Daemon Targaryen Deep Dive––Why Do We Love Him? How To Write Compelling Characters

Damon, why do we

love

him? He's strange, clearly flawed. He dances with evil in many dimensions of his being. He can hardly be described as a good character. The first episodes begin with him as the clearest villain in direct and regular opposition to his brother Sowing. Constant Discord dismissing his name and responsibility for tarnishing the image of his house when he takes out the golden cloaks to cleanse the city is for clear political purposes, but the worst of the scenes emphasized how he seems to enjoy the sheer cruelty and barbarity of it. Now he's clearly not entirely evil like Ramsay Bolton or Sir Marin Trant or some of the other flatter Game of Thrones

characters

, even in the early scenes the script is very careful and, along with Matt Smith's excellent performance, Damon manages to hook.

We immediately first, of course, meet him through the eyes of Renera, who has already become an empathetic and resonant anchor, a kind of anchor for the audience; She is not only the clearest protagonist from the beginning, but she is also somewhat purely a protagonist like in Game of Thrones, this story revolves. Being very close to children and generating empathy or emotional resonance with them from the beginning will always be a year a little easier than doing the same with fully established adults at the beginning, at least after Joffrey dies and we sink into suffering from Cersei, we begin to appreciate her fight.

The same goes for Damon, once we spend more time with him we start to appreciate him. I would say that the first two or four episodes were largely due to his charisma and his courage and the simple fact that it contrasts Viserys' clear weakness throughout the season. He moves forward, although all of this unfolds. We appreciate the sacrifices he makes. We appreciate that his charisma is born from suffering and trials. He has earned it. He has been condemned simply by the coincidence of birth to live in the shadow of his brother. I will talk to my brother like me.

I hope not. Whatever you do, he is a man obviously looking for a cause and looking for some Vision to throw himself behind, but everywhere he turns he sees a world dominated by the visions of weaker men. The Men who pull the strings of the kingdom are themselves like puppets who adopt hollow postures so that they can see their brother suffering beneath the crowd and feel sorry and resentful for it then it is obvious from the beginning that Rhaenyra sees something of himself in Perhaps his attraction to her in the end is nothing more than a kind of reflexive narcissism perhaps much like Cersei's

love

for Jaime or her children, but Damon's love, at least so far, seems more true because it is clearly a man who went out into the world and made his way, flew into battle for his brother, sat in central exile on Dragonstone, risks his life against the crab feeder and when they begin to hail him as king of the narrow sea, he refuses the crown, He probably could have won, of course, he wears the crown before Viserys and before the court, it is only in the public eye that he takes it off and offers it to his brother, planting a bold seed and sending a different message, but that is the beauty of Damon as a character, the layers of every action, every line, he has many possible interpretations, many possible motivations, many real motivations, where does he do it to me when?

I offered my crown, you said I could have anything I wanted, rhaenira, I will take it as it is and dip it according to the tradition of our house. We witnessed the fact that he is on a journey struggling to mold and discover himself. As we discover alongside him, he is torn between a dozen shifting loyalties, torn between the lust for power and the genuine truth that he could stabilize the kingdom better than many other potential rulers, better than his brother, you are weak, the series look at their relationships. honor his brother and meekly accept the rule of the gold cloaks and thus show Unity before the kingdom or he can lead the men on his Cleansing Crusade undermining his brother terrorizing the city but perhaps bringing greater stability through his strength .

You might know unless you leave. The safety of the red key, but much of King's Landing is seen by the little Focus. Lawless is too scary. He can find a noble woman. Mary continues the line and is content with a minor role. Or she can stay with Mesaria for love and embrace the inevitable chaos. because he could have tried to reconcile with his first wife, given his children, he could have seen the strengthened veil before flying to the steps, he could have submitted to his brother, he was shown that Unity left them to be invaded, why did he fly to fight?

Some of it was for personal popularity, glory, some of it seems to be the simple fact that he's useless and unwanted in King's Landing, some of it could be a genuine desire for peace, that's what's fascinating about

characters

like this. context in which it was presented okay sir ivos not also foreign demon it's a perfect illustration of a scene where he is sitting on the throne every time that happens in the movies we know what it is he wants it , he's the brother, the unlucky younger brother and he wants the throne, then we quickly see that Raniera likes him, so we second guess ourselves, helplessly dragging him into a more favorable light.

If Rainier likes him, there must be something he likes. They ride and talk to dragons. They both speak loudly. Valyrian, which automatically makes them more magnetic, okay, these two have some of the old ways in them, the others have forgotten their heritage, forgotten who they are, but these two have that wild side, that primordial connection, that resonance with the past, there is this classic corruption. Explored in many stories that comes with too soft and too much comfort too much time and power too much peace is a sort of civilization-wide reflection of the overprotective mother Trope. I'm making a video about it, so check the link in the description, but it's basically the flaw of every spoiled prince or princess, their viserys are cut off and sick on the throne, it's the Mad King, twisted and dragonless, laughing in the hell that created from a once great Kingdom, are all the Southern Kingdoms softening and forgetting white. walkers on the wall is the oblivion of true stories it is in all fantasy novels but the years passed golden full of peace and abundance the stories of grandparents once told from an armchair with a rusty sword in hand faded in the queue and even in song they became things told by the light of the tavern with Fiddler's music told as legend rather than true heritage, the beasts and foul things were torn apart, chased into the

deep

places of the Earth and there they lurked and They were forgotten and their names became simple things, not curses to make men pale and tremble but the jokes used to frighten the children when they did not obey and the wildness of the forest was abandoned and grew and had nothing to do with the roads and cities frequented by men and secure in the solidity of the reaches or the Dark Knights of terrible storm would surely then make the queues spin by the light of the tavern or perhaps one or two sailors would say a prayer, but the times They were good and what need to look for evil and that is why the royals soften and begin to laugh, they prohibit magic and turn to science. laws of the channels and what happens The darkness grows in hidden places and is ignored at first, when people begin to realize it, it begins to slip towards the margins, the hidden villages of the mountains, the cracks where the border between man and the myth or the man in Fae weakens, there begins to be some power once again in the sailors' songs and in the tales of wives the seers speak black Omens the crops fail we hear this again and again and again it is winter is coming winter is coming winter is coming winter is coming winter is coming winter is coming winter is coming Then comes when people are soft and unprepared.

It is an old story because it is one of the true stories. One of the stories that manifests in the life of each individual. It's in the Bible over and over again. In some way it is linked to this motif that we see. In mythology where a generation of vested gods is overthrown by their children, who are more awake, more aware, more human than they are, in some ways, there are other complexities involved in that, of course, and I'll link a video about that over, but the point is that if the ruling house becomes careless, they lose touch with the harsh heartbeat of reality, they become too entangled with the idea of ​​themselves, they become precarious.

Damon has not forgotten that Damon is not precarious and the Dragon's blood runs thick and if Rainier likes it there must be something she likes he brings her gifts he makes her smile they share an ancient language it is quite clear that he is the most fiery of the brothers the more self-realized the braver the more of himself he sees this in rhaenyra even in his youth and he admires him, she sees in him the strength that his father lacks and this strange dimension of self-care that we don't really see in his father, al least not after he begins to mourn the death of his wife, his father.

She expresses concern and compassion and tenderness, but Damon feels like he sees Rhaenyra, he sees her savagery, he sees the dragon's Rhaenyra back and freedom, he sees her medal, he sees her shooting all the cool things at her father and the role he plays. wants to impose. about her all these things are the things that damon loves this is interesting because it's not that damon has the true and virtuous vision of rhaenyra and viserys has the weak and selfish vision it's not that simple it's meister alien alien you said he could have done anything Whatever my Nera wants I will take her as she is and wetting the tradition of our house you were already wet that did not stop the egg of the Conqueror from taking a second life conqueror you are a plague sent to destroy me give me a mistake by taking her as a wife and we will return the house of the Dragon to its proper glory.

Gloria Damon sees in her the traits that her father lacks and sees that with them she could become great. This is true. Viserys sees the same features but he sees his own. The darker side too True, not moderated by things like moderation. Duty to adhere to some higher code. She will become like Damon. Wild and careless. The great potential of her. Twisted and wrong. Responsibility. I have given you the burden of this knowledge. It is bigger than the throne. The king. He is the biggest. that you and your desires towards Harris would have disinherited you for a lie you still have to ask me if the truth of what happened the truth does not matter rhaenyra only perception you have exposed yourself now we must both suffer the consequences I could breed a dozen bastards and no one in your court would blink, you're right, but you were born a woman, so who stripped me of my titles?

The name Egon would do it in my place, but it is mine to hold the round together, seed it with more. division your courtship has come to an end you will wet Celine or valerian and you will do it without protest son of the sea serpent so I could be a remedy for your political headaches you are my political headache your wedding with Selena valarian brings together the two most powerful houses in the kingdom the combined strength of our shared dragons and naval fleets no one would dare oppose us The House of the Dragon will remain one for a future generation and what will you do with the vulture that perches on your throne, what vulture? your hands but ambition alone is not what drove him to Conquest it was a dream and only stainless strength or the end of valyria aegon foresaw the end of the world of man captured his dream The Song of Ice and Fire the secret of What has King gone to, where from the egg in his time now you must promise to take him, promise me, Ranera, for her part, has lived the life of her father's daughter, we have a feeling that she has had fragments of connection with Damon, probably mainly in his youth, he is always there.

He celebrated her, inspired her, but he is usually absent minding her or the Kings' affairs and she has seen the darker side of her, probably only vaguely, her father, on the other hand, has ruled. The life of her. She has been raised as a princess by a marriage of politics and motherhood. knows that his aunt was probably better suited for the throne was dismissed in favor of his father due solely to her sex, even when he declares her his heir, he overlooks her in the council, becomes understandably distant and tired by the death of his wife, but she has lost her mother. and instead of turning to her daughter, she finds connection in her best friend Alison, rejects a promising alliance with her cousin's house, a house that is on par with hers in power and a house that is not forgotten when she almost wins. the throne, he does everything. this and without following any advice she marries her daughter's best friend, everything is understandable, but it is not surprising that she begins to resent him to distance herself even more, so even though Damon has his flaws, they are the Viserys' flaws that have dominated Rainier's life and therefore it is Daemon to whom she is attracted and Viserys who she rebels against along with Rhaenyra, the most relatable character so far, it is inevitable that we begin to feel the same as she.

Let's go back to this first scene, presenting Damon from his perspective instead ofthat of his brothers and sets this precedent. of admiration and desire, it is not yet clear in what way she desires it, but the Essence of her is one of promise, freedom and clarity, so we are drawn to him even when we are presented as a defined and chaotic rival very quickly. Look, he can be violent, dishonorable, selfish. Damon's writing shows a very good understanding of how humans relate to others, at least to others in the conceptual realm of Story. In real life, of course, we are bothered and confused by small details, such as how someone is less than.

Pleasant characteristics affect us personally, but in history they can attract us and, let's be honest, in real life they can attract us too. There is a reason why pirates and highwaymen and werewolves and vampires are the mysterious romantic lovers of history, there is a reason for the crazy, poetic, beautiful seers and seductive sorceresses, and all of that attracts us to power because we do not It is only power but competence, it is having gone down to the cave and faced a monster, it is having been blinded in one eye but having gained the sight of the future or the sight of all hidden things, it is the man who gained the names of the secret things.

It was just a crazy touch from knowing too much of one of the fundamentals. A kind of cornerstone of the story, regardless of its medium, is to make sure that every scene has a purpose, that every scene draws us in more and advances the narrative of some way, which not only evolves the characters but also

deep

ens our connection with them so that you have the character. As they enter a scene that presents the character with a change in circumstances, the character has to decide how to act and is forced to go in a certain direction. This can be imagined as a multi-branching path in front of you, each branch changing who you are.

They are changes that your environment locks you into a certain set of subsequent branches, certain branches are more aligned offering a possible overlap or reconnection in terms of future landscape or direction at a certain point through your identity in your environment and the set of options that he presents to you. They change fundamentally and you can't go back and explore their destinations. What skilled

write

rs do is present us with a choice that first builds tension in a believable way, meaning the choice has to be consistent with the world and character building so far. At that point, the choice has to involve one or more possible rewards and possible costs, and it all has to overlap in a way that credibly contributes to the entirety of the story and the emotional weight it carries for the audience.

This means that each character should be pushed further into a reality that reflects their choices, there should be a dynamic relationship between who they are becoming and what the world around them is becoming. This means that they shouldn't make the decision to act like an entitled brat and still somehow win an alliance with no strings attached, let's bring some planks and a rudder, what the elf means then, if blood is the price of the pass, I will pay it, but one way or another I will leave, then I have no choice but to ask for another one with the true ruler of numenor and You should step aside so that I can present my proposal to One who has the authority to answer it.

There is a storm in me and it will not be quelled by you, Regent, two hours later. Basically, this is super simple. He says elections should have consequences. It must evolve with the characters, that is the heart of a

compelling

narrative, it sounds simple but it is an art, so in each scene you have the beginning, who the character is, what they want, their powers and weaknesses, and so on. Boom, the scene presents them with a turning point and they choose, then you have the ending, their new self, the new future they face, so what does all this have to do with Damon and why is he in particular so attractive?

A skilled

write

r will engage the reader by keeping things shaky. In a way it's like building suspense in the broadest sense, there's an inverse relationship between how stable or known something can be and how much suspense you feel about it. That's why you build suspense with the rising action of a novel, but then it sort of crystallizes in the climax, the climax is when the protagonist makes their choice, manifests whatever they've become, and confronts the enemy. . You look at the climaxes and Sanderson or Rothfuss or Tolkien or Martin look at Arya Stark and you build a whole. sequence fascinated by The Faceless Men in awe as she discovers their secrets one by one you are in awe of Jack and Hagar you marvel at their designs you tremble before the abandoned girl in her diabolical cunning you are learning everything with Arya and everything is new and veiled in the mystery, but once she has her abilities, it becomes a part of her, he chose her at the fork and brought her to this place of strange power, but that power is not so strange anymore, unless she is constantly pushing the limits of what she wants. she knows it when she goes to winterfell and we see her through sansa's eyes we know a cliffhanger but it's not really about arya's abilities it's about her character would she actually kill her sister who is she To what extent has she become a nobody and what?

Does that mean we've seen her kill Walter Frey? We have seen her face with Brienne. She has become a darker, more capable being. The suspense is built around their relationship with Sansa and who they have each become, but as soon as they reveal themselves and Slaughter Littlefinger there is no more suspense there either because we know who they are, they are allies, then John comes and Danny comes and everyone are thrust into this new series of turbulent tension, this is a pretty simple thing that we all know instinctively, but it helps to conceptualize clearly this way because it reveals something a little deeper about how to write

compelling

characters.

The reason Damon is so compelling is not despite his dark and dangerous dual nature, but because of his dark and dangerous dual nature. He is presented to you from a distance as a man of mystery, chaos and suspense, but he has acted and written in such a way that we know there is substance there and there is substance with which we can empathize. He's like the Hound or Jaime or even Theon. They start out as men very much at odds with more established protagonists, but layer by layer as we go further. When we are with them we see the depth and the Humanity underneath it is real that is what it is it is ambiguous it is nuanced when we look at ourselves it can be difficult to honestly pinpoint exactly why we do what we do why we want what we want there is always layers of some good, some bad and most just plain confusing, naturally it can be even more confusing seeing other people from the outside.

That's the beautiful thing about television and Damon, we can't see into his mind, the show doesn't tell us exactly how to do it. My feelings for him simply show him a beautifully complex and consistent creation from the outside as Viserys' weakness continues. The rest of the kingdom is tangled. In selfishness and betrayal. We characters care about pain and are hurt by each other. positions of increasing and inevitable conflict often due to his own weakness or corruption, but Damon is always sincere in the sense that he wants what he wants and takes it and is pure about it, it is not until Ranier is older, married and has children. marriage and all that we really start to suffer for her weaknesses she becomes a more complex character later with dimensions of Darkness that frustrate us and even begin to warm us towards her enemies towards Allison and the other children we understand how aemond and aegon and all the Others may feel despised or betrayed.

His mother has served the king faithfully. These years have given him stability, they have given him children under the law. Renira, on the other hand, has betrayed the party that he had set for her, she has indulged his impulses and has given birth to her sworn protector's children while Alison has served the crown faithfully, rhaenyra continues to play careless with her inheritance, her father broke tradition and invited Discord by naming her heir and she throws things further into instability with his recklessness, so we begin to empathize a little less with others and with Renera. At this point, Damon has already been following his own arc, we have seen his suffering and loneliness, we have seen the risks he takes for Massaria, Rhaenyra, for the steps, even for his brother, we have seen that he really cares.

He marries Lena, probably for mainly political reasons, but we see that he tries to be a good father and husband, he is tender, in fact, the writers push us back and forth with this constant contradiction in their scenes, first sentimental and then distant. , first serious and then consumed by ambition, this is the beauty of it. tension in this constant buildup of suspense, we never know for sure what Damon will do because we don't know the full depth of his motivations because he doesn't know the full depth of his motivations because he is developing and evolving even as he goes along. the history. discovering himself alongside us but being pure about it is refreshing he's engaging the most relatable characters are those whose ongoing battles speak to us resonate with our own internal battles I think Daemon resonates in particular basically because he's complex he's complex not just in his motivations but in the way he portrays it, a lot of the characters are ultimately a little more one-dimensional.

Viserys is dominated by the throne and dominated by weakness that makes him unfit to sit. He's so focused on this prophecy about his relationship with his daughter. and overcoming the pain of losing his wife, that's it. He is a very complex character. Incredible performance. An incredible script. But he is dominated by these roles that he has gotten himself into. Rainier is similar. She is the name that the king's daughter dares. Allison really doesn't have one. any agency until she gets married and then she is quite dominated by her resentment towards Rhaenyra and her care for her children and her exhaustion in her marriage, but Damon is free of these kinds of imposed roles, he is not stuck in any mold, in a way flies endlessly pursuing in various forms his own growth while others crush or ignore certain threads that attract them, he is free to explore each of them, no matter how enigmatic or ambiguous it may be.

His journey feels very organic and very complex and I think that resonates especially when combined with his mystery and obvious charisma, he is dancing along the precipice of evil, but in many different ways and at many different moments, other characters sometimes They seem as if they are simply getting weaker or stronger. Damon is a little less one-sided and I think that's how we often feel, let's

dive

in. a little deeper into his charisma because that doesn't depend so much on the complexity or elements of the narrative. I have been describing what charisma is exactly well. Includes intelligence.

Damon definitely has a natural intelligence. He also includes a Grace or some kind of mindless intelligence. self-confident, knows what he wants and goes after it without scruple, he's magnetic, that's what people like about Prince Oberyn if you think about it apart from the fact that he opposes what we all know is a Prince of the villain house. Oberyn is essentially on a Revenge Quest outright, understandably in response to the brutal murder of an innocent girl, but it's still a Revenge Quest for something that happened a long time ago and that we don't really feel emotionally connected to. , so why? initially we like Oberyn, what's up with Elena Tyrell, what's up with Braun, why is Arya more magnetic than Sansa, why is Tyrion nicer than Cersei?

Well, I guess with the Lannisters there are many, many complexities, you're just a little pink man who's too slow at drawing, but an important point is that all these characters like Damon know who they are and are quite open and pure about it. That's interesting here. Eamon wants power purely, he is purely emotional, purely impulsive, disturbingly so, but he is not a twisted demented spider spinning in the shadows. He has faced who he is and that gives him a certain comfort, power and poise, so charisma is confidence, it is dangerous and confidence convicted with the potential for darkness as well as light is refreshing in a world so dominated for secret advice and prolonged darkness. designs about power Damon is out front for all to see yes he enjoys power who doesn't so he marches into the throne room with that crown to make it clear that I'm popular he says I'm powerful I'm dangerous but I'm loyal.

I bow to my brother. I spit on the scheming spiders in the Shadows of him. The face I show to the kingdom. I also show my brother. And the face I show my brother. I also show the kingdom. I'm honest, it gives it a kind of glow. that the least self-realized men, the least honest men can never let their lack of honesty strip them of their potency Damon Thunders from one company to another sometimes broken sometimes despised sometimes banished but growing stronger in the long run always unbreakable the spiders thatWeaving shadows are unable to see their plans come true in half the time because their dependence on the weakness and corruption of so many other men around them is worth noting again that, as with suspense, the demons diminish. a little bit as we get to know him, the more time we spend watching him. him hugging his wife teaching his daughters engaged in petty arguments the more we humanize him the more he starts to lose this aura of charisma and mystery involved if you're watching a court scene and then boom he chops off someone's head you think immediately, wow! there's a tough guy willing to change the pace of things if we're watching a council scene in boom he's stolen a dragon egg we think wow there's a tough guy willing to change the pace of things but imagine if it was told from his perspective imagine If he spent a day discussing the theft of the egg with Mesaria, then spent a day flying from Dragonstone, convincing the Dragon Guardians to let him fly back and telling his men to prepare the Fortress, it would all seem a little less rough, This all happens.

Momentum in the story is inevitable as we begin to bond with a character. Consider any character that starts out with something like an aura of awesomeness in some Arena. As we get to know them, the ARA diminishes, we feel it with Jaime Lannister and his abilities. we fill it with Melisandre and hers we fill it with dany's dragons we fill it with the hound we will fill it with aemond and with vegar soon we will continue to feel it with Daemon in that sense I would have liked to see a little more compassion for Damon's children and I would have liked to see why her sons and daughters turned out so well while Allison and Viserys didn't.

Apparently there were some scenes that were cut in which she comforts her daughters after their mother's death. I've mentioned elsewhere that I would have liked to see another episode or something in that middle section of the series after the first Jump but before the second. when all the kids are just kids, you get the sense that viserys and allison's relationship is tired and strained, although the kids are lonely and a little messed up, while rhaenyra's relationship with harwin is pretty okay. Harwin himself seems like a noble and cheerful guy, a loving father, an excellent foundation. It also seems to be during this time that Rhaenyra matures a little, she seems to appreciate her role as a mother as well as a daughter a little more deeply and as an heir she has already messed things up enough with her impulsiveness betting on whoever she wants and not very discreetly, there are definitely arguments against Of her here as a man and as a gay man, Lenor really had no consequences for his actions, so one could argue that it's easier for him to remain blameless throughout the whole thing, even though Ranier is the heiress and daughter of Viserys. and she has to wonder if all the suffering caused by her infidelity is worth her own personal desires with Harwin, of course, one might wonder what would have happened if she hadn't produced an heir at the time Alison was born.

The children began to appear. Would Viserys have changed his mind if she had? Could Rainer going on a date with Harwin actually have been better than the alternative? Couldn't she at least have fallen in love with someone with dark skin to make things a little more believable? These kinds of questions are what make House of the Dragon so charming, but I was talking about how I wish we'd seen more, a little more, of this middle section. Damon was already a well-liked character and increasingly empathetic even by that point in episodes three. and four and so on, but up to this point his actions were still largely diabolical with only flashes of compassion and restraint in fatherhood and perhaps the simple passing of years in his brother's weakening seems to have matured him a bit, which has softened. we love we love the real characters he has always loved his family in his own way, even by opposing his brother from the beginning, he is stabilizing the kingdom and protecting his brother's name.

It is largely due to Damon's strength that Viserys was able to die Viserys, the Peaceful King, to a unified rather than a fractured kingdom he loved Masaria a he loved his niece and was sincere about it he loves dragons he faces off against armies just walk through the deep places of the earth sing ancient Torchlight songs and awaken the unclaimed sleeping dragons he is bold and ambitious diabolical but true, unpredictable and cunning, in short he typifies the hero of Westeros or perhaps the necessary dark side of the Hero of Westeros Some may have conviction and nobility but lack its fire and cunning, these will find themselves crushed by the savagery of Life, unable to realize their true heroic potential others may have fire and cunning but lack conviction and nobility these will not. can truly live cannot truly love and cannot honor any true code they too will find themselves crushed crushed by those of even greater ambition crushed by those with greater friends crushed by Those with a higher code, Damon, though he has cunning in the fire, but He shows openness to Virtue, his convictions, even if they were corrupt, are always true, and as he grows, hurts, and risks losing those who could be close to him, he learns to love. perhaps learn something of the path of virtue at least seek the path so the hero of west is a complex thing a thing of necessity both dark and luminous fiery but flexible Understanding gloomy but hopeful the true path is an endless journey that becomes dark and convoluted by the cruelty and scarcity of the world, so even if he's not yet the perfect hero of Westeros, the point is that we don't even know exactly what that means, what Damon would look like trying to find it even though he's trying to live it. in his own way and he does it more freely or perhaps more openly than any other character, that is why with all the charisma, audacity and bloody ambition of him with all the Martinecan contradictions of him, Damon captures us above all.