#in parallel to Jaime and aerys

[crowcoven]

When this scene is the lady stoneheart resolution in winds of winter what then huh

[ilynpilled]

I think what bugs me the most about the type of analysis that is common in this fandom is that sometimes people are obsessed with not actually looking at choices being made by characters and instead try to project extra-textual symbolism/parallels they pulled out of thin air or use essentialist arguments to predict a certain character’s trajectory. There is already a weird tendency to blame bloodlines instead of institutions, oppressive/destructive social constructs/systems, and abusive cycles. This series repeatedly deconstructs bio essentialist ideas in a multitude of ways. Characters being viewed as monsters for the way they are born is a concept that is repeatedly torn down. There is a combination of nature & nurture at play with these characters, I admit, but it is nuanced. Your environment and your nature are in constant conversation with each other. Certain environmental factors will worsen certain attributes, while repress others etc. Your blood is not evil, nor is it pure, it just is, and your nature will be affected by your rearing, tragedies you face, and the environment you live in. Monsters are created and developed, not born. This whole concept is apparent with all the siblings in the series. Dany & Viserys are drastically different people, and make different choices despite having similar experiences and the same blood. Same can be said for Joff, Myrcella, and Tommen. Another very good example are the Lannister siblings. The twins’ idea of “one soul in two bodies” is deconstructed, and they are faced with how dissimilar they actually are. All three siblings have differences in nature, as revealed by their behavior as young children & their current values and motivations, and they are all shaped very differently by their environment. Cersei is affected by the oppressive system of the patriarchy, Jaime by the trauma due to the violent construct of knighthood, and Tyrion by the rampant ableism of the world around him. Tywin also shapes them by giving each of them their own flavor of parental abuse based on the role he wants them to play in his legacy. It is so apparent just how these characters became what they are, and how they navigate their world as a result of a nuanced combination of nature and nurturer. But in the end, it comes down to choices that they keep making. Characters on the right path can also falter sometimes, weigh their values wrong, and make bad decisions at certain points. Not to mention how thoughts and words do not speak as much as actions and actual choices that are made do. You all take bio essentialist arguments that some characters in the text make at face value, even when it is obviously bullshit. Any analysis that hinges entirely on “this character is the son/daughter of this character”, or “this thing on the surface parallels this other thing from something I read/watched”, “this character is a dragon. Dragons plant no trees”, “this character is a monster”, “this character is from this house”, “this character is related to this character” etc instead of actually looking at what said characters do or try to do is gonna lead to unconvincing arguments that are antithetical to one of the main ideas that this series is built on. To me it feels like these books are communicating that in spite of your birth, your origin, your trauma, your prophecies, etc it is primarily your choices that lead you to where you are and the legacy that you create. Cersei’s prophecy will come true as a result of the choices she makes. Dany’s many prophecies are also as a result of choices she makes, she was not just gifted with everything that she has achieved, she is an active agent who makes choices that push her a certain direction. This is also why it is weird when everybody wants to make characters have a predetermined trajectory solely based on “what” they are, or who they are related to.

Not only does George say this in interviews, it is an explicit thesis statement in the text itself:

This is the concluding statement of Jaime’s ASoS arc. Like “The things I do for love”, “So many vows...”, and “The heroes […] the best and the worst, and those who were a bit of both”, as extremely relevant it is to him in specific, it is a major thesis statement for the series as whole, and overlaps with many characters, just like how other characters also have a bunch of these overlapping arc theses. So can we please primarily look at the choices characters make and what ultimately motivated them to make these choices rather than thinking their ending and what they “are” as characters is set in stone because of the reasons mentioned. I feel like how you all engage with some of these characters contradicts the deconstruction of this kind of essentialism that is so apparent in these books.

[thevelaryons]

When it comes to Addam & Jaime’s storylines as knights, there is one specific idea which further connects them as pawns of the adults in their life.

Jaime was removed from the position as his family’s heir as an insult to Tywin. King Aerys and his Hand have a tense power dynamic. By taking away Tywin’s golden heir, it’s like a slap to the face for the proud Lord of Casterly Rock. Jaime, for his part, does not know that his sister’s machinations are used by the King to humble his father. All Tywin is left with is Tyrion, the heir he never wanted. It’s only later that Jaime figures out the reason why the King eagerly allowed him into the Kingsguard even if doing so angered Tywin, who later resigns from the position as Hand.

Shortly after Corlys became Hand to Rhaenyra, he moves to have Addam become the new heir to Driftmark. Addam’s half-brother, Jacaerys, even advocates for his appointment as heir. It’s a political move to appease Corlys, the proud Lord of Driftmark and the new Hand. It’s also a big insult to Queen Rhaenyra. A Westerosi noblewoman allowing her late husband’s bastard son to be ahead of her own trueborn son in their family’s line of succession (the actual parentage of the boys doesn’t matter, only the public perception of it) is practically unheard of. The Velaryon heir would have been Joffrey, since Jacaerys is already named heir to the Iron Throne at that point. Instead Addam becomes the new heir. Corlys’ actions show Rhaenyra the extent of his power and that she should not forget her place, even if she is the Queen. Addam obviously would not know about the subtle power struggle happening between the Queen and her Hand.

[imaginarianisms]

more asoiaf comparisons, parallels & antiparallels to the first dance of the dragons vs the second & final dance of the dragons (& possibly the sixth blackfyre rebellion): the blacks being daenerys i targaryen's supporters, the golds being aegon vi targaryen's supporters, tommen baratheon being a close equivalent to gaemon palehair & his mother essie & sylvenna sand which may be interpreted as a parallel with queen cersei lannister & taena merryweather of myr, trystane truefyre being a close equivalent to aegon/young griff & perkin being jon connington & the shepherd being the new high septon the high sparrow, dalton greyjoy being euron i greyjoy's ancestor & the latter surpassing him, alyn waters later alyn velaryon resembling aurane waters later aurane velaryon & finishing what their ancestors started. history repeats itself.

[hollowwhisperings]

alicetn was abandoned to a rotting king?? bitch go read the books viserys is like 30 when they marry and its HER who seduces him

...i was referring to the television adaption but okay, sure, Viserys was 30-ish when he married Alicent. A major theme of F&B (and an explored theme in HotD) is the Inaccuracy Of Written Histories.

In F&B, a 13-year old Alicent cared for the widowed King Jaeherys in his dying days whilst her father served as the King's Hand: in HotD, a 14-year old Alicent is ordered by her father to "offer comfort" to King Viserys after his murdering Aemma Arryn.

GRRM signed off on the timing & haste of rot setting into Viserys after his being cut on the Iron Throne: by the time of Alicent's marrying the King, he has lost a finger. Within their first years of marriage, Viserys loses an arm.

Aerys II was about 37 when he was killed but a combination of factors resulted in his looking much, much older. Aerys II was known as "King Scab" during his lifetime due to how frequently he was cut by the Iron Throne.

[knightsickness]

a lot of really bad takes on the affc white book scene can be traced back to a popular tiktok on how the dance characters died for non-books readers which paraphrased the ‘no songs were sung of him’ out of context in relation to criston. this means a lot of non-book readers interpret this as like he’s a historical nobody no one gives a shit about him he won no honour or glory which isn’t like. insanely incorrect but is also a gross misunderstanding of criston as a thematic character in affc

the no songs were sung of him is specifically referring to songs being sung of straightforwardly virtuous knights (aemon dragonknight) or straightforwardly bad knights (lucamore strong) and how criston is a historically ambiguous figure he made a huge significant decision but his motives were obscure he’s a bit of both. he might have been acting for what he believed was the greater good he might have been acting out of petty treacherous cruelty he is a VERY explicit parallel to jaime’s own feelings about killing aerys and how he’s perceived because of it. kingmaker-kingslayer etc. it’s jaime thinking about what being a good man and a good knight means and legacy in general+ also is thematically all over the dorne plot and the faegon plot there’s a reason queenmaker kingbreaker variant chapter headings recur

[chemtrailsoverthesun]

A thread of parallels between Elia Martell and Sansa Stark:

1. Elia is the older sister to Oberyn. Sansa is the eldest stark sister.

Art by Melrosing

2. They are both described as gentle.

"Princess Elia was a good woman, Your Grace. She was kind and clever, with a gentle heart and a sweet wit.” - Daenerys

“Was there ever a wedding less joyful? she wondered until she remembered her poor Sansa and her marriage to the Imp. Mother take mercy on her. She has a gentle soul.” - Catelyn

Art by elvishness & vesubia-jugorum

3. Both were excited to leave their home.

"Elia found it all exciting. She was of that age, and her delicate health had never permitted her much travel.” - Tyrion

“She had last seen snow the day she'd left Winterfell… off to see the great wide world.” - Sansa

Art by the-lady-rae

4. Both were betrothed to the crown prince.

“Early in the year 279 AC, Rhaegar Targaryen, Prince of Dragonstone, was formally betrothed to Princess Elia Martell” - TWOIAF

“She had to wed Joffrey, they were betrothed, he was promised to her, she had even dreamed about it.” - Sansa

Art by amaati

5. Elia and Sansa were both held as hostages by Mad kings.

“The king reminded Lewyn Martell gracelessly that he held Elia and sent him to take command of the ten thousand Dornishmen coming up the kingsroad.” - Jaime

“They have Sansa hostage, and they mean to keep her." - Catelyn

6. Cersei blames them both for taking someone from her- Rhaegar and Joffrey.

“It had to have been the madness that led Aerys to refuse Lord Tywin's daughter and take his son instead, whilst marrying his own son to a feeble Dornish princess with black eyes and a flat chest.” -Cersei

"I most certainly have not forgotten that little she-wolf…She helped murder my son.” - Cersei

7. Elia and Sansa witnessed the death of a family member in front of them, both pleaded for their loved one to be spared.

“Princess Elia of Dorne pleading for mercy as Rhaegar's heir was ripped from her breast and murdered before her eyes.” - Daenerys

“Lady Sansa has begged mercy for her father." - Arya

8. Both were romantics.

“A pretty lad, and my sister was half in love with him.” - Tyrion

“I love him, Father, I truly do, I love him as much as Queen Naerys loved Prince Aemon the Dragonknight, as much as Jonquil loved Ser Florian.” - Sansa

Art by the-lady-rae

9. Victims of the Lannisters.

“Some said it had been Gregor who'd dashed the skull of the infant prince Aegon Targaryen against a wall, and whispered that afterward he had raped the mother, the Dornish princess Elia, before putting her to the sword.” - Tyrion

“When I displease him, he has the Kingsguard beat me. He's evil and cruel, my lady, it's so. And the queen as well." - Sansa

Art by amaati

Conclusion: Both deserved better

Art by Elia illustration

[nightswatchdisbandmentera]

random but it struck me that age is just another parallel/anti-parallel that Jon and Jaime will share. Jaime was 16/17(?) when he made the fateful choice to kill Aerys, which forever besmirched his honor and caused him to be “the Kingslayer” (deragatory). Jon was about the same age, 17/18, when he made the fateful decision to march south against the Boltons, something that will undoubtedly dent his already shaky reputation and could cause him to be “the deserter” (also deragatory).

We always talk about how Jaime stagnated and wallowed in his nihilism after Aerys’ death, never growing or maturing past that point; in a way, he was always mentally stuck at 17. Jon could very well die given the wounds he received during the mutiny, and though he will be revived, he will be always be physically stuck at 17, never maturing past that point. But I think Jon has been more successful in a way that Jaime never was in that he figured out quite early (when he was 15) that though he may lose his honor, he must keep pushing for the greater good. He understood the concept of “a bastard’s honor”, and is even more fortunate to receive Tyrion’s lesson of using one’s lowly position/lack of honor to his advantage, which he has been doing to enact what he considers to be the moral goods (ref “bastard” “guilty of that, at least”). P.S: I also think it’s funny given Aemon’s advice to kill the boy in order for the man to be born. Ironic that Jon will always be a boy physically.

Jaime grew physically but not so much mentally. Jon grows mentally (it’s actually his strong suit as a character how much he matures with each book) but he will have sacrificed the ability to age normally as a boy would. Jaime lost his honor at ~17 and is characterized but years of (mental) inaction. I think Jon, on the other hand, will lose his honor but will be more and more prone to making decisions, because to hell with it all.

[fir3-and-bl00d]

let’s acknowledge some of the sadder parallels in regards to family that jon & dany share:

- both of their mothers died in childbirth, more specifically, they died giving birth to them (Rhaella with Daenerys and Lyanna with Jon)

- both are the youngest of their siblings (I’m speaking about Jon as the son of Rhaegar, here) Rhaegar and Viserys are lost to Dany and Rhaenys and Aegon were murdered before Jon ever got a chance to meet them

- both never met their fathers and both of their fathers were killed by an enemy of House Targaryen (Aerys II by Jaime Lannister, Rhaegar Targaryen by Robert Baratheon)

- both are without family (and by family, i mean human targaryens, as we all know the dragons are dany’s children) in their respective environments: jon as lord commander on the wall once aemon leaves, and dany in essos after viserys dies

[daenerysoftarth]

outing myself as an aerys-is-the-lannisters-true-dad truther. i love any variation of this theory, i think it parallels so many narrative paths in a truly agonizing/delicious way

aerys is tyrion's dad? the full abuse and horror of the intergenerational incest is manifested through tyrion, both in his physical deformities and in the way he’s ostracized by society and made into the 'monster' he's been labeled as since birth. tywin could never admit he was cucked by aerys due to his pride, but takes out his resentment on tyrion. tyrion being one of the last surviving targaryens and riding a dragon eventually, which was foreshadowed all the way back in the beginning of agot. i love

aerys is cersei and jaime's dad? the twins who appear almost otherwordly in their beauty, but who conceal the deep rot of house targaryen in their grotesque affair. even their mother can't bear looking at them. the fact that tyrion is tywin's only trueborn son only intensifies his hatred of him. tyrion being the only 'true' heir of house lannister, despite his supposed flaws which his father hated. i lovvve

i cant lie anymore rip, i think this is one of my favorite fan theories out there

[kingsmoot]

please talk about westerosi marriage law

bless

this line from sansa made me think again about the gendered expectations/frameworks that make marriage vows different from other legally binding vows in westeros

westeros is a culture + legal system built on vow-swearing, and keeping the vows your swore regardless of where that puts you morally is like one of the core themes of the series as a whole (dozens of examples of this ofc but a prominent one is jaime killing aerys)

when a man marries a woman in westeros she (as well as her inherited lands and titles if she does not have any male heirs/successors) becomes his property. a part of his house and solely responsible for the legal and mechanical continuation of his lineage.

it's very interesting (devastating, heart breaking, incoherent scream-inducing) that not only do robb and cat concede that there is nothing to be done now that sansa is married to tyrion (besides killing tyrion and making her a widow) but sansa also believes this

sansa who goes to the godswood and the sept every day to pray that every lannister dies a horrible death, who is plotting desperately with ser dontos to leave kl, who told margery and olenna that joff was a monster who had her beat bloody and murdered her dog

i think it's an interesting (incoherent screaming continues) parallel to, say, jon's wildling turncloaking, where he has a constant ongoing narration about how far it's possible for him to go against his vows to the night's watch under qhorin's orders before he does actually dishonor himself and break from the old gods

jon goes through a fair amount of mental anguish about how dope it is having sex with his wildling gf, and he does have the added benefit of having been ordered by qhorin to turn his cloak and abandon his vows for as long as it takes, but jon is adamant throughout his entire time with the wildlings that he is a sworn brother of the night's watch and he knows what is in his own heart

sansa, who is a prisoner of war whose family is being systematically murdered by house lannister as part of said ongoing war, still thinks that she is being turned into a lannister!! that her own identity as a stark is being subsumed and erased by her marriage and her forced participation in courtly life

so i concede that my previous assertion that the legitimacy of pow marriages in westeros is shoddy world building was wrong, it isn't shoddy world building, it's widely supported by the text in multiple povs, and it sucks

it sucks like, because it makes my heart hurt, not because it is poorly written/executed/upheld

also i corralled all my posts on this topic in my seven kingdoms family law attorney tag

[kataraavatara]

I’m actually so curious about HOTD’s version of Ser Erryk Cargyll? First of all, incredibly underrated character.

So in the Driftmark episode, Erryk is the one who informs Alicent of the “delicate situation” aka Aegon raping Dyana. When Alicent confronts Dyana she tells her “You told Ser Erryk, and Talia, and now me.”

The way the show presents it, it seems like Erryk is the first person Dyana went to after being raped.

I find it interesting that the first person a young teenager told about her assault was both a man and sworn to serve her assaulter. Why? Was he outside the door because he’s Aegon’s sworn shield (like a Jaime-Rhaella-Aerys parallel), he was the first person she saw upon fleeing Aegon’s room and she just broke down? Did she just feel safe talking to him because he was a member of the Kingsguard, renowned for their virtue (and vows of chastity)? Was she subconsciously hoping for justice or some kind of protection because of all the stories of knightly honor and chivalry? Or does he have a reputation as a generally kind man/good knight, someone safe to talk to?

I also love that they gave him Steffon Darklyn’s storyline. Watching him stand up for something in episodes 9 & 10 really solidified him as my favorite member of the Kingsguard. Genuinely obsessed with the Erryk/Jaime comparisons. idc.

https://youtu.be/9Yv66IsBPnE?si=esKbTdmvyR_jvJOG (at about 1:57 is when she says Erryk is the first person told)

[sherlokiness]

been reading your Lyanna and Rhaegar posts and I very much agree with you about them having a wedding. If we assume that those Kingsguard's weren't false Kingsguards like Jaime and weren't lying about them keeping their "vow" then the most logical explanation would be that Jon is legitimate. When Aerys died, they should have gone to protect their new King Viserys yet they refused to do so. The reason for staying in the ToJ must have been because whatever they're guarding there takes higher priority than Viserys.

What do you think will be for the future of Sansa and Jon then? They will be the second Stark and Targaryen union in the current story we'll see. Since Sansa is a bastard just like Jon that means Jon isn't a bastard at all. They're made to pose as bastards by a father figure or else people would have their head. Stone and Snow. She's a Stark, he's a Targaryen.

Hi, anon! Thanks for the ask.

Great point about Sansa saying she's a bastard just like Jon. If we take that as a hint of RLJ then what she says is actually the truth. She was made a bastard exactly like Jon yet in reality they were not at all. We also have a clue to what Jon might feel once he learns of his heritage.

He is not my father. The thought leapt unbidden to Jon's mind. Lord Eddard Stark is my father. I will not forget him, no matter how many swords they give me.

They might offer him the IT(made up of many swords) and the allegiance of noble houses(my sword is yours.) He will never forget Ned and Rhaegar could just fuck off.💀💀

RLJ parallel for Jon and Sansa for me would probably them having a secret wedding. I mean, the books already teased Sansa having one with a cousin. But unlike RL, jonsa will have a public wedding too much like Jahaerys I and Alysanne. Next I would say is Sansa as the Girl in Grey. I very much believe the theory that Lyanna met Rhegar again at the Inn at the Crossroads which is where another iconic kidnapping took place- Cat seizing Tyrion. It resulted in hostilities between two major Houses where the Starks didn't know the inside story. It would have looked like a kidnapping specially if we have hostile forces against Lyanna there which were the King's men. So Sansa/Lyanna would be fleeing kidnappers only to end up with a Targaryen for safety. The elements involved would be a tourney, a crime, a wedding, and a rescue by a knight. Jon disdaining princesses in towers only to end up rescuing an actual one is peak comedy imo. 🤡🤡

As he walked toward the armory, Jon chanced to look up and saw Val standing in her tower window. I'm sorry, he thought. I'm not the man to steal you out of there.

This could be interpreted as it is or could be that Jon is not the man to steal Val because he will steal another princess later. Jon, Sansa's brother, might also give her a bastard's head - Ramsay's. She already has Janos but she doesn't know that.

After my name day feast, I'm going to raise a host and kill your brother myself. That's what I'll give you, Lady Sansa. Your brother's head."

A kind of madness took over her then, and she heard herself say, "Maybe my brother will give me your head."

Jon vs Ramsay has been foreshadowed by Ghost defending a prize from a yellow bitch three times his size. The most recent one would be Chett, a leech man's son with lordly ambitions, being defeated by "Snow and his pet pig." Lady Piggy is Jon Snow's lady love. There's only one notable guy in the story using leeches and it's Roose.

He will know me. How could he not? She considered throwing herself at his feet to beg for his protection. He never fought for Robb, why should he fight for me?

Sansa's already considered doing before what Alys did.

Alys knelt before him, clutching the black cloak. "You are my only hope, Lord Snow. In your father's name, I beg you. Protect me."

UndeadJon will know her and will fight for her. Jon has failed twice to fight for his family - Robb and Arya. He will succeed on the third one.

[asongofstarkandtargaryen]

Daenerys Month Day 2- Underrated relationships and dynamics :Rhaella and Daenerys Targaryen

Queen Rhaella died giving birth to her daughter, so unfortunately Dany has no memory of her mother. All she has is Viserys' memories of her when he feels gallant enough to share them.

For a mother and daugther duo who never got to interact those two share some - tragic- similarities in their lives.

1. Abusive older brother:

In Rhaella's case, Aerys wasn't only her brother but her husband as well. That doesn't change the fact that he was first her older brother and since he always knew he would marry his little sister, he also considered her his to torment.

But whenever Aerys gave a man to the flames, Queen Rhaella would have a visitor in the night. The day he burned his mace-and-dagger Hand, Jaime and Jon Darry had stood at guard outside her bedchamber whilst the king took his pleasure. "You're hurting me," they had heard Rhaella cry through the oaken door.

 Similarly, his son, Viserys, thought that his sister belonged to him not only to marry one day but also abuse as well. When he decides to marry her to Drogo, his abuse doesn’t stop.

But when she told her brother, Viserys had twisted her hair until she cried. "You are blood of the dragon," he had screamed at her. "A dragon, not some smelly fish."

Viserys slid close to Dany on her silver, dug his fingers into her leg, and said, "Please him, sweet sister, or I swear, you will see the dragon wake as it has never woken before."

2. Abusive husband:

Aerys was a worse husband than Drogo because at least the latter didn't beat his wife every time he had a fit. However, unlike what the got showrunners would like you to believe ( by calling Drogo x Dany a love story) Dany was sexually abused by her husband. The fact that she came to endure it and even have fond feelings for her husband says more about this poor girl's familization with abuse - she grew up with Viserys after all- than about Drogo's behavior.

Yet every night, some time before the dawn, Drogo would come to her tent and wake her in the dark, to ride her as relentlessly as he rode his stallion. He always took her from behind, Dothraki fashion, for which Dany was grateful; that way her lord husband could not see the tears that wet her face, and she could use her pillow to muffle her cries of pain. When he was done, he would close his eyes and begin to snore softly and Dany would lie beside him, her body bruised and sore, hurting too much for sleep.

3. Knights failed them

In folk tales and legend sagas, knights are always portrayed noble and save those in need, especially good and helpless ladies. However, Martin likes to deconstruct those tropes and most of the knights that appeared in Rhaella and Daenerys' lives failed them.

Rhaella was surrounded by the Kingsguards who were supposed to be the most fair knights in the seven kingdoms. Still none of them jumped in to save her from her abusive husband. Because their loyality was first and foremost to Aerys, the King of Westeros.

“We are sworn to protect her as well," Jaime had finally been driven to say. "We are," Darry allowed, "but not from him."

In Dany's case, on the first chapters appears a knight - Ser Jorah- who seems to have her best interest at heart and is willing to advice the young girl on various subjects. We find out much later that he was hired by King Robert Baratheon to kill her and her unborn child. While Jorah regrets the orders he got and eventually genuinely supports her, he never confesses the truth. Dany finds out second hand from Ser Barristan Selmy.

"I am dreaming," she said. "A waking dream, a walking dream. I am alone and lost."

Lost, because you lingered, in a place that you were never meant to be, murmured Ser Jorah, as softly as the wind. Alone, because you sent me from your side.

"You betrayed me. You informed on me, for gold."

At the beginning of the third parallel I said that most knights fail them. Because there are still a few exceptions. The best example is Ser Willem Darry, who was the one who rescued infant Daenerys and young Viserys from Dragonstone. When she lived for a short period with him, it was the only time Dany felt secure and happy as a child. Dany’s loyal bloodriders while not being knights also fall into that category.

4. miscarriages & stillbirths:

Mother and daughter both had difficult pregnancies that unfortunately ended tragically.

Here is what The World of Ice and Fire tells us about Rhaella on this subject:

Relations between the king and queen grew even more strained when Rhaella proved unable to give Aerys any further children. Miscarriages in 263 and 264 were followed by a stillborn daughter born in 267. Prince Daeron, born in 269, survived for only half a year. Then came another stillbirth in 270, another miscarriage in 271, and Prince Aegon, born two turns premature in 272, dead in 273.

As for poor Dany, her son with Drogo, Rhaego, is stillborn. A couple of years later, she suffers a miscarriage - of a pregnancy she wasn’t aware of- as she rides Drogon.

5. Protector of the weak

Rhaella and Dany know what it feels like to be afraid for your life and in constant pain. And they both step in to protect people they consider their responsibility from being abused.

Rhaella dismissed plenty of her ladies in order to protect them from her husband

Sadly, the marriage between Aerys II Targaryen and his sister, Rhaella, was not as happy; though she turned a blind eye to most of the king's infidelities, the queen did not approve of his "turning my ladies into his whores." (Joanna Lannister was not the first lady to be dismissed abruptly from Her Grace's service, nor was she the last).

As for Dany, we need to look not further from all those people she can liberated who lovingly call her “Mhysa” aka Mother.

[rise-my-angel]

What are your thoughts on Jaime and Jon?

Jaime Lannister and Jon Snow keep coming up in such odd ways during the course of their separate stories. Like there are parallels and then there's the ways in which their stories refer back to the other in such stand out ways. Both charaters get compared in to similar other characters but never each other even though there's such an interesting underbelly going on there.

Their first interaction in the second episode is hard to dissect. Since at that point we do not know anything substantial about Jaimes character and we previously saw him push Bran out of the tower at the end of the last episode, we already have pre conceived notions about him. The scene is also very clearly framed from Jons point of view, which skews our perception of Jaimes intent. As far as we're aware these two have never interacted before but Jaime approaches Jon out of nowhere.

Jon is waiting for the final touches on what becomes Needle to be done and Jaime casually asks if it's something for him. Jon corrects him without specifying what hes doing by just saying he has a sword already and then Jaime asks an odd follow up. Asking if Jons ever used it on another person before, implying that he's asking if he's used it to kill a man before. Then tells him that killing a man for the first time is strange before swiftly changing subjects.

It seems like Jaime's mocking him from the framing. Many Southerners think the Others and the Long Night aren't real and Jaime's tone indicates he's mocking Jon for joining an institution that seems to hold no value. When Jon says “We've guarded the Kingdoms for eight thousand years.” Jaime strangely asks “Is it we already? Have you taken your vows then?” Before another mocking saying he hopes it will be a thrilling experience “And if not, it's only for life.”

We see a similar scene in episode 3, where from Ned's point of view they talk about what Aerys did do Neds father and brother. And still, to Ned it feels like Jaime is mocking him for his trauma. But in reterospective, we know better. We know that the atrocities the Mad King committed bothered Jaime and he sacrificed his entire reputation to kill him before he could do the worst. But in that conversation with Ned, we don't know that beacuse Ned doesn't. So it strikes me as notable, that Jaime the episode before has a similar conversation with Ned Starks son that too feels like mocking when the one with Ned wasn't that simple deep down.

Also in epsiode 3, during a conversation with Tyrion, Jon interrupts his story when he is discussing how Tywin Lannister was hand of the King for over twenty years and Jon is short and stern when he says “Until your brother killed that King.” And Tyrion seems taken back at such a comment, clearly they are used to it but something about it coming from Jon suprises Tyrion and even Jon looks away as he doesn't seem to be too proud of how judgmental it came off as.

Jaime all but disapears from Jons story, but in season 2 Jaime of his own accord brings Jon up in a very interesting way. It's after he kills Alton Lannister and Torrhen Karstark to escape, and Catelyn goes to see him in her secret plan to help him escape. Jaime says something interesting things about vows that I'll come back to, but Jaime actually drops the condescending act once Catelyn says “You are a man without honour.” Jaime admits he's never been with a woman that isn't Cersei, which means he is more loyal then Ned Stark was to Catelyn, using Jon's existence as his example. But he gets suprisngly aggressive when talking about Jon.

“When good ole Ned came home with some whore's baby, did you pretend to love it? No, you're not very good at pretending. You're an honest woman.” He then gets pretty rough when he accuses her “You hated that boy, didn't you?” Claiming she hated Jon beacuse he's a walking reminder of Neds infidelity, which season 3 confirms is exactly the case.

It just struck me as so interesting. Jaime doesn't know Jon outside of one conversation, and it's reasonable to assume he never saw Cat and Jon interact at all or hear Cat at all mention him to have any conclusion about it. But Jaime knows. Jaime pins down Catelyns exact behavior towards Jon without hesitation and gets aggressive the way he accuses her of it, as if it's something that doesn't sit well with him. There's a lot of ways he could have riled her up using Ned, he's done it before and Jon never had to be mentioned but Jaime got very specific this time as if it's been something he's been stewing over in the year he's been the Starks prisoner.

Why?

Jaime is a highborn, Jon is a bastard.

Jaime has a rampant and infamous reputation, Jon isn't known for anything but being Ned's bastard.

Jaime is loud and condescending and manipulative, Jon is quiet, sincere and blunt.

Jaime gave up being heir to Casterly Rock to join the Kingsguard, Jon had no future and joined the Nights watch out of desperation to have purpose.

Now, wait a minute, one of those things isn't quite as opposite as the rest. Going back to Jaime saying something odd to Cat about being without honour, we know with hindsight that Jaime's reputation as a Kingslayer stems from his unwillingness to admit the reason why he murdered Aerys. We know it was for noble reasons and it solidifies that Jaime is a man who used to care deep down but is too entangled by this strange web of lies he's built around himself.

“So many vow. They make you swear and swear. Defend the King, obey the King. Obey your father. Protect the innocent, defend the weak. But what if your father despises the King? What if the King massacres the innocent. It's too much. No matter what you do, you're forsaking one vow or another.”

The season previous, Maester Aemon says this to Jon when he learns Robb is on the war path against the Lannisters. “We all do our duty when there's no cost to it. Honour comes easy then. Yet sooner or later in every man's life, there comes a day when it is not easy. A day when he must choose.”

Jon and Jaime's stories both are about the conflict of honouring the duty of the institution they both have sworn their lives too, and what is morally the right thing to do and when is one cost too much to bare for the other side of it. Both are sworn for life, no wives, no children, no lands, no titles beyond the ones their respective brotherhoods bestow upon them. Both swearing their life and sword to something where only death releases them from their sacred vow.

For Jaime, that was the day King Aerys was going to burn Kings Landing to the ground and everyone in it. That was the step too far that Jaime's duty could not do. He couldn't stand by and watch hundreds of thousands of innocent people die, so he breaks his vow and murders the King he swore to protect knowing that the innocent deserve their lives more then Jaime deserves the realms respect.

Jon is utterly plauged by being unable to see duty as more important then whats right. Jon always chose what was right, no matter what. It was why he led the defence of Castle Black when Alliser fell, defending the Wall was the right thing to do and he did it, knowing what friends he had made with the free folk, like Tormund, would be destroyed. He tries to leave to go to Robb, and now while the show didn't do the fake Arya thing, it is a book event that is along the same lines of chosing love over duty.

Jaime also, his entire idenity was that he is the Kingslayer. He's a Lannister. He's known as one of the best swordsmen in the Seven Kingdoms. He is so reliant on this, that when he loses his hand, Jaime is lost. Jaime's entire idenity is tied to his abilty as a fighter and thinks he is nothing if he cannot be just that. He feels he has lost everything of value to him beacuse he's no longer with the ability that gave him such a reputation.

Jon in the show, becomes what Jaimes reputation used to be. Ramsay upon meeting him for the first time, says the North speaks of him like he's the greatest swordsmen to ever walk. But never once does Jon agnowledge this. Jon is an incredibly skilled fighter, one of the best out of any fighters we ever see on this show but not once is this part of who he is. Jons identity has nothing to do with his talent, beacuse Jon only cares about bettering himself as man, not what anyone else sees him as.

Jon had nothing, and when he gained something, he didn't let it effect who he turned into beacuse he wanted to stand for more then himself. Jaime's self worth was reliant on this, and his world was shattered when he felt the things that established his image were taken from him.

Both are men who care deeply about the innocent. Everything Jon does is to protect those who cannot fight to protect themselves, and Jaime's biggest life event was to protect the innocent people of Kings Landing. Jon does not make this his image, and Jaime doesn't either.

But they stand almost as opposites. They are so similar in so many ways, and I think Jaime very early on saw something of his younger self in Jon Snow. Jaime in the books has said that he was not the one who tainted his white cloak with his actions, rather that the cloak tainted who he became. Jaime did a good thing very early on, and ever since then he has let himself turn into a worse and worse person until he has nothing left and has to start over.

I think he sees something of himself in Jon, and almost mocks him for joining the Nights Watch as if to warn him to be sure this is what he wants, beacuse joining the Kingsguard turned Jaime into a bad person who is asked to stand by atrocities for his duty and he knows it. Seeing something of his younger self in Jon, it's almost as if he's warning him to be careful not to choose the path that led Jaime to being who he is.

But the difference, is in how they end up. The man Jon Snow becomes, is the sort of man Jaime Lannister wished he could be. Jon didn't let himself go down the path that ruined Jaime's own life, instead using those things to better himself for the sake of protecting those who can't.

As a Kingsguard, you are asked to stand by and let bad things happen to good people for the sake of your duty, and Jaime is the perfect example of when you do not stand idly by once, but do not have the courage to ever do it again. Wheras Jon is the parallel showing that finding value in such an institution is fine as long as you do not let it dictate your life to the point you have sacrificed what makes you a good person for it.

And weirdly enough, both characters are compared to Ser Arthur Dayne, a man who at the end of the day, DIED because he refused to make that choice to do the right thing. He died to keep a dying teenage girl from her desperate to save her brother, soley because it was his vow as Kingsguard to uphold his duty.

They are both wrongfully compared to a man who died because he refused to chose protecting the innocent over his vows. Whereas Jaime and Jons story is the exact opposite, two lives defined by not wanting their vows to be what dictated their lives as men.

Ser Arthur Dayne is a cautionary tale of happens when you uphold duty more then love whereas Jaime and Jons are explicitly about their discoveries that they refuse to stand by and let their vows allow the innocent to suffer.

Jaime Lannister is who Jon feared he would become, but Jon Snow is who Jaime wishes he could have been.

[here-be-tangents]

Alliser Thorne's Return

I know there's not much love for Allister ('cause he's got no chill and a rivalry with a teenager), but something I'm really intrigued by is his potential reaction to Bowen Marsh's mutiny...

And I really hope he (begrudgingly) "takes Jon's side".

I've been looking at The Adaptation and how wasteful it was with its characters (as was its wont). But then I got to thinking how interesting the execution of Bowen Marsh and the conspirators would be if it was Alliser performing it. The returning master-at-arms can, like his friend Glendon Hewett at Eastwatch in the absence of Cotter Pyke, take command of the castle.

He then learns of Marsh's detention/ascension to command, the means by which this came about, and his reasoning for doing what he did. And what does Alliser think of that?

Well, he's a man who continued to support the Mad King through all of Robert's Rebellion, up to and through the Sack of King's Landing, by which point his cause was obviously doomed. But better that than betray his superior. And so he condemns Marsh, potentially (if he reasoning were articulated out-loud for the POV) comparing Marsh to Jaime Lannister, and thus drawing parallels between Jaime's betrayal of Aerys with Bowen's betrayal of Jon.

And so he executes them, before moving on to deal with the Lord Commander's corpse and perhaps organise a new election. What happens after that is dependent too much on other plots to really imagine in a vacuum, but that one scene - the set piece of Alliser and Bowen, united in dissatisfaction but divided in willingness to enact change - would be fun to me.