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I'm so sick and tired of other Filipinos (especially the older generation) who are still upholding toxic Filipino [family] values.

Imagine your own parent being physically, financially, and verbally abusive towards your other parent, and then you grow up witnessing all of that.

Imagine having an absent parent who only parents when it's convenient for them, and never even gave any financial support while you're growing up.

Imagine having a parent who constantly talks shit about you on social media to gain sympathy from the public, and for people to accuse you of being a bad child, then STILL expect to have a relationship with you.

Imagine your own parent ruining the most important event of your life (aka your wedding) by posting about it on social media, in which you specifically requested not to divulge any details about the wedding, and make it about him/her. Then this parent goes pa-victim to gain sympathy from the public once again, and paint you, your siblings and your other parent the villains of his/her overly dramatic story.

Tapos putang ina may video pa of that parent packing your wedding gift, only to find out that he/she gifted you and your spouse caps with his/her face on it, and a can of shrimp paste.

I personally love shrimp paste and I don't mind if someone gives that to me as a gift. But the cap with the toxic parent's face on it?!

Tang ina ang lala!

If it isn't a narcissist, I don't know what to call it.

Then the sad part is there are still people who took the toxic parent's side, and it infuriates me.

First of all, you will never understand a child who went through so much trauma growing up unless you've been in that child's shoes. Telling someone, "magulang mo parin 'yan," "matuto kang magpatawad," OR the worst part is when someone quotes the famous bible verse, "Honor thy father and mother," is like a slap on that child's face. Why? Because you're invalidating that child's pain.

Just because this person birthed or donated sperm doesn't make them a parent. It's so much more than that. A parent is someone who loves, nurtures, and protects their children unconditionally. Not someone who publicly talks shit about them, and lets the public bash the kids for being well..."bad" kids. A parent should be a safe space for their children, not the cause of their pain and trauma.

"But what about other kids who still have good relationships with their parents despite their mother and father being separated?"

Well BOOMER, it's probably because these parents are actually parenting (or at least making efforts when it comes to their kids), they don't talk poorly about their children on social media, they respect their kids' boundaries, and because they're not a fucking narcissist, gets? So don't compare one person's experience to the other because they're not the same. And if you still side with the toxic parent, you probably need therapy.

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My queens in one frame 🔥🌪️🌊🍂

📷 Encantadia Chronicles: Sang'gre Official Facebook Page

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The Daemyra fic was beautiful, ang Ganda talaga, so glad because I too fell on love with house of the dragon despite it not following the book and ruining a lot of characterization, but your story was lovely

Oh my gosh I haven't opened Tumblr in AGES but thank you ❤️❤️

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Episode 55 of Pulang Araw is by far the most heart-wrenching episode throughout the series. Teresita watching in horror as the other women are being violated, the fear in her eyes as she realizes why the Japanese soldiers abducted her, and the heartache of not being able to do anything (even free herself). The screams of pain and agony of the comfort women as they were continuously defiled by these disgusting monsters was just so painful to watch. I hope these rapists are burning in hell and are suffering a million times more, they don't deserve any ounce of respect or forgiveness. But these women deserve justice.

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how I would've written the Carmela-Teresita-Adelina dynamic: show Carmela slowly warming up to Adelina in between the timeskip, instead of an evil stepmother-daughter type of relationship they have something more complicated. Carmela starts genuinely caring about Adelina (she had to raise her after Julio left them behind, after all) and it hurts to be reminded of Julio's infidelity but she starts to accept this child had no fault in it, learns to be more compassionate towards "lesser" folk through her relationship with Adelina

I'm just so sick of Filipino teleseryes villainizing the woman who was wronged while putting the cheating man in a better position

Regardless of whether or not they truly loved each other, Julio made false promises to them that they were the only ones he loved. He lied. And he was Fina's employer–he took advantage of her, even if he viewed it as love

There are other ways in which they could have set up the storyline of Teresita and Hiroshi being arranged

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I know a bubbly character with a kind heart is Barbie's forte, but I wish they added a little something in Adelina's character that would distinguish her from Klay. Watching Adelina is like watching Klay from a different timeline, they basically have the same personality and tbh I don't find her character as interesting as the other main characters (even Dennis Trillo's Yuta Saitoh is way, waaaaay more compelling and partida wala pa siyang masyadong screen time). Her character is the typical FL that you see in many Filipino series and movies, it's not bad...just cliche.

As of now I don't see any difference between Adelina and Klay (I mean what sets one character from the other), except that the former is a rising vaudeville star and she's taken care of by her father, that's it. I hope as the story progresses, we'll see something more and something different from Adelina and Barbie.

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The Targ Talk: House of the Dragon S2

Season finale commentary & overall thoughts:

Tyland Lannister going on a wrestling match, and well...bedding Lohar's wives will never not be funny. Dude really went above and beyond to secure a naval force that would fight the Velaryon fleet. If he doesn't get a raise for this, I don't know anymore.

With Rhaenyra gaining the upper hand, and Aemond becoming more psycho, Aegon doesn't really have the choice but escape. But with the number of women he had taken, he deserves to have his cock explode like a sausage on a spit. This is an indication that he can longer sire another male heir, unless of course he slept with Helaena the night before he got toasted, and the latter ends up getting pregnant with Maelor. This would make Aemond's claim to the throne stronger...or he could name Jaehaera his heiress which would be so ironic and hypocritical considering that the greens usurped Rhaenyra's throne in the first place because they do not want a woman to rule.

Ulf showing signs of greed and entitlement and Jace putting him in his place is so satisfying. This is one of the cons that I don't know if Rhaenyra had thought carefully. In Ulf's mind, if a bastard like Jace can be named crown prince, and have all these privileges, why can't he? What makes Jace so special that he has everything while other bastards like him were left to fend for themselves? Rhaenyra making them knights is not going to be enough for someone like Ulf, and if Rhaenyra isn't vigilant he will not only betray her, but will use Silverwing to his advantage. You might think, Rhaenyra would still have more Dragons right? She still has Vermithor (if Hugh does not betray her in the show), Seasmoke, Syrax and (finally) Caraxes plus Vermax, Moondancer, and if Rhaena succeeds they'll also have Sheepstealer. The greens are still at a disadvantage with only Vhagar, Silverwing and Tessarion. But this will again put her decision-making into question by her council since she was the one who hired more bastard dragonriders. Also having more dragons didn't stop Jace, Joffrey and Daemon from dying.

The Haunting of Harrenhal finally ends with Daemon having this whole ass vision about the song of ice and fire, Daenerys Targaryen being the one from the prophecy, and she came from Rhaenyra (and his) line. Him finally understanding why Viserys chose his daughter to ascend the throne, and Daemon rallying an entire army for his wife which is cute btw I love that Daemyra is back to being a team now. But let's not forget how horrible the screenwriters were for fucking up Dany's story in Game of Thrones, for me the show ended with Daenerys coming back to Dragonstone, the last two seasons were shit.

So...Helaena can not only have visions, but she's also capable of appearing in someone else's vision which makes her power a lot more interesting. Also I love the fact that she didn't gave in to Aemond's demands and told straight to his face that he was gonna die. I really do hope that we'll get to see more of Helaena's magic, I want her to take Jaehaera (and Morghul), ride on Dreamfyre and find a place or people who could help her hone her power, a peaceful life may also do. But judging from her conversation with Alicent, she might also end up staying for she knew that no matter what she does, she couldn't change her fate.

The final cut in this episode is so far the dumbest I have seen. Rhaenyra choosing to take a chill pill in a desperate attempt to convince Alicent to end this senseless war was...a waste of time no matter how good Rhaenyra's intentions were. Alicent only realizing how fucked up her sons were all this time after she was thrown out of council is just...I don't even know what to say anymore. I thought of Alicent turning her back against her sons but I didn't expect her to actually do it. But this scene just doesn't make sense. Here's why:

If Rhaenyra really wanted to take back what was rightfully hers, she must get rid or punish every single one of the opposing side. Her wanting Aegon executed, but letting Alicent go is so stupid. Alicent was the one who fed poison to her sons' minds, she was part of the greens' scheme to put Aegon to the throne who by the way didn't even want it in the first place, and now Alicent is throwing him under the bus AND Rhaenyra is letting her off the hook just because she admitted her mistakes and "helped" Rhaenyra with a plan to take King's Landing from Aemond and the greens? Has the latter forgotten that she lost a daughter and a son because of what the greens did?

What the fuck is this bullshit?

I just find it hard to believe that Alicent would give up Aegon just like that. It's like creating something and when you make a mistake, it turns out really bad you throw it away and move on. Were the writers even fully aware at how ridiculous this is? Some Alicent stans say that she cared for her children and she tried her best to be a mother, well then...look at her now. Some may even argue that she was a mere tool, okay, but her children were also pawns to this game weren't they? If Aegon is to be executed, then so should she and the rest of the greens especially Crispy and fucking Otto Hightower. If she wants to set things right so badly, then she should also be facing Rhaenyra's punishment. Not just Aegon or Aemond.

Rhaenyra should have at least held Alicent hostage and imprison her, that would have been more realistic than letting her go because she was a former friend *face palms* Ewan Mitchell said in an interview that Alicent was Aemond's kryptonite, then that would have been an opportunity for Rhaenyra to use her against Aemond. Alas, she wasted it. You know what's fucking annoying? This never-ending cycle of misunderstanding. Because if Rhaenyra finds out that Aegon escaped, she'd think that Alicent lied to her, that the queen dowager went to Dragonstone to talk to her and buy Aegon some time to get the fuck out of King's Landing and Rhaenyra is going to get angry, and the tragedy goes on.

Perhaps they came up with that idea to have some sort of comparison with their younger selves. Rhaenyra being able to do whatever she wants while Alicent is being chained by her duties that she never asked for. Now it's the other way around. In addition, if Aegon learns of his mother's betrayal it could also fuel his anger which will make him ruthless next season but...it's still so disappointing.

I never got to say this, but Simon Strong is THE man of the season.

Caraxes cheering up as soon as he saw Syrax and Seasmoke will always be cute.

Overall thoughts: This season is rather underwhelming. Everything else is on point except the storytelling, is this better than season 1? No. Though I love that there are more dragons now and I absolutely love Helaena more this season. I also love that there are more Jace and Baela scenes...before the Battle of the Gullet which I feel like season 3 is gonna kick off with a heart wrenching episode.

Did I enjoy watching it? Hm...the exhilarating part was the battle between Rhaenys, Aegon and Aemond but other than that, it's just meh. My least favorite season so far.

P.S. Tessarion and Daeron are the other greens I stan, they better be worth the wait.

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Thank you dear supporters for all the help you are offering the people of Gaza in this dire time. I am a father of four tender babies who are paying much of their childhood and innocence in this unfair war. Please do whatever you can to help me save my family till the war ends.

Despite the suffering and hardships of this fierce war , your support and assistance ease us and grant us power and patience. Your contribution keeps a whole family safe, that is why i am asking you to donate whatever you can of at least share my link so that other donors can know about my tragedy and pain.

It's not much but I hope this helps 🙏🙏

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You know what throws me off? Them (the writers) confirming that Daenerys was the princess that was promised who came from Rhaenyra's blood line only for Dany and the Targaryen legacy to perish at the end, and someone else was crowned king.

All of this for nothing, and we can only pretend that GoT season 8 do not exist.

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The Targ Talk: House of the Dragon S2

Episode 7 commentary

Contains major spoilers from the book but y'all probably already know this.

I absolutely love the scene where Seasmoke and Syrax was like conversing. Seasmoke be like, "Look what I found..a new dragon rider!" Then Syrax would be like, "Good for you, he's cute." Also the detail where Seasmoke was like bowing to Rhaenyra while showing her his new rider is really good.

There's something about the scene of Alicent in Kingswood that's hauntingly beautiful. I like that they made the audience think as to whether or not Alicent was there to end herself, or was she just there to clear her thoughts or think of what she's going to do next. The reason why Alicent was written to be some sort of a puppet to her dad was because it will explain why her mental health deteriorated towards the end. Still not much of a fan of how they've written Alicent in the show and I don't know if I'm ever gonna see that side of her that came from the book.

I like Oscar Tully. He knew his vassals would not take him seriously because he is a boy. "Insulting" Daemon, punishing Willem Blackwood and making Daemon "ride along" by killing the latter in exchange of House Tully's loyalty [and army] had benefited the both of them. Daemon gets his army, and Oscar earns the respect of the Riverlords as the new lord paramount.

I REALLY HOPE THAT THIS WOULD BE THE LAST EPISODE OF THE HAUNTING OF HARRENHAL. I know the final episode got leaked on the internet, and I actually saw a scene about Helaena confronting Aemond. Ngl, I love that scene but bitch it ruined the excitement for me. So whoever leaked the episode, fuck you.

Rhaena never had any other dragon aside from Morning, but if she for real is going to claim Sheepstealer then...there wouldn't be Nettles anymore?

I know a lot of people are kinda upset with Jace right now, but I get his point. Yes, it was his idea to find dragonriders for the other dragons but he never really thought that a lowborn with a Targaryen blood (and a bastard of Corlys that no one knows about as of the moment) would be chosen by a dragon, and it's not really Addam's fault. The thing is, if bastards could be dragonriders then they certainly would think that they could claim the throne as well. If Rhaenyra passes, then another war might start (actually, it was pure chaos after Aegon II's death but we'll get to that later on). It's also bad enough that he and his brothers have been the talk of the town since they were born. Despite having the potential of being a good king, he would always be questioned, opposed, and like Jace said he will always have to fight for his position. It would have been easier had he been born looking like his mother, but his dad's genes are Strong unfortunately, and having a dragon is the only thing that proves of his Targaryen heritage--the reason why people respect him. So having bastards for dragonriders is not only a huge slap on his face, but it could also lead to another dance of the dragons.

If Rhaenyra wants to secure Jace's claim to the throne, the only way is to legitimize him. I don't know if it's already a thing in this timeline, but it's the only way to protect him. It's already an unspoken truth anyway. Problem is that, she's just gonna end up like Aegon II whom no one takes seriously. Even if she does her best to be a good mother and queen, people will not look past the fact that she had kids with another man that wasn't her (first) husband. And Daemon being Daemon? Oh, we are sure as hell that he would want his own son to rule in the future hence, another potential war.

Actually, we shouldn't be thinking too much about Jace's ascension to the throne because it will never happen. And Daemon didn't have to fight for his son's claim since he was already gone by the time Aegon III succeeded his uncle (and married Jaehaera).

But let's just pretend that we don't know that for the sake of discussion...unless you haven't read Fire & Blood.

Going back, if Rhaenyra wants peace and stability in her court and amongst her people, then she'd have to name Aegon the Younger her heir since her two youngest sons have always had stronger claim to the throne since birth, but this will destroy Rhaenyra and Jace's relationship.

Aside from his recovery, I wonder if Aegon is also conspiring with Larys already to eliminate Aemond? Or is he letting Larys do everything? But if you think about it, without Aemond and Vhagar the greens will be at a huge disadvantage. Tessarion and Dreamfyre wouldn't suffice unless Aegon pretends to bend the knee and devices a scheme to kill Rhaenyra and her family later on, but that would take so much time, and Aegon doesn't have the patience for that...So Ulf and Hugh betraying Rhaenyra it is then to get Vermithor and Silverwing to their side.

Dragonkeepers doing a mass resignation after Rhaenyra recruited dragonseeds because basically, dragons are sacred blah, blah, blah. These people were born/direct descendants of the Targaryens, therefore magic is in their blood. We all know now that dragons and riders form a bond by either:

Hatching the dragon

The rider successfully claiming the dragon

The dragon chooses its rider

The others who were deemed unworthy ended up being Vermithor's snack. The process of choosing a rider for Vermithor was indeed horrible, but it's only a matter of time before Aemond defeats Rhaenyra so she has to act quickly. But in doing so, she has to make sacrifices. On the other hand it's common knowledge that dragons shouldn't be fucked with, but the reason why the dragonseeds answered the call was because they thought that by claiming a dragon, their lives will change for the better. They were abandoned as children, lived a horrible life, and with the current situation, anyone would jump at any opportunity no matter how risky just to get out of that situation.

Though I wonder what show Rhaenyra would do to make sure none of the dragonriders would betray her, surely there will come a time when they would ask for a reward for their contribution to the war, and it's going to be more than just money.

Emma D'Arcy speaking in High Valyrian is just 🤌🤌🤌🤌 the scene where Rhaenyra was calming Vermithor, and as if they were having some sort of conversation through the mind, and when she opened her eyes, there was power--gods I kept on replaying it. Even the dragon knows who the real queen is. Such a badass scene!

The final cut where Aemond found out that Rhaenyra have 3 more dragonriders now was actually quite funny. The latter looking at her little brother as if saying, "Come at me now motherfucker," is such a big sister thing. But I felt like the dragons were only calling out to meemaw Vhagar as if they were just having some sort of mini reunion 🥺🥺.

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I'm probably going to hell for this, but I don't feel any sympathy for Julio Borromeo at all.

Dude not only cheated on his wife but also impregnated another woman, and kept this as a secret for years until the death of Filipina.

While I disagree with how Carmela treats Adelina, she has every right to be furious at Julio--this motherfucker had been lying straight to her face for YEARS. Telling Carmela and Teresita that they're the only women in his life, and him telling Adelina how his and Fina's ✨love story✨ began, how he wanted to make her happy after Fina was left by her ex boyfriend after getting her pregnant was like...pure cringe, like bitch who the fuck do you think you are? Some God's gift to women? Some knight-in-shining armour who ought to "save" every lonely woman in the country?

Some of y'all would probably be like, "Oh but he regrets it now, he has been asking for his wife's forgiveness, he's a good father, blah, blah, blah."

This pathetic excuse of a man, tried to deny Adelina when Amelia brought her to his theater (after Fina's death). Tried to lie AGAIN to his wife and daughter despite the truth being slapped on their faces, he's sorry and regrets it? Motherfucker was sorry only after he couldn't deny the truth anymore. Imagine being in Carmela's shoes and your husband, whom you thought was a good man turned out to be a horrible one?

And him not showing up to Fina's funeral to be there for Adelina because he doesn't want to see Fina lifeless is bullshit. He didn't go to the funeral because people will talk, rumors will spread which will eventually cause humiliation to his family, his business going bankrupt, etc. Adelina just loves her father too much.

He loves Filipina?

No, he's a selfish bastard who wants both Carmela and Fina for himself.

He loves his wife?

LIE. You don't betray the person you love. Cheating is a choice, those who cheat always have the excuse of "nagmahal lang ako," and "nagkamali ako," these are so overused. May utak ka diba? You know cheating is bad yet you did it anyway. It's a choice, it's always a choice.

In the show, it was implied that Carmela paid someone to burn the theater. I'm not saying what she did was right, but as the saying goes, "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." She was deeply hurt, and betrayed by her own husband. She wanted to inflict the worst pain possible for Julio, to ruin him the way he ruined her. It was Julio who turned her into the villain that she is now, Carmela's only mistake was she projected that anger towards Adelina who is innocent in all of this, and in doing so she ended up resenting her own daughter, Teresita for choosing to have a sisterly relationship with Adelina.

"Oh but she can choose to forgive and move past that."

Yeah, because doing that is a walk in the park **insert sarcasm** you can't just tell someone to move on especially when they are still clearly hurting. Betrayal is the worst kind of pain you could inflict on someone, and when trust is gone it's hard to earn it back...chances are, you won't.

"But Carmela going as far as burning Julio's theater is too much."

I do believe it's too much. But Julio begging Carmela to save the theater by selling some of the properties to save their livelihood? And that being a performer is the only job he knows? Nah, he wants to save the theater to preserve the place that reminds him so much of his affair partner. The livelihood, the shows were not the main reasons. Carmela might have turned into a cold, bitter, resentful woman but let's not forget who turned her into this.

Moral of the story: Julio is a walking red flag and that he deserves the karma hahahaha! Also, divorce should be legal in the Philippines.

P.S. I hope the writers don't come up with the bullshit that the wife is a bitch to justify the man's affair. It's 2024, not the 80's.

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So I just finished watching the first two episodes of Pulang Araw and...I am amazed at the quality of the show. The cinematography, the star-studded cast, the details, the story-telling from Adelina's point of view, I am impressed!

After Maria Clara at Ibarra, I haven't really been watching any Filipino shows but this--I'd definitely follow. Also this is Dennis Trillo's villain era so I'm very excited.

Julie Anne's special appearance where she played Katy de la cruz (Catalina Mangahas-de la cruz) was an actual person who was known as the "queen of bodabil (vaudeville)." This only shows that the people working behind this show did their homework.

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The Targ Talk: House of the Dragon S2

Episode 6 commentary

The way Alicent is surprised that Aemond is also treating her like shit, and her acting like as if she doesn't recognize Aemond anymore, I mean girl...

Show Alicent was manipulated by her father into thinking that Rhaenyra would kill her sons, and I think the reason why she believed him was not only because it was Rhaenyra who exposed Otto and convinced her father to remove that leech from his seat (in exchange of her marrying Laenor), but also because Rhaenyra lied about Daemon not touching her (again, I don't think Rhaenyra trusted her enough to confess about what happened in the brothel and after that because she knew that Alicent is a puppet of her father). In Alicent's perception, if Rhaenyra could do all those things, then what are the chances of her not going as far as getting rid of her half-brothers so no one could challenge her claim to the throne right? So she instilled in her sons' minds about Rhaenyra killing them once she sits on the iron throne, hence their fucked up relationship with their sister (and nephews).

Book version is more straight to the point though, Alicent was so adamant at putting Aegon to the throne that she has taught her own children to hate Rhaenyra and their sons because they were their rivals (apart from Rhaenyra of course). Either way, book or show version, Alicent was still part if not the reason why her sons ended up this way. Slut-shaming Rhaenyra, allowing them to call their sister the whore of Dragonstone, making them feel like they are far more superior because they were born males and has more right to the throne was something she herself taught them. Funny thing is, just like everyone else pointed out, she thought she was exempted from their misogynistic bullshit.

Helaena once again getting dragged into this whole mess was painful to watch. This wouldn't have happened had Alicent agreed to marry her to Jace instead of Aegon, fanfictions and delusions aside, let's face it--Jacaerys would have treated Helaena way better than Aegon ever did. But you know what hurts more? Alicent acting like she cares for Helaena the most yet she allowed this to happen to her.

Aemond Targaryen finally showing his true colors (aka his book version). He has grown cockier since becoming the Prince Regent, but his arrogance will lead him to his demise.

Now that Aegon knows that his life is in danger in the hands of his own brother and enlists the help of Larys, I'm kinda hoping that he'll plot some sort of revenge towards Aemond, and the fight between the brothers would be the key to the greens' downfall.

I am hoping to see a more feisty version of Helaena, the scene where she faced Aemond for the first time since becoming Prince Regent gave me a spark of hope that the writers would give something better for Helaena, some sort of character development that will help her to finally stand up for herself (and her daughter). Also I want to see her riding Dreamfyre even just once.

Seasmoke choosing his rider will always be badass. I agree with what other fans pointed out that he's most likely the father of Dany's dragons since he looks more similar to them compared to Syrax. At least Seasmoke and Syrax were able to do something Leanor and Rhaenyra never did.

Speaking of dragons, it was indeed a crazy idea for Rhaenyra to heed Jace's advice, but with a big-ass grumpy old dragon on the opposing side, they're gonna be needing more dragons. Syrax and Caraxes would have stood a chance against Vhagar considering that Sunfyre is severely injured, Tessarion and Daeron are still MIA. Putting Helaena and Dreamfyre in the battlefield is out of the question/non-negotiable. But because, the Haunting of Harrenhal starring Daemon is like a whole-ass season long, Rhaenyra is still at a disadvantage. She is a dragonrider, but she obviously can't command all of the other dragons. Daenerys was able to do that to all three of her dragons because she wasn't just a dragonrider, she was their mother. Rhaenyra isn't. Having more dragonriders would increase her chances to win the battle, but if Rhaenyra carefully weighs her pros and cons, she'd do something to ensure that none of the dragonseeds would betray her. But then again, if you've read Fire & Blood, you know what happened.

Never underestimate the power of the smallfolk, that is why Otto wanted to get them to the greens' side by using the death of Jaehaerys to paint Rhaenyra as the bad person. But one thing that old prick didn't realize was that he needed to do much more than just earn their sympathy. Having Mysaria on Rhaenyra's side, someone who has lived the life, knows the struggles, and knows exactly what the people need gave Rhaenyra the advantage. By giving them something the greens never did, she successfully provoked the ire of the people towards the usurpers and get their support. The kissing scene between Rhaenyra and Mysaria to me doesn't feel romantic (at least not for now). Though I have to say that the latter is exactly who the queen needs at this point, someone that Daemon should have been for her.

Nice to see Paddy Considine make a cameo in the show. We all know that the Viserys is the person that Daemon loves the most, but the truth is, I expected more action and more thrilling scenes from Daemon this season. Matt Smith didn't lie when he said that we're gonna see a weaker Daemon but I feel like the Haunting of Harrenhal feels...dragging. Maybe I'm not just used to Daemon not committing war crimes but ngl I was expecting him to get his shit together this episode.

Joffrey telling Rhaena that he wants his mother and the scene with the baby dragon are just making my chest tight (knowing what will happen to him and all of the dragons).

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Alicent being completely disregarded by the men in the council and her own son was so satisfying to watch.

She spent her entire life serving the patriarchy and now she’s surprised that the men around her don’t see her as an equal.

She spent her entire life serving the misogynistic system of Westeros thinking that just because she let men use her as a tool to get what they want that she would be the exception to their misogyny. What a fool!

She spent her entire life teaching her sons that their dicks made them superior to women and that women were only meant to sit back, shut their mouths and obey the men in power. She spent her entire life teaching their sons that they would challenge their sister’s claim to the throne simply because they were men and Rhaenyra was a woman. She even turned Heleana (her only daughter) into the perfect example of what according to her a woman should be: a submissive womb for men to have heirs. She raised her sons by teaching them to hate.

And now she’s surprised that her sons believe their dicks make them superior to all women, including her. And now she’s surprised that no one in the council cares about what she has to say. And now she’s surprised that no one wants her to occupy a position of power. And now she’s surprised that her sons have grown to become monsters.

It’s so funny to see her looking at Aemond as if she couldn’t believe what he became when all his life she raised him to become exactly what he is. She fed his head with hatred against half of his family. And now she’s surprised that he played a very important role in Aegon being injured.

When you teach a kid to hate half of his family, learning to hate or to not care about the other half becomes easier for them than you think.

[iris-sistibly]

The way she looks angry, disappointed with almost-clenched fists, girl was ready to throw hands for her husband. This gives me big sister energy about to slap a younger sibling for their stupidity. Also - she has a claim to be regent! She's the Queen!

[iris-sistibly]

The Targ Talk: House of the Dragon S2

Episode 5 commentary

Alicent finally realizing that the men she sided with doesn't give a shit about her. The fact that even Crispy and Larys agreed that Aemond should be Prince Regent was a huge slap on her face. Now that she knew that she is no longer of use to the council, realized why Rhaenyra rejected the orange bitch, and how much of a vengeful motherfucker her own son is, I am interested to know as to what Alicent would do next. If she wanted to correct her mistakes, she'd turn her back against the greens and bend the knee to Rhaenyra. But that would mean that she's gonna betray her own sons, and she'll possibly end up dead before she even gets out of the castle gates. OR she could stay loyal, keep her mouth shut and let Viserys' children kill each other while she isolates herself in her own chambers, carrying that guilt of how much she fucked up until she passes. Let's see what she does next.

Rhaenyra's council is full of misogynistic cunts and the only ones who respect and support her are the women. Rhaenys fought to the death to make sure Rhae sits on that damn throne, something she never got to do because she was born a woman. My badass Baela on the other hand defended the queen and reminded Corlys that Rhaenys' fate was her own choosing, and no one should be blamed in her untimely demise. Honestly, she and Jace would have been the best king and queen.

I have always loved Jace in both the book and the show, still young but has already showed his potential in becoming a great leader. This makes me dread his fate even more.

Targaryens are known for their inbreeding, but it is uncommon for a parent and child to have a relationship that is beyond...well...a parent and child. I am one of those who felt uncomfortable watching it, but when I saw this, the first thing that came into my mind was Daemon has mommy issues. But then I remembered that he was very young when Alyssa died so that's highly unlikely. I did however found an explanation for that vision, someone wrote that the sex scene between Daemon and his mother was actually about Daemon's superiority complex. He likes being the dominant one, it arouses him (hence the sex scene). Looking back at the previous episodes, no one has really regarded him as the stronger or the better brother and that vision was feeding his ego basically, and I couldn't agree more.

I NEED LONGER HELAENA SCENES.