#hotd 209

[hayley-on-the-daily]

[sadlvrgrrl]

𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓

a potential daemon targaryen love story

full version

𝘸𝘤: 209

・❥・

𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

Daemon Targaryen, the rogue prince of Westeros was far from pure. He was ruthless, stubborn, arrogant, and most of all, powerful. His blood was equivalent to a dragon, forged from the fiery pits of the seven hells. He was the deliverer of chaos and destruction, and no one was able to tame his savage inferno.

All until one; her.

She was the epitome of ethereal, a beauty so delicate, so pure in a way that she was too perfect for this world— too perfect for him. She was an angel forged of the purest light with hair as bright as the moon, skin as white as snow, and her eyes—

her eyes held magic.

Full of light, full of innocence, full of stars.

Starry eyes that had him hypnotized.

Starry eyes that had him vow to do anything in his power to keep their light kindle endlessly. 

Starry eyes that made him stumble, but it was her smile that made him fall.

She was a blessing from the gods. A wish upon a shooting star. If he could, he would tear the whole world apart just to rebuild it brick by brick to a standard he deemed worthy of her existence. Worthy of her light— worthy of his light.

(𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒆𝒅...?)

a/n: posting this because my aemond story is taking longer than expected ._. this is not my best work (because i dont have any) but i do love me some daemon, and surpriiiiiseee, this is another hotd x lotr crossover because i am obsess and unhinged. i do not know if i will be continuing this story (reason: this is a pretty old wip that i've been kind of avoiding for a while now and the writing is kinda yucky too) but we'll seeeeeee :)

update: guess who's posting the final version...(not me) jkjk, I will be in a few days haha, just gotta do some rewriting here and there and boom; signed, sealed, and delivered it's yours (to read ofc...pls dont steal my work, that is a big no no)

update: full version is posted!

[elegantmusicdragon]

Year in Review

I posted 236 times in 2022

That's 236 more posts than 2021!

27 posts created (11%)

209 posts reblogged (89%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@blueeyesatnight

@oonajaeadira

@mandosmistress

@charnelhouse

@youvebeenlivingfictional

I tagged 115 of my posts in 2022

#fanfic - 20 posts

#dieter bravo x animal handler - 18 posts

#elegantmusicdragon - 17 posts

#dieter bravo - 16 posts

#pedro pascal - 14 posts

#the bubble fanfiction - 13 posts

#dieter bravo x reader - 13 posts

#fanfiction - 12 posts

#hotd - 11 posts

#dieter bravo fanfiction - 10 posts

Longest Tag: 128 characters

#it sounds more like an evil disney villain who is an actual crab rather than a mash up of corn and a rabbit but you get the idea

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Nameless

Part 7 of Love, Animals, and The Stolen Goat

Pairing: Dieter Bravo x AnimalHandler!Reader (f!Reader; nicknamed Panda)

Rating/Warning: M! Language - a few f*bombs. REALLY crude references to sex - the word blowjob is used once. Making fun of celebrity names. 

-------------------------------------------------------

You still didn’t know Dieter’s real name. 

Like, in the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t really THAT important. But it was the principle of the thing! The two of you had had sex at least sixteen times at this point - listen, rocky road ice cream has magical properties and it may have lead to the best four rounds of sex you had ever had back to back. Dieter was a freak in the sheets and you were grateful for it. 

You just wish you could be grateful for his REAL NAME. 

And you had tried to pry it out of him - like you pulled out all the stops. The funniest jokes you ever heard - 

“PANDA JESUS CHRIST DON’T MAKE ME PEE MY PANTS!” 

Buster snuggles - 

“Aw, who’s a good boy? Who wants chin scritches? Is it you? Is it you??” 

Margie knee mashing - 

“Margie for the love of all that is holy stop. That hurts!” 

Lingerie - 

“Good god, Panda. Are you looking to give me a heart attack? Get on the bed before I kick it in the best way possible.” 

And the absolute best blowjob you had ever given in your entire life - 

“Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no.” 

You still didn’t know why he started saying that right as he came, but you decided that some things were better left a mystery. 

And now you were curled up on your couch with Dieter’s head in your lap, Buster’s head in his lap, Margie snoozing in her portable bed, and Simon (the menace) sitting on the cushion behind you and attempting to whack your hair. 

“Simon, I swear to god if you don’t knock it off I will sell all of your mice toys and force you to eat wet food when we all know you hate it.”

Simon meows in retaliation, but stops. He knows the stakes here.

Dieter glances at Simon.

“Don’t worry, buddy. We’ll just have to get you some more dangles to play with so you stay away from your mom’s hair.”

He looks up at you and winks. 

Aaaaaaaaand your tummy is full of butterflies - dammit. 

NO. NO. NO PANDA. FOCUS. NAME. 

You clear your throat and begin to gently rub Dieter’s arm, tracing over his triangle tattoo. 

“When’d you get this?”

Dieter snorts. 

See the full post

18 notes - Posted November 30, 2022

#4

In the Beginning

Part 3 of Love, Animals, and The Stolen Goat

Pairing: Dieter Bravo x AnimalHandler!Reader (probably eventually f!reader but as of now is gn!reader; nicknamed Panda)

Rating: M for now due to *language*; may become E in the future. Either way, no youngins here please!

-------------------------------------------------------

It all started with a phone call. 

“Animal Studios Incorporated, this is Bob speaking. How can I help you?” 

You weren’t even paying attention. Your entire focus was on Margie and her brother, Marius, and trying to get them to walk on their hind legs in a synchronized fashion. Instead of being studious little babies, they decided to head-butt each other and play instead. Suffice to say, it was not going well….even if their playing was cute as fuck. 

After your umpteenth attempt, which just ended in Marius head-butting your thigh (making you squeal in delight), your attention turned to Bob doing his telltale dance of excitement - hopping up and down on both feet at the same time. 

“Yes! Thank you so much for calling. Absolutely. See you soon - bye-bye!” 

You smirk at his nerdy fist pump into the sky - something strange yet completely normal for the 55 year old white man. 

“Something good come our way?”

His smile is so wide it could blind your albino alligator, Anderson. 

“You’ll never guess who we got a call from.” 

“The Queen of England?!?” 

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, you were right about the England part. 

“I still don’t understand why they couldn’t have used a training service IN England.”

Bob sighs heavily from his seat next to yours. 

“For the millionth time, Panda. When a franchise like Cliff Beasts comes along, you don’t just turn it down. It’s good business wise, not to mention Teri would probably murder me.”

He’s right. Teri would absolutely murder him. Cliff Beasts is her favorite monster movie franchise of all time. 

“Listen, I too like to avoid Teri’s murderous wrath when it comes to Cliff Beasts, but Margie, Marius, Marlene and all our other goats aren’t even in this movie - not even for monster bait which is strangely typical of the genre!” 

Another sigh. Poor Bob, your crazy questions are too much apparently. 

“Panda, all I can tell you is that the producers wanted them for emotional support.”

“EMOTIONAL SUPPORT GOATS?! WHAT? THESE ARE TRAINED ACTING GOATS!”

You’re laughing so hard, Margie kicks Marlene in the stomach out of fear. You scoop her up, trying and failing to contain your braying laughter, and nuzzle her head in an attempt to comfort her before doing too much damage to her mother. 

“And-”

Another traitorous giggle escapes you.

“Hooo sorry - who decided to get trained goats instead of emotional support ones?” 

And the rest, as they say, is goat stealing history.

See the full post

19 notes - Posted September 11, 2022

#3

Mistakes Were Made

Part 4 of Love, Animals, and The Stolen Goat

Pairing: Dieter Bravo x AnimalHandler!Reader (probably eventually f!reader but as of now is gn!reader; nicknamed Panda)

Rating: M for now due to *language* and implied spiciness; may become E in the future. Either way, no youngins here please!

-------------------------------------------------------

It could have been worse. It totally could have been worse. 

Listen, there were worse things in the world than almost having sex with Dieter Bravo. 

It wasn’t even planned! It wasn’t like you were going to his house with the intention of making out with him or anything....no way!

Okay, so maybe you went to his house with the intention of making out with him BUT IT WASN’T SUPPOSED TO GO THIS FAR. 

-------------------------------------------------------

It was your fourth trip to visit Margie. And it was going as well as it usually went - Margie constantly bleating for attention as you and Dieter ate gummy bears while simultaneously feeding Margie her own snacks (how the hell did Dieter find out about her obsessive love of carrots??? It MUST have been Teri, you’re positive). Anyway, Margie was clamoring for snuggles and you were more than happy to provide - especially if that meant more one on one time with Dieter. 

Over the course of the past few visits, he’d actually proven himself to be less of a dick than you originally thought. And through these Margie snuggling visits, you had actually learned a decent amount about him such as - 

“Wait, Dieter Bravo is not your real name??” 

He looked at you as if you’d sprouted an extra head. 

“Panda,” he said as if he was talking to a five year old, “how could you possibly think Dieter Bravo is a real name?”

You snort. 

“I mean, X Æ A-12 and Apple are actually names that people have named their children so forgive me for thinking DIETER BRAVO sounds legit.”

You’d never heard anyone laugh so hard in your life. 

“So, what is your real name?” 

“No way, Panda. Not until we’ve had sex at least three times.” 

He winked at you and your face felt like it was on fire and the ceiling became SUPER interesting all of a sudden.  

Anyway, back to your current mortification:

Margie was bleating. You were snuggling. Dieter was staring. It was awkward. You lifted Margie out of your lap and stood up from your spot on the ground to join Dieter on his ridiculously comfortable couch. You plopped down next to him and sighed. 

“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate being able to see Margie. It was really nice of you to invite me.”

Dieter smirked. 

“You thank me every time this happens, Panda. I’m not gonna disinvite you or some bullshit. No worries.” 

You nodded a bit too enthusiastically. Ohhhhh you were nervous - you could do this. So maybe you couldn’t remember the last time you had seduced anyone but you could figure it out - you were a smart capable person dammit! 

“Oh no I totally know it’s just I’m super happy to be here and I can’t believe that Margie is still in my life and it’s just such a wonderful experience and wow I am word vomiting all over-”

And then Dieter was kissing you. Probably to shut you up BUT HE WAS KISSING YOU NONETHELESS. Oh shit, was he a good kisser. And he tasted like gummy bears, the red ones specifically (even though they all taste the same, you knew his kisses tasted like red). 

Next thing you knew, he was on top of you on his stupidly expensive couch, your shirt had mysteriously disappeared and your pants were unbuttoned and unzipped (how the hell had he managed to do that so fast???), and his shirt was off too and the warmth of his chest was enveloping yours and- 

See the full post

25 notes - Posted September 14, 2022

#2

Love, Animals and The Stolen Goat

Part 1 - Margie 

"No."

"For the love of - he's Dieter Fricking Bravo just suck it up and bring them the zebra! We don't have a choice here."

"Bob, I'm not going through this with you again. The answer is NO. Any film or television production that has...HIM...in it is a hard no. End of story."

You hear Bob sigh behind you, his agitation growing. You continue organizing the paperwork for your assistant, Teri. Undeterred, Bob maneuvers himself in front of you, somehow fitting in the tight space between the desk yourself - an impressive feat for a man who is 6'5 and almost 250 pounds.

"Panda -"

You roll your eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes at me, I'm just trying to keep our business afloat, you know like any sane business owner?"

You slam the paperwork back down on the desk.

"HE STOLE MARGIE, BOB! I REFUSE!"

"Margie was a baby goat that we graciously gave him after the whole sobbing and insisting that they were 'animal soulmates trapped in this thing we call life' incident."

"SHE WAS MY GOAT, DAMMIT!"

"Again...graciously gifted-"

"STOLEN AND FOR WHAT??? I WILL NOT HAVE MY HEART BE CRUSHED AGAIN AND BE FORCED TO SAY GOODBYE TO JERRY - THAT ZEBRA MEANS TOO MUCH TO ME!"

"Oh for the love of-"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part 2 - Is This Hell?

A/N - Please forgive my GOD AWFUL titling skills - whether it’s a screenplay or novelette it is not my forte. Anyway - here’s a repost of the first blurb! - Muse

TAGS!!!! (I don’t know how this works so hopefully it works??)

@blueeyesatnight​

@amneris21​ 

@oonajaeadira​

26 notes - Posted September 11, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Goat Blocked

Part 5 of Love, Animals, and The Stolen Goat

Pairing: Dieter Bravo x AnimalHandler!Reader (f!Reader; nicknamed Panda)

Rating: M for now due to *language* and implied spiciness; may become E in the future. Either way, no youngins here please!

-------------------------------------------------------

He couldn’t believe he’d been cock blocked by a goat. 

Margie was supposed to be his guide, his rock, his energy-entwined snuggle buddy. 

And. She. COCK BLOCKED. HIM. 

What the actual fuck, Margie?!?

Dieter sighs and then he knocks back his second whiskey neat. Margie scampers up to him and headbutts him, demanding all the love he has to give. He had wanted to give some of that love to you, but stinkin’ cute goats who are attention whores tend to get in the way apparently. 

Dieter wants to get up, find his phone and call you. Bring you back. You’d left in such a hurry, he doubts you even heard him calling out for you to stay as you bent down to say goodbye to Margie. Ugh, he wants more whiskey. Is he having too much whiskey? No, no such thing. Especially in times of sorrow. 

Did Dieter even have your number? He remembers meeting you on the set of Cliff Beasts 6: The Eternal Nightmare of Actors Needing Money (the moniker Dieter made up in his mind STILL made him chuckle...god that movie was a piece of shit, but at least it paid well). But the phone number? Did he ask Bob for it? You definitely didn’t give it to him despite you coming over for the past couple months. That’s what communicating only with an assistant (with the name Alec, yuck) for an a-list actors free time gets you. A lonely heart and NO FUCKING PHONE NUMBER OF A HOT CHICK WHO LOVES ANIMALS. Dieter was just lucky that he had been smitten with both you and Margie from the moment you walked onto that set and into his heart. Easy on the eyes, easy on the heart. 

Speaking of his phone - where the hell is it??

Fucking iPhones, always disappearing. Like menaces in the night. 

Dieter stands and winces at the ache in his legs from where Margie lovingly smashed into them over and over. He flips over the throw pillows on the couch and, finding his phone nowhere in sight, scours the rest of the room in a semi-drunk frenzy. Oof, he had too much whiskey. When did he become such a lightweight? He used to do cocaine for fucks sake. 

Flinging himself back down onto the couch in defeat, he finds Margie sitting on her princess pillow staring at him in intense concentration. 

“Yes, my angel?”

Margie huffs out a sigh. Dieter stares at her, eyes widening in abject horror. 

“Margie-kins, you didn’t eat my phone did you?”

“Baa!” 

He sighs in relief. 

“Oh thank god. Your mother would have killed me.”

SHIT. YOU. How the fuck was he supposed to get in touch with you? 

Oh, yucky Alec! His assistant. The one who, you know, CONTACTED YOU WEEKLY TO SCHEDULE MARGIE VISITS. Wow, he needs to lay off the whiskey. 

And so, Dieter journeys forth to find his assistant who he apparently finds disgusting (he REALLY has to get back into therapy). He glances at the third filled glass of whiskey (when had he poured that???) decides against grabbing it and leaves. 

He comes back in immediately after for that third glass, he’s not wasting it. It’s a good fucking whiskey. He’ll deal with his possible alcohol addiction in the morning. 

His Panda is more important. 

-------------------------------------------------------

Part 6: Rocky Road for Two

A/N: It has been a hot minute since I’ve posted. Between having covid and my grandma dying, my depression and anxiety have NOT been great. Life has been really hard but it’s been such a joy to write this series. I know I promised this would be out on Sunday but I just didn’t have the energy to finish writing it and sending it out into the universe. I have so much stuff going on in my personal life and it’s just a lot. But it’s FINALLY here! Two days late but better late than never. Thank you all so much for your patience. I’m so appreciative of the love this series has gotten and your patience as it’s taken me 8 million years to finish this chapter. Hopefully, the subsequent ones don’t take too long. 

See the full post

41 notes - Posted October 11, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

So grateful for this year!! So thankful for the encouragement to start a writing blog. Love and appreciate all of you so very much!! And there's definitely more to come!

[naivesilver]

I posted 5,827 times in 2022

That's 1,902 more posts than 2021!

556 posts created (10%)

5,271 posts reblogged (90%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@sexyinaratkindaway

@fermeowndoalonso

@freenklin-labby

@dwellordream

@girldumas

I tagged 3,228 of my posts in 2022

Only 45% of my posts had no tags

#robe italiane - 419 posts

#fanart - 381 posts

#pinocchio - 229 posts

#ouat - 209 posts

#sonic - 194 posts

#ask meme - 143 posts

#thousand problems verse - 139 posts

#pnb rewatch shenanigans - 132 posts

#sanremo - 132 posts

#hotd - 112 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#tho the immediate screeching of make a gifset of geppetto and archie when i lamented my despair still makes me laugh sorry aksbsjbsjsbsjsbs

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

when you’re singing on the ariston stage at 11.59pm but you gotta join emma swan in rescuing your son from neverland at midnight

54 notes - Posted February 5, 2022

#4

See the full post

59 notes - Posted May 11, 2022

#3

yeah this movie is set in italy alright

68 notes - Posted June 14, 2022

#2

See the full post

74 notes - Posted June 10, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

See the full post

85 notes - Posted November 18, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[hollowwhisperings]

The Average Lifespan of Targaryen Monarchs of Westeros

The Life Expectancies of Targaryen Monarchs: Dead by "Natural" Causes

Of 18 Targaryen Monarchs (Rhaenyra I & Aegon II here jointly as monarch #6),

2 died of "old" age: Aegon the Conqueror dying at 64, Jaehaerys I at 69.

8 died of illness: Aenys I (35), Viserys I (52), Aegon III (36), Baelor I (28), Viserys II* (50), Aegon IV (49), Daeron II (~56), & Jaehaerys II (36).

6 were killed, 2 in battle (Daeron I, 18; Maekar I, 64~69) and 3 by murder (Rhaenyra I, 33; Aegon II, 24; Aerys II, 39). Maegor I's exact cause of death (36) is unknown but it is Universally Agreed that his death was both Unnatural & completely justified.

Aerys I's cause of death is as yet unknown, as is his exact year of birth. He is approximated by The Wiki as dying aged 34~39 years.

Under the cut: content warnings, distinctions between causes of death, calculation, notable factors & speculation thereon, "The Dragon In The Room".

CW: Major Character Death spoilers for HotD, endgame spoilers for HotD, spoilers for F&B, discussion of incest, reference to child marriage & underage parents, reference & implication of dubcon, discussion of fertility & infertility, brief reference to Old Valyria (slavery, genocide, human experimentation), reference to Targaryen eugenics.

Cause of Death: "Old" Age

Since only 2 of the 18 Targaryen monarchs survived to die of age, an average for a "natural" life expectancy cannot be made. It should also be noted that both Aegom the Conqueror was a war veteran whilst Jaehaerys I had a very dangerous childhood. Both kings were dragonriders, of Balerion & Vermithor respectively.

The longest living Targaryens on record are Queen Visenya the Conqueror (73) and Maester Aemon of the Night's Watch (102).

(Off-record, the longest-lived is Ser Brynden "Bloodraven" Rivers (125, going on 126) but, given that Bloodraven is a dubiously human tree-wizard, he is a Statistical Outlier who Should Not Be Counted.)

It is difficult to approximate an average, "natural" life expectancy for members of House Targaryen due to an insufficient pool of data: most of the recorded deaths were only noted for being sudden or violent, whilst female & younger siblings faded into obscurity.

Cause of Death: Illness

Most kings who died of illness were born frail or otherwise known to be "sickly", yes, dragonriders included. These kings tended to die slowly or "as expected". There were only 2 exceptions to this rule: Viserys II, who died "suddenly" a year into his reign, and Daeron II, who died during The Great Spring Sickness of 209 AC (a pandemic that struck the entirety of King's Landing).

Baelor I is included amongst the monarchs to die of illness as his cause of death was "religious fasting", the illness that killed him thus "self-inflicted" but "natural" nonetheless (Baelor's religious enthusiasm was extreme and dangerous to himself & others).

An Average "Natural" Lifespan: Calculation

For the sake of this calculation, deaths by illness will be included amongst those of old age (suspiciously timed illnesses reluctantly included). A secondary calculation will be made, removing kings whose illnesses were sudden as opposed to "naturally" progressing.

The following 9 monarchs (& ages at death) will be used: Aegon the Conqueror (64), Aenys I (35), Jaehaerys I (69), Aegon III (36), Baelor I (28), Viserys II (50), Aegon IV (49), Daeron II (56), Jaehearys II (36).

(64+35+69+36+28+50+49+56+36) ÷ 9

= 423 ÷ 9

= 47 years.

Thusly, the average natural life span of a Targaryen monarch is 47 years.

With the removal of Kings Viserys II & Daeron II, whose deaths by illness were Sudden rather than Inevitable, the average lifespan becomes 45.3 years or "45 yrs & 4 months".

Factors, Additional Context & Speculation

Genetic Diversity (& Lack Thereof)

Of the 8 kings felled by illness, 3 were born to sibling-spouses (Viserys I, Baelor I, Daeron II), 3 had wholly unrelated parents (Aegon IV, Aerys I), 1 had parents who were cousins many times over (Aenys I), 1 had parents who were uncle & niece (Aegon III).

Inbreeding, as known by farmers & thus humanity for time immemorial (Westeros included), results in offspring who are more susceptible & less adaptable to illness.

Illness: Maternal Health

A major factor to any person's long-term health is the manner of their birth: mothers who were too young or too old, had previously dangerous pregnancies, &/or experienced trauma during their pregnancy... all these factors can contribute to the wellness of both mother & child.

Of 18 monarchs,

2 were born when their mothers were underage (Rhaenyra I & Daeron II)3 were born when their mothers were over 30 (Aenys I, Maegor I, Jaehaerys I),

3 had mothers neglected by historic record, 4 with the inclusion of Alicent Hightower (whose lifetime is currently Under Revision & thus excluded from this post's calculations),

the remaining 10 had mothers who were actually Of Age, 4 monarchs having older siblings.

For more speculation, see "The Maternity of Targaryen Kings" here: https://at.tumblr.com/hollowwhisperings/the-maternity-of-targaryen-kings/

Royal Privileges

The wealth & authority held by a monarch in a feudal society affords many privileges: a varied & stable diet, accessible healthcare, servants to attend hygiene, education, Kingsguard sworn to bodily protection, the highest quality arms & armour, and more.

Their high stations also, however, gavs historic Targaryens the "privileges" of: being able to eat & drink in excess, override sound advice from a young age (it is harder to enforce the eating of vegetables or the importance of Safe Sex when such advice could be interpreted as Treason), and becoming the Targets of [medical sabotage].

Regardless of any Greater Maester Conspiracies, the good health of those who hold or will inherit absolute power can never be truly safeguarded. The lavish lifestyle of medieval-ish royalty requires countless servants (cooks, kitchen staff, personal attendants, maids, errand runners...) and a life lived in public (at court, in council, for ceremony...). The ambitious and fearful can & do find ways to further their interests, anyone could mean a royal harm: their council, their bannermen, their chamber maid, their betrothed, their in-laws, their uncles, their children.

These combined Royal Privileges undoubtedly affected Targaryen Monarchs, especially those who inherited the throne in times of societal upheaval. Stress and authority over a continent (give or take a kingdom) take their toll, even on the most disinterested of monarchs.

A pertinent example is that of Viserys II: the illness that killed him was both abrupt and suspiciously timed.

Viserys II: a case study of Royal "Privilege"

Despite being one of the better rulers of Westeros, having served the Realm for ~30 years to Kings Aegon III (depressed), Daeron I (war-hungry) & Baelor I (dangerously pious) before his ending up on the throne himself. His sudden illness occurred just 1 year into his rule. Many persons & factions had incentive to remove Viserys II from office. He was unpopular both in his lifetime & in public record.

(nevermind his successfully resolving the conflict with Dorne through treaty & marriage alliances; his making & codifying law reforms; his increasing trade & public wellbeing... okay, Viserys II may or may not be one of my favourite monarchs. Better to acknowledge my bias & recommend grains of salt).

The Dragon In The Room

Of 18 Targaryen monarchs were dragonriders, 7 were dragonriders. Of these 7: 2 died of "old" age, 3 died of illness, and 3 were killed.

Thusly is the idea of "Dragonrider Immunity" in the royal line of House Targaryen disproved.

If anything, dragonriding seems to age a person: the height and speed of flight would logically take a toll, regardless of any "Dragonriding Genes". Queen Alysanne, amongst the few Targaryens noted to die of old age, hatched & rode the dragon Silverwing: she was noted as losing her hearing in her late 50's and, at 57, lost the mobility needed to ride her dragon. This point is dubious, given it is one example amongst an already small sample size. Another dubious point is the precedence in House Targaryen of premature greying of hair: this is difficult to confirm, given the shallow difference between "silver/silver-gold/blonde" and "grey/white" (as well as the dubious quality of witness accounts of historic Targaryens, given how polarizing many figures were & the thusly dubious accuracy of witness testimonies).

Less controversial is the fact that, in the ASOIAF setting, all magic comes At Cost: dragons are magical ("fire made flesh") and Targaryens were originally a minor house of dragonlords in Old Valyria. Valyria is mostly known for its dragons, wealth, conquering, mass enslavement, pyromancy, blood magic ...and human experimentation. Members of House Targaryen believe themselves to have "blood of the dragon" & in early cases, intended very literally. It is plausible that House Targaryen, specifically, became or were made dragonlords via [blood magic & human experimentation]. It is unknown if this was a unique feature of House Targaryen or common practice amongst the more ambitious families of Valyria. Thusly, Targaryens are themselves magical. Later generations added the blood of First Men (most notably Houses Hightower, Dayne & Blackwood) & thus also Andal, & the Rhoynar (a people whose genocide was attempted by Valyria but thwarted by Queen Nymeria; whose home was made a wasteland in their absence).

Through the hatching of dragons by Targaryens, a method used to ensure a "bonding", could plausibly cost a person's theoretical & potential [lifeforce?]. Dragonriders can bond with dragons they have not personally hatched, with varying difference in compatibility, and a dragon can have multiple riders durings their lifetime.

Note: Dragons DO hatch naturally, without Targaryen intervention, as evidenced by: the wild dragons of Dragonstone, descendants of eggs & dragons brought from Valyria; the past & present wild dragons of eastern Essos (though any Valyrian breeds are believed extinct); the historic dragons of Westeros, regularly recorded (& slain) many thousands of years before the rise of the Valyrian Freehold & its dragonlords.