#asoif meta

[purplehottubcupcake]

I'm willing to go out on a limb here and say that at least half of the reason Arya and Sansa have (or at least had) such an antagonistic relationship is that Ned and Catelyn were both very bad about hiding the fact that they had favorite daughters, and really favorite children in general but that's not really what I'm focusing on right now.

Given that Catelyn was the one more or less in charge of raising the two girls while Ned had more charge of the boys I think it's safe to assume that Catelyn was raising, or at least attempting to raise, Arya and Sansa as she herself was raised - as a southern lady, daughter of a great southern lord. So, worship of the seven, stories of knights and great ladies, excellent needlework, etc. are all things that I think Catelyn placed great emphasis on. And even if Sansa did not necessarily like all of it she was good at it and praise was heaped upon her accordingly. By her mother and her septa at the very least.

Enter Arya, the daughter who doesn't like and/or is not good at the things her mother seems to care about so much. And even if her mother did not do all or most of it (I'm sure septa Mordane played a big hand in it), Arya ends up being compared to Sansa alot and found wanting, and being punished for her failure to do, or to do well, the things Sansa herself was so good at. So it's not really all that surprising that Arya spends so much time trying to enter the world of her father and brothers, where she feels much more welcome. She's an excellent rider, she knows something about how to shoot a bow (this may only be in show canon), even before Ned got her "dance lessons" it can be assumed that somebody (my guess Jon) was showing Arya the rudiments of how to fight with a sword. And even if Ned felt he shouldn't be encouraging Arya in all this, he certainly didn't try that hard to stop her and more often then not he actively indulged her in it. Perhaps because she looked the most like him and he saw her as more his child, perhaps because he just understood her better than he understood Sansa, perhaps Arya reminds him of his long lost baby sister. Maybe because in Ned's cultural background, it is neither unheard of nor is it outrageous for women to want to or be trained to fight. In any case, where Arya feels like an outcast in the sphere of her mother, she feels much more acceptance in the sphere of her father.

And while it is a little more textually obvious that Arya felt ousted from her mother's affections and more secure in her father's, I do think it's safe the assume that Sansa too felt as though she was outside of the sphere of her father's affections. What child wants to feel like one of her parents has very little understanding of who she is as a person (getting Sansa a doll after she had already stopped playing with them for years seems like evidence that Ned had very little understanding of his eldest daughter)?

So here we have these two girls who both feel misunderstood and ignored by one parent, and indulged and praised by the other parent. And I think it's pretty safe to assume that Arya and Sansa both want to feel like both parents care for and understand them, and they equally both feel that there is no way that they will ever get that understanding (obviously now it can never be corrected because Ned is dead and Cat is what she is). Is it any surprise that all of these feelings then manifested themselves as a rivalry at worst, and petty antagonism towards each other at best?

You know what is kind of odd. There have been a lot of fights over the years about Sansa, Arya, and sewing. And usually, Sansa is characterized as someone who loves it. What’s odd is that other Arya mentioning it, Sansa never does. Even while she’s trapped in King’s Landing there is never mention of her passing her days by sewing or something. There is nothing that says she embroidered with Margery & co. or with Myrcella. You would think it would get mentioned she does it in the Vale, but there isn’t any. 

I’m not saying she isn’t good at it or talented at it, but I’m not sure she likes it as much as the fandom or Arya thinks she does. And even then, Arya doesn’t say if Sansa really likes it, she just says Sansa is better than her at it.  In fact, Sansa seems a lot more interested in learning the high harp. 

The two people who talk about sewing the most are Cat and Arya. Cat because she does it so often and Arya because she can’t seem to do it all.  

“They met in the lower bailey of Riverrun. When Brandon saw that Petyr wore only helm and breastplate and mail, he took off most of his armor. Petyr had begged her for a favor he might wear, but she had turned him away. Her lord father promised her to Brandon Stark, and so it was to him that she gave her token, a pale blue handscarf she had embroidered with the leaping trout of Riverrun. As she pressed it into his hand, she pleaded with him. “He is only a foolish boy, but I have loved him like a brother. It would grieve me to see him die.” And her betrothed looked at her with the cool grey eyes of a Stark and promised to spare the boy who loved her.” - Catelyn VII, AGoT

“You are most welcome here, Your Grace.” Catelyn had been sewing, but she put the needle aside now. “ - Catelyn III, ASoS

“Hours later, she was sewing in her bedchamber when young Rollam Westerling came running with the summons to supper. Good, Catelyn thought, relieved. She had not been certain that her son would want her there, after their quarrel.” - Catelyn IV, ASoS

“ Arya knelt in the dirt among the scattered clothes. She found a heavy woolen cloak, a velvet skirt and a silk tunic and some smallclothes, a dress her mother had embroidered for her, a silver baby bracelet she might sell. Shoving the broken lid out of the way, she groped inside the chest for Needle.” - Arya IV, AGoT

Arya, meanwhile, will never let anyone forget the fact she is bad at sewing. Sansa confirms in the fight in Sansa III AGoT, but I think words spoke in anger only count for so much. 

“Arya’s stitches were crooked again.” Is literally our first intro to Arya.

And we here about it again and again. Even while joining a death cult she doesn’t let it go. 

“Even sewing was more fun than tongues, she told herself, after a night when she had forgotten half the words she thought she knew, and pronounced the other half so badly that the waif had laughed at her. My sentences are as crooked as my stitches used to be. If the girl had not been so small and starved, Arya would have smashed her stupid face. Instead she gnawed her lip.” - Arya II, AFfC 

I think sewing is less of an Arya-Sansa problem and more of a Catelyn-Arya problem. 

[mega-ringsandthings-world]

Okay. I know the general consensus is not this, but if Catelyn had been told the truth about Jon from the get go, she would have treated him better. Relatively. Like, she wouldn't have gave him shit for being a bastard or been ice queen bitch stepmother to him, but uh. there would have been other issues. Just think about how having Catelyn aboard the hide-Jon-train would go for one second. For one second. Okay? We are talking about Catelyn fucking Stark nee Tully. And we are also talking about Catelyn fucking Stark nee Tully before the other four kids came along. Just her baby Robb and Ned and Ned's nephew. (and if you don't think that Ned saving Jon from under Robert's nose on a promise to his sister wouldn't make I-released-the- king-slayer-to-bring-back-my-daughters-Catelyn fall so hard in love with him her head is still ringing fifteen years later you are LYING to yourselves) So think mother gothel. She would have micromanaged the shit out of Jon's life and upbringing. Ned is pretty lax so as security measures go in terms of Jon, but Cat? Winterfell would get turned into FBI headquarters. Vibe checks at the door and retina scanners and Jon and Robb have a praetorian guard on their cradles. Yeah she'd be cool to Jon in public as he grows but in private she's frantically brushing his hair every night looking for whites. Holding him up to the light to check for hints of purple in his eyes. As they get older she namedrops bastard a lot but secretly actively fosters a relationship between Jon and the other kids because Catelyn-Sansa-will-be-queen-of-the-seven-kingdoms-Stark nee Tully knows about the pact of Ice and Fire and having one of the last Targs bouncing around is tickling the politician in her. That being said she institutes a book ban on Targ history and is always on Ned's ass about them playing dragons. When Arya is gets old enough she makes it a point to put her and Jon next to each other at all times. Jon getting a direwolf are goddammed holy blessing to her. When Robert's dump ass comes to visit she's having a conniption about Jon being recognized and nearly locks his ass in the crypts until he decides of his own free will to sit in the cheap seats before she blows a gasket. She hates the Wall idea because who the Fuck is going to watch this kid as well as she's been doing for the past fifteen years? WHO? If she had found out about Aemon being up there she's have blown up castle black. Jon, who has had to deal with this shit since attaining spatial awareness tries to get Benjen to let him take his night's watch vows at Winterfell's weirwood. Man wants OUT. He can't deaal with tiger mom ass no more. When he comes to visit Bran she slips and says something cryptic and weirdly affectionate and it puts his ass in a tailspin all the way to the Wall.

Like, I know people think it'd go more downhill if she knew about Jon but why? Boring. Uninspired. Booooo. Get fun with it.

[witchthewriter]

𝑷𝑨𝑹𝑻 𝑶𝑵𝑬: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐈𝐀𝐅 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞

a/n: I will be doing this by House! Also, yes it doesn't make sense timeline wise but think of each as an alternate universe ✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚

𝑯𝑶𝑼𝑺𝑬 𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑮𝑨𝑹𝒀𝑬𝑵

𝑫𝒂𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒔 | 𝑴𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝑫𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒔

・She did as she promised and liberated Westeros.

・No Mad Queen, but sacrifices were made. However, all three of her dragons survived.

・The Long Night was vanquished because Dany was The Prince Who Was Promised.

・In a turn of events, Viserion was not a male dragon. Dany didn't have three sons... she had two and a daughter!

・Viserion laid her clutch of eggs not far from Dany as she wanted her to be the first person to see them.

・Her clutch of eggs produced three beautiful dragons; the biggest was a deep blue with flecks of gold and bronze. The second was a gorgeous pink egg with light orange accents and the last was purple with pearlescent swirling details.

・Dany became a grandmother and as soon as she saw them hatch, she cried.

・Barely anyone was allowed to see the dragonlings; even though she had risen to power, she still felt the eyes of enemies on her back. Many would love to hurt these new dragons.

・Dany still did not have a pregnancy that came to full term; so her dragons were truly her legacy, with Viserion keeping the magic back in the world.

・The hatching of these new eggs made the realm respect her even more.

・She didn't have a traditional way of ruling; yes she had councilors, and a small council.

・But the wealth was distributed equally. With smallfolk able to have jobs and acquire ones that usually only nobles had.

・Speaking of small councils, she had two of her closest bloodriders, Greyworm, Missendai (yes she is alive, well and thriving), Ellaria Sand and Samwell Tarly (Gilly and their son live in the Red Keep).

・As Dany could not have biological human children of her own, she basically saw every child/orphan as her own, in some way or another. She saw herself in them. Her childhood of always on the run, dirty clothes, knotted hair, clasping her brother's hand.

・She didn't want that for any child.

・So Dany spent a lot of her time building safe houses, schools, places where children could go and feel seen, heard and feel protected.

・A different Westeros was forming and many did not like that. Uprisings were frequent. Always from the Faith of the Seven & the old nobles.

・But every time they were stopped. However, those that repeated were thrown into prison (and therefore used to create new buildings) or were put to death.

(P.s., Ellaria Sand is her book self, not her show self because they are entirely different. Some events from the show never happened because it made no sense for Dany to wait so long to break the wheel.)

𝑹𝒉𝒂𝒆𝒏𝒚𝒓𝒂 | 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑸𝒖𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑫𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒔

・She won against her brother and sat the Iron Throne with a tired heart. Rhaenyra lost a lot more than she could handle and her days were spent fighting off her grief.

・That did not stop her from being the best queen she could be.

・Her energy was given to the people, to the dragons and to the restructure of House Targaryen.

・Since the Greens had nearly torn what it was to be a Targaryen, Rhaenyra had a lot to do. So, she depended on those who were loyal to her. Baela, Addam, Corlys, etc.

・Oh, and not to forget Syrax.

・Syrax kept a lot of people in check when they came to court.

・As the dragon pit was partially destroyed (the dragons were okay though, they survived, help came just in time!) the living dragons now roamed to find a proper place to live. Dragonstone became a lot more populated.

・The love of the dragons would be reintroduced. One way she would do that, would be to reinstate the idolisation of the dragons. I.e., basically showing off the dragons.

・So, more royal processions atop dragons.

・As a skilled dragonrider herself, Rhaenyra may have placed greater emphasis on the role of dragons and their riders in the defense and governance of the realm.

・It would not always be easy. Especially with the fact that Rhaenyra's rise to power involved the killing of her own nephew, Aegon II. This would cast a long shadow over her reign and create lingering resentment among some factions.

・But through the influence of Mysaria, the smallfolk and those less fortunate would definitely be focused on. No more fighting pits! (Let's remember that Aegon frequented them...)

・Additionally, through Rhaenyra's victory, there would be a shift in the balance of power among the noble houses. For example; The Hightowers, who backed Aegon II, might have lost influence, while the Velaryons and other supporters of Rhaenyra might have gained prominence. This is all up in the air however, as Rhaenyra did have a forgiving heart... (I mean, before all the war...)

・What I know to be true, is that Rhaenyra would have maintained a strong dragon presence in King's Landing. Positively - this would have deterred potential threats and rebellions. And also led to a more prominent role for the dragonriders in the governance of the realm.

𝑹𝒉𝒂𝒆𝒏𝒚𝒔 | 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑸𝒖𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝑾𝒂𝒔

・Is in history books as one of the best rulers

・Balanced, open-minded and level-headed; Rhaenys didn't need a council - she was one all on her own.

・She grew up never thinking she would rule; so she was quiet and watched everyone's moves

・The Sea Snake was a brilliant King-Consort, still the leader of Driftmark

・Meleys was truly The Red Queen; her own horns and spikes resembled Rhaenys' crown and when they were together, they were utterly breathtaking

・As said before with the others, with Rhaenys and her dragon, Meleys, in a position of power, the presence of dragons would have been more pronounced in the governance of the realm. This could have deterred potential rebellions and solidified her authority

・A lot of her reign would reflect her own grandmother's - The Good Queen Alysanne. 100% Rhaenys would continue with the women's councils.

・The women of Westeros would be given opportunities. I think Rhaenys would take a lot of inspiration from Dorne. And how women were equal to men, because why the hell not?

・And as a dragon rider, who was going to tell her no? Meleys was definitely not about to let anyone defy her either.

・However, one of her greatest allies was the North.

・And due to the North's historical resistance to female leadership, her ability to assert authority and govern effectively would sway Northern lords to reconsider their biases against women on the throne.

・So, by demonstrating strong leadership, it fostered greater acceptance of her rule among Northern houses, and increased their loyalty.

・This is only one example of how she got herself written in the history books.

𝑩𝒂𝒆𝒍𝒂 | 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑸𝒖𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒌𝒊𝒆𝒔

・Known for her bravery and strong character, Baela brought a fresh perspective to the Iron Throne. She prioritized unity among tTeam Black and Team Green and those that chose between Rhaenyra and Aegon.

・Baela addressed the grievances from various houses and the common folk alike - making a more equitable society.

・Jace's death was a great grief. As was ... basically all her family. It was quickly pushed forward that she needed to marry.

・Baela shut that shit down quick.

・She swore that if she were to marry, she would choose who and when.

・The scars left by the civil war were still fresh in the minds of many houses. Those that aligned with the Greens, sought to undermine Baela's rule, viewing her as a representative of the Blacks. This historical animosity had led to plots and conspiracies aimed at destabilizing her reign

・But it is mainly through the dragons that Baela remained in control. As charming, bold and brave Baela can be, Moondancer ... reinforced people's loyalty. With the death of the majority of Team Green as well as their dragons, there was only other Houses to oppose her.

・She was also known as 'Our Queen of the Skies'. And after ruling for more than 20 years, the people saw Baela as a goddess.

・Some say she was part dragon herself, with how much she was in the air, flying on Moondancer (who many, many children adored.)

・Many rumors grew which made Baela seem impossibly mysterious

・It made the people respect her; and therefore they listened to what she had to say.

・Even the others in court grew to respect her.

・Baela, much like Alysanne, had a ladies court in which she listened to the problems they had.

・Spare food was always given to the smallfolk, unlike other rulers who gave it to the dogs or horses.

・Baela's approach to governance altered the trajectories of other key figures in the realm

・Her leadership focused on healing the divisions within the realm, strengthening alliances, and leveraging the power of dragons to maintain peace and order.

𝑹𝒉𝒂𝒆𝒏𝒂 | 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆'𝒔 𝑸𝒖𝒆𝒆𝒏

・Yes! her name reflects Princess Diana's real life title, 'The People's Princess'!

・Her reign would be known as one of peace.

・Well, not only peace, but a unique one as well.

・Rhaena addressed the grievances of the common folk and fostered goodwill among the people of both regions through fair governance and an empathic approach.

・The People's Queen shocked many, many people with how strategic she showed herself to be.

・She did this by navigating the political landscape and carefully addressing the concerns of powerful houses in both the North and the South which led to stability.

・Used her access to dragons as a symbol of authority and a powerful military asset to deter rebellion and reinforce her position.

・Rhaena's dragon Morning, hatched during the Dance of the Dragons and kept growing

・She was a very friendly dragon - similar to Silverwing, and didn't mind being paraded around

・Her experience with the devastation of the Dance of the Dragons, made Rhaena prioritize healing the rifts within the realm.

・Rhaena had strong ties to both the dragonriders and the great naval power of House Velaryon. This continued an emphasis on the Targaryen dominance of the skies, and the Velaryon's dominance on the seas.

・Rhaena's reign ushered in a cultural renaissance. The People's Queen promoted the arts, literature, and education. Her leadership style encouraged creativity and innovation, reflecting a more progressive and enlightened era in Westeros.

[daenerystargaryen06]

Can you talk about Dany's and khal drogo's relationship? Apparently, her falling in "love" with khal drogo (who is a barbaric rapist and slaver) is a sign that she will go mad.

Dany and Khal Drogo's relationship is a very complicated matter, but her falling in love with Drogo does not make her 'mad'.

Dany, when first wed to Drogo, was his bridal slave. She recognizes this herself within her chapters. She is 13, being sold by her own brother to a man much older than she is and more frightening, and she is obviously afraid of the marriage and Drogo as she is now considered his property and he is allowed to do whatever he wishes to her. She is powerless against him.

"The old woman washed her long, silver-pale hair and gently combed out the snags, all in silence. The girl scrubbed her back and her feet and told her how lucky she was. "Drogo is so rich that even his slaves wear golden collars. A hundred thousand men ride in his khalasar, and his palace in Vaes Dothrak has two hundred rooms and doors of solid silver." There was more like that, so much more, what a handsome man the khal was, so tall and fierce, fearless in battle, the best rider ever to mount a horse, a demon archer. Daenerys said nothing. She had always assumed that she would wed Viserys when she came of age. For centuries the Targaryens had married brother to sister, since Aegon the Conqueror had taken his sisters to bride. The line must be kept pure, Viserys had told her a thousand times; theirs was the kingsblood, the golden blood of old Valyria, the blood of the dragon. Dragons did not mate with the beasts of the field, and Targaryens did not mingle their blood with that of lesser men. Yet now Viserys schemed to sell her to a stranger, a barbarian... When she was clean, the slaves helped her from the water and toweled her dry. The girl brushed her hair until it shone like molten silver, while the old woman anointed her with the spiceflower perfume of the Dothraki plains, a dab on each wrist, behind her ears, on the tips of her breasts, and one last one, cool on her lips, down there between her legs. They dressed her in the wisps that Magister Illyrio had sent up, and then the gown, a deep plum silk to bring out the violet in her eyes. The girl slid the gilded sandals onto her feet, while the old woman fixed the tiara in her hair, and slid golden bracelets crusted with amethysts around her wrists. Last of all came the collar, a heavy golden torc emblazoned with ancient Valyrian glyphs." -A Game of Thrones - Daenerys I

"Dany looked at Khal Drogo. His face was hard and cruel, his eyes as cold and dark as onyx. Her brother hurt her sometimes, when she woke the dragon, but he did not frighten her the way this man frightened her. "I don't want to be his queen," she heard herself say in a small, thin voice. "Please, please, Viserys, I don't want to, I want to go home." -A Game of Thrones - Daenerys I

Now there is the difference between the show and the books for their wedding night. In the books, Dany had said yes to Drogo when he first coerces her into sex with him. However, in the show, she obviously did not consent and was crying as he pushed her down. I feel the show had a better handle of that scene; as it was clearly very much r*pe, even if Dany did say yes within the books- she was still a child of 13 and Drogo was much older than her and had more power over her as well.

After that, Drogo continues to r*pe Dany in the books until she wishes to end her own life, and only her dragon dreams provide her the strength to keep going. Still, Dany is powerless against Drogo, and only lessens her pain when she learns how to "please" him through Doreah. She is still considered his property.

Dany only begins to really "fall" for Drogo when she becomes pregnant with his child. This is only after Drogo begins to treat her gently and value her more. Still, she remains powerless to him. After Viserys had died and she considers herself the last living heir for her family, Drogo refuses to fight to get her the Iron Throne or even sail to Westeros. He only agrees to do this after the wine merchant tries to poison Dany and Rhaego, and this is only because Drogo saw this as someone trying to harm what he considers his property/wife and son.

When Drogo raids the Lhazareen, Dany is appalled by the violence. She tries to harden her heart to it, but in the end she can't turn away from it, and saves as many women she can by taking them as 'hers'. This was a daring move that even Dany acknowledges. When she speaks to Drogo, she wonders if she stepped too far out of line with him for her actions.

"It pleases me to hold them safe," Dany said, wondering if she had dared too much. "If your warriors would mount these women, let them take them gently and keep them for wives. Give them places in the khalasar and let them bear you sons." -A Game of Thrones - Daenerys VII

When Drogo dies and Mirri Maz Duur's blood magic and ritual take place, Dany is still powerless. She can only give commands to Drogo's men by threatening that Drogo would hear of them defying her. Even still, Drogo's men did not respect her, threatened her, and nearly killed her. Drogo was the one who gave Daenerys a position of power within the Khalasar, but even still it was very little and she still was powerless if Drogo did not agree with what she wanted; everything was up to Drogo and his decisions. Dany relied on him for protection and safety as he was the only man who could provide her such things when she was wed to him. And as it was shown, once Drogo began his downward spiral leading to his death, that safety and protection was immediately gone. Dany feared for him dying because he was the only one she knew that "loved" her and protected her.

Dany's "love" for Drogo was her adapting to her situation and doing all she could to keep herself alive and safe. It was a matter of Stockholm Syndrome. It was either Drogo or death for her. She was his bridal slave, his property, and he was the only powerful figure during that time that could provide for her and keep her safe. In her mind, it was love, but it was twisted and only came about because of her circumstances. Dany herself acknowledges the fact that she was Drogo's slave within the show when she liberates the people of Yunkai.

Dany's "love" for Drogo does not mean at all she will go mad. She was 13 in the books and 16/17 in the show when she was wed to him. She was a frightened child forced into a marriage to a man many viewed as a "barbarian" and "savage". It was either conform to her situation and endear to Drogo, or die. She would not have made it as far as she did if she hadn't adapted. To her, it might've been love, but Drogo was the man she was forcefully wed to and stuck with for the rest of her life as far as she knew. For her it was either make the best of it and continue on or lose her life. It was all about her survival from there on out, and Drogo was the only man she saw as being her protector for that.

Many Dany antis love to pick apart her situation with Drogo and turn it into a false narrative for their hate. The situation with Drogo and Mirri Maz Duur is always used to vilify her and make an excuse for her apparently being "mad" or terrible. They ignore the situation Dany was in and the logistics of it. She had no power, she was a child, and she was Drogo's property. Yet they love to say she did have power, when her only power came from Drogo and even then she was afraid of stepping too far with him. This was a matter of life or death for Dany. It's not 'madness' that she, a child, was conforming to her circumstances as best she could to keep herself alive.

Thanks for the ask! :)

[stormcloudrising]

Re-blogging because I was re-reading today for some research, and I continue to be amazed at the many ways George has connected Sansa to the two core ancient mysteries through textural and real world symbolism. If we ever get TWOW, I’m pretty sure that Sansa’s story and how she has a core connection to the magical one will be the most surprising to fans.

The Secret Song of Florian and Jonquil Part 7: Sansa Stark, Daughter of Coincidences and Honey Bees

June 6, 2020

Rulers of the Underworld by IrenHorrors/Deviant Art/Creative Commons

Many months ago, I ended the last chapter in this essay series by proposing that Jonquil was both the female progenitor of House Stark, and the corpse queen. I will be discussing this idea in-depth in a future chapter but before I get to that topic, I want to show how George has strongly and symbolically connected Sansa Stark not just to the ancient mystery of the corpse queen but also to the one surrounding Nissa Nissa.

To show this connection, I have to discuss a curious amount of symbolic coincidences that’s coalesced around Winterfell’s daughter. And so, while the title of this chapter probably seems a bit strange for an essay series about Florian and Jonquil, it’s actually not because at the center of those coincidences I mentioned, are bees and honey.  Those of you who have read some of my previous writings maybe familiar with this idea. 

However, this essay is a much deeper dive into the theory as I connect most if not all the dots. As is usually the case, it’s a pretty long with lots of supporting quotes. I’ve bolded the interesting parts for easy reference.

I’m always hearing that Sansa does not have a role to play in the magical side of the story and Lady’s death is usually given as proof that this will be the case. Supposedly, with Lady’s death, Sansa connection to magic was curtailed and so her role now is limited to the political side of things. To say the least, I find this to be an extremely shortsighted theory as book evidence strongly suggests that Sansa at least still has her skin changing abilities.

In actual fact, I happen to think that the killing of Sansa’s direwolf is probably one of the strongest pieces of evidence in support  of her continued connection to magic. However, I’ve discussed the important symbolism of Lady’s death in other essays, including Do Direwolves Dream of the Weirwood Net and so I don’t want to linger on the topic.

Keep reading

[qyburn-in-the-black-cells]

Ok hear me out - Aemond is a villain with a cluster b disorder, a childhood inferiority complex, AND is a disabled man in an extremely ableist society. The way Aemond compensates is by performing masculinity and kingship in the most misogynistic, violent and domineering way he can. People cannot be bigoted to him if they’re afraid of him or if he perfectly embodies the least merciful aspects of knighthood and kingship. Of course that’s not true but who’s going to tell him that?

[bugshideaway]

|| invented walking

[ariamariastark1]

Why do Arya stans focus so much on her appearance?

Well, the truth is that, in one way or another, Arya's appearance is relevant to and essential to her characterisation, the Stark family dynamics and related book plots.

In the family dynamics, Arya is the only 'legitimate' child with the Stark looks, which puts Arya apart from her other full siblings and closer to Jon; her appearance is also an important factor in her relationship with Sansa because Sansa uses her northern looks to bully Arya. It also influences the way that Ned and Cat treat Arya, as we know that Catelyn is deeply insecure about the fact that Robb, Bran and Rickon are southern looking, and because Ned more often than not ends up projecting his guilt and trauma into Arya because of how much she looks like Lyanna.

It's also relevant to the book plot in a few ways: through Lyanna and Jon because we can't understand Lyanna without Arya and we can't correlate Lyanna to Jon without Arya and the biggest connection that the two have is their appearance-- ned claims that Arya acts and looks like her and Bran, when seeing the past, couldn't distinguish the two if it wasn't for the hair length.

Another way that Arya's appearance is relevant to the books is because of the Great Northern Conspiracy more specifically because the only reason why Littlefinger was able to convince people that the girl marrying Ramsey Bolten was Arya despite it being Jane Pool was that Arya Stark (the real one) has a deeply traditional northern look.

And finally, it is because Arya's own insecurity with her appearance is directly impacting Arya's growth and development.

Actually a lot of things that the fandom interprets as related to femininity are about her insecurity and appearance, which is incredibly ironic because, at the same time, the fandom makes things that are about feminity about appearance, like the fact that Arya blends in the common folk something that exists to point out how Arya understands them and how she lives like them but the fandom made it about Arya being ' ugly' (she isn't)

[morningsofgold]

Something about the Targaryen legacy as a corroding thing, something that rots and ruins you from the inside out. Something about being closer to gods than men, to a dragon than a person, that alienates you from the rest of the world. Something about turning inwards and taking refuge in family even though family is your desolation, your curse, the albatross around your neck.

[satrryeys4eva]

why do most targaryens have mommy or daddy issues sometimes even both LET THEM BREATHE

Incest is a hell of a drug.

(I'd fucked up too if my uncle dad or sister wife were that crazy)

But honestly it's from the fact that because of incest none of the relationships are healthy.

And most women who marry into the trag fam end up dying tragically so they can't raise their kids, or like alicent all of their kids are a product of rape,(men who marry into the fam don't count because their kids take the last name of the dad so they aren't counted as targs)

The Targ's "keep it in the fam" shit also causes unhealthy attachments to form as in the toxic incest relationship of thier parents they see their future .

That's not even counting the fact that they are told their inter lives from ridiculously young ages that any love or care they feel for their fam is inherently romantic attraction because they are targs.

Anyway Freud would have a total field day with them

[casser-starkling]

I can confirm this because Jaime Lannister occupies my gay thoughts daily as well.

ok @queeneverwas if this is true about theon it’s obviously damning. but also the extent to which Jamie Lannister seems to be the protagonist of literally everyone’s gay thoughts needs to be studied. like his presence alone in someone’s mind makes the rest of their train of thought gay even.

[nobodysuspectsthebutterfly]

Do you manually type your tags in? That's super impressive

lol, I have a few tag bundles (XKit Rewritten, my beloved), but yes, most things I type by hand. Including almost all of the Targaryen names, though at least tumblr usually helps fill those in.* And especially including my tl;dr tag meta comments. 😅

*there was a point last year where "targeryan" was the first suggested option for Rhaenyra, Daemon, and Dany, very annoying. And don't get me started on "asoif" - I eventually had to follow the "asoif fanart" tag because so many good artists were using that instead of the correctly spelled one...

[hollowwhisperings]

The Kids Are Alright: What's In "Blood Stew"?

In preparation for my efforts on crafting some Meera Reed meta & in support of my "Jojen Is Fine, Actually" post, I will be Preemptively Addressing the subject of "Blood Stew" in the Bran POV chapters in ADWD.

CW: spoilers for ASOIF & D&E, reference to cannibalism, hunting of animals (& probable extinction), logistics of meat production, harm to children, suicidal ideation (Jojen), arson (including to religious sites, i.e. Old Gods), possible xenocide, body horror (Brynden), cult behaviour & indoctrination, drugging & grooming of minors (Bran, by the Singers), blasphemy (consistent usage of religious terminology for an in-setting cult of faith).

Team "Cave Kids": Setting the Scene

Going into WoW, Team Bran (Bran, Summer, Walder, Meera & Jojen) will have lived as guests of the Cave Singers for near up to a year: their lodgings lay within a vast & labyrinthine underground cave system, crawling with weirwood tree roots from the Haunted Forest above, and home to More Skeletons Than A Natural History Museum. All the humans (& Summer) share sleeping quarters. Summer pops out to Hunt and Do Wolf Leader Things (GRRM has subscribed his direwolves to Ye Olde Alpha Wolfe society); Jojen Worries Meera and sometimes goes Exploring; Meera and Walder are more cautious in their movements, when Bran isn't Bodysnatching Walder for his own explorations; Bran himself is carried by Singers to & from the shared sleeping chamber to Brynden's Vertigo Cave for "Flying" Lessons.

This entire region is named by the ASOIAF Wiki as "the cave of the three-eyed crow": as I always do, I Take Issue With That Name (I got sidetracked enough to move my thoughts to a separate draft).

Instead, [Team Bran] are guests of the Singers living in "the Caves [Beneath the Haunted Forest]". The Cave Singers are Singers, not Children of the Forest, though I do use Bran & Meera's nicknames for individual Singers.

Brynden is just "Brynden": he was, once, "Lord Commander"; a "Lord Hand" twice-over; and a "Master of Whispers" both before & after his ever receiving the position "officially". More hilariously, Brynden is very definitely the Distant Cousin (mayhaps even a many-times great Uncle) of every living Stark in the series. All courtesy of one Lady Melantha Blackwood of Winterfell (and GRRM's continued Indifference to the maternal sides of family trees, To Be Doylist About It).

Bed & Breakfast

My Grievances with Non-Existent Titles, Leaf's Suspect Math & Unspecified Maternal Lineage aside, let us return to "blood stew".

"And almost every day they ate blood stew, thickened with barley and onions and chunks of meat. Jojen thought it might be squirrel meat, and Meera said that it was rat. Bran did not care. It was meat and it was good. The stewing made it tender." (Bran III, ADWD)

Jojen and Meera are probably both right, sometimes at the same time: Bran is aware of Summer's freely exit the caves to Hunt & Summer likely donates the odd "squirrel" (or pieces thereof) to the Cave Kitchens, when he can. The Supernaturally Colder climate induced by the Others does make Summer's hunting an unreliable food source, in the long run: what little game still remains in the Haunted Forest is unlikely to have any offspring to replace the current population. The ever diminishing returns of Summer's hunts are a major factor in his Direwolf Mother travelling South for her pregnancy in the first place. That she, a Giant Direwolf, somehow got as far South as Winterfell's Wolfswood? Brynden is in the neighbourhood and Invested in House Stark, if only in Bran & Jon: his "Divine Intervention" is the most plausible explanation. Directing a local direwolf to Stark lands is well within his canonically established capabilities (whether this was easier than Rigging Jon's Election is a Fun Thought Experiment).

Local vermin and Summer's potluck contributions alone could not sustain the Singers, let alone their (fragile!) human guests: it is a different sort of meat that makes up most of their Blood Stews, one Greatly Speculated upon and one of Shocking Audacity... so what is the primary ingredient of Blood Stew?

Cave Goat. :D

The Kids Are Alright

The Singers canonically keep Goats for milk, used for cheesemaking. The Singers themselves are Omnivorous (they eat mushrooms & fish) so they probably eat their goats too. Given that the Cave Settlement has existed for 1 million years (Leaf's Math, GRRM's lacking a sense of Scale), the Singers have had a long time to familiarize themselves with lactose tolerance & the butchering of goats for meat. These goats have likely lived alongside the Singers for a very long time: they're never mentioned leaving the Caves to (not) graze, meaning they too live entirely in darkness. Brynden might be called upon, now & then, to skinchange into wild Flock Queens from Above (googling "do goats have leaders" has informed me that goats are Matriarchal) & thus bring "Fresh Blood" to existing herds.

Speaking of Blood, the "blood" in Blood Stew is probably goat blood preserved after slaughter in That Most Ancient Form Of Sausage... black pudding. Blood spoils too quickly otherwise, even if the Singers have "freezers" in the form of cold caves. While GRRM never says as much, the Singers certainly have the means to "farm" salt to aid in meat preservation. There is at least one underground river in the Caves (the black one with blind fish) that is never specified as "salty" or "fresh". Assuming the Singers weren't just "mining" rock salt (solar evaporation would be Rather Difficult, what with the Complete Absence of Sunlight), the Caves almost certainly boast several brine springs.

The access to salt and [cold caves] enable the Singers to "stretch" each goat slaughtered, making them the most reliable source of meat. Given that the Singers personally tend to their goat herds, the "hygiene" of their goat meat makes the goats a much safer offering for their even the most fragile of their human guests (Bran & Jojen). Goats are safer for the Singers too: Leaf gives a population count of "three-score" for her people, and there any implications that they are an "aging population". Singers are small in size, limited in number and their mobility is likely decreasing. The "strength" of any individual Singer is never really expanded upon, beyond their ability to carry Bran around (which... doesn't really say much, given that he's a malnourished nine-year old) and historic difficulties facing humans head-on (bronze weapons & fire, yes, but larger sizes too). Slaughtering domesticated goats would be within the physical capabilities of the Singers we see moving around, hunting bigger (or more aggreesive) game would be Difficult unless Skinchanging was involved (keeping an animal docile enough to restrain and drug with shrooms, the skinchanger leaving before the actual slaughter).

So, shockingly, the "blood" in Blood Stew is just goat sausages (blood, intestines, grain & salt). The "hunks of meat" are Also Goat, for the most part, with Summer's hunts and local vermin (rats, bats, probably not ravens, any safe-for-humans bugs).

Supplementary Protein

Fish are another source of "meat": the Caves have at least one river, home to blind white fish eaten by both Singers & their human guests (differentiating "fish" from game meat would be difficult, given the primary goatiness & the "Stone Soup" vibe of any communal stew).

As Meera speculated, any vermin capable of surviving the supernatural cold, are likely additional ingredients for "Blood Stew". Vermin would be an issue in the Caves, drawn to the Singers having grain stores (oats and barleycorn): these are cold climate crops, making them farmable even This Far North (barley doesn't freeze to death 'til -8° C) though how the Singers could grow these crops in their Caves can only be Handwaved By Magic (For Safety Reasons, skylights or aboveground gardens are Unlikely). That or the Singers used ravens to facilitate Trade with freefolk, when they still lived in the area (the lands of the Thenns are North-West of the Haunted Forest). Magic ravens migjt even be foraging wild grain on the behalf of the Singers: they are fey folk, even without their keeping (stealing) the odd human to act as their personal Eldritch God-Tree Wizard.

The ravens themselves can probably be ruled out as ingredients in Blood Stew: these ravens are Sapient and Divine Envoys besides. There's also the IRL precedent of corvids Holding Grudges: incurring the Wrath of the local avian hivemind would be Enormously Stupid of the Singers. The Murders vastly outnumber the Singers, making peaceful relations Rather Important. Ravens that die prematurely or of injuries (not of sickness: fragile humans are fragile, after all) might be "Fair Game" but, knowing GRRM, the Cave Ravens are probably cannibalistic carrions.

The Cave Ravens would be much more relaxed by Singers harvesting their eggs, outside Mating Season at least. All birds eat their own eggs, making them less "taboo" than one might think. Eggs function as "external food storage" for birds, adults eating unfertilized eggs they lay & babies eating their way out from the egg they hatch from. I could not speculate on how Singers prefer their eggs: in Blood Stew, I could only guess that raven egg yolk would help in "tendering" the goat blood sausages after cold storage.

For all the food sources available to the Singers, the Blood Stews being served "almost everyday" does indicate that Rationing is at play: a Long Night looms and exhausting any food source means losing that food source permanently. Goats, fish, Summer's donations, raven eggs (&/or ravens), vermin and bugs make up the actual "meat" in Blood Stew. The general confusion of the humans as to what their meat is may be further muddled by some "hunks" actually being mushrooms or cheese.

But Humanitarianism!

While zombies are an Awkwardly Plausible Convenience (Coldhands has killed Night's Watch deserters in the vicinity of the Caves & wights were Hidden in the snow surrounding one of its entrances)... consider the state of these wights. The vast majority are rotting, even in the supernaturally cold temperatures and, since Freefolk traditionally burn their dead, the wights that are reanimated likely died in Unsavoury Manners. Even "fresh" or "preserved" corpses are quickly riddled with Unappetizing bacteria and insects. The frozen wights are old, the murdered or forgotten, and all of them Decidedly Unhygienic. Human wights might be safe enough for carrion birds or even the Singers themselves... but they are not safe for their human guests.

Consider the Efforts, the Sacrifices, that enabled Bran's getting to the Singers at all: even with Brynden's "Divine Intervention" (getting the Starklings bodyguards in the form of direwolves, prompting their awakenings as Wargs; encouraging Jojen & thus Meera to meet Bran at Winterfell; bidding Coldhands to save Sam & Gilly, enabling easier passage North via Creepy Eldritch Door, on time to give the kids a "Lift" on his Great Elk), the likelihood of Bran dying was always higher than his surviving. Readers know Bran has Plot Armour but, in-universe, his continued survival has been costly. Getting Bran safely to the Singers was an expensive undertaking, one requiring a great many moving pieces (some of them arguably "moved" before Bran was even born: each Starkling held Potential, some moreso than others, and none of their parents were originally intended for each other).

It is almost certain that Bran was not the first child Brynden Lured North: popular fanon names Euron Greyjoy as an "abandoned" attempt, whilst Jojen was canonically [granted audience? scouted?] only to be "ruled out" (being "only" a greendreamer, Jojen was instead used to Better Bran's Odds of Survival).

While greendreamers and skinchangers are Statistical Anomalies, with persons who are Both being even rarer, Westeros is large enough that having a handful of potential greenseers within generations of each other is a Fair Estimate. No, the issue is the Rarity of Potential Greenseers AND the deadly nature of any "pilgrimage". That only Brynden and Bran are ever named seems to indicate that their managing both trials makes them "worthy" of Reverance, even before "earning" the title of "greenseer". That Bran survived was miraculous and, indeed, Brynden certainly worked "Overtime" in his Acts of Divine Intervention. Even then, Bran (& Jojen's) survival was very much dependent on Summer and Meera's presence in the group: the Singers owe every single member of Team Bran a debt, all of them serving vital roles in getting them a Shiny New God-Tree for their collectiom.

What does Divine Intervention and Debts of Hospitality have to do with Blood Stew, with an "Exciting" Opportunity for Hypothetical "Humanitarianism"?

Simple: Bran is too important to the Singers for them to Risk his health by their serving "Bad Meat". Imagine going to such great lengths to find a Fresh Godling, the relief that This Godling survived to meet his destiny... only for their Godling to get killed by food poisoning.

"And They Were Roommates"

The only meal noted as being Separately Prepared for any of the humans is Bran's Weirwood Paste: what one of them eats, all of them eat. That means that one of the humans getting sick (Jojen being the most susceptible), risks all of them catching ill. While each of the humans does "disappear" now and then, exploring or generally doing their own thing, the extreme cold of their environment (their extended time traumabonding with each other) means that they all share the same sleeping chamber. They share furs, body heat, breath.

While the Singers could very easily isolate the humans from each other (if only for quarrantine purposes), keeping them together is "safer": the humans would recognise sickness or distress in each othed before the Singers could and the humans already know how to take care of each other. The Singers being Good Hosts is in their best interests, not only in currying favour with their new god-in-training but also to ensure said godling survives to do any "Ascending".

Children Are Fragile: Why "Bad Meat" Isn't An Option

Grand Futures of Kingship & God-Treehood aside, at this point in time, Bran Stark is nine-years old. Human children, even Super Magical Starklings, are still children. And children are fragile.

Bran is still recovering from Attempted Murder, with his injuries limiting his independent mobility in ways his society cannot truly accomodate (not as a Prince of Winterfell & definitely not as a half-frozen cave kid). An inability to walk isn't the greatest danger of Bran's disabilities: thermoregulation of half his body is. Bran's friends are better able to recognise Bran's symptoms of physical distress than Bran is, than the Singers could. The humans also have greater strength and mobility: the Singers only seem to have three fingers on each hand and, while Bran is unlikely to grow much bigger given his environment, he will be getting some growth spurts soon. It's unknown how long Bran is expected to need "training" from Brynden, how long he will be carried to & from the communal sleepchamber and his weirwood throne. The Singers might just Graft Bran to his Throne once he's too big for them to safely carry but, again, there is no timeline given for Bran's progress. Better to keep "Hodor" about, thinketh the much tinier Singers.

Jaime's Murder Attempt also put Bran into a prolonged coma, one he was Fortunate to awaken from. That Bran has not exhibited any of the more "inconvient" (or dangerous) consequences of a longterm coma is almost certainly Brynden's "Divine Intervention" at work. Surprising lack of cognitive issues (temporary or longlasting) aside, Bran's coma & his subsequent state of "perpetual bedrest" has left his body much weaker the average child. He's already malnourished, traumatised and struggling to stay warm: Bran getting sick, even a "minor" sickness like a cold or bout of mild food poisoning? That could kill him.

Even if Bran doesn't die from an illness, recovery would be Difficult in such as a Hostile Environment: it is cold, it is dark (no sunlight whatsoever), and [Food Insecurity] is an ongoing reality. If a person is already physically weakened, minor illnesses can very easily escalate into more serious ones. There are no Maesters, no Medicine Women for Bran. The Singers have magic bit they are fey while Bran is (at present) terrifyingly mortal. Keeping Bran alive means keeping him healthy and doing that requires keeping the Other Humans 'healthy" too: serving the "spares" Questionably Sourced Meat is against the Best Interests of the Singers, their Investment in Keeping Bran Alive.

(For now, at least.)

The Jojen Problem

The terrifying fragility of their Future God-King aside, a more "immediate" danger to the continued existence of the Cave Singers is Jojen Reed: that is, Jojen's consistent lack of good health.

Bran was a healthy child who became very vulnerable very suddenly: Jojen, meanwhile, has been "sickly" for Years. Not only is Jojen "small" for his age (14-ish), he is often described as "shaking". IRL, people get tremours for any number of reasons, and comorbid conditions are not unusual. There is valid reason to view Jojen's "shakes" as symptoms of an ongoing, chronic health condition. Jojen might have a chronic illness, lasting side effects from the fever that nearly killed him, and he's had ample opportunity to acquire some [head trauma] over the series. Jojen's "shaking fits" may also be his physiology "teaming up" with psychological trauma: muscular twitches from the stress of hypervigilance, shakiness borne of anxiety & stress, atypically expressed panic attacks (that can resemble seizures in their physicality).

While Jojen's Ambiguous Disorders are decidedly non-contagious (going by IRL counterparts), Jojen's predisposition to "sickliness" makes him just as vulnerable to Death By Minor Illness as Bran, if not moreso given Jojen's Current Psychological State.

The Terrifying Fragility of Jojen Reed

Jojen, for Very Justified Reasons, is Very Depressed. Depression, in fiction & IRL, makes people more susceptible to catching illnesses and makes recovery more difficult. That is true even when a person is not deliberately enabling (or passively "allowing") an illness to harm them.

Jojen "this is not the day I die" Reed is exhibiting every sign of suicidal ideation that Bran, his friend & fellow fragile tiny human, can pick up on. Meera, the Designated Adult of Team Bran at the wise old age of 17 & Jojen's big sister, has become genuinely concerned that Jojen's (passive) Death Wish has become an Active one.

Jojen has long believed that he is Functionally Immortal outside of Greywater Watch: his very first Greendream was, after all, a vision of his own Death. It's not unreasonable to suspect that said Death Dream is a recurring one, that Present Circumstances (Brynden's Body Horror, the complete lack of sunlight) have Exacerbated the frequency of Jojen's Dreaming of Death. Fans of The Song greatly enjoy speculating on Jojen's Inevitable Demise, many assuming he is Already Dead. This is based on his last "appearance" being Bran noting Jojen's Absence: fans fail to extend this state of Already Dead to the Also Absent Meera.

(My tinfoil has One of The Reeds Finding Something while Exploring, grabbing their sibling so as to Convene Privately Elsewhere, & that together they have begun to Conspire An Escape)

If Jojen were to Die Prematurely, far from his Destined Death at Greywater Watch... there goes Meera Reed's Entire Motivation for Being Here, in this Far Away Frozen Helscape.

Meera, obligatory loyalty to House Stark aside, has stated that her primary incentive to follow Bran, to Go North and remain there while Bran [gets made into a tree-wizard]... was to save Jojen from his Death Wish.

Reasons to Fear Meera Reed

Meera is the "healthiest" of all the humans in Team Bran: she's able-bodied, physically mature (short, yes, but strong), lethal with a net & spear... and the primary caregiver of everyone in their group.

Summer (2 y/o) helps, with scouting and hunting and bodyguarding. Walder (17 or older) helps, kind and physically powerful. Jojen (14 y/o) helped, with Uncanny Wisdom and foresight and faith in Bran. Bran (9 y/o) is, of course, the Designated Hero of his chapters (this is Greatly Limited by his being only nine-years old).

Meera (17-ish) did all that and more. Meera hunted, guarded, scouted, foraged, killed, climbed... and did so as a non-magical human, relying on her experience as a crannogmen and her Father's Daughter.

Meera keeps up morale and tells [Very Helpful] Stories, leads where Walder and the children cannot, posseses Common Sense & life experience, mediates when the children are fighting (scolds them for taking their frustrations out on each other), senses Social Danger that Summer might miss, skins prey & butchers it (ensuring none of it goes to waste). Meera is a survivalist, one canny of the Old Ways, a "Modern" example of why the First Men so successfully survived in Westeros.

And the Singers of the Cave are Old. They Know the capabilities of Humans, the single greatest threat the Singers have ever known. The Singers Remember: the Pact, the 4000 years of war before it; the First Men, their axes; the Andals, their iron & blasphemy. The Singers know Human as Invaders and Desecrators and (sometimes) Allies. The Singers also "know" the Consequences of a Human who FeelsToo Much.

Humans, historically, have Little Issue with Seeings Things Burn. Humans, it seems, will respond to Any Strong Emotion with Bronze or Iron or Fire.

Cold? A Human will find a Tree and set it on fire.

Hungry? A human will Kill Something and heat it... over fire.

Dead? Other humans gather, collect the deceased, set the body on fire.

Grieving? A human will find iron, demand answers, find you. And should your "Answers" prove unsatisfactory? Humans will set fire to YOU, your settlement, your Gods.

Meera is very, very "human". She is the most human of her group: Bran is, of course, a God-Tree sapling; Jojen is Greensighted, not long for his human flesh and soon to join You in the Trees; the one called "Hodor" reminds You of the Giants, long ago foes and more recent allies but all but a few Gone to the Earth.

(Summer is a Direwolf.)

Meera is the Single Greatest Threat to the Cave Singers, who believe themselves the "last" of their people. Meera is a Consiserable Threat to the Last Greenseer, whom she has grown to Suspect and Resent. Meera does not, at least, carry on her person any axe (she wields spear and net and shield).

Meera can definitely start a fire. Meera would willingly start a Fire, a pyre for her brother built from the Last Greenseer himself. Meera would gladly burn out the Last of the Singers, for Vengeance and as Sacrifices to stay the suit of wights (of Others) as she Flees South and homeward (taking your Prince, your Shiny New God-Tree, the Last Hope of your People with her for spite alone).

That's All, Folks!

So, no: "Blood Stew" is not made from people. It is not made of Jojen or Meera, it is Goat and Vermin and Bugs. It is occasionally made with Squirrels. The "blood" is black pudding, goat's blood and intestines salted to ensure no goat goes to waste: their hides and furs warm the children, their blood and flesh sustains them, their cheese enables their exercising in philosophy. Wights are just too dangerous, to hunt or serve for supper: Bran (& Jojen) cannot be risked for the sake of morbid convenience. Live humans are right out, too much bigger and stronger than the Singers, or too dearly missed by The Scariest Being North of The Wall.

The Kids are Alright (the human ones, anyway).

[daenerystargaryen06]

I have seen posts about Daenerys antis/Sansa stans discussing and discounting this exact quote from one of Daenerys' chapters in ASOIAF:

"A blue flower grew from a chink in a wall of ice, and filled the air with sweetness. . . . mother of dragons, bride of fire . . ." -A Clash of Kings - Daenerys IV

I have seen posts of these people saying the blue flower imagery somehow correlates to Sansa. Or some other discount of saying it doesn't relate to Jon, or that somehow the sweetness of the blue flower imagery will somehow lead to Jon going against/killing Daenerys...? I honestly have no idea how that correlates, but anyway...

Let's begin tearing this apart.

The first discussion we will be covering, is a Sansa stan post I saw saying the blue flower correlated to Sansa.. somehow. We have many indications as to how that doesn't fit/work at all.

Daenerys sees the blue flower growing from a chink in a wall of ice. Leading readers to infer/know she is seeing the Wall at this moment. Sansa is in the Vale presently, not at the Wall, and I doubt she will ever go to the Wall with how her book arc is playing out.

Based on my post here, Jon is the son of Lyanna Stark. Both are associated/represented by blue flower imagery.

Jon is the blue flower Daenerys sees growing from the wall of ice. He is currently a member of the Night's Watch, his mother is Lyanna, and both Jon and Lyanna have blue flower representation and correlated imagery to such. He is associated with blue and winter. He is the one Daenerys is seeing in that moment, represented by the blue flower.

Another part of this is the 'sweetness' the blue flower emits. Daenerys actually likes sweetness, and sweet things.

"There was food and water here to sustain them, and enough grass for the horses to regain their strength. How pleasant it would be to wake every day in the same place, to linger among shady gardens, eat figs, and drink cool water, as much as she might desire." -A Clash of Kings - Daenerys I

"With so many still waiting on her pleasure, she did not stop to eat. Instead she dispatched Jhiqui to the kitchens for a platter of flatbread, olives, figs, and cheese. She nibbled whilst she listened, and sipped from a cup of watered wine. The figs were fine, the olives even finer, but the wine left a tart metallic aftertaste in her mouth." -A Dance with Dragons - Daenerys I

"Her cooks had prepared them a magnificent meal of honeyed lamb, fragrant with crushed mint and served with the small green figs she liked so much. Two of Dany's favorite hostages served the food and kept the cups filled—a doe-eyed little girl called Qezza and a skinny boy named Grazhar." -A Dance with Dragons - Daenerys IV

"Dany sat amongst the rumpled bedclothes with her arms about her knees, so forlorn that she did not hear when Missandei came creeping in with bread and milk and figs. "Your Grace? Are you unwell? In the black of night this one heard you scream." -A Dance with Dragons - Daenerys VII

"That explains the way Belwas is sweating," Dany said. "I believe I will content myself with figs and dates." -A Dance with Dragons - Daenerys IX

"I've brought you a peach," Ser Jorah said, kneeling. It was so small she could almost hide it in her palm, and overripe too, but when she took the first bite, the flesh was so sweet she almost cried. She ate it slowly, savoring every mouthful, while Ser Jorah told her of the tree it had been plucked from, in a garden near the western wall." -A Clash of Kings - Daenerys I

As seen by the quotes above, Daenerys enjoys eating sweet fruits. She likes sweetness. The blue flower emitting sweetness, though not said in her chapter, likely pleased her. This is not an imagery set against Daenerys, but rather a hint towards Jon likely being someone she will like and find pleasant once they meet. We have other hints towards Jon and Daenerys becoming eventual allies/lovers over enemies as provided by the quotes from me here.

Let's dig into this further, shall we?

I've seen quite a few Jonsa/Sansa stans using this quote and many others to say Jon will fall in love with Sansa. But there is one thing Jon likes, and it does not relate to Sansa in any way, shape, or form:

"Why not? thought Jon. They are all convinced she is a princess. Val looked the part and rode as if she had been born on horseback. A warrior princess, he decided, not some willowy creature who sits up in a tower, brushing her hair and waiting for some knight to rescue her. "I must inform the queen of this agreement," he said. "You are welcome to come meet her, if you can find it in yourself to bend a knee." It would never do to offend Her Grace before he even opened his mouth." -A Dance with Dragons - Jon XI

"Lonely and lovely and lethal, Jon Snow reflected, and I might have had her. Her, and Winterfell, and my lord father's name. Instead he had chosen a black cloak and a wall of ice. Instead he had chosen honor. A bastard's sort of honor." -A Dance with Dragons - Jon III

"A woman of the free folk." How could he explain Ygritte to them? She's warm and smart and funny and she can kiss a man or slit his throat." -A Storm of Swords - Jon VI

Jon has a preference towards women who are strong, determined, and have a warrior-like personality. His interests fall into people such as Ygritte, Val, Arya, and Daenerys. He's always thinking of Arya, and when he had a relationship with Ygritte, he compared her to Arya the most. His preference does not fall in line with the sort of person Sansa is and how she carries herself/acts.

Jon is also associated with moon imagery:

"The white wolf raced through a black wood, beneath a pale cliff as tall as the sky. The moon ran with him, slipping through a tangle of bare branches overhead, across the starry sky." -A Dance with Dragons - Jon I

"Snow," the moon murmured. The wolf made no answer. Snow crunched beneath his paws. The wind sighed through the trees." -A Dance with Dragons - Jon I

"Every man who walks the earth casts a shadow on the world. Some are thin and weak, others long and dark. You should look behind you, Lord Snow. The moon has kissed you and etched your shadow upon the ice twenty feet tall." Jon glanced over his shoulder. The shadow was there, just as she had said, etched in moonlight against the Wall. A girl in grey on a dying horse, he thought. Coming here, to you. Arya. He turned back to the red priestess. Jon could feel her warmth. She has power." -A Dance with Dragons - Jon VI

Who is also associated with moon imagery? Daenerys.

"A trader from Qarth once told me that dragons came from the moon," blond Doreah said as she warmed a towel over the fire. Jhiqui and Irri were of an age with Dany, Dothraki girls taken as slaves when Drogo destroyed their father's khalasar. Doreah was older, almost twenty. Magister Illyrio had found her in a pleasure house in Lys." -A Game of Thrones - Daenerys III

"Khal Drogo looked down at her. His face was a copper mask, yet under the long black mustache, drooping beneath the weight of its gold rings, she thought she glimpsed the shadow of a smile. "Is good name, Dan Ares wife, moon of my life," he said." -A Game of Thrones - Daenerys V

"Memories walked with her. Clouds seen from above. Horses small as ants thundering through the grass. A silver moon, almost close enough to touch. Rivers running bright and blue below, glimmering in the sun. Will I ever see such sights again? On Drogon's back she felt whole. Up in the sky the woes of this world could not touch her. How could she abandon that?" -A Dance with Dragons - Daenerys X

Now, if we really want to go into things and go as crazy as Jonsa stans/Daenerys antis do with contorting text and making it their ship agenda... I could do the same. Mainly with Jon loving Ygritte, who is 'kissed by fire', and that fire relating imagery to Daenerys.

"The wildlings seemed to think Ygritte a great beauty because of her hair; red hair was rare among the free folk, and those who had it were said to be kissed by fire, which was supposed to be lucky." -A Storm of Swords - Jon II

"Jon was coming to know them despite himself: gaunt, quiet Errok and gregarious Grigg the Goat, the boys Quort and Bodger, Hempen Dan the ropemaker. The worst of the lot was Del, a horsefaced youth near Jon's own age, who would talk dreamily of this wildling girl he meant to steal. "She's lucky, like your Ygritte. She's kissed by fire." -A Storm of Swords - Jon V

"You'll see a hundred castles," he promised her. "The battle's done. Maester Aemon will see to you." He touched her hair. "You're kissed by fire, remember? Lucky. It will take more than an arrow to kill you. Aemon will draw it out and patch you up, and we'll get you some milk of the poppy for the pain." -A Storm of Swords - Jon VII

And of course, we all know Daenerys' association with fire:

"The water was scalding hot, but Daenerys did not flinch or cry out. She liked the heat. It made her feel clean. Besides, her brother had often told her that it was never too hot for a Targaryen. "Ours is the house of the dragon," he would say. "The fire is in our blood." -A Game of Thrones - Daenerys I

"There was only her and the dragon. Its scales were black as night, wet and slick with blood. Her blood, Dany sensed. Its eyes were pools of molten magma, and when it opened its mouth, the flame came roaring out in a hot jet. She could hear it singing to her. She opened her arms to the fire, embraced it, let it swallow her whole, let it cleanse her and temper her and scour her clean. She could feel her flesh sear and blacken and slough away, could feel her blood boil and turn to steam, and yet there was no pain. She felt strong and new and fierce." -A Game of Thrones - Daenerys III

"He was no dragon, Dany thought, curiously calm. Fire cannot kill a dragon." -A Game of Thrones - Daenerys V

"After that, for a long time, there was only the pain, the fire within her, and the whisperings of stars." -A Game of Thrones - Daenerys IX

"The heat beat at the air with great red wings, driving the Dothraki back, driving off even Mormont, but Dany stood her ground. She was the blood of the dragon, and the fire was in her." -A Game of Thrones - Daenerys X

"No, she wanted to shout to him, no, my good knight, do not fear for me. The fire is mine. I am Daenerys Stormborn, daughter of dragons, bride of dragons, mother of dragons, don't you see? Don't you SEE? With a belch of flame and smoke that reached thirty feet into the sky, the pyre collapsed and came down around her. Unafraid, Dany stepped forward into the firestorm, calling to her children." -A Game of Thrones - Daenerys X

Even alike to Daenerys, part of the Night's Watch vows Jon took have an association to fire as well:

"Hear my words, and bear witness to my vow," they recited, their voices filling the twilit grove. "Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come." -A Game of Thrones - Jon VI

Or we could even associate some of Val to Daenerys as well:

"When they emerged north of the Wall, through a thick door made of freshly hewn green wood, the wildling princess paused for a moment to gaze out across the snow-covered field where King Stannis had won his battle. Beyond, the haunted forest waited, dark and silent. The light of the half-moon turned Val's honey-blond hair a pale silver and left her cheeks as white as snow. She took a deep breath. "The air tastes sweet." -A Dance with Dragons - Jon VIII

"When she was clean, the slaves helped her from the water and toweled her dry. The girl brushed her hair until it shone like molten silver, while the old woman anointed her with the spiceflower perfume of the Dothraki plains, a dab on each wrist, behind her ears, on the tips of her breasts, and one last one, cool on her lips, down there between her legs." -A Game of Thrones - Daenerys I

"And Val's no man," white-bearded Tormund snorted. "You ought to have noticed that by now, lad." -A Storm of Swords - Jon I

"I am no man," she whispered, "so you may lean on me." Drogo put a huge hand on her shoulder. She took some of his weight as they walked toward the great mud temple." -A Game of Thrones - Daenerys VII

"Perhaps Jon had ridden with the free folk too long; he could not help but laugh. "Your Grace," he said, "captive or no, if you think you can just give Val to me, I fear you have a deal to learn about wildling women. Whoever weds her had best be prepared to climb in her tower window and carry her off at swordpoint . . ." -A Storm of Swords - Jon XI

"How beautiful, the queen tried to tell herself, but inside her was some foolish little girl who could not help but look about for Daario. If he loved you, he would come and carry you off at swordpoint, as Rhaegar carried off his northern girl, the girl in her insisted, but the queen knew that was folly. Even if her captain was mad enough to attempt it, the Brazen Beasts would cut him down before he got within a hundred yards of her." -A Dance with Dragons - Daenerys VII

"Val stood on the platform as still as if she had been carved of salt. She will not weep nor look away. Jon wondered what Ygritte would have done in her place. The women are the strong ones." -A Dance with Dragons - Jon III

"Viserys began to scream the high, wordless scream of the coward facing death. He kicked and twisted, whimpered like a dog and wept like a child, but the Dothraki held him tight between them. Ser Jorah had made his way to Dany's side. He put a hand on her shoulder. "Turn away, my princess, I beg you.".. "No." She folded her arms across the swell of her belly, protectively." -A Game of Thrones - Daenerys V

 "Val stood on the tower roof, gazing up at the Wall. Stannis kept her closely penned in rooms above his own, but he did allow her to walk the battlements for exercise. She looks lonely, Jon thought. Lonely, and lovely. Ygritte had been pretty in her own way, with her red hair kissed by fire, but it was her smile that made her face come alive. Val did not need to smile; she would have turned men's heads in any court in the wide world." -A Dance with Dragons - Jon III

"Up here in her garden Dany sometimes felt like a god, living atop the highest mountain in the world. Do all gods feel so lonely? Some must, surely." -A Storm of Swords - Daenerys VI

"That gave the captain pause. "I am no stranger to Meereen. I could find the city again, aye … but why? There are no slaves to be had in Meereen, no profit to be found there. The silver queen has put an end to that. She has even closed the fighting pits, so a poor sailor cannot even amuse himself as he waits to fill his holds. Tell me, my Westerosi friend, what is there in Meereen that you should want to go there?" The most beautiful woman in the world, thought Quentyn. My bride-to-be, if the gods are good. Sometimes at night he lay awake imagining her face and form, and wondering why such a woman would ever want to marry him, of all the princes in the world. I am Dorne, he told himself. She will want Dorne." -A Dance with Dragons - The Merchant's Man

Not only does Daenerys and Val share similar qualities, Daenerys and Arya also share similarities and parallels. Jon is closest to Arya. She is the one he thinks about the most, and loves. He compares others to Arya. He thinks of her often. Arya is the one he considers 'his heart.'

"Arya drew back from him. "He killed the slave?" That did not sound right. "He should have killed the masters!" -A Feast for Crows - Arya II

"Unsullied!" Dany galloped before them, her silver-gold braid flying behind her, her bell chiming with every stride. "Slay the Good Masters, slay the soldiers, slay every man who wears a tokar or holds a whip, but harm no child under twelve, and strike the chains off every slave you see." She raised the harpy's fingers in the air . . . and then she flung the scourge aside. "Freedom!" she sang out. "Dracarys! Dracarys!".. "Dracarys!" they shouted back, the sweetest word she'd ever heard. "Dracarys! Dracarys!" And all around them slavers ran and sobbed and begged and died, and the dusty air was filled with spears and fire." -A Storm of Swords - Daenerys III

"The wolf blood." Arya remembered now. "I'll be as strong as Robb. I said I would." She took a deep breath, then lifted the broomstick in both hands and brought it down across her knee. It broke with a loud crack, and she threw the pieces aside. I am a direwolf, and done with wooden teeth. -A Clash of Kings - Arya X

"I am blood of the dragon, she told herself. I am Daenerys Stormborn, Princess of Dragonstone, of the blood and seed of Aegon the Conqueror." -A Game of Thrones - Daenerys II

"She must have slept, though she never remembered closing her eyes. She dreamed a wolf was howling, and the sound was so terrible that it woke her at once. Arya sat up on her pallet with her heart thumping. "Hot Pie, wake up." She scrambled to her feet. "Woth, Gendry, didn't you hear?" She pulled on a boot." -A Clash of Kings - Arya IV

"Yet that night she dreamt of one. Viserys was hitting her, hurting her. She was naked, clumsy with fear. She ran from him, but her body seemed thick and ungainly. He struck her again. She stumbled and fell. "You woke the dragon," he screamed as he kicked her. "You woke the dragon, you woke the dragon." Her thighs were slick with blood. She closed her eyes and whimpered. As if in answer, there was a hideous ripping sound and the crackling of some great fire. When she looked again, Viserys was gone, great columns of flame rose all around, and in the midst of them was the dragon. It turned its great head slowly. When its molten eyes found hers, she woke, shaking and covered with a fine sheen of sweat. She had never been so afraid..." -A Game of Thrones - Daenerys II

"Yes, Arya thought. Yes, it's you who ought to run, you and Lord Tywin and the Mountain and Ser Addam and Ser Amory and stupid Ser Lyonel whoever he is, all of you better run or my brother will kill you, he's a Stark, he's more wolf than man, and so am I." -A Clash of Kings - Arya VIII

"Mother of dragons, Daenerys thought. Mother of monsters. What have I unleashed upon the world? A queen I am, but my throne is made of burned bones, and it rests on quicksand. Without dragons, how could she hope to hold Meereen, much less win back Westeros? I am the blood of the dragon, she thought. If they are monsters, so am I." -A Dance with Dragons - Daenerys II

"She was no little girl in the dream; she was a wolf, huge and powerful, and when she emerged from beneath the trees in front of them and bared her teeth in a low rumbling growl, she could smell the rank stench of fear from horse and man alike." -A Storm of Swords - Arya I

"Ghosts lined the hallway, dressed in the faded raiment of kings. In their hands were swords of pale fire. They had hair of silver and hair of gold and hair of platinum white, and their eyes were opal and amethyst, tourmaline and jade. "Faster," they cried, "faster, faster." She raced, her feet melting the stone wherever they touched. "Faster!" the ghosts cried as one, and she screamed and threw herself forward. A great knife of pain ripped down her back, and she felt her skin tear open and smelled the stench of burning blood and saw the shadow of wings. And Daenerys Targaryen flew. "… wake the dragon …" -A Game of Thrones - Daenerys IX

Arya and Daenerys share the same imagery and have various parallels. Both are strong, determined, beautiful, protective, and fall into their blood/house symbolism as a source of strength for themselves. It's not too far to say that Dany will remind Jon of Arya as well when they meet, and will fall for her due to her personality and traits.

This isn't to diss on Sansa's book character or hate on her. But it is the truth that Jon wouldn't find her appealing as a lover and likely would never fall for her. Sansa's strengths are very much different compared to the ideals/attributes that Jon finds/would find attractive in women such as Ygritte, Val, Arya, and Daenerys.

"My skin has turned to porcelain, to ivory, to steel. Her hands moved stiffly, awkwardly, as if they had never let down her hair before. For a moment she wished Shae was there, to help her with the net." -A Storm of Swords - Sansa V

"Joffrey frowned. Sansa felt that she ought to say something. What was it that Septa Mordane used to tell her? A lady's armor is courtesy, that was it. She donned her armor and said, "I'm sorry my lady mother took you captive, my lord." -A Clash of Kings - Sansa I

"Sansa felt dizzy; one instant her head was full of dreams of Loras, and the next they had all been snatched away. Willas? Willas? "I," she said stupidly. Courtesy is a lady's armor. You must not offend them, be careful what you say. "I do not know Ser Willas. I have never had the pleasure, my lady. Is he . . . is he as great a knight as his brothers?" -A Storm of Swords - Sansa I

Sansa's strengths lie in her using courtesy, manners, and pretense as a woman of noble blood to endure her struggles and get through the abuse she had suffered within King's Landing. Within the Vale, her strength lies in her ability to observe, act as Alayne Stone, and maneuver into seducing Harrold Hardyng whilst partaking in the slow poisoning of her younger cousin.

Meanwhile, Daenerys and Arya, along with Val, are a bit more physical in their endeavors:

"There is a reason. A dragon is no slave." And Dany swept the lash down as hard as she could across the slaver's face. Kraznys screamed and staggered back, the blood running red down his cheeks into his perfumed beard. The harpy's fingers had torn his features half to pieces with one slash, but she did not pause to contemplate the ruin. "Drogon," she sang out loudly, sweetly, all her fear forgotten. "Dracarys." -A Storm of Swords - Daenerys III

"She hit him. Hard, right between his little eyes. Screaming, Biter reeled back, and then threw all his weight against his chains. The links slithered and turned and grew taut, and Arya heard the creak of old dry wood as the great iron rings strained against the floorboards of the wagon. Huge pale hands groped for her while veins bulged along Biter's arms, but the bonds held, and finally the man collapsed backward. Blood ran from the weeping sores on his cheeks." -A Clash of Kings - Arya II

"I would hope the truth would please you, Sire. Your men call Val a princess, but to the free folk she is only the sister of their king's dead wife. If you force her to marry a man she does not want, she is like to slit his throat on their wedding night. Even if she accepts her husband, that does not mean the wildlings will follow him, or you. The only man who can bind them to your cause is Mance Rayder." -A Dance with Dragons - Jon I

But Arya and Daenerys are not just physical. They are intelligent, witty, observant, and adapt to their environments/situations for survival. Daenerys takes in the cultures of her people and conforms to them. Arya makes friends and is protective over the people she cares for. Both have had to struggle in their lives. Both have gone without food, home, and family at their sides. Daenerys spent the first half of her life running from place-to-place along Essos as a beggar fearing for her life and enduring her brother's abuse when he became 'mad'. Arya lost her home and family after Ned's death and had to pose as a boy while fearing for her life. These experiences have shaped them for the harsh brutalities of the world while they remain gentle, kind, intelligent, and when fearful they search for strength within themselves to keep going on.

This strength and qualities that they possess is what Jon is mostly attracted to and likes. As shown in his relations/interactions with Ygritte and Val. Jon is also the sort of person Daenerys would like as well. Along with Arya. Daenerys would not openly go out of her way to antagonize neither Jon nor Arya upon meeting them. Daenerys is a gentle, sweet person who also has a fiery strength within her and she has been shown time and time again to be a compromiser, politically savvy, and possesses a sense of humor as well. Arya would likely take a liking to and befriend Daenerys due to the qualities both girls possess and their similarities.

"This time the monsters did not frighten her. They seemed almost old friends. Arya held the candle over her head. With each step she took, the shadows moved against the walls, as if they were turning to watch her pass. "Dragons," she whispered. She slid Needle out from under her cloak. The slender blade seemed very small and the dragons very big, yet somehow Arya felt better with steel in her hand." -A Game of Thrones - Arya IV

Jonsa/Sansa stans twist and contort these texts to fit their agendas, yet I doubt they read the books much or just go off of pointless metas they see their mutuals create. None of this is hard to infer or see based upon reading Daenerys, Arya, and Jon's chapters- yet they see it with a rose-tinted lens towards their favor in making Sansa a 'soft-powered' self-insert for their own benefit to run their delusions and false statements/metas/headacanons.

And when people call them out for it or express their distaste for them/Sansa, they come after them and call them misogynists. Apparently to them, Sansa is the only version of feminism, even though you can find and see clearly that Daenerys and Arya possess/are feminist themselves and are two of the most iconic, deeply-written, and wonderful women of ASOIAF. They had been as well in GoT until the hacks D&D completely miscontrued their characters to their own miogynystic and sexist agendas. But lets be honest here, those two idiots have been f*cking up Daenerys' storyline since season 2.

[qyburn-in-the-black-cells]

Have you ever heard of Blodeuwedd? A not-woman from the High Medieval Welsh stories, The Four Branches of the Mabinogi or The Mabinogion. Blodeuwedd (Rhaenyra or Alys) was made from oak, broom and meadowsweet for Lleu Llaw (Daemon) warrior, magician and future king who’s tynged - fate, destiny - cursed on him by his mother was to never take a human wife (Targaryen incest). Foreseeably Blodeuwedd took a lover (Aemond or Myseria). To kill her husband they needed a net (Harrenhal itself), a black goat, a cauldron (Alys’ weirwood paste), a spear forged during Mass for one whole year (Valyrian steel) and he needed to be by a river (the God’s Eye). Lleu Llaw survived the attempt and killed Blodeuwedd’s lover. Blodeuwedd was turned into an owl, forced to be nocturnal “for it shall be [all other bird's] nature to attack thee, and to chase thee from wheresoever they may find thee (79).”

Alys and Rhaenyra exist outside of normal humanity and therefore human womanhood. Rhaenyra is a dragon rider and a Targaryen, closer to a god than a man, the mother of a draconic stillborn and if you believe the theory Targaryens mated with dragons, then closer to an animal as well (non-derogatory). Alys is a witch, a warg and a greenseer, both closer to a god, by way of the weirwoods, and an animal by way of her owl and especially because of the owl "Birds were the worst, to hear [Haggon] tell it….’Spend too much time in the clouds and you never want to come back down again. I know skinchangers who've tried hawks, owls, ravens. Even in their own skins, they sit moony, staring up at the bloody blue.’ (Dance of the Dragons).”

Daemon’s entire Harrenhal plot line is about dissecting his psyche and nightmares seeping into the day to hamper his attempt to make himself king. He’s forced to confront the “tynged” of victimisation by and perpetuation of the Targaryen cycle of incest - he currently cannot love or wed a human woman. In F&B his named partners when he takes Harrenhal are all visibly Valyrian and two are close relatives. After purging it in Harrenhal he takes the possibly (probably) non-Valyrian Nettles as a lover, presuming she shows up in the show and/or book Daemon had a similar experience to show Daemon. His closest shown non-familial or romantic relationship in HOTD is with Alys. Daemon struggles to see Rhaenyra and Alys for who they are even when they and Harrenhal tells him directly. He is no longer Rhaenyra’s god and she is not his priestess; she is no longer made for him. Alys’ first line is the harbinger of his death yet he treats her as a confidant and a subordinate; she is closer to a malevolent god, ready to turn on him with her lover when the time comes.

[bugshideaway]

me when i have the best hair in king's landing

! header by: @cafekitsune