#hotd 1×5

[bbygirl-aemond]

okay i won't lie i did giggle a bit when daemon tried to call the brackens on their bluff and they weren't bluffing and then he just LET THEM LEAVE my dude.... you're so bad at this

[emynarnen]

Rhaenyra's outfits shown in S2 trailers & featurettes so far

[mossytrashcan]

boss make dollar, I make dime, that’s why I dissociate on company time

[alicentwhore]

The real reason I know Aegon is Alicent’s least favorite child is that she did NOT share her hair care secrets with him. Aemond’s hair has been conditioned and straightened to high hell and Helaena always has her fluffy locks in beautiful braids. And I’ve talked enough times about Alicent’s flowing, soft, beautiful, auburn mane. Meanwhile Aegon… well he certainly has some hair

[alicent-archive]

Emily really gave Alicent the saddest most wettest most pathetic lesbian eyes imaginable, and people still held no pity for that girl.

[rise-my-angel]

House of the Dragon is really such a disappointment when you rewatch Game of Thrones. Especially comparing both first seasons, there is just so much passion in Game of Thrones that even small moments and lines of dialogue hold such emotional weight.

Like Luwin trying to comfort Bran that Catelyn will come home soon, while Bran is upset that she left and no one will tell him why, and the soft music playing as he tells him as Bran is looking down to the Tully sigil in his hand:

"When you were born, I was the one who pulled you from your mother. I placed you in her arms. From that moment until the moment she dies, she will love you. Absolutely. Fiercely."

It's not even Catelyn saying it, but you hear Luwin's words and see Brans reaction, and even from there you feel Catelyn's love for her son and that's not even with the foresight of the tragedy that they'll never see each other again. And it makes me emotional every single time. Just that small moment in a random episode.

Season one of House of the Dragon has good moments, but there are nowhere near as many times where the sheer emotion of the scenes can make me choked up, when it's not even trying too the way Game of Thrones has.

It's just a waste, seeing people try and compare this to Game of Thrones or act as if it's saving the later of the show's reputation. When no, early Game of Thrones blew up for a reason to the reputation it had. In a way that House of the Dragon is nowhere near for a reason.

Go rewatch at least season one of both shows, and tell me that they are anywhere near the same level of quality, because they just aren't.

[blackcat419]

Alicent’s guilt plot line is just so boring. I bet you her guilt of Jaehaerys’ death will be dropped because Helaena forgives her and be moved towards her misunderstanding Visery’s last words.

I personally don’t like guilt driven story lines when personal motivations should be stronger than just guilt. Guilt in stories is often “I feel bad about X” and rarely expands on it to be a personal motivation. It should be “I feel bad about X so I’ll do Y”

Alicent’s story has been “I feel bad about Jaehaerys/Helaena/Rhaenyra” what is she going to do about it? So far, nothing. Helaena has already forgiven her for her guilt over her and Jaehaerys so Alicent doesn’t have to have any personal motivations over that. That plot line has been resolved with literally nothing as pay off. Alicent didn’t change as a character and neither did Helaena.

I highly doubt Alicent will have any personal motivation grow from her guilt over misunderstanding Viserys. She will keep doing her “let’s limit death toll, no dragons, Viserys was so good, gods I miss Rhaenyra” thing and not act on any of that. If we get Alicent trying to stop the war or becoming more forceful in pushing for Aegon to be king then we actually will get something from this guilt plot but I highly doubt it will happen.

[daenysthedreamer101]

HOTD S1 Rewatch

Ep 5 - We Light the Way

Oh, this one was messy!!!

Viserys dragged himself all the way to Driftmark - he was so desperate to marry Nyra off to the Velaryons 😭

Daemon killing Rhea... *disappointed head shake* RIP Rhea you were too much of a girlboss, Daemon couldn't handle you 😔

Rhaenys was so cute when she entered the Hall of Nine. The way she said "Cousin!" to Viserys gave off the same energy as when Robert said "Caaat!" to Catelyn. It must be the Baratheon blood lol

Ok, so Nyra's conversation with Criston. Even though his offer is ridiculous I did feel bad for him, kind of.

Idk, just the way Fabian delivered his line he just sounded so pathetic😭 and it did hit me a little bit. Especially the way his voice broke when he said "It is the only thing I have to my fcking name!"

But obviously, Nyra declined. She said do you see this platinum blonde wig? Do you see this lace front? I'm not taking care of that on my own lol

No but for real, how was she supposed to say yes to his offer? Yeah she may have complained about her station over the years but she matured and realized this is bigger than her and her desires, as Viserys said in ep 4

OMG WE SEE MELEYS FOR THE FIRST TIME! OUR BEAUTIFUL RED QUEEN! SHE IS SO PRETTY AND I LOVE HER ROAR/SCREAM!

Larys is slimy and shady I don't like him!

We come to the wedding. First of all, I gotta say I hate Nyra's hair! Omg, who thought of that? I like the rubies in the hair but I don't like the way it sits on her head, it looks weird. Also not that big of a fan of her dress. I guess I don't like the design, idk.

Love Laena's dress, she looked great. Daemon also looked great.

The way he just barged in and Viserys let him stay 😭

Jason Lannister is sooo corny with his sexist joke about women, good on Nyra for rolling her eyes at him 🙄

Something I didn't catch on the first watch is that when Alicent enters, everyone stands up except Daemon. I love him for that!👏

My man Harwin looked so good! He and Nyra were so cute dancing!

Not at Daemon heavily flirting with the bride at her own wedding, bye! I know Viserys's blood pressure was through the roof!

Joffrey should've kept his mouth shut, seriously.

Something else I saw people saying on the internet is that Criston as a commoner, wasn't raised at court so he doesn't understand court politics and the way nobles talk. I believe that's also why he fumbled so quickly when Alicent was questioning him.

It wouldn't be a GOT wedding without someone dying, now would it? 💀

I love when Lyonel nods to Harwin and Harwin starts slamming people left and right and the way he picks up Nyra and tosses her over his shoulder? Ughh that should be me!

That shot of Laenor screaming over Jofrey's dead body broke me!

And then, he has to marry someone else he has no interest in while the blood of his lover is still on the floor...sickening!

[brokecherry]

made this quick in honor of ‘imagine being loved by me’ finally being up !!

[raksh-writes]

I have one final thought and mayhaps a controversial take -- the dramatic "cool" slowmotion turn around with an *insert emotion* look into the camera was cool the first couple of times but by now Im afraid it has become very much uncool.

Im tired, can we have something else, please?

[gojuo]

[bbygirl-aemond]

Can you tell where it's made clear that rhaenyra is going in that religious direction?

(This ask is in reference to my earlier post about Rhaenyra's growing religious fanaticism.)

Sure! First, we have the idea of the dragons as gods: In season 2 episode 5, we hear a member of the smallfolk say “I thought the dragons was gods,” and in season 2 episode 6, we heard Steffon Darklyn declare that “the dragons are gods.”

Then we have the idea of proximity to dragons being a sign of divine favor: In season 2 episode 6, Rhaenyra says “perhaps the gods will favor us” of Steffon potentially claiming Vermithor; this shows that she sees claiming a dragon as a sign of divine favor. In season 2 episode 7, the dragon keepers declare that the outcome of someone trying to claim a dragon is seen as “judgment” delivered from the gods, whether that be positive or negative. Finally, in season 1 episode 1, Rhaenyra tells Viserys that the belief that “Targaryens are closer to gods than to men” is “because of our dragons.” She repeats this idea to Lucerys in season 1 episode 10, adding that “the Iron Throne puts us a touch closer” than even just being dragon riders.

Then we have the idea of Rhaenyra being the chosen ruler and that she believes this imbues her with a greater, divine purpose. We have the scene of Rhaenyra with the white hart in season 1 episode 3, right after we heard a man tell Viserys that “the white hart was a symbol of royalty” and would appear “if the gods did wish to show their favor.” We also see Rhaenyra realize that Viserys believed in her as his heir in a way he never believed in anyone else in season 1 episode 10 when she realizes Viserys never told Daemon about Aegon the Conqueror’s dream. This is reinforced in season 2 episode 3 when she gets confirmation from Alicent that Viserys never changed his mind about her, not even on his deathbed, and that Alicent only heard him speaking of the prophecy. So not only does Rhaenyra believe that the Iron Throne itself puts her closer to the divine, on top of being a dragon rider; she believes that she has this greater purpose due to the prophecy.

This all culminates in season 2 episode 7. Addam tells Rhaenyra that “this dragon came to me, not I to him” and tells her “the gods call me to greater things,” framing his claiming of Seasmoke as something that the gods arranged. This, combined with the fact that claiming a dragon is seen as a sign of divine favor, and the fact that Addam immediately swears fealty to Rhaenyra, makes Rhaenyra think that the gods are specifically sending her loyal dragon riders. This is why later when Jace confronts her, she tells him “I cannot gainsay that which the gods have laid before me,” and why she tells the dragon keepers that “the gods have set them before us.” She is convinced that everything happening, even the things happening by her own hand, are really just the gods acting to support her.

Then we have Rhaenyra’s speech to the dragonseeds. The way she slowly stalks among them and stares at them in this almost predatory way is a nice mirror to the way she stalked around and stared at Mysaria in season 2 episode 2. If you go back and rewatch the scenes, the physicality of her expressions and movements are almost identical. In the Inside the Episode clip from YouTube, Ryan Condal says that Emma D’Arcy wanted “Rhaenyra to go and walk amongst the seeds as though a pastor amongst her flock in the terms of a religious cult.”

Rhaenyra speaks to the dragonseeds in these grand, sweeping statements, about survival and transformation. She also manipulates them to think that dying for her is their best option, telling them that “you may welcome the prospect of change, even death, given the alternatives: privation, starvation, war.” And she keeps coming back to this idea of the gods shaping the events that are to come, saying things like “gods willing” and “gods bless you.” She doesn’t look horrified when she watches the dragonseeds being burned and eaten; she looks enraptured, drunk on power.

Ryan Condal continues in the Inside the Episode clip to say that this scene is a “ritual sacrifice” and that Rhaenyra feels as though “she was right in the end.” This continues in the closing scene where Rhaenyra’s finally assembled her dragon army; she is triumphant, feeling completely vindicated, as if the gods have come in to personally assure her ascendancy to the Iron Throne.

This is way too long already, but I'm drafting another post with quotes from two Emma D'Arcy interviews that have just come out which confirm everything I've been saying. Hope this helps and come back in a bit for that post if you want to hear it from Emma's point of view!

[anothersarcasticdolphin]

Daemon: So, dear nephew. We ought to have a _chat_, don't you think? *Drags Aemond off to _educate_ him*

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Aemond: *Holds up Blackfyre and the Aegon the Conqueror's crown* Sister. Majesty. I bring terrible tidings.

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Alicent: What do you mean you've found the king but lost Aemond? Should I expect you to lose my daughter next?

Criston Cole: *Looks dejected and mutters* I mean the whole city heard Vhagar leave ...

[banefort]

The more I think about it, the less opposed I am to the decision to make Luke’s death an ‘accident.’ While I agree it’s part of a larger issue with the show runners being too afraid to make the characters reprehensible and condemn them for any ill-actions (which is an issue on its own), it isn’t an illogical decision given the fickle nature of F&B. 

Also symbolically, I do love the idea of the Targaryen’s downfall being rooted in the source of their victories. That the hubris of dragon riding and the Targaryen exceptionalism which it brings are nothing but socially enforced concepts - that the Targs are just men in the face of such colossal power. That their vanity in placing themselves so supremely above others (by virtue of their dragons and supposed bloodline superiority) is the direct precursor to a horrific spiral into doom, having trapped themselves in this impossible need for power and violence. 

[horizon-verizon]

Laena Velaryon Dedication

Played by: (Youngest) Nova Foueillis-Mosé; (Young)  Savannah Steyn; Nanna Blondell

Because her character needs more love.

[lucy-ghoul]

................. not to rain down on anyone's parade but barely characterized 14 year old lucerys could never have the swag eleanor or henry had