medievalcat:

most iconic asoiaf moment goes to Tywin age late 50something calling Alannys – age mid/late 40something on estimate – elderly and saying she will die soon and then Tywin dying in that book and Alannys still being alive

Tywin is ridiculous. Even BALON is younger than he is.

The way the series talks about the Greyjoy parents and their older children (Rodrik and Maron) I thought for the longest time Balon and Alannys were like late 50s-early 60s and their older boys were in their 20s when they died. Then I checked the timeline and yeah no. They weren’t. Balon and Alannys are 40 somethings and so their older boys, being ‘men’ were probably like 16-17 when they died.

If Alannys and Balon are elderly, Tywin belongs in a frigging crypt.

fried-demon-potato:

irishgingerprincess:

ellen-is-on-oestrogen:

Well done, Ireland! ❤

Hello!?! Why isn’t this being celebrated worldwide!?!? Ireland is known for its conservative catholic people and now we have gay marriage and trans rights. Not only that but we are the only country in the world to achieve same sex marriage by popular vote!!!

Because usually people dont actually care about us or notice us internationally unless it’s St.Patricks day, but even then it’s just green, beer and leprechauns.

Source: ellenfromnowon

We’re taking steps to protect against future interference in our political conversation by state-sponsored propaganda campaigns

leproblematique:

staff:

Hi Tumblr,

We’re all grappling with the influence that state-sponsored disinformation campaigns can have on our political conversations—and how wide-spread that interference turned out to be. So please take a moment to read this, think about it, and talk about it.

Last fall, we uncovered 84 Tumblr accounts linked to the Russian government through the Internet Research Agency, or IRA. These accounts were being used as part of a disinformation campaign leading up to the 2016 U.S. election. After uncovering the activity, we notified law enforcement, terminated the accounts, and deleted their original posts. Behind the scenes, we worked with the Department of Justice, and the information we provided helped indict 13 people who worked for the IRA.

Now that the investigations are done, we want to let you know how we’re going to help protect Tumblr in the future and what you can do to help.

Here’s what we know about these accounts

The IRA employs more than 1,000 people who engage in electronic disinformation and propaganda campaigns around the world using phony social media accounts. Their goal is to sow division and discontent in the countries they target. What makes them so difficult to spot is that they’re not spambots. They’re real people who get trained and paid to spread propaganda.

As far as we can tell, the IRA-linked accounts were only focused on spreading disinformation in the U.S., and they only posted organic content. We didn’t find any indication that they ran ads.

Remember, the IRA and other state-sponsored disinformation campaigns play off our zero-sum politics. They want to drive a wedge between us so that we spend our time fighting with each other instead of building towards the future. We’ll be watching for signs of future activity, but the best defense is knowing how they operate and how to judge the content you see.

What we’re doing in response to the interference

First, we’ll be emailing anyone who liked, reblogged, replied to, or followed an IRA-linked account with the list of usernames they engaged with.

Second, we’re going to start keeping a public record of usernames we’ve linked to IRA or other state-sponsored disinformation campaigns. We’re committed to transparency and want you to know everything that we know.

We’ve decided to leave up any reblog chains that might be on your Tumblrs—you can choose to leave them or delete them. We’re letting you decide because the reblog chains contain posts created by real Tumblr users, often challenging or debunking the false and incideniary claims in the IRA-linked original post. Removing those authentic posts without your consent would encroach on your free speech—and there have been enough disruptions to our conversations as it is.

What we’re doing to stop future disinformation campaigns

You’ve probably read that U.S. intelligence officials expect foreign agents to try similar propaganda campaigns in the future. We’ll be monitoring Tumblr for signs of state-sponsored disinformation campaigns, and if we see anything we will…

  • Terminate the accounts and remove their original posts.
  • Notify you if we determine that you’ve liked, reblogged, replied to, or followed a propaganda account.
  • Add the username to the public record.
  • Alert law enforcement.

There are also things you can do to help stop the spread of disinformation and propaganda.

  1. Be aware that people want to manipulate the conversation. Knowing that disinformation and propaganda accounts are out there makes it harder for them to operate. The News Literacy Project has this handy checklist for spotting their tricks.
  2. Be skeptical of things you read. Disinformation campaigns work because they know people don’t fact check. Look for reliable sources, and double-check that the source really says the same thing as the post. You can also check Snopes and Politifact. Both are award-winning resources and usually have the latest viral claim fact checked on the front page. 
  3. Correct the record. When you see people spreading misinformation—even unintentionally—politely say something in a reblog or reply. If it’s your friend, send them a message to let them know.

One last note: Please vote.

Transparency won’t mean a thing if we don’t participate in the process. Whatever your political stance, voting ensures a government that represents your interests. For our U.S. users: You can register online or by mail, and many states are holding primaries right now.

I was born and still currently live in Eastern Europe. Russia and its manipulation of and outright involvement in the politics of the region’s countries has been the background radiation of my life, from the subtle (social manipulation campaigns, as what we’re seeing now) to the predictable (cutting off natural gas supplies to and cutting off imports from neighboring countries who don’t toe the line they’re given) to the utterly blatant (the invasion of Georgia, Crimea and eastern Ukraine, setting up multiple puppet-states in the region that only exist due to the financial and military propping-up by the Kremlin, assassinations and attempted assassinations of whistleblowers and political opponents of the regime in power). Spoiler alert: for Eastern Europe, the Cold War never truly ended, we had to keep dealing with life under the Kremlin’s shadow and its manipulations and belief that we are its traditional sphere of influence, regardless of our own opinions on the matter, same as before the fall of the USSR. For small countries bordering Russia, national sovereignty was, is and will continue to be nothing but a joke.

Seeing Westerners vehemently deny Russia’s skill in disseminating propaganda and infiltrating organizations and social groups is absolutely astounding to me and leaves me with only two conclusions – either I’m dealing with incredibly, headache-inducingly naive people… or with individuals who know all of the above and they just don’t give a shit, because they’ve decided that their hatred for Western liberal and progressive values runs deep enough in order to view autocrats as ‘natural allies.’

Here’s the e-mail I received, which shows the extent of infiltration within Western progressive communities:

The Iron Queen: On Alannys Harlaw

There’s some high quality meta going around about lots of under appreciated women in ASOIAF who we just don’t know much about. Take literally anything written about Joanna Lannister ever by @joannalannister for instance. There’s not a whole lot to go on about Alannys Harlaw though. We don’t have much to go on – Theon rarely thinks about her and even Asha doesn’t talk much about her relationship with Alannys. But from what little we do know (and some good old fashioned head canon), here is my picture on what she was like and how her life turned out. Trigger warnings for discussions of physical abuse, including spousal abuse.

– She, her brother, and her sister got along but weren’t particularly close. That is to say – they enjoyed each other’s company and cared about each other, but they weren’t exactly the best of friends. Rodrik seems to spend most of his time talking about her when he wants to convince Asha not to go to the kingsmoot and Gwynesse mostly talks about her rights to Ten Towers. 

– I think @goodqueenaly is right when she suggests Alannys was married off to Balon because Quellon hoped Rodrik’s sister would be able to bring more progressive ideas into their marriage (and hopefully be on board with his reforms) (And PS – if you’re not following her, do. She ALSO writes great meta about under appreciated ladies). I also tend to think she and Balon were married rather young since during the Greyjoy Rebellion they had two sons who seemed to be grown men when they died. Westeros considers a grown man at 16 so I’m going to say Rodrik was 17 and Maron was 16. So let’s say Alannys and Balon were married at 17, the same year Balon became captain of a longship, that’s a nice milestone.

– I don’t think Quellon’s plan worked. I think Alannys was squarely in Balon’s corner in the Ironborn culture war. For both political reasons (if Balon becomes a king, she’d be a queen and their children would be princes and princesses) and personal reasons (I suspect the Old Way spoke more to the strong and proud Alannys – perhaps not as much as it did to Balon, but more than Quellon’s ideas did). I don’t see Alannys as anywhere near as bookish and interested in greenland thoughts as her brother. Quellon probably ended up sorely disappointed – as did Alannys when she realized why Quellon arranged their match. 

– From the scant descriptions we have of Alannys, we get ‘strong’, ‘proud’ and ‘fierce’ with ‘laughter in her eyes’. I think a lot of posts about Alannys focus on what she is now – a woman brokenhearted over the loss of her children, and that is fair. But there’s more to Alannys than that. This is the woman who ‘raised Asha to be bold’. I think Asha’s probably bolder than Alannys was, since Theon never thinks of her the way Asha did, but I do think she was more headstrong than the traditional Westerosi ideal lady. I see Alannys as someone who didn’t do things halfway. If she was happy, she was happy. If she was angry, she was angry. 

– Her and Balon’s relationship was tumultuous to say the very barest minimum. When things were good, they were good. I’m not sure I’d go so far as to say they were ever really in love, but I do think they were more or less on the same page and capable of enjoying each other’s company. But when things were bad, they were BAD. I imagine Balon got into quite a few furious arguments with his family (his dad, his stepmom, Euron, Aeron and Urri when they were being Aeron and Urri) and his wife was no exception. For her part, Alannys gave as good as she got – she was stubborn, fierce, and bold, you could not yell at her without her yelling back. There were days she would have killed him in his sleep and happily faced execution for it, and I do think there were days where one or the other laid hands on their spouse. So, yes, their relationship, much like a lot of Balon’s, was a big mess. I do think she cared at least a little about him when he died though – enough that she was convinced it was murder and would tell anyone who asked about it, even on days where she wasn’t as lucid. 

– I think she got along with Aeron (and probably Urrigon) and Victarion, just because I don’t see them fighting a lot (and Aeron doesn’t seem to harbour her any ill will when he tells Theon she’s at Ten Towers). She probably rolled her eyes at Aeron and Urri’s antics when they were younger and let Balon deal with it. They’re not HER little brothers making fools of herself. Euron on the other hand….I think most people could tell he was weird and off and I don’t think Alannys was an exception (though obviously nobody knew how bad he was until later, obviously, except Aeron). She probably kept her distance from him.

– As for Quellon, I don’t think she particularly hated him, but his obvious disappointment in her lack of support for his reforms probably kept them from warming up to each other. I don’t think they got along and so Alannys kept her children at a distance as well (which is why Theon and Asha never think much about their Grandfather). The person I think she REALLY disdained was his Piper wife. I can’t imagine the new Lady Greyjoy much enjoyed Pyke. It’s cold, bleak, and broke, especially compared to Pinkmaiden. I can see Alannys, a woman of relative action, growing annoyed VERY quickly. She probably kept her children away from her too and quietly (or not so quietly) was pleased when Balon ascended to his seat and his Piper stepmother fell from favour.

– I think Alannys loved all her children, but Theon was the one she was the closest too. He was her youngest, her baby boy, and he was so shy. I’m sure she was probably involved in raising her older two to be raiders, but Theon was only just learning when he was taken away and so she probably figured he’d grow out of his shyness. 

– I think Asha’s always been closer to Balon than to Alannys, and I think Alannys has always had a sort of conflict regarding her daughter. She delighted in how bold Asha was and obviously wanted to encourage her, but at the same time she also knew she was ‘supposed’ to be teaching Asha how to be a lady. I think there were definite times when Asha was being stubborn and Alannys was torn on how to react – she ‘should’ be shaking her and ordering her to act like a lady, but all she wants to do is give her daughter a hug and say ‘good girl’. I think for the most part, she ‘looked the other way’ when her daughter was off doing things she ‘shouldn’t’ and then she’s shrug and say ‘Sorry, Lord Quellon, didn’t see it, couldn’t stop her’. And then go off and laugh at whatever Asha’d done.

– Speaking of Asha, I like to think she gets her snark from her mother. I think Alannys DEFINITELY sassed anybody who gave her a hard time, especially after she became the Lady of Pyke. 

– After the Rebellion was over and her boys were gone, I think she and Balon were both broken up in different ways. I think Balon drank a lot and was particularly vicious when any chance of a raid came up (say, in the Stepstones). Meanwhile, for a long time, Alannys was just…numb. She couldn’t let herself feel anything because once those floodgates opened, EVERYTHING hit her at once. That numbness is probably when she began sleepwalking and searching for her boys. Both of them were haunted by their sons, that was for sure. I think they probably TRIED to have another baby, since Alannys was desperate for another son, but it didn’t happen. So they tried fostering and that didn’t work (and oh dear Drowned God, they were UNAMUSED when their maester caught Tristifer with Asha). 

– Sure enough, once the floodgates were open, there was no shutting them up again. Alannys was completely desolated by the loss of her three boys. She got up looking for them, forgot they died, and even began mistaking people for them (and ow, I just had a very painful mental image of her mistaking Aeron for Rodrik). I tend to see her vacillating between fury and misery before she finally had a breakdown.

– Her sister had a similar breakdown after her husband died in the rebellion, so I’m wondering if Harlaws are predisposed to break down in reaction to grief? Her sister focused on wanting her rights back, and Alannys focused on her dead children. 

– I don’t think she left until recently, when she contracted her cough. She was growing weaker, so Rodrik suggested to Balon that the more comfortable Harlaw might be better for her than Pyke, so they shipped her off. She’s been doing better – her cough comes and goes, but she’s eating more and is sleeping through the night and has days where she’s more lucid than others.

Ladies in Waiting

joannalannister:

@blenderbender1811​ submitted:

Your blog made me realize what a serious dearth of female friendships and ladies in waiting there were in the series, especially when by all rights they SHOULD exist. So here is my list thus far. Some of them are existing characters but some are straight up inventions for the campaign because otherwise I’d basically be using every female noble character in the books (because GRRM doesn’t have nearly as many noblewomen around).

It looks really cool! 

Keep reading

I’m glad you enjoyed it, and yes, I thought you might like tossing a couple more Lannisters into it.

The average numbers are more for my sake than as a hard and fast rule. It’s mostly so I don’t end up accidentally high balling or low balling it if I end up talking about other people with ladies-in-waiting or about past ladies (such as when plotting out backstories, I don’t want to end up going ‘wait, I already said X had Y many ladies, is adding one more a bit much?’). Especially because, as you said, it would depend on wealth, regional tradition and political context as well, so that average would probably fluctuate depending on the time and family.

And yes, you’re absolutely right, the bit about Genna should have been ‘goodmother’. I’m not sure if that was autocorrect, a typo, or me missing that.

Trump’s Next National Security Adviser, John Bolton, Is As Dangerous As You Remembered

iconuk01:

Well, isn’t he a peach??? O_o

His isn’t a senate confirmable position, so dealing with him is tricky. 

Right now, you should call your elected officials and tell them you oppose his being hired. A lot of GOP officials don’t like this guy either and blocked previous potential appointments for him, so you may get a good reception on this. It gives them numbers to back up anything they do to circumvent them.

Also ask them to support any bills going around limiting the president’s first strike powers – Bolton is a serious hawk.

Trump’s Next National Security Adviser, John Bolton, Is As Dangerous As You Remembered