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[pixiecactus]

i just know that arya stark will absolutely love the concept of "found family", i mean, she was actually forming her own pack in acok and asos before things went from shitty to absolute shit!

[pixiecactus]

I think fans who argue that the moral choice for Dany would have been to keep out of politics and settle down somewhere quietly seem to prioritise a character keeping their own hands clean rather than getting them dirty doing something of significant value.

[pixiecactus]

Do you have a list of GRRM quotes about Arya? I know he has talked about her importance, and knowing where he was going with her story and what not.

Well, I do not have all of them, but here is what I do have. (Note: I left out some references that I thought were uninteresting, like if he just randomly includes her in discussion or it is something we have already had answered.)

*Edit: forgot this one. On Arya and Braavos:

He said that LOVES to write about Arya’s adventures in Braavos. He said he could write whole novels about. That received a huge applause until he joked that maybe he could put off Winds to do so. [source]

On Arya being his favorite female character/his second favorite character of all his characters written/being one of the closest characters he relates to:

“I do have my favorite characters, of course. Tyrion, Arya, Jon … but I love them all. Even the ones I kill.” -GRRM

A part from Tyron, is there any female character you love more than the others?

Oh, probably Arya… but as with the men, I love them all. -GRRM

First of all the books are amazing (ASOIAF, Wild Cards, the other stuff, its all great), thank you. Two related questions, and one unrelated one. While you probably have strong feelings for all the characters you write, do you have any “favorite characters” from A Song of Ice and Fire who you enjoy writing/simply like more than other characters?

Tyrion.  Arya is fun to write as well. -GRRM

“Years and years later, when Wild Cards came around, I would use Bayonne and 35 East First Street to flesh out a character named Thomas Tudbury, elsewise known as the Great and Powerful Turtle. “Yes,” I would admit sheepishly when asked, “I am Tom Tudbury, only without the kickass teke.”

And that’s true, and that’s false.

Tommy’s me … but no more than all the others. Robb is me in “Song for Lya,” as Dirk is me in Dying of the Light … though Arkin Ruark and Jaan Antony in that one are both me as well. Abner Marsh is me, as his proud sidewheeler Fevre Dream is the excursion boat to Far Rockaway, only the passengers drink blood instead of Kool-Aid. Sandy Blair is J-school me, Peter Norten is chess club me, Kenny Dorchester is me trying to lose weight. Holt in “The Stone City,” he’s the kid lying in the grass, staring up at distant stars. Trager is me on a dark night of the soul, bleeding poison from three wounds named Josie, Laurel, Rita. Jon Snow has me in him, and Sam Tarly. The women too, Lyanna and Shaara, and the girls, Arya and Adara … Daenerys Stormborn, searching for that house with the red door. And Tyrion Lannister? Oh, yes. The Imp is me in spades, the horny little bastard.” -GRRM

On Arya as a favorite of the readers:

At the koffeklatche, George said the two favorite characters [of readers] were Tyrion and Arya. [source]

Tyrion y Daenerys [una reina interpretada por Emilia Clarke] son dos de las invenciones más vívidas de toda la saga. Son dos de los personajes más populares, aunque creo que los más populares en todo el mundo son Jon Snow y Arya. -GRRM

(The translation of that one is just that the interviewer said that Tyrion and Dany are two of the most compelling/vivid characters in the series, and GRRM says that they are popular but he believes Jon Snow and Arya are more popular/the two most popular of all the characters.)

On why Arya was in both AFFC and ADWD despite it going against his system:

"It broke down pretty well according to geography. I could have omitted Arya. I hesitated over her because she is on the other continent, but she had only three chapters. I was moving Jon Snow, Tyrion and Dany-three of my four most popular characters-into the other book. If I moved Arya too, it might not be a good idea. She’ll actually appear in both books." -GRRM

On Arya and the end/principle endgames:

"Some major characters — yes, I always had plans, what Tyrion’s arc was gonna be through this, what Arya’s arc was gonna be through this, what Jon Snow’s arc is gonna be. I knew what the principal deaths were gonna be, and when they were coming.” -GRRM

“Essentially I know the big stuff, but a lot of little stuff occurs in the course of the writing. And of course some of the little stuff is very, very important. The devil is in the details. The devil is what makes the journey more than just an outline or a Cliff’s Notes kind of experience. So I may know the ultimate fates of Jon Snow and Daenerys and Arya and some of the other principal characters. But I don’t necessarily know the ultimate fates of Dolorous Edd or Hot Pie, you know. Well, I have a few ideas about those, but still.” -GRRM

Will Arya have any significant impact on events later in the series?

No comment. -GRRM

On Arya’s (and Sansa’s) conception:

 Arya was one of the first characters created. Sansa came about as a total opposite b/c too many of the Stark family members were getting along and familes aren’t like that. Thus, Sansa was created; he ended by saying they have deep issues to work out. [source]

On Arya supposedly being an assassin/the inspiration of being a child soldier:

So when you had first introduced Arya, you knew she was going to become an assassin?

Well she’s not an assassin yet. You are assuming she is going to become one. She’s an apprentice.

But she’s already going around killing people and she’s learned a lot of the secrets.

Not only in Ice and Fire — we also did this bit in the Wild Cards series, the whole thing of the child solider is a fascinating construct. We have this picture of children [as] so sweet and innocent. I think some of the recent history in Africa and some of the longer history have shown that under the right circumstances, they can become just as dangerous as men, and in some ways more dangerous. On some level, it’s almost a game to them. -GRRM

On Arya and Nymeria, being “adrift”:

Shaw: You mentioned how closely tied the Stark children are with the direwolves, but how about Sansa now that Lady’s dead? Martin: She lost hers, so it kind of leaves her a little adrift. Of course Arya has lost her’s too, she’s separated from Nymeria. [source]

On Arya (and Sansa’s) name(s):

The names Arya and Sansa are meant to represent the polar opposites of their characters, Arya being a hard sounding name, Sansa a softer more pretty name, etc. [source]

On Parris, GRRM’s wife, opinion of Arya:

Parris has proclaimed that Arya cannot die! (No, she wasn’t there :( but he mentioned it when someone said that he’s not allowed to kill Dany) [source]

On his favorite line ever written:

What is your favorite line you’ve ever written?

“I certainly like ‘Stick ‘em with the pointy end.’ And it’s more than one line, but I like the ‘Oath of the Night’s Watch.’ I revised it a number of times, polished it to get it exactly how I wanted it and to this day, it still gives me goosebumps when I hear it.” [source]

On Jon/Arya:

Granny: Are you trying to say something to the reader by drilling into us how much Arya and Jon love each other?George_RR_Martin: “Say something to the reader?” No, I’m just reporting how the characters feel. Of course, everything in the book says something to the reader. -GRRM

On Arya/Sansa and education:

How closely does Westeros resemble the real Middle Ages in terms of social customs and gender roles? For example, would highborn ladies have been expected to bathe guests and know how to make cheese, etc.? Sansa’s education and training seemed rather impractical - did the fault lie with her parents or were all young ladies raised like that?

Sansa is more than just a young lady.  She’s the daughter, not just of a noble, but of one of the most powerful nobles in Westeros.  The great houses stand far above the lesser nobles, as the lesser nobles do above the smallfolk.

She would not make cheese, no.  But Arya might think it would be fun. -GRRM

And every single time skip answer includes Arya, gendrie has compiled a nice little list here.

Overall, GRRM talks about Arya a lot. I left out some of his more random references to her, but there’s others. Probably others I don’t even know about.

[pixiecactus]

you had me at the first lines, not gonna lie, but yeah.

this faceless man apprentice, is shown to have a certain mental conundrum going on in all of her braavos chapters, she's training hard to become "no one", we have her recalling memories of a westerosi noble girl called arya, someone with whom she has a deeper connection and this person has to correct themselves in several occasions with a variation of "this was some other girl, not me". but even without that context in hand, the meaning of the quote is still plain for me to see. because this person even says the name of the person she is not: arya... meaning arya stark of winterfell, who has a line in the first book saying that:

Arya would have given anything for a cup of milk and a lemon cake.

it's frustrating that such a simple quote, whose meaning is plain for everyone to see, actually gets discourse

because i just saw a post related in the tag and some discourse in other site (how did you guess it was quora)... did you know that this arya quote:

A thousand years ago, she had known a girl who loved lemon cakes. No, that was not me, that was only Arya

is about our lord and saviour sansa stark? if you don't believe it, or if you do, because how dares someone like arya like a dessert full of patriarchal femininity like lemon cakes too, you can found more about this in the new edition of the asoiaf books: asosas "a song of sansa and sansa" because what do you mean grrm has done interviews naming his favourites characters and sansa is not even mentioned once, i don't see it, i don't hear it. everything grrm writes is about sansa, did you know young grrm looked like kit harington when he was young, what do you mean kit harington's jon snow portrayal is not at all like the books description, of course it is, and grrm and kh both married a red headed woman, that is foreshadowing, let me show you all of my metas that's all based on jonsa fics and not in the books. all hail the red wolf of winterfell... what do you mean that this sobriquet is not even in the books? what do you mean that the animal comparison sansa get in the books is a bird? no no no she's all direwolf, the most "stark" of them all, the rest of her siblings will die and get stuck inside their wolves to finally give queen sansa the wolf pack she always deserved and was born to command. ps: talking about the fact that sansa is a lannister by marriage, and robb disinherited her in his will for this same fact, and also currently wanted by the crown for regicide is plain old misogyny... do you truly hate girls winning that much?

(this is h e a v y sarcarsm ofc, salt if you will. i do think i need it to clarify because sansa stans are definitely not known for their media analysis abilities)

[pixiecactus]

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

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

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

x

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Arya also have ton of swan symbolism.

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

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

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

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

[pixiecactus]

i just know that arya stark will absolutely love the concept of "found family", i mean, she was actually forming her own pack in acok and asos before things went from shitty to absolute shit!

[pixiecactus]

because i just saw a post related in the tag and some discourse in other site (how did you guess it was quora)... did you know that this arya quote:

A thousand years ago, she had known a girl who loved lemon cakes. No, that was not me, that was only Arya

is about our lord and saviour sansa stark? if you don't believe it, or if you do, because how dares someone like arya like a dessert full of patriarchal femininity like lemon cakes too, you can found more about this in the new edition of the asoiaf books: asosas "a song of sansa and sansa" because what do you mean grrm has done interviews naming his favourites characters and sansa is not even mentioned once, i don't see it, i don't hear it. everything grrm writes is about sansa, did you know young grrm looked like kit harington when he was young, what do you mean kit harington's jon snow portrayal is not at all like the books description, of course it is, and grrm and kh both married a red headed woman, that is foreshadowing, let me show you all of my metas that's all based on jonsa fics and not in the books. all hail the red wolf of winterfell... what do you mean that this sobriquet is not even in the books? what do you mean that the animal comparison sansa get in the books is a bird? no no no she's all direwolf, the most "stark" of them all, the rest of her siblings will die and get stuck inside their wolves to finally give queen sansa the wolf pack she always deserved and was born to command. ps: talking about the fact that sansa is a lannister by marriage, and robb disinherited her in his will for this same fact, and also currently wanted by the crown for regicide is plain old misogyny... do you truly hate girls winning that much?

(this is h e a v y sarcarsm ofc, salt if you will. i do think i need it to clarify because sansa stans are definitely not known for their media analysis abilities)

[pixiecactus]

Hello friend! If you’re still taking requests, maybe Jon Snow playing with Gendrya’s child(ren) or teaching them how to stick them with the pointy end.

Love your art!

He really want his favourite uncle to tech him.

Mother is all for it.

Father is proud.

[pixiecactus]

I'm late for the discourse (again) but I just wanted to saying something.

JUST 👏 BECAUSE 👏 EVERYONE 👏 DOES 👏IT 👏 DOESN'T 👏 MEAN 👏 IT'S 👏 RIGHT.

Is it typical for siblings to fight? Yes

That makes it okay? No it's not. Even if they are children, cruel things can be said that can affect the other person who, I remind you, is also a child.

So stop using the argument that "they are sisters" or that "they were just children" because if for that reason the things that happened in that age were not important then bullying in schools would not be a problem.

Sansa was wrong in the way she treated Arya and accepting that doesn't mean we think she's the worst monster ever lmao

[pixiecactus]

A man was pushing a load of tarts by on a two-wheeled cart; the smells sang of blueberries and lemons and apricots. Her stomach made a hollow rumbly noise. “Could I have one?” she heard herself say. “A lemon, or … or any kind."

Arya would have given anything for a cup of milk and a lemon cake, but the brown wasn’t so bad.

She drank it down at once. It was very tart, like biting into a lemon. A thousand years ago, she had known a girl who loved lemon cakes. No, that was not me, that was only Arya

shoutout to this user in asoiaf.westeros who said:

but it's really tiring that at the end of the day, these people really try to make everything about sansa.

because i just saw a post related in the tag and some discourse in other site (how did you guess it was quora)... did you know that this arya quote:

A thousand years ago, she had known a girl who loved lemon cakes. No, that was not me, that was only Arya

is about our lord and saviour sansa stark? if you don't believe it, or if you do, because how dares someone like arya like a dessert full of patriarchal femininity like lemon cakes too, you can found more about this in the new edition of the asoiaf books: asosas "a song of sansa and sansa" because what do you mean grrm has done interviews naming his favourites characters and sansa is not even mentioned once, i don't see it, i don't hear it. everything grrm writes is about sansa, did you know young grrm looked like kit harington when he was young, what do you mean kit harington's jon snow portrayal is not at all like the books description, of course it is, and grrm and kh both married a red headed woman, that is foreshadowing, let me show you all of my metas that's all based on jonsa fics and not in the books. all hail the red wolf of winterfell... what do you mean that this sobriquet is not even in the books? what do you mean that the animal comparison sansa get in the books is a bird? no no no she's all direwolf, the most "stark" of them all, the rest of her siblings will die and get stuck inside their wolves to finally give queen sansa the wolf pack she always deserved and was born to command. ps: talking about the fact that sansa is a lannister by marriage, and robb disinherited her in his will for this same fact, and also currently wanted by the crown for regicide is plain old misogyny... do you truly hate girls winning that much?

(this is h e a v y sarcarsm ofc, salt if you will. i do think i need it to clarify because sansa stans are definitely not known for their media analysis abilities)

[pixiecactus]

because i just saw a post related in the tag and some discourse in other site (how did you guess it was quora)... did you know that this arya quote:

A thousand years ago, she had known a girl who loved lemon cakes. No, that was not me, that was only Arya

is about our lord and saviour sansa stark? if you don't believe it, or if you do, because how dares someone like arya like a dessert full of patriarchal femininity like lemon cakes too, you can found more about this in the new edition of the asoiaf books: asosas "a song of sansa and sansa" because what do you mean grrm has done interviews naming his favourites characters and sansa is not even mentioned once, i don't see it, i don't hear it. everything grrm writes is about sansa, did you know young grrm looked like kit harington when he was young, what do you mean kit harington's jon snow portrayal is not at all like the books description, of course it is, and grrm and kh both married a red headed woman, that is foreshadowing, let me show you all of my metas that's all based on jonsa fics and not in the books. all hail the red wolf of winterfell... what do you mean that this sobriquet is not even in the books? what do you mean that the animal comparison sansa get in the books is a bird? no no no she's all direwolf, the most "stark" of them all, the rest of her siblings will die and get stuck inside their wolves to finally give queen sansa the wolf pack she always deserved and was born to command. ps: talking about the fact that sansa is a lannister by marriage, and robb disinherited her in his will for this same fact, and also currently wanted by the crown for regicide is plain old misogyny... do you truly hate girls winning that much?

(this is h e a v y sarcarsm ofc, salt if you will. i do think i need it to clarify because sansa stans are definitely not known for their media analysis abilities)

[pixiecactus]

While we're at it: using language that downplays genocide is a form of genocide denial.

Joe Biden isn't doing a bad job, Joe Biden is providing material support for genocide.

Israel isn't handling the situation badly, Israel is committing genocide.

Employing euphemisms minimizes the reality of this genocide. It's disrespectful and dangerous.

If you are more uncomfortable with the word genocide than you are with the reality of genocide, then you are not prepared to be part of any serious discussion. Work on that on your own time.

[pixiecactus]

grrm absolutely knew what was doing putting these three together

[pixiecactus]

you're so right about that!! arya strolling around and watching the sunset in high heart with some of the cutest boys in westeros is honestly what she deserves

By sunset they were at the top, making camp where no harm could come to them. Arya walked around the circle of weirwood stumps with Lord Beric’s squire Ned, and they stood on top of one watching the last light fade in the west. From up here she could see a storm raging to the north, but High Heart stood above the rain. It wasn’t above the wind, though; the gusts were blowing so strongly that it felt like someone was behind her, yanking on her cloak. Only when she turned, no one was there.

i've always wanted to know if gendry was watching them here, i know that the paragraph is used to convey high heart's eerie atmosphere but i can't help wanting to know gendry's thoughts about it

do you guys think grrm was twirling his hair and grinning to himself when he decided to write gendry meeting the bane of his existence: lord edric dayne of starfall?

i'm rereading arya's asos chapters and it's so funny how arya and gendry meeting a 12 year old blond boy with dark blue eyes that almost appear purple makes gendry jealous in the spot, like a switch that went off, even before realizing said boy is nobility and the lord of starfall.

[pixiecactus]

do you guys think grrm was twirling his hair and grinning to himself when he decided to write gendry meeting the bane of his existence: lord edric dayne of starfall?

i'm rereading arya's asos chapters and it's so funny how arya and gendry meeting a 12 year old blond boy with dark blue eyes that almost appear purple makes gendry jealous in the spot, like a switch that went off, even before realizing said boy is nobility and the lord of starfall.

[pixiecactus]

Jon shrugged. "Girls get the arms but not the swords. Bastards get the swords but not the arms. I did not make the rules, little sister."

Arya gets the arms but not the swords while jon gets the swords but not the arms. That is the rule of the patriarchal society.

But immediately after this jon breaks the rule of patriarchy (one of the many rules he later breaks for arya) and gifts arya a sword. And i think i am certain that arya will also break the rule for jon and give him the arms. Arya would give jon arms of house stark by marrying him.

This is why this quote is very cool and near to my heart.

[pixiecactus]

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

so i've seen this quote used in a "see arya is not an outsider" kind of way, and here are my two cents that nobody asked for.

for me arya being an outsider is deeply connected to her self-esteem issues... so in this badly written essay i will (just kidding i couldn't write an essay even for the life of me):

imo this quote is a passive way to show sansa's classism, yeah arya is a friendly little girl, that's true, but i take more this quote as sansa meaning arya's comfortable in making friends with "the lowest of the low". there's a reason why jeyne poole and beth cassel were only sansa's friends and not arya and sansa's friends. growing up in winterfell, arya's mother, her assigned teacher and her older sister and her friends told and showed arya time and time again how she's not an adequate lady and how her behavior as a 9 year old child is completely unacceptable of a lady from a great house. (which is a little hypocrate coming from someone who once was 12 year old "mud pie maker" catelyn tully)

hello "arya's self-esteem issues that people love to ignore", there's a reason why when gendry tells arya she looked pretty and ladylike (i know the phrase used is "a nice oak tree" but guess what my book copy is in spanish and here gendry says "un roble bonito" and bonito is directly translated as "pretty") arya thinks gendry is mocking her, because she believes only her father and jon would say something like that of her while being truthful.

for fucks sake, it gets even worse. arya was anxiously worried about her mother and brother not wanting her back because she had to survive in middle of a war, she had to pass as a boy to avoid sexual violence, which women, girls and even femme presenting people are the primary victim of, she had to kill in situations where it was "kill or be killed", she had to work as a slave, she's dirty and could be simply defined as a mess, completely the contrary of the idea of someone "ladylike" that has been drilled into her head by many people.

arya is loved by her brothers, smallfolk and the people that worked for the starks, but was made an outsider in her own homeplace because she's not good at performing the gender roles expected of her. nobility treats her as an outsider, just because this little girl is gender non conforming. arya is still growing up with low self-esteem with the feeling that nobody would ever want her except for jon. a feeling that was born of failing her obligatory "lady duties" and being bullied and mocked by this fact, by the very own teacher employed by her family and some family members alike. we have arya's own mother constantly comparing the child who excels at her tasks with the child that fails these tasks in an attempt for the child that is failing to improve, which is horrible methoding and only ends up with arya feeling even more inadequate as someone who is a member of a noble house.

even the "arya was clearly ned's favourite" is laughable for me, because even in the part where ned gives back needle to arya, and decides to indulge her with water dancing lessons, he's only doing this with the hope that this is simply a child's interest that arya will grow out of it, and she will finally have the realization that her only place in life is being a "dutyful lady wife" whose sons will be able to be everything she ever wanted to be only because they will be born with a cock between their legs, that's what he tells her. so there we have ned stark passively enforcing gender roles on the child that asked for the possibility of breaking gender norms while she's in a possision of power.

and having both parents telling her in one way of another that her behavior is wrong and not what is expected of her, this only reinforces arya's idea of how inadequate she truly feels, how she will never fit in nobility and how she will have to let go big parts of who she is, to comply with westeros's patriarchal idea of what a noble woman needs to be.