingly 💀

Robert was a terrible king by nearly every metric, and his death directly preceded one of the most destructive conflicts in history. Given that, it’s not surprising that some people start looking backward for alternative outcomes, especially ones that never had the chance to fail.

If Rhaegar had won at the Trident and suppressed the rebellion, we’d likely see the opposite narrative emerge. Every time he made a questionable decision or when any crisis happened, related or not, people would invoke the memory of Robert: the bold rebel who fought for love, the wronged lord who might’ve changed everything. His legend would grow precisely because he never got far enough to disappoint anyone...though Rhaegar died early enough to avoid public failure, he still managed to let down the only people he was actually responsible for...

Rhaegar is considered a potentially good king not because of anything he actually governed,it’s all about who he’s being compared to. While he was alive, they compared him to Aerys.After he died, they compared him to Robert.Two of the worst kings in Westeros history,and against them, Rhaegar will always come out as “the good king who could have been.”

He liked reading, playing the harp, and quiet contemplation—unlike his mad king father, who was violent and cruel. Naturally, people idealize him as a “cultured and enlightened ruler.” This contrast makes it easy to overrate Rhaegar without actually examining his actions or judgment. He didn’t need to actually do much of anything—just not being Aerys was enough to make him a god in the eyes of many. Many readers don’t evaluate him by the standards of a statesman, but rather through the lens of a romance novel protagonist—Tragic, melancholic, always seeming to carry some secret burden,he gives off that aura that makes you want to get close, to ease his sorrow for him. Readers mistake that emotional pull—the desire to comfort him, to believe in him—for proof that Rhaegar must have had a grand plan, that he knew exactly what he was doing and would’ve succeeded if only he’d had the chance. Some readers even treat his extramarital affair with Lyanna as a qualification for being a good king—as if a male character who isn’t toxically masculine or boring must naturally be fit to rule.

But did the books even mention a single concrete example of him making sound political decisions or showing leadership in state affairs? Winning a tourney and enjoying books can qualify someone to govern a kingdom? Of course not.A tourney proves skill in combat, not military strategy.A love of reading might suggest a poetic soul, but it doesn’t mean he had a coherent political philosophy,vision or statecraft. Ruling a realm takes strategic thinking, political savvy, organizational competence, and a deep sense of responsibility—not a good harp solo or a brooding stare.

Unfortunately, many people mistake “prince-like charm” for actual kingly ability. Even if Rhaegar had lived, I still wouldn’t see him as a good king. The fact that “dying early” is considered both his greatest political achievement and most devastating kind of defeat says it all.

You don’t even need to bother wondering what would’ve happened if Rhaegar had won at the Trident—because he was never going to win.The idea of him winning is so far-fetched, I’d write my name backwards if it actually happened lol.

[shewolf090]

As much as I dislike this ship it hints romantic and it won't be the first time George does it. Also those two who worked for this piece know more than us. They work with George. Definitely not in summerhall but these four people? They were definitely involved together. Well, let's say 80% they were involved. I don't think George will come out and say it's romantic ever especially after the fandom reaction. But he is a fan of it. He will keep dropping the hints but stay quiet. He admitted that many social views changed since he first wrote the story and it became problematic with things he wrote. Like seriously. It's so obvious he wants it romance.

That reminds me when you mentioned about Martin admitted that social values had changed.I thought of something he once said that women are drawn to those brooding, poetic types.He’s an old white guy after all, he probably thought Rhaegar and Lyanna would be wildly adored by female readers.But in reality, people seem far more fed up with the privileged wreaking havoc on ordinary lives just to chase their own desires.

Not to mention more women relate to Elia because honestly,let’s be real,who won’t one day grow older, get sick, lose the wild spark of youth?And when that happens, what if your husband gets drawn to someone younger healthier wilder,then what?When the girl’s holding their child in her arms,he’ll look at you and say,“What we had was good… but it wasn’t love.”That line’s enough to make you lose your appetite for three days.

All I can say is—people are waking up.Fewer and fewer are buying into these grand, tragic love stories of the elite.Haven’t we seen enough of this in real life already?Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson? Charles and Camilla?Billionaires who swap wives and girlfriends every few years,but still can’t stop talking about “love” every chance they get?let’s not forget the messy personal lives of all those celebrities, actors, and artists—always chaotic, yet somehow romanticized as part of their genius.Please.Enough.It's 2025.

Martin’s gardener-style writing perfectly fits his whole approach of never quite confirming, never quite denying—always keeping things just ambiguous enough:"They’re mine, and yet not mine. I can explain — but I don’t have to. Apparently, they all made their own choices. The author just stood there watering the garden."

Given the current atmosphere of awareness and critique,Martin probably wouldn’t dare publicly call Rhaelya “romantic.”Nobles slaughtering each other for power?Sure—audiences can stomach that.It’s distant, stylized, clearly fantasy.But Rhaegar and Lyanna?That hits a little too close.It brushes against real-world dynamics—power imbalances, infidelity, erasure of women’s voices.Better tread carefully when trying to sell that as love.

[shewolf090]

One possible dynamic i think isn't talked about enough in this fandom is Rhaella and Elia, like there's so many possible angles to how these two would feel about eachother and interact with eachother, like one of Rhaella's closest friend was Elia's mother was it possible that in short time they could spend with eachother that Rhaella was remainded of a time when she had people close to her she could lean on and trust, what were Elia's feelings about how her mother in law was being treated and the fact that noone would or could help her.

[shewolf090]

I think everyone severely underestimates how much iron women need compared to men. Lets put things in context first: beef contains about 1-3mg of iron per 100g/3.5oz, depending on the cut.

men and women are somewhat similar in iron demands up until 14 and then a huge change at 19 onwards. 19 year old+ men need around 8mg of iron a day. so like. a single large, or two small steaks. of course you get iron from things other than beef, and they'll likely get enough on any normal daily diet.

women need 18mg of iron a day and TWENTY SEVEN when pregnant. that's over TWICE the male requirement for your entire life and over three times when pregnant. THATS A LOT?? look at ur own diet for a minute and i promise you, unless ur going crazy on oats and chickpeas or something, you are NOT getting enough iron. probably not even close.

and I'm mind-blown by this because somehow, culturally, meat/red meat seems to be a more stereotypically masculine thing. when eating out, women get a salad and men get a burger or a steak. you google "person eating steak" and vast majority of results are men - when there are women, they've also got a cute little salad on the side, meanwhile men tend to have plates full of meat. (seriously. go google this. it's crazy)

WOMEN: YOU NEED TO EAT TWICE AS MUCH IRON-DENSE FOODS THAN UR BROTHER, UR DAD, UR HUSBAND ETC. MORE THAN TWICE AS MUCH. NO WONDER YOU FEEL FUCKING TIRED AND WEAK ALL THE TIME.

By the way, for anyone wondering, chicken hearts contain about 9mg/100g and don't taste that bad. it just tastes like chicken. i know this sounds so gross but i pan fry around 500g, pop it in the fridge and eat them cold throughout the day, split it across 3-4 days (don't eat past 3 days refrigeration). i promise its not that bad. (they're SO cheap btw. by far cheapest meat on the market, let alone meat with high iron. i get those 500g batches for THREE DOLLARS meanwhile a 200g steak is $15+ and doesn't even cover the iron i need). chicken liver is also really good and cheap but i cant vouch for the taste.

[shewolf090]

i cited her in my feminist geography paper! exceptional lady

Dr. Naziha al Dulaimi - was an early pioneer of the Iraqi feminist movement. She was a co-founder and the first president of the Iraqi Women League, and a member of the Iraqi communist party.

In 1952, she wrote the book The Iraqi Woman. It was about women from the peasant class (al-fallahin) who were deprived of all rights both in terms of male suppression and class oppression. She also wrote about women from higher classes who had higher material status but were still property and not considered human.

[shewolf090]

Even if people argue that Rhaegar didn’t owe Elia anything as a husband, and that’s already a stretch, he still owed everything to his children. As their father and heir to the throne, he had a non-negotiable duty to protect Rhaenys and Aegon. He was the heir, a father of two, and a prince with power and foresight. He knew his father was unstable. He knew the realm was fracturing. He knew Elia and their children were political hostages in a volatile court. And still, he left them. People say, “He left them in Dragonstone,” but that excuse doesn’t hold up. Rhaegar returned to King’s Landing while Aerys was actively unraveling, and it's clear that Elia and the children were no longer at Dragonstone but in the Red Keep. Aerys had ordered Prince Lewyn Martell to command the Dornish forces and made it clear Elia was being kept as a hostage, a political tool. Rhaegar knew this. He did nothing. This was not a matter of limited power. Rhaegar had enough authority to command two Kingsguard knights — sworn to the king, not the prince — to break their oaths and guard Lyanna in secrecy, far from the capital. If he could pull Dayne and Whent away from their sworn duties to protect his mistress, he could have taken similar steps to protect his wife and children. He had power, agency, and foresight — and he chose to exercise them elsewhere. This was not about love; it was about values — and he made it clear who he valued more. His actions left his children politically unprotected, and directly contributed to their deaths. What’s even more frustrating is how people act like he owed loyalty only to Lyanna. What did he owe her that surpassed the responsibility he had to his children? He had no obligation to her beyond desire and delusion. But Rhaenys and Aegon were his children. Elia had nearly died in childbirth. Who was meant to care for them if she died, while he was off hiding a girl in Dorne and chasing dreams of destiny? Rhaegar did not act like a hero, a protector, or a father. Not a tragic one nor a noble one. He acted like a man chasing an ideal at the expense of the living lives he was supposed to care for. That makes him accountable — not romantic. And what protection did his choices offer? A baby girl hidden in a bed — that’s all the realm’s great prince left her with. That’s all the power he wielded amounted to: a bed as a shield for a child. If love is truly in conflict with duty, then duty should have cost him something. But Rhaegar never paid that price. Instead, he made others pay: Elia, Rhaenys, Aegon, his siblings, and the realm.

People tend to set the bar embarrassingly low for men—if a man is technically a husband, that alone is seen as proof he’s already done his duty. Meanwhile, wives are expected to be content, wait in silence, and—when he finally turns to leave—watch him go without complaint or regret, and certainly without asking for accountability. Because, after all, “men already have so much pressure.”

Rhaegar, as the crown prince of the Seven Kingdoms—the privilege stacked on privilege.Privilege doesn’t argue with you,it just moves past you.When people say “he doesn’t owe anyone,” what they really mean is: he takes what he wants, fully aware of its cost to others, never intending to repay it, never feeling guilt or responsibility. That’s just blame-shifting—a clear warning that someone’s about to run from accountability, maybe even turn around and bite you on the way out.

Take that already pitifully low bar, hand it to a privilege prince, and watch what happens—Rhaegar ends up with no responsibility to his wife,Rhaegar could cut ties with Elia anytime, anywhere, without paying price.Rhaegar took precious things from Elia and her babies.Health,dignity,hope,future life.From the Martells, their peace,their family numbers,their wholesome little moment of family joy—something he could never repay in his lifetime.

He can have sex without affection, father children back-to-back, and still be seen as some noble, tragic figure.So what is he then—Aegon IV with a harp, or Aerys II who just happened to like baths and cleanliness? Didn’t he love books? Guess no matter how many he read, not a single one taught him how to love a woman.What he did take away was: “Oh, perfect! You don’t have to love your wife to sleep with her. Just time it down to the day—get her pregnant again and again, give her no room to breathe. It’s her job after all."

Therefore,both in the books and among fans, he’s always portrayed as sensitive, emotionally deep, introspective—the clear contrast to all those “macho men.”He spent all that time brooding, being oh-so-sensitive, strumming that damn harp and making women cry, claiming he was meant to save all humanity—and yet somehow, the one person he's so cold to,emotionally distant from,and apparently owes nothing to is his wife? You’ve got to be kidding me.

Funny how that works. Did the fans activate cheat codes or something?Imagining Rhaegar treating his wife like an enemy—squeezing everything out of her, just to clear space for the mistress.With Lyanna it was making love, but with Elia—was it making hate? Or so we’re supposed to believe.Convenient, isn’t it? Maybe fans should draft an outline before hyping him up—just to make sure the logic actually lines up from beginning to end.

If Elia and the children had lived, maybe we could talk. But they’re dead—and everyone knows how they died.And those fucking idiots still out here speaking so boldly,defending the powerful without a shred of shame,like none of it matters……please,have some dignity, even when kissing up.

You know what?That’s also what puzzles me—aren’t they usually the first to hate on the powerful who are being greedy, reckless, and messing around with whoever they want? But the moment they start shipping, they’re suddenly aligned with them,suddenly everything becomes understandable—even worthy of sympathy. Picking a side and projecting themselves into it makes them feel powerful too. So what, turns out it’s not the powerful they hate—just the fact that they’re not the ones in power?Once they become the powerful ones themselves, they won’t hesitate to draw their swords against the weak?

[shewolf090]

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.

[shewolf090]

Rhaelya's fans so desperate to erase Elia even though they claim she is so minor and unimportant to the story yet they still need to erase her.

They need Elia Martell to be belittled silently, erased, humiliated just so they can pretend that Rhaegar and Lyanna were some pure tragic romance.

Their love for Rhaegar and Lyanna require Elia to be made into nothing.

Because they know deep down that if Elia mattered, their fantasy would fall apart.

If Elia mattered, Rhaegar would not be a "dreamy tragic hero."

If Elia mattered, Lyanna would not be a "brave rebellious spirit."

If Elia mattered, the story of Rhaegar and Lyanna would no longer be a love story. It would be the story of a selfish man and a selfish girl who destroyed a woman and her children for their own desires.

And they can't handle that.

So they pretend:

That Elia "didn't mind" being abandoned.

That Elia "would have understood" Rhaegar's true love.

That Elia was "too sickly" to matter.

That Elia "wasn't really loved" anyway.

That Elia was put there only to show "How bad abd cruel Tywin and Robert are" as if that needs any proving.

They rewrite her pain into consent because otherwise they’d have to confront what their favorite "romance" really cost.

They need Elia to be friendless among the fandom-favorite characters.

They need Arthur Dayne to never lift a sword for her, Ashara Dayne to never weep for her, Rhaella to never question what happened.

They need her to die alone, forgotten, degraded so that Rhaegar and Lyanna’s memory can stay bright and shining.

They need her babies to be smashed against a wall and they still tell themselves that it wasn't Rhaegar’s fault.

They need her to be raped and murdered, and still they tell themselves it was all "worth it" for the dream of Jon Snow. See how deep ASOIAF is in their mind? Nothing matters as long as Jon is there and Rhaegar and Lyanna are the parents of the hero and a tragic romance.

They need the fandom to forget her because they have already chosen to forget her.

And why?

Because they want their love story where the cost is invisible.

Where women like Elia who did their duty and were still not "picked" to be erased so they can insert themselves into their not like other girls fantasy.

Because her story is the truth about Rhaegar and Lyanna and they want to pretend they're mourning a love story.

They call it "romance" but it's nothing but crulety and betrayal.

Otherwise why would their answer to every point against their ship be "She didn't care", "She didn't matter", "That person didn't care for her", "they weren't close", "Her tragedy is only about what the evils in the story did to her not Rhaegar's betrayal.", "The author likes Lyanna more."

They need it to be that way. They know this romance is built on hypocrisy and cruelty.

[shewolf090]

[shewolf090]

Because there is something so utterly precious about Griffin Lovell/Harley. Like this boy probably did everything he could and was not able to satisfy his mentor/father despite it all for something that wasn't even his fault. Something that probably tore at his insides because despite being raised in an English and Hindi surrounded area, I am still Telugu and I can't think of not knowing it. And yet, I don't dream in it like my father does and that really makes me feel like an absolute outsider in my own house so imagine being Griffin.

Imagine being taken from ur motherland for something and then not being able to accomplish so you don't really belong to where u were taken but also don't belong to ur motherland because u were taken too early. And imagine when he realised this. Think of how much grief he had to deal with, he is lost. He has no shore, no anchor. And isn't that really a scary asf thought??

And maybe this ideology he shares with Hermes is his anchor? The only thing keeping him afloat? But imagine finding out u have a baby brother that prolly went thru all u did but turned out successful while u were just a failed demo? Imagine how shitty that must have felt?

(only on pg 254 as of now y'all)

[shewolf090]

women! be difficult! be mean! they’re gonna hate you either way!

[shewolf090]

babel, rf kuang // diego velázquez // frank bidart

[shewolf090]

Mary Oliver, from “Hum Hum”, A Thousand Mornings

[shewolf090]

Gaza's women are just like any other women: they are wives, lovers, partners and feminine beings with desires, interests, drives and needs. The mocking of their lingerie by dozens of IDF soldiers isn't just a depraved and childish act; it's indicative of a dehumanization trend in which Palestinian women are viewed as entirely alien and otherized - that the presence of lingerie in their bedroom drawers is so shockingly surprising & unexpected, it is worth playing with and showing off as battlefield souvenir. I remember vividly how widespread lingerie stores were throughout Gaza City and how they were such a casual thing. In fact, I remember numerous instances of seemingly religious men with beards and the Quran playing in the background having or operating underwear and lingerie stores and stands, with their wives or female salesladies even helping them with customers.

These images by IDF troops will have long lasting consequences and will undermine de-escalation and de-radicalization efforts, particularly in a conservative society that views female-related spaces, items and topics as particularly sensitive and private/sacred. This isn't about worn out soldiers blowing off steam during battle; it is a sick lack of discipline & lackluster standards & operational security protocols. These images are deeply disrespectful and offensive and further alienate a civilian population that is paying the price for circumstances over which it has no control.