#i added some reds in jon's stark outfit

[imjustapoorwayfaringgeek]

Alys Karstark and Jon

i wonder what they're laughing at

[trinuviel]

A Bad Fit. Some thoughts on Daenerys Targaryen’s white costume in season 8 (part 1)

I’m a big fan of Michele Clapton’s work on Game of Thrones and I’m always excited when we get a first look at the costumes for a new season - so in light of  the recent season 8 teaser, I want to present my initial thoughts on Daenerys Targaryen’s new costume.

(GIF by @athimbleful)

At first look, this costume looks almost identical to the show-stopping white fur coat that she wore in the penultimate episode of season 7 when she flew beyond the Wall to rescue Jon’s company on the suicide mission she had sent them on. However, this is a NEW costume and it includes a number of interesting details.

Michele Clapton has a particular pattern when it comes to the use of costumes to create continuity between the seasons. At the beginning of a new season she often dresses a character in a costume that they wore at the end of the previous season, but with a few new details or alterations - this is a strategy that she has used with both Margaery Tyrell and Sansa Stark. 

The situation with Dany is a bit different here. It is a new costume but it looks almost identical to the season 7 fur coat at first glance. However, when you look closer you can see that the grey stripes of the season 7 coat has been replaced with a deep red colour, bleeding through the white like blood on snow.

Another interesting detail is the fact that the new coat is lined with red fur. 

Even her gloves have gone from grey to red.

Red and black are the heraldic colours of House Targaryen and while Dany wore black in season 6, Clapton only started to introduce small touches of red into Dany’s costumes in season 7 in order to signal that she is now starting to fully embrace her Targaryen heritage as she begins her conquest of Westeros.

It was a conscious choice of Clapton to withhold the use of red in Dany’s costumes until then - and that makes the introduction of the colour that more powerful when it was finally used.

People always say, “Why don’t you have this, why can’t you add that?,” and it’s like, “Well, sometimes you have to wait for that — you have to wait for the journey and for them to seek it out. With Dany in particular, finally we’re getting the [Targaryen] red. She was a confused woman, she was wandering … trying to seek something. And now she’s finally got her armor, she’s finally got everything, and she can finally echo the style of her brother with the extended shoulders and the red and the symbolism. He always had the big Targaryen [sigil] on his chest and now she’s got the big chain with the dragon’s heads on it.” (Michele Clapton to the Insider)

However, clapton still used the red very sparingly in the season 7 costumes. Red embroidery as a discrete accent to the edges of Dany’s power “suits” as well as the more conspicuous cape of pleated silk that invokes dragon scales. Dany’s season 7 costumes were generally dark, in shades from black to dark grey. The white fur coat was in many ways a radical departure from the rest of the costumes though had the same silhouette with the wide, pointed shoulders.

The white fur coat represents something new in Dany’s season 7 arc - something that interferes with her quest for the Iron Throne in the form of the threat of the White Walkers as well as her growing attraction to Jon snow.

I felt that there should be a definite shift in her look as she embarks on the mission of aiding Jon’s team trapped north of the Wall. I think it’s the first time that she has really been to the aid of another individual—let’s face it, she’s not going because of the Hound!—and she is putting herself at risk. (Michele Clapton to Vanity Fair)

While the coat is also connected to the loss of her dragon Viserion through the cream and bronze scale pattern on the back (which makes me very curious as to how the back looks at Dany’s new red and white coat), the white coat is very much to her feelings for Jon Snow. So it makes sense that she arrives in Winterfell wearing a variation of the coat now that they have become lovers. 

What is especially intriguing is that she’s obviously toned down the overt Targaryen symbols. She’s still wearing her Three-Headed Dragon chain but her hair has been spread over the front of her coat, obscuring this ultimate symbol of her Targaryen identity.

Incidentally, she had a similar hairstyle at her first, hostile, meeting with Jon at Dragonstone - but her hair was styled so that her symbol of identity and authority was clearly visible despite the loose locks of hair that falls down the front of her outfit.

Now this symbol is partially obscured - and you get a sense that she’s trying not to look intimidating when she’s meeting her lover’s family and her new Northern allies. Yet her costume still retains small details that is associated with her Targaryen identity- most notably all the dark red details. She is now wearing much more red than she did in the previous season. The wide shoulders are also retained and though it is a bit difficult to see, the shoulders are embellished with embroidery that mimics dragon scales, which is a feature that has characterized her costumes since season 3.

However, even here the look is softened by the materials, first and foremost the white fur but also by the use of what I suspect are silver Tila beads, which have softer corners than the shiny, sharp-edged black sequins that were used for her season 7 costume.

When it comes to Clapton’s costume designs, even the smallest detail is important because it carries meaning, it says something about the character.

I always try to make the clothes visually tell something. (FIDM Museum Blog)

I always try to tell that story — the costumes for me are narrative and you should be able to look at them [the characters] and understand where they are mentally in their journey. (Insider)

So all of these new details in Dany’s costumes are meaningful, they tell something about her character in relation to where she is in her narrative arc - and in the beginning of season 7, Dany is in completely new territory and in a new situation for her since she wants to make a good impression. She’s in the home of her lover, meeting his family - and she is also there trying to win over a people who has had a bad history with her family. They don’t trust a Targaryen, so it makes sense for Dany to try not only to tone down her Targaryen identity in her costume but also trying to affect a Northern style. 

In past seasons, Clapton has used Dany’s costumes to signal either her embracing or her rejecting a culture. During her marriage to Khal Drogo, she wears traditional Dothraki costume whereas she wears white in Meereen (season 5) to signal her rejection and mental removal from their culture.

”[The white] signifies her mental removal from some of the scenes that she has to be in — like in the fight pit. She doesn’t actually want to be there, so we wanted to show visually that she was removed. It was chaotic and bloody and colorful, and there was supposed to be this purity in the middle. She was visually removing herself from the things that she disagreed with.“ (x)

Once again, Dany wears white - and while her white fur matches the snow on the ground, it doesn’t match anyone else. Visually, she stands out like a sore thumb among all the dark-clad Northerners. So how does this relate to my claim that she’s trying to fit in? Well, some of the new details in her costume are rather telling.

Firstly, in the new teaser Daenerys wears a red neck cloth - and that is significant. Now it is cold in the North and she wants to keep warm - so a neck cloth is not unreasonable in this scenario - from a Watsonian perspective. However, all details have meaning in Clapton’s work and it is worth noting that Dany didn’t wear any kind of neck cloth when she flew North in season 7. That means that this new detail is significant.

I’ve seen a number of people say that it looks a bit like the high-necked undershirts that Northern women wear under their dresses, especially Catelyn Stark. There is indeed a resemblance but also notable differences. Dany’s red neck-cloth is not only made of silk but it is also tied in an ascot know whereas the high-necked undershirts that Catelyn and Sansa wear are in neutral linens and cinched at the neck with a string. The material itself is also wrong - the silk is too extravagant for Northern dress where it is the intricate embroidery that signals status and wealth, not fancy fabrics. So if this detail is meant to signify Dany’s attempt at Northern dress, it signals that she’s getting it wrong!

Secondly, in the EW cover photo Dany wears a variation of the red-white fur coat that we see in the teaser, only now another new element has been added - a white fur mantle across her shoulders.

This is a much more overt reference to Northern dress since fur-covered shoulders has been an element of Northern dress, and specifically Stark dress, since the very beginning of the story. This would be yet another example of Dany trying to signal her attempt to be close to the North, or rather Jon in particular. However, once again this costume element is close but no cigar - so to speak. It is placed directly on her coat and not attached to a long cloak like we see with Jon and Sansa. Thus, both in colour and silhouette, Dany doesn’t match Jon at all - creating a dissonant cord when she stands next to him.

Another aspect is the fact that Dany’s fur is all wrong when compared to the Northern cloaks - not just in colour but in the silhouette and texture of the fur as well. Dany’s white fur is longer and looks more wispy than the fur that the Starks wear. Furthermore, the fur cloaks of the Starks feature the whole animal (their heraldic wolf) from which the fur comes..

Once again, there’s a superficial resemblance that is actually undercut by small but significant details. It is like she’s trying to affect a type of dress that she’s unfamiliar with and getting it wrong. This is, in essence, Dany trying to cosplay a Northern aesthetic and still managing to look like an outsider.

Interestingly enough, Dany’s new shoulder fur does look similar to a couple of other costumes: Sansa’s white wedding dress in season 5 and one of Cersei’s black costumes in season 7. I’m not quite sure yet of what to make of this marked resemblance - other than Cersei is not a Stark and Sansa’s wedding dress was for an event that was not only horrible for her but it was also designed to make her a Bolton, to strip her of her Stark identity whilst using her claim to usurp the Starks as Lords of Winterfell.

There’s another interesting detail on the EW cover. If you pay attention, you can see that Dany also wears a red silk half-cape, similar to the ones she wore in season 7. 

However, whereas these capes looked natural with her season 7 costumes, it now looks like an odd fit with a heavy fur coat. This is not unsurprising since Dany’s season 7 costumes were inspired by the costumes her brother Viserys wore in season 1, which is a very conscious choice of Clapton:

“The silhouette,” [Clapton] explains, “purposely echoes that of the Targaryen style that her brother wore in Season 1.” (Michele Clapton to Vanity Fair)

��I think it’s quite interesting that we finally see her embracing her brother’s ambition,” Clapton says. “What does that say? You’re seeing the beginning of something. We’re not at the end yet and I think it’s very important at this moment that we start seeing who she is.” (Michele Clapton to Uproxx)

This isn’t really that surprising. She is after all, now trying to achieve her brother’s ambition of re-taking the Iron Throne. However, the combination of a silk half-cape with a winter coat that already has a shoulder fur just looks plain silly and impractical! The silk is flimsy when seen next to the fur, it is impractical and it is overkill. The red silk half-cape is part of Dany’s Targaryen style - especially as it matches what her brother wore.

However, this silk cape clashes with her “Northern” costume - she’s trying to be something she’s not because of her feelings for Jon (since the white fur coat is explicitly tied to her infatuation with him). This clash of different costume elements is rather interesting in the context of the politics of the story since the Northern Lords are vehemently opposed to any Targaryen, they value their hard-won independence and Dany is determined to rule all of Westeros, including the North. Thus, the costume reflect this uneasy alliance - written on Dany’s body. Despite her toning down the overt Targaryen style and attempting something that looks somewhat Northern, the red still bleeds through - she is a Targaryen conqueror who takes what she wants with Fire and Blood - even if she’s dressed like an innocent-looking white lamb.

A lot of people has also noticed how Dany’s new fur coat seems rather ill-fitting in the new teaser. She’s looks more bulky than when she wore the season 6 version of this costume. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Clapton and her team made a mistake. 

“I don’t think any costume should be looked at in isolation, rather, through the arc of the character. Each thing will tell a story. It might look like a costume is wrong, but actually it’s supposed to look like that. It’s telling you something about the character at the time.” (Winter is Coming)

Putting Dany in an ill-fitting costume just as she enters a new political situation, which is complicated by her emotional entanglement with Jon - it actually makes sense story-wise to put her in a costume that doesn’t really fit her subtly conveys that she is ill at ease. 

She’s now in a very unfamiliar situation in that she cannot just threaten people into submission because she’s infatuated with Jon and wants him to like her. She has to play a game of courtesy, which was never her strong suit. Even when she came begging for support in Qarth, she was never polite - instead rather threw a temper tantrum and screamed that she would take what was hers with fire and blood. As her dragons and armies grew, she never had the need to be a diplomat and be polite to the people she negotiated with because she had all the hard power and she wasn’t averse to using it. 

She isn’t her usual confident self, feeling like an outsider, which all the little details in her costume signals as I’ve outlined in this post. This outsider status is even underscored by the visual framing and blocking of the scene.

Dany is literally framed by Jon and Sansa who stand side by side as a united front. She looks small and she almost looks like she’s the one who’s the petitioner as she approaches the ruling pair of the North. It is also a shot that is eerily similar to the opening shot of Jon and Sansa’s parley with Ramsay before the Battle of the Bastards.

It is the same framing and blocking, only now it takes place in a much more confined space. Now the crucial difference is that the Winterfell scene is a scene of welcome but the visual framing imbue the scene with an interesting subtext that comes off as slightly adversarial, which fits well with Sansa’s cool welcome and Dany being visibly uncomfortable.

This is a case of the dialogue saying one thing but the visual language implying another, which is a strategy that the show used a lot in season 7. You have to keep in mind that the visual language (framing, blocking, costumes, non-verbal cues) constitutes half of the story - so a good way to create tension and subtext is to have the dialogue subtly clash with the visual language - and this is certainly the case here, both through the framing of the shot, the blocking of the actors and this is also embedded in Dany’s costume as I’ve laid out in this post.

[spideycentral]

Why Some Classic Spidey Villains Are Being Reimagined

We've known for a while that we're getting a fresh take on the likes of Molten Man and Hydro-Man in Spider-Man: Far From Home but what's wrong with the comic book versions of these villains?

"The real nerdy inside joke here is that they're based on B-level Spider-Man baddies," executive producer Eric Carroll explains. "There is actually a villain in the comics called Hydro-Man, who's a guy made out of water but wears a t-shirt and has a haircut..." In other words, they were too silly to be adapted in a straightforward manner, hence why they're now "Elementals."

Carroll adds that the idea was to make them "kind of scary and threatening...for all the comic fans keeping score, it'll be fun to see Hydro-Man brought to the big screen in a way we think is pretty cool."

Did Spider-Man And Nick Fury Meet In Avengers: Endgame?

Spider-Man and Nick Fury were both at Tony Stark's funeral, so why does the former S.H.I.E.L.D. Director say that it's nice to meet him in the teaser trailer? While we've since assumed that it was a line recorded solely for that preview, Jon Watts has now further confused matters! "No, it's not a fake-out," he claims. "They actually talk about why they didn't talk in that...it's not a fake-out. But there is more to [this subject] than meets the eye." What if Peter's parents were S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and killed in the line of duty? (they worked for the C.I.A. in the comics)

Mysterio's Helmet Will Be VFX

That's right, if you were hoping for some behind the scenes photos of Jake Gyllenhaal walking around with a fishbowl helmet on his head, you're going to be pretty disappointed as it's 100% CGI.

"When we introduce a new character [from the comics], we try to boil them down to what is iconic about them and hang on to that," Carroll explains, "but also in a way that translates to film, because obviously some of this is a little bit goofy."

"But speaking of goofy," he continues, "Mysterio will have a fishbowl helmet. It'll be added digitally."

We're Not Getting A "Dark" Take On Peter Parker

Peter may be mourning for Iron Man in Spider-Man: Far From Home but that doesn't mean we should expect a dark take on the superhero. "[This] isn't the start of a new, dark 'emo' phase for Peter," Watts confirms. "Even though he's gone through all these dramatic and traumatic events, he's still the same Peter Parker we know and love." "It's seeing how he deals with those things that's interesting for me," Watts concludes.

Iron Man's Secret Lab

In the trailers for the movie, we've seen Peter Parker working in what appears to be a hi-tech lab of some sort (and there's a lot of speculation that it's where he creates that red and black costume).

Well, the magazine reveals that this is actually a secret workshop in the back of the Stark Jet which includes a huge robotic arm and plenty of tools so, yes, it's easy to imagine the wall-crawler using it here.

The Action Is Bigger And Better

"A lot of the stunts are really more explosive than in the first one," claims Ned actor Jacob Batalon. "I feel like Homecoming was more about getting your feet wet; this one really goes for it."

That's a sentiment Tom Holland agrees with. "A lot of the action in Homecoming was kind of private, more contained. This one is much more global. We've got a lot of screaming extras!"

Where The Stealth Suit Comes From...

"Nick Fury provides Spidey with this outfit," Carroll reveals, "which is very much in the world of what you see with Black Widow and other S.H.I.E.L.D. characters." However, it still features some familiar elements.

Michael Mooney, an associate costume designer on the movie, explains that "The new suit still has the good old-fashioned web-shooters. It's a slightly different model in order to make them fit on, but they're the tried and tested bog-standard shooters."

...And How It Differs To Peter's Other Costumes

It may have the same web-shooters but there is one crucial difference here. "His Stark suit, which we saw in Homecoming, has all the tech built underneath it," says Graham Churchyard, the costume FX supervisor. "This one isn't made by Stark, so all the tech is on the outside; it's a lot more armoured, but still very mobile."

He adds that, "It's made by Robyn Gebhart, who's worked on every Spider-Man costume since the Tobey Maguire days. She knows the ins and outs of a Spider-Man costume."

"Michelle Jones"

We know that MJ's first name is Michelle but the magazine refers to her as Michelle Jones and that pretty much confirms that while she may be a different take on Mary Jane Watson, she's also a totally new character. "It's cool to be small in the beginning of a series, and grow into something later,"Zendaya says.

As for whether romance will blossom between MJ and Peter Parker, the actress chose her words carefully. "There's no hooking up in this movie. Of course, there's chemistry between the characters. They're, what, 16 year old kids going on a cool trip together, trying to figure out what they're feeling, or if they even have a feeling. Maybe we don't, maybe we're just friends."

Where Does It Fit In The MCU's Timeline

We know that Spider-Man: Far From Home takes place after Avengers: Endgame but is it part of Phase 3 or Phase 4? While it was previously reported to be the start of the latter, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has since said it closes out Phase 3, so which is it?

"Kevin said recently that this movie is technically the end of Phase 3," director Jon Watts says, "so I'll defer to Kevin on Phase-related questions!" Well, that pretty much answers that as it is ultimately down to Feige whether this movie is ends or opens a Phase.

Why Nick Fury Targets Spider-Man

It's pretty weird that Nick Fury would choose to track down Spider-Man on his summer vacation to help battle The Elementals, right? "You know, you have to think of Fury's perspective as well," Watts says. "He' was Snapped out for the last five years, just like Spidey, then brought back." "So now you have this character who's always known everything, always been in charge, who literally created the Avengers...and he's on the back foot, probably for the first time in his life. He needs to rebuild his team, and he's got a high school kid dodging his calls. He's not going to be happy!"

How Does The Multiverse Fit Into The Movie?

"God, it's tough," Watts says when asked about the Marvel Multiverse. "I mean, after the events of Endgame, it kind of feels like anything is possible."

"Time travel, switching dimensions, old Cap...I mean who knows?" The filmmaker did, however, make it clear that at least one element from Avengers: Endgame won't be touched on here. "We don't do any time travel. I can say that. The Russos already did that!"

Balancing Practical And Visual Effects

"It's really inspiring to actually be on location, blowing things up," Watts says when asked about the increased level of action in this movie. "It's very different than when you're, you know, against greenscreen on a stage in Atlanta. You feel that the world exists outside the frame."

"When you're dealing with Mysterio, who's flying around, or Spider-Man, who shoots webs and jumps really far, there's only so much you can get away with practically." However, he made a point of starting with a "real-life shot" and enhancing that rather than creating something totally from scratch.

Why Spider-Man: Far From Home Is A Good Palette Cleanser

Ant-Man and Ant-Man and The Wasp served as palette cleansers after Avengers: Age of Ultron and Avengers: Infinity War, and this time it's down to the wall-crawler to take on that role. "We think it's fun to sort of counter-programme with our movies," says Carroll. "After Endgame, this is a like a dessert - something where you can relax and not worry about it getting too dark, because it's a Spider-Man movie."

Is Sandman In The Movie?

In terms of the Elementals, we know that Hydro-Man and Molten Man are being re-imagined, but what about that rock/sand-like creature in Mexico? Is that a new take on Sandman? "We went digging and found characters," Carroll teases in regards to him and another unseen Elemental. "I'm not going to say exactly which ones yet, because we want to leave some dots for fans to connect."

Is Jon Watts Willing To Return For A Sequel?

Asked what might come next for the wall-crawler in the MCU, Watts says: "He's such a relatable character. I've never had a problem coming up with something new for Peter Parker to do, because I could watch Peter Parker do anything."

Does that mean he's already hard at work developing a third chapter? "It's always at the back of my mind, but I try to stay focused on one movie at a time," he says, refusing to get into specifics about what that could possible entail.

What Tom Holland Hopes To Do Next

As for Tom Holland's hopes for the future, he says he's "excited" for that. As for which villain he'd like to face next, the actor said: "I know you want me to say Venom! That's who you want me to say!" "I don't know. Honestly, that's way above my level. I just fight whoever they put in front of me..." Well, if recent rumours are to be believed, that could indeed end up being Tom Hardy's Venom.

[mmazzeroo]

Chapter 18:  DANY V - That Was Immensely Entertaining

@helloimnotawesome - Chapter 18 is up. It’s wedding time!!! Yay <3 

This is the longest chapter so far - longer than planned but it felt wrong to cut it and there were things that I really wanted included here, so....almost 3k for you :D Enjoy!

DANY V - That Was Immensely Entertaining:

'Lord Dayne in uniform' was that what the tv-reporter had said? No, that couldn't be. Jon doesn't have one. He lost it along with everything else that night. He was devastated when he had to tell Robb. She was there at Dragonstone that day. Holding him all through the night as he cried himself to sleep and occasionally woke up sobbing. For Jon his uniform represented something good he had done in his life, something he had chosen for himself and excelled at. The medals too. Not for what he'd done during battles and what he'd lost. For Jon it was evidence of what he'd saved, the lives rescued. The crowd's noisy I probably just misheard the reporter anyway. Marg was being a good sport as always. Playing her part effortlessly. Walking up the red carpet on the steps to the Great Sept she turned and waved at the crowd who responded with a deafening cheer. You'd think we were all still royalty. She laughed to herself at the thought as she too waved at the crowd. 

Inside the sept Loras was waiting for them with the bridesmaids and groomsmen. He'd arrived earlier along with their grandmother, President Olenna Tyrell. Loras was wearing his cavalry dress uniform - black jacket, black trousers with a double red stripe down the side of the legs and a white belt around the waist. Why do all men look so good in uniform? It's unfair. She again thought about the colours. Marg and Robb had wanted the colours of their houses to be combined to display a unification of their families, so all Starks and Tyrells would somehow incorporate the colours green, gold, grey or white into their outfits. Robb, Jon, Bran, Grey, Ned and Arya, and little Aegon would of course be wearing the traditional morning suit with black morning coat, waistcoat, formal trousers, white shirt, and a cravat. They'd decided that they'd all be wearing grey waistcoats and the cravat would be matched with the colour of roses embroidered on the bridesmaids dresses. So Grey's cravat was red, Bran's was green as he was meant to go alongside Sansa until he was given the honour of escorting the Queen of Thorns inside the Sept. 'The youngest Stark and I move at the same speed', as the President had said. Afterwards Arya was matched with Sansa, but refused to change her gold coloured cravat. Typical Arya! Everyone's little wild stubborn wolf. Jon and Aegon's were blue. He looks adorable in that little suit though - and so excited he has a matching outfit with Jon!

Margaery's dress was a white full-length gown with a chapel train. While the skirt was an opaque lace, the sleeveless top was a light layer of fabric that was completely see-through - with a nude layer below the lace to make it respectable for the occasion. Throughout the dress and top red, blue, green and gold roses were embroidered. The bridesmaids dresses were in similar style but in a very light grey and one colour roses per bridesmaid - Sansa had green, Missandei had red, and she had blue. When she'd originally questioned Margaery for suddenly adding blue and red she just received the reply that, 'blue is for the winter rose of the North, and everyone knows what red roses are the symbol of'. If it's true that the President herself is wearing a gold coloured jacket and blue dress I guess the colour checks out. Little Rhaenys' dress was a red skirt, black top and black band around her waist with a big red rose on it. So proud she gets to wear her own house colours. If only she knew it's because her mom tried to avoid her having to change outfit before the reception like Aegon needs to.

It was time. Aegon, carrying the cloak Robb would wrap Marg in, went first, then Rhaenys, Sansa & Arya, Missandei & Grey, then her and finally Margaery and Loras. Letting Aegon and Rhaenys enter first was a breach of tradition and protocol, but both Marg and Robb had been adamant that they wanted the little ones in the front. Wanted to give them their bit of the limelight. Wait! Is Robb wearing a green morning coat? Matching his bride beautifully, but another breach of protocol. Looking very aristocratic, Dr. Stark! She couldn't help laugh a bit to herself. Those two have apparently decided to make a tradition of breaking tradition! Aegon had made it all the way up the aisle and was handing the cloak over to—

—OOOH! GODS! Oh Gods! Oh Gods! Jon is wearing a uniform?! How is that even possible?! He lost it. Didn't he lose it? He did! Everything was lost in the fire as the car burned out. Then how? Her head was swimming with questions. She almost forgot to breathe. She felt her legs moving but wasn't sure how she was still walking - or even standing upright. Dressed like that he's the most sexy-looking man I've ever laid eyes on! Somehow she'd made it all the way up the aisle. Standing by Margaery's side she couldn't take her eyes of Jon. She'd never seen a Night's Watch officer's dress uniform before. Light blue trousers with a red stripe down the side of the legs. Deep blue, almost black, jacket and matching belt. Oh, my dress matches his trousers! Marg, you sneaky woman, you! Oh, is that a sword by his side? And his medals, oh gods! Some on his right chest and one particularly prestigious one, the Medal of Valour, was around his neck, meticulously placed so it sat just at the collar of the jacket. Oh Gods, that entire outfit is full-on panty-dropping material right there. Dany! Get a grip, woman! Remember where you are, for fuck's sake!

She hadn't noticed, but apparently the ceremony was over and Jon walked over to escort her down the aisle and out of the sept. Did I stand here and ogle him the whole time?!? In full view of EVERYONE?? Oh Gods!!

As they walked down the aisle right behind the newly-weds, Jon leaned in slightly and whispered, "you look absolutely stunning, Dany. You're the most beautiful woman in the world, and I can't seem to take my eyes of you. Beginning to think you must've cast a spell on me, Dr. Targaryen."

Gods, the way he looks at me! And that voice! So deep and husky and...ugh, I just want to peal that uniform off and climb him like a tree. Gods I can't take it. It's too much. He's too sweet, too gorgeous, too good, too much right now.

They were outside now where the crowd was cheering for the newly-weds. She turned to Jon and said, "thank you, Captain. You look very handsome yourself. Don't even know how I made it up there I couldn't stop looking at you, so maybe you're the one who cast a spell on me, Lord Dayne." She gave him a shy smile and looked to the ground quickly. She felt him give her hand a gentle squeeze before turning his face to the crowd, flashed them a big smile and waved. Wow, mom and Tyrion have taught him well...

Robb turned slightly and waved them down to join him and Marg on one of the lower steps. The crowd responded with more loud cheering. Apparently very big fans of both the eldest Stark sons. But this one's mine! She caught Marg's eye and they both leaned up and gave each their man a kiss on the cheek. And I just made my public announcement. She couldn't help grinning at the crowd's euphoric reaction to the two pairs. Jon placed a hand on her lower back, kissed her temple and waved at the crowd again. And I'm his!

——————————

Another way the newly-weds had decided to break tradition was by not having a big wedding feast. Instead they wanted to share the celebrations with the public so a few days up to the wedding there had been various events throughout Westeros. Concerts, funfairs, open-air theatre plays etc. all for free, and would continue for a few more days. On their wedding day itself there would be free, public feasts in as many cities, towns and villages as they'd been able to coordinate with the local Lords and Mayors. For their wedding gifts they'd requested donations to charities for the sick, old, poor, refugees, orphans, and animals. They didn't want anything for themselves. Already charity organisations were reporting a spike in donations. They couldn't quite avoid a reception though for the most important on the 'who's who'-list in Westeros. So a gathering of approx a hundred had been invited to a light meal at the hospital - the usual floor used for any kind of festivities.

At the reception the newly-weds, bridesmaids and groomsmen had all changed to different dresses and suits. She had chosen a knee-length, shoulder-less dress of purple lace matching the colour of her eyes. From the way the other girls had looked at her when they saw her she knew Jon would not be unaffected. Just as I planned. The problem was that when she saw him she was equally affected. He had changed to black dress trousers, white shirt, purple bowtie, purple velvet waistcoat and purple velvet jacket. What in the hells? Are we unconsciously colour coordinating? Look at him! So confident, so handsome in that casual laidback Jon-way!

As he was walking up to her, smiling that special smile she had learned was just for her, his eye caught something behind her and his steps halted for a second. He tensed up but tried to hide it. What do you see, my love? Everyone else had already been seated. Only ones missing were her and Jon, and Marg and Robb. She turned her head but didn't see anyone or anything out of the ordinary.

"What's she doing here?" He growled in her ear. Haven't heard that tone since the day Ned told him the truth.

"Who, my love?"

"The woman in red." Still growling. Wolf mode is in progress.

"That's Ambassador Melisandre."

He glared at the red woman. "Ambassador?"

"For the Free Cities."

He snorted. "Of course she is." He lowered his head, squeezed his eyes shut, jaws and fists clenched hard before he took a slow deep breath.

"..Jon...it's ok if you're not ready. I'll just tell them you're—"

"—no!" Another breathe to try to steel himself. "Let's just do this. I'll be ok." You hope!

"Jon, don't do this to yourself, please. It's alright. I promise." She held his face in her hands, gently, but forcing him to look at her.

He sighed. "I know, I just..," he sighed again. I can't bare to see all that pain back in our eyes. "I can't go through life doing only what feels easy, can I? I'm going to meet people from my past that...." He ran a hand down over his face. "I have to do this, Dany." No you don't but you're not willing to listen right now.

She nodded, gave him a slow deep kiss trying to convey her support and love for him.

They sat at a round table. She was sat between Loras and Jon who sat between her and her mom. Good strategic decision, Marg. Next to Loras, President Olenna was seated, then Robb, Marg, Ned, Cat, Tyrion, Ambassador Melisandre, DA Oberyn Martell, her mom, and then Jon. Dinner was going well despite Jon being tense and quiet, only giving short curt answers. She had noticed the worried looks from the Starks - and her mom. She'd done her best to downplay it all with a few looks of her own and a light shaking of her head. Difficult to point at someone without anyone noticing while sitting at a round table.

Everything was fine until President Olenna mentioned that the Gold Cloaks had found and brought in a Greyjoy to the hospital, currently still in the ICU.

"Theon?" Jon's head snapped up. Who's he to you, darling? You look hurt and yet there's a sliver of hope in your voice.

"We believe so but Commander Selmy's team haven't been able to reach any relatives yet."

"No don't! Please don't do that!"

"Would you not want him to be reunited with his family like you have been with yours, Lord Dayne? Thought you were raised a good God-fearing man like your father, Lord Stark over here?" Oh for fuck's sake woman why couldn't you keep devious mouth shut?!

Jon's head turned towards the Ambassador so fast she feared it might've snapped off his neck.

"Let's get one thing clear, Ambassador, I tolerate your presence and only sit at the same table as you out of courtesy. Maybe others here don't know or don't care, but I know what you really are. I remember what you did!" The last line was said with a growl. She couldn't see his entire face clearly but she was sure his wolf fangs were showing. Everyone at the table was silent. Luckily there was chatter in the background from the other tables. Thanks the Gods he's managing to control himself. Somewhat at least.

He took a deep breath before continuing through clenched teeth. "Secondly, God-fearing? God-FEARING? Hmm? Is that what they want? The Gods? For me, for us to fear them?" He snorted and shook his head in disbelief. "The Lord of Light wants his enemies burned, the Drowned God wants them drowned, the Black Goat requires a daily blood sacrifice and the Many-Faced God is basically Death himself. Tell me priestess, why are all Gods such vicious cunts?! Where's the God of Tits & Wine?"

"To the God of Tits & Wine!!!" Tyrion and Oberyn cheered in unison then shared a look of surprise? Gratitude? Those two are a perfect match for each other! Thank you for trying to break the tension gentlemen, but afraid you're much too late.

Ned sent her an anxious look. He knew how badly this could go if they didn't manage to stop Jon - or if he didn't manage to reign himself in. I know, Ned, I know! I'm worried too. She didn't know what to do though. Not here. Not in this setting.

"Thirdly," Jon continued, calmly but clearly restraining himself, and with a deep growl said, "don't you ever dare try to slander my father's good name again!" He glared at her. If eyes could kill she'd be dead a thousand times over by now.

He turned back around to face President Tyrell. After another deep breathe he managed a warm and calm tone of voice when he said, "it is no secret that there is no love lost between the Greyjoys and myself. However, no human deserves to be subjected to the kind of humiliation that Theon was - that too by his own family. So please, Madam President, I beg of you do not try to contact any relatives he may have until he's awake and able to tell you himself. He deserves at least that." You have such a big and kind heart, Jon. Every time I learn something new about you I love you more.

As always the Queen of Thorns was wearing her pokerface. She had not reacted to his outburst at Ambassador Melisandre, an official representative for a very important ally for Westeros -  and if offended could have severe political, economical and social consequences. Listening to Jon's plea on behalf of Theon Greyjoy the old woman simply nodded.

"Thank you." Jon turned his head slightly to look at his father. "When his doctor allows it, I'd like to come by and see him if that's ok with you, Lord Stark?" Furious, yet still remembering your manners. Well done, my love.

"Oh course, Lord Dayne. I'll let you know." Gods, I hate this formality!

Turning back to the President, Jon said, "with your leave Madam President I'd like to go catch some fresh air."

"Yes, I thought you might." Is that a smirk? She finds this amusing? "Granted, Lord Dayne."

He stood up and nodded around the table. "Madam President, Lords, Ladies, Ambassador," and then he left. Didn't dare to look at me before leaving....you promised you wouldn't hide from me, Jon...

Everyone was silent for a few seconds before Loras stood up. "I'll go check on him." He too nodded to everyone, and then just before leaving he leaned towards her and whispered, "if I'm not back in 5 mins come find us."

She just nodded. Jon where did you disappear to? Before she could think any further her thoughts were interrupted by President Olenna's loud laugh.

"Ha! Lord Stark you've neglected to tell me your eldest son has such a ferocious bite to him! I love the boy already! That was immensely entertaining!"

[jonsalways]

There’s something weird about Dany and Sansa’s looks this season

 The costumes in Game of Thrones have many deeper meanings. They are used to show how a character relates or differ from another. The costumes tell the history of the characters.

But when we look at season 7, something pretty odd happened: Sansa and Daenerys appearance look very alike. To be more specific, Dany’s wardrobe changes entirely after she meets Jon and the more the show try to look her more pleasant to Jon’s eyes, more she looks like Sansa (!).

This is going to be long and full of pictures so brace yourselves.

Sansa and Dany have similar pasts, it’s true. But their personalities are so different, they differ in philosophy, goals in life, their care for family and what they believe to be important. So there’s no explanation to what happened in Daenerys’s look this season. Since the beginning of the show Dany’s style is very unique. She wear boots, trousers, and short dresses with no sleeves. Her colors always were blue and white mainly. Within the Dothraki culture she wears green and brown mostly. Her clothing have a lot of texture to simulate dragon scales, and long  wing sleeves.

At the end of season 6 however she embraces the nature of her family and decided to sail to conquer Westeros, and for the very first time we see her wearing black. At the beginning of season 7 she wears black and red. We see her first “winter” outfit with long sleeves that actually protect her from cold. This is very much her style with a touch of winter.

But at 7x3 after she meets with Jon, her clothing changes to something else entirely. Instead of black and red, she begins to wear grey, her costumes are way more soft with no more textures to resemble dragons. As her love interest for Jon grows she goes from a dreadful look to subjugate the lords of Westeros, to a kind and friendly look around him, and she spend most of her scenes wearing this outfit.

And here is where things get tricky and strange. Dany wears grey which is already pretty odd since the characters usually do not wear colors of the Houses they don’t belong to, but she does to be more pleasant to Jon’s view even though Dany has never used grey before. Grey is the color of house Stark but the fascinating thing about it is the fact that none of the Starks wear full grey. None but Sansa. 

If we go back to season 1 even Ned didn’t wear grey. The Starks always wear black and brown, with only a few touches of grey. Jon does that, Bran does that too, even Arya wears black and brown clothing.  Only Sansa uses to wear grey tones, and she does it since season 1, her palette of colors were always greyish through the seasons.

At season 7 each and everyone of her outfits are grey, with a touch of brown and black as all the Starks do, but the color that  defines her this season is grey. And it suits her well since she is Lady Stark, she used to wear grey before and that’s the color of her house. But make Daenerys wear a color she never dressed before just to make sure we get she’s into Jon  seems like a very strange choice to me, mainly bc grey is a trademark Sansa color.

And the more you look, more strange it seems. Every lead female character has her own style, even for pieces that are supposedly the same they have very distinct versions to show how different they are, but if you take a look at Daenerys “battle/business outfits” you will notice it’s very similar to Sansa’s outfits.

They have the very same basic shape, with a V collar that ends on a frontal piece that stands out and prominent shoulder pieces.  They only differ in details, but they clearly have the same inspiration.Daenerys winter coat have this shape too.  Only characters who share same similarities or are in the same side wear similar clothes. I see no motives to make Sansa and Daenerys’s dresses alike since they are such distinct characters that have never met.

Another strange change in Daenerys appearance is her hair. The show changed her wig this season and added a lot more braids than she used to wear.

Her hair is pretty much the same since season 3 when the show had budged enough to create better quality wigs. Daenerys’s trademark is to wear wavy frontal pieces that frame her hair and helps to hide Emilia real hair. She wears it since season 3, and for 44 episodes no matter the scene, the frontal pieces were there covering Emilia’s ears a little bit.

But after she meets Jons her hair looks very different in some scenes. For the very first time since the finale of season 1,  Dany wears a single braid that pulls all her hair back. That’s so unlike her, that she even looks a bit strange without the frontal pieces. There’s no rational reason to style her hair like this now and break her trademark hair just for some scenes.

There’s only one character that I recall to use a single braid like this in many occasions in the show, and this character is Sansa. Braids like this are almost part of her character, in a very northerner way. Her Lady mother used to wear a  braid like this during the War of the Five Kings, and after Catelyn’s murder, Sansa wears it almost like she could draw strength from it during moments of need.

Sansa’s hair is a very special part of her character. She never had a “trademark” hair like Daenerys had, but she has some very known styles. Sansa almost never wear loose frontal hair like Dany is used to. Sansa hair is almost always pull entirely back, and since Sophie used her own hair in the previews season, Sansa’s hair was very different from Melisandre’s wig, even if they used to wear almost the same hairstyle. Now Sophie is wearing a wig, they kept this style and added some details that Sophie’s hair couldn’t bare, to make it more elaborated and slightly different from Melisandre’s.

So if we had to choose a “trademark hair for Sansa” it would be this one. That’s way she spend 5 of 7 episodes from season 7 wearing it. At 7x6 Daenerys wears a very similar hairstyle  to this one when she’s talking to Jon on the boat scene, where she’s again wearing a grey outfit. Strangely that was the very first time I actually felt there was a “romantic feeling” between them, with them holding hands and that “ Thank you, Dany” disaster coming out of nowhere from Jon.

Dany looked younger, pretty and way more vulnerable with this hairstyle. That’s exactly why this is such a common hair for Sansa. The stranger thing about it, it’s that Dany is wearing a completely different  hairstyle in the scene before and in the one that follows this moment. Dany wears this hairstyle only in this scene, which is the only truly romantic scene they share this season, since the boatbang scaleted very quickly from a non verbal “Hi there” to a “we’re naked in bed having sex”. The only scene Dany wears Sansa’s hairstyle and color it’s the very first time we see Jon responding to her romantic interest. That’s pretty odd no matter how you see it.

The show never make mistakes about appearance. The colors, the hairstyles,  the textures, everything means something. Michele Clapton tell the history through costumes, she shows the emotions and connections between characters through their appearances. All the details are carefully thought and mean something important. 

“everything about [Dany’s outfits] has symbolism and that’s what I find so interesting in designing the costumes. You should be able to look at each character and almost mentally know what they’re trying to say. […]

Michele Clapton, Game of Thrones Costume Designer

I don’t believe it’s a mistake or coincidence that Dany resembles Sansa after she met Jon. It’s almost like the show wanted us to look at Dany interacting with Jon and see a shadow of Sansa there. And the most disturbing part of it, it’s the fact that Jon would indeed notice this sutilities. We know from season 6 he does notices Sansa’s looks, doesn’t he?

Michele Clapton said the costumes tell the story.  If you’d ask me, I’d say the costumes are telling a very strange story where Jon had sex with a girl that dresses like Sansa.

I maybe crazy, but I’ve been making costumes for 9 years now. I do look at a character’s outfit and understand its meaning. The more I look, more obvious it seems to me what the show is doing. We all do metas about how racional Jonsa being endgame is, but now the costumes seem to be telling this too.Sansa’s costumes this season have sutilities about her connection to Jon as well.

The way I see it there are two possibilities: 1 - Jonsa IS endgame or 2 - Michele Clapton belong to the Jonsa Fam too and it’s confusing us all giving the costumes meanings they aren’t supposed to have.. And I don’t think the show would allow her to do such a thing if Jonsa wasn’t meant to be.

[freshginandtonic]

My Watch is.. still going

Since starting a new position at work and waking up at 2:30 every morning I have become a hermit - bad for my social life and general wellbeing, but a great time to start watching a new TV series. Or rather, a show that’s not new at all, just one that everyone has been watching for 8 years, and I’m just jumping on the bandwagon now. Yes, I have finally gotten into Game of Thrones. As I write this I have five more episodes of the final season to watch, so I figured now was as good a time as any for some self-reflection on the fact that, in between working ten hours a day, the rest of my time has been devoted to finding out who will end up on the Iron Throne and sleeping.

I’ve always been of the credence that yes, one day when I’m 60 and have enough time, I will in fact sit down and watch Game of Thrones. That all changed at 4am in the last week of May, when I arrived at work to find a package on my desk -  w the words ‘unbowed, unbent, unbroken’ written on it - I later learned that was the motto of one of the great houses of GoT - and a USB inside, with the first season all ready for me. Thanks to my colleague Will, my watch had begun.

Throughout each episode I’ve live texted Will my thoughts, emotions and reactions to just about every scene - usually in all capitals. I’ve noticed this has greatly added to the quality of my viewing - it’s nice to know you can send a one line quote from Season 2 episode six and he’ll know exactly where I am in which episode and can respond in kind with a follow up line, appropriate gif or meme. It’s different to the normal viewing experience because while you don’t have the immediacy and intimacy of an in-person response, the anticipation of a text reaction feels like more of a shared, special event - I’m taking time while watching this thing to let you know I’m watching the thing: here are my raw thoughts. Far more exciting.

My phone had to be put down for some moments though - particularly for the Battle of the Bastards - it was such a sensory overload I couldn’t be trusted to text properly AND keep track of Jon Snow. 

So I began, a novice in season one (in love with Jon and Robb and protective of Ned - how well did THAT turn out?) and I quickly realised I wasn’t going to be able to get through this without some help. So I had some red wine to cope with the first big death of the season (it’s been so long I can’t really remember who it is now) and got on with it. Then came Ned’s death (cue gasps) and onwards to the most important part of season three - no, not the Red Wedding - you better believe I’m talking about Robb Stark’s first relationship and sex scene w cute healer Talisa. I will say I never thought a scene with a leg amputation could be choked with sexual tension, but let me tell you GoT made it happen (context: Robb is on the battlefield being smouldery, Talisa comes to help a wounded enemy soldier and has to cut his leg off while she and Robb exchange heated flanter) and then they finally get it on after she tells some heart wrenching story about her brother (sad but it went right out of my head as soon as I saw Robb’s bum. It’s the important things).

There’s been a lot written about the shock value of Game of Thrones - killing main characters for the sake of killing them, using sexual violence as a plot device, and gratuitous violence. Regarding the sex and violence; first, there’s a Lot if it. A lot more than I thought. Lots of boobs and bums and moments where I had to pause when a family member came into the room. I was pretty surprised at how normalised this became for me - before long I found myself glad and inwardly cheering when someone got axed, poisoned, or ripped apart by dogs (you all know who I mean here.) 

When violence was used, sometimes in not-so-great moments (shall we be reminded of Sansa’s awful rape scene) - it did  sometimes serve as a real catharsis to see some truly terrible people be given their comeuppance (Ramsay’s great ending, Joffrey’s wedding, ) Other people who don’t deserve it are brutalised as well (once again Sansa, and how many others I can’t remember). There’s definitely no discrimination on that front.

 There’s also a weird sense of redemption. Not in every character (obvs - what show is this again?) but being able to follow a character’s arc in one go without break has made their journey all the more meaningful. Particularly for the character of Theon: (a brief summation: he betrays his adopted family and best friend, then gets mutilated and psychologically tortured and broken down before he breaks down and changes). Seeing him come to back to life and find his morals again has been a real highlight and emotional strongpoint of the show for me. I cheered and teared up for each bout of progress he made - fair play to him, he took his fucking time and made loads of mistakes along the way, but he got there.

Regarding the controversial Ending™ my dad told me he read about one guy who binged the whole show like I’ve done, and he had a markedly improved opinion of the final season compared to other people. Everyone I’ve spoken to has, in their own words, said there’s a Golden Period (roughly seasons 2 - 6), and then everything from then on is basically horse shit. I don’t know if that’s right or I’m in a position to judge yet, but right now there’s nothing more satisfying to see characters who have been on separate journeys for literally 8 seasons come together and interact after so long.

So to sum up watching seven and a half seasons, roughly 68 hours and 4080 minutes of TV in under a month - it’s been A Lot. I think I have popular and unpopular opinions about the characters and storylines (pop: Jaimie and Brienne need to bang) vs (unpop: Dany’s character development - nope and she needs to stop conquering cities pls). I am glad I’ve waited this long to watch it all in one go (if I had to wait a year to find out what happened to Jon Snow after the season five finale I would have fucking RIOTED). I’ve appreciated the small moments: the Night’s Watch banter, the dire pups, Jon and Ygritte’s excellent enemies to lovers relationship (a personal favourite trope of mine), and everything Varys says, to the bigger pieces of the puzzle: Jon’s true heritage, the Stark’s getting avenged, Arya’s and mainly Sansa’s transformation from the girl who wanted to marry Joffrey to the absolute badass bish she is from where I currently sit.

So is my life changed? Nope. But at least now I’m part of the cultural carpet. My watch is nearly over, but what an absolute time its been.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS OF GREAT MOMENTS FOR THOSE IN THE KNOW (AKA EVERYONE ON EARTH)

Sam getting ripped for reading by all the dudes in the Night’s Watch

Dany’s excellent outfit choices in s7/8 - a particular shoutout to the winter outfit of season 7 episode 8 and the grey frock with the red dragon cape (LIVING for the texture)

Ditto Cersei - taking power suits to a whole new level since taking the Iron Throne (this particular outfit is an absolute LEWK and the picture doesn’t do the spiky shoulders justice)

Jon’s transition to the man bun post-resurrection (I personally detest man buns but I absolutely loved this change for him)

Sansa’s dead straight curtain of hair - there’s something super satisfying about it after years of her wearing those Padme Amidala style ‘Southern Style’ hair

The entirety of House Tyrell (particular mention to Lady Olenna who deserves all the awards in the world for only killing one character in this show)

Lady Margaery’s sassy backless dresses (she knows how to make the most of the King’s Landing climate)

Jaime and Brienne’s entire relationship (from the enemies to friends trope to him GIVING HER HIS SWORD AND A WHOLE SUIT OF ARMOUR) - if that’s not a love confession then I will just cut off my own damn hand

The entirety of the shirtless Flex Scene™ of the pilot

Sansa saying the iconique phrase ‘How do you answer these charges, Lord BaELISH’

Any time anyone said the words ‘King in the North’

Battle of the Bastards - need I say more. I won’t big it up like so many of the magazines and entertainment websites did, but it felt like one of the most realistic depictions of a medieval battle you could find. I felt it in my gut. I don’t know how you couldn’t. When Jon couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t breathe.

Bran literally being the group member of the assignment who drags you down bc he just sits in a cave

[tigereye771]

New Year, New Beginnings, Part 10

Title:  New Year, New Beginnings

Part: 9/?

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [Part 6] [Part 7] [Part 8] [Part 9]

Pairing: Jon/Sansa

“Bran! Arya! I swear if you two aren’t at the table eating breakfast in two minutes, I’m throwing it away!” Sansa yelled.  

“Geez, Sans, keep your panties on,” Arya grumbled as she stumbled into the kitchen, her hair and clothes disheveled.  “It’s just, Jon.”

“Who is doing us a big favor by agreeing to go car shopping with us,” Sansa replied as she placed a stack of pancakes neatly onto Arya’s plate.  “He’s doing all the driving and giving up his Sunday to do this.  The least we can do is be ready when he gets here.” She eyed Arya’s rumpled clothes and sighed.  “You could have made the effort to dress a bit more neatly.”

“Why? Again, I say this is Jon and I really don’t care what the car salesmen think about us,” Arya replied as she liberally doused her pancakes with syrup.  She eyed Sansa’s outfit of jeans and a light blue, cashmere sweater that made her eyes bluer and that she knew her sister only saved for special occasions suspiciously.  “Why are you so dressed up?”

“Because despite what you think, appearances do matter and maybe the salesmen will be more negotiable if they think we can truly afford a car and not look like we’ve rolled in from off the streets,” Sansa snapped back, though her cheeks pinked suspiciously.

Before Arya could quiz her sister further, Bran entered and Sansa was hastily providing him with his own stack of pancakes.  “What dealerships are we hitting?” he asked after thanking Sansa.

Sansa had given her sister a general list of requirements she had for the new car and with Gendry’s help, Arya had scoured the various dealership websites and what they had in stock that would meet their requirements and budget.  There weren’t many options, but they had a list of three possibilities.  As they were going over the list, the doorbell rang and Sansa hastened to answer it. Bran and Arya could hear voices in the hallway that got louder the nearer they got to the kitchen.  The two younger Starks looked up in surprise when a large, red haired man followed Jon and Sansa into the kitchen.

“Bran and Arya, I’d like you to meet my friend, Tormund,” Jon said as he introduced the two Starks to the big man.  “He insisted on coming with us today.”  Jon threw the other man an annoyed look.

“Pleased to meet you!” Tormund greeted, nearly crushing Bran’s hand in a hearty handshake.  The young man looked slightly startled, but when he went to shake Arya’s hand, the petite woman narrowed her eyes and met Tormund’s firm grip with one of her own.  Tormund’s eyebrows went up and his hand squeezed tighter.  Arya grinned wolfishly at him and increased the strength of her grip.

The back and forth would have continued but Jon broke it up.  “That’s enough you two.  Tormund, stop screwing around.”

“Arya, finish your breakfast,” Sansa admonished.  “Jon, Tormund, coffee and pancakes?”

“Oh, we couldn’t-,” Jon began, but Tormund simply pulled out an empty chair and sat down.  “Smells good!”

Sansa chuckled as Jon sighed in exasperation.  He gave her a soft smile of apology but she simply shook her head at him and pointed to the other empty chair.  “Sit. Eat.”  

“Aren’t you-?” Jon began.

“Oh, I had breakfast hours ago,” Sansa replied as she hurriedly began to pour and then expertly flip pancakes.  Arya had remembered some manners and got up to fetch mugs and coffee for their guests. Sansa placed several large pancakes on two plates and set one each before the two men.  “Syrup, butter and berries are on the table.  I have to finish pulling together the chili for when we get back.”

Arya and Bran, as soon as they found out Tormund had served with Jon, began to pepper the big man with questions about the military and whatever information he could give about their White Walker mission.  Jon was content to remain quiet, enjoying his pancakes, nevermind both he and Tormund had eaten earlier, and watch Sansa as she moved easily through the kitchen, chopping vegetables and adding spices to something in a crock pot.

The bright chatter of the others became pleasant background noise as Jon watched Sansa’s lithe figure and he unconsciously found himself taking in her every feature.  The soft curves of her body, the willowy length of her limbs, the way the sunlight from the kitchen window bathed her in a soft glow that turned her hair into molten copper and made her skin luminous.  He watched as she caught her pink, plump bottom lip between her white teeth and the length of her long, dark lashes.  He felt something stir within him, pleasant and familiar.

“Jon! Jon!”

He snapped out of his Sansa-induced haze to realize Arya had been calling his name and Tormund and Bran were regarding him with questioning eyes.  Arya’s own eyes narrowed suspiciously but she only said, “I have a list of dealers we think might have something we’re looking for and in our price range.”  She slid a piece of paper towards him.

Jon glanced at the list and nodded his head.  He knew where all of these dealerships were located.  “Shouldn’t be a big deal.  Hopefully they’ll have something that works for you.”

They finished up their breakfast and Arya and Bran cleared away the dishes as Sansa finished putting the rest of her ingredients into the crock pot.  She set it to slowly cook while they were away.  A few minutes later, they were in the SUV Jon had procured from Rhaegar’s extensive fleet of cars since it would accommodate Bran’s wheelchair and allow everyone to ride in comfort.  Jon was driving with Sansa in the front with him after Tormund had given Jon a broad wink and clambered into the back to continue his animated conversation with Bran and Arya.  At this point they were talking about twenty different ways Tormund knew how to disarm a knife wielding attacker.

“Breaking the cunt’s nose is always very effective,” Tormund boomed out.

“Tormund!” Jon yelled out in mortification as Arya and Bran cackled and Sansa looked at Jon’s blushing face with amusement.  “Sorry,” he muttered to Sansa.  “It wasn’t my idea that Tormund come along, but I had hoped he would be less of a crude oaf!” Jon raised his voice on this last part and directed it over his shoulder at his friend.

“I just speak plain truth, Jon Snow,” Tormund replied good-naturedly.  They had argued that morning, Jon not wanting the bigger man to accompany him, but Tormund had insisted, curious to meet the other two Starks and noting, “Seeing that pretty Sansa again won’t be a hardship.  And you say she will feed us.  I’m on board with that!”

His friend’s words had been good-natured, but Jon also knew Tormund wasn’t happy with his disappearance a few nights ago when he spent the night with the Starks.  While Jon had called to explain his whereabouts, Tormund had felt he was being neglectful of his bodyguard duties and once more said he was not to be Jon’s charity case: if he had a job, Jon needed to let him do it. Otherwise Tormund will go elsewhere to earn his keep.

“So, what are you looking for in a car?” Jon asked Sansa, ignoring his friend making off-colored remarks to Bran and Arya.

“Well, actually something like this car would be nice, but it’s outside of our budget.  Arya and her friend Gendry found a couple of possibilities at those three dealerships, but you know you can never rely on the ads. We’ll see if they actually have something there that works for us.”

“Well, Tormund and I are here just to provide transportation and intimidation if anyone becomes too much of a jerk,” Jon joked.

“Oh, trust me, Arya can be pretty intimidating,” Sansa smirked back at him.

Despite the combined intimidating presence of Tormund, Jon and Arya, they met with failure at all three of the car dealerships Arya had selected.  First they would have to deal with smarmy car salesmen who spoke to Jon or Tormund first, but when both men noted it was Sansa who was buying, their demeanor ranged from lascivious to condescending.  Worse, the cars were either not on the lot, “You just missed it! A lady bought it yesterday.  But here’s a great car that’s not too much more expensive.” Or the car wasn’t worth the effort.  Because of their limited budget, they had to buy a used car and Arya would immediately pop the hood and pull out her mini-flashlight to do a thorough examination.  She found major flaws in everything from cracks in the transmission to a wonky chasse to electronics that shouldn’t be in a coffee maker let alone in a car.

With only a hasty lunch in their bellies, the temperature quickly dropping and the light fading, the Starks were ready to call it a day and Arya and Sansa began discussing contingency plans on how they would get through the week without a second car.

“What about that lot?” Jon asked as he pointed to a car dealership to their left.  “’Mance Rayder’s Used Cars’.  Looks promising.”

Sansa sighed loudly. She was tired and the lunch wasn’t the greatest.  She had been leered at and spent the day with men who thought Jon or Tormund must speak for her or that she was too stupid to negotiate for her own car deal.  The last thing she wanted to do was to deal with another salesman.

“Come on, Sansa, it wouldn’t hurt to take a look at what they have.  A sweep through the lot and if you don’t see anything promising, we’ll go home.”  Jon looked pleading at her and neither of them noticed he said “we’ll go home.”

“Oh, alright,” Sansa sighed. “Fifteen minutes wouldn’t hurt.”

Jon did a neat U-turn at a light and then pulled into the lot of Mance Rayder’s Used Cars.  It was getting late and colder so there was no one about.  They leisurely walked up and down the aisles until Bran suddenly called out to his sisters.

“Arya!  Sansa!  Take a look at this one!”

They hurried over to Bran’s side and before them stood an SUV, the same make as the car Jon was driving, but a few years older.  It was a dark blue and on the outside appeared to be in very good condition.

“Ahhh, I see you’ve found something you like.”

A deep, gravelly voice behind them had the group turning around.  A tall man who’s faced looked as though it was hewed from granite stood behind them.  He had a warm, down coat zipped up over his brown suit and a red scarf tied around his neck.  “Mance Rayder and it seems you’re interested in this beauty.”

“Maybe,” Arya replied, “But we’ll see if the inside is as pretty as the outside.”  She pulled out her flashlight and softly tapped it against the palm of her other hand.

Mance stared at her a moment before bursting out in laughter.  “Aye, you seem to know what you want, young lady.  Let me get the keys and you can go over it from tip to tail with a fine tooth comb.”

After a test drive and a close inspection by Arya, the Starks, Jon and Tormund were gathered around Mance’s desk inside his small office.  Sansa and Arya sat across from Mance and Bran was on Arya’s other side in his wheelchair. Both Jon and Tormund leaned against the wall by the doorway, offering moral support as Sansa and Mance haggled over the price with Arya occasionally chiming in with a scoffing comment such as, “Did you see the paint peeling on the right hand side?  And you still want that much money?”

Finally, after 45 minutes of back and forth, they settled on a price that came in at the very highest end of Sansa’s budget, but was still doable, especially in light of the commissions she was making from her part-time job.  However, it still seemed low to Sansa and she was trying to figure out if there was something wrong with the car.  According to Arya, there wasn’t.  In fact, the car was in too good of a condition with very little mileage on it considering the age.  Sansa wasn’t deluding herself that she was that good of a negotiator so she asked Mance point blank why he was willing to let the car go at such a low price.

“It’s because it hasn’t moved in months,” Mance told her.  “I can’t keep inventory on my lot for too long.  My business depends on me moving things quickly.  If I have to cut a price and get a lower profit on it, it’s actually more beneficial to me in the end to free up the space.”  It seemed like a reasonable explanation, but there was still a small niggle of doubt in Sansa’s mind.

Mance had stepped out a moment to work up the necessary paperwork and check Sansa’s credit rating. When he came back, he was solemn.

“I’m sorry, Miss Stark, but after checking on your credit rating, I can’t offer you the interest rate we agreed upon.  It’ll need to be double that.”

“What?!” Sansa exclaimed. At that rate, she wouldn’t be able to make the monthly payments.  “What’s wrong with my credit rating?  I pay my bills on time.”

“It’s the lack of assets too,” Mance reply.  He shook his head soberly.  “I’m sorry, it’s just too much of a risk for me to sell to you.”

Sansa sat back in her seat, exhausted and utterly defeated.  It had been a long day and the negotiating with Mance had been drawn out and she was so tired but no closer to solving her problem.  She let out a weary sigh.  “Come on, guys, let’s go home.”

“Unless,” Mance began hesitantly.  He glanced at Jon and Tormund.  “Someone can co-sign the loan with you.”  

Sansa stilled. “What?”

“If you had someone co-sign, someone with an acceptable credit background, we can go back to the original interest rate.   You’d still be primarily responsible for the loan, but if you default, your co-signer will be on the hook.”

Sansa bit her lip.  “I don’t know of anyone-“

“I’ll do it,” Jon said coming forward.  “What information do you need to run a credit check?”

“No, Jon, you don’t have-“ Sansa began.

“Excellent!” Mance beamed. “I know who you are Captain Snow and have no worries about your credit worthiness.  I just need you sign here and Miss Stark here.”  He pointed to the appropriate spaces on the form before Sansa.

Jon stepped forward and scrawled his signature while Sansa hesitated.  “Sansa?  It’s not a handout.  I’m just helping you guarantee your loan.  Think of it as added incentive to pay it off on time or even sooner.”

Sansa continued to worry her bottom lip.  She looked over at Arya and Bran.  Her sister gave her a small nod and Sansa finally picked up the pen and signed her name.

Fifteen minutes later, the Starks were in their new car, heading home.  Jon told them he and Tormund would follow but as soon as the Starks pulled out of the parking lot, Jon was turning on Mance.

“What the hell was that?!” Jon roared at the car salesman.  

“Improvising!” Mance replied cheerily.  “Your girlfriend was becoming suspicious of the low price that you negotiated with me yesterday.  That one is too sharp to fool too long.  She would have worried on it.”

“Oh, and tying me to her car loan now isn’t suspicious?” Jon shot back.

“Not if I was the one who brought it up.  You don’t exactly have the best poker face, my boy.  Anyone could see that you were surprised when I suggested you co-sign. No, any doubts Miss Stark had are now laid to rest.”

Jon continued to grumble as he drove away with Tormund who regarded him silently.

“What?” Jon snapped.

“So you arranged all that with the car salesman?”

Jon sighed. “Yes.  Yesterday, I worked out a deal with Mance to sell any car that Sansa may want at a lower price.”

“Ahh, all done behind the Stark girl’s back.  Yes, that type of thing always works out well,” Tormund said in a sarcastic voice.

Jon scowled at him. “I wasn’t going to let Sansa buy something inappropriate and unsafe simply because she couldn’t afford anything better.  She won’t accept help from me, so I had to resort to other ways.”

“And you see nothing wrong with deceiving her?”

“I’m doing it for her sake. And Bran and Arya’s!”

“But that’s not for you to decide what is good for them. “

“Sansa’s damn pride is blinding her.  I won’t let her needlessly sacrifice for something I can do so easily for her.”

“So you take her choices from her?”

“I didn’t take anything form her!  She got to pick what car she wanted!”

Tormund stared at him a moment and then simply shook his head. “Remind me not to be around if that one ever finds out you went behind her back.  Oh, don’t worry, she won’t hear it from me, but eventually, secrets come out and it’s never pretty when they do.”

Jon reaches the Stark house only a few minutes after the others.  Arya is right by the front door to fling it open before Jon can knock.

“Sansa says supper will be ready in a half hour.  She’s baking the cornbread now,” Bran says as he wheels himself out of the kitchen. “And our other guests haven’t arrived.”

“Other guests?” Jon asked. The doorbell rings and Arya answer it. Jon can hear her greeting someone and the sound of two masculine voices.  He turns to face the new arrivals.

One is a tall, dark haired young man, broad of shoulders who Arya introduces as her friend, Gendry.  

The other man is taller than everyone else in the room and one side of his face is scarred by old burns. He regards Jon and Tormund with suspicious and hostile eyes.

“Well, if it isn’t pretty boy and his lap dog,” Sandor says by way of greeting.

[moises33y9571989-blog]

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The stoplight starts the game by shouting, 'green light!' On a thumbs-up, all the various other youngsters have the ability to either jump, jump, ahead roll or perhaps three legged run in the direction of the traffic light (whichever seems most suitable and also enjoyable taking into consideration the age of the gamers as well as the type of floor covering they are using.) At any type of factor, the red light could yell "traffic signal!" as well as turn around. Rampant conjecture broke out after the leaking of a photograph which showed Harington as Jon putting on the outfit of a House Stark soldier, sustaining followers' ideas that Jon was not gone for good. We very typically found that over the issue, individuals's viewpoint differs, as well as constantly so. This has actually actually been a problem of dispute for long.

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A Bad Fit. Some thoughts on Daenerys Targaryen’s white costume in season 8 (part 2)

I’ve previously written a rather long essay on the white and red fur coat that Daenerys Targaryen will wear in season 8 of Game of Thrones. However, with the new trailer out and new photos as well, I’ve noticed several new details and since what was supposed to be a short addendum to the original post has turned out to be rather long, I’ve decided to make a second post on the subject - a continuation and elaboration of the points I made in the original post.

THE COLOUR RED

When the very first image of Daenerys’ updated fur coat surfaced, a lot of details couldn’t be seen because of the pose where she had the side with the shoulder fur facing the camera. The addition of red was very eye-catching detail and in a discussion @lostlittlesatellites speculated that the lining of the coat might have changed from grey to red as well. The new photos turned out to confirm her speculations!

And it isn’t just the side-laced flap that is lined, it is the entire coat!

The addition of the red colour makes this outfit even more visually striking but in terms of symbolism, red isn’t such a good colour for her because it connects her to Viserys:

With Dany in particular, finally we’re getting the [Targaryen] red. She was a confused woman, she was wandering … trying to seek something. And now she’s finally got her armor, she’s finally got everything, and she can finally echo the style of her brother with the extended shoulders and the red and the symbolism. He always had the big Targaryen [sigil] on his chest and now she’s got the big chain with the dragon’s heads on it.” (Michele Clapton to the Insider)

“I think it’s quite interesting that we finally see her embracing her brother’s ambition,” Clapton says. “What does that say?You’re seeing the beginning of something. We’re not at the end yet and I think it’s very important at this moment that we start seeing who she is.” (Michele Clapton to Uproxx)  

At this point in the story every detail conveys meaning, everything about the costumes are symbolic according to the costumier Michele Clapton:

We try to be really symbolic about everything everyone wears now.” (Michele Clapton, Insider)

Thus, when it comes to Dany the colour red symbolizes not just her House in general but her brother and his ambition in particular - and any parallel to Viserys has a negative symbolic value considering just how awful and selfish he was. 

Clapton used red rather sparingly in Dany’s season 7 costumes, the most overt use was the silk sash that was pleated to look like dragon scales.

The red accents aren’t immediately eye-catching because they are so discrete, additions made with embroidery and beading. Neither are these subtle accents very conspicuous against the dark charcoal base colour of the costumes. However, when you pair red with white, the effect is quite different!

Notice how the red stripes have even been widened in comparison with the corresponding grey stripes in the season 7 version of this costume. This makes the red much more noticeable.

When you then add all the red accessories - the gloves, the ascot and the sash - then the red colour is very prominent visually, even though it is still used as an accent to a neutral base colour.

A MISMATCH

I’ve previously mentioned that the addition of a silken sash to a fur coat looks rather ridiculous and out of place in the frozen North. However, after watching the trailer, I noticed that Dany has also changed the placement of the sash compared to how she wore it in season 7 where it was draped over her shoulder and fastened to her dragon chain - the chain that symbolizes her ambition and her authority. Now, the sash is no longer looped into the chain above the three headed dragons. Instead it its fastened on the back of the coat, underneath the shoulder blade.

It is a rather awkward placement that undermines the gravitas of the sash as a symbol of authority. @lostlittlesatellites has mentioned that in the South sashes draped across the body are often used as a symbol of authority in male characters like Tywin Lannister.

The sash fastened at the shoulder seems to be the Targaryen variation of this sartorial custom as we see Viserys wear something similar in the exact same way in season 1. Now, however, the sash of authority has been displaced by Dany’s one-sided shoulder-fur. I’ve previously mentioned that Dany dons this element, which is completely new to her wardrobe, as an attempt to fit in at Winterfell. Remember that the fur cape is used as a symbol of authority in the North. That is why Sansa always wears her fur cape, even indoors when Jon is away:

But there is one part of her look that's positive, Clapton says, and is a sign of her ambition. "Sansa's cape, for instance, represents Ned and her desire to take on more of a leadership role at Winterfell," she said. (Michele Clapton, Elle)

It makes sense for Dany to add this element to her costume because she wants to be accepted in the North as their leader. However, it clashes with the Targaryen sash both in colour and silhouette - and the sash has been reduced to an inconsequential and insubstantial pennant-like addition that flutters impractically in the harsh winds of winter:

(GIF by @snowsource)

In short, it is impractical and it looks ridiculous. She tries to combine two very different styles of dress and ends up with a mismatch.

There’s another, more personal, aspect to Dany’s new shoulder-fur. She isn’t just adopting a garment that is associated with authority in the North, she is also trying to match Jon’s silhouette. However, since the shoulder-fur isn’t a full cape draped over bother shoulder but rather worn across one shoulder as the pelisse of a hussar, her costume only partly matches Jon’s silhouette.

There’s a kind of deceptive quality to this aspect of the costume because while it is clear that this element is to bind them together as a cohesive couple on the visual plane, it is a visual harmony that only works from one single angle!

The pic set above illustrates how Jon and Dany really don’t match as a couple in terms of the visuals, even when their fur-clad shoulders face the same direction, the contrast in colour separates them. Their silhouettes don’t match from the other sides and the contrast is also driven home in other ways. Dany’s outfit is rather fancy - with beaded embellishments, silver jewellery and silken accessories whereas Jon is wearing a somewhat battered and worn leather tunic beneath his cloak.

Visually, Daenerys and Jon don’t really match each other through their costumes. I generally try to avoid making comparisons that fuel shipwars in my essays but, unfortunately, the best way to demonstrate how a couple can look like a visually cohesive unit is this photo of Jon and Sansa from season 6:

As you can see, there’s a stark difference between how two couples look together. Whilst Jon and Dany visually contrast each other in several different ways as I’ve outlined above, Jon and Sansa form a visually cohesive unit because their costumes match on several levels. Firstly, their silhouettes match perfectly since they both wear the same type of cloak where the fur is draped across both shoulders. They also match in terms of colour. They both wear the dark and murky colours of the North. Furthermore, Jon’s brownish fur matches Sansa’s red hair while her grey and black fur matches Jon’s black hair. Their costumes also match in terms of the level of formality. Sansa is wearing an embellished dress in velvet and Jon is wearing studded leather armour decorated with a rhomboid pattern. It is the exact same type of leather armour that both Ned (Lord of Winterfell) and Robb (King in the North) wore. it is a far cry from the worn leather tunic that laces up the front that he wears with Dany.

As the final touch of unity, Jon and Sansa both wear the same symbol: the direwolf sigil of their House. 

This detail is even repeated in the following season where they both wear two direwolves facing each other, symbolizing their partnership as leaders of the North. And just like their costumes matched in season 6, so did they once again match in season 7 (x).

In summation, Dany and Jon simply don’t match on the visual level, and even when they seem to match somewhat it is deceptive because Dany’s costume is a mismatch of her Targaryen style with a few added elements of the Northern aesthetic. 

Since everything regarding the costumes is symbolic according to Clapton, this sartorial mismatch between Jon and Dany is significant and meaningful. 

Jon and Dany are foils to each other. Their personalities, ambitions, morals and the way they act as leaders are complete opposites and the show has made that clear on several occasions (for one example see this essay). The mismatching clothes work as a visual expression of these fundamental differences between these two persons - and costume design is, to paraphrase Michele Clapton “a story told in cloth.”

One curious aspect of this particular costume is the fact that while the white fur coat looks very impressive from the front, it presents quite another image from the back.

When seen from the back, you immediately notice that the outfit looks somewhat “busy”. There are too many elements that visually compete with each other. Thus, the flimsy red sash visually competes with the split skirt, which looks cumbersome and not as fluid and elegant as the season 7 version of the coat.

The addition of the shoulder-fur and the way that it is worn as a pelisse also skewers the overall silhouette of the outfit.

The fur pelisse give the entire outfit a lop-sided quality where one of Dany’s shoulders seem higher than the other because of the fur. Furthermore, you can see how the Northern silhouette that the pelisse creates stands in a stark contrast to the triangular silhouette of the other shoulder, which signifies her Targaryen style/heritage. The difference in silhouettes creates an asymmetry that isn’t pleasing to the eye.

Daenerys is trying to combine two very different styles/silhouettes in one single costume and all she ends up with is a mismatch. From the back it looks like two completely different garments have been combined - and this is actually quite a accurate image of the dilemmas that characterizes Dany’s narrative arc - the struggle between her ambition to conquer Westeros and her need to be seen as a saviour (which is now connected to her infatuation with Jon). 

This dilemma was the driving narrative of season 7 where she refused to help Jon Snow save mankind unless she could put her conquest on hold without losing ground. In season 7 she avoided making the hard choice between her two desires but the audience knows that Cersei has no intention of honouring that truce, which means that Dany will have to face what will be her ultimate choice: Will she stay in the North and help save the world even if she looses her foothold in the South or will she abandon the North after Cersei’s betrayal and Jon’s competing claim to the Iron Throne is revealed?

In that sense, the split skirt is a curiously apt metaphor for the direction that Daenerys’ narrative has taken. Dany avoided to make the hard choice between altruism and selfishness - but the narrative has been set up so that she cannot both have her cake and eat it too. She will be forced to choose - and we’ll just have to wait and see whether she makes the right choice.