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Look at HER!

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‘Phosphorescent Sea’ (1933) by M. C. Escher

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― George R.R. Martin, A Storm of Swords (quote by Daenerys Targaryen)

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it fucks me up that tolkien only died in 1973. dude has the vibe of a victorian scholar who wrote all his manuscripts by candlelight but then you look him up and realise that he knew what color tv was. what the fuck.

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deploy the emmrich

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i wonder if there ever were any other people in Slough House who could greet each other in the mornings with a smile like these two (in a way where one person felt confident enough to smile at someone knowing it would be returned):

i mean obviously this would never apply to Lamb or Ho, or Moody at all (with Coe being the most unresponsive of them all). River could have been that person but he's usually too miserable in Slough House even if he really appreciated Catherine's presense in a place like that (which he did). his morning greetings with Louisa in s3 almost felt like that, but they both are too stubborn to openly admit that they are glad to see each other in the morning and in *this* environment. as if that could also mean somehow that they had totally accepted their fate and the fact that they belong to this place now (River kinda does accept that in s4 already tbf. i wonder how their start of the day looked like at that point). which leads to the thinking of Louisa not being that kind of person either with anyone else there (except Min maybe?), she's never rude though (without a reason), she just keeps a calm expression on her face whatever happens (despite obviously being quite an emotional person). Shirley is just not really that person at all, can't imagine her being much different at the Park too back in the day (but i think Marcus still smiled at her every day and he knew that she liked that even if her expression remained grumpy). maybe Min? he was definitely unhappy to be in Slough House too, but he was way more open with his emotions and he was really quick to smile genuinely. not sure about Sid, we barely see her interactions with any other slow horses, so... i don't know, her days at Slough House probably started with thoughts like "ughh i shouldn't even be here", so she didn't try to warm up to the place and its people much (probably). and then there was Struan who 100% smiled at everyone each morning but he was just so annoying that even Catherine didn't return it because she didn't want to give him a reason to try and befriend her further

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Else Fitzgerald, from "Everything Feels Like the End of The World," publ. in 2022

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Amazing!!!❤️

First post :p

Laenor and Laena Velaryon by me (books + show). Black Valyrians with purple eyes are my obsession.

I'm not good with digital art (nor with English), so tips are welcome.

(Targsnake is my @ on the bluebird app)

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I was looking through my blog, saw my reblogs of your gifs, and realized I hadn't stalked scrolled through your blog in DAYS. All the Eve stuff I see in your blog always makes me do a happy, little dance. Also, I may or may not fill up your notifs again 😁

And that Daemon and Rhaenys scene?? I may or may not have ended up shipping them because of it and exploring the possibilities of their dynamic from the one or two interactions between them that was shown has certainly consumed my thoughts. All the what-ifs! But I do keep it low-key in my main blog because I usually see a lot of Daemon hate and I just wanna be in my own little corner, enjoying my thing 🙈

Awww, bless you, that's so lovely. You're very kind, I do appreciate it. It's always nice to see your username crop up in my activity. Go nuts! What more can someone ask for but engagement on their posts?

You ship Daemon and Rhaenys? How interesting! I don't, and I don't think I could really do so even for funsies, there are just too many obstacles in the way for me to do that. Fussy, I know. But I certainly do agree that they have one heck of an interesting dynamic and I would have loved to have seen more of that.

I've not seen Matt discuss those interactions very much but I have seen Eve, discuss both the look she gives Daemon after the news about Jaehaerys, and then the one scene that we have of them alone, together. And how she sees that dynamic and how she thinks Rhaenys sees Daemon, and Daemon, particularly, in that moment and within the context of that scene.

It's one of the relationships where we don't get much but there's so much history and so much inferred, even in just the first season, that you can feel fairly confident in the dynamic. You can feel it. And, for me, it's interesting just looking at how they are positioned in the world and how they pivot around the Iron Throne. The similarities and differences between them, and in how that Targaryen spirit is in them both and is expressed and presented.

The fact that they are, or were, or whatever tense you want to use, the last pillar of a bygone age, as Jaehaerys's grandchildren. There's a shared history known only to them as they go over death after death. They are part of an era now gone. There are no dragon riders as experienced as them, by a fairly decent margin, also.

Something that I wish they'd made more of an effort to represent would be that they could have been said to be the angel and devil on Rhaenyra's shoulder: they're opposites in that way, with Daemon doing damage to and Rhaenys trying to enforce Rhaenyra's authority. The aggressive vs the thoughtful. They're profoundly different people but still passionate, loyal, and fierce. Displaced, proud, independent.

I think Eve described that scene of them together as them being like a panther vs a rattlesnake, and I like what that implies: profoundly different beasts but, at the end of the day, both deadly - both predators.

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House Targaryen (House Velaryon again, but not really!) (part 6.3)

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Warm down doodle last night of scale babies

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okay darling, here I am again, sitting and listening, at your behest. I always love hearing your thoughts. Yap away!

Oh, boy, you asked for it. I don't know if I have any specific thoughts but I will ramble about it because Rhaenys has such a clear sartorial journey and one of the most dramatic aesthetic changes without a clear motivator. And, what I mean by a clear motivator, is a distinct societal change in her status or perception.

So, we have similar dramatic changes with other characters - most notably with Alicent and Rhaenyra, but also, arguably, some subtler changes, especially with the change from one costume designer to another. But Alicent and Rhaenyra have multiple factors that feed into their clothing journeys that Rhaenys just doesn't have which makes the dramatic change all the more interesting.

Rhaenys doesn't undergo a re-cast, or go from a young woman to a more mature one: she's constant in that regard. She also doesn't get married - there's no change to her marital status at all. And she has no change to her rank either. There's not even a journey in how she perceives the war in S2 (which can lead into Alicent's colour changes and Rhaenyra's changing silhouette). These are, to me, the big factors that inform Alicent and Rhaenyra's journey. Both women grow up, get married, become Queens, and go to war, within the span of the two series.

These are, of course, entirely separate from emotional and internal factors that inform how she dresses, as well as more practical ones. Those things do feed into Rhaenys's clothing.

We have a clear direction and an intentional direction with her clothes in S1. We can, or at least I do, infer a very practical mentality towards her clothes. I think each does the job or sends a message and is suitable for the context within which she wears it. For me, I like to think that Rhaenys's physical appearance is very important to her and she's aware of the power of clothes and the way she comes across. I think that's a very important thing to have control of when you're in her position, which is, for the majority of the time, largely silent and largely ambiguous. It's a way to show her power, wealth, allegiance, and status.

When she's at the Great Council, she looks like she's a Targaryen Queen in waiting. When she's at court, she's in these really vibrant Velaryon colours, absolutely embroidered and in fairly exotic (contextually) fabrics that we can assume come from her husband's trading. She's bedecked in gold for her son's wedding, matching with her whole family, which is a power move.

Then, moving forward, we keep those rich textures in blue, with lots of velvet alongside embroidery, and then we get her black riding outfit which is versatile for being received at court, on her dragon, and under armour. Just in terms of colours, there's a really easy trajectory of going from pale blue, to dark blue, to black as she not only faces more losses but more political independence and a division from her husband.

With such a clear direction, I was intrigued and interested to see what she'd be doing in S2 because, not only do we have a new costume designer, but we have a lot of change in terms of Rhaenys's role. So the two pictures on my post are really good indicators of just what I mean by that.

She goes from this almost ornamental Velaryon woman at court: on the sidelines, bored, frustrated, role-less, to a Targaryen warrior: a dragon rider, a politician, an advisor, a soldier.

The majority of elements of what she's wearing have been changed: fabric, neckline, hemline, sleeve shape, jewellery, hair, and accessories. I mean, she isn't even in a dress. She's gone totally practical, and totally intimidating. She's firmly ensconced back in her Targaryen colours but also her Targaryen aesthetic, being more in line with her relations than her marital house. But, even then, there's a clear distinction between what she wears vs what Rhaenyra and Baela wear as more practical (aka riding or faux riding) outfits. They're even more embellished, more impractical, which could either suggest rank or inexperience - Rhaenyra is Queen and not expected to fight, and Baela is just very green and also non-combative for the moment. Rhaenys is neither of these things.

Her main outfits (two out of three, as the third is a funeral dress we don't get a good look at) are to be appropriate and enhance all of these duties that she has and all the hats she wears, and she's got a lot on her plate, so she's got an outfit style that becomes a uniform. It fits every scene that she's in. Even if we do still have the nods towards luxury in the fabrics, in the small notes of embroidery because she is rich and powerful ofc.

It's boots, trousers, shirt, coat, belt, gloves... and armour. It's inside and outside, at war or at home, on patrol or at the council. It means she can jump off of Meleys and get to the Painted Table to advise Rhaenyra. It means she can be good in the rain at the docks and then act as a mentor to her granddaughter. It's a changed silhouette but she's always ready. The important and relevant details of her life are presented: she's a Targaryen Princess, a dragon-rider. She also fits in with the men around her and the settings around her. There's no sense of fuss or her being uncomfortable in her clothing or in her situation. It's a very serious outfit.

But going back to the original idea, I think whilst Rhaenys doesn't have any major changes, her emotions and her heart and her role change, and that's reflected in her clothing. Even just within the narrative, and is therefore represented visually on screen. Even though she doesn't get as much screen time as the two female protagonists, and certainly not much that investigates her mind-set or perspective alone, she goes through her own journey - especially when it concerns the central idea of female inheritance and female empowerment.

She's gone from being denied her throne on account of her sex to fighting for another woman's right. She's gone from being a discarded court lady to being an integral piece in a war effort. She's grown, loved, lost, grieved. She's gone from feeling unable to press her Targaryen colours and aesthetic, to wearing them 24/7 and relying on them. Her Targaryen-ness is crucial to her positioning in S2, even just looking at Meleys being that central figure and connection for her, as opposed to Corlys. It's what gets her a seat at the table.

One has to wonder what it feels like, to do that. Is this a glimpse of the monarch that never got to be? Is this how she would have acted, as Queen? Is this what she feels more at home in, like she's cast off some disguise? Or is it just another layer - protective, for the duration of the war, as she carries a heavy load? Is it not even a thought? Can she just switch aesthetics and be just as comfortable in this as her Velaryon blue dresses? So long as she understands and wields the practicalities of the choice.

There's another thought that I have that's all wrapped up in this and it caused a bit of discourse in the final episode. It's to do with the moniker of "The Queen Who Never Was". Some people were displeased that Corlys goes with a name that Rhaenys had previously expressed displeasure for. I want it on the record that I have no problem with it. I love it.

And I'll tell you why. It's because, just as I think Rhaenys goes through a change in herself and has this physical transformation... I think the name goes through a journey as well.

You can apply "The Queen Who Never Was" to both of those pictures and whilst the first one is said as an insult: a painful wound, forever about what she lacks and the choice the men of the realm made, I don't think that's what it ends up as. But by the time we get to her death, and to the way she'll be remembered, she's a figure of strength. It's like the emphasis isn't on never but on Queen. It's a symbol of her virtues and aptitude, rather than her rejection, especially when you put that within the context of fighting for the rights of a ruling Queen. Especially when you have it said by Baela. When you use that name at the two different points in Rhaenys's life, it means something different.

And when we look at the figurehead that Corlys has had carved of his wife, the one that is "The Queen Who Never Was", she isn't portrayed as a forlorn, dejected woman in finery. It's an impression of a proud, strong woman dressed in armour (a warrior), protectively clasping a crown she never got to wear.

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Targaryen women wearing blue

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when that sky rains fire on you and you're persona non grata, i'll tell you how i've been there too... and that none of it matters.

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I was a big sister. Your big sister. And that's all I wanted. And then when I got poorly, that all changed. I don't know how we got so far apart because...