#tbh i think dany and jon are going to fight more politically than dany and sansa

[visenyaism]

Eh, I don't think it's really a problem to say that Sansa and Dany will probably have opposing political goals and might not be braiding each others hair. One of them wants to rule the 7 kingdoms, the other one will want the north to be independent. The idea that woman should just get along because they're woman and they've had similar live experiences is kinda reductive and it wouldn't be said about them if they were men. This is asoiaf, not a slumber party. People aren't gonna get along because some fans want them to.

i was joking earlier but i do disagree with a lot of this. i think saying that dany and sansa’s goals are ruling the seven kingdoms versus northern independence so they are definitely going to oppose each other is just missing the point. the reason daenerys is still in essos after five books is because her actual goal, the thing she wants to accomplish and the thing that motivates her, isn’t ruling westeros. what dany really wants is to find a home for herself, and to make the world a better and kinder place for everyone who had to grow up living in fear with no freedom like she did. she’s been told her entire life that the only way to accomplish that goal is to conquer and rule the seven kingdoms, but it’s not the only way, because she’s still doing all of that to some extent in mereen.

likewise, sansa doesn’t even express any sort of political inclinations towards northern independence in the books. what SHE wants is to go home as herself, and also for the world to be a better and kinder place. obviously she’s not doing the whole breaker of chains worldwide liberation thing dany is (sansa does not have the lived experience of growing up on the streets) but she very clearly does also have this sense of empathy and concern for the people she meets who are downtrodden by the political system.

obviously their goals aren’t unilaterally the same but they do clearly align with each other. they have the same ideas about what power should be used for: it’s not having it for power’s sake but to improve the lives of the people you rule over, loving them and having them love you back. they’re both idealists, which gets dismissed as teenage-girl naivety by the gross older men in their lives, but it’s very real and there. saying they’re entirely oppositional is just wrong

[alaynestcnes]

how do you think the series is going to end? obviously jonsa ;) but do you think it'll be similar to the show?

I go backwards and forwards tbh. I do feel like where most of the characters ended up in the show is probably a good indicator for their book ending (I think D&D got told the broad strokes of GRRMs ending but they just got too turned around w what they wanted/thought would make good TV).

More under the cut bc I rambled on for longer than I thought I would 😵‍💫

I do think Jonsa will be canon in some capacity and to me there’s only really two realistic routes;

1. Tragic star-crossed lovers who are tortured by their forbidden feelings (a la the original outline). Honestly if it goes this way I can see their romance being a subplot that isn’t entirely focussed on tbh. GRRM is a romantic but it’s usually subtle - look at Ned/Cat, Jaimie/Brienne. Even with Robb/Jeyne, it was bare bones. These are definitely love stories, but the love is so truthfully woven into the workings of the narrative that it’s barely a plot point itself. Jon and Sansa will have the same, where it’s there and unspoken and painful and probably motivates some of their decisions, but it’s not some epic Romeo and Juliet thing that consumes them. If they do have this plot where they have feelings, I doubt they’ll end up together (I don’t think we can have both). It’ll probably end like the show with everything unspoken/unresolved with Jon exiled or dead and Sansa on the throne.

2. Ned/Cat 2.0 political marriage. I generally lean more in this direction. Jon and Sansa are both political characters and their plots/desires are leading them to Winterfell. They are both positioned to be leaders of the North - it makes sense that it would be together. I think there will be Northern conspiracies that will lead to a politically fractured North with the various Starks becoming figureheads for the different remaining houses vying for power (Manderly wanting Rickon on the Northern throne, Petyr/the Vale wanting Sansa, and miscellaneous others wanting the newly resurrected Jon). Rickon will probably die (I hate it but I can’t see another way for him 😭), his followers split between Jon and Sansa’s camps. Targ reveal will happen, which will lessen Jon’s claim. But he’s a god-like figure after his resurrection so he’ll still have followers and he’ll know he needs the power of the entire united North to fight the WW. Makes sense that some advisors would suggest a marriage instead of tearing the North apart, especially with Jon wanting to go off to face the WW threat immediately. Sansa will want peace and she’ll see sense in marrying a man she knows (who I’m sure LF (if he’s alive atp) will imply that Jon will accidentally die in the war anyway and leave it all to Sansa). So they get married to unite the North, despite being essentially strangers atp. As above, I don’t think we’ll get much of an actual love story, but they are suited to each other and I think by the end of the series we’ll come very full circle with Ned/Cat ‘love didn’t just happen, we built it’. And ofc with the final book being A Dream of Spring (i.e rebirth, new life, hope) I’m betting on a Stark baby.

Idk about the other characters ngl I don’t spend half as much time theorising on them 🙃

Jon will likely seek out Dany to face the WWs. I think it’ll be pretty similar to the show where she’ll be split between wanting to help and wanting to take KL. Maybe a bit of the politcal!Jon theory here to convince her (we do need that betrayal for love, which I 100% believe is Jon - maybe with him knowing the war/their plan will likely be her doom but he goes through with it to protect the North). Ultimately, I think she’ll die fighting the WWs in like an epic sacrifice. BUT while she dies, at least one of her dragons will survive. Which means that while Dany saved the world, she also doomed them to another terrible fate - having a grown, enraged, untamed dragon loose upon the world with the only woman able to control them gone. So, even though the WW will be defeated, in the remaining/following book there’s still a Big Bad to cause drama. I like the idea of Dany’s end being conflicting - she dies a true hero but also her great act is her worst act and has long lasting consequences for the survivors.

Cersei will probably try to capture Drogon in her greed for power and in doing so causes KL to burn (Drogon’s fire + all that hidden wildfire). This is actually based on nothing but vibes haha but I like her end being caused by her own hand and greed, reaching for more when she could have lived with the power she already had. I’m choosing to ignore the Valonquar bc idc I’m not GRRM.

Bran King of Westeros bc why not.

Arya’s ending has me lost. I think she def meets Lady Stoneheart and it will make her question her own pursuit for revenge. I don’t think Arya’s story is meant to end with her becoming a heartless professional assassin dedicating her life to killing the enemies of her family; she is so much more than that. Seeing LSH will make her witness the horror of being entirely consumed by hate and bloodshed. She’ll kill LSH out of mercy and it will also symbolise her putting to rest her own anger and desire for revenge. Idk where she’ll finally end up tho so she gets a wildcard and can do whatever she wants.

Andddd all of this is subject to change on any given day. I’m just rocking w whatever feels right atp bc god knows we’re never seeing Winds.

[jackoshadows]

@whitedragonwolf4961 in response to the two asks you send me:

1. I don’t think that how the books turn out is going to change anything with Jonsa shippers/Sansa fans in the same way that having pictures from space and scientific proof of the earth being round does not change the opinions of flat earthers. We have 5 books now. Do you think the absurd metas and rewriting of the story and characters we get from these stans have anything to do with those books?

These are the fools who came up with ‘political!Jon’ because they are cinematography experts who analyzed the light coming through a window on the boat when Jon and Dany were talking!!

These are the fools who continue using the TV show and especially show Sansa’s arc on the TV to speculate on her book story despite GRRM repeatedly disavowing that plot specifically in all his interviews and saying that the show and the books are two different and separate canon.

They don’t care!! Even if in TWoW we get Jon and Arya reuniting and there’s lots of mussing of hair and tears and love, they will just replace Arya with Sansa in their essays and talk about how it’s foreshadowing for Jonsa happening in A Dream of Spring.

Even if we get more hints of Jon and Dany being aligned in thought and purpose and of a future alliance between them in TWoW, they will still continue with how Jon is going to murder Dany for his true love Sansa in the last book because the colour red popped up in some corner of his room.

And if Arya becomes the Lady of Winterfell instead of Sansa? I expect lots of essays from bnfs and feminism experts about GRRM being sexist and what not. 100 % sure of this. After all they have been banging on and on about Sansa being the ‘embodiment of hope for the future’, the best politician on the planet, ‘Sansa Smart’, expert on food and diplomacy unlike political noob Jon Snow and violent killer Arya. How to deal with it? Oh no, we did not realize that GRRM is a woman hater who didn’t grasp the awesomeness of a character like Sansa.

2. Regarding Kit Harington and Jon Snow. I tend to not blame the actors for characters they play on TV shows tbh. I put the blame on ultimate hacks, Benioff and Weiss for failing upwards as rich, white men and turning in an horrendous script, full of one-dimensional characters, no plot, no themes and dripping with their sexism, toxic masculinity and femininity. There was really not much Harington could do when the script gave him literally nothing! Book Jon Snow is a rich, complex character with several layers of plot and story telling piled on him over 42 POV chapters. All they gave show Jon Snow was fighting in battles.

I know Sophie Turner gets a lot of hate and she just comes across as the typical rich, white teen when giving interviews. She honestly sounds like the stereotypical Sansa stan on tumblr. And yet the blame lies on Benioff and Weiss for taking tips on writing Sansa/Arya from teenagers reading tumblr metas rather than actually adapting the book you know? Turner was only spouting off what these hacks were putting out there on their TV show. And from everything Emilia Clarke is saying about how she was being pressurized in terms of nudity and sex scenes, the behind the scenes of this show is clearly a very toxic mess.

I think Kit Harington is a decent actor - he does good in comedy and I liked his take on a sleazy character accused of rape in season 2 of Criminal UK. Jon Snow is a hard character to play given how much of his POV is internal and yet Benioff and Weiss did not even attempt to faithfully adapt the book version just like they did not with Arya Stark and instead reduced these characters to tropes.

I honestly can’t say if another actor would have been better in the role of Jon Snow given the material on the show for the character is so poor. Would it have made a difference if they had an Olivier award winner in the role? All this award winner would do is swing a sword around and play supporting prop to other characters.

Actors will also defend the characters they play. We love these characters so much as readers of these books. These actors have spend ten years of their life inhabiting these characters and love them just as much as we do. Of course Kit is going to defend show Jon Snow just like Emilia defends Daenerys and Dinklage defends Tyrion.

I am just going to reserve my ire for

- Benioff and Weiss who seem to not even like fantasy, did not care for themes, characters and the story of the books, did not hire a writer’s room, had only male writers/directors and were petty in firing actors (by killing off their characters) if they criticized the show and

- GRRM, who even after seeing the utter mess D&D have made of his story has failed to finish a book in 12 years including a pandemic where we were all shut up inside our homes for close to 18 months.

GRRM is the reason for why the only ending we will have for this story started almost 30 years ago is the garbage that is the TV show. I am not entirely happy with the adaptation of the Wheel of Time tv show and I can see the showrunner taking hints from D&D in terms of how and what gets adapted for viewership numbers. And yet I am not all that bothered by this because we will always have the books and the book characters. We know how the story ends for these characters. Sadly with ASoIaF we will never have that while GRRM is busy consulting on the umpteenth spin off.

So yeah, don’t really blame the actors. They are only playing characters on a TV show and that depended on the script they got.

[iheartbookbran]

Ok so actually my biggest problem with the whole “Daenerys will burn KL” theory—not even the Mad Queen Dany theory, which is of course very sexist for obvious reasons, but just like, the idea that Dany will ~accidentally~ ignite the wildfire in the city, burning it all to the ground. That, at first, doesn’t sound that bad, but the longer I think about it the more I hate it because tbh it doesn’t do anything for her character? And also… that fate for her is just down right cruel.

Like, the most frequent argument I see on why this would be at all satisfactory for Dany’s arc is basically that it would be a sort of lesson for her about the dangers of unchecked power and the real threat the Dragons can pose on humans and that she shouldn’t use them to fight against other people. And that’s all well and good, excellent message… except that’s not something Dany’s ever really needed to learn? Not anymore that her fellow rulers, which I will touch on more detail later, but in general Dany has seen what the abuse of power can do. Starting with her conflicting feelings regarding Viserys and how she recognizes that even though he was her brother and she loved him, he also abused his power over her as her older brother, her only family and her king; she feels guilt about the atrocities Drogo committed to the lhazarene and tries to help them; she feels so much guilt about not handling things correctly in Astapor that she decides to throw away all her plans to go to Westeros and instead stays in Meereen.

And about not knowing the true danger that her dragons can pose? I mean, this is the same girl that literally agonizes across several of her ADWD chapters because Drogon killed a child, and then takes the extreme measure of caging Rhaegal and Viserion to prevent that from ever happening again. I think she’s at least a little bit aware that the dragons can be dangerous, thank you very much.

Ok so this got long...

Anyways, the only time Dany legit uses Drogon to harm someone and not just as bluff was at the house of the Undying, where she was being attacked, and in Astapor… and like, lmao, that asshole Kraznys mo Nakloz and the rest of his slaver buddies deserved it. Don’t at me. Also, Dany’s hardly the only one with a big magical and deadly beast at her disposal, why didn’t Robb had to go through some horrifying traumatic incident to learn he shouldn’t use Grey Wind in battle to tear his enemies’ throats. Bran will be learning about the dangers of abusing power, but that’s linked to his magic powers and an actual reprehensible thing he’s doing, not the use of his glorified prehistoric dog to kill, which he’s done, just like Robb. By all means let the narrative hold Dany accountable for her mistakes… but her actual mistakes and not shit she has no control over, because she doesn’t have much control over Drogon or the other dragons even though she’s trying to, and that’s very obvious in her last ADWD chapter where she’s delirious and Drogon could kill her at any moment, and she knows that.

The other big argument people make for Dany burning KL (even if it’s by accident!) is that it will teach her about the price of war, that someone as young as her shouldn’t be leading armies and conquering kingdoms, and that fighting for the Iron Throne is not a worthy cause, and I feel like that misses the actual point of her story by a mile. First of all because a) Dany is hardly the only teenage ruler in the story and b) this is a fantasy medieval story, a lot of the characters shouldn’t be doing the things they do, aaaand yet. Also speaking of other teenage rulers with far more power that they should have—Robb and Jon, being the biggest examples.

Granted, Robb and Jon aren’t exactly successful during their time as rulers, they’re literally betrayed and killed by their own men (even if Jon will technically come back for round 2 of bullshit he’s too tired for). But the moral of their stories is not that they lost because theirs was an unworthy cause and they were stupid kids wholly unprepared for their roles. And I actually partially agree! They are just kids, including Dany, and they shouldn’t be responsible for looking after so many others and going to battle, but their cause is still just and worthy, even with all the mistakes they make along the way. Robb didn’t loose because he was wrong in demanding justice for his family or trying to protect the riverlands from the Lannisters and their minions, he lost because Tywin Lannister was a giant coward who couldn’t take him out in a fair fight.

Likewise, it isn’t wrong of Jon to try to incorporate refugees from beyond the Wall into Westeros. He’s not too stupid and honorable to do politics like his father (how I hate when people insult Jon and Ned like that), and while he did some very obvious mistakes that inevitably ended in a coup and in him dying, this is more connected to his inability to let go of his ties with his family (mainly Arya or who he believes to be her), and in isolating himself from his friends and the people he could actually trust.

I’ve always thought that Dany and Jon share a parallel narrative within the story, so while Jon is struggling with that Dany is faced with similar problems. She cages her dragons, that to her represent the only family she has left, and she tries to compromise with the slavers, marry a man she doesn’t love, pretend she’s ok with reopening the fighting pit. While she tries her best to rule wisely in Meereen, it all comes at the cost of betraying herself and her beliefs, so it’s no surprise when it all crashes around her and she’s betrayed and nearly killed. Ironically, it is Drogon who comes to rescue her.

If they are monsters, so am I.—Daenerys II, ADWD.

This is hands down one of my favorite Dany quotes from the whole series, and I hate that it’s been given such a negative connotation in the fandom, when for me it represents Dany’s humanity and compassion at the fullest.

GRRM has a knack for humanizing the ‘monsters’ of his story, for showing the good in the outcasts and the ugly and the scary. He embraces their ‘otherness’ and makes them the heroes of his stories; Arya, Bran, Brienne, Dany, Tyrion, Jon, Theon and many others are all compared to monsters or beasts at one point or another in the books.

Dany sees herself in her dragons, literal monsters in every sense of the word. Later on she faces Drogon inside the pit, and in that moment you could say that she accepts that ‘monstrous’ part of her, and in doing so she’s saved from her fate of dying at the hands of the men who would crucify innocent children and gleefully profit off of the suffering of their fellow human beings while watching them fight each other to the death for their own amusement. Now tell me who’s the real monster in this situation.

But shortly before that happens, Dany is able to see the humanity in Tyrion, an outcast who has been branded as monstrous and unlovable due to his disability all his life, a man who has come to believe in his abusers’ rhetoric about him so strongly that he’s started to act cruel and detached. She saves his life. She sees value in his life when few others would, because she cares.

I’ve always find it funny that the “dragons plant no trees” is—another—example fans use to argue in favor of Dany’s descent into Darkness™ because the actual scene goes like this:

You are a queen, her bear said. In Westeros.

"It is such a long way," she complained. "I was tired, Jorah. I was weary of war. I wanted to rest, to laugh, to plant trees and see them grow. I am only a young girl."

No. You are the blood of the dragon. The whispering was growing fainter, as if Ser Jorah were falling farther behind. Dragons plant no trees. Remember that. Remember who you are, what you were made to be. Remember your words.—Daenerys X, ADWD.

Now am I the only one who finds it at least a bit relevant that it’s freaking Jorah Mormont aka Jorah the Enslaver whom Dany’s subconscious, at her literal lowest moment, utilizes to represent this particular thought, which btw I’ve always interpreted as Dany’s own self-loathing manifesting in her, and this is something she’s actually always struggled with—the idea that she’s not enough and she’s failing. Because above all things, even Westeros or the Iron Throne, what Dany wants is peace, she wants to plant trees.

When Dany made her descent, Reznak and Skahaz dropped to their knees. "Your Worship shines so brightly, you will blind every man who dares to look upon you," said Reznak. […] This match will save our city, you will see."

"So we pray. I want to plant my olive trees and see them fruit." Does it matter that Hizdahr's kisses do not please me? Peace will please me. Am I a queen or just a woman?—Daenerys VII, ADWD.

But of course the world doesn’t work like that, and so long as there’s Jorahs and Tywins and Eurons out there, men who would take the freedom of humans and submit them to their will, Dany can’t have the luxury of peace, just like Jon can’t have the luxury of belonging and family so long as there’s people still beyond the Wall who need his protection.

And I think that’s fine. It’s fine that Dany failed, it will help her develop as a character and realize that there’s no room to compromise with slavers, the metaphorical monsters of the story who do far more harm than the other more literal ‘monsters’ of the story. So that when she has to face down Euron Greyjoy—who btw, there’s a high chance he will end up stealing one of Dany’s dragons via Victarion using Dragonbinder… y’know, as in enslaving one of her children and using said dragon to inflict god knows what horrors, yet not many people ever consider this for some reason?—she will know. When she has to face down the Others, the magical ice fairies with no regard for human life, she will know.

That’s why I believe that it would make absolutely no sense for Dany to have to go through such a tragic and traumatic experience like burning a whole city even by pure accident, over something that’s either never been a problem with her character or she’s well into her way of learning anyways, so it would just feel repetitive. As I have pointed out, she’s already reached one of the lowest moments of her arc. Not saying there will be no other blows for her, and probably the destruction of KL will be one of them, and knowing Dany she will feel responsibility over it no matter what, but that doesn’t mean she has to be the culprit, intentional or otherwise.

[shipperobsession]

It came to me an idea for a fic that I will never write.

It’s canon compliant up until S8E04, where Varys tries to talk to Jon about becoming king and opposing Daenerys.

Instead of the “my queen” BS, he notices the woman is coo coo in the head and decides to fight against her. Jon manages to build an army with the rest of the kingdoms who prefer a Northman in the iron throne than a foreigner queen (didn’t think much on the politics tbh).

Jon starts a new campaign against Dany and leaves Sansa to care for Winterfell, of course. They start to exchange missives with things Jon needed from WF, but eventually their letters start to become longer and more personal until they find themselves in love with one another. Their letters are present throughout the whole story.

In the battlefield, Jon notices he was losing the war and becomes a little desperate until he gets a letter from Tyrion telling him Dany’s war plans. He manages to turn the tables but still her numbers are bigger. She took King’s Landing as in canon and killed Cersei, so her HQ is the Red Keep.

Eventually, Jon needs to go back to Winterfell to sort things out and while he’s there he gets together with Sansa in a romantic night of promises for after the war. When he needs to leave, his hopes are renewed.

Back on camp, Jon receives another letter from Tyrion telling him that his queen is unhinged and he would help bringing the northern troop silently into the Red Keep and end the war by killing Dany.

They manage to kill her, but when people ask Jon to take over the throne, he refuses saying his place is in the North. In a council they decide that the all the kingdoms would be independent and decide their own fate.

In the North, Jon asks to keep leading as KitN, but some of the lords insist that the king should be a Stark, prompting someone else to call for a marriage between him and Sansa (of course), whose bump in her middle is only perceptive to her maids when dressing her.

Jonsa marries that same day making them king and queen in the north. No one questions that their baby was born two months early.

[what-do-1000-swords-look-like]

Hi, I recently came across your post talking about dark Daenerys always being the end game. I thought you did an excellent job showing the foreshadowing fans missed from the show. What surprised me on the show was JonxDany. I just couldn't wrap my head around the "romance". It felt out of character and illogical. As someone who loves Daenerys as a character and seems to really understand her, do you think they were in love? Is it tragic or political? I can't seem to reconcile it. Thank you!

Hi Nonnie! Thank you so much for the compliment, oh my goodness! And thank you for the ask!

Tbh with you, I never quite wrapped my head around the Jonerys romance either. I know a lot of people thought it was due to the lack of chemistry between Emilia and Kit on screen (I disagree, that dragon riding scene in 8x01 proved they did which makes me think their lack of romantic chemistry was intentional on the show’s part through the writing and editing), or that it was rushed (this part could be possible since they rushed her dark turn as well). But I honestly think it was meant to be tragic for both Jon and Daenerys, but more political on Jon’s side, at least in the beginning. 

I know a lot of people don’t agree with the pol!Jon theory and think it’s just that, a theory, but looking at the time from when Jon has met Dany through to the end, I find it hard to think anything else. Because that certainly would have explained away the receding of Jon’s POV/character after he and Dany met. It also would have went in line with what Kit had said before the beginning of season 7 about Jon being more political that season, possibly manipulating (I don’t think he used that exact word but I’m paraphrasing for him), but doing it kindly. Even though GoT blew up everyone’s arcs at the end of the last season, at the time, we knew there was a reason that Sansa said the line to him in 7x01 “You need to be smarter than Father. You need to be smarter than Robb” and we had seen Jon listening to Sansa by him deciding to leave the North (and organizing their defense for the upcoming battle) in her hands, asking Sansa what she thought when he got Tyrion’s scroll in 7x02, and what he says to Tyrion in 7x03. So, I personally think they were gearing up for Jon to do whatever it took to get Dany and her dragons up North for the battle (while probably not feeling all that comfortable about it but knowing it had to be done), which is why I think we see him and his band of men go on that quest in 7x06 & meet with Cersei and Co along with Dany in 7x07. 

There’s just too many questionable moments that happen from 7x03 to 8x06 that prove Jon was not as smitten as Dany was with him: 

The way he studies Dany reuniting with Jorah, the fact that he seems almost uncomfortable when Dany says in 7x05 “I’ve grown used to him” & his response “I wish you good fortune in the wars to come, Your Grace” and he doesn’t look back once as they push the boat out into the water (I think they purposely showed the contrast between Jorah saying goodbye to Dany vs Jon saying goodbye to Dany, there was definitely a reason they show Jorah looking back and not Jon but they play Jon and Dany’s love theme in the background - x)

Jon’s “what did I do face?” after he bends the knee figuratively in the boat cabin (3:23 - x) (though to be fair, the 7x06 script confirmed this is when Jon realizes he has feelings for her after seeing Dany mourning Viserion so this reaction of Jon’s could be that he basically just gave the North away)

Jon’s reaction and looking over at Varys and Missandei after Dany blows up on Tyrion in 7x04 and says “Your family, you mean? Perhaps you don’t want to hurt them after all” (1:11 - x) - which is really foreshadowing that Jon will have to make the same choice eventually, that Dany will give that ultimatum, me or your family, which she does in 8x04 and then inadvertently continues to in 8x05 and 8x06 - then Dany pushes him for advice, he gives it to her, and she doesn’t completely follow it to the letter, and then eventually she disregards it completely when she burns down KL in 8x05

Jon not showing any emotion when he receives word that Arya & Bran are alive & back home while in front of Dany though we see his reactions in 8x01 when he’s reunited with them (7x05) (8x01)

Jon’s reaction to the Northerners’ not so great reaction to Dany that was cut (0:43 - x)

Drogon watching Jon and Dany make out in 8x01 and Jon keeping his eyes open as he kisses Dany & keeping her in front of him (a very common trope, if that’s the right word, to indicate that something shifty is afoot or there is distrust - 4:11 x)

the infamous squint Jon has in response to Dany talking in response to Tyrion (x) which they definitely included for a reason and this for me solidified Kit as one of the Masters of Microexpressions

Jon’s reactions to Dany (that she can’t see) when she visits him in his room after the Feast in 8x04 (x)

Jon’s immediate whiplash worried turn to Dany when Tormund says proudly “or a King!” to check her reaction (x) plus the framing in this scene is not only meant to show the increasing isolation & paranoia Dany is feeling but for Jon to have his back to her (after they shared that warm smile no less which she realizes in 0:45 - x) I think it speaks very loudly that he is not as head over heels as people think he is but that he is placating her while also caring about her (she is family to him, the last of his real father’s family, & he’s also still attracted to her)

his glare to Sansa while planning the assault on KL to get her to shut up for lack of a better way to put it (2:36 x) which Tyrion later confirms in the same episode with his line to Sansa “why provoke her?” which leads to Sansa realizing Tyrion is afraid of Dany and then she also realizes Jon is too (Jon’s fear is not confirmed in dialogue in this moment but the ones seeing the writing on the wall for this whole thing, it wasn’t a large leap for them to make, knowing the characters they way they do) which then leads to her telling his secret

Jon giving himself up basically, to go South, I think he’s very aware he will not be coming North again once Dany wins and that is why he asks Tormund to take Ghost with him - you see him saying goodbye to Sam and Gilly, finding out about their child on the way, to Tormund, to Ghost (I know people were mad that Jon didn’t pet Ghost, I was too, but I think he honestly couldn’t handle it at that moment and I’ve seen brilliant metas circulate that talk about how Ghost is an extension of Jon and his injuries and look echo how Jon really feels - & if you see the sliced ear, it’s very possible that they are fully correct in that reading, Jon has stopped listening, he’s doing what he thinks is right, what he has to do, his duty, he’s not listening to Sam or Tormund or Sansa or even Arya) - this whole scene is meant as a goodbye to Jon Snow as a character (his Night’s Watch arc, his Wildling arc, even his bastard/Stark arc (and his wants that he has, his response to Gilly when she tells him they want tto name their child after him: “I hope it’s a girl” is just heartbreaking, Jon wanted a family someday (5:08 - x, notice how the Stark theme starts up subtly in the background) & he always wanted to be a Stark and in his mind, he is getting neither one nor does he think he deserve them at this point) and I think that’s why they don’t have any other Starks in that scene (& plus they had the Starks in that other scene in 8x04) (x) -- this whole scene really is the proof in the pudding for me regarding the whole duty vs love debate, coming down on the side of duty

Jon’s “I love you” in the fireplace scene seems to be more an answer to not just reassure her but tamp down any growing fury after just witnessing Varys’ execution (1:11 x) immediately followed up by his usual line “you will always be my queen” and then when she asks “is that all I am to you? Your queen?” notice that he doesn’t answer but lets her kiss him which he then doesn’t return and she realizes (notice his loud breathing too, it’s not passion, it’s fear, fear of what it might mean that he is not returning her affection so to speak, sadly for Dany I think she realizes this too and that’s why she subtly shakes her head, steps back and says “alright, let it be fear”, the part of me that loves Dany truly felt horrible for her in this moment though she scared the crap out of me too lol, it’s harsh because she really does love Jon, not enough to give up the IT and her destiny, but enough that she wants their relationship to work, that she did go up North to fight for him, delaying the attack on KL, she lost Jorah and Viserion, her forces were depleted, idk I just have some sympathy for her here because I still love her, and this is before she went full on dark, and Jon’s “I love you” was said softly with some measure of warmth in his eyes I think but I don’t believe he meant it the way she wanted him to)

Kit had this to say right before season 7 aired which I find fascinating because yes while he can’t give away spoilers, he didn’t need to answer this so definitively. And while he didn’t know what was going to happen in season 8 yet, I think this lends creedence (is that the right word?) to the fact that Jon was not head over heels in love with Dany (not like he was with Ygritte)

But saying all of that, I think by the end, Jon definitely cared for her. I don’t think he wanted her to die or even go bad. I think he was ready to give himself up to be with her to protect his home, to placate her, but also so there would no longer be a Targaryen living alone in the world. I think he remembers Aemon’s words all too well. However, I don’t think he could reconcile himself to a full on romance (which I think incest did play a part into it, but I think had that not been a factor, he still wouldn’t have been head over heels for Dany, incest with cousins and uncles/aunts was common in the GoT universe, Starks in history married their cousins at times [look back at their family tree, they were no strangers to it], and we all know about the Targaryen inbreeding, but I really think it has more to do with who Dany ends up being in the end than anything, and that’s why we see some moments that could be misconstrued as romantic and some warm, I would almost say tender, like the waterfall scene in 8x01 before Drogon enters the frame so to speak). I think, like every other character in the show that came into her orbit, Jon had feelings for the same Dany that they all did, that Jorah was in love with, that Tyrion believed in and was also in love with, that Varys supported until he couldn’t: the breaker of chains, the girl who walked into a fire with three eggs and out of the same fire with three dragons, etc. But once the curtain was pulled back and the Wizard was revealed, after he was around her long enough, I think Jon knew who she really was becoming and I really believe that played a major part in the portrayal of their “romance”. I also think that when Jon left to go to KL in 8x04, a part of him planned to take up Jorah’s role in Dany’s life. Not to say that he could replace Jorah or become a full on advisor to her, but that he would join Tyrion, Varys, Grey Worm, and Missandei in helping to win Dany back her IT like he promised but also to keep her placated, maybe help steer her in the right direction. And be someone who genuinely cares about her, another Targaryen (though no one knowing he was one had Sansa not told Tyrion). Until she tired of him or decided to kill him to end the threat his birthright posed. He says as much in 8x06 to Tyrion “That’s her decision”. I don’t think he ever thought Dany would actually ask him to join her on the IT and it definitely wasn’t something he wanted.

I did mention tragic for Jon, too, and I think that’s where the tragedy comes in. He has now become the Targaryen alone in the world, he is now a queenslayer, a kinslayer, and he is exiled back to the Night’s Watch. He had to kill someone he cared about, he had to kill a woman (he couldn’t do it twice before, with Ygritte and Melisandre), he had to kill his last living Targaryen family. And he had to do it while deceiving her in that last moment (which is why I think they dialed back the whole pol!Jon thing if it was ever on the table, which I definitely believe it was at some point) and watch her die. It wasn’t something he wanted to do as we know, but he had to, and we see him questioning himself even after she’s gone. (x) So I feel it was more political (in the beginning), complex (middle), and tragic (in the end) for Jon but for different reasons than Dany.

As for Dany, I think from her end, it was meant to be more of a tragic romance. In the books, I believe, there is a prophecy that Dany will know three betrayals and love is one of them. I don’t know if they carried that into the show here exactly, but there is a common theme of betrayal among Dany’s arc as we all know. I think she truly loved Jon and hoped he would be what she could never find before, had never seen in Viserys (not that she considered him romantically but I mean since he was the only other Targaryen she knew about at the time, and she knew the Targaryen history of siblings marrying siblings), or Drogo, or Daario, or even Jorah. Regardless of her feelings for any of them, regardless of their feelings for her, I think she thought she found what she wanted, what she needed, in Jon. Though I think finding out about Jon being her long lost nephew (and rival claim to the IT) deterred it maybe for a moment (or make her at least second guess it), but she still loved him and felt just as strongly. Not enough to deter her from her goal and her destiny (after the Great War is over, I mean), but as much as she possibly can. I think she really thought Jon was it for her. I also think she expected betrayal from Jon as she states in 8x05 to Tyrion (x), and then the look she gives Jon after Tyrion is taken away to a cell in 8x06 (1:50, you can also see Jon’s shock here because he wasn’t expecting her to be watching him so closely & he realizes oh crap, don’t blink, while they play the love theme in the background, she’s waiting for him to “betray” her too and had he defended Tyrion then and there, I have no doubt she would have thrown him in a jail cell, too, waiting for judgement aka execution x) but when he doesn’t “betray” her and she’s attained her goal, she is ready to make plans to rule together and be with him completely. It is definitely tragic for her end because here she expected him to betray her (like everyone else has at some time or another except Missandei, GW & Daario) twice by then, and the one time she doesn’t expect it, he does (no matter how it might have been justified & Jon’s only option) and it means her end. I’m not justifying her actions at all but I can see where they attempted to portray this as a tragic romance for her but only for her. Dany’s POV ends up swallowing most of the show in season 8, to the point where her story line becomes basically the show’s story line. Her arc becomes the sun that all other arcs are orbiting around and this is because she’s the other Big Bad after the Night King. Plus, I also think they were planning something big with Jon and that’s why they removed most of his story (so to speak) and important moments with the Starks, etc, for the big reveal in the end (it’s common in other shows I’ve seen and they did everything the same way they did in those other shows until 8x06 when they abandoned it). I don’t know what changed in the end, but that’s what I truly believe was what they were going for when it came to Dany herself. Tragic romance. I don’t believe it was ever political for her, in any way, shape, or form. I think once she fell in love with Jon, that was it.

The love theme itself “Truth” if you listen to it on the S7 soundtrack (Ramin Djawdi is a master btw) has an epic feel to it but almost a tragic one (though tragedy takes a back seat to the epic). It’s more Targaryen theme in nature (I have no idea what specific instrument you would call it) and you can hear it coming from Dany’s side almost, if that makes sense. And I think that’s because not only does it refer to the scene where Bran reveals who Jon is, and the boat sex is happening, but also because I believe it was only meant for Dany to experience this great romance. It does start out Stark-y just a tiny bit but then turns into something more, swells, and you can hear a slight Targaryen tint coming to it. After the first swell of music, you can almost see the boat scene happening in your head, whether you’ve actually seen it or not, and there’s almost a trepidation in the beginning, a contemplation, and then it’s all in, both feet over the edge and all hands on deck, pardon the pun. (x) This music plays as we know during the bending the knee scene in another song “See You For What You Are” (x), more subtle, but it’s there. And I think not only is it because it’s the moment where Jon realizes he has feelings and this leads to opening the door for the boat bang, but also because it’s what Jon says (this song, to me, sounds even more Targaryen-y to me) to Dany after he bends the knee, “see you for what you are” not who. And I know I mentioned it above, but it also plays during certain moments in season 8 that really make you question that romance, like that scene in 8x06. I think it’s all very telling. 

I have to be very honest, I’m not pro-Jonerys at all. But it’s not because I hate Dany or Jon or hate the idea of them together or get squicked by the family angle, it’s because the relationship was not good for either of their characters in the show. 

I remember watching 7x06 for the first time and seeing her reaction (or lack thereof) for Viserion’s death. I think she was in shock when it happened but who does she stand on the wall waiting for after? Jon. And that bothered me so much because she was the mother of dragons and they were the only children she would ever have. (and I might be more slightly biased towards the animals on the show) Yes, she did cry for Viserion on the boat later, but it’s almost more muted I feel because it blurs with her concern for Jon in that moment. That bothered me tremendously. Little did I know this would become a recurring theme for the last season as well: Jon comes first to everything else except the IT. (and I personally can’t stand it when this happens, I’m sorry, I’m all for love, but when you lose who you are, when you sacrifice yourself, I just can’t get past that) We do see her pain in 8x01 when Bran tells her about Viserion, and her pain at Rhaegal’s death in 8x04, but this is a strong female character who has proven she doesn’t need a man to run things. She is not someone who would get so besotted with someone that she would push everything else to the back burner and allow whatever is happening with him to color her decisions (I know, we all fall in love and it can happen, especially if it’s a first love or something akin to what one can feel as true love, if they’re convinced it’s that, but damn). Daario made suggestions to her but in the end, she made her own decisions. Drogo told her how to be but in the end, she figured out a way to appeal to him to do as she wanted (as we see in that scene where she takes the women into her care). Jorah advised her, so did Tyrion, but in the end she made her own decisions. 

I hate it when they do this to strong female characters (which is why I despised the whole Sansa vs Dany thing, I get it story wise but here were two arguably incredibly strong women going head to head over a man most of the time or at least they tried to show being a factor in Dany’s fall and it just... ugh). So not only did Dany falling in love with Jon lead to her fall, her demise, but it wasn’t good for Jon, either. He had to keep who he was a secret, he had to placate her, give himself up and over to duty, the table was not tilted towards him really in their relationship, not in season 8 at least, the power dynamic was all screwy (as shown in that bedroom scene in 8x04 & the fireplace scene in 8x05). I just don’t think they made a good couple to be honest, not one that could have worked out long term I think, despite what happened in KL & Jon feeling uncomfortable. Personally, not that I’m the show or GRRM, but I think eventually, had Jon not married her and ruled with her, there would have been a Dance of Dragons 2.0 with Jon possibly losing in the end. It depends really on if anyone else found out about Jon’s parentage and how much of a threat ir would have become. And I love both characters too much to see either of them go that route. But then of course, that happened so... 

Anyhoo, I’m so sorry for the 100 page essay in response lol. I swear I didn’t mean to get so wordy. I guess I still have a lot of thoughts where this show is concerned. This was my first ask, thank you so much for being it and for such an amazing question! <3

[elfindreams]

SOME THOUGHTS NOW THAT I’VE FINISHED ADWD:

• good god I can’t imagine having been a fan of this series all along and having to wait ten-plus years for TWoW, which STILL hasn’t been released... WHAT HAPPENS TO BRIENNE IS SHE OKAY I NEED TO KNOW

•I have a weird and terrible premonition that the prologue chapter of TWoW, if/when it ever comes out, will be from the POV of Rickon or perhaps Shaggydog.

•I haven’t kept proper count or anything but there have to be at least five different characters (all male, incidentally) who are described within the narration as grotesquely fat and repulsive and smelly. Like, constantly. In excruciating detail. After the second or third instance of this, I began to have this uncomfortable sense that there are some kind of sublimated body image issues and self-hatred at play here, because GRRM himself doesn’t exactly have a slender body shape... is this guy okay, emotionally speaking? I’m not even saying that in a jokey way, like, seriously, is he? ._.

• On a separate but not-irrelevant note. This man just LOVES himself some titties, huh. Absolutely adores them. (Relatable)

• I have a reasonably high tolerance for disturbing shit within fiction provided that it’s handled well, and I’m the last person to insist that authors need to show their characters brushing their teeth before crossing the street lest their grown-ass target audience absorb negative moral values, but the Victarion chapters in ADWD crossed the line for me. Yes he’s an intentionally awful person yes you’re not supposed to feel comfortable yes it will surely all make sense once TWoW comes out blah blah blah blah blah but, like... what’s the point of Victarion? I mean, really? His chapters are unpleasant to read, they contribute very little to the plot so far, and on a thematic level, the only thing that really comes across is “LOOK HOW AWFUL AND MISOGYNISTIC THIS GUY AND HIS CULTURE IS!!! WOW, ~TOXIC MASCULINITY~ SURE IS BAD!”, which is just as simplistic and didactic as only writing nice characters who perfectly fit our world’s moral sensibilities. And that’s especially strange because Jaime and Sam’s respective subplots are both about men who are super emotionally fucked-up (in completely opposite ways) because they were raised to think that the best and only way to be a man is to be a Cool Tough Badass Whomst Fights Real Good™, and both are done really well. So on that level, the Victarion chapters are treading on well-worn ground, and also faceplanting.

• It belatedly occurs to me that Ygritte was described as “pug-nosed”, which implies that pugs exist in Westeros...

• I was more sad about the presumed deaths of Pretty Pig and Crunch than about Jon Snow, tbh.

• *kicks rock* I wish Ser Barristan was my grandpa...

• I remember seeing Discourse on my dash circa 2014-2015 regarding Dany’s subplot in Astapor/Yunkai/Meereen as a white savior fantasy, and it’s certainly not for me to say whether that part of the show is Good, Actually, because I am super white and also haven’t watched the show. But if anything, the book version seems like a critique of that type of story: Dany shows up in these places that are completely foreign to her, swiftly and forcibly fixes their major societal ills using her superior firepower without knowing anything about the underlying factors which contribute to their existence... and then she is shocked when everything goes horribly wrong like 20 minutes later. (i.e. she ends slavery but the rich and powerful former slaveowners are still rich and powerful and still ✨control the means of production✨ so most of the formerly enslaved people end up right back where they started, it’s just that they’re now “free” but being paid starvation wages and barely surviving instead of being literally enslaved. Which she maybe could’ve avoided had she spent time learning about how the city’s economy worked and would need to be changed, and/or sat down with people and directly asked them what they wanted and needed, what would be useful to them in starting new lives for themselves, etc.)

• (I feel like I’ve already mentioned the above bullet point in a previous post but I am dumb of ass and pure of heart and also don’t feel like going back through to check)

• Satin lives!!! YES!!!

• oh right uhhhh yeah R.I.P. Quentyn, you died as you lived: doing your best but unfortunately also being kind of below-average

• Regardless of whether Young Griff/Aegon is actually Aegon, Varys’ master plan seems... bizarrely short-sighted and risky? Like, he spends 20 years intentionally destabilizing the realm plotting to put this perfectly-molded prince on the throne, but what happens if his perfect prince gets randomly thrown from his horse or gets an infected cut and dies? Even if he ends up on the throne, how can it be guaranteed that his own children are equally perfect future rulers? Is that why he and Ilyrio helped Viserys and Dany survive, so they could serve as backup in case anything happened to Aegon? But if so, then why didn’t they keep those two closer at hand, and try to educate them in a similar fashion, and keep them safe? And if his whole motive is peace and prosperity for the realm, then what was wrong with the existing state of affairs by the end of ADWD, with Cersei stripped of political power, a good-natured and pliable child king on the throne, and Kevan serving as the regent and doing a legitimately good job? Instead of the whole convoluted Aegon plot, he could’ve just... I dunno, found a way to maintain a position with court and pulled some strings to make sure Tommen was properly taught how to be a good king.

• oh yeah right R.I.P. Kevan, too

[call-2-arms]

THE POSITIVE & NEGATIVE; Mun & Muse - Meme.

fill out & repost ♥ This meme definitely favors canons more, but I hope OC’s still can make it somehow work with their own lore, and lil’ fandom of friends & mutuals. Multi-Muses pick the muse you are the most invested in atm. 

tagged by: stolen from my other blog :)  tagging: @snowbrn​ @threads-of-destiny​ (Fenris) @thedasonfire​ (Solas) @serbrienneoftarth​ @scndor​

My muse is:   canon / oc / au / canon-divergent / fandomless / complicated 

Is your character popular in the fandom? YES / NO. Hard to answer, and I wouldn’t say he’s UNPOPULAR, he’s just... not as popular as say... Dany or Jon are? Or even Cersei, tbh. If there were a more middle ground option, I’d definitely he’s more middle. Sometimes I feel like he’s a forgotten character despite the massive role he’s played in the series. 

Is your character considered hot™ in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK. Not only is Jaime known to be attractive and look the part of a king in the entire series, but Nikolaj is honestly just a super attractive male with a smile that could kill. I haven’t heard many people say that he’s an unattractive person, so this is definitely a yes. He might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but he’s enough of a looker that his reputation proceeds him. 

Is your character considered strong in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK. Okay so... this is complicated. Because many would see Jaime as weak because of his flaws, which is fair... And then they would also say he’s weak because he doesn’t have his sword hand any longer. But overall, Jaime is a strong character throughout the series, especially as a swordsman. He is one of the best swordsmen in Westeros, and I think there are MANY people who forget that little fact about him because in the series he was softening by the end of it. I think that’s where the fandom can really misinterpret Jaime. He definitely has his flaws, but he’s still an exceptionally strong individual. 

Are they underrated?  YES / NO / IDK. I think so. I think it’s mainly because I feel like he’s misunderstood by a lot of the fandom. I’m not excusing any of his shitty behaviour, but when you’ve got heroes like Jon Snow and Dany, and even Sansa, and strong villains like Cersei, Joff and Ramsay, I think they are all the face of the series. Those characters are the main characters that people think of when they see Game of Thrones. So Jaime is seen more of a support character, even with his ties. Most people think Lannister, they think Cersei and Tyrion (because they have so much more screen/book time than Jaime does). That’s the thing about GoT though, I feel like there’s no real “main” character. I feel like no matter who it is, there’s always a little love for them in the fandom, and I love that about the fandom. But overall, yes, I would say he’s definitely the third Lannister when thinking of the siblings.

Were they relevant for the main story?  YES / NO. He’s kind of the entire reason why there’s a war in the first place tbh... He pushed a kid out a window and all hell broke loose :’D 

Were they relevant for the main character? YES / NO / THEY’RE THE PROTAG. He’s a member of one of the great Houses of Westeros. He plays a big part. 

Are they widely known in their world? YES / NO. Oh yes, greatly known, and for many reasons. Mostly he’s known for being a king slayer, though. 

How’s their reputation?  GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL. It depends on who you ask, but throughout most of Westeros and during the series, he does not have a good reputation. Well known for his fighting skills and handsome features are about the only good reasons, everything else comes down to his relationship with his sister (sexual included) and the fact that he is a man without honour. Only by the end of the series does his reputation change, and even then, it is small. Jaime will never recover from what he has done.

How strictly do you follow canon?  — I’m fairly strict with what I go with. I stick to a strong, canon foundation because it’s a part of Jaime that is essentially who he IS as a character. It’s why I enjoy writing him, and I’m not going to take that away from him. The only divergencies are the fact that I prefer he not die in season 8 and I also write my Jaime as demisexual/romantic. 

SELL YOUR MUSE! Aka try to list everything, which makes your muse interesting in your opinion to make them spicy for your mutuals.  —  Jaime is complicated. There is no saying he is a simple character, he has layer upon layer, and discovering that is a joy. Or at least it is for me, lol. I, personally, think Jaime is such a UNIQUE character because he actually isn’t a liar compared to his siblings. Between the bickering, Jaime is actually exceptionally forward, but because people don’t expect any Lannister to be honest, it’s a joy seeing how he can use that to his advantage. He often says cryptic, sarcastic comments that people think are him being sly and dishonest, but he’s actually being completely blunt that it’s hard to tell if Jaime is actually telling the truth or playing a game. I think that’s just a really fun trait to explore when getting to write and interact with him. Also, who doesn’t like interacting with a sarcastic arsehole? X’D Deep down, Jaime has a lot of complicated issues, however, especially when it comes to family and how he is supposed to be seen. He says he doesn’t care, but he cares deeply, he brushes everything off like it’s nothing, but he’s crippled on the inside. Jaime is just one of those really strong on the outside but weak on the inside characters, and I love getting to explore that. 

Now the OPPOSITE, list everything why your muse could not be so interesting (even if you may not agree, what does the fandom perhaps think?).  — I think the fact that Jaime has been in an incest relationship for his entire life, that would definitely push people away from really caring or interacting with him. And if that’s a trigger for someone, then I totally understand why they’d want to stay away. That’s fair. Jaime can also come off as selfish and cruel, with a bad temper. People might not have the PATIENCE for him, when that’s really what he needs. He needs someone to help guide him to be a better person, to remove himself from the toxicity of ... well, his entire life, lol. He can also, like mentioned in the last questions, be cryptic as fuck. He is handicapped, he can be emotionally unstable, has PTSD and honestly just has a LOT going on, and trying to push past that to make him grow as a person and a character could be too much for folks to deal with (I think that’s a plus, but I can understand why he might not be popular lol).

What inspired you to rp your muse?  —  Jaime has been one of my favourite characters ever since I got interested in the series. I was nervous as hell to join the GoTRP community because I’d never read the books before (and still haven’t finished them lol), but I adored his character from the start, especially when a redemption arc began to happen. Look, I’m a sucker for redemption arcs and character growth, learning about his past and his secret about why he killed the Mad King. Those things are things that draw me to characters, villain characters who try to be better, who learn, who become softer. I LOVE that growth, and that’s definitely what kept me interested in Jaime. His in depth character only made my drive for wanting to delve into his head stronger. I love complicated characters, I love grey characters, I love characters that have layers I can pick through and analyse. I have also always been highly interested in sexual mental health and health in general (and have been interested in psychology for ever since I was little lol), so he was right up my ally. 

What keeps your inspiration going?  —  Definitely rewatching the series (which I desperately need to do lol), and reading the novels (which I’m VERY slow with but absolutely love them!). What really keeps me interested is definitely my RP partners though, and keeping active within the writing community. I love getting to interact with everyone. 

Some more personal questions for the mun.

Give your mutuals some insight about the way you are in some matters, which could lead them to get more comfortable with you or perhaps not.

Do you think you give your character justice?  YES / NO / I SINCERELY HOPE I DO? I have severe duplicate insecurities like most people do, but I’m pretty happy with the grasp I have on Jaime’s character overall. It’s hard to write post season 8 Jaime without a book to go to and compare against the series, so I try and keep them pretty level with each other and find a happy place in the middle. I also know I most likely write Jaime a little more emotionally traumatised, but I try to keep what happened to him real, and that has repercussions. 

Do you frequently write headcanons?  YES / NO / SORT OF? I need to move them over to this blog, but NOT ENOUGH. I really need to rewatch and continue the book series to get my head around more headcanons. Also I just haven’t had ANY time this year for much at all when it comes to headcanons, because I am so exhausted after work  

Do you sometimes write drabbles?  YES / NO. For Jaime, unfortunately, no. I keep most of my drabbles to my Dragon Age protags. I would love to though... if I had time, lol. 

Do you think a lot about your Muse during the day? YES / NO. Absolutely. Hyperfocus like a champ over here, lol. 

Are you confident in your portrayal? YES / NO / SORT OF? I think there’s always room for improvement, but I’m pretty happy with my portrayal so far. I try my hardest to keep him pretty canon, and the feedback I’ve had from my partners has always been so kind and reassuring <3

Are you confident in your writing?  YES / NO / SOMETIMES. I’ve been writing Dragon Age for so long... I feel like I don’t know a lot of the lore when it comes to GoT. I sometimes have to Wiki things I forget, names I don’t remember, and alliances and plots because I’m BAD with politics okay? I’m terrible with it all. Writing helps me learn those things, but if I’m not interested, I find it tedious to go and research (ASD/ADHD).

Are you a sensitive person?  YES / NO / SORTA. It depends. Some things I really don’t care about, others I do. It entirely depends on my mood and the day, and how the stars align lol. Or... how tired I am, haha. It really just depends. I will be more sensitive if I’m hurt from someone that means something to me, or someone I look up to. Other days I just can’t be fucked because I’m too old and tired to deal with it. 

Do you accept criticism well about your portrayal?  —  I’m going to have to say “no” on this. It’s purely because i’m not ASKING for criticism. If I was, then that’s fair because I’m actively SEEKING to be better. Right now, Jaime is a hobby and not a muse that I am constantly working on. He’s a tertiary muse that I’m here to just have a good time with and research when I feel the need to. Outside of that, if you don’t like my portrayal then you don’t have to interact with me and that’s fine. If you think my Jaime is too emotional, I’m working off mostly season 8 things which we have no book to look back on, so it’s mostly me basing everything off his past reactions and character development. If you have issues on the way I see his and Cersei’s relationship and it being toxic despite his love for her, that’s a whole diff convo lol. At the end of the day... I’m writing him the way he comes to me, and if you don’t enjoy it then that’s all good, just don’t get in my face about it. 

Do you like questions, which help you explore your character?  —  Absolutely, they help with getting to know little things about him that I may never have thought about before. I love those kinds of character development questions. 

If someone disagrees to a headcanon of yours, do you want to know why?  —  I guess it depends on what type of headcanon it is. I generally try and base my headcanons off solid evidence within his character background and events within the series. If someone doesn’t agree with me, it’s literally not the end of the world and it’s not worth arguing over--we all have out different portrayals and I’m not the original writer lol. If you’re going to get cranky at me because my Jaime enjoys the company of men as well once he’s able to explore himself sexually, then I really couldn’t give a fuck. As a gay man, it helps me enjoy the character a little bit more and identify with him, and I write Jaime as demi anyway. Plus, I also don’t write it in a sense that it’s not something he doesn’t struggle with considering Westeros is not open to such things. 

If someone disagrees with your portrayal, how would you take it?  —  same as the above.

If someone really hates your character, how do you take it?  —  I don’t actively go looking through Jaime hate tags, so I’ve never run into this? If someone follows me and hates Jaime, then I just think it’s stupid that they followed me in the first place? Obviously now that he’s on a multi, that’s a little bit more complicated, but everyone is free to not interact with him and still interact with my other characters here lol. If I follow someone and then see them actively posting hate about him, I would simply unfollow. That’s it. I’m not here to fight and argue, I’m here to have a good time, and I’m not going to force anyone to enjoy a character they don’t. 

Are you okay with people pointing out your grammatical errors?  —  Mistakes happen, I don’t always look over my reply before posting, and more often then not, I’m tired as hell when I’m writing anyway so there might be errors from time to time. I can guarantee there’s probably some in this meme lol. If a little red squiggle doesn’t come up beneath the word, then I’ve probably not fixed it. In saying that, if you’re coming to me every time I make a typo... I will begin to get annoyed. It’s a small thing, get over it and move on. If you can’t, then maybe I’m not the right person to be writing with if it’s causing you that much stress. If I’ve completely butchered a sentence (which has happened!), then just give me a polite nudge and go “hey did you mean to write this instead?” and I’ll probably feel embarrassed and laugh about it and be like yeah sorry, I meant that :’D 

Do you think you are easy going as a mun?   —  When there’s not a pandemic going on in the world, I’m certainly very easy going, lol. It takes a fair bit to piss me off, and it’s got to be pretty repetitive for me to start going... mmm, there’s a pattern here and I don’t like it. But generally speaking, if you’re nice to me, I’m nice back. I don’t go looking for fights and arguments, and my nature has certainly meant people have abused me in the past. I’m often too empathetic and because I avoid trying to make a fuss and cause confrontation, I often let people do whatever. I’ve... somewhat learned from past experiences to NOT do this to myself, which I guess has made me a little bit less easy going. That and just generally getting older and not having the time to care about petty things might make me come off as a hard arse at times. But look... I’m not going to be a dickhead to anyone who doesn’t deserve it, okay? I get we’re all anxious, I get we’re all curious, I get that we all have opinions. Don’t be a dick and you don’t have anything to worry about. I can sometimes be blunt, but most people learn that that’s just me. Maybe it’s an Aussie thing, maybe it’s a me thing. Probably a combination of the two... my mother always did say I was very blunt. >.> Sometimes that’s a good thing when people want or need advice, but if it’s not what you want to hear, then don’t come asking, because I can be very honest. 

[nyangibun]

GoT S08E01 Thoughts

It’s been so long since I did one of these I really don’t think I’ll have that much to say because I didn’t keep notes during the episode. 

Disclaimer: This is a very Jonsa/Sansa/Pol!Jon-tinted thoughts. 

But here goes...

This first one was like Welcome Folks to the Reunion Episode!!! So many reunions. Wow... But let’s start from the beginning. That entire intro with the troops marching into Winterfell and Jon and Dani riding in together like they’re already king and queen was a direct parallel to Robert and Cersei riding into Winterfell in S01E01. There was even a little boy running around reminiscent of Arya running around trying to get there in time. Look, I know I have Jonsa-coloured glasses on, but the fact that they paralleled the two couples isn’t a good sign for Jonerice. 

Robert and Cersei, as we found out, was a complete and total sham of a marriage. They were not in love and it was a completely political marriage, but what’s interesting aside from the obvious is Cersei actually went into the marriage with Robert full of naive romantic hopes. He was her “dream guy” so to speak, but Robert slashed that all to crap because he was still madly in love with and mourning Lyanna Stark. Now, with my Jonsa-tinted glasses on, that could absolutely suggest Dani being way more into Jon than he is into her, ie. not at all as he’s still in love with another Stark woman: cough cough Sansa. Taking off my Jonsa glasses for a moment though, there’s still very little chance that Jon and Dani will end well considering the parallel and as we all know parallels in GoT aren’t coincidences or should be taken lightly. Everything that’s a parallel cinematically has its place and reason. 

And there’s also the whole Robert and Cersei as King and Queen but Cersei and Jaime, her own sibling, on the side -- which is, if we’re talking with Jonsa-glasses on, could suggest Jonsa. Jon and Dani on the forefront and Jon and Sansa in the background and the shift between those dynamics will come in due time.

Moving on, Jon’s reunions with his siblings-cousins. Bran: Well, that’s about as much as I’d expect tbh coming from CCTV!Bran. I do love that we finally get to see Jon showing how much he loves them. The hug with Sansa was perfect especially the way she looked at Dani the entire time. It was a very cutting way of displaying a territorial claim. He is our family, not yours; he is our Jon, not yours; this is my home, not yours. The fact that that is coupled with her “Winterfell is yours, your grace” is even more cutting imo. But okay, Jon’s reunion with Arya was everything! I loved that immediately post-hug, they were just talking about swords like old times. But I also love Arya sticking up for Sansa and telling Jon not to forget whose family he belongs to. He needs reminding, that numpty -- unless Pol!Jon is real and he’s doing all of this for them, which I really want to believe considering this would be way more in line with who he is. 

The Great Hall scene was fantastic. I wanted a little more snarky Sansa but she was strong and the way she commands the North’s respect was exactly what I wanted. I especially loved little Lord Umber’s: 

“My Lady... My Lord...”  

As soon as he did that, it gave me all of the Jonsa feels. I love that for a second, he is calling Jon and Sansa both his lady and lord as if they were one ruling power. In fact, even after he added “my grace” it still sets them up as one ruling power and Dani as the Other that has come. It again feels like drawing parallels to that first episode with Ned and Catelyn as the Lord and Lady of Winterfell but the distinction that Robert is their king and separate from them. This is what it felt like to me. 

I also love that Sansa brings up the food problem. I think a lot of people gloss over the fact that food is scarce and Dani burnt all the food last season. When you have all these people looking towards the big picture, towards a ‘fight or die’ scenario, you need someone like Sansa to ground them and look at the practicals of ‘yes, we need to fight to survive but we may not even get to fight if all our men starve to death before the battle’. It also brings up a great question of how the hell are they gonna feed the dragons? Dani’s “they’ll eat whatever they want” is so petulant and so short-sighted. For me, it establishes that she cares more about her dragons than she does about the people. Sure, they’re her children but if she’s going to be their queen, she needs to also ensure that her people are fed and will survive the winter. Do you know what other queen cared only for her children and not for the people? Yeah, Cersei, and I think we can all agree on she’s not the best ruling party. 

Dani is short-sighted. She cares about herself and the handful of people in her circle, which makes you think she’s a good person, but anything beyond that falls away from her view. Her meeting with Sam, for instance, proved that. When she met him, she was kind and generous because Sam saved Jorah’s life so therefore he is a slightly more important person in her eyes. But she executed his dad and brother because she didn’t care about them. They were treasonous in her eyes and thus deserved to die, and not just die by execution but by fire which is infinitely and unnecessarily more painful. She had never spared a second for those people nor did she hesitate. If people didn’t subject themselves to her, they were not worth her time. However, that’s not right by Sam and he is clearly upset by this news. His anger and distress come through when he talks to Jon later. He reminds Jon that he wouldn’t have done the same, that he has spared others. This reminds the audience of the very distinct governing styles between Jon and Dani, and how instead of a pair that will unite as one ruling body, they are two separate ones. This is emphasised even more by the reveal. Jon is the rightful heir to the Targaryen throne, not Dani, and Sam brings up a good point. If the roles were reversed, would Dani give up the throne to Jon for the good of the people? We all know the answer to that question: no, she absolutely would not. There’s another distinction. Jon thinks of the people. Dani thinks of herself. Saving the people from the Night’s King isn’t altruistic, it’s entirely to guarantee her the throne after the war. 

I know I’m not going in chronological order but I forgot to take my usual notes while watching so I’m just going by ear lol. So onto Jon and Sansa’s conversation. Did anyone notice the darkened room and candles lit up everywhere? I’m just saying... whenever they’re arguing heatedly, they are usually in some kind of darkened room with candles. As for the argument itself, there are two things I find really interesting. One, when Jon asks Sansa if he has any faith in him and she answers he knows she does. I think what I find intriguing is the use of the word ‘faith’. Don’t get me wrong, it could mean Jon is asking Sansa to trust that his judgment about Dani is good, but then he could also say ‘I trust her so trust me’. But he’s asking her to have faith. He is asking her to have ‘complete trust or confidence’ in him. He’s no longer her king and nor does he have the command now as Dani is their queen, but he’s asking Sansa to have faith in him, specifically, which suggests he knows exactly what he’s doing. I grant you that this could mean a number of things but in these narratives, you usually ask someone to have faith in you when you’re doing something you can’t tell them about and you’re asking for their blind belief. 

The second thing that intrigues me is Sansa asking Jon if he has bent the knee because he believes in Dani or if it’s because he loves her. The question itself doesn’t intrigue me but the fact that he doesn’t answer and it cuts to a new scene does. If Jon’s love for Dani and/or belief in Dani as a queen is doubtless then the answer should be easy. Even if he feels shame about loving her when he should be focused on the people, he could simply say that he believes in her as a queen and that his feelings are irrelevant. All simple answers, so why cut to a new scene and leave the question unanswered? That makes me think it leaves it unanswered because the answer is something he can’t say and that makes me wonder: why can’t he say it?

Bouncing around the episode again, I want to touch on something Sansa said to Tyrion. When they’re talking about their positions and Sansa says “depends on the queen” to Tyrion, I don’t know if it was as obvious to others that she is referring to Dani, not Cersei, but I really liked that line. I also love Sansa’s leaving remark that she once thought Tyrion was the smartest man in Westeros because it’s frankly true. Last season, Tyrion hardly did anything that would warrant such a claim and that is incredibly disappointing considering who he’s been over the course of this show. But the way Tyrion reacts to any sort of doubt over Dani’s ability to rule as of late has felt defensive and/or contemplative unease. Like he too is concerned, that she is beginning to cracks ever-so-slightly at the seams. After all, when a Targaryen is born, the Gods flip a coin to see if they’re mad and there are two Targaryens alive in this show. One is Jon, who has not displayed any signs of madness, and then there is Dani, who derives pleasure from burning her enemies. 

Anyway, there’s a lot more to touch on but I’m tired and hungry and I’ll end it here. Thanks for reading if you did!! 

[malyen0retsev]

hi! as someone who IS a daenerys fan, can i ask why you haven't thought she would end up on the iron throne (both in the books and the show)? because i know your answer won't be 'because i don't like her' - i'd be interested to hear your thoughts!

It boils down to two things, fundamentally, and this will be a long reply (I’m not sorry haha) - those two things are What Targaryen rule represents and The Long Night. Both of these are important as to why I hold this view, and they’re sort of intertwined (to an extent tbh). So, I’ll attempt to break these hella complicated things down! Btw - the show endgame? The way they did that? Bullshit bullshit. That will not be how it goes down in the books.

Daenerys is not her father. We know this, and anyone with an ounce of sense knows this from both the books and the show. She is tough, she is fierce, but she is also kind hearted, caring, very loving (and in the books she shows this a lot! She is always hugging and physically touching those she cares about to reassure them. She shows this love and care in every single way she can). She is not her brother (be it Viserys or Rhaegar, because yeah, Rhaegar was better than Viserys, but he was also… relatively shady, to say the least). She is good. In TWOW we will see her go through a dark arc, but she’ll come through the other side of it. I cannot reiterate enough she is good. She is not the sort of person who would ever torch a city ‘just because’. That isn’t Dany. 

However. Whilst we the audience know and understand that Dany is good, you have to zoom out for bigger context here. In a story where politics is incredibly important, and the great Houses are incredibly important, simply saying ‘someone is good’ isn’t… enough. Daenerys is, for all her goodness, kindness, and lack of similarity to her father, still a Targaryen. Targaryen rule in recent years, still in the very near memory for the Westerosi represents tyranny. It represents War. It represents a Northern girl who was abducted (yes Lyanna may have loved Rhaegar but her age makes it very iffy about her say in it), it represents her father and brother who rode south and were burnt and strangled to death, it represents the great Houses banding together to overthrow Targaryen rule. It cannot be stated enough how much the show simplified Robert’s rebellion. Lyanna’s abduction was sort of the cherry on top of the cake for tipping Westeros into open rebellion against the Targaryens. There was discontent, and hatred, stirring for years. Lyanna was the final thing that tipped it over. 

Add in the fact that in the books, it is highly highly likely that f!Aegon will have got there first, and he will be (to all intents and purposes to the people) a Targaryen, and a Targaryen who will likely bloody blow up King’s Landing… Daenerys represents a continuation of that sort of rule. The common people are already fairly ‘eugh’ towards Targaryen rule, and when she comes in after f!Aegon, that ‘eugh’ will have turned to palpable dislike. She is different. Yes. She is not a tyrant. But because she is a Targaryen, she still represents the tyranny of Targaryen rule. She represents a going backwards, not forwards. 

There is a reason the North, for example, is boiling over at this point in the books in a complex plot to overthrow the Boltons and bring back the Starks. Their loyalty was to Ned Stark and he is gone. But under the Starks, the North has known kindness, compassion, and good rule. To the North, that is what the Stark name represents. They may have no personal affiliation to House Stark, but the name means something. And unfortunately, in Daenerys’ situation, her name means something too. It just doesn’t mean a good thing. 

Let’s try and flip this into a modern day context that most of us on here could agree with - look at the USA, and the Republican Party. Most of us on here would agree with ‘ABSOLUTE TRASHBAGS’. Now, say a new leader of the Republican Party came along, and was genuinely a good, kind person. Someone who embodied Lincoln, a President most people think was a good President. Would you be sceptical and still not want them? It’s highly likely, yes. Because at the end of the day, what the Republican Party stands for will always hit harder than what an individual stands for. So, to go back to Daenerys - she is good. She is kind. She personally represents a new age. But because she is a Targaryen, who are intrinsically tied to a past age, and not only that, but a tyrannical age, she physically cannot represent that to Westeros. Yes, my analysis may be off here, but that’s how I see it.

As for The Long Night. 

I have long believed Dany would die in the Battle against the Dead. You see it in the House of the Undying, where she turns away from the throne to go North, beyond the Wall. And there, she meets Rhaego and Drogo again. Why the hell the show threw away all this symbolism I do not bloody know. To me, Dany’s arc has never actually been about Targaryen restoration - yes, for the massive paragraphs written above, but also because I have personally always read Dany’s arc as much much closer tied to that of slavery.

Dany has been sold as a slave. She was sold to Khal Drogo, and raped, and was essentially a slave. Yes, she was lucky in the sense she did fall in love with him, and as far as Khals go, Drogo was very very different to other Khals - but that doesn’t remove the fundamental point that she was sold as a slave. This personal knowledge of what it is to be sold, and bought, and treated like an animal, is what drives Daenerys into the abolition of slavery in Slaver’s Bay. She has personal experience of it. She doesn’t want anyone else to go through what she has had to go through. She is good, she is kind, she knows what she stands for, and what she stands for is anti-slavery. 

Look at the Army of the Dead. In its most basic form, the Others are effectively slaves. They are the dead, brought back against their will, and enslaved into this massive army against their will. All agency is removed from them, and they are tied to this ‘life’ of killing and darkness by their slaver - the White Walkers. They represent everything Daenerys stands against. She will fight against them, not simply to ensure Jon supports her, but because that is who she is. And they represent what she wants to remove from the world. 

I also think, unfortunately, the Nissa Nissa prophecy of Jon piercing Lightbringer through Dany’s heart will come true in the books - but I cannot stress enough how the context will be different. They will love each other in the books, and the R+L=J thing will be about Jon, not about destabilising Dany. Jon will be reborn as Azor Ahai, and in order to forge Lightbringer and end the Long Night, Azor Ahai has to plunge it through the heart of the one he loves most - and that is Daenerys. But it won’t be sneaky, or downright disgusting like in the show. If I know Jon and Dany’s characters like I think I do in the books, the two of them will have a downright argument about it. They will love each other, so so much, and Jon will not want to do it. It will be Dany’s choice to sacrifice herself. Yes, she will die, but the context will make it so so different. It won’t be murder. She will view it as this was her final purpose - giving up her life to free the entirety of Westeros from a tyrannical form of slavery. Because Dany’s arc is tied to slavery. For her to die in defeating the ultimate form of slavery, and choose to do so… it fits. It also makes Jon’s potential end of exile to the Wall believable, because I think Jon would choose to do so. Killing Daenerys, even though she will ask him to, will fuck him up so badly that he will actively choose to remove himself from society again. 

So to draw all of this to a close - I have never thought Dany would sit on the Iron Throne, because the connotations of Targaryen rule represent moving backwards, not forwards, however much she is a good, kind, person. But more fundamentally than that, I have always thought she would die in the War for Dawn. So she wouldn’t sit on the Iron Throne, because she would be dead. But the book context will be so so different - and it will be heartbreaking, but in a way we can actually live with, because it will be Dany being true to who she is right to the very end. Putting her people before herself, and ending slavery. That’s who Dany is. 

Thanks for the ask!

[letbarbieshavedragons]

My friends know I hate s7's WF's story with a blazing passion. It made A and S so fucking dumb. I was more on S's side tbh, however I wasn't mad at A but the shitty writing. And yes, Littlefinger, as the person who start the WotFKs deserved so much better and to be truly out maneuvered. Then they retconned it last minute to make it look like they planned it along and to cover up the bad choices. D&D cannot write political intrigue like Martin and it was embarrassing to watch them try. (1/2)

Honeslty I didn’t really take sides on the A vs S thing, but I did think it made even less sense for Arya than Snsa and that was extra frustrating, but I also have always preferred S to A, so maybe that’s just me being biased. And I don’t mean to say S didn’t have a reason to be cautious of a new monarch, just that her reaction didn’t make sense to me, politically.

I understand being wary of Dany, that makes perfect sense and if she had been doing some spying or maneuvering behind the scenes I wouldn’t have had the same reaction. My issue was how obviously she was being distrustful and undermining Daenerys, especially since Dany was there to save them. If her concern is that she’s like her father, then outing yourself as a potential enemy right off the bat like she did, didn’t seem smart to me. If Dany truly had been another Cersei or Aerys like so many feared, she absolutely would have marched her armies back south and let the WW take care of these potential enemies. Plus If Jon wasn’t such a dumbass this season, that could have really cost Snsa, bc anyone with eyes could see she would sell Jon out in a heartbeat. But if she’d played her cards right, Jon wouldn’t have looked like such an idiot for telling her and Dany maybe wouldn’t have been so distrusting of her.

My point was more it seemed like very lazy writing to have S be so openly hostile with Danaerys when politically it was a dumb thing to do. But I honeslty dont think D&D realize they can write strong women that don’t immediately fight. Like Littlefinger’s number 1 rule was don’t let your enemies know what you want or what your thinking. And S does exactly the opposite and makes her mistrust of Daenerys blatantly obvious. She could have gained so much more and learned to much more by being friendly. But D&D never intended to have them get along, Snsa was just out for power and didn’t care about the ramifications of her ambitions on her people. 😒

They could have done so much with Snsa this season, instead they just made her Cersei 2.0 willing to crush anyone to get on top. Except we’re supposed to root for her? Yeah right. I’ve been rooting for Snsa for 7 seasons and I didn’t enjoy a single thing she did this season.

Lmao sorry this is so long and possibly nonesensical, I had like a hundred thoughts going at once. This has been a sore spot for me for a while. But yeah, they wasted so much potential with Snsa for their stupid misogynistic plot lines. She ended up just being a tool and mouth piece for their very misguided ideas of what a strong woman is.

[kocch]

Some fandom talk

Although I've been a fan of both ASOIAF and GoT for years, this is the first time I've actively skimmed through the tag on Tumblr and I can't express how surprised I was by finding out people actually ship Sansa and Jon. I'm baffled, to be honest, and although shipping is mostly just a common happening in fandoms, sometimes I just can't understand the foundations of such ships.

Now, since I've seen enough jonsa talk to be weirded out for good, let me explain why I'm seriously surprised... As if it wasn't obvious already.

First of all, they're brother and sister. We can argue that a) they're not, they're cousins: but they've been raised as siblings, and b) even siblings can grow to love each other, aka Cersei and Jaime, but even then it's not a common thing, and it's not something I could see neither Jon nor Sansa doing... Why? Because they're both Starks. To the core, they've been raised by Starks and with Starks beliefs and values - like I said, they were raised as siblings, they've shared their childhood, and they share common values as respect, honor and dignity, among others. I can't wrap my head around shippers trying to forfeit such basic values to make them work. They wouldn't go down that route, period.

And also, to book/series fans like me, Sansa wasn't even Jon's favourite sister. If we have to find an ancestral bond between them, then Arya would make more sense because they do have a connection: she treated him as her true brother, he treated her as someone worthy of his respect; he was the one who gave her Needle as a gift, acknowledging her interest in anything "male" and "not lady-like" as fighting, swords, etc. They had that type of bond, and it made a lot of sense that they were so happy for seeing each other again in this new episode, as well as talking about swords as soon as they meet - that's the way they communicate.

But even then, I'm not supporting this ship as well, because duh, again, siblings, they've grown together, they just have sibling dynamics.

While Jon and Sansa have interesting dynamics, that's all about protecting the North, their family, the Starks, while having different political opinions. I can't stand people who paint Sansa as jealous of Dany because of Jon - seriously, that's not it, she's just judging Jon for having fallen for their ally, to the point of giving in too much, losing the freedom that the title King in the North would give him and would give The North against Daenerys's agenda. She's saying: we had something, an advantage for our independence and safety, and you gave it up for her, not just to protect the north but because you have feelings for her - this doesn't mean she's jealous, that's a feeling a woman in love has, while she's just being... A diplomat.

Both Jon and Sansa are those who managed to free the North and rule it, one by his army power/crowd appeal and the other by her title and her political power, and those dynamics have been there for a while - they don't always agree, but in the end they're family. And after all they've been through, their attachment to family is important - I don't see why such feelings have to be confused with love, because Jon shows several times in 8x01 that he cares about his siblings, being it Arya and Bran, being it Sansa too, he's just happy to see them there, in their home. And same goes to Sansa, who is clearly working hard to be sure that the Starks survive, the pack survives through this long winter. I don't see why we have to turn everything into romance - I know this is what shippers do, but there are several ways to love someone, and sibling love is as strong and beautiful as any other type of love. Blood is thicker than water, ok.

+ while Sansa and Jon grew up as siblings, Jon and Daenerys didn't, so I can't blame them for the feelings they developed before they knew their real relationship. But I can bet that Jon won't be able to keep going now that he knows his origins, his real name and what's his connection with Daenerys. I don't see why it wouldn't apply to jonsa tbh, it's not like he can switch code of honor at once.

+ I must admit I'm one of those people who loved reading Tyrion in the books, who loved Tyrion in the series as well and who saw how much he tried for Sansa, how he stood up for her and didn't disrespect her through their marriage. While I think that Sansa was too young, too naive, too much of a kid and A Victim to be entirely understanding of Tyrion, I also think that if I have to see her being shipped with someone in this last season, it might as well be Tyrion. When they got married, she didn't have a choice, she couldn't speak about it. She just had to endure, and he tried all his best to make their marriage good and safe for her. He was a gentleman, but they weren't equal. Now they are. Now she's an adult, she's witty, she's wise, she's matured, now she's his equal - now she's not an afraid little bird. I would love to see such dynamics explored, IF we have to get Sansa x marriage again, or Sansa x men again, honestly. I just want her to survive. She's a survivor. And she's my fave.

[fedonciadale]

RLJ in episode 2

SPOILERS ALERT

I’ll put my thoughts on the episode as a whole together tomorrow, for now I just want to address one thing: Jon telling Da€nerys about RLJ.

I feel a bit stupid after just telling an anon this week, that I don’t think this is likely, because Jon knows it is dangerous. I guess I forgot that Jon does like to put himself into danger....

Well, first of all, he did it on the instigation of Sam, which is a bit odd. I mean Sam cautioned him to ‘be careful’ about it. He knows that this will not sit well with Da€nerys, so Sam either wants to test his theory that Da€nerys would not give upt the throne for Jon or he is on the side of truth and the rightful heir. Both is possible. But at least Sam knows, that telling Da€nerys is not an afternoon picknick.

Now, why does Jon decide he needs to tell Da€nerys. Because he is an honourable fool? It looks like that. I have several ideas about that: my one thought is that he took Sam’s advice and waited for a good moment. You might think that the evening before battle is not the best moment, but it is also a moment, where everything is overwhelmed by the need to fight the “real enemy”. I think Jon has not understood yet, that Da€nerys came North, as she told Sansa this episode, to fight ‘Jon’s war’. She does not see this as her war - which is stupid, but consistent with her behaviour in season 7. She just does not get it, that the Dead will march past Winterfell and that it is her bloody duty to protect the realm she wants to rule. So Jon might really misjudge her character in this regard. She promised after all to fight with him and he doesn’t know about Da€nerys’ history of breaking promises.

So he took the opportunity of a good opening by D, in a situation where she won’t do anything about it - at least as Jon sees it. He might have felt the need, that he had to explain his absence - which was prominent in the episode.

Interestingly he grabbed D’s hand and called her ‘Dany’ obviously trying to relive that moment on the boat, when he actually managed to get her on board. Only this time he fails: she backs away from him, her face a mixture of feeling betrayed and anger, that he is the male heir, that he would play her a bad turn like that.

So, I do think this sets up Da€nerys leaving the fight. I do think, it only needs a straw to make her leave Jon and ‘his war’.

So, while I am quite sure, that Jon had his reasons to why he chose that particular situation, I am still a bit stuck on why he chose to tell her at all. Did he want to explain his aloofness (and isn’t it interesting that the whole heir to the throne thing bothers D much more than the incest?)? - This could work both ways with Political Jon and Jon€rys. Did he trust so much in his ability to manipulate her that he thought she would stomach that? - I doubt it tbh, because Jon is not a very self-confident person all in all. Did he want to test Sam’s theory? Maybe even to prove Sam wrong or at least to find it out? Is he so done with lying that he wanted to tell the truth? Did he give her the benefit of the doubt? This would be an approach he prefers, and which we saw him make in the very same episode with Jaime Lannister. I am torn about what I think is true, but I tend to the later - the benefit of the doubt. While he knows D is volatile he has yet to witness her doing something really bad, and he does not know she burned the Tarlys, only that he executed them.

No, I do think there are Doylist reasons for Jon being the one to tell D. On the one hand it shows him as being someone who trusts D to do the right thing (even if this is not very clever....) and if she turns against him, it is not his fault, which seems to be the arc the show will go for - which is a pity, because I think that Jon would have to be greyer to survive this. He reiterates Ned’s mistake of telling Cersei that he knew the truth, and this puts him in great danger, because if Ned did not survive that, why should he.

But the show does not seem to go there, they really want Targbowl with D as the bad one, which is a  pity, I had hoped for greyer portrayals, more in the direction of Hector and Achillles. So, Jon telling her means a) that D can feel the betrayal b) that she knows before anyone else but Sam and Bran and Jon himself which gives her the opportunity to act before it is common knowledge and c) it shows Jon losing his influence on her and paints him as the good guy, who trusted her. So the Doylist reasons overcome the Watsonian reasons of character consistency - at least in part. I do not think that this is the end of Political Jon - which was more or less confirmed via Da€nerys herself in the one on one scene with Sansa. I think it just shows, that despite manipulating D to come North, despite giving up his crown, despite everything, Jon still has not learnt, that titles might not be important to him but that they are hell of important to other people around him. He is so focused on the NK and the WW that he thinks everybody is as focussed as him.

I am not sure, if this is my final say on the scene. I will have to rewatch again, but for now it is my take.

To sum up: I think that could have been done better, although I think that the scene itself was played well, both by Kit and by Emilia. Her face and her backing away almost made me feel pity for her.... almost.

[ravenofthefandoms]

Here are my thoughts on S8E1!

Since these have been sitting in my notes for awhile, here ya go. Just anything that I thought about (or yelled at my screen about) while watching the episode at 2AM (that’s when it aired in Ireland (I’m not Irish tho just studying abroad))

- A boss fight between Euron and the Mountain would be lowkey cool like I wanna see Euron fuck up the Mountain JUST to see the look on Cersei’s face

- Cersei really wanted those damn elephants

- A boss fight between Euron and Yara and/or Theon would be AMAZING

- Jon is literally just an example that Targaryen blood isn’t as strong as the Targaryens think it is (and maybe even proof that Stark blood is stronger??)

- How DARE Jon cheat on Ygritte by even tHINKING of fuckin Dany in that cave how dare he I am so angery that is his thing with Ygritte

- I cried like an actual bitch within the first ten minutes this season is gonna wreck me

- I don’t understand how Cersei thinks she’s gonna beat the white walkers. They have no Valyrian steel, no dragonlass, only her crazy wildfire shit that I have a feeling will backfire on her or sum like that

- The guy from the Golden Company is actually hot damn who is he and I hope we see more of him

- Everyone: Northerns are stubborn. They’re loyal. They don’t like outsiders. They don’t trust people they don’t trust.

  Daenerys: ...

  Daenerys: y no like me¿

- I love that Dany thinks she’s a bad bitch just cuz she has dragons. Sansa will WRECK HER ASS if she EVER threatens her or her family (or really any northerner) like that again and tbh I hope it happens

- Arya reuniting with everyone makes me so happy fuck it uP bitch

- When Sandor said “you’re a cold bitch” he really meant “I missed you and I’m proud that you survived”

- I think Gendry is lowkey into BDSM cuz he really wants Arya to fuck him up with that knife

- Since Jon doesn’t want to be king in the north lets just make Sansa the queen cuz obviously that will work 1000000 times better

- Sansa knows what’s up she ain’t playin this “i’m JUST tryna save the north” shit

- Sam is still adorable I love it my cuddly muffin

- Dany realizing she killed Sam’s famioli cracks me up it’s just such an “oh shit” moment for her cuz she never thought she’d meet the victims of her temper tantrums :)))

- HOW DARE DAENERYS MAKE SAM CRY AND HE’S STILL POLITE AS FUCK HOW FUCKING DARE SHE I AM LIVID

- awww they have little statues for the direwolves in the crypts

- JON AND SAM REUNITED SO CUTE OMFG AND JON WAS WORRIED ABOUT LIL SAM AND GILLY

- I love when Jon does his little side shuffle thing when walking forward when he’s like “bitch wut”

- As much as he hates to admit it, Jon would be a WAY better ruler than Dany

- I’m glad that Tormund is alive he and Brienne still need to make their giant babies

- “I’vE aLWayS hAd BLue eyEs”

- Aww cute lil Ned Umber he was such a cutie when he popped his lil head out when he was called on also that was some freaky shit that I didn’t ask for GoT isn’t a fuckin horror series

- Jaime seeing Bran again is a BIIIIIIG OOF moment but I feel like Bran is gonna be like “nah its chill famioli I’m the three eyed raven now so thanks actually”

[janiedean]

Hello, I'm the previous one (with the question about Sansa&Sandor). I'm the first book, and I read that scene and thats why I asked it. But I know that a lot of people ship Sansa with Jon too... any chance for that(from the show, I liked their bond as siblings, but thats all, never thought it could go into romance...)? (I have a hard time differentiate which things are likely, and which are not. Nowadays, you see people proving everything and the exact opposite too, so I'm clueless) 1/2

2/2 And Dany&Jon? Song of ICE and FIRE, so I would be surprised if it wasn't in the final 2 books. Oh, and one last: Gendry and Arya? They were so cute in the show. Any chance for that? Also, sorry because of these weird questions, but its so weird, watching the show, I thought that there arent really any (healthy or normal) love stories, and this story is not about that, but from what I heard, the books are full of potential couples. The show is more about politics and fights, its strange.

d&d can’t write a romance for shit and it shows *shrug* THAT SAID in order:

jon and sansa is not likely whatsoever imvho - I mean they have some cute moments when they think of each other post-book one and I’d love to see them reconnect and rebuild their sibling relationship, but I honestly don’t think it has any chance of being romantic especially since she has way more relevant textual interactions with other people (and all of her love interests for now were... nonstandard attractive and tbh I think it’s an element in sansa’s sl that she only looks at outer beauty in the beginning and then sees inner beauty after so like.... if it’s not sandor it’s tyrion imvho);

I still think the song of ice and fire is just about jon for how the prophecy is worded (jon is the prince that was promised and in the books the prophecy literally says that his is the song of ice and fire sooooo...) but like... given that they were a thing in the show and it was not one episode long I can’t say it’s not gonna be in the books but it’s gonna be better written. I think she’s going back to essos at the end (not dying) and he stays in westeros so idk if it’s endgame but more chances than jon/sa imvho

(guys I HAVE NO STAKES IN THIS DEBATE OTHER THAN THAT)

arya and gendry are obviously written so they’ll be together later. d&d splitting them up was the dumbest shit they could have done and it made no sense and they’re the one ship I’ll bet money on to get the happy ending without thinking it’s 99,9% chances but 100% chances lol

also: the story is also about that because it’s realistic books and irl people actually do fall in love and it doesn’t make them less interesting characters ;)

[kindasortaameyzing]

A Hot Take on j//nerys

*posting this as a separate post bc tumblr’s being dumb as hell* 

First of all, anon, thank you very much for this ask, because BOY OH BOY have i MANY FEELINGS about the magical targcest ship that is j//nerys.

This is about to be a long ass post. Also, includes spoilers to Season 8 Ep 1 (I’ll tell u when!)

First of all, when watching Season 7, I could not find myself shipping J and D. Like...I can see what D&D tried to do with the buildup and the chemistry (like the cave paintings and Jon Chilling with Drogon), and idk if they meant to make it so awkward and stunted, but it was. I felt -1000000 chemistry in between those two characters, frankly speaking. I could see some of it nearing episodes 6 and 7 if I squinted, but I was just kind of blown away by how I absolutely could not get behind this ship that the show has supposedly been leading up to for seven seasons.

At that point, I did kinda believe in Political!Jon because it made more sense for his character rather than falling in love with Dany “White Savior Complex” T. Before watching S8 Ep1, I already didn’t think jonerys was going to be endgame, even if they were canon for the time being. It was just such a stilted relationship and the Dark!Dany was coming in STRONG. But after watching 801, may I just say…

*if you haven’t noticed, S8 EP1 spoilers start now*

Here is a pretty hot take that I don’t think I’ve seen anyone share:

Jon Snow is infatuated by D. Maybe even in love with her. But he absolutely does not love her.

Let me start with the distinction. J is infatuated because he’s almost maybe even obsessed. He knows her as the Breaker of Chains, the Mother of Dragons, and all these mythical things that her title is, and combined with the fact that she swooped in to save him when he was going Wight Hunting, I think it’s just a bunch of savior idealism mixed in with a tad bit of Stockholm Syndrome. Not to mention, I think he’s being blinded with his obsession of finding more allies to fight against the AotD, and he’s willing to overlook all of her many, many faults to get there. He’s thinking very short term right now.

And honestly? I think that this infatuation is an ongoing trend with Daenerys’ lovers. None of them truly love her as an equal, except Drogo probably. They are besotted with her. Jorah, Daario, and mayyybee even Drogo to an extent -- they don’t love her, they are in love with her.

So does this kill Pol!Jon? Mayhaps. I think, actually, that Jon started out with those Pol!Jon motives in season 7, and I think he sticks to them up until Eastwatch (if his lukewarm reactions to D and clear annoyance with her has anything to say about it). To me, when watching Eastwatch, it was like a flip was switched. Suddenly, so suddenly, Jon was bending the knee to this woman who swooped in and saved the day. And I think his whole “let’s all be truthful once and for all” spiel in Dragonpit is sort-of evidence as to the falling of his Pol!Jon motives. (tbh, I can see how it could actually bolster the Pol!Jon argument, but it’s irrelevant).

Admittedly, this was all conjecture in my head. Up until Season 8. And BOY oh bOY did this episode feed me.

[Yay to Robert and Cersei parallels, anyone?]

I know a lot of people felt as if Jon was rather ooc in 801, and I agree. I think that’s due to his adoration for Dany. Not sticking up for Sansa when Dany threatened her? Asking Arya to take Dany’s side and making that little jab at Sansa for thinking she’s the smartest person in the world (btw, she absolutely is)? Generally being complacent as hell?

I think, in all those moments, he’s warring with himself. On one hand, angel-on-his-shoulder Jon knows that family should come first, that he should fight and stand up for the ones he loved. On the other hand, he’s desperately trying to justify his infatuation for D. He’s grasping at straws, and I think he’s scared of the fact that he is. I think the most telling part of this is when he tries to justify D’s murder of the Tarlys (AND, might I add, he doesn’t even know that she burned them alive yet, just that she killed them. Oh, i cannot WAIT for this tea)

Just...watching that scene [I’ll put a pic when I can get one]. Jon begins by looking confused and worried as hell. He’s beginning to look past his infatuation and see the truth. And he really tries to defend her, he does -- “I’ve had to murder people before” or whatever he says -- but Sam CALLS him the fuck out. And let me tell you? In that fucking scene, Jon doesn’t look angry. He looks scared.

And OOF that scene with Sansa? “Did you kneel for the North or for love?” (I’m paraphrasing, sorry if it’s not accurate)

Jon hesitates. He knows, in his heart of hearts, that he’s supposed to be doing this for the North, and he’s trying to justify his infatuation with Dany and marry the two, but it isn’t working.

And the “Did you ever have faith in me?” I think Jon truly thinks what he’s doing is right. Or it could be right. He’s may be looking for Sansa’s validation, partially, because at this point even he’s unsure of what he’s doing, but that’s a little tinfoil. 

Now, on to explain the existence of J//nerys moments that don’t involve the two characters themselves..

Davos, Varys, and Tyrion talking about a marriage alliance. I’d be lying if if I said I was surprised by it. And I don’t blame Davos for trying to push it. In an ideal situation if D was an actual good person, it would make sense. But she isn’t, and Jon doesn’t love her. Not to mention I find it kind of funny that they were looking at the pair and then we find out D’s just whining abt how Sansa doesn’t like her. Very romantic.

I think that scene was necessary for two reasons. I think they might add in a push for a marriage alliance in Ep 2, when I predict that the tensions btwn Jon and D will begin, and then Jon just reveals it can’t happen because he is, ta-da, a Targaryen. And then D will go back to Dragonstone before the Battle of Winterfell while leaving her armies behind (which people are predicting). But second of all, that scene was absolutely set up for Varys’ last line -- “Nothing lasts.”

A very purposeful line. A very purposeful shot to J and D as Varys says that line. This, more than everything else, confirmed that no matter how canon j//nerys might seem now, it’s never going to be endgame.

Now for the dragon joyride scene! Yay! Let’s take a break in the middle of literal war preparations and ignore an alliance about to fall apart at the seams to go chill at a waterfall that should be frozen over!

Honestly I thought this whole scene was such fanservice. There was no emotional aspect to it, no swelling music or long-awaited release. But D&D put it in there, using their precious screentime for a reason.

1. I think it shows Jon “embracing”, or lack thereof, his Targ side. It’s very clear he is not made for it, and he is not enjoying it. When Dany first rode her dragons, she did so with ease. Jon is absolutely not having it. I think this goes to show in some little way that no matter Jon’s blood, he’s a Stark. Or maybe it’s showing a melding between his Stark and Targaryen side. Idk. either way, there wasn��t an ounce of romance in that scene that didn’t seem forced

2. Foreshadowing for Dance of Dragons 2.0 much?? I think this is very much an introduction to Rhaegar-staying-with-Jon and knowing that Jon can control him

3. Oh my god was the romance one-sided. D instigated all the romance, she instigated the kiss. Admittedly, Jon obliged, but uh...his whole kiss while staring at Drogon? I???? What??? Ah, yes, very romantic????

I love D staring at Jon with all this love (I do think she loves him, and his betrayal will turn her to Dark!Dany, but more on that later) and Jon just trying his best! Keep your queen warm! uwu!!!!!!!!!!! 

PHEW! That’s all the meta-y thoughts I have on j//nerys. I’m also beginning to think that j//nerys is the Bad version of Ygritte and Jon? As in in both cases, I believe Jon began by trying to infiltrate the enemy party and pretending to be in love, but then actually truly falling for the girl in Ygritte’s case and falling in infatuation in D’s, and ending up having to betray her because it was never going to last in the first place. Also, cave/waterfall parallels maybe. That being said, Ygritte and Jon is far, far healthier and balanced, and this is just a crack theory, so don’t hate me on this one!!!

I really found it funny how j//nerys stans after 801 were frantically giffing the dragon joyride and makeout session bonus pack and blatantly ignoring how the entire plot of the story was pointing to Dark!Dany and the strife btwn them. Also, I could literally do an entire other post about Dark!D and how I absolutely hated her in 801 and then another one about jonsa, so if anyone’s interested, lmk!

TLDR: Jon has feelings for D but it’s not even close to love, it’s infatuation at best. Pol!Jon happened initially, but then faded away.  j//nerys is hella one-sided atm and even if jon truly loves D, it’s 101% not going to last longer than like ep 3. Also not mentioned but if D insults Sansa one more time I’m going to kick her ass.