#see the Rhoynar & the freehold etc etc

[catofoldstones]

My point is that the ice and fire in a song of ice and fire are literally the ice and fire powerhouses re the white walkers and the Targaryens (and stannis & the fire lord etc), and they’re both the villains. Goodbye.

[chillyravenart]

Tagged by @naomimakesart 💜 Thanks for the tag! This was so much fun!!!

Rules: Answer the 10 questions below. Then make up 10 of your own for the next person to answer and tag people.

1. What are your top 3 favorite houses in Westeros?

These will come as NO surprise: House Targaryen, Stark, Velaryon.

2. If you could live during one era in GRRM’s universe what era would it be? (Age of Heroes, Valyrian Empire, Conquest of Westeros, Dance of Dragons etc.)

Argh this one is so tough!!! Knowing I’d most likely be a poor, dumb peasant, all these great eras would just spell misfortune for me, but I’d love to see the Valyrian Freehold at the zenith of its glory with mystery, magic and dragons galore! That being said, I’d have loved to have been around when Aegon, Visenya and Rhaenys were conquering Westeros, that would have been quite something to witness (plus I could fangirl madly all over them and Visenya would have to feed me to Vhagar- no regrets though)

3. What is your favorite episode/scene from the Game of Thrones 📺 Series?

Lordy. There are so many amazing scenes and episodes, but I’ll never get over The Battle of the Bastards. Special mentions go to Jon and Sansa’s reunion hug and Jon and Dany rocking the boat!

4. What ruler do you think brought about the most change in Westeros, be it good or bad?

I’m going to say Aerys II, because that old git ended his own dynasty the mad bastard. Not just that, his beautiful, marvellous, sexy, gorgeous, melancholy, bookish, harp playing, sad song singing, beautiful son gave us Jon Snow and his daughter Daenerys Stormborn, of the House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, The Unburnt, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Protector of the Realm, Lady Regent of the Seven Kingdoms, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons is one of the most brilliant and essential characters in ASOIAF.

5. If you could ask GRRM one question what would it be?

Hi George, huge fan, listen mate, when are we getting The Winds of Winter?

6. If GRRM could write a short novel/series about one other family or historical time (besides the Targaryens) in his universe what would you want it to be about? (My choice would be Nymeria’s Journey!)

Hey not fair! Most likely House Stark or the Valyrian Freehold (tee hee 😉)

7. What was your first introduction to ASOIAF/Game of Thrones? Did someone tell you about it, did you 👀 it online or did you come across it at a store/shop?

My bestfriend told me about GoT when it came out in 2011, so I was lucky enough to get on the train early on. I started the books right after!

8. What’s one thing that bothers you about GRRM’s series?

Dying in childbed. A bit overused George. I know there’s plenty to criticise, but I believe it’s George’s prerogative to write whatever he wants so I won’t get into it too much.

9. What’s one thing you unabashedly 💛 about GRRM’s series?

Those sexy motherfucking Targaryens. I love ASOIAF with every fibre of my being, I love that George has given us such a complex and intricate story with so many colourful characters, the good, the bad, the ugly and everything in between. It’s a privilege and an honour.

10. What are your feelings about the prequel series in development at HBO right now for the Long Night?

My questions (sorry if they’re repetitive):

1. Which Westerosi castle would you like to live in?

2. Would you rather be a rich and influential lord, born into wealth and privilege or would you rather be someone who wields power from the sidelines, like Littlefinger?

3. Pick one: platinum hair or purple eyes?

4. Based on a tag I made once, based on your physical features, which part of Westeros/which house do you belong to?

5. Who do you think will actually defeat the Night King?

6. Three people you think will die in season 8?

7. What would you name your dragon/direwolf?

8. How must Ser Pounce be avenged?

9. Whose POV chapters are your favourite? (If you haven’t read the books... skip this and hang your head in shame lol jk jk jk)

10. Your favourite ASOIAF/GOT antagonist? 

I tag:

@naomimakesart @filhadoboto @goodqueenalys @adecila @thousandeyesand-one @agameoftragedy @ryswell @daenerysjon @oberynmartell @janiedean @thevagabondthoughts @sebschubbydumpling @madaboutasoiaf @callmedewitt @ofwickedlight @mzyraj @wightjon @visenyastargaryen @ladyofdragonstone @valoisqueens @tomakeitbeautifultolive @toaquiprashippar @zeetao-hime @nooneeverlookedforagirl and anyone else who sees this, yes you, you there trying to scroll past this as fast as possible, come back here and answer my questions!!! Feel free to ignore too though, it’s ok :)

[masha-russia]

Hello there! I just browsed through your ASOIAF meta and I really liked it. If I can I'd like to ask a worldbuilding question - did GRRM ever talk in detail about ancient Valyria and the Shadow? The books, even WOIAF, obviously don't have much to say about them apart basic things. And do you have some headcanons to share?

Thank you :D

Well, the most information we have about Valyria and Asshai are in The World of Ice and Fire. GRRM did talk about Valyria here and there, but the majority of what he said was then collected and written down for the book, with some additional details. We have around 10 pages dedicated to Valyria (the chapters named The Rise of Valyria, Valyria’s Children, The Doom of Valyria, as well as the chapters about the wars between Valyrians, Rhoynar and Ghiscari) and we have some paragraphs and sentences here and there all along the book. For example the “expedition” of the Valyrian woman Jaenara Belaerys is near the end of the TWOIAF - and although it is a short passage, it confirms that Valyria was not as misogynistic as Westeros is, since it seems women could easily be warriors and explorers (we already knew about the Valyrian warrior women thanks to Visenya and her blade Dark Sister). Valyria is often mentioned in “The Reign of the Dragons” part (the Targaryen Kings) too.

We are getting the first part of Fire and Blood next year, so maybe we will get more information about Valyria in it. Mind you, the book is not about the Valyrian Freehold, but about the reign of the first Targaryen Kings in Westeros. However it is possible there will be some new Valyrian history in it, and maybe a little about Valyrian customs and practices, since we don’t know much about them.

This is from a GRRM interview in 2012:

[Is there any chance we’ll see Valyria?]

GRRM: “Well … there may be. Not a great chance, mind you. The question is, is it going to be a look at Valyria now, or Valyria in the past?”

In 2008 he said that he does not plan to write any stories concerning ancient Valyria but that could change in the future.

This is from 2001:

GRRM: “The Freehold of Valyria is correct. Valyria at the zenith of its power was neither a kingdom nor an empire … or at least it had neither a king nor an emperor. It was more akin to the old Roman Republic, I suppose. In theory, the franchise included all "free holders,” that is freeborn landowners. Of course in practice wealthy, highborn, and sorcerously powerful families came to dominate.”

And The World of Ice and Fire contained a paragraph about Valyria’s political system.

In this interview from 2001 GRRM was asked about the etymology/philology of Targaryen names, and he replied that he is no language crafter and he didn’t fully create the Valyrian language (basically, the Targaryen names weren’t supposed to have a meaning when he first created them).

GRRM: “I have something like eight words of Valyrian. When I need a ninth, I’ll make one up.”

As for Asshai-by-the-Shadow, we have 2 pages about it in The World of Ice and Fire, and GRRM is not planning to write more about it for now.

From 2008 x:

[Will we see Asshai?]

GRRM: “Only in flasback and memory, if at all.”

This is also from 2008:

[Will POVs see any of the places to the east like Yi Ti, Asshai, etc.?]

GRRM: “Some, perhaps. I do not subscribe to the theory put forth in THE ROUGH GUIDE TO FANTASYLAND (a swell book, by the way) that eventually the characters must visit every place shown on The Map.”

This one is from 2011:

[Will we ever see Asshai or the Shadow?]

GRRM: “You may hear about it and you may get flashback scenes from characters who have been there and you can puzzle it out on the internet. But I don’t know. I may return to write other stories set in this world.”

And GRRM refused to answer any question about the vision Bran had back in book 1:

He lifted his eyes and saw clear across the narrow sea, to the Free Cities and the green Dothraki sea and beyond, to Vaes Dothrak under its mountain, to the fabled lands of the Jade Sea, to Asshai by the Shadow, where dragons stirred beneath the sunrise.

I don’t think Asshai itself and the Shadow Lands will be important for the story. Our characters aren’t going, and I highly doubt anything happening there will be relevant for the battle of the Dawn (which is the real deal of ASOIAF). The only effect of Asshai will be through the people who were educated/trained in it - mainly Melisandre, Quaithe and Marwyn - as they play a role around the two main characters (Jon and Daenerys).

As for headcanons … I have nothing to offer on Asshai. On Valyria, I think that the “demons” many talk about aren’t a metaphor:

Every man there knew that the Doom still ruled Valyria. The very sea there boiled and smoked, and the land was overrun with demons. It was said that any sailor who so much as glimpsed the fiery mountains of Valyria rising above the waves would soon die a dreadful death.

I believe the Doom genetically deformed those who didn’t perish in the eruption and the fires. So probably the firewyrms, who I imagine were very terrifying already, became even more monstruous. Same applies for other living creatures (imagine the sharks there … *shudder*). Even the humans … a few might have survived, and became only-GRRM-knows-what.

After all, the city of Mantarys (north of Valyria) seems to be quite horrible:

A few of the cities away from the heart of Valyria remain inhabited, however — places founded by the Freehold or subject to it. The most sinister of these is Mantarys, a place where the men are said to be born twisted and monstrous; some attribute this to the city’s presence on the demon road.

And not much of a headcanon, but I think we are going to see the Demon road in The Winds of Winter - Daenerys might cross it on her way to Volantis.