#the greyguard

[gin-draws]

rezin & vaduna

[danburys]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANNA! for my dear friend: fiona/shrek + noah kahan's save me

[amber-laughs]

Jon and Catelyn: The Accidental Progeny

Survival

Catelyn saw the shadow slip through the open door behind him. There was a low rumble, less than a snarl, the merest whisper of a threat, but he must have heard something, because he started to turn just as the wolf made its leap. They went down together, half sprawled over Catelyn where she'd fallen. The wolf had him under the jaw. The man's shriek lasted less than a second before the beast wrenched back its head, taking out half his throat. A Game of Thrones - Catelyn III

And suddenly the corpse's weight was gone, its fingers ripped from his throat. It was all Jon could do to roll over, retching and shaking. Ghost had it again. He watched as the direwolf buried his teeth in the wight's gut and began to rip and tear.  A Game of Thrones - Jon VII

Reassurance

Her hand groped beneath her cloak, her fingers stiff and fumbling. The dagger was still at her side. She found she had to touch it now and then, to reassure herself. A Game of Thrones - Catelyn IV

He flexed the burned fingers of his sword hand. Longclaw was slung to his saddle, the carved stone wolf's-head pommel and soft leather grip of the great bastard sword within easy reach. A Storm of Swords - Jon II

Family

His mouth tightened. "And you see fit to loose the Kingslayer. You had no right." "I had a mother's right."

“You wanted a way to save your little sister and still hold fast to the honor that means so much to you, to the vows you swore before your wooden god." She pointed with a pale finger. "There he stands, Lord Snow. Arya's deliverance.” A Dance with Dragons - Melisandre I

Vengeance

"Give me Cersei Lannister, Lord Karstark, and you would see how gentle a woman can be," Catelyn replied. A Game of Thrones - Catelyn XI

"It's death and destruction I want to bring down upon House Lannister, not scorn." A Dance with Dragons - Jon II

Pain

When Loras Tyrell unhorsed him, many of us became a trifle poorer. Ser Jaime lost a hundred golden dragons, the queen lost an emerald pendant, and I lost my knife. Her Grace got the emerald back, but the winner kept the rest." "Who?" Catelyn demanded, her mouth dry with fear. Her fingers ached with remembered pain. A Clash of Kings - Catelyn IV

Ser Barristan had been the Old Bear's best hope, Jon remembered; if he had fallen, what chance was there that Mormont's letter would be heeded? He curled his hand into a fist. Pain shot through his burned fingers. "What of my sisters?" A Game of Thrones - Jon VIII

Intuition

"Robb." She stopped and held his arm. "I told you once to keep Theon Greyjoy close, and you did not listen. Listen now. Send this man away. I am not saying you must banish him. Find some task that requires a man of courage, some honorable duty, what it is matters not… but do not keep him near you."  A Storm of Swords - Catelyn II

All of a man's crimes were wiped away when he took the black, and all of his allegiances as well, yet he found it hard to think of Janos Slynt as a brother. There is blood between us. This man helped slay my father and did his best to have me killed as well. "Lord Janos." Jon sheathed his sword. "I am giving you command of Greyguard." A Dance with Dragons - Jon II

Inheritance

"That is as cruel as it is unfair. Jon is no Theon." "So you pray. Have you considered your sisters? What of their rights? I agree that the north must not be permitted to pass to the Imp, but what of Arya? By law, she comes after Sansa... your own sister, trueborn… " A Storm of Swords - Catelyn V

I had hoped to bestow Winterfell on a northman, you may recall. A son of Eddard Stark. He threw my offer in my face." Stannis Baratheon with a grievance was like a mastiff with a bone; he gnawed it down to splinters. "By right Winterfell should go to my sister Sansa." A Dance with Dragons - Jon I

Peace

"Wars need not be fought until the last drop of blood." Even she could hear the desperation in her voice. "You would not be the first king to bend the knee, nor even the first Stark." […] Robb's face was cold. "Is that why you freed the Kingslayer? To make a peace with the Lannisters?" "I freed Jaime for Sansa's sake . . . and Arya's, if she still lives. You know that. But if I nurtured some hope of buying peace as well, was that so ill?" A Storm of Swords - Catelyn IV

"If it please m'lord, the lads were wondering. Will it be peace, m'lord? Or blood and iron?" "Peace," Jon Snow replied. "Three days hence, Tormund Giantsbane will lead his people through the Wall. As friends, not foes. Some may even swell our ranks, as brothers. Now back to your duties." A Dance with Dragons - Jon XI

Fear

In the midst of slaughter, the Lord of the Crossing sat on his carved oaken throne, watching greedily. There was a dagger on the floor a few feet away. Perhaps it had skittered there when the Smalljon knocked the table off its trestles, or perhaps it had fallen from the hand of some dying man. Catelyn crawled toward it. Her limbs were leaden, and the taste of blood was in her mouth. A Storm of Swords - Catelyn VII

Men were screaming. Jon reached for Longclaw, but his fingers had grown stiff and clumsy. Somehow he could not seem to get the sword free of its scabbard. A Dance with Dragons - Jon XIII

Death

"Make an end," and a hand grabbed her scalp just as she'd done with Jinglebell, and she thought, No, don't, don't cut my hair, Ned loves my hair. Then the steel was at her throat, and its bite was red and cold. A Storm of Swords - Catelyn VII

Pain washed over him. Stick them with the pointy end. When the third dagger took him between the shoulder blades, he gave a grunt and fell face-first into the snow. He never felt the fourth knife. Only the cold… A Dance with Dragons - Jon XIII

Resurrection

“Sometimes she felt as though her heart had turned to stone.” A Game of Thrones - Catelyn VI

“Instead, he blamed Jon Snow and wondered when Jon's heart had turned to stone.” A Feast for Crows - Samwell III

[greenbloods]

Janos Slynt's Powerful Friends

so janos' "powerful friends" are pretty much a joke meant to show what a blustering oaf his character is, right? but theres also an undercurrent of something deeper beneath. because before hes executed by jon he says this:

“No,” Slynt cried, as Emmett half-shoved and halfpulled him across the yard. “Unhand me ... you cannot ... when Tywin Lannister hears of this, you will all rue—”

so we know exactly who his 'friends' are. but why does he put so much faith in tywin, half a realm away? and what exactly are he and allister thorne plotting, that jon is so afraid of the two of them?

lets take a look at alliser's part in the scene again.

“Lord Janos,” Jon said, “I will give you one last chance. Put down that spoon and get to the stables. I have had your horse saddled and bridled. It is a long, hard road to Greyguard.” “Then you had best be on your way, boy.” Slynt laughed, dribbling porridge down his chest. “Greyguard’s a good place for the likes of you, I’m thinking. Well away from decent godly folk. The mark of the beast is on you, bastard.” “You are refusing to obey my order?” “You can stick your order up your bastard’s arse,” said Slynt, his jowls quivering. Alliser Thorne smiled a thin smile, his black eyes fixed on Jon. At another table, Godry the Giantslayer began to laugh. “As you will.” Jon nodded to Iron Emmett. “Please take Lord Janos to the Wall—” —and confine him to an ice cell, he might have said. A day or ten cramped up inside the ice would leave him shivering and feverish and begging for release, Jon did not doubt. And the moment he is out, he and Thorne will begin to plot again. —and tie him to his horse, he might have said. If Slynt did not wish to go to Greyguard as its commander, he could go as its cook. It will only be a matter of time until he deserts, then. And how many others will he take with him? “—and hang him,” Jon finished. Janos Slynt’s face went as white as milk. The spoon slipped from his fingers. Edd and Emmett crossed the room, their footsteps ringing on the stone floor. Bowen Marsh’s mouth opened and closed though no words came out. Ser Alliser Thorne reached for his sword hilt. Go on, Jon thought. Longclaw was slung across his back. Show your steel. Give me cause to do the same. Half the men in the hall were on their feet. Southron knights and men-at-arms, loyal to King Stannis or the red woman or both, and Sworn Brothers of the Night’s Watch. Some had chosen Jon to be their lord commander. Others had cast their stones for Bowen Marsh, Ser Denys Mallister, Cotter Pyke ... and some for Janos Slynt. Hundreds of them, as I recall. Jon wondered how many of those men were in the cellar right now. For a moment the world balanced on a sword’s edge. Alliser Thorne took his hand from his sword and stepped aside to let Edd Tollett pass. —A Dance with Dragons

we see alliser considering open rebellion to jons order, but thinking better of it. clearly theres a close alliance between the two of them, with common enmity against jon snow. on my first read i didnt spend too much time thinking of alliser and janos other than generally occupying the "antagonist" role in jons chapters. but i think theres so much more going on here.

The sound of voices echoing off the vaulted ceiling brought him back to Castle Black. “I don’t know,” a man was saying, in a voice thick with doubts. “Maybe if I knew the man better . . . Lord Stannis didn’t have much good to say of him, I’ll tell you that.” “When has Stannis Baratheon ever had much good to say of anyone?” Ser Alliser’s flinty voice was unmistakable. “If we let Stannis choose our Lord Commander, we become his bannermen in all but name. Tywin Lannister is not like to forget that, and you know it will be Lord Tywin who wins in the end. He’s already beaten Stannis once, on the Blackwater.” “Lord Tywin favors Slynt,” said Bowen Marsh, in a fretful, anxious voice. “I can show you his letter, Othell. ‘Our faithful friend and servant,’ he called him.” Jon Snow sat up suddenly, and the three men froze at the sound of the slosh. “My lords,” he said with cold courtesy. “What are you doing here, bastard?” Thorne asked. “Bathing. But don’t let me spoil your plotting.” Jon climbed from the water, dried, dressed, and left them to conspire. —A Storm of Swords

what is going on??

ok. so it seems like the senior members of the night's watch--othell yarwyck, bowen marsh, and alliser thorne in the scene above--are attempting to decide whether or not to put their support behind janos slynt in the vote for lord commander, in order to best navigate the future of the watch amidst the turmoil of the war of the five kings, and are considering their options between pissing off stannis or tywin. tywin is in active communication with men of the nights watch (!!) outside of the lord commander's knowledge (!!!) (not that there was one at this time). so it seems like alliser thorne's allegiance is ultimately to the preservation of the watch, but to achieve those goals he is allied with janos slynt, who is tywin's man. its interesting that alliser seems to be playing on the same side as tywin in all this, since tywin is the one who forced him to take the black after robert's rebellion. imo this is meant to show that alliser--despite being an asshole--is ultimately a man who puts his sense of duty first.

where does this leave us in our understanding of night watch politics? we know that there was backdooring, that tywin supported janos slynt for some some mysterious purpose to become lord commander, with othell bowen and alliser convincing each other to put their stones behind janos 'for the watch.' now we just have to figure out what tywin's goal is in all this. as far as i can tell theres two two possible explanations. either 1) he's swaying the watch to give him arms so he can secure the north 2) he's planning on assassinating jon snow to complete his campaign of exterminating the starks. for the second explanation we have to look no further than the red wedding, another major time tywin used "quills and ravens" to gain allies in the north who would win his battles for him, in the hopes of crushing ned stark's household. the first notion is a little subtler, because if theory #1 is correct it wouldnt be the only time in the series a lannister in kings landing schemed to assassinate jon snow

She let Lord Merryweather fill her cup once again. “Another problem has arisen on the Wall, however. The brothers of the Night’s Watch have taken leave of their wits and chosen Ned Stark’s bastard son to be their Lord Commander.” “Snow, the boy is called,” Pycelle said unhelpfully. “I glimpsed him once at Winterfell,” the queen said, “though the Starks did their best to hide him. He looks very like his father.” [...] “Snow shares Lord Eddard’s taste for treason too,” she said. “The father would have handed the realm to Stannis. The son has given him lands and castles.” [...] Qyburn leaned forward with a smile. “The Night’s Watch defends us all from snarks and grumkins. My lords, I say that we must help the brave black brothers.” Cersei gave him a sharp look. “What are you saying?” “This,” Qyburn said. “For years now, the Night’s Watch has begged for men. Lord Stannis has answered their plea. Can King Tommen do less? His Grace should send the Wall a hundred men. To take the black, ostensibly, but in truth . . .” “. . . to remove Jon Snow from the command,” Cersei finished, delighted. I knew I was right to want him on my council. “That is just what we shall do.” She laughed. If this bastard boy is truly his father’s son, he will not suspect a thing. Perhaps he will even thank me, before the blade slides between his ribs. “It will need to be done carefully, to be sure. Leave the rest to me, my lords.” This was how an enemy should be dealt with: with a dagger, not a declaration. “We have done good work today, my lords. I thank you. Is there aught else?” --Cersei, A Feast for Crows

cersei rightfully gets a bad rep in the fandom for making terrible decisions throughout feast, but people dont give her a lot of credit for being able to correctly pinpoint threats. the tyrells are a threat to lannister power bronn's loyalty to tyrion is a danger and jon's command of the nights watch is a thorn in her influence over the north. so in an attempt to lead like her father would, cersei plots to assassinate jon. maybe like cersei, tywin would have identified this threat too. only like his daughter, he would have been much subtler in his attempts to kill the lord commander, using key allies (like how he used the boltons and freys) as catspaws that receive most of the blame for the act itself.

this theory rly fits for me thematically because it parallels quite well with the Great Northern Conspiracy being cooked up by the stark loyalists down south, and because it interfaces nicely with the whole "nights watch takes no part" arc words jon struggles with throughout dance.

so in conclusion i think that janos' "powerful friends," although used to make a joke out of his character, also shows us that there were deeper things brewing beneath the surface of the nights watch

[evax3]

AND NOW MY WATCH BEGINS

– CHAPTER 5, TEASER

No one comes forth to bar their way. Castle Black seems as much a ruin as Greyguard, where they'd come down after climbing the Wall. Looking up, he tries to make out if sentries are walking the seven hundred feet above, but he sees no one on the huge switchback stair, scrambling up the south face of the ice.

Where is everybody?

[minaharkers]

tagged by @quicklings ty!! 💖

Shuffle your ON REPEAT playlist and list the first 10 songs and tag 10 people.

1. eat your young - hozier

2. canary - honeysuckle

3. family tree - ethel cain

4. the night we met - lord huron

5. dreams tonite - alvvays

6. never love an anchor - the crane wives

7. saints preservus - andrew bird

8. underneath the sycamore - death cab for cutie

9. wishing well - the oh hellos

10. the stable song - gregory alan isakov

tagging: @statichvm @queennymeria @greyguards @rhacnyras @jojen @chuckhansen @leviiackrman @thedeadthree

[kithraks]

child this is your opportunity for redemption. give me mutuals as asoiaf characters 2k22 edition

there is no such thing as redemption granny

anyway this was a masterpiece although to be fair i did not do em justice

@bellablacks : rowena as rhaeny— just kidding, joffrey's wormy lips

@alyswesthill : em as stannis' bald head

@rhacnyras : nina as pycelle's dusty b*llsack

@greyguards : anna as ramsay's feral dogs

@baghra : paula as the moon door

@ivashkovadrian : daph as myrcella's ear lost in dorne

@durrandons : jules as willas' pet hawk

@harwinstrongs : han as the ashes of harrenhal

[owenstark]

Aegon's Conquest -- 10k members Current 142AC -- 6.5K

The current number of the wall doesn't count toward the numbers of the Northern forces. The men on the wall do not get involved in Northern affairs unless they include Wildlings. There are concerns about the many changes such as the Lord Commander sitting on the council. Because they're no longer seven kingdoms but one Owen believes it's time to slowly separate from the previous ideas of the watch not getting involved.

Westwatch-by-The-Bridge; 400 men Shadow Tower; 300 men Sentinel Stand; 200 men Greyguard; 1k men Stonedoor; 300 Hoarfrost Hill; 500 Icemarr; 250 Nightfort; 300 Deep Lake; 500 Castle Black; 1,000 Queensgate; 250 Oakenshield; 300 Woodswatch-by-the-pool; 200 Sable hall; 200 Rimegate; 200 Long Barrow; 150 Torches; 150 Greenguard; 200 Eastwatch-by-the-sea; 500

[major-gilneass]

Updated blog roll for my main/OOC blog

@major-gilneass - You are here. OOC posts, ramblings about my day-to-day life, screenshots from various games I'm playing, and pictures of my pets can be found here. Sometimes I think I'm funny. I'm not, but I like to think I am. (All follows will come from here.)

@drunkenworgen - My most active of my RP blogs. Sideblog for Virginia "Gin" Sylver Ash. Gilnean Worgen, former major of Greymane's Greyguard turned mercenary. She has terrible coping mechanisms, makes awful puns, and will probably die trying to pet something she shouldn't. But we love her anyway.

@worginarts - Another sideblog, this one is for my arting adventures. I'm getting back into the swing of things, so this should be updated more frequently.

[drunkenworgen]

Blog roll

Since I’ve been MIA from Tumblr for so long, I figured I’d do a reintroduction post for the blogs I will be most active on. Some blogs will be under construction as I update them to reflect the current me.

@drunkenworgen - You are here. Side blog for Virginia “Gin” Ash. Gilnean Worgen, former major of Greymane’s Greyguard turned mercenary. She has terrible coping mechanisms, makes awful puns, and will most likely die trying to pet something she shouldn’t, but we love her anyway.

@major-gilneass - Main blog, all follows will come from here. This is the blog that is most under construction. Mostly OOC ramblings, live blogging my life events, pictures of my pets, and other various things that amuse me.

@worginarts - Art blog, also a side blog. I’m bad at keeping it updated, but I’m trying to do better.

[thetantiger]

Character Insight #3: Randolph

Full Name: Randolph Felix Heisenberg Gender: Male (he/him) Race: Worgen Class: Rogue Specialization: Assassination Orientation: Pansexual Relatives: James (brother [deceased]) Age: 34 Height: 6'8 (5'6 Human form) Voice reference: Husker - Hazbin Hotel Theme: We're Sure to Drown (Husk's Tale) - PARANOiD DJ, Cycoriot

[BACKSTORY] Randolph was born in a village named Pyrewood on the outskirts of Gilneas. Him and his older brother, James, were left to fend for themselves by their parents, so James essentially took care of Randolph growing up. Randolph was friends with a girl named Raymond and they often followed James around, but when Ray and her family moved into the city to Emberstone, it was just Randolph and his brother. Eventually, they would be locked out of the city via the Greymane Wall, and learned to survive amongst the rampaging Worgen, gathering supplies and teaching themselves to be sneaky yet fatal. It was the only way they could manage to get by in such a violent hellscape.

...And then the Forsaken came. The Forsaken were not beasts like the feral Worgen that rampaged through Silverpine. They were calculated, and brutal, and *personal.* They bombarded Pyrewood with enough plague to force James and Randolph out of hiding, and whether they knew there were any survivors in Pyrewood or not, they sure aimed to change that once they became aware of their presence. In a skirmish, James had begun to fend people off from his little brother in an attempt to rescue him, but eventually, the only solution became clear. He told Randolph to run and, while refusing to at first, upon James's insistence he listened.. and never saw his brother again. James had fallen in battle to Sylvanas's troops.

The only shelter a young Randolph was able to seek was in the nearby Worgen pack, the Bloodfang. The Bloodfang were previously the very feral Worgen that had rampaged through Gilneas, but now, they sought to help in the war effort to aid their former home. The Bloodfang quickly became a place of refuge for Randolph, and he took on the Worgen curse willingly. His Human form reminded him of his weakness, and his failure to save his brother James. He would never allow himself to form back into it again.

After the evacuation of Gilneas the Bloodfang worked closely with the Alliance and the SI:7, as did Randolph. He carried out assassination missions of any lingering Forsaken troops on old Gilnean lands, but in his free time, he spent his days wandering aimlessly for a drink to drown his troubles in or a random person to lose sleep with. He was a lost man. He didn't have his brother, nor his city. But there *was* one person left whom he could find again.

When scouting through the city on Bloodfang missions, Randolph began to discover tattered "WANTED" posters left by Greyguards who served these temporary, almost mocking imitations of Gilneas's monarchy. The posters depicted a Worgen he didn't recognize, with eyes like glaring scarlet and a scowl of a woman beaten by the world itself. But the name he *did* recognize.

Raymond Charlton.

And so, he began to look for her. Asking people around if they'd seen her, or anyone like her. Eventually he broke through, and discovered the Shadows of the Faithful. The Shadows of the Faithful (or SotF for short) were a group of people Raymond had dubbed a family, meant for protection and companionship for one another. Randolph was welcome to join, however Raymond made it *very* clear that if he were to harm anyone out of a result of his snide demeanor and violent wall he'd put up around himself, she would not tolerate any endangerment to her family. So, he played nice.

...Which was easy, actually, considering how pleasant the majority of them were. Randolph had not experienced a group this oriented around their love for one another. The Bloodfang were a loyal and close-knit pack, sure, but everyone was under the understanding they were there out of necessity. SotF was meant for company, and for friendship. Some had even become romantic partners as a result of this group. Randolph thought it was ridiculous. How could these people allow themselves to be that vulnerable? He could never let himself get to that point.

...Is what every dumbass says right before they fall in love, of course. Randolph had run into a particular druid at Whitegrove (not Ray lol)--quite literally, they actually bumped into one another--who appeared to be carrying things as if they were moving in. That's what usually happened when someone befriended the Faithful and had nowhere else to go. Ray was.. a hospitable leader. Anyway, this druid was a fellow Worgen named Tree, who had previously lived in Gilneas but moved to Duskwood to live out their teens with their parents and little sister, Kristin. Tree immediately caught Randolph's eye, to the point Randolph couldn't deny his own feelings to himself for long however still panicked over it. On top of that, Tree was a former Twilight's Hammer cultist, who had joined the group many years ago as a result of their abusive ex, Shadryssa. Shadryssa was sacrificed in the end and Tree was forced to defend a keep from adventurers, who knocked them unconscious and, as a result, they reverted to a feral Worgen. Tree was brought back to their own consciousness by a druid of the Faithful (Sinclair Grimm) and had pledged themselves to them after their kindness towards Tree on top of that. So, Tree and Randolph began to talk more often, however it might've been easier if Shadryssa's spirit didn't show up and decide to fuck up everything. She caused chaos in the Faithful, kidnapping Tree and almost forcing Hanethrick to kill Faye and taking control of Saltirrion and Frost--it was a whole mess. But Randolph knew one thing; no one would take someone so near and dear to him from this world ever again like they did with James. Not on *his* watch. He joined the Faithful in their fight against Shadryssa and they were successful, and after Tree finally snapped in order to save Randolph from certain death, Randolph decided there was only one thing left to do.

He decided it was time to be.. vulnerable. He shifted down into his Human form for the first time since he got the Worgen curse and spoke to Tree alone. It was panic-inducing. It was terrifying. But in the end--and to his shock--Tree felt the same.

Randolph has declared himself loyal to the Faithful ever since. They took a chance on him, and he decided he owed them for that. He'd never express how much he valued them to their face--that'd be weird or something--but in his heart, he viewed them as another pack.. a far more special one. When Raymond gave her life to save the Faithful it utterly crushed him. He allowed himself to cry in front of the others, to be in his Human form, to hold onto a woman named Alwine he had formed an almost sibling connection with and bawl into her arms. It's a scary road for him, and losing Raymond was almost like losing James all over again.. but something tells him in his soul that it's all worth it. That there are things to keep fighting tooth and nail for.

And he intends to do just that.

[THOUGHTS] WOOOH this one's a little late but HEY I got it done within the 24 hour period that is known as *today* so fuck it lol. I personally love Randolph, he's an asshole and sucks at being a person but he's trying his best and changing as a character and I really like that. He's fun to rp and I actually do have some small plans for him, and I think Tree is a perfect fit for him. In general, he's a douchebag.. but he's *my* douchebag.

[ART] FUCK(ing up) the Forsaken Thirst Ship doodle! That comic y'all really liked Randolph's anti-rizz

[lady-cayleen]

Cayleen's Cheese Sheet pt 8. Relationships and Role in the Story

ContemplatingCheese's Very Long Character Chart, concluded.

Relationships (almost done!)

Relationship skills: Cayleen is a good listener, loyal to a fault, and always ready to share fun new experiences with others. She also possesses deep sympathy and empathy for people.

Best friend: Rory Gallagher

Other close friends: Decla Milvain, Orla Goldenmane, Magee Farthing, Grayson Duskford, Tarlock "Spitefang" Nolan 

How does the character relate to…

Friends: Cayleen has lots of "casual friends" she holds at arm's length, and a few close friends with whom she shares all her trials and secrets- that said, she shares all her secrets with no single person, and keeps their secrets one from the other in good faith.

Past lovers: doesnt have any

Family: Cayleen's blood family consists of only her mother, anymore, with whom she is very close and depends greatly upon her love and guidance.

Children: Cayleen loves and is fiercely protective of children, valuing their smiles, innocence, and safety.

Strangers: Cayleen isn't terribly fond of strangers, but more friendly than most Gilneans.

Authority: Cayleen has a healthy respect and respectful demeanor for authority, but little patience for those that abuse it.

The same sex: Cayleen does relate better and more easily to other women than she does to men, and enjoys their greater sense of empathy, but she's also keenly aware of their capacity to be frighteningly vicious.

Own Children: doesnt have any

Spouse/lover: that's new territory for her.

The opposite sex: Cayleen has been around far more men than women, in her life, who generally have fallen into two camps of either disdaining her or protecting her. She interacts with men fairly easily, if with a bit of predisposition to assume they think her incapable of doing for herself from either one viewpoint or the other.

Any secret crushes? She's getting along better with her suitor than either of them wants to let on.

First crush: someone she's long since forgotten, by now

Current significant other: she's being courted by Grayson Duskford

Past significant others: none, though she was unknowingly arranged to be married to a childhood friend and discovered this only after his passing 

People they dislike: People who abuse others

Person they dislike most and why: Sylvanas Windrunner, nuff said.

People they like: This list is absolutely massive. Her family, her friends, her people, her significant other, her mentors, her teachers, most any child she has or hasn't met…it goes on.

Whom do they like most and why: Her mother, Decla, Rory, Grayson, and Tarlock are best liked for having her trust.

Most important person in their life: her mother

Who do they admire? Her parents

Who is their biggest influence? Her father

Whom do they misjudge and how? Cayleen stereotypes other nobility quite harshly, and comes off aloof if not combative, waiting for them to prove themselves somehow corrupt and seldom expecting to be pleasantly surprised.

Who misjudges them and how? Probably not a whole lot of people. Cayleen tends to be straightforward, though some may underestimate her temper until they've tested it.

Who have they lost touch and wish to regain contact with? No one who is living to reconnect with.

Worst end of a relationship: her father, her uncles, her cousins, her aunt and uncle, and her friend Harbin Blackstead all died traumatically 

Whom do they rely on for advice? Cayleen leans most heavily on her mother, Kiandra, and Rory

Whom do they rely on for support? Rory, Tarlock, Orla, Magee, and Magee's father, Moran.

Whom do they support? House Duskford, House Harwell, House Greymane, House Wrynn, and many othersm

What type of people do they hang around with? Cayleen's social circle consists mostly of those in her family's employ.

What type of people do they avoid? Nobility her own age, noblemen in general, and the Greyguard.

What do people like most about them? Cayleen is loyal, a good listener, and hardworking.

What do people like least about them? Cayleen has, at best, been half foreigner and outsider, in her own home. She's well-accustomed to being judged for that, first, before anything else she SHOULD be judged for.

How are they perceived by…

Strangers: Cayleen is probably perceived as quiet and reserved, unless strangers happen to encounter her during a particularly exuberant or furious episode.

Friends: Cayleen's friends are constantly keeping tabs on her mood, keenly aware of her struggles with her grief affecting her already capricious temper.

Lovers: she's probably the wrong person to ask this

Enemies: she doesn't have any she knows of, besides the Horde, who tend to think of worgen as "mangy mutts". 

Family: Cayleen's mother sees her as a stifled, caged soul that she needs to get as free as possible while still fulfilling her responsibility to Sten Hartwell's people, whom he dearly loved.

Society: Noble society sees Cayleen primarily as a monetary object, and key to the resources of her family's wealth. Her people see her as the people's daughter, and a caring influence in their lives that is to be cared for in turn 

And finally their Importance in Story

Role in Story: Cayleen is a very minor and non-canon character in the Warcraft story universe. In the story of the respective Hartwell and Duskford families, she's a main central character with the lives of hundreds if not thousands of people riding on her future.

Scene where they first appear: Her introduction to Grayson Duskford

Plot involvement: Cayleen is one of two young human nobles looking to secure the future of their respective houses and peoples.

Relationships with other characters: 

Character 1 - Decla Milvain

Cayleen and Decla grew up together, though Decla is five years Cayleen's senior. Their houses' holdings were adjacent to one another, and their fathers, Lord Sten Hartwell and Lord Parlance Milvain, were the best of friends. They were each godfather to one another's daughter.

The girls spent most of the day, most every day together as youngsters, underfoot at the docks, or in the fields, in one or the other's family manors, or at the heels of Harbin Blackstead and his playmate, Rory Gallagher.

When the worgen invaded Gilneas, Cayleen and Decla both became Worgen and by the time they regained their minds, Decla's family were gone. Lord Sten kept Decla's survival as quiet as he could as his ward, hard as they were to identify as worgen, and the girls grew only closer together in their cloistered lodgings, close as sisters and sharing sleeping quarters. When Stein passed away and Aishatou became regent of Cayleen's holdings, this included Decla. Unable to protect her as Sten could if she were discovered, Aishatou hid her away within the clergy of the Church of Holy Light as an acolyte. The several months that followed were the longest the girls were ever separated. 

Character 2 - Grayson Duskford

Something just clicked when Cayleen met Grayson, if not the first then certainly the second time. Though these two young nobles did not choose one another, and have been spending time together less than a month, their relationship seems to deepen by the hour. 

Cayleen finds herself trusting her new companion with a level of her confidence it has taken others years to earn, and quickly gaining his in turn as the affection between them grows. She suspects he is not quite as open with her as she is with them, but that he's had less support to heal his raw edges than she hasn so is more hesitant to expose them.

She's eager to give him that support, but doesn't want to threaten their mutual trust before the mortar has had a chance to set by pushing him too hard.

Character 3 - Rory Gallagher

The long confinement Sten Hartwell chose for Cayleen and Decla to keep them safe as feral Worgen until the alchemical mind cure was safe as it could be was prompted by the loss of Lord Hurley Blackstead's son, Harbin, who went into an incurable rage when the mixture was administered.

Through that dark time, the girls' primary comfort came from Harbin's companion, Rory. Ejected from Hurley's employ in the lord's grief, Rory was gathered up by Sten and given a purpose and outlet to his own grief and guilt in caring for the girls. He did this in no small part because Rory had risked his life and saved Cayleen from the worst of her near drowning accidents, when they were younger.

Rory learned to handle them, to tame them as much as such beasts could be tamed, and to console them through the agitation of their confinement. Caring for needs became his whole world, and so when the girls regained their minds and later their bodies, Sten appointed Rory as Cayleen's personal bodyguard. For years they have been as inseparable as Cayleen and Decla, and Rory is in her closest confidence, safekeeper of much more than her good health. The three have seldom been seen apart in the last several years.

Aishatou recalled Rory shortly before Cayleen and Grayson met, and the separation has been difficult for both of them to bear.

etc.

Additional Notes

Cool writing blogs to follow:

F-yeah Character Development

The Fiction Tree

Reference for Writers

Writing Questions Answered

Kris Noel

Fix Your Writing Habits

The Writing Café

writeworld

Legit-writing-tips

writingbox

And a very special thanks to Kira Lerner and Toni Walker for their character sheet which was my inspiration.

[hoshi-neko-hikari]

When it comes to formal events, like the Winter Veil Ball, even heroes, adventurers, and soldiers have to dress accordingly. Ignatius' formal attire consists of a beige tuxedo suit complete with a beige top hat, a pale brown tuxedo shirt, a pale cream bow, a beige waistcloak with yellow highlights and golden feathering on the sides, a beige waist length cape bronze highlights and pale brown feathering on the sides, beige boots, beige gloves, a white rose, and beige leather shoulderguards - all crafted from the Greyguard's tailors; whereas Velthynfria's formal attire consists of a dark green mooncloth ballgown complete with dark green high heels, a dark green cape with navy dark blue highlights and feathering on the sides, a dark green branch tiara, a dark green leather shoulderguard on her right shoulder, and dark green gloves. Not bad choices for formal attire, do you not agree?

Yep, but Good luck trying to get the kids to dress formally.

[westerosiqueens]

continued | @serwaymarroyce

Waymar’s insolence had been from amusement as opposed to maliciousness, plainly heard in the humor of his words paired with the wry smile that accompanied them. What else could have been said when here he was, a man of the Night’s Watch, expecting to name the fortresses, rivers and forests below and above the Wall on the map laid across the table before the pair. Yet before Waymar even had the opportunity to explain such knowledge in a tone that would most certainly have been riddled with a haughtiness that only a noble lad could muster, it was for naught. The Silver Queen knew, and named everything that was to be named upon the map.

Greyguard. The Shadow Tower. Eastwatch. The Haunted Forest. Last Hearth. None of the little icons scattered across the map went unnamed. It was an impressive feat. So much so that it was shown upon Waymar’s face. Before it was noticed and ever so subtlety sought to be banished with the clearing of the throat. Composure must be kept, after all. This was the rightful Queen of Westeros. His task being assigned as her attache from the Watch was not to be struck dumb with stars in the eyes.

“I’ve seen less than one ought to of things south, but more than a man ought to in the north.” Ohhh yes. Things had been seen that the lad wished were but the villain in the bed tales of children and wizened women. White Shadows. Pale horrors between the trees that carried the cold with them, and something even colder. Icy tendrils that could freeze a man’s blood and quiver their heart. For they were the embodiment of fear.

“You asked how the Watch manages the entire Wall despite our numbers. We don’t. A horde of snarks could scale the Wall between here and the Shadow Tower and we’d know naught of it.” It was a dry humor now, but humor all the same. What else could a man do about such a situation other than make light of it or fall into a bitter rage?

“What brought you to Castle Black, your Grace? To seek swords that would see your birthright claimed?” Now there was a glorious notion. A romantic one, for a knight. For what greater cause did a Knight exist for than to right such a bitter injustice as one such as Daenerys Targaryen suffered? Her story had spread like wildfire. Even here as Castle Black, a crumbling holdfast teetering on the end of the world. Only someone with a heart of stone could not have been moved by her story, and more, what she had achieved thus far.

She had watched him carefully as they scoured the map, catching glimpses under her long eyelashes. It was hard to hide her almost smug little smirk, but somehow she managed to keep her face schooled into pleasant innocence. It was one of the joys of her life, the moments when she inspired that expression on men's faces, the one of "How can this woman possibly be my better?" in whatever way, it never matters which. She has faced down men in challenges of will and won and she takes no care for their bruised egos (nor what happens when they lose to her of their own hubris). The North was her most recent subject of study on the sail across the Narrow Sea, so she has the benefit of the locations being fresh in her mind, but he needn't know that part. The knowledge is still honestly come by, even if it has been recently strengthened.

She wondered what the brief shadow that passed on his face when he spoke of the north was, and into her own mind flashed quickly images she had seen only in dreams, swirling ice and darkness and hopelessness. She wondered if perhaps he'd had a similar dream, or perhaps even worse.

She frowned at his assessment of the Watch. She knew their numbers had been depleted over the years, with the crown under the Robert Baratheon and then the succession of Lannister bastards neglecting maintenance of what Dany knew was a necessary defense against the coming Night.

 "I will reclaim the Iron Throne," she agreed, nodding, as she glanced back at the map spread out on the table before her and ran her finger longingly over the spot that marked King's Landing. "But if darkness takes the land, there will be no Throne to sit. There is a war that must be fought before the one for my inheritance." It had taken a long time to put the pieces together with her dreams. It was only after meeting the Red Priestess she had understood completely. It was her duty, her destiny, to save the realm she meant to rule.

[redjeliton]

i know none of you followed for this but i smeared colors on a doodle and i love them too much so have my warrior and my soon to be death knight.

[luminies]

you’re a cool person, cool people intimidate me. plus your edits are stunning. also intimidating. but you’re also a sweetheart, so in conclusion, i’d say a solid 4.5 lol (ily)

well if we are going by that i would also give you 4.5 😎