The tide against the forest, the howl lost at sea

Meeting with a God (1/?)

I hope you don’t mind adding your tags but every time I read them I feel something akin to elation and I think they deserve to be part of the post, fuck! I need survivor Theon who is bitter and angry, who is allowed to live and heal the unfathomable wounds inflicted on his body, mind and soul. Even if they heal wrong, even with the hideous scars left in the process. Who has seen so much, lived so much… Things that no human should experience, things that made him reach an understanding of the world that is boundless and seems to outstretch beyond his frail skin.

I know nothing about Bloodborne but after reading your tag I searched for info about Frenzy and this part from the wiki’s description screams what you said about Theon:

It is speculated that Frenzy is the result of the Hunter being forced to process information incomprehensible to humans, such as information about the Great Ones, Eldritch Truth, or Cosmos.

Rules Link  | Bingo Board Link | Fic Rec Requests Link

The Schedule

January 1- 10 JUST READ FICS! LEAVE COMMENTS AND KUDOS! This portion of Fic Appreciation Month is dedicated to reading and leaving kudos and KIND comments. If you need help writing comments here is a great guide: How to Write Comments.

January 11- 17 Sharing Theon Gen Fic Recs on tumblr (In canon verse, Theon focused, no romantic ships. Platonic relationships are fine.)

January 18- 24 Sharing Theon Ship Fic Recs on tumblr (All ships welcome.)

January 25-31 Sharing Theon AU Fic Recs (either gen or ship fics in a AU or Crossover universe.)

Remember to tag this blog ( @theon-appreciation​ ) somewhere on your posts! If it has been 24 hours and I have not reblogged you, then please reach out because it means I didn’t see it! You can also tag your posts #theon fic appreciation or #theon fic appreciation month.

You can use the Bingo Board as prompts for sharing. Really excited read and share Theon fics with you all! Happy Reading!

What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder and stronger.

Theon's journey and the constant evolution of his identity works as reflection of that saying.

When he becomes Ramsay's prisoner his name, identity and personhood are stripped from him, Theon Greyjoy died in the Dreadfort and so Reek could be born. But what is dead may never die were words the Son of Pyke grew up with and just like those words Theon was never truly gone, his existence lingered ever so unconsciously in the back of his mind.

Theon and Reek are intertwined, more than just being an identity that supplanted the other. And I believe Ramsay underestimated that.

Theon lingers and when the reminder of his personhood comes in the form of a hurt Sansa Stark, Theon slowly breaks any possible barrier that divides him and Reek as two different beings. And Theon rises again, in a act of strength and selflessness that gains him his freedom.

What is dead may never die, and that rings true to Reek as well. Reek becomes the shadow of Theon's trauma and a shadow can't be outrun, you can see Reek in the way Theon's body flinches and how sometimes he can't look people directly in the eyes.

Reek may rise when Theon finds himself in a difficult situation that reminds him of the torture at Ramsay's hands, Reek may rise only so to protect Theon from the pain.

And in his new freedom Theon has to do emands with the fact that Reek is always going to be there. Reek is a part of him Theon has to understand and accept.

His past, the endurance of the horrors he had to go through and the acceptance of his mistakes become foundations for the identity Theon is trying to build for himself, someone who hurt and was hurt and in his pain understood that kindness and vulnerability isn't weakness but virtues that fire up strength.

Theon becomes the person he always wanted to be by reaching that understanding.

The surrender of Moat Cailin, making Reek to be the one to give Sansa away in the wedding and force him to be witness of Sansa's pain, all those actions where nothing but a display of power from Ramsay's part. The bastard thought he was the ultimate puppet master, he thought he had absolute control over Reek and that's why he loved to toy with the very fine line that separated Reek from Theon.

Ramsay really never truly understood the psychological complexities of his prisoner and unknown to him, his own mind games had a hand in Theon's resurrection by allowing the prince to make contact with both identities simultaneously.

Reek realized that in order to help Sansa risks had to be taken, but Reek was born of endurance and survival not about going against the odds, thus Theon had to emerge again to make what it was right.

And Theon can't let go completely of Reek, for to let go of the other name means denying part of the journey that took him where he is.

Made some space themed Theon edits for completely self-indulgent purposes (it was bound to happen at some point).

Also me: gets intrigued with one (1) Game of Thrones character a year after the series ended up in, for what the general opinion seems to agree on, a metaphorical dumpster fire.

Also me: gets hyperfixated with said one (1) Game of Thrones character a year after the series ended up in the metaphorical dumpster fire.