#a dream of spring

[ghostinwinterfell]

or robb, his brave strong honorable big brother who he refused to say goodbye to because he was being abandoned once again

Have you ever thought about how Rickon is not going to remember Ned nor Catelyn

[moondostj]

“beautiful, and willful, and dead before her time.” / “he dreamed of her at times, so often that he could almost see her face. in his dreams, she was beautiful, and highborn, and her eyes were kind.” / “you saw her beauty, but not the iron underneath.” / “the slim, sad girl who wore a crown of pale blue roses and a white gown spattered with gore.”

— george r.r martin

[myownsummerhall]

i definitely think dany is going to be wearing armor frequently in twow/ados (at least when she rides on dragon or horse). using the show as an indicator of *anything* in the actual books is stupid i should know that, but part of me feels like show!dany wore those fake ass knockoff space opera tunics because they were too cowardly to put her in armor as she was often going to be in the books.

[ghostinwinterfell]

“dany will win the throne” “jon will be king” “dany and jon will rule together”—okay but what happens when they choose to remove themselves from the game entirely. what happens when they’re confronted with the true cost of seizing the throne on the rest of the realm. what happens when they realize that neither of them actually enjoys ruling because at their core all they want is to be loved and seen and understood. what happens when they ditch the endless power struggle to find a different kind of freedom together. what then.

[sansansource]

SANSAN — POST WAR AU

Years after the Great War a traveling group of brown brothers reaches Winterfell and seeks refuge from cold rains inside the castle walls. One of the devout men is a mysterious monk who towers over his brothers and never lowers his hood. Sansa dares to hope she might have a clue about who the stranger is.

[munnisa]

[athzhowakar]

I don't think that Jon Snow is going to be the king if he's really Rhaegar's son. That's because we have several historical incidents which suggest that dark haired Targaryens don't become kings.

To add —

Dark haired Targaryens die before they can ascend the throne.

[angrycommielez]

Speculations on Jon and Arya : "The woman is important too"

It’s no secret that Jon Snow has always wanted to be a Stark, and has a strong connection to this house and to the North, with his looks, his direwolf and warging ability, among other things.

“Lord Eddard Stark is my father,” Jon admitted stiffly. Lannister studied his face. “Yes,“ he said. “I can see it. You have more of the north in you than your brothers.“ “Half brothers,“ Jon corrected. He was pleased by the dwarf's comment, but he tried not to let it show. [Jon - AGOT]

Now when Jon is going to learn the truth about his parentage, it’s going to be a mess in his head and he will obviously need time to process. It will cause multiple problems but I just want to focus on one in particular : his identity as a Stark. 

The male lineage tends to be more important, so wherever R+L marriage was valid or not, even if Jon remains a bastard, he won’t be Ned Stark’s bastard but Rhaegar’s. He may then not feel entitled - or less -  to be King in the North (if he is as in the show), or just feel like he doesn't really belong in the North/Winterfell due to his Targaryen father.

And that’s when Arya comes into play. To remind him that “the woman is important too”. 

"The Lannisters are proud," Jon observed. "You'd think the royal sigil would be sufficient, but no. He makes his mother's House equal in honor to the king's." "The woman is important too!" Arya protested. Jon chuckled. "Perhaps you should do the same thing, little sister. Wed Tully to Stark in your arms." [Arya - AGOT]

So I like to imagine that Arya will be there to remind him that his northern face, which he was proud of when Tyrion mentioned it, isn’t due to his father but his mother. That the sigil he wanted to wear but was never allowed to, is in fact his mother’s. 

"Girls get the arms but not the swords. Bastards get the swords but not the arms. I did not make the rules, little sister." [Arya - AGOT]

And because the woman is important, he’s no less of a Stark or a northerner. Perphaps Arya will be there to tell him directly or he'll just remember her words.

PS : I also hc that when Jon will reveal to Arya the truth about his real parents, she’s gonna tell him these exact words : “You’re still my brother”. 🥹 And i'm still mad we didn't see the reactions on the show, but let's not start on that

[markhenzel]

Two unpopular opinion about some things in ASOIAF:

1. I felt like GRRM making Jaehaerys a bad father kinda felt force. I get that in GRRM writing, there's no perfect people. It's not a black and white world. But this felt too force. It's like shoving to my face and say "Jaehaerys is a good king but not a good father because he's isn't all good." out loud.

For example if you made comparison between Aegon The Conqueror and Jaehaerys. Aegon is a conqueror who caused million to die but in same time you could argue that had Aegon not do his conquest, people like Harren The Black or Argallic The Arrogant who still enslave and push people below. That's where the philosophical questions came in whether he's a hero or tyrant. For Jaehaerys, it's hard to say because again, the whole thing in his family stuff just felt forced and dragging.

I am not gonna be surprised if GRRM made Daeron The Good (the king who fix the realms after Aegon The Unworthy reign) turns out to be some abuser or loser or something.

2. I really prefer the ending for Dance of Dragons event ended with Aegon III with Jaehaera instead of Daenaera. I don't know how to explain it but kill off Jaehaera kinda felt it's for shock value. The descendant from Team Black and last descendant from Team Green married and ended the war makes more sense. The fact that the line still ended with Baelor makes it even worse. What's the point then...

So you have Aegon from team Black and Jaehaera from team Green who both see these war until it's end. They got married, Jaehaera died, no children, Aegon married Daenaera, have five kids, Aegon died, Daeron died and Baelor died and the line continues with Viserys II? None of Aegon III or Jaehaera continue?

[witchlingcirce]

Idrm that TWOW and ADOS aren’t out because I’m pretty happy with the asoiaf ending I made up in my head

[thelittlecrannogmen]

grrm has talked about how asoiaf will have a bittersweet ending and it’s time I present my thesis.

Jon Snow being king IS a bittersweet ending. Do I think Bran will be king in the end? Yes. Is Jon being king a more bittersweet ending? Yes.

Jon being king means literally everything that happened in the series is ultimately pointless. Within a generation it’s all undone. All of the people that remember the Long Night will be dead and their children will immediately doubt it’s severity and if it even happened, if the small folk in the far south ever believed it in the first place. Jon will be a good king sure, but will his children? His children that might have fucking dragons and just had their generations of Targaryen exceptionalism validated by the same apocalypse they spent centuries preparing for? Jon might be remembered as one of the best kings Westeros ever saw, but his children and their children will go right back to Targaryen insanity; incest, genocide, and all. Jon’s legacy would be ensuring the longevity of tyranny and continuing the cycle of violence.

And it would be exactly what all of the gods wanted. R’Hllor only really cared about stopping the Long Night, the Old Gods get Jon on the throne and Bran close to power, and the Seven get to maintain their spot as the preeminent religion on the continent (if they even exist).

Jon is the prophesied hero, the Prince That Was Promised, Azor Ahai reborn, the rightful king of the Seven Kingdoms by all the laws of gods and men, and a righteous, just, and kind man. and none of that will matter.

[jedimaesteryoda]

What do you think will be Jon's ending in the books?

To be honest, if he is Rhaegar's son, and Martin had been hinting at that often throughout the whole series, then it means it's likely going to have a big impact on the storyline as the parentage of Cersei's children did. He also could be the prophesied hero of the Long Night, likely the incarnation of the original founder of House Stark if you believe Bran the Builder was the last hero.

Add to that all the King Arthur imagery: red dragon sigil, father was enemy of mother's (intended) husband, mother died from birth, raised in hiding as a bastard ignorant of royal heritage until late teens and at the Tower of Joy, he was defended by a knight named Arthur wielding a magic sword with a description mimicking that of Excalibur.

He would likely be revealed by proving it to Daenerys. Arthur had to pull a sword from a stone in a church yard or retrieve it from the lady of the lake. There is precedent for proving blood of the dragon, or Targaryen ancestry when Adam of Hull mounted a dragon. In place of the lady of the lake, a skeptical Daenerys who would have already dealt with a false pretender claiming to be Rhaegar's son may make that the test, knowing he'd likely die if he fails. Jon would mount the dragon in a godswood in place of a church yard, possibly at Winterfell for the Old Gods to witness.

It is not unlikely that he is crowned king in the end. He likely could be acclaimed at a Grand Council by vote just as he was as Lord Commander. He has the best claim being Rhaegar's son, would be a national hero after the Long Night, have hardly any enemies and mounting a dragon.

He may take the regnal name of Aegon VII given the importance of number seven, signaling a new era, but those who know him personally would still call him Jon.

Though, he would have his work cut out for him with a realm ruined by war, and possibly a burned capital. Rebuilding would take many years.

[siktheon]

The Black gate of Nightfort

A painting done in collaboration with David lightbringer. The Black gate is made of weirwood and has a vrinkled face, which looks as if a man lived for a thousand years and never died. It glows softly and speaks. If a member of the Night’s watch recitets his vow, the gate opens it’s mouth and makes a passage. Sam returned back from the great ranging and let Bran and his company beyond the Wall.

instagram

[grandmaestershibe]

recent grrm interview puts my hopes for winds to rest..

never happening and i guess I'll have to live with it. the cope for me is that if he does ever get around to it, it would be the last book.

the double whammy of no winds and no dream still hurts tho.. i guess I'll have to find a new obsession.

[ghostinwinterfell]

Hi! I’m anon because I’m shy and have been dogpiled for talking about this, but I’d like to hear what your ideas are for more interesting endings for Dany. Dany is my favorite character of all time, but I do not foresee an ending where she peacefully takes the iron throne. I think Dany is a fundamentally good person and that’s at odds with her sense of duty when it comes to retaking the throne. The ending I honestly want most involves her escaping the narrative altogether and rejecting a doomed fate, but the ending I expect, an ending I love, is a parallel with Anakin Skywalker. I don’t think this means she isn’t heroic. I don’t think she’s evil. And I don’t think, if written well, it falls into the trope of a woman who can’t handle power. I genuinely believe Dany has good intentions. I don’t think she will be responsible for the level of desolation as Vader, but I do expect that her conquest will result in a lot of death and destruction, and I think it will break her heart and she’ll struggle trying to justify her actions and her victory will feel empty because at heart she wants love, home, and family. She doesn’t want to rule, and she doesn’t like it. It’s just that she’s been convinced by her brother that it’s her duty and responsibility, a belief that was reinforced by her incredible act of magic. Curious what you think about all of this. Many fellow Dany fans misinterpret my take as saying she’s evil or mad, or will become evil or mad, and that’s really not it!

hi anon! I appreciate this question because I really struggle to envision how dany’s story is going to end. it seems that grrm intends for bran to end up on the throne and that the ending will be “bittersweet”, which seems to fit what you’re saying about dany winning the throne but then ultimately choosing to escape the system altogether.

considering that so much of dany’s story is about her disrupting cycles of violence, part of me LOVES the idea of her “escaping the narrative.” at her core, dany wants a home, a sense of belonging, to be understood, to be loved, and to create a more just world. if she and jon unite for the long night, she will have defeated THE enemy. will she be able to find peace in that victory? will she still feel the need for the throne, given the cost of war on the rest of the realm? she’s one of the only characters who ever gives any consideration to the smallfolk, so this cost would be a lot more difficult for her to stomach than for characters like robb, renly, stannis, balon, tywin, cersei, euron, etc.

plus dany’s ending will likely be intertwined with jon’s, and I doubt that either of them will get a traditionally “happy ending.” I personally like the theory that jon will escape westeros by joining the free folk beyond the wall (like he does in the show). but what does “escape” look like for dany? where can she find her peace outside of the system? dany has always searched for that sense of “belonging” as a stateless exile, so part of her arc could be about finding that sense of identity beyond the boundaries of westeros and essos (aka geographical location).

however, I do understand why other dany fans might feel frustrated about dany sacrificing the throne for the “greater good.” after all, we have so few ruling queens in the asoiaf universe who get to rule successfully. it would be easy to feel like dany was robbed of the throne that she has fought for and deserves, while other (male) characters get to unapologetically seize power.

I mean, if bran becomes king in the end, then we’re not exactly tearing down the monarchical system, are we? dany will give up the throne just to be replaced by yet another king. why should bran’s ascent to the throne any more peaceful than hers? if dany wants to create a more just world, then the iron throne is the most effective position that she can be in.

but then again, part of what makes dany stand out from other rulers (male or female) is how she puts her people first. so I’m torn—I want her to escape the narrative, but I hate that it will fall on one of the only female rulers to make that sacrifice for the realm. like you said, it all depends how well it’s written.

clearly, I don’t have a definite vision of what dany’s ending could look like, but I’m curious to know what other people think!