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"I thank Your Grace for her prayers. And request that she grant her favor... that her Lord Commander may go into battle with her blessings in his heart." HOUSE OF THE DRAGON 2.03 "The Burning Mill" || 2.08 "The Queen Who Ever Was"

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HOUSE OF THE DRAGON 1.05 "We Light the Way" || 2.08 "The Queen Who Ever Was"

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something something parallels between the two times alicent sees criston off to war.

the first scene in 2x03 was lit much brighter, there are barely any soldiers or townsfolk between them, she easily calls out to him and they converse in surface-level formalities, the tone of the scene lighter even though she’s peeved at him, he loudly asks for her favour almost in mockery of the chivalrous trope, they touch hands briefly but the interaction is emotionally sterile, he mounts his horse and can’t help but sneak a quick glance at her before he goes.

the second scene in 2x06 is lit murkier, the tone of the scene filled with more dread, they’re constantly searching for one another but there’s a sea of soldiers and bustling activity in between them, she’s unable to reach him at all before he’s cast off, sent away, willing to sacrifice his life for the realm she sacrificed her youth for, but he can’t bring himself to turn away before they’re able to meet eyes for maybe the very last time, their last look charged with more meaning and emotion than anything they could ever bring themselves to say out loud.

but in the end he still has to leave, and criston becomes yet another casualty of the duty alicent has dedicated and bound her life to, another part of her that she’s forced to lose, for the greater good, whatever that’s supposed to be anymore.

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the catch that this fandom doesn’t get is when you root for criston to die, you want the exact same thing as he does. you’re literally on his team

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HOUSE OF THE DRAGON (2022–) Season 2, Episode 5, “Regent”

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i think it's so interesting the way alicent's trauma manifests in her relationship with criston. honestly i think it's pretty insane to know someone for 20 years, have him serve you faithfully, share your bed with him and explicitly forbid him to call you by your name. but it makes sense for alicent to only be able to take a "relationship" in which she is fully in control after what she was put through with viserys. i think criston knows this and is willing to accept it as repayment of his debt to her. but from his pov she is now asking him to do something that would endanger her. after what aemond did to aegon, is it such a stretch to think he would off his own mother too if she's what stands between him and the throne that he so desperately desires? or that he would not go finish off aegon so the entire regency is skipped and the throne falls to him as heir? i do get his reasoning but i also get alicent's pain at being denied once again the right to choose her own fate. i loved the way that he could not bear to look at her at the council meeting. of course he couldn't. i hate knowing there's not going to be a happy ending and that neither them nor anyone around them will be okay

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tired: daeron is alicole’s bastard

wired: maelor cole

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criston cole is the only character on hotd to canonically cut himself struggle bangs from the immense impostor syndrome he feels from his job and the stress of his situationship and this fandom has the nerve to call him unrelatable smh

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alicole really giving self-flagellation through sex. them approaching each other like it’s some sort of implicit punishment ritual. she’s hitting and slapping him as a stand-in for herself, and he just takes it bc he understands she needs this outlet and also believes he deserves the pain. and then they descend into sinning again in the worst way imaginable to them. phew, they’re never beating the twisted repressed catholic allegations

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alicent giving criston a token before he’s off to war, oh they’re not beating the twisted guinevere/lancelot allegations 😭

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look i think the most alicole fans (like, actual fans, not the ones supporting it out of spite or schadenfreude — so like the 12 of us lmao) know it’s gonna end poorly. like no one is self-deluding themselves into thinking the two will get a happy ending of any sort i don’t think. but after being told for 2 years how crazy we were for thinking there was anything going on between these two it’s like immensely surprising and satisfying to see it actually come to fruition in any shape or form. like atp we’ll take what we can get lol