#there’s this and then there’s also that scene in ADWD where he has to

[nightswatchdisbandmentera]

“No.” He could hear the defeat in her voice. “Sorry to be of trouble, m’lord. I only … they said the king keeps people safe, and I thought …”

[…]

Jon watched her go, his joy in the morning’s brittle beauty gone. Damn her, he thought resentfully, and damn Sam twice for sending her to me. What did he think I could do for her?

Jon III, ACOK

This is one of my favorite ‘Jon is the king’ passages because it’s less about him being king by birth and more about him displaying one of the core qualities of kingship - that a king’s key role is to protect his people.

Because its adorable that Gilly heard that Jon is a bastard but upon meeting him, immediately bent the knee (as one would to a king) and then entreated him to help her by appealing to the idea that a king protects people. And with a severe lack of kings north of the Wall, Jon Snow is her best shot; yes there’s Mance Rayder but he’s quite far from Gilly.

And how ironic that Gilly appeals to Jon, a mere bastard boy who is sworn to an order that requires him not to hold any lands or wear any crowns. Jon’s closest relation to kingship at that moment is that his brother, Robb Stark, is king (as Gilly is told that he’s a brother to kings). But Gilly doesn’t say, “in the name of your brother who’s the king help me”. She doesnt say, “King Robb should help me”. She asks Jon to help her; she kneels to Jon. She recognizes that he may stand in for her but is probably seeing Jon, the mere boy, as the embodiment of the king’s duty. Really, it’s an interesting study of kingship as a quality outside of any official titles.

But I do think that Sam had something to do with it. Jon went out of his way to protect Sam in AGOT, so Sam probably used personal experience when speaking to Gilly. He understood that Jon is someone who protects people so he went and told Gilly about it; how ironic that Jon questions what Sam was thinking, because did he forget what he did for Sam?

But Gilly upon hearing Sam’s story asked for Jon’s help not in a “please help me like you helped your best buddy” type of way but in a “please help me like a king would” type of way. I wonder what stories Gilly grew up learning of kingship and if she decided that Jon was a king, despite wearing no crown, once she heard Sam’s story. I’m inclined to think that while Sam told her that Jon would help her, she is the one who then connected that promise of protection to kingship.

But there is also a larger theme that kingship isn’t easy, and Jon is just started on his character development here. He may want to help Gilly, but he hasn’t yet began to understand the wildlings as people in the way that he will later on. What Jon fails to do for Gilly here, he does for thousands of wildlings two books later (and will presumably continue to do so into Winds). While he didn’t challenge Night’s Watch tradition to save Gilly and remove her from a terrible situation here, he later challenged this tradition to remove thousands of others from a terrible situation later on; and even paid for it in some way. Thus, he does eventually live up to the ideal that a king protects the people; though how ironic that he protects the wildlings while still being crownless. And there’s also Alys Karstark who will later kneel to Jon and ask him to perform the king’s duty in regards to marriage and inheritance. What a curious display of Varys’ “power resides where the people think it resides”.

#jon snow #jon the king #asoiaf #valyrianscrolls #canonjonsnow #didn’t put in the post but it’s quite interesting how Gilly is connected #to moral choices and moral pragmatism in Jon’s story #there’s this and then there’s also that scene in ADWD where he has to #mentally toughen himself by repeating the ‘kill the boy’ line #so that he can perform a king’s duty and protect someone - mance’s baby #i personally don’t think he was callous or uncaring of gilly’s wellbeing #because we have that one line from sam’s pov where Jon is watching Gilly breastfeed monster #with a sad smile on his face #it’s most likely that jon is still a work in progress and so pragmatism sometimes ties the line of cruelty #however necessary #but I’m confident that he’ll learn to do better later on ☺️ #my stuff

[babybells123]

Do you ever think of how;

“Robb and Sansa and Bran and even little Rickon all took after the Tullys, with easy smiles and fire in their hair.” (Arya, AGOT I)

“The wildlings seemed to think Ygritte a great beauty because of her hair; red hair was rare among the free folk, and those who had it were said to be kissed by fire, which was supposed to be lucky.” (Jon II, ASOS)

“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?" (Jon II, ASOS)

(And Sansa II follows where she thinks of having children resembling/named after lost family members)

‘Sometimes she sang in a low husky voice that stirred him. And sometimes by the cookfire when she sat hugging her knees with the flames waking echoes in her red hair, and looked at him, just smiling . . . well, that stirred some things as well.’ (Jon II , ASOS)

‘Sansa could sew and dance and sing. She wrote poetry. She knew how to dress. She played the high harp and the bells.’ (Arya I AGOT)

“She had auburn hair, lighter than mine, and so thick and soft . . . the red in it would catch the light of the torches and shine like copper.” (Catelyn, ACOK VII)

“Her hair was a rich autumn auburn, her eyes a deep Tully blue. Grief had given her a haunted, vulnerable look; if anything, it had only made her more beautiful.” (Tyrion, VIII ASOS).

This is autumn auburn hair: (*note* this photo also appears when you search dark honey hair)

I cant decide whether this is auburn or a dark blonde caramel (and I think it can be seen as both)

‘They look as though they belong together. Val was clad all in white; white woolen breeches tucked into high boots of bleached white leather, white bearskin cloak pinned at the shoulder with a carved weirwood face, white tunic with bone fastenings. Her breath was white as well … but her eyes were blue, her long braid the color of dark honey, her cheeks flushed red from the cold. It had been a long while since Jon Snow had seen a sight so lovely.’ (Jon, ADWD XI)

“She donned silken smallclothes and a linen shift, and over that a warm dress of blue lambswool. Two pairs of hose for her legs, boots that laced up to her knees, heavy leather gloves, and finally a hooded cloak of soft white fox fur.”

….

“When she opened the door to the garden, it was so lovely that she held her breath, unwilling to disturb such perfect beauty. The snow drifted down and down, all in ghostly silence, and lay thick and unbroken on the ground.”

…

“I wish you could see yourself, my lady. You are so beautiful. You're crusted over with snow like some little bear cub, but your face is flushed and you can scarcely breathe.” (Sansa VII ASOS)

“It was the old days she hungered for. Prayed for. But who could she pray to? The garden had been meant for a godswood once, she knew, but the soil was too thin and stony for a weirwood to take root. A godswood without gods, as empty as me. (Sansa VII ASOS)

A sight so lovely = Val with Ghost, cheeks flushed red, clad in all white like snow, sometimes she’s described as having grey eyes but she has blue eyes in this excerpt, bearskin cloak, long braid the colour of dark honey, reference to a weirwood = old gods.

So lovely she held her breath = Sansa clad in a white fox fur cloak (which GRRM has as a figurine), all white surroundings (snow), building a snow castle, face flushed, referred to as a little bear cub, covered in snow, the snow is very romantically coded in this scene as well + there is talk of weirwood trees = Ghost, not to mention ‘ghostly silence’ and Jon reuniting with Ghost in the previous chapter where he also talks of the godswood and weirwood trees.

The connections that Jon makes here are associated with warmth, home, belonging, and Winterfell.

Sansa’s quotes are also rich with themes of home, belonging, and Winterfell where she draws strength from the snow and rebuilds from the ‘ashes.’ Just as Jon in the previous chapter talks of doing.

And “drifting snowflakes brushed her face as light as lover’s kisses…..it was the taste of Winterfell, the taste of innocence, the taste of dreams.” (A dream of spring)

All of these above associations are overtly positive.

Now compare that to….

“The light of the half-moon turned Val’s honey-blond hair a pale silver and left her cheeks as white as snow. She took a deep breath. “The air tastes sweet.”

“My tongue is too numb to tell. All I can taste is the cold.” (Jon VIII ADWD)

I’m not going to say anymore on that.

Dark honey hair:

Light auburn hair:

Copper hair:

You could also interpret the dark honey as actual dark honey i.e

<333

#sansa stark #hair analysis #Jonsa meta #Jonsa #Jon x sansa #meta

[jackoshadows]

From here, an old draft of GRRM's for A Feast for Crows.

Dany: Pretend it’s a horse. Face off in pit. No [?marry] - city. Battle scene. ‘I’m going home’.  1 Chapter Sam: Cut Jaime: Blackfish Prolog: No glass candles - Pate - Steals book. Death of dragons Brienne: End with Hound fight Davos: Barrowton Wedding. Davos to take recaptured Arya north. ‘Where you going’ - to a wedding Jon: ‘Yes, we’re going to lose.’ ‘I can get us the armor’.  I can stay & look brave & you all die. ‘Val carries a message.’ Rattleshirt goes with. Cersei: Kettleblack: ‘Queen asked me to say that.’ ‘Osmund’ betrays her. Sansa: Divide chapter. LF: Cersei has overreached. She’ll soon be done. Dorne: Balon v Arys. End with Blood & Fire. Mountain missing teeth Kevan: Home to Casterly Rock. Ready for winter Tyrion: Witness to incest. Prince of Sorrows: Eases psychic pain?? Comfort? Prophecy? “Whorehouses” “Whores go everywhere.” Courage. Let it go or it will become you. Let them go - will not bring you peace. Pain will [?keep] you what you have to do.

Arya: End with her first gift. 1. Joy of giving. 2. Mercy at the Gate. ④ Tyrion: Cliffhanger with Dany? Captured by Ser Jorah? 1. The Sorrows. 2. Volantis. 3. The Sea. 4. Dany. ⑤ Dany: Her marriage. 1. Fall of Astapor. 2. Siege of Meereen - Bloody Flux. 3. Climax - dragons loosed. 4. Marriage. ⑦ Sansa: ?Old - Resolve to be SS[?Sansa Stark] & take north. 1. Tourney of Winged Knight. 2. Sweetrobin woos [or weds]. 3. News from W.H.[?White Harbor]. Kill the Mouse ④ Jon: End with Hard Home.

The most interesting thing in this is how Davos' entire story is different. GRRM has been saying how the stories of the minor characters are not set in stone and looks like he felt that Davos would be better served as a POV character with bringing Rickon back into the story - which I agree with because it gave us the wonderful 'The North Remembers' section with Manderly.

From here, there seems to have been an extended Barrowton wedding in an ADwD draft that was cut from the book.

One detail from the drafts I didn't bother including last time is that in the original version of Ramsay's first letter, announcing his wedding, he says that there will be three weddings at Barrowton, rather than just his own. Jonelle Cerwyn was to marry Mors Crowfoot and Rogers Ryswell was to marry Walda Frey (Fair Walda, I assume). I still can't see any significance to that, but it is interesting that George seemed to have originally intended the Barrowton wedding to be a major scene.

Secondly, the absence of Davos expands Jon's role as an strategic adviser who plans Stannis' campaign. It also looks like there is no Mance stealing Arya - instead it's Davos who gets 'Arya' out?

GRRM has already talked about how the lack of the 5 year gap meant the expansion of Dany's arc as a leader in Meereen - which we see in ADwD. I think the same happened with Jon Snow. Less Davos and more Jon Snow meant we got more of Jon as a strategic leader.

The Mad Mouse is destined for death which more or less confirms that Sansa will not be kidnapped and taken to KL. Who will kill him, Sansa or Littlefinger?

No glass candles for Pate in this particular chapter.

Interesting stuff which gives us a glimpse into how the story for the secondary characters can go in different directions.

ASoIaF mutuals, let's discuss!

#GRRM #AFfC

[gendrie]

"You play at being a servant, but in your heart you are a lord's daughter. You have taken other names, but you wore them as lightly as you might wear a gown. Under them was always Arya." (Arya, AFFC)

"He wants you," said the She-Bear, after his third visit. Her proper name was Alysane of House Mormont, but she wore the other name as easily as she wore her mail. (Asha, ADWD)

its so crazy that grrm has put aly mormont on track to meet arya.....if alysane sticks by jeyne (and i think she will) then she will likely go to braavos with justin massey’s crew. if arya wants to get close to jeyne (and i think she will) then she will have to get close to aly. inevitably, there would be some sort of interaction. it might only be small, but the fact that grrm is even putting aly in this storyline makes me think theres potential 

The girl wouldn't walk, even when slapped. Arya dragged her with her right hand while she held Needle in the left. Ahead, the night was a sullen red. The barn's on fire, she thought. Flames were licking up its sides from where a torch had fallen on straw, and she could hear the screaming of the animals trapped within. Hot Pie stepped out of the barn. "Arry, come on! Lommy's gone, leave her if she won't come!" Stubbornly, Arya dragged all the harder, pulling the crying girl along. (Arya, ACOK)

Catelyn smiled despite herself. "You are braver than I am, I fear. Are all your Bear Island women such warriors?" "She-bears, aye," said Lady Maege. "We have needed to be. In olden days the ironmen would come raiding in their longboats, or wildlings from the Frozen Shore. The men would be off fishing, like as not. The wives they left behind had to defend themselves and their children, or else be carried off." "There's a carving on our gate," said Dacey. "A woman in a bearskin, with a child in one arm suckling at her breast. In the other hand she holds a battleaxe. She's no proper lady, that one, but I always loved her." (Catelyn, ASOS)

arya has more than a few things in common with the women of bear island. she embodied their carving during the battle she fought in clash; in one hand she had a toddler and in the other a weapon. the mormonts are daughters and mothers who rule their land while also fighting, leading, and (allegedly) skinchanging. aly claims the mormont women are skinchangers just a couple chapters before the one where arya starts to truly understand her own powers. 

"You are wed." "No. My children were fathered by a bear." Alysane smiled. Her teeth were crooked, but there was something ingratiating about that smile. "Mormont women are skinchangers. We turn into bears and find mates in the woods. Everyone knows." (Asha, ADWD) 

She knew the way to the kitchens, but her nose would have led her there even if she hadn't. Hot peppers and fried fish, she decided, sniffing down the hall, and bread fresh from Umma's oven. The smells made her belly rumble. The night wolf had feasted, but that would not fill the blind girl's belly. Dream meat could not nourish her, she had learned that early on. (Arya, ADWD) 

the mormonts are women of the north who comfortably and confidently defy gender roles; in appearance, in temperament, in action. they’re not just warriors either. maege has five daughters and an uncertain marital status. she is still the head of her house. aly is unwed with two children and she’s the heir; poised to rule bear island someday. the mormonts are proof that there is an alternative to being a “proper” lady 

(preemptively im gonna say spare me any bullshit on how the mormont girls/women are not relevant examples to arya bc they live in isolation lol whats important is how arya perceives them. they’ve been consistent players in the northern political scene too - despite their nonconformity. some may mutter about it but that doesnt stop them from participating in both the fighting and the ruling of the north) 

One of his companions was even a woman: Dacey Mormont, Lady Maege's eldest daughter and heir to Bear Island [...] (Catelyn, AGOT)

“Lady Arya should have a female companion as well. Take Alysane Mormont.” (Theon, TWOW)

both houses lost their eldest at the red wedding and the mormonts remain loyal to house stark. 

Fear cuts deeper than swords, she told herself. "Arya." She whispered the word the first time. The second time she threw it at him. "I am Arya, of House Stark." (Arya, AFFC) 

Stannis read from the letter. "Bear Island knows no king but the King in the North, whose name is STARK. A girl of ten, you say, and she presumes to scold her lawful king." (Jon, ADWD) 

i cannot think of a better influence for arya to have as she tries to figure out who she is and who she wants to be then any one of the mormont women. so i think its pretty significant that aly has already been made “lady arya’s” companion and will possibly cross paths with the real arya in twow. 

#asoiaf nonsense #arya stark #alysane mormont #im expecting smth small #but if arya goes public with her identity in braavos #while aly is still there #then who tf knows #it could get interesting

[agentrouka-blog]

(1/7) You know @rose-of-red-lake's theory about Dany being eaten by one of her dragons? The imagery used in these passages reminded me of these in AGoT, Arya III and Arya IV where she stumbles upon the dragons skulls under the Red Keep:

(7) I wonder if it could foreshadow Arya being the one killing the last living dragon(s?) after it goes fully wild and kills even its own “mother”. It would tie nicely with her training amongst the Faceless Men who were originally slaves working under the Fourteen Flames of Valyria and may be behind the Doom but also with Brandon Snow who wanted to assassinate Balerion Vhagar and Meraxes but was talked out of it by his brother. Arya the Dragonslayer sounds like quite the epic tale. Any thoughts?

Hi anon!

I left out the in-between messages, as they contained the relevant book quotes here, for ease of reading:

By the time she had reached eighty-seven, the room had begun to lighten as her eyes adjusted to the blackness. Slowly the shapes around her took on form. Huge empty eyes stared at her hungrily through the gloom, and dimly she saw the jagged shadows of long teeth. She had lost the count. She closed her eyes and bit her lip and sent the fear away. When she looked again, the monsters would be gone. Would never have been. She pretended that Syrio was beside her in the dark, whispering in her ear. Calm as still water, she told herself. Strong as a bear. Fierce as a wolverine. She opened her eyes again. The monsters were still there, but the fear was gone. Arya got to her feet, moving warily. The heads were all around her. She touched one, curious, wondering if it was real. Her fingertips brushed a massive jaw. It felt real enough. The bone was smooth beneath her hand, cold and hard to the touch. She ran her fingers down a tooth, black and sharp, a dagger made of darkness. It made her shiver. "It's dead," she said aloud. "It's just a skull, it can't hurt me." Yet somehow the monster seemed to know she was there. She could feel its empty eyes watching her through the gloom, and there was something in that dim, cavernous room that did not love her. She edged away from the skull and backed into a second, larger than the first. For an instant she could feel its teeth digging into her shoulder, as if it wanted a bite of her flesh. Arya whirled, felt leather catch and tear as a huge fang nipped at her jerkin, and then she was running. Another skull loomed ahead, the biggest monster of all, but Arya did not even slow. She leapt over a ridge of black teeth as tall as swords, dashed through hungry jaws, and threw herself against the door. (AGOT, Arya III)

and

This time the monsters did not frighten her. They seemed almost old friends. Arya held the candle over her head. With each step she took, the shadows moved against the walls, as if they were turning to watch her pass. "Dragons," she whispered. She slid Needle out from under her cloak. The slender blade seemed very small and the dragons very big, yet somehow Arya felt better with steel in her hand. (AGOT, Arya IV)

There is definitely a strong association between Arya and a confrontation with dragons. Whether that is simply being present during the burning of King's Landing, or whether this involves more is something I am not sure of.

I've moved away a bit from the idea of Arya killing Dany directly, but I don't doubt that her Faceless Man training, Syrio's training, her experiences in tunnels and darkness, warging, spying and deception will play a significant role.

I felt curiously reminded of this scene from ADWD, where Quentyn enters the dragon lair in the basement of the pyramid:

It was black beyond the doors, a sullen stygian darkness that seemed alive and threatening, hungry. Quentyn could sense that there was something in that darkness, coiled and waiting. Warrior, grant me courage, he prayed. He did not want to do this, but he saw no other way. Why else would Daenerys have shown me the dragons? She wants me to prove myself to her. Gerris handed him a torch. He stepped through the doors. The green one is Rhaegal, the white Viserion, he reminded himself. Use their names, command them, speak to them calmly but sternly. Master them, as Daenerys mastered Drogon in the pit. The girl had been alone, clad in wisps of silk, but fearless. I must not be afraid. She did it, so can I. The main thing was to show no fear. Animals can smell fear, and dragons … What did he know of dragons? What does any man know of dragons? They have been gone from the world for more than a century. (ADWD, The Dragontamer)

Darkness. No fear. Animals. Courage. Something you simply have to do. Something a girl can do.

Maybe, maybe not.

#rouka queue #asoiaf speculation #arya stark #dragonslayer #anti daenerys targaryen #<- for filtering #rouka ask

[amuelia]

I've been rereading the series since hotd and Roose going "even here, in my happy house of Harrenhal" is goddamned hysterical. Most haunted, cursed castle ever and he's doing a cute little alliteration for it. Addams family vibes.

Nskfjdjs i love his little dialogue quirks...

It’s fun to compare scenes where he talks to people above him/in tense situations/in public (like scenes with king robb), with scenes of him talking in private to people that are beneath him or that he clearly has the upper hand against... He watches his words a lot in the former and comes across polite and cold/serious (in the very high stakes red wedding chapter he barely says anything), but when he talks to the latter (scenes with Jaime, Ramsay, Theon...) he gets somewhat of an attitude since he can afford to be himself more as there are less repercussions if the other person is offended (most clearly you can see it when he talks to Reek).

He definitely has a frequent sense of humor, though often the things he says are only funny to himself, since he usually jokes about serious situations or offensive/insulting things, and sometimes even about things the other person doesn’t know about yet

“Harrion Karstark was captive here when we took the castle, did you know? I gave him all the Karhold men still with me and sent him off with Glover. I do hope nothing ill befell him at Duskendale...” [he sent him out to die] - aSoS

“ ‘Tis scarcely chivalrous to threaten your host over his own cheese and olives,” the Lord of the Dreadfort scolded. “In the north, we hold the laws of hospitality sacred still.” [several chapters later the red wedding happens] - aSoS

"Forty wayns full of foodstuffs. Casks of wine and hippocras, barrels of fresh-caught lampreys, a herd of goats, a hundred pigs, crates of crabs and oysters, a monstrous codfish … Lord Wyman likes to eat. You may have noticed." - aDwD

That prospect did not appear to please Lord Ramsay. "I laid waste to Winterfell, or had you forgotten?"     -     "No, but it appears you have … the ironmen laid waste to Winterfell, and butchered all its people. Theon Turncloak."   - aDwD

"Smitten?" Bolton laughed. "Did he use that word? Why, the boy has a singer's soul …” [about his relation to Ramsay’s mother] - aDwD

"If truth be told, the [Ramsay’s mother] was hardly worth the rope. The fox escaped as well, and on our way back to the Dreadfort my favorite courser came up lame, so all in all it was a dismal day.” - aDwD   

He’s also eloquent and has a very well-chosen way with words, fond of making sentences with words that have a nice rhythm/sound together (like the alliteration you sent); he also likes to impart “wisdoms” on people (statements about “how things are” or “should be done”), and it appears important to him that he comes across as witty and intelligent

"—my lord, when you should have said m'lord. Your tongue betrays your birth with every word you say. If you want to sound a proper peasant, say it as if you had mud in your mouth, or were too stupid to realize it was two words, not just one." - aDwD

“A peaceful land, a quiet people, that has always been my rule." [he actually says this twice in the chapter, so clearly it’s something he thinks is wise] - aDwD

"He should be. Fear is what keeps a man alive in this world of treachery and deceit.” - aDwD

“Boy lords are the bane of any House.” - aDwD

Also fun to see how much he starts dominating conversations when he really gets into it... He’s a very talkative guy especially when he gets to either tell a story from his perspective or impart some hypothesis (like his long explanation to Jaime about what he thinks Vargo Hoat’s motives are)

#sorry this got so long... you inspired me to reread some scenes #asks #anonymous #asoiaf #roose bolton #asoiaf meta

[laurellerual]

how do you think the curse of harrenhal would play out with arya if she becomes lady during the long night?

Anon is referencing this post. I began by questioning whether a curse really exists. It's a widespread legend, but Martin never confirms it, just as he never confirms that behind the magic there are gods who care about the fate of humanity.

Many of the families that held Harrenhal have died out for contingent reasons. They often had in common that they were relatively small families, who ended up there overnight thanks to connections to the crown; a lot of ambition and little experience in managing such a big castle. But the doubt that a curse exists remains.

House Hoar and the curse

Those who believe, in world, that the curse exists explain it as a punishment for Harren the Black's hubris and maybe that's true, but I think we can't ignore how much it looks related to the Old Gods.

House Hoare went to great lengths to be cursed by the Gods far before Harrenhal was built. When the Andals invaded Westeros they allied with the invaders, married Andal women, brought the Faith of the Seven to the Iron Islands, conquered the Riverlands from the Storm King of Storm's End, a Durrandon king with blood of the First men.

Harren chose the site to erect his castle on the banks of the Gods Eye, he enslaved half the population (probably people still mostly loyal to the Old gods) and above all he cut down Weirwoods which had existed for three thousand years.

Perhaps all that is needed to break the curse is one person who does not abuse her power and does not offend the Gods with her mere presence. Arya's Gods seem to love her enough to give us that beautiful scene where she hears her father's voice whispering to her from the trees.

The Ladies of Harrenhal

It's not difficult to think of a lord of Harrenhal who has come to a bad end, but what about the ladies?

It is rather rare in Westeros for a lady to hold the power of a holdfast on her own right rather than in the name of her husband or son, yet Harrenhal has four cases of this. Still there are so many lords in the castle's history that the only four ladies look like white flies.

They have common characteristics, but the most obvious is the way their fate seems different from that of the lords, or at least more mysterious.

Shella Whent is the Lady of Harrenhal at the beginning of AGOT. She first appears in a Cat's chapter: Lady Whent, last of her line, who dwelt with her ghosts in the cavernous vaults of Harrenhal. (I love it, very poetic, it reminds a bit of the Jenny's song)

We then discover that Lady Whent surrendered Harrenhal for lack of men to defend it. But Arya doesn't know and she thinks: Arya could reveal herself to Lady Whent, and the knights would escort her home and keep her safe. This was what knights did; they kept you safe, especially the women. Perhaps Lady Whent would even help the crying girl. (She refers to weasel, but the crying girl also represents a side of Arya, the one she's trying to suppress in order to survive. Perhaps the Lady of Harrenhal also represents a part of Arya).

When Arya arrives at the castle Lady Whent has escaped. At the Red Wedding Sandon Clagane introduces himself as Lady Whent's servant and is asked if the lady intends to buy back Harrenhal with a horse. Petyr Baelish tells Sansa that Shella died, but her whereabouts and how she died are unknown.

She is listed in the ADWD appendix as the dispossessed lady of Harrenhal. Every time we get close to discovering her fate, she keeps eluding us. Is she really dead? Why is it not marked in the appendix?

Danelle Lothston was the last member of House Lothston to hold the castle. Of her we know that: When Lord Brynden Rivers, Hand of Aerys I Targaryen, marched on Whitewalls to put down the Second Blackfyre Rebellion, Lady Danelle was among the Riverlords who flocked to her support, marching in great force.

Lady Danelle took to the dark arts during the reign of Maekar I Targaryen, causing madness and chaos and the downfall of Lothston's kindred.

But what happened to her? When did she die? How did she die?

Even more interesting are the unofficial ladies of Harrenhal. These two women are the only ones who have not been granted the title from the crown, but have in fact held this office (And I think Arya situation might be similar):

Rhaena Targaryen lived a tragic life, she was lady of the castle in an unofficial way. The wiki says of her: Her hair turned white as she aged, and the people of the Riverlands came to fear her as a witch. Nonetheless, she Rhaena would bestow hospitality on any traveler who came to Harrenhal.

She reigned there until her death presumably of old age

Alys Rivers began her journey at Harrenhal as little more than a servant. She lived a tragic life and was unofficially lady of the castle.

It was said of her that: A number of broken men and marauding outlaws began to gather in Harrenhal under the rule of a witch queen witch. But how long did she reign? We only know that: Aegon's regents concluded that they would need to gather a larger force to recapture Harrenhal, but their plans were interrupted by Winter Fever in 133 AC.

This happens when Alys was already a middle-aged woman. Then we have no more news of her fate. We only know that the Lothstons became lords of Harrenhal nearly thirty years later. How did Alys die? Did she reign at Harrenhal all that time?

Why are the Ladies of Harrenhal subject to so many exceptions to their counterparts? 2/4 unofficial, 3/4 accused of witchcraft, 3/4 with unknown fates.

Maybe it's just a coincidence, or maybe I've found a pattern.

#arya stark #rhaena targaryen #alys rivers #danelle lothston #shella whent #harrenhal #asoiaf #twow speculations

[esther-dot]

In spite of GOT's shortfalls I was someone who found Sansa and Theon's relationship compelling. The show placed a lot of emphasis on what was in many ways their twin character arcs. What, if anything, might this mean for the books? Will the two of them become simpatico like that because Sansa is going to face another abusive relationship? I can't help but think of the "girl in gray" vision where she (?) is said to be fleeing the marriage they made for her. I wonder if Sansa and Theon are really only a fantasy of the show runners.

It was beautifully acted! That moment back in s5 when Sansa grabs Theon's face and yells at him about his "brothers" until he admits he didn't kill the boys has had such staying power with me. Loved their scenes together. Their s8 reunion was very moving too, and I know the soup scene in s8 was very exciting for shippers.

I can't help but think of the "girl in gray" vision where she (?) is said to be fleeing the marriage they made for her. I wonder if Sansa and Theon are really only a fantasy of the show runners.

I think what happened is that Martin told D&D that Sansa would be the girl in grey and return North, so they needed to write that story, but they liked Theon and Jeyne's storyline so much, they decided to weave them together. In the books, Theon and Jeyne have escaped and been reunited with Asha, so I’m not seeing the opportunity for Theon to create a deep bond with Sansa similar to the one they had in the show. Also, I’d assume Jon will be far less forgiving (without that incentive of Theon having saved Sansa) than he was in the show which would be a barrier.

Sansa does come up in Theon's ADWD chapters in relation to Jeyne as well as in relation to the hero/hero in a song idea so she feels kinda present which may be what gave D&D the idea to just go ahead and bring her into Theon's story:

It was not right that she should look to him for rescue. What had she been thinking, that he would whistle up a winged horse and fly her out of here, like some hero in the stories she and Sansa used to love? He could not even help himself. Reek, Reek, it rhymes with meek. (ADWD, The Prince of Winterfell) We are all dead, Theon thought. I told them this was folly, but none of them would listen. Abel had doomed them. All singers were half-mad. In songs, the hero always saved the maiden from the monster's castle, but life was not a song, no more than Jeyne was Arya Stark. Her eyes are the wrong color. And there are no heroes here, only whores. Even so, he knelt beside her, pulled down the furs, touched her cheek. "You know me. I'm Theon, you remember. I know you too. I know your name." (ADWD, Theon I) Theon grabbed Jeyne about the waist and jumped. (ADWD, Theon I)

Sansa loves Jeyne, so if Bran and Rickon turn up alive (she believes Theon killed them), maybe she would have a nice interaction with Theon once she is in the North, but I assume the GoT bond was largely a result of D&D replacing Jeyne with Sansa.

#dot chat

[saltywinteradult]

Hi! I’m new to your page, nice to meet you! :) I must ask, because I’m so curious! Was there ever a time where you did like Dany at all and really enjoyed her character or did your hate for her become more clear when D&D rushed her character development and she pretty much became mad in the process? I hope you enjoy HOTD a ton watching things unfold. :) I am looking forward to it! I definitely enjoy the history of the Targs and how their empire turned into ash. Anyways, have an incredible day! :)

Oh dear, I started drafting an answer to this and then completely forgot it! I suppose a very, very, very late answer is better than none at all...?

Anyway, how nice of you to give me an excuse to ramble about my complicated relationship with Dany for a while. I apologise, this got really long.

The short answer is yes, I was one hundred percent aboard the Dany hype train at one point, but that changed long before the show's writing really started going downhill. I actually still enjoy her character, but I went from liking her as a hero to appreciating her as a villain.

I think a lot of people forget that the show really whitewashed Dany's character from the very beginning in order to sell her as a Strong Female Character™ for feminism points. The sack of Astapor is probably the best example of this; Dany murders a lot of people (even if they're bad people) and the books depict how Astapor descends into chaos with many more dying as a direct result of her actions. Those consequences are largely glossed over in the show and the cinematic language of that scene frames it as a triumphant moment.

The closest thing to a watershed moment was the scene in season 4 where Hizdahr confronts Dany about her crucifying his father, despite him having spoken out against the very crime he was being punished for, the crucifixion of Meereenese children. I hadn't yet read the books at this point and I remember watching that scene and going "oh, shit. Did she not look into whether the people she punished were the ones who actually did it?" I'd assumed she must have done that, because after all, that's what a hero would do, and Dany was supposed to be a hero. Right?

I read the books between seasons 4 and 5 and was surprised by how much worse Dany comes off there. The books really are a lot more concerned with the messy reality of politics than the show ever was and that difference does not work in Dany's favour. Reading about her profiting from slavery despite selling herself as an abolitionist and utterly failing to replace the slave trade with a reliable alternative, I became more and more convinced that Dany was not a good ruler, or a hero. Her "dragons plant no trees" epiphany at the end of ADWD was what finally convinced me that she was a villain in the making - and a brilliantly written one at that. She may be one of the most powerful people in the world who controls what are essentially nukes, but she is also a child. Of course that's not going to end well. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. What an amazing character arc.

And that would have been that, if the show hadn't kept trying to sell Dany as a feminist hero long, long past the point where it should have started building up to her inevitable fall from grace. I kept expecting the show to stop whitewashing her and that moment just never seemed to come. On the contrary, the show reveled in Dany's violence and kept framing it as justified.

Worse, the way some - some - of Dany's stans behave started really getting under my skin. It's fine to interpret her character differently and to want a different ending for her in the books. She is after all a sympathetic character and the show kept framing her as a hero right up until the end, which is why I do have some sympathy for the people who didn't see it coming. At this point I wouldn't even really care that many of Dany's fans to this day still deny that she has ever done anything wrong, if it weren't for the fact that some of them - again, some - go out of their way to harass and pick fights with the people who criticise Dany. The times that people have come into the notes of my (correctly tagged, mind you) Dany-critical posts to aggressively attack my opinion in really nasty ways are too numerous to count. Respectful disagreement is one thing; attacks and toxicity are quite another.

Again, I promise, I really do understand why some people didn't see her fall from grace coming and felt betrayed by it. But attacking the people who did see it coming and pointed it out is where I draw the line. That is where my sympathy ends.

And unfortunately, my annoyance with the people who behave this way started bleeding into my feelings about Dany herself. I still like her as a wonderfully written villain (in the books, at least) but I am now at a point where I'm really annoyed by her, because I've seen so, so many people defend even her most indefensible actions and attack those who think differently. Again, I thought she was going to go dark years before she actually did. Plenty of people predicted it. She's always been a villain. A sympathetic and fascinating villain, but a villain nonetheless.

#this was really fun to answer! thank you so much #daenerys targaryen #dark!dany #dany critical #anti daenerys targaryen #anti-daenerys #this isn't really anti dany but you know #just to be safe #game of thrones #got #asoiaf #a song of ice and fire

[selkiewife]

Hello again! I'm the Observant Theon anon lol so what I noticed is that he knows a lot about the starklings (he knows jeyne and sansa were friends, jon and arya were close, etc) and those things seem obvious to us but I rarely see any other character pointing them out. I'm trying to remember if somebody else thinks Jon was close to Arya but I can't think of anybody besides Theon. It makes me think that he really loved the starklings and wanted to be a part of that family :(

Yes! It's funny, when I was answering your question last night, I almost mentioned the fact that Theon brings up the "horseface" bullying when he is trying to get Jeyne to act like Arya. But I didn't include it because I guess I thought it was not an observation that would be unique to Theon. But I think you are right that no one else mentions it who was outside the situation. Arya, mentions it in her POV chapters of course, but she was directly affected. A quick search on a search of ice and fire tells me neither Bran or Jon mention this. And then you are also right that Theon notices that Jon and Arya were close: "Jon Snow would see through the impostesure at once. Lord Stark's sullen bastard had known Jeyne Poole, and he had always been fond of his little half-sister Arya." (TWOW) He is also very observant of Ned and tries to emulate him when he is taking Winterfell: "Theon told himself he must be as cold and deliberate as Lord Eddard." He's keenly observant in ADWD scenes- picking up on the political situation in the north during his conversations with Lady Dustin. He's also incredibly observant during the scene where Stannis is torturing him in TWOW. He notices the Maester is caught in a lie, he picks up on Stannis' intentions and motivations, Asha's negotiations, etc etc. And the fact that he is malnourished, hurt, and again, actively being tortured, you would think he wouldn't be so observant, and yet he really really is... Sorry for the ramble. My thoughts are definitely not organized about this at the moment. I wish I could have written up a proper meta about this with quotes to back up my impressions. But that's definitely on the "to do" list because you've inspired me. Thanks again for the question. This has been fun to think about!

#theon greyjoy #ask answered #anonymous

[atopvisenyashill]

omg pls pls post one bran meta 💔

i’ll give a rant for also loving my boy while i polish some stuff up but-

I am very much a “bran will be king” truther, i think there’s a lot of evidence for that that people kinda looked past bc they don’t find him interesting, bc they got into this series for the politics and not like, the fantasy aspects lol, but I do have like several ~scenarios~ for him, it’s just that “king of what’s left of westeros” is my favorite bc of the bittersweet aspect of it.

but part of why i think bran’s ending is kind of hard for everyone to grasp, is bc the show just didn’t give a shit about him (like, STATED they didn’t care about the fantasy aspects & i love to shittalk miguel & ryan & sara but at least they are Aware And Excited about the magic aspects of Terros). book readers tend to overlook him in favor of dany (the other big magical character) because george finds writing bran difficult and writing dany easier so we have like 50 dany chapters for every one of bran’s. but whereas there’s several dany chapters dedicated to world building, character introspection, magic, and politics EACH, bran gets all those themes kinda rolled up into these fleeting, monster chapters that are dense as fuck to read. EYE don’t mind that, but giving him like a third the amount of chapters as dany (or jon or tyrion or arya) is just REALLY setting that kid up to fail. but george has really explicitly stated he struggles with characters that are young, and he’s clearly talking about bran (probably sansa, sometimes arya as well) so it’s kinda. i get his struggle!! but he also clearly loves bran as a character bc the chapters we get are real rich!

but d&d don’t even give us what’s on the page bc they do not care!!! so it’s so hard to really pin down what the fuck is going on with bran, bc i truly think they cut most of the notes george gave them about bran, possibly even gave parts of his story to others bc “it would be cooler”, and then used him almost exclusively for exposition & shock value. like, for all we know, the long night is also very short in the books bc of something bran did while in the north, but those two thought it would be cooler if it was just one battle.

[sidebar but like i mean, also jon is a big magical character, but rn jon is less “a magical character” and more “a character that has magic happen to him” bc he’s still a bit uncomfortable about being a warg, bc the logistics & morality of it freak him out. honestly that’s a good thing for jon, bc look at what “do magic first ask questions later” has gotten dany and bran (and theoretically robb). being inside ghost is certainly going to change his outlook on magic & cause another identity crisis, but i don’t think the magical side is where jon is going to struggle morally]

[also i do think the long night is likely to be a little longer, because i think they’re getting to the trident, but potentially they only fuck the north and riverlands and not anywhere else because of something bran does. idk man. for all he goes on about aragorn’s tax policies, he has done with the wights & others exactly what’s done with the orcs. makes me wonder if there’s some plot about the others that involves bran befriending & humanizing a section of them & d&d went “that’s weird and boring” and cut it, like the way the director for i am legend changed the ending to that suicide grenade scene even tho the book ending is so objectively better that will smith said he’s gonna do a second movie but with the cut ending aksjjd. my evidence so far for that is like, negative evidence, which doesn’t make for good meta, so i’m excited to get to adwd so i can reread bran’s chapters in like, ya know, a year 😭]

#asks #hope u like my word vomit

[first-of-her-nxme]

I was rereading agot and I think that maybe Jaqen could have tried to kill Gregor? At the tourney where he is basically competing with Loras his horse is acting up. I remember from the chapter of Arya at the HoBaW with the poisons lesson and there is one used in animals too, to make them mad or something. He heard maybe how Ser Hugh was killed so he tried to use the tourney the same way to kill him. Idk it’s interesting to read the first book bc I feel like there are so many clues and esp when you read theories then everything starts to feel kind of insane thinking it’s actually something. Grrm we need the books please..😭😏

What a great question! You are very observant.

I must say I don't really subscribe to the horse theory because I think it takes a lot more to kill Gregor. Though maybe it was a warm up? :) You are right though: Jaqen's goal is to kill Gregor as well. Moreover, it has already been established in the books that he will kill him.

I suppose the original plan was that Oberyn would kill Gregor. Oberyn was older, at the time he must have been stronger than young Jaqen. Oberyn also had a history of beating the seemingly stronger opponents. And, as we know, he wanted the revenge badly.

Oberyn succeeded but he also got killed in the process. And Qyburn managed to revive what was left of Gregor and turned him into an even worse monster. And that monster will be eventually killed by "Jaqen". Perhaps, GRRM wanted both, Oberyn and "Jaqen", to have their revenge on the one who brutally murdered their sister/mother?

GRRM here makes a nod to the legend of Ragnar. When Ragnar was captured he promised that his sons would one day come and avenge his father:

How the little piggies will grunt when they hear how the old boar suffered.

The old boar is Ragnar and the piglets, his sons. They did avenge their father, killing the king who sentenced him to death.

Here is how GRRM incorporated it into ASOIAF:

Robert Baratheon was killed by a boar. The hunting scene looked similar to Robert's and Rhaegar's duel at the Trident. Robert seemed fatally wounded and about to fall but he still managed to kill the boar. So, the boar here stands for Rhaegar. Then, Rhaegar's son, Aegon/Jaqen, arrived in King's Landing with his plan of revenge. Aegon then went to Oldtown and assumed the identity of the "little pig" - Pate called Pate the Pig Boy. So, we have a killed boar, Rhaegar, and his son, the young pig boy, Aegon/Jaqen, and his revenge.

Robert was called strong. Now, when Qyburn revived Gregor, they called him Ser Robert Strong. So, he is not only Gregor, he is also symbolically Robert Baratheon. The pig boy will return to kill the murderer of his mother and also, symbolically, the killer of his father, Rhaegar "the old boar".

There is another reference to a duel between Jaqen and Ser Robert. It's in A Dance with Dragons, in Jon's POV, when Shireen meets the giant, Wun Weg Wun. It's tremendously important to remember that Shireen and Patchface are foils for Arya and Jaqen. And this little scene is loaded with foreshadowing for them, not for Shireen.

"Wun Weg Wun Dar Wun." The giant's voice rumbled like a boulder crashing down a mountainside. He sank to his knees before them. Even kneeling, he loomed over them. "Kneel queen. Little queen." Words that Leathers had taught him, no doubt.

Princess Shireen's eyes went wide as dinner plates. - ADWD

The giant calls Shireen little queen even though she is a princess. GRRM wrote it like that because the little queen title refers to Arya's future plot. Patchface here is dressed like a king so we have a royal couple in the room. The giant takes interest in Patches and it frightens "the king". Patchface is dancing but he eventually lands on his bottom. And we get this riddle from him:

"In the dark the dead are dancing." - Patchface, ADWD

This little scene is another hint at the duel between the giant, Ser Robert Strong, and the rightful king, Aegon/Jaqen.

Dancing stands in for fighting. The dead means that they are both assumed dead, Gregor was killed by Oberyn and Aegon was supposed to die in King's Landing. It might also mean that they both will die though not necessary both during that duel. Them dancing/fighting in the dark means that A/J will have to put his blind training to use. As you know, all faceless men learn to fight while blinded. Oberyn lost the fight when Gregor blinded him. I do hope that Ser Robert won't blind A/J. However, Ser Robert never opens his visor so perhaps there will be a demand for A/J to fight with his visor closed as well. The duel might take place in King's Landing during the trial by combat, so some authority might force their rules on the fighters.

I hope it sheds a little light on the events to come.

Thank you for dropping by, Anon!

#jaqen h'ghar #gregor clegane #ser robert strong #aegon targaryen #rhaegar targaryen #robert baratheon #arya stark #patchface #patchface's riddles #shireen baratheon #jaqen x arya #arya x jaqen #asoiaf #asoiaf meta

[alliluyevas]

top 5 asoiaf sibling interactions?

i'm assuming you mean sibling relationships more than like one-scene interactions, let me know if you meant the latter and i can answer this again lol

okay I'm absolutely putting my lannistan clown hat on as we speak but the lannister sibling relationships are soooooo interesting. I'm not necessarily going to rank them but they'd definitely be my top three I guess. (Or can I group them as one? They only have one scene with all three of them and each of the three pairs are so distinct in their dynamic but also they do all inform each other). But anyway just my thoughts:

Jaime and Cersei is obviously THE train wreck sibling relationship of the highest level but it is so, so fascinating on so many levels to me. The mirroring and this sort of false self, the gender dynamics there, all those layers of ugliness and codependency layered on top of what once might have been something innocent. SO good.

Jaime and Tyrion are at first blush sort of the saving grace of the Lannister family, the one good thing that isn't twisted or tainted somehow. And they do love each other. In both their chapters, they're always looking to each other in spirit--what would Jaime do? What would Tyrion do? Jaime is the only person who's ever really loved Tyrion. Isn't he? Jaime is the only person who's never let Tyrion down. Except that's not true either. And Jaime has also always chosen Cersei over Tyrion--until he doesn't.

And then you've got Tyrion and Cersei which is in some ways like...recognition of the self through the other. At least on Tyrion's part, I think Cersei is too blinded by paranoia and hatred and not self aware enough to really see herself in Tyrion. But there are these little glimmers of a moment where something else breaks through during the period where they're both separated from Jaime and missing him and they're both struggling under the weight of their father's will. Ugh it is SO good.

And then all three of them are just drowning under all this trauma and symbiosis. Oh it is SO good.

Non-Lannister favorite sibling relationships would be Stannis and his brothers--the opposite of love's not hate but indifference, right?--only Stannis, seemingly alone, is anything but indifferent. They're not like the Lannisters who love too hard and hate as well--there's just this sort of empty hole where something used to be and Stannis is the only one who remembers there was something there once, even when he digs the hole deeper. That whole dynamic is so deeply poignant and sad to me.

Also--the Martells! It's odd, because Elia has been dead this whole time, but the love her brothers feel for her is so, so present that it really makes you sort of see her ghost and feel her loss. To me, both Oberyn's trial by combat and Doran's line about how he was the eldest and is now the last are some of the scenes that stick with me most in the series.

Honorable mentions to Ned and Lyanna--another ghost haunting the narrative, another loss deeply felt and constantly present--and to all the current Stark siblings. And to Cat and Edmure, who are just very sweet. Oh, and Theon and Asha of course, I think their reunion in ADWD was the hardest I’ve ever cried over a book.

[jackoshadows]

in all honesty, i’ve come to appreciate jon even more with each post you make. it’s really incredible to see a different outlook on jon rather than what ever dudebros …celebrate ig? anyway, what is the scene / book that made you like jon?

Thank you! High praise indeed.

As a dog person my favorite Jon scene would have to be this:

Jon knelt, scratched his ear, and showed him the pommel of the sword. “Look. It's you.” Ghost sniffed at his carved stone likeness and tried a lick. Jon smiled. - Jon, AGoT

Jon’s second AGoT chapter where he has the farewells with Bran, Robb and Arya is when I started liking him. Just his relationship with his siblings, the way he dealt with Catelyn, making Arya happy. ACoK used to be my favorite book with Jon. I love his arc with the Freefolk and GRRM excels as a writer with his descriptions of the lands beyond the Wall. More recently, ADwD is slowly replacing ACoK because the show made such a shambles of Jon’s character and ADwD best showcases Jon Snow as a leader.

Character trait I find most attractive about Jon is his intelligence and dry sense of humor. Him treating women as his equals in patriarchal Westeros is sexy. His supporting cast also play a large role in making his story at the Wall fun and interesting, considering it’s disconnect with the Iron Throne/WOT5K political plot. Sam, Pyp, Grenn, Edd, Mormont’s Raven, Tormund, Mance, Ygritte and all the other colorful characters that make the story at the Wall and beyond the Wall.

There’s of course the ‘cool’ factor. His nicknames are badass - Lord Snow, Black Bastard, Lord Crow. He’s got a huge albino direwolf at his side, a raven on his shoulder. A Valyrian steel sword on his back. He’s a Warg. He’s the person Arya loves most and we are all waiting for them to meet and for him to muss her hair. There’s the parallel arc of leadership with Daenerys, being of similar age and mindset, the last two Targaryens. I can’t wait for Dany to know that she has family.

So yeah, looking forward to resurrected zombie Jon! He’s going to be such a mess :D

#asks

[gendrie]

in asos arya and sandor cross the trident in a ferry that should not be that significant of an event? and yet grrm made a lot of interesting symbolic choices that make me suspect it could be foreshadowing

"Where Lord Roote stables Old King Andahar's two-headed water horse. Maybe we'll ride across." Arya had never heard of Old King Andahar. She'd never seen a horse with two heads either, especially not one who could run on water, but she knew better than to ask. (Arya, ASOS)

The Horse Gate of Vaes Dothrak was made of two gigantic bronze stallions, rearing, their hooves meeting a hundred feet above the roadway to form a pointed arch. (Dany, AGOT)

the ferry itself has a unique design. it’s a two headed horse; with one mounted in the front and rear of the ferry. which is more than a little similar to the gate at vaes dothrak - the only dothraki city. when she hears of this ferry arya thinks to herself that horses can’t run on water. the dothraki are a horse people and have been kept in essos due to the fact actual horses cannot run on the sea. 

"He would say that even a million Dothraki are no threat to the realm, so long as they remain on the other side of the narrow sea," Ned replied calmly. "The barbarians have no ships. They hate and fear the open sea." (Eddard, AGOT) 

but we all know that under dany they will cross. which is obviously a big deal. on arya’s trip across, stranger, sandor’s horse, becomes highly agitated which isnt unusual but there’s a big horse presence in this scene. there’s also the matter of price. 

"Three dragons?" Clegane gave a bark of laughter. "For three dragons I should own the bloody ferry." (Arya, ASOS) 

it costs three dragons to make the crossing which sandor finds absurd and actually refuses to pay in the end. the price is doubled by the time the get across too. but still, three dragons to start. dany will not simply cross with the dothraki and their horses but her 3 dragons as well. the trip is not without incident. the river is raging and a tree almost takes the boat out:

Then she saw it: an uprooted tree, huge and dark, coming straight at them. A tangle of roots and limbs, poked up out of the water as it came like the arms of a great kraken […] Glistening brown and black, the tree rushed towards them like a battering ram. (Arya, ASOS)

arya compares the tree to a kraken that rushes towards the ferry like a battering ram. one of the “monster’s limbs” catches the boat and a man is thrown overboard, dying. ok honestly? this is a lot of excitement for what should be an unremarkable river crossing. what is the point of grrm writing this scene in the first place? the kraken imagery certainly brings another to mind. 

“Others seek Daenerys too […] One most of all. A tall and twisted thing with one black eye and ten long arms, sailing on a sea of blood.” (Tyrion, ADWD)

euron is after dany and its possible he will attack her as she makes the crossing to westeros. arya has mentioned seeing sea monsters and dragons before too. sure, this could be a meaningless ferry crossing and its all coincidental but the symbols all point to dany crossing the narrow sea: horses, dragons, krakens. idk why this would appear in arya’s chapter if she wasn’t involved. 

#asoiaf nonsense #i knew i was gonna get bullied for those tags lol #let me explain! #it costs 3 dragons to cross the water on a horse boat that is attacked by a kraken??? #and its an arya chap for some reason??? #what???? #feel free to tell me if this is nothing #bc its messing with my theories

[navree]

What r ur fav hotd/got ships

So I'm gonna try to categorize this so that it doesn't turn into a complete ramble

A Song Of Ice And Fire: JONRYA

Listen I don't know how anyone can look at the line What do you know of my heart, priestess? What do you know of my sister? and not want to fall down on the ground in a fit. Do I think it's gonna happen? No, if only because it's part of the OG outline and I think by this point George has jettisoned nearly the entirety of the OG outline but I still love it. I love their dynamic and I love what they mean to each other and I think their reunion is gonna be whack and it's my favorite Jon ship and also all the things Jon thinks about her in ADWD make me go fucking nuts.

Game of Thrones: DANY/JORAH

In the books, I do not ship Dany and Jorah, because book Jorah is a giant fucking creep. But in the show......man oh man in the show. Listen, I'm a big fan of all those "sworn knight and the ruler he's sworn to protect" type dynamics in all things, and this dynamic has literally been that from the getgo. I love that Jorah is her first friend and her first confidant, and how much she trusts him, and how much genuine love there is between them, even in the later seasons when shit goes sideways first through his betrayal (that moment at Daznak's Pit when she takes his hand.....kill me) and then later when it's clear she doesn't feel anything back, that the love is still there and it doesn't matter, it'll always be there. Also their reunion was gorgeous, really everything about them in 7x05 was gorgeous. Plus, I'm gonna be honest, season two was insane. It was literally insane, they were putting out sooooo many feelers for Jorah and Dany, it was nuts. That scene where he says he can't even believe she's real and she looks away with a gasp? When she touches his face after talking about her dragons? Will you betray her again, Jorah the Andal? Never. And also that the only time we've ever seen her in sobbing hysterics after a loss was when she killed Drogo and when Jorah died in her arms, only succumbing to his wounds after he knew she was going to be okay. (and also drogon coming over to comfort dany and also mourn himself because that's basically his dad, he's known and trusted jorah all his life and seen him as much as family as he does dany, it makes me cry)

Backstory: AEGON/RHAENYS and VISENYA/RHAENYS

First of all I'm not putting Aegon/Visenya in that because I'm of the opinion that Visenya was a big ole lesbian and I love that for her, part of why I was so upset HOTD was gonna start with the Dance was because I really wanted to see a lesbian on a dragon with her giant sword and I was fucking deprived. And also please see my various comments on the Targs not being raised to socialize with their siblings as traditional siblings for why I'm willing to give the Conquerors a pass on the intermarriage, cuz sue me, I like them. Part of it is just that Rhaenys is honestly my favorite Targaryen and I love her to pieces, but there's also so much in it I adore. That Rhaenys was the youngest and the baby of the family and that they both probably felt protective of her and adored her from the getgo. That Aegon was doing his duty with Visenya but wanted her so much, loved her so much that he was desperate to marry her anyway, wed her out of desire and clearly loved her. That she was an equal partner for both of them, not just as a dragonrider and warrior but as an administrator. The special bond I like to think she and Visenya had, the eldest and the youngest, the two women, the ones carving their way through gender roles and making the world their own and being the ones who can bitch about Aegon when he's being a bit much with his dragondreaming and moodiness.

And I really, really like the idea that she was the glue that held the family together. That for a while, Aegon and Visenya were bonded in their absolute grief that their perfect and precious Rhaenys was gone, and they were going to burn the world down because someone touched her, someone hurt her, someone killed her, and now everything is shattered and nobody should be okay with that. Why is everyone not screaming and crying because Rhaenys is gone, don't they understand, don't they know that it's the end of everthing? It's so delicious, even moreso when you add in the very likely possibility that Aegon and Visenya drew apart after the Dragon's Wroth (after Aegon got that letter that made him grip the Iron Throne until he bled? Maybe it was smth about Rhaenys and he had to make a judgment call and Visenya was angry she was excluded?), that Rhaenys was their center and without her, they're just lost. They can't ever fully recover.

And also that bit in F&B where when Aegon holds Rhaena and hears that Aenys named her after Rhaenys, he openly wept. That gets me every time.

House Of The Dragon: RHAENICENT, ALICOLE, ALYSMOND

Listen, Rhaenicent were in love. They were literally first loves. If you don't see that then sorry that you don't believe in love. But they were, like, literally girlfriends, they were so in love with each other, and the scenes where you can see that it never fully went away for either of them, and that if they could just get timing right or turn back the clock or just do something, anything to get it back, they could. They want to. Alicent kept that page all those years and when Rhaenyra saw it she cried and almost considered giving up the crown. Gayass.

Alicole I've discussed a bit already so if you search "alicole" on my blog you'll see, but I dig them, I dig their dynamic, I'm ready for more of it, there's a reason I shoved Alicent and Criston moments into three outtta four HOTD fics.

Guys. Guys. Aemoned left Harrenhal. He left. He was gone from Harrenhal, it was in his rearview mirror, he had to go help his family. And then he came back. Because Alys was captured and she was in trouble and he needed to rescue her, even though she could have probably handled herself. He burned everyone and everything to a crisp just to get her back. His lady. His Alys. First of all, that's insane to say on it's own, literally why would you say that, why would you say that in front of other people, Aemond buddy my heart is fragile. Second of all, read the @saintaemond fics about them, you'll get converted real quick if you weren't there already cuz they all make me lie on the floor and stare up at the ceiling for a half hour every time I read them because goddamn, these two. Third of all, in the show this dynamic has the potential to eat. In the book it already eats, the way she's able to stop him from doing rash shit publicly, the way again, he came back for her, it's nuts. But in the show! There's so much I want from them in the show. I want Aemond to admit to her that killing Luke was an accident. I want them to understand each other, him with his traumas, her with her upbringing and the way she was mistreated as both a woman and a bastard. I want a scene where Alys uses idk herbs and shit (they called her a witch close enough) to soothe some chronic pain re: Aemond's eye and for there to be a moment where she touches his face all gentle like and he's just staring at her (and also I have my own personal headcanon that Alys has a habit of tracing a finger on his face on the scarred side, not on the scar itself but just the side, very gentle, Aemond loves it). I want to discuss Alys's potential clairvoyance and that she might have seen what's gonna happen above God's Eye and that thing Ewan said about Aemond always knowing when he's gonna die and how in a way and that painful discussion that neither of them wants but they both know that the end is drawing near. He married her, they got pregnant, he wanted to be happy with her, he wanted her.

Also I desperately need a scene with them and Vhagar like the one Daemon and Mysaria got, Aemond taking Alys's hand and placing it on Vhagar and Vhagar accepting it and even leaning into it and Alys is beaming and Aemond's just watching her. Even wrote half of it though I'm being lazy about finishing it but: In that moment, watching the sweep of her hair, the curve of her smile, the sparkle in those eyes, Aemond thinks that Alys Rivers is the most lovely woman he has ever laid eyes on in all his life.

Crackships: SHOW!DANY/SHOW!JAIME and AEGOND

For the first one, I think they're neat, I read some fics a while back where I thought huh, not bad, and also both Nikolaj and Emilia are really hot so I'm into it, plus it has the potential to be juicy given the Aerys stuff. For the second one, idek if it's a "ship" per se, I just adore their dynamic and their relationship and I wanna see all the emotions from them in season 2, every single emotion on every single possible spectrum between them, at all points. There should be no boring scenes between them, and they should all make me want to cry in ten million different ways.

#personal #answered #anonymous #i did not expect the conquerors part to get so long #the alysmond part i was expecting because like i love them #but the conquerors.......man still fucks me up even now #also gonna be honest i quite like egg3/daenaera but i didn't put that on the list #cuz most of that is just 'here's how i think it happened' #and 'here's all the fics i wanna write about them' #which is just more wishcasting and theorizing than actual shipping #i do still like them tho sorry to my fellow greenies