#and then there is cersei who does love her children but struggles to love them the *right* way | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

inthehoneymoonwithconnorrk800 · 1 year

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IMAGINE:

If Arya was a Lannister The image does not belong to me. Possible timeline and wording errors, sorry.

-Remember the baby who cried and struggled to survive, thinking it was a boy? Well no, it was a girl.

-The baby survived to Cersei and Robert's peace of mind, both of them finally agreeing on something.

-Cersei had a long list of names, preferably originating from Casterly Rock. Meanwhile, Robert was over the moon. It took about 30 days for him to finally choose a name, Cersei had never been so embarrassed of her lord husband (for the moment).

-The king named her Arya. It turns out that, in those thirty days, he was messaging his lifelong best friend Ned Stark, asking for advice on a good name and how to be a good father. Ned upon reading that the girl was born with black hair like her father and watery eyes (I don't know if Baratheon blue or brown like show! Robert, how do you prefer it?), without hesitation sent him several respectable northern names and one of them was Arya. The king loved it, it sounded like Lyanna. Actually, he planned to call her that but his Lannister wife gave him the most murderous look when he vaguely commented on it, to test the waters.

-Arya Lannister grew up with all the luxuries and attentions of her position. However, the years passed and so did the resentment between Robert and Cersei.

-Arya from an early age, was rebellious. That pleased Cersei, it reminded her of when she was a child, and instead of Tywin forbidding her something, Cersei granted it. So she learned to ride, to train with wooden swords and to know about war strategies. However, Cersei had her limits: like to know how to behave like a lady, to know how to sew perfectly, to present herself with other children of her rank, little things like that.

-Robert loved it, saw the wildness in her blood and imagined that Arya was the daughter he and Lyanna Stark might have had. Arya was teasing, mischievous and enjoyed roaming the halls of the Red Keep.

-Every time Cersei looked at her, she felt a sneer at her strong resemblance to her father. That was when she was about eight to nine years old. Her walk, her tone of voice, her expressions, it was something she couldn't stand. She let him drop out of her "boy" classes despite Robert's protest, following the advice her father Tywin had given her years before.

-"You should act, as well as x lady," "speak as a maiden should," and "is that the best attire you have, call your maids." It was Arya's day to day life.

-But Arya Lannister was proud. When lions do not fight, they hide and continue to fight from another perspective. She ran away, looked for hiding places, begged her father to oppose her mother (unsuccessfully).

To make matters worse, baby Joffrey arrived. He was blond and identical to his mother, to the point that he absorbed all her attention. Arya had annoyed him a little, but then she was glad, she could have more freedom to do what she wanted.

She made all the fuss she could that caught Tywin Lannister's attention. Annoyed, he traveled with Tyrion to reassure his first granddaughter. When it was hinted to become his ward, Cersei's denial was immediate (she knew firsthand her father's cruelty even to his own blood), then, the second idea was for Tyrion to serve as nanny, practically.

The king was amused and agreed to the deal. Not knowing the impact his uncle Tyrion would have on little Arya's life.

Quickly, Tyrion settled in and engaged in wry talks with the young Lannister. They both fled Cersei's wrath, sometimes with her uncle Jaime acting rather strangely around Arya.

When Arya bled, it was the worst day of her life. An ambitious and spiteful Cersei, a cold Tywin and a friendly Robert, were looking to see which would be her best match.

That was when Arya went from being a little girl to being a woman.

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chronurgy · 6 months

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10 characters, 10 fandoms

Thanks for the tag @rowanisawriter!

Tagging: @weavewithshadow, @bhaalsbabe, anyone else who wants to play!

Oooo this is going to be hard because I tend to get really into multiple characters from the same thing, but let's go! In no particular order:

1. Essek Thelyss - Critical Role

He's a war criminal. He's a prodigy. He's a traitor. He's a time and gravity wizard. He's a heretic in a theocracy where his mother is a living saint. He floats everywhere instead of walking. When the gang asks if they're going to have to kill him, he laughs and says "I'd like to see you try". He crushes someone to death with gravity simply by closing his fist. "My reasons [for treason] weren't good, but they were important". He goes from not having cared about anyone in 120 years to caring so much about a bunch of weirdos in like, 6 weeks. He made his father so mad during an argument that the guy stormed off and died. What's not to love? He makes me so insane.

Honorable mention: Caleb Widogast

2. Anders - Dragon Age

My favorite chaotic bisexual disaster man. The contrast between awakening anders and da2 anders is so fascinating for me. He's this carefree guy, except he isn't really that carefree, is he? He escapes over and over and over, swimming across the lake even. He hates the circle and hates the Templars just as much, he's just funnier about it. When you start adding up the year in solitary, Karl, the fact that he must have seen all the injuries in the circle as a spirit healer, it starts becoming very clear why he is the way he is. He also sucks! He's petty, he's mean, and he's so up his own ass about how right he thinks he is about everything. But he also runs a clinic for the poorest of the poor, dodging Templars and freeing mages all the while. He does the excellent wizard hubris thing of taking the future into his own hands, even if it kills people (suck my nuts elthina). He loves a romanced Hawke so much, even as he experiences this greater calling. Plus Grey wardens are cool as hell and he loves cats.

Honorable mention: mage!Hawke

3. Merlin - BBC Merlin

This show manages to be both ridiculous and sad. Merlin is such a happy go lucky, cheerful character at the beginning, then we watch as things just keep getting worse. He cannot seem to win. By the end, that cheerfulness seems much closer to a mask he's desperately clinging to than anything else. He's an expert liar and manipulator, he's a killer, and he's so, so alone. If he ever tells anyone that he's a sorcerer, he'll be executed. And he lives in the shadow of that for years, unable to be himself even with the people he's closest to. Also characters who have their eyes change colors when using their powers my beloved.

4. Daenerys Targaryen - ASOIAF

I love her chapters - there's so much interesting and human depth to her struggles (even when her struggles are fantastical). She struggles to know how to rule, and rule well. She takes hostages but loves them too much to kill them. She struggles to create and maintain a peace for her people even as that peace asks things of her she cannot bear. She worries what it says about her that her children are monsters and she both loves and fears them. She desperately wants a simple, loving life but is also so, so doomed to never have that. She's a queen and a dragon rider and a young woman trying to understand the world. She's great. (I don't care about the tv show I'm talking books here)

Honorable mentions: Jon Snow, Cersei Lannister

5. Gale Dekarios - Baldur’s Gate

Oh yeah, another hubris wizard. He's funny and has this easy, good natured charm that makes it possible to ignore that he's an absolute FREAK. He's got one of my favorite wizard traits - a strong ends justify the means streak. He points, very genteelly, at all the ways power and knowledge drive and corrupt. He's a sweetheart but he brags all the time. Except it isn't bragging, because he can back it up. He can really, genuinely, become a god. His relationship with the dark urge also makes me insane, because I think in some ways he's both the clearest eyed about what will happen to them and the one most willing to meet them where they are and also desperately wants to believe they're a good person, even when it's clear that they aren't. His line about how their life is no longer theirs to lead, only to follow to a dark urge who embraces Bhaal is incredible. The diverging paths of who he can become over the course of the game are fascinating and there's so much depth to him. He's great. Oh, he also excuses his cat's crimes. Love that in a man.

Honorable mentions: Enver Gortash, The Dark Urge

6. Camilla Hect - The Locked Tomb

She's the most composed, controlled, meticulous batshit fucking crazy woman in the world. Unstoppable force vibes. Instead of moving on after her necromancers death she pieced together tiny fragments of his skull and then shared her body with him. She's a genius and she can't let go of her insanely codependent relationship, even when it kills her (but honestly Paul seems pretty cool and I'm excited to learn more about them)

Honorable mention: Palamedes Sextus

7. The Jovial Contrarian - Fallen London

A little more niche, this one! I sometimes find that characters in fallen london can sort of pale in interest compared to the overall lore and happenings, but the Jovial Contrarian is one of my favorites. He loves arguing and will argue with anyone about anything at any time. If you have regular debating lessons with him, people will hide behind couches rather than face you. He's part of the calendar council and hates the masters but also wants a solution that isn't the liberation of the night. Anytime his name is mentioned you know you're about to read something ridiculous. Fun guy!

Honorable mentions: Poor Edward (incredibly narsty. great villain), The Eagle, Ascendant (they have like, 3 lines of lore and they're all fantastic)

8. Midna - Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

I remember playing twilight princess for the first time and I just immediately fell in love with Midna. She's snarky, she's mean, her design is cool as hell, and I really loved her arc as she grew to really care about people over the course of the game. She remains firmly the best Zelda companion in my mind.

9. Elim Garak - Star Trek

You always knew it was going to be a great episode when Garak showed up. He always feels 30 seconds from chewing on the scenery and it is fantastic. He's an exiled spy and maybe a little bit of a monster and he never pretends otherwise. His lines to Sisko in "In the Pale Moonlight," telling him that he must have known what Garak would do, and that if the price of winning the war is Sisko's self respect then he'd call that a bargain are some of my favorite in an episode that already has a lot of really good lines. Aw man I wanna watch DS9 now.

Honorable mentions: Julian Bashir, Captain Picard, Tasha Yar (but wasn't she lame and poorly written? Yes. But young me was extremely taken with this aggressive short-haired woman for reasons I could not articulate at the time 🥴)

10. Morgan Yu - Prey (2017)

Okay so if you haven't played Prey stop reading right now and go buy it. Don't look up any spoilers or plot or anything just do it. If you liked dishonored or deathloop you'll love it. Now: who IS Morgan Yu? Who WAS Morgan Yu? Are they even the same person any more? How culpable are they? How culpable were they? Part of the reason Morgan is so endlessly fascinating to me is because we'll never know. How integral are memories to the continuity of the self? Why did you do what you did? Did you, the person standing here right now, even do it? The game just delivers gut punch after gut punch to Morgan and I love it and I love them (whoever they might have been).

Overall honorable mentions: the outsider from dishonored, garrus from mass effect, vimes and vetinari from discworld, and all my dnd characters (shout out especially to Hermès Montclair who fucked a dragon, died (unrelated to said dragon fucking), then came back wrong and fucked the dragon again! No one's doing it like you baby)

#Ask games #Thanks for tagging me I had a lot of fun!#Picking just one character from each thing was soooooooo hard

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bbygirl-aemond · 2 years

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Jaime Lannister vs. Aemond Targaryen

HEAVY BOOK SPOILERS AHEAD, Y'ALL

I’m sure I’m not the first person to point this out, but “The Black Queen” sets up a really interesting parallel between Aemond and Jaime. I noticed it right away, mostly because Jaime is one of my favorite GoT characters lol, and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since.

First, Aemond and Jaime are both deeply dedicated to their families. Jaime, for all of his character development and good qualities, is hopelessly in love with Cersei and their children. All of the worst things that he does, he does for them, every time. Aemond hasn’t had as much screen time, but he’s shown a strong sense of duty to his mother in the show so far. And in Fire and Blood, when Aegon is recovering and unable to rule for a period of time, Aemond insists on remaining Regent and never tries to take the title of King from his brother. He does this, despite his clear understanding that he would be a better king than Aegon, and his demonstrated desire for the throne and its responsibilities in the show.

(As a side note, this is why I don’t believe that Helaena’s children are Aemond’s. I don’t personally believe they have romantic feelings towards each other, but even if you do, the fact still remains that Aemond has a strong sense of propriety and respect towards his brother. Just as he would never even try to take his title as King, no matter how much he personally wants it and feels he deserves it, he would never dare sleep with his wife.)

Back to the Aemond/Jaime parallels-- so we have two characters whose entire lives' purpose seems to revolve around their families, and who are capable of committing some pretty awful acts for their families’ sakes (see Aemond’s war crimes era from the books, soon to come in the show). But both have a strong sense of honor, and respect, and propriety.

And both spend their adult lives being spurned and hated, and are branded with an insulting title, for a supposed crime that has been fundamentally misunderstood. We have Jaime, who is mocked with the title of “Kingslayer” and told time and time again he has no honor. Meanwhile, he killed a madman in order to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. And we have Aemond, who is branded a “Kinslayer,” whose family is murdered for this supposed act, who himself is murdered because of this. But we see how Lucerys’s dragon strikes the first blow, not Vhagar; and we see how Aemond desperately tries to stop what happens.

Both Aemond and Jaime also, so tragically, never try to correct the public’s impressions of them. I think they understand that this would be an impossible feat; that no matter how much they tried to plead their case, they would only be scorned further for trying to paint themselves as innocent. Truly, no one would believe them.

Aemond has another layer of trying to protect his family by refusing to clear his own name. Vhagar is the Greens' biggest asset, and to admit that they struggle to control her would have catastrophic consequences. His brother would lose allies as King, and the Blacks would absolutely seize upon it. And I've established that I think the Greens view this as a fight for survival, not for the throne, so to lose would be to forfeit their lives.

(If you’d like a little angsty Aemond headcanon, imagine whether the show will allow him to at least be believed by his own family--or whether even people such as Alicent and Helaena will 100% believe he intentionally killed his nephew, and blame him for everything that ensues. Everything.)

Anyways, both Jaime and Aemond do terrible things, which are certainly inexcusable. But this aspect of their backstories makes them so much more multidimensional and interesting than if they were simply evil for the sake of evil, the way everyone around them seems to believe. And I definitely have a type when it comes to my favorite characters!

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alicentsgf · 2 years

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I feel its so interesting how people hate Alicent so much, like a disproportionate amount for how she’s been presented. Especially since I think we can all agree Daemon is objectively a worse person from a moral standpoint, but he still kinda garners this admiration and I feel it’s because he is admittedly charismatic. And then there’s Aemond whose a green still gets a lot of love because he has that similar charismatic air. Even Rhaenyra and Rhaenys have a similar way about them, an obvious confidence, even if its slightly feigned. Alicent just doesn’t have these qualities.

Alicent is not the kind of antagonist you can love to hate, like Cersei for example, because she has very little agency or self-assurance, as a child she was particularly naive and she’s always been very neurotic. She doesn’t have the qualities that make someone an admirable character. She not a fighter, she doesn’t get any #girlboss moments, she’s not presented as being as good of a mother as the other women in the show, and she doesn’t wield any real political power, at least prior to Viserys death. Ultimately I think people are frustrated by her and her inability to, at least momentarily, throw off her oppression like the other women in the show do. But the other women in the show have advantages Alicent doesn’t; a big one is their dragons. Rhaenys and Rhaenyra are Targaryens and they play by different rules. They have wielded a power Alicent could only dream of since they were children, and more than that they’ve had steadfast support too. Alicent has Criston at best and he lacks any political sway. Her father only cares for power and legacy, for what his daughters body can buy him, and Viserys is neglectful of her to such an extent she was all but a teenage single mother, struggling to raise children who were being actively harmed by her husbands lack of interest.

She’s essentially watching from her prison as the Targaryen women in the adjoining cells, especially Rhaenyra, seem to summon keys to release themselves and sneak out every so often when she has no key. She could rattle the door for eternity but it still wouldn’t open, and she knows this, but it’s frustrating for us as the viewers to see her for the most part not even try. Then, the few times she does rattle her cage, she fails to gain anything from it. Totally alone in fighting for justice for Aemond, for the other children to at least be reprimanded for ambushing him (and yes it was an ambush 4 on 1 and they attacked Aemond first). But her husband chooses Rhaenyra over her and her children yet again, and so Alicents emotions explode out of her. Her fear that she and her children will be easily cast aside, is realised in that moment. She’s painted with this brush of madness, even by the fandom, but she’s been defiled and gaslighted and abused for 15 yrs, so wouldn’t anyone lash out eventually? Alicent is a victim, and I don’t say that to excuse all her actions because she is still responsible for the choices she does make, I say that to point out that it’s why people dislike her in such an unforgiving way. I think people find it uncomfortable to admit its possible to be trapped like Alicent is, that some people are just doomed by their circumstances, and to watch it is off-putting. People every time say 'she could have done *this*, she could have done *that*' and every time i find myself thinking 'could she....? without dire consequences...? probably not.'

It’s a big reason why people hated Sansa so much and scornfully compared her to Arya (who was a fan favourite), as if they weren’t faced with wildly different circumstances, as if Sansa wasn’t a prisoner. She couldn’t have fought her way out of that situation with a sword. She didn’t have the resources to escape alone, she needed help. And no one ever helped Alicent. And unlike Sansa she also never had anyone to tutor her in 'playing the game'.

She and Sansa both lack typically masculine traits, and it’s only when Sansa gained some and became an active player that she began to command the respect of a lot of the fans that had previously disliked her. Likewise, I’ve seen people say the first time they respected Alicent was when she stood up for Rhaenyra against the lords of the council. In short, misogyny has a big part to play in this. It really feels like victim blaming to scorn Alicent for not fighting back "hard enough" against her abusers, for not being somehow smart enough to overcome a system she is surrounded by on all sides, for not recognising sooner she was a pawn. Because how dare women and girls be victims in a world that so heavily victimises them. And we are also forced to admit an uncomfortable truth in Alicent; that sometimes people have almost no way of saving themselves

#alicent hightower #hotd #house of the dragon #lp

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lemonhemlock · 1 year

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People act like parent-child relationships are super simple when Alicent is involved.

1) Otto:

Bit of a tangent but in my country (Spith Africa) when you're in grade 9 you u choose your subjects for grade 10 and maths is a must however you can choose which maths uore doing maths literacy or maths core. People who arent the best at maths should do maths literacy but you come across do many who choose maths core and other subjects they hate/have extreme difficulty with/zero interest in because of parental influence. They don't want to disappoint their parents and go against their wishes.

Now back to the show Otto tells Alicent to endear herself to Viserys in order to become queen. Otto is her father, ultimately he has a say in who she marries. She lives with him. We also see she struggles with anxiety. How exactly will she stand up to him in an epic girl boss move, in a medieval setting, when people these days struggle to do so with their own parents. It's not easy to go against your parents wishes and its especially not easy to disappoint them. What would Otto have done if she refused? If he was willing to pimp her out yo a man old enough to be her father, who basically killed his first wife would he sell her to a Ramsay Bolton type if it benefited him? Better the devil you know right?

2) her children.

Alicent was a child herself when she was forced to have them. She had to grow up fast and we see her struggle with anxiety and PPD, she has little to no support system around. The servants are there to assist but its their job. She has no one to looking out for her mental wellbeing. She is isolated and trapped in a golden cage by a dragon.

With Aegon she struggles with him because he shirks his duties and doesn't take anything seriously when his situation is a matter of life and death. She is scared for him and the others but he doesn't get it. People were calling Ned an idiot for nor securing his family's safety before working against Cersei but when Alicent does exactly that she's an awful mom.

When she tells Aegon he is not her son she is struggling to reconcile the image of her little that she raised on her own, the boy she tried to impart wisdom on with someone who would commit a monstrous act, something his (absent) father did to her. But she still loves him. She might not always like him but she was willing to stand between him and a literal dragon. Everything she has done has been for him and his siblings.

Helaena

One thing I find interesting and tragic about this relationship is that Alicent's main love languagea are acts of service and physical touch.(acts of service is her trying to keep the family together and securing peoples positions and safety. Physical touch in moments where words have failed her) She used it Rhaenrya alot when they were younger and she tries to use it on her children. Helaena has a touch aversion so we see her pulling away from her touch. (Which is why thstvone scene they actually hug is so beautiful)

Alicent nevertheless tries a different method, whole spending time together she asks Helaena about bugs. Yes she looks bored because the topic doesn't interest her but she is trying to engage with her(as someone who hyperfixtates then infodumps, this is enough. "Thank you for letting me vent about this even if you don't care about it" cause it shows that you at the care about me)

Aemond is her dutiful son who does his absolute best. She was distraught when he lost an eye and we see him return her physical gestures when she needs comfort.

Her love for her children is unconditional. She would do anything for them no matter what. She's not a perfect mom, but what parent is 100% perfect, but for a single teen mother of three, whose children's lives are constantly at stake she has done a damn good job.

Thank for furthering the Alicent agenda, chaotic coffee queen. We need brave soldiers out there fighting on the frontlines!

I agree with everything you said above. People have so much energy for hating Alicent as a mother, yet so very little for hating Viserys as a father. He is a footnote in his own family, yet viewers act as if his negligence couldn't possibly amount to behavioural issues in his own children or that Alicent should have somehow made up for it. As if anyone could erase parental abandonment.

^^^ This. Alicent is bone-weary and has trouble expressing her emotions, especially in a way that gets through to her children. Each of them is so different from the other and what works for one doesn't necessarily work for the other. It's hard for her to calibrate her strategies to perfectly tailor every member of her family, as she doesn't have access to the kind of resources we now have for child development.

#ask #anon #alicent hightower #alicent & her children #viserys literally called rhaenyra his only child & ppl believe alicent could have ever healed that gaping wound on her own #pls try and practice some empathy ppl

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vivacissimx · 1 year

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what do you say to rhaegar antis who support the greens and aegon ii (a canon rapist)? it seems very hypocritical to me

sorry for the late reply—it's not hypocritical. it's fairly clear to me that the person in question is a contrarian when it comes to asoiaf, as in prefers to explore stories from the POV of the characters treated as villains or even entirely ignored due to their distance from the actual narrative.

reading/rewriting stories from a separate perspective than intended to be read isn't some new invention. milton wrote paradise lost with a heavy dose of sympathy for satan in the 17th century. sometimes it's done really well (madeleine miller's circe) and sometimes it's cringe as fuck (that movie where dalmations killed cruella de vil's mom)

there is of course the ghost of rhaegar that lingers throughout asoiaf, with daenerys particularly but also with ned, barristan, tyrion, jaime, cersei, maester aemon—i'd also point out brienne's journey through the crownlands/riverlands as connected to rhaegar/targaryen legacy (for better or worse) in general—and at some point jon. lyanna similarly with a few characters like ned, arya, bran, randomly theon (it's not random it's important!!!), once again at some point jon.

there is a feeling for some that rhaegar's wife elia & their children who were murdered despicably are unfairly shafted because they have far less connection to the overall narrative/ the 'main' characters therefore reading the rhaegar and lyanna stories from the POV of elia/the dornish is more interesting or valid or good. personally i disagree, & heavily disagree with the idea that the heart of the dorne storyline is elia martell (imo it is arianne and HER unique struggles as a female heir that will hold weight on the overall story), but to each their own.

with the dance of the dragons, meh, it's extremely clear that in this conflict the greens are the side we are meant to condemn, that they represent the entropy of old ways of thinking and how they can only destroy progress, never create future. the show adaptation is tasked with bringing nuance into this story to make it compelling. for some watchers what they've been presented with is enough for them to least argue that the greens have a fair point and should be heard out. once again to each their own.

nuance is ofc crucial to analysis. as a rhaegar enjoyer myself i don't think him innocent in the start of robert's rebellion as much as 'motivated by the information he had at the time, he took a calculated risk only for the stakes to become drastically different through a series of events not foreseeable by anyone.' ironically i think reading rhaegar from the center of elia/dorne erases some of the nuance actually important to the plot, because it's simply not relevant from that particular POV. i'd say the same if we are looking at arianne's queenmaker plot through the lens of myrcella, or heaven forbid, CERSEI

as for the greens i just personally don't care enough about the story to care about the bad guy's feelings lol. it's prologue. within that, aegon ii, to me, is a detestable misogynist who violently murders his sister rhaenyra and tortures baela. that's enough, thanks, check please! from the outside i will say this: it's interesting to me that the characters who receive "nuance" are the characters who act in ways that preserve the social order, rather than those who disrupt it. look at laenor! does he deserve a nuanced analysis considering he's one of the only exampled we get of a queer character navigating a heteropatriarchy? when he (hotd version) abandons his family despite displaying love for them, can we reasonably understand that being forced to live in close quarters with criston cole, the murderer of laenor's lover joffrey lonmouth, causes him to snap? is it popularly argued that rhaenyra having 3 children with harwin is as much a result of rhaenyra's desperation/desire for agency as it is laenor's depression? laenor is not a main character and he's also not a pretty white woman but if we are doing contrarian readings... yfm? ok cool. that's all i got

#asks #rhaegar targaryen #aegon ii targaryen #text

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lightningandfireinmybones · 1 year

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Naturally as I sit and process the last chapter and ending of tdopom, I want to know your thoughts-

First, Daemon…

Obviously, he’s incredibly heartbroken since losing Rhaenyra. But part of me wonders if he would concede so easily to Valaena & Aemond? He was very actively trying to kill Aemond despite being Val’s husband and all…

I just wonder what the future looks like for him and what role he plays? What his relationship with the whole family looks like? We saw a snippet but I feel like there’s more. Kings Landing would be a toxic place for him.

Second, Alicent…

She obviously knows Aemond murdered Aegon (as well as all of Aegon’s own atrocities). How does a mother handle one son murdering the other and then goes on to become King Consort?! Talk about a whirlwind. Aegon was no angel but, as a mother, I would think she would feel some type of animosity (or deep conflicting emotions) for Aemond for murdering one of her children and his own sibling 🤷🏼‍♀️

Perhaps I’m thinking too deeply here but I just feel like both these characters experienced immense loss & pain. Both are “troubled” to put it mildly…I don’t see either of them “coming quietly” if you get my meaning LOL

no bc you’re right!! It was a messy messy ending for both of those messy messy characters and I don’t think it ends cleanly, they’re not just magically on board

1. Daemon: daemon is daemon. He’s grieving rhaenyra and realizing what he’s fought for his whole life is worthless without his love and he’s getting his baby girl on that throne, even if it means the one-eyed twat has one too, but he is so broken emotionally that it’s not just over there

I imagine him and aemond and Valaena having a real bloody confrontation later when the grief has waned a little for daemon, and he’s now realizing he has contributed to aemond on the throne, it’s something i was thinking about for a one shot follow up

ESPECIALLY since they didn’t name him their hand (why would they?? It’s be suicide for aemond lmao), daemon has to struggle again with what his place is and his role in a monarchy and family he is no longer head of

But he does love his daughters. He does love Valaena. And rhaena and Baela and Aegon and viserys. Now he has to figure out how to let go of his own issues with aemond and the throne (which are really just issues he has with himself) and focus on being a not piece of shit father now

Unfortunately for him that includes not killing the man who his daughter loves, the same man who saved his daughter when he could not, bc Valaena would’ve died too in the fight with Hugh and Vermithor if aemond and Vhagar hadn’t interfered, he has to reconcile the two

I imagine after this mess of emotion and ego and rage is sorted he might be commander of the city watch again and lean into grandpappy of Valyrian knowledge role, but it’s not overnight, it’s YEARS of work

2. Alicent!!! Alicent has just had her son be murdered. Granted, he was murdered bc he actively contributed to the essential (for the purposes of the story and world) murder of her favorite child’s (or at least the most parentified child) baby, nearly the death of the love of her favorite child’s life

This is something that she would’ve been behind aemond for doing 1000% if it wasn’t aegon he was doing it to

Again, this maybe an explore later oneshot (I was actually picturing a convo between Alicent and Valaena similar To that one scene in season 1 of GoT between Robert and Cersei, the loaded one if you know what I’m talking about) but Alicent has now seen the destruction her actions have wrought: not only was aegon objectively terrible, he hurt aemond. Aemond is what she created, someone to inflict vengeance and fight for his family, but Valaena is now his family too and she has to come to terms with the fact that her son is his own person

And aemond has saved helaena and has always been there and was doing what ended up being best for the realm, even if it is shattering to Alicent, who has her own very complicated feelings for her idiot son aegon

And now she’s sort of breaking free of this role Otto and viserys have pushed her into, seeing rhaenyra dead (it’s my world she has romantic feelings for rhaenyra and nobody can stop me!!) and aegon dead and the realm near ruin and it has a direct tie to her actions, she can no longer deceive herself into thinking she has done what is right and honorable anymore

For the first time, Alicent is facing her own consequences but also her own path! She can chose what happens next! And it’s terrible and it’s horrible but i also imagine a part of her is somewhat relieved,,, she no longer has to play kingmaker or fit into a box of a perfect pious queen to have worth,,, aegon her rapist son is dead but aemond is king and helaena and daeron are safe,,, it’s a lot of hurt and confusion and it’s not just over like that, NOW she has to come to terms with Valaena as queen and the legacy that she has wrought as she heals from viserys and otto’s influence and rediscovers herself as a person separate from her children and her husband and her father

For all that, I guess the moral is that it’s not done and clean I just chose to focus on aemond and Valaena for the end chapter lololol

#I hope that helps?? but I know it’s somewhat of a cop out #daemon and Alicent are complicated characters who could have their own 159k word fics #tdopom fic #ask

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sayruq · 2 years

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it's funny how this fandom likes to dismiss cersei as just always being paranoid when in agot she tells jaime she worries robert will try to pass her over for a younger woman. She was right to be worried - the tyrells are in the background trying to get robert interested in margaery, robert doesn't love cersei let alone respect her and doesn't want to be married - you don't think if the opportunity didn't present itself he wouldn't try to discard cersei? OK

that's the thing about cersei- she's right about a lot of things

the tyrells

she tries to warn tyrion about varys because tyrion doesn't really consider that varys has his own agenda

why ned agreed to become robert's hand

tyrion as a threat to her

varys as a threat

the need for the crown to have its own fleet, etc.

she's wrong about a lot too but usually with good reason

stannis would obviously be a greater threat to her and tommen than some greyjoy king. euron is unknown in the mainlands to anyone who doesn't remember fighting him during the greyjoy rebellion and as long as he is distracting the tyrells, cersei wouldn't mind. in her mind, there are many threats towards her children and herself, she's going to prioritise keeping them safe over the realm

kevan lannister would remove her from king's landing and he doesn't know the prophecy and what cersei is trying to prevent, he doesn't understand the stakes like she does

men like aurane waters and orton merryweather don't have the backing to undermine cersei so putting them in the small council makes sense. at the end of the day, cersei has power than them- as queen regent, as lady of the rock and queen mother. she wouldn't have to bargain and threaten just to get anything done. she also wanted to make sure none of them were beholden to the tyrells or the other lannisters

with tommen's legitimacy being questioned, getting him crowned and getting rid of the sparrows in the streets (can't have another riot) is worth making a deal with high sparrow. i mean eventually the lannister army will return so the faith militant can't be that disruptive, can it? (see mace tyrell getting margaery back with just the presence of his army)

aurane waters kept reminding cersei of her days before she met robert. abuse victims romanticising the time before they met their abuser is pretty normal. cersei is typically wary of people but by the time she meeta aurane waters and taena merryweather, she's deeply lonely, frightened and in desperate need of useful allies. aurane presents himself as such- he has useful information, he is witty and charming, he doesn't disagree with her. i also think people have overexaggerate how much cersei likes him

"Your Grace is kind," said Waters with a smile. A wicked smile, the queen thought. Aurane did not resemble Prince Rhaegar as much as she had thought. He has the hair, but so do half the whores in Lys, if the tales are true. Rhaegar was a man. This is a sly boy, no more. Useful in his way, though.

his main role was to fill a seat in the small council, it's only after that did he start asking for a fleet. if cersei expected everything to fall apart like it did, she wouldn't have handed him the keys to the new ships that were built.

but the fandom would have you believe that cersei wakes up cross eyed, her mouth drooling as she struggles to read simple sentences.

#Anonymous #cersei lannister #song of ice and fire #cersei meta #asoiaf meta

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cappymightwrite · 3 years

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What draws you to incest ?

*sighs* Ok, here we go. I'm a real card carrying Jonsa now aren't I?

Anon, listen. I know this is an anti question that gets bandied about a lot, aimed at provoking, etc, when we all know no Jonsa is out here being all you know what, it really is the incest, and the incest alone, that draws me in. I mean, come on now. Grow up.

If I was "drawn" to incest I'd be a fan of Cersei x Jaime, Lucrezia x Cesare, hell Oedipus x Jocasta etc... but I haven't displayed any interest in them now, have I? So, huh, it can't be that.

Frankly, it's a derivitive question that is really missing the mark. I'm not "drawn" to it, though yeah, it is an unavoidable element of Jonsa. The real question you should be asking though, is what draws GRRM to it? Because he obviously is drawn to it, specifically what is termed the "incest motif" in academic and literary scholarship. That is a far more worthwhile avenue of thinking and questioning, compared with asking me. Luckily for you though anon, I sort of anticipated getting this kind of question so had something in my drafts on standby...

You really don't have to look far, or that deeply, to be hit over the head by the connection between GRRM's literary influences and the incest motif. I mean, let's start with the big cheese himself, Tolkein:

Tolkein + Quenta Silmarillion

We know for definite that GRRM has been influenced by Tolkein, and in The Silmarillion you notably have a case of unintentional incest in Quenta Silmarillion, where Túrin Turambar, under the power of a curse, unwittingly murders his friend, as well as marries and impregnates his sister, Nienor Níniel, who herself had lost her memory due to an enchantment.

Mr Tolkein, "what draws you to incest?"

Old Norse + Völsunga saga

Tolkein, as a professor of Anglo-Saxon, was hugely influenced by Old English and Old Norse literature. The story of the ring Andvaranaut, told in Völsunga saga, is strongly thought to have been a key influence behind The Lord of the Rings. Also featured within this legendary saga is the relationship between the twins Signy and Sigmund — at one point in the saga, Signy tricks her brother into sleeping with her, which produces a son, Sinfjotli, of pure Völsung blood, raised with the singular purpose of enacting vengence.

Anonymous Norse saga writer, "what draws you to incest?"

Medieval Literature as a whole

A lot is made of how "true" to the storied past ASOIAF is, how reflective it is of medieval society (and earlier), its power structures, its ideals and martial values etc. ASOIAF, however, is not attempting historical accuracy, and should not be read as such. Yet it is clearly drawing from a version of the past, as depicted in medieval romances and pre-Christian mythology for instance, as well as dusty tomes on warfare strategy. As noted by Elizabeth Archibald in her article Incest in Medieval Literature and Society (1989):

Of course the Middle Ages inherited and retold a number of incest stories from the classical world. Through Statius they knew Oedipus, through Ovid they knew the stories of Canace, Byblis, Myrrha and Phaedra. All these stories end more or less tragically: the main characters either die or suffer metamorphosis. Medieval readers also knew the classical tradition of incest as a polemical accusation,* for instance the charges against Caligula and Nero. – p. 2

The word "polemic" is connected to controversy, to debate and dispute, therefore these classical texts were exploring the incest motif in order to create discussion on a controversial topic. In a way, your question of "what draws you to incest?" has a whiff of polemical accusation to it, but as I stated, you're missing the bigger question.

Moving back to the Middle Ages, however, it is interesting that we do see a trend of more incest stories appearing within new narratives between the 11th and 13th centuries, according to Archibald:

The texts I am thinking of include the legend of Judas, which makes him commit patricide and then incest before betraying Christ; the legend of Gregorius, product of sibling incest who marries his own mother, but after years of rigorous penance finally becomes a much respected pope; the legend of St Albanus, product of father-daughter incest, who marries his mother, does penance with both his parents but kills them when they relapse into sin, and after further penance dies a holy man; the exemplary stories about women who sleep with their sons, and bear children (whom they sometimes kill), but refuse to confess until the Virgin intervenes to save them; the legends of the incestuous begetting of Roland by Charlemagne and of Mordred by Arthur; and finally the Incestuous Father romances about calumniated wives, which resemble Chaucer's Man of Law's Tale except that the heroine's adventures begin when she runs away from home to escape her father's unwelcome advances. – p. 2

I mean... that last bit sounds eerily quite close to what we have going on with Petyr Baelish and Sansa Stark. But I digress. What I'm trying to say is that from a medieval and classical standpoint... GRRM is not unique in his exploration of the incest motif, far from it.

Sophocles, Ovid, Hartmann von Aue, Thomas Malory, etc., "what draws you to incest?"

Faulkner + The Sound and the Fury, and more!

Moving on to more modern influences though, when talking about the writing ethos at the heart of his work, GRRM has famously quoted William Faulker:

His mantra has always been William Faulkner’s comment in his Nobel prize acceptance speech, that only the “human heart in conflict with itself… is worth writing about”. [source]

I’ve never read any Faulker, so I did just a quick search on “Faulkner and incest” and I pulled up this article on JSTOR, called Faulkner and the Politics of Incest (1998). Apparently, Faulkner explores the incest motif in at least five novels, therefore it was enough of a distinctive theme in his work to warrant academic analysis. In this journal article, Karl F. Zender notes that:

[...] incest for Faulkner always remains tragic [...] – p. 746

Ah, we can see a bit of running theme here, can't we? But obviously, GRRM (one would hope) doesn’t just appreciate Faulkner’s writing for his extensive exploration of incest. This quote possibly sums up the potential artistic crossover between the two:

Beyond each level of achieved empathy in Faulkner's fiction stands a further level of exclusion and marginalization. – pp. 759–60

To me, the above parallels somewhat GRRM’s own interest in outcasts, in personal struggle (which incest also fits into):

I am attracted to bastards, cripples and broken things as is reflected in the book. Outcasts, second-class citizens for whatever reason. There’s more drama in characters like that, more to struggle with. [source]

Interestingly, however, this essay on Faulkner also connects his interest in the incest motif with the romantic poets, such as Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron:

As Peter Thorslev says in an important study of romantic representations of incest, " [p]arent-child incest is universally condemned in Romantic literature...; sibling incest, on the other hand, is invariably made sympathetic, is sometimes exonerated, and, in Byron's and Shelley's works, is definitely idealized.” – p. 741

Faulkner, "what draws you to incest?" ... I mean, that article gives some good explanations, actually.

Lord Byron, Manfred + The Bride of Abydos

Which brings us onto GRRM interest in the Romantics:

I was always intensely Romantic, even when I was too young to understand what that meant. But Romanticism has its dark side, as any Romantic soon discovers... which is where the melancholy comes in, I suppose. I don't know if this is a matter of artistic influences so much as it is of temperament. But there's always been something in a twilight that moves me, and a sunset speaks to me in a way that no sunrise ever has. [source]

I'm already in the process of writing a long meta about the influence of Lord Byron in ASOIAF, specifically examining this quote by GRRM:

The character I’m probably most like in real life is Samwell Tarly. Good old Sam. And the character I’d want to be? Well who wouldn’t want to be Jon Snow — the brooding, Byronic, romantic hero whom all the girls love. Theon [Greyjoy] is the one I’d fear becoming. Theon wants to be Jon Snow, but he can’t do it. He keeps making the wrong decisions. He keeps giving into his own selfish, worst impulses. [source]

Lord Byron, "what draws you to—", oh, um, right. Nevermind.

I'm not going to repeat myself here, but it's worth noting that there is a clear through line between GRRM and the Romantic writers, besides perhaps melancholic "temperament"... and it's incest.

But look, is choosing to explore the incest motif...well, a choice? Yeah, and an uncomfortable one at that, but it’s obvious that that is what GRRM is doing. I think it’s frankly a bit naive of some people to argue that GRRM would never do Jonsa because it’s pseudo-incest and therefore morally repugnant, no ifs, no buts. I’m sorry, as icky as it may be to our modern eyes, GRRM has set the president for it in his writing with the Targaryens and the Lannister twins.

The difference with them is that they knowingly commit incest, basing it in their own sense of exceptionalism, and there are/will be bad consequences — this arguably parallels the medieval narratives in which incest always ends badly, unless some kind of real penance is involved. For Jon and Sansa, however, the Jonsa argument is that they will choose not to commit incest, despite a confused attraction, and then will be rewarded in the narrative through the parentage reveal, a la Byron’s The Bride of Abydos. The Targaryens and Lannisters, in several ways excluding the incest (geez the amount of times I’ve written incest in this post), are foils for the Starks, and in particular, Jon and Sansa. Exploring the incest motif has been on the cards since the very beginning — just look at that infamous "original" outline — regardless of whether we personally consider that an interesting writing choice, or a morally inexcusable one.

Word of advice, or rather, warning... don't think you can catch me out with these kinds of questions. I have access to a university database, so if I feel like procrastinating my real academic work, I can and will pull out highly researched articles to school you, lmao.

But you know, thanks for the ask anyway, I guess.

#cappy's thoughts #I'm still on my break/hiatus #i just had some of this already written #jonsa #jon x sansa #anti bs #grrm and medieval literature #grrm and william faulkner #grrm and the romantics #grrm and tolkein #grrm and old norse literature #grrm and his literary influences #was this petty lmao?

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reignof-fyre · 3 years

Text

Okay, so, I'm bored and avoiding all real life responsibilities so let's talk about everyone's favourite Queen Bitch, Cersei Lannister.

PART 2

Cersei Lannister has to be one of my favourite villains in the A Song of Ice and Fire books, and like many, I was so gutted by her less than stellar, lacklustre end in Game of Thrones. I want to talk about her goals, wishes, desires, and how she's the most sympathetic villain in ASOIAF, at least to me; because I understand why she does what she does. Her whole story, we find out, in the books, is to 1) protect her children and 2) obtain power to not only protect her children but prove that women are capable of ruling in a very much patriarchal society. But Cersei is akin to a battering ram how she goes about obtaining this power, and often her own choices and decisions ruin her path to power.

Let's begin.

As we don't get a Cersei POV until a Feast for Crows, we see her character through the eyes of others for the first several books. We have Ned, who isn't a fan of her because he doesn't like her father or brother. Sansa, who's charmed by her beauty and grace without seeing the poison beneath. Arya, who's not all that charmed by the upper echelons of society as it is, and Jaime; her twin brother and lover who's been charmed and manipulated by Cersei, which becomes swiftly apparent in Feast, and loves her despite her viciousness.

So, Cersei Lannister. Honestly, I love her. I love to hate her, and I hate to love her.

The first time we see Cersei in any real capacity is the infamous, often disputed, incident at the Trident. She wants vengeance because Joffrey was harmed; her first real moment of viciously protecting her children. This moment really solidified my view of Cersei as a woman struggling in a world created by men for men to rule. Not only does Robert tell her to shut up, basically, she's furious that her son has been hurt and wants the guilty party punished; she's told by Joffrey it was Arya and Mycha, so she targets them.

But let's backtrack a bit. We see her through Bran's eyes when he catches she and Jaime together, and she shows her suspicious nature very much here; why is Ned Stark accepting the handship? Why would he leave the North, his duty, to go down south? He must be moving against them, according to Cersei.

So that's 2 things we know about her: she's a suspicious person, and she loves her children. Another thing we could deign from this, is that she loves to win:

"We have a wolf," Cersei Lannister said. Her voice was very quiet, but her green eyes shone with triumph.

She's triumphant about having Lady killed for something Nymeria did. She sees this as a win, despite her husband, the king, ruling for the children to be punished and everyone to move on. She won, in this instance.

Another of my favourite scenes with Cersei present, is Ned's fever dream chapter. The first thing she says in the chapter is this:

"A man in your place should count himself fortunate that his head is still on his shoulders," the Queen declared.

Impulsiveness is another trait Cersei has. Not only is she intelligent enough to know that killing the Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North would incite war, she knows its a stupid thing to say in front of Robert, the king and Ned's foster brother. But she says it anyway, because the Lannister pride has been harmed by Catelyn taking Tyrion and she's angry, and she has to prove to Ned that she has that ability, to punish him by having him beheaded. She has to remind him, to prove her strength and might.

This is a reoccurring thing with Cersei. Her pathological need to show people in Westeros that hey, I have power and I can use it to destroy you if your goals do not align with mine, or you say something I won't agree with. She feels as though she must do this, which isn't all that surprising. She's a woman in a man's world desperately grasping for power she doesn't otherwise have, in order to protect her children and dispose of her enemies. Well, perceived enemies.

Up until we get her POV chapters (chapters I absolutely love), we see her through other characters eyes. In book 2, A Clash of Kings, we see her mostly through Tyrion's eyes.

One moment that totally solidified my dislike of Cersei - bordering hatred - was when we find out she ordered Robert Baratheon’s bastard children - innocent children and babies - to be killed. But this once again coincides with her fervent desire and need to protect her children from death, etc.

But let's focus on my favourite Cersei moment in A Game of Thrones, when Ned (stupidly) confronts her about the true parentage of the children she loves so viciously. And it becomes clear why she is so protective of them; they not truly the Kings children, they're born of the relationship she has with her twin, Jaime.

Cersei, while she despises being the "weaker" gender of female, uses her feminine wiles to her advantage. She attempts to seduce Ned, who blatantly rejects her, and that's when she really shows her true colours, and says the famous line.

"When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground."

Which is a threat and a half, and Cersei delivers by having Robert killed (Lancel gives him fortified strongwine), and prepares to have Ned imprisoned for "treason" at the mere whisper of a threat towards her children, namely Joffrey. Cersei wants to rule the Kingdoms through her son, believing she can control him, but she's as delusional as all mothers are who's sons are little beasts.

Cersei becomes aware of Ned's plans to leave Kings Landing when Sansa goes to her and pleads for Cersei to let her stay, which gives Cersei power over Ned and Robert's fates, and she masterfully manipulates Sansa (who is, let's be real, easy to manipulate) into writing to Robb and Catelyn to tell them not to take up arms against the Lannisters in exchange for Ned taking the black, but Cersei once again has her power slip through her fingers when Joffrey ignores her council and beheads Ned.

Book 2's first scene with Cersei is the small council meeting in which Tyrion arrives. It's a great scene, and I truly do love it. Tyrion is informed by Cersei of the goings on and how Ned came to lose his head etc.

It's very clear (thanks to Tyrion's pov's) that Cersei quite despises Tyrion, and vice versa.

"What are you doing here?" His sister's lovely green eyes studied him with the least hint of affection.

Cersei isn't happy that Tywin has sent Tyrion in his stead, and shows her displeasure openly, uncaring of showing a united front against their "enemies" because Cersei is often ruled by her emotions. Once again, I liken her to a battering ram.

She lashes out against Janos Slint, blaming him for the riots in the city (the unrest is because Joffrey started a goddamn war).

But moving on, once Tyrion and Cersei are alone, she removes the rather thin mask she wears and shows her true contempt for her brother and wants to know how many men he brought, and she's predictably displeased and reiterates that she sent her father a royal command, as though Tywin Lannister is a man to be commanded.

Once again, Cersei's "power" failing her. Tyrion then reminds her that Tywin's fighting a war and he can ignore her because of the size of his army, and she responds thusly;

Cersei's mouth tightened. He could see her colour rising. "If I name this letter a forgery and tell them to throw you in a dungeon, no one will ignore that, I promise you."

Cersei as regained her upper hand with this, and Tyrion knows it. She does have more power than him in this setting, and she uses it to her advantage to, in her mind, control Tyrion. Which she doesn't, but she doesn't know that. Yet.

That’s another thing about Cersei that’s always intrigued me; she assumes she has power because of her station in society. She’s the daughter of the Lord of the West, Tywin Lannister, she’s the Queen Mother, the Queen Regent, she’s a Lannister, but in reality she only has that “power” because of others. She’s only the queen mother and regent because her unwed son is on the throne, she only has the west behind her so long as Tywin allows that, and technically she’s a Baratheon because she’s Robert’s widow. None of her power is truly her own, and that’s another struggle she has; gathering power that IS her own.

anyway, back to it: Tyrion mentions Ser Barristan’s dismissal, and she laments over Slynt not sending enough gold cloaks to stop him from leaving the city AKA killing him, and Tyrion mentions how bad it’d be if Barristan was seen at Stannis or Robbs sides during the war, which Cersei didn’t think of. She, once again, didn’t think of the bigger picture (something we see later on, when the Faith Militant is introduced).

Cersei and Tyrion discuss other matters of state, and end their meeting with Cersei saying this (rather naively, in my opinion, thinking she could manipulate Tyrion, because he’s actually intelligent in the books lmao):

“...but make no mistake, Tyrion. If I am to accept you, you shall be the King’s Hand in name, but my hand in truth. You will share all your plans and intentions with me before you act, and you will do nothing without my consent. Do you understand?”

This once again shows how Cersei assumes she has the upper hand because of one threat and her perceived power. She doesn’t realise just how much Tyrion hates her because of how she’s treated him, and how their goals don't align, but she doesn’t think of that because she thinks she’s won in this moment.

Next time we see Cersei is one of my favorite chapter’s in book 2, when the letter Stannis had sent out about the children’s true parentage, and Cersei is so blatantly obvious about it being true. She’s overly defensive, and orders that anyone heard speaking about Joffrey being a bastard should have their tongue’s ripped out. That practically screams “I’m guilty, this is true, and because of that no one can talk about it.” and Tyrion says just that.

“A folly,” sighed Tyrion. “When you tear out a man’s tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you’re only telling the world that you fear what he might say.”

A plan is thus hatched to repay Stannis in the same vein, by claiming that his daughter Shireen is the product of an affair between Selyse (Stannis’ wife) and the fool, Patchface. Cersei is practically tickled pink by this, and agrees to it immediately. Tyrion excuses himself due to ‘other business’ and Cersei leaps on that like a viper.

Cersei was instantly suspicious. “King’s business?”

Because she knows, deep down, that she can’t trust Tyrion, but she knows she needs him. Then again, Cersei trusts no one but herself. She’s suspicous of everyone, and sees everyone as an enemy. Which assists in her rather epic downfall in ADWD.

[A side note; seeing Cersei from other character’s pov’s doesn’t give us a clear perspective to her character, i know, but it’s pretty spot on. GRRM does well with keeping the character’s true to themselves through other’s eyes.]

Tyrion then sets up his masterfully wonderful plain to see who amongst the small council is reporting his goings on to Cersei and comes to lean it’s Pycelle when he arrives in his rooms to find his sister there with knowledge of Tyrion’s plans to send her to Dorne.

Cersei is, predictably, furious, and quickly threatens Tyrion with having his tongue ripped out. But then she begins to cry, and we’re slapped in the face with the realisation that Cersei is a mother terrified for her daughter, and we (or me at least) sympathise with her. Don't get me wrong, i find her utterly contemptable and horrible, but the best villains are ones you feel a connection with, in my opinion, because it creates conflict between us, the readers, and the characters.

Tyrion manages to kind of convince Cersei it’s the best plan, and the topic of Jaime’s capture is brought up again. and Cersei says this:

Cersei sniffed. “I should have been born a man. I would have no need of any of you then. None of this would have been allowed to happen. How could Jaime let himself be captured by that boy? And father, I trusted him, fool that I am, but where is he now that he’s wanted? What is he doing?

What’s interesting about this to me is that 1, Cersei thinks that being a man would solve all her problems. It may solve some, but not all. She thinks that her being a man would mean that no war would happen, and Jaime wouldn’t have been caught. 2, She’s flabbergasted that Jaime, one of the best swordsmen in Westeros, was captured. She seems to me to be under the impression that the Lannister’s are infallible against making mistakes. 3, She also says that Tywin is ‘wanted’, not ‘needed’, and that, to me, is a huge distinction. Cersei never admits to ‘needing’ anyone, because she sees herself as more than capable at ruling alone despite relying on other’s power to catapult her into a role in which she can utilize it under a façade of it being her ‘own’ power.

Tyrion poisons Cersei with a laxative to have her out of commission for a few days, so he can get rid of some of her sycophants at court, and the first thing she does when she’s well enough is to command Tyrion, once again.

“Her Grace the Queen Regent has sent me to command you to release Grand Maester Pycelle.” Ser Lancel showed Tyrion a crimson ribbon, bearing Cersei’s lion seal impressed in golden wax. “Here is her warrant.”

Once again, Cersei is relying on the announcement of her titles to sway Tyrion, because there’s no way a pissweak such as Lancel bloody Lannister would ever dare harm Tyrion, not when it was Tywin himself that ordered him in Kings Landing, and people are far more terrified of Tywin than Cersei. She likely knows it, too, which is why she sent the warrant with such pomp and circumstance.

But Cersei has gravely miscalculated. Lancel is easily swayed to be Tyrion’s eyes and ears on the threat of their affair (Cersei and Lancel are sleeping together) being told to Tywin, which is sufficient enough to put the fear of the gods into Lancel, and now Cersei has lost another ‘ally.’

After Renly is murdered, a small council meeting is called and Cersei, predictably, is concerned and suspicious. Who killed Renly? is the enemy of my enemy my friend, or an even worse enemy? Pertinent questions, but then she goes on to threaten Varys. Varys, who could have her murdered in her sleep before she could begin to snore. This shows recklessness and, once again, her impulsiveness.

Closer to the end of the meeting, we see a suspicious side of Cersei that makes many readers squint and, in hindsight, ‘ahh’ with realisation. It’s decided that now Renly is dead Joffrey will marry Maegaery Tyrell for the 50,000 swords and the food of House Tyrell, and right beore this chapter (Tyrion’s POV) ends, Cersei says this before kissing Tyrion on the brow.

“Tyrion, I know we do not always agree on policy, but it seems to me that i was wrong about you. You are not so big a fool as i imagined. In truth, i realise now that you have been a great help. For that i thank you. You must forgive me if i have spoken to you harshly in the past.”

Tyrion is rightly suspicious, because Cersei absolutely despises him because she sees him as the reason their mother is dead, and during my reread I read this and realised oh, my god. This was the moment she plotted for Ser Mandon Moore to kill Tyrion during the Battle of Blackwater. She has seen him, rightfully so, as her enemy and decided to get rid of him. Hindsight is always 20/20.

We dont see a whole lot of Cersei in the last chapters of a Clash of Kings, except when Sansa ‘flowers’ and she imparts some wisdom on the young woman:

“I see flowering hasn't made you any brighter,” said Cersei, [regarding Sansa’s desire to be loved] “Sansa, permit me to share a bit of womanly wisdom with you on this very special day. Love is a poison. a sweet poison, yes, but it will kill you all the same.”

This is yet another thing that intrigues me about Cersei. She calls love a poison, but she openly and fiercely loves her children. She claims to love Jaime, but that is very obviously a toxic love and we rarely hear her admit to loving him. Cersei contradicts herself with this, because she has shown proof of loving, but she also hates the weaknesses that come with opening yourself like that, which is yet another reason why i hate to love her, because she’s so painfully human and flawed, it’s brilliant.

Next we see Cersei is once again through Sansa’s pov as the elderly, women, and children gather in Maegor’s while the battle rages. Cersei mocks Sansa’s naivety in this chapter, delighting in it all. also, she’s very, very drunk. Sansa’s next chapter picks up where the last left off, with Cersei drinking and forcefully opening Sansa’s eyes to the horrors of a battle, and how people will be treated.

“...you little fool. Tears are not a woman’s only weapon. You’ve got another between your legs, and you’d best learn to use it...”

Cersei often speaks of ‘women’s weapons; she tried seducing Ned, which failed, and she knows there’s no point in trying with Stannis because he’d rather throw himself off the wall and let Joffrey rule than touch Cersei.

Cersei then tells Sansa the real reason Ser Illyn Payne is there; he’s tasked with killing them all because, as Cersei says:

“The Starks will have no joy from the fall of House Lannister, I promise you.”

Which truly shows her cruel side, because she would - and will - riot when her son is taken from her, but she’d happily let Payne kill women’s children in front of them, Sansa included, if it meant House Lannister went out triumphantly.

The last we see of Cersei is in the throne room after Tywin wins the battle from Sansa’s pov, and she’s back to her usual splendour. She had warned Sansa beforehand to act broken hearted because she didn't want to see her son humiliated, and Sansa ensures to do so.

And the last we hear of Cersei, is Tyrion’s thoughts after he wakes from battle and realises she had Mandon Moore try and kill him in the confusion of battle.

“Cersei would have me sleep forever, but I won’t be so obliging.”

TO BE CONTINUED

#cersei lannister #asoiaf #agot #acok #adwd #house lannister #character study #asos #affc #cersei #Lannister #jaime lannister #tywin lannister #tyrion lannister #Sansa Stark

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storiesforallfandoms · 3 years

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disrespect ~ oberyn martell;game of thrones

word count: 1799

request?: no

description: the prince of dorne doesn’t take too kindly to people disrespecting his paramour, especially not lannisters

pairing: oberyn martell x female!reader

warnings: swearing

masterlist (one, two)

(Y/N) watched the buildings and the people of King’s Landing pass by as the carriage drew nearer to the palace. All eyes turned to watch them pass by, trying to sneak a peak at the latest guests for King Joffery’s wedding.

A warm hand on top of hers brought her back into the carriage, where the true royal guest everyone was excited to see smiled lovingly at her.

“You seem distracted my love,” he noted, bringing her hand to his lips.

“I was just watching the people of King’s Landing,” she responded. “They are...dirty looking.”

“The bastard king does not care for his people,” Oberyn responded. “If they are poor he has no use for them, so he lets them struggle and die as he pleases.”

(Y/N) winced. “These poor people.”

Oberyn squeezed her hand slightly. “The minute the wedding is over we will return home my love. Try not to despair for too long.”

(Y/N) chuckled humorlessly. “It is hard not to despair when I am dreading our arrival and introduction to the Lannisters. I have no doubts that they will make it known that I am unwelcome.”

“You have every right to be at this wedding. You are no less than I am.”

“I am a whore in royal clothing.”

“You are my wife. You are a royal lady, and you are much better than any Lannister could ever dream of being.”

(Y/N) smiled and leaned over to kiss her husband. He cupped her face with one hand, the other trailing up her skirt. Her legs opened instincitvely, allowing Oberyn’s hand to slip between them. Before they could go any further, the carriage came to a stop.

“We’re here, My Lord and Lady,” the coachman told them.

(Y/N) pouted as Oberyn took his hand away and fixed her skirt. He chuckled at her reaction. “We will finish this in private.”

They were approached by one of the King’s guards who then led them into the palace. King Joffery, his future wife, Margaery Tyrell, and his mother, Cersei Lannister, were all sat together in the throne room as Oberyn and (Y/N) entered.

“Your Grace,” the guard announced. “Prince Oberyn Martell of Dorne, and his wife, Lady (Y/N) Martell.”

Oberyn gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as he plastered the best fake smile he could muster on his face. “Your Grace.”

“I believe my invitation reached the wrong brother,” Joffery said, giving the two of them a sour look. “I invited Doran Martell, the true heir to the Dornish throne.”

“Do not be rude to our guests,” Margaery mumbled to the King. “Welcome Prince Oberyn and Lady (Y/N). We are glad to have you as our guests.”

(Y/N) tried not to make eye contact with Cersei, but it was hard when the queen was glaring daggers into her. It wasn’t hard to tell that she was only married into the royal life, not born into it, and anyone who was less than royal was scum in the eyes of the Lannisters.

As if noticing her discomfort (or Cersei’s glaring), Oberyn wrapped his arm around (Y/N)’s waist and held her tightly to him. "Do you mind showing us to our room? It has been a very long trip for the two of us.”

“Of course,” Margaery responded. She waved a hand for one of the guards to show the two of them out.

She’ll make a great queen, (Y/N) thought to herself.

The room that was provided for them was large and already lit by a fireplace. The bed was bigger than (Y/N) could ever imagine. She threw herself down onto the comfortable bedding, her aching muscles from the long journey feeling more relaxed than before.

“That went about as I expected,” she said. “I cannot wait until the wedding so we can go home.”

“It will come soon, my paramour,” Oberyn said, standing between her legs at the end of the bed. “Now that we are alone, shall we continue what we were doing earlier?”

(Y/N) smiled and quickly pulled her husband down on top of her, causing him to laugh as well as he pressed his lips against hers.

~~~~~~

The next day, when the sun was high in the sky and warming the land, Oberyn decided to take (Y/N) for a walk around the palace. It had been so many years since he had been in King’s Landing, back when his sister Elia was married to Rhaegar Targaryen, but he could still remember the beauty of the place as if it were yesterday.

(Y/N) loved to see the beauty in places. Before catching Oberyn’s attention, she was stuck in the filthy whore house that barley let her see the outside world. Oberyn had the utmost respect for women who were only able to sell their bodies as a means to get by, but he had no respect for the men who treated their prostitutes so poorly. Now that he had (Y/N), he intended to show her every beauty that the world had to offer.

“This place is beautiful,” (Y/N) breathed as they walked through a beautiful flower garden.

Oberyn smiled at her and paused for a moment to pick one of the flowers from the ground. “A beautiful flower for my beautiful flower.”

Blush creeped across (Y/N)’s face as he placed the flower gently into her hair. “You could get in trouble for that.”

“I could get in trouble for many things, but still I do as I wish.”

(Y/N) smiled brightly at her husband and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her, wanting nothing more than to just hold her forever.

“Ah, my apologies.”

The couple pulled apart to see a very familiar face entering the garden - that of Jaime Lannister, the King’s uncle and Cersei’s twin brother. Oberyn tightened his hold on (Y/N)’s waist as he regarded the Kingslayer.

“I was not aware anyone else was out here,” Jaime said as he approached the two lovers.

“We were just passing through,” Oberyn said. “I was showing my beautiful wife the sights of your lovely land.”

Jaime glanced at (Y/N) for a moment before smiling at the two of them. “You must be Prince Oberyn of Dorne. It is nice to finally meet you.”

Oberyn begrudgingly shook Jaime’s hand, keeping one arm firmly wrapped around (Y/N) still.

“I do not believe I have heard of you,” Jaime said to (Y/N). “You are Prince Oberyn’s wife? How long have you two been wed?”

“Over a year now,” Oberyn responded instead.

Jaime shot the man a look. “I believe I asked your wife that question.”

(Y/N) felt nervous in that moment, but managed to make her voice even enough to respond, “We have been wed over a year. We celebrated our anniversary just before we left for King’s Landing, actually.”

“What family are you from, if you do not mind me asking.”

The grip on her waist tightened. (Y/N)’s back straightened as she responded, “Before I married Oberyn, I was a Sand.”

Jaime’s head tilted, but he didn’t look as condescending as his sister. “That...that is the name of the bastard children in Dorne, is it not?”

(Y/N) nodded. She wanted to shy away behind Oberyn, but she knew the only way to beat a Lannister was to hold your pride no matter how much they tried to rip you down. “It is. I am unsure as to who my true parents are. I was delivered to the steps of a religious building and left to be raised by others. I was originally raised by the priest, but eventually they brought me elsewhere for the remainder of my childhood.”

The genuine look of sadness on Jaime’s face shocked both Oberyn and (Y/N). “I am so sorry, my lady. Were you raised by a kind person at least?”

“Well...kind of. I was....I was raised in by the owner of a brothel until I was old enough to work there myself. He gave me the option, luckily enough, but I was raised to think it was the only job I could ever possibly have.” She turned and smiled at Oberyn. “That is how I met my love.”

Oberyn smiled back at her and kissed her cheek. “I was taken by her the moment I saw her. I knew I had to make her mine.”

The memories of the day that (Y/N) first saw Oberyn flooded her mind. She thought he would just be another customer, but by the end of their session she realized he meant the sweet nothings he was whispering in her ear.

“Oh, I guess that is where I recognize you from.”

Oberyn’s head spun so quickly to glare at Jaime. “I am sorry, what did you say?”

The sly look on Jaime’s face was a direct mirror of Cersei’s, and (Y/N) felt her heart drop to her stomach as he spoke. “Your wife, she looked familiar. I could not quite place it, but now I realize it is because I just did not recognize her with her clothes on.”

Oberyn tried to advance on Jaime, but (Y/N) took hold of his arm and held him back. “Don’t, my love, he is not worth it.”

“Yes, Prince Oberyn, I am not worth it. Take it from your wife, she would know.”

Oberyn’s face turned blood red and (Y/N) had to physically pull him away before he could strangle Jaime. The Kingslayer was still calling profanities to try and rile Oberyn up.

(Y/N) took him back into the palace, cupping his face to make him look at her. “Oberyn, my love, calm down please.”

“Fucking Lannisters,” he hissed. “They think they can get away with everything! They think they can insult my wife like that.”

“Oberyn,” (Y/N) repeated, her voice softer this time. He looked at her and his face also softened. Oberyn loved the way she could always make him calm down so quickly. “It is nothing I have not heard before.”

“But coming from his mouth...” Oberyn said, his eyes darting to where they had left Jaime for just a moment.

“Means nothing,” (Y/N) finished. “He can try to degrade me all he wants, but at the end of the day I am still the whore that married a prince. I was chosen to be brought into this life, unlike them who were brought into it at birth, and I still have more class than that whole family combined.”

Oberyn smiled at his wife and kissed her passionately. “I love you more than anything.”

“And I love you more than the world, my love.”

#oberyn martell #oberyn martell imagine #oberyn martell x reader #pedro pascal #pedro pascal imagine #pedro pascal x reader #game of thrones #game of thrones imagine #imagine #one shot #fanfiction #fanfic #fandom

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bamfdaddio · 3 years

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X-Men Abridged: 1981

The X-Men, those back-to-the-future mutants that have sworn to protect a world that hates and fears them, are a cultural juggernaut with a long, tangled history. Want to unravel this tapestry? Then read the Abridged X-Men!

(Uncanny X-Men 141 - 152) - by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, Brent Anderson, Dave Cockrum, Jim Sherman, Bob McLeod and Josef Rubinstein

While I also committed various fashion atrocities at the age of 14 (tye-die and fauxhawks, oh my), even Liberace would find Kitty’s outfits too much. (Uncanny X-Men 149; Uncanny X-Men Annual ‘81)

We dial back from the v. epic scope of the last few arcs. Instead, 1981 is just a lot of fun! We get:

Storm and Emma doing a Freaky Friday!

the X-Men vs. Magneto (again!)

A surprisingly effective Alien rip-off

An dystopian future! (OoOoOoOo)

Last year was the year of the Dark Phoenix, this is the year of Kitty Pryde. That’s not to say Jean’s death is swept under the rug: all throughout, we see her friends mourning her loss or remembering her fondly. (Scott even gets to have a demonic adventure about it.) But in general, Claremont puts Kitty in the forefront, fleshing out his YA-addition to the team. And what would a YA heroine be without a grim dystopia? Roll out the iconic Days of Future Past!

To be fair, 2013 was a dark time for all of us: What Does the Fox Say somehow got to the top of the charts and I was still watching Glee. (Uncanny X-Men 141)

How cool would it have been to see a name like Jonothon Starsmore or Eva Bell on those tombstones?

Anyway, that’s Kate. Kate’s had it rough. Mutants are at the bottom of the foodchain, most X-Men are dead and only a small cadre of resistance fighters remain, Sentinels dominate, and while she is married to Piotr, her children have been murdered. Bleak. Luckily, the rebellion has concocted the plan to shunt Kate’s spirit back in time to prevent this awful future from happening. (You’ve seen Days of Future Past, the last passably good X-Men film, you know what’s up.)

Let’s do the time warp again! 1981!Kitty’s mind gets taken over by 2013!Kitty, who promptly tries to convince the X-Men that a new Brotherhood of v. Evil Mutants will try to kill Senator Kelly, a presidential candidate who tries to put the mutant menace on the agenda. (Mutants tend to blow stuff up when he’s around.) Since the X-Men recently took a literal trip to Dante’s Infero and also befriended a cosmic world-ending entity, they basically shrug and go: “Yeah, this checks out.”

Off to Washington they go (zoommm) and there, they happen upon the Baddest Bitches in Herstory:

“How dare you hate mutants, senator Kelly! We’ll fix that by killing you!” (Uncanny X-Men 141)

This All-New, All-Different Brotherhood consists out of:

Destiny, a blind woman who can see the future. Definitely the eeriest member of this group. Badass lesbian, though that won´t be canon for years.

Avalanche. Greek who makes things shake. Is a long-standing member of the X-Men Rogue’s gallery, but rarely features in the spotlight. I think he got more characterization in four years of X-Men Evolution than he ever did in the comics.

Mystique. Shapeshifter. Ruthless and unhinged, the Cersei Lannister of the X-Men universe. Absolute legend, secretly the wife of Destiny, currently not as unhinged as she’ll be later. Immediately implied to be related to Nightcrawler: it’s the yellow-eyes-blue-skin-combo.

Pyro. Can manipulate fire, not create it. Absolute pillock, in all the best ways of the word. Originally intended as gay, but they decided to make him Australian instead. (?!)

Blob. Big, strong, immovable. We’ve seen him before.

One of the details in this fight I enjoy is that Storm is still struggling with her leadership, although she has a better grip on things than Cyclops:

Wolverine then proceeds to use those iconic but deadly claws about twice per issue for the next, oh, forty years. (Uncanny X-Men 142)

While the X-Men fight the Brotherhood in the present, we cut back and forth to the future. There, the X-Men consist out of some familiar faces - Storm, Colossus, Wolverine - and some surprises: Magneto (in a wheelchair), Franklin Richards (son of) and an unfamiliar ginger girl called Rachel. (She’ll be important later.) We even learn (one of) Magneto’s names: this is the first time he’s canonically called Magnus.

One of the strengths of Days of Future Past lies in its brevity, the way it tantalizingly taunts us with a brutal but familiar future without giving away too much. It’s single-handedly responsible for all those dark future timelines the X-lines are so fond of which will eventually culminate in time-displaced grandsons from alternative dimensions and the impossibility of a succinct answer to the question: “Who’s Cable?” Too much of a good thing and all that.

Still, what Days of Future Past does so successfully is:

Put the idea of the mutant menace back at the forefront, hammering home the metaphor of mutants being a minority. Mutants being put in camps and being forbidden to breed should - regretfully - make us think of all too many real life equivalents. (Specifically, all of the imagery harkens back to the Holocaust.)

It starkly shows what happens should the X-Men lose, reminding everyone of the stakes. The X-Men are here for a reason: bridging the gap between mutants and humankind. If they fuck up, we end up with mutant concentration camps.

It helps that the X-Men in the future almost all die horribly: Franklin is incinerated, Storm is impaled… It's brutal stuff. The only one to survive is Rachel, who wonders if their plan actually changed the future or if they created an alternative timeline. (It did the latter, sorry ‘bout it, Rachel.)

In the present, Kate chases after Destiny, who trains a gun on senator Kelly. I always wondered how this works: if Destiny saw the future, she knew that killing Kelly would trigger a terrifying future. What in the current Marvel timeline made her decide that the Days of Future Past was better? Did she see her own death? Did she see the Onslaught-crossover coming? The Chuck Austen run? What was it?

In any case, time-anomalous Kate stops Destiny from killing Kelly and the future is safe! For now. Kate disappears, Kitty returns to her body and some of the Brotherhood are apprehended. All is well, for now.

After being a key figure in DoFP, Kitty is also the main character in the Christmas special, which is basically a straight up horror and a pastiche of the Alien-movie.

Seriously, John Byrne still isn’t sure why he wasn’t sued by Ridley Scott for this. (Uncanny X-Men 143)

If you love Kitty Pryde? Read this issue. If you’re not convinced you like 80’s Kitty? Read this issue. It’s not continuity relevant and it’s basically Kitty playing the part of a Final Girl in a horror where she’s being chased by a demon, but it’s so good. It showcases all her strengths and her foibles. Kitty’s intelligent, cute (sometimes preciously so) and brave, but she’s also young, self-conscious and hot-headed. And it's not as if the other X-Men automatically adore her: Storm berates her all the time, she’s afraid of Kurt because of the way he looks (though she grows out of that) and she fights with Professor Xavier a lot. Moreover, she has a clever power-set for a young superhero who faces menaces on a daily basis: a thirteen year old who can go intangible is far less likely to have reality ensue on her and be dramatically offed because she's better at protecting herself.

I’m sure there are people who thought Sprite was hogging the spotlight, but I, for one, say she brings more to the table than, say, Angel. She’s not the Dawn Summers of this franchise.

Scott also gets a side quest. Poor guy can’t catch a break: first the love of his life dies, so he quits the X-Men, then he realizes he can’t do much else than be a superhero. He becomes a sailor on the ship of spunky captain Lee Forrester, is drawn into the sadistic plans of a demon unironically named D’Spayre and then shipwrecks in Bermuda with Lee.

The X-Men, meanwhile, are tormented by a team-up of Doom (who’s currently Latverialess and working on a comeback) and Arcade, that annoying crony. Locke, Arcade’s dom, has kidnapped the loved ones of the X-Men (Moira MacTaggart, Jean Grey’s parents, Illyana Rasputin and Amanda Sefton) in order to blackmail them into getting Doom to free Arcade. Apparently, Arcade accidentally insulted Doom and DOOM DOES NOT FORGIVE THAT FOLLY.

While the B-Squad (Polaris, Havok, Banshee and Iceman) goes to save Arcade’s hostages, the X-Men sneak into Doom’s castle. Well, except for Storm, who doesn’t give a single fuck and simply flies up to Doom, demanding an audience. Doom likes the cut of her jib and invites her to have dinner. (This is pre-Tinder, so this is a legit way of scoring a date.)

If Storm has a flaw (I said if!), it’s got to be her atrocious taste in men. (Uncanny X-Men 145)

The X-Men find Arcade’s cell empty, while Arcade casually saunters up to Storm and says hi. Storm realizes too late that this is a trap: while the X-Men are all trapped in Saw-like traps, Storm is encased in ‘living chrome’.

If you remember she’s claustrophobic, you know why this is a bad move.

While the X-Men free themselves from their traps - Polaris hilariously has to deal with a murderous merry-go-round - Storm is slowly driven mad in her prison, triggering a worldwide tempest. (She causes Lee and Scott to shipwreck.) Under the threat of Wolverine’s claws, Doom releases Storm - or rather, unleashes her.

“Instead of a Dark Lord, you would have a queen, not dark but beautiful and terrible as the dawn! Tempestuous as the sea, and stronger than the foundations of the earth! All shall love me and despair!” (Uncanny X-Men 147)

The memory of Jean brings Ororo back to herself and she starts undoing the superstorm she created. (If only climate change were reversed that easily.) Their confrontation ends by Storm easily forgiving Doom, because she apparently trespassed on his grounds without adequate cause.

Mkay.

All of Arcade’s hostages return to their homesteads, except for Illyana Rasputin, Piotr’s sister: she’s staying at the mansion for a while. Angel, who’s sort of been a part of the team since the Phoenix thing, has had it with Wolverine and his ‘tude, and decides to quit the X-Men : he doesn’t want to be a part of an outfit that has a killer like Wolverine on it. (Or maybe he’s just mad Claremont didn’t give him any storylines: his presence has been mostly pointless.) It’s too bad he left before Kitty started experimenting with her outfits: I bet he would have loved her ugly-ass costumes.

Equally inconsequential is the introduction of a brand new character, who then proceeds to disappear from the narrative for the rest of the year:

Black Tom has tried to kill you at least twice, but him sending you a long-lost daughter doesn’t give you pause? Ugh, Sean, you deserve Moira. (Uncanny X-Men 148)

Intrigued by Theresa? TOO BAD, WON’T SEE HER AGAIN ANYTIME SOON.

Another new character is the lonely, decidedly mutant looking Caliban, who can sense “people like him” and is on the lookout for companions. Like many lonely people who try and grasp at friendship, he decides to overshoot his shot and ruin the night of Storm, Kitty and Jessica Drew at a Dazzler concert. Because he tries to kidnap Kitty, the girls react a trifle aggressively. When they realize their mistake - the eerily pale Caliban is a simpleton rather than a menace - he’s already fled. No mention is made of the Morlocks yet!

There’s also another dull annual where the X-Men team up with the Fantastic Four to save Arkon’s dimension from the Badoon and yaaaaawn. Far more interesting is the landmark issue #150. Slowly, through the adventures of Scott and Lee Forrester, Claremont has been setting things up for the return of a favorite villain. While the X-Men investigate Magneto’s old base in Antarctica on a hunch of Professor X and tangle with Garruk, Scott and Lee survive Storm’s tempest, only to wake up next to a strange island that seems to have been raised from the ocean.

It’s apparently some ancient citadel from a long forgotten civilization with a fondness for squid statues. (I don’t know man, I’ve never been to the Bermuda Triangle, maybe this is just super-accurate.)The tentacles make Lee Forrester feel very amorous, but before Scott can tell her he is way too repressed to just have sex with an attractive someone he’s known intimately for a month or two, Magneto saves his ass by revealing he, in fact, raised this island from the seafloor.

Oh, Magneto. So extra.

My ambitious little mutant demagogue then proceeds to take the entire world hostage, showing how much he’s grown from the pompous, raving madman from the sixties. (Sure, Magneto is still a bit of a madman, but increasingly, he starts being on the right side of history.)

“I’m trying to make Magneto more sympathetic.”

“Just put him on a page with some bigger villains who are less noble, like the Vanisher, Count Nefaria, or…”

“Reagan, Thatcher and Brezhnov?”

“Er.” (Uncanny X-Men 150)

It’s obvious Magneto is being pivoted as a more noble villain, codified into the well-intentioned extremist we know and love today. Not only do we get the first hints at his past, fleshing out his motivations, he’s also not wrong. Humans are historically not great at taking care of the planet or each other.

When the Russians call his bluff and launch nukes at Magneto’s new island, he quickly disarms them. His retribution is swift and ferocious: the entire citadel is a machine that massively amplifies his powers. He sinks the submarine that launched the missiles, condemning the entire crew to death, and he casually erects a vulcano in a Russian city in Siberia.

Damn. Not messing around this time.

Despite his good intentions, Magneto is still definitely in the wrong: not only because of his methods, but as Scott points out: if Magneto unifies the world under his kind of benevolent dictatorship, all of that will simply fall apart as soon as Magnus dies.

In a way, Magneto is just as big a dreamer as Charles is: Charles believes in peace and integration, whereas Magneto believes his iron fist will be enough to make a perfect world happen. Both of them ignore the reality that acceptance is difficult and messy, because you’re trying to change essential human nature: the fear of the other. Magneto believes in big, sweeping gestures that will fix the world in move, while changing the world is also boring, hard work. One step forward, two steps back. Magneto just wants to leapfrog to his ultimate goal.

The X-Men fly over the citadel, returning from Antarctica, and their plane crashes into the ocean. (Magneto does not brook planes over his territory, humans!) The Professor is also nearby, looking for Scott with Moira, Peter Corbeau and Carol Danvers. The X-Men sneak onto the island, but to their horror, their powers are nullified by some machine of Magneto. They reunite with Scott, who formulates a plan to thwart the would-be ruler of the world.

While the rest of the X-Men go to trash the machine, Storm, Kitty and Lee infiltrate the control chamber where Storm finds a sleeping, shirtless Magneto. Once again showing her terrible taste in men, she is not weak in the knees at the sight of a sleeping Magnus: instead, she contemplates killing him.

Storm knows how dangerous he is, but she also knows that he’s a great man who’s fighting for ideals, no matter how misguided. She hesitates too long: Magneto stirs, suspects an attack and tosses her out of the window, to her death.

Magneto quickly undoes the sabotage the other X-Men have wrought to his machine. A fight erupts. Storm, meanwhile, has managed to grab hold of a ledge. She crawls back up and smashes an important-looking computer, restoring everyone’s powers.

The battle turns grim, but Scott sends Kitty away to wreck Magneto’s machinery. She sneaks off, following Scott’s orders and destroying both Magneto's power-up device and all of his plans by phasing though the computer circuitry. Magneto senses this and furiously gives chase. Overcome by rage, he attacks Kitty and disrupts her phasing power with a magnetic bolt, seemingly killing her?

Everything about this story beat is great: mama bear!Ororo, mournful Magnus and even the fact that Kitty’s godawful outfit serves a narrative function: highlighting to us (and Magneto) just how young she is. The fact that Kitty’s Jewish is just icing on the cake. (Uncanny X-Men 150)

And thus, the softening of Magneto commences. 1981 might be a year with wildly varying narratives, but it has given us at least three enduring legacies to the X-Mythos: a new kind of Magneto, a fondness for dystopian futures and the character of Kitty Pryde, who's really come into her own this year.

Ugliest Costume: Kitty! Purposefully, but still. Best costume, by the way, goes to Destiny, with her creepy, creepy golden mask. Just imagine this lady casually strolling across a battlefield, eerily calm and collected, dodging everything you throw at her. Awesome design.

Best new character: I usually pick one character - what good is having a shared award when declaring the best of anything? - but this year, it’s going to one of my favorite couples: Mystique and Destiny. Can’t wait to see more of them.

Most audacious retcon: Blob somehow retroactively becomes a member of the original Brotherhood, which is not what happened. Ever weirder is Xavier pondering that he never met Magneto before his attack in X-Men #1, while their cordially adversarial relationship rooted in a youthful friendship would soon become a cornerstone of the X-Men.

What to read: Uncanny X-Men 141 - 143 and 150 - 152

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starksinthenorth · 3 years

Text

Musings on ASOIAF Ladies and Ambition

I’ve noticed people use “ambition” to describe Sansa and Daenerys as if it’s a bad word or an insult (often called “power hungry”). Yet in the text of the series, neither of them are shown to be ambitious people as a core characteristic. I blame the series for a lot of this, because it failed to explore the internal dialogue of Sansa, Arya, and even Cersei, who ends up more humanized than either of them by the end (because of the maybe baby).

Cersei Lannister is the classic ambitious ASOIAF lady, whose point-of-view is introduced in perhaps the most iconic sentence of any introductory chapter:

She dreamt she sat the Iron Throne, high above them all.

I can’t think of a sentence in ASOIAF that better introduces the internal thoughts and view of its leading character.

In comparison, Sansa’s first sentence is receiving news about her father’s whereabouts, Daenerys is shown her new dress to meet Drogo, and Arya has crooked stitches again. Arya’s works to frame her relationship with Sansa and her internal struggle to fit the feminine Westerosi mold, while Sansa and Daenerys are setting up plot points. None of these interactions signal ambition, bad or good. Daenerys did not arrange her wedding, Sansa is just told the information by her Septa, and while Arya is aspiring to have straight stitches, that’s hardly an ambitious goal for a girl of nine.

Fans rarely, if ever, deny Cersei’s cruel, cold, often stupid ambition. In fact, it’s one of the reason people seem to love her. She’s internally open about what she wants - power - and when she wants it - now:

All of them are burning now, she told herself, savoring the thought. They are dead and burning, every one, with all their plots and schemes and betrayals. It is my day now. It is my castle and my kingdom.

- AFFC, Cersei III

The rule was hers; Cersei did not mean to give it up until Tommen came of age. I waited, so can he. I waited half my life. She had played the dutiful daughter, the blushing bride, the pliant wife. She had suffered . . . She had contended with Jon Arryn, Ned Stark, and her vile, treacherous, murderous dwarf brother, all the while promising herself that one day it would be her turn. If Margaery Tyrell thinks to cheat me of my hour in the sun, she had bloody well think again.

- AFFC, Cersei V

Cersei is the definition of a power hungry lady, scheming and cheating at every point. Yes, Sansa learned from her, but most of Sansa’s internalized lessons of Cersei’s were to do the exact opposite.

"The night's first traitors," the queen [Cersei] said, "but not the last, I fear. . . . Another lesson you should learn, if you hope to sit beside my son. . . . The only way to keep your people loyal is to make certain they fear you more than they do the enemy."

"I will remember, Your Grace," said Sansa, though she had always heard that love was a surer route to the people's loyalty than fear. If I am ever a queen, I'll make them love me.

- ACOK, Sansa VI

Cersei isn’t the only POV character who views herself outside of conventional Westerosi standards and aspires to something beyond being a wife and mother. Arya Stark has ambition writ clear on the page, though it is not so cold or denying other people their rights or chances. Compared to Cersei, Arya doesn’t want everything, crown and throne and kingdom and all. She just wants something, and even that is denied to highborn women in Westeros. Even when she asks her father about her future, a man who wants to do right by his children and loves them, Eddard Stark is blinded by Westerosi patriarchy:

Arya cocked her head to one side. "Can I be a king's councillor and build castles and become the High Septon?"

"You," Ned said, kissing her lightly on the brow, "will marry a king and rule his castle, and your sons will be knights and princes and lords and, yes, perhaps even a High Septon."

- AGOT, Eddard V

With Arya in this, I see some parallels to Elaena Targaryen, who was so good at math and management she served as the secret Master of Coin while her husband carried the title. Elaena was “more willful than Rhaena, but not as beautiful as either of her sisters,” yet is also said to have been “more beautiful at age seventy than at age seventeen,” growing into herself like Arya is expected to. They both even cut their hair, Arya to hide her gender and Elaena to hide her beauty, both instances to gain freedom from captivity in the Red Keep.

Despite both these examples of ambition - Cersei’s all-encompassing, without care for how it affects the realm, and Arya’s attempt to find a place in the world outside the Westerosi model - it still becomes an insult when people speak of Daenerys and Sansa.

Critics claim Sansa is ambitious, and negatively so, because she “wants to be queen.” But this criticism misses a vital point of Sansa’s character. Unlike Cersei, she does not want to be queen because of the power and political influence, but because she will be living a song. In the start, Sansa’s got her head in the clouds, not to the dirty world of politics. Her very first chapter lays out this motivation incredibly clearly:

All she wanted was for things to be nice and pretty, the way they were in the songs.

When she thinks of Joffrey and being in love with him, it’s because he’s “handsome and gallant as any prince in the songs” (AGOT, Sansa II),

Alternatively, it has been said that Sansa is ambitious because of her claim to Winterfell. But compare how Sansa thinks of her claim to how Big Walder Frey does. Despite being far down the inheritance line, he is certain he will someday possess the Twins. He’s likely willing to kill his family to become Lord of the Crossing, and already has killed Little Walder.

In comparison, Sansa isn’t the one who realizes her claim as heir to Winterfell, even after her two younger brothers are believed dead. It’s Dontos who mentions it, and after she still thinks that Robb will have sons to inherit.

But she had not forgotten his words, either. The heir to Winterfell, she would think as she lay abed at night. It's your claim they mean to wed. Sansa had grown up with three brothers. She never thought to have a claim, but with Bran and Rickon dead . . . It doesn't matter, there's still Robb, he's a man grown now, and soon he'll wed and have a son. Anyway, Willas Tyrell will have Highgarden, what would he want with Winterfell?

- ASOS, Sansa II

Sansa’s not ready to kill Bran and Rickon if they show up. Her arc is about taking off the rose-tinted glasses and seeing reality, but also working to make reality like a song. For example, her idea of the Tournament of the Winged Knights for Sweetrobin. It’s a song come to life, all by her making. TBD how the ending goes, of course, but it shows that trajectory.

And finally, Daenerys.

Daenerys is not driven by some lifelong desire to win and dominate. She’s forced into it, a la Brienne’s “no chance and no choice.” If Daenerys were raised in a stable environment, I have a feeling she’d be much more like Sansa: dreamy, hopeful, sweet and studious. Happy.

But instead, her eyes are open.

When she’s introduced as a character, she shows an awareness for the schemes and politics of the world. She knows her brother is called the Beggar King in the Free Cities, and is doubtful of the smallfolk’s secret toasts to Viserys III that Illyrio Mopatis claims happen across Westeros.

Like Sansa and Cersei, there’s evidence of her goals, hopes, and wishes in the very first chapter:

"I don't want to be his queen," she heard herself say in a small, thin voice. "Please, please, Viserys, I don't want to, I want to go home."

. . .

Dany had only meant their rooms in Illyrio's estate, no true home surely, though all they had, but her brother did not want to hear that. There was no home there for him. Even the big house with the red door had not been home for him.

Daenerys remembers home as the house with the red door in Braavos. It’s her brother whose only home and stability was the Red Keep, not her.

Throughout her journey of power to take back the Seven Kingdoms, she is doubtful at every turn and most of her wishes are for happiness, for peace, for stability.

Dany had no wish to reduce King's Landing to a blackened ruin full of unquiet ghosts. She had supped enough on tears. I want to make my kingdom beautiful, to fill it with fat men and pretty maids and laughing children. I want my people to smile when they see me ride by, the way Viserys said they smiled for my father.

- ACOK, Daenerys II

A queen I am, but my throne is made of burned bones, and it rests on quicksand. Without dragons, how could she hope to hold Meereen, much less win back Westeros?

- ADWD, Daenerys II

Even later, Daenerys is determined to bring peace to the lands she currently rules. She does plan to return to the Seven Kingdoms, but it’s not driven by pure ambition. And this is, notably, from a conversation when Prince Quentyn Nymeros Martell asks her to come back and claim them now, saying she has allies for that conquest. And still she turns him down, with promises that it will only happen eventually:

"Daenerys said. ". . . .One day I shall return to Westeros to claim my father's throne, and look to Dorne for help. But on this day the Yunkai'i have my city ringed in steel. I may die before I see my Seven Kingdoms. Hizdahr may die. Westeros may be swallowed by the waves."

- ADWD, Daenerys VII

And yet in both Sansa and Daenerys, these visions and hopes for the futures they might have are considered unbridled ambition, although they turn more on happiness and peace for themselves and their people, rather than the type of ambition Cersei has, which is clearly her own power and being heralded above everyone.

Daenerys’ thoughts in her sixth chapter of ADWD have the same energy as Sansa’s “I will make them love me.”:

"A queen must know the sufferings of her people."

. . .

A queen must listen to her people, Dany reminded herself.

Daenerys has figured out how to make her people love her, by wearing her “floppy ears” and appealing to the masses, listening to them, et cetera. She’s also a bit ahead of Sansa in the realm of ruling, to be sure.

But how are these similar thoughts ambition in either of them? It’s an attempt to empathize and connect, not to throw away and disregard and rule by force and domination. Both these ladies are more nuanced, and the fandom does them a disservice by painting them as ambitious or power-hungry when at the end for both of them, it’s a desire to have a happy, stable, loving life.

#asoiaf meta #sansa stark #daenerys targaryen #cersei lannister #arya stark

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sailorshadzter · 3 years

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Hiii! Welcome back!!! If you are still taking requests, how about an one shot where Cersei kind of notices the tension between Jon and Sansa and comments on it? Maybe in a "We are not so different" way? Or she straight up encourages them bc she's a horrible person and thinks if there are rumors about the Starks, they'll forget about the Lannisters?

ANON. whew this has been in my ask box for a while! but i opened my inbox to find some inspiration to write and yours was the one that clicked first! so i hope you see this, anon, wherever you are, and know that i FINALLY got to your prompt request!!!

as always, you're always welcome to drop a prompt request in my inbox.

enjoy!

The ball is grand and glittering.

Cersei has ensured that this night would be perfect, putting far more coin into it than Robert ever would have allowed. But there is little else she can do, what with the trouble brewing all around them. She's lost one son already, she will not lose another- and so she has gone to great expense and trouble to make sure that this room was full of loyal nobles and fearsome knights. This wedding would not end the way the last one had, even if the bride was the same.

From where she sits, she watches as the young Sansa Stark dances with her half brother, the bastard born Jon Snow. The young man had been intended for the Night's Watch, but Tyrion had developed a fondness for the boy during their visit North, and so, he'd come along with the Stark's. They are close together, the dance bringing them so, but the smile that lights up the redhead's face is one that Cersei swears she's worn herself, but when she looks upon Jaime. And the usually stoic Snow looks just as delighted to spin his sister out and back in, hands at her waist to lift her high into the air as the music swells. Cersei chuckles, wondering how's she's not noticed it ever before. The wheels in her brain are suddenly spinning, whirling several thoughts throughout that bring yet another smile to her face.

As if her thoughts have conjured him, she feels Jaime's presence at her elbow; he bows over his arm, ever the courtier, but she knows it's more for show than anything else. "What has you so cheery?" He asks, his green eyes scanning the dance floor, where sure enough his gaze falls upon the Stark siblings as they finish their dance among all the others, though it quite seems they've forgotten they aren't alone. "They make a handsome pair, do they not?" Turning back to face his lover, he sees he's right, for she's staring down at them with a look he's seen before. "What are you thinking?"

"That proud Ned Stark's children are falling in love right before our very eyes." They both knew what the world would say about two siblings, albeit half, falling in love. Was it not why they themselves took every precaution? Cersei shudders to think what would happen if the truth was ever discovered... The rumors were bad enough. But this... Two Stark children in love? It would cease the rumors about her and Jaime, that she was certain of. She watches as Sansa dips a quick curtsy to Jon before he offers her his arm, which she readily takes, and they disappear into the crowd.

"See that Lady Stark is brought to me tomorrow morning, won't you?" She says to the nearest lady, who nods, curtsying before she scurries away to do as she's been bid. Cersei turns back to face the dance floor, but it's suddenly become far less interesting.

And so she must wait until morning.

[ x x x ]

It's late, yet she cannot bring herself to leave his arms.

Jon holds fast to her, kissing the top of her head, her silk gown soft beneath his touch as his hands span the length of her spine. "I should go..." She whispers for the tenth time, though his grip does not relent, nor does she make any attempt to pull away. He smells of spice and smoke, comforting and strong; she buries her face deeper into his chest, wishing she could sink into him. "Jon..."

His name is soft on her lips.

Their gazes meet and he's lost, as he always is, in the depth of her blue eyes. "I know," is all he can say, knowing as well as she that it was best for her to go. They both knew where this moment would lead- after all, how many times had they been here before? But more than anything, they both knew what would happen if they were discovered in such an embrace. And yet... There's a part of him that doesn't care. There's a part of him that wishes with all of his might that they could be together in the way that they wanted. No more secret midnight rendezvous that only left them both feeling more strained than being without the other. "I'll walk you to your rooms..." He begins, but she shakes her head.

"Shae is waiting," she says softly, finally freeing herself from his grip. She feels cold without his touch and that is almost enough to send her back into his arms. "I will see you in the morning," she goes on, reaching out her hand to tenderly touch his. Jon nods, catching her hand so he might bring it to his lips to kiss. The brush of his lips to her knuckles steals the breath from her lungs and time is suspended as they stand there, the only sound in the room that of the fire burning in the hearth. "Until the morning..."

"Until the morning," he parrots back as he let's go of her hand. "Good night, Sansa."

The way he says her name sends shivers down her spine. "Good night, Jon." She says instead of every other thing she wants to say.

[ x x x ]

In the morning, a lady arrives at her door to inform her she's been summoned to see the queen.

Though no longer truly queen, Cersei Lannister runs the Seven Kingdoms through her youngest son, the now King Tommen. Just a boy, he's been married to Margaery Tyrell, who only several weeks before had instead been married to Joffrey. Poison had taken care of him, but Margaery and her family, ever the schemers, ensured that she would take her place as queen. Sansa was certain that it would not be long before a new power struggle would emerge. Soon, it would be Margaery and the Tyrell's fighting for control of poor, young Tommen.

Once she's dressed, Sansa, with Shae beside her, makes her way down to Cersei's office.

When she's been announced, she steps into the room, one which she has spent much time in over her years in King's Landing. Once she had been thrilled to be invited into this room, to spend private time with Queen Cersei... But things have changed. Though she dips her the curtsy due to her rank, Sansa does not return the smile offered to her by the golden haired woman behind her oak desk. "Lady Stark, tell me, how did you enjoy the ball last night?" Cersei asks, gesturing for Sansa to take the empty chair across from her. The young woman frowns, but does as she's bid, clearly surprised by the question. Cersei notices she wears a new gown of pale blue damask, made from a bolt of fabric she was given by Jon Snow a few short weeks ago; though it is fashioned in the Southern style, Cersei sees that the trailing sleeves are stitched with falling leaves, weirwood leaves, like those that grow in the North. Even her hair, which once she wore in styles that mirrored her own, is fastened into braids in a way that reminds Cersei of Catelyn Stark. It is Sansa's way of breaking with the Lannister's entirely; she is no longer theirs to control.

"It was wonderful, your grace," Sansa answers honestly, shifting slightly in the chair, brushing a lock of red hair across a shoulder before she accepts the goblet of wine being offered to her. "Very grand." She goes on, though she's no longer thinking of the ball, but of the last dance she and Jon had shared together.

"Your brother is quite the elegant dancer, I must say I'm surprised." Cersei's voice breaks into her thoughts and Sansa blinks in surprise. This certainly was not the topic of conversation she expected to have upon being summoned to this room. "The two of you make quite the couple." At this, Sansa chokes on the sip of wine she's just taken, her stare wild and frantic as it rises up to meet the queen. Inside, Cersei is laughing- she's been right there was Sansa was before, so many years ago. Back when her feelings for Jaime had first begun to grow into what they were now. She could recall their dance lessons, when a compliment on how well they fit together would leave her blushing and stammering, just as Sansa Stark was now. "You needn't hide it from me, Lady Stark," she goes on, taking advantage of the young woman's silence. "I see how you look at him... And how he looks at you."

Sansa's heart was beating fast within her chest, so fast she can barely catch her breath. Was she and Jon truly so obvious? They had painstakingly tried to keep what was brimming between them beneath the surface... But had last night been their very downfall? "I-I do not know what you mean, your grace," she says, adopting a cheery but confused tone, cursing herself for being a terrible liar. From the way Cersei is smiling, Sansa knows she does not believe her, not even for a moment.

"You know, Lady Stark, if there is one thing in my life I regret... It is not ever being with the one I truly loved." Cersei speaks from total honesty, saying aloud the words she's never spoken before to anyone. Not even to Jaime. She knows what it will take to sway proud Ned's child into something such as diving head first into an incestual relationship. But she knows the way to sway the young woman, for it was the same way she swayed herself all those years ago. "Someday you will be married to a man who you likely do not love," they are both reminded of a similar conversation, one they had shared before her marriage to Joffrey was to take place. "You should experience true love, even just once in your life." These words resonate with her and Cersei knows it. Her blue eyes widen and she opens her mouth as if she means to speak, but cannot find the words. "We cannot help who we love," Cersei says, though now she wonders if she's still speaking to Sansa, but rather to herself. "But if any love was so truly wrong, why would the Gods allow us to feel it in the first place?"

Sansa's heart beat has not ceased in it's pace, but a slow realization is dawning upon her as she listens to Cersei's words. There is meaning behind them and she knows, those words are not meant only for her. She recalls the rumors spread just before her father was beheaded, rumors about the truth of Joffrey and his siblings parentage. The truth about Cersei and her brother, Jaime. There is a part of her that worries this is just a trap, a set up to catch her and Jon in the act, something that would earn them the scorn and disgust of all of King's Landing and likely the North.

And yet...

You should experience true love, even just once in your life... Those are the words she's replaying in her brain, over and over again, knowing that Cersei was right. It would not be long before a marriage was made for her, one that would likely be loveless and political, one that would do nothing for her but everything for the Lannister's. Without her father or mother or even Robb to protect her from such a fate, she would be doomed to marry a man of Cersei's choosing.

When she's dismissed a few minutes later, Sansa wastes no time.

Shae, who has waited for her outside Cersei's room for her, rises up from where she sits on the windowsill. "Find Jon for me, won't you?" She asks in an undertone, to which her lady stares back at her for a long moment before she nods. If there was anyone she could trust with what she was about to do, it would be Shae.

Once she's back within her own chamber, she brings herself to stand before the looking glass, staring at her own reflection. She knows that doing what she's about to do will change everything, but she knows she cannot go on in life without knowing what it will feel like to be held by a man that truly loves her. If she can only taste his love this one time, then she will go willingly into any marriage presented to her, for Jon's love she will carry with her for the rest of her life.

A knock on the door comes.

By the time she's turned around, the door has opened and it's Jon standing there. He's staring at her, taking her in as he always does, those Stark colored eyes enough to bring her to her knees. "Sansa," he greets, feeling just as she does, the shift in what lays between them. She crosses the room as he does and so they meet at the center, a minimal distance between them. The blue damask gown suits her in a way he cannot describe and he's, as always, struck by her beauty. Somewhere behind them, Shae quietly ducks into the antechamber, out of sight, out of mind- but there all the same.

There's so many things she wants to say, so many things she needs for him to hear. But the words do not come, no matter how hard she wills them to. And so, instead, she does the only other thing that makes any sense; she kisses him. She kisses him with as much passion as she can muster and he falls into it, his arms winding around her only so he might pull her closer. When he breaks free moments later, it's to stare into her eyes, to ask her one single thing. "Are you certain?" She nods.

That's all he needs.

This time, he's the one to kiss her, leaning in to capture her mouth with his. One hand remains perched at the small of her back, though the other one slides into her hair, uncaring of the pins he knocks loose. She's kissing him back, meeting his tongue with her own, the sensations rushing through her body unlike anything she's ever felt before.

It does not take long before they stand at the side of her bed, the canopy hangings pushed aside so Jon might sit upon the edge. He beckons her closer and she comes to stand between his knees, allowing him to turn her around so her back instead faces him. Then, she feels his hands as they begin to loosen the laces of her blue gown until it begins to slip over her shoulders. That is when she turns back around to face him and she allows the gown to fall to the floor at her feet, all so she might stand there in nothing but her chemise.

And then, Jon draws her down into the bed, and into his arms.

#jonsa #actuallyjonsa #writing prompt #anon ask #send me prompts #jon x sansa #jon snow #sansa stark #my writing #i wrote this #man this one just FLOWED so quickly #it's been a while since i wrote something in one sitting

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