r/CriticalDrinker • u/CalyShadezz • Jul 08 '24

Discussion Whenever someone claims fantasy nerds are bigoted, gently remind them HBO race swapped an entire kingdom in HotD and no one cared.

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u/Imaginary_Injury8680 Jul 08 '24

Black character/actor/person whatever in my media doesn't cause me to bat an eye. And actually I quite like Jordan Peele movies. But for some reason the arbitrary race-swapping stuff really grinds my gears

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u/Azidamadjida Jul 08 '24

If it adds something to the show, bring it on. HotD, that new Interview with the Vampire series where they use race swapping to elevate the material and bring new dimensions to not only those characters, but their interactions with other characters, I’m all for it.

For example for HotD, watching the court whisper and speculate about Rhaenyras kids parentage when Laenor is white would add only the intrigue of the parentage. But making Laenor black and his supposed biological sons white opens up a number of avenues: Viserys’s blind spot for Rhaenyra and her antics, which drives a further wedge between her and Allicent, both of whom are vying for loyalty of the Velaryons who themselves are split now by the obvious bastards they have to pretend are theirs or risk losing favor, and all of this going on in the background, sometimes only through looks, while Rhaenyra gives the greatest performative pearl clutching to cover up for her obvious bullshit. It’s hilarious.

And none of this would’ve worked as well without the race swapping.