#"The Red Dragon and the Gold" spoilers | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

radioves · 3 years ago

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techno derg

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unfiltered images + design notes / headcanons + id under cut

spoilers for wof yadda yadda you know the drill

- Techno, AKA Sanguine - his name [according to google] means, “from Old French sanguin (fem. sanguine) and directly from Latin sanguineus "of blood," also "bloody, bloodthirsty," from sanguis (genitive sanguinis) "blood" (see sanguinary). The meaning "cheerful, hopeful, vivacious, confident”. His name is actually just inspired by a quote from Maybe an elder scrolls game, something along the lines of, “when the night runs sanguine” i cannot remember i do not play elder scrolls- i think you can guess why i chose this name for him, the second part was by coincidence but i still think it fits because of his confident, almost carefree approach to conflict

- Pink. Hes half skywing half icewing, and he is very popular to outsiders because of his uniquely colored scales- some mistake him for icewing royalty because of his resemblance to a certain icewing princess [yes ery is canon in here. my ocs are part of this, your ocs are part of this, its my Au and i get to chose the Characters]. Skywings can be every color of the sunsets- purple, red, pinks, oranges, and even yellow, so yes, he gets little yellowy accents on his scales because it looks like gold

- Both tribes are known for their fashion and jewelry exports, and hes no exception. He actively visits both kingdoms [mostly favors Skywings because they specialize in gold over the silver of Icewings] to see whats new in stock. He has also gained... other things. from the Skywings, most notably their craft of fireworks. i think you can guess what hes used it for

- Very Spiky. because its cool. He looks like a girdled lizard and is very sharp. Covered in ice spikes because again, cool. Even his antlers are spiky because its sick as hell. I couldnt recommend any less trying to pet him the wrong way you will end up losing some aspect of your body one way or another

- Has the same vibes as Blaze, but opposite energy, if that makes sense. He would much rather stay at home than purposefully fight others if it means keeping his scales pristine, but if someone brings the battle to him he can and will kick their ass. Well, at least thats how it is now, back then he totally would find conflict any place he could- to the point where others would either actively avoid him, or seek him out to help them in battles

- kinda unrelated but Technodragon and Sanguine are two different dragons. There are also versions of the rest of the Dreaming Dragons... dragons, who are also just normal ass dragons outside of the restrictions of me manhandling Wof canon to try and make something that works

[ID : 2 drawings of Technoblade as a dragon, inspired by Wings of Fire. He is an Icewing and Skywing hybrid, with pink and white mottled scales and pale yellow spots and accents. He has sharp plates all over his body that resembles a girdled lizards, and spikes on his shoulders, giving him a very sharp appearance. He has long, sharp white spines on his neck, back, and tail, with curly horns that have spikes that resemble antlers. There are small tufts of fur on his chin, ears, and arms. He has wide, pig-like ears, a muzzle that resembles a snout, and short tusks that jut from the corners of his mouth, and he has dark eyes with gold pupils. He is laying on his side with his back to the viewer, propped up on his elbows as he looks back at the viewer. His eyes are narrowed with a tired, almost annoyed expression.

The second image is the similar to the first, flipped. He has a dark red cape with a fluffy lining draped around his shoulders, covering his back down to the base of his tail. He has several gold chain necklaces, one of them with 3 gold hoops dangling off of it. He has a gold band around one of his spines, along with bands around his tusks, and a band around his horns. He has several gold earrings, a chain attached to two of them, with an emerald attached to a length of chain at the end. He is wearing a gold crown with three points and a spike facing down in the middle, a pattern of symmetrical sapphires and diamonds running along the outside with a large ruby in the center, and there is a chain attached to the tip of the center spike that is draped around his horns, the other end being attached to the band around his horns. End ID]

#the images broke again but i could Not be assed to fixed it im so tired #digital art #artists on tumblr #illustration #dragons #:)#🐉💭 au

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janiedean · 3 years ago

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How do you feel about the idea that Cersei's valonqar has to be Jaime? People say it can't be any little brother, it has to be one of her brothers or else the story doesn't make sense. I mean, obviously it would be dumb if she were killed off by a rando. Personally, my ideal ending is for Lady Melara Stoneheart to come back and eat her alive.

lady melara stoneheart would be great, but in all seriousness, jaime is not valonqaring anyone least of all c. because:

he's the audience red herring same as tyrion is c's red herring, like the text being OH HE WAS ACTUALLY TWO SECONDS YOUNGER is there to make you go like OH but it's grrm trolling just the fact that he's telling you like that means it's not going to happen, he never actually does that straight when it comes to prophecies (AA anyone?)

jaime is in the riverlands, he burned her letter, he's with brienne most likely watching her kill cat bc she can't kill him and they're going on the quiet isle and getting sandor and finding sansa, and I have to presume he has time to go back to KL? yeah no

there is no jaime equivalent in the og dance of dragons but there's the c. equivalent

jaime killing c. makes no sense bc it would just give him extra trauma tied to her and the entire sl he has is that he has to get away from her and his life isn't 100% tied to hers anymore so if he goes back and kills her and like..... re-traumatizes himself it means what in the great scale of things? sorry but I don't agree

also c. thinks they're going to die together in a murder-suicide which would still mean that half of what she thinks would be true and spoilers the entire point of c's chapters is that she's wrong just about everything so that's not happening period

also I already said it in that prev. post but: the prophecy literally says that the valonqar chokes her to death which like......... jaime has one good hand and a gold one so first thing he can't choke her with just one and if he used the golden one he'd basically cut her throat or crush it under the weight which is not choking but on top of that again

choking is an extremely personal way of killing someone bc like you have to watch them die slowly and keep your hands there while they do and you have to not falter and you have to be strong enough to not let them get away, and like........... with all their history for good or bad I have to think that if jaime killed c. - if he did - he wouldn't just like stab her and give her a clean death? when he's favored giving anyone he's killed a clean death anyway? jaime choking c. makes literally no sense both physically (because he doesn't have two hands) nor psychologically for how jaime's character is structured, so like.... I feel like it would be wildly ooc if he even managed to choke her in the first place

also again, I went through the prophecy fifteen times and it says THE valonqar, not YOUR valonqar, and why wouldn't she specify that and just say the? there isn't just one little brother in all of westeros which means that it can be anyone's and being someone who has reasons to kill her but is not related to her makes absolutely story-sense because she wouldn't expect it, we wouldn't expect it and again to quote the one dude who's certainly not the valonqar bc c. thinks he is,

Prophecy is like a half-trained mule. It looks as though it might be useful, but the moment you trust in it, it kicks you in the head.

you can't trust any of that shit to not be random and again... like guys how does jon's death fulfill the AA prophecy? the salt is the tears, the smoke is because jon's wounds smoke when bowen marsh cries on them, the bleeding star is a sigil on heraldry above them when he dies like... the og is when the red star bleeds and the darkness gathers he shall be born again amidst smoke and salt, would anyone presume that any of that is related to a smoking wound and a flag? no, and it's absolutely random, but that's what's basically sealing that jon is AA, so that the valonqar might someone not related to c. and that yamb is not actually a woman imvho are absolutely plausible within the story

also 'it makes no sense if it's not a relative killing her' imvho is not an argument that holds water because c. has hurt directly or indirectly about 70% of the main chars in these books, tyrion already has one kinslaying under his belt and honestly he did good and he should have had and good riddance to tywin but he's not going to get another and again making jaime kill her means just giving him trauma when half of his sl is about how he gets over her, so...

tldr I think there's extremely little chance of j. being the valonqar and personally I exclude it 100% because it makes no sense for his arc and it makes no sense for the actual plot anyway bc he can't physically get there in time and his sl is headed somewhere else geographically, I categorically exclude it's tyrion and I think it's going to be someone's younger brother who has good reason to kill her like not A RANDO but someone who has in-text reasons to

/two cents

#anonymous #ask post #janie writes meta #anti-cersei lannister #anti-cersei #only slightly less toxic than chernobyl's ruins #anti-lannincest #anti lannicest #anti-jaime x cersei #anti jaime x cersei #murder cw #killing cw #choking cw #my stuff

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wedreamedlove · 5 years ago

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Li Zeyan In Love - Character Study

I sat on this because I wanted to get more dates done but, after seeing people bring up this one poem that is the epitome of Li Zeyan in the aftermath of 34, I decided to finish this. This essay has been brought to you from my occasional bursts of frustration at Elex LOL.

First, I need to acknowledge that I'll be pulling comments from others who have made their own amazing discussions about Li Zeyan's charcter. PS. Thanks for inspiring me and giving me points to think about!

SPOILERS to Chapter 21. Plus CN card lines up to Chapter 34.

THE ENDLESS SEARCH

(Sorry, Luoluo, I still have no good essay thoughts on you yet.)

It's amusing that if Bai Qi's love is in the form of "all roads lead to you". He can see where MC is standing and he is moving towards that point, struggling through all the obstacles in the way.

And Xu Mo's love is in the form of the red string of fate. No matter how much they hurt each other, walk in opposite directions, or try to tangle it up, they are forever connected to each other.

Then Li Zeyan's love is in the form of searching for a needle in the haystack. The needle being MC and the haystack being all possible worlds and universes in space-time.

Li Zeyan has tons of quotes about time, staying beside each other, and searching:

[Winter Infatuation SSR] "No matter the distance or time, nothing can prevent me from keeping you by my side."

[Time's End SSR] "I'll find and bring back the past you."

[Tour to Deep Space SSR] "No matter where you are, I will always find you."

[CN Silent Twilight SSR] "You are the only predestined ending I believe in." and "I will cross countless spaces of time to look for an ending which has you."

[Main Story 18-16] "I will definitely find and bring back the past you."

[Main Story 18-23] "Don't make it hard for me to find you, understand?"

This is reflected so painfully in [Dim Light SR] where MC takes Li Zeyan to light lanterns and he writes a poem on it. Elex didn't translate the poem and, at the time, I was somewhat lenient. But after seeing references made to it... ELEX, COME OVER HERE. I JUST WANNA TALK.

So, Li Zeyan wrote:

The last line about his wish having come true already is the same in both CN and ENG.

He wrote the last line of this poem by Xin Qiji, one of many great poets in Chinese history. Here I have provided Irving Y. Lo's translation of the poem from "Sunflower Splendor: Three Thousand Years of Chinese Poetry".

The Night of the Lantern Festival, to the Tune of ‘Green Jade Table’ - Xin Qiji [1140–1207]

One night’s wind made a thousand trees burst into flower, And breath down still more Showers of fallen stars. Splendid horses, carved carriages, fragrance filled the road. Music resounded from paired flutes, Light swirled on water-clock towers. All night long, the fabled fish-dragons danced. Gold-threaded jacket, moth- or willow-shaped hair ornaments Melted into the throng, giggling, a trail of scents. In the crowd I looked for her a thousand and one times, And all at once, as I turned my head, I was startled to find her Among the lanterns where the candles were growing dim.

The bold is Li Zeyan's lines in Chinese.

@love-p typed up an amazing post about the context of this poem:

Regarding Xin Qiji, and the political context of this poem—he was a military general during the Southern Song dynasty, sidelined due to the policy of appeasement against the Jurchen.

The poem reflects his unfortunate political circumstances by contrasting the brilliance and liveliness of the Lantern Festival and the single-minded search of the narrator for just one, special, woman, ultimately finding her in the darkness with the dimming lights.

To the writer, the brilliance and beauty of the festival pale in comparison to his goal. He is not swayed by all this finery, and in fact is willing to reject the light, for what he has held in his heart all along.

Xin Qiji was a deeply passionate patriot, which ultimately led to his discharge and suppression in the changing political tides of the era. He spent decades in seclusion pretending to be indifferent to the world, but he never lost his love for his country, and held fast to his beliefs, even when they could (and did) cost him heavily.

There's other romantic interpretations of this poem, such as the woman deciding to stop and wait when she realized this man was looking for her. She is willing to be with him.

Another interpretation is that, these two are already lovers, and when he turns his head and sees her it reflects how your happiness was right beside you all along and you just needed to turn your head, instead of searching ahead desperately.

So, back to Li Zeyan and MC. He is quoting a poem from someone who suffered for holding fast to their beliefs and who can still ignore everything around him, even the light, to find what he's held in his heart all this time. HM.

@unluckysatellite also pointed out something great, which I bolded for emphasis:

I realized this just now, but MC and Victor have this narrative theme where they keep losing and finding each other, both in the main story and in their dates. The main story plays this out pretty seriously: Victor and MC meet as kids, and then Victor loses MC because of Black Swan, which causes him to search for her the next 17 years. Victor and MC meet in chapter 1 and then Victor loses MC in chapter 18 and he vows to find her again. Victor finding MC in that HBS trap during chapter 10 and nearly losing her at the end of the chapter (with the added irony of him realizing that she was the girl he was looking for all this time). YMMV if you consider MC losing Victor in chapter 14 since a black hole sent Victor traveling into the future, but both managed to keep contact with each other in the time he was away.

BTW the reference is that his [Dim Light SR] was released in 2018 for the real lantern festival holiday. Then in 2019 all the men send gems as gifts during the holiday. Li Zeyan sends mail with the title of "Turning My Head" and the body of the message is him promising to go to the lantern festival with MC this year too, but he reminds her to stay beside him and don't make it so that when he turns his head he can't find her.

THE CONSTANT

Now another common theme that appears over and over again in Li Zeyan's character arc is him being a constant amongst all the change.

[Main Story 11-19] MC confronts Li Zeyan about his overprotectiveness: "It doesn't matter if it's the previous me, or the me in the present, all of them are [a single] me. Do you understand?"

[Winter Infatuation SSR Sinful Late-Night Snack Call] "Of course I'm me. No matter when, the person at your side is always the same me."

@sharinluna wrote a great section about Li Zeyan in Chapters 19-21 and IMO these chapters just hammer in this theme more. Even in a world where none of the men remember MC, Li Zeyan still cruises along (mostly) the same as usual. He really is a steady constant when everything's gone topsy-turvy for the poor MC.

I commented about this in my post on Chapter 19's use of horror but hilariously Li Zeyan is the most normal out of the rest of the men. If the MC weren't around, it's likely he wouldn't be involved in so much craziness. This is reflected in how the MC thinks about how he'd be better off without her in [Main Story 20-4] and her dream version of him in [Main Story 19-6].

However, I always end up thinking about Alfred Lord Tennyson's quote on this topic: "'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."

I honestly think this is one of the themes of the game too, shown at the end of Chapter 19 where MC doesn't regret holding onto her memories and experiences with everyone, even if that means going back to the cruel real world.

Because the game (hopefully) isn't going to invalidate our experiences with everyone that means that Li Zeyan is not better off for not meeting the MC.

IMO love doesn't have to do something monumental like change your world but I think it adds something to our experience as humans (no matter its form: platonic, romantic, compassionate, selfless, etc). This is why I love this game so much because it's all about love in its entirety.

So, even if Li Zeyan's character isn't changed in any earth-shattering way from meeting or not meeting the MC the fact that he chooses MC again and again over everything else means something. He is willing to sacrifice everything to find her, no matter how long it takes him or how many worlds and times he has to traverse. His constant state is choosing MC.

I'm so scared about the Banquet of the Fallen Moon. Why did he turn into a demon lord SOBS when he promised his father he wouldn't go down that path? If it's connected to MC... OOF.

THE LOVE AND SUPPORT

Here we reach the relationship the two do have! Uh, I swear I wasn't intentionally picking the sad quotes...

[Main Story 6-16] "In your eyes? Am I that unapproachable?" He says this but then grabs her hand and holds it through his company, not caring who sees them.

[Main Story 10-25] "I'm sorry, I came late. I won't lose you a second time. Nothing will be able to hurt you again. In the future, let me fight your battles for you, just like how you protected me that year, alright?"

[Main Story 11-14] "I won't hesitate to pay any price in order to let you avoid all dangers and affairs... The things you wish to do, I will release you and let you do them. However, now isn't the time. That's why, you need to be a bit more obedient."

[Chapter 11] in general shows his protectiveness over MC and consideration for her. From caring for her in the hospital, to sending her between work and home, and even the SP detail (even though it became overwhelming).

[Main Story 18-3] "... Every time I call you dumb isn't to insult you. [...] It's acknowledgement."

IMO these are all more examples of how Li Zeyan is like a steady mountain or a tree that provides a canopy and safe harbor for the MC to take her time growing up under. He wants her to better herself because he cares for her (like a quintessential Capricorn) but at the same time he knows when to back off and let her go at her own speed.

Li Zeyan will be there every step of the way with MC, just a little bit ahead of her so she has a direction but always ready to catch her should she fall. Unlike a certain BS liar COUGHS.

@sharinluna also wrote this great post on Reddit about how the dates reflect Li Zeyan's patience and awareness of the imbalance in his and MC's relationship. Chapter 11 shows this too where he realizes he was overwhelming her and brings back the "old" Li Zeyan to wait for her to make a decision on her own feelings.

Finishing off this essay with some quotes:

[Instant Moment SSR] "There is no such thing as eternity, only every single moment together with you."

This is so cute since it's said by the man who can traverse time. It's the little snapshot moments he can get with MC that mean the most to him.

There's actually another related quote which comes from [Winter Infatuation SSR Sinful Late-Night Snack Call]. This happens when they're talking about the meaning of the Ephemere shop and Li Zeyan quotes a poem about mayflies.

The Chinese line is from the poem "Former Ode on the Red Cliffs" by Su Shi:

"We are like mayflies enjoying a flicker of life in this world, and as infinitesimal as a grain in the sea."

Ironically, Li Zeyan is not asking much at all of the world. He is someone who has everything but all he wants is just a peaceful life with the love of his life and he has shown again and again that he's willing to give up everything for her...

But the universe spits in his face (because tragic Chinese archetype of Crown Prince/Emperor LOL) and makes him suffer so much just for wanting some fleeting moments of joy in this flickering human life they both have.

#mlqc #mr love queen's choice #mlqc victor #mlqc li zeyan #love and producer #love and produc(ing) meta #ELEX I WILL BURN YOUR COMPANY DOWN ONE DAY!!

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lo-lynx · 5 years ago

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No cock = no sexuality? Geldings in ASOIAF

TW: Rape, violence, sexism, racism

Spoiler warning: Spoilers for all A Song of Ice and Fire books

“Lord Crow is welcome to steal into my bed any night he dares. Once he's been gelded, keeping those vows will come much easier for him."- Val, A Dance with Dragons, Jon XI

First of all, this is a great quote by Val. Second of all, I’ve noticed that this idea of gelding/castration to reduce/remove male sexuality occurs relatively often in ASOIAF. Before I go any further, I feel like I should clarify that one’s genitalia does not determine one’s gender. A person with a penis is not necessarily a man, and a man does not necessarily have a penis. However, both in our world and in the world of ASOIAF people insist on thinking that and tend to place quite a lot of significance in specifically penises. I’ve written before on this blog about eunuchs, masculinity, gender etc, so in this essay I want to look at that issue from another angle, namely the assumption that no cock = no sexuality.

A while back when I was doing research for this essay about Vary and masculinity, I came upon this quote from the book Eunuchs in Antiquity and Beyond:

Why were men castrated? Several reasons can be advanced: control and domination, punishment, political reasons, need for special qualities or abilities, religious, sexual or erotic reasons, and medical or health reasons. Some ancient writers emphasized that eunuchs were easier to control. (…) In the United States in recent years there have been several movements to castrate, either literally or chemically, individuals involved in sex crimes, especially those involving adults with children. (…) How effective physical castration is in preventing sex crimes is debatable, in spite of public belief to the contrary. (Bullough 2002, 5-7)

Now, I think we can all agree that sex crimes should be punished. But this quote made me think about the practice of castration/gelding as punishment as it occurs in ASOIAF, especially since this quote states that the effectiveness of this is debatable. When doing research for this essay I searched A Search of Ice and Fire for the word “gelded” and got 55 results. Now, loads of those were about gelded horses, but 21 are about gelding people. Of those 21 results I judged 13 to be about how gelding was being used as punishment (mainly for sex crimes), six about how gelding would be used as preventive measures against sex crimes (and two I didn’t know how to categorise). I’ll go into some of these instances here, as I try to explore what gelding as punishment/preventive measure against sex crimes says about the view on masculinity and male sexuality in ASOIAF.

Now, first some background on masculinity and male sexuality. I’ve written EXTENSIVLY before on how from antiquity until modern times for someone to be seen as a “real man” their body and sexual behaviour has had to fit certain criteria. If you want to read more on that, go read my essay on Varys. But briefly: to be a real man according to (Western) society (from Ancient Greece until now) you have to act manly (be strong, in control etc), have a penis, testicles, have penetrative sex (preferably with women), and father children (or at least be capable of fathering children). So, if you’re castrated you can’t be a “real man”? Well, according to Westerosi logic, the answer is pretty much no. (See this and this essay) The consequences of these masculine ideals are quite clear in ASOIAF, as for instance researcher Shiloh Carroll have pointed out:

Martin rejects the idea that chivalry created an ideal society where men fought only to protect their women or in grand, bloodless tournaments, instead creating a society in which chivalry is a thin veneer over a violent, toxic masculinity that victimizes men, women, and children alike. Martin’s Westeros does not reward chivalry, does not even really believe in chivalry as more than a masquerade behind which ‘true’ masculinity- violent, aggressive, and misogynist- hides. (2018, 56)

As Carroll also points out, one of the clearest examples of this is the prevalence of rape in the story. According to her, it seems as if most characters in story believe that most if not all men are capable of rape (ibid, 93). It also seems clear that most of the time, such crimes are not punished. But let’s look at some instances where it’s at least on the table:

A former slave came, to accuse a certain noble of the Zhak. The man had recently taken to wife a freedwoman who had been the noble's bedwarmer before the city fell. The noble had taken her maidenhood, used her for his pleasure, and gotten her with child. Her new husband wanted the noble gelded for the crime of rape, and he wanted a purse of gold as well, to pay him for raising the noble's bastard as his own. Dany granted him the gold, but not the gelding. "When he lay with her, your wife was his property, to do with as he would. By law, there was no rape." Her decision did not please him, she could see, but if she gelded every man who ever forced a bedslave, she would soon rule a city of eunuchs.

(A Dance with Dragons, Daenerys I)

‘King Stannis keeps his men well in hand, that's plain. He lets them plunder some, but I've only heard of three wildling women being raped, and the men who did it have all been gelded.’

(Jon in A Storm of Swords, Samwell IV)

‘Well now,’ the serjant said, ‘naked steel. Seems to me I smell an outlaw. You know what Lord Tarly does with outlaws?’ He still held the egg he’d taken from the cart. His hand closed, and the yolk oozed through his fingers.

‘I know what Lord Randyll does with outlaws,’ Brienne said. ‘I know what he does with rapers too.’

She had hoped the name might cow them, but the serjant only flicked egg off his fingers and signalled to his men to spread out. Brienne found herself surrounded by steel points. ‘What was it you were saying, wench? What is it Lord Tarly does to…’

‘…rapers,’ a deeper voice finished. ‘He gelds them or sends them to the Wall. Sometimes both. And he cuts fingers off thieves.’

(A Feast for Crows, Brienne III)

Now, the two first people on that list are people we as readers tend to sympathise with and think are good people most of the time. Randyl Tarly much less so. But what these quotes do show are that gelding as punishment for rape is widely accepted, both in Westeros and Essos (even if Dany doesn’t grant that punishment in that specific quote it seems clear that she wanted to and would in other circumstances). It’s also interesting to note how, in the passage about Lord Tarly’s punishment of rape, it is also noted that the punishment for theft is the cutting off of fingers. One can see a parallel here, with in both cases the ostensible guilty body part being cut off (with rape the genitalia, with thievery the fingers). This attitude to punishment can be seen as playing into the so called “disability as punishment trope”. Researcher Mia Harrison describes that trope thusly:

The ‘disability as punishment’ trope is one of the oldest disability tropes, with its roots stretching back to biblical and mythological narratives. The trope is frequently used in classical stories where characters are blinded as direct or implied punishment for wrongdoing such as the biblical Zedekiah and Tobit, Rhoecus and Phineus of Greek mythology, and Peeping Tom in the legend of Lady Godiva. (Harrison 2018, 29)

Now, while one might want to punish rapists, one should remember that it’s not clear that sure castration actually makes people less likely to rape again. So, we’re really just punishing people with a disability, and by doing that essentially saying that a disability is a punishment.

Now, as I mentioned earlier in this essay, there’s also several cases of what I’ve called “preventive gelding”. The most prominent of these are of course the Unsullied, but I want to begin with a quote from Jaime III in A Feast for Crows when he talks with Ser Bonifer Hasty, who have been tasked with holding Harrenhal:

He was sober, just, and dutiful, and his Holy Eighty-Six were as well disciplined as any soldiers in the Seven Kingdoms, and made a lovely sight as they wheeled and pranced their tall grey geldings. Littlefinger had once quipped that Ser Bonifer must have gelded the riders too, so spotless was their repute.

So, here, similarly to the quote from Val that started this essay, a joke is made about gelding men to make them not rape people. The whole premise of the joke that Jaime remembers is that men cannot possible control themselves, and their sexual lusts, if they still have their genitalia. But, as I said, the most prominent example of “preventive gelding” in the books are the Unsullied. Here, I will once again quote Mia Harisson, because while she analyses the show, not the books, her point still stands, and I simply cannot put it better than she does:

The Unsullied are the most normalized example of eunuchs in Game of Thrones. Children are sold from a young age to the Unsullied slavemasters, with males being trained as highly obedient soldiers. Their names are taken from them, instead being replaced with that of vermin such as ‘Red Flea’ and ‘Grey Worm’, and their genitals are removed in the final stages of training. They are described as having ‘absolute obedience, absolute loyalty’ (…) The Unsullied body is systemized into fragments that are categorized as ‘useful’ (the parts of the body can be used to fight) and ‘useless’ (the parts of the body that cannot. The slave master demonstrates the systemization of the Unsullied body by slicing off the nipple of one of his soldiers while explaining that ‘men don’t need nipples’. The Unsullied challenge notions of ‘able-bodied heterosexuality’ by considering the sexual, able body as not simply unnecessary, but an obstacle toward obedience (…) The Unsullied do not embody a masculine identity- they are not considered men at all. This is not to suggest, however, that the Unsullied should be considered positive examples of non-normative identity representation. Instead, they present a clear idea of what should be considered the ‘acceptable’ queer or disabled body: docile, compliant, and useful only in the service of others. (Harrison 2018, 38)

So, the idea of gelding the Unsullied is that they will be obedient, and that their bodies can be utilized in the most effective way. It is also clear in the books that one of the so called “perks” of the Unsullied is that they won’t rape and plunder, for instance:

‘Your Grace,’ said Jorah Mormont, ‘I saw King's Landing after the Sack. Babes were butchered that day as well, and old men, and children at play. More women were raped than you can count. There is a savage beast in every man, and when you hand that man a sword or spear and send him forth to war, the beast stirs. The scent of blood is all it takes to wake him. Yet I have never heard of these Unsullied raping, nor putting a city to the sword, nor even plundering, save at the express command of those who lead them. Brick they may be, as you say, but if you buy them henceforth the only dogs they'll kill are those you want dead.’ (A Storm of Swords, Daenerys II)

So, soldiers who won’t rape and plunder, sounds great, right? Well, the drawback is of course that the only way characters can see this happening is by pre-emptively gelding them. Now, this is hardly unique to ASOIAF, during antiquity slaves were also castrated because it was believed this made them easier to control (Bullough 2002, 6). During this time eunuchs were also often servants to women at court, perhaps most famously in harems (Llewellyn-Jones 2002, 34). In part this connection between women and eunuchs seems to have been because both women and eunuchs were considered “imperfect creatures and incomplete human specimens” since they lacked testicles (ibid). Both women and eunuchs were also seen as sexually available, due to their lower social standing than men, which was the case in Ancient Greece as well as in “the East” (for a longer discussion about sexuality during antiquity and how it relates to eunuchs, see my essay about Varys). It is important to note here, that the contemporary and Western view of harems as a space where women were locked up is not necessarily accurate to historical sources. As Llewellyn-Jones points out, harems could often just refer to groups of women, not necessarily places, or something that were out of bounds (note the similarity to the word “haram”). Women in these harems could also often have great influence over court life, in many ways similarly to the noblewomen of ASOIAF. But, in the Western orientalist fantasy, the idea of eunuchs guarding rooms filled with women just waiting to have sex with men, seems to have stuck.

I want to briefly touch on another aspect of this, which is the idea of the sexually (non-)threatening man of colour. Now, throughout history, people from outside of ones own ethnic group have generally been seen as threatening (I’m not even gonna provide a source for that). In the contemporary Global North, this figure of the dangerous Other is often seen specifically as the non-western person (Ahmed 2004). Specifically in contemporary US (as well as historical US of course), one of the forms this takes is the racist idea of the dangerous black man. In contemporary America (and across the world), one of the ways this becomes clear is of course in the racist killings of black people (so I hope you all have supported the Black Lives Matter movement in whatever way you can!). Another way is, as black feminist and scholar bell hooks has pointed out, the way black masculinity is portrayed in movies. The good black man, hooks writes, “not only accepts his subordinate status, he testifies on behalf of and exults in white male superiority. (…) [this] character shows no romantic interest in the white female hero. He is merely protecting.” (ibid, 108). Now, I am NOT saying that this the exact same as with the Unsullied. For one, the fictional space of Slaver’s Bay is not the exact same as the real-life United States (even if there are a lot of parallels between Slaver’s Bay and Reconstruction, as for instance Steven Attewell has pointed out) And Dany actively tries to change oppressive power structures. But I find it interesting some of Daenerys’ most loyal fighting forces, who is very clearly Eastern coded (even if they have different ethnicities) are described as completely incapable of being a sexual threat to her. This can be compared to for instance the Dothraki, who are constantly connected to rape and (sexual) violence. As others have noted, the way that the Dothraki are described often invoke Orientalist imagines of the ‘Other’ as sexually deprived, and dangerous (Carroll 2018, 121) While Dany have some loyal Dothraki followers who respect her as a khaleesi, as soon as she interacts with one that is not from her khalasar, she thinks that this person might rape her (i.e. A Dance with Dragons, Daenerys X). Now, one could argue that this doesn’t have to do as much with race/ethnicity as just the fact that most characters in ASOIAF seems to assume that all men are potential rapists. But the contrast between these Eastern men (the Dothraki and the Unsullied), and how they are portrayed, is interesting. The Dothraki are sexual, violent, and a threat to Dany and other women. The Unsullied are not sexual, and while they are violent, they are not a threat specifically to women. They’re just a weapon, controlled by others.

So, in conclusion, gelding in ASOIAF seemingly takes place as a punishment for rape, and as a way to prevent rape. Both of these practices seem to assume two things; firstly, that being gelded works to prevent rape, and secondly, that this is the only (or at least the most effective) way to control male sexuality. The validity of both of these things can be questioned. For one, I would like to believe that it would be possible for men to not rape people without their genitalia being cut off. But also, genitalia are not necessarily needed for sex or sexual violence. People can get creative. The last point that I want to address here is whether this argument about masculinity and sexuality (and race/ethnicity) is something that GRRM believes, or if it’s just something his characters believes. I honestly don’t know. As Shiloh Carroll has pointed out (2018, 56), GRRM sometimes seemingly makes deliberate points about how medieval society wasn’t just filled with chivalry, but also (sexual) violence. Does that mean he believes that male sexuality is uncontrollable? Probably not. But since he tries to get the point across about the darker side of medieval society, and probably also pulls on historical ideas of geldings and eunuchs, it might come off like that. This is especially unfortunate, in my opinion, when it also plays into racialized tropes about the ethnic Other’s violent sexuality, that must be controlled.

References

Ahmed, Sara. 2004. “On Collective Feelings, or the Impressions Left by Others”, Theory, Culture and Society, 20(1):25-42.

Attewell, Steven. 2015. “A Laboratory of Politics Part VI”, Tower of the Hand. January 15, 2015. https://towerofthehand.com/blog/2015/02/01-laboratory-of-politics-part-vi/noscript.html

Bullough, Vern L. 2002. “Eunuchs in History and Society”, in Eunuchs in antiquity and beyond, edited by Tougher, Shaun, 1-17. Swansea: The Classical Press of Wales.

Carroll, Shiloh. 2018. Medievalism in A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones. Cambridge: D.S. Brewer.

Harrison, Mia. 2018. “Power and Punishment in Game of Thrones.” In The Image of Disability: Essays on Media Representation, edited by JL Schatz & Amber E. George, 28-43. McFarland & Company: Jefferson.

hooks, bell. 1996/2009. Reel to Real: Race, Class, and Sex at the Movies. New York: Routledge.

Llewellyn-Jones, Lloyd. 2002. “Eunuchs and the royal harem in Achaemenid Persia (559-331 BC)”, in Eunuchs in antiquity and beyond, edited by Tougher, Shaun, 19-50. Swansea: The Classical Press of Wales.

Martin, George RR. 2011a. A Storm of Swords 2: Blood and Gold. Harper Voyager: London.

Martin, George RR. 2011b. A Feast for Crows. Bentam Books: New York.

Martin, George RR. 2012. A Dance with Dragons. Harper Voyager: London.

#tw: rape #tw: violence #tw: sexism #tw:racism #asoiaf

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theambivalent · 6 years ago

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Back to Game of Thrones....

There is absolutely no way I can predict how each character’s story arc will end.

And no matter how confident other people out there on the internet are, there’s no way they can predict it either. The filming process for this season was insanely protected to the point where they issued the filming locations ‘no fly zones’ via the local government. No drones, planes, helicopters, even toys were allowed to fly overhead. They also are not allowing critics to view episodes ahead of time to review. I’m exceedingly grateful for that one! Nearly every season leading up to this has had an episode leak or two – causing a flood of spoilers to lurk online. So, I'm glad this isn’t going to happen this time around thanks to their tightly sealed practice.

So, while these hopes & dreams for my fantasy ending may not be ‘rock-solid’, this is what I think will happen on this season of game of thrones...

[I’m not sure if I can get to ALL the characters, but I'll try]

1: #Gendrya

Yes, I know there’s a bit of an age difference between Gendry and Arya... but I feel their characters have this inexplicable genuine connection. Whether it’s a romantic love or an exceedingly deep friendship, the connection is there. In my dreams, they'd become a couple after seeing how awesome they work as a team taking down wights & possibly even a White Walker or two at the battle of Winterfell. *sigh.... but will it actually happen? How it happens and when in the season it will happen... or if it even will happen - I don’t know – but it would be nice to see them together [should they both survive].

2: “Three [children] for you. Gold shall be their crowns and gold their shrouds. And when your tears have drowned you, the valonqar shall wrap his hands about your pale white throat and choke the life from you.”

This quote is known by all book readers... but only half of it was recited on the show. The valonqar section was literally crossed out entirely. For those who don’t know: Valonqar means “little brother” in High Valerian. So, book readers had always thought that either Tyrion or Jaime would be the one to kill Cersei. Jaime, because although they’re twins... he is the youngest. I always envisioned that could be two options as to how Cersei dies.... but also....

And this is a thought my nephew planted in my brain (thanks, Andy!)

...if either Tyrion or Jaime die in Winterfell, I also see Arya taking one of their faces to go to king’s landing to kill her... although that might be far –fetched. Cersei is, afterall, still on Arya’s list of names – so you really never know!

Other characters who fall under a ‘little brother’ category: The Hound (Sandor Clegane), & Bran Stark

If the term is Gender neutral, it could make it Arya or Daenerys...

I am honestly just looking forward to watching her die. But since that line was removed from the prophecy on the show, I wonder if it will not happen? Or perhaps happen in a different way?

Whether or not Cersei even die is on the table now, since the show is past the book and left out this section of the prophecy, and it’s a bit frustrating!

So many questions!

3: Daenarys will die

Although we are past the books, I still think the show has the same formula: get the audience to root for a character, and then unmercifully slaughter that character in an intense scene.

We've seen it nearly every season: Ned Stark, Rob Stark/ Catelyn, Oberyn Martell, Hodor, Ygritte...

I mean think of all of the “bad” guys on the show who have died: Joffrey... and I guess Little Finger? That's only two... TWO!! Nearly every other person killed has been a character that was groomed to be loved by the audience. Why should Dany be any exception?

Maybe she’ll play the part of Nissa Nissa, and Jon Snow will have to kill her so his sword can become lightbringer? Maybe not. Maybe the ice dragon will eat her, or the Night King will turn her into his Night Queen??? *gasp! What do you think?

4: Jon Snow will earn the Iron Throne

Bran is the only one who has proof that Jon is a Targaryen... but there is no actual physical evidence that Jon Snow really was the baby of Lyanna & Rhaegar. I mean, there is word of an annulment and secret wedding, but there’s no physical proof that Lyanna is his mother... except for Bran’s visions, which he can’t share with anyone in the south. Of course, we all know that his visions are real, and anyone who speaks with him can’t refute it because he often points out something that no one else would know about them. Thing is, should the end game be Cersei vs Jon on the throne, Cersei could easily say Bran’s vision-claims are untrue. Regardless, I think the people of King’s Landing will follow Jon vs Cersei if they both survive. Why? I think the people will see which of the two really took charge to defend the realm against the White Walkers and their wights. Jon will be the first king elected by the people in an informal way.

I really hope that happens! I mean look at this gif! that’s the king Westeros deserves!

5: The Hound will Kill the Mountain

...or vice-versa? ...But not in that Clegane–Bowl fashion that we’d expect. I think it will be a battle within a battle with lots of other things going on at once. I only think this because we’ve only got 6 episodes until it ends. And although the producers promised us ‘mini-movie’ length episodes, the first two are just under one hour. So... we're still going to be lacking in time, compared to what we expected.

6: Arya Kills Lannister Twins

I know I mentioned before the thought of Arya wearing Jaime’s face to get close enough to Cersei.... But what if, Jaime himself kills Cersei, and in turn Arya swoops in to slit his throat shortly after. It would be a bit poetic, as it would echo the ending of the Red Wedding massacre. Picture this: Arya finds out Jaime was the one who crippled Bran. She’s furious with him, and adds him to her list. The Battle against the White Walkers will lead them all south to King’s Landing, where somehow after certain events unfold, Jaime chokes Cersei to death. At a moment he’d least expect it, Arya steps in from stage left, and slits his throat, and the two lovers die in eachothers arms... aww... sounds like a ‘beautiful’ end. Actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who plays Jaime has stated recently that Jaime’s last scene is ‘beautiful’.

My head is still spinning as to the other characters, but I'm insanely excited for how it will end!

#game of thrones #season 8 #finale #hbo

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xx-motionless-in-macabre-xx · 3 years ago

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Skyrim quiz

So I had this idea to do a Skyrim quiz thing on TikTok but I wanted to like test the questions anyway, I'm going to post them here first. answers under the cut, spoilers (obviously) feedback is appreciated.

1. The Elder Scrolls Skyrim was released in 2011 it is the _ game in the series

2. Early in Skyrim's main questline, the player is revealed to be the last Dragonborn or Dovahkiin. A legendary hero with the soul of a dragon. This gives the player the unique ability to shout by speaking the language of the dragons called...

3. Skyrim is divided into 9 holds. Name them.

4. Shortly before the Dragonborn arrives in Skyrim a Civil War breaks out between which 2 factions?

5. by the end of Skyrim's main questline the Dragonborn will have learned a variety of powerful shouts of which the unrelenting force shout is probably the most well known. The full shout in dovahzul is _

6. There are 3 official DLCs for Skyrim they are...

7. Talos worship in Skyrim was banned as part of the white gold concordat making it the 8 divines instead of 9. What are the names of the other 8?

8. The Falmer are a twisted race of elves that live deep in Dwemer ruins they can often be found with large insect-like creatures known as _ that they keep as pets.

9. The Dragonborn has the ability to get married to a long list of NPCs in-game. To get a spouse the Dragonborn must buy or find _

10. Provided they have either aided the NPC or purchased services from them beforehand, eligible NPCs the Dragonborn interacts with while wearing the amulet will then express interest in the Dragonborn. The Dragonborn can get married to their chosen NPC at the temple of mara in Riften after which the player receives _

11. Which of the following is NOT a skill tree the player can purchase from when leveling up?

A. Sneak

B. Sheilds

C. Destruction

D. Alchemy

12. What is the relationship between Paarthurnax and Alduin?

13. The blades are a group that swears themself to aid the Dragonborn as dragon hunters they originally formed to protect the imperial emperor. Despite the Thalmor attempting to wipe them all out, 2 remain in Skyrim _ and _

14. Skyrim allows players to embrace their dark side by becoming a thief and an assassin to join the thieves guild the player must travel to which major city?

15. throughout the game, the Dragonborn can collect a variety of powerful objects created by Deadric princes known as Daedric artifacts how many are there in total?

16. Match the quote to the NPC:

A. "Do you get to the cloud district very often? Oh, what am I saying, of course, you don’t."

B. "If you have the aptitude you should join the Wizard’s College in Winter Hold.”

C. “Hey, you. You’re finally awake. You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there."

D. “I look forward to hearing about the next person you murder!”

Farengar secret-fire,

Nazeem,

Babette,

Ralof

17. There are many different weapon types in Skyrim from daggers to crossbows. Weapons can be made of certain materials and the Dragonborn can improve weapons with their smithing skill. How much base damage does an Iron greatsword do?

18. There are a total of 8 Deadric princes in the elder scrolls. Each has their own realm of oblivion, Hermeaus Mora's realm _ can be visited in the Dragonborn DLC.

19. Random encounters while traveling Skyrim's open-world are part of what makes Skyrim unique. which of the following is NOT a possible random encounter.

A. Near Falkreath the Dragonborn can come across a werewolf and the body of a young woman. If the player loots the corpse they will find a letter addressed to Red from Granny about Red visiting Granny. This is a reference to the fairytale Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf

B. The Dragonborn can come across Talsgar the Wanderer in two separate encounters. They can find him walking to the nearest village (the Dragonborn can ask him to play a song if they have the coin) and they can also find him being attacked by a group of bandits.

C. The Dragonborn can pass by a small group of orphan children and a chaperone if asked the children will tell the Dragonborn they are heading to the orphanage in Riften because their parents were killed by dragons

D. The Dragonborn can be ambushed by a group of Hostile skeletons

20. During the college of Winterhold questline what mysterious group contacts the Dragonborn?

5th

dovahzul

Falkreath, Whiterun, Hjaalmarch, The Pale, Winterhold, Haafinger, The Rift, The Reach, Eastmarch.

the Imperial Legion and the Stormcloaks

Fus Ro Dah

Dawnguard dragonborn and hearthfire

akatosh, arkay, diblella , julianous, kynareth, mara, stendarr and zenithar

Chaurus

Amulet of mara

The bond of matrimony

B the actual shield skills is called block

they are brothers

Esbern and delphine

Riften

A= Nazeem B= Farengar secret-fire C= Ralof D= Babette

15 points of damage

apocrypha

The psijic order

#skyrim #elder scrolls #the elder scrolls #tes 5 skyrim #video games #dragonborn #lore #elder scrolls lore

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unerringherring · 7 years ago

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ASOIAF! (which tbh isn't the kind of fandom where me, and probably most people, think about shipping a whole lot, but im very interested in most bullet points)

Name a fandom and I’ll share tell you some things

So, I’m six weeks late with Starbucks, my bad. I started re-reading bits of the books to make sure I remembered things right and kinda sorta got sidetracked by that.Anyways, answers finally! (TWOW and onward spoilers in ROT13)

Favorite Male Character

These questions are absolute hell to answer given the sheer volume of interesting characters in these books. There’s the obvious picks with Tyrion, Jaime, Jon and etc. who I do love, but they’ve never really gotten to the point of favourite if that makes sense. Well, with the possible exception of Jaime.

I’m gonna rep one of my less popular favourites though and choose Mance. Bit of a strange choice, but he was one of the major things that got me invested in the stuff going on beyond the wall. If there’s one thing I love in these books, it’s the shades of grey, and the introduction of Mance pretty wildly shifts the perception of the wildlings as whole to be more sympathetic. After all the nastiness we saw with Craster and the diatribes of Qhorin, it was easy enough to write off the wildlings as “generic brutal tribe people #543”. Ygritte started to change that, but Mance got me really questioning how justified the Night’s Watch really were in this conflict.

Favorite Female Character

Same issues as above, there’s just so damn many well written and interesting female characters it’s hard to pick just one. Cersei and Asha (not Oaha, though I love her too) were some of the front runners here. In this case though, there is one who I’m slightly more fond of than most, and that’s Brienne.

There’s just something earnestly charming about her and the way grows throughout the books, I always knew I was in for a treat when one of her chapters came up. Remember how I said that Jaime was a possible runner for favourite? That’s pretty much solely because of his co-development with Brienne. Given the grim tone present most of the time, it’s hard not to love the unadulterated spirit of chivalry that makes up the core of her character.

Least Favorite Character

Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhh Quentyn Martell I guess? I don’t remember him doing much other than get burned alive, so I’ll go with him.

Favorite Ship

Whichever one Victarion is on, that boat is bound to be a barrel of laughs.

Jokes aside, I’ve never really thought about it. I used to kinda like the idea of Dany/Jon before I realised the implications. I kinda like Jaime/Brienne (basic taste, I know). I feel like throwing in JonCon/Rhaegar, but the tragedy of that is kinda a big part of JonCon’s character. I also like the contrast in Roose/Fat Walda, but we all know that’s not ending well. Not necessarily a romantic ship, but someone I know suggested the idea of Theon and Jeyne just settling down in a cottage to recover together after everything calms down, and I kinda like the idea.

Favorite Friendship

Oof, tough one. Gonna go with Stannis and Davos. The way they bounce off each other is always a fun read, and I’ll never stop being amused at the idea these guys are BFF’s after one of them literally cut off the guys fingers.

Favorite Quote

Just one? You’re killing me Ainara. It feels like a copout given basically everything he says is gold, but I gotta give it to Tyrion:

“Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armor yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.”

Worst Character Death (if any)

Funnily enough, most of the big deaths didn’t have a huge effect on me. Ned, the Red Wedding, didn’t upset me overmuch. I guess Jeor Mormont was a bit of a shock? Idk, I kinda went in expecting people to die so I’m not too sure how to answer this.

If we’re talking who had the most painful death though, I think I’ll give it to Quentyn. Surviving that long after that kind of horrific burning……. makes me uncomfortable just thinking about it.

Honourable mention to Jaime’s hand.

This made me so happy you have no idea Moment

Insert comment about Joffrey dying here.

Jokes aside, I absolutely loved when the dragons actually hatched in the first book. See, I had no idea this was a series of books at the time, given the name of the show I thought it was based on the one book. Because of that I thought Dany was legit gonna fucking die in that fire and we’d have a real tragic ending to her arc. Colour me shocked when it turned out she was alive and now had goddamn dragons.

Saddest Moment

Hasn’t technically happened yet, but I’m gonna be real sad when xvyyrq naq mbzovsvrq. Urer'f ubcvat gurer'f n jrr ovg zber rzbgvba jura vg unccraf va gur obbx.

Favorite Location

I feel like I’d be cheating by saying “Beyond the Wall”, but it’s kinda the truth. The idea of such a bleak and deadly landscape that his its own wild beauty about it? That’s my jam, 100%. It helps that a lot of the weird supernatural shit is also happening up there.

#A.A.#ask meme #F.

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wild-awake · 4 years ago

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hello, i’m aliiiiive! 😅 been pretty busy the past few days because of the typhoon. how are you all doing??? i hope you’re safe and looking after yourselves! 🤍 haven’t done a tag in a long, long time so i will do one now. (also, i took this photo a month ago at work and i looked fresh here and the total opposite of how stressed i look now lol) i know there were two or three people who tagged me here but i forgot who specifically cos it was so long ago (haha im so sorry ✌🏻) but here’s my #meetthebookstagrammer tag: name: rham marco location: metro manila, philippines 🇵🇭 age: 18 forever. jk 🙈 27! job: marketing & social media officer favorite color: pink, black, gold, white, red (hahaha ang dami) favorite drinks: cold water, iced coffee, coca cola favorite genre: fantasy, science fiction (ya & adult) favoritw authors: marie lu, rick riordan, rf kuang, sjm favorite reads of 2020 so far: the dragon republic by rf kuang, the burning maze by rick riordan, house of earth and blood by sjm, the wicked king by holly black, jade city by fonda lee current read: jade city by fonda lee bookish goal for 2020: buy physical copies of books i read that i dont have copies yet; diversify my reading habits; read more filipino-authored books other random facts: •i’m not a morning person •my head hurts when i dont drink coffee •i like brush lettering even if im not that good at it lol •i like reading spoilers 🤪 it excites me more knowing i have something to look forward to •i dont use bookmarks. i just try to remember the last parts i read •when i really enjoy a book, i will look for tumblr posts for it to satisfy my “cravings” for the book. lol does that make sense?? •sometimes i underline quotes that i liked with a pen. i like the “lived in” feel of it with those little notes and underlines •most of my notes about the story are in my digital copy of the book i think i’ve said enough haha! if you’ve read this far, thank you, i appreciate that. feel free to do this tag even if i didnt tag you! have a great day/night! 🤍 — #thedarkprophecy #bookstagramtag (at Bookstagram) https://www.instagram.com/p/CHu3HiwADeB/?igshid=5opki7srg6d0

#meetthebookstagrammer #thedarkprophecy #bookstagramtag

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kitten1618x · 7 years ago

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GoT Afterthoughts 7x03 The Queen's Justice (Jonsa Edition) SPOILERS

I’m sorry for the delay, but ffs this is LONG! Well ...now we know that this week's episode title was def. referring to Cersei, let's get to it.

We begin this week with foreboding music -Jon and Davos riding the crashing waves onto the shores of Dragonstone -which I still highly prefer the exterior to the interior -though, I suppose it fits the "mood". Little bit of banter between the boys, and after a friendly introduction and a smiling face, Missandei asks for their weapons. A skeptical and non-to-pleased looking Jon obeys, then turns to watch warily while the Dothraki take their rowboat as well. Okay Gendry, you can row up at any time now ...we may need you as the getaway boat.

So they proceed up the long winding staircase (which has more steps than Dany does titles) and not even a full 3 minutes into the episode, Sansa is already brought up in conversation. I'm dead serious - 02:30 minute mark on the dot. I actually only know this, because at this particular moment, I paused the DVR to grab a snack -but I like how in what is supposed to be such a J/D-centric episode (er-meh-gerd they're finally meeting!!!), Sansa takes precedence. Good call D&D ...I see what you did there.

Now about that conversation -is it odd that Tyrion would bring up Sansa in passing conversation with Jon? No, not at all -she is a connection that they both share, but ....

T: Sansa, I hear she's alive and well?

J: She is.

T: Does she miss me terribly? (clearly he's attempting a bit of a joke here).

J: *silence as he stares down at Tyrion like he damn well better explain himself*

T: *looks over his shoulder, to see that Jon is not amused, quickly explains* A sham marriage, never consummated.

J: I didn't ask.

T: Well it was, it wasn't. Anyway, she's much smarter than she lets on.

J: She's starting to let on.

T: Good.

So, what exactly was the point of this conversation? If Tyrion just wanted to know if Sansa was well, and the narrative wanted to establish how clever Sansa is, they could have done that without all that "missing me and marriage sham and unconsummated" banter in between. We as an audience already know all of these things, so how does that little nugget of information help in furthering the narrative? To put it quite simply -it doesn't. Again ..I see you D&D, I see exactly what you did there.

A bit more banter between the boys -Tyrion's ironic statement about Starks not faring well in the South, as to which Jon replies that he's not a Stark (shut up baby, yes you fucking are!) and BOOM! Cue: Drogon swooping down over the crowd, and Jon and Davos hitting the deck like a bunch of dropped wet rocks. You will NEVER convince me that was coincidence. Dany is in full control of her Dragons now, and that was a total (cheap) intimidation tactic.

PS: Jon is wearing leggings! Show me tha booty!

Cut to Varys and Melisandre perched high above on a cliff and watching the welcoming committee march up the guests. Varys prods her on why she won't greet them considering she spoke so highly of Jon Snow. She replies with how she's "brought fire and ice together and she's done her part" -I believe this is a deliberate misdirection from the writers. We already know that Jon is fire and ice on his own -the characters do not, and you know the dark ship is going wild over this line right now, but don't any of you pay it any mind. It's like a magicians trick -slight of hand ..look over there, while we do this over here.

Varys still has a healthy skepticism of this religion and these priestesses -and I'm still 1100000% with him. Melisandre is going back to Volantis (spelled right??) it seems -but will return to die -just like Varys. Ohhhh prophetic. And damn but these red witches get under his skin! Why???? I must know!

Poor Jonny-boy walking into the throne room looks nervous AS HELL, with the Mad Kings daughter perched on that wiggy-ass throne, and half of Dany's face is bathed in shadows, and she's once again cloaked in all black -shadows, darkness = symbolism at its finest folks. Hiding ones face half in shadow is a popular trope to emphasize that someone has a "sinister side" , and wearing all black is also a trope - "evil wears black."

Now, for arguments sake (and because I like to play devils advocate -the Nights Watch also wear all black, and Jon did too -however, Dany's wardrobe went from bright white (innocence and purity) to black upon coming to Westeros.

So as Missandei rambles off all 101 of Dany's titles (like I swear they do this purposely to annoy us at this point), Davos shoots back with "This is Jon Snow and he's King of the North". (See this juxtaposition they just shoved RIGHT IN OUR FACES???). LMAO -by the way, I just fucking adore Davos! He is a damn precious dewdrop, and I will fight you if you say otherwise!

D: You are here to bend the knee?

J: I am not.

Who else screeched with glee here? Huh? Huh?

Bend the knee. Bend the knee. BEND THE KNEE.

I'm not going to rehash this entire exchange, but a few important things that stuck out to me:

Jon's primary focus is "us", "we" -he's concerned about saving people.

Dany's primary focus is "Me, me, me!!"

It is interesting how she asked that the father's sins not be passed onto the daughter -reminiscent of Jon's own words regarding the Karstark and Umber children. I wonder if this is a sort of foreshadowing that by not being more wary of Dany's Targ temper, it just may bite him in the ass later.

Also Dany is a hypocrite. "Don't blame me for my ancestors -blah blah blah, but bend the knee because of my ancestors." Sigh.

I'm insanely curious why Jon didn't want Davos to tell them he'd been resurrected -or why Melisandre left that little tidbit out too???

Jon is now essentially Dany's prisoner.

Dany's narcissism is growing by the day. I can't believe people don't understand what GRRM (D&D) are deliberately doing with her character! This is an actual quote: "Do you know what kept me standing all those years in exile? Faith. Not in any god, not in myths, and legends. In myself. Daenerys Targaryen. The world hadn’t seen a dragon in centuries, until my children were born. The Dothraki hadn’t crossed the sea, any sea. They did for me. I was born to rule the Seven Kingdoms. And I will."

Varys delivers the news that Dany's fleet is gone, and then Theon is fished from the sea by his people. And let me slip in here that if you're one of the people bashing Theon for jumping overboard because he so clearly suffers from PTSD -you're a shit, and you need to stop. That's not something that just suddenly disappears ...he will struggle with that for whatever is left of his life. He's gonna rescue Yara ...I just know it.

Now we're in Kings Landing and Euron is parading Yara and the Sand Snakes through the city. Like, I'm so torn, because I hate this dude, but I also kinda love him? His teasing of Jamie is PRICELESS, if not highly inappropriate. It's also pretty clear to me that Cersei has no intent on marrying him. In typical Cersei fashion, she'll keep him at arms length while she uses him, and then dispose of him when he wears out his usefulness -clever girl that she is.

And now we're in the dungeon where the Sand Snakes are chained -after a bit of tormenting them, she takes Tyene the same way they took her daughter -with a kiss of death. As a mother, I truly feel for Cersei here as she talks about Mrycella -for both of these mothers actually. Say what you will about Cersei, but Lena is a fucking GODDESS! She owns this role so well. Like, I can't stand Cersei, and yet, I literally cheer for her sometimes. One thing is for certain -people better stop underestimating her ruthlessness. And my God, the Sand Snakes -magnificent acting with no dialogue!

After a romantic romp with her dear brother (and damn, Jamie has a sweet ass), she boldly allows the servant to see them together -she's queen now, and apparently has no more fucks to give. It's time for the Lannister's to pay their debts, and she's off to meet with a rep. of the Iron Bank. Using the sharp negotiation skills she inherited from Tywin, and the same "foreign invader/mad Kings daughter" approach that she used to sway the Lords, it appears she gets what she wants and the Iron Bank will extend her the credit she needs - "gold wins wars."

We jump back to Dragonstone, where our brooding prisoner/hero is staring forlornly at the sea. He's a Northern fool who didn't listen (to Sansa). Tyrion tries to appeal to Jon's good side, and talks up Dany a bit, while simultaneously trying to help him. He's looking to strike an alliance -"use each other to further your own needs approach", and after a somewhat comical conversation with Dany (thank God because we need a bit of levity surrounding her scenes) -he urges her to let Jon mine the dragon glass. I think Tyrion does truly believe Jon is telling the truth. The knife in the heart comment comes up again -and again, I wonder why Jon didn't want them to know about his resurrection -but clearly, it's important because it was brought up again.

Now Jon approaches Dany who's gazing off towards the sea and watching her Dragons soaring in the distance. Sounds kinda romantic, right? Well not really, as during most of this conversation they stood facing opposite directions, barely making eye contact -save for a few moments. Shipping goggles are fully affixed here, but compare this to the way Jon and Sansa are always staring into each other's eyes (usually in softly lit rooms). Just sayin'.

Jon comments on Dany's Dragons, and she tells them that she named them for her brothers -Viserys and Rhaegar. This made me smile. And what I find so amusing about this, is just a few nights ago, I had a Nonny send me an ask referring to the general audience possibly forgetting that Rhaegar (Jon's daddy dearest) was Dany's brother --well, there you have it, Nonny, the narrative just delivered your reminder. Heh heh heh. ;) I don't think that Dany believes Jon about the WW/NK yet (and really, we can't fault her) but he is getting his dragon glass, and in the meantime, it keeps Jon hanging around -more time to woo him to their side.

And we head North to Winterfell (finally) to see that the Sass QitN is pretty freaking good at this ruling stuff. Like really, did we ever have any doubts? She's preparing for the enemy coming from both sides, because she's clever as hell (and I'm so proud of her!!!). Can't-take-a-hint Lord Creepyfinger is at it again -whispering in her ear with his creepy-creep-ness, and our girl once again, deliciously puts him in his place. Look, this constant talk of Cersei with Sansa, and the fact that she's lived and learned from her -plus this emphasis on how well she's taken up the helm at "ruling" and caring for her people, all while Tyrion, Jon and LF are all saying how smart she is ...I'm really starting to get the feeling that Sansa is THAT queen. Ya know -the one from Cersei's prophecy ...

"You'll be queen, for a time. Then comes another, younger, more beautiful, to cast you down and take all you hold dear."

I usually try not to get tin foilish in my recaps, but this is the Jonsa edition after all, so bear with me. Sansa has literally learned from the master of ruthlessness, and I truly believe all this emphasis on that this season, is setting up the fact that Sansa will be the only one clever enough to see through Cersei's scheming, won't underestimate her, and in fact, be the one to bring her down. Sansa, if not indirectly, could be linked to all of Cersei's children's deaths (all she holds dear):

She was betrothed to Joffrey, who after he cruelly tortured her for a time, discarded her for Margaery. Being the clever old bird that she was, Olenna got Sansa to open up about Joffrey's cruelty, which ultimately led to his death.

Thrusting Sansa into a marriage with Tyrion who then were both accused by Cersei of murdering Joffrey. Sansa escapes due to LF's scheming, leading to Tyrion's trial by combat with Oberyn as his champion. When he is killed by the Mountain, Ellaria exacts revenge on the Lannisters by killing Mrycella.

Due to Joffrey's death, Tommon becomes king, and takes his brothers widow for a wife -the same family responsible for Joffrey's death -who only murdered him because Sansa confirmed his cruelness. Tommon falls hopelessly in love with Margaery, and upon her death, commits suicide.

It's also important to note, that Cersei is technically the one to blame for the deaths of all of her children, although she will never see it that way. While I was studying up on this prophecy, I also stumbled onto this from one of the book wiki sites:

When will I marry the prince?

Cersei is talking about Prince Rhaegar, whom Tywin Lannister intended to offer her to for marriage. Maggy tells Cersei that she will never marry the prince, but will marry the king. This foreshadows King Aerys refusing Tywin’s offer, Robert’s Rebellion, and Cersei eventually marrying Robert Baratheon after he is crowned king.

I just find highly coincidental that Cersei was almost wed to a Targaryen prince (and Jon Snow's father, to boot), and if we're all correct in our assumptions that Jonsa is in fact endgame (it is, by the way) then Sansa will take that from her, too. Which also strangely ties Sansa to -going from in the beginning of the story, wanting the prince who was actually a bastard, to getting the bastard who is actually a prince. Just sayin' ....

Okay, back to the show.

Bran has arrived at Winterfell! I repeat BRAN HAS ARRIVED AT WINTERFELL!! And we are treated to yet another beautiful Stark reunion -minus "the nuzzle" -I repeat MINUS THE NUZZLE!!

They are catching up in the Godswood, and the first thing out of Sansa's mouth (when she's in what she perceives is a safe space, and she's allowed to be vulnerable) is "I wish Jon were here". Ship them or not, there's a reason that they both mentioned each other in this episode -if only to remind us (the general audience) that they are, indeed, on each other's minds.

Bran is quite emotionless, and I guess I get it. He needs to disconnect and emerge himself completely in this whole 3-eyed Raven deal, because the NK is coming, and he doesn't have much time to hone his powers. In light of their reunion, the writers chose to have him bring up the horrors Sansa suffered at the hands of Ramsey Bolton -to prove his power. I've seen some speculate that this was in fact Bran seeing a future Sansa wedding, and this very well may be, as he admitted himself that it all comes to him in bits. Part of me REALLY wants to believe that, but I think this had more to do with choosing something that would shake Sansa enough to know that what he says is true (cuz come on, he does seem a bit eccentric and cray, peeps). Or maybe it's both? Take it for what you will.

Jorah has been successfully cured of his greyscale, and he is off to find his Dragon queen -and just ffs, I ship them so hard !!! They (Jorah/Sam) will meet again -although, I hope it's not on different sides of the battlefield. *cough* Targbowl.

Sam doesn't get rewarded, but you can def. see that the Archmaester IS proud of him. Oh my heart!

And we're back to Dany's war room. Two allies are down, her armada is gone. She wants to take her Dragons and go burn Euron's fleet -oh, I'm so shocked! But, her wise council talks her out of it, and Tyrion narrates the scene of Casterly rock being taken, while quoting his bro, Bron (like -I can't wait for these two to reunite). The siege is successful .....or is it? Well, NO -because Cersei is a BOSS!

Euron has effectively taken out the rest of Dany's ships, and trapped GW and the remaining Unsullied at Casterly Rock (which by the way, is gorgeous, and it's about time we see it) -with limited supplies, and no one to come to their aid, they will likely die.

So where is the rest of the Lannister army? Capturing High Garden, of course (and now Cersei will have their riches, as well). The battle scenes are skipped, and we see Jamie seek out Lady Olenna, who admits to being outsmarted. She warns Jamie that Cersei will be the death of him, and calls Joffrey a cunt (lmao, I love her), before swigging down the poison Jamie offers her. And right before the credits roll, she SAVAGELY admits to Jamie that she was behind Joffrey's murder, and she wants Cersei to know that. Daaaaaammmmmnnn!

And that concludes my Afterthoughts ...see you next week.

Oh, and Jonsa is endgame -spread the word.

#got afterthoughts #got recap #jonsa #jon x sansa #got season 7 spoilers #spoilers

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evilsapphyre · 7 years ago

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Sapphy’s Spoilerific Review

Season 7 Episode 4

In case the title isn’t specific enough, this will be a very spoiler-filled review for Game of Thrones.

You have been warned!

Okay, so I'm a bit behind.

I mean, I watched the episode when it came out a week and a half ago, but for inexcusable reasons, I failed to write my updates. My bad, my lovely people.

So, traveling back in time, in a world where we haven't seen Episode 5, we will begin!

First, we find ourselves at Highgarden. Our intrepid Ser Jaime, who seems like he may be actual Jaime and not Pod-Jaime, inspects the gold that has been taken from the now defunct House Tyrell. (RIP, Olenna, once more.) He takes a sizeable chunk to hand off to our favorite sellsword, Bronn of the Blackwater. Bronn calls Jaime out on his funky attitude, but Jaime fails to comment on it. (I highly doubt it’s because he’s mourning what Olenna did to his psycho-son Joff.) Bronn gets a good sting in about the peaceful nature of Jaime’s dear sister’s reign. Hmm, maybe that’s the real sticking point in Jaime’s craw? Anyways, we cut back to King’s Landing where Cersei is still wooing the skeevy guy from the Iron Bank. It’s all – money, money, money. He again lavishes Cersei with praise about how she is truly Tywin’s heir. You can smell the false flattery from the other side of the television. After all, he’s trying to butter her up to borrow more money, so they can collect more interest. Oh, and she brings up the Golden Company with him. Because nothing but the best hired swords to help defeat your enemies. (Again, I doubt that the significance of the Golden Company from the books will translate to the show, on account of the fact that they don’t really go into any of the Blackfyre conspiracies.) Up in Winterfell, Meera comes to say goodbye to Bran, who continues his newfound laconic nature to upset his would-be girlfriend. She accuses him of not caring about anything, and confirms that by admitting that he’s dead inside. Littlefinger interrupts their break-up, and Meera runs off back to her family in The Neck. Littlefinger tries to bribe Bran with a shiny dagger that once upon a time was used to try and kill him. Bran then unnerves Littlefinger, maybe, by quoting his words that he said to Varys years ago “Chaos is a ladder”. Meanwhile, also in Winterfell, Arya returns home, only for none of the new guards to believe her when she says who she is. It doesn’t help that she’s not really in the know of the who’s who of Winterfell these days, except that her brother Jon is supposed to be King. When she learns Sansa is in charge while Jon is away, she is able to use that information to get at least into the Courtyard, but Tweedle Dee and Dum guarding her don’t pay very good attention to her, and she slips away. The guards report this to Sansa, and she is able to deduce from Arya’s outdated knowledge that it is likely her sister, and knows where to find her. And of course, Arya is exactly there, in the crypts, staring at a statue of their father. The sisters bicker in jest before embracing. Both evade details of what they have gone through, but Arya does confess to having some kind of murder bucket list. Sansa doesn’t believe her, but when they go to visit Bran under the Weirwood tree, Bran confirms that it’s actually real. (Sorry, Sansa, your siblings did get a bit weird in their abroad studies.) Bran also bestows the dagger on Arya before all three return back to the castle proper. Brienne and Podrick watch them from across the courtyard, and Pod tells Brienne, “Job well done!” Of course, Brienne is all humble, and truthful in admitting that she didn’t really do much for two-thirds of the Stark Bunch, but at least this time, she doesn’t dispute being called a Lady. Over in Dragonstone, Dany and Missandei are having some much-needed girltalk. I guess? I don’t know. I’m not really one to share those kinds of personal details with my boss, or even my friends. It’s called TMI for a reason. Anyways, Jon thankfully interrupts them and takes Dany to the Cave of Wonder… I mean, Dragonglass. After she gets over the shock of seeing all the shiny black rock, Jon points out all the painstakingly drawn carvings amongst them. Since Jon isn’t covered in white chalk, or rock dust, I’m guessing that he didn’t draw them. Which is a shame. That would have been pretty damn funny. Anyways, Dany stares at awe in the drawings, especially the very good rendition of the White Walkers, and she almost seems convinced. Almost. She even stares at Jon with moon eyes as she tells him that she’ll defend the North. Once he bends the knee. It’s back to the same old song and dance, even if she tries to appeal to Jon by saying don’t let his pride kill a bunch of people. It resonates with him since he once said the same thing to another would-be King, but it’s also kind of a pot meet kettle moment. They leave the cave to find out the bad news from Casterly Rock and the Reach. Dany’s no longer feeling so moon-eyed, but she wants Jon to give her some advice, and he does. Whether she’s going to listen to him… Well, who knows?

Circling back to Winterfell, we’re treated to more Brienne. And without Tormund leering at her! She’s continuing to school Pod on the art of swordsmanship when Arya decides that she wants to have some training lessons too. After all, she wants to learn from the woman who beat the Hound. Brienne obliges her, but first tells her that Needle is too small. Arya’s bravado from Bravos comes roaring out when she promises to not cut Brienne. It’s easy to tell that Brienne is holding back at first, but when Arya starts showing off and annoying her with her water dancing skills, Brienne kicks Arya square in the chest and off her feet. It’s on like Donkey Kong then, and Arya’s ferocity comes out for all to see, including her sister Sansa and Littlefinger who have stopped along the battlements to watch. The sparring comes to a draw, and can I point out that Arya pulled out the Valyrian steel dagger on Brienne? Brienne wasn’t using Oathkeeper, clearly. It’s just a bit odd that she’d draw a blade like that on Brienne, even if she did turn it away. Despite my tiny bit of ire there, the sparring scene is fun to watch, even if Sansa didn’t agree. I’m not sure if she’s worried about her sister, or worried that her sworn knight may be serving her sister as well. Littlefinger seems to be enjoying the possible division though.

We cut back to Dragonstone where Davos and Jon are talking about Dany’s many obvious qualities. They ask Missandei some questions about Dany, and she paints a pretty picture of the life Dany has secured for at least Missandei. Their conversation is interrupted by Theon, who gets the same treatment as every other male (save Tyrion) who has come in contact with his sister Sansa lately. I wish that he would have actually brought up Theon’s awful betrayal of Robb. You know, Robb. The brother that died at the Red Wedding. (I miss you, Robb!) Theon wants to talk to Dany about rescuing his sister, but apparently Dany’s not home….

Speaking of home, Jaime’s almost back to his second home, King’s Landing. Lord Sternly Tarly lets Jaime know that all the gold has made it into the city, and oh yeah, can he flog the stragglers? Jaime tells him, no, best not without warning, and Sternly rides off muttering to himself about having no fun. Bronn makes fun of Dickon’s name, just like a twelve year old, but the rest of the conversation is cut short by the sound of encroaching thunder. Wait, that’s not thunder, it’s a Dothraki Horde!

And here come Dany on Drogon!

I must say, that I was gripped by this battle. My firm adoration of Jaime (thanks to his book character) had me still rooting for his side as the dragon-poser-wyvern roasted his troops and supplies. Except, I love dragons, and even though Drogon is a poser, this was the kind of dragon versus an army scene that I’ve yearned to see. I was right there with Jaime and Bronn, and I was there with Dany as she swooped around on her child. I was even worried for Drogon when he took the bolt to his shoulder.

But then all bets were off when Jaime charged at Dany after she was grounded. What the hell are you doing, Jaime?!?!?! You can’t do this! It’s suicide! THINK OF BRIENNE FOR GOD’S SAKE!!

At the last second, Bronn knocks Jaime away before Drogon can roast him alive, knocking him into the river… And Jaime starts to sink to his presumable death.

I’ll admit, even though I feel Jaime has so much more story to give, that I’m fearful for him. What if they felt that this was a fitting end? What if there is no more Jaime? What if Brienne ends up with Tormund?!

I just… I’m distraught just thinking about it.

Sunday better rush it’s ass here!

#sapphy's spoilerific reviews #sapphy reviews game of thrones #got #yes ive seen episode 5 now #but these were my thoughts as of episode 4 #enjoy

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theperfectladiesman · 8 years ago

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Saiyuki meme part 2

34) What character do you think is least like yourself?

~Probably Ukoku. I’m not a psychopath or sociopath looking to snuff out life and light. And he’s super cunning and manipulative.

35) What is a shipping you’re not on board with? (Be respectful!)

~I pretty much ship nearly everything under the sun for the most part. Or can at least understand or respect a ship. I ship I wouldn’t really be on board with though would be Li Touten x Nataku. Or Dokugakuji’s mom x Doku/Gojyo. Just not my thing.

36 ) Which Saiyuki character do you think could easily adjust to modern times?

~I’d say nearly all the main cast. I think they’ve all been through so much & they’ve learned to get really good with adapting and rolling with the punches. But if I had to narrow it down, perhaps Goku. Followed closely by Gojyo. They seem the most easy going & quickly accepting & adaptable. Likewise, I think Kougaiji would be one of the ones who would struggle the most perhaps.

37) What is your favorite quote?

~There’s A LOT of good ones. Seeing as I have the opposite of a photographic memory... I can’t remember what my fav would be. A really good, memorable one though is where Kou overcame Ukoku’s mind control & gave him the whole speech where he wont be controlled again & his friends helped him to the light. Idk, something to that effect. Maybe I’ll come back to this question later after I find the exact lines.

38) Do you binge read the entire series or read selected chapters?

~Usually when I binge read or binge watch, it’s from start to finish on the entire series. If I just want to research something or remember a specific thing, it’s selected chapters.

39) Are you more a fan of Gensomaden Saiyuki or Saiyuki Reload/Gunlock?

~With the anime, Gensomaden. With the manga, its definitely Reload.

40) Your favorite character became a mythical beast. What would they be?

~This.... is a tough one. If I wanted to take the easy option, I’d say it would be Kougaiji and he’d totally be a dragon. Or if I wanted to be funny, saying Gojyo being a kappa. I could see Hakkai being the male form of a Dryad. But I think my favorite is Sanzo... and the only thing I can think of to liken him to is the Phoenix. Sanzo’s “like the sun” and Phoenix is a sun bird. Phoenix’s rise from the ashes and Sanzo got burned by Kou’s fire and still rose to his feet.

41) If you HAD to choose a character to die, who would it be?

~Well, this doesn’t say -MAIN- character. I wish I could say Ukoku... that would spare everyone so much misery... but I like the psycho bastard. So...Gyokumen Koushu. Then maybe Kou would get his mom back & he could team up with Sanzo!

42) Would you rather: Have all characters die or Have only one survive

~The question is.... would it be like Goku? Have them forget & then be reunited with the reincarnations? On one hand, it would be nice to have one survive to carry on the memory of everyone who died. But....I feel like there’s something incredibly unfair & cruel about having only one survive... so I guess I’d rather them all die.

43) If [character] got into a fight with [character] who would win?

~Lol its hard to do these ones when I’m just answering them myself.

44) What does Gojyo’s marking look like to you?

~I answered this one already, basically, a tribal flame

45) If Sanzo became a demon, what kind of marking do you think he’d have?

~I kinda wanna say something like the youkai Suika. Something small & round on his forehead in place of the chakra. Or it would probably be somewhere more discrete like his back or upper arm, a red color instead of black...idk the shape/design.

46) If [character] died, what do you think they’d be reborn as?

~I think Zakuro would love to be reborn in the golden age (Elizabethanera) cuz that’s when theatre, music, poetry & literature flourished. Perhaps Kougaiji/Hazel in the Victorian age and Ukoku in the Edwardian era... I know that’s not what the questions asking, but it is interesting to think diff era’s you’d put them in.

47) After the journey, what do you think [character] will be doing?

~Hmm... I’ll just stick with Gojyo for this one. Assuming he’s still alive after the journey. I think he’d stick with Hakkai. (grudingly)Helping out around the shop if Hakkai worked/owned a shop. I could see Gojyo maybe being a bar tender or an escort/host... or whatever those equivalents are in the Saiyuki era, or just keeps raking in money with his gambling while being domestic with Hakkai.

48) If [character] had a tumblr, what would they reblog?

~This one’s a fun question. I think if Gojyo had a tumblr, the majority would reflect the 3 things he likes most- women, booze, and smokes. Probably sprinkle in some selfies of himself being all sexy, cheesy pick up lines and puns, maybe some crude jokes, more scantily clad women, and gambling tips. Then there’s probably some stuff he’d reblog for the sake of Sanzo,Hakkai, and Goku if they had tumblr as well. Monkey posts to tease Goku, life hacks for Hakkai, & random stuff that would piss off Sanzo. Probably jokes about cranky old men or something.

49) What is your favorite animated scene?

~umm.... idk... all of Gaiden?

50) [Character]; Boxers, briefs, or commando?

~I feel like Gojyo would have an occasion for all three. Briefs when he’s planning to get with a lady or impress. Boxers when he’s lounging with the boys. And sometimes commando, mainly when sleeping if he has his own room.

51) What 3 or more tropes fits your favorite character?

~ummm.... running gag, ship tease, and funny moments. (gojyo)

52) What are 3 tropes that describe [character]?

~fiery redhead, the alcoholic, and jerk with a heart of gold (gojyo)

53) If Saiyuki got a 4th series, what would it be called?

~Well now that there is a 4th season coming out... Saiyuki Reload Blast XD (now we just need an Ibun OVA!!!)

54) If your favorite character could control an element, what would it be?

~Fav charater’s always been between Sanzo and Kougaiji... though recently I often wonder if it’s not Hazel now. I think Lightning suits Sanzo. Fire for Kou. And Ice for Hazel. Earth for Goku & Hakkai. Wind for Yaone.

55) Was there a character you used to love but no longer do?

~I dont think so actually. I think everyone I love I still do and everyone I hate I still do.

56) What has been the saddest moment for you in the series?

~Yakumo’s death. Yakumo’s whole chapter arc. And the end of Gaiden.

57) What is your favorite anime/manga genre?

~Psychological thriller/horror (but I also like romance & action & drama)

58) Name 5 other characters you like along with your fav Saiyuki character.

~Spike Spiegel, Axel, Seto Kaiba, Zelos Wilder, Alvin Svent, and Snow Villiers

59) Do you prefer subbed or dubbed anime?

~Dubbed. But most of the time subbed is 100 x’s better... obviously.

60) Did you watch the anime first or read the manga?

~Gensomaden anime came first.

61) Do you seek out spoilers or avoid at all cost?

~I avoid them at all cost, most of the time. Unless it’s something I’m not planning to watch or read.

62) Do you write fan fics or draw fan art? If so, link!

~I do, on both accounts. I don’t have any Saiyuki fanfics though. If anyone really want links, I’ll send them privately in IM’s. My Saiyuki fanart can all be found on my blog. Other fan art of diff fandoms is on DA. I only have a couple of completed fanfics on fanfiction.net... most of my work isn’t finished so that’s not really worth linking, I wouldn’t think.

63) What was the most pointless filler in the anime?

~I can’t really think of anything... maybe the sauna one where Goku thinks Sanzo turns into a demon. Or the kitty one. Don’t get me wrong, I loved both those episodes... but in regards to the plot, they don’t contribute a thing.

64) How do you describe Saiyuki to a friend who has never heard of it?

~Four guys travel west to stop the resurrection of a demon lord. Um... there’s lots of humor and action. It’s amazing. It’s.... kinda gay without actually being gay.

65) If you RP what is your favorite thing to Roleplay?

~answered this one~

66) What is your favorite Saiyuki Opening or Ending for the animes?

~The opening for Gaiden is very gorgeous, perhaps that one <3

67) What’s something you think would improve the series?

~HAVING MORE MANGA TRANSLATED AND PUBLISHED HERE IN AMERICA! And bring back some minor characters, that’d be cool to see.

68) Who, in your opinion, has the most tragic backstory?

~Geez... that’s like comparing a life time of stomach issues to someone who has a life time of mental illness... both are equally tragic. If I HAD to pick.... Yakumo.... I’m just gonna go with Yakumo. Technically, it’s not really a backstory but what’s he was presently doing. Having such a kind, soft heart... wanting nothing more but to save, shelter, and raise youkai kids... and choosing to kill them when they go berserk, perhaps with the whole mentality of ‘kill a few to save the whole’. It’s so tragic. Other than that, I can’t choose 1 over the other for tragic back stories cuz everyone has it equally bad in some way.

I guess I can say the tie would be between Gojyo, Sanzo, Hakkai, Goku, Dokugakuji, Hazel, and Nataku.

69) Who would be best at pleasing their lover?

~It kinda depends on what said lover wants most our of their partner and if it’s true love or a fling. If they both knew what they were doing, Goku & Kou would be very thorough, patient, and thoughtful lovers. Gojyo would be best at bringing the skill/pleasure in a pure sexual aspect. Hakkai’s difficult to pin down. He’d be gentle with the same qualities I listed for Gok/Kou.... but he’d have this wall up at the same time. Sanzo... just probably wouldn’t be the best, if he got intimate at all to begin with. Hazel’s so... antagonistic. I’ll just go with Gojyo or Dokugakuji.

70) What do you think Saiyuki would be like if Kougaiji and co were the main protagonists? Do you think you’d still enjoy it?

~A lot less humor and more dark because it would be more from the “villains” POV. Kou’s kinda angsty. I don’t think Saiyuki would be as well recieved and loved from Kougaiji’s & co’s pov... and there’s several characters we might have missed out on.... but I think it’s something I would still really enjoy. If its written by Kazuya Minekura, she’d make it amazing regardless.

71) What minor character had a significant impact on the plot?

~I think that would have to be Hazel Grouse.

72) On a scale from 1 - 10, 1 being not much and 10 being too much, how much does Saiyuki Gaiden hurt you?

~TEN

73) What character is still a mystery to you?

~Perhaps Koumyou or Ukoku (maybe even Yaone in the sense that we kinda know next to nothing about her... that I can recall). But with Koumyou especially, both of them are just so complex & different than I am that they’re difficult for me to understand.

74) What is the funniest moment in the series?

~It really says something about how much a perv I really am if the very first scene that pops into my mind after thinking about what my fav moment could be is.... Gojyo & Goku wrestling & arguing on the bed and that lady walks in & thinks they’re doing, or about to do, something naughty. Oddly, I Really like the scene where Gojyo mimics Sanzo too.

75) Who is your favorite minor character?

~Hazel or Banri or Zenon ...... Yakumo & Zakuro are p great too

76) Which character has had the most growth?

~I think that would have to be Goku

77) Which character needs more development?

~hmmmm........Lirin maybe?

#Saiyuki meme #part 2 #good lord this was long & took forever #but I wanted to do it for myself just for the hell of it & it was fun #when Im up all night with stomach issues & too tired to do anything else this was kinda a blessing

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beeblackburn · 8 years ago

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What are your other favorite novels besides TSOIAF?

Thanks for the question!

OH GOOD GOD WHERE DO I BEGIN?

Putting a “Keep reading” cut because some spoilers for the Realm of the Elderlingsseries and much gushing over one… okay, maybe two of the The First Law sequel standalones.

First off, most of the novels from the Realm of the Elderlings series. (I’m not totally a fan of Golden Fool and even less of a fan of City of Dragons, except for the Malta, Alise and Sedric parts. Seriously, Malta is better than you all.) Hobb has this romantic melancholy that’s dripping with atmosphere throughout her stories. And I honestly like the meandering in her stories. It builds up this idyllic atmosphere and character development before Hobb’s punctures it and her characters with extreme violence inflicted onto them.

But if I had to single out books… Mad Ship, Fool’s Errand, Dragon Haven and Fool’s Quest.

Mad Ship because I kind of love Wintrow’s character arc here, balancing out his introspective tendencies (and condescension, let’s be honest) with the pragmatism of being in very dangerous territory and having to adapt in ways he never expected from the start of the trilogy. And I rather love how it comes out here and the jarring shift in perspective he has to have.

And this was the first book I got really… engaged with Kennit as a person. Ship of Magic, I was more disgruntled and sighing at his distrust of practically everyone, enemies and allies. I liked his character and Kennit was an intriguing bastard, but he lacked a sort-of human dimension for me. Here, it becomes damn clear that Kennit’s been through so much damage.

And his relationship with Etta and Wintrow and Vivicia is just really kind of intriguing and interesting and engaging to read because it felt like new territory for these characters and I love the way they bounced off each other in this book. They fed and worked off each other splendidly and I even got a few sad feels over Kennit with his relationship with Wintrow.

(No, I’m not excusing his behavior in Ship of Destiny, just pointing out that Mad Ship gave Kennit more dimensions for me to sink my teeth into.)

Althea, Brashen and the other Vestrit family members stopped making me slap my forehead a quarter of the time as well! With a common goal and united together, they were a force to reckon with. Shame it didn’t happen a book earlier, but hey, I’ll take what I can get. Paragon and Amber’s relationship was super intriguing (Amber has the best quote in Mad Ship by far) and Paragon is… Paragon. :)

Also, I STOPPED wanting to push Malta off a bridge. Forever. After a book and a half of her being the world’s most brattiest daughter (and bridge-pushing worthy) her POV became a delight to read because she finally got her priorities straight. The intelligence and cunning was always inside her, she just focused it onto other areas.

ALSO SHE STRONGARMED A DRAGON INTO HELPING HER. Heart eyes, yo.

Fool’s Errand was just great because it was the start to a whole new Fitz. A more dangerous, more competent and “not taking any shit” Fitz. He was rude, he was addicted to elfbark, he snapped back at Chade (honestly, I don’t blame him here), he cuts off all sexual relations with Starling after realizing her marriage, he’s quite obstinate to Dutiful and… that scene. Just that scene. If you read the novel, you know the scene.

Also more Fitz and Fool is wonderful. Along with Nighteyes. It’s a great three-way dynamic between all three and Fitz continued to shine as one of my favorite fantasy protagonists ever, showing off an older, mayhaps wiser, Fitz while making me cringe as he keeps retreating, he cuts himself from people he loves and probably love him back because he thinks they won’t care for him or that he’ll just trouble them.

It’s just a really good, self-contained book in my opinion, containing a nice main plot and a few good subplots thrown into the pot. It starts off slow as Robin Hobb books are like to do and subjects you to a tense storyline full of bang fantastic finishes and narrative pay-offs like you wouldn’t believe that hurt. That really hurt and twist in your heart.

I have an irrational soft spot for Dragon Haven. Sedric, Leftrin and Alise’s arcs were all amazing and I love how Sedric and Alise navigated their respective past abusive relationships and forged onward after realizing and accepting how awful their partner was. My heart ached for Sedric and Alise, even when they were screw-ups in their own right.

Fool’s Quest is just the book that Robin Hobb kept breaking my heart every 20-30 pages. It was so packed full of call-backs, narrative pay-offs, tragedy and heartbreak and triumphs and… I actually never wanted to facepalm at Fitz once. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love how deer-headed Fitz can be sometimes, but other times, they made me sigh and see red at Fitz for being an idiot (I’m talking that scene in Golden Fool.)

Here? Absolutely none of that. Everything made dramatic and characterization sense. There’s just a beauty and believable desperation in Fitz’s inner monologue over the circumstances of this novel. I love the way the story is paced, the snowy jewel that is Hobb’s prose, the old characters I meet again (Chade and Nettle) and the new characters I learn more about and like (Shun and Lant) and the settings Fitz treks to. This novel’s what I’d actually consider the best-constructed Robin Hobb story so far. No contest.

My all-time favorite fantasy standalone though? The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie. I love it, I just love it to pieces, I have a lot of embarrassing emotions for it and I’m pretty unapologetic about it. I have reread that book about 5-6 times and it’s still hilarious, insightful, pithy and full of rich characterization that I can chuckle at and feel a twig of empathy for.

It’s full of anti-war imagery and themes, but what I especially love about it are three things in particular:

1. I love how well Abercrombie captures the “sexy” nature of military bureaucracy. He’s done it with West’s chapters in The First Law, but here, he captures how frustrating it is to deal with the chain of command from a grunt and commander perspective, given his shifting POVs and how slow and unreliable communication between the ranks can be in medieval times.

Good and shit men die, not because the enemy host was stronger or better than their host, but because lack of military intelligence, fog of war, racial prejudice, inability to take advantage of the terrain or inter-military rivalries. Sometimes, your men die because the messenger you sent to give your orders to them got shot by a stray arrow. By sheer luck, men can lose their lives.

Also, Tunny. Tunny is a one-man commentary on military chain of command.

2. The prose. Abercrombie writes battle scenes like no one’s else business. In my opinion, he writes some of the most chaotic, blood-rushing and deafening war scenes ever, perfectly capturing what it’s like for a common soldier to fight in the middle of a warzone… and how utterly nuts it is, given all that clangor and blades flying. Basically, read the “Casualties” chapter. It’s a masterpiece.

But Abercrombie isn’t content with writing visceral, skull-bashing action, he’s also hilarious, full of sardonic asides and witticisms into his descriptions. Basically, every thought out of Gorst and Calder’s head is gold, Gorst’s in how acidic, self-pitying and sarcastic it is (oh my god, the letter he writes to the King of the Union alone… and stuff like this in the middle of a battlefield: “Gorst had the expression of a boy who had been told he could not have a puppy this year.”) and Calder in how sardonic, slippery and self-conscious it can be.

And his prose is always clear-cut, but it sings with how accessible and seamless it feels to read. It’s beautiful in a sharp way, most sentences are meant to cut you with a feeling and they hit their marks generally. That’s the thing about Abercrombie’s works: they’re infinitely quotable, almost every line hilarious, poignant, brutal or darkly funny.

3. THE CHARACTERIZATION BECAUSE ABERCROMBIE EXCELS HERE.

First off, I love Beck. He’s a kid who goes through a well-treaded “war is hell” arc, but it works here because 1. he wasn’t a total innocent, he was an asshole at the start and that’s okay, Abercrombie doesn’t gloss over teenage entitlement, 2. the way he finds out about how hellish war can be is rather shocking in a genre sense, 3. The First Law is all about people trying to escape the cycle of violence and failing and only getting out through death or getting out before your wrists are drenched in blood. Beck’s fate at the end is downright refreshing as a result.

Also, Gorst. Gorst is one fascinating onion from outer layer to the deepest depths of himself. You get all this noted politeness from the giant he is, his constant scathing, contemptuous inner monologue, snarking at everyone’s blaring incompetence, some truly messed-up impulses from his psyche and some really savage swordplay from a “gentle giant” of a man. Gorst is layered and the narrative pay-off for his arc at the end is truly Abercrombiesque.

Finree. Okay, this woman is awesome. Flawed and she constantly blurs the lines of decency and self-interest, love and ambition, gritted politeness and sharp bluntness, but she is awesome and she’s a fascinatingly different perspective on war, both from her relations with her commander father and husband and her own cunning. When you stare down and snipe at both Bayaz and Black Dow, wiping the smirk off Bayaz’s face, you win. You just win to me.

Craw was a cool old guy and I love how Abercrombie doesn’t really tear down the “honor gets you dead” idea that more nihilistic, darker fantasies (including his own!) here. Craw being a “Straight Edge” is actually what gains him social cache and nets him approval from others. People trust him not to stab them in the back and, for the most part, Craw’s not really punished for that so much as his sense of ethics doing it for him. Plus, it’s really fascinating to get a peek into Black Dow’s psyche through Craw’s eyes.

(Also, holy crap, Shivers. You’re scary. You’re so very scary, you’re more ruthless and nihilistic Sandor and my heart kind of hurts for you, but you’re frightening as hell.)

But yeah, I just want to talk about Prince Calder because so many emotions over this scheming bastard. His first chapter already endeared me to his characterization, being an ambitious, scheming, quippy fallen prince who has a heart of silver (bronze more like) towards his wife, his growing insecurities over his place in this warrior society gave me room to empathize with and even his blunt, direct scheming was charming in a win-less way. And his ruthlessness with strangers was par for the course of Abercrombie protagonists.

Then Scale’s initial fate on the battlefield and Calder’s reaction to it.

Calder only grew more awesome from there when he finally decided to start walking the talk and apply himself into showing the kind of leader he could be. From the military actions he takes, to the funny stuff he commits to, to being snarky under pressure, I grew more and more respect for him not being all talk while acknowledging he’s done some ugly stuff in the past and will continue to do so in the future.

And then his interactions with Black Dow and Bayaz at the end. My brain cheered at the former and it melted at the latter. That meeting was legendary. And then his last chapter. Calder is playing a ballsy as all hell game in the North. It’s just… Calder’s got layers and probably the best character arc in The Heroes.

So yeah, The Heroes, I will always gush unabashedly. Great characters, tight pacing, wonderful themes, smooth prose, witty quotes, hilarious remarks, what’s not to love?

That being said, Red Country has really growing on me a lot in the past year ever since I got more into the Western genre and the writing style in my university courses. It might be Abercrombie’s warmest of his first six novels where not all characters are strictly bastards or monsters, some just being normal people whose only crime is being stuck in a moral rut and not being strong enough to break out of it yet or dark people genuinely trying to reach for better. Same world, but different cast of characters, a relatively moral one.

In that sense, I really appreciate Red Country as Abercrombie deconstructing himself. Temple and Shy are two normal people caught in the muck of darker people and made witnesses to even blacker deeds. It’s genuinely jarring when I read Cosca, one of my favorite anti-heroes, become a dark, dark man since last time, his humor intertwined with horror and atrocity he perpetuates onto more innocents now. And Lamb… let’s just say I got the chills reading Lamb and my reactions to them were Temple and Shy’s reactions to them.

And yet, it’s not entirely pitch-black. The same cutting humor is still there, but there’s a gentle wistfulness in this work barely there in The Heroes. There are some people who regret their black deeds of the past and some who want to rise above the mud again… and some even succeed, believe it or not. For the most overt time, Abercrombie allows some characters to change for the better. After a shitton of skulls, but it’s par for the course of Abercrombie.

@racefortheironthrone also, I’m curious. I’ve seen that you’ve read Abercrombie and commented on the world-building of The First Law but what’s your take on the sequel standalones as stories of themselves?

As for other favorites… Wolf Hall (very well-written historical fiction), The Goblin Emperor (not a book for cynics), The Lies of Locke Lamora (reread 3-4 times, such a beautiful jewel of prose) and the entirety of The Dagger and the Coin quintet (seriously, read it for Geder Palliako and Clara Kalliam, such rich characters that deconstruct well-worn tropes).

#robin hobb #realm of the elderlings #golden fool #city of dragons #mad ship #fool's errand #fool's quest #dragon haven #joe abercrombie #the heroes #red country #wolf hall #the goblin emperor #the lies of locke lamora #the dagger and the coin #too many character tags

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