PLAYER NAME: Jesse CONTACT:Plurk! HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE GAME?: Returning player! I played Merrill for a hot minute.
CHARACTER: Sansa Stark (Alayne Stone) CANON: A Song of Ice and Fire CANON POINT: After A Feast for Crows (If her chapter from the preview of Winds of Winter is permitted, so she knows she's to be engaged again.)
ABILITIES | POWERS: Highborn lady skills like needlework, singing, playing the harp and bells, writing poetry, etc. She can ride a horse but not as well as her sister. She's growing to be skilled at observing and utilizing people's expectations to work in her favor.
PERSONALITY: Sansa’s story was meant to be a fairy tale. Born to a proud and honorable house, she was rarely found wanting in comfort or in love, and enjoyed the luxury of hot baths and soft clothes in a rugged, northern climate. Even her direwolf reflected her delicate traits, fittingly named Lady. Far more interested in dancing than she was in horseback riding, Sansa was happy to live out this fairy tale right into a dream-like engagement to a prince. Such constant assurances of her place in the world did little to humble the girl, instead centering her thoughts on mostly her own well-being and future. Sansa rarely found reason to give much thought to others, except when they intersected somehow with her ambitions, be it positive or negative. In this, she was quick to judge anyone depending on how they were utilized in her goals. They were friend if they supported her, and enemy if they did not. It was a simple world for Sansa Stark, one full of promise and hope.
It didn’t take long before disillusionment crept in, at the cost of others’ lives, but even then she was slow to learn...this wasn’t going to be a fairy tale, after all. Lady’s death could have opened her eyes, but she couldn’t yet accept that her dreams wouldn’t come true, and so she redirected her blame and anger like she often did. Her father did the deed (to be kind), and it never would have happened if her sister Arya didn’t act like a barbarian (in Sansa’s eyes), and so she blamed them, when everyone else could see that the blame lied with the Lannisters. Sansa was special, though, she had to continue believing that the Lannister cruelty would never extend to her, or else what was the point? She would have lied...for nothing.
Unfortunately, she did lie for nothing. The only weapon she had, her courtesies, had been mishandled, and the price had yet to be fully paid. That time would come when she again miscalculated, all in pursuit of her own survival over that of her family’s. Despite seeing the dark nature of Joffrey and Cersei, Sansa tried again to secure her future by betraying another family member--this time her father. Though swiftly manipulated by Cersei into denouncing her father, in a situation where any child would have difficulty holding their own, she had been the one to seek out the Queen and bring the situation to light. It was a mistake that would cost Sansa her entire family, as well as her innocence. She had ignored the warning signs, and she wasn’t the only one that would pay the price.
Sansa’s selfish nature did not dissipate, but it changed with the new and true feeling of hatred, as well as guilt. She could no longer hope to live magnificently, she could only hope to live. Suddenly she understood that every day could be her last, or the last for her loved ones. Better not to love, then, isn’t that right? And yet she still so desperately wanted a friend. She wanted to trust, but every lesson revealed why she couldn’t. So Sansa watched and listened, and eventually she learned. She learned to sharpen her courtesies. It’s important to note that ‘courtesies’ don’t only mean manners; They are courtly manners and social conduct, from understanding the history of royal houses and their bannermen, to discussing politics and religion, to knowing how to dine, sing, speak, and walk, and much more. Courtesy is a lifestyle, or philosophy. It’s a multifaceted weapon, and Sansa eventually honed hers into sharp blades through painful lessons learned at King’s Landing.
There was no shortage of teachers, from someone as decrepit as The Hound, up to the vicious Queen Cersei herself, oft-times through discourse that was helpful as it was venomous. All of these relationships were precarious, but Sansa learned to balance as she walked that path of thorns. Margaery was the rose amongst the thorns, but even her gentle lessons couldn’t protect the realities beating at the Stark girl’s door every day, and this reality came to light with the death of King Joffrey. Again, she had to think for herself before others, even knowing the danger her husband Tyrion Lannister would likely find himself in. He had been kind to her, as well, but he was still a Lannister. He still looked at her with the same eyes as everyone else. Even those who were kind to her wanted to use her in some way, and she knew this.
Although Sansa escaped the Red Keep, she did not survive whole. So much was stripped away that it became easy to find a different role, and to remember Sansa Stark’s life as that of the nightmare it was and nothing more. Alayne Stone was born of Littlefinger, but given life through the death of Sansa’s dreams. She was no longer merely ‘repeating the words they taught her’ as The Hound had once accused her of, but connecting dots and making plans. She had shown a spark of this ability even in King’s Landing, when rescuing Ser Dontos through a quick wit, and Littlefinger nurtured and encouraged this skill by allowing her to feel included in his scheming. She understood that he couldn’t fully be trusted, but she couldn’t deny that he treated her as a woman who deserved respect. Now, she understands well how to control someone by giving them exactly what they think they want, even utilizing these lessons against Littlefinger in her carefully worded responses to him. She does not merely agree to do the thing; she skips right over that step and does the thing.
At thirteen, though claiming to be fourteen, Alayne Stone has all but abandoned her identity as Sansa. Even living as a lowborn bastard seems better than the memories Sansa Stark suffered, and the Stark name is a doomed one now. After a jealous betrayal via her Aunt Lysa, there was nothing of the Tullys to draw her loyalty, either. As a bastard, she can create a new life, and Littlefinger proves that even lowborn can reach high. Not that she wants to reach so high, anymore… She doesn’t think of fairy tales anymore, as those are for pure maidens. Now she thinks of security, which no longer means lemon cakes and laughter, but knowledge and power. Courtesy was once her armor; her defense. Now it is her sword; her offense.
Sometimes the dreams of the young Stark girl will drift in to catch her off guard, such as a longing for a carefree dance or the pleasure from a burst of rare citrus on the tongue, but she is certain they remain only dreams from someone else’s life. Alayne's reality is that dances are a tool for ambition, and too many lemoncakes will only make you ill.
SAMPLE:AU encounter with Five! I won't be treating this as canon if she's accepted, we just included Lady for fun.
INVENTORY: A dark blue and grey dress made of silk and wool, matching cloak, gloves, and boots. That's...it!
NOTES: She'll want to get her hands on some chestnut-colored hair dye before long, somehow without making it obvious. I'm fine with her failing at this, though!
IF ACCEPTED, WOULD YOU WANT A PLOT-LIGHT OR PLOT-HEAVY CUSTOM INTRO? Whichever works best for your narrative! I'm totally willing for plot heavy intro, but no pressure if it doesn't work. Can always sneak her in through the cracks.
Sansa Stark | Alayne Stone
CONTACT: Plurk!
HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE GAME?: Returning player! I played Merrill for a hot minute.
CHARACTER: Sansa Stark (Alayne Stone)
CANON: A Song of Ice and Fire
CANON POINT: After A Feast for Crows (If her chapter from the preview of Winds of Winter is permitted, so she knows she's to be engaged again.)
BACKGROUND: Too much history for a 13-year-old-going-on-30.
ABILITIES | POWERS: Highborn lady skills like needlework, singing, playing the harp and bells, writing poetry, etc. She can ride a horse but not as well as her sister. She's growing to be skilled at observing and utilizing people's expectations to work in her favor.
PERSONALITY: Sansa’s story was meant to be a fairy tale. Born to a proud and honorable house, she was rarely found wanting in comfort or in love, and enjoyed the luxury of hot baths and soft clothes in a rugged, northern climate. Even her direwolf reflected her delicate traits, fittingly named Lady. Far more interested in dancing than she was in horseback riding, Sansa was happy to live out this fairy tale right into a dream-like engagement to a prince. Such constant assurances of her place in the world did little to humble the girl, instead centering her thoughts on mostly her own well-being and future. Sansa rarely found reason to give much thought to others, except when they intersected somehow with her ambitions, be it positive or negative. In this, she was quick to judge anyone depending on how they were utilized in her goals. They were friend if they supported her, and enemy if they did not. It was a simple world for Sansa Stark, one full of promise and hope.
It didn’t take long before disillusionment crept in, at the cost of others’ lives, but even then she was slow to learn...this wasn’t going to be a fairy tale, after all. Lady’s death could have opened her eyes, but she couldn’t yet accept that her dreams wouldn’t come true, and so she redirected her blame and anger like she often did. Her father did the deed (to be kind), and it never would have happened if her sister Arya didn’t act like a barbarian (in Sansa’s eyes), and so she blamed them, when everyone else could see that the blame lied with the Lannisters. Sansa was special, though, she had to continue believing that the Lannister cruelty would never extend to her, or else what was the point? She would have lied...for nothing.
Unfortunately, she did lie for nothing. The only weapon she had, her courtesies, had been mishandled, and the price had yet to be fully paid. That time would come when she again miscalculated, all in pursuit of her own survival over that of her family’s. Despite seeing the dark nature of Joffrey and Cersei, Sansa tried again to secure her future by betraying another family member--this time her father. Though swiftly manipulated by Cersei into denouncing her father, in a situation where any child would have difficulty holding their own, she had been the one to seek out the Queen and bring the situation to light. It was a mistake that would cost Sansa her entire family, as well as her innocence. She had ignored the warning signs, and she wasn’t the only one that would pay the price.
Sansa’s selfish nature did not dissipate, but it changed with the new and true feeling of hatred, as well as guilt. She could no longer hope to live magnificently, she could only hope to live. Suddenly she understood that every day could be her last, or the last for her loved ones. Better not to love, then, isn’t that right? And yet she still so desperately wanted a friend. She wanted to trust, but every lesson revealed why she couldn’t. So Sansa watched and listened, and eventually she learned. She learned to sharpen her courtesies. It’s important to note that ‘courtesies’ don’t only mean manners; They are courtly manners and social conduct, from understanding the history of royal houses and their bannermen, to discussing politics and religion, to knowing how to dine, sing, speak, and walk, and much more. Courtesy is a lifestyle, or philosophy. It’s a multifaceted weapon, and Sansa eventually honed hers into sharp blades through painful lessons learned at King’s Landing.
There was no shortage of teachers, from someone as decrepit as The Hound, up to the vicious Queen Cersei herself, oft-times through discourse that was helpful as it was venomous. All of these relationships were precarious, but Sansa learned to balance as she walked that path of thorns. Margaery was the rose amongst the thorns, but even her gentle lessons couldn’t protect the realities beating at the Stark girl’s door every day, and this reality came to light with the death of King Joffrey. Again, she had to think for herself before others, even knowing the danger her husband Tyrion Lannister would likely find himself in. He had been kind to her, as well, but he was still a Lannister. He still looked at her with the same eyes as everyone else. Even those who were kind to her wanted to use her in some way, and she knew this.
Although Sansa escaped the Red Keep, she did not survive whole. So much was stripped away that it became easy to find a different role, and to remember Sansa Stark’s life as that of the nightmare it was and nothing more. Alayne Stone was born of Littlefinger, but given life through the death of Sansa’s dreams. She was no longer merely ‘repeating the words they taught her’ as The Hound had once accused her of, but connecting dots and making plans. She had shown a spark of this ability even in King’s Landing, when rescuing Ser Dontos through a quick wit, and Littlefinger nurtured and encouraged this skill by allowing her to feel included in his scheming. She understood that he couldn’t fully be trusted, but she couldn’t deny that he treated her as a woman who deserved respect. Now, she understands well how to control someone by giving them exactly what they think they want, even utilizing these lessons against Littlefinger in her carefully worded responses to him. She does not merely agree to do the thing; she skips right over that step and does the thing.
At thirteen, though claiming to be fourteen, Alayne Stone has all but abandoned her identity as Sansa. Even living as a lowborn bastard seems better than the memories Sansa Stark suffered, and the Stark name is a doomed one now. After a jealous betrayal via her Aunt Lysa, there was nothing of the Tullys to draw her loyalty, either. As a bastard, she can create a new life, and Littlefinger proves that even lowborn can reach high. Not that she wants to reach so high, anymore… She doesn’t think of fairy tales anymore, as those are for pure maidens. Now she thinks of security, which no longer means lemon cakes and laughter, but knowledge and power. Courtesy was once her armor; her defense. Now it is her sword; her offense.
Sometimes the dreams of the young Stark girl will drift in to catch her off guard, such as a longing for a carefree dance or the pleasure from a burst of rare citrus on the tongue, but she is certain they remain only dreams from someone else’s life. Alayne's reality is that dances are a tool for ambition, and too many lemoncakes will only make you ill.
SAMPLE: AU encounter with Five! I won't be treating this as canon if she's accepted, we just included Lady for fun.
INVENTORY: A dark blue and grey dress made of silk and wool, matching cloak, gloves, and boots. That's...it!
NOTES: She'll want to get her hands on some chestnut-colored hair dye before long, somehow without making it obvious. I'm fine with her failing at this, though!
IF ACCEPTED, WOULD YOU WANT A PLOT-LIGHT OR PLOT-HEAVY CUSTOM INTRO? Whichever works best for your narrative! I'm totally willing for plot heavy intro, but no pressure if it doesn't work. Can always sneak her in through the cracks.