#I know I have another hotd/gg ask to answer in my drafts

[terrainofheartfelt]

The producer of HOD ripped women today. Sara Hess is confused why females online love Daemon. Which reminds me a little of the whole Chuck love. I think women in our society have a lot to work on still.

Okay I'm guessing you're referencing this Hollywood Reporter line item. But, okay, I read it bc I was curious, and I don't think she "ripped" anyone, she was just saying she didn't get it, because Daemon, though an interesting and complicated character, is not a good person, and has many qualities that are not...shall I say...desirable in a partner. And like, I agree with her tastes, but like the quote the article gives from Clare Kilner (one of the directors), I don't not get the appeal, because I think the sensation has a lot to do with the performance Matt Smith is giving.

and like, I'm not gonna preach to people what they should or shouldn't like. it's fiction. Daemon rides a dragon and goes cliff climbing for dragon eggs, he ain't real. And maybe it's reminiscent of the chip wiskers billionaire dream boyfriend effect (tm strideofpride), by a simplistic reading of the "bad boy" attraction parallel, but they just...do not read the same to me. maybe that's because I enjoy seeing Smith as Daemon on screen, and I get no joy in seeing the other guy.

The difference is Daemon is a well-written, complex, interesting character portrayed by an exceptionally skilled and talented performer. Chuck Bass had none of those things going for his character.

and I don't think people making memes and jokes about lusting after daemon is indicative of some moral failing in women. idk it's something I've thought about a lot, both here on tumblr and in discussions with friends about HOTD and other shows, that culturally we (in the royal sense of the word) are more secular than ever before, and in the absence of a religion to offload our moral weight-lifting to, we now do it with the media we consume and the media and characters we like, as a way to showcase our virtue. and therefore, liking a "bad" or, should I say, "unvirtuous" character, reflects poorly on us. but that's just not how stories work, or at least, not how they should work. To me, the only kind of bad character is an uninteresting one, one that I don't care to get to know or hear their story. and Daemon is not a bad character, and in the hands of an excellent writing and production team, and series of directors, and a world class performer like Smith, he's become one of the most interesting characters in the series. And, it's worth noting, several of the writers and directors of these first ten episodes are women. HOTD's story is women-led in a way GOT wasn't and I find that SO exciting!

#i'm sorry I know you probs didn't mean to kickstart a post about liz's thoughts on gender studies and media literacy and theology #but I am what I am #and I just think think dismissing women in fandom and their preferences as 'frivolous' and something that needs to be worked on #is a slippery slippery slope #I know I have another hotd/gg ask to answer in my drafts #and I shall #but like...comparing the two...let's not. #(unless it's about blairena & rhaenyra/alicent and women archetypes in stories) #comparing gg - a cw teen soap with the budget to match #to hotd - a high fantasy higher budget hbo prestige tv dragon passion project -- it's just silly #it's not even like comparing apples and oranges it's...apples and hdmi cables. #completely different things with different purposes #(and do I lust after matt smith a little bit? maybe.) #(but like i've said before. it has everything to do with his talent and skill at his craft and little to do with aesthetic attraction #or the character he's portraying here) #not tagging the show so if you filter it I'm sorry but I do not want this in the main tag #still getting notifs from the last time I did that #and I am trying to maintain a state of semi-hiatus here #I'm still answering messages and asks #(I mean I plan to answer asks) #but the goal is to reduce time spent on tumblr for a while #asks #anon