While shipping has become a central aspect of many fanbases, many popular Game of Thrones ships just don’t make any sense in the slightest.

Game of Thrones is filled with toxic romantic relationships. At the beginning of the series, Sansa is convinced that Joffrey is the love of her life, Daenerys is sold to Khal Drogo, and Jaime pushes Bran off of a building to protect his affair with Cersei. These relationships are all incredibly toxic, though the characters often work to convince themselves otherwise.

Because there are so few positive relationships between characters, the shipping community has been forced to create some elaborate — and often confusing — relationships. While some common ships, like Jaime and Brienne, are positive, some either make no sense or are downright toxic.

10.Cersei Would Have Hated Rhaegar

Rhaegar was seemingly the perfect man. He was noble, a proud prince, and he was as intelligent as he was brave. He was the perfect partner for any medieval bride. That’s why Cersei expressed how much she loved the idea of marrying Rhaegar. Unfortunately, her hopes were dashed by Robert, who killed Rhaegar and later married her.

Despite Cersei’s hopes — and the hopes of many fan fiction writers — the Rhaegar and Cersei ship is a mismatch. Rhaegar was a noble figure who was hoping to fulfill a prophecy, while Cersei was a scheming player who had already found a partner in Jaime. Given Cersei’s paranoia, it’s likely that any partner she found would eventually have disappointed her. That would always lead her back to Jaime.

9.Shireen Baratheon and Rickon Stark Never Even Met

Despite being two halves of a fairly popular ship, the idea of a relationship between Shireen and Rickon makes absolutely no sense. The two never met at any point during the story, as Shireen was held on Dragonstone with Stannis, or else being dragged through the North. Rickon, meanwhile, lived in Winterfell before fleeing for the Last Hearth.

The two have extremely different personalities. Rickon is a wild child with immense power and a strong connection to the North. Shireen is an innocent young girl who just wants to help people. The only reason that the two are even associated is that they seemingly share a similar age. In reality, however, Rickon is younger than Shireen throughout Game of Thrones, making even the basis of this pairing flawed.

8.Robb and Daenerys Would Have Killed Each Other

Robb and Daenerys never met in Game of Thrones, and it’s highly unlikely that they would have liked each other. Their interests wildly diverged from one another, leaving little room for the compromise that relationships need. Robb was determined to free the North, while Daenerys was desperate to see it under her rule. Jon may have agreed to bend the knee, but Robb was much more stubborn than his brother.

Their familial ties also would have posed a threat to their relationship. Daenerys’ father murdered Robb’s grandfather and uncle, and Robb’s father helped to send Daenerys into exile. Both were fiercely loyal to their legacies. Any comment about Stark or Targaryen’s honor would have led to a battle — not a partnership.

7.Brienne Didn’t Even Really Like Tormund

When he found a warrior woman with the strength and skill of Brienne, Tormund fell in love. He found her incredible, brave, and frankly perfect. Unfortunately, Tormund may have loved Brienne, but she never found him too impressive. She was someone who valued nobility and honor, and Tormund had little of that.

Any ship between Brienne and Tormund would need to be one-sided at best. Brienne had already found the loves of her life in Jaime and Renly, and she wasn’t interested in exploring anything else. That was something that she proved by joining the Kingsguard twice, which meant that she was sworn to celibacy. Tormund might dream of her but Brienne is just not interested in Tormund.

6.Arya and Jaqen Were Co-Workers at Best

It’s hard not to see a potential love story between a character who saved another from a certain death. In most medieval stories, the knight in shining armor would save the princess and win her hand. Jaqen’s charming nature meant that his early connection with Arya resulted in a prominent ship.

Unfortunately, the relationship would never have worked. Even setting aside the age difference, Jaqen was downright abusive to Arya, and he seemingly wanted her to erase all aspects of her sense of self. Arya’s strong connection with her Stark identity completely conflicted with Jaqen’s own goals. Since Jaqen didn’t have a concept of his own self, he never would have been able to enter a relationship anyway. The ship just doesn’t make any sense.

5.Stannis and Davos Are Just Incompatible

Long before the events of Game of Thrones, Davos saved Stannis and all of Storm’s End by smuggling onions through a siege. To honor his heroic efforts, Stannis raised Davos to nobility, then took the ends of his fingers as punishment for smuggling. It was a bizarre treatment that still somehow secured Davos’ eternal loyalty.

Realistically, however, the ship never could have worked. Despite his allegiance to Stannis, Davos is just as devoted to his family. He has a wife and multiple children, and he is far too honorable to consider abandoning them for Stannis. The two are also downright incompatible, as Stannis regularly jails Davos for minor offenses. Davos would also never forgive Stannis for burning Shireen, the little girl that he loved immensely.

4.Jon and Arya Were Close Siblings

One popular Game of Thrones ship involved Jon Snow and Arya Stark. The siblings became close during their childhoods because both always felt that they were unwanted and unsuitable in their then-current lives. To cement their bond, Jon gave Arya her sword before the two parted, seemingly forever.

As both are powerful warriors with undeniable skill, it makes sense that they would be shipped together. Yet shipping them makes little sense. After all, their memories of one another are about sibling bonds, and they always kept their relationship familial and platonic. Unlike Jaime and Cersei, they were nothing more than brothers and siblings, and that’s why their bond is so charming. A romantic ship just corrupts a touching relationship.

3.Margaery Was Just Using Sansa

The Margaery and Sansa ship was born out of the strong friendship that the two seemingly shared early on in Game of Thrones. While Sansa was still a hostage in King’s Landing, Margaery befriended both Joffrey and Sansa. She quieted the worst of Joffrey’s impulses, and she also did her best to protect Sansa from harm.

As kind as Margaery was, her friendly behavior was little more than a strategy to win Sansa’s favor. Margaery used Sansa to get information about Joffrey’s temperament, and she planned to use Sansa as the Key to the North just as much as the Lannisters did. The Tyrells would go on to frame Sansa for murdering the king, proving that their friendship was little more than a feint. The ship was a lie all along.

2.Sandor Was Abusive To Sansa

When the Hound first became prominent in Sansa’s life, it was when she was trapped with the Lannisters. At the time, Sandor was rough with Sansa and even seemingly cruel. Under Joffrey’s rule, he often tried to save her but still regularly allowed her to be abused. He may have offered her an escape, but his presence will always be a reminder of some of Sansa’s darkest moments.

Sandor saw Sansa as little more than a little bird trapped in a cage. As proud as he was to see her escape that gilded cage, he can no longer truly relate to her. Sansa is now a queen with immense power over the North. Even if he was still alive, Sandor could never have truly stood by any Northern ruler after suffering through Lannister and Baratheon’s rule. After all, he doesn’t like to be controlled, and Sansa will need to be a strong presence to secure the loyalty of the North.

1.Sansa and Jon Are Too Different

After Brienne and Jaime, the Sansa and Jon ship has the most AO3 works. It has a strong presence within the fandom, largely because of the strength of the on-screen bond between the two. While their childhood relationship left much to be desired, they found each other in adulthood and made up for lost time as siblings and friends.

As a ship, though, Sansa and Jon just don’t make sense. Jon is always shown to be interested in physical fighters, including Daenerys and Ygritte. Sansa just doesn’t fit that same mold, as she is much more interested in political power than any physical alternative. Sansa has also seemingly sworn off relationships, which would put a damper on any ships involving her.