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From Pawn to Player: Rethinking Sansa XVI


brashcandy

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Just wanted to pop in and say thank you for keeping this thread going. It's one of the most interesting on the forum and you all really make me consider things that I had not thought of before. Keep up the good work, and I will continue reading (and occasionally contributing). :)

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Some thoughts on the UnKiss

Our host, Brashcandy, has tempted Milady into writing her take on Sansa’s memory of this inexistent kiss, and after donning her white coat and adopting her standard Pensive Shrink pose, Milady has accepted to examine the incident.

I have to start by stating that mismemory is a category for a variety of cognitive processes that only have in common the fact that the recalling of an event is not accurate; there are dozens of types neuropsychologists have classified and each type is different from the other, has different causes, motivations and outcomes, can happen to perfectly healthy people and to those with neurological or psychiatric issues. The usage of this term is generic, and the presence of mismemory doesn’t necessarily imply the presence of an ongoing or future disorder such as dissociative ones; sometimes lapses can be simply the product of the brain’s struggling to keep trace of data in the face of information overload, or develop because people have unconsciously assimilated new information. Each type has its own explanation.

Another thing that needs clarification is the idea, fed by the media and popular beliefs, that traumatic events are what lead children to substitute memories with more pleasant ones to cope with trauma, because the reality, proven by clinical studies, is that children’s recollection of traumatic events follow the same cognitive rules that govern the recollection of general, non-traumatic memories. Traumatic memories aren’t simply banished to some black hole in the mind’s backyard and sunnier ones take their place, and it’s not really so easy to fabricate vivid spurious memories, even on purpose and with the intervention of a clinician doing experiments with memory (the rate of successful memory fabrication varies depending on the methodology, vulnerability of participants to false memories, etc., but it generally doesn’t rise above half of the attempts with the most effective technique). This notion that Sansa was traumatised and that’s the reason for the existence of the UnKiss lacks a credible basis.

That said, Milady has to declare that, speaking as a clinician with knowledge of real life mismemory cases, GRRM’s depiction is messy and makes bloody little sense! Sansa’s mismemory doesn’t resemble a mismemory as much as it resembles a sexual fantasy. And Milady would go even further and contend that GRRM has taken an utterly typical and comprehensible teenage first sexual fantasising and passed it off as mismemory for narrative purposes. His lack of specific psychological knowledge is evident here. Of course, he has a basic grasp of the mechanics of the mind, but not accurate enough, and, besides, it wouldn’t be the first time he twisted some well-established scientific rules to suit his plotline requirements. The laws of genetic inheritance come to mind as just one example.

Sansa’s first recall of the kiss has some elements of the selective retrieval/recognition type of mismemory, which is in fact a common memory bias and has generally no psychopathological connotations. Selective recognition and retrieval happens in two forms: explicit and implicit. Explicit means the memory is retrieved deliberately, in a flexible manner, across situations, and the implicit form means that the memory is brought to mind automatically by cues resembling the context in which an event occurred. Sansa’s “recollection” of the kiss doesn’t fill in this type completely because the memory didn’t stem from an actual action as in a real case, and it only resembles it in two things, one: it’s about a specific portion of her recollection of the night of the Blackwater, but hers is an addition (a fantasy), not a reformation of an extant memory of a specific action that really occurred; and two: selective retrieval/recognition attenuates retrieval of other memories––i.e., memories for other details of the event––causing retrieval-induced forgetting, which some say occurs in the latter recollections of the UnKiss; but again, to fill in this field, the “forgetting” should be present since the beginning, and we know she remembers the other details in the first mention of the kiss, and the later recollections are part of the evolution of that inserted fantasy, not of the scene in itself. For an additional blow, selective retrieval works both ways: it can attenuate and enhance/aid the recalling of that specific action, meaning that if Sansa were really suffering from this type of mismemory, she wouldn’t necessarily forget the other details but even remember them more clearly and for a longer period.

And in psychology there’s no X fits this, but not that, yet it’s Y nevertheless. It’s X fits this and that, therefore it’s Y, elsewise it’s not Y. In the game of clinical diagnosis, you fill in all the required fields or you are out; there’s no middle ground.

The UnKiss may have appeared as a result of self-imagination––that is: imagining something from a personal emotional perspective––whilst Sansa lay awake in her bed for some days previous to the first mention of the kiss, thinking about this episode and her own decision not to leave with the Hound. During those reflections, as she tried to recognise what she’d witnessed, how she felt about it, and incorporate these feelings into her new understanding of herself and her blooming womanhood, the image of the kiss came to be, and it was voluntarily constructed, not unlike any other normal fantasy with romantic components. Some may not realise this, because we aren’t privy to its genesis: when Sansa mentions the kiss for the first time, the fantasy is already in a middle stage evolution-wise, and looks like a mismemory that is replacing her recollections of the incident, because the author chose not to let us know about its earliest stage.

The interpretation of the episode as sexual fantasising linked to bodily and psychological development can contribute to comprehend this better. The stage of psychosexual development corresponding to Sansa’s age is the transitional stage, in which she’s no more a child and not yet a woman. At this point, significant biological changes occur, such as the maturation of the genital system and apparition of secondary sexual characteristics, which affect the mind with regards to awakening the hitherto quiescent erotic drive. This libidinal drive leads to new experiences such as lust, falling in love, idealising and fantasising about a person as object of desire. For young girls, this fantasising is no longer non-sexual romanticising of random objects as in the previous pre-puberty period––think of her infatuations with Waymar Royce, Joffrey, Loras––but a desire they are now able to recognise as sexual and link to an object in particular. Fantasies are, according to studies, the most common sexual activity in this period of life, far more common than self-exploration. They mainly help a girl: a. to learn about her needs and preferences, thus becoming familiar with the preconditions for sexual fulfillment; b. adaptive “rehearsal” as mental preparation for a future realisation of sexual activity; c. have control of her own sexuality by elaborating, explicating and expressing her own idiosyncratic erotic scripts regarding dominance/submission, consent/rejection, pleasure/displeasure, etc. Girls are typically less visual in their first fantasies, and privilege smells, touch or sounds (hence why Sansa’s imagines a kiss. Lips are connected to emotional availability), and their fantasising evolves gradually as they mature: they go from very simple and ridiculously chaste images to more complex ones as their growing cognitive sophistication leads them to keep discovering the intricacies of sex and love. They are also more likely to construct a story with the emotional feelings of a romantic encounter to accompany a recurrent fantasy with the object of their choice, i.e. to add details as time goes by, as Sansa is doing. Interestingly, female fantasies also have the less known effect of preserving real memories. They don’t fade for as long as the image persists.

Sansa obviously hasn’t forgotten nor is trying to forget what happened during that night. But, why would she have a memory of a kiss that didn’t exist and with this man and at this point in particular? The answer might be found in the way emotionally-driven cognitions work. Dr. Daniel Kahneman often says it’s memories and not experiences themselves that we remember, and that the experiences we remember are defined by change, for they are new and have therefore greater significance. This expert says: “We actually don't choose between experiences, we choose between memories of experiences.”

That brings me back to emotions as sources of cognitions, and the role objects play in this process.

Dr. Kahneman, the Old Gods bless his neurons, said once in a lecture that the part of our mind in charge of remembering has a marked preference for endings, that is: how episodes and experiences conclude. At the end of the Blackwater scene, Sansa’s wrapped in the bloody cloak, and we do not read her thoughts, partly because she’s blanking as a result of a long day of exhausting emotions and mostly because of the author’s preference for fading to black when it comes to important episodes where her thoughts should be described. Is there a reason to believe that this aided in the development of the fantasy? Aye. Though the fantasy wasn’t originated by the cloak itself, it did serve as a trigger and to consolidate the fantasy. According to clinical psychologist Dr. Mary Lamia: “Holding onto certain possessions is a way to activate the recall of emotion. Yet it is not simply emotional memory that is triggered by an object but also the connection you had with the person who is represented by it [sandor, in this case]. You may muse about the past because you want to recreate a satisfying emotional experience [the part where she reached to touch his face and he cried], if only fleetingly, through a daydream [the kiss].”

Were the memory an unpleasant one, discarding this memento would be a way to deactivate recall and symbolically “dispose” of the person through this material representation of their mutual interaction. Besides, it’s a fact that negative emotions such as fear, guilt and disgust, which usually accompany uncomfortable memories, don’t promote but inhibit sexual and romantic responses.

Now, did he try to kiss her and could her memory be based on that? We have scarce textual details to assert beyond a doubt whether he had that intention in his mind or not, but to me, his body language in that specific instant doesn’t suggest that he did. We have Sansa’s thoughts––for a moment she thought he was going to kiss her––yet this reads more like a well-known (for clinicians, of course) reflex reaction to fear: in a situation like this, men make direct eye contact to look for what the threat is, but women avert their gaze downward slightly towards the nose and mouth, which looks strangely as if they were expecting the following action to come from the mouth. This is due to women being more sensitive to the negative consequences of making direct eye contact than with what’s really going to happen. The only time when it’s quite clear that he did express a wish to kiss her was in the episode at the Serpentine steps, and she didn’t get the clues then as we can see by her innocent replies to his words and behaviour. Then, her fantasy is a result of her overall assessment of her interactions with him, especially the latter part of Blackwater, and that also explains why it’s evolving into more and more complex images as her emotions get clearer.

And can these fantasies become memories? It’s possible that when retrieving information about an scene to make sense of what we’ve experienced at that moment and to use it for future reference, we draw inferences about what might have happened but didn’t, and these inferences turn into “recollection.” A similar process happens in retrieving truthful life events as well, and is an exceptionally frequent unconscious lapse not related to personality disorders, emotional distress or memory malfunction. A typical experiment clinicians and social researchers have used to prove just how common this is and how prone sane people––average and intelligent––are to succumbing to this lapse, consists in taking an episode of their lives, which they remember well, and tell them a seemingly innocent invented anecdote you recall about something that happened back then, they will correct you because they know it didn’t happen, but you have to insist and stand your ground, and after some time, they’ll most likely say in their next retelling of this event that they recall the fake anecdote you told them. There are dozens of distinct variations of this experiment, and all of them show the extent of human memory’s fallibility and unreliability, nothing else. But bear in mind that for a mismemory to be considered as such, it has to come out of the mental realm into the realm of reality, otherwise it’s fantasising, pure and simple. Thus, as far as Sansa’s imaginary kiss remains in her thoughts, it’s only her imagination at work. We cannot say yet if GRRM will decide that it will develop into a permanent mismemory or will be dispelled either by herself or Clegane, but we do know that the developing of her sexuality that started with it hasn’t finished yet, and her fantasy has already started to disconnect from the Blackwater, moving on to another stage where sexual dreams take place, dreams that have the purpose of rehearsing attachment-related scenarios during sleep, to process affective and mental content from daytime life, and that, were this not fictional, should be already explicit at this point.

In any case, I see nothing to warrant the odd speculations a segment of the fandom indulges in. It has no negative significance with regards to her mental health, and I haven’t seen any signs of a psychological disorder or a major cognitive malfunction about to happen as a result of this. What the kiss reveals to me is her psychosexual maturation, how she’s formed that connection with Clegane, and how her characteristic emotional expressions work, with all its strengths and failings.

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Great post, Milady! I was fascinated by what mismemory really is versus what GRRM wrote it as in Sansa's case. Girls of her age would quite reasonably expect to have sexual fantasies. :)

There were some posts a while back on the possibility that Sansa had a warging moment - that Sandor, being drunk and terrified, was in a vulnerable position and that gave her an opening to (unintentionally) warg him and, IIRC, the unKiss was what Sandor wished he had done.

I mentioned in the last thread that one reason for the unKiss was to give Sansa a memory (even if it turns out to be false) of a man who desired her for herself only. Absolutely everyone else who wants Sansa wants her for Winterfell and her claim. It is now confirmed that Sandor fell for Sansa pretty much the moment he saw her. *awww* :D Here she is now as of AFFC being dangled around like a piece of meat, with Winterfell (and perhaps Littlefinger's cash) a temptation for her suitors; she doesn't want to marry at all by this time. She's despairing of anyone loving her for herself. Sandor did, and the unKiss might serve to remind her.

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I think everyone has these "mismemories", but the question then becomes at what degree do the instances blur together into over reliance on wishful or redacted thinking, and then again into wholesale delusions ?

Sansa's memories of some events are still along the lines of wishful or redacted thinking. I think a lot of it is her subconsciously trying to spare herself from a more harsh and hurtful account of events. At some point she may be reminded of something she's edited out and re-assess.

The Mycah/Lady incident is one; the Lysa reveleation-bomb is another. Strong stuff, if she ever really begins to internally analyse it.

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I can't figure out how to quote someone who has a post in a locked thread so I'm copying over this bit by Gannicus here to respond to it:

I certainly understand your what you are getting at. Sansa deserves some credit for her subtle defiance. But it seems to me you are over estimating the power she had in that situation. A lesser man, would not have cared what she thought or felt, in essence leaving her without power. As harsh as it sounds Tyrion allowed her a voice in a way many people with political ambitions would not have.

Here is what we are getting at - it's not just about that moment, it's not about Tyrion. It's not about a different man. It's not about whether someone else would have left her alone. That whole chapter is a watershed moment for Sansa, the moment of will he/won't he is just a moment. That chapter is about Sansa. It's about her thoughts. It's about her actions. It's about significant changes to her character arc. To put it simply, it's all about her.

Prior to that chapter, Sansa was still thought of marriage in an idyllic way, she has still internalized Septa Mordane's teaching, she would still approach marriage (whoever it was with) with the idea of doing her wifely duty. Even with Willas, she said that she would "make him love her". After this time, Sansa has decided that IF she marries again, she wants it on her terms. In Westeros, marriage is never on a woman's terms. Catelyn did her duty, Arya was still told by Ned that she would be a Lady Wife one day but she could still have sons who could be a HS or a king (but she can't!), Arianne was sold off in a secret marriage pact for her father's revenge scheme, Asha can't marry who she wants, Lysa was placed in to a marriage because she'd ruined herself, Cersei was sold off to be ridden like a horse. Even Dany, who is the female character who comes closest to having independent power of her own, had to dutifully marry, sacrificing her own happiness.

Sansa has rejected all of that. It's a clear before/after when it comes to Sansa as a character. To limit or narrow our focus to "subtle defiance" yet what matters is that Tyrion chose not to rape her is to ignore just what happened here. She's rejecting exactly what it is a woman is supposed to do. I'd put that chapter, when it comes to the most pivotal for Sansa's character, up there with her final chapter in Storm (snow castle scene) and the final chapter in Feast when she is coming down the mountain.

This applies regardless of what Tyrion did, regardless of who her husband had turned out to be. And yet, for some reason, the discussion always seems to be framed around the same damned thing, "Tyrion didn't rape her." The Lannisters worked so hard to strip Sansa of her agency, do we as readers really need to help them along?

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Milady of York, thank you for taking the time to write that wonderful analysis on the unkiss. I promise not to make any more requests.... just yet :P I'll offer my thoughts in a later post.

I think everyone has these "mismemories", but the question then becomes at what degree do the instances blur together into over reliance on wishful or redacted thinking, and then again into wholesale delusions ?

Have we seen any wholesale delusions up to this point when it comes to Sansa's recollection of events? Even during the one time when she defended Joffrey actions, we could recognize that she was doing so more in opposition to Arya, and she admits later that Joffrey did indeed hurt Mycah. I can think of some characters in her life who do engage in delusional thinking though, despite their reputation for intelligence and cunning in the fandom.

Sansa's memories of some events are still along the lines of wishful or redacted thinking. I think a lot of it is her subconsciously trying to spare herself from a more harsh and hurtful account of events. At some point she may be reminded of something she's edited out and re-assess. The Mycah/Lady incident is one; the Lysa reveleation-bomb is another. Strong stuff, if she ever really begins to internally analyse it.

I'm going to quote Milady here: And in psychology there’s no X fits this, but not that, yet it’s Y nevertheless. It’s X fits this and that, therefore it’s Y, elsewise it’s not Y. In the game of clinical diagnosis, you fill in all the required fields or you are out; there’s no middle ground.

I think we have to be very careful when assuming that Sansa is somehow blocking out memories or information to spare herself pain for the simple fact of the matter that we have no evidence in the text to support this. It strikes me as readers not bothering to really analyse each incident on its own and instead reaching for easy, pop psychology answers. In the Mycah/Lady incident, Sansa was scared out of her mind, in a room full of intimidating adults. We know that she had already admitted the truth to her father before Arya's reappearance. I'd also like to figure out why there's this idea floating around recently that Sansa has somehow blocked out what Lysa said to her, or that it constitutes some kind of mismemory. Let's remember that Sansa heard all of these things when she was in mortal danger from the very woman who was uttering the revelations, a woman who was getting Sansa confused with her mother, and hurling insults at the latter. It's not hard to imagine why Sansa might tend to believe that these were the ravings of a disturbed mind, and decide that she couldn't figure out what was true and what was false. I've always believed that it's going to take additional information to get her to really concentrate on what it is Lysa revealed and to take it seriously. I think LF's plot for SR might serve this purpose, but of course I could be wrong.

Edit: crazy formatting :)

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Just want to duck in here and say that while I've never really been a participant in the "Pawn to Player" threads, I think it's great that you guys are fighting the good fight and tearing down the image of Sansa as some non-Stark awful person. While I don't devote too much of my writing to Sansa, I really do love her, like I love all my Starks, and I have no doubt that she'll eventually come into her own as a badass northern girl.

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Just want to duck in here and say what while I've never really been a participant in the "Pawn to Player" threads, I think it's great that you guys are fighting the good fight and tearing down the image of Sansa as some non-Stark awful person. While I don't devote too much of my writing to Sansa, I really do love her, like I love all my Starks, and I have no doubt that she'll eventually come into her own as a badass northern girl.

Thanks for the support AM :)

This applies regardless of what Tyrion did, regardless of who her husband had turned out to be. And yet, for some reason, the discussion always seems to be framed around the same damned thing, "Tyrion didn't rape her." The Lannisters worked so hard to strip Sansa of her agency, do we as readers really need to help them along?

Precisely. There's just this stubborn insistence that Sansa only had two subject positions in this scene: victim and non-victim, and that she should thank the gods Tyrion didn't rape her. And what we're saying is that no, Sansa was not defined by victimhood on that night, and she was not "saved" by her benevolent husband. She is the one who empowers herself by seeing the ugly truth behind societal expectations for women, and not only does she see it, but she defies it. Tyrion could have indeed done his "duty" as he was set to do, but this would not have minimized the significance of Sansa's epiphany. And I think "epiphany" really captures the depth and magnitude of her realization and the transformation it causes in her views towards marriage and autonomy.

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Regarding Lysa, it's also important to remember that Sansa knows Jon Arryn is dead, but she doesn't know much more than that. We as readers often think she must know everything about the tears of lys etc but within the story, she doesn't. Tyrion and Ned went digging in Jon's death. Sansa was 11 when it happened and probably hardly cared about it at all.

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Thanks for the support AM :)

Precisely. There's just this stubborn insistence that Sansa only had two subject positions in this scene: victim and non-victim, and that she should thank the gods Tyrion didn't rape her. And what we're saying is that no, Sansa was not defined by victimhood on that night, and she was not "saved" by her benevolent husband. She is the one who empowers herself by seeing the ugly truth behind societal expectations for women, and not only does she see it, but she defies it. Tyrion could have indeed done his "duty" as he was set to do, but this would not have minimized the significance of Sansa's epiphany. And I think "epiphany" really captures the depth and magnitude of her realization and the transformation it causes in her views towards marriage and autonomy.

I would say Yes and No to this.

Sansa is lucky that Tyrion didn't rape her. If it had been Bronn, or Ramsey or Roose Bolton, or Joffrey, no amount of defiance would have saved her. Tyrion did make the decision, though he desired Sansa sexually, not to rape her; and he deserves some credit for making that choice; because many men in his culture and class would have forced her to do her 'duty'. I still think he's a jerk for forcing a scared young girl into a marriage with someone in his family (the family who is destroying hers), though.

And I don't think Sansa empowered herself as much by seeing the ugly truth behind societal expectations for women as by standing up for her own wishes and drawing a line in the sand. If Willas Tyrell had been her bridegroom and spoken to her of sweet seduction, I think Sansa would have been far less reluctant; she might have had nervous-bride jitters (especially since she's so young), but she would have done what she had been taught to consider her duty. With Tyrion, Sansa is at first at his mercy; she is bewildered, not knowing what to expect, what her duty is in this horrible situation of Hostage Bride (as opposed to the willing bride she would have been to Willas) and hating the situation, and almost blindly going through the motions of bridal (societal) obedience, taking off her clothes, facing her naked bridegroom. But then Sansa is given something of a choice by Tyrion; and she steps up and not only takes it (i.e. no sex tonight) but draws a line in the sand (no sex ever) because not only is Tyrion sexually and physically repulsive to her (a conclusion she has come to on her own, not because he is a dwarf, but because she's seen him naked and his form and face are ugly), he's a member of the family that killed her father and is tearing down the rest of her family. Tyrion of course, seems surprised and offended that his benevolent offer to delay their wedding night is rejected permanently rather than temporarily by Sansa.

And her wedding night is a milestone for Sansa. She was terrified and horribly vulnerable, and still had the presence of mind to assert herself with the notion that she may not ever give herself to Tyrion, who is her captor as well as her husband. She also becomes, understandably, far more cynical about her 'duty' to be a pawn in the marriage game, after her wedding night.

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I would say Yes and No to this.

Sansa is lucky that Tyrion didn't rape her. If it had been Bronn, or Ramsey or Roose Bolton, or Joffrey, no amount of defiance would have saved her.

Here's my point, Raksha: I'm not disputing that Sansa was fortunate in that scene or that another man would not have disregarded her clear revulsion; what I'm speaking of is the overwhelming reader interpretation which highlights Tyrion's actions on the night and completely erases Sansa's agency, her resistance and her ultimate rejection of the reprieve. We are so programmed to identify with Tyrion that most people completely forget that the wedding chapter was written in Sansa's POV! I think it says a lot about the male privilege and power, and how we've come to see women as natural victims who are either taken advantage of by men or let off the hook by their generosity. I'm not denying that Tyrion didn't do the decent thing, but I think there's been an appalling lack of attention given to Sansa's actions and her realisations, and that's what I'm highlighting and critiquing.

And I don't think Sansa empowered herself as much by seeing the ugly truth behind societal expectations for women as by standing up for her own wishes and drawing a line in the sand. If Willas Tyrell had been her bridegroom and spoken to her of sweet seduction, I think Sansa would have been far less reluctant; she might have had nervous-bride jitters (especially since she's so young), but she would have done what she had been taught to consider her duty.

Well drawing the line is precisely an act of empowerment, especially for a frightened girl who's just been forcibly married. How many grown women would have had the courage to draw that line and make their displeasure known? And I don't agree with your thoughts on Willas. The defining difference between the two situations is that Sansa had given her consent to marry Willas and knew ahead of time what to expect. I'm not claiming that marriage to Willas would have been ideal or would have fit her romanticised views, but her willingness to make the marriage work would have gone a long way. So it's not about whether Willas was a better seducer than Tyrion; it's about the say Sansa had in that relationship vs the absolute disregard shown to her by the Lannisters.

With Tyrion, Sansa is at first at his mercy; she is bewildered, not knowing what to expect, what her duty is in this horrible situation of Hostage Bride (as opposed to the willing bride she would have been to Willas) and hating the situation, and almost blindly going through the motions of bridal (societal) obedience, taking off her clothes, facing her naked bridegroom. But then Sansa is given something of a choice by Tyrion; and she steps up and not only takes it (i.e. no sex tonight) but draws a line in the sand (no sex ever) because not only is Tyrion sexually and physically repulsive to her (a conclusion she has come to on her own, not because he is a dwarf, but because she's seen him naked and his form and face are ugly), he's a member of the family that killed her father and is tearing down the rest of her family. Tyrion of course, seems surprised and offended that his benevolent offer to delay their wedding night is rejected permanently rather than temporarily by Sansa.

Did Tyrion really give Sansa a choice, or did he tell her that he would not touch her until she wanted him to? I admit that it seems like a choice, but looking at the language closely, and based on Tyrion's shocked response to her "decision", he certainly never envisioned the choice that Sansa would make, that's if he ever even thought it possible that she could make such a choice. And this is what I mean about the truly transformative epiphany Sansa experiences on that night, which leads to such an unexpected denial on her part. If Tyrion was giving her a choice you can be sure it was not about rejecting him as a suitable lover.

And her wedding night is a milestone for Sansa. She was terrified and horribly vulnerable, and still had the presence of mind to assert herself with the notion that she may not ever give herself to Tyrion, who is her captor as well as her husband. She also becomes, understandably, far more cynical about her 'duty' to be a pawn in the marriage game, after her wedding night.

Yes, it was a milestone, but instead of seeing it as such, the typical interpretation is to view it as Tyrion's kindness to his wife. The latter is not strictly wrong, but it is missing the point. I agree that she becomes a lot more cynical about her role as marriage pawn, and I'd like to think that she also becomes more hopeful too in the long run.

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Sansa's becoming more cynical is also probably a plot device, since she was set up to be extremely naive on purpose, and she would have to go through something that really highlighted that she needed to change her world view. A marriage to Willas where she had sort of maybe consented would not have served this purpose, but the Tyrion marriage *does* serve that purpose.

It also serves the purpose of showing Tyrion's development wrt to Tysha and his reactions to toeing Tywin's line, which is what defines Tyrion's storyline where he puts in Sansa as a Tysha replacement.

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Sansa Stark (italics - original from the app, bold - suggestions, used the wording from the books as much as possible)

Lord Eddard's eldest daughter takes after her mother with her auburn hair and blue eyes, but Lady Catelyn can see that Sansa will be even more beautiful when she comes of age. Sweet, innocent, and charming, Sansa excels at the courtly arts expected of a lady, and dreams of handsome knights paying her court. When her betrothal to the beautiful heir to the Seven Kingdoms, Prince Joffrey, is announced, she believes that all her dreams have come true.

Traveling south to King's Landing with her father, Sansa quarrels regularly with her tomboyish sister Arya, who is far too unladylike for her tastes. She prefers the company of her friend Jeyne Poole, Princess Myrcella, Queen Cersei . . . and Prince Joffrey most of all. She passes a few idyllic hours in the prince's company near the Ruby Ford, until they come across Arya playing at swords with Mycah, a butcher's boy. Joffrey threatens the boy, and when Arya defends Mycah, Joffrey attacks her with his sword. Arya's direwolf, Nymeria, takes Joffrey down and savages his arm. Afterward Joffrey lies to his mother about the encounter, claiming that Arya attacked him unprovoked. And when questioned about it before the court, Sansa—worried about losing her prince's favor—claims not to remember what happened.

Cersei insists that a direwolf pay the price. And since Arya's wolf cannot be found, Sansa's wolf, Lady, takes the fall. Eddard kills Lady himself, sending her body north to deny the pelt to the queen. Heartbroken, Sansa blames her sister and King Robert for what happened rather than Queen Cersei or Joffrey. But she is somewhat distracted from her grief by the glittering splendor of King's Landing—though she continues to quarrel with Arya, who holds her responsible for Mycah's death at the hands of the Hound, Joffrey's sworn shield, who was acting on Queen Cersei's orders. At the Hand's tourney, Sansa becomes infatuated with the Knight of the Flowers, the beautiful Ser Loras Tyrell, who gives her a single red rose to honor her beauty when he has given all the other maidens white. When Ser Hugh of the Vale is killed jousting against the Mountain that Rides, Jeyne becomes hysterical and their chaperone, Septa Mordane, takes her away, but Sansa remains brave and silent.

That evening, after the festivities and feasting are at an end, Joffrey has the Hound escort her back to the castle. She attempts to compliment him on his prowess, but Clegane mocks her, calling her a pretty little bird parroting what others have taught her. In a fit of drunken honesty, he tells her how Gregor once pressed his face to a brazier for daring to steal a toy, and speaks of his hatred for false knights like his brother. She realizes she is not afraid of him, and puts her hand on his shoulder to reassure him. Then he threatens to kill her if she reveals his story to anyone.

But Sansa still believes in the knightly ideal and therefore is horrified when she later witnesses her father refusing the grand Ser Loras command of the party he assigned to bring Ser Gregor Clegane to justice. Unable to understand why, she confronts her father, but instead he informs her that King's Landing is too dangerous and that he is sending her and Arya back to Winterfell. When her father says that he will find her a better husband than Joffrey, she shouts that Joffrey is nothing like the drunken King Robert—leading her father to figure out the truth of Joffrey's parentage.

Once her father departs, Sansa is conflicted because of her feelings for Joffrey. She thinks of going to King Robert, but he dies. Sansa sneaks off to Queen Cersei, informing the queen of her father's intention, hoping that Cersei will stop her father from ending her betrothal to Joffrey. In her innocence, Sansa is thinking of nothing more than marrying Joffrey, and does not realize that she has helped doom her father.

After Robert's death, Eddard is arrested by the Lannisters, his household guard are killed, and Sansa is confined to a locked chamber. Eventually, Jeyne Poole is placed in the room with her, and Sansa tries to comfort her hysterical friend. At an audience before the new king, Sansa begs for clemency for her father, assuring the small council that he is no traitor. At Cersei's suggestion, Sansa writes letters to her family, informing them that her father had committed treason but that no harm has come to her. Jeyne Poole is separated from her, and afterward Sansa realizes that she forgot to ask after Arya, who has disappeared during the fighting.

Despite Joffrey's public promise to let her father live if he confesses his treason, Joffrey has him executed. The scales are lifted from Sansa's eyes, and she begins to see the ugly truth behind her beautiful prince—especially when Joffrey has the knights of the Kingsguard beat her for not obeying his orders swiftly enough. He even insists on showing her the tarred heads of her father and Septa Mordane. During a particularly vicious beating, Sansa considers pushing him off the castle walls, willing to fall with him as needs be, but instead the Hound leads her away and gently cleans the blood off her face.

At Joffrey's name-day tourney, Sansa is escorted by Ser Arys Oakheart of the Kingsguard—the only one of the Kingsguard knights who protests the beatings Joffrey regularly orders (Sansa realizes that he never orders the Hound to beat her). There, Ser Dontos Hollard appears drunk and half-naked from the joust. Joffrey is prepared to kill him, but Sansa quickly suggests that he should become Joffrey's fool, knowing Joffrey will like the idea. When Joffrey is angered by her suggestion and threatens to kill her, the Hound backs up Sansa, and Joffrey calms down. Dontos is grateful to Sansa for saving his life. Soon after, she receives a secret message, telling her to go to the godswood if she wishes to return home. Hoping that her champion will be some great knight or lord, she keeps the appointment, and is disappointed to discover that her would-be savior is only Dontos. Still, he swears he has friends who wish to see her safe. She runs into the Hound, who covers for her when Ser Boros demands to know why she is not in her chambers.

After the news that Robb has defeated the Lannister host at Oxcross reaches King's Landing, Joffrey has Sansa publicly beaten with the flat of a sword, and her dress torn off. The brutality of it leads the Hound to stand up to Joffrey, but Joffrey ignores him. It is only Tyrion's arrival that puts a stop to it. The Hound gives Sansa his cloak to put on. Tyrion takes Sansa to safety and assures her that he will not allow her betrothal to Joffrey to stand. She refuses his offer of a guard to protect her from further abuses, however, fearing that she will not be able to continue her secret meetings with Dontos.

The great riot in King's Landing that follows Myrcella Baratheon's departure for Dorne—caused by Joffrey's callousness toward the unrest in the city as more and more people starve thanks to the war—nearly claims Sansa's life, but as she is dragged from her horse, the Hound appears, killing the men around them as he leaps onto her horse and carries her to safety.

As the War of the Five Kings continues, Renly Baratheon's forces fall apart following his murder outside Storm's End. Stannis Baratheon reaps the bulk of his cavalry, but the Tyrells control the bulk of the infantry. Storm's End falls to Stannis not long afterward, its gates opened by the garrison following the mysterious death of the castle's castellan, Ser Cortnay Penrose. As it is only a matter of time before King Stannis arrives outside the city, Tyrion Lannister dispatches his clansmen from the Vale to fight in the kingswood, harrying the approach. Stannis sends the vanguard under the famous knight Ser Guyard Morrigen, a member of the now-dead Renly's Rainbow Guard, to attack King's Landing, and Sansa continues to go to the Godswood to meet with Dontos. She begs him to take her out of King's Landing now, while the fighting has started, as she is no longer being watched as she once was. Dontos informs her that it would not be possible as the gates are closed and there are no ships in the bay. As she leaves the Godswood she knows Dontos is right but wishes he had some of the Hound's ferocity. The she goes to the rooftop of Maegor's Holdfast and watches from the battlements as the kingswood burns while Morrigen tries to smoke out the clansmen.

Returning to her room, a stab of pain in her belly makes her falter, and the Hound catches her. He again reveals more of himself to her, saying he does not believe in the gods, and that any man who says there was no pleasure in killing is a liar. That night, she dreams of the riot, and awakes to find blood on her bed and thighs. She has finally flowered, and the thought of being ripe for marriage terrifies so much that she tries to burn the evidence. She is caught in the act, however, and is brought before Cersei. Accepting that Sansa is no longer enamored with Joffrey, Cersei informs her that his abuse stemmed from her having witnessed his humiliation when Arya and Nymeria attacked him.

When Stannis's forces arrive at the city and the battle for King's Landing begins, Sansa joins the people in prayer. As they sing hymns, she thinks of her family and friends. Then she prays for the Mother to save the Hound. When the septon leads a prayer for Joffrey's victory, she prays that he is defeated. tThen she goes to the Queen's Ballroom, where Cersei grows slowly drunk. Sansa wishes the Hound was there, because she knows he would never let any harm come to her. The queen reveals that Ser Ilyn Payne is present in the ballroom to kill the women before they can be raped or murdered by Stannis's men. Sansa protests that true knights would never do such a thing. Cersei laughs and tells Sansa that, should House Lannister fall, Sansa will be killed, to make sure the Starks take no joy in event.

Later, when the injured Ser Lancel reports the news of dire fighting at the gates, Cersei orders Joffrey to be brought to the safety of Maegors Holdfast, and hits him when he will not comply. When Cersei departs, abandoning the frightened women in the ballroom, Sansa tries her best to calm them and orders servingmen to aid the injured Lancel. Then she returns to her own chambers, only to find the Hound there, drunk and wounded from battle. He is afraid of the wildfire that reminds him of his brother burning his face in the fire. Threatening to kill her if she screams, he tells her that he is the loser on the day, thanks to the Imp. He tells her he is heading north, and he could keep her safe and no one would ever hurt her again. He forces her to sing to him. Then, wWhen Sansa fears he might try to kiss her, she closes her eyes. The Hound thinks she doesn't want to look at him, and forces her to sing a song. She cups his cheek with her hand and realizes he is crying. hHe departs the chamber, leaving behind his torn and bloodied white Kingsguard cloak, which Sansa puts on his cloak, and later hides it away in a chest.

Dontos arrives with the dawn, telling Sansa how the battle was turned when Lords Tywin and Mace arrived, led by King Renly's ghost. Later, her engagement to Joffrey is broken, and he agrees to wed Margaery Tyrell. Sansa begins to think that she might be safe, but Dontos says that it only means Joffrey will put bastards in her belly instead of trueborn sons; but then says she will be taken from the city soon. He presents her with a hairnet of purple stones, telling her it is magical and will see her home.

Margaery invites Sansa to supper, but Sansa is wary. She wishes the Hound was there. She wonders if she should have gone with him, and realizes he was afraid of the wildfire the last time she saw him. Soon after, Ser Loras—now a member of the Kingsguard—escorts her to meet Margaery and her grandmother Olenna, the Queen of Thorns. They question her about Joffrey and make her admit the truth about his monstrous nature while Lady Olenna's fool sings as loudly as possible to make sure that none of the Varys's spies overhear them. Olenna says that she will have Sansa wed her grandson Willas, the crippled heir to Highgarden.

Sansa spends time with Margaery and her cousins, and when they speak of kissing, she remembers the Hound kissing her. Meeting with Dontos, Sansa informs him of what she has learned, believing that she'll be taken from King's Landing at last, but Dontos warns her not to trust the Tyrells. Queen Cersei has Sansa fitted for a new gown shortly afterward, which Sansa supposes will be for Joffrey's wedding to Margaery.

In fact, Dontos has informed his employer—Petyr Baelish—of Olenna's plans for Sansa, and Petyr in turn revealed it to Lord Tywin and the queen. Lord Tywin is determined not to let the Tyrells have the heir to Winterfell so easily, and so he decides to wed her to Tyrion instead. Cersei tells Sansa she has no choice but to marry Tyrion, ordering two of the Kingsguard to deliver her to the sept. Desperate, Sansa tries to run away, but is stopped. She refuses to kneel when Tyrion puts on the bridal cloak, and nearly sobs during the ceremony. She is close to tears during the feast, and dreads the bedding. At her wedding feast, Joffrey says that his uncle should let him bed Sansa if he wishes it, which leads Tyrion to threaten him in public.

Once alone in their chambers, Tyrion tells Sansa to take off her clothes, and she does so, trembling. He tells her to get into bed and joins her, grabbing her breast, and she shudders, her eyes tightly closed. He tells her to open her eyes. She looks at him and finds him repulsive. Tyrion tells Sansa that he will never touch her against her will. And when she asks him what would happen if she never desired it, he seems grim but resigned. Sansa makes it clear she will never desire him. Tyrion tries to treat her kindly, but is kept busy with new his duties as Tywin's master of coin. Sansa is miserable.

Learning of the deaths of her mother and brother at the Red Wedding, Sansa is devastated. She dreams of her family, then remembers they are all dead, and she is alone in the world. Sansa is even more eager to escape King's Landing. At Joffrey's wedding feast, at Dontos's direction, she wears the purple hairnet he has given her, just as she has hidden warm, plain clothing in the godswood. On her way into the hall, she is stopped by the Queen of Thorns, who adjusts the hairnet for her. As the feast progresses—and motivated by the presence of a pair of jousting dwarfs mounted on a dog and a pig—Sansa watches as Joffrey begins to insult and mock her husband, dumping his cup of wine over Tyrion and forcing him to fetch it. When Joffrey comes again to continue to mock Tyrion, Joffrey begins to choke and strangle to death. In the confusion, Sansa flees while all eyes are on the young king and the dwarf who will be accused of murdering him.

Sansa notices a stone is missing from her hairnet and accuses Dontos of lying. But she fears she will be accused of Joffrey's murder, and realizes she must go with him. She meets Dontos, and hHe takes her to a boat rowed by an old but somewhat familiar man. When they arrive at a larger galley, she finds Lord Petyr Baelish, who reveals himself as her secret benefactor; the rest of the court thought he was in the Vale, wooing Lysa Arryn. When Dontos asks for the gold he was promised, Ser Lothor Brune kills him at Littlefinger's command. Sansa is sickened but realizes she has no choice but to go with him.

As Sansa and Littlefinger sail away for Littlefinger's wedding to Lysa, Sansa realizes he is not taking her to Winterfell as he promised, and she is distraught. He tells her Winterfell has been sacked and burned, and everyone she knew and loved is dead. Arriving at the Fingers, Petyr tells Sansa that he helped to arrange Joffrey's poisoning with Lady Olenna, who refused to allow her granddaughter to marry an abusive monster. He added that the dwarf mummers who had led to the initial round of insults between Tyrion and Joffrey were his idea, which he then suggested to Joffrey. When Sansa asks why he would do such a thing, he claims it is a random act, and that such random acts are necessary if one is to survive and win the game of thrones.

Arriving at the Fingers, Littlefinger shows Sansa the small towerhouse he calls his home, making mock of the poverty he has come from. Soon, he takes her to meet Lysa—presenting Sansa publicly as Alayne Stone, his natural child by the daughter of a Braavosi merchant prince—but Lysa knows the truth. After the wedding ceremony, Lysa is very vocal during the bedding. Sansa goes outside and remembers her own wedding. She remembers the Hound telling her she was surrounded by liars, and wonders what became of him.

When Lysa's singer, Marillion, tries to force himself on Sansa after the wedding, Lothor Brune intervenes and drives him off. (she thinks at first it is the Hound). That night, she dreams of Joffrey dying, and he turns into Robb. Then she dreams of Tyrion getting into bed with her, and he turns into the Hound.

The next day, Lysa tells Sansa she must darken her hair so she will look less like Catelyn. She asks if Sansa is with child, and Sansa tells her she's still a maiden. Lysa tells Sansa she will marry her son, Robert, as soon as there is word that Tyrion is dead.

At the Eyrie, Sansa attempts to stay out of trouble, but Littlefinger's attentions continue to turn to her. Sansa misses her family and home. She builds a castle in the snow, and before long, she knows it's Winterfell, After he Littlefinger helps her. build a castle of snow, She tells him he was wrong to take her there instead of home. She realizes her courage to speak her mind comes from Winterfell. Then he kisses her, on the lips, and she wrenches away from him. She tells him that he shouldn't kiss her. Robert joins them, and smashes the castle with his doll, and Sansa, seized with rage at the thought of having to marry him, puts the head of the doll on a branch and pushes it into the castle gatehouse.

Lysa sees this Littlefinger kiss Sansa, and, in a rage, threatens to throw Sansa out the Moon Door, claiming that Sansa is trying to steal Petyr from her. Littlefinger intervenes, telling Lysa he has only ever loved one woman. While she is in his arms, he tells her that woman was Catelyn, and pushes her out the door to her death. He then calls the guards and has them arrest Marillion for the crime. Mutilated, blinded, and tortured, Marillion is allowed a harp in his imprisonment, and sings forlorn songs at all hours that leave Sansa disturbed and sleepless.

Littlefinger calls her his daughter, but Sansa thinks to herself, she is not. She remembers that at King's Landing, it was the Hound who rescued her, and Tyrion who stopped the beating, not Littlefinger. But she realizes she has nowhere to go. Eventually, in her guise as Alayne, Sansa is called upon to support Littlefinger's account of what happened and manages to do so convincingly. He later tells her how he won Ser Nestor Royce's support—thanks to his feint with Ser Lyn Corbray—and seems intent on teaching her how to manipulate men. As the realm moves deeper into autumn, the Eyrie quickly becomes uninhabitable, and Alayne prepares the household for the descent. Robert kisses Sansa, and once again, she remembers the Hound kissing her the night he left. Though young Robert Arryn is a trial—he has attached himself to her strongly following his mother's death—she does what she can to keep him calm as they travel down the mountainside with Myranda Royce and Mya Stone. Sansa tells herself Sansa Stark went up the mountain, but Alayne Stone is coming down. Myranda gossips with Alayne on the way, discussing Harry the Heir and Lothor Brune's infatuation with Mya. When she asks if Sansa knows what happens in the marriage bed, Sansa remembers Tyrion, and then the Hound kissing her. Myranda mentions Jon Snow is now Lord Commander of the Nights Watch, and Sansa thinks it would be sweet to see him again. Later, Littlefinger introduces her to Ser Shadrick of the Shady Glen and the two other knights newly hired to guard her. Littlefinger asks for a kiss, and Sansa kisses him on the cheek, then later, Littlefinger kisses Sansa on the lips, and tells her to do better next time. He also informs her that he had arranged a marriage contract for her with Lady Waynwood. Sansa wonders why Lady Waynwood would allow a bastard to marry one of her sons, but Littlefinger reveals that it is a contract for her ward, Ser Harrold Hardyng. Littlefinger says that, through various misfortunes that have been visited on House Arryn, Harrold—more commonly known as Harry the Heir—stands to inherit the Eyrie if Robert dies without issue. Sansa gets upset at the thought of marrying again but Littlefinger says that, when she weds, she will resume her true identity, leading the knights of the Vale to offer their swords to her so that she can recover Winterfell. Littlefinger continues to touch her and kiss her, then tells her to kiss him again.

(Edits to include suggestions, thanks, everyone.)

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Have we seen any wholesale delusions up to this point when it comes to Sansa's recollection of events?

I think we have to be very careful when assuming that Sansa is somehow blocking out memories or information to spare herself pain for the simple fact of the matter that we have no evidence in the text to support this. ... I'd also like to figure out why there's this idea floating around recently that Sansa has somehow blocked out what Lysa said to her, or that it constitutes some kind of mismemory. Let's remember that Sansa heard all of these things when she was in mortal danger from the very woman who was uttering the revelations, a woman who was getting Sansa confused with her mother, and hurling insults at the latter.

Well, Sansa is not up to delusion level yet - she 's not Cersei.

However, given the specific example of Lysa's revelations, it has been discussed in prior threads - not that she has blocked it out, but that she has not fully processed what Lysa told her. One or two more small pieces of information and she may have some jaw-dropping moment of realization, followed by rage. For example: Sansa could find out about Lysa's secret letter to Catelyn about Jon Arryn being poisoned by the Lannisters; she may find out what "Tears of Lys" are, and realized Lysa was talking about having her own husband, the Lord of the Vale; she may find out what Tyrion was accused of in his trial in the Vale (killing Jon Arryn, trying to kill Bran). Right now, Sansa is tending to go along with Littlefinger in dismissing Lysa's "ravings", rather than ask why her aunt said those things before dying. For now, it is being redacted - it is not gone, merely shunted aside.

"He is serving me lies as well," Sansa realized. They were comforting lies though, and kindly meant. ... If only she believed them. The things her aunt had said just before she fell had troubled Sansa greatly. "Ravings," Petyr called them. "My wife was mad, you saw that for yourself." And so she had.

Sansa's instincts tell her something is greatly wrong; she smells a rat. Yet, I think for the sake of expedience and self-preservation, she is mentally whitewashing her own experiences. If she faced these implications head-on, she would not be able to imagine herself safe anymore. Maybe when the shock wears off, and when she has a bit more "breathing space", she will re-think what happened, and ask the kind of dangerous questions that lead to pretty grim answers.

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It seems that the app is inacurate on a few things as well. for example

But Sansa still believes in the knightly ideal and therefore is horrified when she later witnesses her father refusing the grand Ser Loras command of the party he assigned to bring Ser Gregor Clegane to justice. Unable to understand why, she confronts her father, but instead he informs her that King's Landing is too dangerous and that he is sending her and Arya back to Winterfell. When her father says that he will find her a better husband than Joffrey, she shouts that Joffrey is nothing like the drunken King Robert—leading her father to figure out the truth of Joffrey's parentage.

Once her father departs, Sansa sneaks off to Queen Cersei, informing the queen of her father's intention, hoping that Cersei will stop her father from ending her betrothal to Joffrey. In her innocence, Sansa is thinking of nothing more than marrying Joffrey, and does not realize that she has helped doom her father.

it seems that Sansa goes directly from this point to Cersei, but in fact it comes a few days later, on the day that king Robert dies.

"It was for love," Sansa said in a rush. "Father wouldn't even give me leave to say farewell." She was the good girl, the obedient girl, but she had felt as wicked as Arya that morning, sneaking away from Septa Mordane, defying her lord father. She had never done anything so willful before, and she would never have done it then if she hadn't loved Joffrey as much as she did. "He was going to take me back to Winterfell and marry me to some hedge knight, even though it was Joff I wanted. I told him, but he wouldn't listen." The king had been her last hope. The king could command Father to let her stay in King's Landing and marry Prince Joffrey, Sansa knew he could, but the king had always frightened her. He was loud and rough-voiced and drunk as often as not, and he would probably have just sent her back to Lord Eddard, if they even let her see him. So she went to the queen instead, and poured out her heart, and Cersei had listened and thanked her sweetly . . . only then Ser Arys had escorted her to the high room in Maegor's Holdfast and posted guards, and a few hours later, the fighting had begun outside.

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Well, Sansa is not up to delusion level yet - she 's not Cersei.

However, given the specific example of Lysa's revelations, it has been discussed in prior threads - not that she has blocked it out, but that she has not fully processed what Lysa told her. One or two more small pieces of information and she may have some jaw-dropping moment of realization, followed by rage. For example: Sansa could find out about Lysa's secret letter to Catelyn about Jon Arryn being poisoned by the Lannisters; she may find out what "Tears of Lys" are, and realized Lysa was talking about having her own husband, the Lord of the Vale; she may find out what Tyrion was accused of in his trial in the Vale (killing Jon Arryn, trying to kill Bran). Right now, Sansa is tending to go along with Littlefinger in dismissing Lysa's "ravings", rather than ask why her aunt said those things before dying. For now, it is being redacted - it is not gone, merely shunted aside.

Sansa's instincts tell her something is greatly wrong; she smells a rat. Yet, I think for the sake of expedience and self-preservation, she is mentally whitewashing her own experiences. If she faced these implications head-on, she would not be able to imagine herself safe anymore. Maybe when the shock wears off, and when she has a bit more "breathing space", she will re-think what happened, and ask the kind of dangerous questions that lead to pretty grim answers.

Sansa's position in the Eyrie is quite precarious: she is living a lie, wanted by Cersei for killing Joffrey, bereft of friends and family, and her only protector, the shield between Sansa and a very hostile world, is Petyr Baelish. If I were in Sansa's shoes, I'd be mentally whitewashing my own experiences too in relation to that protector's role in my aunt's (and other family's) downfall - there's only so much fear and uncertainty a 13-year-old can take. Even Daenerys had people she could trust at that age, or at least people she knew would protect her from Robert Baratheon's attempts to kill her. It's hard enough for Sansa to negotiate the very delicate and difficult roles that Baelish is thrusting upon her - his daughter, his lover, his protegee. I agree that she will eventually put it all together and then, I think, woe betide Littlefinger!

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Sansa's instincts tell her something is greatly wrong; she smells a rat. Yet, I think for the sake of expedience and self-preservation, she is mentally whitewashing her own experiences. If she faced these implications head-on, she would not be able to imagine herself safe anymore. Maybe when the shock wears off, and when she has a bit more "breathing space", she will re-think what happened, and ask the kind of dangerous questions that lead to pretty grim answers.

Yes, she is suspicious of LF, but as Raksha noted, she's caught between a rock and hard place where she's still dependent on him and has to be in hiding as Alayne Stone. Like I said above, I think it's going to take a renewed awareness of the danger LF poses to bring Lysa's revelations into play, if Martin plans on making them a factor (and it's hard to see how he could not eventually). My contention remains though that none of this indicates Sansa is divorced from reality or is retreating into a delusional space. Rather it's like a sleeping giant just waiting for the right time to awaken. Sansa has had to play LF's game for the majority of her time in the Vale, and that cannot last much longer.

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Due to the fact that the potential endgame of the other Starklings has relevance for theories concerning how and where Sansa might eventually come into power, I'm reposting tze's thoughts on Bran from the Moments of Foreshadowing 2 thread. Feel free to elaborate further, tze :)

Bran thinking about 1) the bloody raven and 2) knocking people into the water reminds me of Mel's "towers by the sea" vision, which some have speculated refers to the greenseers bringing the Hammer of the Waters down on Pyke. The "bloody raven" would indicate Bloodraven, Bran's future greenseer teacher, and knocking down people, including the "twin towers"---associated Freys, into the water---this could foreshadow Bran bringing down the Hammer of the Waters.

Bran thinking about how "no one would ever be lord of the crossing but him" could serve as a general hint that the Freys will be destroyed (they'll lose their status as Lords of the Crossing due to either Bran's actions or due to the actions of the greenseers in general). Moreover, Bran once remembered a time when he went fishing with Jon and Robb, and because he caught nothing, Jon gave him his trout---the trout is associated with House Tully and lordship over the Riverlands. So Bran thinking about how nobody would ever be Lord of the Crossing but him, along with the imagery of Jon giving him a trout, could indicate that Bran will one day be put in control of the Riverlands.

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I have been following the last few days while away from home and I have to agree with the disappointment a lot of you noted about how Sansa seems to be written in the app. I had thought about downloading it on one of my kids ipod touch devices (I have an android phone too) but now I am not sure that I will. It does seem as if they have almost deliberately taken away Sansa's power and agency in her description. It would not have been so hard, as Le Cygne has mentioned, to make some minor adjustments that would be so much more true to her character.

Le Cygne I liked your additions to the app that you posted above, I have a couple of things to suggest as additions though. First here where you removed all this irrelevant details about what's going on before the battle, I think it's relevant to add the part I have in bold.

As the War of the Five Kings continues, Renly Baratheon's forces fall apart following his murder outside Storm's End. Stannis Baratheon reaps the bulk of his cavalry, but the Tyrells control the bulk of the infantry. Storm's End falls to Stannis not long afterward, its gates opened by the garrison following the mysterious death of the castle's castellan, Ser Cortnay Penrose. As it is only a matter of time before King Stannis arrives outside the city, Tyrion Lannister dispatches his clansmen from the Vale to fight in the kingswood, harrying the approach. Stannis sends the vanguard under the famous knight Ser Guyard Morrigen, a member of the now-dead Renly's Rainbow Guard, to attack King's Landing, and Sansa continues to go to the Godswood to meet with Dontos. She begs him to take her out of King's Landing now, while the fighting has started, as she is no longer being watched as she once was. Dontos informs her that it would not be possible as the gates are closed and there are no ships in the bay. As she leaves the Godswood she knows Dontos is right but wishes he had some of the Hound's ferocity. The she goes to the rooftop of Maegor's Holdfast and watches from the battlements as the kingswood burns while Morrigen tries to smoke out the clansmen.
I would leave in "as the Kingswood burns" but that is not a big deal, really.

Then, at the very end, I added something in bold as well.

He also informs her that he had arranged a marriage contract for her with Lady Waynwood. Sansa wonders why Lady Waynwood would allow a bastard to marry one of her sons, but Littlefinger reveals that it is a contract for her ward, Ser Harrold Hardyng. Littlefinger says that, through various misfortunes that have been visited on House Arryn, Harrold—more commonly known as Harry the Heir—stands to inherit the Eyrie if Robert dies without issue. Sansa gets upset at the thought of another arranged marriage but Littlefinger says that, when she weds, she will resume her true identity, leading the knights of the Vale to offer their swords to her so that she can recover Winterfell.

Edited for additions, grammar spelling, etc.

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