sometimes-petty

[sometimes-petty]

Tiny detail of the HOTD finale still in my mind: the massive size difference between Arrax and Vaghar meaning that the former is led via regular reins and the latter needs two-handed ropes to be conducted

[sometimes-petty]

criminally comedic that the most boring person in the entire series (Pietro Airota) had arguably one of the most badass moments (stared into the barrel of a gun and told the dude to fuck off)

[sometimes-petty]

Does it seem odd that when Robert Arryn brings up the hope of marrying 'Alayne' the issue of them being officially stepsiblings isn't brought up? Does this indicate that it is considered acceptable in the 7K or could it just mean that it doesn't occur to Sansa as they're merely cousins or she doesn't feel that Robert is really able to understand this? After all, Lyonel Hightower had trouble with the Faith over marrying his stepmother. Though if we're looking for real-world analogues, in Islam stepsiblings is permissible but stepparents aren't.

A couple things.

Number one, when Lysa first mentioned the marriage between Robert and Sansa (when the latter was disguised as “Alayne Stone”), she did so knowing full well who “Alayne” really was:

“I … [sic] I am married, my lady.”

“Yes, but soon a widow. Be glad the Imp preferred his whores. It would not be fitting for my son to take that dwarf’s leavings, but as he never touched you … [sic] How would you like to marry your cousin, the Lord Robert?”

(It goes without saying, of course, that this proposed marriage was never so much as formally announced, much less actively planned, in the brief period between Sansa and Littlefinger’s arrival and Lysa’s murder.)

Number two, whether or not Robert ever learned from his mother that he would marry “Alayne” someday, I wouldn’t take the beliefs of young Robert as any sort of accurate reflection on Westerosi politico-religious statutes or tradition regarding marriage. Having lost essentially the only woman in his life, not to mention the only person who ever showed him anything resembling affection (a full critical review of her parenting notwithstanding), Robert has very clearly taken to Sansa-as-Alayne as a sort of surrogate mother. Being all of eight, not to mention very sheltered and infantalized by his mother, Robert does not have a real, practical idea of what marriage in a Westerosi context means; for Robert, marriage to Sansa-as-Alayne would mean “sleep[ing] in the same bed every night” while Sansa-as-Alayne would “read [him] stories”, “sleep[ing] and kiss[ing] and play[ing] games” with him - that is, essentially what Robert already did with or wanted from Sansa-as-Alayne. Robert isn’t thinking about what the Faith of the Seven or Westerosi law would say about marriage between step-siblings (or, maybe to put it more accurately, a stepson and a bastard daughter); Robert is trying to keep close to Sansa-as-Alayne as the only person giving him some modicum of comfort, stability, and love as his mother had.

Indeed, to that point, Sansa-as-Alayne underlined the impossibility of their union for Robert:

She put a finger to his lips. “I know what you want, but it cannot be. I am no fit wife for you. I am bastard born.”

“I don’t care. I love you best of anyone.”

You are such a little fool. “Your lords bannermen will care. Some call my father upjumped and ambitious. If you were to take me to wife, they would say that he made you do it, that it was no will of yours …[”]

…

Alayne stroked his fingers. “There, my Sweetrobin, be still now.” When the shaking passed, she said, “You must have a proper wife, a trueborn maid of noble birth.”

“No. I want to marry you, Alayne.”

Once your lady mother intended that very thing, but I was trueborn then, and noble. “My lord is kind to say so.” … “Any child of ours would be baseborn. Only a trueborn child of House Arryn can displace Ser Harrold as your heir. My father will find a proper wife for you, some highborn girl much prettier than me. You’ll hunt and hawk together, and she’ll give you her favor to wear in tournaments. Before long, you will have forgotten me entirely.”

Again, because none of this has ever gone beyond the imaginations of Lysa or Robert, it is impossible to say whether the aristocracy of the Vale, much less anywhere else in Westeros, would have reacted to a betrothal ostensibly between Robert and “Alayne Stone”. (And I say “ostensibly” because even in Littlefinger’s current nuptial scheme, Sansa is going to reveal herself as Sansa Stark, rather than “Alayne Stone” at her wedding to Harry Hardyng.) It is interesting to point out that Sansa-as-Alayne’s argument to Robert isn’t that they can’t marry because his stepfather is (officially) her natural father, but that they can’t marry because this marriage would be seen as too ambitious and tyrannical a move by Littlefinger - not necessarily mutually exclusive ideas, but certainly not synonymous either. That’s not to say Sansa is any more versed in the nuances of Westerosi law and/or the doctrines of the Faith to know whether or not this marriage would also be unlawful in the eyes of man or the Seven, of course, but at bare minimum we can say that Sansa-as-Alayne’s instinct with Robert regarding this marriage is to cite the gulf of rank between them, and the perceived influence of Littlefinger, rather than any idea that such unions are objectively forbidden.

(And, when it comes to Westeros legal-religious tradition, I don’t think GRRM has really put much thought into it, as indeed I’m not sure, for example, what the High Septon could or would have done about Samantha Tarly’s allegedly incestuous marriage. Generally speaking, I don’t think GRRM puts very deep thought into the religious and legal details around rules for marriage, much to my curiosity and sometimes chagrin.)

[sometimes-petty]

identifying political ideologies by vague statements 2024 edition

• "both sides have gotten a bit extreme lately": conservative

• "i'm not really into politics": conservative

• "it's good to accept different opinions": conservative

• "i'm a conservative": 100% hitler

[sometimes-petty]

The Six of the Lab

Summary:

On the 12th hour of the first day of October 2002, 43 women around the world gave birth. This was unusual only in the fact that no one of these women had been pregnant when the day first began. Unbeknownst to the public, acclaimed scientist Dr Martin Brenner resolved to locate and adopt as many of the children as possible. He managed to get 5.

[sometimes-petty]

i think about this article more often then i would like to admit. they're talking about murdering a child in a tone one would probably talk about the weather.

palestinian children dream about not having to hear bombs and living in peace and going to school and playing with their friends and being able to grow up.

they've killed so many children in the last 14 months. so many families have been torn apart, so many dreams shattered, yet people are moving on.

how does one move on from what the occupation is doing in gaza? how does one move on from the genocide that is being paid for by our governments using our tax money?

please, i request you to donate to alaa, a mother of two young children. she lives in gaza with her family in a tent which does not offer much protection from the cold. she needs to buy firewood to keep her family warm.

verification by 90-ghost and the butterfly effect project #307

please donate here to help this family

[sometimes-petty]

Ibrahim is 15 years old, and he and his family are in desperate need of help, dealing with dire circumstances such as food shortages, high prices on basic necessities, and low supplies of fresh water.

The war has caused immense suffering for many displaced Palestinians, including Ibrahim and his family, who have lost everything. Additionally, his mother is suffering from a chronic illness.

Any amount of money can help Ibrahim and his family survive and possibly escape the war-torn area.

So far, €37,325 has been raised, and we need to reach the goal of €50,000. Any contribution makes a difference, and I’m asking everyone to support this cause.

Help him here:

[sometimes-petty]

i don't wanna sound hopeless but i feel like so many of you don't care or have stopped caring about palestine.

the news of hospitals being bombed, children being massacred, people dying from the cold, and the famine spreading in gaza does not seem enough to grab attention or make people care.

what new tragedy needs to befall gaza for you to start talking about it? the occupation kills a child every few minutes. people are cold and are starving. refugee camps are being bombed with bombs that can level city blocks.

this all happens because of all of us. we are complicit in this genocide because our governments use the taxes we pay to send weapons to the occupation. weapons that are used to kill children and impose a blockade that is starving 2 million people.

the very fact that we're still going about our days when all of this is going on breaks my heart. especially because we have failed to stop our governments from using our money to arm israel.

i urge you, please be generous and donate to suad and her baby khaled. he is just six months old and suad is unable to find any formula for him. if she finds anything, it is extremely expensive. the baby also needs warm clothes and is suffering from a respiratory problem and needs a nebulizer.

@suad-khaled has been verified [#279]

please help suad and her baby boy

[sometimes-petty]

Donate!!!!!! Boost!!!!!

[sometimes-petty]

Since squid game 2 came out…

[sometimes-petty]

in my head the star wars equivalent of tswift is some human woman named tay’lor spiff or something and her stans are losing their minds over theories that she’s secretly a jedi singing about the horrors of war, even though she’s from a neutral system that hasn’t seen so much as a moral panic in 50 years

[sometimes-petty]

[sometimes-petty]

maybe I'm biased but I got the impression that the writers were pushing so hard to show the Greens as The Bad Guys and the Blacks as The Good Guys

[sometimes-petty]

Today the IOF committed another massacre in Rafah, in the Southern Gaza strip, were they bomb€d tents of displaced families who were asked to flee South after being initially displaced. At least 50 were killed, and dozens injured, most of them women and children including babies! This area was explicitly designed for UNRWA and known as an area of humanitarian assistance. Israel is committing horrendous crimes day after day without any punishment.

Videos were surfacing today showing actual b€h€ad€d babies who were burnt from head to toe!

Please help us, even if it is a simple thing ❤️🙏🏼

[sometimes-petty]

I think there's some medias that you just cannot meaningfully engage with if your main priority is shipping

[sometimes-petty]

While Christmas Day is the last day anyone should ask for you to spend more money, I'm asking you to spend more money. A dollar. Five dollars. Whatever you've got. Elon Musk wants to own Wikipedia - one of the last reliable sources out there, and the only one not owned by a billionaire or corporation.

If you can't donate, this message isn't for you and you should not feel bad.

If you can donate to Wikipedia to keep it out of Musk's filthy, blood-stained hands, please do.

Here's the donations page.

[sometimes-petty]

While the world celebrates the new year with lights, joy, and warmth, we in Gaza are trapped in darkness and terror. No decorations, no festivities—only the deafening roar of planes and bombings shattering the silence of our nights.

In fragile tents and broken shelters, we fight to survive the biting cold and the devastation that surrounds us. The rain seeps through, the wind cuts deep, and yet, somehow, we cling to hope.

You are our last lifeline—don’t leave us to face this nightmare alone. Your kindness can be the light that breaks through this darkness and the warmth that saves us from despair.

Even a small donation—€5 or €10—could mean food for a child, warmth for a family, or a glimpse of safety in this endless fear.

Please, don’t turn away. Help us. Your support is the only thing standing between us and the abyss

Donate here to save my family and bring a glimmer of hope amidst this darkness