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navree · 2 years

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If u coukd rewrite hotd what would u change qnd how would u rewrite it?

So, I'm gonna set some limits on myself and decide to follow the vague outline of the show, including the amount of time jumps. Ideally, if we lived in a fantasy land and I'd been made top showrunner (HBO it's not too late I don't need that much money), season 1 would have either been all Emily and Milly to really set everything up, or at the very least with the only time jump being the one between episode 5 and episode 6, and keep the rest of the season in the same timeline so we'd have had more time to develop the Velaryons and ESPECIALLY Jace and Luke and maybe get to see some post-Driftmark things like Aemond's recovery and the aftermath of Daemyra's marriage. But that's a larger undertaking that would require more extensive rewriting, so I'll just stick to the time frame and general plot of their episodes, and just add in my edits and tweaks and cuts and additions. Anything that isn't discussed, assume it's being kept the same as in the show. (And this isn't even taking into account that when I heard "House of the Dragon" I thought it was gonna start with Aegon's Conquest and I was really excited about that and had to temper my disappointment when I realized that wasn't what I was getting).

Episode One - I wouldn't actually change all that much about the pilot, since I think it was actually pretty solid all throughout. The things I would change are a) a different introduction scene for Daemon and Mysaria, or at maximum just cut it, because it doesn't really serve much purpose in the narrative and b) there's no stupid fucking prophecy. I'm not against the idea that Aegon might have had ulterior motives beyond simple Conquest, and we know that Targaryens are capable of having prophetic abilities, but no this should not have been a secret passed down through generations for some fucking reason because that's stupid. And most importantly, considering that HOTD needed to succeed in spite of Game of Thrones, not because of it, because of how awful the last season was and how immediately it faded from the public consciousness and stopped being relevant as a result, the show should honestly not be so frequently be calling back to a disappointing aspect of the show. "A Targaryen must be seated on the Iron Throne" ok but she wasn't and the Long Night ended because some rando had a good ten yard jump according to D&D cuz they wanted to "subvert expectations" stop reminding me of that if I want to be enjoying this new show. Also, we need to set up Rhaenys more, and her issues with being passed over. She needed a scene for herself beyond the tourney, maybe after Aemma's funeral.

Episode Two - Again, don't have the most complaints for this episode either, and most of what I'd change would be adding back in all those scenes they deleted. Keep Criston's induction into the Kingsguard so we can see how sacred it is and how seriously we take it, keep the apparent argument that happens between Alicent and Rhaenyra after Viserys announces the wedding (and have someone remember that seasons can last YEARS in this world so he needs to be more concrete than just saying "at spring's end" when it comes to the wedding), and especially that scene of Rhaenyra helping Alicent get ready for the wedding and that conversation about whether this is what Alicent wants, and I assume her noncommittal answer that's answer enough. I'd also tweak the Dragonstone stuff, keep Daemon and Mysaria's conversation and even the fact that Daemon lied about having a child, but make a lot more comments about how this is mostly an attempt to get Viserys's attention (I know some people find Ryan's interpretation that Daemon's primary motivator in grooming Rhaenyra was just to get the closest thing to Viserys that he could, but I really like it, I think it shows again that Targaryens aren't socialized to view their siblings as siblings, it adds depth to Daemon and his occasional poor little meow meow tendencies, and it'd be an interesting look into Targaryen/Valyrian culture that incest wouldn't be the main issue, same sex attraction would). Daemon should also get in a fight with one of Otto's men on the bridge, someone who's acting too quickly, and we can see Daemon's martial prowess and how deadly he is with Dark Sister outside of the lists. Rhaenyra needs to also work a lot harder to get him to give the dragon egg back, and chiefly, we need to see her relying on Otto more for advice on what to say, like at the Kingsguard scene, so that we can see that Rhaenyra doesn't yet know who might have her best interests at heart, contrasted with Otto's master scheming, and explain why she's so much more hellbent to get him out of KL in later episodes, when she realizes that he doesn't. I'd also maybe add in a scene between Alicent and Criston, maybe after she and Viserys are engaged, maybe having her attend to Kingsguard ceremony and give him a little welcome present she stitched because she's a lil cutie.

Episode Three - This is where things start changing. For one, Rhaenyra and Alicent aren't at odds yet. They're distant, they're uncomfortable and don't know how to talk to each other, but it's more in line with how they feel not just in the OG ep 4 but also in this new timeline where they have that moment before the wedding. For two, my God no White Hart. It's the hokiest of the hoky, it's giving The Last Unicorn, it's giving that one stupid scene from the Kristen Stewart Snow White movie, it's giving baby's first fantasy attempt. We can keep the hunt, and that other deer that Viserys kills and his struggle with it, to show the extending rot in him and that the Targaryens are starting to lose the mandate of Heaven, and we should especially keep the scene with the boar and Rhaenyra. I actually liked that scene, how it's after Rhaenyra is told she needs to marry and breed despite not wanting to, and then an aggressive male pig tries to kill her by forcing himself down on her, and she responds by viciously stabbing it over and over (and also when she said that the boars sound like kids when they die, and we see her having issues with Aegon, and then she kills the boar and hears it die without struggling with it? that's good, that's really good). We should keep Rhaenyra feeling displaced and out of sorts at the attention Aegon is getting and how it seems everyone's disregarding her, or, as one anon put it in a way that still makes me giggle, Rhaenyra being upset at a toddler that he's the protagonist of his own birthday. The stuff between Rhaenyra and Criston can stay the same, and once again, we need another scene between Alicent and Criston, maybe discussing Rhaenyra and whether she's all right. A scene between a knight and a queen with all that formality, but clearly Alicent trying to bridge that gap because she's lonely and she likes him. Once back at KL, we're gonna get that scene where Rhaenyra feels she's gonna be replaced by Aegon, but it's not going to be with Viserys, it's going to be with Alicent. Alicent, possibly after talking with Criston, can go to Rhaenyra, or maybe summon her, cuz she's pregnant and doesn't wanna exercise too much but Rhaenyra can mistake that as Alicent pulling rank, and talk. And that's when Rhaenyra explodes and says that she knows that Otto and Viserys are planning to replace her with Aegon, and it's Alicent who says no because she's still gonna have that scene with Otto where she defends Rhaenyra's claim cuz she wants to keep that friendship. It's not Viserys who says Rhaenyra won't ever be replaced, because Viserys shouldn't say that. Having Viserys constantly reaffirm Rhaenyra's status in private is baffling when you see how he doesn't do anything about it publicly, so we should keep the book thing where he's trying to keep everyone happy, and is either too lazy or too inept to realize the problems it's causing by not falling one way or another. He's not going to reaffirm shit, he's gonna keep the situation as is and, you know, set the seeds for confused succession and civil war.

As to the Stepstones: not getting it. I understand why they wanted it, they want a Game of Thrones style battle sequence, and to show off Daemons' martial prowess (hence why I added a scene of him dueling on the bridge in ep 2, since we're gonna cut all of this), but the Crabfeeder and that whole Stepstones arc is such a nothing problem and doesn't come back in any way and just seems like a forgotten plot. So we'll see Corlys and Laenor in the Stepstones at a war council, to show Corlys's ability and develop Laenor, but Daemon is going to get scenes at Driftmark. He's gonna, idk, bring tidings or some shit to Rhaenys, so we can show her actually in the show since she's a main character, and have her sum up some of the situations at court to Daemon, to show her shrewdness and her capability (since she's supposed to have been better suited to politics than Viserys). This is also where we're gonna get two things: Laena and Vhagar. We're getting that scene where Laena claims Vhagar as a young woman, and Daemon's gonna see it, and he might have a flirtatious conversation with her, something to set up their eventual romance. And for anyone asking why, well this is my rewrite and like Daemon and Laena and I wanted them to get more set up than they did. And it can contrast how Daemon, a man, can flirt with someone he actually desires even though he's married, while Alicent is stuck in a marriage against her will that's tearing her relationship with Rhaenyra apart, while Rhaenyra is still being forced to eventually marry, though she can choose her suitor.

Episode Four - This is another episode I like, so I wouldn't change a whole lot about it. Most of it I'd keep, but I'll add a couple things. We're adding Laena and her betrothed, the Sea Lord of Braavos ('oh but why' it's a surprise tool that can help us later), at court, so we can keep up the tension between her and Daemon, which Rhaenyra might remark on, and that's why she's both more willing to follow him into KL and also why she's angry at him after his abandonment, not just because that's some vile shit he pulled, but also assuming that it's because he wants Laena, not her, even though that flirtation hasn't extended past conversations and discussions of dragons now that Laena has Vhagar. Rhaenys is at court as well, now that Corlys is at Driftmark, so we should get more scenes of her to showcase her abilities as a politician. There should also be a scene with Larys where Rhaenyra might be rude or dismissive of him, maybe not unintentionally but doing it nonetheless, in contrast to Alicent's whole "yeah you can hang out with us Larys" thing during the hunt, to explain why he wants to cause problems for Rhaenyra other than, idk, the cripple is shifty because being crippled means he has to rely on his wits and he's devious because he wishes he wasn't crippled, that whole bullshit. And during the scene between Otto and Viserys (after Rhaenyra has more reason to want Otto fired because she felt he was a false friend in ep 2), when Viserys does his whole thing about Alicent being a manipulation, Otto, already knowing that his job is lost, might fire back (respectfully, but still) about how she was a manipulation Viserys was more than happy to receive. And Viserys, confronted with his own complicity but as always, not wanting to do anything about it, ends the conversation and firmly tells Otto he has to leave King's Landing. And also still no prophecy, Viserys just pulls rank and tells Rhaenyra that after this shit she's marrying Laenor cuz he's king and he says so.

Episode Five - As much as I hate it, let's keep Daemon killing Rhea. There can maybe be more ambiguity about what he actually meant to do, along with new ambiguity about why he's doing it (does he hate her? is he trying to get viserys's attention again? is it to marry rhaenyra like he said he wanted last episode? is it because of this budding Thing with laena? is he just a bastard? is it a combination of all of these?). We'll keep the Driftmark stuff largely the same, though when Corlys does his whole "the crown was stolen from you" thing, rather than Rhaenys saying she doesn't care after we know she does care, we keep the fact that she cares and is still upset with it, because we've had more episodes with her and more content of her being bitter, but her issue is in dragging Laenor into it and potentially putting their children at risk. The stuff in King's Landing is going to be largely the same as well, just with some added gravitas to the Alicole conversation because we've spent more time with them developing a relationship. The big change is going to come during the rehearsal dinner. Because it's a rehearsal dinner, Rhaenyra won't be wearing white, but the red and black colors of House Targaryen, so that we can understand why her side is called "the Blacks" while Alicent's is called "the Greens". We should have Alicent give a smile to her Hightower relatives, but the person who does that "we're glad you're growing strong" talk with her should be Tyland, so that we've now got the bones for all of the allies Alicent'll have for when Aegon takes the throne. Daemon'll show up doing his white boy swagger, and he'll have his dance with Laena and his sexual tension with Rhaenyra, and we'll have Joffrey needle Criston. Also there should be at least one really frosty conversation between Rhaenyra and Alicent, maybe in between the dancing, where Rhaenyra realizes Alicent knows that she lied and Alicent makes it clear, even after the stepdaughter comment, that she's cutting Rhaenyra off.

But remember what I said before about how the Sea Lord of Braavosv is at court with Laena because they're engaged. Well, in the book, Daemon insults him until they have a duel, upon which Daemon kills him and then marries Laena. We're keeping that, and that's the fight at the wedding, but here's the thing: obviously Kingsguard are going to get involved because a foreign ruler and the brother of the King are dueling with swords at a wedding among civilians (including the princess, so we can keep that scene with Harwin because it's fun), and at some point Joffrey can get involved too while Criston's already trying to at least keep people out of the way, and that's when he snaps. Criston still beats Joffrey to death in a rage, but no one notices given what's going on. Then this is where Viserys passes out, shocking everyone, and Daemon gets his kill shot in on the Sea Lord and leaves while everyone's too stunned, and Criston leaves too, horrified but what he's done and how he's completely soiled his cloak, and we get that amazing moment of Laenor wailing over Joffrey's body because that was very affecting. Then we get the wedding, but Viserys isn't there for it cuz he's already passed out and is in the hands of the maesters. We see Alicent save Criston, but this time with the actual conversation involved, have her kneel on the ground and take the knife from him to highlight that Criston thinks she's just the angel brought down to Earth. Have a moment after the wedding where Laenor and his parents decide to sit vigil for Joffrey, and Rhaenyra go to find Alicent but doesn't know where she is (with Criston) and then goes to thank Harwin, to hint at the eventual romance between them. Episode ends with Daemon saddling Caraxes, ready to ride away before someone thinks "hey maybe we should imprison the guy who killed a foreign ally's leader", and then suddenly a great shadow blocks out the sun. Suddenly Vhagar lands in front of him, Laena atop her, and Daemon thinks, oh shit is she gonna try and fight me for killing her betrothed? He's still on the ground, and suddenly Laena climbs down from Vhagar to join him there. She doesn't say anything, but she smiles at him, and Daemon bends to kiss her hand. This is an episode that's scene people throwing their lots one way or another, and now Laena and Daemon are doing it too, to themselves. Interspersed with a moment of Alicent and Rhaenyra at Viserys's sickbed, each on an opposite side and still in their signature colors, the court gathered there too (the Velaryons minus Laenor and Harwin and other Team Blacks behind Rhaenyra, the Hightowers and Lannisters and Criston behind Alicent), Vhagar and Caraxes fly off, almost dancing, into the night. Idk the episode ends with maybe baby Helaena and lil Aegon starting to cry. Part one ending with dragons in the air and children in our ears, to remind us what this show is really going to be: a war of succession that ends with the dragons gone.

Episode Six - Anyway, ten years pass. The first shot isn't Rhaenyra graphically giving birth, cuz I don't want it. Instead, we're gonna see a dragon egg warmed over the fire, and it's gonna be Jacacerys and Lucerys and Laenor waiting in the adjacent chamber, probably having some sort of exposition talk so that we know what's going on and who these kids are. We can hear Rhaenyra doing that screaming birth thing, but one of the first things we see as that her two kids obviously don't look like Laenor, they don't even look like her. We can keep the stuff about Alicent wanting to see the kid and Rhaenyra being petty and bringing her baby herself, and most of the stuff about this episode, not just in KL but also in Pentos with Laena and Daemon. However, we're not going to have anything about Daemon being a distant father (for a reason), or about Daemon regretting marrying Laena. He's a bit directionless, but happy enough, and Rhaena's issues are largely her own because she's a kid and she sees that her twin has something and wants to know why she can't. Since we still need to adhere to stuff we know happened, Laena's still gonna unfortunately die in childbirth, but I'm mixing the show and book versions. We can keep a scene where Daemon refuses a C-section to contrast what happened with Aemma and Viserys, but she still manages to give birth like in the book, though like in the book the baby doesn't survive and she gets childbed fever. And it's in that fever that she goes to Vhagar, weak and knowing she's dying, to ask Vhagar to kill her so she can go out on her own terms. Scene largely plays out the same, but there's more urgency to Daemon when he realizes she's gone, to go along with the fleshed out relationship they have. And when he sees it, he's clearly deeply upset, and we're going to get the scene of him comforting his daughters, since I'm still really annoyed they cut that.

Important changes however, are twofold. For one, it's Lucerys who's going to be showing the most issue with apparently not being Laenor's son, but Harwin's, to give him an emotional through line to work with since we spend the least time with him. For two, the Greens kids. Largely, I'll keep most things the same, that Aegon seems to see himself as an older brother to all of them and helps out with dragon stuff and has a friendship with Rhaenyra's sons (especially Jace, he and Jace should be pretty close), Helaena should still be a dragondreamer, and Aemond should still have been bullied by Aegon and the Velaryons. But. For one, Helaena's getting more personality. She's a dragondreamer, yeah, and I'd keep this coding they're giving her when it comes to autism, but that scene with her and Alicent should have her just kinda babbling and hyperfixating, wanting to talk about her special interest and maybe not necessarily registering Alicent's constant "uh huh" as she tries to follow along, so that we can see more of Helaena's personality, along with her small prophecies later in the scene with regards to Aemond. For two, I'm adding a scene where Aegon goes to Aemond after the Pink Dread thing. He's clearly doing it because Alicent told him to apologize, he's uncomfortable and kinda surly and Aemond's still upset at him, but Aegon tries and does a whole "hey, you'll get a dragon, you can tame a wild one on Dragonstone or something". Neither of them are comfortable in that moment but Aegon is trying to be big brotherly in that way that seems to come more naturally when he's helping the Velaryons, and Aemond's clearly trying to appreciate it. It's so that we can get that same sense that, yeah, these relationships are a bit screwy and these people are all weird but they are still ride or die for each other. The essence of that Alicent line; they can cuff each other as much as they want at home, but they also need to defend each other.

The last scene of the Velaryons should be them preparing to leave for Dragonstone, on top of the world, when they get the twofold news about both Laena and Harwin, interspersed with that scene between Alicent and Larys. And maybe, if I'm allowed to be self indulgent, while at Harrenhal we get a brief, just barely there first glimpse of Alys, for me because I want it since I love her.

Episode Seven - Driftmark I'll play out largely the same, since as much as I hate the choices characters made, it was good storytelling and important anyway. Small changes include Daemon not cracking up at his wife's funeral for no reason, and we're going to hear Vhagar screaming when Aemond gets his eye stabbed out. Some bigger changes are going to include Rhaenyra being more visibly upset that Harwin is dead, along with Lucerys, to tie into his arc about feeling out of place, and that Rhaenyra and Daemon's sex is less about "giving into their ultimate desires" and more an entire mishmash of feelings, desires they've felt and grief for their respective dead loved ones and the two of them seeking power in that moment as well. We're also going to make Jace more of a mediator in that fight between Aemond and the other kids, trying hard to de-escalate it when Baela and Rhaena attack and Luke and Aemond escalating it, and it's Luke who has the knife, not Jace. Jace is still involved, since he also understands the Strong insult, but as the eldest of the four he's the one who most understands that this can turn bad quickly. Additionally, when shit goes down in the throne room, it's largely the same, but while Rhaenys and Corlys protect the Velaryon kids, it's Aegon and Helaena who move to stand in front of Aemond, since he's their baby brother after all and their mother's main protector is trying to get to her and being blocked by Daemon. There's not gonna be a scene between Alicent and Viserys cuz I don't know what that scene was meant to serve.

Lastly, sorry but Laenor needs to die. Like, actually die. It'll foreshadow how ruthless Daemon and Rhaenyra are in their pursuit of power, one of the things that draws them to each other, it gives more weight to Rhaenys and Corlys and their eventual rift, and honestly Laenor's death not being legit is just such a massive plothole. How is Seasmoke free if Laenor isn't actually dead? Did no one ever notice Laenor in the Free Cities ever? Laenor was just fine abandoning his family after they'd already lost Laena? He was fine abandoning the kids he'd raised for ten years? And when he heard about the Dance he never once tried to come back to help them and let them all die, his mother and former wife and the kids they raised? Yeah, no, it doesn't make sense, Rhaenyra and Daemon are just gonna cold blood kill Laenor, and the vibe of the wedding is gonna be less Romance and more about power and old magic, with more emphasis on the blood sacrifices and the flashes to what's happening to Laenor, along with the kids looking weirded out considering that this is way too soon.

Episode Eight - The big thing is that this episode is gonna start with Vaemond's death, and it's going to be much more book accurate. He's going to be talking to Rhaenys about the situation, and then Daemon shows up, in his Crime Hoodie, and kills him (we can keep that he does it from behind so that Vaemond can't fight back). Daemon's spotted leaving by his daughters and we realize that there's a bit of a rift. Both of his daughters live on Driftmark with Rhaenys, and there's clearly love there, though a bit strained because they clearly left due to the swiftness of his marriage to Rhaenyra. On Dragonstone, we see Vaemond's corpse fed to Syrax, and we also see Lucerys kinda being an angry teenager, since his right to Driftmark is being questioned, just a lot more ill at ease than we saw in the show. In contrast, Jacaerys is more comfortable, and instead of learning Valyrian he's teaching it to Aegon and Viserys, who are their normal ages and not little babies because that makes no sense (and Jahaerys and Jahaera and Maelor are all their book ages as well). Rhaenyra's also further along in her preganncy than we see, so that we can see the urgency of why they all go to KL when they get called there to discuss the succession by Otto and Alicent, as well as Vaemond's murder. Meanwhile, in the city, I am keeping Dyana, since as I've said it's a good scene for what it shows us about Alicent and also the world of the court at large, but I'm changing the perpetrator. Instead of Aegon, it's a Hightower guardsman that Alicent has thrown unilaterally in the black cells, to demonstrate to the audience her ultimate power. Aegon's issue is that he is indeed drunk in the middle of the day, and he won't really seem to care about Dyana and what happened even though she's nursemaid to his kids, and that's why Alicent's disappointed in him and where we see that he's a layabout. Aemond's intro is the same, cuz that was good, and I'd also add a scene between Aegon and Helaena with their kids so we can see Aegon's fondness for children (foreshadowing), as well as first hear Helaena's beast beneath the boards prophecy and see more into the dynamics of their marriage, that it's strained because of personalities but they work better when they treat each other as siblings rather than spouses.

There's gonna be more emphasis on Daemon and Viserys, on that relationship, with Rhaenyra and Viserys's more formal, since we nixed any rapprochements in episode 3 and we're not doing the prophecy to bind them together, while leaning more on that idea of Daemon likely loving Viserys the most (and yes keeping the crown thing in the throne room I don't even like Viserys but that scene got to me). The difference is that the issues settled in the throne room aren't just Luke's succession, with Rhaenys being more neutral and just saying she will do what the king wills, which allows the betrothals to move forward (and Luke is the one doing his own arguing, so that we can see more of him and see his anger at having to do this), but also about the Silent Five (for non-book readers, these were five Velaryons who were upset at Vaemond's murder and went to court for justice). One of them likely does that whole "her children are bastards and she is a whore" thing, and in general is way more disrespectful to Rhaenyra than he needs to be, and they're all pressing their own claims, and Viserys does what he does in the book and orders their tongues removed. The feast is also gonna be a mishmash of changes and keeps. For one, the first toaster after Viserys's speech (which doesn't go over as warmly as the Greens kids clearly are angry at him about being a shit dad, even Helaena they should all be sharing a look) is going to be Daemon. Daemon will raise a cup to Viserys, to his brother, call him a good kind as a callback to when he called him a weak king in the first episode. Then that inspires Rhaenyra and Alicent, whose toasts are largely the same. Helaena's toast can be kinda the same, just so we can keep Otto going "good" after she sits down. The key differences are that Jace is going to ask Baela to dance, since they're engaged, and there'll be a scene where Daemon sits himself next to Viserys and the two talk as brothers, on friendly terms once again. Rhaenyra and Alicent share a smile, and then Viserys leaves cuz sick. The Strong toast proceeds largely the same, except what motivates Aemond isn't the pig (Lucerys here is more surly and just generally kinda upset about how he had to defend his claim), but Jace asking Helaena to dance next to provoke Aegon, which sets him off and Aemond does that stand thing that he did earlier in the original ep. And then he makes the excuse for the Strong boys toast, and things go largely the same after that.

And as I've mentioned before, I really hate that Rhaenyra never found out what happened to her mother, so let's change that. After Alicent gives Viserys his medicine, Rhaenyra arrives to say goodbye to him, Alicent and Rhaenyra sharing another silent, almost warm moment before Alicent leaves. And Viserys, addled again, mistakes Rhaenyra for Aemma, and starts going on about how much he missed her, how he hopes she forgives him. Rhaenyra's confused but eventually Viserys's babbling goes on long enough for her to realize what happened, and exactly what he did. And she's horrified, shocked and angry and upset, and tells Viserys she doesn't forgive him, both to hurt him and also because maybe she doesn't, after what she's had to deal with in being the heir to the throne and stealing Alicent and not doing anything about the succession and causing all these problems and also for apparently killing her mother. She leaves then, and Viserys dies alone, the victim of all the awful choices that he made because he was too passive to try his hand at anything. And most importantly, no prophecy, since we nixed that, and no mix-up, he just dies.

Episode Nine - Since there's no prophecy mix-up, Alicent's been involved since the beginning of planning to put Aegon on the throne, and it's clear in the planning stage she wasn't that concerned with what would happen to Rhaenyra after the fall out at Driftmark. But now, she's more aligned with that "what of Rhaenyra" sentiment we see in the show. I'm not changing much for the bulk of the episode, but I am changing the stupid child fighting pits. They exist, yeah, but we don't go there because Aegon likes to watch the fights. We're going there because one of the places where they're held is also the home of a former prostitute who has a bastard of Aegon's (Gaemon perhaps?) and more importantly, while we're there we see Mysaria and we see big, hulking man in a bloody butcher's apron and a huge sword (FORESHADOWING I think we all know who that might be). I might add a scene of the three Green kids after Aegon's found, just a small moment of the three of them, not entirely sure what they'd talk about or if they'd even talk at all instead of just being together, but I want a moment for them. Ideally, I'd make the coronation book accurate, with Sunfyre's flight and Alicent crowning Helaena herself, but as I said I'm making myself stick to the framework of the show, so...

Coronation happens, Rhaenys busts in the through the floor. Everything stays the same up until the roar. After that happens, and Alicent looks up at Rhaenys, they share a glance and maybe...maybe she will...But then we hear a dragon call and descending from the rafters (since we know dragons can make burrows up there, like Viserions did in ADWD) is Sunfyre, flying down to get in front of this hostile dragon and his Aegon, majestic as anything in all his glory, and ready to throw the fuck down. And that's what inspires Rhaenys to leave, realizing this isn't the moment for a fight and she could get trounced, especially as we hear rumbles from within the Dragonpit (Dreamfyre) and a different dragoncall from outside (Vhagar). Rhaenys flies off, and as the doors finally close us to black we hear the sound of all three dragons together, and episode ends.

Episode Ten - Again, another episode where I wouldn't change much. We're making the circumstances of Visenya's birth more book accurate, with Rhaenyra screaming at her to get out and cursing her for a monster, and we'll keep in that scene between Rhaenys and Baela, Baela staying as a matter of principle and because she does love her father and knows that this is the endgame for him. Rhaenys and Corlys also ally with Rhaenyra not because they suddenly prefer her and think she's a good ruler, but because they know that this is the side Rhaena and Baela will choose, and they're the last family they have, the last reminders of their dear children, and so they stay for them, and hope that Rhaenyra knows what she's doing. And since there's no prophecy, that's not what gets Daemon angry enough to get violent, it's specifically that Rhaenyra is thinking of taking Otto's terms and Daemon just goes "no you can't do that to us, to me", all angry like. And he doesn't grab her by the throat, maybe just hard by the arms and shakes her, and Rhaenyra forcefully pushes him and pulls rank on him in that moment, reminding him that, even if she does capitulate, until she does she is Daemon's sworn queen and will not touch her that way. And Daemon's just left kinda gobsmacked, before whirling around and leaving to go to Vermithor, and Rhaenyra takes a vulnerable moment.

I'd also add a scene between Jace and Luke, Jace in this episode I'd keep largely the same, and Luke as well, but with the added surliness and issues he has, and it's Jace who finally snaps him out of it. Jace tells Luke what he himself has always known, that their power comes from their mother, their Queen, and that they're Targaryens before anything else. Jace also says that, if he doesn't have a son, Luke will be his heir, not because he's a Velaryon or a Strong but because he is a Targaryen, Rhaenyra's Targaryen son, Jace's Targaryen brother. And that gives Luke the push he needs to go all in, and then fly to Storm's End after a final conversation with his mother. And Storm's End I'd keep entirely the same, I like all of that and I like how that ends the season and what the means for everyone, especially Aemond going forward.

There's a lot more I would change if I wasn't keeping myself beholden to the episodes and overall structure of the show, as I said I'd probably do less time jumps and do a lot more development of the Strongs and more of the interpersonal relationships between people, and just really slow everything down, to say nothing again of what I actually wanted the show to be about. But all in all, yeah, if I'm beholden to what the show's done and just how would I change and rewrite within those constraints, this is by and large how I would do it.

#personal #answered #anonymous #house of the dragon #this got hideously long but honestly i cut it down #if i'd done a complete 'let's start over from scratch' thing we'd have been here for days #this deadass took me three hours to type out in its entirety #but here ya go have hotd amelie edition

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