[TWoW SPOILERS] March chapter mercy part ii

[Suzanna Stormborn]

I vaguely remember her saying she liked Bronn though who is a seasoned killer with little remorse so that's funny.

Sure Arya is not good anymore but a fan doesn't have to only root and like someone that's good. They can like her because she's bad or like her whether she's good or bad.

She kills bad people, she's like Dexter, it's ok to root for her :)

[butterbumps!]

It seems an awfully strange coincidence that the Braavosi actress would be called Lady Stork in a play about Tyrion Lannister, who is married to Lady Sansa Stark, doesn't it?

Yea, I mean it seems a bit purposeful. I can accept that maybe this is a bit of symbolic layering, as in, a reference to Sansa "little bird" Stark ("Lady Stork") performing Cersei's role as queen, whereby "Lady Stork" is merely the actress' name. I definitely think whether this is literal or symbolic, we're meant to connect Sansa to that role/ actress, whichever it is.

According to how history's played out, Cersei makes the most sense as the referent here. But what if they're going off the script, so to speak? What if "Lady Stork" becomes the queen over the course of the play, and that's why she's starting out as "Lady?" This is why I'm hugely curious about Braavos-Westeros connections-- what if this isn't merely a play about demonizing Tyrion to gain Cersei's favor, but intended to send a more dangerous message or announce some other political interest?

Also, by no means am I trying to suggest this foreshadows Sansa becoming queen of Westeros. Only that if "Lady Stork" is the character, and the idea is she's a queen, I wonder if that serves as a clue to the purpose and tone of this play. Or something.

I want to know did anyone pay attention to the info dump that the lannister guards give us. TYWIN LANNISTER WAS IN LYS ON BEHALF OF KING AERYS SO THE QUESTION IS WHY?

Other than whoring, it could have been to fetch Varys. Varys' talents were widely known and Aerys wanted him at court, so he presumably sent for him:

"I grew so respectable that a cousin of the Prince of Pentos let me wed his maiden daughter, whilst whispers of a certain eunuch’s talents crossed the narrow sea and reached the ears of a certain king. A very anxious king, who did not wholly trust his son, nor his wife, nor his Hand, a friend of his youth who had grown arrogant and overproud."

[Lord Martin]

I want to know did anyone pay attention to the info dump that the lannister guards give us. TYWIN LANNISTER WAS IN LYS ON BEHALF OF KING AERYS SO THE QUESTION IS WHY?

Probably finishing Steffon Baratheon's quest to find Rhaegar a princess. But just a guess.

[jarl the climber]

Me and my brother had this exact conversation today! I hope it's controversial in a different way because that chapter was good, but really uncomfortable to read.

Yeah it is a little I suppose but the author has stated in interviews that he was trying to explore the concept that people reached the age of maturity at a younger age and were more or less considered adults when they became 13 or 14. If Arya as a 12 yr old was having her first kiss with a boy she liked, who was her own age it would be rather pedestrian and not out of place in this day and age but that the fact that the guy is twice her age and she is trying to seduce him so she can kill him is sort uncomfortable, ecspecially so, since it probably was her first kiss. I liked the chapter overall, the fact that she had no real interaction with the temple or the Kindly Man, the Waif, etc. made it more edgy, I don't know but it was good.

[Rhaenys_Targaryen]

I want to know did anyone pay attention to the info dump that the lannister guards give us. TYWIN LANNISTER WAS IN LYS ON BEHALF OF KING AERYS SO THE QUESTION IS WHY?

He was in Lys during the time he was Aerys' Hand. It was never stated why he was there, or if it was Aerys who had send him.

[Suzanna Stormborn]

Probably finishing Steffon Baratheon's quest to find Rhaegar a princess. But just a guess.

That's definitely why, Looking for the descendants of Aerion Brightflame, too bad Illyrio found and married her

[Lord Varys]

I really think she'll face severe repercussions... If the Sealord or the Faceless Men have authorities look into it, it will come out that 'Mercy' could speak the Common Tongue (Arya dropped her role!), as well as that she approached Raff, not the other way around.

Thus I don't think Arya will get off the hook by telling a lie about Raff raping her. Technically it could work because Harys and the other guardsmen should know what sort of man Raff was, but Mercy was not supposed to approach Raff, so she really got herself into trouble there.

Ser Harys was even paranoid about his own safety in the Epilogue back in KL, he most certainly will interpret the murder of Raff as an attempt on his life. Thus it's indeed very likely that Arya's action will cause further trouble between the Iron Throne and the Sealord/the Iron Bank. This could put an end to any attempts of reconciliation between King Tommen and the Iron Bank/Braavos.

Arya knows as much, and she realizes that he life as Mercy is over. The fact that she dared to approach Raff at all is a strong hint that she wore a face. Else she most likely would not be able to got out with her own face in Braavos, and I'm not sure she would want that. And as of yet she is also not able to wear faces on her own (or remove them from corpses). And that's a trick she most likely is very eager to learn before she ever leaves the Faceless Men.

Although I don't think she will abandon them. It's much more likely that an important mission will bring her in contact with other characters.

[redriver]

I want to know did anyone pay attention to the info dump that the lannister guards give us. TYWIN LANNISTER WAS IN LYS ON BEHALF OF KING AERYS SO THE QUESTION IS WHY?

It's where whores go

[Cas Stark]

I vaguely remember her saying she liked Bronn though who is a seasoned killer with little remorse so that's funny.

Sure Arya is not good anymore but a fan doesn't have to only root and like someone that's good. They can like her because she's bad or like her whether she's good or bad.

I'm in a tailspin of despondence over this chapter, I don't know WTF is wrong with people not to see where this trajectory is headed, right now, I'm close to wishing I never even picked up GOT if this how it's going to go.

[Lady Fevre Dream]

Quill is the Forel writer right??

Quill was the writer from the The Mummer Ship from the Cat of the Canal days. Quill was there to see if Forel had written anything worth stealing, LOL

[Suzanna Stormborn]

Quill was the writer from the The Mummer Ship from the Cat of the Canal days. Quill was there to see if Forel had written anything worth stealing, LOL

oh I see, I thought it was saying something else

[Lord Martin]

its definitely Sansa, not Shae

I'm in the Shae Camp. The story is called the bloody hand, its the story of Tyrion.

The fact that Tyrion never bedded Sansa was well known in King's Landing and was a great source of shame to Tywin and House Lannister. The whole point of the play is to shame House Lannister.

We also have to consider Shae's testimony at trial. She claimed Tyrion took her against her will. She also said, "he used to make me tell him how big he was." She wasn't talking about his feet... hence the giant fake cock as a prop. Thats why Tyrion is the "Giant of Lannister"

Add to that Arya mends "Lady Stork's" dress just like Shae was made "Lady Stark's" handmaid.

Arya also plays like a whore to lure Raff to his death, there is a parallel with Arya playing a version of a real life whore, excuse me "camp follower."

[The Human Abstract]

I don't think Arya's "bad" (yet, at least... she may be going there). She's only killing extremely evil people these days. In my book, that makes her pretty much a superhero. Except not that pansy Saturday morning kind that ties them up and waits for the cops to show.

[redriver]

I take it that the ease with which she killed Raff means she's now quite advanced technically as an FM.I would assume she's been going back the the HoBaW on a frequent basis,like she did in her other FM novice guises to learn more about the ways of giving the gift.

[Chebyshov]

I'm in a tailspin of despondence over this chapter, I don't know WTF is wrong with people not to see where this trajectory is headed, right now, I'm close to wishing I never even picked up GOT if this how it's going to go.

Yikes that's quite a statement. I mean yeah, she's showing some serious psychopathy and her detachment was unsettling, but it's THAT bad? Not to mention she's one of many characters.

[Waylin Stark]

I really think she'll face severe repercussions... If the Sealord or the Faceless Men have authorities look into it, it will come out that 'Mercy' could speak the Common Tongue (Arya dropped her role!), as well as that she approached Raff, not the other way around.

Thus I don't think Arya will get off the hook by telling a lie about Raff raping her. Technically it could work because Harys and the other guardsmen should know what sort of man Raff was, but Mercy was not supposed to approach Raff, so she really got herself into trouble there.

Ser Harys was even paranoid about his own safety in the Epilogue back in KL, he most certainly will interpret the murder of Raff as an attempt on his life. Thus it's indeed very likely that Arya's action will cause further trouble between the Iron Throne and the Sealord/the Iron Bank. This could put an end to any attempts of reconciliation between King Tommen and the Iron Bank/Braavos.

Arya knows as much, and she realizes that he life as Mercy is over. The fact that she dared to approach Raff at all is a strong hint that she wore a face. Else she most likely would not be able to got out with her own face in Braavos, and I'm not sure she would want that. And as of yet she is also not able to wear faces on her own (or remove them from corpses). And that's a trick she most likely is very eager to learn before she ever leaves the Faceless Men.

Although I don't think she will abandon them. It's much more likely that an important mission will bring her in contact with other characters.

This proves troublesome though. Arya keeps breaking the rules of her training, I don't want to see her get kicked out just yet. I want to see her complete her training and become a full-fledged assassin, even though it might take time.

[Cas Stark]

Yikes that's quite a statement. I mean yeah, she's showing some serious psychopathy and her detachment was unsettling, but it's THAT bad? Not to mention she's one of many characters.

He's going to kill her, GRRM. I can't tell you much that sucks for me, and how little left of this alleged 'sweet' in the bittersweet ending would be left then. But, I will refrain from going on a rant about the good guys always losing, etc. etc.

[Suzanna Stormborn]

I take it that the ease with which she killed Raff means she's now quite advanced technically as an FM.I would assume she's been going back the the HoBaW on a frequent basis,like she did in her other FM novice guises to learn more about the ways of giving the gift.

Earlier i said she is like Beatrix Kiddo now, but after thinking about it she is more like O-Ren Ishii. Cuz she killed her father's murderer in bed cuz he was a pedophile and she was only 12. Man I loved this chapter :)

[Obebb]

She kills bad people, she's like Dexter, it's ok to root for her :)

Her thoughts about "I should have helped him down the steps before I killed him. Now I’ll need to drag him all the way to the canal and roll him in." was when it really struck me that she's totally like Dexter now :P :D

[butterbumps!]

I'm in the Shae Camp. The story is called the bloody hand, its the story of Tyrion.

The fact that Tyrion never bedded Sansa was well known in King's Landing and was a great source of shame to Tywin and House Lannister. The whole point of the play is to shame House Lannister.

We also have to consider Shae's testimony at trial. She claimed Tyrion took her against her will. She also said, "he used to make me tell him how big he was." She wasn't talking about his feet... hence the giant fake cock as a prop. Thats why Tyrion is the "Giant of Lannister"

Add to that Arya mends "Lady Stork's" dress just like Shae was made "Lady Stark's" handmaid.

Arya also plays like a whore to lure Raff to his death, there is a parallel with Arya playing a version of a real life whore, excuse me "camp follower."

Same for me.

I did get a "Mercy"= Sansa vibe as many others did-- that is, if Arya's playing Sansa at all it's through the Mercy character.

But I don't think that one's the best fit. I actually see more of an "Arya playing Jeyne Poole" thing going on here. Mercy is more tittery and less dignified than even early aGoT Sansa. Jeyne's the one who gets giggly, thinks about whether she's "pretty," likes "older men," and has undergone trauma of the worst sort in terms of the sexual violence it appears Mercy has. So I was reading this as a Jeyne Poole foil.