SJ Longthorne

She releases the spear and Dany falls to the ground. Arya tries to wrangle control of the dragon as he dives after his fallen master. She topples off near the ground, injured but still alive.pic.twitter.com/xUWswvxueI

Real!Jon approaches Dany’s corpse, coming face to face with the grieving dragon. A look of some understanding passes between them and Drogon kicks into the air with a final sorrowful cry, flying up and away from the ruined city; this is a place of men, not dragons.pic.twitter.com/oxptIUNmtK

In releasing Drogon, Jon has chosen not to assume his kingmaker heritage – he never wanted to be part of the game (of thrones), so the name ‘Targaryen’ doesn’t give him an identity. He is already Snow, a bastard of the north.pic.twitter.com/46qvcBJ6dc

Later, when the ash settles and a new monarch is called for, Jon kneels as he did for the Night's Watch. ‘I pledged to protect you, but I am not your King.’ Sansa is appointed Queen of Westeros with the support of the major houses and the Free Folk.pic.twitter.com/gNThgIIu0W

Since the Wall isn’t strictly necessary anymore and the Night's Watch has disbanded, Sansa appoints Jon Warden of the North.pic.twitter.com/aqCud5PDy8

Tyrion pledges to serve Sansa if she’ll have him; they trust one another and rule closely, tempering one another’s weaknesses – Tyrion’s optimism (as shown by him trusting Cersei/Jaime in previous episodes), Sansa’s suspicion and mistrust of people.pic.twitter.com/gvKzg9M1wK

Arya learns to let go of her vengeance, realising it’s more important to work on building a better future than try to atone for the past. She takes Varys’s place in the new kingdom. #TheEnd #GoT #GOTS8E5pic.twitter.com/ckLeC9yocA