#onwards to Essos

[anothersarcasticdolphin]

Chapters: 14/? Fandom: House of the Dragon (TV), A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Daemon Targaryen/Rhaenyra Targaryen, Daemon Targaryen/Laena Velaryon (Daughter of Corlys), Daemon Targaryen/Rhaenyra Targaryen/Laena Velaryon (Daughter of Corlys), Rhaenyra Targaryen/Laena Velaryon (Daughter of Corlys), Joffrey Lonmouth/Laenor Velaryon, Corlys "The Sea Snake" Velaryon/Rhaenys Targaryen Velaryon, Alicent Hightower/Viserys I Targaryen, Aemma Arryn/Viserys I Targaryen, Rhea Royce/Daemon Targaryen, Rhaenyra Targaryen & Rhaenys Targaryen Velaryon, Rhaenyra Targaryen & Laena Velaryon (Daughter of Corlys), Otto/his own ego, Ser Crispin/likely to get eaten by Caraxes Characters: Rhaenyra Targaryen, Syrax | Rhaenyra Targaryen's Dragon, Laena Velaryon (Daughter of Corlys), Vhagar | Visenya Targaryen's Dragon, Daemon Targaryen, Caraxes | Daemon Targaryen's Dragon, Rhaenys Targaryen Velaryon, Meleys | Rhaenys Targaryen Velaryon's Dragon, Corlys "The Sea Snake" Velaryon, Laenor Velaryon, Seasmoke | Addam Velaryon's Dragon, Alicent Hightower, Otto Hightower, Viserys I Targaryen, Aemma Arryn Additional Tags: I will add more pairings and characters as they become relevant, there will be some OCs as we need them in the free cities, long fic, Slow Burn, And I mean slow, Some politics, also some burning stuff, that's daemon's job, BAMF Rhaenyra Targaryen, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon-Typical Misogyny, Alicent is a tragic character, Rhaenyra and Laena going on some adventures around the free cities, BAMF Rhaenys Targaryen Velaryon, I will come back and add more tags later, I'm really not that great at tagging, like rhaenyra isn't getting in a proper relationship until like chapter 20 at the earliest, and I dont think she will be getting married until like chapter 40 Summary:

The Second Targaryen Conquest of Westeros, otherwise known as the Conquest of 141 AC, is decidedly simple by the standards of wars or conquests, but has far more complicated origins that could be argued to stretch back as far as the First Conquest, but to avoid esoteric arguments I find it most practical to start with the year 106 AC.

Or: Rhaenyra runs away to Dragonstone before she is named heir. She still becomes Queen, it just takes a little longer.

[lunarmoonanons]

Fire and Salt chp 3

🌕 🌖 🌗 🌘 🌑 🌒 🌓 🌔 🌕  

YN just wants her family together for her nameday. She was sure if everyone had reunited then the foreboding feeling in her stomach would end. 

🌕 🌖 🌗 🌘 🌑 🌒 🌓 🌔 🌕  

Masterlist 

YN skipped around the castle trying to find her father. She knew he would and could never deny her, so with hope she planned her request for her nameday. Her quest for her father left her unaware of the stares from the people who watched her run. YN’s efforts were rewarded when she saw the familiar head of her father. 

“Papa!” YN hugged him from behind, causing Laenor to smile slightly and turn to pat her head.

“YN. Are you alright darling?” He sounded slightly sad to the girl.

“I think I know what I really want for my nameday.” YN said, holding his hand as they walked to his rooms. 

“Oh? And what is that my darling girl?” 

“I want Rhaena and Baela to come here to Westeros. I want to spend the day with them.” Her request made her father pause and kneel down to her height. 

“YN. It’s not so easy to just bring them here. There’s a reason that they are in Pentos and don’t stay in Westeros.” Laenor sighed, trying to reason with his daughter. 

“But that's all I want. Please papa. Please talk to the king and ask him to allow them to come for only a fortnight.” YN pleaded. “I just want to play with my cousins and see them face to face again. I want to show them around dragonstone, and maybe high tide.”

“Why don’t we both travel to Pentos instead? Like on your 7th name day hm? Wouldn’t you like to see the Essosi countries again?” Laenor tried to bargain with his daughter, but he was only met with a pout. 

“Please papa, please find a way to bring them here.” Her eyes begged him. 

The man sighed, kissing the top of her forehead and standing to his height. “I will see what can be done. But if it's not possible to bring them here, then will you consider the option of going to them?” 

“I will, but I;m going to pray to any and every god I know of to make them come here.” YN relented and they continued onward. 

Laenor hoped his daughter would wish to go to Pentos. Essos was closer to the StepStones, and closer to the war brewing. He hoped to fight again and though Rhaenyra commanded him to stay with her, if YN was to go to Pentos with him he may be able to answer the call to battle. And his daughter may see the seas at battle. 

“When we arrive at Dragonstone, I will write the necessary papers and show them being sent off for you.” He said, sitting in the nearest chair. 

“Papa. May I write Aemond when will live at Dragonstone? He doesn’t have many friends and he might get lonely without me here.” The girl asked, smiling when he nodded his head absentmindedly. 

With that she ran out of the room to find her uncle and tell him her goodbyes. Once again, she found him in her favorite spot, the wall overlooking the water. His silver hair covering his sullen looking face as the sounds of the waves did nothing to soothe him. 

“Aemond!” YN shouted and ran to his side. 

“I hear you and your family are leaving for Dragonstone.” He pouted not looking at her. “It was the fight that caused it wasn’t it? If we hadn’t caused it, maybe you’d stay and I wouldn’t be losing my only friend here.”

“I don’t know if that’s what caused it. Maybe it’s a bunch of things that the adults don’t want to tell us.” YN tried to assure him, standing next to him to watch the waves. “But, my father said I am allowed to write to you. So we’ll exchange letters as much as we can, updating each other on our lives. You’ll tell me when you claim a dragon, won’t you? And I’ll tell you when I’ve either claimed a dragon or a ship.”

“When I’ve gotten my dragon YN, I'll fly to Dragonstone and present them myself.” Aemond promised, both locking pinkies to solidify their vows to each other. 

With a tight hug, YN left the boy staring after her when she made her way to her mother’s room. As got closer, she had found Ser Harwin as he had finished preparing to leave for Harrenhall. She was not there when he said his goodbyes to her mother and brothers, believing they deserved a moment together. But now she didn;t want him to leave without her own farwell. 

“Ser Harwin!” YN ran forward. 

“Little princess?” The man asked, taken aback when she wrapped her arms around his frame in a tight hug. Her eyes pricked with tears. 

“I’m going to miss you. I know you were closer with my brothers, but I will always see you as a friend and protector. I don;t want you to go.” the girl said, battling her own tears. 

“We will meet again one day, princess. When you are strong and tall. You and your brothers are very dear to me, and I am sad I will not be there to see you become a fine woman.” He tried to calm her. The girl may not have been his child, but she was a kind person and he was just as close in his mind to her as he was to her brothers. “Now buck up. Be strong. You are strong.”

“If we never see each other again, I promise I’ll never forget you.” YN hiccuped. He gave her a final hug and pulled away. 

“We’ll see each other one day, princess. When you’ve amassed a whole army of ships under your command.” He smiled and went to his horse. 

It felt like a member of her family was dying or being exiled. The pain cut into YN’s heart and left an empty feeling in her stomach as tears ran down her light brown cheeks. Her plump lips tried to stop quivering as she went back to her mother’s rooms. She knew that if she had Rhaena and Baela and their mother here it would feel like her family was cracking. Soon they’d all be together and happy again. But the gnawing feeling in her stomach would not end. Not even as they made it to Dragonstone. 

Eventually the feeling took hold of her emotions again as two ominous ravens delivered letters to her parents. Death seals on both. Her stomach ached at the news. She would not see Ser Harwin again. And her cousins were coming to Westeros, but they were bringing a corpse with them.

[rise-my-angel]

I know that robbs death had a pivotal part in the GoT story but given a chance to change that and keep him alive, do you think that it would still make for a great story at the end? I just always think on how if robb stayed alive, so much would have changed but my boy would've thrived as king in the north...just not with talisa lol.

It's fascinating to think how drastically different it would have been, first the questions of how long does the war go on, how long does Robb continue to lead the North in victory? How likely would it be that Olenna and Littlefinger still plan their murder of Joffery when the wedding wouldn't even happen until the war was over, and now it wouldn't be over for a while. Does that mean Sansa remains in Kings Landing now without that opportunity? And does Tyrion not flee to Essos after killing Tywin if it didn't happen? Would Arya reunite with Robb beacuse now he isn't dead and she was able to catch up to him so she never goes to Bravvos? Does the High Septon still gain power in Kings Landing if the war was still ongoing?

What about Stannis? Would he still be in the right place capable of being talked into answering the call of aid from the Nights Watch if he still had an adversary in Robb out there? Would Robb receive the raven? Would Robb stay fighting the Lannisters, or would he go North to help? If so what does that mean for Stannis's goals and how will that effect Jons story moving forward?

I don't have any answers to these, I just think it's so insane that by the sheer concept of keeping Robb alive, it would drastically change the entire course of the story from that point onward. He was such an important person, that his death caused a domino effect that changed the lives of pretty much every major character.

[navree]

To say that Rhaenyra died a dragons's rider death is just coping atp , does that means people in riverlands and kingslanding died a dragons's rider death? The slavers in essos died a dragons's rider death? It's screams coping and seething because rhaenyra turned into a literal dragon's poop ..

It's absolute hardcore cope to try and make her death seem more epic than it is, which is dumb because that's kind of the point? Her death isn't grand and glorious and this amazing moment of dragonrider triumph (she did not fly Syrax once in the entire war she did Nothing it's literally confirmed canon that Syrax hadn't even done so much as hunt for herself in years by the time the Dance started she was incredibly useless), because nothing about this war was grand and glorious. It was an ignominious, ugly, and painful way to die, in front of her own son, because this war was an ugly thing. Like, this war was a bad thing for House Targaryen; no one won and nobody came out of it unscathed and the entire family was weaker from that point onward until Aerys dealt the death blow by being The Worst. The only person who has a maybe cathartic death in the entire Dance is Daemon, and that's a strong maybe, every other character has one that feels unfair.

Laena had her thing about wanting a dragon rider's death in order to foreshadow the unfairness of her own situation, and she chose self immolation via Vhagar because it was either that or death by childbirth anyway, she was caught between a rock and hard place and at least chose to have a dragon involved. Not to mention that she chose it, Rhaenyra certainly didn't choose how she died. Random people getting torched by dragonfire isn't the same as a dragon reader deciding that, if she's Got to die now, she's going to die on her own terms with her dragon at least partially involved. It's hardcore cope and it's missing the literal point of this entire sad saga.

[qvarrelsomes]

╰      ┈      [  jonathan bailey  ,  thirty three  ,  cis male  ,  he/his  ]  in  the  time  of  dragons  ,  FLORIAN TYRELL  is  entering  the  game  of  thrones  .  said  to  be  charismatic  +  quick-witted  ,  we  can  only  hope  that  is  the  case  as  regrettably  they  are  also  well  known  to  be  opinionated  +  stubborn  .  when  asked  about  them  ,  people  are  always  reminded  of  walking barefoot through a field of flowers, waking up somewhere you shouldn't be with no memories of the prior night, the finest silks money can buy worn along side a mischievous grin  .  though  they  are  the  LORD OF HIGHGARDEN  ,  their  true  loyalties  lie  with  house  tyrell  and  rumour  has  it  that  if  given  the  choice  they  would  support   THEIR  FAMILY  /  THEMSELVES  above  all  else  .  those  of  us  in  the  shadows  wish  them  luck  and  can  only  hope  they  will  survive  what  is  to  come 

basics

name: florian tyrell

age: thirty three

title: lord

allegiance: house tyrell

gender, pronouns: cis male & he/his

sexuality: bisexual (preference for males)

martial status: unwed, unbetrothed

familial

father: n/a

mother: n/a

siblings: daella targaryen & calla tyrell (sisters), two currently unnamed brothers

cousins: n/a

physical

hair color: dark brown

eye color: dark brown

height: 5'11''

build: athletic

personality

traits: charismatic, opinionated, stubborn, quick-witted

mbti: entp

temperament: sanguine

moral alignment: chaotic good

character parallels: jeff winger (community), nate archibald (gossip girl) & logan huntzberger (gilmore girls)

biography -

this will likely be edited as more tyrells are picked up ! as the second born son of house tyrell, florian managed to escape a lot of the pressures placed on his older brother - though his parents still had their expectations for him.

while most of his childhood was spent at highgarden, florian's parents still made sure their son was familiar with the reach. as such, he'd visited all of the castles by the age of twelve.

as a teenager, florian was temporarily fostered in (insert kingdom) until roughly his seventeenth nameday where he returned to highgarden.

from that point onward, florian's primary residence has been highgarden. but he's done a considerable amount of traveling the various kingdoms. he's also spent a fairly significant amount of time in essos. but some how, he always makes his way back to highgarden.

fun facts -

florian ? more like whorian !! sorry that was my bad attempt at a joke, but seriously this man is a whore and he's not ashamed.

it's probably a bit cliche but he does love flowers. he can talk about them for hours. it's also not uncommon to find him outside.

he loves to gossip. it's a real problem if i'm honest. he can't resist spreading rumors. also he just doesn't know when to shut his mouth.

wanted connections -

lovers. once again this man is a whore, he's had so many relationships of varying lengths. also he's bisexual, so gender doesn't matter here. give me all of the flings please.

true love. i'll probably edit/expand on this idea later but this is the one person that florian has a real connection with. they're essentially the love of his life, but they're also doomed that they will never truly be together. open to a male or male aligned non-binary character of a similar age to florian !

friends. i like to think he's someone who has a lot of friends, he's traveled throughout the kingdoms and he's quite nice. though i can also see where people would find him annoying.

enemies. these are admittedly less like enemies and more like people who just can't stand him. he's honestly pretty annoying, so it stands to reason there are a good number of these !

betrothals. or rather, near betrothals as he's somehow managed to avoid any actual betrothals to date ! (this could change)

anything else ! hit me with your ideas, i'm pretty open to anything !

[whattheabcxyz]

2024-08-30

Singapore

35 pupils & 2 staff report symptoms of gastroenteritis during school camp - MOH & SFA probing

Jail for man who placed cannabis in ex-wife’s car to get her in trouble - he must qualify as 1 of the stupidest people here

Esso rewards programme customers’ credit card details possibly exposed after ransomware attack

Construction of longest elevated cycling bridge here across PIE to start by October

Feedback sought on proposed bill to temporarily restrict bank transactions of scam victims

Pets

Singapore: Wildlife trade offences to be considered serious offences under Organised Crime Act from today onwards

Design

^ Uranium glassware is a thing - the radiation it emits is considered negligible & on a par with radiation emitted from other everyday items such as smoke detectors & cell phones!

Business

MBS bans ex-top executive, now working for RWS, from premises, for alleged poaching of high rollers

Filtration device seller Sterra apologises for false/misleading claims about Singapore tap water quality

Science

String theorists accidentally find new formula for pi

People

Singer Joanna Dong finds out she has stage 1 breast cancer

Shopping

Blind boxes are the stupidest thing ever

Environment

New sinkhole opens up in Kuala Lumpur about 50m from where tourist fell

Sports

Yip Pin Xiu wins gold at Paris Paralympics

[celtigaar]

VERSES.

these are just suggestions for interactions, not a 100% iron timeline. i'm happy to do aus or different timelines - cerys is made up anyway lol.

main timeline.

pre - dance of the dragons. childhood to nineteen. her dragon, tempest, hatches for her as an infant. she lives on claw isle as a small child but as an adolescent arrives in king's landing to be fostered and to have tempest cared for by the dragonkeepers. she is quietly pushed over the years to spend less and less time with her dragon, due to some at court being wary over a non-targaryen dragonrider. dance of the dragons. nineteen to twenty. she is quietly confined after viserys' death. the greens intend to marry her to larys strong to force her loyalty. she is insulted by the match and fearful larys will have her killed once she is no longer useful, just as he was rumoured to have had a hand in his father and brother's deaths. she escapes king's landing on dragonback and reaches dragonstone, where she reaches an agreement with rhaenyra to align with the blacks. one night, cerys has a prophetic dream she does not understand. the next day, she witnesses prince jacaerys die at the battle of the gullet, and understands she had foreseen his death, the deaths and destruction of much of the dance, and the survival of prince viserys. she abandons the battle to pursue a rescue of viserys in essos, believing all other hope for the black cause is lost. can be adjusted/expanded to include au events in the dance of the dragons. essos. twenty to thirties. cerys pursues and eventually recovers viserys in essos. she spends years in exile as she won't risk revealing viserys' survival or returning with him to king's landing until she is certain it is safe. they are hosted by various merchants, princes, and lords, but ugly whispers of her as a traitor follow. eventually cerys and viserys return to king's landing, much to the joy of the now crowned aegon iii. reign of aegon iii. thirties onward. tba.

alt timeline - house of the dragon.

alt timeline that places cerys at approximately the same age as show!young rhaenyra, meaning she is in her 30s by the time of the dance of dragons. tba.

asoiaf.

tba, but she doesn't have tempest (because duh) and i'm pretty sure she supports dany.

historical westeros.

tba as needed.

[glyphreader]

Wistful Selkie (Eventide No. 165 - Illus. Mark Tedin)

One of my favourite cards from the Eventide set. Card art, name and flavor text work together to create a sense of wonder and mystery. The flavor text reads:

"Selkies call to a sea they never swam, in a tongue they never spoke, with a song they never learned."

The merfolk on Lorwyn and Shadowmoor are fish people, and the plane has no oceans or seas. And yet, Selkies - a type of seal-based merfolk - suddenly appear in Eventide. Who are they? Where did they come from?This question is deliberately left open, which creates an alluring illusion of depth where there isn't any. In that respect, it's a great piece of stage-setting in the margins of a fantasy world.

As far as I could gather from official sources, there isn't really a "lore reason" for why Selkies (also Nucklavees, Kelpies, Noggles and others that don't seem to have a Lorwyn counterpart) show up in Eventide all of a sudden. They're probably there because the plane is inspired by the folklore of the British Isles, and those creatures are part of that folklore. But just like George R.R. Martin names far-off places in Essos and never goes there in his books, leaving parts of a fantasy world deliberately unexplained, unexplored (and sometimes, like in this case, even introducing elements that seem to contradict the rest of the worldbuilding) can really encourage the audience to think about and expand the world in their own minds.

By the way, my personal "pet theory" for selkies, as well as other folklore creatures and suspiciously humanlike figures (Twilight Shepherd, Archon of Justice) in Shadowmoor and Eventide is that the plane is a folklore tradition that became its own pocket universe. Its foundation lie in the oral tradition of an unknown plane, and through some kind of magical influence, the stories from that plane literally came alive and formed their own world in the physical space of the multiverse.

From that point onward, the plane became separated from its point of origin, continuing to evolve on its own, and this is how Lorwyn/Shadowmoor came about. It is now a stable world with its own rules and conventions, but especially in the plane's darker periods, parts of the old folklore that bore it "bubble up" in the semi-metaphysical realm of the Great Beyond and find their way into reality. This is where selkies come from - the sea they faintly remember is that of another plane, where selkies don't exist, but were merely talked about.

Of course, this is all just headcanon/fanfiction. But not simply being given "canon lore" and having to make up your own explanations like this is a big part of why I like Shadowmoor/Eventide so much.

[reignof-fyre]

No worries, lol! I'm also sick of targ antis (though they froth at the mouth wanting their faves to have dragons when it's canon that only those of valyrian blood can bond with them lol) bleating about the negativities of Old Valyria when there were some positives, as well.

The Old Valyrians learned slavery from the Empire of Old Ghis, and yes, the Andals practised slavery (they enslaved the people of Lorath) and butchered the "hairy men" that inhabited Andalos before them, and also sacrificed women to their gods!! The Andals are not a good people. None are, and us Pro- Targaryen people absolutely know and accept that. The Targaryens/Valyrians we stan have never owned slaves lmfao and the antis don't seem to realize that.

The valyrians may have ancestors who practised slavery, but from Aegon the Conqueror onwards no Targaryen has ever owned a slave (and no dany didn't own slaves she was a slave fuck off antis). There is a lot of slavery hinting when it comes to andals and their practises, such as maesters wearing chain collars that chafe their throats, and they blatantly lie about their origins in essos whereas the targs/valyrians are open and own their ancestors faults/mistakes

I believe that Valyrians of old practised equal primogeniture, and the only thing an heir had to be was a dragonrider. Think about it. They practice incest, so the eldest (say, a daughter) inheriting meant that the firstborn son (say, the second eldest) would be a ruler anyway. Why overlook the dragonriding daughter for a dragonriding son when they'd both end up rulers anyway?

Also, in Old Valyrian, the world's "prince" "princess", and "heir" are all the same: dārilaros, as in, it isn't gendered. This is the biggest clue that they practised equal primogeniture in Valyria and likely gave that up in Westeros to please the misogynistic bastards there.

(Click for better view, from this site)

Also, they were in close proximity to the Rhoynar, and they are confirmed to practice equal primogeniture.

From what we know, Visenya was a warrior and this was accepted by her father and brother-husband as normal. She rode a dragon, which is, again, their normal. It's also heavily implied that Aegon wed Visenya to strengthen his claim to dragonstone, meaning she was the named heir of their father as the eldest no matter her gender.

The Targaryens conceeded a lot when they became Kings and Queens, one being their faith (as far as we know; they could have secretly worshipped the 14 flames of Old Valyria) and they had to have a literal contract written by Jaehaerys and the Faith to be able to continue intermarrying to keep the bloodline pure.

From this, we can extrapolate that Valyrians likely practiced equal primogeniture and it was Jaehaerys, whose best friend was a Septon, who began the trend of being a misogynistic piece of shit to the women of House Targaryen, what with how he disregarded a lot of what Alysanne said to him, disinherited Rhaenys, and allowed Lord's not of House Targaryen to choose the heir to the throne rather than let Rhaenys inherit. He also treated his daughters like absolute shit, calling Saera a whore and barely mourning Viserra, etc.

I definitely think that Jaehaerys, due to his trauma from Maegor, was slowly manipulated by Septon Barth and the men he surrounded himself with to see women as less than, and he alone planted the seeds of rebellion by giving the lords a choice in who would inherit after him when they never should have had the option because in the world of ice and fire the monarchy is absolute and the King's word is absolute law.

Jaehaerys' many mistakes gave the Hightowers a foothold and meant that the realm would undoubtedly be split when it came to the Dance because a previous king (jaehaerys) planted doubts. And also Otto schemed and plotted with alicent and likely the maesters and faith.

In naming Rhaenys heir, Jaehaerys would then have to answer the question as to why he took the throne when Rhaena and Aerea were still alive and the wife and daughter of the last King (Aegon). Jaehaerys was, in actual fact, a usurper if you looked at it at a certain point of view.

The Rightful line of succession should have gone like this going by cannon deaths etc

Aenys > Rhaena > Aerea (died)> Rhaella (if she gave up her septas's vows), or Jaehaerys > daenerys (she died young) > aemon > rhaenys > laena (dies) > Baela (jacaerys as consort) > their firstborn > so on and so forth

But it didn't. Because jaehaerys is a cunt, and so are the women hating, misogynistic andals + faith and maesters.

[novelconcepts]

It was kinda hilarious that 30 year old Alex Essoe played the mother of 50 year old Annabeth Gish, but like you said from a point onwards it served as a hint. And it shook me to my core once I figured out exactly what impact the creature's blood had on them.

Flanagan's habit of casting younger performers to play above their age strikes again! No, really, Essoe did a fantastic job. I just am so hard-wired to recognize actors that it would take a truly stunning amount of makeup to surprise me*--for Mildred and Pruitt both, I took one look at the old face on my screen and went "ah, yes, I see". I just didn't know why they were getting younger, and that was the fun part of the reveal. All of which was clearly intentional in terms of bread crumbs, because if they'd really wanted to hold that surprise close to the vest, they'd have pulled a Jamie and double-cast those roles.

*unless, of course, you happen to be the woman playing Annie; when I found out she'd been in Altered Carbon, I about lost my mind.

[dragcnlxrd]

@mothereddragons​

Rumors of dragons had spread through parts of Essos with growing interest. Words whispered of a Khaleesi having taken victory in Qarth. Warlocks burned with dragonfire, legion of Unsullied taken from Astapor, Yunkai fallen and Meereen taken. All by a single silver-haired woman with rumor of dragons at her call.

One by one with each victory tale of slaves freed and slavers punished was heard even so far as the Shadow and beyond. On the plains of the Jogos Nhai whispers between the various clan’s and their moonsingers of the dragons fire that trailed the sky an omen. Shadowbinders in Asshai and the red priests of R’hllor all spoke of the coming of Azor Ahai.

Deep in the east, near the Hidden Sea the whispers had traveled over the Mountains of Mourn to fall upon curious ears. Far to long had such ears remained hidden in the shadow, far to long had one wished to step into the light, escaping from the cage of secrecy. Thoughts of revival strong in mind, but to bring back what was lost one must no longer remain hidden.

Amethyst hues fixed upon the sky watching with brief lament as the large shadow passed over. It was safer to travel upon zorse than it was by normal means for him. The ride would be long and far but always the shadow passed over during the night gentle reminder that should he have need it would be there.

The gates of Meereen rose high, stench of the bay thick in the air mixing with the heat of the land. Perspiration forming upon his body at the humidity of it, so unlike his home, the air was thick like a moist blanket and the sounds and smells of this new land overwhelming. He took in the grandeur of colored bricks and the pyramids, looking up at the harpys upon the walls their mouths open in deadly scream.

Passing through the gates he noted the watchful eyes of Unsullied posted and Dothraki about. He urged the zorse onward though weaving through the streets towards the Great Pyramid. He wanted to see for himself if it were true, if there was indeed a Mother of Dragons. A smirk on his lips at the title, one of many it seemed this queen had attained. He wondered did she wear bells in her hair as her Dothraki did?

Finding himself before the Great Pyramid he left his mount with a child, a golden coin placed in it’s hand to keep the creature safe while he sought audience. Whether or not the boy would keep his word he did not know but he had coin enough for new mount if need be. It would not be hard to replace the creature.

A steward held hand up as he entered. It seemed there were many that sought audience from noble person to commoner, rich and poor the crowd stood before great doors to the throne room. There were some with what looked like charred bones in sacks others distraught looking shepherds.

He could feel eyes upon him though, his pale hair and amethyst gaze perhaps rarity here. Attention turned to someone who spoke Valyrian to him, the guttural growl of the Ghiscari mixed in bastardizing the sounds. His own dialect far older, archaic now yet pure.

“I am Lysander Balaur and I’ve come to see the Dragon Queen”, he said simply as his turn had come.

[gondorosi]

ASOIAF v/s GoT - Part 1: The  Disdain for Vulnerable Heroes

Book to screen adaptations are tricky as it is. Adapting high fantasy is even trickier as visual artistry quite often takes precedence over plot and characterization. It’s difficult to adequately portray complex morality, hard decisions and internal agony. Characters are often simplified and pared down to only a few most visually arresting characteristics (mighty king/queen, unbeatable warrior, mysterious magic person, wise-cracking smartass etc etc etc). Plotlines are reworked to make them non-controversial, consequences are ignored and the more difficult subplots are simply done away with. Such actions are common across adaptations, and GoT is no exception. 

The distancing of the show from the books started becoming significantly observable S5 onwards. At a certain pivotal point, the obvious heroic characters began to get pigeon-holed - the noble (Jon), the badass (Arya) and the conqueror (Dany). Crucial characters like Tyrion and Bran also began to lose all trappings of individual motives to dedicate themselves to a ‘greater cause’. Characters canonically unreliable and/or unfavourable such as Jorah, Sansa and Varys get painted in a far more positive light than they deserve. 

Of course, in Martin’s world the characters are far more layered and conflicted. And thus, to stick to the massively simplified (almost bastardized) show characterizations, D&D quite happily chunked off LARGE plot points essential to the main characters, in effect neutering everything that makes ASOIAF so fascinating to begin with.

Let’s first consider the two most obvious leader-heroes of the saga. Both Jon and Dany start out handicapped and subjugated in their own way, before quickly discovering that they have innate capabilities suppressed by their respective environments. Both of them find a role they are good at and use that role to accomplish something revolutionary. Both of them disregard the dangers posed by proponents of tradition and both of them are brought down or grievously hurt by those resistant to change. However, both of them are young. Both of them struggle with self-worth, purpose and identity. They’re two deeply traumatized young heroes who keep the truths of their hearts to themselves. However, the show begins to distance them from their vulnerability somewhere around the middle of its run. There’s a deliberate choice made to move away from complex characterization and focus only on heroics - whether its raining down fire from atop a dragon, or cleaving through enemies with a sword in hand. And while this makes for arresting and unforgettable visuals, you have to wonder why two such beautifully layered characters had to lose their tender facets to continue being badass heroes. 

Dany

No two ways about it - the show has done an exemplary job of building up Daenerys Targaryen the Queen and Conqueror (Season 8 exists only in the Upside Down). Her fiery nature, her courage and her incredible journey from a prized possession to a radical force commanding the very air around her. But before she earned all her titles, she was Dany - a quiet, observant and highly intelligent child who just just wanted to go home. The house with the red door is instrumental to Dany’s psyche as a person - and never mentioning it, or alluding to it takes away something vital from Dany’s story.

That was when they lived in Braavos, in the big house with the red door. Dany had her own room there, with a lemon tree outside her window. After Ser Willem had died, the servants had stolen what little money they had left, and soon after they had been put out of the big house. Dany had cried when the red door closed behind them forever.

All that Daenerys wanted back was the big house with the red door, the lemon tree outside her window, the childhood she had never known.

The red door features prominently in Dany’s thoughts, dreams and visions. To a young Dany, her name is as much a burden and a cage to her as the lack of a name is to Jon. He thirsts for the recognition and dignity of a true name, she dreams of the unfettered lightness of a life without the heavy legacy of her name.

It might sound contradictory, but for all that the show played up the power and near invincibility of the dragons, they skimmed over their ACTUAL importance to Dany’s entire Essos arc, and subsequently her identity. The show posits her as the Dragon Queen almost from the very beginning - whereas in the narrative of the books, it’s a realization she must come to after losing almost everything she’s fought for in Slaver’s Bay.

Remember who you are, Daenerys. The dragons know. Do you?

This line means much more in the context of Dany’s journey of self-realization than the show ever bothered to address. Through her entire arc Dany is struggling to place herself. She’s caught between the ‘Last Targaryen’ - the rightful ruler of Westeros set to take back the Throne stolen from her family by scheming enemies; and the Mother and Queen of the freed slaves of Slaver’s Bay who look to her to destroy a society which has progressed on the strength of broken bones of slaves. Beyond it all she is the Mother of Dragons - which brings all the boys to her yard. Dorne, fAegon, Victarion and Euron don’t give two hoots about the young girl who overturned the age old practice of slavery - they want her dragons. By the time she’s stumbling across the Dothraki Sea delirious, in pain and hallucinating, she knows not which of these three identities is who she truly is.

The door loomed before her, the red door, so close, so close, the hall was a blur around her, the cold receding behind. And now the stone was gone and she flew across the Dothraki sea, high and higher, the green rippling beneath, and all that lived and breathed fled in terror from the shadow of her wings.

That’s what the show misses. The crux of Daenerys Targaryen isn’t that she HAS dragons, it’s that she IS the dragon. The issue with this interpretation in the show is that to truly take Danerys being the last dragon to it’s intended narrative conclusion, you have to admit that her journey would not, and could not end with her becoming Queen of the 7K. The show turned her magic into a political prop which is entirely incongruous with the world-building elements established by Martin. ASOIAF’s magic doesn’t exist as a plaything and a tool for those desiring power. Magic exists to combat magic. Daenerys Targaryen is a conqueror, a queen and a rescuer but she is also more. (I could go on and on about Dany as the Last Dragon but that would be derailing the intent of this post.)

You are a queen, her bear said. In Westeros. “It is such a long way,” she complained. “I was tired, Jorah. I was weary of war. I wanted to rest, to laugh, to plant trees and see them grow. I am only a young girl.” 

This is not a Dany the show allows us to observe. The Daenerys Targaryen of the show is not allowed to be vulnerable or uncertain or crumble. She’s not allowed to question her purpose and path in the world. After all, how can the most powerful character in the show ever falter? This is where the show takes the easy way out of putting more emphasis on the visual extravaganza - dragons burning down ships and Emilia Clarke walking through flames unscathed are easy crowd pleasers. But these are also just surface level considerations of Dany’s power and importance. She isn’t who she is because she has dragons - she has her dragons because she is who she is. 

But a major point of contention is - who DOES she need to be? See, Dany has always known she’s ‘important’ - in the way political prisoners are important. In the beginning it’s only her family name which holds her value. Her gradual journey from being only symbolically important as a Targaryen, to owning her own narrative as herself is fraught with considerable internal turmoil. The identity Dany cherishes most is that of Mother. Choosing to free the slaves in Astapor and Yunkai is the first decision she takes as a player with power and resources, and this decision has NOTHING to do with her destiny as a Targaryen. You identify a hero by their choices - and it is in this moment, uninfluenced by magic, or a greater power, this young girl sees the horror in a long established custom and CHOOSES to fight it. I would anyway have been invested as Daenerys as a character - but that one action firmly placed her on a pedestal .

In spite of where her destiny may pull her she wants to retain her softer dreams, her yearning for an uncomplicated happiness. At the same time, she’s voluntarily taken on the burden of ruling in Mereen, despite the responsibility very clearly chaining her. At the end of ADWD, her fevered dreams seem to suggest that both her softness and her duty are pulling her away from her true destiny. Dany’s struggles with self revolve around choosing between her identities as the Dragon, the Mother and the Conqueror - I personally subscribe to the belief that Dany ‘finding herself’ would mean realising that her three identities are not separate, but feed into each other to create the Daenerys Targaryen she is meant to be.

The show puts the cart before the horse and ignores the reverberating impact of a piece of Old Valyria being reborn on the shores of the continent where the empire fell. Her trek through the Dothraki Sea once she escapes on Drogon’s back is such a crucial pivot point in her story - it is literally the point where the old Dany is being left behind for who she will ultimately need to become.

And saw her brother Rhaegar, mounted on a stallion as black as his armor. Fire glimmered red through the narrow eye slit of his helm. "The last dragon," Ser Jorah's voice whispered faintly. "The last, the last." Dany lifted his polished black visor. The face within was her own.

After that, for a long time, there was only the pain, the fire within her, and the whisperings of stars.

She woke to the taste of ashes.

The show does make it clear that Dany’s ultimate destiny lies in Westeros - but the Iron Throne can hardly be it. Why will the last dragon be so singularly focused on a crumbling monarchy? Unjustly attacked and exiled and now fighting to retake their ‘rightful’ place - that’s a traditional fantasy storyline and in a purely monarchical power struggle needs neither Dany’s magic nor her dragons. The Iron Throne is such a low bar - what Daenerys attempted in Slaver’s Bay is ten times more difficult and impressive. As of this point in the books Mereen is on the brink of absolute chaos and the situation is much, much more convoluted than the show made it out to be. The political uprising of Mereen was dealt with so laughably on the show - ‘Bring dragons, Burn shit’ doesn’t solve any problems whatsoever but let’s save that for the next part.

Painting Dany’s journey back to Westeros as simply an exiled royal returning to take back what’s theirs removed the poignancy in Dany looking for home in Westeros. There’s this sense of yearning in her desperately looking for a place to belong in a country that’s little more than a fable to her. She tried SO hard to make a home with the Dothraki and to find a place as the ruler of Mereen - but if there’s one takeaway from ADWD it’s that Dany’s fate doesn’t rest in Essos. I expect WoW to be a bloody reckoning, an agonizing choice between Dany’s duty and destiny. The new world order she’s established is far too new and fragile to sustain itself. As we see from Cleon’s ascent in Astapor, evil opportunists exists everywhere, regardless of societal class. To cement her order, Dany and her inner circle need to stay in Mereen for a lengthy period of time. But Westeros is calling - she has to choose. It’s nowhere near as easy as the three Yunkish Masters being the only figureheads, the Greyjoy siblings traipsing into the pyramids with the ships she needs, and alliances falling into her lap just so that D&D don’t need to put in any effort into creating plot and can simply throw spectacular CGI at us.

My point is - you don’t need a dragon (or three) to fight Cersei Lannister and a court jester on ADHD masquerading as Euron Greyjoy (not Pilou, its obvious the dude read the books and expected great things from his character). You do however need them to fulfil the prophecy passed down generations of Targaryens, beginning from Aegon the Conqueror. You do need the last living embodiment of the magic of Old Valyria to combat the foul, unholy magic wielded by the utterly terrifying Euron Greyjoy of the books. The reason Aegon began his conquest of Westeros is beyond mere ambition - and if we go by what Martin himself revealed about his intentions, the Others ARE the final War. We had only 2 episodes in S7 to show Daenerys understanding the gravity of the Night King (godawful mission beyond the Wall and polar bear wights aside) - and then arrives the wrecking ball of S8 with its ‘Northern Independence’ and ‘my Iron Throne’.

The trouble with legendary heroes is this - they save the world for everyone else. Dany defeats all other claimants to the Throne and takes back Dragonstone, King’s Landing and the Seven Kingdoms, as Viserys wanted, and she believes her duty to be. She and Jon lead the Last Alliance against the Great Other. Maybe they win and live happily ever after. Maybe they win, but only after losing everything they hold dear. And maybe they win, and only lose part of themselves. Does that end Dany’s story? Is a Kingdom and a reign what she’s been searching for? Dany’s story only ends when she finds herself in front of that red door again. 

Jon 

It’s an infuriating irony that despite portraying him as MUCH softer than in the books, Jon’s vulnerability is either non-existent in the show, or is turned into a weakness. Where does the show ever dwell on his deep seated issues with identity, duty and survivor’s guilt? Where does the show address the raw power of his love for Arya? And why does the show think that the progression of Hardhome, being fucking murdered AND resurrected, and then Rickon’s death in front of his eyes would NOT leave a lasting mental impact?

To its’ credit, the show did clearly indicate Catelyn’s hatred for Jon. What we didn’t see, and thus don’t have a ready reference for (in the show) is how Catelyn’s treatment affected Jon. In the books though, you can clearly suss out the emotional impact of the years of Jon’s childhood.

He reached the landing and stood for a long moment, afraid. Ghost nuzzled at his hand. He took courage from that. He straightened, and entered the room. 

He stood in the door for a moment, afraid to speak, afraid to come closer. The window was open. Below, a wolf howled. Ghost heard and lifted his head. 

This is at Bran’s bedside when he’s still deep in a coma, with no certainty of whether he will ever wake again. Jon’s leaving for the NW, and this may very well be the last time he ever sees Bran again. Jon loves his little brother with everything he has, yet the overbearing emotion at this moment is his fear of Catelyn Stark.

Keep in mind that every POV hides something or the other from the reader. Thoughts and feelings may seem disjointed as a critical memory which aligns the two is missing. In this case, Jon is actively NOT thinking of any particular incident. Yet his fear is all pervasive. It’s an uncovered wound and it hurts him. We may not know exactly what has happened between Jon and Catelyn in the 14 years leading up to this moment, but Jon’s fear of her is very real. This almost paralyzing fear of Catelyn placed against the overbearing love he feels for Bran at this moment makes this exchange stand out for several reasons, chief amongst which is that Catelyn has left an indelible mark on Jon’s psyche. 

Robb and Bran and Rickon were his father’s sons, and he loved them still, yet Jon knew that he had never truly been one of them. Catelyn Stark had seen to that. 

By the time the moon was full again, he would be back in Winterfell with his brothers. Your half-brothers, a voice inside reminded him. And Lady Stark, who will not welcome you. There was no place for him in Winterfell, no place in King’s Landing either. 

The fear lessens once he leaves the halls of Winterfell, and bitterness takes its place. Jon’s feelings about her are tinged with fury and resentment. He’s long past hoping for affection from her, but what still rankles and will never stop being a source of anger, is that she deliberately tried to sabotage his relationships with others who most definitely were his family. 

Jon’s thoughts make it obvious that he is painfully aware that he doesn’t belong. For an awareness this heavy to be so deeply etched into a young boy’s entire being, the message has to have been reinforced intensely over the entire duration of his life in Winterfell. That’s not compatible with the assumption that Catelyn was only cold and dismissive of him. We don’t see the instances in either Jon’s or Catelyn’s viewpoints in the books, but the inference is all but thrown at us. 

Jon’s growth as a person, a leader and a revolutionary is dependent on his time with the NW just as much as his time with the FF. The show cut out far too many important aspects of his time with the FF, but atleast that part of his journey was treated with more respect than his accomplishments as a man of the NW. (Let me not start on the absolute blasphemy to turn one of the most decisive characters in the entire saga into a dithering, uncertain, meek fool in S8.)

Unlike Dany, Jon has never been important. He has no name, no legacy to uphold, no shoes to step into. All he has are his natural abilities - his startlingly accurate powers of perception for someone so young, his capacity for taking feedback to change for the better and his razor sharp practical intelligence. The text seems to suggest that Jon was indirectly forced to downplay his abilities due to his status - besting Robb was just not done.

With her deep blue eyes and hard cold mouth, she looked a bit like Stannis. Iron, he thought, but brittle. She was looking at him the way she used to look at him at Winterfell, whenever he had bested Robb at swords or sums or most anything. Who are you? that look had always seemed to say. This is not your place. Why are you here? 

It’s at the Night’s Watch that Jon first starts to become someone more than Ned Stark’s bastard - in his OWN estimation. The world will continue to see only a bastard and Ned Stark’s shame, but its here that Jon learns to accept and move beyond it. It’s in the yard of the NW training yard that Jon receives his first harsh lesson about himself - he’s lording the privilege of his castle education over boys far less fortunate than him. It’s at the NW that he has the opportunity to use his abilities. It’s here that Jon finds his calling as the champion of the misfits, the ill-begotten, the unwanted and the reviled. He becomes the de-facto trainer of the boys Alliser Thorne deems beneath his dignity. He’s the one convincing Maester Aemon of Sam’s worth as his squire. And it’s at the NW that Jon first begins forming his opinion of the wars of the south - something which he will carry till the end. 

When dead men come hunting in the night, do you think it matters who sits the Iron Throne?

The staggering impact of his experience in the NW to his character is an essay in itself. For the purposes of this post, suffice to say that without the NW Jon would never have grown to the position to have an impact on the greater story. As of ADWD, the Wall under Jon’s leadership has become somewhat of a rallying ground - hosting a King, a highborn Northern lady looking for deliverance and support, as well as the center for revitalizing the Watch, rebuilding the Wall and rekindling hope in the North.

At some point after his resurrection in the show, Jon’s portrayal starts edging over into the ‘noble, sacrificial hero’ archetype. This wouldn’t necessarily have been a BAD thing – if this ‘goodness’ and ‘nobility’ didn’t come at the expense of Jon’s overall characterization.

His ‘goodness’ comes in the form of forgiving Sansa for keeping the Vale army secret and keeping her as his closest confidant. This so-called goodness of heart is rank naivete the sharply perceptive and observant book!Jon would have been stupefied at. Jon knows to judge people by their actions – and Sansa’s actions made it obvious that she’s playing her own game and considers her brothers’ lives expendable collateral. The Jon who understood the heaviness of the mantle of leadership well enough to cultivate distance from even his closest friends in the NW would NEVER have allowed Sansa so close.

The ‘honourable’ show!Jon allows his Lords and his sister to question and challenge him openly. The ‘noble’ King Jon has to explain himself before undertaking a journey to gain a potential ally - the only possible ally against a War the North seems unwilling to believe despite the reports of the dead having been around since S1. The honest son of Ned Stark cannot lie to his House’s greatest living enemy. Lord Commander Jon would sooner have jumped off from the top of the Wall than take these decisions. He’s aware of the nature of power and authority, and that more than holding a position its important to make those around you believe you hold power. Power can do great good - but it is also fickle. 

Despite the NK and the AoTD being turned into a cosmic farce in the last season, the show did quite a good job of building up the horror, menace and sense of doom in the previous seasons. Hardhome is prime example of why the show was once the pinnacle of television – and what Jon saw there, coupled with the utter failure of his mission to evacuate all the FF would have pushed Jon to the brink of insanity anyway. From what we know of Jon, he carries the deaths of his father, Robb, Bran, Rickon and Winterfell close to him. Compound the steadily growing pressure of that loss with the fact that he loses Grenn, Pyp and Ygritte in the same night. Three of the people most important to Jon but a loss he was never given the time to process as Stannis’s army arrives the very next day. He’s still carrying this heaviness when Hardhome happens, and Jon is exactly the kind of man to blame himself for the people he was unable to evacuate. Not to mention, this is the first time he sees the Night King RAISE the dead – this is the point where the true power of the enemy is fully revealed. That was existential horror at its most visceral and not a sight a man is likely to forget, least of all a man who’s trying his best to create the only resistance.

Let’s forego the changed circumstances of Jon’s murder in the show and consider the act as is – Jon does the right thing, knows he’s doing the right thing and is betrayed and murdered for it. He’s dead and then he’s not and while he’s still struggling with resurrection, betrayal and the memories of Hardhome, Sansa arrives and he’s in the middle of the quest to retake Winterfell. It’s traumatic experience upon traumatic experience, a never-ending series of emotional turmoil with no outlet or time to grieve. This is the only reason I see Jon’s actions at the Battle of Bastards being true to his mental condition in the show – having Rickon die right in front of him when his little brother was pretty much the only reason he was able to gather the mental strength for the campaign would have unhinged him to the point of that ridiculously suicidal move.

But see that’s the last time we see any strong emotion from Jon. He seemed mentally and emotionally exhausted in the Winds of Winter episode, and that’s understandable but only at THAT point. That kind of exhaustion sets in only once you’re done with your battles and Jon’s true battle was just beginning. It’s just never acknowledged – when in truth he would barely have a handle on his temper and would be obsessed with the NK to the point of delirium. We apparently can’t have a functional main hero with his emotions all over the place, gathering the strength to do what must be done while falling apart inside. Or if we DO show him as someone struggling with himself, it’s to paint him as someone too weak to see the truth. Someone too blinded by love who should never have been in charge in the first place. 

Heroes are strong, brave, just and honourable. They are powerful and commanding and inspiring. And at the very core of it all, heroes are human. Wish the show had remembered that.

[ballerinaroy]

Tagged by @thebiwholived (omg I’ve never told you but literally my fav username ever)

Rules: tag 9 people you’d like to know better

Top 3 friendships:

Harry, Ron, and Hermione

Ann and Leslie 

Troy and Abed 

honorable mention: my book club

Lipstick or chapstick?: Chapstick

Last song: Dress by Sylvan Esso

Last movie: Onward? Avengers Infinity Wars? 

Reading: Gone Girl (just finished. omg I need to talk to someone about this book)

3 random things that make me happy:

finally moving back to the city

the album Scratch My Back by Peter Gabriel 

spending the day in the sun with good company 

@wallopthewicked @warriorlid14 @insufferableknowit-all @dameintoyland @magic-girl-in-a-muggle-world @abradystrix// anyone who wants it!

[triz-costa]

Game of Thrones Fic Rec

Game of Thrones

The Conspiracy of Ice and Fire by aspirantwriter (Chapters 57/58; Jonerys, Gendrya)

“What if the three White Knights, guarding the Tower of Joy knew of Ned Stark's search for his sister. What if they were able to meet him in secret and concoct a plan to keep the new-born King safe until he could reclaim his rightful throne. Jon (Aegon Targaryen) grows up, helped by a small group that secretly prepares Westeros for the restoration of the Targaryen dynasty. As he comes of age, Jon gradually takes charge of his own destiny.This is a Jon-centric story where he claims his birthright and has dragons. Daenerys' life is vastly different compared to canon. She will meet Jon without having conquered Essos and has a long way to go before becoming a dragonrider in her own right. Endgame however will be a happy Jonerys riding dragons together and ruling as equals.“

Fire, Blood and Singer by Bad Ass Female Fighter (fem!Jon/male!Dany; Chapters 17/?)

“ Fem!Jon x Male!Dany AU: After defeating the Lannisters, Lyra Stark, born Lyaerys Targaryen, becomes Queen of Westeros. Yet the crown weighs her down as she does her everyday routine. Things become even mere difficult when word reaches her that Aegon Stormborn arrives at Dragonstone with the intention of claiming the Throne. Can these two find common ground, or will they fall? “

The Unseeing Queen by Bad Ass Female Fighter (fem!Jon/male!Dany; Chapters 11/?)

“ Gender Swap AU: Fem!Jon & Male!Daenerys story. What if upon her resurrection, there was an unintended side effect that took something away from Lyra, yet made her stronger as a warrior. He returned to Westeros to claim his birthright, but is that all he wants to have for himself when he meets the Northern Queen? Note: This starts from 7x03 and onward. “

Dragon Wolf by DJFireHawk (fem!Jon; Chapters 6/?)

“ Fem!Jon Snow. This will only loosely follow the show with a lot of changes, though some major events will still have to happen. No Wall. Before heading to King's Landing Ned tells his "bastard" daughter the truth of her birth and the King has her legitimized as a Stark. Visenya Snow, born Visenya Targaryen, becomes Visenya Stark and Westeros will never be the same. “

The Princess and the Bastard by ArielChelby (Chapters 19/?; Jonerys)

“Jon learns the truth before he takes his vows and sets out to Pentos to meet his true family. There, he meets Dany who is weeks away from being wed to Khal Drogo. How different could things have gone if they had found each other in the beginning? Or Jon and Dany join the War of the Five Kings. With dragons...

Also, there is a NEW discord free from trolls. Everyone is welcome. https://discord.gg/GAwEsZ9“

My Father’s Son by Longclaw_1_6 (Chapters 40/?; Rhaegar/Elia; Rhaegar/Lyanna; Elia/Lyanna/Rhaegar)

“ Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen is living a lie. Lying to the world about his father's fitness to rule. Lying to his family over his desires. Lying to himself of what he truly wants. But as his father descends into the ever increasing grip of madness, Rhaegar is looped into a scheme. Forced to marry the daughter of Lord Stark of Winterfell. A Nightmare soon becomes a dream as Lyanna Stark comes into his life, not only bringing love and warmth to the once brooding Prince, but breathing new life into his strained relationship with his wife Princess Elia Martell. Becoming the three heads of the dragon as told by prophecy. But such happiness is fleeting, and soon the Prince will be forced to confront the lies he has told himself from the very beginning. For both Lyanna and Elia fans. “

The Heart of the Blessed by BRuh4, Longclaw_1_6 (Chapters 36/?; Jonerys)

“With a simple bending of the knee, Jon is made a Stark by Stannis Baratheon, pledging himself to Stannis at Castle Black. His new identity fuels him to seek justice for his massacred family but also sets into motion to a fateful confrontation with the invading Dragon Queen.Jonerys.Collaboration with Longclaw, idea spawned after Season 8 became a dumpster fire. We are using this as a springboard to the ending us fans deserve.“

[stovmborn-arc]

     continued from here       ———         @jorah--the-andal​.  ♡

“ i will be firm. ”  amethysts locked against his own sincere hues for a moment, reaffirming the advice that he had given her. soon though, they found themselves turning back to balerion the black dread, also defying his guidance in a way.  “ but i will not be feared  –––  that is a mistake that my father made. and it is the same mistake that cersei lannister made. ”

the targaryen had dreamt of this moment for what felt like years  …  for every city she had conquered in essos, hope had been instilled along with freedom. that was exactly what she planned on bringing to westeros, beginning with northern independence. she could not grant liberty to each kingdom that made up the remaining six kingdoms, otherwise she would have nowhere left to rule. to her advantage however, dorne and the iron islands as well as every other place within westeros seemed to hand over themselves to her. for too long, kings and queens had argued over freedom and now, a just ruler had come to break the wheel. the iron throne now belonged to her, to house targaryen as viserys had once promised that it would. and she would set everyone free from the chains that the cersei lannister’s of the world had once put them in. they were free of one tyrant and daenerys stormborn would not be another.

finger tips fumbled for themselves  ;  a pride glazing over her lilac hues at the decision made between them to place the remnants of the dragon’s bones. when jorah had fallen in battle, she was terrified that she would have to do this alone. but by her side, as he had sworn to her, they had taken kings landing. no innocents had died and she had fulfilled her wishes in the capital remaining intact. drogon and rhaegal both had a new home to acclimatise themselves too, much like the dragons before them had done. staggering onward, allowing her fingertips to graze over the scorpion’s that had been built to take her children down as they soared from the skies, a lump formed within her throat. features hardened, smile disappeared as she quickly snapped her palm back to her own body.   “ i want each and every one burned to ashes. the plans included of how they were made, how they were constructed burned too. ”

[asoiafdrabbles]

II.46

With his firstborn child staring up at him with eyes it shouldn't have, Jon Baratheon's entire world falls apart. 

Margaery/Jon (Nearly Everyone Survives the Rebellion AU)

Jon stared at the babe, feeling sick.

"Your great-grandmother," Margaery rushed to say, gripping their son desperately, "she was a Targaryen. That could--"

He laughed, and the sound was broken, fragile. Madness, he thought, hysteria building, there's madness in my blood.

"It's not that and you know it's not. That--our enemy was right."

For almost all his life the deposed King-Across-the-Sea, the Targaryen that had abducted his mother, had claimed Jon was his son. Nothing his mother said or did, none of his father's assurances, had stopped the lizard's insistence.

And he'd been right the whole time.

"I'm not a Baratheon. He's," Jon looked at their son, tears coming to his eyes, "he's not. By the gods, Marge, when father--when the King finds out--"

They were at Highgarden, the only boon in this situation. Margaery had asked to give birth in the comfort of her childhood home and his father had given them leave, though reluctantly. The midwife, the maester, all of the servants around them were the Tyrell's. They would put the blood of their liege before Robert Baratheons, especially as many still held some loyalty to the Targaryens--one of the reasons Jon had married the sole daughter of the Lord of the Reach to begin with.

His father--his supposed father--would not be running through the halls ready to murder the dragonspawn in their midst here.

"I will call for my family," Margaery said, finally, her voice the silk-wrapped steel he had grown to love. "Grandmother and Willas will be able to help us in this. If only it was the hair...we could have dyed the hair...."

But of course, when the rest of the Tyrells arrived, after Margaery cleaned up and the wetnurse fed their son, things got even worse for Jon. They wanted his son on the throne, their blood on the throne, and knew that King Robert would never allow it.

Rhaegar, though, could be persuaded. His eldest son was still his heir, but had only two daughters. The general mirth in the room made Jon feel sick.

Had his mother lied? he wondered as he blocked out his good-family's plotting. Had she known all along or simply hoped he was Robert's?

His parents had never gotten along well, but they had worked on it. Robert slept around, but was careful of bastards. Lyanna had hobbies that were frowned upon in a highborn woman, but with the king's full consent. They both loved Jon and mourned the fact she couldn't have anymore children.

Robert had no trueborn children. Only two bastards, as far as Jon knew. Stannis had a daughter. Renly had no children, would never have any children.

The Tyrells were right, this could be the end of Robert's reign.

Jon's stomach lurched and he stood, leaving the room without bothering with excuses. When Rhaegar found out...he could only imagine how much gloating there would be.

From the first moment they'd met, Rhaegar had treated him as though he were a rebellious child. Sometimes perhaps even a fool.

In the brief battles, when none of the Targaryen loyalists would lay a finger on Jon except...except his brother, he supposed, now, feeling sicker still. His older brother, who enjoyed knocking him around but never seriously injuring him. Who would sometimes go so far as to lecture Jon on his footwork or grip right there in the battlefield. Who had always believed their father about Jon's identity.

In the attempts at negotiation, Rhaegar would insist Jon be acknowledged as a Targaryen and given to his 'rightul' family. It would never happen, no negotiator Robert sent, and certainly not Jon Arryn when he attended, would ever agree to such nonsense. Jon was Robert's heir, his only son, and even if he'd had a dozen more Robert would never make such a concession to Rhaegar.

There were books in Essos that called Jon "Aemon Targaryen" and listed him as Rhaegar's youngest son, legitimized by the rightful king, and called Robert his step-father. He'd seen some of them in his travels, full of morbid curiosity that Uncle Stannis or Uncle Benjen could not dissuade him from. The maesters would be so upset that those were the correct ones.

"Jon?"

He turned, realizing he'd made it to a garden and halfway through its small maze without even noticing. And there was Uncle Renly, looking at him in concern.

"Did something happen? Is the babe...?"

Jon stared. He had no idea what the Tyrells had decided on, if they were going to pretend his son had not lived in order to hide him. And Renly...what side would he fall on? He resented both his brothers and had always been good to Jon, and was so close to Loras, but family, blood, would surely come first.

"I...it's...I don't know," he finally decided on. "They're seeing to him now."

Watching Renly's face crumple at the thought his child could be dying, Jon desperately wished he could trust him. Maybe he'd find out soon. Maybe he'd find out he hadn't lost everyone.

"Can I...can I ask you a question?"

Renly put on one of his calm masks, the sort he war at court, and nodded, motioning Jon to come closer. "Of course you can."

He licked his lips, sitting down on the bench beside Renly and cataloging, despite himself, all the differences between them. If he'd looked just a bit less like his mother no one would have ever believed he was Robert's, surely, he was nothing like Renly and the brothers were so alike.

"Have you...heard anything new about the Targaryens?"

At that, Renly's eyes narrowed. "If you're worried that they might try something, if you have an heir--"

"I, yes, and...other things. I just wanted to know. After the last time I went to Essos, father hasn't told me anything."

The last time, a routine trip to speak with the Iron Bank, and a not-so-routine kidnapping attempt. He'd been ready for something, but not for the Sword of the Morning to try to make off with him. Robert had been spitting mad when he'd returned home and told him.

Margaery had just found out she was pregnant and had made him promise to stay put until the baby came, playing the part of dutiful wife.

Renly frowned, thinking. He was on the Small Council, but he rarely bothered attending. Most of what he knew came from going on hunts with the King or gossiping with courtiers.

"Just the usual. They're still slowly conquering Essos from their so-called Valyria and claiming Westeros as theirs. Stannis is worried they'll be making an attempt on the Stepstones soon and we all know Dorne would welcome them with open arms if they did."

Jon nodded. Valyria...the city they'd founded. Restored. If he had to run with his son, if the Tyrells couldn't protect him...he'd go to Dorne and then from there onward to Valyria.

He hated knowing how smug Rhaegar would look when Jon showed up with a purple-eyed babe of his own.

"Thank you, uncle. I should...go check again."

"I'll go with you, Jon."

Renly's arm around his shoulder gave Jon strength, it was all he could do not to fold into his hold, but he managed to pull away. "No, thank you. I...Margaery doesn't like to be seen when she's not at her best."

The appeal to vanity was enough to convince Renly and Jon was stalking back in the direction he came, heart hammering in his chest.

Margaery was still meeting with her family, but their son had been placed in their rooms. He was a tiny thing, with a few strands of dark hair and those horrible eyes.

"What should we call you?" he muttered to the boy, who could only stare up towards him.

They'd been planning on Steffon for a boy, but Jon could hardly do that, now. Rickard, perhaps, would not be a claim to a family he did not have, but...but if the boy were to be a Targaryen king....

He could be like Jon, he supposed, with a name from both sides of the family. But even now that he knew it wasn't a mad lie, he still didn't like that idea for himself, let alone his son. He did not want another child to feel like he was feeling now, so torn over...everything.

"Rickard for now," he muttered, finally. "Or perhaps it should be Torrhen?"

Margaery's mirthless laugh let him know she had entered.

"We're to pretend like he's sickly, that no one can see him."

"It will give us an excuse not to return when we normally would have," Jon agreed, shoulders slumping at the thought of the Red Keep, of home.

"...Willas has a way to send word to King Rhaegar."

"You're always so careful not to call him 'King' at court. Was that just for show?"

"Jon. Have I ever done anything to make you think I'm disloyal to you?"

He looked up, eyes narrowing, searching her words for the Tyrell doublespeak she was so good at. "Have you suspected all along? That you were marrying a dragon, not a stag?"

She hesitated just long enough for him to have his answer, and she knew it. "You wouldn't believe me if I had told you. And what would you have done, if it were some other woman who gave birth to a Targaryen babe? If it was someone like Sansa or Myrcella?"

That, he knew, could have been a disaster.

"Was this just your grandmother's plan or was it Rhaegar's?"

Again, she hesitated, and he felt sick. As crown prince, he was used to people trying to use him, to manipulate him, but he had never suspected it would go this far.

"You are the mother of my child," he said, finally, "but do not think I will forgive you for this."

There were tears in her eyes to match the tears in his, but he could not care. His entire life had been a lie and it seemed like almost everyone around him had known.

Notes: I imagine this as Rhaegar surviving the Trident but it still being a brutal defeat for the Targs. He returns to the Red Keep and just basically ignores his father and takes the rest of his family to Dragonstone. Then after King's Landing falls they go on to Essos. Since he's an adult and a proven leader/warrior, and has like half of Westeros wanting him back as king, he gets much easier support than Viserys and Daenerys did.

Kinda like with the Blackfyre Rebellions there's wars and battles on and off throughout the kingdoms, but Robert doesn't have a firm enough hold to punish the loyalists the way he'd like. Meanwhile part of gaining enough power and leverage to take back his throne is Rhaegar re-founding Valyria and conquering parts of Essos from it, recreating the freehold, basically.

For the Baratheon stuff: the timeline was different, like when and in what order, and Jon wasn't conceived until maybe a month before Robert came to "free" Lyanna. So she basically had 'celebratory sex' with him in order to make sure if she had conceived with Rhaegar that no one could know and...it worked. Jon was "premature," but it was a really hard pregnancy on Lyanna and she almost dies, so no one really thinks anything of it. Jon has dark hair, so he's not as obviously not-Baratheon as Cersei's kids and also Robert tried to cut back on bastards (I imagine he mostly sleeps with professionals) for Lyanna's sake.