You can not possibly expect me to believe that the man that once sliced Beric in half, then later became brothers in arms with; the man who once smacked Ayra across the face, then gently cradled her head -the man that once said he'd fuck Sansa bloody, then looked at her with a world of sorrow and apology in his eyes; the man who once was the Hound, but was at last called Sandor - you CAN NOT tell me that man deserved what was given to him in the end.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 2/4
Fandom: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Sandor Clegane & Sansa Stark
Characters: Sandor Clegane, Sansa Stark, Harrold Hardyng
Summary:
Sandor hears that a little bird is nearby
This is a 2-chapter fic that is for my SanSan Secret Santa! LadyTP
I hope this fills your prompt, wine-cellar, rubble, moon, neck, and smile.
I was tagged by @ladytp to list my 10 Top Fanvids!
Hands of Gold - Peter Hollins (ASOIAF)
Flight From Shadow (WOT)
A Tale of Benjen Stark (ASOIAF)
Starships (SPACE!)Â
The Wild Wolf (ASOIAF)Â
Elia Martell (ASOIAF)Â
Tower of Joy (ASOIAF)
Noble and ruling ladies (history)
Tywin & Joanna (ASOIAF)Â
Tywin/Joanna - Young and Beautiful (ASOIAF)
A Whole New World (ASOIAF) (when GRRMâs on the mark, he makes me feel like I could fly, as if I could reach up and trail my fingers through cotton-candy clouds as I soar, and this video captures a little of that feeling for me. I would like an animated ASOIAF)Â
Slipping Away (WOT)
H.P. Joelcraft (L0vecraft)
(I couldnât pick just 10)
Iâm tagging @cosmonauthill, @valoisqueens, @hedgewitches, @ruebella-b, @sansaregina, @lady-arryn, @valonqar, @feestje, @bethwoodvilles, @kieraembers, @argelladurrandon, and anyone else who would like to do this! Yes, you! You reading this, if you would like to do this, go ahead!
tagged by master of all trades @ladytp and tagging anyone who wants to play (including but not limited to @drgns8r @mllekaren @ladywolfmd @carobaldoni @allthedances @misshoneywheeler @eilitintheheartland and @framboise-fics. and no, i am not sure what the series of 11s stand for... (i only know that there are 11 questions and 11 responses and mayhaps i am supposed to tag 11 persons)
Favorite OC to write? I had a hoot writing Alys in Stannis, Tall and Plain. She was so audacious!
Dialogue or descriptions? Um neither. I mean I write emotions, about what I am feeling or remembering feeling (chasing that dream that dissipates as I grab for it) or wanting to feel. Sheer gurgling giddiness, swirling fears, pulsating anger and hate. So maybe description moreso than dialog but mayhaps more accurately both.
Favorite plot twist? All of my fics do not have really any plot per se (many pwp). If plot twist means au, I really love my Sansa as daughter of Brandon Stark au.
Music while writing? Yes - I hear music in my mind (a sort of soundtrack)
Weirdest thing youâve ever been inspired by? Sweater curse
Biggest no-no for a book? What will immediately make you put the book down if you see it? For fanfics, sorry I cannot get down if there is no paragraph breaks - I need to see some white spaces!
What titles grab your attention in bookstores? Not really a title person - for books, colors on the cover draws me in.
Can you describe the color purple in one sentence? Long version: Purple is the color one gets when one is breathless, whether from gyrating and grinding an axe, from singing and shouting until one is hoarse, or from showering your love with kisses. Concise version (same meaning): Purple is Prince.
I actually went back to the folder of my first posted fanfic, and it was almost 6.5 years ago, September 2012⊠That was my first ever creative work I wrote as well, as I started quite late â being already adult, established professional and all that. So never too late to start, one doesnât have to have grown up writing!
Did you write before that?
No I didn't - unless scientific publications are counted as 'creative' writing (well, to be honest, sometimes there was an element of creativity when trying to make one's data make sense, LOL!)
How long ago did you join Tumblr?
To be precise (as I like to be!) I joined March 1st 2013 â so almost six years ago⊠But it took me four months to make my first post (an awesome music video about ASOIAF and GoT), being initially a âlurkerâ to observe and learn. I migrated there from Livejournal when things started to quiet down there â like a moth I was drawn to bright lights, moving images, and more of my fandom content!
What is the meaning behind your username?
My username is from the Livejournal times as well, as when I joined it, I didnât grasp the significance of oneâs url or username and just picked the first one that came to mind when filling in the details: âladyâ and my initials. Dâoh! Luckily I have been able to successfully have the same name in other platforms as well, which is great â it is easier than have many different names. I am also glad that it is not fandom specific, as my interests are many and variedâŠ
What was your first fandom? First pairing?
Definitively ASOIAF â that was my introduction to the whole cultural phenomenon of âfandomâ, devouring fics and joining communities (yeah, I am so far behind of everyone else â I used to have a life, LOL!). Sansan was my first ship, but I also had a brief period when I was very interested in Daenerys and Jorah (this was before I saw the show). Even though the show had a big negative impact on Sansan experience for me (not due to Rory, I hasten to add â but the storylines), it has still stayed my OTP in a sense that I feel most comfortable about writing them and their dynamic still fascinates me above anything else.
How/when did you first notice (or start to ship) Sansan?
My story is very typical; first reading their interactions after the Handâs Tourney, then the scene of the Battle of the Blackwater â and I was hooked. Googling and finding fics, Livejournal communities and all the metasâŠno getting back from there! I mean; it is so blatantly obvious that I wonder who can read the books and NOT get the vibes??
Is there a SanSan fic youâre particularly proud of? Â Chapter? Paragraph? Â Plot?
HmmmâŠâWhich one of your children you love the best?â, in other words â always a difficult question! I guess I am still the proudest of âThe Triangleâ It was one of my early fics, it was a long-fic, and it was about the subject I had been fascinated with for years and years; the complicated Arthurian relationship between 3 people who loved each other for different reasons (Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot in the original, Sandor, Sansa and Jaime in the fic). Chapter-wise I am very happy with the last chapter of the âKiss of the Bladeâ, as hard as it may be for some due to the character death implied. It has melancholy but also beauty, I thought when I wrote it. Plot-wise I am excited and happy about my current WIP âThis Time, Weâll Do Betterâ, as although it has some common trope elements, I think they have somewhat cool applications and it is nice to write something more plot-orientated for a change!
Any comments youâve received that stick out, even now?
I have to admit that again, âThe Triangleâ inspired some absolutely wonderful comments, probably because of its unusual premise. Towards the end, and especially with people who had read it in one go long after it had been completed, there were some wonderful convos going back and forth. I especially enjoyed the ones where people either told that they had had some reservations starting it, but then ended up really enjoying the fic, or the ones where they might have had some queries and doubts and questions, leading to a mutually fruitful and eye-opening discussions on both sides. Those conversations really blew my mind!
Do you use a beta?
I have had the privilege of working with two wonderful betas, of which I am eternally grateful. The first one was wildskysheri / wildsky, whom I âmetâ via Livejournal, and who betaed for me for âThe Triangleâ, âA Chance Encounterâ and âA Premediated Reunionâ. Â She taught me â a non-native English speaker/writer â so much about writing and what to pay attention to and what to look out for. I owe her so much! After our ways parted amicably as she moved on to other things, I was without beta for a long time, not really actively looking for one, but when my path crossed with the lovely @hardlyfatal, I have once again had the pleasure of getting my words scrutinised by someone knowledgeable, making them better on âThis Time, Weâll Do Betterâ. I honestly canât speak highly enough for a beta who can make any writer and fic so much better!
Are there tropes/styles/genres you struggle with? Â Any that are almost too easy?
I do struggle a bit writing babies and children, and hence havenât written much about them⊠I donât generally care for modern AUs either and would struggle to write a full story in a modern times â although who knows, maybe in a right setting, replicating the high stakes situation of the canon, it could work. Havenât tried so canât say for sure! Very fluffy genre is also something I donât feel particularly comfortable with, nor anything where the characters are very young. And porn without plot is neither a genre I relish. The most comfortable genres for me are the slow-burns, where mature people interact with each other in a mature way (whatever that meansâŠ). First realisations of feelings, hesitancy, and all that. I also do like plot-driven stories that have a start, middle and ending. I am all open for fake marriage, bed-sharing, âthere was only one room at the innâ kind of genres â any kind of âforcedâ situations where the characters are obliged to spend time together!
When you start a fic, do you know where it will end? Â Or do you figure it out along the way?
There have been fics along both scenarios â some were started at the spur of the moment, with only vague ideas of where and how far they would go (âThe Prophecyâ comes to mind, which I started as a random holiday scribbling â and repeatedly apologised and updated my chapter number as it grew and grew and grewâŠ). And there were the ones where even at the end I couldnât decide what the ending should be, so I wrote two (for example âPast Was Such A Long Time Agoâ). But for most I would have some idea about the ending at the start, and for some I would gain it somewhere early along the way. So yeah, it varies!
Do you have any rituals/conditions for âgetting in the moodâ to write?
I mostly write over the weekends when I have more time, after getting up and having breakfast, reading my emails and checking on Tumblr and doing all the routine stuff one does â and then I open my doc and start writing⊠With my internet radio blasting on the background on some jazz or lounge or classic channel. I find it hard to write during the weeks after getting back from work and being distracted by mundane home things and TV and such.
Have you ever had writerâs block? Â Any tips for overcoming it?
I did have a period well over a year ago when I felt I had âlost my mojoâ. It was largely to do with the way the Game of Thrones show had progressed and changed the characters so much that I couldnât recognise them anymore, and my initial inspiration of writing about them consequently suffered. Especially as the show canon started to take over the original book canon so strongly in many platforms, including fics. The way I got over it was to distance myself from the show and partly, unfortunately, also from the fandom (so largely focused on show). I had a nice break, didnât read many fics, focused on books and generally took a step back. Then I challenged myself to write a new type of story, a plot-focused âaction & adventureâ story instead of romance focused only. That inspired me to write again, and I have been riding on that inspirational wave ever since with my latest long-fic WIP!
Aspirations of publishing one day?
No, not really. It is a tough world out there, especially as writing has become more reachable to many people who previously might not have even considered it (yay, fanfic and other forms of creative writing and platforms encouraging it!), and publishing world is awash with submissions and self-published stories alike. Although I donât know for sure, I suspect that wanting to become published would take much more effort and determination and will than what I have for now, as for me this is a lovely hobby, nothing more.
What are your other hobbies?
My absolutely biggest hobbies are food and wine. I have loved cooking, eating and learning about food and wine for most of my life and itâs really important for me. Cooking meals âfrom the scratchâ from their base ingredient is what I love, as well as learning to master new techniques, new cuisines and difficult recipes. When I travel, food is one of the main drivers for that too, and holidays are largely built around restaurants, regions, cuisines and wineries. Holidaying in wine regions and wine tasting is the favourite kind of holiday! Yet I also love everyday cooking â the beauty of this as a hobby is that I get to do it every day and can challenge myself, be inspired by it and practice it all the time!
As for other hobbiesâŠnot really⊠I follow the transformative artform that is WWE, especially Dean Ambrose, and love visiting historical sites and reading about history, but that can hardly be called an active hobby⊠I also make some photo and video edits for fun, but lately my writing has taken much of the time I used to dedicate to that. Yet I feel that what I have is enough â I have no desires for an active life with lots of different hobbies and activities.
Any tips for writers looking to post their first (or second, or twentieth) fic?
I hope this doesnât sound too harsh, but it would be really cool if even those who write only for âshits and gigglesâ would do some basic formatting and language checks⊠Things like how to indicate dialogue, spacing between paragraphs and when to apply them, and of course, basic grammar. There are nowadays so many websites advising about those things, as well as free tools (for example Grammarly), that they are accessible to every person with access to sites posting their stuff â and a simple Google search is your best friend. I recommend this because ignoring those things may easily drown even the most amazing story in these times of fic over-abundance.
Other than that, write the stories you would like to read yourself, and the scenarios you would like to see in the canon. Study the writing style of the writers whose stories you admire and see if you could pick up a trick or two from them (but not plagiarizing, naturally). And if you can, get a beta â it is not absolutely necessary, but would give you a second opinion and advice from a trusted person. Oh, and give yourself a break between writing and final editing â ideally have a buffer of chapters in a draft phase before starting to post, so whenever you write something new, you can afford to let it rest for a while before getting back to it with fresh eyes. And have fun!
Anything youâd like to say to writers in general?
Donât get hung up on statistics or comparisons. Think why you are writing â is it because everyone does it and you feel you should too, or because you truly enjoy it, or because of the stories themselves, or because you have an internal urge to do it, or it is part of your social networking activities⊠all are valid reasons, but once you define what they are for you, the easier it is to focus on it and the satisfaction it gives to you.
Anything youâd like to say to readers in general?
If you like a fic, donât be shy about commenting, as it truly means so much to the writers⊠Even simplest comment is gratefully received. If you feel like wanting to pass on constructive criticism, first ensure the writer welcomes it, then formulate it in the politest possible way with positivism thrown in as well (and of course, make sure it is actually constructive). Marvel the choices and abundance of fic availability and acknowledge what a joy it is to live in this time and age when all that is possible. Enjoy!
Anything youâd like to say to the SanSan fandom in general?
Do not give up hope â Game of Thrones is over soon and we can get back to canon content, hopefully soon with The Winds of Winter. Whatever the further story of Sandor and Sansa is there, we know how important it has been already and nothing can take that away!
 Is it right for fandom to frame the conflict as...
Cat didnât like Jon and excluded him from the family - but was there ever real expectation (by anyone, even Jon) that he WOULD have been considered a true member of the family, he being a bastard? Was that the main abuse Cat is accused of - or was there else?
That she refused to call him by his name. Treated him with general hostility, disrespect, and as if he is inherently bad due to his birth. Ingrained in her children to see Jon as not really their brother, but a bastard, putting a wall of separation between them. Creating a climate of exclusion and othering him. That this had a profound impact on Jonâs sense of self and harmed him psychologically is unquestioned. But some people in the fandom donât like others talking about Cat in a sympathetic way and so now theyâre coming after them to grill them on what bad people they are for being abuse apologists. Iâm not even joking. Iâm talking about someone is experiencing this right now as Iâm typing.  Â
If you see this, I am just letting you know that I have established a âback-upâ blog because I have no idea what happens next in Tumblr, and whether this my original blog - in Tumblr since 2013 - will still be workable (after been flagged NSFW and its status not changed despite several requests over the last almost two weeks). That âback-upâ blog is @lady-tp - very quiet and inactive still, though.
What happens next - who knows? ÂŻ\_(ă)_/ÂŻ
Maybe all goes on as normal and I get this blogâs safe status back - maybe not. Maybe it becomes private and nobody but me (if even me?) will see it. Maybe sky falls. Maybe something else happens. ????
I guess weâll seeâŠ
I am still ladytp in Pillowfort, ladytp in LiveJournal and even ladytp in Dreamwidth - although I havenât been very active in any, recently.
