#jeyne smallwood

[coldraindropsss]

Hi! I love your art and was just curious. Will you ever draw any of the maidens from the maiden's day ball from asoiaf? I would love to see them in your art style but it's perfectly fine if you don't. Make sure to drink lots of water and get a lot of rest 💙

Jeyne Smallwood, Jeyne Mooton, Jeyne Merryweather

Barba Bolton, Myrielle Peake, Moriah Qorgyle

[branwendaughterofllyr]

I have made an accidental canon connection in my fic, lol. It was not intentional but I feel so big-brained now.

[silverflameataraxia]

Sansa and Jeyne are the only people to call Arya ugly.

Meanwhile Ned, Jon, Gendry, Lady Smallwood, and the kindly man have all commented on her beauty, but this fandom ignores it in favor of two middle-school-aged mean girls who have to put Arya down to feel good about themselves.

[sare11aa11eras]

So like. The Riverlands, or at least Harrenhal, have like a gravitational pull. Which is why Catelyn, Jaime, Brienne, and Arya can’t ever escape there. Even in death, Catelyn can’t leave. Her memory and her body are bound together and to her homeland once more. And Jaime and Brienne spend all their time in ASOS in the Riverlands, and you think they’ll escape back to civilization and King’s Landing, and they do, but a) they are changed irrevocably from the people who started out so like did they really leave? and b) King’s Landing turns out to be a brief respite only. They must return once more, and they may even die there. And then Arya spends like two whole books there, wandering and traveling and never getting to where she needs to go. And even when she leaves, even with the whole Narrow Sea between her and those forests and streams, her consciousness and her soul still reside there, and she returns there every night, renewing her connection. Okay? They are stuck. They’re trapped. It’s just endless forest and rivers and the occasional band of outlaws or travelers or abandoned castles. Which, none of them can leave, either. Gendry and the Brotherhood are still there, even when their original purpose is lost and their leader dies. Jeyne, the orphans at the inn, Ravella Smallwood, the Freys, the Brackens and Blackwoods, the Bloody Mummers, the bear from the Harrenhal Bear Pit— they are all trapped. Okay?

[jackoshadows]

Just thinking out loud after coming across the nth iteration of Sansa brushing Arya's hair fanart. For those who love the Stark sisters and draw art of them I always wonder why there is not more art from Arya's perspective.

If it's all fanon and headcanons anyways - like Sansa brushing Arya's hair - then why not fanart of Arya and Sansa going horse-riding? Or, if horses are hard to draw, why not art of Arya teaching Sansa how to do numbers? Or Arya showing Sansa the different kinds of flowers and how to make a bouquet? or Arya introducing Sansa to the babies of the kitchen maids? Why not fanart for the sisters that's about Arya for a change?

It's just that, canonically, it's such an unique Arya character trait that her hair is often messy and not brushed. Her tangled hair is both a source of pain and low self-esteem for her (Her mother wanting her to be a mini Sansa and getting bullied by Sansa and Jeyne) and a source of unconditional love (Jon messing up her hair and always remembering and loving her for her tangled hair).

She is traumatized by Catelyn's need for her to be another Sansa:

"Well," Arya said, "my hair's messy and my nails are dirty and my feet are all hard." Robb wouldn't care about that, probably, but her mother would. Lady Catelyn always wanted her to be like Sansa, to sing and dance and sew and mind her courtesies. Just thinking of it made Arya try to comb her hair with her fingers, but it was all tangles and mats, and all she did was tear some out

She is open to having her hair brushed by someone who doesn't disparage her appearance and expect her to be a certain way (And that's certainly not Sansa!):

Lady Smallwood insisted that Arya take another bath, and cut and comb her hair besides; the dress she put her in this time was sort of lilac-colored, and decorated with little baby pearls. The only good thing about it was that it was so delicate that no one could expect her to ride in it. So the next morning as they broke their fast, Lady Smallwood gave her breeches, belt, and tunic to wear, and a brown doeskin jerkin dotted with iron studs. "They were my son's things," she said. "He died when he was seven." "I'm sorry, my lady." Arya suddenly felt bad for her, and ashamed. "I'm sorry I tore the acorn dress too. It was pretty."

And she finds unconditional love and acceptance in Jon's embracing of her as she is:

Jon wouldn't care who I killed or whether I brushed my hair . . . "Jon looks like me, even though he's bastard-born. He used to muss my hair and call me 'little sister.'" Arya missed Jon most of all. Just saying his name made her sad. "How do you know about Jon?" - Arya

Just in Arya's very first AGoT chapter, Jon messes up her hair three times!! No wonder Arya's hair is always tangled and messy and no wonder Arya likes it that way!

Jon grinned, reached over, and messed up her hair. Arya flushed. They had always been close. - Arya, AGoT

She would have given anything if Jon had been here to call her "little sister" and muss her hair. Not that it needed mussing. She'd seen her reflection in puddles, and she didn't think hair got any more mussed than hers. - Arya, AGoT

She wished somehow they could come to the Wall before Winterfell, so Jon might muss up her hair and call her "little sister." She'd tell him, "I missed you," and he'd say it too at the very same moment, the way they always used to say things together. She would have liked that. She would have liked that better than anything. - Arya, ACoK

Needle was Jon Snow's smile. He used to mess my hair and call me "little sister," she remembered, and suddenly there were tears in her eyes. - Arya, AFfC

And Arya … he missed her even more than Robb, skinny little thing that she was, all scraped knees and tangled hair and torn clothes, so fierce and willful. Arya never seemed to fit, no more than he had … yet she could always make Jon smile. He would give anything to be with her now, to muss up her hair once more and watch her make a face, to hear her finish a sentence with him. - Jon, AGoT

As he rode, Jon peeled off his glove to air his burned fingers. Ugly things. He remembered suddenly how he used to muss Arya's hair. His little stick of a sister. He wondered how she was faring. It made him a little sad to think that he might never muss her hair again. - Jon, ACoK

He wanted to believe it would be Arya. He wanted to see her face again, to smile at her and muss her hair, to tell her she was safe. - Jon, ADwD

You know nothing, Jon Snow. He thought of Arya, her hair as tangled as a bird's nest. I made him a warm cloak from the skins of the six whores who came with him to Winterfell … I want my bride back … I want my bride back … I want my bride back … "I think we had best change the plan," Jon Snow said. - Jon, ADwD

It's also something to note that Jon seems to exhibit some sort of disdain for the ladies brushing their hair

A warrior princess, he decided, not some willowy creature who sits up in a tower, brushing her hair and waiting for some knight to rescue her. - Jon, ADwD

GRRM has talked about how Arya's messy hair is something Jon misses and connects with in the girls he loves and admires - like Ygritte, for example, with her tangled, never brushed hair.

It’s a reference to a certain physical type, and a certain indication of what Jon finds admirable. It’s like someone who reminds you of, you know… Other people might be put off by this, you know, hair that looks like small rodents have been living in there. It doesn’t put him off because he is used to that.”

Why change that and always have her conform to what Sansa wants to do in all these fanart? Why try to turn Arya into a mini Sansa like Catelyn wanted to do - something that is painful for Arya. Why not explore fanart where Sansa is doing something that Arya loves and is good at?

So yeah, I am not an artist, can't even doodle lol. Artists are going to draw what they want and that's perfectly okay.

I simply wanted to point out that this would be something that canon Arya would dislike and wouldn't want done. Not to mention canon Sansa is never going to be brushing Arya's hair in the first place because they have never had that kind of relationship and never will and that's perfectly okay as well.

And if there is fanart of Sansa brushing Arya's hair, there should be addendum fanart of Jon immediately messing it up and them both having a giggle over it!!

[argelladurrandaun]

'Arya growing up pretty' doesn't mean she is going to drastically change her appearance or face. Because arya is already pretty. She does have some similarly to the ugly duckling turned swan story. But not exactly. Because arya was never ugly. She has always been pretty. She is just not well groomed. Always covered in dirt and messy hair. But arya already looks (and acts) like lyanna. And lyanna was very beautiful. Only her bullies sansa and jeyne say that shes ugly. But they are bullies who are trying to hurt her so their opinion is not true.

Other than them everyone who meets arya - be it the people that love arya or complete strangers they always call arya pretty. We known that ned and jon has always told arya she is pretty.

"Lyanna might have carried a sword, if my lord father had allowed it. You remind me of her sometimes. You even look like her."

x

She had never cared if she was pretty, even when she was stupid Arya Stark. Only her father had ever called her that. Him, and Jon Snow, sometimes. Her mother used to say she could be pretty if she would just wash and brush her hair and take more care with her dress

Other than them, lady ravella Smallwood tells arya she is pretty

"I'm sorry, my lady." Arya suddenly felt bad for her, and ashamed. "I'm sorry I tore the acorn dress too. It was pretty."

"Yes, child. And so are you. Be brave."

and even in braavos the kindly man tells arya she is pretty. And pretty enough to be a 'courtesan' who are the most beautiful women in the continent.

"You believe this is the only place for you." It was as if he'd heard her thoughts. "You are wrong in that. You would find softer service in the household of some merchant. Or would you sooner be a courtesan, and have songs sung of your beauty?

Also, the kindly man remarks (who is an expert on faces) , that aryas face is a pretty one.

He cupped her chin, turned her head this way and that, nodded. "A pretty one this time, I think. As pretty as your own."

Arya also have ton of swan symbolism.

The Lady that Arya would wear dresses for and act like a Lady(because she was kind to arya) ... is Ravella from House Swann. A "Swann" tells Arya she is pretty!

Add the fact that Arya literally sees 3 swans on a lake and wishes to be a swan. George adds beautiful bird imagery to her chapters like in the Mercy chapter where he compares her legs to bird wings. Even her water dancing is inspired by ballet where Arya actually wears pointy shoes and has the duality of Swan Lake interwoven in her story.

Also the fact that she is the only dark hair/grey eyes of Ned's children (Swan). Born amoung southern looking Tully siblings (ducks). Arya is figuratively born a Swan. So thats definitely important.

The only person who doesn't think arya is pretty is arya herself. Because of all the mocking and bullying has taken a toll on arya and she has internalized it. They why arya herself doesn't think she is pretty. But onlookers has always seen her beauty and commented on that even though arya doesn't believe it. But that is going to change as arya gets older. Also her next phase of training will likely be with a courtesans so she might regain some of her self confidence.

[thelustybraavosimaid]

people get weird about yall talking about Arya Like That™️ because, as a former tomboy, people like you cannot shut the fuck up about little girls who are not feminine. we HAVE to become effeminate mothers to you people and a its disgusting way to talk about any little girl. it is weird and gross to push femininity on someone who does not want it. hell yeah Arya belongs in a ruling position but her looks/femininity/status as a wife/mother are not important to her character and never will be.

What the fuck lol

Is this a joke

When did Arya ever say that she wasn't feminine or, by extension, that she didn't want to be perceived as anything other than a girl? She literally corrected people who mistook her for a boy.

Are we also pretending like she doesn't have any hang-ups regarding her looks. This is why Lady Smallwood calling her pretty stuck with her:

Arya spotted a yellow tent with six acrons on its panels, three over two over one. Lord Smallwood, she knew, remembering Acorn Hall so far away, and the lady who'd said she was pretty. (Arya X, ASoS)

or that Ned and Jon were the only ones who called her pretty back in Winterfell:

She had never cared if she was pretty, even when she was stupid Arya Stark. Only her father had ever called her that. Him, and Jon Snow, sometimes. (The Blind Girl, ADwD)

These hang-ups exist for her because she was constantly being compared to Sansa and she felt inadequate and hurt by it in turn. Also from The Blind Girl:

Her mother used to say she could be pretty if she would just wash and brush her hair and take more care with her dress, the way her sister did.

--

It wasn't fair. Sansa had everything. Sansa was two years older; maybe by the time Arya had been born, there had been nothing left. Often it felt that way. Sansa could sew and dance and sing. She wrote poetry. She knew how to dress. She played the high harp and the bells. Worse, she was beautiful. Sansa had gotten their mother's fine high cheekbones and the thick auburn hair of the Tullys. Arya took after their lord father. Her hair was a lusterless brown, and her face was long and solemn. Jeyne used to call her Arya Horseface, and neigh whenever she came near. It hurt that the one thing Arya could do better than her sister was ride a horse. Well, that and manage a household. Sansa had never had much of a head for figures. If she did marry Prince Joff, Arya hoped for his sake that he had a good steward. (Arya I, AGoT)

This hang-up, these comparisons are not dissimilar to Catelyn comparing Brandon to Ned in regards to looks. Maybe Ned felt the same thing growing up.

How is her Stark appearance *not important* to her character? It's a serious connector to Lyanna, and they looked so alike that Bran mistook Lyanna for Arya in one of his weirwood visions lol, and she's one of the last two in her generation to have the Stark look. There is no way that isn't important.

No one said that Arya has to be an effeminate mother lol but what we're not going to do is lie on this fine morning

[vampire-exgirlfriend]

https://www.tumblr.com/vampire-exgirlfriend/747770694744637440/the-many-names-of-lady-sabitha-blackwood-meet-me?source=share

I saw this gifset and thought it looked really cool. What's her story/is this something you're working on right now? Is there something I can read???

Sabitha is indeed a cool girl. And by cool girl I mean an anxiety ridden prey animal type gal who takes out her frustration on Daemon, which is hilarious to me.

This is something I'm working on and will start posting this summer! And I have a few requests/ficlets in the work to intro her. But basically, Sabs is sent to KL two years before the start of episode one to be lady to Aemma Arryn (her mother is a Waynwood, loyal to House Arryn, and grew up with Lady Jeyne Arryn). She's married to the second son of House Smallwood and as it stands at the start of the story, is heir to the small holding of Little Nest (her father is cousin to Lord Samwell Blackwood). But Sabs and Theodred aren't having any babies and Theo is Big Mad about that, because as a second son, his standing is tied right now to Sabitha and her friendship with the queen until her parents die and leave her their holding.

Enter Daemon and his chaotic gremlin energy. He's back at court and sees a pretty distraction in Sabitha. So imagine his disappointment when he catches feelings for her, when he realizes that none of his usual tricks will free her from a loveless and abusive marriage or from his brother's ire (which he can't figure out why it's directed at Sabitha in the first place - hint: it's about Aemma and her death). On top of that, his friend and queen is dead, and said brother is now throwing House Targaryen into the line of fire by pursuing Alicent Hightower instead of Laena Velaryon and the power that unifying their houses offers. And because he's Daemon, you know he's gonna be banished at least twice.

tropes in the mix: forbidden romance, forced proximity, inconvenient attraction, magical weird women, social and political turmoil, the other woman/man, potentially haunted castles, and obviously, war between siblings.

[deesdressup]

Groups of ASOIAF The Four-Headed Beast - Samantha Stokeworth - Elissa Farman - Rhaena Targaryen - Alayne Royce Saera Targaryen and her Favourites - Alys "Sweetberry" Turnberry - Perianne "Pretty Peri" Moore Four Storms (Daughters of Boros Baratheon) - Cassandra - Maris - Ellyn - Floris The Three Jeynes - Jeyne Merryweather - Jeyne Mooton - Jeyne Smallwood The Three Widows - Samantha Hightower (née Tarly) - Johanna Lannister (née Westerling) - Elenda Baratheon (née Caron) Headcanons for the 6 unnamed daughters of Rhaena Targaryen and Garmund Hightower - Rhaenys: The eldest, learned and valued academics, married to Baela and Alyn's second child (presumably a son) and became the Lady of Driftmark - Leyla: A lover of fine silk and jewellery, moved to Pentos to marry the Prince of Pentos - Valaena: Twins with Dalaena, married to Cregan Stark's son Rickon - Dalaena: Twins with Valaena, married to a son of Joffery Arryn - Annelie: Hot headed, tried for years to hatch her own dragon but mainly took care of Morning, captain of her own ship The Sea Wing - Jocelyn: The youngest, married to a brother of Patricia Redwyne

[playlistashton]

Baelon Targaryen’s

eight wives

Daena Targaryen, 1st wife, divorced

Jocasta Lannister, 2d wife, died

Jeyne Smallwood, 3de wife, divorced then later executed

Talla Florent, 4th wife, executed

Arwen Hunter, 5th wife, died

Irri of Asshai, mistress then became the 6th wife, executed

Jaehaera Targaryen, 7th wife, died

Maris Baratheon, last wife

Index

[ladyaryawolf]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/48588427/chapters/122561371

have you read this fic written by an "arya fan"? is it trult book accurate that everyone find arya ugly and calls her horseface or is just sansa and jeyne the only ones that called her that?

Favorite crack ship: Arya/Ramsay.

You can stop here. It wasnt written by an "Arya Fan" just by this statement.

Anyway. Maybe it was a neutral. Idk, neither do I wish to know.

Now answering your question: does everyone finds arya ugly or horseface, or was it only Sansa and Jeyne?

The answer is: No. Not everyone found Arya ugly, but she was a child that didnt behaeve like a Lady and "was always dirty".

Even in Theon POV as Reek he reminds of Sansa calling her horseface, he himself didnt call her that as far as we know of.

Bran never called her that way.

Robb never called her that way.

We dont know much about how communers treated Arya on Winterfell, but since even Sansa said she could be friend with anyone, the fact that Arya used to sit alongside lords to hear stories, and how she was known as "Arya Underfoot" I really doubt people would just look at her and call her ugly/horseface.

Again, most part of this view of Arya being ugly comes from her own pov, due the experience she had with her Sister and Jeyne that impacted really hard on her self-steem. And the other part of this statement comes from Sansa that we have to agree, really doesnt like neither does care with Arya very much.

Out of Jeyne and Sansa, or um-hum, Septa Mordane, we have Gendry saying she is pretty, Lady Smallwood saying she is pretty, the Kindly Man says she has a pretty face and presented her the option to actually become a courtesan (and the fact that Braavosi Courtesans are known world wide for their beauty) instead of an assassin.

By Arya's pov on Mercy and even as Cat of the Canals, it seems like the sailors find her attractive. (What is gross if you ask me. She is 11, but, heh. Thats ASoIaF for ya).

Anyway, dude. Here you go.

I wont be separating quotes, links. This is not a meta. If you search even on my blog for Arya countent you'll find out a lot of metas I reblogged. If you go searching for another blogs like @queenaryastark @aryaarianne @circe1fanatic @aryastarksource @aryaofoldstones you will find better insights as well.

Im not into the fandom that much anymore for like, two years?

Hope my opinion helped you.

Have a nice day.

[branwendaughterofllyr]

Oh, speaking of the war trout, that reminded me—I forgot to ask this question! Was there a specific reason you chose to make Alyssa’s mother a Tyrell? Tyrell was the only paramount house to remain neutral, but the Arryn and Tully also barely participated in the war or joined late. What did you like about the Tyrell?

So, I picked Tyrells for a few reasons! I actually wanted to set my fic with enough changes to make the Dance realistically different from canon with good reasons. And the Tyrells could very much be a major factor in any Dance AU, precisely bc they sat it out in canon! The Tyrells could tip the Reach to either side, and potentially change the outcome of the war.

I also really enjoy the opposing imagery and symbolism of the Tyrells and Targaryens, the golden rose and the words "growing strong," juxtaposed against the dragon and "fire and blood." I love the contrast between the two, and I wrote Oldgon as being attracted by the close family ties and charisma many of the Tyrells of canon possess. (Same idea with Jeyne Smallwood, the symbolism of acorns and "from these beginnings"). And I think about Alyssa's internal struggle with the two sides of her family. As of right now, she's really only experienced the Targaryen side of her family, in all their dysfunctional glory, but I do plan to bring the Tyrells back into the story! They will play a big part!

(I also think the Tyrells are generally slept on in fanfic aside from Margaery constantly marrying the protangonist in canon era fix it fics, and I wanted to have some fun with one of the most important and richest houses.)

[argelladurrandaun]

This ask is so funny because arya is canonically a pretty girl. It might mean nothing to you but it matters to arya. Like arya remembers the one thing about lady Smallwood is that she has called arya pretty. So arya definitely cares.

Also the adults are at fault but they didn't know the extent for sansa and jeynes bullying towards arya. Arya never told them and adults never taunt arya about it. Only sansa and jeyne and septa mordane and catlyne. Of course arya would have self esteem issues because of it. Also her father and jon has always called arya pretty even before agot by aryas own account. So arya growing up pretty is very important to aryas story otherwise it wouldn't play a big part in aryas thoughts and story so much.

Also you are saying the reason of sansa and jeyne being mean and bullying arya is because they are children. but arya is also a child and arya is never mean to anyone. Bran is also a child and he is never mean to anyone. Arya is always kind to whoever she meets. So 'all children are mean' this argument isn't true because arya is not. Only jeyne and sansa are like that.

the thing that annoys me the most about the bullying claim among the stark sisters is that they talk about how much it affects Arya that she thinks she’s ugly and such and like she does, but she’s so much more worried about being “bad” she killed a boy. She’s also going through poverty and war and starving and being introduced to cults/bands of “justice” by murder

but nooooo she totally is more affected by being called horse face despite being compared to SOOOOOO MANY PRETTY PEOPLE AND THAT MEANS SHES GOOD (never mind that good looking=good person should NOT BE YOUR BASIS)

I think most people, and especially girls, know exactly how it feels to worry about your appearance and feel ugly and unattractive, and I get that this is a particular pain for Arya, who apparently has never been called pretty except by her dad one time in AGOT, in an offhanded comparison to her aunt Lyanna. I don't think attractiveness is the most important thing to validate in any child, but I do think that it is good and nice to affirm to your child that they have their own beauty, so that they can then negotiate their relationship with that word from a safer place in adulthood.

It's not about telling your child they don't look a certain way (e.g. no good telling Brienne she's a normal height and her nose is hardly crooked at all), but that the way they look is something unique to them and something they should take pride in, regardless of what others say. Like I think it's an OOC moment in the show, but I think it's sweet when Olenna tells Brienne she looks 'marvellous' or something. She's not saying 'you look like bella hadid', she's saying 'I love the way you look!' to a woman who has received nothing but insults (despite looking like fuckin. Gwendoline Christie lmao). that is nice. it's not the most important compliment anyone can receive, but it embraces divergence as positive.

as it goes though, Arya is a pretty girl and it's just weird that the adults found countless compliments for Sansa and none for Arya. and that's why I find it so bizarre that everyone wants to pin Arya's self-esteem issues on Sansa, a prepubescent child!! like, would Arya have taken these insults so hard if Cat had stepped in and said 'don't listen, you're a lovely girl and your father says you look just like your aunt Lyanna! sansa i am telling you off for calling people names'. children are always going to call each other mean names! it is one thing that is practically guaranteed to happen in any sibling relationship, and anyone who says otherwise is an only child or lying.

but it is much harder for a child to manage that hurt if they're getting called those names, and society seems to be reifying to truth of them at every turn! Septa Mordane is calling her ugly! Cat is calling her a mess! Ned has never complimented her till AGOT! etc! she has never received a compliment before! so how on earth can you say 'and Arya's self-esteem issues can all be traced back to the playground bickering between she and Sansa and Jeyne' when Arya is obviously getting the same message from what seem like far more authoritative sources! is it not worse that those sources are all complimenting Sansa all the time and never Arya? does that not make it worse when Sansa acts like a child about it? like!!

and yeah I agree that there are other more painful insecurities Arya is struggling with. I do think at least part of the reason that this argument keeps coming up in fandom is that people keep trying to claim that Arya's story is similar to Brienne's, in that she IS ugly according to society's standards and that's ok! which isn't true, Arya is canonically a pretty kid with a dirty face and unbrushed hair. that's all it is. so if we could just accept that, there'd be no excuse for the insistence that this is an important aspect of Arya's story.

because it isn't. like im sorry but the ugly duckling means nothing when there are plenty of people who don't grow up to be swans. they get called ugly as children, and they get called ugly as adults. look at Brienne: she has suffered far, far worse prejudice as a result of her appearance in childhood, and she doesn't get the catharsis of growing up pretty to show them all how wrong they were. Brienne has been treated like a fucking monster for how she looks, all of her life. this is a character for whom her appearance IS actually an important theme, and it will be meaningful to see her realise it's a strength, and find love etc. I'm sorry but Arya growing up to be beautiful doesn't mean shit to me lol. I fully accept it's canon, but it is not a meaningful story beat, in a story with people like Tyrion, Brienne and Sam. Arya's story has so many more fascinating themes about identity, trauma, justice, war, friendship and family. if Arya was pretty all along, why should I care?

[nobodysuspectsthebutterfly]

Hey thanks for making such a cool blog! I use your post that lists the lgbt characters in asoiaf for reference a lot and was wondering if any characters could be added with the release of Fire and Blood

Thanks so much, I’m glad you enjoy that list! So, cut for F&B spoilers…

First of all there’s Rhaena Targaryen (eldest daughter of Aenys) and her many girlfriends/favorites, including Elissa Farman and Larissa Velaryon. Rhaena and Larissa were both married to men and had children, but I’m not certain that means they’re bisexual rather than lesbian, just that they were in a very regimented culture where marriage and children are not something most highborn women can just opt out of. (Especially a princess like Rhaena.) And Rhaena’s first husband was her beloved brother, her second was a forced marriage, and the third was most definitely only a beard, so I personally think lesbian more likely (with societal comphet).

Princess Saera Targaryen (daughter of Jaehaerys I) taught her “favorites” Alys Turnberry and Perianne Moore how to kiss, and then one day they started kissing while naked (which was “scary but exciting” per Alys), and they “took turns pretending [they] were boys” before eventually inviting Saera’s male favorites (Braxton Beesbury, Roy Connington, Jonah Mooton) into their sexual games. When the scandal eventually broke out, it didn’t end well for anyone in particular alas. (Well, Saera at least was happy, on her own terms.)

Jeyne Arryn, the ruling lady of the Vale during the Dance of the Dragons, was called “the Maiden of the Vale” as she never married. She had a “dear companion”, Jessamyn Redfort, and when she died, it was “wrapped in her arms”.

Laenor Velaryon, and his companions Joffrey Lonmouth and Qarl Correy, are in F&B, but there’s nothing new about them that wasn’t in TWOIAF or the history novellas. Other characters from those stories include Essie and Sylvenna Sand, but nothing new about them besides their deaths, unfortunately. Oh, and there’s Sabitha Vypren, who does a lot more in F&B, but there’s not much new about her sexuality – just a rumor that Alysanne Blackwood was her lover, as they shared a tent while on the march, but Black Aly’s courtship with Cregan Stark does seem to show she preferred men. (And frankly if I were a woman commander of a male army I’d rather share a tent with another woman commander than trust in what might happen or be rumored if I were on my own.) Though I suppose it’s possible Aly was bisexual, we shouldn’t really rule that out.

Speaking of bisexuality, this isn’t new information (as it was in TRP), but I should reiterate that Rhaenyra Targaryen became “fond and more than fond” of her cousin/aunt-in-law Laena Velaryon when she and Daemon Targaryen lived nearby, and they frequently raced on their dragons between Driftmark and Dragonstone. Dragonriding has always been a metaphor for sex (see Dany’s first flight; see Rhaena taking her girlfriends on dragon rides but never her husband Androw), so it’s very probable there was some sort of polycule going on there.  (See also the fact that Syrax was producing multiple clutches of eggs during this time, and it might be that the “male” parent wasn’t just Caraxes, but also Vhagar.)

Rumors were spread about “the three Jeynes”, Jeyne Smallwood, Jeyne Mooton, and Jeyne Merryweather, young noblewomen in King’s Landing to attend the Maiden’s Day Ball of 133 AC (to be a potential bride for Aegon III Targaryen) – that they “liked to dress in squire’s garb and visit the brothels along the Street of Silk, to kiss and fondle the women there as if the three of them were boys.” Whether these rumors were true or not is unknown.

And last but not least, there’s the rogue Tyroshi pirate Racallio Ryndoon, King of the Stepstones… around whom swirled many rumors, not in the least that he sometimes dressed as a woman and “played the whore”. This may have been a fetish thing rather than transgender identity, though, as he also liked to be beaten by his wives. Still, his enemies often called him “Queen Racallio”, so… um, I think that’s the best we can expect from Gyldayn/GRRM.

Anyway, I think that’s it. Though if anyone notices I’ve missed anyone, please let me know!

[jackoshadows]

Does Arya have internalized misogyny just like Jon who is sexist to a degree?

It's more complex than assigning concepts like 'internalized misogyny'.

While Arya repeats Jon's sexist criticism of Joffrey ('he looks like a girl') it's clear that her ideas of womanhood are from a different perspective to Jon's.

Jon's love, admiration and appreciation for Arya means that he sees her and girls like her as the pinnacle of femininity. While he shows disdain for traditional Westerosi high born femininity, in contrast, Arya feels that she herself is deficient in some manner because she is not like Sansa.

Or to put it plainly:

For Jon: Arya >>>>>>>> Sansa

For Arya/Catelyn/Septa Mordane/Jeyne etc: Sansa >>>>>>> Arya

Arya's notions of femininity stems from low self-esteem. She thinks that Sansa is the ideal version of how a girl should be. She's always compared by her parents, teachers and peers to Sansa and found lacking. She is envious of Sansa and bitter that however much she tries, she can't be the kind of girl that Sansa is.

It wasn’t fair. Sansa had everything. Sansa was two years older; maybe by the time Arya had been born, there had been nothing left. Often it felt that way. Sansa could sew and dance and sing. She wrote poetry. She knew how to dress. She played the high harp and the bells. Worse, she was beautiful. Sansa had gotten their mother’s fine high cheekbones and the thick auburn hair of the Tullys. Arya took after their lord father. Her hair was a lusterless brown, and her face was long and solemn. […] It hurt that the one thing Arya could do better than her sister was ride a horse. Well, that and manage a household. - Arya, AGoT

Arya is not thinking here that she is better than Sansa because she's 'NLOG' and can ride a horse. No, she wants to be like Sansa and finds it hurtful that she can only ride a horse better.

When Arya calls songs or dresses 'stupid' it's because she's been told that she can't sing as well as her sister or that she looks ugly in a dress. It's her way of coping with low self-esteem - by telling herself she does not have to be good at songs because it's stupid, pretty dresses are overrated etc.

She had never cared if she was pretty, even when she was stupid Arya Stark. Only her father had ever called her that. Him, and Jon Snow, sometimes. -Arya, ADwD

We know the above is untrue because she is hurt and feels ugly from being mocked about her appearance and this is her way of coping.

When Lady Smallwood puts her in a dress and is kind to her, her reaction is different

“I’m sorry, my lady.” Arya suddenly felt bad for her, and ashamed. “I’m sorry I tore the acorn dress too. It was pretty.” - Arya, ASoS 

She calls the dress pretty because the it's the kind Lady Smallwood who puts her in it and does not drag her down as a girl.

Ultimately, I think all the characters are sexist to various degrees because of their upbringing, the circumstances of their upbringing and Westerosi patriarchy. Sansa is guided into her way of thinking by Catelyn and the Septa. Jon's disdain and contempt results from the way Cat, the Septa, Sansa, Jeyne etc treat Arya and him by holding true to patriarchal notions of propriety and Arya's confused ideas of girlhood/womanhood stem from her low self-esteem of being unable to conform to what society wants her to be and looking up to Jon as the wise, older brother.

An older, more mature Brienne has had more time to deal with who she is as a person and is comfortable with what she is and her femininity compared to Arya lashing out as a way to deal with her being unable to fit in. I think we will see Arya similarly embrace herself and gain that confidence after reuniting with the characters who appreciate and love her for who she is. This is also why I can't wait for her to meet Daenerys and for them to have the kind of sisterhood that characters like Jon and Sam get!

[aryastarkthelittleshewolf11]

https://youtu.be/rfzG3Vabo0k