#otto is really badass in this

[disinherited-dornishman]

I will never forgive HotD for robbing us of the cunning, lethal Criston Cole who assassinated Ser Joffrey Lonmouth legally in front of the entire royal court without consequence by framing it as an accident in a tourney, shattered Harwin Strong in a melee so bad that he was called "Brokenbones" from his nickname "Breakbones", and without hesitation started plotting with his Queen over the corpse of King Viserys. The same one whose words swayed Aegon II over the edge to finally usurp Rhaenyra.

Hell, even Fire and Blood made his character lesser than his first mention. The first time we hear about him is as this obvious foil mention in Jaime's chapter in A Feast For Crows, this enigmatic historical figure with a badass nickname who seemed the lynchpin of a devastating event that killed the dragons, and gods alone know for what reason. Was he embittered against Rhaenyra? Was he duplicitous scum who in his vying for more power embroiled the entire realm in its single most ruinous war? Or did he, like Jaime who too murdered a "dragon", have a noble reason that history never knew? The speculation alone made him one of my favorite characters.

But at least F&B, lesser though it made his character, gave us something alternative. He just turned out to be a vengeful, conservative general who, although extremely competent, got his comeuppance eventually in the field of war, but okay.

Now, the show did something right by making him Dornish, and highlighting his lowborn status, but then they just... went nowhere substantial with it. And then they also turn him into an emotional psycho who accidentally kills Lord Beesbury, while Joffrey Lonmouth is blatantly beaten to death in the middle of a wedding. Like what???

Criston Cole fails upward into becoming the Hand of the King while being given looks of disbelief by Otto rather than coming into the position because of his competence in ruling a wartime realm, much like how Churchill became PM during WW2 to replace the previously incompetent PM (only to lose the position post-war when people realized he wasn't cut out for peacetimes.)

They really could've given us the best of both worlds. A lowborn, Dornish Criston who is still humanized in his struggle to keep to the ideals of honour while feeling inappropriate things for Rhaenyra/Alicent, but who reluctantly (or vengefully) takes to the schemes of the court like fish to water, and who eventually sheds said ideals to fully embraces his role as a Machievellian warlord in order to save the family he's come to love and cherish (the Greens).

But that wouldn't make the writers' favorite protagonist perfect enough, because in their minds, in order to make the most likeable protagonist, they need to be facing someone cartoonishly incompetent/villanous??

I just don't get it...

[the-desilittle-bird]

pls can u write a fic where reader (the bastard daughter of rhaenyra and harwin) is married to aemond for political reasons, but she know how to manipulate him whit her body and have him wrapped around her finger to secure his support in the war that is sure to come (smut pls)

AN- Damn! I really like a manipulative badass boss bitch reader... but the smut isn't as good as I had thought it would be but... sorry.

Thank you and Enjoy your reading!

You Love Me Right?

Summary- What is a greater charm than a woman's love?

Tag List- @eliseline, @little-moonbeam-666, @blackhoodlea, @omgsuperstarg, @shopping, @lizlovecraft, @dayane, @bbgmonsay, @michelle-26, @all-things-fandomstuck, @hc-geralt-23, @chevelledahuman, @morganastrucker, @shrexy, @helloitsshitzulover, @daringboba, @minaxcarter, @b-tchymoon, @stargaryenx, @hukio, @saraelizabeth26, @targaryenmoony, @moon-light1415, @eudximoniakr, @themaze13, @candypurplebutterfly, @5moremin, @yariany02, @issybee0611, @gossipandspills, @hopebaker, @kateris-world, @lady-athanasia, @chaotic-fangirl-blog, @cherryaemond, @watercolorskyy, @literishdegree99, @sunmoon-01, @savagemickey03, @ultrav0lence, @deltamoon666, @severewobblerlightdragon, @hyacinthus007, @andlizeth, @shine101, @beefbaby25

Warnings- Smut [Dirty Talking, Breeding Kink, Teasing, Almost(?) Oral (Male receiving)], Manipulation

GIF Credits to @imagine-all-the-things

The Dance has begun and so far, the Greens had the upper hand; all because of Aemond and his dear Vhagar. His formidable leadership and swordsmanship combined with Vhagar's experience in battles and dragonfire made him an important asset of his brother's cause.

To the world, he was cold and unbending. But the House of the Dragon knew well. They knew how his sweet little wife had him wrapped around her little finger.

Otto considered her smart. She knew her beauty was her largest asset and adding it was her sharp wits and undeniably alluring charms. Each word which fell from her lips were honeyed and well versed; a web made by a spider to catch her prey.

And that is why he remained vary of her when the dance began. Being the daughter of Rhaenyra and Harwin, he knew her devotion to her mother; unyielding and strong.

"Aemond," she squealed as hands wrapped around her petite figure, her plump lips painted in red as she turned to greet her husband with a kiss on his jaw; then down his neck and up to his ear.

"(Y/N)," he hummed, fingers rubbing her sides as his eye took in her seducing structure. Her brown hair open and brushed back, cascading down her spine. Her violet eyes were the curtesy of her mother's genetics.

Her figure was drapped in a black flimsy robe, ending just above her mid-thigh. The robe accentuated the best of her curves; her ample cleavage evoking a desire deep in him.

"Aren't you a nymph?" She chuckled, sending vibrations through his skin as she looked up through her lashes. Her fingers slowly moved up to get rid of the eyepatch covering his left eye and majority of the worst of the scar.

"A nymph in love with you."

Aemond's eye lingered on her covered breast, inviting him to feast on the soft flesh which would surely swell when his child takes place in her body. His finger fiddled with the lace holding the lace together, tugging on it to unwrap it.

"I want you," she whispered, turning around and tilting her head back to give him space to mark his territory. Kisses and nips evoked goosebumps through her body as one of her hand gripped his long hair, while the other grabbed onto the corner of her vanity.

"So do I, my love," he whispered, his sapphire glistening in the light of the candle. A deep moan left her throat when his lips found the spot which made her see stars.

"I received a message from my mother," she hummed sweetly, her fingers swiftly getting rid of the clothes which adorned his lean body; all while gentle kisses and teasing nips were granted in the freshly revealed skin as his tunic and undershirt met her dark robe on the ground.

Aemond only hummed, his mind already clouded with lust as he watched her bare body in front of him; moving like a seductress. Her soft hands found his shoulders, pushing him down to sit on the edge of their shared bed. A place which frequently ends up destroyed due to their marital tasks.

Her fingers nimbly worked on the ties holding his breeches together. They felt painfully tight as blood flew to his cock, making it hard and extremely hard.

"She is sad."

(Y/N) knew how this works. After all, it won't be the first time she is doing this. Seducing her own husband to accomplish something which was otherwise impossible.

"Why?" He rasped, breathing a sigh of comfort as his firmness left his breeches, which joined the pile of robes on the corner. His long, calloused fingers traveled into her brown hair as he felt her lay kisses on his inner tights.

Her tongue met the tip of his hard on, licking like a kitten feasting upon her milk but slower. Her long nails moved up and down his tights, sending a shiver down his spine as he groaned.

"More, my love," he pleaded softly, but both of them knew that she wouldn't compile to it; at least not just yet. Instead of taking him in her mouth, she moved up to lock his lips in a feverish kiss.

Their tongues battled against each other for dominance but at last, the princess let him win; granting him a disguise of control in their relation. One of the biggest lies in their marriage.

"She wanted to see me," (Y/N) gasped as she felt his hands fondling her breast, groping and swiping his finger on her sensitive nipple. A pornographic moan left her throat as she hummed in appreciation. One of the pros of marrying him.

Bringing him impossibly closer to her, she whispered in his ear, "I want you, my love." Suppressing the groans was becoming difficult for Aemond as his fingers traveled south to meet her wet core.

"So wet, doll. All for me?"

"Yes. All for you, my prince."

His fingers were quick to adjust his cock on her entrance; slowly entering her to give her some time to adjust to his large size. His long digits rubbing her clit to bring some pleasure during the slight sting of pain.

"So tight for me," he groaned into her neck, teeth sinking into her sensitive skin. Moving softly, his hips started with a soft rhythm, relishing in the moans which escaped her throat.

"All for you, Aemond," she whispered, breath hitching as his tip grazed over the soft spongy spot inside her which made her see stars. Her lower belly tightening with pure pleasure which rushed to snap at any moment.

"Cum for me, my sweet princess. Take your pleasure on me," her husband continued to speak filth in her ear as he groaned, feeling her walls clamp on his cock deliciously.

"I will paint your walls with my seed. Make sure you carry my child," he groaned, lips finding her nipple to suck on. Tugging on the other with his fingers, he felt her back arch. A loud moan of his name and the clamping of her on him indicated her orgasm.

Aemond came a second later; grunting her name as he filled her to the brim.

"You love me right?" She asked after a while, turning to her husband who was yet to recover. With his face a slight shade of red, eye blown with pleasure, he turned to her with confusion. "Of course, I do."

"And would you do anything for me?"

"Yes."

The smirk on (Y/N)'s face was hid as she snuggled into the crook of his neck; words heating his skin as she whispered, alluringly: "I wish to side with my mother. And I wish for you to be with me."

The silence was deafening and for once, she thought that Aemond would sit up and the next minute, the cold blade of his sword plunging into her warm body. But it never did.

Instead, a light whisper was spoken into her hair.

"Then your wish is my command."

[moreespressoformydepresso]

Imagine if, while in the zoo, the tributes of the 10th hunger games had spent their time bonding and at some point kinda joked about escaping together? And they all thought out exit strategies and such and even the word they’d use as signal to initiate the plans. They discuss who’s good at what, jokingly dividing tasks between them, with Wovey, Bobbin, and Mizzen getting the task of “stay behind us and don’t die” because they’re the youngest. No one really takes it seriously, they just use the fantasy to escape their horrid reality for a second because it’s nice to imagine all of them can make it out alive, even if they know that’s not the case.

Then the arena bombings happen

Otto and Ginnee probably still die, since they died from schrapnel, but Panlo and Sheaf were far enough away to still be conscious and moving around (that last part is mostly because of adrenaline). Everyone’s caught off-guard, but someone (probably Coral) sees their chance and screams the word they discussed, and all tributes jump into action. Jessup and Lucy Gray still save their respective mentors, but because the tributes are working together the peacekeepers have been taken out so there’s no one to drag them away. Instead, all 21 remaining tributes book it as fast as they can and manage to escape the area before reinforcements arrive. They are now on the run, and cannot show their faces without getting shot on sight, but they’re alive and that’s what matters. Mizzen, Sheaf, and Treech are the best thieves of the group (Mizzen’s small and fast (he was just closer to the snakes than everyone else shut up), Sheaf is described as "a limber little girl", and Treech sneakily stole Dill’s water bottles. That’s my evidence. Also they need more love) and thus go out to scrap together anything that may be helpful.

They, being the overachieving badasses they are, get their hands on futuristic medicine to cure Dill’s tuberculosis faster than the real world ever could and help Hy manage his asthma (because it’s chronic, there’s no way they can find a cure for that just lying around even in the future). I say they’re overachieving, because Sheaf did the back handspring for food, Treech only died because of Lucy’s cheating (still getting 6th(movie)/3d(book) place, and he definitely would’ve killed her and been a real contender for the win if she hadn’t cheated), and Mizzen is 13. A 13-year-old got 5th(book)/4th(movie) place. I rest my case.

They use the newfound supplies to heal their wounds and disinfect them, Jessup doesn’t get rabies because I make the rules here, and things are good. They spend a while utilizing their unique skills to stay hidden until one of two things happen:

1) the mentors, who have gotten quite attached to their assigned tributes, fight for the games to be disbanded and rally the rest of the academy, leading to a better Panem where the Capitol and the districts become a functioning, not-dystopian nation again and everything ends well.

Or

2) the tributes manage to escape the capitol and flee into the woods, letting Lucy Grey lead them to the Covey because ain’t no way they can just go back to their own districts just yet. The covey, being nomadic, is the best place for them to stay until they’ve grown up enough to be unrecognizable from their child selves to anyone who doesn’t actually know them.

Either way, things are better. I wanted to share this because I’m sad that all these wonderful (fictional) children died for the amusement of genuine monsters (and those indoctrinated to believe district people are not people)

Edit because a lot of new people are liking this post: someone wrote it :)

[syndrossi]

i thought i’d break the ice with this^ how’d you like it?

so i have this ongoing headcanon that the universe where the boys came back as girl twins that their friendships with aegon and aemond switch. (again, it’s a headcanon, so let me know if i get any characterizations wrong) and this could be when they’re older like 12-13

naturally, the green boys might’ve been told by otto to try to be very nice with the girls, one of them might end up marrying one of them

of course neither likes that idea until they actually meet the girls bc well, they’re so cool and very pretty

lets get to the girls, you already confirmed that Jon (or Daenerys/Dany, Visenya, etc, choices choices) would definitely have kept up the sword practice in secret and now that they’re with Daemon, she’d ask for sword lessons and Daemon would comply.

Rhaegar (or Rhaella, Rhaelle, Rhaenys [although i doubt this one bc there’s a current living Rhaenys atm so]) ooooo what about Rhaegella (too weird? too twilight 4?) would also keep up with the sword practice with Jon

thing is, Jon is more likely to openly challenge one of the green boys in combat than Rhaegar is, who would think it smart to keep the skill hidden, while Jon can be more impulsive, especially since she/he is older and spent more time with the sword and not really caring about hiding that

still, there COULD have been a conversation between the twins where J might’ve convinced R to just let her do her thing and R figured, “hey, if they think i’m the weaker twin, they’ll underestimate me and i can use it to my advantage”

THIS MEANS that Jon might be caught using a sword and teased, leading her/him to challenge Aemond (who’s better and more interested swords and fighting). obviously Jon wins, and Aemond might’ve been mad at losing to a girl, especially with Aegon’s teasing but then he talks to J and the two make a truce, and maybe J starts helping him out with training

meanwhile, Aegon might take a liking to both of them, but since Aemond has been more focused on J, Aegon seeks out R, who is very pretty and not weird like Helaena (his thoughts), she’s charming and tells intriguing tales and seems very interested in him talking about his horses and whatnot (R is very good at pretending, she’d run circles around this guy)

of course, things could progress as they’re doing now. Aegon might find a warrior f!Jon cool and interesting. he may not like fighting, but he may like watching her fight. (Aegon’s Aegon) And Aemond may gravitate toward R bc she’s very sweet and charming and unlike his sister, she accepts hugs and cheek kisses. and we already know Aemond has mother issues so him going to R, who’s used to being a caretaker could be plausible just as much.

i mean i just like the twist, but let me know if i got anything wrong or right, you know your characters better.

thank you for answering!

I could see Aemond warming much more to Jon-as-a-girl. The things that provoke seething jealousy in Resonant (it hasn't happened yet, but it's brewing) for Aemond in Jon don't really apply if he's part of a twin sister duo.

Jon-as-a-boy: is the best at swords ever, has a loving father who is badass and has a dragon, is likely to inherit Runestone and SOME Valyrian steel blade, and gets to have that close bond with Rhaegar. While Aemond is stuck with Viserys for a father and Aegon for a brother. Jon is everything he wants to have/be, and he doesn't even have the proper Valyrian look.

Jon-as-a-girl isn't someone to be jealous of, OTOH. Girl!Jon doesn't inherit anything, and Aemond's not going to be jealous of a sisterly relationship. Jon's non-Valyrian coloring he probably finds striking instead if he's a girl, and her skill with a blade intriguing rather than ego-threatening. I could see Aemond liking either Jon or Rhaegar for a match. Canonically, he was far more attracted to Helaena than Aegon was, and Rhaegar is certainly the more sensitive/introspective type. But Jon is also very charismatic and Alys Rivers was pretty spunky.

Aegon, meanwhile, is probably a little scared of girl!Jon, who is relentless about calling him on his bullshit. Whereas boy!Jon's propensity for shenanigans is something he admires. So his view of girl!Jon could be "scary but hot." (I wouldn't put it past Aegon to figure out whoever Aemond likes better and pursue that twin, just to fuck with him.)

[thesunfyre4446]

I’m so confused about why TB thinks Daemon is a badass. Like from the beginning he was a loser. We see him almost lose a joust and then go for the horse to win, lose to Criston cause he’s so caught up in himself, and need reassurance from Mysaria that his brother really does care like where is the badass?? And then during the battle of the stepstones he lands his dragon and puts himself in archer range, does his little suicide run where he should have died so many times but plot armor (and the plan wasn’t even his so they can’t claim he’s a good strategist), runs away from Rhaenyra in a brothel to pass out in a stable, kills his wife, runs away with Laena and is a shit husband to her, fucks his niece at his wife’s funeral and marries her—and it looks like he wasn’t even a good husband to her either cause what do u mean her kids aren’t fluent in Valyrian yet? And then he kills Vaemond from behind… like what exactly is cool or badass or smart about him?? Is it something in the books?? I haven’t read them so I don’t know but I feel like it’s a conspiracy. I went into the show expecting him to be capable if nothing else but he’s not? He’s just got a false reputation that makes people fear him and a name that gives him authority that he uses to go around doing whatever the fuck he wants. His claim to strength is literally Caraxes and nothing else. No wonder he puts so much weight on their dragons it’s literally all he has going for him.

And people are talking about how Aemond acts like he’s any match for Daemon in the preview and making fun of him but tbh I think he’s got a shot. While Daemon does have more experience that doesn’t mean he’s any good and we’re shown that Aemond does have some skill with a sword so who’s to say really?

LMAO go off anon!!!

yeah not to spoil anything because you haven't read the book but daemon's a fucking loser.

i mean, vhagar is bigger then caraxes, aemond's not crazy to believe that she'll win.

also that's why i prefer the greens brain power over TB's "i have a dragon" attitude. brain over brawn!! rhaenyra and daemon's concept of politics is "expect that people will just do what you want & proceed to threaten with pet lizard if someone gets in your way \ murder them" and i really don't see the appeal! otto's a shit person, but he used his brain and political skills to kick daemon out of KL.

[darklinaforever]

https://www.tumblr.com/aryas-faces/759627378192465920/the-house-of-the-dragon-writers-are-so-jealous-of?source=share

Lol just lol

Wow. Reading so much crap at once should be banned.

The delusion that Aegon II took the throne for his family is reported by Eustace, a maester pro-greens and anti-Blacks / Rhaenyra, who spends his time whitewashing them as much as possible. What he says about the Greens is still highly questionable. Especially since this bullshit of only wanting to protect one's family as a motivation to take the throne can quickly be challenged when we see how different Aegon II seems to be with the crown on his head, ready to do anything to keep it for himself and absolutely not mischievous. Firing Otto and refusing the peace agreement proposed by RhaeRhaenyra which would precisely save his family, except his grandfather who... well that's good because he doesn't care! Not to mention calling Rhaenyra a whore as easily as he breathes when apparently before taking the throne he actually respected Rhaenyra saying what kind of brother would steal what belongs to his older sister ? A little common sense. Eustace's comments about the Greens / Aegon II taking the throne are not at all consistent with Aegon II's behavior after that.

Then, the same, the so-called great exceptional link between Syrax and Aegon II is propaganda bullshit. Did Sunfyre love Aegon II? Yes. Is the opposite true ? No. He saw it as a kind of replaceable accessory. As proof, when he loses Sunfyre, he says that he wants a new dragon which will be an even more efficient Sunfyre. That doesn't sound like someone who cares about their dragon. Unlike Rhaenyra who just says that her team just needs dragons otherwise they are lost to the war. At no time does she look for a better, more efficient Syrax. Also, if we really have to decide who seems to have a better connection with her dragon in a deep way, it is undeniably Rhaenyra with Sunfyre. I remind you that Sunfyre was hatched for Rhaenyra and that she rode him from the age of 7, making her the youngest dragonrider. Syrax also formed a mated paur with Caraxes, Rhaenyra's husband's dragon. But apparently, it is Aegon II who has an exceptional bond with his dragon ? My eye. Once again, we must differentiate between the words of propaganda and the facts in the book. Also, gold and yellow are almost the same color. When you put official images of Syrax and Sunfyre side by side validated by GRRM sorry but... Well Syrax is also golden from what we see. Honestly, who tells you that the maesters didn't just try to tone down the color of Rhaenyra's dragon to highlight Sunfyre and Aegon II ? See here for more development on the color of Syrax :

If the writers wanted to make Rhaenyra want to participate in the battles in HOTD, it's simply because they didn't know what else to do with the character and give her a false badass look. Not to show off her doing to Aegon II or make her as brave and selfless as him. This literally has nothing to do with your dear Aegon II here. It's just that the writers have no imagination. Then, sorry to shatter your dreams, but there's nothing brave about Aegon II going into battle. It's unconscious. A monarch generally does not go to the battlefield. Because life is precious because... well it's the fucking monarch ?! Sending him to death's door is stupid and counterproductive. Also, people seem to forget that Rhaenyra couldn't even fly a dragon in Fire and Blood when the war started, because she had just had a complicated stillbirth with Visenya. But obviously, no one is going to take all that into account. Let's forget the historical context and Rhaenyra's physical state to treat Fire and Blood's version as cowardly and selfish for not going onto the battlefield when there's no the fucking point here. All this to try to make Aegon II appear brave and selfless ?! Aegon II ?! He is neither of those two fucking words.

I remind you once again that no, the idea that Aegon II was forced to take the crown is bullshit, completely invented by Maester Eustace.

And no, Rhaenyra doesn't take the crown to protect her family in HOTD. She doesn't even have children when she accepts to be heir in 1x01. Rhaenys' words in 1x10 are just a classic fucking warning. Rhaenyra was already planning to be queen before this because she saw it as her duty and did not expect to be usurped the way the Greens went about it. So what are that person talking about ?! Rhaenyra even considers giving up her crown and her youngest boys (Aegon III and Viserys II) to the Greens to ensure the peace of the kingdom. So once again, what are you talking about ?! Rhaenyra didn't accept the crown at all to protect her family in this whole situation. Also, when you are designated heir, you accept and you keep quiet, that's all. Do you think 7 / 8 year old Rhaenyra was an aide to the throne or something ? Reading this kind of bullshit you might think that's what is being insinuated. To say that the Rhaenyra of the show is forced to have the crown is essentially saying that the 7 / 8 year old Rhaenyra who was named heir was completely on board and wanted it, when we're talking about a child who probably only accepted what was his duty in the first place, to then grow up always having this perspective in mind and having been educated for it, and then obviously considering the crown as rightfully his. Because it is. Quite simply. But apparently, with Green stans it's horrible... On the other hand, an impersonation if you have a dick is okay for them.

I also remember that in Fire and Blood, when Aegon II was crowned, the population demanded Rhaenyra...

On the other hand, I don't know in what universe this person lives to believe that Aegon II is the favorite of those who watch the show ? All the polls that are done on the internet simply prove the opposite. Yes, we all recognize the actor's performance on Team Blacks side, but he is certainly not one of our favorites and even less the favorite. Even some of the Greens Stans hate him... And yes, a large part of the Greens stans love an Aegon II that they fantasized in their heads, but they are not at all representative of the majority of the fandom. Again Aegon II is not a fan favorite in general in HOTD. This place is rather held by Daemon or then (to my great despair) Aemond (ironically because he is precisely a poor version of Daemon).

[nico-drawings]

You know, you start seeing a lot of reels and posts and shorts about a series and so you start to watch it. And you see how a lot of people like one character and it is really common to see this: men relating a lot to a male character that is badass and kicks ass and them looking up to him and wanting to be like him. And 90% of the time that character is a fucking piece of shit.

Well nothing could have preprared me for the gigantic asshole that is Daemon Targaryen. It is honestly impressive how many good things I have seen said about him AND HOW MUCH OF A HORRIBLE PERSON HE IS. OH MY GOD. I have heard so much stuff about how much Daemon is a great warrior and how much he loves his brother Viserys and how much he DOESN'T want the throne. And. No. For fuck's sake no. How can people look up to this absolute garbage of a man. I can make a LONG list of the awful things Daemon has done to people.

Season 1:

Episode 1:

- Sitting on Viserys' throne (not that bad, but it shows how much he respects his brother's title)

- Called his wife both ugly AND a bitch (sexist piece of shit)

- Made fun of the death of Otto's wife (Otto is a bastard that deserves it, but he's still an asshole to make fun of someone's mourning)

- Making Otto's knight trip after asking for Alicent's blessing just to humiliate the Hightowers even more (doing so by making the horse trip, fighting dirty is a dick move)

- Made a toast celebrating the death of Viserys' death, even calling him "Heir for a day" to mock him

Episode 2:

- Stole the egg of Viserys' dead son, basically spitting on his death again

Episode 3:

- Beat the shit out of a messanger because the little brat couldn't accept the fact that he was sucking so much at a war that his big brother had to send him reinforcements (yeah he won before they arrived, doesn't change the fact that it was quite literally a reaction at the level of a tantrum)

Episode 4:

- Called his wife a bitch AGAIN and joked about her being probably infertile due to being harsh and stuff like that

- Bringing his teen niece to a brothel, grooming her and having sex with her (hey, it does not matter if morality is different in Westeros and Rhaenera is technically an adult, THAT'S HIS NIECE THAT IS HALF HIS AGE. THERE'S A POWER INBALANCE HERE. AND NO, BECAUSE OTHER CHARACTERS DO IT, IT DOESN'T MAKE IT BETTER. VISERYS CAN GO DIE IN A DITCH AS WELL FOR HIS RELANTIONSHIP WITH ALICENT FOR ALL I CARE)

- Boosting about fucking his niece to her FATHER and then proposing a marriage with her, acting like she's a prize for his success in battle

Episode 5:

- Killing his wife (of course she wasn't manipulable so she had to die)

- Mocking the cousin of his wife about having her inheritance

- Almost started to make out with Rhaenyra in front of everyone at the banquet before her marriage

Episode 6:

Wow, actually nothing in this one. They even kept him from making the same choice Viserys made with Aemma.

Episode 7:

- Fucking his niece again, he just doesn't learn I see. Oh yeah and he marries her. I'm sure they won't be toxic.

Episode 8:

Wow nothing again. Unbelievable, I am surprised. Did his two wives help him become a decent person? It has been like more than 10 years between the start of episode 6 and the end of episode 8 so it could be.

Episode 9:

Nothing again, but he wasn't in it so.

Episode 10:

- HERE HE COMES BACK WITH THE STEELCHAIR! Calling Alicent a whore and telling Rhaenys what she should have done.

- Ignoring his wife screaming for him, what a great husband (god that birthing scene, why jesus christ)

- Basically commanding Rhaenyra's council of war like it's his, just like the conversation with Otto. This doesn't make him an asshole per se, but it is a great showing of not being able to read the room. If the entire conflict hinges upon the fact that her legitimacy is being discussed you shouldn't really talk like YOU are the boss instead of HER.

- Basically saying that Vyseris and Rhaenyra aren't good leaders in front of EVERYONE. This man is not smart. At ALL.

- Chocking Rhaenyra and saying Vyseris' reign was useless. He is pathetic beyond belief.

Season 2:

Episode1:

- Wow less than 5 minutes into season 2 and he's already kicking. Giving Rhaenis orders, undermining Rhaenyra's authority and basically telling Rhaenis that Luke's death is her fault.

- Treating both Mysaria and Erryk like shit.

- Not trying to be there for Rhaenyra for Luke's death not even for a second, not one word, nothing. I understand, Rhaenyra's pain doesn't help in a war, but the war in question hasn't been going on for not even a MONTH. And with the naval blockade and the loyalty of some of the clans they already struck back. You CAN hug your wife for 5 seconds due to the death of her son, you won't lose the war if you do.

- I know some people try to defend him by saying stuff like "Oh he just ordered to kill Aemond". Why would they kill the kid then. I'm not joking, why the kid ESPECIALLY? Do people really think a random rat killer would be smart enough to kill the prince because he, one day, would get on the throne? Why would he even care? Even the guard loyal to Daemon wouldn't care about that. Hell, Haelena would be more straightforward and reasonable for a random person, since she's an adult and she saw them. But no, the MALE child specifically to destroy the bloodline. Come on, Daemon ordered it, "a son for a son", he doesn't care if it's a child. And even if he didn't, and it's a huge if, it just shows how little in control he is. He is not able to do anything right.

Episode 2:

- Throws a tantrum, lashing out to Rhaenyra, insults Vyseris in front of her and basically tells her "You're only on the throne so that I wouldn't, you don't deserve it".

Episode 3:

- Taking an offense in being called "Prince" instead of "King". You are not the king boy, pipe down. The crown isn't yours. Ego piercing the clouds, seriously.

Episode 4:

- I'll give him the benefit of the doubt because he was tripping balls, but seriously? Killing young Rhaenyra? Yeah that's not a good look.

- He told a teen to kill his grandfather, and then said to his face that his family is shit.

- So you DO know that that Psycho of Aemond is basically you but 30 years younger.

Episode 5:

- "Daemon never wanted the crown!" His literal subconscious in the form of his mother (that he was fucking) told him he deserved it more than his brother. What else do you need?

- He scoofs anytime he is remembered that the crown isn't his.

- "The true heir of Viserys" he calls himself, he seems SO loyal to Rhaenyra (that's sarcasm)

Episode 6:

- The allucination with the Viserys conversation due to the "heir for a day" comment made me realize that he never apologized for it. Not once.

Episode 7:

Surprisingly nothing, I mean yeah he killed the Lord of the rivers with Alyn's help, but the man was to going to die anyway so. I don't know if it counts.

Episode 8:

Nothing again, not denying the treason proposal was fishy but at the end he bent the knee so all good.

Now that season 2 has ended and season 3 won't come out for a year or more, the list by episodes is over. I will use this to elaborate my thoughts.

Watching Daemon Targaryen in the series and seeing his reception by the fandom made me realize how the "media literacy is dead" is yes wrong but is also very justifiable as an opinion. Because the Daemon situation is really the last installment of this behaviour, especially from men: Walter White, the guy from American Psycho, hell even Ken from the Barbie movie. How much can these characters been latched onto, been seen as incredible and as a goal, while their entire purpose in the story is to have a giant glowing sign that reads "this is a bad person and this how they fit into our messed up society" or maybe they are part of a story and they are not there to be an omen, but they are very openly written to be bad people. Daemon falls into the second category. He has a very distinct role in the series and that's to be the ambigous guy with a giant ego, always understimating everyone around him, while constantly being punished for such way of thinking and arriving, at the end, at finding purpose in being under someone and serving them. Daemon is constantly dismissive towards other people: he thinks he's beneath everyone and everything. That he can do and say anything he likes. And he gets fucked every single time for it. He thought he could insult Vyseris' child, he got sent away. He thought he could steal his egg, he had soldiers and a dragon at his doorstep to take it back. He thought he could start a war at sea and win easily and he had to use Laenor's tactic to win or use Vyseris' troops, otherwise he would have lost horribly. He thought he could have his way with Rhaenyra, he was banished for it. He thought he could command his second wife, ignore her desires and choose for her, she made her own dragon burn her alive in order to make a choice for herself. He thought he could take revenge for Rhaenyra and hurt the greens, he not only gave an order so shallow that it could have been misinterpreted but Rhaenyra was disgusted by it and it ruined her reputation throught the seven kingdoms. He thought he could make the Blackwoods kill their rivals without a problem, if the young Tally hadn't grew balls the size of Caraxes the entirety of the River people wouldn't have followed him even if the dragon was about to burn them all alive.

THAT is who Daemon is: an incompetent, egomaniac that is constantly needed to be reminded that he ain't shit.

And yet so many people think he's the most badass character in the show. They think he's a loving brother, a great husband, a genius when it comes to war and a great warrior. All of those things, Daemon Targaryen is not.

And if you enjoy him as a character, well I only have one thing to say to you: that's fine. Because Daemon is written BEAUTIFULLY. He is coherent to a fault.

You can see that he loves Vyseris, but he's a psycho that has never respected him so he constantly hurts him because he's a piece of shit.

He doesn't respect Rhaenyra because to him she's always gonna be a child because Daemon is a groomer. She is also not fit to be queen because she's like Vyseris, someone that Daemon never thought to be a good king, and he wasn't entirely wrong. Because, mind you, if Vyseris had a backbone, Daemon would have lost his head. He got too many chances.

Daemon will always envy Rhaenyra because in a way he was always seeking Vyseris' attention, he always wanted to be praised by him, but he always wanted to be praised for being HIMSELF, hence why he never tried to act as Vyseris would have liked. He wanted Vyseris to like Daemon, not the Daemon that acted like Vyseris would have wanted.

Daemon could never be in a good relantionship because he can't respect anyone else outside of himself. His first wife was his equal. In no way that woman would have bent to his will. His second wife was more accomodating, but she had pride in herself and at the end choose for herself. And Rhaenyra? She's supposed to be BENEATH him, he could never accept that.

Daemon can never shut his mouth because to him, being himself is more important than reason. My brother is mad at me for maybe having fucked his daughter? Well I'll double down, I have every right to get her- oh he banished me. The entirery of the conflict revolves around my wife's claim being questioned? Well I want to fight this war in this way, so I'll give orders, go to Harrenal to build an army and win by myself- oh one of her council members has come here to ask me to betray her and lead the war because he doesn't believe she's good enough to lead.

You can almost always predict Daemon before he speaks or acts, that's how well he was written. And it is also very EASY to see how he was written. Seriously, his actions are up there, they have been documented episode by episode, if you still don't see it I don't know what to tell you. Anyone that has seen him throw a fit for not being called King is seriously still trying to say that he didn't want the crown? HIS FIRST SCENE IN THE ENTIRE SERIES WAS HIM ON THE IRON THRONE.

ONLY. And I repeat, ONLY in the last episode Daemon has let go. Only then. Because he finally realized, due to the visions: "Okay I need to get my shit together, this is bigger than me" and it took a vision of quite literally zombies killing a dragon and marching towards the world of the living to make Daemon Targaryen lower his head.

I repeat: this is not a post about Daemon being a shitty character and me saying that his fans are dumb. It is, however, a post about how men have, once again, latched onto a toxic and objectively bad male character in a show and ignored 90% of how he was written in order to have a cool character to kin. It is also about people not being able to. Understand writing because saying "Daemon never wanted the crown" is like saying "Aegon always wanted the crown" and I think we all know he never wanted it.

Also also, this post, about making a list of all the bad things a character has done, can be done about a lot of other characters, I am aware. But no other character in this show has been read as wrongly and has been lifted so high as Daemon has.

[otto-apocalypse]

Had difficulty picking up today's pic. I asked myself "what's a really badass and cool pic of Otto?" and realised that didn't narrow down the choice in the slightest...

[nrilliree]

Hi. If you had to pick, what would you say is the worst change they made from F&B for HOTD? And is there any change they made in the show that you like? There are a lot of changes I didn't like, like the ages being jumbled and the complete personality changes of some characters, but I personally really like that they made Aegon the Conqueror a dragon dreamer who saw the Long Night and how they worked in the PTWP and "the Song of Ice and Fire" as his his dream. I'm just interested in what you think

I don't think I'll be able to pick just one thing. So I'll make a list, but number one can be considered the most important :P

What changes do I like? 1) As you say, I like the addition of Aegon's prophecy. This doesn't change much about the Dance itself, but it shows that Aegon was not an evil colonizer who conquered the kingdom for power, but that there was something bigger than him or his family behind it. It's just a pity that we know the ending of GoT :( 2) The fact that Rhaenyra was the one who retrieved the egg from Daemon. This showed that she (unlike Otto) was able to solve the case bloodlessly. 3) A small change, but Daemon didn't declare himself King of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea, he was declared so. 4) Showing Laenor fighting on the Stepstones. This added some depth to him.

What changes do I not like? 1) What they did to Laena. Where's the portrayal of her as a badass getting bond with Vhagar? Where's the friendship with Rhaenyra? Where is the fact that it was HER decision to have her daughters betrothed to Rhaenyra's sons? Where are her frequent visits to Driftmark? Where is Laena?! 2) Making Alicent and Aemond victims. Why victimize bullies? Aemond didn't have to have a "sad childhood" to become a psychopath. 3) WHERE ARE RHAENYRA'S BEAUTIFUL CLOTHES AND JEWELRY?! 4) Where were the crowds screaming at Aegon's coronation that they wanted their queen?! 5) Making Viserys such a bad father. In the book, he did not ignore his children, and Helaena and his grandchildren visited him every evening. He had relationships with his children. 6) Changing the background of Viserys and Daemon's conflict. In the book, Mysaria really was pregnant and Daemon wanted to have the child, even if it was a bastard, and because of Viserys she lost the pregnancy. In the series, Daemon came up with this to spite his brother…? 6) Why were Baela and Rhaena reduced to just looking pretty in the background? And I could write and write here…

[ceoofhelaegon]

Stealing traits from Daeron and destroying Aegon's character completely, all of these things have made me dislike Aemond so much. Someone remind these writers that Aemond is not the only character in team green.

Hey, Nonnie.

I’m not gonna lie, I used to love Aemond but after reading the books it made jaded about his character. Aegon is fascinating and actually has a character arc in the books, he’s the only one that redeems himself IMO.

I wouldn’t mind Aemond’s characterisation if it wasn’t at the expense of Aegon’s, I was on Reddit and someone said that in the show Aegon isn’t a character he’s a problem that everyone has to deal with.

Alicent has to deal with the fact that Aegon hurt someone, Otto has to deal with the fact that Aegon isn’t interested in being King at all and Aemond (for some reason) has to deal with the fact that Aegon is “unworthy” (see what they’re doing?) of being the firstborn son.

Aegon was a great fighter because he also trained with Ser Criston, but only Aemond is allowed to have a fighting scene and be badass. Aegon has a mystical bond with Sunfyre, he actually fights for Aegon until the bitter end, but only Aemond is allowed to have scenes with his dragon.

Aegon would never bully his brother, especially with the Strong boys, whom ALL of them hated, but no, Aemond is the bullied meow meow, his brother is a meanie and has to bully the poor Aemond because Aegon is rotten, didn’t you know?

In the books, when Viserys asks where Aemond heard the bastards rumours you can infer that the brothers are close and that Aegon will always be there for him and he was. In the show, to the general audience it was only Aemond taking revenge for the bullying.

In the books, Aegon never took his brother anywhere but in the show, he takes Aemond to brothel for some reason and traumatised Aemond. Why? Because Aegon is rotten, he has no redeeming qualities and Aemond is the poor meow meow.

When Viserys is dead, Aemond was actually training and what the first thing he says to the Kingsguard?

“Is Aegon King?”

In the show? Apparently he’s the one that should be King because he reads and has Vhagar? Apparently Aegon never touched a sword, only Aemond.

Even his brother being the spawn of Satan, he still goes out to find him, isn’t Aemond just the best? He’s so dutiful and loyal. Even though he hates Aegon and wished that he was far away, and Aegon wanted that too. Or Aemond wanted Aegon dead, whatever works best for him and getting him close to the crown. Sorry, Aemond is amazing he would never covet what his brother has.

Because instead of getting only Ser Criston and Aegon, we got that pathetic scene of Aemond fighting Aegon in the middle of the street. Because Criston convinced Aegon by saying that his half-sister would be a threat to his family we also got Aemond looking for him, why was he there? He was so unnecessary in that scene, Criston and Aegon needed that scene. Criston needed to show his intelligence and Aegon needed to show the care and love he has for his family.

I really hate what they did with Aegon, and now? I don’t care about Aemond, I don’t care about his story or his character. I simply wished that they cut Aegon entirely, like they wanted to do with Daeron. Have the star of the green side by himself, but sorry, he’s only allowed to shine when Aegon is the villain of his story.

Sara Hess and Ryan Condal are a fucking joke, I hope that they’re never hired for anything ever again. Their writing is ridiculous, I just know that TGC will shine with whatever shit they write for him and then HBO will try to claim that it was because of them and their script. It won’t be, it’s purely TGC’s talent.

[dailydemonspotlight]

Hell Biker - Day 68

Race: Fiend

Alignment: Neutral

June 10th, 2024

AWWW SHIT, HERE WE GO! PUMP YOUR ENGINES, LET THOSE EXHAUST PIPES SHOOT, AND ROCK AND ROLL FOR THE ONE, THE ONLY, THE BEST MOTORCYCLIST THE VORTEX WORLD HAS TO OFFER- HELL BIKERRRRR!!!!!

Ahem. The last of the non-biblical fiends in the series stands out to many, whether it be for his Hulk Hogan voice, strange origin, or just how odd he is even compared to his fellow fiends. Sure, Matador is a bullfighter, and Daisoujou is a mummified monk, but the strange mix of Ghost Rider, Biker Gangs, and cheesiness has captivated many, me included. Unfortunately, in Tony4U's video on the Fiends, he had to brush over Hell Biker for a... variety of reasons, but let's just say that the Angel of Hell has a lot of things, uh, riding on his portrayal.

Starting off, and this is very explicit, but Hell Biker is directly based on the long-running motorcycle club called the Hell's Angels, the largest biker gang in the world. For the most part, these clubs consist of people who stand for freedom and ride outside of the 'laws of society-' things like romanticized ideals that many may see in, say, the Yakuza, being people who aren't afraid to step out of line of the law to do what they see as right, or, in the case of the club, to express true freedom.

Hell Bikers' name in Japanese is, quite literally, ヘルズエンジェル, translating to Hells Angel, which makes the reference even more explicit beyond the resemblance of, not only the leather trench coat, but also the Motorcycle it uses. The design of the motorcycle seems to be based primarily off of classic 1980-90's Harley-Davidson cycles, as pictured below.

I really like the detail on the motorcycle that Hell Biker uses, however, that his bike's top is pink, with the sticker being a heart with a lightning bolt struck through it- it adds a far more playful twinge to the design, showing that it isn't just the bike of a hard-ass gangster. I like to think that the heart and pink coloring are just his way of showing appreciation to his mother- there is a common stereotype in several movies and TV shows regarding biker gang members, after all, being that a lot of them are mama's boys.

Back to the Hells Angels, the club formed in the United States in 1948 as a joint collaboration between several smaller gangs- namely, a breakaway from the Pissed Off Bastards Biker Gang named Otto Friedli who left due to a dispute joined up with several people from other gangs, each of which joined together to form the syndicate we know today. Since then, it ballooned into a worldwide gang with members all across the globe. Notably, the Hell's Angels aren't an explicitly criminal organization like most organized crime groups- despite having an organized structure, every charter in the group is their own person who does their own thing. As such, while it is arguable that the leaders of the gang are complacent in some horrible things, such as human trafficking, many people in the gang simply wanted a sense of community, and actively refuse to participate in criminal business.

Now, drifting back to Hell Biker, the series seems to portray him as one of those bikers in the gang that uses it as an excuse to get away with criminal activity and violent lashing out, driven by hatred towards both himself and the world at large. As the compendium almost always states regarding the fiend,

[Hell Biker']s anger with himself and the world causes him to lash out, that everyone else would suffer as well.

Yeesh. I think he needs therapy, not a biker gang. Design-wise, Hell Biker takes a lot of cues, interestingly enough, from a completely different flaming skeletal biker- the golden-age Marvel hero, Ghost Rider! Who hopefully needs no introduction. Of course, given the idea behind the demon being a biker, the fact that he's a Fiend, and how badass flames generally look when being driven on Motorcycles, it's hard not to explain the similarity. Overall, though, Hell Biker is a very interesting Demon, and he stands out alongside Matador as one of the fiends who breaks many rules left unspoken within the series. Much like Alice! Funny that.

please don't kill me hells angels people im harmless i swear

[iris-sistibly]

The Targ Talk: House of the Dragon S2

I'm late for the party because I took a break from writing QOT fanfics, but here I am.

Episode 1 commentary:

I do appreciate the whole tapestry thing that tells the history of the Targaryen dynasty (mostly focusing on the dance, duh), but I still prefer the opening in season 1.

Rhaenys refusing to follow Daemon's order is badass ngl. Like I said, Daemon is my favorite bitch but if I have to choose between him and Rhaenys, I'd take the latter's side. Daemon is the "strike the iron while it's hot" kind of person, but the moment the Greens learned about Lucerys' demise they have been on high alert in case of any attacks from the Blacks so...it was a bad idea to attack King's Landing just like that.

I think we can all agree that Emma D' Arcy did an amazing job at showing Rhaenyra's grief. The unkempt hair, the dirt on her face and body, basically being not being able to care for herself (and she doesn't care), very image of a mother who just lost another child was nailed to perfection. The scene where the queen found the remains of Luke and Arrax was just heartbreaking.

Speaking of nailing a scene, I am also impressed at Phia Saban. I know a lot of people were confused at how Helaena decided to give up her son after her failed attempt to bribe Blood and Cheese. Actually it was much worse in the book, but it still ended up with Jaehaerys' death. I do agree with what others said that Helaena had to choose or all of them will die. If she sacrificed herself, they would still have killed both kids, if she chose to give up Jaehaera, the result would STILL be the same. The fear, desperation, confusion and trauma of Helaena was delivered so well by Phia.

I also read some comments saying that Helaena foresaw her son's death, and whatever she does she couldn't stop it hence she did what she did.

However, I do agree that the Blood and Cheese scene which was supposedly the highlight of the episode felt a bit...underwhelming. I mean, if you really think about it, it's horrible but I was expecting it to be at the same level or at least close to the book kind of horrifying. Though idk why they excluded Maelor's character, and I don't even know if Daeron is going to exist in the show either.

I have a confession to make, I kinda like Aegon in this episode. I was expecting him to be a lazy bastard or a Joffrey Baratheon kind of "king" but at least he's trying. But as I'm writing this, I realized that he's just another pawn of Otto's (just like his mother). Having Aegon as king would give him control over the kingdom, he cannot be king and being the hand of Viserys, and now Aegon II is the closest he could get to the iron throne, that's why the greedy bitch did everything he can--use his daughter and have her marry to Viserys despite her young age and trying to convince Vizzy to marry Aegon to Rhaenyra. Dude has been planning it for years. When Alicent voiced out her concern about being undermined by her father at the small council I was like, babes you're a pawn in this game, that's all you are and I hate that the showrunners made her this way. Again, she was a player in the book and I prefer that version of her.

Criston Cole bitching about Rhaenyra choosing the crown over oranges, and refusing to be her whore but still ended up being a boy toy of another queen will never not be funny.

Oh, and after spending some time reading Helaegon fanfics, I kinda ship them now too 🤣🤣

[presidenthades]

Did you like the new episode ?

It was…an episode. 😅

I don’t have particularly novel thoughts for S2E5, but I can give some highlights.

I have seen people criticizing the scene where Meleys’s head is paraded through the city, mostly in terms of the smallfolk reactions. I agree that there should be more mixed feelings, because it was only about a month ago that Rhaenys and Meleys massacred a bunch of peasants. But it does make sense there’s a sense of awe and dread, because even though dragons HAVE been killed in Westeros before, none of them have ever had their heads paraded through the city.

As an Aemond fan…I really hate him right now. 🥲 He only had maybe two sympathetic moments this season so far, both in the brothel, including where Aegon made fun of him. Then he just decided to turn evil and fratricidal. When he went to watch the maesters take off Aegon’s armor and immediately said “someone else needs to rule in his stead” (paraphrasing), I was shaking my fist at the screen.

On the plus side, I guess we kinda finally get Alicent realizing Aegon is her son and she’s supposed to care about him? That little “mummy” broke me. 😭

I never thought I’d be rooting for Alicent over Aemond, especially this season, but I did find myself hoping she’d be picked as regent. Mostly because I don’t think Aemond is a good choice at the moment. Man, I miss Otto (something else I wasn’t expecting to say).

Gods bless Orwyle though. I feel justified in previously admitting I like him.

I don’t have particularly unique thoughts about that Daemon scene. 💀

It is interesting how GRRM tends to be very pro-Blackwood and anti-Bracken, but the show has actually made the Brackens look badass in this episode whereas the Blackwoods have become war criminals. I can only hope (delusionally, maybe) that the show will follow through on the “angry Riverlords denouncing Daemon’s war crimes” plot line instead of conveniently forgetting about it. 🥲

The show keeps framing Alfred Broome as dumb and misogynistic…but he’s actually speaking a lot of sense? 🧐 I know what he ends up doing in the book, so this might be the start of an interesting character arc for him. Usually I’m all for interesting character arcs…but Alfred is a minor character in the grand scheme of things, and it reminds me that a lot of the main characters are not getting logical character arcs. 😔 I’m gonna laugh if Alfred ends up being an accidental fan favorite.

I am not sure that Jace’s diplomatic negotiations with the Freys will go as well as he thinks. And not because they’re Freys—Freys don’t get a bad reputation until Walder a few centuries later. Sure, taking Harrenhal from Larys makes sense, but what about Daemon’s new BFF Simon Strong? I can’t imagine Simon is going to be happy about the family castle being handed over to another house.

(It’s probably moot because Aemond is gonna do…stuff…at Harrenhal eventually. 💀)

I loved the glimpse of the Eyrie. TBH I’m on Jeyne’s side here about being cheated in their deal. 😅 Hatchlings are probably liabilities more than assets. Their riders are babies, and the hatchlings are just gonna eat a lot of food.

The convo between Corlys and Baela is really nice and lovely. But. Her rejecting Driftmark without even thinking about it feels very “the writers want the audience to know it’s OK that Laena’s daughters are being passed over, we’re all friends here.” I feel like Corlys keeps making halfhearted gestures about being angry with Rhaenyra but never following through. Just a taste of drama and infighting without the actual consequences.

We’ll probably get more details about the Elinda and Dyana plot next episode, but I don’t have high hopes for logic and consistency. The first thing I asked myself when Dyana recognized Elinda was “how do they know each other?” I think the show might have them be friends from their days of working at the Red Keep, but there’s a problem with that. Elinda went with Rhaenyra to Dragonstone, so she was gone from KL for 6 years. Dyana is notably very young, so I can’t imagine her being a little girl already working as a royal chambermaid 6+ years ago; being a front-of-house servant for the royal family would be a very coveted job probably based on seniority, experience, and connections. So odds are their time as royal servants at the Red Keep didn’t overlap, and servants had a hierarchy of their own, so it’s not like Elinda (who is a noblewoman) is hanging out with the scullions. I guess we’ll just have to see what the show does…or if they just gloss over it.

I am excited about the dragon seed plot, even though there are some plot holes and problems with it. I quite like what they’re doing with Hugh (his wife’s Tumbleton mention is not going to end well 👀), and Ulf has honestly been fun to watch. But I’m going to be very disappointed if they really cut Nettles (and it sounds like they did). 😢

[moreespressoformydepresso]

Besides the district 7 kids and Lucy gray is there is background tributes you are curious about or are your favourite to headcanon for?

H u h

Well I’m curious about all the tributes but I can’t really come up with enough headcanons for them to post about them. I just don’t have much to say? I’ve always liked District 7 what with all the forests and that badass tree climb stunt they did in the OG series (though every time I question why they ran forward instead of climbing the nearest trees every single time I see it) so when Lamina and Treech came along to disprove Gaul’s whole existence incorrect and be the early stage Foxface respectively, there was no shortage of inspiration for me. Especially because we do get hints as to who they, small though they may be. There’s stuff to theorize on, which makes it easier (for me at least) to create headcanons because it feels less like writing an OC and more like expanding on an existing character.

But I do have some small snippets? So I’ll share those I guess? While I try to get through the small hurdle keeping several AU’s in the drafts.

- Facet helped out in the daycare/kindergarten back in D1 because he loved kids and wanted to have some of his own one day.

- said kids didn’t learn what truly happened to him until they got older. Some fought in the rebellion, others told stories about him to their children who ended up becoming rebels. They fought for the memory of a boy whose face they can’t even remember clearly, but whose impact on their life was unimaginable.

- Panlo is two years older than Sheaf (15 and 13 respectively) and felt she was his responsibility in some way, even though they didn’t know each other before the games.

- Ginnee and Otto were friends before the games. They worked in the same factory and made the same parts, and they just clicked.

[reignof-fyre]

House of the Dragon really dropped the ball on the changes they made. They could have kept Alicent as ambitious as her book counterpart. She could have befriended Rhaenyra for the power being the Princess' bestie and daughter of the Hand brought her. She could have been Otto's spy or hidden dagger and still be used for Otto's goals of having his blood on the throne.

Making Alicent who, in the books, is a Cersei-level female antagonist, a victim just...fell completely flat and made me despise her so much more than I do Book!Alicent. Book Alicent is a woman in a man's world who knows how to grasp for power not usually afforded to women. In the show, she's pathetic and annoying.

Rhaenyra, too, in the books is a woman who knows what she wants. She wants her birthright. She wants to fight for it. She has loyal followers. In the show they made her a bratty, annoying little girl.

The common denominator? The writers wanted these girls to not be the badass women they are in Fire and Blood and completely destroy their agency and nuance.

It's the same with Viserys, who wasn't blind to Alicent and Otto's treason. He knew they wanted Aegon on the throne. Otto was fired as Hand for bothering Viserys about it constantly.

Daemon's morally grey character was completely wiped and replaced with "this man is a villain only and he is a bad guy." In the books he's both good and bad, doing villainous things for reasons he sees as good. He loves his family, he never wanted the throne in the book; he had so many chances to usurp Viserys and never took them. He never killed Rhea Royce, he was at war; he begged Viserys to annul the marriage. Otto convinced Viserys to fire him from his positions as Master of Coin and Law, he didn't do a bad job, he was shunted from those potions because of Otto's dislike of him and Viserys' people pleasure nature.

Rhea Royce was also older than Daemon when they got married. Daemon was a boy of 16 and forced to marry her, literally dragged to the Sept against his will; but no one is complaining that he was a child groom, which he was, but because he was a boy it's okay? No. Rhea was older than him and gladly married him. That's fucking gross.

Y'all complain about Daemon grooming Rhaenyra - that never happened. Grooming is how Viserys II (son of Rhaenyra and Daemon) was forced to marry Larra Rogare and she, a TWENTY YEAR OLD WOMAN, fell pregnant with his child when he was THIRTEEN YEARS OF AGE. He was also held captive by her family in Lys for years. He likely had Stockholm syndrome.

Also, Rhaenyra adores Laena in the books. They're best friends. Daemon loves Laena in the books, and is utterly gutted by her death. Laenor is killed by Qarl with WITNESSES in Spicetown and Rhaenyra and Daemon wait a YEAR to marry, the acceptable mourning period. They then had years of happiness on Dragonstone, and they ADORED their children.

Rhaenys isn't a robot bitch queen, and her claim to the throne was dismissed by JAEHAERYS not the council. The council was between Viserys and Laenor, a boy of seven. Corlys wanted his son named King, not his wife. In the books, he's in his 30's and Rhaenys is SIXTEEN when they marry and he's a misogynistic POS.

It's also likely that Jace, at least, is Laenor's son with the Baratheon features because Rhaenys has black hair because her mother was a Baratheon.

Aegon isn't a rapist chad boy in the book. Aemond didn't "accidently" kill Lucerys. He meant to actually kill him. He demanded Luke's eye or his life at Storms End. He's an actual psychopath and commits genocide in the Riverlands and likely didn't care much for Alys Rivers. She was just his mistress/whore. AEMOND IS EVERYTHING OTTO SAID DAEMON WAS = A MONSTER. that's the whole fucking point of them being compared to one another. Daemon isn't Maegor come again, AEMOND IS. THAT IS WHAT IS IRONIC.

It's like the writers looked at the book and went "no thanks" and wrote their own really fucking bad Fire & Blood fanfic because they're green sympathisers.

Greens = antagonists in the Dance

Blacks = protagonists in the Dance.

And Ryan Condal saying we're gonna change to green sympathisers? He really wants the fandom to be RAPE APOLOGISTS? fuck no. The greens can fucking choke. Ryan can fucking choke.

The show completely obliterated these characters in the worst ways, removing most of their agency and nuance.

[darklinaforever]

The Alicent Hightower from Fire and Blood is like those female antagonists of mother-in-law, mother, empress and or concubines from Asian or Turkish series.

We love to hate them. They're jerks but they're badass and know what they want and will do anything to get it. Somehow, despite our hatred, they inspire in us a form of respect.

That’s what Alicent Hightower was in the book.

A great villain.

A woman hungry for power who did everything to obtain it. A woman who shared her father's desires, but managed perfectly on her own to found her faction during the years when he was absent, therefore making her the leader, not Otto. A woman who has chosen the color of her faction. Who has actively sought to usurp Rhaenyra since she was named heir. A woman who led the Greens council.

In the series... she just a poor victim without complexity who always makes puppy eyes. A huge hypocrite and paranoid. Manipulated by his father, made paranoid by him. Took the color green simply because in this reality it's the color of his family. Complains that apparently no one is on his side during his father's absence at court. Was not the leader of the Green council, and was not even aware (apparently) of Rhaenyra's usurpation to put Aegon II on the throne.

She inspires no respect in us, and even less pity. She simply disgusts us...

Especially since the book version was 18 when she married Viserys and was very happy to be Queen, especially since she was in fact enormously loved and pampered by Viserys. Unlike the series where she is forced into marriage by her father, this time at the age of 15, and Viserys doesn't even like her.

I really have a hard time seeing the so-called more feminist aspect of HOTD for the character of Alicent... They made her a victim, a hypocrite and a paranoid. That's all. How is it better than the book version ?!

Throughout the pre-war period, Alicent in Fire and Blood was the villain, Rhaenyra's adversary. But once the war begins, things change and Aegon II becomes the main antagonist. No one can control it. So, what the hell are they going to invent to further include Alicent in the story of the series, knowing that they are only making her a perpetual victim ? I swear this series is tiring me out...

I love the Alicent in the book, and every time I see HOTD's version I want to pull my hair out. Especially since Olivia Cooke had the potential to make a truly great Alicent Hightower. (Also, damn the fact that she's a redhead like Sansa, help...)

In other words... Alicent, my beloved, you deserved better. You were the queen of bitches and now you are reduced to... almost nothing. It's sad.