just fandoms

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the cult leader being modeled after Talisyn took me out, I had to pause for a minute

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Don't get me wrong, the absolute symbol of Arya killing Raff the Sweetling with Needle in the Mercy chapter is glorious, but I am very certain that the blade used was not Needle.

For one, she stashed Needle, hiding it when she was supposed to throw it away, and as much as she does not fully conform to what the house of black and white want her to do, and does not care that she is on thin ice, Arya is aware that she needs them, their training, and that they definitely can punish her. She is also very aware of their information gathering. Getting Needle out of it's hiding place to somewhere it can be seen, stolen, or just spotted by a trainer, member of the house or not, is not ideal, to say the least.

For two, the blade is described as going in her pocket, and as "not belonging to mercy, same as her other treasures", them being coins and an iron key, both, one may assume, tying her to the house of black and white. When she uses it of Raff, it came out of her sleeve, where she presumably used it to cut his leg first, so it must be very very sharp, as it went like a hot knife through butter. She had it at the theater, where certain people are handsy, and could discreetly switch it's emplacement without notice.

Three: Needle is a sword. A thin sword, sure, smaller than other swords, absolutely, but still a sword. It is not a dagger, or a short-sword, not a knife nor a glaive, but a sword, carried at the waist on the belt for weight and ease of movement reasons. It has a pommel and a guard, and is certainly too big and bulky to enter her pocket (where we first learn of the blade) or her sleeve (from where she takes it to give the killing blow), at the very least not without being obvious and preventing her from bending her elbow.

Unless, of course, Needle had the Ice treatment and was reforged into a dagger, but even then it might be too bulky (and why would she do that).

Most likely, the blade is just that, a blade, sharp, thin, not too long, able to be hidden in pockets and sleeves without being noticed, taken out for swift, decisive, precise cuts to an unsuspecting opponent... basically, an assassin blade for an assassin in training used to assassinate someone.

And that is also a symbol. it was not Needle, her tie to the Starks and the North that was used, it was not a sword, the westerosi weapon of preference that killed the Mountain's man. No, it was a small, unnoticed blade, one that the eyes pass over but that was tempered and sharpened to the deadliest of blades when in the right hands.

If Needle is Winterfell, and the Starks, and all the good and happy memories they had before that fateful day were word the Jon Arryn was killed came, then that blade is Arya as she was forced to become as she struggled to survive, amidst violence and cruelty and suffering.

It was not Arya Stark of Winterfell, daughter to the warden of the North and the hand of the King who killed Raff, it was Arya Stark, aka Arry, Nan, Weasel, the ghost of Harrenhall, the child who survived the worst of the war, amidst the Lannisters and the Boltons, who had every piece of her identity ripped from her in the riverlands and still remained herself, the person that Raff and people like him made.

Raff the Sweetling helped forge the very blade that symbolically killed him, as Needle remains safe, and unsoiled, awaiting a return home to Winterfell.

I would absolutely love it if Needle was used with Lady Stoneheart. That is symbolic, poetic. Ramsey and Roose, absolutely. Cersei? for sure. Dareon? A northern blade for northern justice.

But Raff? No. Raf did not make himself an enemy of the daughter of the North. He made himself an enemy of Arya Stark.

[whothecrappadoodlecares]

So it may just be me and my personal interpretation, but one thing that absolutely infuriates me is the "Cardan is a genius for his banishment plan and Jude did a dumb dumb by not returning" idea that some readers have.

Because that plan, as it was, would only work if, and only if, Jude was fae.

In fact, Jude even thinks about pardoning herself, and how that would not work (given the current situation as she knows it).

(I will illustrate my points with extracts of Queen of Nothing (QoN), and The Wicked King (TWK) of the Folk of the Air series by Holly Black)

recap: the plan was to exile Jude, and have her return via her pardoning herself a bit later when the coast was clear (lol unintentional sea pun) of the wrath of the Undersea disturbing negotiations.

"I exile Jude Duarte to the mortal world. Until and unless she is pardoned by the crown. (...) Meaning by the King of Faerie. Or it's queen. You could have returned anytime you wanted." (QoN chap 18)

Here is where the issue lies. Jude is High Queen of Elfhame, but has literally no way to prove it. She doesn't have the powers conferred to her as queen yet, she doesn't have the trust of the people, and she doesn't have the magical inability to lie that the fae have.

Now if Cardan had proclaimed her queen, she could, but he didn't. In fact, when he first exiles her, she proclaims that he can't do that on account of her being queen, which no one believes:

"But I am the Queen of Faerie," I shout, and for a moment, there is silence. Then everyone around me begins the laugh. (...) "Deny it, then," I yell. "Deny me!" He cannot, of course, so he does not. (TWK chap 30)

Which leads to Jude seeing through the plan and pushing it away because she could not trust Cardan to do what would be needed for it:

It occurs to me that maybe he made a mistake with that phrasing. Maybe I can pardon myself. But then I remember when I insisted I was the Queen of Faerie, and the guards laughed. Cardan didn't need to deny me. He only had to say nothing. And if I pardoned myself, he would only have to say nothing again. (QoN chap 6)

Meaning for her to actually pardon herself, she would have needed to illegally enter Faerie, not get caught, get into presence of Cadan so he could confirm the claim she is rightful queen, and then pardon herself publicly. Of course many of those steps are dangerous, and she has no reason trust Cardan.

If at any point she was caught in Faerie before being pardoned and confirmed queen by Cardan, well, it pretty much almost happens in the book.

"Clap her in chains," says Randalin. Never have I so wished there was a way for me to show I was telling the truth. But there isn't. No oath of mine carries any weight. (QoN chap 16)

The only thing that stops them from trying to arrest or kill her?

"Whatever do you mean?" Randalin says. "She's-" "She is my wife," Cardan says, his voice carrying over the crowd. "The rightful High Queen of Elfhame. And most definitely not in exile." (QoN chap 16)

Cardan even seems to be aware of it at one point (a couple hours before he names her queen in fact):

"Since you're mortal, Jude, I cannot hold you to your promises . But you can hold me to mine: I guarantee you safe passage. Come back to Elfhame with me and I will give you the means to end your exile." (QoN chap 13)

Okay, so the plan was flawed, but why make it then?

"Let me remind you that I didn't know you'd murdered my brother, the ambassador to the Undersea, until that very morning," he says. "My plans were made in haste. And perhaps I was a little annoyed. I thought it would pacify Queen Orlagh, at least until all promises were finalized in the treaty. By the time you guessed the answer, the negotiations would be over." (QoN chap 18)

So we get the entire picture: the entire thing was a hastily made plan with expected flaws (Cardan's lack of undertanding of the treatment of mortals and the consequences thereof on Jude's decisions), born from the miscommunication and lack of communication between them, that ultimately worked, only with a couple hiccups.

It makes sense to their characters, to where they are in their character growth, individually and as a couple, to their understanding of each other.

Jude, who has figured out, manipulated, and maneuvered entire coups to take the throne and subsequently took one of the highest political positions did not suddenly become an idiot ignorant of political maneuvering. And Cardan, who did not expect, want, or even took over the functions of the throne if he didn't absolutely have to, did not suddenly become a political genius.

Instead, Jude, who often works alone, trusts only herself, and consequently does not report everything to Cardan, accidentally put him in a difficult position, and Candan, who has yet to really work with Jude and take into account her limitations and differences, did not take them into consideration in the plan he had to come up with on the fly. And then the complete lack of communication (and trust) aggravated the problem.

Lo and behold, what happens after their reunion? They start working together, communicating better, and developing trust.

Character development stemming from an incident caused and aggravated from their flaws. Aka good storytelling.

I.e. when the political fantasy book with a sprinkle of romance in the background actually brings the romance to the foreground and starts working on the couple.

This is of course, my own interpretation at the end of the day.

[whothecrappadoodlecares]

as someone who very much wants to know more about the whole mortis thing in relation to ahsoka specifically, i adored the very big insinuation that it will be a focal point in the future, the post rebels ahsoka show.

(I am talking of the return of morai and the big show of the statues of the father and son, and partial statue of the daughter, as well as the possible link between the post credit style golden lines and circles wit the ones on the lothal mural, though that theory is shaky at best)

I do dislike having to wait for it, but eh. at least ezra's home. though we haven't yet seen his reaction to Jacen yet which is a crime.

[whothecrappadoodlecares]

bit of a spoiler but not big

Shin, for the first time (to my memory), wearing actual expensive formal clothes instead of workout rags, finally happens on page.

Is it in an important event at the palace? no.

Is it with the king and other nobility? no

Is it when he gets awarded the title of general? not even.

it's officiating a marriage for a childhood friend in his village. not a single noble or rich person in sight. just farmers, hunters, soldier of the unit amongst their shacks.

I absolutely love that shin shows more respect towards his tried and true friends and allies than the ones the he traditionally should.

and i love that the ones who deserve that respect don't care, and the ones who demand that respect aren't worth it.

[whothecrappadoodlecares]

everyone and their mother: Ahsoka, you were a child soldier and a long time spymaster, plus a survivor of a genocide perpetuated in part by people you trust, please get as much therapy as possible.

Anakin: let me. *proceeds to try to kill her and put her through multiple physical traumatic flashbacks*

and it works. the disaster lineage is a disaster on so many fronts

[whothecrappadoodlecares]

Every time Ahsoka defeated a sith she was unarmed.

what it tells me is that scee in rebels where she owns the two inquisitors and then shuts down her blades? it was functional.

[whothecrappadoodlecares]

so as much as i love the awareness that Ahsoka was a child given by the child actor playing the child soldier, here is something nobody mentioned:

the actress is 16 playing two battles, one at the beginning of Ahsoka's apprenticeship, and one at the end, the siege of Mandalore. Bang on for the latter, as Ahsoka was 17 at the siege, but in her first battles she was 14.

She would have been even younger in the first one.

[whothecrappadoodlecares]

if there is one thing Dave Filoni can be unequivocally, undebatebly trusted to do, is retcon the heck out of ahsoka's first Clone Wars outfit.

[whothecrappadoodlecares]

I adore the implication that Ahsoka found an outfit she liked and was like "I should get two, lets get it in white" and then wore only one until she had to.

[whothecrappadoodlecares]

ahsoka: reunites with a close companion of the clone wars after decades

also Ahsoka: immediately gets called old.

Rex and Anakin are on the same wavelength like this is why they were put in the same legion.

[whothecrappadoodlecares]

So, random question... did anyone actually see Morai yet in the Ahsoka show? she was there in Mando, but I would think we might see er more often, if only vaguely in the background...

also, will we learn how she became Ahsoka the White and got her staff in the show, or are we all of the opinion that the Rebels epilogue scene has already been shown.

[whothecrappadoodlecares]

Let’s be real, in the next few days/months, AO3 could be like “hey, due to the unexpected costs of maintaining and updating our servers after the attack, we would need about 10K please. We would accept any penny you can bear to part with, but don’t force yourself!”

and then get 500K, a house, a brand new server, and a kidney in about the time necessary to read a 1.5k word long oneshot.

[whothecrappadoodlecares]

Stupid headcanon: Anakin and Ahsoka’s ships are always a mess.

literally the only time they are as they should be are when they are bought or inspected (which is basically never).

Between extremely illegal modifications and improvements that can only be tolerated because of their skill and experience as pilots and last-minute, very unsafe repairs that should be temporary but was never actually replaced, their ships are basically impossible for anyone to do anything without extensive knowledge.

like this piece should be controlling air pressure in the ship, but it’s somehow been rewired to control the left hydraulic for the bat door. yes this belt is a literal leather belt frm a ceremonial garb instead of a metal one, but it’s fine, it’s doing it’s job. the engine? five different engines frankensteined together, that one nut is the only original piece.

they’re not doing it on purpose, it’s just that they have no sense of danger and if they can’t find one specific particular piece, they can and will repurpose one they can get to do the job. if it does the job that it ain’t broke. 

the kind of people who are unimpressed with new models and are flying absolute pieces of junk that can sooner blow up than work yet still better than most everyone.

I just love the mix of genius mechanic + really skilled and experienced pilots + have no sense of self preservation to equal really shitty yet amazing ships.

[whothecrappadoodlecares]

so Kingdom chapter 641 (spoilers) is great because every time Shin is in anyway close to kids he just plays with them.

head of a celebratory parade for your return from war? yeah, but a bunch of kids are “attacking” with their spears, i must now roar my challenge. (whilst a mother is absolutely panicking, but oh well)

talking with your men about social dynamics and how you may be restricted from gaining a better but deserved post? got a limpet on your arm and like five napping on your legs.

like he was already great at dealing with Sei’s daughter, but seeing him be like a “fun uncle figure” to every child he encounters is really my favourite thing of the chapter. 

[whothecrappadoodlecares]

Camp half blood campers having to study the Iliad and Odyssey at school and just roasting it the whole time, not because they met the monsters described themselves, because you know what that’s fair, things change and you can’t expect full accuracy for a story that old that was told orally for a hot minute, but because they had to study it as camp for survival and now they are absolutely judging the ancient greek to english translation.

their essays are like “the difference translation makes in the characters and morals of classical stories and why the same text in two languages can be two different stories” and it’s just fully roasting the translator because “that word is derogative why did you make it positive in english?” or “that’s the literal translation, but in this situation the meaning is...” or “the classical translators, in their quest to validate their preconceived point of view of the writers, contorted and folded themselves in fourths to make this sentence mean what thy want, and not be the actually quite funny sex joke it is” with the added sprinkle of “that god would not say that, he has never said anything nice to heros in his entire life. but from how he is described it could be Apollo which would make a lot more sense.”

[whothecrappadoodlecares]

You gotta (sarcastically) love going on ASOIAF tags to see toxic fans ripping other toxic fans.

so let’s talk Sansa vs Arya discourse:

0 (cuz i thought this wouldn’t need to be said)- the character in the books and in the show are very different. say which one you mean.

example: show arya: “most girls are stupid”; book arya: “The woman is important too!”; show Sansa: married Ramsey Bolton, book Sansa: has never met the dude.

different characters (as shown in the arya example), different events to live through (as shown in sansa example)

1- you can like both characters, that is not illegal. you can even like them for different reasons. perfectly valid. it’s not betraying either character.

2- you can not like one of them and still respect them and their characterization, just realize that one of them speaks to you more than the other.

3- you can hate a character, if you actually know the character first.

For example: saying “i hate the Mad King because he directly and indirectly caused great suffering for many people for no truly good reason” is valid, because that is a true statement. saying something like “I hate the Mad king because he sent Aemon to the wall” is another, since Aemon willingly went to the wall decades before the Mad King was born.

justified hate is okay, unjustified isn’t.

4- you can love a character, but you actually have to know the character, without projecting yourself or your ideals on them.

For example: “I love Jorah Mormont because he is loyal to his love Daenerys and a true gallant knight” is valid, but “Jorah Mormont has never done anything wrong and is the paragon of loyalty” isn’t when he is a convicted slaver and spied against Danny.

GRRM deals in grey characters every one of them is going to have to have something you won’t like, and ignoring that is a disservice to everyone, including you. Don’t take it for something hurtful, instead take it for richness in character.

5- To know a character, you not only have to carefully consider the source material yourself, without censoring anything for your own discomfort, but also provide yourself with alternate point of views, so as to find different details and interpretations you might have missed due to your own different experiences, knowledge etc. To do that, not only to you have to be willing to give and receive constructive criticism, but you’ve got to do it respectfully and articulately.

ie, no “those stans are crazy”, more “I have heard the arguments given, and I would like to provide a counter argument, supported by canon content”

this is a conversation, people, we are not flyting. nobody is getting points for calling the other the more demeaning names.

6- both characters have made mistakes. because all characters in asoiaf have made mistakes. those mistakes have different effects and scopes, since they are different mistakes. you cannot debate away that fact. you can debate what was their mistakes, or how important it was story-wise, but GRRM will have written mistakes in since his characters are grey and making mistakes is an integral part of the coming-of-age story.

7- the whole trial on the Kingsroad should not be as big as it is being. It was there to show that the Lannisters (Cercei) holds power over Robert, the Lannisters don’t care for fairness, and the Southeron politics are different from Northern ones.

The fault does not lie on literal children, especially when both Robert and Renly say plainly that this is a child’s affair and should not have gotten this much attention in the first place, Jeoffry’s wounds and all, and that Cercei was being ridiculous. all adults knew that Arya’s version on the facts were more truthful without Sansa’s testimony. Lady was going to die even without Arya sending her wolf away (at the recommendation of Jory btw).

Ned could have argued more with Robert, Robert could have not cowed to Cercei, Renly could have intervened, someone could have proposed to placate Cerei by sending it North alive, as she was the only one who actually cared.

Arya and Sansa did not have the power to change anything, and at the end of the day, the whole affair wasn’t about them. It was about Jeoffry being a sadistic cunt even after Arya repeatedly told him to stop, and being enabled by his mother and her family’s political standing.

Hell, Robert even took responsibility and apologized to Ned for it.

you can use the event to show how different character react to trauma (arya focuses on it, sansa tries to forget it) or other such characterization. you cannot weaponize it to demonize one or the other by assigning blame, especially when GRRM laid the blame on someone else already.

8- yes, Sansa was a bully. to ignore the fact that she called Arya names and told her that Mycah and Lady’s death was solely her fault among other things, causing her to get insecurities, is not only a gross oversight of Sansa’s character, and therefore character arc and development, but also of Arya’s character. It is a disservice to both characters.

Does that mean that Sansa is the most evilest of girls? no. Sansa was encouraged and helped in that behaviour by society and other influences in her life (Jeyne, Septa Mordane, Catelyn to an extent). Does that mean that Sansa does not love Arya, or vice versa? no. Siblings are siblings, being at odds is a given. Does that mean that all is forgiven? no. bad stuff happened and and stuff will be addressed when they will be.

it is simply a fact, and another thing she must rise above in her coming of age story. if she were perfect from chapter 1, than the character and story would be rather stale for a coming of age books series.

does that mean that Arya is perfect? of course not, i only mention this since i see it a lot and it is pretty undebateable and an integral part to a character.

it is also a pretty great example for how no character is perfect, and pointing flaws in characters aren’t personal attacks to them or the people who like said characters, when done respectfully.

9- both girls can share imagery and traits. Ned says that they are different as Sun and Moon, but difference does not mean opposite. They can contrast each other, but only because they have similarities. arguments like “arya can’t be this because sansa is” or “sansa cant be that because arya is” is not only a false argument but an insulting one to both characters. ultimately they have the same parents and were raised in the same place by and with the same people. they are going to have similarities. them not having them would frankly be bad writing.

10- both girls could probably have survived if they were in the other’s shoes, they would not have survived in the same way. They were put in the situation they were because of their own actions and decisions and characterization, however, so the argument is pointless, unless you want to write a canon-divergent fanfic. the girl’s ways of survival is nothing to be ashamed of either way.

11- Catelyn and Ned aren’t perfect, utopic parents. parenting as a lord and lady is not much of a hand on task (hence the use of nannies and septas and others) so in that regard they might be better than most, but every parent will have a child they know and understand and enjoy better. that does not mean they are necessarily neglectful, or that they do not love all of their children. just that duties and personalities are unique.

Ned smiled at Arya when she brought flowers and talked with her in king’s landing. Ned also talked to sansa in king’s landing, even though it is not on page (insinuated, but unlike his discussion with arya it did not move the plot much and di not need to be written...until it did). he brought both girls to pray with him in the godswood when they got news of Bran. He went to the tourney because he promised Sansa to be there with her. he had “seen them both to bed, Sansa with her dreams and Arya with her bruises” that night.

The argument that Ned was neglectful is just a bad take when you consider both his duties and the parenting expectation on him, and the canon evidence and lack thereof.

It could be revisited, of course, but at them moment, with the information we have now at our disposition, it is not only difficult argument to make, and one that doesn’t prove anything but that Ned might no be the best parent, which is rarely the subject at hand in these arguments.

12- yes, there will be baggage to unpack when/if they reunite. It would be be writing if there wasn’t. GRRM even said there would be. Will it be both of them going at each other’s throats? no. both of them love each other, and since their last meeting, have gone through enough experiences to prioritize. ie, surviving the long night or doing the big task of the moment will probably be more important then that one dress Arya may have stained, or how Sansa called her Horseface. would it be interesting to see the discussion when it happens? yes. But it won’t end in attempted murder when both of them for a long time have wanted nothing more that to be home with family, including each other.

Conclusion:

in the same way you don’t say Sun vs Moon, but Sun and Moon, don’t go Arya vs Sansa.  It is time to stop yelling at each other and hating each other, but to act as civilized adults who share a love for a same series, even if in different ways.

Reread the series with an open mind. Consider facts given. filter what is canon and what is fanon, what is book canon and what is show canon.

open healthy discussions and debates. critique yourself and your own fave before thinking of critiquing other’s. If you somehow insult or mock or send hate to someone that gives an opinion or insight you don’t like, don’t post anything at all, take a deep breath, reconsider rationally, and only answer with arguments.

I want to see how people see Sansa’s evolution away from denial and the majour steps and events that lead to it, not how she is a traitor to house stark or a majour political player, when she is arguably neither.

I want to see people’s opinions on how Arya’s different uses of aliases and faces and their experiences would affect her or not in her growth, not how she is a psychopath serial killer who murders everyone, or how she is the ideal Stark.