#arianne's school was based on my own

[sansacherie]

my mother’s fury (makes mine seem nothing)

I.                

She had been in class for all of five minutes when Miss Unella pursued her lips and told Arianne to take herself to the principal’s office.

“Why?” Arianne was perplexed.  She hadn’t been doing anything- well how could she anyway, when Miss Unella’s class had barely started?  Arianne had come prepared with last weekend’s homework, as well.  Having the Faith of the Seven for first period was hardly the most riveting way to begin Tuesday morning – which in Arianne’s mind, already held the dishonor of being the most unfortunate day of the week. Although others might have considered Mondays to have that spot, Arianne had always liked the feeling of promise that a new week could bring, and it was also the same day in which Aunt Elia and her cousins Rhaenys and Aegon came over for dinner.  Wednesdays were “hump day” – the point in which the week was almost halfway over, and before you knew it was Thursday and Friday. In contrast, Tuesday was dull and drab.

But despite all of this, Arianne was a good student who always did her homework.  But apparently, that was not sufficient enough for Miss Unella.

“It’s your jumper. Or lack thereof.”

“Oh.” Arianne felt relieved.  Now she understood- one of the uniform rules at Naerys Academy was that students were expected to wear their school jumpers during the first term. It existed with other rules such as wearing their blazer to and from school if you were walking or taking public transport- because you were “the face of Naerys.”  Arianne wasn’t wearing hers- her brother Trystane had smeared jam all over it this morning.  As cleaning it in time was out of the question, Arianne’s mother had no choice but to write her a note explaining the situation which Arianne had given to her homeroom teacher.  “No, it’s fine. I already gave a note to Mrs Lynora explaining things.”

“Be that as it may. I cannot allow you to stay in my class, my dear.”

Arianne always hated when people called you dear. They were always bound to say the most condensing drivel.  And her teacher did not disappoint.

“I’m afraid that because of your body type, you need to be wearing the required uniform.”

“My body type?”   Arianne gritted her teeth.  So, this is what it was about.

“Yes, my dear.  I’m afraid that without your jumper- well, it would be distracting to the boys.” Miss Unella paused, then continued. “Furthermore, drawing attention to yourself in such a way violates the values of modesty that we are trying to instill in you.”

How dare she!  Arianne wanted to cry, but her classmates were all staring at her. Some in sympathy, others in amusement that was the inevitable result of teenage cruelty; but all would likely be telling their friends later on of this incident, and therefore she, Arianne would control how it was told.

“Well to be perfectly honest, you haven’t proven yourself to be a very good teacher in the time you’ve been with us.”  Miss Unella was in fact new- covering for Mrs Fossoway, who had left to go on maternity leave.  “So, I doubt the boys would learn anything of note, even if they weren’t supposedly distracted.”  

At this, the entire class erupted into appreciative sniggers, and Miss Unella’s face reddened. Good, Arianne thought spitefully. Let her know what it was like to be shamed publicly, like that.

“Miss Martell, do I have to ask you again to leave?”

“No, you don’t.” Arianne had risen from her seat, scooping up her books into her arms.  “Because I rather not be in the same room as you, if I can help it.”

She slammed the door on the way out.

 II.

“Well Arianne, what seems to be the problem here?” Principal Waynwood’s voice was kind, but firm.  Arianne knew she had to control herself here- but it was almost impossible; the injustice of it all consuming her.

“The only problem is that Miss Unella didn’t think my excuse for not wearing a jumper was sufficient.” Arianne explained the situation to Principal Waynwood, from her brother’s accident to the confrontation with Miss Unella. “Apparently, my body type means I cannot get away with wearing certain things- otherwise I’d be distracting the boys from learning.”

She hated that she was having to say these words, to this woman.  She hated how degraded she felt.  And most of all, she hated Miss Unella for being the cause of it all.

“I see.” Principal Waynwood sighed. “Miss Unella obviously did not handle things in the best manner that she could have. Because of that, I will be having a talk with her.  However, Arianne, your rudeness was still unacceptable.”

“What about the way she was rude to me?” Arianne raged. Why did it feel like everyone was against her?

Principal Waynwood put her hand up. “That’s enough, Arianne. I understand, but rudeness is not the way we communicate our feelings.”   Arianne wanted to scream. “As the bell for the second period is about to ring, you may remain here until it does.  In the meantime, I will write a note that you can use in case this uh, situation pops up again.’

When the bell rang, Arianne left the office, clutching the note.  The last place she wanted to be was school.  A small part of her had hoped that going to Principal Waynwood’s office would make her feel better. How completely, incredibly, brutally wrong she was.  

III.

What did make Arianne feel better was the outrage of her friends.

“I can’t believe she said that.”  Slyva stabbed her chicken breast with a fork; almost as if she was imagining Miss Unella’s face.

Andrey shrugged. “I can. Apparently, she’s more er, dedicated than Mrs Leonette ever was.” He smirked.

“It doesn’t matter how dedicated she is.” Slyva said. “She shouldn’t have embarrassed Arianne like that!”

“No, she shouldn’t have.” Tyene, Arianne’s cousin, softly agreed. She twirled her ring, carved in the shape of a snake. “And we need to respond. What do you say, Arianne?”

Arianne remembered Miss Unella’s words, how she had used religion to shame her. A plan was formulating in Arianne’s mind.

So, Miss Unella was concerned that she was failing to live up to the religious values of their school?

Well, Arianne knew just how to fix that.

IV.

Although Naerys Academy was a Seven-based school, you did not necessarily have to be religious to attend.  Arianne knew that applied to many of the students, whose parents simply wanted to take advantage of the resources that the school could provide for their children – for instance, seniors consistently performed well in the end of year exams; allowing students to get into some of the top-ranking universities- such as Trident Institute.

And well because of that, Arianne could hardly be doing anything wrong when she decided to do what she did.

By Friday, Arianne and her friends had put up posters all over the school – advertising a new religion.

It was called Martellism- in which Arianne was the prophet. The posters encouraged students to seek out Arianne, if they wished to find enlightenment. 

Arianne attracted attention, just as she wanted.  And attention came in the form of an irate Miss Unella.

“Miss Martell, can you explain what is the meaning of this?”

Arianne smiled brightly. “Of course.  You see, I was thinking and you’re completely right. I wasn’t dressed in a way that was living up to the school’s religious values.”  Had such sweet words ever sounded so poisonous? “And then it came to me.  Why not just make a new religion, with values that I do want to live up to, such as not criticizing the way a girl dresses, or shaming her body?”

Miss Unella narrowed her eyes at Arianne.  “You’ve just given yourself a detention, Miss Martell. Saturday next” Arianne could detect the faint triumph in the woman’s voice and knew she probably got some satisfaction from it.  After all, nobody liked detentions- but one after school was infinitely preferable to one on the weekend.

Arianne crossed her arms as Miss Unella walked away. For the rest of the day, she brooded.  She had tried playing the fool, and where had that gotten her?

Arianne thought of her cousin Rhaenys.  Rhaenys was all of twelve, long-legged, whose braces knew Arianne made her feel insecure but who had a wicked sense of humor in which nobody was safe from. She could still remember pushing a six-year-old Rhaenys on the swings, who giggled happily.

Would somebody else one day speak to Rhaenys the way Miss Unella did to Arianne- making her feel small and worthless? Would they attack her body?

She needed to talk to her mother.

V.

When she had told her mother everything, Mellario gripped the edge of the kitchen top very tightly.  Not only was Arianne not to attend that detention she said, but she was going to organize a meeting with Principal Waynwood.

The meeting was organized for Monday, after school. Mellario was fierce in defending her daughter.

“My daughter will not be attending the detention given to her by Miss Unella.” She said the name as if it was a curse. “Instead, I want this woman gone and a formal apology from this school for the abhorrent way she treated Arianne.  Sexualising a fifteen-year-old girl in front of her peers like that!”

Principal Waynwood looked so uncomfortable that Arianne couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her.  “Mrs Mellario, I understand you are upset,”

“You understand nothing.” Her mother interrupted.

“But as I told Arianne, I already had a talk with Miss Unella. I agree that her way of handling things that day was unfortunate. I am truly sorry for the way Arianne was made to feel.  But I don’t think we need to escalate the situation by firing her.”

“Mrs Waynwood.” Mellario’s lifted her chin.  “You’ll remember that Arianne’s father and I both come from prominent families. With that, I promise you, we will take full advantage of our positions to make life living hell for Naerys Academy.”

Principal Waynwood swallowed nervously.  Arianne could have kissed her mother.

In the end, Miss Unella was fired- speedily replaced with a woman named Miss Nysterica.  They got the apology as well, although truthfully it really should have come from Miss Unella herself.

Ultimately, though, Arianne knew she didn’t apologies from that awful woman anyway.

It was enough to know that her mother would always fight for her.

[larissaloki]

Fandom OCs

I'm about to share my boy with you. He's very special to me and he really carried me through rough times, I loved writing him and rping him and he means a lot to me. So I hope you like him too. ^^

Marvel: Milan Egbert Oomen AKA Projekt Akela

Milan Oomen is born in Antwerpen, Belgium on the evening of July 4th, 1918. Right at the end of the first world war. His mother Arianne had an affair with a man named Victor Creed. Something her husband Sander never found out about. Milan doesn’t know of his true heritage. Milan moved to the countryside one year after his birth and grew up there. His childhood was relatively uneventful and normal until he turned 15.

When Milan was 15 his mutation kicked in for the first time when Milan fell out of a tree and broke his arm. The arm set itself in minutes at an odd angle and a crying Milan was transported to the nearest hospital to re-break and reset his arm. After that his parents kept Milan hidden away on the countryside until he turned 20. At that age he immigrated to the United States.

When he arrived in the United States Milan couldn’t speak English and because of it he had to scrape by to even get food. Eventually he got better at it and he managed to land a job at the warf. He could afford a small apartment and food from that point on.

In 1941 Pearl Harbor was attacked and it made Milan sign up for the US Army. He asked to be deployed in the pacific as opposed to Europe, he didn’t want to witness the devastation to his country and family. But what he saw in the pacific wasn’t much better. He still has nightmares about the horrors he witnessed. From villagers being used as suicide bombers to American soldiers using Japanese corpses for entertainment.

    In 1945 he traveled to Hiroshima and stayed there for a month, he witnessed little boy fall down from the sky and scrambled for cover. Due to his healing factor he survived the atomic bombing and recovered after a few weeks of regenerating. The US Army pulled him back and kept him on a secret base for most of the time. He served in the cold army in an espionage division in St. Petersburg Russia, he was eventually caught and executed with his fellow soldiers. Milan was the only one that survived and he was imprisoned by the Russians. During an American mission Milan was rescued and brought back to the states.

In 1972 he met Sarah Brown during a leave in Hawaii and after ten years of dating her he married her. Not long after their marriage Sarah was expecting their first child. When she was 8 months pregnant Milan was called away to base and she was attacked in their apartment building by a heroine addict who had gotten in and pushed down the stairs. The fall killed her instantly, she broke her back. Milan heard of the incident over the radio in his truck and rushed back home. Her baby was retrieved through a C-section but after a fifteen minute trip to the nearest hospital the baby died in Milan’s arms.

To say it left a mark on him is an understatement, a part of him died that day. Broken and with no will to live Milan tried to kill himself by placing a gun against his head and pulling the trigger. He woke up two days later in a hospital bed. Many years went by, in which Milan attempted many more times to take his own life. All failed and the mentally broken man became a ghost. He lived, breathed and did his job but that’s all he did.

In 1985 Milan was recruited for a special Army devision called NEST, a team that specializes in counter terrorism. He worked hard till he took over the leadership position in 2000. Due to most of the team being older then allowed a new team was recruited.

Not long after taking command of the NEST Team in Kansas, Milan met Kuga. The feral was on leave at the time and he spend a couple of weeks camping in the woods just one mile from Kuga’s home. Kuga came back to Milan every single day and a father/daughter bond slowly developed. Kuga’s little brother James came along with her after a couple of days and he too, took to Milan quite easily. Milan found himself fathering the two young children of 10 and 7 and decided to adopt them as his own after he heard of possible abuse towards Kuga. His request was denied by the court as there was no physical evidence of abuse going on. Milan couldn’t return for James and kuga and instead was kept on acitve duty to train for a new mission.

In 2003 Milan and his team served in the Iraq war where he dealt with his nightmares all over again. He’s directly responsible for the death of several civilians because he led them into a building that was later bombed. He blames himself for that.

In 2008 Milan took the mutant cure that became available, the cure wasn’t permanent however and Milan was forced to live on.

From 2008 till 2010 Milan gets on SHIELD’s radar and several security checks and evaluations are done to determine if he’s possible agent material. He passes and in 2010 he joins the ranks of SHIELD. He’s currently a level 4 agent working for SHIELD’s undercover department. SHIELD has a contract for him with the Army, it states that as long as he’s on active field duty he’s working for SHIELD. If events were to force him to go off active duty he’d have to return to the army.

    Milan is currently on probation after the events of the Galoyan rescue mission and the army is about to pull him out of SHIELD. That doesn’t stop him from trying to get along with the other agents though. He’ll try anything to keep his job at SHIELD, even if it means quitting the army.

Milan was pulled off active duty and he was forced to return to the Army. He worked closely with SHIELD agents of the undercover department. Mostly doing their paperwork.

And then, SHIELD fell.

After the fall of SHIELD Milan was picked up and rescued by HYDRA. The organisation captured and imprisoned him, performing multiple experiments on him. They extracted parts of his DNA in order to study his healing factor and replicate it for their next line of super soldiers. They also extracted his ability to see, smell and hear at phenomenal levels. His strength and agility markers were also copied and stored for future use. HYDRA wiped Milan’s memory after they collected all they needed and activated the implants in his brain. He stood under their full control and obeyed every command they gave him. Milan assassinated several SHIELD agents under their command.

After several test runs the implants failed, now only working at 30% capacity. With the failing of his implants, his memory returned to him. Not much, only about 10% but it’s something. He remembers three names of his past, Kuga, James and Bryce. He has no idea who these people are, just that they are somehow important to him.

Milan escaped the compound and ended up in Lebanon, Kansas. 

And My current two projects: The Barnes/Brock twins (I am aware this is very self indulgent and it's probably not any good, but I'm having fun. And that's what matters.)

Ben Barnes & Jacen Barnes (Both 17 post SM: Homecoming, timeline ignores IW)

Benjamin Edward Brock-Barnes, born as Ellie Barnes and his brother Jacen Barnes were born to Lauren Barnes and Edward Brock Jr in Queens, NYC.  Ben and Jace's father was already out of the picture at their time of birth and both boys were raised by their mother. They are the great grandchildren of Rebecca Barnes, sister to James Buchanan Barnes, and the best friends of Peter Parker and Ned Leeds (Ben) and Michelle "MJ" Jones (Jacen). 

Ben wants to be an investigative Journalist and when he's not out scouting for the latest scoop in NYC, he's bugging Peter and Ned on how they can set up their own News network. Where Peter can do their photography and Ned can run the newspaper, of course.

Jacen is more interested in his blogging activities where he calls out the injustice of the world and posts about the protests he joins whenever there's no school going on. He's often joined by Michelle in this.

Ben struggles with his trans identity and being recognized for it while Jacen is more comfortable in his gay and queer identity.

When a field trip to San Fransisco goes haywire the twins are introduced to a slimier set of twins named Sleeper and Hybrid. Shenanigans ensue with the help of Spiderman, the man in the chair and justicegirl101 and before they know it, the twins are bonded to their own symbiote siblings and they're thrown into the fight of their lives.

Venom and Eddie suddenly have a lot of parenting work to do.

And that's what I got on them so far. ha, this was fun. But it also got waay to long. So that's all I'll share today. I've got way more though.

Larissa notes:

Oh my god these are amazing , the top one is my favourite though by far!! So well thoughtout and planned i am in awe! Im in love with Milan :3

Thankyou so much for sharing them with me!

[turbobyakuren]

Jumping in @charlesoberonn​‘s OCs promothon! I invite my followers with OCs to jump on it.

Here are MagiMonsters! The pitch of the series is centered around Magical Monster Girls, called Guardians or MagiMonsters. All around the world, some girls are chosen to become Human-Monsters hybrid called Guardians in order to defend the Monsters and the Humans from each other’s dangers.

All MagiMonsters work on their own, in their zone of operations. But when the work is too tough, they have to rely on one of the Seven Teams, each one of the Teams being affected to a region of the world.

The Main Story focuses on Team #4, the North American Team (First Picture, drawing by me). MEMBERS OF FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:

Nikita Michalkova, the Cikavac MagiMonster. A compassionate healer with the ability to talk to animals.

Naomi Yaaseen, the Serpopard MagiMonster. Impulsive, adventurous fighter with a lot of fun and gifted speed.

Anuva Solanki, the Naga MagiMonster. Leader of the Team, she is a gifted girl with a secretive background. She is the strategic force of the Team.

Aoife Monaghan, the Dullahan MagiMonster. A silent, stubborn knight. granted with incredible resistance. She has a lot of experience, but isn’t very talkative to her teammates.

and Moriko Kimura, the Tanuki MagiMonster, protagonist of the story. Newcomer of the Team and to the MagiMonster world, her newfound ability to shapeshift and her social personality will help her new teammates.

Moriko, Aoife, Naomi, and Nikita are in the same School in Oregon state, while Anuva stays around the Flux (the Team’s base of operations) to work on affairs. They are aided by Thunderbird Goddess Wakiya (Charahub Link), who is the “Manager” of the Team and one of the Seven Upper Goddesses. Together, they fight in North America to aid the Solo MagiMonsters when their task is too overwhelming.

Also included in the photoset are Main Characters of Side Stories set in the MagiMonster Universe.

Yuzuki Yukimura (artwork by @amemenojaku), the Tsukumogami MagiMonster. A young girl from a bloodline of guardians, cursed by Onino, the “Demon’s Blade” (though he is actually a normal sword with sentience). She is the protagonist of “Yuzuki’s Story” (working title), a story centered on Japanese MagiMonsters.

Loïse Arianne de Batz de Castelmore (artwork by @phantasmago-rea), the Phantom MagiMonster. Sister of D’artagnan, she is a ghost fencer and allied herself to Tearlag (Wraith) and Kriemhild (Geist) to fight against British Ghosts and find the Wraith MagiMonster in a Side Story about Ghost MagiMonsters.

That wraps around everything I could say about it!

If you are interested in the MagiMonsters Universe and its characters, feel free to look at my Charahub (https://charahub.com/user/MariaKonovalev) or the Spreadsheet (https://tinyurl.com/n8s74wp). And don’t hesitate to send asks if you are curious on some points!

Thank you a lot for reading all this! I hope you appreciated it!

[ladystylestores]

Imitation of Christ Returns With ‘Americans Not Allowed in Paris’ Show – WWD

https://pmcwwd.files.wordpress.com/2020/07/imitation-of-christ-26.jpg?w=640&h=415&crop=1

Imitation of Christ has been resurrected.

The conceptual fashion house started in 2000 by Tara Subkoff and Matt Damhave — which rose to fame with before-its-time upcycled clothing modeled by Chloë Sevigny and other famous collaborators during buzzy fashion shows at funeral parlors and furniture showrooms — is back.

On the morning of July 4, Subkoff turned over the label to a new trio of young Los Angeles creatives for a socially distanced show of repurposed fashion at the base of the Hollywood sign.

Titled “Americans Not Allowed in Paris,” the 20-look presentation was the work of Lulu Syracuse, 19; Jersey Bond, 17, and Hudson Schaetzke, 17, all mentored by Subkoff, whose backyard was the backstage. Using friends as models, the designers showed hand-sewn, collaged lace and sequined dresses, deconstructed tailoring, denim, boiler suits and scarves with “Imitation of Christ,” “F** Ice” and other slogans stenciled on the them.

“The young people who worked on the show are protesting for their future,” said Subkoff of the next-generation response to the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. “Their collaborative artwork marries their social justice work.” (Proceeds from an online auction of the one-of-a-kind pieces will go to climate relief and racial equality organizations.)

“It was things we took from our closets that we never wanted to see again,” she explained with a chuckle of the materials used for the collection. “Instead of just negativity and waste, the idea was to alchemize and create something beautiful from what you hate the most. That’s what we all need to do in this time, turn around our thinking.”

Bringing back the label, which has existed for the past decade in an art context only, through performances at the Performa Biennale and Art Basel Miami, seemed particularly timely in this moment of social and political activism, the group said.

“Jersey and I attended many of the protests over the past two weeks.…I’m a photojournalist so I went to document, and we both felt very inspired by the street fashion and people writing on clothes and being surrounded by a younger generation,” said Syracuse, who came to the first IOC show in utero, with her mom, screenwriter Lisa Addario, one of Subkoff’s lifelong friends.

“This pandemic has forced us to think and live in a different way, and it inspired me to switch up how I was making things because I wasn’t able to go to the studio to paint or make sculptures. I was working with what I had, which was clothes in my closet,” said Schaetzke, a student at an L.A. arts high school.

The connection between the depletion of natural resources and COVID-19 was also top-of-mind.

“From the start, sustainability and reusing what we have has been a part of our own brands, so doing that in a time when the environment is falling apart was important for us — to acknowledge mindless consumerism and mindful creation,” said Bond.

The founders want to inspire other creatives who may be feeling claustrophobic in quarantine. “The idea is to create something in our own backyard, create community where you can, local and sustainable — and safe,” said Subkoff.

While proceeds from the first collection will benefit three nonprofit organizations — Fridays for Future, Direct Relief and Black Lives Matter — IOC is looking at being a commercial enterprise. “I’d love to have some female-designed streetwear that looks feminine-masculine but not masculine-feminine, or a more woke ready-to-wear for everyone — hopefully available by September for New York Fashion Week and follow the same thing we did 20 years ago…that went viral before the Internet,” she said, before reminiscing about IOC’s glory days of showing. “Lenny Kravitz and Arianne Phillips and Madonna tried to buy a whole collection, Tom Ford tried to buy a shirt that said ‘Bring Me the Head of Tom Ford,’ and I think he did. A star was born!”

Adding to the one-of-a-kind pieces in the collection shown Saturday, Salma Hayek and Milla Jovovich have worked with their daughters, going through their closets to create upcycled pieces to contribute to the auction. “It’s the voice of the next generation that gives me hope because they care so much about evoking and affecting change,” said Subkoff. “That to me is what’s next.”

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[queen-of-songs]

Chasing Fire or Rather Getting Rid of It

Sansa arrives in California, with that comes big changes and surprises along the way. Chapter Title inspired by Chasing Fire by Lauv

Sansa walked off the plane and went straight to the bathroom. She took out her brown contacts out and cleaned them before putting them back in. It always gave her a strange rush seeing her eyes. She secretly envied Jon’s eyes. Brown eyes were vastly underappreciated. They had layers of mystery to them that blue eyes didn’t, which is exactly why she picked her contacts.

Brown eyes with a hint of light blue specks in them. It gave her edge. Alayne was going to be edgier than “Sansa”. She wore dark colors and preferred black over anything.

All that was left was the hair. Sansa didn’t want to dye her hair brown or black. It felt almost too dramatic……

Melisandre suggested light blonde. That would be a good change. It would look nice and not be too dramatic. I just need to find someone who’ll take a walk-in.

“Hello Alayne, welcome to Storm End Salon! My name is Ros, I heard you wanted your hair dyed today. Why the change?” A short red haired woman came up to her with a friendly smile.

“I’ve always wanted to be blonde and I just got out of a bad relationship.” Sansa smiled.

“I totally get that. I dyed my hair pink after my ex Petyr dumped me for this crazy chic named Lysa.”

……..Gods…...she dated my creepy step-uncle?....More so a win for her….

“Oh, I am terribly sorry.”

“No worries. I’ve been talking to this guy online.”

“Really? Do you know his name?”

“Oh no. We’re going to wait until we meet in person. Right now he’s on mission, so it’s not safe for him to tell me his name.”

“I bet you’re excited to meet him.” “I am beyond happy. I’ve never felt this deeply for someone before. He understands me better than anyone else. He hasn’t judged me for my past.”

“Your past?”

“Before I became a hairdresser, I used to work in a stripper joint. That’s how I met my ex Petyr. He was the big boss. But the joint got robbed because he took horrible care of it. When he told me he was breaking up with me, he said he wanted a presentable woman to raise a family not a stripper with no future for herself.”

Sounds like creepyfinger…..

“I am so sorry he said that to you.” “It hurt but it was somewhat true. I didn’t have much a future because I didn’t graduate high school. But it gave me fuel, I wanted to prove him wrong. I got my GED and I went to beauty school. I got my license in hairdressing and worked up the chain. I co-own this salon with Selyse Baratheon.”

“That’s really amazing!”

and Encouraging.

“Thank you! Now let’s make you a blonde!”

“Woah…..it looks so different. I love it so much!” Sansa looked at her reflection. She couldn’t believe it. She was really becoming Alayne now.

“I’m glad you like it.” Ros smiled behind her and then took off Sansa’s cape.

“Thank you so much for this!” Sansa dug into her purse and handed Ros a one-hundred bill.

“......Oh Alayne this is too much….The dye job is only forty.” Ros’s eyes widened.

“No, I insist. You have no idea how much I appreciate this.” Sansa smiled and Ros’s eyes filled with sadness. Somehow she knew the bad relationship was much worse than Alayne  was willing to let on.

“Thank you Alayne. I wish you the best future in California. Come by whenever you need touch-ups!” Ros smiled and hugged Sansa.

Despite all the ugliness Sansa faced in this world, it always filled her soul with hope to find kind souls.

“I definitely will and I am going to recommend you to everyone I meet!”

Sansa walked down a ways and finally called a Lyft. The Lyft driver was sweet. He introduced himself as Grenn. He told her he had been in the Night’s Watch for five years and Sansa resisted every urge within her to ask if he knew Jon. Probably not...The Night’s Watch is  a fairly large operative base.

“What made you quit?” Sansa asked after looking at the cheapest hotel prices. None were in her price range.

“Eh. I wasn’t feeling it anymore. Too much inner drama between the ranks. I wanted to do something I enjoyed. I love driving and meeting new people, so this job is perfect for me. But I do miss my friends.” Grenn tapped on the wheel.

“What were their names and what were they like?”

“Sam, he was overweight. I was kinda perplexed on whatever possessed him to be in the Night’s Watch. He’s one of the kindest souls I’ve ever met. He’s one of those learner types too. Great medic, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s enrolled himself in medical school by now. He has his second child on the way with his wife Gilly. Pyp loves to sing. Can sing just about anything. I remember when his girlfriend Val heard him sing for the first time. She fell over herself  in the bar and after the singing, went up to ask him on a date. I’m pretty sure he’ll propose soon.. Then there’s Satin….”

“Wait….you have a friend named Satin?”

“Yes.” Grenn chuckled. “His mother named him that because he was so soft as a baby. He had loads of people from all over flirting with him and giving him their number. I can’t remember how many numbers he has in his phone. Edd is a very funny and bitter man. He has a lot of wit and very sarcastic. He loves to laugh at all of us, especially Sam.”

Sansa smiled to herself. It sounded like a wonderful group of friends. She missed Jeyne, Mya, and Myranda. She wondered what they were doing with their lives now. She was swept up by memories of her teen years when Grenn’s voice spoke a name she knew well.

“Lastly, there’s Jon. He’s quite shy and kept to himself. But he’s a great leader. Youngest Captain to ever serve in the Night’s Watch in years. He’s very thoughtful and will do anything to help a friend. Fiercely protective. Loves to talk about back home.”

“Where’s he from?”

“Wintertown, Virginia.”

“Oh…….” “Oh? You know him?” Grenn looked over at her and she quickly shook her head. She couldn’t risk anyone she loved lives, especially with the possibility of Ramsay coming after her.

“Oh no. My friend Sansa knew him.”

“ Ooooooh. You know the famous Sansa?” Grenn smiled maniacally and Sansa rose an eyebrow.

“The famous Sansa?”

“Yes. Jon could never stop talking about her. He’s mad for her that’s certain.”

“Sansa told me she didn’t think he loved her.” “Jon’s shy and he has a hard time opening up to others. He told me he doesn’t think he’s good enough for her, which is complete madness.”

Sansa’s heart felt constricted. Jon didn’t think he was good enough for her? More she wasn’t good enough for him. How did this happen?

After a long silence, she spoke up again.

“Does he know what happened to her?”

“......No. What happened?”

“She was caught in a house explosion. They weren’t able to find a body.” Her voice broke and tears streamed down her face.

“Oh gods…...how recent was this?”

“Two weeks ago.”

“Have you told her family?” Grenn’s voice sounded grim and Sansa could barely stand to look at him.

“I...I never….I thought she was an orphan. I never knew she had an actual family.”

“She did….Jon said he loved her family. They were tight knit and loved each other strongly. They’re going to be…..and Jon’s going to be devastated to find this out.”

Grenn’s voice was full of pain for his best friend and Sansa felt horrible. But this was for their own good.

I can’t let them get hurt for my foolish mistakes.

“When…..when you tell them say you heard it from the news. Sansa had a vengeful ex-boyfriend and I am scared of him……..I cannot let him find me.” Sansa began crying and Grenn pulled over the car. He held her for a few moments until the tears stopped.

“I promise I won’t tell them that I heard it from you. Should I tell them about the ex?”

“No. I assumed Sansa never told them about him because he’s an abusive monster. I told her she should leave and she almost did but it was too late.”

The rest of the ride was met with silence until Grenn asked if Sansa if she wanted something to eat before he drove her to the Dragonstone Hotel. She nodded vigorously.

Sansa sipped at her Oreo milkshake as the car slowly pulled up to the Dragonstone Hotel. It was different than most hotels she’d ever seen. It looked like a castle you would see in Europe.

Am I in a fairytale? Sansa mused.

“Here we are Alayne. It’s been great getting to know ya.” Grenn had a soft smile on his face. Sansa dug in the purse and pulled out eighty dollars. Grenn’s eyes widened.

“No, no, no. I don’t deserve this Alayne…..” He was attempting to refuse  but Sansa wouldn’t let him.

“You comforted me when I cried and put up with my large order. It’s the least I can do.”

“But Alayne….”

“But nothing Grenn.” She began to hand him over the money and Grenn tried to take his slowly away from  it, when his elbow hit the horn.”

“Ah seven hells. I hate when I do that!” Grenn gruffed and Sansa resisted every urge to laugh. While he rolled his eyes, Sansa placed the money in the cupholder. She began to go out of the car, when a dark tanned girl with long black hair walked out of the Dragonstone  to look at the car. Sansa wished she could look that flawless.

“.....Is that who I think it is?” Grenn whispered and sunk lower in his seat.

“....Who do you think it is?”

“Arianne Martell…..she’s…...oh gods…...ugh...she’s my...I don’t even know at this point. I cannot let her see me! I’m going to leave now. If you need me, you have my number. See you later, Alayne.” Grenn muttered and gestured for Sansa to leave the car. She quickly grabbed everything and got out of the car. Sansa waved at Grenn as he backed out of the driveway and onto the road again.

A knowing smile played on her face. Oh man, Grenn’s got it bad. It reminds me Bran when he stumbled all over himself when he saw Meera in her homecoming dress. He had such a big smile on his face……

The thought made her full of sorrow. She would be never be with them again. See Bran with his sweet demeanor after reading a book. Watch Arya smirk after scoring a goal against a snotty goalie. Hear  Robb’s deep laugh after Theon huffing behind one of his conquests after calling her the wrong name-her twin sister’s. Smile at Rickon’s blue eyes widening at a pair of new hockey skates. Cry in Dad’s neck after his big arms hugged her after she told him she got a full ride music scholarship. Cuddle closer to Mom’s fingers running through her hair after Joffrey broke up with her. Jon’s brown eyes looking into her own, making her feel known and……..

No. I can’t think about that. That’s dead. Sansa Lyarra Stark is dead. Kill the girl and let Alayne be born.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and saw Arianne. Arianne had a small yet kind smile on her face and held out her hand to shake Sansa’s.

“Hello, my name is Arianne! I’m the  Dragonstone Event Coordinator. You must be the new cabaret singer Alayne! The boss absolutely loved your audition tape. She’s excited to meet you.”

“Hello, nice to meet you Arianne. I am excited to work here!”

“Let’s go in and meet the boss. Then we can get you settled into your room.”

The inside of the hotel smelled like chocolate chip cookies. It almost felt like walking into Winterfell. Especially with the sound of giggling children coming closer towards her. Five boys ran out into the lobby chasing after one another. Laughing and calling each other names. It was precious. But then a short, blonde woman waddled into the lobby.

“Boys! I told you not to run in the lobby! If you do it again, you will not be allowed to go to Disneyland with your Dad!”

“But Mom…….” The tallest one with olive skin and long black hair whined.

“But nothing Rhaego Aerys Dothrak! You know better. You need to be a good example to your little brothers.”

“Yes Mom. I’m sorry.” Rhaego looked down at the ground. The petite yet very pregnant woman walked over to him and hugged him as tightly as she could. It was a sweet scene. Sansa tried to erase the memories of her own mother hugging her but failed to no avail. Thankfully, Arianne spoke up.

“Daenerys, our new cabaret singer Alayne just arrived a few minutes ago.”

“Oh hello,  It is so nice to finally meet you in person! My name is Daenerys Targaryen-Naharis, owner of this fine hotel.  I absolutely loved your audition tape.” Daenerys smiled.

Sansa smiled back and noticed a boy with light brown hair trying to wink at her. She tried her hardest to keep a straight face. But the Tullyness won out over the Starkness. Daenerys rose an eyebrow and then followed her gaze. She ruffled the boy’s hair and he groaned.

“Mama..…..I’m trying to impress the pretty girl.”

“I know.” Daenerys laughed and nodded to other boys to come closer.

“These are my all of my sons. Boys’ why don’t you introduce yourselves?”

“Hi. My name is Rhaego. I’m twelve….um I like Ironman and karate.” He re-introduced himself and then Dr. Lovestruck coughed.

“Hi! My name is Jorah. I’m ten. I named after Mama’s old friend.

I love music and every genre it has. Maybe we could sing together sometime. How old are you?”

“I’m twenty one.” A small smile appeared on Sansa’s face and Jorah sighed.

“In eleven years would you wait for me?”

How sweet…..but in eleven years I’ll be a mom to a pre-teen…..Oh I need to make an appoinment soon!

“Alayne? Is everything alright?” Arianne asked.

“Oh yes! I just remembered I have to make an appointment with a doctor soon. I just want to check up on things.” Sansa smiled and Daenerys tilted her head.

“If you want, I can recommend you to a great doctor. His name is Dr. Luwin, he’s absolutely fantastic! His number is in my office, I can give it you it right now.” “That would be lovely, thank you so much!” Sansa began to follow Daenerys when they heard a collective “Ahem.” They turned around to see the youngest three boys looking at them. The older two went off somewhere with along with Arianne.

“Oh that’s right. The triplets didn’t get to introduce themselves. They’re seven and complete rascals.” Daenerys laughed.

“I’m not! I’m good, mama. My name is Maegor. Um….I like comic books. I’m going to be a Superhero.” The shortest boy out the three smiled. He had wavy dark brown hair and blue eyes covered by glasses, ending with  a face full of freckles.

“My name is Brynden. I like food….. No! I love food! Especially cupcakes!” The boy with cherubic cheeks and deep set dimples giggled. He looked just like his mother.

“I’m Barristan. I like the MMA fighters on the TV. I’m going to be the Dragonstone fighter. I know how to kick butt!” The tallest boy spoke full of confidence.  He had light brown hair with blue with hints of lilac in them.

They’re all so sweet.

Daenerys looked at her boys with loads of love and Sansa hoped she would love her baby just as much.

What if he/she looks like Jon? That would hurt……..but at least it would remind me of good memories.

“Ready to go to my office?” Daenerys’ soft voice broke through Sansa’s thoughts and she nodded.

*Recommendations*

Book: The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler

Song: I Like Me Better-Lauv

TV Show: The Mindy Project

You all are the best and you are greatly appreciated:)!

--Queen of Songs