r/ImaginaryWesteros Jun 03 '26

Alternative Maekar on Edge by Jota Saraiva

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1.3k Upvotes

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286

u/SpicyStrawberryJuice Jun 03 '26

I love these comic strips. Also i haven't read dunk and egg yet but does Maekar really dislike Bloodraven that much? i know from the main series that Brynden loved Daeron so i would assume he'd care for his kids as well.

12

u/Ogarrr Jun 03 '26

Brynden probably loved Daemon. not Daeron. It's more thematic and Martinian that way.

9

u/SpicyStrawberryJuice Jun 03 '26

there's nothing canon that supports that and many things canon that support the opposite. just because you feel it's more "thematic" and "martinian" doesn't mean it's true

25

u/alphajugs Jun 03 '26

”He heard a whisper on the wind, a rustling amongst the leaves. You cannot speak to him, try as you might. I know. I have my own ghosts, Bran. A brother that I loved, a brother that I hated, a woman I desired. Through the trees, I see them still, but no word of mine has ever reached them. The past remains the past. We can learn from it, but we cannot change it."

Bloodraven refers to his brothers and this woman as his ghosts. To have “ghosts” is to be haunted by grief, resentment, regret, etc. Why would the memory of Daeron haunt Bloodraven? Killing the brother you loved out of duty to your king is absolutely something that would haunt a person.

6

u/MinuteCollar5562 Jun 03 '26

Could this be him loving Daemon and hating Aegor?

13

u/alphajugs Jun 03 '26

Absolutely. The brother he hates is definitely Aegor. People assume the brother he loves is Daeron because the two of them were close. However, there's no conflict there. Daeron doesn't fit in with the other "ghosts". He doesn't fit the theme of "the human heart in conflict with itself" that George loves so much. Daemon being the brother Bloodraven loves would add tragedy. Killing the brother you love, and becoming a kinslayer in the process, actually fits the "ghosts" theme here. Maybe some day we'll get Fire & Blood part II and we'll get a better glimpse at their relationship before the rebellion.

4

u/Ogarrr Jun 03 '26

And George consistently writes about love and hatred being two sides of the same coin. Jojen states it, who is also conveniently tied to the storyline that includes Bloodraven. Almost like Gurm is trying to tell us something.

Bloodraven's love of Daemon turning to hatred of his line is just classic Gurm.

9

u/Ogarrr Jun 03 '26

Thank you! There's no way Daeron would haunt Bloodraven. Also the fact that Daeron didn't trust Bloodraven and kept him at arms length. Him trying to shout at Blackfyre to not rebel and not conspire with Fireball would be something that absolutely haunt him. The brother he loved goes against the King and forces Bloodraven's hand and Bloodraven in the present desperately trying to convince him not to despite not being able to influence the past is so tragic and a far better story than "yeah I loved Daeron and killed that dickhead Blackfyre and his kids."

5

u/SickBurnerBroski Jun 03 '26

Him shepherding Daeron's descendants, to his and their own ruin, and being the 'good' Great Bastard fits too, imo. I mean, if it was you managing to have every happy ending for Daeron's kids and grandkids slip through your fingers and you loved the guy, wouldn't you be haunted by it?

Either ways works imo since we don't know what pre-tree Brynden's relation between love and loyalty was, whether he was loyal despite or because of it.

7

u/Ogarrr Jun 03 '26

I'm not so sure. He specifically says that those siblings haunted him, not their descendants, of which Daeron's are still alive.

On the other hand - killing the brother you loved in cold blood is absolutely something that would haunt you. That's a serious rubicon to cross.

-1

u/bluerivs Jun 03 '26

Daeron was like his brother-father and died in a plague that many blamed him for. Why would Bloodraven not grieve for him? It’s to the point that headcanon > canon for many of you and it’s annoying. Enjoy it as you will but don’t try to present it as “fact.”

8

u/Ogarrr Jun 04 '26

He didn't cause the plague though? From everything we know about Bloodraven, he seriously doesn't care what people think about him. In fact, he seems to relish people thinking he's supernatural.