AryaRegina

Think about it this way: Sansa is the daughter of a Great Lord, basically a princess, she was betrothed to Joffrey, and married to Tyrion, do you think her role in play about Tyrion would be so tiny that her lines would only be "Oh, no, no, no", and "Don't, oh don't, don't touch me" and "Please, m'lord, I am still a maiden"? I think Sansa would have a bigger role than that, I think Arya plays Shae (or another "nobody") precisely because of how insignificant Mercy's character seems to be.

The fraudulent insurance man Arya killed in Braavos: And when all the coins had been counted and tasted, the old man would scrawl upon a parchment, stamp it with his seal, and give it to the captain. Else he'd shake his head and shove the coins back across the table. Whenever he did that, the other man would get red-faced and angry, or pale and scared-looking. Cat did not understand. "They pay him gold and silver, but he only gives them writing. Are they stupid?" "A few, mayhaps. Most are simply cautious. Some think to cozen him. He is not a man easily cozened, however." "But what is he selling them?" "He is writing each a binder. If their ships are lost in a storm or taken by pirates, he promises to pay them for the value of the vessel and all its contents." "Is it some kind of wager?" "Of a sort. A wager every captain hopes to lose." "Yes, but if they win …" "… they lose their ships, oftimes their very lives. The seas are dangerous, and never more so than in autumn. No doubt many a captain sinking in a storm has taken some small solace in his binder back in Braavos, knowing that his widow and children will not want." A sad smile touched his lips. "It is one thing to write such a binder, though, and another to make good on it." Cat understood. One of them must hate him. One of them came to the House of Black and White and prayed for the god to take him. She wondered who it had been, but the kindly man would not tell her. "It is not for you to pry into such matters," he said. "Who are you?"

They might be talking about the woman who bought Craven from Arya at Saltpans (she threatened Arya with a hanging unless she let herself be cheated, and so she had to sell the horse, the saddle, bridle, and blanket for a pittance)? While I wouldn't consider people who cheat children and threaten them with hanging innocent, other people might. I can't come up with any other shopkeepers.

Sure:) She hated Polliver for Needle, and she hated old Chiswyck who thought he was funny. And Raff the Sweetling, who'd driven his spear through Lommy's throat, she hated even more. She hated Ser Amory Lorch for Yoren, and she hated Ser Meryn Trant for Syrio, the Hound for killing the butcher's boy Mycah, and Ser Ilyn and Prince Joffrey and the queen for the sake of her father and Fat Tom and Desmond and the rest, and even for Lady, Sansa's wolf. The Tickler was almost too scary to hate. At times she could almost forget he was still with them; when he was not asking questions, he was just another soldier, quieter than most, with a face like a thousand other men. -Arya VI, ACOK

Okay, I have to ask, who are you talking about? "Dunsen, Chiswyck, Polliver, Raff the Sweetling. The Tickler and the Hound. Ser Gregor, Ser Amory, Ser Ilyn, Ser Meryn, King Joffrey, Queen Cersei." That's her prayer at it's longest, who do you think doesn't deserve to be on there? Dunsen: One of the Mountain's men (and all that implies), the one who stole Gendry's helm, and maybe I should remind you of the scene? "The guards were talking loudly, but she was too far away to make out the words, especially with the crows gabbling and flapping closer to hand. One of the spearmen snatched the helm off Gendry's head and asked him a question, but he must not have liked the answer, because he smashed him across the face with the butt of his spear and knocked him down. The one who'd captured him gave him a kick, while the second spearman was trying on the bull's-head helm. Finally they pulled him to his feet and marched him off toward the storehouse. When they opened the heavy wooden doors, a small boy darted out, but one of the guards grabbed his arm and flung him back inside. Arya heard sobbing from inside the building, and then a shriek so loud and full of pain that it made her bite her lip." Chiswyck: One of the Mountain's men, hit Arya in the face with his mailed fist, helped the Tickler (the torturer), he was the one who laughed while telling the story of the gang rape of a 13 year old girl. Polliver: One of the Mountain's men, stole Needle, was part of the retaking of Harrenhal (they killed everyone except for a cook and some girls "to warm their beds") Raff the Sweetling: One of the Mountain's men, killed Lommy, killed the mother who screamed after they killed her toddler, was part of the gang rape of the 13 year old, killed the brother of said girl when he tried to help her The Tickler: One of the Mountain's men, torturer, he would change "the tickling" every day (maybe so the prisoner's couldn't prepare themselves?), called Sansa a "pretty girl" and "honey sweet" while smacking his lips and smiling, he also hurt his own squire The Hound: killed Mycah the butcher's boy The Mountain: He and his men killed, raped and burnt their way through the Riverlands, he was the one who chose which prisoner to question, one woman told him everything she knew in return for her daughters safety, but he picked the daughter for questioning the next day, killed the girl who fought back after she was raped by 4-5 men every night, was part of the gang rape of the 13 year old, payed said girl's father and asked for change since she "wasn't worth a silver" Ser Amory Lorch: Killed Yoren, gave the order to storm the holdfast and kill the rest of the Night's Watch recruits Ser Ilyn Payne: Executed her father with Ice, her father's sword Ser Meryn Trant: Killed Syrio Forel King Joffrey: Killed her father, tried to kill/harm Mycah, tried to kill Arya, lied about what happened, and Arya also blamed him for the deaths of Fat Tom, Desmond and the rest(of her father's househould) and Lady. Queen Cersei: Arya blamed her for the deaths of her father, Fat Tom, Desmond and the rest, and Lady. This is not even all of their crimes, just what Arya witnessed (or heard told by said people themselves), and I'm sure there's still some I missed.

I've been in this fandom for a long time as well, and I've mostly seen Arya hate come from Sansa fans, it's not a myth... Maybe it depends on the platform? I'm mostly on tumblr, so that may have something to do with it? I usually stay away from this forum, and only check in once in a while. And I brought up the show first fans, since they usually join book discussions as well, at least on other platforms, on Tumblr the book and show fans blend more together. I already did say book Sansa fans are different, the biggest "Arya vs Sansa" argument is about the bullying, book fans usually acknowledge it and values Sansa's growth (so there's really no argument at all), while the fans who prefer the show, and lets that influence how they view the book characters, claims it didn't happen, and even say Arya bullied Sansa instead. I've mostly encountered the second kind, but again, that might be the platform? Most Arya fans want the sisters to get closure as well, I don't think they'll ever be bffs, but I do think Arya will forgive Sansa, and I do think they will end up closer than they were as children, and learn to value each other and work together:) As for Dany, I honestly haven't noticed Arya hate from Dany fans before... That's why I'm so surprised.

They're Dany fans?:( That's a new one for me, I'm so used to Dany fans loving Arya (and vice versa), and the two fan groups banding together since both are hated on by the same people: Sansa fans (to be fair, it's mostly show!sansa and jonsa fans. Book Sansa fans are usually different, but there's fewer of them than show Sansa fans, in my experience, or it might be that the show fans are just louder).

Just to be clear, you're talking about the "insurance" man who cheats his grieving customers, the deserter who abandoned Sam and Maester Aemon to make eyes at the youngest whore, and the child rapist who killed her friend Lommy? I don't feel like it should be controversial to not feel sympathy at the death of a man who raped a thirteen year old girl, in front of her father, and then laughed about it... I'm heartbroken that Arya had to be the one to kill him, she has already been through enough, but I'm not gonna lie, I'm truly glad someone did it. And she does seem to feel guilty about Dareon's death, her nightmare included him.

Happy to hear it:) I agree, she is really empathetic, this is the girl who felt sorry for the fleas in her clothes when she needed to wash. Her love and empathy for the smallfolk is what truly endeared her to me. There was no way for me not to love the little girl who defended a "nobody" like Mycah from the crown prince. And yeah, the fact that she needed to hear about the insurance man cheating widows to kill him says a lot, she still has a sense of justice, and right and wrong, I agree, Jon is really important to Arya, and she to him. I think they could be considered platonic soulmates, there's a reason GRRM has written Jon to think of Arya as his heart and him as her home, though I don't really know what that reason is yet. I think there's too many connections between LSH and Arya for it not to lead to something though. The biggest change is maybe that she's less open now than she used to be? Her friendships in Braavos are more, I don't really know the right word, maybe shallow? While she still befriends new people, she doesn't trust anyone with her heart anymore, she no longer has anyone to share her secrets with. She also doesn't feel as bad for killing people as she used to, though that might be because she has only killed people she's considers guilty since she arrived in Braavos (Dareon is still in her nightmare though). I agree, it will be really interesting to see her face her past. As for Sandor, I don't really know? I'm not his biggest fan, but I know GRRM seems to like SanSan (enough for him to ask for them to be drawn instead of someone else for the 2012 calendar), so Sandor might return to play a part in Sansa's story, and since Arya and Sansa are most likely going to meet again, maybe?

I apparently have a different view of Arya than many of this forum... I don't think she's insane, cruel, evil, mean, too far gone, doomed to die, or anything like that, and I genuinely don't understand how anyone got that from reading her chapters, but whatever. I think she is at heart a sweet and kind girl, who has been through trauma after trauma, she's heartbroken and lonely, and feels like she has nowhere to go. So she stays at the House of Black and White, but only for now. I think she will leave Braavos soon after the Mercy chapter and return to Westeros. I think she will reunite with the Brotherhood without banners, and meet (and maybe mercy kill) Lady Stoneheart. Then she will reunite with Nymeria, and go North, maybe after another peptalk from the Old Gods. She will give up on her prayer, and instead focus on her remaining family. I don't believe she will be out swordfighting during the war against the others, she will use her other powers instead, like skinchanging (Nymeria's giant wolfpack being a Chekhov's gun and all that). Maybe she will stay behind to defend Bran/Rickon. I think in the end she will become a Lady of her own Keep, or maybe Bran's hand, I believe she will end the story in a position that will help the smallfolk.

Maybe because she was there when the Mountain's men laughed about gang raping a thirteen year old girl? Edit: And the second guard in the Mercy chapter was disgusted by Raff, and mentioned Mercy being a child