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sdwolfpup · 3 years

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I honestly believe JB have more of a chance at a happy ending together than A*ya/Gend*y or S*nSa* since the former reads as a first love than than a life-long love while the latter is creepy to me. And to be honest, George not doing the time skip probably killed these ships happening in canon and not just as a note in an epilogue.

At this point, I feel the ships that have the most chance at being canon (and possibly a happy ending) are JB, Asha/Whichever Boy Toy She Choose Though I Think She Should Choose Alysane Mormont, Theon/Jeyne Poole, Arianne/Daemon Sand, Edmure/Roslin, J*n Sn*w/D*ny (:/, you did a whole incest is bad thing George, why backtrack here) and either Arianne/fAegon or Elia Sand/fAegon (Aegon super doomed though). I’ve heard arguments about Tyrion/Penny so I’m interesting in seeing where that’s going.

I would like to see Loras find a second love because I think he deserves to be happy and not devote his life to a celibate service that will force him into ethically comprising positions.

Let me lead off with: thank you for this ask! It’s been really interesting to think about. It’s been sitting in my box for a few days because every time I think about it, my mind kind of skitters away from how to respond and I realized this morning it’s because I think that in a lot of ways George doesn’t care about shipping in terms of the romance being the point beyond how it affects his larger plot. Yes, even Jaime/Brienne. I know that’s not a popular opinion in this fandom, but my sense of the books (YMMV, IMO, etc. etc.) is that he is writing to the plot and the relationships drive parts of that plot but they are stepping stones to get everyone where he wants them. I think Jaime and Brienne’s relationship is important to him because of the changes it causes for each character, but then I also think he’s taking that next step to use those changes to further drive plot. This isn’t a criticism of George’s writing on this front, btw, just that I don’t think George thinks about the time skip or how he’s going to shape things in terms of “is this going to get JB together towards a happy ending” so much as “is this going to get Jaime and Brienne to where I need them to be to accomplish the things I want in the story.”

So the question I ask myself is: are they being together in the canon before an epilogue something he wants for this plot, and I think it is. To what purpose, I honestly can’t say, but the Long Night and their swords are significant. Beyond that, I truly don’t know. I have seen so many theories that I just throw my hands up at this point. It could go several different ways, but it all depends on what George has in his head and he’s, unfortunately, the only one who knows that.

But that original question is the one I ask myself for all of these pairings - does GRRM want Arya and Gendry together before the end of the book for some reason that will serve his larger plot? I could see it, if Gendry being a Baratheon does becomes a significant part of his story. Although Arya is a child in the books so I don’t anticipate that being consummated exactly. Same for Sansa and Sandor - I think Sandor’s love for her will be a plot-relevant thing, but especially given the age problem with them (she’s SO YOUNG in the books), I don’t see that being consummated in any way in the series itself. Unless he shoves the time jump in somewhere else, which again: who the heck knows.

For the others -- I could see them all, but only in passing and only as they become relevant to the sprawling plot he’s trying to bring together. He doesn’t have space to spend time on shipping, so “making it canon” is going to be limited at best, and anything extensive is going to focus on major POV characters, and is going to be how it impacts the plot (which is why I could see Jon and Dany being a Thing).

I DO honestly think the response to the end of Game of Thrones might be affecting him, and he might change some of the ideas he’d had before to fit a new and (I suspect) better path. But then again he may just be a stubborn fuck and double down. I love everyone’s speculation, but I have come to this calm pool of “only GRRM knows what GRRM meant, and we’re not gonna know unless he tells us.” That doesn’t invalidate people’s meta, btw, just that in a sense of “being canon,” that’s on George. Seeing as we’re never gonna get ADWD at this point (and also probably not TWOW let’s be real), canon is quantum and all things are possible and frankly I love that for fandom. Tyrion’s your valonqar and Sansa marries Jon and Bronn gets skewered by Brienne’s sword? Great. JB end up on Tarth and Arya lives a roving and restless life occasionally meeting up in nameless inns with Jaquen when she’s older and Sansa becomes queen in the north and eventually marries her long-time guard Hyle? Well. Some of us think it happens like that. *shifty eyes*

Though personally I think Loras is gonna die. I have no snippets or plot-based reasons to back that up, it’s just a ~feeling~. I don’t want him to (or not to), but it feels like he will. Grandly.

#asoiaf #asks answered #anonymous #meta #my sansa/hyle end game headcanon has spun out of control y'all #the loneliest island

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tellywoodtrash · 5 years

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khkt 27.08.19 lb

ugh starting itself with rohan/pari???? no. absolutely not. fuckkkkkkkk offffffffffffff.

lol ofc nishi is one of those women who picks hangry arguments with her husband about the chand not coming out.

yk ne rohit ka bhanda phod diya. the only thing he asked of you was to not let anyone know he was at the kewalramanis! (oh and also pretend to be his gay partner from hereon, but there seemed to be no secrecy around that.)

akash is back to being a goddamn pain in the butt.

also he kinda looks like a menacing lump of upma today. the kind i don't like, with tons of veggies in it.

"propose"???? could you ppl calm your fucking tits, my god. at this rate you’ll be picking out names for the babies by next week.

snort. ofc.

"officially"???? abhi se grahpravesh karvaayenge kya uska?????

oh boy. thodaaaa zyaada hi suhaagan. she looks right out of a karwachauth mahaepisode.

rohit is right in his distress. yeh kyaaaaa hai???

(but also, he slipped in a compliment about how nice she was looking at the kewalramanis!)

literally what the hell, sona? SHAGUN?!?!?!?!?! you didn't even wanna do this whole drama in the first place for more than one night and now you're here with shagun??????????? oyyyy veyyyyy.

"main sonakshi se pyaar karta hoon! parvati se nahi."

lol packup karwa diya shagun waale bechaaro ka.

simple aur classy. we have an idea of dr. sippy's aesthetics now. (and it seems to be the exact opposite of how every woman in his family dresses.)

she can't change all this without sunita. but why fear when dr. sippy is here!!!!

ASLKJDFDLSKJFLKSJFKS ROHIT, GIVE A BITCH SOME WARNING. AND I MEAN ME, NOT SONA, BUT I’M SURE SHE WOULD HAVE APPRECIATED A HEADS-UP TOO, BEFORE YOU PLANTED YOUR LIPS RIGHT UP ON HER NECK.

HNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG.

"tum jaao, mujhe change karna hai."

"nahi."

sksksksksksk whut, dr. sippy kuch zyaada hi involve ho rahe ho is drame mein?

(but also, i feel like he spoke out of impulse, and then came up with what followed as a cover up?)

all an elaborate ruse to get her to open her hair! *deeeeeep happy sighhhhhhhhhh*

btw, sona is a little tooooooo obliging haan? khud bhagwan bhi neeche aake tell me to wash my hair on a day it's not scheduled, and i'd tell him the most adamant NO. and my hair is muchhhhh shorter than hers.

alsdkjalsdkjlasd he’s gawking at her to ‘ek ladki ko dekha toh aisa laga....’ DR. SIPPY, YOU A GONERRRRRRR.

he can't talk!!!!!!!!!!!! his mouth is moving, but there’s nothing coming out!!!!!!!!!!!!! he's literally speechless!!!!!!!! rohit sippy, who has a wiseass remark for EVERYTHING, cannot muster up the words!

YAS BOY, YOU GIVE MY QUEEN THE RESPECT AND APPRECIATION SHE DESERVES!!!!!!!!!

his voice legit got deeper when he said "sonakshi" and i died 3 times and came back to life. oufffffffffff.

yes, love my girl! love her good!!!!

ouff nishi. why such a regina george?

veena and tanya to the rescue.

waise tanya is perfectly adorable. wtf is rohan’s problem????? fucking loser.

(un)intended parallel that the moon appeared as soon as sonakshi did?

lmao buckle up rohit, it's going to be a long night of these stinkfaces.

ohhhhhh boy, isse pooja bhi karwayenge. it's her first visit you guys, can you stop overwhelming her like this????

lol stinkface #2 and 3 in quick succession.

ugh nishiiiiiiiii.

god i love veena for not buying into that apshagun nonsense and overreacting. *kisses her hands*

stinkface #4. god, fuck you rohit; majaaaal hai jo tum kuch bhi karo, yun commentary pass karne ke alaava.

yk Knows. i honestly love him. i think he’s in the ajit/veena tier for me in fav characters after ronakshi.

ok it was cute at first, but now it's bordering on annoying on how vimmi keeps referring to sona as "parvati". like the worshiping and all can still be funny, but come on, call her by her real name!

ajit is so rudra singh oberoi, unwilling to give up claim to bhaiyya to new bhaabi (even one that he himself chose!)

blah blah blah blah.

yeah this tradition i can get behind. feeding each other, nom nom nom.

lol vimmi made bharwa karela specially for sona.

ok this karela looks more burnt than bharwa though.

"meri baari hai na?" hahahaha mauka pe chauka.

the family's faces!!!!!!!1

lol what a brat.

nosy chachu ko sonakshi ki bhi saari info chahiye.

omg vimmi shush!

god, she's so damn wholesome.

oh great everyone's making weird faces at the 10th grade padhai thing.

rohit's reassuring blink is all she needs though.

naren asking the real questions; “tumhe rohit kaise pasand aa gaya??”; coz queen, you can honestly do so much better.

ajit adding some science waala funda about opposites attract and all. as if he had NOTHING to do with all this.

passive aggressive papad crumbling/eating as a warning.

ugh rohan tumhe main sau chaantein na lagaoon? chup raho pls. beghairat.

mummy wholeheartedly approves of sona. aur kyaaaaaaa chahiye?

oh right, bua ka bhi approval. sigh, we are desi, afterall. kuladevata se lekar watchman/maali tak ka NOC chahiye hota hai yahaan pe shaadi karne ke liye.

———————————————————————

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh boy. raima is in mumbai. aaaand rohit might have come upon her?

ugh, i'm not ready for this yetttttttttt. let her go be in chandigarh for a while, during which my ronakshi can get a little closer!!!!! i need angst, proper angst whenever this raima track actually does come up!

#kahaan hum kahaan tum #khkt lbs #episode liveblogs

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vaguely-concerned · 5 years

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empire of ivory here we go!

previous temeraire let’s read here

- um excuuuuse me I have waited two books for us to come back home to britain to see everyone again and now everything is awful and shitty and scary and my fave is leaving and nothing’s how it should be??? no??? this is unfair??????

- tharkay NO please don’t go everything provably goes to hell whenever you leave D:D:D:

(to be fair to him I guess it’s understandable to want some time alone to process the absolute outrageous bullshit he just pulled for a guy he’s known for like four months)

he used his page time well tho; instantly convincing roland of his worth and making her laugh... giving laurence his cup of tea b/c he looked like he needed it more... telling laurence that he’s leaving because he promised to do that much at least... truly the best boy, off to fetch more dragons apparently because it wasn’t quite crazy enough the first time

- god I love jane roland, I’m so glad my two faves got along instantly, between them they could... maybe protect laurence from himself? at least a little??? I can but dream

- I think this is the most emotionally invested I’ve been in a piece of media since that time I spent a few months completely incoherent over uncharted, and naughty dog very kindly held my heart in their hands and chose to be gentle with it in the end but I am not so sure that is how it’s going to be for this series and I am Not Prepared for the suffering

- I love whenever laurence thinks uncomfortably about one of the various and sundry atrocities committed by the government he’s still pledged all his loyalty to. yes william maybe the british empire... is in fact not good and has enough blood on their hands to dye the ocean red. I can’t wait until he connects the dots here (and presumably has a pretty intense crisis if faith about it because it seems like one of the loadbearing structures of his character... actually no wait I’m not ready to see this D:D:D:)

- the little details like the fact that he just calls bb!roland ‘emily’ and harcourt becomes ‘catherine’ so easily in his narration now are so so sweet

- lord allendale is one of those dudes who have good politics but is a shitheel to his family and I want to smack him

laurence being the mortified poster boy of this party, though? priceless, imagine coming up with a protagonist this effortlessly involuntarily hilarious, it’s the mark of true genius

- I don’t usually quibble over things like this, but I think the edit for this fourth book specifically is a bit lacking? I’ve come across a lot of mistakes even my dumb ass can pick up on already, and I’m only a hundred pages or so in

- caught between crying and cackling at this part b/c like laurence I’m d e v a s t a t e d at the thought of temeraire getting sick but also temeraire is just like cheerfully getting laid the whole time

also how did none of the aviators think to give laurence The Talk about giving his dragon The Talk, you all know what he’s like

- oh thank god

- I have spent half of today crying about dragons coughing, how are you this fine evening good reader

- btw this series fills a hole in my soul left by jkr giving me all those tantalizing hints of different types of dragons in ‘fantastic beasts’ and never following up on it

- tharkay may not be here but laurence just mentioned him like once in his narration so let’s take the excuse to reminisce about the good old days (when tharkay was here)... remember that time when the one of his own jokes he laughed openly at was about lawyers and laurence frankly should have responded better b/c it was kind of funny and sadly temeraire doesn’t have the worldly experience to know it yet.... aaah precious, he truly is a sardonic blessing to my heart and deserves the world

okay back to our regularly scheduled content

- riley why u gotta b such a bitch about this

(I love how laurence is constantly doubting himself over this tho, as if he’s done something wrong in this situation... like honey baby if there’s one thing worth breaking a friendship over it’s probably them being cool with slavery lol. it shows how much laurence has grown, considering that this disagreement has always existed between them but he used to be willing to just overlook it... I’m so proud of you laurence)

also lol @ berkely coming in to tell them everyone can hear them, I have a desperately soft spot for him and maximus. just the image of both of them turning to him ‘united in appalled indignation’ like ‘excuse you???’ and him giving exactly zero fucks... *chef kiss emoji*

- most important information revealed in this book: a) dragons are not widely considered to have committed original sin, thank you reverend erasmus and b) laurence has taken time out of his day at some point to worry about it b/c he’s a dork

(this is the sort of world building I am hopelessly weak to lol)

- gong su tricking temeraire into eating in the most melodramatic way possible... god bless you chef

- fkjhsadkjfhsdkjalhfaskjldhf laurence judging chenery for what he’s wearing while going out into the jungle in full uniform hat included himself... I caaaaan’t

- demane has only appeared on three pages so far but if anything happens to him I’ll kill everyone in this book and then myself

- ‘average dragon speaks one million languages’ factoid actualy statistical error. Temeraire Linguist Georg, who wants a pavilion thank you very much & learns over 10,000 languages each day, is an outlier adn should not have been counted <3<3<3

(I love that temeraire is like... a nerd dragon with a hopelessly jock captain)

- laurence effortlessly rating the relative hotness of the other male aviators to try to suss out who harcourt has slept with fjsaldfhsdkljafh do you ever hear yourself think william

like this is the thing about him it’s so easy to headcanon him as bi b/c he can be so mindbogglingly oblivious it’s entirely possible he literally wouldn’t even have noticed until someone smacked him over the head with it

- see I’m very happy they found the cure but I don’t fucking trust it b/c the pattern of these books tends to be to give you one moment of ‘oh phew everything is going to be okay’ about 2/3 into the story and THEN everything goes to hell and fifty pages later laurence is dissociating and napoleon has conquered prussia

- THERE WE GO RIGHT ON SCHEDULE

temeraire is never going to let laurence go anywhere without him again and rightly so

- hasn’t mrs erasmus been through enough. can’t she just be allowed to chill

- this is really cool world building but I’m too stressed out to appreciate it

really enjoy the description of architecture tho this sounds so awesome

- sfahdfklsahdfksjda laurence making sure his clothes are as washed and presentable as possible... I can’t with you you beautiful idiot

- TEMERAIRE OH MY GOD IS HE HERE IS LAURENCE HALLUCINATING PLS SAY HE’S ACTUALLY HERE

- ...well I mean if anyone has a freudian excuse for being kind of dickish I guess it would be these guys? it’s actually pretty chill of them to only flog one of them (laurence, because he just can’t play it any way but stupid lawful good at every turn) and not just killing them all I guess, they kept them fed and stuff

- oh thank god

- temeraire you are the most darling dragon boy and I love you

I was really really worried for a moment there that the reference to the Colosseum was a not-so-subtle hint they would have to gladiator fight to the death but thankfully they were basically just calling in a parliament

- DID THIS MOTHERFUCKER JUST STAB A CHILD IN THE STOMACH?? I HOPE HE ACCIDENTALLY SHOOTS HIMSELF IN THE DICK AND DIES pls say demane is going to be okay

- aw okay finally something good for mrs erasmus I will take it

- laurence you useless fool of a narrator is demane okay??

- god roland is just so cool naomi novik really gave us a jovial butch silver fox aviator lady huh... she did that for us and I for one am full of gratitude

- oh thank GOD (hm I sense a running theme here lol) the kid is going to be okay I can breathe again

- iskierka the pirate captain + temeraire’s reaction... perfect

- ;____________; I would lay down my life for temeraire and also that’s a gutpunch of a moodswing... the perfect hilarity of ‘that is an ugly hill’ immediately followed by That... jesus

- awww every time volly shows up again is a joy (temrer!!!)

- laurence... laurence you need to stop asking people to marry you because you never actually really fucking mean it!!!!! have you learned nothing about yourself since book 1, trust your goddamn instincts for once in your life you and roland have been doing perfectly okay thus far as like... affectionate fuckbuddies right?

(her reaction was priceless tho god bless)

- aaaah there we go the british government is looking more like itself... welcome to the world of realpolitik laurence I’m really sorry :(

- “It is only dragons, you know” JANE ROLAND WTF DID YOU JUST SAY

- “This government is not of my party; my king is ill and mad; but still I am his subject. You have sworn no oath, but I have.” He paused. “I have given my word.”

:) this is... fine

(like. I know this is necessary character growth and he’s basically been a waste of a good man in service to a government like this the whole time and the writing’s been on the wall since book 1 but I don’t want this to be happening to hiiiiim)

- tfw... ur dragon boi is so good... that being anything less than good for him in turn is unthinkable...................... b o i

- ...jane doesn’t really know him very well if she didn’t see this coming from a mile off tho does she

I mean I guess she has other stuff to think about but this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone

- remember when he thought the entire corps was weird and now he’s finally at home there... and has to leave it behind :):):) super extra fine is what this is

- yeah okay laurence definitely has a crush on ol’ bonaparte noting that down lol he’s all but blushing after that kiss on the cheek

also... if you just overlook the dictator thing for a moment is napoleon wrong about what he’s saying tho. (no and not even laurence is prepared to say so he’s just going to go back there and get murdered anyway b/c idk lawful good is dumb as fuck sometimes I guess)

It’s really cool how the author shows that napoleon has a better handle on laurence’s psychology after barely meeting him than a lot of people he’s known for years now, though, really adds to his menace and appeal as a character

- wow uh that’s one way to end a book... it’s actually tipped over from tragedy into a strange sort of hilarity for me now: he literally got sued out of his life’s earnings for being a decent human being, committed treason for the same reason and is about to be hanged for thinking genocide might have been a step too far -- in the span of thirty pages. I believe ‘that escalated quickly’ is not too much of an exaggeration here

- SIPHO IS GONNA WRITE BOOKS ONE DAY YOU GUYS!!!! I PROUDLY WELCOME OUR SECOND NERD TO THE CREW

- I think this one might be my least favorite so far? not that I disliked it, it’s just the one that’s hit the worst by the fact that there’s not always that much time spent with the cultures central to the book; tswana seems really interesting but because of the way the plot played out and our limited perspective though laurence it just didn’t work for me? the cool shit comes in sipho’s book at the end, like how thoroughly they kicked the europeans out of the coast of africa, which is very cathartic (I will say that most of the second book being set on the ship and then only a sliver of it is actually in china annoyed me too haha)

I have the distinct feeling this book is setting up for some Misery and breaking of the pattern a bit in the next one though, which will be interesting! ONWARDS TO MORE PAIN AND LAURENCE IS ALREADY PASSIVELY SUICIDAL FROM THE OUTSET SO LIKE... I’M SURE THIS WILL BE REAL FUN :)

maybe my boy will be back tho? silver linings silver linings clinging to some silver linings

#temeraire #empire of ivory #meta

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thebluelemontree · 7 years

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What do you think about valientned's theory that Sansa invented the Unkiss to explain the situation in her recollections, versus the prevailing SanSan theory that she invented it because she wanted it (later)? One puts stock in the Unkiss as proof of Sansa's fear, and the other as proof of her desire or love. Not that those are mutually exclusive. +They both make sense and have evidence. IMO, the fact that Sansa makes it up after she starts having erotic dreams indicates desire for him, not fear

**Edit** I do follow valientned’s tumblr and I enjoy their posts. I was not aware of their position on the unkiss or read anything about it from them personally, so I’m taking your word for it. But I will answer from the position that some people have about the unkiss being about processing trauma or fear.***

It’s sooooo not about fear or trauma. Just, no. That makes no sense and here’s why.

I think to understand the unkiss, we have to look at it first in a literary way and why the Blackwater scene was written the way it was. What is GRRM (not Sansa) trying to say to the reader with not just the unkiss, but everything connected to it? He obviously can’t write a literal romance between them in the early books for so many horrifically unconscionable and logic-defying reasons. George is really following a literary tradition using sexual and romantic symbolism to speak directly to the reader without the characters being aware. It’s a classic Gothic literature theme of exploring sexual desire that is fraught with fear for it being taboo or somehow non-prescribed by society. Or in Sansa’s case, that it is not the ideal. (See the Bear and the Maiden Fair).

The Blackwater scene itself is not actually sexual, though it is terrifying, to say the least. It is however very sexually and romantically symbolic in its wording. The dagger as a phallic symbol, the “wetness that was not blood,” the blood-stained cloak evocative of loss of virginity, etc. BTW, we were already pre-exposed to Sandor holding a blade against Sansa’s neck and she was not scared (kind of unimpressed actually). Swords and daggers are dicks and they are everywhere.

What we’re really talking about here at the Blackwater is metaphoric wife-stealing and it’s important to understand what wife-stealing actually is. It’s a ritual among Free Folk to demonstrate to the woman a man’s prowess and worth to be considered as a suitor. They value traits of being brave, clever, and quick. Ygritte has no fear or trauma from Jon unwittingly stealing her at knife point because she is interpreting the events through her cultural lens. She enthusiastically accepts “his suit” because he passed the test. It is not an assault on the woman or an actual kidnapping. The man might get the shit beat out of him, but the woman is never supposed to be hurt. In the end, the woman has the final say if she will have him, as Tormund’s daughter Munda did with Longspear Ryk after he stole her. This custom is set apart from the already existing sexual freedom for both sexes to hook up. Wife-stealing is a public declaration of a serious romantic relationship. It’s a marriage proposal. Sandor fails the wife-stealing test metaphorically at the Blackwater. He’s drunk, scared, barely holding on mentally and he is refused.

So GRRM has given us extensive literary set-up to place the Blackwater in a symbolically romantic context. Why? So he can make the unkiss just about Sansa processing fear and trauma? That makes no sense. Now that we have the proper literary context, we can look at Sansa’s progression of thought toward the unkiss logically.

This is before the first incarnation of the unkiss:

1) It’s implied she’s already forgiven Sandor after he leaves her room wrapping herself in his cloak. She was cold, but she was already in her own bed. She has cloaks of her own. That does not speak of fear and trauma after the fact to seek out his cloak and remain under it for some time. It speaks of subconscious emotional attachment.

2) Still so hint that she was traumatized. This passage takes place approximately one month later according to the ASOIAF timeline.

I wish the Hound were here. The night of the battle, Sandor Clegane had come to her chambers to take her from the city, but Sansa had refused. Sometimes she lay awake at night, wondering if she’d been wise. She had his stained white cloak hidden in a cedar chest beneath her summer silks. She could not say why she’d kept it. The Hound had turned craven, she heard it said; at the height of the battle, he got so drunk the Imp had to take his men. But Sansa understood. She knew the secret of his burned face. It was only the fire he feared. That night, the wildfire had set the river itself ablaze, and filled the very air with green flame. Even in the castle, Sansa had been afraid. Outside … she could scarcely imagine it.

She wishes the Hound were there for his advice. She’s has spent more than one night considering the events of the Blackwater, so she’s already processed it. She secretly kept his cloak with her future wardrobe, though she can’t give a reason she is consciously aware of. She understands why things happened the way they did from a non-emotionally charged place and with critical thinking. The only fear she emphasizes is the fear of the wildfire, both inside and outside the castle. By “wondering if she’d been wise” (that slight pause over her choice but without overwhelming regret) says she might have chosen differently if he had approached her the right way.

Now we get to the first incarnation of the unkiss. Compared to what actually happened, let’s look at what’s stayed the same, what’s changed or added, what’s been removed:

Sansa wondered what Megga would think about kissing the Hound, as she had. He’d come to her the night of the battle stinking of wine and blood. He kissed me and threatened to kill me, and made me sing him a song.

He did not not come to her. He was already in the room. It’s been changed so he’s coming through the door where she can see him instead of startling her in the dark. The first thing she says is that she kissed him. The whole tone of the passage is matter-of-fact. Not emotionally charged either positively or negatively. No mention of the knife at her throat. Then he kisses her. Then he threatens her and makes her sing him a song. So the kiss comes before any threat and is tied to the song instead. The kiss didn’t come under duress, the song did.

We know from Sansa’s fantasies of Loras Tyrell, she imagines herself being an actor, not just acted upon. All while the Bear and the Maiden Fair is sang LOUDLY in the background (pointing to the subconscious) by Butterbumps just to drive the point home it’s the bear that satisfied the maiden. Loras is still very much her conscious ideal at this point. It’s the type that she is supposed to be with. He’s what the songs are made of and she wants her life to be just like a song. Sandor doesn’t fit in that superficial equation at all. That’s the struggle. The unkiss is not about coming to terms with trauma. It’s coming to terms that deep down her erotic desires are the stuff of Gothic literature. She’s not scared of Sandor, she’s scared of what wanting him says about her. Miss dutiful, oh so proper lady that she is. Ha!

Her first erotic dream that replaces Tyrion with the Hound in the marriage bed is definitely not a nightmare at the end. It comes the night of Lysa and Petyr’s very loud bedding after their marriage and after Lothor Brune (who she initially mistakes for Sandor) saved Sansa from Marillion’s unwanted advances. So if the dream is coming after she’s being reminded of sex by the wedding night and Sandor is replacing and protecting her from the unwanted, doesn’t that make his presence wanted? Desired? The context in how we interpret these things is key.

Finally, let’s get to the second and last (so far) incarnation of the unkiss:

Before she could summon the servants, however, Sweetrobin threw his skinny arms around her and kissed her. It was a little boy’s kiss, and clumsy. Everything Robert Arryn did was clumsy. If I close my eyes I can pretend he is the Knight of Flowers. Ser Loras had given Sansa Stark a red rose once, but he had never kissed her … and no Tyrell would ever kiss Alayne Stone. Pretty as she was, she had been born on the wrong side of the blanket.

As the boy’s lips touched her own she found herself thinking of another kiss. She could still remember how it felt, when his cruel mouth pressed down on her own. He had come to Sansa in the darkness as green fire filled the sky. He took a song and a kiss, and left me nothing but a bloody cloak.

It made no matter. That day was done, and so was Sansa.

Once again, we must look at the context of what sparked this final version: Robert’s clumsy kiss. Clumsy and cruel are now tied together. Although Sansa has no desire to reciprocate Robert’s crush, she does want to be kissed again. Her first inclination is to pretend he’s Loras, but that doesn’t work. She’s accepted the reality that courtship among the noble class is first and foremost about pedigree and politics. The rose given was an empty gesture. She can’t make him the focus of her desires any longer while accepting the truth. Then her thoughts pivot to her “memory” of the unkiss.

This version is far more poetic in tone than the first. The wildfire outside is now turned into a vivid backdrop to the scene, not a horrific apocalypse. There’s no knife, no threat, no vomit, no wine, no startling her in the dark, no fear. She’s removed all unwanted elements and kept only the intensity of the moment. Remember that Sansa wants to be an actor, not just acted upon. As far as she knows the unkiss is her first real, mature, and erotic kiss. And it was impulsively done (clumsy) under circumstances where she wasn’t prepared to meet it like an equal participant. And he left! The cruelty is making her desire him and leaving her nothing but a bloody cloak. While the addition of the cloak is factual, it speaks to what she was given, what she was left with, was ultimately unsatisfying though she kept it all the same. “That day is done,” there’s no going back. He upended her usual fantasies and rocked her world view. No other erotic fantasy will measure up now and it’s over before it can be satisfied. We know from the preceding passage about Loras that her conscious desires now hinge upon accepting the truth. This isn’t fear or trauma, it’s disappointment. Like “I kissed the Hound and all I got was this lousy t-shirt.” She’s consciously accepted her desire and must put it behind her immediately because he’s gone.

But not to worry because literarily speaking, GRRM has set us up for a do-over and she’s due to see him again really soon. ;)

#sansan #the unkiss #sansan meta #sansa stark #sandor clegane #literary analysis #the unkiss is not about processing trauma

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xxsparksxx · 7 years

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Hey there sparks! I just wanted to say that I love your blog and love everything Poldark related, as well as your insights into the books and characters. I've not read the books, and maybe I'm not the most astute watcher - but I definitely noticed the time inconsistency in this week's episode. Why do you think they do it? It can make it quite difficult to watch! Also (and you may have answered this already) but is Elizabeth supposed to be shown as a drunkard? Thanks!

Thank you so much :)

The timelines. OH MY GOD it drives me nuts. And there are various ways in which it could have crept in.

1) Writing. Debbie Horsfield has a great grasp of the characters and plot and the books as a whole, but nobody’s perfect, mistakes happen. This is where a good script editor should be catching these mistakes, though - it’s part of a script editor’s job, to pick up on inconsistencies in the script.

2) Filming. If a decision is made in filming - say in block 2, all the Nampara scenes, after block 1, all the France scenes - then that can introduce inconsistencies. Again, this ought to be picked up in the editing of the episodes, but sometimes it can’t be for various reasons.

3) Costuming. Related to filming, if (for example) costuming are told ‘she’s pregnant in these later scenes’, they may not get told how far along, a decision may get made as to re-using a previous baby bump, etc, etc. They may decide only to have the two stages of pregnancy - nothing showing and near full-term - because it’s easier in terms of costuming continuity, easier for the actress to know what she’s wearing in given scenes (especially location scenes), etc.

It drives me absolutely nuts, it really does. Partly, probably, because my brain is slightly non-neuro-typical and I seize on details that most people can gloss over. @princessofpoldark points out the weather changes hugely in the episode too, but that really could be explained away by daft British weather. Demelza’s pregnancy bump? Not so much.

The Elizabeth question. Oh boy. In the books, she doesn’t take to drink. In the books, frankly, she’s got very little to do in the early part of The Black Moon, and not a huge amount more later on. So I can understand them wanting to give her something else to do in the show - like with Demelza, in 3.03. They didn’t want Demelza just sitting at home waiting for Ross to come back, so she becomes more involved in her brothers’ storyline of trying to find somewhere to worship.

But with Elizabeth, they needed something else. And what’s going on in Elizabeth’s life right now? George, Valentine and Geoffrey Charles.

Geoffrey Charles has been the most important part of her life for a long time; since his birth, in fact. And now he’s growing up. He’s ten years old, and George is determined to detach mother and son because George wants her attention for himself and for their son, and because Geoffrey Charles is, after all, a Poldark. Enter Morwenna, and Geoffrey Charles is clearly having more fun with Morwenna than he did with Elizabeth. So Elizabeth feels she is losing her son, and will lose even more of him before long, because he’ll be sent away to school soon enough - George has made that clear. This conflict, btw, is all in the novel too.

Valentine is a problem for Elizabeth. She does not love him the way she loves Geoffrey Charles. She does not have a bond with him. This is true in the novel as well, but it’s become very marked in the show. The reason, of course, is that she’s afraid that Valentine might be Ross’s child, not George’s. And oh, isn’t that one just being beaten to death by everyone in the show? He’s very dark, he’s very well-formed for an early baby, etc, etc, etc. Yes. We get it. Enough now. Regardless, it’s a major source of anxiety for her.

And George. George, Elizabeth is beginning to see, is not the man she thought he was. She was wilfully blind to his more greedy, social-climbing side. She was clearly very shocked at what he did at the trial of Godolphin’s nephew - George set aside law and decency and morality in favour of making a contact. This is more of a change in the show, for both of them: George is more openly underhanded, and Elizabeth is more shocked by it. But there’s other things, too - George’s persistence in separating her from Geoffrey Charles, particularly. She never thought he would do that, because before their marriage, George always treated Geoffrey Charles with fondness. Spoiled him, in fact.

So Elizabeth, in the show, is turning to drink to manage her nerves and to get her through. Not a smart decision, but one that in the show I can see as a reasonable progression of her character. The tranquilisers are maybe a step too far for me; I need to see how it plays out before I judge. But alcohol was widely available, nobody would bat an eyelid at her having a glass of wine or port or brandy, and it would make her feel more mellow, more able to cope, and less able to think. If she doesn’t think, she can’t fret. She can’t get anxious. She can’t feel trapped and afraid and desperate.

We’ll just have to see how it plays out, though. I suspect it’ll be used as a reason for her allowing certain other events in the next episode or two, but in a way that may take away from her character (come back and ask me about Elizabeth and Morwenna in a few weeks time and I’ll explain!). As I say, so far, for the show, it’s not something that’s making /major/ alarm bells ring for me, because I can see increasing reasons for her trying to self-medicate herself into coping. But we’ll have to see. It’s certainly a major change from the books, but that in itself isn’t necessarily a reason to condemn it.

#sparks talks poldark #poldark spoilers #macayle87

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lair-of-books · 4 years

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Hello Hello Book Lovers! I’m a bit past the mid-point of the year but I was reading some FAB books I couldn’t put down & risk them not making this list. I’m pretty sure there are still some new faves out there I’ve yet to read but I’m also very happy with the ones that did make the cut in this tag. The fact that we’re still finding joy in a hobby we love in such tough times is a blessing in & of itself. This tag took me just about a day to work through but while working on it I caught up with some Booktube videos as well as my binge of The Cold Case Files on Netflix.

Best book you’ve read so far this year

Without a doubt the honor goes to All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson! (My review) this book will forever stay in my heart & soul as a genuine collection of stories (essays) that are raw & powerful. George gives us a intimate look at life growing up as a queer black man in America. At times it was very hard to listen to & others I felt like an honorary guest at the kitchen table. Race, gender, sexuality, and socio-economic differences are all explored here. Poignant & life changing, this is a book you want to have read Luvs!

Best sequel you’ve read so far this year

Out of all the prompts in this tag, this is the one I can say was the reason for this tag going up past the month of June. I was honestly holding out to read a few more sequels that I’m pretty certain are going to blow my mind but for now I have selected Ruthless Gods by Emily A. Duncan! (My review) This was 10 times darker than Wicked Saints & I was sort of anticipating this since I follow the author on Twitter. This book is more focused on Serafin but overall the character development was *chefs kiss* & the set-up for the final book which btw will be driven by a Malachiasz POV…was just A+! slower paced sequel & worth every page 😉

New release you haven’t read yet, but want to

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson (Goodreads)🖤 First off I’ll start by saying that I love reading all things witchy, even before I had read the synopsis this book was in my cart. Described as a feminist fantasy with gothic vibes that takes on race, misogyny, religion and homophobia to name a few. I received my copy in the mail about a week ago & will be reading it in August!

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

Wayward Witch (Brooklyn Brujas #3) by Zoraida Cordova the final book in a witchy series I absolutely fell in love with! This book will be following the youngest of the sisters Rose as she comes into her newfound powers. This is the third & final book so I’ll just leave it at that cause spoilers. If you’re looking for more Latinx Representation, Zoraida Cordova is such a talented writer who has become one of my top 3 favorite authors!

Biggest disappointment

This is the year I’ve re-discovered my love for reading & that’s partly because I’ve made it a priority to only read what my spider senses detect will be a hit. I’m sort of riding the wave between mood reading & arc timely reading if that’s even a thing. No disappointing reads to report as of yet and a gal is crossing her fingers it stays that way 😉

Biggest surprise

You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria (Goodreads) When I first saw this book announced I knew that I had to read! not only for the Latinx representation but also because it’s centered around telenovela stars which I figured would be pretty nostalgic for me. This book was more than what I expected in the best of possible ways. We see two Latinx characters cast in a major telenovela that is set to break barriers & stereotypes for the Latinx community. This is also the first time I read a book with Latinx characters where the Spanish in text is not italicized which gave me a more organic reading experience. I have a review in the works but for those that are interested, some of the content warnings are PTSD, anxiety, talk of loss of a parent, Cancer, alcohol as coping mechanism.

Favorite new author (Debut or new to you)

I’ve recently fallen down the rabbit hole with buying all of anything written by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia with ZERO regrets! I read Mexican Gothic (review coming) this month while at the beach & was just teleported to High Place with its Gothic/Horror vibes turned all the way up! I’ve legit started collecting Moreno-Garcias books since I plan on binge reading for a future blog post. One thing I have noticed about this author is that she isn’t boxed into any particular genre. So far I’ve seen books she’s written under the Horror, Sci-Fi, Urban Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mythology, Magical realism genres. The one thing that makes Moreno a favorite for me besides the A+ writing is that her characters are all Latinx. I’m really looking forward to reading all of her back-list books.

Newest fictional crush

Artwork Credit: Hellhoneyy (Click on photo for artist website)

I’ll admit I’ve never had a fictional crush but then Talia Hibbert went & changed all that with Zafir Ansari in Take a Hint Dani Brown (My review) he is the perfect balance between sweet cinnamon roll & a knight in shining armor. Not that Dani needed one at all but he’s old school & seeing to his ladies needs/wants is at the top of his priorities. Zaf is attentive & nurturing, he’s also super supportive. To top it all off, he has. foundation where he helps young boys shed toxic masculinity by providing a safe space where they can talk about their feelings. Zaf has my heart!

Newest favorite character

Artwork Credit: Melanie Tranchemontagne (click on photo for artist Instagram)

House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) by Sarah J. Maas (my review) was the last book I purchased before Quarantine in NYC & I LOVED it to pieces! There are so many stand-out characters but one in particular stole the show…Lehabah the small & curvy Fire Sprite. Lehabah is bashful & loves watching Fangs & Bangs. Her love for Fangs & Bangs is only rivaled by her love for our MC Bryce Quinlan. Lehabah fretted over Bryce & I just adored her!

Book that made you cry

This may come as a surprise but the book that made me cry was House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) by Sarah J. Maas (my review). If you’ve yet to read this one I’d suggest steering clear of the Goodreads synopsis since it’s VERY spoilery & in my opinion also takes away from the emotional reaction it may illicit. However, I will say what I loved most about this book is the awesome ride or die female/female friendship at its core.

Book that made you happy

Take a Hint, Dani Brown (The Brown Sisters #2) by Talia Hibbert (My Review) was THE book that made me smile & just radiate happiness all over! Between Zafir being the ideal love interest & Dani king this independent bi-sexual witch Goddess, I was LIVING for their story! the body positivity & acceptance of personalities and differences is #GOALS If I’m being honest for favorite new to me author it was a tie between Sylvia Moreno-Garcia and Talia Hibbert. Love them both so much! but this is the book that put me in a happy place.

Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)

Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia is STUNNING!!! Noemi our MC is serving 1950’s glamor with a Gothic/Horror Vibe on the cover with what looks to be dead flowers in her grasp. I LOVE this cover & story so much that I have it on display on my bedroom shelves. It is legit a source of inspiration for some upcoming paint/artwork I have planned for my bedroom walls.

What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

There are SO many wonderfully Diverse titles as well as some highly anticipated sequels hitting our shelves in the second half of this year that I absolutely can’t wait to read. These are just a few I plan on reading THIS year in an attempt to deliver my Top 20 of 200 by the end of the year…

🖤FOLLOW LAIR OF BOOKS🖤

Instagram: @LairOfBooks

Twitter: @LairOfBooks

Goodreads: LairOfBook

2020 Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag Hello Hello Book Lovers! I'm a bit past the mid-point of the year but I was reading some FAB books I couldn't put down & risk them not making this list.

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