#I think that’ll probably be Arya

[brydeswhale]

@brienneevenstar-main I do, actually, bc you obviously don’t know shit about it, as evidenced by your “what about” attempt here. Jon didn’t figure at all in this post, he’s as relevant to this topic as he will be to the eventual future of Westeros.

since sansa stark is the epitome of femininity i think she should end the series as daenerys’ lady-in-waiting because that’s the traditional job for noble ladies 👯‍♀️

[imagines-for-the-fangirls-soul]

I Want You, You, You - Robb Stark

Prompt: anonymous asked, hello! can i ask a imagine with robb stark where they're both in love with each other and both they're parents plan on getting them married but they misunderstood it and thought they'd be split up? like really angst at first but then all fluff? thank you!

Pairing: Robb Stark x Reader Word Count: 1,540 Synopsis: what the prompt says 

Your chest was heaving when you fell back on Robb's fur lined bed. He chuckled at your face, his own red and coated in sweat, too, before laying down next to you.

"I love you," he said with a laugh, leaning over to kiss your forehead. You smiled at him and crawled into his arms, your naked bodies curling into each other.

"I love you," you said with a sigh. You laid your head on his chest, and for a little while, you stayed like that, peacefully wrapped together. Robb ran his fingers through your hair, focusing on the fire warming the room. But when he felt something wet on his chest, he lifted his head.

"Y/N? What's wrong?" he asked. You sniffed and sat up. You turned your head away from him as you wiped your nose. "Love, what is it?" he asked as you got out of bed, shaking your head.

"It's nothing, I should go," you said, wrapping a robe around your naked body. Robb crawled out of bed, tugging his pants on as he followed you to the door. He managed to stop in front of it before you could reach for the handle.

"Y/N," he said, his voice soft, but low. He lifted your chin with his finger until your wet eyes were looking into his. "What is it? Did I hurt you?"

“No, no, of course not,” you said weakly, the tears still forming in your eyes.

“Then what is it?”

“I-- I heard something,” you said, shaking your head. “My parents talking.” Robb put his hands on your arms, rubbing them softly.

“What did they say?”

“They want to set up a marriage for me,” you said. “And not to you.”

“Who?” Robb asked, his voice gravely low. 

“I don’t know.”

“We can fight it,” he said. “What we have . . . it’s real.”

“I know,” you said, your eyes finding his. You touched his cheek softly and frowned. “I love you, Robb.”

“And I love you,” he said, kissing your palm. “This isn’t the end. I promise. We’ll fight it any way we can.” You could only nod your head in response. “Please, stay with me tonight.”

“I will.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Robb strolled into breakfast that morning, his head held high. He knew that he was from a notable family, and that if he just pleaded his case to his parents, they would agree to the marriage, and could suggest a new proposal to your family. 

When he walked in, he smiled widely at his mother and placed a kiss to her cheek. He turned to his father and gave him a curt nod, befitting any lord.

“Morning, Robb,” Ned said. 

“You seem especially chipper this morning,” Cat said.

“I am,” Robb said. “There’s something I want to discuss with you both.” He watched his parents exchange a glance, but he held his ground. He would remain confident for this. There was no other way to convince them.

“Go on,” Ned said. 

“I am growing older, and I think it is time to become more responsible. Become a man.” Again, his parents exchanged a glance.

“What did you have in mind?” his mother asked.

“I think it’s time I married. Or, at least have an engagement set up.” He watched them both, the way Ned’s eyes narrowed at him, the way Cat’s eyes turned to her husband. “Well? What do you think?”

“Robb, we already have a marriage arranged for you,” Ned said simply.

“Since when?”

“For months now.”

“You knew about this,” Catelyn said, reaching for his hand. He pulled back, shaking his head. “We thought you would be pleased.”

“Pleased?” Robb asked, his voice cracking. He shook his head harder, forcing away tears.

“It’s been decided, Robb,” Ned said. “You’re right. It is time for you to become a man.” The way he emphasized man signified that his father was done having this conversation. It was decided.

“If you’ll excuse me,” Robb said, standing up from the table before either his mother or father could stop him.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

You searched all of Winterfell for Robb, checking all the usual places he liked to go, the training grounds, his bedroom, the dining hall, but you couldn’t find him anywhere. Finally, you ran into Arya, who told you Robb had rode out into the woods.

You mounted your own horse and made your way onto the forest trail. You rode for half an hour before you found him. And you heard him well before you saw him. His sword must have gone dull by now, by how many times he had bashed it into a nearby tree. 

“Robb,” you called gently. He turned to you, eyes wide with tears. You dismounted quickly and ran to him, wrapping him in your arms. “Tell me what happened.”

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t convince them,” he said. You nodded your head, and then shook it a moment later. A wave of confusion washing over your face.

“Why?”

“Because they already have an arranged marriage for me,” he said. You let out a string of curses that made Robb finally smile. “So what are we going to do?” he asked.

“We could run away,” you said gently. “Make our own decisions.”

“You would leave our families?”

“You’re the only family I want,” you said, reaching up to touch his cheek. But even as you said it, you knew it would be nearly impossible to abandon everyone and everything you had known. “I don’t want to lose you,” you said.

“I don’t want to lose you either,” he said, putting a firm hand on your cheek. “I’ve never felt so powerless.”

“Neither have I,” you said, falling into his chest. He wrapped you in his arms, and you stood together for a long time, knowing that it would be one of your last times.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

On your last day in Winterfell, you prepared for the feast the Starks were throwing. Your family would be returning to their lands tomorrow, and you knew this would probably be the last time you would see Winterfell, or Robb, again. 

You walked into the feast hall, and instantly your eyes found Robb’s. You could see they were bloodshot, most likely from crying.

“Why are you so solemn?” your mother asked, pulling you to her side. You only shook your head in response. “Well, I know something that’ll cheer you up.”

She led you into the room and you took a seat at the table, across from the Stark family. Your mother cleared her throat as Eddard Stark stood, indicating this is what she thought would cheer you up.

“I would like to thank our guests, our friends, for once again joining us in Winterfell this summer. It is going to weigh heavy in our hearts when we bid you all farewell, but there is something that will bring joy to both our families.

“It is with a prideful and welcoming heart, that I announce the engagement of my eldest son, Robb.”

“Mom,” you whispered, trying to stand. “I don’t want to hear this.”

“Hush,” she said, smiling up at Lord Stark. Your eyes looked across the table and found Robb’s. He looked as distraught as you felt, but there was nothing you could do, except watch as both your hearts are broken.

“It is my honor,” Ned continued, “To announce the engagement of my son Robb, to Y/N Y/L/N.”

“What?” Robb asked, standing quickly. Ned looked confused, and glanced between the two of you. 

“Mom?” you asked.

“Why do you look so upset?”

“I-- I just thought . . .”

“Thought we couldn’t see?” your mother asked, shaking her head. “Of course we wanted you two together.” You looked to Robb, still speechless, and smiled hesitantly at him.

“This is happening?” Robb asked. Ned nodded his head, and before you knew it, Robb had crossed the room and lifted you up in his arms. He spun you around once before kissing you. He pulled away with a laugh and the tears that now filled his eyes were happy ones.

“I love you,” he said, beaming.

“I love you, too,” you said, grabbing his face before pulling him in for another kiss. 

[raya-rhaenyra-ahsoka]

Why Daenerys Should've Stayed Longer in the North Than Attack Cersei Too Soon (Which is a dick move, really) PART 1

I have said this before and I will say it again, D&D f*cked up Season 8. Honestly, there were a lot of missed opportunities with regards to plotlines. And don't even get me started on why they boycotted the Reeds, that's another story.

Also, we're gonna be talking about the possible strategies against an invasion army that has actual people in it, not ice zombies with super-speed and pyrophobia. We're way past that. The stabbiest of the Starks had already defeated Ice Darth Maul, so let's move on.

Anyway, I still think that Dany should've stayed in the North. Not permanently though, just until she has enough allies and armies to scare the living daylights out of Cersei's ass. And here's why:

WINTERFELL IS IN A STRATEGIC LOCATION.

Defense. In Max Brooks' The Zombie Survival Guide, Winterfell falls under the fortress category under the types of defense. Technically, it's a castle rather than a fortress. It is an impregnable structure with all the facilities to supply probably the whole population of the North. It has a greenhouse to grow food, which is appropriate for Westeros' long winters. According to Ned Stark, the castle can withstand a siege with only 500 men manning it against an army of 10,000. Plus, Dany's remaining dragons could easily barbecue an invading army what she did with the Lannister army in the Reach after defeating the Tyrells and taking Highgarden.

Here's a map of the North for reference: (You can pretty much see where Winterfell is, right?)

Source: awoiaf.westeros.org

Terrain. Winterfell is easily accessible since its location is in the heart of the North both literally and figuratively. It has its advantages as well. The North is the largest of Westeros' 7 Kingdoms. It is vast (it takes weeks to travel from the Neck to Winterfell, wtf?!). With regards to Sun Tzu's Art of War, Winterfell's strategic location can easily spot an approaching enemy, and if they come unprepared, its forces can easily defeat them. Thus, a Southron army wouldn't know how to navigate the lands they're not familiar with (let alone get into the North itself and past its defenses, but that'll be discussed later). Let's take into account Stannis Baratheon's failed siege on Winterfell, and how easily Ramsay Bolton's army defeated them down to the last man.

Climate. The North, in general, has a cold and temperate climate. They even get snowfalls in the summer. A Southron army wouldn't be accustomed to its climate, let alone the dangers of the wolves that roam the kingdom. Plus, if they run out of supplies, like food, there aren't many crops because most of its lands are barren due to the cold and snow. (So yeah, good luck with that!)

So yeah, Daenerys is technically at a place where it's appropriate to say:

AN ASSAULT BY LAND IS A DEATH SENTENCE.

The Riverlands. If Cersei orders her army to march North, they would have to pass the Riverlands. Like literally, here's a map:

Blue lines are the borders of the Riverlands, while the Red line is the Kingsroad. (Source: pinterest.com)

And everyone pretty sure remembers that the Great House or the Overlords of the Riverlands are the Tullys of Riverrun.

Now, this is where it gets interesting. The remaining Starks in Winterfell namely, Sansa, Arya, and Bran, have Tully blood through their mother, Catelyn. So technically, because of their family ties, they're likely already allies.

Debts of Gratitude. With Arya massacring the Freys of the Crossing, she had supposedly freed her uncle, Catelyn's brother, Edmure Tully from their grasp. Now, I don't know how that scene would've gone, (because D&D decided to focus on other things), but it would go something like: Hi Uncle! I killed the Freys, you're free now. Go back to Riverrun, call your banners or something and tell them you're back!

Edmure to his bannermen:

Because of that, I think Edmure would have this huge debt of gratitude towards his sister's children. And with the Tully words being family, duty, honor, Edmure wouldn't hesitate to gather an army. So if the Starks go, Hey, Uncle! Cersei is harassing us, send help!

Edmure's response would be:

The Vale of Arryn. I think the Vale would've joined the Starks as well, the same way they aided Jon Snow in the Battle of the Bastards. Because again, they have family ties. The current lord of the Vale is Robin Arryn, and his mother, Lysa Arryn, was of the Tully family-she was Catelyn and Edmure's sister. With the Starks killing that annoyimg smooth-talker, Littlefinger, they had basically saved Robin from his manipulating ways. With Yohn Royce as the witness on Littlefinger's trial, he would eventually tell Robin the truth about who really killed his mother. So if the Starks will ask for his help to join their cause, Robin will very much likely help his cousins.

So once they march up North, Edmure with the Tully and Vale Armies will be waiting at the Trident.

SWAMPS + CRANNOGMEN + MOAT CAILIN = IT'S A TRAP!

The Neck. Let's face it, if Cersei's army managed to get past the Rivermen and Valemen, there's no way they'll get past the Neck. This southernmost region in the North is known for its swampy terrain, with lizard-lions (basically crocodiles/alligators) lurking in the murky waters.

Here's a map of the Neck for reference:

The Green areas are the swamps, the Red line is the Kingsroad, while the Yellow line passing through the Green area is the Causeway. (Source: awoiaf.westeros.org)

The Crannogmen. Call them what you will, frog-eaters (yes, they do eat frogs), mudmen, bog-devils, but you must never underestimate the swamp people because you'll never know what'll hit you. They are called such because of their habit of living in small villages formed from reeds and thatches and that sit atop floating islands. And despite their short stature, the Crannogmen are talented hunters and warriors. Thus, they have adapted to the harsh environment and have learned to use it to their advantage.They use guerilla tactics and apparently a notoriously difficult people to conquer. In other words, they are the perfect example of the small but terrible type of people. The Crannogmen are ruled by House Reed with its current lord, who is none other Ned Stark’s bff, Howland Reed, a.k.a. Meera, and Jojen’s Dad, who holds court in their floating castle (yes, you read that right. A castle that floats.), Greywater Watch. Yep, the one who delivered the fatal blow to Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning was a f*cking Crannogman, this guy:

Since Ned’s children (Bran and Rickon) and Howland’s children (Meera and Jojen) are also good friends, there’s no doubt that they’ll definitely back them up when they have to. The Reeds are their bannermen after all. Though I think Meera would have to push Bran out of his chair to get even, but still.

The Causeway. The only road that connects the North to the other kingdoms is the Kingsroad. The causeway is the only dry road, the only navigable passage, and the only safe route for armies to travel through the swamps of the Neck. (Refer back to the map) It is also narrow. In the Art of War, narrow passes can be used to your advantage. With the Crannogmen familiar with the terrain, all they have to do is garrison it and wait. You can imagine being ambushed by short people hiding in the trees with poison darts or step on the traps they placed on the road and drag the horses and men into the murky waters to be eaten by the lizard-lions. If they have steel armor on, they’d have lower chances of survival. They might not get eaten, but they’d drown, so yeah, good luck!

Moat Cailin. Still, if they get past the wrath of the Crannogmen, they’ll meet their end at Moat Cailin. These ruins of an ancient stronghold command the Causeway as it passes through it. So anyone who travels North by land has to go through the causeway and Moat Cailin. It is an effective natural chokepoint that had protected the North from southern invaders for thousands of years. Its three remaining towers are usually manned with bowmen who’s ready to shoot a rain of arrows to enemies who will dare pass. And with the Starks back at Winterfell, it is most likely garrisoned by the Crannogmen. 

A Southron army would have no chance at all and would never get past the Neck, thanks to the small but terrible and lovable crannogmen of the swamps. Also, only two women were known to ever kill a White Walker and one of them lives in the Neck.

I’d watch out for her too. Shout out to our girl, Meera Reed! Because all she got from Bran was a lousy thank you after she dragged his Stark ass across the frozen tundra.

That's it for Part 1, you guys. This turned out to be longer than expected. The link for Part 2 is here.

[astradrifting]

Hiya anon, I’m answering this message over here to keep my blogs tidy! Thanks for the ask!

Oof, honestly I don’t have many concrete theories for ADOS other than what I speculated about Aegon’s death, it’s obviously so dependent on what happens in Winds that it’s all up in the air right now. I’m thinking Winds will almost definitely feature them reuniting and falling in angsty forbidden love amidst the backdrop of very messy Northern politics and an impending ice threat, with R+L=J being revealed by the end of it or early ADOS at the latest, for maximum pre-reveal incest angst.

I do think the show gave us a very, very, very rough idea of what happens, in that Jon will spend most of ADOS in the South while Sansa remains at Winterfell, in charge of the North. GoT managed to make Jon’s parentage a central part of the plot while completely sidestepping any of its actual implications or consequences, but I suspect that a big part of Jon’s ADOS plot will be reckoning with the secret and it’s reveal. Any resolution reached to the Northern politics in TWOW that involves Jon will be thrown into chaos with the reveal, so I could see a marriage between Jon and Sansa being proposed in order to tie Jon to the North and the Starks in the eyes of the lords before he goes South.

The secret being revealed also makes Jon being the only one who can go South make sense. The show’s “Only a king can treat with a queen” reasoning doesn’t hold up under scrutiny, since Jon being imprisoned on Dragonstone makes it clear that sending an emissary would have been smarter. Book!Jon and Aegon are both smarter than that, but “he is my long-lost brother and there is a lot of blood and history surrounding our births and our father’s choices that we need to reckon with” is a much more compelling argument for why the two of them might want to meet personally. Just in terms of narrative as well, why introduce a potential long-lost brother and then not have them ever meet?

Of course a lot of this also depends on what happens with the Others, since Jon’s story has been so tied with them from the beginning that it’d feel hollow if he didn’t have some involvement in how that is resolved, but that plotline is so inscrutable to me that I can’t even begin to theorise what happens there. I’ve got a tentative ‘Bran???’ mentally sharpied over a picture of the Others and that’s as far as my theories go :P

I don’t have a very clear idea on what Sansa’s plot will be while they’re separated other than that it will feature her growing into her rulership of the North. The show might have been accurate in that Arya arrives at Winterfell after Jon has left, and the sisters come into some sort of conflict over their past, their separation, and who they each had to become to survive. It’d serve as a nice way for Jon and Sansa’s stories to parallel again too - both of them having to (re)learn how to deal with a sibling that they barely know, who they don’t quite understand but desperately want to. But the sisters will resolve their differences and be stronger for it, possibly coming together to slay Littlefinger for his crimes against their father. Though I’m also in favour of Sansa taking care of him herself somehow, she has more foreshadowing for that specifically, and Arya has different deaths in her future.

Throughout this whole separation, I fully expect Jon and Sansa both to be heavily missing each other and wishing they were home together at Winterfell, annoying everyone around them by constantly going “I wish Jon/Sansa were here.” 😉 The show already explicitly showed Sansa missing Jon, so imagine how much more pining we’ll get when we can read her thoughts!

Sansa will also probably have a major part to play in the aftermath of Dany’s death. There’s a crazy amount of parallels between Baela and Rhaena Targaryen, who were instrumental in getting Corlys Velaryon freed after the poisoning of Aegon II, and Arya and Sansa, so it seems that, unlike in the show, they’ll be successful in getting Jon released following her murder.

That then totally leaves him free to be with Queen Sansa, hopefully as King in the North but I’d totally accept Prince Consort. I’m also a big believer in the Jon the Builder ending, pioneered (imo) by @istumpysk and @agentrouka-blog, in which he plays a big part in resettling the Gift with new lords.

His lord father had once talked about raising new lords and settling them in the abandoned holdfasts as a shield against wildlings. […] “It is a dream for spring, though,” Lord Eddard had said. “Even the promise of land will not lure men north with a winter coming on.”

If winter had come and gone more quickly and spring had followed in its turn, I might have been chosen to hold one of these towers in my father’s name. Lord Eddard was dead, however, his brother Benjen lost; the shield they dreamt together would never be forged.

(Jon V, ASOS)

To me, that last line reads like Sansa’s thoughts about seeing Jon again, how the thought is sweet but “of course, that could never be”. We know that that line exists solely to be subverted, because they are going to meet again. The same with this one; Lord Eddard and Benjen are gone, but their nephew-son still lives, and he can carry on their dream. It’d be a nice way of allowing Jon to keep some of his vows too - to still be the “shield that guards the realms of men” even after he has left the Watch (guarding from what, at the end of the series, I’m admittedly not sure *points to picture of the Others with ‘Bran????’ written in red sharpie and underlined*). I mean, you can’t just reference the title of the last book, the culmination of your epic fantasy series, in a throwaway line from Jon’s memory without it having some kind of payoff, George. Especially when it’s literally the only time the phrase occurs within the series. Nearly word for word, at least. There’s some “dream of spring” imagery that appears elsewhere that is pretty interesting... But that’ll be in a separate post because this is getting long enough!

So, uh, it turns out I actually do have a lot of thoughts on how ADOS will go! Basically, Jonsa ever after, the wolves coming again through their many adorable trueborn babies :) It won’t be plain sailing, they will face even more grief and pain before the end. But also the possibility of a happy ending, a dream of spring even in the depths of winter.

[where-dreamers-go]

If modern!reader has read the books, and knows everything, I can totally see them assuming him and Arya are going to be together soon enough, and though they have very strong feelings for him, they keep their distance. If they're ever confronted, they probably slip up and say that "You shared true names, what else am I supposed to think?" (Altough, sharing one's true name does not have to be romantic, CP clearly intended it to be) but what do you think?

Firstly, I still don’t like that Eragon told Arya his true name. Like, dude! That’s like a dragon giving someone their heart of hearts. You don’t just do that. And didn’t Arya whisper his true name to him before her really cool exit? Like, what was that Arya? What was that? Are you purposefully messing with him?

Anyway…

(A/N: 658 words coming up! Plus some angst.)

If Modern!Reader though too much into while developing deep feelings for Eragon, they might get themselves into a slump of thoughts. Pining after a Dragon Rider, who you very well know got invested with watching an ant colony take down a spider, is frustrating when you know he’s pining over Arya. (That’s what happened in Eldest, right? The whole ant thing and being conscious of other beings?)

Modern!Reader would get a jolt of fear and anxiety whenever visitors were mentioned. Arya could show up whenever she wanted, likely unannounced if she pleased. Eragon would let her do that, probably.

With so many magic users who could enter minds of others, it was more important than ever to hide your feelings for Eragon. The rejection, the humiliation, awkwardness, and heartache was not something you wanted if you could avoid it at all costs. Meaning you kept your feelings at bay. Some days were better than others. There were days or evenings when you had to literally put physical distance between you and the Rider.

How long until Arya decides to show up? Eragon will forget any of us even exist, you thought. Sitting alone in the kitchen between meals was quiet. That was how you had to spend your day as your thoughts ran wild and you let them. Community meals were usually the last meal of the day.

Seeing movement out of your peripheral vision, you looked up.

No, you whined internally.

Eragon had found you.

“There you are. I’ve been looking for you.”

You bit back a comment and decided to study the stone wall again.

“No one has seen you. Why are you all alone? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

“You’ve been avoiding me more in these last two weeks. Have I done something wrong?” The Rider stepped further into the space.

“You haven’t done anything,” you mumbled.

To your building aggravation, Eragon sat down beside you. He leaned forward.

“Did something happen?”

You were staying committed to not making eye contact.

“(Y/N).”

“Please don’t ask me again.” You spoke as your jaw muscles tightened as you felt your voice crack.

“What’s wrong?” He placed a hand on your shoulder.

“Nothing.” Shooting to your feet, you put distance between you and Eragon. Your movement startled him and left him frowning at your actions. At the sight of him opening his mouth, you turned to leave.

“I can help you if you tell me what’s bothering you.”

“No, you can’t. You shared your true name, what else am I supposed to think?” Hitting the wall with the side of your fist, you left the room.

Why did I say that? You thought as you quickened your pace through the halls. He’s going to figure that I didn’t mean Saphira. What if he thinks I know his true name? That’ll be worse! Why does he have to be infatuated with someone who already turned him down? Why do I have to be pining?

Four more paces and you heard your name being called somewhere behind you in the hall.

You grunted.

“You know about that too?” Eragon’s voice was close following you.

“Leave me alone.”

He caught up.

“Are you talking about Arya?”

“Your elf-like speed is ticking me off.” You stared straight ahead.

“Have you met her?”

“No.”

Darn it. No answering.

“Do you know about my feelings for her?” He asked, almost hesitantly.

Keeping your mouth shut, you rounded a corner. You would go outside or lock yourself in your room and barricade it if necessary.

So much for keeping quiet a—

Eragon was standing in front of you. His brown eyes trained and focused on only you.

Faltering a step at his position, you moved left. He sidestepped in front of you. Narrowing your gaze, you stepped right. Again, Eragon blocked your way.

A heavy and short sigh escaped through your nostrils.

I’m not playing today.

Resisting the urge to scold him, you faked right and broke off to the left as you successfully passed him. Your pace returned to its earlier speed. You were in no mood to run, but if it came to that you would.

Just leave me alone.

Passing a young dragon and seeing them look past you, you took off at a sprint. Thankfully, your room was not too far off.

By the time you reached the door to your room, Eragon was back in view. Getting inside quickly, you closed the door before locking it.

“(Y/N)!” Eragon’s voice called from the other side of the door.

It was a wonder he had not caught up to you sooner. Perhaps someone sidetracked him.

The young dragon did see me start running, you thought as you looked for something to block the door. How do I even block a door like this? He has magic though.

“Do you like me?”

Your eyes widened at Eragon’s question. You did not move.

“Do you have feelings for me?” He voice was quieter.

Hide.

[goodmeowningcols]

Will Jonrya become a thing in the books? What’s your honest opinion on it, not as a shipper but as an asoiaf fan?

In a way, Jonrya is already there. You could see vestiges of it in Jon’s very questionable thoughts. Arya is the person he loves the most, enough to die for her. The fact that there are other elements to it like him thinking of her while imagining Ygritte naked is something no brother should be doing. And when Ygritte asked, “Would you bed your sister?” he deflects the question and instead points out that Longspear who was Ygritte’s adopted brother doesn’t count as a real brother. And then he starts questioning if Arya is even his sister. And his explosive reaction at Ramsay claiming Arya when he had no reaction to Sansa’s wedding... Lastly, he kept seeing Arya in every girl and woman and he kept being heartbroken. The intense feelings are already there.

We have learned before that the last thought a person has before death will become their obsession after they’re resurrected. And who was Jon’s last thought? Stick em with the pointy end.

As for outright explicit romance, that’ll probably be a no during TWOW because it would be highly surprising to even see any romance in that book (aside from Jamie/Brienne, probably Harry/Sansa, and a handful of others). It’ll likely be a very action-paced book that heavily details more plot and character movement. There will be war.

But the seeds have already been planted on Jon’s end and even if Arya was too young to have romantic inclination before, she will likely be obsessed with him too in Winds. Jon was the person she longed for the most and he was ripped away from her with his untimely death. He will always be on her mind because she loves him a lot and it’ll hurt her so much to have lost him. She will stop at nothing to go back North to seek justice for what was done to him. I hope that they get reunited at the end of the book. And she will likely find out that he died explicitly for her (or the idea of her).

If Jonrya happens as stated in GRRM’s outline, it’ll likely happen in ADOS when they’re together again, sticking close together as much as possible after spending so long apart. Conveniently, Arya will hopefully be older then too since the war may take years. And as stated in the outline, Jon’s parentage will be their relief from the romantic love they may have. Because in George’s world, cousins are free to wed. And despite growing up as siblings, Jon has already questioned being her brother. And Arya had that curious line, “I’m not so little anymore. He will have to call me something else,” when she remembers him calling her little sister. So yes, it’ll likely happen still.

[musical-chick-13]

And Theon bc I love him

WHAT A COINCIDENCE I LOVE HIM TOO (this answer is gonna be a combination of books and show)

Send me a character and I’ll tell you the following:

• Did they live up to their potential? / In what ways was their potential unachieved?

-I would say yes. The only negative I have about his general arc is his death (which, see below). But Theon from the very beginning was, though not a particularly nice person, still relatable. Feeling othered, wanting to be accepted by an immediate environment that doesn’t accept you, isolated from and ostracized by your family, and the tension that comes between serving the different types of familial relationships in your life. Theon has no idea who he is, tossed aside by his blood family for not growing up with them and being “soft,” aka sort-of moral and having emotions that aren’t selfish rage or smugness (which, yep, that second part is a mood, see: my entire childhood and how no one wanted to be around an “emotional” “soft” child). And from there, he spirals out of control in a way that, while certainly not admirable by any stretch of the imagination, is still understandable in the context of the narrative and his characterization. And from there, after going through hell and quite literally losing himself (even to the point of straight-up denying rescue), he builds himself back up gradually, to the point where he expressed extreme regret for what he’s done, helps an innocent woman escape a truly horrifying situation, acknowledges that his family is generally garbage, and (in-show b/c again books aren’t finished), helping to restore his sister to power, rescuing her after his PTSD relapses while confronting Euron, and ultimately opting to protect the Starks come hell or high water in order to genuinely atone for what he’s done. He is no longer conflicted because he wants to do the right thing, and that right thing is defending the kingdom from the White Walkers and making sure Sansa and Bran are safe. And it’s no longer about fulfilling a duty or finding a family to fill the void. Because now he has found himself. I will contend that Theon has one of the best, most nuanced, most organic redemption arcs of all time. I will forever be grateful that I got to see that piece of storytelling unfold.

Although, I would love to know what he thought of Dany. A missed opportunity, that.

• How they negatively and positively affected the story.

-Positive: His arc of identity and finding where your loyalties lie ties into the overall theme of “How do you find yourself in a world where goodness, authenticity, and honesty are often punished and increasingly rare?” And it proves that governmental politics aren’t the only defining factors in decisions: familial politics can be just as difficult and dangerous, which adds yet another rich, complicated layer to the overall story. He has a genuine, honest-to-Drowned-God redemption arc, which is...not really present anywhere else in the story (no, Jaime is not on a Redemption Quest, I will die on this hill). But I think the biggest draw of Theon’s presence is that it deconstructs the whole “Character Revenge Fantasy” idea. He does bad things. We want him to be punished. But not like that. No one deserves that. How far is too far? What does retribution really look like? Given how easily that idea can be abused and go off the rails, is retribution even something to strive for? What is the point of using extreme violence/torture/mutilation/breaking someone’s psyche when it doesn’t really accomplish anything? Isn’t atonement and genuine justice a better option? It certainly was for Theon. He could only piece himself back together and do anything meaningful once he was out of his abusive environment. All of these are imporant questions that are posed by his existence in the narrative.

-Negative: Idk if I have much to say here. My biggest problem is his death (see below), but that’s not really a negative story effect so much as...being disappointing and narratively irrelevant. I gotta say, his introduction via his sister was...really weird. I genuinely have no idea why GRRM wrote that. It never came up again or had any kind of narrative ramifications and kind of cast a strange, uncomfortable light on his relationship with Asha/Yara for the remainder of the story. I can ignore and enjoy their later relationship it if I don’t think about it too hard, though, so I guess I’ll chalk it up to GRRM having a Bad Idea.

• What my favorite arc for them is.

-All of it?? Theon’s journey is kind of...one big arc, which is why I think it works so well. He has this overarching redemption plot which spans the entire series and informs every decision he makes (for good or for bad, depending on where in the aforementioned journey he is). The redemption arc isn’t bogged down with side plots or other pieces of narrative clutter, meaning it has time to grow and, thus, be gradual and realistic. If I had to choose a specific point, it’s probably when he tries to reintegrate back into society via supporting Yara. Gaining the Iron Islands’ support for her ruling, spiriting away with Euron’s fleet, and ultimately rescuing his sister after her capture. He can’t just go back into society. He’s scared. He has really bad PTSD. But he recognizes that putting his home in good hands is something bigger than just him because it’s Yara’s home, too. I just...I really love family relationships, y’all.

• What I think of their ending.

-I’m not really sure how I feel about this one. I get that the series is GrimDark™ and that people who make the right choice and fight for good die all the time, but Theon dying just felt...wrong. To me.

And, like...I get it. It makes sense to parallel his original descent into villainy (cemented by executing those two boys and pretending they were Bran and Rickon) with him dying to protect Bran himself. It ties into the whole very common trope of completing a full redemption arc by committing a completely selfless act at great personal cost. It’s kind of like the whole Missy thing in Doctor Who (which...hoo boy, that post is coming, make no mistake), where selfishness is directly opposed by making the ultimate sacrifice with no motivation for personal gain. And the fact that the last words he ever heard were “You’re a good man?” I cannot even begin to describe how much that makes me sob. But...honestly, I’m really tired of this idea that redemption has to end in death in order to be achieved or “complete.” I think it’s much more poignant to have a redeemed character live to help build a better world. Because what’s the point of telling people to be better if the “reward” is death? No one’s going to want to reform themselves if they think that’ll be the result.

I think the thing that Bugs Me™ the most is that Theon never really got to have a moment of peace when he was alive. Sansa gained the North’s love and at least had a secure childhood. Ned and Cat were happily married for years. Arya had parents who loved her and a good relationship with Jon. Jon fell in love with Ygritte and found his Night Watch Bros, and Robb (in show verse) had some very happy moments with Talisa. Davos put great stock in what he considered fulfilling friendships with Stannis and Shireen; Brienne was treated respectfully by Renly, Catelyn, and Sansa; Missandei and Grey Worm had each other and their friendship with Dany, who herself had many personal successes in her quest for the Iron Throne and saw the death of her abusive brother. Cersei even had moments with Jaime (who himself had several notable military victories and at least some time with Myrcella, as well as being gladly and deeply in love, however dysfunctional that love was), times when she successfully fought off enemies (including her dad), and some sweet moments with Tommen, as well as a huge victory via blown-up sept at the end of season 6. Theon was treated as a second-class family member by the Starks his whole life by being “traded” to them as a condition of war resolution AS A BABY, is immediately disparaged and mistreated by his immediate family when he tries to return to them, makes terrible decisions that almost cost him his conscience completely, is brutally tortured by Ramsay, is on the run with his sister from Euron almost immediately after, and has a PTSD attack that ultimatly results in him having to launch a rescue mission. And then he fights ice zombies. And then he dies. He never really...got to be happy at all? There was never any kind of “win” for him. Not even survival. The narrative couldn’t even give him that.

TLDR: Theon’s death seemed less shock-value-y than others (like, for example, Shireen or Missandei or, heck, Melisandre even), and it isn’t the worst thing I’ve ever seen. It’s narratively-informed and it makes sense as an emotional through-line, but, ultimately, Redemption Cemented By Selfless Death is a tired trope, and I honestly thought this story (which...you know...serves as a deconstruction of common fantasy tropes/book tropes in general) was better than that.

• When I wish they had died. / If I think they should’ve died.

-So here’s where we get personal™ kids.

So, it’s no secret that I am...severely mentally ill. I’ve talked about expression/presentation of mental illness in regard to Cersei a lot on this blog, and how that (as paradoxical as it may seem) helped bring a sense of comfort and emotional resonance to me. Theon, post-Ramsay, has, I think, a very clear case of PTSD. Theon is one of the few characters I’ve seen where his mental illness isn’t the cause of the bad, violent, dangerous choices he makes. It only takes root after he has made the decision and conscious effort to better himself, and it, rather than demonizing him, serve to humanize him. His trauma didn’t define him. And although a PTSD attack led to him unintentionally losing Yara to Euron’s capture, he makes every effort to rescue her, a goal he does end up achieving. It is so rare I get to see a character who goes through these things, successfully fight them and come out with positive qualities at the end. Like...switching topics a bit here, Jaime going back to King’s Landing to (try to) escape and ultimately die with Cersei made sense to me because, as Jaime says, he is a hateful man. He never made much of an honest effort to be anything else. And he never truly wanted to be good; he just wanted to be liked. He wanted to adopt some personality that would make him feel less disconnected from the rest of the world. But Theon...genuinely feels remorse for everything he’s done. He makes a concerted effort to do everything in his power to improve the lives of people he believes are good and deserve to be safe. So, just...killing him off in a Completely Selfless Sacrifice (like...you know how a lot of mentally ill people put themselves through suffering-like OCD rituals, bottling feelings, self-harm, even suicide-in a misplaced attempt to “help” or “protect other people”) seemed antithetical to everything we saw of his arc.

Ultimately, with such a humanizing, empathetic portrayal of trauma and mental health struggles, seeing Theon be killed off just...pissed me off. I am so tired of seeing mentally ill characters die. I really want to believe that I can live through and thrive in spite of the things that afflict me, and I get example after example of characters not being allowed to do that. It feels awful, quite frankly. And it makes hope that much harder. 

I also just feel like...there was nothing the story gained from his death? I get the thematic parallels as mentioned earlier, but it didn’t really move the story forward in any significant way. It didn’t motivate other characters to do anything, it had no political ramifications, it didn’t serve to contribute to any kind of happy ending or commentary on society, it just...was sad. Again, I thought this story was better than that.

[themockingpoint]

A million minutes late but here is my Sansa Appreciation Week day 5 submission. Takes place during the feast of 8x4. Shout out to @chryswatchesgot because I could not do that stupid cannon quote and their post from that episode gave me the perfect response.

  “It’s alright to be enjoying yourself.” Jon said, to Sansa shaking her out of her somewhat drunken thoughts. “If only for a little bit.”

 “Tell that to your queen.” Sansa said, before she could help herself. She showed off a grimace as she practically felt her brother’s annoyance bleed off him with a sigh.

 Sansa knew that the conflict between her and her brother’s… paramour was causing him undue tension, but she could not help it. Jon told Sansa that she is just refusing to see the Targaryen queen as she truly is and is letting what her family did to the Starks get in the way of that. However, Sansa would argue that it was her brother that was not seeing clearly ever since the two monarchs slept together. She sighed and downed another cup of wine.

 The way that she legitimized Gendry “Rivers” without thinking or consulting her advisors showed Sansa exactly what she needed to know. Putting aside the fact that she barely knew him enough to even know his actual name or the fact that he was her second cousin -and according to the great council of 101 AC that would probably make him, as a male, a stronger contender for the throne- his father was Robert Baratheon and her father was the Mad King.

 As bad of a king that Robert was, the smallfolk did not see it. His era signified an era of peace. Meanwhile her father was Mad King Aerys. He… well he got the name for a reason. Jon may have bent the knee to her, but their lords will always remember their Uncle Brandon and their grandfather. Let alone what the smallfolk will think. Joffrey most publicly was the smallfolks woes, yet Tyrion was the one blamed since he happened to be there once they started. No way would they forget what the mad king put them through. They were slaves waiting to be freed, they were people who just wished to go on with their lives with Highborn war.

  Another thing that Jon was forgetting but Sansa never would, was the fact that she spent years in King’s Landing, years. Joffrey, Cersei, Baelish, Ramsay, all of them taught her how to see a mask of benevolence. The Dragon queen may be projecting the air of the Good Queen Alysanne but Sansa likened her to the Young Dragon, Daeron I. The Dragon Queen may win the throne, but she would never be done conquering. She took over rulership in Meereen but was now looking to rule the Seven Kingdoms. The woman would never be done conquering, and Sansa did not plan on allowing the North and her people to be one of those Kingdoms to conquer that she will eventually become bored with.

 “I’m sorry.” Sansa slightly slurred from drink. “I am a little on edge… Feasts… I do not have the greatest history with celebrations…”

 “Here, here!” Tyrion said, walking behind them causing Sansa to roll her eyes.

 Sansa looked at the man that she used to think was the smartest man alive. When she knew him, he was the sharpest man in the room, taking people’s number without much of a challenge. He, Jon, and Varys -although he seemed to flip-flop worse than the Tyrells- all trusted her, is her own prejudices not allowing her to see the woman truly?

 Jon told her a little bit about the woman. The parallels between Sansa and Daenerys herself were strong, very strong. Sansa would not, could not, deny it and to be perfectly honest? It scared Sansa just how similar the two of them were. Abusive husbands, they were both raped on their wedding nights, both were used and passed around as bargaining chips, and both would do anything to get their countries back. Sansa almost crossed a line she never could have come back from.

 As similar as they were, Sansa knew that the dragon queen was not her friend, and definitely not Jon’s friend. She would only ever see them as subjects, never allies. They would be expected to fight whatever wars she would want to fight at the drop of a hat; ironically not unlike how Robert Baratheon was like with Sansa’s own father. As Sansa said, she would never be done conquering and -like during the Baratheon regime- the North would be dragged into it. She could not let her people be killed by the petty southern wars. She would not fail them; not again.

 “Why don’t you walk around?” Jon said, giving her a sympathetic smile. He knew how the last few feasts that she had turned out.

 “I… don’t think that is a good idea… I think I may be a little drunk.” She said, with a slight giggle.

 “Well I believe in you!” He said, slamming his hand down on the table in an ironic echo of her earlier statement.

 She walked away and a few minutes later saw the queen walk off in a huff of jealousy. She must admit, she was no Joffrey. He never would have abided by someone singing praises that were not directed at him, especially if he thought it was at his expense. She was not her father either, who would have just burned someone alive had he gotten annoyed with them.

 But it does not matter. The North was the North. They were not like the other seven kingdoms, even Dorne had more similarities to the southern kingdoms than the North did. The North just did things differently, they had different traditions, hell even their gods were different from the rest of the kingdoms. They were too detached from the rest of the Kingdoms to be part of such a kingdom that was practically united against them.

 She needed to clear her head as she was depressing herself. As she walked amongst the lower tables she saw where Tormund got to. She froze as she saw who he was sitting next to. Sansa knew he was here. Jon and Arya both mentioned the fact, he apparently had saved Arya’s life during the siege. Sansa has not been avoiding him, but she had not been seeking him out either.

 “Af’er all that he just comes North and takes ‘er from me.” Tormund said, weepily leaning on Sandor. “Just takes ‘er. Like that!”

 “Her?” Sansa thought to herself before she remembered who Tormund had been obsessed with since she had met him. “He can’t… He can’t mean Brienne, can he?”

 Thinking back to how her sworn shield starred at Jaime Lannister with starry eyes as they continued speaking, Sansa quickly realized what had happened when a quick look told her that she was not there. She felt happy for the woman despite her feelings about Jaime Lannister. She was more devoted to her duty than any other person than Sansa knew. She deserved this, she deserved to relax.

 “I’m not ‘fraid of Wildlings.” The serving girl (whore? She know Tyrion hired many to spread into the waiting staff) said, raising an eyebrow as Sansa finished another glass of wine. She doubts that she has even been this drunk and she must say she thinks that she is handling it very well.

 “Maybe you should be.” Tormund said, suggestively wagging his eyebrows.

 As Sansa realized what was happening, she felt a tightening in her own belly. One she had not really ever felt before, except maybe with Loras Tyrell. She shook out of her distraction as Sandor growled at the woman, terrifying her so that she would make her escape. Thinking of the feeling in her belly she walked over.

 “She could have made you happy…” She said, as she sat down. She wondered if his rejection of her was due to lack of interest or because of self-hatred and cynicism. Gods know that he has enough of that. Enough that he tried passing it onto her. “For a little while.”

 He looked up in surprise, whether he was shocked she was there or that she decided to speak to him she did not know. When they finally broke eye contact, he said, “There’s only one thing that’ll make me happy.”

 “And what’s that?” She said humoring him, trying to get him to lighten the hell up.

 “That’s my business!” He growled trying to scare her away. Once, it might have worked. She drunkenly cocked an eyebrow to show that she was unamused. “Used to be you couldn’t look at me.”

 “That was a long time ago…” She said sadly remembering the kiss from the Blackwater. One of the only two people she has ever kissed and the only one she somewhat wanted it from. Is that why he was not looking at her, trying to scare her away. “I’ve seen much worse that you.”

 “Yes I’ve heard… Heard you were broken in… Heard you were broken in rough…” He said, almost smugly and she clenched her teeth. Why was he being so hostile? She was trying to extend an olive branch.

 “Yes.” She said, she had already lost Theon today and her patience was quickly wearing thin. “He got what he deserved. I gave it to him.”

 “How?” He asked, genuinely curious.

 “Hounds…” She said, causing a moment of laughter from him.

 “You’ve changed, Little-Bird.” Sandor said, taking a drink. Once she had a sickening liking to the demeaning nickname. Now it just angered her. “None of it would have happened had you come with me.”

 “And there it is.” Sansa thought to herself. Most of the men in her life tried taking credit for what she was or could have been. To be frank, she was sick of it. Sansa was the woman she was today because of two men and a woman, all of which were named Stark. She may not have gotten everything she has due to her own merits but the men who spit poison and abuses at her no longer could claim credit for it. She would not allow it. No longer.

 “That’s the thing Sandor.” She said, grabbing his hand to his surprise. “I was never a little bird. I was a puppy. And Gods help those who think they can tame a Direwolf.”

 She stood up and grabbed Tormund’s nearly full goblet. If he wanted to stew in his cynicism, hatred, and self-loathing than he was more than welcome to it. She was not going to allow him to infect her with it as well. That is all he tried to do even since they first met at the Crossroad Inn all those years ago. She was done trying to save someone who did not want to save themselves but drag her down to their level instead.

 She would always be grateful for what he did for her sister, but she was done trying to save him. It was not her job. She looked down at her former would be protector and walked off, forgetting the reason that she came over in the first place.

[dragongoddess13]

Ooh your prompt list was so hard to pick from, i want them all haha. May i have Arya/Gendry please “I got cursed and turned into an animal and taken to the shelter and ended up getting adopted by someone who is really hot OH NO” - Also can i have more than one please because i wasn't joking about wanting all the prompts haha

This turned out so much longer than I planned and now I kind of want to write a whole story eventually. This is not the first time I’ve written this prompt, but I think this might be my favorite

Read on Ao3

Here’s what I pictured Gendry looking like as I was writing this;

He wants to say he deserved this, but deep down, the little part of him that knows better than to think that way, knows he doesn’t. All he did was get mixed up with the wrong woman. He thought she liked him, so she was a little older, lots of older women were interested in younger guys and he wasn’t so down on himself that he didn’t know he was nice to look at. How was he supposed to know she was a witch, or that her only interest in him was his recently discovered bloodline, or the money he was set to inherit or the fact this uncle wasn’t convinced that a bastard should get anything much less what he believed should have been his. Alright, maybe he should have seen that last one, she was Stannis’ assistant after all. 

All he had wanted was someone in his life who didn’t expect a lot. He wasn’t the type to go out and party, he didn’t particularly like social gatherings and he wasn’t very talkative, but he had been alone for so long he was beginning to feel the drag of it and he stupidly thought that his smart, successful, older woman might want to help him get rid of it. Now he would pay for that naivete. 

The bell above the door rings as it opens and Gendry peers out of the bars of the small cat carrier he was shoved into. Why was he in a cat carrier you might ask, well, what else would a witch turn someone into? 

“Hi, can I help you?” he hears ahead of him, but he can’t see past the front desk. The voice sounds familiar, but he can’t quite place it at the moment.

“Yes,” Melisandre says, putting on a cadence of sadness. “I’m… well, I'm here to surrender my cat.” she says, and Gendry rolls his eyes. Surely no one was dumb enough to fall for her crocodile tears.

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Can I ask why?” the woman continues as the carrier is lifted over the desk and set, just a bit too hard, on the counter. 

“He’s, well he’s a bit violent.” she whispers conspiratorially. “It’s strange, he was so nice when I first took him in but now he’s just so mean all the time.” she sighs. “I suppose that’s what I get for taking in a tom cat.” 

“I see.” the other woman speaks again. “Well, we’ll gladly take him in. Does he have a name?” 

“Excellent. His name is Gendry.” Melisandre replies a little too quickly. “Good luck.” she continues and a second later he hears her expensive heals clicking across the floor to the door. The bell rings again before he hears the woman say; “What a bitch.” under her breath.

A moment later a familiar face peeks in at him and he’s suddenly very aware of why her voice sounded familiar. Weasel, that’s what everyone called her. Her real name was Westly, Westley Rodante and she was the front desk assistant for the local Animal Welfare Agency. He’d met her numerous times when he’d come in on the days Arya was volunteering. 

Weasel huffs. “Well no wonder you’re so angry, this carrier is way too small for you.” she tells him as if she’s talking to a person. She opens the carrier door and Gendry crawls out without much prompting. She had been right, the carrier was far too small for a full grown cat, especially, if he was right about the way he looked, a full grown maine coon. She reaches out tentatively toward him and scritches around his ears. To his horror he purrs, leaning into it. “Aww, see you're so sweet. That mean old lady doesn’t know what she’s talking about.” 

Gendry meowed in agreement, leaning more into her hand. 

“What old lady?” another voice sounds and Gendry sits up straight, pulled from his stupor by the familiarity of it. He turns to find the most beautiful woman in the world stepping out of the back, files in hand. 

Dr. Arya Stark had been his best friend since he was sixteen years old, which probably wasn’t a good thing given the five year age difference. She was very determined to make him her friend though, and who was he to argue with her. 

Gendry watches in utter fascination as her face lights up at the sight of him. Could it be that she recognizes him, it wouldn’t be too big a stretch, she does have old magic running through her family line and even she herself is a Warg. 

“Who is this?” she asks, tossing her files on the check in desk and stepping up to the counter. She reaches out to him and he goes willingly, as he always does when she needs him, running her fingers through his fur and massaging his face. He begins to purr again, leaning into her. 

“See, I don’t get it. The woman who dropped him off said he was violent. I even saw bite and scratch marks on her hands. Gendry feels a spark of pride. That’ll teach her to mess with him. Up until that point she had intended to keep him as a pet from what he could tell, but his consciousness had remained unexpectedly and now she had to be rid of him before he clawed her face off in her sleep. 

“She probably just didn’t know how to handle such a magnificent creature.” Arya replies, reaching out and scooping him up. “I don’t think we’ll have a difficult time adopting him out.” he cuddles into her, taking the comfort of a familiar face in such a difficult time. “Let’s get you a check up and then we’ll figure out where to put you.” Arya continues, carrying him into one of the exam rooms. She sets him on the steel table and gets to work checking him over. He’s only slightly mortified when she lifts his tail to take his temperature but when she lifts his legs to check other things he thinks this might be the worst part of this entire experience. 

Growing up, Arya had meant a lot to him, but it wasn’t until about five years earlier that he realized he loved her. It just sort of hit him one day. She was visiting him from Storm’s End where she was working her first job as a large animal vet in the country when he just sort of realized the feelings he had whenever she laughed or smiled or was near were more than feelings of friendship. 

And now she had seen his balls… excellent. 

“What the verdict, Doc.” Weasel asks as she comes back out with him. 

“All healthy.” Arya replies, rubs her check on the top of his head, muttering absently about how soft he is. It almost cuts down on the mortification over his physical exam. “Alright,” she speaks up as she makes her way into the back kennel. “He’s the last one for the day. I’m going to head home.” 

“In a hurry?” Weasel asks, surprised, then she grins. “Hot date?” 

Arya sighs. “No unfortunately, going out with Gendry tonight.” 

“Hey, that’s what the lady said the cat’s name was.” 

Arya laughs, stopping in front of an empty kennel. “Gendry would absolutely hate that. I’m tempted to take him home just to piss with him.” 

From over her shoulder, Gendry sees Weasel give her a sad smile, but he doesn’t get the chance to think about it before Arya tries to lift him into the kennel. Instinctively his claws extend, catching in her shirt. She tries to pull him free as gently as she can, but he’s not letting go. It suddenly occurs to him that she’s leaving and that she only works at the shelter once a month. If she leaves him here he could end up getting adopted out to some stranger, and then he’ll have no hope whatsoever of finding a way to reverse what Melisandre did to him.

“I don’t think he wants to go in the kennel.” Weasel says. 

“I don’t think so either.” Arya replies, pulling him back against her. “He’s shaking.” she continues and it takes a moment for Gendry to realize she’s right, he is shaking. The sudden jolt of terror at the idea of being stuck like this forever has shaken him a bit more than he thought and he rests his head into the crook of her shoulder, purring as she scratches at his ears. “What did that woman do to him?” 

“He could stay in the play room until he’s more comfortable.” Weasel says and they make their way out of the back kennels toward a glass walled room to the left of the lobby. When she tries to put him down he holds on again and eventually she gives up. “Maybe you should adopt him.” 

Pressed against her he can feel the beat of her heart and the stuttering of it as Weasel makes the suggestion is telling. Arya likes to pretend she’s okay, but the loss of her childhood companion and Warging partner has left her downtrodden and hurt. It’s why she had moved to King’s Landing in the first place; she couldn’t stand to live in the place Nymeria had taken her last breaths. That was one of the reasons he had made plans to take her out that night. She had been keeping herself locked up in her apartment when she wasn’t working and while she had told him it was simply because it was a busy season for pet injuries, he knew her better than that. Nymeria had quite literally been a part of her and the loss of the massive wolf hound had broken off a piece of her she couldn’t reclaim. 

“I don’t…” she hesitates, probably looking for the best way to say no without having to explain why. But then, she surprises him. “I don’t have anything for him, do we have any donations?” she asks. 

Weasel perks up. “We just got a new delivery today.” she tells her, turning on her heels and rushing off excitedly. Arya takes her time following her, stroking Gendry along the back until he calms down. He’s nearly asleep when she speaks up again;

“Gendry huh? My favorite name. I guess it was meant to be then.” 

xXx

  Arya’s apartment is pretty spacious for only one person, but he knows it’s just a habit she’s had trouble breaking. When Nymeria was alive she needed all the room for the massive hound. 

Arya huffs as he jumps out of her arms as they walk through the door. He had made her carry him all the way home, too scared that she would change her mind and take him back to the shelter. But now that they’re here, he feels a lot better. “I guess make yourself at home.” she tells him, pulling the cat bed and toys from the reusable bag she brought home with them, she tosses them into the corner of the living room. “Don’t make a mess, Gendry will be here soon.” she calls out to him as she disappears into the bathroom. He flinches at the reminder of their plans and hopes some day she’ll forgive him for standing her up. It’s not as if he wants to miss tonight after all and in the grand scheme of things, he’s already here, she just doesn’t know it yet. 

Arya is in the bathroom for a while and when she comes out, she looks stunning. She’s wearing a lacy black dress, her face all done up. She’s even left her hair down. For a moment he’s struck by the idea that she’s done all of this for him, but then he reminds himself she always looks this good when they go out. She’s a social person and even if she doesn’t particularly like dresses, she knows how to wear one well. 

Gendry has made himself comfortable on the couch, despite the little bed she’s set out for him. He watches as she sighs, setting her shoes on the floor and sitting down beside him. 

“Tonight is the night.” she tells him, scritching him around his ears. He leans into it. “I’m going to tell him everything.” she continues. Confusion plays through his mind and he feels a pang of regret knowing how badly this evening is going to end for her. There’s a nervous energy around her and he doesn’t know if he can feel it because he’s a cat now, or because he just knows her so well. “Maybe I should practice what I’m going to say.” she mutters to herself. After a moment she gets up, kneeling on the floor in front of him. “You be Gendry, okay.” she giggles a little at the joke. “Alright,” she gets a hold of herself, taking a deep breath. “Gendry, there’s something that I need to tell you.” she begins. “I… like you, a lot, like so much… fuck I can’t say that. What am I thirteen? Do you like me check yes or no.” she huffs, dropping her forehead against the sofa cushion. Gendry watches in fascination, the weight of her words settling in his chest. Could she really feel the same about him as he does about her? “Okay, how about this? Gendry, I love you. I have loved you for so long and I understand if you don’t feel the same way, but I can’t keep it to myself anymore...so…” 

Arya deflates again, whining; “Why is this so hard?” Gendry reaches over with a paw and pats her on the head. She looks up at him and smiles softly. “Thank you.” she leans over and lays a kiss on his head. “I think Gendry is going to like you.” she tells him. “He’s a cat person ya know, even if he pretends to be indifferent. My Nymie loved him.” she says softly, laying her head on the sofa cushion and reaching out to scritch around his neck. “That’s how I knew I could trust him when we met.” 

Gendry purrs doing his best to soften the blow of what he knows will come. He cuddles up to her, purring as she does the same. She kisses him on the head and he feels his heart soar before he remembers that she has no idea who he is. Any minute now he knows this happiness is going to crack and fade, any minute now she’s going to realize he’s not coming and whether she’ll be upset or worried is anyone’s guess.

Eventually Arya begins to realize something is wrong, checking her phone for the time and any text messages that may explain why he’s late. “Where are you?” She mutters to herself, sitting up and unlocking her phone. She sends out a text but gets no reply. Gendry isn’t even sure where his phone ended up. He had it on him last night when Melisandre lured him back to her house, and he has to assume she’s smart enough not to keep it around.

When Arya doesn’t get a response she calls it, putting the phone on speaker as she moves into the kitchen. Gendry follows, listening to it ring before cutting off to voicemail. “Hey Gen, just wondering where you are. Let me know what’s going on.” She says, then hangs up. She putters around the kitchen for about fifteen minutes before she turns back to her phone staring down at the screen as if trying to make a decision. “I’m probably just overreacting. He’s probably just gotten caught up in a new project.” 

It wouldn’t be the first time it had happened. As a freelance artist, Gendry tended to work at odd hours, usually whenever inspiration struck him. So it wasn’t much of a stretch for her to believe he was in his workshop. 

Gendry hops up onto the barstool across from her and watches as she dials another number, setting the phone on the counter as it rings. 

“Hey Arya, shouldn’t you be out with Gendry right now?” Hot Pie answers the call, his voice a little tinny over the speaker. 

“Yeah, about that, he’s late. He isn’t in his workshop or something is he?” Arya asks. 

“Not that I know of. Honestly I haven’t seen him since he left for his date last night.” Hot Pie replies and Gendry suddenly feels the urge to strangle his roommate. He looks up at Arya, surprised to see what he can only describe as devastation on her face. 

“He had a date last night?” She asks. “Did he say with who?” 

“Mel-something,” Hot Pie says. “I honestly wasn’t paying attention, I’m not expecting it to go anywhere.”  

“I see, well if you see him, can you have him call me?” 

“Sure thing.” Hot Pie hesitates, then; “He’s really not there?”

“No, he’s not.” 

“That’s… really weird, it’s not like him to miss anything with you.” 

“Yeah, he probably just got caught up or something.” Arya replies quickly, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice. “Just let me know when he gets home.”

“Sure.” 

“Thanks.” She hangs up quickly, a tear managing to escape. She quickly wipes it away, but another falls just after it. Gendry feels his heart clench at the sight. He’s never been able to handle his own emotions when Arya cries and the idea that he did this to her only makes it that much worse. He hops up on the counter and walks toward. She buries her face in his fur as she scratches his side, leaving a kiss before she pulls away. “I guess tonight wasn’t the night.” 

More tears fall and she quickly scrubs them away, turning on her heels and walking into the bathroom. Gendry curses himself, the self loathing rising up as he sits himself outside the bathroom door, listening to her cry on the other side. He’s not sure how much time passes before she comes out, now in an old sweatshirt he’s been looking for for months. She sees him sitting at her feet and smiles sadly. 

“At least you love me, right?” She asks. He meows loudly, standing up on his back paws and stretching up her leg. She chuckles, scooping him up. “We’ll see if you still feel that way the next time I have to stick a thermometer up your butt.” 

XXx

They’re both awoken the next morning by Arya’s cellphone. 

“Hello.” Arya answers, still half asleep. Gendry rolls over, curling up against her. 

“Arry, it’s Hot Pie, did Gendry show up last night?” He can hear Hot Pie, her phone turned up just enough to make it fairly clear to him. 

“No why?” She asks. 

“He didn’t come home again last night.” 

Arya sits up abruptly. “Are you sure?” 

“Positive, his bed is still made and his workshop is empty.” He explains as Arya quickly gets out of bed. “I think we should file a missing persons report or something.”

“Okay, I’m on my way now.” 

“Alright-.” Is all he hears as Arya hangs up and rushes around the bedroom, dressing quickly. There’s a sudden burst of excitement running through him. He’s been so busy feeling sorry for himself that he’s completely forgotten about his friends realizing something is wrong. Arya may have been a little too heartbroken to think clearly last night, but she knows better than to think he wouldn’t contact her as soon as he was able, no matter where he was or what he was doing. 

She doesn’t even acknowledge him as she dresses and grabs what she needs, rushing out of the flat. He spends most of the day waiting for her to get back, lazing out in the only way a cat can. The sun is almost completely set by the time she returns looking distraught and exhausted. She’s not alone either, his roommates Hot Pie and Podrick following her in. 

“I’m going to kill that bitch.” Arya exclaims, tossing her things down on the couch, nearly hitting him in the process. 

“Arya-“

“No! She did something to him, I know she did. That bitch has been up Stannis’ ass for as long as I can remember, and what better way to win him over than to get rid of the only obstacle between him and whatever Robert left Gendry.” 

She stomps off to the kitchen, leaving Podrick and Hot Pie behind, giving them both ample opportunity to notice him. 

“Arry, when did you get a cat?” Hot Pie calls out, eyeing Gendry wearily. Hot Pie was a shifter, a rat shifter to be exact. If he wasn’t so preoccupied with getting back to normal, he’d take advantage of the opportunity to mess with him. 

“Yesterday.” Arya replies, returning with three bottles of water. She passes one to each of them and collapses on the sofa beside Gendry. “Isn’t that right Gen.” 

Podrick snorts into his water bottle, little dribbles going everywhere. “Did you seriously name the cat after Gendry?” 

“No,” she huffs, sticking her nose in the air. “That was…” her face falls and her false bravado with it.

“What’s wrong?” Hot Pie asks. 

Arya doesn’t reply, staring down at Gendry like she’s trying to convince herself what she’s thinking is crazy. He gets up, sitting on his haunches and raising up to gesture with his front paws. He’s not sure what he’s doing, but he’s trying to point to himself. 

Arya sits up straight pulling her phone out and dialing a number. 

“Arry, what’s wrong?” Podrick tries, but she still doesn’t answer. 

“Weasel!” Arya exclaims as she picks up on the other end of the line. “If I send you a picture, could you tell me if it’s the woman who brought Gendry into the shelter?” there’s a pause, then; “Great, I’m sending it now.” Arya waits for it to go through then puts the phone back to her ear. “It is? You’re sure?” she pauses for an answer. “Great, I’ll explain later, thank you.” 

Arya hangs up and turns to Gendry. “Melisandre turned Gendry into a cat.” she says out loud. Both Podrick and Hot Pie pop up in their seats, staring down at the large black Maine Coon. 

“Are you sure?” Podrick asks as Hot Pie says;

“Can she do that?” 

Gendry jumps into Arya’s arms, nestling down as if to tell her she’s right, which seems to be a good enough answer for all of them. 

“Holy shit.” Podrick curses, digging his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll call Brienne, the police have witches on staff for stuff like this.” he turns and walks into the kitchen to make the call. 

“This is insane.” Hot Pie mutters and Arya merely nods in agreement, too distracted as Gendry excitedly nuzzles his face against hers. 

xXx

The witch Brienne brings over is not someone they know, but Brienne vouches for her, which is good enough for Arya. “Jaime left the station when I did to arrest Melisandre.” Brienne explains as they watch the witch set up her spell in the center of Arya’s living room. Arya hasn’t put Gendry down at all since he jumped into her arms and he’s not complaining. 

“Alright.” the witch says, standing straight and turning to them. “Place him in the center of the circle and we can begin.”

“This isn’t going to hurt him, is it?” Arya asks, slowly approaching the intricate circle drawn on the floor. 

The woman smiles kindly at her. “It may be a bit uncomfortable, but there shouldn’t be any pain.” she tells her and Arya hesitantly sets Gendry in the circle. The woman gets to work as soon as Arya stands clear and before long there’s a flash of light so bright it sends dark spots through his vision even after the light fades. 

“Oh thank the gods.” he hears Podrick mutter and then there’s something falling over his shoulders, fabric wrapping around him. He blinks the spots from his eyes, shaking his head and when his vision clears he finds Arya kneeling in front of him, smiling up at him and holding a blanket closed around him. He doesn’t think much beyond that, reaching out to her and pulling her in, kissing her soundly. 

“About time.” Hot Pie says behind them, but he ignores him and everyone else for that matter as Arya pulls away. 

“I love you too.” he tells her, watching the bright smile spread across her face.

[ladylaurelandash]

The King’s Bastard Chapter 2: Impressions

This is the second chapter. I have part of the third going, and I think if I finish that chapter I’ll start posting to AO3. We’ll see. If you have any thoughts or questions, please let me know. 

Chapter 2: Impressions

Ned watched Gendry as he stared up at the Red Keep, brow furrowed in awe, confusion and fascination. They had spoken of little else besides how to ride a horse on the way over, Ned not wanting to answer any serious questions until they were in private. The lad’s eyes wandered back and for, taking it all in.

“This the closest you’ve ever been to the castle,” Ned asked, though he was fairly sure of the answer.

“Aye, m’lord. Never had reason to come near,” the lad answered, still staring upward.

“Never come for celebrations, parades or such? They usually toss coins or give out free bread.”

“No, best not to be in a big crowd. Too many pickpockets and drunkards looking for a fight.”

“You said you knew how to defend yourself, though,” Ned said. He believed the boy could, but he also thought the remark interesting.

Gendry looked away from the Red Keep and at Ned. “I can, but that don’t mean I wanna go looking for a fight,” he said defensively. After he spoke, he seemed to realize his tone was a bit harsher than was warranted, though it bothered Ned none, as the lad looked down and added quietly, “m’lord.”

This admission didn’t really surprise Ned, and only seemed to confirm one of his impressions of the boy. From what little time he’d spent with the lad, Ned could see a mix of boldness and caution. The boldness certainly came from Robert. It was there in the way Gendry had defiantly refused to sell him the bull’s head helmet. It was certainly there in accepting to come with Ned and change everything about his life. But years as an orphaned boy in poorest part of King’s Landing had seemed to have taught the boy wariness. It was a caution that was most definitely lacking in Robert. Robert always loved to look for a fight, but his look-a-like son did not. God, Ned thought, he’ll be needing to avoid many fights.

They passed through the gates, the guards thankfully given little notice to the lad. After stabling the horses, Ned led Gendry to the Tower of Hand.

They were ascending a flight of stairs to, Gendry a few feet behind, when Ned heard a crash and a familiar yell. He turned to find Gendry laying against the steps and Arya standing at his side.

“Hey, watch out!” Arya yelled at him. She was dressed in dirty rumpled breeches and a stained shirt that she had stolen from Bran before coming to King’s Landing. Her hair, which had been in a neat bun and two braids at breakfast, was now a tangled mess, pieces flying this way and that.

“Oi, you watch it, boy!” Gendry called back while getting up and rubbing his knees.

“I’m not a boy, I’m a girl!” Arya rejoined, her hands on her hip.

“You shouldn’t be running up on people over stairs! You’ll get someone’s head broken!” Gendry said, standing over her, indignant, but somehow also amused.

Ned chuckled. “He’s right child, you need to be more careful. ”

The two looked up. “But Father, I’m practicing! Syrio says if I run up stairs as fast as I can it will make me stronger and I’ll run faster when I’m on flat ground” Arya whined.

Gendry’s eyes widened and panic passed over his face. Ned had an idea what he was thinking, and Gendry soon gave voice to it.

“You’re Lord Stark’s daughter…you’re a lady. Lord Stark, I’m sorry, I didn’t….m’lady, I’m so sorry…”

“I’m not a lady!”

Ned only smiled. “It’s alright, Gendry. She needs a good yelling at sometimes. Arya, this is Gendry, he’s going to be staying with us now, at least for a bit. Gendry, this my daughter, Lady Arya.”

Arya rolled her eyes at the teasing emphasis on her title, but simply said, “Nice to meet you. Why are you staying with us?”

Gendry seemed to want to answer but was unsure what to say, so Ned put in “I’ll explain to you and your sister later. Now go run along and get ready for supper.”

“But I’m still practicing!”

“Practice more tomorrow. Go on now, child.”

Arya ran off, with Gendry looking after her. He turned back to Ned and said, still in a bit of panic, “Truly, m’lord, I’m sorry I spoke to your daughter that way. I didn’t mean – .”

Ned shook his head and gestured for Gendry to continue following up the stairs. “She does look like a boy when she’s dressed like that, no way for you to know. Arya has a bit of the wolf’s blood, she’s always getting herself into some mischief, and she certainly doesn’t mind a good argument. But be careful not to speak like that in front of others. That’ll get you in far more trouble than an argument with her ever will.”

“Yes, m’lord. I understand, m’lord.”

Ned knew that he did.

Opening the door to his solar, Ned gestured to Gendry to take a seat. The boy did as he was bid, his eyes wide again, looking over the furnishings. He’s probably never seen anything so fine, Ned thought. In truth, Ned hadn’t much either. Winterfell was not a castle steeped in finery, and Ned had always preferred the humble to the ornate. But the furnishings of the Tower of the Hand were anything but humble. It wasn’t an impression Ned wanted the boy to have, knowing how intimidating it likely was to him. The truth would be intimidating enough. So, to put Gendry had ease, Ned poured them both a glass of mead and sat down in a chair next to Gendry.

“Here, drink this, I expect you’ll need it,” Ned offered a glass to Gendry. The boy took it hesitantly.

“Why, m’lord?” he asked as he took a drink. Ned took one, too, and then took a deep breath.

“There isn’t an easy way to say this, so I will state it simple: You are King Robert’s bastard.” Ned watched the boy’s expression change from apprehensive curiosity to shock. A sting of regret passed through Ned, knowing he’d just completely changed the boy’s identity with five words.

“What? But that’s….that’s not possible….how…?” Gendry said, the confusion strong in his voice.

“I’ve known the King since I was a boy. You look just like him at that age. Like as not, Lord Arryn knew as well, though I have no idea why he sought you out. There was another one of Robert’s bastards Lord Arryn met with, so perhaps the King wanted to make sure you all were taken care of, though he said nothing about it to me.”

Gendry’s eyes narrowed at that, a look Ned recognized too well – the famous Baratheon fury. Aye, Ned thought, he has a right to be angry.

“Right,” Gendry murmured, but Ned knew the boy saw through the obvious lie. Shaking his head, he said “There are….others?”

Nodding, Ned continued, “Aye, a few that I know of, but I don’t want to get into that just yet. I’m sure you have a lot of questions, and I want to answer them if I can, but for right now I want to focus on getting you settled. You want to be a knight, we’ll have to get you started on training right away. Many years to catch up on.”

Considering that, Gendry took a long sip of his mead before looking directly at Ned. “Alright. What do I have to do?”

Ned smiled – that boldness again, like a more serious version of the Robert he had known long ago. He liked the boy already.

[tomakeitbeautifultolive]

Hi, first of all I really admire how much effort you put in your posts and answers as well as your insight and eye for details. I really could use your help, all the hate Dany gets lately is so tiring and imho unjust. Now even a friend of mine that always loved her started hating on her and I think she just doesn't understand Dany. Do you have some sort of character analysis on your blog or know where I could find one? Thank you in advance.

Wow, thank you! And anon, I could not agree more. Upsettingly, I’m having the same issue with a friend IRL too, having been told “Dany’s always been a brat”.

Regrettably, I haven’t really done much in the way of Dany metas… I’d say I have better luck picking up steam when I get asks, particularly since it gives me a sense of direction (and the influx of asks is a very new thing). Oh, I did write a little meta on her parallels between ancient Mother Goddess Danu!

While the vitriol for our queen is absolutely uncalled for… I have a theory that the way she is framed is actually intentional.

Jon Snow is probably something of a red herring. At least in the way that it’s presumed this story is really all about him ascending to power and coming into his throne. The prince that was promised. Azor Ahai. Rightful heir. All of it.

(That’s not to say he’s unimportant)

But his female counterpart/mirror, inarguably the most powerful character in the series, isn’t taken very seriously by casual fans, her enemies, the Westerosi, etc (she’s referred to as Daenela by some smallfolk, which oddly sounds a whole lot like the name the antis use to disrespect her character - Danielle).

And despite the fact that she and Jon share such similar story arcs (such as getting swept up into a foreign culture and having to adapt to survive) she is often interpreted as mad or verging on evil, even though Jon has shown the same capacity for ruthlessness. In fact, watch their beheading scenes again - Daenerys is trying to make a statement about law and justice, and Jon? He seems more driven by personal vengeance. But they made Janos look so bad that by the time he was begging for mercy, we were rooting for Jon.

Another difference in how they’re perceived is that Jon gets much more compassion when it comes to his childhood. Unlike Daenerys, he was still surrounded by family and had a stable place to call home. Meanwhile, Daenerys ran from city to city with a verbally and physically abusive older brother, and one of their caretakers, Illyrio, had to vigorously fuck a whore so as not to rape Daenerys, basically. I mean gods, what a brat!

In the books, it’s easier to realize Dany isn’t a villain because you get access to her thoughts and intentions. But the show? All we have is Emilia’s face to try to convey things to the audience. And if they don’t match the words she’s saying, it’s completely lost on them. Now, if you’re someone who ignores her past - then yes, in season 8, it probably looks like she’s power hungry, when in reality - her one security, Jon, is slipping away - so she’s reverting back to the one constant she’s had for years. The quest for the throne.

And excuse my language here, but this bitch is really bringing all of her resources up to the north - for nothing but her love for Jon Snow - and no one cares. She’s about to save them from certain death - hell, not just death - but eternal servitude to this creepy ice demon. And they’re bitching about how much food her armies are going to eat. You know, the ones there to die for their ungrateful asses? Anon, I gotta tell you… it’s really hard for me to even wrap my head around the audience response to Dany - or that somehow, it’s okay for Sam to be upset that his monster of a father was killed, but not Dany.

People who are already predisposed to dislike her can’t see the loneliness and vulnerability there, they can’t see she’s feeling lost, perhaps even regretful. They’re fooled by her queenly mask of indifference. The one that disappears when she is alone:

This is another good example. During the war council scene, Sam blatantly shades Dany by saying this:

“That’s what death is, isn’t it? Forgetting. Being forgotten.”

When the words “being forgotten” are said, Daenerys looks at Jon:

Considering the way Jon is ignoring her, it’s amazing that Dany is still there to fight his war. Just another reason none of them deserve her help. Without Jon she has no reason to be there. While everyone is upset that Dany is going to ‘go mad’ and ‘kill Jon’ - he’s been avoiding even looking at her for who knows how long in GoT time, and yet she stays.

And all the antis can say is that she’s “power hungry”. They so much as hear her say the word ‘throne’ and somehow see madness there, ignoring all subtleties of her emotional state. Yet, if Jon were to do a 180 and declare himself king - everyone would root for him, I’m sure of it. If the throne suddenly became a priority for Jon Snow, people would be popping open wine bottles in celebration. No one would call him entitled. No one would say he’s power hungry. No. I bet he’d ‘deserve it’.

It’s important to remember that not only is Daenerys one of GRRM’s favorite characters, he also identifies with her story:

“I came from greatness - like Dany! And I will take back what is mine with Fire and Blood!”

Further, the man’s a feminist (regardless of how he labels himself, now - more or less afraid to step on anyone’s toes by using the term as a man).

I can’t remember who pointed this out, but it’s hysterical to me, now, because in retrospect, it’s almost like he predicted her antis:

“If even half the stories coming back from Slaver’s Bay are true, this child is a monster. They say that she is bloodthirsty, that those who speak against her are impaled on spikes to die lingering deaths. They say she is a sorceress who feeds her dragons on the flesh of newborn babes, an oathbreaker who mocks the gods, breaks truces, threatens envoys, and turns on those who have served her loyally. They say her lust cannot be sated, that she mates with men, women, eunuchs, even dogs and children, and woe betide the lover who fails to satisfy her. She gives her body to men to take their souls in thrall.”

I think GRRM knew exactly what he was doing. Despite the fact he is a man, he’s lived through much uglier times for women, and he’s been aware of the female struggle for a long time. This is his legacy. A female hero with a storyline more powerful than any man in the series, who finds herself in precarious situations and has to make difficult decisions, sometimes exercising ruthlessness to assert her power and dominance.

She’s complicated, she’s unique, we haven’t quite seen the likes of a fictional woman quite like Daenerys.

She will be analyzed and discussed for decades to come - and there may come a point in the future that Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen might be viewed through the same lens. One in which critiques of Jon’s actions might be as harsh as the ones we see of Dany’s now, or that the ones for Dany become as lenient as the ones of Jon, now.

It might be too optimistic of me to think that even D&D know what they’re doing, here - framing Daenerys in a way that is not as easily interpreted by those who are predisposed to misogyny, all in an effort to expose it. And that upon rewatch, the culmination of her hero’s journey becomes clear as day for anyone willing to set aside their preconceived notions and finally see her for what she is.

                            A hero. A savior. A legend.

“That character, as a whole, is all about transformation and change. I feel like she is the divine feminine spirit. She’s there to change things rapidly. I have no doubt that a thousand years from this point, people will worship Daenerys Targaryen. That’ll be a holy name. This is the Mhysa. This is the woman that came and brought back dragons to the world and saved all the slaves.”—IdeasOfIceAndFire

For your final request. I wish I were more organized, anon, but here are the top blogs that come to mind when it comes to incredible Daenerys positivity. These bloggers post amazing metas and analyses, shut down antis left and right, and just generally spread the true word about our queen:

@rainhadaenerys @mhysaofdragons @oadara @khaleesirin @secretlyatargaryen @iheartdandelions @tatticstudio55 @winelover1989

I do have a small list of metas I’ve managed to gather on short notice:

Daenerys Targaryen: Master Post

Meta on the contention of Dany’s arc in feminist analysis

Dany III in ADWD again transitions to Jon & Tyrion

Why saying that Daenerys is nothing without her dragons is offensive

Daenerys - Books vs Show - Sexism and Bad Writing in the show

Daenerys Targaryen and “Madness”

A Dance with Dragons, or: Daenerys Targaryen Cares about Feeding her People

Daenerys doesn’t need to be a villain to be interesting

Arya Stark and Daenerys Targaryen Parallels

Daenerys as an anti-Cinderella?

I’m also a big fan of YouTube for GoT/ASOIAF content, and the few pro-Dany YouTubers who really seem to “get it” are GrayArea (this video, in particular, is amazing despite the misleading title), Lucifer Means Lightbringer and IdeasofIceandFire.

[chasingforeverandaday]

For what if a storm ends? 6,15!! I loved that oneshot so much. Side note, when will you be writing more??

So what is different about what if this storm ends? For me, this was the fic where I think I got more into Arya’s head about what marriage means to her. It was also a story that didn’t necessarily end on a wholly positive note, I was really trying to emphasize the ambiguity of how both of them are feeling right now (love, anxiety, rejected, confusion, it’s a very potent cocktail). Most of what I write has more of a definitive conclusion, but I liked how this one turned out.

And what did I learn? Well, I joked in a comment on this one of how much I used to hate writing introspection. This was the story that made me realize that okay, I actually really like this, getting into the heads of these characters and examining why they feel the way they do, even if, especially if I don’t agree with them. And I think part of that is how much I love both Arya and Gendry as individuals and as a functioning couple.

As for when I’m writing more, well... I have the next chapter of come back to me partially done, so that’s probably what will go up next once I get this section of plot finished in a way that I’m happy with. Then I have to stare at wicked and wild wind until my plot agrees with me again. I also have about fiveish things that I’m working on that are either one shots or continuations of previous one shots (namely stolen and secret moments in a crowded room). Plus I’m doing the bigbang with a story I’m really excited to get started on. So the answer is... hopefully soon? I have one thing I want to publish before Valentine’s Day, but I’m not sure if that’ll get done in time. Other than that, I think come back to me will probably be updated next.

[sydneysageivashkov]

Everything We’ve Done (Is There On Our Faces) 5/?

It started, once upon a time, with Ned Stark finding a litter of orphaned dire wolf cubs, with Robert Baratheon riding for Winterfell, with Ned becoming Hand of the King in the viper’s pit that was King’s Landing.

It restarts like this:

Arya and Sansa wake up as children again, a message ringing in their ears. The Old Gods need Westeros to be strong and united to defend the Wall, and the Old Gods don’t forget oaths easily.

(Time travel AU. Eventual Sansa/Theon, Arya/Gendry, Jaime/Brienne.)

“Jon Arryn is never going to make it to Winterfell alive,” said Sansa. She, Arya and Brienne were assembled in the Godswood, standing together under the Heart Tree. Sansa wasn’t sure when or why they had decided to hold their private discussions, the ones they had away from the rest of the family, under the Heart Tree, but somehow they always seemed to end up there when making plans. Making plans before the Old Gods, she thought. Before Bran. “It would be one thing if Joffrey was king, because he would never believe or entertain what Jon Arryn says. But Robert’s still alive, and they might have convinced him for now that Jon Arryn was lying, but if he ever decides he wants to hear his old friend out, then that risks everything for Cersei. I can see Cersei organising a bandit or two to attack the Night’s Watch party on its way north. After all, the Vale can’t declare war over a bandit, can they? And even if she decides it’s too risky…”

“Littlefinger wants that risk,” finished Arya. “He’ll do it so that we suspect the Lannisters, if nothing else.”

Sansa nodded. “I suppose if it’s Littlefinger who has him killed, he might wait until after Jon Arryn’s passed Winterfell, to make sure we’ll suspect the Lannisters because of what Jon Arryn tells us, but he might not – Lysa can do that well enough.”

“I know that Littlefinger was responsible entirely in the last time, but are we certain this was not the Lannisters at fault this time?” asked Brienne.

“Jon Arryn was the first to realise about Cersei’s children, wasn’t he?” said Arya. “Cersei would want him gone and discredited, Littlefinger be damned.”

“Aunt Lysa testified against her husband,” said Sansa. “That’ll be Littlefinger’s doing, I know it. He probably told her it was the only way to keep Sweetrobin from being fostered, if nothing else. And she probably realised it would be the only way she could ever marry Littlefinger.”

“Are you going to tell Mother now?” asked Arya. “It’s going the same way as last time. Surely you don’t still think she won’t believe you.”

Sansa resisted gritting her teeth. She knew, logically, that Catelyn would probably believe her. It was a long time since Catelyn had seen Petyr, and when she had it had been just after Brandon Stark had almost killed him. It wasn’t hard to see how that could spin a man into someone as destructive and vicious as Littlefinger, and talking politics with her over the past few months, Sansa had seen how cynical Catelyn was when it came to politics. And Catelyn had believed everything else Sansa had told her about the future, even if she still hadn’t come around to Jon yet.

And yet.

Sansa wasn’t even sure what it was that kept her lips wired shut whenever it came up. She just couldn’t quite tell her mother. Maybe it was because every time she went to, all she could think was If it hadn’t been for you, he never would have come after me –

It wasn’t fair of Sansa to think that, let alone say it, so she kept her mouth shut.

“If you did not tell your mother about Baelish, then what did you tell them about Jon Arryn’s death?” asked Brienne.

“We told her and Father that we weren’t sure who murdered Jon Arryn,” explained Sansa. “We said there were so many people in King’s Landing who would be interested in seeing Jon Arryn dead, whether to make sure their secrets died with him or so they had a chance at gaining more power, that it was impossible to say who it was. It keeps them distrustful of everyone in King’s Landing – which they should be, because Littlefinger is far from the only threat in that viper’s pit.”

“Except, maybe, Mother’s childhood friend,” said Arya, pointedly.

You don’t understand, Sansa wanted to scream. There had been so many people whose duty it was to protect her and hadn’t. Cersei and Joffrey, Ned for not breaking the betrothal earlier, Dontos and Baelish and Ramsay, Robb. Even Jon, in the end. Who was to say Catelyn wasn’t going to do the exact same?

“We need to be in the courtyard soon,” Brienne reminded them. Sansa nodded, grateful for the distraction.

“Perhaps you’ll be allowed to sit in on the meeting,” Arya said to Brienne, cautious hope in her voice. “We might just be girls -” Arya sneered the word – “but you’re a woman grown. Surely Mormont can’t protest you.”

“We’ll see,” said Brienne. “Your lord father and brother know enough, though.”

“It would still be better to have one of us in there,” said Arya.

“I know of one person who no black brother would protest sitting in on the meeting,” said Sansa casually.

“What, Theon?” demanded Arya.

“He’s heir to the Iron Islands,” said Sansa loftily. “It makes sense for him to observe Lord Stark dealing with the Night’s Watch in preparation for when he takes lordship in Pyke. And he knows as well as you or I about what happened.”

“I think Lady Sansa is right,” said Brienne, earning herself a betrayed glare from Arya. “Theon Greyjoy might not be the most honourable of men, but has no more desire than any of us for the Seven Kingdoms to be overrun.”

“And I trust him,” added Sansa, her voice firm. “I trust that he will tell us what happened in the meeting and I trust him to steer the conversation the way we need it to go.”

Arya stared at the two of them mutinously before huffing out a sigh. “Fine. Fine. At least Robb and Father will both be there, so he can’t get up to anything.”

“He’s not going to get up the anything,” said Sansa, exasperation working its way into her voice. “He came back to fight for us, Arya. He could have gone and hid on the Iron Islands but he came back to Winterfell to fight. That’s not what someone does when they’re still ‘up to something’.”

Arya muttered under her breath, but nodded.

“Now that that’s decided, we really do need to get to the courtyard,” said Brienne, glancing through the trees towards the courtyard.

“I’ll come in a minute,” said Sansa. “Go on without me.”

She waited until Brienne and Arya were clear of the Godswood before she turned to face the gnarled weirwood. She drew her fingers over the face carved into the tree. “Are you still watching us?” she wondered aloud. “Are we doing the right thing, Bran?”

Almost in response, a sparrow landed on the branch before her head, dislodging three leaves. They floated down, landing at her feet. She picked them up and held them in front of her.

“Three blows of the horn, right,” she said. “Night gathers, and now my watch begins.” The words felt sacred on her tongue. “I’m no good with a sword or shield, but I think I can still wake the sleepers.” Sleepers like Catelyn, who still trusted Littlefinger. Like the Lannisters and the Baratheons and the Tyrrells, squabbling over who sat on the Iron Throne.

I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, she thought. That much, she could do.

-

Before Ned began the meeting with Jeor Mormont, he met with Benjen in his solar. His little brother greeted him with a broad smile and a hug, but Ned’s heart only ached. The Night’s Watch wasn’t an easy life, but Benjen had joined to protect the Wall from Wildlings, not White Walkers. Ned hated that he had to burden him with this.

“What’s wrong?” asked Benjen, noticing his mood quickly.

“I need you to sit down, Benjen,” said Ned, his voice grave. Benjen gave him one more worried glance, but sat. Ned turned to stand by the fire, watching the leaping flames in the grate. “What I’m about to tell you cannot leave this room,” said Ned. “Not even to Mormont. No one outside of our family can ever know.”

Benjen’s lips parted as he stared up at Ned. “You’re starting to scare me, Ned.”

You should be scared, Ned couldn’t help but think. “Promise me, Ben.”

Benjen stared at him for another moment before nodding. “Aye, alright then. I swear I won’t tell anyone.”

“Late last year, Sansa and Arya awoke with memories of the next several years,” said Ned. “They weren’t the only ones – Theon Greyjoy woke up with the same memories, and only a few weeks ago, Brienne of Tarth arrived here in Winterfell, wanting to fulfil the oaths she made to my daughters years in the future.”

Benjen nodded slowly to himself, before asking, “What happened in the future?”

Ned walked back to his desk and sat down across from Benjen. “The Others are coming, Benjen. They attacked Winterfell and killed the girls, Theon and Lady Brienne.”

Benjen swallowed visibly. “You believe in this?”

“I do,” said Ned. “Sansa, Arya and Theon are not the same children that they were before. They’re older, and…” He struggled to find the words. Eventually, he gave up, and continued, “They know things that they shouldn’t – about the world, about the past, about everything.”

“Do they know about -”

Promise me, Ned. “No.”

Benjen leant forwards, resting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. “The White Walkers are coming. Gods, Ned. We’ve had Rangers not come back, but we thought…”

“The Wildlings are coming south,” said Ned. “But they aren’t coming to raid. They want to have the Wall between them and the Others. A King Beyond the Wall is leading them – Mance Rayder, I believe he’s called.”

“Rayder was a Ranger, but deserted to join the Wildlings years ago,” said Benjen.

“I wish to treat with him,” said Ned placidly.

Benjen jerked his head up. “Treat with the Wildlings?”

“If we leave them north of the Wall, they will simply become members of the Night King’s army,” explained Ned. “If we can settle them south of the Wall, peaceably, then we have a better chance.”

“They won’t settle with the Northmen,” said Benjen, shaking his head. “They’re wild, Ned. They’ll keep raiding. They won’t follow our laws.”

“Maybe not,” said Ned. “Sansa and Arya tell me that the surviving Wildling’s bent the knee to Jon.”

“Jon as in Jon Snow?” asked Benjen.

“He was made King in the North after Robb and Rickon were killed, and while Bran was missing,” Ned explained shortly. “The Wildlings bent the knee to him. Perhaps they can be convinced to bend the knee to Robert.”

Benjen snorted. “Jon may be just a boy now, but even I can tell you he would be a better king for the Wildlings to kneel to than Robert.” As soon as he finished speaking, he realised what he was implying and his eyes snapped up to meet Ned’s nervously. “I didn’t mean -”

“I know,” said Ned, holding up his hands. “Jon is a Northman. Even with all of our differences, he and the Wildlings still have the blood of the First Men flowing through our veins. Robert does, too, but the Baratheons have more in common with their Andal cousins than the First Men.”

Benjen nodded. “The Wildlings don’t kneel to just anyone,” he warned Ned. “Maybe they kneeled to Jon once, but that doesn’t mean they’ll kneel to him again.”

“I’ll have to speak to Sansa,” Ned muttered to himself. When Benjen cocked his head, he explained, “Sansa was Lady of Winterfell when Jon had to treat with a southern queen. She would have ruled the Wildlings in Jon’s name; she’ll be able to tell us more.”

“Little Sansa, ruling over Wildlings,” said Benjen, shaking his head. “Who would have thought it?”

You haven’t seen her yet, Ned thought grimly. Before, he would have shared Benjen’s response, but the hardened Sansa who talked politics and logistics with him each night would be more than capable of staring down an unruly bannerman. But Benjen would learn, in time.

“I need you to help me convince Jeor Mormont,” said Ned. “Both about the Wildlings and the Others. The Wildlings need to come south of the Wall, but the Night’s Watch will never accept that if they don’t believe in the Others.” And with your reaction, even then it will still be a hard fight.

“Without telling him of – of everything?” asked Benjen, sweeping his hands around the room to indicate the everything. “He’s a good man, and he’s a hard man, but he’s also a rational man, and the Others’ existence isn’t exactly rational, brother.”

“We have a deserter here, who claims to have seen the White Walkers,” said Ned. “Gared, his name is. I have stayed his execution until he can make a full report to Lord Commander Mormont.”

“I don’t know if one deserter’s word will be enough,” said Benjen doubtfully.

“Benjen, if we can’t meet this threat properly, then the entirety of Westeros is at risk,” said Ned. “Your brothers on the Wall, your nieces and nephews here in Winterfell… Each and every one of them will die if we don’t act. Sansa and Arya have already seen it. They don’t need to see it again.”

Benjen looked to the ceiling. “Alright,” he said. “I’ll do what I can. But you’re going to need a plan on how to settle the Wildlings south of the Wall if you’re going to convince Mormont.”

-

“Lord Stark, you know that I have always respected your judgement, and that I rely on Benjen greatly as my First Ranger, but what the two of you are suggesting -”

Across the room, Theon huffed. Jon shot him a glare, even though he shared the sentiments. They had been talking in circles for what felt like hours.

It would be so much easier if they could just bring Arya or Sansa in here to tell the Lord Commander everything they knew, or if Theon stood up and told his story. Jon knew why they weren’t, though – any word of what the girls had been through getting out put them at risk. If Jaime and Cersei Lannister had been willing to push an eight year old boy out of a window to avoid being discovered, the Gods only knew what they would to Sansa and Arya. Anyone outside their immediate family was not to be trusted.

“Commander Mormont, I am aware what this sounds like,” interrupted Ned. “I am perfectly aware that the White Walkers have been gone for thousands of years, and how unlikely it is that they have returned. But the fact remains that we have eye witnesses of the Others movements, and it needs to be investigated immediately.”

“The Others were vanquished for good in the Battle for the Dawn,” argued Commander Mormont.

“If it was for good, then why build a great big wall?” asked Robb. “You don’t need a Wall seven hundred feet tall just to keep other people out, Lord Commander. All the keeps of the Seven Kingdoms prove that well enough.”

“Perhaps at the time, they feared a second invasion by the Others, Lord Robb, but it never came,” said Mormont.

“There was the Night’s Queen,” said Jon. Ned, Robb and Mormont all turned to look at Jon. It was the first time he had spoken. “That’s what she was meant to have been, wasn’t she? Her skin was white and cold, and she had eyes as blue as the coldest stars, and she took the Night’s King soul. That’s what Old Nan always said. That sounds like the Others to me.”

“He’s right,” said Benjen. “That or a wight. The stories could have been twisted over the years, I suppose, but it is evidence that the Others never left for good.”

“But why come back now?” asked Mormont. “It’s been thousands of years. What could have made them come back now?”

“Maester Luwin has told me it is going to be the longest winter in hundreds, if not thousands, of years,” said Ned.

“Or it could be as simple as an Other being born that was a bit more ambitious than the rest,” said Robb. When Ned, Benjen and Mormont looked at him, he shrugged and said, “Surely they can’t be the same White Walkers that attacked in the Long Night. Like you said, Commander, it’s been thousands of years.”

“It doesn’t matter what their motivations are,” said Ned. “What matters is that we see the Wall properly fortified before they strike. We need to have more men on the Wall, and good men, at that – trained knights and soldiers if possible – and to have the Night’s Watch properly supplied for winter.”

Mormont sighed. “I suppose I can’t protest having more men and food brought to the Wall. There are many castles we simply haven’t had the men to man.”

“Exactly,” said Benjen, sharing a look with Ned. “Even if Ned and I turn out to be wrong, it will be no skin off the Watch’s nose to accept more help from the rest of the Seven Kingdoms.”

Except… Jon turned to watch Mormont as Ned said, “We also need to discuss the matter of the Wildlings.”

“They have been getting bolder as of late,” said Mormont. “Any help you may provide to repel them will be most welcome.”

“This isn’t a discussion about routing the Wildlings,” said Ned calmly. “It is about bringing them south of the Wall.”

Mormont blanched and looked at Benjen. “You agree with this?”

“Under any other circumstance, I would not,” said Benjen. His tone was very careful, and Jon knew he had to have been planning his answer for a long time. “We have been at war with the Wildlings for thousands of years. Under normal circumstances, I would find it inconceivable to settle them here in the North – but these are not normal circumstances, Commander. The Others are on the march, and marching with them are the dead. If we leave the Wildlings north of the Wall, vulnerable to the Others, then we will only be letting the Others’ army grow stronger.”

Mormont looked between Ned and Benjen. “The lords of the North will not agree with this.”

“If you support this, we will have a chance of convincing them,” said Ned. “Obviously, we will not be able to tell the North the full conditions of allowing the Wildlings south of the Wall – that will only come once we treat with them – but I have been discussing this matter with Benjen, and we have drawn up a plan that we think will be acceptable, or at least tolerable, for both Northmen and the Wildlings.”

Mormont looked wary, but said, “Let’s hear it, then.”

-

“Sansa?”

Sansa looked up at the sound of Theon’s voice. Edging forward, she peered out from her hiding place to see him walking around the battlements, looking around worriedly.

“I’m here,” she said softly.

He came to kneel down in front of her. “Your family is looking for you,” he said. “They’re worried sick.”

Sansa hugged her knees and asked, “Where were you?”

Theon looked down and admitted, “The Godswood.”

Sansa nodded. “I wanted to go there. I feel closer to Bran, somehow, and everyone who we left behind, but I just… couldn’t.”

“So you came here instead,” said Theon, and offered her his hand. After a moment of hesitation, she took it. He led her to the edge of the battlements so that they could look over the Wolfswood, and beyond that, north and north again. The trees were still green at the feet of Winterfell’s walls.

“We couldn’t jump now,” she whispered to Theon. She squeezed her eyes shut for a long moment to stop the tears that were threatening spill out. She turned to him and hurriedly said, “We could still go. Father and Mother could come up with a reason. We don’t have to be here.”

Theon pulled her into a hug and she sunk into it, pressing her head into his shoulder. “Yes, we do,” said Theon. “I know you’re not going to leave your family – and I can’t leave Robb. Not when none of them know how bad it can get.”

“Gods, Theon, you’re not meant to be the reasonable one,” complained Sansa, hitting him lightly on the shoulder.

Theon smiled faintly at her, amused but not enough to crack through the weight bearing down on him. “I left Yara to Euron,” he said. “He had her for months because I couldn’t face it. I swore to Robb once that I would be his brother for now and for always. I can’t fail family again, not like that.”

“Theon…” said Sansa. “You don’t have to prove yourself. This isn’t going to be like with Euron. You can still get out of here.”

“If you can’t, I can’t,” said Theon. “We’ll face him together, Sansa.” His voice cracked as he said it, fear plaintive in his voice.

She threw her arms around him again. “I won’t let him hurt you again,” she promised. “Not either of us. It’ll end this week, and we’ll never have to fear him again.”

Theon buried his face in her hair, and they stood together, wrapped up in each other’s arms, remembering a leap of faith that they had taken together in a snow that hadn’t fallen. Eventually, Theon’s arms loosened around her waist, and he offered her his hand once more. She took it and let him lead her back to the castle.

The lords of the North were meant to be arriving over the next few days, ready to hear from Ned and Jeor Mormont. They only barely had time to host the bannermen before they had to start preparing for Robert Baratheon’s ride on Winterfell, but Sansa and Catelyn had forced the timing and logistics to work. And since the bannermen were converging on Winterfell, Ned had taken the opportunity to deal with one other potential problem.

“We’ll keep him as far away from the both of you as possibly,” Ned was saying. “We’ve allocated the Boltons the rooms furthest from the both of yours, and you can pretend to have fallen ill, if you wish, to avoid him entirely.”

Sansa nodded, not able to meet her father’s gaze. Catelyn stood up and came to sit next to Sansa, taking her hand and squeezing it gently.

“It’ll be done quickly,” added Ned. “A few days, at most. I promise you that. You’ll be safe again.”

It’s never safe, Sansa thought but did not say. Dealing with Ramsay didn’t mean that Joffrey wasn’t out there, or Petyr, or even the bloody White Walkers. They could minimise risks, deal with threats at they came – but safety was an empty promise. It always had been. It was as much a fairytale as Florian and Jonquil.

“I remember Roose Bolton saying, when I was first married to – just after the wedding, he mentioned that he had hoped to marry me to Domeric Bolton, and that he was glad that I had finally been able to join the Bolton family at last,” said Sansa. It wasn’t entirely a lie, but she was still exaggerating the story. “He might want to negotiate a betrothal.”

“I will find a way to say no,” reassured Ned instantly.

“I have a way to say no,” said Sansa, not looking at Theon. “I need to be betrothed before they arrive.”

Ned went still, and Catelyn turned her head sharply to look at Sansa.

“We’ve already discussed it,” said Sansa. “It makes sense from an outside perspective. You would continue your influence over Theon after her takes up lordship of the Iron Islands. Becoming the lady of one of the kingdoms is a worthy marriage for me, even if it isn’t as prestigious as marrying the prince. It’s a good match.”

“You want to marry Theon?” exclaimed Catelyn.

“I trust him more than any other man you could offer me,” said Sansa, lifting her chin up and crossing her arms.

Ned cast a look at Theon. “I’m not sure about this, Sansa.”

“If you refuse, I can always force the issue,” said Sansa, her voice deceptively calm.

“Sansa!” chastised Catelyn.

“I’ll do it, Mother. I won’t be available for Ramsay or Joffrey,” said Sansa. Bran sent me back to reforge the future. I can build my own destiny, too. I won’t be sold to anyone again.

Ned pinched the bridge of his nose. “Alright, alright. I will announce your betrothal at the welcoming feast.”

“Ned!” hissed Catelyn. He shot her a quelling look that made Sansa tilt her head to the side. He had a reason for allowing their betrothal, then; one that he probably thought Catelyn would agree with. She wasn’t certain what that reason was, just yet. Still, she’d take her victories where she could.

“Thank you, Father,” she said politely. Arya, Robb and Jon were going to be livid, as Catelyn was now. She could handle them, though, and a few days spent arguing with her siblings was more than worth not having to worry about being betrothed to Ramsay or Joffrey.

The feast was another two days later. Sansa and Theon waited together outside the door. They stood facing each other, holding each other’s hands loosely.

“Don’t look for him,” she said. “When we get in there, just look at me or straight ahead. We’ll do only as many dances as we have to in order to be polite, and otherwise we can stay at the High Table, out of his reach.”

Theon swallowed hard. “I won’t look,” he promised.

Sansa squeezed his hand comfortingly. “It won’t be long now.” The doors started to open. Sansa took a deep breath, trying to calm her thudding heart, and took Theon’s arm. His fingers tangled with hers and he clung so tightly it was almost painful. “You and me, Theon, just you and me,” she whispered as the doors opened fully.

Sansa stared ahead as she entered the Great Hall, letting her eyes skate over the assembled lords, not taking in any faces. She counted each breath, forcing herself into a rhythm: one, two, one, two, one, two. Theon’s breathing was rough beside her. Sansa couldn’t help but clutch his hand a little tighter.

The crowd’s cheering sounded only like a distant roar. Robb ushered them up to the table, his eyes too bright and his demeanour too cheerful. He was only pretending to be pleased with the betrothal, Sansa knew that, but something about it made Sansa want to scream.

She didn’t know how either she or Theon made it through the meal. They barely looked up from the food in front of them. Sansa responded to Arya’s conversation mechanically, but if she was ever asked what it was about, for the life of her she wouldn’t be able to answer.

Sansa jumped as the music started. Too loud, too loud, she thought, hysteria eating at her spine. Why is it so loud?

Theon laid his hand over hers. “One dance,” he reminded her. His face was pale and clammy. Unable to swallow past lump in her throat, Sansa nodded and stood. Beside her, Robb was offering Arya his hand, and Arya took it, laughing – Robb must have made some kind of jape, Sansa thought distantly.

They arranged themselves on the dance floor. Sansa rested one hand in Theon’s and the other on his shoulder. “Look at me,” Theon reminded her.

“Only at you,” she promised, and with that, the music felt a little less claustrophobic. Her feet began to move with the sound, and she counted the beats out under her breath for Theon. He didn’t need them, not really – he’d been through all the same dancing lessons she had – but he started counting with her all the same.

“It’s Florian and Jonquil,” she realised after another moment.

“I can’t believe it took you so long to work out,” said Theon, his lips turning up ever so slightly.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve heard this song,” she told him. For so long, there simply hadn’t been time for singing. He turned her in a spin in time with the music, and something in her eased. “Six maids there were in a spring-fed pool,” she sang quietly.

“I thought you would have had each and every song about Florian and Jonquil memorised until the end of days,” teased Theon.

She swayed in his arms, smiled and said, “Well, I’ve been past the end of days, and I still remember the words.”

The song wound down and the band promptly started a second, Brave Danny Flint. She hummed the first few bars, but the quick, fleeting joy she had just experienced had evaporated with the last strains of Six Maids in a Pool, replaced with a terrible foreboding.

“May I cut in?” asked a voice. Theon’s fingers went tight around her waist, and Sansa pressed closer to his side, trying to melt away from the intruder. She turned her head, already knowing who was there.

Ramsay Snow.

[lady-ofhouse-snow]

My take of GOT8x01

-THAT OPENNING.

-They’re literally playing the song when Robert Beratheon and Cersei came to Winterfell...

-Dany taking pleasure in her dragons terrifying the northern folk (because that’ll win them over!)

-Jon’s face when Bran speaks... LOL

-Danys “the north is as beautiful as Jon claims, as are you” line to Sansa is cringy, and Sanasa isn’t having any of it.

-Bran dropping the bomb about the white walkers was sudden. Expected more of a reaction from Dany about viserion, but we got no time for that!

-Sansa was right about everything, including the north being unhappy with Jon for giving up his crown.

-Sansa bringing up the food is a big issue, and Danys they eat “whatever they want”... ASKFBDLDL FFS.

-Gendryas comin 😏

-at least the writers are aware they’re not Tyrion as clever as he’s meant to be and last season was all purposeful. Like he’s lost his edge, and while he was sincerely trying to help Dany, he wasn’t thinking of every angle like he normally would. Sansa pointing out that he’s a fool to believe Cersei would bring her army north hopefully puts him in his right mind sooner than later.

-Jon and Arya’s reunion!!! And Arya sticking up for Sansa is so fucking pure. The pack survives. Also, Jon and Arya picking on Sansa behind her back is something they used to do all the time, and now, like with Sansa, he has to figure out how Aryas changed as a person.

-Oh, look, Yara.

-someone pointed out that Bronns whores we’re talking about the Lannister soldiers Arya sat with last season are either dead or severely injured. Ed Sherran has no eye lids now.

-So, Bronn is charged with killing the Lannister brothers, but is handed Jofferys cross bow. So, cross bow for Tyrion as the weapon of choice he killed Tywin with ✔️ and Jofferys bow for being Jaime’s son ✔️ But will he also have to kidnap Sansa should that theory become reality, or is that the golden company, as speculated??

-Cersei misses getting laid. Desperate times, desperate meassures. Although they’re great together. OTP??

-YEEEEEH, THEON. that head butt tho, lol. “We’re even”

-Theon choosing to head north to fight along the starks as he should have to begin with and truly redeem himself is beautiful. Is Yaras understanding 😭

-David, stfu about marriage. That won’t make the northern folk like Dany anymore than they already do anyway. If he knew the north as well as he claims to, he’d know that.

-Dany does not respect the wisdom of age, Tyrion, unless she deems that wisdom to grow her power. aka, olena tyrell.

-Verys shutting down Davos’ marriage proposal lol

-Dany demanding everyone respect her because she’s “their queen” is tiring. Not even Cersei boats about her queenship this much. What is it Tywin said? “A man who has to say he is king, is no king at all”??

“If (Sansa) can’t respect me...” FUCKING WHAT. YOU GONNA BURN HER LIKE THE TARLYS??? Dude ...

-once upon a time, I LOVED Dany for her growing confidence in herself, but now it’s just arrogance that radiates from her and it hurts my heart.

-Jon riding Rheagal 😍 Jon not being able to gracefully climb into Rheagal is freaked out by the experience 😂 but seriously, this is as cool as the first time we saw Dany ride Drogon

-“we could stay a thousand years, no one would find us” reminded me if Yagriite’s “we should never leave this cave”

-It was a nice jonerys moment until he turned her so he could look at the dragons. Is that distrust from Jon in the dragons, worry from Jon that the dragons (more specifically dragon) doesn’t trust him??

-House Arya reunion 😍

-Genrya flirting overload 😏😏😏

-Dark, candle lit room

-Glover betraying House Stark, shocking.

“She’s not her father” “no, she’s a lot prettier” 👀 weird comment to add in.

-so, Jon, was it for the north or love?? Odd that they cut it off there. Shouldn’t he just say it’s for love, on screen, in that moment, considering he’s in love with Dany??? Unless pol!jon has more weight, and he is going to betray Dany for love/power.

-Sam having to THANK Dany after being informed that she killed his father and brother broke me. And you can see the turmoil on Joras face. Obviously he didn’t mention to Dany Sams family name, otherwise she would have been more hesitant to greet him, NOR was Jora aware Dany executed his family seeing as he arrived only after Dany returned to Dragonstone after that event. I can’t tell if she feels any remorse for the matter....

-Was full convinced Sam was gonna go off on Bran like all “you knew she executed my brother and father, didnt you?!”

-Dear, old Ned

-Sam being clumsy going into the crypts is adorable cause it’s how he and Jon first met, but it’s not cute cause he’s clumsy partly because of the news hed just recieved.

-Sam telling Jon about his family. Jon: I’m so sorry. And Sam just nods like “what are you gonna do about it??” Obviously sam is warning Jon Dany isn’t as good a person as Jon is trying to believe.

-Jon finding out he’s the legitimate heir to the throne is beautifully done, and I’m really glad sam was the one to tell him in private. It being done in front of Neds grave is even better.

-“you gave up your crown to save the people, would she do the same?” —no, she wouldnt, and Jon knows that deep down.

-“Stay back, he has blue eyes!” — “I’ve always had blue eyes!”

-Poor Ned Umber. Who knows, maybe he really did intend to return to winterfell. Him opening his eyes and screaming is shit of nightmares, ffs.

-But if the walkers already went through Last Harth (is that it?), how’s Tormund, Edd, and co supposed to make it to winterfell before the walkers??

-Jaime made it to Winterfell. Jaime locking eyes with Bran. Jaime being the old friend Bran was waiting for.

Overall, I can’t tell if I’m pleased or underwhelmed by the episode. Probably because it was just endless reunions. they were awesome!! And necessary. And I loved all the parallels, foreboding and heartwarming.

My thoughts so far:

Dany and Jon’s relationship isn’t going to be as overtly expected. The parallel in the beginning of the episode of them compared to Robert and Cersei isn’t a good sign for their relationship. It seemed like they used that song purely to show it’s a royal couple entering the courtyard of winterfell, as it initially was, but Cersei and Robert has anything but a healthy, loving marriage. They even admit their marriage was a sham.

Genrya is going to get me through this season.

I’m so curious how Jon is going to announce his parentage, and how he’s going to cope with the knowledge, and how the stark girls will handle the news. Arya will always think of him as her brother, but with Jones goggles on Sansas reaction is a variable.

What further reprocissions will don’t have to face for her actions?? Jon NOR Sam are aware of exactly how she executed the Tarlys—no one is, save for Tyrion and Jaime. I do believe Jaime will bring it up beginning of next episode. The matter of food was already brought up, and as far as I’m concerned she has no apprehension for her burning the food, and fully expects Sansa and the north to figure out how to feed everyone in her army. The dragons are going to become a problem before they become an asset. I just home the night king does take one more of them.

That’s all for now. 😘

[halfpintkay]

11, 13

11. When did you start roleplaying?

I started roplaying in 2012 shortly after discovering tumblr and some how stumbling across a roleplay group that lasted like two months before me and the only other person who got on decided to just give up on since even the muns of said group didn’t get on. But as for indie rp I started in 2013 about the same time I started my current job because I found it easier to be active when you were confined to just a small group that usually got on when you were sleeping. (probably didn’t really need to explain but...)

13. Who are five of your favorite characters? (In the rp community or otherwise)

Only five...okay this is tough. I can’t really decide just in rp community because I love too much of what I see on my dash but as for just characters I love in general (I’ll try and keep to one per fandom because of the fact I have several from a few that I just adore and could ramble on about) 

Ben Hanscom from It of course. I didn’t actually realize how much I do love Ben and related a lot to him until my second read through of It and I just had to rp him after finished the book for a second time (and it’ll keep me wanting to reread that book over and over again now so if over time my Ben starts to get more book accurate it’ll probably be because I’m getting myself more familiar with the book).  

Rory Williams from Doctor Who. I don’t even know what it was about Rory but at first I just didn’t care for him. But the five episodes later (or maybe it was only three I forget how long it was before we saw him again after the Eleventh Hour) I just kind of fell in love with him and how he was so done with the Doctor.  And of course he died so many times on Doctor Who it was a joke that he even acknowledge in the Ponds’ last episode. 

Arya Stark from Game of Thrones. Okay I got into GOT way late like right before the seventh season started and I fell in love with three character almost immediately but I do believe Arya to be my favorite. One I tend to relate to younger siblings a lot more for some reason (probably because I’m the youngest of two girls and when reading the first Song of Ice and Fire book I cackled at Ayra’s “perfect sansa” inner rants because I felt her there) and two I kind of wish I was more like her.   

Castiel from Supernatural. I  know I know I post a lot about Jack Kline on here which I do love him. But I’ve loved Castiel for 11 years and I don’t think that’ll change anytime soon. He has such heart, a good amount of sass without even trying, and I just love how he takes in and understands the human world from everything he’s gathered from Sam and Dean just making random references or Dean making him watch movies. And I also appreciate the fact they allowed him to mess up and make mistakes and have to deal with the consequences of his actions over the years. 

Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter.  What can I say about Luna except she’s awesome. She’s not afraid to be herself (something I needed a lot of help with while in middle and high school and still sometimes need help with now), she doesn’t care what people thing, she’s unbelievably kind even to those who make fun of her or hide her things, and not to mention she doesn’t actually take shit from people (another thing I really need help with). Over all I think Luna is the reason that even though I’m half afraid of chasing people away with being a nerd and showing it  I can’t actually hide it for long. 

@glassmenagerieofmuses

[fineosaur]

About ‘and I can change your martial status’ - 2,4,5,15 💕

2. What scene did you first put down?

the first chapter itself, i most of the times just stick to chronological order of the chapters unless there’s a particular scene ive thought of long before the actual chapter comes up, then i’ll write that one so i dont forget the stream of words going through my mind.

4. What’s your favourite line of dialogue?

im not going to say favourite because there are many bits i enjoyed writing but this is probably up there:

“I don’t regret marrying you, it’s temporary. You being here though, at least that’ll last.”

- arya, chapter nine: i adore you

5. What part was hardest to write?

when saying hardest, i’ll go for chapter 12, the last scene. by hardest, i mean emotionally. because for my flow of words it usually depends on how im feeling that day, productivity wise. but that scene was hard to write because i think it might have been the saddest point of the whole story. so it just put me in this weird space. especially since arya was dealing with someone leaving her, someone she loved and trusted and i think that’s a hard thing to deal with and i had to put that into words, through another person’s perspective. 

15. What did you learn from writing this fic?

oh, so much. i definitely was able to figure out my writing style a lot more when writing this one. i think that’s one of the reasons i hold it quite dear to me and will be so sad when it ends. i cant exactly pinpoint what exactly i did learn but i know it’s made me a lot more secure in my writing because i’ve enjoyed it myself thoroughly. as well i think it allowed me to explore more about the impacts of certain things on characters. like sometimes we have to realise that not everything is so oblique, people make mistakes, they do things in anger that creates worse strife in their lives. and aiccyms allowed me to write that in, i think i was able to show both arya and gendry’s flaws in a way which still lets you know there’s love between them, despite how they tend to fuck up. 

thank you for all these!! love you so!

and i can change your marital status