#Sansa is not even wearing really revealing stuff

[dachi-chan25]

Going south AU!

“It’s our presence really necessary?” Since his travel to Dragonstone to meet his aunt, Jon decided he hated the south, far too warm for him. His clothes sticked to his skin on a completely disgusting way, his hair was even more at disarray than usual, and worst of all he couldn’t wear his everyday clothes. His cousin Sansa had made him a few breeches and tunics out of gauzy silk and fresh cotton, but he felt it would be a shame to ruin such fine garments with his sweat, so he was donning a black wool tunic, the thing was in a pitful state for Jon used it to train often but he would change as soon as the reached Sunspear.

Sansa laughed, Jon was especially grumpy since they reached the westerlands and the temperature kept on rising “If you wish to keep a good relationship with the Martells then yes. You’re the King cousin, at least until all the realms can reunite again and decide if they are to crown you and if the Red Keep and Iron Throne are to be repaired or if we wish to be independent like we were before the conquest, and this is the wedding of Princess Arianne, it would give the dornish a poor impression of you if you refused to come”

“I hate it”

She laughed again, and Jon cursed to all the gods and hells, she had no right to look so beautiful. That was of course the other reason why he was despairing in this hot wheater, the vision of his fair cousin in those light dresses that exposed far more skin than he was accostumed to made him feel a green boy anew.

Catching Jon’s sour expression she stopped laughing “I am sorry your Grace I shouldn’t be mocking you so. We should be arriving very soon, then you can take a bath and change into more appropiate clothes, I bet you’ll feel much better at once”

Jon groaned “Don’t call me your Grace, Sansa.”

“But I must, it’s the appropiate way to address you, in Winterfell among my siblings is not a problem if I call you Jon cousin, but here things are different and you know it”

Damn her and her political savvyness! Damn her cleverness! Damn her beautiful blue eyes and the curve of her delicate waist! But most of all damn the game of thrones people on the south so loved to take part in!

“I suppose I should call you Lady Sansa then” he wanted to make her mad, to have at least the smallest of hopes that she returned his feelings.

“You supposed correctly”

As unreadable and proper as always, he thought dejected.

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Prince Doran himself recieved them among his children and brother. He was tired and his courtesies were surely more than lacking, not that it mattered much, for only Prince Doran and Princess Arianne seemed to look at him. Princes Quentyn, Trystane and the infamous Red Viper’s eyes were immediately drawn to his cousin. How could they not? Her bright blue eyes complemented perfectly the blue of her silky dress, the one with a big V of exposed flesh in the front that he tried desesperately not to stare at, her flowing red hair bright as burnished copper, and her lovely face. Every man’s dream.

Her manners however were perfect, she curtisied graciously and smiled. Prince Oberyn stepped forward and took her hand between his.

Jon frowned what was he–?

Oberyn bent and kissed her knuckles “You have truly grown into a beautiful woman Lady Sansa”

“I could never match your Lady Ellaria, but thank you my Prince”

He couldn’t believe this! He barely dared touch his cousin, she usually never permitend such close contact with anyone and he never wanted to make her un comfortable as much as he itched to hold her and kiss her soft pink lips… But he didn’t, the last time he had touched her so intimately was when he kissed her brow after retaking Winterfell, they were brother and sister back then, it wasn’t wrong, no matter if for a moment he had wanted to kiss her senseless, it wasn’t wrong, he was as brotherly as his budding feelings allowed him to be and that had to be enough (gods knew how disgusted he had been of himself back then) and yet, here she was, letting a stranger kiss her hand and call her beautiful without flinching.

He saw red when Prince Quentyn did the same, even more when he noticed the lad blush when his cousin smiled. For a moment he was back in the crypts of Winterfell (“I love Sansa as I loved her mother”) his fists tightened, but then he tried to relax, he couldn’t do this,Sansa would surely hate him if she saw him like this, the gods knew she had had enough man that desired her… He was disgusting, even if his intentions were to protect her, she didn’t needed nor wanted his protection.

When Prince Trystane turn came he had enough sense to look in other direction.

It was more than scandalous, one thing was touching a lady’s arm to escort her and another kiss her knuckles and bow to the level of her teats! But then Dorne was famous for such a relaxed behaviour.

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Sansa, as most times, had been right he did feel better now that he bathed and changed. Though his uneasiness remained, his cousin was surely changing for supper, but he didn’t liked the idea of her being alone for long, dornish man were rumoured to be bold and if the innappropiate greetings Sansa got from Dorne’s princes were anything to to by he didn’t want to think what lesser lords and knights would be like, his cousin was far too corteous to stop them, and Lady Brienne would probably be stopped from taking any action that would offend their hosts, Jon cared little for it though, he didn’t meant to start any conflict with Dorne of course but he wouldn’t just stand by if any man dared disrespect his cousin.

He walked to Sansa’s door, guarded by Brienne and Podrick. “Has my cousin settled down?”

Brienne fixed him an icy stare, the knight woman had never quite liked him “Lady Stark is getting ready, Princess Arianne invited her to sup with her”

“Brienne, is that Jon outside?” came Sansa’s sweet voice from inside the chambers.

“Yes m'lady”

“Let him in please”

The tall knight stared him down and then stepped aside. Once he entered the chambers and took in the sight of Sansa sitting in front of the vanity’s mirror, hair unbound and wild around her naked shoulders a pout on her pink lips and a frown he ached to smooth with his hands, he almost fainted from the sudden heat prickling his skin, he averted his gaze at once and cleared his throat to announce his presence.

She turned around and sighed “Thank the gods you’re here Jon! I can’t tame my hair and I am in need of your assistance”

His throat felt parched suddenly, but he still approached her and took the brush from her hands “You should really consider taking a handmaid my Lady” he grabbed a handful of her bright copper locks and started brushing them softly, ignoring how much he to bury his face in them.

“Nonsense, I can manage just fine most of the time besides I have the sweetest cousin to help me the times I can’t”

Though her tone was light and teasing, he knew the real reason behind her lack of maids: she couldn’t bare the idea of a stanger touching her in such an intimate manner, one that reminded her so of her mother and the innocence of her childhood. It didn’t made it less of a torture for him nevertheless, he longed to not only help her dress her hair but of mussing it up in the throws of passion, of having that fire-kissed hair spilled over his furs, at the same time he felt guilty for such wanton and lustful thoughts when she showed nothing but trust in letting him brush her hair he dreaded to think what her reaction would be if she knew of his desires.

“I can’t think of a better suited task for a King” he replied.

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Princess Arianne was already waiting for her in her solar. The table was richly served, a suckling roasted pig among plates full of colorful fruits and a bottle of what Sansa asumed was Dornish wine.

“I am greatful for your invitation Princess”

Arianne dissmised her courtesy with a movement of her hand “None of that formalities Lady Sansa come sit by me”

She did as instructed, not knowing exactly how to behave now that Pricess Arianne asked her to leave courtesies aside.

“Your hair has the most stunning color” Princess Arianne reached for a strand of her hair and twisted it gently in her fingers “You’ve already caused quite the impresión among the lords and knights of Dorne, why even my brother Quentyn couldn’t take his eyes off you, and believe me he is not the type to fawn over a pretty Lady”

“Thank you my Princess” she didn’t liked all this talk about her looks or the Prince’s opinion on her looks.

Arianne laughed “You needn’t look so weary my Lady, though I supposed I was a bit inconsiderate, I know you haven’t had the easiest of lives and rest assured I merely wished to compliment you”

She allowed herself to relax a little “Thank you my princess, you are also very beautiful, your hair specially it looks immaculate even in this heat, I could barely brush mine”

“It’s nothing really, I use some water and a couple of oils brought from Essos for that. I’ll have someone take a bottle to your chambers”

She smiled “You’re really kind my princess.”

The princess frowned and took a sip from her cup “You’re awfully proper my Lady, not that I think that is wrong but you look so young… You know my Lady, once my cousins told me something my uncle Oberyn advised them to do, they said he wanted for them to find pleasure wherever they could for there was very little of it in the world, to this dar I think is the wisest thing I’ve ever heard, don’t you agree?”

“I think he was very right about being little pleasure in the world, but personaly I could never dare to seek for it, I have too many responsabilities to my people to go out of my way looking for pleasure, besides the North is a very different place from Dorne”

“Fuck them” Arianne said hotly “All of them grand Lords seek their pleasure in brothels why should we not?”

“I could not say my princess” she said agreeing in her heart with Arienne’s rage and even took a sip from her wine. “Then you and your cousin never…?”

Sansa blushed “No! We never, you see we believed to be siblings and Jon is too honorable to think about me in such a way.”

“I see, I guess you must have had a very close relationship as siblings for you to believed that”

“No, quite the opposite really,we rarely spoke to each other, my mother did not like for me and my siblings to spend time with him, though I was the only one who pleased her in that aspect, we only grew closer after we met again”

Arianne smiled “See? Then what is the problem? Don’t you like him? Because I admit if I wasn’t getting married I would have definitely tried my luck with him, such handsome man, and strong from what I’ve heard.”

“I do like him” her face was very hot, but it wasn’t the wine nor the food she knew, it was this feelings she had never dared to voice “but I know he would never see me in that way, he is too honorable for that” and what a cruel joke from the gods that one of the things that made her love him so was also the one that would make her feelings remain unrequited.

“Honor” Arianne snorted “the worst mistress there ever was, dry as dust between the legs and as cold as the fucking wall in her affections.”

Sansa almost spit the wine from the laughter that overcame her.

“Good to see you smiling Lady Sansa” Arianne smirked “I wouldn’t be so sure about his disinterest though, his Grace seemed more than ready to punch my kin for kissing your hand”

Her eyes widened “I don’t know what to say, why would he do that?”

“Well maybe he doesn’t know that is the proper greeting here and can’t stand the thought of another man touching you”

Sansa considered it for a moment, Jon hadn’t had much time to adjust to being King and getting the fitting education for it, so it was a given he hadn’t known about it but jealousy? her heart skipped a bit, but no maybe that was not the case he never looked at her like Littlefinger, he barely looked at her at all and se preferred it that way for fear he would see through her and know about her feelings. But then she remembered what Theon told her about Jon forgiving him for what he did for her, not to mention the way Littlefinger had taunted about Jon being the same as him… Could it be?

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The very next day she got her answer.

Jon had been in a very foul mood after his supper with the Red Viper tough he could not anything but warn Sansa to stay away from him and his lover. So she proposed to take a walk through the gardens the very next day, surely not even Jon could be grumpy with such a beauty surrounding him.

She had been wrong about it for now as Prince Quentyn explained the types of flowers and times of the year they bloomed to them Jon was frowning.

“You should really see Sunspear at summer, no better time of the year for the blood oranges and lemmons, I heard you were rather fond of lemmoncakes, and we have the very best of them in Dorne, just last year he had the biggest production in 5 years” Prince Quentyn enthusiastically listing figures and lots of different data about the crops and castle.

“Are you feeling well your Grace?” she asked him in a whisper when Prince Quentyn wasn’t looking.

“I’m as well as I can be my Lady”

But she noticed he was still looking at Prince Quentyn with displeasure, her conversation with Princess Arianne came unwillingly to her mind.

“This is my brother’s garden” he led them through an elegant arch adorned with orange an yellow tiles, on both sides of the cobblestone path beautiful rose bushes stood proudly filling the air with their sweet scent “There he is”

Prince Trystane was sitted on a bench, a book on his lap.

“Your roses are beautiful my Prince” she said in awe.

“I planted most of them for Lady Myrcella” his voice was tinted with sadness, but he shook it off maybe not wanting them to see him so vulnerable. Then he plucked a white rose from a nearby bush and extended it to her “It goes well with your dress m'lady, and I know Lady Myrcella would have liked to see you again so take it in her stead please”

Before she could thank the prince, Jon spoke.

“I don’t feel very well, I think I should return to the castle” he said with pained voice. “If you excuse me”

“Mayhaps your cousin hasn’t yet acostumed to dornish cuisine” Prince Quentyn suggested.

Prince Trystanne looked completely confused “No I don’t think that is so brother, Lady Sansa did we do anything to upset his grace? he looked angry rather that sick”

She felt her heart pounding wildly in her chest “I could not say, but maybe I should go and make sure he sees a Maester. If you excuse me my Princes” se curtisied and spoke properly but her mind wasn’t even into it, she just wanted to see Jon and maybe– Well she didn’t know if she would say anything to him yet, but maybe she would know when she saw him.

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“Jon!”

Her voice made him stop, he had wanted to get as far as he could from the Princes of Dorne for fear, Sansa deserved happiness and lemmons and gallant gestures, she deserved someone who loved her freely even if he didn’t liked it, he was afraid because he had wanted to chase both Princes away from Sansa, he was afraid of her reaction would be if he did.

Damn Dorne! Seemed every man in the castle was after his cousin, he almost had punched the Red Viper when he suggested he and his llover would love to invite his cousin into their bed just to laugh it off and tease him about how in love he surely was with her to be so angry.

She catched up to him, chest heaving up and down, hair messy and unbound, eyes bright. He felt his loved her so much in that moment, may the gods forgive him.

“Are you truly un-well?” she aside her taking his hand as was her custom when she wanted him to really listen.

“Aye”

“Then you should see a Maester at once” she licked her lips and that was his undoing.

“No” his voice was breaking, he cupped her face in his hands expecting her to refuse his touch, instead she leaned into it. He looked her in the eyes willing her to understand “I don’t think a maester could help me.”

“Then who?“she asked breathing heavily.

“You” he breathed against her lips, closing at last the distance between them. Her lips sweeter and softer that he had ever dreamed, her kissing him back surpassed any hope and dream he had ever had, and now he vowed he wouldn’t let go, diplomacy and political matches be damned.

—————

Gods I am sorry for taking so long in writing this but my week has been pretty busy, I am working on the rest of the prompts I swear! So I actually don’t like the over-sexualization of dornish people cuz that is pretty racist in my humble opinion, but I love angsty Jon so here! Also I would love for Arianne and Sansa to be friends. Hope you liked it and keep sending prompts my way!!!

[nineteensixtieschikadee]

Arya Stark & Femininity

This might turn into a mini rant, so bear with me here. A lot of times whenever I watch old GOT clips, (bc I hate myself) and read stuff about Arya on fansites, I realize that there’s been a lot of misconception about her and her character. Particularly about her being a woman. And a lot of times i see this sort of “justification” from her fans that the reason why she’s such a fan-favorite character in the show (and to some extent, the books?) is because Arya is esentially this “bad-ass ninja asassin tomboy who’s out for revenge against those who’ve killed her family.” And some of her fans and especially her anti’s will call her out expressing that “Arya’s only a child who doesn’t like girly things like dresses and boys and doing her hair. She “identifies” herself as a tomboy because she likes “boyish things” like sword play, and playing in the mud, and gore, wrestling, etc. I was scrolling through the Jonrya tag here on Tumblr, this is a comment I found regarding Arya:

The moment I read that I straight up just wanted to rant! Lol! Also, I’m sorry for the formatting, I’m writing this on mobile. :( Anyways, these people who make those claims about Arya, esentially only see her as this small girl who likes fighting and getting dirty. They completely disregard everything else that makes Arya, Arya. Pretty much just limiting her to her sex, understanding that because Arya likes boyish things, she’s NOT ALLOWED to inherit things, like the North, fall in love and get married, have a high position in the hierarchy and in politics. It’s because that these people see her as someone who hates needlework or everything that isn’t Sansa, everyone believes that she hates everything that makes her FEMALE. Everybody here knows that Arya’s my favorite female character in the books, so I just wanna talk about how the general public views her, and how their views tend to go against Arya’s entire character.

People have this view that she is the “exact opposite” of Sansa. And while that’s true in terms of their different characteristics, it doesn’t mean that Arya is against everything that makes Sansa, feminine. Now lemme elaborate here. Sansa is everything that represents “femininity.” Especially in terms of the inspired time period that ASOIAF takes place in. She’s very girly & lady-like, is mannerful, “soft-spoken.” She daydreams about boys and being a princess. She’s graceful and elegant. She knows her place in terms of society, and as a woman. AND YEAH, Arya is the exact opposite of that. Yes, she has this boyish nature. She’s wild and free spirited. Loud also adventerous. But that’s the thing: Arya has a lot of femininity in her. It’s just not the femininity that we’re used to. What society percieves as “normally feminine.”

Arya is not Sansa. And it’s because she doesn’t act like a “lady” that the audience sees her as this girl who “doesn’t want” or most importantly, should not want/get the same treatment as the typical noblewoman in Westeros should recieve. This idea was engraved into people’s heads because of the show, and that’s how we’re supposed to see her. As this cold hearted ninja assasin warrior who happens to be a girl, but doesn’t act like a typical girl. The audience pretty much places her in the “I’m not like other girls” trope. Which is honestly, so wrong to me. Because yeah okay, Arya isn’t like the typical lady. But god, she is far deeper than that, and is a much more complex character.

Here’s the thing, Arya does not reject being a female, and most importantly, she does not reject the typical ideals of what makes a lady feminine. Of course not. In fact, she actively encourages that women be included in all things, especially in things only made for men. She believes that women should not be held back or ignored because of their sex and femininity.

“The Lannister’s are proud,” Jon observed. “You’d think the royal sigil would be sufficient, but no. He makes his mother’s House equal in honor to the king’s.”

“The woman is important too!” Arya protested.

This excerpt is from Arya’s very first chapter in AGOT. It is also my favorite Jonrya moment, lol. And asides from the scene foreshadowing potential plot points for not only Jon & Arya, the scene introduces to us and examines Arya’s perception of society and more specifically, the women in society. In this scene Arya joins Jon in observing Prince Joffrey, talking about the Lannister/Baratheon coat of arms. Jon makes a point that while the Baratheon sigil should be enough to prove that Joffrey is of royalty, the Lannisters (Cersei) are a proud house, married into the royal family. So therefore Joffrey is of house Baratheon AND Lannister. That is why the Lannister sigil stands besides the Baratheons. Because they, specifically Cersei, should be seen as equal to the king.

And while Jon makes this seem like it’s wrong or not needed, Arya disagrees with him. She tells him that the women should not be forgotten, as they should be seen as equal to the men. That the women are just as important as the men, and that it would be of good conduct to not forget that. And with that being said, she never acknowledges that Joffrey’s mother is too lady-like or too feminine to be seen as an equal to the king. Nope. Although she does question later as to why if women cannot fight, why should they have a coat of arms. Though that is hardly the point of her argument.

Another point that makes people believe that Arya is not feminine or does not support femininity, is when she flat out says to Ned that she hates the idea of being a lady.

“Your mother and I have charged her with the impossible task of making you a lady.”

“I don’t want to be a lady,” Arya flared.

Alot of people misinterpret this as Arya not wanting to be a noblewoman, because she only likes to play with swords, and get dirty. Because acting like a lady is stupid and not her. This is simply not true. Arya has no problem with women, or being a lady. She is a lady. A highborn one. What she does have a problem with is that being a lady often means being trapped in the conformities of what society percieves to be the acceptable standard for women in this time period.

All of the acceptable standards is what Sansa is. And she is not like Sansa. She does not believe herself to be a lady like her sister or her mother. When she first reveals her true identity to Gendry in ACOK, he immediately apologizes to her for his behavior and calls her m’lady. :3 Arya unfortunately sees this as a form of mockery and an attack because while Gendry acknowledges that she is a lady, Arya doesn’t act like a typical lady or even look like one. That insecurity of not being a lady like her mother and sister makes her believe that Gendry is using her sex against her. Like a form of irony. But I mean, we all know that’s far from the truth, lol!

And Jon recognizes this too! It’s the reason why they are so close and tightly knit together. Because Jon understands Arya, and sees her insecurity like how she sees his. They are one and the same. Jon sees and understands Arya’s frustrations of sexism viewed in Westeros. He acknowledges that Arya is to become a lady. But he also sees that Arya is not the conventional type of lady wanting to stick to the norms. She is a different type of lady, and to him, that is okay. He may tease her for it once in a while, pointing out all the unfair limitations that women have to go through. But he accepts her for being this unconventional noblewoman, and often encourages her to pursue being different.

“Girls get the arms but not the swords. Bastards get the swords but not the arms. I did not make the rules, little sister.”

Later when Jon and Arya say their goodbyes, Jon gifts Arya with the swords. Needle. This is his way of saying, fuck all them haters, be who you wanna be. Solidifying the idea that he supports her and accepts her for who she is. Kinda like how Tyrion told him to use his identity as armour, Arya should do the same to herself. It’s okay to be different than the rest. Fuck the rules.

It’s not that Arya hates the idea of being a lady. It’s a far cry from that. It’s the sexism that goes along with being the typical lady that infruiates her. Arya loves running around, riding horses, playing with swords, being loud and adventurous. She has a firery temper to her. And just because she likes doing all of that, and is all of that, it doesn’t mean, shouldn’t mean that she isn’t a lady. That she can’t be a lady. All of those things shouldn’t limit her to being viewed as a girl, a highborn lady. She is a woman, and she identifies as one.

“Listen to him, boy.”

“It was the third time he had called her “boy.” “I’m a girl,” Arya objected.

That is why, even though she sees herself as a woman, she often tells herself and other people that she is not a lady. Despite others telling her that she is one. Her insecurity and her frustrations do not allow her to see herself as a lady because she isn’t a “conventional woman.”

But the thing is, even though Arya doesn’t enjoy most of the typical lady-like things, she still has a ton of femininity to her. And people often ignore her more feminine traits in favor of her more “badassery” side, which unfortunately are most often occupied by men. People forget and downright ignore that Arya is really intelligent. She particularly excels in math. It’s one of the few things that she’s better at than Sansa. She loves flowers—like her aunt Lyanna. The very person who she’s said to look and act like the most. And a really important one is that she has motherly instincts. It’s what helps her protect other kids throughout her journey. Her ability to empathize enables her to be more social with outcasts and befriend others without judgement. She is well-mannered and kind to strangers. (An example of this would be when she apologizes to a common woman who lent her a dress to wear, and she accidentally destroys it because she and Gendry were playing by the acorn tree.) She can also cook and clean just like any other woman—or any other person. All of those are feminine traits, and are traits that make her more human. And the show opted to get rid of all that and gave us some cold-hearted, angry, ninja.

The audience perceives that because Arya is this ninja warrior who rejects the common standards of being a lady, it means that she can’t have these other more female traits. Nope. She’s not allowed to have or want more rights and power because that’s not her. She’s a warrior and nothing more. She can’t find love because she has to be this bad-ass independent woman who don’t need no man. That’s not her, that’s her sister. We can’t have Arya be any more female than she already is because she rejects the idea of being female. Leave all that crap to her sister! Sansa’s the princess—and we can’t have Arya being a princess or queen. Arya’s only allowed to carry a sword.

And it’s the audience’s perception of her that goes against everything that Arya is, and everything that she believes in. Because remember, Arya hates the idea that being a lady means being trapped in the societal norms. And it can be said vice versa too. Arya still respects those who want to be more of the conventional type. Arya may not have the more typical feminine traits that make her a lady, but to hell with it! It doesn’t mean that she’s not allowed to have the other things that the more conventional woman would/should have. That goes against all of her views and beliefs. The audience puts Arya at an unfair standard because she doesn’t act like a conventional woman.

It’s the same thing as the audience saying that Jon Snow doesn’t want a title or power, because he’s devoted his life to the Nights Watch and is unselfish. False. Very false. Just like Arya. Arya’s young. She still has time to grow, and no doubt she doesn’t think of all those things now because of other priorities. But she’s slowly getting there. And there is so much foreshadowing of her finding love, becoming a woman gaining power, etc, etc. She’s not there yet, but that’s a part of her growth. Just because she defies the typical female standards, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t want or wont want all those things later.

Like com’on. Everyone knows that Arya is the only legitimate candidate right now to inherit the North. Everyone knows. The Northmen know, the Nights Watch knows, the people in Kings Landing knows. Hell, even the damn wildings know this. And it’s because of this knowledge that formed the majority of the northern plotline in ADWD. People are going to war for her. She is the true key to the North, and that’s why the Boltons lied and said that they have her. It’s why Jon went to war and died for her. I don’t think Arya will truly believe it if/when she finds out that people are fighting for her because she holds the power to the North. Unless Jon’s gonna be the one to tell her himself. The fact that she is being set up to inherit all this power, and yet people deny it and believe that she doesn’t want it because it’s “not her” in regards that she’s not feminine enough, is seriously infuriating.

I mean look at the type of women Arya respects and idolizes. Where do you think she got the name Nymeria from? Nymeria’s name originates from the Princess of Dorne herself, Princess Nymeria of Ny Sar. Princess Nymeria was said be very beautiful, strong-willed, cunning, and full of wisdom. She was a “warrior-queen.” From that alone, her femininity clearly did not matter. She was a woman whose goals were not held back because of her femininity and sex.

Arya does not hate femininity or things that makes women more feminine. She doesn’t truly hate wearing dresses or being a lady. It’s being conformed to the general standards that she hates. It’s her sex being used against her that makes her angry. It’s not being able to be herself that she despises. And thanks to Sansa and her mother’s judgement of her, Arya’s insecurity only heightened. Despite looking exactly like Lyanna, Arya herself believes that she’s not beautiful enough to even be considered a lady. Only Jon and Ned allowed Arya to be Arya. Only they called her beautiful, and only they encouraged her to be who she wanted to be. Arya loves her fellow women. And yeah, she also loves Sansa despite her being such a pain in the ass bitch, lol.

Arya’s character encourages women to just be women. She encourages us the audience to just be ourselves despite all the conformities forced upon us. Her character explores the limitations of sex, gender, and especially the loss of identity. Arya not wanting to be a lady doesn’t actually mean she doesn’t want to be a lady. She doesn’t want to be held back by the standards of being a lady. Her question, her argument is that why should women be limited only to being this or that. Women are far more than meets the typical standard, and if society can’t accept it, then fuck that! Women can be knights and still be a lady. They can be fierce and passionate and emotional and still be a lady. Women can be warriors and still be a lady. Just because there are some women out there who don’t fit the ideal standards of what it means to be lady, it shouldn’t make them feel like less than one.

[antiloreolympus]

10 Anti LO Asks

1. 'she might be 100+ years old and just mentally stunted to 19!' so i dunno if this was smythe herself or fans but like. really just throwing out the creepy age gap and IMMEDIATELY replacing it with ableism huh? who doesn't love infantilization of people with cognitive developmental disabilities <3 i'd honestly prefer they just kept her creepily young to the weird ableist sexy-little-baby alternative. they do understand how that makes it MORE abusive, right?

2. lo hades is really like "i HAD to enslave the mortals! its tradition!" as if he didnt invent the tradition in the first place?? also its deadass like my man are you BLAMING the slaves for being enslaved by you? lo hades is literally evil for that im sorry yall.

3. So this may be old hat, but can we talk about how after Persephone changed (shifted?) Minthe into a plant that Hecate comes in and 1). Sasses Minthe the plant 2). Is way more excited about revealing her "true form" since Hades + Persephone are doing it, then about the potential murder (plant crime?) That Persephone commited (and yeah, I know she doesn't like Minthe that much but still). And 3). Tells Persephone that Minthe the plant is "cursed" all while arriving late because she was busy leading Demeter on a goose chase instead of helping her find her daughter.

Like I get why Hecate said that Minthe the plant is "Persephones responsibility" to fix and/or take care of - but like, seconds later doesn't Persephone almost drop her? Is Persephone - who vengefully turned her into a plant in the first place - really the best option to be looking over Minthe?

4. To self-insert anon, the moment readers can notice that it's self-insert, then the author/artist is doing a bad job. Readers should be able to be immersed into the story and its characters. How can they do that when readers can notice that main character is self-insert, so it reminds them of author/artist, thereby breaking the immersion. LO comic is getting paid, so readers expect better of RS. Persephone is actual Greek goddess, even in fiction, I don't want to remind me of anyone else but her.

5. So Athena has to look male? Non-binary for women just means no boobs and wearing male clothes lmfao

6. Unlike that one anon, Chiron being a woman is something I find very fitting. Why would a rape victim want to go to a man or AMAB no binary person for therapy? Get a grip! Women’s safety comes before your gender politics. Speaking of men being triggering for rape victims, P’s closeness to H is totally unrealistic. Her rape somehow makes her swoon further into his arms rather than avoid him. Great🙄

7. tbh the only way i could get LO gods being SO advanced SO fast is if they had some OP prophecy deity or some creator god like, advancing everything for them because they can see and take stuff from the future or something like that. it really makes no sense currently that they have this advanced tech thats even more advanced than ours currently. it's even more confusing bc they still cling to old ideas like virginity, purity, SLAVERY, and absolute monarchies at the same time? like why??

8. Can anons please stop speculating on what possible trauma or kinks or other personal stuff RS may or may not have. It's invasive, creepy and none of our business. (Love the blog!)

9. Lindsay Ellis has a great analysis on how women in media are often stripped from her positive qualities via-trauma to converting them into #yasqueen #girlboss characters and how some people call that the epitome of feminism, obviously she called that trend when she reviewed about Game of Thrones and the character of Sansa, unfortunately, I'm seeing this same trend with Persephone in LO, I will not be surprised if Rachel praises GoT ending in secret, I bet she and D&D will be very good friends 😂😂.

10. i honestly dont get why RS got hid of the glowing eyes/smoke her original concept hades had. it would have been some much needed visual interest to hades since all he looks like now is the disney hades put through the tumblr sexy man machine and it did a bad job. despite being literal gods with powers they lack so much mystic or actual fantasy to them, you know what i mean?

[sailorshadzter]

jon has a gift to give to sansa. 

mostly just more excuses for me to write “the night before the night king battle” stuff rather than work on my wips :))))))))

There's a stillness to the air she's never felt before.

She stands upon the battlements, overlooking the final preparations for the upcoming battle as a light snow begins to fall, wondering just when the moment would truly come. They play a waiting game; waiting for the Night King, waiting for death itself, the fear of what's to come clouding every mind within Winterfell. A sigh escapes and she closes her eyes, thinking tonight might be the first night she prays again, if only she knew the gods would listen.

"Sansa?"

She jumps, startled by the sound of the voice, though she relaxes at the sight of him standing there. "I've been looking for you," Jon says as he steps up beside her, their shoulders just barely brushing, but it's like an electric shock all the same. "I want you down below, in the crypts." He speaks on, shifting so he can look at her, only to find she's already turned to face him, blue eyes shining in the dying sunlight. "You'll be safest down there." She nods, she's already accepted that her place is out of the way from those who can actually make a difference. "I... Have something for you." Sansa blinks, a brow arching in silent surprise. "It isn't much, but I had Gendry make it for you."

Jon fishes in his cloak pocket and from inside he pulls a small box which he extends out for her to take. She does, cradling the box in her palm with one hand while she tips back the lid, revealing to her the gift Jon has had made. It's a direwolf pendant and as she draws it from inside, she sees it's been made from dragonglass, which gives it a strange yet beautiful metallic color. "Jon..." She breathes, looking up with wide blue eyes, her mouth hanging open in her shock. "It's beautiful." Her eyes return to the pendant, a fingertip tracing lightly along its every detail, wrought with such delicacy she she cannot believe it's been made with human hands. "But why?" She looks up again, surprised by his gesture, but even more surprised to see his cheeks fill with color, unable to meet her gaze.

"These furs... They were the first gift I've had since I can remember..." He speaks quietly, tugging at the furs he's wrapped in, sewn with her own hands for him. "I wanted you to feel like I felt that day, when you gave me this." Perhaps the fear of the unknown, the fear of what's to come, has given him the courage to speak so honestly with her. There's more for him to say, so much more, but he has yet to find the courage for those words. He raises his gaze back to meet hers and she's smiling, the sunset's glow threading through her hair in such a way that he must keep himself from reaching for her.

But she's handing the pendant back to him so she can turn around. "Clasp it, won't you?" She asks, glancing at him over her shoulder, causing him to suck in a breath before he nods, closing the minimal gap between them so he can unhook the simple clasp and swing the pendant around her neck.

"Your hair..." He murmurs, helping her to brush it across a shoulder, not really that surprised by how soft it was to his touch. Somehow, despite somewhat shaking hands, he manages to clasp the chain together again and he steps back, unaware that he's holding his breath when she turns back around. The pendant stands out against the black of her gown, a reminder of her name, a reminder of just who she was. "It suits you..." Just as he had known it would. It's her turn to blush and the sight of her rosy cheeks fills him with a sense of warmth he cannot begin to explain. "Sansa... There's something else..." He begins, knowing there's words he needs her to hear, words he has to say before he steps out onto a battlefield.

Just in case.

It's a moment later that her hand slips into his, small but warm, and he finds himself squeezing it back, never wanting to let her go. "There's time to talk, isn't there?" She smiles again, head tilting as she peers back at him, red hair falling across her shoulder. Since he cannot find his voice, he merely nods. "Come on then." She gives his hand a tug and his feet follow the path that she makes, leading him back towards the stairs that will lead them down into the courtyard and thus back into Winterfell.

They find themselves at the door to her chambers and she pulls him in, allowing the door to fall closed behind them. It might be an hour, it might be several, but on what could very well be their final night alive... Suddenly, words don't feel like enough. "Sansa, I..." His voice is strained, rasping, brain whirling as she hovers near, the scent of roses and snow clinging to her red hair. He has faced down monsters and men of all kinds, none quite as fear inducing as this moment; his tongue twisted, he shakes his head, chuckling in spite of himself.

"Say it." She whispers, closer still, so close in fact he can feel the softest brushing of her lips against his when she smiles.

"What if it changes everything?" He's catching her cheeks between his palms, gazing into her eyes.

"And what if it doesn't?"

Jon blinks, but something warm is rushing through him, a new sense of understanding taking root. "I love you, Sansa." He says finally, the words that he's held onto all these weeks coming out in a single breath. "When the battle is over... When the Night King is defeated..." She's leaning in again and Jon slides a hand into her hair, knocking pins loose as he threads his fingers through her silky locks. "I want to stand beside you." In the end, everything he's done... Since that day she came through the gates at Castle Black... Every choice, every decision, they all had been for her. Every moment has led them to where they stand now.

That's when she kisses him, hesitantly at first until Jon slips his other arm around her waist, palm pressing against the small of her back. It's a slow kiss, a long kiss, one that leaves them breathless when they break apart a few moments later; Sansa's cheeks glow with color and Jon finds he enjoys the sight. "That's all I've ever wanted," she admits softly, her forehead tipping against his, unwilling to draw herself from his embrace quite yet. To be loved for her, not her name, not her title... A dream from childhood that she thought she might give up on, but she's found herself that prince, even if he wasn't so golden as she'd once imagined him to be. Not a prince, she realizes then, a knight. A brave knight, as father once promised. "You must promise to come back to me," she's far more serious now, holding fast to his gaze. "That when the battle is over, you'll come for me from the crypts."

"Aye, I'll come for you," he murmurs with a nod, a grin tugging at his lips. "I promise."

[ x x x ]

He leaves her fast asleep in bed, safe and warm tucked beneath the heavy furs.

When he's dressed, he comes to stand at the side of the bed where she sleeps so soundly, unable to help but to smile at the sight of her there. For a moment, he's hesitant to leave her, but he knows what will happen if they're discovered together, even by her faithful lady knight. And so he can only lean over her, pressing one final kiss to her temple, hand gently brushing a stray lock of hair away from her forehead. She sleeps peacefully and for that he is thankful- Jon knows how little she sleeps, even if she would never admit it.

Slipping from the room, he makes his way down the hall to his own rooms which sit just at the end of the hall from her own. Once inside, he sinks down onto the edge of his own bed, thinking back to the hours he'd spent in the bed that did not belong to him. He thinks of her, teeth sinking into his shoulder to keep from crying out. He thinks of her wearing nothing but the pendant he'd given her, of her slender legs wrapping around his hips... Despite living through it all, he's still having a hard time believing any of it was real.

He can't quite grasp how a man such as himself could ever be so lucky, but he won't fight it, he won't give it up. Not for anything. He would face the undead and he would face the mother of dragons and in the end...

They would be happy.

[callunavulgari]

TOP 25 FICS OF 2019

1. these roads will take you into your own country by @notbecauseofvictories | American Gods | Laura Moon/Mad Sweeney | WIP | 33k

Here’s a joke for you: a Muslim, a zombie, and a leprechaun walk into a bar in Misery, Indiana. No one stares, because no one in the puckered, shitty asshole of Misery, Indiana gives a fuck. The Colts are playing.

Heather Says: So. It’s funny that another of @notbecauseofvictories‘s stories is at the top of my list again this year. Keep in mind this list is sorted by when the fic was read rather than favorites (because that would get real complicated real quick). Clearly there must be something about January. There’s just something about the writing that is easy to slip into, be it a Star Wars fic or a Labyrinth fic or even a fic about Johnny and the Devil. This was lovely and I can’t wait until it’s finished.

2. eighteen wheels on an uphill climb by @honkforhankcon | Detroit: Become Human | Hank/Connor | 91k

Hank is going to die. He’s going to die right here in Kentucky, 53 years old, halfway to broke, and tragically sober. Survived only by a nine-year-old St. Bernard and the 31-year-old twink who delivered the fatal blow.

Heather Says: I don’t think that this is the first DBH fic that I sought out after beating the game, but it is the first that I loved enough to make it to this list. I didn’t think that I would go for a modern au for this fandom, certainly not a modern au wihere Hank is a truck driver and Connor is a sex worker (albeit briefly?) but here I am.

3. Fuck pride (pride only hurts, it never helps) by ImogenGotDrunk | Detroit: Become Human | RK900/Gavin Reed | 41k

After the android uprising, Connor becomes a permanent fixture in the DPD. That’s fine. Gavin can accept that. The dipshit’s more human than he used to be, and a decent detective to boot. Gavin can deal with him being around. What Gavin cannot deal with is Connor’s replica; two inches taller, blue-eyed, and with a mouth that Gavin doesn’t know whether to punch or take between his teeth. The RK900 model has been assigned as his partner for the foreseeable future.

Heather Says: I also never thought that I’d like a fic with Gavin in it. But I got curious about all the Reed900, and well, this fic really won me over. The writing is fantastic, and it softens Gavin while still keeping him believable. Also, well, I like the enemies to lovers thing.

4. Almost Cool by @blacktofade | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | 30k

While filming the Yuma Territorial Prison episode, Shane gets bitten by what he thinks is a bat. Spoiler alert: it's not.

Heather Says: This is actually the first thing that I read for this fandom. In fact, this is the fic that got me into Buzzfeed Unsolved in the first place. I’d seen a lot of art and gifs and fics pass my way, but I was only ever slightly interested in what I saw until this fic came through my inbox and piqued my curiosity. 

5. Pride by @astolat | Game of Thrones | Jaime/Brienne/Cersei | 22k

Jaime didn’t understand why Cersei suddenly insisted on trimming his hair and shaving his beard, but he also didn’t care to fight her on it, even though he’d just as soon have kept the beard: it was bitterly cold in the small tower room with its arrow-slits. 

Heather Says: Wowza. This fic was intense. I’ve always loved Jaime and Brienne. I’ve loved them since the second book, which was read at least a few years before I started loving them in the show. Adding Cersei to their dynamic would have probably been almost impossible to pull off if it was anyone else, but @astolat lives to surpass my expectations.

6. Skin and Scales by Ernmark | The Penumbra Podcast | Lord Arum/Sir Damien/Rilla | 18k

The man glares, and this time, Damien is certain it isn’t a trick of the light: those eyes are violet as amethyst. He wears disdain like a second skin–- or, perhaps, like the scales that he is missing. “Lord Arum?”

Heather Says: I was one of those people who skipped through all of the Second Citadel episodes during my first listen through of Penumbra. The stories were good, but the pull of Juno was too great. A couple months after I finished, I went back and listened to everything I didn’t. And let me tell you. Lizard monster. Honorable knight. Bookish girlfriend. Poly. It hit every single button I had and then some. This fic really hit the spot when I ran out of story.

7. someone you like by caela | She-Ra | Adora/Catra | 5k

catwithabat u think ur so hipster but u just look like a lesbian 27m she_ra @catwithabat bc… i’m a lesbian. lmao 5m

Heather Says: Noooot usually a big fan of high school fics. Namely because I’m not in high school anymore and well, after you read so many in your teenage years they sort of lose their luster. This one was phenomenal enough to change my mind.

8. Sands of Time by @tirsynni | Legend of Zelda | Ganondorf/Link | WIP | 98k

Link awakens in the desert with no idea how he got there, to encounter his worst enemy...except it was the King of the Gerudo, not the King of Evil, he faced.

Heather Says: I have seen a lot of really good Link/Ganondorf art over the years, but never really stumbled across a fic that didn’t have judicious amount of non-con involved. But the Breath of the Wild 2 trailer happened, and everybody started drawing really pretty art, so I went looking. And lo and behold, @tirsynni saved the day with this gorgeous time travel/fix-it fic. 

9. killed with kindness by veterization | Persona 5 | Akechi/Akira | 52k

Goro can't quite figure out why so many people keep acting like they're his friend. (Or: the one where the Phantom Thieves decide to know thy enemy, befriend thy enemy, love thy enemy, crush on thy enemy).

Heather Says: I’ve read a couple of veterization’s fics over the years, and to date they have never disappointed me. They published this in June, and I think I clicked on it mostly because I was bored and hadn’t read any good P5 fic yet. This was basically just what the doctor ordered, and I was really happy to find something where Akechi’s story went ever so slightly different.

10. paper thin by @ebonybow | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane/Sara | 9k

Shane’s new neighbors are a morning-sex kind of couple.

Heather Says: So I went into this one knowing very little about how Sara fit into things. I didn’t know she was Shane’s girlfriend. I’d never even seen her, but I clicked because I like poly and I trust the author. I was 100% not disappointed. There’s also another fic with a very similar dynamic here, which is also aces.

11. damn.nation, now available on itunes by @kaikamahine | Good Omens | Aziraphale/Crowley | 11k

When lowly tempt-pusher Amphora (formerly of Stairwell 7B North, before she Fell,) gets the notice that end times are nigh, she gleefully quits her job and cancels her Netflix subscription and takes her place among the legions of hell. This, it turns out, was a bad plan.

Heather Says: Elizabeth may have only written one fic this year, but she made it a damn good one. I’ve always loved her OCs especially, so I was pretty tickled that this is 10k+ of outsider pov. Also, demons! Demons are great! This demon is great! I want like 9 seasons and a movie about Amphora, just saying.

12. The Dragon and Her Wolves by hapakitsune | Game of Thrones | Jon/Sansa/Daenarys | 60k

When the truth of Jon's birthright is revealed, control of the North and Daenerys's claim to the Iron Throne are both called into question. To preserve their tenuous alliance and secure her rule, Daenerys puts aside her personal feelings to arrange a marriage of political convenience between Jon and Sansa Stark.

Heather Says: What do you mean season 8 didn’t exist and the show totally ended with a three way relationship between the two most powerful women in Westeros and Jon Snow? Never been a big fan of Jon/Sansa before this, but this is another of those writers that I would literally trust if they wrote a fic about a fork and a spoon.

13. never tell me the odds by @wildehacked | Wolf 359 | Eiffel/Hera | 9k

“I tried Star Wars," he says, adjusting the phone under his neck, "and it was way underwhelming.”

A shaky breath from her end. “Well, where did you start?”

Heather Says: I don’t remember which of @wildehacked‘s fandoms I started reading first. Most recently it’s been The Magnus Archives (more on this later). The point is, they’d written Wolf 359 fic and it had Hera and Eiffel and it was literally everything that I’ve been looking for since the series ended.

14. Find Me Somebody by raiining | Good Omens | Warlock/Adam Young | 11k

“You left me,” he said. “You both left me, for him. And I can’t even blame you, because I’d have left me for him too.”

Heather Says: There was an Art. The art was lovely. So I went looking, because that’s what I do when faced with beautiful art depicting a rare pairing. And I found the holy grail. Like, possibly my favorite Good Omens fic? Ever? 

15. flirting with fire by @brawlite | Stranger Things | Billy/Steve | WIP | 7k

Steve's a cop, Billy's a firefighter. It's not a grudge, it's just a regular old small town rivalry.

Heather Says: Okay so brawlite has written a lot of great stuff this year (more on that later), but I read this in bed at the beach house this August while I was reeling from both a horrible sunburn and like seven hours of mild to moderate day-drinking while everyone else was still throwing back shots right outside my bedroom door. Jaws was playing on the tv and I wasn’t even paying attention to it, because THIS. Long story short, I’ve been thirsty for more ever since.

16. gold, when you find me by mmtion | The Flash | Iris/Barry | 53k

It's not that Iris hates The Flash, per say - more that she hates writing about The Streak in a weekly, pun-heavy comic based on The Flash.

Heather Says: I never would have thought that a canon pairing would make it to my Top 25 list, but here we are. I like Iris/Barry a lot better when they don’t grow up together and spend a lot of time playing the Superman game, apparently. Also, this was really well-written, and sexual tension has never been something I’ve felt from Barry and Iris, but I felt it in this fic. Just. Damn.

17. never gets old by @brawlite & @toast-ranger-to-a-stranger| Stranger Things | Billy/Steve | 78k

Falling in love with a cam boy named KingSteve isn't the smartest thing Billy Hargrove has ever done, nor is it the most healthy -- but the good choice is rarely ever the fun choice, and Billy is all about living life fast and loose.

Heather Says: Told you I’d come back to it. brawlite and toastranger are a fantastic team. last year was cherry pie and under the covers, this year it’s camboys and cop/firefighter dynamics. Also, I have a really strange fascination with fics where a character has an instragram. It’s really, incredibly strange. Also also, every time I see this fic title I get that one Discovery Channel song stuck in my head. And no, it probably isn’t the one you’re thinking.

18. ways to save the world by @wildehacked | The Magnus Archives | Martin Blackwood/Jon Sims | 19k

“I left you,” Martin says softly.

Heather Says: And we’re back at wildehacked too! The Magnus Archives was a thing that happened to me. This is I think the first fic I read for it while listening, and it was so very close to what we got in canon. I think when it comes down to it though, I still prefer this fic, even if the ending of this season was pretty fantastic.

19. The Denial Twist by beethechange | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | 35k

“This is kind of surreal,” Shane says, taking a sip of his tea. It’s piping hot and delicious, except it tastes like hot chocolate and not like tea at all. “Sort of—Wonka-esque, right? Or Alice in Wonderland.”

Heather Says: While the vampire one is my favorite both because it is excellent and because it was my first, this one was bizarre and sexy and also I read it like only a month or so ago! The dancing was my favorite part, but having dreams to work with made this story fantastically interesting and I loved every second of it.

20. silver in our lungs by taywen | Spinning Silver | Miryem/The Staryk Lord | 4k

The marks had been with Miryem for as long as she could remember. There were a number of them, all the same shade, following one after the other around her left wrist. They were pale as old scars, though they felt no different from the rest of her skin, and her mother claimed that Miryem had been born with them.

Heather Says: I really like soulmate aus. There’s so many different ways to twist them and the way they can sometimes change the dynamic entirely and other times not change them at all is just fascinating. I’ve been hoping there would be more Spinning Silver content on ao3 and running into this while I was trying to decide what I wanted to do for yuletide was a real treat.

21. you got me begging, begging, i'm on my knees by plalligator | The Queen’s Thief | Attolia/Eugenides/Costis | 5k

Costis has a particularly enlightening evening. (or, that struggle when you're a guard who's in love with your rulers and it turns out you would kind of like it if they bossed you around a little)

Heather Says: I accidentally re-read the King of Attolia and it made me consider ships I had perhaps not previously considered. This was really lovely and just steamy enough.

22. something more alive than silence by pageleaf | The Queen’s Thief | Attolia/Eugenides/Costis | 21k

It was a good thing that six months after the king had promised to halve the guard, he still hadn’t done it, because since then, there had been two attempts on the king’s life.

Heather Says: I want to only type the words AGONIZED NOISES to describe this fic because that’s basically my headspace when I get 21k of a shiny new ot3, but I mean. Really. This is super good and maybe my favorite yet? Why didn’t I start reading this fandom when I first read the books?

23. Timing it Right by DragonBandit | The Bright Sessions | Mark/Damien | 14k

The dragon chooses, Mark knows that as well as any boy born in a weyr. He'd never considered what that would mean if the dragon picked someone you hated. He's starting to think that was a mistake.

Damien's gold rises at Whitney. Mark tries to make things right.

Heather Says: This should actually be somewhere back in March, but I apparently closed out of the tab at some point. I never really got into Pern much. I have the first three books, but got most of the way through the first one a long time ago and then never picked it back up. I didn’t think I would like this, mostly because of the fact that I hadn’t gotten into the books, but was surprised to find that I absolutely loved it.

24. Keep It In Your Sights Now by LuckyDiceKirby | Shades of Magic | Lila/Kell/Holland | 9k

Holland travels with Lila and Kell. Somewhere along the way, they reach an equilibrium.

Heather Says: I love the new things I’ve discovered during my yuletide trompings. I don’t think I ever actually considered this pairing when I first read the books, but I am just so enamored with the idea of the three of them together. Like, why did I not realize that potential back then? This was lovely, and I loved it, and I want so much more out of this pairing than what ao3 has to offer me.

25. Charioteer by petrichoral | The Queen’s Thief | Gen & Costis | 13k

Captured in battle and stuck in the Mede capital, Costis has given up all hope of seeing his country again. But Eugenides has a habit of turning up where he's least expected.

Heather Says: Technically this shouldn’t be on here because I only read it today, but it was really wonderful and so canon typical. Gen and Costis were perfect in it, Irene was perfect in it. Everyone was perfect and nothing hurts.

[lainelannister]

B S Y U for nedcat and H A P for briennexsansa

Ahhh, I hadn’t thought about doing these for ships specifically! But hey, why not!?

Ned/Cat:

B = Body part (Their favourite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Cat likes her legs; even though she’s a bit self-conscious about certain parts of her body (specifically, her belly after carrying five kiddos), her legs have stayed lean and toned, and she likes to wrap them around Ned to bring him as close to her as possible. As for Ned...he doesn’t really have much of an opinion about his body in general (even as a young man, when he was spending all of his time either with his dreamboat big brother or with Robert “Muscled Like A Maiden’s Fantasy” Baratheon, he didn’t allow himself to dwell overmuch on that stuff). But he knows he has a bigger-than-average dick, so that’s a plus in his mind. :P As for what they like about each other, NED LOVES CAT’S HAIR IT IS CANONNNNNNNN. And Cat likes Ned’s Adam’s apple; it’s really visible, and she likes to kiss it and tease it with her tongue. 

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last…)

Um hi, they have five million children. THEY CAN GO FOREVER.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

I don’t think that they’re big teasers in bed; they know what each other likes, and they know how to make it happen efficiently (which is necessary, when you have five million children swarming your castle and very little opportunity for privacy). 

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

ACHING LOINS, YO. DAT SHIT IS IN. THE. BOOKS. 

Brienne/Sansa:

(Ooh, this is fun! I’ve written Brienne/Sansa sex stuff before, but it’s always in a threesome with Jaime...I’ve never really headcanon-ed them much as a separate couple!)

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

They’re both world-champion snugglers, and they especially like to spoon (with Sansa as big spoon and Brienne as little spoon).H = Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)

When they first started bedding, Sansa still had her Alayne-hair situation, so her carpet and drapes did not at all match. But in terms of grooming, I don’t think that either lady worries too much about that (it doesn’t seem like an important thing in Westerosi culture). In a modern AU, I could see Sansa going for a landing strip and Brienne going full Brazilian (mostly because she wears a lot of fitness gear and is a big-time swimmer, so it’s just easier that way). P = Pace (Are they fats and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.)

They’re very gentle with each other; Sansa because she knows how shy Brienne can be about revealing her body and engaging in anything sexual, and Brienne because she still views Sansa in such a worshipful light. My sweet gurlz. <3 

[oadara]

First Impression Game of Thrones 8x02

So, I caved in and watched episode 8x02 of GoT. I’m going to leave my impressions under the cut for those who wish to read them. 

S

P

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L

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R

First, the episode was much better than I had anticipated, It’s actually a very good episode. Much better than episode 1. I took some notes while watching the episode, so here we go

- The episode starts with Dany, Jon, and Sansa in the Great Hall with Jaime. Dany asks rightly so, why she should trust him. The stuff about her father isn’t great but here you have it. Sansa agrees with Dany until Brienne comes to Jaime’s rescue and vouches for him. Sansa trust Brienne and so accepts her suggestion. Dany then asks Jon, as Warden of the North, what they should do. Jon says then need every fighter they can get. Dany is not exactly happy about it but accepts both Jon and Sansa’s council and allows Jaime to stay and fight.

- Tyrion does try to talk in Jaime’ s behalf but Dany reminds him that he’s given her bad advice already. Tyrion knows she’s right. 

- Tyrion is walking with Jorah and Varys and says to them that before this is all over one of them is going to be wearing the Hand of the Queen pin. 

- Jaime and Bran have a talk, and Jaime mentions what will happen when this is all over, and Bran says to him, “how do you know there’ll be an afterward.” Not ominous at all. 

- Dany and Jorah have a heart to heart. Jorah mentions how he was hurt that she named Tyrion hand of the Queen but it was the right move. He then councils Dany to forgive Tyrion and also says something else we don’t see but find out in the next scene. 

- Dany finds Sansa in the library and they have a lovely conversation. Jorah clearly advises Dany to seek Sansa out, so this is the second time in the episode that Dany takes and follows the advice of her advisors. Dany gives Sansa a lovely complement saying that leading people who don’t want to be lead by a woman is hard but that she’s done a good job of it. Dany also mentions that all her life she’s been fighting to take back the IT from the people who destroyed her family and then mentions these same people also tried to destroy the Starks. Dany had been focused on this pursuit until she met Jon who she loves and who she's now focused on fighting alongside with him in his war. I didn’t like the “his war” part because they are supposed to be doing this together but alas, the writers aren’t always consistent. Nonetheless, it’s a lovely moment until Sansa brings it back to what’s going to happen after the war and if the North is going to be independent. Dany’s clearly annoyed by this because she was making an effort and connecting with Sansa up to this point. 

- They get interrupted for Theon's return. It’s a lovely scene, Dany’s happy that Yara is free. I loved the hug between Theon and Sansa and I’m shipping them. I don’t care. 

- They are in the war council when Bran says that the Night King is after him because he holds the memory of the world and the Night King wants everything to die. I don’t know what of think of this. On the one hand, it makes sense but on the other, it’s a little too obvious to declare the Night King’s purpose just like that. So, I still think there’s more to the Night King than killing Bran. I think Bran might be playing a chess game and he’s not ready to reveal what the Night King is truly after which I still believe is Jon and Dany’s baby. 

- Tyrion says he’ll be with the fighters but Dany tells him she wants him in the crypts. She tells him that if anything happens he’s the smartest person there and they need his mind. Once again, for the third time in the episode, Dany takes her advisors council (Jorah again). Also, she gives a public compliment to Tyrion to smooth away the scolding she gave him earlier. 

- The war council ends and Jon leaves avoiding Dany again, he did it early in the Great Hall, clearly not ready to talk to Dany. 

- Tyrion stays behind with Bran and asks Bran to tell him his story. I think that Tyrion will figure something out based on what Bran tells him, something probably Bran hasn’t even thought about. Dany had just called him the smartest person there, so there is something Tyrion will figure out about what the Night King is after I’m sure. 

- The northern children being racist towards Missandei and Gray Worm, not cool. But I did like that when they were talking about sailing away once Dany has the IT, the Unsullied would defend the peaceful people from Nath. Hearteyes. 

- Finally, Ghost makes an appearance. 

- Tyrion has this conversation with Jaime and he says he’s not whoring anymore because he’s trying self-betterment but I also get the impression it might be because of Dany. Also, Tyrion defends Dany to Jaime. 

- Grendrya - my girl is all grown up. 

- Jaime knighting Brienne was really nice. I liked the scene. 

- Lyanna Mormont and Jorah have a disagreement, he wants her to be in the crypts and she wants to fight. I got a bad feeling about this. I think the Little Bear might be in danger. 

- Sam gives Jorah Hearthsbane and it’s a nice scene. Whatever is going on between Sama and Dany doesn’t affect the relationship between Sam and Jorah. 

- The final scene is between Jon and Dany in the crypts. It’s a good scene, the reveal is much better for Dany than it was for Jon. Dany, of course, doesn’t believe it at first. Then she if true it’ll make Jon heir to the IT and she’s not happy about it. Then they get interrupted because the Army of the Dead has arrived. 

Going back to Dany’s reaction to Jon I can’t push away the feeling that Dany’s conversation with Sansa and what Sansa says to Dany about an independent north has to be very present in Dany’s mind. 

In her conversation with Sansa in the library, Sansa insinuates that men do stupid things for love. Dany answers her by saying she’s there because she loves Jon and so who’s manipulating who. 

Now, this happens, bringing back that conversation Dany had with Jon which now she might wonder if Jon is manipulating her after all or if not that whether there’s more going on that she [Dany] understands. Because she believes she’s there for pure reasons but maybe the Starks reason might not be so pure. 

What I’m trying to say is that her conversation with Sansa has unsettled how she received the information from Jon. Of course, we all know this is not what Jon’s about. But they never get into that because their conversation is interrupted. 

Once the conversation is interrupted they both get to work because there’s something way more important than what they just discussed. So, Dany can clearly set her own feelings aside for the big picture. 

Bottom line, she might not have taken the information well (understandably so) however, the episode went out of its way to show that Dany is someone who listens, even if she’s upset or doesn’t always agree she listens and she does what’s right. 

Also, I love how the matter of incest has still not come up and probably won’t be an issue at all or a very small one at best. Jon did not seem bothered at all about Dany cozying up to him in the crypts. In fact, he held her close to him before he told her the truth. He still loves her and wants to be with her. 

Finally, even after the reveal, Jon and Dany are still in sync with each other. When the horn sounds and they head outside they know exactly what they are going to do and go about their plan. 

https://video.twimg.com/tweet_video/D4s0v5JWwAIfb-1.mp4

I might have more thoughts late. 

[arabian-bloodstream]

Decoding D&D’s Playlist

OK, In early Spring, D.B. Weiss and Daniel Benioff helped create a new Spotify playlist: Game of Thrones: The End Is Coming. Upon doing so, they told For the Record in an email, “The answer to the ending is one hundred percent hidden in the playlist choices. No one will believe us, but it’s true.”

I have spent the last couple of weeks going through each song and trying to figure out which character, which scenario, arc, storyline each song was about. I could be completely way-off, but it was fun. So here you. Enjoy! (Note: All songs link to full lyrics.)

Fair warning, this is long. Very long. So long that I’m going to put a cut. I will say... yeah, this playlist screams Gendrya endgame.

Sleep Now in the Fire - Rage Against the Machine 

Dany as Mad Queen.

The world is my expense The cost of my desire Jesus blessed me with its future And I protect it with fire So raise your fists and march around Dont dare take what you need I’ll jail and bury those committed And smother the rest in greed Crawl with me into tomorrow Or i’ll drag you to your grave I’m deep inside your children They’ll betray you in my name

Her Black Wings - Danzig

This one seems to fit Arya in the first three episodes of the season.

She brings the lust Supernatural Ceasing never On and On and On Her stride is such Mortals freeze When she walks past And she comes down to me And she offers me sleep Under her black wings

Think about Arya flying down to kill the Night King, that fits with the “Under her black wings.” And “Mortals freeze when she falls by" and the mention of the "supernatural," all fit the Faceless men training and her overall ability to walk silent and her skills.

Entwined with love Unclean she is

Everything Arya is doing, everything that she has done, every kill has been done for love, to avenge the people she loves, to protect those she loves. And yet, she's so surrounded, covered, engulfed in death that she's unclean.

See she comes Blacker than pitch Have to make this fallen bitch All I want All I crave Demoness calls The bitch is come For those who wait Cross the breach in hell See she is Bedeviled with breasts Enchantment on legs

This stanza here even fits her if you take into account the fact that the Hound calls her a bitch all the time, and the last two lines, well, we do see Arya as a woman for the first time this season.

Immigrant Song (Remaster) - Led Zeppelin

The Army of the Undead want to take over Westeros.

The End (Remaster) - The Doors

This could certainly be about Tyrion with regards to Jaime and Cersei, but something about it just says the Hound (and Arya) a bit more to me because of a line in the final stanza:  “You’ll never follow me.”   Plus, there is a reference to a “Stranger” in the song. The Hound’s horse was named “Stranger” and, of course, as was established (in my opinion) in the final season, the Hound=death and in the faith of the Seven, the Stranger represented death.

This is the end Beautiful friend This is the end My only friend

The end Of our elaborate plans The end Of everything that stands The end No safety or surprise The end I'll never look into your eyes Again

Can you picture what will be So limitless and free Desperately in need of some stranger's hand In a desperate land

Arya is the Hound’s only friend now that Gendry has become something more. And with what happened in "The Bells," it was the end of their journey together.

Now there is this stanza which is why one could think it references Tyrion thinking about his family with the references to father, brother and sister:

The killer awoke before dawn, he put his boots on He took a face from the ancient gallery And he walked on down the hall He went into the room where his sister lived, and...then he Paid a visit to his brother, and then he He walked on down the hall, and And he came to a door...and he looked inside "Father?" "Yes, son." "I want to kill you." "Mother, I want to fuck you"

But I took that as more allegorical, the Hound being the killer who is ready to finally kill his family, i.e., his brother. Furthermore, Ray Manzarek said about this song that Morrison "was giving voice in a rock ‘n’ roll setting to the Oedipus complex" and the lines about the father and mother derive from that mythology and essentially boil down to one principle, you can't escape your fate.

Oedipus' father banishes him because he is told that Oedipus will kill him and sleep with his mother. Years later, Oedipus meets a beautiful woman, they fall into bed, Oedipus fathers catches them and lo and behold!, it's his wife... and Oedipus' mother but neither know that, because Oedipus' father banished him to avoid the prophecy. Oedipus and his father fight, and boom! Oedipus kills his father. Ergo, you can't escape your fate. So... does that apply to the Hound killing his brother or Tyrion and his siblings? Could be both. I just think it leans more towards the Hound.

Then we come to the end of the song and it is full of profanity after profanity, the Hound’s calling card before leading to death and then the bolded line that just scream the Hound to Arya.

C'mon, yeah, c'mon, yeah Fuck me, baby, fuck yeah Fuck, fuck, fuck, yeah! Fuck, yeah! C'mon, baby Fuck me, baby, fuck, fuck, yeah Whoa, whoa, yeah, fuck, baby C'mon, yeah, huh, huh, huh, huh, yeah All right [...] It hurts to set you free But you'll never follow me The end of laughter and soft lies The end of nights we tried to die This is the end

On the other hand, if you take out the Stranger references and look at those specific references to brother, sister, father and how Tyrion had to let go of Jaime and Cersei and the Lannister of it all to move forward in many ways, it fits him best. Also, if you look at the line in the final stanza that is italicized that fits Tyrion with his brother *and* sister.

So honestly, I could go either way even if I do lean a bit more towards the Hound.

Girl From the North Country - Bob Dylan

Yes, I know there is a line in this song that references the girl's long hair lying past her breast, but regardless, everything else about this song just screams pre-season Gendry and Arya.  It totally, totally does. It just totally is Gendry pining for Arya. Nothing else makes sense. N-O-T-H-I-N-G!

If you're travelin' in the north country fair Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline Remember me to one who lives there She once was a true love of mine

If you go when the snowflakes storm When the rivers freeze and summer ends Please see if she's wearing a coat so warm To keep her from the howlin' winds

I know that some have tried to fit it with Sansa and Tyrion, and I love them, but it just doesn't fit them. Sansa is in no way Tyrion’s true love, she just isn't. He hasn't been thinking of her throughout his time away from her. We know that. We absolutely know that. It does not fit them, sorry Sanrion fans (I’m one of them).

Now, if there is some time jump that we see in episode 06 before Arya goes to Gendry (because, yes, I'm still convinced that we are getting an Arya/Gendry endgame), then maybe this will apply to *that* timeframe, but as of now, I still see it as pre-season 08 Gendrya, just the feeling, the tenor and tone of it. Think of Gendry's line to her in the second episode: 

The last time you saw me, you asked me to come to Winterfell. I took the long road…

Yeah.

Mama Kin (Live Version) - Guns n Roses

(FYI: These are the lyrics for the live version, so they may differ slightly.)

I believe this one is about Cersei and how her life has been spent living a lie, putting on a show, but it’s all just that, a show.

losin’ touch with all that’s real Whole lotta lover, keepin’ undercover

Cersei so often just can’t face the reality of all the shit going on around her, through most of her relationship with Jaime, she kept that a secret and even kept her other lovers a secret from him.

You’ve been fadin’, always out paradin’

Cersei has always been hiding who she really is, pretending to be the perfect queen, the perfect wife, perfect mother.

Spittin’ fire from your mouth just like a dragon

She does incest like the Targaryens. She's crazy like the Targaryens, but she's not a Targaryen.

You better check it out ‘cause someday soon You’ll have to climb back on the wagon

It’s not going to last, she’s not going to get her happy ending. (Duh.)

It ain’t easy livin’ like you want to

She became the queen, the ruler of the seven kingdoms, but NOTHING has come easy and it’s still hard for and she never had peace or happiness.

And workin’ for daddy’s such a drag You still stuff your mouth With his beans

She as always under Twyin’s control, she hated it, but she was always under his thumb, always playing by his rules.

This was all about Cersei not being good enough, wanting more, but never getting it, giving up everything and never getting it. She should have cherished what mattered, but she didn’t and lost everything consequently.

Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes 

Dany as Mad Queen. Now, this could have been about Cersei, but there’s a line that screams treason, so… Dany.

I'm gonna fight 'em off A seven nation army couldn't hold me back They're gonna rip it off Taking their time right behind my back And I'm talkin' to myself at night Because I can't forget Back and forth through my mind

Howlin For You - The Black Keys

This is so obviously Gendry about Arya that they might as well have revealed it as such after episode 02 in the "Inside the Episode" video.

I must admit I can't explain Any of these thoughts racing Through my brain

It's true Baby I'm howlin' for you

Can't you see Little girl's Got a hold on me

Like glue Baby I'm howlin' for you

War - Grandson 

Pretty clearly not just about the war against the Undead, but that the war for the Iron Throne still raged on despite the fate of humanity and that victory should have been something that brought everyone together, but you know... humanity.

And it's war in the east War in the west War up north War down south

Everywhere is war It's a war Oh, everywhere is war It's a war

Let Me Live/Let Me Die - Des Rocs

Arya again, specifically with Beric sacrificing himself to save her and then her going to kill the Night King. And then leading to her decision to live or to die in "The Bells."

I know pain, I know dread Wicked veins, they turn to lead Tears don’t stop the fire It's killing time

Back from the dead See, their eyes got nothing left Kiss me, I am the cobra It's killing time

Flugufrelsarinn - Sigur Ros

This was in Icelandic and here is the translation:

Hullabaloo, I rushed down to the lake A savior I made a ship and said a short prayer Because I was scared The sun shown and the lake flowed Sunflowers, sunflowers, the flies die But today I must save as many flies as possible In each hand I carry a string, determined I throw them into the abyss and try To draw the flies in before The smolts reach them where they fight The stream and water And so the day passes on Going on board, I had begun fighting the stream Which had already killed so many I can't breathe and I'm getting heavier with every wave I need a miracle Because I'm drowning sins I try to get onboard I pull ashore and save myself onto Onto the beach I lay on a hot rock and let myself dry again I throw myself into the abyss and try To draw in the flies before The smolts reach them where they fight The stream and water A breeze, completely soaked Bold, feels how the boat is out of the strongest current And the land slowly approaches He is both onboard, Sea and on land saving The flies that die here Though especially himself Eternal war and peace nowhere But someone has to sacrifice himself The days are long

With the references to a savior, a sacrifice, the water, the waves, the drowning and the sins, I think it's  clear that this is about Theon and his sacrifice for Bran. Especially when you take into account what the title of the song translate to: "The Fly's Savior," and Bran is, after all, the Three-Eyed Raven. The last stanza absolutely screams Theon (on sea, on land) trying to save the "flies" that die here and always trying to save himself until the end "someone has to sacrifice himself." Makes me a bit teary-eyed. Very beautiful.

You can hear the song (with the Icelandic lyrics/English translation on the screen--well most of them and some vary, but they're mostly there) here.

Can't Stop The Bleeding - Tom Morello feat. Gary Clark Jr. and Gramatik

An interesting note is that this song was added *right before* the finale. I thought after I first heard it that it would be about Tyrion realizing that Dany was not the one to break the wheel and that he would do would do something drastic about it.  Yes, he made that realization, but quitting his job was not that drastic.

On the other hand... Jon's action in finding out that Daenerys was basically going to burn the world down if people didn't follow her vision, including his sisters? Well, that was pretty drastic. So I now believe this was about Jon and Jon realizing that no matter how much he loved her that he couldn't stop the bleeding of his heart, but he had to stop the bleeding of the world.

Frayed like myth, every fool caught it Sound like this, every fool bought itCan't stop the bleeding, calling Can't stop the bleeding, ohFill my soul, it's hard to see Trouble found and trouble lost

Tyrion was duped into believing that Daenerys was the Princess that was Promised, and I think he's going to something drastic about it.

Fire - Barns Courtney

Ceganebowl!

Oh, a thousand faces staring at me Thousand times I've fallen Thousand voices dead at my feet Now I'm gone, now I'm gone, now I'm gone

And my mother told me, "Son, let it be." Sold my soul to the calling Sold my soul to a sweet melody Now I'm gone, now I'm gone, now I'm gone

Oh, gimme that fire Oh, gimme that fire Oh, gimme that fire Burn, burn, burn

The mother in the song is metaphorical or one could take it as the Mother of the New Gods and the Mother stands, among other things, for mercy and peace. And we all know that the Hound is not going to 'Let it be" so it's pretty clear that this is the Hound facing his deepest fear--diving headfirst into fire--at the same time finally getting his soul's desire and taking out his brother.

Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea - MISSIO

The pretty gross relationship between Euron and Cersei, and after episode 05, more specifically, the demise of Euron Greyjoy! (The crowd cheers!)

Wave of Mutilation - Pixies 

This one's about Theon.

cease to resist, giving my goodbye drive my car into the ocean you'll think i'm dead, but i sail away on a wave of mutilation a wave wave

i've kissed mermaids, rode the el nino walked the sand with the crustaceans could find my way to mariana on a wave of mutilation, wave of mutilation wave of mutilation wave

Saying goodbye to Yara, the ocean references, "What is dead may never die" = "you'll think i'm dead, but i sail away," the mutilation" theme.  Yeah, good ole Theon.

Wolf Like Me - TV On the Radio

I think this is about Sansa to Tyrion, using him to get to Dany.

Say Say my playmate Won't you lay your hands on me Mirror my malady Transfer my tragedy

"Playmate" as in someone who is playing the 'game' with her, and the final two lines, the two of them sharing their fears, their miseries, knowing what the other has been through.

We could jet in a stolen car But I bet we wouldn't get too far Before the transformation takes And bloodlust tanks and Crave gets slaked

They could work together, maybe even try marriage again, but both of them know it wouldn't last because there are too many ambitions and lusts and powerplays going on, not necessarily just within them but around them.

My mind has changed My body's frame but god I like it My hearts aflame My body's strained but god I like it

Sansa has become stronger and smarter, she's changed and it's been hard and it's still hard, but she likes it.

Gonna teach you tricks that'll blow your Mongrel mind Baby doll I recognize You're a hideous thing inside If ever there were a lucky kind it's You you you you

She recognizes his flaws, where she can manipulate him now because she learned from Cersei and Littlefinger, and she knows that it wasn't just his brains that got him this far, but he's had luck help him too. Of course, Tyrion is not a "hideous thing inside" and I don't believe that's how Sansa sees him, but this whole section is how she manipulated him, how she used him, because she did. It's about her being able to manipulate him as Cersei and Littlefinger taught her. The only truly hideous characters inside left this season were Euron and Cersei and none of the Starks would have interacted with them to fit this song; that was just one part of the song that was definitely metaphorical.

Writhing under your riding hood

I just think that the reference to "riding hood" was a key to this being about Sansa with the immediate jump to "red" from that phrase and Sansa's red hair.

POWER - Kanye West

The best I can make of this is that it's about Sansa getting through all that she has been through to be in control where she is and she's now determined that one person is not going to be in power of all of them, especially not the North.

Rumble young man, rumble Life is a trip so sometimes we gon' stumble You gotta go through pain in order to become you But once the world numbs you, you'll feel like it's only one you Man, you got the power to do anything you want to Until you ask yourself, "Is that what it's all come to?" Looking at life through sunglasses in the sunroof Do you have the power to get out from up under you Fuck all these labels, fuck what everybody wants from you

I could be totally and absolutely wrong with this one. 

Let’s Have a War - Fear

Cersei's perspective re: the battle of King’s Landing.

There's so many of us There's so many of us There's so many There's so many of us There's so many of us There's so many

Let's have a war So you can go and die Let's have a war We could all use the money

Let's have a war We need the space Let's have a war Clean out this place

Powa - Tune-Yards 

Dany breaking her promise to Tyrion about burning King's Landing if the bells rang.

Rebel, rebel, no Lightening dances in my head Devil, devil, whoa, oh, oh Burning steady as a motor

[...]

'Cause you bomb me with lies, humiliations everyday You bomb me so many times

I never find my way Come on and bomb me Why won't you bomb me? Come on and bomb Go on and whoa

Listen to the Lion - Van Morrison

The first half of this just screams the end of Jaime and Cersei:

And all my love come down All my love come tumblin' down All my love come tumblin' down All my love come tumblin' down Oh, listen listen To the lion Oh, listen listen listen To the lion... Inside of me Oh, oh, oh

And I shall search my soul I shall search my very soul And I shall search my very soul I shall search my very so-o-oul

For the lion For the lion For the lion For the lion... Inside of me Oh, oh, yeah

And all my tears have flown All my tears like water flown

Right? That's their end. Things literally came tumbling down on them, the lion inside Cersei, the Lannister sigil is the Lion, she's pregnant with their last child. All tears have flown because they gonna die, can't cry no more, right? So, obviously this song is about the end of Jaime and Cersei, except... for the next part of the song.

And we sailed, and we sailed... And we sailed, and we sailed... And we sailed, and we sailed... ... sailed to Caledonia

And we sailed, and we sailed, And we sailed, and we sailed, and we sailed... Away from Denmark Way up to Caledonia Away from Denmark Way up to Caledonia

And we sailed, and we sailed, and we sailed... All around the World And we sailed..., and we sailed..., and we sailed... Looking for a brand new start

(They sailed to a few more places, but you get the point.) So, clearly Jaime and Cersei aren't doing that... unless, they did somehow escape those tumbling rocks and we'll see them in the final episode, then, yeah, this song *is* about them. If not and they do be dead and gone, then, well, yeah, I could see this song being about Ser Brienne of Tarth. Because the first part of the song would totally fit her too... if she, like Cersei, had a Jaime Lannister Lion inside her. Uh huh.

We shall see.

Cold Cold Cold - Cage the Elephants

I'm thinking this one's about Jon and his conflict over his identity, because first off we start early on with this line:

I've been breathing air but there's no sign of life

Jon, technically, isn't alive, being a fire wight and all, so, I'm just saying.

Tell me how hard will I fall if I live a double life

Jon Snow / Aegon Targaryen. Uh huh.

And as the darkness falls it fills up both my eyes My life before me like a flash in the night With my arms open wide

Well it's cold, cold, cold, cold inside Cold, cold, cold, cold inside Cold, cold, cold, cold inside Doctor can you help me cause something don't feel right Something don't feel right, something just ain't right

He found out all of this right before the Long Night.

No One Knows - Queens of the Stone Age

This is absolutely about Arya and the whole the Hound=Death and Gendry=Life theory.

And I realize you’re mine Indeed a fool am I And I realize you’re mine Indeed a fool am I Ahh

Gendry proposed, offered himself to her, asked her to be with him... and she totes is gonna realize that she was a fool because he is hers.

Heaven smiles above me What a gift here below But no one knows A gift that you give to me No one knows

The Hound gave Arya a gift, he made her realize that it's time to LIVE her life, instead of dying everyday just waiting for death. Once upon a time, Arya was No One. Yuppers.

Wolves of Winter - Biffy Clyro

This has got to be Sansa giving some straight talk to Dany.

Justify your reasons, now it is my turn We are the wolves! How's it gonna feel when there's no one to support ya? How's it gonna feel when you're standing there alone?

We have achieved so much more than you possibly thought we could (I love that you're seething) You can achieve anything, just remember no I in team (But there's two in brilliant) We are the wolves of winter We live in a kingdom of blood

Go to War - Nothing More

Dany to Jon episode 04 is what this is feels like this is referencing.

Screaming at the ones we love Like we forgot who we can trust Screaming at the top of our lungs On the grounds where we feel safe Do we feel safe? Do we feel safe?

She's lost so many people and feels like those she has she can't completely trust. She doesn't feel safe.

Hush, my baby, make no sound Maybe we can wait each other out It's a cold war Let's go to war

With every settled score I thought that fighting with meant fighting for But you turn it around But you turn it around (War, war, war!)

She doesn't feel she has anyone completely on her side anymore.

Every feeling in my bones Tells me to lash out and tell you to fuck off You've got my heart and I've got your soul But are we better off alone? With every battle we lose a little more Remember everything that we'd die for You are everything that I'd die for

Dany still loves and wants Jon, but Jon no longer can love her like *that.* And Dany keeps losing more and more with every battle, and she hasn't forgotten what she's fighting and what everyone that she loves has died for.

Little Monster - Royal Blood

I think this one is about Jon taking on Tyrion.

Hey little monster, I got my eye on you Where are you going, where you running to? Hey little monster, you know it's all ok I'm gonna love you, no matter what you say

I think this may be about Jon and Tyrion trying to come to terms with what Dany is doing before they part ways on how to deal with her IF my speculation is correct that Tyrion winds up killing her to protect the realm. And then from that point on, things change between Jon and Tyrion. The next part of the song is more about Jon's feelings for Dany and how Tyrion is going to see the Wolf in Jon Snow.

I got love on my fingers Lust on my tongue You say you got nothing, So come out and get some Heartache to Heartache, I'm your wolf- I'm your man I say run little monster, Before you know who I am

Jon had Daenerys' love and Tyrion didn’t. Tyrion took Dany out to protect the realm and Jon understands that it came from a place from honor and that Tyrion loved Dany, but it doesn't matter, Jon is going to show avenge her.

I could be totes wrong, though. We'll find out tomorrow!

Burn the Fleet - Thrice

This is the first attack on King’s Landing.

Sister - Prince

Uhm, yeah, just read the lyrics. It doesn't perfectly describe their situation, but it's the overall tenor and theme. It's clearly about Jaime’s conflict over Cersei.

Dire Wolf - Grateful Dead

The living the night before the Battle of Winterfell, there's just a pervasive sense of a feeling of dread the night before someone's going to die.

the wolves are running round The winter was so hard and cold froze ten feet neath the ground

Don't murder me I beg of you don't murder me Please don't murder me

Devil’s Spoke - Laura Marling

OK, I could be wrong, but I'm thinking this is about Arya deciding to start a new life, making that conscious choice and be with Gendry.

All of this can be broken All of this can be broken Hold your devil by his spoke and spin him to the ground

Basically, this is saying that the choices you've made can be changed and you can take your hang-up (your devil) and cast it away, pin it down.

But the love of your life lives, but lies no more And where she lay your flowers grow

Arya is the love of Gendry's life, and she's no longer lying to herself, and one can take that second line in two ways. 1) as in his hopes grew, or 2) metaphorically, that when they lie together, she got pregnant.

The arms are fed and the babes that wed The backs that bled keeping her in tow But I am your keeper And I hold your face away from light I am yours till they come

The first two lines read to me like Arya's take on society's role for women that she will not be a part of it, and the last three lines are her saying that as long as they are true to who they are and each other, she is his.

Queen - Perfume Genius 

I can't see this as anything other than Dany as Mad Queen.

Don't you know your queen? Ripped, heaving Flower bloom at my feet Don't you know your queen? Cracked, peeling Riddled with disease Don't you know me?

No family is safe When I sashay

It just gives the overall feel of insanity.

Cruel - St. Vincent

From Dany’s perspective because the North didn’t appreciate her, Westeros wasn’t clamoring for her, she didn’t have their love like she did in Essos.

Bodies, can't you see what everybody wants from you? For you could want that, too They could take or leave you So they took you, and they left you How could they be casually cruel? Cruel, cruel, oh

Crown on the Ground - Sleigh Bells

Cersei losing everything.

You need to know how, To say you'll backtrack, Between the clear bag, Somewhere in your habitat, You have a little thing, You think you're bothering, The class is ending, ending, ending, You never did know, You don't wanna know, There's another show playing in your window, The perm'nent thought of you, Has never bothered you, You're gonna have to, have to, have to,

Set, set that crown on the ground

Mother - The Amazons

Tyrion trying to fix everything he’s fucked up because he still wants to believe.

Friends want to kill me But I give them all my loving anyway If god won't forgive me I'm not the only one to make amends

Bronn's trying to kill him. Tyrion is still trying to make amends, as is Jaime.

Mother, it's not in my hands Try to understand, it's only 'cause I can Fools believe they can erase All that they've done before

Tyrion telling the Mother--as in one of the Seven--that he is still trying to believe he can make up for his past sins and mistakes.

Hot Blood - KALEO

Jon’s conflict and shame over his love for Dany, his aunt.

You turn your back, you’re a broken man You come around and just dying to shake your hand I don’t expect you to understand Just keep telling yourself there’s no shame

This was when he was still trying to convince himself it was OK, but then, of course he pulled away from their kiss.

They don’t know 'bout who we are They don’t know 'bout you and I They ain’t know 'bout the stars of your eyes Oh hot blood love is gonna get ya

Before the secret was out...

You wanna prove you’re the better man You wanna reach for the things that nobody can Oh all you need is to break away, yeah Just keep telling yourself there’s no shame

Jon Snow/Aegon Targaryen is a honorable man just like his real father, Ned Stark, and nothing can change that.

War Pigs/Luke’s Wall - Black Sabbath

The end of Cersei who never cared about any of her subjects.

Politicians hide themselves away They only started the war Why should they go out to fight?

Cersei until nearly the very end up there safe in her tower watching all of the bloodshed and destruction.

They leave that role for the poor, yeah Time will tell on their power minds, Making war just for fun Treating people just like pawns in chess, Wait 'till their judgement day comes, yeah

She could have helped, she knew that by playing her games, thousands and thousands of people could and would die, but she didn't care.

Now in darkness world stops turning, Ashes where the bodies burning No more War Pigs have the power, Hand of God has struck the hour Day of judgement, God is calling On their knees the war pigs crawling, Begging mercies for their sins Satan, laughing, spreads his wings

The end of Cersei, ashes falling, bodies burning. Not Satan, but Drogon.

Dead Skin Mask - Slayer 

Dany the Mad Queen, again.

Graze the skin with my finger tips The brush of dead cold flesh pacifies the means Provocative images delicate features so smooth A pleasant fragrance in the light of the moon

Dance with the dead in my dreams Listen to their hallowed screams The dead have taken my soul Temptation’s lost all control Simple smiles elude psychotic eyes Lose all mind control rationale declines

Dany's dreams with Drogo and her baby. So many screams that she has listened to, and we all know that temptation has taken over, no more control, rationale is gone.

Empty eyes enslave the creations Of placid faces and lifeless pageants In the depths of a mind insane Fantasy and reality are the same

The coin has landed on the side of insanity.

Killer Wolf - Danzig

Arya and her awesome power, as a killer, as a woman (see: one smitten Gendry err Rivers Baratheon).

I’m the wolf I’m the one you want I’m the killer wolf I’m 'onna pound you home I’m the wolf Howlin’ all night I curl up next to you When you’re all alone

How her deadly abilities, her killer ways have become so much a part of who she is.

I’m the wolf Howlin’ all night I’m the king wolf I put the chill in your bones I’m the wolf Hunting you down I ain’t no back door wolf I don’t scratch at no doors

She has no fear, she’s in control, and numb to the world in generally for the most part.

Just one kiss, yes From my lips Rake your soul Over burning coals Just one touch, yes From my love Make you howl 'Til the sun comes up I’m the wolf

And how with a few well-placed comments, eyebrow lifts, sultry looks and deadly knife throws gets Gendry all hot and bothered like that. Boy's just gone for her. In the immortal words of Joe Dempsie, he's spruuuung!

The Time Is Now - Atreyu

I just can't see this being about anything other than Arya after episode 05 being ready to start a new life--one that is not about death. And since I firmly believe that the Hound=Death, and Gendry=life, and both are crazy entangled up with Arya this season, that therefore means the new life she starts will be with Gendry.

I've been dreaming 'bout, hope for better days Time for dreaming's done, time to face the sun

(Flying high above the world) It's a new life, it's a new mind And I will never fall

Arya rode away on that white horse, flying high and you know she will not fall. It's just too hopeful and happy to be about Daenerys.

(The time is now) I can't contain myself, I never felt so alive (The time is now) I'm past the breaking point, I set my soul on fire

"I never felt so alive..." For the first time, Arya has given herself permission to live.

(Hey-ay, hey-ay, hey-ay, yeah) The time is now!

Yup, the time is now.

Be My Fire - The Blue Stones

Dany wanting so much for Jon to still love her as his love, wanting him to trust her, to be true to her, to be with her forever.

Baby, be my fire Baby, be my flame Baby, be the softly burning embers

You need a man in whom You can depend Well I'd be the gasoline To keep you alive And I'd be the cold So unbreakable We'd burn together Straight through the night That's alright Baby, be my fire

Yes, it says "man," but eh, the point still gets across. I think this is about them. I think.

Rise Above - Black Flag

I think this is about Sansa and representing the North wanting their independence back.

we are tired of your abuse try to stop us but its no use

societys arm's out of control rise above we're gonna rise above think there smart cant think for themselves rise above we're gonna rise above laugh at us behind our backs rise above we're gonna rise above i find satisfaction in what they lack rise above we're gonna rise above

Alternative Ulster - Stiff Little Fingers

I had no clue what this song was about… I had to go to Song Meanings since I’m not from Ireland and don’t know much about the politics, the Punk Rock scen or the political dynamics going on there. The bottom line is that this song is about seeing beyond the divisions. Therefore, this song… is Jon’s point of view. We all are in this together: The Living against the Undead.

This Sentence Will Ruin/Save Your Life - Young Ruffians

This whole song is about someone trying to figure things out. It’s about someone who frankly knows nothing… so, uhm, yeah, Jon Snow, and his identity crisis and trying to figure out what the fuck to do.

I need to know who I am and what I'm going to do while I'm on earth I need to understand everything and everybody's lives

The Sick Bed of Cuchulainn - The Pogues

This one’s about Tyrion… the song is very Celtic with lots of history about the people. Basically, it's about the urge to self-destruct and about a man's life-long descent into alcoholism. SO, yeah, Tyrion.

Winterlong - Neil Young

Well, this certainly seems to apply to Gendry after Arya turned down his proposal. Very promising though is the fact that nothing in the song is definite. It was all “if…” “you seem to be…”

I waited for you, Winterlong You seem to be where I belong. It's all illusion anyway.

“You seem...” that leaves it to open, the possibility of her coming back is not closed off. The "illusion" could refer to the title and castle.

If things should ever turn out wrong And all the love we have is gone, It won't be easy on that day.

"If" and "it won't be easy on that day" makes it clear he hasn't given up, he's still waiting for his girl to come to him.

Furr - Blitzen Trapper

OK, guys, this is it. I know I keep saying it, but yeah, Arya and Gendry? Are absolutely endgame. This song sounds absolutely like Arya deciding to give up her Stark-ways, being the killer with a list, etc. and joining Gendry. I mean, for reals! I'm just putting all the lyrics here bolding key phrases.

Yeah, when I was only 17, I could hear the angels whispering So I droned into the words and Wondered aimlessly about till I heard my mother shouting through the fog It turned out to be the howling of a dog Or a wolf to be exact. The sound sent shivers down my back But I was drawn into the pack. And before long, they allowed me To join in and sing their song. So from the cliffs and highest hill, yeah We would gladly get our fill, Howling endlessly and shrilly at the dawn. And I lost the taste for judging right from wrong. For my flesh had turned to fur, yeah And my thoughts, they surely were turned to Instinct and obedience to God.

[Chorus] You can wear your fur Like the river on fire. But you better be sure If you’re makin' God a liar. I'm a rattlesnake, babe, I'm like fuel on fire. So if you're gonna' get made, Don't be afraid of what you've learned.

On the day that I turned 23, I was curled up underneath a dogwood tree. When suddenly a girl With skin the color of a pearl, Wandered aimlessly, But she didn't seem to see. She was listenin' for the angels just like me. So I stood and looked about. I brushed the leaves off of my snout. And then I heard my mother shouting through the trees. You should have seen that girl go shaky at the knees. So I took her by the arm We settled down upon a farm. And raised our children up as Gently as you pleased.

And now my fur has turned to skin. And I've been quickly ushered in To a world that I confess I do not know. But I still dream of running careless through the snow. An' through the howlin' winds that blow, Across the ancient distant flow, It fill our bodies up like water till we know.

[Chorus]

OK, now aside from the very, very obviousness of the fact that if you switch the genders--which, when a song THIS PERFECTLY ENCAPSULATES Arya and Gendry's story with references to wolves and packs and settling in a farm (forest lass), etc. one can not worry about the gender not matching perfectly--there's another very key thing one has to bear in mind. 

The song is called "Furr." That title clearly references the narrator (who in this case would be Arya) being a wolf. The group name is Blitzen Trapper. Blitzen is, of course, famously known as one of the reindeer who pulled Santa's sleigh. While science has now proven that all of Santa's reindeer were likely female as male reindeer shed their antlers in December, it is highly unlikely that when the tale was first told that such was known therefore we're going with the original conception that Blitzen is indeed male. And since Blitzen is known as a male reindeer, well, another name for a male deer is a... stag. So, not only does the song itself alone scream an Arya and Gendrya endgame (it really, really, REALLY does).

The group name + the song title + the meaning of the song = The Stag caught the Wolf with his love.  

At this point, let me remind ya'll that Benioff and Weiss said about this playlist, "The answer to the ending is one hundred percent hidden in the playlist choices. No one will believe us, but it’s true." Uh huh. I believe you!

Power - AJ Ghent 

There are no lyrics for this one, so I just listened to it and really, I think it might be the beginning of the season when Dany was feeling confident about taking on the Army of the Dead and Cersei. OR it could be Cersei feeling confident about taking on Dany with her greater numbers. It’s easier to analyze it when you can look at the lyrics. :shrugs:

Toxicity - System of a Down

This song is really about nature being corrupted and capitalism taking over the world, so all I can really take from it is in relation to the endgame that it's Sansa and her opinion of Dany and how she thinks that she is a conqueror set on taking over Westeros by any means necessary.

Born For Greatness - Papa Roach

Oh, my heart. I think this is about Varys, whom I’ve always loved. He's my sixth fave character in the whole series.

I am a man at war And I am fighting for All of the broken people All of the people thrown overboard They always tried to shame us But they don't speak our language No, we're not nameless, we're not faceless We were born for greatness

Yup, and he fought all the way to the end.

Gold Lion - Yeah Yeah Yeahs 

I could be totally wrong, but all I can think here is Cersei’s downfall and her and Jaime’s death although he tried to rescue her.

Gold lion's gonna tell me where the light is, Gold lion's gonna tell me where the light is, Take our hands out of control, Take our hands out of control

Now, tell me what you saw, Tell me what you saw, There was a crowd of seeds, Inside, outside, I must have done a dozen each

It was the height I threw, the weight, The shell was crushing you, I've been around a few

Here’s Your Future - The Thermals

There’s gonna be a lot of death and destruction and people are going to pay for their sins, and someone is going to be sacrificed for sins that they did not commit, maybe not in death, but that person won’t be happy. And I think that person will be Jon.

God reached his hand down from the sky He flooded the land and he set it afire He said fear me again and know I'm your father And remember that no one can breathe underwater

The deaths Dany caused, Theon's death, all the Ironborn deaths, including Euron's mens' deaths.

God told his son it's time to come home I promise you won't have to die all alone I need you to pay for the sins I create Son said I will but dad I'm afraid

Jon's no Jesus, but he's the closest thing to a sacrificial lamb this show has. He's already died once and risen for the sins of others.

Love is Blindness - U2

Dany and Jon. Period.

Love is blindness I don't want to see Won't you wrap the night Around me Oh my heart Love is blindness

They don't want to know what they know about Jon's parentage. It's as simple as that. It changed everything for them.

And that’s all she wrote. Agree, disagree... thoughts? I’d really like to know what other people think.

[katlyn1948]

Father Davos (Part 8 of “The Family of Storm’s End” Series)

I just can't seem to stop, can I? Well this is actually one of the ones I wrote the other night and just finally got around to electronically writing it (I write all my stuff with pen and paper first). I hope you enjoy it...oh and fair warning, my next drabble is going into the future. I think you all will like it...maybe. Anyway enjoy and happy reading! Also below is an image of what Arya's dress looks like.

Father Davos

Arya stared at herself in the long mirror in her bedchambers. Sansa had insisted on putting her into a dress for her wedding and unfortunately, for Arya, her sister had won the argument. Arya had to admit that the dress was not really a dress and suited her personality tenfold. The garment would perplex most, but for Arya it was perfect. Sansa had enough sense to sew breeches into the garment, making it more comfortable for Arya. Although the garment was simple, Arya could not help but noticed the complexity of it. The sleeves were nonexistent and a long cape that cascaded down her back. The filigree that adorned the garment was intricate, taking days for Sansa to complete. Arya was surprised at how well fitted the garment was on her body. Since giving birth, he hips had widen, causing most of her clothing to fit tightly around the waist. This garment, however, was like a fitted glove that extenuated her newly placed curves.

Her hair completed the simplicity of the look. It gathered into a high bun atop her head with tiny strands of curls framing her face. Sansa insisted that her hair be loose, but Arya argued otherwise. It had grown significantly in the last year and was easier to maintain in pulled out of her face. Reluctantly, Sansa agreed and pulled Arya’s hair into the style it was in now.

Her reflection did not look like Arya Stark but rather a shy girl with blushed cheeks and damp eyes. It was a strange sight to see. She was so used to seeing a hard shell of a woman void of any emotion to now seeing a vulnerable girl staring back at her.

“You look radiant, Arya.” Sansa said as she enters the room. Arya tore her gaze from the mirror and turned to face her sister. She was wearing a light silk dress with frilled short sleeves. It had a deep v for the neck like and tightened around the waist with a thick leather belt. It was the perfect dress to wear in the scorching heat of the Stormlands, which Sansa had yet to grow used to.

“Are you certain I don’t look ridiculous?” Arya questions as she glanced down at her garment.

Sansa gave her sister a warm smile while crossing the room to embrace her into a tight hug. “You look beautiful. Gendry will be speechless when he sees you.”

Arya gives a small nod. She did look beautiful, but there were times that she did not believe it. Not even when Gendry said those words to her while covered in mud or had an ugly swollen eye.

“Thank you, Sansa, for everything.” She whispers into her sister’s ear.

They pull apart and Sansa departs the room, leaving Arya to her thoughts. It was just a few short minutes later when a soft knock came from her chamber door.

“Yes?” She calls out.

The door opened revealing Ser Davos dressed in fine noble clothing.

“You clean up nice.” Arya quips.

“I try.” Ser Davos laughs.

He walks over to her and places a gentle kiss across her cheek.

“You truly are a vision, lass. The lad is lucky to have you.”

Arya shakes her head, “No, Davos, Gendry is lucky to have you. We both are. He adores you and you are like a father to him. You been a father to both of us, why do you think I asked you to give me away?”

Davos snorts, “Because Jon could not.”

Arya gave a short laugh, “No, because you have been there for both of us.”

Tears were welling up in the Onion Knight’s eyes. He grabs Arya’s hand and asks, “Are you ready, lass?”

Arya nodded and they exit the room together.

[tatticstudio55]

WHY P0LITICALJON IS REAL (deluxe edition)

All through season 7, we’re led to believe that politics aren’t Jon Snow’s forte. This is, of course, a false misconception. The definition itself of “P0liticalJon” is “not-an-idiot-Jon”. Since we know that Jon is, indeed, not an idiot, we can therefore postulate that P0liticalJon is real. But how do we know for sure that Jon is not an idiot? We’ll start by listing all the stuff he’s done in season 7 that might be, at first look, considered “stupid”:

-He wasn’t wearing a life jacket in the boat trip to Dragonstone

-He shared personal information with Daenerys by telling her that Bran and Arya were alive

-He went on that Wight Hunt trip,

-Without bringing any food or medical supplies

-Bent the knee to Daenerys even if he didn’t have to, because of the penis beneath the furs,

-Without consulting with Sansa,

-Couldn’t even lie to Cersei in the Dragonpit,

So it’s understandable that some people might get the impression that the northern brooder isn’t too bright. Fear not, however. Jon is very bright and we can prove it:

1)      He wasn’t wearing a life jacket in the boat trip to Dragonstone

To be fair, we never saw Theon wear a life jacket either, although the sea is very much his element, and it can’t be because he’s thinking with his dick because he doesn’t have one. We also can’t be sure that Jon wasn’t wearing a life jacket at least sometimes, when the sea would get rough for instance, and it’s only normal that he’d want to take it off in Dany’s room.

2)      He shared personal information with Daenerys by telling her that Bran and Arya were alive

But he didn’t share the most personal information of all, i.e. the knife in the heart for his people. That was wise. Although some might argue that the Bran and Arya information was riskier to share, as it would mean potential hostages and/or replacements in case something happened to Jon  (whereas the knife in the heart info wouldn’t really have any value for a rival claimant anyway) it’s also possible that Jon simply chose to keep the knife in the heart part to himself, thinking that Dany didn’t need to hear another weird story from him. It’s also possible that he revealed the information about Bran and Arya to Dany, simply because he trusted her with it, and with good reasons: if Dany needed a hostage so bad, she wouldn’t have let him go on that Wight Hunt. Speaking of which…

3)      He went on that Wight Hunt trip

That was Tyrion’s idea. Not Jon’s.

4)      Without bringing any food or medical supplies

I think the show made it clear by now that you don’t need medical supplies if your name is Jon Snow.

5)      Bent the knee to Daenerys even if he didn’t have to, because of the penis beneath the furs

Well, he didn’t have to to get Dany’s help, but maybe he thought it was better to even the ground with the Northern Lords before bringing Dany there – wouldn’t want them to view her as a potential enemy after the Great War, that would be a bad start – plus now, he’s free to marry her and hopefully, as her king, help forge some good alliances between the North and the South!

6)      Without consulting with Sansa

Why bother? She’d say no and he was gonna do it anyway because #5.

7)      Couldn’t even lie to Cersei in the Dragonpit

Cersei was apparently willing to grant the North its independence if Jon agreed to stay out of the Cersei vs Dany war, which, Jon knew (because he’s smart!) was complete bullshit. Jon knew that Cersei’s terms were false, that she’d never let the North be independent. So he decided not to waste his honor on a bluff and told Cersei the truth, thank you very much. (Speaking of waste, a Pokemon told him to throw the wight in the garbage and just skip the parlay, but the Hound overheard and got angry at the suggestion. “After all that bloody, f&?ing trouble to catch that c&?nt, you want us to do what?!”) Besides, Dany has already given him her word that she’ll fight with him in the North, and because Jon is a smart bean, he trusts Dany’s promises over Cersei’s.

 With these evidences, we can clearly see that Jon is not an idiot, therefore he’s political. Now, I understand that this post should go in the P0liticalJon tag, but I won’t, just in case P0liticalJon refereed to something slightly different.  

[howlsmovinglibrary]

(1) Hey I get your that you thought the portrayal of women in the show suffered bc of men. The writing on women was so bad it masked itself as (white) feminism. I'm an intersectional feminist, but you have to consider that a man can also suffer bc of a woman and of D&D's writing. The Jnerys romance was so riddled with abusive connotations (& forced consent) that it made me uncomfortable. Truthfully, Jon's character suffered the most when it converged with Dany's.

(2) Suddenly, we didn’t even see a lick of his POV before 8x05. Even in 8x06 where we could finally hope to see his POV to all this madness ever since he set foot to Dragonstone, his POV ended to prop Dany’s arc to madness! Remember R+L=J? We didn’t even SEE the consequences of it on him! That plot point only served as a thorn for jnerys and Dany’s journey to IT. We could only see Dany’s POV, not him. What’s the point of this twist on Jon?

(3) Also, i know you didn’t think that the whole season was catering towards Dany. But imagine if we could see Jon’s angst & the Stark’s POV on the twist, the culmination of the Stark’s “the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives”, development of Bran’s endgame as King, and more Starks bonding tgt (yknow, bc they’re the HEROES of this story), it wouldn’t be felt as much as Dany’s show. Instead, they spent all their time building Dany’s twist at the expense of more emotional and grounded writing. 

Hey anon! 

This is a long ass ask and I’m wary of drowning my dashboard in GoT stuff for all those people that don’t care, but I wanted to publish it all because I think your interpretation is interesting and people will definitely want to read it.

I’m going to be level with you, I have very little to say about Jon because I don’t really care about him as a character and never have. This isn’t to trash all the people who do love him and care about his character, which has definitely been treated terribly like many others in this season, this just means that I don’t personally have the energy or feel qualified to analyse and deconstruct his story. There are plenty of fans who will do that for me, and much better than I ever could! A lot of my strong opinions circulate around Sansa/Brienne/Jaime, the three characters I continued watching this show for, and then Danaerys because she has been the focus of this season. So I see a lot of validity in your argument, but other than posting this ask saying ‘yes, I see your point’ I’m not really sure what I can do to add to it. Other than publishing it so people see your point of view.

All I can honestly say is that I think Jon’s arc and its inconsistencies is just another huge example of how lots of writing was rushed in this final season. The romance does indeed have abusive connotations; I do not in anyway defend it. My only thing that I can add is that it’s hard to divorce this sudden swerve in how Dany acts around men from her “”BECOMING EVIL”” - Dany’s femininity and sexuality suddenly becomes predatory because that’s how evil women are connoted in media. It doesn’t exactly exist in a vacuum, and it does her character as much a disservice as his. I didn’t personally see him as singled out because everyone was a victim of bad writing, even the character who obscured his focalisation. The pointlessness of his parentage reveal is as similarly pointless as so many reveals, from the books Sam stole from the library to why the Night King was made by the children of the forest to Cersei’s prophecy and Arya’s ability to wear! faces! Because there’s so few episodes, for completely arbitrary and lazy reasons, they picked characters to focus on. And they picked Dany because she has dragons, which are a main marketing draw, and because they wanted to use her for a plot twist, which was even executed badly. I personally think she is a protagonist of equal status to Jon, but there is no denying that the route they took her character down was rushed and meant that suddenly they were laser focused on whatever would give them the best shock value - which in their eyes was what could cause the most trauma. Which is the person with dragons, the nuclear weapons of Westeros. 

I’m sorry I can’t give you any kind of resounding tear down, other than “it’s just bad writing!” I think you, anon, seem to be more qualified than me to write about his character. I confess that I have very little energy left to spare for GoT and it will now all be dedicated to stanning Sansa Stark.

[thebluelemontree]

Hi there! I love your meta. I was wondering what your thoughts are on the fact that the sansa and sandor relationship seems to be a complete secret from everyone. including (especially) littlefinger. i have a few ideas but i'd like to hear your thoughts. :)

Thanks!  Sorry for the long wait.  I think the relationship is well camouflaged for a few good reasons.  Long post ahead.   

Let’s start with Sandor’s life experience at court and what makes him so particularly good at navigating around all the intrigues and informants.  

As far as “players” go, mainly we’re talking about Cersei, Varys, Littlefinger, and Tyrion, the ones who make it their business to learn as much as they can to stay a step ahead of everyone else.  Of course, they don’t consider each other players of equal caliber either.  In LF’s case, he thinks he is the only player; however, there is a common intellectual arrogance and bias among them.  Only a tiny handful of privileged, educated people are playing at the high-stakes table.  They tend to be far more attuned to other players at that table as this is THE game, the only game that really matters.  Other players are people they might consider an obstacle, threat, or a competitive rival for their objectives.  People that display a similar (yet still inferior) level of cunning to their own.    

That bias can lead to blind spots when it comes to how they look at non-players with their small lives and small ambitions.  Generally they are unworthy of interest unless they have something they want or are keys to unlock an advantage against another player.  Then they become a potentially playable pawn.  The next step would be to learn the pawn’s secrets or what motivates them to know how to play them.  They can’t imagine any pawn would be smart enough to be aware of a player making moves on them, let alone be able to put up a successful defense against it or manipulate a player outright.  Granted these people in question are undoubtedly intelligent and there are many who lend themselves easily to becoming pawns; however, I would argue that it’s very easy to manipulate people that already trust you or who want to believe in what you’re selling.  It’s much harder to manipulate shrewd people.  He’d never admit it, but it’s exactly why LF doesn’t even attempt to fuck with Stannis directly.  And very much like Stannis, Sandor has blanket mistrust of everyone starting at a young age.  Growing up around Gregor would also make him more hypervigilant than most, followed by his many years guarding Cersei that would only increase his cynicism.  And that’s really all it takes to immunize yourself against becoming a pawn most of the time:  awareness and a healthy amount of skepticism.          

Sansa is new to this world in AGOT and she comes to it a guileless open book. Cersei can easily figure out how to tease out usable information with Sansa’s innocence and trusting nature.  Littlefinger will later use her love of knights and songs coupled with the pressure of her situation to get her to leave with Dontos.  Again, no one should be congratulating themselves for being smart enough to manipulate a preteen that wears her heart on her sleeve.  Sandor is aware and he does try to educate Sansa that she needs to keep her guard up, learn to lie better to protect herself, trust no one, and use her instincts to figure out the truth behind the lies. 

Sandor Clegane snorted. “Pretty thing, and such a bad liar. A dog can smell a lie, you know. Look around you, and take a good whiff. They’re all liars here … and every one better than you.“  – Sansa II, ACOK.

While he’s otherwise displayed complete loyalty to his masters, Sandor the person has spent his life locked down tighter than a crab’s ass.  It takes a lot of conscious effort to keep all your true thoughts and opinions to yourself.  The mouth twitch reveals how often he suppresses those urges.  “Sandorspeak” is another.  There will be a few moments where some things do slip in front of others, but we’ll get to that later.  He’s also a character that is known for oddly being both imposing and easily recognizable to also making himself almost blend into the background of a scene.  With prying eyes everywhere looking for something of interest to pop up on their radar, being as unassuming as possible is a useful skill.  Sandor is also just as capable of using deception as any player.  I recall a line Varys says to Tyrion:

The eunuch took a cloak from a peg. It was roughspun, sun-faded, and threadbare, but very ample in its cut. “If you will permit me.” When he swept it over Tyrion’s shoulders it enveloped him head to heel, with a cowl that could be pulled forward to drown his face in shadows. “Men see what they expect to see,” Varys said as he fussed and pulled. “Dwarfs are not so common a sight as children, so a child is what they will see. A boy in an old cloak on his father’s horse, going about his father’s business. – Tyrion III, ACOK.

This exact tactic is utilized by Sandor while trying to smuggle Arya into the Twins.  He shrouds his face, changes his vocabulary to sound common, has a plausible backstory to go with it, and he successfully fools Ser Donnel Haigh, a knight that knows him personally.  That’s pretty incredible for a guy with a half-burned face and distinctive rasp.  He pulls it off because he understands how Ser Donnel thinks:

“How come he didn’t know you, then?” Arya asked.

“Because knights are fools, and it would have been beneath him to look twice at some poxy peasant.” He gave the horses a lick with the whip. “Keep your eyes down and your tone respectful and say ser a lot, and most knights will never see you. They pay more mind to horses than to smallfolk. He might have known Stranger if he’d ever seen me ride him.” – Arya X, ASOS.

“Men see what they expect to see” and that goes for the players too.  Of course, we have all the other examples of Sandor knowing how to lie convincingly depending on who he’s talking to.  Speaking of Varys, we know his spies have looked at Sandor at least from time to time.  His position as “Cersei’s dog” makes him a natural person of interest for those seeking an advantage over the queen or prince.  As Varys confirms to Tyrion, the Hound drinks, gambles, and whores on his off time.  Boringly typical manly man stuff befitting his station as a soldier.  No extreme vices or skeletons in the closet that could be used as leverage.  No large outstanding debts.  He can’t be bribed into disloyalty.  He displays no ambitions or greed for more than what he has.  He just seems to be exactly what he looks like on the surface.  A quasi-educated brute that is smart enough to know his place and is content to live on what his masters give him.    

“And when you know what a man wants you know who he is, and how to move him.“  These are Littlefinger’s words to Sansa.  Who else has any inkling that Sandor wants anything beyond what he already has except Sansa?  No one.  I think this line from Littlefinger to Ned shows that Littlefinger in the past has given some thought on how he could possibly move the Hound to become his asset.

“Even a blind man could see the Hound loathed his brother.”

“Ah, but Gregor was his to loathe, not yours to kill. Once Dondarrion lops the summit off our Mountain, the Clegane lands and incomes will pass to Sandor, but I wouldn’t hold my water waiting for his thanks, not that one.” 

If Littlefinger honestly thought he could win Sandor over by having his brother eliminated, he probably would have made it happen already; however, he knows the lands and incomes are not going to cause Sandor to change sides.  Not when that “favor” would come from the likes of Littlefinger with certain expectations for it.  Again, see the Stannis quote which uses similar phrasing of “X won’t be sufficiently grateful for your help.”  Littlefinger steers clear of shrewd people (and you can add Myranda Royce to that list) to begin with.  They don’t want anything he’s selling.  Sandor’s hatred for Gregor isn’t really the useful tool it would seem as there’s no way to capitalize on it.  He’s an apparently uncrackable combination lock.  Because no player can imagine that what Sandor truly wants and lacks is empathy and validation (something that can only come from genuine human connection), he’s not a movable chess piece for any of them.  There are far easier targets with more obvious vulnerabilities to make use of instead like Janos Slynt, Dontos Hollard, and Lancel Lannister.    

There’s also good deal of classism in play here as well.  Like most other people pretty low on the social hierarchy, they tend to be underestimated, overlooked, and ignored by their “betters.”  Indeed, Sandor himself is also convinced it is his lot in life to be nothing more than a guard dog.  There’s no point in wanting anything more than that as it will only lead to rejection or compromising the few principles he has.  This part at least isn’t a deliberate act.  He’s been so consistent at being the Hound for so long that even when he eventually does slip a little when it comes to Sansa, no one is picking it up and examining it.    

Sansa is assumed to be exactly what she appears.  A delicate, helpless, and insipid little girl too cowed by fear to do anything but recite her courtesies and prayers.  As Dontos tells her, being severely underestimated in every way makes her almost invisible and she can use that to her advantage.  

“Joffrey and his mother say I’m stupid.”

“Let them. You’re safer that way, sweetling. Queen Cersei and the Imp and Lord Varys and their like, they all watch each other keen as hawks, and pay this one and that one to spy out what the others are doing, but no one ever troubles themselves about Lady Tanda’s daughter, do they?”        

As time goes on, no one really troubles themselves with Sansa either unless there’s a specific reason.  Mostly she’s left alone and free to wander the castle, so there’s no fear that she’s capable of escaping or making allies.  Her maids are Cersei’s spies, but Sansa already guessed that.  Everyone is convinced (well, except Sandor) it’s her dumb, childish piety that drives her to the godswood so much.  Just by their respective circumstances and the plot, Sandor and Sansa were already as individuals hiding in the blind spots of the major players.

With that all said, why would anyone imagine for a second that Sandor and Sansa would have anything to do with each other?  Sandor has been an unwavering loyal Lannister servant since he was a boy and that makes him an enemy of the Starks.  He’s hard, mean, and rough mannered.  His face is considered terrifyingly ugly.  He’s shown no attachments or compassion for any other human being before.  He’s cynical about everything Sansa stands for.  Likewise, Sansa openly admires physically beautiful and gallant knights like Ser Loras.  Everything Sandor is not.  There’s also a huge chasm of class difference between them.  Highborn ladies do not fraternize with lowborn men, especially one as coarse and offensive as the Hound.  It goes without saying that nothing draws more immediate attention in this society than people transgressing class boundaries. There’s just no way either one would speak to the other in a too familiar way in public.  On paper, they could not be more different from each other for the idea to even occur to anyone.

There’s also the very deliberate gradual pacing of the relationship.  It all unfolds very slowly with time, circumstance, and natural chemistry.  It’s a relationship that defies any clear definition or obvious markers that someone could theoretically hone in on.  They both have issues of immaturity and inability to consciously understand what exactly this thing is between them.   Neither one intentionally seeks the other out to initiate more contact nor are they actively trying to further a relationship.  Until the night of the Blackwater, they were always brought together for other reasons not of their making.  Most often it’s because Joffrey commands the presence of both to be there.  Other times it’s pure chance like the serpentine steps or the top of Maegor’s Holdfast.  None of their more intimate conversations take place where there’s a possibility of someone following or overhearing.  If there’s nothing planned or intentional, there’s nothing to draw suspicion.  

There’s just not enough happening in front of witnesses either for a single character to notice a discernable pattern.  Often there are large enough gaps of time between those moments and the witnesses, if there are any, can vary.        

After Sansa II, AGOT (the night of the Hand’s tourney), it won’t be until Sansa VI, AGOT that they actually speak again.  This is the chapter where Sansa is forced out of bed by Joffrey, made to look at her father’s head on the battlement, and Sandor reciprocates empathy and support for her.  I wrote about the specifics of this chapter here.  Joffrey, Meryn Trant, and Arys Oakheart are present for part of it.  This early on, if the Hound’s uncharacteristically softer and gentler behavior was noticed at all, it was probably promptly dismissed as nothing.  Meryn is apathetic to whatever happens and Arys was probably just relieved it wasn’t him ordered to hit Sansa.  After all, it was Joffrey’s order to get Sansa out of bed, which Sandor obeyed.  Dabbing the blood on her lip though?  Perhaps that part was a little strange that Sandor took it upon himself to dab her lip instead of handing her the handkerchief, but then again Joffrey commanded that Sansa wipe the blood from her face.  That’s not enough for anyone to think there’s something going on between them.      

Next would be Joffrey’s nameday tourney in Sansa I, ACOK.  Roughly a few weeks to a month has passed.  Those present are Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen.  I wrote about the subtle Sansan stuff going on here.  The children aren’t going to notice anything and Joffrey is too obtuse.  Lothor Brune (probably already Petyr’s hired sword at this point) and Dontos Hollard are also present.  Sansa made up the story about bad luck to kill a man on your nameday, but it’s the Hound backing up that nonsense that persuades Joffrey to relent for one day.  I don’t think that detail registers with either Lothor or Dontos.  Then Sansa speaks up again to convince Joffrey to make Dontos his fool instead.  It’s Lothor that probably conveys the story without mention of Sandor to Littlefinger, who would then have the idea to use Dontos as a pawn.  Dontos is probably too drunk and too terrified for his life to notice that Sandor also had a small part in saving his life.

It’s also in that chapter that word has reached KL that Jaime has been captured by Robb.  It’s mentioned a few times that if Sansa is harmed or killed, there could be retaliation on Jaime for it.  Because of Sandor’s long personal service and loyalty to Cersei, it would then make sense to frame Sandor’s protective actions toward Sansa as protecting Lannister interests.  During the bread riot, Tyrion orders that the Whitecloaks go back into the city to find Sansa for this reason.  But then Sandor arrives with Sansa in tow and Tyrion hears Sandor say: “The little bird's bleeding. Someone take her back to her cage and see to that cut."  All it sounds like is that Sandor is using a slightly irreverent epithet for a valuable hostage.  There’s no time for Tyrion to even think about that as his attention is quickly drawn away to the fires in Flea Bottom possibly reaching the stores of wildfire.  

Sandor’s actions in the public beating scene in Sansa III, ACOK could be explained the same way.  

"Enough," she heard the Hound rasp.

"No it isn't," the king replied. "Boros, make her naked."    

I think Joffrey is too fixated on mixing violence and sexuality for the first time to really notice Sandor’s defiance.  And giving Sansa his cloak to cover herself came at Tyrion’s prompting.  

And that’s it.  That’s all anyone ever sees.  Sansa never speaks a word to anyone that she ever had any connection to Sandor.  When she’s Alayne Stone, a girl with a completely different past, that part of her life gets partitioned off along with everything that belongs to Sansa Stark.  

You asked me specifically (and especially) about Littlefinger not knowing anything about their relationship.  I don’t think he has any more ability to figure it out than anyone else in KL and somehow failed to do so; however, the parallels between him and Sandor lead me to think that these two will be on opposing sides in the future fight to finally return Sansa to her Stark identity.  Both are from small, humble landed knight houses that were established by their grandfathers.  Both had their childhood idealism shattered in an event that involves almost dying and severe scarring.  They both became cynical towards the system and its institutions.  Both have/had romantic feelings toward a woman too highborn for them.  Not coincidentally those women are a mother and daughter.  Sandor has his Hound identity to be the “butcher” instead of the “meat.”  Petyr has his mockingbird to be the “player” instead of the “pawn.”  There are some really important differences as well.  Just on a basic level, one represents plain, blunt honesty and truth.  The other spins “lies and Arbor gold.”  While Sandor still has the idealist deeply buried under his cynicism, Petyr’s is completely dead.  Sandor finds his purpose in service to others and he is neither greedy nor ambitious.  Petyr’s job may be to serve the crown and he plays up being lowborn and non-threatening, but he lives to only serve himself, acquiring wealth, power, and titles.  Vengeance is a theme of both their stories.  Sandor actually refrained from killing his brother while Littlefinger’s pursuit of vengeance has no boundaries against those he feels have wronged him.  Thousands suffer and die because of him.  It’s possible to go on and on.  It’s clear the two have very similar origins and backstories but have taken very different paths and approaches to life.  Both have Sansa at the center of their journeys.  This should come full circle.  

Yeah, I think he will one day find out about the relationship between Sansa and Sandor and it will land on him like a meteor.  It’s something he could never account for in all his machinations and in the grooming of his perfect daughter-partner-lover.  Think of the burning humiliation and devastation he felt when he “lost” Catelyn to Brandon, then a second time to Ned.  That would be the original wound that festered for over 15 years the point of him kicking off the plot to the ASOIAF series.  Now multiply that by ten when he loses the girl all over again to another canid-sigiled guy with dark hair, gray eyes, and that same plain, Northern face.  I picture this reaction:

[nightqueendany]

Regardless of metas, arguments, and tangents, here’s a list of things I think likely to happen in S8: 

Note, this isn’t based on digging really deep into book and show canon and houses and loyalties and speculations, etc. All that stuff I merely write to point out the lack of logic of the Jon/Sansa shippers and Sansa stans. Show canon is probably going to be much more simple than any of us want. But alas, for now, it’s all we have. So here goes. 

My S8 Predictions...in no particular order:

Jon and Daenerys will have a child together. Likely a girl. Possibly twins.

We will get ONE MORE Jonerys sex scene. It will be much steamier than boatsex. It will be right after the RLJ reveal.

Glover will have about one minute of complaining about Jon bending the knee to Daenerys. Then someone will smack some sense into him and any other grumbling Norther Lords and then they’ll get back to the task at hand: defeating the Night King.

We will get a scene with Ghost sniffing Dany’s belly. Likely episode 1 before she tells Jon she’s pregnant.

Jon will ride Rhaegal. This will be during a battle scene. Likely Jon will be in trouble, Rhaegal will come and save him, possibly on Dany’s orders.

Arya will kill a White Walker with the catspaw dagger. 

Arya will wear one more face during S8. Jaqen H’ghar will make one more appearance. Possibly with Melisandre at his side. 

Arya and Gendry will have sex. We will see it.

Tormund will be alive. He’ll make a cheeky comment to Dany about the dragons being “big fuckers”. Tormund will adore Dany.

Sandor and Sansa will have a private moment. He’ll say something like “you should have come with me” and she’ll say “I know.”

Winterfell will fall in Episode 3 (kind of a given anyway but whateves, just throwing it out there).

IF Jon or Dany die, they will get married in Episode 2. IF Jon AND Dany live, they will get married in Episode 6.

If either of them die, it will be Jon.

We will NEVER get a Braime scene. At least not an overtly romantic one. Jaime will die in Brienne’s arms. She’ll kiss his forehead or something. No sex. No smooching. No confessions of feelings. It’s not Brienne’s style. And D&D will love torturing us. (Braime shippers please don’t bite my head off, I’m just calling them like I predict them).

All the dragons will die

Ghost and Nymeria will die

One of the Valyrian Steel swords will break. Possibly all of them.

Episode 6 will have a 5 year flash forward. No more, no less. Five years.

I used to think Sansa was one of the untouchables who couldn’t die in the series but I recently saw a post that convinced me she may die. If Sansa dies, she would die protecting Arya. Though I still don’t think this likely.

Bran will die. Duh.

Jorah will die protecting Dany.

Lyanna Mormont will have an epic scene with Daenerys. Possibly the same scene where Glover is shut down in his complaints about Jon bending the knee.

Arya will ask Dany a silly question about dragons and possibly about being “fireproof.”

Davos will have some cheeky response to RLJ that will make Jon either smile or put his head in his hands exasperated. 

Jon will be adamant that Ned Stark was his true father.

Daenerys will have some line that echos Jons words to Theon about being both a Targaryen and a Stark.

Yara Greyjoy will either die or suffer some brutal mutilation - lose an eye or something. 

Tormund will have a funny scene with the Dothraki.

Someone we’ve seen before but not a major character - Glover, Royce, maybe even Edmure Tully - will end up a wight and need to be killed by our gang. 

We will see Jon warg finally for the first and only time. 

Sansa and Daenerys will have a heartfelt moment recounting all the things they’ve been through and how their experiences are similar.

Arya and Jon will have a moment upon reuniting where Arya shows Jon needle.

Ghost will have a scene grumbling about the dragons.

Old Nan will be referenced one more time.

A weirwood tree will be on fire.

Varys will betray Daenerys and get burnt alive for it or be beheaded by Jon.

Cersei and Euron will have an intimate scene. Though Cersei would possibly stay clothed and Euron would get naked, a la Daario and Dany the first time they hooked up. 

Euron’s death will be super bloody. Theon may have Euron’s blood covering his face when the thing is done.

Jorah’s time with the Golden Company will most definitely come up.

Greyworm will die. Missandei will die. Both will die fighting.

A good portion of the season will be in the dark.

Sam will not care Dany burnt his father. He may mention Dickon but Gilly will be glad Randyll is gone, earning Dany her praise. 

Gilly and Dany will be fast friends. Gilly may be present at the birth of Jonerys baby.

Cersei will die via Jaime choking her with his golden hand. His sword will have been lost somewhere, he has no other weapon, so he just chokes her. 

The Night King will be at peace when he dies. It may be a violent death but his face will be serene. 

Okay, that’s all I have for now. Again, these are just my predictions. We can start taking bets closer to Season 8 release as to who’s right and who’s wrong. :D

[queenmercurys]

For the fandom thingy!! Got, Cinderella (or would Disney be easier idk), that one Medici show, the white queen/princess, and Star Wars!

thank you so much, hon! :D this is gonna be the longest ask ever, so I’m gonna put the game of thrones first and then cut everything else under the “read more” line ;P but yes, thank you <333 

game of thrones:

Top 5 favourite characters: ROBB STARK (always), ned stark, arya stark, sansa stark, jaime lannisterOther characters you like: I love so many got characters, but besides the top 5, I really love tyrion lannister, margaery tyrell, bran stark, stannis baratheon (mostly book!verse) and myrcella baratheon.Least favourite characters: haha…. walder frey and roose bolton, always. Otps: tyrion/sansa, ned/catelyn, arya/gendry. Notps: robb/margaery, jon/daenerys, jon/sansa. Favourite friendships: jon/robb, jaime/tyrion, sansa/margaeryFavourite family: the starks, always!Favourite episodes: 1x08 (the pointy end), 1x01 (winter is coming), 1x10 (fire and blood), 2x08 (the prince of winterfell), 3x03 (walk of punishment) and 3x05 (kissed by fire)…. all these for very good reasons… Favourite season/book/movie: season 3 and book 3 are both my favorites, but both excluding that one moment that never happened.Favourite quotes: “I’m not fighting for justice if I don’t serve justice to murderers in my ranks, no matter how highborn.” - robb // “you think I’m fighting this war so that they’ll sing songs about me? I want to go home.” - robb // “I asked him, how can a man be brave if he’s afraid? that is the only time a man can be brave, he told me.” - robb // “love’s not always wise, I’ve learned. it can lead us to great folly, but we follow our hearts… wherever they take us.” - robb // “never forget what you are. the rest of the world will not. wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you.” - tyrion // “the north remembers.” - various

Best musical moment: robb being named king at the end of season 1. Moment that made you fangirl/boy the hardest: actually that’s also probably the moment robb was named king in 1x10. it’s just such a powerful, strong moment with a character I truly love getting the appreciation he definitely deserves. but at the same time there’s the obvious sense of dread, so I think the scene is done incredibly well.When it really disappointed you: well, ahem. obviously 3x09. it will always disappoint me. I get why it happened but it just sucks and hurts so badly. but other than for heartbreaking reasons, sadly a lot of season 7 disappointed me. I guess to name a single moment, the sex scene between jon and daenerys.Saddest moment: robb’s… departure… in 3x09. always.Most well done character death: *sigh* well, actually, probably ned’s. it’s really heartbreaking, but it had been built up to for multiple episodes, and it was done with a lot of feel and heartbreak. Favourite guest star: I’m not entirely sure who qualifies as a guest star, like how long they can be on the show to still be a guest, but I’m gonna say clive russell as brynden tully. he’s not supposed to just be a guest, but that’s what he turned out to be. still an amazing character.Favourite cast member: richard madden, always. my man. Character you wish was still alive: oh dear. robb stark, all the way, always. he’s still alive in my heart, though.One thing you hope really happens: robb comes back to life, takes back winterfell, saves the world from the white walkers and lives happily ever after. (what? that’s unlikely?)Most shocking twist: well, this is kinda hard for me to say because I actually knew that you-know-what would happen, so it wasn’t shocking when I saw it. in fact, I had tried to brace myself for it for ages. I guess I’m gonna say joffrey’s death, because that was definitely a twist.When did you start watching/reading?: probably in 2013? I honestly can’t really remember but it was in the 2012-2013 era. Best animal/creature: grey wind, always!Favourite location: winterfell!Trope you wish they would stop using: jon being an epic hero who gets one chance after another, forever. not exactly a trope, but I’m sure there’s a trope in there somewhere.One thing this show/book/film does better than others: creates complex, interesting characters with a lot of layer and depth, and shows that even villains can have a very humane side. and besides this, creating a world which is both fantasy, and yet still so very realistic almost to the point you could picture it being real history (which it obviously is not). Funniest moments: I will always a sucker for the moment in 1x01 when arya throws food at sansa and then cat commands robb to take her to bed. idk why, but I love it. as well as that, a lot of tyrion’s puns. and that moment at the end of 3x05 where tyrion and cersei are both acting like grumpy children as tywin commands them both to marry. idk why, but that cracks me up.Couple you would like to see: arya/gendry. I used to have more ships I liked on the show, but at this point that is the only one left I’d like to see.Actor/Actress you want to join the cast: well, a lot of my faves are already on the show, but I think rebecca ferguson would be amazing, or alicia vikander. and obviously my girl lily james.Favourite outfit: robb’s outfit in 3x09. despite everything, it’s a freaking gorgeous outfit that makes him look even more perfect than usual.Favourite item: any accessory the starks wear that has a direwolf on it. also many of sansa’s and margaery’s necklaces.Do you own anything related to this show/book/film?: oh yes, absolutely. so, so many things. obviously the dvd’s and all that, and the books, but also most of the funko pop dolls, a robb  action figure which is actually mighty accurate, and things like calendars, notebooks and so forth. lots of stuff.What house/team/group/friendship group/family/race etc would you be in?: well, I would love to be a stark but I would not want to be related to robb. so, wishful thinking, stark through marriage? but if that doesn’t count, I guess I would be a lannister, if not for anything else, then for my apperance. there’s not a lot of blonde families in westeros. Most boring plotline: sorry, but jon and daenerys.Most laughably bad moment: *sigh* sadly, a lot of the dorne scenes, which sucks, because they were supposed to be awesome.Best flashback/flashfoward if any: the moment in season 6 when bran goes to the past and sees young ned going to the tower to rescue lyanna. the moment when bran calls for ned, and he turns around, is pretty heartbreaking.Most layered character: I want to say robb, but I know that from an unbiased pov, that ain’t so. I suppose I would say jaime, then. he is very well developed, and turned from a clear villain to an anti-hero, and to basically a hero at the point where the show is now.Most one dimensional character: I guess show!ellaria sand. I don’t even know what she’s doing.Scariest moment: like scary scary? hmm… I don’t know, maybe that moment at the end of season 2 where sam is hiding from the army of white walkers?Grossest moment: the oberyn vs mountain fight in season 4. I still can’t watch that properly.Best looking male: robb. richard. robb. richard. this man. perfection!! Best looking female: alexandra dowling, who plays roslin. she’s so pretty. Who you’re crushing on (if any): in case it wasn’t obvious by now, robb stark.Favourite cast moment: I feel like any moment at the 2013 comic con fits. I love how close they all seem, and I love seeing richard hanging with kit, alfie, michelle, rose etc.Favourite transportation: in got this is a little hard to answer, but I do love horses, so.. the horses?Most beautiful scene (scenery/shot wise): anything related to winterfell and the north. I also love the shots from iceland with beyond the wall scenery. I love snow and mountains.Unanswered question/continuity issue/plot error that bugs you: there’s actually so many theories around that sometimes I forget what hasn’t been actually addressed, but… hmm… I guess I would have liked to know more about what ned was actually up to during the war when robb was born (like I get that he went to grab jon, but there’s always been speculation about whether he actually cheated and what he was doing etc etc), and maybe honestly a lot of stuff related to that time period. except rhaegar and lyanna. I do not care what they did and why. but I can’t think of any actual plot errors right now.Best promo: the season 3 promo shoots were mighty good, I loved them. also season 6 just for the sake of them bringing robb back and me dying from excitement, even if it was just one promo picture.At what point did you fall in love with this show/book: I fell in love with the show quite quickly in season 1, and in the books it’s pretty much the same. maybe around halfway the first book I realized how complex and awesome it actually is.

cinderella (2015):

Top 5 favourite characters: prince kit (my darling), ella, the king, the captain, fairy godmotherOther characters you like: I really like ella’s parents a lot Least favourite characters: probably the grand duke.Otps: ella/kitNotps: anything related to ella and/or kit that isn’t ella/kit? :PFavourite friendships: kit/captainFavourite family: kit and the king!Favourite episodes: I am gonna translate this to favorite moment: forever the moment when kit reveals himself to be the prince and not a guard/soldier when he hears ella’s singing at the end of the movie.Favourite season/book/movie: ok, I guess I’m also gonna translate this to favorite moment :P another one of my faves is when kit is crying by the king’s bed when he’s dying. it’s such a vulnerable, beautiful moment which shows a male character in a light few disney movies had done in the past. plus, richard’s acting is a+++ in that scene. Favourite quotes: “kindness is free. love is free.” - ella // “just because it’s what’s done doesn’t mean it’s what should be done.” - ella // “we must simply have courage and be kind, mustn’t we?” - ella // “we need not look outside of our borders for strength or guidance. what we need is right before us.” - kit Best musical moment: probably the dancing scene, everything about it is perfect. as well as the scene after ella’s dress has been ruined and she runs to the garden. it’s such a powerful moment. I also like ella’s singing at the end of the movie.Moment that made you fangirl/boy the hardest: oh, again the moment where kit takes off his cloak and reveals his identity. I love that so much. but also the moment kit first appears, that just got me so good.When it really disappointed you: I don’t think anything about this perfect movie has ever disappointed me.Saddest moment: when ella finds out her father is dead, and when kit’s father dies. lots of death.Most well done character death: I think it’s gotta be ella’s mother. the build it up nicely and it’s very heartbreaking.Favourite guest star: I guess this means minor character. I think hayley atwell is quite good in her role. also derek jacobi, if he counts as a guest.Favourite cast member: richard madden, always! Character you wish was still alive: well, I think all the deaths actually worked very well into the story, but I’m gonna say the king, since he doesn’t die in the original.One thing you hope really happens: I want a sequel/prequel about kit when he’s at war and how he becomes the person he is in the movie. this is based on the rumor of a prince charming movie happening. if they don’t do it about kit, don’t do it at all.Most shocking twist: I love this movie to bits, but it’s not very shocking. I guess, again, when kit reveals his identity? I keep talking about this scene.When did you start watching/reading?: I got into it the moment it was first announced, and I watched it in the theatres the day it came out march 2015. Best animal/creature: it’s gotta be the mice, eh? Favourite location: the secret garden.Trope you wish they would stop using: I don’t mind anything they used, but I guess it would have been okay if absolutely everyone had not been obsessed with ella when they saw her at the ball. she deserves it, it’s her moment, but it’s still a little bit of an unlikely scenario, no matter who it’s about.One thing this show/book/film does better than others: this movie does everything better than any other movie. but to name one thing: it is a remake of a classic and it does it wonderfully. it keeps true to the original, but it also adds something to it to make it worth watching as its own thing. that says a lot when you compare it to other recent disney remakes.Funniest moments: honestly, the stepsisters are pretty funny when they’re not tormenting ella. I also love the kit/king dynamics when they’re being playful around each other.Couple you would like to see: I think I saw everything I wanted to see, but it would have been nice to see a love interest for the captain, for example.Actor/Actress you want to join the cast: well, I mean, since the movie’s already done… I guess I would have really liked to see sean bean as the king because robb/ned feels, but derek jacobi did a fantastic job, no complaints.Favourite outfit: ella’s wedding dress and her blue ball gown. but all the costumes are perfect and oscar-worthy *sigh*Favourite item:  it’s gotta be the glass slippers, right?Do you own anything related to this show/book/film?: yep, for sure. the dvd, the blu-ray, the book (two versions), four ella dolls (including the pop funko thingy), two kit dolls, a calendar, a keychain, a necklace… and ella’s dress… etc… I’m pretty much a loser, eh? What house/team/group/friendship group/family/race etc would you be in?: I would love to be related to ella, it would be an honor.Most boring plotline: nothing. absolutely nothing.Most laughably bad moment: nothing! Best flashback/flashfoward if any: well, I guess the time jump after ella’s mom’s death was done really well.Most layered character: probably kit, actually. I know I’m being biased, but he definitely shows he’s more than a cheerful, social prince who is charming. he’s been to war, he can be serious, he can be sensitive, and he can easily relate to other people and how they’re feeling. praise this babe.Most one dimensional character: well, the grand duke and the stepsisters, but they served their purpose.Scariest moment: I love this movie, but it ain’t scary.Grossest moment: and it ain’t gross, either.Best looking male: prince kit, always. Best looking female: ella sure is pretty.Who you’re crushing on (if any): kit. richard. my man. always.Favourite cast moment: any cast moment, honestly. I love the dynamic between the cast members, especially lily and richard!Favourite transportation: oh, the pumpkin carriage!Most beautiful scene (scenery/shot wise): the secret garden, as well as the snowy mountains.Unanswered question/continuity issue/plot error that bugs you: well, it does kinda confuse me how the glass slipper doesn’t disappear along with everything else, but I believe there’s an explanation for that somewhere.Best promo: all the promo they did for this movie is fantastic.At what point did you fall in love with this show/book: the minute I heard it was being made. I called it my favorite movie before it even released, and I was right.

I decided to do disney, too, only animated movies:

Top 5 favourite characters: cinderella, rapunzel, snow white, anna, quasimodoOther characters you like: I like a lot of disney characters, but to name a few, flynn, piglet, aurora, pocahontas, king arthur (if only on principle), merida.Least favourite characters: well, I don’t really hate anyone, but I guess I don’t like lady tremaine, the evil queen or some of the other villains.Otps: cinderella/charming, rapunzel/flynnNotps: I really have none.Favourite friendships: I guess anna and elsa are sweet, and I also like piglet and pooh, of course. all friendships are cute.Favourite family: hmm, I guess I like the incredibles family, and the lilo and stitch crew (my terms are on point)Favourite episodes: I guess favorite movie? cinderella!Favourite season/book/movie: another favorite movie? my second fave is tangled.Favourite quotes: “some people care too much. I think it’s called love.” - winnie the pooh // “if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true.” - cinderella // “you think the only people who are people are the people who look and think like you.” - pocahontas // “don’t just fly. soar.” - dumboBest musical moment: that would probably have to be “I see the light” from tangled. or “god help the outcasts” from the hunchback of notre dame.Moment that made you fangirl/boy the hardest: hmm, I don’t know. maybe when cinderella gets her dress.When it really disappointed you: I can’t say I was the hugest fan of frozen. don’t get me wrong, I like it just fine. but I don’t understand why it’s seen as the best of the best of the best.Saddest moment: basically every scene in the hunchback of notre dame.Most well done character death: probably mufasa in the lion king.Favourite guest star: like a guest voice actor? umm… ok, for reals, I couldn’t think of anyone. they’re all perfectly fine.Favourite cast member: kristen bell for sure, love her! and zachary levi. Character you wish was still alive: I think all the deaths were done well and for good reason, but maybe ariel’s mothe? she could realllyyy have used someone to talk to, and for someone to give her some much-needed advice.One thing you hope really happens: they make a movie based on the nutcracker. kinda like the barbie one. it’s mighty good. and I know there’s some liveaction coming about it, but no.Most shocking twist: I guess hans being a villain was surprising when it first happened?When did you start watching/reading?: when I was very, very tiny. maybe like 2 or 3.Best animal/creature: probably the mice in cinderella, and every creature in winnie the pooh.Favourite location: everything from cinderella, and everything from frozen.Trope you wish they would stop using: they could try making a male and female protagonists (who are approximately the same age and likely love interests to each other) just friends. I know they’ve done it a few times before, but more often than not they always end up getting together. even in frozen, which wasn’t supposed to be about romance. don’t get me wrong, I love romance. but they could try that.One thing this show/book/film does better than others: I think disney is pretty good at making engaging stories that entertain both adults and kids. that’s a balance not everyone can manage.Funniest moments: I think a lot of stuff in the emperor’s new groove is hilarious.Couple you would like to see: well, I guess the couple from the nutcracker, since I said I wanted that.Actor/Actress you want to join the cast: richard madden’s voice is perfect, so naturally his voice-acting would also be perfect. also I do feel obligated to say ray chase, because he’s a very good voice actor. though seeing him in disney would be a bit odd. Favourite outfit: cinderella’s ballgown! Favourite item: the glass slippers for sure.Do you own anything related to this show/book/film?: yeah! I have a few funko pop dolls (cinderella and rapunzel), some other random items like notebooks etc, and various dvds and such.What house/team/group/friendship group/family/race etc would you be in?: I would like to be related to cinderella, or rapunzel.Most boring plotline: I can’t say I’m too fond of some of the movies with animal protagonists, like the aristocats. Most laughably bad moment: I can’t think of anything that’s this bad, but I’m sure there are moments that fit.Best flashback/flashfoward if any: I like how they did the time skip in frozen. Most layered character: probably someone like mulan or elsa, but I think a lot of the characters are well-layered.Most one dimensional character: some of the villains, like the evil queen.Scariest moment: when the evil queen does anything in snow white.Grossest moment: I remember there are gross moments in some of the movies, but I cannot, for the life of me, remember any specific one. maybe ursula and those sea creatures of hers, those who used to be human? Best looking male: I…? I guess I’m gonna say prince charming for the simple fact that he is actually richard madden in my eyes.Best looking female: actually, probably aurora, even though cinderella’s my fave.Who you’re crushing on (if any): none.Favourite cast moment: I don’t really know, but I think the relationship between kristen bell and idina menzel is nice.Favourite transportation: the pumpkin carriage!Most beautiful scene (scenery/shot wise): the whole transformation/ball/aftermath sequence in cinderella.Unanswered question/continuity issue/plot error that bugs you: I am kind of curious about the whole theory of elsa, anna and rapunzel being related. I mean, why not? Best promo: I think all the promo they do is pretty good.At what point did you fall in love with this show/book: I probably fell in love with this franchise when I was very small, and I never stopped being interested in it.

medici: masters of florence:

Top 5 favourite characters: cosimo (my baby!!), lorenzo, lucrezia, marco bello and brunelleschi. Other characters you like: hmm… uuh… maybe piero, ugo and guadagni? there are not that many characters on the show, after all.Least favourite characters: sorry, but contessina. I just cannot with her. I can’t. Otps: lucrezia/piero and absolutely no one else.Notps: basically any cosimo ship that was canon, but mostly contessina/cosimo and cosimo/maddalena. I was very disappointed with the ships on this show. Favourite friendships: cosimo/lorenzo, cosimo/brunelleschi and cosimo/marco. Favourite family: well, the medici’s! Favourite episodes: I really love the first two episodes, but they’re all very good.Favourite season/book/movie: I guess I can say season 1 since season 2 is coming out? definitely season 1, if not for anything else then for my richard bias. Favourite quotes: “everything I have ever done has been for florence. for you. for the greater glory of god.” - cosimo // “you give me an education. you expose me to great beauty. and then insist I spend my life devoted to money and politics.” - cosimo // “if the medici are to shape history, we must live beyond our lifetimes. the whole tree does not die because one branch falls.” - cosimoBest musical moment: so many moments, but I think the moment when cosimo finds out that lorenzo’s dead in 1x08 is the number one pick.Moment that made you fangirl/boy the hardest: any moment with richard, for sure, but I was so happy to see some of his different acting styles on the show, particularly in the later episodes, like when he confronts the pope in 1x08.When it really disappointed you: I guess I am never, ever gonna be ok with cheating plotlines, and I was also not ok with how bad the show made cosimo look just for contessina’s sake. like it was purposely trying to make the fandom hate one and love the other. and it sure worked *sigh* Saddest moment: when lorenzo dies and cosimo’s reaction to it.Most well done character death: again, I think lorenzo’s death was done very well.Favourite guest star: I thought brunelleschi was a hilarious character.Favourite cast member: richard madden, always!Character you wish was still alive: lorenzo, he didn’t deserve to die.One thing you hope really happens: I hope that at some point they bring richard’s character back, if only in flashbacks, as we actually get to see him happy for a bit.Most shocking twist: once again, lorenzo dying. and ugo being the killer was pretty surprising.When did you start watching/reading?: the moment it first aired. Best animal/creature: I do love the horses.Favourite location: anything in florenze, to be honest.Trope you wish they would stop using: badass female character who needs no man and is sassier, smarter and more powerful than anyone else. really doesn’t work for me. there should be some humanity in there too. One thing this show/book/film does better than others: I know this has been done before, but I think cosimo’s character and his multiple layers were done so wonderfully.Funniest moments: hmm, I think any moment with cosimo and lorenzo goofing around in rome in the first episode.Couple you would like to see: cosimo/happiness, actual happiness. impossible, I know.Actor/Actress you want to join the cast: hmm, well, I am gonna go with rebecca ferguson again cause she’s so good. and my girl lily james.Favourite outfit: cosimo’s outfit in 1x01, in the flashbacks.Favourite item: cosimo’s sketch book, just cause I love watching him draw.Do you own anything related to this show/book/film?: sadly just the dvd and some posters, there isn’t much merchandise for it.What house/team/group/friendship group/family/race etc would you be in?: well, again, I would like to be a medici, but not related to cosimo.Most boring plotline: contessina and her fling with her old love interest. why?Most laughably bad moment: none, really.Best flashback/flashfoward if any: all the flashbacks/forwards between older and younger cosimo were fantastic and gave much depth to his character.Most layered character: cosimo, in every way. he has his cold side, but he also has his soft side and richard did a fantastic job at displaying all of it.Most one dimensional character: none are really that one-dimensional, but I guess bianca really didn’t serve any purpose.Scariest moment: none.Grossest moment: hmm, I guess some of the scenes with blood but nothing was too bad? Best looking male: richard madden. cosimo. my baby.Best looking female: um, maybe bianca or lucrezia? I don’t know.Who you’re crushing on (if any): cosimo for sure!! Favourite cast moment: I really liked the premiere in the fall of 2016, the cast seems to get along well and richard looked fantastic (as always).Favourite transportation: horses.Most beautiful scene (scenery/shot wise): anything in florenze.Unanswered question/continuity issue/plot error that bugs you: I think basically nothing was really left unanswered. I suppose there was some ambiguity in how much of a part cosimo had in rinaldo’s death, though.Best promo: I really like the promo pics, everything’s good.At what point did you fall in love with this show/book: the minute it aired.

the white queen/princess:

Top 5 favourite characters: elizabeth woodville, henry tudor, elizabeth of york, isabel neville and maybe anne neville.Other characters you like: I like all of elizabeth’s kids, her mother, and edward was sometimes okay. Least favourite characters: I didn’t like richard iii too much, or margaret beaufort. Otps: henry/elizabeth, edward/elizabeth and jacquette/richard mainly due to the book written about them, set before twq. Notps: richard/elizabeth. why. Favourite friendships: isabel/anne.Favourite family: I guess the tudors.Favourite episodes: I really like the later episodes, with the exception of the unnecessary elizabeth/richard romance.Favourite season/book/movie: my favorite season is season 1, as opposed to the white princess, because I never did get to see it.Favourite quotes: “do not doubt my courage. I am match for any man.” - elizabeth woodville // “you are what sustains me in battle. you are my home.” - edward // “she has done her worst. and look at us. we’re still here.” - henry/elizabeth // “how can I prove to you that I am with you except to ask you not to die?” - elizabeth of yorkBest musical moment: I think the music in the last episode is very good.Moment that made you fangirl/boy the hardest: honestly I am gonna say any henry/elizabeth moment, even in twp even though I’ve not seen it. I love these two and ship them despite not seeing it. but I did read the book so that’s something. When it really disappointed you: richard/elizabeth. Saddest moment: I think edward’s death was really sad if only for elizabeth’s sake.Most well done character death: I think that richard’s death was built up quite well, we all knew someone was gonna die (and those who knew history knew who was gonna die), and it was done well.Favourite guest star: I don’t know who counts, so I’m gonna say freya mavor and michael marcus.Favourite cast member: rebecca ferguson, my girl! Character you wish was still alive: maybe richard (I mean elizabeth woodville’s father) cause he and jacquetta gave me all the feels in their book.One thing you hope really happens: they release twp somewhere where I can actually watch it?Most shocking twist: that they actually went there with richard/elizabeth.When did you start watching/reading?: maybe in 2015…? I really can’t be sure.Best animal/creature: I do love the horses.Favourite location: I do like the woodville manor.Trope you wish they would stop using: maybe the men being horrible pigs and the women trying to deal with that? I feel like almost all the men on the show were just the worst.One thing this show/book/film does better than others: I don’t know. I guess some of the characters were portrayed in a nice, human way, and the ships were pretty nice.Funniest moments: some moments between the plantagenet brothers.Couple you would like to see: a prequel series about richard and jacquetta.Actor/Actress you want to join the cast: there’s never enough richard madden in the world.Favourite outfit: elizabeth (woodville’s) blue dress.Favourite item: elizabeth (woodville’s) ringDo you own anything related to this show/book/film?: just the books and the first seasonWhat house/team/group/friendship group/family/race etc would you be in?: probably the woodville famMost boring plotline: richard and elizabethMost laughably bad moment: anything with richard and elizabethBest flashback/flashfoward if any: the flashforward when henry and elizabeth are suddenly adults was unexpected, but welcome.Most layered character: probably elizabeth woodville if not for any other reason, then because she was the most focused-on character. and rebecca brought great depth to her.Most one dimensional character: probably some of the people like edward’s mother.Scariest moment: none.Grossest moment: the final battle in 1x10.Best looking male: oh god, I don’t know. maybe henry in twp cause he looks slightly like richard.Best looking female: elizabeth woodville for sure.Who you’re crushing on (if any): none.Favourite cast moment: I like any of the cast moments, but I’ve not seen many.Favourite transportation: horses.Most beautiful scene (scenery/shot wise): all the forests and water areas are so gorgeous, especially in the first episode.Unanswered question/continuity issue/plot error that bugs you: well, there are many plot confusions, but nothing particular. Best promo: I like the promo pic with elizabeth holding the sword in her hand.At what point did you fall in love with this show/book: when I first saw it, and started reading it.

star wars:

Top 5 favourite characters: luke skywalker, leia organa, obi-wan kenobi, qui-gon jinn, yoda.Other characters you like: rey, poe dameron, finn, padme amidala.Least favourite characters: I don’t hate anyone, but the emperor sure sucked. I also don’t get the kylo ren hype.Otps: to be quite honest? none. but to say something, I guess rey/finn and padme/anakin (idk, man).Notps: kylo/rey.Favourite friendships: han/luke, obi-wan/anakin, finn/poe.Favourite family: the skywalkersFavourite episodes: I’m gonna take this as favorite generation (originals, prequels, sequels). that would be the originals.Favourite season/book/movie: the return of the jedi.Favourite quotes: “I am a jedi, like my father before me.” - luke // “no one’s ever really gone.” - luke // “hope is like the sun. if you only believe in it when you can see it, you’ll never make it through the night.” - leia // “so this is how liberty dies. with thunderous applause.” - padmeBest musical moment: the moment when luke is gazing at the sunset in a new hope, as well as in the last jedi. the feels. Moment that made you fangirl/boy the hardest: luke coming to everyone’s rescue in the last jedi.When it really disappointed you: the obsession with kylo/rey, as well as some of the political plotlines in the prequels. Saddest moment: luke’s death, I think. though it was kinda bittersweet.Most well done character death: again, luke’s death, but also anakin’s.Favourite guest star: gwendoline christie.Favourite cast member: liam neeson.Character you wish was still alive: luke because what the heck is the next movie gonna have, then? I know it’s still gonna be good but with all of the original cast gone…One thing you hope really happens: kylo redeems himself without becoming a love interest for rey, everyone saves everyone, and they live happily ever after with rey training new jedis. also luke coming back as a force ghost to make bad puns.Most shocking twist: I don’t know, maybe luke dying.When did you start watching/reading?: when I was a tiny kid. maybe 4 or 5. Best animal/creature: well, it does say creature… r2-d2Favourite location: hoth and naboo.Trope you wish they would stop using: the good guy turned villain who is gonna be redeemed at the very last second (ironically, I also wrote that as what I wanted to happen). One thing this show/book/film does better than others: they really give a very good sci-fi adventure which doesn’t seem too hard for anyone to understand, and can interest both adults and children.Funniest moments: I actually really liked the comedic luke/rey moments in the last jedi.Couple you would like to see: I kind of like the idea of poe and rey.Actor/Actress you want to join the cast: there’s never enough richard madden. plus, he loves sci-fi.Favourite outfit: padme had some gorgeous costumes, especially all her blue clothes. Favourite item: luke’s blue and green lightsabers.Do you own anything related to this show/book/film?: just the dvds, really. and a star wars lunch box. funnily enough.What house/team/group/friendship group/family/race etc would you be in?: I would like to be a skywalker, but I’d probably be bad at it.Most boring plotline: well, the political plotlines in the prequels.Most laughably bad moment: some of the very wooden moments in the prequels.Best flashback/flashfoward if any: I guess I like the flashback they did in the last jedi to what exactly happened between kylo and luke.Most layered character: probably someone like leia, or maybe even anakin to an extent.Most one dimensional character: some of the villains, like count dooku (is that really how you spell it?).Scariest moment: I really, really found darth maul scary as a kid.Grossest moment: the whole opening-up-the-creature to keep luke warm in the empire strikes back (my terms are on point again)Best looking male: idk, man. poe?Best looking female: probably padme.Who you’re crushing on (if any): none.Favourite cast moment: anything with daisy and mark.Favourite transportation: the falcon.Most beautiful scene (scenery/shot wise): hoth.Unanswered question/continuity issue/plot error that bugs you: well, I mean, rey’s parents. that is the one thing I didn’t really like how they explained in the last jedi.Best promo: all the promo stuff is nice.At what point did you fall in love with this show/book: as a child when I saw the original movies.

[gffa]

While I continue to work on the next batch of Star Wars fic recs (I’ve been really busy with canon stuff lately, I know!) I also recently fell down the GAME OF THRONES hell pit, so here have some of my brave efforts in the salt mines, because there’s some really good stuff here! (Also, as always, feel free to send me recs, I need help wading through such a big fandom!) GAME OF THRONES FIC RECS: ✦ King’s Blood; Fool’s Blood by Little_Ghost14, robb/margaery & cast, 21.1k wip    Demoralised and traumatised following the red wedding, Robb is a virtual prisoner at Riverrun. Having barely survived by the skin of his teeth, his last hope is fading fast. Widowed on her wedding day and facing a future with a boy King, Margaery Tyrell is jaded and tired. Struggling to find her place in the world, she ends up being sent on a diplomatic mission to the Riverlands along with most of the Tyrell army. Neither yet realise they’re each other’s last chance. ✦ Blow away with this new sun by rightfullymine, jon/daenerys & sansa, 4.1k    Five years after the War for the Dawn, one afternoon in King’s Landing, the Lady of Winterfell and the King consort discuss politics and family matters. ✦ The Prince and Princess of Summerhall by Avery_Fontaine, jon/daenerys & rhaegar/lyanna/elia & arya & cast, 2.5k    In a better world, Jon and Dany would have been together. In a better world, Rhaegar would rule and Aegon and Rhaenys would live. In a better world, Lyanna lived to see her boy grow up. In a better world. ✦ Goodnight, My Lady, Good Luck by icarus_chained, tyrion/sansa & jon/daenerys, 5k    Tyrion and Sansa reunite at Winterfell, with murders and wars and seas and weddings behind them, in the midst of grand family revelations and potentially dangerous loves between kings and queens. It’s a painful conversation, but a necessary one. And maybe a hopeful one too. ✦ The Good Lannister by icarus_chained, tyrion & tywin & arya, 2k    Post-Season 7, Tyrion Lannister and Arya Stark meet at Winterfell. Or, to put it another way, Tywin Lannister’s cupbearer and his killer finally have a conversation. ✦ Secrets in the Dark by rhymer23, sam/gilly & jon/daenerys & tyrion & sansa & arya & jorah & cast, 21.8k    As Jon draws near to Winterfell, Sam worries about how he will react to the revelations about his parentage. But after Jon and his party arrive, this is not the only secret that will be revealed. ✦ Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things by The Queen of Thorns (The_Queen_of_Thorns), jon & sansa & bran & cast, time travel, 51k wip    We know no King, but the King in the North whose name is Stark. A House Stark fix-it fic, from the beginning. ✦ So Shall It Be by icarus_chained, tyrion/sansa, gendry/arya, jon/daenerys & davos & cast, 38.2k wip    At Winterfell, with Tyrion at her side, Sansa watches Arya and Gendry, and comes to several rapid and forceful realisations. She needs a little while to come to terms with them. Tyrion may need a little longer again. And then comes everyone else. full details + recs under the cut!

GAME OF THRONES FIC RECS: ✦ King’s Blood; Fool’s Blood by Little_Ghost14, robb/margaery & cast, 21.1k wip    Demoralised and traumatised following the red wedding, Robb is a virtual prisoner at Riverrun. Having barely survived by the skin of his teeth, his last hope is fading fast. Widowed on her wedding day and facing a future with a boy King, Margaery Tyrell is jaded and tired. Struggling to find her place in the world, she ends up being sent on a diplomatic mission to the Riverlands along with most of the Tyrell army. Neither yet realise they’re each other’s last chance.    My only complaint is that this fic is only five chapters at the time of this rec and it looks like it’s going to be a long one and yet I’m already hooked on the premise–where Robb just barely escapes the Red Wedding and this changes little things at first, but clearly will be snowballing to something bigger–and Robb and Margaery haven’t even met yet! But they’re the two characters this story is centered around and I really adore both of them already, the hard road that Robb has to walk after the losses he’s suffered, the grace Margaery has to wear like armor against this political world she’s in, how they’re both such goodpeople forced into such shit circumstances. It’s not going to be an easy road for either of them, but I absolutely tore through what there was of this and will be circling around it for whenever more is posted, because it’s such a solidly told and structured fic already, it feels like an organic divergence, and is just really, really engaging! ✦ Blow away with this new sun by rightfullymine, jon/daenerys & sansa, 4.1k    Five years after the War for the Dawn, one afternoon in King’s Landing, the Lady of Winterfell and the King consort discuss politics and family matters.    This was a beautifully written fic, where it’s a few years after the dust has settled and it’s as much of a happy ending as they could possibly ask for, and it’s good, even as nothing is perfect. But what I really loved about this was how the characters felt so very spot on to me, that Jon was so Jon and that Sansa was as razor sharp as she should be, while still being so completely kind-hearted and caring. This is the grown woman that I want Sansa to be, after everything she’s faced! But it’s also cuteness with a kidlet and a dragon, balanced with political moves that must be made, an appearance by Daenerys that felt spot on to her iron-hard Dragon Queen persona, while still be so warm and caring as well. The writing is lovely and it’s one of those fics that made me fall in love with all of these characters again. ✦ The Prince and Princess of Summerhall by Avery_Fontaine, jon/daenerys & rhaegar/lyanna/elia & arya & cast, 2.5k    In a better world, Jon and Dany would have been together. In a better world, Rhaegar would rule and Aegon and Rhaenys would live. In a better world, Lyanna lived to see her boy grow up. In a better world.    This fic is just full on fluff, there is nothing that doesn’t work out perfectly here, everything is kind and soft and warm–which is exactly the point of it, as the author’s notes say! Which I really needed after all the heartbreak that’s in the rest of the canon and the fandom, just something soft and sweet and where everything worked out and nobody was left out. It’s more summary than direct action, but that’s also kind of the point, and it’s for when you want the world to be kinder. ✦ Goodnight, My Lady, Good Luck by icarus_chained, tyrion/sansa & jon/daenerys, 5k    Tyrion and Sansa reunite at Winterfell, with murders and wars and seas and weddings behind them, in the midst of grand family revelations and potentially dangerous loves between kings and queens. It’s a painful conversation, but a necessary one. And maybe a hopeful one too.    This is a lovely post-season 7 look at how far both Tyrion and Sansa have come, as they watch Jon and Daenerys, both of them in the best position to realize just what that means and what it could mean, both bad and good. These characters who know how to play the game best of all the people and yet they’re both so thoroughly good, who care, but have had to forge steel in themselves. But it’s also about what was and wasn’t between them, that it was never terrible with them, and how that still has a certain spark to it. I enjoyed this fic a lot, especially their insightful takes on the Jon/Daenerys relationship, what drew them together and the balance they find! ✦ The Good Lannister by icarus_chained, tyrion & tywin & arya, 2k    Post-Season 7, Tyrion Lannister and Arya Stark meet at Winterfell. Or, to put it another way, Tywin Lannister’s cupbearer and his killer finally have a conversation.    Another lovely look at two characters who have a connection (if not such a direct one as others do) and so their meeting after season 7’s finale, the things they talk about and what they do/don’t say, is really fascinating to read. Arya is very scary in a still waters run deep kind of way and Tyrion is spot on, how he’s a good person in a lot of ways and he’s really trying here, how they’re not precisely friends, but there’s something there. It lays the groundwork out for something, some kind of understanding, really well. There will probably foever be wariness there, but there’s also something a little more fond, in just the way I imagine Arya and Tyrion would be. ✦ Secrets in the Dark by rhymer23, sam/gilly & jon/daenerys & tyrion & sansa & arya & jorah & cast, 21.8k    As Jon draws near to Winterfell, Sam worries about how he will react to the revelations about his parentage. But after Jon and his party arrive, this is not the only secret that will be revealed.    I do have one very, very mild caveat in that I wish we’d gotten a little more directly into the other characters (mostly because I wanted more focus on the reveal and Jon’s reaction, for my own personal wants!), but that’s not how this fic was structured and it is a lovely fic for exactly what it was aiming to do–the bits and pieces that Sam overhears, the important moments he sees, the connections he brings together with all of these, is really lovely and spot on to the characters and the show. It’s such a good Sam pov and it really nails all the other characters and where they’re at in this quieter lull before the fighting really begins. It draws really nicely emotionally resonant moments together, Sam’s reasons for not telling Jon and his own struggles with the news about his own family, the hurt that so many of these characters go through, the really beautiful snippets of conversation between Jon and Daenerys and what the reveal means for them and how they look at each other, not because of their relation but because of what the line of succession and the desire for the throne means and how they see each other because of it and their ambitions. It really felt spot-on to the show and was a really satisfying read for the characters and the emotions it gave me. ✦ Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things by The Queen of Thorns (The_Queen_of_Thorns), jon & sansa & bran & cast, time travel, 51k wip    We know no King, but the King in the North whose name is Stark. A House Stark fix-it fic, from the beginning.    As always, I am a huge sucker for time travel fix-it fics, especially when focused on these characters and when a fic takes its time to set up the how of the things they would change, that this is a fic that intends to take its time. Right now, it’s balanced between the reactions of these three trying to adjust to living this life over again, to what they want to change and how, with about the first book/season’s worth of events. I like that the fic doesn’t linger on things that basically go the same, we don’t need the rehash of what’s already come once before, but instead it’s focused on the internal story of these characters and the terror plus determination of facing things again. It’s also one of those fics that is over 50k at this point (though, it’s still really only just getting started, but I liked what’s here so far!) and I tore through it in a couple of days and it certainly didn’t feel like it was that long! I eagerly tore through it and would have read another 150k if it had already been there, so I definitely am keeping an eye on this one! ✦ So Shall It Be by icarus_chained, tyrion/sansa, gendry/arya, jon/daenerys & davos & cast, 38.2k wip    At Winterfell, with Tyrion at her side, Sansa watches Arya and Gendry, and comes to several rapid and forceful realisations. She needs a little while to come to terms with them. Tyrion may need a little longer again. And then comes everyone else.    This is a post-season 7 finale fic about everyone gathering at Winterfell and the brief bit of time they have for personal matters and politics before the bigger fight to come, and it’s about Sansa and Tyrion realizing they value each other and they believe in each other and find comfort in the idea of each other. I do find that they dropped a little fast into it, they never really knew each other and I wish there’d been time devoted to them actually getting to know each other before deciding they wanted to marry, but the structure of the story and the ripple effect it has on pretty much everyone is beautifully done. When Tyrion needs to talk to Daenerys about this, when Jon and Daenerys have their scenes (which were probably my favorites), when it also affects the way Arya and Gendry are with each other, when Arya and Tyrion have a conversation, all of it is about the complicated web of dynamics between all of them and the author really nails that down. The pacing and variation of the story is just the right amounts as well, the focus shifts to various different relationships, but doesn’t neglect that some are ones that need to be returned to multiple times, especially the main couples here, as well as the dynamic between the Stark sisters. Sansa and Arya’s relationship is so fiercely protective on both sides and it’s super satisfying to see them and Jon caring so intensely about each other, the refusal to let family be parted from them again for any reason, that each of them has their own way of doing it that all balance together. All the while adding new people to their family, who they are just as fierce towards, and it’s so much fun to read about the Starks on the rise and finding good things in the world again.

[anonwriter27]

Teen Spirit - Chapter Four :)

It was Halloween and the school had gone into overdrive. People wore costumes every day of the week and flyers were handed out to announce the various parties taking place.

Robb didn’t care much for Halloween; he had enjoyed it when he took his siblings trick or treating, but they did stuff on their own now. Except for Rickon; Robb could always count on his baby brother.

He walked past Talisa and her gang in the corridor, not even sparing them a glance, and walked to where Myrcella stood getting her books out of her locker.

“Hey, hows it going?” He asked and she smiled at him.

“I’m good thanks, I found a really good book for the project.” She answered and Robb adored the proud look on her face at her success.

“That’s great! We can look over it tonight if you want?”

Myrcella looked confused, “You’re not going out tonight?”

“Nah, Halloween’s isn’t my thing, you?”

“I love Halloween! I watch The Nightmare Before Christmas, eat cake, sing the songs...” Myrcella stopped herself, the voice in her head telling her she’d revealed too much.

She was brought out of her humiliation by Robb.

“We can do that tonight if you want?” He said.

“You want to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas with me?” She asked confused.

She used to have to hide as a child when she watched it. Joffrey didn’t like those movies, he had found them too scary. He always punished Myrcella when he caught her watching them, so she began to watch them on her laptop under the stairs.

“Yeah it sounds fun. We can hang out without doing work right?”

Myrcella looked over his shoulder to where the three witches stood. Talisa had been furious when she found out Myrcella was Robb’s project partner; two weeks had passed and she still glowered at the new girl.

“Are you sure?” She said pointedly.

“Absolutely.” He said, giving her a look that suggested he knew of her concerns.

“I’d like that.” She said shyly, looking down at her feet so he wouldn’t see her blush.

“Great, I’ll meet after class and we can watch it at my house. Sound good?” He asked.

Myrcella nodded and watched him leave to go to class. She felt that weird fluttering in her stomach again. It was the same feeling she got when they touched hands when he passed her a book, or the time he laughed at something she had said. She only got that feeling when she was with him, and like all the times before, she would ignore it.

…………..

Winterfell was beautiful and nothing like anything Myrcella had ever seen before.

Despite its somewhat bleak colouring and dark undertones, there was something oddly comforting about it. Everyone seemed real; back home Myrcella found everyone to be fake, their words saying something different to their eyes.

They hopped off the bus and walked up to Robb’s house. When they entered Myrcella could smell gingerbread and her stomach demanded to have some.

“I’m home!” Robb called out as Myrcella took off her shoes.

When Myrcella stood up she was greeted with a plate of gingerbread men smiling at her. The woman holding them was beautiful, with long red hair and kind blue eyes.

“Mother this is Myrcella.”

“Hello dear, I’m Catelyn.” She said, her voice as warm as her smile.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Myrcella said in a small voice.

Catelyn smiled at the young girl. She was shy and sweet, she hid behind her hair and twiddled nervously with her fingers. ‘Yes,’ Catelyn thought, ‘I like this girl.’

“We’re gonna watch a movie if that’s okay?” Robb asked.

“Of course! Here, take these with you.” She said handing him the plate, “Be careful they’re still a little hot.”

Robb bent down to kiss his mother on the cheek and headed to his room. Myrcella was stunned by how loving they were, she couldn’t imagine Joffrey being so kind to their mother.

“Sorry about the mess.” Robb said nervously as they entered his room. His desk was littered with books and papers.

“Oh it’s fine!” Myrcella insisted.

She sat on the end of his bed while he went to find the movie. His room was very him, she thought. It was filed with wooden furniture, dark oranges and reds found in the lamp shades and duvet.

“Found it!” He said and popped it into the DVD player.

“I thought this was a Christmas movie?” He said.

“It’s a Christmas AND Halloween movie, which means I can watch it for three months straight.” She said proudly and Robb shook his head and laughed.

They sat back on the bed, and while Myrcella was watching the movie, Robb was watching her.

She got all excited, wiggling when her favourite songs came on. She would hum along to the tune but Robb new she would be singing it if she were on her own.

……………..

It got to the end of the movie, when Jack and Sally sang ‘simply meant to be.’

“Do you have that?” Robb asked. “Hmmm?” “Someone you’re ‘meant to be’ with?”

“Oh! No… I’ve never, ummm…” “ I see.” He said, sensing her discomfort.

The song had finished before they spoke again.

“Do you?” She asked. “Hmmm?”

“Have someone?”

“I’m not sure,” he said, “I mean, I hang out with Talisa, we’ve kissed but… I don’t think we’re meant to be.”

“I see.” She said, ignoring her fluttering stomach.

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. It began to open slowly when a messy head of curls popped out.

“Yes Rickon?” Robb said.

Rickon looked up then; he was a cute little boy with big eyes and a toothy grin, he was wearing a skeleton costume (He’d just come back from trick or treating with Bran). He walked up to them, his head lowered a little and stood in front of Myrcella.

“Hello.” He said and he blushed. “Hello.” She said smiling at the sweet little boy.

“Myrcella this is Rickon, Rickon this is Myrcella.” Robb introduced the pair.

Rickon was only six, but he had the charm of a gentleman. He took Myrcella’s hand and kissed the back of it, just like he had seen in one of Sansa’s movies.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He said, and Myrcella giggled.

“Alright Romeo, now what did you come in for?” Robb asked, amused at his brother’s antics.

“I heard you were watching a movie, but I see it’s finished.” He said, his voice sad.

“We can watch it again!” Myrcella said, not wanting to let the little boy down. They both turned to Robb, pleading looks on both their faces.

“Alright.” He said, and lifted Rickon onto the bed, a smug look resting on the little boys face.

They devoured the gingerbread men between them, they sang the songs together, scolded Oogie Boogie together, and smiled together when Jack and Sally were reunited

When Myrcella left that night Rickon vowed to marry her one day, much to the delight of their parents.

“I wish I had met her.” Ned said, noting how Robb blushed.

…………….

Myrcella was on a cloud her entire journey home. The Starks were lovely and she had enjoyed spending her evening with them, even if her stomach was in nots. She texted Ygritte when she got off the bus to let her know she was fine. Despite her relaxed attitude, Ygritte was a worrier.

When Myrcella got home she was surprised to find how cold it was. She turned on the lights and saw the windows were open. Myrcella was concerned but assumed she must have forgotten to shut them.

She walked into the kitchen and opened her cabinet to get a drink. Every glass had been shattered.

She turned around to look at her living room, the rug had been ripped up into little pieces, all scattered on the floor.

‘No.’ She thought.

She looked toward the front door but he was already there.

“Uncle Tyrion doesn’t keep a close eye on his address book.” Joffrey said.

“Why are you here?” She asked, her voice shaking.

“There’s a party down the street, thought I’d check it out. But then I remembered my sister is here. I thought she must be missing me, seeing how she hasn’t called, or visited in months.”

“I was going to…”

“Imagine my surprise when I knock on my little sisters door, and she’s not home. How do you think that made me feel?”

She could have ran, she could have screamed for help, she could have done anything; but the second he raised his fist, she knew there was no escaping.

…………….

“Hey Stark!” Ygritte called out.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“You seen Myrcella? I’ve been trying to call her all morning but she’s not picking up. Hodor and Osha went to visit her at her place but she wasn’t there.”

Robb was worried now, “She got the bus home from mine last night…”

“I know, she texted me when she got off the bus, but I haven’t heard from her since.”

“Hey!” They heard from a distance.

They saw Osha and Hodor running at full speed towards them. Jon and Theon joined the group, both seeing the look of worry on Robb’s face.

“Everything okay?” Jon asked.

“Hodor, Hodor!” Hodor yelled, tears in his eyes.

“Easy big guy, what happened?” Ygritte said, trying to seem calm.

“We bumped into the night manager of the building Myrcella lives in,” Osha started, “He says she was rushed to hospital last night.”

“What! Why?” Robb asked unable to mask his fear.

“He said some of her neighbours found her in a really bad way, the door to her flat was left wide open.”

All of them looked at each other, each wondering what could have happened to Myrcella Baratheon.

……………

She knew she was in hospital, she could tell by the bright lights and foul smell. She hated hospitals.

“Hello Miss Baratheon, can you hear me?”

She nodded.

“Are you feeling any better?” The nurse asked.

She nodded.

“Do you want something to eat?”

She nodded.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

Myrcella took a deep breath and turned to the nurse.

“I fell.”