#preemptive assassinations of littlefinger and ramsay for jeyne & beth purposes

[hollowwhisperings]

Margaery would introduce Sansa to the World of RPF Tourneys: she needs help returning "RoseStorm" to its Top Position in the Embroidery Circuit, threatened by in-fandom discourse on "RPF shipping" and "does Lord Renly even joust".

Ser Loras fans often show up to his tourneys, waving hand-embroidered pennants & banners bearing his likeness with the sigils of whomever they ship him with (most fans can't be bothered with actually doing a bunch of stags & just use Royal Colours: it also helps keep Normies from wondering Why In The Seven's Name fans of Ser Loras Tyrell keep "forgetting" what House he hails from).

After someone's Crack Ship of Ser Ilyn & Ser Jaime started a "Kingsguards" Renaissance era in the fandom, the Greatest Threat of all usurped "RoseStorm" as Most Embroidered Ship: "RoseLion".

Marge is, of course Indignant at her Favourite Ship being displaced for a Lannister and recruited Sansa specifically for her exquisite embroidering skills: the two shared Sewing Circles at Court, prompting Marge to "commission" Sansa to design a plethora of new "RoseStorm" patterns for favours & pennants. Sansa, enchanted by giving "purpose" to her embroidery, soon became Fully Immersed in all things Tourney (give or take the Actual Combat of events, the martial details & grisly consequences of "poor sportsmanship").

(that a Drop in Popularity of Marge's Sponsored Ship threatens her likelihoods of "inheriting" her Grandmother Olenna's role as "Matriarch" of the RPF Jousting Fandom¹, possibly losing it to cousins Hightower or Fossoway or, worse still, Tyrells that aren't Margaery? Totally "Unrelated" to Marge's prompt reaction to "RoseStorm" losing popular esteem.)

Ser Jaime has been the "Most Shippable" knight in the Tourney Fandom for decades, though he has more recently³ become established as "One Of Us". In his youth, "DayLion" was popular (mostly in its platonic form, given each knight's status in the pro-circuits but There Are Always Shippers).

Nowadays, a post-Tourney Ser Jaime is oft surrounded by Fandom Veterans (younger fans warned off, enlisting "Aunts" in their stead). They bestow unto him "in memoriam" favours (old & new) for the otherwise extinct "SunStar", "StarPrince", "PrinceRoost", & "PrincePrince" sub-fandoms of his early knighthood. This "fleetcraft" is more readily received by the knight than his favours of his own likeness (though kerchiefs lovingly emblazoned with iconography of Ser Jaime's More Popular Pairings have ended up being "seen" on the man, stationed as he is At Court, generally when at the Training Grounds).

Fans, as a rule, are generally Tactful in which favours they would Gift to their favourite knights: while "Legendary Battles Past" are as common a Theme in Fleetcraft as casual RPF shipping (romantic & otherwise): the modern fandom was, afterall, Founded For Political Purposes².

A Notable Incident was Ser Jaime setting a Most Distasteful "LionMount" pennant he received on fire but, again, Most Fans agreed that such a Reaction was Deserved for its Poor Taste.

A lot of the fandom isn't so much into the RPF "romantic" shipping as they are into the rivalries. This has Inspired many a Crackship (though discussion or depiction of the Worst Rivalries are generally Reserved for tje privacy of one's own Sewing Circle).

The late Prince Rhaegar had always been "Controversial" in the fandom, Veteran Tourney-goers quick to point out the Historicity of Tourneys rigging jousts in the favour of Princes in general⁴.

"The Slam Dunk of 209" was Huge, not only for its Spotlighting the Above "Tourney Rigging?" debaye but due to the many infamous aspects of the Tourney at Ashford Meadow in general. It was the Most Infamous Tourney for generations: young fans like Margaery sometimes argue with Other, non-Dornish fans on whether "Harrenhal, 281" could contest "Ashford, 209" in Infamy (Northern fans are less of an "issue" given their lacking a "Local Scene" & their Sewing Circles tending to be more Pragmatically Minded anyway). Ashford, it is generally argued, is the "superior" Scandal: featured the First Known Appearance of Ser Duncan the Tall, a Trial of Seven, the deaths of two beloved champions (one of them a Crown Prince!), AND a Blackfyre Rebellion. Furthermore, it is said in Hushed Tones, it was said that Lord Bloodraven himself arrived on scene and knew that the local Tourney Circles would be Best Informed on all Happenings! Why, Lady [x]'s Great-Aunt's Cousin's Goodsister had been personally requested by Lord Brynden to see to the Proper Tellings of the Tourney & Trial, that her Circle's crafts and Influence could more truthfully relay the Goings On to the greater Circuit! Bloodraven, says [Y]'s Great-Aunt the Septa who heard by way of her Senior at the Great Sept of Baelor who served then-Lady Attendant [Z] who knew the man's sister Gwenys personally, even suggested several Patterns that might serve to Honour the Deceased: [A]'s Good-Aunt's still wears her Late Mother's kerchief, that she might spare a prayer for good Sers Hardyng & Beesbury⁶, who so valliantly fought for Young Ser Duncan and a Common Maiden's Virtue!

Likewise, Prince Rhaegar's "success" at Harrenhal is oft considered similarly "rigged" to his favour: none of this explains, to RPF Jousting Fans why exactly the Silver Prince promptly made himself a Social Pariah by publically shaming his pregnant wife for an otherwise unknown Northern girl of but five-and-ten⁵.

House Tyrell boasts a wide collection of antique favours from the Ashford Meadow Tourney (sometimes they are brought out to be Showcased at Fleet Events of Particular "Prestige"), "favours" passed down by friends & kinfolk who were There (supporting then-Lord Leo Tyrell, of course, and members of maternal houses). Highgarden does not (publically) have any such "collection" for "Harrenhal, 281". That would be Unbecoming.

All of this, Margaery would regale to Sansa and her Northern friends at Court (Jeyne Poole & Beth Cassel). Arya, of course, would huff in the corner that all their "shipping" and "pennants" take away from the "fun" of Live Combat: nevertheless, Septa Mordane notes that Arya's stitches are somewhat tidier than usual.

Unspoken are the other "nature" of Ships: Olenna's Leading Ship was "JD". Said ship belonged to Ser Jeremy Norridge... & Olenna's Intended but Unwanted Prince, Daeron Targaryen (4thborn child of Aegon V & Queen Betha Blackwood). Given that both squired at Highgarden, where young Olenna likely attended Sewing Circles & banquet events, their budding romance would become Obvious to her eyes. Reclaiming her "agency" in a match where she was unwanted but could not personally break off (a 4thborn Targaryen was still a Prince, afterall), Olenna instead turned Female Opinion to her "side" by preparing for Said Match to inevitably be broken off. If a "great and forbidden romance" had been Privately Championed by a Complicit Betrothed, surely the girl in question was of Unquestionable Honour & Virtue? Utterly Innocent in the breaking of her betrothal, still a Fine Match for any future Lord.

That young Margaery has found herself in a Similar Position to her grandmother inspired much of their closeness: the prospect of an Open Marriage to enable her Brother's Great Love is not, to Marge's eyes, a significant hardship. She would, afterall, gain reign of a significant portion of the Stormlands (all of it, eventually, Marge would conclude: Lady Selyse did herself no favours in being "aloof") and no small degree of Sway at Court.

Sansa, as the Lord Hand's daughter and one Tragically Unbetrothed (through no fault of her own), there having been some Unfortunate Business with her Intended Princ, a Lord Baelish, several Freys (through isolated yet somewhat concrrrent "Tragedies") and some Alleged Son of Lord Bolton: all very suddenly, very incidentally rendered Deceased before the King's Carriage had even stepped foot past The Crossing.!

Sansa, thusly, may take her time blushing as Marge takes her to Observe their brothers in the Training Yards (a shame that Robb, Jon & little Rickon stayed at Winterfell: Bran has truly taken his new training to heart, though Theon remains Rather Skittish for Some Reason). The boys, of course, are somewhat informed on "Tourney Girls" being genuinely Informed on their Upcoming Opportunities and Prospective Rivals: they are, again, somewhat Confused as to what Naval Warfare has to do with the Mêlée or Joust (Theon doesn't either but could swear that those Reacher girls were using their words to Intend Violence at the Ironborn in their midst).

Arya, encouraged by the Dornish contingent arriving to Court (her Lord Father had made a resigned Joke⁷ that King Robert decided to Actually Act On), has taken to the Training Grounds too: she has been [bribed⁸] to Secrecy on the Deeper Meanings of Sewing Circles as she "wrestles in mud with her kin". Arya has also been [bribed⁸] into enticing the Dashing Brienne to attend a Circle: as a would-be knight herself, Lady Brienne would surely Know Much of the Tourney Circuit & be of Invaluable Uae to [their betting pool⁸].

So... Jousting & Mêlée; "Fleetcrafts" & Official [Fanzines]; Politics & Histories; Platonic Shipping & Actual [Yaoi]. These can exist in-setting to enable Sansa to reach her True [Fujoshi] Potential.

As the archetypical "Perfect Lady", having a new fandom to navigate beside her sister would smoothe any hostilities within their Sewing Circle: Sansa knows House Words & Sigils by heart, can embroider the likeness of even the most difficult coats-of-arms, and "blushes prettily" at even the most innocently-intended favours (to the likes of Great-Uncle Blackfish, little Rickon or the Fandom's [Assumed as Asexual] Darling Ser Jaime). Arya, meanwhile, has the Inside Scoop from the Yards & quickly learns the Logistics of Armouring, of Live Combat. Both sisters are considered Experts, their Differences complementing a "shared interest". Envy & rivalries would still naturally arise: they are children. Yet now the girls have an oulet, creatively⁹ &/or intellectually to redirect emotions running high.

With "Tourney Girls" as a Thing, the women of [Southron] Westeros are more "interconnected": able to exchange Daily Gossip ("Father said the Smith's Boy looks like the King: why don't his Sons-?" "SHH! We Don't Talk About The Hair, not in the Keep: just know the Senior Circles are Working On It, okay? Tell the Lord Hand as much too."); Health Tips (e.g. "if your maester suggests [x-uncomfsortable & genuinely dangerous thing to do during childbirth], your maester ought to be sent back to the Citadel!"); local business (e.g. Baelish setting up shop in the area, despite the Local Lady being on Agreeable Terms with the Local Madam of the Existing Establishment, whose Girls like Tourneys as much as any highborn & who've Seen that Baelish's Girls are girls: the Lady checks with Other Ladies, whose relations with local Madama might be of less cordiality but who are United in Tourney Enjoyment & thusly "on-board" with That Specfic Madam... and Highborn Women Getting Angry enough to together "fundraise" the Hiring of A Braavosi)... they would be Connected not only through Marriages and Shared Fealties but through an Active Community that encompasses Many Parts of Westeros as "Adjacent" to... Athletic Men Hitting Each Other With Sticks (from Horseback! for the Obligatory Horse Enthusiast section of the Fandom, "entry" point of Many Tourney Girls' time in the Fandom).

Ser Jaime being a "Tourney Darling" would alleviate how isolating his time alone in the Red Keep was: Princess Elia's uncle was Kingsguard & her own husband "in the circuit". She'd be a Tourney Girl for her family & the Politics of it, if nothing else. Guarding Princess Elia & her Ladies (prior to their Slowly Being Evacuated from Court) gives Young Jaime "allies", of a sort: not entirely left to the thrall of his Father & Sister in Memory (Jaime, Tourney Darling who'd regularly Sees Tourney Girls active on the Scene: why are strange women both younger & older than I more interested in my Life's Work than mine own sister?). Thusly, though the Exact Parentage of Queen Cersei's children is still "Uncertain", Ser Jaime grows up with Better Social Awareness of Females & more reason to Not Be The Evil he is Cast As: other men call him "kingslayer" but old women, young girls & married women? He is a "Darling" of their Sport, a boy they've seen "grow up"... & a boy whom Elia's Ladies feared for, after their being Sent from Court to Safety. As little as such sporadic interactions may have been, a Jaime [platonically] "beloved" by a Fandom is Significantly Less Likely to Avoid Anyone Unrelated to him, take his twin's words at face value & secretly meet her in a Tower where a Small Child might be Defenestrated.

But, for the Starklings at least, the Setting Is Happier: Lyanna's Hypothetical Involvement with Tourney Girls may well have "spared" her, to an extent, with the likes of Ashara Dayne (sister to Ser Arthur & Known Friend of Princess Elia) quicker to "reach out" upon Learninf Her Whereabouts & better able to do so (even from all the way across an Active Warzone).

Catelyn, though less "involved" with Tourneys (being first her siblings' surrogate caregiver & then a Northern Bride), would at least "Know Of" the Community & that Ascertaining her Husband's Character (his Whereabouts) would be a simple thing. The Girls who grew up with Ned in the Vale? The Girls hosting Rebel Forces on Campaign? The Girls in Dorne smuggling Ned home to her with a newborn babe & Ned's dying sister ("just giving you a head's up, Lady Catelyn, given your recent Labour & all")? All can confirm: Ned is Too Hopeless & Too Honourable for Infidelity ("Tell Ned not to worry about the Treason Thing: we Girls have Rookeries of our own & Your Ned did the Realm a Service we won't soon forget").

So. In-Setting [Fujoshi] Sansa: Mission Accomplished? Sansa's Happiness kind of required the Assassinations of several characters, so as to keep her family alive & her friends "safe", as well as the Building of A Not-Entirely Secret Women's Society?

It Got Political through its Core Members very obviously being Olenna & Marge: both have High Social Capital and Vested Interests in the "Management" of Gay Knights. As someone highborn (& a literal child), "Gay Knights" are more accessible for Sansa than, for example, "Queer Pirates". Given that there isn't any Northern Woman in Sansa's life other than Old Nan & that the Night's Watch is not a "public" institution but an Active Army? The Manderly sisters may have "tried" to set up a Northern-Equivalent to the Southron Tourney Circles, using the NW or "sailors?" (the Ironborn are too often a Threat for "gay pirates" to get Romanticized) but... they'd have too little to work with.

Hope you enjoyed this Thought Experiment? ^_^;

Footnotes

¹Olenna is the Big Name Fan of the RPF Jousting Fandom who coined the term "ship": while Marge tells Sansa that her Grandmother's Interest in "tourneys" had always been Pure Politics, Olenna's Rebellion against her Unwanted Betrothal (to Prince Daeron, grand-nephew of The Late & Great Prince Baelor Breakspear) imvolved the Recruitment/[bribing] of enough highborn ladies, cloths merchants, Septs (& teaching septas) that Olenna's Influence was Vast & Inescapable.

Olenna "organized" the fanbase: her launching her own "Redwyne Fleet" included Nobly Sanctioned Patterns & "gifted" Sewing Booklets², provided at her own Sewing Circles & Functions but also through "Outreach"[/Bribery & Blackmail] to Septs & Associates in the Textiles Trade. Olenna ensured her "Fleetware" swept throughout the Sewing Circles of Westeros, establishing her Dominance of the Scene (& its Usefulness in shifting Public Opinions).

²These Booklets acted as "subsitute teachers" for Sewing Circles without an "Enlightened" Septa to guide them or who wish to be more "contemporary" in their Knowings of the Tourney Circuit (especially if unable to travel to most events themselves). The Booklets are manuals on such things as: the House Colours & Coats-of-Arms of Lesser Known Houses; the specific Shields worn by the more prolific Knights; ettiquette on "Acceptable Tourney Behaviour", so as to prevent any Marital Misunderstandings or Slights on Personal Virtue; the pros/cons of being in Closer Proximity to Live Combat, including Advice on how best to Excuse Oneself ("swoon" is the go-to) & to whence upon Seeing Something Gruesome & requiring [a place to cry/throw up]... a Whole Page was added, post-Rebellion, specificall to Warn Tourney-Goers of Ser Gregor Clegane. New editions circulate with some regularity though most make-do with copying the Booklets of others for personal use (there are, of course, Verses & "ditties" that aid in The Memorizing of House Arms & Words... but most are non-Tourney related, "Standard" within any Highborn Nursery: it is Unbecoming to require a Nursery Tune when seeking to Impress Highborn Peers in Crafts & Informed Contributions to Gossip).

³There was a Minor Incident wherein a Tyrell Cousin almost Outed the fandom to Queen Cersei through casual conversation with Princess Myrcella. All was "saved" by the Gallant Intervention of Ser Jaime... who had genuinely believed the Maidens Talks of Jousting & Knightly Rivalries were only about Actual Jousting (& also Naval Warfare, for some reason). Jaime has since become a "Protected Party" in the Wider Fandom, something Written In to the "Tourney Ettiquette" sections of Fleet Booklets.

⁴Prince Valarr Targaryen, a reigning Champion at "Ashford, 209" was both Celebrated and Scorned: his consecutive victories being against less established knights or from Houses Known to Curry Favour.

⁵There was little to no intersection between the RPF Jousting Fandom & anyone Northern, besides the odd Ser Jorah Mormont, until Lady Catelyn Tully's installment as Lady of Winterfell: most Sewing Circles only discuss the North when comparing its wools to that from the Reach or Riverlands, otherwise ignoring the Kingdom (save for the Inevitable Instance of One Younger Girl ever needing to be Taught that no Blackwood is ever to called "knight" or "Ser").

⁶It is, of course, Not Done to (publically) Mourn any bearer of the name "Targaryen". Unless one is in The Reach, of course, where the Faith is strongest (& no one's Ruling Lords are... "sensitive" to the subject of Targaryen Princes of Gallant Tragedy)... and where few Families suffered Great Tragedy by the personal doings of Persons "Targaryen".

⁷"Having brought the Wolves from their Northern Den", it is alleged that Lord Ned said, "why not bring too the Princes from the Far South and the Old Lord of the East? Perhaps all combined they might release the Keep from the burden of its being Besieged by the West."

⁸Arya was bribed with having her homework sewn for her; secret mendings of the various tears that had befallen the dresses her Lord Mother had so Hopefully brought for her stay at Court & in the knees of too many sets of hose; a tunic in the Dornish style , should Brienne be successfully brought to their Circle before anyone else can beat them to it.

The "betting pool" consists of pearls and myrish lace from Sansa & Arya's stayover at White Harbour, silk flowers bought from artisans at Highgarden, sundry spools of Fanciful Colours & textures, some of Lady's shed fur: things the girls might share anyway and which they could use for projects both RPF Jousting & "personal" (gifts for each other, for kinsfolk, for crafting favours for non-fandom purposes).

⁹That Sansa can sing well could Establish her to the "Wider Fandom" (just as Arya's Match Commentary would): like IRL sport, I'd guess that (non-Northern) Houses would acquire "anthems" traditionally sung in Support of their Lords & Kinsfolk. Some knights would likely Commision a bard to compose one for them: "Tourney Girls" might surprise a Favourite by having prepared several Circles to learn a song in their Honour (the intergenerational nature of the Real Persons Fandom [of] Tourney[s] lessening any potential for Scandal as any specfic female is made "anonymous" beside Great-Aunts, variously "aware" younger cousins, & said knight's own mother).

idk man im sad sansa exists as a 13 year old in the asoiafverse instead of our world. being 13 is like peak fujoshi age she wouldve loved yaoi i think she wouldve made a great yuri on ice fan or whatever