#medieval hightowers

[artist-ellen]

Alicent Hightower, Little Miss Greensleeves

At the wedding of Rhaenyra and Laenor Valeryon Alicent makes a dramatic entrance in a brilliant green gown. A declaration for House Hightower instead of the reds and blacks she used to wear for her husband's House. I know some people love this show-dress but I can't get behind it. It looks too flimsy to be a Queen's show-stopping ensemble. It needed length, or folds of fabric... even just better lining in the bodice would have helped. It's honestly looked better in the cosplays I've seen.

I will give it to the show designers though, it is a hard gown to design. I completed this illustration at least 3 times before I knew for certain what it was going to look like. Hopefully the elements of Hightower fashion/anti-Targaryen fashion i've been mentioning and building to are recognizable.

I am the artist! Do not post without permission & credit! Thank you! Come visit me over on: instagram, tiktok or check out my coloring book available now \ („• ֊ •„) /

https://linktr.ee/ellen.artistic

[bbygirl-aemond]

hotd's commentary on patriarchy is so much more interesting when you allow yourself to acknowledge the differences in privilege and power between the various women we see. aemma, alicent, laena, rhaenys, rhaenyra- they all have varying levels of privilege that come to them either indirectly or directly. rhaenyra is, ofc, undisputedly at the top. and this doesn't sideline or villainize rhaenyra in any way, because no amount of privilege will change the fact that she is not a man. like otto said: she could be jaehaerys reborn, could be as wise and powerful and mighty as any human being could be, and at the end of the day society would still see her as a woman. as the most powerful woman, sure, but as a woman. and i think that's just a much more salient point- that no amount of power within a system will allow you to breach the confines of that system. no matter how much influence these woman gain within the system of patriarchy, they're never able to be free of it.

[lunasglow]

Mind you, these are the same people who will write literal essays on how Alicent is flawed and complex. They would rather defend Alicent’s assumption that a gay man—who was in the sea going mad with grief hours before—was away ‘entertaining young squires’ than admit that an aspect of her character is that she is bigoted.

Like, why are YOU—a 21st century civilian—agreeing with the conclusions of a woman clearly just trying to out Laenor/shock people???

[aegonomics]

incorrect house of the dragon 11/?

[jorocks30]

I was drawing an oc but then it turned into Alicent

[indigohoney08]

Alicent Hightower

[shortskirtloooooooooooongjacket]

Collage of my fave sad lesbians (Part 1)

[knightsickness]

where is duty? where is sacrifice?

[thefourteenflames]

COLORS, SYMBOLISM AND HISTORICAL PARALLELS RED • After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, red was adopted as a color of majesty and authority by the Byzantine Empire, and the princes of Europe.

• In Western Europe, Emperor Charlemagne painted his palace red as a very visible symbol of his authority, and wore red shoes at his coronation.

• In western countries red is a symbol of martyrs and sacrifice, particularly because of its association with blood. Beginning in the Middle Ages, the Pope and Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church wore red to symbolize the blood of Christ and the Christian martyrs.

[fuckalicent]

saying alicent is for the white conservative tradwives is sooo insensitive when what she experiences is relatable for a majority of woc

[artist-ellen]

Alicent in Reds

In the show Alicent spends her first few years as a dutiful and generous wife. Standing up for Rhaenyra, not pushing for Viserys to change the order of inheritance, wearing Targaryen colors and having Targaryen children. She isn't necessarily happy with her fate but is putting in the effort to get along. Ergo, we see her wear a lot of red and black during this time. I also wanted to have the lines and shapes of the ensemble match with things Rhaenyra has worn in the past to try to push the idea of family unity.

The more I look into the costumes of the show the more I can see little bits where the costumes tried to do some character+world development but the fabric choices undermine them every step of the way. Especially that black "leather" dress with gauzy sleeves. The idea is good but the result looks comical in it's environment.

I am the artist! Do not post without permission & credit! Thank you! Come visit me over on: instagram, tiktok or check out my coloring book available now \ („• ֊ •„) /

https://linktr.ee/ellen.artistic

[p00dle]

fire and blood.

[horizon-verizon]

Alicent would HATE Anne Boleyn, a reformist who helped instigate the break from Rome and the Catholic church, and would call her the “concubine”, “whore”, she-devil”, “Jezebel”. Alicent would call Elizabeth a “bastard” and would support Katherine of Aragon, the pious, loyal and dutiful wife, a daughter of Isabella the Catholic.

Anne was everything that the ideal woman at that time wasn’t meant to be. She wasn’t submissive, she wasn’t meek, she wasn’t somebody who withheld her emotions, she was bold, she was very outspoken, she was emotionally demonstrative, probably emotionally sort of rather immoderate and rather extreme and not at all retiring, very assertive. And I think ultimately somebody who wanted to be in control of her own destiny; in that way makes her quite modern. I love her speech at her trial, in which she describes her one “crime” as not having shown Henry enough “humility”. I think that’s an extraordinary, “feminist” insight for a woman of her time. “I confess I have had jealous fancies and suspicions of him, which I had not discretion enough, and wisdom, to conceal at all times”, she recognized that she had transgressed against the norms of wifely behavior, that she didn’t remained in her proper place. To describe her as a feminist would be an anachronism, but she did step over the ever-moving line that marked the boundary of the comfort zone for men of her era, stepping right into the epicenter of politics during a volatile, dangerous time.

What’s up with Alicent’s stans trying to force nonsensical parallels between her and controversial & challenging women (Anne Boleyn, Medea, Clytemnestra, etc) ? Who’s next, Scarlett O’Hara, Anna Karenina, Hester Prynne ? I thought Alicent was the Virgin Mary who never did anything wrong and whose only character trait is suffering.

Answer to this post?

Again, haven't gone into any real depth with Anne Boleyn, but these sound convincing from what I do know of her. You really got me with the supporting Catherine of Aragon bit, because...whoo, Alicent would.

[moonflower91]

I have to say it because I see it all over the place.

I find the trope of the “medieval fantasy heroine rejects traditional femininity” as very misogynistic

The vast way these characters are written isn’t to make them strong. It’s to make them “not like other girls” because other girls are giggly and spend their time sewing or looking for a husband. And as Arya Stark said it in GoT, she views “most girls as idiots”.

I do like a well written female character that can hold her own in a fight, but the fact that so many of these type of characters are written to scoff and roll their eyes at other female characters who do like traditionally feminine things, has left a bad taste in my mouth because it screams “pick me”, even while fervently denying it.

It’s a tired trope and I’ve checked out of it completely, even though, as I said, there are so many good stories with a heroine who fights with a sword. (And if it is done well, like the feminine ladies confront this behaviour, that’s perfect). Can we not just respect women and what they like??

[vampsites]

TEAM GREEN: Sh*t Show at The F**k Factory

[reignof-fyre]

"I'm ready to support [insert character's] war crimes!!!!!"

MY BROTHER IN CHRIST war crimes do not exist in the feudal society hotd is set in nor do child brides for the LOVE of fucking christ stop applying 21st century morals and laws and reasonings to a fucking MIDDLE AGES FANTASY I am INFURIATED I just want to enjoy watching team black slay without fucking team green muppets whinging about laws and concepts that DO NOT EXIST IN WESTEROS SHUT THE FUCK UP thanks