#The Witching hour [IC}

[cressidagrey]

Will you be writing moe for Eira? Loving your current series jw 😙

Never say never, but It's not currently the next thing I want to work on! After Stars all aligned is finished, I have a Halloween piece of The Witching Hour half finished that will be hopefully ready on Halloween and then there will be a CassianxKallias!LittleSister thing that is half done too...and then I promised @k-godling that I would write the Azriel x Sellyn Drake thing I have plotted 😂

[acourtofquestions]

"You'll come back," Manon said.

It sounded like more of a threat than anything

Dorian smirked. "Would you miss me if I didn't?"

Manon didn't reply. He didn't know why he expected her to.

He'd taken all of a step, when Asterin clasped his shoulder. "In and out, quick as you can," she warned him. "Take care of Narene." Worry indeed shone in the Second's gold-flecked black eyes. Dorian bowed his head. "With my life," he promised as he approached her mount and grasped the dangling reins. He didn't fail to miss the gratitude that softened Asterin's features. Or that Manon had already turned away from him.

A fool to start down this path with her. He should have known better.

The hours that passed were some of the longest of Manon's existence.

From anticipation, she told herself. Of what she had to do.

Abraxos, unsurprisingly, found them within an hour, his reins sliced from the struggle he'd no doubt waged and won with Sorrel. He waited, however, beside Manon in silence, wholly focused upon the gate where Dorian and Narene had vanished.

Time dripped by. The king's sword was constant weight at her side. She cursed herself for needing to prove-to him, to herself-that she refused to let him go into Morath for practical, ordinary reasons. Erawan wasn't at the Ferian Gap. It'd be safer. Somewhat. But if the Matrons were there … That was why he'd gone. To learn if they were. To see if Petrah truly commanded the host there, and how many Ironteeth were present. He had not been trained as a spy, but he'd grown up in a court where people wielded smiles and clothes like weapons. He knew how to blend in, how to listen. How to make people see what they wished to see. She'd sent Elide into the dungeons of Morath, Darkness damn her. Sending the King of Adarlan into the Ferian Gap was no different.

It didn't stop her breath from escaping when Abraxos stiffened, scanning the sky. As if he heard something they couldn't.

And it was the joy that sparked in her mount's eyes that told her.

Moments later, Narene sailed toward them, making a lazy path over the mountains, a dark-haired, pale-skinned rider atop her. He'd truly been able to change parts of himself. Had made his face nearly unrecognizable. And kept it that way.

Asterin rushed toward the mare, and even Manon blinked as her Second threw her arms around Narene's neck. Holding her tight. The mare only leaned her head against Asterin's back and huffed.

Manon hadn't dwelled long on what she'd say.

And as the three hundred Ironteeth witches filed into the hall, some coming off their patrols, Manon half wondered if she should have. They watched her, watched the Thirteen, with a wary disdain.

Their disgraced Wing Leader; their fallen Heir.

When all were gathered, Petrah, still standing in the doorway where she'd appeared, merely said, "My life debt for an audience, Blackbeak."

Manon swallowed, her tongue as dry as paper. Seated atop Abraxos, she could see every shifting movement in the crowd, the wide eyes or hands gripping swords.

"I will not tell you the particulars of who I am," Manon said at last. "For I think you have already heard them."

"Crochan bitch," someone spat.

Manon set her eyes on the Blackbeaks, stone-faced where the others bristled with hatred. It was for them she spoke, for them she had come here.

jacket, then hoisting up her white shirt. Rising in the stirrups to bare her scarred, brutalized abdomen. "She does not lie."

UNCLEAN

There, the word remained stamped. Would always be stamped.

"How many of you," Asterin called out, "have been similarly branded? By your Matron, by your coven leader? How many of you have had your stillborn witchlings burned before you might hold them?"

The silence that fell now was different from before. Shaking shuddering.

Manon glanced at the Thirteen to find tears in Ghislaine's eyes as she took in the brand on Asterin's womb. Tears in the eyes of all of them, who had not known. And it was for those tears, which Manon had never seen, that she faced the host again.

"You will be killed in this war, or after it. And you will never see our homeland again."

"What is it that you want, Blackbeak?" Petrah asked from the archway.

"Ride with us," Manon breathed. "Fly with us.

Against Morath. Against the people who would keep you from your homeland, your future." Murmuring broke out again. Manon pushed ahead, "An Ironteeth-Crochan alliance. Perhaps one to break our curse at last."

Again, that shuddering silence. Like a storm about to break Asterin sat back in the saddle, but kept her shirt open.

"The choice of how our people's future shall be shaped is yours," Manon told each of the witches assembled, all the Blackbeaks who might fly to war and never return. "But I will tell you this." Her hands shook, and she fisted them on her thighs. "There is a better world out there. And I have seen it."

Even the Thirteen looked toward her now.

"I have seen witch and human and Fae dwell together in peace. And it is not weakness to do so, but a strength. I have met kings and queens whose love for their kingdoms, their peoples, is so great that the self is secondary. Whose love for their people is so strong that even in the face of unthinkable odds, they do the impossible."

Manon lifted her chin. "You are my people. Whether my grandmother decrees it so or not, you are my people, and always will be. But I will fly against you, if need be, to ensure that there is a future for those who cannot fight for it themselves. Too long have we preyed on the weak, relished doing so. It is time that we became better than our foremothers." The words she had given the Thirteen months ago. "There is a better world out there," she said again. "And I will fight for it." She turned Abraxos away, toward the plunge behind them. "Will you?"

Manon nodded to Petrah. Eyes bright, the Heir only nodded back. They would be permitted to leave as they had arrived: unharmed.

So Manon nudged Abraxos, and he leaped into the sky, the Thirteen following suit.

Not a child of war. But of peace.

[botanikos]

Soft, excited chirps ! He is already in the process of adding a few design modifications to his costume in preparation for the coming masquerade. It has been quite some time since he's visited the mortals; he is looking forward to a rewarding night!

[graviconscientia]

No one summon Dave. Please. This is my crown right now.

[finalslay]

tag drop, look away.

╰   *  handsome jack      :      ic     ⧽   the goddamn hero. ╰   *  handsome jack      :      visage     ⧽   the goddamn hero. ╰   *  handsome jack      :      ch. study     ⧽   the goddamn hero. ╰   *  handsome jack      :      playlist     ⧽   the goddamn hero.

╰   *  jayce talis      :      ic     ⧽   the defender of tomorrow. ╰   *  jayce talis      :      visage     ⧽   the defender of tomorrow. ╰   *  jayce talis      :      ch. study��   ⧽   the defender of tomorrow. ╰   *  jayce talis      :      playlist     ⧽   the defender of tomorrow.

╰   *  mikaela reid      :      ic     ⧽   hour of the witch. ╰   *  mikaela reid      :      visage     ⧽   hour of the witch. ╰   *  mikaela reid      :      ch. study     ⧽   hour of the witch. ╰   *  mikaela reid      :      playlist     ⧽   hour of the witch.

[tsareviich]

people

♕ ┊ alina starkova ┊ ❛ it gets dark when i say it does ❜ ♕ ┊ malyen oretsev ┊ ❛ i am become a blade ❜ ♕ ┊ aleksander morozova ┊ ❛ all men can be made fools ❜ ♕ ┊ baghra morozova ┊ ❛ witch in the hut ❜ ♕ ┊ nikolai lantsov ┊ ❛ anything worth doing always starts as a bad idea ❜ ♕ ┊ zoya nazyalensky ┊ ❛ i miss knowing what happens next ❜ ♕ ┊ genya safin ┊ ❛ na razrusha’ya. e’ya razrushost. ❜ ♕ ┊ david kostyk ┊ ❛ i know metal ❜ ♕ ┊ the crows ┊ ❛ death serves no man ❜ ♕ ┊ kaz brekker ┊ ❛ greed bows to me ❜ ♕ ┊ nina zenik ┊ ❛ i am a delicate flower. ❜ ♕ ┊ inej ghafa┊ ❛ better terrible truths than kind lies ❜ ♕ ┊ matthias helvar ┊ ❛ the ice does not forgive ❜ ♕ ┊ jesper fahey ┊ ❛ a great shooter ; a bad gambler ❜ ♕ ┊ wylan van eck ┊ ❛ it was a calculated risk ❜ ♕ ┊ tamar kir bataar ┊ ❛ i can keep hope in my heart and a blade in my hand ❜ ♕ ┊ tolya yul bataar ┊ ❛ who can recite epic poetry for hours ❜ ♕ ┊ kuwei yui bo ┊ ❛ as pretentious as he is gifted ❜ ♕ ┊ eugene fitzherbert ┊ ❛ here comes the smolder ❜ ♕ ┊ jyn erso ┊ ❛ i'm not used to people sticking around when things go bad ❜

[beauleifu]

Me after reading the Mac angst:

you guys have no idea how hard im ENJOYING IT though, like sorry not sorry, here's a pillow for the tears but then again i'm sleepy so gonna need it for myself-

JKJK i'll hold you all in my heart

[maledictus-maleficus]

Tag dump.

[ghostlygravekeeper]

Besides, there's some certain things we can discuss away from prying, untrusting eyes. - 📺

Oh? ... Fine, I'll cave. See you when?

[nether-twins]

✨ Talos for Vendra! But the question is will you know?

Send a ✨ + an animal/creature and my Muse will be transformed into it!

"Wait. You're turning me into a what-?!"

*POOF*

And off the magic went, transforming Vendra into something she wasn't quite sure of what it was exactly. All she knew was that she was glad she was in a place where no one was around to see the transformation, or see the horrified expression she wore after it.

"What... am I...?"

[happywitch416]

13 year old me is screaming in glee over the amount of sparkly blue eyeshadow I wear. That kid was on to something because it is immensely fun.

And rn I need all the fun I can get because I am so nervous about my doctors appointment I may throw up. Fun times.

[tenarcana]

tags, pt1.

[kentnaturaltribrid]

Holiday page, one for only up to June. Couldn’t fit in it July and August mainly due to the spacing, but that’s about it. Wanted to, just couldn’t according to how things are set up.

[curiosaga]

tag dump!

 ،̲،̲   ݁   ◞        𖥔              out    .  ،̲،̲   ݁   ◞        𖥔              prompt    .  ،̲،̲   ݁   ◞        𖥔              promo    .  ،̲،̲   ݁   ◞        𖥔              self promo    .  ،̲،̲   ݁   ◞        𖥔              answered    .

 ،̲،̲   ݁   ◞        𖥔              study    .  ،̲،̲   ݁   ◞        𖥔              headcanon    .  ،̲،̲   ݁   ◞        𖥔              aesthetic    .  ،̲،̲   ݁   ◞        𖥔              the witching hour    .

 ،̲،̲   ݁   ◞        𖥔              ic    .

[specsthesecond]

Witch Troubles #1

You should've locked the door.

Maybe you were a little too eager to get home after a very stressful day of studies and apprentice duties. You barely greeted your roommates when you got home, only offering a quick wave to the orc, naga and werewolf lingering around the living room before shutting your bedroom door with a heavy sigh.

You just needed this release so badly. You couldn't even change out of your day clothes before grabbing the chalk on your nightstand and drawing the familiar summoning circle on the hardwood floor in the middle of the room.

You whisper the incantation and tap it with your wand. The chalk lines glow and the portal begins to open. You waste no time pulling your panties down to your thighs, hiking your skirt up and placing your needy pussy right over the portal, knees on either side of the circle.

You only needed to wait a few seconds before the slimy purple tentacles squirm their way out the portal, around your legs and crawl up your thighs towards your dripping cunt.

You whine softly in anticipation and, almost like they can hear your pleas, one finds your heat and slides its suckers along your mound.

Others wind their way around your thighs and squeeze gently, leaving light circular hickies with their suckers. You hump up into the big one covering your cunt and it seems to understand you, slowly moving back down so the tip is tracing your entrance almost teasingly. Just when you're about to grab the damn thing and shove it in yourself, the slimy tendril thrusts itself into you. Slow and deliberate, it fills you up to about what a normal cock would.

You cover your mouth to smother your desperate groan. The tentacle inside you gives a few shallow thrusts, testing the tightness of your walls. Your legs shake, the slickness of these strange tendrils always makes you so wet and the suckers on the walls of your pussy feel like heaven. Having opened you up a fair amount the first tentacle retreats and two new ones squirm their way deep into your pussy, fighting for dominance as they set a pace thats much rougher than the first one.

It takes no time to work you to your peak, the two tentacles wriggling deeper into you than any cock could reach and thrusting in tandem with eachother while they fight for space in your pussy. Another tentacle runs it's suckers along your clit while the others grip and smooth over your thighs. You arch your back, press your cheek against the cold hardwood floor and cum hard.

Clenching and twitching for your tentacles only makes them want to squirm deeper into you, fighting back the resistance of your orgasm with even more fervor.

You've drooled all over the hand that's covering your mouth, your eyes are droopy and you can barely register anything as the tentacles keep thrusting into your soaked cunt.

You don't even register the knock on your door.

Two more tentacles make their way up your stomach and under your bra to squeeze and suck your soft tits.

It feels like being dumped in ice water when you hear the door click open, the familiar squeak of the hinge freezes you further and you whip your head around to find your roommates massive orc frame standing in your doorway.

You let out a yelp and your eyes meet his equally wide ones. The haze still clouding your mind leaves you to just stare at him in horror, not knowing how to react.

Those split seconds felt like hours but you were forced out of your frozen state when one of the tentacles gave a hard suck to your clit.

The sensation makes you moan in surprise which seems to also knock your big green friend out of his shock. He finally breaks eye contact with you to look at where the slick tentacles are still working their way deeper into your pussy and he lets out a gruff choking sound at the sight. You finally gain enough brain function to reach for your discarded wand and flick it towards the door, shutting and locking it in your poor roomates face.

You groan, not in pleasure but in pain this time, covering your burning face with your hands. For a second you consider closing the portal and weeping on the floor for the rest of your life but the erotic squelch that comes from your stuffed cunt as the tentacles fuck you makes that thought vanish quickly. You make the quick decision to let your trusty tentacles fuck the thoughts out of you as they do so well.

Unfortunately, you can't be a tentacle fuck toy forever and after a couple hours and a nap, you're getting hungry. Your brilliant plan to quickly snatch something from the kitchen and run away to your room is immediately thwarted.

"Oh there you are! Cmon, I made dinner."

Your sweet Naga roommate ushers you to the kitchen table and places a plate in front of you. Normally you would be very grateful but right across the table sits the very orc you were trying to avoid. You risk a quick glance up at him only to find that he's already staring intently at you with a very amused expression, to which you look back down at your food in embarrassed despair.

"I didn't see you today love, are you feeling alright?" The motherly Naga says to you as she sets a plate in front of the very eager werewolf next to you.

You nod your head not looking up from your food.

"Sorry, stressful day. Had a nap." Comes your short, quiet response. Technically not a lie.

You're never very talkative so this response shouldn't be out of the ordinary, yet it makes the orc across from you smirk and hum thoughtfully.

"Honestly, I figured you'd use a more magical way of relieving stress."

He says before popping his fork into his mouth, his eyes don't leave you and it doesn't look like they're going to for the rest of dinner.

You let out a strangled sigh and try to eat your food, wishing a portal would swallow you up forever.

[pricklypear1997]

I have to disagree on the whole Arya x Jon situation… why can’t their love just be familial? Why does it have be romantic? I get that in GRRM’s earlier plan, he made it that way, but what if that was just to get the plan out in time to be approved so that he could write the actual story and just needed to add some crazy drama to it? Why would GRRM create a character like Gendry and allude to him and Arya liking each other, despite Arya being really unaware of her feelings? I don’t even think Arya is the kind of individual who’s be able to realize all of a sudden that she’s in love with [x] person… she’s been through so much, has severe depression and ptsd. This child’s emotions are stunted and are deeply walled up. I genuinely believe that her and Gendry will fall for one another, but it won’t be her realizing it, and I don’t get why people are so hung up on shipping 2 kids that were literally raised as siblings and believed they were siblings. I know it’s the world of asoiaf, and incest exists, but not everything has to be like that… and familial love doesn’t have to become sexual. I kind of find it disturbing that people constantly defend that. Arya has been harassed, physically assaulted and threatened with rape quite a bit, you honestly think she’d return to Winterfell and ready to get fucked by her own brother?? Like what? Why can’t it just be familial love? And why can’t she have a NORMAL slowly budding romance with a really great guy that she is NOT related to?

I do want Arya to find love later in life, with Gendry… I want her to have a normal and healthy relationship… not this weird creepy incestual nonsense… I’m in no way one of those weird sansa Stan’s that thinks it’s impossible for Arya to find romance lol. I’m actually an Arya stan on the contrary, but there is no way that this version of Arya who’s sick of being treated like less then because of her sex, and the amount of threats and abuse she’s been through, the trauma, ptsd, and depression, that she’d somehow all of sudden be sexually interested in the boy who’s her brother?? That’s just not real. :| and it’s icky. There’s this other chick, Val who seems to have potential with Jon, and there’s literally Gendry who is perfect for Arya and who I think will actually help Arya a lot with her traumas and issues tbh. Gendry like Jon, is accepting of Arya as she is, and they’re not related. Arya is not going to suddenly be interested in sex and want to jump on her brother’s cock at age 18 while returning to Winterfell (Neither do I think she’d do that with Gendry lol. This isn’t shitty GoT writing). That’s fucking ridiculous and frankly nasty. I don’t care that they’re cousins and not actual siblings, it’s gross, and it just isn’t Arya. This is no different then Arya in episode 2 of season 8 all of a sudden being sexual as hell out of nowhere like what?! It’s like, she either has to be completely asexual, OR she has to turn into a freaking bimbo who wants to know what dick feels like so badly. Like wtf?? Arya is so much more than that and I hate it when she’s reduced to such one dimensional bs. I also hate, hate, hate, love triangles 🤣 ASOIAF is so much more than that and Arya deserves so much more. No Tyrion<Arya>Jon or Ramsay<(f)/Arya>Jon like I mean come on… although I do want to see Arya kick Bolton ass but that’s a whole ass other topic 🙄🙄

Why can’t Arya and Jon just love each other like normal healthy siblings?

The original outline and why it is still relevant to ASOIF

Since the original outline for A Song of Ice and Fire was leaked there’s been a massive effort, both in fandom and mainstream media, to discredit everything that was revealed there as a potential clue for the future of the story.

Although I agree that some changes happened, I don’t subscribe to the idea that the outline is irrelevant at this point. This little essay is my attempt to analyze the outline and compare it with what has already happened and still could happen in the future books, how much was changed and more importantly, how it was changed. I won’t say this is an impartial analysis (because I don’t believe that such a thing exists) but an honest effort of textual interpretation.

Here we go:

“Dear Ralph,

Here are the first thirteen chapters (170 pages) of the high fantasy novel I promised you, which I’m calling ‘A Game of Thrones.’ When completed, this will be the first volume in what I see as an epic trilogy with the overall title, ‘A Song of Ice and Fire.‘”

First things first. A Song of Ice and Fire was first imagined as a trilogy and the fact that GRRM extended it to 7 books obviously has an impact in terms of structure. It seems quite reasonable to assume that a lot more would have to happen to fill the gap occupied by 4 additional books. That alone is a huge influencing factor, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that the essence of the story was changed as we can see in the following paragraphs.

“As you know, I don’t outline my novels. I find that if I know exactly where a book is going, I lose all interest in writing it. I do, however, have some strong notions as to the overall structure of the story I’m telling, and the eventual fate of many of the principle characters in the drama. Roughly speaking, there are three major conflicts set in motion in the chapters enclosed. These will form the major plot threads of the trilogy, [unclear] each other in what should be a complex but exciting (I hope [unclear] tapestry. Each of the [unclear] presents a major threat [unclear] of my imaginary realm, the Seven Kingdoms, and to the live [unclear] principal characters.”

Here we have Martin admitting that he usually doesn’t outline his novels over fear that he will lose interest while writing it. However, he also clarifies that he has “some strong notions” for the story he is telling, especially in which concerns those he considers to be the main characters.

In some of interviews Martin already said that the ending he had planned many years ago is still in place and he has known the characters’ endings ever since. It’s safe to assume, I think, that the core of his plans hasn’t changed much. What might have changed is the path that leads the characters from one point to another.

“The first threat grows from the enmity between the great houses of Lannister and Stark as it plays out in a cycle of plot, counter-plot, ambition, murder, and revenge, with the iron throne of the Seven Kingdoms as the ultimate prize. This will form the backbone of the first volume of the trilogy, A Game of Thrones.”

Can anyone say that this didn’t happen? Of course not. This is the spark that lights the fire that will consume the Seven Kingdoms throughout the story, with major and minor consequences that will shape both the narrative and the characters’ development. The conflict between Starks and Lannisters is the first of three conflicts that represent the core of the story.

“While the lion of Lannister and the direwolf of Stark snarl and scrap, however, a second and greater threat takes shape across the narrow sea, where the Dothraki horselords mass their barbarian hordes for a great invasion of the Seven Kingdoms, led by the fierce and beautiful Daenerys Stormborn, the last of the Targaryen dragonlords. The Dothraki invasion will be the central story of my second volume, A Dance with Dragons.”

Here we have the second major conflict and with this one in particular I’ll have to take my time to elaborate some points. First of all, A Dance With Dragons became the 5th book of the series instead of the second. So far everything we saw about Daenerys was her preparing to take her place at the center of the stage.

Dany has her own arc which hasn’t integrated to the events in Westeros so far given to her geographic location. That doesn’t mean that Daenerys has no relevance to what’s happening in Westeros, but her existence wasn’t directly noticed by the seven kingdoms yet. Daenerys is preparing for her role in the main story: She is gathering a military force based on the Dothraki to invade Westeros.

We already know that Daenerys will have more than just the Dothraki on her side. The Unsullied were added to the plot and my guess is that they exist to humanize Daenerys and make us sympathize with her cause as she creates the great narrative of “Breaker of Chains”. This makes Daenerys sound heroic and noble, but I would like to point that Martin is very specific about one thing: The fierce and beautiful Daenerys Stormborn is first and foremost a threat. She is ready to invade Westeros and invasions are not peaceful.

At this point we already know two things worth being mentioned that are related both with Daenerys and the title of this book: The Dance of Dragons was a civil war involving two Targaryen claimants to the Iron Throne. On one side we had Rhaenyra, firstborn of the king and rightful heir if gender wasn’t an issue in Westerosi succession laws. On the other side we had Aegon, a son born from the king’s second marriage. His claim was mostly based on gender norms that favor male heirs in detriment of primogeniture.

It isn’t much of a dance if we only have one dragon, is it? Yes, Daenerys is the first half of this equation, but there is another half that Martin hadn’t created yet (or didn’t mention) when he wrote the outline. There is a second Targaryen, or at least someone who claims to be one.

Aegon VI, or Young Griff, is actually the first one to arrive in Westeros with invasion in mind. Does it mean that Dany is less of a threat or that she was suddenly placed in a heroic position? Absolutely not. No one with three dragons is a harmless creature and Dany is even more dangerous now that she has a direct enemy in position to take away everything she fought for.

I know that there’s a lot of speculation on whether Aegon is a Blackfire or not, but honestly I think his true lineage will be irrelevant as long as he has at least a drop of Targaryen blood and the right looks. Legitimate or not, Aegon looks like a Targaryen, has the house’s ancestral sword and a story that is convincing enough. More than that, by posing as Prince Rhaegar’s legitimate son, Aegon makes his claim stronger than Daenerys’. On top of that, he would be the Targaryen male heir in opposition to a Targaryen woman, repeating at least a part of the scenery that led Westeros to the Dance of Dragons.

Aegon and Daenerys are bound to become enemies because of their own ambitions. I don’t see Dany accepting him as a suitor or even the rightful heir. She doesn’t need Aegon to take Westeros and a queen without a king is, historically speaking, more powerful.

Everything said about Aegon can also be applied to Jon once his true parentage is revealed. Jon and Daenerys are a threat to each other and only one will survive this.

“The greatest danger of all, however, comes from the north, from the icy wastes beyond the Wall, where half-forgotten demons out of legend, the inhuman others, raise cold legions of the undead and the neverborn and prepare to ride down on the winds of winter to extinguish everything that we would call “life.” The only thing that stands between the Seven Kingdoms and an endless night is the Wall, and a handful of men in black called the Night’s Watch. Their story will be [sic] heart of my third volume, The Winds of Winter. The final battle will also draw together characters and plot threads left from the first two books and resolve all in one huge climax.”

The third and greatest danger also remains just the same. The Others are still the core of the last book and the major battle. There isn’t much to elaborate on in this part except for the title of what was supposed to be the last book, The Winds of Winter.

I don’t think A Dream of Spring will be some sort of extended epilogue, but most of the action and conflict should take part during The Winds of Winter. At the very least the center of the whole debate will be both the North, with all the plots there, and what lies beyond the Wall.

“The thirteen chapters on hand should give you a notion as to my narrative strategy. All three books will feature a complex mosaic of inter-cutting points-of-view among various of my large and diverse cast of players. The cast will not always remain the same. Old characters will die, and new ones will be introduced. Some of the fatalities will include sympathetic viewpoint characters. I want the reader to feel that no one is ever completely safe, not even the characters who seem to be the heroes. The suspense always ratchets up a notch when you know that any character can die at any time.”

Needless to say anything about this. The books are well-known for these hallmarks. Now we are getting to the juicy part.

–

“Five central characters will make it through all three volumes, however, growing from children to adults and changing the world and themselves in the process. In a sense, my trilogy is almost a generational saga, telling the life stories of these five characters, three men and two women. The five key players are Tyrion Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen, and three of the children of Winterfell, Arya, Bran, and the bastard Jon Snow. All of them are introduced at some length in the chapters you have to hand.”

I would like to make a point here. The five characters will grow from children to adults, changing the world and themselves in the process.

Although I believe that Martin made a bit of a mess in which concerns the characters’ ages, I think we can understand that the characters will not only be forced to act like adults, but also will be perceived as such by those around them and given positions of power or leadership.

Specifically in which concerns the female characters, both Daenerys and Arya will be perceived as adult women by Westerosi society and this is important for several reasons, mainly in that being an adult noblewoman is a relevant component to form political alliances via marriage. In Arya’s case in particular, it reinforces the idea that she won’t be a nine year old girl forever. This impacts her relevance in the political game (something people usually overlook or ignore) and also makes it possible for Arya to have romantic interests.

“This is going to be (I hope) quite an epic. Epic in its scale, epic in its action, and epic in its length. I see all three volumes as big books, running about 700 to 800 manuscript pages, so things are just barely getting underway in the thirteen chapters I’ve sent you.”

Can anyone say it isn’t an epic? Sometimes I wish it wasn’t so intense so the books would come earlier, but here we are.

“I have quite a clear notion of how the story is going to unfold in the first volume, A Game of Thrones. Things will get a lot worse for the poor Starks before they get better, I’m afraid. Lord Eddard Stark and his wife Catelyn Tully are both doomed, and will perish at the hands of their enemies. Ned will discover what happened to his friend Jon Arryn, [unclear] can act on his knowledge [unclear] will have an unfortunate accident, and the throne will [unclear] to [unclear] and brutal [unclear] Joffrey [unclear] still a minor. Joffrey will not be sympathetic and Ned [what appears to say] will be accused of treason, but before he is taken he will help his wife and his daughter Arya escape back to Winterfell.”

Here we have proof that Ned and Catelyn were doomed from the start. Basically everything in this paragraph happened, even the part in which Ned helps Arya to escape by giving her position to Yoren. The only problem is that Arya never reached Winterfell and her mother had left the capital before Ned was arrested. Also the part that says that “things will get much worse for the poor Starks before they get better” makes me think that it’s quite clear that the Starks (or some of them) are the main protagonists of this story.

Why am I saying the Starks (or some of them) are the main heroes? Because being a charismatic character, created with the intention of getting the readers’ sympathy, isn’t necessarily what makes this character a protagonist. You can like whoever you want in the story, this doesn’t make a secondary character a main character, nor does it make a likable character the ‘hero’. The structure of the story and who are the main players is already given.

“Each of the contending families will learn it has a member of dubious loyalty in its midst. Sansa Stark, wed to Joffrey Baratheon, will bear him a son, the heir to the throne, and when the crunch comes she will choose her husband and child over her parents and siblings, a choice she will later bitterly rue. Tyrion Lannister, meanwhile, will befriend both Sansa and her sister Arya, while growing more and more disenchanted with his own family.”

Tyrion and Sansa were set to be the ones with dubious loyalties to their families. This also happened with slight differences. Tyrion befriends Jon and is somewhat sympathetic to Sansa and Bran. Sansa didn’t marry Joffrey, but she did choose him over her own family  the moment she went to Cersei to tell her Ned’s plans to get Sansa and Arya out of the capital. This might or might not indicate that she will have the chance to repent and atone for this, but her dubious loyalty is consolidated. Also Sansa has no children so far.

“Young Bran will come out of his coma, after a strange prophetic dream, only to discover that he will never walk again. He will turn to magic, at first in the hope of restoring his legs, but later for its own sake. When his father Eddard Stark is executed, Bran will see the shape of doom descending on all of them, but nothing he can say will stop his brother Robb from calling the banners in rebellion. All the north will be inflamed by war. Robb will win several splendid victories, and maim Joffrey Baratheon on the battlefield, but in the end he will not be able to stand against Jaime and Tyrion Lannister and their allies. Robb Stark will die in battle, and Tyrion Lannister will besiege and burn Winterfell.”

Bran’s arc is pretty much the same. We saw all of these things happen to him. The biggest change is in Robb’s part and even so most of it remains untouched. Robb did win splendid victories and in the books he even strategically beats both Jaime and Tyrion. What changed is that Robb and Joffrey never fought each other personally. Also Robb’s death was not on the battlefield but during the Red Wedding and Tyrion wasn’t the one to sack Winterfell and burn it.

Tyrion’s first act of explicit villainy in the outline was transferred to Houses Bolton and Frey with participation of Theon Greyjoy. Still it was all part of the Lannisters’ plot and it was executed by their allies.

“Jon Snow, the bastard, will remain in the far north. He will mature into a ranger of great daring, and ultimately will succeed his uncle as the commander of the Night’s Watch. When Winterfell burns, Catelyn Stark will be forced to flee north with her son Bran and her daughter Arya. Wounded by Lannister riders, they will seek refuge at the Wall, but the men of the Night’s Watch give up their families when they take the black, and Jon and Benjen will not be able to help, to Jon’s anguish. It will lead to a bitter estrangement between Jon and Bran. Arya will be more forgiving … until she realizes, with terror, that she has fallen in love with Jon, who is not only her half-brother but a man of the Night’s Watch, sworn to celibacy. Their passion will continue to torment Jon and Arya throughout the trilogy, until the secret of Jon’s true parentage is finally revealed in the last book.”

Here we have some changes. What doesn’t change is that Jon becomes a member of the Night’s Watch and ultimately ascends to the position of Lord Commander. Benjen is a famous member of the Night’s Watch and I believe he was the first choice to take the position of Lord Commander after Mormont, but Ben’s disappearance accelerated Jon’s ascension.

Catelyn and Arya never fled Winterfell, since their paths had already taken them somewhere else, but Bran did and his first impulse is to go to the Wall. Given the fact that the three eyed raven calls him, Bran’s magical journey leads him to go beyond the Wall before he can be reunited with Jon.

Arya and Cat had completely different journeys, or at least partially. Cat seeks her eldest son and stays by Robb’s side during his campaign. Arya, on the other hand, is stranded all over the Riverlands trying to find her way to either Winterfell or the Wall, although she explicitly says that she prefers to go to Wall, where she can find Jon. There was a clear intention to send both Bran and Arya to the Wall, but as the story progressed this decision might have been abandoned temporarily.

Thanks to his vows, Jon can’t take part in the realm’s politics. When news of Ned’s fate arrive at the Wall, Jon is devastated by the impossibility to help his family and fight side by side with Robb. Jon’s moral boundaries and his code of honor become a huge issue for him in the books, and they are tested the most whenever his family is involved. This seems to be his main dilemma in the outline as well.

Jon’s relationship with his family is also ambiguous in some aspects, especially when it’s revealed that his greatest dream since he was young was to be the Lord of Winterfell. This implies a level of rivalry and envy of his true born siblings. Jon repressed these feelings as much as he could out of love for the Starks.

Now I’ll make some guesses here, I don’t think it’s impossible for Bran and Jon to have some bitter estrangement between them, but it won’t be because of the Night’s Watch: If Jon is released from his vows once he is resurrected and takes back Winterfell along with the titles, it will undoubtedly lead to a succession crisis involving not only rights of conquest but also Robb’s will. Bran’s rights are directly affected in this scenario and, unlike the show, Bran never once questioned his position as Robb’s heir. It’s not impossible to imagine that factions will gather behind both claimants and this can cause another crisis in the North and bitterness between brothers in a moment when union is crucial.

Arya has a close relationship with both Bran and Jon and she is someone both of them feel inclined to listen to. I think Arya will be the bridge between them and the one to diplomatically avoid a rupture in the North, but it doesn’t mean the bitterness between Bran and Jon will disappear.

Now we reach the hugest taboo of the outline and the main reason why people claim “it’s no longer relevant” or that “Martin changed his mind”. Jon and Arya falling in love.

Let’s get one thing very clear, Jon and Arya already love each other in the books. This is not my opinion, this is the literal text.

Jon’s best friend was Robb and still Jon affirms that he missed Arya the most. Just go back to the books and count how many times and how affectionately they think of each other. They repeatedly say how they miss finishing each other’s sentences and how Jon loves to mess Arya’s hair. “The memory of her laughter kept him warm during the long journey north.” and “Needle was Jon Snow’s smile” are two small quotes that speak volumes of how deep this love is.

Am I saying this is a romantic sort of love? No. I’m not saying this. What I’m doing is  highlighting the fact that this particular relationship stands out as one of the strongest (if not the strongest) bond in the books to the point where it’s not even questionable that Jon and Arya love each other the most. It’s strong enough to make Jon forsake his vows and decide to march to Winterfell to rescue a girl he thinks to be Arya. It’s strong enough to make Arya lie to Ned because she would never betray Jon.

Jon didn’t break his vows for any other sibling, no matter how much he wanted to, but he did it to save whom he thought was Arya. His love for her is the cause of Jon’s death in the books. He committed treason the moment he received the pink letter and decided to march against Ramsay Bolton. Jon’s last thought is “stick’em with the pointy end”.

I think it’s safe to assume that Jon will be resurrected and Melissandre is probably the one to perform the ritual. We already know that resurrections have some side effects in the asoiaf universe, the most evident one being some sort of obsessive thought that keeps guiding the resurrected’s actions (like Beric Dondarrion’s obsession with keeping the king’s peace, and Lady Stoneheart killing Freys to avenge Robb’s death). Jon’s last thought was directly related to Arya and there’s no other possible interpretation. His last thought is likely to become his obsession.

I also think it’s safe to say that Jon’s memory will stay inside Ghost at least for a while and we will have to wait and see the effects that will have on Jon’s personality once he comes back to life.

Varamir said that Ghost would be a second life fit for a king and I think this is a clear foreshadowing of Jon’s true identity. There are also some other aspects of wolf pack dynamics that deserve some consideration: Wolves are social animals that have hierarchy and well divided roles inside the pack and although Ghost is a lonely wolf that was separated from his original group, it would only take one female for him to start his own pack. Curiously Nymeria is an alpha female already, leading a pack of regular wolves, but she rejects her smaller cousins as potential mates. Ghost and Nymeria are the alpha male and female of a new pack. The wolves of Winterfell will come back; stronger and more dangerous.

I think all of these elements will play a significant role in how Jon and Arya’s love will change once they are reunited. It won’t be immediate, but as the story goes the sexual tension will become evident. Jon’s perception of Arya as a sister will be blurred as a teenage Arya starts to see him as a love interest. At this point Arya will already be perceived as an adult woman according to Westerosi society, as I pointed out before. My guess is that she will be close to Daenerys’ age when she married Drogo. I’m not judging if this is right or wrong by our own moral standards. What I’m saying is that it’s acceptable in the world created by GRRM.

As the outline says, their passion will continue to torment Jon and Arya throughout the trilogy, until Jon’s true parentage is revealed. This necessarily implies that: 1) they are not siblings; 2) their passion brings a lot of moral issues and they are not comfortable with it; 3) their agony has an end when Jon’s parentage is revealed. Jon’s true parentage is a moral free pass for them and, at least from what we can read in the outline, this is more relevant than any potential succession rights.

This moral free pass wouldn’t be applied in a romantic relationship between Jon and Daenerys for example. It would actually have the opposite effect, giving Jon reason to question his moral choices and torment himself with doubts. This plot point is not applicable to Sansa either, mostly because Sansa and Jon don’t have a close relationship that’s already been established. They have a distant one and don’t even think much about each other. The whole point of Jon and Arya’s strong bond is to lay the foundations for a romance, establishing a relationship based on love, mutual loyalty and respect.

Do we have any indication that Jon and Arya’s romance was scrapped based on the books? No. Do we have any conclusive evidence in the text that Arya was replaced by any other female character? No. Why do I think Jon and Arya are endgame? Because we have only two books left and a lot of events that must be covered by them. It’s way easier to use an already established loving relationship with 5 books of consistent development and make it a romantic one (and make it believable as an epic romance because all the dramatic elements are already there), than to write a brand new one from scratch and make the reader believe that this is the ultimate love story.

“Abandoned by the Night’s Watch, Catelyn and her children will find their only hope of safety lies even further north, beyond the Wall, where they fall into the hands of Mance Rayder, the King-beyond-the-Wall, and get a dreadful glimpse of the inhuman others as they attack the wilding encampment. Bran’s magic, Arya’s sword Needle, and the savagery of their direwolves will help them survive, but their mother Catelyn will die at the hands of the others.”

Catelyn was meant to be killed by the Others. It’s not hard to conclude that she would have become one of them. The major difference from the outline to the books is that Catelyn died elsewhere, however she was brought back to life by fire magic as Lady Stoneheart. I can also see Bran and Arya fighting against the Others with the help of their direwolves in the event of a great battle by the end of the books. There’s nothing indicating that this part was cut, it just hasn’t happened yet.

“Over across the narrow sea, Daenerys Targaryen will discover that her new husband, the Dothraki Khal Drogo, has little interest in invading the Seven Kingdoms, much to her brother’s frustration. When Viserys presses his claims past the point of tact or wisdom, Khal Drogo will finally grow annoyed and kill him out of hand, eliminating the Targaryen pretender and leaving Daenerys as the last of her line. Danerys [sic] will bide her time, but she will not forget. When the moment is right, she will kill her husband to avenge her brother, and then flee with a trusted friend into the wilderness beyond Vaes Dothrak. There, hunted by [unclear] of her life, she stumbles on a [something about dragon eggs] a young dragon will give Daenerys [unclear] bend [unclear] to her will. Then she begins to plan for her invasion of the Seven Kingdoms.”

Daenerys’ arc here didn’t change much. What changed was her motivation to kill Drogo and how she gets the dragons. Everything else that happens to her since the second book is her preparing to invade Westeros.

“Tyrion Lannister will continue to travel, to plot, and to play the game of thrones, finally removing his nephew Joffrey in disgust at the boy king’s brutality. Jaime Lannister will follow Joffrey on the throne of the Seven Kingdoms, by the simple expedient of killing everyone ahead of him in the line of succession and blaming his brother Tyrion for the murders. Exiled, Tyrion will change sides, making common cause with the surviving Starks to bring his brother down, and falling helplessly in love with Arya Stark while he’s at it. His passion is, alas, unreciprocated, but no less intense for that, and it will lead to a deadly rivalry between Tyrion and Jon Snow.”

There’s only one character that was replaced, I think. The Jaime Lannister of the outline seems to have been replaced by Cersei in the books, and it makes much more sense.  The Baratheons are briefly mentioned and we know Joffrey to be officially one. We know that Tyrion and Jaime are Lannisters and that Tyrion and Jaime are brothers. Unless Joffrey’s official father was a Lannister, Jaime would have no place in the line of succession to the throne whatsoever and this is important even when you want to use the rights of conquest. Cersei could have one, by becoming her son’s heiress in case there’s no one else left.

Also, although Sansa didn’t marry Joffrey, her wedding to Tyrion still makes her a Lannister and ties her to the enemy. Her loyalty was put to the test because of Joffrey, but her ties to the Lannisters were consolidated with Tyrion. Her arc is still in place. Her marriage wasn’t declared null so far and I don’t think it will happen anytime soon. As far as public knowledge goes, Sansa is Lady Lannister.

As for the love triangle Jon Snow x Tyrion x Arya, I don’t think it’s impossible at all. While it’s true that so far Tyrion hasn’t interacted with Arya and I doubt he even remembers her face from the short time he stayed at Winterfell, the Arya he will eventually meet will be an educated young woman that had many intriguing experiences in Braavos, is very charismatic and makes friends with everyone and anyone. Tyrion, being a man profoundly affected by his physical condition would gravitate towards her. I don’t think it’s hard to imagine him falling for someone capable of seeing him as an individual as Arya is.

There’s also an argument to be made that this love triangle might have been replaced by Ramsay x Arya x Jon in some ways. After all Tyrion didn’t burn Winterfell, Ramsay did. He also married a fake Arya (Jeyne Poole) to claim Winterfell in her name, leading to a violent rivalry between Ramsay and Jon.

This plot point might have just been either altered to replace Tyrion with Ramsay, or it hasn’t happened yet.

“[The next graph is blocked out.]

But that’s the second book … 

I hope you will find some editors who are as excited about all of this as I am. Feel free to share this letter with anyone who wants to know how the story will go. 

All best,

George R.R. Martin”

With everything said so far we can conclude a few things:

1) The three major conflicts remain the same.

2) Ned, Cat, Robb, Viserys and Drogo’s fate didn’t change.

3) Bran still went through a coma and can’t walk anymore. He also developed magical abilities. An eventual strained relationship with Jon is still possible.

4) Tyrion and Sansa’s dubious loyalties to their families weren’t removed from the books and Sansa still got tied to the enemy via marriage, although to a different character.

5) Tyrion continues to travel, to plot, and to play the game of thrones. He didn’t kill Joffrey, but was blamed for it anyway. Eventually he will make alliances with enemies of his house.

6) Jon joined the Night’s Watch and became Lord Commander. His vows are constantly challenged, especially when his family is endangered. His incapacity to help them keeps torturing him and in the books it leads to his death.

7) Jon and Arya share a strong bond, based on love, mutual trust and loyalty, and respect. This relationship remains one of the most important ones in the books. This relationship was consistently developed throughout the 5 books already published and turning it into a romantic one is still possible.

8) Jon’s true parentage is super relevant.

9) Daenerys’ arc didn’t change.

10) The love triangle Jon x Arya x Tyrion was either replaced by Jon x FArya x Ramsay, or could still happen in its original form once Tyrion and Arya have the chance to interact with each other.

This was my lengthy analysis of the original outline and why I think it’s still valid. I hope you enjoyed it.