AVRORA

[vsnspring]

DAENERYS WANTS EQUALITY FOR EVERYONE On the cover of ADWD for Brazil, I placed Daenerys at the top of the Meyering Pyramid ladder. Undoubtedly, I was unconsciously influenced by the series. And George told me that DAENERYS WANTS EQUALITY FOR EVERYONE, SHE WANTS TO BE ON THE SAME LEVEL AS HER PEOPLE, so I made her come down to maintain consistency" — Mark Simonetti https://www.lagardedenuit.com/interview-de-marc-simonetti-2018/

And there's a reason this is important, because thrones and what they symbolize are a cross—cutting theme in the Daenerys books. Even when it's "unbecoming of a queen," Daenerys prefers a simple bench to a fantasy throne. She does not act in accordance with what is accepted and what is not accepted in society, but strives for equality and simplicity. She sincerely wants equality for everyone, even if it diminishes her own greatness. Even when others believe that a queen should put herself above her subjects, she doesn't.

There's a reason the books keep mentioning her thrones.:

Her waiting room was on the lower level, an echoing room with high ceilings and walls of purple marble. For all its splendor, it was a cool place. There once stood a throne, a fantastic thing made of carved and gilded wood in the shape of a ferocious harpy. She looked at it for a long time and ordered it to be broken into firewood. “I'm not going to sit on a harpy's lap,” she told them. Instead, she sat down on a simple ebony bench. It was convenient, though she could hear the maesters whispering that it was unbecoming of a queen. ― ASOS

Daenerys Targaryen preferred to conduct court sitting on a bench of polished ebony, smooth and simple, covered with cushions that Ser Barristan had found to make her more comfortable. King Hizdahr replaced the bench with two imposing thrones made of gilded wood, the high backs of which were carved in the shape of dragons. The king sat on the right throne with a golden crown on his head and a jeweled scepter in his pale hand. The second throne remained vacant. ― ADWD

Hizdahr's grotesque dragon thrones were removed on Ser Barristan's orders, but he did not return the simple bench with cushions that the queen preferred. Instead, a large round table with high chairs around it was set up in the center of the hall, where men could sit and talk as equals.

https://u.to/mGwcIg 

[salialenart]

Day 5 : Unification

Georgian Daenerys and Jon 🇬🇪

commission for @moonmaidsthief and @mercyalayne

[asoiafdaenerysdaily-archive]

DAENERYS TARGARYEN APPRECIATION MONTH 2022|| Day 15: Embodiment of hope

Daenerys is prophesied to bring exactly what Jorah tells her that the smallfolk pray for (“a summer that never ends”), which just goes to show that she’s the answer to their prayers:

“The common people pray for rain, healthy children, and a summer that never ends,” Ser Jorah told her. “It is no matter to them if the high lords play their game of thrones, so long as they are left in peace.” He gave a shrug. “They never are.” (AGOT, Daenerys III)

~

“Her. Daenerys?”

Haldon nodded. “Benerro has sent forth the word from Volantis. Her coming is the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy. From smoke and salt was she born to make the world anew. She is Azor Ahai returned … and her triumph over darkness will bring a summer that will never end … death itself will bend its knee, and all those who die fighting in her cause shall be reborn … (ADWD, Tyrion VI)

Freya Allan as book!Daenerys Targaryen

[lizzie-queenofmeigas]

I am a bit concern how much the fandom seems — I don’t want to use this term “eager” — very accepting to the idea that the orphan, penniless child is destined to murder innocent people, despite the compassion and kindness that is the established focal point of her character. Feminists in the 1970’s were denouncing the madwoman in the attic trope in Victorian liteature but feminists in 2025 desire a revival of it. I also tend to find that people often ignore the clear 90s-inheirtance in which ASOIAF is based on, where the norm for the savior was a male character, often unaware of their great lineage and power, which Jon clearly fits the bill (and which Martin has used the term “classical hero” before.) No one then or in world would have give Daenerys any inclination that she could be TPTWP or powerful in her own right. Indeed, whenever discussions around her is brought up, it is often the idea of what she could provide for others without full consideration of her own autonomy and personality.

For Robert, it was the fact she could birth more “dragonspawn”, for Viserys, it is an army in which to conquer his father’s throne, for Drogo, it is the ability for her to give him children and serve as his sex slave whenever he desires; for Euron and Young Griff, it is her dragons. This same train of thought tends to be exuberated by the fandom at large with ideas that Jon and potentially Tyrion would claim Daenerys’ dragons. Daenerys is often regulated as the same “gift-tool” often presented in literature where female characters exist to be gifts or tools for the male hero to use to win against the great evil (displayed in story with Nissa Nissa’s sacrifice). There is no real attempt to met out Daenerys’ character at her own, instead the dangers or uses she can provide for other, mostly male characters, with often ideas that she will be put down like a rabid dog because of some “female hysteria” that does not exist and her corpse to be the stepping stone upon which a man can fulfill his destiny.

We are now going back in terms of feminism and equality for all. Humans are becoming more racist, more homophobic, more misogynistic and more idiotic as a whole.

But the ASoIaF fandom for what I have heard (or read) has always been very misogynistic, but it got way worse after GoT. The treatment and understanding of Dany has only been muddied by the idiots who made GoT and people's own brain-rotting misogyny.

It's fucking sick.

[lizzie-queenofmeigas]

It’s also important to realize that Mirri was bound to the pyre of the man whose people had gang raped her and reduced her entire world to ashes. She fought back and was punished for it, condemned to share even her death with the man who had already taken everything from her, her final moments chained to Khal Drogo, as if she were bound to him for eternity. It’s utterly repugnant and obscene.

Now, her end was horrible. But I honestly don't think Dany would have killed her had she only killed Drogo. She literally debates with herself what life is worth, and decides to bring life from Mirri's and Drogo's death (and her own sacrifice)

But as I said before, George needed someone to teach Dany the way to bring forth the dragons. This could have been done in a myriad of ways, most of them which didn't even require Mirri to die.

[marwyn]

This post about Dany hearing a wolf’s howl after Jon’s stabbing reminded me of something that has always struck me as curious: Jon’s first experience of seeing through Ghost’s eyes is directly preceded by a dream in which he is Ghost…but he’s able to howl 🤔

And Bran hears him

[stormcatzs]

“Oh, and flowers for my hair.” ‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚.

Daenerys by yoro_owo on X

[rainhadaenerys]

Sometimes I like to search for my own posts in other sites, especially because my book vs show meta is shared quite a lot. I saw someone share my meta on r/gameofthrones, and without fail, some Sansa stan came to say that I was biased, that I didn’t talk about Dany’s “dark moments” in the books, that show!Dany was actually whitewashed:

Wow. Wow. I am the one that is biased, clearly *sarcasm*. Also notice how this anti doesn’t provide a single book quote to support their wild claims.

“The only reason Dany took Astapor was for an army”

Then why did she free the Unsullied when she didn’t need to? Then why did she delay her invasion of Westeros to stay in Slaver’s Bay freeing slaves? Then why did she refuse Yunkai’s gold, Xaro’s ships, Quentyn’s alliance, all things that would have been given freely to her if she decided to leave, and instead chose to stay to ensure people’s freedom? Also, see this meta:

https://rainhadaenerys.tumblr.com/post/182893726737/tatticstudio55-i-didnt-think-id-have-the#notes

“She was ok with Drogo selling the Lhazareen into slavery, she said it was the price of the Iron Throne”.

Dany was a 14 years old girl who had no experience on war. Antis like to say that Dany convinced Drogo to invade knowing that he was going to enslave people to do it, but this is not an argument supported by the text at all. When Dany asks Drogo to help her take the Seven Kingdoms, no one mentions the need to sell slaves:

The khal’s mouth twisted in a frown beneath the droop of his long mustachio. “The stallion who mounts the world has no need of iron chairs.”

Dany propped herself on an elbow to look up at him, so tall and magnificent. She loved his hair especially. It had never been cut; he had never known defeat. “It was prophesied that the stallion will ride to the ends of the earth,” she said.

“The earth ends at the black salt sea,” Drogo answered at once. He wet a cloth in a basin of warm water to wipe the sweat and oil from his skin. “No horse can cross the poison water.”

“In the Free Cities, there are ships by the thousand,” Dany told him, as she had told him before. “Wooden horses with a hundred legs, that fly across the sea on wings full of wind.”

Khal Drogo did not want to hear it. “We will speak no more of wooden horses and iron chairs.” He dropped the cloth and began to dress. “This day I will go to the grass and hunt, woman wife,” he announced as he shrugged into a painted vest and buckled on a wide belt with heavy medallions of silver, gold, and bronze.

“Yes, my sun-and-stars,” Dany said. Drogo would take his bloodriders and ride in search of hrakkar, the great white lion of the plains. If they returned triumphant, her lord husband’s joy would be fierce, and he might be willing to hear her out. - Daenerys VI ADWD

That’s it. That’s the moment Dany asks Drogo to help her take the Seven Kingdoms. There’s no mentions of selling slaves at all in their conversation. We don’t even know if Dany is aware or not of what taking the Seven Kingdoms is going to take. Given how young and inexperienced she is, it doesn’t seem like she gave much thought about the ugly aspects of war at all. Besides, it’s only after the wineseller tries to poison Dany that Drogo mentions that he will rape women and enslave children in Westeros, and at this point, Dany doesn’t have much of a say, because Drogo didn’t decide to invade Westeros because Dany asked. He decided to invade Westeros because the lives of wis wife (his property) and his son were threatened. This is an affront to his honor, his decision has nothing to do with pleasing Dany, so if she asks him to give up on invading Westeros, he won’t do it (just like he wouldn’t invade Westeros just because he asked). Dany didn’t seem to be aware of what taking Westeros back with Drogo would take, and after she finds out, she doesn’t really have the power to stop it.

And saying that Dany was ok with enslaving the Lhazareen is a blatant lie:

I am the blood of the dragon, Daenerys Targaryen reminded herself as she turned her face away. She pressed her lips together and hardened her heart and rode on toward the gate.

“Most of Ogo’s riders fled,” Ser Jorah was saying. “Still, there may be as many as ten thousand captives.”

Slaves, Dany thought. Khal Drogo would drive them downriver to one of the towns on Slaver’s Bay. She wanted to cry, but she told herself that she must be strong. This is war, this is what it looks like, this is the price of the Iron Throne.

“I’ve told the khal he ought to make for Meereen,” Ser Jorah said. “They’ll pay a better price than he’d get from a slaving caravan. Illyrio writes that they had a plague last year, so the brothels are paying double for healthy young girls, and triple for boys under ten. If enough children survive the journey, the gold will buy us all the ships we need, and hire men to sail them.”

Behind them, the girl being raped made a heartrending sound, a long sobbing wail that went on and on and on. Dany’s hand clenched hard around the reins, and she turned the silver’s head. “Make them stop,” she commanded Ser Jorah. - Daenerys VII AGOT

Dany has little say in what’s happening here, little agency. She is just the wife of the khal, and what he decides is what happens. This is the very first time Dany is seeing the Dothraki attack anyone (before this, she was just traveling through the Dothraki Sea to Vaes Dothrak). And she is horrified by what she is seeing. Antis love to take the line “this is the price of the Iron Throne” out of context, but looking at the context in which the line is said tells us a very different story: when Dany says “this is war, this is the price of the Iron Throne”, she’s not saying it because she’s ok with slavery. Quite the opposite: she hates what she’s seeing, and she says this to convince herself that she doesn’t care, to tell herself to be strong. But it doesn’t work, Dany can’t look past the awful things that she is seeing, and only two paragraphs later, she starts trying to save as many women as she can, in the only way she can: by claiming those women for herself.

By the way, Dany puts herself at a huge risk by trying to protect those women, because she is defying Drogo’s men. When her khas goes to enforce her order, the Dothraki fight, and some men die trying to defend their rights to the spoils of war. Many of the men look at her with cold eyes. These men try to complain to the khal about this, and when Drogo dies and Dany loses the protection of his authority, Dany is in grave danger.

Also see this meta:

https://rainhadaenerys.tumblr.com/post/186687986788/adamparrush-dany-burning-mirri-maaz-duur-alive#notes

“Dany was murdering children in Astapor”

This is just bad reading comprehension, or this person is trying to distort things. Dany didn’t order the killing of children. She ordered only masters and soldiers to be killed, those actively fighting against her to keep slavery. She tell them not to harm any child below 12 to avoid the Unsullied killing innocents. Also, saying “don’t kill anyone under 12″ is not the same thing as saying “kill everyone over 12″, stupid anti.

Also, see this meta:

https://rainhadaenerys.tumblr.com/post/184630644137/hi-i-really-enjoy-your-blog-and-your-meta-i#notes

“Dany didn’t want the entire caravan from Astapor and Yunkai to follow her”

That’s a really dishonest distortion of the facts. This is what Dany actually says:

The raggle-taggle host of freedmen dwarfed her own, but they were more burden than benefit. Perhaps one in a hundred had a donkey, a camel, or an ox; most carried weapons looted from some slaver’s armory, but only one in ten was strong enough to fight, and none was trained. They ate the land bare as they passed, like locusts in sandals. Yet Dany could not bring herself to abandon them as Ser Jorah and her bloodriders urged. I told them they were free. I cannot tell them now they are not free to join me. She gazed at the smoke rising from their cookfires and swallowed a sigh. She might have the best footsoldiers in the world, but she also had the worst. - Daenerys IV ASOS

Dany says that the freedmen are a burden. She is simply stating a fact, the freedmen are a burden. But she refuses to abandon them as her advisors urged, because she freaking cares about them, you idiot.

“The pile of bodies was high when she took Meereen”

Of course the pile of bodies was high! A battle to take the city just happened! Usually, when there’s a battle, people die, and there are bodies. I guess this idiot must think that Jon and Robb won all of their battles without killing a single soul. Let’s just pretend that none of Robb’s victories had any pile of bodies. Like, wow. What kind of argument even was this?

“They don’t talk about the torturing of the wineseller’s daughter”

Another blatantly lie. I do talk about the torture of the wineseller’s daughters in my books vs show meta, let me quote what I wrote here:

4) Then, after Dany executes Mossador in the name of a fair trial, she decides to throw “fair trial” out of the window by feeding one of the slavers to her dragons for revenge. This is something that never happens in the books. The closest we have to a problematic action like this is when Dany allows the wineseller’s daughters to be tortured. But this isn’t anywhere near as dark as feeding people to her dragons, for various reasons: 1) because Dany’s actions in the books are inserted in a context in which torture is seen as a normal and legitimate means of investigation by the society. Dany is not the only one that does this, and even honorable Jon Snow considers throwing Janos Slynt in an ice cell to force him to comply, and later throws Cregan Karstark in one. So Dany’s actions in the books are lawful, while in the show, they are not; 2) because Dany was trying to investigate. She was angry about what happened, but revenge was not the only motivation; 3) in the books, Dany learns a lesson from this and becomes the only ruler in ASOIAF to explicitly forbid torture.

Another thing that makes the dragon feeding scene so bad is that Dany tells the masters that she doesn’t care who’s innocent or not. But book Daenerys does care about it:

“We have no proof this is their work. Would you have me slaughter my own subjects?” – Daenerys IV ADWD

Feeding people to her dragons in the show was a criminal action taken by show Dany, and it was made out of revenge, with show Dany saying that she doesn’t care about innocence. This is very different from Dany in the books, and much much darker.

“They don’t talk about Dany enslaving people once she becomes queen”

I don’t talk about this because this never happened. Dany does allow people to sell themselves back into slavery, but only if they want to, and she very clearly doesn’t want to allow it:

Dany was shocked. “They want to be slaves?”

“The ones who come are well spoken and gently born, sweet queen. Such slaves are prized. In the Free Cities they will be tutors, scribes, bed slaves, even healers and priests. They will sleep in soft beds, eat rich foods, and dwell in manses. Here they have lost all, and live in fear and squalor.”

“I see.” Perhaps it was not so shocking, if these tales of Astapor were true. Dany thought a moment. “Any man who wishes to sell himself into slavery may do so. Or woman.” She raised a hand. “But they may not sell their children, nor a man his wife.” - Daenerys VI ASOS

Dany does this because she thinks it’s for the best. Because people convince her that otherwise, those people will live in fear and squalor. But she makes it very clear that no one is allowed to force another person into slavery. And actually, the majority of the former slaves choose to remain free. I write in more detail about this here:

https://rainhadaenerys.tumblr.com/post/182694132667/do-the-slaves-of-westeros-really-want-danys-help#notes

“They don’t talk about how Dany treated Irri”

You mean how Irri started to have sex with Dany on her own free will without Dany ever asking her? You mean how Dany treats Irri wih dignity, respects her consent, and makes it very clear to Irri that she doesn’t have to have sex with her if she doesn’t want it?

“Should I pleasure the khaleesi?"Dany stepped away from her. "No. Irri, you do not need to do that. What happened that night, when you woke … you’re no bed slave, I freed you, remember? You …” - Daenerys II ASOS

Talk all you want about power difference, but Dany respected Irri’s consent, she treated her with dignity.

See also this meta:

https://rainhadaenerys.tumblr.com/post/187867805480/hiya-mindset-love-your-blog-i-was-reading#notes

And they continued on their bullshit:

They repeat a lot of the stuff I already refuted here, but there are some more:

“Jorah killed Rhaego, not MMD”

Mirri Maz Duur admits she killed Rhaego when Dany accuses her:

Dany gestured at Ser Jorah and the others. “Leave us. I would speak with this maegi alone.” Mormont and the Dothraki withdrew. “You knew,” Dany said when they were gone. She ached, inside and out, but her fury gave her strength. “You knew what I was buying, and you knew the price, and yet you let me pay it.”

“It was wrong of them to burn my temple,” the heavy, flat-nosed woman said placidly. “That angered the Great Shepherd.”

“This was no god’s work,” Dany said coldly. If I look back I am lost. “You cheated me. You murdered my child within me." 

"The stallion who mounts the world will burn no cities now. His khalasar shall trample no nations into dust.” - Daenerys IX AGOT

MMD killed an innocent child for revenge, and to prevent a supposed future. She admits it.

“She said to kill everyone in a tokar, this is every freeborn”

No, the tokar is not worn by every freeborn. The tokar is a master’s garment, and it makes it impossible to work. Those who wore it are only those who have the wealth and power and don’t have to work, aka, the freaking slave masters:

The garment was a clumsy thing, a long loose shapeless sheet that had to be wound around her hips and under an arm and over a shoulder, its dangling fringes carefully layered and displayed. Wound too loose, it was like to fall off; wound too tight, it would tangle, trip, and bind. Even wound properly, the tokar required its wearer to hold it in place with the left hand. Walking in a tokar demanded small, mincing steps and exquisite balance, lest one tread upon those heavy trailing fringes. It was not a garment meant for any man who had to work. The tokar was a master’s garment, a sign of wealth and power. - Daenerys I ADWD

Ugh. Then they went on:

Again, this freaking obsession antis have to convince people that they loooooove Daenerys. I could go on refuting this idiot, but it can be summed up in “You Dany stans can’t see things objectively, I’m the only one that uses logic, blah, blah, blah”. They go on to complain that Dany killed soldiers (none of their faves ever killed soldiers, right?), to say that Dany killed slaves and freed people (no, she didn’t), that you can’t see things in black and white and divide the situation into slavers and slaves (I guess they’re trying to say that Dany is bad for killing some supposedly nice slavers), blah, blah blah.

Sorry if I went off, everyone. This made me really angry. Apparently, I’m the biased one that distorts things, and not this idiot.

[andrew-garfielld]

Daenerys Targaryen (Daemon's vision) in HOUSE OF THE DRAGON S02E08 | "The Queen Who Ever Was"

[rainhadaenerys]

Jon and Daenerys: When Villain Archetypes Become Heroes | Watchers on the Wall | A Game of Thrones Community for Breaking News, Casting, and Commentary

A Game of Thrones Community for Breaking News, Casting, and Commentary

In light of some recent discussion about villain tropes here on Tumblr, I thought I would share this article that talks about the subversion of villain tropes in the stories of Jon and Dany.

[asoiafuniversity]

Daenerys isn’t an archetypal subversion because she bears the moniker of queen and sorceress (ok, I’m stretching a bit by calling her a sorceress, but she does have a special relationship with fire) yet exhibits none of the personality traits associated with those archetypes. She is ambitious, she can be brutal and she is sexually assertive, three things that for a very long time were the unambiguous trappings of a villainess. What’s special about Daenerys is simply that she’s written with the humanity and nuance that – surprise, surprise – female characters weren’t generally afforded in the male-dominated literary traditions that created the archetype in the first place. She is neither on a pedestal nor under foot. She’s neither a virgin nor a whore. She’s just … human.

Compared to Daenerys, Jon is, perhaps, a less obvious villain subversion since he so easily fits the hero archetype, what with his special sword and his secret royal lineage. Still, it’s worth remembering that John the Bastard is the name of the baddie in Much Ado About Nothing. The first time I read A Game of Thrones and reached this description of Robb and Jon –

Jon’s eyes were a grey so dark they seemed almost black but there was little they did not see. He was of an age with Robb but they did not look alike. Jon was slender where Robb was muscular, dark where we was fair, graceful and quick where his half brother was strong and fast … they galloped off down the trail, Robb laughing and hooting, Jon silent and intent. – A Game of Thrones

– it reminded me so strongly of Marvel’s Thor and Loki that I thought Martin was setting Jon up for a tragic villain arc. Of course, my suspicions dissipated as I read on further but it is remarkable just how much of Jon’s upbringing feels like a villain backstory, being raised on the periphery of a family that wasn’t truly his own, side by side with a favored half-brother. And surely, out of context, the image of a dark-haired, black-clad man with a red-eyed wolf inspires more nefarious assumptions than benign. Then, of course, there’s his supposed illegitimate birth. Bastardy may not mean much anymore in the 21st century but, as with female sexuality, many of our archetypes and storytelling conventions remain steeped in the cultural values of long ago. Jon had every excuse to become the villain of the piece and yet he didn’t.

[…]

It’s difficult to address archetypal subversion when we, as a culture, are at such an introspective phase in our storytelling, where it’s no longer groundbreaking if the princess takes the romantic initiative with her prince, if the dragon is written with pathos or if the hero has a dark side. “Witches can be right, giants can be good. You decide what’s right. You decide what’s good.” That lyric from Into the Woods is thirty-one years old.

Still, Jon and Daenerys remain impressive figures who embody so much of what we’ve been conditioned to mistrust. The fact that a dragon queen and a black-clad bastard have risen through the ranks of their own world and developed into the frontrunners and fan favorites of one of the great fantasy epics of our time is pretty remarkable.

[sansa-stark-is-me]

The way the show keeps trying to Daenerys-ify Rhaenyra like we wouldn’t notice is actually insane. Like be serious for two seconds. This is supposed to be a story about the Dance of the Dragons, a brutal civil war where both factions destroy the dragons/their house from the inside. It’s morally gray, and deeply tragic. No chosen ones. No destined saviors. Just ambitious people tearing their own house apart.

And yet somehow the show keeps trying to make Rhaenyra like she’s the Dragon Messiah™. “Queen of Dragons.” Mystical dragon bonding scenes. Multiple dragons responding to her like she’s the dragon whisperer. Constant writing like she’s the one person who understands dragons and destiny. HELLO??? That is literally Daenerys’ narrative template.

Daenerys being special with dragons actually makes sense in her story because her entire arc is mythic. She walks into fire. She hatches dragons from stone. She becomes a legendary figure across continents. Her story intentionally plays with prophecy and the idea of a messianic ruler.

Rhaenyra in the book? None of that exists. She’s not some dragon prophet. She’s not a mystical dragon queen chosen by fate. She’s a political claimant in a succession crisis. Her story is about inheritance law, court factions, family resentment, and a dynasty collapsing under its own contradictions.

But the show keeps stapling Daenerys imagery onto her like a cheap Halloween costume. Next thing you know they’re gonna have the soundtrack swell while someone whispers: “Rhaenyra Stormborn, Breaker of Chains, Mother of Dragons…” Like PLEASE. I’m begging. We already have Daenerys. We do not need Daenerys from Temu. And the funniest part is that the show trying so hard to make Rhaenyra a heroic chosen one actually undermines the entire point of the Dance.

Because the tragedy of the Dance is that no one is the pure hero. The conflict destroys dragons, cities, families, and eventually the Targaryen house itself. The point is that dynastic obsession and civil war ruin everything. But if you turn one side into a dragon messiah narrative, suddenly the story stops being a tragic historical collapse and becomes Team Good Dragon Queen vs Evil Obstacles. Which is… not the story.

And fans will still sit there and swear nothing changed. Meanwhile the show is practically two episodes away from giving Rhaenyra glowing silver eyes while dragons kneel around her like she’s the Khaleesi DLC expansion pack. At this rate I genuinely would not be surprised if Season 3 opens with someone dramatically announcing: “Behold… Rhaenyra, the Mother of Dragons.” And the dragons all roar on cue while the writers pat themselves on the back for inventing Daenerys 2.0 but with less personality and worse writing.

[shesalittlelost]

I think what makes Daenerys so incredibly special to me despite George's orientalism marring her chapters, is that she was also deliberately written as a subversion of gender roles and the tropes that were mostly reserved for male characters in traditional fantasy were being embodied by a female character. For one of the first times. Like people who roll their eyes at her now keep forgetting he came up with her back in the 90s. Nobody was writing women as Messiah like figure main character in their fantasy worlds. It's also just very satisfying to see how within the asoiaf universe, Daenerys's entire existence is a sweet sweet revenge for every Targaryen women who was usurped and forced aside.

[aerltarg]

now, it is known that aegon the conqueror aimed to unite westeros against the threat of the next long night. personally, i do believe that he dreamt about three riders on three dragons fighting the others, and considering how all dany's dragons resemble the dragons of the conquerors, he most likely thought that himself and his sisters were meant to fight off the great threat. and he gave up on conquering dorne exactly when he realised: rhaenys had died, meraxes had died, so a dragon with golden eyes and light scales in his dream just could not be meraxes. there also would be no time for another dragon with similar colouring to grow up in his lifetime, so likewise, it wasn't aegon and balerion in this dream either (it will be dany and drogon instead). it was a dream of the far, far future, where other dragons and other riders were born to bear this responsibility. so, aegon left dorne alone after realising that there was no rush to make them kneel lol, and focused on bringing order into the kingdoms he'd already conquered.

however, i wonder, what about essos?

like yeah, okay, the danger comes from beyond the wall, so uniting westeros first and foremost logically makes sense. but did aegon ever think to conquer essos after that? or forge an agreement with them? or did he think that the seven kingdoms' power was enough? if he ever considered turning to essos next, he most likely just gave up on the whole project like he had with dorne and left it for his successors to deal with.

that's one of the reasons why dany's journey is so important, imo. yes, it's so incredibly significant that she's back where she's closer to her valyrian roots, abolishing slavery that her ancestors helped to spread. it's amazing that she brought dragons back to life where they had originally come from, essos. (it's also a beautiful and absolutely intentional parallel of what was going on in the north, direwolves coming back in the beginning of agot to signify the awakening of the original westerosi magic, and dragons coming back in the end of the agot to signify the awakening of the original essosi magic). but it's also super, super important that she's getting all these connections and followers in essos before heading to westeros. she will unite the dothraki as the stallion who mounts the world, she is That close to finally dealing with this hell that is the slaver's bay, there are people in other free cities that are waiting and rooting for her, there is braavos that never liked slavery anyway.

dany unites essos, dany unites westeros and dany does what other men in her house thought but failed to do: unite the realm of men, all men, and end the ultimate threat to humanity.

now, that's a song of ice and fire we're talking about.

[rainhadaenerys]

This is one of the (many) reasons I think the Stallion Who Mounts The World is just the Dothraki version of the Prince That Was Promised/Azor Ahai prophecy:

"The stallion is the khal of khals promised in ancient prophecy, child. He will unite the Dothraki into a single khalasar and ride to the ends of the earth, or so it was promised. All the people of the world will be his herd." - Daenerys AGOT V

One of the tales of the Long Night in TWOIAF even talks about the importance of uniting people:

Lomas Longstrider, in his Wonders Made by Man, recounts meeting descendants of the Rhoynar in the ruins of the festival city of Chroyane who have tales of a darkness that made the Rhoyne dwindle and disappear, her waters frozen as far south as the joining of the Selhoru. According to these tales, the return of the sun came only when a hero convinced Mother Rhoyne’s many children—lesser gods such as the Crab King and the Old Man of the River—to put aside their bickering and join together to sing a secret song that brought back the day. It is also written that there are annals in Asshai of such a darkness, and of a hero who fought against it with a red sword. His deeds are said to have been performed before the rise of Valyria, in the earliest age when Old Ghis was first forming its empire. This legend has spread west from Asshai, and the followers of R'hllor claim that this hero was named Azor Ahai, and prophesy his return. In the Jade Compendium, Colloquo Votar recounts a curious legend from Yi Ti, which states that the sun hid its face from the earth for a lifetime, ashamed at something none could discover, and that disaster was averted only by the deeds of a woman with a monkey’s tail. - TWOIAF - Ancient History: The Long Night

[fireandbloodsource]

TARGARYEN NOVEMBER 2021 ↳ Day 8: Reign: Jaehaerys I and Alysanne

…Queen Alysanne found a different answer. Having lost a mother, she found solace in a daughter. Though not quite a year and a half old, Princess Daenerys had been talking (after a fashion) since well before her first nameday, and had gone past crawling, lurching, and walking into running. “She is in a great hurry, this one,” her wet nurse told the queen. The little princess was a happy child, endlessly curious and utterly fearless, a delight to all who knew her. She so enchanted Alysanne that for a time Her Grace even began to eschew council sessions, preferring to spend her days playing with her daughter and reading her the stories that her own mother had once read to her. “She is so clever, she will be reading to me before long,” she told the king. “She is going to be a great queen, I know it.”

[cjbolan]

Ser Duncan inherits three horses after losing his knight. Daenerys inherits three dragons after losing her husband. Crazy coincidence?

[withoutaplease]

You know, as much as I've been really enjoying all the new Targaryen characters and lore being shown to us in HOTD and AKOTSK, it just makes me even madder about that fuckass ending for Daenerys in GOT. Having to endure the knowledge that all the horrors of the Targaryen Experience inflicted upon our faves (sweet beautiful Rhaenyra, brave Baelor, my darling pretty pookie baby Daeron, that adorable bald child, to name just a few) come down to Daenerys Targaryen being fucking femicided for the good of the realm makes me want to join Khaleesi on the pyre.

[specificpollsaboutbooks]

Favorite Young Book Heroines

Final

Cassie (Animorphs) VS Daenerys Targaryen (A Song of Ice and Fire)

Cassie

Daenerys

Show results

Voting ended onMar 8

NO ANTIPROPAGANDA PLEASE

Propaganda under the cut

Cassie:

Hugs trees, heals animals, pacifist forced into a war. She's beauty, she's grace, turns into a wolf to eat your face.

[mikastormborn]

Propaganda for Daenerys:

They rode by night, and by day took refuge from the sun beneath their tents. Soon enough Dany learned the truth of Doreah's words. This was no kindly country. They left a trail of dead and dying horses behind them as they went, for Pono, Jhaqo, and the others had seized the best of Drogo's herds, leaving to Dany the old and the scrawny, the sickly and the lame, the broken animals and the ill-tempered. It was the same with the people. They are not strong, she told herself, so I must be their strength. I must show no fear, no weakness, no doubt. However frightened my heart, when they look upon my face they must see only Drogo's queen. She felt older than her fourteen years. If ever she had truly been a girl, that time was done. (A Clash of Kings, Daenerys I)

~

" Why do the gods make kings and queens, if not to protect the ones who can't protect themselves?" (A Storm of Swords, Daenerys III)

~

"Let them come. In me they shall find a sterner foe than Cleon. I would sooner perish fighting than return my children to bondage." (A Dance with Dragons, Daenerys IV)

~

A queen belongs not to herself but to her people. (A Dance with Dragons, Daenerys V)

~

"The best calumnies are spiced with truth," suggested Qavo, "but the girl's true sin cannot be denied. This arrogant child has taken it upon herself to smash the slave trade, but that traffic was never confined to Slaver's Bay. It was part of the sea of trade that spanned the world, and the dragon queen has clouded the water. Behind the Black Wall, lords of ancient blood sleep poorly, listening as their kitchen slaves sharpen their long knives. Slaves grow our food, clean our streets, teach our young. They guard our walls, row our galleys, fight our battles. And now when they look east, they see this young queen shining from afar, this breaker of chains. The Old Blood cannot suffer that. Poor men hate her too. Even the vilest beggar stands higher than a slave. This dragon queen would rob him of that consolation." (A Dance with Dragons, Tyrion VI)

~

"I am no lady," the widow replied, "just Vogarro's whore. You want to be gone from here before the tigers come. Should you reach your queen [Daenerys], give her a message from the slaves of Old Volantis." She touched the faded scar upon her wrinkled cheek, where her tears had been cut away. "Tell her we are waiting. Tell her to come soon." (A Dance with Dragons, Tyrion VII)

She also helps sick refugees personally, putting her health at risk (because they were contagious) and bathes and old man with her own hands:

I have no more help to give, Dany thought, despairing. The Astapori had no place to go. Thousands remained outside Meereen's thick walls—men and women and children, old men and little girls and newborn babes. Many were sick, most were starved, and all were doomed to die. Daenerys dare not open her gates to let them in. She had tried to do what she could for them. She had sent them healers, Blue Graces and spell-singers and barber-surgeons, but some of those had sickened as well, and none of their arts had slowed the galloping progression of the flux that had come on the pale mare. Separating the healthy from the sick had proved impractical as well. Her Stalwart Shields had tried, pulling husbands away from wives and children from their mothers, even as the Astapori wept and kicked and pelted them with stones. A few days later, the sick were dead and the healthy ones were sick. Dividing the one from the other had accomplished nothing.

Even feeding them had grown difficult. Every day she sent them what she could, but every day there were more of them and less food to give them. It was growing harder to find drivers willing to deliver the food as well. Too many of the men they had sent into the camp had been stricken by the flux themselves. Others had been attacked on the way back to the city. Yesterday a wagon had been overturned and two of her soldiers killed, so today the queen had determined that she would bring the food herself. Every one of her advisors had argued fervently against it, from Reznak and the Shavepate to Ser Barristan, but Daenerys would not be moved. "I will not turn away from them," she said stubbornly. "A queen must know the sufferings of her people."

Suffering was the only thing they did not lack. "There is scarcely a horse or mule left, though many rode from Astapor," Marselen reported to her. "They've eaten every one, Your Grace, along with every rat and scavenger dog that they could catch. Now some have begun to eat their own dead."

[....]

Ser Barristan watched with ill-concealed apprehension. "You should not linger here overlong, Your Grace. The Astapori are being fed, as you commanded. There's no more we can do for the poor wretches. We should repair back to the city."

"Go if you wish, ser. I will not detain you. I will not detain any of you." Dany vaulted down from the horse. "I cannot heal them, but I can show them that their Mother cares."

Jhogo sucked in his breath. "Khaleesi, no." The bell in his braid rang softly as he dismounted. "You must not get any closer. Do not let them touch you! Do not!"

Dany walked right past him. There was an old man on the ground a few feet away, moaning and staring up at the grey belly of the clouds. She knelt beside him, wrinkling her nose at the smell, and pushed back his dirty grey hair to feel his brow. "His flesh is on fire. I need water to bathe him. Seawater will serve. Marselen, will you fetch some for me? I need oil as well, for the pyre. Who will help me burn the dead?"

By the time Aggo returned with Grey Worm and fifty of the Unsullied loping behind his horse, Dany had shamed all of them into helping her. (A Dance with Dragons, Daenerys VI)

@rainhadaenerys let's win this for Dany!