Happy Father’s Day :) and happy House of the Dragon day- considering the glorious marketing effort that has gone into this season premiere, I’m sure its falling on the same Sunday as Father’s Day was no coincidence. For your information, Soft Serve is declaring for the Blacks. That’s not necessarily because I’m a Rhaenyra loyalist as much as it’s because I really dislike the Hightowers.
If you can’t tell how excited I am for this evening, maybe my epic new hat gives it away:
If u are in NYC and want a hat, check out these locations which are participating in the promotion only until TONIGHT.
Enough HOTD discourse for now (there is more in this letter, sorry non-fans).
In other Me News, this week I embarked on my mission to work through a hyperspecific New York City bucketlist over the summer. So far, I’ve completed two of my seventeen tasks, and have had a lot of fun doing them. My climbing endeavor is progressing swimmingly, and I’ve been listening to a lot of great new music including Luke Combs’ and Pond’s. Fun.
weekly collage: climbing, flowers, dogs.
Now, onto my letter:
5 Not-Headlines
Françoise Hardy in Paris.
Françoise Hardy passed away at 80 this week. The French songstress/actress was remembered by Vogue as an “eternal French muse” and the “epitome of effortless beauty.” The Financial Times calls her symbolic of the Left Bank’s existentialist aesthetic. Her chic style is timeless, her music as breezy as it is melancholic. If you’re not sure what to listen to today, I suggest her 1970 record Soleil.
After an amusement park ride in Portland malfunctioned, 28 riders were stuck upside down for nearly half an hour. Take a moment to imagine the violence of the headrush each of them must have experienced once they were freed. That alone makes me never want to seek a thrill ever, LOL.
Rodent men are In, say Online Women. From what I gather, to earn this flattering title, men must basically have more angular faces and less muscle tone. Their handsomeness is unconventional, but they are handsome nonetheless. Think: Matty Healy, Jeremy Allen White (in The Bear, not The Iron Claw), Timothée Chalamet, etc etc. I suppose this is the natural pendulum swing after a year of Travis Kelce fervor sparked a wave of crushes on sturdier jock types. This discussion gives me whiplash to when girls were asking their followers if they’re fairy pretty or Bratz pretty or Barbie pretty and reminds me how bizarre I find this whole impulse to categorize our own physical appearances.
Another In this summer, according to The Cut, are Meme Tees. That’s self-aware or silly merch that showcases the wearer’s niche interest, signaling a sort of “I see you” to fellow fans as well as a general sense of good humor. Allow me to confirm this trend with some anecdotal evidence, for if it is anything, to live in New York is to be constantly conducting anthropological field work. On the street just the other day I saw a “LYDIA TAR WAS INNOCENT” shirt and another with a photo of Kendall Roy in a heart above the caption “I can fix him.” Am I the only one who says this has BEEN known? At Boston Marmon one year ago Titi had me sporting an “I do all my own stunts” baby tee (I do still have to return this to her), the “cancelled-adjacent” tee has been on my wishlist, and the Libertarian Juul tee was starring on everyone’s FYP.
The book in everyone’s upcycled rattan bag last summer was Emma Cline’s The Guest. What will it be this summer? Based on an Elle UK list of the books of this summer, I’m betting Parade by Rachel Cusk will be the one to grip people this year.
<125 words about how I ❤️ NY
After almost being sat on by a strange man on my subway ride home the other day, I began unfurling an entertaining little thought: What if we could collect badges for the quintessentially NYC experiences under our belts? This thought is of course succeeded by a list of possible badges. Knowing bodega cats by name. Feeling your heart sink when the subway doors close as you realize you’re trapped in the Wrong Car. Getting addressed rudely. Giving it back. Halal cart in Midtown. Arriving at destination 5 mins earlier than Maps anticipated despite a stop on the way.
I love these little moments. Every single one belongs to a mental scrapbook of stories that remind me I have a place in this city.
Everything you need to know before House of the Dragon tonight
The season 1 finale of HOTD aired in October 2022. Since it’s been a minute, I’ve rewatched episode ten, took notes, and compiled a wee crash course so you’re equipped with everything you need to know before 9pm.
Obviously, spoilers ahead.
THE CONTEXT
The death of King Viserys Targaryen has opened up a power struggle between two Targaryen factions, the Greens and the Blacks. Before notifying Rhaenyra of her father’s death, the Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower installs her son Aegon II as king.
If this brazen gamble did not guarantee war on its own, the so-called “Dance of the Dragons” is set into irreversible motion after (Alicent and Viserys’ son) Aemond accidentally murders (Rhaenyra’s son of disputed parentage) Lucerys. This is where season 1 concludes.
THE GREENS
Claim: Aegon II is Viserys’ first born son and therefore the presumptive heir.
Players: Alicent and Otto Hightower, King (?) Aegon II, Aemond, Criston Cole.
Seat: King’s Landing.
Allies: The Baratheons, the Lannisters (and the Lannister Fleet).
Dragon count: Four.
Additional edge: Every symbol of legitimacy in this fight belongs to the Greens. Aegon II has the crown and the Iron Throne, he was coronated before an audience, he has the name of the conquerer and the classic platinum hair. Also, crucially, he is a son.
THE BLACKS
Claim: King Viserys (publicly) named his daughter Rhaenyra as his heir. Despite later fathering a son by his second wife Alicent, Viserys never overturned the decision about his successor so when he died, Rhaenyra ought to have been crowned queen.
Dragon count: Twelve. It was thirteen before Lucerys and his dragon were killed by Aemond.
Additional edge: The Sea Snake Corlys Velaryon liiiiiives which means the Stepstones are HIS after a hard-fought war. So, the Blacks have control of the Narrow Sea, and therefore of trade into Westeros.
MY QUESTIONS
We know the Baratheons and the Lannisters have definitively declared for the Greens. Where does that leave other major houses of Westeros like the Starks, Tullys, and Arryns? Surely we’ll soon have clarity on this one.
In the last episode, we leave Rhaenyra just as she learns of Lucerys’ death. The presumptive Queen bears an expression which can only be described as a declaration of REVENGE TIME. We’ll see Rhaenyra go scorched earth in season two. But what will that look like for a woman whose father told her to keep the realm strong and united against all odds? Will this responsibility add nuance to her warfare, or will she be overcome by grief and let anger dictate her policy entirely?
Like Jon in the GOT series, Rhaenyra has a unique and very specific trepidation about something greater: the (undead) enemy to the North. Will this come into play at all?
Table Notes
Yesterday, my sister and I went out to dinner in Williamsburg at our family’s little go-to Chinese spot. The noodles and tea were delicious, they always are, but getting to simply spend time alone with my little sister was so fun and needed in a way I didn’t even realize. We sat next to one another looking out the window just chatting and giggling and sharing dishes. My little sister rocks, she’s so cool and witty and I know that, but our dinner last night reminded me so.
Newsletter and it’s the same but there’s a Brat album review so it’s not
Last Friday, Charli XCX’s new album Brat came out and I love it. To be candid though, I was extremely positively predisposed to this record because (a) I have enjoyed listening to Charli XCX since 2013 and (b) I was obsessed with all the Chloe Sevigny 360 music video clips on my timeline.
The strength of this album lies in the fact that throughout its 18 song tracklist, she traverses an enormous range of emotions, and does so honestly. Every celebration of herself is counterbalanced with admissions of defeat. So, listeners are left with Charli’s idea that reconciling all of the uncomfortable feelings we live with is the only route to truly turning love inward.
Every song, even the ones about difficult emotions, are FUN. Charli opens the album with bolder I Love Me songs, then continues toward songs that deal with being awkward, confused, tired. She talks about someone hurting her in “Sympathy is a knife” and self-doubt in “Girl, so confusing.” Romantic relationships are also discussed. She admits the mark a partner has left on her in “So I,” or how easy it can be to stagnate in a relationship when she says “breaking muscle down / building muscle up / repeating it” in “B2b.”
Through all this discomfort, baring her soul seems to liberate her because it allows her to love herself. She tells us so in “Club classics,” when she says she wants to dance to her own music until she’s sweating.
Weekly W.R.A.P.
Wearing: Running shoes and climbing shoes.
Reading: Continuing through Ulenspeigel, oh boy. And about the gut microbiome.
Admonishing: Guess who. The Rangers. Guess why. For extending nothingburger of a right wing Kaapo Kakko’s contract for another year. I want to send him the below post because it was made for him.
If you’re new here, I told you to guess who’s getting admonished this week because it’s the New York Rangers far too often. That’s simply because they keep proving themselves easy to be disappointed by. For the No Quit team, there’s an awful lot of quitting. It is time to LOCK. IN.
Pondering: Where my NYC bucketlist will take me next.
Thanks for the House of the Dragon recap and battle order for Season 2!! 🐲🐉
BRAT SUMMER!!1!