#but they’re all jumbled rn and I’m tired and can’t think straight as of now

[nightswatchdisbandmentera]

A big part of the reason why I’ve always been rather unconvinced by the theory that Rhaegar carefully and purposefully planned for Jon to fulfill or even be a part of tptwp prophecy is that it kinda goes completely against a very key but underrated theme in Jon’s arc: that he is an unfactored force that often comes in and completely upends the status quo. Jon has always occupied the space of a compromise candidate. Think of the Night’s Watch election. Jon was the compromise, not the main candidate. But because those who could’ve risen to the occasion were either dead, unavailable, incapable of coming to a stalemate, or unwilling to take up the job in the first place, Jon’s name was put forth. Even in him being the KiTN, Jon is the compromise after all his siblings are believed to be dead or unavailable. He’s never in consideration until the very last minute when there are no other options left. So it doesn’t make sense to say that Rhaegar ever planned for him because Rhaegar already had a perfect option: Aegon! Dany’s HOTU vision even shows us that Aegon was perfectly curated to be the promised prince, and he was even given a king’s name to set the stage for his heroic journey. Some people have tried to reason that Rhaegar knew that a child of ice and fire would be the promised prince, but there’s actually nothing in the text to suggest that he at any point stopped believing that Aegon was the prophesied savior. Unless stated in future installments, the text shows us that Rhaegar fully believed Aegon to be the main subject of the prophecy…but as we know, things changed. Rhaegar died, and Aegon died after him. So what else could Jon do but rise and become a compromise candidate, just as he’s always been?