#pro laena Velaryon

[spacerockfloater]

“You’re racist because you don’t like Rhaena and Baela!” actually makes me chuckle considering that:

1. I’ve criticised them entirely on their personalities, which has nothing to do with their race/ ethnicity and you’re actually so sick to suggest that.

2. All the POC characters who have been abused both in book canon (Nettles) and show canon (Criston Cole, Mysaria, Laena Velaryon, Laenor Velaryon, Vaemond Velaryon, Corlys Velaryon and his son Addam) have all suffered at the hands of Rhaenyra and her crew.

[cl0ud-ninex]

Everytime I feel bad about how rhae.nyra and dae.mon were butched in the show, their stans/shippers open their mouths about Laena and im instantly reminded why I don't and shouldn't give a damn.

[ashblooddragons]

I hope the princess starts to defend herself from Rhaenyra's attacks honestly.... from the moment she becomes an adult I hope she accepts that Rhaenyra is a lost cause and that she has much better things to do like flying with Laena , make the people of the kingdom love and respect her, have daemon as a husband and have adorable children <3

Reader has pretty much given up on being close to Rhaenyra, I've tried to put hints of how this isn't new Rhaenyra belittled her on a daily basis and Viserys does nothing about it. And yes she will be defending herself the older she gets, it's only that her and Laena are still toddlers/little little kids so all they have is run, Attack, and scream right now. They don't have much wit to fight back with words.

[watcherintheweyr]

'Rhaenyra is a bad mom bc she knowingly gave birth to bastards and she knew how much danger they'd be in!!!!'

1. She had no way of knowing those babies wouldn't pop out looking exactly like her, beforehand. And unfortunately she couldn't stop at Jace. The throne needed an heir. Driftmark needed an heir. And a spare was needed as well, given the sheer rate of Targaryen children dying untimely deaths.

2. She had to provide heirs to the throne, and to Driftmark. If she hadn't, society wouldn't have blamed Laenor, they would have blamed her- which makes her position even more unstable, bc then she 'can't fulfill a woman's duty' so why would men think her 'able' to fill a 'man's role' by ruling the kingdom? And she and Laenor tried. He was either unable (meaning infertile or impotent, or unable to get it up), or unwilling. (And they did try. We dont know what they tried but Rhaenyra is shown to be clever in the show so honestly i have no doubt she attempted what Margaery suggested with Renly.) Laenor was in on the entire thing. He was aware of every part of this. He wasn't duped, he wasn't cuckholded- it was a plan greenlit by him, bc this way he and Rhaenyra would both have their heirs and a family. This cannot in any way shape or form be compared to Cersei cuckholding Robert (fuck Robert Baratheon tho), seeing as Robert was **not** at all aware that his children weren't his, and wouldn't have been OK with that.

Either way- she chose not to maritally r*pe her husband and put him through more trauma after it was clear their attempts weren't working. Yall are always so upset for Alicent (rightfully so, bc show!alicent was maritally raped, even if it wasn't considered as such in that time), but you... WANT Rhaenyra to do that to Laenor? Hello???

[And no. Rhaenyra did NOT rape or coerce Criston Cole. The actors, writers, and directors have all stated their sex was consensual and 'an act of love.' It was Rhaenyra going to someone she felt close to and trusted after feeling abandoned and unwanted and betrayed. In that scene you literally watch, as after Cole tells Rhaenyra to stop undressing herself, she moves aside so she isn't blocking his way to the door. The director states that the moment they show Cole folding and setting down his cloak was him choosing his desire over his oaths. And Criston Cole has known Rhaenyra since she was 14. He knew damn well the sort of person she was- and she was not the person who would have harmed him for saying no. She was an intoxicated and emotionally vulnerable 19 year old- Criston was in his late 20s to early 30s. And it's explicitly stated in ep.9 that the ONLY person a Kingsguard cannot refuse is the king. In ep.7 Criston disobeys a direct order from Alicent when she wants him to mutilate Lucerys. Criston Cole was not assaulted. Stop trying to assign Aegon's sins to Rhaenyra so that you can feel better for supporting him.]

3. In the books, the rumors of their bastardry at large halted when all of Rhaenyra's boys' cradle eggs hatched. The ONLY people who continued to try and raise issue were the core green faction. But the realm at large *did not give a fuck* why? Because every actually relevant party claimed those boys. Repeatedly and without flinching. Laenor claimed and loved those boys even face to face with Alicent's bullshit. Corlys claimed and love those boys- he was proud of them, and it's been stated by the actor in the show that Luke was his favorite- that given the... events of ep.10, Corlys will be out for blood. And Viserys repeatedly insisted upon their legitimacy- because Laenor and Corlys claimed them, because he knew that by forcing Rhaenyra to marry Laenor in order to repair the damage his insults caused House Velaryon, that he had backed her into a corner.

Rhaenyras boys are remembered to history as Velaryon. Even **Green supporters** noted that they were good, capable, intelligent, and **worthy** princes. That their deaths were unfortunate *for the realm.*

Legally, those boys are legitimate. They cannot be proven illegitimate without Laenor renouncing them, and he never did. Furthermore, trying to declare children illegitimate due to their appearance is a stupid, dangerous precedent. The fact that it's people who have no ties to House Velaryon pushing these rumors and pushing for disinheritance makes it even worse, because they're meddling in the succession of a House that *is not theirs.* if that became a standard, imagine the feuds and conflicts that would erupt- lords pushing for the children of rivals to be declared illegitimate all for the sake of trying to grasp and steal land, power, and influence as a norm? The realm would tear itself apart. Not to mention the sheer danger that would place women in, in Westeros.

Furthermore, even whilst usurping her, even while calling her children bastards, the Greens also imply Laenor's homosexuality was inherited by the Velaryon princes- that they would use Rhaenyra's 'promiscuity' and Laenor's 'predilections' to turn the Red Keep into a brothel- ironic, considering that's more what Aegon would've done. So even while claiming that Rhaenyras children are bastards that shouldn't inherit, they try to state that what the boys inherit or learn from Laenor makes them unfit for the throne. They can't keep their own damn story straight- because their usurpation was never about what is moral, what is right, or the greater good. It was about greed. Power. Sexism.

It doesn't matter what those boys looked like, especially seeing as Rhaenys had dark hair in the books. What matters is that Corlys and Laenor and Viserys claimed them and declared them legitimate, and that they **never** deviated from that.

As for Vaemond, he was a second son. And he waited until Corlys and Viserys were dying and too ill to stop him to make a grasp for power. Youre not supposed to look at that and feel hes in the right. Youre supposed to look at that and see a man consumed by greed, and literally trying to bury Corlys' will and intentions before the man is even in a grave. He was NEVER Corlys' heir- he just wanted power. It wasn't about his House, or their legacy, it was about him.

(And before yall start shit about Rhaenyras boys stealing Laena's girls' inheritance... Rhaena and Baela are *TARGARYEN*. Not Velaryon. Their claim was to the throne or to any holdings in Daemon's name. NOT to Driftmark.)

Rhaenyras boys being betrothed to Rhaena and Baela tied up any issue of 'Velaryon blood.' Baela would have been queen consort of the seven kingdoms at Jace's side, and they very clearly adored one another in book and show. Rhaena would have been Lady of the Tides- which she never would have had a chance for, without Rhaenyra (and Laena) making those betrothals. She and Luke were also canonically very close- and in show she's very encouraging of him whenever he looks nervous or uncertain. They had a bond.

Rhaenyra stole nothing. She gave those girls more. And she loved them- they were the only daughters she got to have, seeing as the Greens treachery caused the early death of baby Visenya. If she hadn't loved them, she wouldn't have trusted Rhaena to look after Joffrey or give her Morning's egg from Syrax. She wouldn't have immediately invited both girls to the table when she was queen, which is something her father did not do for her until much, much later. He allowed Rhaenyra's voice to be silenced too often when she was first made heir. Rhaenyra did not repeat that hurt to her girls or her boys.

Anyways, moving on.

You lot do also remember that Rhaenyra herself has Velaryon blood, right? Jaehaerys I's mother was Alyssa Velaryon. Aegon, Rhaenys, and Visenya the Conquerors' mother was Valaena Velaryon. It's not immediate, but there *is* Velaryon blood through *all* of Rhaenyras boys.

Ultimately, Rhaenyras boys were only in danger because of the core Green faction usurping the throne. If they hadnt- no succession crisis or rebellion could have truly threatened Rhaenyras boys- because none of them would have had dragons. All of Rhaenyras children loved one another- her sons by Daemon would not have turned on her sons with Laenor (and Harwin). They were a true, loving family- possibly one of the healthiest and most close knit one House Targaryen ever boasted.

And another thing... 'her having babies with Harwin was stupid, she should have picked someone Valyrian!'

Here's the thing. Rhaenyra had to be careful as hell choosing who would father her and Laenor's heirs. She had to choose someone who was physically close, and who could be trusted. Someone who wouldn't try to publicly claim those boys in boast or jealousy. Someone who would keep their mouth shut and had no ambition of their own in regards to the throne. Do you really think Vaemond Velaryon (as I see him suggested a lot) would've kept his mouth shut? That he wouldn't have tried to use this to blackmail Rhaenyra and Laenor for more power and status? Do you think Rhaenys would have ever fought for or supported Rhaenyra if Rhaenyra had tried to have Corlys sire her children? And flying to see Daemon in Pentos and having a purely Valyrian child 9 months later would have made things look even more suspect.

Furthermore... she chose someone who cared for her deeply. Who clearly had a positive relationship with Laenor. She chose someone so she wouldn't have to traumatize herself- she took power over her body in a way almost no Westerosi woman has ever been able to. They were a family unit- Rhaenyra, Laenor, and Harwin. Those children were loved and cherished by two fathers and their mother. They were raised never doubting their mothers love, nor their father's- either father. They were raised and educated to be true, good princes of the realm.

Rhaenyra fought like hell for her children. She was an incredible mother. Yall just believe everything the Green faction says without looking at it critically, and that's unfortunate as hell.

[kataraavatara]

i’ll never forgive the hotd writers for benching laena in order to make rhaenyra look bad. RHAENYRA & LAENA made the Jace/Baela and Luke/Rhaena betrothals, not Rhaenys. Rhaenys was never involved. But instead we get Rhaenyra making this desperate last attempt to secure Rhaenys’s support at the when Luke’s inheritance is about to be taken away. No, Laena went to her grave with the expectation that her daughters would be Queen Consort of the Seven Kingdoms and Lady of Driftmark because of the matchmaking she did. Not Daemon. Not Rhaenys. Her.

[laenaism]

I’ve seen way too many people talking about how Rhaena was ungrateful or saying ‘she could have claimed a dragon.’ I even saw someone say she wanted everything to be handed to her, like ??? No, she wanted to be seen.

She wanted to be with her sister and her grandmother and the reason she was sent away was because she wasn’t ‘useful’ to Rhaenyra. She wasn’t useful because she didn’t have a dragon and that was the point Rhaena was making! She shouldn’t have to have been grateful to watch over children or ‘be a mother to them’ when she was only 14-16 herself, bffr! She shouldn’t have to have a dragon to be valued either. It’s so sad that Laena was the only one in her life that never seemed to pressure her into claiming one. Laena told her of the paths she could take, but she never made her feel like having a dragon was the only way she would be special. Rhaena was special to Laena regardless of if she had a dragon or not! And Rhaena also feared being sent away ever since she was a child, and then she ends up being sent away when she gets older! It doesn’t matter if Rhaenyra ‘trusted’ her with the dragon eggs, that doesn’t make up for everything. I need some of y’all to use your brains sometimes lmao 😭 Rhaena had every right to be upset and feel undervalued because she was! She wasn’t being whiny, she was understandably hurt.

[fatum679]

A son for a son. Laenor shall be avenged!

What about Laenor? Where is "son for son" for him? Rhaenys and Corlys, have you forgotten your child? You support the killers of your kid? lmao

Everyone "forgot" about him. Also, I'm sure he was killed off-screen in the TV show.

Rhaenys talks about her daughter, but not her son. lmfao

Rhaenyra, have you forgotten about the murder of "this son"?

#anti comparing Helaena with Rhaenyra

[thesunfyre4446]

i will never shut up about daemon sleeping with rhaenyra on laena's funeral.

have some f*cking respect for the mother of your children. have some f*cking respect for the person who was your companion for the last 10 years.

and i love how the writers changed laena's death to "honor her", but had daemyra get together on her goddamn funeral. disgusting.

[nyracel]

“He’s always angry, but we haven’t done anything.”

“…but I have a crooked finger, just like Mama!”

“We were born here. Mama is our mother.”

“I do not wish to be different.” “Nor do I.”

“So let us be good sons and please those who love us, so they may forget what we lack.”

I’m never going to recover from this. Once again scenes were removed that would add to both boys characterizations, and we all know why. The scenes would make the audience realize how Aemond’s ‘I’m being bullied for not having a dragon :( I’m the real victim!’ storyline so fallible and easy to shatter in universe because it’s a completely normal occurrence for Targaryen’s. Aemond is not the first child to not have a dragon by the age of ten, the original conqueror’s, Baelon, Alyssa, Rhaenys, Laena, Viserys, Daemon, Aegon II, Helaena, etc. all claimed young or fully grown dragons somewhere between the ages of 11-18.

The only character that had the potential to be marketed as his biggest bully is his brother. They’re never going to convince me (and many others) that it was Rhaenyra’s sons who would ever go after another child for their lack of a dragon, especially given that they were almost surely taught that hatching a cradle egg is but one way for a Targaryen to have a dragon. Aemond felt lesser than his nephews due to the way Alicent was parenting him. She led him to believe that his nephews were bastards, that due to their blood they were beneath him, and this is what led to his inferiority complex. It makes more sense than the crock of shit the show runners decided to include in the show.

Rhaenyra and her sons were subjected to actual abuse and bigotry over the timeskip due to their gender and their blood, respectively. It very much makes me sick how they’re being treated by not only the show runners, but a decent portion of the audience as well. Bastardphobia is not cool or edgy. Looking down on someone because their parents weren’t married is vile. It falls into the same category as believing in blood supremacy. It’s 2024. Do better.

Jace and Luke will forever be Mama’s boys and are never beating the best brothers/sons allegations.

</3

[nogoodsheepstealing-greatgrandma]

HOTD stans: "Ugh those TB fans whining over every change and insisting HOTD is biased against them. Don't they think that maybe the writers made changes just so the story would be more interesting, not because Otto Hightower placed a gun to their head? Don't they see how much more interesting and complex the characters are now than in their fictional history book?"

also HOTD stans: "The Greens are just so much more interesting though. Sorry Rhaenyra, on principle I do support female succession. But you, Jakey boy and the rest of the pot plants just can't compete with Alicent and her poor tortured fucked up kids. They are THE dysfunctional family they are just so much more interesting-"

Wait... you mean ignoring half the cast didn't make them more interesting? Could it possibly be that bias isn't just a case of which side is portrayed as sympathetic, but which side is given attention?

Nah, of course not. I mean, a script direction stating that Jacaerys had already gone through an offscreen identity crisis over his parentage years ago and had come to terms with it? I thought that was so much more interesting than actually depicting it. I'm glad they got rid of Jace being bullied and focused on Aemond instead - it really made Jace a much more interesting character. Exploring the internalised shame of being a bastard, or what it's like to be constantly targeted and bullied by a kingsguard knight whose obsessed with destroying your mother, just isn't as interesting as Aemond being sad he doesn't have a dragon, or Aegon's daddy issues.

Giving Baela and Rhaena no screentime or dialogue? Genius. I'm so much more intrigued now. When they established Rhaena's yearning for a dragon I was worried we were going to see more of her, but to my upmost relief we spent her mother's funeral following Aemond instead. And the writers appropriately only used Rhaena to keep Aemond sympathetic, by having her be the one to initiate the fight instead of him hitting a toddler - once she was done serving Aemond's character we really didn't need anything further from her.

That one-off line about Daemon ignoring Rhaena was sufficient really, no need to explore that relationship any further. Just as there was no need to explore Baela's relationship with Jace, or the girls relationship with their stepmother. Let's go back to how Aegon is so sad that he has to rape women, or Helaena's bug collection. Let's throw sympathy on Vaemond while the female heirs to Driftmark stand silently in the background. Let's fart around in a Green-centric episode with a 100% stake-free race to find Aegon first. Let's throw in a scene of Larys masturbating over the Queen's feet, because the more powerless she is the more we can see Olivia Cooke's beautiful brown eyes weeping. The Blacks certainly don't need their own episode to breathe.

Sure, I did feel bad for book Rhaenyra when she was ordered away to effective exile on Dragonstone by her own father after the fight at Driftmark. And when her father almost called her home again to be his Hand, but then prioritised placating his wife and chose Otto instead. That sure SOUNDS like a compelling father-daughter conflict on paper. Perhaps we COULD have seen the tragic tale of a daughter whose father keeps failing to fight for her and unwittingly sabotages her, as his peacekeeping 'neutrality' effectively chooses his wife over her time and time again.

But I don't know, there was just something about Rhaenyra voluntarily bouncing because 'the wise sailor steers to avoid the storm' that felt much more intriguing than being forced away by her own father. Rhaenyra staying away for years was much more intriguing than her father passing her over as Hand. It really made the moment where Viserys drags his corpse out of bed to defend her stand out, you know? And it let us keep the focus on how Alicent is sad that her husband doesn't appreciate her, because the more victimised interesting Alicent is, the more interesting everyone is!

Daemon bashing his wife's head in with a rock also really made him more grey as a character.

As did Rhaenys slaughtering the smallfolk and championing the Geneva Convention the very next episode. That writing decision definitely had nothing to do with shock value. I mean, when asked why she didn't just end the war there and then we got solid Watsonian explanations such as 'it wasn't my war to start' or 'she wouldn't do that to another mother' (women, right?). That's how you know that creatively it made sense, because they wanted it to happen. Where was she keeping that change of armour?

Who needs Laena matchmaking to secure Driftmark and the Iron Throne for her daughters when she can spend her time wishing for self-immolation? Who needs Laena trying to fly one last time, desperate for that last taste of freedom before she dies, when she can instead kill herself via self-immolation?

Laenor faking his death via the murder of an innocent bystander and leaving the charred remains of the body to traumatise his parents and children (whose biological father has just died in a fire)? That needs no further exploration, I'm sure that didn't psychologically scar Jace and Luke any more than Laena's self-immolation affected her daughters. All that matters is we didn't bury our gays, isn't that great? This way Laenor didn't get assassinated, just his character!

I mean, we could have had Laenor's death be a tragic mystery, with unconfirmed rumours that Daemon had a hand in it. We could have placed the audience in Rhaenyra's point of view, we could have watched her grapple with the doubt, struggle over whether it's a possibility she can live with. We could have had the moment she gets passed over as Hand be the moment she decides to marry Daemon, like in the book. That could have said something interesting about her character and their relationship. But on second thoughts, "we'll fake Laenor's death and then we can be the ultimate power couple and RULE THE WORLD" was much more sophisticated.

Oh, and de-aging Aegon the Younger? Just look at the emotional range on that baby.

The casting for Addam and Alyn too... Honestly, not just their casting, I think overall the decision to cast characters aged 13-15 with grown adults is really going to underscore the tragedy of their stolen childhoods. It worked for Game of Thrones!

Nettles? Don't we have enough black women in the background?

[spacerockfloater]

Why the fuck does Laena Velaryon, who is canonically younger than Rhaenyra Targaryen in the show, look like a fucking 20-year-old in episode 5 while Rhaenyra, her elder, still looks fucking 13? Why the actual fuck did they change the YOUNGER girl’s actress and made her look older, but it’s okay for Rhaenyra to continue looking like a preteen? I’ll tell you why.

They’re trying to distract us from the fact that creepy ass Daemon is courting a 14-year-old. A FOURTEEN YEAR OLD. Rhaenyra is 15 in episode 1 and Laena is 12, meaning they have a 3 year age gap. Then, Viserys tells Rhaenyra that she must marry since she’s 17 now, making Laena 14, maybe 15 at best. So they obviously can’t afford having Daemon thirst over a child again, therefore this is a shitty attempt to cover up the fact that Laena still is a very fucking young child.

HBO what is this? Why do your casting choices indicate that you’re trying to use some kind of ageist technique to manipulate your viewers? Why are the supposedly good guys, Rhaenyra and her children, portrayed by very young actors? Is this to show how innocent and pure they are? Why are the characters who are supposedly evil, Aegon and Aemond, or the character for whom we shouldn’t worry too much about since she’s just a tool for Daemon’s story line to develop, Laena, portrayed by obviously older actors even though they’re all supposed to be kids? Because the youth = good people and old = bad people analogy is fucking gross and lowkey paedophilic. Not to mention how weird it is to make all the black girls in the show look like fucking grown ups. What kind of racist bullshit is this?

I can’t understand HBO’s decisionmaking for the love of me. Like, on the one hand, it’s so obvious that they’re forcing Daemon and Rhaenyra down our throats, to the point that I actually laughed out loud when the show runner said “he doesn’t get why people like Daemon”. Like, my guy, you MADE the show. You made him look like an appealing, dangerous, sexy, strong, victorious and mysterious man, so what do you mean you don’t get the appeal? On the other hand though, most of the actions that they allow Daemon to perform are so horrifying that it makes it impossible for a sane person to stand beside him and defend him. Like, they try to sugarcoat that he’s an abusive piece of shit yeah, but they somehow don’t shy away from the fact that he’s terrible? Are they doing both of these things on purpose? Are they trying to challenge the viewer, to show us how abusers, despite being openly deranged, still have their way of dazzling their victims, the average person, and hypnotising them with their charm? Is Daemon doing to us (and by us I mean you Daemon stans, not me, stay safe though) what he’s doing to Rhaenyra and Laena? Are the show producers testing the average viewer’s intelligence and ability to recognise an abuser? Will there be a lesson to be learned?

I would like to hope so but I highly doubt it, because while one could support this theory by arguing that changing Laena’s actress is an attempt to mask Daemon’s degenerative nature a bit so that it isn’t completely obvious that he’s a bad man, someone else could counter this argument by saying that we’ve already seen Daemon groom a minor so this wouldn’t be something new. We’ve seen him do much more violent crimes actually, so why shy away from the fact he’s a groomer when we are already aware of this? Idk man, I really want to think that HBO is trying to make us see that Daemon is an evil person, but then indirectly glorifying him constantly makes me believe they just want people to root for him.

P.S. I may anger a lot of people by saying this, so I’ll make myself clear by stating that I love and greatly respect actors who specialise in portraying evil characters, because doing so and not losing yourself is a challenge (*cough* Leto *cough*) but if done correctly, it’s a true showcase of one’s talent and hard work. Lee, De Niro, Hopkins, Bardem and Rickman are just a few to name. However, Matt Smith has never rubbed me the right way. No hate to the guy, I don’t even know him, but I’ve seen him play the villain in three separate occasions (HOTD, Last Night in Soho, Morbius) and I just get these weird vibes, but I usually told myself it’s just my imagination running wild. However, I recently found out that Smith claimed that Daemon is a loyal man who loves deeply and that his “heir for a day” brothel feast was his way of honouring Aema, which really disturbed me for obvious reasons. I don’t know if he said this because he’s trying to defend his character and by extension himself, or if he just wants to promote the show, or if he doesn’t understand Daemon or if he funnily enough has fallen victim to his own character’s charm and I don’t care because it is a dangerous thing to say. Painting this character, the arrogant, obnoxious, self serving, people slaughtering, wife murdering, backstabbing, abusing, grooming, lying, manipulating, war criminal of a man, in such a positive light while being a man yourself, knowing that most of this character’s supporters are young impressionable women who just find him hot, makes me lowkey wanna cover my drink in his presence, I don’t know.

[drakaripykiros130ac]

“The Velaryons switch teams after Rhaenyra dies.”

Based on what? Corlys sitting on the Green Council after Rhaenyra’s death? That’s it?

The simplicity with which some people in this fandom think truly baffles me.

As if Corlys Velaryon would ever truly side with the people who murdered his beloved wife and two of his grandsons. Not to mention that many years prior, the Hightowers took away his chance at seeing his daughter, Laena, become Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and uniting the two greatest Valyrian Houses.

First of all, Corlys is not the only representative of House Velaryon. Alyn and Baela continued their fight on the side of the Blacks long after Rhaenyra’s death.

Secondly, what Corlys did on the Green Council was promote the interests of the Blacks. He was there to ensure that Queen Rhaenyra’s son, Aegon, ascends the throne. And then, he most likely conspired to have the usurper killed.

He was basically the Blacks’ inside man.

The Velaryons have always been Team Black, from start to finish.

[ashblooddragons]

The Red Queen (Chapter 4/?)

110 ac

Your pov

I sit on the floor of my room clutching my stuffed Caraxes, tears rolling down my face as I listen to my Papa and Kepus fight. They do this every time Nyra and I have a spat, or in truth when Nyra yells at me for one reason or another. This time it was because I was dancing in the halls with Laena and I tripped and bumped into her which made her almost trip and fall into a puddle. The only difference this time is Nyra grabbed my arm hard as she yelled at me, the Maester said I’ll heal perfectly fine but it still stings. What concerned him the most was the cuts on my arms from her nails stating “to grab the princess this tightly–it makes one wonder how cruel Princess Rhaenyra can be.”    

“Why Viserys? Why can’t you just be a fucking father for once in your life and take care of this? Why has it had to come to her being bruised so badly a maester is called for you to finally realize there is a problem?” Kepus yells furiously. 

“Do not tell me how to raise my girls, Daemon!” Papa yells back. “Up until this Rhaenyra hasn’t been violent, we need to find out if there is more to the story. This truly couldn’t have happened over something so miniscule.” Papa says trying to calm him and Kepus down but from what Kepus says next it doesn’t seem like it did. 

“Are you jesting right now? Viserys, tell me this is a jest! Have you not seen what me and Aemma, Seven hells the whole court has seen?” Kepus’s yelling isn’t scaring me as much as what he says next, for his voice sounds calm and yet it still sends chills down my spine. “If you won’t do something about this Viserys, I will. And let it be known you won’t like what happens.”  I hear Papa stuttering as Kepus opens my door and slams it behind him as he walks over to me.

“Don’t be mad at Nyra, she said she was sorry.” 

He chuckles but there is no joy behind it, he pinches the bridge of his nose, a habit I’ve noticed he does when frustrated. “Only because your mother made her, Sweetling. She didn’t want to, she was forced to. She must be punished for this, something like this can’t go unanswered.” He says as he picks me up and holds me close.

“Laena bit her so she’d let me go, is Laena going to be in trouble? I don’t want her to be in trouble, Kepus.” I say as I think about how she tried to save me.

Tears roll down my eyes as I feel her nails dig into my arm, it stings, it burns, it hurts. I look around for any help but find none as it’s only me, Laena, and Nyra in this hall. 

“Could you be any more stupid! You almost ruined my dress you brat!” 

 I try to get free of her grip but Nyra is stronger than me, her grip feels like a vice on my arm. I cry out when she twists my arm harshly, that’s when I hear Laena make what sounds like a battle cry as she runs over trying to free me from my sister’s grasp. 

“Let her go! Let her go this instant! I’ll hit you! I’ll do it you Bitch!” Laena screams 

“Oh shut up, you couldn’t hurt me even if you tried! I could have your head on a spike if I wished!” Nyra says as she goes to push Laena. Thankfully  Laena saw it coming, she grabbed Nyra’s hand and bit down hard making Nyra cry out. 

“What is the meaning of this!” I hear Kepus yell. Nyra goes wide eyed and lets me go staring at our uncle terrified. She backs away as he storms over to us. “You best get going, I find you’ll want your father's punishment more than mine.” he says as he grips the dagger that lays at his hip

I watch as he smiles proudly. “No, I’ll make sure of it. You have made a wonderful friend in Lady Laena, hold onto that friendship with everything you have. Can you do that for me, Sweetling?” At this request I nod which makes him smile fondly down at me. 

“You protect me too. You kill the scary spiders, and scare the monsters away from under my bed.” I say which seems to have amused him as he throws his head back laughing. 

“Those are very important things to protect you from, my girl.” he says smiling his first real smile since Nyra hurt me. 

That’s when we hear a knock at my door. “Are you in there?” I smile big and wiggle in his arms to get free, once he sets me down I rush to open the door. When I do I see Laena standing there smiling mischievously. “Guess what! My Mama told the King I got in trouble, but really she gave me a candy.” she says smiling as I hug her.  “Do you want to play? I’m so bored without you.” She asks. I nod vigorously as she takes my hand as we run off towards the gardens.

As we play in the royal gardens, Laena and I talk about our dragons. “The dragon keepers said Moonfyre is probably one of Sliverings babies. That’s why she’s so big.” Laena says proudly. And she’s not wrong, Moonfyre is as big as Dreamfyre which is considered a very large dragon, at least thats what Kepus told me. 

“Stromchaser is almost as big as Meleys, which means she’s a little bit smaller than Caraxes. I even heard that she may have babies in her tummy. Kepus told me, he said that they’re hers and Caraxes. Well at least that’s what the dragon keepers told him.”

“Wait, do you know where babies come from? Everytime I ask my Mama or Papa they change the subject or tell me, I'll know when I’m older.” 

I stop and think about it and shake my head. “I thought Mama's bellies get big because of the baby and then they show up.”

“But how do the babies get in the belly?” Laena whispers like we’re talking about something that will get us in trouble

“I never thought about that.” I whisper back. 

“We’ll ask at supper, they can’t lie if we both ask.” Laena says confidently.

Daemons pov

I’m talking to Viserys and Lord Corlys when you and your friend’s nursemaids walk you two into the dining hall for supper. You two seem to be bickering about something, which is odd as I can’t recall a moment you two were at odds with one another. 

When you two finally sit, you turn and stare at each other; it's as if you're having a conversation through eye contact alone. Finally you sigh and nod. “In a moment.” you whisper to which the little Velaryon nods.

I take your plate and fill it with all your favorites watching as you fidget nervously. When I set it down you start eating quickly, almost too quickly. Same goes for your friend, which strikes me as odd as you two are usually very dignified when you eat. Well as dignified as a four and five year old can be.

We all laugh about memories or talk about politics if you are my brother and Lord Corlys. It's no shock that Lord Corlys is trying to sweet talk my brother into agreeing to a trading deal with him and the crown. 

“And that, Your Grace, is why I think we can both benefit from this tra-” He continues to drone on until you interrupt him blurting out. 

“How are babies made?”

I choke on my wine, Viserys spits his out. Aemma blushes so profusely I think she’ll permanently be a shade of red. Corlys sits there with his gaping like a fish. The only one who seems composed after that question is my ravened haired cousin who only sighs and shakes her head seemingly trying not to laugh.

“Um wh-why do you ask, Darling?” Viserys asks as he clears his throat and squirms in his seat, obviously uncomfortable with where this evening's conversion has turned too. 

It’s not you that answers though, it’s the little Velaryon. “Well we were talking about our dragons, and then she told me Stormchaser is gonna have a clutch and that Caraxes is the Papa. Which made me wonder about how babies are made, which made her wonder, which led to this question.” She says matter of factly and waits for all of thirty seconds before huffing and asking. “Well, how do they get in the belly?” 

Everyone looks at each other trying to figure out who will answer and with what. That is until you pull on the sleeve of my doublet. “Do you know, Kepus?” you ask with a look that pulls at my heartstrings. 

Always so trusting of me, always believing the best in me, always making me feel loved. You're the only one in this gods forsaken keep that makes me feel appreciated, makes me wanted, the only one that misses me. So how can I not at least give you a half truth, for I most definitely won’t tell the full of it to you. 

I clear my throat before answering . “Of course I know, my girl. The way babes are made is…a lot of kissing.” I answer. 

You and the Velaryon girl gasp and look at each other, you two start whispering excitedly to each other. That is until you stop and look up at me confused. “But Nyra has kissed boys before, why doesn’t she have a baby?” You ask curiously

Viserys' eyes go wide when he hears this. “Who? Who has your sister kissed?” He asks trying to keep his anger at bay

You look at him and shrug. “One time I saw her kiss a knight with a flower on his chest, and Lanea said she saw her kiss a stable boy.” 

“A cute stable boy.” Laena corrects.

I watch as Aemma bites her lips and looks at my brother, a clear sign she’s furious but holding back for the children. “It seems our eldest needs a longer punishment, my love.” she says.

You flinch and reach for me when your father slams his fist on the table. “I swear that girl will be the death of me. Why must she always put herself in a position that can ruin her? Have we not warned her enough?” Viserys says furiously. 

Laena leans closer to the table and looks at Viserys. “Does it not help that the stable boy was cute?” She asks innocently, which seems to break the tension as we all chuckle and you girls join even though you have no idea why it’s funny. 

“I’m afraid not, Lady Laena. But thank you for pointing that out nonetheless.” Aemma responds, smiling softly.

After that eventful dinner I carry you to your room, you play a bit more as I can tell you're not even remotely tired yet. I had asked your nursemaid to get you changed into a nightgown and leave us. Once she has left you turn to look at me curiously. 

“Why don’t I have a baby?” You ask as you brush out your dolls hair, the one I gave you for your fourth nameday. It is supposed to take after your likeness, and I must say the craftsmanship is quite remarkable for it looks almost exactly like you.

“What do you mean, Sweetling?” I asked confused.

“You kiss me, but I don’t have a baby.” You say as if it’s obvious. I can’t help but burst out laughing, only stopping when you hang your head pouting. 

“Sweetling, where do I kiss you?” I ask, trying not to laugh. You point to your forehead and then touch your cheeks, I nod and pull you close. “Yes, but to have a babe you need someone to kiss your lips. Do you understand?” 

You think about it for a bit before nodding. “So when I want a babe I’ll need to kiss a boy's lips?” you confirm.

I nod, smiling trying to push down that beast that rears its head up at the thought of you needing anyone but me for anything you’d desire in this world. I never understood why this violent creature had shown once you were born, I remember holding you for the first time. It was like a religious experience. It felt like for the first time in my gods forsaken life I had my purpose for being here. As if you were sent to me by the gods of old Valyria, as if they knew you would be the one thing to keep me sane. 

Finally when I’ve calmed down I say. “Yes, but there is more to it, but you will learn of those things when you're older.” I can’t help but chuckle when you groan and turn around, turning your back to me. Annoyed that you must wait to learn what you believe should be taught to you now. I can not blame you, for even though everyone says you have time, you wish to know now and yet no one will teach you. Ah, to be a child with infinite wonder and curiosity, and yet told to not be and to be patient with the information of the world. Must be a frustrating thing indeed.

Viserys pov

I lean over the railing looking down at you and Daemon as you play and he chases you, I can’t help but smile when you run away giggling, trying to out run him so he can’t catch you, or should I say run away from the scary monster so he doesn’t eat you. My brother is a violent man, but yet with you he’s only ever gentle, kind, and loving ever devoted to you and your happiness. Though there is a dark side to this devotion, my mind can’t help but go to what he said the other day, If you won’t do something about this Viserys, I will. And let it be known, you won’t like what happens.

I’m taken out of my thoughts when the Lord Hand walks over to me, he looks down at you two as well. I can see him frown when you squeal happily when my brother picks you up and pretends to eat your fingers. Your fits of giggles could be heard by all in Kingslanding, I am sure of it. 

“Does this not worry you, Your Grace?” Otto asks, gesturing to you and Daemon.

“What do you mean?” I ask confused as I look down at the scene before me. There is nothing of note happening, besides an uncle playing with his niece.

“I mean no offense when I say this Your Grace, but does the prince’s attachment to the young princess not worry you? Many at court whisper of it, it’s quite concerning as the girl is only the age of four” He says critically.

He does this often, speaks of yours and Daemon’s closeness. It has begun to get tiresome for I know of the whispers and gossip, as I’ve told Otto many times. But does he listen? No. There are days I wonder what my brother had done to anger the Lord Hand again to make him bring this subject up yet again.

“Otto, we have been over this, there is nothing to concern ourselves with. My brother is only being a good and kind uncle to my daughter.” I answer sternly, making it clear there is no room for discussion. 

“Of course Your Grace.” He says, but I know this will not be the last time he brings up this subject.

“Have you made sure the dragon keepers know to not let Rhaenyra see her dragon for the moon?” I ask, smiling as you laugh joyously as Daemon carries you on his shoulders. 

You grip his hair pulling it every which way as if he were a horse. I can’t help chuckling every time he grimaces when you pull the strands roughly, yet each time he smiles when he hears a new fit of laughter come forth from you. 

“Yes, they have had to turn her away four times now, she is not pleased.” He answers 

“The punishment is not to please her, surely you understand what a punishment is supposed to do?” I say with a scoff

“Of course, Your Grace, I just know how you hate your daughters being at odds with you.” he says. 

I nod and turn back watching you and Daemon. You cling to him as if he is your lifeline, and there are some days I catch him doing the same to you. There is nothing to worry about with your relationship, at least not for now there isn’t.

Sorry for the late update! I got a head cold which wiped me out for some reason, I hope you enjoyed!

@baybaybear1 @ilikefelines @sugutoad

Special thanks to @sugutoad for making the header!

[very-straight-blog]

"They whitewashed them!" "No, they whitewashed them!" Let's already admit that the writers completely messed up both teams. Let's admit that they don't know how to write a script and they don't understand what they are filming and for whom. I still think the writers are pro-black, but I really believe they don't know what to do even with the characters they prefer.

Let's start with TB. Rhaenyra is the main character of the series, but writers made her inconsistent and irresponsible. They forced her to go to Dragonstone on her own free will and not to return until she needed her father's help. They made Lucerys and Jacaerys just extras in the background, taking away all the good qualities that they had in the books and even humiliating them at dinner. They forced Daemon to murder his wife and strangle Rhaenyra. They wrote a sex scene between Daemon and Rhaenyra right at Laena's funeral. They also completely cut out Rhaenyra and Harwin's relationship story.

What about TG? Alicent turned from an ambitious woman into a victim. Also footfetish? Instead of a man who knows what he wants (revenge), Aemond has become a fool who doesn't control his dragon. Aegon is a r*pist now (with eight minutes on the screen), and his marriage to Helaena was practically removed from the narrative along with their children. They didn't even show us Sunfyre, and Aegon's desire to take the throne to protect his family was changed so in the series he was literally dragged to the coronation. Also Daeron now doesn't exist.

And all that even without detailed analysis and comparison with the books and without reasoning about the fact that every strong and power-hungry woman in this series was made a helpless lady in distress (and also this completely unnecessary friendship between Alicent and Rhaenyra just oh my God why). I really wish that after the second season both teams would unite to hate the writers together, because in fact we have one common problem.

[darklinaforever]

People who still use the scene where Daemon strangles Rhaenyra as an argument to justify all the bullshit that happens in HOTD with Daemyra's characters should be banned from speaking out after a while.

The choking scene was stupid and OCC. Daemon was never violent towards Rhaenyra in F&B.

And don't let anyone tell me that we can't be sure just because it's written as a historical text. GRRM never hesitates to expose this kind of thing. If he wanted us to understand that from Daemon he would have suggested it one way or another, except that's not the case so no, Daemon being physically violent with Rhaenyra never happened. It's that simple.

With this kind of argument you could definitely say that Daemon fuck Otto. It's stupid.

Rhaenyra also did not have a physical relationship with Mysaria. Both of these HOTD events are stupid. That's all.

To say that under the pretext that Daemon choked Rhaenyra in episode 10 that she can cheat on him shows to what extent these people have 0 understanding of what they are watching.

Basically as long as Daemon is demonized they are happy. And if we can also prove that Rhaenyra also likes women, that's even better !

And even better if this woman with whom Rhaenyra is cheating is precisely Daemon's ex, that way it gives the impression of a scenario where two female victims take revenge on their attacker in a karmic way ! (Yes, some idiots really think that...)

My god, HOTD is freaking stupid.

And tons of people really think this show is super well run and written ?! But wake up !

In addition, those who, under the pretext that the supposed deception is committed by Rhaenyra and between women against Daemon, suddenly no longer see any harm in it, disgust me.

Cheating is bad, no matter what.

At what point are those who are against this scenario equal to refusing to allow women to have hobbies ? Is that cheating is for you? A hobby ?

I was against Daemon cheating on Rhaenyra, an unproven F&B scenario no matter how much the antis claim otherwise, and I'm against the idea of ​​Rhaenyra cheating on Daemon, even more so with Mysaria.

First of all, Rhaenyra was never bisexual, that's bullshit. As much for F&B (because sorry, but no Rhaenyra was not in love with Laena and did not have a relationship with her), and as HOTD.

But at this point, if they really wanted to do that it would have actually been more coherent made between her and Laena, with whom she had a very close and close friendship, rather than queerbaiting with the character of Alicent and a supposed kiss (which I don't believe in until I saw it) with the Daemon's former mistress.

Anyway, I don't watch this show anymore. I'm just keeping up to date with the amount of shit that's going on.

[friendly-stardust]

If you had the chance to change something about the dance of the dragons (TV show or book), what would it be? For example, how a character dies, which team a house is on,or an entire character personally. How would you change it to make the story better, in your opinion?♥️🖤💙💚

Thanks for the ask anon and sorry that it took me this long to reply. This is a tricky one and this can be long.

House of the Dragon is a complete mess and a mediocrity of a show on every level, except for the acting. The writing is at an abysmal level, and I am convinced that it only got the interest and the rating it got thanks to the fact that it is under GoT's umbrella. And the fact that the showrunners/writers decided to be ungrateful and to insult the very show thanks to which their shitty fanfiction is even relevant, tells me everything I need to know about the arrogance and the ignorance existing behind this travesty of a show. The showrunners/writers seem to have completely misunderstood the themes of The Dance dealing mainly with class stratification, the corruptible nature of power, the consequences of blind ambition, and the pitfalls of unchecked privilege, reducing it all to a dumbed-down and pandering fanfiction in which tokenism, outdated and bigoted caricatures, and banal depiction of sexual assault are used casually as tropes, while pretending to write a 'feminist' or a 'progressive’ show. So, for House of the Dragon, EVERYTHING is to be changed.

Rhaenyra should have never been written as the main protagonist: From Episode one, we already have a failure in our hand with the writing as the showrunners decided to solely use Rhaenyra as our main protagonist in a show that is supposed to depict a severe and ineluctable succession crisis at the top of the Kingdom, resulting in the splintering and in the factionalism of the ruling family. Because, at the heart of this story, this IS the main thematic of the Dance - the civil war that will be tearing the ruling family at the head of the Realm apart and, consequently, the Realm itself apart (except for Dorne which was not yet part of the Seven Kingdom). We should have had different POVs to illustrate the deep divide that have been festering within the Targaryen clan itself and POVs from some of the closest families around them helping them rule. So, if it was me writing this, the POVs would have been: • Alicent - for the Hightowers POV, to see things through her lends and because of the important role she will have as a Queen in the future and as the head of one of the factions. • Rhaenyra - She will be the heir, one of the main claimants to the throne, and the head of the other main faction. • Daemon - self-explanatory. Playing his own partition/having his own ambition and need to be in power. • Corlys - to have a POV for the Velaryons and to highlight their side of the story and their narrative as a clan close to power. I would have made the Velaryons more politically savvy and Corlys primarily working with the sole perspective of preserving and consolidating the Velaryons' place of power/closeness to the Throne. As a whole, the Velaryons and Corlys' allegiance will clearly and only be for the Velaryon's name and clan. I would also use that POV to illustrate the Velaryons tinge of resentment towards Viserys and towards the dismissive way House Targaryen have treated them since Aemon's death. • Criston - POV of a lower-class man of Dornish descent getting into the heart of power and having to navigates its difficulties with his set of believes and morals, and how being in the middle of all this impacts his decisions and his ambition for the ascension of House Cole to a more prominent social status.

Using Season 1 as a set-up Season and not rush with catastrophic and mismanaged times skips: Season one should have really been a set-up season, taking the time to really put the foundations into place, while having enough belief in the story to give it the time needed to develop naturally. I believe that it is important to pose the base that the fracture in the clan Targaryen and with the Velaryons have been created since Aemon Targaryen's death which, according to me, is truly the start of this whole succession crisis. The Dance is just the poorly managed resultant of the whole process, seeping through several generations of resentment and hatred for one another. This will also completely negate all the stupid arguments I have seen online of 'if Viserys had married Laena, all this will not have happened'. This is because the show writers have failed the only-show fans who have no clues that the Velaryons have already threatened war during the whole Rhaenys vs Viserys ordeal. It would also emphasise the reason why it was important for Viserys to not shun the Velaryons and to keep a close alliance with them and would explain the reason why Vaemond became that adamant and not too keen on letting Rhaenyra's bastard usurp their ancestral throne. If only the Velaryons were taken seriously by the writers and not solely used as tokens and brownie points to prop-up Saint Rhaenyra?

Being aware of tokenism, bigotry and of anachronistic representations: This show seems to have been written by people who appear completely oblivious to how careful they should have been with how to manage negative stereotypes.

Avoiding Tokenism: From a standpoint of a Black woman like myself, the way the Velaryons were written was quite insulting. The showrunners/writers seem completely oblivious to how bad it looked to have the only House cast as Black being completely subservient, usurped and abused by their white-coded Targaryen counterparts, with no protest from most of them. The only one of them who protested – Vaemond - was villainised by the narrative and was made to say a misogynistic slur to justify his murder in open court. Murder which has no further consequence in the narrative. These showrunners/writers seem to not understand the racial implications that this casting choice creates in this world and seem completely ignorant to how to organically integrate that change into the narration and how to prevent stereotyping those race-swapped characters, so to not reduce the Velaryons to mere tokens. As a result, the writing made the Velaryons act like complete idiots devoid of any sense of pragmatism, strategic mindset, or political intellect, in a world that literally demands those characteristics of the people playing the game of throne. And the way Rhaenyra’s relationship to them was written also reeks of racist undertones. Overall, the way the Velaryons were written just demonstrates the ignorance and the shallowness we have behind this show and highlights the fact that the race-swapping was only made for aesthetic purposes and for some veneer of visual racial diversity.

And the best example to illustrate that vile treatments of the Velaryons is the way Laena and her daughters were written - not that Laenor or Corlys or Vaemond were spared either - but the treatment inflicted onto those female characters, now made WoC, represent better the showrunners/writer’s deep misogynoir, to which I am sure, they are completely oblivious. Laena's role and arc in the source material was completely butchered and diminished, by rewriting and reducing a feminine, beloved and desired (in her marriage to Daemon) woman - seduced and brazenly wanted by Daemon as his wife in F&B - into some teenager seducing the grown man Daemon, all while he only had eyes for the White girl Rhaenyra, actively feeding into the stereotypes about girls of colour growing up faster, having to be needy and desperate for men attention, and having to seek out male attention to be noticed. I mean, as if Laena was not beautiful enough for a man to notice her without her having to throw herself at him? But it doesn't stop there. They managed to erase her relationship with Rhaenyra, reducing it all to some repulsive scenario of pitting two women against each other for a man, the complete opposite of what happened in the source material, in addition of making Laena the ‘other woman’, the lesser desired one, and the unwanted wife, in her relationship with Daemon. And let not forget the trauma-porn inflicted on her WoC body in that violent and traumatic death, which is a complete bastardisation of an invented only-show concept of “a woman dying a dragon rider death” - whatever that means. Apparently, once Laena became mixed-race in the show, she became some thirsty, miserable, completely isolated woman, willing to go along with only being good enough as a second choice to her white husband, and dies violently by suicide instead of the beloved and cherished woman full of strength and humanity we have in her white woman depiction from F&B. The same abhorrent treatment was inflicted onto Baela and Rhaena, both written as some wallpapers and empty headed mute dolls with no layered personalities and no real wants of their owns, just willing to go along with anything, even to their own detriment (this includes Rhaenyra’s bastards sons taking precedent over them for Driftmark), as long as it favors and bolsters the causes and the ambition of Rhaenyra - the woman their father married just few weeks after their mother's funeral.

Avoiding Bigoted depictions:

a) Some of the tokenism arguments can also be applied to the showrunners/writers’ decision to depict Ser Criston Cole as a brown man of Dornish descent, which already comes with its own in-world racial undertones, while being very hell-bent on portraying his character as an emotional, thuggish, and resentment-driven character, who got his positions as hand-me-downs from two white women, instead of the intelligent, calculated man, always in control of his emotions, and above all, driven by ambition, and who got to the highest position of knighthood in Westeros by the merits of his own competence, as he was described as in his White-coded version in F&B. This illustrates once more the showrunners/writers’ incapability of understanding the tokenistic nature of their racial representation. Also, maybe unaware, and oblivious to their own bigotry on display in what they were implying here, the showrunners/writers went with the problematic trope of the savage, misogynist, and violent brown man for this character. And the fact that they decided to deliberately frame this brown man as some misogynist and vindictive man, unreasonable and unjustified in his anger towards his sexual predator when he is the victim of sexual assault in that “Rhaenyra’s sexual empowerment” episode, just disgusts me. As if his feelings and the shame he felt from the whole ordeal the next day, as a person, was to be dismissed or worst, mocked. The optics of the showrunners narratively dismissing his trauma while they have decided to change his race in the show, just highlights once more the racist undertone we have in the writing of some of the characters in this show. It also illustrates how out of touch the people behind this show are when it comes to representing power and racial dynamisms in a sensible way.

b) Larys Strong is the first disabled character we see on screen with his clubfoot and someone in the writing room though that it was a great idea to then transform him into some deviant sexual predator who gets off by fetishizing FEET. You cannot make this up! The showrunners/writers also butchered his character by making him the confirmed and sole murderer of his father and brother, when in the books, 3 other characters, Corlys, Viserys and Daemon, were also plausible culprits for that crime - but they are all Team Black so better whitewash them all and put it all on the disabled and only Team Green character that was also under suspicions for this murder. And all to see Alicent’s feet, ladies, and gentlemen! Instead of the enigmatic, calculated, and ambitious character we have depicted in F&B, the showrunners/writers made Larys Strong into some outdated caricature and despicable representation of a disabled character, embodiment of all of the devious and negative traits, by equating being disabled with being devious in morality and mentally. It is just a vile way to represent disabled characters, quite akin to the way they were viewed in medieval times as bearer of bad intentions/evilness, which also confirms the ableism and the hollow activism we have behind the scenes of this show.

Avoiding anachronistic representations:

a) Equating Alicent to a 'Woman for Trump' - a misogynist and reductive slur used within a very 21st century USA political discourse - while portraying a woman supposed to be within a setting mirroring medieval Europe, just shows the lack of culture, and of historical knowledge we have in this writers’ room.

b) Anachronistic girl boss characterisation: Rhaenys is written as a vessel to peddle nonsensical 21st century notions of White feminism, a hollow wannabe and anachronistic girl boss, spouting anachronistic speeches, while the show completely removed any agencies from most female characters, and took strong female characters from the original story and turned them into some victims of situations, none of their own doing of course, who constantly cry and are afraid of making any decisions, all while most of their negative traits are given to the male characters, absolute monsters and responsible for all woes that afflict the female characters. Also, Rhaenyra is whitewashed into some girl boss and some absurd notion of a ‘modern politician’ - modern in which historical period, no one knows – who spouts drivels like ‘when I am queen, I will make a new order’, to brazenly pander to Daenerys’ fanbase, when both women are nothing alike, except for the fact that both are Targaryen women.

4. Follow the source material and not thematically rewrite the Dance:

No Aegon I prophecy or dream. Maintain the Targaryens as the ruthless colonialists they are instead of trying to justify their reason to brutally colonise a whole continent. As a person from the African continent, this is not the kind of rhetoric I would like to see peddle, justifying colonisation in the name of some superior purpose.

No white stag apparition coming to anoint our Saint Disneyesque Girlboss Rhaenyra to rule. This is insulting to the intellect of people who want to see complex storytelling.

Completely rewrite the dreadful Episode 9 and make it as close as possible to the book’s depiction of the Green Council.

No Girlboss moment for Rhaenys, murdering hundreds of peasants and ruining Aegon’s coronation.

Erasing that bullshit about Alicent confusing Viserys last words and make the Green reason to crown Aegon and Helaena based on tradition and precedents, as in F&B, and not based on some feeble concept such as the King’s word. We are not in an Absolute Monarchy here, but the uncultured idiots we have behind this show don’t even know the difference.

Not erasing fat women representation with Rhaenyra and Helaena when you claim to be such ‘feminist’ and ‘inclusive’ show. Where is the inclusion of different female body shapes? Or are they not worthy of representation? Instead, we have one of your showrunners (the incompetent Sara Hess) using fatphobic language to make it seem like it is weird for a woman’s body to evolve after several pregnancies.

Showing women on the Green side (Alicent or Helaena) going through their pregnancies and giving birth.

Not erasing Helaena in her own coronation.

Not infantilising Helaena and making her a side character in some other characters story (Aegon, Jace).

Showing the Green kids with their dragons in Season 1. As it was portrayed in HotD, most casual viewers don’t realise that in real Targaryen fashion, those kids should have their dragons around them in most official displays (side eyeing the whole dragon pit debacle here).

Where is Sunfyre and a clear view of Dreamfyre?

Making Vhagar roar when Aemond eye was slashed.

Making one of the adult correct Baela’s and Rhaena’s wrong assumption that Aemond stole Vhagar. Why did the incompetent showrunners/writers even insinuate that foolishness in the first place without having one of the adults rectify the Dragon lore? We all know that it was to paint Aemond as the villain in this situation.

Making it more evident that Rhaenyra meant torture when she said, ‘sharply questioned’.

Why was Daeron and Maelor absent?

Not making the Dragon/owner bond murkier with that shitty and useless singing session from Daemon in Episode 10, when it is canon that one rider cannot have 2 dragons at the same time to ride. Surely Daemon, as verse into Valyrian lore as they proclaim him to be, should be aware of that. This is just confusing the casual viewers.

Using Mushroom's accounts for both the Greens and the Blacks – if I am using them at all.

Not erasing Mysaria’s miscarriage as it is part of her characterisation.

Not claiming to wanting to make a 50/50 adaptation when BTS the showrunner Ryan Condal is using gobbledygook such as ‘they made Aegon usurps his sister Rhaenyra’s throne’, when, by all Westerosi tradition and precedents, Aegon could not usurp what is already lawfully his as the first-born son of the King.

For the book version of the Dance, I don’t have much to change to be honest:

I would have significantly toned down the Daemon’s fest.

I would have made the Velaryon more neutral or playing both sides, with a strategic splitting of the House to support both sides.

I would have made some of the Houses change team, like for example, making the Royces in the Vale side with the Greens, splitting the allegiances in the Vale, to better illustrate how profoundly divided the whole Realm becomes with the war of succession.

The Redwynes (which I would have made the maternal side of Alicent) and most of the Reach would have sided with the Greens.

I would have betrothed Daeron to one of the other powerful Houses in the Reach.

No Wolf Hour.

No army pulled out of nowhere in the Riverlands after Aemond reduces them to crisp. Instead, some part of the Vale army would make the bulk of it.

Finally, no Jaehaera death. That was just petty and quite stupid writing from GRRM with no logical justification as to why she needed to die. No need for the “most sexy 6 years old” to ever exist in the story.

Jaehaera and Aegon III will have their children, who mostly have no real impact on the Targaryen line anyways, apart from Daena the Defiant who gave birth to House Blackfyre.