𝒜𝓁𝒾𝒸𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝐻𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉𝑜𝓌𝑒𝓇

♰ OOC
Player Name: Lils
Are you over 18? yes
Contact: ladylils
Characters in game: N/A

♰ BASICS
Character's name: Alicent Hightower
Canon: House of the Dragon
Canon point: 1x09
Age: Early 30s
Background: Wiki, Book Wiki
Abilities:
* Observation: Alicent has been a courtier for most of her life. She's developed an ability to observe and understand the motivations of those around her. She can understand and read people extremely well.

* Politically Savvy: She often advised the king on political matters, her advice actually turning out to be helpful, particularly during a war. She later served on the king's council.

* A Lady's education: Alicent was brought up to be a lady. She can sew, socialize and act as a hostess. The soft power policy, essentially.

♰ SUITABILITY
Strengths:

* Clever: Having been at court so long, Alicent understands how to survive tense situations. She approaches problems as rationally as possible. True, those problems might be insidious and of her own making, but she knows how to play the game and outmaneuver others. She gets the one up on her father by finding Aegon before he does and using him as a powerful trump card, overruling her father's desire to kill Rhaenyra and her children. She understands that the war in the Stepstones is important and pushes Viserys to support his brother for the good of the realm. With this trait, any of the odd occurrences, she'll try to analyze and find solutions that will be beneficial to her.

* Nurturing: Alicent cares for others, especially Viserys as he grows old and sick. She looks after her children, and while an argument could be made about her parenting, she's very dedicated to her children and loves them. If someone is injured or needs support, Alicent would offer that. It helps her establish bonds and strengthen them, fulfilling one of the primary objectives of the game. Through her nurturing, Alicent tends to gather facts about herself that make her more willing to connect and forgive others. We see this when Rhaenyra brings up how sincerely Alicent has been caring for Viserys. It softens Alicent and helps her remember the friendship they had and how similar they are. She will connect and bond more easily with others with this trait.

* Strong Willed: When Alicent wants something, she will go after it absolutely. As she grew older, Alicent grew more obstinate. She absolutely rejects a marriage proposal, even with Viserys cajoling her to agree. She faces off against her father and pushes him to accept her terms for the coup. She refuses to accept the idea of killing Rhaenyra and fights against that, even urging her son to spare Rhaenyra. When facing a dragon, Alicent puts herself between her son and Meleys (the dragon). She realizes she will die but she doesn't flinch and faces the danger head on. In this setting Alicent will fight against any attempts to break her or hurt her. She'll hold fast to her connections back home and battle the shadows, even if it's just with soft power.

* Compassionate: Despite all of her anger and bitterness, Alicent genuinely cares for people. She flinches at the idea of killing others. The thought of hurting Rhaenyra and her children is too much for her and she cleaves to mercy. Much like nurturing, she will connect to others through pity, compassion and kindness. This will help strengthen bonds and form, perhaps, a group she can rely on. She'll want to help where she can and to offer support for those battling the shadows as well.

Weaknesses:

* Stubborn: Alicent is set in her ways. When she believes something, it's hard for her to break from that position. She relentlessly believes that Rhaenyra is flaunting her position and doing as she pleases without regard for others and will not back down from that. The belief that Rhaenyra will kill her children is something Otto instilled in her, but that she holds fast to. She firmly believes that the way to manage the realm as a woman is through soft power. As Rhaenys puts it, she doesn't seek to break from her prison but put a window in it. She doesn't listen always to advice and ignores what she doesn't like. Despite the benefits of marrying her daughter to Rhaenyra's son, Alicent refuses and dismisses Viserys's attempts to talk her into it.

* Callous: Alicent has a tendency to ignore murder or violence, if it's done by certain people. Criston Cole kills at least 2 people in her proximity. She manages to save him from punishment from the first and the second, in her presence, she simply tells him there is no insult and to put away his sword. No word of condemnation, it's just brushed over. When Aemond loses his eye in a fight with Rhaenyra's children, Alicent demands the eye of Lucerys as payment and justice. When she's denied, she goes so far as to attack Rhaenyra with a dagger. She later locks Rhaenys in her rooms to keep her from warning Rhaenyra about the coup. When it's something Alicent wants, she can overlook murder and cruelty.

* Hypocritical: Alicent hears Viserys's last words. He believes he's speaking to Rhaenyra and talks about how she must hold the realm together. Despite his words not making sense, Alicent is quick to believe that Viserys is talking about her son and that he wants Aegon to rule. She, in the episode before, had said Rhaenyra would make a good queen and seemingly was coming around to following Viserys's preferred succesion. Instead, she immediately decides on a coup and to crown her son. Along with this, Alicent has this sense of being just and moral in the face of hypocrisy, but in the end, she acts in a similar way. She ignores murder and brutality, but still pretends she's on the side of right.

Fears:
Generally with her fears, Alicent pushes back against it, almost being agitated and panicked. She'll either lash out or she'll break down. She doesn't handle stress too well and depends on support to see her through.

* Alicent believes that Rhaenyra will kill her children. This pushes her into committing a coup and stealing the crown from Rhaenyra. She's obsessed with this fear, even warning her children about it. The idea of them being killed or in danger makes her panic.

* Her children being hurt. Alicent snaps when Aemond loses his eye, demanding retribution in the form of an eye being taken from Lucerys. She breaks down and attacks Rhaenyra in the presence of the king. This is probably her biggest fear and the time she hit her lowest point.

* Being alone. She fears being on her own without support. When her father is sent from court and she's on her own, Alicent desperately latches on to anyone willing to offer her protection. Larys helps her a few times, but this leads her into being groomed by him. Being alone, being powerless, it puts so much stress on her and leaves her extremely anxious.

* Dragons. Since the first episode, Alicent has shied away from dragons. With the recent events of being threatened by Rhaenys and her dragon Meleys, Alicent is firmly anti dragon. Her new nightmare.

Desires: She wants her son to be king, for the crown to pass through his line and for Rhaenyra to accept this reality and leave it alone. She wants also to guide her son and be the primary advisor to him.

Regrets:
* The loss of her friendship with Rhaenyra and the love they shared. She spends much of the season longing for that love again.

* How Aegon turned out. That he's lazy, rash and cruel, that he hurts women and is an alcoholic. She doesn't realize her role in this completely, but she does regret not being able to change him.

Tethers: Her children: she genuinely loves them and much of her actions is to protect them. There would be the feeling of unfinished business there and that they still need her, even if she's dead. They're her drive.

The Seven. Alicent is extremely religious, more so as she ages. She'd adhere to the principles of the Seven and believe that they'd be guiding her and give her strength.

♰ OPT-INS / OPT-OUTS
If you'd like your character to be subjected to the following options at any given time, please answer accordingly. Note that these might temporarily disrupt your established plans.

Harrowings: yes
Curses/Pranks: yes
Imprisonment: yes
Encounters: yes
Loss of control: yes
NOTE: Nope, you're all good

♰ SAMPLES
Test Drive