#he wants nettles to be on screen

[silvixel]

he only praises the action but literally criticizes the story and the writing, they are destroying the lore he is establishing in his books, but he is so hypocritical that he is the one who sold his work.

[thatstonedwriter]

Aquarium Trip!

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆��. ───

A/n- guess who's going to the MOTHERFUCKING AQUARIUM BITCHES WOOOO

Contents; romantic relationships, undersea animals, swearing

Feat; Stolas, Blitzø, Loona, Fizzarolli

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Being at the Aquarium with them is a dream. The dark hallways, the lights reflecting against the water of the tanks- it creates such a romantic ambiance.

Stolas is a hopeless romantic. Not only does he get to learn about animals, environmentalism, and the ocean- he gets to learn these things with you. The whole time, Stolas is holding your hand, stopping at every display, and reading all of the information for each exhibit. Cue the cute owl noises. Stolas would love to take some time to sit with you in front of an exhibit, sharing kisses, holding hands, and (of course) him telling you about all the new things he's learned! I think he'd love the touch pools, especially for the stingrays. He probably freaks out a bit at first, but his excitability overrules any hesitation. don't even get him started on the gift shop. Stolas freaks out over every book he sees. Gets the two of you matching shirts because he's a sucker for that kinda shit. Stolas loves taking pictures with you, too! With the jellyfish, cute crabs, the seals you see in the bay, the stingrays, everything. And, in my opinion, he would love ocean puns. You're taking facts and making them funny? He's so in love.

As much as it pains me to say it, Blitzø probably isn't a fan at first. To be honest, the only reason he came was because you said there were seahorses. He was pissed when they weren't actual horses. While Blitzø is kinda grumpy for a bit, he can't deny how cool everything looks- and how happy you are. Most of the time, he's not looking at the exhibits, but at you- appreciating your joy and excitement. Blitzø has never been one for learning "fun facts" or anything, but if you ramble on about the ocean, he'll hang on to every word. Of course, he probably won't outwardly show you too much affection, but there are times when Blitzø goes to reach for your hand, or scoots closer to you when you're sitting at an exhibit. If he had to choose a favorite section, it's the deep sea. he does quite enjoy the freaky animals. He isn't super excitable, but can't help a small smile whenever he sees how much you're enjoying everything. At the gift shop, he'll watch to see what you like the most and will sneakily buy it for you.

Not sure if Loona would be thrilled about the aquarium, but if she's going with you, she doesn't have any objections! I think she would be fascinated by the Jellyfish and open ocean exhibits. The color and size of the animals like the hammerhead sharks or sea nettles is just so mesmerizing. Loona wants to take pictures, but isn't used to the low light, so it's a bit frustrating. Hopefully you've got some photos to share with her. It's a requirement that y'all model and pose for pictures. Aesthetics are everything!! And Loona wants a new home screen. She would love being able to take a picture with the sharks or jellyfish with you. Tbh, I think Loona would be freaked out by crustaceans. Dunno why, I just think she doesn't like them. She also doesn't participate in the touch pools because of how many kids there are. In the giftshop, she probably doesn't get much for herself (but she does like some of the sweatshirts and jewelry).

Fizzarolli will not. Stop. Making. Ocean puns. It is constant, but hey, at least he's funny and creative. Fizz would probably love the aquarium, especially the otters and octopuses. Otters because..Adorable, obviously. Personal HC of him liking Octopuses comes from how they can be misunderstood, and how intelligent and versatile they are. There's also some relatability with the arms if you squint. I think the octopus would make him feel more secure with himself, you know? Whenever y'all are sat while watching a feeding or display, Fizz is snuggling as close as possible, arms wrapped around you, head on your shoulder. I would argue that one of the most romantic spots in an aquarium is the dark jellyfish exhibits. Fizz gets a selfie of him kissing you on the cheek or y'all with your arms around each other in front of the moon jellies. And boom- new lockscreen acquired. Dude goes absolutely bonkers in the giftshop. He loves everything. The notebooks, shirts, pins, jewelry, bags- all of it. You'll have to reign him in if you don't wanna deal with crippling debt. He ends up deciding on a cozy jacket and matching plushies for the two of you.

Aquarium dates are the best way to nerd out with your partner(s) 💛

[theoxenfree]

NIGHTFALL

elk god x ranger!reader | wc; 759

no one dared to question why you chose the night shift; it was simply superstition that it was better not to ask. but, you were always in good company.

warnings; brief mentions of gore, ritualistic/cultish stuff, some lore things that may be confusing if you aren't aware of the series, roughly proofread

repost from 2kmps ➔ theoxenfree. would love to know if you guys would be interested in a full story!

No one dared to ask questions of you when you had volunteered to take up the lonesome night shift at the ranger’s station.

Workplace superstition wasn’t one to discriminate, whether that meant you were tweaking a bullet out of someone's chest in the operating room; sterile gowns splattered with carmine like a rorschach inkblot, adrenaline dampening the noise in the room while the surgeons honed into that sweet spot of impenetrable focus, or you were reclined in a creaky wooden chair, prodding agitatedly at your phone screen with a thumb because the service had turned to shit for the fifth time that night.

The reason why you were so adamant to burden the staggering quietness of the Atticus Forest behind aluminum walls that'd amplify the whispering winds and long claws of trees’ appendages trying to gain purchase into the metal went unchallenged, incurious—if no one knew why, they would be spared of knowing about you, bonding with you, catching your eye and expected to act in sympathy if you were to ever change your mind about the arrangement.

You, however, used the cover of nightfall, the endless shroud of darkness produced from a sprawling canopy of lush treetops to roam freely, uninhibited by the daytime shuffle of campers and hikers and other rangers scouting the trails for no-good-doers.

Every night you wandered out some ways from the station, somewhat nettled by the fact you were leashed from going far from the radio, needing to standby in case of contact, and whistled tunefully. It was a sweet sound that aroused the owls and sleeping doves, sometimes the tree frogs would chirp after you, suddenly turning the vast, placid place into a euphony of colorful sounds.

Only when the forest was at its noisiest did he come out from hiding. He did not know shame or fear of the sun, nor quail at the concept of walking among humans, but he preferred to share the forest with the untamed creatures and your company alone.

“Orruth,” you greeted the lumbering thing as he came away from the trees; the gray of his skin, and gleaming white elk skull were a seamless blend in the inky black all around. “Are you in the mood to walk tonight?”

He did not speak any human tongue, not any that you were aware of at any rate. You were no linguist, but the things he said couldn’t have been mistaken as latin nor some other dead language from forgotten empires and cultures buried by concrete and gentrification. They were guttural, strong echoes that anchored you with awe, overwhelmed by power, the unfathomable words of an ancient who always tried so desperately to converse with you. There could never be a middle-ground between what he said and what you understood because you were never meant to know.

So, he whined instead, lowered his hulking form close to the ground for you to reach his face. You felt the fissures in his long nose, how dry and brittle the bone felt under your fingertips and observed the glowing pupils within hollow sockets staring back at you. Apart from his arms and legs, which were long, sinewy, and gray, his head floated mysteriously by a thick vapor you had ever shied from touching and he seemed to not want you to touch.

“I heard a complaint about a fire about eight kilometers away. I'm hoping it's just a few campers thinking they're above the law of the land, but we can never be too sure.” You explained this while he tucked the flat bone of his nose into your chest, mindful of the sprawl of his antlers as you adjusted to petting him around the eye sockets. “We keep finding animals—gored, disemboweled, almost ritualistically at some campsites. If your old followers keep this up, they may try to ban people from camping out here at all.”

He would probably like that, you thought in hindsight once he had had his fill and pulled away from you. In his own tongue, he tried to say something else. It remained indecipherable to you, but you could have from how he nearly flattened his body to the ground that he was offering you a ride.

“Just try not to throw me into a bunch of tree branches again, yeah?” you sat on the broad shelf of one of his shoulders, arms wound in the network of forks and beams of his antlers as he rose to full height, walking onward off the trail and through the trees towards distant piles of smoke.

[crazyaboutto]

The pain of being a book reader that’s been made into a show

The writers and directors literally have completed series in their hands. They have the writer’s feedback as well or at least they initially said so in season 1.

Why the fuck are they deviating from canon so much? I’m trying to think HOTD as high budgeted fan fiction but damn it’s so hard. You’re getting paid a lot and working on one of the most well known series and you just fuck up

I was already pissed with Aegon’s dream nonsense as well as Rhaenys bursting out of coronation just for shock value but it’s going downhill fast. That dream leads to absolutely nothing. We don’t even have NK like the GOT version in the books. Also, still prefer book version of Alicent both age and character wise.

It was so fast paced in season 1 and now they’re dragging the story. They’re also deviating from the canon a lot

Why does Alicent actually believe “that’s what Viserys wanted”? She wants the throne for her bloodline and that’s it. It’s her wish for power, not for actually believing in whatever Viserys was saying.

It also feels like Rhaenyra would be fine with Aegon’s usurping if Luke didn’t die. She is the throne. The war started when the greens hid the death of the king.

Why is Daemon tripping for so long? He took harrenhall and that’s it. He raised the armies 3 times before the Dance. He’s a fearsome and competent general but he’s basically just a random dude who took acid trips. Ryan saying Daemon doesn’t have the skill set to raise an army lmao give me a break

Perhaps, they do not want to show cruel side of Rhaenyra by ordering the death of Nettles and not harming Daemon after Mysaria told Rhaenyra? on one hand, Daemon might have cheated with Nettles, or it was father-daughter relationship like Mushroom thinks. It feels like they’re wasting our time with Daemon’s trips like him fucking his mother nonsense to erase Nettles.

Why are they trying to erase the connection between Valyrian and dragons? No normal person can bond with a dragon. Be it Valeryon or Targaryen, you need Valyrian blood. And the whole stupid “illusion” thing in the show.

They also wasted Laena so badly in season 1. If they’re all for sapphic representation instead of just creating buzz on internet, they could have gone for Laena x Rhaenyra moments. I’m not even sure if the adult versions were on screen together. Soon after we got older Laena, she died. It’s literally book canon that Rhaenyra was “very fond” of Laena. It’s also pretty much implied that there were things between them and ot3 with Daemon

Not to mention they erased the lesbian fighter character who loves killing men and kissing women. I’m talking about Sabitha (Frey) and her lover Alysanne Blackwood. Would rather (want to) see them acting like they’re “very close friends” than a Alicole sex scene

We don’t even have Daeron lol

We haven’t seen Haelena’s mourning well instead we saw random things. Blood and Cheese wasn’t even done properly. If you’re slowing down the pace and will end the Dance in season 3, at least show more of Haelena’s mourning. Show the sibling interactions between the greens.

Another thing, who the hell is Aeriana? Her?

I’m just reminded of how after the books ended, D&D took liberties with characters and we got the clusterfuck of season 7-8. Now I feel like they’ll do the same thing in season 3

And I fear what they’ll do with Aegon the conqueror. Like maybe he tricked Visenya and Rhaenys into marrying him and conquering the 7 kingdoms? Maybe the sisters didn’t want to kill but were forced to because they’re such angels? Or Visenya can’t fight well

Why does HBO keep making shows about the house it abhors?

[bumblekastclips]

KYLE CROUSE: Alright, here’s one from HappyTimes. “Everyone is sent a notice to come help take out Eggman's new base immediately. It's a floating fortress out above the middle of the ocean, so Shadow has to take a 4 hour plane ride to get to it. And because of how everyone's schedule happened to line up and where they were all located, he coincidentally has to share it with just Tangle for the whole trip, which he only finds out after the plane had started taking off. How does the flight go between the two? P.S. He has no chaos emerald so he can't warp away. He's stuck on the plane with her.”

IAN FLYNN: So Shadow is obviously and immediately nettled, and Tangle’s like [interrupting] “Ah tut tut tut tut tut! Look! Look, I know about ‘ya! I know you like your boundaries,” —she says as she makes, like, a force-field gesture with her hands— “I get it! My bestie’s just like it. So, I got my earphones, we got our in-flight movie, I’m just gonna watch that and not say another word to ‘ya! We cool?” And he just kind of blinks, and then nods, like yeah, okay, he can work with that. And so she plugs in her headphones and she queues up her movie… well, she tries to, the touch screen’s kind of hard to work with, and the glare makes it hard to see. She pokes a little harder, maybe she pokes it with her tail— [as Tangle] “Ope, sorry! You’re kinda tangled around—” [escalating] Don’t worry, she’ll completely untangle it, she’s got lots of experience! This tail gets all over the place! KYLE: [chuckling quietly] IAN: [as Tangle] “Ah, anyway, do you mind if the armrest is up? No? Okay, cool! I’m gonna— finally!” Alright, there’s the movie, and oh, she loves the musical number in this part and she’s gonna sing! Along! Out loud! KYLE: [laughing] IAN: And Shadow is just sitting there… KYLE: Seething. IAN: Ever-so-slowly grinding his teeth to dust. KYLE: Figured he already did that, considering how many coffee beans he eats. IAN: [chuckles] KYLE: But sure. I do enjoy that they are seated side-by-side, and I’m assuming they’re the only two on the plane. [laughing] IAN: Yes, all the other seats are occupied, somehow or another… KYLE: Not with people, just with stuff. [laughing] It’s just them. Just those two, they’re the only— and they’re— and they sit next to each other! IAN: Plane lands, and Sonic goes, “Great! You made it. Shadow, I thought you were coming with somebody else?” [as Shadow] “I did.” [as Sonic] “Where- where’s Tangle?” [as Shadow] “Overhead compartment.” KYLE: [laughing] Oh no! IAN: Sonic pops the latch and Tangle kinda comes out like a can full of snakes and she kind of stretches and goes, “You know what? Honestly, the leg room in there was a lot better than the seat, not gonna lie.” KYLE: [cackles] Oh, but she has a problem with small spaces! She didn’t freak out? I mean… IAN: [laughing] Look, you want continuity in my joke answer, man? KYLE: Yes! IAN: I got nothin’. KYLE: [laughs, then as Tangle] “No! No! No!” Shadow would stuff her in there anyway. [sigh] No, no… maybe it’s Archie Shadow, not current-canon Shadow. That would be better. IAN: [chuckles] KYLE: That would go better. IAN: He would just be sitting there with the Shadow face the entire flight. That’d be hilarious. KYLE: [chuckling] Which Shadow face? IAN: The Shadow face. KYLE: [chuckles] Okay. That one. Yee… I love it.

—– TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: Please remember that nothing that is said on BumbleKast is canon! It’s just some guys and their opinions occasionally spitballing ideas. If you don’t like an answer, you don’t have to take it as Word of God or anything like that. It’s all just for fun!

[a0random0gal]

Soo today I made the terrible mistake to look for hotd art on pinterest, and came across a... particular comment that genuinely led me to question my faith in humanity.

Oh boy

Where do I even begin with this?

I thought team black was at least cool with Hel cause she's literally the most innocent character in the show (except for the kids obviously) but apparently some blacks have beef with her too now.

Cool, just great.

Haelena had the opportunity to go with her kids to Nyra.

I'm sorry but why? Why would she want to betray her family, her actual family? Rhaenyra never gave a flying fuck about her growing up, they have never even talked on screen! Why, why would she dump her siblings and her parents to join the cause of the woman who's side wants the people she loves killed? It makes no sense whatsoever. The blacks really don't understand that not everyone on Planetos loves Nyra like them and it shows.

Also if she really tried to betray her family for Nyra, I think Aegon, Ali and Aemond would have noticed Dreamfyre leaving King's Landing to go to Dragonstone and would have gone after her on Sunfyre and Vhagar.

And even if she somehow made it there, what do you think was going to happen? Rhaenyra was just going to welcome them with open arms as if she wasn't married to her "usurper"?

Best case scenario Nyra pretends to welcome them in and then Daemon sends his men to strangle Jaehaerys and Maelor as they sleep to get rid of Aegon's possible heirs.

I mean hell in the books Rhae put a fucking bounty on her 2 year old nephew's head that lead to his brutal death and they think she would just allow them to switch sides? Man these people really do not know how the game of thrones works.

She wanted to be queen

When? When has it ever been stated that Hel wants to be queen? When did we ever get a dialogue where she talked about how she couldn't wait for Aegon to inherit so she could replace her mom as queen?

Never

Haelena spends most of her time on screen making prophecies of the future, playing with bugs and dancing with Jace, when has her ambition for the crown been portrayed?

When have we seen any hint of her desire for power? Wtf

We're all dumb and sick bla bla...

Honestly after all this trash I've had to debunk being called names doesn't even phase me lmao. Go ahead, insulting others is always your last resort when you don't know how to admit that you're wrong.

We are blinded by the outside beauty of the characters and don't pay attention to who they really are

Ohhh the sweet sweet irony of this statement .

Team broccoli doesn't acknowledge their rapist usurper, their war criminal prince and their whore queen Alicunt! They're so nasty!

But Isn't Daemon suuper hot? God he is such an obedient malewife, Rhaenyra couldn't have chosen better! He's not a pedo guys I swear, the young silver haired virgins' ages were never confirmed, maybe they were at least eighteen! And he totally didn't pursue Nettles sexually, she was most likely his daughter!

What a joke

[princesssszzzz]

Beth Antonia and Matt Smith confirmed Daemon is not a good father. Matt said Daemon doesn’t speak to his children he just grunts at them. Now I hope people will stop harassing those who have been saying this since season 1

I just looked up the interview. That’s pretty much what I expected. Baela can’t get along with him well while he neglects Rhaena so now she also has to butt heads with Daemon when she starts interacting with him at Dragonstone. Rhaenys doesn’t fuck with Daemon like that so we can’t expect Baela to

If Nettles is in season 3 and they want to give him some kind of arc to make him seem better I wonder how that works. If they keep their relationship up to interpretation, Daemon and Nettles falling in love makes more sense to me than Daemon playing house with her while he has 4 kids he’s neglecting. That would make him seem so bizarre. Or he keeps trying to take care of Nettles going above and beyond spoiling her to make up for his horrible parenting which is also bizarre because Nettles would be aged up, she’s not a child and doesn’t even look like him.

Like imagine if The Hound had daughters he was neglecting while he was with Arya, it wouldn’t seem very wholesome no matter how much he did for her. But yes Daemon as a father like this has clearly been laid out since season 1. Obviously this has less effect on Baela because Rhaenys is a great mother figure after Laena but Rhaena doesn’t have that so she is the one with resentment. This would work well as a storyline if they actually start acknowledging it on screen, introduce Nettles and show Daemon’s behavior towards a dragon riding young woman he’s not related to VS a dragon riding daughter that he has conflict with. Daemon has treated all his wives horrible like Nettles is last chance they have to show him treating someone well 😭 In a story thats supposed to be centered on women having him obsess over his brother is not going to cut it

[darksvster]

Do you still ship daemyra after that scene? lol it was harsher than i thought, maybe he will be better with nettles🤞

yeah lol, i clearly do since i watched it 2 years ago and i'm still clearly shipping them today. as are my friends who read this script with me in january. i would question any daemyra shipper who held on for this long, only for the written script to say something basically identical to what we see on the screen, and for that to be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

if this is what breaks daemyra for you, then i hate to say it but you have been misinterpreting that scene since the beginning.

he's choking her. it's as harsh as i expected and remembered. people who were expecting some kind of redemption via the script were deluding themselves. i said there were romantic scenes in this episode, i didn't say it was a whole new script.

i don't consider the script drafts canon, but that scene plays out pretty much how i interpreted it from watching the show: daemon being jealous and infuriated about viserys and the prophecy, rhaenyra shocked at the attack and by the fact that daemon knows nothing about it after 10 years. (i'm not going to go into a full analysis of the episode, no one would read it and honestly i've had some version of this conversation a thousand times.)

do i like the scene? no, ofc not. do i get annoyed when antis throw it in my face as a gotcha? yes. you know why? this isn't real! daemon is not a real human being, with a full pattern and history of abuse, rhaenyra is fictional, she does not exist in any world. of course, i can still ship it, just like i would ship any other problematic couple. antis act like shipping them means you support abuse, so i don't bother reasoning with them. they don't want to debate, they want to scream until they're the only voice in the room and call it a victory.

personally, i don't believe nettles is going to be on this show, since there were already rumors circulating about that as far back as 2 years ago, and the fact that they did not cast her confirms some of those rumors to me. however, it would be 100% worse with nettles. anyone shipping those two who want to point to the choke as a daemyra breaking point, well... i would say that nettles would be a teen who daemon would be both raping and grooming. so anyone who wants to seriously romanticize that and say it's morally superior to daemyra, well lol good luck with that one.

[thecountesstribe]

HOTD 2X6 Review and Spoilers!!

Another slow episode. The episode dragged especially considering it's currently down to the last 3 episodes of the season.

Alicent got booted off the council, LMFAO. I don't take pleasure in seeing women suffer but older Alicent earned her shit, it's what she gets. Larys thinking he was gonna be named the hand of the Regent King LMFAO. Aemond said get your toad looking ass tf on and go call my grandfather. That was smart as much as I hate to admit it. Aegon definitely remembers his brother trying to kill him though. Larys is going to be protecting Aegon from now on because he knows that they can't control Aemond, I'm mad I gotta say something decent about him but he's actually thinking with his brain. The green council is still in a mess and divided and they know Aemond is going to be a tyrant king, hell Alicent knows and she's still somehow shocked by the monster she created like she didn't have a big part to do with him harboring his worst qualities and helping him mold into it. Delusional I tell you. The small folk are suffering already and got on their asses though, the only thing I didn't like is Helaena getting caught in the crossfire again. Another Daeron mention and did they just subtly hint at Criston being his father? Meaning Alicent was really sleeping with him before Vizzy T kicked the bucket? The writing for the show is all over the place, my God.

We were a diva down and I didn't like it one bit. WHERE TF WAS BAELA?! Like we saw her husband but where was she? Ugh. Rhaena and Joffrey sighting. They were so cute! Rhaena is still trying to convince herself she doesn't need a dragon to be important 💔 and Joff just wants his momma. Nettles looks like she's officially scrapped. I'm so pissed. They could've totally given Rhaena something else to do in the meantime, they didn't have to merge Nettles and her story together. Wtf Sara and Ryan?! This is why people say there is a Team green bias and they aren't beating those accusations. What does this mean for Rhaena hatching Morning? There were four eggs does that mean she still has a chance to do it? I'm so mad. Then again after what Dumbass and Dunderhead pulled in the final seasons of GOT why tf am I surprised!

We saw baby Stormcloud!!! I never realized how much I missed seeing baby dragons on screen. It's like having baby Viserion, Rhaegal and Drogon back. My heart did a little quick thump. He was so derpy too 🥺🤣 How Aegon's supposed to get away on him is beyond me, he's literally the size of a kitten. The timeline is so messed up as well.

Daemon is still in spooky land and although I'm over it, I understand it's a culmination of all his regrets and things he wishes he could've had and done differently. We saw Vizzy T and that scene where it showed Daemon wanted to be there for him, he just didn't know how.... Man I kinda teared up. At the end of the day Daemon just wanted his brother's love and approval, he went about it in the wrong way because he's chaos personified but that's what it was always about to him. Vizzy T was his parental figure, his everything really and man 💔. Miscommunication trope strikes again. Him and Alys becoming friends even though she's the one that's tormenting him wasn't on my bingo cards. Somebody come get Caraxes outta there, I know he's bored asf. Every time we catch a glimpse of him he looks more and more over the entire thing. 🤣

One of the highpoints of the episode was Seasmoke. Dragons have personality y'hear me. More of that! Seasmoke is a whole clown 🤣🤣🤣. Why would he do Ser Steffon like that? I mean sure he got a little cocky but intentionally bending his neck for him to get on and then essentially saying “BITCH YOU THOUGHT” AND THEN BURNING THEM TO A CRISP?!! He was so funny for that 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😭😭😭. He said “get y'all mid looking asses on” I already got eyes for one person and he's so real for that. You guys think he used to have dragon conversations with momma Meleys about picking their riders? We know dragons pick their riders as much as riders claim their dragons but do you think Meleys taught him if the unfortunate should ever happen make sure and pick the baddest of the bunch? We know Meleys picked Rhaenys as Rhaenys picked Meleys, that was confirmed. Meleys said Pretty Women Only and do you think she told Seasmoke to get him a pretty rider to match his aesthetic if the need ever arises? I know Laenor hatched him but Laenor was pretty asf. Seasmoke saw Addam smiling on the beach once and said “yeah I gotta have that” plus it helps that he has dreads, a pretty smile, a pretty face and looks like Corlys. He said welcome back Laenor Velaryon. Addam being Laenor's brother makes it hysterical as hell too, I'm creased LMFAO. He didn't have to chase down Addam like that but I respect it, he saw what he wanted and shooters shoot. I too would chase down Addam until he accepts my advances and affection, Seasmoke been eyeing him for awhile.

Corlys is officially the hand of the rightful Queen of the 7 kingdoms.

We got canon bisexual Rhaenyra. Although I wish she was kissing another beautiful Velaryon instead, Laena I miss you so much baby, that was for me. Her and Mysaria kissing before Jace and Baela is egregious to me though. I'm just saying why everybody locking lips before the main og star couple?Rhaenyra smacking men, 100000s across the boards. She should've been doing that sooner but better late than never I suppose. That lady is still in her resentment of her husband era. Her face when Jace said they needed Daemon 🤣🤣🤣😭😭😭 She's sick of hearing about that man. He's right btw, Rhaenyra go get him, he's out there giving our diva Simon grief. Mysaria actually helping her with PR and actually giving her great advice. I love women supporting women! Her sending food with her banners for the common folk was so politically savvy. Mysaria being one of the few that is actually coming in clutch to help her to win the war 😉. I still don't trust her though, something about this entire thing tells me it's gonna end badly for her. I'll enjoy them trauma dumping and bonding on one another before the shit hits the fan though. I know doomed Yuri when I see it. Jace and that one guard immediately knowing something is up with both of them is sending me though. She took off at the end of the episode to go confront her ex-husband's new dragon rider and Syrax about to be screaming at her dragon ex husband too apparently. 🤣🤣

Since they're essentially changing the entire plot and the leaks that I thought were written like fanfiction might actually be true could we get Jace surviving the battle of the gullet? It's not slated for this season but I'm here to spread my agenda. Since we're essentially fucking canon atp instead of in certain scenarios and all this for Bran the broken to sit the Iron Throne (I'm still fuckin disgusted and furious at that btw, fuck you D&D) could they switch that shit up? Let's come together and manifest it guys.

Until next week guys. I better see Baela, Rhaena, Jace and more dragons though. I'm here for them and them only.

And another thing, could you guys stop leaking shit. I block words and myself from certain pages and sites but y'know how stuff still slips through the cracks. Have some decorum and etiquette please!

[daenerysstormreborn]

Hoping and wishing and praying that Nettles isn’t written out of the show and that she’s just not in season 2. Please. I’m begging. Saw a theory that Rhaena will have Nettles’ arc without the romance(?) with Daemon and like. I hope not. I want so much more for show!Rhaena and show!Baela but I don’t want that more to take the form of Nettles’ story. Part of what’s cool about Nettles is that she is not Valyrian! The fact that a non-Valyrian was able to tame a dragon is so special and a critical piece of lore! Especially since Nettles is of the smallfolk! To give her arc to a highborn Valyrian would be so frustrating. Of course this is just a theory and not even my theory but based on the changes made so far it would check out. And please I want my pink and black dragon pretty please Morning is my favorite dragon. Hess and Condal are straight up allergic to showing us the prettiest dragons. Why hasn’t Sunfyre been on screen as much as possible? He’s supposed to be the prettiest dragon of all time. Show us Sunfyre! Show us Dreamfyre! Show us Tessarion! And please give me Morning 😭

[imperatorcaesaraugustus]

alright, you all know what's going on by now. Thought D: thoughts on HotD, season 2 episode 3. let us begin

george r r martin would never deign to portray a Bracken as sympathetically as the first few minutes of this episode have

they've added little Jahaerys to the opening tapestry. i'm curious what else will be added as the season progresses

i don't know why i've become so invested in Mysaria but she's honestly one of my favorite characters at this point

they really got the vibes of Harrenhal right. that place feels haunted

Alys Rivers!

i don't think Gawain Hightower was a character in the book, i'm interested to see where he goes

still very funny to me any time they refer to criston cole as Dornish. the dornish marches are not in dorne. that man should be a stormlander

Larys is playing Aegon like a damn fiddle and it's great. he's so uncertain, so manipulable

Ulf the White!

now that we've seen Ulf i have the exact same question i had with Hugh: why is he in King's Landing? you have to get them both to Dragonstone for the sowing of the dragonseeds, why have you started both characters off in King's Landing?

also, they've introduced all of the dragonseds now except for one: Nettles. i heard rumors that Nettles was cut as a character from the show, and i hope beyond hope this is not the case because she's such an important part of the story

i was just thinking about how HotD seems to use nudity way less than GoT did. then this episode had on-screen fellatio

dicks out for Aemond, i guess

surprise Millie Alcock! sewing on a child's severed head, no less

American accent jumpscare

seriously, why does Alys Rivers have an american accent

i really really really wasn't expecting Rhaenyra and Alicent to have one last meeting. i definitely wasn't expecting Rhaenyra to be dressed as a nun (yes, i know it's called a septa, calling her a nun sounded funnier to me)

House of the Dragon 2: Back in the Habit

the whole meeting doesn't really make much sense. Alicent can't have both a desire to prevent the conflict and the ability to do so, or else she would have. either she doesn't have control (true) or she doesn't want to end it (increasingly also true, i think). on top of, you know, the logistical challenges of taking a moment to smuggle the queen into King's Landing while her council awaits a decision from her

[buckybarnesss]

What's your read on Peter calling Stiles out for lying to himself when he refuses the bite?

It could just be Peter misinterpreting what Stiles meant when he said "I don't want to be like you." (Stiles meaning he doesn't want to be like Peter, not that he doesn't want to be a werewolf). Or did Peter read him completely right and just thinks Stiles is denying his darker nature? A secret third thing?

we won't mention how i'm answering this a month later. 😭

i don't think peter read stiles wrong exactly but he has a bias. stiles is drawn to the power being a werewolf provided but while stiles may have been intrigued by the supernatural and definitely saw the benefits of being a werewolf but he saw the drawbacks too. up close and personal.

scott wasn't the only traumatized by what happened.

stiles had plenty of time to ponder what it meant for laura to be dead, the hales being murdered in their own home for existing, derek's everything and scott going through a change he didn't ask for and being constantly violated by peter.

there's a reason he's spitting angry when argent confronts him. he's had time to make the connections and understand enough.

and peter knows all this. peter's been stalking stiles i think as much as scott in addition to being psychically linked to scott but he finds it tragic stiles rejects the notion wholesale.

yet he respects it. he never brings it up again nor does he even bring it up to derek (at least on screen. i speculate it may have come up during the summer when they were looking for boyd & erica but derek shut it down. hard.).

the show puts forth the idea that scott and stiles are a better version of derek and peter in the subtext multiple times.

peter and stiles see reflections of themselves in the other and they loathe it.

they are truly the spiderman meme.

peter loves to nettle stiles but when the chips are down peter usually helps him despite his nature which we see culminate in radio silence.

peter does care about people he perceives as his and like it or not he eventually comes to see stiles as his. him taking stiles's keys through the portal when he escapes the wild hunt was a huge gesture from peter. that's all but saying i love you.

[lemonhemlock]

the fact that as of right now, Alys’ role in the story is to be Daemon’s hype man 😭 I almost can’t get past it. The sanitization of Daemon as a character eats up both her and Helaena, because they have to function as beacons to prove Daemon is on the right path in supporting the right ruler. Which now means that like so many other characters, it is very unclear what Alys does next without him. How do you do her relationship with Aemond when she has spent a season fixing Daemon into a better person who understands the part he has to play (in ultimately killing Aemond???) You can repeat the visions and have them make him worse, but I almost don’t believe the show cares enough about Aemond to actually do that. It feels more likely she’s going to be blatantly playing him the entire time, which is the most boring option they could go with. A shame!

I really, really liked the Harrenhal sequences, because I thought its purpose was to be an interesting character study into what makes Daemon tick. But the ending felt so flat, ultimately pointless and very much disruptive to future plot points?

Daemon had a very fatalistic approach to his death in the books. The breakdown of his relationship with Rhaenyra was very much brought about by his own boredom / disillusionment with her, by his lack of conviction in her cause or even by disappointment or shock that she should overreact to Nettles in such a way. When he left to fight Aemond, he felt that there was not much else left for him. Which, again, betrays a very self-centered view, as he still had two daughters and a son left to raise, but that's Daemon for you. I think it's fair to say that he must have felt that taking Aemond and Vhagar out would prove advantageous to his remaining son, at the very least.

But, in any case, he was in a complicated state of mind that could have been interesting to explore on screen and one that was still true to the core of his character. Daemon is a trickster! He is never fully in or fully our of anything. He is unpredictable and considers himself the master of his own destiny. He is the last character to acquiesce to some notion of predestination. He is a schemer to the core and, while I do think he loved Rhaenyra in his own way, his marriage to her always retained a strategic element to it.

Having him unquestionably bend the knee to her is so bizarre. Why? That's his arc in S2? It also undoubtedly turns him heroic, because he has relinquished his egocentric pursuits (wanting the Iron Throne for himself) in favour of fulfilling a prophecy that basically gives indications on how to save the world in the future. So, now, fighting the greens is not a personal, petty vendetta, it's literally ordained by the gods, because otherwise the entire Westeros is doomed if his bloodline doesn't continue. For real? 😩

And, coming back to Alys and Helaena, of course that the women have to aid Daemon, because they know that the blacks are on the right side of history and they are ultimately peacemakers, one and all! 😭

I don't have a problem with Alys blatantly playing Aemond and leading him on, as I've always thought that it would make the most sense for her to be out for herself, but it's a ridiculous demonisation of the greens. And in service of Daemon, the least virtuous of all characters. This conflict is no longer petty squabble between nobles, it's literally occult shit at play now. And none of them even know about this stupid prophecy in the first place. Just anything and everything to make Alicent look bad, I guess.

[horizon-verizon]

That anon trying to justify Nettles being cut was so ridiculous.

Also I have to point out, it’s not ok to cut Nettles no matter what her story is. It’s just weird to say she’ll be accepted on screen as long as she stays in her place and doesn’t threaten Daemon’s marriage. She deserves to be adapted no matter what her role in Daemon’s life is.

Anon speaks of this post.

I agree, even though I don't as hard believe that Rhaenyra actually thought she seduced Daemon. Even if Rhaenyra had, Nettles is both incredible in her part of the Dance as well as for her reaffirming Dany's arc/ASoIaF/the Azor Ahai prophecy being that Dany is AA. Why is it that Arya Stark--who has her own street urchin, self empowerment storyline, gets so much love for this exact characterization...but the writers can't scrounge some backstory up up for an actual "urchin" who has lived as one for most of her life (and it wouldn't be that hard at all, come one why wouldn't we want to see a young girl fighting her way to survive and be clever and all that again and for her to rise to dragonrider status?!Which is the difference b/t her and Arya?

If anything, her story is the reverse of Arya for a while: a low classed girl has her life changed forever and manages to obtain the means to improve her financial situation whereas Arya was sorta exiled from her previously noble status to live on her own....both are impressive but are not really totally the same)?

They gave Hugh the Hammer a more sympathetic story and background, a wife and kids, a family...this man who raped at least 1 woman in and demanded more lands for himself and even a new kingdom when he was already getting some tracts from Rhaenyra.

What purpose, pray tell, do we really have to create and even flip this character for this MAN as opposed to this YOUNG DARKER SKINNED GIRL. Why is it worth more to change this character's story than for Nettles to exist? Nettles did no such thing, no betrayals, no rape, etc. Hm...

It's pretty gross to imply that Nettles herself was an unwelcome disturber of your fav ship's marriage simply for existing. You realize you sound exactly like all these classist maesters/real people and misogynoirist real people?! C'mon!

[nrilliree]

What kills me is that without Daemyra, most of the characters in ASOIAF wouldn't exist. Not only do what remains of House Targaryen come from Daemyra's lineage, but they also have descendants in pretty much every House in Westeros. But antis spend their time trying to reduce their relationship to something unimportant or pure abuse. Something that would be very odd with the overall moral of GRRM's story. Not to mention all their claims without proof that Daemon actually cheated on Rhaenyra. The text provides no real evidence. These are essentially contradictory rumors with elements clearly missing which prevent us from having an overall vision. I personally do not believe in Mysaria or Nettles. Without forgetting that the sources (mostly pro Greens) act as if Daemon had not evolved since his 20s/30s in terms of relationships, without taking into account that no extramarital relationship was reported when he was married to Laena and Rhaenyra. The poetry of the Daemyra relationship is precisely that it ends with a misunderstanding for Rhaenyra with Daemon who sacrifices himself for her, her cause, their family and their house.

For me, it is a misunderstanding to compare Daemon and Rhaenyra's relationship to Daemon and Rhea, to emphasize that he cheated on both women, did not respect them and was only faithful to Laena. The same people who call Alicent a victim for being forced to marry Viserys fail to realize that the exact same thing happened to Daemon. He never consummated the marriage and fled at the first opportunity, begging Viserys to let him return to the capital. (in the series they added this ass murder) It's a completely different relationship than the one with Rhaenyra. Likewise, they claim that Daemon was ONLY interested in Rhaenyra because he wanted her crown. As if he hadn't expressed interest BEFORE she was announced as heir and he still was! It was more than clear that even though he loved Laena as his wife, Daemon still wanted Rhaenyra all this time. Even after years had passed, she had children, some said she had become "ugly", she had visions of war on her back - Daemon was still interested in her. All we know is that he cheated on Rhea, but there is no official evidence that he actually cheated on Rhaenyra. So until it happens on screen, I won't believe it. I'm not the biggest fan of Daemyra, but I see how it is.

[synchodai]

Live reactions of me watching Episode 5 under the cut. As you will notice, I'm easily impressed and turn into that Leo Dicaprio pointing gif every time a character I like is mentioned.

I love the "It's just meat" line from Ulf. It's great set-up for what's to come and how this whole war will hurt every Targaryen's legitimacy.

Hate the "Rhaenyra will answer for this" line from someone else. No one should be speaking treason that loudly so close to the Kingsguard.

They're peeling him! Love it.

"What would have me do?" Rhaenyra and Aegon both asking the question shows they're both puppets in the end. Neither have the strength and training to be a monarch.

YO CREGAN STARK MENTIONED! WINTER PREPPERS WE STAY WINNING!

Jace flying to Daemon makes sense. Him flying to the Twins instead because....it's too dangerous to go to Harrenhal????? Makes no sense.

YO BLACKWOOD-BRACKEN FEUD MENTIONED! RIVERCHADS WE STAY WINNING!

Daemon being like eeh, I guess you can torture our allies then. Hilarious.

Jeyne Arryn is reacting as she should.

"They betray their own smallness" is such a good line. Mizaya Suzuno is a treat every time she shows up on screen.

Rhaenyra not being taught "the difference between hilt and foible" makes no sense. If she was regular lady who had a very strict father, it would. But she had a rather permissive father who let her do pretty much as she pleased. If she wanted to, she could have learned as much as Arya or Brienne.

Baela finally having screentime? A minor miracle.

OH SO NOW THEY MENTION MELEYS IS THE FASTEST, HUH? (Again, I will keep saying that she could have and should have run away.)

Is that...Aemma??? OH NO IT'S ALYSSA.

How these scenes transition and cut seems more jarring than usual.

This "marital spat" lasting for four episodes seems unnecessary when the murder of a small child was forgotten in two.

Finally, calling out Aemond "for his lack of restraint." He should have been called out ever since he killed Luke.

Alicent makes a great point though. How can he be regent AND fight a war out there in the field???

Alicent having such strong emotions over being passed as regent.......why?

Why does Hugh get a family backstory added to his character and yet we've seen neither lick or hair of Nettles? Where is Nettles????

Costume department, please give Alicent more than two dresses.

YES FINALLY. THIS STORY IS ABOUT THE RIOTS. IT WILL BE THE SMALLFOLK THAT ULTIMATELY WIN THIS WAR AND KILL THE MOST DRAGONS

JASON LANNISTER MENTIONED! LANNATION WE STAY WINNING!

The Daemon will-he-won't-he-traitor is not fun to watch. It's been going on for too long and makes Rhaenyra's side of the war stagnant while the greens are making huge moves.

I don't remember Jace negotiating with the Freys in the book. Unlike in FaB, he was authorized by the queen to make the deals he did with Manderly, Arryn, and Stark. Here, he's completely rogue agent and any promises he makes to the Freys is....uh, questionable.

The purpose of this Frey negotiation scene perplexes me. My boy Jacaerys looks fabulous though. Keep serving, prince.

Alys saying "it's not war, it's a heinous crime" is...not my vibe. She exists in this society where they don't have the concept of humanely treating the enemy. What Daemon is doing to those who don't bend the knee is what is expected of a feudal warlord.

UUUUUUGH, Daemon going rogue agent is so self-sabotaging. This man is supposed to be a competent war veteran! He should know going alone is not the play. Aemond acting like this is believable because Aemond is a young man who's never seen war, but not Daemon.

At this point, Rhaenyra is taking as many Ls as Aegon, maybe even more. Why is everyone just standing around and talking at each other?! Your most important war asset died, where is the fire? Where is the urgency???

Why was Corlys not appointed the Hand from the very beginning?!

DID BAELA JUST REJECT HER INHERITANCE?? BULLSHIT. And she did it so casually too!!!! SHE HAS NO REASON TO DO IT. GIRL, INHERITING DRIFTMARK WOULD MAKE HER ONE THE RICHEST PEOPLE IN THE REALM WHAT IS GOING ON?

"I cannot send a raven for Daemon to disregard." Then why doesn't Rhaenyra go to Harrenhal????? She has a dragon, she can fly quicker than a random small councilman. What is going on with this war?

And now she just up and told a councilman who was already displeased with her and whose main reason for staying is his hatred of the Hightowers, "Oh yeah, Daemon might be raising his own faction. Anyways, you'll go to him and bring him back, won't you?" GIRL, DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO DEFECT?

And the message she sends to Daemon is so feckless. Do you think that will convince anyone to come back?!

HOUR OF THE WOLF MENTIONED. WOLFERINAS WE STAY WINNING.

"Works of barbarity." YOU'RE ALL FEUDAL WARLORDS. YOU ALL BURN FIELDS AND SACK CHURCHES. WTF IS THIS GENEVA CONVENTION BS

"I have seen a share of their fights—" Then you should know the Brackens and Blackwoods do this to each other all the time! They burn each other's sacred places and kill their children. This isn't new! That's why the Riverlands is so poor despite its lands being so rich—because the lords keep sacking and tearing at each other's lands!!!! ARGH THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING

Oh thank god, please let it be a dream. It's a dream. Because lords and ladies saying this and coming in the middle of the night make no sense.

Helaena's one line this episode goes hard.

"Well, it was a long time ago." You tell her, Jace.

"And yet, I must wait here." ...you don't have to. This is such a manufactured conflict, especially when Rhaenyra already showed she can come and go to King's Landing unharmed.

"I'm proud of you" she tell her son who made a deal behind her back and disobeyed her orders. And she wonders why people circumvent her authority? Girl, WIELD YOUR AUTHORITY DAMN.

VERMITHOR AND SILVERWING MENTIONED.

"Valyrian histories, written to gild us in glory." YOU TELL HER, JACE.

Jace should be going, "Look at me mother, do I look like a Valyrian dragonlord to you?" Bham! Much more impactful and goes back to his main character conflict.

ugh, this was such a slow and frustrating episode. Worst of the season so far. High points are more Jace screentime (I just like looking at the actor stand in his costume — so beautiful and princely), the Jeyne Arryn appearance, and setting up the eventual riots. Low points are everything else.