WARNING: Spoilers ahead! If you're not caught up on Game of Thrones, TURN AWAY.
Now, some might believe that the men on Game of Thrones are all that and a bag of chips. But we're here today to prove you WRONG. Let's begin.
First and foremost, we have to start out with our girl Arya Stark.
Arya was a fearless badass from Season 1. She didn't try to fit into the stereotypes of what it meant to be a "lady" in Westeros and wasn't apologetic about wanting to learn to fight. Plus, she pulled a motherfuckin' sword on Joffrey and made him cry.
She knew she had to disguise herself as a boy for survival after she escaped, but when Gendry found out she said, "TO HELL WITH CALLING ME A LADY!"
Honestly, there's so much complexity to Arya BUT one of the most important badass qualities she possesses is the fact that she is a fighter — and a GOOD one at that. Like, she trained when she temporarily lost the ability to see. We can barely get out of bed without our glasses, so, IDK.
And yeah, we know Jon Snow was stabbed through the heart many times, but Arya was ALSO stabbed in the gut and she made sure to SURVIVE THAT SHIT. And without Melisandre's help, we might add.
Let's not forget the moment she used everything she learned in Braavos to come back and seek revenge on Walder Frey.
And when she ended up back in Winterfell with our girl Brienne, she was confident as HELL in her fighting abilities. Goosebumps.
I mean, truly. She PROVED HERSELF AND MORE.
All of this is to say, it was clear that after everything Arya had been through and trained for, she absolutely had to be the one to slay the Night King.
AND. SHE. FUCKIN'. DID. THAT.
And if you believe that Jon or Jaime or some other dude had to be the one to kill the Night King, you've been watching the show all wrong. SORRY. IT'S FACT.
Now, let's talk about Sansa Stark, sister to Arya Stark. It's not wrong to have underestimated Sansa in the beginning. After all, she was a huge Joffrey stan.
But then Sansa falls into the hands of Joffrey and Cersei and begins to realize she's going to have to fight for what she believes in and for survival, which gives her a whole new attitude that we are here for.
She's forced into marrying someone she doesn't love, which is heartbreaking when you remember the fairytale life she wanted for herself.
In fact, this happened TWICE. The second time was much worse, because she was forced into marrying an actual FUCKING MONSTER.
And yet, instead of giving up and thinking there was nothing she could do, she chose to fight for her life. This included gathering up all the strength she had to talk some sense into Theon in order to escape Ramsay's clutches.
And she fearlessly faced her abuser and rapist before the Battle of the Bastards, getting in the last word.
And, like Arya, Sansa got her revenge on Ramsay after winning the battle by giving him a taste of the death that he'd inflicted on hundreds of others: Mauled by his dogs.
When she reclaimed Winterfell, her transformation into total boss babe was complete. She made sure to let everyone know not to mess with her.
And when her and Arya began to realize that Littlefinger had ulterior motives, they worked together to TAKE THAT MAN DOWN.
Basically, Sansa isn't afraid to lay down the law when anyone gets in her way because she's loyal as hell — and that makes her a total badass.
Now, let's talk abut Cersei. There's a ton of mixed feelings about her from fans, but one thing is for certain: SHE IS A MOTHERFUCKIN' BOSS.
She has had so many things taken from her. Her children. Her love. Her city. Her throne. Her pride. Her freedom.
But does she let that get her down? Does she let it stop her from marching on? No. Not even a little bit.
Cersei does not bend or bow to anyone.
When Ellaria Sand, of Sand Snakes fame LOL, killed Cersei's daughter Myrcella by kissing her with poison on her lips, Cersei didn't just get mad...
...she got even.
Cersei does not take shit from A N Y O N E.
And I think we can all agree, regardless of our opinion on Cersei as a person, that she's a goddamn warrior. She's seen some shit. (Literal and figurative shit.)
She is always plotting, always thinking ahead, and ready to do whatever it takes to protect herself and those she loves.
Basically, we're over here trying to have an ounce of the self-respect Cersei has.
Now it's time to talk about the motherfuckin' MOTHER OF DRAGONS, Daenerys Targaryen.
This girl can walk through fire. YOUR FAVE COULD NEVER???
But truly, Daenerys also had a rough go at it. Like, remember when her fucking brother Viserys sold her to Drogo for an army? And has the audacity to hit her???? WHO DOES THAT.
And as we know, once Viserys is out of the picture Dany is all, "I'M GONNA TAKE THAT THRONE!!!!" WE LOVE A GIRL WITH MOTIVATION!
Daenerys also acts as a constant reminder that she isn't delicate and can handle her own shit.
Also, DANY ATE A HORSE HEART IN FRONT OF THE DOTHRAKI COUNCIL.
WHAT IS MORE BADASS THAN THAT? YOU THINK JON SNOW WOULD EVER?!?!?!
And when Drogo is no longer alive, Dany roasts herself in an actual fire overnight and comes out — ALIVE — with her dragons and respect from the Dothraki.
Dany isn't afraid of getting what she wants. Like, YES GIRL!!!
SHE. CAN. GET. IT. (And, you know, to be fair this was before she knew that Jon was her fucking nephew so let her have it this one time, OK?)
She's proved to be a strong leader and fought hard to get armies on her side.
And she honestly doesn't need a man at her side when she's got the most loyal companions around: HER DRAGONS!!!!!
She's honest and takes shit from no one!!!!!!!
Daenerys may have a hard shell on the outside but she still lets people in if they prove their trust, and that's what makes her a fuckin' badass.
Now, we can't mention Dany without mentioning her badass handmaiden, Missandei.
Missandei is both brave and intelligent. In fact, even Dany is awestruck when she casually mentions she can speak 19 languages!!!!!!
Missandei loyally remains at Dany's side even when — way later in Season 7 — Jon asks if she was just traded from one master to another. Missandei makes sure he knows that she chooses to serve her queen and if she wanted to go home, Dany would support her. WE LOVE WOMEN SUPPORTING WOMEN.
Dany and Missandei also constantly question the silly actions of men.
And when she wants something, she isn't afraid to go after it. Like Grey Worm!!
ROOTING FOR YOU TWO!!!!
She's the queen of side eye.
And although she has a tough exterior, she's radiant when she lets her guard down.
And it speaks volumes that Dany trusts her more than anyone.
LONG LIVE MISSANDEI! AN OVERALL BADASS AND SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T TAKE SHIT FROM MEN!
Now, we need to take a short moment to also recognize Lady Olenna Tyrell: Queen of One-Liners.
I MEAN!!!!!!!!!
She's also deeply loyal and affectionate towards those she cares about.
And she gives out the best advice because she's been around for a minute and SEEN SOME SHIT.
And let us all never forget who really killed Joffrey...
THAT'S RIGHT. THIS BADASS RIGHT HERE.
It wouldn't be polite of us to skip over Ellaria Sand and her daughters, Obara, Nymeria, and Tyene.
Now, Obara, Nymeria, and Tyene were trained as warriors and are damned good at it.
Like, REALLY good.
TAKIN' DOWN MEN AND TAKIN' NAMES.
Ellaria isn't a badass mother because she raised and trained her daughters for combat. No, what makes her an ultimate badass is the fact that she deeply loves and cares about them.
She, too, is not afraid to be forward and put herself out there.
And she is the MASTER of strategy and deception.
Even when she's captured, she isn't afraid to literally spit on Cersei because SHE DOESN'T GIVE A FUUUUUCK.
And, honestly, we're still upset that these badass characters had to face death, but they will always be remembered as kickass queens.
There's no argument about it. Brienne of Tarth is another absolute badass and deserves respect on her name.
Remember when she went face to face with a bear? Like, sure Jaime popped in to help but we all know she could have taken him the fuck down. An actual bear. A bear! Imagine.
She also isn't afraid of getting REAL.
Plus, she's loyal as hell to Arya...
...and Sansa. WITHOUT ANY HIDDEN MOTIVES (*coughLITTLEFINGERcough*)
She's a hell of a swordswoman.
And despite the fact that she deserves all the titles and recognition in the world — she was still humbled when becoming a knight.
Tell us you aren't crying right now, just looking at this picture?
And obviously we have to mention the tiniest badass on the show: Lyanna Mormont.
Lyanna does not let ANYONE underestimate her.
In fact, when it came down to it, she knew she could help save Winterfell if she tried going up against a goddamn zombie giant. Do you hear that??? IT'S THE SCREAM OF A TRUE WARRIOR.
So she buckled the fuck up...
...and took him DOWN.
You will forever be remembered as an ultimate badass. RIP sweet angel.
And this wouldn't be a proper roundup of badass women if we didn't include Yara Greyjoy.
Yara has been through some shit.
And she's had good things taken away from her way too soon.
She survived being captured by Euron after Theon did nothing. (I mean, he came back for her. So I guess that's the very LEAST.)
Plus she's kind even when she doesn't have to be!!!!
And when she meets Daenerys, Theon makes sure she knows that Yara REP-RE-SENTS!!!!!
Finally, Gilly has a ton of phenomenal qualities: Strength! Kindness! Honesty! But let us NEVER FORGET when she solved the mystery of Jon Snow's past — AND HAD SAM TAKE CREDIT FOR IT.
Basically, the women on Game of Thrones run this world and you cannot convince us otherwise.
