Comment on The Blood of Maegor

  1. Cardinala on Chapter 2 Thu 14 Aug 2025 06:37AM UTC

    There are so many cruel, brutal and disturbing characters in the asoiaf universe but Tyanna is definitely high up there. I am not sure what it is since we have other characters that have tortured or butchered others. I think what disturbs me most is her ability to feign closeness, friendship, perhaps even love.

    Alys Holloway was rumored to also have been involved with her and she has no compunction whatsoever to bring her poisonous tea, maim her child in the womb, falsely accuse her and then torture her over days. There is such a senseless cruelty in her that goes way beyond wanting to rise to the top. For some reason, perhaps natural, perhaps it was a price that magic demanded she seemed incapable of having children herself.

    Every king needs an heir, especially one who has been married for a long time and to different women, yet has not one child in the cradle. The calculating, though still cruel thing to do, would have been to let one his wives carry to term and then after the birth, when the mother is still fragile to poison her and then to raise the child herself. Of course that is still truly awful but I can understand that to a point. But poisoning every women that becomes pregnant reads to me as "if you are not having a child with me, you are not having one with anyone, no matter whether that harms your position or not."

    Also what she did to Viserys. Again I understand that letting rival claimants, that might end up claiming a dragon at that, would be nearly impossible but instead of handling it quickly and discreet we have another torture orgy.

    I reread the chapter and found it interesting how eager Jaehaerys is to push the match between Ali and Daemon. Of course there is a lot of baggage when it comes to being descended from Maegor but at the same time, Visenya was the senior wife, the one that bend the Vale and created the kingsguard. Also Otto seeing his worst nightmare come to life never gets old and I am looking forward to him, eventually thinking about the benefits of Alicent becoming queen, getting pushed out the office of the Hand.

    It is funny because House Velaryon, along with House Dayne and House Hightower are definitely among my favourites when it comes to secondary Houses. I love stories in the GoT timeline where the Velaryons play a major role in the Targaryen restoration. I can respect their entrepreneurial spirit and the almost Gothic theme of lost glory, of rising too high and too fast only for all to come crashing down.

    During the Dance era though I am beyond over Corlys' greed and hypocrisy. Of him trampling on the rights that Baela and Rhaena should have and his willingness to hand Driftmark first to Luke and then to Alyn before he ever would consider his own granddaughters inheriting.

    Comment Actions

    1. Valyrianimagination on Chapter 2 Thu 14 Aug 2025 11:46AM UTC

      I'm re-reading f&b and tbh tyanna is just... something else. She acts like your bestie and the next moment bam... you are subjected to something that is out of this world. "There is such a senseless cruelty in her that goes way beyond wanting to rise to the top." Tyanna wanted to be the only Queen and the gods clocked her because she couldn't have a baby. I think people did not understand that Tyanna was more curel than Maegor and even more delusional.

      No cause Otto, poor guy, of course as any man in a higher position, would strive to have an even higher one (*cue for music as the Velaryons enter with their shit ambition too*). There is much to uncover about the plot with Jae, because he has known some things for a while. "I can respect their entrepreneurial spirit and the almost Gothic theme of lost glory, of rising too high and too fast only for all to come crashing down." gotta love them and their need to strive beyond the much they already have, because when they fall, they fall from so high up.

      I think that some things, in canon, are done out of plot armor, because there are some things that some characters would never do given their character and personality, then they do some senseless shit.

      Comment Actions