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sungsyc-amore · 3 months

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The Magnus Archives

Season One Notes and Speculation

Main Cast

Spoilers for Season One Below the Break!!!

Martin Blackwood- Helper for Jonathan whom he doesn’t like. Speaks Polish and Jonathan has disdain for his Latin. Claustrophobic. “Blessed relief if you ask me.” Jon about Martin being out with a stomach sickness. Martin comes back in MAG 21, Freefall with squishy squelchy stuff that Jon reacts to with “God- Martin!! What the hell is- what are these things?!” Ran into Jane Prentiss in MAG 22, Colony in which he stays holed up in his house for 13 days as Jane and her parasites kept trying to get in. He is invited to stay in the room Jon sleeps in during late nights post his incident. He feels stuck in the web of the archive. Jon thought he was a ghost in Infestation (MAG 39). He writes poetry and thinks tapes have a sort of lofi charm. It’s why he has the extra recorder. He feels incredibly guilty over leaving Tim and Jonathan in the tunnels, starting to tear up over it after apologizing in Human Remains (MAG 40).

Elias Buchard- The head of the Magnus Institute, doesn’t want Jonathan and crew looking into the Lukas family because they fund the institute. He hates Jonathan more than Martin and thought the parasites were an over reaction in Infestation (MAG 39).

Sasha James - Helper for Jonathan whom he doesn’t mind. Sets off the fire alarm to try and survive the worms. She joined as a practical researcher. Wishes she could’ve quit ages ago. She finds the table with the crazy geometric patterns and then the tape recorder glitches. Infestation (MAG 29). A feminine voice says into it afterwards “I see you.” The scream heard on tape is Jane Prentiss dying as seen in Human Remains (MAG 40).

Jonathan Sims- Head of the Magnus Archives, rather detached. This being said in Colony (MAG 22) he is shown to have started turning over a new leaf as he offers Martin his room in the archives. In Skintight (MAG 28) he shows an improvement in people skills as he treats the statement giver with a bit more respect than Naomi. He is adamant about not becoming another mystery, to make sure his successor knows exactly what happened. Infestation (MAG 39). Feels like he’s being watched when he records real statements. He also used to smoke according to Elias.

Tim Stoker - Helper for Jonathan whom he slowly seems to grow a distaste for, remaking he’s thankful for him being out of the office. He’s into Robert Smirke’s architecture as of A Distortion (MAG 26). Found tunnels in the archives and went crazy with gas to kill the worms in Infestation (MAG 39).

Other Characters

Sebastian Adekoya- Friend of Jared Hopsworth who delivers MAG 17, Bone Turner’s Tale. Died 2006, crushed on the road.

Angela- Witch from MAG 14 Piecemeal who slowly devoured the parts of Lee Rentoul and Paul Noriega through cardboard boxes with severed articles of various body parts

Asag- Fire mythos thing from First Aid

Sarah Baldwin- Victim of the Angler Fish (MAG 1) who later reappears in Skintight (MAG 28) being super quiet and also talking with a shadowy figure. She seems to remove her skin and then pull it tight and staple it quite regularly.

Breekon and Hope- The delivery boys from the end of one of the mags that give Jon a spider web lighter. Anatomy Class (MAG 34).

Antonio Blake- The Dreamer from MAG 11 Dreamer who saw a strange version of London and Gertrude dying in TMA FAKE NAME, KEEP EYES OUT

Edwin Burrowes- Catholic priest from Burnt Out. In Confession (MAG 19) he says a prayer in the house and feels heat. Then he starts to pray for himself and a demonic presence says through him “I am not for you. I am marked.” He proceeds to eat a human at the ushering of some unknown figure in Desecrated Host (MAG 20)

Michael Crew- Returned The Bone Turner’s Tale to Chiswick Library in MAG 17, The Bone Turner’s Tale

Harriet Fairchild- Went skydiving with Simon in MAG 21, Freefall. Said Robert was gone for 15 mins.

Simon Fairchild- First shows up in MAG 21, Freefall and tells Robert to “Enjoy sky blue” before sending him to a weird groundless realm. Robert Kelly is then later ate by the sky.

Raymond Fielding- Housed many people on Hilltop Road and was missing his right hand when he died

Trevor Herbert- Killed vampires for a living and died of lung cancer in the lobby in Vampire Killer (MAG 10). Dead as restated in Taken ill (MAG 36)

Naomi Herne- First ever person to make a statement with Jonathan and survived the Lukas’ in her ep, MAG 13 Alone

Timothy Hodge - Man who slept with Harriet Lee and heard her explode. DEAD AS OF A Distortion (MAG 26) for got turned into hive meat.

Jared Hopsworth- Friend of Sebastian Adekoya who assaults him consistently, first mentioned in MAG 17 The Bone Turner’s Tale. He, for instance, turns over an entire cart of returned books. He takes the book and runs out. He comes back later in the episode with more bones. And apparently more limbs

Mary Keay- Gerry Keay’s mother

Gerard (Gerry) Keay- Burns the Lightner books (seen in Page Turner) and was found covered in eyes and burn marks in MAG 12 First Aid. He puts a stop to the invisible flame.

Moira Kelly- Sees her son Robert Kelly get ate by the sky in MAG 21, Freefall

Robert Kelly- Simon Fairchild tells him to enjoy sky blue and then he gets ate by the sky in MAG 21, Freefall

Melanie King- Ghost hunter who sees Sarah Baldwin do her skin tricks in Skintight (MAG 28).

Jergner Leitner- Book maker and has a library, seen in Page Turner. Reseen in MAG 17 The Bone Turner’s Tale. Actually seen as a man in Old Passages (MAG 35) in which he asks people to dig underground.

Evan Lukas- Fell in love with Naomi Herne and then died.

Nathaniel Lukas- Owns the boating company for the Tundra as of Boatswain’s Call (MAG 33).

Peter Lukas- Captain of the Tundra as seen in Boatswain’s Call (MAG 33).

Agnes Montague- Witch lady with the hand tied around her with a chain, died the same day as the tree getting pulled down and apple melted

Julia Montork- Daughter of Robert Montork and witness of MAG 9- A Father’s Love

Jane Prentiss- Red dress lady from Squirm. She seems to be a hive for parasites and is no longer the actual Jane Prentiss as of Colony (MAG 22). She uses Martin’s phone in that episode to pose as him while trying to Squirm him. She says at the end through his phone, “Keep him. We have had our fun. He will want to see it when the archivists crimson fate arrives.” A statement by her exists somewhere in the archives. Hive (MAG 32) has her explaining how she felt itchy all the time and all the holes throughout her. “You can see it, and log it, and still never understand it.” Presumably she becomes what she is today after sticking her arm into the nest and screaming out in pain. She dies due to Elias making the CO2 go off in Human Remains (MAG 40).

Joseph Rainer - The man who survived the shell blast with Wilfrid in The Piper (MAG 7).

Maxwell Rainer- First appearance is MAG 9 in which he is described as the “defrocked pentecostal leader” who became a cult figure for The People’s Church of the Divine Host

Gertrude Robinson - Former Archivist, died, presumably in The Archives. Oh boy! So, in Burnt Offering (MAG 37) it is revealed her hair and image was used in some twisted altar thingy and a dude who smashes a bottle there has all his things go up in flames.

Lesere Saraki- Nurse from MAG 12 First Aid who feels watched after the incident in the hospital

Mikaele Selesa- First appears in Piecemeal (MAG 14) where he tries to sell something to Norigea. Reappears in Lost and Found (MAG 38) as he sells Andre Ramao a vase.

Michael Shelly- “How would a melody describe itself when asked?” He needs help, likes giggling at Sasha. Says that the hive (Jane Prentiss) is rash. Knew Jon, Tim, and Martin’s names. Shows how to kill the worms in A Distortion (MAG 26).

Robert Smirke- An architect. He worked for Jergner Leitner to build an underground club as seen in Old Passages (MAG 35).

Nathaniel Thorp- Immortal being from Cheating Death (MAG 29)

Places, Concepts, and Organizations

Breekon and Hope Deliveries- Company that takes away the coffin from MAG 2 Do Not Open. Also the same company that gives the church the pale yellow stool in MAG 20, Desecrated Host.

Formula of Sacred Geometry- The intricate patterns we’ve been seeing that Jonathan says there are different schools

Hill Top Road- The place where Burnt Out takes place, had the apple underneath the bleeding tree in the intricate pattern box

The Magnus Institute- Founded 1818, has a series of tunnels under its building and seems to slow the horrors when inside its building.

Open Skydiving- An organization that seems to have never existed. Fairchild’s are connected to it

The People’s Church of the Divine Host- A small cult that grew around the defrocked pentecostal minister, Maxwell Rainer, in London during the late 80’s and mid 90’s

St. Thomas Hospital- Had the fire incident from First Aid and the nurse still feels watched there

Speculation

My inclinations about the horrors having certain types seems to be spot on. You have the Leitner Tomes, Sacred Geometry, Prentiss Parasites, Breekon and Hope distinctless entities, the Hands, Strange Music- even if I’m not spot on you can definitely group some of the ongoings together.

As for characters, Jonathan is slowly becoming a better person as he unlocks the skill empathy by being subjected to horrors himself. I believe the Lukas family will play a big part in the upcoming season as Elias seems to becoming more of a big player and with Elias comes more talk of funding and whatnot. Something I’d like to point out is that the institute is most likely not a good organization as all of the tendrils led to the archives and even Michael seems to hint that the Hive of parasites are right in wanting to destroy it.

Speaking of, Michael himself is then drawn into incredibly questionable territory. He used the attack to rid the archives of his recorded files and taught them how to fight Prentiss. He wants the institute around which just confirms to me that it has to be a rotten group.

As for where the plot goes from here I’m not entirely sure beyond more Lukas and Micheal involvement. We now have the added worries of Sasha and her experience with the Not Sasha voice we heard as well as questions as to who killed Gertrude Robinson as WELL as why she was being used in the horrors rituals.

Now for just my fun thoughts- I adore Martin. I think he’s my favorite character. He has so much thought and empathy put into all he does. Like the dude was running scenario after scenario in his mind to make sure everything would be okay when Jane attacked- and it sort of was because they fended her off and saved Tim. Alexander J Newall also kills his voice acting- I love how timid sounding he is and the delivery of his lines to Jon about being sorry for leaving him behind- AAAGGH it literally tore my heart into bits.

Anyways that’s enough rambling. Stay tuned for my season 2 notes and ideas!

#the magnus archives #tma #the magnus archives spoilers #tma spoilers #spoilers #season 1 #tma s1 spoilers #tma s1 #the magnus archives season 1 spoilers #the magnus archives season 1 #tma s1 notes #the magnus archives season 1 notes #tma notes #the magnus archive notes #jonathan sims #martin blackwood #sasha james #elias buchard #tim stoker

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lost-between-letters · 2 years

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Hold Me Close

Pairing: Jonathan Byers X Reader (she/her)

Warnings: crying, Jonathan blaming himself, insecurities, emotional hurt/comfort

Word Count: 926

Summary: Will was missing, no one knew how that could have happened and Jonathan was at his limit. There was exactly one person that had a chance at calming him at least a little bit. You.

A/N: listen, I started this show like yesterday (thanks to certain people being obsessed with it - oh boy were you guys right) and I may have gotten a little attached to Jonathan

The news reached her relatively late. Y/N had been pretty much in her own world all throughout the school day and it wasn't unusual to not see Jonathan. Sometimes he worked late and couldn't get out of bed the next morning.

It wasn't a big deal, Y/N took notes for him and they went over them whenever they had time. After, they usually retired to her bed, too exhausted for anything else. Jonathan was going above and beyond to help his mother so Y/N's home was his place to come down. The place where he knew he could relax and leave his responsibilities at the front step.

The first time he had told her that, she had been damn close to crying. This family didn't deserve this. Jonathan didn't deserve this.

So when he stood on her front porch, absolutely drenched from the rain and shivering, Y/N pushed him inside without a second thought.

"Jon, you're freezing!" She said and grabbed for the next best piece of fabric - her own jacket in that case - and wrapped it around his shoulders.

Jonathan let her as he stood immovable. He hadn't said a word yet, let her push him around without resistance. Only then, Y/N realised that something was wrong. "Jonathan?"

"It's Will," he said eventually. His eyes were fixed on a point somewhere behind Y/N's shoulder.

Her mind scrambled back over the day. Had the bullies gotten to his little brother again? No, Y/N hadn't noticed anything. Will's friends had passed her in the hallways once or twice but - oh shit.

"What happened?" Y/N asked, afraid that she already knew what was coming.

Another beat of silence. Then, to her horror, Y/N saw his shoulders shake just the slightest bit. Jonathan was crying. "He's- I-"

"Maybe we should go and sit down for this one," Y/N said gently and guided her boyfriend to her room.

By the time they sat down on her bed, Jonathan was sobbing and shaking like a leaf. Y/N felt like someone had reached in her chest and squeezed at the sight of him. He looked so small right now.

She wrapped one arm around his waist and placed the other hand on the back of his neck. It didn't take more for Jonathan to all but collapse into the hug.

"Shh, it's okay. You're going to be okay," she whispered and rested her chin on top of his head.

Honestly, Y/N had no idea what she was supposed to do. Sure, Jonathan was on the more quiet side - they could go hours without talking - but he had never broken down like this.

And that was all the confirmation she needed. Something terrible had happened to Will.

Just as that thought crystallised in her mind clear as day, Jonathan tensed up. He raised his head from her shoulder, eyes swollen and filled with anger as they bored into hers.

"No, it's not," he said and pushed back, "Will is missing and it's my fault. Nothing will ever be okay."

"Why should it be your fault?" The words were out of her mouth before Y/N had made a conscious decision to speak them. But it was just so ridiculous to think that Jonathan should be responsible for that. He didn't throw him out of the house or shoved Will to the side, that wasn't him.

But Jonathan was too caught in his own guilt to notice Y/N's regret over the blunt question. "I shouldn't have taken that night shift when mom was working, I should have picked him up at Mike's way earlier, I should have known that-"

"Baby, stop."

Y/N reached out again and grasped his hands in her own to stop him from tearing at his own skin. "It's not your fault. It really is not. You couldn't have known any of this. Please don't put the blame on yourself, you can't do that."

"But I should have been there-" Jonathan started. A sob cut him short. "I shouldn't have-"

"You did everything you could, Baby," Y/N said gently. She herself was more than shaken by the news but if she knew one thing than it was that Jonathan was not responsible for any of it.

He shook his head. "No, I should've-"

"Stop. Please."

Y/N didn't know how to make him stop blaming himself so she simply pulled. Pulled until they were laying down, legs tangled and backs already beginning to hurt from the awkward angle. But she had Jonathan's head buried in her neck and his tears were soaking her shirt and his mouth was pressed against her skin and he was sobbing into it. But he stopped counting down impossible reasons how it could have been his fault.

And that was a win. Even if it was a small one.

While Jonathan was crying out all of the shock and fear of the past day, Y/N kept murmuring comforting phrases that neither of them really listened to and held him close. He needed her right now and Y/N would never turn him away.

Eventually, Jonathan's breathing evened out and his grip on her hips went slack. He had cried himself to sleep.

With a sigh, Y/N stretched until she could switch off the night light and throw a blanket over both of them. It wasn't the most comfortable position but she wasn't willing to wake him up again now that he had finally found some peace.

Y/N brushed her lips against his forehead in a soft kiss before she closed her eyes too. "We'll find him, Baby. I promise."

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#jonathan byers x reader #jonathan x reader #jonathan byers #jonathan byers fanfiction #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things x reader #stranger things #hurt/comfort

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clytemnaestraes · 7 months

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Jon reached to pull aside the cloak he'd hung over the rock, and found it stiff and frozen. He crept beneath it and stood up in a forest turned to crystal.

So there is magic beyond the Wall after all. He found himself thinking of his sisters, perhaps because he'd dreamed of them last night. Sansa would call this an enchantment, and tears would fill her eyes at the wonder of it

Jon III, ACOK

Snow was falling on the Eyrie.

Outside the flakes drifted down as soft and silent as memory. Was this what woke me? Already the snowfall lay thick upon the garden below, blanketing the grass, dusting the shrubs and statues with white and weighing down the branches of the trees.

When she opened the door to the garden, it was so lovely that she held her breath, unwilling to disturb such perfect beauty. The snow drifted down and down, all in ghostly silence, and lay thick and unbroken on the ground. All color had fled the world outside. It was a place of whites and blacks and greys. White towers and white snow and white statues, black shadows and black trees, the dark grey sky above. A pure world, Sansa thought. I do not belong here.

Yet she stepped out all the same. Her boots tore ankle-deep holes into the smooth white surface of the snow, yet made no sound. Sansa drifted past frosted shrubs and thin dark trees, and wondered if she were still dreaming. Drifting snowflakes brushed her face as light as lover's kisses, and melted on her cheeks.

Sansa VII, ASOS

Sansa and Jon's thoughts about snowfall compared and contrasted with each other. While Sansa does indeed move as if in a dream as predicted by jon who thinks Sansa would be enchanted by the sight, where jon sees colours, she sees the black and white, indicative of how even her romanticism is tempered by the reality of the vale.

She still feels out of place, and the feeling that she doesn't "belong" in the vale is still very prevalent. It is noted earlier that Sansa was feeling disconnected from both her mother and father's gods in the vale, but snow ultimately proves to be her spiritual awakening, providing her the much needed connection to home, inspiring her to start building Winterfell with her own hands, leading to the eventual realisation that she's stronger within the walls of winterfell.

In both sansa and jon's thoughts, snow took over the world, blanketing it, overpowering everything else.

Both jon and sansa had been dreaming about their siblings the night before they awoke to the snowfall in the forest and the eyrie respectively.

She had dreamt that she was little, still sharing a bedchamber with her sister Arya.

He found himself thinking of his sisters, perhaps because he'd dreamed of them last night.

#sansa stark #asoiaf #jon snow #asoiaf character parallels #sansaisms

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esther-dot · 1 year

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Show: Sam wanted to take Gilly with him at the Wall, Jon and Ygritte kissed at Wall while she was crying mesmerized by its beauty. Books: Jon think his sisters reactions to Wall(no brothers) and think Sansa would called it's enchantment and crying. Ygritte did cry but hit Jon when he tried to comfort her.

It’s so odd to me that D&D took the most romantic figure (Sansa) and stripped her of that/seemed to have a lot of disdain for her romanticism, and then took much darker characters and twisted dynamics and romanticized those. I guess they needed to make the show more enjoyable, and I would not have wanted book Ygritte for an entire season, but my goodness, the choices they made!

The Jon and Ygritte scene at the Wall in the show made for a very pretty shot, but in the books, it tells us about Jon’s nature, about Ygritte’s nature, and how they represent the North and a threat to the North:

"It's made of ice," Jon pointed out.

"You know nothing, Jon Snow. This wall is made o' blood."

Nor had it drunk its fill. By sunset, two of the Thenns had fallen from the ladder to their deaths, but they were the last. It was near midnight before Jon reached the top. The stars were out again, and Ygritte was trembling from the climb. "I almost fell," she said, with tears in her eyes. "Twice. Thrice. The Wall was trying t' shake me off, I could feel it." One of the tears broke free and trickled slowly down her cheek.

"The worst is behind us." Jon tried to sound confident. "Don't be frightened." He tried to put an arm around her.

Ygritte slammed the heel of her hand into his chest, so hard it stung even through his layers of wool, mail, and boiled leather. "I wasn't frightened. You know nothing, Jon Snow." (ASOS, Jon IV)

The idea that the Wall itself tried to reject her/the FF because they are a threat, is interesting, and the fact that Jon wants to comfort and reassure Ygritte only for her to be violent towards him (Martin makes a point to describe how hard she hit him so we know she hurt him, it wasn’t just a casual shove), seems like some essential characterization, and context for what follows.

The beauty of the North is so compellingly described here:

I love how the girls are characterized as well, and what it tells us about Jon that he imagines their reactions this way. Book Jon, my darling. 💗

#book jon #dot chat #< for filtering

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istumpysk · 10 months

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Operation Stumpy Re-Read

TWOW: Arianne II

The Peregrine made port at the Weeping Town, where the corpse of the Young Dragon had once lingered for three days on its journey home from Dorne.

Could be relevant.

The Dornish prince was three days dying. - The Queen's Hand, ADWD

+.+.+

The town was large enough to support three inns, and all their common rooms were rife with rumors. Arianne sent her men into each of them, to hear what they might hear. In the Broken Shield, Daemon Sand was told that the great septry on the Holf of Men had been burned and looted by raiders from the sea, and a hundred young novices from the motherhouse on Maiden Isle carried off into slavery. In the Loon, Joss Hood learned that half a hundred men and boys from the Weeping Town had set off north to join Jon Connington at Griffin's Roost, including young Ser Addam, old Lord Whitehead's son and heir. But in the aptly named Drunken Dornishman, Feathers heard men muttering that the griffin had put Red Ronnet's brother to death and raped his maiden sister. Ronnet himself was said to be rushing south to avenge his brother's death and his sister's dishonor. That night Arianne dispatched the first of her ravens back to Dorne, reporting to her father on all they'd seen and heard.

I'm going to laugh if she's sending him a bunch of gossip and hearsay.

"Send a raven whenever you have news," Prince Doran told her, "but report only what you know to be true. We are lost in fog here, besieged by rumors, falsehoods, and traveler's tales. I dare not act until I know for a certainty what is happening." - Arianne I, TWOW

For the record, Jon Connington didn't actually kill Red Ronnet's brother, or rape his maiden sister. However, he's currently holding his own family hostage, one of his men threw a maester from a tower, and only four of the castle garrison survived the attack.

Similar to Daenerys Targaryen in Slaver's Bay, sometimes knowing the truth of a situation doesn't bring much more reassurance.

+.+.+

Huge willows grew along the watercourses, larger than any that Arianne had ever seen, their great trunks as gnarled and twisted as an old man's face and festooned with beards of silvery moss. Trees pressed close on every side, shutting out the sun; hemlock and red cedars, white oaks, soldier pines that stood as tall and straight as towers, colossal sentinels, big-leaf maples, redwoods, wormtrees, even here and there a wild weirwood.

I don't think this is anything, but I get paranoid.

+.+.+

Arianne had once heard her father and Maester Caleotte arguing with a septon about why the north and south sides of the Sea of Dorne were so different. The septon thought it was because of Durran Godsgrief, the first Storm King, who had stolen the daughter of the sea god and the goddess of the wind and earned their eternal emnity. Prince Doran and the maester inclined more toward wind and water, and spoke of how the big storms that formed down in the Summer Sea would pick up moisture moving north until they slammed into Cape Wrath. For some strange reason the storms never seemed to strike at Dorne, she recalled her father saying. "I know your reason," the septon had responded. "No Dornishmen ever stole away the daughter of two gods."

It's astonishing to me that a priest lacks understanding of the scientific field of meteorology.

For some strange reason the storms never seemed to strike at Dorne

+.+.+

The princess lost another game of cyvasse to Daemon Sand, won one from Joss Hood, then retired as the two of them began to teach Jayne Ladybright the rules. She was tired of such games.

There ya go!

You better not be tired.

+.+.+

Nym and Tyene may have reached King's Landing by now, she mused, as she settled down crosslegged by the mouth of the cave to watch the falling rain. If not they ought to be there soon.

Yeah? Is that what you'd like me to believe, George?

Boy, I'm eagerly anticipating the amusing antics that will unfold between Cersei Lannister, the High Sparrow, Nym Sand, and Tyene Sand. That's definitely a plot you can count on happening, no shadow of a doubt.

+.+.+

Prince Trystane had remained safely back at Sunspear, after a tearful parting from Princess Myrcella.

That moment you realize nowhere in Dorne is safe.

Reminds me of this one:

Steffon and Stannis were thousands of leagues from the fighting and safe from harm, but Devan was at Castle Black, a squire to the king. - Davos II, ADWD

Nope!

+.+.+

That accounts for one brother, thought Arianne, but where is Quentyn, if not with the griffin? Had he wed his dragon queen? King Quentyn. It still sounded silly. This new Daenerys Targaryen was younger than Arianne by half a dozen years. What would a maid that age want with her dull, bookish brother? Young girls dreamed of dashing knights with wicked smiles, not solemn boys who always did their duty. She will want Dorne, though. If she hopes to sit the Iron Throne, she must have Sunspear. If Quentyn was the price for that, this dragon queen would pay it. What if she was at Griffin's End with Connington, and all this about another Targaryen was just some sort of subtle ruse? Her brother could well be with her. King Quentyn. Will I need to kneel to him?

You are too old to be acting like this.

+.+.+

No good would come of wondering about it. Quentyn would be king or he would not. I pray Daenerys treats him him more gently than she did her own brother.

The irony of this thought occurring immediately after she ponders the absurdity of her own brother as king shouldn't be lost on you.

+.+.+

It was only as she settled down that Arianne realized Elia Sand had not returned from her explorations. [...] The cave proved much deeper than any of them had suspected. Beyond the stony mouth where her company had made their camp and hobbled their horses, a series of twisty passageways led down and down, with black holes snaking off to either side. Further in, the walls opened up again, and the searchers found themselves in a vast limestone cavern, larger than the great hall of a castle. Their shouts disturbed a nest of bats, who flapped about them noisily, but only distant echoes shouted back. A slow circuit of the hall revealed three further passages, one so small that it would have required them to proceed on hands and knees.

Giving House of the Undying, House of Black and White, and Red Keep vibes.

+.+.+

And all at once she found herself in another cavern, five times as big as the last one, surrounded by a forest of stone columns. Daemon Sand moved to her side and raised his torch. "Look how the stone's been shaped," he said. "Those columns, and the wall there. See them?" "Faces," said Arianne. So many sad eyes, staring. "This place belonged to the children of the forest." "A thousand years ago." Arianne turned her head. "Listen. Is that Joss?" It was. The other searchers had found Elia, as she and Daemon learned after they made their way back up the slippery slope to the last hall.

Wait a second, I know this scene!

Are you telling me that wasn't real?

Okay, but what about this?

↓

Might I ask about these corpses in the ice cells? They make the men uneasy. And to keep them under guard? Surely that is a waste of two good men, unless you fear that they …"

"… will rise? I pray they do." - Jon VIII, ADWD

"Thrice I flew Silverwing high above Castle Black, and thrice I tried to take her north beyond the Wall," Alysanne wrote to Jaehaerys, "but every time she veered back south again and refused to go. Never before has she refused to take me where I wished to go." - Fire & Blood

Shit!

Okay, but what about this?

↓

Mormont snorted. "Because I sent him, why do you think? He's bringing the hand your Ghost tore off the end of Jafer Flowers's wrist. I have commanded him to take ship to King's Landing and lay it before this boy king. That should get young Joffrey's attention, I'd think … and Ser Alliser's a knight, highborn, anointed, with old friends at court, altogether harder to ignore than a glorified crow." - Jon VIII, AGOT

Shit!

Okay, but what about this?

↓

The Cinnamon Wind was spinning all around them and he could taste the rum on Gilly's tongue and the next thing her breasts were bare and he was touching them. - Samwell IV, AFFC

Shit!

Gosh, it's almost as if the creators of Game of Thrones pulled an entire season and romance from their ass.

+.+.+

Their passageway led down to a still black pool, where they discovered the girl up to her waist in water, catching blind white fish with her bare hands, her torch burning red and smoky in the sand where she had planted it.

That black pool sounds familiar.

Blind white fish swam in the black river, but they tasted just as good as fish with eyes once you cooked them up. - Bran III, ADWD

Where else does this river go?

+.+.+

"I caught two fish," said Elia Sand. "You could have died," said Arianne again. Her words echoed off the cavern walls. "… died … died … died …"

A bit ominous.

+.+.+

"Elia, this must end," she told her. "We are not in Dorne now. You are not with your sisters, and this is not a game. I want your word that you will play the maidservant until we are safely back at Sunspear. I want you meek and mild and obedient. You need to hold your tongue. I'll hear no more talk of Lady Lance or jousting, no mention of your father or your sisters. The men that I must treat with are sellswords. Today they serve this man who calls himself Jon Connington, but come the morrow they could just as easily serve the Lannisters. All it takes to win a sellsword's heart is gold, and Casterly Rock does not lack for that. If the wrong man should learn who you are, you could be seized and held for ransom–"

[...]

"You are a Sand Snake, and Prince Doran would pay any price to keep you and your sisters safe from harm." That made the child smile at least. "Do I have your sworn word? Or must I send you back?"

"I swear." Elia did not sound happy.

"On your father's bones."

"On my father's bones."

That vow she will keep, Arianne decided. She kissed her cousin on the cheek and sent her off to sleep. Perhaps some good would come of her adventure. "I never knew how wild she was till now," Arianne complained to Daemon Sand, afterward. "Why would my father inflict her on me?" "Vengeance?" the knight suggested, with a smile.

Later:

Arianne was on her way back to her own chamber when she heard muffled laughter from the adjoining room. She paused and listened for a moment, then pushed the door open to find Elia Sand curled up in a window seat, kissing Feathers.

[...]

"Feathers is a man." A serving man, but still a man. It did not escape the princess that Elia was the same age she had been when she gave her maidenhead to Daemon Sand.

Lmao.

This is why I'm never having children. I would be cursed with raising another version of myself.

+.+.+

Mistfall's new sellsword masters called themselves Young John Mudd and Chain. Both knights, to hear them tell it. Neither behaved like any knight that Arianne had ever met. Mudd wore brown from head to heel, the same shade as his skin, but a pair of golden coins dangled from his ears. The Mudds had been kings up by the Trident a thousand years ago, she knew, but there was nothing royal about this one. Nor was he particularly young, but it seemed his father had also served in the Golden Company, where he had been known as Old John Mudd.

That's considered fAegon evidence.

Young John Mudd (Young Griff), son of Old John Mudd of the Golden Company, bears the name of previous kings in Westeros. However, it's clear there's no real ancestral ties to that royal bloodline.

+.+.+

At evenfall a fine supper was served to them in the solar, high in the Tower of Owls, where they were joined by the dowager Lady Mertyns and her maester. Though a captive in her own castle, the old woman seemed spry and cheerful. "My sons and grandsons went off when Lord Renly called his banners," she told the princess and her party. "I have not seen them since, though from time to time they send a raven. One of my grandsons took a wound at the Blackwater, but he's since recovered. I expect they will return here soon enough to hang this lot of thieves." She waved a duck leg at Mudd and Chain across the table. "We are no thieves," said Mudd. "We're foragers." "Did you buy all that food down in the yard?" "We foraged it," said Mudd. “The smallfolk can grow more. We serve your rightful king, old crone.” He seemed to be enjoying this. “You should learn to speak more courteous to knights.”

"If you two are knights, I'm still a maiden," said Lady Mertyns. "And I'll speak as I please. What will you do, kill me? I have lived too long already."

Princess Arianne said, "Have you been treated well, my lady?"

"I have not been raped, if that is what you're asking," the old woman said. "Some of the serving girls have been less fortunate. Married or unmarried, the men make no distinctions."

"No one's been doing any raping," insisted Young John Mudd. "Connington won't have that. We follow orders."

Chain nodded. "Some girls was persuaded, might be."

"The same way our smallfolk were persuaded to give you all their crops. Melons or maidenheads, it's all the same to your sort. If you want it, you take it." Lady Mertyns turned to Arianne. "If you should see this Lord Connington, you tell him that I knew his mother, and she would be ashamed." Perhaps I shall, the princess thought.

Might as well start the obituaries now.

+.+.+

That night when she told Ser Daemon what Chain had said, the Bastard of Godsgrace seemed as perplexed as she was. "Storm's End was still held by men loyal to Lord Stannis when last I heard. You would think Connington might do better to make common cause with another rebel, rather than making war upon him too." "Stannis is too far away to be of help to him," Arianne mused. "Capturing a few minor castles whilst their lords and garrisons are off at distant wars, that's one thing, but if Lord Connington and his pet dragon can somehow take one of the great strongholds of the realm …" "…the realm would have to take them seriously," Ser Daemon finished.

Including Daenerys!

+.+.+

Near dusk on the fourth day, not long after Chain and his wagons had taken their leave of them, Arianne's company was met by a column of sellswords down from Griffin's Roost, led by the most exotic creature that the princess had ever laid her eyes on, with painted fingernails and gemstones sparkling in his ears.

Lysono Maar spoke the Common Tongue very well. "I have the honor to be the eyes and ears of the Golden Company, princess."

"You look…" She hesitated.

"…like a woman?" He laughed. "That I am not."

"…like a Targaryen," Arianne insisted. His eyes were a pale lilac, his hair a waterfall of white and gold. All the same, something about him made her skin crawl. Was this what Viserys looked like? she found herself wondering. If so perhaps it is a good thing he is dead.

(Please give yourself a moment to laugh at her discomfort at the sight of someone resembling a Targaryen.)

That's considered fAegon evidence.

It's another reminder that people from Lys have the Targaryen look.

"Your Grace is kind," said Waters with a smile. A wicked smile, the queen thought. Aurane did not resemble Prince Rhaegar as much as she had thought. He has the hair, but so do half the whores in Lys, if the tales are true. Rhaegar was a man. This is a sly boy, no more. Useful in his way, though. - Cersei VIII, AFFC

↓

"Serra. I found her in a Lysene pillow house and brought her home to warm my bed, but in the end I wed her. Me, whose first wife had been a cousin of the Prince of Pentos. The palace gates were closed to me thereafter, but I did not care. The price was small enough, for Serra." - Tyrion II, ADWD

Somewhat worrisome, because Aegon also resembles young Illyrio.

A naked boy stood on the water, poised to duel with a bravo's blade in hand. He was lithe and handsome, no older than sixteen, with straight blond hair that brushed his shoulders. So lifelike did he seem that it took the dwarf a long moment to realize he was made of painted marble, though his sword shimmered like true steel. - tyrion I, ADWD

↓

He was a lithe and well-made youth, with a lanky build and a shock of dark blue hair. The dwarf put his age at fifteen, sixteen, or near enough to make no matter. - Tyrion III, ADWD

+.+.+

"I am flattered. The women of House Targaryen are said to be without peer in all the world."

"And the men of House Targaryen?"

"Oh, even prettier. Though if truth be told, I have only seen the one."

That's considered fAegon evidence. The author made it ambiguous.

Lysono Maar is the spymaster for the Golden Company, it's possible he's met Viserys Targaryen.

Her brother Viserys had once feasted the captains of the Golden Company, in hopes they might take up his cause. They ate his food and heard his pleas and laughed at him. - Daenerys III, ADWD

+.+.+

"Do you play cyvasse, my lord?" asked Arianne. "My father has been teaching me. I am not very skilled, I must confess, but I do know that the dragon is stronger than the elephant." "The Golden Company was founded by a dragon." "Bittersteel was half-dragon, and all bastard. I am no maester, but I know some history. You are still sellswords." "If it please you, princess," he said, all silken courtesy. "We prefer to call ourselves a free brotherhood of exiles." "As you will. As free brothers go, your company stands well above the rest, I grant you. Yet the Golden Company has been defeated every time it has crossed into Westeros. They lost when Bittersteel commanded them, they failed the Blackfyre Pretenders, they faltered when Maelys the Monstrous led them." That seemed to amuse him.

That's considered fAegon evidence.

He might find it amusing if he knows they have another Blackfyre.

+.+.+

By midmorning a light rain began to fall, as they were making their way north through a land of green fields and little villages.

The rain still fell, soft and steady. The sound of moisture dripping off the leaves was all around them, and every mile or so the music of another little waterfall would call to them.

They travelled to the music of steady, lashing rains beating at the treetops up above, though underneath the green great canopy of leaves and branches she and her riders stayed surprisingly dry.

And finally Griffin's Roost emerged from the sea mists, on a grey wet day as the rain fell thin and cold.

Rain falling from start to finish...

+.+.+

"Has no one told you?" Halden Halfmaester favored her with a smile thin and hard as a dagger cut. "Storm's End is ours. The Hand awaits you there." Daemon Sand stepped up beside her. "Shipbreaker Bay can be perilous even on a fair summer's day. The safer way to Storm's End is overland." "These rains have turned the roads to mud. The journey would take two days, perhaps three," said Halden Halfmaester. A ship will have the princess there in half a day or less. There is an army descending on Storm's End from King's Landing. You will want to be safe inside the walls before the battle." Will we? Wondered Arianne. "Battle? Or siege?" She did not intend to let herself be trapped inside Storm's End. "Battle," Halden said firmly. "Prince Aegon means to smash his enemies in the field."

Let's talk about a few things.

One.

Previously covered in ADWD's Epilogue.

There's two hosts in King's Landing, both belonging to the Reach.

Randyll Tarly and Mace Tyrell had both brought armies to King's Landing, whilst the best part of the strength of House Lannister remained in the riverlands, fast melting away. - Epilogue, ADWD

Mace Tyrell intended to deal with Aegon and the Golden Company after Margaery's and Cersei's trials.

"[...] we must destroy Connington and his pretender now, before Daenerys Stormborn can come west."

Mace Tyrell crossed his arms. "I mean to do just that, ser. After the trials." - Epilogue, ADWD

If Cersei carries out a massively destructive and violent act at that trial, causing significant harm to House Tyrell (and we have a lot of reasons to believe she will), then it seems logical to conclude that the host coming from King's Landing intends to join Aegon, not fight him.

"… as for Connington," Tyrell repeated, "what victories has he ever won that we should fear him? He could have ended Robert's Rebellion at Stoney Sept. He failed. Just as the Golden Company has always failed. Some may rush to join them, aye. The realm is well rid of such fools." - Epilogue, ADWD

Two.

"Battle," Halden said firmly. "Prince Aegon means to smash his enemies in the field."

Once again, the author is reinforcing the idea that Aegon is lacking necessary skills for this job.

In Jon Connington's last chapter, we learned the Golden Company does not currently have the strength to face enemies in the field.

The great beasts would be useful in a pitched battle, no doubt, but it would be some time before they had the strength to face their foes in the field. - The Griffin Reborn, ADWD

Now, at Aegon's command, they're going to ABANDON THE WALLS OF STORM'S END, and meet the King's Landing host in an open field.

That is unbelievably stupid, and the only reason it won't end in disaster is because the Tyrell host probably isn't coming to fight.

Regardless, what is it telling us about the future?

Ser Jorah considered that for a moment. "Robert should have been born Dothraki," he said at last. "Your khal would tell you that only a coward hides behind stone walls instead of facing his enemy with a blade in hand. The Usurper would agree. He is a strong man, brave … and rash enough to meet a Dothraki horde in the open field. But the men around him, well, their pipers play a different tune. His brother Stannis, Lord Tywin Lannister, Eddard Stark …" He spat. - Daenerys IV, AGOT

This is the problem with Jon Connington: he's dying, therefore he's no longer patient.

He will allow Aegon to be reckless, and use flawed strategy.

" … once we have Storm's End . . ."

The princess let that aside go without comment, though it gave her considerable pause. Storm's End. This griffin is a bold one, it would seem. Or else a fool. The seat of House Baratheon for three centuries, of the ancient Storm Kings for thousands of years before that, Storm’s End was said by some to be impregnable. Arianne had heard men argue about which was the strongest castle in the realm.

Three.

Has this girl lost her mind? Why would you voluntarily go to Storm's End when an army is descending upon it?

Catelyn Stark also found herself in the middle of a dispute at Storm's End, but Catelyn Stark isn't the heir to Dorne.

+.+.+

"Your brother is not at Storm's End, we know that now," Ser Daemon said, as soon as they were behind closed doors. "If Daenerys Targaryen has dragons, they are half a world away, and of no use to Dorne. There is nothing for us at Storm's End, princess. If Prince Doran meant to send you into the middle of a battle, he would have given you three hundred knights, not three."

Do not be so certain of that, ser. He sent my brother off to Slaver's Bay with five knights and a maester. "I need to speak with Connington." Arianne undid the interlocked sun and spear that clasped her cloak, and let the rain-soaked garment slip from her shoulders to puddle on the floor. "And I want to see this dragon prince of his. If he is truly Elia's son…"

"Whoever's son he is, if Connington challenges Mace Tyrell in open battle he may soon be a captive, or a corpse."

"Tyrell is not a man to fear. My uncle Oberyn–"

" –is dead, princess. And ten thousand men is equal to the whole strength of the Golden Company."

"Lord Connington knows his own strength, surely. If he means to risk battle, he must believe that he can win it."

"And how many men have died in battles they believed that they could win?" Ser Daemon asked her. "Refuse them, princess. I mistrust these sellswords. Do not go to Storm's End."

I think it's a little concerning that the designated Voice of Reason doesn't want her going any further in this journey.

+.+.+

"Ser Daemon, you squired for my uncle Oberyn," she said. "If you were with him now, would you be counseling him to refuse as well?" She did not wait for him to respond. "I know the answer. And if you are about to remind me that I am no Red Viper, I know that too. But Prince Oberyn is dead, Prince Doran is old and ill, and I am the heir to Dorne."

"And that is why you should not put yourself at risk." Daemon Sand went to one knee. "Send me to Storm's End in your stead. Then if the griffin's plans should go awry and Mace Tyrell takes the castle back, I will be just another landless knight who swore his sword to this pretender in hopes of gain and glory."

Whereas if I am taken, the Iron Throne will take that for proof that Dorne conspired with these sellswords, and lent aid to their invasion. "It is brave for you to seek to shield me, ser. I thank you for that." She took his hands and drew him back to his feet. "But my father entrusted this task to me, not you. Come the morrow, I sail to beard the dragon in its den."

Yeah, I don't have a good feeling about any of this.

I don't think the danger is the host coming from King's Landing. I think it's the decisions she makes after that.

Final thoughts:

What happens when Daemon Sand is the more likeable man in the love triangle?

Let it be known, I'm Team Bastard of Godgrace. I'll let you guys enjoy the one assuming the role of Joffrey.

Next chapter: The Forsaken (Aeron Dam-phair)

-> return to menu <-

#operation stumpy re-read #twow #arianne ii

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alaynasansa · 1 year

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The Loss of Lady

He saw his father pleading with the king, his face etched with grief. He saw Sansa crying to herself at night, and he saw Arya watching in silence and holding her secrets hard in her heart

Bran III — A Game of Thrones

He had only to look at Sansa's face to feel the rage twisting inside him once again. The last fortnight of their journey had been a misery. Sansa blamed Arya and told her that it should have been Nymeria who died. And Arya was lost after she heard what had happened to her butcher's boy. Sansa cried herself to sleep, Arya brooded silently all day long, and Eddard Stark dreamed of a frozen hell reserved for the Starks of Winterfell

Eddard IV — A Game of Thrones

He remembered Rhaegar's infant son, the red ruin of his skull, and the way the king had turned away, as he had turned away in Darry's audience hall not so long ago. He could still hear Sansa pleading, as Lyanna pleaded once

Eddard IV — A Game of Thrones

What was it that Jon had said when they found the pups in the snow ? Your children were meant to have these pups, my lord. And he had killed Sansa's, and for what ? Was it guilt he was feeling ? Or fear ? If the gods had sent these wolves, what folly had he done ?

Eddard IV — A Game of Thrones

He was thinking back to the day Arya had been found, to the look on the queen's face when she said, We have a wolf, so soft and quiet

Eddard IV — A Game of Thrones

They'd let the queen kill Lady, that was horrible enough

Arya II — A Game of Thrones

Perhaps she had used up all her tears for Lady and Bran

Sansa II — A Game of Thrones

At first she thought she hated him for what they'd done to Lady, but after Sansa had wept her eyes dry, she told herself that it had not been Joffrey's doing, not truly

Sansa II — A Game of Thrones

"I am sorry for your girl, Ned. Truly. About the wolf, I mean"

Eddard VII — A Game of Thrones

"You're horrible !," she screamed at her sister. "They should have killed you instead of Lady !"

Sansa III — A Game of Thrones

Sansa sat up. "Lady," she whispered. For a moment it was as if the direwolf was there in the room, looking at her with those golden eyes, sad and knowing. She had been dreaming, she realized. Lady was with her, and they were running together, and... and... trying to remember was like trying to catch the rain with her fingers. The dream faded, and Lady was dead again

Sansa III — A Game of Thrones

The girls do not even have that much, he thought. Their wolves might have kept them safe, but Lady is dead and Nymeria's lost, they're all alone

Jon VII — A Game of Thrones

Bran felt all cold inside. "She lost her wolf," he said, weakly, remembering the day when four of his father's guardmen had returned from the south with Lady's bones. Summer and Grey Wind and Shaggydog had begun to howl before they crossed the drawbridge, in voices drawn and desolate. Beneath the shadow of the First Keep was an ancient lichyard, its headstones spotted with pale lichen, where the Old Kings of Winter had laid their faithful servants. It was there they buried Lady, while her brothers stalked between the graves like restless shadows. She had gone south, and only her bones had returned

Bran VI — A Game of Thrones

By the time she reached the godswood, the noises had faded to a faint rattle of steel and a distant shouting. Sansa pulled her cloak tighter. The air was rich with the smells of earth and leaf. Lady would have liked this place, she thought.

Sansa II — A Clash of Kings

And what will they do to me ? Sansa found herself thinking of Lady again. She could smell out falsehood, she could, but she was dead, Father had killed her, on account of Arya. She drew the knife and held it before her with both hands

Sansa II — A Clash of Kings

She hated Ser Amory Lorch for Yoren, and she hated Ser Meryn Trant for Syrio, the Hound for killing the butcher's boy Mycah, and Ser Illyn and Prince Joffrey and the queen for the sake of her father and Fat Tom and Desmond and the rest, and even for Lady, Sansa's wolf

Arya VI — A Clash of Kings

"That was Arya's wolf," she said. "Lady never hurt you, but you killed her anyway"

Sansa III — A Clash of Kings

She shouted for Ser Dontos, for her brothers, for her dead father and her dead wolf, for gallant Ser Loras who had given her a red rose once, but none of them came

Sansa IV — A Clash of Kings

"Lady," she whimpered softly, wondering if she would meet her wolf again when she was dead

Sansa VII — A Clash of Kings

Arya was glad to hear that the castle of the Darrys would be burned. That was where they'd brought her when she'd been caught after her fight with Joffrey, and where the queen had made her father kill Sansa's wolf. It deserves to burn

Arya X — A Clash of Kings

A shiver went through her. "A monster," she whispered, so tremulously she could scarcely hear her own voice. "Joffrey is a monster. He lied about the butcher's boy and made Father kill my wolf. When I displease him, he has the Kingsguard beat me. He's evil and cruel, my lady, it's so. And the queen as well"

Sansa I — A Storm of Swords

That was such a sweet dream, Sansa thought drowsily. She had been back in Winterfell, running through the godswood with her Lady. Her father had been there, and her brothers, all of them warm and safe. If only dreaming could make it so...

Sansa IV — A Storm of Swords

I must be brave. Her torments would soon be ended, one way or the other. If Lady was here, I would not be afraid. Lady was dead, though ; Robb, Bran, Rickon, Arya, her father, her mother, even Septa Mordane. All of them are dead but me. She was alone in the world now

Sansa IV — A Storm of Swords

The crypts were growing darker. A light has gone out somewhere. "Ygritte ?" he whispered. "Forgive me. Please." But it was only a direwolf, grey and ghastly, spotted with blood, his golden eyes shining sadly through the dark...

Jon VIII — A Storm of Swords

"I'll have a song for you," he rasped, and Sansa woke and found the old blind dog beside her once again. "I wish that you were Lady," she said

Sansa VI — A Storm of Swords

She saw Ned Stark, and beside him little Sansa with her auburn hair and a shaggy grey dog that might have been her wolf

Cersei II — A Dance with Dragons

#lady the direwolf #sansa stark #bran stark #eddard stark #arya stark #jon snow #cersei lannister #asoiaf #a game of thrones #agot #a clash of kings #acok #a storm of swords #asos #a dance with dragons #adwd #asoiaf quotes

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jackoshadows · 1 year

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I write about Arya’s relationship with Jon a lot - they do stand out in the books with their frequent mentions of each other. However, her elder sibling energy, love for and protectiveness over her little brothers is also highlighted in her narrative and something to look forward to when Arya, Bran and Rickon eventually reunite in the North.

Arya and Bran are clearly close - in Jon’s nostalgic childhood memories he compares Arya and Bran to Robb and himself, in terms of the children pairing off with each other growing up.

Playing, Jon thought in astonishment, grown men playing like children, throwing snowballs the way Bran and Arya once did, and Robb and me before them. - Jon, ADwD

Even the thought made him feel foolish; he was a man grown now, a black brother of the Night’s Watch, not the boy who’d once sat at Old Nan’s feet with Bran and Robb and Arya. - Jon, AGoT

In Bran’s weirwood visions he sees a boy and a girl playing swords and immediately makes them out to be Arya and himself - until he realizes it is Benjen and Lyanna Stark.

Now two children danced across the godswood, hooting at one another as they dueled with broken branches. The girl was the older and taller of the two. Arya! Bran thought eagerly, as he watched her leap up onto a rock and cut at the boy. But that couldn't be right. If the girl was Arya, the boy was Bran himself, and he had never worn his hair so long. And Arya never beat me playing swords, the way that girl is beating him. - Bran, ADwD

Bran and Arya like doing some of the same things, they feel the same way about some of the same songs.

The rooftops of Winterfell were Bran’s second home. His mother often said that Bran could climb before he could walk - Bran, AGoT

Arya was a skilled climber and a fast picker, and she liked to go off by herself. - Arya, ACoK

Some books. I like the fighting stories. My sister Sansa likes the kissing stories, but those are stupid." Bran, ADWD

Sansa would have sighed and shed a tear for true love, but Arya just thought it was stupid - Arya, ASoS

Bran compares Meera and Leaf to Arya:

Meera reminded Bran of his sister Arya. She wasn’t scared to get dirty, and she could run and fight and throw as good as a boy. She was older than Arya, though; almost sixteen, a woman grown. ACoK

A cloud of ravens was pouring from the cave, and he saw a little girl with a torch in hand, darting this way and that. For a moment Bran thought it was his sister Arya … madly, for he knew his little sister was a thousand leagues away, or dead. And yet there she was, whirling, a scrawny thing, ragged, wild, her hair atangle… - Bran, ADwD

They are both strong wargs and skinchangers and even in their journeys, they have mentors teaching them to embrace the darkness

Arya would wait until she heard him snoring, then creep barefoot up the servant's stair, making no more noise than the mouse she'd been. She carried neither candle nor taper. Syrio had told her once that darkness could be her friend, and he was right. If she had the moon and the stars to see by, that was enough. - Arya, ACoK

There he sat, listening to the hoarse whispers of his teacher. "Never fear the darkness, Bran." - "... The strongest trees are rooted in the dark places of the earth. Darkness will be your cloak, your shield, your mother's milk. Darkness will make you strong.” - Bran, ADwD

Apart from these many parallels, there is Arya’s protectiveness over her younger siblings. The way she tries to protect baby Bran from spooky ghost Jon and the way baby Bran looked to her for that protection.

That was when they heard the sound, low and deep and shivery. Baby Bran had clutched at Arya’s hand.

When the spirit stepped out of the open tomb, pale white and moaning for blood, Sansa ran shrieking for the stairs, and Bran wrapped himself around Robb’s leg, sobbing. Arya stood her ground and gave the spirit a punch. It was only Jon, covered with flour. “You stupid,” she told him, “you scared the baby,” but Jon and Robb just laughed and laughed, and pretty soon Bran and Arya were laughing too.- Arya, AGoT

From the mentions in the text here and there, it’s clear that Arya adored her baby brothers and loved playing with them.

Their wives gave her scones and she invented names for their babies and played monsters-and-maidens and hide-the-treasure and come-into-my-castle with their children. - Arya, AGoT

That was when Arya missed her brothers most. She wanted to tease Bran and play with baby Rickon and have Robb smile at her. She wanted Jon to muss up her hair and call her "little sister" and finish her sentences with her. But all of them were gone. - Arya, AGoT

Arya stared at them with resentment, remembering the times she'd played at hoops with Bran and Jon and their baby brother Rickon. She wondered how big Rickon had grown, and whether Bran was sad. She would have given anything if Jon had been here to call her "little sister" and muss her hair. Not that it needed mussing. - Arya, AGoT

Once in a while, Sansa even missed her sister. By now Arya was safe back in Winterfell, dancing and sewing, playing with Bran and baby Rickon, even riding through the winter town if she liked. - Sansa, ACoK

I am so looking forward to reading GRRM’s take on Arya returning North and reuniting with Rickon who is being brought up by spearwife Osha on Skagos with Shaggydog during his formative years, and even before they left Winterfell was a bit more wolfish than his siblings and also liked the dark.

Rickon patted Shaggydog's muzzle, damp with blood. "I let him loose. He doesn't like chains." He licked at his fingers. "Rickon," Bran said, "would you like to come with me?" "No. I like it here." - Bran, ACoK

Remember when Arya thinks ‘I wonder how big Rickon has got’? I think she’s in for a surprise! And I feel like given how much GRRM mentioned writing more for Osha because he loved Natalia Tena’s take of it on GOT, we may get Arya and Osha or Jon and Osha meeting as well. And then there’s Nymeria and Shaggydog. Imagine them comparing notes?

Shaggydog: I had Unicorn for lunch...

Nymeria: I had Frey for lunch. Oh and also command an army of wolves...

Summer: I had some undead wights for lunch...

Ghost!Jon busy mussing Arya’s hair with his paws....

#Arya Stark #Rickon Stark #Bran Stark #Jon Snow #asoiaf

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bookhousestark · 2 years

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ARYA STARK APPRECIATION MONTH 2022 ↳ Day 5: House Stark

In the godswood she found her broomstick sword where she had left it, and carried it to the heart tree. There she knelt. Red leaves rustled. Red eyes peered inside her. The eyes of the gods. "Tell me what to do, you gods," she prayed. For a long moment there was no sound but the wind and the water and the creak of leaf and limb. And then, far far off, beyond the godswood and the haunted towers and the immense stone walls of Harrenhal, from somewhere out in the world, came the long lonely howl of a wolf. Gooseprickles rose on Arya's skin, and for an instant she felt dizzy. Then, so faintly, it seemed as if she heard her father's voice. "When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives," he said.

"But there is no pack," she whispered to the weirwood. Bran and Rickon were dead, the Lannisters had Sansa, Jon had gone to the Wall. "I'm not even me now, I'm Nan."

"You are Arya of Winterfell, daughter of the north. You told me you could be strong. You have the wolf blood in you."

"The wolf blood." Arya remembered now. "I'll be as strong as Robb. I said I would." She took a deep breath, then lifted the broomstick in both hands and brought it down across her knee. It broke with a loud crack, and she threw the pieces aside. I am a direwolf, and done with wooden teeth.

That night she lay in her narrow bed upon the scratchy straw, listening to the voices of the living and the dead whisper and argue as she waited for the moon to rise. They were the only voices she trusted anymore. She could hear the sound of her own breath, and the wolves as well, a great pack of them now. They are closer than the one I heard in the godswood, she thought. They are calling to me.

#aryastarkmonth2022 #canonarya #asoiaf #asoiafedit #arya stark #arya month day 5 #gifs

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samwise1548 · 2 years

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Part two of this

There’ll be a part three dw

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[ID: A Magnus Archives comic. Martin is a fat white kid with red hair, and Jon is a brown moth kid with green wings and fuzzy antenna. Jon and Martin wave to each other, Martin from his bedroom window and Jon outside, and Jon flies through the night sky. Small panels focus on his shorts pocket and smitten smile.

He arrives at a tree and settles with the same smile on a bough with a sign that says "home." He pulls something out of his pocket—a heart shaped leaf. Happy flowers float around him. Then his expression turns horrorstruck as the leaf falls apart in his hands. End ID]

ID by the lovely @princess-of-purple-prose

#my guy lives in a tree and doesn’t realized leaves crumble if you stuff ‘‘em in your pocket XD #baby moth!jon au #baby moth!jon #moth!jon #Jonathan sims #tma #the magnus archives #I wanna make art for whatever rq is doing but also I am so scared for what that is #so this is me coping :)#comic #id by @princess of purple prose #id by someone else #my art

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thewindsofwolves · 1 year

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Jon Snow & Sansa Stark Book Parallels & Mentions 11/∞ : Jon thinks of how his sisters would have reacted seeing a beautiful frozen landscape ; his own reaction to the spectacle echoes Sansa's.

The pale pink light of dawn sparkled on branch and leaf and stone. Every blade of grass was carved from emerald, every drip of water turned to diamond. Flowers and mushrooms alike wore coats of glass. Even the mud puddles had a bright brown sheen. Through the shimmering greenery, the black tents of his brothers were encased in a fine glaze of ice. So there is magic beyond the Wall after all. He found himself thinking of his sisters, perhaps because he'd dreamed of them last night. Sansa would call this an enchantment, and tears would fill her eyes at the wonder of it, but Arya would run out laughing and shouting, wanting to touch it all. A Clash Of Kings, Jon III

#jonsa #jon x sansa #actuallyjonsa #jon snow #sansa stark #jonsa book parallels serie #my posts #gifs/edits by me #got #game of thrones #gotedits #asoiaf #asoiafedits #a song of ice and fire #sansastarkedit #jonsnowedit

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hellkitepriest · 9 months

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ee @ exeter phoenix: not a review but a too-long tale

look, i really liked reading @blueberry-beanie’s write-up of her ee show so i thought i might throw myself at the task as well. here’s the probably-quite-boring-to-read tale of my trip to exeter with the inimitable @airbrushfather.

after getting there the night before (after i accidentally forgot to get off the coach and went to a random seaside town instead, which i then had to rectify by getting the train back up to exeter — never let it be said that i should be allowed outside) i woke up at 7am for no reason and decided to climb a hill in a park in the hopes it would tire me out again. it did not.

went back to the lovely little bnb we were at (when checking in the day before, i told the woman there i was there to see a band and she went “it’s not everything everything, is it” and It Struck Fear Into My Heart How Did She Know. she knew, of course, because danny had also mentioned them while checking in), got ready to go out. walking up the main road in exeter what did we see but the EE bus parked Right In The Middle Of The Road. the venue had a car park, lads. actually now i say that i’m not sure the bus could’ve gotten up the wiggly little hill to the car park.

anyway we were naturally frazzled by this so my next logical step was to go to the nearest bookshop and buy a rubik’s cube to soothe the soul. i am sure this action will not have any consequences whatsoever. went into build a bear so danny could buy a jumper for Jeremy The Frog. sat on a bench and fed a seagull bits of my cereal bar. these are the most normal actions we will undertake all day. i got the seagull to peck at the rubik’s cube.

i then drag danny to the park i was in earlier, which is lovely and separated from the venue by only a quaint stone wall. we are very near exeter castle, and i point out that this is a great place for a castle, actually, because the hill gives you a great vantage point for spotting your enemies. we sit in the park and i toss my rubik’s cube into the air and ponder whether or not rylan has a man bun. we do a very high pitched geordie accent for a bit. a man dressed for hunting and wielding a television aerial comes up the hill and we are briefly convinced he has a crossbow. a man who looks so much like jeremy comes up the hill and i am only convinced he isn’t jeremy because he has a tiny little dog with him.

i go to put some of my rubbish in a bin further up the hill. when i come back danny is looking at me like they have seen a ghost. they point, and surely enough, the real jeremy pritchard is having a casual little walk around the park we are sitting in. he is wearing sunglasses. as danny says and as i have not stopped thinking about: he walks like a girl sim. he looks happy to be in the park but we cannot work out what he is doing there. it is apparently impossible in my mind that a man can walk around a park with no goal but enjoying the beauty of nature. somehow i panic and start getting really into explaining to danny what a milkman is. i don’t know how they don’t know what a milkman is.

jeremy disappears. we feed more seagulls. i make a mashup of my number and tik tok by kesha. it is late afternoon by now, and i have learned that the cafe in the venue does cheese toasties, so we go there and learn they stopped serving toasties an hour ago. i eat some chips on the gay terrace. we can hear them soundchecking arch enemy. i say, apropos of nothing but the adrenaline in my veins, i feel like spiderman. i still am not sure what this means.

we find another hill to sit on, directly behind the venue this time, and we listen to them soundcheck. i roll down a hill in pure joy. what could be better and stranger than this? we stay here until it’s time to go in, and we both find four leaf clovers in the grass.

after waiting around in the venue briefly and danny spotting The Lads walking through a corridor we are in. we have claimed the spot i have planned for weeks: right in between jon and alex. a semi-accidental direct view of pete. it’s nice to see him, really. the openers, KLEN, look like they have all come dressed for different cults and something has gone terribly wrong. they are from cornwall. CORNWALLL!!!, danny and i yell. this is their name now. about halfway through pete comes out from backstage to watch them briefly. he has a man bun (like rylan doesn’t) and a naturally sad face. he is chewing gum.

he disappears. danny and i collapse on each other, laughing. at what? good question.

we watch pete set up his keyboards (i have read on facebook that he does it himself because he doesn’t want anyone else to fuck it up, and it’s not because nobody else will help him. this soothes me) and probably say some real Shit to each other. i cannot remember.

finally the bit you have all been waiting for:

everything everything take to the stage. they open with schoolin’ and my glasses fly off backwards into the crowd because i’m so into it. a kind woman rescues them for me. i sing very loud about the train and the wall and the druids.

you’ll all be pleased to know that jon was on Peak Smugboy Form — “we’ve put a load of Man Alive in the set, i hope that’s alright” yes of course it is shut up. he was having such a good time! what a man. jeremy was doing The Most, as we have come to expect from him. alex was being quietly strange and doing his guitar faces, as we have also come to expect from him. he only had one guitar, the burnt one (He Plays The Guitar That He Fixed That Got Burned In The Fire), and i was a little sad about the lack of modular synth or the Gibson ES 335 (the red one, you all know her). mike was drumming politely in the back and doing his drum concentration face. occasionally he would look over at pete, who was grooving very intensely on the keyboards in the fascinating way that he does.

they played tin!! you know how important this is. they played jennifer, too, but i was too distracted watching jon to be sad during it, for reasons. mid-gig, i set up a group chat with @shallowtboy and @karlschumann89.

i am sure you will all understand.

after the gig they are signing copies of their lyric book — danny buys one despite already owning one and we join the queue for signing. on the way to join the queue, we walk past them all. jon looks at me and points at me and goes 🤨🫵. i am sure this is equally strange for both of us. exeter is a long way from where we both live and i had bumped into him TWICE in the past month.

when we get to the front of the queue the security guard removes me from the queue on account of not having a book to sign, but danny drags me back over a few seconds later. jon looks at me again. “we keep running into each other,” he says, which is certainly one way to put it. “IT’S THEIR FAULT,” i blurt, pointing at danny, despite the fact i booked tickets for this before i knew they were going (and before jonathan higgs was able to fucking recognise me).

there is still a rubik’s cube in my trouser pocket.

possessed by some sort of spirit, i turn to alex and ask “can you still solve rubik’s cubes?”. he looks confused. as you would. “only i’ve sort of got one with me, and…”

i hand him the cube. everyone is very amused by this, particularly jeremy, who eggs him on throughout the whole process. “this might take a while…” “don’t worry, we’ve got time,” says jez, looking at his watch and laughing. the security guards would beg to differ. they are not pleased about this turn of events. “it’s well scrambled,” alex says at one point, and i think this is the highest compliment i have ever received. i am amazed by how quickly alex can still do this. he’s really going for it. the rest of the lads keep signing books but he’s lost in his cube reverie. eventually he solves it and hands it back, and we all laugh, and then danny and i have to get out of there QUICK before we can be told off for holding up the line any further.

i have video evidence, but i am not sure any of that actually happened.

#everything everything #best post #<- for i will want to find it again

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