#ew jon targaryen i don’t like that

[dipperscavern]

Me really hates the whole thing they did with jon and his writing. Making him a targaryen?? What I just can’t see it. To me he’s more stark than anything

honestly, i can see the plot in the books, and even maybe in the show, but it was the way they executed it that sucked. sucked real bad. (to be fair, all the writing in the later seasons sucked real bad) but even if he is a secret targaryen, he’ll always be part stark. he was raised w the wolves!! AWOOOOOOO

[jonsnowunemploymentera]

ASOIAF discourse would be a lot more fun if we all realized that every single person who has been put in a position of leadership/rulership fails in one way or another. Jon and Dany failing is not an indictment on their abilities to lead or rule. They’re kids, they still have shit to figure out. Given “what was Aragorn’s tax policy”, I doubt GRRM will write a story that will feature the appearance of a most perfect ruler ever who will be a total success instead Jon and Dany who were tOtAl FlOpS. Especially if this person has no previous experience that has been detailed within the text itself. That’s not only antithetical to the series, but also not how you write a narrative.

[elegantwoes]

Don’t worry about answering this if you don’t feel like it, but I was wondering, what do you think the chances are for Jonsa happening? Unlikely? Very likely? I know everyone else in the fandom thinks it’s a crack ship but I remain convinced it’s happening. Of course, I was convinced it was happening in the show too, so 😅

Extremely likely and there several reasons why it will happen. For one, George always likes to work in three, and he will likely to do that too with the Incest motif in ASOIAF:

Targaryens - Lannisters - ?

From a narrative perspective another major house engaging in incest is extremely likely, and who better fits that description than the Heroes of ASOIAF themselves: The Starks.

Which brings me to another point. Six of the seven Great Houses have engaged in some form of (pseudo) incest. The Targaryens are obvious. Same goes for the Lannisters. The Tullys have pseudo incest in Lysa - Littlefinger - Catelyn. Despite being raised alongside them, Littlefinger fell in love with Catelyn, whereas she saw him as a brother, and Lysa fell in love with Littlefinger, and he likely only saw Lysa as his sister. The Martells have Quentyn falling in love with his foster sister (Yornwood Lady. Forgot her name, sorry). The Greyjoys have that very creepy first meeting between Theon and Asha. The Tyrells - this one is bit more tricky, because technically there is no incest, but Cersei does think that Margaery and Loras are fucking each other (a classic case of projection lol), and it's likely that such rumor might float around, so it's a preceived incest. The Arryn's don't have a tale like this because Robert is an only child, but I am not the least bit surprised that his dynamic with Sansa is supposed to invoke that. After all her "father" is his father now. They are sibling-like (and also mother-child like ew), and Robert develops feelings for Sansa. So that almost all of the Great Houses. As odd as this sounds the Starks almost look weird for not having their own little incest story. It's very likely that George did this deliberately, to warm up the audience for the Stark psuedo-incest.

He would father no sons who might someday contest with Catelyn's own grandchildren for Winterfell. (A Game of Thrones, Catelyn II).

There's great nuance to the situation of Ned/Jon/Catelyn, and I get every side, and yes that includes Ned's, even though I like to crtique him the most. However, despite doing the right thing, Ned created a political minefield by masquerading Jon as his bastard, and to put everything at ease and validate everyone in the situation, Catelyn's grandchildren and Jon's children should be one and the same. So a marriage between Jon Snow and a Stark maiden is necessary. That Stark maiden can only be Sansa for several reasons:

Sansa is the eldest daughter and because of succession rights she is the more likely one.

The iconic back to back Jon-Sansa-Jon chapters in ACOK, establishes very clearly that Sansa is the current generation's Blue Rose of Winterfell.

Sansa faces the main brunt of Northern Politics.

Whether people like it or not, the fixation on songs and stories in her arc, specifically the ones about courtly romance, and her own parallels to romantic heroines like Jonquil and Naerys makes Sansa the romantic heroine of ASOIAF. A romantic heroine can only end up with her fellow romantic lead and that person is Jon.

The lack of sibling affection between Jon and Sansa makes them the more palatable pairing to the average reader.

So yes, despite what the show did, I am 100% convinced that a Jon-Sansa romance is very much on the table.

[magalidragon]

I think the problem is there wasn’t a law in Westeros that said either a female or male can rule. For some reason, it goes to the male and by primogeniture Jon’s “claim” would have been seen as stronger than Dany regardless of Aerys because he’s older. Dany knew this and that’s why she was worried and said to Jon as the last male Targaryen he had a stronger claim. I honestly wish that was something the show delved more into in the last season.

Hello Anon! I disregard the show’s interpretation because they also had Jon and the Starks all “ew incest!” when Ned’s parents were first cousins and the concept of avuncular relations was NOT taboo. The Targs were “taboo” and got the “dispensation” if you could call it that because they married brother to sister. THAT was taboo. But I digress.

I’m speaking to the books at this point. I also firmly believe that book!Jon is going to be like “I’m a Targaryen!? SWEET! DRACARYS!” once he gets through the shock of it. That emo child loved Targaryens. He will support Dany’s claim at the end of the day and off with their heads to those who don’t.

It’s just all misogynistic at the end of the day that Westeros thinks women can’t rule. They even think Dorne is weird for disregarding primogeniture. It’s like current Murica right now, thinking women are fragile creatures who need protecting and should only be pushing babies out.

[butterflies-dragons]

That love over duty reversal used in last episode was so stupid. I think Jon shouldn't feel either love, honor or duty towards Dany bcoz she is a mass murderer who kill innocents. She surpasses Ramsay in her war crimes. Jon shouldn't feel any love or duty towards her but remorse. Also I hate last line of being his queen always. I rather have him said sorry or goodbye.

The last two seasons were pretty stupid.  They destroyed Jon Snow’s character.  Here a few examples:

Book Jon Snow:

Jon's eyes were a grey so dark they seemed almost black, but there was little they did not see.

—A Game of Thrones - Bran I

Even at fourteen, Jon could see through her smile.

(...)

Sansa looked radiant as she walked beside him, but Jon did not like Joffrey's pouty lips or the bored, disdainful way he looked at Winterfell's Great Hall.

(...)

Jon had noticed that too. A bastard had to learn to notice things, to read the truth that people hid behind their eyes.

(...)

Benjen gave Jon a careful, measuring look. "You don't miss much, do you, Jon? We could use a man like you on the Wall."

—A Game of Thrones - Jon I

Meanwhile in the Show:

Jon Snow falls in love with his Targaryen aunt. Despite all the red flags, he thinks she has a “good heart”, that she was not her father the Mad King that killed Rickard and Brandon Stark, that the North will come to see her for what she really is...

Book Jon Snow:

He had the Stark face if not the name: long, solemn, guarded, a face that gave nothing away.

—A Game of Thrones - Tyrion II 

"If His Grace is doomed, your realm is doomed as well," said Lady Melisandre. "Remember that, Lord Snow. It is the one true king of Westeros who stands before you."

Jon kept his face a mask. "As you say, my lady."

—A Dance with Dragons - Jon I

Meanwhile in the Show:

Jon’s got no poker face.

—Bryan Cogman

Book Jon Snow:

Lies to himself repressing his deepest desires, lied to the Wildlings, lied to his lover Ygritte, lied to Stannis and Melisandre, etc�� 

Meanwhile in the Show:

At this point Jon is not able to lie.

He’s done with deceit. The world of Game of Thrones is one built on deceit. Political maneuverings… and that’s not who Jon is. At the very heart of it Jon is not that person which is what makes him different from everyone else in this world, what makes him good. [x]

Jon is someone who plays by the book. He cannot lie. [x]

—Kit Harington

D&D made this fake version of Jon Snow, so white, so pure, 100% honest the whole time that never lies, that never felt jealousy or envy, with zero ambitions for himself, just a fool in love/lust, that has to be reminded what family is...

In terms of the plot, the biggest conversation is Jon telling Dany the truth about who he is. Why would he reveal this extremely upsetting bit of information on the eve of battle?

I can tell you why: I don’t think he was going to … and she showed up. [Laughs.] He’s avoiding her the entire episode! But the problem is that Jon’s got no poker face. Jon would admit this! That makes me love him.

Down there [in the crypt], he’s processing, and Dany found him, and then there’s no avoiding it. What’s he going to do? Make up an excuse and walk out? She opens that door. She knows there’s something on his fucking mind. She starts talking about [her late brother] Rhaegar and this perception that Rhaegar is a rapist. Jon’s got to do it. He’s a fundamentally honest person and he loves her, so there’s no other choice.

So yeah, bad timing. But guess what? Life is full of bad times. He probably should have stayed in his room. [Laughs.]

—Bryan Cogman [x]

Kit Harington tells EW that this revelation is “the most upsetting thing in the world” to his character. “If Jon could go back in time and say: ‘Whatever you’re about to say, don’t tell me,’ he would,” Harington says. “He’d happily be in ignorance.”

In most respects, Jon’s reaction is pretty much what you’d expect — except, perhaps, a bit angrier.

“He’s not hard to predict, Jon, he doesn’t do many unexpected things,” Harington says. “You mark the particularly tricky scenes that you’re going have to concentrate on and this was one. He finds out such a massive piece of information. Not only does he find out who his mother is but also that he’s related to the person he’s in love with. It’s hard for any actor to play. It’s not a two-hour movie but eight seasons of playing a character who’s finding out.”

Harington notes Jon is pretty enraged by this news and struggling to contain himself. “The key to it is the audience already knows,” he says. “So it’s not a shock to them. With Jon, it’s about what he says, ‘You’re telling me my father lied to me? My father, the most honorable man I’ve known my entire life, you’re saying that?’ For that moment, Samwell is nothing to him. Jon would disown this friend and beat him up if he was trying to lie to him about this. He’s quite threatening: You’re telling me this, you better be f—king right, and if you’re trying to play me — that was the way to play that scene I think. I hope it was.”

As for his Iron Throne claim (why Jon has a better claim than Daenerys, explained), that’s something Jon is firmly not interested in. “That’s the thing I love about Jon, his purity,” Harington says. “He doesn’t f—king want it. He doesn’t want that f—king information. He doesn’t want to know. He has no ambition for the throne. He’s never wanted that. The end of the world might be coming soon but at least he’s in love with somebody and knows who he is, and then comes this sledgehammer.”

—Kit Harington [x]

I could go on and on...

And about Jon’s last line, HBO was trolling certain stans the whole freaking time:

Sadly... they killed Jon Snow in the process...

[gentle-heart-daenerys]

What baffles me the most is not someone shipping Jon and Sansa but the fact that they try so hard to make their non-existent crack ship a canon one. No one would have had any problem if it was just shipper, shipping them out of their want for seeing two of their favourite character together but the mental gymnastics they pull and their sheer need to degrade Daenerys in order to hype Sansa is insane.

I have never seen Arya fan praising their favourite by pulling down Daenerys or other female character, to prop up her importance story wise. Jonsa stans steals the character trait of other female characters and give them to her. If you don’t like dragons when they are with Daenerys, call them nukes and harbinger of deaths then why do you make up all these scenarios of Rhaegar or other dragon choosing Sansa(of all person) over Daenerys(Mother of Dragons, hello?). They want Nymeria for Sansa(SMH). The symbol of Ice and Fire(wtf is this liquid ice mostrosity??). Younger more beautiful Queen prophecy, and now HoTU prophecy too, which has always been about Daenerys. If it was up to them they would come up with some “canon” evidence of how Sansa will defeat Night King too.

It’s telling that they are not satisfied with their “favourite” character’s actual storyline coz they never talk about it instead they constantly steal other characters storyline or traits or prophecy, to make her interesting. In their world, all the other characters are there to serve her majesty and worship her 24*7, like they do.

If only they loved her enough to not constantly pit her with Daenerys but then again it makes you wonder why they are always after Daenerys? Like for real, as if she personally wronged them or something? Simple, mere existence of Daenerys in the plot just rules out all the fantasy they have for their favourite. Daenerys is better option for the Queen of the seven Kingdom, since she has the manpower and experience of ruling as Queen and Targaryen name. As long as Daenerys is alive, chances of Sansa being Queen is null, hence them doubling down on villifying Daenerys. Daenerys as love interest for Jon, why they always come up with theory of Daenerys being abusive toward Jon or that PolJon(ew) theory? They don’t want Jon because Sansa loves him or they have some connection or something but they want Jon because he is like one eligible bachelor left in Westeros who can prove to be a good eye candy for her and chance at her having an epic love story. Otherwise why would they harp on Jonsa train when there is multiple evidence of Sansa-Sandor in the books? Oh but Jon and Sansa had that forehead kiss??? And liquid-ice incest is anyway better, right?

So in conclusion her stans want everything Daenerys or Arya or Cersei have at the same time vilifying them for it. Her stans are the biggest example of the troops where they go for “I am not like other girls, but watch me do all the thing popular girls do and in my very first attempt, I excel at everything. Cheerleading, Prom Queen, Head Chearleader’s Popular boyfriend - you name it, even though I have no prior experience and I magically get handed everything I need”

[shieldofrohan]

I was struck by your idea that there may be a Jonsa political marriage in TWOW or early in ADOS because I could NOT figure out why they made all those parallels between them and Ned/Cat in the show without addressing it. But, your idea worries me because in s7 they compared J/D to Rhaegar/Lyanna, and while I can't imagine Jon being unfaithful, Dany falling in love with Jon was what brought her North. So how does that/the love triangle we saw on the show play out if Jonsa is already married?

Hello @esther-dot! First of all thank you for your ask, people don’t ask me anything usually so your ask made me really happy. 

I wrote a long answer I guess, sorry :

First let me say that: I think we are giving too much credit to show. After S4 the show kind of stopped following the books. I mean look at the S5 Ramsay/Sansa nonsense. D&D made it clear that GRRM gave them some important scenes for them to work with so I see the show as a slide-show of some scenes from books tbh. For example the arrival of the Knights of the Vale was sth you can find the hints of it in the books. Or the trial and death of Baelish by the hand of Sansa. Even the death of Daenerys was foreshadowed in the books. But the plots to get to those scenes were all D&D if you ask me. So they had to fill the gaps and they did it how they wanted. 

At this point I really can’t see a version of Asoiaf without a jonsa plot. Jonsa is the most foreshadowed plot in the books. The hints are starting in the prologue of the AGOT and they keep going in the AFFC and ADWD, and you can even find hints in other books of GRRM. Jonsa foreshadowings are surrounded by marriage and children imagery. So not having a jonsa marriage or kids seems unlikely to me. 

I am looking at the j*nerys foreshadowings and they are all about them being enemies. For example these two chapters that follow each other:

“No. Dany shivered. No, no, oh no.“Are you deaf, fool?” Reznak mo Reznak demanded of the man. “Did you not hear my pronouncement? See my factors on the morrow, and you shall be paid for your sheep.” “Reznak,” Ser Barristan said quietly, “hold your tongue and open your eyes. Those are no sheep bones.” No, Dany thought, those are the bones of a child.”

[A Dance with Dragons; Daenerys]

*

Burning dead children had ceased to trouble Jon Snow; live ones were another matter. Two kings to wake the dragon. The father first and then the son, so both die kings. The words had been murmured by one of the queen’s men as Maester Aemon had cleaned his wounds. Jon had tried to dismiss them as his fever talking. Aemon had demurred. “There is power in a king’s blood,” the old maester had warned, “and better men than Stannis have done worse things than this.” The king can be harsh and unforgiving, aye, but a babe still on the breast? Only a monster would give a living child to the flames.

[A Dance with Dragons; Jon]

***

The next morning Xaro’s galleas was gone, but the “gift” that he had brought her remained behind in Slaver’s Bay. Long red streamers flew from the masts of the thirteen Qartheen galleys, writhing in the wind. And when Daenerys descended to hold court, a messenger from the ships awaited her. He spoke no word but laid at her feet a black satin pillow, upon which rested a single bloodstained glove. “What is this?” Skahaz demanded. “A bloody glove …” “… means war,” said the queen.

[A Dance with Dragons; Daenerys]

*

As they did their count, Jon peeled the glove off his left hand and touched the nearest haunch of venison. He could feel his fingers sticking, and when he pulled them back he lost a bit of skin. His fingertips were numb. What did you expect? There’s a mountain of ice above your head, more tons than even Bowen Marsh could count. Even so, the room felt colder than it should.“It is worse than I feared, my lord,” Marsh announced when he was done. He sounded gloomier than Dolorous Edd.Jon had just been thinking that all the meat in the world surrounded them. You know nothing, Jon Snow. “How so? This seems a deal of food to me.”

[A Dance with Dragons; Jon]

***

Dizzy, Dany closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she glimpsed the Meereenese beneath her through a haze of tears and dust, pouring up the steps and out into the streets.The lash was still in her hand. She flicked it against Drogon’s neck and cried, “Higher!” Her other hand clutched at his scales, her fingers scrabbling for purchase. Drogon’s wide black wings beat the air. Dany could feel the heat of him between her thighs. Her heart felt as if it were about to burst. Yes, she thought, yes, now, now, do it, do it, take me, take me, FLY!”

[A Dance with Dragons; Daenerys]

*

Jon clasped the offered hand. The words of his oath rang through his head. 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.

[A Dance with Dragons; Jon]

***

I really try to see some romantic hints in those but I can’t find them. So why did D&D choose to do j*nerys instead of jonsa? Let’s face it: Their main audience are locals and Dany lovers. People were waiting them to bang... (ew). And when he was asked about Grrm’s intentions about Jon and Dany, Alan Taylor (director) said that he can’t tell what Grrm said because it is a S8 twist. So even the most j*nerys shipper director couldn’t confirm that j*nerys was sth Grrm told them about. What Grrm told them was a S8 twist, which turned out to be Jon killing Daenerys. I bet they chose the route of a romance instead of them being enemies (Dance of Dragons 2.0 ?!?!?!) so they could shock the audience with the final twist (a poor choice i must say).

So what I am trying to say is that: j*nerys is probably not a book thing. Or at least it can only be one sided in the books. Look at the S7-8 Jon Snow.. they made him so OOC to be in love with Dany... I am sure that Book!Jon won’t be in love with Dany. To be fair, I even can’t see Jon in Dragonstone or etc. Traveling during a White Walker threat is not a good idea. He won’t have such a time to go to DS and fall in love with someone like Dany. Dany is a combination of Cersei, Joffrey, Stannis, Selyse and Melisandre... Can you imagine Jon falling for those? No I don’t think so. I mean there is even dragon glass in Skagos... why would he bother to go DS? And we know that Dragons don’t like North and I can’t image using the fire threat to beat the ice threat... So her dragons won’t be the main forces against the Others. 

I tried to explain why Show!J*nerys was so forced to please the audience and how it was a fan service plot. But still an one-sided j*nerys can happen in the books. There are more foreshowings for this tbh. I am imaging an Aerys-Joanna-Tywin kind of triangle in the books. 

I mean look at this: (I have examined the Jon chapters that follow Dany ones in the ADWD and there were some interesting things. Maybe i’ll write a meta about them one day but for now let’s focus on one hint that I found interesting)

“I want to know. I never knew my father. I want to know everything about him. The good and … the rest.” “As you command.” The white knight chose his words with care. “Prince Aerys … as a youth, he was taken with a certain lady of Casterly Rock, a cousin of Tywin Lannister. When she and Tywin wed, your father drank too much wine at the wedding feast and was heard to say that it was a great pity that the lord’s right to the first night had been abolished. A drunken jape, no more, but Tywin Lannister was not a man to forget such words, or the … the liberties your father took during the bedding.” His face reddened. “I have said too much, Your Grace. I—”

[...]

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.

[A Dance with Dragons; Daenerys]

This is Daenerys’ wedding chapter and she learns about her father’s jealousy about Tywin and Joanna’s marriage. 

And bonus: she also wishes that Daario to take her away like Rhaegar did with his Stark lady. So in her wedding chapter she mentions the love between a Targaryen prince and a Stark lady. 

But she also knows that no one is coming for her. 

And Jon chapter follows this chapter. And he talks about: his dislike for Selyse and Melisandre, kinslaying, daggers in dark, the grey girl. So he won’t like Daenerys either, kinslaying is an important hint (both for Dany-Viserys and Jon-Daenerys) and I bet that Grey Girl is Sansa. 

Now we know that Dany is Aerys 2.0 with dragons and she will end what her father has started by burning down KL. So in this triangle Dany is Aerys. 

And who are Joanna and Tywin? 

The first J+T pair she’ll meet will be Aegon and Arianna probably. They are cousins too and Aegon chose not to be just a consort to his aunt by marrying her, so he’ll probably choose Arianne to gain Dorne’s support. I always consider Aegon (fake or not) and Arianne as a warning for Daenerys about Jonsa. Aegon has parallels with Sansa and Jon (secret identity with different hair color and secret Targ parentage etc). And Arianne has parallels with Sansa (The girl in the tower trope). So those two will be a test for Daenerys before she meets with Jon and Sansa. But her main test will be with Jonsa.

Jonsa fit into Joanna/Tywin pair more. They are cousins and they grew up together and after them being reunited they will be very important for each other. 

And let’s not forget about the fact that Tywin was the Hand of Aerys and he betrayed him and his son Jaime killed Aerys in the throne room... We are all aware of the parallels between Jaime and Jon already. But Jon was also her adviser and she wanted to rule the 7K with him. But in the end he betrayed her. I believe that Jon’s Ygritte arc might be useful for him to lure Dany into some false trust. But him sleeping with her and loving her and later lose her in his arms sounds like a cheap copy of Ygritte/Jon plot and it makes no sense. 

I think Dany will be taken with him and he’ll use this but it doesn’t mean that they will be lovers. Because it seems like Grrm is going to use RLJ in Jon’s romantic life (like he planned in the original/first outline with Jon-Arya romance). And RLJ has no effect on j*nerys. They can still f*ck and marry... 

I mean Grrm even put an uncle-niece marriage (Jonnel-Sansa Stark!!) in the Stark family tree to show that Starks have no problem with marrying with their uncles/aunts etc. Grrm only considers the marriages between siblings and parent-children as incest. So j*nerys is not a doomed love. But for jonsa; RLJ makes everything smooth. Therefore RLJ must be used in jonsa plot.

So Dany is the Aerys of the triangle and no Targaryen prince will come for her because they are busy with their Stark ladies. (Rhaegar- Lyanna and also maybe Jacaerys and Sara Snow?) 

To explain the early Jonsa political marriage, I must say that I was inspired by the Grand Northern Conspiracy. According to this theory, Howland Reed is the keeper of Robb’s Will about Jon and he is also the one who knows about RLJ. 

It does not go north with Galbart Glover and Maege Mormont, who expressly carry false letters, and is often feared lost at the Twins in the chaos following the Red Wedding. Another possibility, however, is that the document was secreted away in Hag’s Mire and has now been retrieved by Lady Stoneheart. Who in turn, for a real kicker of an ironic twist, delivers the suspected proof of Jon’s kingship to Greywater Watch for safekeeping, care of Howland Reed, who then knows more of the crowns Jon’s entitled to than any other man living in the world of ASOIAF.

https://zincpiccalilli.tumblr.com/post/52748381148

Let’s accept this theory and say that Howland has the Will. Without his proof other lords can’t just announce Jon as the KITN. I believe that Howland will be present at Winterfell to show the Will. But Howland was also a friend of Ned Stark. And he is loyal to House Stark. He kept RLJ as secret for years to protect the Starks and Jon from Robert’s wrath. But Robert is dead and he has no reason to keep this secret anymore. And I can’t imagine him sitting quietly while other lords declare Jon as the King while a true born Stark (Sansa) is sitting right there. He wouldn’t betray Ned’s memory like that. So he’ll spill the tea with RLJ too. And after that maybe Sansa will finally have some agency for her choice of husband. So them together will be the one answer of North’s all wishes. 

And let’s not forget that GRRM said he knows which characters will end up married. But in the show there was no marriage. So I am still waiting a marriage. 

And even with an early Jonsa marriage, Jon and Dany might still meet. Imagine S7 with a married Jonsa. Jon leaves Sansa to fight a battle. It would be a great parallel with NedCat. Ned left Cat while she was pregnant to go to war. And maybe there will be rumors about Jon and Dragon Queen just like how Ned betrayed Cat. But like Ned, Jon would be loyal to Sansa and North too in truth. 

Maybe Jon will gain Dany’s trust and help her against Aegon. And return she’ll accept to help North. But in the end I don’t think that Dany will come/or stay in North. Also in the Jon chapter that comes after Dany one, Jon was warned against Dragons:

“Salladhor Saan?” “The Lysene pirate? Some say he has returned to his old haunts, this is so. And Lord Redwyne’s war fleet creeps through the Broken Arm as well. On its way home, no doubt. But these men and their ships are well-known to us. No, these other sails … from farther east, perhaps … one hears queer talk of dragons.” “Would that we had one here. A dragon might warm things up a bit.” “My lord jests. You will forgive me if I do not laugh. We Braavosi are descended from those who fled Valyria and the wroth of its dragonlords. We do not jape of dragons.” No, I suppose not. “My apologies, Lord Tycho.”

[A Dance with Dragons; Jon]

Maybe Dany will want sth more from Jon and will be jealous of Jon and Sansa just like her father was jealous of Tywin and Joanna. Maybe Jon will betray her in most unexpected time just like Tywin betrayed Aerys. 

Btw I am still waiting for a battle between Daenerys and Jon in Trident after he betrayed Dany. (You know Dany dreamed about a fighting against an usurper in ice armor in Trident... Jon will be the Usurper because he’ll be the King of North and Dany will see North as a part of her Kingdom.)

So my timeline would be like this:

- Jon and Sansa reunite and take North back

- The Will and RLJ happen and they unite their claims by marriage

- A dance between Aegon and Daenerys and she loses a dragon

- Jon gains her trust only to use her and pacify her to protect the North during the Dance

- Him refusing the bend the knee and them becoming enemies

- Daenerys loses one of her dragons

- Daenerys and Euron being a chaotic duo for Westeros

- Daenerys burns down KL and marches to North for revenge

- North (aka Jon) vs Daenerys in Trident

- Daenerys dies and Drogon gets hurt

- Jon refusing the throne so he can go back to North (the Duncan of Dragonflies jumped out)

- Bran becomes King

- Jon returns North to fight against the Others etc. (I refuse believe that he’ll be punished and sent back to Wall? Grrm literally has to kill him to free him from Night’s Watch so I don’t see him returning there)

- Epiloge. 

***

Well I talked too much about too many things but I hope my answer was not such a bullsh*t :) 

Thanks again for the ask. Let me know your thoughts. 

[dwellordream]

Haven't finished reading the last chapter of Haunt/Hunt, but I already enjoy it greatly and it just sparked an idea in me while I read Dana and Nell commenting on Daenerys and how the red priests think she's Azor Azai. I thought back on Rhaegar's idea that 'the dragon must have three heads' and I thought... how likely it is that Stannis, Jon and Daenerys are actually those three heads (all Targaryen blooded) AND all hold an aspect of Azor Azai? (Like in the Little Buddha movie?)

In terms of what I personally think is going to happen in canon I don’t think Stannis will end up riding a dragon but I’m also a bit ambivalent about the ‘big prophecies’ in the first place. For example I don’t think you necessarily need Targaryen blood to successfully tame a dragon (not saying it doesn’t seem to ‘help’ or that anyone could do it) as in, if we take Nettles from the Dance, I head canon that she was not in fact of Targaryen blood (or Daemon’s daughter, ew) and managed to bond with Sheepstealer because she was patient, determined, resourceful, and very brave and ambitious.

[promentory]

Any predictions about Game of Thrones and who will end up on the Iron Throne?

honestly? at this point, and i never thought i’d say this… Gendry.

this isn’t even the stan in me talking because i never actually thought he’d become king, or even particularly wanted him to. since season seven and up until the season premiere, i believed we were heading for a Targaryen rule, most likely Jon and Dany getting married and having the much-theorized boatsex baby, which would be cool with me bc i like them. meanwhile fandom expectations for Gendry were SUPER low, i mean all i hoped for him in the final season was that he’d… appear in the episodes? and help even a little? Gendry/Arya fans will tell you that the most we hoped for, with our fingers crossed, was literally that they’d look at each other once. 

then episode one aired, and they had the reunion with all the callbacks, and Joe Dempsie showed up in the post-ep videos in Baratheon clothing, on the Spain set, so i was like okay at least he survives the BoW and will probably be legitimized. then episode two aired and the “hmm will they look at each other” thing turned into “okay so they’re lovers now cool cool cool, no doubt!!”. then episode three aired and Arya came even more to the forefront, and he’s now attached to her. and judging by the preview for episode four, they’re reinforcing the relationship. 

so then i start to get suspicious and think, if he’s so prominent in the season then why tf is he not in the promo materials? Joe Dempsie is in the opening credits, which means he has an Opening Credits Contract, and yet he isn’t in the posters or photoshoots? then you think, okay, not a major character… but Euron gets a EW cover when the actor is just a guest star? and people who have zero claim on the Iron Throne get a poster of sitting on it, even if they appear in just one episode like Melisandre, but one of like three characters who ACTUALLY has a real claim doesn’t? HBO Twitter makes custom emojis for 20 characters, including for characters like Varys (love him but lbr no one is checking for him), but doesn’t include Gendry? then i’m like, okay don’t think like a stan, maybe the show doesn’t think he’s important enough.

but then you think, it’s not like the show doesn’t know he is a beloved character. narrratively, D&D had him disappear entirely, on purpose, and, i’m quoting Joe here, wanted people to almost forget him in order to maximize the impact of his return. what other character did they plan this for? they let Joe do his annual rowing joke in order to keep the hope alive and didn’t let it die like they did for other fan favorites like Lady Stoneheart. when it was time for him to return they tried to keep it totally secret, which it would have been if Joe hadn’t shown up wearing FLIP FLOPS in BELFAST lmao. in the actual scene of his return, it takes FORTY SECONDS of setting up the reveal, with showing the forge and his hands/arms/back before he even turns around, the show is literally telling you “yep that’s right he’s back, get hype”. all the reactions on youtube were people screaming from the moment we saw the Street of Steel until he turned around, and i guarantee you that HBO monitors all of these. and then the show went there with gendry/arya, which they know will cause a stir. so the show/network KNOW they could milk his presence for promo. but interestingly enough, they don’t. 

and another thing… why is House Baratheon still IN the Game of Thrones? Stannis and Shireen have been dead for three seasons, all of Robert’s bastards were murdered, and Gendry is the last Baratheon alive. but the credits sequence, which is masterfully curated and analyzed, frame by frame, still includes the Baratheon sigil in the title card, despite the fact that the main contenders for the throne seem to be just three - Dany for House Targaryen, Jon still essentially representing House Stark, and Cersei for House Lannister. so wtf is the stag sigil still doing there? 

now, this could be the HBO marketing/promo department just missing a good opportunity, or just lowballing a character. wouldn’t be the first time. and i have no clue how they would sidestep Jon and Dany for the throne. maybe they set up Gendry to be there to be with Arya (which is fine by me lol), and they’ve totally forgotten about House Baratheon. or… it could all be a giant smokescreen to catch people off guard when it’s time for the ending. in conclusion, i know nothing except that i want my faves to survive. thanks for reading my essay lmao

[aegon]

I don't ship Jon/Arya but agree with what you said about them. I really don't think book!Jon would be all "eww incest" like he was in the show (which seemed weird then too to me). He may have an issue with sibling incest, but the Starks often married relatives too. The Targaryens just had sibling marriages when nobody else did - but your cousin or aunt would be acceptable in their society.

I’m not here to convince anyone to ship J/A and I know why people don’t - but I never understood the whole “Starks ain’t down with incest,” argument. The Targaryens weren’t overthrown because of incest and members of their family are still considered heroes to so many characters, like Jon and Arya.

Tywin Lannister married his cousin. Rickard Stark married his cousin. Jonnel Stark married his niece. Yes, it’s weird af but so are ice demons in the snow and giant dragons, you roll with it anyway. Incest is a part of Westerosi society, c’est la vie. Jon isn’t going to be like “ew gross” when his maternal grandparents were cousins and his paternal grandparents were siblings. There aren’t many characters that don’t have some sort of incest in their blood, tbh. GRRM is a freak, but hey ho, that’s his story.

[trinuviel]

A Bad Fit. Some thoughts on Daenerys Targaryen’s white costume in season 8 (part 1)

I’m a big fan of Michele Clapton’s work on Game of Thrones and I’m always excited when we get a first look at the costumes for a new season - so in light of  the recent season 8 teaser, I want to present my initial thoughts on Daenerys Targaryen’s new costume.

(GIF by @athimbleful)

At first look, this costume looks almost identical to the show-stopping white fur coat that she wore in the penultimate episode of season 7 when she flew beyond the Wall to rescue Jon’s company on the suicide mission she had sent them on. However, this is a NEW costume and it includes a number of interesting details.

Michele Clapton has a particular pattern when it comes to the use of costumes to create continuity between the seasons. At the beginning of a new season she often dresses a character in a costume that they wore at the end of the previous season, but with a few new details or alterations - this is a strategy that she has used with both Margaery Tyrell and Sansa Stark. 

The situation with Dany is a bit different here. It is a new costume but it looks almost identical to the season 7 fur coat at first glance. However, when you look closer you can see that the grey stripes of the season 7 coat has been replaced with a deep red colour, bleeding through the white like blood on snow.

Another interesting detail is the fact that the new coat is lined with red fur. 

Even her gloves have gone from grey to red.

Red and black are the heraldic colours of House Targaryen and while Dany wore black in season 6, Clapton only started to introduce small touches of red into Dany’s costumes in season 7 in order to signal that she is now starting to fully embrace her Targaryen heritage as she begins her conquest of Westeros.

It was a conscious choice of Clapton to withhold the use of red in Dany’s costumes until then - and that makes the introduction of the colour that more powerful when it was finally used.

People always say, “Why don’t you have this, why can’t you add that?,” and it’s like, “Well, sometimes you have to wait for that — you have to wait for the journey and for them to seek it out. With Dany in particular, finally we’re getting the [Targaryen] red. She was a confused woman, she was wandering … trying to seek something. And now she’s finally got her armor, she’s finally got everything, and she can finally echo the style of her brother with the extended shoulders and the red and the symbolism. He always had the big Targaryen [sigil] on his chest and now she’s got the big chain with the dragon’s heads on it.” (Michele Clapton to the Insider)

However, clapton still used the red very sparingly in the season 7 costumes. Red embroidery as a discrete accent to the edges of Dany’s power “suits” as well as the more conspicuous cape of pleated silk that invokes dragon scales. Dany’s season 7 costumes were generally dark, in shades from black to dark grey. The white fur coat was in many ways a radical departure from the rest of the costumes though had the same silhouette with the wide, pointed shoulders.

The white fur coat represents something new in Dany’s season 7 arc - something that interferes with her quest for the Iron Throne in the form of the threat of the White Walkers as well as her growing attraction to Jon snow.

I felt that there should be a definite shift in her look as she embarks on the mission of aiding Jon’s team trapped north of the Wall. I think it’s the first time that she has really been to the aid of another individual—let’s face it, she’s not going because of the Hound!—and she is putting herself at risk. (Michele Clapton to Vanity Fair)

While the coat is also connected to the loss of her dragon Viserion through the cream and bronze scale pattern on the back (which makes me very curious as to how the back looks at Dany’s new red and white coat), the white coat is very much to her feelings for Jon Snow. So it makes sense that she arrives in Winterfell wearing a variation of the coat now that they have become lovers. 

What is especially intriguing is that she’s obviously toned down the overt Targaryen symbols. She’s still wearing her Three-Headed Dragon chain but her hair has been spread over the front of her coat, obscuring this ultimate symbol of her Targaryen identity.

Incidentally, she had a similar hairstyle at her first, hostile, meeting with Jon at Dragonstone - but her hair was styled so that her symbol of identity and authority was clearly visible despite the loose locks of hair that falls down the front of her outfit.

Now this symbol is partially obscured - and you get a sense that she’s trying not to look intimidating when she’s meeting her lover’s family and her new Northern allies. Yet her costume still retains small details that is associated with her Targaryen identity- most notably all the dark red details. She is now wearing much more red than she did in the previous season. The wide shoulders are also retained and though it is a bit difficult to see, the shoulders are embellished with embroidery that mimics dragon scales, which is a feature that has characterized her costumes since season 3.

However, even here the look is softened by the materials, first and foremost the white fur but also by the use of what I suspect are silver Tila beads, which have softer corners than the shiny, sharp-edged black sequins that were used for her season 7 costume.

When it comes to Clapton’s costume designs, even the smallest detail is important because it carries meaning, it says something about the character.

I always try to make the clothes visually tell something. (FIDM Museum Blog)

I always try to tell that story — the costumes for me are narrative and you should be able to look at them [the characters] and understand where they are mentally in their journey. (Insider)

So all of these new details in Dany’s costumes are meaningful, they tell something about her character in relation to where she is in her narrative arc - and in the beginning of season 7, Dany is in completely new territory and in a new situation for her since she wants to make a good impression. She’s in the home of her lover, meeting his family - and she is also there trying to win over a people who has had a bad history with her family. They don’t trust a Targaryen, so it makes sense for Dany to try not only to tone down her Targaryen identity in her costume but also trying to affect a Northern style. 

In past seasons, Clapton has used Dany’s costumes to signal either her embracing or her rejecting a culture. During her marriage to Khal Drogo, she wears traditional Dothraki costume whereas she wears white in Meereen (season 5) to signal her rejection and mental removal from their culture.

”[The white] signifies her mental removal from some of the scenes that she has to be in — like in the fight pit. She doesn’t actually want to be there, so we wanted to show visually that she was removed. It was chaotic and bloody and colorful, and there was supposed to be this purity in the middle. She was visually removing herself from the things that she disagreed with.“ (x)

Once again, Dany wears white - and while her white fur matches the snow on the ground, it doesn’t match anyone else. Visually, she stands out like a sore thumb among all the dark-clad Northerners. So how does this relate to my claim that she’s trying to fit in? Well, some of the new details in her costume are rather telling.

Firstly, in the new teaser Daenerys wears a red neck cloth - and that is significant. Now it is cold in the North and she wants to keep warm - so a neck cloth is not unreasonable in this scenario - from a Watsonian perspective. However, all details have meaning in Clapton’s work and it is worth noting that Dany didn’t wear any kind of neck cloth when she flew North in season 7. That means that this new detail is significant.

I’ve seen a number of people say that it looks a bit like the high-necked undershirts that Northern women wear under their dresses, especially Catelyn Stark. There is indeed a resemblance but also notable differences. Dany’s red neck-cloth is not only made of silk but it is also tied in an ascot know whereas the high-necked undershirts that Catelyn and Sansa wear are in neutral linens and cinched at the neck with a string. The material itself is also wrong - the silk is too extravagant for Northern dress where it is the intricate embroidery that signals status and wealth, not fancy fabrics. So if this detail is meant to signify Dany’s attempt at Northern dress, it signals that she’s getting it wrong!

Secondly, in the EW cover photo Dany wears a variation of the red-white fur coat that we see in the teaser, only now another new element has been added - a white fur mantle across her shoulders.

This is a much more overt reference to Northern dress since fur-covered shoulders has been an element of Northern dress, and specifically Stark dress, since the very beginning of the story. This would be yet another example of Dany trying to signal her attempt to be close to the North, or rather Jon in particular. However, once again this costume element is close but no cigar - so to speak. It is placed directly on her coat and not attached to a long cloak like we see with Jon and Sansa. Thus, both in colour and silhouette, Dany doesn’t match Jon at all - creating a dissonant cord when she stands next to him.

Another aspect is the fact that Dany’s fur is all wrong when compared to the Northern cloaks - not just in colour but in the silhouette and texture of the fur as well. Dany’s white fur is longer and looks more wispy than the fur that the Starks wear. Furthermore, the fur cloaks of the Starks feature the whole animal (their heraldic wolf) from which the fur comes..

Once again, there’s a superficial resemblance that is actually undercut by small but significant details. It is like she’s trying to affect a type of dress that she’s unfamiliar with and getting it wrong. This is, in essence, Dany trying to cosplay a Northern aesthetic and still managing to look like an outsider.

Interestingly enough, Dany’s new shoulder fur does look similar to a couple of other costumes: Sansa’s white wedding dress in season 5 and one of Cersei’s black costumes in season 7. I’m not quite sure yet of what to make of this marked resemblance - other than Cersei is not a Stark and Sansa’s wedding dress was for an event that was not only horrible for her but it was also designed to make her a Bolton, to strip her of her Stark identity whilst using her claim to usurp the Starks as Lords of Winterfell.

There’s another interesting detail on the EW cover. If you pay attention, you can see that Dany also wears a red silk half-cape, similar to the ones she wore in season 7. 

However, whereas these capes looked natural with her season 7 costumes, it now looks like an odd fit with a heavy fur coat. This is not unsurprising since Dany’s season 7 costumes were inspired by the costumes her brother Viserys wore in season 1, which is a very conscious choice of Clapton:

“The silhouette,” [Clapton] explains, “purposely echoes that of the Targaryen style that her brother wore in Season 1.” (Michele Clapton to Vanity Fair)

“I think it’s quite interesting that we finally see her embracing her brother’s ambition,” Clapton says. “What does that say? You’re seeing the beginning of something. We’re not at the end yet and I think it’s very important at this moment that we start seeing who she is.” (Michele Clapton to Uproxx)

This isn’t really that surprising. She is after all, now trying to achieve her brother’s ambition of re-taking the Iron Throne. However, the combination of a silk half-cape with a winter coat that already has a shoulder fur just looks plain silly and impractical! The silk is flimsy when seen next to the fur, it is impractical and it is overkill. The red silk half-cape is part of Dany’s Targaryen style - especially as it matches what her brother wore.

However, this silk cape clashes with her “Northern” costume - she’s trying to be something she’s not because of her feelings for Jon (since the white fur coat is explicitly tied to her infatuation with him). This clash of different costume elements is rather interesting in the context of the politics of the story since the Northern Lords are vehemently opposed to any Targaryen, they value their hard-won independence and Dany is determined to rule all of Westeros, including the North. Thus, the costume reflect this uneasy alliance - written on Dany’s body. Despite her toning down the overt Targaryen style and attempting something that looks somewhat Northern, the red still bleeds through - she is a Targaryen conqueror who takes what she wants with Fire and Blood - even if she’s dressed like an innocent-looking white lamb.

A lot of people has also noticed how Dany’s new fur coat seems rather ill-fitting in the new teaser. She’s looks more bulky than when she wore the season 6 version of this costume. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Clapton and her team made a mistake. 

“I don’t think any costume should be looked at in isolation, rather, through the arc of the character. Each thing will tell a story. It might look like a costume is wrong, but actually it’s supposed to look like that. It’s telling you something about the character at the time.” (Winter is Coming)

Putting Dany in an ill-fitting costume just as she enters a new political situation, which is complicated by her emotional entanglement with Jon - it actually makes sense story-wise to put her in a costume that doesn’t really fit her subtly conveys that she is ill at ease. 

She’s now in a very unfamiliar situation in that she cannot just threaten people into submission because she’s infatuated with Jon and wants him to like her. She has to play a game of courtesy, which was never her strong suit. Even when she came begging for support in Qarth, she was never polite - instead rather threw a temper tantrum and screamed that she would take what was hers with fire and blood. As her dragons and armies grew, she never had the need to be a diplomat and be polite to the people she negotiated with because she had all the hard power and she wasn’t averse to using it. 

She isn’t her usual confident self, feeling like an outsider, which all the little details in her costume signals as I’ve outlined in this post. This outsider status is even underscored by the visual framing and blocking of the scene.

Dany is literally framed by Jon and Sansa who stand side by side as a united front. She looks small and she almost looks like she’s the one who’s the petitioner as she approaches the ruling pair of the North. It is also a shot that is eerily similar to the opening shot of Jon and Sansa’s parley with Ramsay before the Battle of the Bastards.

It is the same framing and blocking, only now it takes place in a much more confined space. Now the crucial difference is that the Winterfell scene is a scene of welcome but the visual framing imbue the scene with an interesting subtext that comes off as slightly adversarial, which fits well with Sansa’s cool welcome and Dany being visibly uncomfortable.

This is a case of the dialogue saying one thing but the visual language implying another, which is a strategy that the show used a lot in season 7. You have to keep in mind that the visual language (framing, blocking, costumes, non-verbal cues) constitutes half of the story - so a good way to create tension and subtext is to have the dialogue subtly clash with the visual language - and this is certainly the case here, both through the framing of the shot, the blocking of the actors and this is also embedded in Dany’s costume as I’ve laid out in this post.

[fedonciadale]

I am a Jonsa shipper, but the trailer, the alleged leaks, and the newly released EW magazine have made me seriously second guess myself and my sanity. In the trailer, there were three Jonerys scenes that were romantic and framed them as a couple. Then, Harington's comments of his character "being in love with someone," coupled with the picture of Jon and Dany embracing. We all know that he's referring to Daenerys, since they made love at the conclusion of S7 and his genuflection to her.

Hi there!

I hope you don’t mind if I answer this with another anon I just ask I just got by an anon:

As the final season approaches, I’m ready starting to lose faith in the Jonsa ending we are hoping for. With all of the promotional images and trailers focusing on j*oner*s especially. If the final season doesn’t pan out the way you believe, how will you react?     

So I’ve always expected to get tons and tons and tons of Jon€rys promo before season 8. I am rather pleasantly surprised that we got less than I expected. I would go so far as to say that so far the promo has been heavily Stark-centred and because I am first and foremost House Stark, I think this is a good sign. Because they might misdirect us in trailer and promo, but I think the importance of House Stark is not a misdirect.

So I’ll start with the leaks: I just don’t believe any of them. I have made up my mind to believe in GRRM. I doubt that the man would write a whole book on what was wrong about Targaryen rule only to end up with a Targ restoration de luxe (tm). I doubt that an author who carefully laid out Da€nerys’ story arc to be the ‘hero in her own mind’ to have her and on the throne or even her baby on the throne. So in general, leaks, promo and such do not face me. In GRRM I trust. And therefore I won’t believe any leaks that has no DarkDany, no Political Jon. *shrugs*

As for the trailer: there was a romantic scene, and that was the Missandei/Greyworm scene. Now, let’s talk about the Jon€rys scene: First was the arrival of Jon and D in Winterfell, shot like a power couple. This is probably the most shippy of them all, but we already know, what happens when they arrive, because we saw this in the teased scenes: Jonsa Hug 2.0. and Sansa giving D the death glare and the ambiguous “Winterfell is yours”. So, we will see, how this will work out.

Then there was the scene in the crypts: Like almost all the Jon€rys scenes that was her trying to get close to him and him shutting her out. He is not turned towards her, his looks say “please, just leave me in peace”. Romantic couples look at each other. Eye contact is so important.. Jus compare Missandei and Greyworm who first look at each other and drink each other up with their gazes and then they kiss. That is romance! I would say, yes they are certainly standing close to each other....

Then there is the scene where they go to visit the dragons. Please not that they do not walk in sync - unlike Da€nerys and Jorah in the short teaser we had. Their faces are serious, this is not an outing to have a fun afternoon on dragonback and some quality time as a couple. If they were a happy couple would they not look at each other occasionally while walking, would they not smile, laugh, even hold hands?

Now to the pictures... May I remind you of the red herrings we already had?

After season 4: Sansa is going to be the master manipulator -> Sansa was sold to Ramsay and hit the bottom of her already not too happy life.

After season 5: Jon is dead, deader than dead.... -> Jon gets resurrected and together with Sansa he retakes Winterfell, Starks on the up for the first time since ages

After season 6: Jon and Sansa are going to fight for the Throne -> Starkbowl happened between the sisters, Sansa actually supports Jon.

After season 7: Jon and Da€nerys are going to fight the White Walkers, together -> ?

There is a pattern there. The assumption deduced from the seasons to guess the arcs were always spoonfed to the audience and they believed them only for the season to go against what was promoted. Before season 7 Jonsas were adamant that Jon and Sansa would not fight over the throne, and we were right, although we were told numerous times that ‘powerhungry’ Sansa sure would go against Jon.

As for Kit’s interview: That guy is paid for pretending, and he is a big troll. He lied with a straight face for a year and told everybody Jon was dead. He might not have liked it, but he is also quite good about deflecting. That he said that Jon is in love with “someone” is perfect in that way. You can deduce he means Da€nerys, but you don’t have to. It is actually a perfect way of telling the truth without giving anything away if he has a Jonsa twist in mind here. It is always easier to deflect than to lie outright.

A promo picture with Jon and Da€nerys embracing? Come on! Did you see his face? Sry, not sry, it means nothing, just like last seasons promo photo of all the Starks together meant nothing.

So, now for the last part: How would I react if Jonsa does not happen? I think I can live with any end that has the Starks on top. I still think that Jonsa would fit best with that end, but as long as I get Political Jon and DarkDany I’m good. For the romance we will always have fics.

So, if we get Jon€rys and a Targ restoration de luxe, I’ll stop recommending GRRM books instantaneously, and I think I won’t buy TWOW if it ever comes out. I might borrow it some day in the library out of curiousity, perhaps. Other than that? I’ll probably bitch about Jon€rys and the forseeable bs we will get from some Jon€rys shippers with my Jonsa friends. I might write some shit posts on this blog. Then I will do a Tolkien reread, probably read Jonsa fics en masse and then this blog will most likely turn into a Brandon Sanderson blog.

But I am confident that this is not a likely outcome, I give Jon€rys on the throne and HEA a chance of about 0.5%, and I only give them that much because it is in a way ridiculous to state there is zero chance. You know after all, atoms might spontaneously combust and in a weird effect this will lead to a timewarp in which GRRM has already finished the books and gave them a Jon€rys ending...

Thanks for the ask!

[daenerysice]

ew u like incest

what of it

99% of paring on game of thrones are either incest or unhealthy as fuck/end in tragedy 

are you trying to make a point because i don’t see it

either you’re a casual who doesn’t understand all major houses practice incest or you don’t like the ship (which is fair, we all have different ships we like)

look at the family trees

starks practice incest, they have niece/uncle pairings, ned’s parents were related  

sibling and parent/child incest is the only incest considered ‘bad’ is westeros even though the show tried to dumb it down for casuals and even then targs do brother/sister incest and hardly anyone gives af

aunt/nephew is considered TAME for targaryens and if you’re for restoring the house name you have to be rooting for jon/dany in some capacity because that ‘incest’ made them who they are 

all those perks like dany being immune to fire in the show? incest

once the line is diluted enough those ‘perks’ likely go away 

plus, i liked them since season one/book one before i knew they were related it’s not like i saw they were an incest couple and went ‘yummy’

i admit, i never have shipped incest before in my life but it’s time appropriate and fantasy appropriate so who gives a fuck, this isn’t modern and this is fantasy 

it’s the main couple of the show so idk what to tell you, blame game of thrones/a song of ice and fire for making a canon incest couples if you hate it so much

either way, if you don’t like it you can get off my blog and not send me anon messages like you’re obsessed with me or my blog 

i don’t care, thanks

[madebyleftovermuses]

My heart hurts: Game of Thrones edition

* Here lies the hope my favorite stay alive

* HBO go isn’t really subtitle friendly! I have to constantly turn them on

* Why isn’t Sansa down below?

* Dragons!!

* Unsullied and the Dothraki

* Is Tormund gonna drink something again pretty sure that would freak the white walkers

* Gendry looks refreshed and Sam showed up

* It’s so quiet

* The red woman; better late than never

* Fire swords

* What is Davos doing?

* Now is not the time to kill another person on your list Arya!

* It’s so dark! Where are the stars, the moon?

* I swear to god if Ghost dies I’m throwing cookies at the tv

* The Dothrakis I have a feeling are now dead or worse turned

* Fuck!! Waves of dead people

* Dragon!

* You tried Sammy

* Edd died and Sam ran!!

* Dany and Jon almost collided

* Everyone retreated they were no match against the army of the dead

* It’s really windy where I live so it’s making this episode even more unnerving

* Baby Podrick is still alive

* Thought Arya was about to kill two birds with one stone

* Did Grey Worm just kind of ran from battle?

* Red woman do something to help!!

* Is Tormund pass the trenches?

* Yes, he is

* Hound no likey Fire

* Tyrion drinking 👌

* Sansa admitting Tyrion was the best husband she’s had which out of her ex fiancé and her second husband yeah Tyrion is the best

* Theon trying to make amends 💔

* Um, is ghost alive? I know, I said I was gonna throw cookies at the tv but they’re yummy and I don’t wanna waste them

* Fuuuuuuck night king trying to extinguish the fire

* At this point I can’t tell the dragons apart nor can I remember their names

* Undead ladder

* Whoever was pulled off the wall is part of the undead army now

* Winterfell has been through enough shit and I feel bad

* Sammy go the fuck downstairs

* I just wanna hold the Hound and tell him everything will be ok

* Get it Arya!!

* Lyanna just got hit by a giant

* Save Arya, Hound!!

* You sick bastards just killed a little girl!!!

* Jon isn’t liking this ride

* You done fucked up Arya

* Ew

* Like run Arya!!

* You’d think there would be hidden tunnels but guess not

* Varys looks very scared

* Beric sacrificed himself so Arya could be rescued 💔

* “What do we say to the God of Death?” Not today motherfucker!

* The blue is so fucking bright in a dark room

* Well, there goes half that dragons face

* They are trying to eat their brother

* That motherfucker isn’t that stupid to let himself get burned

* He’s a motherfucking Targaryen he can’t be burned or maybe he’s ice ice baby

* Jon, sweetie, you need to work on your stealth

* Jamie is like “oh fuck”

* Everyone was right the dead in the crypt will come back

* Fly, you fool!

* Not so tough without your dragons huh Daenerys?

* Kind of want Sansa and Tyrion to kiss

* Where is Gilly? And baby Sam?

* Theon singlehandedly tried his best to save Bran 💔💔💔💔💔

* Fuuuck the parallel of Endgame and this episode

* Arya did that for us!!!

* Get Jorah some Jell-o he’s hurt!! (Criminal minds reference)

* Gilly and baby Sam are still alive!!

* Red woman just committed suicide?

* What is episode four gonna be about?!

[bendthekneejon]

Hey any advice on keeping hope? I really want to but with some of these (f)leaks these days I get more and more stressed and I try to avoid them but head just keeps spinning the possibilities. Your list helps for all the possibilities but I just need some assurances if it is not a bother

Hi anon, take a deep breath. Try to examine the fleaks with more reason than emotion, remembering what you know about the characters and the plot. I’m gonna ramble a lot now. 

We’ll start with Dany. Her story is one of empowerment, a source of strength for slaves, women, etc. and a hugely inspiring character for the audience as well. Her arch is one of overcoming adversities, of growing up, of striving to help people.

And madness? She’s wondered a bunch of times in ASOIAF if she’s mad, she’s scared about that. But tbh, haven’t you heard that asking yourself if you’re mad means that you aren’t? Lol, anyway, she’s never enjoyed murdering others. She banned torture ffs. She wasn’t like Cersei who sipped her wine as she smiled while watching the Sept burn to the ground. 

I’ll tell you something that just happened to me. I got into an argument defending Dany on Facebook this week. I was saying how clear Martin has been that she’s a selfless and devoted queen and not a mad one, and that D&D are clearly forcing this “role” into her for the sake of drama. A bunch of book readers came after me to tell me I was wrong. They told me they found book!Dany unbearable and annoying, and that the show had changed her character for the audience to like her better, that they wrote her friendlier and nicer. 

Now, idk if you’ve read the books anon, but when people call Dany annoying they’re usually referring to i. how she usually yells “but i’m a targaryen!” and ii. when she fell in love with daario and she was horny af. Now, I don’t think neither of these are wrong (first, her last name is what she uses to demand respect bc she’s a small girl; and 2nd, she’s a teenager who’s lonely as fuck OF COURSE she’s horny and needs some cuddling and good dick ffs). Anyway I’m rambling. I wanted to get to the following point: for these anti book!Dany dudes, show!Dany was less annoying and friendlier for the audience (even though she’s cute and funny in asoiaf anyway). So I realized they were contradicting themselves. If D&D have made show!Dany more likeable and friendly by omitting certain scenes from asoiaf (eg. when she made out with daario in front of everyone), it’s because D&D are emphasizing the characterization of a good queen. If they wanted her to be the ultimate villain, the “mad” queen, they would have included maybe the time when she tortured the wineseller’s daughter (that doesn’t make her mad though, she banned torture after that), they would have added MORE violence to prove this point. But they didn’t. Instead, they’ve shown this selfless queen risking her life, dragons and armies to save her bf and then the WORLD. They could’ve omitted that. They could’ve made her kill Varys when he told her he wouldn’t give her blind loyalty, but instead, they wrote a line where she tells him: “if you ever see i’m failing the people, you’ll look me in the eye and tell me how i’m failing them”. See my point? If D&D wanted her to truly become mad, they would’ve made an effort to build that progressive fall to madness like they did with Cersei, but they didn’t. 

This quote is important: “So you don’t want anything to surprise you for surprise’s sake. You want everything to feel earned and to look back and go ‘okay, yeah, I could see how they were building to that.’ And from that I know from the final season, it does that.” (James Hibberd, EW’s Game of Thrones Weekly podcast). The thing is, the mad queen bullshit DOES FEEL unearned, because D&D have strived to show the opposite through the seasons. It’s a “surprise for surprise’s sake”, so it makes no sense with this quote. You know those YouTube videos that are called “Every Daenerys Targaryen Scene”? Watch them. Watch her arch, watch for yourself how D&D have built her. 

Now, Jonerys’ plot is also crucial for this mad dany bullshit. Let’s examine the order of events in their love story:

Jon meets Dany and he’s annoyed by her (and she by him), thinking at the start that she’s just power hungry like Cersei and just wants the IT. He even wonders if she really is the Mad King’s daughter when he talks to Tyrion on the cliff.

Jon starts realizing she’s not thaaat bad when she gives him access to the mines.

Jon witnesses Dany risking her life and dragons to save him and his people, which made him realize he had misjudged her.

Jon finally “sees her for what she is” and falls in love with her true personality. 

So, if D&D’s point is that Jon is gonna kill Dany bc he didn’t know her well enough (enough to realize she’s mad), they would’ve had him fall in love with her the moment he met her and then see her true colors of a “mad queen”. But they did the opposite. Jon thought FIRST she was the Mad King’s daughter, and then fell in love when he saw her for what she was. They could have reduced her and Jon’s plot to only physical attraction and sex. But they didn’t. They could’ve omitted Jon telling her “they’ll come to see you for what you are” after witnessing her selflessness. But they didn’t. 

The same goes for Dany. The fact that she fell in love with Jon shows that she isn’t mad–what attracts her is also selflessness and goodness–did you see the face she put when she saw Jon’s scars??? When he volunteered to go beyond the wall to catch a wight? These times when she saw how caring Jon was for his people were the ones where she fell in love with him HARD. If she were mad, if she enjoyed violence and all that shit, she would LOVE Daario much more–a super violent dude–yet their relationship WAS reduced to sex only, and when she said goodbye to him on the show “she felt nothing”, and when she slept beside him in ADWD “she felt alone”. She didn’t love him. Violence does not attract her.

Jon was the one who held her hand as soon as he woke up in the boat, the one who knocked on her door for sex. Jon Snow!!! The dude who used to be a fuckign virgin until he got begged for sex 1000 times!!! Remember. He loves her, and loves her since he saw her for her true colors. He’s just conflicted and confused rn for drama purposes. So the fleak makes no sense. 

On the other hand, what makes perfect sense is the assumption that the leaker got the names wrong (Dany and Cersei) and that Jon kills Cersei bc he COULD BE the valonqar (he’s the youngest brother in his fam) and Dany is the YMBQ. And Cersei has said “what can lyanna’s ghost do to harm us?”  (cheers to @tomakeitbeautifultolive​  and @the-last-targaryens​ for this) and also “how can the Targaryen girl on the other side of the sea harm us?” (not the exact words, but same thing) in S4. Hmmmmmm… fishy. AND the “bells” leak also makes PERFECT sense for Cersei, and zeeero sense for Dany. 

Also: Jon on his own on the Throne would be the most expected and boring ending EVER. Also consider this boy would be MISERABLE in that job. It’s literally what he wants the least. 

And remember: Jonerys IS point of the story. 

Also: this ending has NO single common point with LOTR’s ending. 

And also: read the fleaks omfg the rest of them make no fucking sense. Bronn in the council are you fucjgin kidding me. That ending for bran?? Bullshit. Everything about them is nonsense. Think about them cold-headed. They’re absurd, stupid, they’re fucking comedy material. D&D are stupid too but these fleaks make no sense with Emilia’s interview where she says that the ending isn’t about who’s sitting on the Throne either.

I’m not defending d&d, but conflict is necessary for a happy ending to feel earned. ESPECIALLY inner conflict. So they’re doing all this stupid fucking mad queen shit for her happy ending to have more sense. Look at it this way, we still have TWO MORE MOVIE LENGTH EPISODES ahead. If the ending would be tragic, they would introduce the tragedy muuuch later, not two movies before it’s over.

FINALLY, please take care of yourself and this stress you’re going through. Eat fruits and vegetables, work out and sweat out the stress, and try to remain active during the day to take your mind off this if it’s making you this anxious. Your wellbeing is first. 

[starringemiliaclarke]

Emilia Clarke on Game of Thrones finale's shock twist: 'I stand by Daenerys'

Emilia Clarke read a paragraph in the final script for Game of Thrones.

She read it again and again. Seven times, she says, she read the words that revealed the devastating fate of Daenerys Targaryen, a character she’s portrayed on the HBO global phenomenon for nearly a decade.

“What, what, what, WHAT!?” the actress recalls thinking. “Because it comes out of f—king nowhere. I’m flabbergasted. Absolutely never saw that coming.”

It was October 2017. The actress had recently completed filming Solo: A Star Wars Story and had just returned to London following a brief vacation. She electronically received the scripts the moment she landed at Heathrow and recalls that she “completely flipped out,” turned to her traveling companion and said, “‘Oh my god! I gotta go! I gotta go!’ And they’re like, ‘You gotta get your bags!’”

Once at home, the actress prepared herself. “I got myself situated,” she says. “I got my cup of tea. I had to physically prepare the space and then begin reading them.”

Clarke swiped through pages: Daenerys arrives at Winterfell and Sansa doesn’t like her. She discovers Jon Snow is the true heir to the Iron Throne and isn’t thrilled. She fights in the battle against the Night King and survives, but loses longtime friend and protector Ser Jorah Mormont. Then her other close friend and advisor Missandei dies too. Varys betrays her. Jon Snow pulls away. Having lost half her army, two dragons, and nearly everybody she cares about, Daenerys goes full Tagaryen to win: She attacks King’s Landing and kills … thousands of civilians? Daenerys’ longtime conquest achieved, she meets with Jon Snow in the Red Keep throne room and … and then … then he …

“I cried,” Clarke says. “And I went for a walk. I walked out of the house and took my keys and phone and walked back with blisters on my feet. I didn’t come back for five hours. I’m like, ‘How am I going to do this?’”

Sitting next to Clarke on the flight, as it so happens, was Kit Harington, who plays Jon Snow. Harington deliberately hadn’t yet read the scripts so he could experience the story for the first time with all his castmates. Clarke, positively bursting with wanting to talk about her storyline, found the flight maddening. “This literally sums up Kit and I’s friendship,” she says, and sputtered: “Boy! Would you? Seriously? You’re just not?…”

At the table read, Clarke sat across from Harington so she could “watch him compute all of this.” When they got to their final scene together, recalls Harington, “I looked at Emilia and there was a moment of me realizing, ‘No, no…’”

And Clarke nodded back, sadly, ‘Yes…’

“He was crying,” Clarke says. “And then it was kind of great him not having read it.”

The main story driver of Game of Thrones’ final season is the evolution of Daenerys Targaryen from one of the show’s most-loved heroes into a destroyer of cities and would-be dictator. Author George R.R. Martin calls his saga “A Song of Ice and Fire.” Jon Snow is the stable, immovable ice of Winterfell; Daenerys the conquering, unpredictable fire of Dragonstone. After years apart, they came together in season 7. The duo fell in love, help saved the realm from a world-annihilating supernatural threat and, in the series finale, their coupling is destroyed — Daenerys perishes, while a devastated Jon Snow is banished to rejoin the Night’s Watch.

Was this ending Martin’s original plan? The author told showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss the intended conclusion to his unfinished novels years ago but, since then, the HBO version has made several narrative detours. The showrunners are not giving interviews about episode 6 (and told EW they plan to spend the finale offline — “drunk and far away from the Internet” as Benioff put it).

Regardless of the final season’s narrative’s origin, the Thrones writers have planned Dany’s fate for years and have foreshadowed the dark turn in the storyline. In previous seasons, producers would sometimes ask Clarke to play a scene a bit different than what she expected for a seemingly heroic character. “There’s a number of times I’ve been like: ‘Why are you giving me that note?’” Clarke says. “So yes, this has made me look back at all the notes I’ve ever had.”

After Episode 5, “The Bells,” the reaction to Dany’s “Mad Queen” turn has been explosive and frequently negative. Some critics insist Daenerys doesn’t have the capacity for such monumental evil and the twist is an example of female characters being mishandled on the series. Others say Dany’s unstable sociopathic tendencies were indeed established, but the final season moved too fast and flubbed its execution.

For Clarke, the final season arc required mapping out a series of turning points. Dany’s attack on King’s Landing might have seemed abrupt, but from the beginning of the season Daenerys has reacted with increasing anger, desperation and coldness to one setback after another, shifting the Mother of Dragons into new emotional territory that would ultimately lead to her destruction.

Sitting in her dressing room on the set of Thrones last spring, Clarke broke down Daenerys’ entire season 8 internal journey leading up to the apocalyptic King’s Landing firebombing in a single breathless monologue.

“She genuinely starts with the best intentions and truly hopes there isn’t going to be something scuttling her greatest plans,” she says. “The problem is [the Starks] don’t like her and she sees it. She goes, ‘Okay, one chance.’ She gives them that chance and it doesn’t work and she’s too far to turn around. She’s made her bed, she’s laying in it. It’s done. And that’s the thing. I don’t think she realizes until it happens — the real effect of their reactions on her is: ‘I don’t give a s—t.’ This is my whole existence. Since birth! She literally was brought into this world going, ‘Run!’ These f—kers have f—ked everything up, and now it’s, ‘You’re our only hope.’ There’s so much she’s taken on in her duty in life to rectify, so much she’s seen and witnessed and been through and lost and suffered and hurt. Suddenly these people are turning around and saying, ‘We don’t accept you.’ But she’s too far down the line. She’s killed so many people already. I can’t turn this ship around. It’s too much. One by one, you see all these strings being cut. And there’s just this last thread she’s holding onto: There’s this boy. And she thinks, ‘He loves me, and I think that’s enough.’ But is it enough? Is it? And it’s just that hope and wishing that finally there is someone who accepts her for everything she is and … he f—king doesn’t.”

And losing Missandei? “There’s a number of turning points you see for Daenerys in the season, but that’s the biggest break. There’s nothing I will not do after losing Missandei and seeing the sacrifice she was prepared to make for her. That breaks her completely. There’s nothing left to making a tough choice.”

Executing Varys for treason? “She f—king warned him last season. We love Varys. I love [actor Conleth Hill]. But he changes his colors as many times as he wants. She needs to know the people who are supporting her regardless. That was my only option, essentially, is what I mean.”

Burying Cersei Lannister under the collapse of the Red Keep? “With Cersei, it’s a complete no-brainer. Lady’s a crazy motherf—ker. She’s going down.”

Yet Clarke also had another, more personal reaction to Dany’s meltdown. “I have my own feelings [about the storyline] and it’s peppered with my feelings about myself,” she admits. “It’s gotten to that point now where you read [comments about] the character you [have to remind yourself], ‘They’re not talking about you, Emilia, they’re talking about the character.”

Like many actors who have played the same role for a long time, Clarke identifies with her character and has put much of herself into the role. She believes in Daenerys’ confidence, idealism and past acts of compassion. As the actress wrote in a New Yorkeressay in March, she played the Breaker of Chains through some life-threatening personal hardships, secretly enduring two brain aneurysms during her early years on the show. “You go on set and play a badass and you walk through fire and that became the thing that saved me from considering my own mortality,” she wrote. Clarke has drawn strength from Daenerys and infused Daenerys with her strength.

“I genuinely did this, and it’s embarrassing and I’m going to admit it to you,” Clarke says. “I called my mom and—“ Clarke shifts into a tearful voice to perform the conversation as she reenacts the call: “I read the scripts and I don’t want to tell you what happens but can you just talk me off this ledge? It really messed me up.’ And then I asked my mom and brother really weird questions. They were like: ‘What are you asking us this for? What do you mean do I think Daenerys is a good person? Why are you asking us that question? Why do you care what people think of Daenerys? Are you okay?’”

“And I’m all: ‘I’m fine! … But is there anything Daenerys could do that would make you hate her?’”

During EW’s visit to Northern Ireland last March, I took a walk with co-executive producer Bryan Cogman into the dark woods near the production camp. It was around midnight and bitterly cold. Our boots scrunched on the muddy gravel and the bustling sounds of crew activity from the set slowly receded into the distance.

“Emilia has been threading that needle beautifully this season,” Cogman says. “It’s the hardest job anybody has on this show.”

As we pass crew members our voices cautiously go silent. While Dany’s Mad Queen arc was known by all, her death in the finale was a secret even among many who work on the show. Killing Daenerys was a massive and difficult move. On a show that’s introduced dozens of distinctive breakout characters, Daenerys is arguably the most easily identifiable and iconic. She is T-shirts and coffee mugs and posters and bobbleheads and memes and the name of hundreds of kids around the world with GoTfan parents; a fearless figure of female empowerment.

“I still don’t know how I feel about a lot of what happens this season and I helped write it,” Cogman says. “It’s emotionally very challenging. It’s designed to not feel good. That said, I don’t think that’s a bad thing. The best drama is the type you have to think about. There’s a dangerous tendency right now to make art and popular culture to feel safe for everybody and make everybody feel okay when watching and I don’t believe in that. The show is messy and grey and that’s where it’s always lived — from Jaime pushing a little boy out the window to Ned Stark’s death to the Red Wedding. This is the kind of story that’s meant to unsettle you and challenge you and make you think and question. I think that was George’s intent and what David and Dan wanted to do. However you feel about the final episodes of this show I don’t think anybody will ever accuse us of taking the easy way out.”

I point out Daenerys’ final season arc shifts the entire series, or at least her role in it. Upon rewatch, every Daenerys scene will now be viewed differently; the story of the rise of a villain more than a hero.

“Yes, although I don’t know if she’s a villain,” Cogman says. “This is a tragedy. She’s a tragic figure in a very Shakespearean and Greek sense. When Jon asks Tyrion [in the finale] if they were wrong and Tyrion says, ‘Ask me again in 10 years,’ I think that’s valid.”

Tyrion actor Peter Dinklage says the showrunners on set compared Dany’s dragon-bombing of King’s Landing to the U.S. dropping nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki to decisively end World War II in 1945. “That’s what war is,” Dinklage says. “Did we make the right choices in war? How much longer would [WWII] have gone on if we didn’t make horrible decisions? We love Daenerys. All the fans love Daenerys, and she’s doing these things for the greater good. ‘The greater good’ has been in the headlines lately… when freeing everyone for the greater good you’re going to hurt some innocents along the way, unfortunately.”

Gwendoline Christie, who plays Brienne of Tarth, adds there’s another political lesson to be learned in the final season as well. “The signs have actually always been there,” Christie says of Daenerys. “And they’ve been there in ways we felt at the time were just mistakes or controversial. At this time, it’s important to question true motives. This show has always been about power and, more than ever, it’s an interesting illustration that people in pursuit of power can come in many different forms and we need to question everything.” 

Killing Daenerys also forever changes Jon Snow, leading to his circular fate: returning to serve the rest of his life at The Wall. Harington spoke about the show’s finale in a production tent on the season 8 set, his voice so cautiously low a recorder could barely pick him up. Harington explained he avoids talking about the death scene on the set, and he and Clarke came up with a secret hand signal to refer to it — touching a fist to their heart.

“I think it’s going to divide,” Harington says of the finale’s fan reaction. “But if you track her story all the way back, she does some terrible things. She crucifies people. She burns people alive. This has been building. So, we have to say to the audience: ‘You’re in denial about this woman as well. You knew something was wrong. You’re culpable, you cheered her on.’”

Harington adds he worries the final two episodes will be accused of being sexist, an ongoing criticism of GoT that has recently resurfaced perhaps more pointedly than ever before. “One of my worries with this is we have Cersei and Dany, two leading women, who fall,” he says. “The justification is: Just because they’re women, why should they be the goodies? They’re the most interesting characters in the show. And that’s what Thrones has always done. You can’t just say the strong women are going to end up the good people. Dany is not a good person. It’s going to open up discussion but there’s nothing done in this show that isn’t truthful to the characters. And when have you ever seen a woman play a dictator?”

There’s plenty of tragedy for Jon as well, he points out. “This is the second woman he’s fallen in love with who dies in his arms and he cradles her in the same way,” Harington notes. “That’s an awful thing. In some ways, Jon did the same thing to [his Wildling lover] Ygritte by training the boy who kills her. This destroys Jon to do this.”

Back in Clarke’s dressing room, the actress is preparing to film one of her final scenes on the series. Understandably, she can’t quite bring herself to feel sorry for Jon Snow.

“Um, he just doesn’t like women does he?” Clarke quips. “He keeps f—king killing them. No. If I were to put myself in his shoes I’m not sure what else he could have done aside from … oh, I dunno, maybe having a discussion with me about it? Ask my opinion? Warn me? It’s like being in the middle of a phone call with your boyfriend and they just hang up and never call you again. ‘Oh, this great thing happened to me at work today —hello?’ And that was 9 years ago…”

Clarke’s phone call metaphor is characteristically witty, and the actress has given some fascinating insight about the season as a whole. But nothing yet quite feels like the bottom, the blunt truth of how she feels about Daenerys’ fate.

“You’re about to ask if me — as Emilia — disagreed with her at any point,” Clarke intuits. “It was a f—king struggle reading the scripts. What I was taught at drama school — and if you print this there will be drama school teachers going ‘that’s bulls—t,’ but here we go: I was told that your character is right. Your character makes a choice and you need to be right with that. An actor should never be afraid to look ugly. We have uglier sides to ourselves. And after 10 years of working on this show, it’s logical. Where else can she go? I tried to think what the ending will be. It’s not like she’s suddenly going to go, ‘Okay, I’m gonna put a kettle on and put cookies in the oven and we’ll just sit down and have a lovely time and pop a few kids out.’ That was never going to happen. She’s a Targaryen.”

“I thought she was going to die,” she continues. “I feel very taken care of as a character in that sense. It’s a very beautiful and touching ending. Hopefully, what you’ll see in that last moment as she’s dying is: There’s the vulnerability — there’s the little girl you met in season 1. See? She’s right there. And now, she’s not there anymore…”

A crew member comes for Clarke and she stands up. It’s time for her to go. Clarke begins to walk away, turns around, breaks away from the staffer, and comes back.

There’s one last thing she wants you to know.

“But having said all of the things I’ve just said…” Clarke says. “I stand by Daenerys. I stand by her! I can’t not.”

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Emilia Clarke on Game of Thrones finale’s shock twist: ‘I stand by Daenerys’ was originally published on Enchanting Emilia Clarke | Est 2012