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agentrouka-blog · 3 years

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dumb question. but do you think dany is the stallion who mounts the world?

Hi there!

That’s not a dumb question. :)

Also, yes. Absolutely. Along with the other savior-related prophecies. The Prince that was Promised, Azor Ahai, etc...

Specifically, it is Dany in combination with Drogon.

Dany eats the horse heart and the dosh khaleen make their prophecy, but like all seers and priests, they are fallible, and prone to misinterpretation, due to the sexist bias in their culture.

“Khalakka dothrae mr’anha!” she proclaimed in her best Dothraki. A prince rides inside me! She had practiced the phrase for days with her handmaid Jhiqui. (AGOT, Daenerys V)

Since the ceremony and everyone’s expectations are pointed at the expected son (assumed son, never a daughter!) their visions are ascribed to this innocent fetus. Rhaego, as we later learn, was never going to be that. He fits perfectly into the Targaryen pattern of dragonblood-related, malformed stillbirths.

So who else would it be, who is prophecied to be this prince:

“As swift as the wind he rides, and behind him his khalasar covers the earth, men without number, with arakhs shining in their hands like blades of razor grass. Fierce as a storm this prince will be. His enemies will tremble before him, and their wives will weep tears of blood and rend their flesh in grief. The bells in his hair will sing his coming, and the milk men in the stone tents will fear his name.” The old woman trembled and looked at Dany almost as if she were afraid. “The prince is riding, and he shall be the stallion who mounts the world.”

Let’s look what applies.

1) Swift as the wind...

The silver horse leapt the flames as if she had wings.

When she pulled up before Magister Illyrio, she said, "Tell Khal Drogo that he has given me the wind." (AGOT, Daenerys II)

But also...

The horses broke and ran when the shadow fell upon them, racing through the grass until their sides were white with foam, tearing the ground with their hooves … but as swift as they were, they could not fly. Soon one horse began to lag behind the others. The dragon descended on him, roaring, and all at once the poor beast was aflame, yet somehow he kept on running, screaming with every step, until Drogon landed on him and broke his back. (ADWD, Daenerys X)

2) Fierce as a storm…

"And I am Daenerys Stormborn, Daenerys of House Targaryen, of the blood of Aegon the Conqueror and Maegor the Cruel and old Valyria before them. I am the dragon's daughter, and I swear to you, these men will die screaming. Now bring me to Khal Drogo." (AGOT, Daenerys IX)

3) Enemies will tremble… Her perceived enemies at the point of that prophecy are the Robert and Ned and the Lannisters.

"Your Grace, I never knew you to fear Rhaegar." Ned fought to keep the scorn out of his voice, and failed. "Have the years so unmanned you that you tremble at the shadow of an unborn child?" (AGOT, Eddard VIII)

Ironically, Rhaego is not that unborn child. The “Shadow” is another. When Dany rides Drogon, she has completed her transformation into the Stallion.

"It were the black one," the man said, in a Ghiscari growl, "the winged shadow. He come down from the sky and … and …" (ADWD, Daenerys I)

4) Their wives weep tears of blood and rend their flesh...

The tears burned like vinegar as they ran down her cheeks. Ten fierce ravens were raking her face with sharp talons and tearing off strips of flesh, leaving deep furrows that ran red with blood. She could taste it on her lips. (ASOS, Catelyn VII)

I have no doubt that more will tremble and weep blood before long.

5) Bells in their hair….

That was Drogon's victory, not mine, Dany wanted to say, but she held her tongue. The Dothraki would esteem her all the more for a few bells in her hair. She chimed as she mounted her silver mare, and again with every stride, but neither Ser Jorah nor her bloodriders made mention of it.

(ACOK, Daenerys V)

6) Milk men in stone tents will fear her name...

"On that we can agree," Ser Kevan said, "but the girl is of the blood of Aegon the Conqueror, and I do not think she will be content to remain in Meereen forever. If she should reach these shores and join her strength to Lord Connington and this prince of his, feigned or no … we must destroy Connington and his pretender now, before Daenerys Stormborn can come west." (ADWD, Epilogue)

and..

"She is the Mad King's daughter," the princess said. "How do we do know--"

"We cannot know," Ser Daemon said. "We can only hope."

(TWOW, Arianne I)

7) The prince is riding.

As Dany rode beneath the arched entry and up the center aisle, every eye was on her. The Dothraki screamed out comments on her belly and her breasts, hailing the life within her. She could not understand all they shouted, but one phrase came clear. "The stallion that mounts the world," she heard, bellowed in a thousand voices.

They are screaming about Rhaego but they are looking at her as she rides.

So the Dany = Stallion = Prince (that was promised) = Azor Ahai.

“We must act boldly, or all hope is lost. Westeros must unite beneath her one true king, the prince that was promised, Lord of Dragonstone and chosen of R'hllor." (ASOS, Davos IV)

Chosen by the god of burning people alive.

And finally Maester Aemon ties it up:

"No one ever looked for a girl," he said. "It was a prince that was promised, not a princess. Rhaegar, I thought . . . the smoke was from the fire that devoured Summerhall on the day of his birth, the salt from the tears shed for those who died. He shared my belief when he was young, but later he became persuaded that it was his own son who fulfilled the prophecy, for a comet had been seen above King's Landing on the night Aegon was conceived, and Rhaegar was certain the bleeding star had to be a comet. What fools we were, who thought ourselves so wise! The error crept in from the translation. Dragons are neither male nor female, Barth saw the truth of that, but now one and now the other, as changeable as flame. The language misled us all for a thousand years. Daenerys is the one, born amidst salt and smoke. The dragons prove it."

(AFFC, Samwell IV)

Ironically, he is still utterly wrong in his assumption that this prince will be a force of good. Quite the opposite.

#asoiaf #anti daenerys targaryen #the stallion that mounts the world #azor ahai #the prince that was promised #drogon the dragon #Dosh khaleen #prophecy #Long post

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lotionalt-writeherman · 5 years

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A lot of people on the GoT tag like “I expected too much” and “knew there’d be some bullshit ending” but I want to stop that. Because NO. No. You did NOT expect too much. You expected a well-written season that accurately portrayed the characters and show. Like you’ve been getting for years. Like they promised.

This show has been epic. EPIC. Nearly every fan will tell you, at least up through season six, that this is the best show ever made. And they were right. Because this shit WAS good. We had incredible character arcs, complex plot to go with them, and absolutely beautiful endings. Everything has always come together. It’s always seemed somewhat fitting, or at least made sense looking back. It’s always been one of those things where you scream when it happens, but then later you’re like yeah, it sucked, but looking back I get how we got here. (When Jon was stabbed by the Night’s Watch. When Joffrey was poisoned by Olenna. When Tyrion killed his dad, then Shae. Hell, the Red Wedding, even. When Jon turns out to be a Targaryen)

And that was good writing. Like, real, quality writing. Characters may have been doing dumb shit, but it made sense for those characters.

This season?

Everything went south. I don’t know exactly what happened, to be honest. Maybe it’s because they’re not following the books. Maybe it’s because they’re trying to cram two books worth of plot in one season.

Either way, it’s garbage.

Let’s go through the characters they’ve done wrong, shall we?

Tyrion. Tyrion is the clever one. He’s always a step or two ahead, can always see what’s going on. And this season and the last he’s been... what? Not doing that. Like, really not doing that. His whole thing is that he can’t fight, but he can think. That’s what he has going for him. And in just this episode, he’s not seen Sansa’s reveal of the secret for what it so obviously is, told Varys (literally everyone saw that one coming), and freed Jaime to help their sister (who is evil, whom Tyrion hates) escape. That’s just this episode. What happened?

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention how literally no one in Winterfell was like, “hey, maybe we shouldn’t put all the people who can’t fight where the dead people are. Because, you know, the dead people can come back to life, and we all know that, but we’re ignoring it.” You’re telling me Sansa and Tyrion BOTH overlooked that shit? When every idiot on Twitter was talking about it the MINUTE it was mentioned in Ep 2? Nah.

Jon. To be fair, Jon’s been pretty in character for what we know about him. He found a queen, he’s loyal to her because he’s loyal and that’s his thing. But how about when Sansa is like “yo, shouldn’t we let our guys rest, since they just fought like a billion dead guys?” and jon’s like, nah, whatever Dany said? I’m calling bullshit. Also this last episode I feel like he kind of does nothing. Which isn’t Jon’s style. He’s a do-er, always has been. And he’s a leader. Yes, he respects Dany and even cares for her, but I find it hard to believe he’s really going to just... step back. and ignore everything she’s doing. and not offer an opinion, like, ever. That’s not his style, it’s never been his style. Ever since he arrived on the Wall, the one thing we know about Jon Snow is that he can’t keep his mouth shut if he thinks something is wrong. And we’re just going to... ignore that?

Jaime. I kind of don’t want to do him, because my boy got done so clearly wrong and everyone is doing him. But whatever, I’ll state the obvious. We had about 3 seasons of pure character development for him, where Jaime was learning that he still had honor, PROVING he still had honor. By himself. No Cersei, just Jaime out there in the world not being an asshole. Because he is honorable. Remember King’s Landing, when he earned ‘Kingslayer?’ Remember when he promised Catelyn he’d protect her girls, and he really did do everything, including betraying Cersei, to keep that promise? Remember when he lost his hand to stop Brienne from being raped? Remember when he leaves Cersei to join the army in the North because he doesn’t want millions to die? So excuse me if it makes no logical sense for the man to decide ‘fuck it, honor what honor imma go fuck my sister again.’ Because he’s changed. They made a point to show us the lengths to which he’s changed. And then the ending he’s given is basically ‘I only care about you, Cersei, I don’t care about the thousands dying in king’s landing.’ That’s disrespect, yo. DISRESPECT.

Dany. Again, this one’s obvious. And honestly, from what I’ve seen, pretty much everyone can agree that this shit was dumb. Yeah, there were hints that she could someday go crazy. Yeah, she said some stuff seasons ago about burning cities. You know what else she did, though? She saw slavery. She saw how it hurt the individual person, the people, and she wanted it gone. So she ended it, because it was wrong. She spent whole seasons trying not to be her father, to be just. At literally the first sign that her dragons were hurting innocents (burned that one kid) she locked them all up. Because she couldn’t stand to see innocent people hurt. She sees the wrong in her father’s actions, because she knows that he wanted to kill normal, everyday, innocent people. He wanted to burn them all, but all of them dying wasn’t justice, and that’s always been what she’s wanted: justice. Even the Tarlys got a choice: bend the knee or die. In her mind, it was justice. She let them choose, even after they initially fought against her. But then, this season, she flips all that? Goes back on the claim of not wanting to be “queen of the ashes”? Burns the entire city to the ground, including her own troops? No.

I know that she’s sad because Jorah is dead, because Missandei is dead, because it looks like her advisors have betrayed her, like Jon doesn’t want to be with her. So she’s upset because she’s alone. And that makes sense. You can get a little depressed over it. But she wins. She gets there. She has King’s Landing in the palm of her hand, and instead of going in and taking the Iron Throne like a boss, she completely disrespects the memory of all those who have died for her and burns everything and everyone. Missandei said “dracarys” as her final word, which has been the justification for this decision. But for Dany to take her words to mean “burn the city and every kid in here to the ground” is just as absurd as assuming Missandei would ever want that. Dany knew this girl. She’s had her with her for years at this point. That’s not what she would’ve wanted. It all goes back to justice. That’s what Missandei wanted. That’s what Dany has always wanted. And burning King’s Landing wasn’t it. Continuity is nonexistent for Daenerys here. It’s just gone.

And I’ll say, again, what everyone has been saying: if this had been set up better, I wouldn’t be mad. I think Dany as a mad queen, set up properly in the narrative, would’ve been fine. I’ve always liked Dany, but I’m not saying any of this because she’s my favorite. She’s not. But I can still see that the way that this was done, in the span of three episodes, didn’t work. There isn’t enough evidence to support this yet. If there had been actions, real actions, even just through the last season that could hint at this, fine. I would’ve accepted it. It’s kind of a cool way for this to go, honestly, if done correctly. But it wasn’t, and that’s what my problem with it is. She was set up as a character with a code of values, a strong belief in justice for wrongdoers and relief for innocents, and has consistently shown through her actions that she follows that code. You can’t completely change a character arc in a span of three episodes based on her actions of justice against those who have clearly wronged her, at least in her mind. That’s not how you write characters.

Where the actual hell is the decent writing? Because the only cool things this season have been from previous seasons. Like Jon is Aegon Targaryen. That shit was WILD. I loved it. I loved how it’d been set up, everything. But like... that’s it.That’s the only cool thing set up this season. Everything else is this surface level bullshit. It feels like a soap opera. Where is the scheming? Where is the intricate plot weaving that’s been a part of this show since day one? That’s the reason we’re here. That. Not because we like it when characters die, because we want flashy battles and dragon scenes. Those are nice, but not why this show blew up like it did. This show is so impressive because it’s smart. Not because it’s big or gruesome or shocking. Because it’s smart. I feel like that was obvious to everyone. You should’ve known that. You had eight seasons to set up this incredible ending. You knew it was coming.

Instead, you ignored the previous seasons. The plots, the characters. All the potential there. You had years to plan. You saw the theories, the ideas everywhere. And because you were so intent on being impressive, on surprising everybody and doing something no one expected, you fucked up. Instead of focusing on delivering quality, you focused on shock value. “No one ever thought of this,” You said proudly. No one thought of this because no one thought you would be this fucking stupid.

So.. yeah. fuck d&d. :)

#game of thrones #got #got spoilers #game of thrones spoilers #jonerys #jaime #cersei lannister #jaime x cersei #jaime lannister #tyrion #dany #daenerys targaryen #jon snow

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ginmo · 4 years

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Hey Ginmo, you mentioned previously that you don’t think Brienne and Jaime will meet up with LSH. What is your theory on what could happen?

I think a part of Brienne’s arc is to be challenged with dilemmas of oath keeping and honor. Jaime starts his journey expressing how it’s near impossible to stick to oaths and honor if you’re thrown into a position where it takes two situations and pits them against one another, making the knight choose which is the more honorable route. No matter what, the person is in conflict, and some honor is sacrificed. There’s no right or wrong answer for what the most honorable choice would be. Jaime is also “the things I do for love” and... so is Brienne.

I’m going to copy and paste an answer I gave from a response about getting a Brienne POV in TWOW.

“They have parallel arcs. Both of them ran from being heir to pledge their life away to a KG, because it was the only way they could be close to the person they loved. They both have arcs that are driven by love and explore honor. Jaime has been inspired by Brienne’s belief in honor, and Jaime is challenging Brienne on the grey areas of oath keeping, and what it means to be honorable. I think a main reason why LSH even exists is so that Brienne is challenged with a similar dilemma that Jaime had faced.”

In a way, the person Brienne pledged her sword to went “mad,” so I believe she’ll be confronted with a situation that mirrors Jaime and Aerys. In a different way, though, of course. BUT... I’m not sure it’ll happen right away. I think Brienne is coming up with a plan, whether she already had one when she got Jaime, or if she’ll figure it out as they travel to where ever.

Since their arcs kinda go in reverse, then it’s not a stretch to assume Brienne will have a Mad King moment where she kills LSH with, ironically, Oathkeeper.

He would not use the Maid against a mortal man, for she was so potent as to make any fight unfair. - BRIENNE, AFFC

Another reason why I don’t think they’ll go straight to LSH is because of what GRRM said

Lady Stoneheart does have a role in the books. Whether it’s sufficient or interesting enough… I think it is, or I wouldn’t have put her in. One of the things I wanted to show with her is that the death she suffered changes you.

I had discussions about what way we should go in, I would always favor sticking with the books, while they would favor making changes. I think one of the biggest ones would probably be when they made the decision not to bring Catelyn Stark back as Lady Stoneheart. That was probably the first major diversion of the show from the books and, you know, I argued against that, and David and Dan made that decision.

In the book, characters can be resurrected. After Catelyn is resurrected as Lady Stoneheart, she becomes a vengeful, heartless killer. In the sixth book, I still continue to write her. She is an important character in the set of books. [Keeping her character] is the change I most wish I could make in the [show].

But if LSH was around just for Brienne to deliver Jaime and have her Mad King moment, then I think GRRM would be more understanding as to why they made the decision to cut, and she wouldn’t be viewed as a “major diversion.” LSH is going to have a much wider impact as a “vengeful, heartless killer,” which means Jaime and Brienne aren’t going to get to her before she fucks shit up in a big way (some people theorize a possible Red Wedding 2.0).

Jaime and Brienne have also been missing for several weeks now. LSH is still “alive,” which means a) Brienne hasn’t killed her b) Jaime isn’t dead or else the death of the Kingslayer would have for sure gotten around by now and c) LSH still hasn’t had that big impact on the story that would make her “the first major diversion.”

“But if she doesn’t go to LSH then Pod and Hyle will die!” I don’t find it stretch to think Brienne would be put in situation that really darkens her character, and I could see that moment being Brienne not returning for Pod and Hyle to keep Jaime away from LSH.

“She said sword when Hyle and Pod were swinging”

Yes, and she also probably realized that LSH won’t stop until Jaime is dead, so there’s literally no point for her to sacrifice herself in that moment if they continue to go after Jaime, because then all four of them would be dead anyway. Going to Jaime she may even be trying to come up with a plan to save them as well, but then makes the difficult decision to sacrifice them. Maybe she even does go back, and finds out that the two of them are dead, that LSH kept them hanging.

At the S4 premiere:

Interviewer: Is there any character who is morally beyond reproach?

GRRM: Beyon reproach? You mean like good, so good? Probably not.

Interviewer: I was thinking Brienne.

GRRM: Maybe, yes, certainly. She’s up there. She’s very idealistic. At least in the beginning, but you know her journey still has a way to go, and my world has a way of testing one’s ideals, so we’ll see by the end.

Brienne killing LSH would be grey in the sense that it causes Brienne to kill the woman she pledged her sword to, but I feel like GRRM is hinting that he’s going to darken her up a bit more, just like Jaime.

Jaime killed the Mad King to save innocents.

Brienne kills LSH to save innocents.

Jaime pushed a child out the window as an act of love to save his family.

Brienne may sacrifice a child to save the man she loves.

What do I think Brienne’s plan may be?

My mind changes every day haha. I feel it strongly in my gut that the Quiet Isle has to come into play in some form for Brienne. I’m thinking maybe they go there to heal from whatever, or to go there to rest and formulate a plan for what to do next. Maybe they even join up with the Hound to go look for Sansa?

I also think there’ll be angst and conflict with Jaime, since he abandoned his men, and Tommen is in KL. But I’m starting to think that there is some truth to Brienne’s lie, in that she is going to Sansa, but she’s saving Jaime from the BWB and LSH by getting him to help her find Sansa. If Jaime is with Brienne in her mission to find her, she can protect him. She could be thinking that if they both find Sansa and bring her to LSH, then maybe LSH will have mercy, proving to her that Jaime is not the man she thought he was. Whether they find Sansa or not LSH won’t be kind though lol so Brienne will still most likely kill her.

#brienne of tarth #jaime lannister #jaime x brienne #lady stoneheart

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yenslilac · 4 years

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Daenerys Targaryen and Ophelia: An Essay

I wrote this a while back, just after Season 8 ended. After a few edits, I decided to share it with you! Disclaimer: I wrote this fueled with rage at 11 at night for two weeks straight. Don’t judge.

Part 1: The Heroine Goes Absolutely Bats**t Crazy

Ophelia. Known throughout time as That Crazy Chick Who Drowned Herself. What a legacy. And Daenerys: She Who Toasted A City Like Marshmallows And Then Was Offed By Her Nephew/Lover. The sad thing is, these are my heroes. What a life. But the ‘Insane Heroine’ trope is prevalent in many forms of media – Dark Phoenix is another example. At first glance, Daenerys and Ophelia have very little in common; Daenerys is a powerful and assertive leader, and Ophelia is a background love interest. The one thing that unites them – they go crazy because of rejected love. While their descent into madness is slightly different; Ophelia is pitiful, Daenerys aggressive, both end up dying indirectly or directly as a result of their lover. Lovely. Let’s talk first about Ophelia – She is rebuffed Hamlet, the original pathetic sad boy, and at the death of her father, goes insane. After several performances of her insanity, she makes her way to a river where she falls (or throws?) herself into the water and drowns. This is witnessed by Gertrude, who then goes on to tell her brother Laertes of her death. It’s a pretty monologue, describing the flowers and plants growing along the riverbank, and how pretty and peaceful she looked as she sank under water and DIED. Remember this. Then my girl Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals and the First Men etc. etc. Oh boy. Ohhhhhh boy. What can I say except **************** ***** ** **********. Thank you for your time. But she like Ophelia, was scorned by her Boyfriend Who Felt It Was Just A Little Weird That She Was His Aunt. But like, your paternal grandparents and the rest of your great-whatever grandparents were siblings, and your maternal grandparents were cousins so… But I digress. Wait no, this is what it’s all about. I’m back! I un-digress! So, she goes ‘insane’ cause she can’t get laid (don’t we all?) and roasts a whole lot of people and becomes… Hitler for some reason… So, Boyfriend Who Felt It Was Just A Little Weird That She Was His Aunt And Really Wishes He Can Just Catch A Break For Once Is It Really Too Much Too Ask is egged on by Murder Sister™ and Smarty Pants McGee to kill her. Just like my friends! He makes out with her and stabs her (best of both worlds!) and she dies. Very prettily. Remember this. You know. YOU KNOW I’m going to rant about this.

Part 2: Heroic Man Kills The Crazy Lady Like The Feral Dog She Is (But Feels Sad About It)

Trope as old as time… why is this still fine… surely there’s a better plot deviiiiiice. “Duty is the death of love…” Shut up. Shut up. No, it isn’t. There is a thing called multitasking. You should try it. But let’s recap. Woman goes crazy because of lover/hero of the story rebuffing her because he’s got issues of his own that he doesn’t care to share with her, and close friend/family member is killed. This is when the paths of the Hero diverge. Hamlet does not actually kill Ophelia himself, but his careless actions towards her eventually drive her to suicide. Jon, on the other hand, does kill Daenerys, (no, I’m not mad. I’m just disappointed) by a knife to the heart while snogging her. (I’d like to take the opportunity to say that this was ridiculous and yes, I will die mad about it.) What else is similar? Hamlet holds Ophelia’s (or in some adaptations tries to) dead body in his arms as she is about to be buried and Jon holds Daenerys as she dies. They cry and wish it didn’t have to be this way, but really guys, this is Your Fault.

The problem with this trope in particular (and I’m talking about a lot of other examples here, like Dark Phoenix and Wolverine) is that it renders the killer sympathetic. They didn’t want to do this, but it was for the good of humanity, it was a mercy, blah blah blah. Really? Did someone make you kill her? No, a sense of moral justice does not count. Hamlet abuses and humiliates Ophelia then claims he loved her so much that ‘forty thousand brothers could not…” Creepy. I have to say, creepy. And Jon Snow. “Was it right? It doesn’t feel right…” I’m glad you came to that conclusion. I really am. But I knew this from the moment you stuffed that butter knife into her spleen, so honestly you don’t have any business feeling sorry for yourself. If there’s one lesson that Game of Thrones and Shakespeare has taught me, it is:

(not an artist, don’t judge)

Part 3: Someone Died And The Director Said, “Cool But Like… Make It Fashion.”

Do you remember what I told you to remember? Did you? Cause I’m about to RANT.

Throughout time (like 500 years) men have been painting Ophelia’s drowning – the probable suicide of a tormented young woman – and made sure she looked hot while doing it. True, the description of her death is pretty and all, but depictions of her floating just below the surface, a dramatic and lovely pose and flowers strewn around her glamorise her death – something many other people have taken note on – and give her death something of a peaceful, serene departing note, rather than the death of a woman so deranged she did not appear to understand the gravity of her situation as she sank under water. Daenerys suffers a similar case of SDPS (Sexy Dead Person Syndrome). Let’s go through it step by step, shall we? While in an embrace with someone she loves and trusts, she is stabbed in the heart area (I guess?), and she dies. The End. My respect for white men flew off with Drogon. But I haven’t complained properly yet! Compared to other characters, like Myrcella, Joffrey and Catelyn Stark to name a few, her death was very clean. In these other examples, blood runs down their faces or spurts out of their neck in suitably graphic fashion but Daenerys’ case, two thin lines of blood trickle from her nose and mouth. Pretty, pretty. We get a brief shot of a pool of blood on the snow as Drogon picks her up, but blink and you’ll miss it. She looks shocked and confused as she dies, yet the next shot of her face shows her eyes are closed and an almost peaceful expression on her face. Not only this but we don’t actually get any proper Last Words, when she knows she is about to die. She makes no sound at all. She dies prettily and quietly. We also don’t see the knife at all until she is dead, removing any very graphic nature from the scene. A lot of the camera shots are of Jon’s face. This scene is not about Daenerys Targaryen’s death; This is about Jon Snow’s inner turmoil as he selflessly sacrifices the woman he loves to save the rest of the world. Hold up one second I gotta……

I mean, come on. Daenerys is barely mentioned after her death. She, a woman who freed hundreds, no, thousands of slaves and worked hard to reach her goals (albeit a little dragonfire-y) yet she dies without a whisper and is forgotten almost immediately. She becomes less of a central character and more of a catalyst for other men’s rise to power (see Bran the Broken). Wait, what about Sansa, you cry? Well, at this point, she was so out of character I’m striking her from the narrative. Bye bitch 😊 The same goes for most of the other women in the last season. They become plot devices with a little agency and that’s about it. Missandei? Unnecessarily killed to create the “Mad Queen”. Cersei? A compelling villain reduced to a ‘crying girl who wants to be comforted’. Arya? Kills the Night King and then, I dunno. Sansa? Suspicious of Daenerys because of reasons, betrays her brother/cousin because she doesn’t want Daenerys on the throne, then just ‘forgets’ about this whole thing to become Queen in the North. Brienne? Honourable knight left sobbing after her one (k)night stand left her. Another thing that many of these women have in common (the ones who survived to the final episode anyway) is that none of them have romantic endgames despite this being set up. Arya and Gendry have been close friends in Season 2 and 3, then <3 and everyone (i.e. me) thought that you know, they get together and stuff, because that’s what the writers seemed to be setting up. But nope. Arya’s all like ‘I wanna kill the queen’ (which she never does) and throws all that out the window. (But Gendry was totally on that ship at the end). Brienne and Jaime seemed to finally stop eye fricking and then got straight to the actual fricking but nooooo. “I lOvE CeRseI! WE’re bOTh tERrIble PeOple!” And of course, the crowning glory:

And the woman who actually does come out on top is Sansa, a largely unemotional, suspicious woman whose brother is now the king and made her a queen because she’s his sister. Riiiight. That’s totally not nepotism or anything.

The End: But Boy, Am I Just Beginning

To conclude, the ending of Daenerys Targaryen was largely misogynistic as it painted a brutal and dishonourable murder as an act of mercy and gave the killer (sorry man, I feel like I’m throwing you under the bus here, but it must be said) a sympathetic angle as a heartbroken martyr sacrificing for the greater good. I had high expectations, I really did, but you just took it anD THREW IT IN THE DIRT. Good god. But it’s fine, I have fanfiction anyway.

Thank you for reading this, if you stuck around this far!

#daenerys targaryen #daenerys defense squad #daenerys death tw #ophelia #shakespeare #anti d and d #anti got

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leialannister · 3 years

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Why C+B=R doesn’t work...

*rubs hands*

This is going to be fun…

I’ll start with busting the evidences that the theorist gave to make their theory believable (I’m not trying to mock them here btw don’t get me wrong) and continue with other factors why they simply do not work.

1)Follies done for love.

So the first thing the theorist talks about is Catelyn’s Tully morals and stuff, then they give Catelyn’s thoughts when she learns of Robb and Jeyne’s marriage as one of the evidences.

Only then came her belated remembrance. Follies done for love? He has bagged me neat as a hare in a snare. I seem to have already forgiven him.

-A Storm of Swords, Catelyn II.

They claim that the “follies done for love” is actually about Robb’s parentage.

“Brandon knew how to take what he wanted. Seems like he begged some,

(We will wed on my return he vowed) and she agreed,

hence the follies done for love.”

This could have been a good comment of the paragraph if we didn’t have a much better and realistic cause for her thoughts which is Jaime. Catelyn freed Jaime to get back her daughters, the daughters she loved fiercely, and she believes they are under Cersei’s claws, who she also blames for her husband’s death, and I don’t think I have to talk about the love Catelyn bears to Ned, for I never shut up about it. (Mind that Catelyn was unaware that Arya had escaped from the capital when she freed Jaime.) So no, passing off Brandon’s bastard as Ned’s isn’t the follies done for love, but freeing Jaime Lannister.

2)I did so gladly.

Here, the other evidence is that she marries Ned gladly and in a haste, because she’ll pass the child as his own, and she shouldn’t be far along or showing by the time they marry.

“When Brandon died shortly before they were to wed, Catelyn now having realized she is pregnant does not want her baby to grow up a bastard, so when told she must marry Ned in a haste, she does so gladly, planning to tell him that the child is his own.”

The problem here is how they interpret the word “gladly”.

Highborns rarely have the chance to choose whom they marry, especially if they are a woman and it’s their lord father who had arranged the marriage for them. (The Queen of Thorns, we all know she’s just another level.) Keep in mind that Catelyn is the favored child of Tully, (I love the Tullys but sorry Hoster that’s bad parenting 101) she is probably even more loved than Edmure, the heir to the Riverlands, and being his precious child, he wants Catelyn to be happy, for she deserves the world (FACTS!). But the man is also ambitious as fuck, she wants both daughters to be the wifes of high lords, and mother high lordlings. This is a great chance at hand, probably that comes very rarely too, considering the heir to the North has always had a Northern marriage. But Catelyn, being the dutiful daughter she is (Family, Duty, Honor) answers the way it would please her lord father.

And when Lord Hoster promised her to Brandon Stark, she had thanked him for making her such a splendid match.

-A Clash of Kings, Catelyn IV.

And when Brandon was murdered and Father told me I must wed his brother, I did so gladly, though I never saw Ned’s face until our wedding day. I gave my maidenhood to this solemn stranger and sent him off to his war and his king and the woman who bore him his bastard, because I always did my duty.

-A Clash of Kings, Catelyn IV.

She marries off Ned “gladly” because she has always done her duty, not because she wants to pass Brandon’s bastard as Ned’s.

3)Jon Snow…

“Another issue is the way that Catelyn treats Jon. Jealousy is understandable, but it's very uncommon for a woman and a mother, with maternal instincts, to treat a small child so badly.”

The whole Jon Snow/Catelyn relationship is severely misunderstood, and I think that is why this is mentioned in the theory.

The thing is… Catelyn rarely even treats Jon. She simply ignores him to at least make his presence bearable. Jealousy comes a long while after Jon is born and brought to Winterfell, and that never makes a change to Catelyn’s behaviour.

She might have overlooked a dozen bastards for Ned’s sake, so long as they were out of sight. Jon was never out of sight, and as he grew, he looked more like Ned than any of the trueborn sons she bore him.

-A Game of Thrones, Catelyn II.

Her problem is not Ned banging another woman in wartime, it’s that this child is in her home, where her trueborn children lives. He lives pretty much in the same luxuries with her own children. This might be bold of me, but there is no other ACKNOWLEDGED (The Baratheon (!) children are out) bastard in the Seven Kingdoms who lives in much luxury under such conditions (like Ned lacking a true born heir, etc.). As their marriage and relationship progresses, my parents (Ned & Cat) fall in love and this is where you can assume the jealousy comes in. She loves Ned dearly, fiercely, and it not only breaks her heart but makes herself feel as if she’s not enough to see that Jon remains in Winterfell, no matter how many sons she had bore him. Aye, she is aware that Ned is bestotted with her, but just like everyone, she has her dark moments where she wonders if she could never fill the hole that the bastard’s mother had left behind (Let’s not forget to mention that she doesn’t even know if she had ever left his heart at all). Despite being a fictional character, Catelyn is still human, and no one can ever blame her for being a human. That is what makes her a greatly rounded and complex character in the first place.

It is also confirmed by George R. R. Martin that Catelyn has never abused or mistreated Jon in any way, other than the time she snapped at him when Jon came to bid Bran farewell.

“Mistreatment” is a loaded word. did Catelyn beat Jon bloody? No. Did she distance herself from him? Yes. Did she verbally abuse and attack him? No. (The instance in Bran’s bedroom was obviously a very special case.) But I am sure she was very protective of the rights of her own children, and in that sense always drew the line sharply between bastard and trueborn where issues like seating on the high table for the king’s visit were at issue. And Jon surely knew that she would have preferred to have him elsewhere.

-George R. R. Martin.

“Keep in mind that the only way a bastard can threaten a trueborn 1st son is if the trueborn son is actually a bastard.”

Umm, no? The kid is a danger to all, especially if something were to happen to Robb. After all, Catelyn’s other children are also a part of the line of succession after Robb.

“In the show Catelyn says: “All this horror that's come to our family, It's all because I couldn't love a motherless child”.”

I think I have talked enough about how this scene totally ruins Catelyn’s character, and my opinions on this matter can be understood pretty clearly from the explanation I made about Catelyn and Jon’s relationship. The show is full of bullshit, and this is just one of them. (see my twitter account for this)

4)EvEn CeRsEi?!

“When Catelyn discovers Cersei's children are bastards who are not Robert's, she thinks:

"Would even Cersei be so mad? Catelyn was speechless."

Why EVEN Cersei? Why not simply say Cersei?

She can't believe another woman did the same thing she did, which is to let her husband raise another man's child, as his own.”

LMAO, she is talking about the freaking Targaryens!!! Cersei is literally the queen of the man who dethroned the mad incest supporters and she finds out that his wife is doing the same exact thing! Don’t you guys think it’s ironic? Well, I wonder what makes Catelyn so shocked...

(Oh and by the way, Cersei, baby you were so right..)

5)16,20,50 & Some Height Issues

“This is what Catelyn thinks about Robb: “Let him grow taller, she asked the gods. Let him know sixteen, and twenty, and fifty. Let him grow as tall as his father, and hold his own son in his arms. ”

So let’s ask ourselves Why these numbers? Does Catelyn just pick them out at random or is there meaning behind them? They certainly don’t seem to apply to Ned and yet they fit perfectly when applied to Brandon Stark  -Brandon was 16 when he met Catelyn and they fell in “love” -And was 20 when he died. -Although Rickard Starks exact age is unknown, I believe this is who Catelyn is thinking of when she says 50, Robbs Grandfather who died with Brandon.  So here we have Catelyn's thinking of Robb's life: may he live to meet a girl and fall in love, may he not die at 20 like his father or die at 50 like his grandfather. may he hold his own son in his arms, something Brandon was never able to do.”

This is one of the most well-thought evidences, but it’s wrong nonetheless.

Brandon Stark was born in 262 AC, and Catelyn was born in either 264 or 265 AC, we do not know the exact year.

So yes, he died at 20, but Catelyn was 12 when her father promised him to Brandon. That makes Brandon 14 or 15 when they met and “fell in love”.

Oh and the mention of “tall”:

““ Catelyn watched a breeze stir his auburn hair, so like her own, and wondered when her son had grown so big.

Fifteen , and near as tall as she was. ... Let him grow as tall as his father"

Catelyn specifically noted how disappointed she was with Ned's height, compared to Brandon who was tall.

So how DID Robb get so tall if Ned is short?

And if Ned is so short, who does she mean when wanting Robb to grow, as tall as him?

Again this sounds like Brandon to us.”

Brandon being taller than Ned doesn’t mean Ned is short. Considering the average height for men is 5’9 today, someone who is 6’3 is tall. A man who is 6’1 is tall as well, but shorter than other. This is the same case. Ned is never mentioned to be short, he is just shorter than Brandon, who is mentioned to be tall.

5.1)Fall in love

Oh, and just fyi, Catelyn was never in love with Brandon. Yes she might have liked or even loved the idea of him and their live together, but never really loved him.

6)When possessive pronouns confuse the f out of you

“"She had brought him forth in blood and pain, not knowing whether Ned would ever see him. Her son.”

so Why say HER son?

This is how the sentence should have been like,

Given the premise that Ned is Robb's father:

"not knowing whether Ned would ever see him. His son.”

Or:

"not knowing whether Ned would ever see him. Their son.””

So ok, I’ll admit that this is the best one by far. There’s nothing I can say to deny them, though Catelyn does mention the children as “our” and as Ned’s son as well. And while might imply, it does not give the theory %100 accuracy.

7)Nine moons

Catelyn thinking about Robb:

““Brandon Stark had bid her wait as well.

“I shall not be long, my lady,” he had vowed.

“We will be wed on my return.”

"Yet when the day came at last, it was his brother Eddard who stood beside her in the sept. Ned had lingered scarcely a fortnight with his new bride before he too had ridden off to war with promises on his lips. At least he had left her with more than words; he had given her a son.

Nine moons had waxed and waned, and Robb had been born in Riverrun while his father still warred in the south.

Nine moons since when? This paragraph started with Brandon, not with Ned.”

Nine moons since ‘Ned had lingered scarcely a fortnight with his new bride before he too had ridden off to war with promises on his lips.’ I think this was pretty clear but okay. Considering the huge hate towards Catelyn, I’ve come to a conclusion that Martin’s works are very open for misinterpretation.

8)A son

““he had given her a son.” He did give her a son, instead of a bastard.

By marrying Catelyn, Ned has effectively turned her Bastard into a son.”

I think this would have been again one of the best well thought, if Catelyn mentioned more than words to Brandon as well. She basically said that Brandon just left her with words while Ned gave her more. If Brandon gave her bastard, she wouldn’t have just said “words”. Yes, she might not have mentioned it as “a son” but there would be more than that.

9)Lord Dustin is Actually GRRM in a nutshell

““On Catelyn’s own wedding night ...

When Lord Dustin had beheld her naked, he’d told Ned that her breasts were enough to make him wish he’d never been weaned”

Breasts are the very first to expose a pregnancy, way before the belly shows.

Why would GRRM make the effort to give us this little tidbit of information about how her breasts reminded men of nursing?”

I think this is just a way of GRRM describing his type. Quoting grrmartin from Tumblr:

“Catelyn’s descriptions make her seem like the most attractive woman in Westeros. And people comment on her beauty frequently. Unlike Dany or Cersei, people do not fear or need to compliment Cat in the same way. GRRM, the author, married 2 redheads. He clearly has a type. And based on your logic on what makes somebody the most beautiful, LF started the War of the Five Kings because he loved the beautiful Catelyn Stark, even after over a decade of not seeing her.”

see the original post here

GRRM’s like of hot women is known, and “hot women” by classic standards are big breasts, a slim waist and wide hips. They are big guys. Ned Stark is a lucky man. Don’t overread. Not to mention that Catelyn tells herself that she’s given her maidenhood to Ned. Yes, maidenhood does mean an unwed woman, but it is also the synonym of “maidenhood”.

9)First time

This is, again, a controversial remark, I personally believe that it’s her instinct. She felt it. Though, the way it could work is very simple.

Her moon blood might have been early due to stress or coming after a few days they wed anyway. This was a time of war and they didn’t wait till women were most “available”.

10)Timeline…

Ok so I was going to continue with the other stuff that the theorist had mentioned but this is getting too long and I’m getting bored. So let’s bust this theory with the simplest thing: Timeline!!!

“Age: Brandon died in 282AL , Rob was born in 283AL. Time wise, it's plausible.”

“they had spent that year apart, Ned off at war in the south”

This way, because she gave birth at Riverrun without Ned, Ned would not know exactly how long after he left Robb was born.

Robert's Rebellion timeline is speculative, at best.

This is how I think it went, in chronological order:

1. Catelyn and Brandon Conceived Robb at Riverrun.

2.Brandon left for KL, and died.

3.Ned married Catelyn BEFORE calling his banners, to make sure he has the Riverland's support. Riding all the way North from the Vale, only to go all the way back in times of war seems unlikely. Ned probably sent someone in his name to call his banners, while he went to wed Catelyn. This would place their marriage likely far less than 3 months after Brandon left Riverrun, probably around 6-8 weeks after Robb's conecption.

4.Ned goes to war.

5.Jon is born.

6.Robb is born.

Brandon dies In the early-mid of 282 AC (With the words arriving, Rickard coming to Kl) since Lyanna’s abduction happens early in the year. Then Aerys demands Ned and Robert’s heads so Jon Arryn calls the banners and Ned returns to the North and Robert leaves for Stormlands to call the banners. Then, The Battles of Summerhall happens, followed by Robert’s defeat in the Battle of Ashford. Having retreated to the Riverlands, The Siege of Storm’s End starts and we know that the defenders were already in bad shape “by year’s end.” Ned and Catelyn marry after the Battle of the Bells, since it is a double wedding and we know that Jon Arryn loses gallant cousin and heir, Ser Denys Arryn, so he needs a young wife to produce an heir. This means that Catelyn and Ned married in the early 283 AC.

If Brandon had impregnated Catelyn, she would have been heavy with child by the time they married, and Robb would have been big enough to know he’s not Ned’s by the time he meets Robb. I think this is the biggest evidence that this theory simply does not work.

11)Significance of Parentage

Robb getting in the list of the secret parentage reduces the significance of parentage. There are way more believable parentage theories (and canon ones like the Baratheon (!) children) out there that concerns other families, and they have much more evidence other than the crumbs here. Everyone being a secret bastard takes the excitement of the better ones like R+L=J or A+J=CJ (love this one, don’t think it’s true but love it anyways).

In conclusion, even if I’m wrong, and Robb is actually Catelyn’s son (though I know Catelyn to be better than that, there’s a reason why I stan her) it makes literally no impact to the storyline. Robb is dead, Ned is dead, Brandon is long dead, Catelyn is dead, at least the part of her that made her Catelyn is. How other people will be aware of this is a dilemma as well. There has to be a good reason for Bran to look from the eyes of the Godswood of Riverrun. The only way this can have an importance is Jeyne being pregnant, (The chances are quite low on this one.) though not much would come of it anyway.

#catelyn stark #ned stark #ned x cat #catelyn tully #catelynstark #robb stark #brandon stark #brandon x catelyn #tbh c+b=r is pure bs but i tried my best to remain respectful #catelyn is baby and people think she's a heartless cold bitch #honour people...#cat has it you know

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writingthrones · 5 years

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the northern dragon- part 6.

PART 6: REVELATION.

TAGS: @psychosupernatural , @xleviiiix , @ashtronomyyyy , @starkbelova,@5aftermidnight , @makapaka11 , @mxxkscreate-write , @scorpiosmalfoy,@harrison-shot-first , @art-flirt , @jessyballet , @vaexvictis ,@callmeconceited , @cassiopeia-barrow , @the-three-eyed-ravenclaw (feel free to shoot me a message if you’d also like to be tagged!)

DESCRIPTION: the world thought that just 2 dragons survived, that house targaryen was missing its third head. but there was another– the youngest, the final child of the mad king and queen rhaella. of course, she was almost part of the near extermination of her house. but the honorable ned stark, unable to watch a babe be murdered for crimes she did not commit, rescued her from an awful fate. instead, she grew up amongst wolves within the walls of winterfell.

NOTES: what you’ve all been waiting for!

WARNINGS: lots of violence and, of course, angst.

After the attack, it was made clear that a weapon must be carried at all times. You decided on a nicely sized dagger that you wore strapped to your calf under your dress. It was easily concealed and fairly easy to pull out quickly. It’s probably something that you should’ve always had but it was “unladylike,” but you’ve proven yourself to be no lady. From then on out, you were wary. You couldn’t look upon the faces of the men in the same way. It made you more jumpy. You told yourself, though, that it made you more vigilant. It’s just unfortunate that it had to come out of this.

When Robb returned, he made a point to visit that night. You were just about to lay down to sleep when he walked in. “Y/N...” his voice was low. You met his eyes, still sitting down on your bed and offered him a smirk. “Didn’t worry too much, did you?” He sighed, though he smirked as well as he sauntered towards you. The young wolf then crouched in front of you, gently taking your injured hands, “Stop.. tell me, how are you feeling? Really?” The seriousness in his voice caught you off guard, though it did make sense. This wasn’t nothing. That man could’ve killed your or did unspeakable things.. or both. Every ounce of your being wanted to lean forward and close the gap between you two. It was a feeling you’d had many, many times over the years but especially now. In fact, it took all the self control in your little body not to do so. “I’m fine,” you insisted.

Robb sighed and stood up then sat down next to you. “I didn’t think any of my men would do something like that...” he said. It felt like the two of you were kids again and so, acting on that feeling, you leaned your head on his shoulder for comfort. Luckily, he didn’t move yet it still made you nervous. “I’ll see to it that someone gets punished. I--” You stopped him there. Lifting your head, you looked over at him. “Please don’t. I’m fine, I promise. I’ll be more careful, I know how to defend myself. There’s too much going on for you to punish anyone because one man crossed a line.” He looked to you, looking as if he wanted to say something more but instead settled on, “Fine. Just...” Another sigh. “Talisa will be around tomorrow with supplies to properly clean these up, okay?” With that, he headed out.

Of course she was. Sure, you were grateful that someone who was clearly talented in their craft had the supplies necessary to keep the army in the best condition. All you could think about, though, was the time the two of them got to spend alone. Why else would he have brought her along to such an important meeting? Catelyn was right, he fancied her. You wished desperately not to care but you did-- by the Gods, you did. Throwing yourself onto the bed, you eventually dozed off. It wasn’t a restful slumber though, no, you couldn’t stop imagining the things that must’ve happened on that little trip. The images haunted your dreams.

Shortly after you awoke, Talisa walked in, just as Robb promised. The immediate reaction was that of anger and you hated it. She was a kind woman, someone who was helping you greatly and yet you couldn’t help but to feel anger, hate, jealousy. That familiar Targaryen fire burned within your chest. “Here, this should really help,” the dark-haired woman said with a warm, genuine smile. It made you hate yourself for the contempt you felt towards her. She was good and yet you were filled with pitiful jealousy. “Thank you, really.” The words were forced but you did your best to sound truly thankful. It’s not that you weren’t but... still. “I would say they should be fairly healed within a fortnight, just try not to be too rough on your hands until then.” Did this mean Robb would try to keep you out of whatever conflicts that would come about between now and then? You hoped not but deep down you knew these two were.. close and she would surely tell him. Indigo eyes fell upon the fresh wound dressings on your hands before looking back up at her with a smile. “I take it you’re with us for the long haul, then?” She seemed caught off by your tone, as were you. You hadn’t meant for it to come off the way it did you just couldn’t help yourself. “I just mean... you’ve decided to stay with us? We could use someone with real skills,” you quickly added, chuckling to make the air less tense. “Oh.. yes! This war is getting ugly and... I just want to help those getting caught in the middle while the high lords sit in their castles plotting away not giving a second thought to the men who will die for them.” As she went on, she sounded more and more passionate. She truly did care for the people.. it made you feel even worse about disliking her. “You’re doing good work,” you said softly before standing. “Sorry, I have some things I need to tend to. Thank you again,” you added, hurrying out of the tent to find something else to keep you busy.

Later, you ended up sitting with Catelyn, who seemed even more troubled than usual as of late. “Lady Catelyn, is there something--” She took hold of your arm, “I must speak to you. But not here, somewhere private.” So the two of you ventured into her tent where no one would dare to disturb you. You sat while she paced, not saying a word. “He’s gone mad, Y/N! He loves this woman and you know I want nothing more than for my children to be happy but..” The shock was written all over your face. Sure, you suspected it but you absolutely dreaded being right. “I fear what this will bring. He wishes to marry her. I reminded him that he made an oath to Lord Frey but he insisted that he’d understand and respect his rule, so long as he offered him another deal. But I don’t trust it. He never truly respected Ned, I don’t believe he would respect Robb just because they call him a king now.” She was right. If this went through, this could change everything. This could spell disaster for their cause.

“Do you think he’ll truly go through with this?” you questioned softly. “Yes, he intends to do so as soon as possible and tell him only after the fact. I believe he plans to offer my brother in his place but I just...” You can see that her thoughts are racing. “I guess all we can do is hope that Lord Frey will accept his offer, then. We both know just how stubborn Robb is. If he loves this woman...” You have to swallow the lump in your throat and pray that Catelyn cannot see the devastation written on your face. “Then I hope she is a good queen and that she is worth all of this.” The older woman sat down next to you, letting out a defeated sigh. “I suppose so.”

The next thing you knew, it was revealed that Robb has made a queen of a Volantian woman named Talisa. In his place, Edmure Tully would marry a daughter of Lord Frey’s. He was a lord of a great house, yes, but he was no king. Walder had agreed to the new deal but Catelyn still felt uneasy and confided in you with her feelings.

That night, though, you buried yourself in the furs and used them to muffle your cries. You always knew that he’d marry some beautiful lady one day but it broke your heart nonetheless. When you cried the very last of your tears, you rolled over to reveal red, puffy eyes, feeling totally exhausted. The encampment was making another move tomorrow, and a risky one at that, so you quickly went to sleep. It was important to stay on alert. You weren’t really supposed to be involved in any conflict with your injuries but when did you let anything stop you?

Another memory replayed itself in your dream that night. It wasn’t long after your fourteenth name day. “I can see it, you know,” Jon spoke up from behind you and you jumped. Turning quickly, your brow furrowed. “And just what are you talking about?” you questioned. “I’ve always been able to read you like a book,” he chuckled, walking up to stand beside you. “Are you going to tell me what you’re on about, Snow?” you sighed. His voice suddenly became more serious, “You love him.” He looked out at Robb training in the courtyard just as you had been. Your face felt hot-- even more so than usual-- and your face went red.

“Wh--What are you talking about?!” The stutter certainly didn’t help your case. “I’ve known it for years. And maybe you’ve fooled them but you can’t fool me,” his tone was lighthearted again. “He could love you, too.” You scoffed, there was not a chance. Robb Stark loving a plain and honestly unappealing no name girl? Wasn’t that a laugh. “Have you gone mad?” You tore your eyes away from the courtyard to face him. “I’m serious. The way you look at him, that’s how he used to look at you when we were younger.” There is no way that was true. Even if it was, it didn’t matter. “Shut up,” you huffed, shoving him lightly.

Early that morning, just as the sun was peaking out from behind the mountains, you rode next to Catelyn as the northern forces advanced. Half-listening to her, your eyes never left Robb as you watched him ride alongside his queen. They radiated happiness and it made your heart ache. It would make sense to just be happy that he was so happy but you couldn’t force it. All you wanted was to pour your heart out and hope that it would change things. “Y/N?” Then Catelyn snapped you out of your thoughts. “Oh! My apologies, I’m just.. tired,” you said while laughing nervously. “I understand.” The older woman offered you a kind smile, giving you some relief. You had to remind yourself that without her kindness, you would’ve been slain in the arms of your mother and that making yourself heart sick over a man who was now called king was foolish.

Once everyone was settled in, you somehow convinced yourself to go and find Robb. You caught him just before he retired to his tent. “Your Grace,” you said, playfully curtseying. He rolled his eyes and you honestly couldn’t tell if it was a joke or if he was genuinely bothered. “I just wanted to let you know I’m happy for you. Your queen.. she’s beautiful and kind.. and much better than a Frey girl, I suppose,” you chuckled. “She is, isn’t she?” There was this look of wonder in his eyes. He really loved her. And you really loved him. How tragic. You can tell he wanted to return to her but you couldn’t let him go just yet. “So what is going to happen with that, then? I imagine Lord Frey isn’t very happy.” It felt like it was the most you’ve spoken in ages. “We sent a raven as soon as everything was official explaining everything. I proposed my uncle Edmure stand in my place. We were nervous but he sent one back saying he agreed. That’s where we’re headed, didn’t you know? We should reach the twins in a week, I’d expect. Less if we pick up the pace.” It was surprising, learning that Walder Frey had actually agreed to give up the betrothal to a king and settled for someone of, frankly, much lower status. “No, uh, I didn’t,” you replied. “Well find your best dress for the wedding,” he said with a grin that made you melt. “Sleep well,” he added, brushing softly past you and into his quarters.

All the news still had your head spinning and the racing thoughts kept you awake for most of the night. You hardly got any sleep before you were forced to keep moving. That day you couldn’t help but to notice the happy couple being extra smiley. It made you wonder what that was all about, but you couldn’t let this consume your thoughts. It was always possible that Lannister forces could stage a surprise attack, much like they had on them. There were much bigger things to worry about.

Just before the week was up, you all managed to arrive at your destination. The northern forces set up camp outside of the Frey stronghold. Just as Robb had said, you were searching your trunk for your best dress and head wrap. You’d forgotten that you had thrown in one of the ones that Sansa had sewn for you: a grey color with white detailing-- Stark colors. It made your eyes tear up, wondering where she was and how she was now. You would wear it tomorrow, you’d decide, knowing that she would like that. It’d go fine with a plain, light dress that was navy blue in color.

Finally, the occasion was here. You sat there, next to Catelyn, watching the ceremony. Everyone in the northern army seemed shocked to find that the Frey girl was actually quite beautiful but no one more than Edmure himself. His nervous expression quickly transitioned into a smile, causing you to smirk to yourself. She was still a Frey, though, so it’s not like everything was suddenly all better. But everything went to plan, a cheerful feast starting up just after. The hall was bustling with conversation and music but there was still just that bit of tension in the air. You just couldn’t shake the slightly uneasy feeling in your stomach.

The happy couple were rushed off to the “bedding ceremony,” something you found ridiculous, though not surprising that this family seemed so excited for it. Catelyn placed her hand on yours as if she somehow knew that you wanted nothing more than to stand up and leave. You looked up and met her eyes, head tilting with confusion. “I don’t like that look on his face,” she whispered to you, looking directly as Walder. “I think that’s just what he looks like, my lady,” you replied with a chuckle. She sighed as she looked back at you, “I suppose.”

It was then that he spoke up and the both of you quickly turned your attention to the old man. When you looked closer, you didn’t feel very good about the look on his face either. It was then that you noticed the change in the music to something that sounded quite odd for an occasion like this. He addressed Robb and his queen, saying that he hadn’t given a gift as a congratulations for their marriage. Furrowing your brow, you looked to Catelyn who had lifted the sleeve of Lord Bolton, who was seated next to her, revealing chainmail beneath. Something was terribly wrong and things escalated when she stood and slapped him, the sound nearly echoing throughout the room. Rising to your feet, you looked around and noticed that the doors to the hall had been shut and that’s when all hell broke loose.

It started with a Frey boy relentlessly stabbing the queen in her torso. You sucked in a breath with pure shock, then a crossbow bolt ended up in Robb’s shoulder and you shrieked, as did Catelyn. Startled by the noise, you looked back at her then back to him. Everything was moving so fast, it felt impossible to even move. Another bolt was shot into his shoulder, just missing his neck. Finally, you managed to step back from the table and look around. This was a slaughter. They had rounded everyone up, made sure they were vulnerable and killed every Northman they saw. But that’s when you spotted Lord Bolton take out a dagger and while you expected he would march to the head table to defend his king, you saw him clearly ready himself to attack him instead.

There was only seconds to act and even in your panicked state, you remembered the dagger you kept strapped to your leg. Weapons obviously weren’t welcome at a wedding but putting it on had become such a routine, you didn’t even think of it and thank the Gods you didn’t. Hurriedly grabbing it out from under your dress, you took off running. It was all a blur as your legs carried you along without any thinking involved. When you finally brought yourself back into the moment, your dagger was buried in Roose Bolton’s chest.

You gasped as you stared into his wide eyes, then quickly pulled back only to bump into something. Turning quickly, you were met with the sight of a badly injured but very much alive Robb Stark. Y/N had saved the King in the North-- a no name peasant had saved a king. The loud cry of Catelyn pulled your attention away only for you to see that a Frey held a knife to her neck from behind. “Please, Y/N! GO!” she yelled just before the man finished the deed. Without a second thought, you looped your arm around Robb’s and began running. He seemed to move only out of reflex and you briefly turned your gaze to him. “What are you doing?! We need to move!” you screamed over all the noise but he said nothing, not even looking into your eyes. There was no time to argue, though, so you conjured up every bit of strength in your body and made your way to the door, busting it open but not without getting an arrow through your shoulder-- a lucky shot. The adrenaline made it nearly impossible to feel, though. Of course, there was more men and more chaos outside but you somehow managed to fight your way through. All the bloodshed and craziness was a good distraction-- it seemed that no one really noticed that the Young Wolf had escaped.

It was a miracle. Despite the ongoing massacre, you somehow managed to free Robb’s direwolf and get the two of you up onto a horse to ride away from the insanity. You rode until all of you were exhausted, going deep into the nearest wood and collapsed against a tree. It seemed to be not long before noon the next day. He still never said a word and Grey Wind whimpered as he nudged at him. His eyes were completely empty, it was almost as if he had been killed. But your number one focus was tending to his injuries. Speaking of which, you had left the arrows lodged into him, not wanting to rip them out and cause more bleeding when you had no time to patch it up.

“Are you ready? This is going to hurt..” you said as you gripped the first bolt. His eyes met yours but still he said nothing. Taking a deep breath, you pulled it quickly as to not prolong the pain. He grunted but never said a word. Wait, you didn’t have any kind of plan. This is why you were a shit medic. Panicking, you pulled at the bottom of your dress and ripped away a piece of the cloth, wrapping it around the injury. Moving onto the next time, this time prepared with the cloth. Still, he didn’t say a single word. “Robb?” you whispered, getting close to try to get some kind of response. There was nothing, though. He was broken, seemingly beyond repair. Sighing, you leaned back against the tree and did the same to your own wound-- receiving no support from him-- before passing out from exhaustion.

When you awoke, it seemed to be the middle of the night. Grey Wind laid at your feet but woke up as soon as you stirred. He immediately growled, though calmed once he realized it was just you. Looking over, there laid the defeated king. It killed you to see him this way, feeling the defeat as well. But it was important to keep moving, it was the only hope of survival, so you shook him until he finally woke. “We need to go. If I’m correct, we keep heading this way and we should be able to reach Seagard.” Robb seemed to look right through you. The frustration was beginning to boil over. “I won’t just watch you lay down and die. Now let’s go.” Still nothing as you pulled him up onto the horse, calling for Grey Wind to follow.

It continued like this for the next few days. He never said a word. You rode to the point of exhaustion and survived off nothing but water and whatever you could find that was edible. It wasn’t possible to find an inn to stay in or a shop to buy from. You didn’t know who could and couldn’t be trusted-- even seeking refuge at Seagard was a risk, maybe they had chosen to betray him as well. Hope was beginning to dwindle, as was your strength, when you finally spotted a castle in the distance. You had found it. It was a shot in the dark but you made it. You chuckled, though tears spilled down your cheeks when you saw it. Gods, please let them remain loyal. After a deep breath, you rode up to the gates where men barked out orders for you to identify yourself.

“I am Y/N and I have with me the King in the North!” There was a lot out of shouting followed by the gates opening and you took the opportunity to ride in, Grey Wind following close behind. The both of you were quickly surrounded. “My king,” they declared in unison, each one falling onto one knee. Releasing the breath you hadn’t even realized you’d been holding, you broke into a weak smile. All of this wasn’t for nothing. You had made it.

The Mallisters saw to it that you two were properly cared for. Each of you was given a bath, fresh clothes, a meal and a warm bed. Even after everything, you found yourself unable to sleep that night. It was late and the castle was quiet as you snuck down the hall and into Robb’s room after knocking and not hearing any protest.

“Can you speak to me already?” Your tone was harsh, finally fed up with the silent treatment especially considering that he’d managed to work up the strength to speak to everyone else. He turned around slowly to look at you, “What do you want?” His voice was raspy and he sounded as tired as he looked. “I want you to say something! We made it somewhere safe because of me! I fought our way through everything to get here and you’ve barely even looked at me!” Frustrated tears spilled down your cheeks. “Do you want a thank you?” The anger in his tone never wavered as he came closer to you. “Did you ever stop to think why I never said anything? I didn’t care to make it out of there, Y/N! My wife is dead, my child is dead.” A child? You had no idea. “And my mother. What else do I have?!” His gradual raise in tone caused you to jump back, head tilted with confusion as the tears continued to flow. “You have people who are counting on you. What happened was... terrible but these people named you their king and you promised their freedom. You promised to bring your sisters home! All of that is hopeless without you. I did what I did for your mother!” And because I love you. “So you can’t just lay down and die. I won’t let you. You have me, Robb.” He seemed surprised to see you fight back so hard. There was a long silence. “Get out,” he practically growled. “Robb--” you went to protest. “I said get out,” he raised his volume slightly. Giving him one last look, you turned and walked out.

Doing your best to remain quiet as the continuous stream of tears spilled down your cheeks, you hurried to your room. This was it. The final straw. You did everything you possibly could, brought him somewhere safe. Now it was up to him now to do what was right. It was becoming quite clear what your next move should be.

CUT TO THIRD PERSON.

Sleep continued to evade him as the sky began to light up. Robb felt sick, his mind replaying all that had happened and racing with all the ways he should’ve been able to stop it. Then he felt an intense guilt. She saved him. She fought like a true warrior to save him. All the times she could’ve given up along the way, she didn’t. All of this effort and he repaid her by screaming in her face telling her that he didn’t want any of it. His grief was no excuse to treat a woman who had been there for him his whole life like that. A woman who threw her own safety to the wayside just to save him. He knew that he needed to apologize and that it couldn’t wait.

He made his way down the hall, thinking of what he could possibly say to make things better. “I’m sorry” would be first, obviously, but that certainly wasn’t enough. After hearing no protest and assuming she must’ve been asleep or in the same position he had been, he pushed the door open. As his eyes scanned the room, there was no sign of her. Her trunk still sat at the foot of the bed but she was no where to be found. Confused, he walked to a desk in the corner of the room where a candle was still burning. There sat a letter, addressed to him with ink that was still wet.

Robb,

First, I must tell you why I need to leave. I should have long before this and I suspect you will agree. My name, my true name, is Visenya II Targaryen and I am the youngest child of the Mad King.

Those first lines made him fall down into the chair, feeling weak from the shock.

...

Continued.

#game of thrones imagine #robb stark imagine #robb stark x reader #catelyn stark imagine #targaryen!reader

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she-wolf-of-highgarden · 5 years

Text

All the times Catelyn mentions Arya

*It another long one folks*

“He would always ask her that. "In the kitchen, arguing about names for the wolf pups." She spread her cloak on the forest floor and sat beside the pool, her back to the weirwood. She could feel the eyes watching her, but she did her best to ignore them. "Arya is already in love, and Sansa is charmed and gracious, but Rickon is not quite sure.” - Catelyn I, AGoT

“You must," he said. "Sansa must wed Joffrey, that is clear now, we must give them no grounds to suspect our devotion. And it is past time that Arya learned the ways of a southron court. In a few years she will be of an age to marry too."Sansa would shine in the south, Catelyn thought to herself, and the gods knew that Arya needed refinement. Reluctantly, she let go of them in her heart. But not Bran. Never Bran. "Yes," she said, "but please, Ned, for the love you bear me, let Bran remain here at Winterfell. He is only seven.” - Catelyn II, AGoT

“There's no mention of Arya," Robb pointed out, miserable.” - Catelyn VIII, AGot

“Also, if your sister Arya is returned to us safely, it is agreed that she will marry Lord Walder's youngest son, Elmar, when the two of them come of age."Robb looked nonplussed. "Arya won't like that one bit.” - Catelyn IX, AGoT

“She had not thought of that in years. How young they all had been—she no older than Sansa, Lysa younger than Arya, and Petyr younger still, yet eager. The girls had traded him between them, serious and giggling by turns. It came back to her so vividly she could almost feel his sweaty fingers on her shoulders and taste the mint on his breath. There was always mint growing in the godswood, and Petyr had liked to chew it. He had been such a bold little boy, always in trouble. "He tried to put his tongue in my mouth," Catelyn had confessed to her sister afterward, when they were alone. "He did with me too," Lysa had whispered, shy and breathless. "I liked it.” - Catelyn XI, AGoT

“If your crown is the price we must pay to have Arya and Sansa returned safe, we should pay it willingly. Half your lords would like to murder Lannister in his cell. If he should die while he's your prisoner, men will say—” - Catelyn I, ACoK

“Lannister won't die," Robb said. "No one so much as speaks to him without my warrant. He has food, water, clean straw, more comfort than he has any right to. But I won't free him, not even for Arya and Sansa.” - Catelyn I, ACoK

“As she slept amidst the rolling grasslands, Catelyn dreamt that Bran was whole again, that Arya and Sansa held hands, that Rickon was still a babe at her breast. Robb, crownless, played with a wooden sword, and when all were safe asleep, she found Ned in her bed, smiling.” - Catelyn II, ACoK

“How they loved to promise heads, these men who would be king. "Your brother promised me the same. But if truth be told, I would sooner have my daughters back, and leave justice to the gods. Cersei still holds my Sansa, and of Arya there has been no word since the day of Robert's death.” - Catelyn III, ACoK

“Flickering torchlight danced across the walls, making the faces seem half-alive, twisting them, changing them. The statues in the great septs of the cities wore the faces the stonemasons had given them, but these charcoal scratchings were so crude they might be anyone. The Father's face made her think of her own father, dying in his bed at Riverrun. The Warrior was Renly and Stannis, Robb and Robert, Jaime Lannister and Jon Snow. She even glimpsed Arya in those lines, just for an instant. Then a gust of wind through the door made the torch sputter, and the semblance was gone, washed away in orange glare.” - Catelyn IV, ACoK

“Lost and weary, Catelyn Stark gave herself over to her gods. She knelt before the Smith, who fixed things that were broken, and asked that he give her sweet Bran his protection. She went to the Maid and beseeched her to lend her courage to Arya and Sansa, to guard them in their innocence. To the Father, she prayed for justice, the strength to seek it and the wisdom to know it, and she asked the Warrior to keep Robb strong and shield him in his battles. Lastly she turned to the Crone, whose statues often showed her with a lamp in one hand. "Guide me, wise lady," she prayed. "Show me the path I must walk, and do not let me stumble in the dark places that lie ahead.” - Catelyn IV, ACoK

“Those who favor Stannis will call it proof. Those who support Joffrey will say it means nothing." Her own children had more Tully about them than Stark. Arya was the only one to show much of Ned in her features. And Jon Snow, but he was never mine. She found herself thinking of Jon's mother, that shadowy secret love her husband would never speak of. Does she grieve for Ned as I do? Or did she hate him for leaving her bed for mine? Does she pray for her son as I have prayed for mine?” - Catelyn VI, ACoK

“When he was done, Catelyn sat frowning. Edmure had been right, these were no terms at all, except . . . "Lannister will exchange Arya and Sansa for his brother?” - Catelyn VI, ACoK

“He told you true." She could not even say that Robb was wrong. Arya and Sansa were children. The Kingslayer, alive and free, was as dangerous as any man in the realm. That road led nowhere. "Did you see my girls? Are they treated well?” - Catelyn VI, ACoK

“Sansa, but not Arya. That might mean anything. Arya had always been harder to tame. Perhaps Cersei was reluctant to parade her in open court for fear of what she might say or do. They might have her locked safely out of sight. Or they might have killed her. Catelyn shoved the thought away. "His terms, you said . . . yet Cersei is Queen Regent.” - Catelyn VI, ACoK

“And Arya, well . . . Ned's visitors would oft mistake her for a stableboy if they rode into the yard unannounced. Arya was a trial, it must be said. Half a boy and half a wolf pup. Forbid her anything and it became her heart's desire. She had Ned's long face, and brown hair that always looked as though a bird had been nesting in it. I despaired of ever making a lady of her. She collected scabs as other girls collect dolls, and would say anything that came into her head. I think she must be dead too." When she said that, it felt as though a giant hand were squeezing her chest. "I want them all dead, Brienne. Theon Greyjoy first, then Jaime Lannister and Cersei and the Imp, every one, every one. But my girls . . . my girls will . . .” - Catelyn VII, ACoK

“She will deliver Jaime to King's Landing, and bring Arya and Sansa back to us safely.” - Catelyn I, ASoS

“But now Robb was returned from the west, returned in triumph. He will forgive me, Catelyn told herself. He must forgive me, he is my own son, and Arya and Sansa are as much his blood as mine. He will free me from these rooms and then I will know what has happened.” - Catelyn II, ASoS

“Enough." For just an instant Robb sounded more like Brandon than his father. "No man calls my lady of Winterfell a traitor in my hearing, Lord Rickard." When he turned to Catelyn, his voice softened. "If I could wish the Kingslayer back in chains I would. You freed him without my knowledge or consent . . . but what you did, I know you did for love. For Arya and Sansa, and out of grief for Bran and Rickon. Love's not always wise, I've learned. It can lead us to great folly, but we follow our hearts . . . wherever they take us. Don't we, Mother?” - Catelyn II, ASoS

“Battles," muttered Robb as he led her out beneath the trees. "I have won every battle, yet somehow I'm losing the war." He looked up, as if the answer might be written on the sky. "The ironmen hold Winterfell, and Moat Cailin too. Father's dead, and Bran and Rickon, maybe Arya. And now your father too.” - Catelyn IV, ASoS

“He swore to trade her for his brother," she said numbly. "Sansa and Arya both. We would have them back if we returned his precious Jaime, he swore it before the whole court. How could he marry her, after saying that in sight of gods and men?” - Catelyn IV, ASoS

“She clutched tight at his hand. "Nothing will happen to you. Nothing. I could not stand it. They took Ned, and your sweet brothers. Sansa is married, Arya is lost, my father's dead . . . if anything befell you, I would go mad, Robb. You are all I have left. You are all the north has left.” - Catelyn IV, ASoS

“So you pray. Have you considered your sisters? What of their rights? I agree that the north must not be permitted to pass to the Imp, but what of Arya? By law, she comes after Sansa . . . your own sister, trueborn . . ."". . . and dead. No one has seen or heard of Arya since they cut Father's head off. Why do you lie to yourself? Arya's gone, the same as Bran and Rickon, and they'll kill Sansa too once the dwarf gets a child from her. Jon is the only brother that remains to me. Should I die without issue, I want him to succeed me as King in the North. I had hoped you would support my choice.” - Catelyn V, ASoS

“All lost now, she reflected. Winterfell and Ned, Bran and Rickon, Sansa, Arya, all gone. Only Robb remains. Had there been too much of Lynesse Hightower in her after all, and too little of the Starks? Would that I had known how to wield an axe, perhaps I might have been able to protect them better.” - Catelyn V, ASoS

“It hurts so much, she thought. Our children, Ned, all our sweet babes. Rickon, Bran, Arya, Sansa, Robb . . . Robb . . . please, Ned, please, make it stop, make it stop hurting . . . The white tears and the red ones ran together until her face was torn and tattered, the face that Ned had loved. Catelyn Stark raised her hands and watched the blood run down her long fingers, over her wrists, beneath the sleeves of her gown. Slow red worms crawled along her arms and under her clothes. It tickles. That made her laugh until she screamed. "Mad," someone said, "she's lost her wits," and someone else said, "Make an end," and a hand grabbed her scalp just as she'd done with Jinglebell, and she thought, No, don't, don't cut my hair, Ned loves my hair. Then the steel was at her throat, and its bite was red and cold.” - Catelyn VII, ASoS

#Catelyn Stark #Arya Stark #A Song of Ice and Fire #asoiaf #quote dump #valyrianscrolls #this one hurts #im not crying your crying

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tacitwhisky · 5 years

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Jon / Sansa Reread - Jon II, AGOT

< Previous Chapter (Arya I) | Next Chapter (Sansa I) >

In which Jon visits Bran, Catelyn is a horrible person, and he gives Arya Needle.

Like Jon I, this chapter is really complicated and a bit of a beast to get through. It's a critical chapter for understanding Jon though; it's his single on page interaction with Catelyn, and the one that solidifies just how traumatic a figure she is in his life. It’s also a tour of all his major Stark relationships outside of Ned: Catelyn, Bran, Robb, and Arya.

There’s actually a lot more to this chapter than I realized, which is one of the reasons it took me so long to get it out.

Lady Stark was there beside his [Bran’s] bed. She had been there, day and night, for close on a fortnight. Not for a moment had she left Bran’s side. She had her meals brought to her there, and chamber pots as well, and a small hard bed to sleep on, though it was said she had scarcely slept at all. She fed him herself, the honey and water and herb mixture that sustained life. Not once did she leave the room. So Jon had stayed away.

Before we get into Catelyn’s horribleness in this chapter, it’s worth pointing out that this is Catelyn at her absolute lowest emotionally. She also severely sleep deprived and borderline crippled with worry and grief. Unfortunately, much like Sansa last chapter though, we’re not really going to get a sense of just out of her mind Catelyn is until her chapter later: if the order of the chapters had been swapped (ignoring plot considerations for a moment) readers would’ve been more sympathetic to Catelyn as a whole.

Not that her actions this chapter aren’t objectively awful.

Lady Stark looked over. For a moment she did not seem to recognize him. Finally she blinked. “What are you doing here?” she asked in a voice strangely flat and emotionless.

“I came to see Bran,” Jon said. “To say good-bye.”

Her face did not change. Her long auburn hair was dull and tangled. She looked as though she had aged twenty years. “You’ve said it. Now go away.”

Martin has gone on record saying that if he were to write it today he would’ve softened Catelyn a little in this scene or at the very least given it more context. While I get that, nothing Catelyn does or says in this scene (with the understanding that she’s half delirious from lack of sleep) is actually out of character. Jon is an existential threat to her children: not only does he look more Stark than her sons, but he’s also as old if not older than Robb which would make him dangerous if he were ever legitimized.

The thread Jon poses is not an idle one; as she'll mention to Robb later in ASOS the Targaryen Blackfyre bastards led to three generations of brutal civil war and repression. Bastards are, by definition, destabilizing to the westerosi social contract. In a society where everyone has a rigid social role (even their gods are broken into specific societal roles) bastards have none and threaten to crumble the walls between them.

The other threat Jon presents to Jon is to the limited power patriarchal society gives her. As a noble lady, managing her home is one of the few places Catelyn can exert any control over her life, and theoretically has as much of a say in as her lord husband, and Ned deciding Jon will stay with them is a slap in the face to her and a breach of that power. As Catelyn herself thinks in an earlier chapter, the problem isn’t that Ned has a bastard; it’s that he has him live with them and she has no control over it.

Part of him wanted only to flee, but he knew that if he did he might never see Bran again. He took a nervous step into the room. “Please,” he said.

Something cold moved in her eyes. “I told you to leave,” she said. “We don’t want you here.”

There’s a real sense of dread seeping out from Jon when it comes to Catelyn. He’s terrified of her, not so much for material reasons (he doesn’t actually think she’ll throw him out despite how she'll threaten to in a minute), as emotional ones. He’s dreading the emotional backlash he knows is coming, which is a very organic reaction from a child who’s been emotionally neglected or abused in the way he has. This is an old pattern, and he's instinctually flinching from what he knows is the emotional fallout.

Once that would have sent him running. Once that might even have made him cry. Now it only made him angry. He would be a Sworn Brother of the Night’s Watch soon, and face worse dangers than Catelyn Tully Stark. “He’s my brother,” he said.

“Shall I call the guards?”

“Call them,” Jon said, defiant. “You can’t stop me from seeing him.” He crossed the room, keeping the bed between them, and looked down on Bran where he lay.

Even this early on Jon has started to use his Night’s Watch identity to draw strength from. It makes sense and speaks to why he wanted to join it to begin with: joining it is a clear mark of adulthood, a way of taking his destiny into his own hands, and because of the nobility of the institution, a way of scrubbing off his bastard taint, something Jon has not doubt craved most of his life.

Drawing strength from taking the black is something that will only grow more second nature to Jon as the series goes on. As I wrote in a recent ask, it’s one of the reasons when he’s resurrected I think finding out he was murdered by his brothers will hit him significantly harder than it does in the show. If he's not a man of the Night's Watch, then he's what he is in this scene: small and vulnerable and unloved.

“Bran,” he said, “I’m sorry I didn’t come before. I was afraid.” He could feel the tears rolling down his cheeks. Jon no longer cared. “Don’t die, Bran. Please. We’re all waiting for you to wake up. Me and Robb and the girls, everyone …”

Lady Stark was watching. She had not raised a cry. Jon took that for acceptance. Outside the window, the direwolf howled again. The wolf that Bran had not had time to name.

“I have to go now,” Jon said. “Uncle Benjen is waiting. I’m to go north to the Wall. We have to leave today, before the snows come.” He remembered how excited Bran had been at the prospect of the journey. It was more than he could bear, the thought of leaving him behind like this. Jon brushed away his tears, leaned over, and kissed his brother lightly on the lips.

Not really important, but still kind of funny: the first time I read A Game of Thrones (fifteen years at this point?) I was very young and the kissing thing weirded me out to no end. It wasn’t until years later I would realize platonic mouth kissing is just a thing white people do sometimes (I’m kidding. Mostly).

“I wanted him to stay here with me,” Lady Stark said softly.

Jon watched her, wary. She was not even looking at him. She was talking to him, but for a part of her, it was as though he were not even in the room.

“I prayed for it,” she said dully. “He was my special boy. I went to the sept and prayed seven times to the seven faces of god that Ned would change his mind and leave him here with me. Sometimes prayers are answered.”

Jon did not know what to say. “It wasn’t your fault,” he managed after an awkward silence.

Her eyes found him. They were full of poison. “I need none of your absolution, bastard.”

Even here, even now, Jon is trying to be kind. He's still, in some level, trying to forge some kind of a relationship, no matter how tenuous it is. It’s what makes Catelyn’s reaction all that much more painful. Even outside of this situation, there’s really no common ground the two could ever have found between them, not without Catelyn being a far different person and one living in a less rigidly patriarchal society. Everything Jon does, no matter how well intentioned, will always be galling and patronizing because of who he is and what he represents.

This doesn’t make how Catelyn treats Jon ok though. Whatever her frustrations or anxieties with the position Jon occupies, she is an adult and he is a child, a child who desperately needed a mother figure and to be treated as equal to his siblings. There’s just no getting around it. At some point early in Jon’s upbringing Catelyn needed to put her big girl boots on, do the right thing, and treat him like a person.

He was at the door when she called out to him. “Jon,” she said. He should have kept going, but she had never called him by his name before. He turned to find her looking at his face, as if she were seeing it for the first time.

“Yes?” he said.

“It should have been you,” she told him. Then she turned back to Bran and began to weep, her whole body shaking with the sobs. Jon had never seen her cry before.

It was a long walk down to the yard.

That last line (“it should’ve been you”) is a stab in the gut, but can ultimately, like a lot of Catelyn’s behavior in this chapter, be attributed to being half mad from grief and sleep deprivation: the part about how this is the first time she’s ever called him by his name can’t be, and is just chilling. It’s one of the few concrete details we get about how the two of them interacted. Denying someone their name is dehumanizing (Reek, it rhymes with meek), and speaks to just how much distance Catelyn created between her and Jon.

There isn’t really a reason to think Catelyn called Jon “Snow” or “bastard” or anything particular cruel, but ignoring is a special of cruelty all it’s own, though it probably came easy to Catelyn. In a castle as big and gendered as Winterfell, just like with Sansa, there’s the very real possibility that the two of them simply didn’t cross paths much.

We also don’t really get any reaction from Jon here to what Catelyn says. It’s a little frustrating in terms of trying to understand his character, but it fits Martin’s less is more ethos (for this, anyway, he definitely lacks that ethos when it comes to adding Greyjoy and Dorne plotlines).

Outside, everything was noise and confusion. Wagons were being loaded, men were shouting, horses were being harnessed and saddled and led from the stables. A light snow had begun to fall, and everyone was in an uproar to be off.

Robb was in the middle of it, shouting commands with the best of them. He seemed to have grown of late, as if Bran’s fall and his mother’s collapse had somehow made him stronger. Grey Wind was at his side.

While not a big part of either Sansa or Jon’s storyline, Robb really grows into being a lord in the absence of Ned and Catelyn. Just another example of how all the Stark children are forced to mature quickly, and a bit of a counterpoint to the idea that Ned didn’t prepare them for the adult world. While he certainly didn’t in certain ways in that all of them start their stories at something of a deficit of where they should be in terms of knowledge of the world, he and Catelyn did raise them in a way where they’re able to adapt swiftly to what’s needed.

“Uncle Benjen is looking for you,” he [Robb] told Jon. “He wanted to be gone an hour ago.”

“I know,” Jon said. “Soon.” He looked around at all the noise and confusion. “Leaving is harder than I thought.”

“For me too,” Robb said. He had snow in his hair, melting from the heat of his body. “Did you see him?”

Jon nodded, not trusting himself to speak. “He’s not going to die,” Robb said. “I know it.”

“You Starks are hard to kill,” Jon agreed. His voice was flat and tired. The visit had taken all the strength from him.

Robb knew something was wrong. “My mother …”

“She was … very kind,” Jon told him.

Robb looked relieved. “Good.”

Robb seems to be well aware just how hostile Catelyn might have been to Jon, which implies that he's very aware of the distance and tension between them in normal life. And the fact that Robb is relieved when Jon says nothing happened is also interesting for its implication of just how much strain Catelyn’s hostility towards Jon put on all the starklings. This is an excellent meta that explores this idea more fully. To quote just a bit from it:

“I don’t often see it acknowledged that Catelyn’s abuse of Jon reverberated through the family and hurt her own children, even though it’s quite visible in a few places. Beyond the strain it puts on the Starklings to be perpetually caught between their beloved mother and beloved brother… I don’t see Robb’s anxiety here that his mother might hurt his brother being mentioned, and how that kind of dynamic puts a terrible strain on both children. Catelyn very clearly did not “ignore” or “avoid” Jon, and her actions didn’t just affect Jon, either, they also hurt her own children. Note that I am not saying that Catelyn is a Bad Mother or siding with the goblins of westeros.org who will hate Catelyn for anything she does, but when a parent behaves in inappropriate ways to one child it affects everyone in a family, especially the other children.”

Trying to navigate the hostility between two people you love is hugely stressful, and triply so when one of them is your parent. Fundamentally Robb is caught in a zero sum game where any affection or closeness with Jon is a betrayal of his mother. This is a dynamic I see attributed a lot to Sansa in fic where she’s the one of the starklings in the family who chooses her mother over Jon. It’s a really rich idea to explore, but unfortunately there’s no way of knowing whether it’s true accurate or not: there just isn’t enough evidence one way or another in the actual books. I tend to prefer the headcanon that the two were just different, but it’s certainly no less valid.

What we do is that this zero sum dynamic isn’t what Bran and Arya experienced with Jon. Neither (as far as I can remember) actually ever think about his relationship with Catelyn, though you can still see the damage in how Arya immediately thinks as a child she must be a bastard because she doesn’t fit in. Like we’ve talked about, Catelyn created and perpetuated the subconscious understanding among the Starklings that to be bastard was to be other. To quote from that meta again (it really is excellent):

“We also see the effects of Catelyn’s treatment of Jon in Sansa’s reflection on both Jon and Arya. Catelyn’s attempt to interfere with her children’s relationship with Jon was most successful with Sansa who internalized that Jon was to be held at a distance because he was only their half-brother. Sansa also thinks of how it would have been easier for her to understand Arya’s nature and the difference between them if Arya was a bastard like Jon, which speaks of Sansa’s view of the proper boundaries of a relationship with a bastard sibling and the kind of behavior she was taught to expect from bastards, an expectation that she displays when she casually comments about how Jon was jealous of Joffrey in a very matter-of-fact way. That alignment of Jon and Arya colors Sansa’s perception of Arya just as much as Jon.”

Speaking of Arya, Jon says farewell to Robb, and then goes to say goodbye to Arya who is busy packing in her room.

Arya glanced behind her, saw Jon, and jumped to her feet. She threw her skinny arms tight around his neck. “I was afraid you were gone,” she said, her breath catching in her throat. “They wouldn’t let me out to say good-bye.”

“What did you do now?” Jon was amused.

Though it’s not ever mentioned, Arya is probably the only person Jon has ever gotten any physical affection from. Ned is not the kind of parent to overly shower his children with physical contact, and Jon is even likely to get any from him as both male and a bastard. And Catelyn sure as hell isn’t giving out any hugs to him. It’s interesting he actually isn’t more craving of affection of any kind (like Tyrion is) throughout the series, and speaks I think to how healthy and supportive of relationships he did have with his siblings despite Catelyn.

Her face lit up. “A present?”

“You could call it that. Close the door.”

Wary but excited, Arya checked the hall. “Nymeria, here. Guard.” She left the wolf out there to warn of intruders and closed the door. By then Jon had pulled off the rags he’d wrapped it in. He held it out to her.

Arya’s eyes went wide. Dark eyes, like his. “A sword,” she said in a small, hushed breath.

The scabbard was soft grey leather, supple as sin. Jon drew out the blade slowly, so she could see the deep blue sheen of the steel. “This is no toy,” he told her. “Be careful you don’t cut yourself. The edges are sharp enough to shave with.”

“Girls don’t shave,” Arya said.

“Maybe they should. Have you ever seen the septa’s legs?”

It’s here we get our first introduction to Needle, one of the top five emotionally charged swords in the series. Throughout all her travels and hardships Needle will be the one thing Sansa holds on to, and as she thinks years later in Braavos before the House of Black and White, Needle is a symbol not just of her old life, but Jon’s unquestioning acceptance of her nonconformity.

That being said, let’s talk for a moment just how weird it is Jon is arming a child with a deadly weapon. As this meta argues, Jon is remarkably comfortable with violence, and his modus operandi in almost any given situation, whether personal or political, is to immediately empower and arm a marginalized group: Arya here, Sam and the other Night’s Watch recruits against Alliser Thorne at Castle Black , and the Wildlings in ADWD.

This modus operandi is interesting to think about when applying it to his relationship to Sansa. Even if they had been in closer proximity as children, I still don’t think Jon would ever have gotten that emotionally close to Sansa. She’s simply in too much of a position of privilege for him to ever really have anything to offer her. Jon is capable of having relationships with people either at his privilege level or higher, Robb and Ygritte come to mind, but on the whole that really is how Jon tends to develop the majority of his relationships: almost as though he can only be friends with people who need him (Sam, Tormund, Alys Karstark, even Stannis to a degree).

To theorize for a moment, this probably stems from his understanding of the world as an uncertain place where his status is always tenuous. And also from a probably unconscious feeling of having no inherent worth of his own: there’s no reason for anyone to like him just for him, so he only feels comfortable when there’s some material reason for them to. It’s a really subtle expression of Catelyn’s withholding of affection and his bastard status as a whole.

This is all really interesting to think about in relation to what his relationship with Sansa will be when they meet again and she no longer holds the position of privilege that she once did. While she almost for sure won’t be as disempowered when they meet in the books as she was in the show, she will need Jon to one extent or the other. It’s also just interesting to think about in terms of Jon’s future emotional growth or how he’d handle it in an intimate relationship.

She giggled at him. “It’s so skinny.”

“So are you,” Jon told her. “I had Mikken make this special. The bravos use swords like this in Pentos and Myr and the other Free Cities. It won’t hack a man’s head off, but it can poke him full of holes if you’re fast enough.”

“I can be fast,” Arya said.

“You’ll have to work at it every day.” He put the sword in her hands, showed her how to hold it, and stepped back. “How does it feel? Do you balance?”

“I think so,” Arya said.

“First lesson,” Jon said. “Stick them with the pointy end.”

Again cute, but to quote from that meta: “[Jon’s] idea of thoughtful gift-giving is to sit around contemplating the best way for a small-sized nine-year-old to kill people and figure out what she needs to do it. “

Arya gave him a whap on the arm with the flat of her blade. The blow stung, but Jon found himself grinning like an idiot. “I know which end to use,” Arya said.

Jon’s grin here is evidence that he really does find fulfillment and happiness with Arya, even here on one of the most emotionally taxing days of his life to this point.

“Who will I practice with?”

“You’ll find someone,” Jon promised her. “King’s Landing is a true city, a thousand times the size of Winterfell. Until you find a partner, watch how they fight in the yard. Run, and ride, make yourself strong. And whatever you do …”

Arya knew what was coming next. They said it together.

“… don’t … tell … Sansa!”

Despite being one of the few times Jon mentions Sansa, I don’t think his evocation of her here is really about what he thinks about her so much as what he knows she means to Arya. We in general don’t really ever (as far as I can remember) get any real insight into what Jon thought about their relationship, or if he even internally took sides. Considering just how close he is with Arya, you’d think he would have more thoughts on the matter, but it’s yet another frustrating example of the black hole of their relationship.

Jon messed up her hair. “I will miss you, little sister.”

Suddenly she looked like she was going to cry. “I wish you were coming with us.”

“Different roads sometimes lead to the same castle. Who knows?” He was feeling better now. He was not going to let himself be sad. “I better go. I’ll spend my first year on the Wall emptying chamber pots if I keep Uncle Ben waiting any longer.”

Arya ran to him for a last hug. “Put down the sword first,” Jon warned her, laughing. She set it aside almost shyly and showered him with kisses.

Again we see the dynamic of Jon finding fulfillment and feeling better in himself for arming and thus empowering someone else. It also brings full circle the tour of Jon’s Stark emotional relationships and how they relate to Catelyn: Catelyn herself who he dreads and has the worst with, Bran who’s comatose but is a positive relationship, Robb who is on the whole a positive relationship but one not unaffected by Catelyn, and then Arya who he’s closest to because they’re both nonconforming.

When he turned back at the door, she was holding it again, trying it for balance. “I almost forgot,” he told her. “All the best swords have names.”

“Like Ice,” she said. She looked at the blade in her hand. “Does this have a name? Oh, tell me.”

“Can’t you guess?” Jon teased. “Your very favorite thing.”

Arya seemed puzzled at first. Then it came to her. She was that quick. They said it together:

“Needle!”

The memory of her laughter warmed him on the long ride north.

Show Comparison

(I know I’m in the minority, but Jon’s face is oh so punchable in the early seasons. Kit is a fair actor, but the impression of Jon we get is less of an intelligent and occasionally sullen bastard, and more just sulky)

The show changes this chapter in a few really significant ways. There’s two scenes that take place in the same timeframe that are addd. One is Jaime mocking Jon for going to the Wall, which is very Jaime and adds to the theme we’ll see in Tyrion II of Jon not quite understanding what he was signing up for, but otherwise doesn’t do much.

The other scene is Cersei coming to visit Catelyn at Bran’s bedside. This is a weird scene for a couple of reasons (not least of which is Cersei losing a child that will then be totally forgotten a few seasons later in Maggy’s prophecy), but for our purposes it changes what Catelyn’s mental state is for the scene with Jon. Instead of being half mad with grief and sleep deprivation, Catelyn really isn’t that distraught. Sad and worried, sure, but not out of her mind.

Before we get there though, Jon goes to say goodbye to Arya. Switching the order of this scene to before the on with Catelyn and Bran actually changes more than you’d think. I can see why they thought it was a good idea: there’s more of a dramatic progression this way, but it robs Jon and Arya’s scene. Instead of a scene where he draws strength from his relationship with Arya, it’s a sadder and more somber scene. It’s also a significantly shorter scene than it is in the book, with less banter, and combined with the cutting of the scene between the two of them in Arya I, it makes their relationship a little perfunctory. Jon also sasses Arya for not having Nymeria react to her command, which runs completely counter to how supportive he is in the books. In general he’s a little more harsh with her.

It’s not a problem, per se, you still get a sense that they’re close, but it’s the first step in a general flattening of Jon’s character. Speaking of which...

A lot of the dialogue in the scene by Bran’s bedside gets cut. A lot. Catelyn literally has two lines, one at the beginning, and one at the end.

Jon: I’ve come to say goodbye to Bran.

Catelyn: You’ve said it.

And then after Jon says his thing to Bran.

Catelyn: I want you to leave.

It’s fair to cut some of Catelyn’s dialogue here. The way she glares at Jon non-verbally communicates some of it, but it fundamentally changes the scene. While I don’t think there’s a need to keep Catelyn as sharp as she was in the original scene, because we don’t have access to Jon’s inner thoughts, cutting all her dialogue means that for all intents and purposes all the things we talked about in this chapter; the toll Jon’s bastard status takes on him, the complexities in his familial relationships, the way Catelyn’s actions affected all the Starks are just… gone. None of it exists on the show.

It’s the way the show handles a lot of things, and one of the reasons I wasn’t too fond of it back even in season one: really the show is interested only in a surface level reading of the text, and flattens everything, jettisoning a lot of the thematic and character richness Martin fills the books with.

(Oh, also Ned is in the scene now. Do we see how he reacts to Jon and Catelyn’s relationship? Nope, because none of it happens.)

Finally, the scene between Jon and Robb plays out pretty much the same. There’s another added scene after it where Ned tells Jon he may not have the Stark name, but he has his blood and promises to talk about his mother next time they talk. I don’t really have any thoughts about it. It’s nice, but could also have just been cut for time and we wouldn’t really lose anything.

Conclusion

This was a beast of a chapter to get done, much like Jon I. While chronologically the next chapter I should cover is Tyrion II, I’m going to skip it and do Sansa I next (and then Tyrion II). It’ll be the first time we’ll be in Sansa’s pov and get her sense of her relationship with Arya: it also contains the infamous incident between Joffrey and Arya out on the Kingsroad.

Like the last Jon chapter, there’s a lot of really good meta written about the Bran bedroom scene and Jon and Catelyn’s relationship in general. Some I’ve already linked to in this reread series (and this chapter), and some I haven’t, but most of it should be new.

Further Reading

Catelyn’s relationship with Jon drove a wedge through all the Stark children

Jon giving Arya Needle is a sign of how comfortable he is with violence

Catelyn’s animus to Jon stems from her patriarchal disempowerment

Should Ned have fostered Jon elsewhere?

Should Ned have told Jon about his true parentage?

Should Ned have told Catelyn about Jon’s true parentage?

Previous Chapters:

Bran I

Jon I

Arya I

#reread #jon reread #jon snow #arya stark #catelyn stark #jonsa #agot #got meta #game of thrones meta #a song of ice and fire #asoiaf #asoiaf meta

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lostinaseaoffictionalbliss · 5 years

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Fighting Can Lead To Something Else

Summary: You and Tyrion get captured by Catelyn and things between you and Bronn escalate quickly

Pairing: Bronn X Reader

Warnings: smut, vag penetration, fingering

When you walked into the inn with Tyrion looking for a room you never expected to see Catelyn Stark. Nor did you expect her to take you and your brother prisoner. They tied your hands and placed you on a horse sidesaddle in front of a man with dark unkempt hair that almost came to his shoulders, a scruffy beard, and blue eyes that knocked your breathe away. You wanted to keep staring into them, but a bag was placed over your head. His muscular arms, toned from years of sword-fighting, kept you from falling off the horse. The warmth of his body and a scent that was all him had you squirming.

It was unlike you to be attracted to a man this quickly, but for some reason you were. "Stay still or I'll have to punish you," he said. A small whimper tore itself from your throat causing him to chuckle. "Oh ho seems the little lady likes that idea," he teased. "I have a name. It's Y/N not little lady," you sassed. "Well Y/N I'm Bronn," he replied. Hearing him say your name sent a shiver down your spine. Before you could say anything else you felt the horse come to a stop. Bronn helped you down and removed the bag from your head. It would seem you were heading toward the Vale and not Winterfell. "You said you were taking us to Winterfell," Tyrion confronted Catelyn. "I did loudly and as often as possible," she replied. You tuned out the rest of the conversation and turned to Bronn. He truly was an attractive man, but you shouldn't feel this aroused by him. You had just met him and he was helping hold you captive.

"Untie me. If we're attacked by the hill tribes I won't be able to defend myself. And you'll be to busy to do it for me," you pleaded. He stared into your green eyes and after a few moments relented. It was just in time as men descended from the hills with crudely made weapons and mismatched armor. Bronn pushed you behind him allowing you to see a dagger at the small of his back. You grabbed it and turned stabbing a man in the eye as he came close. His blood spurted out coating your hair and face. When he fell another man was there to replace him. He tackled you knocking the dagger out of your hand.

You went to reach for it fingertips barely grazing it. When you looked up into the man's dark eyes watching him raise his blade you thought this is it I'm going to die. You closed your eyes tightly praying that it would be painless. Seconds ticked by and you felt nothing. Not even the weight of the man who had previously been straddling you. When you opened your eyes again Bronn was pulling his sword from the man's body. You grabbed his dagger and stood up. "Aye I'll be taking that back," he said reaching toward you.

You handed him the blade and then looked toward Tyrion. He was bent over panting having killed a man himself. "First time?" Bronn asked. Tyrion glanced up at him. "You need a woman. Nothing like a woman after a fight," Bronn told him. Tyrion looked at Catelyn and said, "I'm willing if she is." You let out an unladylike snort. "Good luck with that brother. It would seem I stand a better chance of being bedded than you for once," you joked. Bronn smirked at you. "You most certainly fucking do little lady," he said. You rolled your eyes at the name, but smirked and winked at him all the same.

The rest of the ride Bronn couldn't keep his hands off you. He used one hand to hold the reigns while his other slipped into the top of your gown to fondle your breasts. You told him quit multiple times seeing as people could see, but your words didn't faze him. When you finally arrived in the Eyrie you were escorted directly to a room. Apparently they only wanted your brother as prisoner. While you were indeed worried about him you couldn't keep your mind from Bronn and the feel of his hands. You had changed out of your bloody gown and taken a bath when he came into your room without even knocking.

The door slammed closed behind him and you just stared not knowing what to say. Your emotions were running high from the fight and his touch and all you wanted was for him to ravish you. He took off his leather cuirass and dropped it on the ground. He then removed his belt, sword, and the dagger you had used. Your tongue peeked out to lick your lips as you watched him undress. Your heart was beating so hard you weren't sure how he didn't hear.

His boots came next and then his trousers. When you saw his cock your breath hitched. It wasn't huge, but he wasn't small either. He was the perfect size. "Like what you see?" he asked. You nodded your head and walked toward him. Once you were close enough he grabbed your arm and pulled you toward him. He looked in your eyes for a brief moment before his lips were on yours. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders pulling him as close as you could. Bronn grabbed your legs and wrapped them around him before turning and pushing you into the door.

His cock brushed against you causing you to moan into his mouth. Now that he had the door to help hold your weight he used his hand to tease your nipples until they were both hard. He then lowered his head and sucked one into his mouth while his hand trailed down to rub your clit. "Already so wet for me. That fight got you just as fucking horny as me didn't it?" he asked. "Ye-yes," you stuttered out. "Such a dirty girl," Bronn said as he rubbed your clit hard and fast. You bucked against him making his cock twitch. "Want me to fuck you little lady?" he questioned as he bucked his own hips.

"Please I need your cock," you replied. He used the hand he had been teasing you with to help line up before thrusting all the way in at once. Your head fell back and hit the door with a thud. "So tight and wet. Seven hells you feel good," Bronn groaned. His thrusts were hard and fast. After having you rub up on him and playing with your breasts earlier he was ready to explode. One hand gripped your hip tight enough to bruise while his other came back to your clit. He was close, but he wasn't going to cum without you having done so first.

He bit and sucked at your neck leaving marks. He found the spot right below your ear that was your undoing. You came hard squeezing his cock tight as you dug your nails into his shoulders leaving marks. He then grabbed your other hip allowing him to thrust into you harder a few more times before he came himself. He held you in place for a few moments after, before letting you down again. "I do believe I should get in fights more often," you told him with a grin. "Aye I agree. Best fuck I've had in a long time," he said. You nodded your head in agreement.

When Bronn came with you after winning the trial by combat for Tyrion you were ecstatic. While you weren't in love with Bronn you certainly enjoyed spending time with him. Him coming along meant you wouldn't have to find a new lover anytime soon. Once you had been reunited with Jamie and your father, Bronn and Tyrion had to go off to battle. The sex afterwards had been even more amazing than the first time. And when Bronn came back from the battle of the blackwater you came so hard you blacked out. When your sister told you she planned to reward Bronn by giving him a castle and a lady you went into a rage. Over time you had grown to love him and not just what he could do in the bedroom.

Then an idea came to you; Bronn could marry you and be lord of Casterly Rock. Your brother couldn't inherit it due to being a member of the kingsguard nor could Cersei as Queen Regent and Tyrion had fled after killing your father. That left only you. When you presented the idea to Cersei she thought you were mad, but then she realized that it made sense. Bronn was surprised when he was informed, but he was also grateful. It meant he wouldn't have to marry someone he didn't know or like. With you he knew just how pleasurable things could be and now he was going to be able to continue enjoying them.

#Bronn #Bronn x reader #Bronn/you #Bronn smut #Game of Thrones #Game of Thrones smut #GoT #GoT smut

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tamayokny · 5 years

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Name ten favourite characters from ten different things (books, tv, film, etc.) then tag ten people

This was extremely difficult to do. The first two were easy, since they are my ride or die, but choosing 10 different characters? From ten different things? I don’t know if I even like 10 different things, but I found some loopholes, lol.

tagged by @bpdanakins <3

1. Lara Croft - Tomb Raider

Lara Croft has been one of my idols since I was a small child. My mom had bought Tomb Raider: Starring Lara Croft and Tomb Raider: Adventures of Lara Croft for my sister on the PlayStation. I remember watching my sister play it, and then sometimes I was allowed to play it. I continued the Tomb Raider legacy throughout the years.

Lara Croft is just. Amazing. I love every version of her. Classic Lara deflected the life her parents had wanted her to have, and paid the price for it. Did that stop her? No, it did not! She was able to make her own mark in the world. LAU!Lara wanted to find out what happened to her mother, and honestly I love Keeley Hawes as Lara. She was witty and funny, and Legend is one of my favorite TR games. And Reboot!Lara? I love her. I honestly don’t care what people say, Reboot!Lara is great! Her first game is also fun to play. Each version of Lara Croft offers something different, and I love it. While many of Lara’s core values are in each incarnation (adventurous, ambitious, brave, etc.), each brings a new perspective which I enjoy!

Fun fact: my irl best friend and Lara share the same zodiac sign!

2. Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) - Marvel

I LOVE WANDA MAXIMOFF WITH ALL MY HEART!!! She’s a huge comfort character for me. She’s one of the most powerful mutants (yes, I am ignoring the retcon), and she’s complex. Wanda first appeared in X-Men #4 alongside her brother, Pietro, as members of Magneto’s Brotherhood. Eventually, the twins become heroes and join the Avengers.

Wanda’s mutation is magic; probability, to put it at best. She can warp reality. While she is strong, she is also human. Many remember her best as having a mental breakdown and creates House of M (influenced by her beloved brother). After this, she goes off the radar for a few years before her reincarnated sons find her.

I love Wanda because she has heart, courage, and cares for others. She’s intuitive and sensitive and, in many ways, reminds me of myself. I genuinely love Wanda with all my heart. She remains to be my number one favorite superhero. I wish more people knew her--the real her. The MCU does not do her (or her brother) justice. At all. (At least AOU kind of got their “reluctant villains to heroes” origin story well enough?)

Also: fuck you Marvel for retconning Magneto as the Maximoffs’ father. It’s been 5 years but I still elect to ignore that.

3. Phoebe Halliwell - Charmed

Growing up, Charmed was one of my favorite TV shows. To sum it up, it’s about a group of sisters who discover that they’re witches. Specifically, they’re the Charmed Ones and they protect the innocent. For awhile, I’ve said that Piper is my favorite sister but after my last rewatch, I say that Phoebe is my favorite.

At the beginning of the series, Phoebe was the youngest and the rebel of the family. Before the pilot, Phoebe was living in New York but we see her move back in. We also see that she has a strained relationship with her eldest sister, Prue, due to her scummy fiancé. Phoebe is also the reason why their magic was unlocked. (As children, their powers were bounded in order to keep them safe.)

Over time, we see Phoebe mature more. However, there are a few things that never changes with Phoebe. She’s kind and caring for others, always wanting to help them no matter what. (She shares this trait with the youngest sister, Paige.) She is deeply connected with her emotions (which causes her to gain the power of empathy in season 6). Phoebe has also had rough luck with love (see: Cole the demon, etc.) but no matter how much she gets hurt, Phoebe still has hope. She still has love in her heart. No matter how much she gets knocked down, she finds a way of getting back up, and I admire her a lot for it.

4. Catelyn Stark - A Song of Ice and Fire

Family. Duty. Honor. This is House Tully’s family motto, which is deeply embedded into Catelyn. Catelyn was married to Ned Stark during Robert’s Rebellion, after her former betrothed was murdered in King’s Landing (who, ironically, was Ned’s older brother). Their wedding night resulted in the birth of their firstborn: Robb Stark, heir to Winterfell and King in the North.

Catelyn Stark is the mother of the wolves, and her love for her family is no doubt a core of her character. However, Catelyn is clever and if you mess with her, you will certainly gain her wrath. Her eldest values her for her wisdom, and will turn to her for help. She will do anything for her family, such as freeing Jaime Lannister to get her girls back, or offering herself to save her eldest during the horrific events of the Red Wedding.

Catelyn is murdered, along with majority of the Stark party, at the Red Wedding. However, she is resurrected and becomes Lady Stoneheart. Stoneheart is out for vengeance, because she believes all of her children are gone; taken by the enemy. Stoneheart murders Frey or Lannister alike--whoever is associated with them. She holds no mercy.

There is so much more to Catelyn that I could go on, but I will stop here. (Besides, I need to reread the books again!) I will say this: fuck you, D&D.

5. Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) - Marvel

MAGNETO TIME? MAGNETO TIME.

Erik Lehnsherr was a young boy when World War II happened and because he was Jewish, he was sent to Auschwitz. His family did not survive, but Erik did. Depending on what you follow on, Erik either A) escaped with Magda (who is the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver’s mother) and started a life with her or B) he hunted down the men who worked for Sebastian Shaw (movie universe).

Anyway, Erik had been a mutant since around the time he was sent to the camps and after the horror and trauma he’s faced, Erik decided that mutants would never be accepted by “their less evolved kin”. So, he became Magneto, a protector for mutants and enemy for humans.

Magneto is only one side of the coin, however. Charles Xavier is a longtime frenemy of sorts, both having different perspectives in life. Xavier believes in coexistence, but Magneto believes otherwise. He had seen what humanity is capable of, and he never wants that to happen again. If he must be a villain, than so be it.

Magneto is beautifully complex. He has done some questionable things (I’m thinking of the comics for this one), but he has also done great things for his people. “Never again,” he says. He fights to keep it that way. Magneto is sympathetic at best, and I certainly understand where he comes from. Tell me this: if you were Magneto, what would you have done?

Also: while Michael Fassbender is not Jewish in any way, he did one hell of a job portraying this amazing character.

6. Kira Yukimura - Teen Wolf

I wasn’t planning on adding Teen Wolf to the list, but here I am.

Kira was introduced to us in season 3b, written as a “new love interest” for Scott McCall. I remember a lot of fans of a certain ship were pissed, but whatever. I’m not here to talk about romance.

So, in 3b Kira was a new student, with her dad as the new history teacher at Beacon Hills High School. She’s of both Korean and Japanese descent, and she ends up playing an important role in the story arc. We find out that she’s a Kitsune, thanks to her mother who explains how a Kitsune and a werewolf must come together to defeat the Nogitsune, who happens to be possessing the loveable Stiles Stilinski.

After this, Kira becomes a part of the McCall Pack and Scott’s girlfriend. In my opinion, they’re cute together but many people hate them together. Oh well. Kira also becomes a badass in her own right, as her abilities evolve. However, in season 5, the creators put her on the shelf, as she trains with Skinwalkers and is never seen again. I am so fucking MAD about that.

Like many characters on this list, Kira has heart and courage. She’s a bit of an introvert but she is loyal, and cares for her pack. She’s cute and a bit goofy. She is skilled and deadly. Kira is one of the coolest characters Teen Wolf had, and the way they treated her was disappointed. (Even though after her death, Allison was always mentioned/connected in some way. I like Allison, don’t get me wrong but all I can say is: interesting...)

Fun fact: Arden Cho, the actress, is the VA for Sam Nishimura in Tomb Raider (2013)!

7. Lois Wilkerson - Malcolm in the Middle

The mother of four boys, the matriarch of the Wilkerson household is not one to push around.

Lois has had a rather rough life. Her parents were not the best, and everyone tries to push her down. However, Lois fights back and is not afraid to stand up for what is right. Francis, her oldest, describes her as an absolute menace and while her sons and husband fear her, they also admire her for her strength and courage. Lois is tough as nails, but she can also break, too. However, her family--the family she and Hal created, no one else--is there for her. Lois is incredibly strong willed no matter what, and I love her so much.

8. Theon Greyjoy - A Song of Ice and Fire

No words can describe on how much I love this fashionable war criminal.

Before the start of the series, Theon is a hostage/ward of Lord Stark, as a result of his father’s failed rebellion. Theon was a reminder that if Balon Greyjoy pulled something again, his last (male) heir would get the chopping block. Pretty brutal for a young child, right?

Now, at the start of the series, Theon is nineteen and is seemingly best friends with Robb Stark, the heir to Winterfell and the North. He shows loyalty to Robb and the Starks, claiming that Lord Stark was like a father to him. He’s also skilled with archery and, like I mentioned earlier, fashion.

Then A Clash of Kings occur, and we began to see how Theon Greyjoy is.

Robb Stark has been proclaimed as King of the North, and sends Theon to the Iron Islands in hopes to gain allies with Balon Greyjoy. However, this does not occur. Old Greyjoy says “fuck that and if you’re [Theon] aren’t with us, then you‘re against us.” We see Theon conflicted, but we also see how strained his relationship with his father is. In the end, Theon joins the Greyjoys, and promptly sacks Winterfell. However, that is not the end. Theon is tricked by Ramsay Bolton and this vile man takes Winterfell. I believe while he took the women and children captive, the men were killed...save for Theon, of course.

Theon is held captive by Ramsay Bolton, and is tortured quite brutally. Theon goes through a lot in this time. His appearance had changed drastically: black hair turned white and brittle, he becomes skin and bones, and loses a few fingers and toes. Theon is no longer Theon. He became Reek. The new Reek.

Then, Jeyne Poole (or Sansa; I hate you D&D) arrives, under the guise that she is Arya Stark and she is to wed Ramsay Bolton. Jeyne begged Theon to help her, but he is in no position of power. He is a completely broken man. Time flies by. Jeyne is in absolute misery but with the help of Mance and some spearwives, Theon is able to escape Winterfell with Jeyne during a winter storm. Currently, in the books, Theon is set to be executed by Stannis Baratheon, who is currently holding him captive.

Theon Greyjoy may be a fuckup, but to me he is such an amazing character. He holds much conflict, from being a hostage/ward to Prince to prisoner. Theon Greyjoy may have done a lot of shit, but he is also a survivor. Everything he has been put through, he somehow lives to see another day. Despite holding negative feelings to Lord Stark and everyone around, claiming he owed no one anything (fair enough), he loved Robb. When Theon had found out he was murdered at the Red Wedding, you know what he thought?

I should have been with him. Where was I? I should have died with him.

Theon is far from perfect, but that is what makes him great. He has come so far, and I hope his journey does not end any time soon.

9. Suki - Avatar: The Last Airbender

Zuko may have the best redemption arc (or does he? See above.), but Suki holds a special place in my heart.

We first meet Suki season one, on Kyoshi Island. She is the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, and effectively puts Sokka in his place. However, when Sokka requests a few lessons, Suki is happy to help...as long as he followed the guidelines.

Suki is a certified badass. Although a non-bender, Suki has incredible skill and event went against Azula. However, Suki and the others surrendered (so that Appa would not be captured), leading to her imprisonment at Boiling Rock. Eventually, Sokka and Zuko free her (with the help of Mai). After this, Suki joined the Gaang in ceasing the 100 Year War.

Suki is strong but like many other characters in this list, she has heart. She is an effective leader and fighter, offering her help whenever she can. Too bad she was never mentioned in The Legend of Korra. Suki is underrated and she deserves more love and respect.

10. Max Mayfield - Stranger Things

We first meet Max in season 2 as the new girl in Hawkins. She seems like your average girl but she quickly gets tied into the party after Lucas begs her to show her what has happened with him and the rest of the party. However, there’s a lot more to Max.

Max moved to Hawkins with her mother, stepfather, and stepbrother. It’s easy to see that Max and Billy, her stepbrother, do not get along. Billy is outright mean to her, lashing out at practically every chance he gets. Max fights back, however...especially when he threatens her friends.

In season 3, we finally get to see Max and El bond. (Thank God we didn’t have to put up with the “jealousy” tidbit. I would have--) El believes that Mike is lying and Max is like, “Well yeah. Come on let’s go to the mall!” and the girls have a blast together. I was so happy to see the two bond and have fun. I was so happy that El was spending time with someone other than Mike. I was so happy the girls were having fun by themselves. Honestly, the best part of season 3 was them becoming friends.

I love Max because she is confident and is not afraid to speak her mind. She’s funny and in many ways, we are alike. (Especially with our attitudes on boys and relationships.) However, Max is also vulnerable. We see this with her stepbrother, especially in season 3 I think. Their relationship was drastically different in season 3 and while many didn’t like it (myself included)...I also thought about Max. She’s a young girl and no matter how much bad blood was in between them, it will be traumatizing to see a transformation like this to someone you know quite well. It would be scary.

Anyway, I love Max.

Honorable mentions: Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat), Ororo Munroe (Storm), Jean Grey (Phoenix), Anna Marie (Rogue), Sam Nishimura, Malia Tate, all of House Martell, Dustin Henderson...

Thanks for reading! I hope you all enjoyed reading this. Tell me, do I have a certain type of character that I’m attracted to? Also, I’m not sure who has all done this, so if you haven’t it: who are your top 10 favorite characters? Let me know!

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ansheofthevalley · 5 years

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What do promos tell us? - Characters and their journeys

It’s been a couple of days since a new teaser dropped for s8

We also had this

Putting these two little teasers together, we get what will be one of the two major plots of the season: D@ny in Winterfell (which is, in its very nature, politically-driven)

A thing I want to point out: teasers like these ones (clips) are very malleable. People in editing can make it look like one thing before the season premieres, and then, it’s another thing entirely (I’m not talking about these teasers in particular, because the fandom, at least the part of fandom I interact with, was right in their theories and assumptions. I’m talking in general. Go watch the trailers for previous seasons, especially the early ones, they can be misleading, and that’s actually its purpose)

Ok, with that out of the way...

Given season 8 is the final season, it’s already established that we know these characters: their way of acting, of thinking, of approaching things.

For example:

We got the ones that are involved in the Big Game, the politicians/diplomats (Tyrion, Varys, Sansa, Cersei, Davos, Missandei)

We got the ones involved with prophecy/magical elements (D@ny, Jon, Bran, Melisandre, Night King)

We got the warriors (Jaime, Brienne, Arya, the Hound, Tormund, Beric and the Brotherhood, Gendry, Yara, the armies of men and the dead)

We got the loose canons (Euron and Bronn, though I really wish Bronn will somehow ride north with Jaime)

We got the unlikely heroes (Theon, Sam and Pod)

We got to a point where we know these characters’ traits and faults, we know what they’re good at and what their bad at.

But how were these characters introduced?

(I will focus on promotional pictures for this. This meta will focus on Jon and D@enrys, since they are two of the main players used to promote the series before it premiered)

So let’s start with Jon:

Jon Snow-Season 1

This is the first promo pic we had of Jon Snow. It has a quote of the oath of the Night’s Watch, instantly painting him, at the eyes of the audience, as a warrior, as a defender of men. It clearly contrast with the one for Cersei, which paints her at the eyes of the audience as a cunning, not-to-be-trusted politician

Now let’s go to Season 2:

After all that has happened in S1 (i.e: the political intrigue of the South), we see Jon is still tied to the Night’s Watch, still tied to his vows, as another part of the oath is quoted on his poster. His poster is apolitical, with no ties to all the political upheaval that Westeros is going through. He’s still a defender of men, a knight on a noble crusade. Only now, he will learn that there is more than one way to defend people. He will learn that information is as valuable as a sword when it comes to battle. It is from this season onward, that Jon will learn how to be a strategist. It is in the season 2 finale that he infiltrates the Wildling army under Qhorin’s command. No matter how things might seem, he’s still a sworn brother of the Night’s Watch, the watcher on the Wall, the sword in the darkness. His loyalty lies with them and this quote reminds us of that.

His ties with House Stark are severed, even though the fact that he’s the bastard of Winterfell is constantly brought up throughout the seasons. Let’s compare his poster to Robb’s:

Robb’s promo poster is political. He ended season 1 being crowned King in the North. The War of the Five Kings is at its genesis. But the Young Wolf is different from the other kings, he doesn’t want the Iron Throne, he goes to war to avenge his father and achieve northern independence. His quote is “the North remembers”; it’s a promise to the enemies of House Stark and the North. It instantly solidifies the conflict between the North and the South. There’s also another poster with the same line, made to represent House Stark/the North:

There’s also a Joffrey/House Lannister poster (I apologize in advance to all House Stark stans):

With this one. I’m so sorry, I apologize again, the audience gets the true nature of Joffrey, and also the behaviour of House Lannister overall, once Joffrey ascends as King. I’ll talk about the one for House Targaryen when I get to D@ny.

But let’s jump forward to season 6 (I make this jump because for season 3 and 4 it’s the same poster for all characters, nothing really distinctive about them):

Season 6 promos had the motif of the Hall of Faces, from the House of Black and White. At first sight, this promo poster doesn’t seem like much. I mean, it doesn’t have any quote on it that relates to the character so, what’s so special about it?

Well, in the GOT wiki, in the photo gallery for season 6, are all the teaser posters for the seasons, with a quote relating to the character’s journey up until this point. Jon’s quote is: "The long night is coming...and the dead come with it." Again, this quote keeps him tied to the Night’s Watch and their fight against the Night King. He’s still the knight on a noble crusade, only this time, he’s not part of the Night’s Watch, but he still has their fight against the Others as his top priority. He is the shield that guards the realms of men (a line he says to Beric in S7 during the wight hunt, mind you).

A side note: something I observed is the connection Jon’s quote has with the other Starks (sans Arya, since she’s training to become No One). It’s the first time a promotional teaser poster links him to the Starks. By making this connection, it’s clear that, when at first, his fealty was with the Night’s Watch, now it is with his House. What is the connection? The sense of loss and being at a low point. We all know it’s been that way for the Starks since season 1. The quotes from House Stark are the following:

"I've won every battle, but I'm losing this war." - Robb Stark

"If I'm going to die, let it happen while there's still some of me left." - Sansa Stark

"Anyone can be killed." - Arya Stark

"Show them how it feels to lose what they love." - Catelyn Stark

Season 7 was the same as seasons 3 and 4: same quote (a House Stark-related quote) for all the characters, with the tiny hint of the Night King. Nothing particularly special, but we could point out the use of a quote heavily related to House Stark “Winter is here” (a line said by Sansa to Jon in the season 6 finale, mind you) and the hint of the Night King in the eye of the characters, alluding to the fabled “Ice”, the Night King and his army of the dead. So I wouldn’t be so surprised if the promotional posters for season 8 contrast the ones from last season, alluding to the fabled “Fire”.

So, now let’s go with D@ny

D@enerys Targaryen-Season 1:

The first promo we get for D@ny establishes her as someone in completely different world from Westeros, a woman out of place, and she’s holding one of her dragon eggs. To add to it we have the quote “I do not have a gentle heart” (one said by her to Jorah). So this promo poster sets her as a, in lack of a better way to explain myself, a strong woman (ugh). We bear witness to the hardships D@ny has to face in season 1, but she faces them all and at the end comes up on top, with the birth of her dragons.

Now, let’s see season 2 D@ny:

The quote she is given for the season 2 poster is a way to introduce, little by little, the mentality of House Targaryen. So far, in season 1, we��ve learnt about the Targaryens like history, through the eyes and minds of other characters (Aegon the Conqueror, Mad King Aerys and Rhaegar during Robert’s Rebellion are the most notable), but we got to see glimmers of the Targaryens with Vyseris’ behavior and later D@enerys’. The birth of her dragons is a catalyst for her: she’s still Khaleesi, but we get to see more and more of the “dragon” in her.

youtube

It is in this season, we start to see D@enerys embrace her Targaryen roots.

Her promo poster is also very similar to Robb’s: its quote is also used to represent her House in the House Targaryen teaser poster

It heavily features fire: the small pyre, the dragon egg cracking, and the Targaryen sigil, the three-headed dragon. It represents the birth of the dragons, that we see at the season 1 finale, but it also represents the return of House Targaryen with D@ny and her three baby dragons. Let’s not forget the full quote “I will take what is mine with fire and blood”. From now on, D@ny is in a quest of power to get what she thinks was taken from her: the Iron Throne.

As I explained earlier, season 3 and 4 didn’t have posters that stood out individually, character wise.

So with that said, let’s jump to season 6:

As I explained with the Jon poster, at first glance, it would seem that the season 6 promo posters would be no different to those of previous seasons, that is until I looked up the pics in the GOT wiki and saw each one had a quote. D@ny’s quote was the following: "I will do what queens do. I will rule." By this point, she has her armies and is Queen of Meereen, she’s in a good place. But season 5 threw at her new hardships that tested her as a ruler and by the end of the season she ended fleeing the city atop Drogon. So, in season 6, we see D@ny readjust herself amongst the Dothraki in Vaes Dothrak, but later, when she murders all the Khals and the Dothraki see her as the “Unburnt”, she becomes their leader, gaining another army for her quest for the Throne. She deals with situation in Meereen quite swiftly (with the intervention of Tyrion, but it didn’t prevent her of going all Dracarys) and she gained new allies in Dorne and the Reach. So she ends the season with a long-awaited moment: sailing for Westeros.

Her quote is about power. Her goal, from the start, was to get back to Westeros and reclaim the Throne. She wants to rule, she seek that power. But, just as Jon’s quote connected him to the Starks’, does D@ny’s quote connect her to anybody else? If we concentrate on power, then yes, her quote connects to others:

"When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground." - Cersei Lannister

"Everyone is mine to torment." - Joffrey Baratheon

We have Cersei, who seeks to maintain power since the very beginning, and we also have Joffrey, who, as King, did what he pleased with his subjects (the little shit). But there’s another quote, but it doesn’t connect, rather it serves as contrast:

"I was never meant to rule." - Robert Baratheon

Here we have a Lord that went to war and won, thus making him the King and establishing a new dynasty. Everyone knew Robert was a great warrior, proven time and time again on the battlefield, but when the time came for him to lay down his warhammer and rule, he proved he wasn’t the man for the job. He was a warrior, not a ruler. And I think it’s the same with D@ny, she’s a great warrior, she has proven herself as a conqueror, but we’ve seen she’s not fit to rule. As Daario points out in season 6:

The difference between Robert and D@ny is that Robert was well aware of his inability to rule, whereas D@ny is uncapable to see her own faults as a ruler. Also, I find this parallel/contrast between Robert and D@ny super ironic.

D@ny is great in a battlefield, but she fails when she has to bring people together. She’s great when she has to set ships and armies ablaze (which is very cruel, because you know, death by fire sucks), but she fails when diplomacy is involved. Her tenure in Meereen is a big testament to that.

Sansa puts it better:

“Now, I’m sure cutting off heads is very satisfying, but that’s not the way you get people to work together”

In conclusion:

We get introduced to Jon as a guardian, as a protector. That image of him never goes, even after he leaves the Watch. His role in the story, overall, is the one of a defender, of a honorable knight that fights for a noble cause. From the start, he is the watcher in the Wall, the sword in the darkness, the shield that guards the realms of men. That’s his main goal: to protect people from the threat of the Night King. And throughout the seasons, we’ve seen him become not only a leader, but a strategist, someone that values information as much as he values an army.

On the other hand, we get introduced to D@ny as a woman out of place, but that quickly acquires power, and that’s her goal. Neither of these things really go away in her story, too: she is a woman out of place because she longs for home, and tries to find it anywhere she can. She acquires power very quickly and becomes a formidable force all on her own, but as her power rises, the more she embraces her Targaryen heritage. Her role in the story, overall, is one of a conqueror, just like her ancestor, a warrior. While there are some savior tropes (white savior tropes) in her storyline and she tries to do good for the ones that can’t defend themselves, her story is mainly driven by power. Her main goal never stops being the Iron Throne.

And also, they’re the last two Targaryen: one, a defender, the other, a conqueror. Their stories go in opposite directions. That’s the reason why in the last season, Jon and D@ny are going to clash. And it’s been spelled out for us from the start.

#how to tag #got #jon snow #anti targ restoration #anti jonerys #anti daenerys #got meta #game of thrones #game of thrones meta #jon snow meta #promo analysis #i don't think this is necessarily anti d #it's more of pointing out the obvious #but just in case #my meta #my stuff #i wanted to pass this to drafts but tumblr was being a bitch #i wanted to add a couple of things #so there you go

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widziadelko · 5 years

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Lady of Winterfell and Mother of Dragons

Hello, beautiful people! I’m gonna talk about Sansa and Daenerys, so if you don’t want to read about them, that’s fine! Just know that I love both of them and I’m not gonna hate on anyone.

But if you want to fight with this long text, just know that I’m not a native speaker and there can be a few (just a few? more like a lot of) mistakes. Be free to tell me, I will fix them and learn something.

Okay, so I've watched e03s08 of GoT yesterday, but I had to take my time and think about everything what happened to actually write something about it. I don't ‘speak’ often, unless the world ends and when I was scrolling through my wall on tumblr, fb or ig I saw a lot of posts about Sansa-Daenerys war, and well. . . The world doesn’t end, but I still have something to say.

I'm gonna start with very simple statement - this episode wasn't something I was expecting. Do I feel disappointed? Maybe, but not much, I kinda liked few scenes and characters interactions, but it totally can't be called another battle of Helm's Deep. BUT I loved Jaime's and Brienne's scenes (Okay, they are my OTP, I'm very happy they are alive and this is everything I could ask for. Really, I don't even need a love confession, I want them to be alive. Nothing more. But this is GoT, so my wish is kinda stupid and naive.); I felt proud of Jaime; I loved Jorah's and Theon's death who were protecting dear to them people and who died like heroes; I loved Ser Davos face, when he saw Arya's fighting skills; I loved Arya (!); Sansa's and Tyrion's interaction was great!

Those were awesome! And there are a lot of better and worse scenes and character's behaviours we can talk about, yet still many people fighting over Sansa and Daenerys. Don't get me wrong, do what you want, but you have so many things to talk about after this episode! For exampe: why the fuck Jon did nothing during the fight his character was literally made for; Arya being Azor Ahai (though, I feel like Azor Ahai's topic was abandoned in a tv show) or what is planning Bran with his crows (because there's have to be a plan, I don’t believe he just warged away) or how badass Lady Lyanna Mormont was!

So many good (and bad) scenes to talk about (or shit on them)! Yeah, and here I am, I'm gonna talk about Sansa and Daenerys. To get things straight, I love Sansa and I like Daenerys. I really do. They are strong women who have been through a lot in their lives, I respect them both and they were great in the latest episode.

Sansa’s and Daenerys’ fans fight each other, when someone says something about their favs. I get it, we want to defend characters we like or see ourselves in them, BUT they’re still only fictional characters AND people you are talking to are real. Don’t be mean. And stop hating on one character over and over again, because it can hurt someone, especially person who identifies themselves with them or is very bonded to that one. You can criticise, but don’t hate. (Unless it’s an asshole like Joffrey, Cersei or Ramsey)

As fan of both of them, I’m gonna say something - they are created to be seen as humans who are flesh and blood, what means they make mistakes; they have flaws; they don’t have every fucking ability; they are not meant to be seen as goddesses or even demigods; they can be afraid and brave, angry and calm, hard and soft, they can love and hate. You know why? Because those are things humans do!

Why do you find problem with Sansa’s “I won’t leave my people” and later her hiding in the crypts? She was told to do so by Arya, who knew that her sister is not a fighter, would be a burden and very possibly die! And Sansa knew that too. She can’t fight, she’s not an assassin, not a warrior but a politic. She doesn’t have dragons, she wasn’t ressurected and she’s not a Priestess.

But she feels responsible for her people and that’s good, that’s the thing the leader should feel about others. But what use is of a leader who is dead? If she had stayed she could have gladly commit suicide - it would be the exact same thing.

Sansa knows her weaknesses and even spoke about them to Tyrion. (Yeah, guys, she wasn’t there alone, Tyrion, Varys, Gilly, Missandei were there too! And it made more sense than let them fight like Sam, who indeed, had killed people before but not in a war scene and was useless on the battlefield.) That was their war, but they could do nothing. That is normal to be afraid and hide when people are dying around you and you are defenseless! Guys, have you even seen a war movie or read a book about fights? Most of people want to do something, but they can’t!

Yet when things went wrong and dead people started waking up in the crypts, she took her dagger and was ready to protect her people. They didn’t show it unfortunately, they cut this scene, what was a big mistake, because it’s almost like they took something from Sansa, but still you see her and Tyrion when they go to fight with Wights and later (after NK was killed by our little Azor Ahai) they were standing before everyone like they were trying to cover them.

A lot of people call out Sansa’s comment about Tyrion’s loyality to Dany and praise Missandei’s protective behaviour. Look, I’ve never cared of Missandei, yet I understand that Dragon Queen is her best friend, but. . . Sansa didn’t say a bad world about her, she didn’t try to make fun of her or something, didn’t try to show her in a bad light in front of others! She just told Tyrion that he’s already loyal to Daenerys and that loyality would destroy their marriage.

But I agree that after this, Sansa should at least thank Dany for everything, not bend a knee, but thank her. They would be fucked without her army.

And to those who have a problem with her talking about North independence when they are gonna face Death itself - this is her home that was lost and now they had it back. It’s not weird she doesn’t want to rely on anyone anymore. Especially when her previous experiences with queens and kings look like that.

Now few things about Daenerys - yes, she wants power; yes, she can turn into a Mad Queen; yes, she’s very proud, but really. . . She’s a girl who had nothing and got so much in a small amount of time almost only on her own. Just like Sansa she was beaten, humiliated, raped, hurt in so many ways, but it made her stronger. Does she can seem to be overpowered with her dragons and the biggest army in the world (well. . . not anymore the biggest, but leave it)? Yes, you know why? She has two fucking dragons and the biggest fucking army in the world! (Well. . .)

She grew up with the thought that Westeros is something she deserves and this is her main goal. I understand her behaviour, BUT she still should act like Dany we know from previous seasons if she wants North trust.

During the last episode she was brave. The whole time she thought she can’t be touched, because she has dragons and thanks to them they will win, but she was wrong. She helped her army as much as she could, but it was dark, there was a snowstorm, Dany and Jon almost didn’t see anything. They couldn’t help much.

And later you saw what was happening, even Drogon felt afraid and left his mother. Daenerys neve held a weapon, yet she was fighting side by side with Jorah, because what kind of a queen she would be, if she didn’t fight for her lieges.

They both lost people that were important to them: Sansa lost Theon, her people and her home has been destroyed again, also deads from the crypt where her family. Daenerys lost Jorah, Dothraki (remember, that they weren’t only fighters for her, she found her strenght thanks to them), Unsullied and had to fight her own child.

They are both strong female characters and they are both good leaders, but in a little different ways. They both are devoted to their people. Both don’t have great physical strength and still are ready to defend defenceless.

Sansa sometimes seem to be a bitch and personally I love her for that, she’s a good player and still can be kind, she is a great Lady of Winterfell, who would make Ned and Catelyn proud.

Daenerys has her goals and is trying to achieve them, she had nothing, but now is a queen, she cares about others and learns on her mistakes. Remember, that she is more similar to Rheagar than to her mad brother and father. (But I would love her to take their legacy and be a Mad Queen.)

And yes, and that’s all, that was. . . Long. You don’t have to agree with me, I don’t care. We can talk about it, I’m not biting. This is only my opinion.

Also what do you think about eposode 3rd? I’m one of those who think that serial ended with books material and I’m gonna read everything this time, when show will end.

Bless you all!

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julibf · 5 years

Text

WHY I BELIEVE JON SNOW WILL FATHER A BASTARD.....

So, this is one of my theories that I will very happy if I am wrong, but that is starting to look more and more probable to happen for me. I have been using the Search of Ice and Fire in the past few days looking for foreshadow of Jon fathering a bastard and voila, its actually a quite theme to find on Jon’s story.

"You don't know what you're asking, Jon. The Night's Watch is a sworn brotherhood. We have no families. None of us will ever father sons. Our wife is duty. Our mistress is honor."

"A bastard can have honor too," Jon said. "I am ready to swear your oath."

"You are a boy of fourteen," Benjen said. "Not a man, not yet. Until you have known a woman, you cannot understand what you would be giving up."

Jon felt anger rise inside him. "I'm not your son!"

Benjen Stark stood up. "More's the pity." He put a hand on Jon's shoulder. "Come back to me after you've fathered a few bastards of your own, and we'll see how you feel."

Jon trembled. "I will never father a bastard," he said carefully. "Never!" He spat it out like venom.

A GAME OF THRONES – JON I

*******************************************************************************************

"But it's a lie," Jon insisted. How could they think his father was a traitor, had they all gone mad? Lord Eddard Stark would never dishonor himself … would he?

He fathered a bastard, a small voice whispered inside him. Where was the honor in that? And your mother, what of her? He will not even speak her name.

A GAME OF THRONES – JON VII

*******************************************************************************************

"My steward and squire, Jon Snow."

"A bastard, is it?" Craster looked Jon up and down. "Man wants to bed a woman, seems like he ought to take her to wife. That's what I do." He shooed Jon off with a wave. "Well, run and do your service, bastard, and see that axe is good and sharp now, I've no use for dull steel."

A CLASH OF KINGS – JON III

*******************************************************************************************

“You are a free man now, and Ygritte is a free woman. What dishonor if you lay together?"

"I might get her with child."

"Aye, I'd hope so. A strong son or a lively laughing girl kissed by fire, and where's the harm in that?"

Words failed him for a moment. "The boy . . . the child would be a bastard."

"Are bastards weaker than other children? More sickly, more like to fail?"

"No, but—"

"You're bastard-born yourself. And if Ygritte does not want a child, she will go to some woods witch and drink a cup o' moon tea. You do not come into it, once the seed is planted."

"I will not father a bastard."

A Storm of Swords - Jon II

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When the dreams took him, he found himself back home once more, splashing in the hot pools beneath a huge white weirwood that had his father's face. Ygritte was with him, laughing at him, shedding her skins till she was naked as her name day, trying to kiss him, but he couldn't, not with his father watching. He was the blood of Winterfell, a man of the Night's Watch. I will not father a bastard, he told her. I will not. I will not. "You know nothing, Jon Snow," she whispered, her skin dissolving in the hot water, the flesh beneath sloughing off her bones until only skull and skeleton remained, and the pool bubbled thick and red.

A Storm of Swords - Jon VI

*******************************************************************************************

They still think me a turncloak. That was a bitter draft to drink, but Jon could not blame them. He was a bastard, after all. Everyone knew that bastards were wanton and treacherous by nature, having been born of lust and deceit.

A Storm of Swords - Jon VII

*******************************************************************************************

A couple of them saw Jon looking down from atop the King's Tower and waved up at him. Others turned away. They still think me a turncloak. That was a bitter draft to drink, but Jon could not blame them. He was a bastard, after all. Everyone knew that bastards were wanton and treacherous by nature, having been born of lust and deceit.

A Storm of Swords - Jon VII

BTW, those quotes its what made me believe in the Political Jon theories. A bastard child born from lust and deceit fits boatbaby like a glove.

*******************************************************************************************

Bastard children were born from lust and lies, men said; their nature was wanton and treacherous. Once Jon had meant to prove them wrong, to show his lord father that he could be as good and true a son as Robb. I made a botch of that. Robb had become a hero king; if Jon was remembered at all, it would be as a turncloak, an oathbreaker, and a murderer. He was glad that Lord Eddard was not alive to see his shame.

A Storm of Swords - Jon X

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Every morning they had trained together, since they were big enough to walk; Snow and Stark, spinning and slashing about the wards of Winterfell, shouting and laughing, sometimes crying when there was no one else to see. They were not little boys when they fought, but knights and mighty heroes. "I'm Prince Aemon the Dragonknight," Jon would call out, and Robb would shout back, "Well, I'm Florian the Fool." Or Robb would say, "I'm the Young Dragon," and Jon would reply, "I'm Ser Ryam Redwyne."

That morning he called it first. "I'm Lord of Winterfell!" he cried, as he had a hundred times before. Only this time, this time, Robb had answered, "You can't be Lord of Winterfell, you're bastard-born. My lady mother says you can't ever be the Lord of Winterfell."

I thought I had forgotten that. Jon could taste blood in his mouth, from the blow he'd taken.

A Storm of Swords - Jon XII

There is a reason why George RRMartin made Jon repeat so many times that he will never father a bastard. This has to be one of the most foreshadowed events of ASOAIF. Jon Snow will father a bastard child with Daenerys Targaryen. But I believe that the decision of hiding this girl will also involve Sansa.

Sansa its only true born child from Ned and Catelyn that had to live as a bastard herself in order to survive her family tragedy. She even got the feel in her own skin how badly bastard children are seeing and treated on Westeros

*******************************************************************************************

"Varys has informers everywhere. If Sansa Stark should be seen in the Vale, the eunuch will know within a moon's turn, and that would create unfortunate . . . complications. It is not safe to be a Stark just now. So we shall tell Lysa's people that you are my natural daughter."

"Natural?" Sansa was aghast. "You mean, a bastard?"

"Well, you can scarcely be my trueborn daughter. I've never taken a wife, that's well known. What should you be called?"

A Storm of Swords - Sansa VI

****************************************************************************************

"You are in the Falcon Tower, Ser Harrold," Alayne put in. Far away from Sweetrobin. That was intentional, she knew. Petyr Baelish did not leave such things to chance. "If it please you, I will show you to your chambers myself." This time her eyes met Harry's. She smiled just for him, and said a silent prayer to the Maiden. Please, he doesn't need to love me, just make him like me, just a little, that would be enough for now.

Ser Harrold looked down at her coldly. "Why should it please me to be escorted anywhere by Littlefinger's bastard?" ……..

…..A lady's armor is her courtesy. Alayne could feel the blood rushing to her face. No tears, she prayed. Please, please, I must not cry. "As you wish, ser. And now if you will excuse me, Littlefinger's bastard must find her lord father and let him know that you have come, so we can begin the tourney on the morrow."

The Winds of Winter - Alayne I

*******************************************************************************************

"The world is full of horrors, sweet. By now you ought to know that. You've seen enough of them."

"Yes," she said, "but why must he be so cruel? He called me your bastard. Right in the yard, in front of everyone."

"So far as he knows, that's who you are. This betrothal was never his idea, and Bronze Yohn has no doubt warned him against my wiles. You are my daughter.

The Winds of Winter - Alayne I

*******************************************************************************************

To make this theory even more possible, we have this scene on season 3 Episode 2 that was written specifically for the show, this dialogue never happened in the books. In the scene, Catelyn tells Tallissa that at some point she thought of telling Ned to make Jon a Stark, “to give the boy our name and make him one of us”.

CATELYN - When my husband brought that baby home from the war, I couldn't bear to look at him. I didn't want to see those brown stranger's eyes staring up at me. So I prayed to the gods, take him away. Make him die. He got the pox. And I knew I was the worst woman who ever lived. A murderer. I'd condemned this poor, innocent child to a horrible death all because I was jealous of his mother. A woman he didn't even know. So I prayed to all seven gods, let the boy live. Let him live and I'll love him. I'll be a mother to him. I'll beg my husband to give him a true name, to call him Stark and be done with it, to make him one of us.

TALISSA - And he lived.

CATELYN - And he lived. And I couldn't keep my promise. And everything that's happened since then... all this horror that's come to my family... it's all because I couldn't love a motherless child.

Then in A Storm of Swords - Sansa II we have what I believe a very big clue from George RRMartin himself.

She pictured the two of them sitting together in a garden with puppies in their laps, or listening to a singer strum upon a lute while they floated down the Mander on a pleasure barge. If I give him sons, he may come to love me. She would name them Eddard and Brandon and Rickon, and raise them all to be as valiant as Ser Loras. And to hate Lannisters, too. In Sansa's dreams, her children looked just like the brothers she had lost. Sometimes there was even a girl who looked like Arya.

A Storm of Swords - Sansa II

Here we have Sansa dreaming about her future children, yet she never calls the little girl her daughter, the text makes sure to describe the child as “a girl.”

This passage always reminded me of this one from A GAME OF THRONES.

Ned thought, If it came to that, the life of some child I did not know, against Robb and Sansa and Arya and Bran and Rickon, what would I do? Even more so, what would Catelyn do, if it were Jon's life, against the children of her body? He did not know. He prayed he never would.

A Game of Thrones - Eddard XII

Notice that Ned never thinks about Jon’s name while naming his children? This was one of our biggest clues who lead us all to R+L=J.

Since I believe that Jon and Sansa will marry on season 8 and rule Westeros together I now believe that both of them are gonna lie in order to protect this girl. If anyone finds out she is the Queen of Ashes daughter, her life would be in great danger. Jon and Sansa will do the opposite of Ned Stark.

Ned brought a true born prince home and raised as his bastard child in order to protect Jon; Jon will bring home his bastard daughter, and raise her as trueborn child in order to protect her. I believe Sansa will lie and tell people that the child its hers. They will give them their Stark name and raise the baby as one of them. Sansa will love the child and be a mother to them. The story of Game of Thrones started with Ned Stark starting a war to prevent a bastard son of Cersei Lannister to sit in the Throne and it will end with a bastard daughter of Jon Snow as the heir of the Throne.

History repeat itself and in the end, there wont be much difference between Starks and Lannister, they all lie to protect the ones they love.“The things we do for love” will still be the theme of the story in the end….

Remember when I wrote in another meta that now I believe Jon will pass HER name to all HIS children? Yep, I believe that they will make boatbaby a Stark to protect her. BTW, this would

A FATHER’S DAUGHTER....

A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE its many tales in one; this is a tale of a dragon prince madly in love with a Wolf girl; this is also a tale about home and families; about the things we do for love; its also a story about slow learners who make several mistakes but that eventually do learn in the end........but ALSO, A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE is a story about father’s daughters. And that’s exactly what Arya, Sansa, Cersei, Daenerys, Brienne all are. These women are their father’s daughters. That’s why the show gave so much importance on those character’s fathers and hardly touched the mothers relevance. (if we remove Catelyns, the mothers have almost been non existenting in the show)

No one thought Sansa and Daenerys had much of their fathers in themselves, those two characters were always associated with their mothers, yet they will prove to all of us that they carry much of their Eddar and Aerys inside of them in the last part of this story.

SPOILERS – We also have this casting call for season 8, that asked for a young girl with sad eyes and to me, this screams Jon Snow daughter, so, that’s another reason I am basing this theory.

Now, I totally agree with @theirwinterfell when she says that Sansa will have a son with Jon, but remember that George RRMartin told Alfie Allen that the story will be similar to Star Wars ending, and in that story, a queen gave birth to twins, a girl and a boy. So, I am starting to believe that Sansa will give birth to a son, but both Jon and Sansa will present their “twins” to the court, which is why they hinted that Sam may assist in a birth in the future. If they want this secret to be kept at all costs, the only person allowed in the birth room would be Sammuel Tarly, Jon Snow most trusted friend. Just like Ned trusted Howland Reed to keep Jon Snow birth in absolutely secret.

PS- Now, I want to make sure that I do not like this theory. I find quite offensive, no woman should in order to prove they are a good mother, love her husband bastard children or the children he may have with other women. Sansa does not need to be a loving mother to Jon Snow bastard child to prove she is a good mother, or she is not like her mother (something the fandom believes to be a negative point); she already proved she is different from Catelyn whe she embraced Jon as a real Stark on season 6. But this is George RRMartin, and when I was studying Jon’s story arc, the foreshadowing of him fathering a bastard is quite simple too big to ignore, sooooooo

#jonsa #jonsa is endgame #sansa stark #jon x sansa

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thiswomanshouldbewriting · 5 years

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GOT asks: 14, 16, 19, 20

14) What GoT death could you not bear to watch?

I think Oberyn Martell is the only one that made me look away from the screen. I knew it was coming, but it was way too gruesome. I suppose the Red Wedding would have been worse for me if I hadn’t known it was coming, because it involved characters I cared more about, but I had the first 4 seasons spoiled to me before I even started watching, so I knew from the beginning that it was better not to get attached.

Honorable metions for Lyanna and Jorah Mormont. T.T

16) What part of GoT’s ending made you the happiest?

The fact that the remaining Starks all got to the end alive. I was so scared for them.

19) Who were you rooting for to end up on the Iron Throne?

Well, Sansa was definitely the one that people in Westeros should have been rooting for, since she was the only ruler with more than half a braincell. As for me, I would have loved to see her ruling the 7 kingdoms, but it was clear she had no interest in doing so, so I never got my hopes high.

20) Rate the GoT great houses in order from your favorite to least favorite.

1) House Stark. Obviously. Clearly. Who wouldn’t love them. Ned, who is too honorable for his own good. Catelyn, who loved and loves her children so much that not even death can stop her from avenging them. Robb, who was so young and yet so determined and ready to be a just ruler, who lost allies because he was too fair to his enemies. Arya, my little murder baby who just wants her pack back. Sansa, Bran and Rickon, who are doing their damnedest to survive, and growing so much along the way (well, for Rickon we can only guess). I just love them so much okay?

2) House Tully. I will be honest, this kinda surprises me, but when I think of other houses, they all have characters who make them lose points, while house Tully only has Lysa. Yes, she’s annoying and crazy, but she’s had a terrible life and that made her paranoid, and that’s not nearly as bad as, idk, Tywyn being a piece of shit 24/7. The Tullys have Brynden, who is just too cool for words. They have Cat, who fucking stopped a valyrian steel blade with her bare hands. Like, how much more badass can she get. Also, Edmure is an adorable idiot who would be having a lot more success if he lived in a Disney movie rather than in Westeros. He let all of his people inside the castle, even though there was the possibility of a siege. He fought to stop Tywyn’s army, and even thought that turned out to be a tactical mistake, he did it because he wanted to protect his lands. He’s just a good guy, maybe a bit dumb, but there are far worse guys in Westeros.

3) House Baratheon, aka the house of the stubborn. Gendry, my baby (yes, I know, he’s not technically a Baratheon, but still) who fucking told the hand of the king that no, he’d made that helm for himself, he couldn’t have it. Gendry who fights for the innocents. Definitely the best Baratheon man. Then we have Stannis, the most righteous man in Westeros. Shireen, aka the most precious little girl ever. Renly, who was a bit of an idiot when he decided to crown himself king, but who seemed like a decent guy overall. Robert, who was a jerk and an idiot, but who would have done a lot less damage if only he hadn’t been a king. Overall, a pretty good house.

4) House Martell. I’M STILL MAD ABOUT ELIA AND HER KIDS OKAY? Also, what they did to Dorne in the show is a crime. I still have to finish A Dance With Dragons, so I know I don’t have all the facts, but house Martell is chocked full of interesting characters and I want to see more of all of them.

5) House Lannister. Fuck Tywyn. Just fuck him. He makes this house loose a whole lot of point in this ranking of mine. Cersei is a terrible person but an incredibly interesting character. Tyrion is less of a terrible person and an equally interesting character, and Jaime is my baby and I love him so much, but he also tossed a kid out of a window, so he loses a few points for that. Like, I don’t hate Lannister characters that much, but I feel like the concept of “house Lannister” has to die, if only to spite Tywyn’s ghost. Have I already mentioned I hate him?

6) House Greyjoy. What points this house has, it’s because of Asha. Don’t get me wrong, Theon is hella interesting, but my Kraken Queen has my heart.

7) House Arryn. Boring. Just… boring.

#Asoiaf #Got #House Stark #House Tully #House Martell #House Bratheon #too many tags #I'm lazy #My thoughts

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erdiansyahbayu · 5 years

Text

Sansa Stark: From Little Bird become The Queen

Pict: Sansa Stark as a Queen in the North (gameofthrones.fandom.com)

Game of Thrones finally ended after first aired in 2011. The ending was epic, fair even though some fans disagree n controversial issue afterward. But, I don’t want to talk about those issues. Let me shares about my most favorite character ever: Sansa of Winterfell, House of Stark, Queen in the North. I love this character because Sansa grows up along with my thought on feminism, and you can see my another article in this blog, “Me and Sansa Stark.” So, what will we talk? Let’s talk about Sansa’s development from the first season until finale season.

First of all, let make this clear and honest to ourselves about this character. It doesn’t matter, did you like it or not! Sansa is the representation of women’s strength struggle life in masculinity Circles such as Dany, Arya, Margaery, and Cersei. Sansa has called by Sandor Clegane aka The Hound as Little Bird. Sansa born from a noble house in the north, we know as Stark. Sansa is Ned and Catelyn’s daughter. The North has 50% of Westeros and one of the oldest noble family in Westeros. A years before Aegon’s Conquest, stark exist and keep the north from man beyond the wall and white walker.

First Season,

Sansa in season 1 pictured as a young girl, naive, always love beautiful things. All she wants is being married by a handsome prince from King’s Landing. Yes, Sansa dreamed that one day She would be a queen of Westeros and life happy like Disney fairy tale. After King Robert asked Ned to be Hand of the King, Ned brought his two daughters to Kings Landing. They are Arya and Sansa, who follows their father. Kings Landing is not like what Sansa thought. As a naive girl, she thought everyone is friendly, helpful and the prince will love her like what she dreamed about, but it’s not. Sansa in season 1 represents the girl in patriarchy system.

After an unfair tragedy to her father Ned Stark who charged as a traitor and beheaded in front of the crowd in Kings Landing, Sansa completely changes and she realizes that capital is full of conniving and sneaky people. People around the world and I be like “Oh, Sansa, should your father die and you have an understanding? Huh”. In the other hands, because of Joffrey’s mistake, North was getting anger after Ned’s dead. Sansa as a prisoner in Kingslanding and Cersei can’t just let it free and back to the North. Joffrey with easy abuse Sansa in front of people n council. Sansa just like a toy for Joffrey. But Sansa is changed, she knows how to defend herself from Joffrey.

But Red keep isn’t just for evil, at least there are Tryon and The Hound who always kind to Sansa. Moreover, The hound has persuaded her to leave Kingslanding after what happened to her and her family, but Sansa just rejected. The Hound left Kingslanding alone and meet Arya (This was another story)

After experienced physical and psychological abuse, Sansa got new hope. Tyrell's family came to Kingslanding after helped the Lannister army in War of Black Water. They Offer loyalty to red keep and admit that Joffrey as a legitimate King after Renley Baratheon died. Margaery Tyrell or Renley’s widow showed her interest in Joffrey Baratheon and wants to marry him. Finally, Sansa not abused by Joffrey anymore because of Margaery. Margaery is a clever woman; she wants power because she wants to become the Queen, not just a Queen. Sansa makes a friendship with Margaery because she knows that Margaery is the right person to learn many things. Tyrell wants power from not only Kings Landing but also strength in the North. They planned to married of Loras and Sansa. It’s okay for Sansa because Loras is good people, but it doesn’t seem like what Loras feels. In the other hand, Tywin Lannister had a plan to a marriage of Tryon and Sansa. What the purpose? Stark is one of the noble houses that doesn’t have many allies. It’s because North is longer exist before Kingslanding exists.

Marrying Tryon Lannister

Although Tryon is the one and only Lannister that always kind to Sansa, it doesn’t mean it to Sansa like or love. We know Tryon is the smartest character in Game of Thrones; he is not only intelligent but also kind. He knew Sansa doesn’t like him, Tryon said that he would never touch Sansa although they were married. Sansa got news after Red Wedding that her family (Rob, Catelin) killed by Walter Frey. It makes Sansa very sad, and Tryon tried to convince her that she would be okay. Sansa doesn’t want to waste her time being sad; she wants to revenge and back to the home, back to Winterfell.

The Purple Wedding

Finally, The Wedding of Joffrey and Margery held in the big celebration. All of the kings from 7 kingdoms was invited to came and joined the ceremony (except North), the royal wedding. Sansa and Tryon sit in aside together watch around. But it’s not Joffrey if not making some trouble. From the beginning, Joffrey was always teasing her uncle, Tryon Lannister with unacceptance behavior. Joffrey also kills the pigeon after he swings his sword and releases the birds. But the wedding doesn't end with happiness like a what Joffrey and Cersei expect, especially for Lannister Family. After drinking whine, Joffrey fell into the floor, and his eyes turn on into purple, his skin becomes red and blood out of his nose.

That was so terrible, Cersei panic and cried aloud. She arrests Tryon and searching Sansa, and Sansa run away helped by Petyr Baelish, Where were they go? Yes, They came to Vale, they meet Lysa Arin or sister of Catlin (Sansa’s mother). Even Lysa Aryn is Sansa’s aunt, but they are not close. Lysa gets jealous after looked peter kissed Sansa. She was getting mad after Roby Aryn slapped by Sansa. Lysa tried to kill Sansa to push her to moon door. Peter can prevent and drive Lysa to moon door, and Lysa died. After selling Lysa Aryn to the moon door, Petyr brought Sansa to Winterfell, but Sansa knows precisely that her family no longer at there. Sansa sale for Bolton and Ramsey Bolton demand Sansa become his wife.

After released from Joffrey, We used to think that Sansa would be safe and happy, but it’s not. Sansa came back to Winterfell with marriage Ramsey who someone she never expected become her husband. Sansa got raped, physical and psychological abuse by Ramsey Bolton who we knew as a psychopath. Sansa lucky has Theon in Winterfell. Short story, Theon helped Sansa to run away from Winterfell and brought Sansa to castle black where a place john snow stays. After running away dramatic scene, Sansa meets john escorted by Brienne of Tarth and Podrick to castle black. It was a memorable scene ever, and I watched over than one time. Finally, Sansa found the safest place for her.

Battle of Bastard

Sansa convinces John to seize Winterfell from Ramsey and Bolton. Sansa misses her home because of no place like home when she feels safe. After what he experienced in the past, John doubt they will win the war because he has no enough army when comparing with Bolton. But, John doesn’t realize that he faced new Sansa. Sansa isn’t precisely with the same Sansa was. Although Sansa isn’t warrior, she exactly knows who is Ramsey is, but again no one trusts her even John Snow. Sansa and John Snow make an alley with Wilding and some family in the north to help seize Winterfell. Also though John distrusts her skill, Sansa tried to make any allies with Vale on Petyr Baelish. Sansa sent a raven to Petyr Baelish for help, she knows that Petyr Baelish tries to abuse her, but Petyr didn’t realize that Sansa was changing.

Battel of Bastard start, and as the prediction, Bolton much has army than Stark. In the among of the war when stark fell and almost give up Sansa come with Vale’s army and win the war. Ramsey locked up in his dog’s cage, and you know what will happen? Sansa revenge Ramsey with locked up with his dog after seven days without food. Guess what will happen? Yes, Ramsey died by his dog. What an epic Comeback!

Stark Reunion

North, as the most prominent kingdom in seven kingdoms, has an excellent story for thousands of years. After a long time leaving home, Sansa, Arya, Bran reunited in Winterfell. After seizing Winterfell and John became King in the North, Sansa become a lady of Winterfell. Sansa has excellent power in the North as a lady of Winterfell. While John convinces Dany in Dragonstone to make an Alley for Great War face white walker and the deadly army. Sansa handling everything in the North helped by Bran and Arya. In Season 7, we can see how Arya, Sansa, and Bran help each other to execute Petyr Baelish or Little Finger. Peter Baelish who has a responsibility with every causes in the Game of Thrones. Sansa makes a great speech before the execution of Petyr Balish. You have to watch that episode in season 7 episode 7. One quote that I loved from Sansa is “I am slow learner, it’s true. But I learn,” it’s so relatable with my life.

Season Finale

Sansa disagrees with John’s decision to ally with Danaerys Targaryen because of the story in the past. Also, She rejected Dany as their Queen. Meanwhile, Sansa tried to convince everyone for freedom of the North. What did Sansa do is not everyone agrees. But Sansa can manipulate, politic, and strategy against Dany. After giving a warning to John Snow about who Dany was, Sansa proves that she is right. After Dany was slaughter everyone in Kingslanding and killed by John Snow, everything is chaos and John became a prisoner. Sansa and Arya tried to help John, but other kingdoms want he punished and exiled in the beyond the wall with Wilding. Sansa doesn’t care about what happened in King’s Landing. What will care about is her family and The Independence of the North, and it happened, She became Queen in the North.

What did I learn?

One of my favorite character in Game of Thrones was Sansa Stark because of her development and very represented so many people who underestimate by someone, bullying or raped by someone or situation. But, She learns everything and rises. Every accident, new people, struggle, and experience is the teacher for Sansa. Bad or good experience that she used to study and develop her skills to become a lady of Winterfell and Queen in the North. Become a master of politic, strategy, manipulation is real evidence of intention, hard work, and determination — no day without learning something new.

Thanks for reading my article, it took a very long time because I was too lazy and busy with my mind and it not useful. I hope. I can make new content, at least once a week. Bye guys

#gameofthrones #SansaStark #opinion

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