Okay, this isn't my usual yapping about how I desperately want to ask HBO to provide the public with a report on the show's expenses and find out how much they pay those nine monkeys with typewriters and one college student with three other jobs who are posing as the House of the Dragon writing team.
But one thing leads to another, so I'm thinking about how convenient it is for Daemon and Rhaenyra to indulge their fetish for public intercourse, and somehow no one found them at all, even though they were not just simple servants, and they couldn't just disappear for a whole night without someone noticing.
And if someone had found them? Maybe someone like Laenor Velaryon?
Laenor, mad with grief, having almost drowned himself a few hours ago, and unable to sleep, escapes from surveillance and goes wandering around Driftmark and the surrounding area. He can't help but think about how his sister died, the one he hadn't seen in years but loved so much; how scared and desperate she was when she couldn't give birth herself, and how much pain she must have suffered; how she spent her last moments in agony and terror. He lost his sister and the nephew who killed her, and whom he almost hates, but knows Laena would never forgive him for those feelings.
And now he stumbles upon his wife and brother-in-law fucking like wild animals on the sand, hidden from the world by a rotten boat hulk. From the world, but not from Laenor.
A part of Laenor understands what these two feel, and is happy for them. His marriage to Rhaenyra was an arrangement that grew into friendship, but never into love; his true love died on the floor of the feast hall, beaten to death by the hands of Criston Cole. He is happy for her, finding solace in their cold, empty marriage, first in Harvin and now in the man she has desired for decades.
He is happy for Daemon. They are friends as much as they are family, which is rare in their houses. They fought together in the Stepstones, and Laenor was happy for them and Laena, the kind of man he would have wished for his sister - almost, Daemon had an unfinished gestalt with his niece, so it was not perfect. But Laena was happy, or sounded so in her letters, so Laenor accepted it as it was. True, now Laenor is more inclined to hate Daemon for laughing at the funeral, but Daemon is Daemon, and someday the pain of loss will pass and Laenor will be able to look at him again without disgust.
But this part is small, quiet, and immediately drowned out by the anger, fury and betrayal rising inside like a storm wave. How dare they! At the funeral of Laena! His sister! Who died giving birth to Daemon's son! Died far from home, far from her family! Daemon didn't even bring her body, just charred bones!! The coffin didn't even touch the seabed, and these two had already stuck together with their crotches!!! HOW DARE THEY HOW DARE THEY HOW DARE THEY!!!
And Laenor, in whom a sea of hatred rages, takes up the blade. He doesn't think about anything, doesn't understand what he's doing, but he knows that these two people, half-naked and shuddering with vile pleasure, are his and Laena's traitors. They are monsters, and Laenor doesn't understand how he could have considered these two his friends.
Daemon Targaryen is still a rogue prince even with his pants down, and Laenor was never considered the best swordsman, at best a good one. Rhaenyra screams at them to come to their senses, but it's no use to Laenor. Daemon dodges the sword, disarms Laenor, but it's doesn't help at all - Velaryon does not listen, his eyes are empty and dark with hatred, he rushes at Daemon empty-handed, wanting to hurt him, just as he and Rhaenyra did to him and Laena.
And Daemon makes a mistake - he, a skilled warrior, underestimates Laenor's rage, and when he swings his blade, intended to drive Velaryon away, he pierces him. Laenor does not die quickly enough - he screams in pain and anger, screams so loudly that he attracts the attention of the guards, who were alerted when it became clear that Corlys' son had disappeared and every servant and guard rushed to search for him.
And what a picture the guards find - the heir of Lord Velaryon, husband of the crown princess and the father of her children, future king consort, Laenor Velaryon, agonizing on the dirty sand. Daemon, shirtless and with unbuttoned pants, with a bloody sword in his hands. And Princess Rhaenyra herself, Laenor's wife, looking at what is happening in horror, wrapped in a dress with loose lacing and pulled off her shoulders, disheveled and covered in sand.
The events that followed have not yet come together in my head in any confident way, there are so many possible consequences.
Rhaenyra and Daemon are caught at the crime scene with bloody hands, one of them not even metaphorically. Denying the fact of murder and sexual intimacy is simply stupid.
Rhaenyra has two options:
1) Lie about how she and Daemon were enthusiastically doing a vertical tango on the beach as soon as they had the chance. She will wring her hands, roll her eyes, and start crying about how her evil uncle tried to take advantage of her, and how the noble and fearless Laenor rushed to her rescue. No one will believe her, of course, but the consequences will be mostly laid on Daemon. He won't be executed as a kinslayer, because Viserys is a spineless whiner, but he will be sent to the Wall.
2) Stand with her uncle and go for broke, and if they die together, they will die together. Again, Viserys' spine is a monkey noodle, he will never kill his sweet daughter in his life, and will try to leave her as his heir, because she is the daughter of the woman he once cut up like a pig in a slaughterhouse.
In any case, what will happen for sure in any case is a complete loss of the Velaryon support for Rhaenyra, Luke losing his rights to inherit Driftmark and the Velaryon name in favor, most likely, of Baela, the loss of Daemon's rights to his daughters - this will be one of Corlys' first demands to the crown, he will not allow the only thing left of his daughter and children in general to remain in the hands of the man who killed his son. All of Westeros will discuss and condemn the actions of the Princess of Whores, Uncle's Delight, for many years. It would take a miracle for Viserys to leave her as his heir, but will he succeed, and what kind of reign awaits a woman with such a background?
Anyone want to add anything that I might have missed?
P.S. If someone wants to use my idea and turn it into a fanfic, be my guest, just tag me, and left a link in the comments down below, I REALLY want to read a story with such a plot =)
PPS. English can kiss my ass me in that scary and dark place where I learned it through sheer force
I don't need sleep or mental health, I need ANSWERS
1) Why, for God’s sake, did you personally and all alone go find out who saddled Seasmoke? If it weren’t Addam, who for some reason was loyal to you (for what reason, by the way? He saw you for the first time in his life, and doesn’t owe you anything), but for example Daemion or Daeron, you know, sons of Vaemond Velaryon, whom your husband viciously beheaded? Do you think they'd gladly bend their knee? Let's be honest, ma'am, Seasmoke would make a kebab out of Syrax in a 1vs1 fight, you risked ending the war in favor of the greens.
2) What would you have done if Laenor hadn't been so loyal and obedient? If he'd seen Jace and asked "Who's white baby is that? Definitely not mine, daddy would skin me alive if I tried to say opposite"? Or if he hadn't agreed to leave his family in their time of need after losing his sister, and hadn't agreed to your fake death plan? What would you have done then, huh?
3) What if Rhaenys had refused to go along with your "perfect" plan to betroth your children to her granddaughters? She doesn't like you, after all, and for good reason. What if she had decided that supporting you had cost the Velaryons too much (which is true), and had said that Corlys had changed his mind and chosen Baela as his heir? Or even announced to everyone that Corlys was disowning your snow-white children?
4) What if Baela had turned out to be as much of a racist ass as her daddy? What if she had decided that sleeping with Strong was beneath her because she was a true Valyrian and he was a filthy half-breed? What if your grandson was born red-haired, or Asian, or looked like Alicent's son Daeron (this one is a joke… or is it?)? Only you are allowed to have consensual sex with the man of your choice, while the rest are supposed to suffer?
5) What was your plan for Aegon and Viserys? Traditionally, the "extra" sons became septons or maesters, do you agree with that? Does Daemon agree? If not, what are their roles in future? They are the most Valyrian-looking of your children, their existence sabotaging Jace's legacy.
6) Do you ever regret marrying Daemon? In season 2, you seem constantly unhappy with his presence, he undermines your authority at every turn - he is partly the reason why your Small Council does not respect you. Laenor at least acknowledged your authority. Do you regret this "exchange"?
7) How can you trust Mysaria so easily when she has proclaimed herself the protector of the smallfolks? Rhaenys killed hundreds and wounded thousands at Aegon's coronation, Daemon… is Daemon, you killed dozens of innocent dragonseeds for one dragon rider. You all have no regard for human life. Or is it okay because she's sexy and tells sad stories?
8) What was your script for meeting Alicent at the sept? You went in there with certain expectations, but if this woman hadn't been humiliated by the scriptwriters with every breath she took, Alicent would have called the guards in a heartbeat. You risked everything… for what? What was the original plan?
9) Question for the book and show versions of Rhaenyra - are you happy with each other? Is the show version not irritated by Rhaenyra's femininity and her "weakness" in not trying to fight every possible battle? Is the book version not disgusted by Rhaenyra's hypocritical righteousness and attempt to gain respect by adopting traditional male characteristics?
10) Are you able to admit that your marriage to Laenor was entirely your own fault? Viserys gave you the chance to choose your own husband, but since the suitors weren't Daemon, you rejected them all. And then you disgraced yourself with Daemon in a brothel and with Criston in your chambers. Yes, Viserys was covering up his own political mistakes with this marriage, but if you had decided on the tour that Harwin Strong was the one you wanted, there wouldn't have been a farce of a marriage to a gay. Viserys could have simply chosen him for you, but even he knew that a swordswallower was not the best option for a princess who needed heirs, and this was a last resort after your antics. Do you ever regret how you behaved on that tour?
Unlike my usual bunnies, there won't be a whole piece of text here, this one will be more of a set of microtexts, since the goal of the bunny is to be small, and here there will be a whole plot horse, if you give me freedom.
* * *
Rhaenyra received her throne surprisingly without the slightest resistance. Moreover, when she, having received a raven with a message about her father's death, rushed headlong to King's Landing, she did not see either Alicent or her children.
There was no treasury either.
"What do you mean they ran away?!" raged her beloved husband Daemon, demanding answers that no one had.
Being the cowardly dogs that they are, the eldest of Alicent's spawn convinced the rest of his family not to fight the rightful heir for the throne, and fled under cover of night, taking their dragons, the entire treasury and even several relics - including the crown of Aegon the Conqueror and Blackfyre.
Their tracks were lost in Pentos, where Daemon still had connections and pursuing them was not possible - fighting four adult dragons would mean that she would have to leave Westeros, and there was no way she could do that, with her upcoming coronation and her current pregnancy.
Let them rot in the seven hells, buried under stolen gold - Rhaenyra has more important things to do than look for traitors.
* * *
Unfortunately, ruling was something Rhaenyra was not fully prepared for.
Of course, there were circumstances that made ruling difficult - one of her first orders was to raise taxes, which did not earn her the love of the smallfolk.
She tried to get additional money from her vassals, but the richest - the Velaryons and Lannisters - could not help her. The Velaryons paid for the coronation and gave several hundred thousand gold dragons, but this was a drop in the ocean from the previous wealth of the crown and could not pay for all needs. The Lannisters even referred to difficult times and even Daemon's threats did not help to get money.
Daemon even had to go to Braavos and ask for a loan from the Iron Bank. He returned terribly dissatisfied - the crown was denied a loan, and threats did not work again. Her husband even threw an ugly tantrum in their chambers when he returned home.
In addition, this pregnancy was harder for her than the previous ones. But Rhaenyra was sure it was just her age and the fact that she was expecting Visenya - girls were harder than boys, weren't they?
Perhaps a small feast would help. It would cheer up Daemon and Jace, who had been complaining about the increased workload of his studies lately.
* * *
Visenya's birth marked the end of Queen Rhaenyra's short reign, which had lasted less than half a year. Having given birth to an ugly, monstrous baby almost a month premature, the queen died a few days later, perishing in childbed fever.
Her heir, Prince Jacaerys Targaryen, ascended the throne with his queen Baela, combining the coronation and wedding to save money from the never-replenished treasury.
* * *
It had not been easy to rule for Jace, though he could only admit that to Baela and his brothers. Daemon, having lost Rhaenyra, had gone on a rampage, ignoring his stepsons and his own children, spending his time in brothels and taverns, drowning his sorrows in wine, whores, fights, and flying on Caraxes.
The treasury was still empty, and the realm was constantly grumbling under the high taxes. Jace was constantly tired from juggling ruling and his lessons, and he periodically made mistakes that the Small Council corrected, making him feel humiliated. The loss of his mother still felt like a physical wound on his soul.
But the worst of it?
The Small Council and the courtiers did not show him the respect he deserved. Of course, he couldn’t specifically point his finger at the dismissive attitude, but it was felt. In their looks, in their movements, in their silences.
They all thought Jace unworthy of the throne because he was a bastard.
Jace almost ordered the execution of some of the most outspoken in their disgust, but Grandmother Rhaenys talked him out of it. Baela was also all for demonstrating power through violence, too much like her father in that regard.
So Jace can only seethe in silence, sometimes taking it out on his wife and family, unable to do anything about it.
He is his mother's rightful heir, he is the blood of a dragon, he is a dragon rider, he is the ancestor of the promised prince - so why should he suffer the humiliation of sheep?
* * *
The delicate balance collapses with the death of Daemon.
The murder of Daemon.
Having gone on one of his sprees, he was eventually found in one of the alleys of Flea End, with his throat slit and his pockets emptied.
The Dark Sister has also disappeared.
As has Caraxes, who leaves the Dragonpit just three days after the death of his rider, with an unknown man with silver-gold hair on his back.
* * *
It's a cliffhanger ending, but that's how it was intended, thank you very much.
I actually have no idea where the story is going, so if someone decides to adopt the story, I'd love to read their take on it.
Here's what's left out. Daemon met his end at the hands of his own bastard - or bastard by Viserys, his mother couldn't say for sure. The boy was named Bael, but he chose to change his name to Baelon, more regal and therefore more worthy of him. So it's not Bael Waters who's claiming Caraxes, but Baelon Darksister, claimant to the Iron Throne.
He decided that if there's a bastard on the throne, why not another bastard try his hand at being king? Rhaenyra is dead, Daemon met his end at his hands, the Greens are gone from sight. His only threat is Rhaenys and Meleys, the other dragons are too small to stand against him and Caraxes.
Westeros is set for another Dance of the Dragons, this time between the Blacks and the Reds, and the outcome is not as clear as it seems, given that Baelon has raised his own army under his own banner - a black dragon on a scarlet background. An army of outcast bastards like himself, ready to take what is due to them - after all, if the crown now belongs to one bastard, why can't another bastard become a lord or the next king?
It’s hilarious when TBs cry “Rhaenyra TRAINED to be heir” because that honestly makes her look worse. Wdym she spent 20 years training and managed to fuck things up more than Aegon, who got pulled out of the trash 2 days ago?
Legitimately and it's why nerfing the Greens was such a dumb choice 😭
Like what do you mean you apparently trained your whole life (which btw spending years away from court hiding from bastard rumors "managing" Dragonstone is not really training for ruling an entire kingdom, especially when it comes to navigating political realities when in power) (but then again that's something she no doubt figured she could ignore in favor of ruling with hardcore fire and blood and fear of dragons and Daemon)
Like apparently you "trained your whole life" for this and you're somehow the only one divinely ordained and suited and qualified enough to rule...
AND YET SOMEHOW up against these apparently incompetent, short-sighted, impulsive Greens, who are made up of:
- a drunk dude who's apparently never been trained to rule despite him ruling being the plan since he was a baby, who appoints his unqualified and unnamed frat boys to Kingsguard, bullies his brother in public, drunk flies his dragon to battle, and executes a dozen dudes for "no reason" causing a "PR disaster"
- a kinslayer attempted kingslayer who took out one of his side's only dragons and rider because he got bullied :( and now he hates his brother and wants power and also he's gonna nuke a village for no reason except to feel powerful and manly I guess... also he unfairly does nothing about Rhaenyra's blockade and it's HIS fault people are starving from the blockade apparently and that's why the common people LOVE Rhaenyra SO much
- the dowager queen who converted to Team Black out of sapphic longing for a woman she was friends with decades ago for a couple of years, who willingly sells out her entire family to the enemy, including the son she crowned, two other sons fighting for the war she started, her father who was her only ally at court, her brother who was the only one to sympathize with her position, her sworn shield who lives to serve her and protect her family, her uncle and his men leading the Hightower host out of Oldtown, most of her family's dragons who will die defending their riders... all for the chance to win the favor of a woman who never showed any ounce of care for how her life turned out and the sacrifice she made (in fact the woman who was remorseless about her son's eye getting cut out, who blatantly pushed lies that endangered her whole family, who married a man who hates her whole family and wants them dead) (she fails in winning her favor) but girls stick together - girl power! And she's finally free from the confines of medieval feudalist patriarchy :) (except there's nowhere for her to go and no way to live her life as a free woman in any capacity as the wife of the former king and a highborn lady, unless she wants to try to be a survivalist in the wild or go to Essos and join a pleasure house, which, again, not really "free" and sustainable long term options for her)
- a poor helpless infantalized neurodivergent woman who can't even ride her dragon because she doesn't like it for some reason and she's incapable of acting outside of autistic stereotypes, also she's totally fine about her 6 year old getting murdered in front of her very eyes now, and actually she's gonna use her visions to condemn the brother who's always had her family's back up until this point and instead help the man responsible for her child's death, because she's seen the Grand Design and wants to help Team Black now :)
- "misogynist incel" but somehow also at the same time "Alicent worshipping and unreasonably Rhaenyra hating sex toy" (don't think about why he might have valid reasons to hate this particular woman) who doesn't think ahead and is apparently the most violent terrible hypocritical person in this show (don't think too hard about the show making him Dornish and casting a brown actor and the implications it has for this character on and off screen because the show and mainstream fandom won't!)
- offscreen brother nobody barely remembers who only just started riding his dragon apparently
- former Hand of the King immediately fired and sent away and captured off screen after doing nothing to help the war effort apparently
- Lannister twin off to Essos to fuck several wives and mud wrestle LOL!!
- foot fetishist shadowy creep (don't think about how they made a disabled character have a fetish involving their disability for no reason)
AND YET SOMEHOW against THESE villains... she can't even beat them 😭 she can't beat THESE guys who at this point are actively helping her out... she can't take and hold the throne against THESE Greens...
Like way to just completely make her and her team look equally incompetent by failing to take on THESE foes and instead elect to... mope... complain... do nothing except what others tell you to do... basically make no real decisions of your own except... dress as a nun and sneak into enemy territory with no real plan, leaving nobody in charge while you're gone despite a war looming... and burn a group of people alive for no reason to get dragons that you immediately refuse to use... ride dragon... speak a foreign language... cry... kiss your advisor immediately after she opens up about being violently assaulted and mutilated and never bring it up again... girlboss 💪💅
Truly astounding how badly they managed to fumble the bag with the show. Like. My god 😭 THIS was your vision for the historic Dance of Dragons aka the worst civil war in Westerosi history where both sides were Targaryens with dragons who destroyed each other and the Realm in their quest for power? Like THIS is what the singers in mainline ASOIAF books were singing about? 😭😭😭 bruh 😭😭😭
The way TB stans talk about Syrax and Rhaenyra is worthy of a page on the TV tropes. Because it borders on animal abuse, but somehow she's considered the Mother of Dragons 0.5???
The way Rhaenyra treated Syrax suppressed her predatory instincts and led to a sad but expected fate. A dragon that refuses to hunt on its own, only flies in good weather, wears a cute collar, and completely incapable of living on its own? That's a dead dragon. It's expired like a store-bought blueberry, that start molding the second you put it in the fridge.
It's like those ungodly fat cats on TikTok who roll around their apartment from bowl to litter box while their owners film them giggling and the comments are full of "OH LAWD HE COMIN". Yeah, the silly cat eats 24/7 and happy about it, but his joints and heart are about to give out, and his existence is limited by the floor, because only a bodybuilder can lift him onto the couch.
It's like that Reddit post with the girl who talked about how snakes are actually loving and sociable, because her dead pet snuggled up to her all the time, until someone responded that the snake wasn't showing affection, but was simply trying to keep warm, and died early because op froze her pet to death. Snakes are just not the type of animals that you can carry around in your pocket like monkey noodles, no matter how much you want to.
So Syrax's death was predictable. If it were not for her missing survival instincts, because of which she went down to the rioting crowd, attracted by the smell of blood, she would have died later, because the fugitive queen would not have been able to buy her favorite goat meat, and Syrax lacked the hunting instinct. Or this mighty dragoness would have died from the teeth of the half-dead Sunfire upon arrival at Dragonstone, because her fighting instincts had also atrophied.
Dragons are a reflection of their riders. And Syrax was not a warrior, no matter how much you wanted the opposite.
I haven't seen anyone talk about this, but Rhaenys' death possibly is the most pointless death in the show. Everyone was so focused on the Targaryen girlboss moment, loyal Meleys, and the shot of Rhaenys falling in slow motion like a bird with a broken wing, that they didn't see that the writers literally destroyed the entire point of her fight and death.
In the books, Rhaenys fought bravely against two dragons and was defeated, but not before she managed to cripple the enemy king and his dragon, taking them out of the fight for a year or so. This also played a role later on - if Aegon and Sunfyre were at their peak, they could have easily torn Baela and Moondancer to pieces. But instead, they took even more damage, and Baela lived.
In the show, she... scratched the enemy dragons? Kinda? Bite once or twice? If Rhaenys had just done a lap of honor and go home, within a week or two Aegon would have fallen down the stairs onto a knife 28 times, or choked to death on Sylvie's boobs, or something equally ridiculous and random and completely unrelated to his vengeful one-eyed brother being insulted by drunken barking. In an attempt to further destroy tg, the writers are humiliating their own beloved tb, it would be funny if it weren't so sad.
Ps. Not native speaker and dgaf about mistakes, english can suck my imaginary dick
Aemond baby, get behind me.
Once I started, I can't stop. Can someone explain to me how exactly Addam managed to ride Seasmoke?
I mean, in canon (I mean the book, it's the only source I'll accept, the show is just a hotd-edition adaptation of "My Immortal"), Addam and Alyn are unconfirmed bastards of Laenor, and Addam being able to ride a dragon supports that theory. Of course, Martin wouldn't be Martin if he didn't also give us Nettles with her dubious origins, leaving us wondering if she really does have a drop of Targaryen blood in her veins, or if she's just a girl who managed to ride a dragon through friendship magic and sheeps bribery.
But the show is actively convincing me that you absolutely need to have at least Ariana Grande as a great-grandmother (or Aeriana Targaryen, I'm not sure, all I remember after Rhaenyra found Steffon Darklyn's fanmade family tree is my hysterical howl) to even look at a dragon, and even then the dragon can have a fetish for handsome black men (I understand you, Seasmoke, Addam is fucking gorgeus), and the dragon chooses its own rider (hello to those who were foaming at the mouth while yelling that Aemond stole Vhagar, I see you and you're annoying me).
Corlys hasn't had Targaryen blood for at least the last 130 years. We've known every Targaryen since the Conquerors, and almost everyone since Daenys and Gaemon. If Lord Velaryon ever married a Lady Targaryen, it was at least 200 years ago.
Was this hint of dragonrider blood enough for Seasmoke? Then why look for dragon seeds with nearest Targaryen parent in family tree, just rake out the entire population of Flea Bottom, every third person will have about the same amount of dragon blood in their veins.
If the purity and quantity of Targaryen blood is not important at all, why this prophecy "from my blood the promised prince will be born"? Why fight so fiercely for the dynasty, when any peasant whose great-great-great-great-grandmother was once graced with the attention of some Maegon Targaryen can mount the Cannibal and go deal with the Night King, especially since their help is not needed, Arya Stark can handle it herself.
What is Rhaenyra fighting so hard for when the show has made it clear that she doesn't want power because power is a dirty toy for despicable men, and she is the Gods-chosen Dragon Queen who is above worldly pleasures and blood doesn't matter if you're pretty, morally simple enough for ten-year-olds to empathize with, and can pose for trailers?
Now I'm starting to sound like a purist, disgusting. But unfortunately, that's how ASOIAF works, so I need answers. Please.
Ps. Still not native speaker and dgaf about mistakes, english can suck my imaginary dick
I don't know if I'll find any supporters, but this has been driving me crazy for three years now, and I have to say it.
The scene from season one with Luke and Rhaenyra where Luke expresses his insecurities as the heir to Driftmark is bullshit, and a litmus test for what's wrong with this show.
It all starts out relatively normal, with Luke again expressing his insecurities as the heir of Driftmark and offering to give the position to someone else, and this personally pisses me off because Luke could have said this at any time, there was a whole trial about it, but it's ok, at least kid gets some kind of personality, cool.
And then fucking Rhaenyra goes on about how she realized that ruling takes work, and she had a duty and must earn her inheritance. Like she's ever done anything unselfish in her life, really.
And then that line. No, not like that. THAT FUCKING LINE. Luke, breathlessly muttering, "I'm not like you. Not so perfect."
OH MY FUCKING GOD I HATE THIS SHIT SO MUCH
That sounds just as fake and useless as half of TB's lines extolling Rhaenyra's greatness, because God forbid we forget for a second that that woman is about to be canonized by Twitter any day now. TB's characters are underdeveloped, they feel fake and hollow, designed to kiss the ass of the one woman the audience is allowed to love, because if you like anyone else, you're obviously sexist and deserve to be publicly humiliated.
Luke is already an unpleasant little shit, he hasn't shown a single redeeming quality. He's selfish, arrogant, spoiled, and privileged even among royalty. And you take away his two miserable minutes of screen time to praise Rhaenyra again, and remind us that it turns out she actually sacrificed and worked for something in her life, and didn't just expect things to go her way because she's daddy's special girl. And she's perfect. Perfest, perfect, perfect. Love her right now, or you will be canceled on every social media.
Those two minutes should have gone to Luke and Rhaena. That's his fiancée, for God's sake! Those two haven't said a single damn thing to each other! Instead of whining about Driftmark again, let Luke comfort Rhaena when she expresses her concerns about the upcoming marriage - at least then I'll know he cares about his betrothed!
But no, that would be too complicated. Instead, we have someone praising Rhaenyra again, because what if not everyone realized that she's *gasping* perfect.
Rewatched Viserys dinner speech and Alicent and Rhaenyra look sad and like they believe him. Aemonds not even listening because he stopped thinking of him as anything to him the night he lost his eye. Aegon and Deamon look at him with doubt and irritation when he says he loves them all so dearly and apparently Haleana does too but her shot was cut.
The only people listening carefully are Rhaenyra and Daemons kids because they have been living in I’m so sheltered land for the past 6 years on Dragonstone and they believe his words at face value.
Also luke started that dinner fight. Aemond was literally staring into space and luc started laughing at him rudely. I loved the fight sequence because Aegon stopping luc and baela from intervening was like no 4 on 1 this time bitches let’s see how Jacey can do 1:1. Aegon clearly did feel guilt for the night Aemond was maimed weather his mother shamed him or not.
Team Green kids are mad but god damn are the Team Black kids spoiled entitled brats.
Jokes aside, but really - who? The show actively tells me that Rhaenyra is the only possible option, because this woman glows in the dark from all the blessings received from every god in existence and shits wisdom and greatness.
But is she? Let's hear my useless opinion.
First, where are we looking - at canon (the book), or at the screened fanfic (the show)?
In terms of canon, I think Jacaerys was the best option, but only because the other candidates were complete failures. The way Martin described this boy, even through the lens of the biased Black and Green sources, sounds promising. Yes, 90% of his decisions ended up being failures - he suggested recruiting more dragonriders from dragon seeds, and got Hugh and Ulf; he suggested sending Aegon III and Viserys to Pentos, and they were captured by the Triarchy; he went to rescue his brothers with a bunch of newbies who could barely stay on their dragons, and he ended up getting killed.
If it weren't for the circumstances of his birth, which would inevitably lead to a rebellion by the lords outraged by a bastard on the throne, Jacaerys might have been a good king. He just needed time to grow up.
But on the show? No one. No one at all. None of these people, they are all absolutely terrible.
Rhaenyra? That woman wouldn't know the word "responsibility" if it ambushed her in a parking lot and beat the crap out of her. She doesn't understand what ruling is even twenty years after being named heir, and she asks helplessly "what should I do?", wringing her hands at every difficulty. She does one stupid thing after another, driven by anything but common sense. If she were queen, we'd have another crisis in ten years or so.
Daemon? Lmao. No. That dude lived, fucked and died for shits and giggles, he can't be trusted with snow in the winter.
Jacaerys? That's the boy who solves problems with violence (pulling out a dagger when insulted, punching his uncle in the face when insulted, need I go on?), and loses every fight he starts. He doesn't speak Valyrian, constantly whines and cries to his fiancée and mother that he doesn't know what to do or how to be, and is practically useless during wartime (because his smart decisions were given to Rhaenyra, but that's another story).
Lucerys? Yeah, sure, how can you forget how he handled himself so perfectly at dinner when he should have just kept his mouth shut, but instead he decided that laughing at the crazy uncle he maimed and never apologized for was the height of comedy, better only fart jokes. That boy had one brain cell, and it was on permanent sick leave for the entire season.
Rhaenys? A woman who talks about the slavery of the patriarchy and submits to the decisions of her ambitious to the point of stupidity husband. Marrying her little daughter to her forty year old cousin? Why not. Losing two children because of Rhaenyra and Daemon, and continuing to serve their interests, even though they use her as they please, because Corlys hopes that someday it will pay off? Excellent solution, let's also scold husband for not loving his own bastards enough, and then die ingloriously and uselessly. Yes, the queen we deserve, Rhaenys the Spineless.
Aegon? He can only be a good king if a miracle happens and he stops listening to the idiots around him, gets rid of his mommy and daddy issues, and starts using his head for more than just pouring wine into mouth. Which won't happen, because the writers HATE this man. He'll be pathetic and useless, and then he'll die, because gods forbid there should be an equal fight between a woman and a man for the throne, a woman needs to kick a body sprawled on the ground, disarmed and incapacitated, so that everyone understands that she is superior to him in everything.
Aemond? Season 1 - maybe after a couple of years of therapy, Season 2 - no, he literally doesn't have a single thought in his head except "blood revenge hate aaarrrgghhh", and only occasionally do we see glimpses of a complex character, thanks to Ewan's insane talent.
Helaena? Poor girl, who was just like Aemond crippled by the script so much that even Martin couldn't stand it (Helaena will die just because, for no reason… wow, such deep character development…), give her her bugs and leave her alone.
In canon, the dance of the dragons is the result of well-intentioned stupidity of several generations, in the show - a parable of why incest is bad, just look at how much the mental capacity of people whose family tree looks like a wreath has suffered.
Ps. Still not native speaker and dgaf about mistakes, english can suck my imaginary dick