#Aemon doesn't give a fuck

[wildfirefruitjars]

Maester Aemon calling Aerys for "My brother's poor grandson" in AGOT is based as fuck.

Like Aemon definitely has heard about all the horrid shit Aerys has done, but he's also been penpals with Rhaegar, who might have had a slightly more sympathetic view on his dad than most, and no one can tell me Aegon didn't write with his big brother! Like Egg's probably been telling about how sweet little Aerys lost his first tooth, drew dragons on the wall or got into trouble with Steffon and Tywin.

So for Aemon, Aerys first and foremost isn’t the Mad King, he’s Egg’s troubled grandbaby.

[atopvisenyashill]

connections between naerys and sansa?

There’s plenty! She’s very much in a Naerys/Aegon scenario in ASOS & ACOK, where she has no ability to leave the capital, no one doing anything meaningful to protect her, and a King that is obsessed with sexually humiliating her. There’s a lot of romanticism and chivalry surrounding her character and how other people react to her character, the same as Naerys.

But also, Sansa makes the comparisons to Naerys herself, and she does it before she realizes what kind of person Joffrey is! In fact, it starts with her very first chapter where she compares Joffrey interrupting Ilyn Payne & Sandor Clegane to Aemon demanding a trial by combat against Ser Morgil:

A whole day with her prince! She gazed at Joffrey worshipfully. He was so gallant, she thought. The way he had rescued her from Ser Ilyn and the Hound, why, it was almost like the songs, like the time Serwyn of the Mirror Shield saved the Princess Daeryssa from the giants, or Prince Aemon the Dragonknight championing Queen Naerys's honor against evil Ser Morgil's slanders.

She will compare Joffrey to Aemon and herself to Naerys again later, to Ned:

"Father, I only just now remembered, I can't go away, I'm to marry Prince Joffrey." She tried to smile bravely for him. "I love him, Father, I truly truly do, I love him as much as Queen Naerys loved Prince Aemon the Dragonknight, as much as Jonquil loved Ser Florian. I want to be his queen and have his babies."

(lowkey she’s so fucking funny for that “i only just now remembered” comment, idk how ned kept a straight face for it)

She then uses Aemon (and the Cargyll twins) to make Tommen feel better and dunk on Joffrey:

Prince Tommen sobbed. "You mew like a suckling babe," his brother hissed at him. "Princes aren't supposed to cry." "Prince Aemon the Dragonknight cried the day Princess Naerys wed his brother Aegon," Sansa Stark said, "and the twins Ser Arryk and Ser Erryk died with tears on their cheeks after each had given the other a mortal wound." "Be quiet, or I'll have Ser Meryn give you a mortal wound," Joffrey told his betrothed.

Again, there’s a focus on Aemon’s romantic relationship with Naerys because that's what appeals to Sansa. But when people say "Sansa sees the world through stories" it's not just about how she romanticizes or idolizes knighthood, nobility, and chivalry - she thinks through information by comparing it with similar historical events or stories and analyzing it. She clearly sees the problem with Loras protecting Margaery from Joffrey by comparing him to the Toynes instead of Aemon, and Joffrey (once again) to Aegon the Unworthy:

She is so brave, Sansa thought, galloping after her . . . and yet, her doubts still gnawed at her. Ser Loras was a great knight, all agreed. But Joffrey had other Kingsguard, and gold cloaks and red cloaks besides, and when he was older he would command armies of his own. Aegon the Unworthy had never harmed Queen Naerys, perhaps for fear of their brother the Dragonknight . . . but when another of his Kingsguard fell in love with one of his mistresses, the king had taken both their heads. Ser Loras is a Tyrell, Sansa reminded herself. That other knight was only a Toyne. His brothers had no armies, no way to avenge him but with swords. Yet the more she thought about it all, the more she wondered. Joff might restrain himself for a few turns, perhaps as long as a year, but soon or late he will show his claws, and when he does . . . The realm might have a second Kingslayer, and there would be war inside the city, as the men of the lion and the men of the rose made the gutters run red.

She’s also not wrong in her assessment here because the Tyrells (my guess is Garlan and Olenna) are so worried about this outcome they just murder Joffrey and install Tommen; like Bethany Bracken, Margaery is groomed (with all the implications that are included in such a loaded term) to be sexually available to the King because her father wants power and doesn't care if his daughter is sexually abused to get it. Like Terrance Toyne, Loras is considered attractive, skilled, and has several brothers more than willing to start a war to avenge his death. I think it's incredibly intuitive that Sansa ultimately comes to the same conclusion as two seasoned political players like (presumably) Olenna and Garlan come to, and she makes this judgement call very quickly!

And Sansa also hits on a lot of (correct) similarities when she makes these comparisons between Joffrey's court and Aegon the Unworthy's court; Aegon and Joffrey both have wild, violent temperaments while being notoriously difficult to control. It’s not just Naerys that attempts to get Aegon to stop marital raping her; Aemon’s useless tears aside, Viserys does do the bare minimum here in sending Aegon away so Naerys can heal from her miscarriages, Daeron got shitty with the Brackens about being tacky over Naerys' marital rape and ill health, Baelor fasts himself to death over Naerys’ miscarriages, etc etc. All of the “authority figures” around Aegon think his behavior is wrong but Aegon proves stubbornly difficult to control or kill. Joffrey falls along these same lines - Cersei, Robert, Tyrion, Tywin, and even Varys all struggle to get some control over Joffrey but like Aegon, he knows once he’s of age and has that crown he doesn’t have to answer for SHIT and stubbornly resists every attempt to curb his behavior. Joffrey is a hell scenario waiting to happen because like Aegon, he’s petty and petulant enough to pull the stunts Aegon pulls like pitting his true born kids against his bastard born ones and causing another violent succession crisis. I say this as like, the ultimate Joffrey Apologist here, lmaooo, he has reasons for being a nasty piece of shit but the Tyrells are right to look at him and go “oh that’s trouble” because he is a ticking time bomb. And the crazy thing is, it’s not just Sansa who compares Joffrey to Aegon the Unworthy:

"A king can have other women. Whores. My father did. One of the Aegons did too. The third one, or the fourth. He had lots of whores and lots of bastards." As they whirled to the music, Joff gave her a moist kiss. "My uncle will bring you to my bed whenever I command it." Sansa shook her head. "He won't." "He will, or I'll have his head. That King Aegon, he had any woman he wanted, whether they were married or no."

Joffrey makes the comparison himself. He's a piece of work just like his hero and he is directly threatening to rape Sansa the same way Aegon raped Naerys and poor Bethany Bracken. He is directly admitting he is "unworthy" and practically daring all of KL to overthrow him for it because he thinks they'll blink before he does (and he is unfortunately deadly wrong in this assumption).

And when you extrapolate out from there, you can see other, similar patterns between Naerys' life and Sansa's, beyond the Joffrey-Aegon, Margaery-Bethany, Loras-Terrance, and Sansa-Naerys parallels. Tyrion himself aspires to be a sort of Viserys II type player (see: "It should have been called the Lives of Five Kings" rant he gives to Oberyn); a power behind the throne directing his crazy family to do what's right or smart or proper. There's an interesting echo in Viserys taking direct action in sending Aegon away from Naerys and Tyrion stopping Joffrey in his assault of Sansa - like Viserys, he can see the monster in the king he is raising, makes an attempt to stop it, but fails because he underestimates just how dangerous and erratic his little king has become. Like Viserys, Tyrion is suspected of poisoning his own nephew in an attempt to get closer to power and the throne (and Viserys, like Tyrion, is probably innocent - the sort of fasting that Baelor was doing regularly is hard on the body!).

I don't think any of this is coincidental or accidental either, because of that haunting scene where Joffrey destroys the gift Tyrion got him. Here's the scene, excuse the wall of text, but it's important:

He plays the gracious king today. Joffrey could be gallant when it suited him, Sansa knew, but it seemed to suit him less and less. Indeed, all his courtesy vanished at once when Tyrion presented him with their own gift: a huge old book called Lives of Four Kings, bound in leather and gorgeously illuminated. The king leafed through it with no interest. "And what is this, Uncle?" A book. Sansa wondered if Joffrey moved those fat wormy lips of his when he read. "Grand Maester Kaeth's history of the reigns of Daeron the Young Dragon, Baelor the Blessed, Aegon the Unworthy, and Daeron the Good," her small husband answered. "A book every king should read, Your Grace," said Ser Kevan. “My father had no time for books.” Joffrey shoved the tome across the table. “If you read less, Uncle Imp, perhaps Lady Sansa would have a baby in her belly by now.” He laughed … and when the king laughs, the court laughs with him. “Don’t be sad, Sansa, once I’ve gotten Queen Margaery with child I’ll visit your bedchamber and show my little uncle how it’s done.” Sansa reddened. She glanced nervously at Tyrion, afraid of what he might say. This could turn as nasty as the bedding had at their own feast. But for once the dwarf filled his mouth with wine instead of words... [Joffrey gets a Valyrian sword and figures out a name for it, Widow's Wail, it's a few pages, it's not relevant here] Joffrey brought Widow’s Wail down in a savage two-handed slice, onto the book that Tyrion had given him. The heavy leather cover parted at a stroke. “Sharp! I told you, I am no stranger to Valyrian steel.” It took him half a dozen further cuts to hack the thick tome apart, and the boy was breathless by the time he was done. Sansa could feel her husband struggling with his fury as Ser Osmund Kettleblack shouted, “I pray you never turn that wicked edge on me, sire.” “See that you never give me cause, ser.” Joffrey flicked a chunk of Lives of Four Kings off the table at swordpoint, then slid Widow’s Wail back into its scabbard. “Your Grace,” Ser Garlan Tyrell said. “Perhaps you did not know. In all of Westeros there were but four copies of that book illuminated in Kaeth’s own hand.” “Now there are three.” Joffrey undid his old swordbelt to don his new one. “You and Lady Sansa owe me a better present, Uncle Imp. This one is all chopped to pieces.”

God I love that passage so much. There's a lot there but what's relevant is a) both Oberyn and Garlan are trying to get a measure of who Joffrey is, and have some child murdering plans potentially in the works during this scene. Watching Joffrey destroy a priceless tome of history given as a well thought, well meant, incredibly generous (and pointed) gift from his uncle is more than enough proof for either man to decide Joffrey is not worth the headache, and please note Garlan is the only person to call Joffrey out to his face, and Oberyn is a few pages later the only person to acknowledge this was a fantastic and kind gift from Tyrion that Joffrey reacted absolutely deranged towards for no reason. and b) Tyrion is almost literally saying to Joffrey "I can be your Viserys, I can make it so you're remembered as a great king the way Daeron II or Baelor are, or a great warrior like Daeron I, but you have to understand the reason why I'm worried about your behavior" and Joffrey does the most destructive, unworthy thing he can possibly do - he quite literally destroys priceless, useful historical knowledge and wisdom with his bare hands, in favor of senseless, petulant violence. As Catelyn would say, Joffrey's real bride is not Margaery, but the war he's fighting and the crown on his head.

All of this to say - there's a lot of parallels between Sansa's situation in KL and Naery's life and these parallels are drawn not only by Sansa herself, but also by several people around her. However, I hope for better things for Sansa than what poor Naerys got - I hope for an Aemon the Dragonknight that will do more than just cry while she's raped, but actually step into that room and defend her, or else give her the power to defend herself. Despite the long wait for The Winds of Winter, I also think it's likely we will get some sort of Dragonknight, devoted sworn sword for Sansa and this person will help protect her, and Sansa will have agency that Naerys could only ever dream of.

[mhsdatgo]

The Helaemonds/Helaegons need to calm down.

Don't get me wrong, it's always refreshing to see some people fill in the gaps of a basically untold relationship such as the one between the green kids in general, but this goes beyond basic obsessive shippy discourse. Leave this poor girl alone. Why's there an obsession with having her be romantically paired with her brothers, one worse than the other?

I understand the show has basically shown so little of her to the point where we didn’t even have a coronation for her on screen, so therefore you can self insert through her and have fun with headcanons regarding Aegon and Aemond. Really, I'm not faulting their girlies, you can be head over heels for whatever actor in character you want (unless you put them on pedestals and start acting like they did nothing wrong and pounce on whoever contests them, THEN we have a problem) but I assure you, Helaena would barely want anything to do with either of them.

Aegon is a sex pest turned sex offender, a drunkard and a neglectful father and husband at best. Her infamous toast in ep.8 has us believing that he cannot for the life of him interact with her unless he's horny drunk or that he forces himself on her at worst.* He was ready to leave them all in ep.9 before he was caught. Even the book is subtle about their relationship: all we know of them is that they sleep in shared chambers, that she was someone important and reliable in Aegon's council before B&C, and that he named her and Alicent the true Queens of his reign.

*(⚠️TW: PERSONAL OPINION⚠️ I'm not saying this last one isn't a possibility but it's sill outrageous for the way people speak about Helaena in defence of this "claim". No, she wouldn't joke about her own r*pe in front of the whole table full of people she doesn't know and right beside her abuser, and despite the hour-long metas I've read about how she's basically "too sheltered" to know what r*pe even means, I assure you she's a high-functioning autistic, not 5 years old. She can understand it perfectly.)

Helaemond is a pure show invention, I honestly wasn't expecting this many people to go up this kind of train. They barely interact, and most of the time it's Aemond saying he'd "perform his duty" should Helaena ever be wed to him, or that stare in ep.9 when he enters her chambers toiling after Alicent. It's, as always, the Aemond girlies who think poor Helaena would live her best life with Aemond, or that they are already romantically involved behind the scenes. The amount of "if one possesses a thing, the other will take it away" edits from people that are FULLY CONVINCED "the thing" is Helaena and that "the one" and "the other" are Aemond and Aegon respectively is honestly concerning.

Fics that are all about Aegon doing the worst and unspeakable things to her so "Aemond can come and save her" are y'all okay? Out of all people, HE has to save her?

Babes, I'm sorry to break your bubble, but this isn't Aegon IV/Naerys/Aemon on steroids. Aemond didn't give two shits about Helaena. No, he wasn't jealous when Jace came to ask her to dance, he just wanted to stir some shit. If we talk about the books, he didn't fucking hesitate to leave King's Landing, his sister, his mother and whatever he was doing for the Riverlands the second he heard that Daemon was there. And he brought the only means of defence they had with him. If he knew how important Vhagar was for the city's defence, he's evil, if he didn't realize it, he's dumb as fuck. Which one is it, Aemond girlies?

People beat each other to the curb about Jaehaerys, Jaehaera and Maelor's paternity like it's the Wars of The Roses. They put Helaena and Alys against the other like they have personal beef with one of them.

Stop mentioning this sweetheart only when it's about praising or hating one of her brothers. No, it's not the only option you have because she's underdeveloped as a character. There's actually another one.

LEAVE HER THE FUCK ALONE.

[raybyanothername]

dueling mother tongues

Another Daemon POV for the prompt driven fic! This time with eavesdropping and the Green siblings having their own mixed language of Valyrian and the Common Tongue.

This drabble escaped containment long ago: Parts 1 2 3 4 5

He'd left the girls with Rhaenys. And Moondancer. The young dragon nesting in their chambers. Daemon expected he'd find the dragon in Baela's bed upon his return.

Caraxes could not fit in his bed though. He'd been too large for such a thing even before Daemon's birth according to the stories his father had told. His uncle Aemon had certainly tried in his youth, had snuck the young dragon into both the Red Keep and Dragonstone before Caraxes had grown too big for the doorways.

Smiling to himself, Daemon descended the stairs of the main tower. He'd always enjoyed his uncle's stories.

The ones about Caraxes and Meleys especially. The only two red dragons. His mother had claimed they were the most Targaryen: the regal Red Queen and the protective Blood Wyrm.

Two sides of the same coin. The same two that every Targaryen had. Fire and Blood. Conquest and Justice. Caraxes and Meleys.

He'd thought Viserys to be the other side of his coin. The even tempered monarch to his chaotic prince. Viserys would rule and Daemon would protect.

"The king will never forgive us!" The hissed whisper had Daemon pausing in his steps along the path down to the caverns beneath Driftmark. He squinted as he tried to place the voice.

Familiar as it was, Daemon had never heard Valyrian spoken quite like that. Half the words had been in the common tongue at that, or pronounced as if they were, which made it even more difficult for him to understand.

"Who gives a fuck about him?!" Another voice hissed in the same odd mix of Valyrian and the common tongue. The curse had made it easier to place the speaker at least.

Aegon's voice was raw, and wet, just as it had been earlier before Daemon had left his cousin's chambers. Emotion filled his every breath, stuttering as some of them were.

"Muna will never forgive us, forgive me!" Aegon said, half whimpering by the end. The only word in Valyrian he'd managed to pronounce properly was 'mother' and Daemon's heart twisted at the lilt in his voice.

It sounded almost identical to Laena's. The thick Westerosi accent that both she and Laenor had inherited. In King's Landing, only those of royal blood were likely to speak Valyrian. Even then, some never learned it. Aemma hadn't.

Both Valyrian and the common tongue were used on Driftmark though. So while Rhaenys typically had the familiar bite of High Valyrian when she spoke, her children had learned the language with an accent. One Daemon had grown quite fond of over the years, as his wife had whispered in his ears and shouted at him across rooms.

"Mother doesn't hate you," a feminine voice caught his attention and the harsh whispers of the other two voices went quiet.

Soft and melodic. Helaena pronounced every word of Valyrian as if it were common, and every word of common as if it were Valyrian. The two languages mixing together in a her mellow voice.

"She wanted her father back and I'm the reason he's dead," Aegon said, exhaling slowly, "I've always been a disappointment." He huffed, "Now I'm... I'm... buqarys."

Daemon blinked. Hated? Was he trying to say hated? His nose wrinkled as he listened to the three of them talk. To their rapid fire discussion of the current situation. He could barely follow.

Aegon, Helaena, Aemond. None of them spoke a single sentence entirely in Valyrian. He understood them, yes, but only just. Half their words were pronounced wrong. Or differently, at least. And not in the same way as the Westerosi spoke Valyrian on Driftmark or Dragonstone.

This was different. Their own mash of their dueling mother tongues. They spoke the common tongue properly before others, but it seemed that when alone they spoke... this. Quickly at that, without concern that the other two might misunderstand them.

But what of their Valyrian? Could they speak that properly as well?

Brow furrowing, Daemon tried to recall if he'd ever heard one of them speak Valyrian before, on his sporadic visits to the Red Keep since Helaena's birth. He and Rhaenyea had used it at dinner, with Laenor and Laena. Viserys as well.

The children had followed their conversation, but they'd not spoken. Jacaerys had, once. Daemon had laughed at his pronunciation and the boy had flushed crimson.

Eyes squeezing shut, Daemon sagged against the nearest stone wall. His chest grew tight and his head ached.

His parents had been the ones to teach him Valyrian. His aunts. His uncle.

A sharp scoff dragged Daemon's attention back to the siblings, to their makeshift Valyrian. To the resounding evidence of his failure as their uncle.

"You don't really think the king will let mother stay behind do you?" Aemond drawled, "He might let Helaena stay for a bit, if Rhaenyra asks, but his wife?"

"His queen," Aegon corrected with a snort, "And why wouldn't he? It's not like she serves a purpose for him now. She's barren remember? And he can't lie with anyone in his condition anyway."

Bile rose in his throat. Aegon did not mince his words. Entirely cavalier, in fact. Daemon found himself pressing a hand to his lips, fingers curled into a ball as he silenced himself.

"The only thing the king cares about is Rhaenyra. That's always been true, and it certainly is now." Aegon's voice rattled in his head as Daemon stood stiffly outside the cave where Dreamfyre had taken to nest upon her arrival.

"He cared for Otto," Helaena hummed, "Mother is his daughter. He may wish to keep her close."

Another snort, a shuffle. Aegon's voice grew sharper, his pronunciations crisper. Almost correct even. "Maybe that's why he married her."

Aemond made a gagging noise, "Gross!"

Eyes fluttering, Daemon certainly agreed with him. His nose wrinkled as Aegon laughed, "What? Men lie together too. They just can't marry because the Faith says it's unnatural."

"I know that!" Aemond snapped. He sniffed, words mumbling as he groused, "Mother says that's what Ser Laenor does with that one knight."

"Qarl," Aegon supplied, sighing once again, "And mother says significantly more than that, but only because she's angry with the king and if she insulted Rhaenyra directly he'd punish her again."

Footsteps sounded above him and Daemon looked up. Laenor paused, brows furrowing as their eyes met. Daemon held a finger to his lips and the brows rose up.

"It's why she said all those things about Ser Harwin too," Helaena tacked on as her younger brother grumbled. Her voice grew sharper then too.

For perhaps the first time, Daemon heard his younger niece's temper rise. Her anger, not just in her words, but in the subtle shift of her tone. Laenor's eyes widened beside him as she spoke.

"If the king hadn't sent Daeron away, mother wouldn't care that he favors Rhaenyra so much. She wouldn't be afraid!"

"She wouldn't have wanted grandfather to come either," Aemond asserted. His words were accompanied by the crunch of footsteps. Solid and stomping. "This is all his fault!"

Whether the boy meant Otto or Viserys, Daemon found himself nodding in agreement. He turned his head to face Laenor, eyebrow arching as he mouthed a silent 'why?'

A question that quickly became redundant as Aegon let out a hollow laugh, "You say that like it matters."

His siblings went quiet. Aemond's angry pacing pausing as Aegon's began. His strides decidely slower and echoing far less. Which only made it that much easier to hear his words.

"The maesters told him mother needed time to recover after you were born, but he still blamed her when she became barren after Daeron's birth."

Daemon cringed. His teeth scraped over the top of his knuckle as he held in a scream. Laenor bowed his head to Daemon's shoulder, hand squeezing at his bicep. Tears gathered on both of their lashes as the boy continued, his voice cracking now.

"He sent Daeron away because mother said as much," Aegon announced, wetly. His next breath stuttered as he spat out, "The king never takes the blame, Aem. That's how it works."

"If mother can't stay, neither can I," Helaena whispered as her brother's crying filled the air. "She shouldn't be alone. Not now."

Silence reigned inside the cavern for a moment. Long enough for Daemon to grow nervous that they might be discovered, that the children might leave the safety of Dreamfyre's nest to search for their mother.

Aemond's low croak startled him, "You really think he'll let her stay?" Daemon squeezed his eyes shut as the boy hiccuped, "It wouldn't be so bad, living here, if mother could stay."

Laenor's breath hitched. His hand squeezed at Daemon's arm, grip tight. Daemon's whole body shuddered as his nephew answered.

"Yeah," Aegon assured his brother, "I think the king will let her stay." His little chuckle came with a short sniffle, "She's not the one he's punishing this time."

[selfproclaimedunicorn]

I would like more cousin duo factoids and tidbits

The Roycegaryen/Targtower Daddy Issues Havers Cousin Duos are so dear to me, thank you for this opportunity to scream about it

Ella & Aemond

This shit is built on mutual "my mental health is everyone else's problem" bullshittery. They are a constant feedback loop of "catharsis is arson & soul rendering screams into the void & property damage," both equally explosive but subdued in the areas where the other isn't. They are also definitely profiting from Ella being way more socially well adjusted & friendly than Aemond; she's basically his emotional support sister-figure (not that he doesn't have older sisters, but Ella's way older than him while actually being willing to be his friend/mentor without being a second mom bc he would never replace Alicent like that!)

Absolutely chaotic son-coded oldest daughter/daughter-coded second son solidarity. When the Targtowers visit Runestone she takes him joyriding on Vermithor & then sends him to go play with her comedically serious son. 16/10 experience, bb!Aemond would do it again & she is his favorite cousin. They definitely set a tree on fire during that flying session.

Yorick & Aegon

My boys elbow deep in the daddy issues muck. The traumatized little boy who hates his shitty dad & just wants his mommy to hold him in Yorick recognizes the traumatized little boy in Aegon. They're friends, they're brothers, they're father & son; they hug each other & cry at least once.

Yorick is, for Aegon, an older male figure who cares about him without worrying about how that benefits him & is safe--he's dad shaped & tells him he can do/be better because he's worth that effort, not because the realm needs it but because he deserves it personally. And then for Yorick, Aegon is finally seeing to fruition the reason he was in King’s Landing & enduring All That for years: being the older brother figure of the king's son. There's just the extra bonus of them being able to commiserate over just fucking hating Viserys.

Aegon is a shivering cat that Yorick found in the dumpster that immediately imprinted on him when he figured out "I like soft touch." Meanwhile, Aegon bonding with Weird Scary Mountain Man is a fucking mirror of Yorick claiming his nasty as hell dragon. Also, Yorick has definitely threatened Otto Hightower in defense of His Boy™ & I feel like that level of care had Aegon stunlocked for several minutes. 100/10, he's never leaving Yorick’s side again.

Aemon & Helaena

Weird quiet isolated kid who gets easily overwhelmed solidarity, right there. Aemon sees the potential to get/be as bad as he was isolation wise, & he wants better than that for whoever he sees that kind of "I'm weird, I'm a weirdo. I don't fit in." energy in, so it starts with him going out of his way to make sure she doesn't slip through the cracks & then blossoms into something really sweet & mutual from there. He'll happily sit there in silence when she needs it & listen to her when she has something to say; like, just generally he isn't treating Helaena like she's fragile or has something wrong with her. His concern is just not wanting her to be lonely.

They respect each other as Socially Just A Little Off & they're mutually safe to be around when the social battery is running on empty. "Your thought processes & need to be alone sometimes are totally normal. Everyone else is wrong." Also, in a modern AU she's who is going up to the counter at the burger place to say Aemon asked for no pickles. Please know that is real & true.

Aemon is also close enough to her age (like, I think he was 5 when she was born?) that he can kind of easily & comfortably fit within her life while still being Large Older Rleative To Be Safe Around If I Need Protection. When he comes home from fostering for his 16th nameday & gets to be in a tourney to celebrate his getting knighted, he asks Helaena for her favor because that's his friend & she said she wanted to give him one. The tourney was loud, but she had fun & Aemon made sure she had both hiding spots & other kids to play with, 12/10 that's her cousin. Also Aemon is one of the most exciting parts of getting betrothed to Yorick's son/Stannis during the course of the fic (Stannis knows he is the second favorite cousin & he's okay with this)

[ilynpilled]

also, in her converation with Ned, cersei outright TELLS him that Jaime would kill Robert if he knew how Robert abused her (fuck robert i hope he's rotting). and Robert knew it too which is why all his bruises were generally weren't on her face where people, specifically including Jaime, could see.

This is her exact quote: "Jaime would have killed him (Robert), even if it meant his own life"

that's probably one of the reasons why she doesn't tell him. she was in an awful, awful situation and it reflects the situation of so many other abuse victims across the world. it's not fair that she should have to keep this from her own family and worry about what her brother would do, but if he DIDN'T do anything...what kind of a person would he be? just look at Aemon the Dragonknight as a prime example

regarding this post: link

yeah thats the quote they refused to take at face value when almost everything about his characterization indicates that it would be the case.

i think when it comes to the discussions of much of this the dissonance comes from not confronting that this society refuses to acknowledge marital rape as rape. i do not have the quote at hand (@/georgescitadel might have it) but george himself has expressed that marital rape as a concept doesnt exist in medieval society. that is why it makes sense that while jaime is aware that robert “claimed his rights”, he does not recklessly murder him for it in rage unless cersei gives the word (again, we already know he is ready to do it after he sees that robert is disrespecting her by cheating on her and proceeds to ask her if she wants him dead for it. but like you pointed out, cersei understands that if he saw evidence of physical abuse he likely would not ask for permission and potentially get himself killed.) this is because arranged marriages are treated as a norm in which conjugal rape and a man claiming his rights is not really acknowledged or understood (more like confronted tbh) as rape. this is an integral aspect of the patriarchal domination thats present in westerosi society, its woven into its very fabric. women are placed into a role of subordination, again, it is robert’s “right.” and jaime too is unable to conceptualize it as sexual abuse on the level of rape. hence we get quotes like this:

like we know and understand that cersei was repeatedly raped by robert. we know she didnt make anyone kill her. we know what jaime is saying and thinking here is inconsistent and makes little sense if he believes that she was raped.

that other passage suggests that jaime does not fully grasp or know this. and in general society doesn’t for the most part, including most of the victims themselves. “claiming his rights” is not referred to as rape. robert also knows that what he is doing is wrong, especially the part where he is hurting her (theres also the layer of the code of chivalry being completely contradicted), but he refuses to confront it in multiple ways, and i dont think even he fully acknowledges it as rape either even though i refuse to believe that he is not aware of it. cersei’s right to label him a coward. same with ned in that very conversation, he even sees and knows that robert physically hit her, heard her say that she can scarcely bear him touching her, and yet he asks: “a thousand other women might have loved him with all their hearts. what did he do to make you hate him so?”, and cersei also doesn’t give the answer: “he repeatedly raped me.” jaime understands rape as terrible, he shows concern towards brienne, and risks personal harm (and gets it too since he is kicked unconscious because of it) saving her from it, and it is an act driven by empathy, and he even ironically acknowledges that rape can leave someone broken in a way that does not show on the outside. he executes pia’s rapist too, sets a precedent among his father’s men, and recognizes that she’s “scarred” where it does not show: “That’s all she is, a little girl in a woman’s body, scarred and scared.”

and re the present: while i have a sympathy for jaime in the sense that the betrayal that he was confronted with shatters the delusion that he made immense sacrifices for and defined most of his life atp, and the fact that it makes him feel that he was not actually loved by her as well as recontextualizing his most horrible decisions, he should be showing more consideration and empathy (and i am not saying that he is obligated to die for her either. he isnt) and put in the effort to actually place himself in cersei’s shoes and navigate these blindspots that he has (he has the capacity to, again: “they will leave her a cripple too, but inside, where it does not show”). right now, he is extremely bitter, violently even, and can be selfish and misogynistic as hell about it, and i obviously believe that that is something that has to be recognized by readers for what it is.

but still, regarding the rest, i also think ppl dont acknowledge that because of how medieval society operates there is a very skewed perspective and understanding of certain things and how that affects characters. even with rhaella, jaime is disturbed by the physical abuse:

like he doesnt use the word rape like he does with brienne and the bloody mummers, but he obviously hears and sees that the abuse thats happening to rhaella is horrid and hurts her, and feels a need/obligation to protect her. this is why it is not inconsistent at all that jaime would recklessly murder robert without “permission” even if it meant his own life if he saw evidence of physical abuse, but does not do the same for the marital rape/him claiming his rights. in this society it is not viewed as a violation of rights because women do not really have these rights in these circumstances. their purpose is to marry and bear children. rape is mostly understood and recognized as “low born criminals violently raping women”, “knights and soldiers violently raping women when their blood is up” etc, not “nobles in marriages raping their wives when they claim their rights”, or “coerced rape occurring every time nobles use brothels” etc.

and, as you may have noticed, there’s a strong “you’re hurting me” motif with all of this, because no matter what westerosi society normalizes to maintain patriarchal hegemony, it is obviously all an utter violation of human rights that deals immense harm and trauma to women.

[horizon-verizon]

The whole thing about NOOO VHAEGAR STOPP NOOO! is not sympathetic, it's show us how Aemond is a shitty dragon's rider and nothing else , which would explain how caraxes was able to beat vhaegar because Aemond is that incompetent but does Ryan know about this tho?

Yeah, my respect for this show already tanked when I saw that they totally skipped all the stuff happening between episodes 6 & 7, then more after Alicent forgiving Rhaenyra/Rhaenyra genuinely apologizing at all. And it already decreased after seeing how Alicent and Rhaenyra just magically became amicable with no scene showing this development. The logic also doesn't compute.

So I was depleted by episode 9 where apparently he read "the philosophies" and then couldn't control himself in episode 10 when no one provoked him...

I couldn't not get upset with Aemond's writing, his supposedly "accidentally" killing Luke. In general, whether Aemon did or didn't lose "control" of a dragon, I couldn't respect Aemond after that. You're telling me that this guy who had 6 years to learn how to control his emotions and give commands that Vhagr would obey, that the overall Targs never had issues directing their dragons -- unless it was either a magical issue or the bond not being properly formed yet -- this is the guy I'm supposed to think is smart, capable, and self-contained? Da fuck?

[the-great-ladyg]

5) what’s the dumbest thing you’ve heard about your f/o, either on the internet or irl?

Hello! Sorry for taking so long on this one, but here I am at last. For this one I'll use Maegor, I have to rant about him.

5) what’s the dumbest thing you’ve heard about your f/o, either on the internet or irl?

Oh, this is going to be long, ig

TW: Violence, domestic violence, rape

"He was the worst king in Westeros history"

Okay, let's start: 🩸🐲 was not the worst king

He did some wrongs like killing ONE of his nephews (the other one was Tyanna's doing) or continue a war that wasn't ending, but he also did some goods like starting the process of disarming the Faith or uniting the realm under one cause.

Don't forget many of the things said about him were rumors (like when he killed a cat the first time he held a blade, or that he killed people from the smallfolk saing they were Warrior's Sons and Poor Fellows), or were Tyanna's actions (the death of Viserys, the kidnapping or Aerea and Rhaella, and the death of Jeyne Westerling and her son, and the stillborn baby of Elinor Costayne).

Now, people say Maegor's killing of every architect and person who worked on the Red Keep was cruel. Okay, what would you do? Those people knew the secrets of the king's castle, they could easily reveal any secret entrance and have the king killed. Even if he decided to cut their tongues and break their fingers, smallfolk would still say he was cruel.

Besides, there have been way worse kings than him, I'll give a few examples:

His brother, Aenys I. Aenys was a terrible king, he couldn't decide on anything, even if his kindom or family were in danger. Rebels trying to rise and get independence? He can't decide who to attack first. The Faith has his eldest son and daughter as hostages? He can't act bc he doesn't to act on undoing the marriage or attacking the Faith. And he made the worst decisions when he acted, like marrying his children with one another or sending his brother, his most powerful supporter since he had Balerion and both Targaryen swords (and he didn't try to take the throne from Aenys) to exile, sending away his most valuable protection from the Faith. Dude died from a stomach cramp lol.

Aegon II. This dude was an idiot who only wanted to act and kill, no negotiation, the only times he decided to negotiate were because his mother, grandfather and wife convinced him to do so, even 🩸🐲 could be reasonable at times without someone talking him to do that. He was an usurper since his father never named him his successor, and this dude only lasted two years as king, and those two years he had to fight in a war he started by taking the throne. The bloodiest civil war in Westeros' history happened because of this man.

Baelor I. Okay, maybe I'm kind of anti Faith of the Seven, but you have to agree with me on this one. This dude trapped his three sisters in the Maidenvault just to keep them as virgins, don't giving a shit about their consent, and that didn't stop Daena from giving birth to a bastard. "Oh, but he gave to every person a loaf of bread", yeah, and he also outlawed prostitution, burned books, did stupid things like "I'm granting tax exemptions if you put a chastity belt to your maiden daughters", named a child as the fucking pope. He was a fucking septon but didn't disolve Aegon and Naerys' marriage even his cousin was suffering and almost dying after every pregnancy. Hell, Baelor would have started a holy war against the North and the Iron Islands to convert people to the Faith, if he didn't starve himself to death.

Aegon IV. Anyone who know his story knows this piece of shit is an useless king, no wonder he's remembered as "the unworthy". He wasted lots of money on favoring certain lords, on trying to conquer Dorne even when his son Daeron was married to princess Myriah. He raped Naerys, don't doubt about it, he killed his sister by forcing her to give birth to all of his sons, and after she and his brother Aemon died he said Daeron was Aemon's son in a tantrum, and it's said he killed his father Viserys to become king. Aegon had sons and daughters with any woman he desired, and he decided to legitimize all of them before dying, because of this piece of shit there were the Blackfyre rebellions that brought death and despair for almost a century.

Aerys II, you know, "the mad king". We all know why he was a terrible king. He tortured and burned people for the most stupid reasons, he raped and beat his sister Rhaella multiple times, the Targaryens lost their most valuable ally, Tywin Lannister, after Aerys threw tantrums over his own stupidity to rule, he caused the fall of House Targaryen because he thought it was a great idea to kill several Northman lords and their sons, including Ned's father and brother.

Honorable mention: Joffrey I Baratheon, you know why.

🩸🐲 is considered the worst king of Westeros because maesters, the Faith and the Hightowers were angry at him, and these people are the ones who write down the story, of course they would say the worst things about him this way "Yeah, he drowned puppies when he was four years old... but that's a rumor".

[thelustybraavosimaid]

You can like both jonsa and jonarya you know

Oh, dear. No, no. I really don't think I can.

There's a particular reason why I do not like Jonsa. It negates everything we know about Jon. The fans of said ship start at Jonsa and work backwards, making sure to shoehorn Sansa in everything pertaining to Jon, making connections where there aren't any (Jon was told about the blue rose and guess what happens in the very next chapter?! Sansa flowers!!!1!1!!) why Jonsas say things deliberately and expressly stated about Arya is actually about Sansa in disguise.

There is a reason why George said that Arya is his type. There is a reason why Jon and Arya are so close and think of each other often. There is a reason why Jon feels more comfortable around people who remind him most of Arya, and why he makes so many comparisons between her and various others (even a giant). There is a reason why they are each other's favourite.

Now, this ties into home being a specific person.

Their homes are each other. This is why Jon is so desperate to have Arya at the Wall and why Arya's so desperate to go there herself. They find the utmost comfort in one another and the idea of Jon preferring Sansa despite this intense bond he has with Arya makes little sense.

He spared Ygritte because something about her reminded him of Arya. He makes several comparisons between the two, and thinks of Arya immediately after thinking of Ygritte's words in his very last chapter.

Arya is his heart.

"I have no sister." The words were knives. What do you know of my heart, priestess? What do you know of my sister?

Melisandre seemed amused. "What is her name, this little sister that you do not have?"

"Arya." His voice was hoarse. "My half-sister, truly..." (Jon VI, ADwD)

Winterfell is not her home, it's specifically with him.

Bring her home, Mance. I saved your son from Melisandre, and now I am about to save four thousand of your free folk. You owe me this one little girl. (Jon XI, ADwD)

He wonders is she was ever his sister.

"If you kill a man, and never mean t', he's just as dead," Ygritte said stubbornly. Jon had never met anyone so stubborn, except maybe for his little sister Arya. Is she still my sister? he wondered. Was she ever? (Jon III, ASoS)

Jon thinks of Arya when he thinks of home, comfort, and passion. Which is why he has such an intense visceral reaction to Arya's marriage:

"I have no sister. Only brothers. Only you." Lady Catelyn would have rejoiced to hear those words, he knew. That did not make them easier to say. His fingers closed around the parchment. Would that they could crush Ramsay Bolton's throat as easily. (Jon VI, ADwD)

He doesn't know what Ramsay is like at this point, so even the remark of not imagining Arya in a wedding gown or his bed should also give you plenty of flags, eh?

In comparison, he is only reminded of Sansa when he remembers his courtesies:

"That's pretty." He remembered Sansa telling him once that he should say that whenever a lady told him her name. He could not help the girl, but perhaps the courtesy would please her. (Jon III, ACoK)

They have such a beautiful bond that has so much buildup, and it makes absolutely no fucking sense for all of that to be ignored for him to favour the other sister.

Jonsa would be the "safer" route to go since they weren't as close. And that's legitimately what makes it so fucking boring to me. There wouldn't be much "torment" in there like the original outline suggested. And George doesn't have Jon think about her much at all, and vice versa. And again, since we know that the Jon and Arya realised in the current series are the same as they were in the original outline.

There is also a precedent that George set in his series - that the closest people end up together in some way or another. Baelon and Alyssa. Jaehaerys and Alysanne. Jaehaerys and Shaera, even. And the rumour that Aemon and Naerys had a child together (they, who were so alike and close since childhood themselves):

"My father was Maekar, the First of his Name, and my brother Aegon reigned after him in my stead. My grandfather named me for Prince Aemon the Dragonknight, who was his uncle, or his father, depending on which tale you believe. Aemon, he called me…" (Jon VIII, AGoT)

I could go on and on. In a series where George constantly writes about this kind of thing, why exactly would he go against the grain of his own making by having Jon and Sansa get together?

Jonsas want horrible things to happen to Arya (dying unceremoniously, sailing across the sea when we know she's all about family, etc etc etc) because they know Arya is all of these things to Jon. She's everything, absolutely everything. She's the one he died thinking of, the one he was going to head to Winterfell by himself if need be for, and his heart and home. Not to mention is type, as said by George himself (how did he get away with saying that, I wonder????)

So no, liking both makes no sense in my eyes, thank you. And it makes me laugh that you even suggested such a...bizarre notion. I cannot and will not like both equally, nor would I ever like Jonsa in any capacity.

Now...can I write my Daenrya fic in peace?

[sherlokiness]

Im one of your fans! Ive been following your blog recently and your thoughts on some things about jonsa and Lyanna are really fascinating. Im glad I found like minded person in the community. Really tired of seeing Rhaegar was a rapist rhetoric in the fandom. Can you tell me how you feel about Jon in the show or link me to one youve made before?

Hi, anon! Thanks for the ask!

Thank you so much for that? Hmmmmm. How do I feel about show Jon? I feel ill.🤣🤣🤣 Someone like him isn't worthy of Sansa Stark. At all. That's why I'm against jonsa happening in the Jon Snow sequel. I think Jon and Dany will have a sexual fling until he betrays her so show and books still have some intersection. There is just no conceivable way for Jon Snow to fall for Dany if villain Dany is on the cards imo. What would that make Jon? It's regressing him to Sansa who fell for Joffrey. He ignored Dany's red flags because what? She's beautiful and saved him?

A whole day with her prince! She gazed at Joffrey worshipfully. He was so gallant, she thought. The way he had rescued her from Ser Ilyn and the Hound, why, it was almost like the songs, like the time Serwyn of the Mirror Shield saved the Princess Daeryssa from the giants, or Prince Aemon the Dragonknight championing Queen Naerys's honor against evil Ser Morgil's slanders.

Yeah. So did Joffrey. This reminds me of that Aegony gifset of Dany on a dragon calling her a warrior princess.😭😭😭😭😭😭

Once she had loved Prince Joffrey with all her heart, and admired and trusted his mother, the queen. They had repaid that love and trust with her father's head. Sansa would never make that mistake again.

Sansa's delusions about beautiful monsters was repaid by Ned's head. In the show, Jon admired and trusted the beautiful Queen Dany with all his heart but was repaid by the deaths of thousands in KL.At least Sansa was only 11 but what pray in hell is Jon's excuse?

"But what about her bringing her army and dragons?" Stannis also saved Jon when he came with his army yet we know that Jon has reservations against him, Mel and even Val. Let's not even start with Stannis hypocrisy as if him going to the Wall was his choice when there's no other place for him since losing Blackwater. Stannis also framed it as his duty but core is he still wants the Iron Throne and add Shireen to the mix. Oh boy. Dany's not gonna save the realm out of the goodness of her heart. Lmao. Tell me one thing that cost her that's not in line with her quest for the IT and doesn't benefit her? She dons the savior persona as long as it comes with the IT but when the greater good is Jon ruling then fuck Jon and the people of KL. Break the wheel as long as she's on top. She made sacrifices in "Jon's war" and expected people to lick her feet. 🤡🤡🤡 Newsflash Dany: You're not the only one who brought something to the table. She should have stayed in Essos at least the NK wouldn't have a dragon.😅😅

Requited Aegony only works if both of them are heroes because truthfully, what's not to love? I think that the show made it seem like Jon was really in love with Dany because otherwise there will be more hell if it turns out he was in love with another the whole time. It's just consolation for Dany fans whose turn is set in stone. Those writers did not leave room for Dany being an accidental villain like stans so badly want to happen. Oh no, they removed any room for doubt how Dany was always the hypcorite whose greed for the IT was masked as her duty as the last Targ. It all went to hell when she refused Jon and demanded him to live a lie. She didn't give up the throne for Jon, her supposed love and rightful King. Words and wind, anon. I say supposed bc I don't think Dany truly loved him. It was such a cheap love when compared with the IT. PolJon would even this out. They both choose their one true love in the end. 😮‍💨😮‍💨 Jonsa and PolJon are gonna save Dark Dany I tell you.

[alinaastarkov]

"the most compelling love stories are the ones that are irrational, that don't make any sense, that defy every expectation and status quo. In fact, they're the only ones that get told because no one cares about a relationship with no passion, that follows all the rules. That's boring and there's no reason to get invested in the story of two people making completely rational choices 24/7."

FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT

the tea is so hot, thank you 🍵👑💅

also you can see that it's smth grrm supports. there are so many love stories that are irrational but also realistic and that's why so often tragic. rhaegar and lyanna, basically all of egg's kids, aegon the conqueror and rhaenys, jaehaerys and alysanne, etc. all of them when against the world's against the rules, against the status quo. some won, some not, yet they risked it all the same bc it was worth it for them and the narrative does support it. what kind of bullshit this story and even world building itself it would be if everyone was all abt "fAmIlY, dUtY, hOnOr" 24/7??? humans don't work like that lmao, and no one wants some dumb "jaehaerys ii rlx mf celia Tully 💀" bullshit. even naerys and aemon who did not risk it all and bowed to damn status quo FAILED in the end. it doesn't matter if they made this sacrifice for the sake of others, chose to be "not selfish" (using the rhetoric of this deranged fandom). they suffered and died and saw no happiness whatsoever in the end anyway, so why the fuck we as readers should nod and say that everyone must've done this?

fandom septas and cultists can go cry me a river, i will watch them sacrificing their own happiness bc somehow fighting for love = selfishness (or being a wh*re 💀💀💀) before making such bullshit claims first.

p.s.: stan house "we die for love" targaryen amen 👑

A FUCKING MEN 👏👏👏

God this, so much this!! GRRM lives for drama, excitement, passion, tragedy, deep emotion and most importantly, people who don't play by the rules. Our key five are the key five for a number of reasons, but a big one is they don't stick to the rules. They break them, they ignore them, they rewrite them all together. And this can be seen so clearly in the way he writes romantic relationships.

I was gonna bring up Aegon and Rhaenys cause it's the first example, but maybe one of the more subtle ones. The relationship doesn't immediately cause any huge problems, but it's still not the done thing:

By tradition, he was expected to wed only his older sister, Visenya; the inclusion of Rhaenys as a second wife was unusual, though not without precedent. It was said by some that Aegon wed Visenya out of duty and Rhaenys out of desire.

And theirs is the love story people care about. And Rhaenys' death causes such a Jon-Snow-like reaction from Aegon it's almost painful to read about. Desire, passion, tragedy. It's all there.

Rhaegar and Lyanna are obvious. The love story that almost defines ASOIAF, that set so many events in action. Tragic, passionate, risking it all. Lyanna is proven right by the narrative too, as Robert as a husband is so exactly what she described and Cersei's arranged marriage is so fucking awful, no wonder Lyanna ran away. Such a wealth of examples like them, Barristan gives a great run down in ADWD:

Prince Rhaegar loved his Lady Lyanna, and thousands died for it. Daemon Blackfyre loved the first Daenerys, and rose in rebellion when denied her. Bittersteel and Bloodraven both loved Shiera Seastar, and the Seven Kingdoms bled. The Prince of Dragonflies loved Jenny of Oldstones so much he cast aside a crown, and Westeros paid the bride price in corpses. All three of the sons of the fifth Aegon had wed for love, in defiance of their father’s wishes. And because that unlikely monarch had himself followed his heart when he chose his queen, he allowed his sons to have their way, making bitter enemies where he might have had fast friends. Treason and turmoil followed, as night follows day, ending at Summerhall in sorcery, fire, and grief.

It's sad, but the focus is all on these love stories. They loved, and there were consequences. But damn it, they loved, and they followed their hearts, they lived and died without the regret of 'what if'. And ain't that just beautiful? For an in-series example, I look to Robb and Jeyne. It was not a smart decision, we are hit over the head with that time and time again. And there was something of honour in it. But you can't deny they had passion. And Robb's other option, another arranged marriage- I would take Jeyne over that any day. Jeyne loved him so much she fights for the crown he gave her after his death. He still lingers. It's sad, but they loved too. I do think Robb said it best. In fact, he may have just summed up one of the key points of the entire series:

"Love's not always wise, I've learned. It can lead us to great folly, but we follow our hearts . . . wherever they take us. Don't we, Mother?"

And it isn't always sad either! Jaehaerys and Alysanne, the 'good' king and queen, were just as defiant and wilful as they're predecessors and successors.

But like many such arrangements through the ages, their plan was soon undone, for they grievously underestimated the will and determination of Alysanne Targaryen herself, and her young king, Jaehaerys. [...] Like his sister, Jaehaerys did not waste time with reproaches, recriminations, or appeals. Instead he acted.

And Aemon and Naerys, ugh my favourite tragic beloveds. I do choose to believe that they had a relationship behind Aegon's back, and if they did they also defied the rules. But even if they didn't, as you say playing by them got them nowhere. It got Aemon killed. It made Naerys miserable and she died too. They are not praised for doing their duty, either, them doing the expected thing is framed as sad, that's literally the whole point. Not following their hearts was fucking sad, it made their story a tragedy, Aegon is remembered as, to put it lightly, the worst and Aemon and Naerys got nothing out of doing their duty but pain. We are not supposed to applaud that, we're supposed to wish it had gone differently.

I will stan House "we die for love" Targaryen all day every day because, damn they really are the most iconic house for a reason. This reason.

[atopvisenyashill]

If Rhaenys was the Queen, do you think Laenor and Rhaenyra would still be matched and, more importantly, would Rhaenyra have had children with Harwin Strong? Because that feels so much more dangerous.

i mean THATS THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION RIGHT.

okay so @riana-one said in a reply that i can't fucking find now that most likely, in the case that one of Viserys & Aemma’s kids still lived, that Laenor would marry Rhaenyra and Laena would marry the boy, and imo I think that’s likely in the case that Rhaenys ascends and becomes Queen Regnant. TBH the fact that Rhaenys and Viserys didn’t marry was kinda stupid (i mean, these people don’t need to be MORE inbred but like, what’s the point of all the incest marrying if you’re not using that to combine the claims of competing lines? but then again, we all know the reason is misogyny and purposefully cutting rhaenys' competing claim out of the family tree to ~put her in her place~). I think Rhaenys & Corlys are perfectly astute enough to realize their best option is to combine their line with Viserys.

HOWEVER. There’s a few important factors in Laenor being Prince of Dragonstone and marrying Rhaenyra that change the plot as well as their characters-

LAENOR is the Crown Prince, not Rhaenyra as Crown Princess which means there’s more pressure on Laenor himself to actually, ya kno, attempt to consummate the marriage than there is in the og canon where it’s very vague as to whether Laenor attempted to have legitimate children with Rhaenyra or whether she was so mad about the match she simply refused to bed him and Laenor went “cool idgaf” (bc….like all of his behavior in canon points to Laenor simply not giving a shit about how Rhaenyra got pregnant, and perhaps they even mutually disliked each other!)

Rhaenyra is so cavalier about having bastards specifically because her father is King and will protect her from the pushback (or so she hopes). If it’s Laenor’s mother that’s ruling Queen, that’s a much different scenario where Rhaenyra knows she’s not going to have backup.

Is Harwin even still at KL? He’s there in canon because Lyonel is on the small council and he needs to Be Useful In The City but if it’s RHAENYS who is Queen that means SHES picking her Small Council (or, I suppose, Corlys is picking her small council). How she got her crown is going to factor into what her Small Council looks like - if Aemon never died and passed the crown to his daughter he spent years acclaiming as his heir and fighting to protect her rights, that Council will look different than if the GC 101 chose her over Viserys (and how is Jae taking that), and THAT TOO looks different than if like, Viserys and Daemon both die and now the crown MUST pass to a female line. For all we know, she makes Boremund her Master of Laws because he’s been her number one supporter her whole life & he’s her dear uncle!

Rhaenyra’s life looks infinitely different if she’s raised as a daughter of a man with no seat. She might not even grow up in KL; again, depending on how Rhaenys comes to her throne, it’s possible Viserys & his family aren’t even welcome there the way Rhaenys & Jocelyn are effectively banned from KL after Jaehaerys usurps them, or that Viserys would feel awkward in KL the way both Rhaena's did. Would Rhaenys work something out with Viserys so he can live at Court or be the castellan of Dragonstone? Does Viserys decide to take Rhaenyra & Aemma and fuck off to the Vale (and does that bring Daemon to the Vale and are they welcome there??). The point there is, Rhaenyra’s childhood looking so different is going to affect the way she approaches sex, marriage, and children. I mean, if Viserys never remarries Alicent, or Aemma doesn’t die, that negates a lot of the hang ups Rhaenyra has later in life!

SO! Yes, I think it’s likely Laenor and Rhaenyra still marry. Does Rhaenyra have children with Harwin? It’s very hard to say! Because she’s not the crown princess, she doesn't have her father to cover for her, and it is legitimately treason if she's caught fucking someone else (as opposed to her fucking Harwin as Crown Princess, that's a gray area because she is the one the line descends from, not Laenor). At the same time, Rhaenyra grows up in circumstances where a woman is allowed to inherit the Iron Throne due to ~something~ and grows up as the daughter of a man without his own seat which will inevitably change Rhaenyra's outlook on her own life. Plus, if Corlys and Rhaenys are breathing down Laenor's neck and going "you need to actually attempt to fuck your wife Laenor and stop ignoring her to fuck stable boys" that may prompt more action from Laenor, not to mention that with Rhaenys and Corlys as rulers, they have a lot more say over whatever the fuck is going on in that marriage because it's happening right under their noses.

Corlys, meanwhile, does not have the motivation to simply pretend the boys are legitimate. He has the throne. He has the power. D While I don't think he would push for Rhaenyra to be straight up executed for cheating on Laenor (that is going to piss her father, uncle, and maybe mother OFF), he is not going to help her cover for it the way he does in the series.

So....IF Laenor still finds himself incapable of having children, the ting is that Rhaenys and Corlys are going to push more aggressively on Rhaenyra. Maybe this means they are stricter with Laenor (not allowing him the freedom to have male lovers at court perhaps?) OR it means Rhaenyra becomes desperate enough that she attempts to fuck someone else. The thing here is - if Rhaenyra knows its her head if she's found out, will she try to be discreet and fuck someone who is blond? Or even fuck Daemon?? Is Harwin even at court? It's hard to say! Certainly, I can see Rhaenyra feeling desperate enough to try to get pregnant through other means besides Laenor but I'm not sure she would go straight to Harwin in this scenario!

[shining-m00nlight]

F*ck, Marry, Kill (Part 5)

Margaery Tyrell, House Targaery (Aerys, Aemon, Rheagar)

Margaery: I kill Aerys cause that dude is just crazy. I'm probably doing humanity a huge favor. 

That of course gives Rhaegar all the power which is definitely beneficial for me when I marry him. Also he is quite pretty, maybe a little bit too much of a dreamer but that doesn't bother me that much. It gives me more opportunities to do my thing while he's busy dreaming about things. 

And I guess that would mean I fuck Aemon but there is a high that he couldn't even get it started so oh well.

[hellsbellschime]

If it were up to Rhaegar, Jon's name would be Visenya lol There is no reason (and time to come up with sth other than Visenya) for Lyanna to give him a Targ name. Even if she were a lovesick fool, which idt she was, at that point she was already disillusioned. She wanted to go home, to be buried beside by his father and brother. Which means she knew they were killed by Aerys (and maybe feeling guilty about it, who knows) and she knows Rhaegar went to fight against his other brother. Why the fuck would she want to honor Rheagar or any other Targ? Unless she is this conniving, selfish bitch who doesn't care about anyone or anything but her own comfort as RxL shippers make her out to be, I dare say Lyanna wasn't in the mood for choosing a Targ name for her son. I know there are things in the books people read as foreshadowing for Aemon to be his name, but I think they are more of a signifier for his parentage.

Now for regular people, for asoiaf!Jon stans Jon not having a Targ name is not an issue, it doesn't make sense and it has no narrative weight, Jon wouldn't care for it either since all asoiaf!Jon wants to be is a Stark, he may hate being a bastard but being Ned Stark's son is something he is proud of. But for Targaryen!Jon fans (some of whom even view the situation as Ned kidnapping Jon and robbing him of his ReAl HeRiTaGe 🤡) it is a sacrilege to suggest "No he doesn't have a Targ name and he wouldn't want it anyway, he has no connection to Targs, he wouldn't like it, want it, in fact he would hate finding out who his father is, he would never be a Targ, he'll never embrace that legacy." They still believe they're getting Targ restoration 😂 If only D&D hadn't screwed up, but GRRM sure will give them their incest magic Jonerys baby!!

(That was the reasoning behind that rant you received lol)

Agreed. I’m generally behind the idea that she didn’t name him a Targaryen name, because even if she were super heartbroken over Rhaegar, given that all of the Targaryens were being killed I don’t see why she wouldn’t have taken that into consideration and named him after Brandon or Rickard, which of course no one would ever question. I think based on that alone, it seems fair to assume that Lyanna just didn’t give him a name. I won’t be surprised if he does have a Targaryen name just for the sake of a big reveal, but I don’t necessarily think it would make sense.

[selfproclaimedunicorn]

Thought I’d do another one! Does your OC have children? If so then how fiercely do they love them? If they have more than one then do they love them all equally? If they do not have children then is this part of their future plans? - for the Roycegaryen kids (whichever one(s) you want!)

a;lksdjf you're so sweet for sending another, thank you!

No one has kids atm, but they all wind up having kids by the time we reach the end of season 1. None of the kids are super fleshed out atm, & Robella may wind up having more depending on how the vibe of their relationship goes, because I'm gonna be real: if you'd told me when I published chapter one 11 months that I'd be this far into the fic by now I would have thought you were nuts. I simply have made more progress than I thought I would have & so I never really made working on the kids a priority. I still have time to flesh them out (especially since I'm sure a, like, planned hiatus will be coming in a couple chapters), but things are a wee bit lackluster on detail front. There's enough that I think I can sufficiently answer this, though!

Rhaella/Robella: At the moment, I'm planning on three kids. Ella would, 100%, without a doubt, kill for her son & daughters. She'd set villages on fire for them. So long as she has a say, they are simply never going to struggle or know hardships or get let down by her or anyone else in their lives. How Griffith, Aerea, & Adrienne see the adults in their lives (especially her, because she's aware of her shortcomings) is going to be the undeniable truth because she is never going to lie or manipulate them or do anything to make the way they see her as some sort of illusion that will be shattered one day. If anyone asks she doesn't have a favorite & she loves all of them equally, & she for sure cares for all of them & makes sure that they all have special memories with her, but Adrienne is her favorite. Like, sorry, but she named this little girl after her childhood OC, there is no recovering from having done that.

Yorick/Yoreen: Even if his sister winds up having more than my three planned on kids, she's not having as many as Yorick. This man said "I love MILFS & also titties" then knocked his wife up 6 times. He loves his kids, he would die for them if it would protect them & he would kill for them if they asked, but he's very much got his "I was 'raised' by Daemon Targaryen during his Rhea Royce era" that kind of sees him being an overly soft touch with his kids. Like, he does discipline them & have expectations, but he's more a "verbally express that I am disappointed & then give you lots of affection after I have told you to apologize" type of parent. He gets more stern as he gets more kids under his belt & just generally gets more sure of himself, but he's remains very conscious of not doing to his brood what was done to him. Yorick, I don't think, has a favorite. He, like, actually does have an equal-across-the-board level of love for his kids, but his oldest daughter definitely has him as her favorite parent. Like, Rhea is a daddy's girl & there's nothing Yorick can do about it, lmao

Aemon/[redacted ship name, but it's another OC]: He isn't getting married till the gap between episodes 7 & 8, so he has the least amount of details there. Where I stand right now, he only has one kid by the end of season 1 & any others are born after The Dance (because, like, him & his wife are still pretty young. He's only 3 years older than Aegon), & I keep waffling on which "I have fucked up attachments" name he gives his son. Regardless, that baby is literally only, like, one-to-two years old & there's not really any dynamics at play there. Because actual toddler. Also, I feel like Aemon is the kind of person who, if something is cute enough, it makes him a little unhinged. Like, he would say he wants to eat his son & throw things across the room because he doesn't now how to handle how cute he thinks babies are. He did cry the first time he held Yorick/Gerold the Younger [name I settle on pending].

[thousandeyesand-one]

S08E01

Ok so here's where D&D suck. They try to create an "open to interpretation" kind of scenario with most female characters, arya is definitely there but nobody is given a hard time over it more than Daenerys. They never explain or make her explain the why's & how's, because they want daenerys to be the "bad ass dragon queen whose impulse has given the show it's many epic cinematic moments"

GRRM does something quite similar too. He writes characters as faulted as human beings are supposed to be, he likes to conflict a reader's mind in the most tiring way possible. He said afterall he believes Faulkner's words "The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself".

He makes his character do an action/say some words that more or likely they HAD to. But then he introduces the consequences of the said action/words while at the same time he gives a reason & understanding of why such a hard decision was made/tough words were used. GRRM creates conflict in such a way that it is upto YOU. The Reader, to decide for themselves what they make of the situation. Which ultimately means it's only one's assumption to choose to believe the character was wrong because you choose to ignore the reason behind their action/words. While the one's who support the character chooses to accept the character not only with the reason behind the action/words but also with the consequences of it.

Your "hate" towards daenerys is just YOUR assumption, your villainization of daenerys is just YOUR assumption, your degradation of daenerys's efforts & experiences is just YOUR assumption. Not the actual story definitely not the author's intent.

The scene where daenerys takes the unsullied is the most bad-ass, jaw dropping & inspiring scene centered on a female character ever. When it dropped I remember GA being taken by how "bad-ass" she is. But now I see haters using Astaphor as a "brutality" condoned by daenerys. All because the show never cared to reflect upon a deeper more sympathetic thought process behind doing what she did. While tge book reading haters like I said above choose to ignore her reason & only care about the consequences.

Tv Show: "we never really get this sense .. of her capacity for cruelty. They are surrounded by people who are terrible people but haven't done anything to her personally. It's interesting to me how the sphere of her empathy widens the sphere of her cruelty widens as well."

-Dan Weiss ( X )

Books:

"I was alone for a long time, Jorah. All alone but for my brother. I was such a small scared thing. Viserys should have protected me, but instead he hurt me and scared me worse. He shouldn't have done that. He wasn't just my brother, he was my king. Why do the gods make kings and queens, if not to protect the ones who can't protect themselves?"

"Some kings make themselves. Robert did."

"He was no true king," Dany said scornfully. "He did no justice. Justice . . . that's what kings are for."

– Daenerys III ASOS

The show never showed this side of daenerys's story GRRM is literally giving a reason behind what she is doing at Astaphor while in the future books you get the consequences of those actions, THAT'S HOW YOU CREATE AN INTERNAL CONFLICT IN A READER (&/or) VIEWER.

What D&D do with dany all the time is leave her reasons behind & only show her actions & the consequences. Which over time lead everyone to believe she is descending into some form of madness, that she is an entitled power hungry monarch & that she is actually being a villain! Ignoring the fact that D&D draw inspiration for the show from a book series whose author treats all of his characters in a conflicting manner. 

Something like that happened in s08e01. Am not talking about the s@nsa vs daenerys situation. I think it's a call back to Alaric Stark & Queen Alysanne Targaryen's relations. Alaric Stark was known to be cold & hard towards Queen Alysanne at first but eventually softened towards her in time being as he got to know her more. S@nsa stans don't need a reason to hate on daenerys so this storyline was like a gift to them to continue that petty hate.

No matter what their relationship prospers into I have to say s@nsa was being unnecessarily rude towards daenerys. Alaric Stark actually had a reason to be cold towards the Targaryens, his brother died defending the wall against a mutiny caused by some prisoners King Jaehaerys had sent to the wall. But there is nothing that daenerys did to harm the Starks?! S@nsa herself has no reason to hold a grudge towards daenerys or the Targaryens. The northern lords are being a bunch of ignorant fucks still dwelling on the politics of the past that which a "smart" person would overlook given the state of emergency they are in. Instead s@nsa is using that ignorance to incite more segregation in Winterfell. Knowing well that the wall was breached she is treating the dragons as a burden when girl! they are your best defence against the undead one that Night King controls. S@nsa might be smart but right now she is not acting smart!

Regarding the matter of food, I don't think s@nsa understands the level of danger that the oncoming army of the dead possesses against the living. Alaric Stark was judgemental of Queen Alysanne & the party that travelled with her because she wasn't necessarily there to defend Winterfell against anything, she was there on one of the many royal progression's that the king & queen did all over the kingdoms. But daenerys isn't here on some progress she is here to stand her armies beside the North men & Knights of the Vale in the fight. It is S@nsa's duty as the Lady of Winterfell to arrange for the food & other commodities for perhaps the greatest alliance northerners have.

I don't much tread into the doylism aspect of things but the way s@nsa said that she didn't account for the dothraki & the unsullied did she mean she was expecting Jon to die in the south? Because there was only two ways Jon's southern trip would go he might return with allies hence more mouths to feed or he might die. That sure don't sound all that smart of a deduction though!

When daenerys said "whatever they want" she defended her children reminds me of how everyone used to tell the direwolves don't belong inside the castle walls but out in the wild but the stark kids defended them anyways. Daenerys did the same thing too she defended her magical wild beasts who, just like the direwolves are dangerous & different.

Daenerys expecting respect from sansa isn't entitlement, Jon is S@nsa's king & daenerys is Jon's Queen. By that it is a certain decency to give daenerys that respect. In inside the episode video David nutter & Sophie say that s@nsa wants daenerys to know that this is HER home??! I mean daenerys doesn't want her home she wants your respect, she has a home it's called Dragonstone!

“No man has ever died from bending his knee,” her father had once told her.

“He who kneels may rise again, blade in hand. He who will not kneel stays dead, stiff legs and all.”

-the Kings Prize ADWD

I just can't wait until s@nsa softens upto daenerys like Alaric did towards Alysanne. So people can actually focus on other more important things in the storyline.

Then about the reaction Sam had when he learnt about his father & brother's death.. THAT WAS ABSURD. He clearly wasn't that sad when he learned of randyll's death but his brother's death affected him most. Which reminds me of a quote..

He wondered whether Dickon would shed a tear for his brother who died in the snow, somewhere off beyond the edge of the world. Why should he? A coward’s not worth weeping over.

-Samwell I, ASOS.

Do it now. Stop crying and fight, you baby. Fight, craven. It was his father he heard, it was Alliser Thorne, it was his brother Dickon and the boy Rast.

Craven, craven, craven. He giggled hysterically, wondering if they would make a wight of him, a huge fat white wight always tripping over its own dead feet.

Do it, Sam. Was that Jon, now? Jon was dead. You can do it, you can, just do it.

-Samwell I, ASOS.

Sam remembers his brother in the books with the likes of Ser Alliser Thorne & Rast. It is understandable that his heart might be broken to listen of his brothers death but to do what he did especially to the last remaining family of his mentor, Maester Aemon  Who treated him 1000x times better than both his father & brother.. Maester Aemon felt so passionately about Daenerys & he only trusted that information to Sam.

"No one ever looked for a girl," he said. "It was a prince that was promised, not a princess. Rhaegar, I thought... What fools we were, who thought ourselves so wise! The error crept in from the translation. Dragons are neither male nor female, Barth saw the truth of that, but now one and now the other, as changeable as flame. The language misled us all for a thousand years. Daenerys is the one, born amidst salt and smoke. The dragons prove it." Just talking of her seemed to make him stronger. "I must go to her. I must."

-Maester Aemon, Samwell IV, AFFC.

Daenerys is our hope. Tell them that, at the citadel. Make them listen. They must send her a Maester. Daenerys must be counseled, taught, protected."

-Maester Aemon, Samwell IV, AFFC.

Alleras stepped up next to sam. "Aemon would've gone to her if he had the strength. He wanted us to send a Maester to her, to counsel her & protect her & fetch her safely home." "Did he?" Archmaester marwyn shrugged. "Perhaps it's good that he died before he got to oldtown. Elsewise the grey sheep might have had to kill him, and that would have made the poor old dears wring with wrinkled hands." "Kill him?" Sam said, shocked. "Why?" "If I tell you they may kill you too" marwyn smiled a ghastly smile the juice of the sourleaf running red between his teeth.

-Samwell V, AFFC.

It is so awful that Sam has infact put the last two family members of Maester Aemon's blood against each other. He is treating Daenerys the way he treated Alliser Thorne when Sam realised if Ser Alliser becomes the Lord Commander his life would be hell so he literally uses Jon & raises him to be a Lord Commander in the hind sight to protect himself. When Jon actually (in the books) decides to fight for Winterfell & take stannis's offer.

Instead, he blamed Jon Snow and wondered when Jon’s heart had turned to stone. Once he asked Maester Aemon that very question, when Gilly was down at the canal fetching water for them. “When you raised him up to be the lord commander,” the old man answered.

-Maester Aemon, Samwell III, AFFC

“Dragons,” Aemon whispered. “The grief and glory of my House, they were.”

- Maester Aemon, Samwell III, AFFC

Not only was Sam's reaction a little over the top but it was wrong how he channeled it upon Jon as well. He ruined the most important revelation of Jon's life because of, again, himself. Jon also didn't seem to care about the fact that daenerys is related to her (lmao) but was more taken aback by Sam suggesting him treason against daenerys.

I do not want to play the oathbreaker, even for good reason.

- Jon VIII, ACOK.

Jon Snow flexed the fingers of his sword hand, remembering all he’d lost. Sam, you sweet fat fool, you played me a cruel jape when you made me lord commander. A lord commander has no friends.

-Jon X, ADWD.

"I had a frightening dream last night, m'lord," Dolorous Edd confessed. "You were my steward, fetching my food & cleaning up my leaving. I was Lord Commander, with never a moment's peace." Jon did not smile. "Your nightmare, my life."

-Jon VI, ADWD.

Daenerys: "We all enjoy what we're good at" Jon: "I don't!"

-GOT, s07e03.

Jon doesn't want to have power for the sake of power. Over & over again in the books & in the show he made it clear he did what he did to fight the Army of the Dead not for a crown.

Jon: "Do you think we can beat the Army of the Dead without her? I fought them sansa twice, you want to worry about who holds what title I am telling you it doesn't matter. Without her we don't stand a chance.. Do you have any Faith in me at all?

Sansa: you know I do.

Jon: she'll be a good queen, for all of us. She's not her father. 

Sansa: no, she's much prettier .... Did you bend the knee to save the North or because you love her?

-GOT s08e01

There are two reasons why anyone would bend the knee.

•Out of fear, fear of cruelty, collapse or death.

•Out of love & respect & trust.

Jon bent the knee to daenerys for the latter, that scene with sansa & Jon was cut off annoyingly leaving the argument hanging but there was more than just love, yes Love is there My god if this isn't what every jonerys stan had been screaming since s07 ended. But there was more than love, there was respect for letting him mine the dragonglass regardless of no existing alliance, there is also trust when daenerys actually not only let him go beyond the wall but also flew all the way there, solidifying the trust he placed in her to come to his aid without an alliance in place. 

Jon glanced over his shoulder. The shadow was there, just as she had said, etched in moonlight against the wall. A girl in grey on a dying horse, he thought. Coming here, to you. Arya. He turned back to the Red priestess. Jon could feel her warmth. She has power. The thought came unbidden, seizing him with iron teeth, but this was not a woman he cared to be indebted to, not even for his little sister.

-Jon IV, ADWD.

But instead he chose to be indebted to daenerys by asking for her help without giving her anything in return. Because he trusts her to be a good, reliable Queen & she won his trust.

Sam: "Don't you know?

Jon: know what?

Sam: Daenerys, she executed my father & brother. They were her prisoners.

Jon: ......

Sam: she didn't tell you

Jon: I'm so sorry. We need to end this war.

Sam: would you have done it?

Jon: I have executed men who disobeyed me.

Sam: you've also spared men thousands of Wildlings when they refused to kneel.

Jon: I wasn't a king.

Sam: but you were you've always been. Jon: I gave her my crown Sam. I've bent the knee am not King in the North anymore.

Sam: Am not talking about the king in the north am talking about the king of the bloody seven kingdoms.

.......

your mother was Lyanna Stark your father, your real father was Rhaegar Targaryen. You've never been a Bastard you are Aegon Targaryen true heir to the iron throne.

.............

You're the true king, Aegon Targaryen, sixth of his name, protector of the realm, all of it.

Jon: Daenerys is our Queen.

Sam: she shouldn't be.

Jon: it's treason.

Sam: it's the truth. You gave up your crown to save your people would she do the same?

She literally did the very thing in s07e06 when she left dragonstone with Drogon, Rhaegal & Viserion to rescue Jon.

Tyrion: "You cant win the throne if you're dead. You cant break the wheel if you're dead."

Daenerys: "So what would you have me do?"

Tyrion: Nothing. Sometimes nothing is the hardest thing to do. If you die we're all lost everyone, everything!"

Daenerys: "You told me to do nothing once before & i lostened to you ... am not doing nothing again."

There are moments in the story both in books & show where we do undeniably see daenerys put the people or her children ahead of her crown.

That morning she summoned her captains and commanders to the garden, rather than descending to the audience chamber. "Aegon the Conqueror brought fire and blood to Westeros, but afterward he gave them peace, prosperity, and justice. But all I have brought to Slaver's Bay is death and ruin. I have been more khal than queen, smashing and plundering, then moving on."

"You have brought freedom as well," Missandei pointed out.

"Freedom to starve?" asked Dany sharply. "Freedom to die? Am I a dragon, or a harpy?" Am I mad? Do I have the taint?

"A dragon," Ser Barristan said with certainty. "Meereen is not Westeros, Your Grace."

"But how can I rule seven kingdoms if I cannot rule a single city?" He had no answer to that. Dany turned away from them, to gaze out over the city once again. "My children need time to heal and learn. My dragons need time to grow and test their wings. And I need the same. I will not let this city go the way of Astapor. I will not let the harpy of Yunkai chain up those I've freed all over again." She turned back to look at their faces. "I will not march."

"What will you do then, Khaleesi?" asked Rakharo.

"Stay," she said. "Rule. And be a queen."

– Daenerys VI, ASOS.

Not that she must or she needs to give up her crown for Jon or anyone so Sam can be convinced with her being a good queen. Fuck that! Sam is being impulsive here (something that daenerys is blamed of, turns out everyone does it) she has on multiple occasions put her people first. Sam hopefully learns it in time because his knows I don't want him to be the A-hole he acted like..

If she had been some ordinary woman, she would gladly have spent her whole life touching Daario, tracing his scars and making him tell her how he’d come by every one. I would give up my crown if he asked it of me, Dany thought … but he had not asked it, and never would. Daario might whisper words of love when the two of them were as one, but she knew it was the dragon queen he loved. If I gave up my crown, he would not want me. Besides, kings who lost their crowns oft lost their heads as well, and she could see no reason why it would be any different for a queen.

-Daenerys VII, ADWD.

A queen belongs not to herself but to her people.

– Daenerys V, ADWD.

The red priests believed in two gods, she had heard, but two who were eternally at war. Dany liked that even less. She would not want to be eternally at war.

- Daenerys V, ASOS.

"We will have it all back someday, sweet sister," he would promise her. Sometimes his hands shook when he talked about it. "The jewels and the silks, Dragonstone and King's Landing, the Iron Throne and the Seven Kingdoms, all they have taken from us, we will have it back." Viserys lived for that day. All that Daenerys wanted back was the big house with the red door, the lemon tree outside her window, the childhood she had never known.

- Daenerys I, AGOT.

She did take a dozen flasks of scented oils, the perfumes of her childhood; she had only to close her eyes and sniff them and she could see the big house with the red door once more.

- Daenerys VI, AGOT.

"He died for me." Dany clutched her lion pelt to her chest. Underneath, a sheer white linen tunic covered her to midthigh. She had been dreaming of a house with a red door when Missandei woke her. There had been no time to dress.

- Daenerys I, ADWD.

"Is it Daario? What's happened?" In her dream they had been man and wife, simple folk who lived a simple life in a tall stone house with a red door. In her dream he had been kissing her all over—her mouth, her neck, her breasts.

-Daenerys II, ADWD.

Dany had never known a home. In Braavos, there had been a house with a red door, but that was all.

-Daenerys III, ADWD.

Soon Dany was as clean as she was ever going to be. She pushed herself to her feet, splashing softly. Water ran down her legs and beaded on her breasts. The sun was climbing up the sky, and her people would soon be gathering. 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.

- Daenerys IX, ADWD.

Isn't it amazing how the very episode in which Sam raises the question "will she give up her crown?" is the very episode where daenerys said this 

She obviously didn't feel at home neither at Dragonstone nor at Winterfell. This romantic moment is the closest to a house with the red door this show has ever done.

Also notice how throughout the episode whenever Jon is speaking to others he refers to daenerys as Queen. But when he is alone with her by that waterfall he refers to her as "a southern girl". Jon loves the girl daenerys not "the floppy ears" of the dragon queen that she wears..

If she had been some ordinary woman, she would gladly have spent her whole life touching Daario, tracing his scars and making him tell her how he’d come by every one. I would give up my crown if he asked it of me, Dany thought … but he had not asked it, and never would. Daario might whisper words of love when the two of them were as one, but she knew it was the dragon queen he loved. If I gave up my crown, he would not want me. Besides, kings who lost their crowns oft lost their heads as well, and she could see no reason why it would be any different for a queen.

-Daenerys VII, ADWD.

"So we pray. I want to plant my olive trees and see them fruit." Does it matter that Hizdahr's kisses do not please me? Peace will please me. Am I a queen or just a woman?

- Daenerys VII, ADWD.

So the point is neither does it make sense for Jon to turn against daenerys all of a sudden for something like a title that he himself just said doesn't matter to him. Given that the third episode is where the battle for dawn is supposed to take place. Iron throne is not on Jon's mind. Plus I don't think Daenerys will be anything but shocked, confused yet happy to find a family member, none other than the son of her elder brother whom she idolizes, she is in love with Jon as he is with her!

A crown should not sit easy on the head. One of her royal forebears had said that, once. Some Aegon, but which one? Five Aegons had ruled the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. There would have been a sixth, but the Usurper’s dogs had murdered her brother’s son when he was still a babe at the breast. If he had lived, I might have married him.

-Daenerys I, ADWD.

Ser Davos is already planning a better solution to all this. A just woman & an honorable man to probably get married!

Now I need Sam to somehow learn more & more about who daenerys actually is.