I have to disagree with your with your criticism about HOTD's Oedipal Complex with Aemond. As much as it's disgusting it also makes absolute sense. Even in the book, the fact that Aemond grown closes to a woman that looks to be his mother's age and the similarity between the names Alys/Alicent is certainly not a coincidence. The plot itself might be a little convoluted but sometimes art it's meant to unnerve us. Accusing Ryan Condal of having a mommy fetish is also quite disgusting. What does that make of GRRM? He wrote pretty disturbing scenes in his books. What does tha make of you? You're literally writing incest fanfics. I don't think it reflects on the person you are.
Respectfully, because I love your work.
I think you're misunderstanding the criticism.
First, let's address the book stuff.
Alys Rivers was at least forty years of age during the Dance of the Dragons, that much is known; Mushroom makes her even older. All agree that she looked younger than her years, but whether this was simple happenstance, or achieved through her practice of the dark arts, men continue to dispute.
GRRM, F&B
In the books, Alys was said to look younger than she actually was. We get tacit hints that she's probably a witch, and that she may have been using glamours to conceal her age, and possibly work the men around her.
Whatever her powers, it would seem Daemon Targaryen was immune to them.
GRRM, F&B
So again, potential hint that she tried her game on Daemon, failed, and then moved on to a younger, more vulnerable target which she could more easily control. Which opens up the possibility that Aemond didn't go for her purely cause she was an older 'milf', but because she was directly playing him. and using her magic to reinforce her control. (You can make parallels to Melisandre/Stannis)
Like this guy became utterly obsessed with her, to the point where he refused to leave Harrenhal when Criston suggested it, and potentially even married her, despite her bastard status and despite him already being betrothed.
Now, that's not to say he was the innocent victim in this. Book Aemond is a vile, misogynistic ego maniac who exterminated her family, and took her as a prize of war (read: sex slave) likely because he wanted to sexually humiliate a bastard of a house he despised. Its just that she might have potentially turned the tables on him, and made the best of her situation to secure power for herself.
Did she play on his mommy issues? Possibly, we don't know. All we have to substantiate the mommy angle is her being a wet nurse, and an older woman (who looked younger than her age). We don't get any information about Aemond's character in relation to women (beyond him choosing the prettiest of Lord Borros' daughters), or his relationship with Alicent, or his previous sexual partners to know for sure that he actually preferred older women because he was Oedipal toward his mother.
And precisely because of this ambiguity, I actually don't mind the mommy issues they gave him on the show (fml, if you've read my fic, Daughters of the Dragon, you know he has major mommy issues there as well). The issue is their handling which is to say, they were reduced to cheap, sexually titillating shock value rather than a meaningful facet of his character that serves to further develop him and advance the plot.
First, they weren't set up properly. S1 was rushed as all hell, meaning we never got to properly develop any of the kids and their relationships with their family, and how that shaped them into adulthood.
S1 Aemond's personality was bullied kid who felt inferior cause he didn't have a dragon, got a dragon and turned himself into a badass edgelord fueled by resentment. The framing tells us this insecurity stems from his second son syndrome and the trauma his brother and nephews put him through (chiefly Luke slashing his eye), not Alicent's parenting specifically (like it so clearly is w Aegon, who is routinely belittled, verbally, emotionally and physically abused on screen. Which in turn, manifests in his alcoholism, and promiscuity, a desperate need for love and approval; one of the most common ways mommy issues show up in adults)
The fandom often views him as a parentified child, but this is an extrapolation gotten from one scene; Aemond comforting Alicent at Driftmark, and managing her feelings, rather than her doing it to him.
That's it. We don't get to explore their dynamic as a family unit (Alicent and all her children) as well as their individual bonds with each other, and with her. We don't get to see the the impact being parentified has on him, Alicent's inconsistent, or even authoritarian care, the blurring of familial boundaries.
Instead, they barely interact and the season kinda sorta sets up the potential for Helaena/Aemond, with both he actors and some of the directors playing into this (possibly tying Aemond's desire for his sister to his jealousy of his older brother and his status)
Fast forward to s2, and now you have him lying naked in the fetal position in the arms of a much older prostitute; the same prostitute who mind you, was paid to SA him at 13. S1 established he hadn't seen her in a while, and was uncomfortable around her, only for his s2 to jump into a full blown mom-baby cosplay with the show implies has been going on for a while. Why? Why did he seek her out? What is the purpose of him going to seek comfort from a woman who was essentially paid to assault him?
We don't know. Because Ryan never showed the start of this relationship. Now as an observant fan, you can infer that this happened cause he and Alicent had a fight over Luke, and he basically lost her as a support system, which in turn prompted him to seek out an older woman substitute. But that's just it; this is an inference. A headcannon Ryan never properly established on screen. We not only never got to see the fight post Luke's death, we also never got to see the depth of Aemond and Alicent's bond to understand why her spurning him would send him to spiral so badly he would seek comfort from someone who abused him. (You can read about why this is an issue here and here)
Aemond spends the first half of s2 as a random NPC who doesn't interact with his family, has no reaction to the death of his nephew (who mind you, was killed in retaliation for his murder), before rapidly transforming into his book self within the span of a single episode; a cartoonish, ego maniacal edgelord whose personality is 'I got a big dragon' (s2ep6 self is the closest he ever got to Book Aemond).
He dismisses Alicent from the council because she's his 'kryptonite' who would cloud his judgement; except this is a BTS comment from Ewan Mitchell, not something we see on screen. On screen, it just looks like he's dismissing her cause she's an idiot who keeps advocating for peace and dickriding their enemy in the middle of a war. (And cause he's angry with her cause she blames him for starting the war)
Which brings me to s3 (finally). Again, what is the point of Alicent and Aemond's kiss, and the sex scene? Genuinely? To show he's fucked up and has mommy issues? Yeah, makes sense, that scene of him lying fetal in s2 wasn't enough, we really needed to have him outright fuck his mom for people to get it.
To show how incest is bad and how it leads to the breakdown of familial relationships? Okay, gotta wonder why Ryan didn't meaningfully set this up, showed how the blurring of boundaries gradually led Aemond to think this is completely fine. And I can hear you saying "Oh, ofc he'd think it's natural, the Targs practice incest!". They practice lateral incest; between siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles etc, for the specific purpose of maintaining their dragon blood.
Parent/child incest has always been a taboo, even among them, so there's no excuse that Aemond just naturally assumed this would be okay; especially because his Mother is a Hightower, not a Targaryen, raised religious, and very anti incest (she only married Aegon to Helaena cause of politics).
(A good fanfic that tackled this issue in a far better way was the now deleted Family Tree. It unabashedly showed the impact incest has on a child, how it shapes their view of relationships, both familial and romantic. Not to mention that it skillfully showed how abuse and neglect intersect with the incest, even in cases where said incest was supposedly 'consensual'. And it was set up from the very first line, and consistently developed across multiple chapters)
For more info about why the mommy issues angle doesnt work, please see these posts here and here.
No, these scenes are here for the same reason we saw Daemon eat out Alyssa last season: shock value. That's it. Neither of these scenes tell us anything meaningful about these characters beyond Aemond is fucked up and has mommy issues and Daemon is fucked up and wants approval; as if we didn't spend seasons getting slapped over the head with this very information.
And thats why I take issue with it. Granted, I did take it too far by calling it a mommy fetish fanfic, and I take responsibility for it. Regardless, it doesn't alter the fact that the show has been portraying abuse and SA in horrible ways that do absolutely nothing for the plot. ASOIAF has incest and gratuitous violence as well, and while I have my fair share of gripes w how George handled these topics in many respects, I understand why they were included in certain contexts. (To avoid repeating myself, I'll just drop this answer where I go into detail about the narrative purpose of incest in ASOIAF)
This isn't it. It serves no meaningful purpose other than shock value in an empty, inconsistent story that's simultaneously dragging and speed running toward a predetermined conclusion.
Aemond walked out of the office, sighing and walking towards his car. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he smiled as he answered his girlfriend’s call.
“Hey babe." He hummed as he opened the car door and sat in the driver’s seat.
"Hey baby. How are you?" Her voice was soft. He missed hearing it first in the morning against his ear.
Even through the phone, he could picture her at home, wearing his shirt and nothing else, biting her lip as she tried to keep herself from whining about him being on a business trip.
"I'm a little tired. Work was stressful today, and I have a damn headache." Aemond admitted truthfully.
"Why is that? Have you taken something for it?" Her voice immediately shifted, concerned. It made him smile.
She was too caring.
"No, I'll probably take an aspirin when I get back to the hotel." Aemond replied. "I had to deal with that colleague today, do you remember the annoying coworker I told you about?" He groaned only at the thought of that woman’s squeaky voice.
"Yeah?"
"She keeps trying to hit on me, in the office, after work, every damn time I turn around, she's there." Aemond said bluntly, exhausted at just the thought of her. "It's annoying as hell. She makes suggestive comments, touches my arm, keeps trying to take me out to lunch. And she's also a terrible worker, so I have to pick up her slacking." He groaned.
"Ugh, sorry baby, I’m here now, listen to my voice." She wasn’t jealous, she was well aware that Aemond was blind for any other woman except for her.
"Ugh, don't remind me. Hers is so damn annoying." Aemond groaned in annoyance. “It's so much better to hear your voice, then hers."
"I hope so." She smiled, biting her lip as she sat on the bed, playing with the hem of his shirt she was wearing..
"It is, believe me. I miss you and your soft voice and your sweet, sarcastic remarks." Aemond grinned, a hint of longing in his tone as he sat in traffic, on his way to the hotel.
She chuckled and laid back on the bed, getting comfortable as she held her phone by her ear.
"Tell me about your day."
Aemond took a deep breath as he glanced around to see if the traffic was moving and began to explain his day to her.
"Work was hell, as usual. Dealing with the people here is a nightmare. No wonder my father sent me here, they need a good straightening on how to handle their work."
"I'm sorry, babe." She answered sincerely.
She closed her eyes, her fingers working between her legs as she listened to his voice.
When he was frustrated, it sounded the best, a bit rough and strained, deep, and dangerous.
"What else?"
As Aemond continued to talk about his day, she answered with soft hums, trying not to get caught as she rubbed her clit, not enough to build an orgasm, just a soft pleasure.
"That's pretty much it, I've been tired all day and my headache started a few hours ago. I just wanna get back to my room, take an aspirin, and relax.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, as if it would help him with his headache. “Pretty stressful, but I'll handle it.”
“Of course you will. You’re so good at handling things.” She teased.
“You in particular.” He smirked, as if she could see him on the phone.
“I miss you.”
“I miss you too, baby.” He smiled softly. “How's your day been?" He asked her with a tired sigh, leaning back on the seat, resting his elbow against the window.
“Good…” She hummed as she bit her lip, her fingers still working slowly on her clit, just teasing herself. “Happy to hear you.”
He took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. Hearing her voice was already starting to soothe his nerves, and helped the headache start to calm down.
"I'm happy to hear from you too. I miss you, and your voice." Aemond replied in a deep tone.
“I’m right here, baby.” She said softly, hoping to help him. "Are you driving?"
"Yeah, I'm driving. Kinda, I’m stuck in the traffic. Where are you?”
“In bed, just laying.” She said as she bit her lip, her fingers pressing harder on her clit, intensifying the pleasure, trying to ease the feeling of longing that she carried all day long.
Aemond knew her.
He knew perfectly how her body worked, how her mind worked, and she was usually way more talkative when they were on the phone.
"You're a damn tease." He grumbled, his hands gripping the wheel as he imagined what she was doing.
He could picture her, in his mind, the image was clear and nitid, perfect.
He could almost see her, her breasts squeezed between her arms, her hand between her legs, her fingers wet and covered in her sweet juices.
“I thought about you.” She whimpered. “I always think about you.”
“Yeah? You think about me?” He asked, voice rough and strained, but this time for a whole different reason. His legs spread to find a more comfortable position as his cock strained in his pants.
“I did. Did you?”
“Yeah, this morning.” He smirked. “Very early.” He admitted.
She had to bite back a moan as she shifted, resting her back against the headrest, her legs spreading more to be able to touch herself more comfortably.
“And what did you do as you thought of me?” She asked as her fingers brushed against her clit.
“You know what I did. I fucked my hand thinking about you.” He grunted, reaching the crotch of his pants, squeezing his erection, trying to shift it so it wouldn’t be uncomfortable.
“You should have called me-” She moaned, this time unable to contain it.
“Like you did? Is that why you called me?” He looked at her name on his phone, a small smile forming on his face as he kept thinking of how her cheeks must have flushed at his words.
"Yes. That too. I masturbated in the shower, but I want more.” She whimpered as she kicked off her panties, spreading her legs to touch herself directly. Even the air hitting her wet folds made her shiver in pleasure. “I need more. I need you."
Aemond's hands tightened on the wheel as he suppressed a grunt.
She was bold over the phone.
Hearing her talk like this, unrestrained, was driving him wild.
"Christ, baby." He gritted out through clenched teeth.
"I'm so wet right now, baby. Just thinking about you." She moaned, not holding her sounds anymore now that she had been caught.
Aemond's mind was a haze of lust and he hated that he wasn’t at home, where he could have taken care of every one of her needs..
"Yeah?" He said, his voice rough.
"Yeah… How long till you get to the hotel?"
Aemond glanced at the map on the dashboard.
"Ten more minutes. But I don’t know with the traffic." He said.
"I want to suck you off."
Aemond's grip on the wheel tightened, this time he didn’t hold back a groan.
"Fuck - Is that what you want, babe? You wanna suck me off the second I get home?" His erection was starting to feel a bit painful, so he reached again to squeeze it harder, as his mind filled with images of her naked body, wet, under the shower, of her, on her knees for him, sucking him like the good girl he taught her to be.
"Yes. I want to squeeze your cock between my breasts too." She started to rub her clit faster, her hips bucking as she moaned again.
Aemond's mind clouded over with lust. He couldn't believe she was talking to him like this, but he loved it. He loved that she was so needy, so unfiltered.
"God, baby." He breathed, his knuckles white from the force he was gripping the wheel.
Aemond's breath hitched in his throat. He leaned his forehead against the steering wheel, his pants growing more and more uncomfortable as he remembered all the times she sucked off his cock, like she was fucking born to do it.
"You're gonna make me crash the damn car." He gritted out as he moved the car slowly to match the traffic.
"Do you want me to wait on my knees? Right in front of the door, so as soon as you step in you'll only have to shove it down my throat, baby?" She moaned as her fingers slipped inside her cunt for a moment, before bringing them back out to her clit.
She didn’t care anymore if she was talking so filthy and shamelessly, her mind was too clouded with need to even care about the words spilling from her mouth.
She wanted him to use her as soon as he came home, to take out all his needs she couldn’t meet while he was on this trip.
"Shit, baby." Aemond groaned, his mind filled with the mental image she was painting. "You're killing me, you know that?" Aemond was trying as hard as he could to contain himself, but she simply kept going, she kept talking.
"You're so hot when I blow you." She moaned. “The easy you grab my hair and guide me, I love it.” She slipped two fingers back inside her, moving them in and out, upward towards her clit to never lose the friction she needed. “I love how you look at me, like everything else just disappears. I love how you moan and call my name–”
Aemond was torn between frustration and pleasure. The things she was saying were driving him crazy, but he wanted to at least reach his hotel room to have phone sex with her.
"Baby, you need to stop." He managed to growl. "You can't say things like that to me when I'm driving."
"You know how much I love to suck you off, baby-" She didn’t care, she wanted to tell him all.
Aemond was in agony. His fingers were white-knuckled on the wheel, and his breath was coming in labored gasps.
"Fuck." He hissed, leaning his head back, his nostrils flaring as he tried to calm himself. "Baby, please, just wait until I get to my room -"
"I love to suck your balls, have my mouth full of you-"
Aemond nearly swerved off the road. His mind was a blur of images, the sound of her voice filling the car, his head.
"Jesus, baby. I swear I’ll fuck your throat so hard and deep you won’t be able to speak when I come back home -" He panted as he glanced up at the road to check the cars where still motionless.
"I love when you shove it down my throat.” Her words were like fire, not even his threat stopped her from talking even more dirty, and it was driving him crazy.
Aemond's breath hitched in his throat.
She knew exactly what she had to say to make him go mad.
"Yeah? You like it when I use your mouth like that, baby?"
"I love it.” She whined, bucking her hips against her own hand. “I love it even more when you force me on my knees out of nowhere. Like when we watch a movie and suddenly you're pulling me down on the floor–" She only stopped herself to moan, louder than before.
"Jesus, I swear I need to pull this car over." Aemond panted, his mind reeling.
The mental image was seared into his brain now, and he could picture it so clearly, her on her knees, his hands in her hair, forcing her to take him deeper.
He was not going to last to the hotel room. He started to look around, hoping to find a way to get out of this busy road.
"You know how much I loved when you laid me on the floor and thrusted your cock in my mouth like you were fucking my cunt?" She moaned as she panted, her pleasure building faster as it did the pace of her fingers.
"Baby." Amond groaned. "You're going to make me crash the car, I swear. Be a good girl and stop talking like that while I'm driving."
"I love when I choke around you. When I can't breathe because you're so deep in my throat–"
"Jesus." He muttered, interrupting her, his breath coming in heaving gasps. "Stop talking, or I’ll fuck my hand right in this car, and I’ll blame you if I get arrested." He looked around, trying to find a place to park, or an emergency stop spot.
"I'd suck you off for hours baby, you’d just have to ask-"
"Fuck." Aemond groaned, feeling even more frustrated at the thought of her mouth on him, for hours at a time.
"I can suck you off in the morning. Would you like that? Be woken up by my lips around you?"
Aemond's mind buzzed with the mental image her words created, and his hands clenched on the wheel. knuckles whitening.
"Jesus Christ, yes." He growled. "But right now, I need to get to the hotel before I explode in this damn car."
"What does your cock need?" She asked. She couldn’t help herself, she was too turned on, and hearing him lose it so much just because he could hear her masturbating and talking dirty was another major turn on.
Aemond's mind was foggy with lust.
"It needs you.” He panted. “Your mouth, your cunt, your hands. Any part of you." He growled. "I'm so damn hard for you right now, I'm fighting like hell to keep my eyes open."
"I can already imagine you. So big and thick, hidden in those pants..." She moaned again.
"Yeah? You like it big, don't you, babe?" Aemond's grip on the wheel tightened.
"I like how big you are. Like you're going to tear me apart." She was right there. Her hand trembled, and she was struggling to keep her legs open.
"Fuck!” He swore as he almost hit the car in front of him. It was getting too much. All he could think about was taking care of his aching cock, but he knew he couldn’t do it in the car “Just stop talking, baby, please. Let me get to the hotel-"
"I want to ride you." She interrupted him as she thrusted her fingers inside her. Aemond groaned desperately, frustrated, his mind a blur of images and sensation.
He hated that he couldn’t stop her, but he loved what he was doing to her.
He couldn't help himself when she got this horny.
"Yes, ride me, baby. Ride me hard." He panted as he unbuckled his belt, his eye closed as he imagined her there, with him, straddling his lap as she took his cock like a champ.
He didn't care anymore. His windows were tinted, and traffic was not moving.
"I want you riding me, using me for your pleasure. I want to be your toy, your plaything. Anything you want." He growled.
"I want to jump on your cock, feel it go deep inside me –” She moaned louder as she tried to push her fingers deeper. “I want to ride you until my legs can't take it anymore – "
Aemond was drowning in a torrent of need and desire.
“Baby, I’m so hard it actually hurts.” His voice was rough, breathless as he rested his forehead back on the steering wheel, trying to contain his desire but failing miserably.
"Aem, I can't come..." She whined. Her fingers weren’t long enough, thick enough.
Aemond grunted, unbuckling his seatbelt and loosening his pants. He let out a sigh of relief as the pressure on his aching cock lessened.
“I’ve spoiled you too much.” He said, voice low and rough. “You’re so used to me taking care of you that you can’t even make yourself cum anymore?” He let out a dark chuckle.
“Pull up that shirt. Pinch your nipple.” He ordered.
She let out a sigh of relief at his command, and immediately obliged. She moved her shirt over her breasts as pinched her nipple, biting her lip.
“Hard, baby. Your body doesn’t do soft.” He knew her body better than she did. He knew what she needed.
She pinched her nipple again, but this time, hard. She let out a gasp that made him smirk.
“Good girl.” He growled. “Keep doing that. Move the other hand back between those thighs.” His voice was becoming steadier despite his struggle with his own pleasure. “Rub that clit. I bet it’s all swollen after you stroked it all this time we were over the phone. Such a naughty girl I have.” He chuckled again, resting his head on the seat.
He could hear her moans growing again, louder.
"Yeah, that feels good, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, it feels good. But I'd rather have your hands on me, babe. Or your mouth." Aemond let out a guttural moan.
"I know, baby." He groaned. “I miss the way you taste. How you feel in my hands.” He was panting. “I’ll fuck you for days once I get back.” He groaned, his cock straining against his pants.
"Yeah, you better. I'm gonna need it after days of going without you, baby." She said, pouting, but it didn’t last long. "But now let's take care of you.. Take it out for me."
Aemond looked around the car, making sure nobody was paying him any attention
He didn't want to get arrested for public indecency, after all.
"I'm... I'm taking it out." He said, his voice a low growl.
He looked down and freed his aching member from his pants, already hard and leaking. He stained his boxers and pants.
“Fuck…” He muttered, gripping it with his hand.
"I wish I could be there with you, baby. I know you're leaking, I want to taste it so bad..." Aemond let out a breathless gasp as he started to pump his fist shallowly.
"Yeah, I wish you were here too, babe. I wish you were here to taste it."
"I would lick it all off of you." She breathed over the phone.
Aemond groaned, his mind clouded with need. He closed his eyes and let himself picture her on her knees, licking and sucking him.
"Yeah, it's been stressful. I need you, babe. I need you here to take my mind off things."
"I'm here baby. Listen to my voice." She bit her lip, her hands still following what he ordered to do, unable to resist his orders, then she kept talking on the phone. "Wrap your hand around your cock for me."
Aemond's breath hitched in his throat.
Listening to her, imagining her, it made his body throb with need.
“I’m already jerking myself, baby. Couldn’t resist. Not when I can picture you so clearly, trashing on our bed.”
He tightened his hand around his aching member, his breath coming out in ragged gasps, her moan came immediately at his words.
"Yeah? Are you thinking about me?"
"Of course I’m fucking thinking about you." He said, his voice guttural. “Who else should I think about if not you?”
She blushed sliding down on the bed as she pinched her nipple harder, moaning.
"I’m picturing your mouth, your tongue - damn, baby, I need you here so bad."
"Move that hand for me as you listen to my voice-"
"God, if anyone knew what you were telling me to do." Aemond groaned, his hand starting to move. "I feel like everyone on the street can see me, babe. See me touching myself in my car, on the phone with you..."
"Ah, baby- I want your big cock in me right now." She moaned.
Aemond let out a guttural moan, his eyes glancing around to see if anyone noticed anything.
"Baby, are you trying to get me arrested?" He said, his voice strained.
"That would be hot." She admitted, breathless.
Aemond let out a rough laugh.
"You just want to see me in handcuffs, don't you?"
"Maybe."
"Naughty girl." He said, his voice still strained from pleasure but also amused. "You like the idea of me all helpless, cuffed and at your mercy, don't you?"
"You made me like this…" She breathed out
"Oh, I know I did." He responded. "I made you into the perfect little nympho for me, didn't I?"
“Yes, baby, I want you, just you, all the time–"
Aemond's possessive instinct flared at her words, and he let out a growl.
"God damn it, baby, stick three fingers inside you. Rub on the right, that spot that makes you see stars." Her response was a loud, unrestrained moan, and he knew it was only because of his voice. “Do it.” He growled, and when he started hearing a faint rhythm of wet sounds, he smirked, knowing she had followed his order. “Good girl.”
"Move your hand faster, baby, please." She whimpered.
Aemond's hand immediately picked up speed on his aching erection, desperate for relief.
"Baby, I wish I could fuck you, touch you –." He groaned, moving his hand furiously on his cock. More and more precum kept leaking from the tip, and he smeared it on his shaft with his thumb.
"Yes, baby. I'm picturing your head between my legs, licking and sucking my clit -"
Aemond's entire body felt like it was on fire, and his cock twitched hard at her words.
"Mm, don't stop talking, babe. I need to hear more." He groaned, his hand gripping himself harder, just how her cunt would do when she was close to cumming.
"I'm picturing you big, thick cock spreading me apart, just like you always do-” Her back arched, hips jerked, but she kept moving her fingers inside her, and squeezing her breast, pinching her nipple. “Fucking me hard and fast, your hand slapping my ass until I come-"
Aemond let out a strangled gasp, his mind in a haze of need.
"Yeah, you want it rough, baby? You want me to take you hard and fast?"
"Yes, yes!"
"Yeah, that's how you like it, isn't it? You like it hard and rough, just like a good little slut for me.”
"Yes! Baby —" She moaned as she worked her fingers faster. "I love it-"
Aemond's breath hitched as he listened to her moans and gasps.
"You're getting closer, baby? You're gonna come for me?"
"Yes! I want you to come with me, baby-"
"I'm so fucking close." He growled. "Gonna come for you all over the car, thinking about all the things l'm gonna do to you when I get home."
“Yes, please- I canna come together – Ah!” He heard her moan, broken, loud, desperate.
He grunted, bending down, managing to cover the tip of his cock last minute before he came too.
“Holy– Fuck!” He panted, slumping back against his seat, looking down at his hand full of cum.
He sighed, reaching for some tissues in his pocket.
“You okay, baby?” He asked, hearing only her panting over the phone.
“Yeah…” She mumbled, making him chuckle.
He could picture her, face buried in the pillow, hand covering her cunt like it could help her post orgasm spasm, blushing over what she said.
“Got strength to do me a favour?” He asked, smiling at the name on the screen of the car.
Definitely opening a can of worms with this one, I don’t believe the relationship between Rhaenyra and Alicent is viable.
Realistically, your best friend you’ve known all you life is married to your father after your mother and brother died and obviously she cannot say no but this ruins your friendship (sure, I believe there would be heavy yearning durning this)
you have children and your ex-best friend turned step mother calls them bastards and demand to see your newborn immediately you’ve given birth after god knows how many hours and pain, (sure, I could reason with an augment on yearning and jealousy)
the night after your cousins funeral your children are attacked by your half-brother where your half bother was fatally maimed on account of insults of your children being bastards and after giving a rather fair suggestion of punishment for this treason for your ex best friend to suggest your child to be maimed as your half brother has been maimed and for her to try maim them and instead maim you (this is where I believe it would be insanely hard to even attempt to reason that after this Rhaenyra could still possibly feel for Alicent)
you find out that your father has died and that your ex best friend has immediately had her son, your half-brother, crowned king in front of all the small folk which in turn leads you to miscarry your only daughter (uh, what the heck, there could possibly be no argument made that could still defend any reason Rhaenyra could have feelings for Alicent)
you find out by raven your son has been killed by your other half brother while simply trying to gather an alliance from a house (again there is no argument that I will take that would make me believe Rhaenyra would even consider feelings for Alicent after Luke lost his life and became second casualty in a war Alicent started)
your first son and his dragon is killed in a battle after you forbade him from going (same reasoning as above)
this is all I have at the moment, I’m sure more will come to me later I’ll need to add on but realistically there is no possible way that Rhaenyra and Alicent can foster a romantic relationship which what has happened in the plot. I really drew the line after Jaces death because no one, absolutely no one, who loved their children as much as Rhaenyra loved hers would feel any remote affection towards the woman who conspired to have her birthright stolen and replaced with her half brother leading to a war that killed four of her children. surely, your wouldn’t still love your ex best friend after she practically caused the death of your four children and you in the end.
Realisticly, I don’t think Alicent even likes Rhaenyra anymore. I find all the things happening this season between them to be Alicent trying to scrabble for Rhaenyra affection to exploit it and get herself out of the mess she had caused.
Though I suppose… yearning ex best friend opposite sides of the war yuri had its attraction…
this is more directed at the show itself and not the fandom
I've written about this here, so to avoid repeating myself, check out my reasons there.
2. Aegon is not a well-written character
Like yes, he was a standout in s2, but that's because everyone else was done so badly, he came out looking ten times better.
But, if we're looking at both s1 and s2 together, he's just as inconsistent as everyone else.
In s1, he's presented to us as a spoiled, cruel, vindictive prince who is callous about bullying his own brother and prioritizes his own gratification and hedonistic pleasures above everything else. He's a cannonical rapist on the show, who also enjoys child blood sport on the side, and despite supposedly craving parental love (a line which was add libbed by TGC if I remember right, so it was never even a part of the script) he still comes off as Temu Joffrey (there's a reason early reviewers for s2, frequently compared him to Joffrey or were just surprised that he wasn't like him; it's because thats what they expected)
Except when s2 rolls around that suddenly no longer applies. The rape is swiftly brushed aside (Dyanna might as well be set decoration that was brought back for... idk why) and the fighting pits no longer exist, nor do the bastards. He's now a harmless comedic relief character who exists to be either Alicent's punching bag, an annoying frat bro, or act the pathetic dumbass when the plot needs him to.
It's a retcon, one likely made when they realized they wouldnt be able to sell the teams shit if team 2 is led by Temu Joffrey. Granted, it's much less severe than what they did with Alicent (primarily because you can at least see him toning his behavior down now that he's King) but it's still there, if you pay attention. And while s2 was marginally better for him (primarily cause he was the only character who got a complete arc and solid and consistent development. Also TGC's acting is on point, no notes), it doesn't negate the bullshit they completely erased.
3. The Bias
I'm about to be crucified for this, but hear me out: no, I don't think the writers have a TB bias. At least in the sense that they genuinely like the book characters (cause they don't since they've changed everything that made them compelling)
No, the simple truth is, neither Ryan Condal nor Sara Hess have the writing chops necessary to create a compelling story with grey morality, without resorting to the classic 'good vs evil' dynamic. And even there, they fail, cause their characterization for the supposed "good guys" leaves everything to be desired.
Rhaenyra is an uncompelling protagonist who spends 1.5 seasons observing her story. She's positioned as the pinnacle of virtue, and is thus not allowed to do anything controversial, which in turn strips her of agency, and pathos, and hinders any real character growth or development. Thus, she becomes a husk; an empty caricature that portrays women under patriarchy as perpetual victims who can't escape their sex. (Stellar messaging for your feminist show)
It's only now in s3ep3 that she was finally allowed to do something, and even that something has the potential to be framed as just another s8 Dany copy paste: a woman driven hysterical by power. Which is probably not what the writers wanted, but like I said, they're not good enough to actually pull off such a descent without falling into sexist tropes.
I don't even want to mention the rest of TB. They either fall into the category of antagonist, aka the impulsive, warmongering men who exist to undermine Rhaenyra, or be the devil on her shoulder who pushes her toward violence (Jace, Daemon, her council and now Corlys, ofc), and the women, who exist to be her moral judges or her cheerleaders (Rhaenys and Alicent, Baela and Mysaria)
All these characters are whittled down and turned one note, to serve a specific agenda, which doesn't even amount to TB vs TG, but benevolent sexism masquerading as feminism. All the female characters are chaste, virtuous victims and moral guardians who only want peace while the men are the true progenitors of violence and deceit. They're all framed as responsible for the man's own moral actions and made to manage their feelings. Like this show had Rhaenys mock Alicent in s1ep9 for wanting to make a "window in the wall of her prison" only to have every woman be like that; a helpless dishrag desperately trying to steer the men in power.
And since TG is the metaphorical representation of patriarchy and the gender essentialist idea of men as violent actors, they get the brunt of it.
Its insulting, simplistic and so fucking cliche it's like it was pulled straight from the 50s. I saw a post recently that stated Ryan skipped his Wattpad phase and it hardcore agree.
4. The Book to Show Changes are not the Problem
And I say this as an unabashed book purist. S1, for all its flaws had potential. Changing Rhaenyra and Alicent's ages could have enriched the story, provided that their later fallout was handled with care. The issue is, Ryan couldn't stay consistent to his own damned cannon. He repeatedly ignored stuff he previously set up (16 years of animosity and betrayal), in favor of a predetermined goal (preserving the Rhaenicent friendship) and had characters change personalities and motivations on a dime to allow for this to happen.
If you've seen AKOTSK, you know it wasn't a 100% faithful adaptation. It changed things, added others, expanded the lore and the characters. And people LOVED it, primarily because it was internally consistent and it stayed true to the spirit of the source material. HOTD could have been the same if Ryan had just had the balls to drop the Rhaenicent friendship and turn them into what their book counterparts were; mortal enemies.
Anyway, those are my two cents. Feel free to agree or disagree, idgaf. Off to search for shitty HOTD memes
Nobody is talking about this so I will. May be a bit gooey in the grand scheme of stupid changes by C&H but Queens Landing is one of the worst titles of the show afaik. What does it even mean? ...For me it recalled to mind a previous season contender The Queen Who Ever Was 🥲...
Tbh, I don't think it is. The ep is bad, writing-wise, but the title itself is fine. King's Landing got that name because the area it was built on is the place where Aegon not only landed with his forces during the conquest, but got crowned King of all Westeros for the first time (before getting officially annointed in Oldtown later). The ep being called that is meant to draw a paralel between him and Rhaenyra landing to take her crown. Which is weak, considering she barely even wanted the throne in the first place, but it at least makes sense.
Wtf is the Queen who ever was? That legit doesnt refer to anything.
Where can I watch House of the Dragon TV Show without a subscription?
Edit : I stumbled on 𝖭𝖾𝖾𝗍𝖫𝗂𝗑.𝗑𝗒𝗓 and they actually have the whole thing in 4K UHD, completely ad-free with incredibly fast loading.
Every site I try requires a massive monthly fee or blocks my country entirely. I am so tired of dealing with region locks just to keep up with the latest episodes.
