Cutting Daemon's reaction to Luke's death is probably, in my opinion, the worst cut from the episode.

Literally the driving force between the rivalry and death of Daemon and Aemond is that event right here (Aemond die with a sword through his eye socket because Daemon is looking for revenge for Luke) . One of the best Daemon quote of the entire Dance is:" an eye for an eye, a son for a son, Lucerys shall be avenged". Blood and Cheese come from the fact that Daemon is revengeful and grieving for Luke. It was a minute of footage in an episode that was one of the shortest of the season.

We NEEDED to see him react before Rhaenyra. His reaction is as important as hers because it will drive him forward until his death.

From what I understand, they don't want to show Daemon's feelings and reactions because they don't want to show his revenge as justified, they also don't want to show his revenge as something that Rhaenyra organically wanted. That's why the couple is so detached and cold and weird, and Daemon wants to kill everybody but Rhaenyra is suddenly like noo my baby girl Alicent still loves me, that's like your war I don't want to start this war on your terms. Which is an entirely ridiculous as a mindset but there you go.

Of course, one can say that Rhaenyra will change her mind after Luke's death. But the lead writer said something like this: There is hope for Alicent and Rhaenyra to reconcile but things are not in their control anymore. This is what bothers me the most. This, in the context of deranged Daemon from last episode combined with Aemond's "mistake", means that probably they will continue the deranged needlessly violent Daemon path, Daemon will commit atrocities that Rhaenyra didn't wish, Alicent will lose her kids because of this and she will hate Rhaenyra for that, and basically that women are just these poor puppets used in big bad men's wars. Rhaenyra is Daemon's victim just as much as Alicent is Otto's victim. I think that's the path the writers chose.

Of course it's completely, utterly stupid. I sincerely hope I will be proven wrong.

Okay first of all...why... second of all.. why ?

Here is the thing, I wouldn't have minded if they were a conflict between them over blood and cheese in season 2 if they didn't let her be so like that this episode. It is kinslaying and Rhaenyra (even Book!Rhaenyra) might not be that okay with it.

Also what was the point of having that furious face at the end of episode 10 if things aren't in Rhaenyra's control anymore ? She is making a choice here.

how is there still hope of reconciliation between them when Aemond litterally murdered Luke ? (It doesn't matter that he didn't want to do it, everyone will see it that way anyway). Do they know how humans works ? Rhaenyra would not forgive the Greens (which includes Alicent) for this. Ever. It's her sweet boy they murdered when they promised his safety in the terms ? How does that even work ? Them usurping the throne is the reason he was in Storm's End in the first place ? What the fuck ?

I'm sorry, I couldn't find an English link, I found a French and a Spanish one. The translation is the same: there is hope for the girlies but unfortunately it's not in their control, it's the men in their life, their sons and the patriarchy that is going to drive them further apart.

In order to show that, the put useless conflict between Daemyra that directly contradicts the book (in the book Daemon is the cautious one lol), they show Rhaenyra crying over a stupid page in a queerbait moment and they erase all humanity from Daemon to make him seem like a deranged killing machine in the future.

So. Instead of making a show about the Blacks against the Greens who are the main antagonists, they decided to make a show about the lesbian girlies against men who are collectively the main antagonists. That's what it looks like right now. But I may be wrong.

You know, earlier I believed that Daemon was written in such a weird inconsistent way just because the writers hated his character. However, the more I look at the fandom's reaction at ep10, the more I become convinced that the real reason lies in the writers' desire to antagonize the female audience of the show. Those silly women don't even know how to enjoy the media properly! Their reactions are all wrong! Now we'll show them!

And many fans support this misogynistic bullshit. Did you think it was a romcom?? (Note the choice of words. You know, because romcoms aren't proper media, since their audience is mainly female. That's why romcoms are to be despised). First of all no, we didn't, because it objectively isn't a romcom. But I really don't wish to be lectured on how I am supposed to interpret the characters and perceive the media that I consume. And the writers can shove their condescending lecturing attitude where it belongs. They think about 'teaching' the audience a tad too much. Instead, I'd recommend chanelling all this energy to writing decent dialogue and actual intradiegetic character development.

Don't explore the fact that Daemon lost both his mother and Laena to childbirth and Rhaenyra's premature labor probably triggered him. Don't explore the fact that his parents were very much in love, and his father became a shell of man after he lost the love of his life to childbirth, and Daemon suddenly has to contemplate living the same loss while raising seven children and defending his son's birthright, and he froze because fighting he can do, strategizing, planning attacks and defenses, that he can do. But raising seven children on his own while grieving the love of his life, that he can't even fathom. No, instead have him choke her out of nowhere, that makes sense.

Don't explore the fact that Aemma died in pursuit of a boy, and Rhaenyra's only daughter died before taking her first breath.

Don't show Rhaenyra's reaction to losing her boy, the one who was always attached at her hip, the one who hadn't even learned how to stop holding her hand yet, the one she sent to the closest ally so he wouldn't be gone too long, the one she had just promised she wouldn't abandon to his responsabilities without making sure he learned all he needed to, the one whose death literally started the war.

But a torn up paper from a book nearly two decades ago, from a woman who abused and humiliated her in front of her entire court, who chased her out of her own home, who usurped her throne and her birth right, who's currently conspiring against her, her children, and her husband, that was important to show.

Sara Hess has to go. They gotta get rid of her. She's literally trying to assassinate Daemon's character.

Since his lifelong wishes and decisions are about to be thrown out the window, here goes a compilation of all the times King Viserys, the Dragon, the Law, publicly stood up for and reaffirmed Rhaenyra and her children as his rightful, legitimate, heirs, over the course of almost two decades, including his last day. Mostly for my own sanity.

1. "I, Viserys Targaryen, first of his name, King of the Andals, and the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm do hereby name Rhaenyra Targaryen, Princess of Dragonstone, and heir to the Iron Throne", to his entire court & realm, occasion in which the Lords of the seven kingdoms all bent the knee and accepted Rhaenyra as future Queen. No objections for the following 20 years.

2. "There will be no loss of station" to Lord Lannister and every one of his guests, while celebrating the name day of his first born son.

3. "Your interests no longer align with those of the realm. Your judgment has been compromised", to Otto, his hand and most trusted advisor, when he fired him for trying to stain Rhaenyra's reputation.

4. “Surely, Lord Corlys, you are not proposing the Targaryen dynasty end with my daughter simply because she is a woman?" to Corlys and Rhaenys, reassuring that no matter what, Rhaenyra would sit the Iron Throne and her and Laenor's first born child after her.

5. The time he kindly asked Alicent not to commit treason and stop disrespecting Rhaenyra's children and questioning their legitimacy, after a long analogy about horses and how it doesn't matter what said children look like. Cause they are still the heir's children.

6. The time he not so kindly asked Alicent - who clearly disobeyed a direct order from her king and was yet again spreading treasonous accusations and poisoning even his chidren with them - and everyone else who might be questioning the legitimacy of the heir's sons, to stop doing so. Or they would be punished for their crimes. Because it is a crime.

7. "I do not understand why petitions are being heard over settled succession" to all the present in the farse that took place last episode, when King Viserys yet again reaffirmed Lucerys as a Velaryon, heir to Driftmark and his true born grandson (and therefore his brothers). And also condemned Vaemond for treason after he disrespected them and Rhaenyra, and questioned his decision in making her his heir.

+ Bonus

Message heard loud and clear, my King. You exhausted the topic. I think it would be difficult to misunderstand that

Aegon can whore all over King's Landing and he's still the rightful King and Rhaenyra is a bitch from the seventh hell because she had one affair that too because her husband was gay???

DAEMON AND RHAENYRA. WHY WOULD DAEMON TRY TO CONVINCE RAHENYRA TO GO TO WAR? SPOILERS, THEORIES AND ANALYSIS.

Among the spoilers for Episode 10 of hotd there is one that I found very interesting:

"Daemon is the one who urges Rhaenyra to go to war, while Rhaenyra prefers to surrender to keep the peace"

I want to write this short analysis and my predictions of this spoiler because I know that many people will believe that this scene (if it happens) will discredit Daemon and Rhaenyra's love.

When, from my point of view, it will be totally the opposite:

1.- Daemon respects Rhaenyra's decisions more than anything in the world.

Daemon is Rhaenyra's main advisor and it seems that he has been her whole life. He is the one who points out what he considers the most appropriate path, but it is SHE who decides whether to take it or not.

And so far Daemon has accepted all of Rhaenyra's decisions and even orders.

What is reason?

Well, so far I've only seen one: Daemon loves Rhaenyra more than anyone, more (in my opinion) than his own children and his brother.

And from his love comes his loyalty and her faith in her.

Daemon was able to start the war without consulting Rhaenyra or even trying to convince her.

But he did not.

For any reason, Daemon will always want to listen to Rhaenyra's opinion and he will adhere to her decisions. At least in these first 10 episodes.

For example.

Do you think it would not have been easier to kill Laenor? Wouldn't it have been safer for Daemon and Rhaenyra and their children if Laenor had died? What if something had gone wrong or they had been betrayed? Wouldn't it have been easier just to kill a man? So what stopped Daemon?

Rhaenyra.

She loved Laenor like a brother and Daemon instead of doing what was most logical and efficient acted as Rhaenyra wanted.

In fact, even the spoiler tells us that Daemon doesn't start the war because Rhaenyra hasn't made up her mind to do so. He gets mad at her and even calls her "weak".

But he doesn't do anything else. As always until now Daemon follows Rhaenyra's wishes and orders.

Many may be surprised or offended that Daemon calls Rhaenyra weak. But I don't . They are simply words that show Daemon's frustration and surprise because Rhaenyra for the first time does not seem to have the same intentions as him.

Remember that Daemon called Viserys weak too.

and do we question Daemon's love for Viserys?

2.- The death of Visenya.

The death of Visenya, a babygirl who only existed in the dreams of the people who loved her, will definitely change Daemon and Rhaenyra's relationship.

The death of a child changes a couple relationship. Always. Sometimes it makes the relationship stronger and sometimes it makes it weaker. That does not mean that the parents did not love each other. It just means that pain can transform people's hearts almost beyond recognition.

I have no idea if Daemon and Rhaenyra's romantic relationship will last despite losing their daughter in such a horrible way. But what I have no doubt about is that their love will remain intact. Remember what I've always said:

For Daemon, Rhaenyra is not just the woman he loves romantically nor is she just the mother of his sons, she is the woman he recognizes as his wife (even though their marriage is totally illegal), she is his niece, she is his favorite relative, she is Viserys's favorite child, she is literally the only living part of Viserys that Daemon has been able to keep, she keeps the last will of her brother and also Rhaenyra is his best friend and his most loyal confidant.

Even if their entire romantic relationship goes to hell, Daemon and Rhaenyra will never stop loving each other.

3.- The reason why Daemon wants to go to war.

In my opinion, Daemon wants to go to war to protect Rhaenyra and their children. As simple as that.

Demon has a dream. "Make the house of the Dragon glorious again" and in his dream Rhaenyra is always by his side.

Why does Daemon want the house of the dragon to be great again? I think it's because for Daemon it is the only way for his family to have a safe place to live, with all the necessary power to defend themselves against future threats. He doesn't want to live in constant fear that Otto will one day decide to kill his children, himself, or Rahenyra.

He knows that the house of the dragon will always have enemies and to guarantee the strength of his family to face those enemies it is necessary that it be a Targaryen who reigns over all the Westeros.

4 .- Daemon knows that Rhaenyra "is more than this."

Daemon is Rhaenyra and Rhaenyra is Daemon.

Probably if Rhaenyra had died before Daemon, he would have gone to great lengths to make one of Rhaenyra's sons King.

If he hadn't died in the process I seriously believe that, without Viserys and Rhaenyra, he would have killed himself.

Daemon is Rhaenyra's soulmate and he knows her as well as himself. That's why Daemon's willingness to go to war is simply a reflection of Rhaenyra's will to fight. A will that is inside her but numb by the pain of the death of her father and her daughter, by her fear of losing the only family she has left and by the enormous responsibility of fulfilling the prophecy of Aegon I.

Amidst all the pain, fear and responsibility, Rhaenyra is losing herself.

But who is there to remind her who she is?

Deamon.

A lifetime ago, when Daemon lost himself, who was the person who reminded him of who he was? Who was the person who fueled in him the will to live and fight?

Rhaenyra

Rhaenyra was the one who reminded him who he was:

A man who was born to live and die for love and loyalty.

Daemon trying to convince Rhaenyra to go to war is reminding her who is she :

A woman who faces her life living on her own terms, without allowing anyone to impose their will on hers.

Daemon knows that Rhaenyra is much more than a woman who stays at home waiting for the storm to pass. He knows that she is a Dragon.

In our life it is important to always remember who we are or to have someone by our side to remind us. Because there is no amount of love, happiness, peace and abundance that can diminish the pain that losing our identity would cause us. Daemon showed us that when he lived in Pentos.

Honestly, the more you think about it, the less validity Alicent's anger about Rhaenyra's kids has, and the more obvious it is that she's using the "moral high ground" as a cover for her personal issues with Rhaenyra.

Like, setting aside the obvious and well-established fact that the line of succession passes through Rhaenyra, not Laenor, and that her children are legitimized by Laenor claiming them as his anyway, she has zero right to act like they're lesser.

Harwin wasn't some random guard or servant, he was heir to Harrenhal, one of the richest holdings in Westeros, and the son of the king's hand, the exact same position Alicent was in when she married the King.

All of her comments about the boys being "plain featured" or about how she's surprised the dragon eggs hatched for them at all, which are clearly digs at their lack of a "true noble lineage" make literally no sense when they have the exact same lineage as her kids do: the children of a Targaryen and another noble house. Like, the only difference between her kids and Rhaenyra's from a lineage perspective is that somehow hers ended up blond (despite the fact that the genetics for that make no sense) and Rhaenyra's didn't. That's it.

People acting like rhaenyra claim to the throne is invalid because of her bastard children is the dumbest thing ever:

1) first of all what's important here is her blood, she's the heir not laenor not daemon, jacaerys claim as heir comes from rhaenyra blood, who cares who the father is? If she were a male fathering children with another woman no one would have questioned her succession, no one had trouble understanding how jon or gendry had a claim to the throne while being bastards and why cersei had all Robert's bastard killed i wonder why

2) viserys, the king, Laenor himself (!) and all of his family had no problem with this kids and actively and repeatedly claim them as legitimate during the story so if they don't have a problem with it I don't see why should the greens

3) Why would that impact rhaenyra succession anyway? If the greens were actually so concerned about a "bastard" on the throne the problem should've raised after rhaenyra died, it's clear that this reason was just a pretext from the green but see people in the fandom act like this argument has solid basis is just ridiculous

I'm awake and I have more to say. Shocker.

Let's talk about the three love interests.

(Not you, Harwin, sweetie. You are by far the least problematic, but you're also not really a love interest yet. That being said, we do love you so much.)

So, let's start with arguably the dumbest of the group (which is a pretty high bar, it must be said), Ser Joffrey Lonmouth!

This boy. This sweet, sweet summer child. This idiot of the first degree. He is standing in a room that contains Rhaenyra and Daemon making eyes at each other while Criston Cole stands to the side, brooding the brood to end all broods, and decides: "Ah, yes. She's fucking the guard."

Like, congrats. You did land on the right guy, technically, but you ignored the biggest threat in the room, which is what gets you the title of Dumbest Man in Westeros. Anyone who looked at Daemon and didn't think: "Wow, it's weird that the guy who is constantly out of favor with the crown and clearly wasn't invited this shindig just rolled up to the obvious displeasure of the King" while also trying to figure out who the Princess was really in love with just truly has failed in that moment.

But he does get points for trying to handle this diplomatically and, if he had actually gone to right guy, it probably would have worked! If he had gone to Daemon and said "Hey, I'm the guy Laenor is in love with and you're the guy Rhaenyra's in love with. Let's team up to keep them safe and our secrets safe", Daemon would have laughed, told him he was adorable, and left to go drag Rhaenyra out of the room to hash out the details.

But no, dumbest man in the Seven Kingdoms went to the clearly pissed off, scorned lover, and revealed all! For his crimes, he gets his head bashed in by the Psycho. Really, the true victim is Laenor, who really does not deserve any of this. He had a sweet deal going with Rhaenyra, it's just that he apparently likes them pretty and dumb.

This got really long. The other two will be in other posts.

This is the second post, following Joffrey Lonmouth.

Next in our parade of men, we come to Ser Criston Cole. He is saved from the title of Dumbest Man in Westeros only because Joffrey spilled the beans about his illicit love affair with the groom to clearly the most pissed off man in the room. Very Pretty. Very Dumb. RIP.

Of the three, Criston is obviously the one that pisses me off the most. I think it's mostly because he is every man who has ever decided he knows a woman simply because she happens to be sleeping with him. What's amazing about that is that he even admits he only "knows [her] a little". What's more amazing is that that "little" does not seem to include the fact that Rhaenyra wants to be Queen. She is honestly one of the most ambitious characters in the show, probably only second to Otto Hightower. Anyone who has spent five minutes with her should know that she will never be happy anywhere except on the throne. But here he comes, mister knight in shinning armor, with his "we can go to Essos and live off oranges" shtick and is shocked when she says no?!

Yes, Rhaenyra chaffes under the expectations of her role, but that does not equal that she would be willing to chuck it for a Knightsguard who broke his oath and is now suggesting he throw it out completely. She may not like all the things expected of her, but Rhaenyra knows her duty and she wants her throne.

What's more, his suggestion they run off together puts him firmly in the list of men who have tried to take Rhaenyra's power away from her.

In their current situation, Rhaenyra has all the power. She seems to genuinely like him and even care for him, but we never see him being given the opportunity to say no to her. His proposal switches that power dynamic on it's head. If she were to run away with him, she would be totally in his power. She has never lived as one of the small folk (as we clearly see when she visits Flea Bottom with Daemon. She doesn't even know she has to pay for food, much less how to survive in that world) and she would have to rely on him completely.

That is the moment his little fantasy falls apart. Rhaenyra is not built to be subservient to anyone. If he knew her at all, he would know that but that is arguably his greatest sin:

Criston Cole is living in the wrong genre.

He believes he is living in a fairy tale, where the pure knight gets to live happily ever after with his chaste princess. He can excuse the parts of the story that don't fit his narrative because, clearly, it's true love. But Rhaenyra knows what genre she's in, she knows that she was born to be Queen, and that, no matter how much she may like him, he will not put her on the Iron Throne.

She she says no. She's even kind about it, seeing no reason why they can't continue as they have been, and in the long tradition and history of men who are denied what they believe is theirs by right, he gets angry. He can't take that anger out on Rhaenyra directly, so he turns it on porr, sweet, dumb as a bag of bricks Joffrey, who has the audacity to suggest that this might work out for all of them. And, in a final act of "poor, cast aside me", he goes to commit suicide in a garden dedicated to gods he doesn't worship, but is shown to be a place of refuage and peace for Rhaenyra. One final temper tantrum to punish her for not chosing him over her birthright.

(If only Alicent had arrived a few minutes later. I jest! Well...)

Daemon will finish this essay I have written for no other reason than I am unhealthily obsessed with this show.

Now we come to my baby boy. My murder hobo. My dear precious psychopath who I am willing to support because he looks like Matt Smith and checks all my boxes for completely unhinged while completely devoted to 1 (one) woman.

(Never let it be said that I am not self aware.)

Daemon Targaryen. The Rogue Prince. King of the Narrow Sea. #1 Simp for Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen.

This man will be the death of me. He is completely crazy in the best possible way. What's most impressive is that he manages to come out as the least crazy of the bunch, which is truly impressive when you consider that his month included the murder of his wife so he could marry his niece.

Game of Thrones. Raising the bar on crazy since 1996.

But here's the thing: Daemon is the only one who truly sees Rhaenyra during this dinner from hell. While Joffrey is off setting up his own murder because he didn't notice his boyfriend's fiance couldn't take her eyes off her uncle and Criston is off in the corner composing a tragic epic about his poor scorned heart, Daemon's eyes never leave Rhaenyra.

He see her and he knows with perfect clarity exactly what she is, because she is just like him. Dragons, with enough fire to burn the world if they so chose and he has clearly never seen anything more beautiful.

(There is an essay about Daemon's narcissism to be written, but I'm tired, so this is the one you're getting instead.)

There was a lot of talk last week about whether or not the abrupt end at the brothel was because Daemon was turned off by Rhaenyra's assertiveness. I think we can put that argument to rest because it is clear that the thing Daemon likes best about her is her fire. A fire that matches his own. A fire that scares him for sure, but draws him further in at the same time. I think his actions on the dance floor show that rather than being upset by his loss of control in the brothel, he was scared of his feelings and knowing he needed more from her than a quick fuck against a wall.

Clearly the only way forward was to murder his wife and then show up at the wedding uninvited. No one ever claimed Daemon was sane.

But despite his insane plan to murder his wife and marry his niece, Daemon never acts like Rhaenyra owes him anything for his actions. He wants her, he's willing to do unspeakable acts to get her, but above all else, he wants her to chose him. If she had said "No. You had your chance. I'm marrying Leanor. He is the one I choose" he would have walked away. He would have done his level best to change her mind and he would have looked like a wounded puppy the whole time, but he would have accepted her choice.

And there's the true difference between Daemon and Criston: Criston views Rhaenyra as a prize, something he is owed because he gave up his honor in return, while Daemon sees Rhaenyra as his equal. She will always be his equal because he could never love someone who wasn't.

So Daemon comes to this wedding with the softest eyes and gentle smiles, all but begging her to forgive him. He will never make her chose between him and the throne. She wants a crown, he'll take it for her. She wants a kingdom? He will burn it all down to give it to her. The only thing he asks in return is that she chooses him.

What's more, he seems to be the only one who genuinely wants her to be happy. He smiles softly as she laughs and dances with Laenor. His first words to her are "Is this what you want?". He doesn't shy away from her anger or get angry in return. He would tear through the entire crowd to take her away, but only by her leave.

And because Rhaenyra knows him better than anyone, she knows exactly what to say to push all the right buttons, never afraid that he would ever hurt her. Daemon, unlike the other men in her life, will never betray her. He may hurt her because his fire matches her own and he will driver her into a rage, but he has never given her reason to truly doubt his loyalty. Even when he does, like at the brothel, he proves it once more by coming back. He comes back, even knowing she would be rightfully pissed at him, and he sits at that table and his gaze never waivers.

Daemon will always come back to her.

So she dares him. She stands at the feast for her wedding to another man and she dares him to take her away. Pushes him to prove what they both know: only a dragon can love a dragon. She chooses him and he chooses her right back, not carrying if anyone sees them.

And then fucking Criston Cole fucked it up. Wasted a perfectly good murder and entrance.

I'm gonna be angry for awhile.

Alright, so my disappointment with this show has been as swift as that ridiculous Rhea Royce scene. What even was that? You're telling me that her horse just decided to conveniently fall on its back so that Daemon could still kill her but with an excuse of a mercy kill? Why not make it an accident like it was in the books, then?

The whole horse falling sequence felt so badly forced that I couldn't believe my eyes. Like fine, you need Rhea dead ASAP, could you come up with something clever at least? And if not, just follow the books, they are right there.

If you want to make a character murder someone, at least don't half-ass it. The way it was portrayed in the show, Rhea basically killed herself. Wtf? Do you want him to murder her or not, make up your mind. This is so unbelievably stupid that I have no words.

I’ll give it a shot and explain what happened between Daemon and Rhaenyra

But first I’ll explain why Daemon and Rhaenyra are attracted to each other to begin with:

As Viserys pointed out a number of times, Daemon and Rhaenyra are similar to each other. Both of them are rebellious. And I think that’s exactly the reason why they’re attracted to each other.

Otto Hightower didn’t see danger in only Daemon but also in Rhaenyra. They’re the same. Rebellious, powerful and cannot be controlled. Unlike Viserys, neither Daemon nor Rhaenyra can be manipulated by Otto. While they’re in charge, he doesn’t have power. Which is why he works against both of them.

Daemon hates his wife (the bronze b****) not because of her personality but because he didn’t choose her. Similarly, Rhaenyra won’t accept to be married against her will.

And not only that Daemon and Rhaenyra are of the same nature but they also share the same goal, which is to prove themselves capable.

Now the reason why Rhaenyra is trying to prove herself is obvious and I don’t need to talk about it. The reason why Daemon is trying to prove himself is that Viserys doesn’t trust him. And has favored and trusted the self-interested Otto over his own brother and also has been trying to produce a male heir to replace him, which means Viserys doesn’t acknowledge Daemon as an actual heir.

Daemon and Rhaenyra have been shown to be parallel to each other, opposite to Viserys who is weak.

The Brothel Scene:

First of all I’d like to point out that the kissing scene between Daemon and Rhaenyra is out of attraction and not a fully developed love. Which is why she went for Criston when he left her. If it was out was out of love, I don’t think she would’ve went for another guy just because he couldn’t do it.

Why did Daemon leave her? Most of the women Daemon has been with were prostitutes who do whatever he wants, and it’s safe to assume they were all in a submissive position to him. He initially thought that this would also be the case with Rhaenyra. But she acted as an equal. He’s probably not used to that. Anyway, I think he now genuinely wants her. And it’s not about the throne. I mean neither Rhaenyra nor Daemon cared about throne itself in the first place.

It doesn’t make sense for Daemon to be using Rhaenyra against her father, this is out of character considering that:

-He was visibly moved in Rhaenyra’s mother’s funeral and told her to stand by her father’s side.

-He was shown not to be capable of harming Rhaenyra in episode 2. He peacefully gave her the dragon egg and left.

-Daemon was attracted to Rhaenyra before she became the heir.

-Doesn’t allow the Sea Snake to speak badly about Visaerys.

-Matt Smith said that Daemon cares about Rhaenyra and Viserys a lot.

I’d like to think that he was guiding her to do what she wants against her father’s interests. And I’m also sure he has nothing to do with the kid that informed Otto. The conversation between him and Mysaria implied that they haven’t been in touch in a long time and doesn’t know what she does now.

Daemon is not exactly a good guy but he has been misjudged here.

His smirk 🥹🥹

Daemon’s Motivations (HOTD EP 4 Spoilers)

So I just finished watching ep 4 and this was a spicy episode to say the least, I will post my full review for it later but I’ve been thinking alot about Daemon’s motivations in this episode so wanted to put my thoughts down. Once again his actions in this episode are really ambiguous, I did watch the behind the episode video to see if I could get a better idea on what Daemon was thinking and what was driving him in this episode but it left me more confused. On one hand it could seem like he was manipulating Rhaenyra when he took her to the pillow house and began to be intimate with her. That his plan was to ruin her and force his brother into letting them marry so that he could get closer to the Iron Throne. On the other hand it could be that he genuinely has feelings for Rhaenyra and that he just wanted to spend time with her. In the Behind the episode clip one of the directors, Miguel Sapochnik, says that Daemon wants to get back at his brother by using Rhaenyra. I’ll be honest though when watching the episode I did not pick up on that at all, like it seemed that Daemon was happy to be back in his brother’s good graces not like he was seeking revenge against him, so if that was the intention then I personally think that aspect of the plot was badly written because I don’t think it really came through in the episode and if I hadn’t watched that behind the episode I wouldn’t have known that Daemon was still angry at his brother.

As to which of these options I think is the most likely motive I actually think it’s most of the above. Daemon is a very complex character, who has a lot of complex feelings which sometimes makes it hard to know for sure what he’s up to but I do think when trying to figure out his motives we need to look at the season as a whole so far and not just his actions in this episode. I do think that his goal was to be seen with Rhaenyra in an attempt to spread rumours and so he could persuade his brother to wed Daemon to Rhaenyra, but I don’t think his reason for wanting to wed Rhaenyra is because he wants the Iron Throne. I said in my episode 2 review that despite alot of the other characters telling us that Daemon wants the throne more than anything else I personally don’t think he really does want the throne. I think he wants his family’s love, attention and respect. He talks often about keeping with his houses traditions and clearly thinks highly of his family name and what it means to be a Targaryen. The most important thing to him is his family. We also know from episode one that Daemon feels like his brother is always sending him away, at this point he’s not only been away from his family for 4 years but he’s been estranged from them. I think this was very lonely and painful for Daemon. Now he’s won a huge victory in the Step Stones and he gives this public display of allegiance to his brother by giving him the crown that he won. This mended the bridge between the brothers and Viserys welcomed Daemon back with open arms. Despite not picking up on any anger from Daemon that was mentioned by Sapochnik I could understand how it would fit his character, I could see Daemon, despite being happy to be home and with his family again, harbouring some bitterness towards his brother for exiling him and then leaving him to fight a war on his own for three years in the first place. I think Daemon also knows that even though they are back on good terms it would be unlikely that Viserys would allow Daemon to wed Rhaenyra. So he tries to force his hand by making sure they are caught in a compromising position. As Rhaenyra’s husband it would be much harder for Viserys to banish Daemon ever again. We’ve seen on several occasions that Daemon is reprimanded for not being with his wife in the Vale and performing his duties as her husband so it would make sense to me if he believes that marrying Rhaenyra would secure his place at his family’s side. He would be expected to be at her side as her husband and it would be more difficult for Viserys to exile Daemon if he were Rhaenyra’s husband as their society have made clear that their view is that a Husband should be at his wife’s side producing heirs. Whilst I do think some of the allure of marrying Rhaenyra is that it would make him King Consort I think he sees that as more of a bonus than a goal he is actively striving for. A telling moment for me that made me think that it was his desire to stay close to his family that lead to him wanting to marry Rhaenyra is when they are in the garden together and she asks him what he wants and he replies ‘Only the comforts of home.’ So far we’ve heard Daemon clearly state wanting three things, to be his brother’s hand of the king, the comforts of home and Rhaenyra. All of these connect with his family.  

I do think Daemon has genuine feelings for Rhaenyra too which complicates things for him. In that garden scene we see him looking at Rhaenyra as she leaves the group and to me his look isn’t calculating or cold its soft and warm. In the behind the episode clip Sapochnik also said that Rhaenyra becomes the apple of Daemon’s eye, the definition of that is someone you cherish and love above everything else. I think this is true for how Daemon feels about Rhaenyra. I think the trip to the brothel was also partly fuelled by their conversation in the garden about Rhaenyra not wanting to marry because of her fear of childbirth and instead wishing to live in solitude. Rhaenyra sees sex as a prelude to childbirth and that’s all, an unpleasant task or duty that has to be completed. Daemon takes her to the brothel in part to show her that it can also be something pleasurable, something she can enjoy with her chosen partner. When he does move things between them to be more intimate he is actually very gentle with her, cupping her face and tracing her lips, there is a softness to the scene that completely contradicts the setting. Again I think this shows those genuine feelings he has for her. He treats her with care not just as some tool to use.

Which brings me to another question, why did Daemon stop? Clare Kilner, the director for the episode said it was because Rhaenyra instead of being shocked was excited and that Daemon wasn’t in charge anymore or in control and he was left with nothing. This to me doesn’t make a whole lot of sense if his only goal was the Iron Throne or to get back at his brother. If his only plan was to ruin her then what would it matter if she was enjoying it or taking control? The result would be the same either way, she’d loose her maidenhead and be ruined and have to marry him giving him access to the throne. I interpreted the scene very differently but it does kind of tie in with what Kilner said. I do think he was feeling like he was losing control and like he wasn’t in charge anymore, but I think it was his emotions he wasn’t in control of anymore. I think as Kilner said he expected her to be shocked, maybe even push him away, I think there is a moment when you can see the realisation he has that she returns his feelings, where she is looking up at him completely enraptured with him. Then everything becomes too complicated and his feelings just overwhelm him. He realises he can’t have it all, you can see him struggling with this inner conflict, his actions could lead to him hurting Rhaenyra, but he cares about her, but this is a way for him to get back at his brother and secure himself at his family’s side, but it could ruin Rhaenyra who he cares about, but if he does it then he could marry Rhaenyra and have her, but the guilt is eating him up because he cares for her and using her like this feels wrong. 

What is interesting to me is that he had no issues with using Mysaria in his games in ep 2 without having any feelings of guilt yet it seems like he can’t bring himself to really use Rhaenyra and make her ruin complete which I think shows that he does care for her and that she is more than just a means to an end for him. Another thing that I thought interesting is the contrast between Daemon and Criston Cole. Daemon is perceived as being this menace with no limits and Cole is one of the white knights of the King’s guard seen as noble and true. Its ironic that their society believes only a man of low morals and scruples would take a princess’ virtue, you would think that Daemon would be the character that would have taken Rhaenyra’s virtue without a second thought or care and yet it was Cole someone who is supposedly honourable that does. The difference between the two is that even though they both go through that same conflict of whether they should bed the princess Daemon ultimately stops, Criston does not. I also think a large part of what causes Daemon to have this inner conflict and ultimately stop is that he didn’t realise until that moment how strongly he feels about Rhaenyra. I don’t get the impression that he has ever been intimate with someone he has loved before and so its a bit scary to him and he doesn’t know how to deal with it. I think that another reason why he askes to wed Rhaenyra because this is his way of being with Rhaenyra without the guilt, he wants to do right by her and do it properly within what is considered correct in their society. I also think that he’s got alot of other issues going on, the war in the step stones had to have had an effect on him and I think the war has left him feeling numb. I think his emotions are swinging from feeling nothing at all to just feeling too much all at once which overwhelms him. 

So bringing this winding, waffling piece to a close I think Daemon’s motives are all over the place. He wants multiple, at times contradictory, things. He both cares for Rhaenyra but is also manipulative, he both wants his brother’s affection and wants to get back at his brother for abandoning him, he wants Rhaenyra but doesn’t want to hurt her at the same time. Like I said before he’s a messy, complicated character and its what I love about him and what makes him so interesting.            

y'all i can't believe its only been three episodes and Daemon and Rhaenyra are already the most romantic ship in GoT like...

Outside of their obviously charged actual scenes with one another, they are paralleled endlessly outside of that and I can't handle it.

S1E1 Rhaenyra to Daemon: "I wonder if, during those few hours my brother lived, my father finally found happiness."

S1E1 Daemon to an Orgy: "The gods give just as the gods take away. To the king's son...[the heir for a day]."

**I find this dialogue couplet so interesting, because what Rhaenyra said could easily be taken just as badly as what Daemon said later that night. And she said it at the actual funeral!**

S1E2 Daemon to Rhaenyra: "Not [a wife] of my choosing."

S1E3 Rhaenyra to Viserys: "That is because I do not wish to get married!"

**Their mutual frustrations with shitty arranged marriages and wanting to be free of that are so beyond epic when you consider the foreshadow bonus that they do ultimately choose to marry each other with no one else's permission 😭**

S1E1 Daemon to Viserys: "You've only ever sent me away: to the Vale, to the City Watch, anywhere but by your side!"

S1E3 Rhaenyra to Viserys: "You have [a son] in hand now, you have no further use for me! You might as well peddle me for what you can -- a mountain stronghold, or a fleet of ships."

**Rhaenyra experiencing the exact same frustrations Daemon felt as the presumptive heir and being pushed aside, I CAN'T.**

There are likely more dialogue parallels that just aren't popping into my head at this very second, but even outside of the dialogue they are so thematically entwined: from them both being "The Rogue Prince(ss)" of the 2nd episode's title, that up until the end of Episode 3 they are our only two dragon riders shown on screen and are very clearly the CORE of what it means to be a Targaryen in this story, that they both have little "approvals" for their royalty status (Daemon very casually moving about the throne without getting cut, and Rhaenyra seeing the White Hart), that they both end Episode 3 covered in blood, and don't even get me started on THE NECKLACE representing Rhaenyra in the opening credits AND the fact that Rhaenyra wears it with nearly every outfit during Episode 2 (and in multiple scenes that we've seen in the trailer for Episode 4), and this is far from the end of the list, like???

ITS ONLY BEEN THREE EPISODES, WTF, i am straight up going to die next episode

foreshadowing rhaenyra’s loss of virginity and rise to power (house of the dragon 1x03)

I’ve tried to keep this meta short, but if you don’t want to read all of it, the key point is that the killing of the boar in 1x03 foreshadows Rhaenyra’s loss of virginity (which I would expect to occur in the next few episodes) and her rise to power.

When she leaves camp, she is clean and riding a white horse (a symbol of her “purity”), and is pursued by a man who is a potential romantic interest for her, even if he would not be considered a suitable match for someone of her standing. Ser Criston acts as her confidant in this episode – they are bonded by the station she gave to him, and he reminds her of her own power several times when she feels like she is being supplanted by her younger brother.

Notably, she has spent the episode resenting the prospect of motherhood and spurning the advances of suitors. She clings desperately to her girlhood while simultaneously wishing others would accept her as their queen. 

She is sharply contrasted with the dutiful and heavily pregnant Alicent Hightower, who has accepted her womanhood and the traditional roles it entails. In the godswood, Alicent’s orders as Queen are given more weight by the bard than Rhaenyra’s, implying that Rhaenyra could gain power and standing – if she would only give up her independence.

The boar that attacks Rhaenyra in the woods is a distinctly masculine symbol (hair, tusks, ferocity), mounting her while she is lying on the ground. This is a moment of vulnerability for Rhaenyra. She is too weak to fight off the boar, though she does attempt to resist – and her resistance here is consistent with her earlier attitudes towards men in this episode. She is still very young and has expressed no desire for a husband or children, she rejects the potential Lannister match, and now she resists the masculine symbol of the boar. 

At this point, Ser Criston Cole pierces the boar with his sword (so obviously a phallic symbol that I doubt it requires further explanation), which bloodies her (a stand-in for the breaking of a hymen, though I’ll spare everyone the speech about how not all virgins bleed). Rhaenyra throws the boar off of her, breathing heavily in the aftermath of the attack.

This is where we would expect her attention to turn towards Ser Criston, her handsome “savior” knight, and to show him some manner of affection or gratitude. Instead, she subverts this expectation and focuses only on the boar, drawing a knife (another masculine symbol, but this time she is the wielder) to ferociously attack the boar until it is dead, and she is drenched in blood. 

There are a few noteworthy elements here. First, she is actively participating in the killing of the boar (or by parallel, the loss of her virginity), suggesting that we will see her begin to pursue men more directly and with a fuller understanding of her own sexual empowerment. 

Second, she wields a small, simple knife to kill the boar, a surprising display of violence and strength after her previous vulnerability. Meanwhile, in this same episode, her father struggles to kill a bound stag with a massive, highly decorated spear. All of this indicates that she will no longer be a passive player in this game – she is coming into her own power and is fit to rule.

Perhaps an even more interesting component of this episode is that Ser Criston Cole leaves the encounter with the boar completely unscathed. The next morning, when the stag appears, Rhaenyra’s face, hair, and clothing are all drenched in blood – but Ser Criston is pristine, suggesting that even though he was he white knight in this episode foreshadowing the loss of her virginity, he is only a stand-in for the person who will actually take her virginity in episodes soon to come.

And who else ends the episode drenched in blood? Our rogue prince, Daemon Targaryen.

I can’t believe I would consider GoT or anything related as a romance story, but these babies are just precious😭😭

me already rearranging my all time top 5 otp list after daemyra had a total of like 4 mins of screentime im FINE thanks for asking

En la biblioteca de colegio de magia Hogwarts Hermione estaba cómo siempre leyendo

Un hurón se le acerca con una rosa y ella queda sorprendida y ruborizada por lo que opta por coger entre sus manos al pequeño animal y le regala un beso en si cabeza.

Mientras tanto en la cabeza de Draco todo está revuelto, el quería solo asustarla pero como siempre ella fue más inteligente ( a pesar que ella no sabía que él era animado, hizo lo de siempre agradeció el pequeño gesto del animal). Quedándose abrumado por sus emociones, haciendo lo que mejor sabe hacer... Huir a sus emociones

Créditos de imagen @araletoni

i like the - it's not quite role reversal but i don't know how else to describe it - from season 1 and 2 where Steve very much just wants to forget and pretend and leave things alone where Nancy wants to investigate and Jonathan wants to help... to season 4 where now Steve wants to be there to help but outside things get in the way. Like when Steve didn't even know what Nancy was going to do (investigate Victor Creel) but was worried about her and wanted to go with her, wanted to help, but no one else could drive so Robin went instead. "unless you think we need you to protect us?" and later when Nancy's going to try to get in to see Victor, Steve wants to go, wants to help, feels useless staying behind, but someone needs to be there for the kids "not the kind of charm we need." "ouch." and as i'm writing this i'm realizing that in both of these scenarios Steve stayed behind to look after the kids while Nancy went to be an investigator. Kind of like how Nancy wants to be an investigative journalist and Steve wants to have kids. They're literally already living that reality. holy shit. 🤯 "always the babysitter, always the goddamn babysitter!"

Fuck I’m at a fencing tournament and literally a minute after I reblogged this my dad told me that he talked to the point people and I’m probably going to win a medal.

BURN BAGEL BURN

OH WHY NOT?

I need to follow up to say I reblogged this last night, and this morning I got some of the best news of my life, like, a life dream come true news thing.

Bagel what are your powers

FUCK, I though it was just another lucky meme but LISTEN. Since a week ago I was waiting a phone call to confirm me if I got a job or not in my university. I reblogged this yesterday’s night “just for fun and because I don’t want any bagel to be mad with me”, and today’s afternoon, while I was losing my time as always, the professor I was supposed to work with called me and asked me for my personal information to start working with her.

THE BAGEL POWERS ARE WAY TOO MUCH FOR THIS WORLD

I GOT A JOB THE DAY AFTER MY QUEUE POSTED THIS THE FIRST TIME AND I JUST REALIZED IT WHEN I SAW IT AGAIN HOLY GOD

The bagel hasn’t let me down yet!

I got a job offer after reblogging the bagel. Believe in the bagel!

Worth a try lol

i could use some good news or even a good girl 

Go lil bagle! Show me your power!

Okii then!

THIS IS THE FIRST THING ON MY BLOG

I GOT ASKED OUT FOR THE FIRST TIME AFTER I REBLOGGED IT