#daenerys targaryen miniseries

[loving-family-poll]

Hey who are all the pairings in your banner? I’ve never seen most of them and I’m always looking for new things to watch!

I'm assuming you don't mean Elsa and Anna, Oedipus and Jocasta, or Liz and her cousin husband lol. The remainder, from left to right are: Daenerys Targaryen and one of her brothers idk I actually didn't watch GOT, Dexter and Debra Morgan from dexter which I HIGHLY recommend if you haven't seen, Sam and Dean of course, Cersei and Jamie Lannister also from GOT, Allison and Luther Hargreeves from the umbrella academy, Catherine and Heathcliff in the 1992 Wuthering Heights, and Beverly and Elliot Mantle from the Dead Ringers miniseries, which I also highly recommend

[growingstrong-imagines]

Kissed by Fire // Prologue

Summary: What happens when the Queen kissed by Ice needs to turn to the Queen kissed by Fire in desperate times? Will the visit of the Dragon Queen cause unintentional anger and even unexpected feelings in the Northern Realm? People aren’t joking when they say opposites attract.

She was marching down the hallways with the heels of her slightly uncomfortable boots hitting the floor loudly. Her head was held high up; she had learnt throughout the years that it was probably the number one rule a real Queen had to follow. The simple crown of metal and diamonds made her neck ache but she couldn’t care less about the pain- she had an important thing to execute. Or more accurately, someone to execute.

The Queen in the North had always shown mercy where she was able to and wasn’t quick to judge, because she knew that her people were humans with human mistakes- but it was different this time. When she had found out that one of her mercenaries were also getting paid by Cersei Lannister, Lyarra Stark didn’t hesitate to throw him in one of the cold cells of Winterfell with the strong wind blowing huge amounts of snow in the small window, making the traitor shiver night and day. She even heard him plead every time her path around the castle led her to the cells and she really had to stay strong not to change her mind on the subject. 

Lyarra was followed by her most trusted knight Sandor Clegane to the marcenary’s cell where she looked deep into those light green eyes of the man. My father had always said ‘never trust the green-eyed’. 

“The day has came. The day where you re-earn your freedom,” she said in a low voice, making the man who’d turned into a skeleton during the weeks stand up in excitement. Little did he know that the Queen wasn’t willing to let him stay alive. “Quite ironic, that you were sent here to kill me and you’re also the one who gets killed in the end. You know what people in Essos say? Valar Morghulis. All men must die, my friend. Who’s the man here?” 

Lyarra looked at him with a serious expression on her face, not willing to break right now. She saw the fear in his eyes and as shameful as it might be, the Queen was entertained by it- she loved filling men around her with the fear of God. She turned to the knight standing behind her and without even blinking once, she sentenced the man to death.

“Bring my sword, Ser Sandor. Let us take his head.”

Lyarra looked around in the court of Winterfell while her men forced the traitor mercenary on his knees before her people and the army of the Dragon Queen. Daenerys was watching the scene from a respectful distance, admiring the emotional and physical strength the Queen in the North had. It was one thing to watch her dragons burn people and another to behead someone with a sword almost heavier than the woman herself with the possibility of the strike not being powerful enough to end the suffering quickly. She had heard about the Queen’s accomplishments in battles and she had always listened to the stories with admiration in her eyes. And all of a sudden, she was standing only a few feet away from her and watching her beheading a traitor. 

Lyarra lowered her head to look at the man before getting her sword.

“Any last words?” She asked with obvious hatred in her voice. She wasn’t interested in what the man had to say, but she knew she needed to stay respectful towards the Northern traditions and especially her father.

“A slut will never be a real Queen,” the man spitted out, increasing Lyarra’s anger and hatred towards him. She decided not to wait any longer- she pulled out her sword, lifted it up in the air and let a tear flow down her face with the deadly strike making the man’s wrinkled head roll on the ground.

Daenerys would never forget the white snow stained by the traitor’s blood.

[noretreatnancy]

🎬📺 Share ten different favorite characters from ten different pieces of media in no particular order 🎮🃏 Then send this to 10 people (anon or not, your choice)

:)

Oh this is so FUN thank you for sending it! also so hard I literally blanked on every piece of media I’ve ever enjoyed

1. Nancy Wheeler - Stranger Things (you already know)

2. Michael & Sam Emerson - The Lost Boys (two characters but an inseparable duo imo)

3. Ben Hanscom - Stephen King’s IT (book, miniseries, and movies tbh)

4. Charles Smith - Red Dead Redemption 2

5. Jennifer Check & Needy Lesnicki - Jennifer’s Body (another inseparable duo)

6. Buffy Summers - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (series)

7. Naru - Prey (2022) (she is new but so iconic)

8. Ronan Lynch - The Raven Cycle/Dreamer Trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater

9. Sydney Prescott - Scream

10. Daenerys Targaryen - ASoIaF/Game of Thrones (yes I did hate almost every second of the show, no I won’t ever watch it again, yes she is my special little girl)

honorable mentions: Max Mayfield, Lucas Sinclair, Eddie Kaspbrak, Arthur Morgan, Sansa Stark, Dean Winchester, Duke Crocker, Bryce Quinlan, Laurie Strode, Gordy Lachance & Chris Chambers)

[fandomsbyladymelodrama]

For the lobsterinos 🦞🦞: 1, 20, 30, 31, 39 <3

1. Who wakes up first?

Jorah, mostly. But if it’s his birthday or if they have anything planned for the day that Daenerys is even remotely excited about, she’s up before dawn, sprawled on his chest, chin in her hands, eager smile on her face, willing him to wake up. And if that doesn’t work, she starts in with the butterfly kisses.

20. What do they argue about the most?

Little, inconsequential things. Movie choices (“Jorah, sorry, I love you but I can’t take another three-hour miniseries on submarines, I just can’t…”), book choices (“Khaleesi, you are the light of my life, but if you force me to read another Nicholas Sparks* novel, it’s not going to end well for us…”), whether or not she was flirting with Daario Naharis at the holiday office party (“I was not”), whether or not he was jealous about it (“absolutely not”), who loves who more (it’s a tie). *She tells him it’s not Nicholas Sparks, it’s Jojo Moyes - he answers, “I don’t care, love.”

30. Who likes doing the dishes?

Neither. Dishes are the worst. (Haha I personally love doing dishes so I don’t understand this about them, but it’s still true :P)

31. Who has bigger cravings? What are they?

Well, Daenerys is definitely more vocal about her cravings. And it could be anything. She has a list. Ice cream sandwiches at midnight, sweet peaches, kissing by a fire while it’s snowing outside, her bear. But Jorah will surprise her once in a while with some random but strong craving that she’s totally amused by – like he wants shepherd’s pie or something and she’ll move heaven and earth to get it for him, while side-eyeing him as she hands over something most people would toss in the trash, "this is what you want?"   

39. Who leaves little notes in the other one’s lunch? (Bonus: What does it say?)

Joraaaaaaaaaaaah <3 So Daenerys is working on this huge merger with Stark Enterprises and Lannister Productions, trying to bring all the squabbling factions all back under one umbrella corporation of Targaryen, Inc. (it didn’t work when they all went their separate ways, everyone agrees). Her office phone won't stop ringing. Her thoughts are cluttered and she feels like she’s going cross-eyed from the mountains of paperwork she's been buried beneath all week. The clock is chiming out noon and she's not even sure how that happened since the last time she looked up it was quarter to 9. Her stomach growls, on cue, as she looks up...and suddenly, she has take-out from her favorite corner shop sitting at the side of her desk and she’s not even sure where it came from. Although she has a vague memory of someone brushing a kiss against her hair and saying, "I won't tell if you set this all on fire, lass." When she opens the brown bag there’s a little origami dragon inside (perched on a red velvet cupcake) and she grins as she unfolds it to read: “Don't work too hard. Tell Tyrion to watch his mouth. I'll see you at home. Love, J”

[thesilvertargaryens]

So you saw that thing about HBO wanting to make a miniseries sequel for Game of Thrones? With Emilia and Kit back as Jon and Daenerys?! That means Dany would be alive! I mean she is alive to me, but now the fucking HBO canon will have her be alive as well! Oh I really hope they do this! If they do this and have Jon and Dany back together with a happy ending, Game of Thrones will have the ending it should have had! I really really want it to happen! Do you think it will? With Jon and Dany togethe

First of all, HBO would have to make Kit and Emilia an offer they couldn't refuse. I'm pretty sure Kit said he wouldn't reprise his role as Jon, and Emilia seemed over the whole thing due to Dany's abysmal ending. However, if it was a resurrection plotline and pro Daenerys, Emilia logically should say yes, unless she is too emotionally burned out to play Dany again. I do think Maisie, Isaac, Sophie, Gwen, John Bradley, and Liam would come back right away. In fact, I think Isaac would embrace evil!Bran.

HBO would be smart to do this because GOT was the show of all shows, until the end of S8. Now it's a cautionary tale of how the best show in the entire world can be forgotten literally over night due to crappy writing. GOT was their ultimate cash cow- specifically Daenerys and House Targaryen, and to a lesser extent House Stark and Tyrion. Pretty sure the nonexistent King Bran and Queen Sansa merch fell short... and Dany fans would rather buy from Etsy and fandom artists than anything official from HBO... If they addressed the plot holes, resurrected Dany, and gave us a good ending, the rewatchability for GOT would skyrocket.

Can it be done? Yes! They could loosely follow a basic plot where Dany is resurrected, Bran is evil and Westeros is perishing under his rule, and Arya learns of this on her travels and finds Daenerys to convince her to help Westeros. Then they get Jon, Gendry, Robin Arryn, Edmure Tully, and Sansa (kicking and screaming) to form an alliance to finally defeat Bran, who is the Great Other. (We find out that he was controlling Dany and made events happen to lead to her and Jon's demise).

Jon and Dany's meeting and possible reconciliation would have to be handled extremely delicately. Jon killed her, and logically Dany won't forgive him or understand why he did it (and if she does it's bad/lazy writing). Just put yourself in Dany's shoes; would you forgive him? If Jon was also under Bran's influence it would make the situation easier because at least Dany would know he didn't truly mean it, but I think that would be a bit of a stretch. I'm not sure if show!Jon has it in him to fight for forgiveness and to win her back after what he did... he would need to stop being a puppet and become a man...

I want Jonerys reconciliation and endgame more than anything, but I would be ok if they shook hands and walked away on semidecent terms, as long as Dany is alive in the end.

[aion-rsa]

The Best Geeky Chess Sets to Buy

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We don’t know if you’ve noticed but chess is having a bit of a moment right now. Thanks to Netflix’ superb and stylish miniseries The Queen’s Gambit, many retailers are reporting a significant increase in sales of chess boards. 

Chess is as fun as it is ancient, but if you want to get in on all the knight and rook action, the sheer number of chess playsets might be intimidating. With that in mind, we’ve gathered together some of the more interesting, colorful, and collectible geeky chess sets for your perusal. 

Sure, there’s nothing wrong with your traditional black and white handcrafted wooden chess set. If you’re going to be geeky about a new thing, however, you might as well bring some of your older geeky interests to it as well. Here are some of the best geeky chess sets we could find.

Harry Potter

Price: $33.20

The Harry Potter chess set is a bit of an odd duck among its pop culture peers in that it doesn’t feature any actual Harry Potter characters. And there’s a reason for that – Wizard’s Chess is a major part of the series and even helped Harry, Ron, and Hermione access the Sorcerer’s Stone in the first book/movie. These chess pieces don’t move on their own, but you’ll still feel like Ron Weasley when commanding them around.

Buy the Harry Potter chess set here

Game of Thrones

Price: $99.90

Game of Thrones features no shortage of climactic battles to immortalize on a chess board. For this collector’s set, however, HBO opted to go with Jon Snow and his allies’ titanic struggle against the White Walker. Jon Snow and the Night King fittingly serve as their factions’ respective kings, while Daenerys Targaryen and the undead Viserion serve as queens. 

Buy the Game of Thrones chess set here

Star Wars

Price: $239.95

Star Wars is perhaps the most merchandizable IP that ever arrived on Earth. So of course it has its own chess set. In fact, there are no shortage of different editions to choose from. Perhaps the nicest is Parker Brothers’ metallic SAGA edition, which features characters from the first six films. Live out your Storm Troopers v. Clone Troopers battle fantasies with this set. 

Buy the Star Wars chess set here

Lord of the Rings

Price: $649.08

Black and white battles between the forces of good and evil naturally lend themselves to creating some gorgeous chess sets. Lord of the Rings is therefore one of the most chess-able properties there is. There are several editions available but Noble Collection’s stunning $500+ board is worth highlighting. This is as much a conversation-piece as it is a playable board game. But just imagine tearing up some orcs with Galadriel as queen.

Buy The Lord of the Rings chess set here

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Price: $169.90

There’s no need to get into a protracted discussion about which era of Star Trek is the best. For the purposes of chess playing, however, it’s hard to argue with The Next Generation’s supremacy. Several TNG chess sets are available, but as an added bonus, one can also purchase a Tridimensional chess set as featured on the show. 

Buy the Star Trek: The Next Generation chess set here

Marvel

Price: $16.95 per month

Marvel just might be the hottest name in pop culture right now and thankfully there are plenty of chess set options for chess die hards and newbies to join in on the fun. Figurine company Eaglemoss produces a whole host of Marvel heroes to serve as chess pieces and offers them via monthly subscription. These are all based on the comics characters (rather than the Cinematic Universe) and run the gamut from the ultra-popular (Spider-Man) to the relatively obscure (John Greycrow as a pawn, anyone?).

Buy the Marvel chess set here

Justice League

Price: $299.99

Call it Newton’s fourth law of motion. For every Marvel chess set, there is an equal and opposite DC chess set available on the market as well. Naturally, there are a few DC and Justice League options available. The most impressive creation, however, is undoubtedly the DC Comics Chess set from Gentle Giant Studios. Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Joker – the gang’s all here … and on a chessboard. 

Buy the Justice League chess set here

Super Mario

Price: $56.98

As beautiful as many chess sets are, the concept of white v. black can be pretty limiting in the color department. Well this vibrant chess set of Super Mario characters from Nintendo doesn’t have that issue. Coins and shells naturally serve as the pawns here while beloved characters from the Mario universe make up the most skilled pieces.

Buy the Super Mario chess set here 

Transformers

Price: $119.95

If Transformers can change shape from automobiles into giant robots, then why not into little chess pieces as well? This set from Hasbro pits the Autobots against the Decepticons to finally settle their differences once and for all. Optimus Prime and Megatron are the kings of their two respective factions.

Buy the Transformers chess set here

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[anotheruserwithnoname]

Alternate entertainment timelines...

Something that has always fascinated me is when I read about actors who were originally cast in famous roles, but ended up being replaced. One of the best-known and widely scene examples is Eric Stoltz, best known today for the film Mask, who filmed a portion of the original Back to the Future as Marty McFly before being replaced by Michael J. Fox. Footage of Stoltz as Marty is widely available, having been included on DVD releases of the BTTF trilogy, so we can compare.

One of the most intriguing examples is Elizabeth Shepherd, whose film roles include Kidnapping of the President and Damien: Omen II, as well as the TV series Duchess of Duke Street, was the original actress cast as Emma Peel in The Avengers and she even filmed a complete episode before the powers that be realized she was wrong for the part (possibly because she too closely physically resembled her predecessor, Honor Blackman) and replaced her with Diana Rigg, completely refilming the episode called Town of No Return. To this day only a handful of photos exist of Elizabeth as Mrs. Peel (and I’ve yet to see one of her version of Emma with Patrick Macnee) - the episode itself is either lost or locked away. Here’s a publicity photo of Shepherd as Emma Peel taken during filming of her only episode.

There’s also the case of Tamzin Merchant, who played Daenerys Targaryen in the never-shown pilot episode of Game of Thrones. She was replaced by Emilia Clarke when the pilot basically got a do-over. Apparently it was so poor (not Tamzin’s performance necessarily, the whole project) we may never see the original pilot. Another case of a lead actor getting replaced was Sherilynn Fenn of Twin Peaks fame who became the first live-action actress to play Harley Quinn in the unaired pilot episode of the short-lived (and missed) Birds of Prey series back in the early 2000s. She was replaced in the series by Mia Sara of Ferris Bueller fame. That pilot was circulated unofficially online and at conventions so we could compare the two. (As an aside, I am surprised the original series didn’t get reissued when the Birds of Prey movie came out last year, especially since its versions of the Huntress and Oracle/Batgirl also appeared in the Crisis on Infinite Earths miniseries on CW.)

And when Star Trek Voyager began filming, Oscar-winning French-Canadian actress Geneviève Bujold was cast as Capt. Nicole Janeway, and filmed for a day and a half before it was decided she wasn’t working out and she was replaced by Kate Mulgrew as Kathryn Janeway, so Trek lost out on having its second French-Canadian captain (Shatner is from Montreal), and Jean-Luc Picard would no longer have been the only French captain in (televised) Starfleet. Bujold’s handful of complete scenes have been released on DVD and can be found on Youtube, but I’ll let you go hunting for them. 

Probably the most famous example of a recast was the case of Jeffrey Hunter, who won the lead in the original Star Trek in 1964. He filmed the first pilot, The Cage, as Christopher Pike, but by the time NBC requested a second pilot, Hunter changed his mind and decided he didn’t want to do a series, opening the door for Bill Shatner to become James T. Kirk. This decision had both a wide-ranging creative and personally tragic consequence: because Gene Roddenberry needed to save money on production of TOS’ first season, he repurposed The Cage’s footage into a two-part episode called The Menagerie, which used it as a flashback, establishing that it took place about a decade before the current series. And that established the Star Trek universe timeline that continues to inform the franchise today. The tragic part is, because he didn’t take the series, Hunter went on to make movies (including The Green Berets where he acted with George Takei who took a leave from TOS to appear), and an on-set accident in late 1968 while filming in Europe set in motion a brain injury that may have contributed to his death after a fall in the spring of 1969. It’s a shame he never got to see how Star Trek grew - I could only imagine a Kirk-Pike team-up with Shatner and Hunter would have been perfect for the movies.

Playing “what if” is fascinating. I can only imagine how Audrey Hepburn would have performed as Nefertiri in Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments, or how Bela Lugosi would have handled the originally planned concept for Frankenstein’s Monster in the first Universal Frankenstein film in 1931 for which he was cast. He played the monster in a later film, but it was based on Boris Karloff’s version, not the one that had been planned originally.

Doctor Who has had it’s share of “what ifs”. Imagine BRIAN BLESSED as the Fourth Doctor (or possibly the Third). Richard Griffiths (Uncle Dursley in the Harry Potter films) was also up to play Four. Both Peter Capaldi and Christopher Eccleston were apparently on a list of potential Eighth Doctor actors - and the favourite for a while wasn’t actually Paul McGann, but his brother! And of course there’s the fact that if the stars had aligned differently, Jenna Coleman’s contribution to Who would have started and ended with her playing Mels, the incarnation of Melody Pond prior to River Song, in Let’s Kill Hitler. Someone else would have likely ended up playing Clara.

Imagine how different our pop culture would be had the original actors been cast in all these shows!

[trinuviel]

ALL IS SUBTEXT - A Case for Jon and Sansa (part 3)

This is the third installment in my analysis of how Game of Thrones establishes a romantic subtext between Jon and Sansa (Part 1, Part 2). Though it is hotly contested, I contend that there IS a subtle romantic subtext in the scenes between Jon and Sansa in seasons 6 and 7. I’m not the only one who has picked up romantic and flirty vibes between the two, which is something I address in the first post of this series. The romantic subtext betwen Jon and Sansa is primarily visual and I’ve already addressed how the non-verbal cues, mise-en-scene and editing can be used to create a romantic subtext in my second post of this series. 

In this post, I’ll take a look at another way that subtext can be created beneath the surface narrative. One of the most effective way to create subtext is through the use of tropes - and the interactions between Jon and Sansa is rife with a surprisingly large number of common romantic tropes.

KNOW YOUR TROPES

What is a trope? A trope is any kind of literary pattern to which a specific set of meanings accrue. One could say that it is a kind of narrative stereotype. In short:

Tropes are devices and conventions that a writer can reasonably rely on as being present in the audience members' minds and expectations. (x)

In its original literary definition, a trope is defined as a figure of speech. However, definitions evolve, especially in relation to different forms of narrative media. Today, tropes are commonly understood as recurring literary and rhetorical devices, motifs and clichés in narrative works. 

They are used to convey concepts to the audience without spelling it out (x). Thus, tropes function as a form of narrative shorthand that will be familiar to the audience because they’ve encountered them repeatedly, often as integral conventional aspects of specific genres. 

Tropes are an excellent tool for articulating subtext in narrative works, be they literary, cinematic or televisual. Because tropes are built up through repetition across various forms of media they breed familarity to the point where the audience often registers them on a sub-conscious level. This kind of subconscious recognition is perfect when it comes to creating a subtle subtext that only an attentive audience will notice.

Let’s take a look at the romantic tropes that the scenes between Jon and Sansa evoke throughout season 6 and 7 (no particular order).

Long Last Look.  This trope pertains to goodbyes as it shows a character who takes a moment to get one last look at something or someone before leaving  forever. The goodbye doesn’t necessarily have to be a final one in the sense that the character saying goodbye won’t ever see the person or place they’re leaving again - but it does pertain to characters who take their leave of a loved person (or place) that they fear they’ll never see again.

When Jon leaves for Dragonstone in season 7, both he and Sansa know that he is heading into a potentially dangerous situation and that he might not come back home to her. This is a tender moment between the two of them, despite the physical distance.

This not an inherently romantic trope. However, within the universe of the show this trope is established as almost exclusively romantic! The goodbye scene between Jon and Sansa in s07ep02 excatly mirrors the scene between Jaime and Brienne in s06ep08. Jaime and Brienne are not a couple yet but the unspoken subtext in their interactions is recognized as romantic even within the narrative itself (to the extent that Bronn wonders if they’re fucking). Jaime and Brienne meet and part several times during the show. However, at this moment they are on opposite sides and they realize that they may never meet again or that they may meet as opponents on the battle field.

The farewell scene between Jaime and Brienne is not the only instance of a romantic cast of the Long Last Look trope. When Jon, Jorah and co. depart from Dragonstone to travel north of the Wall, the show makes a point of showing us Jorah Mormont turning around to take one last look at Daenerys Targaryen after a tender farewell scene between them.

Jorah has been deeply in love with Daenerys since season 1. It is unrequited but has been explicitly acknowledged within the narrative throughout the entire show. Jorah is leaving on what amounts to a suicide mission and he cannot leave without taking one last look at the woman he loves.

Incidentally, GoT is not the only example of a romantic take on the Long Last Look trope. The BBC miniseries North and South (2004) offers an interesting twist on this trope:

John Thornton is desperately in love with Margaret Hale and in this scene she is leaving Milford (where he lives) for what looks to be the last time. Margaret doesn’t look back at John in this scene as she has yet to realize her feelings for him. However, this doesn’t invalidate the romantic connotations of this scene and its use of the Long Last Look trope.

Gibberish of Love. The essence of this trope is that the hero (or heroine) is so strongly affected by romantic feelings when seeing their love interest that they cannot speak coherently. They stutter or say something adorkably silly but sweet. This particular trope is often caused by Distracted by the Sexy - or the hero sees his love interest looking beautiful in a new dress (sometimes after her having received a make-over).

The following scene from s06ep05 between Jon and Sansa is cute example of this trope with Jon being particularly adorkable when he becomes flustered trying to compliment her pretty new dress.

This scene may not be overtly romantic but it does have a flirty vibe - both because the scene adheres to this particular trope but also because Jon gives Sansa the elevator gaze, checking out her entire form before she asks “new dress?” 

@theirwinterfell has noted that this scene similar to a scene between Sam and Gilly (an established romantic couple) where Sam compliments Gilly wearing a borrowed dress - except Sam is much smoother than Jon.

As said, scenes like these belong to a common romantic trope as outlined above. Countless examples of similar scenes exist in romantic dramas and comedies. However, there’s a scene in The Tourist (2010) that is very similar to “the wolf bit” scene between Jon and Sansa while also being a textbook example of the Gibberish of Love trope.

Anywhere but Their Lips:  Maybe a kiss on the lips is too intimate (or not enough!) for the situation. Maybe the writers just wanted to be unique. Regardless of the reason, there's one thing in common with these kisses — none are on the lips. This is a romantic trope that is often used for creating a romantic subtext between a potential couple. It is also a trope that can be utilized to create a Ship Tease. 

The only kiss (so far) shared between Jon and Sansa is that tender forehead kiss in s06ep10 that I’ve previously discussed. 

The reason why I think that this moment conforms to the Anywhere but Their Lips trope is because of this shot:

The way Jon leans in a little bit, tilting his head, changes the entire tone of the scene and pushes it towards the romantic because Jon looks like he’s about to plant a kiss on Sansa’s lips. This subtle teasing of a “true” kiss places this scene in the Anywhere but Their Lips trope.

Incidentally, a tender forehead kiss has become a popular romantic trope in a number of Tv shows and movies of late.

In Outlander between Claire and Jaime.

In Poldark between Ross and Demelza.

In Testament of Youth between Vera and Edward. There are plenty of other examples but I think I’ve made my point here.

Snow Means Love. The trope refers to a classic romantic setting is two lovers alone in a gentle snowfall. Now there’s a lot of snowy scenes in GoT, especially in the later seasons because it is winter. However, a thing that we have to take into account is the quality of the snow fall in various scenes: there’s a difference between a heavy snowfall, a driving snowfall and a gentle snowfall. All of Jon and Sansa’s most sweet and tender moments in the show take place during a gentle snowfall where snowflakes dance on the air.

Not to mention that GRRM himself subtly employs the trope in one of my favorite passages of the books:

Sansa drifted past frosted shrubs and thin dark trees, and wondered if she were still dreaming. Drifting snowflakes brushed her face as light as lover's kisses, and melted on her cheeks. At the center of the garden, beside the statue of the weeping woman that lay broken and half-buried on the ground, she turned her face up to the sky and closed her eyes. She could feel the snow on her lashes, taste it on her lips. It was the taste of Winterfell. The taste of innocence. The taste of dreams. (ASoS, Sansa VII)

It is a scene that heavily foreshadows Sansa rebuilding Winterfell - yet the association of snowflakes with a lover’s kisses add a romantic subtext to the scene that could very well foreshadow a potential romance between Jon and Sansa.

This has become a very long post - and I’m only halfway through the romantic tropes that the show employs for the scenes between Jon and Sansa! I’m actually quite surprised by just how many romantic tropes their scenes conform with. Therefore, my next post will contine the examination of these tropes as they pertain to Jon and Sansa’s shared scenes.

To be continued...

Thanks to @winterfellchild for finding the Jorah GIF.

GIFs not mine (but I haven’t been able to source them all)

[30nama]

Marvel Studios is making Hollywood stars for a new project.

British actress Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen in the fantasy series Game of Thrones is in talks with Marvel to join the Disney + Secret Invasion miniseries. «Samuel L. "Jackson" returns in this series to play the role of "Nick Fury" again. Another Oscar-winning British actress, Olivia Coleman, was reportedly in talks with Marvel this week. Ben Mendelssohn and Kingsley Ben Adir will be the other actors in the series.

No details have been released on Clark's role in The Secret Invasion. The series follows the events of "Captain Marvel" and stars "Nick Fury" as "Samuel L. "Jackson" and focuses on transformative space aliens called scrolls.

"Secret Invasion" was written by Kyle Bradstreet, who has a history of working on "Mr Robot", but the project directors have not yet been announced. The Hollywood Reporter reports that the series will be filmed in Europe and the UK next fall.

Clark did not join the HBO series or series after Game of Thrones. He has a history of playing in "Terminator". Prior to that, Peter Dinklage, who played Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones, played a brief role in Avengers: Infinity Game. Kate Harrington and Richard Madden, the other actors in the fantasy series, will soon be seen in Marvel's "Eternals," directed by Chloe Zhao.

Clark, 34, recently wished success to the creators of House of Dragon, a prequel to Game of Thrones, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "It 's inevitable," he says of the series' lucrative production. I wish success for all of them, it is not clear what will come out of the water, but they will still make more series. Nothing can be created of that greatness and one would not expect people to say, "Well, what happens next? It's so much fun! "Build again!"

Clark said last year that he did not know anything about the origins of the Dragon Family, which tells a story 300 years before Game of Thrones. "I really don't know anything about it," he told Jimmy Fallon. I heard it will be made. We have a WhatsApp group. And today one of the members of the group raised it and said, "Look here." "We replied, 'Wow,' and it was over." Asked if he might return to another project, he said: "What else do you expect me to do? I killed everyone and flew with a dragon and left. Spoiler. "I am no longer alive."

[growingstrong-imagines]

Kissed by Fire // Chapter One

Prologue

Summary: What happens when the Queen kissed by Ice needs to turn to the Queen kissed by Fire in desperate times? Will the visit of the Dragon Queen cause unintentional anger and even unexpected feelings in the Northern Realm? People aren’t joking when they say opposites attract.

Word Count: 2k+

Warning: mentions of alcohol

A/N: okay this is a hot mess which took me way too long to write but hey after all im writing a fanfic based on grrm’s work amirite. it’s also going to flop but idc

Lyarra woke up with an awful headache attacking her temple, and it felt like her brain was about to burst out of her skull. She looked down at herself and realised she had fallen asleep in her gown which became quite wrinkled the night before. The Queen let out an annoyed sigh and she knew she was causing extra work for her servants, the thought of it making her feel ashamed of herself. 

She tried to stand up on her two feet as slowly as possible, but Lyarra still felt like her body was light as a feather and heavy as all the bricks making up Winterfell, at once. She almost collapsed back on her hard bed which was barely comfortable enough to even sit on it. 

Lyarra knew she had to get herself together, so she took a huge gulp of the glass of water sitting on her desk and she knew it would probably be for the best to call one of her servants and ask for something to treat the hangover but her thought process was cut short by her most trusted advisor, Ser Davos.

“Your brother would like to talk to you, Your Grace,” he announced, bowing slightly. Lyarra simply nodded and told the knight to let Jon inside, then wait for them outside. She recognised the worried looks Davos was giving her when he saw her uncombed hair and wrinkled gown, but she couldn’t bother thinking about it right now. However, Lyarra did start feeling uneasy once Jon closed the door behind himself and looked her up and down with slightly raised eyebrows.

“Are you here to tell me something important or to judge me again?” The Queen snapped and rubbed the bridge of her nose with eyes shut tightly. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled, feeling like an actual mess.

Jon took a step closer with a worried expression on his face. He knew what it felt like to behead someone, though he had got quite used to the blood on his hands by now. However, his sister didn’t have as much experience and still wanted to appear strong, but Jon knew about her coping mechanisms and it worried him more and more, on a daily basis but every time he wanted to talk to Lyarra about it, all he got was annoyed groans and denial. His sister was definitely down on the wrong path, but he knew there was still a chance to pull her back.

Lyarra looked him in the eyes, and she couldn’t keep it anymore. All those weeks and months without touching anyone even in the most innocent way possible made her stone-cold and distant, but still starving for the feeling of a warm body against her seemingly frozen one. She knew that her title was turning her into something she had never wanted to become and that made her terrified and anxious, constantly on the edge, praying to the Gods to send someone who would help her get her real self back.

Lyarra suddenly collapsed into Jon’s strong arms and her brother held her as close as possible, reassuring his sister that she wasn’t alone in this fight. He ran his fingers through Lyarra’s hair and stroked her back gently, so she would calm down and feel at ease just again.

Once it happened, she pulled away from Jon and gave him a tiny smile.

“I’m sorry. It was harder than I thought it would be. And I can’t stop thinking about how much danger might be hiding among the walls of Winterfell. Among the walls of my home,” she said almost whispering while filling another glass with the cold water.

“We’ll work hard to secure the castle even more, Lyarra. After all that have happened, you’ll also need a guard constantly looking after you. And don’t even dare to say no. I know that you are the Queen but I’m your brother and want you safe and sound.” Jon looked at her with one of the most serious expressions Lyarra had ever seen on his face, and she knew it was no place for an argument right now. She simply lowered her eyes and tried to ignore the headache that didn’t want to go away. Eventually, she decided to change the topic. It was way too painful to talk about it right now.

“Does the Dragon Queen still want us to bend the knee?” she asked with a slightly disgusted face and Jon didn’t have to talk to answer her question; his long and deafening silence was enough.

Lyarra let out a chuckle and shook her head, taking another sip of the fresh water that she wished was a cup of great Arbor wine instead. She soon got ashamed of that thought.

“We cannot do that and she just wastes all of our time if she thinks otherwise,” Lyarra said, putting the empty cup down, all the while looking Jon dead in the eyes. Her brother lowered his head and sighed, knowing full well it would take an awful lot to convince his sister to think about other options. Jon saw the good in Daenerys, he saw the potential in her and genuinely thought it would be for the better to seek alliance with the Dragon Queen. However, Lyarra was just as stubborn as their father Ned and brother Robb, and she wasn’t convinced easily about anything, let alone such an important decision, which could influence the lives of thousands if not millions so easily.

Jon stepped closer cautiously, knowing full well how much his sister treasured her personal space. But as she stood there without her heavy crown and flawless gown, Jon realised how vulnerable Lyarra actually was. No matter what anyone said and thought, his sister was still a scared child at heart who had to grow up way too fast. And a part of Jon hated himself for not being there for her to protect her from all the harm that had reached Lyarra while they were apart, but he knew that his sister would be angry with him for saying it out loud, so he kept it all to himself.

Lyarra shook her head once again and forced herself to look the other way, so she wouldn’t see the worry in Jon’s eyes. It was the same bloody look every time they looked at each other, and she was getting tired of it. After all, she wasn’t the helpless little girl she was when her brother left for the Wall - she was the Queen in the North, a grown woman with ambition and cunning. A grown woman who had fought for survival for a big part of her life, who had already learned she was her only true ally.

So she despised that look in Jon’s eyes even though her brother meant no harm. Still, it took Lyarra back to dark places she never wanted to visit again, so it was easier to avoid eye-contact with her brother, even if it meant making him feel bad. After all, she had never learned how to confront an issue in a healthy way.

Finally, when the silence was getting too heavy for both of them, Jon sighed and pulled Lyarra into a tight hug. The girl was surprised at first, so she just stood there slightly shocked of the sudden display of affection from Jon. Then, slowly but surely, Lyarra let her muscles relax and leaned into her brother’s strong body, folding her own arms around Jon’s torso. She unconsciously buried her face in the boy’s chest and it made her feel safe and home. Oh, how dearly she had missed these feelings and finally, they were all there, lighting a fire inside of Lyarra – a fire that was ignited and kept alive by the feelings of love and safety. Just as this fire started had Lyarra realised how cold and icy she had become throughout the years spent alone or in the company of cruel people and traitors. She only needed a pair of safe arms to melt the ice and make her feel human again.

When they pulled away, Lyarra even flashed a weak smile at her brother, who was quick to return the gesture. However, their moment was soon ruined by Ser Davos, who informed Lyarra about the Dragon Queen’s desire to speak to her in private.

Lyarra took a quick glance at Jon, who lowered his eyes and was already holding his breath. He knew full well that his sister had a rather strong personality which not everyone was fond of and he had feared that Queen Daenerys would be too quick to judge Lyarra too without giving her time to warm up to her.

However, Daenerys was quite patient and understanding, some of her qualities which she only reserved for people she greatly loved or respected. As she stepped in the chambers of the Queen in the North, she had to try really hard to toughen up in front of her rival. Or, who seemed to be her rival. Daenerys had no idea what had happened to her and she tried to fool herself by telling herself it was the sweet wine she had had before visiting the Queen in the North. Of course, it was much more complicated than that and a part of her was aware of that.

Lyarra raised her eyebrows to let the Dragon Queen know that she was waiting for her response.

“I’m terribly sorry, I must have got lost in my thoughts. I simply wanted to visit you because we haven’t had the chance to get to know each other, I’m afraid. What you did yesterday- You’ve done it before, haven’t you, Lady Lyarra?” Daenerys cursed herself in her mind for letting such ramble roll off the tip of her tongue.

However, Lyarra cursed the Queen in secret for addressing her as a simple Lady instead of the Queen she was. Still, she managed to force a smile on her face and offered her a seat opposite of her by her desk before answering the Queen’s question.

“I haven’t had to behead too many people so far, if that’s what you’re curious about. But I have had my battles to fight, so I’ve learned to swing a sword the hard way.”

Daenerys suddenly didn’t know how to reply, but she was so desperate not to appear weak or ignorant in front of a possible ally, so she simply smiled and said how much she had always admired warrior queens at which Lyarra simply smirked and turned away, leaving Daenerys disappointed.

“I’m sure you’re already a legend, as well, Your Grace, so please, let’s skip the small talk to you telling me the actual reason you’re here,” Lyarra blurted out, staring deep into those violet eyes. I can’t lie, they’re beautiful, but beauty is lethal.

Daenerys couldn’t ignore the tone the Northern Queen used when saying Your Grace but she also knew she couldn’t let such petty little things get in the way. She had a goal to achieve here but it was getting difficult to keep her composure in the presence of Lyarra Stark. And it wasn’t the fact that it was her territory that intimidated Dany- it was something completely different, a feeling that she hadn’t been able to shake off since she first laid eyes on the Stark girl. As much as it annoyed her, it also made her scared. Scared that it might be the cause of her losing her place on the Iron Throne.

“You see right through me, my Lady. I am actually here to convince you to bend the knee and join forces with me to-,“ but she couldn’t continue without being cut off by Lyarra Stark.

“To help you get the Iron Throne where you could rule over my home? I’m terribly sorry, Your Grace, but I hope you can understand that I simply can’t do that. I can’t decide for thousands. And even if I could, my answer would still be no.”

Daenerys flashed a rather forced smile at the self-proclaimed Queen in the North and thought to herself she’s making it difficult for everyone, but if she wants difficult, let it be difficult.

[uros]

Todo sobre Las mejores series de guerra

Información sobre Las mejores series de guerrilla / HBO|Netflix|Series / de|guerrilla|las|Mejores|series

Muchas de las mejores series de guerrilla que seleccionamos a continuación no solo te permitirán advenir seis, siete o sesenta horas de entretenimiento y diversión sino que adicionalmente te contarán cada detalle presente de conflictos y te ayudarán a hacer un repaso por lo sucedido, por ejemplo, en la Alemania espantajo o en la Segunda Disputa Mundial. Series de una admirable calidad pero adicionalmente documentales sobresalientes con testimonios, recreaciones de las principales batallas y movimientos, etc.

Estas son algunas de las mejores series de guerrilla o series bélicas que puedes ver en Netflix y HBO.

Hermanos de Cepa

Hermanos de Cepa es una de las mejores miniseries de la historia y una de las mejores series de guerrilla que puedes ver al completo. Solo diez episodios en una temporada pero te meterán de empachado en el postrer tramo de la Segunda Disputa Mundial. Verás todos los detalles del Desembarco de Normandía y la Operación Overlord así como todas las operaciones que siguieron hasta el fin y la derrota del ejército germano. Una miniserie espectacular que ha recibido todo tipo de premios y solo en 2002 consiguió seis premios Emmy. Entre ellos, “mejor miniserie” y dirección.

Bajo la firma de Steven Spielberg, Hermanos de Cepa (Band of Brothers) nos narra concretamente la historia de la Easy Company, el batallón estadounidense del regimiento 506 de paracaidistas durante la lucha en el Día D y en los días posteriores. Más allá de un relato totalmente intensivo de la historia adicionalmente podemos disfrutar saludos de los periodistas, testimonios y cartas de los soldados participantes en la guerrilla o incluso entrevistas a los supervivientes que harán que la historia recreada cobre más fuerza.

Una miniserie que verás solo en seis horas y que puedes ver en una sola tarde. Una de las mejores series de guerrilla pero adicionalmente una serie recomendada para cualquier ámbito, para cualquier adorador de la televisión o de la historia con un visionado atrayente, empachado de categoría especiales y que nos hará residir una experiencia fascinante.

Plataforma: HBO

Año: 2001

Capítulos: Una temporada, 10 episodios

Duración por episodio: 60 minutos

Naturaleza: Belicoso / Segunda Disputa Mundial

Ver Hermanos de Cepa en HBO España

The Pacific

The Pacific es una miniserie enfocada como sucesora de Hermanos de Cepa aunque apuntando a otra parte del conflicto: el sudaca. The Pacific es un plan similar al preparatorio aunque no encontraremos las experiencias del Desembarco de Normandía o la caída de los alemanes sino que se centra en la transformación de la guerrilla entre Japón y Estados Unidos, centrada en el Pacífico, alejada de las operaciones que ocurrían en Europa.

En esta serie adicionalmente tenemos a Steven Spielberg a la renta como productor y a Tom Hanks adicionalmente como productor ejecutor. Esta serie, al igual que la primera, nos narrará la experiencia vivida por los militares y se centra especialmente en las memorias de los marines Robert Leckie y Eugene Sledge pero encima cuenta con todo tipo de información que dota prudente realismo al plan y que nos permite vivirlo a fondo y con intensidad.

Conoceremos todas las batallas enlas que la 1ªDivisón de Marines participó y en cada uno de los episodios nos centraremos en uno de estos acontecimientos como Okinawa o el Desembarco de Peleliu, por ejemplo. Una serie ideal para complementar Hermanos de Cepa y saberlo todo sobre la Segunda Disputa Mundial aunque en este caso se va poco más allá del combate y se centra en historias más individuales que la preparatorio.

Plataforma: HBO

Año: 2010

Capítulos: Una temporada, 10 episodios

Duración: Entre 50 y 80 minutos

Temática: Serie basada en hechos reales / Segunda guerrilla mundial

Momento recomendada: Para mayores de 18 primaveras

Ver The Pacific en HBO

Refrigerio de Tronos

Si poco no errata en Refrigerio de Tronos es la guerrilla. La guerrilla para conseguir alzarse con el Trono de Hierro y conquistar los Siete Reinos. Refrigerio de Tronos es una de las mejores series de guerrilla si lo que buscas es ficción al completo, en historia y en personajes. Podrás ver todo tipo de batallas espectaculares en sus ocho temporadas completas y disponibles en HBO.

Refrigerio de Tronos ha sido seleccionado como una de las mejores series de todos los tiempos según los lectores de ADSLZone y es, sin duda, uno de los grandes éxitos de los últimos diez primaveras. Si has llegado hasta aquí sin residir ningún spoiler, sinceramente te recomendamos Refrigerio de Tronos como una de las mejores series de guerrilla. Momentos épicos como La Batalla de los Bastardos o la del Castillo Airado son de visionado obligatorio si aún no conoces las aventuras de Jon Cocaína, Daenerys Targaryen o los Lannister. Quien conseguirá convertirse en el Rey de los Siete Reinos y cómo lo conseguirán. Batallas no faltan, sin duda, en esta serie apto en HBO.

Plataforma: HBO

Año: 2011

Capítulos: Ocho temporadas, 73 episodios

Duración: Entre 50 y 80 minutos

Temática: Drama / Ciencia ficción

Momento recomendada: Para mayores de 18 primaveras

Ver Refrigerio de Tronos en HBO España

La II Disputa Mundial en color

Esta miniserie de Netflix es un documental de trece episodios en los que veremos la Segunda Disputa Mundial de principio a fin y toda la información que debes tener sobre ella. Todos los detalles de la guerrilla desde sus inicios: los motivos que la provocaron, la invasión de Polonia, la caída de Francia o la batalla de Stalingrado, entre otros. Igualmente veremos el ataque a Pearl Harbour o el final de Adolf Hitler en los trece episodios que dura esta docuserie a todo color perfecta para amantes de la historia.

No estamos frente a una serie de ficción con personajes épicos sino frente a un documental de una temporada dividido en trece episodios en los que iremos descubriendo el relato de lo sucedido pero con imágenes a todo color. Una serie que merece la pena para todo aquel que le guste la historia y espere conocer detalles exactos, fechas o cómo sucedieron aquellos primaveras.

Una de las ventajas de esta miniserie de Netflix es que los apasionados de la II Disputa Mundial podrán ver, si quieren, solo los episodios que les interesen. Cada capítulo está centrado en una cometido o en un momento concreto. Por ejemplo, puedes ver el episodio Overlord en el que en 51 minutos conoceremos todos los detalles de la planificación de la invasión a Francia y el insigne Desembarco de Normandía que ahora cumple 75 primaveras. Una de las mejores series de guerrilla y más recomendadas para cultivarse historia o repasarla.

Plataforma: Netflix

Año: 2009

Capítulos: Una temporada, 13 episodios

Duración: Un total de 51 minutos por cada uno de los episodios

Temática: Documental liante

Momento recomendada: Para mayores de 13 primaveras

Ver La II Disputa Mundial en color

Ken Burns – La IIGM

Ken Burns es considerado como uno de los mejores directores de documentales y se encarga de firmar este documental llamado Ken Burs: La Segunda Disputa Mundial. Otro título sobre el conflicto que nos llevará de empachado a los primaveras cuarenta. Aunque en este caso, a diferencia del preparatorio, no nos centraremos en las operaciones realizadas por los Países Aliados o las Potencias del Eje, los escenarios o las decisiones. Esta docuserie se centra en los testimonios de los protagonistas. Testimonios de soldados, de familiares, de víctimas. La guerrilla audiencia desde los que la vivieron.

Esta docuserie de Netflix, encima, se diferencia de la preparatorio en que está centrada en Estados Unidos, sus soldados y sus ciudadanos. No conoceremos los testimonios de los franceses invadidos o los británicos que partieron a pelear sino que está centrada en suelo sudaca así que es un complemento ideal para ver conexo con la preparatorio. Conoceremos de primera mano cómo se vive tras Pearl Harbor, cómo se movilizan los americanos para la guerrilla o cómo la viven en primera persona.

Plataforma: Netflix

Año: 2007

Capítulos: Una temporada, siete episodios

Duración: Entre 100 y 125 minutos por capítulo

Temática: Segunda Disputa Mundial

Momento recomendada: Para mayores de trece primaveras

Ver Ken Burns – La II GM en Netflix

La Disputa de Vietnam

Los amantes de la historia y de los conflictos bélicos tienen otra serie obligatoria que ver en Netflix: La guerrilla de Vietnam. Se alcahuetería de una docuserie, una de las mejores series de guerrilla y una producción espectacular con unos diez capítulos que te mantendrán pegado a la pantalla. La principal superioridad de estas series es que aprenderás. Pero estos diez episodios de documental está cargados de tensión, de emoción y de drama que harán que merezca la pena pasarse las dieciséis horas pegados a la pantalla.

Ken Burns es el encargado de esta miniserie documental donde conoceremos toda la información sobre La Disputa de Vietnam y encontraremos todo tipo de imágenes del conflicto, testimonios de personas relacionadas con el mismo y una producción espectacular con narración en off y la música adecuada en cada momento. Existencias de todo tipo que nos sumergen de empachado en esta docuserie recomendada y que recomendamos como una de las mejores series de guerrilla de Netflix y uno de los mejores documentales bélicos.

Plataforma: Netflix

Año: 2017

Capítulos: Miniserie: una temporada con 10 episodios

Duración: Entre 80 y 120 minutos por capítulo

Temática: Docuserie

Momento recomendada: Para mayores de 16 primaveras

Ver La Disputa de Vietnam en Netflix

Medal of Honor

Medal of Honor es una serie provocativo de Netflix con una temporada y con ocho episodios. La superioridad de esta producción es que cada capítulo funciona de forma independiente así que es una de las mejores series de guerrilla si un día te apetece conocer una historia apasionante pero no quieres engancharte a ella. Cap´tulos independientes con una duración de entre 45 y 65 minutos.

Medal of Honor nos cuenta una historia diferente en cada uno de sus capítulos. Puesta por recreaciones combinadas con imágenes reales y testimonios. Y con ellas nos cuenta historias reales de miembros del ejército que han conseguido la Medalla de Honor. Ya sea en Afganistán, en la Segunda Disputa Mundial o en la Disputa de Corea. Medal of Honor no se centra en un conflicto en sí sino en los que combaten en él.

Plataforma: Netflix

Año: 2018

Capítulos: Una temporada, 8 episodios

Duración: Entre 45 y 60 minutos por capítulo

Temática: Docuserie inspiradora

Momento recomendada: Para mayores de 16 primaveras

Ver Medal of Honor en Netflix

Roma

Roma nos llevará mucho más allá de Hitler o la Segunda Disputa Mundial. Viajamos de los primaveras 40 al siglo 52 ayer de Cristo en una de las mejores series de guerrilla que puedes ver en la hogaño y que está apto en HBO con dos temporadas y 22 episodios en total.

Roma es una serie en la que viviremos cómo Julio César pone fin a la conquista de Galia y acaba de convertirse en la ciudad más poderosa del mundo. Pero no todos están de acuerdo con el poder e iremos conociendo la vida de los soldados romanos (como Lucio Voreno y Tito Pullo, convertidos en héroes) o cómo estos ascienden cometido tras cometido. Cómo el conflicto se va desarrollando y cómo cambia el curso de la historia, las decisiones, los conflictos, las guerras, las hostilidades.

Esta serie se convirtió en una superproducción que consiguió un enorme éxito tras su estreno de la primera temporada. Como apunte, la primera temporada de Roma costó 100 millones de dólares y la inversión dio resultad ya que consiguió premios Emmy en el apartado técnico en 2007 y en 2008, así como premios BAFTA TV por mejor diseño de producción o categoría visuales.

Plataforma: HBO

Año: 2005

Capítulos: Dos temporadas, 22 episodios

Duración: Entre 50 y 60 minutos por capítulo

 Temática: Belicoso

Momento recomendada: Para mayores de 18 primaveras

Ver Roma en HBO España

  Esperamos que te haya gustado el articulo sobre, HBO|Netflix|Series / Las mejores series de guerrilla y si te estilo el artículo que escribimos para ti compartirlo con tus amigos así cada vez somos más

La entrada Todo sobre Las mejores series de guerra se publicó primero en El rincon de diego.

Por El rincon de diego

[kidsviral-blog]

These Might Be The Most Popular Baby Names Of 2015

New Post has been published on https://kidsviral.info/these-might-be-the-most-popular-baby-names-of-2015/

These Might Be The Most Popular Baby Names Of 2015

Baby name expert Linda Rosenkrantz picks the awesomely-named pop culture icons of 2014 who could inspire this year’s babies.

1. Linda Rosenkrantz co-founded Nameberry.com — the web’s go-to names database — so when she weighs in on naming trends, she kind of knows what she’s talking about.

2. The expert recently laid out her top baby name choices from popular culture in 2014, so get ready to see these names on birth announcements in 2015!

3. Ansel

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media.giphy.com

According to Rosenkrantz: “Young Ansel Elgort hit the daily double this year via leading roles as Caleb Prior in Divergent and Augustus (Gus) Waters in The Fault in Our Stars. His father being a photographer, it’s a no-brainer that his name was inspired by the iconic Ansel Adams.”

4. Daenerys

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media.giphy.com

Rosenkrantz marvels — “Daenerys Targaryen is the silvery-haired, purple-eyed character in the megapopular Game of Thrones. Invented by author George R. R. Martin, Daenerys ranks a surprising Number 77 on Nameberry—though it’s nowhere near as prevalent as GOT name Arya.”

Another fan favorite? Khaleesi is currently one of the top searched names on Rosenkrantz’s site.

5. Lupita

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ABC

“Lupita Nyong’o not only won a Supporting Role Oscar for her superb performance in 12 Years a Slave but electrified the world with her intelligence, charm, and beauty, becoming an instant fashion icon,” Rosenkrantz said. “Lupita is a Spanish diminutive of Guadalupe, and the actress will surely inspire some baby-namers to use it.”

6. Jeter

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media.giphy.com

As for baseball stars, Rosenkrantz expects Madison Bumgarner to shift his already popular name firmly into the unisex category, and noted that Derek Jeter has seen his surname name rise in popularity: “The name Derek is old news, but a surprising number of parents have begun using Jeter in honor of the recent retiree.”

7. Azalea

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media.giphy.com

Says Rosenkrantz: “With singer Iggy Azalea, forget Iggy — Azalea is one of the fastest climbing flower names—it came on the list in 2012 and jumped 269 places last year. (We do wonder why she dropped her gorgeous birth name of Amethyst Amelia.)”

8. Ariana

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MTV

“Another hot young singer bears an even more popular, if less distinctive, name” Rosenkrantz writes — “Ariana has been in the Top 100 since 2001 and is now at #54.”

9. Bruno

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media.giphy.com

Why does the seasoned name expert expect Bruno to dominate? “Bruno Mars, born Peter but nicknamed Bruno as a child, performed last year at the most watched Super Bowl half-time show in history and won the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album of the year,” Rozenkrantz reminded us.

10. Dinah

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Lifetime

“The biblical Dinah is the protagonist of the best-selling Anita Diamant novel, The Red Tent, now a TV miniseries. Perhaps this will help popularize this lovely but neglected Old Testament name, which hasn’t been on the popularity list since the mid-sixties.”

11. Kendall

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E!

Love her or hate her, “19-year-old Kendall Jenner has stepped out of the Kardashian family circle to become one of the top young models on the runway,” Rosenkrantz said.

12. Shonda

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Jonathan Alcorn / Reuters

According to Rosenkrantz, Shonda is primed for a popularity renaissance. “Named one of Time magazine’s 100 people who shaped the world, Shonda Rhimes has been the executive behind hit after hit TV show — from Grey’s Anatomy to Scandal to How to Get Away with Murder,” she said. “The name Shonda had its moment of popularity in the early 70s, just around the time of Rhimes’ birth.”

13. To see who else Rosenkrantz put on her notable names list, along with the runners-up, visit nameberry.com.

Read more: http://www.buzzfeed.com/morganshanahan/these-might-be-the-most-popular-baby-names-of-2015

[bookloversnevergotobedalone-blog]

Good Books, Small Screen

These days every time you turn around another great book is being adapted to the screen. With all the new streaming services getting into the business of  producing their own TV series the options for viewing have grown immensely and with all of that competition we, the viewing public, benefit by the way of some great entertainment.

Whether you've read the book and didn't know it had been adapted to the screen or watched it and didn't know it was a book first, here are some great stories to check out in both mediums.

(To get the book or watch the show click on the pictures)

 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Now on HBO, the feature length film stars Oprah Winfrey in the role of Henrietta's daughter, Deborah, and Rose Byrne as the author, Rebecca Skloot. Winfrey is also a producer on the project. The book has had great reviews, 4.6 out of 5 stars on amazon.com. The film has received mixed reviews, a 60% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Now a series on Hulu staring Elizabeth Moss as Offred, Joseph Fiennes as Commander Fred Waterford, and Alexis Bledel as Ofglen. The book is hailed as a classic, 4.1 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com. The series has received rave reviews, a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. This is an important book and an important series, especially in our current political climate.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Now a series on Starz starring Ricky Whittle as Shadow Moon, Crispin Glover as Mr. World, and Ian McShane as Mr. Wednesday, also many great recurring roles by Cloris Leachman, Gillian Anderson, Dane Cook, Kristin Chenoweth, and many more. The book, considered Neil Gaiman's best and most ambitious novel to date, has gotten great reviews, 4.3 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com. The series has received fantastic reviews with a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick

A continuing series on Amazon starring Alexa Davalos as Juliana Crain, Luke Kleintank as Joe Blake, and Rupert Evans as Frank Frink. The book, a Hugo award winning alternative history, has received good reviews, 3.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com. The series has received good reviews, 78% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Coming up on it's seventh season on HBO, starring Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister, Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister, Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen, and Kit Harington as Jon Snow. The book, or should I say books, have received rave reviews, an average of 4.5 out of 5 stars for all the books in the series. The series also gets rave reviews, 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

This seven episode miniseries just finished airing in April (so now you can binge watch the whole thing) on HBO. It stars Reese Witherspoon as Madeline Martha Mackenzie, Nicole Kidman as Celeste Wright, Shailene Woodley as Jane Chapman, Alexander Skarsgård as Perry Wright, and Adam Scott as Ed Mackenzie. the book, like anything by Liane Moriarty, had rave reviews, 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com. The miniseries also had rave reviews, 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta

Now in it's third season on HBO, it's ensemble cast stars Justin Theroux as Kevin Garvey, Jr., Amy Brenneman as Laurie Garvey, Christopher Eccleston as Matt Jamison, Liv Tyler as Megan "Meg" Abbott, Chris Zylka as Tommy Garvey, Margaret Qualley as Jill Garvey, Carrie Coon as Nora Durst, Ann Dowd as Patti Levin and Regina King as Erika Murphy. The book received good reviews on it's release in 2011, 3.3 stars out of 5 on Amazon.com. The series seems to have gotten a much better reception, 90% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Son by Philipp Meyer

Now a series on AMC, starring Pierce Brosnan as Eli McCullough, Henry Garrett as Pete McCullough, Zahn McClarnon as Toshaway, Jess Weixler as Sally McCullough and Paola Núñez as María García. The book received good reviews and critical acclaim, 4 stars out of 5 on Amazon.com. The series, not as good, 54% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman

Heading into it's fifth season on Netflix, starring Taylor Schilling as Piper Chapman, Laura Prepon as Alex Vause, Kate Mulgrew as Galina "Red" Reznikov, Jason Biggs as Larry Bloom, Uzo Aduba as Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren, Danielle Brooks as Tasha "Taystee" Jefferson, Natasha Lyonne as Nicky Nichols, and Taryn Manning as Tiffany "Pennsatucky" Doggett, to name a few. The book received very good reviews, 4 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com. The series has gotten great reviews, 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.

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[nofomoartworld]

Game of Thrones Season 7's Release Date Just Got Announced via Hype AF Animated Short

Game of Thrones announced its return to the battlefield in an impressive display of social media stunt prowess earlier today. 

A crew on Facebook Live placed a solid chunk of ice containing the release date on a pedestal next to a flamethrower. "Type 'FIRE' in the comments to reveal the #GoTS7 premiere date," they instructed fans, and with each new comment they blasted the ice with fire. At the end of the 11-minute video, the date was revealed...

As if that wasn't enough hype, the team dropped an animated short film of all the different house sigils, overlaid with quotes from major Season 7 players. In case you forgot what a tenuous position we left Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Cersi Lannister and the rest in, it all comes flooding back—fast.

Season 7 will have seven episodes, down from the usual 10, while Season 8 will have only six. A miniseries, potentially based on A Song of Ice And Fire author George R.R. Martin's short story collection, Tales of Dunk and Egg, is also being considered by HBO. 

Game of Thrones returns Sunday, July 16 at 9 PM EST. 

To begin getting the gears of Westerosi politics grinding back to life, check out our extensive coverage of the art of Game of Thrones below. 

Related:

[Exclusive] How 'Game of Thrones' Built Its Biggest Dragon

The 'Game of Thrones' Google Map Makes Navigating Westeros a Breeze

I Spent 4/20 at a 'Game of Thrones' Art Party

These Hodor Door Stops Have Us Sobbing

Witness the Lengths 'Game of Thrones' Will Go for Killer VFX

Brutal 'Game of Thrones' Moments Are Charming as GIFs

How 'Game of Thrones' VFX Artists Pulled Off the Most Explosive Season Yet

How a Small Animation Company Created Game of Thrones' Greatest Battle Scene

Here's How Filmmakers Pulled GoT's "Battle of the Bastards" Off

Inside Last Night's Brutal 'Game of Thrones' Chase Scene

'Hold the Door' Game of Thrones Director Made a Children's Book for Adults

from creators http://ift.tt/2motFUk via IFTTT

[trinuviel]

Crowned with Fire – True and False Lights in A Song of Ice and Fire (part 2)

In the previous installment in this series, I wrote about the tower crowned with fire – the lighthouse – as a positive image of truth and guidance. Thus, the Lighthouse is an example of a true light in GRRM’s epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire.  In this post, I’ll examine the imagery of the crown of fire in relation to the notion of false light and the destructive side of fire.

WRECKERS AND DECEPTIVE LIGHTS

The lighthouse is, as noted, a positive image in ASoIaF. It guides ships into safe harbor during the darkness of the night. However, as so many things, the lighthouse and its function can be abused for nefarious purposes - such as deliberately wrecking ships on treacherous shores, a detail @lostlittlesatellites and @shinynewrevulsions made me aware of in Davos’ story.

These days the Sistermen left open piracy to Salladhor Saan and his ilk and confined themselves to wrecking. The beacons that burned along the shores of the Three Sisters were supposed to warn of shoals and reefs and rocks and lead the way to safety, but on stormy nights and foggy ones, some Sistermen would use false lights to draw unwary captains to their doom. (ADwD, Davos I)

Wreckers form a subset of smugglers and pirates. They use beacons to deliberately lure ships into dangerous waters on nights with poor visibility.

(Image from the miniseries Jamaica Inn)

In this context, the practice of wrecking subverts the positive imagery of the lighthouse and recasts the beacon as a false light that lures the unwary traveler astray. 

A BURNING CROWN

I want to return to the imagery of something/someone being crowned by fire because it is an image that recurs in the text, sometimes in different variations. One particular striking image is the one of a crown of fire, which is related to Stannis Baratheon and Daenerys Targaryen.

Stannis has a terrifying vision in the flames of a king that is consumed by a burning crown:

“Last night, gazing into that hearth, I saw things in the flames as well. I saw a king, a crown of fire on his brows, burning . . . burning, Davos. His own crown consumed his flesh and turned him into ash. – Stannis Baratheon to Davos Seaworth, (ASoS, Davos V) 

This vision is very interesting to me because it can be read both as a foreshadowing as well as an expression of Stannis’ own fears regarding the role that Melisandre cast him as: Azor Ahai come again. Stannis fears that he’ll be consumed by the path that Melisandre has set him upon – and he isn’t wrong. Melisandre is mistaken in her identification of Stannis as the saviour her religion has promised. She tries to manipulate the events circumstances to fit the prophecy, which only results in a “magical” sword that is subtly wrong (x) and (x). She desperately wants to believe that she has found the promised saviour but instead Melisandre has created a “false light” with the glowing sword that she gifts Stannis through an elaborate, fiery ceremony at Dragonstone. 

The imagery of a burning crown also appears in one of Daenerys’ chapters in a very literal manner when she has Drogon set one of the slavers of Astapor on fire: 

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." 

The black dragon spread his wings and roared. A lance of swirling dark flame took Kraznys full in the face. His eyes melted and ran down his cheeks, and the oil in his hair and beard burst so fiercely into fire that for an instant the slaver wore a burning crown twice as tall as his head. The sudden stench of charred meat overwhelmed even his perfume, and his wail seemed to drown all other sound. Then the Plaza of Punishment blew apart into blood and chaos.(ASoS, Daenerys III)

 This scene takes place when Daenerys buys a slave army in Astapor, only to turn them on the slavers. This is the moment where her anti-slavery crusade is born – on the Plaza of Punishment in Astapor, the slavers are punished with fire and blood. However, it is also the first real and premeditated action Dany takes towards her ambition of reclaiming her father’s throne in Westeros. She is in Astapor to acquire an army to conquer Westeros and she begins her quest for the Iron Throne by giving a man a burning crown of fire. As with Stannis, the imagery of the burning crown is a destructive one.

THE FIERY PIT

In my previous post, I mentioned that it was a particular quote from the novella The Princess and the Queen that inspired the subject of this series of metas: “Atop the Hill of Rhaenys, the Dragonpit wore a crown of yellow fire, burning so bright it seemed as if the sun was rising.” In this context, the image of the crown of fire is associated with a false light, a fire so bright that it could be mistaken for the dawn. If the tower crowned with fire – the lighthouse – is an image of a true light, then the burning Dragonpit is its opposite: the fiery pit is a false light – and this false light is closely associated with dragonfire.

The Dragonpit is a significant architectural landmark in King’s Landing. It sits atop The Hill of Rhaenys and is just as visually prominent as the Red Keep on Aegon’s High Hill and The Sept of Baelor on Visenya’s Hill.

(King’s Landing. Art by Tomasz Jedruszek)

When it comes to the history of King’s Landing, Rhaenys’ Hill has felt the devastating effects of both dragon- and wildfire several times over. The Dragonpit was not the first large building that was raised upon The Hill of Rhaenys. Originally, the hill was crowned by the Sept of Remembrance, built in memory of Queen Rhaenys Targaryen after she was killed in the First Dornish War. Maegor I Targaryen (called the Cruel) unleased the fire of Balerion the Black Dread on the Sept of Remembrance during his conflict with the Faith Militant.

(Maegor I Targaryen and Balerion burn the Sept of Remembrance. Art by Jordi Gonzalez Escamilla)

After the burning of The Sept of Remembrance, Maegor I had the Dragonpit built as a residence for the Targaryen dragons. Approximately 90 years later the Dragonpit burns down during the Dance of the Dragons when a mob of people stormed the building in order to kill the dragons.

A thousand shrieks and shouts echoed across the city, mingling with the dragon’s roar. Atop the Hill of Rhaenys, the Dragonpit wore a crown of yellow fire, burning so bright it seemed as if the sun was rising. Even the queen trembled as she watched, the tears glistening on her cheeks. Many of the queen’s companions on the rooftop fled, fearing that the fires would soon engulf the entire city, even the Red Keep atop Aegon’s High Hill. (The Princess and the Queen)

What is left is a burnt out shell of the mighty dome.

(The Dragonpit. Art by Franz Miklis)

About 70 years later, the Dragonpit is used to store the bodies of the multitudes that succumbed to the Great Spring Sickness. There, the bodies were cremated by wildfire.

" A dreadful time, ser, dreadful. Strong men would wake healthy at the break of day and be dead by evenfall. So many died so quickly there was no time to bury them. They piled them in the Dragonpit instead, and when the corpses were ten feet deep, Lord Rivers commanded the pyromancers to burn them. The light of the fires shone through the windows, as it did of yore when living dragons still nested beneath the dome. By night you could see the glow all through the city, the dark green glow of wildfire.” (The Sworn Sword) 

Corpses were piled in the ruins of the Dragonpit until they stood ten feet high and, in the end, Bloodraven had the pyromancers burn the corpses where they lay. A quarter of the city went up in flames along with them, but there was nothing else to be done. (tWoIaF) 

During Robert’s Rebellion, King Aerys II Targaryen had 300 jars of wildfire hidden beneath the Dragonpit. Those jars where found by the Guild of the Pyromancers in the periode leading up to the Battle of the Blackwater. It is unclear whether there still is wildfire hidden beneath the Dragonpit. 

I want to return to the burning of the Dragonpit in the novella The Princess and the Queen because the description of how dragons and men attacked each other shares some strong similarities with a scene that takes place in another pit: the scene in Daznak’s Pit in Meereen that ends with Daenerys Targaryen riding Drogon for the first time in A Dance with Dragons.

Let’s have a look at how the Storming of the Dragonpit is described in The Princess and the Queen:

No two chronicles agree on how many men and women died that night beneath the Dragonpit’s great dome: two hundred or two thousand, be that as it may. For every man who perished, ten suffered burns and yet survived. Trapped within the pit, hemmed in by walls and dome and bound by heavy chains, the dragons could not fly away, or use their wings to evade attacks and swoop down on their foes. Instead they fought with horns and claws and teeth, turning this way and that like bulls in a Flea Bottom rat pit … but these bulls could breathe fire. The Dragonpit was transformed into a fiery hell where burning men staggered screaming through the smoke, the flesh sloughing from their blackened bones, but for every man who died, ten more appeared, shouting that the dragons must need die. One by one, they did.

Shrykos was the first dragon to succumb, slain by a woodsman known as Hobb the Hewer, who leapt onto her neck, driving his axe down into the beast’s skull as Shrykos roared and twisted, trying to throw him off. Seven blows did Hobb deliver with his legs locked round the dragon’s neck, and each time his axe came down he roared out the name of one of the Seven. It was the seventh blow, the Stranger’s blow, that slew the dragon, crashing through scale and bones into the beast’s brain.

[…]

The last of the four pit dragons did not die so easily. Legend has it that Dreamfyre had broken free of two of her chains at Queen Helaena’s death. The remaining bonds she burst now, tearing the stanchions from the walls as the mob rushed her, then plunging into them with tooth and claw, ripping men apart and tearing off their limbs even as she loosed her terrible fires. (The Princess and the Queen)

Now, let us take a look at another dragon-on-human bloodbath in another pit.

In A Dance with Dragons, Daenerys Targaryen attends the gladiatorial combats in Daznak’s Pit in Meereen in celebration of the political marriage she made with a local nobleman, Hizdar zo Loraq. The blood and violence of the brutal games attract Drogon, the largest of Daenerys’ dragons and when he descends upon the pit to feast on the corpse of on of the fighters, all hell breaks loose.

One man took it on himself to be a hero. He was one of the spearmen sent out to drive the boar back to his pen. Perhaps he was drunk, or mad. Perhaps he had loved Barsena Blackhair from afar or had heard some whisper of the girl Hazzea. Perhaps he was just some common man who wanted bards to sing of him. He darted forward, his boar spear in his hands. Red sand kicked up beneath his heels, and shouts rang out from the seats. Drogon raised his head, blood dripping from his teeth. The hero leapt onto his back and drove the iron spearpoint down at the base of the dragon's long scaled neck. Dany and Drogon screamed as one. (ADwD, Daenerys IX)

The hero leaned into his spear, using his weight to twist the point in deeper. Drogon arched upward with a hiss of pain. His tail lashed sideways. She watched his head crane around at the end of that long serpentine neck, saw his black wings unfold. The dragonslayer lost his footing and went tumbling to the sand. He was trying to struggle back to his feet when the dragon's teeth closed hard around his forearm. "No" was all the man had time to shout. Drogon wrenched his arm from his shoulder and tossed it aside as a dog might toss a rodent in a rat pit. (ADwD, Daenerys IX)

The spearmen were running too. Some were rushing toward the dragon, spears in hand. Others were rushing away, throwing down their weapons as they fled. The hero was jerking on the sand, the bright blood pouring from the ragged stump of his shoulder. His spear remained in Drogon's back, wobbling as the dragon beat his wings. Smoke rose from the wound. As the other spears closed in, the dragon spat fire, bathing two men in black flame. His tail lashed sideways and caught the pitmaster creeping up behind him, breaking him in two. Another attacker stabbed at his eyes until the dragon caught him in his jaws and tore his belly out. (ADwD, Daenerys IX)

There are several points of comparison between the scenes from The Princess and the Queen and A Dance with Dragons:

Dragons burning people and tearing them limb from limb.

A man leaps onto the neck of a dragon and injures it with an axe and a spear respectively.

The phrase RAT PIT is used in both scenes, which binds them together through associative logic.

Furthermore, both scenes makes an associative connection between dragons – fire – hell. The Dragonpit is described as a “fiery hell” in The Princess and the Queen whereas Daenerys places hell in Drogon’s molten eyes:

Drogon roared. The sound filled the pit. A furnace wind engulfed her. The dragon's long scaled neck stretched toward her. When his mouth opened, she could see bits of broken bone and charred flesh between his black teeth. His eyes were molten. I am looking into hell, but I dare not look away. She had never been so certain of anything. If I run from him, he will burn me and devour me. (ADwD, Daenerys IX)

FALSE LIGHTS: PROPHECIES AND DRAGONFIRE

I find it noteworthy that both Stannis and Daenerys have the burning crown as a negative image in their chapters, especially since they are both associated with the prophecies of Azor Ahai come again and The Prince that was Promised. I have written about that here and here. Maester Aemon correctly identifies Stannis’ glowing sword, which looks like the sun made steel, as a false light – an empty glamour that will only lead into darkness. Thus, the misinterpretation of a prophecy is a dangerous thing and prophecy itself can function as a false light, which I’d argue that it does in the case of AA come again.

In the same manner, I’d argue that dragonfire constitutes another false light. If the tower crowned with fire (the Lighthouse) represents a true light, then its inversion, the fiery pit as exemplified in the Dragonpit wearing a crown of fire represents another false light. I’ve demonstrated that the Storming of the Dragonpit and Drogon’s attack on Daznak’s Pit in Meereen are connected through an associative logic based on similarities in the way these events are described – so I’d argue that you could make a case for dragonfire as another representation of a false light.

I’ve come to believe that Daenerys’ dragons won’t be the solution to the threat of the Others (see my metas here, here and here). Stannis, his false Lightbringer and the burning crown that devours the wearer from his vision represents the false light that leads Melisandre astray. Daenerys and her dragons represent another false light that lead the readers astray because the text itself introduces the possibility of the dragons as an easy solution to the problem through one of Daenerys’ dreams:

That night she dreamt that she was Rhaegar, riding to the Trident. But she was mounted on a dragon, not a horse. When she saw the Usurper's rebel host across the river they were armored all in ice, but she bathed them in dragonfire and they melted away like dew and turned the Trident into a torrent. Some small part of her knew that she was dreaming, but another part exulted. This is how it was meant to be. The other was a nightmare, and I have only now awakened. (ASoS, Daenerys III)

Now it is established that Daenerys may have prophetic dreams like her ancestor Daenys the Dreamer. However, I cannot help but be suspicious of the ease with which the warriors armed in ice are defeated by the dragons in Dany’s dream. They simply melt away like dew after she bathes them in dragonfire. Then there’s the part of her that knows she’s dreaming but wishes that the dream is the reality. If we look at this passage in a Doylist context, the same conclusions can be applied to audience expectation. We want the dragons to be the solution to the problem of the Others because it seems straightforward and easy – but GRRM has said something that indicates that the dragons may be more of a threat than a salvation to Westeros:

Well, of course, the two outlying ones — the things going on north of the Wall, and then there is Targaryen on the other continent with her dragons — are of course the ice and fire of the title, “A Song of Ice and Fire.” The central stuff — the stuff that’s happening in the middle, in King’s Landing, the capital of the seven kingdoms […]You know, one of the dynamics I started with, there was the sense of people being so consumed by their petty struggles for power within the seven kingdoms, within King’s Landing — who’s going to be king? Who’s going to be on the Small Council? Who’s going to determine the policies? — that they’re blind to the much greater and more dangerous threats that are happening far away on the periphery of their kingdoms. (GRRM)

In this quote, GRRM explicitly states that the Fire of Dany and her dragons is one of two great, dangerous threats against Westeros that people are blind to – that blindness can be applied to bot a Watsonian and a Doylist perspective. The political players in Westeros as well as the audience are blind to the threat that Dany’s dragons present. It is very likely that she isn’t the promised saviour but rather a Destroyer on a scale that is almost equal to the others, which is something that I’ve written about previously. 

Interestingly enough, Dany has this dream the night before she has Drogon give the slaver Kraznys a burning crown that kills him. It is also noteworthy that Drogon’s flame is dark. Dragons have different coloured flames and Drogon’s flame is black fire shot with red. (Viserion’s flame is a pale golden fire shot with red and orange and Rhaegal’s flame is orange-yellow fire shot through with green). Drogon is Dany’s mount, the dragon she bonds with and his fire is black – hardly a flame that illuminates the darkness.

“THE LIGHT THAT BRINGS THE DAWN” – THE NIGHT’S WATCH

I have written several metas that touches upon the threat of the Others in relation to the symbolism employed as well as the prophecies about a chosen saviour: the series Azor Ahai, The Prince that was Promised and the Red Sword of Heroes 1-6, The Ice and the Fire of the Song 1-3 and others. They can be found here.

When pondering these issues, I keep coming back to the Night’s Watch in a way that has continued to surprise me. The legend of Lightbringer is quite possibly inspired by the obsidian blades that kills White Walkers with ease and the Night’s Watch is connected to the strongest defense against the Others: the Wall – an edifice built of ice and infused with a magic rooted in the living land.

As the story stands, the Night’s Watch is in no condition to counter this magical threat against the kingdom. The institution has dwindled in numbers as well as in reputation – and it is crippled by neglect. It has become the repository of criminals, traitors and minor nobles with nowhere else to go. They are in no way equipped to handle the threat of the Others.

Yet the symbolism of the Lighthouse is connected to the NW. The Last Hero is quite possibly Brandon the Builder who also is the likely founder of the NW as well as the builder of the Wall (and the Hightower = Lighthouse). These elements point to the NW as part of the solution and therefore I think it can be illuminating to take a closer look at the institution and its ideology. 

An important aspect of the NW is their role as apolitical protectors of the entire realm. They are The Shield that Guards the Realms of Men! They quite literally represent the ideal of people banding together against a common enemy regardless of politics, etc. This is a common trope in fantasy fiction – and GRRM uses the NW to examine this trope, subvert it and very likely reconstruct it. In my opinion, this is why the Lighthouse/Beacon as a representation of a true light that guides people through the darkness/night is connected to the Night’s Watch on a symbolic level as well as through an associative logic within the text itself.