@mylestoyne asked me to upload this - advertisement images i drew for the Joncon vs Ygritte (”you better vote for dad!!”) and Young Griff vs Hyle Hunt (”my son is the best and he HAS to win.”) polls for the “a song of madness” matchups over on twitter
I met a traveller from an antique land, Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert… . Near them, on the sand, Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed; And on the pedestal, these words appear: My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair! Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
- Ozymandias, Percy Bysshe Shelley
My ship exchange piece for @mylestoyne ! Inspired in parts by some of your meta, i hope you like it :)
This poem comic depicts a post-aDwD fanfic scenario where Jon Connington comes to the conclusion he has been lied to by his captain and lover Myles Toyne, and that the boy he thought Rhaegar’s son is actually a Blackfyre. The true identity of Young Griff in the books is of course not known, so you can interpret this as either Jon finding out the truth, or him tragically coming to a wrong conclusion; either way the knowledge is driving him mad.
Characters depicted in order of appearance: Jon Connington, Myles Toyne, Aegor Rivers/Bittersteel, Daemon Blackfyre, Maelys Blackfyre, Serra, Illyrio Mopatis, Varys, Young Griff
Robert had been jesting with Jon and old Lord Hunter as the prince circled the field after unhorsing Ser Barristan in the final tilt to claim the champion’s crown. Ned remembered the moment when all the smiles died, when Prince Rhaegar Targaryen urged his horse past his own wife, the Dornish princess Elia Martell, to lay the queen of beauty’s laurel in Lyanna’s lap. He could see it still: a crown of winter roses, blue as frost.
- Eddard XV, aGoT
Upper row: Horton Redfort, Jon Arryn, Robert Baratheon, Eon Hunter
Middle row: Brandon Stark, Lyanna Stark, Benjen Stark, Ned Stark
Lower row: Jon Connington, Arthur Dayne, Ashara Dayne, Elia Martell
thinking about an au where joncon & tyrion get separated from the rest of the shy maid after the stone men attack…… forcing them to work together and rely on each other as they try and find their way back to the others somehow….. bonding under dire circumstances….. idk I think it would be fun
part 2/? ok maybe I conceived this au just to make them cuddle for warmth. maybe so
JonCon and Aegon both carry their death flags with them so i don’t DARE to theorise a happy ending for them but it doesn’t stop me from imagining differen’t scenarios in which they live.
How good it could be if, at the end of his journey, after all the sacrifices he made, all the blood that has been shed for his SON Aegon, he had to confront the fact that Aegon is a Blackfyre, and not Rhaegar and Elia’s son. Like… I know GRRM won’t ever write it this way but imaginehow good it could be if JonCon’s arc ends with him choosing Aegon (the future) over Rhaegar’s memory (the past).
Imagine JonCon having to deal with the fact that, No, he can’t change the past, he CAN’T save his silver prince but he can influence the future, he can protect the son he raised. That he was more of a father to Aegon than Rhaegar or Illyrio EVER was.
Imagine JonCon seeing him clearly without the shackles of the past, but this time he’s nor projecting Rhaegar’s memory onto him and he still supports his son.
no man could have asked for a worthier son
Give this ending to me please !!!
And why not? IF Aegon and Jon both don’t know he is not Rhaegar‘s son; if they find out and end the strive to put Aegon on the throne; if whoever will rule understands that they are not trying to be a threat - then why not?
So, after reading a bit into comments and theories about Young Griff/Aegon - which I certainly should not have done because many of those are really appalling – it seems that basically Dany is a total Queen for the same things for which Aegon gets mocked and abused. LOL!
And that’s when comparing them is completely nonsensical anyway.
It’s measuring up »Character A«, that we saw very little of and have no insight (POV) into, to »Character B«, that we have hundreds of pages on (both 3rd Person and POV) – and then judge »Character A« on the grounds of »Character B«.
From the tiny bits we saw of Aegon, it’s not even possible to create a reliable characterization – not if you’re not just trying to shove bias into the gaps as it suits you and execute some wishful condemnation.
For example, one of the accusations towards Aegon that I read quite commonly is that he is arrogant. Not that I would even see that between the lines – but that’s where I am as positively biased towards him as others are negatively biased towards him. Yet apart from that, Dany has a whole lot of scenes – every time she acts as a Khaleesi or Queen in particular – where she is arrogant or at least tries to be. Furthermore, she constantly goes on about all her titles, about being the blood of the dragon, and demands her people to cross the world with her to get her the throne she believes to be hers. That she is fearing and doubting and insecure, we only know from her POV – and the only reason why we do not know about Aegon’s inner monologue is that we did not see any yet. That, however, does not mean that he is a plain, empty caricature who is all that little bit of Tyrion- and JonCon-POV and nothing more. GRRM does not create plain caricature characters – so it’s very unlikely that there is not very much more to his character than the little we saw.
Another accusation often read is that he is naive and inexperienced – and for this, he is compared to Dany, Jon or Robb. But they WERE exactly that: Naive and inexperienced. They grew from it, but they have been with us for a very long time. We saw them grow from being little more than a child to the characters they are today, or to their demise. But Aegon has been sheltered away until basically today. He studied the world, but he has no experience with people. He, just like the others, will either grow or find his demise. Robb was hugely naive throughout his whole campaign, he was just lucky for a while. He headed out to safe, then avenge his father, and it got turned into a wanna-be-king-megalomania. Dany was a scared, little mouse until she found the strength to grow. Jon was as entitled as a bastard could be and pretty arrogant at that until Donal Noye and the rest of the Night’s Watch set his head right. Or take Renly who proved to be stubborn and naive beyond anything when his entire justification for wanting to supplant his older brother was: “people like me more than Stannis“.
Aegon has no tale like that YET. He has been on a boat, hidden away, sheltered. He is just starting out into the world. So comparing him to where Jon and Dany are today, or where Renly and Robb were before they ended, is really absurd. No matter how far the rest of the story is advanced, he is still at the beginning.
Now, please don’t get me wrong: Dany is a wholesome, fascinating character. She has her flaws and strengths because she is not just a caricature. But exactly that is what makes the way Aegon is treated so unfair.
And regardless if he is Aegon or only Young Griff, he is a boy of ~16 who has not seen much of the world. Yes, Daenerys is younger, but she has also been through a lot of shit already – which is not Aegon’s fault, nor is it his fault, that he is inexperienced.
Yes, he assumes that Daenerys will marry him – but so does Daenerys! When she thinks about the son of her older brother at one time, she believes that, had the boy lived, she would have married him because it would have been natural. Targaryens did that sort of thing. Daenerys grew up with that knowledge, just as Aegon did. The idea, that Dany might have a different idea on the matter, makes Aegon react angrily, though it’s not clear whether he is angry that he has been treated like he is a stupid child by Tyrion, whether he feels offended by the idea that Dany might not accept his hand in marriage – or whether he is completely shocked by the idea that all the stuff he has been fed his whole life might not work out as smoothly. It is so easy to read »spoiled brat« into that, but this is only Tyrion’s POV – and Tyrion was in a very bleak mood at that time. We see Aegon being friendly and gentle, laughing and joking, smart and a good student, helping and even saving Tyrion – yet it is that one moment at the Cyvasse Board that people use to judge his character – though that moment was so much more soul wrenching to him that just him losing the game.
All in all, judging Aegon on the same grounds as judging Daenerys makes absolutely no sense. Nothing of this is his doing, either. He is a young boy who is still trying to find his bearings in a world that probably consists only of lies. He might be just a pawn in a play, or he might be the last dragon, and then he is the rightful heir – no matter if Daenerys likes that or not.
“Griff brought me up?“ He must hate me, or he would have let me die.
a redraw of a piece i did a few years ago of this scene….. one of my favorite moments ever. the fact that despite his dislike for tyrion, joncon jumped into the river to save his life and ends up with a disease that’s killing him because of it drives me crazy. I love how complex their relationship & the parallels between them are…. when the “this ineffable thing has tied me to him, tows me with a cable I have no knife to cut” hits
also grrm never said joncon DIDNT take his shirt off to jump in the river so I’m using my artistic liberty
Jon Connington had been Prince Rhaegar’s friend. When Merryweather failed so dismally to contain Robert’s Rebellion and Prince Rhaegar could not be found, Aerys had turned to the next best thing, and raised Connington to the Handship. But the Mad King was always chopping off his Hands. He had chopped Lord Jon after the Battle of the Bells, stripping him of honors, lands, and wealth, and packing him off across the sea to die in exile, where he soon drank himself to death. - Jaime III, aFfC
“There is where you’re wrong,” Myles Toyne had replied. “Lord Tywin would not have bothered with a search. He would have burned that town and every living creature in it. Men and boys, babes at the breast, noble knights and holy septons, pigs and whores, rats and rebels, he would have burned them all.” - The Griffin Reborn, aDwD
Seventeen years had come and gone since the Battle of the Bells, yet the sound of bells ringing still tied a knot in his guts. Others might claim that the realm was lost when Prince Rhaegar fell to Robert’s warhammer on the Trident, but the Battle of the Trident would never have been fought if the griffin had only slain the stag there in Stoney Sept. The bells tolled for all of us that day. For Aerys and his queen, for Elia of Dorne and her little daughter, for every true man and honest woman in the Seven Kingdoms. And for my silver prince. - The Lost Lord, aDwD
Thinking about how Tywin as the competent hand and Aerys’ ex friend must have hung like a shadow over every one of his hands that came after; and how Myles Toyne holds Tywin over Jon’s head as a man he should have emulated… Jon seeing Tywin as something he should have been like, when not being like Tywin is a sign of his good character; and in the end, Tywin betrayed Aerys more than Jon’s failure ever did, at the sack of King’s Landing.
Reasoning behind the comic is that Aerys and Rhaegar must have once looked very alike (Aerys and Rhaella are siblings, and Aerys is described as handsome in his youth); So while he is now all twisted and unkempt, in rare moments he must have resembled Rhaegar… Reminding Jon of what he is fighting for, and later adding to the guilt. (It is not known if a conversation like this ever took place, but its meant to represent the concept it in spirit)
“Griff brought me up?“ He must hate me, or he would have let me die.
a redraw of a piece i did a few years ago of this scene….. one of my favorite moments ever. the fact that despite his dislike for tyrion, joncon jumped into the river to save his life and ends up with a disease that’s killing him because of it drives me crazy. I love how complex their relationship & the parallels between them are…. when the “this ineffable thing has tied me to him, tows me with a cable I have no knife to cut” hits
also grrm never said joncon DIDNT take his shirt off to jump in the river so I’m using my artistic liberty
“Your father’s lands are beautiful,” Prince Rhaegar had said, standing right where Jon was standing now. And the boy he’d been had replied, “One day they will all be mine.” As if that could impress a prince who was heir to the entire realm, from the Arbor to the Wall.
“Griff brought me up?“ He must hate me, or he would have let me die.
a redraw of a piece i did a few years ago of this scene….. one of my favorite moments ever. the fact that despite his dislike for tyrion, joncon jumped into the river to save his life and ends up with a disease that’s killing him because of it drives me crazy. I love how complex their relationship & the parallels between them are…. when the “this ineffable thing has tied me to him, tows me with a cable I have no knife to cut” hits
also grrm never said joncon DIDNT take his shirt off to jump in the river so I’m using my artistic liberty
the way some of the fandom place so much weight on traditional attractiveness is insane to me like what books did you read….. people getting legit angry that the hotd actors are “too ugly” to play targs, people saying tyrion is too ugly to ride a dragon, people arguing over which pubescent girl is the prettiest like my god. I’ll be over here obsessively drawing myles’ receding hairline and bigass fucking nose leave me out of that
sorry to keep harping on this but idk it’s just such a misreading of asoiaf it blows my mind, like even besides the way these books do so much to deconstruct the idea “beauty = goodness / ugly = badness” with specific characters…… like even besides that you can just see grrm’s fondness and emphasis on finding love and beauty in the mundane and imperfect, like love in asoiaf is catelyn building a deep and solid relationship with the solemn plain-faced second son she wasn’t supposed to marry, it’s jon snow blushing when ygritte laughs with her crooked teeth and eyes that are too far apart, it’s davos trying to imagine the most beautiful woman in the world and only being able to think of his aging wife with her sagging breasts, it’s joncon mourning myles’ big nose and jug ears and how they were as much a part of him as his warmth….. it’s an important part of asoiaf to me and I find it so much more meaningful than trying to prove my fave is the prettiest
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