#wolf skinchanger

[weirwoodsugar]

imo the best modern au setup, which no one really does, is one where all the magic elements are still pretty much the same. like danys dragons are still dragons starks are still skinchangers theons still getting harassed by trees brans still greenseeinf etc. but now jon and sansa are having to have extensive discussions about whether it counts as breaking veg if you go wolf mode while the wolf is eating and dany’s homeowners insurance situation is an absolute nightmare and so on

#the wizard character occult blogger beef would be insane

[greekmythcomix]

ClassicsTober23 4: Lycaon

King Lycaon’s disastrous testing of the gods by feeding them human flesh led to the flood of destruction (Deucalion’s story) caused Lycaon to be turned into a wolf, prompting later stories of the ‘versipellis’ or skinchanger/werewolf. So here he is, an original drawing, post-transformation, inspired by a Black-figure pottery style from Etruria.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/69716881@N02/28003941516

#classicstober23 #ClassicsTober #Lycaon #wolf man #werewolf #ancient greek mythology #greek myth #tagamemnon #greek myth comix

[daenerysstormreborn]

There are so many aspects of Sansa’s character that I wish George would explore more in her chapters. Does Sansa always feel like she’s missing something that everyone else seems to understand? A missing piece of her she can’t quite articulate? Her wolf died. Literally a piece of her died. Other people either aren’t skinchangers or have their animal still alive. She wouldn’t know anyone who could relate to this feeling but she never actually warged that we know of so she wouldn’t necessarily understand what she is and why she feels this absence.

Does she ever wonder who she really is? What kind of a person she is under the performance and courtesy. If there’s anything truly special about her or if beautiful is all she’ll ever be? She speculates that she’ll never marry for love, only her claim, and I wish George would go deeper with this. Everyone tells her she’s so beautiful and polite, but beauty is fleeting and not an aspect of the true self that lies beneath and her courtesy is a defense mechanism, something learned. It’s all a performance. Does Sansa ever wonder if anyone could love and value the person that Sansa Stark truly is beneath the courtesy and beauty? Does her feeling of absence combine with that and make her worry that there isn’t anything of value beneath that after all?

I know that part of Sansa’s character is to romanticize and avoid dwelling on such feelings but these would be such rich character reflections for her to have. I don’t think George has really driven home what it meant for Lady to die. Those who really think about Sansa and the skinchangers will come to this conclusion but I’ve seen this loss diminished to the loss of a pet but it’s so much more than that. A literal part of her died when Lady was killed. Yes, she’ll mourn Lady like a deceased pet, and not knowing she’s a warg, Sansa probably saw Lady as a pet. But she’d feel the absence within her nonetheless and the fact that she wouldn’t know exactly why she feels that way makes it even more tragic.

#asoiaf #sansa stark #valyrian scrolls #valyrianscrolls

[thelustybraavosimaid]

The wargs were the most numerous in that company, the wolf-brothers, but the boy had found the others stranger and more fascinating. Borroq looked so much like his boar that all he lacked was tusks... (Prologue, ADwD)

--

"The lad's a warg, or close enough," put in Ragwyle, the big spearwife. "His wolf took a piece o' Halfhand's leg."

The Weeper's red rheumy eyes gave Jon another look. "Aye? Well, he has a wolfish cast to him, now as I look close.[...]" (Jon I, ASoS)

--

He had known what Snow was the moment he saw that great white direwolf stalking silent at his side. One skinchanger can always sense another. (Prologue, ADwD)

--

Amongst the riders came one man afoot, with some big beast trotting at his heels. A boar, Jon saw. A monstrous boar. Twice the size of Ghost, the creature was covered with coarse black hair, with tusks as long as a man's arm. Jon had never seen a boar so huge or ugly. The man beside him was no beauty either; hulking, black-browed, he had a flat nose, heavy jowls dark with stubble, small black close-set eyes.

"Borroq." Tormund turned his head and spat.

"A skinchanger." It was not a question. Somehow he knew.

...

The skinchanger stopped ten yards away. His monster pawed at the mud, snuffling. A light powdering of snow covered the boar's humped black back. He gave a snort and lowered his head, and for half a heartbeat Jon thought he was about to charge. To either side of him, his men lowered their spears.

"Brother," Borroq said. (Jon XII, ADwD)

-----------

In the dark, the direwolf's red eyes looked black. He nuzzled at Jon's neck, silent as ever, his breath a hot mist. The wildlings called Jon Snow a warg, but if so he was a poor one. He did not know how to put on a wolf skin, the way Orell had with his eagle before he'd died. (Jon III, ADwD)

--

The gift was strong in Snow, but the youth was untaught, still fighting his nature when he should have gloried in it. (Prologue, ADwD)

--

Marsh hesitated. "Lord Snow, I am not one to bear tales, but there has been talk that you are becoming too…too friendly with Lord Stannis. Some even suggest that you are…a…"

A rebel and a turncloak, aye, and a bastard and a warg as well. Janos Slynt might be gone, but his lies lingered. (Jon III, ADwD)

--

"Wolves and women wed for life," Haggon often said. "You take one, that's a marriage. The wolf is part of you from that day on, and you're part of him. Both of you will change."

--

Perched above the window, the Old Bear's raven peered down at him with shrewd black eyes. My last friend, Jon thought ruefully. And I had best outlive you, or you'll eat my face as well. Ghost did not count. Ghost was closer than a friend. Ghost was part of him. (Jon III, ADwD)

--

Jon smelled Tom Barleycorn before he saw him. Or was it Ghost who smelled him? Of late, Jon Snow sometimes felt as if he and the direwolf were one, even awake. The great white wolf appeared first, shaking off the snow. A few moments later Tom was there.

...

Ghost nuzzled up against his shoulder, and Jon draped an arm around him. He could smell Horse's unwashed breeches, the sweet scent Satin combed into his beard, the rank sharp smell of fear, the giant's overpowering musk. He could hear the beating of his own heart. When he looked across the grove at the woman with her child, the two greybeards, the Hornfoot man with his maimed feet, all he saw was men. (Jon VII, ADwD)

#we're not so different you and i #asoiaf #jon snow #borroq #also I'm kind of sure that jon draping his arm around ghost made their minds connect to the point where he smelled all that stuff #and heard his own heart beating #so that brief supernatural connection was a really cool touch #also dig the slow but inevitable embrace of what he is #this could have been two posts but nah lmao

[queenaryastark]

Arya has so many moments of massive significance that are just casually dropped into her chapters. I mean...

She almost sees through Varys' disguise

She hears dead people multiple times

A wolf pack approaches her and decides to leave her be

She gets warning of an attack through her magical connection to Nymeria

The old gods choose to talk to her and help galvanize her into action

A Faceless Man decides to become her death genie and chooses her as an acolyte (something that seems to shock the kindly man and the waif, so it's not common)

Her skinchanging allows her to kill her pursuers and assists in her mother's resurrection

Her skinchanging extends from her direwolf to include a cat without her consciously training in the art

She is a key participant in political moves such as freeing Harrenhall from the Lannisters so the Northmen can take charge and preventing Cersei from fixing the Lannister/Baratheon relationship with the Iron Bank, which has the power to unseat her children

And it's all done so casually even though it's all building toward something hugely significant for Arya and the overall story.

#arya stark #asoiaf

[gendrie]

"You play at being a servant, but in your heart you are a lord's daughter. You have taken other names, but you wore them as lightly as you might wear a gown. Under them was always Arya." (Arya, AFFC)

"He wants you," said the She-Bear, after his third visit. Her proper name was Alysane of House Mormont, but she wore the other name as easily as she wore her mail. (Asha, ADWD)

its so crazy that grrm has put aly mormont on track to meet arya.....if alysane sticks by jeyne (and i think she will) then she will likely go to braavos with justin massey’s crew. if arya wants to get close to jeyne (and i think she will) then she will have to get close to aly. inevitably, there would be some sort of interaction. it might only be small, but the fact that grrm is even putting aly in this storyline makes me think theres potential 

The girl wouldn't walk, even when slapped. Arya dragged her with her right hand while she held Needle in the left. Ahead, the night was a sullen red. The barn's on fire, she thought. Flames were licking up its sides from where a torch had fallen on straw, and she could hear the screaming of the animals trapped within. Hot Pie stepped out of the barn. "Arry, come on! Lommy's gone, leave her if she won't come!" Stubbornly, Arya dragged all the harder, pulling the crying girl along. (Arya, ACOK)

Catelyn smiled despite herself. "You are braver than I am, I fear. Are all your Bear Island women such warriors?" "She-bears, aye," said Lady Maege. "We have needed to be. In olden days the ironmen would come raiding in their longboats, or wildlings from the Frozen Shore. The men would be off fishing, like as not. The wives they left behind had to defend themselves and their children, or else be carried off." "There's a carving on our gate," said Dacey. "A woman in a bearskin, with a child in one arm suckling at her breast. In the other hand she holds a battleaxe. She's no proper lady, that one, but I always loved her." (Catelyn, ASOS)

arya has more than a few things in common with the women of bear island. she embodied their carving during the battle she fought in clash; in one hand she had a toddler and in the other a weapon. the mormonts are daughters and mothers who rule their land while also fighting, leading, and (allegedly) skinchanging. aly claims the mormont women are skinchangers just a couple chapters before the one where arya starts to truly understand her own powers. 

"You are wed." "No. My children were fathered by a bear." Alysane smiled. Her teeth were crooked, but there was something ingratiating about that smile. "Mormont women are skinchangers. We turn into bears and find mates in the woods. Everyone knows." (Asha, ADWD) 

She knew the way to the kitchens, but her nose would have led her there even if she hadn't. Hot peppers and fried fish, she decided, sniffing down the hall, and bread fresh from Umma's oven. The smells made her belly rumble. The night wolf had feasted, but that would not fill the blind girl's belly. Dream meat could not nourish her, she had learned that early on. (Arya, ADWD) 

the mormonts are women of the north who comfortably and confidently defy gender roles; in appearance, in temperament, in action. they’re not just warriors either. maege has five daughters and an uncertain marital status. she is still the head of her house. aly is unwed with two children and she’s the heir; poised to rule bear island someday. the mormonts are proof that there is an alternative to being a “proper” lady 

(preemptively im gonna say spare me any bullshit on how the mormont girls/women are not relevant examples to arya bc they live in isolation lol whats important is how arya perceives them. they’ve been consistent players in the northern political scene too - despite their nonconformity. some may mutter about it but that doesnt stop them from participating in both the fighting and the ruling of the north) 

One of his companions was even a woman: Dacey Mormont, Lady Maege's eldest daughter and heir to Bear Island [...] (Catelyn, AGOT)

“Lady Arya should have a female companion as well. Take Alysane Mormont.” (Theon, TWOW)

both houses lost their eldest at the red wedding and the mormonts remain loyal to house stark. 

Fear cuts deeper than swords, she told herself. "Arya." She whispered the word the first time. The second time she threw it at him. "I am Arya, of House Stark." (Arya, AFFC) 

Stannis read from the letter. "Bear Island knows no king but the King in the North, whose name is STARK. A girl of ten, you say, and she presumes to scold her lawful king." (Jon, ADWD) 

i cannot think of a better influence for arya to have as she tries to figure out who she is and who she wants to be then any one of the mormont women. so i think its pretty significant that aly has already been made “lady arya’s” companion and will possibly cross paths with the real arya in twow. 

#asoiaf nonsense #arya stark #alysane mormont #im expecting smth small #but if arya goes public with her identity in braavos #while aly is still there #then who tf knows #it could get interesting

[laurellerual]

What future cool monikers could you see characters having besides the ones they already have

Bran - King of Summer, Champion of the Old Gods, Devil of Westeros by those who don't like his magic

Arya - Faceless Wolf, Feline Assassin

Jon - Winter Dragon, White Crow

Ohhh this is a funny one. Let's try that.

Bran - totally Summer King from my summer child. And maybe something Bloodraven like Bran Thousand Eyes. Also the Winged Wolf needs to become more used. Bran the Broken will probably become canon, but I'd prefer something like Bran the Rebuilder. Even if it doesn't sound quite as good.

Arya - the Night Wolf to be used outside of her head too, especially considering possible developments during the Long Night. Also I want people to call her a witch queen, like Nymeria or Alys or Rhaena. I imagine that a little girl returned from the world of the dead with the power of a skinchanger, the magic of the faceless men and knowledge of languages and poisons can create this kind of aura around her. Another one I like is Arya Thousand Wolves (I read it in a fanfiction once, but can't find it), I think it sounds very good and the vague reference to Nymeria's ten thousand ships.

Jon - Apart from Winter King, I like the Ice Dragon (like the novel).

I wish I had more imagination. People add yours!

#arya stark #jon snow #bran stark #asoiaf

[jackoshadows]

Do Direwolves Dream of Sheep?

"Wolves and women wed for life," Haggon often said. "You take one, that's a marriage. The wolf is part of you from that day on, and you're part of him. Both of you will change." - Varamyr, ADwD

So we know that the more Arya and Jon warg into their direwolves the stronger they become as wargs. Arya who is able to warg across great distances has now advanced to the next level and skinchanged the cat in AFfC. In ADwD Jon is able to taste blood while awake because Ghost has just fed.

However, as Varamyr points out, surely the direwolves would also change from having the consciousness of these wargs in them.

I am curious about the wolf dreams in particular. Searching the interwebs and the wiki on warging, while mentioning the wolf dreams, does not go into the details of what that actually means.

In some cases it’s pretty simple. Arya’s wolf ‘dreams’ are her warging Nymeria in the Riverlands.

The smell of blood was heavy in her nostrils… or was that her nightmare, lingering? She had dreamed of wolves again, of running through some dark pine forest with a great pack at her hells, hard on the scent of prey.

...

Except in dreams. She took a breath to quiet the howling in her heart, trying to remember more of what she'd dreamt, but most of it had gone already. There had been blood in it, though, and a full moon overhead, and a tree that watched her as she ran. -TWOW, Mercy

Since Arya and Jon don’t really understand warging they assume they are dreaming when they warg into their direwolves while sleeping. I am assuming here that warging is some kind of astral projection like phenomenon where one’s consciousness takes over that of the animal. So while Arya assumes it’s a dream, it’s not really one is it? It’s Arya warging into Nymeria across sea and land and vast distances. Jon assumes the same of what is happening with him and Ghost:

The wolf dreams had been growing stronger, and he found himself remembering them even when awake. Ghost knows that Grey Wind is dead. Robb had died at the Twins, betrayed by men he’d believed his friends, and his wolf had perished with him. Bran and Rickon had been murdered too, beheaded at the behest of Theon Greyjoy, who had once been their lord father’s ward … but if dreams did not lie, their direwolves had escaped. At Queenscrown, one had come out of the darkness to save Jon’s life. Summer, it had to be. His fur was grey, and Shaggydog is black. He wondered if some part of his dead brothers lived on inside their wolves. - Jon, ADwD

Now here is the tricky part. Does Ghost know that Grey Wind is dead or is it Jon Snow through Ghost who senses that Grey Wind is dead? Is it the direwolf’s consciousness that knows this or Jon’s? If Jon’s consciousness leaves Ghost, does Ghost still know that Grey Wind is dead?

When he [Jon] closed his eyes, he dreamed of direwolves.

There were five of them when there should have been six, and they were scattered, each apart from the others. He felt a deep ache of emptiness, a sense of incompleteness. The forest was vast and cold, and they were so small, so lost. His brothers were out there somewhere, and his sister, but he had lost their scent. He sat on his haunches and lifted his head to the darkening sky, and his cry echoed through the forest, a long lonely mournful sound. As it died away, he pricked up his ears, listening for an answer, but the only sound was the sigh of blowing snow. - Jon, ACoK

Far off, he could hear his packmates calling to him, like to like. They were hunting too. A wild rain lashed down upon his black brother as he tore at the flesh of an enormous goat, washing the blood from his side where the goat’s long horn had raked him. In another place, his little sister lifted her head to sing to the moon, and a hundred small grey cousins broke off their hunt to sing with her. The hills were warmer where they were, and full of food. Many a night his sister’s pack gorged on the flesh of sheep and cows and horses, the prey of men, and sometimes even on the flesh of man himself. - Jon, ADwD

So is this Jon in Ghost reaching out to Nymeria and Shaggydog and feeling that sense of incompleteness without the rest of Ghost’s siblings? Or is it Jon sensing that incompleteness in Ghost and sensing/feeling Ghost reaching out to his siblings?

As in, do these abilities to sense and literally see what the other direwolves are doing come from warging or is it the direwolves who are doing this and it’s Jon’s consciousness in Ghost seeing what Ghost is seeing with respect to what Nymeria and Shaggydog are doing?

If it is warging, does Arya have to be warging Nymeria and Rickon warging Shaggydog at the same time for Jon warging Ghost to sense them by connecting through fellow wargs?

For example, Bran is clearly in some of these wolf ‘dreams’ when Jon and Arya warg into Ghost and Nymeria.

There had been blood in it, though, and a full moon overhead, and a tree that watched her as she ran. -TWOW, Mercy

Jon? The call came from behind him, softer than a whisper, but strong too. Can a shout be silent? He turned his head, searching for his brother, for a glimpse of a lean grey shape moving beneath the trees, but there was nothing, only…

A weirwood. Red eyes looked at him. Fierce eyes they were, yet glad to see him. The weirwood had his brother's face. Had his brother always had three eyes? - Jon, ACoK

Is it just that Jon, Arya and Bran are all warging at the same time in their sleep and hence able to connect across these warging dreams? I am assuming Westeros and Essos fall in the same time zone and day/night occurs at the same time. In which case they would be asleep at the same time while their wolves are up and doing all sorts of killing.

Do Ghost, Nymeria, Summer and Shaggydog dream when they sleep?  What happens when the Stark kids warg into sleeping direwolves?

In ACoK, we get this from Bran when Summer is restrained in the Godswood:

"If I were truly a direwolf, I would understand the song, he thought wistfully. In his wolf dreams, he could race up the sides of mountains, jagged icy mountains taller than any tower, and stand at the summit beneath the full moon with all the world below him, as it used to be." - Bran, ACoK

Is this Summer’s dreams that Bran is experiencing?

There’s also an indication that Shaggydog and Rickon are changing each other:

Shaggydog had come slavering out of the darkness like a green-eyed demon. The wolf was near as wild as Rickon; he'd bitten Gage on the arm and torn a chunk of flesh from Mikken's thigh. - Bran, AGoT

I wonder if GRRM has kept this deliberately vague for now and more will be revealed in later books or if it’s intended to be a deliberately vague magic system where the effects on the Direwolves from all this warging is not ever addressed. It’s certainly interesting though. 

#Direwolves #asoiaf #Jon Snow #Arya Stark #Bran Stark #Rickon Stark #Ghost #Nymeria #Summer #Shaggydog

[agentrouka-blog]

It's interesting that both Sansa and Robb with his army are rumoured to turn into beasts to defend Lannisters/Joffery. While Robb was fighting along with Greywind, Lady wasn't there with Sansa as she was dead. To think Northern Lords will hate Sansa for it is ridiculous.

I am infinitely charmed that rumors in the South instinctively turn the Starks into magic-wielding wargs, and that the Freys felt that this was a credible excuse to spin in order to justify their massacre.

"The dwarf's wife did the murder with him," swore an archer in Lord Rowan's livery. "Afterward, she vanished from the hall in a puff of brimstone, and a ghostly direwolf was seen prowling the Red Keep, blood dripping from his jaws." (ASOS, Jaime VII)

"I forgot, you've been hiding under a rock. The northern girl. Winterfell's daughter. We heard she killed the king with a spell, and afterward changed into a wolf with big leather wings like a bat, and flew out a tower window. But she left the dwarf behind and Cersei means to have his head." (ASOS, Arya XIII)

When Stark changed into a wolf, his northmen did the same. The mark of the beast was on them all. Wargs birth other wargs with a bite, it is well-known. It was all my brothers and I could do to put them down before they slew us all." (ADWD, Davos III)

People of the Southern kingdoms: "Yes, this sounds legit. Werewolves and shapeshifters. I find these scenarios credible. Starks just do that. It is known."

Talk about a formidable reputation.

And no one in the North really buys it, of course, because those are just stories like that Old Nan tells the kids in Winterfell. Until the Starklings return and even the baby is a literal skinchanger, riding unicorns and taking names.

All but the fluffy eldest daughter with the sinister reputation for regicide and bat wings. She just rolls up with "my superpower is heraldry and kindness!"

And no one believes her.

#sansa stark #robb stark #warging #reputation #starklings

[bookloover35]

Legolas Greenleaf X Fem reader- Skinchanger.

Legolas Pov:

War, with a very unhappy ending.

That's the only thing that will happen if we don't get more help.

But who?

Gandalf: I know one person who can help us win this war once and for all.

King Theoden: Who.

Gandalf began to tell us that seven years ago he met a young girl and a skinchanger and that they are still best friends to this day and apparently she saved his life and a very famous dwarf king Thorin Okenshield and his company.

He also told us that she managed to wrestle away 10 goblins who tried to chain her.

Legolas: I remember her.

King Theoden: But I thought all skinchangers were dead.

Gandalf: Not all there are some left out there but very few and she is one of them.

Aragon: Is she strong?

Gandalf: In her wolf form she is stronger than an entire army and in her normal human form she is stronger than a thousand men.

Also more he talked about her also more I remembered her, I never got the chance to talk to her but I definitely remember her strength.

I remember when she fought the white orc by herself.

Gandalf: And believe me when I say this she is also very good at hand on hand comebat, it also includes swords, archery and throwing knives.

Gimli: Gandalf, can you get her here?

Gandalf: of course i can.

TS.

Yns pov:

Run faster I have to save Gandalf that was all I could think of while in my wolf form, how lucky I am so much faster like this.

I'm not going to lose my oldest friend and someone who is a very dear family member.

I have known Gandalf ever since I was little he knew both my parents my mother was a very beautiful wood elf and my father was a Skinchanger.

Legolas Pov:

Yn: Gandalf in your message you said it was easy to find here luck that when I'm a Wolf my sense of smell becomes a thousand times stronger than normal.

We all turned towards the young woman's voice and as soon as I saw her all the memories came back her long red hair and her eyes which were two different colors.

(If the hair doesn't match you, you can think that she has the same hair color and length as you).

Her left eye was Silver and her right eye was purple wow she is beautiful.

The wizard and the wolf girl hugged each other and then Gandalf said.

Gandalf: Yn, thank you for being able to come and help us, I had actually planned to come and see you but this happened instead.

Yn: You are family, of course I would come and help.

They both then turned around and we all got a good look at her and she was dressed like she was ready to go into battle, she had black and blue armor.

Gandalf: King Theoden, let me introduce my dearest friend Yn Stormheart.

And Yn this is King Theoden, and the others are Aragon, Gimli and Legolas.

She waved slightly at us and said hello.

Then the questions started to be asked and then I mean there were a lot of questions and then we asked if she could show what she looks like as a Wolf.

She smiled at us and asked us to back off and before you could even blink she had transformed from being a young woman to a wolf the size of a full grown horse.

I have to admit that I am very impressed but one thing is for sure that I did not want to make her angry in this form, she looked at me and I could hear her voice in my head.

Yn: Are you impressed?

Legolas: Very, and I have a very good feeling that we will win this with your help.

The end.

#wattpad #wattpadstories #wattpad story #my own words #lord of the rings #the hobbit #legolas #legolas x reader #legolas x y/n #legolas x you

[esther-dot]

Same anon and what you said about the desire for a healthy relationship for D vs Sansa because of their respective ages and experience in canon is sooooo true I never thought of that. I definitely think that contributes to my feelings about it. I also totally agree with what you said wrt to powerlessness and Sansa because they hate show!Alicent for the same reason. For me it doesn’t make Sansa boring or frustrating but actually more relatable but in an uncomfortable way. Sansa reflects a lot about me. I am a romantic, gentle-hearted person. I daydream a lot and I’m prone to idealization and have had a lifelong fixation on romance and relationships. I’m an escapist who loves movies and songs and books and an artist. I’m an aesthete with a strong sense of style. And I’ve always felt trapped by the expectations of femininity but have not been strong enough to meaningfully reject them (besides, there are some I actually enjoy, like having long hair). I was an ugly duckling around Sansa’s age so I think there’s a bit of disconnect I feel because of that, but I grew into someone that people generally consider to be very beautiful and it feels like a cage at times. My life has been marked by both older men and male peers idealizing me, using me, preying upon me, listing after me, etc. I have taken back a lot of that power and healed a lot but I still hurt and I still feel the heavy burden of the male gaze that makes me feel I must perform. Sometimes I fear that beautiful is all I am and I’m cursed to be wanted but never loved. And Sansa reflects this all so so well and I think the fact that she’s still in the throes of it all just lampshades these aspects of me and my life to myself in a way that’s uncomfortable. She doesn’t reflect much upon it in canon but I imagine being a warg whose wolf died makes it feel like there’s this emptiness inside you, something missing, that everyone else seems to have (because their animal is alive or because they are not skinchangers) and that feeling that you’re missing a piece somehow is also so relatable to me.

Last thing: it seems like Sansa fans are generally much more sympathetic to me as a Sansa and D fan than D fans are. I’ve been accused of only pretending to be a D fan despite my entire blog theme being based on her character, just because I accept the likely possibility of villain D. Whereas Sansa fans seem to have an attitude of “you like Sansa? I like Sansa too! Not everyone loves Jonsa, that’s okay!” I wish more fans could be more willing to interact and engage with people who have different opinions and interpretations. I even follow people who hate D because they have other opinions that I agree with! And I think that’s normal!

(continuation of this convo)

Oh, reading this message I can certainly understand why her story would feel triggering to you in some regards. Many Sansa fans identity with her in this way. She's like us or has experienced things we have too. Sansa's story is simply inundated with adult men lusting after her. It’s tiresome to have all the men perv on her. The Hound, LF, Tyrion….Dontos and Marillion...so many! I imagine the pressure to perform/live up to exacting standards is something we have each experienced as well, but for many, the failure to do so is prolly what makes Arya more relatable, whereas Sansa is trapped by her dedication to the role, the work she puts into that dismissed, and the damage that burden has done to her ignored.

I actually think the fear of being wanted, not loved, is quite poignant in Sansa's story (wanted for her beauty or wanted for her claim), and that is why I believed she will have a romance on the page because this is a major issue in her story that needs to be resolved. Even while I understand all the squicks around Jonsa, over and over, we realize, part of how all women are victimized in this world is that they're all a means to an end. A prophecy baby, an ally, a castle...Sansa is going to be our opportunity to see someone love her for herself, care about the girl as an individual, not only for her own personal fulfillment, but as a way to address this problem in their world. And obvy, the guy who will do that is Jon who has a) already refused to take her claim, b) already helped a girl escape a marriage in which she was being used as a means to an end, c) already been recognized as Sansa's hero in the the the text (Slynt's severed head). There are other characters we might love and want good things for, but this particular issue will be answered in her storyline. There's groundwork for it.

Even though I pointed to Dany’s past sexual relationships as a reason fans are primed for her to have a healthier one, I actually think Martin was using it for a different purpose which doesn’t bode well for her at all. He said a certain series of essays got her completely right and I pulled some quotes from them:

(link)

Obviously, the fandom at large doesn’t agree, Dark Dany is a big no-no, but I believe they’re very wrong about that and setting themselves up for disappointment.

She doesn’t reflect much upon it in canon but I imagine being a warg whose wolf died makes it feel like there’s this emptiness inside you, something missing, that everyone else seems to have (because their animal is alive or because they are not skinchangers) and that feeling that you’re missing a piece somehow is also so relatable to me.

Absolutely. I think a lot of people feel this way. Most people have a period of searching because we have a sense that there is more, that we are more, even if we don't have such a clearly defined aspect of ourselves stolen.

Thank you for the follow-up message, anon. I enjoyed reading it, and I hope you can curate a little corner of the fandom that you're able to enjoy!

#dot chat

[weirwoodsugar]

If you had to suffer being one, would you be a faceless man, greenseer, or a warg?

FACELESS MAN

PROS:

-go lots of cool places meet lots of people (And kill them)

-never have to get bored with your hair. lots of free clothes

-free language and poison lessons

-color scheme

-oh no way i love the god of death

CONS:

-can't just kill whoever not really supposed to be vindictive

-don't get to pick your face based on what you feel like looking like really

-not supposed to be nosy (wack)

-would break my leg during the training period and quit. like yeah i do want my eyes back actually fuck this.

WARG/SKINCHANGING

PROS

-great for animal lovers

-great for intimidating enemies and people that bother you

-wolves are very very cool

-built in retirement plan

CONS

-too many rules

-sleep not very restful bc youre being a wolf

-kind of seems like polite society doesnt like it when you do this.

GREENSEER

PROS

-used to have the greenseer url on tumblr

-sitting in one spot and experiencing visions for 500 years is not a big leap from the tumblrina lifestyle

-VERY VERY allowed to be nosy! you can be nosy through all of time and space!

-not that many rules due to your godlike powers

-can still do skinchanging

CONS

-bloodraven shit company

-can't turn off the prophetic dreams

-live forever (might get kind of boring)

CONCLUSION: definitely greenseer because i would like being in everone's business forever. like hey what are you doing there :) and 600 years ago what were you doing then :) however i think eventually i'd regret it and would really want to be somewhere else or take a walk but by that time my weirwood throne would have grown through my brainpan and i'd be stuck.

[iceywolf24]

Bran + Monster/Beast imagery

"Even if the boy does live, he will be a cripple. Worse than a cripple. A grotesque. Give me a good clean death." - Tyrion I AGOT

"Warg. Shapechanger. Beastling. That is what they will call you, if they should ever hear of your wolf dreams."

The names made him afraid again. "Who will call me?"

"Your own folk. In fear. Some will hate you if they know what you are. Some will even try to kill you." - Bran IV ACOK

 "The free folk fear Skinchangers, but they honor us as well. South of the Wall, the kneelers hunt us down and butcher us like pigs." - Prologue ADWD

"A monster," Bran said.

The ranger looked at Bran as if the rest of them did not exist. "Your monster, Brandon Stark." - Bran I ADWD

#asoiaf #bran stark #beast imagery #monster imagery #asoiaf imagery #bran imagery

[daenerysstormreborn]

I dreamed that I was Sansa and skinchanging into bats. Def inspired by some cool fanart I saw but I think my dash whisked it away before I could reblog it but it was that concept basically that it would be neat for her to do so given her Whent heritage and I keep thinking about it like the wolf with leathery wings… not a little bird but a little bat

#sansa stark

[turtle-paced]

You write that Arya, Sansa and Bran will be important for the future of Westeros but what is Rickon's purpose?

I really doubt that Rickon's going to be anywhere near as influential as his siblings. I also suspect that bonding with his wolf so young, followed by all that trauma, did some gnarly things to Rickon's development.

Within the series, though, Rickon's always been "and the other one." He's three, he can't effectively advocate for himself, he's way down the family line of succession. Maybe under other circumstances - but that's not what any of the Starks got.

His death during the series is a possibility; I hope that he gets to stay in a community that understands and cares about him, skinchanging and all, and make a life he's happy with.

#asoiaf #valyrianscrolls #rickon stark #speculation

[thelustybraavosimaid]

Needleheart Winter 2022 - Wargs, Wolves, and Connections

The kennelmaster once told her that an animal takes after its master. (Sansa I, AGoT)

--

He had known what Snow was the moment he saw that great white direwolf stalking silent at his side. One skinchanger can always sense another. Mance should have let me take the direwolf. There would be a second life worthy of a king. (Prologue, ADwD)

--

Arya had named her after the warrior queen of the Rhoyne, who had led her people across the narrow sea. That had been a great scandal too. (Arya I, AGoT)

--

"Some will tell you that they are demons. They say the pack is led by a monstrous she-wolf, a stalking shadow grim and grey and huge. They will tell you that she has been known to bring aurochs down all by herself, that no trap nor snare can hold her, that she fears neither steel nor fire, slays any wolf that tries to mount her, and devours no other flesh but man." (Brienne V, AFfC)

--

He was watching the action, so absorbed that he seemed unaware of her approach until his white wolf moved to meet them. Nymeria stalked closer on wary feet. Ghost, already larger than his litter mates, smelled her, gave her ear a careful nip, and settled back down.

...

He messed up her hair again and walked away from her, Ghost moving silently beside him. Nymeria started to follow too, then stopped and came back when she saw that Arya was not coming. (Arya I, AGoT)

--

Arya was in her room, packing a polished ironwood chest that was bigger than she was. Nymeria was helping. Arya would only have to point, and the wolf would bound across the room, snatch up some wisp of silk in her jaws, and fetch it back. But when she smelled Ghost, she sat down on her haunches and yelped at them. (Jon II, AGoT)

He sat on his haunches and lifted his head to the darkening sky, and his cry echoed through the forest, a long lonely mournful sound. As it died away, he pricked up his ears, listening for an answer, but the only sound was the sigh of blowing snow. (Jon VII, ACoK)

--

And then, far far off, beyond the godswood and the haunted towers and the immense stone walls of Harrenhal, from somewhere out in the world, came the long lonely howl of a wolf. (Arya X, ACoK)

In another place, his little sister lifted her head to sing to the moon, and a hundred small grey cousins broke off their hunt to sing with her. The hills were warmer where they were, and full of food. Many a night his sister's pack gorged on the flesh of sheep and cows and horses, the prey of men, and sometimes even on the flesh of man himself. (Jon I, ADwD)

#asoiaf #jon snow #arya stark #ramble #needleheart #jonrya #canonarya #canonjonsnow #needleheartwinter #ghost #nymeria