#Other GOT characters but let's get real I really only enough about Arya & Gendry to tag them unless it's a meta post | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

janiedean · 3 years ago

Note

I feel bad for all the nice J*nsa shippers who like their ship for whatever reasons (tropes, pretty art, aesthetic appeal, whatever) and know it's not canon but get associated with the misogynistic Dany hating crowd who act like Jon being attracted to Ygritte is J*nsa foreshadowing because red hair (I guess Jon should fuck Edmure Tully too? Omg give me Dark!Jon getting revenge on Catelyn by seducing her brother!) Tell me something. I'm new to the fandom but was J*nsa popular before the show? And I've heard something about the OG J*nsa shippers being alienated by the new shippers who insisted it had to be canon and acted like the series is called, "A song of J*nsa #danysux." I don't find that hard to believe because I know people who are now ashamed of calling themselves J*nsa shippers. Like, at this point, it's not only rival shippers who hate it. Even Gendrya/Braime/Jon stans/etc have started disliking that ship. You know your fandom is a problem when people who have nothing to do with Jnsa have a problem with it.

me: reads this ask

me: iwastheregandalf.gif which I can't find now but

okay anon buckle up because I am sadly well-equipped to answer this ask but before I do lemme tell you dark jon seducing edmure to take revenge on cat is LITERALLY THE BEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD but *clears throat* ALL RIGHT THEN.

disclaimer: as anon says I have no issue with like the shippers mentioned by anon in the beginning and ngl I agree, I have ABSOLUTELY ZERO FUCKING STAKES in the j*nsa vs j*nerys war and the only het jon ship I gaf about is jon/ygritte and we all know where that ended up I just... have been here since 2011/adwd was over and all the fic around was just for the books under secret lj communities and asoiaf qualified for yuletide and I have... seen... things.... and I actually have like uh had... beef... with some people in there and I know things bc ppl who hated those others told me stuff so anyway *sigh* buckle up anon I'mma tell you the story of jon shipwars through the years

in order, the old gods help me here, under the cut bc this is long as fuck

when I got into fandom also given what numbers were on ao3 one ship was popular and it was sansan. no like sansan was lit. the only asoiaf ship on ao3 with more than 200 fics. jb had twenty when i checked first. jc had like around 100-ish because of the show but sansan dwarfed anything. I posted the first jon/ygritte fic on the ao3 tag and the fourth throbb fic and like the others were all reposts from lj kinkmemes. nothing was popular before the show except for sansan when it comes to huge numbers bc grrm doesn't like fic and it was all hush hush until the show made it impossible to control and that ship was the one with a huge enough fanbase it actually had numbers, so like... j*nsa wasn't popular in the way nothing else was popular until it got screentime on the show

now, that stated, j*nsa had a... fair amount of fic for a rareship which was mostly book-based and from og shippers that were there from before the show and liked it for what it was but literally none of them thought it was gonna be canon, like it wasn't huge or anything but it had a small but dedicated fanbase who did their own thing and thought it was fun/liked the idea but that was it

that fandom had their own niche of hcs that they cultivated and shit except that like... at the end of S5/beginning of S6 there was a surge in shipping for... well obvious reasons bc it was obv sansa was getting to the wall and that would have been all nice and good but a) it was the time puritanical shipping was starting to take root and the 'shipping sansa with sandor or tyrion is hella problematic' rhetoric had started to circle coming from sans*ery shippers mostly but I'mma not open that fucking can of worms here, b) while the ending of S5 had more of a theon/sansa spike, the j*nsa stuff started getting big

now here we have to mention my villain origin story ie: j*nsa fandom had this one stan whose name I won't make because honestly it's been years and if she's still around I don't want her to remember I exist who was a bnf, wrote for... the website that created the whole larry/carol thing etc who was really fixed on this thing that j*nsa was actually canon and started writing extremely popular meta about it. now you're gonna ask how do you know, I know because this person once wrote a meta named 'why robb stark is a dick' and I told her that it was really fucking bad meta and she took it so badly she kept on trash talking me on her blog/her podcast (I was apparently the insane robb stark fangirl l m a o good lord) and like that was when some sane ppl who argued with her informed me in pvt that she was basically harping on the CANON thing when they'd have been okay with like... it being crackshipping and that she was basically cultivating a hoarde of followers who were harping on them/the ogs and basically ostracizing them;

I would like to add that this person - before her tumblr got 'accidentally deleted' and remade it therefore deleted most receipts for, er, her so-called meta which included stuff like ned and cat raised sansa as a sexual object and only wanted to sell her like cattle - had at some point started a round robin fic thing where... some of the characters mocked openly said stuff that some of the og fans had said specifically targeting them and people in that side basically went harassing anyone who didn't agree with that specific notion

now never mind that this person basically coined an entire term to describe ppl who liked white guys and excused all their wrongdoings out of my conversation re robb basically lying about everything I said as if I didn't have the receipts and tried to sell shirts with it and it didn't work and like then she got kicked out of her own website because she was telling her commenters disagreeing pretty shitty insults (considering I was called psychotic for disagreeing with her that time I don't doubt it) I think at some point she stepped back from fandom bc idk wtf she's up to these days and I don't want to, but basically at that point the dam was broken and there was a bunch of puritanical shippers harping on anyone who didn't agree with j*nsa is canon endgame stuff

this also includes an incident when those ppl were like... passing themselves as throbb shippers and ended up trying to tell t*hramsay shippers off the theon tag based on moral reasons and I ended up arguing with all of them (and they were all from that crowd) which in turn landed me in contact with other og j*nsa shippers who were like detached from that fandom bc those same people harassed them away as well ssooooo fun

anyway when S6 happened everyone was high on it and whatnot but I wasn't gonna begrudge them that I mean... you shipped it for years, canon is delivering you, good for you, but then j*nerys happened

god j*nerys happened

aaand basically...... I mean personally I was there like are y'all seriously arguing about the best incest jon ship out there but like basically the j*nsa endgame side was like AH JON IS PLAYING DANY SEE IF IT DOESN'T HAPPEN, the j*nerys obv got defensive af and both sides were sort of alternatively shitting on jon/ygritte anyway and depicting any other romantic rship jon could have as abusive™ and during S8 it just got worse and like I tried to stay out of it but basically from what I'm seeing now idk how the j*neryses are doing but on the j*nsa one it's ah jon's gonna play dany anyway and she's going to go insane like in the show so SHOW TRUTHING EVERY OTHER WAY and like again denying that sandor exists or that tyrion exists and like I barely touch my corner (sansan) but I ended up arguing with j*nsa/th*nsa people on twitter who were antis and is2g it was white-hair inducing and I know for sure the sansa/tyrion shippers were harassed to hell and back throughout so FUN

and even if the show didn't go there now since everyone there banked on the jnsa endgame thing and admitting you're wrong is like... not a thing, they still haven't let go of it and attach to that ship any shred of evidence which honestly is grasping at straws half of the time (like... the sansa/alysanne parallels like guys please no) and which is why every other ship is starting to get fed up, attaching canon proof of stuff from other ships onto theirs see that batb argument and jb is platonic but jonsa is not nvm taking all the sansan stuff and throwing it on j*nsa but then denying that sansan has canon evidence (like guys I had to read sansa touching his shoulder when saying gregor wasn't a true knight wasn't meaningful and we were seeing things please) and blah blah blah

this also goes hand in hand with the fixation on like... villanizing dany at all costs and like is2g I have zero investment in dany or her storyline I don't even remember it and I don't particularly care abt her either way and sure af I'm not for j*nerys endgame but like.... some stuff I read is completely excessive esp when fixing on how she's a completely mad tyrant who's gonna have to be put down and like... guys no

(also there's some srs stannis hate in that corner which I honestly don't get why they even care abt stannis but I had to read stuff like ppl don't recognize that dany and stannis are the real villains in this saga and like........ idek)

I think most of the og shippers are gone or don't ship it openly bc they don't want to be attached to the drama but like I also think they're pissing off everyone else bc like... I mean a bunch of them also were down with sansa being paired with other ppl as long as it meant a good ending for her except those ppl were... like everyone but the ppl she has actual contact with in canon which meant that at some point sansa/gendry was a thing and like.... you can imagine why arya/gendry shippers & arya stans were fed up, and there's also this tendency to behave like sansa is the center of the entire saga which like these books is named a song of jon snow basically can we pls make peace with it and personally I've had it with both j*nsa and j*nerys people since they started with that dumbass JON/YGRITTE WAS AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP rhetoric but I'm also fed up with the total ignoring that sandor exists/depicting us as delusional and honestly I also was by proxy fed up from the harassing of the sansa/tyrion shippers soooooooooooo

there were also instances of 'well theon is an acceptable choice other than jon bc he can't threaten her' which... i mean we all know what that meant and I'm not even commenting it bc it's one AM and I have no force to but I don't have to explain why it's not a progressive take now do I

there were also metas about how cousin incest being legal in half of the world means that jondany is a worse incest and j*nsa doesn't count as such and I was basically there like guys please just fucking own up to it but honestly I chose to forgot where I read that and I couldn't find the link if I tried

tldr: no one wants to admit that it's not gonna be endgame which considering the amount of fic they have on ao3 is imvho useless bc they have more content than like.. anything I ship that's not jb or that's actually like canon *cries in joncon/rhaegar but I mean renly/loras is canon and has less fic than them* so idk what's the problem with enjoying that instead of insisting it's gonna be canon when not even the show validated it while show truthing anyway when the only show truthing that can be truthed is the small council made of minorities and possibly jon eventually fucking off with the wildlings but not like that but like most people who thought it wasn't gonna be endgame had left/were made to leave by the time S7 rolled by and at this point since wow isn't out yet everyone is fandom-grasping at straws to find stuff to discourse on and we're here beating dead horses *shrug*

so that's... how it is but I would again like to point out that I don't judge ppl on their shipping, I don't particularly care about this entire feud bc I only ship jon with ppl he's not related to in whichever way and I try to stay out of this mess bc I don't really care to argue with ppl who have already decided to bend canon to whatever they want and will have to realize that it's not what grrm wrote at some point but like I have a very good memory and the above rant is as objective as possible also bc again I don't literally have a stake in that race I just think romantic/endgame j*nsa is not a thing and that ppl should stay in their lane and not harping on other ppl who ship whatever in general but especially when their ship is the most popular thing in fandom in the first place /two cents

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #anonymous #ask post #anti-jonsa #anti jonsa #anti-jonerys #anti jonerys #both of them for equality

31 notes · View notes

ramblings-of-a-mad-cat · 4 years ago

Note

Who you should fight: Game of Thrones Edition

Your wish is my command, Anon.

JON: Damn, you really do aim high. If you want to fight Jon Snow, there's nothing really stopping you. He wouldn't want to fight you, but he would accept your challenge honorably. Perhaps you would win, perhaps you wouldn't. Jon doesn't really like violence. He was victorious in the battle of the bastards, but only with the Knights of the Vale showing up at the eleventh hour. And he would have given his life to the Army of the Dead if Benjen hadn't shown up to save him. So you might win, it's possible. Just be prepared for the Starks to send their regards if you do. With Bran's visions, there would be nowhere you could hide. With Arya's faces, you'd never know she was coming.

SANSA: Look, it's not exactly wise to fight a Queen. Something to keep in mind going forward. You would almost certainly defeat Sansa, since she has almost no experience in actual fighting, but that doesn't mean your troubles would be over. Expect the Starks, the Northerners, the Knights of the Vale, and Brienne to rise up and hunt you down. So if you want to fight her, be prepared to run for the rest of your life. But really, why would you ever want to fight her in the first place? Between Cersei, Joffrey, Ramsay, and Littlefinger, hasn't the poor woman been through enough? If you go through with this, you'll be fighting a sexual assault survivor. Think about that for a second. And then don't fight Sansa.

BRAN: Okay, okay, how about you just don't? This isn't about whether or not you should fight Bran, because to be honest - you can't. Bran is gone. Everybody forgets this but Bran is effectively dead by Season 7. So no, you couldn't fight Bran if you tried. All you could do is fight the Three Eyed Raven, and seven hells, why would you ever want to do that? Could you kill him? Maybe. He can always see you coming, but he doesn't carry weapons and he's paralyzed from the waist down. But who are you, the Night King? If you kill Bran, the world ends and the long night begins. Don't be The Night King. Don't fight Bran.

ARYA: Ahahaha...sure, go ahead. If you've got some sort of death wish, feel free to try and fight Arya Stark. I'd give some line about how the Starks would come after you but frankly, it wouldn't come to that. Arya wouldn't be in any danger and they'd be well aware. You do know this is the girl who slayed the Night King, right? The one who single-handedly wiped out House Frey? Realistically, the fight isn't even going to happen unless she's in the mood. If she is, expect her to toy with you for about ten minutes before running you through with Needle. If she isn't, then you won't ever even see her. You'll just get a knife in the back from whatever face she's wearing.

DAVOS: Seriously? You're going to fight an innocent old man who doesn't even have all his fingers? What are you hoping to gain from doing so? Does beating up old men give you satisfaction? Well, it shouldn't - unless we're talking about Pycelle. But we're not, so put those weapons away! Look, if you choose to fight Davos, you're very likely to win the fight. And in doing so, I suppose you could reunite him with his son and his surrogate daughter in the afterlife. But just do not fight Davos under any circumstances. For goodness' sake, what did he ever do to you?

THEON: In terms of physical combat, you could probably win this fight. Theon isn't shown to be nearly as strong as his sister, and he's also suffering from PTSD. So there's a very good chance that you could defeat him. But Yara is going to literally cut you into pieces if you do. With everything Theon has been through, don't you think he's suffered enough for his actions? Ramsay tortured him so much that he forgot who he was for a while. He castrated and flayed Theon. Kept him as a slave for three years. And even now, Theon is still recovering from what he went through. He still hates himself for betraying Robb. Just let the poor man heal in peace, won't you?

YARA: Go ahead, fight Yara. She's not exactly the nicest person, so she could use a good wake-up call or two. Her only real redeeming quality is that she loves her brother. On the other hand, she's Ironborn so she might just enjoy the fight. There's also the question of whether or not you would win, or even escape with your life. To which I say - don't expect anything. Yara is ruthless, and she doesn't play fair. She commands the Iron Fleet and they're loyal to her. This woman was her Uncle's prisoner. I think it goes without saying that she's tough. I doubt you could win the fight, but feel free to try.

SANDOR: This is the only character that would probably enjoy the fight, so go ahead and spar a little with Sandor Clegane. Don't actually hurt him, because he's obviously been through enough. But enjoy a nice, friendly bout with the guy and let him get off some steam. Of course, I say that under the assumption that you COULD harm Sandor. The guy came close to beating Brienne, and his final Clegane Bowl with Gregor ended in a draw. Plus he's like...huge. So not a good chance at winning. Even if you use his weakness, fire...well, he's won a trial by combat where fire was involved. Don't be a jerk, don't kill Sandor. You'll wind up on Arya's list for sure.

BRIENNE: To be honest, you aren't going to defeat Brienne unless you have exceptional skill and training in combat, and even then. The odds aren't in your favor. She's packing Valyrian Steel, and some heavy armor as well. Has Brienne ever lost a fight onscreen? I don't believe she has. Her weaknesses are emotional, not physical. In a fight, you don't stand much of a chance. Especially if she's trying to protect someone she cares about or honor a vow. That's her berserk button, so don't mention oaths. Or Jaime. Or Sansa. Really, Brienne is one of the most wonderful people in this entire series so why would you want to? Hang out with her instead.

GENDRY: This one is just a bad idea overall. The dude has all the skills of Sandor, without any of the discipline that Brienne has. Remember how the Rebellion was what Robert referred to as his glory days? How he ousted an entire dynasty because they had offended him? The Baratheons are known for their uncontrollable tempers, and we haven't seen much of this in Gendry, but it's there. Put a war-hammer in his hands, and you will never be safe. Just look at the guy. Have you seen how buff he is? Besides, Arya would definitely kill you, even if Gendry doesn't. He's such a sweet, upstanding guy to begin with. I don't understand why you would even want to. Don't fight Gendry.

JAIME: I suppose you could. The guy only has one hand now, so in terms of combat prowess, you would probably win the fight itself. Assuming Brienne doesn't get to you first. Either way, expect to deal with Brienne, and that's not someone you want coming after you with a vengeance. Even if you defeat Brienne, you still aren't in the clear. Tyrion may not be one for physical fights, but rest assured the man will make you pay for harming his brother. Someday, when you least expect it, you will pay. To be fair, Jaime does have some crimes he needs to answer for, but he also saved King's Landing. Really, just don't fight him. He already feels badly enough about his past.

CERSEI: Always fight Cersei. Always fight Cersei. This shouldn't need to be explained. Think about everything that she's done. All the people whose lives she ruined. Whatever terrible fate you can inflict is one that she deserves. Yes, she's pregnant, but don't forget - the witch in Season 5 warned her that she would only ever have three children. That baby isn't going to live no matter what happens. I suppose you'd have to get rid of Gregor Clegane first, so bring Sandor with you for a double knock-out. Other than that, I don't see anyone coming to Cersei's defense. That's just how awful she is. Jaime might try, but I think Brienne and Tyrion would be able to restrain him. Yeah, just. Just fight Cersei.

TYRION: Damn, why would you want to fight Tyrion? So he made a few judgment calls that turned out poorly. He was always trying to do the right thing, and all of his decisions were well-reasoned. His entire life has been constant suffering. Do you really want to add onto that? Well, if you insist, you'll almost certainly win the fight. Being half the size of the average man and consuming alcohol on a daily basis would render Tyrion one of the physically weakest characters on the show. You could probably get away with it as well. I mean, Jaime would come after you, and hell hath no fury like a Lannister scorned. But like I said, he's not the strongest either. Just watch out for that golden hand.

DAENERYS: Should you fight Dany? I suppose it depends on your point of view. She's definitely committed monumental crimes, but she's also saved countless people. You have to ask yourself if such a divisive person deserves to live or not. Really, we could argue that point until the cows come home. The real question is - could you fight her? Ultimately, the answer is yes...if you get close enough. You'd have to get past her armies first, but once you do, she has no experience in direct combat whatsoever. An easy kill. That you could celebrate for ten seconds before Grey Worm or Drogon rip you apart. You can only ever tie with Daenerys, there's no winning.

MISSANDEI: Stop, stop right there. What are you thinking? You know this is how we got S8E5, right? This is what pushed Dany over the edge, so, just consider that for a moment. What would possess you to ever wish pain on such an innocent soul? Missandei deserves the world. She deserves to be free and happy. And you want to fight her? Go ahead. If you could actually land a blow or two, you might win rather quickly. But Grey Worm will rip you limb from limb before that happens, if Dany doesn't issue an angry "Dracarys" first. Actually, if they don't get there, then I will personally climb through the screen myself and fight you for threatening her. She is the purest of cinnamon rolls.

EURON: I will literally pay you to fight him. The man is begging for a punch in the face.

#Game of Thrones #Jon Snow #Arya Stark #Sansa Stark #Tyrion Lannister #Daenerys Targaryen #Jaime Lannister #Cersei Lannister #Brandon Stark #Ser Davos Seaworth #Yara Greyjoy #Theon Greyjoy #Brienne of Tarth #Sandor Clegane #Gendry Baratheon #Missandei of Naath

11 notes · View notes

oveliagirlhaditright · 4 years ago

Text

Because of @roselevesque wondering what kind of trouble a Lawlight child would get into... here are some ridiculous headcanons I’ve come up with, about Arya Stark from “A Song of Ice and Fire” being Light and L’s adopted daughter in some weird AU.

So, Light and L adopt Arya for an A+ reason to start with (I say sarcastically. But they really do come to love her and vice versa. Even though they’re sometimes shit at being parents, and Arya kind of shows it).

Like, she’s some orphan that they meet after some case. I imagine the “Death Note version of Cersei(?)” is some political leader somewhere, and killed Arya’s father who was a threat to her. But L and Light were actually beginning to suspect Cersei of foul play a long time ago. So they finally bring her in for questioning--and Arya with her, who’s Cersei’s “ward”--and Arya’s all like, “I don’t like Cersei.” She didn’t buy the Stockholm-Syndrome thing the woman was trying to do with her for a second.

Light and L then decide they like this child.

L may even get the idea to have Arya judge everyone’s character from now on, as she seems good at it. And Light and L grow attached to this kid, which is part of the reason why they decide to adopt her. But the real one? L: “I just think we’re in a rut, Light-kun. We don’t do anything new anymore. It’s very boring. Why don’t we try something new, like adopting a child?” Light: “We are not adopting a child just because we’re bored, Ryuzaki!” L gives him a look. Light: “...Okay. Maybe we’re adopting a child...”

I should probably mention that this is an AU where Light gave up the Death Note and being Kira (somewhat. Though part of him is biding his time, hoping he can get his perfect world back. And L knows this. Light remembers everything, because he has a microscopic piece of the Death Note in his watch).

Light and L decided to not tell Arya that Light was Kira--as a whole, the world doesn’t know Light Yagami was Kira--but Arya eventually finds out. More on that later.

I feel Arya loves both parents pretty equally. But she may slllllllllllllllllightly prefer Light. Just because there are times that L isn’t understanding at all. He doesn’t get, for instance, why someone calling Ayra “horserace” hurt her feelings, because it’s kind of true. L is very much with the “never forget who you are, the rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor and it can never be used to hurt you” mentality of Tyrion Lannister.

Arya may even have a hard time gravitating around L, because he has a hard time talking. But so does Arya, somewhat. So perhaps they actually bond over that? -shrugs-

But L is good at trying to cheer Arya up, at times, by silly things like sweets (even though he was once miffed at her for not liking lemon cake. But then was okay with her again for loving tea) and swivel chairs. He was also the one who wanted to buy her a pony... or a wolf (since Arya wanted one) And Light had to tell him “no”.

And both L and Light are A-okay with Arya wanting to learn sword play and horseback riding.

L also probably taught Arya capoeira.

And eventually, Arya does help him with some of L’s cases, since she is pretty sharp (they’re more L’s cases than Light’s, since Light is sort of on “probation”).

There were also times that Arya would come to L, worrying that Light was Kira--and he would just kind of look at her gravely--before Arya realized she maybe agreed with Kira.

L is the one who goes to most of the parent-teacher-conferences. Because one time, Arya got in trouble for punching a kid in the face. And Light said, “What? She absolutely should have punched that creep, and I’m glad she did. She should do it again.”

Light’s probably the one who tries the hardest to give Arya a normal, happy lifestyle and everything she needs.

He’s also the one who brushes her hair, when Arya refuses to do that. (Speaking of... there are definitely times when L admits privately to Light, “Light-kun, what were we thinking in adopting a girl? We know nothing about them.” And Light responds with, “For your information, I’m great with girls!”) He’s not. And he might even somewhat resent Arya being such a tomboy at first, but he gets over it. L, however, has always loved that Arya is that.

Light’s also probably the one who realizes that Arya isn’t misogynistic? Which is hilarious, because Light can certainly be that himself. With helpful gems like, “Arya, I don’t think you actually resent female things, like embroidering--or your female peers for being good at it--but rather yourself for being bad at it. So if you want... I can try and figure it out myself and teach you, I guess.”

Also... one day when Light is reading Arya a story and she says, “They killed the slaves? They should have killed the slavers,” Light has never been more proud of her than in that moment.

Both Light and L are of the mind that if anyone ever tries to touch Arya, she should kill them dead. Light and L might actually wish that Light had kept the Death Note, so they could put in it anyone’s name who would ever harm Arya.

Eventually, Arya is separated from Light and L. Basically, it’s found out that L was “aiding and embedding Kira”, so there’s this whole coup. Some people even discover L’s identity for a crazy second (before L gets that under control again. And convinces the general public that Kira is dead, and they’re all just cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs).

And in this chaos, the family is completely torn apart. Even Light and L are away from each other for a while (and this is what stars Arya’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” journey. More on that in a minute).

L finds Light... and there may actually be some tension there for a while, because Light thinks that L should have found Arya over him.

L: “I tried to find you both, Light!” Light: “But if you had to choose... you should have put more energy into finding her, because Arya’s a hopeless child, L! I’m not!”

So, Arya’s mayhap put into this “home” where children of Kira-worshippers are tortured (it’s the closest thing I can think of for Harenhal here). And she’s deeply traumatized and fucked up by it. She escapes, and commits her first kill to do so (as a nine-year-old, no less)... and gets a taste for it.

Like A Song of Ice and Fire!Arya, she begins keeping a list of all the people she’s going to kill, and that’s the only thing that keeps her going. And like in A Song of Ice and Fire canon, she changes her name multiple times, pretends to be a boy for safer travel, etc.

During all of this, Arya has to try and come to amends with Light being Kira (as she knows now). Death Note’s version of “The Hound”, I guess, kidnaps Arya eventually to try and ransom her back to her parents (after the friend she’d made, “Gendry”, leaves her). But that doesn’t happen when Arya, perhaps, murders the Hound to get away from his abuse?

Still not entirely knowing how she feels about the “Light having been Kira, and Light and L having lied to her about it” thing, Arya might purposefully stay away from them for a while and join the “House of Black and White” cult, that worships death... She then realizes that maybe she will drink that Kira Kool-aid.

L and Light finally find Arya after this her stay at the House of Black and White (they never gave up looking for her, and knew that she was alive because their girl is a survivor. So eventually, they probably just had to face the truth that she didn’t want to be found). And there are issues again, because Arya now knows that Light was Kira and tells him this and wishes he would be Kira again (and Light, has, like, never been happier). But L thinks he might leave both of them here... I haven’t quite figured how they work this out yet.

Maybe because while this Light is somewhat biding his time, and does still think the system is corrupt and shit, he also gave the Death Note up for a reason? Did he realize that just soullessly killing everyone wouldn’t solve everything? And is her fearful that Arya is romanticizing death so much? And the deaths of some “innocent people”, even? Like this one guard, who didn’t know what he was there for, that she killed to get out of that first torture house? There’s probably some moment where Light is honest and says what being Kira almost cost him, and then tells Arya to not be like him. And then she isn��t.

L is upset by how damaged Arya now is, of course. And that he let it happen. “I can’t believe our daughter is nine and already a murderer--and that she enjoys it--...but she only did what she had to do to survive. And I am glad she found a way to survive.”

Light: “You have to admit that you seem to be attracted to murderers, and vice versa. Maybe it’s only natural that this happened... And you have to realize that she got her affinity for changing names now from you, right?”

Some other things just off the top of my head: Light and L don’t think Gendry is good enough for Arya (until he makes her a sword? Then they sort of get it). Before then, they at least got her crush on Jaqen--if murder apparently interested her, as it would an honorable Wammy’s kid--but who was this Gendry fellow? And what kind of name was Gendry, anyway?

Sachiko loves Arya, because of course she would. Soichiro is somewhat afraid of what a child of Light and L will be like (he knows that his son was Kira), but is choosing to be hopeful and put all of his eggs into one basket, anyway. Sayu and Arya don’t get along that well (probably because of the tomboy and girly-girl thing. But they do try to be civil). And Matsuda is constantly thinking Arya’s going to be Kira 2.0, because he doesn’t want to be blindsided/betrayed again, but doesn’t say anything... But L, Light, and Arya all know Matsuda fears her, and probably laugh about it after their dinners together.

Though a part of L wants Arya to follow the “family business” and become a detective, he’s also open to any of her dreams. Arya decides she wants to travel some. That maybe she’ll be the first person to figure out what’s up with the Bermuda Triangle, and he thinks that that’s a beautiful thing. And he can’t say anything about her potentially wanting to risk her life to do it, because he risks his life for his line of work all the time, too. But eventually Arya does come home, and does probably become a detective like her parents.

The three probably have a lot of fun family outings, like to bakeries for one thing. And maybe Alaska? L is from Britain, so he’s used to the cold. And I headcanon that this Arya likes the cold, even without being from Winterfell. So one time they visit there to look at wolves or something... and enjoy not having to pay taxes (even though L doesn’t even have to worry about it. Because he’s so rich) while they’re there... This was not Light’s favorite trip, but they still got a lot of cute pictures together, with wool coats and stuff. IDK.

Edit: So, in the books, there’s this scene where Arya is put in a dress and Gendry just bursts out laughing. Because it isn’t her. That scene probably still happens. And Light and L are probably there, too, and also laugh (maybe it’s a moment where Light and L finally get the Gendry thing), because they all know it isn’t her.

Edit 2: I forgot to mention that even though Arya is a quiet introvert, somewhat (like L). She’s also very charismatic (people always love her) and a good leader (like Light).

Edit 3: Arya totally gets to the point where she can beat Light and L in fights, of course... and most people.

#long post #lawlight #I've just gone nuts. ignore me

8 notes · View notes

nooowestayandgetcaught · 4 years ago

Note

1-36 ALL OF EM. ALL OF EM.

THIS IS WHAT I LIKE TO HEAR, BRO. ALL FANDOMS.

1. First ship you remember

Peter Pan/Wendy Darling (Disney’s Peter Pan) is my best guess as far back as I can remember. That’s the original OTP next to Bruce Wayne/Selina Kyle (DCU) and Ariel/Prince Eric (Disney’s The Little Mermaid).

2. Your newest ship

Hmmm,,, I haven’t really watched anything new,,,,,,, but I mean I did get into Geralt/Jaskier (Netflix’s The Witcher) recently. I really like them.

3. Favourite ship ever

STARES LONGINGLY AT PETER/WENDY

I go between them and Mulan/Li Shang (Disney’s Mulan) and Korra/Asami Sato (Avatar: Legend of Korra) and Yuuri Katsuki/Viktor Nikiforov (Yuuri On Ice) and Arya Stark/Gendry Waters (GOT/ASOIAF) for my favorite ships of all time

4. Favourite m/f ship

I grew up on the His Dark Materials books and I always was a Lyra Belaqua/Will Parry shipper and that has never ever changed. They’re so sweet. I WOULD LIKE PHILIP PULLMAN TO BRING THEM IN THE NEXT BOOK THAT IS SUPPOSED TO COME OUT. DO NOT FUCK AROUND.

5. Favourite m/m ship

you really can’t wrong with Ash Lynx/Eiji Okumura (Banana Fish) except you can and I don’t care,,,, everyone’s alive and fine and not depressed,,,,,,,

6. Favourite f/f ship

do you know how much my heart broke when they refused to do Emma Swan/Regina Mills (Once Upon A Time) EVEN THOUGH everything in canon said they were True Love????? now I’m just pissed,,,,, I can’t let go of them

7.Most innocent ship

OH GOD,,, KATARA/AANG (AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER). THE FLUFFIEST. THE HAPPIEST. THE SWEETEST BABIES.

8.Most fluffy ship

WHAT DID I LITERALLY JUST SAY???

9.Most angsty ship

good god it’s Clarke Griffin/Lexa (The 100) but I still love them and I know I wasn’t THERE for Lexa dying but I’m STILL livid about what they did and how they treated the LGBT+ community and I’m gonna throw hands,,,, ever since it happened and Clexa is mentioned in the show,,, it’s always so painful,,,,, Clarke is not letting Lexa go and tbh she shouldn’t and I’m gonna get mad again

10. Most smutty ship

Smut is optional, not a requirement for my ships.

11. Ship that you would never have wanted in canon but like in fanworks

I don’t fucking trust MCU so they can have none of my ships!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

12. Character that you can only imagine in one ship

BOOOOOOOOOOOOORING.

13. Most shippable character

Merlin (BBC Merlin) and Harry Potter.

14. Character that you can’t imagine in any ship

Any character I don’t like.

15. Favourite poly ship

I love love love love Rey/Finn/Poe Dameron. Finnreypoe. Jedistormpilot. I fell in love with Rey/Finn and Finn/Poe through “The Force Awakens” and then saw in the novelization that there was hints of Rey/Poe Dameron and LATCHED onto it. Don’t even fight me with “The Rise Of Skywalker” because it was COMPLETELY a Jedistormpilot movie and that’s all I was there for. Those three characters.

16. Characters that you kinda ship but prefer as brotp FRIENDSHIP

since I think Katniss might be aroace,,, I wanna say Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark and don’t get wrong,,,, I do ship but more platonic ship

17. Characters that you ship and can’t imagine to be friends

Spike himself said that Buffy Summers/Angel (Buffy The Vampire Slayer) dynamic could never be friends and only friends and he’s right

18. Guilty pleasure ship

GUILT IS CRINGE!! CRINGE CULTURE IS DEAD!!! YOU SHIP THINGS TO YOUR HEART’S DELIGHT!!!!! HAVE FUN!!!

19. Ship that you never expected to ship.

I was straightbaited by Black Sails while watching as it aired and never saw Captain James Flint/Thomas Hamilton coming,,,, or them unburying the gays,,,,, I thought the whole time Thomas and James were sharing Miranda,,,

20. Ship that you liked but don’t anymore

at one point I liked Callum/Soren (The Dragon Prince) but I’m over them and I’m over that show and I don’t support Aaron fucking Ehasz

21. Ship that one day you were thinking of and thought “wait,when I started shipping it?”

I DO THAT LITERALLY WITH EVERY SHIP I HAVE

22. Ship that you immediately fall in love with after one scene despite not considering it before.

aahhhh I saw Toni Topez interact with Cheryl Blossom from Riverdale after their confrontation which was like,,,, the first time they ever spoke to each other,,,, but then the diner scene happened, and now I ship them. And they’re canon.

23. Poly ship that you ship despite not shipping some of the characters in it outside of poly ship.

I only ship Ryn/Maddie Bishop/Ben Powell with each other. That’s it. IT’S A CANON INTERRACIAL LGBT+ SHIP. IT’S REAL. I’M SO HAPPY.

24. Biggest notp

Dick Grayson/Barbara Gordon (DCU),,,,, oooh don’t get me fucking started

25. Favourite foe yay ship

L/Light (Death Note). That’s a classic. I know Light made sure his ass was murdered but c’mon,,, c’mon,,,, THE CREDITS TO THE LAST EPISODE THO??? DID YOU SEE THAT SHIT???? THAT WAS GAY AS HELL.

26. Characters that you like in every dynamic (lovers,friends,enemies)

we gotta go with Doctor/Master (Doctor Who),,, they’ve been all three,,,,, nobody can tell me otherwise and that’s the beauty of these two! My favorite versions are 1) Thirteen/Dhawan!Master, 2) Ten/Simms!Master, and 3) Twelve/Missy and if you add Simms!Master with the last one then it’s GOLDEN

27. Ship that you expected to ship before reading/watching franchise and you do

I saw gifs and things of Anne Lister/Ann Walker (Gentleman Jack) before I started watching and I already knew I was gonna fall in love AND I DID

28. Ship that you expected to ship before reading/watching franchise and you don’t

this might be a weird one but I really thought I was gonna ship Victor Van Dort/Victoria Everglot or Victor Van Dort/Emily (Corpse Bride) and I just didn’t for either of them. I DO HOWEVER SHIP EMILY/VICTORIA EVERGLOT.

29. Favourite crossover ship

OHHHHH we gotta go with Kate Kane/Kara Danvers (Arrowverse) like look at them look at the gay it’s like SuperBat but the female millennial version

30. Favourite canon ship

Princess Bubblegum/Marceline (Adventure Time)! I’m overjoyed they are canon! I’m not done watching all of this show but still,,,,, and that means we can get Prince Gumball/Marshall Lee to be confirmed canon too?? Yes??

31. Favourite non-canon ship

I know we can’t like CONFIRM in canon but Frodo Baggins/Samewise Gamgee are in love and there’s no denying this. They’re canon enough to me.

32. Favourite ship for hurt-comfort

All of my ships are good for hurt/comfort and whump. I don’t discriminate.

33. Ship that you ship in one installment of franchise but not in other (for example in movie,but not in the book this movie is based on)

I ship Hannibal Lecter/Clarice Starling in the movies for Hannibal related things, even though Will Graham exists in them, but I ship Hannibal Lecter/Will Graham for NBC’s Hannibal 100% and won’t ship them with anyone else

34. Ship that you never expected to ship when you were younger but here you are

I never expected to ship Harry Potter/Ron Weasley/Hermione Granger all together years down the road,,,,, since as a kid I flip-flopped between Ron/Hermione & Harry/Me,,,, er,,,,,,,,, I mean Harry/My OC That Was Definitely Not Me At All and Harry/Hermione but here we are

35. Ship that you have kinda love/hate relationship with

right now it’s Rue Bennett/Jules Vaughn (HBO’s Euphoria) because they’re so cute,,, they really are,,, but they can be so bad together and I hate that! I just want it to work out but Jules doesn’t understand her own feelings,,, and is kinda fucking around with Rue’s feelings,,,,,, and Rue needs to deal with her drug addiction problems first,,,, but let’s see what happens for Season 2

36. Characters that you can’t decide if you prefer as ship or brotp

okay FIRST OFF we don’t “brotp” anything no more because the term was created with homophobic connotations so replace it with “friendship” and honestly I can’t decide if I like Lucifer/Chloe Decker (Netflix’s Lucifer) as a romantic or platonic ship or somewhere between. I haven’t decided.

#ask #glove23 #long post

19 notes · View notes

hamliet · 6 years ago

Text

GOT 8.02: The Things We Do For Love

Let’s talk family, forgiveness, and ships, and of course, wrestling with the dead which is about to happen physically, but has also been happening metaphorically all season.

Family:

Sansa. Choosing to talk to Dany with respect, and respecting that she loves her brother while still, amusingly enough, seeming protective of Jon, and Dany admitting that the reason she is helping them is because she loves him. This gets extra interesting when you consider what Sansa said before Jon even when to meet Dany for the first time: she reminded him, along with all the Northern Lords, about what Dany’s father had done to their uncle and grandfather in burning them alive. The dead in the past enabled Sansa to judge Dany by her father’s deeds. But for her family, Sansa puts that aside. For Jon, her brother even if not in blood, as well as for the survival of Winterfell, she puts that aside. It’s the wise decision and one that paradoxically stands as both the opposite of the choice she made as a child in season 1, when she went running to Cersei and spilled Ned’s plans because she didn’t want to leave Joffrey, and the same, but wiser: she chooses real love that she knows, the brother who fought for her, not a dream of a brother who treated her and her family like shit.

Theon. Literally all I have to say about Theon is that he better fucking stay alive. But he came back to fight for the family he loves, who love him despite the horrific things he did. He’s a parallel to Jaime here in this, and he is truly forgiven. So imo his arc is over, but other characters whose arcs are largely over I expect to live (Sansa) so I’m gonna hold out hope and light a candle for Theon. It definitely looks like he’s going to die saving Bran, the boy he lied about killing, though.

Tyrion. Dany is understandably upset with him, but Jorah gives good advice about forgiveness which he knows personally. Jorah betrayed Dany once, but he’s still the person she trusts most besides Jon. The talk of pregnancy with Jaime though is also interesting. Obviously, Cersei is either going to lose the baby or die with the baby--no chance it’s born--but Tyrion loved Cersei’s kids. As last season established, he will not want his siblings to die even if they fight on the wrong side, likely because he still drags around guilt from killing his father--which he did because of the love he had for Shae (in the show, and his wife in the books). Would he intervene if Cersei is about to die, for the sake of her unborn child?

Forgiveness:

Theon: Okay I have a lot more to say about him. Sansa’s not just forgiven him; she clearly loves him, though the nature of that love isn’t textually clear as of the last scene they were in (before I’d have said they were brother/sister, now I’m not sure). And him directly seeking to atone for his wrong by protecting Bran is beautiful.

Sam: His speech at the table was interesting, because he was pointing out how the past has shaped them all, which it has. Yet as we see, people are also moving past the past, not being chained by it, via forgiving and making bridges and extending olive branches. So the show appears to be striking a sort of nuance here.

Bran and Jaime: It’s not really forgiveness here, but Bran also kind of is to an extent. I do think it is concerning is that Bran doesn’t mention “after” for Jaime, because--well. Jaime’s likelihood of surviving imo isn’t high. As I watched, though, I noticed that Missandei, Grey Worm, Sam and Gilly, Jon and Dany, Sansa, Arya--they’ve all talked about after.

Jorah: He was banished from the North, and now Lyanna wished him luck, indicating that she’s forgiven the past in the quest to live. Howver her words are like... “I’ll talk to you later” is the biggest death flag in fiction and I’m scared. And as he reminded Dany, she forgave him for far worse than Tyrion’s foolishness--she truly did. Jorah reminds Dany of the softness she does have in her heart, even if she is too quick to violence a lot. He, along with Jon, brings out the best in Dany. He encourages her to build bridges and not tear them down.

Ships(?) Canon Romances

So now let’s talk about the romantic plotlines set up this season.

Missandei and Grey Worm and Sam and Gilly: they continue to parallel each other. Missandei’s conversation broke my heart. She and Grey Worm are there only because they love Dany. But notice how they’ve dropped hints of someone running away once it’s over in both episodes so far--I suspect it’s foreshadowing for more than just Missandei and Grey Worm.

Sansa and Theon: I mean... this was my crack ship but they were shown in a montage with the other definitively romantic couples--Gilly and Sam, Arya and Gendry, Brienne and Jaime, Dany and Jon. I don’t expect something more than that but LET ME DREAM.

Brienne & Jaime. Okay, my heart hurt when Brienne spoke for him. No one was there to speak for Jaime in the past, but this time someone did. Jaime’s humility shown: he’s truly redeeming himself now, I think, by choosing the right thing, and being honored to serve under her. And he knights her. I cried during that scene, and it’s beautiful that he uses his sword, which has phallic symbolism involved. I don’t think there’s a chance in hell Jaime makes it through the season, but I hope he and Brienne have a moment before then, and I believe he will fight bravely. Let’s also not forget that Brienne is motivated by love, unrequited for Renly, platonic for Catelyn, and for Jaime now. can they at least bang before jaime goes please

Arya & Gendry. MY SHIIIIP. I mean, it’s both sorrowful and exciting. Exciting, because Arya shows vulnerability again, whereas she hasn’t really in... seasons. Many seasons. There’s a dream of spring for Arya here. However, the sorrow comes because, well, they’re about to face a mob of ice zombies like next episode. Even if they didn’t know just how soon it would be, they knew it would be soon, and it’s them clinging to the last bit of their humanity before the murderous dead come for them... which is fitting symbolically because Arya’s quite brutal murders, no matter how justified, really shouldn’t be something she gets away with in the story when nobody else has. So even if they both survive (and I’m not worried for Arya, because I don’t think the writers would go there), there is that question: will Arya’s past/face-changing ability catch up with her?

Daenerys & Jon. As I’ve said, the dead are symbolic of the wheel Dany wants to break, the wheel that has been rolling and rolling ever since the first men fought with the Children of the Forest and the White Walkers were created. It’s fitting also that they show up as Jon tells Dany the truth about his parentage: they have to truly face the past to create a new future. It also, again, makes me suspicious that Jon and Dany are not going to end up on the throne, but instead might run off together like Grey Worm and Missandei discussed doing (notice how they’ve dropped hints of someone doing just that both episodes so far). Dany wants the throne and Jon’s already yielded it for her, but as she’s said, she is not going for it yet because she loves him. A loss or two might be enough to shake Dany enough to consider whether she wants the throne or Jon, esp if she’s pregnant (don’t think that will be a plotline until ep 4 at the very earliest though, we got a battle to get through and I’m hyped). She doesn’t have the right to the throne and she knows that now, and so maybe she will reconsider whether she really wants it or if she found a greater treasure on her way there (Missandei, Grey Worm, Jon--her loved ones). Not to mention “Jenny’s Song” refers to a story in history where a king gave up the throne for his peasant lover, Jenny.

#game of thrones #got #gendrya #jonerys #brienne x jaime #brienne of tarth #sansa stark #arya stark #gendry waters #daenerys targaryen #jon snow #aegon targaryen #jaime lannister #tyrion lannister #theon greyjoy #got meta #got theory

1K notes · View notes

kallypsowrites · 6 years ago

Text

Arya’s Most Undervalued Skill

Settle down folks, cause we’re here today to talk about Arya Stark’s most undervalued skill. Cause yeah, she’s a warrior and has a sharp mind and a sharp tongue and she stands up for injustice. All very good things. But one trait that we rarely discuss (partially because it’s depicted more in the books than the show and partially because this is an undervalued skill in general) is this: My girl is scary good at making friends.

Like, shit man, Arya is just good at making all kinds of people like her. And I really do mean ALL kinds. There are lots of examples of this in the book, but for those who say that D&D deleted this aspect of her character in the show: Oh, contrair. Let’s look at the colorful cast of characters that Arya somehow manages to befriend (This is show focused but feel free to add book characters)

First up, we got Micah. Precious Micah. Gone before your time. But he’s an odd friend for a noble girl to have because he’s the son of a butcher in a town where they’re just stopping by for like...a day. Arya apparently scurries off and immediately befriends this total stranger and gets him to help her practice with a sword. And even though they only know each other for a day, his murder is enough to get the Hound on her kill list! Because she geuinely cares about and values this boy even though it would have been so easy for her to dismiss her.

Then we’ve got Syrio. I mean yes, Syrio was hired by her father but the guy does go out of his way to comfort her AND let us not forget, he is willing to sacrifice his life to help her. That’s not something you do for a girl that you don’t really like.

Arya befriends Gendry, Hotpie and Lommy as well. Even though Hotpie and Lommy start off my picking on Arya by season two, they’re having casual conversations and by the end of their journey, Hotpie bakes her a wolf bread! And welcomes her back in season 7! Also, Arya puts Polliver on her list partially because of killing Lommy. Clearly she usually only holds grudges when necessary or she wouldn’t have been so bent on seeking justice for this boy. And with Gendry, well, I don’t need to say much about that. Everyone else has said plenty about them. But suffice it to say that a poor bastard black smith is a strange friend for a high born girl to have.

She befriends Jaqen H’ghar because she helps him out of a jam, even though she could have left him to die, and because of it, she earns his help and a coin that gets her to Bravos. You think he offers that internship to everyone? No chance.

She befriends the Brotherhood, even though they kidnap and plan to randsom her, getting the archer to teach her how to shoot and even having a heartfelt conversation with Berric Dondarian, another man who makes it on her list.

She befriends the Hound, one of the first ever names on her list, and he tells her about his burning trauma and helps her away from the Red Wedding. Sure, we could say he’s trying to ransom her, but he clearly likes the girl even when she’s THREATENING him MULTIPLE TIMES.

She befriends many people in Bravos just by wandering the docks and learning about them. She befriends Lady Crane to the point that woman takes her in and heals her even though they’ve only had one short interaction. And if you think that there was no ‘Arya the friend making genius’ in season 7? Wrong! How about that conversation with the random Lannister soldiers? Makes friends with them too and has a good laugh.

But honestly, I think the greatest testement to Arya’s way with people is a show only addition to season two when she becomes cup bearer to Tywin fucking Lannister. Like, Jesus, my girl Arya somehow gets him to tell her about his daddy issues? Also he compares her to his daughter and talks about history with her? Its the warmest we ever see Tywin except maybe his scene with Tommen after Joffrey’s death. And even then, Tywin is partially trying to manipulate Tommen into listening to him. With Arya, he doesn’t need her for anything. He thinks she’s some random girl. They still end up having MULTIPLE positive interactions.

So Arya befriends just about everyone she meets and those people, from Micah to Tywin Lannister, seem to like her. Why is that?

1) She doesn’t care about background. Arya treats most people based on their deeds NOT where they come from. If you earn a spot on her list, its cause you fucked up real bad. But she even is willing to chat with people from her list if she needs to.

2) She’s a good listener. People are just...drawn to tell her shit. And she doesn’t use it as ammo or gossip later. She just kinda has that vibe that you could tell her anything and it won’t get back to your enemies.

3) She is strong willed but kind. Despite the terrible treatment she got in season seven by the writers, Arya is not cruel without purpose. She says what is on her mind and she calls people out but she also often gives people the benefit of the doubt.

4) She really genuinely cares about people. Like, she is ride or die if she’s known you for even a brief time and you seem like a good person. And she’ll kill for you! A proper friend.

5) I dunno, some mystical powers that caused Tywin Lannister to be sort of nice for 2.5 seconds.

Her skill at this is there in the show. It’s just underutilized and not often talked about. But Arya’s people skills is part of her character that makes her so loveable! And I think we should acknowledge it more.

#game of thrones #arya stark #sandor clegane #tywin lannister #syrio forel #Gendry waters #jaqen h'ghar #arya is my daughter #i love her dearly

831 notes · View notes

wolfqueen-is-here · 6 years ago

Text

What’s Sansa’s endgame?

I think we can all agree that she lives and thrives so let’s move on to a different point. What’s her romantic/political endgame, if not Jon?

Of course, we can get a “single and independent Queen Sansa” ending but wasn’t there enough proof that it’s not acceptable in Westeros? Weren’t Dany’s advisers constantly nudging her, trying to make her name an heir? Welp, that’s only because that’s the core of this universe - marriages, heirs, carrying on family names. Sure, as a feminist I’d love Sansa to be on her own and happy but a. that’s not how society works in Westeros and b. this is not what Sansa wanted all her life (and she DID get upset when she was the only one not getting some love at the feast in 8x04, to the point when she sought some comfort in a convo with THE HOUND, no less.)

No, being single is unfortunately not an option for a leader in Westeros. She is (and they keep reminding us) the future of House Stark - it sure doesn’t mean dying childless and alone. So what option does she really have?

A nameless lord mentioned only in the epilogue. Sure, it’s a possibility. But is it a possibility for Sansa, one of the main characters and future Lady of Winterfell/Queen in the North/Queen of the Seven Kingdoms? I highly doubt it. I think if that was their plan, they’d try to introduce this “nameless lord” beforehand, make us like him, make us trust him, make us believe he’d be good for her. He could have been a war hero, they could flirt at the feast - there were countless possibilities. Were D&D just lazy and didn’t think of doing it, or was this never an option?

Tyrion. Of all the candidates introduced this season, only Tyrion seems like a potential choice for an endgame (which sickens me but I’m only talking about their storytelling angle) - he’s still alive (RIP Theon), doesn’t only talk about her rape experiences (FY Sandor), and isn’t her sister’s boyfriend (I’ll get back to it). But apart from her explicitly telling him “no” in the crypt, I don’t see it happening in the books - and that’s too important an ending to have it differ from GRRM’s outline. Sansa and Tyrion in the books have no real relationship as husband and wife - in the show they at least made them kinda sorta friends - book!Tyrion is a creep and a pedo, not to mention his actions outside of his marriage to Sansa (Shae’s brutal murder, rape, his obsession with sex, and his main concern with women being whether or not they’d sleep with him; I hate his POV chapters, they make me sick). So no, Sanrion is not happening. Sansa is a Stark, she will always be a Stark - Tyrion, on the other hand, is a Lannister through and through. He’d never consider fathering children named Stark to his Stark wife - and that’s what should happen if Sansa stays in Winterfell.

Gendry. (I threw up a little having to write this.) I was so happy when Daenerys named him the Lord of Storm’s End, you have no idea! Ye, sure, he can be a lord and marry Arya, he’s such a happy puppy before Arya dumps him (sorry, puppy!Gendry) but what’s more important - now we can finally stop wondering whether Sansa should marry her sister’s boyfriend. No, she shouldn’t. First of all, HE’S HER SISTER’S BOYFRIEND AND THEY HAD LITERALLY ZERO INTERACTIONS DESPITE BEING IN THE SAME LOCATION FOR WEEKS. Second of all, he’s a lord in his own right now, she has Winterfell to worry about, he has Storm’s End. Either he moves North to be with her and abandons his castle (which tbh I can see happening if it’s for Arya), or she leaves Winterfell (never happening EVER unless we’re talking about her being the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, which is something that I don’t want for her anyway.)

Podrick. I love Pod but storywise he’s too little for her, they had no real interactions ever despite being in the same location (with a few exceptions) for literal YEARS (since Brienne pledged herself to Sansa in S6.)

Are there any men left who aren’t already taken (Sam, Jaime), father-figures (Davos, Yohn Royce), or absolutely unsuitable (The Hound, Tormund)?

Seriously, I’m asking you - what’s Sansa’s possible endgame, if not Jon? (Unless, you know, Arya got pregnant during her one-night stand but due to her wish to travel she drops her child in Winterfell to be raised by Sansa...)

#jonsa #jon x sansa #sansa stark #house stark #queen sansa #got spoilers #got s8 #got s8 spec #jonsa is endgame

249 notes · View notes

gendryatrash · 5 years ago

Note

To be honest, is Gendry really good enough for Arya?

A big fat YES, anon. I strongly believe so. Out of all the characters in asoiaf, I’d argue that Gendry is the perfect character for Arya Stark who isn’t her relative (Jon) lmao. In answering this, I’ll mostly refer to book!gendry since show!gendry is so different from him aside from the fact that they both love Arya. Nonetheless, despite all their differences, I still believe that Gendry himself in whatever life or medium his character is portrayed in truly deserves to be with Arya.

So here are the reasons why Gendry is ‘good enough’ for his lady:

In answering the question whether someone is good enough for a person, I think it’s important to first consider the character with whom they are being linked to. In this case, the character we’re analyzing is that of Arya and-

1. Arya Stark loves who she loves.

When it comes to building relationships, I believe that Arya is the kind of character that isn’t caught up with other people’s place in the social ladder or in social hierarchy in itself. Since I think that this is mostly the reason why people would believe they shouldn’t be together given that she’s obviously a lady and Gendry, aside from being an unrecognized bastard, is only a blacksmith (which isn’t bad in itself but is still considered lowborn). I strongly believe that Arya is not the kind of character to base her affections on people’s station in life since the text itself says that Arya befriends and protects people from all walks of life as she did with the butcher’s son Mycah to Weasel a young girl she had no responsibility of taking care of but did. In short, Arya Stark loves who she loves. It was never a question of who you are for her, she loves people for the reason of loving them. Arya’s heart and compassion for different people is seen in the books and I believe that this extends with who she might choose to end up with in the future. She already thinks highly of Gendry and actually considers him to be a friend and companion of hers that it really broke her heart when Gendry decided to stay with the Brotherhood Without Banners. Arya, in letting people into her life, would never let any social status stop her from admiring and choosing a person she already confides with and thinks highly of.

Now onto more reasons why Gendry is awesome!

2. Gendry is literally a pure human bean

Aside from the fact that Arya doesn’t give a damn about labels, Gendry himself as a character is one of the purest in the whole story. I mean, this dude who had zero idea about who Arya is, decided to help her protect herself from bullies that wanted to take advantage of a small and seemingly defenseless kid. He literally could’ve minded his own business because he seemed indifferent as fuck when he was first introduced through Ned’s pov but that wasn’t what happened here. Gendry was literally that supportive friend you have who coaches you where the next punch is coming from to help you protect yourself. From the get go, it’s established that Gendry and Arya are equals and it’s amazing (there’s more to this but i’ll shut up about this for now). Moreover, Gendry doesn’t want to hurt a single hair in Arya’s body whether accidental or not as seen in this passage:

“Want to fight?” she asked the Bull. She wanted to hit something.

He blinked at her, startled. Strands of thick black hair, still wet from the bathhouse, fell across his deep blue eyes.

“I’d hurt you.”

“You would not.”

“You don’t know how strong I am.”

“You don’t know how quick I am.”

“You’re asking for it, Arry.” He drew Praed’s longsword. “This is cheap steel, but it’s a real sword.” Arya unsheathed Needle. “This is good steel, so it’s realer than yours.”

The Bull shook his head. “Promise not to cry if I cut you?”

“I’ll promise if you will.” (ACOK)

It’s adorable that despite his size and intimidating appearance, Gendry is such a softie who doesn’t want to hurt his friends even though it’s unintentional. And let’s also not forget that Gendry literally gets all flustered and dumb whenever girls are in the equation. Dude blushes just from the thought of girls and literally walks out when a girl shows interest. Like. What an adorable awkward Boy!! It’s real cute that Gendry is so innocent about sex and romantic relationships because in that way, his youth was highlighted. And paired with Arya who grew up with him in that same level of innocence, they make a hecking adorable example of literally childhood friends who could turn into so much more when they grow older.

3. Gendry is not only a skillful smith, he’s also a smart boy

Now let’s talk about how Gendry is good at his craft. It’s said in the books that he was still an apprentice to Tobho Mott when he was taken by the Night’s Watch to go to the wall. But even with this, Gendry clearly possess the skills and passion it takes to make a great smith and armorer in the future.

Almost shyly, the boy led them to his bench, and a steel helm shaped like a bull’s head, with two great curving horns. Ned turned the helm over in his hands. It was raw steel, unpolished but expertly shaped. “This is fine work. I would be pleased if you would let me buy it.” (GOT)

“I did my work, is all. Bellows and tongs and fetch and carry. I was s’posed to be an armorer, and one day Master Mott says I got to join the Night’s Watch, that’s all I know.” Then he’d go off to polish his helm. It was a beautiful helm, rounded and curved, with a slit visor and two great metal bull’s horns. Arya would watch him polish the metal with an oilcloth, shining it so bright you could see the flames of the cookfire reflected in the steel. Yet he never actually put it on his head. (ACOK)

As she passed the armory, Arya heard the ring of a hammer. A deep orange glow shone through the high windows. She climbed to the roof and peeked down. Gendry was beating out a breastplate. When he worked, nothing existed for him but metal, bellows, fire. The hammer was like part of his arm. She watched the play of muscles in his chest and listened to the steel music he made. He’s strong, she thought. (ACOK)

Gendry was only spared because he’d admitted to forging the horned helm himself; smiths, even apprentice smiths, were too valuable to kill. (ACOK)

“Master Mott said it was time I made my first longsword. He gave me a sweet piece of steel, and I knew just how I wanted to shape the blade. Only Yoren came, and took me away for the Night’s Watch.” (ASOS)

“I could shoe him for you,” said Gendry, all of a sudden. “I was only a ’prentice, but my master said my hand was made to hold a hammer. I can shoe horses, close up rents in mail, and beat the dents from plate. I bet I could make swords too.” (ASOS)

From this, we could see that it wasn’t only Arya who saw Gendry’s skill and passion for smithing. We get to see this sentiment repeated coming from different characters like Ned and Tobho Mott.

And Yes, despite all the jokes about Gendry being a stupid bastard, he’s actually quite smart especially considering that he hasn’t really acquired formal education like one taught by maesters since he’s only a bastard boy. But looking at passages from the books, Gendry was the voice of reason in their gang and he actively joins in on conversations and adds his own input and suggestions.

Look with your eyes, Arya wanted to shout at the men below. “Can’t they see we’re no lords or knights?” she whispered. “I don’t think they care, Arry,” Gendry whispered back. And she looked at Ser Amory’s face, the way Syrio had taught her to look, and she saw that he was right. (ACOK)

“They would have burned the lake if they could have,” Gendry had said,

and Arya knew he was right. (ACOK)

It was Gendry who thought of the lord’s towerhouse and the three that Yoren had sent to hold it. (ACOK)

“There’s nails,” Lommy pointed out. “And there’s trees all around. We could build us all boats.” Yoren spat. “You know anything ‘bout boat-building, dyer’s boy?” Lommy looked blank. “A raft,” suggested Gendry. “Anyone can build a raft, and long poles for pushing.” Yoren looked thoughtful. “Lake’s too deep to pole across, but if we stayed to the shallows near shore … it’d mean leaving the wagons. Might be that’s best. I’ll sleep on it.” (ACOK)

Gendry wanted no part of any roads, and even Hot Pie and Lommy saw the sense in that. (ACOK)

“The river bends and loops,” said Gendry. “This is just a shorter way, I bet. Some secret outlaw way. Lem and Tom and them have been living here for years.” That was true. Arya bit her lip. (ACOK)

“If there’s people, there’s food,” Hot Pie said, too loudly. Gendry was always telling him to be more quiet, but it never did any good. “Might be they’d give us some.” “Might be they’d kill us too,” Gendry said. (ACOK)

Gendry frowned. “Knights and lordlings, they take each other captive and pay ransoms, but they don’t care if the likes of you yield or not.” (ACOK)

These are just some quotes showing us how street smart and perceptive Gendry is. And I really believe that if he was only given the chance to have proper education, he would have been knowledgeable about other subjects too since even without it, he’s already seen as someone with valid and reliable suggestions.

4. Gendry is honorable and loyal

Gendry is one of the few characters in the series who is actually honorable. Right from the start, he doesn’t see the point of changing who he is just for the sake of other people, be it noble or not. He lives and works for his own, not feeling the need to ever take advantage of someone just so he could feel better about himself. Before his and Arya’s path crossed, he worked peacefully and kept to himself, expecting others to do the same. To quote a scene i previously mentioned,

Ned turned the helm over in his hands. It was raw steel, unpolished but expertly shaped. “This is fine work. I would be pleased if you would let me buy it.” The boy snatched it out of his hands. “It’s not for sale.” Tobho Mott looked horror-struck. “Boy, this is the King’s Hand. If his lordship wants this helm, make him a gift of it. He honors you by asking.” “I made it for me,” the boy said stubbornly. “A hundred pardons, my lord,” his master said hurriedly to Ned. “The boy is crude as new steel, and like new steel would profit from some beating.” (GOT)

While Tobho Mott thought that it was rude of Gendry to act the way he did, personally I see this as Gendry being true to himself by being honest regardless of the social pressure he constantly face to bow down to nobility.

Moreover, loyalty is another one of Gendry’s characteristics that makes him such a good partner for Arya. While his father, Robert, couldn’t keep his pants on for the life of him, Gendry couldn’t even handle being flirted by other girls. The only time we could see Gendry flirt with anyone openly and happily is with Arya. He even fled the scene when Bella was tempting him back at the inn and this gets to show that Gendry is the exact opposite of Robert, implying that he would be a loyal partner even in the future. Additionally, he also shows his loyalty through his commitment to the masters he thought are fair starting from Tobho Mott and ultimately with the Brotherhood Without Banners.

A sword’s a sword, a helm’s a helm, and if you reach in the fire you get burned, no matter who you’re serving. Lucan’s a fair enough master. I’ll stay here.” (ACOK)

“A smith can find a welcome most anywhere. A skilled armorer even more so. Why would you choose to stay with us?” Arya watched Gendry screw up his stupid face, thinking. “At the hollow hill, what you said about being King Robert’s men, and brothers, I liked that. I liked that you gave the Hound a trial. Lord Bolton just hanged folk or took off their heads, and Lord Tywin and Ser Amory were the same. I’d sooner smith for you.” (ASOS)

Later in ASOS, Gendry is shown to take account of the fairness of the brotherhood and it influences his decision a lot. Thinking that being with Arya while she’s highborn and he’s not to be too painful, he opted to serve for a cause he believes to be just. He seeks out honorable men and this mirrors how honorable he is too.

5. He respects Arya Stark. BIG TIME.

Right from ACOK, Gendry and Arya’s tandem was built on insulting each other but still listening to one another’s opinion. Now what I love the most about these two dorks is that deep down, they really do respect each other. Moreover, he does not only respect her by following what she says but he also shows it by keeping her secret safe and by protecting Arya in a way that doesn’t invalidate her skills. We could see this from the very moment they met after Arya whacked Hot Pie in the face for wanting to take Needle from her,

The Bull shouted, “Behind you,” and Arya spun. Hot Pie was on his knees, his fist closing around a big jagged rock. She let him throw it, ducking her head as it sailed past. Then she flew at him. He raised a hand and she hit it, and then his cheek, and then his knee. (ACOK)

Here’s more instances when Gendry protected Arya while acknowledging that Arya knows what she’s doing and he just wants to let her know that he’s there ready to kick some ass if ever she needs it

Broken Nose guffawed. The officer looked her up and down. “Put the blade away, little girl, no one wants to hurt you.

“I’m not a girl!” she yelled, furious. What was wrong with them? They rode all this way for her and here she was and they were just smiling at her. “I’m the one you want.” “He’s the one we want.” The officer jabbed his shortsword toward the Bull, who’d come forward to stand beside her, Praed’s cheap steel in his hand. (ACOK)

Arya edged backward away from the wagon. When she felt the hand on her shoulder, she whirled, bringing up her stick sword again, but it was only the Bull. “What are you doing?” He raised his hands defensively. “Yoren said none of us should go near those three.” (ACOK)

“Lommy could steal, if it wasn’t for his leg,” said Hot Pie. “He was a thief in the city.” “A bad thief,” Arya said, “or he wouldn’t have got caught.” Gendry squinted up at the sun. “Evenfall will be the best time to sneak in. I’ll go scout come dark.”

“No, I’ll go,” Arya said.“You’re too noisy.”

Gendry got that look on his face. “We’ll both go.”

“Arry should go,” said Lommy. “He’s sneakier than you are.”

“We’ll both go, I said.” (ACOK)

I noticed how Gendry was literally Arya’s sidekick and I see that as him helping her protect herself because Gendry believes in Arya and he doesn’t see her as a fragile object that might easily break.

And lastly, Gendry not only respects Arya Stark’s skills and opinions. He respects her feelings too. And we clearly get to see this when he apologized to Arya for wanting to stay with the Brotherhood (even tho we all know he did that partly because of his belief that he’s way too lowborn for his milady),

As Arya was cinching her saddle girth, Gendry came up to say that he was sorry. She put a foot in the stirrup and swung up into her saddle, so she could look down on him instead of up.You could have made swords at Riverrun for my brother , she thought, but what she said was, “If you want to be some stupid outlaw knight and get hanged, why should I care? I’ll be at Riverrun, ransomed, with my brother.” (ASOS)

The quotes i’ve included here have been quoted many times already and my answer is getting too long now but all I know is that Arya deserves someone who respects her, including all the skills, opinions, and feelings that she have. And I know for sure that Gendry is the kind of man to do so because he’s shown time and time again how much he respects his lady and everything about her. Gendry is a skilled smith, an honorable and loyal person, and most of all, he respects and cares for Arya Stark. And due to these reasons, Arya admires him and I believe that’s enough reason for me to think that Gendry indeed, deserves to be with his lady.

#gendry waters #gendry baratheon #i love gendry with my whole heart and id defend him to the ends of the world #a lot of the points i made here have already been made by countless metas before #and i think these points have already been raised by other metas before #because gendry really is all that in the books #he's amazing #maria.txt #asks #anon

59 notes · View notes

apiratecalledav · 6 years ago

Text

Sandor Clegane: Champion for the Innocent aka Cleganebowl Was More Than Just Revenge

In a series like this, with a culture so very different from our own, we mostly stop judging characters by what they do and instead focus more on why they do them.

Character’s motivations and rationale are a driving force in this series. The ones who are acting out of love or other noble intentions are the ones the audience roots for.

Despite what Sandor tells Arya and Ray about hate, we know that it’s actually his paternal love for Arya that lets him be reborn into a second, (comparatively) happier life: He finds a true home with Ray and his flock and has peace for a time. When they are taken from him, he is still able to make friends with Beric and reunite with Arya and help save Westeros from the Army of the Dead.

Speaking of the war against the dead, let’s look at who our biggest heroes are and WHY I think they were successful:

Beric and Melisandre. Two people who aren’t particularly close to anyone still alive, so they’re not really fighting for their loved ones’ futures. They also don’t believe there’s any kind of afterlife, so they’re not looking to have their souls redeemed or get rewarded. Their actions are purely for the good of humanity.

Theon, who didn’t believe he could ever make amends for his mistakes and even told Sansa once that he didn’t want to be forgiven, didn’t come to Winterfell for redemption. He is not motivated by revenge either because the Night King hasn’t done anything to him. He’s there because he loves Sansa and Bran. Even though you can tell that every nerve in his body is screaming for him to bolt when the Walkers arrive and you can practically hear Ramsay whispering “Reeeek!” in his ear, he stands his ground. Because Bran needs him and Theon is going to do anything to protect him.

Edd, who once ran from the Walkers and left Sam behind, saves Sam’s life this time. Now Gilly, who has suffered so much, still has her husband (shut up, they are married) and the father of her children.

Lyanna Mormont, though but a child, is the leader of her people and she felt it was her duty to stand with them.

Jorah literally does not allow himself to fall while Dany is still in danger. He only succumbs to his wounds once he sees that the threat is eliminated.

And of course, Arya. Arya, who didn’t even really like Beric much, fights tooth and nail to save him and when she can’t, tries to ease his passing the best she can. And then when Mel gives her a bit of hope, Arya runs to save her baby brother and the rest of humanity, making sure Beric’s sacrifice won’t be in vain.

If I were some kind of deity, that kind of selflessness, love, and loyalty would be the reason to decide that the human race is worth saving.

Sandor had a really hard time during the battle and struggled with PTSD and felt worthless. Even though he managed to keep fighting for Arya’s sake and helped save her, I think he was very disappointed that he didn’t do more or have some grand epiphany that explained why he survived for so long.

He looks more broken than relieved when he realizes that it’s over. At the victory party, he’s still clearly depressed. He pushes Gendry and Tormund away. He snaps at the girl trying to proposition him. And he drinks. A lot.

Like Theon, there’s a lot that keeps Sandor up at night. He is haunted by the things he’s done and by the horrible things he has seen and experienced and so has never let himself get really close to anyone. The way he is and the life he’s led are easily the result of growing up around someone like the Mountain. Violence and fear. His innocence shattered as a small child when his own brother shoved him face first into a fireplace and their father did nothing to stop Gregor, before or after.

There’s a lot of self loathing and guilt and regrets:

He’s talking to Beric but there’s definitely some projection up there.

From across the room, Sansa sees that Sandor is suffering and she reaches out to him. As they start catching up, Sandor has a lot of mixed emotions. He’s proud of her and impressed but he’s also devastated for her, too. If anyone understands the loss of innocence through cruelty, it’s him.

In his way, he tells her that he wishes he could have spared her from it and that he really wanted to do so. Even though he often derided and pitied her childish innocence, it was also something that he cherished and envied.

I know a lot of people criticized Sansa’s line about how she’d have stayed a little bird all of her life without Ramsay and Littlefinger and believe me, I understand and it’s certainly possible that the writers are just insensitive jackasses. But within the context, I think it does make sense. When you don’t have a real concept of mental health, never mind psychology or therapy, I imagine that rationalizing trauma would be a coping method.

And unfortunately, this is also all Sansa has ever seen: you stay naive and sheltered or you randomly get shoved out of the nest and the only thing you can do is pray that you’ll fly.

However, we shouldn’t forget that Sansa was not once a little bird solely because she was sweet and innocent. She was also very, very much in a cage:

Being able to use the connections she got from Littlefinger and Ramsay (the Vale, being close enough to reach Jon), she got to take back Winterfell and have a real home again. Then she got to make sure that those two got what they deserved.

Sandor spent most of his life building a wall around himself but Sansa found a way to make herself free. She may have a better poker face and she may be more cautious, but she’s still the same kind and caring person she's always been. She saw Sandor was hurting and tried to comfort him and didn’t let him scare her off. She even puts her hand on his and I think that might even be the first time we’ve seen anyone touch him out of affection.

When she leaves, he seems to be doing a lot of thinking and looks a lot less miserable.

The next we see him, he’s on his way to King’s Landing and is joined by Arya. They seem to wordlessly agree that Sandor will hold off the Mountain while Arya kills Cersei. Neither expect to survive but it will end the war and it will save lives so they’re willing to make the trade.

However, before they can reach Cersei and Gregor, it rapidly becomes apparent that it’s too late and that virtually everyone in King’s Landing is doomed.

Sandor points this out to Arya. But her chances of leaving safely probably don’t look all that good to her anyway and she’s so close to the last person alive she hates most. The person who is, in a lot of ways, the catalyst for all of her suffering. It’s natural that she’d want to take Cersei down with her.

It has some interesting parallels to her reunion with Melisandre. Beric, Sandor, and Mel were all once on her list but she forgave them and phased them out. Sandor and Beric ended up saving her life. But I think it’s likely she put Melisandre back on her list when she found out what happened to Gendry. She looked pretty pissed:

Even though it looks like she’s only a few moments from death, I could see her thinking “At least I can avenge Gendry before I die.” But Melisandre tells her she might be able to end this and it’s not even a question. Arya leaves her to focus on saving the people she’s cares about. But it’s different in King’s Landing. She’s not home. None of her family is nearby except for Jon and he’s probably okay. Her friends and family aren’t counting on her, at least not in the same way.

Cersei is going to die, it’s just a question of how. So Arya has to decide what really matters: Revenge or Justice? If Arya has to be the one to kill Cersei, then it’s just about revenge. If it’s just about stopping someone cruel in power, then Arya can go.

Now Sandor’s speech about how he’s only wanted revenge feels a little clunky (I personally believe that bit is pulled from Lady Stoneheart) but I think it’s easy enough to see it as Sandor not knowing how to explain all his feelings of guilt and purposelessness and loneliness that stem from Gregor to Arya, even if he had enough time.

It’s certainly clear from the way he gently cradles Arya’s head like a parent does for a baby, that revenge is not all he cared about. I also think he’s kind of mimicking how Sansa took his hand to comfort him and add sincerity, hoping to do the same for Arya.

Arya decides that revenge isn’t worth dying for and she’d rather have the chance to live. And considering how Cersei faced death with such a raw and pitiable fear and bone deep anguish, I think it’s more than fair to say that killing her wouldn’t have brought Arya any satisfaction anyway. Arya calls to him by name for the first time and she thanks him.

What I liked best about this scene though is how the Hound, on Cersei’s and Joffrey’s orders, brought the first bit of darkness to Arya’s world by killing Mycah. But with this scene, Sandor gives Arya a bit of light that (hopefully) will never go out. Kinda like giving back the last piece of Arya Stark that started splintering once she left Winterfell.

So why does Sandor still go after his brother?

Because he’s had a very difficult and sad life and he’s done a lot of things he wishes he could take back. And then on top of all of that, despite all odds, he manages to be brought back from the brink of death. And it must be for a reason, right? What makes him better than Mycah or Ned or the farmer and his daughter?

Now maybe it was some kind of divine intervention that gave him the idea, but I think it’s more likely Sandor just straight up decides that his purpose was to free the world once and for all from the Mountain. Unlike Cersei, who is a small and fragile mortal, the Mountain definitely is not. How many (more) soldiers would have to die trying to get to him before the dragon could? If it even could.

I saw a lot of people decrying the eye squish as pure gore or shock value but not at all! It was a call back to the Mountain’s fight with Oberyn. Oberyn, who could have killed the Mountain years ago if he hadn’t wanted revenge more than he wanted to stop the Mountain from brutalizing, torturing, or killing anyone else ever again.

But stopping him is what Sandor wanted most, so much that he could even overcome his worst fears. Sandor had a lifetime of the Mountain maiming and murdering countless people: Ripping dozens of daughters, mothers, fathers, sisters, sons, and brothers from their families; widowing who knows how many husbands and wives; and no one had been able to properly do anything about it for years and years. It’s why he stepped between the Mountain and Loras all those years ago. Only this time, Sandor has the strength and ability to stop him for good.

That’s why he succeeds where Oberyn failed.

Near the beginning, it seemed like the Hound was introduced as a method of instigating Innocence Lost. But throughout the series, we see him become a champion for the innocent, such as Sansa and Arya and even Loras. In the end, Sandor takes out one of the most vicious and murderous characters (which is saying something) who is practically synonymous with the loss of innocence through brutality.

Yeah, he did it for himself but he also did it for his sister and father and their missing servants, for Elia and her babies, the prisoners at Harrenhal, and so many others. He did it for everyone who could have come in contact with Gregor in the future. The knowledge that the Mountain would never harm anyone again is probably what gave Sandor real peace.

He just saw it as a bonus that Gregor got what he deserved and that Sandor--not the Hound-- got to give it to him.

#sandor clegane #the hound #arya stark #sansa stark #game of thrones #the mountain #gregor clegane

116 notes · View notes

ghostofbambifanfiction · 6 years ago

Note

Hey Sarah! Another GOT question. Since episode 2 was so wonderful, which of our favorites do you think will be killed? Any time there was a heartfelt moment I immediately thought one of those characters wouldn't make it out of episode 3 alive. I feel like Jaime, Theon, Jorah, and Gendry won't survive. Mostly because the showrunners don't like to give us happy endings. What do you think?

Hi lovely!

Okay, so, the first thing to note is that I really don’t think that the showrunners like denying us happy endings. I think they’re working—more or less—towards the same ending that GRRM has planned, and I also believe that they love the characters. I think they really love the characters and want to do them justice, whatever that means for the individual. Sure, some of the deaths have been shocking and sad, but I’ve never seen a major character die with their arc still in progress. Every major death has served a purpose and made complete sense to me. So with that in mind, here are my theories on all four of the characters you’ve named. Let’s bullet point this mother!

Jaime: I honestly think he’s safe next episode because he still has an overarching plot with his family to resolve and I honestly can’t see the show letting him go without him at least telling Brienne that he loves her. The fact that Cersei has sent Bronn to kill Jaime and Tyrion seems like a guarantee to me that both Lannister boys are making it through the battle, because you know the show is going to touch back on that again.

Theon: Of the four characters you’ve named, I can see Theon dying in the battle because his arc could very well point him to an act of self-sacrifice in the service of the house that has been his truest family. I think the audience are going to feel cheated if at least one major character isn’t killed, and Theon dying—after all of the horrors he has endured and all of his growth and self-improvement—would fulfill the dual purpose of ending his arc in a fitting way and breaking the audience’s heart. I am hoping that he won’t die, but worried that he will.

Jorah: I could go either way on Jorah, honestly, but his growing bond with Sam and Sam’s clear discontent with Daenerys leads me to think that he has more still to come. He’s been largely away from Dany since season 4 for some reason or other, and he hasn’t truly seen what kind of person she’s turned into. I’m still 100% convinced that she is on a villainous path and that he could be the last person to defect from her. So I dunno. Jury’s out.

Gendry: A lot of the theories flying around about Gendry seem to be based on the common horror/thriller trope wherein two people have sex and one of them dies afterwards. Since Melisandre informed Arya in season 3 that they would meet again, yet she hasn’t shown up at Winterfell yet, I feel like that means Arya is safe. If we’re following the common trope, that would put Gendry in the firing line, but Game of Thrones has never been a show that conformed to common tropes. It subverts tropes. I think it’s trying to make us fear for Gendry, but I don’t actually think he’s going to die.

Some other things to consider re: Gendry (because anyone who knows me knows that Arya, Gendry and the Gendrya pairing are my top priority along with Sansa and Bran)

He’s the only Baratheon left in the world, and we were reminded of that in his most recent scene, which seems pointed, especially when you consider that…

Ned and Robert wanted to join their houses all the way back in season 1, but unfortunately, the son that Sansa was betrothed to obviously wasn’t a real Baratheon. Yet Robert’s proclamation was an assured one, it always seemed oddly prophetic to me.

The below shot of the two of them leaving King’s Landing on the wagon headed north, while a procession follows on foot, has always seemed to me like foreshadowing. Can’t you see them ruling the people of Storm’s End together? The show has used imagery to foreshadow before. In season 2, Tyrion and Shae lay on his bed in nearly the exact positions they were in when he killed her two seasons later. That’s just an example, but you get me.

The show spent two seasons building up a foundation to Gendry’s relationship with Arya before Melisandre took him away. Arya trusts him. She cares for him. She was in love with him way back when, and he clearly cares about her. When she took off her clothes in front of him, he was very concerned by her scars and, I dunno, that seems like…not nothing. It seems like a segue into a deeper examination of their relationship. He is clearly trying to get a handle of who she is now. Of all the relationships that Arya formed as a runaway over the years, her friendship with him was the healthiest and purest. The connection and affection she feels for him will, I believe, play a vital part in furthering Arya along on her journey to reclaim her humanity and her sense of peace, rather than continuing on this insanely damaging revenge mission. Their relationship has depths to explore, and I don’t think the show is going to throw that all away just to give us a sad death. If he did die, I feel like she’d go careening in the other direction, and as I’ve already stated, I feel like the showrunners and writers (and especially the Bryan Cogman) love her character too much to do her such a disservice, especially since this season and season 7 have gone such a way towards pulling her out of that darkness.

On Gendry’s part—because he has as much agency as Arya and he matters as a character outside of what he represents for her, I also think that Cersei could be his real mother. I’ve detailed as much in the article I wrote here which you can take a look at if you like. It saves me from explaining it now, haha.

Even if she isn’t his mother, I still think the fact that he’s Robert Baratheon’s only surviving child is important and that he has a role to play in the restoration of that house. He’s certainly a much better man than his father, and he’s been one of the smallfolk for long enough to care about them and ensure that they are well treated—and isn’t that the kind of liege lord the people need?

This answer was mostly about Gendry and Arya. If Tumblr mobile messes up the formatting (which it will) I will be pissed.

#Game of Thrones #Gendrya

136 notes · View notes

sheisthequeensil · 6 years ago

Text

Contains GoT spoilers/possible spoilers. Followers and non followers who don't want to know, skip this long text of mine, please.

About the spoilers of tonight's episode, I totally understand them, I understand Gendry going for Arya with the hope she accepts be his family and to create a new history at Storm's End that I'm sure he would let her free to be in her own terms (WHAT I don't think she necessarily will let him say it), while she rejects (not because I think it doesn't fit her character, she CAN be a Lady in her own way and still would be appropriate, but the timing wouldn't be right a) it's only episode 4 b) there must have the inner conflit Maisie said Arya would face it between her feelings/love/life vs the cold/assassin/death path), so it has reason.

But about the "leaks" or even rumours of final ones, they're highly disappointing. (And no, I'm not even talking about that Gendry/Sansa nonsense bc hello, what a real joke lol)

I remember Joe saying not everybody would like GoT's ending, aka meaning he is in the last episode since he got the script to know, this answer is an obvious one seeing how bigger the Game of Thrones fandom is and how different are the ideal endings for most of it. Of course it won't be good for many. But what if what he says can also relate to Gendry and by consequence Arya (since he knows how people are invested into)?

Taking how some 'leaks' talk about Arya's ending being she leaving alone, no trace of Gendry at all. Just her, leaving alone. I personally find a very sad, unsatisfying and idiotic ending. Not to count a very disservice to her character after everything. When I read I remembered how Maise said her last scene shot was her alone. While we know they don't shoot in chronological order and it could be just a random scene, there also CAN be her last scene. Sometimes, the final shit is final. Like in S3 the last scene we have Gendrya is the 'I can be your family' one and was actual the last scene Maise and Joe filmed together, decided by directors. So sometimes, it can have a relevance. It's a case to wait and see

Joe saying 'Hello' about Gendrya caught my attention since the interview was released because he sounded sneaky. It could be about their reunion? Yes. But the hello definitely doesn't make the context. It could be something related to their ending. Or a new reunion. Maybe in finale? While I thought Gendry would be in episode 5 battle, there are mixed 'leaks' saying he is, others he isn't. So in finale? They seeing each other again with a hello and then they finally reconciling and getting together. It'd make sense. Either at begin of episode or just like some people of fandom are already headcanoning is what he says when she's leaving alone. But if it's the final thing he says to her. Or if he isn't even in the scene and we just hear his voice saying it and she looking it while "leaving"...

Call it BS. I see many saying an open ending is better than anything. No it's not. As someone who have read many books, watched many movies and series. The open ending in very most of cases is terrible. "Oh but there's fanfics", there's also fanfics for when the ending is closed and not what we like, so does it same effect.

In Gendrya's case even worse because they CAN (and SHOULD) have a well written ending, for worse or for better, both characters deserve a closed one. An open ending would be the biggest slap on the face of viewers for almost a decade following through. And they have EVERYTHING in their hands, all what was written and developed to end the show for those two characters in a honored way and tying the last threads. If we get an open ending you count of me never leaving D&D alone. The riot will be real. It's pure garbage.

That being said. I really hope it isn't true and that scene of her alone is her leaving in a scene from tonight's episode or next, not related to her ending. Joe said he liked his ending, so I try to believe it wouldn't be a such bittersweet one. Maise said she liked her too bc its possible see Arya going for new things, things you wouldn't think the character would. She leaving alone, forging her own adventures isn't something new for her character. Heck, traveling alone is what she's being doing for so long, what adventure has on it? But she actually choosing to live by, yes ofc still being her badass self but with someone she loves, a family, maybe even the power to be a Lady, yes, a kind of adventure she didn't think she would ever. Letting herself love and be loved, surrounded by family is something new. That wouldn't change her nature. She still could be a different ruler, train girls. Lead to a different generation in Westeros (and I said that only in Storm's End, not Iron Throne). And with this wouldn't have to make Joe leave all is been giving to him. Yes, maybe he never thought about being a lord or even king, it doesn't mean he wouldn't be good at. Usually the ones who don't seek power and get it can handle it better. Gendry Baratheon could be an amazing ruler for his people. One to bring fairness. I see it's very unfair only one lose to be with the other. No. Gendrya is about seeing each other as equals and BOTH fitting in each other's realities. So asking for Gendry leaving everything given to him and people who need his lead, a new adventure, to follow her, is very selfish. Both have potential to, together, be different, be great and learn new things.

Anyway, before I lose myself in thoughts I think I said enough. While I def was in the train of "too good to be true", yeah I still don't trust those writers. So I'm in a state of praying circle for the miracle of good sense had touched them when writing Gendrya ending. Because Arya Stark and Gendry Baratheon deserve it.

#gendrya #game of thrones #arya stark #gendry #gendry baratheon #arya x gendry #gendry waters #got #got s8 #spoilers #got spoilers #got characters #gendrya love #my post #joe dempsie #maisie williams #got cast

84 notes · View notes

wackygoofball · 6 years ago

Note

but Brienne could have had it all, should have had it all because women never get it, nor here, nor in Westeros. she wanted to be a knight, and she wanted to be loved, and she should have had both. Have Jaime survive, have him give up what remains of his family's fortune, and marry Brienne, the Heir to Tarth. Have him say that he wants a quiet life, a house and a garden, and that he's happy with her being the hero, the Knight. Cersei wanted more, but Jaime just wanted love, he's perfect for B.

Anon, as much as I am with you that this is what I would have wanted for Brienne… I think we have to recgonize two things, however painful that may be:

1) Authors/writers/directors don’t owe us as viewers preferred endings.

2) What a character wants, what a character deserves, and what a character gets are rarely the same thing.

As to the former, certainly, I would also like for D&D (and GRRM by extension as JB will end up in a similar place in the books, for all it seems) to give me my JB fanfic palooza where they lived happily ever after on Tarth, we get to see the Braime Bunch and all those things. However, the reality is that this did not happen. Like many other on-screen romances (safe for Gilly and Sam and the crackship Jon/Tormund that sailed imo, #EMOBEAR5EVA), they did not get a happy ending story. Gendry and Arya didn’t stay together. Jon killed Daenerys. So that is not even particularly unique to our favorite characters not getting the happily ever after. No one really did.

When we “signed up” for Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire, I believe we all did (or should have) read the fine print that our favorite characters may very well die or not end up in a happy place. The show (and the books) never made a secret out of it that it has no trouble killing off fan favorites when it is due for them to go in the narrative. No character was safe, some were safer, others were always standing on that edge, and Jaime was one of those characters, however painful that may be to come to grips with. When we started watching the show, we were also reminded time and time again that it was not the JB show.

It was the Stark show, let’s be honest. It began as such and as such it stayed till the end.

Of the “new generation” of Stark kids, most remained standing. 4:2 is not a bad ratio if you include Jon in the calculus. Two get a royalty, one gets to live true to his Northern identity, one gets to travel the world because of her wanderlust. There is tragedy in it, of course, great sacrifice, pain, and loss. The nuclear family from season 1 being completely broken up as they scatter across the globe, with all the traumas and losses attached, it is not all happy. Yet, in the end, they get, in different ways than from what they would have expected… a rather nice ending. So yes, this was a Stark show all along and the focus on those characters told us that much, whether we liked it or not. It will be in the books as well, I imagine. And yet we stayed tuned. Which means JB never played first fiddle beyond being the last couple to have on-screen love-making, a romance fulfilled. So bearing that in mind… if it was the Stark show, I guess we shouldn’t have gotten our hopes up too high for something different to come for us, which is to say that this would not suddenly become the happy ending story of Jaime Lannister and Brienne of Tarth only.

Now, to 2), I will put that below the cut because this is getting longer than imagined, not that this is any news with the blogger writing this rambly post...

The show as well as the books certainly tried to include some lessons about the gaps that lie between want, deserve, and get. Brienne is no exception to that rule. She would have deserved so much more, I agree, and if confronted with the choice, she certainly rather would have lived happily with Jaime on Tarth than spend the rest of her days in King’s Landing without him, as a Lord Commander. Though therein already lies the crux. The text narrated that much through Tyrion - she did not get to choose. In the end, it really seems to boil down to one thing - and that is that Bran got to choose. He called the shots, and that is what he chose for both Jaime and Brienne. We may not like it, but that’s how the narrative presents itself.

Brienne was given something she wanted before she met Jaime, just in a very different way. She was given the acknowledgment as a formidable knight, as a protector to the realm, to someone she voted for (whether that is a good vote everyone made… I believe is very much up to debate, but the tone of the ending suggests that it was a necessary and more or less good decision to vote for Bran the Broken, but that’s a topic for another day anyway). She decided to follow this King as I can’t imagine that she was getting dragged to King’s Landing against her will to join the KG. She represented Tarth during the council and gave him her vote. She made that choice not to go to Tarth but stay in King’s Landing and take on the duty as LC.

So in a way, Brienne got what she wanted, just in a diverted form, and not what she would have wanted anymore after she got a taste of the alternative with the time she had with Jaime at Winterfell. Brienne chose to be with Jaime, and for as long as it lasted, they were happy. I think Jaime was happy, too. In fact, I believe he was too happy, didn’t think he deserved this happiness, didn’t deserve her, was not good enough and thus also felt prompted to go back to King’s Landing to make the last ditch effort to try to save Cersei or at the very least give her the mercy not to die alone because no one else would have shown her that mercy other than him. What his exact motivations were… we can’t really tell. Jaime said some things that evidently weren’t factually true when he parted from Brienne and he was very jumpy in his reasoning to Tyrion. The writers suggest that Cersei was an addiction he could ultimately not part from. I don’t know how true that rang to me in what I saw on-screen. To me personally, his addiction was ultimately to feel like he was undeserving of happiness, to believe that he was no good man (deserving someone like Brienne) and because he thought that, stayed addicted to the thought, to the belief of his being a bad person past redemption, past goodness. And so he went back to King’s Landing, returned to the “bad” self he thought was all he could ever be, just that this “bad” self was not selfish, not bad, and tried to protect someone who was undeserving of it (Cersei did nothing to deserve a gentle death while being comforted by Jaime, she did the exact opposite, let’s be real). The man who rode into King’s Landing was humbled, was ready to die, there was no vanity, nothing hateful. He killed Euron in self-defense and that guy was a dick, let’s be real. We don’t know if he gave the order to ring the bells, but he certainly could have done that, too. What he told Brienne, that he was a hateful man… he ultimately proved himself wrong with his final act, reversing the actions he undertook with Aerys, to stop protecting an evil monarch under siege by killing him, even if that meant betraying his promise of protection. As Brienne writes in the White Book, he died protecting his Queen, he reversed his last act and kept a promise. Cersei no longer needed to be stopped, Daenerys was on the loose, she was an undeserving woman fleeing from what she brought upon herself. So there was no need to kill her, there was no need for stopping her. And that was not “hateful,” that was merciful, even if it was for a woman that neither showed mercy nor deserved it. Again, characters don’t get what they deserve, and Cersei got far more than she deserved. However, to that end, Jaime proved that he was wrong, that he was not hateful, that he was not that “bad” self of his that he cited as one of the reasons why he had to return to Cersei. And perhaps that realization hit him at last, if only too late, we’ll never know.

Brienne, though, she knows it in her heart, she puts it down in the book, she makes it history. She writes that he died protecting his Queen. She spins his leaving Winterfell in a much better light than what it was. That, too, is an act of love, and perhaps her way of telling Jaime, though he will never hear it, that he was deserving of what he could have had, and that his last act is actual testament to it, in fact proved it. He was not a bad man. He was not an entirely good man either, but what character ever was on that show (beside Brienne ;) )? In the books? Jaime doomed himself because he retreated back to his “bad” self, but that bad self, to my mind, was purified through the act of mercy for someone undeserving of it. Jaime showed heart for someone who truly did anything she could to drive him away, to make anyone understand that he didn’t have to go back to her, didn’t have to pay her back any kindness or mercy.

But it is as Tyrion tells Jon. They need mercy in this world, and Jaime lived up to that by showing mercy to an undeserving woman. In his final moments, he could have cursed her, he could have yelled at her and snapped at her for sending an assassin after him, for controlling him, for manipulating him, for all the things she did to him. Back in the older days Jaime cursed the Gods for making him love a hateful woman. He could have said that again, but he didn’t. In the end, he says that it doesn’t matter and makes a last ditch effort to save her, ultimately set up for failure. Jaime lived up to showing mercy for those not deserving it. Did he deserve to die for it? I don’t know. I would like to think not, but in the end, this kind of mercy was ultimately tied to returning to his old self and embracing it. And that old self (Cersei) died with him. I may not like it personally as I would have hoped for different scenarios for him, but I can make sense of it.

Now, where does that leave us with what Brienne deserves? I agree, she would have deserved so much more. She would have deserved to live with Jaime on Tarth, after all they overcame together. But again, the world hardly ever gives us what we deserve in the shape and form we dream about. We lose people important to us, we have to make great sacrifices. If there is one true lesson ringing in the text, then it is that reality can be cruel (even in a world of fantasy and dragons), that the bad guys sometimes get more than they deserve whereas the good guys have to taste bitterness for the rest of their days despite their good deeds. And those that operate somewhere in the middle? They may find small joys but will ultimatley remain regretting (see Tyrion). Brienne would have deserved to live with the love of her life, the man she chose, she would have deserved to spend her days with him on Tarth or wherever they choose, have heirs, and take up on the duty they left neglected to their houses, to continue the legacy and pass into legend.

And that brings us to the final act here, what did Brienne get? Not what she deserved, at first sight, but if we dare to look closer… she got more than than what she originally thought herself deserving to be.

Brienne was fine never having experienced true love, never having had sex, never having held the man she was in love with but as he died. She never thought she’d be a mother. She thought her life would only ever be about servitude and nothing else. Now, being Lord Commander obviously screams at us that this is what she got now. But is it? Is it really?

Brienne is no longer a virgin. The man with whom she made love was the man she was in love with. He was her first and will be her last. Imagine a scenario where Brienne would have ended up on Tarth immediately to take up on family duty of making heirs - would she have deserved to marry someone lesser than the man she loved only just to have some heirs for the continuation of a lineage? She deserved Jaime, she wanted Jaime, she had him and when she lost him… who else would ever compare to him? There are no men like him. That means, however sad that is, I think Brienne is more at peace only ever having loved and having made love to Jaime than she would have been in a life beyond him that would have forced her into staying with a lesser man. In that way, being the new Lord Commander spares her that solitude, trapped in the confines of a system that is not as revolutionary as it could be (Sam was ahead of his time with his ideas of democracy). Being the Lord Commander, it leaves no social stain attached to her that she is a high lord’s daughter who no longer is a virgin, who is ugly by Westerosi standards, and slept with the Kingslayer no less. In that way, her honor stays unbesmirched - and yet, she got a taste of the real world, a taste of love. She no longer is the shy maiden who was willing to vow herself to celibacy to pretend to be married to the man she had a crush on. She joins the KG because she believes in it. This vow prevents her from social stigma while also granting her perhaps one of the biggest honors and duties, which is to write history as she sees fit (and on a sidenote we don’t know what the new rules for the KG will be and whether Bran makes them swear to celibacy all the same or if they also serve for life or can retire… they are seemingly aiming for something new after all). Brienne now is a member of a Kingsguard AFTER she loved, AFTER she experienced what it’s like to be loved, to have had sex. She no longer runs after it to prevent herself from that experience or to trade it for it because she doesn’t know how else to get the other. She got the other, she found it with Jaime, and that makes her fulfilling her KG duty much more rounded, something that completes her and gives her purpose, the purpose she chooses, rather than being a cheap alternative.

She sets new standards for what it means to be a knight and a mother. And that is thanks to Jaime. The show changed the circumstances by having Jaime introduce Podrick to her. In that way, he gave her a son, not by birth, not by blood, but someone she cares about and someone she raised just like a mother. And she did so formidably, having raised a knight of the KG, a true Ser who will live by her ideals, who is good and kind (also, the perfect anti-parallel to how Cersei went about raising her kids, either coddling them in their badness or never letting them grow up). Brienne defies social expectations and breaks up conventions of what makes a family, of what makes motherhood and knighthood. A lady knight as she lives up to be doesn’t have to be virginal. A lady knight as she lives up to be, a Lord Commander of the Kingsguard as she is now, she may not have a child she birthed but she still has a son she raised and continues to raise. Pod is with her every day and he will in all likability inherit her position and thereby continue her legacy the same way she is continuing Jaime’s. Thanks to Jaime, thanks to the love he bestowed upon her even when he was not aware of it (the armor, letting her go find Sansa, sending Podrick with her, giving her that family sword), she has any opportunity to continue her legacy to her conditions. As I said, I don’t know what the new rules are for the KG, and whether Brienne may be allowed to resign to Tarth over time if she ever harbored the wish to have children of her own, live a settled life. But that’s not even the point. What we do know for a fact is that her lineage is continued no matter what she decides to do with her life from the last moment we saw her on-screen. It will be continued through Pod, it will be continued through the history they are telling and will be telling. And that history is put right next to Jaime’s, in the White Book and in her heart. His story ends with having died defending his Queen and hers begins with him having knighted her. Servitude, in its diverted senses, in the way we learned to see it being diverted through those two characters in particular, is what links them, what creates the link between one page and the next, that and… love. And that makes the difference. Jaime’s saving Cersei… it was an act of mercy, of love. His knighthing Brienne was an act of love, too. And it is this act of love that starts a new page, a new era, whereas the other marks the last chapter in the former. As sad as it is, I also find that quite beautiful in itself, and something that may provide solace to Brienne as she continues to feel his loss. He died, committing an act of love, but he also did an act of love beside loving Brienne for as long as he could by making her a knight of the seven (now six) kingdoms. What he gave her, all those things safe for him, are with her now, in the future, on the next page. The knighthood, the motherhood, the legacy, the love - it is ultimately with her and no one else.

No one can take that away from her, ever. It is closed up in her heart, hidden behind that golden armor. It is no history she has to put into writing because she knows it in her heart, because others like Pod know it and will carry it on.

Brienne gets to continue Jaime’s and her legacy as she chooses. She is the one writing that book (a great and impactful imagery, it’s not Bran, it’s not Tyrion, it’s not Sam who we see actively writing this episode, it’s Brienne of Tarth, no one else). She is the one who tells stories in a council that is now a roundtable of storytellers, a group of bastards, cripples and broken things who are now left with the tough task to continue telling history by making it. And they still have a lot to learn. Brienne is giving a vital role in Westeros, perhaps even more important than that of any other Lord Commander other than Jaime before her, because she is actively framing history now, she is part of the chosen circle who write the stories that will become public memory over time.

And in that public memory, she enters Jaime in the way she sees fit. And she does so with mercy, she does so with love.

Brienne tenderly touches that page before closing that chapter and beginning a new one with her own life, by continuing to live. She does not write his bad deeds in a bad light, she puts a positive spin on them, she makes sure he is remembered not for the man he believed himself to be, the undeserving man, no. She finds that he deserved, deserves more, even if only in his death, and she writes it down, makes it history. Brienne continues his legacy and carries it into her future. She is his concept of future where Cersei was his concept of the past. She is the future, she is one of the people writing it, framing it. And right by her side, in the last shot we see of her… is Oathkeeper.

Doesn’t that tell us all we have to know?

A lion figure is in her back when she fills his pages, Oathkeeper, again, lies next to the White Book. She sits where he one flipped through the pages to let her read his history. It was then that he gave her that sword, it was then that he set her on that quest to find Sansa, when he showed her all those acts of love, bestowed so much love on her when neither one could see it as such. And now she returns the favor, the mercy, the love. She continues his story as there are still many blanks to fill, and ultimately, their stories are tied together, even if they are entered on separate pages in the book, because in the end, he made her the knight of the six kingdoms by giving her a knighthood, he made her Ser Brienne of Tarth, and so he, too, helped put her in the position where her legacy can shine brightly into a new age.

She was and will forever be his concept of a future. And she pays him back for that by holding alive his memory, his legacy, in that book and inside her heart.

To me, that tells me all that we must know about what Brienne got in the end. Jaime is still with her, his legacy is, the best part of him is. It lives on with her, perhaps not in the form of a child as many of us would have liked, but he does live on in her memory, in the memory she now makes history. He lives on in his acts of love, he lives on what he taught he, he lives on in Pod, he lives on in his little brother Tyrion, he lives on in the sword she never had redone to the fashion of the raven aesthetic, kept just as it is, the family sword of House Lannister, of the man she got it from, Ser Jaime Lannister. He lives on and is always right next to her when she has to draw that sword to defend herself or seek its comfort when she grabs its hilt just to feel it, just to remind herself.

And in that way… Brienne of Tarth got a lot more than she thought she deserved, thought she would ever get when we first met her back at Bitterbridge, believed herself to get when she said that at least they will die with honor in the battle againts the living dead. Because she lived to talk about it, as Jaime told her during the feast. Her future was always so much bigger than she believed it, than she dared to believe in her herself. Where Jaime’s times as the golden lion ended... hers began.

He is her past, she was his future, and both continue to echo into one another for all time, and perhaps that is, in fact, their way of staying together, their kind of “always” and “forever.”

She had it all, she lost a lot, but Brienne was also left with many things thanks to Jaime that give her a future and that give him a future beyond himself right next to her in that book, in this newly found history. She has new family members in Pod and Tyrion who will hold Jaime in highest regard no matter what, she now has new duties of not just servitude but making history, leading into a new age, framing knights in her image, having learned from Jaime and having earned the knighthood from no one other than him, and she was granted a way of framing the world that used to look down on her for how she looked and didn’t conform to the norms, for who she was, for who she is. Brienne gets a chance to create a better world for people like her, even though there are no men or women like Ser Brienne of Tarth the same way there are no men like Ser Jaime Lannister, but she gets a chance to change the rules, to show the world that a new age comes with new norms, new boundaries, new hopes, so a woman can be a Lord Commander and yet can be a mother and yet can have been loved and can have loved. She shows the world that you don’t have to be either this or that, she shows us that we can be more than we first believe to be, even if that comes at great costs.

Brienne gets to have a future, she gets to have a legacy that will echo way beyond her time. She will pass into legend and she will take Jaime with her there as she is the one now telling their story and preserving those memories.

And I do think that this is something she deserves.

Her future will be hers to write. And hers is a story of honor, justice, goodness, mercy, and love, if in unexpected ways.

And that future will be Jaime’s, too, it will always be his, too.

#jaime x brienne #jaime lannister #brienne of tarth #got spoilers #got meta #anon #thanks anon

60 notes · View notes

truthsuniversallyacknowledged · 5 years ago

Text

Now I’ve Stopped Crying: Why The Game of Thrones Ending Sucked

I needed this to exist and it didn’t. So here it is, in no particular order:

1. Violation of its own rules

Westeros was loosely based off of Medieval/Renaissance Europe - the filming locations were exclusively European, and all manner of cultural ‘identifiers’ - clothing, political system, ethnicity of the actors/characters - followed that of Medieval Europe. The Red Wedding is based off a real Italian wedding, Jaime and Cersei resemble Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia, a real set of incestuous aristocratic siblings, while Sansa and Joffrey also have their naming equivalents in the same family - Lucrezia’s brother, Gioffre, and his wife, Sancia. The High Sparrow is also similar to Savonarola, a religious fanatic in late Renaissance Italy, Braavos has clear parallels with Venice - I could easily continue.

Naturally, there were cultural ideas from Medieval Europe which were clearly established in Game Of Thrones - the divine right of kings, bastardry, and discrimination towards women, foreigners, and various other minority groups - including the disabled. By pretending that Bran would have been keenly accepted not only by the aristocracy, but by the average peasant in Westeros, the plot is suddenly ignoring the framework within which the show has been operating. Throughout the show, there were two aspects a king had to have; either he could take the throne by force, requiring a large army or perhaps dragons, or he needed to be born in line - the right to the throne which has paramount to the entire series. One thing is ultimately clear; Bran as the King is jarringly wrong.

2. Compromising of characters

One thing Game of Thrones did exceptionally well is nailing politics; by the end of the series viewers had a clear understanding of the motives and principles of every character. But the ending D&D wanted would never have been allowed to happen with our set of characters around (perhaps this should have been a red flag that it wasn’t a good idea!) and so we watched as characters we’d known for years suddenly forgot who they were. Daenerys wanted to break the wheel and end suffering, and she sacrificed enormously because she wasn’t willing to take her dragons and burn the place down because that’s not the person she wanted to be - until the writers wanted her to be. I could have accepted that u-turn in character arc - if it was the only one. Jaime, after being almost killed by Cersei, finally, finally decided he’d had enough and made the choice to go to Brienne, which was the culmination of seasons and seasons of him slowly improving as a person and agonising over his feelings for cersei and his own identity. And then he just went “nah”. The Northerners, regarded for their strong loyalty, let Jon wander off into the wilderness and readily accept Sansa as their new ruler. Despite earlier reminiscing on her father’s words regarding how “the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives”, Arya decides to... be a lone wolf. on a boat.

But I’m barely getting started. Tyrion, a cunning political mastermind, not only became dumb as dog shit, but, having first-hand knowledge of the treatment of disabled individuals in Westeros, despite any ability they might have (not that Bran demonstrated ANY ability to lead well through the whole series - but I’ll get to that), he somehow didn’t see any problem with this plan. (Side note: if right to the throne and being disabled don’t matter, why couldn’t Tyrion be king?)

Sam. Sam takes the whole goddamn cake. He is the one who discovers Jon’s parentage, and with a FULL UNDERSTANDING of how important it is. And he has watched Jon demonstrate bravery and courage and leadership time and time again - he is his best friend and strongest advocate. And so, when the time comes for him to fight for Jon: he suggests democracy? and then lets Bran take over without so much as a word in Jon’s defense? Pathetic. And so, so, wrong.

3. “Who Has a Better Story than Bran the Broken?”

I could name a few. hundred. We have been watching a series that clearly followed Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen, and a long list of other political players, artistocratic families and usurpers - but from the very beginning, we have followed those two, always. To suggest that the entire direction of the series was some great practical joke, designed only for an oh-so-shocking plot twist, is so utterly contemptuous of us, their loyal audience. It’s also absurdly disrespectful to the story itself, which deserved a real ending.

4, When you play the Game of Thrones, you win or you die.

Jon did neither. His end was a total cop-out - D&D didn’t want to kill him, but him winning would have been too predictable, so they formed a sheepish way out that they seemed to think was good enough. They were wrong.

And as for Bran? He wasn’t. even. playing.

But this is a symptom of the biggest issue with this whole ending; avoiding predictability was more important to the writers than ending the story well. Having spent years and years watching an intricate story as it followed out its natural path, in accordance to the guiding principles of each character and they world in which they live, it’s no surprise that some audience members were bound to predict the ending. But we loved game of thrones not just for its plot twists, but also for its witty dialogue, deep and fascinating characters, and consistently captivating story - this ending had a whole lotta shock, and not much of anything else.

5. Bran didn’t deserve it

I already touched on why Bran would never have been accepted and how totally inconsistent his takeover was with, well, everything. But Bran isn’t at all kingly - he hasn’t demonstrated leadership of any kind, hasn’t participated in the politics of the kingdom yet still has no understanding of the everyday person, and also displays no compassion or empathy, particularly towards Meera. He also didn’t see anything wrong with taking the throne from Jon, who not only deserved it according to the show’s framework but also deserved it in the eyes of the audience because he was, simply put, a good leader and a good person.

We also never really got an explanation as to why Bran was Bran again - and i thought the Three Eyed Raven couldn’t take titles. This whole ending really doesn’t stand up to even mild scrutiny - evidence of the lack of thought which ruined one of the greatest shows of all time.

6. What was the goddamn point?

Why couldn’t Gendry be King? Or Tyrion? Why did it matter at all that Jon was Targaryen, or the rightful heir? Why did we bother watching Daenerys scheme for season after season if she was going to burn King’s landing anyway? Why did Melisandre bother to bring Jon back to life if he wasn’t going to be significant in killing the Night King or taking the throne? What the hell was the point of the white horse?

7. An end to the post (hopefully I did a better job than they did)

I felt compelled to write this because I have yet to cease encountering people who think that this disgrace disguised as an ending was okay. And it truly upsets me that it was such a disservice to what was a truly fabulous show.

But the last reason that this ending sucked has a silver lining; it was widlly wrong, and most of us knew it instinctively - before we really analysed it and argued about it (and it my case, composed overly long posts about it). And we knew it instinctively because we know this story - and maybe, like me, you weren’t sure what exactly to expect, but you knew it wasn’t this. We know this story, and we know the true ending - even if it’s only in our hearts.

1 note · View note

the-marvel-wars · 6 years ago

Text

I need to talk about GoT 8x02

My thoughts on Game of Thrones 8x02 (grab a glass of wine because it’s a fucking ride and a half)

This will be moved over to my new blog for nerd reviews, Sounds Like Nerds.

WARNING: THIS WILL BE VERY SPOILER-Y AND FULL OF SWEARING!

PLEASE, IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THIS EPISODE, DO NOT READ THE SPOILERS!

IT’S SO HARD TO STAY AWAY WHEN YOU’RE CURIOUS AS HELL, BUT PLEASE DON’T LOOK AT THESE SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE EPISODE!

SPOILERS WILL BE BELOW THE CUT, SO IF YOU DON’T TURN AWAY NOW, I CAN’T BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SPOILERS YOU WILL SEE.

THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE.

ALRIGHT!

Let me be very clear that this episode brought about a slight meltdown for me. The little moments these characters had with one another broke me in half, and next week, I’ll be dead entirely. Resurrect me only to watch these episodes because life will mean nothing after “Avengers: Endgame” and GoT 8x03. I’m tired, dazed, very confused, and on the verge of a complete breakdown. While I still have some energy, here we fucking go.

That opening STILL gives me goosebumps after all these years, not gonna lie.

I lost my whole uterus when Daenerys stared down Jaime and was like, “yo, I always thought of how I would kill you. Here you are” (rough translation). I was like, “BiTcH nOoOoOoO”

ALSO, DAENERYS, HOW DARE YOU QUESTION TYRION! I FELT LIKE I WAS HALLUCINATING! Someone get me some water!

Sansa, a fucking goddess, the QUEEN IN THE NORTH, A RED WOLF. I DON’T GIVE A HOLY SHIT. I LOVE HER. I WANT HER IN MY LIFE FOREVER. TOUCH HER, AND I WILL BURN THE WHOLE WORLD TO THE GROUND!

“The things we do for love” -Jaime, 1x01

“The things we do for love” -Bran, 8x02

Me, during that scene:

Brienne standing up for Jaime the way she did is not helping my desperate need for them to get together. I’m trying to put OUT this fire, not add fuel to it, ffs.

When Sansa began speaking to Brienne after that, I was terrified that Sansa would be like “you vouch for him? You would fight beside him? Then you will suffer the same fate as him.” I was like, are they gonna get fed to the dragons? TaKe Me InStEaD!

Sansa giving Jaime a pass because of her respect for Brienne cleared my skin up, and I will breathe easier until I see Endgame on Thursday night. help.

LISTEN! Here’s my issue! Daenerys’ look at Sansa infuriated me when Sansa gave Jaime a pardon of sorts. Then, she’s like, “UH, JON! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS?!?!?!?!” like she’s just magically gonna get what she wants because they’re having………….the sex. Jon’s not gonna turn on his sister/cousin. I’m sorry, but don’t.

Bran just keeps staring at people. Just get that kid a blindfold, he’ll be less of a creep.

Me at Bran the ENTIRE episode:

Let me say this, I knew from the moment Arya did that little eyebrow lift at Gendry in the beginning of the episode, that they were gonna sex by the end of it. I’ve shipped it since they first met, and I will ship it until I die.

“It’s gonna be safer down in the crypt” -Gendry, totally oblivious to the little assassin Arya’s become.

“I know death. He’s got many faces. I look forward to seeing this one.” -Arya, giving me goosebumps while throwing dragonglass at a post. What a little fucking queen. Oh, God, take me away.

I lowkey want Arya to stare right into the face of the Night King, right into the face of death, and I just want her to say “not today” as a callback to season 1 and her training with Syrio Forel. Ugh. SHIT.

“Bran looks like a coconut” -my friend, 2k19

“At least Cersei won’t get to murder me” -Tyrion, giving me goosebumps because Bronn’s got that fucking crossbow of poetic justice, and I WILL NOT HAVE IT! TOUCH TYRION, AND I WILL RIOT!

Podrick has also gotten so much better with the sword, and I AM JUST SO PROUD!

“I’m not the fighter I used to be, but I’d be honored to serve under your command if you’ll have me” -Jaime, giving Brienne the credit she has always deserved, but that’s not even the best part. What happens later is what truly had me weeping.

I just want Jorah and Daenerys to kiss one time in a ship-fulfilling way. I just want him to be happy. I NEED him to be happy. Jorah fighting on behalf of Tyrion made me love him all the more, and if he dies, I WILL RIOT AGAIN!

The Sansa/Daenerys interaction had me quaking. I was literally sitting on the couch, head in my hands, shaking. I was both angry and relieved. While I’m upset they’re being pitted against one another, I’m relieved that they’re staying true to their characters. Sansa is true to her home and her people, Daenerys just wants to take what is rightfully hers (I mean, as we all know, it’s not TECHNICALLY hers *cough* Jon Snow). They’re both such headstrong women, and I hope they come together at some point. The women of this show would bring the entire population of Westeros to their knees.

Theon and Sansa reuniting had me in tears yet again. This episode was so fucking emotional for me, but I know that next week will break me even more.

“I want to fight for Winterfell, Lady Sansa, if you’ll have me” -Theon Greyjoy, reformed.

Those two have been through so much together (too much, really), and so much on their own. The fact that they are together again makes me so emotional. JUST KILL ME!

That little girl that Davos served made me cry AGAIN! He was reminded of Shireen. He wants to protect the little girl he couldn’t save.

Tormund TACKLING Jon like a quarterback was hilarious as shit in such a touching scene.

“The big woman still here?” -Tormund Giantsbane, the man who just wants some fuq

Seeing my favorite characters gathered around the command table made me shake with pure fucking fangirl excitement. It’s what I’ve wanted from the beginning.

“I took this castle from you. Let me defend you, now” -THEON GREYJOY oh my god, just bury me at this point with my collection of Marvel comics, my Star Wars pajamas, and my replica dragon eggs. Just put me to rest because I can’t. I cannot. I have been unable to can. No.

“We’re all going to die” -Tormund, putting it all out there like it’s no big deal. It’s a VERY BIG DEAL

Missandei and Greyworm having their little moment just drove home my fear that one of them is going to die before the end of the season, perhaps by the end of the next episode. WHEN YOU MAKE PROMISES IN THIS SHOW, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO KEEP THEM! YOU FUCKING FICTIONAL CHARACTERS SHOULD KNOW THIS!

Ghost just chilling in the background of that scene with Sam, Jon, and Edd is a whole 2019 mood. He gets no attention, barely any screen time, and others may not even notice him. But not us. Not us.

I’M BEING SO SUPER SERIOUS RIGHT NOW, IF SAMWELL TARLEY DIES, I WILL FUCK EVERYONE UP IN THE WORST POSSIBLE WAY! I SWEAR TO THE WHOLE UNIVERSE! SAM IS THE LAST GOOD, PURE, INNOCENT CHARACTER IN THIS GOD FORSAKEN WORLD, AND IF HE GOES DOWN, I’M GOING DOWN, TOO! I WILL HAVE A COMPLETE AND UTTER MELTDOWN, AND MY THERAPIST WILL BE GETTING A CALL AT 10:30 AT NIGHT! IF HE DIES, YOU’LL CATCH MY WHOLE ASS PICKETING IN A WALMART PARKING LOT, WEEPING.

*ahem*

sorry.

The scene with everyone around the fire was such an incredibly beautiful scene.

Also, Tyrion pouring Podrick a full cup when Brienne clearly said “HALF” is a wholeass mood.

I’m scared that the characters by the fire are the ones who are going to bite it in the next episode, and I’m not ready. I’m just gonna blackout.

TORMUND TELLING THE STORY OF HOW HE GOT THE NAME “GIANTSBANE�� MADE ME CACKLE. A BEAM OF PURE LIGHT IN THIS SAD, TERRIBLE UNIVERSE! I’m still laughing.

Arya and Sandor drinking together. Leave me alone, I’m weak. I can’t talk about this right now. I’m too emotional about it still. One of these little shits is gonna die in the next episode, and I just cannot.

“I fought for you, didn’t I?” -Sandor Clegane, coming in at the last moment to rip the soul from my body. Thanks.

HeLp!

“I’m not spending my final hours with you two miserable old shits” -Arya, about to go get her freak on with Gendry ;)

When Arya started talking about Gendry’s experience with women, my friend and I both looked at each other, knowing exactly what the shit was gonna happen. It was gonna be weird, but it was gonna happen no matter what.

When Gendry finally admitted that he had been with three women, I was like, “Arya’s gonna say some smooth shit, like “want to add a fourth?”” but I was gonna be happy no matter what because these two are cute as shit together.

Me, when they were doing...the...sex:

Also me:

“Women can’t be knights” -Brienne, laying down some realness

AND THEN JAIME KNIGHTED HER, AND I CRIED LIKE A LITTLE BITCH! I TURNED INTO A PUDDLE ON THE FUCKING GROUND BECAUSE I HAVE WAITED FOR THIS MOMENT FOR SO LONG! BRIENNE DESERVED THAT TITLE MORE THAN ANYONE I’VE EVER KNOWN, AND THIS WAS SO INSPIRING TO WATCH!

I cried, babies cried, my dogs probably fucking cried.

“ARISE BRIENNE OF TARTH, A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS”

oh my HOLY ASS!

I’m crying for my giant baby right now.

LYANNA MORMONT BEING A BABY QUEEN!

“I pledged to fight for the North, and I will fight!” -Lyanna Mormont, a little beast.

I PLEDGED TO FIGHT FOR THESE CHARACTERS, AND I WILL FIGHT FOR HER!

Sam gifting Jorah his family’s sword just drove home my suspicion that they won’t see each other again because ONE OF THEM IS GONNA DIE! SO HELP ME GOD, I WILL BURN IT DOWN! I’M GONNA FUCKSTART MY TV NEXT WEEK, AND I’M GONNA THROW UP!

Jenny’s Song.

shit.

Jon telling Daenerys about his lineage had my heart POUNDING in my chest. I DO NOT want this to be a rivalry. I don’t want it. I do not...want it. Not at all. I want it a negative amount. None want. Will not support.

I’m not ready for next week.

I’m not ready for any of this.

I will never be ready!

MY LITTLE, GROWN UP BABIES ARE GOING TO DIE! I’VE WATCHED THIS SHOW FOR LONG ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT NOT EVERYONE IS MAKING IT OUT OF THIS SHIT ALIVE! I’M GONNA GO DOWN WITH WHOEVER DIES NEXT WEEK. I WILL BE BURIED WITH THEM, SO HELP ME ASS! I’M GONNA PUKE!

Honestly, this episode made me so fucking emotional. I think it sunk in that these characters I’ve been following for so many years through the books and show, are likely to meet their end so soon. I’m just having a hard time grasping this concept, and it started to sink in tonight. I’ve read these books since I was a young teen, and I started watching the show when it was coming out (against my father’s wishes). I’ve followed these stories for such a long time, and a lot is going to happen this week for me, between Endgame and this upcoming episode. I’m experiencing too many emotions, and my body may just decide to shut down altogether. Who knows?

65 notes · View notes

arabian-bloodstream · 6 years ago

Text

Decoding D&D’s Playlist

OK, In early Spring, D.B. Weiss and Daniel Benioff helped create a new Spotify playlist: Game of Thrones: The End Is Coming. Upon doing so, they told For the Record in an email, “The answer to the ending is one hundred percent hidden in the playlist choices. No one will believe us, but it’s true.”

I have spent the last couple of weeks going through each song and trying to figure out which character, which scenario, arc, storyline each song was about. I could be completely way-off, but it was fun. So here you. Enjoy! (Note: All songs link to full lyrics.)

Fair warning, this is long. Very long. So long that I’m going to put a cut. I will say... yeah, this playlist screams Gendrya endgame.

Sleep Now in the Fire - Rage Against the Machine

Dany as Mad Queen.

The world is my expense The cost of my desire Jesus blessed me with its future And I protect it with fire So raise your fists and march around Dont dare take what you need I’ll jail and bury those committed And smother the rest in greed Crawl with me into tomorrow Or i’ll drag you to your grave I’m deep inside your children They’ll betray you in my name

Her Black Wings - Danzig

This one seems to fit Arya in the first three episodes of the season.

She brings the lust Supernatural Ceasing never On and On and On Her stride is such Mortals freeze When she walks past And she comes down to me And she offers me sleep Under her black wings

Think about Arya flying down to kill the Night King, that fits with the “Under her black wings.” And “Mortals freeze when she falls by" and the mention of the "supernatural," all fit the Faceless men training and her overall ability to walk silent and her skills.

Entwined with love Unclean she is

Everything Arya is doing, everything that she has done, every kill has been done for love, to avenge the people she loves, to protect those she loves. And yet, she's so surrounded, covered, engulfed in death that she's unclean.

See she comes Blacker than pitch Have to make this fallen bitch All I want All I crave Demoness calls The bitch is come For those who wait Cross the breach in hell See she is Bedeviled with breasts Enchantment on legs

This stanza here even fits her if you take into account the fact that the Hound calls her a bitch all the time, and the last two lines, well, we do see Arya as a woman for the first time this season.

Immigrant Song (Remaster) - Led Zeppelin

The Army of the Undead want to take over Westeros.

The End (Remaster) - The Doors

This could certainly be about Tyrion with regards to Jaime and Cersei, but something about it just says the Hound (and Arya) a bit more to me because of a line in the final stanza: “You’ll never follow me.” Plus, there is a reference to a “Stranger” in the song. The Hound’s horse was named “Stranger” and, of course, as was established (in my opinion) in the final season, the Hound=death and in the faith of the Seven, the Stranger represented death.

This is the end Beautiful friend This is the end My only friend

The end Of our elaborate plans The end Of everything that stands The end No safety or surprise The end I'll never look into your eyes Again

Can you picture what will be So limitless and free Desperately in need of some stranger's hand In a desperate land

Arya is the Hound’s only friend now that Gendry has become something more. And with what happened in "The Bells," it was the end of their journey together.

Now there is this stanza which is why one could think it references Tyrion thinking about his family with the references to father, brother and sister:

The killer awoke before dawn, he put his boots on He took a face from the ancient gallery And he walked on down the hall He went into the room where his sister lived, and...then he Paid a visit to his brother, and then he He walked on down the hall, and And he came to a door...and he looked inside "Father?" "Yes, son." "I want to kill you." "Mother, I want to fuck you"

But I took that as more allegorical, the Hound being the killer who is ready to finally kill his family, i.e., his brother. Furthermore, Ray Manzarek said about this song that Morrison "was giving voice in a rock ‘n’ roll setting to the Oedipus complex" and the lines about the father and mother derive from that mythology and essentially boil down to one principle, you can't escape your fate.

Oedipus' father banishes him because he is told that Oedipus will kill him and sleep with his mother. Years later, Oedipus meets a beautiful woman, they fall into bed, Oedipus fathers catches them and lo and behold!, it's his wife... and Oedipus' mother but neither know that, because Oedipus' father banished him to avoid the prophecy. Oedipus and his father fight, and boom! Oedipus kills his father. Ergo, you can't escape your fate. So... does that apply to the Hound killing his brother or Tyrion and his siblings? Could be both. I just think it leans more towards the Hound.

Then we come to the end of the song and it is full of profanity after profanity, the Hound’s calling card before leading to death and then the bolded line that just scream the Hound to Arya.

C'mon, yeah, c'mon, yeah Fuck me, baby, fuck yeah Fuck, fuck, fuck, yeah! Fuck, yeah! C'mon, baby Fuck me, baby, fuck, fuck, yeah Whoa, whoa, yeah, fuck, baby C'mon, yeah, huh, huh, huh, huh, yeah All right [...] It hurts to set you free But you'll never follow me The end of laughter and soft lies The end of nights we tried to die This is the end

On the other hand, if you take out the Stranger references and look at those specific references to brother, sister, father and how Tyrion had to let go of Jaime and Cersei and the Lannister of it all to move forward in many ways, it fits him best. Also, if you look at the line in the final stanza that is italicized that fits Tyrion with his brother *and* sister.

So honestly, I could go either way even if I do lean a bit more towards the Hound.

Girl From the North Country - Bob Dylan

Yes, I know there is a line in this song that references the girl's long hair lying past her breast, but regardless, everything else about this song just screams pre-season Gendry and Arya. It totally, totally does. It just totally is Gendry pining for Arya. Nothing else makes sense. N-O-T-H-I-N-G!

If you're travelin' in the north country fair Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline Remember me to one who lives there She once was a true love of mine

If you go when the snowflakes storm When the rivers freeze and summer ends Please see if she's wearing a coat so warm To keep her from the howlin' winds

I know that some have tried to fit it with Sansa and Tyrion, and I love them, but it just doesn't fit them. Sansa is in no way Tyrion’s true love, she just isn't. He hasn't been thinking of her throughout his time away from her. We know that. We absolutely know that. It does not fit them, sorry Sanrion fans (I’m one of them).

Now, if there is some time jump that we see in episode 06 before Arya goes to Gendry (because, yes, I'm still convinced that we are getting an Arya/Gendry endgame), then maybe this will apply to *that* timeframe, but as of now, I still see it as pre-season 08 Gendrya, just the feeling, the tenor and tone of it. Think of Gendry's line to her in the second episode:

The last time you saw me, you asked me to come to Winterfell. I took the long road…

Yeah.

Mama Kin (Live Version) - Guns n Roses

(FYI: These are the lyrics for the live version, so they may differ slightly.)

I believe this one is about Cersei and how her life has been spent living a lie, putting on a show, but it’s all just that, a show.

losin’ touch with all that’s real Whole lotta lover, keepin’ undercover

Cersei so often just can’t face the reality of all the shit going on around her, through most of her relationship with Jaime, she kept that a secret and even kept her other lovers a secret from him.

You’ve been fadin’, always out paradin’

Cersei has always been hiding who she really is, pretending to be the perfect queen, the perfect wife, perfect mother.

Spittin’ fire from your mouth just like a dragon

She does incest like the Targaryens. She's crazy like the Targaryens, but she's not a Targaryen.

You better check it out ‘cause someday soon You’ll have to climb back on the wagon

It’s not going to last, she’s not going to get her happy ending. (Duh.)

It ain’t easy livin’ like you want to

She became the queen, the ruler of the seven kingdoms, but NOTHING has come easy and it’s still hard for and she never had peace or happiness.

And workin’ for daddy’s such a drag You still stuff your mouth With his beans

She as always under Twyin’s control, she hated it, but she was always under his thumb, always playing by his rules.

This was all about Cersei not being good enough, wanting more, but never getting it, giving up everything and never getting it. She should have cherished what mattered, but she didn’t and lost everything consequently.

Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes

Dany as Mad Queen. Now, this could have been about Cersei, but there’s a line that screams treason, so… Dany.

I'm gonna fight 'em off A seven nation army couldn't hold me back They're gonna rip it off Taking their time right behind my back And I'm talkin' to myself at night Because I can't forget Back and forth through my mind

Howlin For You - The Black Keys

This is so obviously Gendry about Arya that they might as well have revealed it as such after episode 02 in the "Inside the Episode" video.

I must admit I can't explain Any of these thoughts racing Through my brain

It's true Baby I'm howlin' for you

Can't you see Little girl's Got a hold on me

Like glue Baby I'm howlin' for you

War - Grandson

Pretty clearly not just about the war against the Undead, but that the war for the Iron Throne still raged on despite the fate of humanity and that victory should have been something that brought everyone together, but you know... humanity.

And it's war in the east War in the west War up north War down south

Everywhere is war It's a war Oh, everywhere is war It's a war

Let Me Live/Let Me Die - Des Rocs

Arya again, specifically with Beric sacrificing himself to save her and then her going to kill the Night King. And then leading to her decision to live or to die in "The Bells."

I know pain, I know dread Wicked veins, they turn to lead Tears don’t stop the fire It's killing time

Back from the dead See, their eyes got nothing left Kiss me, I am the cobra It's killing time

Flugufrelsarinn - Sigur Ros

This was in Icelandic and here is the translation:

Hullabaloo, I rushed down to the lake A savior I made a ship and said a short prayer Because I was scared The sun shown and the lake flowed Sunflowers, sunflowers, the flies die But today I must save as many flies as possible In each hand I carry a string, determined I throw them into the abyss and try To draw the flies in before The smolts reach them where they fight The stream and water And so the day passes on Going on board, I had begun fighting the stream Which had already killed so many I can't breathe and I'm getting heavier with every wave I need a miracle Because I'm drowning sins I try to get onboard I pull ashore and save myself onto Onto the beach I lay on a hot rock and let myself dry again I throw myself into the abyss and try To draw in the flies before The smolts reach them where they fight The stream and water A breeze, completely soaked Bold, feels how the boat is out of the strongest current And the land slowly approaches He is both onboard, Sea and on land saving The flies that die here Though especially himself Eternal war and peace nowhere But someone has to sacrifice himself The days are long

With the references to a savior, a sacrifice, the water, the waves, the drowning and the sins, I think it's clear that this is about Theon and his sacrifice for Bran. Especially when you take into account what the title of the song translate to: "The Fly's Savior," and Bran is, after all, the Three-Eyed Raven. The last stanza absolutely screams Theon (on sea, on land) trying to save the "flies" that die here and always trying to save himself until the end "someone has to sacrifice himself." Makes me a bit teary-eyed. Very beautiful.

You can hear the song (with the Icelandic lyrics/English translation on the screen--well most of them and some vary, but they're mostly there) here.

Can't Stop The Bleeding - Tom Morello feat. Gary Clark Jr. and Gramatik

An interesting note is that this song was added *right before* the finale. I thought after I first heard it that it would be about Tyrion realizing that Dany was not the one to break the wheel and that he would do would do something drastic about it. Yes, he made that realization, but quitting his job was not that drastic.

On the other hand... Jon's action in finding out that Daenerys was basically going to burn the world down if people didn't follow her vision, including his sisters? Well, that was pretty drastic. So I now believe this was about Jon and Jon realizing that no matter how much he loved her that he couldn't stop the bleeding of his heart, but he had to stop the bleeding of the world.

Frayed like myth, every fool caught it Sound like this, every fool bought itCan't stop the bleeding, calling Can't stop the bleeding, ohFill my soul, it's hard to see Trouble found and trouble lost

Tyrion was duped into believing that Daenerys was the Princess that was Promised, and I think he's going to something drastic about it.

Fire - Barns Courtney

Ceganebowl!

Oh, a thousand faces staring at me Thousand times I've fallen Thousand voices dead at my feet Now I'm gone, now I'm gone, now I'm gone

And my mother told me, "Son, let it be." Sold my soul to the calling Sold my soul to a sweet melody Now I'm gone, now I'm gone, now I'm gone

Oh, gimme that fire Oh, gimme that fire Oh, gimme that fire Burn, burn, burn

The mother in the song is metaphorical or one could take it as the Mother of the New Gods and the Mother stands, among other things, for mercy and peace. And we all know that the Hound is not going to 'Let it be" so it's pretty clear that this is the Hound facing his deepest fear--diving headfirst into fire--at the same time finally getting his soul's desire and taking out his brother.

Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea - MISSIO

The pretty gross relationship between Euron and Cersei, and after episode 05, more specifically, the demise of Euron Greyjoy! (The crowd cheers!)

Wave of Mutilation - Pixies

This one's about Theon.

cease to resist, giving my goodbye drive my car into the ocean you'll think i'm dead, but i sail away on a wave of mutilation a wave wave

i've kissed mermaids, rode the el nino walked the sand with the crustaceans could find my way to mariana on a wave of mutilation, wave of mutilation wave of mutilation wave

Saying goodbye to Yara, the ocean references, "What is dead may never die" = "you'll think i'm dead, but i sail away," the mutilation" theme. Yeah, good ole Theon.

Wolf Like Me - TV On the Radio

I think this is about Sansa to Tyrion, using him to get to Dany.

Say Say my playmate Won't you lay your hands on me Mirror my malady Transfer my tragedy

"Playmate" as in someone who is playing the 'game' with her, and the final two lines, the two of them sharing their fears, their miseries, knowing what the other has been through.

We could jet in a stolen car But I bet we wouldn't get too far Before the transformation takes And bloodlust tanks and Crave gets slaked

They could work together, maybe even try marriage again, but both of them know it wouldn't last because there are too many ambitions and lusts and powerplays going on, not necessarily just within them but around them.

My mind has changed My body's frame but god I like it My hearts aflame My body's strained but god I like it

Sansa has become stronger and smarter, she's changed and it's been hard and it's still hard, but she likes it.

Gonna teach you tricks that'll blow your Mongrel mind Baby doll I recognize You're a hideous thing inside If ever there were a lucky kind it's You you you you

She recognizes his flaws, where she can manipulate him now because she learned from Cersei and Littlefinger, and she knows that it wasn't just his brains that got him this far, but he's had luck help him too. Of course, Tyrion is not a "hideous thing inside" and I don't believe that's how Sansa sees him, but this whole section is how she manipulated him, how she used him, because she did. It's about her being able to manipulate him as Cersei and Littlefinger taught her. The only truly hideous characters inside left this season were Euron and Cersei and none of the Starks would have interacted with them to fit this song; that was just one part of the song that was definitely metaphorical.

Writhing under your riding hood

I just think that the reference to "riding hood" was a key to this being about Sansa with the immediate jump to "red" from that phrase and Sansa's red hair.

POWER - Kanye West

The best I can make of this is that it's about Sansa getting through all that she has been through to be in control where she is and she's now determined that one person is not going to be in power of all of them, especially not the North.

Rumble young man, rumble Life is a trip so sometimes we gon' stumble You gotta go through pain in order to become you But once the world numbs you, you'll feel like it's only one you Man, you got the power to do anything you want to Until you ask yourself, "Is that what it's all come to?" Looking at life through sunglasses in the sunroof Do you have the power to get out from up under you Fuck all these labels, fuck what everybody wants from you

I could be totally and absolutely wrong with this one.

Let’s Have a War - Fear

Cersei's perspective re: the battle of King’s Landing.

There's so many of us There's so many of us There's so many There's so many of us There's so many of us There's so many

Let's have a war So you can go and die Let's have a war We could all use the money

Let's have a war We need the space Let's have a war Clean out this place

Powa - Tune-Yards

Dany breaking her promise to Tyrion about burning King's Landing if the bells rang.

Rebel, rebel, no Lightening dances in my head Devil, devil, whoa, oh, oh Burning steady as a motor

[...]

'Cause you bomb me with lies, humiliations everyday You bomb me so many times

I never find my way Come on and bomb me Why won't you bomb me? Come on and bomb Go on and whoa

Listen to the Lion - Van Morrison

The first half of this just screams the end of Jaime and Cersei:

And all my love come down All my love come tumblin' down All my love come tumblin' down All my love come tumblin' down Oh, listen listen To the lion Oh, listen listen listen To the lion... Inside of me Oh, oh, oh

And I shall search my soul I shall search my very soul And I shall search my very soul I shall search my very so-o-oul

For the lion For the lion For the lion For the lion... Inside of me Oh, oh, yeah

And all my tears have flown All my tears like water flown

Right? That's their end. Things literally came tumbling down on them, the lion inside Cersei, the Lannister sigil is the Lion, she's pregnant with their last child. All tears have flown because they gonna die, can't cry no more, right? So, obviously this song is about the end of Jaime and Cersei, except... for the next part of the song.

And we sailed, and we sailed... And we sailed, and we sailed... And we sailed, and we sailed... ... sailed to Caledonia

And we sailed, and we sailed, And we sailed, and we sailed, and we sailed... Away from Denmark Way up to Caledonia Away from Denmark Way up to Caledonia

And we sailed, and we sailed, and we sailed... All around the World And we sailed..., and we sailed..., and we sailed... Looking for a brand new start

(They sailed to a few more places, but you get the point.) So, clearly Jaime and Cersei aren't doing that... unless, they did somehow escape those tumbling rocks and we'll see them in the final episode, then, yeah, this song *is* about them. If not and they do be dead and gone, then, well, yeah, I could see this song being about Ser Brienne of Tarth. Because the first part of the song would totally fit her too... if she, like Cersei, had a Jaime Lannister Lion inside her. Uh huh.

We shall see.

Cold Cold Cold - Cage the Elephants

I'm thinking this one's about Jon and his conflict over his identity, because first off we start early on with this line:

I've been breathing air but there's no sign of life

Jon, technically, isn't alive, being a fire wight and all, so, I'm just saying.

Tell me how hard will I fall if I live a double life

Jon Snow / Aegon Targaryen. Uh huh.

And as the darkness falls it fills up both my eyes My life before me like a flash in the night With my arms open wide

Well it's cold, cold, cold, cold inside Cold, cold, cold, cold inside Cold, cold, cold, cold inside Doctor can you help me cause something don't feel right Something don't feel right, something just ain't right

He found out all of this right before the Long Night.

No One Knows - Queens of the Stone Age

This is absolutely about Arya and the whole the Hound=Death and Gendry=Life theory.

And I realize you’re mine Indeed a fool am I And I realize you’re mine Indeed a fool am I Ahh

Gendry proposed, offered himself to her, asked her to be with him... and she totes is gonna realize that she was a fool because he is hers.

Heaven smiles above me What a gift here below But no one knows A gift that you give to me No one knows

The Hound gave Arya a gift, he made her realize that it's time to LIVE her life, instead of dying everyday just waiting for death. Once upon a time, Arya was No One. Yuppers.

Wolves of Winter - Biffy Clyro

This has got to be Sansa giving some straight talk to Dany.

Justify your reasons, now it is my turn We are the wolves! How's it gonna feel when there's no one to support ya? How's it gonna feel when you're standing there alone?

We have achieved so much more than you possibly thought we could (I love that you're seething) You can achieve anything, just remember no I in team (But there's two in brilliant) We are the wolves of winter We live in a kingdom of blood

Go to War - Nothing More

Dany to Jon episode 04 is what this is feels like this is referencing.

Screaming at the ones we love Like we forgot who we can trust Screaming at the top of our lungs On the grounds where we feel safe Do we feel safe? Do we feel safe?

She's lost so many people and feels like those she has she can't completely trust. She doesn't feel safe.

Hush, my baby, make no sound Maybe we can wait each other out It's a cold war Let's go to war

With every settled score I thought that fighting with meant fighting for But you turn it around But you turn it around (War, war, war!)

She doesn't feel she has anyone completely on her side anymore.

Every feeling in my bones Tells me to lash out and tell you to fuck off You've got my heart and I've got your soul But are we better off alone? With every battle we lose a little more Remember everything that we'd die for You are everything that I'd die for

Dany still loves and wants Jon, but Jon no longer can love her like *that.* And Dany keeps losing more and more with every battle, and she hasn't forgotten what she's fighting and what everyone that she loves has died for.

Little Monster - Royal Blood

I think this one is about Jon taking on Tyrion.

Hey little monster, I got my eye on you Where are you going, where you running to? Hey little monster, you know it's all ok I'm gonna love you, no matter what you say

I think this may be about Jon and Tyrion trying to come to terms with what Dany is doing before they part ways on how to deal with her IF my speculation is correct that Tyrion winds up killing her to protect the realm. And then from that point on, things change between Jon and Tyrion. The next part of the song is more about Jon's feelings for Dany and how Tyrion is going to see the Wolf in Jon Snow.

I got love on my fingers Lust on my tongue You say you got nothing, So come out and get some Heartache to Heartache, I'm your wolf- I'm your man I say run little monster, Before you know who I am

Jon had Daenerys' love and Tyrion didn’t. Tyrion took Dany out to protect the realm and Jon understands that it came from a place from honor and that Tyrion loved Dany, but it doesn't matter, Jon is going to show avenge her.

I could be totes wrong, though. We'll find out tomorrow!

Burn the Fleet - Thrice

This is the first attack on King’s Landing.

Sister - Prince

Uhm, yeah, just read the lyrics. It doesn't perfectly describe their situation, but it's the overall tenor and theme. It's clearly about Jaime’s conflict over Cersei.

Dire Wolf - Grateful Dead

The living the night before the Battle of Winterfell, there's just a pervasive sense of a feeling of dread the night before someone's going to die.

the wolves are running round The winter was so hard and cold froze ten feet neath the ground

Don't murder me I beg of you don't murder me Please don't murder me

Devil’s Spoke - Laura Marling

OK, I could be wrong, but I'm thinking this is about Arya deciding to start a new life, making that conscious choice and be with Gendry.

All of this can be broken All of this can be broken Hold your devil by his spoke and spin him to the ground

Basically, this is saying that the choices you've made can be changed and you can take your hang-up (your devil) and cast it away, pin it down.

But the love of your life lives, but lies no more And where she lay your flowers grow

Arya is the love of Gendry's life, and she's no longer lying to herself, and one can take that second line in two ways. 1) as in his hopes grew, or 2) metaphorically, that when they lie together, she got pregnant.

The arms are fed and the babes that wed The backs that bled keeping her in tow But I am your keeper And I hold your face away from light I am yours till they come

The first two lines read to me like Arya's take on society's role for women that she will not be a part of it, and the last three lines are her saying that as long as they are true to who they are and each other, she is his.

Queen - Perfume Genius

I can't see this as anything other than Dany as Mad Queen.

Don't you know your queen? Ripped, heaving Flower bloom at my feet Don't you know your queen? Cracked, peeling Riddled with disease Don't you know me?

No family is safe When I sashay

It just gives the overall feel of insanity.

Cruel - St. Vincent

From Dany’s perspective because the North didn’t appreciate her, Westeros wasn’t clamoring for her, she didn’t have their love like she did in Essos.

Bodies, can't you see what everybody wants from you? For you could want that, too They could take or leave you So they took you, and they left you How could they be casually cruel? Cruel, cruel, oh

Crown on the Ground - Sleigh Bells

Cersei losing everything.

You need to know how, To say you'll backtrack, Between the clear bag, Somewhere in your habitat, You have a little thing, You think you're bothering, The class is ending, ending, ending, You never did know, You don't wanna know, There's another show playing in your window, The perm'nent thought of you, Has never bothered you, You're gonna have to, have to, have to,

Set, set that crown on the ground

Mother - The Amazons

Tyrion trying to fix everything he’s fucked up because he still wants to believe.

Friends want to kill me But I give them all my loving anyway If god won't forgive me I'm not the only one to make amends

Bronn's trying to kill him. Tyrion is still trying to make amends, as is Jaime.

Mother, it's not in my hands Try to understand, it's only 'cause I can Fools believe they can erase All that they've done before

Tyrion telling the Mother--as in one of the Seven--that he is still trying to believe he can make up for his past sins and mistakes.

Hot Blood - KALEO

Jon’s conflict and shame over his love for Dany, his aunt.

You turn your back, you’re a broken man You come around and just dying to shake your hand I don’t expect you to understand Just keep telling yourself there’s no shame

This was when he was still trying to convince himself it was OK, but then, of course he pulled away from their kiss.

They don’t know 'bout who we are They don’t know 'bout you and I They ain’t know 'bout the stars of your eyes Oh hot blood love is gonna get ya

Before the secret was out...

You wanna prove you’re the better man You wanna reach for the things that nobody can Oh all you need is to break away, yeah Just keep telling yourself there’s no shame

Jon Snow/Aegon Targaryen is a honorable man just like his real father, Ned Stark, and nothing can change that.

War Pigs/Luke’s Wall - Black Sabbath

The end of Cersei who never cared about any of her subjects.

Politicians hide themselves away They only started the war Why should they go out to fight?

Cersei until nearly the very end up there safe in her tower watching all of the bloodshed and destruction.

They leave that role for the poor, yeah Time will tell on their power minds, Making war just for fun Treating people just like pawns in chess, Wait 'till their judgement day comes, yeah

She could have helped, she knew that by playing her games, thousands and thousands of people could and would die, but she didn't care.

Now in darkness world stops turning, Ashes where the bodies burning No more War Pigs have the power, Hand of God has struck the hour Day of judgement, God is calling On their knees the war pigs crawling, Begging mercies for their sins Satan, laughing, spreads his wings

The end of Cersei, ashes falling, bodies burning. Not Satan, but Drogon.

Dead Skin Mask - Slayer

Dany the Mad Queen, again.

Graze the skin with my finger tips The brush of dead cold flesh pacifies the means Provocative images delicate features so smooth A pleasant fragrance in the light of the moon

Dance with the dead in my dreams Listen to their hallowed screams The dead have taken my soul Temptation’s lost all control Simple smiles elude psychotic eyes Lose all mind control rationale declines

Dany's dreams with Drogo and her baby. So many screams that she has listened to, and we all know that temptation has taken over, no more control, rationale is gone.

Empty eyes enslave the creations Of placid faces and lifeless pageants In the depths of a mind insane Fantasy and reality are the same

The coin has landed on the side of insanity.

Killer Wolf - Danzig

Arya and her awesome power, as a killer, as a woman (see: one smitten Gendry err Rivers Baratheon).

I’m the wolf I’m the one you want I’m the killer wolf I’m 'onna pound you home I’m the wolf Howlin’ all night I curl up next to you When you’re all alone

How her deadly abilities, her killer ways have become so much a part of who she is.

I’m the wolf Howlin’ all night I’m the king wolf I put the chill in your bones I’m the wolf Hunting you down I ain’t no back door wolf I don’t scratch at no doors

She has no fear, she’s in control, and numb to the world in generally for the most part.

Just one kiss, yes From my lips Rake your soul Over burning coals Just one touch, yes From my love Make you howl 'Til the sun comes up I’m the wolf

And how with a few well-placed comments, eyebrow lifts, sultry looks and deadly knife throws gets Gendry all hot and bothered like that. Boy's just gone for her. In the immortal words of Joe Dempsie, he's spruuuung!

The Time Is Now - Atreyu

I just can't see this being about anything other than Arya after episode 05 being ready to start a new life--one that is not about death. And since I firmly believe that the Hound=Death, and Gendry=life, and both are crazy entangled up with Arya this season, that therefore means the new life she starts will be with Gendry.

I've been dreaming 'bout, hope for better days Time for dreaming's done, time to face the sun

(Flying high above the world) It's a new life, it's a new mind And I will never fall

Arya rode away on that white horse, flying high and you know she will not fall. It's just too hopeful and happy to be about Daenerys.

(The time is now) I can't contain myself, I never felt so alive (The time is now) I'm past the breaking point, I set my soul on fire

"I never felt so alive..." For the first time, Arya has given herself permission to live.

(Hey-ay, hey-ay, hey-ay, yeah) The time is now!

Yup, the time is now.

Be My Fire - The Blue Stones

Dany wanting so much for Jon to still love her as his love, wanting him to trust her, to be true to her, to be with her forever.

Baby, be my fire Baby, be my flame Baby, be the softly burning embers

You need a man in whom You can depend Well I'd be the gasoline To keep you alive And I'd be the cold So unbreakable We'd burn together Straight through the night That's alright Baby, be my fire

Yes, it says "man," but eh, the point still gets across. I think this is about them. I think.

Rise Above - Black Flag

I think this is about Sansa and representing the North wanting their independence back.

we are tired of your abuse try to stop us but its no use

societys arm's out of control rise above we're gonna rise above think there smart cant think for themselves rise above we're gonna rise above laugh at us behind our backs rise above we're gonna rise above i find satisfaction in what they lack rise above we're gonna rise above

Alternative Ulster - Stiff Little Fingers

I had no clue what this song was about… I had to go to Song Meanings since I’m not from Ireland and don’t know much about the politics, the Punk Rock scen or the political dynamics going on there. The bottom line is that this song is about seeing beyond the divisions. Therefore, this song… is Jon’s point of view. We all are in this together: The Living against the Undead.

This Sentence Will Ruin/Save Your Life - Young Ruffians

This whole song is about someone trying to figure things out. It’s about someone who frankly knows nothing… so, uhm, yeah, Jon Snow, and his identity crisis and trying to figure out what the fuck to do.

I need to know who I am and what I'm going to do while I'm on earth I need to understand everything and everybody's lives

The Sick Bed of Cuchulainn - The Pogues

This one’s about Tyrion… the song is very Celtic with lots of history about the people. Basically, it's about the urge to self-destruct and about a man's life-long descent into alcoholism. SO, yeah, Tyrion.

Winterlong - Neil Young

Well, this certainly seems to apply to Gendry after Arya turned down his proposal. Very promising though is the fact that nothing in the song is definite. It was all “if…” “you seem to be…”

I waited for you, Winterlong You seem to be where I belong. It's all illusion anyway.

“You seem...” that leaves it to open, the possibility of her coming back is not closed off. The "illusion" could refer to the title and castle.

If things should ever turn out wrong And all the love we have is gone, It won't be easy on that day.

"If" and "it won't be easy on that day" makes it clear he hasn't given up, he's still waiting for his girl to come to him.

Furr - Blitzen Trapper

OK, guys, this is it. I know I keep saying it, but yeah, Arya and Gendry? Are absolutely endgame. This song sounds absolutely like Arya deciding to give up her Stark-ways, being the killer with a list, etc. and joining Gendry. I mean, for reals! I'm just putting all the lyrics here bolding key phrases.

Yeah, when I was only 17, I could hear the angels whispering So I droned into the words and Wondered aimlessly about till I heard my mother shouting through the fog It turned out to be the howling of a dog Or a wolf to be exact. The sound sent shivers down my back But I was drawn into the pack. And before long, they allowed me To join in and sing their song. So from the cliffs and highest hill, yeah We would gladly get our fill, Howling endlessly and shrilly at the dawn. And I lost the taste for judging right from wrong. For my flesh had turned to fur, yeah And my thoughts, they surely were turned to Instinct and obedience to God.

[Chorus] You can wear your fur Like the river on fire. But you better be sure If you’re makin' God a liar. I'm a rattlesnake, babe, I'm like fuel on fire. So if you're gonna' get made, Don't be afraid of what you've learned.

On the day that I turned 23, I was curled up underneath a dogwood tree. When suddenly a girl With skin the color of a pearl, Wandered aimlessly, But she didn't seem to see. She was listenin' for the angels just like me. So I stood and looked about. I brushed the leaves off of my snout. And then I heard my mother shouting through the trees. You should have seen that girl go shaky at the knees. So I took her by the arm We settled down upon a farm. And raised our children up as Gently as you pleased.

And now my fur has turned to skin. And I've been quickly ushered in To a world that I confess I do not know. But I still dream of running careless through the snow. An' through the howlin' winds that blow, Across the ancient distant flow, It fill our bodies up like water till we know.

[Chorus]

OK, now aside from the very, very obviousness of the fact that if you switch the genders--which, when a song THIS PERFECTLY ENCAPSULATES Arya and Gendry's story with references to wolves and packs and settling in a farm (forest lass), etc. one can not worry about the gender not matching perfectly--there's another very key thing one has to bear in mind.

The song is called "Furr." That title clearly references the narrator (who in this case would be Arya) being a wolf. The group name is Blitzen Trapper. Blitzen is, of course, famously known as one of the reindeer who pulled Santa's sleigh. While science has now proven that all of Santa's reindeer were likely female as male reindeer shed their antlers in December, it is highly unlikely that when the tale was first told that such was known therefore we're going with the original conception that Blitzen is indeed male. And since Blitzen is known as a male reindeer, well, another name for a male deer is a... stag. So, not only does the song itself alone scream an Arya and Gendrya endgame (it really, really, REALLY does).

The group name + the song title + the meaning of the song = The Stag caught the Wolf with his love.

At this point, let me remind ya'll that Benioff and Weiss said about this playlist, "The answer to the ending is one hundred percent hidden in the playlist choices. No one will believe us, but it’s true." Uh huh. I believe you!

Power - AJ Ghent

There are no lyrics for this one, so I just listened to it and really, I think it might be the beginning of the season when Dany was feeling confident about taking on the Army of the Dead and Cersei. OR it could be Cersei feeling confident about taking on Dany with her greater numbers. It’s easier to analyze it when you can look at the lyrics. :shrugs:

Toxicity - System of a Down

This song is really about nature being corrupted and capitalism taking over the world, so all I can really take from it is in relation to the endgame that it's Sansa and her opinion of Dany and how she thinks that she is a conqueror set on taking over Westeros by any means necessary.

Born For Greatness - Papa Roach

Oh, my heart. I think this is about Varys, whom I’ve always loved. He's my sixth fave character in the whole series.

I am a man at war And I am fighting for All of the broken people All of the people thrown overboard They always tried to shame us But they don't speak our language No, we're not nameless, we're not faceless We were born for greatness

Yup, and he fought all the way to the end.

Gold Lion - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

I could be totally wrong, but all I can think here is Cersei’s downfall and her and Jaime’s death although he tried to rescue her.

Gold lion's gonna tell me where the light is, Gold lion's gonna tell me where the light is, Take our hands out of control, Take our hands out of control

Now, tell me what you saw, Tell me what you saw, There was a crowd of seeds, Inside, outside, I must have done a dozen each

It was the height I threw, the weight, The shell was crushing you, I've been around a few

Here’s Your Future - The Thermals

There’s gonna be a lot of death and destruction and people are going to pay for their sins, and someone is going to be sacrificed for sins that they did not commit, maybe not in death, but that person won’t be happy. And I think that person will be Jon.

God reached his hand down from the sky He flooded the land and he set it afire He said fear me again and know I'm your father And remember that no one can breathe underwater

The deaths Dany caused, Theon's death, all the Ironborn deaths, including Euron's mens' deaths.

God told his son it's time to come home I promise you won't have to die all alone I need you to pay for the sins I create Son said I will but dad I'm afraid

Jon's no Jesus, but he's the closest thing to a sacrificial lamb this show has. He's already died once and risen for the sins of others.

Love is Blindness - U2

Dany and Jon. Period.

Love is blindness I don't want to see Won't you wrap the night Around me Oh my heart Love is blindness

They don't want to know what they know about Jon's parentage. It's as simple as that. It changed everything for them.

And that’s all she wrote. Agree, disagree... thoughts? I’d really like to know what other people think.

#game of thrones #got meta #arya x gendry #gendrya #arya stark #gendry baratheon #got songs #daenerys targaryen #jon snow #tyrion lannister #sansa stark #varys #theon greyjoy

21 notes · View notes