#hotd commentary

[bohemian-nights]

People really are missing the point of a character like Nettles. Being the a non-Valyrian dragonrider is what makes her different(in every positive definition of that word) and helps to serve a larger purpose in this story.

Valyrian blood is not special. It’s not needed to do great things. No one is special because of what family they happen to be born into.

A non-Valyrian Nettles shows that we are more than the circumstances which we are born into. Our birth, our names, and our very blood does not define us. Our actions are what do. We can overcome so much and rise to become absolutely extraordinary with a little bit of determination, patience, and a dash of help along the way. Nettles exemplifies that to the fullest extent.

She's more than a Black Valryian. She doesn’t have to be Valyrian. She shouldn’t have to be Valyrian.

She’s a survivor. She’s a final girl. She’s a Black low-born girl likely without a drop of dragons blood that tames a wild dragon with patience that killed countless others who had dragons blood. She survived the Dance where others high and low alike fell and perished to become a firewitch to the Burned Men.

Her legacy is immortalized in the history books(and by the Burned Men cause they still worship her) as one of the last(if not the last) dragonrider(s) before Dany all without having any known Valyrian ancestry.

[fuckalicent]

one thing i hate ab the hotd fandom is that back in my day u could just like joffrey and not get crucified for it because we had the brain capacity to understand that yes he is a terrible terrible person and a literal tyrant but he’s still a fucking compelling character. w hotd everyone is desperate for some moral high ground and it’s soooo annoying. let us like our fucked up characters in peace nobody here is perfect, that’s literally the point of the dance. they all commit atrocities and comparing them like this just to shame each other and prove one side is better than the other is such a waste of time.

[sophiemariepl]

Okay, I know that I’m most likely gonna sound like a boomer, but hear me out:

Today’s HotD fans are a perfect example to me of what is wrong with a large proportion of modern audiences and the way people consume pop culture and media in general.

Ever since the premiere of the Season 1, I am becoming convinced that going beyond black-and-white perspective is… well, beyond capabilities of a growing number of folks out there.

Like, to so many of them it is either Team Black or Team Green.

Either Rhaenyra or Alicent. Or either Rhaenyra or Aegon. Either Daemon or Aemond. Either the Targaryens & the Velaryons or the Hightowers. Et cetera.

And once someone leans more to one side of the story, they just seem to idealize their team and completely demonize the other. Once you love Rhaenyra, she becomes the perfect heir, progressive and feminist, and Alicent becomes a cruel, back-stabbing b*tch and servant of patriarchy. And vice versa, once you prefer Alicent, she is a 100% victim of her circumstances with no agency whatsoever and Rhaenyra becomes a spoiled b*tch who is unable to make anything good out of her opportunities.

And it’s just so beyond the point for me.

People, this is not some football match where you pick your team and wish all the worst to the other.

It’s a fictional historical fantasy chronicle about a downfall of one of the greatest houses in the history of this universe. Nobody here is perfect to rule; in fact, every faction here is in one way or another bad and makes decisions that are just incompetent.

The whole point of George R.R. Martin writing about the Dance of Dragons story is to ask the question:

What happens when among all the heirs to choose from, none of them is good?

And let’s finally stick to that.

[medschoolash]

My two cents on Daemon and Rhaenyra's Sexual encounter

I'm nobody but I have a lot of thoughts about what went down between daemon and rhaenyra and the motives on Daemon's end so I'm just gonna put it all down here because why not.

So I've come to the conclusion that Daemon's actions are not abusive (contrary to what the creators said), not about a quest for the throne, and not completely without malicious intent.

I think to truly understand it all and how it fits into the story you have to understand a few key things:

Daemon has psychogenic erectile dysfunction ( more on that later)

Daemon has an unending desire to upset Viscerys but he actually does love him

Daemon cares about Rhaenyra deeply and always has

Daemon is sexually attracted to Rhaenyra

Daemon is impulsive and manipulative but he's not a complete idiot

When you combine all of those character points for Daemon his behavior this episode makes a lot more sense to me.

(if you know me from other fandoms you know I'm long winded so proceed at your own discretion lol )

Let's go back to the very beginning of the episode. Daemon returns from the stepstones. He's now a war hero. He's known as the dragon that conquered the narrow sea and saved the realm a headache. This is the most praise and adoration he's gotten in a long time. He makes a show of giving up his crown to Viscerys and pledging fealty to him once again and he smugly looks at otto when he's embraced by his brother again.

To me this is important because I believe Daemon's actions here are genuine at that moment. The creators said in this scene Daemon seems like a changed man to the audience which I can see on casual viewing BUT is he truly a changed man? The narrative proved that to be a huge no and really that was the only conclusion when none of his actual gripes with Viscerys have been resolved. Plus what's so different about Daemon now? When has Daemon ever not supported Viscerys's claim as king? When has he ever publically done anything but swear loyalty to his brother since he was crowned (no comment on dead baby aegon, he got no love from daemon lol). Nothing about it truly screams Daemon is changed so why does he do it? My opinion is that it shows he didn't actually go there to be duplicitous. He didn't return pretending to be someone he's not to deceive everybody. That's important in the bigger picture.

So Daemon hasn't changed BUT something has in fact changed in King's Landing. Rhaenyra.

Rhaenyra is happy he's back. She actually follows him in the throne room. She wants to see him. In the garden, she approaches him first with the giddy but tries to play it cool presence of someone with a huge crush. She is starry-eyed in his presence and is eager to engage with him. Daemon looks at her walk away in the garden. His eyes are on her in part because he's curious (he noticed her stiff interactions with her father) and because it's the first time he's seen her in years and she's a woman now but he doesn't follow her. I think they deliberately showed us that in most ways that matter before the sexual encounter Rhaenyra is the chaser, not Daemon. That matters. Later Rhaenyra finds him again and he's soaking in the air in KL, another indicator that Daemon is possibly relieved to be home and is not here to cause chaos. Rhaenyra even straight up asks him why he's there because she knows him, she knows he likes to play games with her father so there has to be an agenda but is there? He says the comfort of home. I personally don't think there is one on his mind at that moment. The key part is he acknowledges her maturation for the first time and he discusses it in the context of physical appeal. She's blossomed into a beautiful young woman entering the stage of courtship. He notices. She realizes he notices.

They've always had a bond. She's always had a special hold over him and she's always looked at him like he hangs the moon but it was never something with any real clarity for Rhaenyra and never something that Daemon would ever acknowledge or act on but that's changed it has been 4 years. She's at least 18 now. She's at the stage of life where romance and sexual curiosity makes a bit more sense now even if she's still unsure about how to navigate that as a woman in westeros. So yeah It's different between them. Rhaenyra has changed and most of all they are both curious about what this tension is between them and how far it can go.

Before I move on to my next point I want to make sure I'm not misinterpreted here. I'm not saying Daemon has been creeping on her this whole time just counting the days until she's of age. I don't think he's ever said to himself "when she's 18 I'm totally gonna have sex with her". I don't think he has the thought to go there sexually with her until the moment he actually sees her again after she's matured.

That brings me to their one-on-one in the garden. This is an important part because I feel like Daemon's intentions after this conversation can make his actions somewhat within reason or absolutely horrible. Rhaenyra is very candid with him about her frustrations with having to marry. She feels like a broodmare with no sexual autonomy at all, just a pawn to be sold to the highest bidder for the use of her womb and her title. She feels like no one cares about what she wants, what she wants to do with her body. She's so averse to the idea that would prefer to live a life completely alone over having to marry and have all of her stripped away for duty. Daemon tries to assure her that all is not lost for her. Yes, it's a political contract but he basically tells her she does have power and autonomy within the confines of a marriage. She can do whatever she wants. She can control what does and doesn't happens to her. Having this power is clearly important to her. He also genuinely tries to alleviate her fears about having the same fate as her mother. He was there, he knows her grief and pain. She wants to take that trauma and become a recluse. He doesn't want her to fear a fate she can not truly control because it prevents her from ever experiencing the better parts of life. Solitude is lonely. He himself is married and he's still lonely. He doesn't want that for her. We can say it's familial affection or something even more but the key is I do not think that any part of this conversation, especially the last part, is a manipulative game to him. He's comforting her and trying to guide her in the right direction for her own good just as he's done several times before.

So this is the entire lead-up to their night out and sexual encounter. What part of this feels well planned? what part of this feels like a scheme or anything but a simmering curiosity and moment of honesty between two people who up to this point have only had a familial connection? The answer is none of it feels like a well-planned manipulation, not even in retrospect and it doesn't feel that way because in my opinion, it wasn't.

The first moment you can make a real argument that Daemon has done some plotting is when she arrives in her room and finds the clothing and the note. But even then the question becomes what exactly did he plan and why did he plan it? The more cynical perspectives floating around suggest that everything was daemon manipulating Rhaenyra to open her up to the night on the town, then he planted the clothes and the note to lure her away with the full intention of ruining her reputation for his own ploy for power. To me, this falls apart very quickly as an explanation despite what the creators implied (I'll get to that in a second).

As mentioned above hours ago they had a conversation where Daemon tries to tell Rhaenyra there is a lot more to the world she can enjoy versus resigning herself to solitude and misery. The truth of the matter is Rhaenyra is very green. She has been sheltered in the red keep her whole life. Her mother died at a crucial age. She has had no one to guide her through the confusing developmental aspects of adolescence. Daemon sees his role as a guide to help her reach a new level of understanding of the many forms of sexual expression and freedom that will ultimately liberate her from the confines of her gender and her station that she's been desperately fighting against this whole time. But why does he want to do this? Does he want to do it because her sexual awakening can be used as a tool to rise to power or does he do it because he actually cares about her and want her to actually feel empowered in this important way and he can conveniently also explore his sexual desire for her as well?

This is the most important question to ask in this entire analysis but this is also where the waters truly get murky making it difficult to answer the question. To me the most obvious answer is the latter but this is seemingly contradicted by the creators and by Daemon himself. I would like to argue that it actually wasn't.

Up until the point, he enters the brothel with her Daemon has been a comforting source of familiarity to Rhaenyra. He has shared vulnerable conversations with her. He tenderly held her hand at every moment and took her through the city watching her in amazement as she saw things she's never seen before. He has allowed all of this to go on while maintaining anonymity, which is crucial because it gives her freedom she otherwise would not have had. At no point did he ever come off as if he wanted to coerce her into something, he or was guiding her in a certain direction for a plan. It all seemed spontaneous and about exploration and most importantly they did as much as she wanted them to do. He is fascinated by her curiosity. He is enamored with her enthusiasm. Why behave like this if this was all a power play? if it was because he really really wanted to manipulate her then why would he stoop so low to hurt someone he clearly cares about for a throne he has never actually said he wants?

I've seen several takes that try to connect him taking her disguise off when his plan to expose her but even that falls apart quickly. He doesn't do it until they are deep into the brothel where they are less likely to be discovered. He also takes his own disguise off exposing himself. If he wanted to ruin her reputation all he needed to ensure was that she was seen in a brothel with someone. Making that someone actually him actually works against him in a long game. Even Viscerys points this out later with alicent. There was a small chance that daemon would be able to say "whoops I slept with her she's ruined not I have to be heir" or "whoops I slept with her and she's ruined not we have to marry" but remember my bullet points?Daemon is impulsive and manipulative but he's not a complete idiot. The much more likely outcome was enraging Viscerys who he has only been on solid footing with viscerys for a few hours, not even a whole day. Enraging viscerys would get him absolutely nothing. The only thing he gains is hurting Rhaenyra and Daemon cares deeply for Rhaenyra so it wouldn't be in character. Like I said even Viscerys acknowledges this and he's not the sharpest tool in the shed.

So if he gains nothing why is he doing this? How is this a power play for him and a power play he would be willing to engage in at the great expense of the only person he seems to actually care about? Maybe he just doesn't actually care about her that way. Maybe his care is not outweighed by his lack of morals and boundaries or maybe it's none of the above. Maybe there is a much simpler explanation for this entire ordeal.

I believe Daemon fully intended to push her sexual boundaries once they were in the brothel but I do not think his desire was to see her exposed while in that brothel to ruin her. I think he was just caught up in his own sexual desire for her and thrilled by the prospect of her liberation so he was callous about the entire thing and didn't care if she would be exposed because there is no real harm that can come. I don't even think he consciously thought about her being exposed in the moment but once presented with the issue it's never was a big deal to him. He even outright says this to viscerys. People whore, sure not women but Targaryens do. They are the blood of old valyria, they are dragon riders and rulers of the realm. They are above everyday conventions in society. They bed family members because they can. They whore because they can. They start wars because they can. The world is theirs for conquering and every aspect can be bent according to their will, including the truth and the truth is whatever viscerys says the truth is. Viscerys can decree his daughter is a maiden and whoever disputes it is treasonous and no one can defy him because well they have dragons. So no It was not calculated, it was just callous which fits into Daemon's personality perfectly and the difference between those two things is important when you're trying to put his actions into context. Also, if Daemon's plan was in fact to use Rhaenyra to gain power why did he even tell Viscerys he can just make it go away before the idea of a marriage even comes up? See the math isn't mathing.

This brings me to the most controversial part of their sexual encounter but the part that I think it the most fascinating. When Rhaenyra asks what is this place Daemon tells her it's where people come to take what they want. This is important for her because she's never seen sex as something that she can take for herself or as an act where she has power but Daemon takes her to a place where she can. Where they both can. This tells you that this experience is meant to be empowering for both of them but especially Rhaenyra. Being there empowers Daemon to cross a boundary he had not crossed before. He gets to take Rhaenyra. Being there for Rhaenyra empowers her to take control of her sexual expression and seek control, seek pleasure, seek passion, seek something that's purely about want and need and about nothing else. He outright tells her that this is what sex is for men AND women. This directly contradicts the idea that Daemon cares nothing about her awakening and it's a plot.

You could argue he says these things to manipulate her into an act but why chose a form of manipulation that plays into her gaining the most instead of him? A sexually empowered Rhaenyra can navigate her duty much more effectively than before. She can make smarter decisions and stop the tantrums that are holding her back. A sexually empowered Rhaenyra that is bold and unafraid and enlightened can form alliances that will strengthen her claim to the throne. We actually see this happen by the end of the episode when she agrees to marry Laenor without dispute and forces Viscerys to get rid of Otto as his hands. This Rhaenyra does not serve a Daemon who only wants to control her and use her for power, it does the exact opposite.

let's look at how the acts even take place for some ideas about his motives. He doesn't try to overwhelm her. He doesn't hungrily attack her even though he is hungry for her. He also doesn't dominate her completely. She's as into it as he is. She doesn't move a pace beyond where she is comfortable. He doesn't rush her and aggressively try to get into to submit to him. He doesn't overwhelm her with pleasure he gradually builds her up and lets her chase it. They passionately but tenderly kiss. He caresses her hair and her body. She pulls him close for more and doesn't shy away from her. Yes he's the one who turns her and moves towards the wall but she walks with him keeping up with her pace perfectly. Even when she is pushed against the wall she is excited and challenges him, she's not overpowered. He doesn't yank her clothing off he sensually exposures her. One of the best moments was when he takes her pants off. SHE ACTUALLY HELPS HIM DO IT. Her hands move to remove her own clothing and they actually do it together. He does not flinch when she initially changes position, it's AFTER that he pulls back. He's still into it when she turns and kisses him and nothing about the power dynamics in that kiss changed from their previous kisses.

This is the entire reason I don't agree that Daemon ends their encounter because he no longer had control of the sex act which is what pretty much everybody thinks the creators mean when they speak on this part and why he ended it. Is he shocked that's shes so responsive? Yes but I don't think that shock has a negative impact on the moment because he never actually had complete control of the sex act and he wanted her to feel powerful. That was never the point to begin with. Rhaenyra is supposed to take control of her sexual encounter, she's supposed to be an equal participant. She's supposed to seek pleasure and take what she wants. She's supposed to give him as good as she gets. That's the lesson. That's the whole point of the awakening. This entire thing is about empowering them both, not just him. This empowerment is important for rhaenyra for all the reasons I mentioned above and Daemon knows this. He had an entire conversation with her about this. He comforted her about her lack of all these things earlier. We even hear Rhaenyra tell alicent that her hundreds of suitors don't actually want her, they want her name and her valyrian blood. Daemon is supposed to be the exception. He intentionally wants to make himself the exception. So having Daemon have a motive of wanting to dominate her sexual encounter and being unable to do so which makes him abruptly abandon then sell her out to ruin her for a title her would make this scenario even worse than it already is because it means he wanted to completely disempower her all so that he could have a shot at the iron throne that he was never going to get. It's literally making her worst fear, the source of all of her teen angst for the last 4 episodes come to life. This interpretation colors every single one of their interactions with darkness from the very moment he has a full conversation with her this episode and gives him a level of villainy that completely takes away his nuance as a character because this act with this motivation requires selfishness and callousness towards her that crosses a line. Ultimately I just don't think this characterization well supported by the narrative and It would also make it difficult to even sell a later romance between the two of them.

So the math ain't math'n so how can we make it all add up? That's what this entire analysis boils down to based on what I've already demonstrated:

Daemon didn't set out to manipulate rhaenyra and this was not a well-plotted plan to ruin her. He wanted to initiate her sexual awakening for her own good because he cares and for his own selfish desire to have her sexually

He loves viscerys but still has resentment towards him leading to an unending desire to upset him when the opportunity presents itself. He was well aware that his actions would potentially stick a knife in Viscerys's back if he found out about it and he relished it but it was not merely a ploy to piss him off.

He did not go out of his way to ensure viscerys found out about it. He just didn't care about the consequences if Viscerys or anyone else found out. He had no connection to the spy at all. The spy was Otto doing the whole time with the help of mysaria.

He actually enjoyed her having control during the encounter, it made him desire her even more because he has always been enticed by her moments of self-assuredness. It makes him crave her instead of wanting to reject her.

The only reason he could not complete the sex act with her is because Daemon has psychogenic erectile dysfunction for reasons that are yet to be revealed.

Daemon did not pre-plan asking for Rhaenyra's hand. It happened at the moment because for the same reasons he was unable to get an erection.

If you watch the scene just before he leaves the brothel Daemon is very much still into engaging with Rhaenyra when she turns around to kiss him. As I said before he was actually relishing her show of control, not shying away from it. The problem is at the point in the encounter where she turns around he has already kissed her, caressed her body and he has already stimulated her vaginally.

(You can see his hand move from her hip further down when he has her against the wall. It was clearly meant to stimulate digital stimulation but it was purposely obscured by shadows and angles to focus on Rhaenyra's pleasure versus the actual physicality of the act)

When she turns around the next escalation in their sexual encounter is actual penetration. She wants it. He wants it....only Daemon can not get an erection. That's why he pulls away and looks at her for so long. He is hoping her desire, her look of hunger, her hair, anything will get his penis to stand up but it doesn't. She pushes to continue but he can't to he pulls away every time. He even attempts to push through it but giving in to her again but he still can't perform. That's when he finally reaches peak frustration which is both embarrassing and inconvenient so he leaves her to nurse his wound on his own. That is why he see that he ended up passing our drunk somewhere and Mysaria has to retrieve him. The control the creators were speaking about wasn't control of the power dynamics of the act, it was about control of his ability to perform aka exert his power ultimate during the acts.

Daemon has psychogenic erectile dysfunction. He had this issue before Rhaenyra since we saw him in the middle of sex with Mysaria, someone he clearly enjoys but he was unable to maintain his erection and reach a climax. That's why they even showed us that scene. Daemon is not physically impotent, he has no vascular issues preventing erection, and he has no neurologic issue preventing erection. It's purely psychologic. When he retreats from Mysaria he is clearly preoccupied with several thoughts. He is chaotic as hell but he is extremely emotional. The emotions we see most often are just petulance, anger, and resentment. His encounter with Mysaria established that when Daemon has too many emotions and thoughts in his head it interferes with his ability to sexually perform. I don't when this started but that is exactly what happens with Rhaenyra.

Daemon sexually desired Rhaenyra but I think once he started the actual act of being with her sexually he completely lost control of his emotions and his thoughts NOT the power dynamics that that's what rattles him. Maybe a little bit of guilt for attempting to have sex with his young niece in the middle of a brothel kicked in, after all until this point he has only known her as family and despite the familial history of incest he himself has never actually engaged in it before (that I know of). Maybe he feels something because Rhaenyra completely trusts him and that trust is why he's about to take her maidenhead in the middle of a brothel even though that is not how her first time should actually be. Maybe he feels an overwhelming emotional connection to her at the moment that caught him off guard because this was supposed to be about sex. It's probably all of the above really but the idea is these thoughts come up and he can not control them and because he can not control them he can not get an erection to actually do the one thing he truly set out to do which is have sex with Rhaenyra. He also can not tell her this because she has no idea what erectile dysfunction is and he can not explain it to her without being humiliated. He is supposed to be the one giving her a sexual awakening not a lesson on men with broken penises. So he leaves her there when under any other circumstances he would never do that to her.

That knowledge makes the entire puzzle come together because it gives his reaction at that moment some context that fits with the lead-up and that makes his later actions make some sense.

When he is confronted by Viscerys he straight up lies to enrage Viscerys and to cover for his own humiliation. Those are literally the only real things he can gain from telling that lie. Unbeknownst to us all and Rhaenyra, Daemon also had an awakening with Rhaenyra and that's why when the opportunity presents itself he seizes the chance to take her hand in marriage. Through his humiliation, he discovered that he desires Rhaenyra in a way that is bigger than he realized. He doesn't just want her sexually he wants her fully and completely. He wants her laugh, her childish curiosity, her determination, her ability to see right through him, her bravery, her stubbornness, her petulance, her anger, her beauty, her valyrian blood, her claim, her everything. I mean he straight up tells Viscerys he will take Rhaenyra just as she is. That was about so much more than a reputation. It firmly makes Daemon the opposite of the men Rhaenyra hates which actually fits the narrative but makes it even more interesting because Rhaenyra is unaware of all of this so it gives them so much more to explore and play with for the characters and their relationships later.

So no he didn't plot to marry her, it isn't until Viscerys himself presents him with the opportunity that he decides that's what he wants to do. It solves the problem of her reputation and gets him what he wants which is Rhaenyra and the restoration of his house to a level of glory and admiration that he feels Viscerys has sullied with his weakness. That's why I think it's important to acknowledge that Daemon was being truthful about his motivations when he says he can restore his house to glory. That is definitely a part of it. Sure it makes his intentions less pure but it makes them authentic and that's what matters the most. If this wasn't spontaneous he would have tried to end his own marriage before he even brought it up to make it more likely to happen. Instead, he never asks to end his marriage, he only suggests taking a second wife because at that brief moment where viscerys has him at knifepoint it's the only reasonable way forward. He didn't have time to actually think about a more seamless way to have her hand in marriage.

Finally, Daemon actually does accomplish his goal. Rhaenyra leaves their encounter and she feels fully empowered so much so she feels comfortable propositioning Criston for sex AND she takes the dominant position placing her own pleasure above all. Her view on sex and relationships and her own power have completely changed thanks to Daemon. This is further solidified by the fact that when her father tells her she's marrying Laenor she doesn't fight him. She will actually do her duty now because she gets what it fully means and no longer feels like she will be a prisoner in a marriage. She even feels so empowered she challenges Viscerys to get rid of Otto, a man he has been loyal to for decades AND it actually happens. Rhaenyra can now effectively navigate her future because of one intense experience with Daemon that shifts her perspective and I think that's pretty awesome for Rhaenyra and for Rhaenyra and Daemon as a pairing.

So in summary: Daemon Targaryen is a chaotic man with chaotic feelings but he is sprung on rhaenyra targaryen and he is not a cold-hearted master manipulator. Rhaenyra is now a boss bitch. Thanks, Daemon. The end lol

[helaenasaegon]

“Aegon was unfazed by Helaena dancing with Jace, but AEM0ND CARED!! 😏🤭😍”

Ah, yes, totally unfazed...

And in the bookverse (You know, the canon source material that these show writers simply refuse to acknowledge?), he almost starts a full-on fight with Jace over it! 😱

[villainelle]

narratively, i do think alicent is an interesting addition to the depiction of the female characters seeking power (and agency) into the larger asoiaf universe.

by virtue of her position as a hightower, alicent’s piousness and her adjacency to the faith of the seven offers an interesting discussion into the power of religion and faith, not to mention their position as patrons to the citadel. alicent is nothing like daenerys, nor arya; she does not seek power for revolution, or for survival or retribution. nor is she as sheltered and naive as sansa, or as clearly reckless and impious as cersei is. 

in many ways, alicent is a depiction of the conservative and ‘traditional’ woman  — all to happy to seek her own power while upholding the status quo, even if that power is an illusion granted only to pacify her. she is equally a victim of the patriarchy, but also an agent for it and while that can make her sympathetic, it also serves to highlight the hypocrisy and self-righteousness of her convictions. 

when she finally attacks rhaenyra in a moment of fury in ep 7, it is an earned and honest depiction of a character who so often represses everything, and yet finally, her dutiful façade cracks and we see the truth of who she is and the underlying resentment of rhaenyra’s freedoms. it’s a moment of pure honesty on alicent’s part, where her attack of rhaenyra has transformed from purely verbal, or political machinations, to an outright physical attack. 

and when she laments it afterwards, most of her regret it at her own loss of control, and the political consequences of attacking the heir to the throne in a room of people — no doubt, there is some element of personal regret, but most of her conversation with otto she is again more concerned about her reputation, as well as knowing she has lost a large chunk of viserys’ support. 

despite all her qualms about honor, and duty, peace and upholding tradition and faith, alicent’s convictions are largely self serving and hypocritical. for all she rallies against rhaenyra because of her bastards, she is all too happy to overlook her own son’s bastards. she is judgemental of the targaryen “queer customs”, yet is all too happy to spurn rhaenyra’s offer of diplomacy and instead marry her own children to each other. she remarks that dragons as “beasts”, yet in the same breath promises aemond he will have one. 

she fears her own kids’ lives being in danger, but is the one endangering them. she wants rhaenyra to live, all while threatening her life and seeking her imprisonment instead. she claims mercy is not a weakness, yet in the same episode, calls upon larys to burn down mysaria’s brothel. she is shocked by the coup, yet also plays a hand in it, choosing to overturn viserys’ wishes as king, and install aegon as heir, crowning him before rhaenyra even knows of her father’s death.

[princesssszzzz]

Rhaena and Baela stand there in horror because they don’t have critical thinking skills or souls. Rhaena should have taken her mind off her dead mother and thought about these kids she just met and cared about them fighting amongst each other instead. Like the priority at this point is to read Aemond’s mind and become a mediator to boys she doesn’t know after she’s told to ride a pig. Since their dad disappeared and the scared girls grabbed the closest people near them now their “hanging out” with them after a funeral. Desperately wanting guilty by association. Wait until Daemon starts committing war crimes Rhaena and Baela will be on Westerosi trial. There’s plenty wrong with the way their written but it’s made very clear they’re shocked at what their witnessing with Jace, Lucerys, and Aemond fighting with a knife and rock. Thanks to the person that just sent this to me btw. How do people see two terrified children and come to the conclusion that they cheerlead violence? Adultification and vilifying and the other comments these innocent girls should apologize??🤧

[mononijikayu]

the worst take ive heard about rhaenyra being haughty is that they think she's a bad character for it. that she's rude for it or that she's horrible because of it.

mam,,,,,rhaenyra is based of empress matilda. the woman refused to be addresed as anything else but empress, even after remarriage. THE LITERAL WOMAN WHO BASICALLY FOUNDED THE PLANTAGANET DYNASTY.

her own children ALL used the last name fritzempress - son of the empress, rather than their father because their mother instilled in them that she was superior in rank than their father's who was a count. her son henry ii REFUSED to be called anything but fritzempress.

rhaenyra was meant to be haughty especially in adulthood. after being abused by alicent for so long, she moves to dragonstone and realizes her damn worth and self importance. that there are people who believe in her existance as heir, that people would fight for her claim and sign themselves to supporting it. of course she'll get confident of her identity and self importance, being the heir to the throne.

like, yeah. she would grow bold and haughty because she is overturning the thought of a male dominated society by being the FIRST FEMALE heir that was named that was not only princess in her own right to dragonstone but also the very fact that this is maintained all through her father's reign from the moment she was literally made heir - even with the fact that she had male siblings soon after. like of course she'll have so much pride for that.

[theroguedragon3]

House of The Dragon 1x07

High Tide Incident Analysis

Something that I have noticed in regard to the children’s fight at Driftmark, is how both hardcore stans of the Greens and the Blacks refer to this event while defending their side, refusing to consider the other characters perspective. This type of mindset I feel hinders the complex aspect of the characters themselves, as I’ve seen some hardcore supporters claim that Aemond deserved to lose his eye or Luke deserve to die because he took Aemond’s eye. I wanted to unpack this scene and I’m not going to sugar-coat the children’s actions because, they were all at fault and played a part in the escalation, that ultimately caused an accident that resulted in the loss of an eye. This analysis will examine my interpretation of the characters possible intent, motivations and feelings in order to understand each character’s viewpoint and how it got to the point of no return.

 Aemond Claims Vhagar

Before I dissect the actual fight scene, I feel like it is important to examine Aemond’s state of mind when he successfully claims Vhagar. Aemond has been obsessed with having his own dragon, the fact that he doesn’t have one bothers him, as this insecurity is utilised against him in the Dragonpit when Aegon, Jace and Luke play a prank on him.

I feel like I have to address the prank, as Aemond apologists utilize this to demonize Rhaenyra’s children, when at no point does he state to his mother that they always pick on him or that he is tired of being picked on, indicating a prolonged bullying experience. I would like to point out this is the first and only incident that the viewer is aware of Rhaenyra’s children picking on Aemond. Viserys even alludes to Aegon being the ring leader being the oldest, while the younger boys follow him. That’s not a far stretch to consider, as they could look up to Aegon and see him as an admirable cool older boy. While on the flip side, Aemond is also shown knocking out Jacaerys’ wooden sword out of his hand during the training yard scene for no reason. Was it to get back at him after the prank, if so Aemond is clearly no push over and also likes to pick on his younger cousin.

Of course, it’s not fun being the laughing stock at the end of the day they are children, but I feel like there is more to Aemond’s mindset other than the prank and it involves his upbringing. Viserys is an absent father, and it falls to Alicent being the parental figure present in his life. Her clear dislike towards Rhaenyra is reflected in her parenting style, as I believe she instilled her belief into him, that he is better than Rhaenyra’s children, because they are bastards, and he is more Targaryen than his nephews. I feel like this distinction contributed to a sense of self-entitlement, only the biggest obstacle that bothers him about their differences is that their dragons hatched, while he simply doesn’t have one. This is a bruise to his ego, something considered a symbol of house Targaryen, yet Rhaenyra’s bastard children have dragons, when he the legitimate second son of the King, doesn’t even have one.

Aemond’s obsession in getting a dragon to validate his Targaryen lineage and self-importance over Rhaenyra’s children, especially after the prank, contributes to his decision to claim Vhagar on the same night as her previous rider’s funeral. He does not think or care about the repercussions his actions will have to those that it affects such as Rhaena and Baela. When Aemond manages to successfully bond and claim Vhagar as his mount, he receives a sense of validation and a huge ego boost. He now has claimed the largest dragon in Westeros, how could he not let it get to his head. This validation feeds his self-entitlement and superiority complex, as he now perceives himself above Rhaena, Baela, Jace and Luke, which is reflected during the confrontation. I also want to point out that I’m not simply hating on Aemond’s character, but I’m merely trying to dissect his different layers, as I enjoy the aspect in understanding all of the characters complex natures.

Confrontation

When the other children confront him, he is still riding the high of having just claimed the largest and fiercest dragon. He doesn’t shy away or is hesitant to engage with them head on, instead he is arrogant, which supports the idea of his self-entitled beliefs. Aemond chooses to use his words as a weapon with the intent to hurt and provoke Rhaena and the other children. He possibly went into this situation already anticipating a fight, as he chooses to face the confrontation, wanting to prove his self-worth to himself and utilize his newfound position of power after having claimed the largest dragon, to either defeat or intimidate his cousins, further validating his position over them.

Rhaena calls him out by choosing to remind Aemond that Vhagar was her mother’s dragon, the same person they just held a funeral for earlier in the day. She is responding out of anger at the lack of respect Aemond demonstrated by claiming Vhagar on the night of Laena’s funeral. Aemond disregards her grief by stating she’s dead and confirming Vhagar has a new rider, only further upsetting an already heartbroken Rhaena and by extension Baela.

Rhaena angrily states that Vhagar was hers to claim, while from a viewer’s perspective, we know dragons are not a family heirloom passed down to family members and it is ultimately up to the dragon to choose who they bond with, as they are not possessions. But sticking to this idea and criticizing Rhaena for her reaction, hinders the viewer in understanding Rhaena’s perspective. She also doesn’t have a dragon and is desperate to finally have one of her own. Her intentions on hoping to claim her mother’s dragon could be a result of her desire to finally have a dragon of her own (just like Aemond) and it just so happens that the opportunity presented itself being her mother’s dragon. It could also be that she did want Vhagar because of the connection to her late mother, there is nothing wrong in that, as viewers need to be mindful, she is still a child, who has the opportunity to learn about dragons and change her beliefs about them.

Rhaena is a little girl still mourning the death of her beloved mother. She is not in the mindset of claiming any dragon, as she probably was intending to properly grieve her mother. Allowing time to heal the rawness of losing a parent, before acting on her own desires to try and claim Vhagar. We will never know if Vhagar would’ve bonded with her or not because that opportunity was taken from her, which contributed to her anger towards Aemond.  

Aemond’s response is to completely dismiss her feelings and basically point the finger at her and claim it is her own fault for not being quick enough to claim Vhagar. This highlight’s his superiority complex and arrogance, as the underlying insinuation is that he was the smarter one to act quick enough, regardless of Rhaena’s emotional turmoil at the loss of her mother.

He continues by mocking her by referring to the pig prank, something that she had no part in and uses it to belittle her, as he now has the justification in putting himself above her. Instead of being mindful to avoid the subject regarding Raena’s lack of a dragon, he uses it against her, knowing it would hurt and upset her, because he was once in the same position as her not that long ago. He tilts his head in a nonchalant manner when he smugly suggests a pig would suit Rhaena. This shift in character illustrates his superiority, as he feels enjoyment by intentionally taunting her, through the use of targeting the same insecurity he himself struggled with against her.  

 Fight Sequence

Rhaena lashes out and lunges at him, he throws her to the ground, as Baela steps in and punches him, but it had little effect as he quickly recovers. Obviously, from a viewer’s perspective the girls’ actions were wrong, but we have to be mindful that they are children who are acting out based on their emotions. They do not have the ability to think of the consequences of their actions.

Baela’s actions are a result of anger, after listening to Aemond’s utter disregard for her late mother on the night of her funeral and then mocking her sister’s lack of a dragon, followed by throwing her to the ground.

Aemond punches her back in retaliation and Green hardcore stans argue he had every right to because he was defending himself, without taking into account the differences in the children’s background. Aemond is training to be a warrior, while the girls are not and are expected to learn feminine etiquette and household duties. The one who poses the biggest threat out of the two in that exchange is Aemond, he is better skilled and it is a testament, when he manages to overpower all four of the children.

After punching Baela, he proceeds to threaten her, stating he would feed her to his dragon should she decide to attack him again. I doubt Aemond had intentions on murdering Baela in such a manner and his character gave the impression that he was just running his mouth, without serious intentions to actually follow through with his threat.

This dialogue illustrates his confidence from the power trip, as he most likely just wanted to scare Baela in attempts to prevent her from attacking him again, knowing he wouldn’t hold himself back just because she’s a girl. This emphasizes his cold personality and hints towards his ruthless nature, as he doesn’t distinguish those that are weaker and would attack regardless of the opponent’s strength.  

This prompts Jace to step in, as Baela cowers on the ground while Aemond yells at her. Jace punches Aemond in the face, only further escalating the situation, as he feels the need to protect Baela.

Jace continues trying to hit Aemond, as he dodges the attack and ends up kicking him. This can be seen as a call back to Ser Criston’s teachings during Aegon’s match against Jace, where he instructed Aegon to use his feet. This highlights the differences in the skill level between Aemond and Jace, as he and Aegon received closer attention to hone their fighting abilities.

Despite being the significantly weaker opponent Luke intervenes once Jace is kicked to the ground and only manages to grab onto Aemond’s left arm with both of his hands, allowing him to freely swing a direct punch into his face which resulted in a broken nose, as he falls to the ground and crying out in pain. At this point in time, this is where a de-escalation should’ve occurred, where someone should’ve yelled at the ongoing fight to stop or threaten to get an adult, but the kids are now rushing with adrenaline and acting on emotions of anger.

Jace gets up and proceeds to push Aemond to the ground. Jace, Baela and Rhaena take advantage of his helpless situation and jump him. All three continue to take out their anger on him and repeatedly hit him. They are all worked up from the emotional turmoil, as the girls mourn their mother and Jace cannot properly mourn Ser Harwin, someone he looked up to. All three are at fault, as they choose to physically react at the taunts aimed at them, instead of choosing to walk away from the situation.

Aemond manages to kick Jace away from him and grabs Rhaena proceeding to throw her towards her sister, who was on the opposite side of him. Luke runs at Aemond, as he quickly stops him by grabbing his neck. His free hand stumbles across a rock, as he stands up and holds the rock above Luke, posed in a striking position.

This is where things really enter the point of no return, as Aemond is the first one to introduce an object as a potential weapon into the fight. Of course, once again hardcore stans assert he had the rock for self-defense and is not the one in the wrong, as the other children had jumped him. I can to some extent agree with this conclusion, but we have to keep in mind that despite being outnumbered Aemond did gain the upper hand, without the need of a weapon. The introduction of the rock served as a dangerous element in escalating the fight, as he already restrained Luke by the throat with one hand.

Out of all the children there Luke is the smallest target, therefore physically he posed no threat to Aemond in this specific situation. He didn’t have the strength to break free from his chokehold, while the rest of the children can only watch in horror as Aemond once again runs his mouth after gaining the upper hand. Aemond is at fault for continuing to verbally provoke his cousins, as he knows which buttons to push to get a reaction, further supporting the idea that he wanted to fight them all, to prove himself worthy as a Targaryen, that just claimed the largest dragon.

Aemond threatens Luke stating: “you will die screaming in flames just as your father did, bastards.” I interpreted Aemond’s threat as being directed to not only Luke but to Jace as well, as he glances over at him while he spits out the word ‘bastards’ in clear contempt for the two boys. I consider this line as an indicator to Aemond’s upbringing, as he upholds the notion on the importance of being a pure Targaryen, while he views his nephews as lesser than, due to the rumours regarding their parentage. This highlights his mother’s influence that shaped his belief and disdain for his nephews, that he willingly committed the highest of treasons by insulting the heir to the Irone Throne.

Luke struggles against his hold as he states his father is still alive. Aemond lowers the rock only to direct his attention towards Jace, as he mocks him on Luke’s lack of awareness regarding the rumours. To me there are two interpretations on Aemond’s use of the title ‘Lord Strong’. One, is alluding to the deceased man himself, Ser Harwin Strong. The other is Aemond using the title to taunt Jace on his identity, by addressing him while using his rumoured father’s last name.

This insult triggers Jace to pull out his concealed dagger. Jace knew he had no chances on attacking Aemond with just his fists, while he has a rock in one hand. He is now clouded by his anger, wanting to hurt Aemond for insulting a man he considered an important role model in his life. He is also battling his inner conflicting thoughts on his own parentage, as he is at an age where he is aware of the rumours, which would only cause further confusions, as he tries to cope with the loss of his potential biological father.

Rhaena shouts his name and I believe there are two different interpretations on why she called out his name. The first one is she is concerned about his safety before he engages in a serious altercation with the addition of weapons and the second is that she called his name to hopefully make him regain his senses, prompting him to stop the fight. This is where both girls should’ve shouted at the boys to stop, before someone ended up getting seriously injured. But also, we don’t know if words would’ve been enough, as the situation continued to snowball out of control.

Aemond punches Luke again in the face, which was completely unnecessary as he could’ve easily pushed him away. This portrays the influence of Ser Criston’s training, as he still felt the need to hit Luke despite him being the weaker opponent that is at his mercy. Luke stumbles into an armed Jace, where he could’ve accidently hurt Luke, but luckily, he withdrew the dagger and quickly pushes him out of the way, to allow him to attack Aemond.

He swings the dagger, as Aemond jumps back and manages to successfully dodge the blade. Seeing an opening he goes on the attack and hits Jace on the head with the rock. I agree that Aemond’s reaction to hit Jace was in self-defence, but that argument is invalid when he proceeds to hold the rock aimed at a defenceless Jace. Aemond apologists love to absolve him of any wrongdoing and responsibility, something that I will not gloss over. He could have stopped the altercation from further spiralling out of control, by immediately dropping the rock, after disarming Jace and just state they should stop fighting, as it wasn’t going to change what has happened.

But unfortunately, he allows the position of having the power dictate his actions, as he enjoys having control over the situation. This hints to his sadistic nature by his decision to raise his arm, holding the rock aimed in a striking position towards a helpless Jace. He glances at the girls as Rhaena shakes her head, indicating for him to stop, before he went too far.

Luke crawls towards the discarded dagger, as he just witnessed Aemond hit his brother with the rock and acting on instinct to protect his brother, he intends to arm himself, knowing he was no match against Aemond. I wouldn’t be surprised if Luke recalled Ser Criston’s ruthless teachings on not allowing the opponent to get up, once they’re knocked on the ground, further contributing to his fear for his brother’s safety.

Aemond did himself no favours in stopping the unfortunate outcome, as Jace most likely felt that Aemond would seriously injure him or at worst kill him, after the numerous threats he dished out.

Aemond approaches Jace with his arm still raised, as Jace glances over to the side and notices Luke with the dagger. Trusting his brother to rescue him, Jace grabs a handful of dirt and throws it into Aemond’s face, successfully distracting him.

Aemond covers his face with his hand upon reflex and lowers his hand, as he turns his head towards Luke, while he swings his arm with the dagger and ends up accidently slashing his eye.

Luke was motivated by his desire to protect his brother and I doubt he had any malicious intentions to purposefully blind Aemond, which is also a ridiculous claim Aemond hardcore stans believe in. I interpreted his actions were to hurt Aemond with the intent of causing pain by probably cutting his hand or arm, but not to severely injure him, as he possibly just wanted to deter him from smashing his brother’s face with a huge rock. He just didn’t realize the severe repercussions that his actions would end up leading to, as he couldn’t have predicted Aemond lowering his hand or turning his face towards him.

[cutepeachesss]

us vs. them (greens vs. blacks)

I think as soon as the time jump happens and we get to see the kids it’s pretty clear that this is no longer one family and hasn’t been for a very long time. Even though the children all ‘train’  together (aegon joining in to bully his younger brother along with the strong boys) we get this sense that they aren’t supposed to. Especially with how the costumes in that scene they basically said here are Alicent’s kids (white hair, and green robes) and here are Rhaenyra’s kids (plain-faced is a pretty good description lol). They play together, but they aren’t supposed to, they’re not all in red targ colors because they aren’t all simply targs, they are their mother’s children before all that. 

Then we have Alicent going to Aegon after finding out about the pig situation and she says “aemond is your brother, in the world we must defend our own” which very clearly draws the line. ‘We aren’t one family, they aren’t like us, so protect your baby brother,’ she basically tells him. And none of that really clicks for Aegon until driftmark. 

Which like I kind of loved that scene of Aegon talking to Aemond about the fact that he has to marry their sister. It makes it very clear that they are decently close to each other. Standing to the side (in their green robes) watching their sister do her thing, Aegon complains about how weird she is, and Aemond talks about how if he was in his brother’s shoes he’d do what their mom tells him to do. Aegon, rebellious teenage brother, with younger bro and mama’s boy Aemond.

When Aegon wakes up from his drunken stupor he finds out that his brother has lost an eye. There’s no way he’d be able to look at his old playmates the same again, his brother’s been mutilated. When Aemond says that it was Aegon who told him the strong boys were bastards, he’s shocked to hear his brother’s lie, but he doesn’t deny the lie. In that moment he realized his mother was right, they aren’t one family, and she’s the only one who would protect them out in the real world. 

Which like imagine the pain of that realization and the reason why I kinda expected Aegon to have a way better relationship/marriage with his sister after he realizes this. I didn’t expect them to be madly in love, but I did expect some kind of closeness or like one small scene of Helena rambling about some bug and he’s just sitting there nursing a  hangover and nodding along (mirroring that scene of Alicent with child Helena), he doesn’t really care but she’s not an outsider, she’s his sister (someone in need of protection from the outside world, like his brother was that night).

Then flashfoward to the scene of Aemond’s toast and the aftermath. Alicent literally calls that side of the family ‘these people’, these are strangers and her kids needed to keep up appearances in front of strangers. And that little fight after the toast, Aegon was so ready to fight their nephews, no questions asked. He wasn’t going to let his brother stand alone, definetly not in front of ‘these people.’ 

Someone probably already talked about this, but I really like that. From the green dress moment that family stopped being one. 

[horizon-verizon]

LINK  to Polygon Article

*Rhaenyra in Fire and Blood is 9 when Alicent marries at 18. They were never friends or likely interacted as peers even before.*

[bohemian-nights]

Rant ahead: it seems like certain fans are trying to give Rhaenyra certain characterization out of spite and/or to slight Nettles.

What characterization you may ask? Well, things like claiming Rhaenyra is the youngest dragonrider, to counter the claim that Nettles is seemingly the only non-Valyrian dragonrider, when there is no evidence to support the former:

(Me literally typing the words into my e-copies of Fire & Blood, The Rise of the Dragon, and The World of Ice & Fire and getting, surprise surprise, 0 results).

This is what the actual text says about Rhaenyra(first highlighted passage) vs Nettles becoming a dragonrider(second highlighted passage):

Nettles is the only seemingly non-Valyrian dragonrider(there are 36 dragonriders in total, and all at least have evident Valyrian heritage) that we know of in the entire ASOIAF universe:

(*Aurion was a dragonlord and rider from Valyria who was last seen in 102 BC. Jaenera was also another Valyrian dragonrider from before the Doom).

Keep in mind that Nettles was not born into a royal dragonriding family, the sole surviving Valyrian dragonriding family, where it was expected that she’d eventually claim or hatch a dragon. She was not born with a dragon egg. She tames a wild dragon who even the likes of Alyn Velaryon, who has obvious Valyrian heritage, could not tame. She’s an “unlikely dragonrider.” Certain characters, cough cough Rhaenyra, have a hard time believing that she could even tame a dragon unaided in the first place due to her dubious heritage.

Now, let’s get into how certain fans like to claim that Rhaenyra is oppressed when she is in fact the most privileged woman* in Westeros at the time(see the first highlighted section of the prior text and these passages):

(*Yes Rhaenyra experiences misogyny, but most certainly not in the way that Nettles does. She is very privileged being a highborn Valyrian royal woman in comparison to Nettles who is a lowborn non-Valyrian bastard woman. If you want a real life comparison, think of the misogyny Black women deal with as opposed to white women).

She actually uses her privilege as queen and as a Valyrian to try and murder Nettles:

Who is spared mainly because people feared what Daemon would do to them if they hurt her(first highlighted passage):

Even among Nettles' defenders, she is not thought highly of. I.e. Corlys Velaryon referring to her as “dirty and ill-favored,” while trying to save her life(second highlighted passage above).

Those more ambivalent towards her certainly do not have many kind words to say about her. Archmaester Gyldayn tries to insinuate that she is “lifting her skirts for some shepherd” in order to bind Sheepstealer to her. (In all likelihood, Nettles chose to live on the streets instead of following in her mother’s footsteps). The Archmaester also mentions how she might have been too ugly (while referencing her skin tone) for Daemon to be attracted to her(third passage).

Whether by Andal or Valyrian standards, Nettles is actually someone who is looked down upon due to the circumstances of her birth, breeding, and complexion. She’s a Black brown-skinned bastard girl born to a whore who grew up on the streets and can barely get a kind word to be said about her.

Rhaenyra on the other hand is a white blonde haired high-born woman who is recognized as queen by many in spite of the fact that she has younger legitimate brothers whose claim to the throne is greater than her own(by the laws of the land). She’s beloved by the realm for much of her life and only becomes genuinely unpopular after the standard of living lessens under her reign.

Moving on, how can we forget the claim that Daemon would die for Rhaenyra. In actuality, he was willing to give his own life to save Nettles when he most certainly did not have to, but love often includes sacrifice:

Daemon left Rhaenyra out to dry and never looked back, but saying that is the eighth deadly sin according to a particular segment of this fandom. Keep in mind, the text clearly states his “final act” was an act of betrayal:

(Before anybody tries to use this as “evidence” for Daemon offing himself cause he couldn’t handle Nyra not loving him no more, which is another lie, Rhaenyra doesn’t think Daemon has betrayed her until she learns that Nettles got away. Up until then, she thought Daemon was under Nettles' “spell,” see the passage on Rhaenyra ordering her death, and that he’d be “freed” once she was dead. She lets it be known that she wants him alive and back with her, but Daemon himself did not want that after she tried to murder the woman he loved).

Lastly, even the nickname Nyra which is a fandom invention seems to be a play on Netty which is as canon as canon gets:

(I’m bringing the nickname up because I don’t even see people refer to any other character in HOTD by a fanon nickname at near the frequency that I see people refer to Rhaenyra as Nyra. Someone, please correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m not seeing it).

Obviously, I’m not saying that people are trying to copy Nettles' story word for word. Still, there are some headcanons that are being peddled for Rhaenyra that line up with Nettles' characterization. Enough to make one pause and ask what’s really going on here.

[fuckalicent]

the praise rhaenyra gets for being a “feminist queen” or someone who “cares about women unlike *insert character they don’t like*” is so unbelievably ridiculous it makes me laugh. so many team black stans love to paint alicent as a misogynistic demon who hates her daughter and will then use rhaenyra as the antithesis of this as if that woman didn’t deliberately undermine baela and rhaena’s own very much legitimate claims to driftmark to further her own agenda. she passes them off as contenders all for the sake of her sweet illegitimate son, whom she knows genuinely has no claim, and thinks all is well after proposing a lousy betrothal (which she makes BEFORE consulting either girls).

[sophiemariepl]

I know I’m gonna sound like a boomer again, but I really miss the times when we could appreciate a fictional character without having to morally excuse their actions. And yes, this is again about Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon.

(I know that someone already wrote it here, but I feel like we need to stress it out more.)

Like, one of the main reasons why I find the HotD fandom so annoying and unbearable is that way too many individuals active in it conflate how well a particular character is written with how moral they are as a person.

But here it does not even seem to stem from any good deeds that they do, as it was in the case of Daenerys fandom (or at least, most of the time it does not seem to stem from it). Here, basically, all that matters is personal liking towards the character - if someone likes a particular character, they immediately jump to idealize them. Almost as if people were ashamed to admit that they like a character that is morally flawed or imperfect??

I already wrote in one of my previous posts about the Rhaenyra-Alicent dichotomy which is a great example of this phenomenon in the HotD fandom. I’m not gonna repeat myself here, so if you wanna know about which dichotomy I’m talking, go check out this post.

Coming back to my main point that is complaining, I miss the times when people could freely admit that they loved the Lannisters specifically because they are toxic, cruel and cunning (maybe except for Jeoffrey, I think that Jeoffrey was less appreciated and more universally hated 😜). Because they still appreciated the way the Lannisters were written. The political mind of Tywin, Tyrion’s wit, Cersei’s and Jamie’s toxicity, and the complexity of their characters.

Did they commit awful things, either to advance their family politically or for their personal gain? Yes.

Does that deny that they were extremely well written, as three-dimensional, multi-layered people? No.

Of course, I’m using the Lannisters only as an example, because I cannot list every single character of that sorts in here.

Having given this example tho, it makes me wonder why people cannot adopt the same approach to HotD. What’s the problem with using it in one was or another towards Otto Hightower, Alicent, Rhaenyra, Corlys Velaryon and Rhaenys Targaryen, or perhaps even most importantly, to Daemon?

Does this approach make you feel bad about yourselves, HotD fans? Are you ashamed to think that you like a character that is actually an awful person? Or is it that you just assume that every character that you like has to be a morally good person?

I’m genuinely asking.

[medschoolash]

"Is Suppressing the Dragon Worth the Cost?" A HOTD Episode 6 Analysis Part. 1

So episode 6 of House of the Dragon might be my favorite episode so far. I know many people aren't huge fans of the time jumps, but I think they did an incredible job of transitioning us from episode 5 to 6.

Thanks to the great work by the creators, I have a lot of thoughts about this episode. There were a lot of things that stood out. Still, the ultimate triumph of this episode is Rhaenyra's character and how they intertwined Daemon and Rhaenyra's lives without having them be anywhere near each other or have any long discussions about each other.

This will mostly be about Rhaenyra, but I'll also talk about Daemon and their relationship.

This will be a two-parter because I have a lot to say. So again, proceed at your own risk lol

From the very first scene ,the episode wanted to immerse us in the same world we've experienced before but under dramatically different circumstances. The creators mentioned they approached this episode almost like a pilot episode because they had to reintroduce us to the new actors, and you could tell this was their goal.

In the last shot in episode 5 of young Rhaenyra, she was in tears at her rushed wedding to Laenor after her wedding festivities were ruined by not only murder and mayhem but also by Daemon. It was a striking final moment that the story had been building to the entire season so far.

We saw her struggle with the idea of marriage. We saw her struggle with the trauma of losing her mother in childbirth. We saw her struggle with her gender in a society that wanted to dismiss her despite her blood and claim. We also saw her struggle with the consequences of messy entanglements with Criston and Daemon. We saw her fire, her curiosity, her determination, her sexual awakening, the powerful moment where she tells Criston she is the crown, and where she challenges Daemon to take her as his wife. So with that Rhaenyra in mind the question going forward, at least for me was: who is Rhaenyra going to be 10 years later? We knew she would mature but mature in what way? What would her life look like in King's Landing as a married woman who is heir to the throne?

That is the question this episode wanted to answer for the viewers and the answer we got was actually pretty heartbreaking but incredibly compelling.

We open with Rhaenyra in childbirth; the thing we knew was the source of trauma for young Rhaenyra. Choosing this as the opening image of Rhaenyra is very effective because it's a stark reminder that life comes at your fast. We went from young Rhaenyra getting married to older Rhaenyra in the middle of childbirth. Rhaenyra spent a lot of time in the early episodes lamenting about childbirth and fearful of the possibility of dying in childbirth. Then boom, we finally get the chance to meet older Rhaenyra and what is she doing? Having a baby. The last childbirth we actually saw on screen was her mother's tragic labor which makes this an even more effective choice, especially since her mother told her she would be in the very position before she died and Rhaenyra in all of her young naivety, challenged that idea.

My favorite part of her birth scene is how they completely turned her earlier ideas upside down. Sure Rhaenyra is in pain and exhausted but when she actually delivers her child, she is overjoyed. Instead of pregnancy and childbirth being something she hates, it's now a source of immense joy for her. She rushes to cradle her son; she is beaming at her child like a doting mother; she's happy when she's informed that he's healthy. It makes you completely forget that at her young age, Rhaenyra wanted nothing to do with this.

It's a great moment and a great way to introduce a new version of a character, and on first watch, it's easy to get lulled into the idea that wow, Rhaenyra's life turned out nothing like she wanted it to but look how happy she is! Maybe her life is okay.

Except we're quickly shown that it's anything but okay and how Rhaenyra responds to all the ways her life is not okay quickly makes you realize that the woman we see how is drastically different in a lot of ways that break your heart but also in a lot of ways she's the same.

She barely has time to even hold the child she just delivered before Alicent requests the child be brought to her.

I've seen many Alicent fans try to absolve her of these cruel actions towards Rhaenyra here by claiming Alicent asked for the baby and not Rhaenyra but it's clear to Rhaenyra that Alicent is asking for her. What mother who just delivered her child 5 minutes ago is letting that infant out of her sight and into the arms of a woman she has strife with alone? She knows exactly what Alicent wants, and she is forced to give it to her, and she does so without much fight. When he aid tells her she should remain in bed she acknowledges that's exactly what should happen but it's not what she can do at the moment. This is the first real hint that Rhaenyra has changed. Gone is the youthful petulance, the stomping of her foot when she is required to do something she does not want to do, and the outright disobedience. It appears she's at the mercy of Alicent and does little in this moment and later on to change that which is NOT the Rhaenyra we learned before.

Even her approach, while she's being humiliated, is different. When a Lord stops her to wish her congratulations, she gracefully indulges him even though she's clearly humiliated and in pain in the moment. In her scene with Laenor she doesn't asks him or even command him to be with her, she only shows relief that he's there and resigns herself to the physical and emotional toll of what she has to do next will take on her.

The fact that she does this shows us that young Rhaenyra is still in there. She's always been brave and proud, determined to look a challenge in the eye. We also learn that she called the midwife a cunt during childbirth, which feels like something old Rhaenyra would do. She's also very sarcastic and firm with Laenor. It's a credit to Emma's acting because Rhaenyra feels the same yet different all at the same time. However, the main thing I noticed during all these early scenes is that Rhaenyra's personality is muted. She indulged in Alicent's bullshit about how she should be resting. She clearly holds back when Alicent makes things awkward with her shady comments and looks, and she holds back when Laenor names her son in front of Viscerys. She clearly wants to snatch her child away from Alicent but never tries to do it. On one hand you could argue that she was exhausted after childbirth and didn't have energy for the flare she had in her youth but it's clear that much of what we see is not just exhaustion, it's resignation.

She's resigned herself to dealing with Alicent's pettiness and humiliation without much fight. On the surface she even seems to have a good supportive relationship with Laenor but we quickly learn that her marriage has some pretty big cracks during their conversation about naming Joffrey, but even in that conversation, there is a sense of resignation in Rhaenyra's voice and behavior when she mentions that Laenor hasn't been interested in their affairs lately. All of these things moved me and immediately made Rhaenyra an even more compelling character and it was only her first scene of the episode! All the ways Rhaenyra has muted herself and resigned herself to her fate become even more heartbreaking as the episode continues.

To Rhaenyra's credit, even of her life seems like it's not what we expected or she expected it to be she still seems to have a generally happy life. Her children are seemingly loved and adored by everyone around them, even their uncle Aegon, who has more fondness for them than his brother. Her children are also well-raised kind boys. It shows in their excitement over picking out an egg for their brother and how Jacaerys proudly tells his mother he let Lucerys choose the egg and Lucerys politely thanks him. You can see the love for her boys all over her face and the happiness she feels when she's around them. So maybe her mellowed out behavior is partially for their sake, but I don't think that's all there is to it.

But her mellowed-out behavior even shows with Harwin. They've been lovers for a decade and now have three children, and yet she shows restraint when she's around him, even when they are alone. She doesn't proudly relish in the affair. She doesn't immediately cling to him when no one is looking. She's a bit playful and clearly not unhappy around him, but there is also a sense that she's not even completely herself around even him these days. They interact like two people who are participating in this very modern and healthy family dynamic. Still, Rhaenyra doesn't interact with him like they have a burning passion and love for each other. You get the sense that Hawrwin is completely devoted to her, but Rhaenyra may keep him at a certain distance. It greatly contrasts how she used to behave with Daemon in her youth and with how she interacted with Criston. She was brazen in her desire to have Daemon's attention. She constantly found ways to stroke the flames of his affection for her, even while in public at her wedding festivities. There was a burning under the surface that often felt both comforting and dangerous to her. With Criston, she was openly flirtatious and engaged with him in a manner that was completely carefree.

Sure her dynamic with Harwin comes with the added weight of her being a married woman but this is the same Rhaenyra that offered Criston the chance to be her side piece during her marriage, the same Rhaenyra that seemed to relish in the idea that she can pursue her own pleasures outside of her marriage. And yet when we see her again with someone she's been with for a decade, there is none of that playfulness, excitement,or fire she once had, not even when they are alone with each other. It's a very telling dynamic when you really look at it.

One of the most interesting things about this is we see another character in the same position in this episode. Daemon.

When we first meet Daemon this episode he's doing tricks with Laena on Caraxes in Pentos like a showman. Then we see over the last 10 years he's created a peaceful and interesting life in the city with his wife, who is expecting a 3rd, and his two daughters. He's seemingly happy and content on the surface and seems to have moved on from his younger days of chaos and scandals. Unlike what we saw with Rhaenyra, Daemon doesn't appear all that changed, he just seems to be in a different more mature place in life but like Rhaenyra we learn early on that his life isn't as it appears either.

He has an argument with Laena that revels exactly how he's changed. Laena, wants to leave and return home. Daemon wants to stay in Pentos as pampered eternal guests with no responsibilities or connections to anything that's happening at him. This is coming from the same Daemon that spent the first half of the season doing anything and everything he could do to get his brother's attention. The same Daemon that was constantly exiled only to return to his family. The same Daemon that told Rhaenyra he returned from the Stepstones because he longed for the comforts of home. Something has changed in Daemon.

Even when Laena points out that he's the blood of old Valyria, something Daemon took great pride in 10 years ago, he says that old Valyria is gone; he doesn't belong anywhere. That's one of my favorite lines from him this episode because even before, you always got the sense that Daemon was lost; he was drifting, searching for his place in the realm currently ruled by his brother. Many of his actions were those of a man with nothing except his family, the family he loves and resents equally. But old Daemon had fight left in him. Old Daemon was a drifter that still believed he had a purpose as a part of the Targaryen legacy that he couldn't let go of. New Daemon appears to be indifferent, but he's really resigned. He's accepted what he's always felt, that he doesn't belong anywhere. He's just like Rhaenyra in how he's given up the fight of his younger years. He no longer seeks his brother's validation or Rhaenyra's affection, and he's so determined to let go that he refuses to return, instead choosing to live his life completely disconnected from his home with the beautiful family he's created.

On the one hand, the resignation and acceptance that Rhaenyra and Daemon show can be admirable. Sometimes you do have to give up youthful ideals and ground yourself in reality as a part of growing and evolving. But how admirable it is can only be determined by how the person who gives up responds to no longer having what they have let go and by the toll it takes on them after they've let go.

With both Rhaenyra and Daemon we see that their resignation hasn't been liberating, it has been suffocating, especially for Rhaenyra.

My heart truly went of your Rhaenyra because as the episode progresses, we see just how much she's had to endure. How much she's had to suppress who she is to make her life work, and it still continues to crumble around her. It makes you wonder if suppressing herself was even worth it in the first place.

My answer is no, and I suspect the answer within the narrative is no as well because what we see next for Rhaenyra and for Daemon shows that it does nothing but slowly eat away at them inside. If affects their relationships with their family in Daemon's case, and forces Rhaenyra to endure humiliation until she wants to just give up and run away and that's why it so compelling from a character standpoint.

With that said, I guess I'll save the rest for part 2.

[helaenasaegon]

I love Grandpa Corlys so much. He saw 3 little fully White boys with brown eyes and brown hair, and said: "Those are my babies now!" And I think that's beautiful. 🥺🤧