#rani attempts meta

[atopvisenyashill]

Hi! There are polarising views on Mirri Maaz Durr in the fandom. What do you think about her character?

A few things-

Mirri innocent

Mirri cool

Mirri damns Dany's status as a savior from the jump

I don't have much patience for this idea that the only thing Mirri teaches Dany is basically that you can have good intentions and it can still go badly. I think that's a very self centered view of what Mirri represents. It's all about how Dany feels and it is completely predicated on the idea that a) Mirri was acting purposefully and vindictivly (no she wasn't) and b) Eroeh literally already fills that role. What Mirri shows us about Dany is that Dany

has a temper she does not have a grasp on, and in fact refuses to get a true handle on

is significantly stronger with magic than most people in Terros are even capable of comprehending

has a tendency to posit herself (and "herself" is Westerosi and Valyrian, not just one or the other) as superior to the cultures around her despite knowing basically nothing about the history of her own culture & homelands, or the people she is associating with

will purposefully ignore and think around her own culpability so long as it means she can keep looking forward instead of looking back to reflect

Mirri, to make a comparison to My Literal Son Bran Stark, I think serves as a Theon Greyjoy type character in Dany's' arc. What she is doing here is showing us that this character who we have associated with goodness and righteousness is completely self deluded on the harm she causes to people "lesser" than her. Mirri, like Theon, is not a willing member of the khalasar but taken by force as a show of strength. Mirri is in many ways grateful (initially) that she is treated not as badly as she could have been by Dany. Mirri wants to be helpful. She wants to be trusted. She wants to survive. And unlike Theon, Mirri has a real and pressing deadline - Drogo says they are going to sell the slaves and Mirri is clearly angling to stay part of the khalasar rather than be sold. As an older woman, as a maegi, as someone part of the Lhazareene who has actually experienced the world outside, she knows what awaits her at the slave markets and she isn't interested in going there. Being a respected and beloved advisor to a khaleesi is surely a safer bet - especially when, right off the bat, she sees Drogo is willing to defer to Dany's judgement even over his bloodriders. Think about Theon becoming close with Robb, dreaming of marrying Sansa - it is simply safer to be in their good graces.

Now think of Robb losing it on Theon for saving Bran in an admittedly risky shot. A sharp rebuke for Theon daring to think that he can act without permission, even to save Bran's life. Think of what Theon says here-

"The noose I wore was not made of hempen rope, that's true enough, but I felt it all the same. And it chafed, Ser Rodrik. It chafed me raw." He had never quite realized that until now, but as the words came spilling out he saw the truth of them. "No harm was ever done you."

Does that sound familiar perhaps?

"I spoke for you," she said, anguished. "I saved you." "Saved me?" The Lhazareen woman spat. "Three riders had taken me, not as a man takes a woman but from behind, as a dog takes a bitch. The fourth was in me when you rode past. How then did you save me? I saw my god's house burn, where I had healed good men beyond counting. My home they burned as well, and in the street I saw piles of heads. I saw the head of a baker who made my bread. I saw the head of a boy I had saved from deadeye fever, only three moons past. I heard children crying as the riders drove them off with their whips. Tell me again what you saved." "Your life." Mirri Maz Duur laughed cruelly. "Look to your khal and see what life is worth, when all the rest is gone."

Theon is expected to be grateful to the family that stole him from his home and is called a turncloak and kinslayer for slaying people that are not and have never been his kin - people who have made it very clear to him that he is not their kin, even the ones who love him. This dynamic is pretty directly responsible for why Theon Acts Like That. But for some reason when Mirri is expected to be grateful to the woman who stole her away from her home she is called everything but a child of god and made to be the aggressor in this situation. She is not. She is reacting to being enslaved.

And Dany not only refuses to engage with her own culpability in Mirri's misery - "if i look back i am lost" is not in fact a triumphant battle cry but the horrified rationalization of a deeply traumatized teenager - in the moment she also refuses to engage it with it later on. She keeps insisting that Mirri was the betrayal for blood (except Mirri never betrayed her!) and is completely unaware to a point that is like, mind boggling naive and dumb on par with Ned's actions re: Robert, when it comes to handling similar issues in Meereen. Why is it okay that the slaves of Meereen raped and killed that boy's family but it's somehow the epitome of evil when Mirri not purposefully kills Rhaego? Is it perhaps because....Dany is a main character and that boy is not? And if that's the only difference than perhaps the narrative purpose Mirri serves is not to show that "even good intentions can go awry" but "dany does not have what it takes to be a leader over a situation as fraught as reconstructing an entire economy after toppling slavery."

It's amazing to me how people can understand that when a woman is killed for the story and growth of a man that's misogyny, that's fridging but when a brown woman is killed for the story and a growth of a white woman, that's somehow not misogyny and not a different form of fridging. But let's stop talking about Dany because it's all anyone ever says about Mirri - which you know, is it's own issue.

Now Mirri specifically.

First of all her name - Maz Duur. I've said it before I do believe Maz Duur means "maester" in the lhazar language (such that it exists - we don't have a lot of information on that) which makes sense as she was trained by a Maester - she names Maester Marwyn as a teacher she met in Asshai. Not only that, but further strengthening the bonds between them, Marwyn is referred to as "Marwyn the Mage" just as Mirri is referred to as a maegi, the Dothraki term for mage. Marwyn is also on his way to Dany the last time we see him to get to her before another maester does. There's a lot of questions there - why is he interested in her? How much of the truth is he telling when he speaks to Sam? And more importantly - will Dany recognize his name from her encounter with Mirri or, perhaps, will Marwyn hear that she was near Lhazar and ask if she encountered Mirri?

But also let's dig into Mirri's first name. Mirri sounds very much like Mary, and Mirri/Mary lives in Lhazar, of a people called the Lhazareene...Lazarus of Bethany or Saint Lazarus was brought back to life by Christ after four days dead, and Nazareth is famously the birthplace of Christ, whose mother was named Mary. People from Nazareth are often called, wait for it, Nazarenes. The Lhazareene also follow The Great Shepherd and believe all are equals in His Great Flock. Which is to say there's a lot of early Christiantiy references here. I think this is very interesting when you take Dany as a sort of corrupted Christ like figure - the corruption starts from the very root, where her Mother Mary is not truly her mother who was turned away from the inn, but rather a magical advisor who Christ enslaves, a mother who turns on Christ because She asks too much, and then is sacrificed by Christ alongside her own only son, Rhaego, to bring forth Lightbringer (note that Lightbringer is another name for the Devil, and if that interests you, definitely read more of maid-with-sunset-in-her-hair on the subject, she has a lot of really good writings on it) in the form of Drogon. You also have Drogo himself, who is several days "not dead" before Dany smothers him, just as Christ spends three days in the tomb before being resurrected.

All of that to say that people get so hostile at the idea that the fandom is "fixated" on Mirri. But we're fixated on her because she is integral to the overreaching narrative. She haunts it, she haunts every step in Essos, the same way Lyanna or Elia do, or the way Lysa haunts the Vale, the way Ned haunts the North. She isn't just a stepping stone in someone else's story. She has her own story, her own purpose in the story, and she has far reaching implications in both life and death.

Secondly - I don't think she actually cursed Dany's womb. IF she did curse it, it was likely a result of Dany going into the tent rather than the speech Mirri gives. Mirri isn't laying some sort of curse in that moment, she's speaking hyperbolically. My oomf here compared it to Renly's bitchy comment to Stannis and I agree there. IF there is some sort of curse on Dany's fertility it's an accidental one. THAT is interesting to me. For one thing, we see a pretty equal amount of accidental or instinctual magic being done as we do purposeful - all the Starklings are doing accidental magic, from their dreams to Bran's skinchanging Hodor, and I would count Dany's blood sacrifice of Mirri as instinctual and accidental as well. We get prophecies that are not only accidental they're unwanted in characters like Daeron the Dreamer, and it seems implied that the Ghost of High Heart doesn't want to be having her prophecies either. So IF Mirri is laying a curse here on accident...I don't particularly care about what it says about Dany's fertility but I do care about what it says about magic in general. Can she herself tell she is doing accidental magic as it happens? Is it similar to my Bran-Theon theory, that both she and Dany are feeding off each other's magic, sort of guiding each other, reacting to each other, on an instinctual level?

Then we have the actual magic she is capable of, which is shadowbinding. Can anyone learn shadowbinding? I know everyone loves to discourse about how "only valyrians can ride dragons" and if anyone else does that goes against how "george writes magic" but well - none of that is true lmao. We see people across cultures do all sorts of magic and we also see some similarities across elements of magic. For example, the shadowbinding happening in the House of the Undying - surely the Qartheen don't have a plethora of Lhazareene heritage. Could it be maybe Ghiscari heritage? But then you look to Melisandre, who does both fire magic and shadowbinding stuff but is not described as having any sort of Qartheen or Ghiscari heritage at all.

I think Mirri leaves more questions in the narrative than she answers! She has a fascinating background thats likely to have implications in the future. I think for a gray character she is very well written, very well handled, but I also think the way she is talked about in fandom is a direct result of the incredibly racist way the Essosi cultures and in particular the Dothraki and Lhazareene are depicted as by George himself. If this fandom is weird and racist about Mirri, it's a direct result from George not giving us any sort of sympathetic POV into these cultures, being unwilling to flesh them out the way he does the Meereenese, and pretty directly positing them as nothing more than stepping stones for Dany's corrupted savior arc. They are the canary in the coal mine, and that's all they're allowed to be, are omens, harbingers, animals, symbols. Despite that, Mirri herself rises to the top, forces her way back into the narrative, and continues to haunt Dany's every action.

[fallofcyber]

The Susan Foreman/Susan Twist Theory

So ever few years the Doctor Who fandom seeks to ask the question What about Susan, and Because of this new season the Theories have started back up again so lets look at the evidence.

Pre-Devil's Cord: It was speculated that Susan might return this season, the main evidence point is a woman we all have been calling "Susan Twist" based on the name of her actress.

Many people are speculating that based on this actress' name that there is a 'Twist' involving a 'Susan'. Now I wouldn't put it past RTD to create a season plotline purely based on an actress' name, but to state that this 'evidence' is a stretch is a massive understatement. So pre-Devil's Cord a crackpot theory that insists on speculating about the return of a Classic series Time-Lord, similar to the constant theories about The Rani, Omega, or even Morbius.

Post Devil's Cord: Now we finally have a solid piece of evidence, an explicit callout to Susan. In fact I believe the first time Susan is mentioned by name since the revival, when the Doctor is telling Ruby about his life on Totter's lane.

So we have two through-lines this theory hopes to connect. The Susan Twist mystery box, and an explicit call out to Susan Foreman. Now this callout to Susan seems incredibly deliberate, almost like it's attempting to introduce new audiences to the character. Plus the Doctor also speculates on her current status, whether she is alive or dead.

Also I'll bring up the 'Always a Twist at the End' song from the end of The Devil's Cord. Not only being a meta commentary on the nature of seasons of Doctor Who, but also a play on words referencing 'The Twist' a type of dance. There's always a twist, thus there is always a Susan Twist.

Post-Boom: We have a new Susan Twist cameo

and it's creepy ambulance lady. Currently the Susan Twist cameo hasn't added anything to the theory post Boom, but lets looks at something else for a second.

Varada Sethu

This is Varada Sethu who has been confirmed to be joining the TARDIS along with Ruby and the Doctor.

She shows up in Boom as the character Mundy Flynn. Now this could easily be another instance of an actor having a bit part in Doctor Who before Colin Baker, Freeman Agyeman, Peter Capaldi, Karen Gillan. However Russel has stated that the situation is more complicated than that. Specifically bringing up when Jenna Coleman showed up in Asylum of the Daleks before making her debut later in season 7.

Some speculation theorized that Varada Sethu's character was a regenerated Susan Foreman, but after Boom I believe something else is going on.

So this is all linking back to my 'The Doctor is trapped in a television show' Theory

( https://www.tumblr.com/fallofcyber/750149486367621120/okay-absolutely-off-the-wall-doctor-who-theory?source=share )

I think I might have an idea that could solve both the Susan Twist and Verada Sethu mystery. What if they aren't just reused actors on the show Doctor Who, but are reused actors in the show within the show. As in the reason we are seeing this actor show up in multiple places is because they are literally being recast in universe.

So in conclusion I do believe Susan Foreman to have some sort of relevance to the story, but I don't think she is at all connected to Varada Sethu or Susan Twist. Maybe she has a connection to Susan Twist, but I don't think they are one in the same.

[thewingedwolf]

I think what makes me most mad about Septa Mordane is how she’s clearly encouraging the rivalry between the two girls, and confirming the worst of both of their personalities in their minds in order to punish Arya for not being feminine enough. So Sansa gets her biases about beauty and class and womanhood confirmed by an authority figure, further cementing it in her mind, and Arya gets all her insecurities of not being good enough for her family confirmed, further driving a wedge between Arya and the Starks (except Jon). It’s a cruel way to treat a child, to teach one she’s superior and the other she’s inferior and it has catastrophic effects on both girls.

PLUS, she gets ass over tits drunk when she’s supposed to be looking after Sansa, which leads to JOFFREY of all people having to walk her home, and Sandor getting physical with her (in a great and complex scene, but a scene that shouldn’t have happened bc Septa Mordane decided to get drunk on the clock!) she doesn’t even have a cool death scene in the books, she’s just mean, useless, then dies. SmFh.

Do I want to rant about Septa Mordane being a terrible teacher who is incredibly bad for Arya’s insecurities or do I want to move on ?

You know what ? No I’m not moving on.

There is clearly a favoritism toward Sansa while tearing down Arya.Of course, she is insecure if the adults around her keeps telling her how bad she is at everything.

[catelyngrant]

2, 8, 14 for the fictional women thing.

2 - Villains

Nina Myers: My first fictional lady crush! Naturally she was a mercenary terrorist, which I think had my parents far more concerned than the “lady” part of the crush. I loved her so much in season one and even though I’d spoiled myself and knew what was coming, I had a complete meltdown when she was revealed to be the bad guy. She was such a delicious villain, though, and her dynamic with Jack was just blistering. She was doomed to a violent early end, and after seeing what happened to my other lady faves on this show, I’m pleased that she went out the way she did and that her storyline never got boring or disappointing.

(Book) Cersei Lannister: She’s horrible, truly despicable, but so complicated and oddly sympathetic. She more than just about any other character is the architect of her own destruction, and part of what’s so sad about her is that at least some of the things she wants - agency, freedom, power, to love and be loved - are completely understandable if not universal. Her desperate attempts to consolidate what little power she had and to ward off the things she feared most led (and continue to lead) to bitter tragedy not only for her but for everyone she crosses paths with, and the more she loses, the more determined she is to make everyone pay without ever truly seeing her own role in it. She’s horrible and unforgivable, but it’s sad.

Six: I struggled with whether or not she counted - and if so, which version of her? - but that ambiguity is part of what makes me want to include her. And the truth is that every version of Six (except Head!Six, I guess) was involved in the annihilation of the Twelve Colonies and in the first couple of seasons we don’t see a lot of them outside of the human’s POV, so they are established as villains. The fact that Caprica in particular, but also Gina and Natalie, end up being among the more sympathetic and nuanced characters on the show is a testament to the writing and Tricia’s portrayal; the robots who wiped out almost all of humanity go through perhaps the most growth of anyone. It’s incredible.

Astra In-Ze: I’m including her more for her potential and for my own understanding of the character (shaped through fic and meta) than for what we literally saw onscreen, which was a wonderful but woefully underexplored foundation. Astra is a really fascinating study in who the main characters could be. Kara, if she let the fury and grief of Krypton consume her and hadn’t had the Danvers to shape her view of humanity; Alex, if she didn’t have Kara and J’onn to keep her tethered and stop her from crossing the line in the name of what’s “right” (season two notwithstanding because she DID cross a lot of those lines with no consequences); Kara and Alex together if they ever came to a crossroads like Astra and Alura did, and the devastating consequences. It really breaks my heart that we didn’t get to see Astra continue to evolve and follow through on a true redemption arc, because the seeds of an amazing story were planted.

Patty Hewes: Less a villain than an anti-hero, but definitely villainous enough. I LOVE HER THOUGH. I’m forever salty that there’s not more of a Damages fanbase, because Patty is one of the most terrifying, incredible, capable, and brilliantly acted characters in modern television history. She fights for justice at all costs and arguably does care about the people she fights for, but she’s there for the fight - to win, and to crush all of those that tried to stop her or tell her that she should settle for anything less than total, scorched earth victory. The cost of that drives the story and all of the relationships in the show, and it’s just amazing to watch, though I do have issues with the latter seasons of the show.

8 - That I'd want to go on an adventure with

Maria Jackson and Rani Chandra: I’m cheating a bit, sorry, but I want them both. They’ve learned all about adventure and how to escape trouble, they’re quick thinkers and used to high-pressure situations, they’re fiercely just and won’t stand for anyone being left behind or cutting corners. Maria and I could bond over our mutual crush on Sarah Jane, and Rani would be the scribe of this little adventure and make sure everything is documented.

Ginny Weasley: Magic can only be a bonus here, right? And she’s very similar to Maria and Rani except more quick tempered and sarcastic, and probably a little more willing to play dirty if the situation arises.

Kara Thrace: She’s a great fighter and very clever, but she’s also interested in culture, history, and art, which I for one am hoping is at the forefront of this adventure rather than actual fighting and saving the world. I think she and Ginny would get along well.

Samantha Carter: Insanely smart and has the scientific know-how and field experience to take command and keep us on the right track. I’d feel way safer with her on my team if things go south, but she’s more interested in seeking out knowledge, new allies, and exploration than getting into fights, which is reassuring.

M’gann M’orzz: I feel like - apart from her obvious intellect and abilities - she’d be a great presence to have on the team. Everyone would like and respect her and if/when conflict arose, particularly among the more hotheaded personalities, she’d do a great job of getting everyone back on the same page and calling out anyone acting out of pride or stubbornness rather than for the good of the group. Also, while Kara would probably bring a flask full of something, M’gann has access to a whole lot more quality alcohol to liven things up. 

14 - I wish had better a love interest(s)

Kara Danvers: again, no more said

Elia Martell and Lyanna Stark: The same jackass ruined both of their lives, and clearly they should have realized that, teamed up to overthrow him, and ruled Westeros together. (Lysa Tully also belongs on this list - all of these women deserved so much better.)

Ellen Parsons: Her entire ending pissed me off. I’m sure that the dude she ended up with was perfectly nice and all, it just wasn’t right. But maybe that was the point. I really should rewatch it and see if my feelings on it have evolved.

Rachel Green - y’all have probably seen the epic Rachel/Joey tweetstorm that blew up this month and it just brought to the surface all of my rage about how much better Rachel deserved, and how frustrating it is that Ross/Rachel is one of the iconic love stories of this time period, because UGH.

Anastasia Dualla: This poor girl. She was hated for not loving Billy the way Billy loved her, and then hated for having the audacity to love a man in love with someone else even though he was the one who lied about it and married her anyway in some horrible attempt to get back at Kara. Dee wasn’t spiteful, or naive, or deliberately hurtful. She just wanted to be happy, and I wish so much that she could have found that, whether with another person or in another part of her life. 

send me numbers from this list

[gossipent]

Shubharambh 17th August 2020 Written Update: Raja And Rani Become Business Owners

Shubharambh 17th August 2020 Written Update: Raja And Rani Become Business Owners

Shubharambh 17th August 2020 Written Episode, Written Update on Gossipent.com

Scene 1

Raja discloses to Rani that we will attempt to locate the other shoe in a short time and on the off chance that we think that its, at that point we are doing this business. They begin searching for it. They discover the storeroom bolted. Rani takes the tool kit and breaks the entryway. They search there…

[vsplusonline]

Sridevi’s ‘English Vinglish’, Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Panga’ to Taapsee Pannu’s ‘Thappad’: 10 inspiring movies to watch on International Women’s Day | The Times of India

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/sridevis-english-vinglish-kangana-ranauts-panga-to-taapsee-pannus-thappad-10-inspiring-movies-to-watch-on-internation/

Sridevi’s ‘English Vinglish’, Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Panga’ to Taapsee Pannu’s ‘Thappad’: 10 inspiring movies to watch on International Women’s Day | The Times of India

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Sridevi’s ‘English Vinglish’, Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Panga’ to Taapsee Pannu’s ‘Thappad’: 10 inspiring movies to watch on International Women’s Day | The Times of India

TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Last updated on – Mar 7, 2020, 17:46 ISTShare fbsharetwsharepinshare

01/11Sridevi’s ‘English Vinglish’, Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Panga’ to Taapsee Pannu’s ‘Thappad’: 10 inspiring movies to watch on International Women’s Day

Every once in a while filmmakers in Bollywood come out with movies like, ‘English Vinglish’, ‘Panga’, or ‘Thappad’ that breaks the mould. However, women-led films are still a rare phenomenon. Of late, Bollywood has been producing a string of female-centric films that deal with female sexuality, patriarchy, ambitions, passion, and abuse.

From Sridevi’s ‘English Vinglish’, Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Panga’ to Taapsee Pannu’s latest release, ‘Thappad’, here we give you a rundown of ten inspiring films that you can binge-watch on International Women’s Day!

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02/11‘Thappad’

Anubhav Sinha’s recently released film, ‘Thappad’ starring Taapsee Pannu is about a woman who re-evaluates her marriage after her husband slaps her in the face in front of a group of people at a party.

With some gripping dialogues and power-packed performances, Taapsee managed to hook the audiences to the movie. ‘Thappad’ received positive reviews from the audience and critics alike. This film is a must-watch on International Women’s Day.

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03/11‘Panga’

Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari teamed up with actress Kangana Ranaut for ‘Panga’. The film is inspired by the life of a national level Kabbadi player from India. It follows her triumphs, struggles and overcoming of stereotypes and reflecting upon the importance of love and family support to become successful.

Kangana Ranaut’s power-packed performance and an inspiring and relatable storyline make the film a must-watch on Women’s Day. It is a salute to all women who are brave enough to follow their dreams and become successful.

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04/11‘Mardaani’

Rani Mukerji impressed one and all with her power-packed performance in her cop-thriller ‘Mardaani’. In the film, Shivani, a brilliant, no-nonsense policewoman searches for a missing teenage girl which leads her to the depraved world of child trafficking. What follows is a cat-and-mouse game between the officer and a mafia kingpin.

Rani’s stellar performance and the film’s gripping storyline will keep you hooked to the movie right till the end. The movie is a perfect tribute to all the brave ladies out there on this Women’s Day.

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05/11‘Tumhari Sulu’

A simple story of a housewife who goes on to become one of the most loved radio jockeys won the heart of millions of people. Vidya Balan’s natural-yet-brilliant performance in the movie as, ‘Sulu’ is sure to make you smile.

The movie is a joy ride that one must try. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry but more than anything else it will teach you to believe in yourself and follow your heart. It is definitely on the list of your Women’s Day binge watch.

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06/11‘Manikarnika’

This patriotic and entertaining war drama starring Kangana Ranaut is the perfect Women’s Day tribute to the Queen of Jhansi who fought against the British East India Company, during the Indian rebellion of 1857.

Kangana once again treats us with her brilliant performances in the film. The film celebrates the glorious life of Rani Laxmibai and it is a must-watch on Women’s Day.

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07/11‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’

Director Alankrita Srivastava’s bold attempt to redraw the boundaries of women in our Indian society not only gained appreciation from the audience but critics alike.

Actors like Ratna Pathak, Aahana Kumra, Konkona Sen Sharma, Vikrant Massey, and others impressed everyone with their stellar performances. The movie is a perfect tribute to the changing times and changing attitude towards women in the society.

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08/11‘Mary Kom’

‘Mary Kom’ is Priyanka Chopra’s attempt at bringing to light the glorious life of female Indian boxer, Mary Kom. The film is all about her sharing her boxing aspirations with her coach and convincing him to teach her. Despite her father’s disapproval, she follows her passion.

The movie is inspirational in every way and it is sure to leave you motivated to achieve your goals.

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09/11‘Pink’

Taapsee Pannu and Amitabh Bachchan teamed up to give us an edge-of-seat movie with ‘Pink’. The movie shows Amitabh Bachchan as a lawyer who helps the female lead characters in the movie to fight a high profile case of molestation.

The movie made the message, ‘No means No’ reach far and wide. The movie not only gained appreciations from the audience but critics as well.

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10/11‘English Vinglish’

This is yet again a simple story with a big inspiring message. Late actress Sridevi played the role of a housewife and caterer who is usually mocked by her family for not knowing English. Her attempt to learn the language helps her rediscover herself and reassert her value as a mother and a wife.

The movie will not only motivate you to follow your passion but also help you to dream big and achieve it. Sridevi’s impeccable performance in the film is simply unmissable.

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[clusterassets]

New world news from Time: Cambodia’s Opposition Candidates Swim Against the Tide in Election Panned as a Sham

When he was released from jail on Jan. 11, 2006, Cambodian activist Yeng Virak refused to thank Prime Minister Hun Sen for his freedom. He had just spent 11 days behind bars after being accused of defaming the government at an event celebrating human rights, and in his view he shouldn’t have been locked up in the first place.

“I was not a criminal,” he tells TIME at a cafe in the capital Phnom Penh, slapping a shaky table for emphasis. “There’s no reason to arrest me, so why say ‘thank you’ for that?” Startled, nearby students sipping sweet blended iced coffees looked up from their homework and smart phones. None of them have ever known a leader besides Hun Sen, the world’s longest-ruling Prime Minister, who is looking to extend his 33-year grip on the country through an upcoming election broadly panned as a farce.

Hun Sen and his ruling Cambodian People’s Party, CPP, left little to chance in the lead-up to the July 29 vote, intimidating dissidents and disarming his challengers. The main opposition party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party, or CNRP, was disbanded last year, its president Kem Sokha jailed on treason charges and senior officers barred from politics. Independent newspapers and radio stations have been forced to shut down or compromise their independence in a brazen crackdown on the press.

Read more: The Sale of Cambodia’s Last Independent Newspaper Pushes Press Freedom Into Peril

The U.S. and the EU have withdrawn financial support the polls — which they have provided for previous elections — over concern that the vote will not be credible. Cambodia, observers say, is slipping steadily toward authoritarianism a quarter of a century after the U.N. brokered an end to the country’s civil war and administered its first elections since the fall of the Khmer Rouge. The election will be “the most unfree and unfair” since modern Cambodia was established in 1993, according to Sophal Ear, an associate professor at Occidental College in California. “Any election without the CNRP is meaningless,” he tells TIME.

Western censure has also been supplemented with sanctions. The U.S. passed travel bans last year against senior Cambodian officials involved in “undermining democracy,” new bills in the House and Senate would add asset freezes. Last month, the Treasury Department struck its closest blow to Hun Sen’s inner circle, targeting Hing Bun Hieng, commander of the prime minister’s personal bodyguard battalion, which has been accused of violent attacks on civilians and opposition figures.

While the West has voiced near-unanimous disapproval of the ruling party’s actions leading up to the poll, Hun Sen still has the backing of a few foreign governments; most notably China, hardly a global role model in terms of the democratic process. Japan, a longtime donor to the country, has also agreed to some material support for the polls, while Russia, Singapore and Myanmar have offered to send observers.

Tang Chhin Sothy—AFP/Getty Images Hun Sen, Prime Minister and leader of the Cambodian People’s Party and his wife Bun Rany during a general election campaign in Phnom Penh on July 7, 2018.

Virak, 58, seems like an unlikely candidate to lead a political movement, but he has taken up the challenge. As a teenager, he survived the Khmer Rouge, separated from his family and toiling in a labor camp, while some 20% of Cambodia’s population was exterminated. Some decades later, the democracy activist and educator has found himself president of the Grassroots Democracy Party, one of Hun Sen’s many underdog challengers, taking up the mantle of the party’s popular co-founder, political commentator Kem Ley, after he was assassinated at a café in broad daylight in 2015.

Despite the clear obstacles to success, the Grassroots Democracy Party, or GDP, will be among the 20 parties on the ballot later this month. The exiled main opposition CNRP has been dismissive of what many Cambodians call “firefly parties,” flickering in and out of existence around election season. While some, like the GDP, have presented themselves as small but authentic challengers to the ruling party, others are viewed as CPP-backed proxies serving to legitimize the vote and lend the appearance of a multi-party competition.

“The number participating, whether it’s 20 or 200, is meaningless,” Sam Rainsy, the CNRP’s exiled former president, told the Phnom Penh Post in May. “Their only role is to help Hun Sen’s CPP in its desperate attempt to secure legitimacy.”

Many of the parties on the ballot will be totally unknown to voters: more than a third have been founded since January, and 17 have never served in Cambodia’s National Assembly. The five old enough to have competed the last time Cambodia went to the polls in 2013 earned a combined 3.06% of the vote, and not a single seat. In 2013, by contrast, the CNRP won 44% of the vote, its best ever showing, despite allegations against the CPP of voter fraud and ballot stuffing. After the opposition topped 40% again in local elections last year, the 2018 poll seemed poised to deliver a tight race, perhaps even a first-ever democratic transfer of power.

Read more: Chinese State-Linked Hackers Monitoring Cambodia’s Elections, Report Says

That seems all but impossible now. What remains of the CNRP, now rebranded in exile as the Cambodia National Rescue Movement, have called for voters to boycott the poll. But few parties are heeding that call. Some, like the Cambodian Youth Party, are brazen CPP proxies. Government officials have floated various strategies to inflate voter turnout, from distributing cash gifts and automatically registering voters as ruling party members, to declaring voting compulsory and threatening boycotters as “traitors.”

Whether it’s because boycotting the vote would put him at risk of imprisonment, or because he still believes democracy stands a fighting chance in his country, Virak isn’t ready to completely dismiss the polls. He says he believes the only way to bring change to Cambodia is to participate, engage the populace and try to beat the odds, stacked as high as they are against him.

“At any polling office in the territory of Cambodia, whether it’s the middle of the city or the top of the mountain where only elephants can reach, our logo is there,” Virak says. His party plans to contest hundreds of candidates across all 25 of the country’s provinces. “There is an alternative,” he says, “if people choose to vote for change, they can.”

July 23, 2018 at 12:03PM ClusterAssets Inc., https://ClusterAssets.wordpress.com

[atopvisenyashill]

thinking a lot about bran and knighthood, which led me to some very depressing bran, hodor, and dehumanization…stuff. like how often bran is projecting his own desires onto hodor. my whole chain of thought was sparked by this line from Sandor-

"A knight's a sword with a horse. The rest, the vows and the sacred oils and the lady's favors, they're silk ribbons tied round the sword.”

i think there’s something to be said for the link between Bran literally becoming a tree, being expected to put all Self and Body aside for some Nebulous Cause when he hasn’t even reached a decade of life, and the way he in turn projects his suppressed desires onto hodor as he rationalizes stealing Hodor’s body.

Broken, Bran thought bitterly as he clutched his knife. Is that what he was now? Bran the Broken? "I don't want to be broken," he whispered fiercely to Maester Luwin, who'd been seated to his right. "I want to be a knight."

“Rodrik should teach me to use a poleaxe. If I had a poleaxe with a big long haft, Hodor could be my legs. We could be a knight together." "I think that ... unlikely," Maester Luwin said. "Bran, when a man fights, his arms and legs and thoughts must be as one."

"If the gods hadn't taken your wits, you would have been a great knight." "Hodor?" Hodor blinked at him with guileless brown eyes, eyes innocent of understanding.

“It made me so mad I almost gave him a swat in the head, like Old Nan is always doing." He saw the way the maester was frowning and hurriedly added, "I didn't, though." "Good. Hodor is a man, not a mule to be beaten."

The big stableboy no longer fought him as he had the first time, back in the lake tower during the storm. Like a dog who has had all the fight whipped out of him, Hodor would curl up and hide whenever Bran reached out for him. His hiding place was somewhere deep within him, a pit where not even Bran could touch him. No one wants to hurt you, Hodor, he said silently, to the child-man whose flesh he'd taken. I just want to be strong again for a while. I'll give it back, the way I always do.

“we could be a knight together” is a projection but it’s one at least that still sees Hodor as an active participant. but it shifts to “i just want to be strong again.”

[atopvisenyashill]

patterns of abuse with jaehaerys

this post made me deeply depressed and i reread f&b which was my first mistake.

tldr i’m making the argument that jaehaerys definitely sexually abused saera and alysanne, and likely viserra and gael, and also i hate this man. if you disagree and want to say so *nicely* that’s cool but if you hardcore love jae and don’t want to hear criticism, maybe just scroll past bc i’m not nice to him at all (obviously, i’m accusing him of csa lol).

breaking this down by each woman, so there’s 6 sections: saera, viserra, daella, gael, alysanne, and alicent.

saera targaryen

If she were the king’s firstborn, or better still his only child, she would be well content. Instead she finds herself the ninthborn, with six living siblings who are older than her and even more adored. Aemon is to be king, Baelon most like will be his Hand, Alyssa may be all her mother is and more, Vaegon is more learned than she is, Maegelle is holier, and Daella…when does a day go by when Daella is not in need of comfort? And whilst she is being soothed, Saera is being ignored. Such a fierce little thing she is, they say, she has no need of comfort. They are wrong in that, I fear. All men need comfort.

that’s septon barth’s opinion on her and barth is always right. simply put, she’s a deeply neglected child who acts like a brat to get her parents attention because she’s learned the only way they’ll pay attention to her is if she’s causing a problem.

Before she was eleven, she was stealing wine and ale instead. By twelve, she was like as not to arrive drunk when summoned to the sept for prayer.

The king’s half-witted fool, Tom Turnip, was the victim of many of her japes, and her unwitting catspaw for others. Once, before a great feast where many lords and ladies were to be in attendance, she persuaded Tom that it would be much funnier if he performed naked. It was not well received.

stealing alcohol at 10 and being a committed alcoholic at 12 is not normal behavior. it is a sign of something deeply at wrong at home. also, the way she kind of, sexually humiliated tom, someone who is too “innocent” to even realize she’s sexually humiliating him…gives me the ick re: how she views sex.

Saera had learned the art of getting anything she wanted from her father: a kitten, a hound, a pony, a hawk, a horse (Jaehaerys did draw a firm line at the elephant). Queen Alysanne was far less gullible, however, and Septon Barth tells us that Saera’s sisters all misliked her to various degrees.

i don’t like this. nothing wrong with giving your child gifts (see ned going above and beyond to get arya not just instruction on how to fight but also a specific style that would gel with being smaller than your average opponent) but in conjunction with “jaehaerys ignores saera unless she’s pressing him for an expensive gift which he immediately gives her and alysanne doesn’t get why he caved so quickly” its an alarming dynamic.

also speaks to how isolated saera specifically was, that the only siblings that like her (aemon and baelon) are usually out and about, and there’s a clear wedge between saera and her sisters, even viserra.

The screams were coming from Tom Turnip, who was lurching helplessly in circles trying to escape from half a dozen naked whores, whilst the patrons of the house laughed uproariously and shouted on the harlots. Jonah Mooton, Red Roy Connington, and Stinger Beesbury were amongst those patrons, each one drunker than the last. They had thought it would be funny to see old Turnip do the deed, Red Roy admitted. Then Jonah Mooton laughed and said the jape had all been Saera’s notion, and what a funny girl she was.

again with sexually humiliating tom.

it continues with her friends. it’s not unusual for a 15 year old girl to want to fool around with other 15 year olds but alys and perri are all guilt ridden and upset and alys is with child. it reminds me a lot of cersei sexually abusing taena in affc. when she’s caught (now, mind you, she’s been marched in front of her parents sitting on the throne and not brought to them in their private rooms. she’s being treated right off the bat as if she’s guilty of a crime and not guilty of being a shitty teenager):

“She went from denial to dismissal to quibbling to contrition to accusation to justification to defiance in the space of an hour, with stops at giggling and weeping along the way,” Septon Barth would write. “She never did it, they were lying, it never happened, how could they believe that, it was just a game, it was just a jape, who said that, that was not how it happened, everyone likes kissing, she was sorry, Peri started it, it was such fun, no one was hurt, no one ever told her kissing was bad, Sweetberry had dared her, she was so ashamed, Baelon used to kiss Alyssa all the time, once she started she did not know how to stop, she was afraid of Stinger, the Mother Above had forgiven her, all the girls were doing it, the first time she was drunk, she had never wanted to, it was what men wanted, Maegelle said the gods forgave all sins, Jonah said he loved her, the gods had made her pretty, it was not her fault, she would be good from now on, it will be as if it never happened, she would marry Red Roy Connington, they had to forgive her, she would never kiss a man again or do any of those other things, it wasn’t her who was with child, she was their daughter, she was their little girl, she was a princess, if she were queen she would do as she liked, why wouldn’t they believe her, they never loved her, she hated them, they could whip her if they wanted but she would never be their slave. She took my breath away, this girl. There was never a mummer in all the land who gave such a performance, but by the end she was exhausted and afraid, and her mask slipped.”

What does Jaehaerys ask after all of this? “Have you given any of these boys your maidenhead?” Her response:

“True?” said Saera. It was in that moment, with that word, that the contempt came out. “No. I gave it to all three. They all think they were the first. Boys are such silly fools.”

Now mind you, Alyssa and Daella have both died of childbirth recently and her parents are mad she had sex as a 16 year old bordering on 17 year old, and not the fact that she like, at best peer pressured her besties into having sex and now one of them is pregnant. jaehaerys has only asked if she’s still a virgin.

“I will be married,” the princess said. “Why shouldn’t I be? You were married at my age. I shall be wedded and bedded, but to whom? Jonah and Roy both love me, I could take one of them, but they are both such boys. Stinger does not love me, but he makes me laugh and sometimes makes me scream. I could marry all three of them, why not? Why should I have just one husband? The Conqueror had two wives, and Maegor had six or eight.”

i keep trying not to give my opinion and just lay it all out but the thing is i’d just be reposting the whole scene because it’s just filled with so much weird sex stuff. if you don’t remember it, go reread it. it doesn’t feel (to me) like regular “george is bad at writing sex” vibes but “george is purposefully trying to skeeve you out” vibes but i am willing to admit i could be wrong and he really just doesn’t understand what he wrote.

anyways remember how i said saera acts out to get attention from her parents? all she’s done here is act out, her “crimes” are basically nonexistent; beyond how alys feels about being pregnant, saera consensually had sex with boys around her age who aren’t married, and then blithely compared herself to some asshole relatives. if your teenager idolizes dick cheney that’s probably worrying but not a crime! this is not how jae treats it however.

When the princess heard his words, she rushed toward him, crying, “Father, Father!” but Jaehaerys turned his back on her, and Gyles Morrigen caught her by the arm and wrenched her away. She would not go of her own accord, so the guards were forced to drag her from the hall, wailing and sobbing and calling for her father.

The king was angry and unyielding, for his shame was deeply felt, and he could not forget Saera’s taunting words about his uncle’s wives. “She is no longer my daughter,” he said more than once. Queen Alysanne could not find it in her heart to be so harsh, however. “

saera tries to escape.

This time the princess was not allowed to return to her own chambers. She was confined to a tower cell instead, with Jonquil Darke guarding her day and night, even in the privy.

Princess Saera watched from the window of her cell. Jonquil Darke, her gaoler, made certain that she did not turn away.

that’s as her dad is murdering stinger btw. is he a creepy 19 year old? yeah. but like, making your 15 year old watch you murder her 19 year old trust fund baby stoner boyfriend sure is something.

so then they sent her to the silent sisters where she’s beaten all the time and has to pray all the time and she runs away, becomes a sex worker and literally never looks back.

The truth did not come out until a year later, when the former princess was seen in a Lysene pleasure garden, still clad as a novice. Queen Alysanne wept to hear it. “They have made our daughter into a whore,” she said. “She always was,” the king replied.

“You need her as a Dornishman needs a pit viper,” Jaehaerys said. “I am sorry. King’s Landing has sufficient whores. I do not wish to hear her name again.”

but before we move on, let’s look at one more related ick, when saera’s sons show up to the great council:

From Essos came three rival competitors, grandsons of King Jaehaerys through his daughter Saera, each sired by a different father. One was said to be the very image of his grandsire in his youth.

after her drinking, acting out, and jaehaerys’ focus on calling her a whore, explicitly pointing out that one of her grandsons looks just like jae is a choice. i know they’re super inbred. it’s still uncomfortable in context.

viserra targaryen

alysanne makes no sense here but i’m just gonna quickly explain instead of lay it out or we will be here all day bc viserra’s engagement is completely nonsensical. theomore manderly is old, ugly, has a shitton of heirs, and viserra clearly doesn’t want to marry him. also if she wanted to be queen, why is she going after baelon, aemon is still alive. anyways jaehaerys is no help here, then she goes to baelon for help, but she’s also super drunk.

Frustrated, Viserra next turned to her brother Baelon in hopes of rescue, if court gossip can be believed. Slipping past his guards into his bedchamber one night, she disrobed and waited for him, making free with the prince’s wine whilst she lingered. When Prince Baelon finally appeared, he found her drunk and naked in his bed and sent her on her way. The princess was so unsteady that she required the help of two maids and a knight of the Kingsguard to get her safely back to her own apartments.

she gets drunk with some friends again, goes riding, breaks her neck. i wanted to point out this pattern of drinking and acting out at a young age. as well as this pattern of targaryen daughters who aren’t “meant” for a brother and are promised to men who are old and with heirs

daella targaryen

i wanted to add daella because her getting married at 15 makes as little sense as viserra, and her match to a old man with several heirs is equally nonsensical. but also this:

“I would never marry her,” the boy said, in front of half the court. “She can barely read. She should find some lord in need of stupid children, for that’s the only sort he will ever have of her.”

where did vaegon get that mouth.

Daella was not clever, even her septa had to admit. She learned to read after a fashion, but haltingly, and without full comprehension. She could not seem to commit even the simplest prayers to memory. She had a sweet voice, but was afraid to sing; she always got the words wrong. She loved flowers, but was frightened of gardens; a bee had almost stung her once.

Jaehaerys, even more than Alysanne, despaired of her. “She will not even speak to a boy. How is she to marry? We could entrust her to the Faith, but she does not know her prayers, and her septa says that she cries when asked to read aloud from The Seven-Pointed Star.”

The queen always rose to her defense. “Daella is sweet and kind and gentle. She has such a tender heart. Give me time, and I will find a lord to cherish her. Not every Targaryen needs to wield a sword and ride a dragon.”

so daella is 12 at this point.

Her sixteenth nameday was fast approaching, and with it her womanhood. Queen Alysanne was at her wit’s end, and the king had lost his patience. On the first day of the 80th year since Aegon’s Conquest, he told the queen he wanted Daella wed before the year’s end. “If she wants I can find a hundred men and line them up before her naked, and she can pick the one she likes,” he said. “I would sooner she wed a lord, but if she prefers a hedge knight or a merchant or Pate the Pig Boy, I am past the point of caring, so long as she picks someone.”

i just don’t like this. other “simple” targs are not required to marry, like vaella and aelora, two of daeron ii’s grandfaughters so i don’t get why daella is pressured into marrying before she’s even of age. at least jae 2 forced rhaella and aerys because of a prophecy? what is jae’s reasoning for so sexualizing his daughter?

gael targaryen

this one is definitely a reach but i’d like to point out that this is basically all we know about gael:

Princess Gael, a sweet, shy child of seven, became the queen’s constant shadow and support, even sharing her bed at night.

and our information on how she dies is so shady:

A sweet-natured girl, but frail and somewhat simpleminded, she remained with the queen long after her other children had grown and gone, but in 99 AC she vanished from court, and soon afterward it was announced that she had died of a summer fever. Only after both her parents were gone did the true tale come out. Seduced and abandoned by a traveling singer, the princess had given birth to a stillborn son, then, overwhelmed by grief, walked into the waters of Blackwater Bay and drowned.

how does gael get pregnant by a traveling singer when she never leaves her mother’s side? why doesn’t anyone in court know gael got pregnant and killed herself until after aly and jae both die and how was this even found out?

am i implying that jaehaerys sexually abused all four of his daughters? yes because he literally sexually abuses his own wife.

alysanne targaryen

“I am forty-two years old,” she told the king. “You must be content with the children I have given you. I am more suited to be a grandmother than a mother now, I fear.”

King Jaehaerys did not share her certainty. “Our mother, Queen Alyssa, was forty-six when she gave birth to Jocelyn,” he pointed out to Grand Maester Elysar. “The gods may not be done with us.” He was not wrong. The very next year, the Grand Maester informed Queen Alysanne that she was once more with child, to her surprise and dismay.

he uses the birth that killed their mother and that is condemned by rhaena and alysanne as reckless and cruel of rogar to force on her. that birth.

at this point as well, he had abused saera and daella, then they’re gone, then viserra starts drinking and dies, then jae marital rapes aly into having gael, giving him access to another young girl to abuse…i’m aware this is a very uncharitable reading of him but…

alicent hightower (and kind of alyssa targaryen)

Ser Otto’s precocious fifteen-year-old daughter, Alicent, became his constant companion, fetching His Grace his meals, reading to him, helping him to bathe and dress himself. The Old King sometimes mistook her for one of his daughters, calling her by their names; near the end, he grew certain she was his daughter Saera, returned to him from beyond the narrow sea.

saera is the one he fixated on yet again but notable that he’s fixated on his daughters as he dies and not his sons, despite jaehaerys turning to drink after aemon died bc he was so upset.

He announced his intention to wed Lady Alicent of House Hightower, the clever and lovely eighteen-year-old daughter of the King’s Hand, the girl who had read to King Jaehaerys as he lay dying.

The Hightowers of Oldtown were an ancient and noble family, of impeccable lineage; there could be no possible objection to the king’s choice of bride. Even so, there were those who murmured that the Hand had risen above himself, that he had brought his daughter to court with this in mind. A few even cast doubt on Lady Alicent’s virtue, suggesting she had welcomed King Viserys into her bed even before Queen Aemma’s death. (These calumnies were never proved, though Mushroom repeats them in his Testimony and goes so far as to claim that reading was not the only service Lady Alicent performed for the Old King in his bedchamber.)

i know it’s just mushroom being a perv but a rumor that 15 year old alicent “serviced” jaehaerys existing besides rumors that he mistook 15 year old alicent for the daughter he last saw when she was 17 - and viserra was 15, gael 19, and daella 15, all around alicent’s age and all died before age 20. all the targaryen girls that weren’t born “for” a brother exit the narrative after some sort of sexual abuse that centers around jae, as teenagers; daenerys was born for aemon, alyssa for baelon, and maegelle for vaegon before they both fucked off and maegelle was too pious (and too old). this idea of being “for” a brother leads directly to alyssa’s death before 30:

“You were made for battles, and I was made for this. Viserys and Daemon and Aegon, that’s three. As soon as I am well, let’s make another. I want to give you twenty sons. An army of your own!” It was not to be. Alyssa Targaryen had a warrior’s heart in a woman’s body, and her strength failed her. She never fully recovered from Aegon’s birth, and died within the year at only four-and-twenty.

and alysanne being “for” jaehaerys is how he excusing sexually abusing her into a risky pregnancy. essentially what i fear is that because saera, daella, viserra, and gael aren’t “for” someone, jaehaerys gets it into his mind that that are for him. even without him raping them tho, that subtext is there! he is entitled to saera’s virginity and calls her a whore multiple times, even decades after she’s left, and murders her boyfriend in front of her. he claims a weird sexual ownership over his neurodivergent daughter daella and his alcoholic, depressed daughter viserra, and we get zero information on gael’s pregnancy or his reaction to it. but jaehaerys deciding his daughters are “for” him certainly has a basis in canon just judging from the erratic and worrying behavior of his younger daughters.

jaehaerys is a creep and i hate him and i don’t know how much of this is on purpose (like, will aegon vi or dany find out jaehaerys was a shady pedo and it shatters their world? will dunk and egg find it out and it affects their plot somehow? did george just put it in there to make a comment on power and monarchy and misogyny, similar to aegon iv raping the bracken women? or is just there for window dressing creepiness, like “i will pepper in the fact that jaehaerys is sexually obsessed with his daughters” thing?) or if george just made jaehaerys sexually obsessed with his daughters on accident?

on the one hand, it seems out of character for george. he romanticizes drogo thru dany’s eyes but it’s clear he’s meant to be seen as a creep (dany talking about being pregnant followed by “she had just turned 14” is sickeningly jarring for a reason) and also, drogo dies bc of his own pride. sansa doesn’t like any of the old dudes touching her; she is at least marginally freaked out by her wedding night, the unkiss, and lf & dontos taking liberties with her, and rightly. the story that’s told about the mountain raping a girl and making the father pay him is meant to disgust us. the walk of shame is a harrowing chapter to read, because whatever cersei’s crimes, this sexual humiliation is not something she deserves. on and on. yes, we all hate the way arya is sexualized in the mercy chapter, but crucially, she’s not blithely and happily seducing these pervs, she’s going hard candy on their asses. is this just messy set up for something like that?? i think, given how little dany knows about her family’s crimes that somehow learning jae sexually abused (and maybe even impregnated) his own daughters after she herself experiences sexual abuse would be huge. the same goes for aegon vi learning that sexual abuse runs rampant in his family tree; would he empathize with saera hiding out in essos to escape the sexual abuse of her father, see some of elia and his own plight in her? in gael?

or did george really just. not realize how sexually obsessed jaehaerys was with his daughters?

idk how to end this. where’s the winds of winter george i need answers.

[atopvisenyashill]

king bran

so i’ve lined up my theory on how bran will be king in harrenhal but i was a little lax on details about king bran foreshadowing. there’s the “bran in harrenhal” stuff i’ve outlined which includes-

bran’s connection to the weirwoods & the magical connection the isle of faces has

the whent connection

bran being a metaphorical heir to robb by ruling over the lands robb was born, fought, and died in

the importance of harrenhal as a symbol of both the wasteful excess and hope for the future

but why king bran specifically? well…

ATTEMPTED SLAYING BY THE KINGSLAYER

for one thing, bran is our introduction to the entire series (barring the prologue, rip to 3 icons). he introduces us to the brutality of this world, to the themes of justice, kingship, leadership, to the Others, and to magic. that very important lesson about how the person to pass judgement must swing the sword, and must be sure that the life they're taking is one that deserves to be taken? That comes to us not through Jon, or even Arya, but Bran:

Yet our way is the older way. The blood of the First Men still flows in the veins of the Starks, and we hold to the belief that the man who passes the sentence should swing the sword. If you would take a man’s life, you owe it to him to look into his eyes and hear his final words. And if you cannot bear to do that, then perhaps the man does not deserve to die.

That last sentence in particular is a belief that really sticks in all the kids heads as they go about their journeys, and it is through Bran that we learn it.

But in his second chapter, Bran also introduces us to jaime, cersei, and the main plot twist of the first book which kick starts the war of five kings. before he's pushed from the tower, this is all we know about Jaime-

He’s blonde, he’s named Jaime, and he killed the king.

Then the first thing he does is attempt to slay Bran.

AEGON VI AND THE PISSWATER PRINCE

What’s most interesting to me regarding King Bran foreshadowing is that the story of how Bran survives the sack of Winterfell is very similar to Varys & Illyrio’s story of the pisswater prince. Here is Tyrion’s summary of it-

"And when the pisswater prince was safely dead, the eunuch smuggled you across the narrow sea to his fat friend the cheesemonger, who hid you on a poleboat and found an exile lord willing to call himself your father. It does make for a splendid story, and the singers will make much of your escape once you take the Iron Throne…

and some reminders about Bran, helpfully color coded-

It was not Bran we killed. It was not Rickon. They were only miller's sons, from the mill by the Acorn Water. "I had to have two heads, else they would have mocked me… laughed at me..."

Three times he had sworn to keep the secret; once to Bran himself, once to that strange boy Jojen Reed, and last of all to Coldhands. "The world believes the boy is dead," his rescuer had said as they parted. "Let his bones lie undisturbed. We want no seekers coming after us. Swear it, Samwell of the Night's Watch. Swear it for the life you owe me."

“Hodor must stay with Bran, to be his legs," the wildling woman said briskly. "I will take Rickon with me." “We'll go with Bran," said Jojen Reed. "Aye, I thought you might," said Osha.

Another interesting thing about Bran, the Reeds, and Aegon VI here-

“He has a song," the man replied. "He is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire."

I swear it by earth and water," said the boy in green. "I swear it by bronze and iron," his sister said. "We swear it by ice and fire," they finished together.

BRAN, THE REEDS, AND THE FISHER KING

Now first of all, quick rundown with more color coding. The Fisher King is a character in Arthurian legend, involved in a story with Perceval and the Holy Grail (so you know we’re already cooking here bc Holy Grail stories are baller). The Fisher King is the last in a long line of kings tasked with guarding the Holy Grail. He is injured at some point, usually in the groin, and is rendered barren by the wound, and his land is a barren wasteland where nothing will grow because he is connected to the land. Only when a prophesied hero comes seeking him will the Fisher King be healed. Perceval, of course, comes seeking him, heals him, and gets the Holy Grail.

Now some of the beats of that story should sound familiar-

Thousands and thousands of years ago, Brandon the Builder had raised Winterfell, and some said the Wall. Bran knew the story, but it had never been his favorite. Maybe one of the other Brandons had liked that story. Sometimes Nan would talk to him as if he were her Brandon, the baby she had nursed all those years ago, and sometimes she confused him with his uncle Brandon, who was killed by the Mad King before Bran was even born. She had lived so long, Mother had told him once, that all the Brandon Starks had become one person in her head.

He was going to be a knight," Arya was saying now. "A knight of the Kingsguard. Can he still be a knight?" "No," Ned said. He saw no use in lying to her. "Yet someday he may be the lord of a great holdfast and sit on the king's council. He might raise castles like Brandon the Builder, or sail a ship across the Sunset Sea, or enter your mother's Faith and become the High Septon." But he will never run beside his wolf again, he thought with a sadness too deep for words, or lie with a woman, or hold his own son in his arms.

The stone is strong, Bran told himself, the roots of the trees go deep, and under the ground the Kings of Winter sit their thrones. So long as those remained, Winterfell remained. It was not dead, just broken. Like me, he thought. I'm not dead either.

What was he now? Only Bran the broken boy, Brandon of House Stark, prince of a lost kingdom, lord of a burned castle, heir to ruins. He had thought the three-eyed crow would be a sorcerer, a wise old wizard who could fix his legs, but that was some stupid child's dream, he realized now. 

No," said the pale lord. "That is beyond my powers." Bran's eyes filled with tears. We came such a long way. The chamber echoed to the sound of the black river. "You will never walk again, Bran," the pale lips promised, "but you will fly."

Now what’s interesting is in twoiaf we learn about some ancient rulers called the Fisher Queens-

From such we know of the Fisher Queens, who ruled the lands adjoining the Silver Sea—the great inland sea at the heart of the grasslands—from a floating palace that made its way endlessly around its shores.

The Fisher Queens were wise and benevolent and favored of the gods, we are told, and kings and lords and wise men sought the floating palace for their counsel.

And what do you know look at who Bran is traveling with-

“My father taught me. We have no knights at Greywater. No master-at-arms, and no maester.” “Who keeps your ravens?” She smiled. “Ravens can’t find Greywater Watch, no more than our enemies can.” “Why not?” “Because it moves,” she told him.

Jojen Reed was thirteen, only four years older than Bran. Jojen wasn't much bigger either, no more than two inches or maybe three, but he had a solemn way of talking that made him seem older and wiser than he really was. At Winterfell, Old Nan had dubbed him "little grandfather."

When they died, they went into the wood, into leaf and limb and root, and the trees remembered. All their songs and spells, their histories and prayers, everything they knew about this world. Maesters will tell you that the weirwoods are sacred to the old gods. The singers believe they are the old gods. When singers die they become part of that godhood.

I like to say this about Theon, when he sees Bran's face in the weirwood and thinks, "The old gods, he thought. They know me. They know my name." that this is partially true - Theon is beloved by the gods but what he doesn't realize is that the old god he is beloved by is in fact Bran Stark. When the old gods weep for Theon and Jeyne, it is Bran weeping for them! So similarly, the way the Fisher Queens in their moving castle were thought to be beloved by the gods the Reeds in their floating castle are beloved by the gods because they are beloved by Bran. This reinforces Bran's connection to the Fisher King imo - just as the old greenseers and singers/cotf are quite literally connected to the land because they have become part of the the weirwood hivemind, Bran has this same connection to the land.

AND what’s more is that the Fisher King story is likely to trace itself back to a Welsh story, of a magical King who gives his sister's hand away, only to learn that she is being mistreated, and musters a host to go save her. During a battle, the King is mortally wounded by an injury in his foot, and as he dies he tells his men to cut off his head and take it to London so he can protect their people from invasion, and for several years after he "dies" his head continues speaking. If that also sounds familair, do you want to know what that man’s name was?

Bran the Blessed.

MELISANDRE'S VISION

Now staying in the realm of magic, we also have this very interesting passage from Melisandre, emphasis mine-

Show me Stannis, Lord, she prayed. Show me your king, your instrument. Visions danced before her, gold and scarlet, flickering, forming and melting and dissolving into one another, shapes strange and terrifying and seductive. She saw the eyeless faces again, staring out at her from sockets weeping blood. Then the towers by the sea, crumbling as the dark tide came sweeping over them, rising from the depths. Shadows in the shape of skulls, skulls that turned to mist, bodies locked together in lust, writhing and rolling and clawing. Through curtains of fire great winged shadows wheeled against a hard blue sky. A face took shape within the hearth. Stannis? she thought, for just a moment … but no, these were not his features. A wooden face, corpse white. Was this the enemy? A thousand red eyes floated in the rising flames. He sees me. Beside him, a boy with a wolf's face threw back his head and howled.

THE REGENCY OF AEGON III

So warning this is part parallelism and part prediction

The Dance of the Dragons was done, and the melancholy reign of King Aegon III Targaryen had begun.

As he was still but ten years of age, the new king’s first act was to name the men who would protect and defend him, and rule for him until he came of age.

This was a council of which Septon Eustace heartily approved, “six strong men and one wise woman, seven to rule us here on earth as the Seven Above rule all men from their heaven.” Mushroom was less impressed. “Seven regents were six too many,” he said. “Pity our poor king.” Despite the fool’s misgivings, most observers seemed to feel that the reign of King Aegon III had begun on a hopeful note.

So many lords, both great and small, had perished during the Dance of the Dragons that the Citadel rightly names this time the Winter of the Widows. Never before or since in the history of the Seven Kingdoms have so many women wielded so much power, ruling in the place of their slain husbands, brothers, and fathers, for sons in swaddling clothes or still on the teat.

The smallfolk of the Seven Kingdoms speak of King Aegon III Targaryen as Aegon the Unlucky, Aegon the Unhappy, and (most often) the Dragonbane, when they remember him at all. All these names are apt. Grand Maester Munkun, who served him for a good part of his reign, calls him the Broken King, which fits him even better. Of all the men ever to sit the Iron Throne, he remains perhaps the most enigmatic: a shadowy monarch who said little and did less, and lived a life steeped in grief and melancholy.

There is also a big focus on the “tax policies” aspect of the story through these two child rulers. Much of Aegon’s regency centers around him butting heads with his guardians while Bran’s ACOK arc sees him as the ruling Stark in Winterfell and learning how to lead with mentors in Maester Luwin & Ser Rodrik Cassell. EYE also think it’s interesting how both Aegon & Bran get some focus on having a lil gaggle of companions around. Aegon has Gaemon, Jaehaera, Viserys, Daenaera, and Larra Rogare, while Bran has the Big Walder, Little Walder, Rickon, Jojen, and Meera. They both feel like very similar groups of kids that are thrown together & running amok with adult supervision that is more lax/not coming from their parents.

There's also just like, a lot of parallels between Baela, Rhaena, Jacaerys, and Aegon with Arya, Sansa, Jon Snow, and Bran. There are several good breakdowns of the Sansa/Arya parallels as well as the Jace/Jon Snow ones, so I won't dig into that here, but I think when you put all this together what you have between Bran and Aegon III is-

Two boy kings who will have a long regency

Both orphaned due to a brutal succession war

Both referred to as "broken" - aegon by munkin, and bran referring to himself

Younger - but not the youngest - brother coming into his seat after his older brother is killed

Both have names that are important in their families & frequently re-used - and in fact both share a name with their uncle

A very rare "winter of widows" where most of the houses are ruled by women due to all the men being dead and their heirs being babies is coming up in the main series

This anti parallel of Aegon being a very melancholy person & Bran being known to be “quick to laugh and easy to love.”

As for his relationships, we have-

His bastard born brother With Some Secret Paternity Going On, who is likely not going to be in the running for King at the end of the war (hopefully um, Jon Snow actually lives unlike poor Jacaerys)

His oldest brother dying at 16 during the war

One sister who is more adventurous and "tomboy"ish, who is associated with ships and travel

Another sister who is more ladylike, who has a largely political arc in the Vale

Both sisters are likely to take leading roles as political players in the aftermath of the war - I do suspect we will get some sort of “Hour of the Wolf” parallels here, just before or after Bran is crowned

SOME CHOICE QUOTES TO LEAVE OFF ON

Bran could perch for hours among the shapeless, rain-worn gargoyles that brooded over the First Keep, watching it all: the men drilling with wood and steel in the yard, the cooks tending their vegetables in the glass garden, restless dogs running back and forth in the kennels, the silence of the godswood, the girls gossiping beside the washing well. It made him feel like he was lord of the castle, in a way even Robb would never know. - Bran II, AGOT

Ahead he glimpsed a pale white trunk that could only be a weirwood, crowned with a head of dark red leaves. - Jon VII, ADWD

[atopvisenyashill]

that bit about joffrey is FASCINATING have you ever written about this in depth? I've always loved his character but I would never be able to like. Describe why exactly he is the way he is so I really appreciate your analysis of him loving BOTH parents and incorporating only their flaws - I always just assumed that he hates his dad and is annoyed by cersei (still loves her) but then the way we sexually humiliates and abuses sansa etc is so robert-coded like of course he emulates the bevavior of his father.

Also slightly off topic but i always forget that Joffrey is like canonically so good at all the proper princely things (thinking of that scene at Sansa and Tyrion's wedding when she's so upset that a monster like Joff could be so good at dancing) and - not to go on about GOT again - but I wish we had actually gotten to see that and him being charming etc. Huge props to the show for giving Joff the perfect wardrobe (the only thing they did right) but also f them for waiting all that potential

yes, they really said joff gets to have all the swag and then the moment he died they put cersei in that fuck ass bob and no one in the lannisters was allowed to serve again smh. and thank youuu i actually had to stop myself from rambling over him before haha, but i'll go into more detail here! so this was the comment from the other post-

joffrey is a kid just ruled by his first, most base instinct. his instincts, his core emotions, tell him to love and trust both robert and cersei, and imo he twists himself into a MONSTER to try to appeal to both of them. no one else matters - not his siblings, not his uncle, not his grandfather, not the realm. he needs to be the sort of vicious person they could both be proud of, he needs to be better than them both at violence, so he absorbs all of their faults and none of their virtues.

i definitely do see very often that people feel he only loves one or the other parent and while I do understand that reading, I don't think it's quite how Joffrey operates. I think he does love them both, and holds them both in high esteem. I do agree that he's annoyed by Cersei but that doesn't mean he doesn't value her opinion (as much as Joffrey puts value on anyone else's opinion, I mean).

Joffrey and Cersei

Joffrey relies on his mother more than almost any other male character we see in the series. We see him call for Cersei basically every time he's hurt, in trouble, or wanting to whine about something. Not only that, but you have everyone from Robert to Renly to Tywin himself saying that Joffrey is doted upon and inseparable from his mother. A few choice quotes:

"Fear is better than love, Mother says." Joffrey pointed at Sansa. "She fears me."

He takes Cersei's lessons to heart, however flawed they are. Her opinion matters to him, he wants her to see him as strong.

Nine cases out of ten seemed to bore him; those he allowed his council to handle, squirming restlessly while Lord Baelish, Grand Maester Pycelle, or Queen Cersei resolved the matter. When he did choose to make a ruling, though, not even his queen mother could sway him.

It's Cersei he listens to the most. We know that if a little King, even with his mother as Regent, doesn't want to deal with her, he can simply ignore her - that's what Jaehaerys does with Alyssa, after all. But Joffrey doesn't do this; he'll fight with her, he'll insult her, and he's not shy about doing it in public but he never disregards her out of hand.

Joffrey lurched to his feet. "I'm king! Kill him! Kill him now! I command it." He chopped down with his hand, a furious, angry gesture . . . and screeched in pain when his arm brushed against one of the sharp metal fangs that surrounded him. The bright crimson samite of his sleeve turned a darker shade of red as his blood soaked through it. "Mother!" he wailed.

His instinct, every time, is to turn to her for help. He loves her. He adores her. She's the only person around who tells him he's strong and smart and will be a good king. He leans on her for guidance, for comfort, he talks to her about fucking whores. He shares everything with her because he doesn't have a single friend. She models anger and violence for him constantly, she excuses his disturbing proclivities, so he molds himself to be the person she wants him to be, the king she wants him to be. People - including Tyrion and Tywin! - are always wondering why Cersei is blind to his cruelty, but the reality is she knew he was cruel and loved him for it.

Tommen did as he was bid. His meekness troubled her. A king had to be strong. Joffrey would have argued. He was never easy to cow.

For Cersei, cruelty is strength and in her eyes, Joffrey is as strong as they come. This isn't by accident; just like his constant cries for her are reinforced by her rushing to coddle him, his cruelty is reinforced by a mother who sees it as strength. It's almost like what Coldhands says to Bran - Joffrey is a monster, yes, but in Cersei's eyes, Joffrey is her monster.

Joffrey and Robert

Joffrey had never had a close friend of his own age, that she recalled. The poor boy was always alone. I had Jaime when I was a child . . . and Melara, until she fell into the well. Joff had been fond of the Hound, to be sure, but that was not friendship. He was looking for the father he never found in Robert.

From Cersei's point of view, I think she knows very well that Joffrey is searching for love, acceptance, and himself in Robert. She doesn't like it, but she seems to accept that it's natural for Joffrey to search for some sort of father figure, and doesn't seem to begrudge him that - imo, I think because she knows Robert is always going to reject Joffrey for his cruelty.

“Why would he [care]? Robert ignored him. He would have beat him if I’d allowed it. That brute you made me marry once hit the boy so hard he knocked out two of his baby teeth, over some mischief with a cat. I told him I’d kill him in his sleep if he ever did it again, and he never did, but sometimes he would say things…”

Whenever they interact, the few times they do, there's violence. People always take this as Cersei not allowing Robert to "teach" or "properly discipline" Joffrey but, well...does the above seem like helpful discipline? Knocking out your child because he freaked you out? Punishing extreme violence with more extreme violence? And it's not just Cersei that this moment sticks with, because Stannis brings it up as well-

"Joffrey . . . I remember once, this kitchen cat . . . the cooks were wont to feed her scraps and fish heads. One told the boy that she had kittens in her belly, thinking he might want one. Joffrey opened up the poor thing with a dagger to see if it were true. When he found the kittens, he brought them to show to his father. Robert hit the boy so hard I thought he'd killed him."

Since Cersei says Robert would "say things" and we see him threatening Cersei (the "or I'll honor you again" line), I don't think it's a stretch to say that Robert threatened to beat Joffrey nearly to death several times over.

And yet...Joffrey compliments his father, especially in comparison to his other relatives.

He wrenched free of her. "Why should I? Everyone knows it's true. My father won all the battles. He killed Prince Rhaegar and took the crown, while your father was hiding under Casterly Rock." The boy gave his grandfather a defiant look. "A strong king acts boldly, he doesn't just talk."

And Cersei believes this came from Robert-

"Father, I am sorry," Cersei said, when the door was shut. "Joff has always been willful, I did warn you . . ." "There is a long league's worth of difference between willful and stupid. 'A strong king acts boldly?' Who told him that?" "Not me, I promise you," said Cersei. "Most like it was something he heard Robert say . . ."

And of course, Jaime is the one who pieces together why Joffrey sent the catspaw-

“Yes, I hoped the boy would die. So did you. Even Robert thought that would have been for the best. ‘We kill our horses when they break a leg, and our dogs when they go blind, but we are too weak to give the same mercy to crippled children’ he told me. He was blind himself at the time, from drink.” Robert? Jaime had guarded the king long enough to know that Robert Baratheon said things in his cups that he would have denied angrily the next day. “Were you alone when Robert said this?” “You don’t think he said it to Ned Stark, I hope? Of course we were alone. Us and the children.” Cersei removed her hairnet and draped it over a bedpost, then shook out her golden curls. “Perhaps Myrcella sent this man with the dagger, do you think so?” It was meant as mockery, but she’d cut right to the heart of it, Jaime saw at once. “Not Myrcella. Joffrey.” Cersei frowned. “Joffrey had no love for Robb Stark, but the younger boy was nothing to him. He was only a child himself .” “A child hungry for a pat on the head from that sot you let him believe was his father.”

When you put it all together, you have a child who is ignored by his father unless he's being threatened with a beating, who is constantly calling him a monster, who watches his father harm and humiliate his mother day in and day out, who has no other paternal figure around but this violent, angry man who he is supposed to model himself off of, and a mother who encourages his cruelty because she believes it's the only way to protect herself, to protect her son. He's not just emulating his mother's cruelty, he's emulating Robert's violence specifically when he humilates Sansa at court, when he openly talks shit about Cersei - it's what he's seen modeled for him as kingly behavior!

The Abuse And Jaime Of It All

King Joffrey's face hardened. "My mother tells me that it isn't fitting that a king should strike his wife. Ser Meryn."

He knows Robert is abusing Cersei and he takes her dislike of it seriously even as he doesn't make the connection that she means he shouldn't be striking his wife period. Whether it's because Cersei directly told him (which could make sense; she's purposefully hiding it from Jaime but perhaps she confided in Joffrey) or because he witnessed it himself, he's aware of the abuse enough that he takes his mother's comments about not personally striking Sansa to heart.

"No," [Robert] thundered in a voice that drowned out all other speech. Sansa was shocked to see the king on his feet, red of face, reeling. He had a goblet of wine in one hand, and he was drunk as a man could be. "You do not tell me what to do, woman," he screamed at Queen Cersei. "I am king here, do you understand? I rule here, and if I say that I will fight tomorrow, I will fight!" Everyone was staring. Sansa saw Ser Barristan, and the king's brother Renly, and the short man who had talked to her so oddly and touched her hair, but no one made a move to interfere. The queen's face was a mask, so bloodless that it might have been sculpted from snow. She rose from the table, gathered her skirts around her, and stormed off in silence, servants trailing behind. Jaime Lannister put a hand on the king's shoulder, but the king shoved him away hard. Lannister stumbled and fell. The king guffawed. "The great knight. I can still knock you in the dirt. Remember that, Kingslayer." He slapped his chest with the jeweled goblet, splashing wine all over his satin tunic. "Give me my hammer and not a man in the realm can stand before me!" Jaime Lannister rose and brushed himself off. "As you say, Your Grace." His voice was stiff. Lord Renly came forward, smiling. "You've spilled your wine, Robert. Let me bring you a fresh goblet." Sansa started as Joffrey laid his hand on her arm. "It grows late," the prince said. He had a queer look on his face, as if he were not seeing her at all. "Do you need an escort back to the castle?"

I think it's pretty clear that Joffrey is dissociating here which also explains his very detached way of looking at Robert's abuse of Cersei. It freaks him out enough that he uses Sansa as an excuse to leave (giving her the Hound, then running off himself) but he doesn't show it. He's not even particularly upset during this scene, not throwing a tantrum or making whiny remarks like he does when he's usually upset. He only has a "queer look" - the stress of trying to reconcile his adoration of Robert and his love of Cersei just makes him fully shut down instead of confronting it.

Joffrey gave a petulant shrug. "Your brother defeated my uncle Jaime. My mother says it was treachery and deceit. She wept when she heard. Women are all weak, even her, though she pretends she isn't. She says we need to stay in King's Landing in case my other uncles attack, but I don't care. After my name day feast, I'm going to raise a host and kill your brother myself. That's what I'll give you, Lady Sansa. Your brother's head."

I think people often take his comments about how women are weak to mean he doesn't view his mother as a competent advisor. But you notice a pattern here - he gets shitty with her when it's about Jaime specifically.

"A great many people are sorry for that," Tyrion replied, "and before I am done, some may be a deal sorrier . . . yet I thank you for the sentiment. Joffrey, where might I find your mother?" "She's with my council," the king answered. "Your brother Jaime keeps losing battles."

"She's with my council" he says, because he sees no reason to not let Cersei run things without him, something Robert never lets her do. But "your brother Jaime" not "my uncle Jaime" which is a shift because he doesn't stop calling Renly or Stannis his uncles even after they rebel. He knows, he suspects, and what he resents is not Cersei fucking Jaime but Jaime fucking Cersei.

My read on this is that Joffrey sees his mother as weak for allowing herself to be seduced by Jaime, and sees Jaime as a lecherous seducer who is the cause of all his problems. If only Jaime hadn't seduced his mother, maybe his parents wouldn't hate each other. His claim wouldn't be under question. His mother should have just taken the abuse and bided her time instead of putting herself in danger and having bastards.

He loves his mother. He loves his father. And that's the human heart in conflict with itself that resides in Joffrey. Does he honor his mother, the only parent he has, or does he honor Robert, the patriarch he is supposed to emulate? If he has no other example of what strength looks like, is he even capable of figuring out a different path for himself?

[atopvisenyashill]

bran showing emotion after the cave

i’m nothing if not fueled by spite

hodor’s death

literally hodor’s death happens AFTER he is physically outside of the fucking cave!!! that’s the point, hodor is HOLDING THE DOOR OF THE CAVE CLOSED!!!!!!!

bran is very confused during this whole thing, but when he sees hodor fall to the ground he looks visibly distressed and even steps forward-

and when hodor starts “hold the door”-ing and it sinks in that bran is not only killing hodor, but that he is responsible for disabling hodor as a young man, bran pulls this heartbroken face-

benjen reveal

the coldhands reveal ALSO happens after he leaves the fucking cave. he is communicating perfectly fine with meera throughout that whole conversation through only facial expressions (which he still has)-

the tower of joy

bran’s push to figure out who is in the tower…also happens after they leave that goddamn cave. meera explicitly stops him and asks if this is a good idea, and he pushes past her concerns, and you can see emotion on both their faces here-

to be honest i think THIS is the moment he starts his dissociating thing. not the stupid cave, but the first time he connects to the weirwood AFTER the cave. that’s a very important distinction that they never address or do anything with at all but I think they do it this stupidly bc THATS more the truth - it’s when he’s plugged in that he’s most vulnerable to being overtaken by…whatever it is he’s overtaken by. and that can happen anywhere, wherever it is he’s plugged into the weirwood, not just the cave!!!

maybe that seems like a silly distinction, but it IS one that gives me pause. i think it’s MORE tragic if what ultimately dooms bran is not a decision to become The Ultimate Hero - a fate which is notably very THRUST upon him, rather than one he willingly takes up. remember, he goes north because he thinks his disability can be magically cured. yeah everyone is talking about his great fate, but bran’s focus is ALWAYS a cure for his paralysis. all of this stuff about saving the world is secondary - but because he is desperate to see his father one more time. because that’s why he’s pushing this in the end, to see ned again.

the first time he does this, back in s6, where ned has heard bran’s voice on the wind, he is upset not because bloodraven might be lying about the extent of his powers, but because he has been denied the chance to talk to his dead father. and of course, at least in the show, the issue IS ultimately that bryden is either unaware or lying about the extent of bran’s powers. he tells bran that ned did not hear him (he clearly did) and that bran cannot interact with the past, only observe. and Yet.

bran is not doomed by his decision to become the next three eyed raven. but he DOES stop showing emotions after he pursues the tower of joy memory. and this is right about where we are in the books; this hinge moment where bran has been with bloodraven for Some Time But Not Enough Time, and bloodraven is still like, being shady as hell.

On the other side of my rewatch, first of all, since we’re never getting the winds of winter, i’m going to claim vindicated on the entire concept of bran the time traveling toddler. i’m not just doing a crazy theory for funsies. i’m dead serious. i think all those instances i laid out, and several others i didn’t add or forgot, ARE in fact an older Bran Communicating With The Past. I don’t think it’s a wild stretch, i think it’s a short hop. Especially when the “bran disabled hodor in the past” thing does seem to be a legit plot point from George, and like I said, we are imo at this hinge. The entire Hodor plot happens basically right after this equivalent moment in the books.

Lord Eddard Stark sat upon a rock beside the deep black pool in the godswood, the pale roots of the heart tree twisting around him like an old man's gnarled arms. The greatsword Ice lay across Lord Eddard's lap, and he was cleaning the blade with an oilcloth. "Winterfell," Bran whispered. His father looked up. "Who's there?" he asked, turning ... …and Bran, frightened, pulled away. His father and the black pool and the godswood faded and were gone and he was back in the cavern, the pale thick roots of his weirwood throne cradling his limbs as a mother does a child.

*hannibal voice* these scenes is the same.

But the resolution is a full book away, because even if I’m right and Bran is HAULING ASS out of that motherfracking cave pretty much right when we get into TWOW, I doubt we are going to get a conclusion to “Does Bran overcome the Hivemind” until ADOS, which is even MORE never coming out.

Now the fact that he seems - to me, his lawyer and legal guardian - to be not just calm but…upbeat? in the scenes I believe he’s talking to his family (the arya voice, the jon dream) makes me hopeful that whatever causes The Hivemind to attack is something Bran will overcome by the ending, but I’m not ruling out “Bran is completely possessed by the Hivemind very similar to Hodor being possessed by Bran, forever” ending simply bc well….we never get a resolution to this in the show. Feels bad scoob!

moving onto s7, which is more concretely post cave, and also all post that “you died in that cave” line from meera.

“i can never be lord of winterfell. i can never be lord of anything.”

debatable perhaps but he doesn’t just sound upset here, the dialogue seems to imply some level of grief over this. this is his face as he says the line, he doesn’t look blank to me, he looks defeated. and notice sansa before and after he says it - she’s not just confused, she’s concerned and really watching his body language.

“i’m sorry for what’s happened to you. i’m sorry it happened to you here, in our home. you were so beautiful that night. snow falling, just like now. and you were so beautiful.”

everyone drags him for this and i think they’re stupid. i’m not saying sansa is wrong for being freaked out and walking away - this whole conversation is unnerving from top to bottom. but bran is telling her that he’s sorry for everything she went through - that he loves her! - but he’s doing it badly because he’s experiencing fantasy psychosis for some unexplained reason (Brynden shows emotion!!!!!! SO WHERE DOES THIS COME FROM???). Bran is completely outside his body looking down, and when he looked down he saw his sister was raped in their home, in their father’s bed, and all he is capable of doing right now is telling her that he’s sorry, badly.

Chaos is a ladder / I did warn you not to trust me

he’s fairly blank faced when he says both of these lines but he says them both for the express purpose of unsettling littlefinger and getting him to shut the fuck up. it works, both times! maybe you can argue that’s a more calculated thing, but he’s being quite snarky when he does it.

jon’s return

Bran makes a joke when Jon shows up - “look at you! you’re a man!” “almost.” - and he spends the entire time smiling, however subtle the smile may be, it’s still there because jon doesn’t even notice anything is wrong until bran gives his “we don’t have time for this” spiel. once again, look at sansa - she smiles when she sees this interaction, in my opinion in part because it went so well, and bran actually emoted.

“You still would be [that person], if you hadn't pushed me out of that window. And I would still be Brandon Stark.” “You're not?” “No. I'm something else now…[*there’s a very unsubtle raven caw here*] I’m not angry at anyone.”

come on. he rolled his chair out there in the snow just to scare the shit out of jaime when he knows damn well he was always going to forgive jaime. that’s emotion! that’s snark! that’s pent up anger! I think he also sounds quite wistful when he says this as well, and that’s interesting when you take hand in hand with a scene I’ll discuss later, with Tyrion. But with both Lannister brothers, he hints at the idea that what has happened to him, to Bran Stark, is very sad.

“It brought you where you are now. Home… Theon. You’re a good man. Thank you.”

he sees theon crying, and he offers immediate forgiveness and comfort. Especially when you contrast it to what he says to Jaime, there’s positive emotion here. when Jaime starts defensively saying that he’s not that man any more, Bran basically compares Jaime’s journey to that of his own fantasy lobotomy. But when Theon stumbles over his words, Bran does what he did with Sansa - he reaches clumsily for that emotional connection but he does reach! Why? Because he loves Theon! (and doesn’t see Jaime as anything more than another sword).

“I don’t really want anymore…You shouldn’t envy me. Mostly I live in the past.”

This is his final little glimpse of emotion and it’s with Tyruun. Tyrion says he envies bean’s lack of emotion but Bran gently rebuffs this mindset - and we don’t see it but he proceeds to explain exactly what he means to Tyrion. I think this is interesting both because of the way their story starts with Tyrion giving Bran some good advice about Living Life As A Disabled Person and here, Bran is giving Tyrion some much needed context for Why It’s Bad To Want To Feel Nothing. A sort of mirror to Tyrion’s “life is full of possibilities.”

And what’s that? Bran is STILL showing emotion. It’s there, Bran Stark is always there. Bran is alive, but like he does to Hodor, he’s put in a box that he can only come out of in fleeting moments. That’s different and imo much worse and more tragic than what they say happens. Will it be permanent in the books? Again, we’re never getting them so I am simply choosing to believe he will be fine.

tldr bran shows LESS emotion after he connects to the weirwood hivemind NOT the cave, but he never actually stops showing emotion. there’s also very clear parallel scenes between the show events of ned hearing bran at the tower of joy -> brynden insists that’s not possible -> bran does the impossible and has to book it -> bran accidentally on purpose disables hodor in the past and kills him in the present, and the book events of ned hearing bran’s voice on the wind -> brynden insists that’s not possible -> [THE WINDS OF WINTER GOES HERE] -> probably, according to a few interviews but also it does just kind of track, bran accidentally on purpose disables hodor in the past and kills him in the present. all of that seems to imply that bran’s endgame “test” so to speak will involve him being taken over by the hivemind, in a parallel to what he does to hodor. also, fuck d&d, your honor i rest my case.

[atopvisenyashill]

I'm not debating dark!Dany, because I think there's a lot of things that point towards that as well as a lot of things that don't, so I could easily see it going either way at this point. But I don't understand people characterizing Dany killing Mirri Maz Duur as "she burned her slave to death" because that had zero bearing on the situation? She doesn't burn her because she's a slave, she burns her for murdering her son, and if any other character had murdered her son, it seems pretty obvious that she would react the exact same way. And personally, that's a fully understandable and reasonable reaction to someone killing your child.

I've been seeing this characterization a lot recently, and you're someone who's takes I really enjoy, so I wanted to ask you why you specifically see it that way because it's a very confusing viewpoint to me.

A boy came, younger than Dany, slight and scarred, dressed up in a frayed grey tokar trailing silver fringe. His voice broke when he told of how two of his father's household slaves had risen up the night the gate broke. One had slain his father, the other his elder brother. Both had raped his mother before killing her as well. The boy had escaped with no more than the scar upon his face, but one of the murderers was still living in his father's house, and the other had joined the queen's soldiers as one of the Mother's Men. He wanted them both hanged.

I am queen over a city built on dust and death. Dany had no choice but to deny him. She had declared a blanket pardon for all crimes committed during the sack. Nor would she punish slaves for rising up against their masters.

“mirri killed her son” is devoid of the context that mirri is a slave though. that boy in the above text is a child, younger than dany. the slaves are adults, like Mirri. and like Mirri, in their anger, when given the option to harm someone who enslaved them, they chose harm, and they killed his family. if you were to describe it out of context “he doesn’t hate them because they are slaves he hates them because they murdered his family and raped his mom” it sounds awful. but when you factor in the power dynamic at hand it suddenly becomes uncomfortable and much more complex as a situation.

mirri, just like those slaves, is only in this situation because she is a slave. dany has the power to order her burned because she is a master. it’s absolutely relevent to the situation because the only reason this situation exists is because dany owns slaves and mirri is one of the slaves she owns.

let's take a comparison here - jon isn't a classist prick to pyp, grenn, small paul, and all the other boys, they're bullying him. that sounds like a wild thing to say but it's not wrong. they are bullying him, they are making fun of him because he is a bastard who should "know his place" underneath the people like alliser thorne and they enable alliser's behavior towards him with the repeated use of the "lord snow" nickname. but as tyrion points out the bullying is not devoid of context - in fact the context is more important because it explains the aggressive behavior. in reality, pyp, grenn, and small paul don't really care that much about jon being a bastard, they just don't like being made to feel like they're idiots and jon's prickly behavior does just that. it doesnt really matter that jon is being prickly because thorne is purposefully antagonizing him over being a bastard because ultimately, what the boys see is jon's class status and an attitude that strikes them as arrogant. the moment he starts using his prickliness in defense of them rather than against them, that trio becomes his devoted friends - and while people like chett and thorne really do care about the fact that jon is a bastard, as we see in chett's prologue chapter, chett is also very bothered by the fact that sam is immensely privileged and can read better because of it. is it sam's fault that he was born privileged? no. and yet his privilege results in a loss of station for chett and it leads chett down an abysmal and dark path. yes chett is responsible for his own decisions. but you cannot divorce chett's bitterness from the fact that he is lowborn and sam is highborn. it's not about "well chett is mean" it's about one person having immense privilege and one person being born in the dirt. it's not about "well dany would have killed mirri even if she wasn't a slave" it's about how dany was born with a fancy last name and mirri is raped repeatedly and watches everything she has built be destroyed directly because of something dany wants to do.

beyond that. i think that rhaego’s death is actually much more complicated than a cut and dry “mirri murdered dany’s son so dany burned her alive.” mirri does not act maliciously towards dany until after everything is said and done - because she does not have ill intent. no she isn’t selflessly helping dany. rather she is hoping to alleviate the humiliation and danger with being a slave by making herself useful. this meta here is a good breakdown of the entire situation from mirri's pov but look at what mirri is doing and saying, what she's actually doing, and not just dany's confused thoughts.

One of them, a thick-bodied, flat-nosed woman of forty years, blessed Dany haltingly in the Common Tongue, but from the others she got only flat black stares. They were suspicious of her, she realized with sadness; afraid that she had saved them for some worse fate.

“Silver Lady,” a woman’s voice said behind her, “I can help the Great Rider with his hurts. " Dany turned her head. The speaker was one of the slaves she had claimed, the heavy, flat-nosed woman who had blessed her.

Mirri Maz Duur studied Drogo, her face still and dead. "The wound has festered."

Mirri Maz Duur came with her, eyes heavy from sleep. “Drink,” she said, lifting Dany’s head to the cup once more, but this time it was only wine. Sweet, sweet wine. Dany drank, and lay back, listening to the soft sound of her own breathing. She could feel the heaviness in her limbs, as sleep crept in to fill her up once more. “Bring me …” she murmured, her voice slurred and drowsy. “Bring … I want to hold …” “Yes?” the maegi asked. “What is it you wish, Khaleesi?”

“You knew,” Dany said when they were gone. She ached, inside and out, but her fury gave her strength. “You knew what I was buying, and you knew the price, and yet you let me pay it.” “It was wrong of them to burn my temple,” the heavy, flat-nosed woman said placidly. “That angered the Great Shepherd.”

“It is not enough to kill a horse,” she told Dany. “By itself, the blood is nothing. You do not have the words to make a spell, nor the wisdom to find them. Do you think bloodmagic is a game for children? You call me maegias if it were a curse, but all it means is wise. You are a child, with a child’s ignorance. Whatever you mean to do, it will not work. Loose me from these bonds and I will help you.”

i don’t think she poisoned drogo. i think she attempted to help him to appease dany, because she doesn't want to be resold, & drogo doesn’t follow her directions. i think she’s actually very upset as it starts to sink in that drogo, to steal a tyrion line, is not just vicious he’s a vicious idiot.

and then dany asks her to do some pretty serious and dangerous magic. mirri gives dany very clear instructions.

“The time for that is past, my lady,” Mirri said. “All I can do now is ease the dark road before him, so he might ride painless to the night lands. He will be gone by morning.” Her words were a knife through Dany’s breast. What had she ever done to make the gods so cruel? She had finally found a safe place, had finally tasted love and hope. She was finally going home. And now to lose it all … “No,” she pleaded. “Save him, and I will free you, I swear it. You must know a way … some magic, some …”

Mirri Maz Duur sat back on her heels and studied Daenerys through eyes as black as night. “There is a spell.” Her voice was quiet, scarcely more than a whisper. “But it is hard, lady, and dark. Some would say that death is cleaner. I learned the way in Asshai, and paid dear for the lesson. My teacher was a bloodmage from the Shadow Lands.” “You must. Once I begin to sing, no one must enter this tent. My song will wake powers old and dark. The dead will dance here this night. No living man must look on them.”

jorah does not listen.

dany is right, mirri is trying to teach her but while mirri certainly sets a trap and knows very well if it goes off people are going to die, i think framing her as an evil conniving witch who got killed ONLY because she is partially responsible for rhaego’s death, completely ignores mirri’s frame of mind and the precarious situation she is forced into by dany herself. she is a slave. she is dany's slave. you cannot divorce that from what dany does to her or what she does to dany.

[atopvisenyashill]

so I’ve been stewing a bit on rhaenyra and jace’s relationship in season 2, and i feel like they’re showing SOMETHING with the way that jace is so clearly chafing under his mother’s control and yet refuses to take that final step and eclipse her completely.

he keeps bringing up them needing daemon but is also sometimes trying to step into daemon’s role and be rhaenyra’s partner in leading their side. and rhaenyra seems to struggle with deciding whether to accept him as that partner or continue treating him more as a child. and part of that is the normal parenting quandary of your teen transitioning to adulthood, but i think part is also the knowledge that treating him as a man rather than a boy puts her in danger of losing her authority to him.

but daemon wasn’t his only (or even his main) role model for how to interact with rhaenyra growing up, so perhaps the restraint he shows (in comparison to how we see aegon and aemond interact with alicent) comes from always ranking BELOW his mother rather than above her, and from seeing her largely interact with men who were below her in rank.

i dunno, my thoughts aren’t quite coherent, but i feel like jace sometimes wishes he could be his mother’s superior rather than the other way around, perhaps even recognizes that it might be easier to get the lords to listen to him than to her because he is male, yet as frustrating as he finds it, he keeps turning to rhaenyra as his authority figure anyway. what are your thoughts on how their relationship has been portrayed so far?

My thoughts concisely are: I really love what they're doing and I love how it plays with the "eldest daughterson" of both of their stories.

More in depth though and note I did not proofread this because I'm tired lmao-

I think you nailed it that Jacaerys both wants to overrule her but is careful not to. I think a large part of Jacaerys feels...maybe not quite like he would be a better leader than his mother but maybe more like, if she named him Hand and let him take the lead in the War Shenanigans, he would do a better job at keeping them all safe. Like when Rhaenyra was a young girl, Jacaerys wants an outlet to prove himself with, wants to get out in front of The People and be seen as competent, fearless, and bold. If this was a "normal" situation where Rhaenyra was a man, Jacaerys could argue publicly with his father without worrying that he's undercutting her authority - look at how Tywin openly fights with his own father while Tytos is still alive! But in this case, because Rhaenyra is a woman, Jacaerys has to tread carefully. He can't overrule her or he makes her seem weak, and no longer a viable candidate for the throne. Because Jacaerys is a good heir who is clearly tuned into the dynamics he's part of, he doesn't want to make her seem like she doesn't know what's doing. I think this is why he tends to phrase his criticism not as "that's a dumb idea" (look to how, for example, Aegon, Aemond, Viserys, and Daemon frame their criticisms at Small Council meetings - they aren't afraid to be mean!) but more as "that idea would get you harmed" aka he's not dismissing her plans outright, moreso attempting to point out that she's being reckless with her own safety.

I think Jacaerys is being genuine when he says he wouldn't want to be ruled by anyone else but his mother. I think he really does love her and believe in her ability to be a good ruler. I also think he just has a lot of hangups around dads and their ability to rule effectively - Viserys completely shoots Rhaenyra in the foot before she's even been crown princess a year, Laenor seems to have been inconsistent (due to several factors, one of them mpossibly being thatRhaenyra did not want Laenor to be an active father, and Laenor being strong armed by his wife may also play a role in how Jacaerys sees his mother, parenthood, and power), Lyonel ~took Harwin away from them, and Daemon is just as unreliable as Laenor but in a much different way. hell even Corlys is much less reliable as a parent and grandparent than Rhaenys is. All around him, Jacaerys is faced with fathers that don't measure up and mothers with strong wills, chief among them his own mother. I do think some of his hostility towards the men of the council and Daemon specfically comes from the fact that he feels like they don't see Rhaenyra the way he does - as this noble, endlessly suffering queen without peer. He knows his mother has flaws, yes, but when he looks at her (up until this argument in the last episode) he sees a woman who has had her back against the wall since the day he was born but has handled it with grace and dignity and grit, and it bothers him that the men of the council and Daemon seem so willing to overrule her words.

At the same time, Jacaerys has grown up in a very patriarchal society and under normal circumstances, at his age, he would be his mother's superior. I do think that is something on his mind whenever they fight. I think he sees himself - or wants to be - her sword arm, her shield, the warrior in front of her taking the damage. I think you're right that his multitude of paternal figures come into play here. Harwin was literally her sworn sword, Daemon wants to be her rabid dog, Corlys and Rhaenys had a largely equal (in private) relationship, every other man who interacts with Rhaenyra except Viserys is supposed to defer to her, and so I think in order to not eclipse his mother, he's taking his cues from them. Like you said, taking too much authority from her means she might never get her authority back, and not only does Jacaerys love his mother and feel like she deserves to have a Loyal Heir, A Good Son, A Proper Shield Arm By Her Side, he knows that if he eclipses his mother too much, he's throwing his own claim into question. We see this tremendous distance between Jacaerys and Aegon & Viserys in a way we don't see between him and Joffrey. I think he's terrified of his little brothers and what happens when his mother dies, and since Rhaenyra has always been his staunchest supporter (even though he doubts often whether she really is supporting him or whether she plans to name a little one over him, again until that argument when he realizes exactly what's going through her mind), he needs her around as long as possible so he can cement his claim and establish himself as A Proper Prince And Heir. This is also, imo, why he seems to want Daemon back despite clashing with him - I think he feels he and Daemon can tag team on Rhaenyra in private to get her to see things their way, but he resents a) Daemon's place at her side and b) that Daemon is, idk ~reckless~ enough to challenge Rhaenyra in front of other people. He lets Daemon threaten the Kingsguard because he doesn't inherensagree with Daemon's violence! But he attempts to put Daemon in his place when Daemon seems to barrel over what Rhaenyra desires.

And from Raenyra's PoV it's like - it's just exactly like her and her father. Obviously Rhaenyra treats her other children better than Viserys treats Alicent's kids (not that this is hard, lol), but in the same vein as being Queen and knowing the prophecy is confirmation and validation that yes, Viserys chose her, he loved her the most, he believed in her, Rhaenyra feels all of that for Jacaerys. She has never once looked at Aegon the Younger as a viable heir because for Rhaenyra, there IS no other heir but Jacaerys. She chose him, she loves him, she trusts him, she believes in him and she feels like she's shown this to him time and time again. But just like Viserys, she's incredibly short sighted and not working hard enough to ensure there's no succession crisis after she herself dies because like her father, she believes that she can simply make the world as she wants it to be simply by speaking it into existence. I don't think entitlement is the right word - she was named heir by her father, it's not "entitlement" the same way that Alicent's issue with Rhaenyra lying about having pre-marital sex is not just Alicent being religiously repressed. there's more to it, yes that's a factor but it's more complex because of the nature of feudalism where every action is both personal and political - nor do I think Rhaenyra and Viserys believe themselves to be gods. It's more like...they believe they have the ear of the gods, like they have a direct phone number extension to The Gods Above (whomever they may be) and that since they have that link, they have a responsibility to lead people in the direction the gods want them to go. They're not crazy, it's everyone else that's insane, everyone else can only see their thread but Rhaenyra and Viserys have been given a glimpse of the entire tapestry (again, my Stannis comparisons here - it's not just that Stannis is real high off his own supply, it's that he feels he has a responsibility to save the world. This is not an inherently bad trait to have - I'm sure a lot of people feel they have a responsibility to make the world better! But it becomes a problem when you convince yourself that Only You are capable of doing the saving and ignore all the evidence pointing towards this maybe not being a good or healthy path to walk). So I think Rhaenyra feels like... "my father chose me but he fumbled several times when it came to protecting my claim because of Those Evil Scheming Hightowers but i will be Viserys But Better by making it clearer to Jacaerys that I choose him" and she thinks that's all she has to do to fix the situation. I think Rhaenyra feels like her father had advisors that took advantage of him (she's not wrong here either she's just wrong that Viserys holds no blame for the situation) which is why she keeps Jacaerys close but seems to subtly undermine him in public. She knows she can't give him too much authority but she also knows she needs to keep her heir looped in at all times, she needs to do what Viserys didn't and keep her Daemon/Rhaenyra close by, on her councils, having a say, and supported. The problem is that she will always prioritize her own claim over Jacaerys'. The problem is that she doesn't act to combat her problems until it's far too late.

[atopvisenyashill]

Feed my delulu bestie… Sansa & Theon book canon??? Your posts give me hope when I shouldn’t have it lol.

there's so much canon evidence dammit! i always get a lil put out when people say it’s a show only thing. certainly the show made it more popular but you can say that about like 90% of the ships in the fandom! and there’s a lot here already without the obnoxious sansa bolton show arc!

For one thing, theon straight up dreams about marrying sansa-

Sansa was the pretty one. He remembered a time when he had thought that Lord Eddard Stark might marry him to Sansa and claim him for a son, but that had only been a child's fancy.

I think this is very similar to Sansa’s fantasies about Willas Tyrell-

She pictured the two of them sitting together in a garden with puppies in their laps, or listening to a singer strum upon a lute while they floated down the Mander on a pleasure barge. If I give him sons, he may come to love me. She would name them Eddard and Brandon and Rickon, and raise them all to be as valiant as Ser Loras. And to hate Lannisters, too. In Sansa's dreams, her children looked just like the brothers she had lost. Sometimes there was even a girl who looked like Arya.

For both of them, they dream of a marriage that signifies a return to the safety and welcoming of childhood, of home. Notice the focus for both of them on Stark Identity - Theon wants to be accepted as true kin by the family that raised him in an attempt to cope with his status as a hostage while Sansa focuses on the idea of having children named for her lost family members in an attempt to cope with her continued instability also as a hostage.

Which brings me to their shared status as child hostages! While not a unique social status in the world of Terros, they are unique in being our only two PoVs that really dig into the harm of being a hostage. From Theon’s longing to be a Stark and the way it's held against him by Balon to Sansa’s longing to be Joffrey's queen turning to resentment over being “made a Lannister”, both of them go from a sort of rose colored happy go lucky outlook to an extreme drop into brutal reality as Theon reckons with his trauma while sacking Winterfell and Sansa is shoved head first into the danger of politics and intrigue.

As their time as child hostages morphs into a status that is more murky but considerably more dangerous - who knows what the fuck Littlefinger is planning, and whatever Ramsay has cooking it's obviously nothing good - both of them take on another identity in Alayne Stone and Reek. They are both forced into this identity by the person in control of them, becoming subsumed into this new identity. Here is, imo, a very interesting aspect of both their characters as they exhibit a sort of...mental break of a sort when they change identities. They "kill" their old identities and truly become this new person; they act different, they speak different, they actively reject reminders of their former identity, with their chapter names even changing from "Theon" and "Sansa" to their new names. And yet that former identity is a key part of who they are and it cannot stay buried for long-

I am not your daughter, she thought. I am Sansa Stark, Lord Eddard's daughter and Lady Catelyn's, the blood of Winterfell. She did not say it, though.

The old gods, he thought. They know me. They know my name. I was Theon of House Greyjoy. I was a ward of Eddard Stark, a friend and brother to his children. "Please." He fell to his knees. "A sword, that's all I ask. Let me die as Theon, not as Reek."

Again, both Theon and Sansa focus on their connection to House Stark - Sansa as the blood of Winterfell, Theon as a ward of Ned. For Sansa, it’s about going to the home she took for granted, the home Theon years for; a place she felt safe, a family that loves her, a space she can reflect on her memories and grief with peace and understanding. For Theon, that home never existed at all! It was something he made up in his head, cobbled together from half remembered feelings of love from his mother, a dream of what it might have been like to be an older brother and beloved son. Ultimately, Winterfell and the North represents to both of them the concept of reconciling reality with the dream & delusions they’ve built up in their minds, taking a step forward and growing into adulthood.

Now….the thing about adulthood is it typically involves marriage and that is something I think a lot of people don’t take seriously when it comes to Theonsa - oh theon is too gross or whatever. But the thing is that Theon experiences this kind of sexual violence and helplessness that he himself visited upon others and enabled and I think it puts him in this interesting and unique place of finally understanding a) how gross he actually is and b) connecting to Sansa through a shared sexual helplessness. Now I’m not saying like, ~theon being reek’ed was narrative setup and punishment for theonsa~ but i AM saying this is a natural stepping point (imo) of Theon’s arc.

Think about like. Theon looking the other way while his men rape the women he’s captured, uncomfortable but feeling like this is what is necessary to be seen as A Man (and pay no mind to what they means To Be A Woman). Bedding down with the miller’s wife just to enable the very brutal murder of her sons. Taking his frustration and powerlessness out on Kya sexually. And Kya still tries to escape with him (who else could have possibly helped her?), and he dwells on the ways in which he helped lead her to her death. Dwells on the boys whose bodies he hung on the walls. Dwells on the similarities between his own falling apart body and Jeyne’s bite marks and injuries from Ramsay. For me the next step is - Theon forced to see his own helplessness as a hostage of the Starks and then a captive of Ramsay’s when he confronts Sansa, who was a hostage of the Lannisters and [wild gesture] like the kept pet of Littlefinger’s. I think seeing his own suffering so acutely reflected in the girl he projected his idealistic fantasy of happiness and home onto would be fascinating!

And equally fascinating is Sansa’s perspective - I’m sure she WILL initially see his torture as some sort of cosmic retribution for betraying Robb! But the same as she ultimately only saw another child suffering when Joffrey died in front of her, I think she will see that whatever Theon deserves for what he’s done, being flayed and tortured by Ramsay is not retribution, it’s just more suffering. And once she starts to see past her anger, Sansa too I think will be quite disarmed by the similarities between them. To have been a hostage, to have been some sort of captive under an identity forced on you, to have that captor use his power to force sexual situations you are not asking for onto you, I think it would make Sansa wrestle more with her own place In The System - similar to how being a hostage makes her realize how fucked up her conception of knights and chivalry and court is when compared to the reality, seeing the effect she herself helped have as A Good Hostage Taker will make her reflect. Theon realizing Sansa is her own person with her own inner life and Sansa realizing the same about Theon!

Once again, its about what I talked about re: Sansa and Arya being the only Starks left in Winterfell or Sansa and Jon meeting first! To grow up and embrace adulthood by growing to appreciate the reality in front of you and not the fantasy you conjured up as a child. For Theon to love Sansa for who she is and wrestle with the REALITY of what marriage would be like - both in a sense that he’s physically traumatized & no longer “handsome” but also like, having lived through the concept of “They will make a STARK out of me” and thinking about what it means in the context of sex and relationships. For Sansa to love Theon for who he is and wrestle with the reality of, like, herself in the Lannister shoes in this position, and what being an heiress and marrying actually means for her going forward. Two people who are defined by their identities being eclipsed and overlooked, wrestling with whether they’re repeating that pattern on each other or actually healing and grieving and figuring out how to define themselves on their own and not against someone else.

[atopvisenyashill]

Bran The Time Traveling Toddler

Yes that IS a reference to the Tyrion the time traveling fetus theory. The thing about MY insane theories is that they actually make sense and I’m right. Follow me please down the worm hole!!

There’s very clearly Someone Influencing things when it comes to the Starklings and even the overreaching plot in general - there’s enough weird magic surrounding them, whispering in the wind, that it’s a no brainer they’re being watched over. The question is WHO and WHEN. For me, personally, I think it’s Bran, and I think it’s an older Bran from the future (whether it be Bran In TWOW and ADOS or Bran post canon) trying to lead his siblings to safety.

Now, like my Harrenhal meta, I don’t think I’m saying anything new so much as compiling what people have said scattered across the interwebs. There’s a lot of theories about whether Bran can time travel, time travel in general in the series, how george has dealt with time travel before, and about the three eyed crow’s identity and I agree with bits and pieces of what other people have said - preston jacobs is a more famous example of this theory for example. But I don't want to get caught up on things like time travel paradoxes because, like, i don’t care about that, and george has talked about how time travel is more fantasy than scifi bc it’s just not really scientifically possible. do you know what that means? it means there’s no weird physical paradoxes because it’s ✨magic✨ and Bran isn't literally going through space and time. It's as Jojen says-

With two eyes you see my face. With three you could see my heart. With two you can see that oak tree there. With three you could see the acorn the oak grew from and the stump that it will one day become. With two you see no farther than your walls. With three you would gaze south to the Summer Sea and north beyond the Wall

Through his greenseeing abilities, Bran can see the whole of a lifespan, from conception to burial, and can pop out at any point in that lifespan, because a span of 100, 1000, or 1,000,000 years is all the same to the weirwood. So I don't think it's in the realm of Crazy Ass Theories to say that Bran is capable of a more magic based form of time travel. That he can whisper in people's dreams, on the wind, taking on the voice of the old gods themselves and doing his best to nudge things the way he needs them to be in order to keep the people he loves safe.

I also don't think Bloodraven is Three Eyed Crow (though I do think he also uses this metaphor of "flying" wrt magic, and that's why Euron also has a comment about flying in his dreams - I just don't believe that metaphor originates with Brynden himself. Rather, I think he picked it up from somewhere else), but instead, it's Bran, using the weirwood network to get all the pieces on the board he needs where he needs them to be for the endgame. Notice that Brynden doesn't seem to know what Bran is talking about when he mentions the Three Eyed Crow-

"Are you the three-eyed crow?" Bran heard himself say. A three-eyed crow should have three eyes. He has only one, and that one red. Bran could feel the eye staring at him, shining like a pool of blood in the torchlight. Where his other eye should have been, a thin white root grew from an empty socket, down his cheek, and into his neck. "A … crow?" The pale lord's voice was dry. His lips moved slowly, as if they had forgotten how to form words. "Once, aye. Black of garb and black of blood." 

Brynden mentions the watch, but doesn't mention the three eyed crow. Everyone simply refers to Brynden as the greenseer, not the three eyed crow, except for Bran himself, who simply assumes Brynden is the three eyed crow (and we know magical assumptions in this series are generally wrong!).

What’s double interesting to me about this “bloodraven is the three eyed crow” assumption is brynden himself makes his “a thousand eyes and one” comment - but doesn’t mention a third eye. Meanwhile, Bran’s narrative is obviously filled with bird references and the opening of his third eye from Bran feeding the crows on the towers before he falls then longing to go back to the crows afterwards, of a crow sending Jojen to “the winged wolf,” of his dreams of living as a bird in maester luwin’s rookery with his siblings - Jon Snow even compares him to a bird in their final scene face to face when he thinks bran has “fingers like the bones of birds.”

And notable that though both Rickon and Bran have a greendream where they talk to Ned in the crypts of Winterfell just before Ned is executed, Rickon makes no mention of a three eyed crow, but Bran explicitly sees him-

The mention of dreams reminded him. "I dreamed about the crow again last night. The one with three eyes. He flew into my bedchamber and told me to come with him, so I did. We went down to the crypts. Father was there, and we talked. He was sad."

"Shaggy," a small voice called. When Bran looked up, his little brother was standing in the mouth of Father's tomb. With one final snap at Summer's face, Shaggydog broke off and bounded to Rickon's side. "You let my father be," Rickon warned Luwin. "You let him be." "Rickon," Bran said softly. "Father's not here." "Yes he is. I saw him." Tears glistened on Rickon's face. "I saw him last night."

What that says to me is that the Three Eyed Crow has the ability to speak directly to only Bran and can only otherwise appear in a more ephemeral way to others. With the established rules about not being able to communicate properly with the past, I think this makes sense - being able to use the weirwood hivemind/greenseeing powers to appear in a different form to yourself but unable to appear in a concrete form to anyone else.

I think it's even likely we'll see Bran doing some of this nudging and whispering on page in ADOS or maybe as early as TWOW, but it won't be the exact same sort of "Bran can literally reach out and touch someone in a weirwood dream" that they had in the show with the later scenes. It'll be more like that very first scene in the show where we see Bran influence the past slightly - you know, when he calls out "father!" and young Ned turns around, having heard a voice on the wind-

And there's a direct parallel to ADWD here, where Bran is certain Ned heard him speaking in the godswood but Brynden says it's not possible (not possible for Brynden perhaps!)-

Lord Eddard Stark sat upon a rock beside the deep black pool in the godswood, the pale roots of the heart tree twisting around him like an old man's gnarled arms. The greatsword Ice lay across Lord Eddard's lap, and he was cleaning the blade with an oilcloth. "Winterfell," Bran whispered. His father looked up. "Who's there?" he asked, turning … … and Bran, frightened, pulled away. His father and the black pool and the godswood faded and were gone and he was back in the cavern, the pale thick roots of his weirwood throne cradling his limbs as a mother does a child.

It's not quite time travel. It's like the acorn and stump metaphor - Bran can't appear in his physical body in the past but he can make a bit of noise, perhaps even be mistaken for one of the old gods.

As TWOW and ADOS go on, I think we'll see Bran's powers grow (likely in ways that frighten him and horrify the reader), and we'll see the very beginnings of him influencing the plot that happens during the previous books, showing up in scenes we've already experienced, similar to the Ned scene above. I think this because, well...he's already done it!

Now, as for What Time Traveling Bran Has Already Done - it’s tricky because we have a LOT of magic users waking and shaking. I’m not including every single instance of weird whispering or funny birds here, just the moments I think are more likely to be Bran than anyone else because I think Bran mostly deals with his siblings. I imagine they're easiest to reach out to magically because they already have the ability to access magic, and they're also the people he cares most about. The most obvious to me is in A Clash of Kings, when Jon hears a voice on the wind, very similar to the young Ned scene in the show-

Jon VII in A Clash of Kings

The call came from behind him, softer than a whisper, but strong too. Can a shout be silent? He turned his head, searching for his brother, for a glimpse of a lean grey shape moving beneath the trees, but there was nothing, only … A weirwood. It seemed to sprout from solid rock, its pale roots twisting up from a myriad of fissures and hairline cracks. The tree was slender compared to other weirwoods he had seen, no more than a sapling, yet it was growing as he watched, its limbs thickening as they reached for the sky. Wary, he circled the smooth white trunk until he came to the face. Red eyes looked at him. Fierce eyes they were, yet glad to see him. The weirwood had his brother’s face. Had his brother always had three eyes?

Not always, came the silent shout. Not before the crow. He sniffed at the bark, smelled wolf and tree and boy, but behind that there were other scents, the rich brown smell of warm earth and the hard grey smell of stone and something else, something terrible. Death, he knew. He was smelling death. He cringed back, his hair bristling, and bared his fangs.

Don’t be afraid, I like it in the dark. No one can see you, but you can see them. But first you have to open your eyes. See? Like this. And the tree reached down and touched him.

This moment was when I really started paying attention to Weird Shit Bran Might Be Doing because of that line "not before the crow." Now, we know Bran mentions talking with Jon later on, in the very last chapter of the book, here-

 He could reach Summer whenever he wanted, and once he had even touched Ghost and talked to Jon. Though maybe he had only dreamed that.

But I think it's both Bran in the present and Bran in ADOS speaking here - brothers reaching out to each other in their fear, and future Bran piggybacking off that connection to send a warning (this is back in Jon VII, during the shared Jon-Bran dream as before)-

Then he realized he was looking at a river of ice several thousand feet high. Under that glittering cold cliff was a great lake, its deep cobalt waters reflecting the snowcapped peaks that ringed it. There were men down in the valley, he saw now; many men, thousands, a huge host. Some were tearing great holes in the half-frozen ground, while others trained for war...This is no army, no more than it is a town. This is a whole people come together.

Bran warns Jon of the wildling army headed their way because he needs the Night’s Watch to stop fighting the wildlings, get them safely out of the True North (so they can’t be reanimated as wights), and focus on the Long Night. When you read the passage, it seems as if Bran is trying to awaken Jon’s third eye - something present baby Bran isn’t concerned with, because he barely understands his own third eye awakening. But a Bran in ADOS or beyond would know exactly what to say and do to get Jon and himself to wake up! Not just because of the paradox, but because of his connection to his brother and his vast understanding of his own magic. Similar to the idea that “who would know how to motivate Bran better than Bran himself” who would know how to motivate Jon better than one of his beloved siblings?

Arya X in A Clash of Kings

In the godswood she found her broomstick sword where she had left it, and carried it to the heart tree. There she knelt. Red leaves rustled. Red eyes peered inside her. The eyes of the gods. "Tell me what to do, you gods," she prayed.

For a long moment there was no sound but the wind and the water and the creak of leaf and limb. And then, far far off, beyond the godswood and the haunted towers and the immense stone walls of Harrenhal, from somewhere out in the world, came the long lonely howl of a wolf. Gooseprickles rose on Arya's skin, and for an instant she felt dizzy. Then, so faintly, it seemed as if she heard her father's voice. "When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives," he said.

“But there is no pack," she whispered to the weirwood. Bran and Rickon were dead, the Lannisters had Sansa, Jon had gone to the Wall. "I'm not even me now, I'm Nan."

"You are Arya of Winterfell, daughter of the north. You told me you could be strong. You have the wolf blood in you."

"The wolf blood." Arya remembered now. "I'll be as strong as Robb. I said I would." She took a deep breath, then lifted the broomstick in both hands and brought it down across her knee. It broke with a loud crack, and she threw the pieces aside. I am a direwolf, and done with wooden teeth.

Once again, we have a voice - it seemed as if it was her father's voice - telling a Starkling to do something specific, reminding that Starkling of their ties to Winterfell, the north, and home. The voice she hears, speaking her true name, is the kick in the pants Arya needs to grab Gendry and Hot Pie and get out of Harrenhal. There's something interesting, engaging, heartbreaking, that when Arya is at one of her lowest points, lamenting the loss of her pack, and out comes the voice of one of her pack urging her to keep faith, and helping to inspire one of her best moments - I am a direwolf, and done with wooden teeth. Again, we have a voice trying to get the Starklings to wake up and face their reality!

Sansa in A Storm of Swords

That night Sansa scarcely slept at all, but tossed and turned just as she had aboard the Merling King. She dreamt of Joffrey dying, but as he clawed at his throat and the blood ran down across his fingers she saw with horror that it was her brother Robb. And she dreamed of her wedding night too, of Tyrion's eyes devouring her as she undressed. Only then he was bigger than Tyrion had any right to be, and when he climbed into the bed his face was scarred only on one side. "I'll have a song from you," he rasped, and Sansa woke and found the old blind dog beside her once again. "I wish that you were Lady," she said.

To be clear I think there’s a large change this is nothing. BUT. Considering Bran seems to be reaching out to his siblings, I like the idea that Bran, and magic in general, is trying to talk to Sansa but she can’t quite hear it. Winterfell and it’s magic and it’s family is calling it’s daughter home, even torn from her magical guide as she is, still trying to reach out through her dreams and through the animals around her. I’m desperately hoping that at some point in Sansa’s early TWOW chapters, we’ll start to see birds acting and speaking funny around her as Bran tries harder to reach his lost sister.

Theon Greyjoy in A Dance With Dragons

BUT. I don't think it's just the Starklings that get these messages from Bran - it's everyone he cares about, everyone he loves or will love. One of the other more obvious examples of this is Theon Greyjoy, himself clearly capable of some degree of magic, just like the Starklings-

The night was windless, the snow drifting straight down out of a cold black sky, yet the leaves of the heart tree were rustling his name. “Theon,” they seemed to whisper, “Theon.” The old gods, he thought. They know me. They know my name. I was Theon of House Greyjoy. I was a ward of Eddard Stark, a friend and brother to his children. “Please.” He fell to his knees. “A sword, that’s all I ask. Let me die as Theon, not as Reek.” Tears trickled down his cheeks, impossibly warm. “I was ironborn. A son … a son of Pyke, of the islands.” A leaf drifted down from above, brushed his brow, and landed in the pool. It floated on the water, red, five-fingered, like a bloody hand. “… Bran,” the tree murmured. They know. The gods know. They saw what I did. And for one strange moment it seemed as if it were Bran’s face carved into the pale trunk of the weirwood, staring down at him with eyes red and wise and sad. Bran’s ghost, he thought, but that was madness. Why should Bran want to haunt him? He had been fond of the boy, had never done him any harm. It was not Bran we killed. It was not Rickon. They were only miller’s sons, from the mill by the Acorn Water.

“he had been fond of the boy” please allow me this moment to contemplate killing myself thanks.

okay back on track but this is very self explanatory - we know Theon has some sort of capacity for magic because he had a vision of the Red Wedding in ACOK and unlike Jaime who just fell asleep on a weirweed tree, Theon was just up in bed. We see it again here, where Theon can hear a voice on the wind and then seems to see Bran’s own face in the face of the weirwood tree. Once again, the voice on the wind is trying to help a loved one of Bran’s find their way back to themselves, back to home. And Theon, for all the harm he has done, is still so so loved by Bran, and loves Bran in return.

Samwell Tarly III in A Storm of Swords

Sam made a whimpery sound. “It’s not fair …” “Fair.” The raven landed on his shoulder. “Fair, far, fear.” It flapped its wings, and screamed along with Gilly. The wights were almost on her. He heard the dark red leaves of the weirwood rustling, whispering to one another in a tongue he did not know. The starlight itself seemed to stir, and all around them the trees groaned and creaked. Sam Tarly turned the color of curdled milk, and his eyes went wide as plates. Ravens! They were in the weirwood, hundreds of them, thousands, perched on the bone-white branches, peering between the leaves. He saw their beaks open as they screamed, saw them spread their black wings. Shrieking, flapping, they descended on the wights in angry clouds. They swarmed round Chett’s face and pecked at his blue eyes, they covered the Sisterman like flies, they plucked gobbets from inside Hake’s shattered head. There were so many that when Sam looked up, he could not see the moon. “Go,” said the bird on his shoulder. “Go, go, go.”

Whoever this is - it's Bran!!!! - helps to save Sam and Gilly's lives, actively tells them to run for it, and just a little bit later, Sam is around to help save Bran in turn. I think there's also something to be said for the brotherhood connection here. They refer to each other as brothers in the book because of their connection to Jon; that connection to Jon, and therefore each other, means a lot to both Sam and Bran. There's a practical reason for saving Sam here in that he can help Bran in the "present" timeline, will likely help in the future, but more than that there's an emotional bond here and it seems to me that magic runs off emotions just as assuredly as it runs off of other important stuff like blood and and sacrifice and weirwoods.

Jon Snow XII in A Storm of Swords

With a raucous scream and a clap of wings, a huge raven burst out of the kettle. It flapped upward, seeking the rafters perhaps, or a window to make its escape, but there were no rafters in the vault, nor windows either. The raven was trapped. Cawing loudly, it circled the hall, once, twice, three times. And Jon heard Samwell Tarly shout, “I know that bird! That’s Lord Mormont’s raven!” The raven landed on the table nearest Jon. “Snow,” it cawed. It was an old bird, dirty and bedraggled. “Snow,” it said again, “Snow, snow, snow.” It walked to the end of the table, spread its wings again, and flew to Jon’s shoulder. Lord Janos Slynt sat down so heavily he made a thump, but Ser Alliser filled the vault with mocking laughter. “Ser Piggy thinks we’re all fools, brothers,” he said. “He’s taught the bird this little trick. They all say snow, go up to the rookery and hear for yourselves. Mormont’s bird had more words than that.” The raven cocked its head and looked at Jon. “Corn?” it said hopefully. When it got neither corn nor answer, it quorked and muttered, “Kettle? Kettle? Kettle?” The rest was arrowheads, a torrent of arrowheads, a flood of arrowheads, arrowheads enough to drown the last few stones and shells, and all the copper pennies too.

The Night's Watch seem to take this as some sort of divine sign, and Jon's friends take it as an excellent ploy from Samwell Tarly. But when Pyp confronts Sam over it a page later, Sam completely denies it -

“I had nothing to do with the bird,” Sam insisted. “When it flew out of the kettle I almost wet myself.”

Everyone has their theories about people warging Mormont's crow of course. I think what's interesting to me here is that Jon is really wrestling with the idea of leaving the Watch for Winterfell, in which case Janos Slynt was likely to take over command. Someone like Slynt being in charge when the Long Night is coming is a bad idea, and here, Mormont's bird directly contributes to Jon staying where he needs to be - watching over the wildlings and making sure they aren't turning into Wights.

(And this is getting into my other theories here, but IF Sansa as the Girl In Grey is true, I think this is a neat sort of timeline fixing - almost as if Bran is saying “no, not yet, the pieces aren’t aligned, Jon can’t leave yet, Brienne isn’t at the Vale to get Sansa, I haven’t trained enough, Jon still keeps slapping his hands over his third eye so he can’t see, I need to give myself more time here.”)

Bran II in A Game of Thrones

But...it's not just his family and friends that I think Bran is trying to help here, and of course, if he IS the Three-Eyed Crow, he isn’t YET. What I think is going to be a big climactic part of Bran's story is self sacrifice, giving up some of his own power, his own happiness, to save others. Yes, part of this is my absolute refusal to accept Borg Hivemind Fantasy Police State King Bran in that he will say NO to the hivemind, but I think there's something magical here as well!

I think in order to access great power you need to be willing to put your own body on the line.

Jojen mentions having gotten sick with "greywater fever" shortly before his greendreams started

Dany experiences a miscarriage then literally walks into fire in order to hatch her dragons

both Beric and Catelyn have to quite literally be gruesomely murdered in order for Thoros' fire magic to work to bring them back to life

Melisandre has to physically give birth in order for her shadow assassination to work

on and on it goes. In order to be capable of great power, you can’t just have a willingness to throw someone ELSE onto the pyre but yourself as well. But Bran is pushed out of the window instead of willingly jumping. Or...

The wolfling was smarter than any of the hounds in his father’s kennel and Bran would have sworn he understood every word that was said to him, but he showed very little interest in chasing sticks…Finally he got tired of the stick game and decided to go climbing….

The wolf did as he was told. Bran scratched him behind the ears, then turned away, jumped, grabbed a low branch, and pulled himself up. He was halfway up the tree, moving easily from limb to limb, when the wolf got to his feet and began to howl.

Bran looked back down. His wolf fell silent, staring up at him through slitted yellow eyes. A strange chill went through him. He began to climb again. Once more the wolf howled. “Quiet,” he yelled. “Sit down. Stay. You’re worse than Mother.” The howling chased him all the way up the tree, until finally he jumped off onto the armory roof and out of sight.

I think this is future Bran, finally becoming the Three Eyed Crow, inside Summer. Summer shows no interest in the game and it’s only then that Bran decides to go climbing. Future Bran is sacrificing himself for the greater good - but can’t stop his mournful cry of the fate that awaits his own young self.