#LET TYRION LIVE HE WAS TRYING and he succeeded tbh

[reginarubie]

Hey have a couple for the ship thoughts questions:

Sansa and margs

Sansa and Dan

Jon and Dan

Dan and missandie

Jon's dad and mom ( for some reason I'm blanking on their names, all I can remember is R+l=j)

Ned and cat

Ned and asha dayne ( the rumoured lady that Ned loves ad beded but settled for cat)

Jamie and cers

Jemie and Brienne

Tyrion and tysha?? The one that truly loved him but he believed his family and treated her like... left her

-

Merlin and Arthur

Arthur and Morgan

Arthur and Gwen

Gwen and Merlin

gwen and that knight

steve Harrington and Nancy wheeler

Nancy wheeler and Jonathan

El and Mike

El and will

Will and Mike

nancy and Robin

Crissy and Eddie

Robin and Steve

Joyce and jim

Hi anon!,

For the series send me ships and I'll give my brutally honest opinion:

part I

part II

Let's go ahead and since in your ask you've divided it by fandoms let's do the same in my reply! A little premise, this doesn't meant to offend in any way the shippers of any of the ships I will be brutally honest about.

Ship what you wanna ship and enjoy what you wanna enjoy. This is just my opinion on why I like or not these ships.

ASOIAF

SANSA AND MARGAERY

To be brutally honest I don't hate it outside of canon.

In canon even though it can be considered one of the purest relationships Sansa lives (and it's because it's depicted by her POV) I really hope it never happens in any circumstances.

Albeit growing fond of Sansa we can't forget that Margaery is a manipulator who is doing the dirty job by gaining Sansa's friendship and loyalty to further forward her family's ambition and tho it's an ugly game the one they are playing, and as she is herself says in show!verse, because I can't recall that happening in book!verse at all, “women in our position should make the best of their circumstances” it makes the way Sansa honestly feels about her and their friendship sound even more like a fraud.

Sansa considers Margaery her truest friend in Kings Landing after Jeyne is taken away from her, and thinks that her presence and unfailing kindness changed everything for her. Because Margaery made her feel appreciated and loved and wanted, completely opposite as how Sansa has been treated as a pariah.

And all the while Margaery has been instead manipulating her to get through her, the claim to Winterfell and the North for her family at which point with a queen on the throne and a Warden of the North in the family, their riches and being the granary of the 7K, the Tyrells would have become virtually unstoppable.

I don't doubt Margaery grew fond of Sansa (what's not to grow fond of, of a girl who puts in jeopardy her life to tell you the truth, a truth you already know, about the king you're supposed to marry only so that you are spared the abuse she suffered?) as did Garlan who took the time to comfort her at her marriage feast.

Still, I feel like Margaery was succeeding in what Littlefinger has been trying to do all along. Using the right key she was managing to gain Sansa's loyalty and a Stark loyalty is a powerful thing (especially with the might of the North at their back).

It makes every moment shown between them in the show or in the book sound even worse and sour in my mouth.

Tbh Sansa is going to realize exactly how easily the Tyrells framed her for Joff's murder, uncaring if that threw her even further in the mouth of the lions (for however knowing of it Marg was). She'll probably always think fondly of Margaery for the kindness she has shown her, because that is who Sansa is, but I doubt she's ever going to trust her implicitly like she did in KL ever again in canon.

Sansa is afraid she's never going to be loved in any capacity beyond what her claim means to the people around her, it's why, I believe she's going to appreciate Jon all the more in canon because boy is out there defending her claim only because it's hers , no matter which last name she sports, going against his own ambition (which he himself describes as hunger) to instead defend her.

So... on a scale 5/10 in canon because of all manipulation going on. Outside of canon I am all for supporting relationships and as far as I am aware that is the nature of their ship outside of canon so: good for them!

By Dan I'm going to assume you mean Daenerys. So let's go ahead.

SANSA AND DAENERYS

Okay, time to be brutally honest here.

Had Daenerys be a male, Sansa would've been meant for her. It's why the whole Jon/Sansa and Young Griff/Sansa make historic sense.

Sansa is based off several historical figures, but mostly she's based off Elizabeth of York and Elizabeth Tudor.

The heir to the dynasty which has been overthrown returning with the might of three dragons, and the girl (the eldest surviving child) who is the heir apparent to another great family/dynasty with two brothers presumed dead, the daughter by a lord beloved by the kingdom and beloved she herself. Soft and feminine, but with a will of steel. With a dubious relationship with her uncle (LF is her uncle by marriage).

It makes historic sense.

But in canon GRRM has gone with a different twist of this story and has created two Elizabeth's. Sansa and Arianne. I am a firm believer that Young Griff might really be Elia's son, and I think a marriage alliance with the Martells through Arianne would make sense, tho I think in the end Arianne is going to end up with Daemon Sand (a bastard with a valyrian name, would you look at that?). Kind of like Jon, who I refuse to believe might be considered trueborn, because in the show they might have given him several part of Young Griff's plot in the books and Sansa.

Also I believe that both the North and Dorne are going to go free (the swords of the northerners and the dornish are the only ones that are not in the Iron throne, which is symbolic and might mean they will break off the 7K and be the queen/princess guiding their people and beloved by them), beyond their romances.

To top of that, in canon, Martin has taken every care in the world to make Sansa and Daenerys as similar as he can, whilst making them completely different and setting them up to become moral and political rivals. He made Daenerys to be Cleopatra and Sansa to be her Octavian.

I actually wrote an entire post based mostly on show canon, but it also applies to book canon (even more actually) in which I give clues as to why they've been set up from the beginning to become political and moral rivals (might actually upgrade that one with visual clues and textual clues in the book at one point). You can find it here.

I think that the greatest part of Daenerys tragedy is that hers is the story of how an abused and how the trauma she endured has turned her to what she is slowly becoming. Had she had a better example to learn of, someone to look up to that might teach her the right ways she might have turned completely different. Had she known the real love of her family, she might have turned out differently. Had she had been able to get the help she needed to overcome her trauma and the coping mechanisms she had to use to survive, she might have turned out completely differently. But as it is, it didn't happen and that's the root of her tragedy.

And I think that that is also what differentiates her from Sansa. She's not a bad girl to start off, just like Sansa isn't...both suffer terrible abuse and survive but they have had different examples in their life and when Sansa knows plenty well the difference between love and fear, in Daenerys' journey they often overlap, which makes them fundamentally different in their core and ends up pitting them against one another.

So in canon -10/10; outside of canon, it can be very fun to write and read.

[I myself have a couple of fics about them, tho I've not dedicated near enough time to them as I should've. One is a twisted version of Robin Hood with Daenerys as Robin Hood and Sansa as lady Marian, and another is a modern AU.]

JON AND DAENERYS

In canon (both show!verse and book!verse) I believe that if it happens it's going to be about Jon pulling a 007 on us all, like he already did with Ygritte and the wildlings. It makes textual sense because again, Martin has taken all the care in the world to ensure that Jon and Daenerys are at the opposite side of the spectrum when it comes to rule.

Also, the answer to Jon's prayers and dreams is Sansa, not Daenerys. So a bit like the Jon/Arya ship it would take away everything he wants from him to ship him with Daenerys and at the same time Jon is not Daenerys type at all.

As I've already said and actually spoke about in another meta, in Daenerys' life love/power/fear overlap and her type is the rogue, dangerous men capable of doing anything, even killing without any remorse (Drogo and Daario).

BookJon is several time more interesting than showJon, he's petty and clever and politically astute (I mean, boy managed to get the Iron bank to give the Watch a loan whilst drunk and seventeen; and he swapped two children, possibly putting them both in peril in a desperate attempt to save them from an horrific death) also I think, after all he did to save Mance's son was to make sure neither baby could be sacrificed at Melisandre's call; when he gets whiff of Stannis sacrificing Shireen at Melisandre's counsel (or doing so because spurned by all of Melisandre talks about kingsblood) he is going to trust Daenerys even less, especially if what has been shown in the show (her meeting Kinvara and having the red priestess starting to claim she is the princess who was promised and Melisandre being in Dragonstone when Jon gets there or wherever they will have that encounter) happens in the books as well. Which I believe it might, since dragons are fire made flesh and the red priests and priestess think that fires washes all sins and terrors away.

So, beyond Jon loosing everything he ever wished for, it would go against Jon's own character ever falling in love with her, but it would be completely in character for him to go ninja undercover on her and do whatever it takes to get the dragons to defend Winterfell, the North and his family. What more, Jon is by now, bleeding out dead in the snows of Castle Black and as per my theory about resurrected characters in asoiaf (on which I am working on to post, I promise, to anyone still waiting for it) Jon died a Stark defender, that is the core of his identity and that is what he'll be in his most pure form when he returns to life, especially after being in Ghost for so long.

Also, the way they depicted in the showverse might actually be pretty telling of what may happen in book canon and that's terrible.

Also, not only would Jon loose everything he ever wanted, but the way I've seen this ship depicted (not that I've given it way too much attention beyond what I've written for them in historical AU) it always kind of makes Jon blend in the background and Daenerys get everything she wants sometimes even stepping on what Jon cares for, which is what they gave us in show canon. To Jon the most important part of his identity are the Starks. He is the youngest child biologically speaking, but he is one of the big brothers of House Stark, and that is his core. He died because he wanted to break millennia of neutrality of the Watch to save his sister. And often this ship ends up suppressing this side of Jon.

So -5/10 both in show canon and book canon.

DAENERYS AND MISSANDEI

I'll go ahead and assume you meant only show verse, because we've got more than enough of Daenerys with Irri in the books to be sick with it, and with the way Daenerys stops it not because Irri doesn't enjoy it but because her not enjoying it was blatant enough that her kisses tasted of duty; she didn't stop because she felt like it was wrong to use another human being that way, but merely because she herself did not enjoy being kissed as if it was a duty.

Show verse Daenerys and Missandei had that gal-to-gal friendship depicted with Daenerys even braiding Missandei's hair, which I don't think ever happened in the books, tho I may be wrong. And Missandei is the only one Daenerys goes back for to KL, even tho she lost a number of other allies (The Sand Snakes and Yara Greyjoy), so I can see why some people may find it appealing to their tastes for the way the show depicted it, plus they're both hot and determined young women.

Why I think it shouldn't be applied in the books? It'd make it essentially grooming on D part.

In the books to begin with Missandei is a child, younger than Daenerys whom Daenerys says she wants to protect, whom she takes into her service after buying her from the masters in Astapor and whilst (besides the slaves at the end of Dany X in AGOT) Missandei is the only other former slave Daenerys frees but she does so with the intention of gaining her loyalty long enough to gather information from her about the Unsullied and how to move once she had bought them. Which subsenquentially spurns her to make them ever loyal only to her, slaves in all, save in name, because she never truly frees them, what she does it overlap the concept of freedom with that of dracarys and being the dragon's, all with the scourge still in hand.

So, I can see some of the appeal in show verse and it's pretty wholesome as far as Daenerys' relationships go in being depicted in the show 6/10

RHAEGAR AND LYANNA

Talk about another man grooming a child into a relationship. Okay, I'll hold off the gun because we aren't given too much context here, but what we've got is that Rhaegar was a twenty-four years old man with wife and children, obsessed with a prophecy who essentially eloped with a girl of barely fourteen years of age.

Now whilst such an age difference wouldn't have been the greatest possible in that historical context what makes it worse is that Lyanna was a highly dedicated to her family and romantic young lady and that Rhaegar was already married and with two kids.

What happened was that either he abducted her (like Robert claimed) or persuaded her to elope with him (like the show would suggest). Possibly he married her in some kind of secret marriage (which would defeat the point of not causing a fucking war and would bastardize his children, which it's hinted that it's not what he wanted, since he believed Aegon, his son by Elia, to be the Prince who was promised) or not, but then he sired a child from her, didn't account for his crime and let his father execute his wife/lover's father and brother thus provoking a war and alienating his wife/lover from her family. He then took her and secluded her in a fucking tower in Dorne (the homeland of his left behind wife just to be even more of a jerk) not even once trying to amend the problems he had caused.

What we know of Lyanna as per reverse, is that she was fiercely loyal to her House and loved her father and brothers (the only line we know by her was “That is my father's bannerman you are kicking!” when she defended Howland Reed at Harrenhal and she then entered the tourney secretly to avenge him) and we have to believe that that same girl would just accept her husband/lover secluded her in Dorne and fought against her family and accept her father and brother had been brutally killed?

Not bloody likely.

What I think more likely is that Rhaegar might have taken a fancy to Lyanna because of her youth and her determination, for she might have reminded him of Visenya's temperament and since he wanted to recreate the whole Aegon and his sisters, with Elia unable possibly to carry more children he decided Lyanna would do for a mother, endangering a girl of fourteen whom may have been on her first cycles.

He might have then seduced her, which most handsome man of the 7K, a prince and basically fancying her for what other suitors may find disgraceful? Tho, we'd have to assume Lyanna didn't care that he had other children, tho she cared that Robert had sired a bastard girl before marriage, which again doesn't make any sense. But let's say Lyanna was young and easily seduced by such a man.

He very clearly then actually abduct her and seclude her in a tower whilst pregnant, alone and away from her family, warring in her and her father's name.

It appears to me that the only good thing coming from that particular ship was Jon. And believe me, Jon is not going to take well his parentage, even if he ended up being trueborn, because he prides himself of being Eddard Stark's son tho lowborn, I don't think the same might be said for Rhaegar.

-1000/10 we respect no jerk in this household and Rhaegar left his wife and children behind unprotected (his daughter died screaming for her dad, under whose bed she had hid... the same dad who left her behind to groom a girl barely older than her), and secluded a fourteen year old girl whom he had gotten pregnant, alone in a tower in Dorne to fight a war he lost, all for the sake of a damn prophecy. The jerkometer hits the stars with him. He can choke for the way he treated both Elia and Lyanna and his children.

Good thing he sons have taken after their mothers and the men who raised them more than him.

NED AND CAT

10000/10 would recommend. And this is my shipper heart speaking.

Tbh though they are one of the most wholesome and truest, healthiest relationship in all of asoiaf, even with the matter of Jon's parentage to settle between them, they loved each other. They learned to love each other and build their family, a family they died to protect. Trusted and respected each other.

I mean Neddie boy turned from lethal, dangerous direwolf to tail-wagging puppy the moment he saw his wife in KL, and noticed she had been attacked by the way she held her hands, that's the degree of attentiveness we want in a man, okay?

Cat last thought was the fact that Ned loved her hair and that she didn't want it ruined even in death. Ned was her rock, to the point that even dead he was her support system.

Ned defended her by justifying her actions in taking Tyrion in custody as if commanded by him and Ned-I-know-better-than-that-oaf-of-my-best-friend-the-king, idealistic Ned Stark listened to his wife when she told him to trust LF. Dumb move, but still it gives you the degree at which they trusted and relied on each other.

With their fragilities and flaws they are one of my most beloved ships in asoiaf.

NED AND ASHARA DAYNE

We know next to nothing to this, saved that people gossiped about it, and about the fact that Ashara might have been Jon's mother. May it be that it happened, may it be that it didn't.

I think that even if it did it was heartbreaking, sad and bittersweet.

I am sure that if Martin were to give us more info, or write about it it'd be pretty real and cutting in its depiction/mirroring of the time and context of asoiaf.

So, on trust I give it 7.5/10.

JAIME AND CERSEI

For how it's written like this fated, hateful, passionate and destroying relationship I have to tap my hat to GRRM and give it a 8/10 on the manner of how much I like the way it was written...meh. I think it's pretty interesting and that it is the root of much of the problems Jaime and Cersei actually face.

In a scale of how much I enjoy it, tho, I'd give it a 4/10, BUT with the theme of rape not withstanding which would crush it down at -1000/10.

Sorry I am more for healthy, supporting relationships, as much as possible in every fiction and context. But if it's someone else's cup of tea, good for them.

JAIME AND BRIENNE

Reverse Beauty and the Beast story, in which the one who looks like a beauty is a beast and the one who looks beastly is a beauty. Pretty interesting to read, also because I think its root is that Jaime sees bits of the himself he sacrificed for his father and the people of KL in Brienne's vision of the world.

Still...read again the whole bath scene and consider it closely (I did a step-by-step with Tyrion and Sansa wedding night here) is it really worth being shipped?

In some contexts it doesn't bother me much...in canon I think it's going to be heartbreaking for Brienne.

3/10 I'm giving it a 3 merely because despite sexualizing her internally during the bath scene, Jaime doesn't actually act on that, and returns to save her because he has dreamt of her and because the sodding idiot is so foolish he has followed her in the Riverlands like she was his guide-light. And in other context could be pleasing to read about.

TYRION AND TYSHA

I have actually written a series of several metas about it, you can find the first installment here, the others will be linked at the end. Anyway, I honestly hope Tyrion never finds her.

Since departing KL his whole mantra has been searching for Tysha and at every stop they make, even in a brothel where he rapes a young girl who looks like Sansa, he asks after her and asks himself “where do whores go?” which is what Tywin told him.

I hope he never finds her, because Tysha was no whore, no matter what they did to her. They were the whores in the equation, so I dearly hope he never finds her, because Tysha was not a whore to begin with. Tho, I'd really enjoy her freezing him out once he returns to her with that arrogant brazenness he has, which will lead him to realize he is exactly like the father he hated so much.

100/10 Tysha living off her life peacefully and freezing Tyrion out if he ever finds her.

-1000/10 their ship. I hope Tyrion ends up realizing he never found Tysha because he searched the wrong places all along.

And that was it for asoiaf. Let's step in the next one, Merlin!

MERLIN

So, I am assuming we are speaking of Merlin the tv series and not the legend, because then it'd get very messy, albeit interesting.

MERLIN AND ARTHUR

Just kiss already.

1000/10 whatever way we wanna see it, romantically as a friendship or simply two people caring for each other, the chemistry was off charts for starters (like c'mon “do you walk on your knees?” “No” “Let me help you” and all the “I could take you apart with one blow” “I could take you apart with less than that”...I mean and all in the first minutes of the pilot?) and it was just that pure.

Arthur thinking Merlin was the bravest man he knew. Braver than his father (who he idolized for a long time) braver than himself and braver than all the knights he was surrounded by. Arthur thanking Merlin, noticing Merlin's moods and believing in him. Accepting him also for his magic in the end and Merlin being satisfied with only being his servant for his whole life, Merlin never telling him the truth not because he thought Arthur may kill him, but because he didn't want to put Arthur in the position he had to chose between their friendship and the kingdom he was governing and the beliefs he had...

... it's just so wholesome and heartbreaking. There's a video on youtube with the parallels of the entire series and there is one with Merlin getting his hair messed by Arthur and then him passing by his resting site in the modern day bowing his head like he did that one time... I'm not okay, alright?

[Forgive me as I go cry in a corner for the next thousand years]

ARTHUR AND MORGANA

That one was really well delivered.

If they ended up with a last desperate, passionate kiss I would've found it believable that was how good they have depicted that love/hate relationship and whilst there was some chemistry and hints at it in the earlier seasons, I think one thing the show runners got right was their siblings energy.

10/10 if they went that way it would've be believable and c'mon everyone loves star crossed lovers who became each other enemy because of differing views and ideals and ended up killing each other. Twisted love story, here I come.

ARTHUR AND GWEN

My two favs in the same ship, am I gonna ship it? Honestly? Hell yeah!

1000/10 would recommend. Funny, dorky and passionate and romantic all the same time. Also pure enough that to their knowledge Gwen did cheat on Arthur (tho she never could explain why and no one explained to them her head had been tampered with, despite her snapping out of it almost as soon as it happened) and he forgave her, took her back and she forgave herself and they were true to each other. Honestly, heartbroken on their end.

Albeit how believable it was the way they depicted and delivered I am forever simping over Arthur fucking Pendragon naming her his heir (thus making the dynasty a dynasty by which standards both male and females could inherit) because he had faith in the world she had to build. And sad over my fav Guinevere finally have the power to make the changes she always advocated for, but loosing everything she held dear (her friendship with Morgana, her first love and the love of her life as well as Merlin, because we all know how griefstricken he must've been) to gain it, and still persevering with the grace and strength she had all through it all. No wonder Arthur fell in love with her.

Also, I don't know if you mean Lancelot or Leon for Gwen and the knight. So I'll give my opinion on both:

Gwen and Lancelot, 8/10 sweet and supporting but marred by Lancelot deciding to move away instead than staying with her and Gwen not asking as the supporting woman she is.

Gwen and Leon, 9/10 I feel like they would be the kind of people that might end up together when the love of their life has passed away and find comfort in each other, and love, albeit different, still strong and supporting. I can see them grow old together with Arthur not in the picture anymore.

Then, onto Stranger Things we go, I must say something tho. I am not this great fan of ST so my opinion is only based of what little I've seen on tumblr and on the few episodes I've seen. So it's not going to be as elaborated as the one we've seen until now, because I know the show less and thus I'm going mostly by feel and not by analysis.

STRANGER THINGS

NANCY AND STEVE

Soft, sweet, dorky and funny. 10/10 would ship them by what little I've seen. Tho I don't see them having a very long term, as in endgame, relationship. Friendship and support, crush? Seriously, of course. But somehow I get the impression at some point they would grow a bit apart romantically, but I might be wrong. Still I'd watch it gladly. So gimme it.

NANCY AND JONATHAN

Feels like it makes sense, good chemistry might be the actors who are together, I think?, anyway it seeps into the characters so it makes it believable. Also Jonathan seems like the kind of gloomy kid who has a heart of gold and would break generational abuse patterns. So 8/10 but only because I feel like the funny, dorky side of it might be a bit missing.

ELEVEN AND MIKE

They seem cute, still don't convince me for some reason. Feels a bit wrong to me. Don't ask me why, I've not seen enough to tell you clearly, just...they feel off, like they don't belong together romantically. Though it may be one of those slow-burn ships that gets more and more believable as time passes.

6/10

ELEVEN AND WILL

Sorry, I don't know why but it bothers me a bit, I find it...wrong? I don't know, by what I've seen they're better off as friends and I don't see that much chemistry between characters, the actors are adorable when they're out of character, but inside the story from what little I've seen... friends I can see, lovers...not so much. Again might be my impression is wrong because I've not seen the whole thing so I don't know.

It doesn't feel right to me.

5/10

NANCY AND ROBIN

From what I've seen cute and funny and easygoing as well as soft. Totally would love to see it if they ever went in that direction. Even if it's not endgame it feels plausible for that to happen, wether it be a one-sided crush, only a crush never acted upon or a love story.

8/10

CRISSY AND EDDIE

Again, by what I've seen between the serie and tumblr... YES! Give me more, now!

10/10 would love to see more of it.

ROBIN AND STEVE

Always gave me the vibe of partners in crime. Funny to watch, don't think it has any romantic hues, but even only for their dynamic as friends I'd watch several episodes in a row. So I'd give it a 7/10.

JOYCE AND JIM

Tbh I don't really have a disposition either in a sense or another with this one. A couple of badass shots, but I don't really have enough to form a brutally honest opinion, so I guess... 6/10?

MIKE AND WILL

Now this one has potential. I feel like whether they'll play it one-sided, both sided but doomed, or endgame it feels plausible and credible.

It feels cuttingly real. So 100/10 on ground of it feeling plausible, credible and the kind of love that even when unrequited might be enough to send you off the rails.

I think I've gotten them all. Feel free to point out if I missed one, sorry again if the brutally honest opinions on Stranger things are neither that brutal, neither opinions truly, but I'm not really into it, I've watched it sparsely and thus know almost next to nothing about them.

Hope you enjoyed and thank you for the ask!

[janiedean]

Two worst takes on JxB I had to read with my own two eyes: (1) Brienne was shamed for being a virgin by Tyrion and was peer-pressured into having sex with Jaime; and (2) Jaime took advantage of Brienne because she was drunk. And here I thought nothing can be dumber than "Arya x Gendry was abusive because Maisie is short".

.................. okay like I’m gonna say it once and never again because honestly I’m tired of seeing that scene being dissed when it was imvho pretty good, but.

that was an obvious set-up. like, it’s the middle ages. they’re drunk. tyrion obviously had planned for it to get to that point so she’d drink and jaime would have the opening to go like WELL I’M DOWN WITH DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT. I mean okay it was a fanfic but it wasn’t shaming, it was setting them up. now, we can discuss for a year about how it could have been more courteous and whatever but like, are we seriously expecting tyrion lannister ie mr. ‘I slept with a lot of people in my life and most of them were prostitutes and I have endless intimacy issues because of my shitload of amount of traumas’ to come up with anything else? like, there was no peer-pressure by anyone because she could have just thrown jaime out if she didn’t want him, and it was obvious from the rest that she really did want him and viceversa. like, guys, it’s not that deep. it’s really not that deep. I’ve read endless fanfics that weren’t canon setting where the virginity thing ends up being the catalyst for them to bang. and I say it as someone who was both virgin-shamed and peer-pressured about it back in the day - I 100% understand why people might find it uncomfortable but as far as I’m concerned the intention matters more than the performance and it was obvious that both tyrion and pod set the entire thing up so those two would get over themselves and be happy. and ngl if someone had paid me that favor with someone I liked back in the day I sure af would have preferred being outed as a v-card owner like that then supposed friends showing up after losing theirs like ‘oh I hear you’re the last one left in the club :))))’, like it was not meant badly and tyrion didn’t mean to shame her and it was plain obvious, sometimes things are... really.... just what they look like?

*sigh* she was drunk... and he was drunk and none of them was so drunk they couldn’t consent. also, at the cost of going TMI again: let’s just say that if you get to not have lost your v-card by the time it’s deemed socially acceptable (back in my time if you were older than sixteen, a virgin and not for personal choice you were basically a laughing stock as much as some people around here don’t like to admit that stuff happens) and if you don’t abstain from drinking, let me assure you you might want a drink. or two. or ten. like, not to the point of getting smashed because of course not, but it’s absolutely normal and common and sadly a thing that you might want to get some alcohol in you to lose enough fucks to give it a go instead of overthinking it, and especially with those two it really does make sense that if they had to lose it outside an adrenaline-fueled situation it would happen. like sorry to go and be like that, but: she’s in her thirties, never slept with anyone, doesn’t think people find her desirable or attractive and has never conceived that she might actually have choices and she was like WTF OMG IS HE JEALOUS, and she never really even smiled before this season. not once. he is in his forties, has never had a healthy relationship with anyone, doesn’t know how to flirt for shit, the only person he ever was with was his twin sister in a toxic af relationship and he has endless self-worth issues to the point that he most likely thinks she deserves endlessly better than him. like. these two are literal fucking disasters and he’s a worse disaster than her and let me tell you, having been in her place, she also is a damned disaster. those two needing to drink to get over themselves isn’t coercion, it’s........ actually one of the most realistic things they have pulled this time round because like I know that we read that scene in a bunch of fanfics and reality would have disappointed at least some and it could have been longer and we had higher expectations, but as it was it made sense, there was no taking advantage of anyone especially because they just acted on stuff they had been not acting on for years and they only drank to get over it and that’s actually how it goes a lot of times. like I was discussing personal experience first but a bunch of people I know went for a drink or two or three if they were nervous before having sex with someone because like, that loosens you up and makes you a lot less awkward if you can handle it half-decently. which those two obviously could do since it didn’t seem to me like that kiss was one-sided. and I did like that the kiss was like that because okay fine the a+++ romantic beautiful perfect first kiss would have also been nice, but like... realistically speaking that was less likely than those two stumbling at it, never mind that your first kiss is usually like that in romance novels because the first time you do it especially if one of you is inexperienced it’s really not that refined. I mean we can discuss for ages how they ended that episode because lmao that was bad writing, but how they got together? jfc I mean I get that everyone might have had different expectations or higher, but I really didn’t feel like it was coercion or cheapening it, especially given that in the show they’re also aged up and I really doubt that brienne at thirty has the same expectations about losing the v-card that her book counterpart would have had at nineteen. *shrug*

like I know it’s’ subjective and so on but like............ sometimes things really aren’t that deep, and tbqh I personally had zero issues with that scene and the lead-up given the context and everything. obviously if they had also another five minutes of WE ACTUALLY SEE THEM HAVING SEX AND KISSING SOME MORE I’d have appreciated but if that was virgin shaming............... lmao guys sorry but again I wish that all the virgin shaming I had to hear until high school was done and over was like that, as in, aimed at making me lose it with the guy that I liked by someone who was trying to help in the best way they could. fff.

[itsashleighh]

Now I've calmed down and recovered a bit I'm gonna share my thoughts on the episode both positive and negative:

- THE MUSIC OKAY DAMN (at least the composers can do their fucking job right)

- Jaime and Tyrion's goodbye had me sobbing, I love those two

- Arya and the Hound marching into Kings Landing meaning Business™

- Poor Tyrion and Jon, if they survive the next episode Sansa (and Arya) will continuously say "I told you so" for the rest of their sorry lives

- THE HOUND AND THE MOUNTAIN YES

- The scene where everyone was just waiting for the bells, that was actually incredibly well shot and edited

- Mad queen or not, I understand that this was not a good move because she's just murdering everyone but a small part of me was like "you know what dany... good for you" and that part of me is the part that has loose morals

- Cersei looking out of the windows was like a mirroring of the 6x10 only the tables were turned and I kind of like that because the burning of the Sept was kind of the biggest, most shocking thing she ever did

HOWEVER this leads me on to what I hated with everything in my soul:

- What was the point of burning the whole of King's landing?? Like just burn the red keep like cersie blew up the Sept because it seemed like they were trying to mirror that (even slightly?) I feel like it was so unnecessary, I get that she's meant to be mad but like... Why?

- I was enjoying Cersei's fear because of everything she did and I was like "ha get rekt you totally deserve this" but then they victimised it slightly and brought Jaime in and that pissed me the fuck off

- Jaime got done dirty, everything that happened, how he changed over the course of 8 seasons just... Down the drain? Just like that? This is actually my main problem with the episode tbh... Fuming

- Nikolaj said that the death makes sense and I can kind of understand it, they reinforce the fact that they've always been together as twins, born together, living together, dying together but that doesn't mean I have to like it

- I kind of don't have a massive issue with the whole mad queen thing, it COULD have made sense but this season is so rushed that it DIDN'T make sense

- They were going for shock value and they succeeded I literally didnt close my mouth the whole time but again, that doesn't mean I have to like it

- I also wanna add this in because I have a huge love for Sansa (fight me) but Dany blaming Sansa for Varys death lmao stfu she didn't make you kill anyone I'm so defensive of my Queen of the North

So while there were things I liked, the negatives outweigh the positives so the conclusion I have is as follows:

I want D&D to lower me into my grave so they can let me down one last time

[writcrinthedark]

Eastwatch: Thoughts on the episode

Okay. Deep breaths. Try not to freak out too much on the recap— aaH FUCK IT OHMYGOD GUYS CAN YOU EVEN!! WITH THIS EPISODE THERE’S SO MUCH STUFF GOING ON AND —

SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT YO!

First off, can we just address it real quick that JON SNOW IS NOT A BASTARD?? GILLY DIDN’T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE FUCK SHE WAS READING. AN ANNULMENT OF PRINCE RHAEGAR’S MARRIAGE TO ELIA MARTELL???? REMARRIAGE TO DEFINITELY LYANNA STARK!!! LOLOL HELLO JON TARGARYEN. BETCHA HE’S GOING TO RIDE RHAEGAL. DID YOU SEE HOW HE BONDED WITH DROGON!! WHOOOOOOP!!!!! DANY WAS SHOOK, I WAS SHOOK, WE WERE ALL COLLECTIVELY SHOOK!!! GUESS WE HAVE THREE LEGIT CLAIMANTS TO THE THRONE NOW: DANY BY WAY OF HER FATHER, JON ALSO BY WAY OF HIS FATHER (actually a more legitimate claim than Dany tbh), AND GENDRY, ALSO BY WAY OF HIS FATHER.

Okay. Back to the normal volume. Can we please just really appreciate Gendry’s return from his rowfest?? Like, wow, it’s been forever. I wanna see his reunion with Arya second only to Arya’s reunion with Jon. I love how Davos was trying to convince him all like: “hey you gotta listen to me —“ and Gendry is just like “ok man let’s go i was born READY”. This is the kind of A++ quality content I live for. And when Davos was all “hey no offense but don’t tell jon who you are” and Gendry just went “HI I’M ROBERT BARATHEON’S BASTARD SON WE’RE BOTH BASTARDS AND OUR FATHERS FOUGHT TOGETHER YAY!” Just give him more friends, Thrones, he deserves them. Man, I missed Gendry. What a blessing to have him back on this show. Thanks, Lord of Light, the Seven, the Old Gods, and the Drowned God, for giving my son back to me after such a long time away, WIELDING A WARHAMMER JUST LIKE HIS FATHER. I AM EMOTIONAL!!!

After wishing death and destruction on Bronn last episode for shooting my bb Drogon, I’m back on his side because he called Jaime Lannister a cunt. More people should call Jaime Lannister a cunt. Not to say I hate Jaime Lannister, but he’s let me down one too many times to still wave the Lannister banner screaming JAIME!! at the top of my lungs like I’m willing to do for Daenerys and Jon.

Speaking of the Lannisters, we inevitably get to Cersei. Season 7 Cersei is such an improvement from the previous seasons. It’s like someone powered up her intelligence like in a video game or something, because she’s finally showing the mind for strategy. And also becoming a mom to another twincest baby, which, gross. Has it ever occurred to any of you that the longest lasting relationship on this show is Jaime and Cersei? Yuck. On another hand, this doesn’t really bode well for her. Remember our last pregnant character? That’s right, folks, Talisa Stark. And look what happened to her. HERE’S HOPING THE SAME THING HAPPENS TO CERSEI LOL BYE! Anyhow though, on to my favorite Lannister: Tyrion! His reunion with Jaime is heartbreaking for me, because he was so defensive, and Jaime is just so torn because he loved his father and he loves Tyrion and he just can’t reconcile with the fact that Tyrion killed their father. Tyrion offers a cessation of hostilities. Cersei is satisfied and thinks she can win this war. Daenerys was really convinced by those cave paintings last episode. Jon is really psyched to go fight the Night King because all he’s been doing this season is pull a Harry Potter and scream VOLDEMORT, AHEM, THE NIGHT KING IS COMING and sulking and making heart eyes at Dany.

Okay, but because I’m Jonerys trash (I know I’m going to hell thx for ur concern), CAN WE PLEASE DISCUSS HOW DANY DOESN’T WANT JON TO GO?? LOOK SHE’S EVEN GIVING HIM THAT ALOOF-YET-SECRETLY-WANNA-HIT-IT STARE!!! YO!!! I’LL JUST SHUT UP ABOUT IT FOR NOW, BUT IF ANYONE WANNA FANGIRL ABOUT JONERYS OR JUST THIS SHOW IN GENERAL HMU!!

Arya criticizing Sansa. I shouldn’t be doing this, but I was hardcore cheering for Arya actually taking a swipe at Sansa, who seems to be very reluctant to defend Jon. I consider this payback for Sansa constantly criticizing and speaking up against Jon in a public way back in Dragonstone and Stormborn. Many people say Arya has gotten creepy, but honestly, if I still cheered for her as a serial killer, I’ll cheer for creepy Arya anyday. But it seems that she is playing straight into Littlefinger’s trap. Someone pointed out that the letter she found in Littlefinger’s chambers was that letter Sansa was forced to write in Season 1 declaring Ned Stark a traitor. I hate that Littlefinger is succeeding in dividing the Stark siblings yet again. THEY JUST GOT BACK TOGETHER, THRONES, LET THEM LIVE. PLEASE.

Hm, is that everything? NO! DEFINITELY NOT! That glorious wight-fighting, white-walker-killing teamup at the end definitely gets its own paragraph. Jon Snow, Gendry Waters, The Hound, Beric Dondarrion, and Thoros of Myr sharing a screen? OOH YEAH BB I WANT IT ALL!! That shot of the gates raising at the end and Jon leading them all out into that endless white is so?? Nice??? Aesthetically pleasing?? AAAA I CANNOT.

(If I’m not lying to myself I would admit that I spent this entire episode staring at Daenerys and Jon’s faces while they were onscreen and wondering how they can be so attractive. Also Sansa and Arya. What an attractive cast tbh this is so unfair.)

Some food for thought: if Dany found out that Jon is a Targ will she step aside to support his claim? I think not. She’s come too far for that now. The more likely course of action is to try to marry him to solidify her own claim. No matter what other people say, I don’t think Dany is going to become the Mad Queen. Of course there is still the possibility, but seeing her burn the Tarlys didn’t really count as evidence to me, seeing that she did give them a choice. Granted, ‘kneel or die’ doesn’t seem like much of a choice, but it is a reasonable one when you consider that she’s in the middle of a war. That, and the fact that I will stan Daenerys Targaryen until I am dead and cold.

Well, then! I’ll see y'all next week for more therapeutic ranting / fangirl fest / communal suffering. Whatever it is really depends on how you look at it.

Until Sunday!