Kya

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

not to mention george’s own words re allegories:

Finally, in a stunning revelation, when an audience member put the ridiculous question, "JRR Tolkien strenuously denied that his books were in any way an allegory for World War II, have you ever been accused of writing about climate change by proxy? You know, it being a bit of a thing in your works, the long Winter?" George replied, "No, I haven't, not until now," and continued, "Like Tolkien I do not write allegory, at least not intentionally. Obviously you live in the world and you're affected by the world around you, so some things sink in on some level, but, if I really wanted to write about climate change in the 21st century l'd write a novel about climate change in the 21st century. Sometimes things happen that are hard to believe. You have to remember I've been writing these since 1991, in a couple of the recent books Daenerys Targaryen wielding the massive military superiority offered to her by three dragons has taken over a part of the world where the culture and ethos, and the very people are completely alien to her, and she's having difficulty ruling this land once she conquered it. It did dawn on me when George W Bush started doing the same thing that some people might say, 'Hmmm, George is commenting on the Iraq War', but I swear to you I planned Dany's thing long before George Bush planned the Iraq War, but I think both military adventures may come to the same end, but it's not allegory."

😨

How exactly does GRRM want us to look through a "medieval lens"? Does he want us to look through a medieval lens when we're watching underage girls be married off and suffering marital rape? Does he want us to look through a medieval lens when soldiers rape and pillage innocent smallfolk? Does he want us to look through a medieval lens when tyrannical kings are supported just because they took the throne?

GRRM's books may take place in a medieval-esque world, but that doesn't mean he wants the audience to support the atrocities normalized by a medieval society. He uses his setting to criticize the actions of the medieval world.

He uses Daenerys' campaign against slavery to show the monstrosity of the slavers and those who stand by allowing it. He uses Sansa's treatment by Joffrey to show the hypocrisy of the order of knighthood and medieval chivalry. He uses Jon's treatment in Winterfell to show the harm of bastardphobia. He uses Arya's time among the smallfolk to show how the petty wars of lords impacts the people. He uses Brienne's life to show the damage the patriarchy does to non-conforming women. He uses Rhaenyra's story to show the far-reaching harm to the world the patriarchy causes. He uses Barristan Selmy and Jaime Lannister to show the dangers of blind loyalty to a king.

We the audience are not supposed to justify a character's actions just because it was normal for the time. That's like justifying Thomas Jefferson's owning of slaves because it was the norm for rich men in Colonial America. We are supposed to be horrified with the world's treatment of people who don't conform to it. We are supposed to feel angry at the normalized and rampant injustice. We are supposed to acknowledge that, while the books (much like the world) are filled with people who do the wrong thing, the characters are not all equally bad.

Samwell Tarly is the other main character at the Wall and, unfortunately, for the slash shipping contingent (And the m/f shipping contingent) he is not hot or charismatic enough as a character to make for a popular ship (GRRM complained abt this very thing).

Secondly, Incest is acceptable romance in the world of Asoiaf. Which is why folks complaining about incest shipping in this fandom doesn't make a lot of sense to me when the author is out there writing statements like this:

It's especially hypocritical when pretty much ALL the ships in this fandom are problematic in one way or another and applying some kind of moral high ground is simply ridiculous.

Thirdly, in general there's not a lot of shipping Jon with tertiary side characters in the series. It's why even Jon's m/f ships at the Wall - Jon/Val or Jon/Ygritte - are equally as small. Jon is even shipping himself with Val in the story itself and yet I hardly come across Jon/Val shippers. So it's not just that there is less appetite for m/m ships at the Wall - there is generally less appetite for Jon/anyone at the Wall.

It's the same with Daenerys and her coterie in Essos. Not as much shipping with her side characters going on. Again, I think it's got to do with fandom being mostly interested in MAIN characters and then shipping them together. This is why Dany/Sansa seems to be a popular f/f ship - Sansa in general is the fandom bicycle who gets shipped with everyone.

Related to this, Jon's main ship is not even for and by book Jon Snow fans - it's Sansa fans who come up with bizarre anti-Dany (political!Jon) theories (There's one on the tag right now!) and are not interested in Jon's story at the Wall. Many of them have written on how Jon's story is boring and just filler until he meets Sansa.

Notice how Jon Snow's ship up there is the only crackship of the three? So the reason it feels like there is so much Jon Snow shipping is because of this particular crackship.

Take out Jonsa, and I feel like the Jon Snow shipping with Daenerys is actually comparatively minimal considering these two are lead characters and age appropriate teenagers with parallel arcs and a lot of foreshadowing.

Jon/Arya is basically non-existent - I think there is more Jon/Satin than Jon/Arya out there (I maybe wrong but on Tumblr at the least it feels that way) and the main Arya ship is Arya/Gendry as it should be based on what's happened so far in the books.

At one point he is even like 'I DESERVE Winterfell and I could marry VAL and have babies with her !!' - the Val who has stabbed people in the neck and who he describes as lethal. It's clear they have not actually read the Jon chapters because some of his opinions of girls who fit into Westerosi patriarchal ideals are not great and bordering on sexism.

Haven't you heard of the TV show? One of the most popular shows in the world where we explicitly see the misogynistic rendition of this trope by Benioff and Weiss, who proclaimed that Sansa Stark was their favorite character and wrote in shite dialogue like this -

When in the books -

If you want variations of this in fandom, then here, you go - since you haven't even seen a single person, here are more than 1000 fans who love the idea of Arya being Sansa's bodyguard.

It's not just Arya as Sansa's bodyguard. We have Arya as Sansa's spymaster, Arya as Sansa's war chief etc. Posts from folks who have probably never read an Arya chapter and think she is only good for doing spywork or fighting while Sansa is the brains.

Go check out any Jonsa fanfic on A03 with QITN Sansa and Arya will be pretty much depicted as a henchwoman, taking orders and killing people for Sansa.

More broadly, the popular Sansa stan fanon of Arya's end game being just 'sailing away' on adventures, when she has been desperately trying to get home to her family and her brother over 5 books, is based on the need to kick Arya out of Winterfell because they know that GRRM has written a narratively rich arc for the character that's about changing the world for the better and making place for the underdogs and outcasts and they instead want that for Sansa because it fits into their idea of what a female leader should be like.

Just going back to your tags -

Why not have Arya as the Wardeness? Arya actually has the leadership arc in the books, the understanding of how Winterfell works from her father, follows Northern justice (Man who passes the sentence) and in ADwD we see how important she is to the North as a whole.

Sansa about Waymar Royce when she knew him -

Sansa about Jon Snow when she knew him -

Sansa about Arya - 'She even looked like Jon, with the long face!'

Sansa about Arya -

Waymar does come across as a character Sansa would fall in love with - he was brave no doubt, the classic high born hero of the songs. He was also arrogant, the common men laughed at him and mocked him in private, having no respect for him as a leader.

Meanwhile when Jon gets elected Lord Commander -

Waymar Royce and Jon Snow have zero in common, from their upbringing to their personality.

PS: When I was googling Waymar Royce to get the relevant quotes, ALL the search results that showed up were Jonsa posts ...

JONAN THE BARBARIAN 😭😭😭

I have absolutely no thoughts about Jaehaera. I really don't care for her because there's nothing to her. She's an empty blank slate and I don't care much for those types of characters.

But on her marriage to Aegon, it was doomed to fail. Aegon would've never been with her or wanted kids with her. If I really let my mind wander, I think he'd still have ended up falling in love with Daenaera. He never consummated his marriage so it was basically non existent by Westerosi standards so I think he'd just end up setting her aside and marry Daenaera. And no, I don't think anyone would give a fuck. Nobody gave a rat's ass about Jaehaera.

Sure, it’s an “arranged marriage for peace” trope like the one from The Wars of the Roses…but kind of unnecessary (since the Blacks won), and also kind of disappointing because it sends the following message: “Usurpers and traitors should be rewarded.”

Otto and Alicent Hightower wanted their bloodline on the Iron Throne. They schemed, seduced and then started a whole war for it. Making Jaehaera queen (and have her potentially give birth to Aegon’s children) would give these two opportunists a win.

And then he thought about Aegon III, a broken child, forced in wedlock with the girl of the mad usurper who murdered his mother right in front of him.

And then, GRRM asked himself, who would deserve the honor of being Aegon III’s Queen and mother his children?

1. A girl from House Velaryon, a House who has always been on the side of the Blacks (even after Rhaenyra’s death), and fought for the true heir to the throne honorably and faithfully?

or

2. The last girl from the defeated enemy party, who had Hightower blood coursing through her veins?

The answer is pretty clear. And as such, thinking about granting Aegon III happiness, GRRM created Daenaera Velaryon, the always smiling little queen, who contributed to healing the boy’s broken heart.

"You do the same, m'lord," said Gilly. "You do the same for t'other. Find another wet nurse, like you said. You promised me you would. The boy . . . Dalla's boy . . . the little prince, I mean . . . you find him some good woman, so he grows up big and strong."

While Val, who he associates heavily with his longing for Winterfell and acknowledgment as one of Ned’s legitimate sons, is shown to speak in a much more ‘refined’ manner through Jon’s eyes:

“Free folk and kneelers are more alike than not, Jon Snow. Men are men and women women, no matter which side of the Wall we were born on. Good men and bad, heroes and villains, men of honor, liars, cravens, brutes … we have plenty, as do you."

I just find it interesting that Gilly is given the accent and speech mannerisms of the smallfolk, while Val is in Jon’s eyes, a stately figure who refers to him not as ‘m’lord’ like an inferior but as ‘Jon Snow’ like an equal.

Yet there is no real difference in birth or status between Gilly and Val. Gilly simply had the misfortune to be born to Craster’s Keep, while Val seemingly grew up in a much more healthy and stable environment. Gilly is deemed a whore and an eternal victim for the abuse heaped upon her, but Val is seen as a leader among her people and akin to a southron lady.

I think it’s a very interesting question of whether or not Jon would have treated Val the same way had it been her in Gilly’s position, if he would have addressed her as her lord and forced her to burn herself on a candle, or threatened to see her son dead himself if she did not go along with his plans.

dany

Helaena Targaryen

Please don't use my art without credit

«Though plumper and less striking than most Targaryens, Helaena was a pleasant, happy girl, and all agreed she would make a fine mother.»

«And so she did, and quickly. Barely a year later the fourteen-year-old princess gave birth to twins, a boy she named Jaehaerys and a girl called Jaehaera.»

«And in 127 AC, Princess Helaena gave birth to his second son, who was given a dragon’s egg and the name Maelor.»

«Helaena flew Dreamfyre, the she-dragon who had once carried Rhaena, Maegor the Cruel’s “black bride”. »

«Princess Helaena brought her three children to visit with the king in his chambers. His Grace gave the babe a pearl ring off his finger to play with, and told the twins the story of how their namesake Jaehaerys the Old King had flown his dragon north to the Wall to defeat a vast host of wildlings, giants, and wargs.»

«Princess Helaena was breaking her fast with her children when the Kingsguard came to her … but when asked the whereabouts of Prince Aegon, her brother and husband, said only, “He is not in my bed, you may be sure. Feel free to search beneath the blankets.”»

«Queen Alicent, beloved of the smallfolk, placed her own crown upon the head of her daughter Helaena, Aegon’s wife and sister. After kissing her cheeks, the mother knelt before the daughter, bowed her head, and said, “My queen.”»

«Cheese bound and gagged the Dowager Queen. Then they settled down to wait, for they knew it was the custom of Queen Helaena to bring her children to see their grandmother every evening before bed.»

«Blind to her danger, the queen appeared as dusk was settling over the castle, accompanied by her three children. Jaehaerys and Jaehaera were six, Maelor two. As they entered the apartments, Helaena was holding his little hand and calling out her mother’s name. Blood barred the door and slew the queen’s guardsman, whilst Cheese appeared to snatch up Maelor. “Scream and you all die,” Blood told Her Grace. Queen Helaena kept her calm, it is said. “Who are you?” she demanded of the two. “Debt collectors,” said Cheese. “An eye for an eye, a son for a son. We only want the one, t’ square things. Won’t hurt the rest o’ you fine folks, not one lil’ hair. Which one you want t’ lose, Your Grace?”»

«Once she realized what he meant, Queen Helaena pleaded with the men to kill her instead. “A wife’s not a son,” said Blood. “It has to be a boy.” Cheese warned the queen to make a choice soon, before Blood grew bored and raped her little girl. “Pick,” he said, “or we kill them all.” On her knees, weeping, Helaena named her youngest, Maelor. Perhaps she thought the boy was too young to understand, or perhaps it was because the older boy, Jaehaerys, was King Aegon’s firstborn son and heir, next in line to the Iron Throne. “You hear that, little boy?” Cheese whispered to Maelor. “Your momma wants you dead.” Then he gave Blood a grin, and the hulking swordsman slew Prince Jaehaerys, striking off the boy’s head with a single blow. The queen began to scream.»

«Strange to say, the rat-catcher and the butcher were true to their word. They did no further harm to Queen Helaena or her surviving children, but rather fled with the prince’s head in hand.»

«Though Blood and Cheese had spared her life, Queen Helaena cannot be said to have survived that fateful dusk. Afterward she would not eat, nor bathe, nor leave her chambers, and she could no longer stand to look upon her son Maelor, knowing that she had named him to die. The king had no recourse but to take the boy from her and give him over to his mother, the Dowager Queen Alicent, to raise as if he were her own. Aegon and his wife slept separately thereafter, and Queen Helaena sank deeper and deeper into madness.»

«Only two mature dragons remained to defend King’s Landing … and Dreamfyre’s rider, Queen Helaena, spent her days in darkness, weeping, and surely could not be counted as threat.»

«King Aegon II did not die, though his burns brought him such pain that some say he prayed for death. His wife never so much as made the attempt to visit him, so lost was Helaena in her own grief and madness.»

«Helaena Targaryen, sister, wife, and queen to King Aegon II and mother of his children, threw herself from her window in Maegor’s Holdfast to die impaled upon the iron spikes that lined the dry moat below. She was but one-and-twenty.»

Daemon Blackfyre and Visenya Targaryen

(+ some info)