i really like your comment about Rhaenyra, “she is not a feminist and thats okay” Its somenthing that really bothers me lately. People have been saying “rhaenyra is not a feminist you shouldn’t support her!!” i think that Rhaenyra is a fantastic realistic character, full of flaws. However as an audience we can still empathize how Rhaenyra rejects the way women are viewed in that society and i think we are allowed to sympathize with her situation. Regardless of it, i dont get why bring up the idea of wanting Rhaenyra to be a feminist so bad, when we are talking about a medieval fantasy show.
@@apieceoflife2732 this is for my personal opinion but from what i see. Is mostly Alicent’s hypocrisy, Alicent presents herself as this woman with a “high morals” but the actions she goes against completely about what she preaches. Like Rhaenyra she is not a feminist, however she takes advantage of the society she lives in to her advantage to hurt others, specially Rhaenyra. She is still a good character, however it’s understandable why people dislike her.
@@jeremyhamilton2639 ....Cersei suddenly sitting the throne was ridiculous - she's just the wife of the last king....ridiculous that they show the Tarlys etc accepting it. It was bad fanfic. It wasn't "real". And this is a prequel so even counting Daenerys or something, ....you really take issue with this?
@@thedragondemands What on earth do women have to do with it? We had a bunch of women as writers and directors for HOTD and they still butchered several things just like the men did. So, what difference does it make?
Even Vhagar was a great female character: Old, cranky, seen it all and didn’t give a shit about doing what she wanted, yet empathetic to her female rider’s desire for suicide. 17:13
When it comes to sex scenes, I've found the female gaze to be driven by intimacy and the building of sexual tension (ie, focusing on the hands, suggestive caresses); it's all about the atmosphere without being explicit. I think the male gaze differs in that sex scenes are driven by focus on the female body and the carnality of the act itself, and they are almost always explicit.
Also, the male gaze always focusses on a sprint to orgasm- it portrays orgasm as the one and only goal of sex- often the characters hurry to fuck as quickly as possible, almost 'getting the other stuff out of the way' so they can come. And they always come after a minute, together, and loudly. Nothing realistic or sexy about it, from a female POV
@@mmgs1148 nah, in the books its really brutal bcz drogo in describe as barberic and Dany as a virgin. Then she starts riding her horse and really taking control of the situation in the bed, like making kall-drogo look in her eyes as the fuck. Its her trasition of her becoming into a full women.
The female gaze should not mean "no depictions of humping," plus there should be a focus on both bodies, not get the camera off the woman. I like wider shots instead of a lot of close ups, that way you can see both bodies and the movement/humping.
I also want to give props to the actors who play Daemon and Aemond. Matt Smith is extremely charismatic and without him it wouldn't be the same. Same case with Ewan Mitchell, that man clearly knows what he's doing. Personally, I don't like Aemond but because the way they wrote his characther threw me off, but Ewan himself knows how to engage with the female audience, idk if he does this on porpuse or not but me, who doesn't even like Aemond as a character, got me obssesed with him. I watched him in World on Fire, and I'm obssesed with every little thing he does there, from the way he walks, his mannerisms, his accent? the faces he makes? this man is very talented and very attractive... even with his shy demeanor (as you can see in his very few interviews). So yep, I also think it really depends on the actor who is behind this characters. I'm glad to see more of Matt Smith and Ewan was truly a great discovery, I hope to see more of him too in other productions.
Why do I get the sensation that in a few years, we will get another Shadowhunters/50 Shades/After phenomenom, in which a woman publishes a highly successful romance book series that was originally an Aemond/FemaleOC fanfiction?
I hope that woman is me. I recently found this channel and am so thankful for the insight to the female gaze in fantasy and an idea of what both, men and women, look forward to. This channel is a great resource for the world ive conjured up in my mind. I'm trying to please everyone using the HOTD and GOT series and other sources of mythology to create my own high, medieval fantasy world and I hope I'm able to be just as successful with my ideas. Thanks for helping me accomplish that, but I know it won't be as outstanding as GRRM 😂
Damn it y'all are thirsty, it's funny but you're so thirsty... Maybe consider reading the book? You may like it and fall in love with another character... Btw: What you're describing is called "The Testimony of Mushroom". See George writes the book, the show, and the adult film parody in the same book. The man is a genius, what can I say?!
Ahahaha. I can imagine the story be some kind of a Romeo and Juliet enemies to lovers type. Most of Aemond/oc or Aemond/fem Luke fanfics are like that. It's like you read one and you read them all haha...
I'm a straight man and was very surprised over the Aemond thirst since the adult actor had so little screen time. I suppose him being on the screen so little adds to his mystery which in turn allows for the fantasies to go wild. That's why he can be shipped with the reader, Lucerys or Rhaenyra's stillborn daughter (yes, I've seen the them). I'm not usually exposed to female or queer dominated fandoms so House of the Dragon was definitely a new experience for me where bunch of different worlds collided. I think it was a great creative decision by the show to appeal to a wide audience even though it sometimes feels completely accidental based on the interviews of the writers...
That's true I think! The fact that he doesn't have a clear trajectory, goal (or relationship) yet really makes it so interesting to go in so many direction. In your fantasies and fanworks. The stillborn daughter was new haha
I thought it was obvious he had a thing with his sister? The biggest tell for this is the coronation, helena is meant to be the new queen and the greens were meant to be showing off their strength but she was up there in a sapphire gown, not red or black or green, sapphire. He also started a fight with his cousins because one of them danced with her and he goes to her chambers every morning...
@@cherrybomber69 I've seen that ship a lot but I would not say that's obvious, I didn't get it from the show at all just things I've seen in the fandom otherwise
@@obviouslyqueer I do recall an exchange between Amond and Aegon during the last episode with them as children while they're in Driftmark. I don't recall the exact dialogue but basically Aegon was complaining about being betrothed to his sister who he views as a halfwit, and then he asks Amond what he would do, and Amond simply says "I would do my duty."
As a heterosexual man I wasn't *attracted* to Daemon or Aemond, but I found both fascinating cool characters and... to a certain extent aren't sexual attraction and non-sexual interest kinda coming from the same place? They're intriguing, whether you want to sleep with them or not.
Same, both of them have certain gravitas that makes me say "I want to follow this man", sure they are crazy fucks but they are interesting, I would like to know them
No they're definitely not coming from the same place. I can be attracted to a landscape but the way I feel about that and about a potential sexual partner are vastly different.
@@ArgentiumTea I would never want to be either of them. They both look deformed and weird imo, but Daemon is charming in his own weird way. Aemond is just a disgusting ticking time bomb, but I'd rather be friends with him than his brother Aegon.
On one hand I totally understand the thirst for Aemond the character, on the other I'm kinda concerned in that the actor who plays him is very young (despite not looking it) and I would hate for him to have to deal with objectification or other creepy attitudes irl that he's likely not yet fully equipped to handle.
Truth be told, it was GRRM who gave us Aemond as he is the most memorable and interesting character in Fire & Blood. Enter HOTD and Ewan, and while Aemond remains an anime antagonist, they managed to humanise him. To quote David Lightbringer: "People complain that it's fan service... well I have been serviced!" Tack Katja, skål fr Shlm
Idk who said this but there's a quote that goes "Men want a good woman who will be bad just for them and women want a bad man who will be good just for them" and I think it fits. It's the old "I can save him narrative" which is false, obviously, but we just can't shake it. Also: Team Aemond here. Although my "feelings" towards Ewan Mitchell border on maternal. He's such a baby. 😭
So correct me if I'm wrong but to simplify it. The Male Gaze usually focuses on objectification and fulfilling a power fantasy. The camera basically directs your gaze to attractive parts of the woman, the women usually have little agency and are usually swooning over a male character who the audience is supposed to relate to. The Female Gaze usually focuses on intimacy and feeling. The hands, the focus on the face, its about showing the closeness and connection of the two characters.
@@harika_9399 True, I'm wondering if there's some overlap and more nuance to it. Its not like power, dominance and objectification is something only men want. And its not like intimacy and closeness is something only women want in a partner. Having said that, I can't actually think of any Male gaze sex scenes that don't feel like softcore porn that could just be cut out with no impact on anything. I mean as a guy I'll get off to them when I'm bored but when I'm invested in the story I'm mostly just waiting for it to be over so we can get back to what's happening. Meanwhile, the female gaze, at least from the examples she gave, usually feel like more of a character moment than random fan service.
To keep it really short - basically yeah haha. To make it a bit longer - The male gaze is a way to shoot film ( and not necessary all films by men etc and some films by women still have the male gaze). It's a way to shot a film where you kind of assume the audience is male. The man is who you wanna be and the woman is who you want to be with. This is shown by for example by the things you mention. The female gaze is trying to subverse that by making women as active subjects. In sex scenes specifically the Male Gaze: is often more explicit, more full body shots, it's often focused on the movement of penetration, the point is to show sex for the sake of it or just for the audience to feel pleasure (see a hot woman). In the Female Gaze: the point of the sex scene is often to show a change in the narrative, the women are allowed to be in realistic (and unflattering) positions, it's often more close ups and more focus on hands and kisses.
dude just the way daemon walks had me istg like ahhh and his stance omg, matt smith is so charismatic its crazy especially the way that daemon looks down on people both figuratively and literally bc he is so tall, likebruh with him threatening rhea royce’s uncle; dude had so much charm and intimidation SITTING DOWN and going “and?” my brain cant comprehend 😭😭
Ryan Condell spoke about a very specific group of fans and their very specific reaction. He acknowledges the fact that they made Daemon fascinating on purpose, and that they expected him to be popular. But it's the 'it's out of character for him to choke his partner' thing that specifically baffled him - it was very well established that it is, in fact, in character for Daemon to do just that. It's one thing to love an anti hero and enjoy the fantasy, and it's a whole other thing to pretend like they did nothing wrong and can't do wrong. I saw too many Daemon fans saying that Rhea was terrible to him, that he was the victim in that situation, and calling him killing an innocent woman 'freeing' himself. That's just unhinged, and showrunners didn't expect that.
Well I do agree on that, as mentioned I think it's understandable and makes sense to desire these kind of men in fiction, but the moment you lose the ability to see that they are still bad men, and start making excuses to why he like... killed his wife then it's time for therapy
Oh I agree that Rhea was terrible to him, and in killing her he freed himself. However, he killed her... He's a cold blooded murderer. It's not like that fact escapes me. Daemon has no "limits", his moral compass is... Just not that of an average person. He's a cheater, a murderer, a groomer, and an incestuous a hole... Hella fun to watch! Loved it 10/10.
The way I screeched through so much of this bc I couldn’t agree more on all these aspects. I think the only two things I’d like to throw into the ring are that in an interview the director of the brothel scene also talked abt how she consciously had to consider NOT to follow a male gaze approach bc it is so normalised not only in men but ALSO in women. And on another note: there are also many of us who…umn…see the potential (truth) of both Daemon and Aemond being subs and NOT daddy doms (for extra flavour, and partly supported by the show, esp s2 for Aemond). Thanks for this lovely video, it made me so giddy to watch and I love the mix of humour and education!
You have added another layer of comprehension about why I did love this show so much! I hadn't notice the subtle details you so thoroughly pointed at, and now I'll enjoy re-watching it much more. It's also a lesson in writing that I'll have very present when creating my own stories. Thanks!
THANK YOU. ❤ When I brought up the female gaze in a few HotD threads, I was disappointed in how many would pick up the phrase and run with it, clearly having no idea what it meant. I am glad to have your vid as a source to cite. And your final points about antiheroes and fiction and it being totally okay to thirst for it on screen w/o wanting it in real life was PERFECT. Thank you for your well made points and eloquence.
wow! appreciate this so much, especially the part where you explain that women are aware these characters are bad, but fortunately know they are fictional (still mindblowing to so many people for some reason)...btw. someone made a video that only focuses on Aemond's/Ewan Mitchell's hands, cause apparently female fans have noticed he has nice hands and are here for it...thought you might enjoy that fact (I certainly do) :D
@@obviouslyqueer we think they were trying to hide continuity errors on the location shoot beach in Cornwall. Storms moved the dunes. This trades one problem for another.
Loved the video! I share your bewilderment about the comments from the writers regarding Daemon. Like how did you strike such a perfect tone by accident? I haven't heard much from them regarding the fan reaction to Aemond, but I assume they're also scratching their heads. Yes, we know they're toxic and I would run away in real life, but this is not real life. Give me a sexy toxic man with immaculate aesthetics and I will be awestruck. On point casting for both their characters.
I think the casting is what makes it unpredictable.... Of course Matt is a good actor but I guess u just never know how everything is going to cum together.
@@obviouslyqueer I'm pretty sure George R.R. Martin gets it! He's said before that Daemon's one of his own favourite characters, and his favourite Targaryen, and that Matt Smith is doing a great job on the role. And although it's not quite worded this way in the books, an important part of Daemon's character is that he's sexy as all fuck. EDIT: I found the description I was thinking of. Daemon is "lean and hard, a renowned warrior, dashing, daring, more than a little dangerous." In a fictional character, that's code for "sexy af", right?
I'm just thinking. Seeing the aesthetics of Daemon and Aemond, and the personality traits that make characters like them and Loki to be considered hot... I mean, whenever Elric of Melniboné gets a movie or a TV series, cinemas and living rooms are going to implode.
I loved listening to your talk!! You're very insightful and also hilarious 😂 Honestly at first I didn't get why people were so crazy over Daemon and even Ser Harwin before watching, I didn't even find them that attractive (I'm aroace) and thought they were being overhyped BUT ... When I began watching, I felt it. The female gaze was HEAVY on this show. The sizzling, toxic attraction between daemyra, and Ser Harwin and Nyra having that sweet relationship... (I'll miss u daddy Harwin /sobs) and even Nyra's friendship with Laenor felt so real and personal! I actually also loved Criston at first, and was devastated when things between them turned sour. I ultimately ended up despising him... Like even on that scene where he and aemond are looking for Aegon and they talked about women I was just rolling my eyes !? The show did THAT to me in a span of a few episodes. Also, ALICENT. GOD I felt horrid for her every single ep. Really, the show did so well in making you feel, the GENUINE hurt and discomfort of, if you were a woman in Westeros. There was also always someone giving birth or having kids in almost every episode and it's so.... Brutally realistic and personal about it to me as a woman. Also, yes AEMOND. He has such an APPEAL, and his face is so unconventially attractive, and steals the scenes that it makes it /hard/ to not like him. Him being shipped with OFCs, everyone and their mothers is a real thing lmao! Btw, regarding Aemond/Lucerys, although they are supposedly 16 and 14 in the show, he is being played by an adult actor while Lucerys is being played by a minor, so there's a discourse about whether it's okay to ship the characters. What do you think about this?
Thank you so much, that means a lot! and thanks for your thoughts! I actually found it interesting how Criston changed from really sweet to really close minded, violent and misogynistic. Like you I went from thinking he was really nice to just, eugh...terrible haha. Regarding Lucerys and Aemond... they're not for me. As you say there is too much of an age gap in the casting for me to really enjoy it. But I feel regarding Lucerys/Aemond as I do with the majorities of all shipping - as long as it stays away from the actors and creators, people doesn't harass anyone and it's tagged properly - ship it for sure
@@maishaahmed915 the show ages are different from the book ages. aegon is said to be 20 in episode 9, and in episode 3 alicent is heavily pregnant with helaena on aegon's 2nd birthday, and at the time of rhaenyra's wedding helaena is born but alicent is not pregnant with aemond yet. so it can be surmised that helaena is 18 and Aemond at most 17.
@@obviouslyqueer AHHH thanks for replying!! It's true it's true! I feel like many (on Team Black anyway) felt Ser Criston Cole has truly gone from HUNK to JUNK 🤠🤣 and thanks for the reply on the Aemond/Lucerys thing. Honestly I understand it; there's too much history, past, present and future-changing events that occur from their like, 5 scenes together to leave them unshipped 🤐💀. Also, you're so right on that! As long as they can separate the characters from the actors as well, i guess it's cool! Anyway I can't believe you aren't more popular!?!? I love your format honestly just sipping your drink and talking shows, books and fandoms. Queen behaviour!! 🤧 I hope you get a boost in the algorithm and get the recognition you deserve!!! Im gonna binge on your channel and watch your video essays!! wait for meeee 🙏❤️
It's actually quite rare that the canon main pair of the show is the most popular one. Look at LOTR och Harry Potter for example, and you'll see haha. I think the fact that Daemyra has the most fanfics is another good example of something being made right. That the main couple is actually engaging
what makes me click this video is my curiosity about aemond thirst on twitter. someone tweeted about aemond before I watched HOTD and they said "the day we heard aemond say 'dracarys' is the day someone gonna have to surgically remove my mouth from his p*ssy" and tons of "babygirl" "it girl" under his pictures.
This was such a great video - Aemond needs to have a female director for all of his episodes I swear. The explosion over Ewan and his character has been so funny to watch, they have to have known what the response would be when they were writing a "bad boy" character lol. But fans are going a bit crazy, I saw them commenting on Eli and Harry's Tiktok livestream asking Eli how he felt about "Lucemond" even tho he is a literal child! I don't mind the ship in theory (I was in the reylo trenches...) but that just makes things so uncomfortable and I really hope they stick to AO3... Another interesting phenomenon is the amount of women thirsting for Aegon of all people - what do you make of this? I guess a lot of people identify with him having "mommy" and "daddy issues" but it's surprising that it's mostly women defending him. Of course he's not as popular as Aemond (who is indeed my fave), and I do think his character is interesting and has potential to develop, but I just can't get past the certain actions he has committed.. Do you think the female gaze has played any role in this?
@@kaismessiahbaby755 which part, the whole "Lucemond" thing or people liking Aegon? I don't have a problem with either in theory, but it's just wild seeing people defending characters like Aegon when they know the hate train is coming for them on Twitter lol, people are crazy.
@@alissa8760 people hate Joffrey and I love him because he was an amazing character. Yes the character did some heinous s*** but that's what made him a great character and a great villain on the show I don't understand why people take these hate things so seriously and they do especially on Twitter.
@@kaismessiahbaby755 Yeah it's crazy, people make it seem like whatever entirely fictional character you like represents your morals... That's why I just find it funny that people are out here trying to defend all the HOTD characters they like, I mean it's GOT, everyone is bad. Also they pick and choose what standards make a character "bad" or not; Daemon is just a misunderstood bad boy even though he's killed innocent people and his first wife and choked Rhaenyra, but Aemond is a horrible kinslayer for killing the person who cut out his eye. I hate the double standards. I hope one day people can just appreciate characters without having to write an essay defending them lol.
@@alissa8760 exactly, funny thing is they dont know shit yet because characters they love now and think are morally just are gonna become monsters. I cant wait to see the tables turn then. If u read the book then u kno who im talking about lol
The point about THE HAIR is so important tho!! When will men learn. I am seeing a lot of excitement about the actor who plays Jacaerys growing his hair as well.
The thirst tweets were my favourite part because they were so funny. But the analysis was really interesting! I’ll be thinking about it when the next season comes out
This video is perfect, I saved it in my watch later Playlist just so that I could come back to it and take notes! I love your analysis and it made me really understand the difference I feel when watching HOTD and GOT. This show does a good job showing us how hard it is to be a woman in westeros and how different men view those women, from viserys to otto and even to daemon and ser crispin. I look forward to viewing more of your content and using it to help me figure out ways to flatter and please every gaze that chooses to focus on me and my work. Thanks a ton ❤
Love this analysis. This show is wildly popular for a reason. I have no objective evidence of this but I have followed Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire world pretty closely and I get the strong impression that House of the Dragon has significantly more female fans than the original series, which is a good thing! This helps explain that broader appeal. I would love to hear your analysis of Becoming Elizabeth, another recent period series that has a lot of these elements (and sticks pretty close to the actual historical narrative).
It's hard to say if HOTD have more female fans or just if the female fans are more vocal this time. Could be both! I will look that up, thank you for the filmtip! ✨
Another female gaze moment with hands I can think of is featured in the film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera". It takes place during "Music of the Night", when Erik [the Phantom] is carefully leading Christine around the cave he lives in. He shows her its elaborate decoration, and he explains how more fulfilled she'd feel in life, if she embraced it in the same ways that he does. At one point, he maneuvers her into his arms, pressing her back against his chest. The fingers of his right hand interlink with hers over her stomach, while his left hand brings hers up to touch the unmasked half of his face. There's a marked difference between THAT scene, and when Christine is with Raoul on the roof of the opera house for "All I Ask Of You". Differences in the physical environments and lighting aside, while Christine is still comfortable with him, her head isn't thrown back with an ecstatic facial expression, like it was with Erik, and there is only ONE closeup: his right hand, cradling her jaw. (11/18/2022)
Book spoiler: when Aemond is picking a bride at Storm’s End, he kisses all of them but one. I told this to a friend of mine who isn’t even a fan of Aemond and she wished she could have seen him the girls!
@@p1ysaucedo she was ugly and she says he has no balls when he confronts Luke and let’s him go. That’s what sort of spurns him on to go after Luke at Storm’s End. He brings her back Luke’s eyes. It’s great.
I am so shocked that I have not seen you on here before! You have a new SUB, 100% Some added things I found fun about this is, House of the Dragon oddly has a large middle-aged women audience. GOT in a sense did as well, but it was a show usually watched by young adults, or married partners watching together. (At least in my experience.) However, I was working the other day, and a college of mine, mid 30, remarked she watched it alone, and was a big fan. Which is a theme I have picked up on in day to day conversation. My *mother* likes this show. She very often only watched Period Pieces and *abhorred* GOT. I think that beyond the show having a female gaze, it has a *mature* female gaze. As compared to a character say like... Tate Langdon from AHS, who was widely attractive to teenage girls (as was the design), HOTD seems more catered to pleasing more grown women with more 'romantic' but 'exiting' fantasies, as compared to the more pandering take against younger viewers in media. Anyhow, was just my two cents, I loved your video and cannot wait to see more!
This so interesting! Thanks for you thoughts. It makes 100% sense that HOTD would be a hit with older women - just as period pieces are. And even apart from that - It's also a slower told story, it's claustrophobic in its storytelling like a drama more then action and again - there are female characters of all ages in it so I get why many mature women would dig it
Huh, I never actually thought about it this way but you're right. I think since the show has an NC 17 rating for some parts, and has a lot of violence, and mature themes, it was just never gonna be for little kiddos. So they went with "the mature female gaze" as a way of appeasing their target demographic in terms of age... Makes sense, and is smart planning.
You absolutely hit the nail on the head!! I think the same thing applies to Killing Eve, I can see strong parallels in there. Like, we gays and women, want the danger. We just wanna have fun and Daemon, Aemond, like Villanelle are FUN. They are DANGEROUS. Their DANGER is SEXY. There are little things that make them work and it's really artistry to write such compelling characters. Like, yeah, they did horrid things but that doesn't stop our inner desire for danger and... accepting being "not the normal one" from flowering? Idk if that makes sense, but I desperately want to be Rhaenyra Targaryen, Alys Rivers and Eve Polastri
I have very complex feelings on the Rhaenyra and Criston scene because it reads very much as sexual assault to me, and that is not a declaration against the scene, it’s fascinating to me. Rhaenyra is repeatedly shown to not understand the power she holds over others, to not know the privileges she holds in society, despite still being oppressed as a woman. A lot of the scenes that reiterate that include Criston, he is a lesser born knight, he declares multiple times that his station is the greatest honour any Cole has ever received. His entire identity and self worth is placed in his position, in servitude. His faith and his position in life are intertwined too, it’s stated that he has slept with other women before but before he took his vows for the King’s Guard. He’s not disgusted by those acts or else he would likely be distressed talking about it, but it’s clearly important that he maintains his vows. Rhaenyra doesn’t maintain vows, she does as she likes and breaks rules, rules that are oppressive, but that those of lower standing and greater marginalisation feasibility cannot without dire consequences. But the vows he made matter to him, but his position and the honour it reflects on his family is too, it’s likely the money he makes directly benefits his family, this isn’t a time of war yet, there isn’t much work out there. He didn’t know how Rhaenyra would react if he said no, how it would affect his future employment. His future sense of self. His value as he views himself. If the king found out he could be put to the sword too, would he kill his daughter though? I don’t think he could say no, and the emotional reactions he has afterwards are jarring to his usual personality, he’s aggressive, violent, trying to find control when he likely doesn’t know the gravity of what happened. Considering how sexual assault is usually framed as something inherently violent done to women by men, especially by his religion (as GRRM directly based the Faith of The Seven on his experiences with Catholicism), I don’t think he will reach a point where he can understand what happened which is so miserable. He tries to bargain with Rhaenyra to regain a sense of wholeness and control, but she cannot understand why he’s so distressed, or why a religious system that she sees as purely oppressive, which it is, could be so important to him, despite subjugating him the same, but he clearly finds some sense of fulfilment through religion. And maybe scrambling for a marriage would fix that in his mind, make him feel whole. It wouldn’t, but he’s panicking, and everything feels wrong. And at the peak point of his distress, he reacts violently, both to others and himself. I’ve known victims who act on impulse in very similar ways. He’s not the perfect victim, and his perpetrator is not the perfect rapist, so I rarely see people analyse his actions through this lense, and how interesting Rhaenyra is through this analysis. She is still institutional power despite her subjugation via misogyny. She reads to me like many white women feminists I have known, oppressed via one or two axis, incapable of considering complex intersectionality and repeatedly centring themselves at inappropriate times. Empowering moments for one person can be severely damaging for others.
In the books, Rhaenyra is perfectly fine supporting the status quo - for everyone but herself. I've seen several ppl take issue with the Rhaenyra\Cole scene.
This is a fantastic video and talk and loved every moment. I’m a media teacher and going to find somewhere to show this to one of my classes. Subscribed and saved.
Ya it is kinda accurate 😅, I do think they know what they are doing on purpose. I do like both Aemond and Daemon as a characters but can't stop thirsting on Aemond😆😍, he has that intriguing bad guy aura with him. This wasn't the same with GOT for me. Somehow this female gaze is favoring them with popularity n hype though. I hope they would do well with both of these amazing character's plotline too
What do you think of the chemistry between the older Rhaenyra and Daemon? I find their chemistry is subdued and took the steam off Daemon's sexiness. What do you think?
I agree. I loved older Rhaenyra but that aspect for me was the think that didn't deliver as hard. The get-together in episode 7 worked because we were riding on the chemistry from young Rhaenyra. I liked their relationship as older! But that was more based on the fact that Daemon was a great character and Emma as Rhaenyra was REMARKABLE for me
This makes me so glad. Tvshows are changing. I dont know why it didnt happened before. May be they thought wonen didnt watch this kind of tvshows (who thought that is so so cute)
@@TuningAnApple Yes many times i imagine that, also that scene of Daemon and Rhaenyra inspired me, also the one of the episode four, yes i know i may have a masochist mind
I just wanna point out that cole was not a virgin when he got with Rhaenyra. In episonde three when they are discusing the idea of Rhaenyra getting betrothed. He mentions that he "had an adventerious youth" i only point it out cause it adds a layer of hypocrisy to how he reacts to her after she refuses to run away with him. He did pledge a vow of celibacy AFTER he joined the white cloaks.
how have i never came across your channel before?! you were spot on why I love this show being a new fan of got/hotd. as a lesbian yes I'm in love with aemond targaryen. I also hate I know exactly what tumblr tags those are from bc I follow those people 😂
This deserves all the views and more! Also if you just want to do a video talking about Aemond I'd 100% watch. And idk if you're a book fan, but i very much think women and queer folks are absolutely gonna thirst harder for Aemond in the upcoming seasons!
It's so funny that on the 1st episode I was like ' I hate daemon, pls die', but now I can't even imagine that. I love him and I wanna fix him, he is everything. And omg, those tumblr quotes made me want to go back to tumblr.
Well, sometimes it should be confirm it is a fiction because some people forget that little detail... there are a lot of cases that fans confused fiction with reality, like the actors who played Joeffrey and Cersei, received a lot of rude things 🙄🙄🙄... yep hard to believe.
I am queer gay, and I have loved Daemon in the books so I always had a fascination with him but what I didn't expect is that I would also be fascinated and attracted to Aemond on the show. This video explains the reason perfectly. Also part of the reason why I love Rhaenyra and Daemon is that they had a throuple with Laena Velaryon when when she was alive but they took that one out.
@@obviouslyqueer oh absolutely. They were flying atop their dragons together for fun and they went back and forth from Driftmark and Dragonstone just to visit each other. When Laena gave birth to her final child, Rhaenyra and Daemon sat vigil beside her bed but the show took that too. They took elements of Rhaenyra and Laena's relationship and gave it to Alicent.
I would disagree that Aemond wasn't also a treat for hetero men, aftell all we have the "Literally me" meme, with characters just as Aemond. Because his character is someone we are platonically attracted or atleast motivated by, like watching Terminator and saying "Yeah, hittim the gym tomorow, I want to have Arnie's delts". It's weird, and I think it's a good or atleast interesting discussion to integrate when you see heterosexual reactions to the same characters, they are mainly of admiration or them being "based" into why these characters where pretty much instantly loved by the general audiences
I did not like Daemon or Harwin Strong they just weren't attractive to me at all. But Aemond.... Oh Aemond... Him being shipped with Lucerys is kind of wild though.
Very well said❤️ this is a big difference I got between GOT and HOTD series. The whole hype around Daemon and young Rhaenyra relationship and thirsting on Aemond specially people are enjoying alot including whole ya book girls also. My little sister hated GOT but is watching HOTD for Aemond 🤣
This may be excessively reductive but a small thing that instantly confirms to me a story is truly being shown in the female gaze is that the woman never moves her hair if it’s blocking the camera line during any intimate scene…it’s such a comfort to witness the lack of performing to the voyeur that I think only women understand
Hi, just discovered your channel and i really lover it ! You got a new sub !! I really like how you talked about the female gaze AND kind of, the queer viewers of the show i fell it's often a forgotten demographic with analysis and it's so cool that you're talking about us. Honestly i was quite surprised at the hype around Daemon. Not from men, because he is the kind of hero i would see men want to idolize, but not women. He kind of makes me think of those toxic boys "i can fix him" narrative, because he is really an horrible person. Except i don't think anybody thinks that Rhaenyra will fix him, which makes him so much more dangerous (than our classis toxic bad boys. I feel like i'm one of the few viewers of the show that just hates Daemon with a passion (i'm Aemond's bitch tho). For the female gaze pushed maybe a little bit more, i'm really excited to see a certain character linked to Aemond, and i think they will have so much more opportunities to show that unique female gaze on the show. Another thing i found interesting in the way HOTD treated sexuality is the way they treated Alicent's abuses, especially by Larys. And i find it so cool that this new views, this female gaze is added through something as fantasy because it's really a man world, especially ASOIAF. Not that many women here so creating this with this specific franchise feels good and refreshing. I really hope we can see more videos from you on House of the Dragon (or a lot of other topics) i really appreciated it, thanks a lot !
i really like your comment about Rhaenyra, “she is not a feminist and thats okay” Its somenthing that really bothers me lately. People have been saying “rhaenyra is not a feminist you shouldn’t support her!!” i think that Rhaenyra is a fantastic realistic character, full of flaws. However as an audience we can still empathize how Rhaenyra rejects the way women are viewed in that society and i think we are allowed to sympathize with her situation. Regardless of it, i dont get why bring up the idea of wanting Rhaenyra to be a feminist so bad, when we are talking about a medieval fantasy show.
The fact she isnt a feminist is what makes her character good
@@javierlopez9789 Nothing wrong with being a feminist.
Then why people hate Alicent for having flaws?
@@apieceoflife2732 this is for my personal opinion but from what i see. Is mostly Alicent’s hypocrisy, Alicent presents herself as this woman with a “high morals” but the actions she goes against completely about what she preaches. Like Rhaenyra she is not a feminist, however she takes advantage of the society she lives in to her advantage to hurt others, specially Rhaenyra. She is still a good character, however it’s understandable why people dislike her.
@@mercuriology45 For me I started disliking her when she became kind of jealous in my words of Rhaenyra.
This helped me understand why this show felt so different than GoT. As a huge fan of Westeros I’m so happy with how HotD is going!
maybe having no women behind the camera on an eight season TV show during its ENTIRE SECOND HALF wasn't a good idea!
@@thedragondemands no woman? What? Sansa, Arya, Cersei, Daenerys?
@@jeremyhamilton2639 ....Cersei suddenly sitting the throne was ridiculous - she's just the wife of the last king....ridiculous that they show the Tarlys etc accepting it. It was bad fanfic. It wasn't "real". And this is a prequel so even counting Daenerys or something, ....you really take issue with this?
@@OkabexKurisu blargh, I left out "women BEHIND THE CAMERA on the show..."
@@thedragondemands What on earth do women have to do with it? We had a bunch of women as writers and directors for HOTD and they still butchered several things just like the men did. So, what difference does it make?
Even Vhagar was a great female character: Old, cranky, seen it all and didn’t give a shit about doing what she wanted, yet empathetic to her female rider’s desire for suicide. 17:13
Hahaha amen
When it comes to sex scenes, I've found the female gaze to be driven by intimacy and the building of sexual tension (ie, focusing on the hands, suggestive caresses); it's all about the atmosphere without being explicit.
I think the male gaze differs in that sex scenes are driven by focus on the female body and the carnality of the act itself, and they are almost always explicit.
I found the concept misandrist. It implies moral superiority of female 'way' of looking at things
Also, the male gaze always focusses on a sprint to orgasm- it portrays orgasm as the one and only goal of sex- often the characters hurry to fuck as quickly as possible, almost 'getting the other stuff out of the way' so they can come. And they always come after a minute, together, and loudly. Nothing realistic or sexy about it, from a female POV
Got sx scenes were awful, all brutal even when unnecessary, like dany/drogo.
@@mmgs1148 nah, in the books its really brutal bcz drogo in describe as barberic and Dany as a virgin. Then she starts riding her horse and really taking control of the situation in the bed, like making kall-drogo look in her eyes as the fuck. Its her trasition of her becoming into a full women.
The female gaze should not mean "no depictions of humping," plus there should be a focus on both bodies, not get the camera off the woman. I like wider shots instead of a lot of close ups, that way you can see both bodies and the movement/humping.
I also want to give props to the actors who play Daemon and Aemond. Matt Smith is extremely charismatic and without him it wouldn't be the same. Same case with Ewan Mitchell, that man clearly knows what he's doing. Personally, I don't like Aemond but because the way they wrote his characther threw me off, but Ewan himself knows how to engage with the female audience, idk if he does this on porpuse or not but me, who doesn't even like Aemond as a character, got me obssesed with him. I watched him in World on Fire, and I'm obssesed with every little thing he does there, from the way he walks, his mannerisms, his accent? the faces he makes? this man is very talented and very attractive... even with his shy demeanor (as you can see in his very few interviews). So yep, I also think it really depends on the actor who is behind this characters.
I'm glad to see more of Matt Smith and Ewan was truly a great discovery, I hope to see more of him too in other productions.
Absolutely! Shout out to the casting directors who knew what they were doing and Matt and Ewan who performed splendidly!
Why do I get the sensation that in a few years, we will get another Shadowhunters/50 Shades/After phenomenom, in which a woman publishes a highly successful romance book series that was originally an Aemond/FemaleOC fanfiction?
Hahaha for sure we will! And Aemond will be like a collage professor and the female character will be a student and she's gonna "fix him"
I hope that woman is me. I recently found this channel and am so thankful for the insight to the female gaze in fantasy and an idea of what both, men and women, look forward to. This channel is a great resource for the world ive conjured up in my mind. I'm trying to please everyone using the HOTD and GOT series and other sources of mythology to create my own high, medieval fantasy world and I hope I'm able to be just as successful with my ideas. Thanks for helping me accomplish that, but I know it won't be as outstanding as GRRM 😂
Damn it y'all are thirsty, it's funny but you're so thirsty...
Maybe consider reading the book? You may like it and fall in love with another character...
Btw: What you're describing is called "The Testimony of Mushroom". See George writes the book, the show, and the adult film parody in the same book.
The man is a genius, what can I say?!
@@samf.s.7731 right, he really does all that in the book😂
Ahahaha. I can imagine the story be some kind of a Romeo and Juliet enemies to lovers type. Most of Aemond/oc or Aemond/fem Luke fanfics are like that. It's like you read one and you read them all haha...
I'm a straight man and was very surprised over the Aemond thirst since the adult actor had so little screen time. I suppose him being on the screen so little adds to his mystery which in turn allows for the fantasies to go wild. That's why he can be shipped with the reader, Lucerys or Rhaenyra's stillborn daughter (yes, I've seen the them). I'm not usually exposed to female or queer dominated fandoms so House of the Dragon was definitely a new experience for me where bunch of different worlds collided. I think it was a great creative decision by the show to appeal to a wide audience even though it sometimes feels completely accidental based on the interviews of the writers...
There are people who ship him with Lucerys?
All right. I've seen the Aemond x Visenya boogaloo, but damn.
That's true I think! The fact that he doesn't have a clear trajectory, goal (or relationship) yet really makes it so interesting to go in so many direction. In your fantasies and fanworks. The stillborn daughter was new haha
I thought it was obvious he had a thing with his sister? The biggest tell for this is the coronation, helena is meant to be the new queen and the greens were meant to be showing off their strength but she was up there in a sapphire gown, not red or black or green, sapphire. He also started a fight with his cousins because one of them danced with her and he goes to her chambers every morning...
@@cherrybomber69 I've seen that ship a lot but I would not say that's obvious, I didn't get it from the show at all just things I've seen in the fandom otherwise
@@obviouslyqueer I do recall an exchange between Amond and Aegon during the last episode with them as children while they're in Driftmark. I don't recall the exact dialogue but basically Aegon was complaining about being betrothed to his sister who he views as a halfwit, and then he asks Amond what he would do, and Amond simply says "I would do my duty."
As a heterosexual man I wasn't *attracted* to Daemon or Aemond, but I found both fascinating cool characters and... to a certain extent aren't sexual attraction and non-sexual interest kinda coming from the same place? They're intriguing, whether you want to sleep with them or not.
I agree. Aemond needs a hug, too.
Same, both of them have certain gravitas that makes me say "I want to follow this man", sure they are crazy fucks but they are interesting, I would like to know them
No they're definitely not coming from the same place. I can be attracted to a landscape but the way I feel about that and about a potential sexual partner are vastly different.
Men want to be them, women want to be with them.
It's nice to see great cool male characters again, it's pretty rare nowadays.
@@ArgentiumTea I would never want to be either of them. They both look deformed and weird imo, but Daemon is charming in his own weird way. Aemond is just a disgusting ticking time bomb, but I'd rather be friends with him than his brother Aegon.
Thank you so much for explaining my horniness for Aemond even though I know he's a violent war criminal
"Mama I'm in love with a criminal" 😂
aren’t all characters war criminals and schemers
On one hand I totally understand the thirst for Aemond the character, on the other I'm kinda concerned in that the actor who plays him is very young (despite not looking it) and I would hate for him to have to deal with objectification or other creepy attitudes irl that he's likely not yet fully equipped to handle.
@@chiefpurrfect8389 he's not very young he's in his mid 20's 💀
@@RED-my9hl Oh okay, I thought he was younger. Mid 20's is significantly better, I guess, but I still hope ppl are cool about their thirst irl.
Truth be told, it was GRRM who gave us Aemond as he is the most memorable and interesting character in Fire & Blood. Enter HOTD and Ewan, and while Aemond remains an anime antagonist, they managed to humanise him. To quote David Lightbringer: "People complain that it's fan service... well I have been serviced!" Tack Katja, skål fr Shlm
haha great quote from Lightbringer. Tack själv!
...I read Fire & Blood, obsessed over Daemon for a bit but Aemond? Can't remember a thing and always have to look up his name ^^'
I’m a heterosexual man, but I might make an exception for Aemond 🥵
And I salute you for that! Go man go!
You need to get in line, Sir. 😏
This is the way.
Spoiler
The fandom is going to go nuts when Aemond meets Alys rivers.
let's get our boy laid
Cannot wait to see how they handle that. Are they going to stick with making her a MILF?
I can't wait for all the fan fics coming out of that. Do we know who's playing Alys?
@@obviouslyqueer i think you mean "time to get it wet"
I hope they make the Alicent/Alys similarities that we see in the books
"Hit the pussy nerve" Friend what an absolutely ACCURSED phrase.
I will be using it nonstop.
Idk who said this but there's a quote that goes "Men want a good woman who will be bad just for them and women want a bad man who will be good just for them" and I think it fits. It's the old "I can save him narrative" which is false, obviously, but we just can't shake it. Also: Team Aemond here. Although my "feelings" towards Ewan Mitchell border on maternal. He's such a baby. 😭
The Aemond thirst is so strong that an Aemond fanfiction managed to dethrone the most kudosed ASOIAF fanfic in AO3 in a span of weeks xD
not surprised haha
Very "Strong" indeed
So correct me if I'm wrong but to simplify it.
The Male Gaze usually focuses on objectification and fulfilling a power fantasy. The camera basically directs your gaze to attractive parts of the woman, the women usually have little agency and are usually swooning over a male character who the audience is supposed to relate to.
The Female Gaze usually focuses on intimacy and feeling. The hands, the focus on the face, its about showing the closeness and connection of the two characters.
I think you’re spot on
Except there was power imbalance and Criston didn’t have much agency in the whole Rhaenyra-Criston scene
@@harika_9399 True, I'm wondering if there's some overlap and more nuance to it. Its not like power, dominance and objectification is something only men want. And its not like intimacy and closeness is something only women want in a partner.
Having said that, I can't actually think of any Male gaze sex scenes that don't feel like softcore porn that could just be cut out with no impact on anything. I mean as a guy I'll get off to them when I'm bored but when I'm invested in the story I'm mostly just waiting for it to be over so we can get back to what's happening.
Meanwhile, the female gaze, at least from the examples she gave, usually feel like more of a character moment than random fan service.
To keep it really short - basically yeah haha.
To make it a bit longer - The male gaze is a way to shoot film ( and not necessary all films by men etc and some films by women still have the male gaze). It's a way to shot a film where you kind of assume the audience is male. The man is who you wanna be and the woman is who you want to be with. This is shown by for example by the things you mention.
The female gaze is trying to subverse that by making women as active subjects.
In sex scenes specifically the
Male Gaze: is often more explicit, more full body shots, it's often focused on the movement of penetration, the point is to show sex for the sake of it or just for the audience to feel pleasure (see a hot woman).
In the Female Gaze: the point of the sex scene is often to show a change in the narrative, the women are allowed to be in realistic (and unflattering) positions, it's often more close ups and more focus on hands and kisses.
dude just the way daemon walks had me istg like ahhh and his stance omg, matt smith is so charismatic its crazy
especially the way that daemon looks down on people both figuratively and literally bc he is so tall, likebruh with him threatening rhea royce’s uncle; dude had so much charm and intimidation SITTING DOWN and going “and?” my brain cant comprehend 😭😭
So glad I found your channel. Great video. 10/10, no notes
"the fans aren't ignorant; they're just horny". This statement alone merits a subscription
Thank you so much! 🙏
Ryan Condell spoke about a very specific group of fans and their very specific reaction. He acknowledges the fact that they made Daemon fascinating on purpose, and that they expected him to be popular. But it's the 'it's out of character for him to choke his partner' thing that specifically baffled him - it was very well established that it is, in fact, in character for Daemon to do just that. It's one thing to love an anti hero and enjoy the fantasy, and it's a whole other thing to pretend like they did nothing wrong and can't do wrong. I saw too many Daemon fans saying that Rhea was terrible to him, that he was the victim in that situation, and calling him killing an innocent woman 'freeing' himself. That's just unhinged, and showrunners didn't expect that.
Well I do agree on that, as mentioned I think it's understandable and makes sense to desire these kind of men in fiction, but the moment you lose the ability to see that they are still bad men, and start making excuses to why he like... killed his wife then it's time for therapy
Oh I agree that Rhea was terrible to him, and in killing her he freed himself.
However, he killed her...
He's a cold blooded murderer. It's not like that fact escapes me.
Daemon has no "limits", his moral compass is... Just not that of an average person.
He's a cheater, a murderer, a groomer, and an incestuous a hole...
Hella fun to watch! Loved it 10/10.
The way I screeched through so much of this bc I couldn’t agree more on all these aspects. I think the only two things I’d like to throw into the ring are that in an interview the director of the brothel scene also talked abt how she consciously had to consider NOT to follow a male gaze approach bc it is so normalised not only in men but ALSO in women.
And on another note: there are also many of us who…umn…see the potential (truth) of both Daemon and Aemond being subs and NOT daddy doms (for extra flavour, and partly supported by the show, esp s2 for Aemond). Thanks for this lovely video, it made me so giddy to watch and I love the mix of humour and education!
....I'm just glad I've found a community for my Aemond thirst.
as a cis het male, you're spitting facts, aemond makes me ask some questions
You have added another layer of comprehension about why I did love this show so much! I hadn't notice the subtle details you so thoroughly pointed at, and now I'll enjoy re-watching it much more. It's also a lesson in writing that I'll have very present when creating my own stories. Thanks!
Thank you so much!
THANK YOU. ❤
When I brought up the female gaze in a few HotD threads, I was disappointed in how many would pick up the phrase and run with it, clearly having no idea what it meant.
I am glad to have your vid as a source to cite.
And your final points about antiheroes and fiction and it being totally okay to thirst for it on screen w/o wanting it in real life was PERFECT.
Thank you for your well made points and eloquence.
Thank you so much! 🙌💕
I found the concept misandrist. It heavily implies that the female 'way' of looking at things is somehow morally superior to male
Aemond can crack me open like a dragon egg
Ghhggfgg +1
Cosigned. In blood.
I'm so glad I've found an Aemond fan RUclipsr!
I rewatched the wedding scene of Daemond grabbing Rhaenyra’s face so many times because the whole interaction was so spicy and intense 😅
wow! appreciate this so much, especially the part where you explain that women are aware these characters are bad, but fortunately know they are fictional (still mindblowing to so many people for some reason)...btw. someone made a video that only focuses on Aemond's/Ewan Mitchell's hands, cause apparently female fans have noticed he has nice hands and are here for it...thought you might enjoy that fact (I certainly do) :D
I did indeed enjoy that fact! thank you!
“considering no one saw shit” haha that episode really was too freaking darkkk
what WAS the point? was the editor blind? really I wanna know
@@obviouslyqueer haha
@@obviouslyqueer we think they were trying to hide continuity errors on the location shoot beach in Cornwall. Storms moved the dunes. This trades one problem for another.
@@thedragondemands no really? That's so interesting thanks
I desperately need more Aemond I'm in love and he's not even real 😭
I loved your analysis. And the comparison between HotD and period dramas just blew my mind. So so accurate. Great video!
Thank you so much!
I hope that by season two you’ll be able to cover how the tv show handles Jeyne Arryn and Jess Redfort
I'm really looking forward to seeing that too!
I love your vids, btw. :)
So looking forward to that!
Iam a straight male but everytime Aemond is on screen i blush 🥵
Yes! Feel it!!
Then you're not a straight male, buddy.
Aemond Targaryen is amazing ❤️
Loved the video! I share your bewilderment about the comments from the writers regarding Daemon. Like how did you strike such a perfect tone by accident? I haven't heard much from them regarding the fan reaction to Aemond, but I assume they're also scratching their heads.
Yes, we know they're toxic and I would run away in real life, but this is not real life. Give me a sexy toxic man with immaculate aesthetics and I will be awestruck. On point casting for both their characters.
Right! Agree on all point, would be interesting to hear what the creators think about the Aemond thirst
I think the casting is what makes it unpredictable.... Of course Matt is a good actor but I guess u just never know how everything is going to cum together.
@@obviouslyqueer I'm pretty sure George R.R. Martin gets it! He's said before that Daemon's one of his own favourite characters, and his favourite Targaryen, and that Matt Smith is doing a great job on the role. And although it's not quite worded this way in the books, an important part of Daemon's character is that he's sexy as all fuck.
EDIT: I found the description I was thinking of. Daemon is "lean and hard, a renowned warrior, dashing, daring, more than a little dangerous."
In a fictional character, that's code for "sexy af", right?
@@neuralmute thanks for the info! That is indeed true, so it's canon in the books then that he's sexy for sure
I'm just thinking. Seeing the aesthetics of Daemon and Aemond, and the personality traits that make characters like them and Loki to be considered hot...
I mean, whenever Elric of Melniboné gets a movie or a TV series, cinemas and living rooms are going to implode.
Hahah I had to google him and I have to say they really went hard on those small, small shorts
I loved listening to your talk!! You're very insightful and also hilarious 😂 Honestly at first I didn't get why people were so crazy over Daemon and even Ser Harwin before watching, I didn't even find them that attractive (I'm aroace) and thought they were being overhyped BUT ... When I began watching, I felt it. The female gaze was HEAVY on this show. The sizzling, toxic attraction between daemyra, and Ser Harwin and Nyra having that sweet relationship... (I'll miss u daddy Harwin /sobs) and even Nyra's friendship with Laenor felt so real and personal! I actually also loved Criston at first, and was devastated when things between them turned sour. I ultimately ended up despising him... Like even on that scene where he and aemond are looking for Aegon and they talked about women I was just rolling my eyes !? The show did THAT to me in a span of a few episodes. Also, ALICENT. GOD I felt horrid for her every single ep. Really, the show did so well in making you feel, the GENUINE hurt and discomfort of, if you were a woman in Westeros. There was also always someone giving birth or having kids in almost every episode and it's so.... Brutally realistic and personal about it to me as a woman. Also, yes AEMOND. He has such an APPEAL, and his face is so unconventially attractive, and steals the scenes that it makes it /hard/ to not like him. Him being shipped with OFCs, everyone and their mothers is a real thing lmao! Btw, regarding Aemond/Lucerys, although they are supposedly 16 and 14 in the show, he is being played by an adult actor while Lucerys is being played by a minor, so there's a discourse about whether it's okay to ship the characters. What do you think about this?
Isn't Aemond 19? He and Luke are 5 years apart
Thank you so much, that means a lot! and thanks for your thoughts!
I actually found it interesting how Criston changed from really sweet to really close minded, violent and misogynistic. Like you I went from thinking he was really nice to just, eugh...terrible haha.
Regarding Lucerys and Aemond... they're not for me. As you say there is too much of an age gap in the casting for me to really enjoy it. But I feel regarding Lucerys/Aemond as I do with the majorities of all shipping - as long as it stays away from the actors and creators, people doesn't harass anyone and it's tagged properly - ship it for sure
@@maishaahmed915 the show ages are different from the book ages. aegon is said to be 20 in episode 9, and in episode 3 alicent is heavily pregnant with helaena on aegon's 2nd birthday, and at the time of rhaenyra's wedding helaena is born but alicent is not pregnant with aemond yet. so it can be surmised that helaena is 18 and Aemond at most 17.
@@obviouslyqueer AHHH thanks for replying!! It's true it's true! I feel like many (on Team Black anyway) felt Ser Criston Cole has truly gone from HUNK to JUNK 🤠🤣 and thanks for the reply on the Aemond/Lucerys thing. Honestly I understand it; there's too much history, past, present and future-changing events that occur from their like, 5 scenes together to leave them unshipped 🤐💀. Also, you're so right on that! As long as they can separate the characters from the actors as well, i guess it's cool! Anyway I can't believe you aren't more popular!?!? I love your format honestly just sipping your drink and talking shows, books and fandoms. Queen behaviour!! 🤧 I hope you get a boost in the algorithm and get the recognition you deserve!!! Im gonna binge on your channel and watch your video essays!! wait for meeee 🙏❤️
Daemyra has more fanfiction than all the others pairings combined. Love that.
well of course, since it's the main pair of the show...
It's actually quite rare that the canon main pair of the show is the most popular one. Look at LOTR och Harry Potter for example, and you'll see haha. I think the fact that Daemyra has the most fanfics is another good example of something being made right. That the main couple is actually engaging
I find it really funny cuz we have Daemyra being the #1 ship with the most fanfics, and then in second place it’s Lucemond LMAO the contrast
I'm curious, which page is the one with the fanfictions? For research of course
@@Enavk ofc! For research! It's archiveofourown.org
We wait this kind of video for season 2 as well 🙏 Especially about Aemond🤭💎
This is the most interesting and also the funniest analysis I've watched regarding HOTD you've earned yourself a new subscriber
omg thanks a lot 🙏
@OstaraKonrad I know what you mean. I had a small giggle-fit, when she laughed while saying, "They were just h***y!" (11/18/2022)
what makes me click this video is my curiosity about aemond thirst on twitter. someone tweeted about aemond before I watched HOTD and they said "the day we heard aemond say 'dracarys' is the day someone gonna have to surgically remove my mouth from his p*ssy" and tons of "babygirl" "it girl" under his pictures.
Hahaha yeah people are mental with that! But i get it, it's hot!
from his what-? 😭
This was such a great video - Aemond needs to have a female director for all of his episodes I swear. The explosion over Ewan and his character has been so funny to watch, they have to have known what the response would be when they were writing a "bad boy" character lol. But fans are going a bit crazy, I saw them commenting on Eli and Harry's Tiktok livestream asking Eli how he felt about "Lucemond" even tho he is a literal child! I don't mind the ship in theory (I was in the reylo trenches...) but that just makes things so uncomfortable and I really hope they stick to AO3... Another interesting phenomenon is the amount of women thirsting for Aegon of all people - what do you make of this? I guess a lot of people identify with him having "mommy" and "daddy issues" but it's surprising that it's mostly women defending him. Of course he's not as popular as Aemond (who is indeed my fave), and I do think his character is interesting and has potential to develop, but I just can't get past the certain actions he has committed.. Do you think the female gaze has played any role in this?
It's not that serious tho, people are just having fun with it, it's like people can't have fun with being entertained anymore.
@@kaismessiahbaby755 which part, the whole "Lucemond" thing or people liking Aegon? I don't have a problem with either in theory, but it's just wild seeing people defending characters like Aegon when they know the hate train is coming for them on Twitter lol, people are crazy.
@@alissa8760 people hate Joffrey and I love him because he was an amazing character. Yes the character did some heinous s*** but that's what made him a great character and a great villain on the show I don't understand why people take these hate things so seriously and they do especially on Twitter.
@@kaismessiahbaby755 Yeah it's crazy, people make it seem like whatever entirely fictional character you like represents your morals... That's why I just find it funny that people are out here trying to defend all the HOTD characters they like, I mean it's GOT, everyone is bad. Also they pick and choose what standards make a character "bad" or not; Daemon is just a misunderstood bad boy even though he's killed innocent people and his first wife and choked Rhaenyra, but Aemond is a horrible kinslayer for killing the person who cut out his eye. I hate the double standards. I hope one day people can just appreciate characters without having to write an essay defending them lol.
@@alissa8760 exactly, funny thing is they dont know shit yet because characters they love now and think are morally just are gonna become monsters. I cant wait to see the tables turn then. If u read the book then u kno who im talking about lol
what a wonderful essay, i feel like i learned a lot and it was super entertaining! you've got a captivating way of talking, i subscribed!!
The point about THE HAIR is so important tho!! When will men learn.
I am seeing a lot of excitement about the actor who plays Jacaerys growing his hair as well.
You're hilarious. And you're spot on about the sapphire.
Thank you a lot! Hahah the sapphire comment lives in my head rent free
The thirst tweets were my favourite part because they were so funny. But the analysis was really interesting! I’ll be thinking about it when the next season comes out
Thanks a lot!
I don't think I survived the thirst tweets, they were something 😂👌
Dear God what's gonna happen when Alys Rivers shows up? Y'all are gonna want a sex scene in every episode 🤣🤦♀️
This video is perfect, I saved it in my watch later Playlist just so that I could come back to it and take notes! I love your analysis and it made me really understand the difference I feel when watching HOTD and GOT. This show does a good job showing us how hard it is to be a woman in westeros and how different men view those women, from viserys to otto and even to daemon and ser crispin. I look forward to viewing more of your content and using it to help me figure out ways to flatter and please every gaze that chooses to focus on me and my work. Thanks a ton ❤
Thank you so much!
Love this analysis. This show is wildly popular for a reason. I have no objective evidence of this but I have followed Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire world pretty closely and I get the strong impression that House of the Dragon has significantly more female fans than the original series, which is a good thing! This helps explain that broader appeal. I would love to hear your analysis of Becoming Elizabeth, another recent period series that has a lot of these elements (and sticks pretty close to the actual historical narrative).
It's hard to say if HOTD have more female fans or just if the female fans are more vocal this time. Could be both!
I will look that up, thank you for the filmtip! ✨
Another female gaze moment with hands I can think of is featured in the film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera". It takes place during "Music of the Night", when Erik [the Phantom] is carefully leading Christine around the cave he lives in. He shows her its elaborate decoration, and he explains how more fulfilled she'd feel in life, if she embraced it in the same ways that he does. At one point, he maneuvers her into his arms, pressing her back against his chest. The fingers of his right hand interlink with hers over her stomach, while his left hand brings hers up to touch the unmasked half of his face. There's a marked difference between THAT scene, and when Christine is with Raoul on the roof of the opera house for "All I Ask Of You". Differences in the physical environments and lighting aside, while Christine is still comfortable with him, her head isn't thrown back with an ecstatic facial expression, like it was with Erik, and there is only ONE closeup: his right hand, cradling her jaw. (11/18/2022)
Book spoiler: when Aemond is picking a bride at Storm’s End, he kisses all of them but one. I told this to a friend of mine who isn’t even a fan of Aemond and she wished she could have seen him the girls!
Oh? Why didn't he kiss the one girl?
@@p1ysaucedo she was ugly and she says he has no balls when he confronts Luke and let’s him go. That’s what sort of spurns him on to go after Luke at Storm’s End. He brings her back Luke’s eyes. It’s great.
Put me in the line
Your humor is so dry, I love it. Fantastic channel. Subscribed!
Thank you!
love love this video! Great analysis and great laughs. I love how you mix your humour and personality with informative complex content. MUCH KUDOS
Thank you! :')
Great video. I'll just add that Aemond was a hit also with straight heterosexual men as well, yours truly included.
Yeeeaaah nice to hear it! 🙌 And thank you!
And gay women. 🤩
I am so shocked that I have not seen you on here before! You have a new SUB, 100%
Some added things I found fun about this is, House of the Dragon oddly has a large middle-aged women audience. GOT in a sense did as well, but it was a show usually watched by young adults, or married partners watching together. (At least in my experience.) However, I was working the other day, and a college of mine, mid 30, remarked she watched it alone, and was a big fan. Which is a theme I have picked up on in day to day conversation. My *mother* likes this show. She very often only watched Period Pieces and *abhorred* GOT. I think that beyond the show having a female gaze, it has a *mature* female gaze. As compared to a character say like... Tate Langdon from AHS, who was widely attractive to teenage girls (as was the design), HOTD seems more catered to pleasing more grown women with more 'romantic' but 'exiting' fantasies, as compared to the more pandering take against younger viewers in media.
Anyhow, was just my two cents, I loved your video and cannot wait to see more!
This so interesting! Thanks for you thoughts. It makes 100% sense that HOTD would be a hit with older women - just as period pieces are. And even apart from that - It's also a slower told story, it's claustrophobic in its storytelling like a drama more then action and again - there are female characters of all ages in it so I get why many mature women would dig it
Huh, I never actually thought about it this way but you're right.
I think since the show has an NC 17 rating for some parts, and has a lot of violence, and mature themes, it was just never gonna be for little kiddos.
So they went with "the mature female gaze" as a way of appeasing their target demographic in terms of age...
Makes sense, and is smart planning.
this is really my new favorite video essay ever
Gosh! thank you so much! this makes me so glad really
this is the best youtube video i've seen in like the whole year
Omg, thank you 💞
naurrrrr the locals have found lucemond💀
You absolutely hit the nail on the head!! I think the same thing applies to Killing Eve, I can see strong parallels in there. Like, we gays and women, want the danger. We just wanna have fun and Daemon, Aemond, like Villanelle are FUN. They are DANGEROUS. Their DANGER is SEXY. There are little things that make them work and it's really artistry to write such compelling characters. Like, yeah, they did horrid things but that doesn't stop our inner desire for danger and... accepting being "not the normal one" from flowering? Idk if that makes sense, but I desperately want to be Rhaenyra Targaryen, Alys Rivers and Eve Polastri
Thank you! and agreed!
It’s hilarious because no one gives af if Daemon or Aemond are good people because the ladies ALREADY LOVE THEM LIKE THAT PLS JUST ACCEPT IT 🤣
one billion views for Aemond on tik tok, what a goat 👄 now i understand why i love him so much, thank you!
U reading those # on Aemond is so relatable xd literally me reading fanfiction
It’s the first video of yours i watch and i’m sold. I love how you’ve handled the subject + it was super funny. New subscriber for sure
Thx! 🙏
I have very complex feelings on the Rhaenyra and Criston scene because it reads very much as sexual assault to me, and that is not a declaration against the scene, it’s fascinating to me.
Rhaenyra is repeatedly shown to not understand the power she holds over others, to not know the privileges she holds in society, despite still being oppressed as a woman. A lot of the scenes that reiterate that include Criston, he is a lesser born knight, he declares multiple times that his station is the greatest honour any Cole has ever received. His entire identity and self worth is placed in his position, in servitude.
His faith and his position in life are intertwined too, it’s stated that he has slept with other women before but before he took his vows for the King’s Guard. He’s not disgusted by those acts or else he would likely be distressed talking about it, but it’s clearly important that he maintains his vows.
Rhaenyra doesn’t maintain vows, she does as she likes and breaks rules, rules that are oppressive, but that those of lower standing and greater marginalisation feasibility cannot without dire consequences.
But the vows he made matter to him, but his position and the honour it reflects on his family is too, it’s likely the money he makes directly benefits his family, this isn’t a time of war yet, there isn’t much work out there. He didn’t know how Rhaenyra would react if he said no, how it would affect his future employment. His future sense of self. His value as he views himself.
If the king found out he could be put to the sword too, would he kill his daughter though?
I don’t think he could say no, and the emotional reactions he has afterwards are jarring to his usual personality, he’s aggressive, violent, trying to find control when he likely doesn’t know the gravity of what happened. Considering how sexual assault is usually framed as something inherently violent done to women by men, especially by his religion (as GRRM directly based the Faith of The Seven on his experiences with Catholicism), I don’t think he will reach a point where he can understand what happened which is so miserable.
He tries to bargain with Rhaenyra to regain a sense of wholeness and control, but she cannot understand why he’s so distressed, or why a religious system that she sees as purely oppressive, which it is, could be so important to him, despite subjugating him the same, but he clearly finds some sense of fulfilment through religion. And maybe scrambling for a marriage would fix that in his mind, make him feel whole. It wouldn’t, but he’s panicking, and everything feels wrong.
And at the peak point of his distress, he reacts violently, both to others and himself. I’ve known victims who act on impulse in very similar ways.
He’s not the perfect victim, and his perpetrator is not the perfect rapist, so I rarely see people analyse his actions through this lense, and how interesting Rhaenyra is through this analysis. She is still institutional power despite her subjugation via misogyny.
She reads to me like many white women feminists I have known, oppressed via one or two axis, incapable of considering complex intersectionality and repeatedly centring themselves at inappropriate times. Empowering moments for one person can be severely damaging for others.
In the books, Rhaenyra is perfectly fine supporting the status quo - for everyone but herself.
I've seen several ppl take issue with the Rhaenyra\Cole scene.
Good writting and perpective, considering people take issues on his reaction and not what cause him to go there.
This is SO spot on! I hate it whenever people use the term "female gaze" without even understanding what it actually means.
Excellent video and yes i read those tumblr tweets of Aemond and also laughed
This is a fantastic video and talk and loved every moment. I’m a media teacher and going to find somewhere to show this to one of my classes. Subscribed and saved.
Gosh! Thank you so much! This made me so glad, let me know if you get a chance to show it!
Ya it is kinda accurate 😅, I do think they know what they are doing on purpose. I do like both Aemond and Daemon as a characters but can't stop thirsting on Aemond😆😍, he has that intriguing bad guy aura with him. This wasn't the same with GOT for me. Somehow this female gaze is favoring them with popularity n hype though. I hope they would do well with both of these amazing character's plotline too
I really enjoyed listening to you talk. Nice video and I share many of your povs. I LOVE that you went through fan fictions too but no judging hehe.
I love looking at fanfiction stats, it's always a stroke from start to finnish
21 minute and 31 second and I’m your fan. Please don’t stop!
haha thanks a lot!
Just discovered your channel and so happy I did. Brilliant and hillarious
Thanks!
What do you think of the chemistry between the older Rhaenyra and Daemon?
I find their chemistry is subdued and took the steam off Daemon's sexiness.
What do you think?
I agree. I loved older Rhaenyra but that aspect for me was the think that didn't deliver as hard. The get-together in episode 7 worked because we were riding on the chemistry from young Rhaenyra. I liked their relationship as older! But that was more based on the fact that Daemon was a great character and Emma as Rhaenyra was REMARKABLE for me
I loved HoTT quite a lot more than GOT, and I couldn't quite figure out why, I think you helped me realize it though: the female gaze 😊
This makes me so glad. Tvshows are changing. I dont know why it didnt happened before. May be they thought wonen didnt watch this kind of tvshows (who thought that is so so cute)
I got 3 words- Aemond is daddy.
Amen
"Aemond, choke me " is also 3 words
@@TuningAnApple Yes many times i imagine that, also that scene of Daemon and Rhaenyra inspired me, also the one of the episode four, yes i know i may have a masochist mind
I just wanna point out that cole was not a virgin when he got with Rhaenyra. In episonde three when they are discusing the idea of Rhaenyra getting betrothed. He mentions that he "had an adventerious youth" i only point it out cause it adds a layer of hypocrisy to how he reacts to her after she refuses to run away with him. He did pledge a vow of celibacy AFTER he joined the white cloaks.
Really great explanation of male and female gaze, I especially loved your discussion on the codes of period pieces!
Thank you!!
😂😂😅😭😭 I was CRYING by the end.
Besides the hilarity of which there was plenty:
Instant sub, I’m so glad I found your channel
thanks a lot!
I’m new to your channel and am so glad the algorithm brought me to you 🎉
thank you!
how have i never came across your channel before?! you were spot on why I love this show being a new fan of got/hotd. as a lesbian yes I'm in love with aemond targaryen. I also hate I know exactly what tumblr tags those are from bc I follow those people 😂
Hahah thank you so much! Yeah these Tumblr people are my people! Representation!!
"such a treat for everyone except heterosexual men" excuse me, he's been a major treat for me as well!
I'm glad! I see you!
This deserves all the views and more! Also if you just want to do a video talking about Aemond I'd 100% watch. And idk if you're a book fan, but i very much think women and queer folks are absolutely gonna thirst harder for Aemond in the upcoming seasons!
Thank you! I have not read the books, but O can tell from a lot of people here that Aemond will get soooomeeee so I love forward to that for sure
It's so funny that on the 1st episode I was like ' I hate daemon, pls die', but now I can't even imagine that. I love him and I wanna fix him, he is everything.
And omg, those tumblr quotes made me want to go back to tumblr.
Thank you for the fabulous analysis and explanations. Loved it! 🙏🏼🫶🏼
Thank you!
Damn good analysis
Bravo 👏
I’ll have to check out your other works
Thank you SO MUCH 🙌✨ welcome to my channel!
Well, sometimes it should be confirm it is a fiction because some people forget that little detail...
there are a lot of cases that fans confused fiction with reality, like the actors who played Joeffrey and Cersei, received a lot of rude things 🙄🙄🙄...
yep hard to believe.
I am queer gay, and I have loved Daemon in the books so I always had a fascination with him but what I didn't expect is that I would also be fascinated and attracted to Aemond on the show. This video explains the reason perfectly. Also part of the reason why I love Rhaenyra and Daemon is that they had a throuple with Laena Velaryon when when she was alive but they took that one out.
No really?? They did? In the book?
@@obviouslyqueer oh absolutely. They were flying atop their dragons together for fun and they went back and forth from Driftmark and Dragonstone just to visit each other. When Laena gave birth to her final child, Rhaenyra and Daemon sat vigil beside her bed but the show took that too. They took elements of Rhaenyra and Laena's relationship and gave it to Alicent.
That Cosmopolitan article is probably archived on the way back machine!
*dropping everything I do*
I liked this video a lot! It was informative but also really fun!!
Thank you!
You just have given the writers and showrunner a lot to think about for thirst trapping more viewers.
I would disagree that Aemond wasn't also a treat for hetero men, aftell all we have the "Literally me" meme, with characters just as Aemond. Because his character is someone we are platonically attracted or atleast motivated by, like watching Terminator and saying "Yeah, hittim the gym tomorow, I want to have Arnie's delts". It's weird, and I think it's a good or atleast interesting discussion to integrate when you see heterosexual reactions to the same characters, they are mainly of admiration or them being "based" into why these characters where pretty much instantly loved by the general audiences
this is such a great video! thank u for making it and sharing it w/ us, i loved -- and learned a lot from -- ur analysis! :)
Thank you!
Most enlightening, thanks a lot!
I did not like Daemon or Harwin Strong they just weren't attractive to me at all.
But Aemond.... Oh Aemond...
Him being shipped with Lucerys is kind of wild though.
Very well said❤️ this is a big difference I got between GOT and HOTD series. The whole hype around Daemon and young Rhaenyra relationship and thirsting on Aemond specially people are enjoying alot including whole ya book girls also. My little sister hated GOT but is watching HOTD for Aemond 🤣
This may be excessively reductive but a small thing that instantly confirms to me a story is truly being shown in the female gaze is that the woman never moves her hair if it’s blocking the camera line during any intimate scene…it’s such a comfort to witness the lack of performing to the voyeur that I think only women understand
Sam Hess going "what do they mean 'Oh, Daddy?' Daemon is is a very poor father." Absolutely sent me 😂
/Reader is usually written in second person, e.g. " _You_ slide _your_ hands along the table."
That actually makes a lot of sense haha. You exposed me immediately I've never read a /reader fanfic in my life
Haha, understandable. Definitely a niche genre. I have read too many of them to claim to be normal XD
Thank you for this gem of a video. I’m subscribing
Thanks a lot!
Hi, just discovered your channel and i really lover it ! You got a new sub !! I really like how you talked about the female gaze AND kind of, the queer viewers of the show i fell it's often a forgotten demographic with analysis and it's so cool that you're talking about us.
Honestly i was quite surprised at the hype around Daemon. Not from men, because he is the kind of hero i would see men want to idolize, but not women. He kind of makes me think of those toxic boys "i can fix him" narrative, because he is really an horrible person. Except i don't think anybody thinks that Rhaenyra will fix him, which makes him so much more dangerous (than our classis toxic bad boys. I feel like i'm one of the few viewers of the show that just hates Daemon with a passion (i'm Aemond's bitch tho). For the female gaze pushed maybe a little bit more, i'm really excited to see a certain character linked to Aemond, and i think they will have so much more opportunities to show that unique female gaze on the show. Another thing i found interesting in the way HOTD treated sexuality is the way they treated Alicent's abuses, especially by Larys.
And i find it so cool that this new views, this female gaze is added through something as fantasy because it's really a man world, especially ASOIAF. Not that many women here so creating this with this specific franchise feels good and refreshing.
I really hope we can see more videos from you on House of the Dragon (or a lot of other topics) i really appreciated it, thanks a lot !
Thank you so much for you comment! I'm a queer person myself so I"ll always include all gays of all kind! 🏳️🌈