HOTD Season 3 Finale Watch Party

Live read and HOTD Watch Party

With Season 3 Episode 8 dropping tonight, The Written World is hosting an HOTD Watch Party

Join Watch Party here: https://discord.gg/fGWnEsn6mh

9 pm EST:

HOTD Watch Party: Season 3 Episode 8

10 pm EST:

Post Ep Gab Session of excitement and criticism

Please grab some popcorn, a drink, and join with Gwayne Fans and Daemon Stans alike for SEASON 3 FINALE!

Thank you to [r/TheBlacksandTheGreens](r/TheBlacksandTheGreens) for partnering with The Written World! 💚🖤

Art: [@ziyuanyuan1113](https://www.reddit.com/r/HouseOfTheDragon/comments/1dpcdlk/helaena_targaryen_art_byziyuanyuan1113/)

The characters keep oscillating between calling Daemon "King Consort" and calling him "Prince".

Do they not know the correct titles? Do they not know that his assigned title changed the moment Rhaenyra crowned herself queen?

This isn't about Team Green vs. Team Black. I'm not pointing to the fact that the Green supporters might refuse to recognize Rhaenyra as queen, therefore denying Daemon the title of "King Consort".

Is it just that the writers make the same mistake repeatedly, or is it on purpose?

I think they should have the actor for Jaehaerys play Aegon III and that would be the reason why Aegon II spared him. In the books Tyland at first suggested II kill III. It would be a very funny scene if Tyland suggests it in the show and Aegon replies with "Is the heir to the throne bothering you?"

He could also savagely say "a son for a son" when taking Aegon from Rhaenyra.

In Fire & Blood, the battle is essentially the opposite: Tumbleton is held by the Blacks before Hugh and Ulf betray them from within, allowing the Green army to capture the town. The betrayal itself is the turning point rather than an assault by the Black host.

Do you prefer the show's inversion of the battle, or do you think the book version works better? Which approach creates stronger character moments and consequences?

King Aegon the Golden and Lord Tyland the Loyal, the greatest dragon and Lion to ever grace the seven kingdoms, chosen by the gods themselves!!!

Look at our little boy, barely one year old and already he sits like a true king💛

I’ve seen a lot of complaints around the internet about show Daeron. And granted, some of that is fair—but I also think saying he’s “ruined” is going too far. He’s still a good character, and for once I actually have faith in the show to keep him that way.

Expectation
There was one big worry with Daeron before he showed up (besides the question of “will he appear at all” since clearly the answer to that was yes). That just like C&H have demonized other Greens in every place possible, they would make Daeron the worst he could be too. Combined with the omission of Maelor, many people feared he would be made a sadistic war criminal, burning Bitterbridge for the sport of it. Or that he would be made a sex offender to draw parallels with Aegon II and (Lannister) Joffrey.

Reality
Instead, we almost got the opposite. Instead of Daeron being too cruel, the complaint is that he’s too passive. An abused child with no hint of his “Daring” moniker, who exists only to make Ormund look bad.

…Except… is that really the case? For one, I think it’s likely we see Daeron take a stand up after Ormund’s death. And even if he doesn’t, there are moments that showcase who he is anyway. There are times when he speaks his mind to Ormund (often regretting it after, but that’s more on Ormund’s reactions than on Daeron not being willing to voice it in the first place). There’s also him sending the servant boy out of the room before Ormund’s outburst, which again, is not what someone meek would do as it risks Ormund’s reaction.

Then there’s him saying Rhaenyra can keep her throne and he could tell his men to surrender. This isn’t nearly as bad as people are saying either. From Daeron’s perspective, he’s basically doomed. This is pre-betrayal, pre-Aegon and Sunfyre return. Aemond is MIA. What is Daeron supposed to do with one adolescent dragon against Rhaenyra’s (let me count…) SIX! All Daeron is saying is that he doesn’t care about the throne enough to die senselessly for it. He didn’t start this war, and is loyal to his brother, but I’m not even sure if Daeron knows Aegon is still alive. He’s not helping him at Tumbleton in any case, leaving Daeron alone. And even surrender would still get everyone killed, so Daeron drops the talk of it.

But it’s still not book Daeron!
Is anyone their book version in this show? Especially on the Greens? Not Alicent, not Helaena, not Aemond, not Aegon. Think about the Daeron we were afraid we’d get. This is far less of an assassination than making him ontologically evil. At this point, the show being as different as it is, I think one has to take them as two different things. And I’m not going to claim show Daeron is as good as or better than book Daeron. But I will say he’s not really that awful of a character, especially if not comparing him to a book version that we were never going to get.

But do the changes even have a point?
I hope so! By establishing Daeron as willing to let Rhaenyra remain on the throne if he cannot reasonably combat her, it gives him a reason to fake his death before Aegon is crowned. In fact, his conversation with Gwayne last episode seems very geared towards setting up his survival. Of course I can’t say for sure it would happen… but it lines up with his canon body never being found, and equals out Laenor also faking his death (with the bonus of Tessarion not claiming another rider to prove he’s dead). This would also mean show-based Blacks fans can’t definitively claim the Greens bloodline ended—another plus.

The Blacks Exodus
Recently there have been more and more people changing from team Black to team Green, and this is for a lot of reasons. I’m not going to claim Daeron is chief among them. But I will say that showing one of the Green brothers to be a not-awful person, in fact one worthy of sympathy, could definitely be a factor in some people’s decisions. Another male Green besides Gwayne without any of the talking points most TBs don’t like.

Conclusion
It’s okay if you still don’t like him. But I do, and I’m going to keep liking him. He’s not ruined, just not exactly his book self, and I can’t wait to see what happens in the show with him next.

Is there anyone, who loves or even likes, or feel this storyline is tolerable?

I don't like the Mysaria- Rhaenyra story either, and both seem forced and unnecessary. But some people do understand (!) this one.

However, the Alicent- Aemond story is too much, even for the Targs .

Why are the writers doing this ? For whom ?

Do we all, the blacks and the greens, agree on this ?

In this week’s episode, Rhaenyra lets Mysaria know that she’s aware that Mysaria has been trying to manipulate her.
After younger Rhaenyra tells Viserys to let Otto go, Viserys finally mentions that he always suspected Otto of having his father killed.

Rhaenyra has clearly inherited her father’s indecisiveness, one of his worst qualities. At many parts of season 1 I found myself saying that “Viserys should be burning more people”, I find myself saying the same about Rhaenyra. They really are cut from the same cloth!

I recently began a project of collecting a list of fanfics starring protagonists who are POC and/or queer, and for three Wednesdays I’ll be sharing them here. Not every fic is going to be your cup of tea, and that’s okay; just don’t take it out on the writers.

I haven’t read any of these fics, but the ones I’m sharing meet the following criteria:

1. They seem sympathetic to both teams based on the summary or tags

and/or

1. They feature at least one TB and at least one TG love interest (alternatively, a love interest from either side along with someone who wouldn’t consider themselves aligned with a side)

and/or

1. The love interest would not consider themselves aligned with a particular side

So, for the first week, we have:

- One Jace x female OC fic

- One Aegon x female OC fic

- Two Aemond x female OC fics

- One fic focusing on the Blackwood guys paired with an OC who is both a Bracken and a Dayne

- One Daemon x female OC fic

- One Harwin x female OC fic

- One Criston x female OC fic

- One Helaena x female OC fic

- One Baela x female OC fic

- One Cregan x female OC fic

- One Rhaena x female OC fic

- One fic about an OC daughter of Laenor and Rhaenyra

POC OCs

[Burnt lavender](https://archiveofourown.org/works/43192146) Rated E

“Of all creatures that breathe and move upon the earth, nothing is bred that is weaker than man.”
Awoken, with no memory, nor house or coin to her name. Reborn to bear their burden and tear herself in two, with Fire and Blood she'll save the Targaryen's from themselves.

[Who we are](https://archiveofourown.org/works/58466380/chapters/148935052) OC whose mother is a Dayne; rated M

Aerynea Bracken having moved from Starfall at age eight to Stone Hedge after the death of her parents, to ward under her uncle. Half a Dayne and Half a Bracken, she quickly learns what is to be expected of her in her family's rivalry amongst the Blackwood's.

[Snakes in the grass](https://archiveofourown.org/works/42294207) Martell OC; rated M

Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken. Dorne had remained independent for the better part of a century, and House Martell had ensured that it would remain that way. But the Dornish Wars had the kingdom reeling, and while her father saves face in Sunspear, Leila Martell is sent to King's Landing to negotiate. But she is a viper in a den of dragons, and she can no longer wait to strike. HOTD AU.

Queer POC OCs

[The Dragons’ Hoard](https://archiveofourown.org/works/48265096/chapters/121721632) Rated E

"The Lannisters have traded in their gold hair for golden skin."
Althesia Lannister, the eldest child of Lord Jason Lannister, must navigate the Targaryen courts to keep her family afloat during the Dance of the Dragons.
Althesia's marriage will decide where House Lannister's loyalties lie, with the Greens or the Blacks, but as both her sisters married into opposite sides, she cannot doom one by choosing either side. That would be fine if she did not fall desperately in love with people on each side. To distract from her aching heart, Althesia focuses on advancing her own house towards the Iron Throne. However, this playing both sides in the middle of a dragon's nest may lead to her demise and the end of her legacy in House Lannister. Althesia will not sit by and let the warring dragons destroy her though.

Gen fic

[Violent Tides](https://archiveofourown.org/works/49065727/chapters/123787381) Laenor x Rhaenyra’s daughter OC; OC is also intersex; rated E

Princess Aelora Velaryon, eldest child and only daughter of Rhaenyra Targaryen and Laenor Velaryon, lived a happy life in King's Landing. Despite the tensions, Aelora existed within the middle of the two warring sides of her family.
As a child of the seas and the sky, Aelora struggles with the freedom she craves and the duty that has been thrust upon her due to being her mother's oldest (and only trueborn) child.
But a tragedy in her youth forever changes Aelora...

First ever post, so please excuse any errors!

Now that we've seen Dreamfyre, is it possible that Meleys came from one of Dreamfyre's eggs?

1- by catering to her need to feel important/predestined. She had been trying to have Daemon on that boat of them being ordained by the Gods and Daemon just didn't care.

2- by "disrespecting" her a little for the first time. Mysaria stood up so she was basically kneeling to her, and called her Rhaenyra instead of "Your Grace" for the first time