#The Useful Bloodraven AU

[witheredoffherwitch]

What do you think about Alys’ magic abilities? Since she was follower of Old Gods, do you think she was greenseer or skinchanger?

I do think that Larys is indeed a skinchanger, who enters mind of rats, so he’s able to spy over Red Keep. And in leaked audition tape Alys was joking(or not) she is barn owl who was cursed to live in human body, can it be a hint she’s able to skin change into animals too?

It said that only one in thousand is born a skinchanger and only one skinchanger in a thousand is born a greenseer. And greenseers known for having greensight, so I don’t think Larys is one of them, but Alys is described to have visions in multiple sources, some kind of greensight.

And with Ewan hinting that Aemond will know day he dies, Alys potentially can be the one who predicts it:

"That was one of the first things [showrunners] Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik wanted to think about: the legend of The Cyclops in Greek mythology, and how he ultimately traded one of his eyes to Hades in order to see the day he would die,"

"What does that do to a person, to possess that extreme degree of self-certainty? To know the day you're going to go down, and feel bulletproof to a point. I'm not saying Aemond is a seer, but he's scary perceptive."

And it’s interesting if she’s indeed a greenseer, unlike Bran and Bloodraven, who both were men in power, she was just a serving bastard.

What’s your personal assumption about this?

Hello nonnie, I hope you're doing well.

I sound like a broken record now -- but once again, I apologize for the delayed response. I'm so glad you found the time to ask this question because it prompted me to go back and read all the articles I had previously overlooked.

NOW... Ewan and Ryan both hinting at Aemond being privy to his own impending death is HUGEEE! If Aemond is somehow made aware of it through Alys' visions, then that completely removes the likelihood of her orchestrating his death. If makers don't botch the narrative they've employed for his storyline till now, then Aemond's character is primed to be one of the most tragic characters in HoTD. There is very good possibility that by the end of his journey, he feels like an absolute failure who's doomed his own cause to a potential defeat. In that scenario, when all hope is lost, I can totally see his character gambling everything away for that one final triumph that will not only assure the removal of the biggest possible threat -- but also offer him the retribution for B&C. Incidentally, there is also a high likelihood that we are reading too much into these quotes which were intended as some casual, off-handed remarks on Aemond's character study... I don't know.

Moving right along, me and some of my fellow shippers have been knee-deep in some fascinating headcanons recently. We’ve all largely agreed that both Alys and Larys could be skinchangers. I am not sure if Alys will be explored beyond her role in the Dance, but the theory of her being a 'greenseer' is an interesting one. I have read so many theories on Alys - from those guessing at a connection with Asshai and Quaithe to those believing her magic is derived from necromancy or blood magic. These are all interesting theories for sure, and opens a wonderful opportunity to explore more AUs.

I am excited to see what the makers have in store for us. She's such an interesting character, with both teams vying for her fealty on these online spaces. Our girl's definitely got many intrigued -- and I have even seen some TG fans suggest that the relationship between Aemond and Alys could be strictly platonic in the show. If that is the case, her story will either conclude at the battle above God's Eye or - in rare one-off case - they might even kill her character in the middle of a war. The makers are certainly not hesitant to change character arcs in the show, so nothing's off the table.

Thanks once again for this lovely ask!

Love, Kalki 🤗

[daenystheedreamer]

three of my insane westeros OCs

 JEYNE WHENT: jeyne whent is a lady-in-waiting oc for danelle lothston (cough cough self insert cough). the whents were canonically sworn to house lothston and i can see their daughters being companions for them. well danelle’s maids keep dying and disappearing and it’s jeyne’s turn to be handmaiden! they have a horrible relationship which ends in danelle perishing in harrenhal not by jeyne’s hand but certainly by jeyne’s will :) 

danelle is ambiguously dragonseed idk how ive tried making the lothston family tree but fucking lucas the panhandler and manfryd and manfred keep fucking it up. basically shes got the DAWG in her. she bathes in blood elisabeth bathory style and visits the god’s eye because she believes the god’s eye is basically a time vortex and she wants dark sister. and jeyne is like bloodraven has dark sister. and danelle is like he has it NOW he didnt have it THEN. and jeyne is all girl what the fuck are you on about but she doesnt say that cos she doesnt wanna get murdered.

DAENYS TARGARYEN: ok this one is INSANE. so i have this alternate timeline au where after maegor imprisons viserys (aenys’ second son, the one who got tortured and died rip) he’s like hey whats better than 3 wives? 4 wives and one of them is my nephew (no black brides yet). maybe THATS how ill get an heir. 

so he uses blood magic to essentially omegafy poor viserys and they have three abominations children (sorry viserys): Jaehaerys, Daenys and Viserra. only death can pay for life so Jaehaerys (our Jae the Wise, in this au he gets murdered rip) died for Jaehaerys, Poxy Jeyne Poore died for Daenys and Tyanna of the Tower died for Viserra.

Daenys is Haunted by the Visions and by the ghost of Poxy Jeyne. plus her dad-mother viserys is Haunted and her dad-father maegor is maegor AND her younger sister viserra is visenya kin AND she has shameful lesbian desire for her aunt/cousin rhaena AND her cousin/step-sister/sister-in-law aerea. daenys is like what if u were raised by the most traumatised man in the world and the most evil man in the world and all your family is married to each other and you are LITERALLY an abomination AND u are gay. what then.

LILY: jeyne poore is a military leader! she needs a squire! but we are good and faithful catholics and we cant have an unmarried women with a SQUIRE besides shes not a knight shes a GIRL. okay we will give her a maid who can dress her in armour and such. and thats lily! shes very normal. isnt super gung ho about the faith militant, shes mostly just like Hey Its Kinda Fucked Up And Generally Ungodly To Be Incestuous And Polygamous. maybe she and jeyne kiss idk <3 she dies during the ambush after jeyne’s execution (rip)

[mneiai]

Um that crack pairing you did a drabble once: Joanna (Fem!Jon) Stark x Joffrey Baratheon, they make it work…sorta…there is definitely murder happening at the least

Sooo I started writing this, then got a few more ideas, then it ended up more involved then I thought it would be, but then I cut other POVs I had written because I didn't quite like them, and then decided I needed to post SOMETHING up and here we go lol

Here is the referenced fic

Joffrey/Jon time travel soulmate AU. GoT ages but more ASOIAF-y Jon. Just, y'know, in a fem!Jon's body. And hints of Young Griff/Jon.

XxXxX

Of all the traps he could have set, Bryden had woven the most dangerous one Jon could imagine.

He appreciated that about his great uncle,. He knew never to underestimate Bloodraven's ruthlessness when it came to the defense of House Targaryen. But just as he had sacrificed his honor and freedom, he expected Jon to sacrifice much in turn.

Being reborn the daughter of Ned Stark--posed as the trueborn twin to Robb, though Jon knew in his heart that fire resided in his blood--had seemed severe enough a payment for setting right the wrongs of the last timeline. Yet, at the age of six and ten, Bryden's true trap was revealed.

Crown Prince Joffrey's soulmark had arrived, to much celebration even before the revelation it matched Joanna Stark's own. There was no doubt that Robert Baratheon had celebrated, had claimed it fate and fortune. Already, Jon knew from the small circle of correspondents he had created with other young ladies of the realm (Lady Catelyn--Mother--thought him dedicated to finding a good husband and Robb a good match, Father joked that Joanna should have been born a boy so he might have become a Maester, pain brief in his expression when his words caught up to him), he knew the South had named him the new Lyanna Stark, called him beautiful and graceful without ever seeing him.

That he had Lyanna's coloring could not be mistaken, of course, but the beauty of his body when he looked in the mirror was surely Valyrian, traces of Daenerys and countless other princesses and queens in his features.

If he had to be a princess, he wished to be as Alyssa, to be wild and free. He knew that would not serve him well under the Lannisters, though, and so he became as once Sansa had been: on the outside, a little bird for the lions to mold. But birds could be predators, too, and his heart was a wolf, his soul a dragon.

Jon smiled with sweetness and light as he imagined his teeth were as Balerion's. Dancing in Joffrey's clutches, he imagined his words were fire roasting the lesser creature to eat.

He would torment House Lannister, would make the carrion house suffer for all its crimes. For they had committed many against House Targaryen and despite how hard Jon would try to avoid the conflicts of last time, he knew they would cause suffering where they could.

Joffrey was a cruel child, just as he had been, before, but easily led when someone was subtle. More easily, perhaps, because Jon was supposedly his soulmate (he imagined Joffrey would have never had one, that Bryden slotted Jon into an empty space).

Soulmates were made to love and help each other, to strengthen and support.

Everyone assumed Jon would calm Joffrey's worse habits, would make him a better king. No one thought Joanna Stark could possibly be a monster in her own right, not such a dutiful and sweet girl.

Slender, soft fingers slid from his hand to his wrist, stroking over his soulmark and making him shudder despite himself. There was a bond there, nothing as serious as what he would feel with a direwolf or a dragon, but something. Joffrey knew nothing about how to use it, prodding like a child poking an animal with a stick, but Jon did.

Twisting around Joffrey's presence, making him enjoy having Jon in control of the bond (if he even noticed that was the case, which Jon doubted).

"You'll look beautiful in gold, my lady," Joffrey murmured to him as they danced at the last feast before they would go South, Jon's eyes having started to wander over his family as he thought through his preparations.

He forced his attention back to Joffrey. "And black, too, I believe," he stated, humor that no one else could not understand tinging his voice.

"And black," Joffrey agreed, "and red." He meant the Lannister colors, Jon knew, but he couldn't help but smile to that, too.

Yes, he would look wonderful in black and red. As all dragons did.

At the high table, Robert stared at him with naked desire and Jon flinched, drawing Joffrey's attention to it. The hands around him became tighter, more protective, and Joffrey's jaw clenched. He did not like to share his toys, not even with the father he always wished would notice him.

Jon tugged at his grasp, inclining his head. "Perhaps a last walk through the glass gardens, your grace."

Joffrey agreed with relief, a pensive Jaime following them as they exited.

***

Sansa still came South, but so did Bran (healthy and whole, spry and happy). When not with the larger party, Joffrey spent his time with Jon, who used all the tricks that women had once used on him and other men around him to keep Joffrey's attention.

Their direwolves, too, came with them, and Joffrey was soon one of the only Southrons not wary of them. His soulmate, after all, had one, which to him meant he practically had one himself. He boasted about "their" Ghost, how large he would grow, how vicious he would be, the enemies that would be fed to him.

Ghost normally just laid nearby, thoroughly unimpressed, or at one point was in the background playfully chasing a butterfly.

The three direwolves that came to King's Landing were the most obedient, Ghost because he had been through so much with Jon, Summer because even if Bran was more or less unaware of his abilities he was too powerful not to inspire obedience, and Sansa because Lady took after her and she spent a good deal of time training her. He could not imagine what had ever possessed their father to bring Arya South, let alone Nymeria.

At the Keep, Joffrey had an area of the Godsweed turned into a sort of stable for the direwolves, though they rarely left their sides. It was surprisingly thoughtful, though, as were the tailors that appeared on Jon's third day, with many beautiful samples of black, red, and cloth of gold.

If nothing else, Joffrey was aware of court fashions and the statements to be made with clothing.

Cersei, too, helped where she could. Less condescending than she was to Sansa, who even without a betrothal to Joffrey was treated like some pet.

"I am glad to be with my soulmate, of course, but I miss Robb," Jon 'admitted' to her during one of her gatherings, sat at her side as a princess-to-be as the ladies of court tittered below them. "Being without my twin for the first time is like I am missing a part of myself."

Her soft hands ran over Jon's shoulder. "You poor thing, being away from Jaime is so similar." She looked towards the door where Jaime stood guard and gave a longing sigh, as if he was not right there. "But you have Joffrey and your soulmate will help fill that hole inside of you."

She did not need to point out that she had no soulmate, that Robert was a poor substitute. Even Ned had started to admit how much Robert failed at being a king, husband, and father.

If only he knew what Joffrey could become, if left free.

"Yes, I am so thankful for Joffrey, of course, and I hope we have many years before we must rule." He shared an obviously fake smile with Cersei, whose own smile became more sincere as she registered Jon's lie, surely thinking he wanted Robert out of the way so Joffrey would rule.

Brynden's plots wove through Jon's life like thread, but he was now used to that. And while he could play at being Joffrey's soulmate, Jon was one of the few blessed with two marks--unknown to everyone else. And it was the second mark, kept hidden on his other arm, which he truly looked forward to. Because while Bryden surely had plans for that, as well, Jon was not without his own.

***

It had taken some time, and a great deal of warging into Balerion the cat, to set up a private meeting with Varys in one of the hidden chambers beneath the Red Keep. Varys was incredible at not keeping to any habit or schedule in his excursions, but with Jon watching when he thought he was alone, he had managed to locate the path he took back to his chambers when he left through a specific other exit.

He actually made Varys jump when he stepped out into the faint light of the torch, his black clothing having faded into the shadows and his face kept hidden by his hair. It was the work of a moment to use that briefest distraction to get close and press a dagger against Varys' pale neck.

The blade had been a gift from Joffrey, the elaborate Valyrian steel that had once nearly ended his little brother's life and started a war. Jon couldn't help but appreciate the irony of owning it and even moreso of using it against Varys.

"Lady Joanna, what a surprise!"

"Who do you support, Lord Varys? Stags? Lions?"

His eyebrows rose. "Why, I am the Master of Whisperers--"

Jon's cold look turned vicious, giving a smile that was just a display of teeth as he kept Varys from taking control of the situation. "Is it dragons?" He saw the first hint of a crack in Varys' demeanor and pressed. "Of red, my lord...or black?"

Varys kept up his simpering act, too exemplary a mummer to fail, yet. "I serve the realm, my lady."

With a scoff, Jon stepped away, dagger slowly tracing down Vary's body, resting against his belly now instead of his neck. He had gutted men before, though "Joanna" was unblooded and the threat seemed less to Varys, he was sure, than it was.

"It is a shame that my uncle has died, I could have been his bride, in the tradition of our house. But my aunt, I hear, has dragons." Watching Varys' eyes widen was very satisfying, knowing how much Varys coveted information and loved being the one with more than anyone else.

He pulled away completely, sheathing his dagger and, with slow movements, unwinding the bracelet on his right wrist to reveal the mark no one had know of but he and Brynden. He did not miss the way Varys' eyes took on a dangerous gleam as soon as they alighted upon it and Jon knew he had guessed right, that it was Varys' pet across the sea who was his match. Technically, Jon should not have any way of knowing of the dragon boy that Varys supported, was simply showing that Joffrey didn't have his sole allegiance and that he would not die if that soulmate did, as people with only one often did.

"I will need a steady, and subtle, supply of moon tea after my wedding, Lord Varys. It would be shameful to mix the blood of a dragon with lion."

Varys' eyes darkened for a moment, flicking down his body, and Jon wondered if he was thinking of how close the wedding was and how Joffrey would take what could have been Aegon's. If he was imagining a Blackfyre cuckoo growing inside one of the last Targaryens, if that was what his boy was.

"But of course...my princess." The bow was what one might give the heir to the throne and Jon realized that, even as Joanna, that was what he would be--Rhaegar's daughter before Rhaegar's sister, if others were willing to accept that his second marriage was valid. "But might I ask, how did you know? Call it professional curiosity."

He hoped his own surprise at the bow didn't show, even as he mentally kicked himself for not figuring that out himself. It didn't matter, Aegon had an army and Varys' assistance, Daenerys had dragons and would eventually have an army herself. Whatever chaos that Varys meant to sow this time around, all Jon could do was keep the Starks out of it and hope that he'd be spared excessive pain.

Instead, returning to the cold expression of a Stark, he took a few more steps towards the exit he would take, opposite Varys' normal route. "Dreams can show many things, my lord, as history tells us."

Let him think it was dragon dreams, that would be Jon's excuse for many things if he was ever confronted with his foreknowledge. If that didn't work, he could always admit to being a warg, but Varys was one of the last people he wanted to trust with that information.

XxXxX

Notes:

So, the backstory is: Lyanna and Rhaegar had a daughter, not a son. Ned sends Wylla and the baby ahead of him, as a girl is under much less threat than a boy, so no one remembers him traveling with his supposed bastard, and Catelyn is less furious when the baby arrives since she's less of a threat to Robb and manages to think clearly and put the truth together. She sets up a lie that the baby is Robb's younger twin sister.

To this, a more or less canonical Jon Snow is sent back in time and is in that baby's body the whole time. Having gone through a huge identity crisis already (and one other death), he holds onto much of himself over the years and thinks of his current identity as more of a role he's playing than his actual self, so unlike with my chaptered series Potentiality, he isn't technically a trans man, mentally he's disassociated from the body he's in and treats it as a cis girl's body.

Bloodraven is a complicated character. I know many people assume he would hate the Targaryens, but I find that hard to believe. He was a pragmatist, he knew that Aegon V would need to punish him and distance his reign from him. If he was upset at not being executed, there's a hundred different ways to die at the Wall, especially for a kinslaying, oathbreaking, Targaryen loyalist (and if there was even just one Bracken there, that would be enough lol). I personally think that he would like a Targaryen Restoration and if not that, at least the final destruction of the Blackfyres (if he knew/assumed Aegon and/or Varys were Blackfyres). Whether he's actually against the Others, whether he's actually helping Bran, whether he's actually loyal to the Children, all of that is up in the air, but I think he would never hate the Targaryens (hell, he wasn't even the only one at the Wall, Aemon went with him).

[ao3feed-tywinxjoanna]

The Art of Wooing Your Ex-Wife

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/eTLJZ62

by sunandfire

Rhaegar fucked up. He knew that better than anyone else. But he’s better now! Therapy, medications, and listening to Adele really do help.

He’s ready to be The Man™ in Elia’s life again-

If only his (ex) wife will give him a second chance.

Featuring: co-parenting shenanigans, meddling parents, overlapping friend groups, wedding planning, and a supposedly amicable divorce

OR

Modern semi-crackfic AU: Divorced Rhaegar and Elia, but Rhaegar wants to reverse that

Words: 968, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: Multi

Characters: Elia Martell, Rhaegar Targaryen, Rhaenys Targaryen (Daughter of Elia), Aegon Targaryen (Son of Elia), Arthur Dayne, Oswell Whent, Cersei Lannister, Oberyn Martell, Ashara Dayne, Doran and Elia and Oberyn Martell's Mother, Maegor Targaryen (Son of Aerion), Brynden "Bloodraven" Rivers, Rhaella Targaryen, Daenerys Targaryen, Viserys Targaryen (son of Aerys II)

Relationships: Elia Martell/Rhaegar Targaryen, Arthur Dayne/Oswell Whent, Cersei Lannister/Oberyn Martell, Ashara Dayne/Ned Stark, Loreza Martell (Princess of Dorne)/Maegor Targaryen (son of Aerion), Joanna Lannister/Tywin Lannister

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Romantic Comedy, we are all children of divorce, dramatic is rhaegar's middle name, elia got custody of rhaella viserys and dany, rhaelia's friends are Tired, Crack Treated Seriously, but don't treat it seriously, don't think about it too much just enjoy the ride, bloodraven is rhaegar’s therapist, loreza rhaella and joanna are alive and causing mayhem

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/eTLJZ62

[antares-8]

The Princess Across the Sea

Thanks to Bloodraven and Jon, Dany knows she’s not alone.

When Dany was twelve, she received a raven with a message: you have more family than you know, two kinsmen in the cold North. Curious, she sent a reply to Bloodraven, whose next messenger bird managed to find her at an entirely different port. It also waited until she was alone before approaching, just as it had the first time, and its eyes were so strangely intelligent....

Soon Jon was part of the pen pal ring, and Bloodraven started backing out. (He’s a Targaryen, okay? He wants them together. It’s a Valyrian thing.) The two don’t really think of each other as aunt and nephew due to ages. It’s more like they’re distant cousins who have a good relationship despite never having met.

The letters meant more to her than she could ever explain. Viserys wasn’t her only option anymore. Bloodraven was looking out for her, and as Jon’s warging abilities increased, he started borrowing the broken-in ravens to help. Knowing that she had an out if Viserys did anything too crazy--for instance, betroth her to a violent Dothraki warlord--was reassuring beyond words. If the worst happened, she would be safe in Winterfell.

Letters weren’t the only thing Daenerys received. Jon sent her coin, and Bloodraven did too. She’s saved up a pretty decent sum over the years. She’s also acquired a map of the North, with Winterfell featured prominently. 

Then Viserys came up with his harebrained scheme to marry her off to Drogo. Dany knew it was time to act, so she disguised herself (Jon had long ago shared the recipe for his hair dye) and took her money to the next ship bound for White Harbor. 

Hopefully she can sneak into Winterfell without anything going spectacularly wrong.

EDIT 6/10/19: Violetablood pointed out that I’d completely forgotten Maester Aemon. After slapping my forehead and cursing myself for a fool, I have decided that of course he’s part of this communication conspiracy. However, since he’s blind, he can’t exactly read the letters. Bloodraven wargs into the delivery bird and reads it out loud for him, then lets Aemon dictate. Jon does too sometimes. (I just now decided that he sometimes ‘visits’ his uncles at the Wall in a raven’s skin.) Thanks, violetablood!

[rainhadaenerys]

Post season 8 fix-it headcanon/Jonerys fanfic outline

For Daenerys Resurrection Week, Day 1: Resurrection and forgiveness

A long time ago I commented here that I had written an outline for a post season 8 fix-it fanfic. And I did write some things, mostly about the political situation in the story, and character's motivations. As far as actually coming up with a proper story and proper scenes though, I didn't really go very far. And to be honest I really don't feel like writing fics, I'd rather spend my energy on metas. But I wanted to share my headcanon anyway.

To start, my headcanon is canon-compliant. I appreciate fix-it AUs, but I have a problem with them because I always feel the need to acknowledge canon. So I acknowledge everything that happened in season 8. But in my headcanon, I completely absolve Dany of everything. Instead, I tend to think Bran warged into Dany and made her burn King's Landing, urged by Sansa. So yeah, this is not for Stark fans. My headcanon is pretty much anti everyone but Dany and Jon. (By the way, if anyone has seen any fic with this premise, and that follows season 8 canon, can you please tell me? I don't know why, but it seems no one has thought of this so far? Or maybe I just haven't seen it, since I don't read a lot of fanfic, but I would appreciate reading a fic like this)

Ok, but now you're probably thinking, but why would Bran do this? Why would Sansa tell him to do this? Isn't it OOC? That's where my complete reinterpretation of Bran and Sansa's characters start. I'm sorry I had to vilify them, but I see no other way to completely absolve Dany.

First, Bran: When Bran had met Bloodraven, Bloodraven had hoped that by teaching Bran his abilities, he would have someone to help him look into the past and find an easier way to defeat the Night King. Probably, the children of the forest told him about something (like, maybe, some hidden magical artifact), but they didn’t know where this magical artifact was. So Bloodraven thought having another person with the Three Eyed Raven’s powers would help defeat the Night King. Bran followed Bloodraven’s instructions faithfully, but in the end, he didn’t find anything that would help, and that’s why he was useless in the War for the Dawn. The reason why the Night King was going after Bran was because the Night King knew Bran had the powers to find out his secret and destroy him easily (ie, without a battle). But Bran wasn’t able to do this in the end.

But Bran’s journey to become the three eyed raven wasn’t meaningless to the story. As Jojen once warned Bran, if he spent too much time inside the mind of a wolf, he would lose himself. And this is what happened. Bran spent most of his time warging on ravens, wolves, trees, trying to find the answer. He had seen in his future visions that the Night King would be defeated, so he wasn’t much worried about that (which explains his calm behavior when the Night King came to kill him), but he didn’t know exactly how, he thought he would be the one to do it, so he worked tirelessly and warged tirelessly (btw, Bran’s future visions are more flawed. He can look into the past easily if he knows what to look for, but the future isn’t as clear and it changes constantly, it is based on possibilities). Bloodraven had time to adapt before he spent most of his time warging. Bran didn’t have that time, because the need was urgent, so the time spent warging animals and trees made him start losing his humanity, in the sense that he stopped caring, and stopped having as much empathy. He loved his family to some extent, and he still had some sense of self preservation, but he had almost no empathy left for others.

Now, let's talk about Sansa. Sansa, during her journey, became a hardened woman. Unlike book Sansa, who keeps her kindness, show!Sansa has absorbed the lessons her abusers taught her: don’t trust anyone, look out only for yourself, take any advantage you can manage. This is what Sansa has been doing for quite some time. She doesn’t tell the truth about who killed Lysa Arryn, and the reason for this isn’t that she’s afraid of Littlefinger and sees no other choice. No. Sansa has entirely embraced Littlefinger and his plans. She later resents him for selling her to the Boltons, but this experience just leaves her more traumatized. So Sansa becomes a different person: her trauma makes her look out only for herself. She had always wished for power (since season 1 she wanted to be queen), and this hasn't changed, but now, it's also tied with her traumas: she wants power as a way for her to feel in control after lacking agency for so long.

So here's how I would interpret Sansa's actions since she escaped the Boltons. In season 6, when Littlefinger reminds Sansa that Jon is a threat to her, and only her half brother, Sansa starts plotting against him. She secretly corresponds with Littlefinger, and doesn’t tell Jon about the Vale army. She does this for different reasons: she thought that by doing this, Jon and Rickon had more chance to die, and she could become queen without Jon there to threaten her power. She also wanted to be seen as the hero of the battle, the one that saved them at the last minute, so she could have more chances of becoming queen. Not only that, but she didn’t want the Wildlings in the North and saw them as expendable. They were only a tool to her. She wanted to use them to get her lands and titles back, and used the fact that Jon saved them to try to convince Jon that they should fight (Sansa does say in season 6 that the Wildlings should fight for Winterfell because they owe Jon their lives). So she saw them as expendable tools to get Winterfell back, but she also didn’t care that they would die because she withheld information about the Vale army: the less foreign savages in the North, the better. When she doesn’t get her position of Queen in the North, she starts undermining Jon deliberately. Jon asks her to stop, but she continues doing it. When Bran returns, she offers Bran the position of Lord of Winterfell, and is relieved that he doesn’t want it. When the lords talk about putting her in Jon’s place, she doesn’t reprimand them. In her conflict with Arya, she was indeed going to kill Arya. After all, she sends Brienne away after Littlefinger reminds her that Brienne is sworn to protect both her and Arya. She only doesn’t kill Arya because she goes to Bran and learns that Littlefinger was manipulating her, and she realizes that Littlefinger is a bigger threat than Arya. She was fine in keeping Littlefinger as an ally before, she didn’t care about all the horrible things he did, but she realizes that keeping him alive would be more dangerous than advantageous. So she makes a sham trial to kill him, while also omitting her involvement in Littlefinger’s schemes in the Vale and the fact that she knew about them.

So by the time Dany gets to Winterfell, Sansa is a person that only cares about her position and privileges. When she hears Dany talking about her reforms in favor of the smallfolk, she is scandalized. Unlike book!Sansa, show!Sansa never lived as a bastard, and keeps her classism. Sansa is against Dany not because of pettiness or stupid distrust, but because she feels her power threatened, and because she thinks Dany is a tyrant for wanting to take away the privileges of the nobility. So Sansa tries to undermine Dany in every way she can: publicly telling Dany that she and her armies aren’t welcome; badmouthing Dany while Dany is fighting for her. When Sansa sees Dany giving Storm’s End to Gendry, she hates seeing it because she thinks giving Storm’s End to a bastard is an absurd (after all, she was usurped by her bastard brother) and also because if the Northern Lords see Dany’s generosity, they might not be so against her, especially after Dany fought for them. Finally, Sansa betrays the oath she swore to Jon in the godswood, telling Tyrion Jon’s secret, not necessarily because she wants Jon to be king, but because she wants to overthrow Dany. And she knows that if her plans succeeds, Dany will end up dead and no longer a threat. She doesn’t care that this could spark a civil war and that innocents could die. She doesn't care that she's plotting the death of a woman that just saved her. She only wants to retain her power, and she wouldn’t be allowed to do that if Dany actually “broke the wheel”. She continues not to care about anyone but herself by humiliating Edmure when he speaks (because she wants herself to be queen), and when Tyrion suggests Bran, she undermines him as well: first saying that Bran can’t rule because he doesn’t want it and can’t have children, and later by asking for independence, knowing that asking for independence would just lead to political instability and possibly war, but not caring about it, because she wants to be queen. So these are Sansa’s motivations.

So how would the idea of Bran warging into Dany work? Well, Bran has future visions. He doesn't choose to have them, they happen to him, and they are uncertain. But as we did see twice, Bran saw a dragon flying over King's Landing, and he saw the throne room destroyed. He later tells people in the Dragonpit that he knew he was going to be king. This implies that he didn't just have a vision of a dragon over King's Landing, but that he also had more detailed visions of what would happen later. He also tells Jon that Jon was "exactly where he has supposed to be", which implies that he knew Jon would kill Dany. So Bran knew many things: knew a dragon would fly over King's Landing, knew the throne room would be destroyed, knew Jon would kill Dany (meaning that he probably knew Dany was going to be responsible for the destruction), and knew the political ramifications of all that (he was going to be king). I think that, despite the fact his visions of the future are not as exact as visions of the past and present, every evidence seems to point out that Bran knew Dany would destroy King's Landing. So I choose to believe that he saw Dany, at the back of a dragon, burning everything, and all the subsequent events that happened with it.

So maybe, Bran started looking into the future and saw Dany becoming more and more depressed. He thought this would make her burn King's Landing. And he has seen how much Sansa craves power, and he still has some loyalty to his family. So he really has no interest in preventing an outcome that gets his family on top, and given that he has lost much of his empathy due to too much time warging on animais and trees, he doesn't really try to do anything to prevent the burning of King's Landing. He doesn't warn Dany or Jon. He tells Jon the truth about his parentage even though he knows that the truth would cause chaos. And so on.

At some point, he tells Sansa what's going to happen. And Sansa also does nothing to prevent it, and instead, wants to make it happen (like when she tells the truth of Jon's parentage). She takes Bran's visions of Dany burning King's Landing as a confirmation of her bias against Dany, which makes her feel righteous in her actions. And she wants House Stark on top, so she doesn't really stop to think that maybe, just maybe, she should be trying to prevent this from happening.

So when Dany marchs south, and attacks King's Landing, Bran watches over things to see what's happening, and Sansa waits by his side for him to tell her the news. But as time passes, nothing happens. Dany is not burning King's Landing as they expected. She is only attacking the soldiers, and is close to winning without bloodshed (This did, in fact, happen in the show. Dany never attacks any civilians before the bells, she only attacks military targets). Sansa starts to get anxious. Sansa was already expecting that she would become queen, and she becomes nervous when this possibility starts to be threatened. Then, when King's Landing surrenders, Sansa gets more desperate, and asks Bran to do something, telling him that they shouldn't allow Dany to stay in power. Bran, dispassionate as he is about everything and not really caring about people, tells Sansa that the possibility of warging into Dany exists. Sansa asks Bran to do it. He asks if she is certain, and in the desperation of the moment, Sansa says yes. So for Sansa, this was about seeing the power that she craved slipping through her fingers once again. For Bran, he was simply doing what Sansa wanted. He didn't particularly care about becoming King, but he didn't really have much empathy for the people of King's Landing, so to him it didn't matter.

Dany doesn't really realize what's happening. She is in a very emotionally fragile state, and she is already feeling certain things like anger and despair. This makes her vulnerable to Bran. A person with the mental strength to resist Bran’s warging could have done it, but Dany couldn't. So when we see Dany shaking her head in episode 8x5, before she starts burning King's Landing, it's because she was fighting against Bran's invasion, but in the end she couldn't resist it. So everything we see from that moment in episode 8x5 until Dany's death, Dany is only vaguely aware of the things she is doing, but is actually being controlled by Bran. And Bran is doing everything to make sure the outcome Sansa desired (Dany's death) happens: after Dany's attack, Bran makes her land with Drogon and makes her give Grey Worm the order to kill the Lannister soldiers that surrendered. He makes the speech about world domination. And Bran's warging is also the explanation why Dany acted so weird in the last episode. It's also the reason Dany didn't have anyone to protect her when Jon came to kill her: Bran made her give orders to her soldiers to leave her alone, and to let Jon come in without taking his weapons. When Jon stabs Dany, it's when Bran finally leaves her mind, and it's the first moment of full awareness she has since Bran warged her. So the betrayal and heartbreak she feels is even worse. She wakes from a trance and sees the man she loves killing her.

Now, you might wonder, why did Bran and Sansa have to go to such extreme lengths? Why didn't they warg a random soldier to do the job and kill Dany, instead of making her burn thousands of innocents to make Jon kill her? Expecting that Jon would make the decision to kill Dany is risky, because he could decide not to do it, and Bran and Sansa's plan would fall apart. But the problem is: they didn't simply want Dany to die. They wanted to destroy her reputation, to make sure that none of her followers could seize power. If Dany simply died, the throne would go to Jon, and measures to break the wheel could still happen. Sansa didn't want this to happen, she didn’t want to lose her privileges, she wanted the herself in power and Dany's forces neutralized. By warging into Dany, they could destroy Dany's reputation, make Tyrion and Jon kill her and destroy their own chances of seizing power, and destroy the chance that Dany's allies could seize power instead of her. With Dany burning King's Landing, Bran and Sansa could spin the narrative that Dany is a radical extremist, and that her wish to make reforms is what made her a tyrant. And so on. So this is why none of them thought of warging someone and making them kill Dany, or warging Dany and making her kill herself. (Besides, I headcanon that warging someone is easier if the person is in a fragile mental state, so maybe trying to warg someone else wouldn't work).

So this is my headcanon to explain Dany burning King's Landing. From this point, everything happens as in the show: Bran and Sansa get their crowns, Arya sails west of Westeros (and dies in a storm because I have no creativity to think of a story for her and I started to hate her show self anyway), Tyrion becomes Hand and Jon is exiled. Drogon obviously, takes Dany to Volantis to resurrect her.

In exile, Jon is miserable. On the one hand, he tells himself he did the right thing. After all, Dany seemed intent on "liberating" more cities, and could maybe kill his family. And regardless of whether she would burn more cities or not, or kill his family or not, he thinks that anyone who would burn innocents for no reason and call it "necessary" shouldn't rule.

On the other hand, Jon blames himself for all the ways he failed Dany. He thinks that he was so caught up in his own angst about his parentage, about how he and Dany were related, that he didn't notice how much she was hurting. So while Jon tells himself he did the right thing in killing her, he also blames himself for not comforting her, for disregarding her fears about the dangers of his parentage coming out and telling the secret to his family, for not standing up more for her. He wonders if he only could have comforted her, then maybe she wouldn’t have ended up like that. He also starts to doubt his decision to kill her: if Dany did what she did because she became mad with grief, then maybe he could have helped her come to her senses. Maybe he didn't have to kill her. Maybe he could have helped her heal. So I headcanon that Jon would be really hard on himself and start to hate himself for killing Dany. (By the way, it's also important to consider Jon's state of mind when he kills Dany. I'm sure seeing thousands of innocents burned by dragonfire must be pretty traumatic, and would push him to decide that killing Dany was necessary).

But not only Jon blames himself, he also starts to blame his family for what they did to Dany. He starts to hate Sansa for conspiring against her (and almost leading to Dany's death, since Sansa telling the truth made Varys try to poison Dany). He blames his family for being so cold to Dany, for using her for her resources and then discarding her, and thinks about how things could have gone differently if they hadn't done these things. And at some point, Jon will remember Bran's cryptic line about him being "exactly where he was supposed to be", and start to get suspicious that Bran knew what Dany would do, and that Bran knew Jon would end up killing her, and did nothing to prevent it. But Jon will brush off these suspicions by thinking that "his family would never do this to him".

Meanwhile, Dany will, obviously, be resurrected. Drogon will take her body to Volantis, but since he is an animal, it's not like he knows what to do with it. So he will rest with her body and mourn her somewhere in Volantis, and some slaves will find him. Said slaves will recognize Dany. They have never seen her, of course, but seeing a silver haired woman and a black dragon, it's not difficult to guess who she is. And they will also mourn her, of course. Dany was a hope to many slaves. These slaves also hoped that Dany would come to save them, so seeing the dragon queen dead is the death of those dreams. They try to get to Drogon, and Drogon, slowly, comes to trust them to get near Dany. They bring a red priestess to where Dany's body is to make the rites usually done for the dead and honor the dragon queen. They don't really tell this to anyone, because they don't want her body to be found and desecrated by slave masters. So the ceremony is done in secret. But something they didn't expect happens: as the priestess gives her the last kiss, Dany is resurrected.

Oh, and as soon as Dany is resurrected, something terrible already happens: she has a miscarriage. Dany had found out she was pregnant very recently, and didn't have time to tell Jon. But since he killed her, the baby died, and didn't come back when she was resurrected. (I don't have the link right now, but I remember reading GRRM say that people who return from the dead are those who feel a strong sense of purpose, and I think a fetus wouldn't have that, so I don't think the baby would be resurrected)

Well, with all of this, Dany is incredibly traumatized. She doesn't know she was being warged by Bran, and she feels guilty for what she thinks she did to King's Landing. She has lost another child, she has lost her hope for the future, the love of her life has killed her. So she falls into depression, and starts to live hidden in Volantis (the red priestess that resurrected her helps her with a spell to prevent Bran from using his powers to see her). She has given up on the idea of helping people. And she doesn’t want to fly on Drogon anymore, because she has horrible flashbacks of what she did to King’s Landing, and because she doesn’t trust herself with a weapon as powerful as Drogon.

But after some time, Dany will start coming back to her former self. She’ll see the suffering of the slaves in Volantis, she will hear the news about Volantis going to war against the cities of Dragon’s Bay in order to re-enslave everyone, and she will hear about how some of the Dothraki have come back to their old ways and are enslaving again, and she’ll decide that she needs to do something about it. This is when she decides to ride Drogon again.

*by the way, here’s a parenthesis about the political situation in Essos*

Volantis has slavery, and is preparing for war against Meereen and Astapor. Meereen and Astapor are still strong and anti-slavery, because Dany left former slaves in the government, and she also left military forces to avoid her new governments being overthrown (like what happened the first time in Astapor, so Dany learned from her mistakes). Daario is still loyal to Dany, because he really loved her (and also because the Meereenese government is paying him to protect the city, so he really has no reason to turn on them). In Yunkai, however, Dany had wanted to do the same thing she did in Astapor (kill all the masters), but Tyrion convinced her not to do it, opting for only cutting the throats of two of the Yunkish leaders. This means that even though Yunkai is being watched by Dany’s army in the region, and they don’t openly sell slaves anymore (lest they provoke a war against Astapor in Meereen, which would be bad now that Yunkai is weakened), the Yunkish leaders are still conspiring to bring back slavery, but this time, instead of funding the Sons of the Harpy (once again, they’re not doing this anymore because Astapor and Meereen are aware that they were the culprits, and the resurgence of the Sons of the Harpy would mean war as well), they are secretly negotiating with Volantis, asking for help (since the end of slavery in Dragon’s Bay meant that the price of slaves went up, and Volantis’ economy was suffering because of this).

Meanwhile, some of the Dothraki returned to Essos. Of the ones that returned, some Dothraki believed in Dany, meaning that they didn’t return to the old ways and some even have hope that she will return, since she’s the Stallion that Mounts the World. While others have made up their own khalasars, and started enslaving and raiding again (even selling slaves to Volantis and other slave cities that remained). These khalasars that returned to the old ways are allied with Volantis.

I don’t  really have a headcanon for cities like Pentos, Myr, Tyrosh, Lys and others. I don’t know if they will still have slavery or not. The show doesn’t really mention it as far as I remember, so it could go either way.

*end of parenthesis about Essos*

So Dany starts by seeking for her khalasar, the ones that are in Essos. Some of the Dothraki (the ones that didn’t go back to their old ways and didn’t go back to being slavers) eagerly accept her back. Together with them, Dany starts again her army, and they end up defeating those other khalasars that started enslaving again. So once again, Dany unites the khalasars in Essos. But there are still some Dothraki left in Westeros, so Dany hasn’t reunited all khalasars yet.

After uniting the khalasars in Essos, stopping them from engaging in slavery, and stopping them from selling slaves to Volantis and other cities, at some point, Dany will reunite with the Unsullied. Together with her new khalasar, the Unsullied, and Drogon, Dany will start a war against the slave cities that remain in Essos. She will liberate Volantis and many other cities. She will go back to Slaver’s Bay and destroy the counter-revolutionary movement in Yunkai. She will reunite with Daario too, and things will happen between them, because I ship Dany and Daario, and also because I think Dany deserves to have some physical and emotional comfort before she reunites with Jon.

So with all that Dany is doing in Essos, news of Dany’s resurrection will reach Westeros, and they will greatly worry Bran, Tyrion and Sansa.

*And here’s another parenthesis, about the political situation in Westeros*

Tyrion is now theoretically Lord of Casterly Rock, but the Lannisters of Lannisport are opposing him (and unfortunately, ableism is a part of it). Tyrion has support from some of them, with whom he had a good relationship in the past, but not from most of them (and that fact the he killed Tywin is obviously another reason why many would oppose him). However, most of the Lannisport Lannisters start to die or disappear mysteriously - through suicide, through murder, or simply disappearing. This isn’t Tyrion’s doing, though. He doesn’t know why this is happening, but in the end, only his allies survived, and Tyrion starts to get a better hold on the Westerlands. (What is actually happening is that Bran has spies/ravens and is ordering the killing of those he views as opposition. He does this because he sees no other choice, because the situation in the Six Kingdoms is very chaotic)

In the Reach, Bronn is now lord, which is pissing off many lords (they think it’s an absurd that a sellsword was given Highgarden when many of the Reach families had better claims to it). He has the support of the Tarlys, because Sam’s family wants to support the new regime. But the region is in a chaos. Many lords are rebelling, the smallfolk are rebelling because Bronn is greedy and exploits them, and doesn’t give them justice (They aren’t necessarily hungry, because it’s the Reach. But Bronn is trying to indulge some lords to gain their alliance and be able to contend against the lords that are against him, so he let’s them do whatever they want with the smallfolk and offers the smallfolk no protection). Outlaw groups start to form to fight against Bronn and his allies, but he answers with brutality to those who oppose him or that try to ask him for anything better for the smallfolk. Bronn keeps his own sellsword army, that he rewards greatly to help him stop the smallfolk from claiming for more rights (and spending so much money on sellswords gains Bronn the enmities of some lords and smallfolk). Some of the Unsullied didn’t go to Naath (only Grey Worm’s closest friends went), and stayed in the Reach, and they help the outlaw groups.

The new prince of Dorne doesn’t have any allegiance to Bran. As soon as things calm down, he declares for Independence, given that King Bran gave independence to his own sister. He stops paying tributes, and Bran sends troops (composed of soldiers from the Crownlands, the Westerlands, Riverlands and the Stormlands) against them. The prince of Dorne answers, ready to fight for his independence. Bran brutally crushes his opposition.

Yara and the Ironborn want independence. Yara also resents the Starks for killing Dany, and also for making her brother die for them. She has taken back the Iron Islands from Euron in season 8, but now, without Dany’s support and the fear of dragons, some of the Ironborn don’t want a woman as their queen, and they want to go back to the old ways as Euron promised (while Yara, still loyal to Dany, has decided to uphold her ideals, decreeing that there should be no more raiding and raping). So the Iron Islands declare independence, but they are divided. Yara still has more support (since many of Euron’s supporters died in Dany’s attack to King’s Landing), but the few that don’t follow her start to raid the Riverlands, Westerlands and the North.

Edmure is a good lord, but the Riverlands have suffered greatly from the wars and the winter. When he tries to ask the Iron Throne for help to feed his people, the Iron Throne doesn’t send much. His niece Sansa is not going to help either (as she has her own concerns with food and can’t share), and Edmure starts go get disillusioned with the new regime and with his own family, who won’t help him, and who will also make his people fight in another war (against Dorne), while his people are being attacked by the Ironborn. And he doesn’t forget how Sansa humiliated him at the Dragonpit.

Gendry is loyal to the Starks, but only because he knew Arya and Jon. With both of them gone, his loyalty to King Bran is weak. He cares more about his own smallfolk. Gendry was a lowborn bastard after all, so he wants to do everything he can for them. But with time, he sees that the new regime is not interested in helping the smallfolk, just like they weren’t interested in listening to Sam’s idea of democracy. His loyalty also starts to waver. He also has problems with some lords from the Stormlands that don’t like that some bastard is now in charge, but it’s less than Bronn, since Gendry is indeed trying to be a good lord, and he is indeed Robert Baratheon’s son (he was recognized as such by Stannis Baratheon, and later by Daenerys Targaryen, so now it’s common knowledge).

The North also suffered with the War for the Dawn and the winter. Sansa is regarded as a competent lady by the Northern lords, but she has no love in the North. The Northern Lords kinda just got stuck with her. Sansa had stored grain in Winterfell to feed the castle and her armies, but that only means that the smallfolk in other parts of the North had to give up part of their harvest to send to Winterfell, and now, with the Winter, they are starving. To quell discontentment, Sansa tries bringing food from White Harbour, and Bran also sends her food. The fact that Bran is sending food to his sister for lower prices than usually done when trading with other foreign lands makes the lords of the Six Kingdoms angry. Bran stops sending so much food, so Sansa starts demanding more tributes from White Harbour. This angers Lord Manderly more and more, and Lord Manderly decides to demand for independence. Sansa had publicly complained many times about Dany being a tyrant for not giving her independence, so he uses the same argument Sansa used in the Dragonpit: White Harbour had suffered too much: they had sent their troops to fight the Night King alongside the Starks, but not only that, they had been the ones that most contributed to feeding the North. Because of this, he thinks he deserves independence, just like Sansa argued that she deserved independence from the Seven Kingdoms. He argues that what Sansa did created a precedent for independence, and that it would be tyranny if she refused to give it to him. Sansa is outraged, and sends her troops to make Lord Manderly bend the knee and force him to send food again.

The Vale will stay loyal to the Starks to the end, since they have mostly been left alone, and are not having as much problems with food (they weren’t very affected by wars, and their land is fertile). Nepotism also helps, because Bran won’t demand too much from his family. Edmure, also Bran’s family, was asking for help, but Tyrion advised that Lord Royce, the regent of the Vale and Sweetrobin’s advisor, was a proud man and their most loyal ally, and that angering him and making him send food to the Riverlands would be bad for them (Tyrion was wrong, as always).

By the way, winter isn’t over. Book speculation often said that the Others were the cause of the long winter, but in the show, we saw that there was snow in King’s Landing even after the White Walkers were defeated. So here, we’ll accept the fact that the seasons being long is just a normal thing for their world. After they kill Dany, Westeros goes through a few months of “false spring”, but winter returns stronger than ever after that. Crops die, hunger spreads through the land.

So basically, everything is chaos.

*end of the parenthesis about Westeros*

So with the chaos that is happening in Westeros, and the news of Dany’s return, Bran, Tyrion and Sansa start to get nervous. They pardon Jon, and Sansa sends men after Jon to bring him back from beyond the Wall, because she believes having Jon in Winterfell could serve as a shield in case Dany attacks (she thinks Dany might still love him, or that Jon might be able to negotiate with her. In a last case scenario, she could deliver Jon to Dany to make Dany leave her alone), and also, because she feels lonely, since her entire family left her.

Jon comes back to Winterfell. At some point, he overhears a conversation between Sansa and Maester Wolkan. Maester Wolkan was in the room when Sansa asked Bran to warg into Dany, and he knows the truth. Sansa sworn him to secrecy, but now, he comes to her with news of Dany’s resurrection, and asks Sansa if Dany would want revenge for Bran having warged into her. Sansa answers that she is not sure that Daenerys has memories or if she is aware that she was being warged, and if Daenerys doesn’t remember, she might not seek revenge.

So when Jon overhears this conversation, he learns that Daenerys was innocent, and that she is alive. He is horrified by what his family did, and also feels guilty for not believing in Daenerys, for having trusted his family and dismissed Dany’s fears, and so on. There’s a lot of angst. Jon then pretends he didn’t hear Sansa’s conversation, and pretends that everything is ok. He runs away from Winterfell in the middle of the night, without warning, with the intention of going to Dany.

From this moment on, I’m not really sure of what happens. I like the idea of Jon spending some time in the South, helping outlaw groups in the Reach, and learning about his brother’s tyranny. On the other hand, I don’t know how Jon could escape being seen by Bran’s ravens. So maybe Jon simply takes a ship and goes to Essos. But before he manages to take his ship, I still like to think that he talks with the smallfolk and hears what has been happening in Westeros (since he didn’t hear anything about it when he was exiled beyond the Wall).

Jon and Dany eventually reunite. Jon is brought to her in her war camp (because Dany is still at war with the slavers in Essos). While on the one hand Dany feels angry at Jon for killing her, for not supporting her and for giving up on her, on the other hand, she feels ashamed of what she did in King’s Landing and thinks she deserved to die (after all, Dany herself would have killed a person that burned innocents for no reason). So she accepts to meet Jon, but only with her guards around her, because while she still loves Jon, she is also afraid of him. Dany doesn’t have any intention of getting revenge against Jon, since she feels guilty about what she did. She is curious about what could possibly be the reason for Jon to look for her again, and thinks that he wants to kill her in the name of his family.

Jon is still very confused and tormented, and while a part of him believes that Dany is innocent, another part of him doesn’t want to believe that his siblings would have been capable of doing such an atrocity. So when he and Dany talk, he starts by asking her why she did what she did to King’s Landing. Dany answers that she doesn’t really know. That before she realized, she was doing it, like she couldn’t control herself. She tells Jon that her memories of King’s Landing almost don’t feel real, and that she is ashamed of what she did. This convinces Jon that Dany is indeed innocent, and he tells her the truth.

And this causes a lot of angst, of course. Initially, it makes Dany angry that he didn’t believe in her innocence and that he gave up on her so easily. She accuses him of having betrayed her, of having abandoned her. She also tells Jon that she was pregnant, and that because he killed her, he also killed their child (and this of course, makes Jon feel even more guilty). But with time, the anger passes, and she starts to see Jon as another victim of his family’s machinations (unlike Jon, who was hesitant in believing the worst of his siblings, Dany has a very low opinion of the Starks).

So Dany forgives Jon. They don’t return to their romantic relationship, but consider each other friends. And Jon starts to help her in her fight against slavery in Essos. This makes them content, since neither of them wants to ever return to Westeros. But unfortunately for them, news of Dany’s resurrection have started to reach more people, and lords from Westeros come to her to ask for her help in deposing Bran and the lords loyal to him. Listening to all the things that are happening in Westeros and how much the people are suffering only angers Dany. And it angers Jon as well. So they make plans to return to Westeros. Dany leaves a big part of her army of Unsullied and Dothraki in Essos, so that they could keep on with their fight against the masters. She returns to Westeros mostly with the army of their Westerosi allies (and her dragon, of course).

Dany has in mind a new political system, with a council of noblemen and a council of the smallfolk, so she negotiates with her allies with this in mind, making it clear that if they want to support her claim, they also have to support her reforms She has decided that she won’t hesitate to use force against the lords who don’t accept her reforms.

*another parenthesis*

Since I said I didn’t really have everything figured out, here are some alternatives to the things that I just described:

Maybe the reason Jon went back to Winterfell wasn’t because Sansa called him, but because when Jon was beyond the Wall, he saw that the White Walkers weren’t entirely gone. So maybe, what makes Dany return to Westeros isn’t that she wants revenge or because the lords are asking her to return, but because of the White Walkers. This would leave her conflicted, because the last time she tried to help those people she was betrayed and killed.

Or maybe Dany’s motivation to return to Westeros are just that she wants revenge. In this case, maybe she won’t even accept the alliance with the Lords, because she wants to change things for the common people. Or maybe she makes alliances with lesser lords promising them more political influence and that lesser lords would have as much sway as high lords in her new system (as well as smallfolk would also have more power).

*end of parenthesis*

Whatever Dany’s motivations for returning to Westeros are, she returns to Westeros, takes back the throne, and takes revenge. Dany is no longer the trusting soft person she was when she first went to Westeros. She comes with fire and blood, uses force when she needs to. Bran dies, because he is way too powerful for Dany to keep alive and trust that he won’t warg or spy on anyone again. As for Sansa and Tyrion, I could see different endgames: they could be exiled, imprisoned and kept as hostages, or Dany could kill them both for treason: Sansa because she revealed Jon’s parentage against Jon and Dany’s wishes, and also because of her part in the plan to make Bran warg into Dany; and Tyrion for telling what Sansa told him to Varys without Dany’s permission, which led Varys to try to poison Dany, and Dany could have died due to Tyrion’s actions; though I could see Dany being more lenient towards Tyrion than Sansa, since Sansa’s crimes are more grave. But I don’t see Dany ever accepting him as an advisor again.

Jonerys will reconcile and rule. There might be some conflict with Jon because he doesn’t want to see his family die (which is why there could be the possibility of keeping Sansa alive but as a prisoner), but in the end they get back together, marry and have children. Dany creates a new government in which both smallfolk and lords can have representatives and create laws, and she creates laws that limit the powers of the lords and stops them from abusing the smallfolk. She could also give some autonomy to each of the kingdoms: she doesn’t fully give them independence, but this greater autonomy helps quell the growing wishes for independence from each of the kingdoms.

So that’s my post season 8 headcanon. Dany was entirely innocent, the Starks were the villains, and Bran warged into Dany. Btw, if anyone wants to use this headcanon to actually write a fic, feel free to do so. Just please tell me because I’d love to read it.

[stevetonygames]

Spotlight: Medieval AU’s

Do you love Medieval AUs with a dash of magic? Then @cathalinaheart​ is happy to introduce you to Eurth, a world of unequalled wonder and glory, built on memories of old and dreams of great heroes.

Captain Avalon, St’vaan, is the king of Avalon. When his wife Sharaan gets killed, the heart of Avalon stolen and his son St’vaan jr. abducted by the Dreadlord’s minions, he assembles the Avataars to join him on the quest to get his son back.

Together with Witchfire (aka Scarlet Witch), Blackthorne (aka Hawkeye), Bloodraven (aka Falcon), Greenskyn Smashtroll (aka Hulk), Nightowl (Wolverine), Idol (Wonder Man) and Ironheart (aka Iron Man), he travels to the Dreadlord’s castle. On the way, he meets all kinds of familiar faces, like the Four Fates (aka the Fantastic Four) and the X’changelings (aka the X-Men).

But what is Zymo planning? And will St’vaan be successful in stopping him? To find the answers, you will have to read Avataars: Covenant of the Shield #1-3!

But that’s not the only canon Medieval AU!

In Avengers (1998) #2-3, Morgan le Fey uses the twilight sword and Wanda as a conduit to warp reality to her will.

In this new reality she is ruling a medieval world from Tingtangle Head, off the coast of Cornwall. The Avengers, called the Queen’s vengeance, are Morgan’s loyal guard and fought the Picts for her in the north. Among these elite warriors are Iron Knight and Yeoman America! 

We don’t get to see a lot of this world before the Avengers start remembering their true selves, meaning you have a lot of room to create in. One thing we do know though is that Jarvis owns a tavern!

[abbasexual]

i have two main fandoms in my life so i want to share some of my ideas for star wars+asoiaf au! share your ideas too i’m really starving

• force-sensitive stark siblings for sure! bran is about to become bloodraven’s padawan, and bloodraven is a white jedi or a sith but not a jedi for sure

• azor ahai = the chosen one who will bring balance to the force

• valyrian swords = lightsabers? but idk i still don’t really understand if no force-sensitive people can use it... jon can do it for sure

• dany is force-sensitive too like a lot of targs

• melisandre being force-sensitive like maz from sequels

• MANDALORIAN!BRIENNE AND FOUNDLING!PODRICK

[asoiafdrabbles]

III.34

One battle changed everything. 

Gen, Jon & Daemon I (Great Bastard AU)

Jon did not want to be there.

For nearly a year he'd avoided the war, his age and want to avoid kinslaying justification enough for Daeron. He stayed in King's Landing as his family fought across Westeros, helping Daeron to run the kingdoms even if he wasn't helping him to win any war.

But it had never been enough for Brynden, whose hatred of their other brothers only seemed to increase with every battle. Finally he managed to convince Daeron to send Jon, that he needed some show of his loyalty beyond that Jon was there with him instead of with Daemon.

He'd mostly watched, settled in with Brynden's archers, as below the battle waged on. He recognized Daemon's armor and standard and was on edge as he fought Ser Gwayne Cobray below, perhaps the greatest sword fight Jon had ever seen. Or anyone else there, he'd imagine, if they could manage to stop and fight.

Then, as the fight ended with Daemon the victor, but honorably seeing to his opponent, Brynden raised his bow.

Jon knew what he meant to do, horror sliding through him with the knowledge.

He loved Daeron, maybe he even loved Daeron more than Daemon. But Daeron was not there--Brynden, creepy Brynden with his creepier magic who was about to kill their kin.

For Jon, his knife made no killing blow. It wasn't meant to. In the chaos of Brynden's injury, before those around him realized who had thrown the blade, Jon ran. Down, down the hill, dodging fighters, until he reached Aegon, Aemon, and, most importantly of all, Daemon.

"You have to move," he screamed, frantic, knowing that if there was any strength left in Brynden he'd be preparing to murder them all.

"Jon," shock, relief, worry, there were too many emotions in Daemon's voice to name.

"The Raven's Teeth are above, in range," all eyes swiveled to where Jon had appeared from and in less that a heartbeat Daemon was calling out orders and shields were raising.

Aegon and Aemon, now on guard, continued their push at Maekar's left. Jon's heart felt heavy with worry as he realized his nephews would be facing each other soon.

His brother grabbed him, pulling him towards the rear of his forces, breaking him from his distraction. "Why are you here? You're supposed to be back home."

"Brynden made me come."

Daemon cursed, insults falling from his mouth that surely originated in Aegor's. "This battlefield is no place for you. You'll never lift your sword at any of us, you'll be killed if you stay out here."

"I wounded Brynden," he muttered, though he didn't know why, he had no desire to go out there and join the battle.

"You'll need to tell Aegor all about that." He held Jon for just a moment more, as if memorizing how it felt to hug him, before leaving him with the maesters, Ser Gwayne, and countless other wounded men.

In a few more hours, Jon would see Daemon again.

He'd hear how Aegor slew a wounded Brynden. How Baelor had been forced to retreat, how Maekar had died.

He'd know that Maekar would have lived, if Jon had let Daemon die.

His presence did nothing to dissuade Daemon from continuing, from plotting more battles, more death. If anything, it made it worse, with nothing he said keeping Daemon from spreading lies that Jon had turned against Daeron, that yet another of Aegon IV's sons had acknowledged his rightful king.

At least, they felt like lies. Jon prayed to the gods, Old and New, that Daeron and Baelor believed them to be lies.

Notes: The Battle of the Redgrass Field was the end of the First Blackfyre Rebellion. Bloodraven killed Daemon and his eldest sons Aegon and Aemon one after the other. Bittersteel would go on to blind one of Bloodraven's eyes and retreat to Essos. It's largely thought that if any one thing had been a little different--if Daemon hadn't stopped to see to his opponent after one of the best sword fights in history, supposedly, if multiple of his allies hadn't been delayed in various ways, etc, that the battle wouldn't have been such a gigantic loss.

[fedonciadale]

A Thousand eyes and one - Part III - To hide a secret

So, I was tagged in the Jonsa 100 drabble challenge with the prompt “violent” and that gave me another idea for my Bran is Bloodraven AU.... I tag @darthprongs. I  must admit that this is more than a drabble.... This AU is getting a bit out of hand, but I love writing it, so you can probably expect some more parts in this AU....

Here it is, also on AO3.

The letter would have to be short so as not to raise suspicion. Sansa trusted Maester Wolkan, but Jon did not trust the Maester at Castle Black. He had been sent on the suggestion of Archmaester Sam, but Jon did not know where his former friend stood, or if he even knew the truth.

But she needed to tell Jon. They needed to act sooner than they had planned, maybe even before Arya returned. Sansa had tried to contain her despair for days.

“Shortly after you had left for the wall, merchants from across the Narrow sea visited Winterfell to trade their goods. They brought a root with a fresh smell and taste. They swear this “ginger” helps in cases of the flux, or even the bloody flux. I heard there was a problem amongst the Freefolk this spring. I do hope that you can prevent the spread of this nasty illness in time before it reaches our population in the North. I am surprised that I had to hear about this from a brother of the Night’s watch who passed Winterfell instead of getting a raven by you. I would have expected the Lord Commander to be more diligent in his duty to protect the lands south of the wall.”

Sansa scrutinized the paper. She hoped the tone was just right. Slightly annoyed, a hint of a command, and most of all, not friendly. Friendly would not do.

She wished she had succeeded in warging over long distances. But although she was getting better and trained daily, the Wall was to far away. Her connection to Ghost had broken, when Jon had reached Last Hearth. Sansa sighed. Even if she would manage to warg over this distance, it was not easy to communicate clearly while warging. The mind of wolves, even a clever wolf like Ghost was not meant to hold concepts or plans. It was only feelings, smells, sensations that were on the level of his understanding. Still, what she had to tell Jon might have been possible to convey in Ghost’s images. Instead Sansa would have to trust the code she and Jon had agreed upon.

She checked the wording of the scroll. Her cat looked at her with shimmering eyes and Sansa caught herself just in time. She had thought about what to write the whole night. She did not need to count letters. She had lain in the dark of her chamber and had thought up this message. All true and nobody would suspect that there was a hidden meaning.

Sansa wooed the cat to her side and petted her. She slipped into her mind, ever so lightly, just a brush on the cat’s brain, her touch so feeble, that there was a chance it could look like happenstance, in case it was not just the cat.

She felt an oppressive alertness, that clouded the cat’s mind. Sansa had no doubt that Bloodraven had no problems of mastering an animal’s mind to the patterns of his thoughts. She let her own touch trail away, continuing to pet the cat, letting her even look at the scroll.

Ghost is fully Jon’s but my cat is not fully mine. Is it that Jon is better at warging, or is it that Septon Barth has it right? Wolves, ravens, crows are the easiest? It is no use forcing this anyway. Best just take advantage of the spy.

Sansa stood, scooping up the cat. “Do you want a treat?” It’s not her fault.

The cat purred.

Sansa went all the way to the castle’s kitchen, probing the cat’s mind once more, just shortly before she entered the kitchen. The burden of Bloodraven’s dark presence was still on the animal’s mind.

I wish that monster had something else to do, just once in a while.

The kitchen staff began to buzz with excitement immediately, when their Queen made one of her rare visits. The cook Kira gladly gave the cat some cream. She was known as a quick and good mice catcher and was very popular. For a moment the cat was preoccupied with the cream.

Sansa took the chance. She sauntered along, touching the shelves here and there, and while the cat licked busily and thoroughly at the cream pot, she filched some liquorice twigs into her sleeves.

Stealing from my own kitchen. She could trust Maester Wolkan to make an inconspicuous refill.

Sansa was relieved. She would need the liquorice the next morning at the latest. She turned and saw Maggy from the corner of her eye. Did she see me taking the liquorice? Does she know what it is for?

Sansa remembered that it had been Maggy who had been close when she had first tried to warg Ghost. Is she one of Tyrion’s?

Best not take any chances.

-----

She rarely walked the godswood nowadays. She had lost her ability to pray long ago, and the tranquillity of the weirwood tree did not comfort her any longer. Even though she knew there were no weirwoods in King’s Landing she still felt observed. If she still had Lady, she probably could ward the place from other animals, but Lady was long dead.

But today, she sat at the weirwood. Maybe she wanted the Old Gods to watch, or maybe she just wanted to remember her father and his sense of justice for this. The trap was set. Sansa tried to make the best of it. She basked in the yet feeble spring sunlight and let the rays of sunshine dance on her hands, when a slight breeze touched the leaves of the tree and made them ripple. She probed the small animals around her and did not perceive any oppressive presence. She might be lucky today.

Sansa’s heart skipped a beat, when she saw Maggy approach. That she searched her out here was an indication, that she was a spy. She must have bided her time once she had learned about Sansa being all on her own. Sansa could have cried.

In Maggy’s hand was a tray and the small bowl was steaming in the fresh air. Sansa made herself smile, when Maggy approached. She tried to assess if the serving girl was likely to have a knife. Her own blade felt cool at the inner side of her arm.

“Your grace, I brought you some broth. It is still so chilly.” Maggy’s smile was all teeth, as if she had no care in the world.

“Did Cook Kira send you?”, Sansa asked. “How considerate!”

Maggy nodded, eagerly.

No, I am quite certain, Kira did not send you. Kira is very unlikely to pamper me.

Sansa took the bowl and feinted warming her hands on the bowl. She held her right hand over the bowl and dropped the two little balls, she had pressed between her fingers. Wolkan had assured her that they would unveil the most popular poisons and another plant she should not consume.

Sansa slowly let the broth slosh in the bowl and watched the little balls dissolve. If they did not show anything, she still would not drink the broth. It might mean that Maggy was innocent, but no colour more likely meant that the little serving girl was skilled with unusual poisons.

There it was. One of the balls let out a thin trail of blue, that slowly raised to the surface of the liquid. It looked as if there was a dying fire in the bowl, that let out a thin finger of smoke.

Tansy, it means tansy. Sansa felt a cloud of sadness descend on her.

Sansa listened closely and she thought she heard the girl’s breath going faster than the short walk to the Godswood could account for. She frowned into the bowl and that caught Maggy’s attention.

Sansa’s heart raced. I can do this. I must do this. Not just for me.

She handed the bowl to Maggy, hoping to occupy the maid’s hands, if only for a moment. She willed her own hands to stop trembling and be nimble and swift.

Maggy stared into the bowl.

“What is this?” The maid’s voice wavered.

Sansa had rounded the maid. She had drawn the knife and held it at the maid’s back, hoping that a casual observer would not see anything amiss.

“Tansy,” she whispered into Maggy’s ear. “Why would you put tansy in my food?”

The maid gasped, her breath faltered.

“Your grace,” she whispered.

Sansa could see tears forming in her eyes, threatening to fall.

“I should kill you on the spot, but I may let you live, if you tell me enough. And don’t move. We are both just looking at the broth.”

Sansa risked a brief look around. At least no big animals were around, and small animals might not grasp what was happening. She let her mind scatter through the clearing trying to pick up animals’ minds.

And he has to be preoccupied elsewhere at least once in a while or he wouldn’t need human spies.

The maid was breathing so fast, that Sansa feared she would faint, and tears were streaming down her cheeks now for real.

“Calm yourself girl,” Sansa whispered.

Interrupted by suppressed sobs the girl told it all. Thankfully it turned out, she was one of Tyrion’s spies. She had no idea about Bloodraven and his magic. Sansa learned that the girl had a communication system with Tyrion, but it was irregular, because Tyrion did not trust Maester Wolkan not to read raven messages. That came as no surprise to Sansa.

Sansa pressed the point of the dagger a bit deeper into the girl’s back. Now, these questions were important.

“Why did you want to give me the tansy?”, she asked.

“I had my orders. If I only had the suspicion that you might carry a child, I was ordered to act accordingly. I suppose, they want the North back in the Seven Kingsdoms after your death.”

Sansa resisted the temptation to place a hand protectively on her belly.

“Why did you suspect?”

“You don’t wear your choker any longer.” The girl eyed her sideways and Sansa wondered if the tears had been a ruse.

“The throat becomes thicker, just a tiny bit, when you’re pregnant, enough to make a choker uncomfortable.”

Sansa had to steady her hand.

That girl was too clever by far. Do I have to kill her? She took care not to tell me, how she communicates with Tyrion. Her knowledge could be useful.

There was so much at stake. Could she risk the girl spilling her secret, a secret she herself hoped to keep for as long as possible? Use her or kill her? What would father do? What would mother do?

“But you were not ordered to kill me?”

The girl shook her head. Why? He doesn’t want me to have children, but he does not want me dead?

She looked at the trembling girl.

Use her or kill her? Will she try to contact the Hand about this? If I kill her, how do I explain her absence? Will her silence raise suspicions?

“Why do you work for him?”

The girl was silent for so long, that Sansa wondered if she was working on an elaborate lie.

“My brother is in the dungeons at King’s Landing.”

The leaves of the weirwood tree trembled. Sansa thought she could hear a wolf howling, far, far away.

She had her answer then. Her dagger made a whispering noise when she sheathed it. I can’t become like him. Maggy’s shoulders sagged in relief.

“Don’t betray me again. I will kill you, if you do. I can’t make promises, but when this is over, you might see your brother again.” If he still lives. If he even exists.

Maggy nodded.

Sansa turned around to face the girl again. She raised her palms to show the girl that the dagger was gone. She could not coerce the girl and hope for collaboration. She would have to use her hope. She would have to observe her to learn how she communicated.

Her heart beat against her rib cage, her mind screamed at her not to take such a risk. Her legs felt weak. She quickly checked her surroundings. No big animal was near. She extended her senses, brushing the minds of a hedgehog that was about to wake from his winter’s sleep and a badger. There was nothing unusual about them. She wished there was a wolf nearby. They made her feel safe.

She tried to sound confident and was surprised to hear no waver in her voice.

“You will begin earning my good will by writing down how you communicate with the master of whisperers. You will slip this sheet under the accounts on my desk. You will continue to make regular reports exactly as I tell you. Be prepared to get my orders in strange ways. Destroy any written order you get.”

Sansa waited until Maggy had left. The excitement had ebbed away and if she concentrated, she could feel the queasiness in her stomach grow. With a sigh she took the liquorice out of her pocket and began chewing on it.

She should feel joy about the child that grew in her womb. The child that she had conceived despite of drinking moon tea. The whole North should celebrate that the Queen expected.

Instead her worries had multiplied, and the urgency of their plans had increased.

She wished for Arya. Her heart ached for Jon. She was alone though and had to be strong for all their sakes. She would not let Bloodraven win

[summerseachild]

Summersea’s GoT Season 6 Tumblr Spoiled First Time Watch 2019: Part 1

So I was going to rename this a “hatewatch” now that I’ve gotten to a whole season I hadn’t seen before, but let’s be honest. If you’ve seen me reblogging things from later seasons, it was never going to be that. There are things that I knew I was going to enjoy VERY MUCH, and I wasn’t wrong. There were also things that, if I let them, would have had me frothing a the mouth in rage. 

But then I reminded myself that I’m vacationing in Castle Not Giving a Shit while I watch the back half of the show, and things were much better after that. I’ve mostly left my in the moment reaction except where I’d had too much wine to be coherent.

Season 6

Hot on the heels of season 5 i still have a third of a bottle of Chardonnay left let’s DO THIS

6x01

1. Lol it’s still in the credits so they continue to pretend like they care about Dorne????

2. Ghost howling 😢😢😢

3. So Davos went straight from staning one dour person to another... he has a type.

4. Some dude in the night’s watch re Melisandre: who’s she? Davos: oh just some lady Who spat a shadow out of her vag once LETS TRUST HER

5. Wow Olly aged a lot over the past five minutes since he killed Jon!

6. Edd please don’t die here. I don’t remember how you go but don’t let it be here

7. Boo hoo poor little psychopath lost his gf. No one cares, Ramsay. Myranda deserved what she got AND SO WILL YOU

8. My soul left my body like three times during that chase scene where Theon and Sansa are running from the Bolton men. POOR COLD BBS

9. That hug where they’re just CLINGING TO EACH OTHER THIS SHOULD NOT MAKE ME SHIP IT BUT HERE WE ARE

10. THEON SHOWING HIMSELF TO TRY TO KEEP HER SAFE I CANNOT HE KNOWS WHAT IT MEANS IF THEY CATCH HIM AND HE DOES IT ANYWAY SO SHE MIGHT HAVE A CHANCE 

11. IT’S BRIENNE OF MF-ING TARTH OMG YAY

12. Also go Theon killing that dude

13. UGH THE SWEARING FEALTY SCENE WITH SANSA AND BRIENNE AND ALL OF THEIR FACES AND SANSA LOOKING TO THEON BEFORE ACCEPTING AND POD REMINDING HER OF THE WORDS IT IS PERFECT 

14. Give me the AU where Theon lives and stays at Winterfell because he wants to be near her and they understand each other and Brienne is in her Queensgiard I AM NOT ASKING MUCH

15. Meanwhile in other trauma hi Cersei

16. UGH LOOK HOW SHE RUNS ACROSS THE COURTYARD TO SEE HER DAUGHTER

17. So... that scene with Jaime and Cersei where they talked about seeing Joanna’s dead body and she... Doesn’t blame him??? For Myrcella? Like I thought she would??? And she tells him about the prophecy??? And they hug??? Yeah that’s in contention for my fav Lannister twin scene ever? Top five at the very least. (And another member of the “Jaime writes his siblings’ dialogue” club.)

18. For all of his false kindness and gentleness the High Sparrow is just as bad as any of them, and When I’m not seething with anger I can appreciate how nuanced Jonathan Pryce’s performance is.

19. Wtf Ellaria and Tyene murdering Doran.

20. OMG TRYSTANE and I call Sand Snake Character Assassination here they are just SO BITCHY and without honor and the Dorneish are SO HONOR OBSESSED ugh why I hate it Also was that Myrcellas ship? Are there two bitchy Sand snakes just chilling in king’s landing now?? 

21. Tyrion and Varys among the people is kind of fascinating. Also what’s up with that Red Priest? Another who thinks the lord of light chose Dany?

22. Oh no the ships... Varys and Tyrion running TOWARD trouble says a lot about them.

23. Did the showrunners... forget Jorah would know the word Khalasar? Why would he say horde?

24. At least the Khals believe Dany is Drogo’s widow?

25. Ok so the waif is fascinating and her movements are just so... Succinct. A++ physical acting or whatever the word is.

26. Whoa that’s Melisandre without the necklace?? Cool story bro but why did she choose then to take it off? What does that tell us about her as a character or her powers? Just wanted to show some crone boobs? IDEK that was a weird ending.

6x02

1. The trailer reminds us that BRAN IS IN THIS SHOW

2. Remember this kid? He’s a Stark! He’s VERY IMPORTANT! He’s GONNA BE KING, but he wasn’t in all of season 5. He matters WE PROMISE.

3. The older generation of Starklings!!! I would be lying if I didn’t say seeing Lyanna and Brandon and Ned and Benejen And Nan and bb Hodor didn’t give me a LOT of feelings. (Also Bloodraven is the Worst Ghost of Christmas Past Ever.)

4. Cross fandom wish: I want to see Hodor, Groot, and Rocket have a conversation where everyone understands every word.

5. So... Meera and Summer have been hunting so that they all stay alive, right?? Otherwise WHAT ARE THEY EATING

6. Ok I take back what I said about them only having the Children once, but that was WEAK. “Help Bran, Meera. Because I said so and I’m a creepy magical person whose motivations are unclear”

7. YEAAAAAH WUN WUN SMASH THOSE TRAITORS. Good on you too Edd for taking charge.

8. Ugh every bar has one like that asshole talking about Cersei. And I don’t think he’s long for this world

9. I LOVE BEING RIGHT HI GREGOR

10. Why would Tommen keep Cersei away from Myrcella’s funeral. OH GODS HE WAS TRYING TO PROTECT HER.

11. Ugh Jaime is tired of keeping vigil over his dead family members GIVE HIM A BREAK

12. Also Jaime promising never to let Cersei be in a cell again while he’s there AAAAHHH YES 🦁 ❤️

13. There’s nothing more dangerous than a fanatic who fears nothing, Jaime. But him threatening the High Sparrow was made of sex.

14. SEVEN HELLS did Tommen just give Cersei the idea to blow up the sept

15. Dany’s council meeting in absentia is kind of neat. I was wondering how those crazy kids were doing. 

16. Lol I drink and I know things is ABOUT TYRION KNOWING ABOUT DRAGONS 🐉 I DID NOT KNOW THAT AND I LOVE IT

17. Tyrion being like “please DO NOT EAT THE ALLIES (me)” to Viserion and Rhaegal is amazing

18. Viserion is all ME TOO LET ME GO HERE’S THE CHAIN SMALL HUMAN when he shows Tyrion his neck.

19. That was a rough test Jaqen

20. Yes Ramsay please march North I dare you

21. Roose KNOWS what Ramsay is and tries to steer him out of it but I don’t think he truly understands how deep the crazy goes

22. HOLY SHIT RAMSAY JUST STABBED HIS DAD and everyone either is too scared of Ramsay to do anything about it or was in on it. LOOKING AT YOU KARSTARK ASSHOLE

23. Oh Walda you sweet trusting soul he is going to feed you and your baby to those dogs isn’t he. I DON’T like being right. Have I mentioned that?

24. Brienne recognizing Sansa’s choices were hard ❤️❤️

25. Ugh Theon talking about all the things he’s done and Sansa hugging him anyway aaaaah my soul

26. It’s hard to hear someone else say they forgive you you when you don’t think you deserve forgiveness, and he’s definitely not ready to hear it from Jon. (But he’s ready to hear it from Sansa because of what they’ve been through together? I like that explanation and I’m sticking to it.)

27. Oh right Pyke exists the show doesn’t remember that unless it’s convenient.

28. HOW DARE YOU REFERENCE THAT PINECONES LINE SHOW YOU HAVE NOT EARNED THAT

29. Ok at least Yara cares about her people and we get to see it.

30. OMG Euron? He’s the one who kills Balon?

31. ...and he’s kind of got delusions of Grandeur? “I am the drowned god” wtf sir.

32. Gotta admit Iron Islands burial customs are kinda neat

33. We get the Kingsmoot? I’m listening, show... you’re on notice but I’m listening.

34. Depressed Melisandre is depressed. Wait... has she never done the raising from the dead thing? SEVEN HELLS SHE HASN’T.

35. A pep talk from Davos might snap me out of my crisis of faith too.

36. Thoros can do this in the language of Westeros, but I guess if Valyrian works for you...

37. I love Tormund peacing out of the room with Mostly Dead Jon like “I have had enough of this south of the wall bullshit”

38. Did Melisandre reach the lord of lights answering machine and it took him a while to get back? “If you would like to leave a resurrection request for R’hllor, please press one...”

39. Ghost’s eyes open AND SO DO JON’S hey bro

6x03 this episode is called Oathbreaker ARE WE ABOUT TO GET TO SEE THE FLASHBACK TO JAIME KILLING AERYS PLZ TELL ME

1. He liiiives! Poor Jon... what did you see while you were gone I wonder?

2. Oh jeez it was nothing. At least he has the most comforting sensible person in this series to help him through.

3. I like that Jon gets to come downstairs and HUG TWO OF HIS FRIENDS and none of the nights watch or the wildlings bat an eye or seem to think less of him for it. LET MEN HUG. 

4. Oh jeez Sam’s taking Gilly and the baby to Horn Hill? Do we get to meet his mom? (No one cares about Randylll but I think we might get to meet him too?)

5. BB Sam is SO CUTE HE HAS HAIR NOW.

6. Wait is Gilly pregnant again?

7. That is the Tower of Joy and I AM NOT READY

8. HOLY SHIT HOWLAND REED KILLED ARTHUR DAYNE?

9. Sword of the morning indeed WHAT A BADASS (somewhere in my soul Jaime is waving an “Arthur Dayne Rocks” banner) there’s no way Ned could have won that fight without help and now Bran knows that??? I don’t really have anything interesting to say here I just love the idea of a kid getting to see the truth of a family story that’s radically different from what he thought he knew.

10. Past Ned HEARD BRAN? FASCINATING?

11. Oh right Dany is about to meet all of the other widows of the Khals this could be cool but knowing d and d it won’t be because it would involve treating WoC with nuance.

12. Not impressed so far.

13. So this girl Varys is meeting with is in league with the Sons of the Harpy? Good my memory is intact.

14. all this with Varys actually TRYING to take care of Meereen is fun...

15. Tyrion being like OMG I AM BORED PLZ TALK ABOUT SOMETHING to Grey Worm and Missandei is the most him thing ever. I feel you Bro. He’s a people person deep down and just wants to be friends so badly.

16. Qyburn with all of Varys’ little birds and making kids’ abusive parents disappear is PRECIOUS.

17. Don’t poke the Mountain, Jaime

18. LANNISTER MUSICAL CHAIRS PART 2 also Jaime is ON THE SMALL COUNCIL NOW??? Who gave book!Cersei three wishes??? Him actually being in her corner and working with her as a team must be like a wish come true...

19. “Grand Maester Pycelle would you sanction that starement?” 😂 Lena’s delivery of that line made me laugh so hard we had to rewind to hear the dialogue.

20. No no don’t leave the three of them together they’ll plan murder. Well, Cersei and Jaime will. Gregor will nod.

21. Tommen confronting the high sparrow fascinated me. He has some of the I WILL KILL YOU family traits on display here but it’s understandable given what his family has gone through at the high sparrows hand. I’d be threatening murder too if I were him.

22. What are you playing at mr high Sparrow? Because I don’t trust you farther than I can throw you, and I don’t even have a good arm.

23. The Hound was not on her list any more 😢 that whole scene with Arya recounting her life and learning to fight blind is NEAT.

24. Wait faceless men are immune to the poison in the water?? Cool.

25. Is that supposed to be Greatjon Umber’s son who refuses Jon? What an ass.

26. My wife adds, “THESE LOSERS are the people Sansa is supposed to be queen of?”

27. OH SHIT OSHA AND RICKON AND SHAGGYDOG HOW DID THAT EVEN HAPPEN? (Please let Sansa Find out who did that and who helped and give them what they deserve... there’s no way anyone took down that wolf alone.) I HATE THAT WE ARE NEVER GOING TO GET CLOSURE ON THAT PROBABLY.

28. Oh shit Jon has to hang the traitors that’s gonna be hard on him.

29. At least Alliser is consistent.

30. Jon did what he had to do... just like Ned in the first ep.

31. Wait WHAT did you just hang those men and then LEAVE? Isn’t leaving just as damaging to the order as killing the lord commander? That seemed overly quick and weird but ok????

32. Guess Jon was the Oathbreaker.

6x04

1. If anyone deserved an I JUST DIED crisis, it’s Jon. Also, the vows say, “it will not end until my death...” so technically...

2. Brienne got them up to the Wall QUICK. She is nothing if not efficient.

3. Sansa and Jon are like, “so... how cool are we going to play this? NOT COOL AT ALL LETS HUG” so sweet.

4. “Where will WE go?” Yes stay together Starklings because family is important certainly don’t scatter to the four winds or anything 🙄

5. I kind of love that Sansa’s the one who insists on taking back Winterfell and is all “help me or not I’m doing it”

6. I’m Brienne of Tarth and I HAVE A LONG FUCKING MEMORY. Wait... wrong show. (She DOES, though...) 

7. Wow Petyr lying about Sansa being forced to Marry Ramsay... he’s playing the lords of the Vale like a fiddle.

8. That’s a lovely bird he got Robin. What a pretty boy.

9. Missandei staring daggers at Tyrion is Excellent Content. The “Tyrion tries to be a little more diplomatic but this involves dealing with slavers” problem is... a bit oversimplified, but at least they’re addressing it? Still not great. 

10. Jorah and Daario are off on a secret mission and I cant stop hearing the Galavant song.

11. The older widow of the Dosh Khaleen is more interesting than the show will let her be.

12. Is that Lazareen widow Dutch from Killjoys? IT IS!!!!

13. Guess what high Sparrow NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR SELF RIGHTEOUS CONVERSION STORY LEAST OF ALL ME (guess who has some issues with organized religion it’s meeeee)

14. Way to act your heart out, though, Jonathan Pryce.

15. So idk if I’ve made a big deal about this but I’m SUPER QUEER and seeing Loras broken like that made my heart stop for a second.

16. “Not setting off” fanatics, huh Pycelle? I think Cersei has other ideas 😈 🔥

17. Tommen is TALLER THAN CERSEI NOW

18. Cersei and Jaime trying to get Olenna and Kevan on their side against the High Sparrow is... smarter than I thought it was going to be when they walked into that room. They had a united front, they were clearly working together... WHAT IS THIS I LIKE IT

19. Theon looks like a ghost of himself. :( And Pyke looks all creepy.

20. Jeez Yarra go easy on your little brother his psyche still has cracks in it. I guess it’s understandable that she’s pissed given the failed rescue and the timing of his arrival. I kept just waiting for him to say “I want to be home,” when she yelled WHAT DO YOU WANT but he didn’t and that makes me sad. (Home should have been Winterfell or wherever Sansa was just saying.)

21. Oh Osha don’t try it... shit. Well, you tried

22. And Tormund’s epic crush on Brienne begiiiiiins

23. SHIT RAMSAY TELLS JON HE HAS RICKON

24. Sansa insisting on reading the rest of the letter from Ramsay is... made of steel. I’m here for her being the driving force behind this attempted rescue.

25. I didn’t realize that so many Dothraki knew about how Dany lost the baby and Drogo.

26. DID DANY JUST KILL ALL OF THE KHALS? Girl knows how to make an entrance? The optics here are sooooo problematic but she looks DAMNED impressive the plan in and of itself is sound - gets rid of the men who don’t respect her and shows herself to be indestructible in one power move...

6x05 OH NO THIS IS CALLED THE DOOR I THINK I KNOW WHAT IS COMING

1. Is it just me or are d and d writing more and more episodes themselves?

2. Sansa has had enough of Littlefinger’s bullshit. Making him face up to what HE LEFT HER TO WHEN HE MARRIED HER TO RAMSAY AND ABANDONED HER YES GOOD.

3. When he says “did he cut you” and Sansa talking about Ramsay not caring as long as she could give him an heir... does that mean what I think it does? FGM? I hate that I even wonder. (Still not sure about this, but I don’t put it past them to imply something horrific like that and then not come back to it.)

4. The more I see the waif fight, the cooler she gets.

5. Faceless men founded Braavos? Right I KNEW that.

6. Ok the play is fun... complete with sound effects. So interesting to see what people in Braavos think of everything that happened.

7. So... I would Lady Crane’s voice anywhere. Hi Phryne!

8. Oh wow look at all the CotF

9. THEY MADE THE WHITE WALKERS I did not know that and for YEARS before this season came out we had an au idea where that was true and I AM SCREAMING

10. AND THEY DID IT TO DEFEND AGAINST THE ANDALS AND WHAT THEY WERE DOING TO THE TREES

11. Yara’s speech was lovely, Theon supporting her was sweet, but Yara shouldn’t have needed a dude’s support to get that reaction from the crowd. She’s been on Pyke and being badass ALL HER LIFE. That being said, I like to think Yara would have been Queen in this version of things if Euron hadn’t showed up. What a Dick.

12. How does Euron go from wanting to marry Dany to allying with Cersei? I guess I’m about to find out.

13. Damphair knows cpr, idiot showrunners. don’t just let Euron lie there.

14. YES GET AWAY YARA AND THEON AND... a lot of the fleet? Good on them.

15. Jorah trying to leave Dany and her not letting him and commanding him to find a cure aaaahhhhh my feelings 😢

16. In the real world Tyrion would have been a great campaign manager.

17. If they wanted someone local... why get a red priestess from Volantis? Is this supposed to be the same woman? Do any of the people of Meereen even follow the faith of R’Hollor?

18. Varys having no time for the red faith’s bullshit is SO GOOD. It’s ok Varys you’re probably the most famous eunuch in the world right now. And whoop de doo a sorceress knows a story about a sorcerer it’s a small magical world don’t let her cow you.

19. ...whatcha doing, Bran???

20. Well that’s not creepy at all. Soooo many wights. Were there only... four white walkers including the night king? I’m so confused.

21. “The Umbers gave Rickon to Ramsay they can hang” YES SANSA

22. Why did she lie about getting info from Petyr? (And GOOD ON BRIENNE calling her on it)

23. Brienne calling Jon “a bit brooding” is the most hilarious thing ever. Somewhere Jaime Lannister is laughing his ass off. 

24. Yes wolfy clothes for everyone.

25. Awww Edd forgetting he’s acting lord commander is hilarious.

26. SO MANY WIGHTS DON’T DIE MIRA

27. Why are the children and the white walkers on opposite sides? Are these just about rogue CotF? EXPLAIN SHOW EXPLAIN

28. Cool visuals though... the night king walking through that fire was AWESOME.

29. Rickard LOOKS like a stark in that flashback.

30. RIP Bloodraven... glad you didn’t have to see how pointless all of this was.

31. Wait wait plain old wights can KILL THE CHILDREN? Dumb.

32. SUMMER NO I AM NOT OK WITH ANY OF THIS not Leaf either she’s a nice little tree person even if her motivations are unclear.

33. So Bran warging into Hodor in the present and in the past at the same time is what messed him up? Or something about the time folding and Bran BEING THERE?

34. That was upsetting as fuck about Hodor and I AM SAD EVEN THOUGH I KNEW IT WAS COMING

And... tumblr won’t let me post the whole thing. I had A LOT to say about some later episodes. Remember when I was going to keep this to three bullet points for each episode? Yeah me neither. 

[tentedistbcen1973-blog]

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[mneiai]

Long post about a lot of the things I think will happen in ASOIAF based on Game of Thrones.

I think the entire succession crisis will be between Daenerys and fAegon. Jon was a stand-in for fAegon in the show. Jon will have no interest in the throne and Daenerys will understand that (if they know each other), instead of weirdly believing the dude who willingly took the black will let himself be a pawn in a succession crisis. At most he’ll act as heir to one of them, giving them a bit more stability.

If fAegon gets a dragon it will be Rhaegal as Jon did in the show–a green dragon for the character whose (supposed) claim to the throne comes from being an eldest son vs the character with a black dragon whose claim comes from being a Viserys’ heir for Dance 2.0.

R+L=J is all but confirmed, so obviously Jon’s parentage reveal will happen. The question is whether Jon is legitimate or not. Most people go with ‘no’ because of what very little we know of the events surrounding his birth and the Faith and laws. It’s almost certain he was made legitimate in the show because fAegon is and they wanted the succession conflict to be more like that.

While there’s a lot of foreshadowing that Jon may become a king, that could just be for being KotN, KbtW, or Night’s King. If he is legitimate, I think it will be because Rhaegar took a second wife in Lyanna through some loopholes or prior approval and/or Aerys made a decree about Lyanna’s children being legitimate that someone finds somewhere (we have no idea how much Aerys knew about what was going on but we do know he hated the Dornish, enjoyed Elia's supposed humiliation at Harrenhal, and purposefully skipped over Aegon in the succession, he’s just the sort of dude to find joy in legitimizing his son’s bastard kids).

Jon will come back to life, obviously, and I don’t think he’s going to be as changed as people think he is, any change will probably be because he was stabbed to death by his own men. Like the ptsd from that would have to be incredibly serious. But his mind will be preserved in Ghost, it won’t pass over anywhere, and he’ll only be in him for a few days tops (they’re hardly going to use the murdered LC’s body for wight experiments, so they’ll burn it quickly).

Ghost may or may not be sacrificed for Jon to come back (I hope not! *sob*) and if he is it will work into some Targaryen-related metaphor, probably, with Jon losing the parts of him that were purely Stark. He might be a little more direwolf-y but honestly Ghost is so chill and Jon already has anger issues so whatev.

I think all the prophecies are bullshit (I mean, ASOIAF is basically an AU fanfic of a series where that was the case). I think the only times they’re fulfilled is when people believe then enough to make it so. Cersei controlled how her kids looked and how many she had, for example. And there’s a shitton of younger brothers running around wanting her dead. And even then if she was indirectly killed by a younger brother people could still say the prophecy was fulfilled--if Varys really is Serra’s brother, he could be younger, and his plots against the Baratheons/Lannisters could be like his hands tightening around Cersei’s neck, for example.

Although also I don’t think Arya’s going to stop the White Walkers lolol I think it’s most likely going to be some sort of diplomatic/magical/whatever end to the fight against them and it’s going to be relatively peaceful in contrast to what the fuck happens in the South between purely human foes (Dany and fAegon). I think this fits more into GRRM’s philosophies and what we’ve seen so far.

I think it’s not a stretch to assume Jaime and/or Brienne are going to die before the end of the books. Jaime could indeed somehow die in a fight with Euron, but certainly not the way he did in the show. We know that D&D just killed whoever they felt like off and weren’t necessarily going by anything they heard from GRRM (the original season 8 scripts had Jorah alive basically the whole time, for example, and he had the Jon-ish role of realizing that Dany isn’t that great of a queen after all).

Euron. I mean. Even if the kraken summoning is complete bullshit and there’s no horrific magics he’s utilizing, he’s still not going to be Hot Topic pirate. There’s too many theories about him to really decide which one will be true, though lol Given he’s one of the truest villains in the books, I doubt he’s going to try to win over Cersei to be her actual husband.

Will Dany “go mad”? …I think it’s a possibility. We’ve had some hints she’s an unreliable narrator and obviously she’s under a ton of stress and is much younger than in the show. If it does happen, I think we’ll start getting more concrete hints during TWOW, it won’t just suddenly be like ¾ of the way through ASOS and she just flips out. Getting to Westeros after so much and finding fAegon sitting on her throne will definitely not help, especially if all he wants her for is a broodmare for Targ babies. Maybe even worse if he’s married to Arianne and all she is is a threat to his own claim.

The other option, of course, is that it’s fAegon that goes made. We know he’s easily influenced (Tyrion) and somewhat sensitive to a lot of things. I personally don’t think we’ll ever find out if he’s actually Rhaegar and Elia’s Aegon or not, but if he did find out he was actually a Blackfyre or the son of a Lysene prostitute or something like that, that his entire life and the sacrifice of normality he made, etc., was a lie...that could do it. It could also be a nice commentary on how connecting ‘madness’ purely to the Targaryens is bullshit (the same way Cersei is, you could say).

Stannis isn’t dead but he will die in the North. That might even be what brings Jon back to life, if Mel is sacrificing for Stannis’ return and instead it’s Jon (we could argue he’s more favored by the gods, or has way more king’s blood, or who knows what lol) (though also it’s possible she does all those sacrifices not knowing he’s really alive because she can be kind of a fuck-up sometimes).

Bloodraven, or whatever is currently acting as Bloodraven, will most likely possess Bran. If Bran becomes King it will be because it’s actually Bloodraven riding his body. After so many years as Hand, he’ll finally actually be King lol

But since this is based somewhat off the War of the Roses, I think most if not all of the major Houses will either be destroyed or weakened to the point they can’t be anymore and power will be consolidated under one main ruler.

Most likely if we do see the Small Council at the end, it will be made up of characters that didn’t exist in the show and that’s why we got all the half-assed show ones, like Sam as Grand Maester and Bronn as Master of Coin (I still can’t get over the Master of War position being empty but them making Bronn Coin instead). For example, it might be Marwyn as Grand Maester. Honestly, and everyone knows I’m obsessed with this, but if Jon is free of the Wall and around I’d make him Master of Coin lol

An independent North sounds absolutely ridiculous, especially in the books where GRRM pays attention to things like low food stores and the destruction of glass houses. However, it becomes slightly more foreseeable in a universe where the North, the free folk, and the white walkers have made some sort of pact.

[antares-8]

UBAU’s Harrenhall

In chapter 2, Elia, Rhaegar, and Lyanna seem to get along pretty well as ghosts even though most Westerosi probably think that they should all hate each other. So what’s up with that? 

As is commonly speculated, Rhaegar found Lyanna after her Knight of the Laughing Tree stunt, was impressed, and agreed to let her go. The next day, he and Elia ‘accidentally’ met up with her for an important discussion.

The most ruthless man in Westeros wanted his daughter to be queen, his grandson to be king. Elia knew that she didn’t have long to live, maybe five years if she was lucky. Once she was out of the way, Aegon would have an ‘accident.’ Rhaenys too. 

(They were the blood of Daenys the Dreamer, and they had both seen a golden shadow with long, sharp claws send a giant armored in stone to crush Elia and her children. They’d both seen a pride of lions pounce on King Aerys’s crown as the giant lurked in the shadows, his smile dripping blood. Daenys saved her family from the Doom of Valyria that was because she listened to her dreams. Of course her descendants wanted to save their families from this doom, too.)

But if Rhaegar already had another wife, one who could be trusted to protect innocents rather than harm them, someone brave and fierce and good....

Lyanna pointed out what had happened last time House Targaryen interfered with a Baratheon engagement. Elia replied that of course the Targaryens would have to find another wife for Robert, one just as high-ranking as the daughter of the Warden of the North. And wouldn’t you know it, the Warden of the West had an unwed daughter who was famed for her beauty, whose family was the wealthiest in Westeros.

They made a pact that day, and when Rhaegar won the Tourney, he presented Lyanna Stark with a crown of blue roses. By making his interest clear, he hoped to convince the ambitious Warden of the North to put off the wedding or even break the betrothal.

In retrospect, that might have been something of a miscalculation.

Time passed. Rhaegar, Elia, and Lyanna exchanged secret correspondence. Then, when the Starks journeyed south again for Brandon’s wedding, Aerys dispatched a force to bring Lyanna to him. Somehow, he’d learned that she was the Knight of the Laughing Tree. Rhaegar heard of it and managed to get to her first. They wed on the Isle of Faces to give her an additional degree of protection, then sent her to the last place anyone would look: Dorne. On the way, they dispatched a messenger to Rickard explaining the situation, but by the time the courier arrived, Brandon was already en route to King’s Landing.

The rest is history.

[samwpmarleau]

One thing that I don't get in ASOIAF is the fandom believe Rhaegar would make a great king, but what is exactly his accomplishments beside ToH and played harp?

You’re right in saying that his list of hard accomplishments is rather small. We know of only three tourneys that he entered (though he’s said to have been a consummate jouster, so presumably he did enter others), one of which he lost, one of which took him 12 rounds to win, and all three of which had final matches against members of the Kingsguard, who are known to more or less throw said matches to ensure they don’t injure their future sovereign.

(No one can say he wasn’t in a league of his own when it comes to moping, though. The guy spent extended periods of time alone at haunted Summerhall, the place most of his family died horrifically in a fire, in order to brood and write depressing songs, I mean really.)

However. You have to consider his image.

Until he took off with Lyanna, he was the absolute perfect prince. He was scholarly, which pleased the maesters, but also martial, which pleased the lords. He was handsome beyond measure, he sang songs so affecting they made wolf-blooded Lyanna cry, he wasn’t a womanizer nor did he solicit prostitutes, he was allegedly courting lords to depose his father, he did his duty by his wife and not only had a Targaryen-looking son but also a daughter that could be used for marriage alliances, he did the smart and respectful thing by moving his household to Dragonstone instead of staying in King’s Landing, etc. etc. Even the debacle at Harrenhal didn’t irreparably damage public perception.

Without the benefit of hindsight, well, there was hardly a single thing wrong with him. Maybe a little dreary, but then, Jaehaerys I didn’t exactly sound like he was the life of the party either and he’s remembered as the best king Westeros ever had.

Nearly two decades after civil war ripped the realm apart, singers continue to frame Rhaegar’s liaison with Lyanna as a tale of star-crossed lovers, a tragic romance, two people that just wanted to run away together. Only Robert is outwardly vitriolic, a vitriol that is referred to as a “madness” in him and thus more or less undermined.

All of that is, I believe, why many people in the fandom view Rhaegar so positively, because almost all of Westeros does. He’s the King That Could Have Been. Truthfully, I was of that same mind until a little over a year ago when I started analyzing it all, so I can hardly blame fans who take what the story says at face value since I used to do it myself.

But the problem is that you can’t just take things at face value and say Rhaegar would have been the best ruler since Jaehaerys, because he would not have been. He would have been closer to Aerys I, who incidentally was also obsessed with arcane matters and prophecy to the point of neglecting the realm (though Rhaegar did at least consummate his marriage and have children, which is more than Aerys did with poor Aelinor Penrose).

Best case scenario is if the Rebellion doesn’t happen and Aerys is deposed peacefully, because then Rhaegar is operating under almost unanimous goodwill (even Tywin may be brought back in the fold provided Rhaegar agrees to marry Cersei to Viserys or something). But even then, there’s still the issue of Elia not being able to have another child after Aegon, because no matter what, Rhaegar wants his third head and fast. If he doesn’t opt to kill his wife in childbirth, presumably he decides to go after Lyanna as in the original timeline. In which case even if it doesn’t come to war, he’s still massively pissing off the Starks, Baratheons, Martells, and his own mother. Not to mention that having a child with Lyanna means a bastard, likely one he would then legitimize, and let’s just say the last time there was a Targaryen bastard running around, it didn’t end well. So he’s got that to contend with, too.

But let’s say he manages to smooth things over enough to keep the country going. Barring an extreme personality shift, now that he has his three heads (though I’m not sure how he’d address Jon being, well, Jon, and not his Visenya), he’d be more focused than ever on the Long Night. He’d probably want to bolster the Night’s Watch forces, stockpile food and weapons, train not only his sons for combat but Rhaenys as well, try to obtain and hatch dragon eggs, and plan not for the immediate future but for 17 or so years down the line when the Others come. As we saw IOTL, the current status of the realm is secondary in his mind, because what does the status of the treasury matter if the Long Night isn’t prepared for?

Of course, maybe he’s a better juggler than anyone gives him credit for and he oversees the realm well and plans for the future, but I sincerely doubt it. Based on what we know, he is far more like the aforementioned Aerys I or Baelor the Blessed than, say, Daeron II. Which is something I think the people of Westeros would come to realize quite quickly. Whether Rhaegar’s madness mindset becomes so much of an issue that the people end up wanting him deposed, I don’t know. I don’t think it would get that bad, considering not even Aegon IV was kicked off the throne, but it’s a possibility–if, for instance, his son Aegon grew up in the vein of avuncular ancestor Baelor Breakspear.

I should also point out that this AU means Dany will have never been born, which throws a wrench in things, not that Rhaegar knew it.

And if the Rebellion does happen, well, Rhaegar’s exponentially more fucked. Of those who supported the crown, only the Tyrells were really of note (support that was half-assed to begin with). While Aerys was the one who escalated the situation, there wouldn’t have been a situation to escalate if Rhaegar hadn’t done what he did, and it’s not like Rhaegar would even really be able to reward the loyalists with marriage in the way Robert did since he was still married to Elia and had three kids. People may have considered him better than Aerys, but Rhaegar’s shine would have most assuredly worn off for them. At which point, Rhaegar not only has to keep the realm stable, but stabilize it to begin with. That means concessions up the wazoo and political appointments, plus things like needing to replace the dead Kingsguard and getting rid of all the wildfire beneath King’s Landing. After that, it’s the same as in the non-Rebellion scenario. He’s still going to be much more focused on the Long Night than he is on matters of state, which will put off almost everyone, especially since no one would believe him about the Others.

So no, as far as I’m concerned Rhaegar would not have made a good king, but I can see where fans get the notion that he would (looking at you, Barristan). He would have been better than his father in many respects but worse in others, and his laser focus on something in the distant future that people not Rhaegar, Aemon, or Bloodraven think is a big fat fairy tale would land him at best in disfavor and at worst deposed.

[ao3feed-tywinxjoanna]

A Song Of Steel & Magic

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3eKqT6Q

by HPDirewolf

Everything changes after the war. And so does Harry. Join Harry his life takes and unexpected turn and lands him in Westeros. AU HP/ASOIAF story that will differ somewhat from ASIOAF canon.

Words: 1658, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/M, Multi

Characters: Harry Potter, Lyanna Stark, Brandon Stark, Ashara Dayne, Ned Stark, Benjen Stark, Sirius Black, Rhaegar Targaryen, Rickard Stark, Shaena Targaryen, Aerys Targaryen, Rhaella Targaryen, Shiera Seastar, Brynden "Bloodraven" Rivers, Robert Baratheon, Catelyn Tully Stark, Petyr Baelish

Relationships: Harry Potter/?, Brandon Stark/?, Ashara Dayne/Ned Stark, Rhaegar Targaryen/Shaena Targaryen, Joanna Lannister/Tywin Lannister, Joanna Lannister/Aerys II Targaryen, Robert Baratheon/Others

Additional Tags: Orcs, Valyrian Steel Swords, Magic In Westeros, Some Elements Of Middle Earth, Action/Adventure, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3eKqT6Q