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mejcinta · 7 months

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Helaena's Displeasure and Forcefully Taking Attention (A Body Language Study).

Love, love, LOVE Phia's acting here. In the first picture, you can subtly see the confusion in Helaena's soft gaze the second she walks in ("Have you seen Dyana? She's supposed to dress the children..." *pauses*) and then the shock and outrage that dawns on her in the second picture, when she puts together what Aegon had done.

Her eyes are wider (notice you see more of the whites of her eyes in the second pic) and her lips are pressed into a tight, tense line as she freezes. She was displeased and shocked (the incident happened in their room!), but somewhat resigned. This is because she makes no drastic show with her body. Also, we never see her face when Alicent hugs her, although it is apparent that Aegon is staring at her while their mother comforts her.

Note that Helaena doesn't flinch from Alicent's touch this time, like she usually does. She actually *wants* the comfort this time. She must be pretty hurt.

Meanwhile, Aegon was just as stunned as Helaena when she walked in on him (his mouth fell agape, his fixed gaze on Alicent abruptly breaking to blink in surprise when Helaena appeared offscreen).

Notice how he stared back at her, fiddling (nervously) with the sheets covering his manhood out of embarrassment, when Alicent basically confirmed to Helaena what she feared had happened.

While Aegon was indifferent with Alicent and her justified lecture, he is clearly not happy with himself at what his actions has done to Helaena.

Because he cares? Who knows. But even being the mess of a husband he is, it seems that he acknowledges his wife is blameless, spotless and innocent in every way. She's done nothing but be the dutiful wife, the dutiful mother... yet he's caused her pain and continues to do so.

Aegon could be grappling here with why he never seems to get anything right. Why he never seems to please anyone. Why he only hurts and disappoints. Why he's insufficient.

Later at dinner, he gifts Helaena a beetle. A poor attempt at apologizing, yes, but it is all he knows, it seems, of Helaena's taste. And his characterisation so far (using ep 6 as reference for his bravado and boastfulness) is shown not to be conversant with the concept of admitting failure or defeat verbally.

Helaena plays with the beetle before dinner begins and even shows it off to Otto while they chat.

She inspects the gift in the background when Aegon teases Jace, glimpses at him and takes a swig of her wine, giggling subtly at Aegon's sex joke. Does she find this truly funny? Is the wine loosening her up? Or is this a sarcastic/knowing laugh given what happened earlier? Who knows.

The matter, however, seemed to have been turning in her mind. Because shortly after when she is seen thoughtfully stroking Aegon's beetle, she suddenly stands up to make the provoking toast:

"I would like to toast Baela and Rhaena. They'll be married soon. It isn't so bad...mostly he just ignores you. Except sometimes when he's drunk."

She must have been pondering the incident with Aegon and Alicent earlier and reliving the feelings she experienced. Her outrage, disappointment, discontent and hurt finally found an outlet in that toast.

The sigh she heaves out before sitting back down indicates that she had wanted to get things out of her chest and that speaking up had offered her some relief, even if it came at Aegon's expense lol (I think she was happy to embarrass him, personally. And she is justified).

Generally, my conclusion from this analysis of Helaena's body language is that:

1. She was pretty upset with Aegon's actions, 'ashamed' as Alicent implied earlier to Aegon.

2. Her spontaneous roast of him at the dinner, the sudden nature in which she jumped up, shows that she had in fact been brooding over the incident and was quite angry with him.

3. However, her laughter at Aegon's jokes imply that her sexual encounters with Aegon aren't forced like people want to believe. She isn't nervous beside him. In fact I'd argue Aegon is more wary of her than she could ever be of him.

4. Her understanding of sex is warped but it is clear she has her expectations and desires. That's why she jibes at Aegon's alcohol addiction. Perhaps she wishes they would bond sexually without alcohol being a necessity. Perhaps she wishes he didn't ignore her.

Her dull tone when she says "It isn't so bad mostly he just ignores you" shows that she's sad about that part of her marriage.

And when Jace gives Helaena attention in the form of asking for a dance she readily seizes the moment. Not because she likes him (this is Baela's betrothed and she clearly respects that), but because she desires to be showered with attention and if Aegon won't give it she'll take it from someone else while forcing Aegon to give HER attention.

Aegon struggles watching Jace dance with Helaena, and he clutches Helaena's beetle... mirroring her action of stroking it.

Again, Aegon is not the kind of man to admit defeat, so he seethes instead in silence as she dances.

In Tom Glynn Carney's words Aegon didn't want Jace to win by gaining a reaction from him.

So Helaena dances to her content, fanning Aegon's anger and jealousy while also gaining HIS attention and punishing him for how he wronged her earlier.

As Alicent well put it:

"Think of the shame on your wife..."

By accepting Jace's hand, Helaena consciously or unconsciously made Aegon experience the shame she went through earlier after his cowardly action.

In a way, this whole scene is a display of power play and the rift between man and wife. Much like Alicent requesting Rhaenyra take her infant up to her chambers was a challenge of power between rivals.

#hotd analysis #incoherent thoughts #helaena targaryen #aegon ii targaryen #alicent hightower #helaegon #hotd #house of the dragon #Targaryen Weirdness

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greenqueenhightower · 8 months

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Going back to episode 3 and the scenes at the camp you can see the end of an era in Alicent’s life. The end of her childhood and innocence and the beginning of what will turn out to be constant worrying about her children’s future. It’s her son’s second name day ffs and she is sidelined by everyone, including Viserys. She feels excluded from the political talks that directly involve her son and she is treated like an ornament that compliments Viserys’ life and reign, that maybe makes it prettier somehow, but has to match the rest of the furniture. You can see that she looks melancholy and sorrowful in that scene. I also like the costuming detail showing how she tries to dress in the Targaryen colors, how she tries to blend in, but at the end of the day no one pays any attention and she only manages to match with the curtains. :(

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thesunfyre4446 · 6 months

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can we talk about how daemon orchestrating B&C has nothing to do with him grieving over Luke?

he didn't order the murder of a 6yo because he cared and loved his stepson - he did it because he wanted to hurt the greens, he did it to expose their weakness, it was not an act of revenge - this was phycological warfare.

if this was truly about getting revenge he would've gone for aemond - the actual murdered of his stepson, or even aegon. but targeting Helaena - who CLEARLY had nothing to do with it and her babies shows that b&c had nothing to do with luke's murder.

#anti daemon targaryen #hotd analysis #house of the dragon #hotd #team green #pro team green #aegon ii targaryen #aemond targaryen #helaena targaryen #jahaerys targaryen #maelor targaryen

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queenvhagar · 26 days

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It's interesting that Rhaenyra is consistently framed as being "not like other girls" in such an extreme attempt at feminism that it veers way over to other side in that all the other girls in the story, especially those who act differently than she would or who act in opposition to her wishes, are somehow not as good as her or even evil.

As the show loves to show us, Rhaenyra's not like other girls. She loves being a bit of a rebel. She defies the rules of the world and doesn't care what anyone's opinion of her is. She embraces her sexuality. She's bold and says what's on her mind. Now, these are fine things for her as a character, for sure. The problem comes when looking at how the other girls are depicted and how the show expects you to feel about them vs Rhaenyra.

Alicent accepts her position in life as the daughter of a second son and marries for her family against her wishes. But it goes against what Rhaenyra wants, so she's evil. She should have just been more like Rhaenyra! Defied her father, said no to Viserys, went against the patriarchy... except Alicent does not have the privilege that Rhaenyra has as a dragon riding Targaryen princess, the king's beloved daughter and heir to the throne. What power did she have to resist the wishes of her lord father and the king? She acted like any girl of her time would, given the circumstances of her powerlessness, and yet somehow the show wants you to believe that's a character flaw.

Laena is second to Rhaenyra, something the show made painfully obvious when depicting her marriage with Daemon (which sucks especially because there was no indication that this was the case in the books; rather, her and Daemon were happily married and both were extremely close to Rhaenyra the entire time). Her death is changed from its original and unique tragedy to prop up Rhaenyra's eventual fate and its "epic" quality, so when it eventually happens we can view it as a true "dragonrider's death." Then, on the night of her funeral, her husbands finally gets with his first choice Rhaenyra. Laena who? She is made to look less in comparison to Rhaenyra.

Baela and Rhaena, despite having huge roles in the Dance and the aftermath, are largely sidelined by the writers. Baela's a fierce dragonrider like her mother... yet the only scene allowing her to show any aspect of that is left on the cutting room floor. Rhaena wants a dragon and is the only one of her family who isn't a dragonrider... yet the writers have yet to give her any personality beyond that or explore this aspect of her character with any depth. The twins' adult versions barely have any screen time or lines. Even when they are betrothed, seemingly without their prior knowledge, they can only smile by the side.

Helaena is a dragonrider, a dragon dreamer, a mother, a daughter. Forced to use her Targaryen royal womb to make heirs. But the writers aren't interested in exploring any aspect of her character in depth or showing her relationships with her family.

One woman is the exception, as she does share some qualities with Rhaenyra in that she's also not like other girls and the audience should root for her too... it's Rhaenys! She's got a dragon! She'll put it in the Greens' faces (never mind hundreds of innocents killed - so cool!). She'll call someone out for toiling their life in the service of men (even though she's done no differently with her own life!). And because girls support girls no matter what, of course she's Team Black all the way (even though her daughter died a continent away because of Daemon and her son was clearly killed because of Rhaenyra). Rhaenys will hitch onto the Black train despite everything that's happened, and in supporting Rhaenyra she'll take away Baela's claim to Driftmark and instead link both her granddaughters to the people who are the reason both of her children are dead...

#hotd critical #hotd analysis #anti rhaenyra targaryen #anti team black

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blackcat419 · 7 months

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Adultification of all HotD Girls and the infantilization of Rhaenyra.

Two scenes in HotD really bug me with how the characters acknowledge Rhaenyra as a child when she’s 18, but then go on to marry and impregnate girls younger than 18.

Viserys call Rhaenyra, “just a girl” when Daemon takes her to the brothel. He doesn’t use the world woman, he uses girl, denoting Rhaenyra as not an adult at this point in her life. By Visery’s logic, he married a child. Alicent was only 14/15 when he married her and only 17 when she become a mother twice over.

Daemon also cause Rhaenyra, “just a child” when she’s says he abandoned her after her wedding. Daemon then goes on to flirt with a 15/16 year old Laena at the wedding and marrying her soon after.

The adultification of Laena is much worse than characters in text acknowledging people older than her as kids. Laena is played by two actresses that are about ten years older than Laena’s canon age. This also isn’t just a case of adults playing teens, the show has set Rhaenyra and Alicent as the standard for what a 14 through 18/19 year old and 28 through 34 year olds looks like. Laena’s actresses are older than Rhaenyra and Alicent’s Actors and Actresses. This is a classic example of black girlhood being earesed in text and out of. Laena goes from a clear 12 year old who is very visually much younger than Rhaenyra and Alicent to being a near adult woman who looks about the same age, if not older than the other girls. Laena is also styled in much more mature clothing than we see any other character in. Even Alicent’s “sex dresses” are much more reserved than Laena’s gold dress.

We also have the same thing happening to Laena’s daughters, Baela and Rhaena. In text they should be 16 or younger but their actresses are older than Jace’s actor. The only upside is that the two are not visually sexualized and aged up as teen Laena was.

In conclusion, HotD in text shows the absurdity of Viserys and Daemon viewing Rhaenyra as a child while pressing girls younger than she was at the time. The show tries to erase the clear adultification of Laena. The show engages in a lot of anti black stereotypes and I am not looking forward to how they’ll treat Nettles.

Disclaimer: I am not a WOC or a POC, if anything I wrote is wrong please correct me. My goal is to learn and advocate for better representation in media for all gender, races, ethnicities, and sexual orientation.

Blogs I recommend you follow if you want to read more about how HotD fails women and people of color: @bohemian-nights @venusintheblindspots-blog @mejcinta @sunnysideaeggs

#house of the dragon #hotd #hotd discussion #HotD analysis #HotD racism #hotd critical #adultification #Adiltification of black girls #laena velaryon #Alicent Hightower #Rhaenyra Targaryen #anti viserys i targaryen #anti daemon targaryen #Baela Targaryen #rhaena targaryen

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2rats1gogh · 26 days

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although i REALLY like the cast of HotD I can’t help but criticize the fact that they all are a little off for their canonical ages.

And it creates A LOT of problems.

Whenever I look at Olivia as Alicent my brain just cannot comprehend the fact that she is supposed to be the mother of Aegon, Aemond and Helaena. She looks like their older sister. I get that they were trying to go for the effect that “she was too young when she had her children” which is valid but still, she looks five years older than them at best. She is supposed to be almost 20 YEARS older than Aemond, yet in some shots of them together he looks like he’s older than her. It just makes it not really believable.

Rhaenyra is also supposed to be much much older than her siblings, yet they all also look just like three years apart. They don’t look like a woman in her mid to late thirties fighting with a man in his early twenties which is what it should’ve been. It takes away the drama and puts them on the same level.

Ewan Mitchell is amazing as Aemond but he looks so so much older than the actor who plays Luke. During Storm’s End, like many people have said, it actually looks like a grown ass man chasing a small kid, when the characters are supposed to be like four to five years apart. Where Luke is believable as a 14 year old, Aemond absolutely does NOT look 19.

Rhaenyra and Daemon also look fairly the same age because obviously there was no Daemon recast. They did a good job to make Paddy (Viserys) age throughout the years, but they kinda forgot to make Daemon age as well. And therefore Matt Smith looks the exact same in ep 1 and in ep 10, even tho these two episodes are like AT LEAST 20 years apart?? Matt Smith was in his early forties when they were filming, but by the end of season 1 Daemon is literally supposed to be in his mid to late fifties. The fact that Emma and Matt look around the same age, maybe having a 5 year age gap max, makes many people forget that they are two fully different generations of people, being around 20 years apart in the show, and hypothetically could’ve been father and daughter.

And obviously Laena. Other people have already talked about this, but I also find it super weird that the show tried to convince us that Laena went from (1) to (2) in like, i don’t know, two years maybe? And then after a timeskip of only like one decade, she suddenly looks like she aged 20 years? The actress is literally older than Emma, and Laena is supposed to be younger than Rhaenyra.

It just doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t really have a problem with changing some of the characters’ ages, but you have to consider casting the right actors as well. They did a fairly good job when adapting Game of Thrones, because they kinda aged up everyone and kept the same actors without having any timeskips. The only exceptions are probably characters like Brienne, because although I LOVE Gwendoline Christie, Brienne should’ve been a literal teenager.

#house of the dragon #hotd #team green #pro team green #anti team black #anti team black stans #hotd analysis #hotd critical #asoiaf #fire and blood #house targaryen

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knowledgeabletrash · 8 months

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Homies I’m gonna be so real I think a lot of people really miss the point of hotd and got in general. The whole green vs blacks argument feels very akin to the team peeta/team gale phenomenon in the Hunger Games fandom- the very existence of these “teams” in any serious context is a manifestation of the very thing their media is criticizing.

You’re not supposed to be EITHER side in the Dance of Dragons. Spin it any way you want, but as a whole, the entire story is a critique on dynastic monarchy and blood/racial purity in politics. Both Rhaenyra and Aegon II are vying for power to a fundamentally corrupt system that, really, neither of them are entitled to or equipped to have. Dynastic Monarchy Bad, yaknow?

Neither one of them deserve the throne, just like every monarch who inherited their power from their family before them. The Targs in general have a whole lot of Mandate of Heaven/Manifest Destiny/Blood Purity thing going on that Martin is clearly criticizing in the series as a whole.

The point of the Dance of Dragons is that it is the result of two people who both believed that they were, through some law or divinity, The Chosen who deserved power. House Targaryen already had it all, but tore itself apart over their own ideas of prophecy and destiny, Who Deserved It More. There’s a reason neither Rhaenyra or Aegon II end up on the throne, there’s a reason that almost all of the Targs died in the war: it’s a cautionary tale. Through the Dance, Martin is able to criticize both the Valyrian Supremacy ideals of the Targs and the patriarchal governments within Westeros. Monarchy and patriarchy hurt everyone.

I think most fans with media comprehension understand that both sides of the war committed unforgivable atrocities, and both sides experienced unimaginable loss and grief. The irony is, it is almost all self-inflicted. By playing The Game, Rhae, Aegon, and House Targaryen lost everything, and the rest of Westeros was just collateral.

Anyway I don’t wanna see anymore misogynistic bullshit. You can critique the characters without saying the most sexist shit imaginable (this goes for greens and blacks, I’ve seen some truly heinous shit in the trenches). This show is fun and really enjoyable to watch, and I would love to see a fan community that isn’t constantly at each others throats over made up characters in a made up war.

#house of the dragon #alicent hightower #hotd #rhaenyra targaryen #aegon ii targaryen #team green #team black #hotd analysis #game of thrones #a song of ice and fire #aemond targaryen #daemon targaryen #dance of dragons #hotd discussion

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witheredoffherwitch · 7 months

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I see majority of readers STILL conflating HoTD with F&B in their conversations about the show;

Rhaenyra is a ruthless woman - far from it, in fact. She is reckless, yes - requesting her younger brother be tortured off-handedly and not thinking twice about others' hardship in exchange for profit. She works hard to steer away from any kind of dispute (even though it's to her own disadvantage like Viserys), and she can talk her way out of anything as proven when manages to bring Rhaenys to her side with that marriage proposal. Even in episode 10, she believes in finding other solutions than war while it's Daemon pushing for military action.

Alicent is a master manipulator - again, what are you watching? Instead, she's portrayed as a victim of the various machinations men employ against her. The only time she regains her agency is when Viserys is finally dead. Coincidentally, that is also when Rhaenyra loses her independence! I even reckon they will be expanding on this key difference in Season 2.

Alicent and Rhaenyra are bad mothers - no, they aren't. Rather these women are products of their own circumstances. Alicent lives with the constant fear of her children being killed should the opposition gain power while Rhaenyra must constantly act with strength to ensure no one would dare stand against her or her family.

Laena and Rhaenyra were the besties - umm where? Rhaenyra slept with her husband on the day of her funeral!

Daemon is a great dad - no, he isn't. The most we have seen is him interacting with his two daughters. Although he taught one of them High Valyrian in one scene, he showed little interest towards her otherwise. As for the second daughter, he simply ignored her as if she wasn't worth his time. Other than that, he is mostly indifferent to Rhaenyra's other kids.

Daemon loves Rhaenyra - he prefers her out of all the woman he's been with, that's for sure. But the motives are still very unclear. Even Viserys, Daemon's brother, has suspicions about his true intentions; could it be that he's just using her as a means to gain power, or does he honestly love Rhaenyra and is willing to believe in her cause?

Aemond always calls Rhaenya a 'whore' - nope, not yet! Will that change in season 2? Maybe, but up until now, he hasn't. In fact on misogyny scale, he ranks the lowest when compared to Viserys, Aegon and Daemon. He only maintains a cold indifference for his half-sister. The only two men who are rather liberal with the words 'cunt' and 'whore' are Daemon and Criston.

Jace is a good fighter - LMFAO!

Otto is a bad father - he is not the best, but he isn't the worst either. He isn't any worse than Viserys or Corlys who all gambled away their kids' future for that political gain.

#hotd discourse #hotd analysis #aemond targaryen #alicent hightower #rhaenyra targaryen #otto hightower #team green #house of the dragon #separate this show from F&B

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aella-targaryen · 1 month

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ANALYSIS OF HOUSE OF THE DRAGON SEASON 2' NEW POSTERS.

-DRAGONSTONE

I love that the members of the Team Black are at Dragonstone, this gives more legitimacy to the fight of the members of the Team Black since as we know that Dragonstone represents the essence and quasi-divine character of the Targaryens, it is the place where Magic manifests itself in a clearer and more powerful way, where magical rituals and the extraordinary births of multiple Dragons are quotidian events. But that is also their biggest disadvantage. The divinity and superiority of the Targaryens, although it inspires fear and admiration, also often inspires rejection and resentment. If the Targaryens didn't have their dragons, all the people of Westeros would see them as simple incestuous pagans. To the people of Westeros, the Targaryens represent power, but they also represent a wild and primitive force.The occupation of the Red Keep offers greater legitimacy to the Crown in the eyes of the people, representing civility and a court faithful to the Faith of the Seven, the main religion of Westeros. That's why the Team Black is desperate to conquer King's Landing. If you want to reign over Westeros you have to establish your court in the Red Keep and that is the advantage of the Greens.

-CORLYS VELARYON.

Corlys is the member of the Team Black that is furthest from the others and that makes sense, he was the one who best evaded the ravages of the Dance and the total ruin of his House. Yes, he lost his wife, but he managed to save his heirs and kept the Velaryon house strong after the war. Corlys has always managed to find ways to get out of conflicts. I think that is why Corlys is closer to the window, remember that the Dragonstone windows directly show the sea, his transportation and his escape route.

- RHAENYS

In the poster we can see how Rhaenys is closer to the conflict than her husband, with a less cautious and more courageous look. I thought it was a great detail that the sigil of the Targaryen House is behind Rhaenys' back,like Daemon and Rhaenyra, because Corlys is only an ally, a powerful ally, but he's not a Targaryen, he's not a dragon and that is why the walls of Dragonstone are only behind the backs of Rhaenys, Daemon and Rhaenyra. The walls of Dragonstone are made of stone melted by the magical fire of the dragons, those walls demonstrate the irracible and immovable character of the Targaryens, neither a window behind them nor an escape route, only a path to the fight. For them it cannot be any other way, either they win or they will die trying.

-DAEMYRA (It wouldn't be an análisis of mine if I didn't add at least one paragraph referring to Daemyra )

I love Daemon's posture (Like everything he does) I don't think he´s in an attack position, I think he´s protecting Rhaenyra, as if he just unsheathed his sword to defending her, we can see that his eyes are fixed on Rhaenyra (Although that is not strange, we all know that Daemon almost always remains watching Rhaenyra) it is as if he is waiting for her to give him permission to attack (Which we have also seen before) it´s Rhaenyra who commands Daemon, from Rhaenyra's posture we know that she´s the one directing the situation and that it's her will that guides Daemon's sword.

The poster shows us two couples: Corlys and Rhaenys and Daemon and Rhaenyra. We see that in the case of Corlys and Rhaenys, Corlys is next to Rhaenys, shoulder to shoulder they seem to be a couple on more equal terms and that makes their relationship and interactions more harmonious.

In the case of Daemyra we see how Daemon's not at Rhaenyra's side, he is behind her and he is even leaning slightly as if for him Rhaenyra's posture was more imposing and that image is a reflection of their relationship, her being superior to Daemon in every aspect and Daemon accepts it.

He is older, stronger and more experienced than her but in Daemon's universe she's the sun and he's the earth. Without her, he has no direction, Viserys was also part of that sun but now only Rhaenyra exists for him, that's why he is more defensive regarding her, He failed to protect Viserys, he cannot allow himself to fail in his duty to protect Rhaenyra.To protect her , he is willing to submit to her , allowing her to direct his life, because he could never live without her and even her rejection would shatter him.

I know, it seems like I'm exaggerating but didn't we see how Daemon lived in an absolutely miserable way when he was separated from Rhaenyra? Daemon spent the day drinking and almost never leaving his castle doing anything but reading, even as a father he was negligent (in the show) , however, Rhaenyra fought every day to retain her political power, she raised her sons efficiently and worked to serve the realm and learn how to rule it. Although Rhaenyra was never able to truly confront her enemies without Daemon, she handled the separation much better than him. Although they are soul mates, although they have many things in common, although their life experiences are very similar, although they are family, it's a deeply unequal relationship and we all know it, which is why their conflicts are deeper and have more devastating and significant consequences.

It is a beautiful, unhealthy and sad relationship for both of them, because literally Rhaenyra's rejection will kill Daemon and Rhaenyra will be the one left alone to bear the future consequences of it.

-RHAENYRA, THE JESUS OF WESTEROS???

I like Rhaenyra's posture but I don't love it. Rhaenyra's makeup, costumes and hair have improved a lot compared to the S1, I love seeing her regal and stylized. No more tears on the queen's face, just pure determination, strength and thirst for justice, the only thing I don't like is that Rhaenyra is not looking at the throne. I have previously commented that Rhaenyra didn't want the Iron Throne or the power that comes with being the queen of the Seven Kingdoms, what guides her is the fulfillment of the prophecy, which would be extremely interesting IF THEY HAD NOT DESTROYED THE ENTIRE PLOT OF THE PROPHECY IN THE LAST SEASON OF GAME OF THRONES...but, okay, let's say that despite everything the Targaryens (Rhaenyra's bloodline) helped defeat the Night King.The prophecy was fulfilled, in a shitty way, but it was fulfilled.

Now, why is it a little annoying that all Rhaenyra wants is to fulfill the prophecy? Well because Rhaenyra doesn't show any interest in the Iron Throne. So far I have never seen her really excited about becoming queen, we have only seen her determined to fulfill the duty that her father imposed on her, to be the heir to the house of the dragon and continue Aegon's bloodline. As I have already commented in other analyses, despite Rhaenyra's rebellious nature, she has a high sense of duty and for Rhaenyra the throne is just the cross she has to carry for the good of everyone, it's not something she wants to conquer.

Rhaenyra's literally fighting to save the world, just like Jesus (In case you're wondering, no, I'm not a believer 💀💀💀, I'm actually an atheist), I know it sounds ridiculous but she is exactly like him. Rhaenyra knows a prophecy that announces the destruction of humanity, she couldn´t share that prophecy because, let's face it, no one would believe her. The other Houses would only think that it is a ploy created by the Targaryens to preserve the power, therefore she can only share the prophecy with the people most loyal to her.Rhaenyra will suffer great sorrows to protect the prophecy and If she dies in the war (something she knows is very likely to happen), let her descendants fulfill that objective. Rhaenyra will die at the hands of her enemies but the power of the prophecy will be transmitted to her descendants and It will be thanks to her sacrifices and her death that they will manage to save the world from destruction Isn't coincidence that in the poster Rhaenyra is shown as an almost divine being, shining in the midst of everything. Rhaenyra literally carries the weight of the world on her shoulders.

She is literally the Jesus of Westeros.

And I don't dislike that at all, but I would have liked Rhaenyra's character to be even more complex, that her desire to fulfill the prophecy was linked by her ambition to become a queen so powerful that no one could ever order her how to live her life and let her bloodline reign over the Seven Kingdoms. After all, Rhaenyra is not an angel (although she looks like one) and despite being a Targaryen, Rhaenyra is just a woman and all women have ambitions.

Now, there are also other opinions, some say that Rhaenyra is actually seeing Aemond and that Aemond is seeing her. I don't think Rhaenyra is seeing Aemond simply because she doesn't look furious in the Poster, her look doesn't show the anger that Rhaenyra feels for Aemond. So I don't think she is looking at him, but I could be wrong, I would love to read your opinions. Do you think that Rhaenyra is looking at Aemond or not?

TEAM GREEN.

SIGNS OF USURPATION.

First we can see that Alicent is hiding the Targaryen sigil with her body, almost in its entirety, I think this is a fairly obvious allegory to the fact that the House Hightower is the one that rules Westeros, although they call themselves Targaryens, they aren't Targaryens. They reject Valyrian culture, they don´t see dragons as an extension of themselves but rather as weapons or horses that they have a certain affection , they don´t respect the Valyrian legacy and therefore they don´t respect magic either and that's dangerous, we know that magic is still very present in Westeros, the Targeryans and all the descendants of Valyria have magic in their blood and the dragonfire is also magical. For the Targaryens, rejecting the magic and traditions of Valyria means rejecting power, and few things symbolize power better than the Iron Throne.

We know that the Iron Throne is a magical throne, this is because it was forged by the fire of a dragon, it could be said that the throne has a life of its own, I believe that the throne can reject or accept different people for different reasons, in this case the throne doesn´t recognize the Hightower as its conquerors because they don´t respect the ancient magic of the world.

What rules the world of asoiaf is not kings or even gods. It's the magic. Rejecting magic It's a terrible mistake and I believe that is why the throne rejects the Hightower and shows it by tearing their sigil.

AEMOND IS CURSED.

I think we could all notice how the banner behind Aemond is waived by an unknown breeze, it's almost as if the banner is facing away from him,as if House Targaryen turned its back on him.That was done deliberately because there is no breeze in the room because all the other banners remain still.

It’s not surprising that the luck is not on Aemond's side, he has committed one of the greatest sins, he has caused the death of one of his nephew, his own blood, that is why it seems that the Gods have abandoned him.

After killing Lucerys, Aemond's days were numbered, he was out of luck and that was shown when Aemond lost the Battle Above the God's Eye. Some say that no one won that battle because both Daemon and Aemond died, but that is not true. Aemond was killed by Daemon and Deamon died after killing Aemond, his enemy, and that's why Daemon won the battle. Daemon knew perfectly well what would happen if he jumped off his dragon to kill Aemond. Daemon chose the way he would die, Aemond didn´t.

Aemond's story is much more tragic, Aemond didn't continue his bloodline, he didn´t have legitimate children, all traces of him disappeared, he died in an extremely abrupt way at a very young age. For Aemond death was a horrible surprise but Daemon welcomed death with open arms to defend his family. Aemond died without any glory fighting for a king who would die poisoned and without heirs.

CRISPIN, A FATHER FIGURE.

There’s not much to say about Crispin at the moment, he looks at Rhaenyra with fury and he is standing behind Aegon, probably whispering misogynistic shit in his ear at every opportunity.

In another analysis I have said that Crispin is the father figure of both Aemond and Aegon in a way that Viserys never was, he is truly the man who taught them everything they know and has been their role model since their childhood in a way or another and we must not forget the relationship that Crispin has with Alicent, I want to think that Alicent's sons are not totally stupid and that they have realized that Crispin is practically their stepfather in all aspects except the title.

Crispin not only taught the boys how to use a sword, he taught them to be cruel. I think Alicent's sons might not have become completely horrible men if Crispin had been a better role model. Why do you think Aemond believes it's acceptable to use excessive force to subdue rivals much weaker than him? That's what Crispin taught him. Why do you think Aegon has no consideration or mercy for children or the innocent? Because Crispin taught him that.

ALICENT, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU WANT TO BE A MARTYR?

We can say what we want about Alicent but we cannot deny that women have convictions, horrible and wrong convictions, but convictions after all, Alicent deeply believes that her ideas and actions are correct according to her religion and she’s willing to sacrifice everything but feels anger when her sacrifices are not rewarded. For Alicent, the sacrifices she made will make her rewarded and recognized by the Gods but so far that hasn't happened but Alicent's sure that the only thing she must do is persevere and resist. That is why the symbol of the seven-pointed star remains above her head.

Deep in her soul, Alicent feels that she deserves to have a high status and that her son to be king because of everything she had to go through.

Imagine being in Alicent's place, imagine being a good daughter and then your father forces you to marry an old man, imagine dedicating your entire youth to a man who could be your father, satisfying his sexual desires, being used as a toy, giving children to him, giving him heirs, taking care of him in his illness... so that in the end that man never recognizes your efforts and doesn´t give you a reward for it, he never names your son King and that he decides to choose his eldest daughter who has never dedicated her life to serving him and pleasing him. I don’t support any of Alicent’s decisions but we have to admit that it's not surprising that she became furious with the Targaryens and that she now decides to take with her own hands what she believes she has earned by her submission and her sacrifice.

In religion, a martyr is someone who suffers for her religious convictions, in essence the greater the sufferings of the martyr, the greater the power of her convictions and therefore the greater her virtue and superiority, being known as a saint worthy of praise. Alicent is determined to prove to the Gods, to Rhaenyra but above all to herself that she is much better than the others, that she is the strongest warrior of the Gods and that she deserves to be recognized , because if she doesn't prove it, her entire life and all her sacrifices would be useless.

Again,I don't justify anything that Alicent has done, I still believe that she is acting in the wrong way and should accept the consequences of her actions , Why? Because Alicent wants to make the wrong people suffer when the person responsable of all her suffering is her father, that's a truth that Alicent knows but refuses to face because he is the person that she loves most in the world and she has a deep emotional dependence on him.

HAVING THE CROWN ISN'T IMPORTANT (TO AEGON)

I adore symbolism, I think they can be very important and powerful, that is why the movement of the greens to crown Aegon with the crown of the conqueror was extremely important, Alicent wasn't wrong when she mentioned that if Aegon possessed the relics of the Conqueror, his legitimacy as king would be strengthened and it’s true, Aegon possesses all the symbols that matter, the crown and sword of the Conqueror, the Iron Throne and a court in The Red Keep.

It is because of the relics that Aegon can look like a king and have an acceptable appearance before his people and his court, but Aegon doesn’t care about symbolism, he doesn't care about decorum, he doesn't care about rules or laws, this is symbolized by how Aegon doesn't wear the crown of the Conqueror on his head but rather holds it in his hand. What really matters to Aegon is having enough power to be able to do whatever he wants without anyone questioning him or giving him orders and to feel loved (not by his family but by the people of King's Landing).

I believe that at the end of S1 Aegon realized that as king he could give free rein to his debauchery and his terrible actions, he could be the most despicable man in the world and still be praised by everyone because it is the duty of the people praise him.

That is why he doesn´t make an effort to act like a good king because no matter what Aegon does, his family will do whatever it takes to keep him on the throne and profit from it, Aegon knows perfectly well that his family is using him and now he is trying to figure out how he can use his family members or even how he can get rid of them if he wants to. After all, to them, he is the king.

Thank you sooo much for reading this analysis💕💕💕💕💕🥺💞💞💞 I hope you liked it or at least found it interesting, you can leave your comments and opinions and you can also ask me anything.

#hotd #rhaenyra targaryen #daemon targaryen #daemon x rhaenyra #rhaenyra x daemon #rhaenrya targaryen #daemyra #house of the dragon #alicent hightower #hotd s2 #Aegon Hightower #prince aemond #team black #team green #crispin cole #rhaenys targaryen #corlys valeryon #hotd analysis #analysis

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ramblings-of-a-mad-cat · 7 months

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Challenge: Aegon had to be King for his own survival. Rhaenyra would have killed him. And Alicent. Maybe not Helaena. DEFINITELY Aemond. He was protecting himself. AND he offered her the chance to p much keep living her life in peace.

Rebuttal: We have absolutely no evidence of this short of Otto's claims. And Otto is lying.

He saw firsthand what happened when a member of Rhaenyra's family tried to steal her inheritance. When Daemon occupied Dragonstone and declared himself Viserys' heir, did Rhaenyra resort to bloodshed? Did she use this as an excuse to try and kill Daemon? No. She called his bluff. She invited him to strike first. So when Otto tells Alicent that Rhaenyra will have "no choice" but to put her brothers to the sword, either he is suffering from memory loss, or he's lying through his teeth. He should know better than anyone that Rhaenyra is no kinslayer.

Here's the real truth. Otto realized that he couldn't control Rhaenyra. That she would not accept her position being taken away without a fight. He saw how easily she won over Daemon, how alike the two of them were. Just look at Otto's expression when Rhaenyra is flying away. He's realized that if it came to a fight with Rhaenyra, she'd have Daemon backing her. And that terrified him.

The story that Rhaenyra would preemptively murder her brothers to prevent any challenges to her claim is just that, a story. Otto uses it as justification for his plot to reject the succession. During the Green Council, he tries to have Rhaenyra and Daemon murdered so they won't challenge Aegon - exactly what he claimed Rhaenyra would do. Realistically, why would she ever do this in the first place? If she murdered her own brothers without any provocation, she would look like a tyrant. All the lords actually on her side would abandon her. Rhaenyra doesn't have a reason to harm Aegon unless he gives her one, and it's clear as day that he wouldn't do so on his own. She'd likewise have zero reason to hurt Helaena or Alicent. They have no real power. I suppose Aemond might be a problem, but again, only if he initiates. Rhaenyra isn't going to pick a fight with him.

The terms offered to Rhaenyra in 1X10 are, frankly, a complete joke. They offer her Dragonstone...which she already has. She's been living there, and now that she's queen, the castle belongs to Jace. They offer to re-confirm Luke as heir to Driftmark...even though he was already re-confirmed, just two days ago. Not to mention that Corlys survived, so the Crown really doesn't have jurisdiction over that anymore. Corlys will always choose Luke. Oh, and they offer to take her two youngest children as hostages. Sure, they don't call it that, but Rhaenyra's no fool, and it's plain as day that they would be hostages. Perhaps treated as guests, but taken for no other reason than to keep Rhaenyra in line. She's the rightful Queen, why should she entertain such nonsense? Oh, and they offer to spare any Lords who "conspired" against Aegon's ascent. Even though the story of Viserys "changing his mind" isn't well known, and these Lords would have simply been following the succession as they knew it to be. Get real.

Finally, Aegon acting in self-defense based on what he was told might have been his motive in the book. But in the show, it's very clearly a case of enjoying the attention. He feels validated and seen by the crowd. It's the first time he is actually shown to enjoy being King and maybe even start to want it.

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carnivorousladybug · 1 year

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A Character Study: Aemond from House of the Dragon

Almost 4k words. My thoughts on Aemond Targaryen. This is me trying to make sense of his character and guessing his motivations. I'm focusing mainly on the show so I did not mention Daeron.

To the greens, Aemond was the spare. To the blacks, he was even less than that.

In the show, he was born after The Green Dress stunt at Rhaenyra's wedding, when Alicent got rid of her Targaryen red and black dresses in favor of Hightower green, signaling her true allegiance. Sides are declared. The die is cast. In the book, Alicent's stunt wouldn't be pulled until a year after Aemond was born, but I like the show's timing better.

I like the idea of Alicent being in full-on war mode while she was pregnant with him. It would be fitting, knowing she would give birth to a baby boy with a choleric temperament. The boy who would one day grow up to be the young man whose actions started the Dance of the Dragons.

Aemond as might as well pull an Athena and come out of the womb fully dressed in armor and ready for war.

From the time Aemond was old enough to understand, the tension between his mother and half-sister had been so thick that you could cut it with a knife.

In the show, Aemond and Jace are roughly the same age, so Jace was probably born not long after Aemond (I'm guessing their age difference is a year max). Then Rhaenyra churns out two more bastard kids throughout the duration of Aemond's youth. Growing up, this boy would’ve been mighty familiar with hearing questions about his nephews' legitimacy as more and more rumors of Rhaenyra's trysts with Harwin Strong spread throughout King's Landing.

To properly understand Aemond's childhood, we need to talk about Aemond's momma, Alicent Hightower. Mommy dearest.

Alicent was literally a teen mom who had been forced to grow up too quickly. After Viserys fired Otto and her friendship with Rhaenyra disintegrated, she had almost zero allies in court. She was scared, paranoid, and bitter. Alicent was nowhere near prepared for the motherhood and queenship that was thrust upon her. I'm pretty sure that she often found herself needing someone to vent to, and I think Aemond would've been that someone for her (My Son is My Therapist).

Alicent was, by definition, an emotionally immature parent. In this scenario, it’s common for parents to turn to their children for emotional support. She couldn’t turn to Viserys, Aegon was rowdy and does his own shit, and she and Helaena never quite connected. That left Aemond, who strikes me as a naturally attentive and observant child.

This is just a theory, but I don’t see why it couldn’t have happened given the circumstances. It would certainly explain why Aemond and his mom are so close. (And why Aemond gives "older sibling who acts like a parent" vibes.)

I mean, have you seen this scene? The softness they have for each other? How in tune they are with each other’s emotions? They act more like equals than Mother and Son.

With Viserys being a shitty father who'd rather play with his legos than pay attention to his son, Alicent would also be the only person Aemond would look to for guidance, to make sense of the world.

I'm imagining Alicent ranting about Rhaenyra's irresponsibility while a young Aemond listens, absorbing every word.

Here I am, upholding the kingdom, the family, the law, while she flouts it all to do as she pleases.

The audacity of her to name her common-faced bastards as heirs while you and Aegon are pushed further down the line of succession.

Where is duty? Where is honor? Where is sacrifice?

It’s a wonder to me that her sons’ eggs ever hatched. We all know what they really are.

Aemond takes Alicent's words to heart and he treats them with a level of seriousness that is rare for most children his age. He strikes me as a very precocious kid. I see him as an overthinker, which would mean he has a tendency to mull over things for long periods of time and find deeper meanings where most would fail to. (A trait that would serve him but ultimately destroy him in the end.)

Like the good student he is, Aemond takes in everything that Alicent has to say. And if my My Son is My Therapist theory is correct, then out of all of Alicent’s children, Aemond would be the one most privy to her thoughts. It would explain why he's so similar to her in beliefs and personality. Everything he knew, he learned from Alicent.

Helaemond shippers like to point at this scene and say Aemond had a crush on Helaena and idk about you but it sounds like he's just echoing his mother. This is a 10-year-old boy.

Thanks to Alicent, Aemond would see the world as being split into two groups: the “worthy” and the “unworthy”. The worthy are the ones who uphold honor and duty. The unworthy are the ones who do not.

His sense of worth would be directly tied to this metric. Aemond has a strong desire to prove himself worthy by being the perfect prince, the perfect son. He cares deeply about how others views him, and he becomes a perfectionist.

Aegon being a useless drunkard and Rhaenyra being a lawbreaker would only motivate him further. (Yes, Rhaenyra naming her bastards as heirs is literally illegal. It's high treason. It's an offense that would result in being disinherited and even executed, I can't stress this enough.) I can do better, Aemond thinks.

So, being the only boy in the family without a dragon would do monumental damage to his self-esteem.

I'm imagining him listening to Alicent rant about how Jacaerys and Lucerys are unworthy of having their dragon eggs hatch. Being the over-analytical little shit he is, Aemond would've come to the conclusion that the eggs only hatch for true Targaryens. And suddenly he's worried because what if I'm not worthy of my name?

Even my idiot older brother and my bastard nephews have dragons. What does that make me? He thinks. Aemond would've felt so small.

As if it wasn't bad enough to know that he was only the spare to Aegon's heir, to watch his father neglect him while pouring affection to his half-sister and her kids, to know that he was the least important member of the family. (Knowing you're not the favorite child hurts even for normal people; imagine growing up in a family system where every child is ranked from most important to least.)

It sure didn't help that Aegon, Jace, and Lucerys took advantage of his biggest insecurity to bully him.

Now, we don't know exactly when this bullying started or how long it had been going on, but the Pink Dread incident was nowhere near the first time. To find a pig and to attach wigs on it takes a bit more effort than your average taunts. There's a lot that has to build up for that to happen. I'm guessing the bullying had been going for a few years.

But the pig was definitely the crescendo. With each taunt and sneer the boys had thrown at him, Aemond's self-esteem had gotten worse and worse. When the Pink Dread happens, something in Aemond snaps.

It was more than just a pig with wings. It was utter humiliation. It was telling him no matter how perfect you try to be, you will always be lesser.

Knowing this and all the pent-up anger that Aemond would have towards his brother and the Velaryon/Strong boys, it probably took him a lot of self-control to not explode right there and then.

In Fire and Blood, Aemond is described as being a feisty kid.

"Aemond was said to be half the size of his elder brother but twice as fierce."

In the show, he's more chill, but I don't think the book is wrong. F&B is written like a history book, and history only remembers what was notable. Aemond has this sort of vibe that says "I'm chill on the outside but I'm screaming on the inside." Like his mother, he holds in all his feelings for the sake of appearances but you can bet that during the times when he does let it out, this boy would have an anger that burns hotter than the seven hells. And it would be enough to give him a reputation.

Aemond tries to be on his best behavior and bottles up his emotions... until he can't anymore. Being a perfectionist, he has a do-or-die mentality. This aspect of him was ever so apparent when he sees Vhagar at Laena's funeral.

The oldest, largest, and most dangerous dragon in the world... out in the open, without a rider. And one desperate boy who has had enough of feeling weak and inferior.

Hell, it was like dangling a carrot in front of a rabbit.

This is my one and only chance, Aemond thinks. My brother and my nephews want to laugh at me? Fine, I'm going to claim a dragon that'll make theirs look like a pig.

At this point, Aemond could care less about the dangers. Give me the biggest dragon in the world or give me death.

Vhagar sees Aemond and goes, "This little shit has balls... I like it. But let's see how he does in the air." She tests him by flying like an absolute maniac but when she realizes that Aemond has persevered regardless, she deems him worthy of being her rider. Vhagar likes her riders strong-willed and courageous. Aemond didn't claim Vhagar, Vhagar claimed Aemond.

And that validation from Grandma Dragon was all Aemond needed to go on a freaking power trip. This lonely boy — who had been bullied for years, whose only "friend" was his mother — was suddenly given the highest level of approval from an ancient war dragon who people write songs about. Becoming Vhagar's rider gives him newfound confidence and Aemond feels on top of the world. He's still riding that high when the Strong boys and Daemon's daughters attack him.

It's this same rush of power that makes him utter the forbidden word.

Bastards.

I don't think Aemond actually hates Rhaenyra's boys for being bastards. I mean, look at this scene where he goes up to Jace during Laena's funeral. The look of sympathy. He wants to say something to offer condolences about Ser Harwin's death, but he knows he shouldn't. And the future love of his life is literally a bastard of House Strong.

During the fight, Aemond calls Jace and Luke bastards as a way to get back at them for making him feel weak. He's saying, look who's the inferior one now.

Then Lucerys stabs him in the eye and all the euphoria he felt a few minutes ago goes down the drain.

It only got worse from there.

Instead of giving him sympathy, his half-sister politicizes his trauma, makes the entire thing about her and her sons, and accuses him of treason. His father is angrier over the fact that he called his nephews bastards than the fact that he was maimed. The little shit who took out his eye doesn't even apologize.

And where had his useless older brother been all this time? Drunk beyond repair.

The only one who seems to care is his mother, and Aemond watches as she gets excessively gaslit for wanting justice on his behalf.

He's sitting there in the armchair while all this goes down, one of his eyes is literally gone, and his injury is probably so painful that his head feels like it's going to burst.

I let my feelings get ahead of me one time and this is what happens, Aemond thinks.

Any other kid in his position would've felt entitled to act out, but Aemond swallows down his emotions and puts on a brave face. He protects his mother from his father's wrath and even steps in to defuse the situation by placating her. Mommy's little therapist.

This ten-year-old boy was forced to take on the role of an adult while his eye had been freshly slashed from his skull. The trauma of that night would stay with him for years afterward.

Three things were certain in Aemond's mind:

He can't count on his father to defend him.

He can't count on his older brother to defend him.

His half-sister cares more about the throne than his safety and most likely his life.

When the family returns to Kings Landing the next day, Aemond leaves his childhood behind at Driftmark.

He develops hyper-independence and spends the next several years trying to compensate for his disability while preparing for the Targaryen Hunger Games that will come one day. Aemond would be the first one up at dawn, already in the training yard, and he'd be the last one to retreat to his chambers at night, reading page after page in the library and sometimes even falling asleep there.

Well, okay, maybe he's not exactly the last one to bed.

I'm imagining pre-teen Aemond coming out of the library at the hour of the owl, only to bump into a staggering teenage Aegon who was just sneaking back into the Red Keep after a late-night rendezvous, high as a kite.

This is the idiot who is to be king, Aemond thinks. (Rhaenyra's gang can delude themselves as much as they'd like but Aemond knows the precedent set by the Great Council of 101 AC, the primogeniture, was bigger than the wishes of a dying king and an entitled princess.)

No matter how hard he tries, his clown of a brother would always get what Aemond had always been more qualified for.

Because Aemond was only the second son.

Worse, a second son with just one eye.

Aemond's quite insecure about his looks; I'm sure he thinks his scar looks ugly and horrifying. It's canon that he wears the eyepatch to not frighten the ladies. The sapphire is there so he looks cool when he does want to frighten them.

I don't think he would've had a lot of crushes. Not because he doesn't care about romance or sex, I think it would be because he's scared of getting rejected. He hears the court calling him Aemond One-Eye and people whispering about his fiery temper behind his back. As a side effect of that traumatic day in Driftmark, I think Aemond would now anger quite easily, as trauma survivors often do. And when he isn't angry, he's putting on a stone mask of confidence to seem indestructible. It would definitely come off quite cold to others, but after all the helplessness he had felt, Aemond adopts the "I'd rather be feared than loved" mentality.

He knows he's not crush-worthy material (don't fight me on this, it's different for fandom girlies because we know his story, but imagine if you didn't and you met him in real life, only knowing him based on the rumors? and, while I think ewan mitchell is handsome af, he's not conventionally pretty.).

I have other things to do than think about girls, he tells himself.

Then Aegon takes him to a brothel on the Streets of Silk on his thirteenth birthday. His older brother basically rapes him by proxy via a woman who is twice Aemond's age. (We don't know if this trauma did anything to affect Aemond's sexual preferences but we do know that teenage Aemond would never look at girls his own age. He falls in love with Alys Rivers... who's like 40. Aemond also has mommy issues so there's that.)

When Aegon marries Helaena, Aemond does his best to protect his sister from his brother's abuse because he knows what it's like. Both being victims of Aegon, he forms a special bond with Helaena and takes on the role of being her protector. This protectiveness he feels is extended down to Helaena's children.

A few years go by and Aemond settles into a routine that consists of him picking up after his brother, taking care of his sister and her children, being a confidant to his mother, and essentially taking the position of the family patriarch. On top of this, he has a rigorous training regimen and he's studying everything he can about history and political philosophy so that at least someone will know shit about ruling when Aegon becomes king.

This boy had so much on his plate.

Eventually, the matter of Driftmark's succession brings Rhaenyra's clan back to court. Bro definitely had flashbacks when he heard the news that they were coming. During the petitions scene, he's tense and on guard. He's trying to act like seeing Rhaenyra and her kids doesn't bother him, but his hands are clasped high behind his back as if he's trying to keep it all in.

At this point, it was about more than the loss of his eye. It was about more than just that night. More than the pain of the injury, and more than the phantom pain that he probably still feels occasionally in the place where his eye had been.

(Edited: I found this amazing post explaining that Aemond most likely had chronic pain resulting from nerve damage. So he probably had more than phantom pain. Which makes his trauma ten times worse.)

No, this boy has been hurt mind, body, and soul. He looks at the blacks and he sees all the years of helplessness, loneliness, resentment, anger, and insecurity that he had been through as a result of their actions. (I've said before that Aemond is a ruminator, and ruminators are often the best grudge-holders.)

Daemon beheads Vaemond for saying the same thing he did when he lost his eye, showing absolutely no mercy. Then, during dinner, the little shit who took out his eye had the audacity to laugh at him when he saw a pig.

Aemond's like, y'know what, I've been acting cordial all day for the sake of being respectful but these people don't deserve it. Fuck it.

After Vizzy T dies and Aegon runs off, Aemond volunteers to find the fool. He prides himself in being dutiful and loyal, it's literally his entire sense of identity, and if it means tracking down his idiot of a brother just so the fool could be crowned — so be it.

That doesn't mean he has to be happy about it though. Aemond finds himself alone in the streets of Flea Bottom with Ser Crispy — the man who taught him how to fight, the man who has been there for his family ever since he was born — and decides to take the opportunity to vent and grant himself some much-needed catharsis, if only for a few seconds.

I think all the resentment that he had felt during the last few days finally boiled over when he saw Luke at Storm's End.

There he was, selling himself up for marriage, trying to do what's expected of him even though he probably feels like a puppet on a string — just so Eggy gets to keep his crown. And this boy, this boy who took his eye out, who bullied him, who laughed and never apologized, waltzes in. The same boy who, a few days ago, was named heir to Driftmark, even though he was a bastard and a second son.

Aemond is triggered. He's a trauma victim; his mind immediately reverts back to the state it was in that fateful night in Driftmark. Mentally, he's no longer the dutiful young adult. The helpless little boy in him comes out and he sees red.

"I want you to put out your eye."

My theory is that Aemond had been dreaming about taking Luke's eye as retribution for years. It's pretty common for victims of violence to fantasize about attacking their abusers — it's a defense mechanism to prepare them for violence to come, and in Aemond's case, violence was guaranteed to come. My dude has probably been suffering from intrusive homicidal ideations for while.

The show told the tale from Luke's POV so we see the boy running out the hall after Borros ends the conversation, only for a mean nasty Aemond to chase him on Vhagar. In the book, however, another secondborn decides to stir shit up after Luke leaves the room.

And there it might have ended, but for the girl Maris. The secondborn daughter of Lord Borros, less comely than her sisters, she was angry with Aemond for preferring them to her. "Was it one of your eyes he took, or one of your balls?" Maris asked the prince, in tones sweet as honey. "I am so glad you chose my sister, I want a husband with all his parts."

So what I'm thinking is that Aemond did try to drop his anger when Luke took his leave. But then the girl picks at his insecurity (bro doesn't know shit about girls and he takes everything so seriously, there's no way he could've seen that she was just jealous).

And that was the final straw. The boy who has tried so hard to be perfect loses control. Honestly, this moment has been a long time coming.

Aemond chases Luke on Vhagar to scare him. He wants to make Luke feel as helpless as he did when they were younger. It makes him feel powerful, and after feeling stepped on for so long, he's letting himself enjoy it while giggling like a maniac in the pouring rain.

Vhagar, however, had other plans. I think she sensed his anger and madness, just like Arrax sensed Luke's fear and anxiety. Aemond might've been playing around, but Vhagar had a mind of her own.

Aemond's only friend (who doesn't also double as a mom or a training teacher) is his geriatric dragon, so of course he would be a tad overconfident in their bond. He definitely wasn't planning for Vhagar to dive in for a little snack.

And that's the story of how the lonely boy who tried and tried and tried to be the perfect son went down in history as a kinslayer.

I can't wait to see him in season 2, absolutely wrecked with guilt. And who's going to believe that mean ole Aemond One-Eye never meant to kill Lucerys? Kinslaying is a serious offense in Westeros. Aemond fucks up one time and now he's going to be ostracized for the rest of his life (which isn't too long 💀).

I can't wait to see how his dynamic with Alicent is going to change since he's no longer this golden boy.

I can't wait to see him become absolutely deranged when Blood and Cheese happens. Aemond thinks he knows what guilt feels like? Think again. The guilt of killing Lucerys was only the prologue. With Blood and Cheese, Aemond wouldn't just be losing a nephew, he'd lose his sister too. Helaena becomes a ghost of a person, and Aegon... I think Egg would be so mad at Aemond. The roles between the brothers would suddenly reverse.

Also, I can't wait to see how they'll portray his relationship with Alys Rivers. (I will sue if they make Alys a skinny, young cottage-core girl. Give me an actual middle-aged woman and make her a witchy girlboss with a fire that matches Aemond's. Give me Katie McGrath.) I want to see him meet Alys and be like "Fuck the Baratheon girl, I'm going to hell anyway so I as might as well enjoy life while I can." I want to see the dutiful side of him unravel as his desires get the best of him. I want to see him drunk with power when he becomes Aegon's regent.

#aemond targaryen #hotd essay #hotd thoughts #house of the dragon #team green #hotd aemond #hotd meta #hotd analysis

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mejcinta · 3 months

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Aegon and Aemond vs The Strongs: A Show of Loyalty.

To this day it's still strange to me that people misinterpret the dinner scene for one or another reason, misreading the words and actions of the characters using bias and/or team politics.

The episode 8 dinner scene picks up from the previous episode years ago on Driftmark when Aemond lost his eye. It is meant to show us what feelings the Greens harbor towards Rhaenyra's family years after a feud broke between them.

Throughout the dinner Aemond focuses on the Strong boys: Luke sitting across from him and Jace who failed miserably at 'turning the other cheek' and disrespected Aegon by asking Helaena for a dance.

In fact, before taking a seat Aemond is heard lamenting to Aegon about how he hates that they have to break bread with Rhaenyra's brood (I'm paraphrasing but you'll hear it before Viserys is carried into the room).

In the end, both Aemond and Aegon answer to the contempt and audacity the Strong boys showed them. The scene by all means effectively managed to show us how the brothers now work as a unit compared to when they were younger and Aemond suffered bullying on his own.

Aegon supported Aemond's derogatory toast and even tackled Luke (the boy that gouged out his brother's eye) when he tried to join Jace against Aemond.

And Aemond dealt with Jace squarely in response to the disrespect he showed Aegon and Helaena (we all know that dance was not about Helaena for Jace, but coming between a married couple that has an image to uphold and as revenge against Aegon who foolishly made a move on Baela to insult him).

From the very start of the scene it's clear that neither Aemond nor Aegon wanted to be at the dinner. They hated that the Strong boys were there and even bitched about them before Viserys arrived.

Aegon's sly behavior with Baela was a provocation he started in response to his displeasure at Rhaenyra and the Strongs being there and Viserys' wish for them to bury their differences without acknowledging Rhaenyra's wrongs. Aegon was pressing for tension to erupt at every chance he could get.

Aemond silently watched him go and did not stop him for a reason. He couldn't bring himself to rebuke Aegon's mischief, not if that meant making the Strongs upset.

He only intervened when Jace almost lost his cool on Aegon, standing up dominantly to give warning to his nephew and Aegon to a lesser extent (who eyed him knowingly).

When Helaena rose up to justifiably humiliate Aegon with her toast, (she was clearly upset about his sexual misconduct with Baela and earlier with Dyana) Aemond's reaction isn't shown.

However, when Jace stood up to ask Helaena for a dance with his eyes fixed on a scandalised Aegon (Jace had every intention here to get back at Aegon, not to be the better gentleman), Aemond took notice, meaningfully locking eyes with Aegon, but kept his cool nonetheless; whereas Aegon quietly seethed and squeezed Helaena's beetle (reportedly a gift he'd offered her before the dinner) in his hand.

Aemond monitored Helaena because he doesn't trust the Strongs with his family. And I'm sure Aegon would've done the same if he was seated in a position where he was free to watch the mother of his children in Rhaenyra's bastard's arms.

Note how he was staring at Rhaenyra while Aemond monitored Heleana and Jace.

The Targtowers clearly watch out for each other when faced with external forces, just as Alicent said they should in episode 6: "In the world we must defend our own".

When the roasted pig arrived on the table Aemond suddenly took notice of Luke giggling at him, reliving how he and Jace (and a now repentant Aegon) would make fun of him for being dragonless.

The insult was probably less about the pig to him and more about what happened because of his dragonlessness. He gained Vhagar then lost his eye in a sickening twist when the same boy laughing across at him swung a blade at his face!!!

Finally, Aemond lost his cool. He snapped and attacked the Strongs with his infamous toast.

He did not make the toast because of Jace dancing with Helaena, like some believe. He did so because of Luke who had the gall to laugh at his pain!!

Aegon readily supported Aemond because he too was itching to get back at the Strongs, particularly Jace who despite of having insulted Aegon by dancing with Helaena, could not handle the pun in Aemond's toast.

Aegon and Aemond were obviously fed up with the pretenses at that point of the dinner. From the very beginning of the dinner scene and their interaction with each other, their disgust at the Strongs and Rhaenyra was apparent. They hate that those three can get away with having a lord (Vaemond) murdered in cold blood on top of disabling Aemond without consequence!

How safe is their family? How can they trust the Strongs and Rhaenyra when punishment and death follows everyone that dares to challenge them? That is why Aegon and Aemond were evidently frustrated with Helaena and Alicent respectively at the dinner. The boys believe they know a threat when they see it while the ladies are more accomodating of Rhaenyra and the Strongs, Alicent especially believing (perhaps out of resignation) that there could be a chance at peace.

What transpires after the toast shows the factions within the Targtower family itself. Alicent and Helaena being more open and neutral, Otto wanting to maintain appearances and Aegon and Aemond being understandably doubtful and hostile.

The scene is so much more complex and informative. It shows us the relationships between the Targtowers and what their stances on Rhaenyra's party is. How they work together and how they are divided.

#hotd analysis #incoherent thoughts #targtower bros #the greens #aemond targaryen #aegon ii targaryen #strong audacity #helaena targaryen #alicent hightower #otto hightower

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greenqueenhightower · 8 months

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Alicent finds solace in religion from an early age because:

she had a difficult childhood/upbringing

the death of her mother was traumatizing (and religion was probably important for her mother too)

she felt like a foreigner at King's Landing and this was a way for her to embrace her heritage and reconnect with her roots

she felt pride in the faith of the seven hailing from Oldtown the same way the Targaryens feel pride in the "blood of the dragon"

she yearned to be heard/understood by a higher power

she was looking for help and guidance in her life to deal with anxiety and her domineering father

she is haunted by the fatal flaw of self-loathing, as is evident from her skin-picking disorder

she uses religion as a way to escape reality: "you desire not to be free, but to make a window in the wall of your prison"

What a complex and compelling character for real <3

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mesillusionssousecstasy · 2 years

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HOTD 1x10: Daemon Targaryen

People are only thinking with their feelings. They need to analyse the entire episode, and previous episodes with an objective eye. To their defence, it’s true that many Daemon scenes were cut out this season.

But let’s not forget that Daemon was the one holding everything together in that episode even when he himself was falling apart, grieving his brother and his daughter that the Greens took away from him.

A tragedy is the destruction of something beautiful. For this very reason, I think the show has not invested enough on loving moments between Rhaenyra and Daemon after they get married. Their best moment was 16 years before. So I guess we do need 13 episodes for season one.

Let’s not forget that Rhaenyra never wanted to change Daemon. She loves him for who he is. Rhaenyra literally persuaded him to stay in Westeros and get married for him to fight for her throne and their family, and that’s what he’s doing.

Unfortunate as it was, it made sense for his character to react as he did. Rhaenyra even said Madness had taken him earlier in the episode, because he wouldn’t go to her while she was giving birth. He focused on plotting his war because he was emotion wreck. He doesn’t show his emotions on the outside, but keeps it bottled up. The most we saw were teary eyes and his violent outburst against his wife.

We only see Daemon be physical with her once, which I can argue suggests this was the first time he ever did that, due to how shocked Rhaenyra was. Now, if he never touches her like that again in future seasons, then we can argue it was one time thing that he regretted. He was about to cry afterwards.

Hell, I’m kinda suspecting that was also the reason he went to Vermithor. He could have been borderline suicidal. Or just so cocky that he didn’t care about dying, so long as he got the second largest dragon used to human again.

Everything he does is for family. But he isn’t a good, moral man. He hurt her because he thought she is going to become like Viserys, a weak ruler unable to crush rebellion. He lost a brother, a daughter, learned his brother didn’t trust him enough to tell him about the prophecy, and thought his wife was contemplating bending the knee. The hot-headed man needs to fight for his wife, name and pride but she wants to preserve the realm because of a freaking dream?

After Rhaenyra smiled and mocked him with « he didn’t tell you », given how agitated he was, it was a miracle he didn’t do anything more drastic. Or maybe, he wanted for her to react or kiss him or hit him in retaliation. One simple thing would have made them on equal footing while keeping the essence of their relationship intact. Can you imagine episode 1-5 young Rhaenyra would have taken shit from Daemon without retaliating? No.

I do ship them. But they are human, and humans make mistakes. I can understand the reason he laid his hands on her, in a moment of utter weakness born from loss, stress, anger, and fear that she was going to bow before the people who Daemon believes murdered his brother, and possibly thinks just murdered his daughter due to the stress Rhaenyra just suffered.

We also saw that when he learned about Luke, he hesitantly approached her, held her hand to comfort her, and she looked at him not in anger, fear, or resentment, but sorrow. The ending shows them holding hands. They still love each other, even after they fight. What I do fear is character assassination.

I do not, and will not, condone his actions, but I do understand why it came to that.

I just hope the show doesn’t destroy their relationship going forward. So much trauma and tragedy is about to unfold. Having Daemon and Rhaenyra remain in love until the bitter end would be a small light in the dark. Now, if in season two they change the whole relationship into an abusive one, that will ruin his character, ruin everything they set up in season one. He has many faults. He is grey. he kills for his family, but he is not immune to weakness. I can forgive and forget him hurting her in that one scene, as you can see the hurt in his eyes afterwards. The way the show portrays them, having pined fro each for over 15 years… I don’t know, it would disappoint me immensely.

They already meet such tragic ends, having them remain in love with other would be one small token of light.

So yes, that’s my rambling current thoughts. Hoping I’m not to repetitive, but I had to let out those out of my chest. It’s 4:47am, Bonsoir.

#hotd #hotd 1x10 #house of the dragon #hotd thoughts #hotd analysis #prince daemon targaryen #daemon targaryen #daemyra #rhaenyra targaryen #daemon x rhaenyra #rhaenyra x daemon

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