#symon silver tongue

[maestergirl]

Singer is genuinely one of the most dangerous jobs in Westeros

[wpmorse]

He rode through the streets of the city,

down from his hill on high,

O'er the wynds and the steps and the cobbles,

he rode to a woman's sigh.

For she was his secret treasure,

she was his shame and his bliss.

And a chain and a keep are nothing,

compared to a woman's kiss.

Tyrion IV -PG 430

Tyrion attempts to buy off Symon Silvertongue, but Symon wants more. He presents the song he will perform if Tyrion does not cooperate, Hands of Gold.

I am very fond of this song. It's easy to get it stuck in one's head as shown by Tyrion humming it multiple times throughout the rest of the book, despite having only heard it once. My biggest disappointment with the third season of Game of Thrones was its absence. They didn't even bother with the subplot.

This was a shame. I had hoped to see the show use it as a leitmotif, the way they used The Rains of Castamir in the second season, starting as something people are heard humming in the background to eventually growing to operatic levels when Tyrion kills Shae.

Ed Sheeran's version in the last season was nice but it just wasn't the same.

[ladystoneboobs]

idt we talk enough about how a song of ice and fire is also the song of incest and cannibalism. i mean, sure, obviously both of those subjects are noted as present, but the saga feels much more known for its incest, which idt is fair or accurate to the later materiel. iirc, jaime fucking cersei next to their dead firstborn is the last instance of onpage incest happening in present tl, and after that it's all about the cannibals, baby.

(disclaimer: cw/tw sa, cw/tw rape, and i'm not counting cousincest as that's normal in-world even for non-targaryens and also still legal in many places in our world today, nor counting the faux-incestuous freudian mess that is littlefinger/alayne(sansa)/sweetrobin, nor any dark humor jokes and/or unfulfilled threats wrt forced cannibalism)

in fact pretty much all the active incest during the present tl happens in those first 3 books:

the twincest as a major plot point ofc, kicking action off when bran saw them fucking in a tower

and viserys creeping on dany and twisting her nipple

tyrion relating his backstory to bronn wherein he and tysha were both raped by proxy by his father, tywin (tho tyrion does not use that terminology)

craster still being alive to rape and impregnate his own daughters (resulting in dozens of forced incestuous relationships)

and theon unknowingly groping his own sister while she (knowingly) groped him in return

jaime's early pov recalled how he shut up cersei with kissing when they fought after bran refused to die

bella of stoney sept trying and failing to seduce gendry who is (unbeknownst to them both) her half-brother as both were sired by robert baratheon (only example in these 3 books where incest was averted before any sexual activity or incestuous contact occurred)

the aforementioned sept twincest next to joffrey's corpse

tyrion learning from oberyn about cersei twisting his penis when he was a baby

cersei's failed attempt to seduce jaime in wst, pulling out his dick for either a bj or hj until her talk of tyrion's death made him lose his boner

while incest is not exactly absent from the text after that, it seems to exist in the feastdance only in hypotheticals or past memories:

aeron's trauma flashbacks of his (implied only in published text) csa by euron

jaime still feeling lust when seeing cersei nude

and her fond reminiscing about them fucking behind robert's back/brief dream of them as a married couple before her walk of shame

and cersei remembering another she twisted tyrion's baby penis

victarion misinterpreting asha's offer of partnership as a marriage proposal and suddenly looking at his niece in a new way with "his manhood beginning to stiffen"

jaime's recollection of fucking cersei at darry next to robert as he was passed out drunk before cersei sent him to hunt arya (which would have happened back in agot and the point of this scene is more his failed hunt for a child just to make cersei happy)

arianne's "uneasy" memory of a past fantasy about being seduced by a man whose description is suspiciously similar to her late uncle oberyn

the aborted marital match of aegon/young griff to his purported aunt dany

illyrio saying (the now dead) viserys tried to rape dany the night before her wedding to drogo (another event from agot concerning a guy we already knew was into incest)

and tyrion once saying he wanted to rape as well as murder cersei

conversely, the cannibalism in the earlier books is most often only unproven hypotheticals alluded to as possible cannibalism:

old nan saying the others fed their dead servants the flesh of human children (which we have not yet seen with any wights so far, whether or not one counts walking undead eating human flesh as straight-up cannibalism)

the mystery meat in flea bottom's bowls o' brown which may or may not contain symon silver tongue after tyrion had him killed

renly's recollection that cressen kept stannis from catapulting their old master-at-arms by saying they may need to eat him later (which did not come to pass thanks to davos)

joffrey telling his people to eat their own dead (with no way of knowing if any actually did)

lady hornwood eating her own fingers (though bran's pov only notes them being chewed on, not swallowed. it's only in adwd that people talk of her eating the fingers.)

the mentions of the ice river clans being the cannibals beyond the wall (who are def not among the free folk jon snow gets to know onpage, making it just background detail)

bran's (possibly mythical) story of the rat cook

and biter chewing on people he attacked and other corpses (which seems to be just a side hobby connected to his killing method moreso constituting a snack than a full meal from a person butchered for meat. this tendancy of his is just background detail in acok, with biter chewing a corpse in the background after the weasel soup operation, and the hindsight implication that it could well have been him rather than dogs or wolves who had "been at" the corpses after the skirmish where yoren was killed)

while the feastdance feels much more in your face with cannibalism, having not only more total mentions of the practice but also more confirmed, actual cannibalism (as opposed to the ambiguity of each and every bowl o' brown), for those who know how to look at the evidence:

jaime learned that his father's mad dog aka the mountain fed parts of vargo hoat to all his prisoners (including vargo himself) after recapturing harrenhal

and euron bragged about pulling a similar trick with the warlocks he captured (the only twist being that the warlocks knew what they were being forced to eat, which vargo hoat and wylis manderly etc at harrenhal likely didn't)

the elder brother of the quiet isle told of biter eating all of a woman's breasts at saltpans after she'd been raped and killed (prob the largest amount of flesh biter's confirmed to have eaten from one corpse)

bran and co. ate "pig" supplied by coldhands which had to be long pig aka human meat

brienne felt her face being eaten by biter in her own pov (which is so much worse than him chewing others in the background of the weasel soup scene)

theon was told that two ironmen at moat cailin were found eating their dead comrades

the astapori were said to eat their own dead while under siege by the yunkishmen

and then were said to do so again in refugee camps outside meereen

sam and davos sailed past skagos and remembered stories of skagosi cannibalism

khrazz the pit fighter cut the hearts from his defeated foes to eat them

cotter pyke's last letter to jon snow said the wildlings were eating their own dead at hardhome

4 of stannis's men were executed by burning for butchering and eating other men (with asha wondering how many others had done so without being caught)

and ofc the frey pies with wyman manderly having his 3 former guests killed and serving their meat to their own kin and the other guests at ramsay's wedding while eating some himself too

two of these examples (involving gregor clegane and euron greyjoy) must have actually happened during the course of asos, but grrm chose to give us the gruesome details in affc, which was brand new information about men we already knew were villains but did not know were into that fucked-up shit specifically, unlike being reminded that agot-era jaime and viserys wanted to fuck their sisters. (and not unlike how adwd has the clarification of multiple characters saying lady hornwood ate her own fingers as opposed to bran's acok pov just saying she chewed on them.) it's as if after craster was killed and jc effectively broke up grrm decided cannibalism was the taboo subject matter he would fill the later books with, so we'd really feel the increasing danger of starvation-induced cannibalism with winter's arrival (and have no trouble believing rickon's new home of skagos really is a cannibal island). however, in-universe it feels like there's some sort of environmental balance connection so that the decrease in one formerly common behaviorial abomination just allows another such abomination to fill in the gap with a sharp increase in activity, like deer overpopulation resulting from lack of predators as if all the active incest somehow stopped more people from eating themselves or other people.

[thelustybraavosimaid]

I'm fairly certain the cannibalism is only going to increase the deeper the series heads into winter.

It started with Tyrion having Symon Silver Tongue cooked into a bowl o' brown:

Tyrion turned his horse. "Give him three days, then inform him that Hamish the Harper has broken his arm. Tell him that his clothes will never serve for court, so he must be fitted for new garb at once. He'll come with you quick enough." He grimaced. "You may want his tongue, I understand it's made of silver. The rest of him should never be found."

Bronn grinned. "There's a pot shop I know in Flea Bottom makes a savory bowl of brown. All kinds of meat in it, I hear."

"Make certain I never eat there." Tyrion spurred to a trot. He wanted a bath, and the hotter the better. (Tyrion IV, ASoS)

Then continued with the kindly man and Coldhands feeding Arya and Bran "pork."

The dead men's clothes and coins and valuables went into a bin for sorting. Their cold flesh would be taken to the lower sanctum where only the priests could go; what happened in there Arya was not allowed to know. Once, as she was eating her supper, a terrible suspicion seized hold of her, and she put down her knife and stared suspiciously at a slice of pale white meat. The kindly man saw the horror on her face. "It is pork, child," he told her, "only pork." (Arya II, AFfC)

--

Meera Reed was turning a chunk of raw red flesh above the flames, letting it char and spit. "Just in time," she said. Bran rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand and wriggled backwards against the wall to sit. "You almost slept through supper. The ranger found a sow."

...

"You said no fire," he reminded the ranger.

"The walls around us hide the light, and dawn is close. We will be on our way soon."

"What happened to the men? The foes behind us?"

"They will not trouble you." (Bran I, ADwD)

And additionally with Bran, a suspicious blood and white coloured "weirwood paste" that may or may not be Jojen:

She had a weirwood bowl in her hands, carved with a dozen faces, like the ones the heart trees wore. Inside was a white paste, thick and heavy, with dark red veins running through it. "You must eat of this," said Leaf. She handed Bran a wooden spoon.

The boy looked at the bowl uncertainly. "What is it?"

"A paste of weirwood seeds."

Something about the look of it made Bran feel ill. The red veins were only weirwood sap, he supposed, but in the torchlight they looked remarkably like blood. He dipped the spoon into the paste, then hesitated. "Will this make me a greenseer?" (Bran III, ADwD)

Then it was the members of Stannis's army eating one of Lord Fell's men.

Asha had been as horrified as the rest when the She-Bear told her that four Peasebury men had been found butchering one of the late Lord Fell's, carving chunks of flesh from his thighs and buttocks as one of his forearms turned upon a spit, but she could not pretend to be surprised.

But like she thinks...

The four were not the first to taste human flesh during this grim march, she would wager—only the first to be discovered. (The Sacrifice, ADwD)

[horizon-verizon]

What do you think about tyrion?

This ask has been sitting in my inbox for MONTHS!

*Post is Edited*

As a character from the book, not the show? Beyond interesting, as he feels grimy and decadent while also desperate for power/gaining an advantage over others. Liked his sarcasm when it's not trained on less fortunate, lower classes people or women/misogynist. Endlessly entertaining, his pain is compelling when he's vulnerable, and his darkest moments are repulsive. Enhanced and inspired by that pain and need for love or respect, by his pain.

As a person, he and I wouldn't be friends nor would I like or trust him ten feet away from me. I more semi-pity him than admire him.

There is a post/set of reblogs starting with black swallowtail butterfly expressing their hatred for how GRRM wrote out Tysha and her rape, using it mostly to highlight Tyrion and Tyrion himself not really valuing Tysha enough to really ever work at knowing her or looking for her years after she was gang-raped and sent off who knows where. Regarding how Tysha haunts him, I think that he uses sex and power imbalances (layered over that) to self-affirm. Sex and the ways they handled their sexual partners and why it opens both characters' secrets to their own detriment. They both think that they have much more control over those partners than they did or overestimate their own vulnerabilities and weaknesses or inattention to their partners' changing emotions and feelings regarding them, or what elements their partners are exposed to that would turn against them. Like Cersei, who loved/was obsessed with Rhaegar and being his wife, Tyrion is envious and in awe of the Targaryens and their primacy, their freedom of practice, etc. Again, because he has always felt stunted of freedom and love since childhood. Sex and emotion, the intimacy and exchange made within that dynamic, is as much a motivation or weakness for Tyrion as it is for Cersei. While Cersei uses sex and men's desire for her to gain their supposed loyalties and resources--sometimes giving up her sexual agency for her children--and (with Taena) perform "masculine" power, Tyrion uses sex to act at being vulnerable & deny his monstrousness without it turning into dangerous vulnerability.

While Tyrion is far more capable of critical thinking and willing to use it (than Cersei), I think that, much like Cersei, Tyrion depends on his class to offset the societal and family aspersion/indifference against him, wants his family's respect and affection, and with each flout of his importance based on his dwarfism from those he finds attractive (and not just because they are attractive physically but the allure of the access to power [Sansa] elsewhere or to his ego alone [Shae]). Like Cersei thinking that she has Tywin's intelligence as well as his ruthlessness, Tyrion thinks that he has more emotional control than he actually has. Control and mastery over his emotions could help him see the outcomes of some strategies or some people's behaviors to anticipate before making a move.

Both he and Cersei aren't that self-aware and use the external perceptions of them and the need to control them to make excuses for themselves often. This also leads them to not understand themselves in relation to others outside of Tywin and Jaime/the Lannisters-as-made/supported-by-Tywin.

Meanwhile, he has Bronn kill Symon Silver Tongue (a blackmailing singer) and had little reaction to news of his corpse put into a "bowl of brown", which implies forced cannibalism on unsuspecting consumers. Which is very evil, and unnecessary, tactically but speaks to his need to have control over the "smallest" of things that affect the human body itself. (Perhaps the transformation from man to food itself satisfies Tyrion's need to transform himself and change out of the undesirable body he was born with.)

He believed that he surpassed Tywin's cunning and competence, but Tyrion--before killing Tywin -- was still stuck in the Lannister knot of trying to please and gain the love/respect of their father who defined and compressed their sense of worthiness to his own expectations and directions. And he's actually very much like Tywin and Cersei in his disinterest in anything but image or power, over the smallfolk's long-term needs for those themselves. Like most aristocrats. The problem is, again, he thinks he's better than Cersei as a person, that he is inherently better because he is smarter. It partially feeds into and leads to his peculiar blindness to the most obvious things about what makes people outside of his family truly tick, making him think he can go without considering that.

Femicide and intimate partner violence: Shae. An indication of his losing himself in that Lannister-loveless-knot, and we're left off not knowing whether Tyrion could come back from that (as the text encourages us to feel). Personally, once he killed Shae, I thought him irredeemable.

Killing Twyin? Don't care about that, even with kinslaying considered more heinous than killing a woman/a sex worker/a mistress in Westeros. Tywin was one of Tyrion's demons and though patricide is particularly...hard to get through without looking at the actor without some sort of side-eye, I think when one continuously harms their child they open up a slew of consequences they've made for themselves, and they are the ones to scrape and whittle down that bond in the first place.

No, killing your dad isn't "right"...neither is it to force a 13 year old child watch as a group of men rape someone they cared for and force her away from them, make that child feel like they are a blight but then steal the glory of their adulthood accomplishments...etc.

Going back to Shae, even with her betraying him:

(I forget, so anyone could correct me on this) We don't know what pushed Shae to betray Tyrion, but their relationship has never been truly close nor brought into a certain understanding of two people who thought themselves equals, whatever that could have become in a relationship like theirs. From the get-go, Shae seemed more into Tyrion for the protection, money, and being close to the court for exploration and a bit of excitement. Yet Tyrion kinda fools himself into thinking there was a love/intimacy that bonded them while treating her as a more sexual companion who makes him feel good than a true partner. What's interesting about Tyrion is that In that sense, Shae treated him as the "the deal" between them always was -- a means to an end.

*EDIT* Shae had been bouncing from one place Tyrion hid/lead her in KL to another to keep her from Cersei's hands. At one point, she was going to land in them or be killed, yet Tyrion refused to let her go. So it's likely she went to Tywin to really get away from danger, as Cersei wouldn't seek to mess with the very man she is always been both scared of and desperate to "please". *END OF EDIT

(if one argued she was forced) Especially when she's up against someone like Tywin Lannister, who could have had her out and degraded like Tysha (which Tyrion is aware of, so ironically he's keeping her in the same space as the man who destroyed his first love as well as his own sister, and "protecting" her poorly). While past the Westerosi age of majority AND at the age of consent for U.S. society, Shae is also much younger than Tyrion, and even younger than Tywin. With either man, Shae didn't seem to stand much of a chance, and Tyrion took her betrayal as JUST a personal affront, which while I get to a certain extent, I see is also solipsistic.

his killing her was not about justice, but the precursor to the revenge that he plans against every single person who did him wrong (and with how he handled Symon, there's reason to believe that he wouldn't discriminate about who he hurts or kills to get this end...similar to Lady Stoneheart, except scarier to me since Tyrion is trying to utterly destroy even Jaime, who though acted badly by keeping the Tysha 's feelings for Tyrion secret and thus is partially responsible for Tyrion's misery, was also the only one to ever look out for him or try...that shows a particular hypocritical blind anger at the entire world that spells disaster)

*EDIT #1* Going a little back to the element of us not knowing if he will "come back" from him killing his father/Shae, the answer for me is no and unlikely. Because him killing his father slices through the Lannister "knot": the biggest motivation for why Tyrion has always done what he's done, fatherly love, familial regard and respect, power through that acknowledgment, acknowledgment from society THROUGH becoming something like this father which had brought them the prosperity and prestige the Lannisters enjoyed...seeing as the Lannisters became the way they became thru Tywin's actions and connections. Tywin himself, they all learned, only gave them some sort of attention or regard when he felt they would be useful for politics and their house's further aggrandizement. Which is itself only possible through wealth, a great (by skill or fuel or size) army, connections, self-supply through agricultural resources, etc. You know, the feudal way.

Despite his thinking, Tyrion technically doesn't emotionally need his family, while he very much desires their love, because it was never given in the first place. That lack of love, or at least respect, kept him an outsider, which does give him a separate perspective that made him capable of killing his father in the first place.

*END OF EDIT #1*

Despite him thinking he's handling Shae and her feelings well, he's not and actually is led by his need for her to love him, or to continue to act as if she does and bring him some assurance of companionship.

His last act in KL with his family: hurting Jaime by telling him that Cersei fucked many others, lying about killing Joffrey, and silently vowing to revenge himself against even Jaime along with Cersei. Kinslaying is an extreme taboo in Westeros and he'd be person non grata, vulnerable to anyone wishing him harm (another reason why he skips off to Essos). And he doesn't even have access to the Lannister reputation, protection, or wealth. He's on his own, he's burnt every bridge.

Tyrion is a case of the abused turned/turning into a monster. He is also the repackaged/"subverted" "Fool" (not Tarot) and Trickster capable of the greatest evils, selfish, capable of bringing about good (but for selfish or inadvertent ways/reasons), but far from that. He's eternally out of line, he's eternally hungry for "more", he enjoys himself and hates himself simultaneously, he's both blind and observant. Tyrion's a fucked up paradox.

As for show Tyrion, at surface level, a lot more genial and easier to root for. His wit and insecurity combined, plus the whitewashing, makes him a far more charming character than he is in the books, and again, I DO think book!him is charming in a very paradoxical bestial-blasé way.

But he still kills Shae in the show, so show!Tyrion still is not one of my favorites in terms of personhood. That will never be something he can be redeemed for in my eyes. The show allows him that grace where there is none, another point of detrimental whitewashing, especially in his assessment of Dany's supposed evil being seen as actually evil to the audience of seasons 7-8. And the show subsequently makes as if Shae deserved her death, that Tyrion had the right to kill her, that she owed herself to him and his subsequent "claim" over her, etc....because he fooled himself into thinking this was ever a real relationship/a relationship where he had all of the advantages and that his Tywin/Cersei wouldn't cross lines against him.

*EDIT #2* (8/27/23)

And to him, relationships are made up exactly of cold exchanges bc no one ever wanted him for him and they saw that his dwarfism was excuse enough to not try to love him or to drive in how unloveable he was. Because he has learned that he was a disgusting creature and love will likely always be out of his reach/denied to him, he is both pushed towards & seeks out what appear to be low-risk relationships. Aside from the fact that commonborn women are more within his reach than noble women as they are kept away from being virgins--ideally--on their wedding night and thus are very restricted i their overall interactions with any man/boy who aren't their fathers or brothers AND who like Sansa have probably dreamed of a handsome lord or a knight to be their husband, common-born women--esp. sex workers--do not require/cannot ask more of him than money or some protection. Because they do not invest in him emotionally or are unlikely to BUT also seek him out for protection and a living AND can never seemingly hurt him bc they lack the standing & genitals (aristocratic male privilege or just being of a house that could trouble the Lannnisters), he can theoretically slake his thirst for intimacy while maintaining his lover's ability to actually control him. Because he is their cash cow. However, his need for more love, real love, and a love for self eventually pushes him into looking to this person he designated as his new partner. She was his only means of intimacy, he could not feel like he'd get it anywhere else, so he convinced himself (despite his trie not to) that she eventually fell for him.

END of EDIT #2

In terms of character (adding to what's already said), he also made less sense bc of that whitewashing. Tamer and less angry than he should have been, a seemingly better person even though he was supposed to feel righteously dark retribution for Jaime, Tywin, Cersei, and all of King's Landing. Anyone he felt had wronged. Him. This emotion drives him to kill Shae, which gives that motivation seemingly more justice bc we barely get to see Shae's vulnerability & Tyriaomn's actual neglect of her as we should have seen in the books, too, so his progression after that made no sense to me.

ADDITIONALLY

A post by blankwhiteshield HERE really shows us the Lannister siblings and their relationship with love. This is what they conclude about Tyrion:

To Tyrion, love is unachievable, a right that he is not granted. The unlovable son that is viewed as broken from birth.

[homiecid3]

yo… if Val and Symon had theme songs, what would they be?

(they don't necessarily have to be existing songs or whatever, you can describe what you think they'd sound like or something! you get what i mean?)

I've thought long and hard about this question I will not lie to you, however, I think I've come up with a good answer. Sit back and relax as I lore dump and explain in various amounts of detail :P Symonet and Valerian are very uniquely different characters, yet have crossing similarities that allow them to connect. This mainly being evident in their line of work, their pasts, and the topic in question, Music!

To start, we will begin with Symonet's music/ themes: Symonet is a very upbeat and bold character, his personality being akin to a puppy at times as his fun-loving cocky attitude can be mistaken for arrogance and dereliction from his higher-ups and those who don't know him. Nevertheless, this is far from the truth as Symonet takes his job with the utmost professionalism as it provides him with the stability he needs to survive in his less then lavish lifestyle and environment, as well as helps him keep in the good graces of his employer/Owner Lady Aranha. with this in mind, the music for Symonet would be upbeat and a little cheeky in some places, following along is a more classical tone to fit more into their environment. strings, brass, and maybe a little percussion. Though as for actual music that relates to him in the present, I'd say these two hit the nail on the head for me:

Imagine Dragons - Whatever it takes I chose this song for Symonet mainly because it highlights the dedication and strong-willed mentality of Symonet to always keep pushing forward, whatever it takes. How since childhood he's had to jump these impossible odds and hoops in order to become the man he is today.

Jake Daniels - The Otherside

This song resonates a lot with Symonets own lore, similar to the story of the boy in the song- Symonet at a young age was taken in and set on a certain path. having to leave behind those he loved and called family in order to better his own future.

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Now onto the Angel, Valérian's music/ themes: Valérian as previously stated is Symonet's opposite, his personality is more reserved and stoic, as events in his past have conditioned him to be this way. preferring the quietness of his own company rather than the loud, obnoxious voices he finds when attending the various balls and dances for work, but hey that's one of the reasons the mask remains. Though talented with his silver tongue that could waltz many into an early grave, Valérian has a distaste for the social aspect of his position as an Angel, as many of the conversations he holds with the varying party guests are either of childish gossip or boring political mind-games and slander.

With this in mind, I believe Valérian music/ theme would complement the air of mystery that surrounds him. Primarily led by Piano as it is the instrument that the masked man can play.

similar to Symonet section, for Valérian's inspiration I listen to some of the following songs, again choosing two to make it easier.

キルマー (Kilmaa)】　Utattemita/Miyashita Yuu

This song holds a very special place in Valérian's lore and themes as a similar event from this song happens to him. His bitterness towards those who had wronged him as well as the pain he holds always hiding behind the ever-perfect mask he hides behind.

Ethan Gander - Psycho

The reason I chose this song for Valérian is mainly that it represents how the man uses his mask and his many talents to become a person that anyone can trust, adjusting himself to fit the needs in order to fulfill his own role.

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I hope this answers your question!

and thank you for reading my very long lore dump :)

[closethedoorandcomehere]

Spoilers, profanity, Jaime x Brienne. Game of Thrones. A Song of Ice and Fire. ASoS Tyrion IV (repost)

Close The Door And Come Here - ASoS Tyrion IV (repost)

Tyrion wants Sansa (gross). Symon Silver Tongue just wants to be a star. We just want to share our newest conspiracy theory. Also..remember back in 2015 when GRRM thought he was done with Winds? Good times. 

[westerosoliviapope]

A Real Northern Solstice (Sarella x Robb)

“Welcome back to WKLN’s Annual Dragon’s Plaza Winter Solstice Extravaganza! I’m Sansa Stark and if you’re just joining us, we just watched an amazing rendition of ‘Joy to the World’ by multi-platinum R&B legend Nettles LaWaters and the Children of the Light Gospel Choir. Let’s head over to the West End of the Plaza with my co-host, everyone’s favorite Bachelor, Harry Hardyng, to find out what’s next. Harry?” 

“Good evening, Sansa, and hello, Westeros! Harry Hardyng here and I’m on the Plaza’s West End where we’re about to see a performance of ‘Let the Ladies Speak’ from the cast of the hit musical, ‘The Wise,’ starring Rosamund Lannister as Queen Alysanne…”

When Robb invited her to spend two days at the Stark’s vacation cabin for a ‘real’ Winter Solstice before she flew home to spend the holidays with her family, Sarella Sand figured there’d be snow. Some sleepy morning sex. A round or two in the hot tub on the cabin’s upper deck. You know, a typical discrete getaway between a candidate for office and his deputy campaign manager. 

She did not expect to decorate a Solstice tree (“Pine—none of that fake southron rubbish”) or enjoy an authentic Northern meal of hearty lamb stew and brown soda bread–as much as she could enjoy a meal she had to pause and properly season (adding garlic and onions reduced in butter and a pinch of wine to the stew did the trick). Now she watches him refill her red wine while snuggled comfortably in one of his sweaters and a pair of thick, fuzzy socks.

Robb settles next to her, his piercing blue eyes relaxed with inebriation, his wide chest stretching his Wintertown High School Wolverines t-shirt as he stretches his arms behind the back of the couch. 

“So this is the full Robb Stark seduction assault,” she teases over the rim of her glass.

He quirks up a thick brow. “Don’t know what you mean, Ms. Sand…” 

She gestures broadly at the fire burning in the hearth, the towering, twinkling Solstice tree in the corner, the vintage recording of Symon Silver Tongue’s “Have Yourself a Merry Little Solstice” crooning from the speaker on the mantle. “Most men would lead with romance before nearly breaking the bed.” 

All I Want for Solstice is You | A Scandalous Winter Solstice on AO3

[chronicallytiredmuses]

⚠️TW FOR SUICIDE AND ABUSE MENTIONS⚠️

**General Info:**

Name: Valeriy Ivan Koval

Nicknames: Val

Gender: Male

Age: 28 years old

Birthdate: February 29

Zodiac Sign: Pisces

Sexuality: Gay

T, S, B: Bottom

**Appearance:**

Height: 6’1

Weight: 170 lbs

Body Type: Slim

Skin Tone: Very pale

Hair color: Black

Hair style: Shoulder length, layered

Eye color: Silver

Scars?: Several SH scars along arms and legs. A few scars from different instances of abuse

Piercings?: Tongue, Septum, and dermal piercings along his collarbones

Tattoos?: None

Other distinguishing features?: Dark bags underneath his eyes

**History:**

Family: Davyd Koval (Bio Father), Sophia Koval (Bio Mother)

Backstory: Valeriy grew up in Kosiv, Ukraine. The first years of his life (up until 8 years old), his parents always noticed something off with him. They felt paranoid and fearful if they were around him for long, and he also seemed to be panicked by things that weren’t there. After a few years of this, his mother went into a full blown psychosis, and committed suicide. From there, the father decided he couldn’t take care of his son alone and brought him to a group home for children. Things only got worse from there. Things had good times. There were times he made a few good friends, but the moment he became scared or angry again, people within the same building as him would also go into horrible episodes of psychosis, which caused a few of the other residents and caretakers to become abusive towards him during these times, or even suicidal. After he lost his best friend and one of the roommates in one of these instances, the group home decided it would be best to place institutionalize him, where he was then placed in isolation because of the danger he may cause to others, and because people feared him. He was there for several years before he managed to escape.

Love Interest (if any): Symon Bundar (Dating)

Physical Illness?: None

Neurological Illness?: None

Mental Illnesses?: Schizophrenia as a result of his curse, and PTSD

Handicaps?: None

Genetic Mutations?: None

**Personality:**

Personality: Valeriy shows a great mistrust towards people, and is very socially awkward. He doesn’t know how to interact well, and it makes him anxious. He’s scared of the thought of harming anyone so he usually just keeps to himself, but, he can get close to people. Valeriy is a kind-hearted person who has just gone through a lot, and has lost a lot of people. Whenever he does start to open up, he’s just an absolute sweetheart. An anxious sweetheart, but a sweetheart nonetheless.

**Any Trivia:**

Power- Can take greatest fear, worse memory, etc, and make you relive it. Drawbacks are his own schizophrenic and PTSD episodes and that this curse is triggered by his own uncontrollable emotions, usually fear or anger

- He knows very little English as far as speaking. He can understand English, but struggles speaking it

[snuggleupagus]

Would you stroll the royal gardens at night and be serenaded by him?

[wpmorse]

"I told Lady Tanda about him, and she hired him to play for Lollys. The music calms her when the baby starts to kick. Symon says there's to be a dancing bear at the feast, and wines from the Arbor. I've never seen a bear dance." Tyrion II - Pg 170

Shae gets her friend Symon Silver Tongue hired to play for Lollys Stokeworth.

I’m not completely sure what Tyrion dislikes more about Symon. Is it because he’s a potential snitch or if he perceives him as a rival for Shae‘s interests. Either way, even though we only see him through Tyrion’s biases, I don't see how he could be any less smarmy.

This scene turned out better than I expected. I’d done a design for Lollys a couple of months ago that I was quite happy with. I probably made her a bit less traumatized and more innocent than she is in the book. Since the only times we really see her is when she’s having nervous breakdowns in public from either Tyrion or Sansa's point of view, it's hard to tell.  Considering all the things she’s been through she deserved at least one moment of happiness.

[coffereadsasoiaf]

Symon Silver Tongue only wanted to write songs and sing them and make a career of it and btw he was also good at it and now Tyrion wants to kill him and I’m like dude... you’re walking on a thin line already with the Sansa nonsense you better get back on track

[gotcasting]

Symon (Silver Tongue)

Nigel Murfitt - ?, British.

(Thin brown hair, but no beard.)

[uacboo]

To read the article and watch the clip with the song: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2017/07/17/secret-meaning-ed-sheerans-game-thrones-character-song-sings/amp/

[sayruq]

"A folly,” sighed Tyrion. “When you tear out a man's tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you’re only telling the world that you fear what he might say.” I don't think it implies that Tyrion will loose tongue. It indeed showing that Tyrion could cut someone tongue to speak out truth with Tyrion didn't wanted to out. Also it was mentioned that Tyrion tongue would lead him to some trouble which could be about the words he spoke to create problems for others. Thoughts?

jaime lost his hand, cersei lost her hair and she was paraded naked in front king's landing, and tyrion lost his nose. the mutilations and hair cuts sort of track the lannister's decline but now that all three siblings have gone through something like that, i don't think tyrion is going to lose his tongue. i think tyrion is going to cut someone's tongue like aerys and joffrey but then again, he already had symone silver tongue killed so it's possible that this passage isn't foreshadowing anything that tyrion himself is going to do. maybe someone else will cut tongues.

as for the second part of your ask i feel like this passage

"You have a certain cunning, Tyrion, but the plain truth is you talk too much. That loose tongue of yours will be your undoing."

and this passage are connected

"Perhaps I overstated. She may take pity on you when you come begging for her hand." The dwarf shrugged. "Do you want to wager your throne upon a woman's whim? Go to Westeros, though … ah, then you are a rebel, not a beggar. Bold, reckless, a true scion of House Targaryen, walking in the footsteps of Aegon the Conqueror. A dragon.

as well as

That night Tyrion Lannister dreamed of a battle that turned the hills of Westeros as red as blood. He was in the midst of it, dealing death with an axe as big as he was, fighting side by side with Barristan the Bold and Bittersteel as dragons wheeled across the sky above them. In the dream he had two heads, both noseless. His father led the enemy, so he slew him once again. Then he killed his brother, Jaime, hacking at his face until it was a red ruin, laughing every time he struck a blow. Only when the fight was finished did he realize that his second head was weeping.

rather than his tongue leading to his death or mutilation, it will lead to his ruin. tyrion told aegon to go to westeros and aegon followed that advice to great success. when tyrion heard about this, he was surprised. he had only been playing mind games with aegon, he didn't expect to get taken seriously but nonetheless he was taken seriously. now he is in meereen waiting for daenerys and when she returns, she'll learn of aegon and she'll make the choice to go to war with him rather than this happening

"I told you, I know our little queen. Let her hear that her brother Rhaegar's murdered son is still alive, that this brave boy has raised the dragon standard of her forebears in Westeros once more, that he is fighting a desperate war to avenge his father and reclaim the Iron Throne for House Targaryen, hard-pressed on every side … and she will fly to your side as fast as wind and water can carry her.

i don't know if tyrion will egg her on. after all, he is rather fond of his time on the shy maid and he doesn't carry the same hatred for its inhabitants the way he does his family. in fact aegon and his crew will take care of tyrion's family... which might be a big problem but something i don't think tyrion will know about until he and dany (and victarion) sail to westeros.

as for his ruin, tyrion and aegon had an infamous cyvasse game where tyrion ran circles around aegon which led to aegon's gamer moment when he flip the board in anger. since then a lot of fans have been under the impression that aegon isn't good at battles or politics because the cyvasse is obviously an acceptable substitute for both 🙄. however, aegon has been growing since that moment. he convinced the golden company to abandon their plan to head out to meereen, he has taken storm's end, a castle famous for being difficult to capture, dany's vision in the house of dying shows people cheering for a cloth dragon which we can all agree is aegon, dorne and other regions will soon ally with aegon. he isn't the same boy that tyrion knew and by the time he takes king's landing away from the lannisters, he'll be quite the formidable foe.

i've said before that aegon is likely to surpass tyrion in warcraft. tyrion has one battle under his belt and aegon's just getting started. when they meet again, tyrion won't find an easy victory. in fact the war between daenerys and aegon will last long and it will be catastrophic for westeros. many people will die and by the end of it, tyrion will become the most reviled man in westeros. being hated is something that eats at tyrion, it's actually quite traumatic for him but nothing he has endured at this point will match what people will feel about him after king's landing explodes.

so yeah tyrion gave one advice to aegon and it'll end up ruining him.