Is It A Kiss Or A Bite? (more Highlights From Austin)

Some comfort thoughts because I am sick and have the soup brain.

Mountain gets his clothes stolen by the entire pack. I mean, he gets it. They're large, warm, comfortable and make the ghouls/ghoulettes feel secure.

Mountain has a subconscious tendency to emit calming aromatherapy-esque scents (think, lavender, tea tree, eucalyptus, peppermint, all that good stuff) when he senses someone he loves is stressed so all of his clothes smell like these calming wonderful things.

So, there's ghouls sneaking into his room to invade his drawers all the time for hoodies, t-shirts, and sweatpants, ect. They don't just wear them, they'll tuck them into their nests because it smells like him and its comforting.

The problem is that right before tours, when there's stress and anxiety in the air from the anticipation of leaving home and the stress of being busy with tour preparations, Mountain sometimes....runs out of clothes. Like...for himself.

One day he walks into the common room after finding his dresser fucking empty and finds his pack in a pile on the floor watching a movie wearing HIS clothing.

Mountain: Guys, I love you but please, I don't even have underwear.

Rain, wearing one of his tshirts: Gosh, Mount, that sounds like a real problem.

Sunny, wearing a pair of his sweatpants rolled up 5million times: Yeah, what Rain said. I hope you figure out what happened to them.

Dew, wearing a sweatshirt so big it could be a nightgown: *looks around* anybody know what happened to all of Mountain's clothes? *snuggles deeper into the hoodie gown*

Copia, wearing a large knitted sweater with leaves and flowers on it: My ghoul, I simply have no idea.

THATS THE SECOND TIME WE CAUGHT A NATASHA LIKE ON A WOLFWREN FANART LMAO

In Which The Ghang Would Like To Remind You That All Colors Are Beautiful

Doctor Who “Companions” (4/9)

4. The Girl Who Waited

sabine is just a baby!! a 30-year-old baby!!

I still hope that Elsbeth is just hearing random voices and Thrawn is actually just chilling and has NO IDEA he's some Heir to the Epire

Manifesting their friendship

From where do people get the notion that book Jon Snow does not know how to negotiate?  I just came across a post on my dash with thousands of notes about how Robb Stark would have done fantastically negotiating with Dany as opposed to Jon Snow. First of all, I doubt D&D would have bestowed Robb with good storytelling in season 7 had he survived that long and secondly, I don’t recall any examples of Robb Stark being a good negotiator in the books?

I will also say that however fantastic the negotiation would have been by whichever Stark, the North would have to bend the knee for Dany’s help. That’s just how it is in Westeros. Recall that Catelyn had to pledge both KITN Robb and Arya in marriage to the Freys for just the use of a bridge! Jon was asking that Dany halt her war and use all her resources to help the North at great loss to her. The least the North can do in return for her saving all their lives is be a part of her 7 kingdoms and assist her against their common enemy Cersei Lannister.

Recall that in the books, Stannis is at the wall to help Jon face the threat from beyond the wall - but the condition is still that Stannis will be king with the North as part of the 7K. And Jon is giving Stannis all the help to fight the Boltons, win the North and become king of the 7K. Jon is allying with and helping a king who  likes to burn people to death to please his red priestess and the Lord of Light.

Now coming to Jon Snow and his diplomatic skills, let’s look at the different types of people with whom 15/16 year old Jon Snow has successfully negotiated with:

Tycho Nestoris of the Iron Bank – We have seen how it’s no easy task getting a loan from the Iron Bank and yet Jon is able to secure a loan to buy food for the Night’s watch – and he does this while Tycho is there to actually meet with Stannis. Rulers are vying for a loan from the Iron Bank and here Jon is getting one despite the Wall not being a good place to invest in for a Braavosi banker.

The mountain clans of the North – The chiefs are invited to the wedding of Alys Karstark and the Magnar of the Thenns where Jon speaks to them and convinces them in the worthiness of his plans including letting the Wildlings in past the wall. The Grand Northern Conspiracy also theorizes that the clan chiefs know about Robb’s will and are there to assess Jon’s leadership capabilities and leave convinced that he would be a good leader. 

The Freefolk/Tormund -  In return for letting them in, Jon has taken child hostages to ensure good behavior, obtained soldiers to man the wall, people to cook, clean and sew and even took their belongings to purchase food! He in effect has command over the freefolk so much so that they are ready to march with him south of the wall to attack the Boltons.

Stannis Baratheon: Jon Snow negotiates so well with Stannis for control of the castles/Freefolk at the wall that he actually wins praise from him – something so rare to get from Stannis. As Stannis tells Jon – “You haggle like a crone with a codfish, Lord Snow” – high praise indeed! And remember that Stannis is a southern king.

The viewpoint that Jon at the wall does not know anything about politics and the south is simply not true. Jon Snow learnt the same as Robb Stark and from the same teachers.  The classist thinking that the bastard is less knowledgeable than the rest of the Starks is false. Ned educated all the boys the same – and that includes Jon and Theon.  And this is reflected in Jon Snow often thinking of Ned’s teachings.

These are Jon’s teachers and mentors throughout the series at various stages – Ned Stark, Maester Luwin, Rodrik Cassel, Jeor Mormont, Donal Noye, Maester Aemon, Mance Raydar and even Stannis himself. He has learned from maesters, warriors and kings. He has learned from NW brothers like the Halfhand and from Ygritte. Which of the younger characters in the books has had better teachers than Jon Snow at this point? The fact that he acknowledges that he still has much to learn ( ‘I know that I know nothing’ - Socrates) makes him one of the wisest characters in the books.

What negotiation has Robb Stark successfully done? Robb was a young prodigy, a genius battle commander but negotiator? His intelligent, strong willed, politically aware mother took care of that. Catelyn negotiated with Renly and Walder Frey for Robb.  What negotiation has Sansa successfully done in 5 books?  Getting SweetRobin to eat his dinner is not the same as conducting a financial transaction with the Iron Bank.

So this idea that Robb and Sansa were/are seasoned politicians and negotiators as opposed to ‘out of touch’ and ‘know nothing’ Jon snow has no basis in the books. In actuality,  GRRM is involving Jon more and more in the politics of the realm as of the last book.  And if Robb’s will does come into the picture, it looks as if Jon Snow as leader of the North will be doing a lot of negotiating – even with southern rulers that perhaps include Daenerys Targaryen who has arrived in KL.

Show Jon Snow has nothing in common with the book version and they are two entirely different characters with different personalities, characterization, plots, narrative themes and relationships.  Not sure why we are taking cues from the show on Jon’s negotiating skills and knowledge. Book Jon Snow’s journey in the next book is going to be different from what we got in the show. For one, he is going to be spending considerable time in a wolf!

Book Jon Snow is an intelligent and well versed diplomat who is capable of going toe to toe with Dany or Tyrion or whomever he would be negotiating with in the future. Hell, Tyrion was impressed by 14 year old Jon Snow. He’s going to be even more impressed when they meet up again in the books. 

The Legend of Toph Beifong.