#or rather a suggestion of arya

[llutik]

learning names

#a song of ice and fire #asoiaf #my art #adwd #a dance with dragons #theon greyjoy #jeyne poole #ramsay bolton #ramsay snow #arya stark #or rather a suggestion of arya #valyrian scrolls #theons kraken brooch #since it takes up so much space #don't really like that drawing but i spent so much time on that i have to show it... #i should have spent my time drawing your lovely requests instead #will finish them in july. gay month 2. gay summer i dare say #i also feel like theon doesn't look... bad enough? ...... did i do anything right with this. #AND I FUCKING mixed up his hands XDXDXDXD

[melrosing]

What do you think of the Sansa bullied Arya take if you don’t mind me asking (just don’t answer if you don’t want to haha)

per my usual practice on Controversial Topics im putting this under a cut

At the real risk of that lot showing up in my notes again, I think this ‘Sansa bullies Arya’ pins their pre AGOT dynamic squarely on Sansa herself, rather than the way they are both being raised by the adults around them to behave towards one another. Sure, Sansa is mean to Arya sometimes during their childhood! We don’t have a lot of examples besides the oft-mentioned ‘horseface’ insults, but I think it’s fair to assume that more often than not, Sansa was looking down on Arya. Meanwhile, Arya herself feels inadequate and like she just can’t do anything right. She resents Sansa, but also worries that Sansa’s opinion of her may be true.

Fine. But where has Sansa’s opinion of Arya come from? Is it her cold black heart? Fucking no, it’s come from Septa Mordane, Catelyn, and whoever else surrounds them growing up. The men don’t seem to really give much of a shit how Arya acts because it’s not their business and she’s just a kid anyhow, but the women pointedly give many shits. In our first scene with Arya, Septa Mordane scolds her for not being good at ‘women’s work’, and there’s plenty to suggest that this is just another day in the life for Arya. Meanwhile, Sansa gets the carrot for excelling. Both Arya and Sansa are learning their own worth in this chapter, and the worth of one another. Sansa internalises the praise whilst learning that Arya is bad, and everything she mustn’t be. Arya internalises the criticisms whilst learning that Sansa is good, and everything she can never be.

They’ll be getting this from Catelyn as well. Catelyn clearly adores both her daughters, and will move heaven and earth to get them back in ACOK. But one good adjective for Catelyn is ‘dutiful’ - it’s in her house words, and it’s how she’s lived her life up to AGOT. Doing as she’s told, even when it pains her. She expects the same of her daughters, and finds those expectations satisfied in Sansa’s case, and apparently flouted in Arya’s. So again, from their own mother, Sansa internalises that Arya is bad, and that she, Sansa, is good. Arya internalises the same. If societal standards were reversed, perhaps it would be Arya lording over Sansa, but such as it is, it’s Sansa over Arya. 

Now, Sansa is a child. When children are told over and over that X is good and Y is bad, they generally don’t question it, at least until they're older and more experienced in the world. They will also parrot what they hear, often in graceless ways. Because they’re children. Sansa is told that Arya wilfully misbehaves because she’s bad, and so Sansa thinks: then I should look down on Arya. It sounds like Sansa mostly keeps her distance from her sister pre AGOT. Not always - they play together sometimes - but a lot of the time. She has internalised the teaching that Arya is an aberration, and as she herself knows the adults value obedience in girls, and she wants to please them so badly, the distance between her and Arya demonstrates to them just how good she is - she won’t descend to Arya’s behaviour. 

When Sansa does interact with Arya (pre Darry), we see her being a bit bossy - telling Arya what to do, etc. Sansa is replicating what she has seen the adults do with Arya, and is mimicking them to assert her own position as the good, obedient child. If Arya ever doesn’t want to do something, it can only be because she’s bad. 

[sidenote, it all really reminds me of these short stories me and my sister used to get read a lot as kids, called My Naughty Little Sister (lmao) by Dorothy Edwards. They're pretty old and I don’t think they ever got major circulation outside Britain, but for anyone unfamiliar, you can probably guess how these stories go. There’s an elder sister, good and obedient, who narrates short tales of her ‘naughty little sister’ doing terrible things like idk, making a terrible mess etc, and going ‘now I’m sure you [the child audience] wouldn’t do a thing like that!’ They’re supposed to be short morality tales for the children, and amuse the parent reading them aloud, who recognises the mischievous behaviour of the younger and is charmed by the haughtiness of the elder sister, who you can hear is narrating the incidents of her sister’s mischief with the disdain that she’s heard the adults do so, and is asserting her own good behaviour over said sister. And the whole fucking reason we were read these stories was because my younger sister was precisely the kind of kid who got up to all kinds of shit as a little kid (which now all of us find hilarious but DIDN’T AT THE TIME), and I was the elder sister like ‘my goodness how could she do such things as these!!’ (e.g. paint an entire bookcase with grout). It amused us both to see ourselves in the stories. You could say this was life imitating art, but I think this is simply an age old dynamic, familiar to many people with siblings: you would see how the adults spoke to another child in your family, and replicate their manner in an effort to come across as an adult. Except you weren’t an adult, so you weren’t always as graceful about it as they were. That is pre AGOT Sansa, to a T. And I’m sure that’s what GRRM, a child of three who had two sisters of his own, is replicating here.]

But I think there’s also a loneliness in being the ‘obedient child’. Doing as you’re told all the time can be boring, and living up to expectations is a lot of pressure. Sansa wants a companion in all that, but Arya has no interest in sharing in it. Arya is offering friendship, but from a place Sansa believes she can’t reach her sister - Sansa thinks she’d have to ‘descend to Arya’s level’ to accept it, and she can’t do that. You get a sense of Sansa thrilling in trying Arya’s ‘misbehaviours’ for herself when she quietly delights in behaving ‘as wicked as Arya’, but you see in this that she has to condemn such behaviours and herself for exhibiting them, all in the same breath. And in the end, I can easily imagine Sansa resents that Arya has more fun with their brothers than she ever does with Sansa herself: that the one sister she has is one she has nothing in common with. Sansa can’t find a like mind amongst her siblings, and so clings to Jeyne Poole, and the praise of the adults around her.

So with all that in mind, YES! Sansa is sometimes mean to Arya, and calls her horseface. That is because Sansa is a child, nobody is correcting her behaviour, and she understands that Arya is bad, and the way she behaves is frustrating to Sansa herself, so really what does it matter if she’s a little mean sometimes? She knows that she is good, because everyone says so. Even if she calls her sister a name now and then, she’s still the good child. 

AND THEN we get to Darry. And Sansa starts to see that society isn’t a song, and sometimes it doesn’t matter how good you are, horrible things can happen to you anyway. But she doesn’t want to believe that, because it would turn her world upside down, and her future would look a lot darker, too - Ned has not ended her engagement to Joffrey, and Sansa has to live for the foreseeable in KL. So when Arya doing the thing she ‘wasn’t supposed to’ (playing with Mycah) snowballs into a terrible miscarriage of justice where Sansa’s wolf is killed, Sansa rejects the notion that the songs could be wrong about beautiful princes, and shifts the blame onto Arya for that original 'misdemeanour'. The grief at losing Lady is terrible too (the wolves are meant to have a soul deep bond with the Stark children), and so the target of that grief likewise becomes Arya. What was previously a normal, childishly complicated sibling relationship gets twisted into something else.

This is where I think Sansa becomes different level of unpleasant towards her sister. She’s cruel about Arya’s loss of Mycah, tells Arya she wishes she were dead instead of Lady, etc etc. Arya is not giving as good as she gets here - she even tries to make amends with Sansa, but Sansa throws the offer in her face.

The reasons for Sansa’s behaviour are complicated, but not that complicated. She’s been raised to slot perfectly into this world, without ever being told what that world is really like. And when abruptly it turns out that what she’s being raised for is essentially the slaughter, she rejects it. She can’t see Joffrey as he truly is: she’s been told that princes are charming, that Kings are just, Queens are kind, and she herself will be a Queen. Sansa is going to be handed over to the Lannisters, and she’s going to live the song of her dreams, and the only thing between Sansa and the realisation of those is the thing that’s always been wrong: Bad Arya. Because again, if Arya isn't bad, then everything else is, and Sansa is in terrible danger.

No one is sitting Sansa down and explaining to her that Arya is not bad, just different from her, and that they should love one another - that there are dark forces here far stronger than them that could tear them apart, that the Lannisters are the greatest of them, and they have to fight together, not each other. Arya gets this talk, funnily enough, but not Sansa. Arya is asked to understand that Sansa is different from her, but Sansa is only ever taught to abhor that her sister as different from her. Where Arya is told to be wary of the court of King’s Landing, Ned leaves Sansa to continue her fantasies, and then, when he abruptly tries to put an end to them, he doesn’t bother to explain why. I’m not saying this is unforgivable on Ned’s part - he has a lot on his mind lol - but it’s quite obviously a major failing. Ned leaves Sansa in a fantasy world. It’s fucking Joffrey who has to step in and clarify for Sansa that actually, she’s been dreaming.

So as long as they’re together, Sansa is never able to come to terms with the fact that Arya was not the aberration, but rather, everything else was. In the absence of one another, they cannot reconcile over that fact. So yes, GRRM says they’ll have deep issues to sort through when they meet again, but those aren’t going to be the times that Sansa called her ‘horseface’ - they’re going to be about what happened since they left Winterfell, when their relationship was twisted by forces much darker than Septa Mordane. 

So no, I think the ‘Sansa is a bully’ diatribes are seriously tedious, because even if you want to insist that calling your sister ‘horseface’ a few times even qualifies, you can still accept such wrongs without deciding that that makes Sansa a fundamentally unkind person who cannot be reconciled with Arya and doesn’t deserve to be. It is on the page that the two of them miss each other. Like I genuinely cannot imagine going through everything Arya does in the story and then, upon reuniting with a sister I thought lost forever, deciding I’m actually still mad about the things she got wrong as a child that she herself has paid dearly for, both physically and emotionally. Like jesus fucking christ man. By all means let them talk about it!! But who do you think Arya is lmao

Tl;dr: Sansa is a kid in a society. She is not the arbiter of Arya’s place in society. She is not mean because she’s cruel, but because she has internalised the exact same things that Arya has, based on the example of the adults surrounding them. It just happens that those things were a carrot for Sansa and a stick for Arya. But then in the end, they weren’t a carrot for Sansa either.

tl;dr 2: clarifying once again - i am a jaime stan. i find the stark sister relationship interesting bc I have experience of a similar sisterly dynamic and find it interesting to see a version of that explored on the page. so if you think one has to be a sansa stan to observe all this then that kind of just demonstrates how dichotomous you've become on this issue lol like if I'm talking about takes I dislike re JB I don't generally feel the need to attribute them to JC fandom. let's all grow up x

tl;dr 3: no i don't hate sansa or arya, since i know these are both conclusions various people reach whenever i even mention these two. in fact i think they are both great girls! imagine

#ask #im not tagging them

[ladystoneboobs]

[Cat, to Brienne:]"And Arya, well . . . Ned's visitors would oft mistake her for a stableboy if they rode into the yard unannounced. [...]" -Catelyn VII, aCoK

ok, this is another thing that makes me feel like i'm taking crazy pills bc i never see it talked about with all the implications behind it. so if anyone is more versed in androgynous medievalish clothing, feel free to correct me here, but my thinking is if unannounced visitors mistook arya for a stableboy, would that not mean she was wearing boyish riding garb, trousers and all? bc if she was running around with messy hair and a dirty gown, wouldn't she more likely be seen as a female servant? if my reading is not wildly offbase that does not jibe with the idea of arya being terrorized all day by both septa mordane and her mother to be more ladylike. rather, this limited freedom to be mistaken for a servant could suggest that pragmatic catelyn was picking her battles with arya too, not forcing her to always appear prim and proper on days when they were not expecting any guests to see her. catelyn "despaired of ever making a lady of" arya, though neither she nor ned could abandon the goal, which could mean a more measured approach, not exhausting herself by going after arya for every unladylike move she made, especially when she was still a prepubescent child. the quote above starts a paragraph which ends with catelyn feeling "as though a giant hand were squeezing her chest" after saying she thought arya was dead like bran and rickon, after no word of her since ned's arrest. in that context of grief, i think all her words about arya should be read as coming with bittersweet fondness, just being honest about their problems, not sugarcoating any of it.

but let's compare catelyn's trials with arya, including her often running around looking like a stableboy, to arya's interactions with lady smallwood, somehow seen as an even better mother-figure than her own mother, whom arya found easier to comply with bc of her kinder manner. first of all, lady smallwood's efforts to make arya ladylike included two baths and two dresses in one day after arya and gendry ruined the first dress, before finally giving her boy's riding clothes to leave in. i would argue a full second bath was unneeded when they could have just washed the dirt off her face and hands, and, furthermore, that both the dresses were an impractical waste when she knew arya would be riding back out with the outlaws and could not look a highborn lady when doing so. idt pragmatic catelyn would have gone to all that trouble just to make arya look ladylike for a few hours when there were no other ladies around. as for the claim that arya found it easier to comply with her? no, that's just flat-out demonstrably false. the text says she was "forced" into a tub and "they insisted" she wear girl's clothes. what room did she have to refuse as a hostage in a stranger's castle? she certainly felt no compunction about fighting gendry in the acorn dress she'd been forced into, and only felt bad about it afterward when lady smallwood talked about her dead son.

now, let's move on to the only canon quotes we have from cat to/about arya in arya's pov.

"Sansa's work is as pretty as she is," Septa Mordane told their lady mother once. "She has such fine, delicate hands." When Lady Catelyn had asked about Arya, the septa had sniffed. "Arya has the hands of a blacksmith." -Arya I, aGoT Her father had hunted boar in the wolfswood with Robb and Jon. Once he even took Bran, but never Arya, even though she was older. Septa Mordane said boar hunting was not for ladies, and Mother only promised that when she was older she might have her own hawk. -Arya V, aCoK Her mother used to say she could be pretty if she would just wash and brush her hair and take more care with her dress, the way her sister did. -The Blind Girl(/Arya I), aDwD

in the first quote we don't know catelyn's reaction to septa mordane's rude disapproval of arya, certainly not if she agreed with it. what we do know is she was not interested in only hearing endless praise of sansa and wanted to hear if arya had made any progress. although admittedly that was a vain hope, which ignored arya's true strengths and the possibility that she could never master and enjoy needlework the way catelyn did.

the second quote better shows the difference between arya's mother and her septa. catelyn does not criticize arya for wanting to hunt boar nor dismiss her interest. instead she tries to mollify arya and accomodate her desire with the promise of a future hunting hawk. that this was a promise, not just an idle thought, suggests this would have happened in due time and could have been a bonding activity for them if the plot hadn't intervened.

the third quote is definitely a backhanded compliment and doubly unhelpful in comparison to sansa, but at least it shows catelyn did not think one of her own daughters was ugly. she thought both were pretty even tho sansa was the more admired as traditionally beautiful, and she thought arya's looks were held back by her messy hair and clothes. (useful to remember for those fans who like to keep track of how many characters called arya pretty vs. how many call her ugly.)

yes, it is a bad sign that arya genuinely wondered if her mother would want her back, dirtier than ever in her disguise as a peasant boy. their relationship definitely had faults which the adult parent must bear responsibility for. but we must remember that arya also worried if robb would pay a ransom for her, and was most ashamed about the people she'd killed, and couldn't bear the thought of ned knowing all she'd done. and we must keep in mind that even ned never openly gainsaid septa mordane on-page either, and that arya desperately wanted to renunite with her mother and felt confident gendry could stay with her if she vouched for him with her mother. that confidence would seem completely unwarranted if their mother/daughter relationship was as utterly bad as some fans make out.

#valyrianscrolls #asoiaf #asoiaf meta #catelyn stark #arya stark #a wolf with a fish in its mouth #that most recent post in the tag is actually insane but these are things ive thougt abt saying for awhile #i could also say that jon's doubts and fears wrt his mother are also unfounded and that ned bears some blame for that #by never telling him his mother loved him or even whether she was alive or dead #funny how people can recognize lady smallwood's similarity to cat as a mother figure but just saying aryas pretty w/o qualifications is #enough to make her better in every other way too #anyways #happy wolf pack wednesday! #(c)lsb

[writeshite]

Puppy Love

Summary:

“One would think you’ve become besotten with me, Lord Stark,” you quip, circling each other at a slow pace. “I would agree.” His arm moves up, and you meet it, wrists side by side, “dragons are a rare sight in the North; anyone would be enamored.” You chuckle, “I should say the same; wolves are equally as captivating."

Pairings:

Robb Stark x Male Reader

Tags:

Targaryen Reader | Fluff | Smitten Robb Stark

Words: 2122

Author's Note:

I have not actually watched the show or read the books fully 👉🏾👈🏾 I know things, but most of my knowledge is sporadic and random; it'll be like 60% accurate, I think....in my defense, I want dragons, and I also want Robb Stark, so like what else am I supposed to do 💀. Also, sorry if the High Valyrian in here is shit; I'm very behind in my Duolingo course.

“The dragons have taken back the Iron Throne.”

Robb didn’t quite know how to react to the news; his battle had been for the North, and the workings of the other kingdoms and their squabbles had never immensely mattered to him as much as he knew they should. The ball had been his mother’s suggestion, correction insistence, “As king, you should set an example and get ahead of the other kingdoms.” 

The Targarayens arrive on dragon back - each on a separate one - the beasts shake the ground when they land, thunderous roars echoing into the skies. Her Majesty, Daenerys Targaryen, is poised, expression calm as she descends her dragon; another figure follows behind her - the Queen's Hand Missandei - the other dragon rider, steals more of Robb’s attention. Expression perhaps more joyful, you appear rather ill-equipped for the weather, furs less than satisfactory in Robb’s opinion. Your attire appears snow-touched, with little color - a touch of red on the collar of your coat - and dragon detailing on the lapels. Your silver locks are platted back in a simplistic rider’s style, held together by an intricate golden band.

Your company trails behind, arriving just moments later. Robb is accompanied by his mother, Sansa, and Arya, the latter of the three stares in awe at the dragons. Robb picks up a bit of conversation as you approach them, dying down when you come to stand in front of them; the words are of another tongue - High Valyrian, he thinks. “Your grace,” he greets, “welcome to Winterfell.”

“Thank you, Lord Stark,” she gestured to one side, “you know of my wife and hand, Missandei,” Robb nods, and she gestures to you, “and my cousin.” 

“A pleasure,” you greet him.

Robb had yet to follow etiquette, and in the spirit of that, he responds to your greeting and awaiting handshake with a kiss - placed on the back of your hand. Your skin trembles in the cold, cool to the touch; he rubs his thumb along it in an effort to create some heat. The purple of your eyes was entrancing, deep pools that drew his gaze easily. His mother’s cough draws him back; her disapproving and mildly irritated glance is counteracted by Sansa and Arya’s amused ones. The servants lead you to your temporary quarters, and Robb’s linger on your retreating form; his mother’s lecture drifts elsewhere in his mind, barely settling before it’s tossed aside by the glee of seeing you once more at the welcoming banquet.

Winterfell was colder than you expected. 

The invitation had seen no hurried response - with the rebuilding of King’s Landing, a new Dragon’s Pit, and many other matters - coming to Winterfell had primarily been driven by the need for a break. You rode on Morghon, Daenerys, and Missandei rode on Drogon, with Rhaegal and Viserion following and a company of Dothraki followed from the ground. The cool weather had been the first thing you’d noted, the second being the admittedly attractive King in the North. He donned a thick fur cape overtop his attire, a ringlet crown surmounted by iron spikes, and three wolves at the central front.

“Dubāzma,” you shrug at Daenerys’ warning tone; you hadn’t done anything; you simply glanced at the man.

You counter such, “Eman gaomagon daorun, ivestragon zirȳla Missandei.” 

Missandei shakes her head, amusement in her tone, “Iā bughegon isse suvion iēdar kostilus,” she jests.

You shake your head, and the conversation breaks off as Lord Stark welcomes you to Winterfell. Daenerys responds with light introductions for both Missandei, then you.

“A pleasure,” you say once introduced, hand held out, ready for a handshake. Lord Stark does something far different. Taking your hand, he turns it over and lays a peck on the back of it, causing Lady Stark’s eyes to grow wide in surprise and his sisters’ expressions to morph into grins.

“The pleasure is all mine,” he replies, eyes locked on yours as he does so. His hand remains with yours for seconds longer, thumb caressing the skin, and when her ladyship breaks the brief haze with a cough, he leaves behind a phantom warmth.

The temporary chambers are cozy, readily warm, and stocked with furs; you set your luggage by the bed and don’t dwell too long on them - furs, a bed, fire, and comfort - as the welcome banquet requires far more attention. You replace your traveling coat with one more suitable for festivities - dark with gold embroidery and light fur trimming on the bottom. You exit the room to find Lord Stark’s figure leaning against the wall opposite, and a smile lights his face at the sight of you.

“Have you come to escort me, Lord Stark?” you inquire.

“If you’d allow it,” he responds with a hint of hope. You chuckle and nod, drawing out a broader smile on his face. The hall is not as far off as you’d imagined; light chatter filters through the open doors as people mill into the open-spaced hall. Far from the entrance sits a horizontally set long table - the Starks on the right, Taragrayens on the left - the other tables line the sides, leaving the middle empty. 

“Lord Robb of House Stark, King in the North, Lord of Winterfell…” the announcer declares, drawing attention to you both; he announces you next, “...of House Targaryen….” It had been your idea to drop your name of Velaryon, “...Dragonheart of Old Valyria, and Prince of The Ashes.” The latter of the titles stood more as a slight mockery, with your old life on the remnants of Old Valyria, those that had spotted you and Morghon had called you that in whispers.

You take the two remaining seats at the long table, Robb near the center, you near the edge, close to Missandei. The food is wonderful; meats, deserts, ale, and various Northern delicacies are brought to the tables - the honeyed chicken may well become one of your new favorites. People begin to mingle after the main courses as music fills the halls in steady beats; you follow suit at Lord Stark’s request to dance. 

“One would think you’ve become besotten with me, Lord Stark,” you quip, circling each other at a slow pace.

“I would agree.” His arm moves up, and you meet it, wrists side by side, “dragons are a rare sight in the North; anyone would be enamored.”

You chuckle, “I would say the same; wolves are equally as captivating,” your arms turn, both palms now against the other; he laces his fingers with yours, a cheeky grin on his face. You turn to circle in the opposite direction, the crowd around you filtering out as you remain fixated on each other. You draw back, hands still intertwined; coming back again, he places his other hand on your shoulder as yours goes to his hip. A few paces and you should separate from the other, turn to another person and carry on the dance, but you don’t, remaining in each other’s grasp as you drift across the floor. 

The music changes and a joyful beat begins; the formality is lost as the crowd of dancers switches to more upbeat and expressive movements. Lord Stark tugs at your arm, head tilting towards the doors; you turn briefly to glance at the long table - Lady Arya is immersed in conversation with Daenerys; Missandei and Lady Sansa are the same; Lady Stark herself, however, appears to have swallowed a lemon, eyes glaring daggers at his Lordship. You return your attention to said man and allow him to drag you away from the hall.

Robb hadn’t paid much attention to his mother’s lecture; her words went in one ear and out the other; she wasn’t angry, not truly, merely cautious. The interest seemed mutual to some extent, though the matter of marital affairs would be complicated - gods know the Lords of Westeros would turn their noses high in disgust - his almost engagements had all fallen through when he’d paid them little mind. 

“Robb Stark!” His mother’s voice cuts through his thoughts, “I understand your attraction circumvents what the realm would regard as suitable, but that is no excuse, do not trifle with him; we don’t need them setting our lands ablaze.” 

“You’ve outdone yourself this time,” Sansa comments after their mother leaves. 

Robb purses his lips; a wise man would take the words to heart and cease whatever he was doing - even if this interaction bore positive fruit, there was no certainty it would be in the best interest of the North. Her Majesty could have him abdicate his throne in favor of moving into the Targarayen household, or she could disapprove of him and feed him to her dragons. Robb was a man of heart, the kind that intercepted the servant at your chambers and took it upon himself to escort you personally to the dining halls.

Your previous coat has been replaced by a darker one; golden dragon heads decorate the cuffs, and it sits tighter on your person, with the fur trimming at the bottom fluttering delicately as you walk. “Have you come to escort me, Lord Stark?”

“If you’d allow it,” he responds, and gods, he hopes you would. He feels himself smile wider at your agreement, arm threaded with yours; the short walk to the dining halls leaves him ecstatic.

“Lord Robb of House Stark, King in the North, Lord of Winterfell…” the declaration echoes in the hall; brief glances become more fixated on your intertwined arms. His mother’s eyes squint, a frown on her face, “...of House Targaryen, Dragonheart of Old Valyria, and Prince of The Ashes.” 

Robb thanks the gods; his mother’s seat is further from him; if looks could kill, he’s certain he’d have died at the entrance. “You’ve taken to my cousin quite quickly, Lord Stark,” Her Majesty’s voice draws his attention.

Her gaze is steady as she regards him, “I suppose, your grace, is that a problem?” 

It’s no secret that certain parts of Westeros and their rulers disapprove of other attractions; Robb’s not quite sure where his father would have stood on the matter - he imagines him supportive - he knows his mother prefers he be less expressive on the subject. Queen Daenerys had been quite clear on her stance, disregarding the disapproval of her new laws and marriage, though that’s not to say she would like to have him as her in-law.

“Not as long as he is happy, and well,” she answers, “I have little family left; I cannot help my worry.”

There is an underlying threat to her words, and Robb nods in understanding, and it satisfies her enough to turn away from him. The food is brought in just after - honeyed chicken, venison pies, cod cakes, ale, candied bread - the music begins near the tail end of the feast. Some sway to the tune, conversations carrying in the air, as the music changes to something more befitting a dance. He stands and moves down the long table towards you, “Care for a dance?”

“One would think you’ve become besotten with me, Lord Stark,” you quip. 

“I would agree; dragons are a rare sight in the North; anyone would be enamored.” Your arms meet in the middle, level to your heads, as you circle each other; even as the other dancers switch partners, you remain together. Up until the music changes and a less formal tune carries in the air, you follow suit, hand in Robb’s as he drags you from the hall. You stroll idly through the halls, hands held together and swung lowly and sharing idle chatter.

“What do you call your dragon?”

“Morghon,” you respond, “it means death, a fitting name. Would you like to see him?” Robb pursed his lips, and you chuckled at his hesitation, “Don’t tell me you’re scared of dragons,” you teased; coming to a halt, you tugged him closer, “certainly not after flirting with one.”

He can feel the heat creep up his neck and imagines his skin pinker at the moment, “What if he bites?”

“He won’t,” your graze drifts a little lower, “but I could.”

“Is that an invitation to your bed, my prince?”

“If you’d like, you could show me how warm the North could be. I’m sure a few hours of demonstration should suffice.”

“The demonstration will have to wait for another time, your grace,” his mother’s voice cuts in. You both jump apart, hands loosely held together; she grabs Robb by the arm, “I apologize for the interruption, your grace, but we have some familial matters to attend to.” His face pinches into a frown as his mother leads him away; he remains turned enough to send you a brief wave and a smile and is thrilled to see you return it.

End Note:

Hope you enjoyed this mess. Stay hydrated.

#robb stark x male reader #robb stark x reader #game of thrones imagine #shut up i want dragons alright #i am disregarding canon because i think he's too hot to die #and also cause there's like a few solid male reader fics i think and the rest aren't so here comes the petty dragon riding bitch #if you came here expecting canon accuracy go touch some grass this is fanfic we don't know the meaning of that word

[queenaryastark]

It's actually interesting examining Stansas and their absurdity.

A lot has already been said about the fact that Sansa was created specifically to bully Arya. That's already been proven and is a fact.

But what's interesting to think about here are the different ways Stansas will attempt to excuse what can't be excused. Here are the tactics I've noticed:

Stansas will lie that Arya is actually the one who bullied her foil. I'm actually surprised this person didn't go with that tactic since they have ST's mug as their icon, which suggests they rely on Benioff and Weiss' inaccurate adaptation where Arya was shown as the aggressor toward the character who was specifically created to bully her. Regardless, this excuse relies on ignoring the books in favor of published fanfic. The books show that Arya is bullied by her foil.

Stansas will lie that Arya "gave as good as she got". Now, this one requires a little bit of accepting that bullying occurred but tries to decrease the concession by putting blame on Arya as well. This is still factually untrue. All bullying in this dynamic is only coming from one direction: from Sansa to Arya. What Arya endures is name calling, being told she's unwanted, being told her life is worth less than an animal's, having her appearance likened to an animal's, being casually insulted just in the flow of conversation, having a murdered friend of hers victim blamed as a taunt, etc. There are exactly zero examples of Arya treating Sansa this way. The closest they try to come to providing an example is using Arya's grief over Mycah where Sansa was victim blaming him for his maiming and murder. But that's not evidence of anything other than Sansa's malicious nature.

Stansas might transfer blame exclusively onto Jeyne Poole. Again, this requires admitting that bullied occurred. Rather than blame Arya, Jeyne is presented as the only bully or as a bad influence on Sansa 🤣. Again, this is incorrect. Jeyne is a member of the lower nobility. In a world where Sansa didn't exist, there is a 0% chance Jeyne would ever dare to bully the daughter of a high lord. Even if she tried, that first attempt would be cut off at the knees due to the difference in rank between Arya and Jeyne. It's Sansa's bullying of Arya that gives Jeyne permission to join her, since she is also a high lord's daughter, and Jeyne is able to follow her lead. So Jeyne’s blame in the treatment of Arya is far less than Sansa’s. But isn't it funny how quick they are to throw Jeyne under the bus? I guess that's on brand for Stansas since Sansa was canonically relieved that Jeyne, her dearest friend, was given over to a pimp because it meant she could read without having to hear her crying.

In the case of the person I screencapped, they attempt to excuse bullying as normal in order to strip away Sansa's complexity and purpose. They even tried to project their fav's behavior onto real people instead of just Arya and Jeyne. It's been proven that bullying has a long-term negative impact on the person who endures the bully. GRRM seems to understand this as shown in how he depicts Arya and her bullies. We see how her schooling suffers and she has a negative self-image, which results in her tolerating additional bullying from others as if it was something required of her (she only speaks up with Hot Pie and Lommy when she thinks they're insulting Jon). Studies have shown that the impact of being bullied as a child can stay with a person well into adulthood. So by trying to normalize it, not only are Stansas proving what terrible people they are, they're showing that they aren't capable of accurately analyzing the text nor understanding basic character development. In short, they're wrong.

If Stansas actually enjoyed Sansa as a character, they would embrace her complexity rather than doing mental gymnastics to pretend she's one-dimensional. But then I'd lose out on seeing their ridiculous trends in bad takes.

#arya stark #asoiaf

[alicenttully]

Sansa Month - Day 7 (Jeyne Poole)

An underappreciated detail of Sansa and Jeyne is that although there's nothing to suggest that the former didn't get along with Myrcella, AGOT still shows us Sansa in Jeyne's company when it easily could have been the opposite.

For example, when Cersei brought her daughter to the sewing circle, Sansa isn’t seen chatting with Myrcella.   Instead, Arya notes her sister and Jeyne sitting close together with the latter whispering in Sansa’s ear.

Granted, Myrcella isn’t alone.  She’s accompanied by her ladies and Septa Mordane is ‘cooing’ over her.   Furthermore, Sansa isn't ignoring Myrcella, or she would have done so, as she invites Arya to join her and Jeyne's conversation.   But what makes it notable is what Myrcella would represent to someone like Sansa who loves the South.  A princess living at court.  Therefore, it’s interesting to me that the first time the reader gets to hear her speak, she isn’t depicted interacting with Myrcella but is instead she and Jeyne doing their own thing. 

Another example is the Hand’s Tourney. Myrcella is meant to attend, and the text doesn’t portray it otherwise.  But what stands out to me is that if Sansa wanted to, she could have asked Ned to arrange with Robert for her and Myrcella to watch it together.   Of course, it would need to be done in a particular way- Sansa must be seen as seeking the honor of the princess’ company rather than demanding it.  It also would have been a very realistic request given who Sansa herself represents to Myrcella- her future good sister and queen, and the friendship between Robert and Ned.  However, we instead have Sansa attending the tourney with Jeyne.  It’s important to note that when the tourney is brought up in Arya II, Ned’s promise only extends to Sansa and Arya.  Therefore, this means that Sansa asked for Jeyne to go as well.   While Septa Mordane’s presence would have been necessary, Jeyne’s wouldn’t have been.  

Anyway, its a detail about them that I think people tend to overlook/underappreciate about them, and this is something that we see echo throughout the rest of the books - for instance, her sample chapter shows Sansa doing something with Myranda that she remembers doing with Jeyne (racing) and it’s the memory of Jeyne that brings Sansa comfort.

#sansa stark #sansamonth2023 #jeyne poole #asoiaf #a song of ice and fire #anyway their friendship matters

[poisonsage808]

♡ Seasons Greetings ♡

ModernAU!Sandor Clegane x Reader

• As soon as the temperature drops, calls start ending like;

“Don’t forget—“

“I won’t forget a jacket!”

• Yeah, you usually forget your jacket but Sandor somehow knew that you would so he keeps one on hand, even when he doesn’t know if he’ll see you. You wear it often and it makes him ridiculously happy to see you in his clothes, also warm

• Going out with friends to look at lights, walking stumbling around because you poured irish cream in your hot chocolate. Sandor brought his own flask of whiskey and poured WAY more into his coffee, he’s not even close to being tipsy. But he is having a nice time. Especially when you’re tucked under his arm a giggling disaster

• Now this started before winter but now it’s just important to do more often; if nights end at your house, you massage (unscented) lotion wherever he’ll let you

• “At least your hands,” you asked so sweetly but if Sandor falls asleep, and he usually does, before you’re finished you just keep rubbing his muscles.

• You take extra care to dab some on his scar because, yes, that still needs to be moisturized. All finished, you kiss him softly and cuddle up next your own personal heater

• Speaking of, Sandor grumbled once about being kissed with chapstick on your lips. Now he doesn’t, he subconsciously started licking his lips after you’ve kissed him goodbye

• Also carries chapstick in the console of his car because you’re always losing it. If you ask why he has it, he says it’s one that you’d lost. It’s not, he bought it, picked out the flavor and everything!

• Don’t you dare put on holiday music! “I’ll throw ya in the snow and you can eat that if ya don’t turn that shite off.” (This goes without saying, don’t open the door for carolers either)

• Sandor likes to cook and he’s really freaking good at it too! He invites you to dinner once and you expect takeout— NO! He was in the kitchen finishing up the most scrumdiddlyumptious meal you’ve ever had

• After eating you help him with the dishes then move to the couch to snuggle under the blanket and watch a movie

• If you have to drive at night or in heavy snow, Sandor asks you to let him know when you’ve reached wherever you’ve gone. If you’re at his house and planning to go home, he’ll convince you to stay the night

• Depending on where you are in the relationship, he might offer for you to leave some belongings and such there. It’s supposed to be a practical offer but he’s so bashful about it and you can’t stop smiling

• It makes you so incredibly sad the first holiday you spent together that Sandor didn’t expect you to get him a gift, his surprised expression made you frown

• You don’t even have to go overboard with presents, he’ll feel spoiled regardless. If you buy him something, make him something or even give him a card he’ll find a safe spot for it

• Gift him something sentimental and Sandor won’t say a word, he’ll just bring you into the softest kiss and rest his forehead on yours

• “Your turn,” He says, dropping a bag because this man does not know how to wrap boxes into your lap

• Sandor’s actually quite good at holiday shopping, he thinks of the person and four rules when buying; something they’ll want, need, wear and read

• Obviously not everyone in his life gets all four (or any) just you

• And Arya

• Ok and Sansa but that’s it!

18+ ONLY (suggestive themes ahead)

• Sandor furrows his brows the day you return his jacket to him, “Don’t want it anymore?”

• Shyly, you admit it doesn’t smell like him anymore. Before you can stammer out that you only wanted him to wash it with his soap or even ask to borrow another one, Sandor’s on you

“Like the way I smell, hm?”

“Don’t be mean—“ You blush and try to hide your face but he pins your hands down with ease

“I’m feeling rather givin’ actually,” He smirks against your neck, his beard tickling your skin, “Go on then and tell me what ya wanted.”

• You do leave his house the next morning with an extra jacket.. just also with red cheeks, bite marks and of course smelling like Sandor

♡ requests are open! ♡

#poiboidrabbles #sandor clegane x reader #x reader #game of thrones imagine #imagine #game of thrones modern au #sandor the hound clegane

[goodqueenaly]

Hi again! I had a follow-up question from your response a while back about the waif’s origin story. I feel like this is probably a thorny topic so I want to be deliberate in how I phrase it. Do you think Would the Faceless Men perhaps not consider taking in the waif as part of an exchange as at odds with the anti-slavery stance of the city? To be clear, I don’t suggest her situation equivalent to slavery, but more in a general sense that a person is being traded away w/ their agency/life choice

I apologize for wording it insensitively.

I don’t think you worded it insensitively, myself.

Anyway, I think it is fair to consider the ethical implications of a society or institution which accepts people as payment for services. However, I think there are a few points to keep in mind here. Number one, I think the Faceless Men almost certainly consider slavery evil. When Arya angrily (and justifiably) complains that the historical first Faceless Man “should have killed the masters!" (emphasis in original), the kindly man replies that this first Faceless Man “[brought] the gift to them as well … [sic] but that is a tale for another day”. Likewise, TWOIAF advances a theory that the Doom was caused by the “assassinations of too many of the reputed mages who renewed and maintained the rituals that banked the fires of the Fourteen Flames”, which may indeed be (and I think likely is) the tale to which the kindly man alludes. Nor should this attitude on the part of the Faceless Men be particularly surprising for an institution centered in Braavos (and seemingly exclusively so), a city which both literally owes its existence to resistance to slavery and maintains a staunch anti-slavery position unique to the Free Cities.

Number two, the House of Black and White does operate, at least in some sense, as a religious temple. There is a long tradition in our own world of parents giving their children to a variety of religions or religious houses, to be raised as priests or other similarly dedicated figures within that faith, and this practice does not seem to be totally unknown in Terros either. While I don’t believe this happens with the House of Black and White on a super common basis - I think the Faceless Men specifically demanded the waif to temper the father’s incentive for murderous revenge in his prayer to Him of Many Faces - I could see where the House of Black and White has participated in a practice common enough to various religions. These children are not sold but rather, in the eyes of their parents and devotees of those respective faiths, offered to a particular god, for the service of that god. Likewise, while average Braavosi may not precisely worship Him of Many Faces, they certainly know about the services (for lack of a better term) offered at the House of Black and White and understand (so Jaqen H’gar informs Arya) the secret code to recognize and give proper deference to the assassin-priests of the Many-Faced God.

Number three, Arya’s own treatment by the House of Black and White, as well as the way the kindly man speaks about the waif, may suggest that the waif had (relatively speaking) a bit of agency in whether or not she became a full Faceless Men agent and assassin. On a number of occasions, the kindly man offers to let Arya go, to end her training as a Faceless Man and even to find her alternate employment in Braavos. Nor does the kindly man merely try to tempt Arya away from this life: he warns her in no uncertain terms that she must pay a heavy price, “all you have and all you ever hope to have”, if she should ever have a chance of joining their order. More to the the point, the kindly man informs Arya that the waif “gave Him [sic] all she was, all she ever might have been, all the lives that were within her” in order to become a Faceless Man herself. Put together, I think the waif may well have been afforded the same choice we see given to Arya, and told that to become a servant of the Many Faced God she would have to willingly surrender her entire self (not to mention pass all the associated training). While we cannot say for certain what specific alternatives the House of Black and White might have proposed (compared to, say, those the kindly man lists to Arya), I think it’s at least possible that at some point, the kindly man or another priest had a serious heart-to-heart with the waif and determined whether she could, and would, choose to become a Faceless Man.

#asoiaf meta #faceless men #the waif

[thelustybraavosimaid]

*laughs*

Wh—are you serious? I suggest you look up the Political Jon theory that pervaded this fandom since season seven of that shitty show. This "theory" hinges on the idea that Jon wasn't actually in love with Dany, but was using her for her dragons and army. The people who came up with this fucking idea cheered happily when Dany died. Not to mention, this theory is intrinsically tied to Jonsa. Not only that, but the only ones actually boosting this shit, deplorable theory were the Jonsas themselves.

And I highly, highly doubt you've been in the fandom long enough since Jon stans like myself, Arya stans, and also Dany stans have seen the negative way Jonsas speak of Dany, Jonerys, Arya, and Jonrya. They even hate Bran/Meera, Jon/Ygritte, and Jon/Val for some reason even the gods cannot explain.

Or perhaps you've been around the most saintly of Jonsa stans because your experience certainly is not like mine, and I've been in this fandom since the mid-2010s.

I really do not like talking about Jonsa. While I've spoken about it before, I'd rather talk about things far more relevant and evidence-based in the story George is writing and not feed the delusions of people who probably shouldn't be reading these books.

[lawonderlandwriter]

You know I wonder how many people would agree with me that GRRM will finish the books or at least tell us the ending. And how many more people would agree with me that he has a very good ending planned for the key five (Dany, Jon, Arya who are my three favorites, Tyrion, and Bran). I do remember reading that he still plans to stick close to the ending from his original outline which involved those five characters all surviving the entire series! That gives me a lot of hope for them and especially Dany. I’m unsure though if Dany will end as Queen. As long as she and Jon and Arya are all alive and can finally live peaceful lives the ending will be perfect to me. But Dany has had this complex arc about learning how to be a ruler. GRRM even said he thinks she is someone who would be suited to rule. I just can’t see it not going anywhere.

I think we will at least get TWOW in GRRM's lifetime. But I'm not sure we would get ADOS, at least not entirely penned by him. I'm sure he'd leave behind copious notes for another author (NOT BRANDON SANDERSON - I hate when people suggest that lol) to finish the series. - Not that I don't like Sanderson's writing style but it's not ASOIAF.

But yes, I do think the ending George has planned for the key five will be relatively kind to them all. I say "kind" rather than "happy" or "bittersweet" because I think that's exactly what it's going to be. I know these characters are going to go through a fuck ton before their respective endings and that's definitely going to affect them and traumatize them for life. But at the same time, I think once they get through those things, he will let the live kind, gentle lives.

For Dany, I think part of that is realizing she doesn't want to rule. To me, every time I read her chapters, it feels like all she wants is to go home and find family. And unfortunately, other people have told her she has to be a Queen and has to take back this throne that she's never wanted in order to be able to go home. And also unfortunately, she's actually really good at it. Dany is the stereotypical reluctant ruler. It's not what she wants, but she has all the necessary skills in order to do it well.

So my hope for her is that she will do it well, she will save Westeros, she will rule for a few years, and then she will pass the torch to someone else, because she just wants to be with her husband and her kids and live a quiet life. I can absolutely see that for her. And I hope that for her. Because all Dany has ever wanted is the house with the red door and the lemon tree outside her window. That is Dany's Dream of Spring.

#alex answers #whitedragonwolf4961 #daenerys targaryen #grrm #asoiaf #predictions

[lovebaela]

Ice & Fire ༄ Pt. 1 (Bran Stark x Targaryen oc fanfic)

Chapter 1 ⋇ Winter is Coming ⋇

Tsireya’s POV

Sansa, Arya, and I were all practicing our sewing. Sansa, of course, was doing very well. “Nicely done!” The Septa told her. Arya and I were having a bit of trouble. “I hate sewing,” Arya told me. “I’d rather be with the guys right now.” I agreed, the Stark boys were outside. From the window, we could hear an arrow getting released and laughing afterwards. Must be Bran’s turn. “I have an idea,” Arya whispers in my ear. “Follow me…”

I follow Arya outside to the courtyard and watch her grab a bow and arrow. “What are you doing?” I ask her. We both hide where none of the guys could see us. “Just watch.” Arya giggles. Right before Bran could release his next arrow, Arya shoots hers and hits the bull’s eye! They all turn their heads and see us. Arya does a playful curtsy. “Hey!” Bran yells. Arya takes my hand, “Run!” Everyone laughs as Bran chases us around. I stop running for Bran to catch up. “Īlen nūmāzma naejot jiōragon ziry..”(I was about to get it), Bran protested. I smiled, “Kesā jiōragon ziry mirri tubis” (I’m sure you will get it someday).

Bran and I like to speak the tongue of my ancestors, High Valyrian. When I first arrived in Winterfell, I barely knew common tongue, but Bran was willing to learn the language to make me more comfortable.

Lord Stark approached us and told Bran to come with him to see the execution. Bran nodded then turned to me to say his goodbyes.

After hanging out Arya again, decided to go to the godswood. It seemed to bring me comfort. I liked going there to meditate or embrace what’s around me. I watched the fish swim around in the pond. I listened to the birds chirping and singing. I smelled the scent of the flowers and grass.

“Shouldn’t you be with the girls?” I heard a voice ask softly.

I look up to see Lord Stark with his wife, Lady Catelyn Stark. “Yes, I should but I wanted to be here for a while. It brings me at peace,” I smiled. “As it does for me,” Lord Stark agreed. He explained to me the history of the Weirwood Trees before, I liked learning about history with him, Old Nan, and Maester Luwin. I looked at the heart tree, the eyes of the carved face stared back at me. He placed the greatsword Ice on his lap and started to clean it. “Perhaps you should go to the other children,” Lady Stark suggested to me. “I’m sure you’ll like what the boys brought back from their trip.”

I ran back to the castle and found Bran. “Rytsas, Bran!” I said. He said hello back, “Jurnegon rȳ skoros īlon ūndan!” (Look at what we found) He goes to get something.

“It’s a direwolf,” he says as the pup snuggles against him. “There was a whole litter of them! 6 for the Stark children!”

“Oh Bran, he’s so cute,” I smile. “Did you give him a name yet?”

“Summer,” he replied giving the pup to me. Then he frowned, “I…I wish that you were able to get one…if only there was one more.”

“It’s okay!” I reassured him. He was upset because he knew how much I adore animals.

Bran’s face lightened up, “How about we share Summer! We can both look after him.” I giggled as I agreed with him, “Yes, I’d like that.” We did our handshake to seal the deal. We didn’t even notice Lord and Lady Stark watching us.

Ned’s POV

We couldn’t help but smile at Bran and Tsireya together.

“Oh what a good pair they are,” Cat said. “It seems that Bran enjoyed her since the first day she came.”

“She is a true delight indeed,” I said. “We must protect her. This world is very cruel. It took a lot of pleading to Robert just to let the poor girl live.”

“Speaking of Robert,” Cat said. “We need to start preparing for his arrival.”

Daenerys’ POV

I smiled to myself with joy as I wrote my letter. I loved writing to her. Nothing gave me more happiness than receiving one back. She’s the only thing that keeps me going.

“Daenerys!” A voice roared. “Did you take your bath?!”

My brother, Viserys.

“Yes,” I replied softly.

“Good, you must be perfect today. Nothing can go wrong…or else you’ll wake the dragon.” He snapped. “What on earth are you doing? Don’t tell me…you are writing to that girl again.”

“I am.”

“Oh my stupid, naive sister,” Viserys said. “I have told you thousands of times…she is not real. We are the last two Targaryens in this world. Even if she was alive, she isn’t a pure Targaryen. She is a figment of your imagination. Now get dressed, the Khal shall be here any minute!” Viserys left the room.

I couldn’t help but shed a tear. I know it seems silly to believe there is really another Targaryen out there, but I feel it in my bones. In my blood, I know it. She is alive. She is real. And one day I will meet her. My dear, sweet cousin Tsireya.

Tsireya’s POV

Everyone was preparing the the arrival of King Robert. Everything was so hectic, everyone moving around everywhere. In all honesty, I was nervous myself. I haven’t seen him since he wanted me dead. I’ll just have to be out of his sight. I decided to go climbing the castle walls with Bran. No one loved climbing more than him.

We climbed all the way to the top. “Kosti ūndegon mirre bē kesīr,” (We can see everything up here) I said in awe. Bran agreed as the wind blew through our hair, “Aye, I love coming up here and watching the scenery.”

We look out and see the visitors coming. You could see the gold and silver trailing down the pathway, like a river. We could also see the Bannermen and the Knights and free riders. There were at least a dozen golden banners above them. On the banner was a stag with a crown. House Baratheon.

“Se dārys iksis kesīr! jī ivestragon kepa!” (The King is here! Let’s go tell father!) Bran says. I nod and we began to climb down the castle.

“Brandon!” A voice yells. It was Lady Stark. “Tsireya, you two shouldn’t be-”

“The King is here!” Bran shouts to her as we climb down. “He’s got hundreds of people!”

“How many times I must tell you?” She asked. We finally made it down to the ground. She knelt down to us, “Promise me, no more climbing.”

Bran and I turn to each other and then I say, “I promise.” Lady Stark smiles and nods at me, then she turns to Bran. He looks down at his feet then says, “I promise.”

“Do you know what?” She asked.

“What?” Bran replied.

“You always look at your feet before you lie.” She grins. Bran smiles at agreement.

“Bran, go tell your father the king is close,” she tells him. Summer follows behind him, the wolves sure do grow fast. “Tsireya, go get ready with the girls.” I nod and go find Arya and Sansa.

We are all getting ready with our maids. I sit in my chair as my maid is doing my hair. She takes the hair that is above my ears, split it into two sections brushing them. Then she makes another third section at the side braiding it. She takes the braid and wraps it around my head. After that, she brushes the rest of my hair down. Once my hair was finally done, I put on the soft, light blue dress the maids gave me and tied the collar into a knot.

“I do hope the Prince will notice me,” Sansa squealed. “I want to look my best.” She tells her maid smiling.

“Oh brother,” Arya rolled her eyes. “There’s more to the world than boys.”

“Well one day I want to marry him and become his queen.”

Arya gagged, “I’m never going to marry.”

The Septa knocked on our door and told us that the King was just about outside of the gates. We all make our way outside to the courtyard. Getting in our positions, I stand beside Jon Snow, the bastard of Lord Stark, and Theon Greyjoy, he always claims to be a prisoner.

“Don’t be afraid,” Jon reminds me, he must have noticed how nervous I was. “We won’t let him or anyone else hurt you.”

“Thanks Jon,” I whisper. Jon was always kind towards me. There was something different about him. Different from the other Starks. I just don’t know what it is.

The gates opened and we watched as visitors walked in. I could see Ser Jamie Lannister, the hound, and the Prince Joffrey riding on their horses. Then the King entered on his warhorse. That was our queue to kneel before him on our knees. The King got off his horse storming towards Lord Stark. “NED!” He roared. We all stood back up. Then came the Queen, Cersei Lannister, and her other youngest children from the wheelhouse. The King spoke to the rest of the Starks and wished to pay his respects in the crypts.

#bran stark #game of thrones #brandon stark x reader #bran stark x reader #game of thrones x reader #bran stark imagine #game of thrones imagine #daenerys targaryen #rob stark #jon snow #sansa stark #arya stark #fanfic #fanfiction

[agentrouka-blog]

I actually find it sweet that Alayne and Myranda didn't made fun of Wallace stutter. Alayne even helped him. Also during the feast he tried to make Alayne laugh like his nephew but failed to do. Alayne then leads the conversation to balance the situation. In this case a maiden helping and rescuing a knight. I could picture a scenario where Jon is dancing with Sansa but feeling awkward while Sansa tried to ease the tension.

Yes, I really like the interaction between them, and what it likely leads up to. Sansa isn't particularly impressed with him, but she is very much trying to take the pressure off for him.

Ser Wallace reddened. "I am no more a s-squire, my lady. My n-nephew knows full well that I was k-k-kni-k-k-kni—" "Dubbed?" Alayne suggested gently. "Dubbed," said Wallace Waynwood, gratefully. Robb would be his age, if he were still alive, she could not help but think, but Robb died a king, and this is just a boy. (...) After that Ser Roland Waynwood swept her up and made her laugh with mocking comments about half the other knights in the hall. His uncle Wallace took a turn as well and tried to do the same, but the words would not come. Alayne finally took pity on him and began to chatter happily, to spare him the embarrassment. When the dance was done she excused herself, and went back to her place to have a drink of wine. (TWOW, Alayne I)

Sansa, who cares a lot for social graces, tends to be a bit judgy when it comes to others lacking the talent for them:

Podrick Payne had changed as well, and looked almost a proper squire for once, although a rather large red pimple in the fold beside his nose spoiled the effect of his splendid purple, white, and gold raiment. He is such a timid boy. Sansa had been wary of Tyrion's squire at first; he was a Payne, cousin to Ser Ilyn Payne who had taken her father's head off. However, she'd soon come to realize that Pod was as frightened of her as she was of his cousin. Whenever she spoke to him, he turned the most alarming shade of red.

"Are purple, gold, and white the colors of House Payne, Podrick?" she asked him politely. (ASOS, Sansa IV)

She is unfailingly polite in those cases and tries to ease the flow of the social interaction.

But Sansa does have a bit of a wicked streak that goes back to her friendship with Jeyne and continues with Margaery and later Myranda, when it comes to making fun of others. (Arya certainly remembers her own unkind nickname, which Sansa may not have used but certainly tolerated.)

 Arya had seen them in the bailey a hundred times; the Redwyne twins, Ser Horas and Ser Hobber, homely youths with orange hair and square, freckled faces. Sansa and Jeyne Poole used to call them Ser Horror and Ser Slobber, and giggle whenever they caught sight of them. They did not look funny now. (AGOT, Arya V)

She even does it herself at Harry:

"Saffron?" Alayne tried not to laugh. "Truly?"

Ser Harrold had the grace to blush. "Her father says she is more precious to him than gold. He's rich, the richest man in Gulltown. A fortune in spices."

"What will you name the babe?" she asked. "Cinnamon if she's a girl? Cloves if he's a boy?"

That almost made him stumble. "My lady japes." (...)

"Little pointy beard and all?" Alayne laughed. (...) "I hope you joust better than you talk." For a moment he looked shocked. But as the song was ending, he burst into a laugh. "No one told me you were clever."

Sansa's is not above transcending the rules of courtesy but her own mockery is usually aimed at people at or above her own status. We never see her mock or laugh at someone below her station. She never laughs at Wallace even when Roland mocks him, because his "flaw" is fully outside his own control. Harry, though, is fair game because he's The Heir and behaved rudely toward her.

Wallace seems like the kind of guy who - like Podrick Payne - she is still prone to underestimating because they don't create an impressive image at first glance. She pities Podrick, but Brienne gets to see his ingenuity and bravery. Sansa is kind to Wallace but she is likely to come to admire him and learn to look closer beyond just offering a smooth path past a superficial weakness. I think Wallace will do something impressive, like @powderpowderblue has speculated!

Here's hoping that Sansa will take that insight into the future and step up a bit more to curb instances of mean-spirited mockery when she has the power to do it.

Though if she and Jon stumble over an especially mockable enemy together, all bets are likely off.

~~~

Your image of Jon on the dance floor is making me laugh!

Sansa: Awww, Jon is being awkward and sullen, I bet he hates dancing. Let me make some light conversation to ease his nerves!

Jon:

"Oh," said Sansa Jon. I am talking to him her, and he's she's touching me, he's she's holding my arm and touching me. (ASOS, Sansa I TWOW, The Awkward Bastard)

Sansa: Poor little lamby, he really can't wait for this social situation to end. I'll do the talking for both of us to spare him this torment.

#sansa stark #wallace waynwood #courtesy #etiquette #mockery #jon snow #jonsa

[hamliet]

Rereading A Storm of Swords

In light of my recent Fire & Blood reread, I decided to reread the whole ASOIAF series because, well, why not. Below are some general observations/musings on the themes, character arcs, alchemy, and foreshadowing. I’ll do this for the others as well. It’s not really a meta proper, so much as observations and thoughts.

Thoughts on A Game of Thrones here and A Clash of Kings here.

Themes

Duty vs Love

Again, Martin contrasts duty and love. Robb forgives Catelyn for freeing Jaime because "what you did, I know you did for love... Love's not always wise."

Meanwhile, Tywin treats his children as pawns, literally trying to marry them again and telling them they'll do what he tells them because of duty:

"Go," their father said. "We shall talk again after you have composed yourself. Remember your duty."

And Brienne defends Robert by telling Jaime that his rebellion is justified because of love:

"Why is it that no one names Robert oathbreaker? He tore the realm apart, yet I am the one with shit for honor." "Robert did all he did for love."

I don't really have a ton new to say that I didn't already say in my ACOK's post, but again, Martin doesn't seem to see duty/honor and love as actual opposites, but instead suggests there's a balance to be struck. The idea that duty at its most extreme transforms people into things, however, is something I'll talk about more later.

Individuality vs Ideas

Part of the reason ASOAIF is so complex is that it's deconstructing the idea that enemies and villains and "red shirts" are just empty ideas rather than living, breathing people. We have this idea throughout all books, but it's emphasized starting in ASOS:

"Enough." The Hound's face was tight with anger. "You're making noise. These names mean nothing. Who were they?" "People," said Lord Beric. "People great and small, young and old. Good people and bad people, who died on the points of Lannister spears or saw their bellies opened by Lannister swords.

Then we have Jon starting to empathize with the wildlings:

He did not want their friendship, any more than he wanted Ygritte's love. And yet . . . the Thenns spoke the Old Tongue and seldom talked to Jon at all, but it was different with Jarl's raiders, the men who'd climbed the Wall. Jon was coming to know them despite himself: gaunt, quiet Errok and gregarious Grigg the Goat, the boys Quort and Bodger, Hempen Dan the ropemaker. The worst of the lot was Del, a horsefaced youth near Jon's own age, who would talk dreamily of this wildling girl he meant to steal. "She's lucky, like your Ygritte. She's kissed by fire."

Martin also uses this "red shirts" idea to open and close the book in the prologue and epilogue. Chett and Merritt aren't particularly sympathetic characters on the outset, but from being in their mind, even if we see Chett as an incel-esque character and Merritt as a coward, we feel their fear and hopes and self-loathing too. It's impossible not to see them as human, and when they realize they're going to die... well. It leaves us with a strange feeling.

We Are All Just Songs

"We're all just songs in the end. If we are lucky." Oh look, we've got a title drop here! A title drop!

ASOIAF is playing with the ideas of stories. For example, characters like Sansa adore simplistic stories of courtly romances. Arya enjoys badass historical stories. Bran enjoys ghost stories. Daenerys enjoys stories about her family's history.

Well, any wonder each of their stories are deconstructing these ideas?

But Martin isn't saying stories are stupid or bad. If anything, he's saying we need stories. Stories are the ideals that help light our way through messy reality.

True Kings, True Knights

Throughout the first few books, we have Sansa telling us "he was no true knight" about the vile people serving Joffrey. The point isn't to mock Sansa, but instead to deconstruct her ideals. Through Sansa's pure-hearted belief and compassion, even for people like the Hound, they start to change and become more and more knightly.

Please note I'm not saying this is okay or whatever, just saying there is some romantic coding between them even when they're apart in the books. Should Sandor return and meet Sansa again, I would expect it to be a textbook chivalric romance:

a highly conventionalized medieval tradition of love between a knight and a married noblewoman, first developed by the troubadours of southern France and extensively employed in European literature of the time. The love of the knight for his lady was regarded as an ennobling passion and the relationship was typically unconsummated.

The "no true knight" mantra is also picked up this book by Brienne, who inspires similar change in Jaime. It's also repeated by Daenerys, with a twist:

"Some kings make themselves. Robert did." "He was no true king," Dany said scornfully. "He did no justice. Justice . . . that's what kings are for."

Again, I highly doubt we're going for a scorched earth burned ashes deconstruction here, but instead digging to the heart of what this means. What does it mean to be a just ruler for Daenerys? As much as she needs to mature and accept worser parts of herself, much like Sansa and Brienne, her general ideals are not themselves wrong, even if their application in the real world is messier than in songs.

Protecting the Innocent:

We have this theme throughout the story: those who protect the innocent are heroes. We even have this in the lore of the story itself, such as the Knight of the Laughing Tree (who is clearly Lyanna, and the incident clearly jumpstarted her relationship with Rhaegar).

Also, can't believe I have to say this, but in ASOIAF, hurting kids iz bad. It's particularly Bad. It's Bad Bad. (Nota Bene: I do not get how the House of the Dragon fans and even its actors do not get this very basic principle in ASOIAF). In earlier books, we had Ned full of regret for the deaths of Rhaegar's children and fear that Robert would hurt Cersei's. Now in ASOS, Martin hits us with this idea in almost every storyline.

Robb loses a lot of his army to punish someone who murdered two children in revenge for his own children. Oh look, it's almost like ASOIAF doesn't condone "an eye for an eye, a son for a son":

"They died," said Rickard Karstark, yielding no inch of ground. "The Kingslayer cut them down. These two were of his ilk. Only blood can pay for blood." "The blood of children?" Robb pointed at the corpses. "How old were they? Twelve, thirteen? Squires."

Then we have Daenerys and the Unsullied and the children crucified on the way to Meereen. The truly evil idea is seeing kids as a weakness, an idea that makes Dany "feel faint":

"To win his spiked cap, an Unsullied must go to the slave marts with a silver mark, find some wailing newborn, and kill it before its mother's eyes. In this way, we make certain that there is no weakness left in them."

Plus, it's stated directly:

Yet he saw himself as a hero, and heroes do not kill children."

Then we have Melisandre arguing that hurting children even for the best of intentions is the right thing to do, but the framing of this--through Davos' eyes--tells us this is completely wrong. Even if you lose your army and your life like Robb. Even if you lose everything. It's. Not. Worth. It.

The Lord of Light cherishes the innocent. There is no sacrifice more precious. From his king's blood and his untainted fire, a dragon shall be born.

(Clearly, this also foreshadows the demise of Shireen.)

Again, Davos, one of the most moral characters in this story, tells us directly what we should think:

"...what is the life of one bastard boy against a kingdom?" "Everything," said Davos, softly.

This storyline also seems to be combined with Nissa Nissa, even though Nissa Nissa is an adult and not a child, because Azor Ahai has to sacrifice what he loves most. Stannis will sacrifice Shireen, his child, because she's what he loves most, but it won't work. I'd suggest that the idea is less "Stannis just wasn't chosen" and more "don't kill the innocent."

If there is a sacrifice to defeat the Others, I 100% do not see a Nissa Nissa situation happening, but instead a willing self-sacrifice.

Look Back! Look Back!

All of the characters have to look back if they are to go forward, as Daenerys is reminded by Quaithe. The problem is no one's doing that in their quest to look ahead.

Tyrion: "Some part of him had hoped for less indifference. Had hoped, he jeered bitterly, but now you know better, dwarf. Shae is all the love you're ever like to have". He has to face what happened with Tysha, to face the fact that he participated in that and became her monster, to ever be a better man.

Arya needs to face herself as a Stark and as someone who wants a family even more than she thinks she wants to be powerful: "Jaqen was gone, though. He'd left her. Hot Pie left me too, and now Gendry is leaving. Lommy had died, Yoren had died, Syrio Forel had died, even her father had died, and Jaqen had given her a stupid iron penny and vanished."

And Daenerys has to face her father's legacy, and likely will when she accidentally sets off Dear Old Dad's wildfyre in King's Landing: "If she was not her father's daughter, who was she?" This is the central question of Daenerys' arc. Her identity is in her status as the last living Targaryen. The question is whether she wants to continue the Targaryen legacy of madness and slavery, or destroy it (which she's doing).

Foreshadowing

Arya

When thinking of the original outline Martin somewhat scrapped and that Arya/Jon idea, I do wonder if this is a leftover idea meant to tell us something about Arya's future (namely, that Gendry is likely her love interest instead of Jon):

Arya gave Gendry a sideways look. He said it with me, like Jon used to do, back in Winterfell. She missed Jon Snow the most of all her brothers.

Tyrion

Well, Tywin says this at the start to Tyrion: 

You are done with whores. The next one I find in your bed, I'll hang.

The irony is Tywin won't find a whore in Tyrion's bed. Instead, Tyrion will find that precise whore, Shae, in his father's bed. And he "hangs" her by strangling her with that necklace.

Jon

Jon "had slain the wildling Orell, but some part of the man remained within the eagle." This is pretty likely foreshadowing for Jon remaining in Ghost for a bit before he's resurrected.

Jon and Daenerys

The story has a middle section somewhat littered with romantic longings and first loves. Daenerys is torn about Jorah, whom she doesn't love like that, and has a crush on Daario. She also sleeps with Irri. Arya and Gendry begin to show attraction. Jaime and Brienne. Jon and Ygritte. But here are some lines between Jon and Ygritte that hint at his romantic future:

She punched him. "That's vile. Would you bed your sister?" "Longspear's not your brother." "He's of my village. You know nothing, Jon Snow..."

"Then I'd push him in a stream or throw a bucket o' water on him. Anyhow, men shouldn't smell sweet like flowers." "What's wrong with flowers?"

Lol well at least she's his aunt?

Jon's already been strongly associated with blue roses, so this hints that Ygritte isn't a perfect match for him. She's kissed by fire, but not actually fire and air herself, like Dany is. Daenerys also liked the fact that the blue rose growing in a chink of ice at the wall "smell[ed] sweetly."

Lastly:

 A son was something Jon Snow had never dared dream of, since he decided to live his life on the Wall.

Again, I feel like this might be foreshadowing for Dany and Jon having a child someday. The one thing that makes me skeptical and wondering if the child may be more metaphorical is the timeline--whether or not there's enough time for them to bear a child and save the world from the Others. That said, there's plenty of foreshadowing for it, so...

Sansa

The White Ghost clearly predicts Sansa's hairnet's role in Joffrey's assassination, as well as offers a prophecy of Sansa slaying a giant at, a giant who tries to destroy Winterfell. This may indicate Sansa literally kills a giant at some point, or it might be metaphorical. The one who needs to be slain by Sansa is Littlefinger, but he hasn't really been associated with giant imagery yet just kidding @isammy7936 pointed out the obvious: that the Baelish family crest is the Titan of Braavos.

There's a followup scene of Sansa tearing Robert Arryn's doll that destroyed Winterfell later in the book, in the presence of Littlefinger who was helping her build it. I don't doubt that Littlefinger will help Sansa claim the North at some point, but I also see him trying to destroy the Starks.

Jaime

Oh, Jaime.

I cannot die while Cersei lives, he told himself. We will die together as we were born together.

When I reach King's Landing I'll have a new hand forged, a golden hand, and one day I'll use it to rip out Vargo Hoat's throat.

Smells like foreshadowing to me, although I don't think it will be Vargo Hoat's throat he rips out, but Cersei's he strangles.

Alchemy

Daenerys and Red

Continuing with Dany's theme of becoming red, sulfur, fire and air, the first city she takes is Astapor, a red city:

In the center of the Plaza of Pride stood a red brick fountain whose waters smelled of brimstone, and in the center of the fountain a monstrous harpy made of hammered bronze... Even through the thickness of her sandals, she could feel the warmth of the red bricks underfoot. 

The other red association I've seen is her dream that she is Rhaegar fighting the Others at the Trident. Most seem to think the battle against the others will end at Winterfell, which I tend to agree with. However, the fact that the final climax should involve red at some point makes me wonder, because this takes place specifically at the Red Fork of the Trident.

That night she dreamt that she was Rhaegar, riding to the Trident. But she was mounted on a dragon, not a horse. When she saw the Usurper's rebel host across the river they were armored all in ice, but she bathed them in dragonfire and they melted away like dew and turned the Trident into a torrent. Some small part of her knew that she was dreaming, but another part exulted. This is how it was meant to be. The other was a nightmare, and I have only now awakened.

Then again, fire is certain to be involved in defeating the Others, so it might well be red enough with that.

Bran and White

To continue the Starks are water and earth and white idea, Bran has this quote:

Moonlight painted the wet woods in shades of silver and turned the grey peaks white. Owls hooted through the dark and flew silently between the pines, while pale goats moved along the mountainsides.

Sansa and White

When I reread AGOT, I did take note that Sansa was given a red rose by Ser Loras, rather than the white he gave other girls. But in ASOS, Sansa talks to Loras about that very moment, and the point of this conversation is to reveal how little it meant to Loras. He gave her a red rose because he grabbed a red rose first, not because it meant anything. Seems like a meta commentary.

Arya and White/Water

When Arya dresses like a girl for the first time again, she wears something "lilac-colored, and decorated with little baby pearls."

Furthermore, Arya routinely stops to give water to the dying, even the executed. Even when people, like the Hound, ask for wine (red), she gives them water.

Brienne and Jaime

For Jaime and Brienne, there's very little I can say about their alchemical weddings that the fabulous @argentvive hasn't covered. The first is the dual in the creek, which is with swords and violent, while the second is in the bath. The first one is also littered with romantic and sexual imagery, and is frankly what I'd call metaphorical sex:

No sooner did she turn one cut than the next was upon her. The swords kissed and sprang apart and kissed again. Jaime's blood was singing. This was what he was meant for; he never felt so alive as when he was fighting, with death balanced on every stroke... He laughed a ragged, breathless laugh. "Come on, come on, my sweetling, the music's still playing. Might I have this dance, my lady?" ... She looks as if they caught us fucking instead of fighting.

Brienne is also marked as water/earth, and white, while Jaime is red and fire. Jaime tells Brienne:

Think of Tarth, mountains and seas, pools, waterfalls, whatever you have on your Sapphire Isle, think . . . 

Jaime slid into the offered seat quickly, so Bolton could not see how weak he was. "White is for Starks. I'll drink red like a good Lannister." " "I would prefer water," said Brienne. "Elmar, the red for Ser Jaime, water for the Lady Brienne..."

But after their second chemical wedding in the baths, they take on each other's qualities much more. Jaime dons his white cloak, lives in the white tower, and gives Brienne his Valyrian steel sword, which is colored with Lannister red (and is also a phallic symbol).

Arya and Gendry

Arya and Gendry's scenes become slightly romantically charged in this book. After she dresses like a girl, this conversation takes place.

Gendry put the hammer down and looked at her. "You look different now. Like a proper little girl." "I look like an oak tree, with all these stupid acorns." "Nice, though. A nice oak tree." He stepped closer, and sniffed at her. "You even smell nice for a change."

They then fight in a scene that parallels the Brienne and Jaime wrestling scene above.

Reconciling Opposites:

Another idea in this book spoken of by multiple characters is that of reconciling opposites. That's what alchemy is fundamentally concerned with. Meera states that hate and love are essentially two sides of the same coin. Barristan says greatness and madness are the same. Melisande says:

"The night is dark and full of terrors, the day bright and beautiful and full of hope. One is black, the other white. There is ice and there is fire. Hate and love. Bitter and sweet. Male and female. Pain and pleasure. Winter and summer. Evil and good." She took a step toward him. "Death and life. Everywhere, opposites. Everywhere, the war."

Again, George has pretty much confirmed Dany and Jon are the Song of Ice and Fire, so they need to unite.

Tyrion

One thing I wonder about is the use of homonculus (sometimes represented as a dwarf) and a rebis in alchemy, and whether or not Tyrion is intended to be a portrayal of either or both or neither. Homonculi are sometimes called "monsters", a name Tyrion bitterly embraces by the end of the book. Oberyn says that after Tyrion's birth, there were rumors he had the genitalia of male and female, but Tyrion didn't. At the same time, he does have odd features like two different colored eyes, etc that might hint at him being seen as an alchemical rebis. I don't know.

Other Thoughts

Tyrion as a Targaryen

Not only do I think it doesn't thematically work to have Tyrion as a Targaryen, but I think the line used at the end of this book as evidence ("You . . . you are no . . . no son of mine") strongly indicates the opposite--that Tyrion is indeed his father's son. You see, Tywin literally says the exact same sentiment only a few chapters earlier to Jaime:

The strained silence went on until it was more than Jaime could endure. "Father . . . " he began.

"You are not my son." Lord Tywin turned his face away. "You say you are the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, and only that. Very well, ser. Go do your duty."

If people want to argue the Tyrion Targaryen angle, this is not really evidence itself.

Tyrion the Monster

Tyrion's the first of the Main Six to dive off the cliff, starting at the end of this book where he lies to Jaime to tell him he killed Joffrey, desperate to hurt Jaime the same way he's hurting. He's enraged he literally saved the city and no one cares; they all just want him dead for his disability, for things he cannot help. He can't even find love because of it, and he craves love. So he finally decides to be the monster they think he is.

Insofar as the other two likely heads of the dragon go... I think they'll take similar approaches to their dark spirals. We see hints of it this book. Daenerys won't look back until confronted with it, so she'll probably be like "let me prove myself with fire and blood" (actually, this is exactly what her ADWD arc leads to her deciding to do). Jon notes the fact that people assume bastards are craven and scheming, and I do not doubt that is exactly what Jon will become after he's resurrected: he's probably going to ditch the Wall, the fight, and everything for a time.

Jeyne Westerling

Poor Jeyne. Despite her mother's machinations to get Jeyne to seduce Robb, I do believe she and Robb genuinely loved each other--as much as anyone could. Their story seems to be a deconstruction of the "love at first sight" trope, wherein they love each other but don't entirely know each other, and have to get used to each other as people rather than as just objects of love. Hence, Jeyne turning to Catelyn for advice. Which frankly was a wise thing to do :'')

The True Fight

Davos reminds Stannis what the true fight is: up north, fighting the Others. I'm sorry but I can't see the books ending with the show's ending, where the true fight is against humans. No, this isn't thematically contradictory with the idea that the story is about humanity or the human heart against itself; the opposite in fact.

The true fight all humans face is against death, and what we do to live in the face of the reality that we're all going to die.

#daenerys targaryen #jonerys #jon snow #alchemy #a storm of swords #asos meta #asoiaf meta #asoiaf #davos seaworth #stannis baratheon #jeyne westerling #jaime lannister #braime #brienne of tarth #sansa stark #tyrion lannister #arya stark #gendry waters #sandor clegane

[what-do-1000-swords-look-like]

8x01 - The Bronn Scene

In this scene, we have a redhead, a blonde, and a brunette that Bronn has presumably paid to hook up with. While I couldn't find the beginning of it (probably due to the nudity and mature content), the scene starts out with all three women getting undressed, talking about the dragons burning up the Lannisters back in 7x04.

Annoyed, Bronn attempts to interrupt them with "I am the only man you ever met who shot a dragon." The blonde asks "Did you?" clearly not believing him. "I nearly killed it," he says.

"That's brave," the redhead adds before pushing Bronn down onto the bed and mounting him. The other girls climb up onto the bed on either side and lay down to watch. They also continue to talk much to Bronn's dismay.

"That boy Eddie..."

"The ginger?" (another redhead mentioned)

"That's him. Came back with his face burnt right off." The blonde says this, looking almost awed and shocked by it rather than disgusted. "He's got no eyelids now." The redhead doesn't say anything, focuses on the sex act.

The brunette asks the blonde, "How does he sleep with no eyelids?"

That's when Bronn says "Alright, can we stop talking about the fucking dragons, now?"

And that's when Qyburn interrupts. "Apologies for the interruption but the Queen did urge me to hurry."

Bronn looks regretfully up at the redhead but then moves her off of him. "Sorry, ladies. Another time perhaps."

The other two ladies go to grab their clothes and the blonde struts over to Qyburn. "You ever get lonely, I am partial to older gentlemen." She then walks out of the room after smiling at him.

Qyburn watches her leave. "Poor girl. Pox will take her within the year."

Bronn chokes on his wine. "Which girl?"

I couldn't help but think of this in the scene as I watched it:

A redhead

A blonde

And a brunette

Hear me out.

I am not suggesting that Jon is attracted to Arya or vice versa. But Arya is one of the main ladies in Jon's life. Here is why I think these three women were meant to represent the three main ladies of Jon's life at this point in the episode.

1) The three different hair colors are specific: I'm sure it was shown to indicate that Bronn had his pick of the ladies and it's very in character for him, but we only see him hook up with the redhead & only specifically interacting with the redhead and blonde.

2) The dialogue and the performances of the ladies: The redhead's not questioning of Bronn's shooting of the dragon but also not falling head over heels over it. "That's brave," she almost says mockingly. Literally makes me think of Sansa. (how she doesn't back down to Jon in 6x09, 7x01, etc) The blonde mentioning the gruesome effects of being burned by dragonfire in almost awe makes me think of Dany. (we've seen evidence so far in the series of how Dany enjoys it when people are burned, think 5x05, 6x04, etc) The brunette asking in a sort of horrified curiosity about how this man will sleep without eyelids makes me think of Arya. (how Arya asks Gendry in 8x02 about the Dead and what they look like, smell like, not to mention all of her Faceless training)

3) Qyburn's and Bronn's dialogue: Qyburn interrupts at Cersei's behest as he says but we also know Cersei is paralleled to Dany (especially this season) and Dany is now at Winterfell and her presence is everywhere & taking up most of Jon's time (as we see in this episode minus his reunion scene with Arya & his solar convo with Sansa). If the redhead represents Sansa in a way, it makes sense that the Queen would interrupt anything that pops up between "Sansa" and "Jon". Then the blonde flirts with Qyburn. While I think this is also meant to show the contrast between Maester Pycelle and Qyburn as well as say Tyrion vs Qyburn as Hands of the Queens, I did think of Jorah for a moment. While we know that Dany doesn't return his feelings, we also know how special Jorah is to her. Then Qyburn says the kicker line: "Poor girl. Pox will take her within the year." And who dies within the year? Dany.

4) Bronn's reaction to the ladies: Bronn looks at the brunette once or twice but he never actively engages with her. Bronn interacts with the blonde and redhead exclusively. The redhead appears to be his focus from the get go so to me it's no surprise that he hooks up with the redhead first though she initiates it and takes charge. It also doesn't surprise me that he is irritated by the blonde's continuing to talk (and the talk is about burning people) but he doesn't stop them until it's the brunette that speaks. If this were Jon, Dany, and Arya, there is no way that at this moment, Jon would interrupt Dany but he would Arya (or Sansa if it were her as we see later in 8x04). Bronn's line even mentions the dragons (as that was the conversation continuing). Then, once Qyburn interrupts, we see Bronn looking up at the redhead (who has stayed quiet and focused on the sex act with Bronn) regretfully before moving her off of him so he can hear what the Queen has to say/needs. Even though he says "Sorry ladies" it's obvious he was not happy that he and the redhead were interrupted having sex. When Bronn redresses, he moves close to the grate that's lit with fire to grab a drink. Then when Qyburn makes the grisly prediction about the blonde, Bronn who hadn't been paying attention to the offer the blonde made to the older man, chokes on his wine and suddenly wants to know which girl Qyburn is talking about. Considering the choice Jon needs to make later on in the season, this tracks.

5) The hairstyles of the red and blonde: If you look at their hairstyles, while they're not quite identical, they do appear similar. If the redhead is meant to represent Sansa, comparing her hairstyle to the redhead's, they look somewhat similar. If the blonde is meant to represent Dany, comparing her hairstyle to the blonde's, they look somewhat similar. The only hairstyles that aren't similar are Bronn's and the brunette's.

6) The brunette's look to the blonde and then the redhead: When Qyburn says "but the Queen did urge me to hurry" we see the brunette look to the blonde and then to the redhead. And then Bronn moves the redhead next to the blonde, in between him and the blonde.

7) Bronn's mention of shooting a dragon: this part reminded me of the scene in 8x04 where Tormund boasts about Jon riding a dragon. Jon was the only one outside of Dany to ride a dragon during this time. Which, to me, tracks given the blonde's unimpressed reaction when Bronn says he shot a dragon, as well as the fact that Jon is not 100% successful at tempering Dany's worst impulses once she knows the truth about who he is.

And there were also some things I even questioned after rewatching this scene over and over again. Like:

When I first saw the brunette, I even thought maybe Lyanna Stark but that was a bit weird given the context of the scene. It was only when she says the line she does about the no eyelids, that I then thought 'okay, Arya'.

Bronn isn't a mirror to Jon. The only similarity they might have is that they both want a title and lady wife. But for different reasons and in different ways. For Bronn, it's the accolades, the power, the gold, etc. For Jon, it's to be a part of the family he's always longed to be an official part of, to have a family of his own. Very different motivations.

Qyburn is as different to Jorah as you can get. (though the Hand parallel didn't escape me, considering we see Dany and Jorah discuss that in 8x02 and he urges Dany to forgive Tyrion)

The redhead could be a stand-in for Ygritte since we know Jon loved her. And her reaction of "That's brave", being unimpressed, and pushing Bronn down sounds very in character for her. But considering the context of when this scene takes place and what is in this scene, I don't think it's her. Ygritte never met Dany or was around for Jon's interaction with her or the dragons. So the conversation, the Queen's interruption, etc doesn't track. Plus, the redhead's hairstyle doesn't look all that similar to one we've seen on Ygritte.

I almost could have seen the blonde representing Cersei given this is the time Cersei is sleeping with Euron but the lines weren't matching up to me though the hairstyle could be seen as similar from when Cersei had longer hair; also Euron and Bronn more likely have more in common though I don't see them as exact mirrors either because in the end, while Bronn is motivated by gold, Euron is motivated by whatever promises excitement & entertainment for him

This scene happens right after Cersei is forced to give in to Euron, where she says "If you want a whore, buy one. If you want a queen, earn her." And the next scene is the aftermath between her and Euron. But I ended up seeing this following scene as connecting to Jon and Dany given Cersei's faking a smile for Euron & Euron mirroring Dany in some ways, right down to needing to be the better lover for Cersei and her having to placate him in order to keep the Iron Fleet in her service

I could be completely wrong here of course but considering how they've used Euron and Yara, Yara and Theon, Jaime and Brienne, Tyrion and Jaime, Euron and Cersei, Arya and Gendry, etc, etc, this episode (never mind during the season with other characters and relationships as well) to help tell the story line of the two women Jon will choose between on who to protect and what it all comes down to, I don't think I'm off the mark too much (if at all) here. And it's not all meant to tell the story of the love triangle, of course not, but it does all connect for their stories, together and separate. Dany being one of the two threats was a main point of the show. Jon being the hero was a main point of the show. Sansa turning out to be the one Queen who survived in the end and securing independence for her kingdom (& a Stark ruler chosen by her people) was a main point of the show. I could go on and on and explain how it all connects, even through other important characters' story lines, but you get my point.

This show made choices when it came down to not only the performances but also the dialogue, the props and set dec, the framing, the blocking of scenes, even right down to the costuming and hairstyles (as we already been knew). So even if my reading of this scene is wrong, I think it's still integral in some key way. We could have seen Bronn with only one girl or even getting drunk somewhere instead of at a brothel. The girls could have been talking about something else. Bronn could have hooked up with the blonde or brunette. The blonde could have ignored Qyburn. Qyburn didn't need to say what he did and Bronn didn't need to react the way he did.

So imho, it's all connected.

#got 8x01 #got rewatch #got #game of thrones #jonsa #i'm tagging it because it's all connected #and i really do believe this scene is connected in some way #jon x sansa #got parallels #gotposts #bronn and jon #metaposts #jonsa meta #got meta #i guess?

[vivacissimx]

What are your thoughts on the insistence (not head canons) that girls like Brienne, Arya, and Asha are queer? I've seen a few gender essentialist takes that their non-conformity is indicative of their queerness and/or trans identity. But we also have a text that examines their struggle with womanhood, the pitfalls of Westerosi's restrictive gender norms, etc. I'm unsure of how to approach this and was curious about your thoughts. Feel free to delete if you don't wish to answer!

alright i've sat on this for long enough. first of all i don't think anything of a tumblr user insisting on xyz reading, anyone can insist on anything and it doesn't affect me in any way.

now what do i (personally) think of headcanoning asoiaf characters as queer in a world where identities like gay or trans don't exactly exist? well i think it's complicated. there are characters who have gay relationships in asoiaf, are known to have them, and in-universe that's treated as a sexual deviance rather than a specific identity (i.e. laenor's preference for men being publicly acknowledged but not seen as a deterrent to marrying a woman). the same for gender nonconforming characters (i.e. pretty meris being a sellsword captain is treated as a result of the cruel gangrapes she once experienced having changed her very nature).

but it's also true that there's a proto-queerphobia in asoiaf. when jaime cites oberyn as having sex with "boys," not other men, but boys, suggesting a perceived linkage between homosexuality and pedophilia (oberyn does have sex with a teenage alayaya among others, so it's possible that jaime is speaking literally rather than pejoratively, but that seems unrealistic to me); that cersei cites loras' relationship with renly as a reason to keep him away from tommen as though loras might prey on him; that littlefinger specifically says lyn corbray likes "boys" (lyn may very well be a pedophile but all the evidence is off-screen); that victarion calls the castrated boy whores "unnatural" (their traditional role being to be sexually available for men) all combine to suggest that queerness is recognized such that it can be demonized in-universe. so in that sense there's no problem saying characters like rhaena, laenor, sabitha frey, renly, loras, oberyn, ellaria, morna whitemask etc. are under the queer umbrella. they're written that way on purpose, i'd say.

what you're describing is a bit different from those explicit examples though. if someone is specifically analyzing asoiaf through the academic genre of critique called queer theory (which is more like--queerness is defined by existing outside of the social norm/order so the queer identity is ever-shifting & defies exact definition // if the queerest experience you can think of is that of a Black trans sex worker, then who has more in common with queerness, a Black cishet single mother or a white cis gay man?) then that's one thing. because it would be easy to look at brienne and say oh well here is a person pretty clearly refusing the trappings of noble womanhood and instead adopting the trappings of knighthood, a profession for noblemen, thus being marginalized on account of her gender & therefore being queer. indeed, brienne doesn't strongly identify as a son or a daughter, but as some other space. that she faces misogyny is sort of like... sure, why wouldn't she? an AFAB person experiencing misogyny does not a cishet woman make, nor does alienation from one's assigned gender a trans person create. the label of enby or transmasc is not available to brienne, so interpreting brienne as firmly disconnected from cishet womanhood and separately experiencing attraction to men OR as a non-woman facing transphobia are both going to have a basis in the text.

for me, it's a bit of everything: yes brienne once held desire for a traditional womanhood that was denied her by her physical appearance / no she no longer does, her gender is now Knight / the discrimination she experiences is what fuels any desire she might have to be closer to cis manhood. that jaime is attracted to her & her to him is a separate & interesting conversation

for arya, i'm kind of like... arya is separated from noble womanhood less on account of not fulfilling a girlhood but by defying class expectations (so she is performing plenty of tasks assigned to peasant girls and boys alike, there is less of a gender segregation between tasks in that socioeconomic strata/age group). arya's transition in ACOK from arry to weasel to nan is pretty seamless despite crossing the gender line, on either side she's in fear for her life and being threatened with physical/sexual violence. so like? i have no inclination to call eleven-year-old medieval arya queer or not myself, it doesn't really have any strong bearing on her storyline that i can see. however saying arya's gay or ace as a way to scoot her out of the shipping wars is very nonsensical, like please don't do that. the reason arya's nonsexual at this point (and grrm truly did his damnedest to change that in TWOW Mercy) is because she's a kid, not because she's this that and the third queer identity

asha, on the other hand, is a totally different thing to me because i cannot even say how much asha truly doesn't conform to ironborn culture? asha doesn't seem to experience dysphoria in her escapades, the ironborn generally take her seriously in her own right and find her a competent member of their leadership. maybe there aren't many women on the ironborn raids but asha's certainly not the only one. the most misogyny we see asha face is a) from theon, who was raised elsewhere and also is understandably peeved because asha frankly assaulted him, and b) during the kingsmoot aka the elections for the HIGHEST OFFICE IN THE LAND, which is really not a given for any of the contenders. obviously asha's gender performance is markedly separate from the concept of a westerosi noblewoman, but it's mostly due to her belonging to a subculture which does that anyway! you can certainly read asha as queer despite george telling us she's straight (you yell at that cloud, old man) using Death of the Author, that's anyone's bet, & her sexual relationship with Qarl is one of if not the most equitable one in all of asoiaf--but saying she's queer based off her nonconformity with womanhood is probably a misread of the context. saying she's queer because she's a sexy swashbuckling pirate who ain't the stepfather but the father who stepped up for lady glover's kids, however, is completely valid

to summarize i would say i'm not drawn to labelling ambiguous characters as queer or not with any real conviction; i have my own headcanons and text readings with sources i'm happy to share (jon snow is bisexual / the septas be scissoring) but ultimately in a world without said identities, it's more fitting to search for what queerness means in that context rather than trying to create a 1:1 character to modern queer identity relationship

#asks #brienne of tarth #arya stark #asha greyjoy #text #asoiaf

[queenaryastark]

In all honesty, I wish a rational person had suggested SJP as an FC for Arya rather than that wank baiting Jaime stan. It would be a good idea if it wasn't tainted by an anti trying to start drama just bc their favorite rapist is doomed to die with his sister-lover-rape victim-abuser.

#asoiaf wank #the more drama they start the more Mackenzie becomes arya for me #the fact that this was actually a good idea is what annoys me #why couldn’t they pick a really bad idea so they wouldnt be squandering a really good potential fancast by associating her with antis?