Hot Take: Danys Dragons Plant No Trees Is Not Paralleling Her Fathers Let Him Be The King Of Ashes, But

Hot take: Dany’s “dragons plant no trees” is not paralleling her fathers “let him be the king of ashes,” but Jon’s “kill the boy and let the man be born.” 

The two of them have always had parallel arcs. In Dance With Dragons, they were faced with seemingly impossible leadership decisions in while dealing with a ton of resistance, whether it was Dany trying to eliminate slavery in a place where everything revolved around it or Jon trying to fix a Nights Watch that is no longer fit for purpose right before a second Long Night. They both tried compromise and it ended with chaos, and they both hit bottom at the same time (Dany in exile in the Dothraki Sea with only Drogon and Jon stabbed and most likely clinging to life by warging into Ghost.) They will almost certainly both be fiercer and willing to go to greater lengths in pursuit of what they think is right in Winds (if that ever comes out which lol.) Jon will come into his own as a wolf and Dany as a dragon.

(That isn’t to say no one parallels Aerys btw; it’s just that GRRM has beaten us over the head with the fact that it’s Cersei)

A few of the leaders and fighters that the Stark kids admired....

"Daeren Targaryen was only fourteen when he conquered Dorne," Jon said. The Young Dragon was one of his heroes. - Jon, AGoT They were not little boys when they fought, but knights and mighty heroes. "I'm Prince Aemon the Dragonknight," Jon would call out, and Robb would shout back, "Well, I'm Florian the Fool." Or Robb would say, "I'm the Young Dragon," and Jon would reply, "I'm Ser Ryam Redwyne." - Jon, ASoS When the Young Dragon conquered Dorne, he used a goat track to bypass the Dornish watchtowers on the Boneway." When Jon had been a boy at Winterfell, his hero had been the Young Dragon, the boy king who had conquered Dorne at the age of fourteen. Despite his bastard birth, or perhaps because of it, Jon Snow had dreamed of leading men to glory just as King Daeron had, of growing up to be a conqueror. - Jon, ADwD

Bran was going to be a knight himself someday, one of the Kingsguard. Old Nan said they were the finest swords in all the realm. Their names were like music to him. Serwyn of the Mirror Shield. Ser Ryam Redwyne. Prince Aemon the Dragonknight. - Bran, AGoT "I just forget," Bran complained. "I'm only nine. I'll be better when I'm older. Even Florian the Fool and Prince Aemon the Dragonknight weren't great knights when they were nine." - Bran, ASoS

Q: In particular, given that Nymeria was a warrior-queen, is there a certain amazon tradition? A: “The Rhoynar did impact Dorne in a number of ways, some of which will be revealed in later books. Women definitely have more rights in Dorne, but I would not call it an “Amazon” tradition, necessarily. Nymeria had more in common with someone like Daenerys or Joan d'Arc than with Brienne or Xena the Warrior Princess.” - GRRM

Arya named hers (Direwolf) after some old witch queen in the songs - Bran, AGoT

THE KEY FIVE + MONSTROSITY

never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. make it your strength. then it can never be your weakness. armor yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.

as much as i love to see evil twisted little freaks, there is just something way more compelling about characters who are unflinchingly Good and kind despite the horrors they've endured

jon & dany soulmatism