#i think he saw rhaenyra ascending to the throne as both of them doing it and when she was like Um well my dad never told u the prophecy so | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

littlemisssatanist · 2 months

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can i ask for a small favor? can you rant about daemon targaryen please? i just re-read your team green 💚 post and i'm reminded of how much ick i feel towards that character, especially in the wake of the team trailers being released.

hiii!!! tysm for this ask i was super happy when i saw it in my inbox i'm flattered people want to hear my opinions lol

my thoughts about daemon are very convoluted. i think he has the potential to be a very interesting character but it's kinda canceled out by the incest and pedophilia thing.

like. i understand it's an incest dragon show but my main issue with team black when it comes to their criticisms. they love to spout endless words about how aegon is a rapist and how alicent is a rape apologist for not... idk slitting his throat i guess.

it's really ironic to me, because these same people will turn around and then yap about how daemyra is the perfect ship. they'll be aghast when you even slightly suggest you enjoy aegon's character in any way but be in an uproar if you dare bash their dashing and roguish prince daemon.

honestly, name one terrible thing aegon did and i'll be able to give you something daemon did that is arguably worse than that.

aegon - raping a servant girl in the show (which honestly i'm treating more as a fanfiction considering how terribly written both the greens and the blacks are).

daemon - uhmmmm probably the whole thing with nettles. you know. the sixteen year old girl he groomed and raped (yes raped because minors aren't able to consent). actually, now that i think of it, he did the exact same thing with rhaenyra too, huh? or does team black find the whole fleabottom episode to be hot and rhaenyra being sexually free? that seems like the sort of thing they'd take from that whole fiasco.

on the topic of blood & cheese: the way some people defend this is honestly sickening.

'but poor luke was killed by his terrible uncle aemond' he was an envoy of war (not to aemond, btw, he owed him no safe haven) and also he kinda. yk. took out his eye. i'm not saying luke deserved to die, but i'm going to be honest this is one of the more mild things that happened during the dance.

whether luke deserved to die (which i'd like to reiterate: i do not think he did. i can understand WHY aemond killed him, but that is not me EXCUSING him. this is for those of you who don't know how to read and will inevitably find a way to start putting words in my mouth) b&c is completely unexcusable.

it's team feminism until its a woman who doesn't fit your little box of badass hottie. it's team feminism until that woman doesn't bow down to rhae-rhae and betray her own family and children in order to join the 'good side.' it's team woman until you point out that rhaenyra was groomed by daemon and continues to make decisions that are decidedly anti-feminist.

this is why i can't stand team black stans who say things like 'i hate the greens except for helaena bc she didn't do anything wrong' because you quite literally cannot do that without admitting that helaena suffered because of the blacks NOT the greens.

helaena suffered bc of DAEMON not because of any actions taken by the greens. DAEMON was the one who orchestrated b&c, the one who sent men to terrorize her and kill her children.

daemon did that.

i have no problem with people who can admit that their faves have flaws. i admit aemond's flaws, daeron's flaws, aegon's flaws. the problem i have with daemon is that his stans are so insufferably annoying and they literally cannot do any of that.

my last thought about daemon (at the moment, at least) is his relationship with strong boys.

lots of tb likes to say that daemon loved those boys like his own and would never do anything to hurt them. and i... honestly find it a little strange, and also a little embarassing, because how am i going to have a better grasp on his character than those that love him most???

i genuinely believe that daemon, had rhaenyra ascended to the throne like viserys planned, he would have caused 'unfortunate accidents' for the strong boys in order to get his blood on the throne. which, btw, was one of the main reasons viserys named rhaenyra heir, to keep daemon from sitting on the throne.

i think it the succession crisis had been between daemon and rhaenyra instead, it would have been a much more interesting storyline.

then again grrm isn't that good at writing interesting storylines when it comes to daemon considering he's a self-insert. honestly i wouldn't be surprised if when he died it was found out that grrm had a fanfiction written somewhere where daemon survived the fight with aemond and got to live out the rest of his boring ass life grooming little girls. who knows.

#anti daemon targaryen #anti daemyra #asks #anti team black #anti hotd #hotd critical #pro team green

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nesiacha · 3 months

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I already talk about how I dislike the whitewashing of Aemond and Daemon. Today I will talk about how I dislike the whitewashing of Cole Criston ( sorry again for the fans of this character).

Warning: There will be a slight spoiler regarding his relationship with Alicent.

In the books the guy is depicted as Sandor Clegane's foil. Let me explain Sandor is at first repulsive and voluntarily gives a very bad image of him but in the end has hidden qualities (he saves Loras Tyrell during a tournament from his brother and tries to protect Sansa while he is the sworn shield of Joffrey) even if he did things that we disapprove of. He has a story that explains his behavior and in the end if he sided with the Lannisters, particularly Joffrey ,Cersei and Tywin, it was above all to protect himself from his mad brother. Sandor also knows how to show great courage.

Criston Cole is the complete opposite, he is Rhaenyra's sworn shield but betrays her. And let's not go over the reasons for the House Dragon series. He has been after her since she was 9 years old, especially since her mother died and Viserys is a kind of Titos 2.0 in his most absolute stupidity, so not very vigilant while any other sovereign would have seen the red flags concerning Cole directly , even the greens in particular Alicent doubt his ability to protect her (I think Cole started to be after Rhaenyra after the death of her mother because he saw a golden opportunity not only in the distress of the loss of a being expensive but also that since Aenma is no longer there, he could behave in a creepy way around Rhaenyra). Maybe he had an affair (which I think, Rhaenyra being isolated in my opinion knowing that Laenor and Laena lived far away, that she was now having problems in the relationship with Alicent and that Viserys was putting his head in the sand concerning the tensions between the Hightowers and the blacks) but I find him creepy, he reminds me of LittleFinger and in my opinion he was after her especially after hertitles. Even the Green supporters, particularly in the story of Septon Eustace, believe that he is the one who is most at fault in their ruptures. I think Cole mostly let go of Rhaenyra because she couldn't be as manipulative and idiotic as her father, which is bad for someone who has the same ambitions as LittleFinger. So even if we take into account the fact that he is angry only because she reject his propositon to run away with him, he killed Joffrey and it seems intentional to me in a tournament (besides the death of Joffrey and the fact that Cole hit Laenor with complete impunity is bad in story terms) in an act of both homophobia (where Sandor saved Loras Tyrell and seemed to not care that he was gay) and cowardice as he didn't attack Rhaenyra and Laenor (once again Sandor did not hesitate to face his brother; I doubt Cole could do the same thing against someone like the Mountain).

I don't want to spoil the rest for those who are going to see the series, so go ahead, light spoilers, but also where does the idea that he is loyal to Alicent come from? He saw correctly that he had a better chance of ascending with them than the blacks who would have rightly slammed the door in his face seeing how ambitious he was (we can blame Daemon for a lot of things but not be a Tytos 2.0 like his brother, don't forget Corlys and Rhaenys Velaryon, etc...) and what he would be ready to do in relation to unsuitable skills. I'll stop there in terms of spoilers. Finally, I feel like the House of Dragon series forgets the corruption system for knights in Westeros that Game of Thrones put in place regarding Cole's character.

To summarize, the writers totally messed up the parallel between Sandor and Cole. Sandor seen as ugly, repulsive, who rightly openly despises chivalry behaves in a more chivalrous manner than Cole who is seen as a handsome man and praised at first glance (when it is said that he represents both the best and the worst of the Kingsguard I agree with the worst but I really don't see where the best is) .

P.S: Don't worry, I will soon make a post against other characters like Aemond, Daemon and Otto Hightower which I dislike too...

I will wait until season 2 to do a detailed post on the feelings I had regarding Rhaenyra and Alicent.

#criston cole #rhaenyra #house of the dragon #fire and blood #sandor clegane #game of thrones #alicent hightower

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charliedawn · 2 years

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Could you do one where the reader is Rhaenyra 2nd oldest( daughter) and is in a relationship with ameond

If you cant could you do where the reader is the daughter of cersei and Robert barrahton and is in a relationship with either oberon /podrick or bronn

Being the queen's daughter held certain advantages, as being able to meet many different people coming from places close and far away...Too bad your heart decided to choose its champion so close to home.

You were Rhaenyra's second daughter, the most eligible bachelor in the whole kingdom. And yet, there was only one man who had succeeded in piercing his way into your heart...Aemond.

Aemond Targaryen. The fierce warrior. The proud Targaryen prince. The skillful dragon rider.

Your beloved cousin.

That fact was the curse cast upon you.

For even though you could have fallen in love with any man in the kingdom—married a rich lord to bring honor to the family...Your heart had decided otherwise.

At every family reunion, you had always taken his side, arguing alongside him, even though you knew the argument to be a fool's errand—that it was doomed for failure from the start.

He had once asked you why, and you had only sweetly smiled up at him, as if he was the man who would make the stars rain and the sea boil..You looked at him with such adoration—he was found speechless.

"I shall always stand by your side. In happiness and come what may..", was your genuine answer and Aemond felt his heart stir within his chest.

He had never wanted someone more in his life, and no words of love had even been exchanged yet. You didn't need them.

Aemond's valid eye lit up as he raised his cup.

"To Y/N. My favorite little Targaryen. May you always remain by my side."

The room remained quiet—no one had expected Aemond to make such a statement. Everyone cheered and clapped—all but the people who knew you both the best.

Your parents glared daggers at Aemond and his mother's jaw twitched at the obvious way her son was looking at you.

However, you only saw Aemond at that moment—the ghosts of the past be damned. You raised your cup in return and when your knuckles brushed against each other, you could have sworn to see the glimpse of a smile on Aemond's face.

It was the most beautiful thing you had ever seen.

But, it quickly disappeared when your father decided to step in and lead you away—unaware that Aemond was going to follow the both of you.

Once outside of the room :

Your mother was already waiting for you and once your father had made sure no soul was nearby—he started talking.

"You think we are not aware of that little affair with Aemond ? You are playing a dangerous game, Y/N. One you won't win."

Your father knew better than most how the matters of the heart could consume one's being. He had seen it many times before, he just didn't think the fire would ignite at such a young age within his favorite daughter..

"I love him."

There had been no hesitation whatsoever from you and Rhaenyra decided to second her husband's cautious warning.

"I fear Aemond might be unsuitable for you—darling daughter of mine."

You frowned and shook your head—confused as to the reason they would oppose your union.

"Why ? He is ambitious. He is loyal to his family. If anything, he sounds like father."

"It is the very thing I fear.", Daemon replied and you could see the clear worry in his eyes—demons of his past haunting him to this day. "I married your mother for love, but the people's voice matters, Y/N. We already had one Targaryen marriage, another one would weaken our image in the eyes of those we must protect.."

You knew he was right—but it didn't make it any less unfair as you felt tears run down your cheeks.

Your mother—who hadn't been insensible to your situation—tried to soothe you by running a hand up and down your back as you hid your tearful face against her shoulder.

"Be careful about who you open your heart to, daughter. Aemond is my father's son. He shall ascend the throne one day. He will become a man with power—they are the most dangerous for people like us. Don't forget that you are a woman, Y/N. Men like him are bound to become treacherous, and it wouldn't take you long to betray him in return."

You gasped—outraged at the accusation as you shook your head vividly.

"You do not understand, mother. I would never betray Aemond—even if I knew the whole world was against him—I could never ignore my love for him—even if the Ancestors shall strike me down this instant."

Aemond—who had heard enough—stepped forward and declared.

"And I shall neither. Not in this life—nor in any other."

"I..I mean..I would never do anything to hurt her."

Both of your parents and yourself—who hadn't expected the intrusion—snapped your heads at him.

Aemond suddenly felt a lot less confident with all those pairs of eyes on him and took a step back.

Daemon could feel the young man's sincerity in his voice, but shook his head.

"You are both too young. You don't know what love is."

You opened your mouth to deny, but you father didn't leave you the time.

You tried to struggle against his grip as he dragged you out of the castle and Aemond tried to run after you—but was stopped by your mother.

"Don't. Y/N is still a child. She doesn't understand the duties that you shall both soon have to bear..Leave us a few years, and if you both still feel the same when we return ? We won't stop you."

"Don't forget about me, Y/N.."

Aemond wanted to protest—but then thought about it and reluctantly agreed. He trusted you. He could wait.

He looked at your mother walking away and his face let the smallest hint of worry as you were now completely out of sight.

A few years later :

It had been a long time since your last visit to King's Landing. Father had tried to marry you off many times already, but all the lords who had dared ask for your hand had been highly disappointed by your lack of conversation and courtesy—even though everyone close to you knew it was only a pretense.

You were everything a lady was to strive for—but you had no intention of marrying anyone but the man of your choosing.

You had chanted his name in your sleep and spent every waking hour of the past few years thinking of a way to get the very man you knew you could never have..until your mother had decided to go visit King's Landing, where—she convinced your father—you would find more eligible bachelors to be sold off to.

When the ship finally settled ashore, you were the first one out and didn't wait for your father or mother to run in the streets of the great city.

However, you didn't expect to be running straight into trouble—as you bumped against a drunken man who grabbed your arm.

"Where are you running off to, girl ? Don't you know the streets of King's Landing are no place for a lovely woman like yourself to wander on her own ?"

You gulped and took a couple of steps back, realizing only now that you were far from the port and the safety of your father's sword..He cackled and cornered you in a dark alley.

You had nowhere to run.

You then saw a man on a horse ride past the both of you and you screamed for help, but he ignored your pleas and only galloped away.

The other man laughed and was about to grab you with his big and filthy hands when a sword pierced through his neck, rendering the both of you speechless as he tumbled to the side and blood started pouring through his mouth and wound in great abundance.

You only looked up at your savior once you knew the man to be unmistakably dead and your eyes widened as you recognized Aemond.

He seemed to do too.

"Y/N. I was not made aware of your arrival.", he said before wiping his sword on the man's coat—unbothered by the whole ordeal.

You had imagined your reunion for years.

And yet—as he was standing there with his head tilted quizzically, waiting for an answer—you could not find the will to speak up.

You stood up slowly and Aemond promptly aimed to help you—only to be stopped by Daemon who had succeeded in finding you. Your father's sword was now under Aemond's chin and he quickly held his hands up in surrender.

Daemon assessed the situation by seeing the corpse of the man at your feet and his eyes softened as he looked you up and down for any sign of injury.

"I am fine. Aemond saved me.", you reassured him and Daemon finally turned back towards Aemond who still had his hands raised.

Finally, your father lowered his sword and Aemond smiled at you. It didn't go unnoticed by your father.

"Come back to the castle, Aemond. We will see each other there."

It was a warning—one Aemond understood quite clearly. And yet—his eye fell on you one more time and all the emotions you had tried to repress came back—rushing to you like a violent torrent.

"I shall see you soon then, my princess."

He kissed the back of your hand and addressed you a charming smile before disappearing among the crowd.

Was it too soon to swoon ? Probably.

You held back your excitement in front of your father, but your excitement was quickly tamed down completely by his next words—leaving you cold inside.

"Do not forget what we are here for, daughter. Aemond is not in the list of suitors. He refused to be."

He refused to be.

Indeed, you had run your eyes through the long list of names your mother had given you of the many men who had asked for your hand—only to not find the one you wished for the most.

The words hurt you more than you cared to admit—but you nodded.

"I know of my duty, father. I shall make you proud."

Your father smiled and stroked your hair affectionately.

"I know you will, daughter. Now, let us get back to the boat. Your mother must be worried sick."

In the castle :

The moment you had entered the castle, you were overwhelmed by suitors—presenting themselves with flowers and many other gifts to heighten their chance to be part of the Targaryen family.

Your cousin was there, but he stood silently to the side—watching as the suitors kept following each other endlessly.

Finally, one of the suitors seemed to gain your attention—as his gift was unlike anything you had ever seen.

"A sword made of valyrian steel and forged with dragon fire. For you, princess."

Your eyes slightly widened at the beautiful sword and you smiled. You had not smiled at any of the suitors who had been in your presence and you could see the man's face lit up—while Aemond's expression darkened.

The suitor—who had introduced himself while you hadn't been listening—stepped up towards you to show you the sword.

It was beautiful. You ran your fingers on the smooth blade and in a matter of seconds—you plunged the sword in the suitor's stomach to its hilt.

You knew who he was. You had recognized him—even though he had only rode past you during the act. He was the man who had ignored your desperate calls for help when you had been cornered by that terrible man in that dark and putrid alley..

You then let his body fall down the stairs and leave a trail of blood in his wake.

"It seems scum has succeeded in making its way into your list, father. A shame. None of them shall have my hand today.", you declared while a pool of blood was forming at your feet and your father frowned in incomprehension.

Aemond—on the other hand—seemed to admire you and his affection for you showed in the way he was the only one who remained calm in front of the slaughter.

Only Aemond knew of the reason for your action and didn't hesitate before trempling the corpse, walking in his blood to get to you and take the sword from your hand.

It fell to the floor and you felt tears prickle your eyes. But, Aemond held you.

"Ssh..Do not cry, my love. He deserved it."

Your heart was racing, but Aemond's words soothed you and you took a big breath—his light fragrance of leather and pine cones filling your senses.

You held him closer.

"Out ! All of you !", Alicent shouted and the suitors all obeyed—all eager to get out before they could end up with the same fate as the man now dead at the bottom of the stairs.

"What have you done ?!", Alicent demanded as soon as they were all out, but you refused to give her an answer. However, your father then asked and you had to begrudgingly leave the comfort of Aemond's arms to finally answer.

"He was a bad man. No one will miss him. I assure you."

Your father seemed to suddenly understand and was a little less upset as to the death of the man—but all the same upset at your action.

"You should have let me handle it. You just frightened all your suitors away !", your father accused you—but you stubbornly replied.

"My choice has already been made."

Everyone in the room stopped talking at your claim and held their breath as you didn't hesitate before confirming out loud.

"I shall marry Aemond of House Targaryen !"

The news had the effect of turning every single person in the throne room against each other.

"And I shall take you as my wife ! May the gods be my witnesses ! I have waited long enough."

Aemond's mother sneered—not expecting her son to respond in kind.

But, Aemond didn't even hesitate before replying in agreement.

He took a step towards you, but was stopped by his mother who pleaded with him.

"Aemond. Please."

But, he pulled away from her grip to take your hand.

"No. No more waiting. You erased my name from the list of suitors, but I am now old enough to present myself before the woman I intend to conquer."

He turned towards you and knelt before you, holding both of your hands in his and the fire of the candles made his valid eye brighten as he pronounced his next words softly.

"Lady Y/N of House Targaryen. I present myself humbly before you to ask for your hand. The House of the Dragon shall be brought back to its ancient glory with you by my side. I am sure of it."

You couldn't bite back your smile of utter joy and replied enthusiastically.

"Yes. It was yes all those years ago. And, it is yes today. It will always be yes."

You smiled lovingly at each other and you leant forward to kiss him passionately—with the same burning passion you had been forced to withhold for years..Aemond answering with the same vigorous eagerness.

You ignored the many shocked gasps and the fury in the eyes of both of your parents.

Daemon broke the both of you apart to push Aemond away from you.

"Hurt him. And your daughter dies tonight.", Alicent warned him, but Daemon scoffed mockingly at her.

"You defiled her !", Daemon screamed and withdrew his sword—but you stepped before Aemond with your arms outstretched, prepared to protect him against everything and everyone.

But, you didn't need to, as Alicent was all too eager to save her son as you were.

"You ? Making threats ? Don't make me laugh. I am prepared to face the consequences, and kill all of you if it means protecting my daughter."

However, you didn't expect your mother to join you as she sighed and took your hand to show her support.

He glared at Alicent and her eyes widened in shock at the determination she saw there.

He was prepared to kill them all. But, so was she.

"What is done is done, husband. Stand down.", she commanded.

She seemed so powerful and you could feel the raw majesty radiating from her. She was the only queen your father would ever bow to—and he finally did.

His sword clattered to the floor and he sighed in defeat.

"You already knew...I never stood a chance against you, did I ?"

Your mother addressed him a sad—but sympathetic—smile as she replied knowingly.

"We both knew that it was love from the moment they said it all those years ago. We were just not ready to let her go—but we are now."

She then turned towards the both of you with a bright smile—even though her eyes betrayed the sadness of seeing her own daughter make the same mistake as her. She gently ran her hand down your cheek and kissed your forehead.

"I doubt it will help you, but I give you my blessing."

Your eyes were glassy—filled with tears as you knew the truth of what she was agreeing to.

You both knew you were probably doomed—but had both chosen your own path to happiness. Hers was standing next to Daemon, and yours remained alongside Aemond.

"Thank you...mother."

You uttered weakly and your voice shaking with the emotions you felt.

"I SHALL NOT LET THIS MASQUERADE GO ON ANY LONGER ! I WILL NEVER GIVE YOU MY BLESSING ! THIS IS AN ABOMINATION !", Alicent yelled in a frenzy and you all looked at her with widened eyes.

But, Aemond reacted first and—to the whole assembly's surprise—took her in his arms.

"Let me go...mother.", he whispered and Alicent stilled.

She then broke into tears and wrapped her arms around her son's shoulders, crying out.

"I can't..You are everything I have left.", she finally admitted and Aemond closed his valid eye—internally conflicted as to how to convince his mother that it would be alright.

You could see Aemond was struggling and you smiled before taking Alicent's hand.

"Do not see an enemy in me, lady Alicent. See our relationship as a way to get our families even more united. It is high time for the great house of the Dragon to stand proudly together."

Alicent seemed unsure at first—but finally conceded.

"Alright. But, know that this will only lead to disaster."

You held a scoff. You knew, better than anyone.

"If I shall fall, then so be it. I shall not fall alone."

It would be you and Aemond—until the wrath of the Dragon would take you both and bury you under its ashes.

Aemond intwined your fingers—as if to agree with you—and this time, nobody interfered when you kissed again.

You knew Aemond better than anyone—you had almost been crafted for him and even if the house of Dragon came to an end—you were certain of your choice.

#fandoms #imagine #fanfic #house of the dragon #aemond x you #aemond x reader

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horizon-verizon · 1 year

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There’s no justification for Rhaenyra having three obviously bastard children. It doesn’t matter that Laenor claims them. Everyone else can see that they are not Laenor’s children. If she hoped Jace would be blonde like her, then that’s an honest mistake. But she should have stopped getting impregnated by Harwin after she saw that his genes would clearly win out over hers. Luke and Joffrey should not exist.

We know it’s not fair, but Alicent is well within her right to call Rhaenyra’s children bastards and want her own trueborn children to inherit. Bastards have no claim unless they are legitimized. And if Jace were to ascend the throne, it would create a succession crisis. He would eventually face rebellion from his trueborn uncles, if not them then their descendants.

Links that say and argue otherwise, because I'm simply not going to repeat myself:

PRIME:

Others:

(You should look back at the first part of that reblog, which I had to cut off after the 5th point due to character limits).

And just to be that girl, this one by @theblackqveen:

#asoiaf asks to me #westerosi bastards #a song of ice and fire #asoiaf #fandom misogyny

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samwpmarleau · 3 years

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What do you think causes some targaryens go mad. I go with the theory that it has to do with the blood magic that they were doing

It’s a common misconception that “Targaryen madness” is a thing. Targaryens have no more “mad” people in their family than anyone else, it’s just that they are much higher profile than anyone else due to being monarchs. In fact, they really should have a much higher count and a whole lot more deformities, given that the IRL families they’re based on — primarily the Ptolemys and the Hapsburgs — had a lot of that.

In 300 years of known Targaryen history, there were only a handful who could be considered “mad,” and almost all of them were in part or in whole a result of trauma:

Maegor

Was likely conceived through some dark magic by Visenya, or was possibly just a psychopath.

Helaena

Victim of Blood and Cheese. They killed the guards at her door, took her and her three young children hostage, forced her to choose which of her sons would die and if she didn’t then her daughter would be raped and all three children would be killed, so she ended up choosing her youngest son who was too young to know what was happening but they killed her eldest instead.

Then she was held for half a year in captivity and finally committed suicide (or was murdered) at age 21. I’d go “mad” too, wouldn’t you?

Aegon III

Grew up in the midst of a civil war. At the age of just 9, he fled with his younger to Essos, but their ship was attacked by pirates and the only way to escape was on his dragon with Viserys left behind. The dragon died of injuries once returning to Dragonstone and Aegon never rode one again due to the experience.

A few months later, his brother led an attack against the people who took Viserys and died in the attempt. A few months after that, another brother was killed in a riot in King’s Landing, which Aegon witnessed.

After returning with his mother to King’s Landing later from Dragonstone, he saw charred corpses of Rhaenyra’s loyalists hanging from the gates, cried out for his mother to flee, watched her guards get slaughtered, and then witnessed her get devoured by Sunfyre, her dragon.

Ascended to the throne and had to deal with an endless parade of would-be regents who were scheming, plotting, and assassinating.

In 133, lived throug the Winter Fever that killed many, including his Hand of the King. This all happened before the age of 13, at which point his wife, Jaehaera, committed suicide or was murdered.

He eventually died of consumption (tuberculosis) at age 36.

Baelor I

Peaceful, forgiving, and kind to the smallfolk, though did lock up his sisters in the Maidenvault to prevent temptation.

Brokered peace with Dorne to bring them into the Seven Kingdoms without bloodshed.

Became a bit more loony later, but that could be due to all the snake bites he endured while rescuing his brother in Dorne. Eventually died of fasting when Daena gave birth to a bastard.

On the fence whether he was some kind of religious extremist or whether he was just Like That.

Rhaegel

Called mad, but not really. He had some kind of intellectual disability, yet a) he was still regarded as “sweet” and “gentle” (not that those traits are necessary to being “not mad”) and b) had three children with his wife who all appeared to not inherit his condition, in addition to three brothers and their children who also did not show signs, therefore suggesting it was not something he inherited or passed down, merely a fluke.

Aerion

Likely mad. Though interestingly, for a very long time he was just a supreme douchebag; it wasn’t until he was 40 years old that he did the whole thing about thinking himself a literal dragon and dying by drinking wildfire.

Maelys Blackfyre

Vicious, brutal, and incredibly strong. Possibly mad...or could just be a beefier version of Tywin.

Aerys II

Obviously the Targaryen most people cite as the first example of madness. For good reason, of course; you don’t burn people alive and brutalize your wife if you’re sane.

...however.

Was married off to his sister, neither of whom was fond of the other, at just 14 and Rhaella was 13. Became a king at the pretty young age of 18.

In his youth, he was charming, generous, resolute, and ambitious. He liked music, dancing, and masked balls, though was not the most intelligent person, which was partially why he relied so much on Tywin. Of course, there was also the incident with Joanna Lannister (not rape, as many believe, but certainly groping).

The madness started to appear with each successive stillbirth, miscarriage, and child death, to the point where he would behead Rhaella’s wet nurses and then his mistress, though after all that he changed his mind, did a walk of repentance, and swore to be faithful. In short, he was an asshole and sometimes ruthless (again, it should be noted: is any of that much different than Tywin?), but certainly not yet the monster he would become.

Then came the Defiance of Duskendale, wherein many of Aerys’s guards were killed and he was taken hostage for six months with constant threat of execution. This ordeal led to him sequestering himself in the Red Keep for four years and his mental state deteriorated quite rapidly from there.

So, was he mad? Absolutely, there’s no denying that. But at the same time, I’m not so sure that he would have become quite so monstrous and tyrannical as he is in canon had it not been for the trauma of Duskendale.

(Also, I know he has a reputation of paranoia and all, but is it really paranoia if lots of people are out to get you?)

Viserys

The only evidence we have for Viserys showing signs of madness as a boy is Barristan’s statement that is done 20 years later in retrospect. I sincerely doubt that a 7-year-old child was some mini-Aerys and that like a lot of Barristan’s statements and thoughts, he is not being truthful.

Growing up, he was forbidden to be alone with his mother and witnessed at least some of his father’s atrocities, though Rhaella tried to shield him from it. Likely had little interaction or bonding with Rhaegar, who was 17 years older and an extreme introvert, so he was functionally an only child.

At the age of 7, learned that his father, brother, sister-in-law, and two infant cousins were killed, and fled with Rhaella to Dragonstone. Eight months later, Rhaella died in childbirth and he, baby Dany, and Willem Darry fled in the night to exile in Essos.

Five years later, when Viserys was 13, Willem Darry dies, the servants steal what little money they had, and Viserys is left to fend for himself with a 5-year-old sister in tow. They end up having to live off the generosity of others, all while being pursued by Robert’s assassins. Eventually the people who put them up turned from them and they had to sell their possessions, the last of which was Rhaella’s crown: “the last joy had gone from him, leaving only rage.” To add insult to injury, people started calling him the beggar king.

We know the rest, of course. Though his and Dany’s relationship was warm at the beginning, he began to blame her for Rhaella’s death and took out his anger and their plight on her.

So, was Viserys mad? I think that to a degree, we can say he was. But again, while his actions towards Dany are NOT excusable, I think they are explainable. Viserys suffered extreme trauma from a very early age and throughout the rest of his life, and that would have a profound impact on anyone. It’s my belief that had that not happened, Viserys would have not have been the rageful, abusive person we see in canon.

In sum, unless I’m missing someone, there are a grand total of nine Targaryens who are often deemed “mad” or “addled.” Two of those — Aegon and Helaena — are most definitely trauma-induced. One — Rhaegel — had mental issues. Two — Baelor and Maelys — are up for debate. Two — Maegor and Aerion — are I’d say pretty definitively mad. And two — Aerys and Viserys — are a combination of both.

To answer your question, no, I don’t think the madness is from blood magic (other than Maegor), both because of the circumstances and because to my knowledge no one was practicing blood magic. I think the handful of Targaryens who are “mad” is just luck of the draw.

#house targaryen #asoiaf #maqois

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