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Fantasy series tend to inspire devoted fans, those who love digging into lore and character motivations as a means to better understand the universe. Considering the record-breaking success of Game of Thrones, it’s no surprise that its spinoff (technically a prequel), House of the Dragon, has galvanized similar enthusiasm.
LGBT fans, some of the most beleaguered in the fandom due to the series’ lackluster track record with queer characters, have flocked to the spin-off, though hope that any of their headcanons would come true was fairly low until recently. Thankfully, season two, episode six of House of the Dragon finally gave queer fans something to celebrate.
The episode sees Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) passionately kiss Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno), an information broker and one of her most trusted confidantes, amidst a civil war and Rhaenyra’s struggle for power over Westeros. Not only the first lesbian kiss in the series, the scene is also significant as a rare moment of intimacy not associated with incest or abuse.
But the context for the kiss goes much deeper than that. Fans have long suspected Rhaenyra is queer, mainly due to her relationship with Alicent (Olivia Cooke), her former best friend. When Rhaenyra and Alicent were introduced as teenagers in season one (played by Milly Alcock and Emily Carey, respectively), queer fans became convinced the two were in love. In later years, they have a major falling out and become the leaders of the two warring factions in Westeros, Team Black and Team Green.
The nature of their feelings for one another is never made explicit, though all four actors (playing the younger and older versions of the characters) have noted the romantic subtext and supported the ship. Fans of Rhaenyra and Alicent—christened “Rhaenicent”—found the dynamic immediately compelling, though many were worried it would be another case of queerbaiting and that the writers would string them along and never confirm their love.
‘Rhaenicent’ fandom in House of the Dragon
Canon or not, the Rhaenicent fandom has continued to grow every episode, alongside copious amounts of fanart, fanfiction, and fanvids (many of which are set to Taylor Swift songs—the true litmus test for if a series has captured sapphic viewers or not). Fans are just as obsessed with Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke as they are with the characters they play, and many have noted that the press they do together leans into the ship.
Thus, Rhaenyra and Mysaria’s kiss confirms not only Rhaenyra’s queerness, but potentially Rhaenyra’s love for Alicent as well. Sapphic fans’ reaction to the kiss was about as elated as you’d expect. Many noted that while they still want more Rhaenicent content, the fact that one of the lead characters on the show was confirmed as queer is meaningful enough on its own. Sapphic fans felt vindicated by the kiss and were thrilled to finally be represented. “this is no longer a safe space for straight people,” one fan declared.
Moreover, many fans were excited by the possibility this new relationship would bring even more angst to the Rhaenyra/Alicent dynamic, a characteristic that has defined the ship from the beginning. Shippers became convinced Alicent was going to drown herself because of the kiss in the next episode because of a sneak peek circulating online. “alicent feels the vibrations of rhaenyra kissing another woman and immediately goes to drown herself in the lake. real lesbian representation right there,” one fan joked.
As is often the case, not everyone was happy with the lesbian lip-locking. Some fans got on their high horses and admonished Rhaenyra for cheating, even though the series is chock-full of much more upsetting sexual dynamics, and others argued it felt too sudden. Then there was the straight-up homophobia, with some viewers review-bombing the episode on IMDB. Whichever way you slice it, the kiss opened up a can of worms that can’t be closed, with both stans and haters making themselves heard like never before.
Why it matters
Considering criticisms of Game of Thrones’ poor treatment of queer characters, this canonically queer turn for House of the Dragon is a compelling development.
Actress Sonoya Mizuno told Vulture that while the kiss was unscripted, she and D’Arcy “both strongly felt that we didn’t want it to be queer-baity in any way.”
That the concept of queerbaiting now influences how shows are made indicates just how persuasive queer fandoms have become, and Mizuno is right to be wary of their wrath. After all, they have the dragons on their side.
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