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fromtheseventhhell · 8 months

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I want to make a longer post about this someday but: I think Arya's TWOW arc is going to include her coming to terms with her identity as a Lady. This has been an ongoing conflict with her since her first chapter and I think her flowering in winds is going to mark a turning point. The theory of her having an apprenticeship with the courtesans holds a lot of weight and the idea of Arya going through puberty among a group of unconventional women she's fostered a positive relationship with is just too perfect. It would really have an impact on Arya reconciling her personal idea of what a Lady should be. There's also a lot that she could learn from them in terms of courtesies, communication, appearances, body-language, etc. that would elevate her current skill-set and ways her relationship with them could push the plot.

Not to mention she will undoubtedly reclaim her identity as Arya Stark, and her being a Lady is inseparable from that. Arya Stark is a Lady Stark and being a Lady is a social position, not a measure of how well someone preforms feminine tasks. She shouldn't have to relinquish her position because she doesn't fit patriarchal standards. That's not to say that she's ever going to be the perfect example of a traditional Lady but what I think will happen is that she becomes capable of playing the part. She plays several identities throughout the series but she's always been Arya underneath, so I think it's appropriate that she learns to adopt a "persona" that's part of her. Her remembering Ned putting on his "Lord's face" (+ the various examples of other characters being separate from their ruling persona) makes me think that Arya will be donning her "Lady's face" when she makes a return to Westeros.

#arya stark #asoiaf #twow speculations #Arya has been through so much traumatic shit and I think her flowering is going to bring up a lot of her self-esteem issues #I just really need her surrounded by kind older women when that happens so she can have some comfort #George saying her arc in braavos could be the plot of a YA novel?? definitely makes me think she's going to grow up a lot there #she's already one of the most mature characters so I think part of it's going to be her accepting her duty as a Stark Lady #she wants to help and protect people and the best way she can do that is if she has political power #She could learn that first hand in TWOW #possibly through her finding out about her marriage??? and meeting Jeyne in Braavos??#and before someone says it courtesans are so much more then sex work so I don't want to hear it #they are such a big part of Braavosi high life...they're cultured and connected with very important people #I just have so many thoughts on the subject cause I think her apprenticeship with them will serve multiple purposes #the faceless men and their plans...the iron bank...the sealord...It's all connected and I think her apprenticeship with them will kick off #the braavos plot and could mark the beginning of the end of her time with the faceless men and in braavosi #half a boy half a wolf pup -> half a lady half a wolf #I think her current skillset fits well and it's likely she'll learn even more in TWOW #Arya defining her own role as a Lady and becoming comfortable means so much to me

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witchthewriter · 1 year

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𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐓 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞

⤷ gender neutral, ambiguous race, and any size reader. Requests are open, thank you for reading!

a/n: this is excluding the ones they have on the show. May have spoilers? The characters are a mix of both GoT show and the books.

ᴹᵃˢᵗᵉʳˡᶤˢᵗ

𝑺𝑭𝑾🌿

𝑺𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒂 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒌

・You scoured high and low to find at least one dire wolf pup. It took you two years (and all that time you hid it from Sansa. You wanted to hide her from feeling the constant disappointment of it not working out.)

・It started when you realised how much Sansa was talking about Lady, specifically how much she missed her.

・Now that she was safe, away from the dangers of King’s Landing. Sansa now let all that trauma wash over her - it was the steps in moving forward to healing

・And a part of that was realising how much she had lost. Particularly, how much she missed Lady.

・So, that’s what sparked your desire to find one for Sansa. You thought she deserved another chance of connecting to a direwolf. And hopefully her warging abilities would work once again.

・Two and a half years later, you found a litter of direwolf pups on the outskirts of Winterfell. Three to be exact.

・The mother was on her death bed and you couldn’t bare to see her suffer.

・You asked a maester to treat the animal (much to their dismay). But animals held a big piece of your heart.

・Mirculously all four direwolves were healthy, and you felt overjoyed but overwhelmed. How would Sansa react? You were only expecting to present her one. But now four?

The Queen in the North found your note and trekked down to the stables, where the three pups and mother had been kept.

・ “Wha-what is this?” Sansa was shocked. Not entirely comprehending wat was before her.

“A ... surprise!” You said half-heartedly.

・And she was surprised.

・And...she cried.

・All those traumas escaped through her tears, and she did something you had never seen her do.

・Sansa, who bowed to no one, who held her head high, stalked towards them (she wanted to run but didn’t want to scare them) and fell to her knees.

・She sobbed as she held the babies, who howled and cried, nuzzling themselves in Sansa’s arm

“I’m keeping them all,” she said through tears of both grief and joy.

・You nearly started crying at the sight. And wanted to run over to her, but instead, you let her have her moment. She deserved it.

・And in that moment, Sansa could feel her family. Her mother, Robb, Rickon, and her father. She stayed in that stable for over an hour. Sobbing into the fur of the mother direwolf.

𝑱𝒐𝒏 𝑺𝒏𝒐𝒘

・Ghost was a good companion. A beautiful boy who followed Jon’s every move. And you both adored him.

・So Jon didn’t actively go out looking for another pet.

・ Especially since he’s now living with the Wildlings.

・But being together with you, meant that animals would somehow be a part of your lives

・You love animals. And you can’t help but give aid to whatever creature needs it

・You had that conversation with Jon before, and you both came to the conclusion that Ghost wouldn’t do well with another dog

・And you didn’t get another dog ...

・While travelling with the Wildlings you came across an interesting part of Westeros where they had animals called ‘ferrets’.

・They were long, lanky things that made funny noises and you instantly fell in love

・When Ghost came up to the vendor, his red eyes glowing, he sniffed one ferret in particular and looked at Jon, did a certain motion with his head (that you told Jon was a nod) and walked away.

・Jon was put off by the animal. He thought it looked too ... unworldly.

“Like a deformed cat,” Jon had said and you scolded him

“But it’s cute. And she can fit in my pack.”

・Jon sighed and paid the vendor, who thanked you generously and stashed the money without telling you one important bit of information

・The ferret was pregnant.

𝑫𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝑻𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒂𝒓𝒚𝒆𝒏

・There was a lot of space in the castle that Dany had usurped

・And although you loved her dragons, they weren’t exactly the cuddling, interactive type

・Viserion was the most affectionate, but even he could become irritated with too much physical attention

・And Dany could see that you vyed for affection - she gave you as much as she could whenever she could

・But duties and responsibilities were constantly pulling her away from you

・So on your nameday, she surprised you.

・The small bun had the floppiest ears and you adored it the moment you set eyes on it

“What ... is it, exactly?” You said in Old Valyrian.

“A rabbit,” she responded, stroking its’ white floppy ear.

“I love it!”

・Dany had even set up a space in your rooms for it. Hay, food, water, a little home where it could hide away

・She had done all this while you were distracted by Missandei

・And you knew you were the luckiest person in the world.

𝑺𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒓 𝑪𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒆

・His outright answer was no.

・No animal would exist on his land unless it contributed in one way or another

・The horses were used for travel, the cows for milk and the chickens for eggs.

・But you wanted a puppy so badly.

・And you told Sandor that the Hound needed ... a hound

“It’s funny!” You said one evening, rugged up in bed while he added wood to the fire.

He only looked over his shoulder and raised a brow.

・But you weren’t someone who liked being told to do. Sandor knew this.

・And at noon a few days later, you packed a horse and got ready to go into town.

・He knew you too well

・Sandor was standing at the fence, leaning against the pillar.

・You slowed the horse and jumped from the saddle

“I thought you were milking the cows,” you said, crossing your arms

“And I thought you were collecting the eggs.”

・You scrunched your nose and stared at him. He stared straight back.

・ “I’m going to get one,” you stated, unclasping your arms and leading the horse back to your cottage

“I know,” Sandor muttered to himself, shaking his head

・A week later you awoke to a high-pitched noise

・Jumping from your bed you raced toward the sound, thinking a fox had gotten into the hen coop

・But the chickens were fine. Clucking at you in annoyance for waking them.

A mewling pup wiggled in Sandor’s arms, crying for its mother.

“Sandor?” You said in shock.

“A hound for Mrs/Mr Hound.”

𝑪𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒊 𝑳𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓

・A cat; wouldn’t matter if it was long-haired or short-haired. Cersei would make sure the servants fresh her daily

・Many might think Cersei would have a pet like a snake or something that represents manipulation. But a cat suited her perfectly. A creature that isn’t needy - doesn’t follow you everywhere, values its independence and cleans itself

・Like a Princess for a Princess

・Everyone would be able to differentiate this cat from the others in King’s Landing because around its neck is a collar made of gold. Solid gold.

・It’s not too heavy and is clasped in a lock which only Cersei has the key

・Joffrey never liked the thing. And that’s what he called it, ‘the thing.’

・Cersei’s eldest son never liked animals much, but he especially hated the one that held his mother’s affection

・Every night the cat would find its way into Cersei’s bed, sleeping at the end of it.

・However, if anyone else was in the bed besides Cersei, the pretty feline would not enter

𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑻𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒉

・A dog. However, she didn’t go out of her way to purchase an animal or go looking for one. But a starving dog chose Brienne.

・The poor pup was stuck in a trap, and with Brienne’s golden heart, she couldn’t leave it there to suffer

・So, she freed it. And for days, it followed her.

・Brienne tried to shoo it away. She even resorted to throwing sticks at it (lightly throwing). But it didn’t deter the young wolfhound

・By the end of the week, Brienne had started hunting for two, rather than one.

・She’d cleaned and wrapped its leg with a spare shirt, and hand-fed it her food.

・When she finally returned home, with a sheepish look on her face, you knew something was up. But you thought something awful had happened. Maybe she wasn’t able to reach Queen Sansa in time for the meeting.

・But it wasn’t something serious at all.

・Just a malnourished pup who had trusted a white-haired knight and ended up with the perfect family.

𝑱𝒂𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝑳𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓

・Honestly, Jaime wouldn’t want a pet of any kind. Not a dog, a cat, a rabbit or direwolf. He didn’t want anything reliant on him.

・Jaime felt this way all through his childhood through his teens and early adulthood.

・It wasn’t until he had personal growth, and a part of that was from meeting you. And the overarching factor of his growth was due to leaving Cersei

・Now that he’s ready to settle down, to have a life of his own, the thought of a pet was prevalent on his mind

・Like a practice run for a baby

・Because he never got to look after the children he had with Cersei

・So with you, whether you bore his child or you both adopted one, Jaime wanted to take a step back and have a pet in preparation

・Together you brainstormed for weeks, thinking of the best pet. You wanted a dog, one that would grow big and strong. That would scare off anyone that would do you harm.

・All Jaime could think of was the slobber, and the hair, and the size of the poops.

“Oh Jaime, please! It’d probably smell better than you,” you winked at him and he chuckled.

Smirking he snaked his arms around your waist and pulled you tight against him, “and yet, you still let me sleep in your bed.”

・It was funny though, because you didn’t end up with a dog. Or a cat. Or a rabbit or even a mouse.

・Somehow, you had adopted ... a fox

・The little red kit was crying for his mother, who had either abandoned him or died.

・And it wasn’t even you who had found him. Jaime was out in the field, on the plane of land that you both lived on, and heard him crying.

・He bundled up the four-legged creature and brought him inside from the cold.

“Y/n,” Jaime said hesitantly, and you could see the smug look on his face. A joke waiting to tumble from his lips.

“It’s a boy! You have a son!”

𝑷𝒐𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝑷𝒂𝒚𝒏𝒆

・Pod had never had a pet before, and when you suggested it, he was over the moon.

・Every night before bed he deliberated.

“Do you like dogs? How about cats? What if it doesn’t like me?” His ramblings made you smile. God, he was the perfect personification of a golden retriever.

“Honey, you’re fine, it’s fine. There isn’t one person in this world who doesn’t like you.”

“Um that old lady in the village didn’t like me.”

“Because you bumped into her while you were covered in blood. Once you started talking to her, she practically fell in love.”

・Pod blushed at that comment

・The very next day, you saw the same lady in the village, but she looked troubled.

・Pod instantly walked over to her and asked what was the matter

“My old cat had a whole litter of kittens,” she said while leaning on her walking stick, “and I don’t know what to do with them!”

・You and Pod looked at each other and smiled.

𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒂𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝑻𝒚𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒍

・It was a shock when the sparrow landed on her window sill. He was jumping here and there, happily tweeting.

・And then out of nowhere a large grey owl swooped from the hidden shadows and snatched the sparrow in its’ clutches.

・Margaery gasped, and acted so swiftly, even retelling the stories she thought she misunderstood her own actions

・But her instincts kicked in

・And she snatched the owl’s leg and pulled it towards her. This loosened the owl’s grip and the sparrow flew away

・ “Now what was that!” She shrieked at the owl, who hooted angrily at the Tyrell princess

・She had been feeding the owl bits of feed and dead mice she found around the castle

・But apparently it wanted to show off, yet Margaery wasn’t having a bar of it

“That was very rude,” she said, but moved forward and stroked the owl’s soft feathers.

“But also very impressive.”

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renaiswriting · 10 months

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Baci di Luna (part 1)

Pairing: Choi Seungcheol/Reader

Summary:

Saying I love you was never easy.

Having to say it in a language that wasn't yours was not easy either.

Imagine the struggle of that, and now add it to loving someone whose family thinks you're a monster.

It can't be easy at all.

Warnings: None in this part I think.

Word count: 1.9k

If you want to be tagged, please fill out the tag list form.

Baci di Luna masterlist | Next

Moon phases masterlist.

Masterlist.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Seungcheol took a deep breath before stepping out of the forest.

It wasn't necessary that early, but it was as cold as if the sun was just starting to rise. His cheeks were freezing even behind the thick scarf he had gotten for Christmas last year. Fortunately, there weren't that many people to notice him leaving the forest behind. They were all busy, either working or buying stuff.

He hated coming to town. He felt like a caged animal, having to avoid walking too fast, avoiding loud noises, or strong smells.

And the people.

He hated to be around so many people.

It was suffocating.

And he was secretly cursing at Wonwo for making him go down to the town he was so ready to leave behind.

Wonwoo had spent the last week and a half mentioning his birthday and the croissants one of the bakeries sells.

He had tried to be sneaky about the hinting too, failing in the attempt.

And Seungcheol would have told him to shut up about it and buy it himself, or get his mother to do so since she was the reason Wonwoo and the rest of the pack got to taste them for the first time.

Well, most of the pack, since there were some left behind, got to even glance at them.

But it was Wonwoo's birthday the next day, and he really wanted to do something for the younger wolf. He had been anything but a help for Noth, Seungcheol, and the pack. Especially with Jeonghan falling sick for almost two weeks in a row.

Seungcheol stopped before he walked into another person; he hated how slow everybody was.

Seungcheol took a deep breath; he had to call himself

He wasn't usually this Impatient.

Or annoying.

But with the pack receiving new members left and right, he only felt like he was wasting time in town rather than buying what he went there to buy in the first place and going back to his pack members.

It wasn't like he didn't want to buy them.

Obviously not.

But he had been busy and tired.

Having a new pup join their pack was never easy to deal with. Seungcheol chuckled; he could even hear Chan saying he wasn't a pup.

He was cute. He was constantly trying to be this scary big wolf, but for Seungcheol (and the rest of the pack), Chan was nothing but a cute pup playing to be scary.

Seungcheol ducked his head when a lady turned her head twice in his direction. It has been so long since the last time he came to town.

He usually made either Jeonghan or Wonwoo come and buy whatever they needed. And even they, the two wolves that were around humans the most, didn't spend more time than necessary.

They all always tried to cook for themselves and make whatever they needed with their own hands. It helped to avoid people seeing them and saved money.

It was a win-win situation for Seungcheol, if you asked him.

He lifted his head, making his cheeks and nose come into contact with the freezing wind of the morning.

Where was that bakery again?

He was looking for a strange name. He wasn't sure how it was pronounced or written, but he knew that he would recognize it as soon as he saw it.

He had asked Wonwoo's mom what the bakery was called, and she wrote it down for Seungcheol. But, true to his lack of sleep and messy room, he lost the note with the name.

Wonwoo's mom made sure to visit his son once every month, twice on special occasions such as Wonwoo's birthday. Visiting him more was only a risk for the safety of the rest of the boys living in the house with him.

So, more times than not, Wonwoo waited until the town was quieter to visit her.

And with this, if Seungcheol happened to want to get the name again from Wonwoo's mom, he would have to wait until it was Wonwoo's birthday, and by that time, it would have already been way too late to buy them anyway.

Seungcheol walked around for a while.

The town wasn't even that big to start with, but it was obvious that more people had moved in since the last time he had set foot there.

His body stopped when his nose started picking up the delicious smell of bread. His stomach growled loudly. He had woken up way before Wonwoo, and he hasn't stopped to eat, afraid that it would take him way too long and wake Wonwoo up.

It has to be that way, he thought to himself.

He took another route to the store, following the smell instead of Wonwoo's mom's instructions.

He stopped walking when he reached a pastel-yellow bakery. It has two white tables outside with two chairs each.

There was no one inside; the lights were not on yet, and Seungcheol was doubting coming back home instead.

He awkwardly stood there, thinking about what to do.

"We're almost open; you can take a seat if you want." And an older man suddenly spoke behind Seungcheol; he was carrying what looked like a handmade blackboard, and his pants were getting dirty from whatever was written on it.

Seungcheol took a seat just like he had been told to do; his leg was anxiously moving up and down.

"It's quite a cold morning today, isn't it?" The man asked again; he had a pretty strong accent that made some words difficult to understand for Seungcheol.

"Yeah, I think winter is coming sooner this year." Seungcheol continued the small talk.

The man nodded, mumbling something that Seungcheol couldn't really understand, but it didn't sound like a question, so Seungcheol let himself think it was probably the man thinking out loud.

He finished writing something on the board as Seungcheol's eyes wandered around the outside of the bakery.

Seungcheol's eyes stopped at the bakery's name.

La Dolcezza.

He wondered what it meant, but he wasn't curious enough to ask the busy man in front of him.

He heard footsteps behind him, turning just in time to see a woman who was probably in her late forties turning around the closed sign to the open side.

He sighed happily; he couldn't wait to buy what he was there to buy and go back to the forest.

If he thought the smell was delicious far away, he felt like he was entering heaven once he opened the door and his nose was attacked by the smell of so much delicious food.

"Buongiorno, what could I help you with?" The woman asked, and his accent was even harder to comprehend than the man's. Seungcheol wondered if that was his husband.

"I was looking for some croissants." Seungcheol replied, trying his best to imitate the way Wonwoo's mom pronounced it. He had been made fun of by Wonwoo way too many times for him to say the word comfortably.

"Croissants?" The woman asked in disbelief, looking around behind herself to see what was displayed for the customers to see. "Che stupidaggine è questa?" Seungcheol heard the woman ask herself. "No croissants here." She replied in broken Korean.

Seungcheol frowned; he was sure he could smell them from where he was standing. Was the woman not understanding him?

"Delicious croissant, sweet." He tried to only use words that the woman might understand. At the confused, and probably annoyed, expression on the woman's face, Seungcheol started to imitate the croissant's shape with his hands, maybe making the woman understand what he was trying to buy.

The woman kept looking around, not knowing exactly what she was looking for. Getting frustrated, she called someone else. The woman added something else, but Seungcheol couldn't understand a single word of what the woman said since it was in a foreign language.

Moments later, a young woman walked behind the one who had been trying to understand Seungcheol. Her wavy hair moved over her shoulder with every step she took closer, moving as if it were a black shadow.

She glanced around for a split second, trying to understand what was going on. She then started talking with the older woman; they had the same round face, Seungcheol noted.

The younger girl then started laughing softly.

And when she turned to see Seungcheol with rosy cheeks from the laugh, her round brown eyes unfroze something inside Seungcheol.

A sudden warmth invaded Seungcheol's body, moving from his head to his toes. He was looking at the girl's every move. And when he saw the smile on the girl's face, he felt himself smiling as well.

What are we smiling at? He asked himself.

The girl's mouth moved again, making Seungcheol realize he had been daydreaming for longer than he thought.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" He asked; he sounded breathless, like he just came from running.

"We don't make croissants here." The girl replied, smiling again.

"But my friend—he said he bought it in here." Seungcheol replied; his voice sounded distant, like he was about to fall asleep.

Or waking up from a dream.

A really nice dream.

"In here?" The girl asked, turning around to see what Seungcheol's friend could possibly have bought. "You're sure?"

Seungcheol nodded.

The girl mumbled, "Could it be..." before going back to where she was before. Seungcheol stopped the whine from escaping his lips; he felt some sort of pain.

It wasn't anything too extreme, but it was definitely there.

Like he had some wood chips on his chest.

His feet moved involuntarily, his legs hitting against the counter in front of him.

He shook his head, trying to think clearly.

What was he doing?

The girl came back, holding something in her hands.

"That's what I wanted." Seungcheol mumbled, "That's the croissant."

The girl shook her head. "No, that's from France. This is a cornetto. Way better than a croissant, if you ask me." The girl joked.

"Are these for you?" She asked, putting six inside a pretty box.

"No, for a friend. It's his birthday gift." Seungcheol added.

The girl smiled in return, taking the money that Seungcheol was handing her.

Her hands were so soft that Seungcheol could swear he felt something when their hands met.

Even when the girl's hand was far away from his, he could still feel where she touched him.

It was burning.

"Well, I hope your friend enjoys his present."

"Thank you..."

"(Y/n)," she replied, "my name's (y/n)."

"Seungcheol. Nice to meet you, (y/n)." He replied.

The girl smiled back, and all the way back to the pack house, that was all Seungcheol could think of.

He even went the wrong way for a good twenty minutes before he realized it.

One thing was for sure: the more he walked away from the girl, the more insufferable the pain in his chest became.

"Well, I hope you took that long because you got some good discounts." Jeonghan sarcastically said so as soon as Seungcheol walked inside the house.

Seungcheol didn't reply. Instead, he dropped the box of cornetto on the table and walked straight to his bedroom.

Jeonghan followed him, worrying. "What happened?"

Seungcheol stayed silent for a while. His eyes were on the wooden ruff, but he wasn't really paying attention to it.

He was deep in his thoughts.

"Seungcheol?" Jeonghan asked again.

"I found my mate."

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asongofstarkandtargaryen · 11 months

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And her lady mother, what would she say? Would she still want her back, after all the things she'd done?

Arya was a trail, it must be said. Half a boy and half a wolf pup. Forbid her anything and it became her heart's desire.

It was her mother she wanted, not her mother's sister.

ASOS, ARYA VI//how can I escape myself? Fatima Aamer Bilal//ACOK, CATELYN VII// I remain in darkness, Annie Ernaux// ASOS, ARYA XII

#arya stark #catelyn stark #house stark #asoiaf #valyrianscrolls #the complex relationship between these two fascinates me #catelyn and arya #mycreations #web weaving

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jonsnowwesterosworld · 7 months

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Arya was a trial, it must be said. Half a boy, half a wolf pup. Forbid her anything and it became her heart's desire. She had Ned's long face, and brown hair that always looked as though a bird had been nesting in it. I despaired of ever making a lady of her. She collected scabs as other girls collected dolls, and would say anything that came into her head.

#arya stark #asoiaf edit #asoiaf edit series

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quitealotofsodapop · 7 months

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Monkey King Reborn Au misc details;

Cus I'm starting to obsess over Monkey King Reborn, Imma talk a little bit about important worldbuilding and story details. Some spoilers for the film itself ahoy under Read More;

Because in the events of the film had Yuandi/Primordium gathering a bunch of the big name demons together and a few die on the battlefield, the mid-way chapters of the journey get shuffled around a bit. Notably the pilgrims make it to Slow-Cart Kingdom a bit faster since a bunch of the threats are missing and their route has been altered.

However, they do end up encountering the Yellow Robed Demon shortly after leaving Slow-Cart Kingdom and wandering into Baoxiang. There they learn of the King's missing princess and Tripitaka convinces the gang to investigate (Wukong groaning the whole time). Cue the giant wood-wolf demon who didn't get the mesasge that his reincarnated sweetie didn't remember him/and wants nothing to do with him now he's forced 13 years of marriage on her. Despite causing some confusion (Tripitaka gets a little cursed its fine *lies*), Kui Mulang gets put down quickly with Wukong on the scene from the very start. However... theres a few loose ends that neither Princess Hundred Flowers nor her father have interest in keeping...

Pigsy, carrying a half-wolf demon child on his back: "Explain to me how we've become a damned nursery?" Wukong, carrying the younger pup against his chest: "Because the Princess and King disowned them, and Master refuses to let them be culled or left to the wilds." Pigsy: "No I mean. Why are we dealing with them?" Wukong, blushing a little: "We uh... Macaque asked to keep them." Pigsy: "Such a whipped husband you are!" Wukong: "We aren't married!" Pigsy, swatting at SWK while the pup on his back laughs: "Then its shameful you have so many children while unwed!" *fighting continues* Macaque, whispering to Xiao Qi: "I think your baba and uncle are fighting again little one. Hopefully you wont squabble as much with your elder siblings." Xiao Qi: *is just delighted to have siblings* :D!!

The two half-wood wolf demon pups are named Zhu Yu/茱萸 ("cornelian dogwood") a pre-teen girl, and Ku Ai/苦艾 ("wormwood") a toddler-age boy. Neither are particularly happy or understanding why they can't live with their mom and/or dad anymore, and frequently act out by going wolf on the pilgrims. Neither are much help in a fight, but they're pretty good at sneaking around.

The Lady Bone Demon chapter also goes... very differently than in canon. Especially since she has a debt she wishes to "cash in" from a certain monkey, and a tasty-looking monk for her to eat... A team spilt occurs like in the book, and the Six Eared Macaque cashes in a different favor to make it up to them. Especially after the Bone Demon threatens someone very dear to both monkeys.

Jin and Yin are there too. They've devoted their new lives to fufilling a life debt to the Six Eared Macaque ever since he "saved" them after Yuandi's battle. He finds them annoying.

#monkey king reborn #monkey king reborn au #sun wukong #liu er mihou #six eared macaque #qi energy #reborn pigsy #fruitiedads #jttw inspo character ideas

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gendrie · 2 years

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"And Arya, well . . . Ned's visitors would oft mistake her for a stableboy if they rode into the yard unannounced. Arya was a trial, it must be said. Half a boy and half a wolf pup. Forbid her anything and it became her heart's desire. She had Ned's long face, and brown hair that always looked as though a bird had been nesting in it. I despaired of ever making a lady of her. She collected scabs as other girls collect dolls, and would say anything that came into her head. I think she must be dead too." When she said that, it felt as though a giant hand were squeezing her chest.

"He would have had a child with him," said the singer. "A skinny girl, about ten. Or perhaps a boy the same age." "I don't think so," said Merrett. "Not that I knew." [...] The singer turned to the hooded woman. "Milady?" The outlaws parted as she came forward, saying no word. When she lowered her hood, something tightened inside Merrett's chest, and for a moment he could not breathe. No. No, I saw her die.

#asoiafedit #arya stark #catelyn stark #this one is for catelyn believing arya was dead to finding out she's alive #and also death/rebirth #i was trying to avoid GoT caps but alas #my crap

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inncorrect-starklings · 1 year

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Of course you you have Arya be the one who always needs to be reprimanded by Catelyn. Sansa has her fair share of disrespect and bd moment too! Arya was way closer to Catelyn anyway!

Don’t want to rise to the obvious bait but

“Sansa was a lady at three, always so courteous and eager to please. She loved nothing so well as tales of knightly valor. Men would say she had my look, but she will grow into a woman far more beautiful than I ever was, you can see that. I often sent away her maid so I could brush her hair myself. She had auburn hair, lighter than mine, and so thick and soft … the red in it would catch the light of the torches and shine like copper.

“And Arya, well … Ned’s visitors would oft mistake her for a stableboy if they rode into the yard unannounced. Arya was a trial, it must be said. Half a boy and half a wolf pup. Forbid her anything and it became her heart’s desire. She had Ned’s long face, and brown hair that always looked as though a bird had been nesting in it. I despaired of ever making a lady of her.”

#arya stark #sansa stark #catelyn tully stark #catelyn & sansa & arya

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myimaginationplain · 2 years

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This fandom has never been lacking in inane, baseless takes, but "Arya Stark isn't a tomboy" has to be a new low, which is saying something. Apparently tumblr user wingedwolf1 doesn't understand the meaning of the word tomboy. Here's a hint: it doesn't mean a girl who wants to be a boy.

There's this breed of Arya """""""fan""""""" who are obsessed with proving how traditionally feminine she is; "Arya's not a tomboy! Nine year old Arya is objectively more motherly than her eleven year old sister! Look, look, Arya likes flowers! You're misogynistic if you don't think she looks like a supermodel!"

It makes me sad. Is she just a vessel for you to project your underdog fantasies onto, the actual text be damned? What do you all even like about Arya if you're unwilling to accept one of the first things the readers ever learn about her; that she doesn't fit into the traditionally feminine mold her society expects a highborn lady like herself to conform to?

Are we really talking about the same Arya "half a boy, half a wolf pup" Stark who wants to sword fight, takes pride in her bruises, loves to play outside even if it means getting muddy, and had hair shorter than Tommen's even before Yoren cut it all off? The one who was regularly mistaken for a boy even before actively pretending to be one? THAT ARYA STARK ISN'T A TOMBOY?

#putting this in the main tag because fuck y'all and what the hell #asoiaf #a song of ice and fire #got #game of thrones #arya stark #anti arya stans #fandom bs

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fromtheseventhhell · 1 year

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It took her back to her childhood, to long grey days at Riverrun. She remembered the godswood, drooping branches heavy with moisture, and the sound of her brother’s laughter as he chased her through piles of damp leaves. She remembered making mud pies with Lysa, the weight of them, the mud slick and brown between her fingers. They had served them to Littlefinger, giggling, and he’d eaten so much mud he was sick for a week. How young they all had been. (Catelyn V, AGOT) None of which stopped Arya, of course. One day she came back grinning her horsey grin, her hair all tangled and her clothes covered in mud, clutching a raggedy bunch of purple and green flowers for Father. Sansa kept hoping he would tell Arya to behave herself and act like the highborn lady she was supposed to be, but he never did, he only hugged her and thanked her for the flowers. (Sansa I, AGOT)

“He did not know you,” Ser Rodrik said after, wondering. “He saw a pair of mud-spattered travelers by the side of the road, wet and tired. It would never occur to him to suspect that one of them was the daughter of his liege lord. I think we shall be safe enough at the inn, Ser Rodrik.” (Catelyn V, AGOT) “What were you doing to that cat, boy?” Myrcella asked again, sternly. To her brother she said, “He’s a ragged boy, isn’t he? Look at him.” She giggled. “A ragged dirty smelly boy,” Tommen agreed. They don’t know me, Arya realized. They don’t even know I’m a girl. Small wonder; she was barefoot and dirty, her hair tangled from the long run through the castle, clad in a jerkin ripped by cat claws and brown roughspun pants hacked off above her scabby knees. You don’t wear skirts and silks when you’re catching cats. (Arya III, AGOT)

Her two older brothers had both died in infancy, so she had been son as well as daughter to Lord Hoster until Edmure was born. Then her mother had died and her father had told her that she must be the lady of Riverrun now, and she had done that too. And when Lord Hoster promised her to Brandon Stark, she had thanked him for making her such a splendid match. (Catelyn VI, ACOK) “And Arya, well…Ned’s visitors would oft mistake her for a stableboy if they rode into the yard unannounced. Arya was a trial, it must be said. Half a boy and half a wolf pup. Forbid her anything and it became her heart’s desire. She had Ned’s long face, and brown hair that always looked as though a bird had been nesting in it. I despaired of ever making a lady of her. She collected scabs as other girls collect dolls, and would say anything that came into her head. (Catelyn VII, ACOK)

He had forgotten Catelyn, until the iron brazier came crashing into the back of his head. Helmed as he was, the blow did no lasting harm, but it sent him to his knees. “Brienne, with me,” Catelyn commanded. The girl was not slow to see the chance. A slash, and the green silk parted. They stepped out into darkness and the chill of dawn. Loud voices came from the other side of the pavilion. “This way,” Catelyn urged, “and slowly. We must not run, or they will ask why. Walk easy, as if nothing were amiss.” (Catelyn IV, ACOK) It was the scariest thing she’d ever done. She wanted to run and hide, but she made herself walk across the yard, slowly, putting one foot in front of the other as if she had all the time in the world and no reason to be afraid of anyone. She thought she could feel their eyes, like bugs crawling on her skin under her clothes. Arya never looked up. If she saw them watching, all her courage would desert her, she knew, and she would drop the bundle of clothes and run and cry like a baby, and then they would have her. She kept her gaze on the ground. By the time she reached the shadow of the royal sept on the far side of the yard, Arya was cold with sweat, but no one had raised the hue and cry. (Arya IV, AGOT)

“I’m almost a man grown, and a king—your king, ser. And I don’t fear Jaime Lannister. I defeated him once, I’ll defeat him again if I must, only …” He pushed a fall of hair out of his eyes and gave a shake of the head. “I might have been able to trade the Kingslayer for Father, but …” “… but not for the girls?” Her voice was icy quiet. “Girls are not important enough, are they?” (Catelyn I, ACOK) That much was true, Arya knew. Knights were captured and ransomed all the time, and sometimes women were too. But what if Robb won’t pay their price? She wasn’t a famous knight, and kings were supposed to put the realm before their sisters. And her lady mother, what would she say? Would she still want her back, after all the things she’d done? Arya chewed her lip and wondered. (Arya IV, ASOS)

Some parallels between Arya and Catelyn that I noticed during my re-read. It's interesting to see not only how similar they are, but also see how many moments they have that directly mirror each other.

#arya stark #catelyn tully #catelyn stark #asoiaf #a song of ice and fire #I will add more as I come across them #Hurray for Arya and Cat parallels that actually look at how they're similar and not just reduce them down to being /feral uwu/!#Their relationship has always driven me crazy because they are so similar and yet Cat was still so hard on Arya #ahhhhh the fucked up relationship between mothers and daughters!!!! mothers who think they're doing what's best #and the daughters who suffer for it ahhhhh!!!!!#obviously they love each other but they very obviously have their issues and them being so alike makes it that much more fascinating #I'll always be mad that we (for now) don't have any one page interactions between them

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reginarubie · 2 years

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Sansa Stark appreciation month2022: day 2 ~ direwolf

A wolf is a wolf, even in a cage, even dressed in silk.

Sansa, of course, had named hers Lady. — Arya I, AGOT

He was still trying to choose a name (...) Sansa had named hers Lady. — Bran II, AGOT

"She's not a dog, she's a direwolf," Sansa pointed out as Lady licked her fingers with a rough tongue. "Anyway, Father said we could keep them with us if we want." — Sansa I, AGOT

Sansa couldn't help but smile a little. The kennelmaster once told her that an animal takes after its master. She gave Lady a quick little hug. Lady licked her cheek. Sansa giggled.

(...)

He did, and had since she had first laid eyes on the ruin that fire had made of his face, though it seemed to her now that he was not half so terrifying as the other. Still, Sansa wrenched away from him, and the Hound laughed, and Lady moved between them, rumbling a warning. Sansa dropped to her knees to wrap her arms around the wolf. — Sansa I, AGOT

They were all staring at him, but it was Sansa's look that cut.

"She is of the north. She deserves better than a butcher." He left the room with his eyes burning and his daughter's wails echoing in his ears, and found the direwolf pup where they chained her. Ned sat beside her for a while. "Lady," he said, tasting the name. He had never paid much attention to the names the children had picked, but looking at her now, he knew that Sansa had chosen well.

She was the smallest of the litter, the prettiest, the most gentle and trusting.

She looked at him with bright golden eyes, and he ruffled her thick grey fur. — Eddard III

"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, AGOT

So he listened, and she told it all, from the fire in the library tower to Varys and the guardsmen and Littlefinger. And when she was done, Eddard Stark sat dazed beside the table, the dagger in his hand. Bran's wolf had saved the boy's life, he thought dully. 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, AGOT

“(...) She says we must be loyal, and when she marries Joffrey she will plead with him to spare our lord father's life" His fingers closed into a fist, crushing Sansa's letter between them. "And she says nothing of Arya, nothing, not so much as a word. Damn her! What's wrong with the girl?"

Bran felt all cold inside. "She lost her wolf," he said, weakly, remembering the day when four of his father's guardsmen 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, AGOT

"Silence, fool." Joffrey lifted his crossbow and pointed it at her face. "You Starks are as unnatural as those wolves of yours. I've not forgotten how your monster savaged me."

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

"This girl's to be your queen," the Imp told Joffrey. "Have you no regard for her honor?" "I'm punishing her." "For what crime? She did not fight her brother's battle." “She has the blood of a wolf” — Sansa III, ACOK

Sansa turns feral only when her family is hurt — when she screams for Ned; tries to kill Joffrey when he shows her Ned’s head — and when Lady is involved or named. She completely forgot all courtesy when Cersei suggested they killed Lady, and she yet knowing she had to play it nice if she wanted to stay alive in KL, she still called out Joffrey about Lady even though he was aiming his crossbow at her and threatening her. Her bond with Lady was so pure, so strong and tender and gentle, that it was heartbreaking to see it severed by Ned’s hand, yet...just like Robb and Jon died whispering their direwolves’ names — and supposedly warged into them as they died — maybe some part of Lady does linger in Sansa and that is why Sansa still keeps dreaming of Lady.

For, Sansamonth2022, day 2, prompt: direwolf

Day 3

#sansamonth2022 #sansaappreciationfest2022 #sansa stark #Lady #Sansa and Lady #sansa #direwolf

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captainelliecomb · 2 years

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AGOT Arya I

Late to the Party: ASOIAF

Summary: Arya’s introduced with her dismay over her crooked stitches and that sets the tone for the entire chapter. She’s caught in rules that do not fit her, the restrictions of ladyhood that does not fit her, and she’s miserable and hurt and angry and sad over it all. Her humour is a little snarky and pointed, and it’s a nice balance to the wry humour we saw from Jon and Cat. Arya gives us a look at how Joffrey is spoilt and how unfair life is for girls and bastard boys alike.

I love that the first real look we have at Arya, besides her escorting Tommen from Jon’s POV, is that her stitches are crooked and she’s dismayed over them.

The septa saying Arya has the hands of a blacksmith is (a) interesting that she befriends a blacksmith soon, and (b) one of the first, if not the first, examples we get of even “good” septas being horrid to girls who step outside the rigidly designed way to be a lady. (SEPTA ROELLE.)

I’m not Catholic, and I don’t know much about Catholicism nor GRRM’s relationship with religion, but is this a criticism of Catholic school teacher nuns?

ARYA THINKS MYRCELLA’S STITCHES LOOK A LITTLE CROOKED TOO.

My kingdom for a happy adventure with Arya and Myrcella.

The lack of girls and ladies around our main characters is something I’d noticed in the show, but I didn’t feel the lack as strongly as I do now, seeing all these girls together. The show left women standing alone. The books do this, too, worse and worse as we go on, and it is just as frustrating.

Arya, don’t be rude toward Tommen, he’s a delight!

Arya telling Sansa what Jon said about Joffrey instead of what she herself thinks (which, we see a few paragraphs before, is that he’s handsome, much like Sansa thinks) made me laugh. And of course Arya thinks of Jon as their brother, not their bastard brother as we’ve seen Bran do and not the bastard half brother as we just saw Sansa do.

Arya feeling exposed and judged and hurt by the laughter from Jeyne and the pity from Myrcella is heartbreaking. I already love this dear, sweet girl. Go be friends with Brienne, dearheart! You can have sword adventures. Collect your hodge-podge of commoners as you go.

I HAVE TO GO SHOE A HORSE.

Arya with the snark! Jon’s and Cat’s humour has been dry wit. Arya’s fierce snark, and I love it too.

The only things Arya can do better than Sansa is ride a horse (shades of Lyanna, yes) and manage a household. She’s smart and balanced and I hate that Arya feels so constrained by the world of being a lady and by the torment of the older girls. Arya Horseface. Bloody hell.

THE WOLF PUP LOVED HER, EVEN IF NO ONE ELSE DID.

Arya, my dear girl.

I can see why some readers cling to Arya and hate on Sansa, particularly readers who have felt out of place, ugly, talentless, awkward, etc., which a lot of people assume makes up all of fandom. (It doesn’t.)

Arya running with Nymeria at her heels is a great image and makes me want to see her running with the great wolf pack Nymeria builds in the Riverlands, to see Arya, the wild little wolf, the wolf girl with sharp teeth, running with them in defense of the north.

Jon and Arya both going to the covered walkway to watch Robb and Joffrey train with swords is a nice way to show how similar they are beyond the physical, how close they are as siblings, and how each of them is outside the bounds of life at Winterfell, outside what is expected of them.

Ghost already being larger than his litter mates is excellent. He was the runt, Theon swore he would die, and here he is, thriving where he shouldn’t. Hello, metaphor for Jon.

Little Bran and Tommen sparring with so much padding they are ridiculous is cute.

The Tully look, “easy smiles and fire in their hair.” Vivacious, friendly, charming, and yet ready to burn with righteousness and love.

“THE WOMAN IS IMPORTANT TOO!” ARYA PROTESTED.

If I didn’t already love her, this would be the point where she stole my heart completely. And YES, she should make her mother’s House equal in honour to her father’s. She’s a Tully and a Stark. Catelyn is still a Tully and a Stark for all she’s embraced her married House.

“[...] if a girl can’t fight, why should she have a coat of arms?”

Jon shrugged. “Girls get the arms but not the swords. Bastards get the swords but not the arms. I did not make the rules, little sister.”

Oh Arya. Oh Jon.

Makes me think of Brienne and the painted shield and earlier than that, Ser Duncan the Tall having his shield painted.

The Hound snarling at Ser Rodrik over Joffrey and Robb fighting with live steel, and Rodrik’s pointed slap about him training knights, which the Hound of course wouldn’t find an insult, because knighthood is a farce, I liked that introduction to him. So many people who see knighthood as an honour don’t also see the ways it can be an abusive system.

I feel for Robb, belittled by Joffrey (and would whether or not Joffrey was otherwise a shit) in his own home. It’s no surprise that Joffrey turned out terrible and following his worst impulses, he was never checked, told always that he should receive whatever he wanted as a prince, no matter how dangerous.

#late to the party asoiaf #a game of thrones #ellie reads #starklings #wolf girls have sharp teeth

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asongofstarkandtargaryen · 11 months

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Sansa was a lady at three, always so courteous and eager to please.

Arya was a trail, it must be said. Half a boy and half a wolf pup. Forbid her anything and it became her heart's desire.

ACOK-Catelyn VII// German Master- Portait of a girl in a castle park (detail)//Alfred Elmore- Portait of a girl saying their prayers (detail)// Alexander Mark Rossi- Windy Poplars room(detail).

#Catelyn stark #sansa stark #arya stark #house Stark #valyrianscrolls #catelyn and sansa #catelyn and arya #my creations

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istumpysk · 2 years

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Operation Stumpy Re-Read

ACOK: Catelyn VII (Chapter 55)

I am become a sour woman, Catelyn thought. I take no joy in mead nor meat, and song and laughter have become suspicious strangers to me. I am a creature of grief and dust and bitter longings. There is an empty place within me where my heart was once.

[...]

"There was another bird this morning." Catelyn did not know why she said it. "The maester woke me at once. That was dutiful, but not kind. Not kind at all." She had not meant to tell Brienne. No one knew but her and Maester Vyman, and she had meant to keep it that way until . . . until . . .

Until what? Foolish woman, will holding it secret in your heart make it any less true? If you never tell, never speak of it, will it become only a dream, less than a dream, a nightmare half-remembered? Oh, if only the gods would be so good.

[...]

"I have no sons but Robb." She managed those terrible words without a sob, and for that much she was glad.

Brienne looked at her with horror. "My lady?"

"Bran and Rickon tried to escape, but were taken at a mill on the Acorn Water. Theon Greyjoy has mounted their heads on the walls of Winterfell. Theon Greyjoy, who ate at my table since he was a boy of ten." I have said it, gods forgive me. I have said it and made it true.

+.+.+

"Sansa was a lady at three, always so courteous and eager to please. She loved nothing so well as tales of knightly valor. Men would say she had my look, but she will grow into a woman far more beautiful than I ever was, you can see that. I often sent away her maid so I could brush her hair myself. She had auburn hair, lighter than mine, and so thick and soft . . . the red in it would catch the light of the torches and shine like copper.

+.+.+

"I want them all dead, Brienne. Theon Greyjoy first, then Jaime Lannister and Cersei and the Imp, every one, every one. But my girls . . . my girls will . . ."

[...]

"There is a sweet innocence about you, child. I could wish . . . but no. Robb will avenge his brothers. Ice can kill as dead as fire. Ice was Ned's greatsword. Valyrian steel, marked with the ripples of a thousand foldings, so sharp I feared to touch it. Robb's blade is dull as a cudgel compared to Ice. It will not be easy for him to get Theon's head off, I fear. The Starks do not use headsmen. Ned always said that the man who passes the sentence should swing the blade, though he never took any joy in the duty. But I would, oh, yes."

Here's the turning point. Before this, Catelyn didn't thirst for vengeance.

"When I take King's Landing, I'll send you Cersei's head."

And will that bring my Ned back to me? she thought. - Catelyn II, ACOK

+.+.+

She could hear the soft whisper of his labored breathing, the endless rush of waters, the faint chords of some love song drifting up from the yard, so sad and sweet. "I loved a maid as red as autumn," Rymund sang, "with sunset in her hair."

What's all this? Is Catelyn autumn?

Summer: Cersei

Winter: Daenerys

Autumn: Catelyn?

A terrible trio for Tyrion Lannister?

Further research is needed.

+.+.+

Catelyn shouldered aside the heavy wood-and-iron door and stepped into foul darkness. This was the bowels of Riverrun, and smelled the part.

I'm on high alert. We're underneath a castle with a Lannister, and the word bowel was just used.

+.+.+

"I see you had no taste for the wine I sent you."

"Such sudden generosity seemed somewhat suspect."

"I can have your head off anytime I want. Why would I need to poison you?"

"Death by poison can seem natural. Harder to claim that my head simply fell off."

The one time I would have enjoyed seeing Tyrion come next. I never win.

+.+.+

"You brought this on yourself," she reminded him. "We granted you the comfort of a tower cell befitting your birth and station. You repaid us by trying to escape."

"A cell is a cell. Some under Casterly Rock make this one seem a sunlit garden. One day perhaps I'll show them to you."

+.+.+

"Did the old Kings of Winter hide behind their mothers' skirts as well?"

<- Tyrion XII

The chapter transitions, man. Always pay attention to the chapter transitions.

+.+.+

"What gods are those, Lady Catelyn? The trees your husband prayed to? How well did they serve him when my sister took his head off?" Jaime gave a chuckle. "If there are gods, why is the world so full of pain and injustice?"

"What evil?" He laughed. "What gods?"

"The gods who made us all."

"All?" he mocked. "Tell me, little bird, what kind of god makes a monster like the Imp, or a halfwit like Lady Tanda's daughter? If there are gods, they made sheep so wolves could eat mutton, and they made the weak for the strong to play with." - Sansa IV, ACOK

Try not to die of laughter over two hostile parties repeating the same conversation that Sansa and Sandor Clegane had.

+.+.+

"Because of men like you."

"There are no men like me. There's only me."

Okay, Darkstar.

+.+.+

"Blame the gods?" she said, incredulous. "Yours was the hand that threw him. You meant for him to die."

His chains chinked softly. "I seldom fling children from towers to improve their health. Yes, I meant for him to die."

I can't wait for Jaime Lannister's happy ending. How many children will he have with Brienne? Three?

+.+.+

"Tyrion always backed me in the lists," Jaime said, "but that day Ser Loras unhorsed me. A mischance, I took the boy too lightly, but no matter. Whatever my brother wagered, he lost . . . but that dagger did change hands, I recall it now. Robert showed it to me that night at the feast. His Grace loved to salt my wounds, especially when drunk. And when was he not drunk?"

Tyrion Lannister had said much the same thing as they rode through the Mountains of the Moon, Catelyn remembered. She had refused to believe him. Petyr had sworn otherwise, Petyr who had been almost a brother, Petyr who loved her so much he fought a duel for her hand . . . and yet if Jaime and Tyrion told the same tale, what did that mean?

Catelyn, please.

+.+.+

"How can you still count yourself a knight, when you have forsaken every vow you ever swore?"

Jaime reached for the flagon to refill his cup. "So many vows . . . they make you swear and swear. Defend the king. Obey the king. Keep his secrets. Do his bidding. Your life for his. But obey your father. Love your sister. Protect the innocent. Defend the weak. Respect the gods. Obey the laws. It's too much. No matter what you do, you're forsaking one vow or the other." He took a healthy swallow of wine and closed his eyes for an instant, leaning his head back against the patch of nitre on the wall. "I was the youngest man ever to wear the white cloak."

"And the youngest to betray all it stood for, Kingslayer."

"Kingslayer," he pronounced carefully. "And such a king he was!" He lifted his cup. "To Aerys Targaryen, the Second of His Name, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm.

Great TED Talk, nothing really to add, but I wanted to point out that in the book the word protector is italicized, suggesting the use of sarcasm. Sneaky George.

+.+.+

Answer me this, Lady Stark—did your Ned ever tell you the manner of his father's death? Or his brother's?"

"They strangled Brandon while his father watched, and then killed Lord Rickard as well."

Jaime seems to believe that Ned knows the truth of how they died, but that's not clear to me.

Brandon had been twenty when he died, strangled by order of the Mad King Aerys Targaryen only a few short days before he was to wed Catelyn Tully of Riverrun. His father had been forced to watch him die. - Eddard I, AGOT

He's not speaking, that's his internal monologue. Ned is no stranger to deluding himself, but this would be on another level.

On the other hand, how could he not know?

+.+.+

Jaime took a swallow, wiped his mouth. "No doubt Ned wished to spare you. His sweet young bride, if not quite a maiden.

Did you catch that, Catelyn? He implied you were no maiden when you married Ned. Where did he hear that from?

Tyrion cocked his head. "Why, every man at court has heard him tell how he took your maidenhead, my lady."

"That is a lie!" Catelyn Stark said. - Tyrion IV, AGOT

+.+.+

Jaime poured the last half cup of wine. "He rode into the Red Keep with a few companions, shouting for Prince Rhaegar to come out and die. But Rhaegar wasn't there. Aerys sent his guards to arrest them all for plotting his son's murder. The others were lords' sons too, it seems to me."

Jaime's being brutally honest during this exchange, but it's still important to reflect on who is telling the story, and how much time has passed.

As hot-tempered as Brandon was, I would be genuinely shocked if anyone entered into the Red Keep demanding the crown prince come out and die.

+.+.+

"Aerys accused them of treason and summoned their fathers to court to answer the charge, with the sons as hostages. When they came, he had them murdered without trial. Fathers and sons both."

Do you smell something? I smell something.

+.+.+

The king told him that fire was the champion of House Targaryen. So all Lord Rickard needed to do to prove himself innocent of treason was . . . well, not burn.

God I hate Targaryens. Please die out already.

+.+.+

"I made no such claim. The Starks were nothing to me. I will say, I think it passing odd that I am loved by one for a kindness I never did, and reviled by so many for my finest act.

And Tyrion, his little brother, who loved him for a lie. - Jaime IV, ASOS

He's talking about Tysha here, but I fail to see why he believes Tyrion loves him for it. Tyrion thinks Jaime paid a whore to sleep with him, why would he love him for that? Especially after everything that happened afterwards.

+.+.+

"I find nothing about you amusing, Kingslayer."

"That name again. I don't think I'll fuck you after all, Littlefinger had you first, didn't he? I never eat off another man's trencher. Besides, you're not half so lovely as my sister." His smile cut. "I've never lain with any woman but Cersei. In my own way, I have been truer than your Ned ever was. Poor old dead Ned. So who has shit for honor now, I ask you? What was the name of that bastard he fathered?"

I'll eat a shoe if Jaime ever lays with another woman.

+.+.+

"No, that wasn't it." Jaime Lannister upended the flagon. A trickle ran down onto his face, bright as blood. "Snow, that was the one. Such a white name . . . like the pretty cloaks they give us in the Kingsguard when we swear our pretty oaths."

+.+.+

Brienne pushed open the door and stepped inside the cell. "You called, my lady?"

"Give me your sword." Catelyn held out her hand.

I feel like I'm looking into the future.

Final thoughts:

For the record, if there was a Trauma Olympics, Catelyn would never lose.

-> return to menu <-

#operation stumpy re-read #acok #catelyn vii

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wolfsneedles · 3 years

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"Arya was a trial. Half a boy, half a wolf pup. Forbid her anything and it became her heart's desire. She had Ned's long face and brown hair. I despaired of ever making a lady of her. She collected scabs as other girls collected dolls, and would say anything that came into her head"

- catelyn, ASOS

Artwork by: gewska on deviantart

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thelustybraavosimaid · 2 years

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There is one thing that I don't think is talked about often enough in the fandom, in regards to Arya's attractiveness, is one that she shares with her own father. They are similar in that they are being compared in-story to their older siblings, the ones who are widely regarded to be attractive/handsome/beautiful.

And was it really such a terrible thing, to want a pretty wife? She remembered her own childish disappointment, the first time she had laid eyes on Eddard Stark. She had pictured him as a younger version of his brother Brandon, but that was wrong. Ned was shorter and plainer of face, and so somber. He spoke courteously enough, but beneath the words she sensed a coolness that was all at odds with Brandon, whose mirths had been as wild as his rages. Even when he took her maidenhood, their love had more of duty to it than of passion. (Catelyn V, ASoS)

Catelyn makes a similar observation between Arya and Sansa.

"Sansa was a lady at three, always so courteous and eager to please. She loved nothing so well as tales of knightly valor. Men would say she had my look, but she will grow into a woman far more beautiful than I ever was, you can see that. I often sent away her maid so I could brush her hair myself. She had auburn hair, lighter than mine, and so thick and soft...the red in it would catch the light of the torches and shine like copper.

"And Arya, well...Ned's visitors would oft mistake her for a stableboy if they rode into the yard unannounced. Arya was a trial, it must be said. Half a boy and half a wolf pup. Forbid her anything and it became her heart's desire. She had Ned's long face, and brown hair that always looked as though a bird had been nesting in it. I despaired of ever making a lady of her. She collected scabs as other girls collect dolls, and would say anything that came into her head. I think she must be dead too." When she said that, it felt as though a giant hand were squeezing her chest. (Catelyn VII, ACoK)

...as does Brienne:

If she were highborn, command would come naturally to her, and deference to them. Brienne wondered whether Willow might be more than she appeared. The girl was too young and too plain to be Sansa Stark, but she was of the right age to be the younger sister, and even Lady Catelyn had said that Arya lacked her sister's beauty. Brown hair, brown eyes, skinny...could it be? Arya Stark's hair was brown, she recalled, but Brienne was not sure of the color of her eyes. Brown and brown, was that it? Could it be that she did not die at Saltpans after all? (Brienne VII, AFfC)

I don't think Ned, Arya, or Jon for that matter have incredibly plain faces, but some may think that way if they try to make visual comparisons between them and their Tully-looking counterparts for the latter two, or Ned with his (notably hot-blooded + "more handsome") brother.

#ramble #arya stark #ned stark

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