mysticalprincesskitten

[mysticalprincesskitten]

And there’s someone in the comments proving my point. You can’t make this stuff up.

First time in my life I blocked a fellow Dany stan on here, as this person really could not accept that Dany won’t be Queen of the Seven Kingdoms at the end of the series. And I blame Season 8 of GoT.

I understand wanting to see Dany succeed as her fan, especially after the horrible ending of the show, but the entire point of ASOIAF is how the Iron Throne is nothing but a trap — the true war lies north with the Others and the approaching Long Night. That is Dany’s destiny. Not a chair made of swords. TO SAVE THE FREAKING WORLD.

We talk about the Slayer of Lies prophecy from the House of the Undying, and how it pertains to Dany slaying the lie of Stannis as Azor Ahai as well as Young Griff being Rhaegar and Elia’s son, Aegon.

But the Iron Throne is, IMO, another lie Dany has to slay.

The Iron Throne, as well as King’s Landing in general, represents Dany’s longing for home. But she won’t find her home in the Red Keep, where she envisions while in Essos “all the doors are red.” Eventually, Dany will realise that this is Viserys’s dream, not hers. As she believes herself to be the last member of House Targaryen, the Iron Throne is more of an obligation — if she doesn’t restore her family’s vast legacy, who will? Yet time and time again, Dany’s proved she doesn’t really want to continue her family’s legacy. She’s undoing the work of the Valyrian Empire by dismantling slavery in Slaver’s Bay. She’s refusing ships to go to Westeros so she can protect the people in Slaver’s Bay. In her own words: “A queen’s duty is to her people.” Does this mean she’s probably one of the best candidates to be queen/king? Probably. But we know that’s not going to happen in the books. King Bran has been confirmed to come from GRRM (which makes sense when you see Bran as a proxy for the Children of the Forest and his ascension as them finally regaining power over their homeland. But I digress).

Speaking of Stannis: Clash gave us foreshadowing of Dany’s future in King’s Landing with his attack on the city and subsequent storyline. Stannis attacks, almost wins. Fiery devastation caused by wildfire. Stannis retreats. Later he realises that being a good king means putting the war for the dawn first, and goes north to the Wall, where he meets Jon Snow.

Likewise, this could be setting up a similar scenario for Dany. She begins to take the city, the wildfire erupts and kills scores of people (whether this is by dragonfire or Jon Con, but let me get to that) and Dany flees in horror, before she learns about the Others and goes north to the Wall, where she meets her alchemical partner Jon Snow (more on that in another post) and the two combines their forces and stop the Long Night once and for all.

To be clear: DAENERYS IS NOT GOING MAD. This was a misogynistic ‘plot twist’ invented by the GoT showrunners as they hadn’t included Jon Con and didn’t want to portray fan-favourite Tyrion as the scheming sack of shit he is in the books. I can totally see Tyrion manipulating the dragons — Jon, Faegon, Dany — just to fulfill his hateful desire for vengeance against Cersei. And that isn’t even including Euron, who, IMO, is the evil third head of the dragon and will likely steal one of Dany’s dragons in TWOW.

However it happens, King’s Landing is going boom. And Dany, who values human life, will be horrified, plagued with guilt (even if it isn’t her fault). This leads north to Jon Snow, where they will both fulfil their destinies by defeating the Others, stopping the Long Night, and saving the world.

I’m not going to go into whether I think Dany will die as that’s another post for another time. (In short, it could either way. The seeds are planted — GRRM is a gardener.) I will stress that this supposed ‘dark turn’ Dany will take in the future books APPLIES TO EVERY CHARACTER. WDYM?? THE BOOK IS LITERALLY CALLED THE WINDS OF WINTER??

Yeah sorry, that one really gets me. Fucking all of the characters are going to become darker before the end (to reach the light, you have to pass beneath the shadow). Jon will be a resurrected fire wight/warg king. Bran is already warging into people, an abomination. Sansa will likely poison Littlefinger. Tyrion will do even more fucked up shit while he feels sorry for himself. Dany’s dark turn will be her dealing with the slavers more violently (good for her) and becoming more of a Valyrian sorceress as she rides Drogon and uses a glass candle courtesy of Marwyn the Mage. This darkness doesn’t necessarily equate with evil. It’s the next phase in their alchemical journeys when the characters operate in the darkest point of the world, on the cusp of the Long Night.

I think this is everything I wanted to say. If you disagree, that’s fine. Art is subjective, and the books aren’t even out, so honestly the ending doesn’t really mean anything. Dany can have whatever ending you want for her. Personally, I’d love to see her have the peaceful life she’s always wanted with a family and a house with a red door in Vaes Tolorro, the tree she planted all the way back in Clash. Or Dany a member of a ruling council of Westeros, along with other characters like Jon, Brienne and Sansa. I feel like her arc in Dance as queen of Meereen shows us that Dany doesn’t enjoy being queen — it’s a miserable job with too much responsibility, and a ruling council of voted officials is a much better option. But anything is better than the sexist slop that was Season 8.

[mysticalprincesskitten]

"House of the Dragon takes a rivalry that drives the story of Fire & Blood and dissolves it [...] This doesn't feel like a practical issue; it feels like a mistake at the ideation stage."

Oh, get them again!!!! 🔥🔥🔥

[mysticalprincesskitten]

On Euron and Daenerys

Something I don't think I'll ever get over is the absolutely devastating effect Game of Thrones had on how Euron Greyjoy is perceived by the fandom. In the show, because they were allergic to magic for some reason, they totally took away the supernatural elements from Euron. This left them with a villain with no motivation so they created the dumb fucking man we got in the show. A man who wants power and is apparently planning on marrying a queen to get it, end of story.

People for some reason decide to project Euron's characterization from the show onto his books counterpart. In the books, Euron wants to bring about the apocalypse, that's his goal, that's why he's collecting Valyrian artifacts, why he wants a dragon, and why he wants control of the iron fleet. And yet, people believe that Euron will end the books in much the same position as the show, except this time he'll be allied with and possibly even married to Daenerys. This makes no sense for both characters.

First of all, Dany would never marry Euron. Ever. He's a psychopathic misogynist who wants to destroy everything she holds dear. Even by Dany anti standards this doesn't make sense, after all, how can their "mad queen" become the supreme tyrant of Westeros if Westeros is gone? Also Euron has very little political power in the grand scheme of Westeros, sure the iron fleet is powerful, but a marriage alliance with the ironborn is far from the most advantageous match. Dany marrying Euron makes no sense for her character, even the extremely wrong interpretation of Dany antis.

It also makes no sense for Euron's character. Yes, he sent Victarion to try to broker a marriage pact, but this is influenced by a fundamental misunderstanding of who Dany is. Both Victarion and Euron are operating with the misogynistic idea that Dany could be easily controlled by a man. Euron has a history of sexually exploiting people for his gain, Falia Flowers for example. Dany has been around men who employ similar methods before, she wouldn't fall for any of his tricks and could easily get rid of him. So, once Euron actually knows about Dany as a person rather than a far off legend, he would know that killing her is his only option. Therefore, he wouldn't bother pursuing a marriage pact. Also it could be said he's using the marriage pact as a way to get the dragon binder close to the dragons, instead of actually pursuing it, which is why he sent Victarion, who hates Euron. But I'm not going to go into that theory lol.

All this to say, the way the show chose to protray Euron Greyjoy has caused the fandom to develop a very warped perception of the character. Euron is not seeking regular power, he doesn't want to rule Westeros, he wants to destroy it. On top of that, the deliberate misinterpretation of Dany's character leads to the prevalence of the Dany x Euron theory. They will not get married, they will not be allies, Dany will be key in defeating the Others, and Euron will die having failed his goal.

[mysticalprincesskitten]

Robb & Dany’s Parallel Journeys (the old world vs the new world)

so robb and dany have some fascinating parallels throughout their journeys as young rulers. it’s especially interesting because although we’re presented with seemingly parallel scenes, their stories completely diverge beneath the surface. so while this certainly isn’t an in-depth essay about their characters, some of these parallels provide insight as to why robb failed where dany succeeded.

from the very beginning, their positions of leadership are founded on fundamentally different values. while robb is explicitly fighting a war of vengeance (justified through northern independence) and partaking in traditional feudal warfare, dany ushers in a new order by actively rejecting vengeance in favor of creating life instead:

“Why not a peace?" Catelyn asked.

The lords looked at her, but it was Robb's eyes she felt, his and his alone. "My lady, they murdered my lord father, your husband," he said grimly. He unsheathed his longsword and laid it on the table before him, the bright steel on the rough wood. "This is the only peace I have for Lannisters."

(AGOT, Catelyn XI)

A word, and Dany could have her head off . . . yet then what would she have? A head? If life was worthless, what was death?

(AGOT, Daenerys IX)

it’s also worth noting that while robb gives no thought as to how his war will devastate the common people, dany creates a khalasar out of the old, sick, and abandoned dothraki. she begins her rule with an act of liberation (though this doesn’t negate the moral grayness of mirri maz duur’s fate):

"The old remain," said Aggo. "The frightened, the weak, and the sick. And we who swore. We remain."

(AGOT, Daenerys IX)

“You will be my khalasar," she told them. "I see the faces of slaves. I free you. Take off your collars. Go if you wish, no one shall harm you. If you stay, it will be as brothers and sisters, husbands and wives.”

(AGOT, Daenerys X)

by the end of AGOT, we see the rise of two young people who suddenly find themselves elevated to positions of power after the death of a loved one. robb takes ned’s place as the future of the north, and dany taking on khal drogo’s role as the khaleesi of her own khalasar. both chapters echo each other as a new generation steps up to take their places.

what’s interesting here is that both robb and dany are technically reestablishing elements of the old world (the king in the north / separate warring kingdoms vs the return of dragons). but while robb simply rules as a traditional northern king does, dany’s use of her dragons to protect and liberate people is the complete antithesis of how her ancestors used their dragons to conquer, colonize, and enslave.

. . . yet Catelyn watched them rise and draw their blades, bending their knees and shouting the old words that had not been heard in the realm for more than three hundred years, since Aegon the Dragon had come to make the Seven Kingdoms one . . . yet now were heard again, ringing from the timbers of her father's hall:

"The King in the North!"

"The King in the North!"

"THE KING IN THE NORTH!"

(AGOT, Catelyn XI)

Wordless, the knight fell to his knees. The men of her khas came up behind him. Jhogo was the first to lay his arakh at her feet. "Blood of my blood," he murmured, pushing his face to the smoking earth. "Blood of my blood," she heard Aggo echo. "Blood of my blood," Rakharo shouted.

. . .

As Daenerys Targaryen rose to her feet, her black hissed, pale smoke venting from its mouth and nostrils. The other two pulled away from her breasts and added their voices to the call, translucent wings unfolding and stirring the air, and for the first time in hundreds of years, the night came alive with the music of dragons.

(AGOT, Daenerys X)

now once they actually begin to lead, it quickly becomes clear that both robb and dany find it exceedingly difficult to bear the weight their crowns (both literally and metaphorically). and while it’s obviously upsetting to watch two kids have to come to terms with that level of responsibility, it’s also a testament to their sense of duty (and how hyperaware they are of what’s expected of them now):

Her son's crown was fresh from the forge, and it seemed to Catelyn Stark that the weight of it pressed heavy on Robb's head.

. . .

. . . she saw Robb push back the crown so it rested upon the thick auburn mop of his hair; moments later, he moved it forward again; later he gave it a quarter turn, as if that might make it sit more easily on his brow. It is no easy thing to wear a crown, Catelyn thought, watching, especially for a boy of fifteen years.

(ACOK, Catelyn I)

"Viserys sold my mother's crown, and men called him a beggar. I shall keep this one, so men will call me a queen." And so she did, though the weight of it made her neck ache.

(ACOK, Daenerys III)

but by the time we get around to asos, robb has become much more comfortable wearing the crown, despite the fact that it still leaves physical mark on him (the “soft skin”). however, dany is still somewhat uncomfortable with its weight, and she actually seems to have become even more self-aware in this regard (almost approving of its heavy weight):

On his head was the sword crown they had fashioned him of bronze and iron. He bears it more comfortably now. He bears it like a king.

(ASOS, Catelyn II)

Robb rubbed his temples, where the crown had left its mark in the soft skin above his ears.

(ASOS, Catelyn III)

Dany's neck and shoulders would be stiff and sore from the weight of it before the day was done. A crown should not sit easy on the head. One of her royal forebears had said that, once. Some Aegon, but which one?

(ADWD, Daenerys I)

so while these scenes may occur in separate books, robb and dany are both roughly in the height of their power at these points. robb reacts by letting his guard down and feeling more secure in his throne (a bit different from his assertion in ACOK of how easily his lords can “unmake” him), while dany remains far more alert. for example, we can compare robb’s confidence in in smoothing things over with the freys (“I know the freys, mother”) vs dany never being quite comfortable with the concessions that she’s forced to make to the slavers (“floppy ears”).

we also see similarities in how their enemies wield propaganda against them as “the young wolf” and “the dragon queen” (accusations of being “monsters” and violent warmongers, using their mythical animals for dark magic, breaking sacred oaths, betraying their loyal followers, and choosing lust over duty)

. . . but it was the Young Wolf who was the monster. More beast than boy . . . puffed up with pride and bloodlust. And he was faithless . . . Robb Stark betrayed us all. He abandoned the north to the cruel mercies of the ironmen . . . Then he abandoned the riverlords who had risked much and more for him, breaking his marriage pact . . . to wed the first western wench who caught his eye.”

(ADWD, Davos III)

“If even half the stories coming back from Slaver’s Bay are true, this child is a monster. They say that she is bloodthirsty . . . a sorceress who feeds her dragons on the flesh of newborn babes, an oathbreaker who mocks the gods, breaks truces, threatens envoys, and turns on those who have served her loyally. They say her lust cannot be sated . . . ”

(ADWD, Tyrion VI)

what can I say. despite their differences, both robb and dany are repeatedly underestimated by their enemies and prove them wrong nearly every single time (with the help of “dark” magic). so in the face of overwhelming support for them (even after robb’s death), it’s much easier for their enemies to just slander them.

I’m going a bit out of order now, but there’s one last parallel that I wanted to point out.

both robb and dany’s enemies eventually reach a point where they feel safe enough to publicly undermine their authority and mock mock them to their faces. in robb’s case, walder frey knows that robb is going to be dead within 24 hours and that he has the backing of the lannisters, while the yunkish masters believe dany to now be under “control” because of her marriage to hizdahr and their peace treaty. and so as they’re both supposedly celebrating this new “peace”, their enemies take the opportunity to subtly (or not so subtly) make their feelings clear:

Catelyn recalled that one of Lord Walder's brood had fathered a halfwit long years ago. During past visits, the Lord of the Crossing had always taken care to hide this one away. Did he always wear a fool's crown, or is that meant as mockery of Robb? It was a question she dare not ask.

(ASOS, Catelyn VI)

The tumblers who came next failed to move her either, even when they formed a human pyramid nine levels high, with a naked little girl on top. Is that meant to represent my pyramid? the queen wondered. Is the girl on top meant to be me?

(ADWD, Daenerys VIII)

in other words, they’re both being told that their power is illegitimate, that they’re just playing a role. robb is a fool pretending to be a king with no notion of the joke that’s currently being played on him, while dany is just flat out being grossly sexualized (and worse, as a “little girl”).

and then I’ll just wrap up with the whole robb pushing grey wind away vs dany locking up rhaegal and viserion. both of them separate themselves from their mythical animals out of grief for children, with robb grieving for bran and rickon vs dany grieving for hazzea (with both of them feeling personally responsible for their deaths).

but while robb refuses to identify himself with grey wind (even as he takes responsibility for his behavior), dany never separates her own identity from her dragons:

“A hall is no place for a wolf. He gets restless, you've seen. Growling and snapping. I should never have taken him into battle with me. He's killed too many men to fear them now. Jeyne's anxious around him, and he terrifies her mother."

And there's the heart of it, Catelyn thought. "He is part of you, Robb. To fear him is to fear you."

"I am not a wolf, no matter what they call me." Robb sounded cross.

(ASOS, Catelyn II)

Mother of dragons, Daenerys thought. Mother of monsters. What have I unleashed upon the world? A queen I am, but my throne is made of burned bones, and it rests on quicksand. Without dragons, how could she hope to hold Meereen, much less win back Westeros? I am the blood of the dragon, she thought. If they are monsters, so am I.

(ADWD, Daenerys II)

once again, dany seems much more equipped to face her own sense of self than robb is, despite how overly-harsh she is on herself. unfortunately, robb never gets the chance to truly reconnect with grey wind in the same way that dany gets to ride drogon and reawaken her inner dragon.

all this to say, though robb and dany begin their journeys on similar paths, robb’s adherence to the old way is repeatedly contrasted with dany’s desire to create a new world.

with the long night rapidly approaching, leaders can no longer afford to remain rooted in the old world. so as robb’s kingdom collapses, dany’s rule is just beginning.

[mysticalprincesskitten]

Y’all aren’t ready for complex female characters and it shows

[mysticalprincesskitten]

[mysticalprincesskitten]

First time in my life I blocked a fellow Dany stan on here, as this person really could not accept that Dany won’t be Queen of the Seven Kingdoms at the end of the series. And I blame Season 8 of GoT.

I understand wanting to see Dany succeed as her fan, especially after the horrible ending of the show, but the entire point of ASOIAF is how the Iron Throne is nothing but a trap — the true war lies north with the Others and the approaching Long Night. That is Dany’s destiny. Not a chair made of swords. TO SAVE THE FREAKING WORLD.

We talk about the Slayer of Lies prophecy from the House of the Undying, and how it pertains to Dany slaying the lie of Stannis as Azor Ahai as well as Young Griff being Rhaegar and Elia’s son, Aegon.

But the Iron Throne is, IMO, another lie Dany has to slay.

The Iron Throne, as well as King’s Landing in general, represents Dany’s longing for home. But she won’t find her home in the Red Keep, where she envisions while in Essos “all the doors are red.” Eventually, Dany will realise that this is Viserys’s dream, not hers. As she believes herself to be the last member of House Targaryen, the Iron Throne is more of an obligation — if she doesn’t restore her family’s vast legacy, who will? Yet time and time again, Dany’s proved she doesn’t really want to continue her family’s legacy. She’s undoing the work of the Valyrian Empire by dismantling slavery in Slaver’s Bay. She’s refusing ships to go to Westeros so she can protect the people in Slaver’s Bay. In her own words: “A queen’s duty is to her people.” Does this mean she’s probably one of the best candidates to be queen/king? Probably. But we know that’s not going to happen in the books. King Bran has been confirmed to come from GRRM (which makes sense when you see Bran as a proxy for the Children of the Forest and his ascension as them finally regaining power over their homeland. But I digress).

Speaking of Stannis: Clash gave us foreshadowing of Dany’s future in King’s Landing with his attack on the city and subsequent storyline. Stannis attacks, almost wins. Fiery devastation caused by wildfire. Stannis retreats. Later he realises that being a good king means putting the war for the dawn first, and goes north to the Wall, where he meets Jon Snow.

Likewise, this could be setting up a similar scenario for Dany. She begins to take the city, the wildfire erupts and kills scores of people (whether this is by dragonfire or Jon Con, but let me get to that) and Dany flees in horror, before she learns about the Others and goes north to the Wall, where she meets her alchemical partner Jon Snow (more on that in another post) and the two combines their forces and stop the Long Night once and for all.

To be clear: DAENERYS IS NOT GOING MAD. This was a misogynistic ‘plot twist’ invented by the GoT showrunners as they hadn’t included Jon Con and didn’t want to portray fan-favourite Tyrion as the scheming sack of shit he is in the books. I can totally see Tyrion manipulating the dragons — Jon, Faegon, Dany — just to fulfill his hateful desire for vengeance against Cersei. And that isn’t even including Euron, who, IMO, is the evil third head of the dragon and will likely steal one of Dany’s dragons in TWOW.

However it happens, King’s Landing is going boom. And Dany, who values human life, will be horrified, plagued with guilt (even if it isn’t her fault). This leads north to Jon Snow, where they will both fulfil their destinies by defeating the Others, stopping the Long Night, and saving the world.

I’m not going to go into whether I think Dany will die as that’s another post for another time. (In short, it could either way. The seeds are planted — GRRM is a gardener.) I will stress that this supposed ‘dark turn’ Dany will take in the future books APPLIES TO EVERY CHARACTER. WDYM?? THE BOOK IS LITERALLY CALLED THE WINDS OF WINTER??

Yeah sorry, that one really gets me. Fucking all of the characters are going to become darker before the end (to reach the light, you have to pass beneath the shadow). Jon will be a resurrected fire wight/warg king. Bran is already warging into people, an abomination. Sansa will likely poison Littlefinger. Tyrion will do even more fucked up shit while he feels sorry for himself. Dany’s dark turn will be her dealing with the slavers more violently (good for her) and becoming more of a Valyrian sorceress as she rides Drogon and uses a glass candle courtesy of Marwyn the Mage. This darkness doesn’t necessarily equate with evil. It’s the next phase in their alchemical journeys when the characters operate in the darkest point of the world, on the cusp of the Long Night.

I think this is everything I wanted to say. If you disagree, that’s fine. Art is subjective, and the books aren’t even out, so honestly the ending doesn’t really mean anything. Dany can have whatever ending you want for her. Personally, I’d love to see her have the peaceful life she’s always wanted with a family and a house with a red door in Vaes Tolorro, the tree she planted all the way back in Clash. Or Dany a member of a ruling council of Westeros, along with other characters like Jon, Brienne and Sansa. I feel like her arc in Dance as queen of Meereen shows us that Dany doesn’t enjoy being queen — it’s a miserable job with too much responsibility, and a ruling council of voted officials is a much better option. But anything is better than the sexist slop that was Season 8.

[mysticalprincesskitten]

Really not a fan of how some Dany stans often dismiss or even outright deny Daenerys’ magical nature in favor of her political arc. Yes obviously they are both part of her and they’re both absolutely essential to who she is as a person and what she represents, but I feel like sometimes there is a lot of insistence to establish Dany as an inherently political character while ignoring the magical themes of her arc and the story at large & the fact that she is, at her core, a fantastical character and the titular hero of a fantasy series. And on one side I kinda get it, because I feel like this is mostly a response to Dany antis constantly trying to rob her of her political agency, role and power and her leadership skills, but at the same time I feel like we can reach a balance and not dismiss her magical side as fundamentally less important for her arc or fundamentally less defining of her character. She’s literally one of the most magical characters in the whole series, GRRM himself said things like “she makes the magic up as she goes along; she is someone who really might do anything”, talked about how magical and wonderous and miracolous the birth of Dany's dragons was, how Dany birthing them literally awakens magic, so to hear so many Dany fans say that there’s barely any magic in her character, chapters and arc is not only confusing, but also disappointing.

This is A Song of Ice and Fire, not Game of Thrones, and I think we should let go of the most likely show-induced idea that the politics and the Iron Throne are the most important thing of the series (or Dany’s arc specifically) and that the magic is not that relevant compared to them — not to say that the politics doesn’t matter, just that it’s not the only thing that matters or the thing that matters the most. As I said: it’s about balance. And actually, specifically in regards to Daenerys, I don’t think her political arc and her magical arc can or should be viewed as truly separate, but that’s another point.

[mysticalprincesskitten]

The best YouTuber for ASOIAF/Dany content

[mysticalprincesskitten]

asoiaf fan, beginner: my favorite character is daenerys targaryen

asoiaf fan, advanced: my favorite character is aessholen shitstark, he was mentioned twice in fire and blood and his only contribution is secretly giving aegon ii head during council meetings according to mushroom, he represents how the smallfolk are abused by the royals and he's theorized to actually be jon snow's real mother via time travelling and mpreg

asoiaf fan, enlightened: my favorite character is daenerys targaryen

[mysticalprincesskitten]

The way people erase all context for why female characters do things in order to paint them in the worst light. But if you bring up anything a male character did immediately people pour in with “well actually 🤓☝🏽” and a bunch of excuses. Women aren’t allowed to be nuanced human beings in the way men are. It’s annoying to see the fandom perpetuate this misogyny.

[mysticalprincesskitten]

“And on Dragonstone, Rhaenyra Targaryen donned a suit of gleaming black scale, mounted Syrax, and took flight as a rainstorm lashed the waters of Blackwater Bay.”

[mysticalprincesskitten]

SYRAX HOUSE OF THE DRAGON | Season 2 (2024)

[mysticalprincesskitten]

no dany’s ultimate happy ending is not about winning the iron throne and becoming the most righteous ruler in the history of the seven kingdoms and restoring the targaryen dynasty because it’s her “right” as the heir of a super special bloodline. it’s about the *rejection* of the throne, the choice to abandon her war and go north to fight the others instead. dany’s arc will culminate in the same question that she’s struggled with from the beginning—how can she exercise top-down power in a way that doesn’t clash with her most basic moral values? how can she conquer westeros without turning the common people into collateral damage? over and over again, we see dany choosing the people over an easier path to the iron throne (stopping the rape of the lhazareen women, freeing the unsullied, liberating the entirety of slaver’s bay, remaining in meereen to create peace). while other lords and monarchs are waging war without a thought for the common people (at least until “their” smallfolk are put to the sword), dany has always made her priorities clear:

Dany had no wish to reduce King's Landing to a blackened ruin full of unquiet ghosts. She had supped enough on tears. I want to make my kingdom beautiful, to fill it with fat men and pretty maids and laughing children. I want my people to smile when they see me ride by, the way Viserys said they smiled for my father. (ACOK, Daenerys II)

“Why do the gods make kings and queens, if not to protect the ones who can't protect themselves?" (ASOS, Daenerys III)

What good is peace if it must be purchased with the blood of little children? (ADWD, Daenerys IV)

She would rather have drifted in the fragrant pool all day, eating iced fruit off silver trays and dreaming of a house with a red door, but a queen belongs to her people, not to herself. (ADWD, Daenerys IX)

so when dany does finally reach westeros, her defining moment isn’t going to be some glorious ascent to the iron throne—it will be the choice to fight for the people of westeros in the long night, rather than using her dragons to assert her own claim to power. presumably she’s going to witness the cost of war on the people of king’s landing after some accidental wildfire explosion, or after she’ll have to make some morally questionable choices at the urging of her advisors (probably tyrion, given that he makes no secret of wanting to see king’s landing burn). and at whose cost? the common people. the same people who she has made it her mission to protect from the beginning, back when she wielded power for the first time in her life (and as people have pointed out, there’s also the parallel between dany as the “breaker of chains” and the others essentially enslaving people in death).

dany’s ultimate choice of turning north to fight the others will remind her of who she has always been: a protector of those who cannot protect themselves, someone who refuses to play the “game of thrones” at the cost of the common people, choosing instead to uproot corrupt systems of power entirely. she’s going to remember that her dragons represents a choice—to enslave and colonize as her valyrian ancestors did, to conquer and wage war as the targaryens did, or to liberate and protect people as SHE has always done. dany is going to see through her own dream of the iron throne, the illusion of stability and belonging, of home and love. she’s going to ask herself, whose dream is this? mine or my brother’s? she’s going to realize that the iron throne is not the path to the house with the red door, and how dangerous it is to conflate them.

(btw this is not me trying to gatekeep dany as a character. obviously everyone has the right to envision whatever ending they want for her. it just baffles me how some people rooting for her actually want her to sit the throne, as if the iron throne isn’t completely at odds with who she is as a person. like isn’t that a major theme of adwd? how both dany and jon have this abstract desire for power because they’ve never been allowed to hold any? because they believe it to be a path to belonging and purpose? because they want to use it to create a better world? only to realize how soul-crushing top-down power truly is? how much it fragments their senses of selves? how neither of them actually enjoys ruling? isn’t that the whole point ??)

[mysticalprincesskitten]

ASOIAF ENDGAME PREDICTION: JON SNOW, DAENERYS TARGARYEN & THE DISTORTION OF TRUTH AND REPUTATION

Westeros will be saved primarily by Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow, but that doesn’t mean the two heroes will be remembered fondly by their countrymen. Dany will be known as a mad queen who destroyed King’s Landing (despite this event happening very differently than the show, with Dany NOT mad but perceived that way by her enemies) and Jon Snow as the traitor warg king who turned his cloak by abandoning the Night’s Watch (despite Jon’s oath being broken with his death, and his warning ability used for good, unlike Varamyr Sixskins).

Already in the narrative, Dany’s enemies are spreading rumours that she’s some sort of barbarian who bathes in the blood of children, while the Mad King’s reputation hangs over her. Likewise, Jon is viewed as untrustworthy due to his being a bastard. As the two journey more into the realms of magic — Jon as a resurrected fire wight & warg; Dany as a Valyrian sorceress who rides dragons and uses glass candles courtesy of Marwyn the Mage — their reputations will further sour as the smallfolk fear and revile them.

Obviously, we know the truth. We know who Jon and Dany are. But one of the great tragedies of ASOIAF will be Westeros remembering them completely differently than how they really were, their images warped and tainted by heresy, their actions stripped of context.

Not everyone will believe these lies, however. Many in Essos will remember Daenerys as a liberator who caused the destruction of slavery. Over time, the great Mhysa will become a divine icon; a mother goddess. Meanwhile, the Free Folk will remember Jon as the hero he actually was, who united the wildlings and gave them refuge beyond the Wall from the Others. After his resurrection, he may even grow into a divine figure himself, a whispered legend told by the Free Folk of the wolf king who came back from the dead.

What’s also pretty interesting is that both Jon and Dany have a brother who also had a fearsome reputation and was reviled by many: Robb was the Young Wolf to his followers, but a savage who turned into a wolf to slaughter his enemies to others; Viserys was known as the Beggar King (a warranted reputation in that case).

Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow are alchemical partners with parallel stories that sees their power grow every time they are broken apart and put back together again. (Will expand on this more in an upcoming literary alchemy exploration.) From exiled princess and hidden prince, to khaleesi and Lord Commander, to Queen of Meereen and King in the North (if the show was accurate in that regard), to eventually ascending mortality altogether and growing into godhood. They will be remembered by some as terrible monsters, but others will remember them reverently. Either way, history will not remember them as they truly were — two lost children doing their best to create light and life in a bleak and lonely world.

[mysticalprincesskitten]

ROBB STARK and JACAERYS VELARYON + parallels

[mysticalprincesskitten]

Dragons plant no trees. Remember that. Remember who you are, what you were made to be. Remember your words. “Fire and Blood,” Daenerys told the swaying grass.

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON | 2.04 - "The Red Dragon and the Gold" GAME OF THRONES | 8.05 - "The Bells"