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summonthebats · 2 months

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The Other Untenable Situation

The thing is House Hightower genuinely cannot afford to Not object to Rheanyra succeeding Viserys over his legitimate sons by Alicent. Pretty much no house could but the Hightowers in particular.

In general, the Andal, First Men and (based on Visenya the Conqueror being the eldest and her brothers consort) Valyrian custom is that sons inherit before daughters. To marry a noble woman and then effectively disinherit her sons is a huge violation of the social contract, as well as a huge insult to her house. To not object to that violently would indicate to their bannermen and their enemies that this house can’t or won’t defend its own, and that puts a massive target on their back.

Think Tytos Lannister. A house that won’t demand what it is due, and yes social custom does say the legitimate sons are due their fathers stuff before his daughters get a look in, is going to lose everything.

And House Hightower does soft power. They do Soft Power really, really well.

The Citadel, the Stary Sept and the giant lighthouse that is their castle are the base of this. They maintain it by diplomacy and respectable (by Westeros standards) behavior and trade and their word being good and overall adherence to the social expectations of the society they are in. The High Tower was siege proof before Bran the Builder was born, they have thousands of years of respect to lose and good conduct to uphold. The social contract is vital to them.

In Westeros this all includes murdering anyone who doesn’t keep their end of the bargain. AKA, the Frey justicication for the Red Wedding.

So when Viserys married Alicent without first stipulating that Rheanyra would remain his heir no matter what the deal this society understood to be made was that if she gave him sons they would inherited his throne. Alicent upheld their side, there is no Maegor and Ceryse grey area with the glaring absence of heirs here.

Then Viserys broke the deal. House Hightower must either enforce it or their position crumbles.

And then they die.

#house hightower #are playing soft power like whoa #but in westeros so the violence is always pending #viserys i targaryen #settting his eldest up for massive shit #and everyone else too of course #but really the Hightowers were the worst house to pull this with #hotd #the dance of dragons #anti viserys i targaryen #man has the political savy of a pot plant

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asoiafdrabbles · 4 years

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III.30

Robert visits Winterfell instead of Lannisport after the Greyjoy Rebellion and Jon comes to his attention.

Jon & the Baratheons (Lyanna Lived AU)

The king. That was the king.

Jon wiped furiously at the tears on his face, ducking his head and mumbling something like a polite greeting. The king was quiet for a moment, before letting out a great sigh and sitting down on the log beside Jon, making it tilt a little from his great size.

"I was never much for the pomp, either." The king's voice was soft, and kind, lacking the mocking laughter he'd heard at the feast the night before.

"My king?" Jon's voice was small and he tried to remind himself he was a wolf, not some prey animal, but he knew he wasn't really--he was just a bastard.

"I didn't meet your father until he was a little older than you, you know, but you remind me so much of him. The first few weeks in the Eyrie, I waited for him to breakdown in tears. He was a little thing, and so far away from home, and so obviously foreign. But it took way more than homesickness for that."

The king placed his hand on Jon's head and he finally dared to look up at him. There was no cruelty on his face, only a sort of soft understanding.

"It's hard, not having parents like others do. I lost mine when I was older, but I never stopped feeling that loss. And my younger brothers...well, I could always tell they needed our father, our mother. I wasn't much of a replacement."

Inside, his half-siblings must still be going about their lives, not noticing Jon was missing. And the Queen, he thought, might be the same. She'd disliked her husband so obviously that Jon wondered how they even managed to be in the same room.

"Why hasn't Ned fostered you out?"

"I...I don't know, your grace."

King Robert nodded, eyes narrowing. "He's been paranoid about going South of the Neck, since...everything. But there's got to be plenty of Northern Houses who would want even his bastard in their halls."

Not sure how to respond, Jon mumbled something about asking his father, but the king shook his head.

"No, no sense with that, now." And then the king was grinning down at Jon with such force that Jon could not help but give a tentative smile back. "My brother's running some den of sin down in our family's home, he could use some Stark influence."

Jon wasn't quite sure this was going to be better than being abandoned in Winterfell.

****

Jon had his first kiss at twelve. The boy was thirteen, visiting with his own lord, and pretty enough. Not as pretty as Loras, but Jon knew comparing all boys to Loras was foolish.

In Storm's End, Jon didn't kiss a girl for another year, a lady from a minor house who didn't even seem to care he was a bastard, just that he was favored by the king and Renly. She admitted she hadn't even thought he'd like girls, considering, and Jon had stumbled over an explanation that he, in fact, liked everyone.

He wasn't sure how much he actually helped Lord Renly, as the king had wanted, but he did think he did something. Renly was amused by him, most of the time, but kept him around. And as Jon got older, he even listened to his advice, sometimes.

It was Jon who ended up doing half of Renly's work for the Small Council, even coming into the meetings and sitting at a chair along the wall of the room, watching over Renly's shoulder. The first time the king actually bothered showing up, he took one look at Jon and made everyone shift around so he could put a chair there, right next to the king.

King's Landing was also where he met the other Baratheon brother, the last one. Lord Stannis was derided by both his brothers, but Jon had started out determined to like him. He knew what it was like to be a serious middle child, after all.

While doing Renly's work, he ended up working with Stannis more often than not, and the two of them did work well together. They were both comfortable with silence in a way Renly would never be and neither of them drank alcohol (Jon had learned early on that keeping a level head at Storm's End was important).

It was Jon who found something suspicious with Lord Baelish's work as Master of Coin and it was Jon who was eventually appointed to that position, newly knighted and all of sixteen, when King Robert finally executed Littlefinger for his plots.

****

What a Lannister was doing asking for an audience in the throne room, when she had more than enough influence to see the king in his solar, had Jon immediately suspicious. Whatever this was, it was something she wanted public.

"My king, I've found out something quite...shocking. Information that has been kept from you."

Cersei simpered and curtseyed, but even the least observant of the lords and ladies present could surely tell she was up to something. And the way her eyes locked on the Queen's, the fierceness that flashed through them, had Jon dropping his hand to his sword, looking around in worry. The two had always hated each other, Cersei both because she wanted to be Queen and because she despised that Lyanna didn't want to be, but was.

She handed over two scrolls and a journal to Lord Arryn, who took them and walked back over to Robert. "It seems that a great deception has taken place against you, King Robert. Perpetrated by those you thought you could trust the most." Her smile was a lion's with a mouthful of gazelle.

Queen Lyanna was tense and looking around, as if for an escape route. She knew, Jon realized. Whatever Cersei meant to reveal, Lyanna already knew. He couldn't imagine her ever betraying Robert, not because she had any great affection for him, but because Ned did.

"Prince Rhaegar took a second wife before his death." The air seemed to leave the room at the very mention of the Last Dragon's name, Robert's face growing red with remembered rage. "And she bore him a son."

Suddenly, Cersei's green eyes were on him and that look was for him. "Jon Snow is neither a bastard nor Eddard Stark's son."

So many things happened at once that Jon could barely keep track of in his shock, his grief. The Queen shouted and Robert shouted back, having guards grab her arms to keep her in place. The lords and knights around Jon backed up, too cautious to get in the way of whatever was coming for him. And he...he just stood there, dumbly.

Had his mother truly been here all this time? Ignoring him as her husband doted on him? Pretending he was a boring ornament at court?

Robert roared with anger still and Jon tensed, eyes wide to keep his tears of shock from falling. He was going to die. Perhaps Robert would even grab his hammer and come do it himself, as he had to Rhaegar...to Jon's father.

And then Renly was stepping up beside him, hand on the hilt of his sword, looking regal and, for once, serious. Ser Beric and Brienne, and even Loras, fell into place behind him, and other Stormland lords, though Jon could not risk looking that far.

Stannis was only a few moments behind, coming up on Jon's other side. For once, his lords seemed eager to support him, to defend the last living Targaryen in Westeros.

"Whatever you're planning on doing, brother, I will not let harm befall Ser Jon because of something he had no say over." Renly's voice rang clear through the hall, Robert freezing in place on the dais. "He's been nothing but loyal to our family, knowing he is our cousin should not change anything."

He looked between his brothers, then at Jon, and his anger seemed to leave him in a great wave. "Harm? I'm not going to harm him, you fools!"

Jon felt like he might collapse from relief.

Robert took a deep breath, as if it could possibly calm the Demon of the Trident, then glanced around at the chaos of the court. "...Lyanna Stark has committed treason against the crown," he said, finally, his hands opening and closing at his sides like he wished he could solve this all with violence. "She is to be confined in the Maidenvault pending a trial. Lord...Lord Eddard Stark will be recalled to King's Landing for...for the same."

Others might not realize how broken Robert looked at that moment, but Jon had seen him in all states over the years, and he knew. When their eyes met, he felt as though this, too, was another connection for them. Betrayed by those they loved most.

"Ser Jon will not be punished for the crimes of his parents. He will continue to serve on my Small Council. Which will discuss what...what measures to take, for our...cousin."

Stannis hand was a steadying presence on Jon's shoulder and Renly was pressed close to his side. Still, he felt as though he might fall over as he gave a grateful bow before being led away.

Notes: For this, Lyanna is Queen and was forced into marrying Robert and resents him. Ned took Jon and raised him as his bastard and Lyanna resents that, too, and also how close Jon grows to Robert and the other Baratheons.In the end I imagine Jon marries Shireen to unite their claims (and because he's one of the few men Stannis could trust with her) and they eventually take the throne.

#character: jon snow #character: robert baratheon #character: renly baratheon #character: stannis baratheon #verse: timeline tweaks #character: cersei lannister #theme: parentage reveal #theme: found family #ship: stannis & jon #ship: robert & jon #ship: renly & jon #verse: survived the rebellion

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infinitexechoes · 5 years

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So after sleeping on last night’s train wreck, I’m going to make some changes as it pertains to Dany’s direction. I’ve seen a lot of NASTY comments IN THIS FANDOM no less from RPers who are “sure Dany was never supposed to sit on the throne” and who agree that “this has been foreshadowed since she burned Mirri Maz Duur” and screamed “I WILL TAKE WHAT IS MINE WITH FIRE AND BLOOD”. Also the whole “a Targaryen alone in the world is a terrible thing” like from the maester. Oh and let’s not forget the “ashes” in the House of Undying. Okay well so if this was Martin’s plan all alone, then okay. She was supposed to be the “ultimate villain” but I have issues with this.

Why spend the entire series giving us all this kick ass female empowerment only to have men running the Seven Kingdoms in the end? Spoiler alert - men rule. I read the leaks.

How do you truly justify a woman who spent all her time trying to be the pale savior of slaves burning the innocent out of rage? Was Dany always supposed to end up ‘alone in the world’? Was she supposed to nut up after “hearing the bells”? Does this mean she’s always been a nut job? Are there instances I’ve missed with these bells?

Does this mean all the Targaryens are destined to be mad? Does it mean Jon’s going to go a little mad too? Does this mean no matter what route Dany took, she was ‘fated’ to end up like her father? Does this mean despite trying hard not to be the thing, that her choices didn’t/don’t matter? She’s going to end up the villain anyway? Is this the trope we’re going for here?

And listen, no one wants Dany on the Iron Throne. By season 4, most of us were hoping she’d figure out how to fix Valyria or just stay in Meereen. No one is saying she should have had an easy path to the iron throne. It wouldn’t be Martin’s books if everything was easy. We’re just pointing out that this heel turn translated BADLY on screen and it made ALL females look like potentially bad rulers except Sansa.

This whole thing with Dany pretty much said she/women aren’t headstrong enough to rule. That women are ruled by their emotions ( something we also got in a scene with Ellaria and Doran ) and because of this + her apparent insecurity, she was ‘unfit to rule’ so her men turned against her. And that doing some of THE SAME SHIT A MAN WOULD HAVE DONE to the Tarley’s, she’s mad. That taking matters into her own hands AFTER HER HAND FAILED HER TWICE, is mad. Dragons gave her a tactical advantage in this ‘war’ and because a woman is flying on the back of one using him, IT’S JUST NOT RIGHT! IT’S INHUMANE! SHAME ON DANY!

The hypocrisy is unreal, but more than that we’ve seen Dany suffer losses. The whole “I will take what is mine with fire and blood” was because the people of Qarth were laughing and pitying her. She began the begger queen and found out first hand how Viserys felt as the begger king. I daresay that experience was humbling. Anyway of COURSE she felt some type of way. But a woman who takes the time to pull every slave from a pike from Yunkai to Meereen... who was insistent on keeping the fighting pits closed because of senseless violence and killing of slaves... who once lost her brother, son, and husband, had nothing all of a sudden becomes entitled and mad? The heel turn MAKES NO SENSE right now. Missandei is from a land of peaceful people. I also doubt Missandei’s words were meant to be taken as ‘burn everything’. If anything, Missandei probably felt sorry for Dany because she knew her queen wasn’t insane. And defended her in the crypts when her hand was letting people talk shit.

My point is that If the show would have flushed this out some more and gave us something other than ‘temper tantrum, Jorah/Missandei’s death, Jon Snow being a dick to her’ and ‘bells’, most of us would be swallowing that hard pill right now. Breaking Bad is how you do a heel turn. Hell WWE has done better heel turns than D&D. A heel turn or a face turn only works/impacts the audience positively if there’s a slow burn tease to it. I realize they were probably tired of working on this fucking show but hey, you signed up for it. Don’t start something then half ass the ending cos you can’t be bothered. Anyway, as for that pill...

We’re not swallowing shit because none of it makes sense and so here’s where I’m deviating---because I can. Don’t like it? Find another Dany to bash.

Daenerys went to Westeros with Barristan and Jorah at her side. She never dismissed Ser Jorah despite Tyrion’s counsel because while Jorah did betray her, she also knew that because he loved her, he’d never betray her again.

Ser Barristan is the reason the Tarley’s never died. He advised her that despite their stubborn nature, they were good men that he fought alongside and were one of the top families in Westeros. The Tarleys were/are prisoners in Dragonstone until they see fit to support her claim. If they don’t, she’ll release them pending her war with Cersei.

Tyrion Lannister was dismissed as her hand after making two mistakes. Dany recognizes his counsel is a constant conflict of interest and thus names Jorah her hand with Barristan’s blessing as well.

Jon Snow pleads his case for the Dragon glass and after many a heated debate with those surrounding her, she allows Jon to mine the glass --- after he gets the proof she needs.

She still demands proof of the ice walkers and per the show, she ends up having to go help them. Don’t ask me to explain how Gendry got from point A to point B so quickly. I’m just keeping this for the show people. Plus teleportation is obviously a thing so there’s that too.

Viserion is lost/dead. Dany mourns him properly and after that whole ordeal, agrees to help Jon. In return, he supports her claim to the throne.

Much like the show, Dany is shitted on by the Northerners. She’s foreign and they don’t trust her, but you know what? Since she expected this and her two trusted knights are by her side, she don’t give a fuck. She’s there to play her part and will do so accordingly.

The Long Night plays out somewhat the way HBO detailed it. The Night King couldn’t die by dragon fire so she uses Drogon in the field to help her soldiers and everyone fighting on the ground. The Dothraki do NOT senselessly charge into the night. That was dumb as fuck and so some of them are actually at the Godswood helping Theon and Bran. Because I said so. Pretty sure if the Night King could sense Bran, most of his walkers are trying to get to him anyway. Many of the Dothraki die leaving Theon alone to defend Bran. This works for me because at least some of the Dothraki die in a manner that makes sense as opposed to just charging into battle against the dead.

When the war is over, Dany has injuries from the battle. Her hands are bruised from having to cling to Drogon so much. She’s got a few cuts and scrapes but she’ll live. Jorah dies. He dies here because it’s how he’s always wanted to go out. And it makes no sense for all the major players to live so I’ll follow HBO with that one. But Barristan is alive and is the new hand by default.

Seeing all the dead, Dany still wants to defeat Cersei, but she takes into consideration the Iron Fleet, Rhaegal’s injuries, her own minor ones and the fact that her people are probably tired/drained. Even though Sansa still gives her the stank eye, she stays in Winterfell another few nights before departing back to Dragonstone leaving Jon behind. This trip back to dragonstone is so that she can rest her army and plan accordingly. Missandei was never kidnapped and killed. All that’s bullshit.

!! Other Important Notes ‼

1)--- I do not mention Jon’s claim to the iron throne because Sam never blurts it out if she never kills the Tarleys in the first place. I DO think Sam tells Jon AFTER the war and where it goes from there depends on interactions.

2)--- I do think Dany would be upset if Jon told her about his claim. I think she’d feel like the thing she’s worked all her life for has been taken away. She probably rages to herself for a while BUT because Barristan is alive and Sam has been to the Citadel, she will have no choice but to listen. But this WILL be a hard pill for someone like her to swallow because now that the Night King is dead, what’s left for her if not the throne? She’ll be upset and probably depressed because that makes sense for someone who put all their eggs into one basket.

3)--- Even though Jon claims he doesn’t want it, based on how she was treated in Winterfell, she knows the people won’t be easy to sway. They’ll look to their precious King in the North so she’ll be faced with a decision. Do I stay here on my ancestral lands and just rule Dragonstone? Do I try to sway the people anyway? Do I go back to Essos? What she does from this point will always depend on interactions. If interactions with Jon Snow lead to him falling in love with her, I’d be willing to go that route from here. A marriage between the two makes sense. It’s not what people wanted. Too cookie cutter for them, but in my timeline, it makes sense.

If feelings never develop and Dany does decide to leave, Missandie and Greyworm are allowed to leave ( per show ). Missandei’s young in the books so I don’t think she’d actually leave her queen.

Also keep in mind, if we’re RPing with a book based blog, then obviously none of this shit ever happened. Daenerys is either in Meereen or in the Grasslands right now so things will be adjusted accordingly.

!! Even More Things to Consider !!

If Dany stays and rules at Dragonstone, this means she would have reached out to Cersei and possibly let her know she was no longer seeking the Iron Throne. There’s no way Cersei doesn’t know about Jon Snow’s lineage by now so she’ll know. But I see no reason why Cersei would have beef if Dany bows out. It’s not like Dany slept with Jaime or killed her children. I imagine if Dany agreed not to get involved ( aka side with the Starks, and she would NOT after how they treated her ) then Dany can chill at Dragonstone and possibly do her own thing. I mean it’s only fair if the North gets to rule themselves.

Now IF events play out where Dany gets to fight for the throne, fuck that bells shit. If Cersei surrenders, Dany accepts it. Aside from the usual casualties of war, no innocents are harmed. Women and children are probably prioritized. People are probably sent to make sure they’re okay. Because that’s how she does things. ( I’d also like to add that I’m willing to do a thing where Dany and Cersei align with one another because yep. )

In another scenario, Daenerys either goes back to Meereen and rules there until she dies. She’s hailed as the breaker of Chains possibly eliminating all forms of slavery in the years to come. I did want her to rebuild Valyria. I might throw that in there somehow once I work it out, but for now, this is how things will go. You have any of those options above to work with, but what we ain’t going to do is listen to HBO and GRRM until we get proper build for this.

Again, if you don’t like it, there’s the door. But this is how I’m doing shit and that’s the tea. As always, if you have questions, concerns, or something seems off, talk to me POLITELY and we’ll work something out okay? Okay. Thank you.

#( hc;; )#( hc dany. )#updated for grrm and d&d fuckery #very long post #a brief mention of next week's spoilers #read at your own risk #this only applies to people #who want to interact with dany #if you dont then i guess this post dont apply to you #so carry on #got spoilers #( break the wheel. )#◣* ┋ verse info.

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