#and people forget about the fact that theon comes from a great house too
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myrxellabaratheon · 9 months ago
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The Throbb power imbalance: a pet peeve of mine
I’ve been thinking a lot about if posting this or not, but as it’s a trope which is getting more and more popular I think I should at least explain why I said multiple times that A. I don’t really dig it and B. I don’t really think there is any power imbalance between them. (I know, who cares? you might ask, and honestly I don’t know but still)
So, let’s start saying that, differently for most of the other tropes in ASOIAF, there isn’t a “real life” translation of Theon’s situation in history (the closest I can think about it’s Vlad the Impaler’s childhood years and whatever Richard III did to his nephews during the Two Roses War, when it comes to highborn hostages, but both situations are different enough) which makes it difficult to really grasp the dynamics if the story was real.
Then, surely there is a sort of power imbalance between Theon and Ned and that’s not what I’m discussing here.
The problem is that Theon is Ned’s hostage and it’s been decided by Robert so when Ned dies Robert should have “confirmed” that Theon situation stayed immutate (hostages aren’t hereditary, especially not highborn ones and especially not when they aren’t taken hostage by the person but their captivity is decided by someone else). Considering that Robert dies before Ned, Theon is “free” the moment Robert dies, technically (because it’s Robert who took him hostage, not Ned).
Which brings us back to the fact that Robb and Theon have no obligation toward each other in that sense (and I’m not even bringing their friendship into the mix which will make things even more complex). Theon wasn’t even obligated to follow Robb in war tbqh, not by any law — he does because he’s the one suggesting Robb to call the banners and has that weird unresolved daddy issue with Ned, but still.
Also Robb isn’t Theon’s liege lord or king and never could he be! Theon is an ironborn and the heir to the Iron Islands (that’s the reason why he’s been taken hostage in the first place). If you pay attention, he never calls Ned “my lord” and refers to him as Lord Stark and nobody asks him to bend the knee to Robb or swear his loyalty to House Stark because he DOESN’T have to! One of the things I loved the most about the show is that when he does bend the knee he does it because it’s Robb he’s pledging ALLIANCE to (no obedience)!
- Am I your brother, now and always!
- Now and always.
- The King in the North!
And even when he calls him “Your Grace” later on he’s clearly teasing. (And it’s even more tragic because Theon would WANT Robb to be HIS king when they are both aware he’s not). And even when he goes back to the Islands his idea is the one to propose an alliance between them.
So where does the idea of power imbalance comes from? From Theon’s own chapters! He’s the one who feels like he’s not enough for the Starks (and generally it’s not like anyone but Robb made him ever feel differently). The entire power imbalance thing comes from the fact that he always wanted to be a Stark and considering that he’s never been allowed to, he feels like he’s not worth them (this also bodes well with the entirety of Theon’s character). And the point is: in my honest opinion, it’s waaaay better if the power imbalance is only perceived (especially in a shipping situation).
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schnoogles · 4 years ago
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For the fluffy holiday fic prompts: Jonsa and #3, secret Santa! 🎁🎅
omg YAY!! thanks so much for the prompt love💕💕
so this kind of got away from me here LMAO but i hope you like it!!
send me a prompt!
“Come on, Jon! Just pull a name out!”
Jon Snow sighed at his friend. The Starks always played Secret Santa every Christmas. And unlike Theon, Jon normally doesn’t stay with them during the holidays, he goes back home to his mother’s. So he’s never played with them before. 
Unfortunately, with his starting grad school this year, Jon couldn’t afford the flight home to his mother’s, and Lyanna couldn’t afford the flight to Winterfell. And since he already spends most other holidays and breaks with them, this year, he finally accepted the Starks’ invitation to spend Christmas there. 
“Yeah, Jon. You have to, I’ve already put your name in,” Robb’s younger sister, Arya, said smugly, “If you don’t pull a name, it sucks for whoever’s left in the hat.”
Sansa, Robb’s other sister, wiggled the Santa hat with the last slip of paper in front of Jon’s face. She smiled at him. “Give in, Jon. You know you want to.”
“Whoever has my name could always draw again?” he suggested hopefully. 
“Nonsense,” Catelyn said, “Jon, you’ve practically been family since Robb brought you home for freshman spring break. Don’t feel awkward about this, it’s all in good fun.”
Other than his own mother, Catelyn Stark was probably the best and kindest mother in the world. Jon couldn’t say no to her. 
--
Jon wished he said no to Catelyn. Of all the names he could have picked. Of all the names! He had to pull Sansa’s. And it wasn’t like there was anything wrong with Sansa. Quite the opposite in fact. She was great. Perfect, actually. And that was the problem. Sansa Stark was perfect and had everything. What could Jon “poor undergrad” Snow possibly get her that she’ll like? 
--
Sansa feels stupid. She couldn’t for the life of her figure out what to get Jon for Christmas. Of course with her shit luck, she’d pull the name of the one person who she’s most nervous about pleasing. But it’s fine. It’s fine. She can just ask Theon to switch with her. He’ll do it, no problem. Besides, he owes her.
--
“Bro, just get her some jewelry or something. Sansa likes pretty things.” 
Jon rubbed his temples. Robb is absolutely no help. But Jon should’ve expected that. “I can’t just get her jewelry, Robb. I don’t think she even wears any. This has to be a good gift!”
“Why?” asked Robb, with a mouthful of butter toffee pretzels. 
Before Jon could even think of an answer, a snort came from the hallway. When Jon and Robb looked, they saw a smirking Arya leaning on the doorframe. 
“You’re really asking why?” Arya rolled her eyes and then laughed at her brother. “Wow you’re stupid.” She walked away and left an offended Robb and a stressed Jon.
He groaned. “What do you even get someone who already has everything she could possibly want?”
--
Sansa crossed her arms as she glared at Theon. He hadn’t stopped laughing. “Are you done yet?”
“Sorry, babe. Dunno how to help you here,” he chuckled. 
“You could switch with me!”
“Nah, I like who I have.”
“You owe me!”
Theon stopped laughing. “Wh- for what?”
“For saving your ass when-”
“Nuh-uh. Nope!” Theon wagged his finger at her. “You don’t get to keep using that one. I’m sorry we dated the same asshole, but talking the cop out of arresting me for keying that car was forever ago!”
Sansa huffed. “Fine. But can you at least help me? I have no idea what Jon likes! He’s such a… minimalist. What do you get someone who doesn’t want anything?”
“Wow you’re really desperate aren’t you?” Theon looked at her sadly before giving her the biggest shit eating grin. “I mean. Knowing Jon, there’s only one thing he’d like to unwrap for Christmas. You know, tall, red hair, blue eyes, goes by the name Sansa-”
“Theon!”
He laughed. “What? You like him, Sans! Just make your move!”
She sighed. “Please be serious about this?”
“Alright, alright.” Theon thought for a bit. “I heard Tiles are all the rage now. You can get him that?”
“What’s are Tiles?”
“It’s like… like Find My iPhone, but like ‘Find My Whatever it’s Attached To’ instead.”
“Oh. Okay, yeah.” Sansa nodded. “Jon’s pretty forgetful, that should be good, right?”
“Yeah! Like they’re very handy. He can attach it to like -uh- his backpack? Uh… clothes- no. Uh.. a baby…”
Sansa looked at him like he was stupid. Which, fair.
“Oh! Oh, keys! Keys are what people usually attach them to.”
Maybe asking Theon for help was a bad move. Sansa doesn’t understand how she became such close friends with this idiot. 
--
“Oh!” 
Jon jumped and turned around. “Sansa? What are you doing up?”
She smiled wryly at him. “I could say the same thing about you.” When he did nothing but smile abashedly at her, she continued into the kitchen and got a mug out of the cupboard. “So,” Sansa said, after realizing Jon wasn’t going to say anything, “What’s someone like you doing up way past his bedtime?” As she continued on making her tea, she looked up to Jon, waiting for an answer. 
Jon blinked at her. “Uh…”
Sansa chuckled. “That bad?” She finished making her drink and leaned on the counter, lightly blowing on the cup. “Well, I’m up because I’m a light sleeper. Especially when I’m stressed. Loud noises tend to wake me up.”
Jon suddenly felt incredibly guilty. “Oh gods, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize I was being loud-”
“No no,” Sansa cut him off. “Sorry, that was poorly worded. Lady got up and had a late night snack.”
“Ah.” Jon  nodded in understanding and took a sip from his own mug. Hmm, she’s a light sleeper. Maybe I can get her a-
“Yeah, and my white noise machine doesn’t help much either.”
Nope. Jon sighed. What could he get for her? He cleared his throat. “So, what’s got you so stressed.?”
Sansa looked down at her mug. “A mix of a lot of things actually. This time of year always makes me feel a little melancholy.” 
Jon scrunched his eyebrows.
“The ghosts of boyfriends past,” she explained. 
Right. Jon’s known her for four years and she’s had a total of three boyfriends. Each one worse than the last in his humble opinion. And that had nothing to do with his crush on her, no sir. 
“Yeah, Theon mentioned one earlier and it just got me thinking, you know?” Jon nodded at her to continue. “I’ve always loved the idea of some pretty prince charming sweeping me off my feet and showering me with gifts. Guess I realized, I don’t want any of that. Gifts are meaningless if there’s no thought or love behind them, you know?” She looked down embarrassedly, suddenly mortified that she just shared so much with him.
Jon gave her an out. “I still can’t believe you and Theon dated the same person.”
Sansa snorted. “Theon will date anything with pretty hair and a heartbeat.”
Jon cracked a smile. “Not ugly hair and a heartbeat?”
“Oh, gods no. He’s shallow like that.”
They both giggled. 
“So…?” Sansa raised an eyebrow at him.
Oh, right. My turn. Jon cleared his throat. “Oh, um, yeah. Stress keeping me up too.” And then Jon suddenly had a thought. Is it considered cheating though? Oh well. “I have absolutely no idea what to get my Secret Santa if I’m honest. You -uh- got any ideas on what you’re getting yours?” He took a discreet sip from his mug. 
Nope. “Yeah, I have an idea, I think,” she replied vaguely. “Something meaningful, you know? Can’t tell you though, sorry! It’s Secret Santa. But anyways, Jon, don’t sweat about the gift! This is supposed to be fun! Besides, you know us, we don’t need any fancy schmancy gifts.” How about you take your own advice, Sansa. “Now, that can’t be all you’re stressed about.”
Jon laughed in his drink. “Always so perceptive. No, you’re right. I mean- I am stressed about the gift, but I’m also just… I can’t help but think about my Mom, you know? Sure she has friends back home that she could spend Christmas with, but I can’t help but feel guilty for being here, while she’s at home alone right now. And I just really miss her.” He shrugged and took another sip of his drink. “So, whatcha got there? What kind of tea is it?”
“Oh, er, it’s chamomile. It helps me sleep.”
“That sounds nice. Maybe I should try that and see if it’ll help me sleep too.”
Yes! Maybe I can get him a pack of-
“Too bad I’m more of a hot water type of guy.” He smiled at her and took a sip from his mug. “Never really found the need to drink much of anything else at home.”
A fucking minimalist. 
--
“So,” Arya said, “You got anything yet?”
“Nope,” came a muffled reply from Jon. 
“Sucks.” He groaned in his hands and Arya felt pity. “Tell you what, I’ll let you in on a big Sansa secret.”
Jon perked up at that. “What?”
“She doesn’t give two fucks about gifts.”
“That… that doesn’t help, Arya.”
“No, I’m serious. Look,” she said forcefully, “Sansa’s had friends and boyfriends who’d always give her the most lovely and expensive gifts, right?”
“... Still not helping.”
Arya sighed. “What I’m trying to say is those boyfriends? Look around Jon, are they in her life anymore?”
--
It hit her like a shit ton of bricks. Well, actually. It was more of a passing thought as she was watching her third Christmas movie of the day. 
So, with her parents’ permission and Theon’s help, she got to work.
--
Arya groaned. “You know, it’s called ‘1 hour photo.’ Meaning that the photos won’t be ready for one hour.”
“I’m sorry! I’m just anxious and I wanna get started as soon as possible.”
She rolled her eyes at Jon. He enlisted her help to buy all the things he needed for Sansa’s gift. And to provide some photos. 
--
It was Christmas Day. It was Christmas Day and Jon found he was really missing his mother. He tried calling earlier, but she didn’t answer. She was either still sleeping in, as that was their usual routine, or she was at a friend’s. He sighed. He’ll try calling her again later on in the day.
Jon got up and joined the rest of the house downstairs. 
--
It was Christmas Day. It was Christmas Day and Sansa was nowhere to be found. She told everyone they could get started on gifts without her if they wanted to, but of course no one was going to do that. So they planned on opening gifts after breakfast instead. 
They were all in the kitchen eating when they heard the front door open and close.
“Sorry I’m late! I’ll join you guys in just a bit!” She shouted from the other room.
Jon eagerly stood up, intent on helping her with whatever last minute thing that she must’ve gone out to buy. But before he could even move, Theon promptly pushed him back down in his seat. 
“Where ya going, buddy?”
“Just gonna see if Sansa needs any help.”
“No worries, I got it.” He proceeded to pour Jon a cup of orange juice. Jon confusedly thanked him and raised the glass to drink it. When he gave Theon a questioning look, Theon explained. “To help quench that thirst of yours.” Arya and Bran snorted into their food while Jon choked on his drink. Robb did neither of those things.
“Wow, you’re such a good friend, Theon!” 
“Just getting into that Christmas spirit, Robb.”
He walked smugly out of the room to see whatever it was that Sansa had just gone out for. When Jon finally calmed down, he looked up to see Ned and Catelyn Stark staring right back at him. Both had their eyebrows up in amusement. Oh gods. I can never come back here again. 
A few minutes later, Sansa and Theon returned. Jon noted there was nothing in either of their hands. He wasn’t the only one who  noticed.
“Didn’t get what you were looking for?” Bran asked.
“Nope,” Sansa replied nonchalantly, “Must be what I get for trying to go to the store on Christmas Day.”
“So you’re telling me we could’ve opened presents by now?” Rickon was shaking his head at his big sister. Hey may be well into his teens, but Rickon was still excited for Christmas gifts.
“Sorry! Tell you what, is everyone done eating? Let’s get to presents right now!”
Catelyn made a move to start clearing the table, but Sansa waved her off. “I’ll do it after we open presents Mom. Don’t worry about it!”
--
Everyone grabbed whichever gift had their name on it. To keep things anonymous, every gift was wrapped in the same paper and the names were stuck on with pre-printed stickers. Ned passed out the gifts to be opened one by one. When Sansa opened her gift she let out a soft gasp.
“Oh,” she whispered softly, “This is perfect.” She began flipping over each page of the homemade scrapbook. They were filled with photos from the last few years. A lot of the pictures were ones she didn’t even know were taken of her and her family. Family dinners, camping trips, random moments on campus with her friends and family. It was filled with small moments that she forgot had happened. There was even a wristband from a concert Robb and Jon and Theon had taken her to.
“What is it darling?” Her mother asked.
Sansa closed the book and held it close to her chest. “It’s a scrapbook. Filled with a lot of really good memories.” She smiled. She wondered who got her such a thoughtful gift. Before she could try to figure out who it was, Rickon interrupted her.
“Wait, where’s Jon’s gift?” He and Ned looked around the tree to see if they had missed one.
“Oh, no it’s okay!” Jon started waving his hands. “I don’t need a gift!” He was actually a bit relieved. He was awkward when it came to accepting gifts.
“Oh no!” Theon declared very loudly in a strange, overly dramatic voice. “Jon doesn’t have a gift? That’s awful!” At some point during that announcement, he had slowly tilted his head towards the stairs.
Sansa slapped her forehead in disdain. Theon doesn’t have a subtle bone in his body.
“Wait yeah, that’s not right,” Robb agreed. “Jon’s Secret Santa: what the heck?”
“No, I’m good!” Jon argued. “I don’t need a gift.”
“That’s a shame. Should I just hop on a flight and head home then?” 
Jon froze when he heard the voice behind him. His jaw slowly dropped and he turned around.
The woman before him tilted her head and smiled. “Hi baby.”
“Mom?”
“Merry Christmas!” Lyanna laughed as her son rushed to hug her. 
“What are you doing here?! How’d you get here? Is this why you didn’t answer your phone earlier? Oh my gods!” 
Sansa smiled softly at Jon. She figured it out. The one thing he probably wanted most this year was to be with his mother. 
“You’ve got some wonderful friends here, Jon.” Lyanna turned around and gestured to Sansa. “This lovely young woman here booked me a flight and picked me up from the airport this morning. If she’s not your girlfriend, then you better get to it!” 
“Mom!”
Lyanna ignored her son then looked at the rest of the Starks and laughed. “You people really go all out for Secret Santa gifts don’t you?”
After the initial embarrassment, Jon looked at Sansa with a mixture of disbelief and awe. And she smiled sheepishly back at him.
“Surprise?”
Jon shook his head and chuckled. “I don’t know what’s more unbelievable. You booking a last minute flight for my mother, or the fact that we both pulled each other’s name for Secret Santa.”
Sansa’s eyebrows rose. “You made this for me?” She asked softly.
It was Jon’s turn to look sheepish. He scratched the back of his head, suddenly feeling bashful. “Uh… yeah. I couldn’t think of what to get you. And then you said how you think gifts are meaningless if there’s no thought for the person receiving it and uh, I know how you love your friends and family and-”
Sansa interrupted him by engulfing him in a hug. “Thank you. I love it.”
“Oh noooo, wouldja look at that?”
Theon had somehow attached a suspicious looking holiday plant to the fishing rod he got from his Secret Santa. And he was now dangling it above Jon and Sansa as he lounged on the couch.
Sansa, too busy glaring at Theon, didn’t notice Jon’s blush. When she turned back to Jon, she opened her mouth to give him an out, but he beat her to it.
“I’m game if you are.”
I am SO game.
Sansa leaned in and Jon met her halfway.
“Wait that’s holly, not mistletoe!”
“Robb, shut up. You’re ruining their moment.”
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adecila · 6 years ago
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Game of Thrones – A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms - 8x02 episode analysis (kind of)
…or the episode we should have gotten last week.
And we’re back! I am not here to shit on last week’s episode I actually enjoyed it very much, if you just take it for what it was, but! I cannot help but remark how much better episode 2 has been to us… the writing was very very good and rich, and in character, and it finally feels like GoT and… I honestly don’t know what happened in episode 1. But moving on…
As you can already tell, this is going to my personal summary, thoughts and analysis of episode 02 of season 8. Going to put it all under a cut – spoilers, you have been warned.
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Are you an Oathkeeper or on Oathbreaker? Or the Jaime Fucking Lannister Fest
Listen I am not calling this a trial, because it is not. Yes I know they call it a trial in the BTS and Inside the episode.
Dany’s speech about Jaime’s deeds against House Targaryen is very good. As I have mentioned in my preview analysis, this is the first time (third time is a charm ha) that Jaime and Dany speak to one another. She doesn’t know this man. This man tried to kill her and he killed her father.
I got right half of the stuff at least, for what it’s worth. Tyrion looks soooo sooo bad. LIKE YOU KNEW YOUR SISTER? Oh the glare!!! If looks could kill, Tyrion would be dust. LiStEn, Tyrion, honey. Sit down. Jeez, read the room, you are not making it better. Dany is right - why should she trust this man? And Sansa is right there with her… until Brienne speaks. 
Gwen called Brienne’s speech something “almost like a declaration of love” and I think that is so beautiful it hurts. Not a Braime fan, but hey you got fed fam, I am happy for you! I already mentioned in my live blogging that it was either incoherent or just plain retcon to forget that Sansa sent Brienne to KL because she thought Brienne would kill her if it meant a showdown with Arya. But I digress. 
I find it very interesting how Jaime didn’t apologise and his cojones to say so because “we were at war” - and I get it, my dude, Ser Hot Stuff, we all know all is fair in love and war, but I guess it would be ooc for him to apologise. Great delivery, I don’t particularly like NCW but this scene? Top notch. I rate it one doggy style fuck out of one, but so good your legs are wobbly and you can barely find the energy to plop on your bed afterwards. 
The things we do for love… and Bran is back with the fucking shit stirring drama. We stan Bran Starkashian. 
I find it interesting since this is also Dany’s chance to show how she rules - Lady Sansa says her opinion, which surprises Dany. Then she turns to Jon, who the entire time has been very very quiet. Like the kind of quiet you are when you have the biggest hangover and you are stuck in class and you just want it to be over with. So Jon says what he could say to get the fuck out of there. “We need every man we can get.” So Jaime is given his sword back after Grey Worm literally gives him the I AM WATCHING YOU BITCH glare. 
But Jon’s chair is not facing forward, it is slightly oriented towards Dany’s. Notice how he doesn’t look at her, even when she addresses him directly. She gets up and everyone does so afterwards FINALLY SOME FUCKING RESPECT and she turns to Jon… and he doesn’t even look at her… and my baby looks heartbroken because he just ignores her *coughs* As soon as the meeting ended, he rushed out, not giving her a chance to say a word. *coughs*
In defence of Jon… Know what, we’ll talk about Jon later, when we get to the reveal. 
Oh and Bran totes doesn’t care about Jaime enough to expose him in front of the entire Great Hall. Because ya know, he is a drama queen, but he keeps his cards close, he either already has a plan for Jaime or as he said, and as I have predicted from the preview, it serves no purpose to expose Jaime for what he did to Bran. Like just click on it and read it. Good that Bran called him out on his apology naaah bitch you don’t get to go holier than thou here. It is what it is. 
Me at Bran this episode:
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Jaime and Tyrion’s conversation is very interesting, not only about Dany in general whether she is worthy or not, and Tyrion seems to be team Dany. Was it just me or Tyrion more like whispered the part where he talks about Cersei’s baby. Also also listen Jaime, unless you’re suddenly a gynaecologist how the fuck do you know she is not lying? I loved how Tyrion called Jaime out on the fact that he loved Cersei despite knowing full well what and who she was. Dude let’s call it what it was. Don’t play coy now. 
Ding ding ding Tyrion mentions marching to KL and killing Cersei … and that’s all I am gonna say about it.
Jaime x Brienne wow this ship is getting so fed - enjoy babies ! And I loved how Brienne was suddenly WHY ARENT YOU INSULTING ME I DONT KNOW HOW TO INTERACT TO YOU !!!! Brienne is leading the left flank and Jaime wants to be led by her. Keep in mind for next week’s episode! I am so proud of my son Pod, I am basically proudmom!Brienne tbh. 
The episode in which Dany gets a lot of counsel - because that’s also the type of ruler she is 
Tyrion x Varys x Jorah vs Dany - Dany gives the best scolding ever tbh. Moms, take notes, because look at Tyrion’s face. He knows this Christmas when the NK comes he will only get coal. No whores and wine for Tyrion. He was naughty boy.  
KHALESSI - Listen. I don’t like Jorah in the books, and my impression of show!Jorah has always been tainted by it. But this Jorah is redeemed and deserves to live I WILL RIOT IF HE DIES. The scene he has with Dany is one of my favourites because it just shows how much history they have together. I will sob if he dies because he is the only one left from S1E01 with her.  Jorah tells her to forgive Tyrion and seek out S.ansa to smooth things over. MY BEAR
S.ansa x Daenerys - First time I thought it was going well, they were bonding… and then S.ansa leaned forward and the hand placing seemed a bit too deliberate to me, too Margaery. What I am trying to say is that it is very hard to know if S.ansa is being genuine. It is a very good scene and it holds a lot of importance later on, more on that when I talk about the reveal in the last scene (and I this is what I wanted from episode 1 - cold but courteous.) 
S.ansa tells Dany Jon loves her and that “men do stupid things for the women they love, they’re easily manipulated” - which, fair point; she saw Cersei and Margaery do it. Buuuut she also had the counter-argument: she saw how Littlefinger manipulated her aunt. So it goes both ways, bby. 
“All my life I have known one goal: the Iron Throne […] until I met Jon 
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INTERRUPTING THIS PROGRAMME TO FLAIL BECAUSE HOLY SHIT WE FINALLY HEAR DANY CALL HIM “JON” ON SCREEN YES YES FUCKING FINALLY THANK YOU BABY JESUS AND MARY AND THE ENTIRE TEAM OF 12 APOSTLES  
“Now I am here, half a world away, fighting Jon’s war alongside him. Tell me, who manipulated whom?”  - I love how Dany turns the tables here, because she is right; if Dany was manipulating Jon, then how come she is the one here, fighting with all her men and resources and dragons? Who gains from this more? SEE S.ANSA IT MAKES NO FUCKING SENSE IF YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN- 
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FINALLY SOME GOOD FUCKING CONTENT. 
Then S.ansa goes for that smile ugh and agaaaain I am having soooo much trouble taking it for genuine. 
“I am here because I love your brother and I trust him and I know he is true to his word […]” I AM DEAD DEAD DEAD 
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And then it goes to shite because S.ansa is now clearly drawing inspiration from Theresa fucking May since she has no fucking skills to bring up Brexit - is it Nexit? Dany retreating her hands tho - she feels played LIKE REALLY BITCH I WAS SPEAKING FROM MY HEART AND YOU WERE JUST BUYING TIME HERE. 
Theonsa everywhere - or the ship you never thought would happen in this show yet you can’t help but ship it 
That hug!!!! Wow I loved it!!! Sophie and Alfie killed it. Also watch Dany in the background - my baby!!! Do you know how hard it is being around people with big families when you’re… alone? It’s fucking depressing, and I just want to hug Dany and carry her to safety. 
We got 3 Theonsa moments (and one was a Jonerys parallel so you know the romantic undertones are strong) in this episode soooo yeah! Enjoy! I am afraid they are setting Theon up to die, especially since it would be poetic cinema.jpeg for him to die defending Bran after he took WF from him.
Also also feels like book!Theon and show!Theon are colliding again. 
The Merry Men and the Night’s Watch leftovers ; and Ghost for 3 seconds - you’re welcome ; the Hound and Beric; Missandei and Grey Worm
Tormund calling Jon “little crow” was fucking everything! did you catch Jon’s smile??? Precious baby!!! And then asking about Brienne!!!! But did you catch Jon’s face when he saw Sam was also there - like ugh you again - BYE 
Missandei x Grey - one of them is totally dead BYE I AM GONNA FLUNG MYSELF OUT THE WINDOW 
Sam x Jon on the battlements - ugh Sam really you are looking soooooo bad right now. Jon’s face is again precious. He is so over Sam atm and he is just like WHEN WILL THE NK COME FOR ME BECAUSE IF I HAVE TO STAY ONE MORE SECOND WITH THIS BITCH ISTG– Then I got emo when Edd came up. Damn. Watch Edd die too… I feel it in mah bones. That’s how the last of the NW dies. 
Arya x The Hound - I get soooo many dad feels from the Hound tbh and I love it. My guess the Hound makes it. Beric tho??? hmmm Idk about that. 
Tormund is fucking insane and I love him
THE BRIENNE KNIGHTING WAS EVERYTHING AND I CANT EVEN LOOK AT THE GIFS WITHOUT SOBBING MAH HEART - also!!! Dunk and Egg reference - Brienne parallel?? And the title of the episode! ugh Summerhall references? BRIENNE DO NOT DIE 
Sam gives Jorah Heartsbane - Good. It’s what Jorah deserves. *pushes Sam out of the shot*
Pod singing Jenny’s Song is tearing me apart and making me sob harder I FUCKING LOST IT AND I AM STILL GETTING CHILLS YALL THIS WAS FUN. SEEMS EVERYONE DIES. No, I jest. But I love how they paired up the couples for a tragic love song - Brienne x Jaime, Sam x Gilly, S.ansa x Theon, Arya x Gendry, Missandei x Greyworm, Jon x Dany. I wouldn’t look too much into the song choice tbh, since in Inside the episode they say they knew they wanted a song and they just picked this one and added more verses since it was incomplete. I know this is the second Summerhall reference, but ya know, I personally wouldn’t look too much into it.  Edit: I should have never trusted D&D - now go read these amazing posts made by @tomakeitbeautifultolive in which she explains the song and the significance for Jonerys. Also Ramin Djawadi spoke about the song and fed our fandom just today (April 25th).
The War Council or let’s gather around Bran Starkashian so he can spill some tea on the NK
Plan sounds basic imo, not that I had expected much about that, but in Miguel we trust and we know he will absolutely crash this battle in episode 3. 
Interesting how the casually dropped that apparently the NK’s goal is to destroy Bran. And the mention of the mark - so now basically Bran is chipped. Cool beans. Sam’s remark about “death is forgetting, being forgotten is very interesting. Memories don’t come from books, your stories aren’t just stories.” - interesting take here. I Sam writing the book about Jonerys? If so I am afraid he has A FUCKING BIAS OMG I AM GETTING HEATED AGAIN. Also my friend @iane-casey  was totally annoyed how much screen time Sam got which honestly same dude I am still pissed at you *joins Jon to brood and glare at Sam*
Dany publicly makes a point in that she still needs Tyrion aka he is forgiven so that there is no bad blood between them. 
Lmao my friend @zavocado says we should totes just tape Bran to Drogon’s belly and lure the NK away from WF *grabs the duct-tape* 
FINALLY A MAP: listen, they are outnumbered as fuuuuck… besides that it is clear that Dany’s forces will get the most hit since they are in the vanguard, Birenne on the left with the Knights of the Vale and some Stark forces, on the right we get the rest of the North, and the Mormonts are inside the gates! 
Jon walks on Dany a second time - Dany stops as the room clears out (Qhono and Jorah and Varys behind her), looks expectandly at Jon, he doesn’t look at her (MY BABY BOY HE LOOKS SO ROUGH DID HE EVEN SLEEP?), falters “Your Grace”, and bolts. She falters, her face is all WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING and she clears the room too. More on that at the end.
Gendrya or the OTP you did not know you need and why you fucking need it
First of all, this fandom is so pure. I loooooved all the Gendrya on my dash from episode 1 and then this episode I got flooded and I am here for it bitch. Give me all the feels.
I cannot wait to see Arya with her new weapon!!! 
GENDRY IS SO SHOOKETH BY ARYA AND I LOVED THAT SHE TOPPED HIM
I HAVE A SON YOU HAVE A DAUGHTER LET’S JOIN OUR HOUSES
The gendrya - jonerys parallels??? EVERYTHING JUST WOW
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Jonerys parentage reveal 2.0 or the reveal Jon also deserved not the travesty he got
I will do a play by play of the scene, but first. Why does Jon avoid Dany? Simple. He is hurting. Since we get the Jaime vs Bran stare down and then we get the Jaime trial, it is safe to assume that happens the morning after Sam blurted the truth to Jon about his mom and dad. 
So at Jaime’s fake trial, Jon had what? A few hours at best to process everything - and by that I mean: Dany is his aunt; Ned lied to him his entire life (no matter the reason, Jon has been raised a certain way and to hear the man who was so honourable was capable of the biggest lie in the realm… das huge! so this is shocking his entire moral compass and belief system built upon the education his dad gave him); his dad actually loved his mom and married her so he is no longer a bastard - ya know aka the thing that affected his entire life and the thing he wanted most; his mom died giving birth to him and she managed to think of him in her last moments, enough to make Ned promise her he will take care of her son; the fact that if Robert even caught a whiff of it, he would have been dead. SO that is a LOT LOT. 
Which explains why Jon was so out of it when he is asked about Jaime. Also explains why he bolts out of the room without looking at Dany - I think if he had even so much as looked at her he would have broken down. He isn’t ready for it.
Oh the stuff I mentioned he had to come to terms with? On top of all of it we must add the stress of finding a way of telling all of this to Dany in a way that he doesn’t hurt her. Also I bet your ass he thought there was a chance she may not believe him (he himself did not in the beginning)… and a chance she may think he wants the throne since Sam drilled this into his head so now he is afraid of that too. 
So when Jon is in the war room he had what? around 12 hours in total since Sam told him? 15? 20? Do you think that’s enough? Because I don’t. But this time he is doing much better. So he is still not looking at Dany, but he addressed her “Your Grace” and leaves - which means he is already in a better place than where he was in the morning, but not quite there yet. 
This is good angst. We should rejoice, it will hurt before it gets better. 
Moving on. Why didn’t he just directly go to Dany? I honestly don’t think it’s in Jon’s character to seek out comfort. This is a kid who had no one to go to when he would hurt himself. That shit stays with you. You don’t just flip a switch and start seeking out your other half. No, in moments of stress the brain reverts to things it knows bets, to muscle memory and old habits; it uses the energy to overthink itself to death so ain’t nobody got time for that new behaviours shit. At this point jonerys have been together for how long? 3? 4 weeks? That’s not that much. They are used to each other, but not enough to break old habits and past traumas. 
Now, the reveal: 
Dany stops, silently asking permission before she approaches Jon. Poor bean must be a bit hurt that he avoided her twice, so better make sure he actually wants her company. Jon actually smiles at her, even if it is a sad smile. It kills me how he is just staring at him mom’s statue. KILLS ME. Only then, she approaches him (look at her face, brief relief!). She stops next to him, he turns to her and nods, and only THEN SHE EMBRACES HIS SIDE, HOLDING HIS HANDS, CHIN TO HIS SHOULDER.
“Who is that?”
“Lyanna Stark.” Jon eventually says
Dany looks a bit like oh… shit, again my family yikes… I would say she looks apologetic. “My brother Rhaegar, everyone told me he was decent and kind. He liked to sing. Gave money to poor children. And he raped her” - ok but this is big, because Dany just in S7 recognised her own rape… So no wonder her opinion on Rhaegar is not that good atm. 
“He didn’t” 
Dany looks shook, but she is still holding onto Jon. Notice how his hand is on hers? 
“He loved her.” 
She doesn’t interrupt. Jon almost looks like he is feeling brave, so he keeps her hand into his and turns to face her. 
“They were married in secret. After Rhaegar fell on the Trident, she had a son. Robert would have murdered the baby if he ever found out and Lyanna knew it.”
Dany is surpised, but so far so good. Jon stares into her eyes.
“So the last thing she did as she bled to death on her birthing bed was give the boy to her brother” – camera on Emilia — oh shit for a split second it starts to show that she is putting two and two together – “Ned Stark” – her eyes widen and she blinks – “to raise as his bastard” – she exhales, breathing accelerates – “My name,” – breathing heavily on her part –  “my real name” -- she looks incredulous and nods a smal no – “is Aegon Targaryen” – she blinks, exhales, puls away her hand and turn halfway away from Jon. 
She looks away, then at him, he is almost leaning over her but still too far. “That’s impossible.”
Camera on Jonerys
“I wish it were.” (SEE THIS IS WHAT I AM SAYING MY POOR SON)
“Who told you this?”
“Bran. He was it.”
“He SAW it?” She sound clipped, the ARE YOU KIDDING ME tone clipped 
“And Samwell confirmed it.”He read about their marriage at the CItadel” – camera on Emilia —”without even knowing what it meant” (OK BUT FUCK OFF SAM GILLY READ THAT) - Dany’s face her, she is clearly restraining herself because this sounds insane.
“A secret no one in the world knew, except your brother and your best friend, doesn’t seem strange to you?” she shakes her head and it breaks my heart how you can see the wheels turning in her head going fuck here we go again, I laid my heart bare and that’s it. Yet another betrayal. 
Camera on Kit. He looks at her, takes a step forward “It’s true, Dany.” – camera on Emilia – “I know it is.” (UM HELLO DANY I AM HYPERVENTILATING BITCH)
Dany shakes her head, her face looks full with distrust. Then it goes to despair - her voice shaky “If it were true, it would make you the last male heir of the House Targaryen.” – camera on Kit HE FUCKING FROWNS LIKE WHAT – camera on Emilia – “You’d have a claim to the Iron Throne” – camera on Kit and his face goes again WHA— 
THEN THE FUCKING HORN SOUNDS. Jon turns his head towards the door, but Dany keeps staring at him and she looks heartbroken.
They go out and it’s all business. He nods to her and she leaves. Interesting though - she comes out first. Jon turned back towards the sound so if they were just running out he should have come out first. Either he remembered to be courteous or there is another small exchange we didn’t get to see. Or maybe I am reading way into things and it was a lame ass decision hahah. 
Ok so the reveal to Dany - you better fucking take notes Sam cuz this is how you do a reveal: being calm, level headed, explaining to the person as much as you can, answering questions.
On Dany’s reaction: my friend @oadara said it so so well in this post here. So, building on that, we need to put her reaction in context, just like I did with Jon’s cold shoulder. Dany’s discussion with S.asnsa is fresh in her mind, not just the part about who is manipulating whom, and that must drive her nuts now, but also the part in which S.asnsa did a 180 on her just when she thought she was making progress, so feeling like she was being manipulated. One of course must start asking questions. Has Jon just found out? Has he always known? Did he seduce her to take her armies and her dragons her her throne?? Moreover, Dany specifically tells S.ansa that her only goal in life has been the Iron Throne. Imagine that - having one goal in life, and suddenly someone comes in and can just rip it all away from you, poof just like that, they just need to say the word. Moreover, males have preference… and so many would rather follow a male than a female. And that’s a fact.  
Moreover… she still thinks herself barren… 
Like I am not saying Dany suddenly hates Jon or will cast him away (ok maybe she will initially I have a prediction/theory I will explain in a different post). I am saying… JUST GIVE DANY TIME. She just found out and now she gotta go save everyone’s ass. Let the girl breathe.
I was asking myself but why would Jon tell her now? If he himself wishes she had never known? I think it may be a very Ned Stark thing - he genuinely thinks he will fall, and he wanted to tell her the truth, because Rhaegar Targaryen may be his dad but Ned Stark is his daddy. 
What do you think? As always, dms and asks are open! 
Will make a preview post and another about my jonerys theory. 
All in all, this episode was incredible and I loved it. I am so not ready for the fight fuuuuuuuuuuuu-
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summerseachild · 5 years ago
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I also powerwatched GoT Season 2...
I stopped pretending I was only going to have three things to say about each episode.  
2x01
1. Sandor backing Sansa’s “it’s bad luck to kill someone on your birthday” play is SMOOTH. He has her back and I kind of love it????
2. BRAN WARGING! Back when this show cared about magical/fantasy elements that weren’t the dragons.
3. Ugh Theon’s idealism when he offers to go to his family for Robb stabs me right through the heart. (Also he likes calling Robb “Your Grace” A LOT and it makes me cackle and then want to go read fic.)
2x02
1. Cersei asking after Jaime while everyone else looks awkward gives me joy.
2. Gilly!!!! She’s so darling. And so is Sam. And Jon’s “Hello Gilly. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” makes me giggle. What stellar delivery.
3. Theon returning to Pyke is so sad and the castle on Pyke looks SO COOL. (And Yarra keeping a straight face during that horse ride makes me smile just as much as Balon Greyjoy makes me furious.)
4. Bonus: Gendry telling Arya he knows she’s a girl is precious. In fact every second they are on screen are so cute it should be illegal.
5. Bonus bonus: John saw a white walker (Or was that a wight?) Pick up a baby at Craster’s in SEASON FUCKING TWO. How did they so thoroughly fuck up that arc?
2x03
1. This episode was written by Bryan Cogman and directed by Alik Sakharov; which means I was going to love it because Cogman cared a lot about the story and the books, and Sakharov did one of my favorite director commentaries I’ve ever listened to.
2. Brienne’s intro is so great. She is such SERIOUS BUSINESS. Renly genuinely smiling and being happy to have her around :....( he would have been a good king.
3. THEON’S FACE WHEN HE SAYS YOUR LAST BOY JUST LEAVE ME HERE also THAT SHOT OF THEON HIS FACE LIT BY THE BURNING LETTER AND ALL ELSE IN DARKNESS AKDHWISJHSJJSSHSJ CINEMATOGRAPHY AND DIRECTING
4. Bonus: I remember how cute Gethin and Loras’s actor were about Loras and Renly and it gives me warm fuzzies
5. Bonus bonus: Yoren giving Arya the idea that will become her list is a nice moment and A GIRL IS CLEVER telling them Gendry was the dead boy!
2x04: one of the only episodes written by a woman!
1. Ok I love Lannister soldiers playing “who is GOAT?” before Greywind attacks.
2. I’m sorry all the blood just rushed to my eyes because I saw red during the scene with Joffrey having Sansa beaten in front of EVERYONE.
3. Catelyn Stark angrily brandishing a knife at Littlefinger when he’s all “I’ve always loved yoooooouuu” is A Big Mood.
4. Davos “WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST SEE” Seaworth, ladies, gentlemen, and honored folk....
2x05
1. Catelyn keeping her cool and being smart under pressure and keeping Brienne alive is some A++ women helping women stuff.
2. The room with all the latticework where Cersei and Tyrion talk is SO PRETTY. And Tyrion is... actually trying to do right by the city and his family. It’s sad, really.
3. I’d forgotten how much I liked Dagmer for actually helping Theon rather than just making fun of him for a lack of knowledge that isn’t his fault.
4. I remember there was some debate having Arya as Tywin’s cupbearer since it was a pretty major change to the books, but it gave us some great interactions between two super talented actors, and those scenes are... mostly(??) in character and reveal interesting things about them, so I’m on the side of “I love it.”
5. Wow, but the Fist of the First Men is beautiful. And I love Sam’s love of history and how it lets him do world building in an endearing way.
6. Brienne swearing to Catelyn literally just brought tears to my eyes.
2x06
1. Bran’s “Did you hate us the whole time?” to Theon is a moment that will have me in tears every time I hear it. Let’s just pretend I’ve flailed about every upsetting second Theon is on screen and how many awards Alfie deserves and call it a day.
2. Arya’s OH SHIT face when she hears that Littlefinger is about to come into the room... priceless.
3. Sandor Clegane is an Incredibly Useful Person.
4. I know he’s really different from the books, but Xaro Xhoan Daxos is so handsome and INTERESTING in the show, and Qarth is SO PRETTY. Like the clothes the sets... everything.
5. Probably Dyslexic Jaime is one of my favorite little touches the show added, and Tywin’s reaction to it was... very him.
6. Ygritte’s Wildling flirting is... both hilarious and adorable. Jon never knew what hit him.
2x07
1. Dany’s WHERE ARE MY DRAGONS? Iconic, and understandable given that they are three of the rarest things on earth.
2. Shae being willing to knife a girl to keep Sansa’s secret. Friendship goals. Also the following conversation between Cersei and Sansa is nuanced and breaks my heart. Anyone who says Cersei is 100% evil didn’t watch this scene carefully enough.
3. Jaime talking about squiring for Barristan Selmy and how much he loves fighting is a good way to show us that when we can’t be in his head. (Also is this the same fight he was talking about in season 1 in Robert’s office with Barristan? I think it is...)
4. Quaithe was super cool and mysterious and I wish we knew more about her, and Pyatt Pree was CREEPY AS FUCK how did I forget that he killed the 13?
5. Oh right because there’s a Jaime scene next and somehow Brienne makes “Man” the worst insult ever and she is magical.
6. Also that Cersei and Tyrion scene at the end KILLS ME. “I always hoped he’d be like Jaime...” also she voices doubts in the show WAY MORE than book!Cersei does. But... Lena and Peter make it real and complicated.
7. SO MANY VOWS. I still love everything about this. And Jaime trying to press EVERY ONE of Catelyn’s buttons is... amusing as always.
1x08
1. Wherever Robb and Talisa are walking on the way back from the Crag is SO PRETTY I just want to pitch a tent and camp there for a week.
2. Jaime falling off a horse and introducing himself to Brienne like she doesn’t know who he is WHAT AN ASSHOLE I LOVE HIM. This is the beginning of a BEAUTIFUL ROAD TRIP.... Canoe trip?
3. I want to eat a pie with sour cherries like Hot Pie is describing....
4. Bronn and Tyrion trying and failing to pronounce that historian’s name is SO FUNNY to me right now. This show used to be good at balancing little character moments and Serious Business.
5. Jacqen H’Ghar is clearly asking himself how a man got himself into this situation with this strange girl.
6. Robb and Roose Bolton talking about hunting Theon down gives me the stomach lurches.
7. Robb Stark makes ROmanTiC BuT pooR LiFE ChOIceS
2x09: it’s BLACKWATER TIME! Huzzah for ships and sea battles!
1. Cersei getting the poison from Pycelle stops my heart a bit.
2. We get to hear a bit of “The Rains of Castamere” for the first time!
3. Nearly died laughing at Varys’ “I’ve always hated the bells.” ME AND YOU AND THE WHOLE FANDOM, MY FRIEND.
4. I still LOVE THE CLEVERNESS OF TYRION’S PLAN. And the suspense... so good. “There’s only one ship...” Bronn firing the arrow and it hitting the water ALL OF IT.
5. Increasingly drunk Cersei is cruel and tragic and funny and I love her so much my heart doesn’t know what to do.
6. “Awwww pooR Sandor” is a reaction I NEVER thought I’d have about his little moment of paralysis after seeing the burning soldier but we never step in the same river twice and all that, and this time around I def had that reaction. And cheered at “fuck the King” for SANDOR’s sake.
7. I’ve said this before but PODRICK PAYNE FOR SQUIRE OF THE CENTURY
8. oh hai Renly’s ghost and dad Lannister (Daddister?)
2x10: Valar Morghulis, BITCHES
1. Tywin’s horse shitting just outside the throne room because Tywin needed to ride it in for some reason is the line of Lannister Extra (tm) that makes me love this awful family.
2. Show Margaery Tyrell is a devious Player of the Game, and I am enjoying that this time around. (Also I see shades of Anne Boleyn in the Tudors, and that was a performance I enjoyed.)
3. Jaime WATCHES Brienne all the time, like he’s trying to figure her out, and then making up that story on a DIME, and the two of them trying to sell it... FRENEMY GOALS.
4. If people watch the scene with Theon and Maester Luwin and think Theon deserved what he got, they are dumb. My poor identity crisis in kraken from... (Also thank you subtitles for telling me WEX IS THERE? I love him in the books but I’m sure they just used that name without attaching it to someone.)
5. So in the books the House of the Undying was SO CREEPY I had to stop reading because it was too late at night and I was too freaked out and I WAS IN MY 30S! So the way they did it here was just so underwhelming. Yet more proof that the producers didn’t buy into or value the parts of the story that were too “fantasy.” Did Pyatt Pree just... not know dragons breathed fire? Or did he thing they were too little? Idk that seemed a stupid plan he had.
6. I’m fine just crying over Maester Luwin like I didn’t know he died.
7. In the final episode, if we get a shot of the throne room in the red keep looking like Dany’s vision... but with ash instead of snow... at least it’ll be a bit of continuity.
8. That third horn blast still gave me chills on a warm day. Well done, season 2.
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iknownothingihearnothing · 6 years ago
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Game of Thrones 8.4 “The Last of the Starks”
I. Am. MAD.
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This...this week’s offering right here is an example of an episode I loved and loathed in equal measure. There were lovely moments of--
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And then...then there were even more ones of--
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Y’all know what I’m talking about. From Brienne’s heartbroken face to that motherfucking Northern stubbornness, to Missandei’s capture and death, to Jon still not knowing enough (he’s so naive), to Euron shooting poor Rhaegal out of the sky, to JON BEING A HORRIBLE WOLF-DADDY!
He just ABANDONED Ghost! Without even a pat goodbye! Even if he had to leave him, he could’ve at least spared a frigging goodbye. Yeah yeah budget blah blah. You couldn’t get an actual big, white, fluffy dog for the few seconds needed for Jon Snow to bid his wolfy buddy who RISKED HIS LIFE for him a proper farewell?! 
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I pet my dog and call him a good boy when he gets the ball and goes poop outside. You couldn’t spare more than a “laters, brah” nod to your poor puppy?!
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LOOK HOW SAD HE IS!
I want to hug him and kiss him and snuggle him and tell him he’s the goodest boi in the North. Pawning him off to Tormund to live Beyond the Not Wall where he knows no one, what’s the matter with you, Jogon of House Snowaryen?! 
Dany may be leaning a biiiiiit too far into her House Targaryen roots but at least she is a dedicated pet owner. We know she loves her...scale...babies? They have spines, right? Spine babies? Fire babies. 
Ugh, let’s get into this week’s slice of sadness. 
The episode opens with a massive funeral for those that died in the Battle of Winterfell. Including Jorah, Lyanna, Theon, Mr. Edd, and Beric, who is now definitely out of lives.
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Dany, crying, leans over Jorah’s prone body, kisses his forehead, and whispers something we’ll never know into his ear.
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At least, we’ll never know unless either Emilia or Iain decide to spill the deets. Iain Glen said in a post-ep interview with Entertainment Weekly that it was “something definitely profound”. But who knows, he could be bullshitting us and she actually said “I like muffins” or something and he had to lay there pretending to be dead.
On second thought, she’s English. So perhaps she prefers crumpets. 
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Sansa is sniffling over Theon’s body and places a House Stark pin in his shirt. Jon is looking out at this sea of corpses like--
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There is no more Ol’ Nighty to bring them back.
Or so we’re led to believe. 
The camera pans across the mourners and we catch a glimpse of our favorite furry friend.
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He’s such a good, loyal doggo. Wolfo? Direwolfo. 
Oh Jon I am so MAD AT YOU!
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Saving my rage for a bit further down. Barely.
Jon gives a farewell speech about all their dead--they defended the realms of men, no one will ever see their like again, etc. etc.--and then some of the mourners who knew the dead best are given flaming branches in order to set the bodies alight. In the North, they burn their dead. I guess cus the ground is forever frozen and one day someone from House Whyrevr said fuck it and lit his dead grandma on fire. 
Afterwards, they have a joint funeral/”glad we’re alive” party because of course they do. Kinda reminiscent of our shiva except people are sitting on chairs. At the head table, Jon is looking awkwardly at Dany--apparently, that whole “we’re technically related and oh you have a better claim to the throne than me” stuff has lingered beyond fighting for their lives. Damn. Not even surviving Team Undead’s invasion could get them out of that business. 
Elsewhere, Gendry asks the Hound if he’s seen Arya. Does Robert’s bastard have a wee more on his mind than all the death? Like, say, his wee-wee?
Some things never change, no matter what century it is.
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Gendry tries to stutter that it’s not about that but the Hound knows it is. Gendry’s alive and the dead are not. Might as well take ASS-vantage of it.
Eh? Eh?
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Srsly, this is like the worst party in the history of Westeros. Uh, aside from the Red Wedding (but not the Purple one, #ByeJoflecia). They just buried burnt a heap of their dead, two of their hosts are keeping a huge secret from everyone (and being super weird around each other because of it), and Dany’s endlessly fighting against that frigging Northern hardheadedness. It’s not GREAT, Bob.
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Speaking of that famous Northern jackassery, Dany sees an opportunity to crack that stubborn ice as Gendry crosses the party hall. Calling him over, she at first inquires about his parentage, asks him if he knows that Robert Baratheon kinda had her whole family killed and wanted to slaughter her as an infant. Gendry’s like “Whoa, did not know that he was my daddy until after he was dead” and Dany’s all “Yep he dead and so are Renly and Stannis so who’s Lord of Storm’s End?” and no one knows.
This is Dany’s chance to make good.
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Not only did Gendry survive the battle, he got laid and made a lord!
You go, Glenn Coco, Gendry Baratheon, Lord of Storm’s End!
Ser Davos, the onion knight (lol) leads the room in a toast to Gendry, the newest Lord on the block.
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Don’t be fooled cus he’s now a Lord, he’s still he’s still Gendry from the Forge.
Tyrion remarks that now Gendry will forever be loyal to her and Dany says that he is not the only one that is clever.
Sansa, hearing this, looks at her like bats just sprouted from her head and flew out her ears while her eyes turned red as she chuckled evilly. 
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Oh, come on! This is what people in powerful positions on the show do. That’s how they secure allies without, you know, marrying their allies. You want someone’s loyalty, do something for them. Dany’s not the first one to try that. And it’s not like she had Drogon Dracarys the hell out of one of Gendry’s enemies to secure that loyalty. She made him a damn Lord. 
The Starks are annoying me this season. Except when Arya laid the smacketh down on Ol’ Nighty. 
In another corner, Jaime and Brienne are celebrating by gettin’ crunk. She offers a halfassed excuse but Jaime’s all “Dude, we defeated a horde of zombies. Drink up!” and she does, giving him this look:
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Bow chicka wowowwwwwwwwwwwwww chicka chicka boom.
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Not that I can blame her. Aside from all that incestin’, Jaime’s a fine slice of Kingslayer pie.
Ser Davos of House Onion and Tyrion are talking about Melisandre, who last episode took off her necklace and aged into evaporation. Davos tells Tyrion that he swore to Melisandre he would kill her next time he saw her but he never got the chance, as she did it to herself. Or the Lord of Light took her. Or whatever. They don’t like him much. They fight his war and then he fucks off. 
Tyrion crosses the room to BranBot, who is reading in his wheelchair, which Tyrion calls a clever invention. I keep forgetting that wheelchairs aren’t really a thing in Westeros. 
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BranBot, as animated as he’s programmed to be, delights in telling Tyrion that it is reminiscent of the one Daeron Targaryen made for his nephew over a hundred years ago. Just your regular episodic reminder that BranBot is...BranBot. 
Tyrion says BranBot’s BranVision will come in handy as the Lord of Winterfell, which he technically is as Ned Stark’s last surviving “trueborn” son. But BranBot doesn’t want it. BranBot doesn’t really want anything or anyone. He totally just doesn’t care, man.
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Tyrion envies BranBot’s ability to not give a shit and and BranBot tells him not to because--
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Yes, yes. You’re an “old soul”, BranBot. BranBot calls himself a grandpa in a teenager’s body. He forgets what generation he is and refers to people his own age as “you youngins”. He constantly crows that he is a “proud introvert” who’d rather be reading. We KNOW, BranBot!
Tormund leads a toast (with his awesome tusk cup) to the Dragon Queen and everyone cheers so maybe Dany’s making headway. She herself turns her own toast to Arya, the hero of the Battle of Winterfell. 
Jaime, Brienne, Tyrion, and Pod are playing a Westerosi version of Never Have I Ever with wine and Tormund, a bit drunk off his red ass, is going on and on about how awesome Jon is. Meanwhile, Dany is listening and though she toasts him she knows that she will always be an outsider to these people and they fucking love Jon.
Also, this happened:
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“May I have your name?”
“Daenerys Stormborn, the Unburnt, Queen of Meereen, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Mother of Dragons.”
“Okay, that’s Daniellris Shoehorn, the Sunburnt, Keen of Mean Girls, Bean of the Sandals and the Thirsty Hen, Call Sweetie of the Eight Assed Bee, Brother of Wagons. Is that correct?”
“Ugh. Just write Dany.”
“Okay, Fannie.”
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The PTB at HBO have since digitally removed The Cup from the episode but wah bro I think they should have kept it in. That’s hilarious. I want to live in a world where Starbucks exists on Game of Thrones. And it survived the battle. Of course House Styrbycks is right around the corner from Winterfell, conveniently situated at the heart of the town square. 
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And you better believe there’s a ride-thru for the horseman on the go.
I enjoy how HBO came out with a statement that Dany ordered herbal tea. I can see Dany ordering herbal tea.
In warmer climes, though, she’s definitely a dragon fruit smoothie girl.
Aside: Liam Cunningham recently went on Conan and gifted him The Cup:
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He swore it was the actual cup. How is that even possible?! Wouldn’t someone have tossed it after all this time? And the fact that it was still around had to signal to someone on set that a) trolol a person in Consistency fucked up and at least one dude on GoT knew it before the ep aired and b) that Emilia’s discarded latte appearing in a scene would be gold. 
I want to believe it’s legit. I want to believe so hard that it’s the real Cup and that all these circumstances came together to land the Cup in Liam’s hand all this time later. I want to, and so I shall.
(Yes, I know it is not the real Cup but shh I want to BELIEVE!)
So, Dany is watching everyone have fun and be close with each other, especially how everyone seems to love Jon here, and she’s feeling even more like an outsider (and not a bit insecure about her claim to the throne) and she gets up and leaves. Varys starts to follow her with his watchful Varys eyes.
Jaime, Brienne, Podrick, and Tyrion are still playing their game and getting increasingly drunker doing so. Drunker and more giggly. Everything’s all well and good until Tyrion suddenly sits up, looks Brienne in the eye, and accuses her of being a--dun dun dun--virgin. Pod nonchalantly sips his wine.
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Brienne clambers out of her seat and mutters that she has to piss. Tormund, also drunk as a skunk, stumbles to their table, celebrating, and asks--
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Well? Who did shit in Tormund’s pants?!
It’s kinda awks because Tormund is into Brienne but Brienne has feelings for Jaime and when did GoT become a teen soap opera? It’s like The North 00000 up in here.
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Tyrion pours more wine into Tormund’s tusk as Jaime follows Brienne out.
Dramz. Will they? Won’t they? Stay tuned next week!
No, they totally will right now. 
But first, Tormund is going to bitch.
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I was cheering for Tormund to win his Big Woman, I really was. But then Jaime showed up and their chemistry just...reignited. 
Tormund expresses sadness until a Northern lady volunteers to take up his time. The Hound continues to drown his sorrows--tho idk what he’s sad about, he’s alive--ignoring even the prospect of sexytimes until Sansa, finally able to make eye contact with the Hound, shares his table. It was a long time ago when she couldn’t even look at him, back when she was just a little bird. But now she’s a dark phoenix (see what I did there? Because Sophie Turner is starring in Dark Phoenix!) risen from the ashes, having had her revenge against her latest torturer/husband, Ramsay Bolton via his own hounds.
None of if would’ve happened if Sansa had left K.L. with the Hound way back when. But Sansa gently squeezes his hand and says that without Ramsay, Littlefinger, and all those assholes, she’d still be that same naive little bird.
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Anyone else get the vibe that David and D.B. are kinda...trying to justify what Ramsay did to Sansa here? Just an itty bit? All that’s missing is Sansa belting out Christina Aguilera’s “Fighter”. 
Outside, Arya is practicing her archery skillz when Gendry, the new Lord of Storm’s End, is imbued with way too much enthusiasm after being dubbed by Dany and legit blurts out a proposal to his one night stand right then and there.
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Ugh. I can’t wait until my shitty copy of Phhotoshop arrives. Until then I have to use paint shop. Look at those corners! They are making me itch.
Anyway, Arya obvs rejects Gendry’s proposal and it’s d’awww. Gendry is like that guy you hook up with once because he’s hot and afterwards, he won’t stop calling you and texting you and trying to add you as a Facebook friend and messaging you on Twitter suggesting that you fly to Michigan to meet his parents for Thanksgiving. This is something I know nothing about.
Ah, now we’ve circled back to the Jaime and Brienne Show!
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That’s if he’s not still obsessed with his siiiiiiiiissssterrrr (she’s a psycho!)
Brienne’s throwing more wood onto yet another hearth (there are a lot of hearths in Winterfell) when Jaime knocks on her door and unceremoniously proclaims that she did not drink when Tyrion accused her of being a V to the gin. He pours her some Dornish red and mutters about it being hot in here; Brienne has learned in the North to always keep a fire going. Jaime has learned in the North that he hates the fucking North. Brienne counters that it grew on her.
Jaime wonders if Tormund Giantsbane also grew on her. He seemed quite sad when she left.
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He wants the V-card and the V.
Jaime chuckles awkwardly and begins to pull at the collar of his shirt because “it’s bloody hot in here”. Brienne watches him warily for a second until she gets annoyed and unties the garment herself.
You see where this is going.
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First time for Jaime, too. He’s never slept with a knight before.
Has he ever slept with anyone who isn’t his sister before?
Shows how much he cares about Brienne. Letting someone in who isn’t Cersei. That’s a good, non-incestuous step forward, Jaime.
It’s a big moment for Brienne, too, aside from the obvious. She’s had a thing for Jaime for years. This is like that guy you’ve been secretly pining for suddenly realizing he’s totally into it.
In the next scene, Dany confronts a “slightly drunk” Jon, who did not know Ser Jorah very well, but he is pretty sure that if he would’ve chosen a way to die, it would have been protecting Dany. Dany knows Jorah loved her, but she couldn’t love him back--not the way he deserved, not the way she loves Jon.
They kiss and it’s like before Jon ever found out he’s also Aegon until--
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“Does Westeros have any support groups for this? Maybe I should ask Ser Jaime.”
Jon wishes that Dany had never told them that they were related and I’m sitting here like--
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He would’ve figured it out sooner or later, right? I mean, if he knew he was half Targaryen and all and Rhaegar was his daddy. I understand math is hard but...
Dany tries to forget and sometimes almost succeeds until tonight when she saw all those people gathered around him, looking at him like I’m The Hero! People have looked at her like that before, lots of people, but not here, not on this side of the Narrow Sea. She begs him not to tell anyone of his Targaryen lineage, to swear Samwell and BranBot to secrecy, so that things could go back to how they were before between them. 
But Jon must tell Sansa and Arya because family and nobility and Starkism and all that. And we all know Sansa no likey Dany, despite the fact that HER ARMIES SAVED YOUR NORTHERN ASS.
She begs him some more and he promises that she is his Queen and they can all live together. And they can, if Jon keeps his trap shut.
In Brienne’s quarters, if the animal pelts are a rockin’, don’t come a-knockin’!
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Warm enough in there now, Brienne? 
In the War Room--damn, don’t we all aspire to have a War Room?--our favorites are gathered around the Great Table or whatever with a map of Westeros in the center and some old timey Checkers pieces standing in for the two sides’ respective armies. Obvs, the Battle of Winterfell has depleted Dany and Jon’s forces greatly, but they still have enough to wage hell on Cersei. Yara has taken back the Iron Islands in her name, and the Prince of Dorne pledges his support. Still, Cersei has the Golden Company led by Guyliner Greyjoy and the Lannister Army fresh and ready to fight. 
Dany is not appeased. No matter how many noble people declare their fealty to her, while Cersei still sits on the Iron Throne, she can still call herself Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.
Jon, Tyrion, and Varys reassure her with talk of dragons and the people of K.L. having rebelled against their King before. Sansa adds that she wants to give the armies time to recuperate, which is also--
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--since they just fought Team Undead and all. But Dany wants to hit up K.L. NOW NOW NOW because the longer they wait, the stronger her enemies become. Or something.
Someone’s starting to lean a wee too far into her Targ roots. It’s just common sense, Dany. Take a chill pill.
But Jon sticks up for his GF. Very sternly, he swears the North will honor its commitments and allegiance to the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and blah blah blah. 
Dany appears smug.
Silently, Arya and Sansa trade glances like--
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Tyrion narrates that Jon will lead the remaining forces up the Kingsroad while a smaller group of them will take a fleet to Dragonstone while the Queen will follow on...dragonback.
Jaime will remain at Winterfell as a guest. 
The camera ticks to Brienne’s expression at the mention of her former crush and new lovah’s name:
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She’s trying to outwardly remain passive, but inside--
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She’s getting laid and she’s not dead. Those are good times in Westeros.
Dany completes the conference and Arya demands a word with Jon. Outside, Jon is like “We’d all be DEAD if not for her” which is again DUH and Sansa snides “Arya’s the one that killed the Night King”. Arya wouldn’t have had the chance to kill the Night King without Dany’s armies because they’d all be DEAD. Seven Hells, you people are ridiculous. “We don’t trust her, ShE’s nOt OnE oF Us.” That is an absurd reason not to trust someone. I’m from New Jersey. It’d be like me about to be murdered and refusing help from someone because they’re from Florida. Don’t trust her because of her personality not because of where she is from.
And then, like a naive idiot, Jon actually thinks because he swore them to secrecy, Sansa and Arya will for sure totally keep his true lineage behind zipped lips.
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This here was one of the scenes that made me roll my eyes so hard, they almost got stuck.
From that, thankfully, GoT moves on to one of my favorite scenes of the episode. Jaime and Tyrion sitting there over drinks gossiping like yentas. Jaime’s giving his younger brother all the deets vis-a-vis his liaison with Brienne. When Tyrion doesn’t say anything snide, Jaime is visibly uncomfortable, and Tyrion claims he’s happy Jaime is happy. 
And--
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Tyrion has been waiting for ages to make tall person jokes.
He also wants to know what she’s like “down there”. Jaime calls him a dog.
But then Bronn shows up, finally after Creepy Qyburn hired him to kill Cersei’s “traitorous brothers”, a bit drunk off his ass, brandishing that crossbow. After he smacks Tyrion in the nose, he tells them that Cersei offered him Riverrun, but he knows the Queen is fucked after seeing Dany’s dragons, even with their depleted forces. And Cersei can’t pay up if she’s dead, so...
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So Tyrion counters the offer. Highgarden for Riverrun. Bronn would be made Lord of the Reach. It’s certainly open now that House Tyrell has been decimated (RIP Olenna, you ultimate badass). Jaime blanches. How could Tyrion just give him Highgarden? Well hell, it’s better than being dead. 
Jaime doesn’t think Bronn will seriously kill them. Jaime is wrong.
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Jaime scoffs Highgarden will never belong to a cuttrhoat but Bronn laughs pish-posh. Isn’t that how all the great Houses started? Kill a few hundred, they make you a Lord. Kill a few thousand, they make you a King?
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Tyrion gives Bronn-y his word he’l give him Highgarden as long as they take King’s Landing. Bronn opts out of leading the fight, but wishes the brothers luck with a casual “Don’t die”.
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The Hound yells “FFS!” when he meets up with Arya on the Kingsroad. Yep, they’re both goin’ Kings Landing way. Nope, Arya doesn’t really care to hang around, even if she is the hero after knifing that horned fucker. Yes, she probably will abandon the Hound again if he gets hurt.
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They both have “unfinished business”. Arya to scratch Cersei off her infamous Kill List. The Hound, presumably, to finally fulfill our fantasy of Clegane Bowl!
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Elsewhere, Dany is getting ready to leave the fucking frozen North, petting her dragons. And on this show, that is not a euphemism. One of them, presumably Rhaegal, takes flight.
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While Drogon remains with her, that mama’s boy.
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On the bridge, Sansa is watching Drogon and Rhaegal lift off, trying to shoot them down with her eyes.
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Before he leaves, Tyrion tries to convince her one more time that Daenerys is it, or at least a way better option than Cersei, and he believes in her, her people love her, Jon loves her, etc, and he’d totes appreciate it if they were at least allies, and he turns to leave as the camera pans close on Sansa’s face; she calls him back to spilleth the beans..eth.
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Did I win?
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As Jon is loading up his Horshon Wagon, Tormund jokes that he’s not riding the dragon down south. Jon laughs that Rhaegal needs a break; he doesn’t need Jon weighing him down.
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Tormund says that he has had enough of “the south” and plans to take the Free Folk back Beyond the Not Wall through Castle Black. It’s not home, not where they belong. Or, suddenly, where Ghost belongs either after EIGHT YEARS.
Yeah, this is where I RAGE.
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Jon insists the North is no place for a direwolf and asks Tormund to take Ghost with him back Beyond the Not Wall, where he knows no one, will be lonely, and have to contend with even colder weather than what he’s used to. Tormund tells Jon that he has the “real” North running through his veins and “maybe” they’ll meet again before he departs and Jon goes to HUG EVERYONE. 
ALMOST.
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RAGE! RAGE AGAINST THE JONCHINE!
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I know, I know working with the CGI wolves is ExPeNsIvE, blah blah. I DON’T CARE. There are dragons that spit actual fire on this show. Y’all couldn’t substitute a real big, white, fluffy doggie so Jon could bid his furry friend a real goodbye?! This was the saddest scene in GoT history. Forget Ned’s beheading or even the Red Wedding. This right here is inhuman.
The episode’s director, David Nutter, tried to defend himself, weakly, by insisting he thought this way was more powerful. He obviously does not own dogs. Or any pets of any kind. He did not anticipate how much we all love our furry friends. As soon as the episode aired, Twitter lit up with #GhostDeservedBetter. Poor Ghostie. He lost an ear for you! You’re leaving forever. I snuggle my dogs when I just leave to go to the bathroom. I shall honor Ghost here, First of His Name, Protector of the Realms of Men, the One Eared and the White Furred, Warden of the North. Or at least Warden of the Woof. 
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I had to watch this portion a few times to get the right screenshots so now I must go snuggle my own doggies. And tell them they are my own little direwoofies and I will never ever leave them. Especially for King’s Landing.
Jon “I’m the worst Wolf Daddy in Westeros” Snow rides off and Sam, Gilly, Tormund, and Ghost watch him go, even after his owner slighted him, because he is the goodest boi on the continent.
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On the way to Dragonstone, Tyrion has immediately spilled to Varys because let’s be honest: Jon’s true parentage was always going to stay a secret for about, meh, an hour? And now eight people know--Jon, Dany, Sansa, Arya, Tyrion, Varys, Sam, and BranBot. Which makes it less a secret and more info. If the internetz had existed back then, the whole of Twitter would’ve known within fifteen minutes. #JongonSnowgaryen would trend worldwide. Westeroswide? 
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I need to start following The_Mastr. 
People like Jon. They follow Jon (even tho he’s a terrible pet owner). If this were to get out, Dany would lose the North--Winterfell and the Vale. Sansa would see to that. 
Tyrion suggests marrying them and they could rule together. They love each other, but Varys ain’t so sure Jon could ever see beyond that whole “she’s his aunt” thing. And Dany doesn’t like to have her authority questioned. Then Tyrion cheerfully suggests that Cersei could end up killing them all anyway and that would solve their problems.
And then Guyliner Greyjoy comes out of nowhere and motherfucking shoots down Rhaegal!
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I literally gasped “NOOOOOOOOO!” out loud when this happened. My animal-loving heart can only take so much, Game of Thrones. There’s a fan theory that technically we didn’t see Rhaegal die and two somethings appeared in the sky in the trailer for the next episode so he could come back with a vengeance. Please come back with a vengeance, Rhaegal. 
Dany is furious that Captain Maybelline shot her baby and orders Drogon to make a beeline for him. But afraid for her other baby’s life, she turns at the last minute. Euron, annoyed that he only took down one dragon, instead aims for the boat carrying Team Daenerys, which explodes under the force of multiple scorpion arrows. 
All of them swim to shore--all of them, except one. Just before the arrows flew, Grey Worm ordered Missandei to seek refuge on the skiff, and, when we shift to the castle gates, we see Cersei presiding over thousands of innocents who will be caught in the crossfire of war between her and Dany, her child (which she tells Captain Maybellne is his), and a captured Missandei.
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In the War Room at Dragonstone--every Great House has a War Room, it seems--our merry band is presiding over a map of King’s Landing where Varys looks Dany in the eye and begs her not to attack the castle. They have Missandei, they killed Rhaegal, yes, but thousands of innocents are held inside the Red Keep, which is Cersei’s modus operandi. Varys pleads with her not to destroy the city she came to save but Dany believes she has a destiny to rid the world of tyrants, and she will fulfill it, no matter the cost.
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That sounds vaguely culty, Dany. It wasn’t that long ago you were doing all you could to avoid a battle inside King’s Landing, cus you didn’t wanna destroy the city and the people you were gonna rule over. What happened? Don’t go all Aerys on us.
Tyrion suggests offering Cersei her life in exchange for the throne to avoid carnage. Dany knows Cersei will never go for it, but it’s good for PR, anyway. The people will know that Daenerys Stormborn tried to avoid bloodshed, and Cersei Lannister refused.
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Take it back a few, Dany. Just a few, mkay?
At the hearth--there is always a hearth chat going on, and Dragonstone is no exception--Tyrion and Varys are having A Talk. Varys has served many tyrants, and they all talk about destiny and stuff. But, Tyrion negates, Dany has walked through fire and made dragons and lived, maybe she really is destined to rule the Seven Kingdoms. 
Varys considers How To Solve A Problem Like Jon Snow. Who may not be a problem so much as a solution. Who would make a better ruler, Jon or Dany? Varys knows Jon doesn’t wanna rule, which is partly why he bent the knee, but maybe a good ruler would be someone who doesn’t want to rule at all.
And Jon’s a dude, which, in ye olden times, was important. Also why he’s got a tighter claim to the throne than Dany does. They’re talking treason right now. Tyrion accuses Varys of abandoning all of the kings he served under. Varys reaffirms that he will always serve what’s best for the realm and the people, thousands of whom will die if the wrong person sits on the throne. 
Tyrion asks what happens to Dany and Varys gives him a look like “What do you think?” 
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At Winterfell, the Northerners are rebuilding while Sansa and Brienne are being all secret-like, talking in whispers and glancing at Jaime. He follows them, having the creeping sensation that they’re talking about something that pertains to him. When he asks what’s up, Brienne tells him that they just got word of Guyliner Greyjoy’s ambush on Dany’s ships, Rhaegal’s death, and Missandei’s capture. 
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And another for Jaime Reacting to Bad News screenshots:
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BUT what exactly is he reacting to? That Cersei is going to die or that he isn’t going to do it himself?
That night, Jaime is watching Brienne sleep, then creeps outside to pack up his mighty steed to head back to the capital. Too bad Brienne wakes up and catches him. The city is going to be destroyed, they all know this. And Jaime doesn’t have to die alongside Cersei.
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Jaime doesn’t think he’s a good man. He pushed a boy out of a window and crippled him for life (which led to him becoming BranBot) for Cersei. He strangled his cousin to get back to Cersei. He would’ve killed every man, woman, and child in Riverrun to get back to Cersei. She’s a monster. And so is Jaime.
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And then he leaves and Brienne is heartsick and her POOR FACE. 
THIS EPISODE IS KILLING ME.
But--and I know a lot of other people think this, too--after I wrung my hands a bit, I thought about this moment. I think Jaime’s going back to K.L. to off Cersei himself, leaving Brienne to believe he left because he thinks he doesn’t deserve her. It still SUCKS but it’s less sucky than thinking he’d rather have his twin sister’s V. 
In said capital, the remaining Unsullied and Dothraki forces, along with Dany and her merry men, are lined up outside the gates. Cersei, Pirate von D, and Cersei’s ever lurking zombie Mountain are on the battlements with a chained Missandei. The camera sweeps to show both sides and when did King’s Landing get so FLAT?
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Isn’t King’s Landing supposed to be all lush and hilly? What has Cersei done to the place?! This is Dubrovnik, ffs!
Creepy Qyburn comes out of the gates and Tyrion goes to meet him, Hand to Hand. Queen Daenerys demands Cersei’s unconditional surrender and the return of Missandei, unharmed. Queen Cersei demands Daenerys’ unconditional surrender. It’s a stalemate and they’re not getting anywhere so Tyrion tries to appeal to Creepy Qyburn’s logic. They have a chance to prevent bloodshed. To not cause the screams of thousands of children as hellfire is rained down upon them. It’s not a pleasant sound, Qyburn agrees. Alas, he still goes on about Cersei being the one true Queen so Tyrion pushes past him to speak to his sister himself.
Meanwhile, the rest of us are all--
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Dany also thinks this is not a good idea.
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Some of the Lannister army up on the battlements with Cersei and Co get their bows and arrows ready but as Tyrion approaches, Cersei waves them off with a smug smile. Calling up to her, Tyrion says he knows Cersei doesn’t care about the people of the Seven Kingdoms; they hate her and the feeling’s mutual. 
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He mentions her children, her unborn child. How she loved them more than life itself. And just because her reign is over doesn’t mean her life has to end, her her child has to die. 
Just for a moment, one moment, it appears as if his words are getting to her. Cersei takes a deep breath, lets it out shakily. Lena’s acting in this instance is superb. And then, she crosses to Missandei as Dany and Grey Worm race toward the gate in alarm, and murmurs “If you have any last words, now is the time”.
Missandei’s last word?
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With her last word, Missandei is telling Dany to fuck it all and burn King’s Landing to the ground.
Cersei gives zombie Mountain the nod to take off Missandei’s head, and poor Grey Worm can’t watch as the undead monster kills his girlfriend.
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Dany shakes, turns, and walks away as Cersei smiles triumphantly.
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The Mother of Dragons is so done fucking around, y’all.
Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhh this episode was a ride. I wanted to wring SO many necks. Jon Snow, how does it feel to be the villain of the internet? Jaime, you best be headin’ back to K.L. to kill Cersei. Don’t you be breaking Brienne’s heart for nothing. Burn it all down, Dany! #Cleganebowl!
I am EXCITE for the penultimate ep. So EXCITE!
2 notes · View notes
dykedteach · 6 years ago
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okay here we go, episode 2 second watch
(I think this is my longest liveblog I’ve done, but then again I feel like this is the most emotional a tv episode has made me since I finished Black Sails so like?)
so uhhh they’re really gonna hide all the valuable people in the crypts huh, they’re really following through on that
“women and children first” to DIE??? I M EAN
i’ve been thinking about this non stop since i first watched the ep and my growing dread is nigh unstoppable, if i had any doubts that the winterfell dead might rise, their whole repeated thing of “everyone will be safe down there” shot them straight down
i’m lowkey annoyed we missed out on what would have been an incredibly awkward introduction scene between jaime and literally everyone, but i’m glad his “trial” didn’t drag out
i want sam’s opinion on dany’s bloodthirst vis a vis avenging her father BC LIKE????
“i’d do it all again” honey be QUIET 
L O Y A L T  Y 
loyalty
l      o   yal     t e  a
lmao daenerys’ look of anger and disgust at brienne hopping to jaime’s defense alone makes me want her dead tbh
sansa being a better strategist, ruler, negotiator, and peacekeeper than both of her parents combined, is my weakness tbh
also He R  aRmOuR drESs !!!!! what a LOOK! 
d: “what does the warden of the north say about it?” j: [has dissociated solidly through the past six hours, is only now just realising it’s daylight and he’s in the great hall] uhhhhhhhhhhhh cool i guess?
tyrion finally breathing after daenerys lets jaime live is ridiculously endearing, i love the brothers’ relationship so much
baeworm death-glaring jaime is also ridiculously endearing tbh
i dig the gendarya love theme, i do i do i do
everyone keeps saying that the fact they had sex means one of them will die next ep but honestly? out of all the non jonerys pairings (missandei/greyworm, sam/gilly, jaime/brienne) i think they’re most likely to live through the battle, and the fact they have their own theme makes me doubt as well that they’ll end next episode
that poor guy who got in the way of arya and gendry’s dragonglass throwing foreplay, so close yikes
i can’t believe that out of everyone who bran has been weird to, jaime was the one to take his weird shit best
“how do you know there is an afterwards?”           sd;kjlas
djkasljdak;lsd
                        asjd;lsakdla;sd
        bran
                               bran stop
   please be fuckin w us bran
this brotherly love scene is great and it hurts me to think it might be their last solo scene
although the way they keep talking about how sure they are they’ll die....idk? and with bronn on the way with his crossbow? to have both, or either, die at winterfell with the battle seems a waste. plus, one of them needs to be the valonqar so?
i’d be satisfied seeing a dead tyrion rip cersei apart though, i’ll admit that
JAIME GAZING AT BRIENNE INSTEAD OF LISTENING TO HIS BROTHER
pod has come so far in his fighting i love him so much i love brienne’s proud mama expression hes. he’s 100% going to die. for sure. 
“we have never had a conversation that’s lasted this long without you insulting me, not once” KJASDKLASJDKALSJDALKSD 
“i came to winterfell because...” Y OU LOVE HER DUMBASS
i still ship jorah with dany more than jon, fight me
i love the confirmation that all the bad blood between them is under the bridge, i love that he convinced her to make peace with tyrion and sansa, i love that he’s made peace with tyrion taking up his position, made peace with his house, with his relationship with his father...........
he’s absolutely toast and i hate it.
he’s going to die for dany with one last “khaleesi” and it’s going to break my heart
“we have other things in common” yeah you both have jon in your immediate family trees lmao
i’m confused by the “someone taller” comment, who’s she talking about? everyone else hurt her or betrayed her at some point. is it barristan? is it baeworm? it should be baeworm
ok so. i don’t need or want sansa to end up with anyone. 
that said
if it had to be a man
my heart almost jumped out of my chest when she and theon hugged, i didn’t expect her to get this emotional at all, shit i didn’t expect MYSELF to get this emotional
HER TEARS
THEY BOTH NEED HUGS IM GLAD THEY GET HUGS
soup dad can’t die i forbid it
let’s talk about gilly for a second, how far she’s come, from a scared abused girl to a strong, caring, confident woman and mother, i’m so emotional please protect her
DAVOS ADOPTING CHILDREN LEFT RIGHT AND CENTRE
THE SHIREEN THEME PLAYING OVER THAT BIT IM ASJDKASDJ
i’m super surprised edd and beric survived the hearth, i thought there would be more of a fight there
LITTLE CROW
i know people crack ship them, but like, they’d almost be better suited than jon and daenerys
while i adore the idea of theon making amends for taking winterfell from bran by defending winterfell and protecting bran from the night king, i know in my heart that all it’s going to result in is a very dead theon (and probably a dead bran)
why do i feel like while well intentioned, having dragons near the godswood is.....a mistake
i’d love for bran and tyrion to both survive, i’d love to see them talk more as equals because they’re so similar intellectually (i know they had scenes when bran was a kid, but that doesn’t count)
missandei and greyworm are too good and pure for this earth, i want them to leave, i want them to go to naath and never come back, i want them to find a little house by the water and eat fruits and find missandei’s family and take in some stray children, some street cats to lay lazily on the stones of their porch, maybe missandei teaches the children of their village every morning under the rising sun, maybe greyworm becomes a tradesman, makes shoes or ale or binds books for the locals, they grow old and content together and the children they took into their home, now grown adults with their own children, bury them side by side underneath carved stones, i want them more than almost anyone to have a happy ever after because if anyone deserves it it’s those two
but there are dreams that cannot be
and greyworm is almost certain to die next episode
maybe missandei too, but i’m not sure
until then, i will live in my fantasy.
i love my nights watch boys, i love that they talk about grenn and pyp, i miss those lads
sam being the playful, banter-full, confident guy he is, i love him so much i’m so happy for him he better fucking survive (and maybe become lord of horn hill who knows? he has a wife and a son so ? 
honestly the idea of tywin knowing jaime and tyrion are defending winterfell is so wonderful
ha ha h ah ah  ah h a i love tyrion and jaime so much that i. i forget. temporarily. about tyrion’s first wife
brienne stopping pod from drinking and then tyrion just.......fuckin pouring a large one out for the lad
please, let him drink, it’ll be his last
davos is such an old man i love him
jaime looking between brienne and tormund with amusement is the best thing ever
davos’ concern over ten year old tormund hopping into bed with a giant is incredible. dad mode. always on dad mode.
hound’s not gonna die yet, not until cleganebowl, he’s safe next ep for sure. so he’s allowed to be a grumpy old git for a bit
beric is straight up gonna die tho
“might as well be at a bloody wedding” g o d i dont like that foreshadowing
beric is so cheery and amicable im gonna miss him
i’m so glad that they gave arya agency, and a sweet, un-sexploited, in-character sex scene, there’s so few really good sex scenes in this show and i’m glad she got one of them
(no matter how long i spent the first time around watching through my fingers and cringing, i KNOW she’s an adult and maisie is an adult but god she’s still such a kid in my eyes)
as soon as the gloves started coming off i screamed
he is a sweet sweet boy and i wouldn’t want my murdering badass fave to be with anyone else
i appreciate them showing her scars as part of it, i can’t quite put my finger on why but it was nice to see that
i feel like once i get over the weirdness of like, “hey that’s arya”, it’s probably one of the hotter sex scenes in the series? just for passion and use of consent and stuff
i can’t even begin to elaborate on how perfect brienne’s scene is
it’s immediately one of my favourite scenes in the whole show, i honestly don’t have the words
it’s better than any marriage vows that have been taken in the whole series, and to see brienne proud and happy is just...incredible.
the mormont scene i wanted!!!
this is such a touching scene between two of my faves, i want jorah and sam to be pals forever but i know its just....not happening
the fact that sam starts in the crypt but i know he ends up on the battlefield is....concerning to say the least
god. that song. that song is everything
im too in my feelings to care about jonerys, sorry
i can genuinely believe that jon loves her, and doesn’t care about the iron throne or any titles really for that matter. but the other way around? i’m not so sure.
ok so my survival list: dany, jon, sansa, tyrion
everyone else is at risk please pray for me
oh also i bought the download of Jenny and already cried to it three times this evening, so the credits are making it a round four
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poeticandvaguelysweet · 7 years ago
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Til Kingdom Come
Jurassic World
Summary:  Claire and Owen learn to understand each other.  
Part: 4/12
Words: 3,556
Y’all encourage this weakness and I want to hold you accountable. Love you. But, for real guys, I need to get on a one a week basis.
AO3
TIL KINGDOM COME - PART FOUR
There was nothing to do at Castle Grey. Claire kept to herself, taking initiative in the gardens as she buried her hands deep in the soil of flower beds. On days where it was too hot, the sun high in the sky, Claire cured her boredom in the library. She curled herself into a large armchair and disappeared into another world on the page. The Citadel held the largest library in The Four Kingdoms and yet Claire found herself pleasantly surprised in this modest space.
She started with a familiar text, something that made her feel safe and comfortable in her new home still filled with mysterious shadows.
The skies outside were sunny and bright as the thick air tried to suffocate her. Inside was cooler, especially between the rows of books and the dim lights. Zara left her to do laundry, trying desperately to find her niche as Claire did, amongst the other staff of the castle. Claire was sure she wouldn’t need her and in that allowed her friend to go, buying herself some spare time alone.
It was his wolves she spotted first, smaller of the four curling itself around the door as it padded into the room. If the animals were there, Owen wasn’t going to be far off. The creature stepped towards her, second slipping into place behind the first, both of them stalking down low. Claire pulled her legs tighter to her chest, glaring at the animals as she did so.
‘Shoo!’ She flicked her wrist towards them. ‘Go on, go away!’ They didn’t move, noses mere inches from her skin as a third came through the door. Owen followed with the fourth, Claire turning large blue eyes in his direction, seeking out help. ‘Tell them to leave me alone!’ She cried, voice shaking as her eyes jumped back to his beasts. Claire didn’t want to be scared; not of wolves. They were murderous beasts, harmful hunters with sharp eyes. She had not seen them in action but nevertheless, all she saw in them was blood dripping from their thick teeth.
Owen chuckled, the loud sound filling the room. ‘They won’t hurt you.’ He told her, smile fond as he looked at her, the woman practically a child curled in on herself.
‘I don’t care. I want them gone.’ Claire spat, trying to convey how much she didn't like them as Owen stepped around their bodies to seat himself in the chair beside hers.
‘Claire.’ She was starting to like the sound of her name on his lips. Her mind wandered back to her birthday, ears picking up on the faint way he sighed against her, Claire still in control as she rode him, on top with no assistance and only his hands on her hips encouraging a more torturous rhythm. ‘Here.’ She missed him leaning over the arm of his chair, hand reaching out to wrap around her wrist. ‘This is Blue.’ He pulled her hand towards the biggest of the wolves, creature bowing its head as her fingers made contact with fur so dark it was as blue as midnight. ‘Charlie,’ He moved her hand to the second wolf, dark brown. ‘Delta,’ The third was a patch between the others, splotches of black, brown and grey. ‘And Echo,’ He pulled her hand towards the head of the last wolf, the pelt grey as Owen let go of her hand, leaving her fingers threaded in the wolf’s fur. ‘They're my girls.’ He beamed proudly, her eyes pulling away from the creature to catch his wild smile. ‘They keep an eye out for me and as my wife, you are under their guard too.’ She felt her heart jump into her chest. ‘I want you to feel safe with them.’ Claire scoffed, unable to help the sound as insult flashed across his face and each of the animals lifted their heads to look at her.
‘I would feel a lot safer if they didn’t come so close to me.’ Owen made a noise in the back of his throat and the wolves retreated. They listened to command.
‘I’ve been told you haven’t bled in some time.’ Claire felt her skin flush, cheeks beating red hot as she dropped her eyes to her lap. She hadn’t in weeks, and that fact alone hadn’t escaped her notice. Zara was trying not to smile every time she looked at her, appearing each morning a little more hopeful than the last with each absent day of Claire’s period. She shook her head. ‘Do you feel any different?’ There was an interest in his voice, concern almost, that she couldn’t quite place. Like he cared but was too scared to admit it.
Claire shrugged, cheeks burning hotter. ‘I certainly do not feel pregnant.’ She told him, eyes jumping to his for a split second before tearing away. She wanted to be defiant, to smack him over the head and tell him to mind his own business. In fact, she wanted to find Mae and Zara to request they didn’t speak to him about whether or not she was bleeding. Everyone in the castle was anxious for news. This was why she was here. To marry the heir to the East throne and provide him with children. It was just a bonus that she was pretty enough to cause gossip just on her looks, beyond that, nothing else was discussed. They had been married for a few moons now, it was only going to be a matter of time before they knew. Claire just wished her personal business could be kept to herself and not shared with everyone at Castle Grey before she had time to come to terms with it. She thought, in marrying below her station, getting whisked off to Grady land that it would come with a little more privacy and less urgency. By all accounts, Claire was wrong.
Owen hummed, ‘Maybe not?’
‘It is possible. We have only been married three months.’ He nodded. Owen couldn’t remember the last time he heard anyone talk about babies. Not recently. Faintly, he could remember his first marriage and his grinning wife, the woman coming to him with words of a child mere weeks after their ceremony. They had lost it days after. Owen was desperate to not get his hopes up. Claire took it as disinterest. ‘I promise,’ she started, ‘When the time comes I will give you strong sons.’ He nodded easily, taking her word and strong conviction.
Claire felt she needed to say it. Felt like it would add to her worth and his kindness. She knew what was riding on this, for him, for the both of them. If she did not get pregnant and soon, with a male heir Owen risked losing everything, Claire too. She wondered if her father and brother knew that when they sent her away. Surely, they would not have pushed her into the arms of someone whose stakes were so high. Owen was still hesitant with her, to the point that Claire worried he saw no worth in her. She wondered if he would have preferred to die at the hand of his father than live eternity with Claire Dearing.
‘My sister —‘ She started, watching Owen rise from his chair, not quite ready to lose the company. ‘—Karen, she lives in the West. She gave her husband two sons. I hear they are beautiful boys that are already making great lords.’ The oldest was no younger than eight by now, but already, her sister had shared in letters that he was taking on his lessons and duties with a fine commanding spirit.
Owen smiled, amusement small on his cheeks. ‘No offence, but Dearing men are not known for their strength.’ He told her, dismissing Claire once again as he stood, his back to her as his wolves looked for a command.
‘Our sons will not be Dearing men. They will be yours, Gradys, the strongest in The Four Kingdoms. Your seed in my womb will bring the world the most powerful leaders it has ever seen. With them, you could see your house overruling my family, The Grady’s could become The Keepers of the Kingdom within a generation.’ She stood, urging him to believe her as the wet nose of one of his wolves tapped at her hand. Claire didn’t know what compelled her to impress him so much, desperate for the man to see her worth as to not so readily discard her. They were already married, she did not need to do this bargain plea. She did not know what Merrick promised Theon in their trade, but she needed to make her worth known to her husband. She wanted to have his sons to save her own life. ‘We need this.’ She told him with a quiet whimper so small he might not have heard her.
She did not want him giving up on the fight.
Owen turned, facing her full-bodied, wolf pelt sitting strong and wide on his shoulders as he stared at her with hollow green eyes. ‘I don’t want you to be miserable.’ He told her with the most care she had seen pour out of him since they met. It rivalled their wedding night. Claire nodded. ‘Get out of this room, go do something, be busy. I don’t care what it is, I just don’t want to know that you’re moping.’ She didn’t know how to tell him it was too hot for anything else and she certainly had not been moping.
There were a few choice activities she wanted to partake in but was unsure how accepted it would be now that she was away from the support of her home. ‘I want to help with the civil court.’ Claire spoke before Owen left the room. ‘I want to help.’ She had sat and paid witness to the weekly and sometimes daily opening of the court where those who belonged to Grady land could air their grievances, ask for assistance or warn their Lords of what could potentially be a threat inside their territory. Owen took the place of his father on the throne for court and often went out first hand to deal with any issues that had arisen. Claire wanted to take his place or at least be allowed to sit with him and offer her assistance. ‘I can be kind and cruel. Let this be a way for your people to get to know their lady?’ She asked, eyes hopeful as he stared at her.
Owen shrugged, face soft. ‘I will see what I can do. Father has never had a woman hold court before.’ She couldn’t forget that this was still his father’s castle and until the man was dead it would remain that way. In time, if she gave Owen children — and she was certainly praying that she could — it would become theirs. ‘Is there anything else?’ He asked her, waiting for his permission to leave.
‘I would like to get to know you better, My Lord.’ Claire offered, feeling a little hopeless. They spoke on occasion. Nonsense little things, nothing about their selves. They had sex, Owen adoring the spitfire woman who took command in their chambers. She knew nothing of him. ‘We are married and yet I do not know the faintest thing about you other than your wine is horrible and you assure me your beasts are tame.’ His smile was wide, splitting up his face as he chuckled, nodding at her softly.
‘Anything, My Lady.’
[…]
He chose to walk, leading Claire out of the library and back to the castle grounds.
‘Don’t you have any brothers?’ She asked, walking beside him as a wayward breeze caught her hair. Owen decided he liked it out there, with her, the wolves playing in the grass a few feet away.
Owen shook his head. ‘I had a sister.’ The tense was not lost on Claire. ‘She died when she was a girl. She was a sick little thing, had a terrible fall and her poor body couldn’t heal itself.’ He paused, eyes caught in the line of trees over Claire’s head. Her hand found him gently, fingers gracing his palm and pulling back before she committed to holding on. ‘My parents married late and they struggled to conceive. It has been a source of great anguish for my father and why he never remarried. He’s too afraid to find out it was his fault and not Ma.’
‘What happened to your mother?’ She pried gently, hand squeezing his. He promised to let her in, to share his life with her but he didn’t need to divulge everything immediately.
‘She died a year or two after Sarah. I was fifteen. She never was right after we lost her, missed her dearly, cried all the time. My father lost his patience after that, once Ma was gone there was no one to hold him back. I think he wants me dead most days because it would be easier for him. He could let us all go if we were all gone.’ Claire pulled herself into him, her head finding his shoulder as they walked in step. Owen faltered, staring down at her gentle touch like she was some kind of wild animal acting out.
‘And your first wife? What happened?’ Claire knew a line was approaching, one she couldn’t cross, risking Owen’s comfort in storytelling and a possible wrath. He only took a deep breath.
‘Margot.’ He breathed. ‘We were married when we were eighteen. She was a fisherman’s daughter, really no one my father could use for personal gain but he allowed the union when I asked.’ Claire could imagine her family was thrilled to hear their daughter was promised to a prince. That didn’t happen to just anyone. ‘She kept me sane in this crazy world. The East Court was a marvel to her and she embraced it about as fearlessly as baby birds learning to fly. We were married three years before she died. She got sick. Mae said it was the baby.’ Owen hesitated, caught on the small gasp Claire tried to hide. She was still beside him, steps mechanical as a twig snapped under her foot. ‘I’ve never seen anyone that ill. The baby died before she did and when Margot realised that, she let go.’ Claire couldn’t imagine what that must have felt like. Her heart ached as they stopped to watch the wolves in silence, her hand still in his, her head lightly resting on his shoulder.
She tried to find her voice after minutes of silence, conviction returning as she squeezed her husband's hand. ‘You’ve lost a lot of women in your life.’
Owen hummed, once again not looking at her as he took in a deep breath revelling in the sweet smell of her beside him. ‘They all die.’ His mother, his sister, his wife — Claire was starting to understand why the man had an apprehension for her but always managed to let it go when she lured him in with an easy wink. It wasn’t just that he was weak. She never missed the clench in his fist or the tick in his jaw that willed his body not to move.
Claire shook her head. ‘Not me.’ She stopped, feet planted firmly on the gravel. ‘I’m not dead and I’m not dying. Not unless I say so.’ She saw the same tick in his jaw, his hand clenching down on hers before he stood in front of her, face to face, his spare hand raising to cup her jaw. Owen didn’t want Claire to know of Theon’s demands. He gathered that she would understand the importance of an imminent pregnancy and had the mouths of the castle’s court for that. But, if she understood that Theon would throw her in a cell to use her as he pleased for not complying within a year of their marriage; Owen feared it would break her. She was too pure for that, too sweet to be tainted.
‘I could fall in love with you.’ When their eyes met, his thumb stroking soft circles on her cheek, Claire swore he peered right into her soul. Like a window, it moved both ways. She saw the hesitancy in his words and understood.
She stepped away, his hand falling to the empty air as Claire wrapped her arms around herself. ‘But you won’t.’ It was the sting of rejection that cooled her. He would have sex with her, of course, he would, she was beautiful and she was his wife, but he would not let himself love her. ‘You’re scared that if you love me, you’ll lose me like all the other women you’ve loved.’ She was hurt. ‘I am different but instead of waiting to see that for yourself, you’ve put me in a box with the rest of them without giving me a chance. May as well start digging my grave if you’re going to commit me to a loveless marriage.’ She huffed, temper rising and falling without apology. Owen reached for her and Claire allowed his hand to stay. ‘My brother will not accept this peace trade until I have proven my worth to The East. The only thing that will do that is a baby, Owen. Your father will not be held up to any promises until you have been given an heir.’ She would not tell him that Theon had threatened her. Mae warned her husband would do anything to keep his young wife safe and she feared if he knew of his father’s intentions for her, Owen would act. There was no telling how many people in The East Court would support Owen upon the murder of his father, or how many would out him the second it happened. They could not take that risk. She would not allow it. Not now. ‘It is on me, on us to ensure your father does not go back on his word. My brother will renounce me. I’ll lose my title, my place — I’ll be worthless.’
Her fears centred there. Being without the support of her great Dearing name. If Merrick renounced her, Claire would just be Claire, considered an orphan at nineteen with no family. Her father will be forced to stand before the kingdoms and claim that she was no longer his.
Owen was aware of the tears in her eyes and the fear tangled in her fingers. If her family did that, Theon had every right to throw her away. She would be worthless to him in more than one way. ‘My mother always told me, love is born from love and you cannot have children without it. If we have any chance at giving our families the solidity that they want, we need love. You need to love me.’ Claire stared him down with wide blue eyes, ‘I’m not asking for you to say it or even mean it wholeheartedly, I just need you to understand that you cannot refuse to let me in because you’re scared of getting hurt again.’    
He was scared of how his heart would feel when Theon made him watch what they had in store for Claire the second he got tired of waiting for an heir. Owen wouldn’t be able to take it, wouldn’t be able to forgive himself. He did not want to love her for fear of spending his dying moments worrying about her. It was going to happen regardless, the worry for the innocent young woman he called a wife. Whether she hated him or loved him back. Owen felt as though he could die easier knowing she hated him in that moment rather than mourned him.
Love made a person blind, stupid, deaf to the heinous crimes of the world. He did not want to find that Claire was the kind of woman to go soft after love struck her heart. She was fierce and independent, she marched after those who displeased her. But, what of the woman in love? Would she let things go? Would she cry in the cell Theon threw her in? He wanted to know that she raged loudly, made a racket like his wolves during the full moon and never gave up her spirit. He was scared that if he touched her with his love she would lose the fire.
‘I’m trying.’ He told her quietly. Trying to let his hardships go. Trying to get his father’s voice out of his head. Trying to rid himself of Margot’s sickly pleas. He was trying not to love her and trying to slip into her love a little faster all at once. His head was torn in two, feet moving in different directions as Owen asked what he wanted from this life.
He wanted to suggest that they wait for her family to renounce her before they run, escaping into the long hills beyond and off of Grady land. His father would not let him live, even if he stepped down from his title. The only way out was on foot, running for freedom as they screamed into the wind. Claire would never accept. Not with so much at risk. She wouldn’t take to that life. She was destined to be a queen, the whole world set to watch her conquer.
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shazyloren · 7 years ago
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The Room: Chapter 2 - Betraying the Wife
Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/12710496/chapters/28995873
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Jon hated the mornings of September first. He always felt like an outsider look in when it came to his family, and as he looked at the chaos before him, Sansa forgetting her hairbrush and Robb forgetting his Quidditch gear, he felt it more than ever. He was the odd one out, his half-siblings acting as family should, while he, his father's secret child with some bar maid from times lost, was forgotten and left to sit in the hall on his trunk.
Wylla was her name, or so he had been told. A beauty as enticing as her name. Red hair; pale skin and eyes kinder than you could dream. This information was not comforting to him. His arrival had almost ruined his father's relationship with his wife. And Jon living here was a constant reminder of that betrayal. Not that this should ever be Jon's fault; don't blame me for father's mistakes, he'd always tell Catelyn, his father's wife, when she was in one of her spiteful crusades against him.
But she still did; it was better than being affectionate with him like she was her own born children. She couldn't bring herself to see the value in Jon. But Jon thought it all very archaic. Show him a husband and wife in the wizarding world who were still together that hadn't had a mishap of adultery in their marriage? It would be very difficult; it's just something that happens. Perhaps it was the skeptic in him.
Jon was just really wishing the blame had been put somewhere else; it's not like it's his fault he exists. Perhaps that's what Cat would like, for him to not exist. She'd never explicitly told him that; but he'd got the feeling that this was true. As his father never bothered to stand up for him when she was on a rampage against Jon, he just had to endure.
A rather tragic and worn out reason to hate the mornings of September first, but it was valid in his heart.
And now, this year would be the last time he had a September first like this, which he guessed was some form of reason to be happy. He didn't have to come back to this place after the year was done if he did not want to, he could go into the big world and get a place of his own. A small flat perhaps, something he'd be able to keep tidy himself. As he was going into his seventh and final year of attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, it was indeed time for him to become an adult.
It had been more of a home for him than the Stark house ever had been at some points in his life. He'd had his first girlfriend, Ygritte at this school and severally afterwards as his family liked to point out. He'd become something there too; he was popular, not that he understood why. All he had to do was brood in the Great Hall for twenty minutes and there would be a sea of people just watching him, fascinated. Jon found that part silly really, and more to the fact that when it happened Theon and Robb started charging people watch him ponder things that were bothering him. Third year hufflepuff girls were the big audience. He would shake his head and give the girls their money back; his brooding was for free.
Jon was a proud Gryffindor; and while his bedroom here at the Stark's house was all black, his favourite colour, he wore the Red and Gold with pride. His father hated that. His father would always say Pride is the downfall of a man. Pride makes men act stupidly, and Starks are not stupid. Jon would always say he wasn't a Stark in reply, taking his mother's surname of Snow instead (an act of defiance against Catelyn really). His father would laugh. You may not have my name, but you have my blood. And we Starks do not act stupidly. Jon always hated the idea of that, his father never lectured Bran or Arya when they became proud of something they've achieved. He was particularly harsh on Jon.
But Jon was proud, and in his mind it was not a bad thing. He's been sorted into the Gryffindor House along with his brother, Robb and his now best friend, Theon Greyjoy seven years ago. He remembered it like it was yesterday, the way the fear of having to sit on the stool made his skin tingle, the eyes of other students peering at him as the old material was placed onto his head. The long wait as it made his decision on Jon's fate before finally realising his bravery outweighed his loyalty and put him in Gryffindor and not Hufflepuff.
Of course, everything about him had changed since he wore that hate. He'd become a man, and a great one he had hoped. His father had said during the summer, that he was a man of honour and integrity and that it would be rewarded in his life. It was a strange compliment from his Father, a rare one at that. It was strange, the assaults from Catelyn, and his Father's chastising was at an all time low over the summer; perhaps because he'd barely been in the house, only for dinners in the evening that he was earning his stay there rather than just being around all the time.
Jon had had the best summer after sixth year, and he had never been more ready to attend school than this time around. He'd been accepted on a three week internship programme with the Ministry's Department of Magical Law enforcement. It was a starter course to see if being an Auror is exactly what he wanted. His first couple of days was getting used to the different people in the department and what the main constitutions of the job had been. But as the first week finished and the second started he really felt like he'd settled in well and was learning so much.
All he needed to do was increase his potion skill from Exceeds to outstanding and with doing the internship programme over the summer he'd definitely be able to get into the entry level Auror jobs and begin basic training. It was a rewarding career; but it could be dangerous too as he had found out in his third and final week.
Some of the Aurors from the Department here in the UK were transferred over to the east near Durmstrang School as there had been some Dark Wizard activity in the area. The school which used to be a hub of Dark energy, had in the last one hundred years turned around it's values and began teaching more or less some of the same stuff as Hogwarts. So the students there were to be protected at all cost, especially if something went wrong. Durmstrang were too out of school at this current time, but if the activity kept building it could be a threat when they returned.
An Auror, one Waymar Royce, was killed while on mission out there, it had definitely been dark magic and that was all Jon had known at the time. He left the day after this news came through but he had thought of Waymar often since then; wondering what the dark activity could be so far out that way. He shuddered to think. It only made him want to be an Auror more, to stop this kind of things happening. If he was going to nail this career in the neck, he was going to have to be involved in less and less of Robb and Theon's debauchery and focus even harder than years previous.
He had so much to juggle this year. He was the seeker of the Quidditch team, Captain of the Duelling Club and he was top in Defence Against the Dark Arts. These were all achievements he was really proud of, he did not care if pride was a dangerous thing. He had worked hard to earn the respect in school he had.
Being seeker of the Gryffindor Quidditch team was something he knew he wanted from his first flying lesson in first year. He remembered the way the wind felt across his face, the way the chill of the Autumn air sank into his skin, the way it made his skin tingle even long after getting off of the broom. It was just natural, and he managed to pick up speed so quickly. He had a natural talent for the Seeker role, his glasses helping his over active eyes focus better on seeing the tiny golden ball with it's fluttery wings. He'd yet to not catch the snitch in his four years as Seeker. He hoped his final year was the same.
He had been surprised last year with the honour of being captain of the Duelling Club. It was a club that had been together for just over one hundred years now, the D.A, it's real name. A notion that began with Legendary wizard Harry Potter over a century ago and had continued as a tradition and as a way of honouring him. Jon was made captain as he was to some, the only student since potter who'd ever come close in matching his talent for Defence against the Dark Arts and Duelling. Jon had found these words silly, of course he wasn't that good. He liked to think it was more for his natural ability to lead that had made Headmaster Lannister choose him.
And this was all thanks to his Defence Against the Dark Arts Lessons which he'd worked so hard to be the top of since first year. Professor Mormont had seen something in Jon's ability and had even given him the odd lesson outside of classes with some more advanced magic that you didn't learn until you got to the Ministry level of working and education. Defence just came naturally to Jon, he was even getting good at nonverbal now, only a few trickier spells he'd still not mastered without talking.
His skill in defence had actually meant he'd started going beyond that of education and started doing his own research, especially now as he was able to do magic outside of school. It had been a good nine months of being able to whip his wand out for just about anything. Thanks to all his research, he had actually created a new spell over the summer (something he'd only practiced a few times) and was eager to try it out more. He really wanted to try it on Joffrey Baratheon of Slytherin, who on the last day on Sixth year, hit his sister Sansa, a second year while he was a fourth. Of course, he'd never try a spell on a student without having fully worked the reverse of the spell. But it was tempting...
A ding of the clock meant his thoughts ran dry and his eyes peered up to hallway Grandfather clock, standing at the end of corridor, staring straight at him.
10 'o' clock.
Shit, the train will be leaving soon, he thought to himself as he leapt up from sitting on his trunk and dragged it to the main living room where everyone but Arya and Robb were waiting. Sansa made an offhand comment. "Finished staring into the abyss?"
"Sorry, I can't help it" Jon shrugged. He had tried not to brood or stare intently, but it just help him reorganise his thoughts in his head. It was at this comment that his father and Catelyn walked into the room, Arya, who was starting her first year, behind them looking more scared than Jon had ever seen her.
"All ready?" Ned asked, his tall stature towering over everyone except Robb, who had enjoyed a growth spurt over the summer. His steely gaze glazed over them all. "Now, ground rules" Here we go, Jon thought. "I do not want any letters home about setting people on fire this year, no letters about turning people into Ferrets and absolutely no words slandering another Wizard or Witch. If I do, there will be some choice Howlers for you all"
Jon knew he was talking to him and Robb. Jon had a fierce rivalry with a girl in Slytherin house, Daenerys Targaryen. She was a brilliant witch, Jon would always give her that. But she just lashed out to everyone, anyone who walks by that she feels has done her some wrong she'll hex into an oblivion. Jon, having that strong sense of morality and leadership, would defend those she harms and they'd always end up duelling in the corridors. She'd set him on fire and he'd turned her into a Ferret. It was all very stupid, but Jon refused to let her get away with the stuff she does. She was just so... angry all the time. He didn't know what her problem was but if she didn't change she'd have no friends, not that she has many anyway.
It also doesn't help that the teachers love her and turned a blind eye to her fiery temperament, all because she'd top in everything (besides Defence of course). And her family and their history... Jon shuddered, but the teachers did not care. They treat her with kindness and besides her friend from Hufflepuff, she only actually liked the teachers, particularly Headmaster Lannister, he doted upon her. "Jon"
"Yes?" He said as his father glared at him.
"Behave yourself, that family has gone through enough this summer" He warned.
It was true, he'd seen the newspaper. A very high profile family, torn apart as the father has left them. Some French Veela according to the daily prophet; he highly doubted that. The prophet were never a reliable source of information. Of course since the Targaryen family came to the UK ten years ago they'd been nothing but high profile. The mother and father being brother and sister might have something to do with that. Jon felt another shudder... he just didn't understand that. How can they come from a culture where that was okay?
"Of course, father" He nodded. He saw Catelyn flinch, another jab by Jon that reminded her of her husband's infidelity. "Well this is it then"
"Indeed, let's go!" Arya giggled, excited at her first year starting.
And so one by one they flooed into the Leaky Cauldron, a hotspot for Witches and Wizards all around London. It was the safest option to travel too before going to Kings cross, a ten minute walk away. Ned had done an undetectable extension charm on a bag in which all their trunks were neatly piled up inside. It saved them walking across London with trunks, drawing attention to themselves.
They reached platform nine and three quarters by half ten, plenty of time for the train. And as they walk through the barrier, they see the Scarlet engine and note it's already looking full. Spotting Theon and his sister Yara, a fifth year Slytherin, Jon got his trunk from his father, gave a noncommittal goodbye and left them behind with Robb by his side.
Theon started going on about how he and Yara had done nothing but Quidditch strength training all summer, hoping to become faster and harder to beat each other on the Quidditch pitch. Jon told them about his internship at the Ministry and the weird news happening in the East near Durmstrang school. It was all public knowledge now anyways. There had been a piece in the paper talking about Waymar Royce's life.
The train pulled away, it's engine sputtering to life as the Stark family who was not travelling to Hogwarts yet (Bran and Rickon) waved furiously on the platform. giving half a wave in reply, and receiving one steely last glance from Catelyn, the brick of the platform was finally replaced with the blues and greens of the british countryside.
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nyangibun · 7 years ago
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GoT S07E04 Thoughts
Sorry, this is so late!! I was away on a hiking weekend, thought I’d be okay to watch and stuff, but turns out hiking up and down mountains for 2 days straight means I pass out as soon as I get in. But you don’t care about that! So let’s get straight to it!
Any scene with Jaime and Bronn together is a great scene for me. Honestly, I thought I loved Tyrion and Bronn’s bromance, but Jaime and Bron’s is just as great. There’s something I love about the proper duty-bound Jaime and the ragtag mercenary Bronn. They have such wonderful chemistry together and despite their antagonistic relationship, there’s most definitely a bond there, which I believe comes into play at the end of the episode. You can’t really see who saves Jaime, but I want to put my money on Bronn [edit: apparently it’s confirmed it is].
Now, let’s bring it back to Winterfell: Littlefinger and Bran. I’ll be honest here I don’t have many thoughts about this, only that LF has something planned and it’s beginning to roll in his favour if his tiny smug smiles this episode is anything to go by, and it all begins with this scene. I think LF was trying to manipulate Bran, but at first to his dismay, it’s not working: 
“To go through all of that and make your way home again only to find such chaos in the world, I can only imagine–” 
“Chaos is a ladder.”
LF is put aback by this. None of what he’s saying is having the kind of emotional response he wants from Bran, but as he leaves: 
“I’m sorry to have disturbed you, Lord Stark.”
“I’m not Lord Stark.“
He suddenly realises that Bran isn’t the threat he thinks he is. He may be the last trueborn son of Ned and Catelyn Stark, but it is still Sansa that holds all the power right now, which brings me once again to this: LF has something huge planned with the sole purpose of placing himself at the top with Sansa by his side. His original plan may be thwarted by his sudden realisation that Jon and Sansa’s bond goes beyond something he can easily dismantle, but LF has been through the ‘same’ situation with Catelyn and Brandon, and Ned later (ie. ”everything that happens will be something that [he’s] seen before”). We all believe LF is going to die in this season, but he’s not going to go down without a ‘fight’. He will leave the world of GoT after causing some real ‘chaos’. 
In my most tinfoil of minds, it’s the public reveal of Jon’s parentage to the Northern houses, while simultaneously poking and prodding at Jon and Sansa’s less-than-sibling-like feelings. But as I said, this is pure tinfoil. 
Now onto our third Stark reunion! Can we please take a moment to appreciate how bloody brilliant Arya is? Her little interaction with those two idiot guards made me laugh. It was a wonderful piece of dialogue between the three of them. Although if you were to analyse it, you could wonder whether it was placed there for comedic relief or if it was to establish something. Seems like a rather pointless scene, right? Except you have three separate moments here that highlight the same thing. One, where the guards are adamant not to let Arya in so they didn’t have to bother Lady Sansa. Two, where the guards argued over who told Lady Sansa about Arya. And three, when the guards are fumbling over themselves in Lady Sansa’s presence. All of it aptly establishes Sansa’s rule over Winterfell and the clear respect and fondness the people have for her. They don’t want to go to her not because they’re afraid of her, but because they don’t want to ‘bother her’. 
“Lady Sansa is too busy to waste her breath on you, just like us.”
Everything about this sentence from the tone to the diction used just highlights the guards’ belief and perception of Sansa, that she’s far too good, too superior and too important to waste time on anything trivial. 
But what’s beautiful about this distinction is that immediately after you have the reunion and Arya asks, “do I have to call you Lady Stark now?” and Sansa jokingly says yes before pulling Arya into a hug. To the people, she is their lady, but to her family, she is simply Sansa. The common folk may think Sansa is superior, but she doesn’t think herself as superior. She’s only trying to lead her people through the long night.
Anyway, Arya and Sansa, my two favourite women on the show <3 I have wanted their reunion for so long and this was everything I could ever hope for. You have Sansa hugging Arya, who appears surprised, then Arya hugging Sansa in the end. These two at odds sisters are finally together.
Before I really get into the Stark siblings, I want to unpick some of the Jon x Sansa undertones here. Call it shipping goggles, call it whatever, but I couldn’t help noticing either way. When Arya is there talking to the two guards, she mentions Jon as his full title, and then the guards mentions Sansa with her full title. Seems quite irrelevant but the dialogue: 
“Go ask Jon Snow, then, the King in the North….. If Jon’s gone, who’s in charge of Winterfell?”
“The Lady of Winterfell. Lady Stark.”
Feels like a perfect companion to the one between Sansa and Arya: 
“It suits you Lady Stark. Jon left you in charge?”
“He did.”
What it does is continue to establish that Jon and Sansa are equal co-rulers of Winterfell. They’re partners, complements of one another, and it displays the level of trust Jon has in Sansa. After all the hype about StarkBowl and then Episode 1′s supposed “fight”, Jon still left Sansa in charge, just like Ned left Catelyn in charge when he left for King’s Landing. 
And then you have Sansa’s addition of: 
“I hope he comes back soon. I remember how happy he was to see me. When he sees you, his heart will probably stop.“
Once again, Sansa is implicitly saying how much she misses Jon and how she wishes he was here for these happy moments. Yes, she is also very well saying that because Arya and Bran are Jon’s siblings too, but both scenes (the one with Bran and the one here), there’s fondness in the way she says it that I’ve thus far only seen her display around Jon. And after she talks about how happy he was to see her and how his heart will probably stop when he sees Arya, Sansa looks away and there’s that fondness again. Perhaps even a blush? 
I know, I know… Shipping goggles, am I right? But you have to admit after seeing Sansa now reunite with both Arya and Bran, then Arya with Bran, these scenes and the subsequent interactions between them are significantly different to Jon and Sansa’s reunion. First, we had Bran and Sansa, which was cold and distant, understandably due to Bran being the Three Eyed Raven, but Sansa didn’t nuzzle him. She nuzzled Jon. And Sansa hugged Arya, no nuzzling. Arya hugged Bran, no nuzzling. It was only between Jon and Sansa. Why have that if it wasn’t to drop these tiny little hints for Jonsa in the future? It’s not exactly something you overlook when you’re going through the footage. They had a close-up shot of it. 
While we’re on the subject of Jonsa though, let’s jump ahead to the Jon and Theon scene. Jon is tense almost as soon as he sees it’s Theon, but he doesn’t react until Theon brings up Sansa (a parallel to Jon and LF’s scene).
“What you did for her is the only reason I’m not killing you.”
Like with LF, Jon seems to forget himself for a second there as complete primal instinct takes over. It’s only when Davos steps forward does he realise where he is. You can see him glance toward Davos, look back and make his angry kitten Jon snarl before letting him go. You can see he wants to blame Theon so badly for everything, for what happened to his brothers and what happened to Sansa, but Theon saved Sansa’s life, and for that, he holds back. For Sansa, he reigns it in. 
There really is no need for this scene at all. Yes, it segues to Dany and the battle, but there are several ways to do that without having Jon see Theon and bring up Sansa. And yet, here it is, once again showing Jon react instinctively and aggressively at the mention of Sansa by another man. Once again, reminding the audience of Jon’s deep attachment and love for Sansa (whether you’re inclined to believe it’s platonic or romantic). Shipping goggles or not, theirs is a bond we’re meant to acknowledge as integral to Jon. 
Now back to Bran giving Arya the dagger, of course this is hugely significant. Does it foreshadow LF’s death at Arya’s hand? I don’t know. I think yes to an extent, but I still think (and want) LF’s downfall to be at Sansa’s hand. He’s her proverbial monster to kill, not Arya’s. In fact, I don’t think Arya and LF ever had a one-on-one scene together. It would hold no real substantial satisfaction for the audience. Sansa killing him on the other hand? Much more satisfying. But perhaps the dagger doesn’t foreshadow LF’s downfall. The fact it’s made from Valyrian steel might be hinting at an Arya run-in with a White Walker? Just random speculation here though. 
Nothing of real plot significance but this dialogue between Brienne and Podrick really made my heart sing. I feel like for so long Brienne has always somewhat rejected the part of herself that was a woman, felt like it was something that’s held her back from wanting to be a knight, like an anchor or a weight, shackles. But this: 
“You’re too hard on yourself, my lady.”
“I’m not a – thank you, Podrick.”
This is just so symbolic of Brienne’s growth as a woman and a warrior. She’s finally accepting she can be both without sacrificing a part of herself. I’m so proud of her <3 
Okay, so the Jon3rys scene everyone’s been talking about (and freaking out about). I have one thing to say to you guys: WTF? No, no, I love you all and understand your concern, but personally, I saw the opposite of a romance. Attraction? Sure. Romance? No way. 
Does Jon give her a look? Yeah, I guess you could say he does, and oh boy, he guides her elbow, but this look, this seemingly sexually tense touch? It’s like comparing brussel sprouts to Jongritte’s apples and Jonsa’s oranges, aka brussel sprouts are not fruits. There is attraction there, but that is completely bulldozed over by the next piece of dialogue. 
“I will fight for you. I will fight for the North. When you bend the knee.”
“My people won’t accept a southern ruler. Not after everything they’ve suffered." 
“They will if their king does. They chose you to lead them. They chose you to protect them. Isn’t their survival more important than your pride?”
Dany’s words are empty. They sound inspirational, but she lacks any knowledge of the North (and Westeros) because if their king bends the knee to a southron queen, the North would revolt. Jon’s status as their king, although yes they chose him, is precarious and will always remain precarious when he is merely a bastard. War has made the houses blind to custom because Jon is the most capable military ruler right now for them, but if Jon bends the knee? They will not yield along with him. Dany’s inability to understand this just demonstrates her inability to understand the country and the people she wants to rule. It’s never been about saving the people; it’s always been about conquering. 
Honestly, this entire episode seems to emphasise every single reason why Dany is more of the villain than the hero, and continues to place Jon as her opposite. It’s not just who they are as rulers, but their goals. When Davos says to Dany after she discovers the Lannisters took Highgarden that perhaps they should discuss this amongst themselves, Dany demands that they stay, and Jon rolls his eyes, looks to Davos and appears exasperated by it all. This is not the war he wants to fight. The Iron Throne? He has 0 fucks left to give to that nonsense. 
And when Dany asks him what he’d do? 
“I never thought that dragons would exist again. No one did. The people who follow you know that you made something impossible happen. Maybe that helps them believe that you can make other impossible things happen. Build a world that’s different from the shit one they’ve always known. But if you use them to melt castles and burn cities, you’re not different. You’re just more of the same.”
He’s saying exactly what so many of us has said for years. Dany’s presence in Westeros isn’t their salvation, it’s their damnation, and if she chooses to rein ‘fire and blood’ to conquer the throne? She’s not the hero of the story. She’s now the villain on these lands. 
And I think Jon acknowledges this too. When Davos needles him about how he feels about Dany? He doesn’t wax lyrical about her, he says “I think she has a good heart”, which isn’t ‘she’s a good ruler’ and ‘she will do good things’. It’s ‘she has a good heart, but her methods, her entitlement, her drive for power? It clouds that part of her. Am I putting words into his mouth? Perhaps. But for so many seasons, a lot of metas about Dany’s journey has always honed in on the “she has good intentions but she is no hero” point. When I heard Jon say those words, it felt very poignant because they are words I have said in regards to Dany. And as I’ve said before, hell is paved with good intentions. 
Another moment that demonstrated this was Missandei’s speech:
“She bought me from my master and set me free.”
“That’s good of her. Of course you’re serving her now, aren’t you?”
Davos’ point has also been another thing people have touched upon for ages. Yes, she freed those slaves; yes, she did it because she thought it was wrong; but they are all still serving her. A lot of her good deeds continue to be shadowed by how she reeps those rewards and uses it in her drive for power. If you want to compare, Jon similarly ‘frees’ the Wildlings from behind the Wall and they all ‘serve’ him now, but because they believe Jon can keep them safe from the Others. They have faith in his ability to lead them to safety. Dany takes these people who trust in her and puts them in harm’s way, endangering their lives for a land they don’t know, that she doesn’t know all because she wants to claim her ancestors’ right to rule (yet in the same vein wants to denounce all her associations with said ancestors and the Targaryen madness). 
And the final nail into the ‘Dany is No Hero’ campaign this episode started on is the battle at the end. Nothing screams ‘villain’ more than watching the Lannister army slaughtered to death, especially after you have Jaime tell Randyll Tarly that these are good men who fought hard. The entire scene felt a lot like the Red Wedding in terms of gory horror except this one was hiked up to a much larger scale. There is even a moment when Tyrion is on the hills looking down on the destruction, a look of regret and shame on his face, while this horribly sad and gut-wrenching music swells in the background. This is not the music of a victorious battle; it’s the sound of tragedy. Now, why would you pair music like that with Dany’s victorious defeat of the Lannisters if not to demonstrate how destructive she is, how much more devastation she’s bringing with the Dothrakis and the dragons? And Jaime’s look of horror completely compounds this home. He’s been in many battles, but nothing compares to what he’s seeing in that moment. There is honour in battle, but there was no honour in this, just as there was no honour in the slaughter at the Red Wedding. 
Final thoughts? I loved this episode. I honestly, truly, truly did. I have never been more excited to see Dany go full Targ Mad. My heart was in my throat that entire scene. If you’d told me in Season 1 that I’d be cheering for Jaime over Dany, I’d call you rat-faced liar, but damn, did I cry out when that dragon turned around with his demon fire. Bless Bron for saving our beautiful conflicted King(futurequeen)slayer!
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shazyloren · 7 years ago
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The Room: Chapter 8 - Chewing the Fat
Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/12710496/chapters/29134314
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Jon found himself being constantly surrounded by the sound of voices whispering at Dinner after his first day back. Why? Because he'd had an argument with Daenerys in double charms at the end of the day, sou naturally, the whole school knows. In all honesty, Jon hadn't even meant for what he said to sound as bad as it came out, but apparently saying that she's about as level headed as a dragon in heat wasn't a good idea. He'd had to go to the hospital wing after being hit with a stinging hex and he'd become severely red and blotchy.
He needed to figure out what her problem was; yes he'd probably pushed it over the line but she'd called him a moron after he'd defended her so he had felt the need to defend himself in the end. It was all rather confusing. He really didn't know how it happened; she'd seemed in a reasonable mood when she'd entered the classroom and was talking with the Sand twins from Slytherin. She'd even cracked a smile, which immediately disappeared when she saw he was looking. She was almost two different people sometimes.
As he was Head boy and she was Head girl (this whole unity thing was really going to kill them both); Professor Flitwick had seen fit to partner them up together. Aguamenti was the charm and while they both knew it well it was non-verbally that needed to try and water the flower pot in front of them. They'd been polite to each other for most of the lesson, it wasn't until someone from the back of the class shout out that it went wrong. They asked Daenerys if she had all her toes or if because her parents were brother and sister they wondered is she was missing some digits.
Jon had been fuming. It was downright rude to disrupt the class and even though he may not agree with her people's practices, she was their Head girl. Jon; forgetting their was a higher authority present in the room; deducted ten points from Gryffindor to make a statement. There was a shock of silence that rung through the room.
His own house; people were shocked. And defending Daenerys too; something he thought would never happen.
None more so than Daenerys.
He'd turned to see her fuming and couldn't understand what her problem was. 'Don't stick up for me when you make just as awful jokes about my family when you don't know anything yourself' she'd said. Jon knew it to be true; but he asked her to calm down, saying she was overreacting. A rough exchange of words were flung at each other and thus he called her as levelheaded as a dragon in heat, and he got a stinging hex on his face.
And some joke Professor Flitwick was, he'd become a shadow of his former self since he began teaching after his death in ghost form. He just floated there and watched the whole debate take over the classroom as Head boy and girl came at odds with each other. Jon just left to go the the Hospital wing with no further comment after the stinging hex, leaving Daenerys to scowl at the place he'd been. Madam Bones had fixed him up easily enough and by the time he reached the Great Hall everyone was filtering in from classes too.
Robb sat next to him at the Gryffindor table then, drowning out the whispers with his presence. He looked smug; as if he had a million jokes to make at Jon's expense but he did not know which to pick. Jon knew everyone was going to know what happened by the time the evening meal was over. "You took points off of Gryffindor on the first day... some impression as Head boy you've made"
"Shut up, Robb" Jon grumbled as he poked at his chicken on his plate. He hadn't eaten much but he really didn't feel like doing so. Daenerys had pretty much been on his mind since he'd arrived at school over twenty four hours ago and he just couldn't work out why. "She's just frustrating; I wish we didn't have such a spiteful past and she'd truly let me know why she's such an arsey little shit sometimes. I've spent the entire day thinking about everything she said in the great hall last night and now, I have no idea who she even is"
"I think you're in love" Robb tried to tease.
"Fuck off" Jon snapped. "I'm just confused"
"Because you're in love" Theon agreed. Jon found himself scowling at them both. Theon yielded. "...with yourself?"
Jon sighed, they were both really no use sometimes. Theon was Robb's lapdog at the worst of times; and they both liked to gang up on Jon on occasion leaving Jon to brood for several days. One time, they'd forced him to go to Hogsmeade with a girl Theon liked to try and plant seeds of how nice a guy he was but she and Jon had ended up making out in the Three Broomsticks. When Jon came back and told him what happened Robb was the first one to state a sabbatical of ignoring him and Theon followed suit. That was the longest period they went ignoring each other. And the girl had ended up liking Theon and dating him for a bit anyways so it had worked out in the end.
There was a sudden silence in the hall and as Jon looked up, Daenerys was walking towards him with a hint of anger present on her face. Oh drat what had he done now? Think Jon think, he said inside his head. He thought about all the duties he'd doesn't so far as Head boy and concluded he'd not missed anything. Whatever he was about to be yelled at for; it was obviously something he wasn't aware of, so he just braced himself.
Bracing himself he watched her march slowly towards him; her face became less anger based and a little passive as he did watch her. He blinked, scared for what was coming. "Jon" She said void of any affection or emotion really. He almost had to laugh at this. But given not half an hour ago she'd flung a stinging hex at him; he held it back. He was still pissed at her. "Six fifth years thought it would be funny to have a skiving snackbox challenge at lunchtime and four of them happen to be prefects. We're short on cover in the dungeons this evening. I told Professor Lannister we'd cover"
"Oh alright, sure" He nodded, thankful he hadn't done anything wrong. At least she was only annoyed at having to patrol with him and not because he'd forgotten to make a change to the rota in the Prefects meeting room or something. "I'll meet you outside the Slytherin Common Room at Seven" He said to Daenerys as a confused look gathered on her face. "What?"
"How do you know where the Slytherin Common Room is?" She exclaimed.
"Really? I've been at this school seven years and you think I don't know where the common room is?" Jon let out a belly laugh to which everyone around them started sending him strange looks. It was funny, how confused she was. "That's really funny. Do you know where the Gryffindor Common Room is?"
"Yes" She said a little guarded, huffing at him.
"Then why is it difficult to think I don't know where th-"
"I get your point Merlin, shut up" She grumbled as she walked away. Jon found himself blinking. He did not know how he was suppose to survive an evening of patrols with her; but he had done it the night previous so he knew he could make it through. He hoped perhaps he could get some answers from her, but then again he may as well just wish for eternal peace in the wizarding world. He watched her walk over to the hufflepuff table where her friend Missandei had just arrived and they sat together eating their food, she was a piece of work.
Robb grunted and so Jon turned his attention away from Daenerys to see what he was doing. He was reading the daily prophet. Jon raised an eyebrow and so Robb showed him the front cover which had the title 'MINISTRY COVER-UP?'. Jon was instantly intrigued as he saw a picture of Waymar Royce with the story and wondered what was going on. So Jon took the article and began to read.
'Minister for Magic, Tywin Lannister, has come under fire once again as more ministry cover-ups are being unearthed day by day. We reported two weeks ago the sudden disappearance and subsequent death of Waymar Royce, talented Auror and beloved father and husband. Yet according to our sources inside the ministry, there is no record of Waymar having even been out of the country to have died or indeed how he did in fact die. This comes as a bit of a shock to the family who are still wanting answer but are having a door closed into their face. While rumours of dark magic rising in the east has people worried, the ministry has never confirmed this yet had let the rumour continue. A spokesperson for the ministry has said that they've got a full enquiry going on into the death of Mr. Royce, but until they have the full details, they cannot make any statement as to what actually happened.
This is just a month after the high profile sacking of Senior Undersecretary to the minister of magic, Robert Baratheon, his son in law and long time family friend. Reports were that Robert Baratheon was a hands on man and after several complains from females in Tywin's charge he made a choice to get rid of Robert's job position entirely and thus he left the ministry. This had caused outrage amongst the females in the Ministry according to sources yet none of them have come forward and condemned the minister. Perhaps they've been given hush money?
Whatever is happening in the Ministry of Magic, there is definitely a divide between people and one wonders if perhaps Tywin Lannister's time as Minister of Magic is coming to an end. We'll have to wait and see'
"Father didn't vote for him" Jon snapped as he shoved the paper back onto the table. "It's an insult to Waymar's memory that they've not figured this out yet! And the fact they've decided to keep the family in the dark? Poor wife and son must be scared witless!"
"And the sexual assault that he just swept under the carpet" Robb added as he chewed on a roast potato. Theon was nodding along too although Jon suspected he wasn't actually listening.. "It's twenty ninety-nine, why are women still afraid to work for people like this. Everyone should know if a lady says she's uncomfortable then you stop; simple as"
"I'm confused though; everyone knows something is stirring in the east so why are their still so many questions about his death?" Jon mused while he forked his chicken once again, not really wanting to eat it. "I guess it's the unknown of what it is that's scaring people, and they've had no reassurance from the ministry that it's under control or that they know what they're doing"
Robb just nodded in agreeance. "Also; the fact that his 'friend' Robert Baratheon was one hundred percent guilty of groping those woman and he did nothing. The Wizengamot is there for that kind of thing; but I guess bad press is not Tywin's way. We should ask Professor Lannister about him; I'd love to hear his thoughts on the ministry cover-ups"
"I highly doubt Professor Lannister would agree with what his father is doing as minister, people have been calling for him to be Minister for Magic for years now; he's just that good. But instead he uses the knowledge and wisdom he has to be headmaster" Jon countered. "Anyways, this is where he belongs best. Since his six years as headmaster, the school has seen results like never before, over ninety percent of students passing all NEWTS and OWLs"
"Still, there's no love loss between them. According to the prophet they had a huge falling out in the summer" Theon added in. Jon had heard this too. Whatever it was, Jon was glad that Professor Lannister was here and not Tywin.
They didn't mention the article anymore after that; he just finished up what food he could stomach before going and putting his bags in the common room. It was quiet, most people were still in the Great Hall. He set down parchment and ink on his side table, ready to do some of his Transfiguration essay he'd got that day in first lesson; wanting to get ahead on the homework. he'd start after he came back from patrols. On weekdays curfew was eight, Headmaster Lannister had made it as a way to try and get kids to go to sleep earlier as there was a point where everyone was falling asleep in classes. Most people stuck to curfews, it was only the odd few trouble makers you'd catch out and about.
So he prepared himself, and when it was ten to seven, he began to make his way out of the common room and back down the grand staircase. People were filtering from the Great Hall and returning to their own dorms. Jon turned to the door on the right at the bottom of the grand staircase and began his descent into the depths of the dungeons. Following a few slytherin's from distance (even though he knew where the common room was) he made his way into the candle light halls. A constant dripping sound was the only thing you could hear besides footsteps. It certainly had a creepy vibe.
He reached the common room and loitered. It wasn't long after Daenerys came out. "Let's get this over with"
"Don't make it sound like a chore" Jon groaned.
"You are an annoying piece of work" She shrugged.
"Touche" He agreed.
Two days in and he already didn't think he'd survive Daenerys Targaryen any longer.
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