#on his own terms. and the sea lord of braavos at the time was in on it and helped aegon with his plans

[throwawayasoiafaccount]

god tywin lannister deserved worse

just remembering elias death and i wanna puke and the way tywin talks about elia and what happened is so damn gross

but rip tommen and myrcella we all know what’s about to happen in the next book :/

the cycle of violence just keeps spinning and damn you tywin for beginning it

(i got a bit crazy in the tags 💀)

[thevelaryons]

wait i'm curious about alyn/jon parallels because i wouldn't have made that connection 👀

Well, there's a couple of basic connections like their official father probably not being their actual bio father, both of them looking more Velaryon/Stark than their half brothers, they are unlikely bastards who rise to a position of power, their love interests are willful girls who don't conform to the typical ladylike conventions (Baela/Elaena for Alyn and Ygritte for Jon), and having burn scars (Jon on his hand & Alyn on his back). In addition, they are both first introduced in the story as 14 years of age.

Then there are the more specific parallels in terms of their personality and story. First and foremost, both are conciliator types. Jon is obvious with the whole wildling situation. He even befriended many of them and went so far as to put them into positions of command when they were integrated into the Night's Watch. For Alyn, we can see it in his actions towards the rebel lord Isembard Arryn. Despite having just finished fighting a war to prevent Isembard from usurping the Vale, Alyn later suggests Isembard to hold the office of Master of Coin. Alyn, just like Jon, understands the uses that different kinds of people can have (see Jon's conversation with Maester Aemon about the different metals that make up a full maester's chain as a metaphor for the realm needing various individuals with different capabilities to thrive). Alyn's choice led to better tax relief for the Westerosi citizens. There is also Alyn's close friendship with Lyonel Hightower, a former enemy of his family. House Velaryon was divided for the duration of the war but the first thing Alyn did upon his ascension to the Driftwood Throne was to seek reconciliation with the other members of the family.

Both Alyn and Jon can also be very insolent. Just reading Alyn's quotes in the book, I get reminded of Jon:

The last thing the Hand desired was war with Braavos, richest and most powerful of the Nine Free Cities. “Yet that is what you have given us, my lord,” Peake thundered. “You have given us a war.” “And an elephant,” Lord Alyn answered insolently. “Pray, do not forget the elephant, my lord.” The remark drew nervous titters even from Lord Peake’s own handpicked men, Mushroom tells us, but the Hand was not amused. “He was not a man who liked to laugh himself,” the dwarf says, “and he liked being laughed at even less.”

— Fire & Blood, Under the Regents

Alliser Thorne overheard him. “Lord Snow wants to take my place now.” He sneered. “I’d have an easier time teaching a wolf to juggle than you will training this aurochs.” “I’ll take that wager, Ser Alliser,” Jon said. “I’d love to see Ghost juggle.” Jon heard Grenn suck in his breath, shocked. Silence fell. Then Tyrion Lannister guffawed. Three of the black brothers joined in from a nearby table. The laughter spread up and down the benches, until even the cooks joined in. The birds stirred in the rafters, and finally even Grenn began to chuckle. Ser Alliser never took his eyes from Jon. As the laughter rolled around him, his face darkened, and his sword hand curled into a fist.

— A Game of Thrones, Jon III

These two are the kind of people who care for self-improvement as well. A prime example is with their "fighting skills". Jon fights with a sword and he takes care to practice in the training yard as often as he can. Alyn participates in naval battles so he would be more concerned with perfecting his skills in that regard. In the book, it's noted that Alyn frequented the Citadel and spent his time "poring over ancient charts and studying dusty Valyrian treatises about warship design and tactics for battle at sea".

Even their role as captives can be compared. When Jon was captured by the wildlings, he was forced to prove himself to them: killing people and bedding Ygritte. Something similar happens to Alyn when he's a captive of the Stepstones pirates. In order to avoid being killed himself, Alyn is forced to kill some other prisoners and even provide sexual favours. Both Jon & Alyn are written as having complicated relationships with their captors.

Another curious parallel between the two is the speculation about their sex life. There are rumours about Jon having a sexual relationship with Satin. Comments are made about Jon having bedded Alys Karstark. His closeness with Melisandre is viewed with a suspicious light. As for Alyn, since he managed to have peaceful dealings with Dorne despite it not being part of the Seven Kingdoms at the time of Fire & Blood, there exist rumours that he might have had a sexual relationship with Aliandra Martell in order to gain the friendship of the Dornish.

There might be some other parallels I'm not remembering at this time (I would have to reread Fire & Blood to refresh my memory), but I think GRRM purposely put a great deal of similarities between Jon and Alyn. Tbh, many of the Dance era characters in Fire & Blood can be compared to the characters from the main series, though they are certainly not as complex as those we get in the POV chaptered format of ASOIAF.

[ulises-tarth]

♛ → THE STORMLANDS NEW VALYRIA presents ULISES LAZARUS TARTH, the RULING LORD OF TARTH (SAPPHIRE ISLE). when the dragons danced in the sky they thought the BLACKS would still fly, but in the blink of an eye, they would all die. the THIRTY year old MALE who was INQUISITIVE & PRACTICAL before they saw the first of the flames, is now INSENSITIVE & IMPULSIVE after seeing the last. he’s often associated with the sapphire blue of a united family, an intense mind carried away by his latest interest, and harsh sunburns forever marked across his body. ( Enzo Vogrincic )

GENERAL INFORMATION

NAME: Ulises Lazarus Tarth AGE: Thirty (Born December 9th, 114 AC) STATUS: Ruling Lord OCCUPATION: Ruling Lord of Tarth, the Sapphire Isle MARITAL STATUS: Unmarried CHARACTER ALIGNMENT: Pending MBTI: ISTP (introversion, sensing, thinking, perception) RELIGION: Faith of the Seven

RECENT HOUSE HISTORY:

The ruling lord of Tarth at the time of the Great Council of Harrenhal supported Princess Rhaenys’ claim over anyone else’s.

House Tarth has declared Myr an enemy following a Myrish invasion of the Sapphire Isle in 92 AC. The attack lasted nearly 2 months. Ultimately, House Tarth managed to push them out and executed the leader of the attack and his close followers, making an example of them by displaying their headless corpses, hands tied together holding their own decapitated heads (this sort of display has become a sort of modus operandi for House Tarth when dealing with enemies).

Bryndenmere Tarth, Ulises' late father, was a staunch supporter of the Blacks during the Dance of the Dragons.

House Tarth is on particular good terms with Houses Velaryon and Bean due to past alliances against the Archon of Tyrosh and the Sealord of Braavos back in 133 AC.

BIOGRAPHY:

Ulises Lazarus Tarth was the firstborn son of Lord Bryndenmere and his wife, Lady Catalina, who had delivered a daughter a few years prior. Due to the complicated nature of Ulises’ birth, it was thought his mother would die on the childbed, but fortunately, she recuperated in time and went on to give her husband 5 more children until her passing in 125 AC due to a rare fever.

Ulises was born a healthy boy, but the castle Maester worried, perhaps more prone to superstition than fact, predicting there would always be hardship in the boy’s life that he would barely overcome each time, an only at a great cost. His prediction came because of unusual astronomy signs and the chaotic weather at the time of his birth: an eclipse met with a storm that was carried by the eastern winds and seas.

He grew up a clever and curious boy, paying attention to his classes, training with the sword and shorter blades, and developing a mind that ran a mile a minute with the wish to know more. He didn't wish to learn just for knowledge’s sake, but to test that knowledge and put it to the test in practical ways. This trait of his ended up saving his life later on.

In 132 AC during the Battle of the Gullet, Ulises sailed alongside the Velaryon fleet. In the chaos of the battle, Lord Bryndenmere Tarth perished and Ulises nearly drowned, ending up drifting on the shipwrecked pieces of wood for 39 days. He survived by filtering salt out of ocean water through a method learned from the Maester at home, using sunlight and cloth layers of his shirt. He managed to feed himself on the occasional fish he could catch with a makeshift tool he built with what he had at hand.

Ulises was declared dead and his younger brother succeeded their late father as the new Ruling Lord of Tarth in this time. Ulises managed to return home when a trading ship that had departed from Andalos saw him floating in the middle of the ocean. Upon his return, the title his younger brother had just received was stripped from him and Ulises was named the rightful ruling lord.

He has never talked much to his siblings about what he went through during his time lost at sea, but they all claim Ulises returned a changed man in some way. A man who is more stern, more decisive, perhaps even more cruel and insensitive.

Ulises supported Lord Pearse Caron in his attempt at a revolution when the realm of the Stormlands was annexed to the Crownlands during Queen Daenerys’ rule. Ultimately his support in this was withdrawn when it became clear that Caron was walking into his death.

At present, Ulises is in no way glad that the realm he grew up in is ruled by a Green Targaryen, but out of a protective nature for his family, he’s playing his part and keeping a somewhat low profile. He needs to preserve House Tarth, and fully understand what this kingdom is going to shape up to be before he acts in a manner that may sink his house. Tarths descend from kings, after all, so it’s only right to wait and find the right way in which his family can have a steady and worthy position in this new realm.

CONNECTIONS:

Close allies: House Estermont, House Velaryon, House Dondarrion, House Wylde and House Bean.

Friends: Morgan Wylde, Mariela Egen née Donniger, Daeron Dondarrion, Lucerys Estermont and Nadia Estermont.

[horizon-verizon]

Queen Alysanne’s silvery she-dragon had accepted a second rider, Borros Baratheon pointed out. “Why not a third? Claim the dragon and your crown is secure.” But Aegon II was as yet unable to walk or stand, much less mount and ride a dragon. Nor was His Grace strong enough for a long journey across the realm to Red Lake, through regions infested with traitors, rebels, and broken men. That answer was no answer, plainly. “Not Silverwing,” His Grace declared. “I will have a new Sunfyre, prouder and fiercer than the last.” So ravens were sent to Dragonstone, where the eggs of the Targaryen dragons, some so old they had turned to stone, were kept under guard in undervaults and cellars. The maester there chose seven (in honor of the gods) that he deemed most promising, and sent them to King’s Landing. King Aegon kept them in his own chambers, but none yielded a dragon. Mushroom tells us His Grace sat on a “large purple and gold egg” for a day and a night, hoping to hatch it, “but it had as well been a purple and gold turd for all the good it did.” Grand Maester Orwyle, free of the dungeons and once more adorned with his chain of office, gives us a detailed look inside the restored green council during this troubled time, when fear and suspicion held sway even within the Red Keep. At the very time when unity was most desperately required, the lords around King Aegon II found themselves deeply divided, and unable to agree on how best to deal with the gathering storm. The Sea Snake favored reconciliation, pardon, and peace. Borros Baratheon scorned that course as weakness; he would defeat these traitors in the field, he declared to king and council. All he required was men; Casterly Rock and Oldtown should be commanded to raise fresh armies at once. Ser Tyland Lannister, the blind master of coin, proposed to sail to Lys or Tyrosh and engage one or more sellsword companies (Aegon II did not lack for coin, as Ser Tyland had placed three-quarters of the Crown’s wealth safely in the hands of Casterly Rock, Oldtown, and the Iron Bank of Braavos before Queen Rhaenyra seized the city and the treasury). Lord Velaryon saw such efforts as futile. “We do not have the time. Children sit in the seats of power at Oldtown and Casterly Rock. We will find no more help there. The best free companies are bound by contract to Lys, Myr, or Tyrosh. Even if Ser Tyland could prise them loose, he could not bring them here in time. My ships can keep the Arryns from our door, but who will stop the northmen and the lords of the Trident? They are already on the march. We must make terms. His Grace should absolve them of all their crimes and treasons, proclaim Rhaenyra’s Aegon his heir, and marry him at once to Princess Jaehaera. It is the only way.” The old man’s words fell upon deaf ears, however. Queen Alicent had reluctantly agreed to the betrothal of her granddaughter to Rhaenyra’s son, but she had done so without the king’s consent. Aegon II had other ideas. He wished to marry Cassandra Baratheon at once, for “she will give me strong sons, worthy of the Iron Throne.” Nor would he allow Prince Aegon to wed his daughter, and perhaps sire sons who might muddy the succession. “He can take the black and spend his days at the Wall,” His Grace decreed, “or else give up his manhood and serve me as a eunuch. The choice is his, but he shall have no children. My sister’s line must end.” Even that was thought to be too gentle a course by Ser Tyland Lannister, who argued for the immediate execution of Prince Aegon the Younger. “The boy will remain a threat so long as he draws breath,” Lannister declared. “Remove his head, and these traitors will be left with neither queen nor king nor prince. The sooner he is dead, the sooner this rebellion will end.” His words, and those of the king, horrified Lord Velaryon. The aged Sea Snake, “thunderous in his wroth,” accused king and council of being “fools, liars, and oathbreakers,” and stormed from the chamber.

Fire and Blood, by GRRM, pg 557-559

[jackoshadows]

Favorite Jon Snow quotes. There are so many!

Different Roads sometimes leads to the same castle.

-----------------

We look up at the same stars, and see such different things.

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"The more you give a King, the more he wants. We are walking on a bridge of ice with an abyss on either side. Pleasing one king is difficult enough. Pleasing two is hardly possible."

-----------------

Are you certain that I have not forgotten some? The ones about the king and his laws, and how we must defend every foot of his land and cling to  each ruined castle? How does that part go? [...] I am the shield that guards the realms of men. Those are the words. So tell me, my lord -- what are these wildlings, if not men?

-----------------

They know nothing. And worse, they refuse to learn

------------------

“A chain needs all sorts of metals, and a land needs all sorts of people.The Night’s Watch needs all sorts too. Why else have rangers and stewards and builders? Lord Randyll couldn’t make Sam a warrior, and Ser Alliser won’t either. You can’t hammer tin into iron, no matter how hard you beat it, but that doesn’t mean tin is useless. Why shouldn’t Sam be a steward?”

-----------------

... a road of no particular promise, yet the sight of it filled Jon Snow  with a vast longing. Winterfell was down that road, and beyond it   Riverrun and King's Landing and the Eyrie and so many other places;  Casterly Rock, the Isle of Faces, the Red Mountains of Dorne, the   hundred islands of Braavos in the sea, the smoking ruins of old Valyria.  All the places that Jon would never see. The world was down that road... and he was here.

------------------

Sometimes there is no happy choice, Sam, only one less grievous than the others

-------------------

It had been so long since he had last seen Arya. What would she look   like now? Would he even know her? Arya Underfoot. Her face was always   dirty. Would she still have that little sword he'd had Mikken forge for her? Stick them with the pointy end, he'd told her. Wisdom for her wedding night if half of what he heard of Ramsay Snow was true. Bring her home, Mance. I saved your son from Melisandre, and now I am about to save four thousand of your free folk.You owe me this one little girl.

------------------

“They will garb your brother Robb in silks, satins, and velvets of a hundred  different colors, while you live and die in black ringmail. He will wed some beautiful princess and father sons on her. You’ll have no wife, nor  will you ever hold a child of your own blood in your arms. Robb will  rule, you will serve. Men will call you a crow. Him they’ll call `Your  Grace’. Singers will praise every little thing he does, while your  greatest deeds all go unsung. Tell me that none of this troubles you,  Jon… and I’ll name you a liar, and know I have the truth of it.”

Jon drew himself up, taut as a bowstring “And if it did trouble me, what might I do, bastard as I am?”

“What will you do?” Mormont asked. “Bastard as you are.”

“Be troubled,” said Jon, “and keep my vows.”

-----------------

It took the better part of an hour before the impossible became possible, and another hour before they could agree on terms. The flagon of mulled wine that Satin delivered helped them settle the more  nettlesome points. By the time Jon Snow signed the parchment the Braavosi drew up, both of them were half-drunk and quite unhappy. Jon thought that a good sign.

----------------

The roar was all he could have hoped for, the tumult so loud that the two old shields tumbled from the walls. Soren Shieldbreaker was on his feet, the Wanderer as well. Toregg the Tall, Brogg, Harle the Huntsman and Harle the Handsome both, Ygon Oldfather, Blind Doss, even the Great Walrus. I have my swords, thought Jon Snow, and we are coming for you, Bastard.

[asprettyasyourown]

How do you expect the Hardhome plot to play out in the books? Especially with Arya’s and Faceless men’s investment in the same?

Hi anon. I assume you’re referring to what happened to the wildlings in Hardhome?

(For those who don’t remember, after Mance Ryder’s forces have been defeated south of the Wall by Stannis, some wildlings were led by a wood witch named Mother Mole to Hardhome. She predicted that they would “find salvation where they once found damnation” and had a vision of ships coming to sail them south. However, they didn’t fare so well there, the situation growing so dire they had to eat their own dead while they’re presumably surrounded by wights. Jon sent help to get them out (it’s not well received), but slavers came first. The wildlings, following the prophecy, believed them to be rescuers and sent their women and children to them. Of course the slavers had no intention to do any rescuing and thus roped them up to sell them in Lys. But while they were sailing a huge storm broke: they were separated, one ship ending up in Lys and the other in Braavos.)

Honestly, I think it might very well be the catalyst for Arya to leave the Faceless Men. Of course, there could be other factors as well (learning about Jon’s “death”, maybe meeting Jeyne and have her tell about the shit-show that is the North now), but it might be the breaking point for Arya.

Look, we know our girl doesn’t fare well with the FM. We know she struggles to leave her Northern roots behind when she killed Daeron, a Night’s Watch deserter - something the Starks are entrusted with. With her refusal to give up Needle because it reminds her of home, of family, Jon especially. And ultimately her warging of Nymeria, her other half, who now serves as a link to her identity and her land.

We know she is fiercely protective of the smallfolk and has a strong sense of justice, from Mycah to Weasel and Gendry and Hot Pie, or when she defended Sam against the braavosi who were looking to rob him. We know she loves them and being around them, like when she used to sit at her father’s side and listen to the travelers coming to Winterfell, how she likes learning about Braavos’ culture and people (though one can argue it is part of her training, I do think she genuinely loves doing it).

We know she struggles to adapt to the neutral stance of the Many-Faced God, since she had to convinces herself to kill her first target (the old insurance guy who was conning people) by thinking he was a bad man who deserved it, or when she exclaimed that the masters should have been the ones to die instead of the slaves when the Kindly Man told her about the story of Braavos.

So when she learns that a ship full of of wildlings women and children (Northern roots) are being held to be sold as slaves (sense of justice, love of people), she will want to help them (can’t hold a neutral stance). It’s in her core. I don’t see a situation that could draw Arya more than this one.

My guess is that she will beg the FM to intervene, or at least let her intervene. I see her trying to play into Braavos and the FM’s creation (by slaves who rebelled against their oppressors) to appeal to the Kindly Man. But he will refuse her because he’s a little bitch because the FM are neutral and rescuing them would mean taking lives that were not meant to be taken blah blah blah. This will be when Arya finally realizes that the Faceless Men are full of shit, and leaves for good.

(Btw, this would make a nice parallel to her begging Jaqen to help her escape with Gendry and Hot Pie, but in this case Arya doesn’t have any leverage against the Kindly Man - she can’t really blackmail him, it would backfire spectacularly - so she just says “fuck it” and leaves to do it herself, since apparently she has to do everything around here.)

Now how she would free the wildlings is a bit trickier. Arya is still a very young girl after all. Contrary to Dany, she doesn’t have an army or dragons - yet - so she can’t just barge in the ship, kill the slavers and take off. I mean, it would technically be possible, but the afterward logistics would be a problem (how would she feed such a big number of people? How would she get them back across the Narrow Sea? etc). So I have two theories.

One is that Arya’s wildlings join Dany’s Dothraki/Unsullied/etc and they all come back to Westeros together. But while Arya will definitively meet Dany and team up with her (there’s too many foreshadowings to be any way else), the logistics of their meeting is a bit hazardous to me, at least for now. Meereen is a long way from Braavos after all. Maybe if both crowds are travelling towards Westeros and somewhere on the journey they run into each other…? It’s a possibility, but I think the timeline would conflict. Dany still has to deal with the shit-show that is Meereen right now, and it’s not something that will be resolved in one chapter. I guess the Meereen storyline could be tied by the time Arya cut ties with the Faceless Men, but even if it did, Dany and her people still have a long way to get to Braavos/Arya. How is Arya going to feed her people by the time they get to her? So while this theory could technically happen, I doubt it will.

My second theory involves the Iron Bank. I saw a great theory (can’t remember where, if anyone has a link please give it to me!) that the killing of Raff the Sweetling in the TWOW Mercy chapter was actually orchestrated by the Iron Bank. They paid the Faceless Men to make it appear like Raff was the one who killed Mercy (believable, since Raff is a known rapist and no one would think that such a young silly girl could take down a grown soldier). When Braavos will learn that an official from Westeros killed a sweet young actress after possibly raping her, it will cause an uproar and finally give the Iron Bank an excuse to cut ties with the Iron Throne and engage in martial repercussions to pay for the huge debt the crown owns them (and probably to have a better stranglehold on Westeros). So that would mean Arya didn’t actually went rogue (except when she said “Think so?”, but the FM has very little chance to hear about that), and it creates a link between Arya and the Iron Bank through the Faceless Men.

Now I think the Kindly Man very much expects Arya to leave the House of Black and White one day. He knows she can’t bring herself to erase her identity, and thus will never be a true Faceless Woman. But he also knows how valuable Arya Stark is, as the (apparent) sole successor of the North’s throne. And since he works with (for?) the Iron Bank, I wouldn’t be surprised if he told them who she is. To the Iron Bank, this would represent an incredible opportunity: get hold of the Six Kingdoms through the crown’s debt AND the North through Arya.

So once Arya leaves the FM, I can see them stepping in to offer their help with the rescuing of the wildlings, kind of like Illyrio helped Dany for the promise of Viserys paying him back once he gets on the Iron Throne, or like the Manderlys are trying to do with Rickon. They could offer food and shelter and means to go back to Westeros, thus creating a debt Arya would have to pay once she regains her place as the North’s heir. It would also explain why the Kindly Man would let her leave the HOBAW unharmed while she knows so many of their secrets, because she would still be working for him technically - as a pawn.

(Of course, this plan would fall short since Arya is not actually the only Stark alive, and she isn’t next in succession. I mean, she does have a lot of foreshadowing of ending Queen, but that’s another topic. I also doubt Arya would let herself be manipulated like this, or that the other Northern lords (and siblings) would be fine with that.)

In terms of narrative, I think it makes sense. For someone with such a large amount of leadership qualities, foreshadowings and experiences, she has been surprisingly removed from anything political (well, not as much removed than a bystander). I mean, Robb was King in the North, Jon Commander of the Night’s Watch, Bran is the Prince of Winterfell, Sansa has Littlefinger trying to make her queen from the Vale and Rickon has the Manderlys working to put him on the North’s throne. Every Stark kid has had people working to place them in positions of power and back in Winterfell (some with good intentions, some not), except for Arya. Yet she actually proved she would be a great leader. I think the Iron Bank could very much play this role in Arya’s storyline.

Anyway, here’s my (very long) answer. I hope this is what you expected!

[thereisnothingforyouhere]

GAME OF THRONES MAKES ITS DEBUT TO CRITICAL ACCLAIM

Vivienne Nestoris | 4.3.1492 Season 1 of the hotly-anticipated historical drama Game of Thrones premiered yesterday on AWN, and immediately smashed a ratings record, rallying almost 12.1 million discrete viewers… ----- Posted by bamburn-diggs at 14:39 on 5.3.1492 Hey internet! It’s me, Diggs, and we’re going to be watching the first episode of AWN’s flagship project, Game of Thrones. Now the studio execs over at the All-Westeros Network have staked millions of stars on the success of this programme, and if you ask me, I think it’s going to pay off in a tremendous way. AWN has made a name for itself with a lot of decent - though not spectacular - offerings over the past few years, but with Game of Thrones it seems to be really coming into its own. Game of Thrones is the first TV show to cover the period of the Second Long Night on camera with modern filming techniques such as CGI and motion-capture. It’s also the first TV show to utilize both giants and dragons as models for the filming - a highly ambitious proposition, and definitely expensive as all hell. An ambitious budget for an ambitious show, indeed. Our story starts at Winterfell, and was filmed on location. In fact, I believe that Game of Thrones’ insistence on on-location filming will pay dividends - the atmosphere in those places is almost palpable. The walls of Winterfell have history behind them, and I can’t wait for when the show gets to the Old Landing. The first people whom we are introduced to is the Stark family - the distant ancestors of the current heads of state of the North. Now, here’s another incredible thing which the casting directors got right - carbon dating and historical accounts from the time of the Second Long Night tells us that most of the Stark family actually had auburn hair, rather than the brown manes which we are so accustomed to seeing. Previous films focusing on the Second Long Night (Kissed by Fire, anyone?) have caught some flack from an audience increasingly concerned with historical accuracy - but no such accusations can be levelled at this production. Fully five out of eight people in the Stark family have auburn hair - the matriarch, Catelyn Tully (House Tully was almost extinguished by the Second Long Night and went extinct a few centuries later), Robb (Robert) Stark, Sansa Stark, Bran (Brandon) Stark and Rickon Stark. (And yes, I am counting Jon Snow as part of the family.) (The most incredible thing about the casting is that they actually have an honest-to-gods Stark (as in, a Stark in real life) acting in the production. Lyanna Stark plays Arya Stark, the nine-year-old third child of Eddard Stark and Catelyn Tully. She’s currently studying at the Winterton School of the Arts.) But enough yapping, let’s get right into it… #gameofthrones #stark #winterfell #lyanna-stark #westeros #second-long-night #AWN 493,583 notes ----- Posted by wildling-queen at 02:39 on 8.3.1492 okay guys is it me or is robb stark FUCKIGN HOT #robb #stark #is #a #DREAMBOAT 69,490 notes ----- A LEGACY OF COLONIALISM ON THE IRON ISLANDS Jaesica Wormwood | Writer, editor, crazy cat lady - find me at jwormwood.com! It’s never truly silent on Pyke. Though the island has long been subsumed by decades of land reclamation - both prototypical and literal - there are still seams where the imported sand and soil doesn’t truly take. The Holt government - almost three decades ago - decided to build canals out of these muddy, fast-moving gashes in the ground, the remnants of the ocean that dared to divide Pelagians from one another for so long. Now, pleasure boats and small cargo ships ply their trade on these routes, Braavos on a far grander scale. And yet… the aesthetic is completely different. Braavos embraces freedom. Pelagia - or the Iron Islands, to use its historical, heavily loaded name - on the other hand - does not, even though it does a very good job of pretending to. Did you know that the term used by folk the world over for the lands on the western shore of the Sunset Sea - Thrayk - means “land of thralls”? The Ironborn - Pelagians to you and I - considered these thralls slaves in all but name. They farmed and mined, and were captured by raiding. If you’re in Lordsport or Westerton, look at the cobblestones beneath your feet. Look at the seaside churches of the Drowned God. Quaint, aren’t they? But they were built by slave labour. Over the course of their long, ignominious occupation of Thrayk, the Ironborn stole thousands of “thralls” from their shores. Thousands of blameless folk were shoved into the grinder and put to work developing the industries of the Iron Islands, building the ships and weaving the tapestries that the Ironborn would later sell to merchants from mainland Westeros. As part of their on-again, off-again programme of ethnic cleansing on Klandaw (formerly known as the Arbor) and Greytyde (formerly known as Bear Island), thralls were imported onto those lands to demographically overwhelm the resident population. How did the Ironborn keep these people under control? The same way any slaveholding population does. As in Volantis, as in Meereen, as in Astapor, they used a mixture of terror and spare rewards to win their slavering loyalty. Volantis has apologized and paid reparations; so has Meereen and Astapor, and countless others on this side of the Narrow Sea. Yet the Iron Islands has done none of that. The thralls were granted citizenship in a quiet, discreet legislative session two centuries ago; and no more was said. When Thrayk finally cast off the shackles of Ironborn occupation, Pyke resorted to more subtle means; corporations and tax codes, residency agreements and investments. Thrayk may be free, yes; but its minerals, its agriculture, its industry - those belong to the Ironborn. Pyke may be bustling and loud and alive, but in all the ways that matter, it is silent as the grave. 594 Claps | 32 Responses ----- A CRUISE THROUGH OLD VALYRIA | 8D7N Day 1: Meet your tour guide at Blackwater Airport and embark on a ten-hour journey over the Narrow Sea, and then the Summer Sea. We will land in Alontis at roughly 13:50 Volantis time. From there, we will begin our adventure with famed tourism company Smoking Seas, boarding the ship of your dreams - Swan 765. Swan 765 contains all the amenities you could possibly want - a movie theatre, a library and 24/7 Wi-Fi access, plus loanable laptops for all your personal needs. Do remember to wear protective gear when you leave the ship - the atmosphere in Valyria is highly toxic and spending more than one hour without a decent suit may give you an infection of the lungs. Day 2: By this time, we would have reached the Smoking Sea proper. We will spend the day exploring the westernmost island in the Valyrian archipelago, provisionally named Major Island 1. At noon, we shall stop over at a research outpost located on the western end of the island to eat a sumptuous lunch of boiled fish and sheepshead curry - old Valyrian cuisine from when the dragonlords were but sheepherders in the mountains. At night, feel free to tour the museums of Velaryton to understand a bit more about the dragonlords and their culture. Day 3: Velaryton is yours for the day. We shall visit the ruins of old Virturion, where the Valyrians conducted their most secretive research projects, followed by a light-show held by the locals. There, you will see one of the last remaining dragons in the world - Balerion, the Red Dread. Domesticated by his trainer, Melony Moors - daughter of the late Gunstram Moors - Balerion has lived for over five hundred years and shows no sign of slowing down. Day 4: We will reach Major Island 2, the centerpiece of old Valyria, and immediately move inland to the city of Valyria. Valyria has been rebuilt somewhat, but the urban population remains far smaller than it was before the Doom; therefore, the rest of the city has a profoundly historical atmosphere. In the evening, we will stay at the Smoky Mountain Resort before embarking on a tour through the Magical Kingdom, built by the famed Zo Disnaq Company. Day 5: The Magical Kingdom awaits. The theme park contains the largest concentration of dragons in the world as well as award-winning magicians. Visit the greyscale enclosure, where victims of the long-eradicated disease remain in their impenetrable shells. Visit the Chambers, where re-enactors and students of old Valyria play out the great dramas of that bygone age. While walking the atmospherically controlled streets of Syrax, one of the hottest neighbourhoods in the city, you might meet one of the lords freeholder on a day out on the town. For dinner, we will eat at Morghon’s Munchies, where you will get a taste of old Valyrian butchery. Day 6: Say goodbye to the Magical Kingdom as we set off for Major Island 3. Wild dragons are still present in the untameable climate of Major Island 3, with only one major scientific outpost. Passengers are recommended to stay indoors. Day 7: We emerge into the Gulf of Grief and dock at Velos on the Isle of Cedars. Velos houses a splendid factory outlet on its outskirts containing top-notch brands from across Essos, including famed Volantene shoe brand Volentino and noted grunge-chic label Posh Dosh from the Grasslands Republic. You will have the run of the outlets until the evening; for those who don’t shop, fear not! Guided tours around the city are also available, and Velosi pork is considered among the best in the world. We will set off for Blackwater Airport as night falls. Day 8: We will arrive at Blackwater Airport in the late morning. See you again soon!

[lyannas]

I was talking with @bitchfromtheseventhhell about how Jon is hyperaware of social status and acts accordingly, even at the Wall. This rings especially true in his relationships with women. With women of higher or stronger social status than him, Jon is respectful, defers to them, and doesn't presume to rule them. This is true for his relationships with Catelyn, Val, Selyse, Alys, Sansa, Arya and even Ygritte who despite being a wildling, had known her in context where she wielded significant social power over him (Jon was the outsider who had to prove himself; Ygritte was trusted by the wildlings without question). He tends to offer them terms that benefits them and doesn't step on their toes. In other words, he doesn't try to rule them. In Ygritte's case, he does ultimately "betray" her, after being forced into a relationship with her for the sake of his survival, but it's an action that haunts him after.

In fact, there's really only one prominent female character in Jon's story that is of a lower social standing than him, and that's Gilly post her flight from Craster.

She is also the one that's dealt one of Jon's cruelest actions in his entire story. When Mance Rayder's baby was set to be burned in Melisandre's ritual, Jon decided to secretly swap out the baby for Gilly's. When you read how Jon speaks with her in Jon II of ADWD, it’s that of a decidedly cruel tone. Throughout their talk he does not ask her to do things; he commands her. In fact, he prefaces the conversation on this note:

“I have something hard to tell you.” He almost said ask, but caught himself at the last instant.

When Gilly offers to take both children, Jon makes it clear in no uncertain terms that she is to take only one, and leave her own child behind, and makes threats as well:

Jon closed the fingers of his sword hand. “Take both boys and the queen’s men will ride after you and drag you back. The boy will still burn … and you with him.” If I comfort her, she may think that tears can move me. She has to realize that I will not yield. “You’ll take one boy, and that one Dalla’s.”

“You will make a crow of him.” She wiped at her tears with the back of a small pale hand. “I won’t. I won’t.”

Kill the boy, thought Jon. “You will. Else I promise you, the day that they burn Dalla’s boy, yours will die as well.”

He even makes her touch a candle flame so she’s full aware of how terrible a death by burning will be:

“Men say that freezing to death is almost peaceful. Fire, though … do you see the candle, Gilly?”

She looked at the flame. “Yes.”

“Touch it. Put your hand over the flame.”

Her big brown eyes grew bigger still. She did not move. “Do it.” Kill the boy. “Now.”

Trembling, the girl reached out her hand, held it well above the flickering candle flame.

“Down. Let it kiss you.”

Gilly lowered her hand. An inch. Another. When the flame licked her flesh, she snatched her hand back and began to sob.

“Fire is a cruel way to die. Dalla died to give this child life, but you have nourished him, cherished him. You saved your own boy from the ice. Now save hers from the fire.”

There is no attempt at comfort here, no attempt to be nice. He openly threatens her and her child, and forces her to abandon her son in order to protect Mance’s. Gilly submits to this, because she has no choice. We see later through Sam’s chapters that she becomes overwhelmed with grief at leaving her child behind, unsure of his fate, and spent most of her trip with Sam crying and aggrieved.

When Sam learns of what Jon did, he is shocked and upset by it:

“Sam,” the old man whispered, “you have two good eyes, and yet you do not see. She is a mother grieving for her child.”

“He’s greensick, that’s all. We’re all greensick. Once we make port in Braavos...”

“... the babe will still be Dalla’s son, and not the child of her body.”

It took Sam a moment to grasp what Aemon was suggesting. “That couldn’t... she wouldn’t... of course he’s hers. Gilly would never have left the Wall without her son. She loves him.”

“She nursed them both and loved them both,” said Aemon, “but not alike. No mother loves all her children the same, not even the Mother Above. Gilly did not leave the child willingly, I am certain. What threats the Lord Commander made, what promises, I can only guess... but threats and promises there surely were.”

“No. No, that’s wrong. Jon would never...”

“Jon would never. Lord Snow did. Sometimes there is no happy choice, Sam, only one less grievous than the others.”

No happy choice. Sam thought of all the trials that he and Gilly suffered, Craster’s Keep and the death of the Old Bear, snow and ice and freezing winds, days and days and days of walking, the wights at Whitetree, Coldhands and the tree of ravens, the Wall, the Wall, the Wall, the Black Gate beneath the earth. What had it all been for? No happy choices and no happy endings.

He wanted to scream. He wanted to howl and sob and shake and curl up in a little ball and whimper. He switched the babes, he told himself. He switched the babes to protect the little prince, to keep him away from Lady Melisandre’s fires, away from her red god. If she burns Gilly’s boy, who will care? No one but Gilly. He was only Craster’s whelp, an abomination born of incest, not the son of the King-beyond-the-Wall. He’s no good for a hostage, no good for a sacrifice, no good for anything, he doesn’t even have a name.

Wordless, Sam staggered up onto the deck to retch, but there was nothing in his belly to bring up. Night had come upon them, a strange still night such as they had not seen for many days. The sea was black as glass. At the oars, the rowers rested. One or two were sleeping where they sat. The wind was in the sails, and to the north Sam could even see a scattering of stars, and the red wanderer the free folk called the Thief. That ought to be my star, Sam thought miserably. I helped to make Jon Lord Commander, and I brought him Gilly and the babe. There are no happy endings.

Sam, who loves Jon, sees quite clearly the cruelty in his actions to punch down at a girl who had been through so much, and would be unable to refuse him. Of course, Jon was not always this unkind to Gilly. While at Craster’s, he was polite and kind to her, told her her name was pretty, and even pitied her. The situation at the time was Jon as Craster’s guest, and Craster had made it clear that the men of the Night’s Watch were not to speak to his daughters.

So perhaps instead of insisting that Jon is good to women, let’s be more clear and say that Jon is good to women who wield more social power than him.

[beyondmistland]

Westerosi Worldbuilding Wednesday: Hidden History of the Vale: Lost Lore (Part IV)

 Letter #33: When Raventree Hall was on the cusp of reuniting the Riverlands after House Justman fell, Prince Hugo made his own bid for the crown "in defense of the Holy Faith" only to be defeated by Torrence Teague and his sellswords at the Battle of Seagard. (In order to forget this failure the prince then began to drown himself in wine and flesh. As a result, he is known in the histories as Hugo (II) the Horrible. When his son, Jon (VI) the Righteous, donned the Falcon Crown after him his first edict was to outlaw prostitution in the Vale.)

 Letter #34: Whenever the Teagues fell from power House Arryn was always the first to invade the Riverlands in the name of "restoring the Seven's Peace". Indeed, no less than fourteen Falcon Kings have died on the banks of the Trident, including Rodrik I, Jon XII, Oswin IX, Mathos X, Ronnel VIII, Oswell III, Hubert VI, and Alester V.

 Letter #35: Hugh II was the first Westerosi king to take a loan from the Iron Bank of Braavos, which he put to use rebuilding the royal fleet after it was decimated by winter storms.

 Letter #36: Robin VIII lost ten thousand men trying to conquer Crackclaw Point in the aftermath of the Forgotten War.

 Letter #37: When Arlan III passed away House Arryn began to secretly sponsor rebels in the Riverlands until its attention was turned inward by the outbreak of the War of the Five Falcons, the most destructive conflict in the history of the Vale, whose origins can be traced back to the reign of Denys (III) the Bright Falcon. (Denys II perished alongside his Riverlander allies at the Battle of Maidenpool when Robert V's twenty thousand archers seized the high ground to devastating effect.)

 Letter #38: The most beloved of the Falcon Kings, Denys III had devoted most of his thirty years on the throne to increasing trade with Braavos and Lorath, a time known in the Vale till now as the Good Peace despite the succession crisis that then plagued the crown for though Denys III had been wed no less than six times none of his queens had ever conceived an heir, leaving much of the royal court quite nervous for the king had not been young when he took his father's place. As a result, when his seventh (and last) wife, Jeyne Corbray, was revealed to be with child, the Vale's relief was palpable. Indeed, to hear the tales, so overwhelmed was the old king by the news that he died on the spot. Regardless of the specific details however it is known for a certainty that Denys did not live to witness the birth of his only child, which was upon his death immediately crowned despite still being in its mother's womb. Consequently, when the dowager queen gave birth not to a boy but a girl there was much disappointment and grumbling though out of respect for the late king she was named his successor, with Lord Emmett Royce, Lady Teora Tollett, and Septon Barth serving as her regents. (This Barth should not be confused with the latter Hand of the King to Jaehaerys I Targaryen, who lived over a century later.)

 Letter #39: Thus began the reign of Jeyne (I) Godsgift, who continued the peace begun under her father but sowed the seeds for war as well when she made the disastrous decision to take an exiled Stark prince for her consort, leading no less than four supernumerary lines of House Arryn to reject the ascension of her son, Artys XII, who they declared had no right to rule the Vale on account of his northern blood. (To make matters worse for Artys XII his father had been both a fervent follower of the Old Gods and the result of a polygamous marriage.) 

 Letter #40: How many died over the nineteen years of death and destruction that then followed cannot possibly be estimated. The coastal defenses were left to rot and the manning of the Bloody Gate neglected, allowing mountain clansmen as well as recalcitrant Sistermen to raid the Vale with impunity. Worse, the Pentoshi seized upon the chaos to take control of more than a dozen islands, including the Paps, Pebble, and Witch Isle. In the end the violence stopped only when Artys XII abdicated in favor of his son, Elbert V, who was betrothed to a Grafton as part of the terms for peace.

 Letter #41: Over the course of his twenty-six year reign Elbert V worked tirelessly to heal the wounds left behind by the War of the Five Falcons, with his son, Elbert VI, finishing the job by expelling the Pentoshi from his shores once and for all with the help of a Braavosi fleet hired using monies lent by the Iron Bank.

 Letter #42: Throughout history the kings of House Arryn have looked west to the Trident for gold and glory but Osgood IX was a very different sort of man compared to his forebears for he dreamed of conquest in the east. As long as Valyria stood tall and proud upon its peninsula, however, such ambitions were unattainable, particularly given the fiery lesson taught to the Vale when it had attempted to conquer Pentos under Donnel II in response to the depredations of its slavers. As a result, when the Doom came to Valyria late in his reign the old king did not take long to make his move, sending riders to all the major towns and castles of Westeros calling for a Holy War. The objective? Nothing less than the reconquest of Andalos, where the Seven had walked among mortal men in human form. Unfortunately for the Grey Falcon, his call to arms went unanswered, not least because the High Septon refused to endorse him. Despite this setback Osgood IX did not waver in his designs and to that end forged an alliance with Braavos as well as Lorath based on their mutual hatred of slavery, which, in turn, led the Pentoshi to run afoul of the Titan's wrath when they attempted to take the Bastard Daughter of Valyria out of the fighting before Osgood IX's ships could cross the Narrow Sea. The rest of the Grey Falcon's reign as well as those of his son and grandson (Hugo III and Jonos X) were times of constant war as men journeyed east to die for the Seven in droves...until the aggression of Halleck Hoare forced the Falcon Kings to turn their gaze homeward but even then the Grey Falcon's dream lingered amongst his people. Thus, Roland VIII's famous decision to allow Maesters into the Vale for the first time since the reign of Artys I fooled no one with regards to its intention...including the High Septon. (As an aside I should mention that Braavos once had three Titans but by the time of Lomas Longstrider two had been destroyed repelling attacks by Sarnor and Ibben, both of which were allies of Pentos.)

As always, share, comment, and critique.

[obsidianarchives]

Game of Thrones Recap: S7E3 - "The Queen's Justice"

So Sunday we got episode 3 of the latest season of Game of Thrones, firmly moving us to the middle of the season. This episode was bittersweet to me, both in tone and execution, and I felt that while I liked some parts of the episode, others were frustrating to me. Generally, this season has been good but in comparison to the last season it has so far been lukewarm. Of course, I say this knowing that the next four episodes could blow my mind and leave me with ALL the feelings so I’m willing to wait patiently for that. A LOT happened in this episode so I’m just going to get into it.

Dragonstone

Jon and Davos arrive in Dragonstone making it the first time Jon has gone south, the first time he and Tyrion have seen each other since Season 1, and the first time Davos has been back to Dragonstone since Stannis left to go North. We also get, of course, as Melisandre puts it, “ice and fire together” in Jon and Daenerys’ meeting. One thing I love about the show wrapping up is that we are finally getting characters together who have been existing in the same universe but have never seen each other before this. Of course, this makes for interesting interactions as some of the personalities of characters we love end up clashing. It was clear this meeting wasn’t going to go as well as Jon had hoped the moment Missandei had Jon and Davos hand over their weapons, which made me nervous given the Stark history in the South, though Jon doesn’t seem too outwardly nervous saying that while this is true, he isn’t a Stark. Of course he means that he’s a Snow, but this is only one of a couple of hints to Jon’s Targaryen parentage and I can’t wait for that official reveal to everyone other than Bran.

As I mentioned before, Melisandre is still at Dragonstone, but she’s smart in that she doesn’t go to meet Jon and Davos - even if she didn’t go back North Davos would have definitely killed her. Varys comes up to Mel’s cliff to taunt her, but Melisandre seems to be done with the Game as far as her ambitions go. At this point it seems that she’s realized her mistakes and feels remorse, and though I still don’t trust the reason for her remorse I do believe it’s genuine. She still believes she has a role to play however, and announces that she will be going to Volantis. Varys basically threatens her, telling her not to come back but Mel says that she will return, that she is doomed to die in Westeros, as is Varys. Clearly Varys is shook, but I’m more curious about what is in Volantis. Could a certain king’s bastard have rowed his way all the way to the oldest Free City?

Meanwhile, Jon and Daenerys officially meet in a scene that has them both at peak Stark and Targaryen, respectively. There is immediate tension in the throne room not only because Jon is claims himself to be King in the North but also because of the recent bloody history between the Starks and Targaryens. Dany goes off about Jon breaking faith with the Targaryens and Jon rightfully points out that her own father started Part 1 of Starks Dying In The South when he burned his grandfather Rickard and uncle Brandon alive, after her brother Rhaegar (allegedly) stole his “aunt” Lyanna away. Dany immediately backtracks, asking for forgiveness for her father’s crimes, but this demonstrated her personal flaw: she always starts too big. She claims her familial titles and rights before taking responsibility for her family’s actions. Even with her apology, she doesn’t back down, telling Jon she will name him Warden of the North if he revokes his title. However, Jon has been with the wildlings too long to kneel all willy-nilly to anyone claiming the right to the Iron Throne. He mainly refuses because he clearly doesn’t want to bring his men south when there is a real threat from the north, and he explains to Dany and Tyrion about the Night King. While I’m not surprised that they don’t initially believe him, it was frustrating to watch Dany do what all the southern lords do - worry more about power than literal ice zombies coming to turn everyone else into ice zombies. Davos - who was dethroned as the greatest hype man in Westeros by Missandei - puts it best saying that she will be “ruling over a graveyard if [they] don’t defeat the Night King.”

Later, Tyrion speaks with Jon, who it seems he actually does believe about their impending icy doom - mainly because he trusts that Jon wouldn’t lie. It’s great that Jon has someone at Dragonstone on his side, but it isn’t clear what can be done about convincing Dany or anyone else who doesn’t personally know Jon and who can vouch for his honesty. Tyrion councils Jon as he councils Dany telling Jon to ask for something more reasonable and while my mind immediately jumped to marriage (because it’s clearly the only option for this alliance to work) Jon brings up the dragonglass buried under the castle. Tyrion relays this request to Dany, who is not only worrying about the recent blow to her navy, but is still wondering about Davos’s earlier slip about Jon’s death. Either way, Dany tells Jon that she will allow him to mine the dragonglass and they get a less-tense moment to speak with each other. I can tell that the two of them are going to grow to like and respect each other but at this point they are at a stalemate over the North and it wouldn’t be smart for Dany to go there to fight, especially with the whitewalkers coming. It really seems like the only way for her to sew the North back into the rest of the Seven Kingdoms is for them to get married, which will probably be even more necessary when Bran announces that Jon is actually a Targaryen and has a stronger claim to the Iron Throne than Dany does.

Dany thinks it would be a good idea to take her dragons to burn Euron’s Iron Fleet, but Tyrion shoots her down saying it’s too dangerous for her to do it alone which means SHE NEEDS TWO MORE DRAGON RIDERS BECAUSE THE DRAGON HAS THREE HEADS. Anyway, the Unsullied will be at Casterly Rock soon so he says they should wait for that to happen first.

The Narrow Sea

Meanwhile, in the Narrow Sea, Theon must be blessed and highly favored by the Drowned God because he still isn’t dead. I’m not really sure what they’re doing with his storyline at this point. I thought he would at least get some kind of real redemption arc, but like other characters I will mention later it kind of feels like the writers have forgotten about him. Like I said in the previous recap, the Greyjoy storyline isn’t really all that intriguing anymore and has been one of the weakest ever since the Boltons took Winterfell from Theon. But who knows, maybe he’ll be of use in the final ten episodes.

King's Landing

Speaking of the only other Greyjoy being given a semblance of a storyline, Euron arrives to King’s Landing dragging Yara and the Sand Snakes behind him. He arrives to the love of the people of King’s Landing, which I thought was interesting given that he’s on Cersei’s side. I would think that after the Sept of Baelor they would hate Cersei more than ever, though I would understand a healthy dose of fear. In my head it would make more sense for them to be silent, terrified of what Queen Cersei could do to them, not cheering for her ally as he brought in captured members of the Targaryen army. Euron is enjoying every minute of it - he’s really jovial and finds humor in everything, especially his continued pissing contest with Jaime. And again while I know we’re only three episodes in I’m having a hard time finding him more horrible than Ramsay and Joffrey just because he is a formidable opponent on the sea. So far he hasn’t done anything more horrible than anyone else in this show and other than his Jack Sparrow-like demeanor I don’t see anything different in him. After hyping him up I’m pretty underwhelmed by him.

One thing I did notice is that while he presents Ellaria and Tyene to Cersei, he keeps Yara for himself - which could be potentially problematic to say the least. After bringing Cersei the last two Sand Snakes as a gift, he reiterates his marriage proposal and Cersei agrees that they can marry once they win the war.  Down in the dungeons, she poisons Tyene in the same way that Ellaria poisoned Myrcella and condemns Ellaria to watching her daughter die and then rot, showing that she is still grieving for Myrcella in a way that she isn’t for Tommen, and that she is still the most sadistic character out. While in terms of Cersei’s storyline this is a badass moment and it’s great that she gets to get her revenge, in terms of the Dorne storyline this is more than disappointing. Again we see this show hold up it’s white female characters more than their female characters of color, and we honestly should’ve seen it coming when they elected to not include Arianne Martell in the show at all. The Sand Snakes started off so strong, ready to take revenge for Oberyn’s death, and by having Ellaria killed Doran Martell the writers made it seem like they would be a real threat. Instead, we didn’t see them for another eight episodes and then they were agreeing to become soldiers for Daenerys. I would have rathered Ellaria and the Sand Snakes become larger threats to Cersei but instead they fizzled out in a way that felt wrong.

Cersei is later called to a meeting with a representative from the Iron Bank of Braavos and I had to overlook my own annoyance with Mark Gatiss. The Lannisters owe the Iron Bank a huge amount of debt and they are coming to collect. Cersei assures them she will pay because she’s a Lannister and you know what they’re known for. In order to convince the Iron Bank to stay on her side and not defect to Dany’s side (although didn’t they already defect to Stannis’s side?), Cersei brings up Dany’s crusade against slavery in Essos and how the Iron Bank must have lost a lot of money in that investment. It works for plot because it allows Cersei some time to get her stuff together, but canonically it makes no sense because this is the Iron Bank of BRAAVOS, a city that overthrew their Valyrian masters and that is made up entirely of descendants of ex-slaves. While the Free City of Volantis still has slavery and invests in it, Braavos resolutely does not, and that comment from Cersei is indicative of what feels like sloppiness in the writers’ haste to wrap up the show. Either way, Cersei has two weeks to pay the Iron Bank back or they will invest in someone else.

Winterfell

Up north in Winterfell, Sansa is preparing the castle for winter. As she walks around giving commands we get to see what she’s learned about ruling, both from her parents and Cersei. Of course Littlefinger won’t go away even though she’s clearly tired of him. He counsels her to look south instead of north but FAM THERE ARE LITERAL DEAD PEOPLE RISING FROM THE SNOW PLEASE LEAVE. He tells her that he knows Cersei better than anyone in Winterfell, to which Sansa rightfully claps back at but at this point just banish this dude please. Littlefinger then begins droning on about fighting every battle all the time in your mind and enemies are friends and see the future and past at the same time and these are all nice sentiments when the Night King isn’t marching on the Wall.

Anyway we get to leave that sorry excuse for a human being for ANOTHER STARK REUNION! Bran has finally made it to Winterfell and while Sansa is extremely happy to see him, apparently that travel from Uncle Benjen to Winterfell has turned Bran into an old man. While I know he is the three-eyed raven now, he seems nothing like the Bran of even last season. I suppose the last time we saw him he was discovering Jon’s true parentage (which he even hints at when he says he needs to speak with Jon!!!) but who knows what else he’s seen since then. It’s completely possible that it has changed him OR that the writers no longer care about consistency and just need the characters as a means to an end. Sansa brings up the fact that Bran is technically Lord of Winterfell, but Bran let’s her know that he can’t be because he’s the three-eyed raven and can literally do whatever it was Littlefinger was talking about. Sansa is confused and rightfully so - Bran keeps telling her it’s hard to explain when it really isn’t, and it’s interesting again to see siblings reunite and clearly be so much different than the last time they saw each other. There was only one moment I didn’t appreciate during their reunion - in order to demonstrate how he can see everything, Bran brings up Sansa’s wedding to Ramsay. He brings it up under the guise of being sorry, but it felt more like he was bringing up her trauma to prove a point, which no.

Oldtown

Down in Oldtown it looks like Sam has cured Jorah, or at least made the grayscale dormant. Archmaester Ebrose examines him and he and Sam try to act like it was a miracle, which was pretty weak but funny. I still feel like we need a second opinion before we let Jorah loose on the world and potentially infect all of Westeros, and I’m a little annoyed that this means we’re getting more of him but whatever. Like Ebrose, I’m also curious how Sam was able to cure him when other maesters were not - he says he just read the book but even the person who wrote the book failed at getting rid of the grayscale and contracted it himself so I’m not sure what to believe. Ebrose scolds Sam in a very Dumbledore way and I almost expected him to award 100 points to Ravenclaw, but instead Sam got detention and has to copy damaged books, which may come in useful later. I do wish we could get more of the Citadel, but I have my priorities together and know that when the Night King comes he’s not going to care about how much I like books and magic and Hogwarts-like institutions. CONSTANT VIGILANCE.

Casterly Rock

We finally get to see Casterly Rock! Tyrion narrates their plan to take the Lannister keep from Dragonstone and it’s intercut with the scenes of the Unsullied taking over. I had a small issue in that Casterly Rock doesn’t look much like the book version, which was literally a large cliff hollowed out to make room for people. It wasn’t a huge deal but it did make the castle seem less impressive in my eyes. Still, because of Tyrion’s work in the sewers as a kid, the Unsullied are able to sneak into the castle and take it. However, the castle wasn’t manned with as many Lannister men as expected and it becomes clear that it was a trap as Euron comes up from behind and burns all of their ships, stranding them there. What seemed like a great plan last episode is blowing up in Dany’s face.

Highgarden

I didn’t think we were going to get Highgarden in this episode at all and so that was a nice surprise even though it too wasn’t what I expected it to be. While the Unsullied are walking into a trap at Casterly Rock, Jaime is on the march with the rest of the Lannister men, the Tarlys, and Bronn. The Lannisters cut through the Tyrell army and Jaime goes to Olenna in her chambers. She is clearly resigned to her fate and knew she would lose the minute the Lannisters arrived, but at this point we all knew she was for a good time not a long time after the destruction of the Sept of Baelor.

Before Olenna dies, she and Jaime talk and the conversation turns to Joffrey. The moment his name came up I knew the Queen of Thornes was going to go out like a G. Olenna lets Jaime know how dangerous Cersei is, and though it’s clear it’s too late for Jaime to change now, the conversation seemed to hint at both his and Cersei’s approaching doom. Jaime poisons Olenna’s wine and after he clarifies that it won’t be a painful death, she drinks it with no hesitation. She then immediately confesses to killing Joffrey, cementing herself as the GOAT and giving us one of the more satisfying deaths in the show. I’m interested to see how this changes Jaime and Cersei’s feelings about Tyrion, though they may not change much since he actually factually killed their father.

Overall, I think this season is doing well with hitting all of its plot points, but it kind of feels like that’s all it’s doing. A lot happened in this episode and while that’s true of a lot of Game of Thrones episodes, it mainly feels like the pacing is too fast. Maybe it’s a budget thing, but there have already been three battles in the past two episodes and we barely saw them. While I’m not necessarily advocating for more gore in an already extremely violent show, it does feel like things are being rushed. I know we are only on the third episode but so far it feels like this season could have been a ten-episode season just fine. We haven’t gotten any moments to catch our breath, or to get more development from characters like Theon, the Brotherhood Without Banners, the Sand Snakes, Bran, or even Euron. So far it feels like they could have used those extra three episodes to do more with the story.

Also, where is Ghost???

[storyswept]

Jon Snow and Dragons (Part II: Of Dragons and Gold)

Link to Part I: Of the Existence of Dragons and Their Dangers

While I was reading through the dragon quotes I'd collected, I noticed a connection was drawn between dragons and gold. The first clue of this can be found in this quote:

Jon kept his face a mask. "As you say, my lady."

Stannis snorted. "You spend your words as if every one were a golden dragon. I wonder, how much gold do you have laid by?"

"Gold?" Are those the dragons the red woman means to wake? Dragons made of gold? (ADWD, Jon I)

Besides showing that Jon is someone careful with his words, who takes the proverbial saying "Speech is silver; silence is golden" to heart,  this excerpt hints at the transformation of gold into dragons.

Now let's take another quote:

They rode the winch lift back to the ground. The wind was gusting, cold as the breath of the ice dragon in the tales Old Nan had told when Jon was a boy. The heavy cage was swaying. From time to time it scraped against the Wall, starting small crystalline showers of ice that sparkled in the sunlight as they fell, like shards of broken glass. The heavy cage was swaying. From time to time it scraped against the Wall, starting small crystalline showers of ice that sparkled in the sunlight as they fell, like shards of broken glass.

Glass, Jon mused, might be of use here. Castle Black needs its own glass gardens, like the ones at Winterfell. We could grow vegetables even in the deep of winter. The best glass came from Myr, but a good clear pane was worth its weight in spice, and green and yellow glass would not work as well. What we need is gold. (ADWD, Jon VII)

If we turn gold into dragons, we get: "What we need is dragons." There's even the ice dragon mentioned before to help us think about them. As concluded in Part I, it's not unthinkable that Jon might come to think they would be useful in his fight against the Others and their wights.

Jon already knows of one substance that Others are vulnerable to: dragonglass. And, coincidentally enough, glass is also mentioned here.  Jon says it might be of use…

Only two chapters after Jon expresses his need for gold, the perfect opportunity for a loan presents itself, with the arrival of Tycho Nestoris at the Wall. The Braavosi wishes to talk to Stannis about taking the Iron Throne debt, as no payment has been made since Robert's death (apparently the Lannisters are not living up to their reputation). Jon takes advantage of this, proposing him safe passage until Deepwood Motte. In the end, he manages to secure the temporary use of the three Braavosi ships with which the banker travelled to the Wall (needed for a rescue mission headed for Hardhome) and a loan.

"What does the Watch require?"

"Your ships, for a start. With their crews."

"All three? How will I return to Braavos?"

(…)

"We need a loan as well. Gold enough to keep us fed till spring. To buy food and hire ships to bring it to us."

"Spring?" Tycho sighed. "It is not possible, my lord."

What was it Stannis had said to him? You haggle like a crone with a codfish, Lord Snow. Did Lord Eddard father you on a fishwife? Perhaps he had at that.

It took the better part of an hour before the impossible became possible, and another hour before they could agree on terms. The flagon of mulled wine that Satin delivered helped them settle the more nettlesome points. By the time Jon Snow signed the parchment the Braavosi drew up, both of them were half-drunk and quite unhappy. Jon thought that a good sign. (ADWD, Jon IX)

After this negociation, the conversation turns to winter, sea travel and… dragons:

The day had darkened by the time he and Tycho Nestoris left the solar. Snow had begun to fall. "Our respite was a brief one, it would seem." Jon drew his cloak about himself more tightly.

"Winter is nigh upon us. The day I left Braavos, there was ice on the canals."

(…)

No, these other sails … from farther east, perhaps … one hears queer talk of dragons."

"Would that we had one here. A dragon might warm things up a bit."

"My lord jests. You will forgive me if I do not laugh. We Braavosi are descended from those who fled Valyria and the wroth of its dragonlords. We do not jape of dragons."

No, I suppose not. "My apologies, Lord Tycho."

"None is required, Lord Commander. Now I find that I am hungry.

Lending such large sums of gold will give a man an appetite. Will you be so good as to point me to your feast hall?"

"I will take you there myself." Jon gestured. "This way." (ADWD, Jon IX)

Like in the previous quotes, dragons and gold are mentioned. The fact that Jon is negociating for three ships reinforces the dragon connection. The coming winter is also mentioned several times: "keep us fed until spring", "the day had darkened", "snow had begun to fall", "winter is night upon us".

Later in the chapter, Jon reflects on his motivations for asking for gold (very different from the ones a contender for the Iron Throne might have):

A long hard winter will leave the Watch so deep in debt that we will never climb out, Jon reminded himself, but when the choice is debt or death, best borrow. He did not have to like it, though. And come spring, when the time came to repay all that gold, he would like it even less. Tycho Nestoris had impressed him as cultured and courteous, but the Iron Bank of Braavos had a fearsome reputation when collecting debts.

(…)

If Stannis was not too stiff-necked to accept their terms, the Braavosi would give him all the gold and silver he required, coin enough to buy a dozen sellsword companies, to bribe a hundred lords, to keep his men paid, fed, clothed, and armed. Unless Stannis is lying dead beneath the walls of Winterfell, he may just have won the Iron Throne. He wondered if Melisandre had seen that in her fires. (ADWD, Jon IX)

Potential meaning

Taking in consideration the hints discussed in Parts I and II, the negociations with the Iron Bank could foreshadow future negociations, this time involving actual dragons. However, at the end of ADWD, Daenerys and her dragons are still in Essos, and unless the Dragonbinder doesn't work as advertised (or is not used), part of the dragons (if not all) could become thralls of the Ironborn. That state of affairs would certainly complicate any negociation attempt.

If a stealing of dragons does happen, maybe this negociation is meant to be compared to it: whereas some people negociate, others just take what they want by force.

Next:

Part III: Of the Ice Dragon and the Wall