#mycah the butcher's boy

[ladystoneboobs]

imo one of the biggest proofs of sansa's character growth post-agot (which seems to be overlooked) is this, where grrm makes sure we know how her perspective of the trident incident has indeed shifted. why else even say this? it's not what the tyrells wanted to know, they asked about joff's treatment of her in particular, and "he lied about the butcher's boy" means nothing without context (and even if she said the lannisters used that lie to justify killing mycah, i doubt olenna, at least, would care). but for sansa atp, joffrey's sins against mycah are worth remembering and reporting as his first crime (known to her), that incident is now recognized as evidence of joff's montrosity, the wrongs committed against mycah by joffrey personally (as in not even his death) are on par with sansa losing her wolf and being beaten by the kg. sure, she still has some classism remaining, but to say she cares nothing for the smallfolk, and is still the same girl disgusted by mycah's smellyness, who later repeated joffrey's lie about him weeks after the fact and blamed arya for lady's death more than joffrey, that's just demonstrably untrue.

[poorshadowspaintedqueens]

If Ned’s men had found Mycah before Sandor Clegane had gotten to him and taken the boy into their custody, do you think there is a chance he would have been allowed to go to the Wall and join the Night’s Watch?

Assuming that Mycah’s father is one of the butchers from Winterfell (as opposed to someone from the royal party who Arya happened to befriend) and Ned’s guards knew who he was, they would take him to Ned first. At that point, Mycah would almost certainly end up questioned by Robert along with Arya and Sansa regarding Joffrey’s injury.

The fact that Mycah didn’t touch Joffrey (which is something that Arya can confirm) would certainly help his case. The fact that there are multiple (if not necessarily reliable, e.g. intoxicated Sansa) witnesses to Joffrey having slashed Mycah’s cheek would also lend credence to the fact that Arya (and therefore Nymeria) had been provoked to violence by Joffrey. Now, Ned would need to stand firm against both Robert and Cersei, and Robert would need to actually listen to Ned and disciipline his kid, unlike in OTL. How likely is that? Sadly, not very.

But if all of these things fell into place? Yeah, Mycah might even manage to get away altogether and return to his position at Winterfell. The only way I see him getting sent to the Wall is if he somehow takes the fall for Arya and is “pardoned” by joining the Night’s Watch, which is not how I’d see this situation falling out.

[catofoldstones]

I love how George creates the duality of being low-born v high-born in the asoiaf world. The juxtaposition of Catelyn calling all swords and seizing Tyrion at the unsuccessful attempt to kill her son v Mycah’s father being handed his son’s chopped up body, to the point he couldn’t even recognise that it was his son and not a pig, and still not being able to do anything about it but stay quiet. Chilling.

[casterlypriderock]

people are still so unwell (derogatory) about sansa stark it’s getting embarrassing

[bookhousestark]

Every Arya & Lyanna parallel: → protecting the weak

LYANNA

"None offered a name, but he marked their faces well so he could revenge himself upon them later. They shoved him down every time he tried to rise, and kicked him when he curled up on the ground. But then they heard a roar. 'That's my father's man you're kicking,' howled the she-wolf." 

—  A Storm of Swords, Bran II

ARYA

"Mycah," the boy muttered. He recognized the prince and averted his eyes. "M'lord.""He's the butcher's boy," Sansa said."He's my friend," Arya said sharply. "You leave him alone."

—  A Game of Thrones, Sansa I

[silverflameataraxia]

I've said this before, but I'll say it again. One of my favorite aspects of Arya's storyline is that no matter where she is, no matter who she is pretending to be, she always has a way of surrounding herself with friends.

Sansa knew all about the sorts of people Arya liked to talk to: squires and grooms and serving girls, old men and naked children, rough-spoken freeriders of uncertain birth.  Arya would make friends with anybody. This Mycah was the worst; a butcher's boy, thirteen and wild, he slept in the meat wagon and smelled of the slaughtering block.

- Sansa I, AGoT

She would make much better time on her own, Arya knew, but she could not leave them. They were her pack, her friends, the only living friends that remained to her, and if not for her they would still be safe at Harrenhal, Gendry sweating at his forge and Hot Pie in the kitchens. If the Mummers catch us, I'll tell them that I'm Ned Stark's daughter and sister to the King in the North. I'll command them to take me to my brother, and to do no harm to Hot Pie and Gendry.

- Arya I, ASoS

Cat had made friends along the wharves; porters and mummers, ropemakers and sailmenders, taverners, brewers and bakers and beggars and whores.

- Cat of the Canals III, AFFC

She missed the friends she'd had when she was Cat of the Canals; Old Brusco with his bad back, his daughters Talea and Brea, the mummers from the Ship, Merry and her whores at the Happy Port, all the other rogues and wharfside scum.

- The Blind Girl I, ADwD

[prahelika]

Arya Stark Appreciation Week: Day 3

Overlooked Traits : Emotional Intelligence

Game of Thrones massacred Arya's character so badly that to someone who watched the show first (mostly), she appeared downright emotionless.

Safe to say that her emotional intelligence is a criminally underrated trait.

One of Sansa's first mentions of Arya goes like this.

Sansa knew all about the sorts of people Arya liked to talk to: squires and grooms and serving girls, old men and naked children, rough-spoken freeriders of uncertain birth. Arya would make friends with anybody. This Mycah was the worst; a butcher's boy, thirteen and wild, he slept in the meat wagon and smelled of the slaughtering block.

- Sansa I, AGOT

She makes friends with anybody. While she doesn't fit in with the highborn ladies of Winterfell, she is universally adored by the smallfolk there.

Arya had loved nothing better than to sit at her father's table and listen to them talk. She had loved listening to the men on the benches too; to freeriders tough as leather, courtly knights and bold young squires, grizzled old men-at-arms. She used to throw snowballs at them and help them steal pies from the kitchen. Their wives gave her scones and she invented names for their babies and played monsters-and-maidens and hide-the-treasure and come-into-my-castle with their children. Fat Tom used to call her "Arya Underfoot," because he said that was where she always was.

- Arya II, AGOT

The show portrayed Arya as someone who loses her softness and sweetness as her life gets progressively darker. This couldn't be further from the truth. In ACOK, where her father has just died and she is in hiding among the men of the Watch, even then, she tries her best not to take it out on anyone else. When Hot Pie bullies her for Needle, she remains non-confrontational. He instigates both verbally and physically.

Arya slid her practice sword from her belt. "You can have this one," she told Hot Pie, not wanting to fight. "That's just some stick." He rode nearer and tried to reach over for Needle's hilt.

- Arya I, ACOK

Something else worth noticing is that she stays in hiding in various dangerous places skillfully, in both ACOK and ASOS. No one suspects her of being Arya Stark (excluding Jaqen H'ghar). She even serves as cupbearer to Roose Bolton, and manages not to draw his ire.

She filled Roose Bolton's cup, and did not spill a drop.

- Arya IX, ACOK

This, by the way, isn't just a byproduct of the trauma she endured. All the way back in the first book:

It was the scariest thing she'd ever done. She wanted to run and hide, but she made herself walk across the yard, slowly, putting one foot in front of the other as if she had all the time in the world and no reason to be afraid of anyone. She thought she could feel their eyes, like bugs crawling on her skin under her clothes. Arya never looked up. If she saw them watching, all her courage would desert her, she knew, and she would drop the bundle of clothes and run and cry like a baby, and then they would have her. She kept her gaze on the ground. By the time she reached the shadow of the royal sept on the far side of the yard, Arya was cold with sweat, but no one had raised the hue and cry.

- Arya IV, AGOT

Something else of note is her kindness even when she's suffering. The way she takes care of Weasel even when she's starved or scared.

"You leave Weasel alone, she's just scared and hungry is all." Arya glanced back, but the girl was not following for once.

- Arya V, ACOK

This is what she does - she takes care of people, even when she needs taking care of herself. In Braavos:

"He has no coin," mocked the fair-haired bravo. His dark-haired friend grinned and said something in Braavosi. "My friend Terro is chilly. Be our good fat friend and give him your cloak." "Don't do that either," said the barrow girl, "or else they'll ask for your boots next, and before long you'll be naked." "Little cats who howl too loud get drowned in the canals," warned the fair-haired bravo. "Not if they have claws." And suddenly there was a knife in the girl's left hand, a blade as skinny as she was. The one called Terro said something to his fair-haired friend and the two of them moved off, chuckling at one another. "Thank you," Sam told the girl when they were gone.

- Samwell III, AFFC

There's one last point: apologies. This may not seem very important, but sometimes I see discussions where people claim that Arya is a selfish girl, does not take accountability for her mistakes etc. (usually in the context of Sansa). This is, as most anti-Arya sentiments, blatantly untrue.

Arya raised her eyes. "I'm sorry, Father. I was wrong and I beg my sweet sister's forgiveness."

Sansa was so startled that for a moment she was speechless. Finally she found her voice. "What about my dress?"

"Maybe … I could wash it," Arya said doubtfully.

"Washing won't do any good," Sansa said. "Not if you scrubbed all day and all night. The silk is ruined."

"Then I'll … make you a new one," Arya said.

Sansa threw back her head in disdain. "You? You couldn't sew a dress fit to clean the pigsties."

- Sansa III, AGOT

Arya offers a genuine apology here, even after her sister says horrible things. She even speaks perfectly here, remembering her courtesies. (Keep in mind, this is also after Sansa and Jeyne have told Arya that Mycah's death was her fault. She would be well within her rights to demand an apology from Sansa first.)

The last words they exchange here are:

"It won't be so bad, Sansa," Arya said. "We're going to sail on a galley. It will be an adventure, and then we'll be with Bran and Robb again, and Old Nan and Hodor and the rest." She touched her on the arm.

"Hodor!" Sansa yelled. "You ought to marry Hodor, you're just like him, stupid and hairy and ugly!" She wrenched away from her sister's hand, stormed into her bedchamber, and barred the door behind her.

- Sansa III, AGOT

This is self-explanatory, really. Also, she apologises to Lady Smallwood for the torn dress.

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."

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

- Arya IV, ASOS

(Unimportant sidenote: I love how kind Lady Smallwood is to Arya here. She really needed this.)

Basically, Arya of House Stark is one of the most emotionally intelligent characters in ASOIAF and I will not hear otherwise.

[pixiecactus]

something to know about me, i dislike this quote with a burning passion:

"You may be as different as the sun and the moon, but the same blood flows through both your hearts. You need her, as she needs you … and I need both of you, gods help me."

sorry ned but maybe try to pay attention to the way your eldest daughter actually treats the younger one before saying something like that next time. look i admit it, is a cute quote and everything but the way stansas had run wild with this quote is disgusting.

i can talk only about arya here because the other sister doesn't interest me much and it gets so tiring to have a horde of people claiming that there's an already loving siblinghood between the stark daughters when the only evidence they have at their disposal is that exact quote up there and one of sansa's memories of a snowfight, oh my god... could this mean that there is not a close relationship at all between them?

remember this?

"Sansa had once dreamt of having a sister like Margaery; beautiful and gentle, with all the world's graces at her command. Arya had been entirely unsatisfactory as sisters went..."

i hope i remember this correctly (if not send me anon hate i don't care and it wouldn't be the first time either) but sansa was thinking like this after having the knowledge that her little sister is mostly dead so this is why i don't buy the whole "the adults were the ones pitting the sisters against each other" and sure, catelyn with her comparisons between them and septa mordane with her abusive behavior towards arya surely added something like reassurance in sansa's mind that she was better than her little sister and that arya deserved to be treated badly, which sansa canonically did to arya. but what i want to get is that, in my opinion sansa started to resent arya mostly because her little sister was different and had different interests than her, sansa wanted arya to behave the same as jeyne poole, who even when we're presented with the fact that sansa and jeyne were something like best friends, it was mostly a relationship that depicted sansa and her following minion who validated every breath and step that the eldest stark daughter took.

and in the books we are clearly shown that arya loves all of her family dearly (yes, even sansa and even when it's not reciprocated)

Arya never looked back. She wished the Rush would rise and wash the whole city away, Flea Bottom and the Red Keep and the Great Sept and everything, and everyone too, especially Prince Joffrey and his mother. But she knew it wouldn't, and anyhow Sansa was still in the city and would wash away too. When she remembered that, Arya decided to wish for Winterfell instead.

and

"She hated Ser Amory Lorch for Yoren, and she hated Ser Meryn Trant for Syrio, the Hound for killing the butcher's boy Mycah, and Ser Ilyn and Prince Joffrey and the queen for the sake of her father and Fat Tom and Desmond and the rest, and even for Lady, Sansa's wolf."

and

"I could find out somehow, I know I could, if only I could get away. When she thought of seeing Robb's face again Arya had to bite her lip. And I want to see Jon too, and Bran and Rickon, and Mother. Even Sansa... I'll kiss her and beg her pardons like a proper lady, she'll like that."

but at the same time, arya being passionate about those who she cares about is not something she only does when her family is involved, she started a pack of her own, with a bull, a pastry, a weasel and lommy greenhands (sorry my dude, i couldn’t think about any other thing to call you) and later on we see her making friends with the youngest son of a captain, the daughters of a fishmonger and a group of sex workers…exactly like sansa said back in agot:

Sansa knew all about the sorts of people Arya liked to talk to: squires and grooms and serving girls, old men and naked children, rough-spoken freeriders of uncertain birth. Arya would make friends with anybody.

arya doesn't actually need her sister in the same way that sansa doesn't need arya, and no, they are not the two different sides of the same coin, because for that to be the truth both stark daughters should be closely related and sure they are sisters and sansa is arya's foil but the closeness is simply not there at all, no matter how much you want to force it. and stansas use the coin analogy to push the idea that arya is the brawn and sansa is the brain(?) and that the two girls combined would be an unstoppable force rather than think about i don't know... hope that your favourite girl finally learns how to stand up for herself and stop being dependant on other people... maybe…

i honestly hope to see that if they are reunited, arya and sansa would share a hug, i think that both girls need the physical confirmation that the other one is real and not an illusion after all. but i'll always think that both girls are too different from each other to coexist peacefully side by side.

you can't tell me that arya would stand behind a person that doesn't care for others at all.

"l e t a r y a a n d s a n s a b e d i s t a n t s i b l i n g s"

[agentrouka-blog]

I find the Jeyne Poole/Arya relationship really interesting. Jeyne bullies her, laughs at her, and coins the name "Arya Horseface", but then also is the one who informs Arya of Mycah's butchering and of Joffrey's interest in Sansa. And then of course Jeyne is forced to pretend to be Arya. If we don't get a scene with Arya, Jeyne, Sansa, and Beth, that mirrors the sewing circle scene from AGOT but with them all finally safe I will be so mad.

First up, I very much agree that this trio needs a harmonious and healing reunion and resolution to their conflict. 😊😊

Given the vast status difference between the Lord's daughter and the steward's daughter, however, I think we need to be careful with the idea of Jeyne "bullying" Arya. She does not have the power to truly intimidate or repeatedly insult her without consequences. This is still a feudal society.

GRRM made it canon that she made up a hurtful nickname, but it spread without being attached to Jeyne as the originator, and was over by the time canon starts. Arya's perception of Jeyne laughing at her in the sewing circle might be as distorted as her perception of Sansa in the same context. And while Arya held on to the hurt feelings over the nickname that touched on her secret insecurity, Arya doesn't dwell on Jeyne much at all regarding it. Her focus is on Sansa.

We can safely assume that Arya is on Jeyne's mind, though.

Jeyne does have conflict with Arya, she clearly resented how she had opportunities that Jeyne would never have, but treated them with disregard or disdain. She clearly had a catty streak about it, and tried to make herself feel better through comparing their relative prettiness and mocking Arya where she could get away with it. She clearly showed little regard for Arya's feelings while sharing morbid information about Mycah's murder (same as about speculation over where the Mountain's head should be put on a spike). But she was also only 12 at the time. This is playground squabbles, not bullying. Bullying is what Aliser Thorne does to the recruits, what Jon does to them, even. One short-lived nickname is not that. Arya's insecurities have far more to do with society as a whole, with Septa Mordane, with her own sense of not fitting in.

GRRM is illustrating the misogyny and classism of their society in how it affects all of these young girls in their relationships to each other.

Jeyne being discarded in a brothel, retrieved like a toy only when the name Arya imbues her with false value, mistreated in Arya's place, forced to remain in this charade because as Jeyne she has no worth in their society... that fits right in there.

Arya's own arc strongly revolves around class and privilege, through her relationship with Gendry and with her own name. Jeyne's position in life is bound to be much clearer to her when they meet again, and what seemed big and dramatic to a nine-year-old will fade into obscurity compared to the real horrors and injustice they have all been through.

Arya is furious that no one stood up for Mycah the peasant boy.

How will she feel about the fate of Jeyne the steward's daughter, when she may have the power to work toward justice for her?

I think this is going to be a very powerful bookend to their beginning.

[thelustybraavosimaid]

Margaery hailed them when the two columns met and fell in beside the queen's litter. Her cheeks were flushed, her brown ringlets tumbling loosely about her shoulders, stirred by every puff of wind. "We have been picking autumn flowers in the kingswood," she told them. I know where you were, the queen thought. Her informers were very good about keeping her apprised of Margaery's movements. Such a restless girl, our little queen. She seldom let more than three days pass without going off for a ride. Some days they would ride along the Rosby road to hunt for shells and eat beside the sea. Other times she would take her entourage across the river for an afternoon of hawking. The little queen was fond of going out on boats as well, sailing up and down the Blackwater Rush to no particular purpose. When she was feeling pious she would leave the castle to pray at Baelor's Sept. She gave her custom to a dozen different seamstresses, was well-known amongst the city's goldsmiths, and had even been known to visit the fish market by the Mud Gate for a look at the day's catch. Wherever she went, the smallfolk fawned on her, and Lady Margaery did all she could to fan their ardor. She was forever giving alms to beggars, buying hot pies off bakers' carts, and reining up to speak to common tradesmen. (Cersei VI, AFfC)

--

"You're not supposed to leave the column," Sansa reminded her. "Father said so."

Arya shrugged. "I didn't go far. Anyway, Nymeria was with me the whole time. I don't always go off, either. Sometimes it's fun just to ride along with the wagons and talk to people."

Sansa knew all about the sorts of people Arya liked to talk to: squires and grooms and serving girls, old men and naked children, rough-spoken freeriders of uncertain birth. Arya would make friends with anybody. This Mycah was the worst; a butcher's boy, thirteen and wild, he slept in the meat wagon and smelled of the slaughtering block. Just the sight of him was enough to make Sansa feel sick, but Arya seemed to prefer his company to hers. (Sansa I, AGoT)

[ladystoneboobs]

possibly incomplete list of asoiaf characters described as having red or even "ginger" hair (or red-gold as opposed to red-brown or ghiscari red-black), never auburn:

mycah, the butcher's boy*

beric dondarrion (red-gold hair)*

lharys, member of the three stooges men-at-arms (wild rust-colored hair)**

unnamed and unfortunate mother of robert baratheon's doomed youngest child, barra (light red-haired mother of black-haired baby)*

tomard aka "fat tom", stark guardsman (with his ginger whiskers)*

horas "horror" redwyne (orange hair)*

hobber "slobber" redwyne (orange hair)*

unnamed red-haired whore leaning out a window the day of ned's execution (presumably not the same as above since she was joking about the king's death)*

melisandre of asshai (deep burnished copper. red and terrible and red.)*

a man called jaqen h'ghar (red on one side, white on the other)*

pug-nosed dancy from chataya's brothel (described as red-haired by tyrion in acok but honey-blonde in asos, so presumably hair dye must have been involved between those book mentions.)**

addam marbrand (hair the same copper color as his horse's mane)*

"ginger-headed" maester frenken*

unnamed beardless ginger youth among theon's crew at winterfell*

ygritte, a spearwife "kissed-by-fire" (bright red)*

arryk aka "left" or "right", lady olenna's red-mustached guardsman*

erryk aka "left" or "right", lady olenna's other, identical, red-mustached guardsman*

lord paxter redwyne (tufts of orange hair)**

anguy the archer of the bwb*

a red-bearded karstark rapist dead in a crow cage at stoney sept*

tansy, innkeeper of the peach in stoney sept*

meryn trant (rust-red hair)*

"red" ronnet connington

mero, "the titan's bastard", former commander of the second sons (bushy red-gold beard)

a red-headed soldier who came with stannis to the wall

shadrich "the mad mouse" (bristly orange hair)*

lord rykker's red-mustached maester

marwyn belmore, lysa's former guard captain (ginger-headed)*

lord benedar belmore with a beard that was "a ginger-grey horror"*

lord orton merryweather (reddish-orange hair)

"the red oarsman", one of euron greyoy's followers (fiery red hair)

unnamed red-haired sailor arriving at port in braavos*

lord clement piper

and his son lewys "little lew" piper, who served as squire to jaime lannister in the riverlands

unnamed red-haired youth who first escaped northward with varamyr from the battle at the wall

one of illyrio's washerwomen (dull red hair)**

jon connington (once red hair gone to grey, still red at the roots and eyebrows even when the rest was dyed blue. also had a bright red beard as a younger man.)**

rolly "duck" duckfield (a shock of orange hair)**

a young man among the wildling refugees at mole's town whose red hair reminded jon of ygritte*

the "sunset kingdoms" girl raped by tyrion in the brothel where he was captured by jorah**

hagen's daughter, only other woman among asha greyjoy's crew

roggon rustbeard, one of asha's men

mully of the nw (greasy orange hair)*

bloodbeard, commander of the company of the cat (fiery red whiskers)

"ginger" jack, a toungeless sellsword of the windblown sent to dany, face nearly covered by his bristly, orange beard

gerrick kingsblood*

and his son*

and gerrick's daughter #1*

and gerrick's daughter #2*

and gerrick's daughter #3*

ronald storm, son of ronnet connington

one of the 7 "choicest" enslaved girls from the yunkish ship who were sacrificed by victarion (red-gold hair)

an enslaved redhead boy in line for a well, asking tyrion about dany**

nail, apprentice to hammer, the armorer for the second sons**

maester tybald, redhaired maester from the dreadfort serving arnolf karstark

valena toland, heiress to ghost hill (bright red hair)

teora toland, valena's younger sister with the same hair

uther shett, knight arriving for sweetrobin's tourney (ginger-haired and whiskered)*

*characters whose hair is described in the povs of starks (or jon snow) who only use the terms auburn or red-brown for catelyn, robb, sansa etc. and do not compare said characters to said tully-haired relations

**characters whose hair is described by tyrion lannister, who spent significant time with sansa and exclusively referred to her hair as auburn (without anyone else telling him her hair color as catelyn told brienne)

the only asoiaf characters ever described as having auburn hair:

catelyn tully stark

robb stark (red-brown/auburn tully hair "so like" his mother's, with a beard redder than his hair)

sansa stark (auburn hair lighter than her mother's, most reddish glowing in candlelight)

brandon "bran" stark (hair not bright red enough for him to distinguish himself from young benjen at first glance in a weirwood flashback)

rickon stark

brynden "the blackfish" tully (once auburn hair gone to grey)

edmure tully (auburn hair with a fiery beard, likely brighter than his hair like robb's)

lysa tully arryn baelish

known tully descendants never described as having auburn hair

arya stark (darker brown stark-colored hair)

hoster tully (hair and beard gone from brown to brown streaked with grey to white as snow)

robert "sweetrobin" arryn (fine brown hair, thought by sansa to be his best feature)

fun fact: the only other character that i can find to ever even be descibed as having red-brown hair in the main series is rowan, one of the spearwives who accompanied mance on his mission to winterfell. (described by theon, who had psychological reasons not to think of any hair-resemblance to robb and co.)

tl;dr i suppose my point here is that auburn hair in the real world may be a term thrown around wildly as a fancier way of saying red hair, but grrm and his westerosi creations seem to keep to a much more specific (true) definition. not just specific, almost entirely unique to a certain family, a weird mutation passing down their line somewhat inexplicably, like the magic platinum hair of the targaryens. (ned stark's 4 tully-haired kids being sorta like alicent hightower's 4 targ-haired kids where nobody can really explain why it was so dominant.) except it's actually more unique to the tullys than either black hair to the baratheons or silver hair to the targaryens, with the velaryons also having valyrian hair as well as some people in the essosi free cities too. which i guess makes rowan the wildling the equalivent of an unknown dragonseed or a lysene woman who could pass as a targ, and regular brown-haired hoster and sweetrobin the equivalent of regular blonde-haired alysanne and alyssa targaryen. so the next time someone calls the tullys lame or whatever, just remember that in-universe they're actually more special than the dragonriders, at least hairwise.

[jackoshadows]

There's this nice little parallel between Arya and Jon doing the right thing under incredibly dangerous and complicated scenarios and then being saved by the direwolves.

When Jon Snow is asked to kill the old man at the Queenscrown, he knows that his life would be forfeit if he refuses. And yet, he can't bring himself to do it.

“Why do you hesitate?” Styr said. “Kill him, and be done.” He is an old man, Jon told himself. Fifty, maybe even sixty. He lived a longer life than most. The Thenns will kill him anyway, nothing I can say or do will save him. Longclaw seemed heavier than lead in his hand, too heavy to lift. The man kept staring at him, with eyes as big and black as wells. I will fall into those eyes and drown. The Magnar was looking at him too, and he could almost taste the mistrust. The man is dead. What matter if it is my hand that slays him? One cut would do it, quick and clean. Longclaw was forged of Valyrian steel. Like Ice. Jon remembered another killing; the deserter on his knees, his head rolling, the brightness of blood on snow . . . his father’s sword, his father’s words, his father’s face . . . “Do it, Jon Snow,” Ygritte urged. “You must. T’ prove you are no crow, but one o’ the free folk.” He turned his back on the man. “No.” - Jon, AGoT

And then we have little 9 year old, skinny little Arya confronting Joffrey's sadistic torture of Mycah. Joffrey is taller and bigger than even Jon and Robb and he's armed with a sword. Arya is armed with a stick. Joffrey has been trained in the sword and Arya has not. The odds are against her. And yet she steps up to defend Mycah because it's the right thing to do.

“And you’re only a butcher’s boy, and no knight.” Joffrey lifted Lion’s Tooth and laid its point on Mycah’s cheek below the eye, as the butcher’s boy stood trembling. “That was my lady’s sister you were hitting, do you know that?” A bright bud of blood blossomed where his sword pressed into Mycah’s flesh, and a slow red line trickled down the boy’s cheek. “Stop it!” Arya screamed. She grabbed up her fallen stick. “I won’t hurt him … much,” Prince Joffrey told Arya, never taking his eyes off the butcher’s boy. Arya went for him. - Sansa, AGoT

And when both Arya and Jon are under attack because of doing the right thing, the direwolves - gifts from the Old Gods - step in to help save them.

The Magnar said something in the Old Tongue. He might have been telling the Thenns to kill Jon where he stood, but he would never know the truth of that. Lightning crashed down from the sky, a searing blue-white bolt that touched the top of the tower in the lake. They could smell the fury of it, and when the thunder came it seemed to shake the night. And death leapt down amongst them. The lightning flash left Jon night-blind, but he glimpsed the hurtling shadow half a heartbeat before he heard the shriek. - Jon, ASoS

Joffrey slashed at Arya with his sword, screaming obscenities, terrible words, filthy words. Arya darted back, frightened now, but Joffrey followed, hounding her toward the woods, backing her up against a tree. Then a grey blur flashed past her, and suddenly Nymeria was there, leaping, jaws closing around Joffrey’s sword arm. The steel fell from his fingers as the wolf knocked him off his feet, and they rolled in the grass, the wolf snarling and ripping at him, the prince shrieking in pain. - Sansa, AGot

What also stands out is 9 year old Arya's presence of mind. She steps in to call Nymeria off else the damage done to Joffrey would be far worse. Just look at what Summer does to the Thenns.

The lightning flash left Jon night-blind, but he glimpsed the hurtling shadow half a heartbeat before he heard the shriek. The first Thenn died as the old man had, blood gushing from his torn throat. Then the light was gone and the shape was spinning away, snarling, and another man went down in the dark. There were curses, shouts, howls of pain. Jon saw Big Boil stumble backward and knock down three men behind him. Ghost, he thought for one mad instant. Ghost leapt the Wall. Then the lightning turned the night to day, and he saw the wolf standing on Del’s chest, blood running black from his jaws. Grey. He’s grey. - Jon, ASoS

“Get it off,” he screamed. “Get it off!” Arya’s voice cracked like a whip. “Nymeria!” The direwolf let go of Joffrey and moved to Arya’s side. The prince lay in the grass, whimpering, cradling his mangled arm. His shirt was soaked in blood. Arya said, “She didn’t hurt you … much.” - Sansa, AGoT

As Arya points out rather accurately, Nymeria did not hurt Joffrey...much, considering what a direwolf is capable of. Nymeria steps in to save Arya and that's it. Arya could have done more damage to Joffrey if she wanted to - but she recognizes and understands the situation and calls Nymeria off.

Anyways I thought this was a cool, thematic parallel of not only Arya and Jon having the instinct to do the right thing, no matter the circumstances, but also of the direwolves - in this case Nymeria and Summer - helping them overcome the danger of those circumstances.

[asongofstarkandtargaryen]

" But Arya threw an orange at Sansa, she's also being awful to her sister!!"

I'm convinced some of you never read the books and only get your "facts" from reading meta from the stans of your favourite character.

Here is the actual scene that leads to Arya's "horrible" action of throwing an orange to Sansa:

Arya screwed up her face in a scowl. "Jaime Lannister murdered Jory and Heward and Wyl, and the Hound murdered Mycah. Someone should have beheaded them".

"It's not the same," Sansa said. "The Hound is Joffrey's sworn shield. Your butcher's boy attacked the prince".

Sansa was in front on the Trident incident. We see it from her pov and Mycah didn't attacked Joffrey, it was the other way around. So, she's lying here. Like she lied when she gave her testimony on the incident. What is worse is that this time there is no one to listen what she has to say; save from Arya. So those of you who defend her lying in front of the King and Queen saying that she did so because she couldn't take her sister side in public as Joffrey's future wife, what are you gonna say about this scene? She's alone with Arya here and yet she lies once again.

And even worse, she's not even calling Mycah by his name. As if by calling him a "butcher's boy" aka focusing on his low status in society will make his murder less horrible.

Arya rightfully calls her out:

"Liar!" Arya said. Her hand clenched the blood orange so hard that red juice oozed between her fingers.

And ofc Sansa accusing her of "calling her names"

No honey, Arya isn't calling you names. Unlike you, she's not lying she's stating the obvious.

" Go ahead, call me all the names you want," Sansa said airly. "You won't dare when I'm married to Joffrey. You'll have to bow and call me Your Grace". She shrieked as Arya flung the orange across the table. It caught her in the middle of the forehead with a wet squish and plopped down into her lap.

"You have juice in your face, Your Grace," Arya said .

Even if Arya threw a hundred oranges at Sansa at that moment, I would still say that she was the one being right during that scene.

[dragnsofthread]

The Starks and their Direwolves

(note: I'm only referring to the show in this post)

It's so interesting to me how the Stark children's trajectories are reflected in the lives of their direwolves.

Robb/Grey Wind Grey Wind wars with Robb until they are both butchered at the Red Wedding. From the time Robb found him in the snow to their deaths, Grey Wind remained by Robb's side.

Jon/Ghost Jon and Ghost are a package deal (minus the Battle of the Bastards, still bitter), traveling together, fighting together. Jon's enemies are Ghost's enemies. Jon giving Ghost to Tormund before marching on King's Landing reflects Jon's own gravitation towards the North. In the end, Jon and Ghost travel north of the Wall together, where they were both supposed to be all along.

Sansa/Lady Lady died because Sansa lied to Robert and Cersei about what really happened with Joffrey, Arya and Mycah. The lie was the beginning of the end for her. It reflected her inability to see Joffrey as a villain and turned her against her own family. The death of Lady represented the death of a part of Sansa. She built herself back up, without her wolf and wrought with anger, eventually becoming the Lady of Winterfell.

Arya/Nymeria The death of Mycah was also the catalyst for Arya to send Nymeria away into the wild. Arya was changed after that and went a little wild herself. It was the beginning of her bloodlust. She learned to be a water dancer, a Faceless Man, an assassin. She took matters into her own hands and grew up to be nobody's victim. When Arya meets Nymeria again in 7x02, Nymeria is the alpha of her own pack. Arya knows her wolf is right where she was meant to be. Just as Arya had never been a lady, Nymeria had never been a pet.

Bran/Summer Bran and Summer were bonded from day one, and they stuck together all throughout Bran's journey to becoming the Three-Eyed Raven. Summer defended Bran at every turn, most memorably at the very end of season 6 when Bran and Meera leave the cave. The death of Summer represents the death of Bran the boy, and the birth of the Three-Eyed Raven.

Rickon/Shaggydog Shaggydog was ever Rickon's fierce protector, as wild as a direwolf raised by a six-year-old could be. Unfortunately we as an audience don't see much of Rickon and Shaggydog's relationship after they're separated from Bran, but we can assume they maintained their bond as Jon and Ghost do. Shaggydog's end was Rickon's end.

[creganofhousestark]

(Screenshots because I’m one hundred percent sure i will be blocked for stating facts that go against the op’s headcanons if i were to reblog my opinions under their post and then will proceed to rant away about the eViL aRyA sTaNs whose crime is, well, reading the books, you know?)

So, i had the misfortune of coming across this one post by @agentrouka-blog when i was going through the main tags and, god! The amount of bs i have to wade through in the name of fandom experience is concerning at this point.

Whenever did Sansa cover for Arya? When she was declaring her as a traitor to a bloodthirsty Cersei Lannister that it was her sister with the traitor’s blood and not her after her father’s imprisonment? Or when she threw Arya under the bus at Trident?

“She blames Sansa for things she never did” dude there was never one moment where Arya blamed Sansa for things she never did. Hell, Arya didn’t blame Sansa enough. Guess it’s time to reread AGoT lol. Sansa “it’s your butcher boy’s fault for dying because he attacked the prince” is blameless y’all *mic drop*

“Violently attacks her because that’s her opportunity to blow off steam after a traumatic 4 days” yes because your sister is basically accusing of treason when the reason behind her actions was purely defense. Apparently you must be level headed in the face of your your sister refusing to be honest in a moment when the outcome (which is Mycah living or dying) depends on her word. If Sansa’s really as smart and intelligent as stansas claim then Joffrey’s actions at the Trident should’ve opened her eyes. Ned was the Hand of the King, the King’s BFF. She was under no pressure to maintain diplomacy. Hell, Ned was right by her side, reassuring her and encouraging her to speak her truth. What would’ve happened if she were honest? The betrothal would’ve been called off? Ned would’ve lost his spot at worst? Big loss, the North would have minded it’s own business as usual….and Sansa’s southern dreams would have shattered. In that moment Sansa chose her dreams and fantasies over her sister and remain blind to the kind of a monster Joffrey was.

Moreover, being focused and worried about herself and her desires is not necessarily a flaw, Sansa’s just more human. She’s got five heroes to compete against, which is why she may appear more flawed than Arya. But honestly it’s all subjective. Arya’s character is simply rich and has a hell lot more depth, that’s all.

Mostly Ned’s favouritism BRO NED CHOSE TO GIVE UP THE HONOUR HE VALUED hell he chose a traitor’s death for her and, goddammit there’s not one moment where he favoured one over the other. Do not talk about the damned flowers scene in Sansa I, Ned would’ve grinned and thanked Sansa for the same bleeding flowers. Sansa was just pissed that Ned didn’t reprimand his child for behaving like a typical 9 year old child. Which, nobility or no, is quite common in that society. Hell, we have textual evidence of Catelyn playing with LF and Lysa making mud pies at 12. It’s almost as if Sansa can’t stand anything short of Sansa 2.0 from her sister.

Arya’s miles better. Just ask GRRM. He wrote the books.

Anyways, thanks agentrouka for reminding me how brilliant of a writer George Martin is. The man picked stereotypical heroes and gave their stories not-so-stereotypical twists as their arcs progressed. An exiled powerless princess who earned it all and more through her blood sweat and tears, a non conformist noblewoman who’s gone through an extraordinary number of trials, a powerful noble dwarf unwanted by his own blood, a disabled boy with unparalleled magical potential and a bastard from two powerful, magical families who was practically thrown aside.

[buttercuparry]

the other thing that took me by surprise is the belief that having friends outside your of your class structure is harmful.

Mycah did not die because Arya thought of him as a playmate. Mycah died brcause Joffrey thought he as the crown prince could get away with his twisted sense of cruelty (which he did). Mycah died not because he was Arya's friend- Mycah died because in a feudal society his identity ended at being a butcher's boy. There was no one out there- (no one except for Arya)- to scream to the crown for justice. no one like the highborn Oberyn Martell who would confront the Lannisters about the deaths of two highborn children. There only ever was Arya. Arya who realized that Mycah never mattered to her father's men. Who blamed herself for the tragedy. Who kept a tight hold onto Mycah's name. Who despaired at forgetting what he looked like.

Yes Arya was privileged. Yes she had her rose tinted glasses on. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! To the fact that Arya would have never realized the extent of tragedy a common man can experience had she not lived as a commoner. But that is the thing. The narrative did not let Arya stay the rich friend unaware of the grassroots. She had her reversal of fortune and was shown what she has to work against if she wants the Mycahs of the world to survive.

Whenever the debate arouses regarding one's capability to lead- Arya is sometimes dismissed for not sticking to the status quo. I find it so terribly surprising because then the rhetoric comes down to what kind of ending does this fandom want if not a revolutionary change? When the impending apocalypse itself paves the way to factory reset the world order, how is the reader still in favour of the status quo?