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Said I was not gonna make Dune Messiah predictions but here I am making Dune Messiah predictions. Because I've been thinking about how smartly Part Two used all the characters around Paul to embody the different forces pulling on him, and I wouldn't be surprised if we see a similar thing in Dune Messiah.

I think Irulan's role will be more or less the same as in the book--she'll be plotting against him. She represents the interests of the Bene Gesserit and the other Great Houses--all the various other imperialist powers that Paul pissed off by upending their carefully laid plans.

Chani will definitely be there but she will not have spent the intervening years with Paul. It's much more of a punch in the feels for her to pop up as a plot twist partway through the story and for us to see their reunion happen in real time. I've seen some predictions that try to like...bend Paul and Chani's relationship back into a shape approximating what's in the book and I am saying now that that ain't gonna happen. Spending years hanging around the imperial palace trying to get pregnant and soothing your dictator bf's existential angst makes no fucking sense for movie Chani. She will be organizing against him. If she "forgives" him and spends any amount of time with him it'll be a ruse in order to spy on him or something like that. I think it would be a great source of internal conflict for her to discover along the way that she still harbors some compassion for Paul as a person, but there is no way she will compromise her political principles; that is the bedrock of her character. She will serve much the same role as she did in Part Two: she gives voice to Paul's conscience, his better instincts, and the interests of the Fremen independent of what various imperial powers want from them.

The twins will still be born, because that is central to why Paul does what he does at the end of the story, and that is part of "leaving the door open" for any fool who might take a crack at directing Children of Dune. (I think Children of Dune can work just fine as a movie but anyone who does it will be Not Denis and therefore setting themselves a formidable task.) But like...Paul and Chani only have to have sex once for that to happen.

The role that Chani plays for a large chunk of the book, of being Paul's loyal confidante and the person he allows himself to be most human around? That role is gonna be filled by Alia.

Alia...doesn't really have a lot to do, plot-wise, in the book of Dune Messiah, and this is the perfect place to put her. She is the only person in the Known Universe who maybe sort of a little bit understands what Paul's experience of reality is like now. She's the perfect conduit to voice all the philosophical stuff about prescience that's in the book but hard to work into casual dialogue. The book is full of people saying stuff about how Paul and Alia are so close they seem like two halves of the same person but we don't really see it that much on the page, and this is the perfect chance to add that stuff in. (I could very much see them borrowing not necessarily the actual plot points but some of the weird incesty vibes from the Children of Dune era.) I wouldn't be so surprised if some of the moments that happen between Paul and Chani in the book get handed off to Alia (blind ornithopter ride maybe??) and Chani gets a whole new storyline, independent of Paul, that's not in the book at all.

It kinda fits with the rhythm of the films, too. In Part One Paul's most important interpersonal relationship is with Jessica. In Part Two, he's in conflict with Jessica and his most important relationship is with Chani. In Messiah, I think he'll be in conflict with Chani and his most central relationship will be with Alia. (And ghola!Duncan probably, but I think that will be another surprise reveal that happens later in the story.) And at the end of Messiah, he won't end up in conflict with Alia exactly. But he will leave her behind.

ON SIBLINGS, SANSA & ROBB STARK

george r. r. martin, a song of ice and fire. game of thrones (2011). james hoch, wall. ruth madievsky, the atlantic. mitski, should’ve been me. joan baez, girl of constant sorrow. venetian red, victor casimir zier. george eliot, brother and sister. chao fang-shen, the little sister’s struggle: sibling conflict in brother and sister and the mill on the floss.

Sansa chose a pear instead, and took a small delicate bite. It was very ripe. The juice ran down her chin. That she is known to be in favour of Argos and the Argolid, a land known also for pears, and that people hailing from her region were known to be apian, show a possible strong link between the worship of Hera and apia.

ASOS SANSA IV + HERA AND HER ASSOCIATION WITH PEARS

The fact that people still think Harry and Sansa going to marry and rally the Vale army to WF is hilarious. They put so much stake on Harry character that they forget he is giving importance by some Vale lords only because they feel Robin is going to die because of his weak health. What would Sansa going to gain with marrying Harry?

GRRM: This kid is really ill. Underdeveloped, a brat, immature. SICKLY!!!!

GRRM: He is getting DANGEROUS MEDICINE THAT COULD KILL HIM!!!!!!! Watch him take it on the page and the maester talk about how it's dangerous and Arya learn about how it's DEADLY!!!

GRRM: This is the step-by-step plan of what is going to happen WHEN he dies! Which is super probable!!!!!

Fandom: Yeah, that kid is going to die and GRRM is going to follow the step-by-step plan he laid out for this eventuality. This is a reasonable thing to expect.

GRRM: Pay no attention to the other disabled young boy surviving against the odds and currently on a plot-relevant magical adventure north of the Wall. Or the main character with dwarfism. Disabled children that are expected to die will definitely die.

Fandom: Yes, Sweetrobin will die. So excited about how Sansa will be betrothed to Harry and then word-by-word act out the plan that Littlefinger made for her not first, not second, not third, FOURTH arranged engagement to a person not of her own choosing - this time it's going to be for real. Yes, this is good speculation.

GRRM: "No one will ever marry me for love."

Fandom: See? He told us. He always spells out exactly what's going to happen.

She hasn't heard a single word about Jon Snow since they moved. She didn't think much of it then – hasn't thought once about it in the eighteen years since - but now it strikes her as strange. He and Robb had been best friends since they were in diapers, but once they moved, she never heard Robb talk about him again.

She could call Robb and ask why, but she doesn't. Whatever the reason, it was nearly two decades ago and it doesn't matter. It has nothing to do with the case, or the murdered girls.

mongrel heart by @cellsshapedlikestars

FRIENDS AU: After a long day at KL University, Jon, a history professor, wants to relax and have a cup of coffee with his sister and friends. When he walks into the café, the first thing that catches his eye is a girl in a grey wedding dress, crying in Robb's arms. Jon barely has time to wonder why the runaway bride looks so familiar when Rhaenys notices him and introduces the girl: ‘Jon, do you remember Robb's sister Sansa?’

Just laying on the ground thinking about Dune.

The reason that worms are the source of spice necessary for space travel is because the key theme is that power is derived from living things. It’s not some rock mined from the planet; it’s a byproduct of a unique species that cannot survive in environments that are more hospitable to the colonists. The Fremen had adapted to Arrakis, not the other way around, until Liet Kynes came along. An ecologist with an agenda to make paradise, convinced that a balance could be struck where humans could have little sections of Arrakis made perfect for humans, without taking too much from the worms.

It’s the reason that nukes are only really relevant in the plot in the context that they will specifically destroy the worms. It’s the reason that anti-atomic shielding is in the story in the first place. The characters don’t worry about a potential human death toll of using nukes; it’s that they could destroy a living source of power. It mirrors the twisted political framing of loss of life as a tragedy, not because they were people, but because the power (social, religious, monetary, military, etc) they provided is lost as a resource.

Then the worms begin to die off because Paul’s execution of plan of course had consequences, and Leto II decided to preserve power by becoming the source himself. Paul saw the same vision and refused to do it once he accepted that there was no way to avoid the cost. Leto II became physically, religiously, socially the sole source of power in the universe and insisted to all that it was the only way for humanity to survive. It was the only way for that scale of power to survive: to become a god.

The reason this is a post-AI society is to emphasize that all these decisions and predictions were made by people. The audience doesn’t get to blame computer error. It’s not a non-living thing at fault. We don’t get to say that the weapons got out of control. None of these were an instance of “right idea, wrong ______”. Wrong method, wrong execution, wrong device, wrong time, etc. The point is that the idea of hoarding power—creating an empire to control people—is wrong.

Power comes from living things, and here’s all the ways that is a tragedy.

from porcelain to ivory to steel

Because the concept of "historical accuracy" gets brought up in regards to ASOIAF despite it being a fantasy series and therefore not requiring historical accuracy, I think it's really worth realizing the degree and manner in which GRRM is drawing from history. He consults historical texts to be sure, but what he seems to focus on is how the style of older historical texts delivers these tales as stories, and how much hearsay makes it into the documents.

GRRM likes stories, more than history for its own sake, which makes sense; he's a storyteller. This appreciation is how we get Fire & Blood, plenty of attention to tales told rather than representative history.

Emblematic of this is his response to his inspiration for Stannis: GRRM says that Stannis is inspired by Tiberius Caesar, but he qualifies that this is "in some part Tiberius from history, but to a greater extent specifically Tiberius from the TV series 'I, Claudius'" (my paraphrasing). He's open with the fact that, rather than trying to mirror history, GRRM is drawing inspiration from other stories and media about history.

And so we should not understand ASOIAF as a fantasy filter over a historical framework, we should understand ASOIAF as building on and responding to stories first, both fantasy and history—and especially where the two get confused.

So when people complain that his feudal model is more rooted in pop-history and has little actual functionality, I think that's fine; perhaps it's even the point, whether GRRM intends it to be or not. ASOIAF is not the real medieval era, but rather has roots in the fantastic way that medieval aesthetics have been developed.

This is also applicable to his oft-cited inspiration for the series as a whole structure, the War of the Roses. GRRM frequently says that the War of the Roses was the single biggest influence, but lately I've been wondering if what he really means is that the Henry VI + Richard III Shakespeare tetralogy is the biggest influence, because in truth the Shakespearean parallels we find often feel more informative for the text of ASOIAF than the strictly historical comparisons.

Portrait of Eddard Stark with his daughter Arya

King's Landing, 298 AC

Source: portrait of Giacomo Malatesta with his daughter Leonida

Gradara (Italy), 1562

i hate it HATE IT so much when asoiaf fans go "grrm finish the fucking books already" and "lmao we'll never get twow" and "what if grrm dies and doesn't finish the story" and if i see this shit one more time i'll start biting people, because SHUT UP LET HIM COOK let him take his time!! this is so mean-spirited like here's the author that gave us so so many wonderful heartwrenshing captivating profoundly human stories but instead of being supportive and grateful you bitch and moan about how long it takes him to write more???

people on tumblr make such long post that analyze every word in these books, because literally every word is so thought-out it's either a foreshadowing or a subtle but real reflection of the pov character's constantly evolving inner life or has some otherwise deeper meaning to it; and the same thoughtfulness goes for every chapter, every plot point, every character interaction! and then the same people wonder why it takes grrm so long to write it?? seriously??

and if you ever attempted to write anything real and sincere you know that it doesn't come easy. and all the emotional complexity and depths that make characters feel so human and their struggles so real peaking at "ned loves my hair" and "i dreamed of you" and "he wondered what it's like to have a home" and every line that is so simple but so sharp and raw it makes me wanna pull my hair scream cry sob throw up - none of it comes easy!! it takes time and effort and emotional work to write like this! of course it takes long!

not to mention that grrm's in his seventies and likely has some health issues that take time and energy to manage and that he doesn't mention publically because why would he? ALSO when you get older you tend to get tired more easily! and need more time to rest! like, that's why people usually retire in their sixties. but grrm keeps working! ALSO have you never experienced a burn out or a creative block after years of working on the same thing??

ALSO one of asoiaf's main theme is that any person in any circumstances deserves empathy and understanding!!

so while we all are waiting for next books it's so important to show our amazing beloved author respect and support and gratitude! all say thank you, thank you george rr martin and please take care and take your time!!

one night stand (to lovers to soulmates) au?

"Is it grief for your Lord father that makes you so sad?"

"My father was a traitor," Sansa said at once. "And my brother and lady mother are traitors as well." That reflex she had learned quickly. "I am loyal to my beloved Joffrey."

"No doubt. As loyal as a deer surrounded by wolves."

"Lions," she whispered, without thinking. She glanced about nervously, but there was no one close enough to hear.

-A Clash Of Kings

Do you think there's some misogyny in the way George writes Sansa? Pretty much every other chapter there's a character telling her she's stupid for having her head filled with songs and romantic ideals, she's constantly getting assaulted and beaten as a consequence of having loved Joffrey, she gets punished for rejecting Sandor and Tyrion by being stuck with Littlefinger and having to act his daughter/lover, and even in chapters that have nothing to do with her it seems like the story is mocking her (i.e. Jon saying that women like Val, Ygritte and Arya are much better than damsels in a tower)

Absolutely not.

"Pretty much every other chapter there's a character telling her she's stupid for having her head filled with songs and romantic ideals"

Yes. There are a ton of characters in a book series called A SONG of Ice and Fire that think there's no truth to be found in songs. I think the title of the books alone spells it out for us that they're wrong - even more so when we look at the characters that mock Sansa for her optimism/romanticism:

1 - Cersei Lannister. A misogynistic, narcisistic, delusional woman that is causing her own downfall because, while people fear her or are at least interested on her family's wealth, no one actually admires her. She's also a hypocrite for making fun of Sansa's dreams, since she herself has always dreamed of being queen AND fully believes that her twin is the other half of her soul and they are fated to die together.

2 - Littlefinger, a manipulative, delusional creep that actively tries to isolate Sansa and make her think he's her only hope AND is as much of a hypocrite as Cersei, since the whole reason he's so obessed with Sansa (and her mom) is because he very much believes he is the hero of an epic romance and is actively trying to force Sansa into being the maiden he is rewarded with at the end of the tale.

3 - Sandor Clegane, the Beast to Sansa's Beauty, aka the guy that is transformed by her compassion and falls madly in love with her, aka George R.R. Martin's favorite story EVER. An idealist that tried REALLY hard to kill his inner romantic because he'a afraid of being hurt, yet is constantly being Sansa's disgraced knight, full on asks/threatens her to sing him a love song about a fool-turned-knight, and cries when Sansa sings to him about mercy changing a man's heart and saving him.

These interactions don't happen to prove how foolish Sansa is. They happen to show us why she'll survive while they won't (unless they change their ways, like Sandor did)

"She's constantly getting assaulted and beaten as a consequence of having loved Joffrey"

All the Starks go through horrible shit, and some died, as a consequence of not knowing how to play the Game Of Thrones. Sansa's past feelings for Joffrey are not demonized, though she is criticized for letting them blind her to some red flags.

All of her siblings are basically trapped in nightmare versions of something they wanted. Instead of just being allowed to be a skilled swordmaster to bond with her brothers, Arya is now fighting for her life every other chapter and being trained to be an assassin, and obviously getting traumatized as fuck in the process.

Jon is offered the chance to be legitimized as a Stark, but only after his entire family (allegedly) dies. Not to mention, when he first goes to the wall, he is called out for thinking of himself as better than his brothers of the watch, and then forced to reconsider if Free Folk don't have a VERY good reason to not want to submit to the watch/king.

Sansa is not being singled-out by the narrative as the one having her dreams turned into nightmares, or to need to be taught a lesson, and like I said, Martin toys with romance tropes between her and Sandor constantly, including through the lenses of his favorite story ever.

"She gets punished for rejecting Sandor and Tyrion by being stuck with Littlefinger and having to act his daughter/lover"

Sansa rejected Sandor's offer to be her knight in shining armor because he barged into her room in the middle of a PTSD episode, drunk as hell, and held a knife to her throat. This rejection leads to Sandor finding Arya, which eventually leads to him getting Westeros's equivalent of therapy and rehab, meaning that if they were to meet again (which is likely) he'd actually be fit to be Sansa's protector like he wanted to.

Sansa refused to sleep with Tyrion, despite him being her husband, because he belongs to the family that murdered hers. The books also show how, despite having tons of qualities, Tyrion can also be selfish, entitled, violent, and capable of both rape and murder. Not exactly a saint, even when compared to Littlefinger.

And while Petyr Baelish is absolute scum, not to be trusted, and VERY creepy, the whole point of him taking Sansa as his daughter is so he can teach her how to play the Game of Thrones, to make her go from pawn to player - which will inevitably lead to his downfall and Sansa's return to Winterfell. There's a reason George was FURIOUS the show replaced that with just making Sansa be abused by Ramsay and then say she's only strong and smart after BECAUSE of said abuse. That was pure misogyny and "fuck you for having hope and wanting love, you stupid girl, learn your place"

"Even in chapters that have nothing to do with her it seems like the story is mocking her (i.e. Jon saying that women like Val, Ygritte and Arya are much better than damsels in a tower)"

Not a single character in the story is a fully unbiased narrator. Jon was an outcast due to being a bastard, so naturally he bonds more with "unfeminine", wild, warrior-type women because they're also seen as deviating from the norm - not to mention, Sansa wasn't exactly kind to him, so naturally he develops some aversion to the more typically "feminine" women that remind him of her.

Just like Sansa's prejucide against bastards and unlady-like women is meant to reflect poorly on her instead of on her siblings , Jon's opinions on what kind of woman is "better" says nothing about Sansa's worth.

Again, if you want to see actual misogyny, watch the show since the writers went from having Arya say things like "the woman is important too" and genuinely have nothing against Sansa to being an arrogant "not like other girls" kind of character that says most girls are idiots, without a shred of self-awareness.

George, finish the books. Please. The worms are back. The ASOIAF worms are back George please I'm crying over them again George finish the books George PLE-

Visenya and Rhaenys; Rhaena and Alysanne; Sansa and Arya: An analysis of older and younger sisters' relationships to love and duty in Westeros

While Arya may be the more obvious Visenya comparison at first glance due to her inclination toward warfare, bear in mind that both Rhaenys and Visenya were warriors; arguably, Visenya's impact on Westeros is more defined by her diplomacy (an art Sansa has been learning her entire arc, specifically in the Vale and the Crownlands, the places Visenya conquered) while Rhaenys' impact is one of a warrior (specifically in the place that Arya's direwolf's namesake once ruled). I think that Sansa will ultimately be the Stark sister to fall into the Visenya archetype while Arya is more of the Rhaenys.

To be clear, this analysis is more about the Fire and Blood characters' roles in the story than their actual personalities. Since the text inherently leaves F&B characters' personalities way more open for interpretation than any POV character. With that in mind, I will be commenting on choices made by F&B characters that demonstrate character traits that the Stark girls also demonstrate and situations/events that mirror their stories. I also do not think that any character in ASOIAF is ever anything even close to a perfect 1:1 of any other character and do not intend to imply that this is the case.

Here's a previous reblog with my commentary on this subject, some of which I will repeat here. To summarize that commentary, I believe that Visenya and Rhaena (who directly compared herself to Visenya while comparing Alysanne to Rhaenys) establish a pattern of eldest sisters who were sought-after wives due to their place in the line of succession but ultimately choose to buck the rules when they realize their sense of duty to the system they live under will never truly help them. I strongly believe that Sansa is on her way to a similar arc and that this is (at least partially) what Lady's death means for her story.

Though one may be quick to think of Rhaenys as a more dutiful wife than Visenya since she is framed as the more traditional of the two women, I would like to remind my fellow readers that Visenya married Aegon for duty while Rhaenys married him for love. Visenya also established the first Kingsguard along with its vows because she believed that Aegon's guards were not attentive enough -- not unlike Sansa establishing the Brotherhood of the Winged Knight in the Vale to protect the young Lord Robert Arryn. While Sansa does not wish to be a warrior herself, she loves everything to do with knights, tourneys, and heraldry -- that is more of the way I see her emulating Visenya.

Regarding Visenya's diplomacy in the Vale specifically, I think it is notable that the Vale during the conquest was ruled by a regent on behalf of a boy king, not unlike Sweetrobin and Littlefinger. Though one might expect Visenya and Vhagar to burn the Eyrie to a crisp, as they had previously done to ships in Gullstown, she instead invited the young King Ronnel onto Vhagar to amuse the boy. The dragon's presence was also an inherent threat to Queen Regent Sharra Arryn, don't get me wrong. Without dragons in Westeros, the Eyrie was impenetrable. With dragons in Westeros, it was not -- and Visenya chose a very diplomatic way to remind Sharra Arryn of that fact. This is the kind of approach I expect Sansa to come away with from the Vale: Tactful and courteous but no less effective. She just needs to wield the power to back it up.

If Rhaenys had been more duty-minded, perhaps she would have married into a great house to give the Targaryens more allies in their conquest of Westeros. Instead she followed her heart and I believe Arya would do the same -- especially if she had a goddamn dragon. Additionally, because Alysanne and Jaehaerys are remembered in the histories as this perfect couple, it is easy to forget that they defied Alyssa when they married. Because of the reaction to Rhaena's marriage to Aegon, Alyssa reasonably worried that Jaehaerys and Alysanne's marriage would be unpopular. Nevertheless, Jaehaerys and Alysanne overcame this and went on to be remembered as the most beloved rulers in Westerosi history.

Sansa, on the other hand, pursues a man she actively dislikes (Harry Hardyng) because she believes she must marry him to retake Winterfell. This same pattern can be seen with Rhaena as well -- despite Rhaena clearly being a lesbian, she marries her own Aegon and has his children. Not unlike Sansa, Rhaena's place in her family's line of succession leads her to become one of Maegor's Black Brides. Though Sansa did not marry Joffrey, like Rhaena she experienced physical and sexual abuse from a cruel king at the Red Keep. Both Sansa and Rhaena had to mourn their fathers and brothers -- their most trusted male protector figures -- during their time in the Red Keep and were forced to marry into the political faction responsible for their deaths.

After Maegor's death, Rhaena shocked her family when she married the simple second son of the modest Fair Isle rather than making a match that would benefit House Targaryen. Of course, it was Elissa Farman that Rhaena loved rather than Androw Farman. As the closest thing to a canonically lesbian character in the ASOIAF-verse, Rhaena's place in the Targaryen line of succession meant that love and duty would always be at odds for her. When Rhaena fulfilled her duty by marrying Aegon, she was rewarded with the loss of her lover (Melony Piper), the loss of two of her brothers (one of whom happened to be the father of her children), being separated from her daughters, and her marriage to Maegor the Cruel. I can't blame her if that experience made her decide that a woman's "duty" in Westeros is a trap, because it absolutely is. After all of the losses she has endured, I would not be surprised if Sansa goes on to feel the same.

Since Rhaena is one of the more fleshed out characters from Fire and Blood, we also know a bit about how she dealt with her emotions. Like Sansa at the Tourney of the Hand when a young knight from the Vale was killed, Rhaena is noted to have had stony reactions to the many tragedies in her life (I believe this is because she was a dragon dreamer; that's for another meta but I mention this because Sansa was also emotionless for a reason that may have been related to her magic bond with her magic pet). This creates a little triad with Sansa and Alyssa Arryn, for whom Alyssa's Tears was named. Rhaena also had a favourite from the Vale named Alayne Royce, I'm just saying.

Just as I believe Sansa will have to kill the idea of being a lady to become the leader she needs to be, I think that Arya had to break away from civilization as her direwolf did to grow into someone who can lead her own pack just as Nymeria does. Like Alysanne, I think Arya will use her power to help the most powerless people in Westeros. Like Rhaenys, I think her impact on Westeros will be one of a warrior. However, I think Arya's unique experiences and personality will ultimately make her more effective than either Rhaenys or Alysanne were in both warfare and welfare. I especially think this will be true if she is able to work closely with Sansa and Bran -- they're the real trio that mirror the conquerors of the Starklings IMO, sorry Jon. With Arya the warrior, Sansa the diplomat, and Bran the greenseer king, they would be unstoppable in ruling Westeros.

A pair of sisters from Fire and Blood that make for a more obvious comparison to Sansa and Arya would be Rhaena and Baela. Unlike the other examples, however, their place in the line of succession does not shape their lives in the way it does for Visenya, Rhaena, and Sansa. When the matter of their place in succession does come up in choosing an heir for the young Aegon III, however, his regents argued that Rhaena would be the more suitable choice despite being the younger twin. When they suggest that the "willful" Baela make a proper match as a possible future queen consort, she defies them by sailing off to Driftmark where she marries Alyn Velaryon. Rhaena, however, agreed to marry Lord Corbray per the regents' wishes.

Sadly, Rhaena suffered miscarriages in her effort to fulfill her duty to the realm as heir. Some time after Baela bore a daughter, the two sisters united to present Daenaera as Aegon III's queen consort. Alyn also brought back to court an heir with a better claim -- Viserys II -- taking the pressure off of Rhaena to endure more miscarriages to provide heirs. I believe that for Baela, presenting Daenaera and Viserys to court was in part an act of love for her sister, to free her from the demands of being heir. I believe this most likely also took the pressure off of Baela because her own daughter would be Aegon's heir if anything happened to Rhaena and I don't think she wanted that for Laena.

Baela and Rhaena were not the first twin girls whose place in the line of succession was determined by their own choices rather than their birth order, however. Assuming you believe that Rhaella and Aerea (which sounds a bit like Arya) really did switch places at their mother's wedding to Maegor, these two little girls determined their own places in the line of succession by seizing one of the only scraps of agency they would realistically ever get in their lives. Both Sansa and Arya repeatedly demonstrate this same willingness to seize whatever agency they have in the books, though the form that agency takes looks as different for them as it did for Aerea and Septa Rhaella. The twin switch means that the twin who wanted to live with the Faith got to do so and the twin who wanted to explore could do so as well. For Septa Rhaella, I believe there was a certain freedom in giving up her claim to live a quiet life.

I firmly believe that both Sansa and Arya will be significant leaders of some kind by the end of the series. Assuming Bran is king at the end, I think they will have a lot more agency in shaping their own titles/roles as leaders than they might in other circumstances. Or at least that's my hope. Even though I am first and foremost a Sansa fan, I don't think her story needs for her to be Queen in the North. I love the idea of her becoming a leader outside of the traditional power structure she initially wanted to be a part of. As for Arya, I love the idea of her bringing what she learned in her life outside of that power structure to be an effective leader within it.

I think Ned put it best:

"Sansa is your sister. You may be as different as the sun and the moon, but the same blood flows through both your hearts. You need her, as she needs you … and I need both of you, gods help me." - A Game of Thrones, Arya II

Shoutout to this ask on @atopvisenyashill for kicking me back into hyperfocus about Visenya's commonalities with Sansa so I remembered that I was ever even working on this... this meta sat unfinished in my drafts since the summer! Many such cases in my drafts, I'm afraid.

A Stark She Remains [3/?]

Fandom: ASoIaF Characters: Sansa Stark, Ned Stark Summary: That night, Sansa dreams of her father. Warning: Non Explicit Character Death Prompts: #24 & 30 from @fictober-event

On AO3

That night, Sansa dreams of her father.

She sees him sitting beneath the Heart Tree and her whole body aches with longing. For she knows that she cannot follow, how does she know that, she is not sure. And yet, she knows that whatever powers have allowed her this moment with her father as she remembers him, hale and whole, are perhaps the same that have gifted the book.

“Father,” she whispers. And even she can hear the longing in her voice. “Father, forgive me, I was foolish.”

Her father’s eyes shine with unshed tears. “Oh my sweet child, you did not know. I did not speak with you as I should have, and worse, I placed the target on your back. As your uncle and grandfather have reminded me. You did not do anything wrong. You were I child, a trusting, loving child who believed in goodness. There is nothing to forgive.”

Her own vision blurs with tears and she lifts a shaking hand to wipe them away. “Do you know…?”

“About the book, yes child. And before you ask, no, I am not angry at you.”

Relief flows through her, just listening to her father say that out loud. “I feared I would make you angry.”

Her father shakes his head. “No, child. The Gods saw your suffering and my own mistakes and took action. Heed your heart, and you will not go wrong.”

“But, what about honor?”

Her father’s eyes lit up with fire. “And where was the honor of the boy who commanded your pain? Of the grown men who striked your flesh? No. Your honor is intact, fight with the weapon that you have been given and live my child. I ask that of you. Live.”

Her heart beats loud in her ears. “I shall father, I swear it.”

“I know you will,” her father smiles at her. “Before I go child, beware of Baelish, that is the only name I am allowed to give to you.”

She frowns, “Is he not mother’s friend?”

“No. He is a danger, you soon will find out why. Pay attention child and you will not only know, but will know what to do.”

A fog rolls in and her father vanishes with it, and she startles awake, Baelish name clear on her mind.

~~~

The rest of her day is almost monotonous, people ignore her as they usually do. However, the whole day she wonders about Baelish, she has spent the day wondering why her father warned about him. He seems… harmless?

But she cannot forget how he made her feel when she was first introduced to him. There was something in his eyes she had not liked, and now, with her labeled the daughter of a traitor, she has caught him looking. And his looks have been that of a predator.

She is about to turn a corner when she hears some maids gossiping about her, she stops to listen.

“... can you believe it, Baelish asked for Lady Stark’s hand in marriage!”

She freezes. He did that? When?

“According to one Lannister guard he spoke to the Queen about it, she denied of course, and if what the Lannister guards are to be believed, he was who sold Ned Stark! Can you believe his audacity?”

Oh.

Oh no.

Rage bubbles and she all but flees to the opposite side and runs towards the Godswoods, she needs to calm down, else she will do something stupid. And she cannot afford to do something stupid. Not now.

She only stops running when she arrives at the center of it. Falls to her knees and leans a hand on the tree, “I know why now father, and I won’t let you down. Winter is coming for Baelish.”

~~~

That night, she writes Petyr Baelish’s name on the book. So, he sold her father? Well let him die with a knife on his back.

A Stark She Remains [2/?]

Fandom: ASoIaF Character: Sansa Stark, mentioned Jaime Lannister. Prompt: It's been a long time by @fictober-event Warning: Character death Tagging @mousedetective

On AO3

When Sansa wakes, the full reality of what she has done hits her. But she surprises herself by feeling quite light.

She lays on the bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling above and for a moment she wonders what her father would say if he knew. But then, if her dream was real and not a figment of her desperate imagination, she has the approval of her grandfather and uncle.

For now, it's enough. It has to be.

She rises when she hears her maid knocking and goes through the motions, she lets herself be assisted with her clothing and hair, silent. She will not give them anything to report to The Queen.

She breaks her fast with the rest of the household, quiet and dutiful, the last thing she wants is to give them any reason to suspect that she is different. Because she feels different.

How curious at the change one little book made.

Just yesterday, she was a silly girl hoping for a rescue. Now she realizes that she has been given and taught how to use something far deadlier than a blade. There will not be any spots of blood in her gowns, but those who have harmed her have their days numbered. She is a warrior, she might not be Visenya Targaryen or Nymeria, legendary ladies who fought and bled with their people, but she is a proud daughter of House Stark and she will fight on the same side as her brother, only she will do so from the shadows.

No one will know her deeds, but that is fine with her.

The rest of the day, Sansa is mostly silent. Only speaking when directly addressed by Joffrey or the Queen. And even then, she plays the part of the foolish simpering girl they think her to be.

She had loved them once, no more.

They are her enemies. And when the time comes, she will write their names and not be sorry. But today, she will do nothing, she will pay heed and she will do her best to think of the people whose name will be written down. She needs to be strategic, she knows that if she plays her cards right, she will help Robb in battle.

After all, if a Lannister general were to… slip and break their neck before a battle, it would be a tragedy, wouldn't it?

And if she did things right, she could isolate Joffrey from powerful allies and family before finally putting down his name. She would save the Queen for last.

But she knew that Tywin Lannister had to go. His brother ser Kevan and Ser Jaime too would have to go. Let them fear, and let the Queen see herself as invincible until her name was written down.

Ser Jaime would have to be her next name.

Oh, she would have loved to write one of the Kingsguard, those false knights who had made her hurt and bleed so gleefully.

But if she took down the Kingslayer, Robb would have a better chance of surviving. And it would be best if Ser Jaime were to die before full on battle with Robb.

Yes. That would be good.

Later on, late at night when she is again alone in her chamber, she takes the book and writes down Jaime Lannister followed by death by horse fall.

It would be humiliating. 

She watches as the ink is absorbed into the parchment. And as she hides the book again and lays down to sleep, she realizes that it's been a long time since she has feel so content.

(Miles away, as Ser Jaime Lannister tries to dismount, he fails. He falls and breaks his neck.)

A Stark She Remains [4/?]

Fandom: ASoIaF Characters: Sansa Stark, Tyrion Lannister, Meryn Trant Summary: In the morning, the whole castle is woken by terrible screams. Sansa is no exception. Warnings: None apply Prompts: #12 & 6 from @fictober-event

On AO3

In the morning, the whole castle is woken by terrible screams. Sansa is no exception.

She rushes towards the door and finds a guard, “Ser, are we under attack?” Her heart feels like it is going to burst.

The guard pauses for a second, “Did you hear that? No, we are not under attack. The Queen has received terrible news.” And he stops talking.

“Thank you ser.” She closes the door again and leans her back and head against her. She breathes, had The Queen received the news of Ser Jaime’s death? She was sure she would find up soon enough.

So she dresses on her own, not waiting for her maids and makes her way to the throne room. A risky move, considering that Joffrey could see her and have her beaten again. But she must know.

But Joffrey is not on the throne room, instead, it is a somber Lord Tyrion who stands at the foot of the Iron Throne.

“My lords and ladies,” he begins. “I have the terrible duty to inform you that my brother, Ser Jaime Lannister has died.” He pauses as a murmur rises from the crowd alongside some screams. “I have received news from our camp,” he stops again, seemly reluctant to say what has killed his brother. “Ahem, as I was saying, the news, verified by several trustworthy members of my brother’s army have confirmed the tragic news. My brother perished during a horsing accident.”

The news seems to stun the gathering. She herself pretends to be shocked, a hand covering her mouth and she will herself not to laugh. It worked!

“My brother broke his neck. It was quick and happened too fast for anyone to do anything about it. They were nearing Riverrun when it happened, but we have been reliably informed that no opposing force was near when that happened.”

Her spirits soar. Not only the book is working and her enemies are dying, but the way it is happening cannot be blamed on herself or on her house. And for the first time since she saw her father die, she feels alive and free. As if some invisible wings attached themselves to hear to lift her up.

“My sister, the Queen is resting as per order of the Grand Maester. And my nephew, the King will remain with his mother alongside his siblings in her moment of need.”

Suddenly, there is the sound of heavy boots rushing in and the doors burst open to see Ser Meryn Trant run in. “My Lord Lannister, I bear news!”

“Please tell me no one died.”

“Then, my Lord, I am afraid that I must be silent.”

She watches as Lord Tyrion runs a tired hand over his face and the whispers begin anew, “Very well, ser Trant. Do tell me your news.”

“It is the Maester of Coin, Lord Lannister. Lord Petyr Baelish is dead, knifed on his backed.”

The room burst into renewed gossip and Lord Tyrion seems to almost slump. “I see. Very well, I shall inform the Queen and the King. Begin an investigation.”

“Aye, my Lord.”

Sansa takes that moment to escape. She needs to be alone so she can allow herself some giggles and the feeling of victory without being seen. So, off to the Godswood again she goes.

Once there, she allows herself a smile and she whispers, “I’m not giving up. Winter is coming.”

Denis, we ❤️ you. You knew what we want, and gave it. Just so you know, we are somewhat discontent that you killed Feyd off, but we will excuse you if you do a remake concerning our delicious lord Harkonnen:

i'm halfway through children of dune and have Actual Thoughts™ about it but every single time i pick it up i think about that one post that says "i must not kill myself. killing myself is the myself killer." and it makes me giggle to myself enough that i forget what talking points i originally had.

Battle of Blackwater is one of the funniest chapters to me. Sansa was a trooper

George R R Martin praising my lady Jane in his new blog (that has the actor who’s going to play Daeron the drunken in TKOTSK) is honestly really sweet

I never liked the idea that the Stark-Tully kids only took one parent, even if that's kind of how Westeros genes work. Here's art of me following the book descriptions while also making them look like both parents. And also that other guy. Because I lov drawing genetics

More thoughts below

They're meant to be book 1 or book 2 ages here. Ish

I broke Ned and Catelyn down into a few traits which I kept in mind while drawing their kids. Eddard has straight hair, a strong nose, heavy lids, and a very sullen and earnest expression. Catelyn has curly hair, more of a button nose & sharp low eyebrows

All Cat's kids get curly-wavy hair. All of them except Sansa get Ned's strong nose.

If Robb had made it to his 20s, his hair would've become browner and darker with age.

I've put a lot of thought into these drawings. Too much to discuss here. There should be some secret details here and there…

My previous ASOIAF fanart