U N D E R F O O T @a-feast-for-wolves - Tumblr Blog

day twenty-seven: underrated moments

Their road was a crooked series of stone steps carved into the mountainside, but the mules knew every inch of it. Alayne was glad of that. Here and there the stone was shattered from the strain of countless seasons, with all their thaws and freezes. Patches of snow clung to the rock on either side of the path, blinding white. The sun was bright, the sky was blue, and there were falcons circling overhead, riding on the wind.

Up here where the slope was steepest, the steps wound back and forth rather than plunging straight down. Sansa Stark went up the mountain, but Alayne Stone is coming down. It was a strange thought. Alayne II - AFFC

spectrum-color

New theory: Ice will be reforged and given to Jon when he becomes the King in the North. Renewed will be the blade that was broken and the crownless will again be king. I apologize in advance for the length.

Reasoning: Jon as KitN is almost certainly happening. The show made a mess of that plotline by making everyone collectively decide he should be because he’s awesome and technically Ned Starks offspring (so they think at least,) but in actuality, Robb named him as heir in his will. By legitimizing him, he also put him on top of the line of succession as the oldest male. There is tons and tons of foreshadowing from the very beginning of the series that Jon will be a king (Lord Commander Mormonts raven even calls him king.) I don’t really see him as King of the Seven Kingdoms because I’m not confident that position will even exist at the end of the series, and even if it does his character is strongly tied to the North.

I think he will die, spend some time living in Ghost (GRRM is a big fan of Realm of the Elderlings and Fitz manages to escape death by swapping his consciousness into a wolf,) and be resurrected, likely by Melisandre. “Kill the boy and let the man be born” were Jon’s arc words for aDwD, and I do think that was foreshadowing and he will come back much fiercer, fitting his legacy as the blood of the dragon and the wolf. His first action will probably be to march to Winterfell to retake it from the Boltons. At this point, the Chekhovs gun of Robb’s will is going to come into play. By law, he is king. Of course what will happen when he discovers Ramsays bride “Arya” is a fake and the real one still missing will be very interesting, but that is another topic entirely. At this point Ice comes in.

It’s a common misunderstanding that GRRM is dismissive of Lord of the Rings because of the famous “what was Aragorns tax policy” quote. He actually reveres Tolkien and I think he’s going to borrow the Anduril storyline from him. Aragorn is the descendant of a lost royal family who had been living as a ranger (hmmm.) When the great evil from the distant past returns (hmmmm,) he embarks on a journey to destroy this evil once and for all and uses the shards of his families ancestral sword to recreate it and reclaim his throne (HMMMM.) This sounds a LOT like someone we know. Jon more than any other character borrows a lot from other fantasy protagonists, like Aragorn, the aforementioned Fitzchivalry Farseer, or Simon Snowlock from Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn (this is a great series that you should read and was also a huge inspiration for aSoIaF.)

As for what happens beyond this, I honestly don’t know for sure. I do think Jon will play a key role in defeating the Others and survive the series but I am not sure what his ultimate fate will be. The big question mark is what happens when his parentage is discovered. How many people will find out? Identity is a major theme in the series; will he become known as Aemon Targaryen (I can’t get over a young Jon playing with Robb saying “I’m Prince Aemon the Dragonknight” because GRRM loves burying meaningful hints like that, not to mention some of the parallels with the historical Aemon, Naerys, and Aegon and Jon, fArya, and Ramsay) or Jon Stark? How will the War for the Dawn be won? How much will Westeros change in its aftermath? The theory I think is most likely is that he and his cousin Arya become the King and Queen of the North (“you will marry a king and rule his castle”) but I am not going to pretend I know for sure because it depends on a lot of factors.

intheairwewilllookmonstrous

anyways, Rhaegar Targaryen was canonically an informed scholar, an admired artist, and a notable warrior, remembered with respect and admiration by most people who knew him, and if you think his children wouldn't have looked up to him and yearned for his approval, no matter which would have been their own interests, you're just projecting

vivacissimx

this has always been a pet peeve of mine when it comes to rhaegar characterizations in fandom.

children do grapple with the legacies of their parents, of course, but jumping to 'i hate rhaegar and his children would too' is a leap. we have enough evidence to piece together how rhaegar approached parenthood, from the names he chose for his children that considered their potential future legacy (rhaenys: queen rhaenys, famous patron of arts and culture both of which rhaegar held in high esteem, and rhaenys TQWNW, a fearless dark-haired targaryen princess - aegon: "what better name for a king?"), to the fact that he wrote lullabies for them ("[when he played] you could not but feel that [rhaegar] was singing of himself and those he loved"), to the fact that rhaenys named her black kitten balerion.

when tywin says rhaenys hid under her father's bed "as if rhaegar could still protect her," (emphasis mine) we know tywin was present when rhaenys was first presented to court - and that aerys spoke disparagingly of her ("smells dornish")/rhaella welcomed her. what rhaegar was protecting her from to begin with is obvious. the tourney of harrenhal happened a year later.

when rhaegar left for the trident, elia was held hostage against the martells (aerys, in his paranoia, even ordering the KG assigned to protect her to join the fight), rhaenys and aegon were kept hostage as well - likely against rhaegar, who aerys had long suspected of treason. it isn't an accident that the first time rhaegar fights is when his own family are at stake, and that he retains a few kingsguard in a secret location to be on his side when he returns to "make changes [he] meant to make [...] long ago." jaime was assigned their safety with rhaegar knowing aerys couldn't harm jaime or else risk losing tywin, and, well, we know how that ended.

it's clear from the little information we have that rhaegar thoughtfully approached parenthood, and considered the implications on his children when attempting to remove aerys. i'm not saying it would be rainbows and sunshine had all the children lived, because parent-child relationships are often complex, but the foundation was very much love and care.

jackoshadows

What is one asoiaf fanon that you hate?

Definitely the fanon that Jon is an idiot. It annoys me to no length that one of the most intelligent teenagers in the books is turned into an idiot that needs hand holding to make the most basic of decisions. It's prevalent a lot - fanfiction, incorrect quotes, jokes and the show is responsible in many ways for pushing this fanon. There’s a reason for why Kit Harington loathes the ‘You know nothing’ phrase that’s been memed to death.

In a lot of ways Jon and Dany's ADwD arcs are the equivalent of Tyrion's ACoK arc and considering their ages and the challenges they face, I would say that Jon and Dany are two of the smartest characters in the series. Jon is over there dealing with Kings and Bankers and he is 17. Tyrion is 24 in ACoK

Murderbaby Arya is a close second for fanons I despise.

gayleonofcuy-deactivated2025031

Chewing their lip to avoid difficult questions

“Do you think your brother’s war is more important than ours?” the old man barked. Jon chewed his lip. The raven flapped its wings at him. “War, war, war, war,” it sang.

-AGoT

"How is it that you come to own a sword, Arya? Where did you get this?“ Arya chewed her lip and said nothing. She would not betray Jon, not even to their father.

-AGoT

olosta-deactivated20220417

Manuel Bujados, La Esfera, October 1915

gayleonofcuy-deactivated2025031

Having More Courage Than Sense

"I am no lord, sire. You came because we sent for you, I hope. Though I could not say why you took so long about it.” Surprisingly, Stannis smiled at that. “You’re bold enough to be a Stark."

-Jon scolding a king, one-upped by...

“You should have saved him,” she scolded the tree. “He prayed to you all the time. I don’t care if you help me or not. I don’t think you could even if you wanted to.”

...Arya scolding an actual god.

brideoffires-deactivated2023042

I just realized that every action of revenge Daenerys has undertaken has been as a mother:

When she killed Mirri Maz Duur, it’s both because she needed a sacrifice for the ritual to birth the dragons and because MMD killed her unborn, innocent child, Rhaego.

When she crucified the 163 Meereneese noblemen, she did so as “Mhysa”, to avenge the 163 slave children who were butchered by the Meereneese elite.

When she allowed the daughters of the wineseller to be tortured, she did so because of her fury at Rhylona Ree’s death.

When she kills Mago and Jhaqo, she will do so to avenge Eroeh, a child, and then she will unite the Dothraki into one herd at the MOTHER of Mountains.

“They are afraid for their children,” Reznak said. Yes, Daenerys thought, and so am I. “We must keep them safe as well. I will have two children from each of them. From the other pyramids as well. A boy and a girl.” (Daenerys II, ADWD)

Revenge has never been about a lust for power, megalomania, or a trumped up sense-of self. Revenge for Dany has always been contextualized by her identity as a mother, and how her sense of love, justice, and compassion are inherently centered around her motherhood. Whether she’s saving people or holding people accountable (sometimes ruthlessly), it’s ALWAYS been about her children––Rhaego, her dragons, her Khalasar, the freedmen. Always.

kitsn0w

#battlefield ballerina (requested by anonymous)

kitsn0w

+ s8 addition:

kitsn0w

kitsn0w: kitsn0w: #battlefield ballerina (requested by anonymous) + s8 addition:

#damn #jon snow really is a boss

jroahn

Stark kids

gaya-the-k

Korean Daenerys (because why not)

" I am Daenerys Stormborn, daughter of dragons, bride of dragons, mother of dragons. Don't you see? Don't you SEE?"

- Daenerys, AGOT

( Inspired by the royal outfit of Silla )

gaya-the-k

All the dragon babies :p

#daenerys targaryen #incredible #ASoIaF #asoiaf fanart #dany

daisyedens

If you blame Sansa (who is a child herself) for Mycah not getting justice then why the hell aren't you holding Robert Baratheon & Ned Stark, two men in that situation who are meant to be the most powerful men in the realm, who do nothing about Mycah's death accountable? Both men knew Joffrey was lying. And yet they do nothing about the fact that an innocent child was killed. They have the means & power to do something about how Mycah was killed by the Hound, and attacked by Joffrey. Yet they do nothing. Robert is more interested in drinking, and Ned is in the middle of his investigation. The most Ned does for Mycah is when he rightfully tells Arya it wasn't her fault what happened. But comfort isn't the same as justice. Ned's desire to bring down the Lannisters is more about avenging Jon Arryn & protecting Robert, than about Mycah.

melodyherwholelifelong

Cat catching Valyrian steel with her bare hands to protect her son is the most badass thing ever.

vardaelcntari

Five central characters will make it through all three volumes, however, growing from children to adults and changing the world and themselves in the process. In a sense, my trilogy is almost a generational saga, telling the life stories of these five characters, three men and two women."The five key players are Tyrion Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen, and three of the children of Winterfell, Arya, Bran, and the bastard Jon Snow,