#Westerosi Paradise Lost When???

[alicentwhore]

Biggest criticism of the Faith of the Seven (besides the lack of saints) is that there’s no Devil figures. Like they mention Seven Hells to go with the Seven Heavens. I swear they even reference demons at one point. So where is my Westerosi Devil?! The joy I could’ve had in sexualizing the hell (ha) out of Westerosi Satan 😔 The insane essay I could’ve written about characters views of Westerosi Satan. We could’ve had it all

[joannalannister]

I recently saw an answer to an ask where you said the Lannister are small people, probably ever since The Hedge Knight. Do you think Joanna was small as well?

First, I really like this question, it’s a good one! Thank you for asking it!

Second, I assume you are referring to this post? (My friends, it really helps me if you supply the post number please!) 

“you said the Lannister[s] are small people” Let’s elaborate on that before we proceed. 

While the Lannisters are, on average, physically tall, I was using “small” metaphorically to indicate small moral stature and refer to character flaws, to indicate a person who is, on average, mean, or petty, or malicious, or lacking integrity, or contemptible, or bigoted, or pathetic, etc. 

(Note that I am saying “on average” to indicate a general tendency which allows for exceptions.) 

Tywin is a prime example of a man who is of small moral stature. See also. Basically the polar opposite of Brienne, who is a person of great moral stature. 

Also, I think something is lost in the paraphrasing, because I think this tendency toward “smallness” predates THK. I said previously, “Even in the days of Duncan the Tall […], House Lannister would not stand for a cause that was right and just, and they have only grown smaller since.) It’s THK which gives us a very concrete historical example that we actually “see” happening in real (story) time, with the Lannisters refusing Dunk’s call, but if the histories can be believed, examples abound. 

Now, do I think Joanna exhibited this tendency toward “smallness”? Sure, at least initially. 

That’s just how I personally imagine her, given that GRRM isn’t particularly interested in exploring pre-series female characters, especially ones who are not Targaryens. 

We don’t know a lot about Joanna, but we know something about the people around her, like Tywin and Genna and Kevan, and these people are … not … shining beacons of light in the series. 

Personally, I think Tywin’s love is conditional, and if you oppose him or if you disappoint him or if you’re not largely on board with his program of dehumanization and Lannister Superiority, he finds that very, very frustrating. If Tywin is frustrated, he tells you to fuck off, to get away from him, he disowns you, he won’t speak to you (ask Jaime (who frustrated Tywin’s ambitions), ask Tyrion (there is not enough parenthetical space here to tell you all the ways Tyrion is at odds with Tywin), ask Genna (who, in her own words, disappointed Tywin)). 

If you’re not on board, you’re not compatible with Tywin, in Tywin’s mind. That is who Tywin is in the books. 

“Ser Kevan was his brother’s vanguard in council, Tyrion knew from long experience; he never had a thought that Lord Tywin had not had first. It has all been settled beforehand, he concluded, and this discussion’s no more than show.”

(From my understanding, the people in the vanguard are the people at the front of your army, leading the way. In more modern terms, Kevan is like Tywin’s tank, advancing Tywin’s ideas in the political arena and drawing enemy fire without taking significant damage, which allows Tywin to follow up with a kill shot from relative cover. In short, this is a concerted effort.)

Like … Tywin isn’t just a person, he’s also an ideology. And Kevan is on fucking board, ride or die, a true believer, loyal to the end, and this is what makes Tywin trust him and rely on him.

(This is why I’m not a fan of those “oh, poor Kevan” interpretations… but that’s just me.) 

Genna was on fucking board too, she still resents Ellyn Tarbeck “that scheming bitch”

One of the few things we know about Joanna is that Tywin allowed himself to be vulnerable around her. The walls came down for her, the drawbridge lowered. For her, and only her. “Only Lady Joanna truly knows the man beneath the armor.” It’s only for Joanna that Tywin allowed his soft underbelly to be exposed. That implies a level of trust that we never see again in Tywin. 

Also consider marriage vows in Westeros: “One flesh, one heart, one soul.” 

I live in a largely secular place, so it’s easy to brush something like this off, yeah yeah yeah w/e. But to a Westerosi, these mean something - you’re combining two people into one. (These wedding vows are taken directly from Milton’s Paradise Lost, about Adam and Eve.) 

So when Tywin, a literalist, marries Joanna, he is allowing her to become a part of himself. 

That’s why I have a really, really, really hard time believing that Tywin fell in love with someone who was not “on board”. At least, initially. 

I think that ��� initially – Joanna was a very bigoted person - someone who was classist, racist, misogynistic, etc. 

But the reason that Joanna – or at least the Joanna that I imagine, cuz idk wtf george thinks, if anything – the reason that Joanna captivates me in a way that Tywin never can is because I’m interested in exploring the question, can Joanna change? 

Can Joanna grow? 

In the series, GRRM is interested in exploring how Jaime and Tyrion change throughout the books, and he has these men court Heroism and Villainy both, and they straddle the line between them. 

But GRRM really isn’t that interested in exploring that kind of thing with Cersei in the text, imo, and that always seems kind of sad to me. 

So I suppose, in my own writing, I make up for that with Joanna. 

Like, in my fanfiction, the first scene where Tywin and Joanna interact is basically Tywin scandalized that Joanna is seemingly not dehumanizing this person, and Joanna reassuring him that it’s not what it looks like and basically “don’t be an idiot, Tywin, of course i’m not treating This Person like a human being, this is just the most convenient thing for me” 

And I want to know how she grows from that - how does she eventually come to see This Person as a friend? 

And we know that Joanna and the Princess of Dorne became friends, but how did they start? 

Aerys was obviously racist, and I think Tywin was racist, but eventually we get to a point where, imo, Joanna wanted to marry her son to the Princess’s daughter, Elia, so how do we get there? 

And what about Tytos’s mistress, what about Lynora Hill, what about Ellyn Tarbeck? What do these people mean to Joanna, how does she see them, what does she do? 

What of Toad? 

GRRM has seeded this era with so many interesting people, so many people for Joanna to run up against and push back against.

So I suppose, IN MY OWN WRITING, I imagine Joanna as small, and I find that the interesting thing is to watch her grow, and also to explore the limits of her growth. 

Because her relationship with Tywin is a big factor in her life. If Joanna can see the Princess of Dorne as a human being, and Tywin can’t …. 

And how does that make Joanna see herself, how does that change her…

…Joanna’s growth, Joanna’s disillusionment, her own realizations …

…I’m trying to find the right words, because I haven’t written this part yet…

Tywin ruled, and Joanna willingly assisted him in bricking up her own cage. Because Tywin is the living embodiment of Westerosi patriarchy, and Joanna helped him. She was complicit. And even a love as “deep and long-abiding” as Tywin’s can’t save her. 

I suppose that’s why I find Tywin/Joanna so sad. 

Sadder than GRRM imagined.  I don’t think this is a story GRRM could write, tbh. 

So yes. Small. But growth is possible. 

[ava-rosier]

haunted by the memory of a lost paradise (and the sighs that speak louder than words)

Narcos AU (part one of maybe three)

In the country of Oroyne, there is a mysterious and fog-shrouded city called Chroyane, built over two rivers and surrounded by lush jungle that shield it from the rest of Essos. Its history is contentious- two thousand years ago it was all but destroyed by invaders, its people sent into exile, and hundreds of years ago it was ruled by pirates. Today, in spite of a fragile democracy, it is rife with corruption and a new breed of criminals have made their mark trafficking drugs through Volantis and Pentos into Westeros.

A brilliant but unorthodox Agent for the NIC (Narcotics Control & Intelligence), Oberyn Martell has been serving Westerosi interests in Chroyane for the past few years, aiding the local military and police in combating the narcos. That he speaks the Rhoynish tongue has helped greatly. The last thing he particularly wants or needs is a new partner, but a new partner he’s getting.

He can’t help flirting with the gorgeous redhead on his way to the meeting at the Westerosi Embassy...it doesn’t bruise his ego (much) when she shoots him down and tells him she’s married. Of course, later when they point out Agent Jon Snow to him, and his wife, Sansa Stark, the first thing that pops into Oberyn’s head is not ‘oh shit’.

It’s ‘oh shit, they’re both hot’.

It takes a while for him and Jon to settle into a functional partnership. The younger man’s mastery of Rhoynish is middling at best, he’s altogether too serious compared to Oberyn, and if he isn’t following the wrong rules, he’s bending the wrong ones. But they get there, and they’re actually making great strides in dismantling the cartels.

Unsurprisingly, it’s Sansa who smooths their rough edges. Oberyn finds himself spending many evenings at their flat, poring over files and satellite photos, an open bottle of wine or whiskey adding to the clutter of dinner plates on the table. Sansa proves to be a great help, particularly with her fluency in Rhoynish and Valyrian, as well as her self-taught knowledge of the history and politics of Chroyane. 

It’s on nights like this when Oberyn watches Jon and Sansa tease and flirt with one other that he wonders if they’d ever let him join them. But that, like many of his dreams nowadays, he simply attributes to the whiskey. 

for @beyondmythought-s. It’s not your prompt but it’s tangentially related to it.

[happycoffeedays]

It Only Rains in Shibuya

It’s day three on the island. We have 10 degrees and rising, jet lag is still driving a hard bargain and we have succumbed to the caffeinated forces of evil already – Starbucks.

Considering that Japanese usually excel at everything and put in twice as much effort than us lazy Westerosies, the idea didn’t seem that bad.

This post isn’t about the green-apron-men however, no matter how good the coffee may have been that fateful morning. The one we had later that day blew it apart and into space!

We had quite a few if we must admit. Also, looking at our expenses we spent more on coffee than on food!

First stop, Fuglen – the bird.

Flying all the way across from Oslo, Fuglen has been singing its sweet tune since 1963. Yet it only opened its doors to vintage coffee paradise in May 2012 in Tokyo. The café opens at 8am and later in the day switches into a cocktail and wine bar serving Norwegian and Japanese craft beers.

While we did get the whole Norwegian vintage 50s style interior, the overall vibe of the cafe was a bit lost on us. The coffee was good, although I wouldn’t say fantastic. The baristas were also a bit withdrawn and I hope my terrible Japanese didn’t put them off from talking to us further.

I’m sure Fuglen appeals to a whole lot of coffee lovers, unfortunately it simply wasn’t our cup of Joe when we popped in that rainy mellow afternoon. It has to be said however that their coffee bag designs are absolutely awesome!

Our number one in Shibuya and possibly Tokyo was no not Ms Bunny the rabbit café, which didn’t even serve any coffee. It was The Local Coffee Stand, run by coffee mastermind and Tokyo Coffee Festival founder Yuji Otsuki (pouring our flatties below).

Not only does Yuji have a beautiful minimalist shop using beans from local Japanese roasters, yet it’s also cutting edge! On a tv screen behind the counter, we spotted a coffee terminal board with fantastic little animatics of coffee being brewed. Simply pre-order via the app (O:der) and pick it up when it’s ready.

As far as coffee and ambience go, this is definitely where you’d want to recharge your batteries and kick back after a long tarmac marathon around Shibuya. 

What’s more, Yuji San was super fun talking to especially because his friends in the cafe helped him translate. We also learned that the Japanese and English coffee platform Goodcoffee.me is Yuji’s brainchild as well, which is exactly how we tracked down The Local in the first place.

If you feel like learning a bit more about coffee and have a nice chat at the same time, then please visit Yuji and do say Hi for us :)

Final stop before hitting the futon and merely a fifteen minute walk from the train station, is the cafe Grain Bread and Brew.

If you feel a bit peckish and realise that you can’t just run on caffeine all day, then Grain Bread and Brew will hit that spot for you as well!

Other than specialty coffee and first-rate matcha lattes, the cafe offers a whole menu of artisan sarnies with or without crust as well as homemade cakes.

While I had my last coffee for the day, Sonya tried her very first matcha latte with a slice of cold strawberry cheesecake. All three were utterly divine and do deserve to be featured on Goodcoffee.me, which by the way is a great site to discover a few coffeeshops that haven’t been listed on Beanhunter.

Thank you again for hanging in there while we are catching up on our coffee adventure in Japan! We might just squeeze in a short post about our latest trip to Seattle. So don’t stray too far :)

Happy Wednesday!

Robin & Sonya xXx