#everyone thinks arya is the worst but rickon is the true wild child

[hyacinths-bridgerton]

Robb: If you got arrested, what would be the charges?

Sansa: Theft

Bran: Disturbing the peace

Jon: Aggravated assault

Arya: Arson

Rickon: All of the above. In that order, probably.

[jackoshadows]

I honestly don’t understand why it’s so unfathomable that a child who learned from Septa Mordane and looked up to her mother Catelyn Stark would treat a bastard like a bastard? Considering that Sansa’s primary and main influences in Winterfell where the Septa and Catelyn and Westerosi ‘polite society’ as it were, it would only be natural that she adopted their views on bastards. Arya being naturally more open minded and curious, an extrovert who liked to befriend everyone and spend time with her father and his men and her brothers and being treated like an outcast by the Septa would obviously repudiate the Septa’s views and gravitate towards Jon.

It’s baffling reading all the mental gymnastics and people twisting themselves into knots trying to justify Sansa’s viewpoint of the bastard she grew up with instead of just accepting that Sansa looked down on bastards and hence did not have much interaction with Jon Snow and Jon knew this and that explains the distance in their relationship.

From reddit:

Sansa treated Jon like a bastard because she cared about honor! Also, Jon and Sansa are going to share Nymeria...What’s happening to Arya in all this? Who the fuck cares, as long as Sansa gets everything that’s important to Arya.

Also on the Jon Snow tag on tumblr:

Remember how Sansa was protecting Arya by siding with Joffrey and lying to everyone about what happened at the Trident? Apparently Sansa was also protecting Arya and Jon by calling him a jealous bastard because he insulted Joffrey and Septa Mordane would have put Jon in prison or executed him or something if she had heard it...

Jonsa/Sansa stans try to protray Sansa as this protective older sister in charge of her younger bratty sister and trying to protect misbehaving Arya from the Septa when the text implies that she liked to tattle on her siblings and get them into trouble. There’s a reason for why we got this little bit:

“And whatever you do...”

Arya knew what was coming next. They said it together.

“Don’t... tell... Sansa!”  - Jon, AGoT

Why is it so hard to accept that Sansa was snobby and classist and looked down on the people lower than her in terms of class? It’s all right there in her POV chapters. We don’t have to make up reasons for why she does stuff. We can read what Sansa thinks!

Sansa knew all about the sorts of people Arya liked to talk to: squires and grooms and serving girls, old men and naked children, rough-spoken freeriders of uncertain birth. Arya would make friends with anybody.  This Mycah was the worst; a butcher’s boy, thirteen and wild, he slept in the meat wagon and smelled of the slaughtering block. Just the sight of him was enough to make Sansa feel sick, but Arya seemed to prefer his company to hers. - Sansa, AGoT

Sansa could never understand how two sisters, born only two years apart, could be so different. It would have been easier if Arya had been a bastard, like their half brother Jon.  She even looked like Jon, with the long face and brown hair of the Starks, and nothing of their lady mother in her face or her coloring. And Jon’s mother had been common, or so people whispered. . - Sansa, AGoT

She thought Jon was a low class bastard. And yes all Jon’s siblings saw him as their bastard half brother, but the difference is that for Sansa this mattered! She gave importance to this fact and it influenced and colored their relationship. She treated him differently compared to how the rest of his siblings treated him and Jon knew why

He missed his true brothers: little Rickon, bright eyes shining as he begged for a sweet; Robb, his rival and best friend and constant companion; Bran, stubborn and curious, always wanting to follow and join in whatever Jon and Robb were doing. He missed the girls too, even Sansa, who never called him anything but “my half brother” since she was old enough to understand what bastard meant. And Arya … he missed her even more than Robb, skinny little thing that she was, all scraped knees and tangled hair and torn clothes, so fierce and willful. - Jon, AGoT

He and Arya qualify their relationship with Sansa as ‘I miss even Sansa’ - like it’s something they find hard to believe because they hardly had a relationship in Jon’s case or had a contentious one in Arya’s case. It’s like when Arya in her TWoW Mercy chapter talked about missing even Izembaro and Bobono.

“Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,” she sang sadly. A foolish, giddy girl she’d been, but good hearted. She would miss her, and she would miss Daena and the Snapper and the rest, even Izembaro and Bobono. - Arya, TWoW

And that’s why Jon’s rare memories of Sansa are impersonal and distant - Sansa brushing Lady’s hair or singing. Except for the one time Sansa condescended to tell him to compliment a girl’s name, there’s nothing there of fond personal interactions - like he thinks of with Robb and Bran and Arya. For example: 

That might mean Lord Eddard would return to Winterfell, and his sisters as well. He might even be allowed to visit them, with Lord Mormont’s permission. It would be good to see Arya’s grin again and to talk with his father.  - Jon, AGoT

His though process here is -  ‘Ned coming back to WF with the girls? It will be great to see Arya again and talk to father!’. What about Sansa? Nothing, because they don’t interact. (And for all the Jonsas with their nonsensical pre-canon crush bs - apparently Jon didn’t want to talk to his pre-canon crush after she comes back to Winterfell, he was only interested in seeing Arya’s grin. Imagine that!)

And again, Jon’s attitude towards Sansa treating him as a bastard is basically acceptance. He doesn’t hate her or think angrily of how she was mean to him. His nonexistent relationship with Sansa didn’t affect him -  he has a sister in Arya and brothers in Robb and Bran. It’s Catelyn’s emotional abuse that affects him. That’s why it’s Cat’s cold glares that he remembers when he considers accepting Stannis’ offer of Winterfell.

That’s why all this ‘Jon was not angry at Sansa and therefore Sansa was no different to the rest of his siblings in how she treated him’ makes no sense. The distance between them is evidence enough that she treated him differently compared to the rest of his siblings - as Jon himself points out in his POV.

I would think that he does however know of the bullying experienced by Arya and the pressure on Arya to conform since Arya and Jon were confidants (ex: He consoles her about looking like a bastard), had their own secrets and thought of Sansa as a tattle tale. That’s why he exhibits disdain for girls like Sansa, befriends Sam and Satin and is looking for an Arya in very girl he meets, befriends or loves.

Jon just doesn’t have that emotional connection with Sansa the same way he does with Arya, Robb and Bran. Which is why we get his total indifference towards the Sansa/Tyrion marriage in contrast to his rage at the thought of Arya being forced into marriage and wanting to kill Ramsay and imagining all the scenarios of how Arya would react and worrying about her.

What makes him angry and hurt are when the people he really loves bring up his bastardy - like the memory of Robb telling him he can’t be lord of Winterfell as a bastard really hurts him. That’s why I loved this moment so much:

“Mother.” There was a sharpness in Robb’s tone. “You forget. My father had four sons.”  - Catelyn, ASoS

Similarly Sansa has no emotional connection to Jon. She is pretending to be a bastard in the Vale and yet straight up admits to forgetting all about Jon. In all her fond nostalgic memories of Winterfell, Jon never, ever makes an appearance. Not once. Like just think about that for a second. They grew up in the same household and he is not mentioned even once. For Sansa, Jon is not connected to Winterfell and home the same way he is for Arya, Bran and Robb. That’s the difference.

For Arya, Needle is her home, Needle is family, Needle is Jon Snow. For Jon, Arya’s home is with him.

Needle was Winterfell's grey walls, and the laughter of its people. Needle was the summer snows, Old Nan's stories, the heart tree with its red leaves and scary face, the warm earthy smell of the glass gardens, the sound of the north wind rattling the shutters of her room. Needle was Jon Snow's smile. - Arya, AFfC

Bring her home, Mance. I saved your son from Melisandre, and now I am about to save four thousand of your free folk. You owe me this one little girl." - Jon, ADwD

As opposed to:

She had not thought of Jon in ages. - Sansa, AFfC

And that’s why Jon and Arya is an important canon relationship, that’s why readers are invested in them because the author has invested in their emotional connection. That’s why we want to see Jon and Arya reunite - something’s that been set up since the first book: ‘Different roads sometimes lead to the same castle’. That’s not Sansa hate, that’s just the story the books are telling us. On the other hand, undermining Jon’s love for Arya and his book canon relationship with her to somehow shove Sansa in there? - Yeah, that’s Arya hate. And Jon hate. That’s undermining Jon and Arya’s canon relationship to make it all about Sansa.

And yes, Westerosi society is classist and prejudiced and Jon is a bastard and Arya, Robb, Bran all called him their bastard brother. But they also loved him, cared for him, played with him, talked to him, saw him as one of them, were best friends and missed him when he was gone. That’s the pertinent point.

Robb named his bastard brother Jon Snow as Lord of Winterfell, KITN instead of some cousin in the Vale. Bran supports Larence Snow as the new Lord of Hornwood because Larence reminds him of Jon Snow. And we all know what Arya’s thoughts would be about Jon Snow becoming legitimized or becoming Lord of anything.

I don’t know how Sansa would react to Jon being legitimized and made Lord of Winterfell, because we don’t get her thoughts on such political issues, she doesn’t ever think of her bastard brother other than to mention that he’s her bastard half brother and she is still very much pro-status quo on almost all issues.

Sansa gives importance to how things should be instead of questioning whether it’s right for things to be that way. Again, even in the TWoW sample chapter, she doesn’t question the societal prejudice against bastards. Only angry and hurt that she has to pretend to be one and Harry was cruel to call her one.

We can see it as a character flaw or we can see it as the norm for 90% of the characters of Westeros. Jon, Arya, Dany, Brienne etc are outliers and stand out in terms of discussing Westerosi prejudices.

Meanwhile book 3 Sansa thinks this of her dead little sister:

"Sansa had once dreamt of having a sister like Margaery; beautiful and gentle, with all the world's graces at her command. Arya had been entirely unsatisfactory as sisters went..." How can I let my sister marry Joffrey? she thought, and suddenly her eyes were full of tears. - Sansa, ASoS

She cries for Margaery marrying Joffrey but where was her concern when her 9 year old little sister was attacked with a sword by 12 year old Joffrey (who was taller and bigger than Jon). Or when she thinks this in book 5:

She had not thought of Jon in ages. He was only her half brother, but still … with Robb and Bran and Rickon dead, Jon Snow was the only brother that remained to her. I am a bastard too now, just like him. Oh, it would be so sweet, to see him once again - Sansa, AGoT

It doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things that Arya is not up to Sansa’s standards of beauty or that Jon is only her bastard half brother. It shouldn’t matter! At the end of the day they are family and are probably the only people out there who care for her and would help her. But it matters for her - and that’s who Sansa is as a character, it’s her defining character feature. The lessons her Septa and mother drilled into her. Propriety and courtesy and decorum and following societal norms and looking pretty.

Now, Sansa is also changing and growing as a character - GRRM is giving her an arc where she is finally able to see past pretty faces, understand the importance of family, and wants to see Jon again now that she too is a bastard like him and all her real brothers are dead.

But Sansa’s adherence to Westerosi norms is the status quo for the world she lives in. So why all the mental gymnastics, the twisting of story and characterization, the most absurd justifications for Sansa treating a bastard like a bastard?

Can’t Sansa stans like her if she doesn’t have a good relationship with Jon and Arya? She has good relationships with Bran, Ned, Cat, Rickon, Robb, is that not enough? She has friends in Jeyne Poole and Myranda Royce. Why not celebrate the positive relationships she does have instead of rewriting her canon relationships with Jon and Arya in the books.

This is the fundamental problem with the Sansa stan fandom. Can’t it just be that Sansa shares her mother’s and her Septa’s way of thinking with respect to bastardy as in everything else? That she is conformist like 90% of Westeros.

It’s not a stretch that someone who believes that songs about knights and valiant princes are true also believes that bastards are treacherous because they are born of lust - something her grand uncle the Blackfish says of Jon Snow despite never having met or known him. I don’t see people making excuses for the Blackfish.

If one has to come up with these farcical justifications in order to like Sansa, then one doesn’t really like Sansa Stark. It’s as simple as that. One only likes a made up, absurd fanon version and GRRM would laugh his head off if he read some of the nonsense on here.

[malereader-inserts]

The Dragon and the Wolf

Fandom: Game of Thrones Pairing: Daenerys Targaryen x Male!Reader Summary: There is a story of the Dragon Queen and the Royal Wolf, it’s a love story - surprisingly. Word Count: 1,963

“Tell me stories of your siblings again.”

You turn to look at your queen, you shifted your position in the bed to face her, she strokes your Stark hair before thinking.

“Depends on what you want to know? My righteous twin brother, Robb Stark, a natural-born leader but always have been sceptical of his decision, I wish I could see him one last time. My half-brother, Jon Snow. He may be a bastard but he’s still of blood. Or my high strung sister, Sansa? Beautiful she is, and if I hear correctly - wounding up with Margery Tyrell would certainly cause her to be a distinctive player within our long game for the throne.”

“And your other siblings?”

“Arya, she always wanted to be a knight and I’m sure by now, if the rumours fail to be true, I can see her training to be one. Then, there’s little Bran - who might not be so little, of course, I couldn’ forget the littlest wolf - Rickon. And if you were particularly known, you’d be given a nickname like the Quiet Wolf was my father and my twin was known as the Young Wolf?”

“What was yours?” Dany asked, her hand gently caressing your shoulder, “Surely, you’re one to remember, dearest?”

You smiled fondly, “I behaved rather against the crown, my love, ran away to Essos and found myself by your side for the rest of time. Gods only know what they may call me, Runaway Wolf, but I was known Royal Wolf- come on now, love, you should know this- you’ve heard this many times.”

“And I always love to hear it again, tell me why you were blessed with that nickname?”

“Because they believed that I will overthrow the Baraethon-Lannister reign, and rule over Westeros.”

“Do you?”

“Do I want to rule over Westeros? I was burden with such purpose I did, yes, but even better now that I’ll have you by my side.”

Daenerys and you were young lovers, perhaps you were more loved than Daenerys’ past lovers. You were her age, boisterous, courageous, a fighter. Tyrion, who had found himself with the group months later, was surprised to find the Queen in love with the wildest child Stark. Ser Barristan, Tyrion and Ser Jorah had told her many tales of you, even the worst had made you more attractive to her.

You were wild, you were one to listen to mind and heart than other’s advice - yet, you were more of a natural leader than your twin. You were a skilled fighter, many wonder how you found those skills and every day you spend with Daenerys, you build on the skill with Jorah, Greyworm and Daario. Some speculated before you disappeared you spent a heavy amount of time with the Thorn Queen herself.

“You know, people believe you’re dead,” Tyrion reminds you. Sailing back to Westeros, “You vanished, without even saying goodbye to Sansa.”

“I’m harder to kill, everyone must know that,” You commented back, shrugging your shoulders, “And now look at me.”

“Ah yes, my father would have wished you were his son. You have everything that Jaime, me or Cersei did not have.”

“And what is that?”

“The ability to fight, the wit and being a man.”

“Being a man?”

“It is an advantage,” Tyrion says, knocking his wine towards you, “You being the husband of the dragon queen would make more people welcoming towards her. Ser Jorah had told me that before you, she wanted to rule alone, but the royal wolf had to wander himself somewhere he should not be.”

You gave him a bright cheeky smile, “And what of it?”

Jon looked at you, on the way home. You were in disbelief that you were actually returning home. Jon had bent the knee, but not for Daenerys but only when she had mentioned that you were to be king with her. Jon had always seen you as older, though you lack maturity when you were younger - he has seen you to be different now.

But, the thought of you ruling had always kept with him.

You were more like a ruler than all the siblings. Even Robb who was crown as King in the North before Jon.

“(Y/n),” You turn your head and smiled, Jon smiled back - it was a rare time to see Jon smile, “You’re different.”

“Good different?” You asked, your arms crossed as you lean against the ship.

“Yes, we’ve all changed. I don’t think I would have pinned you down as someone to be in loved and married.”

“I married to someone I love, not someone I was forced to,” You had a glint in your eyes, straightening your back - you were always the taller one, “We changed because of our experiences, we’ve gone through horseshit to get where we are now.”

Jon nodded, whilst he went through his endeavours, he wouldn’t be able to survive what you’ve been through - the abuse you were given by the Lannisters. He was told by Sansa that Joffery would use you often for target practices. You turned around and he sees you smile so brightly.

He had heard of the Dragon Queen - she was ruthless, madder than her father. But, seeing that these salve soldiers free and deciding to stay by her side shows a lot, to see you smile so bright and have a glint of love when your eyes lay upon her - Jon thinks different. 

“Hello love,”  You greeted, bumping your forehead with hers.

“Excited to see your family?” She asked as she placed a hand on your cheek, “I’m surprised you’re not jumping around like a child.”

“I can if you want me to,” You replied cheekily, as Dany rolls her eyes, “I’m more concern about the cold weather for you.”

“I’ll survive, oh so mighty wolf.”

“Of course, my little dragon.”

Sansa and Arya were overwhelmed to see you return back home, Sansa had given you the tightest hug she could muster. As she was the closest to you, par from Robb. You had witnessed her at Kingslanding as she did with you, you did all your might to protect her as best as you could to keep a promise with your father. 

Sansa, however, hated Daenerys. 

“Arya’s the one who killed the Night’s King,” Sansa shouted at Jon, standing next to her was Arya and behind was Bran.

Jon and talked with you and Dany privately, he did not want the crown unlike you and Dany - who were better suited to rule the Seven Kingdoms.

“Her men gave their lives defending Winterfell-” Jon reasoned, he was getting desperate - he liked Dany. In fact, he loved her with his heart, she was family whether if it was because he was her nephew or because she was married to you. “And we will never forget them. That doesn't mean that I want to kneel to someone who-” Sansa argued, Jon refrained from smiling because she never changed - she was always stubborn. “I swore myself and the North to her cause,” Jon interrupted, trying to add on that it wasn’t just her cause anymore, it was yours. You were fulfilling your path to overthrow the Lannister reign and fulfil the purpose and name that was bestowed to you. 

You were called The Royal Wolf for a reason, the people in the North had seen you lead ever since you had returned. You haven’t changed that much, but grown. You were charming, you were strong-minded. Even Tormund and the Hound liked you. The people of North believed you when you proclaimed that you were going to lead, everyone had seemed to understand that you were married to Daenerys, however, your siblings seem to be blinded to this information.

“I respect that,” Arya placed her input as Sansa snapped her head towards her sister There was disbelief in her voice, “You respect it?“ “We needed her. We needed her army, her dragons. You did the right thing. And we're doing the right thing telling you we don't trust your queen.” “You don't know her yet,” Jon snapped, more annoyed at the disrespect. “I'll never know her. She's not one of us.”

“She might not,” You voice echoed through Godswood, you appeared behind Jon, “Some family reunion, I’m not even invited to this meeting.”

“You were distracted by her,” There was bitterness in Sansa’s voice.

Jon noticed how your eyes darken, your shoulders tense and your back straightens. It seems like your calm and collected person had vanished, you were threatened therefore your instinct was to attack.

“Her has a name, Sansa, and she is your queen. She may not be one of us but she will be treated with respect,” You’re voice was sharp that it sent shivers down the siblings’ spine and so did Jon’s, “It is not a suggestion. It’s a demand that you treat my wife and your Queen with respect. Jon never bent the knee for her, but for me and eventually to her.”

“(Y/n) is the reason I bent the knee, he was and always will be the royal wolf. He is set to lead, there will be no north with her without him,” Jon explained, nodding towards you as you nodded back. 

“Show yourself respect, maybe you’ll have enough for others.” 

With that you leave, Sansa and Arya looking shocked. Jon looks at them, shaking his head and returning to his job. He doesn’t mind turning into Lord of Winterfell, he never wanted to be King. You had stormed back into the courtyard.

Tormund trying to woo Brienne, pausing in his ways when he feeling your dark aura and you muttering under your breath. He was more impressed that you weren’t layered up in the cold as you were just in your leathers. Jaime pausing his thoughts in returning to Kingslanding to Cersei as he noticed your threatening aura.

Daenerys paused her talks with Missandei, noticing your mood. She comes to you, stopping you in the middle of the court. one hand on your closed hand and the other on your face.

“My royal wolf, what has happened?” She asked in hushed tones. You soften at her touches, her soft voice.

“I’ll tell you later, but my siblings have said words against you,” You tone seem annoyed.

Tyrion and Varys looked at each other as Tyrion raised an eyebrow to his fellow friend as if to contradict his concerns of Daenerys changing to mad. She runs her hand through your hair as Sansa and Arya paused their walk, returning to the civilisation. Catching you leaning your head against the Dragon Queen.

“And I thought you being a hot-headed was a joke, shouldn’t that me?” Dany joked as a smile returned on your face, you let out a burst of joyous laughter that catches every watcher off guard.

“Just being you’re of fire and dragons, does not let you pass as hot-headed. I’ve seen you hot-headed, my love, you’re worst than me.”

She gasped, offended, “You’re the worst one, my dearest. I’ll have you know that you’re just as dramatic as theatre.”

You chuckled, kissing her forehead, your shoulders softening and your eyes bringing back the calm light within. Your smile was bright and once against, you were approachable. You were the charming prince again.

“I love you, my dragon queen.”

“And I love you too, my royal wolf.”

“Get a room, will you?” Jon shouted as you rolled your eyes, “There are children about.”

“I’ll fucking have you, Jon,” You roared with amusement as you ran after the Lord of Winterfell, leaving Dany laughing at her boys.

She looked at your sisters with a welcoming smile, Sansa had judged her too quickly and harshly. As all Daenerys ever wanted from them was their approval for loving their brother.