If Arya was a boy....

[bloodsteel bitterraven]

Aryas not a boy. What if Tyrion was taller? This is a stupid thread, stupid

No one's forcing you to participate. Some of us find these questions interesting. We're talking about a fictional story after all and how different it could have been if you changed a minor detail.

[juanml82]

There's no way a male Arya would have been sent to KL in place of Bran. The reason Ned wanted Bran with him was because he had seen the tension between Robb and Joffrey (the future Lord of Winterfell and King of Westeros respectively) and thought Bran who is a kind boy could bridge the gap between those two. A male Arya would have been totally wrong for that role because she hated Joffrey even more than Robb.

True, but otherwise Arya is a very likeable character. I don't think Arya truly despised Joffrey after the Mycah incident. She had formed an accurate impression of him (which Ned should have done) but it didn't go to the lengths it would get later in the books.

[Ser Pigeon Pie]

Ok I've had another thought. Going along with the context that (s)he didn't go to KL in the first place, what would Ned actually have done with him. I don't think he would have the heart to send him to the Wall or the Citadel, but maybe sent off as a ward. But to whom?

Half a mind says Arry might have been sent to the Vale with his Aunt, but another thought suggests maybe Ned would have tried to firm the ties with the Baratheons and sent him to Storms End with Renly.

[bloodsteel bitterraven]

Ok I've had another thought. Going along with the context that (s)he didn't go to KL in the first place, what would Ned actually have done with him. I don't think he would have the heart to send him to the Wall or the Citadel, but maybe sent off as a ward. But to whom?

Half a mind says Arry might have been sent to the Vale with his Aunt, but another thought suggests maybe Ned would have tried to firm the ties with the Baratheons and sent him to Storms End with Renly.

Arry would have been too young to go to the Wall and with Jon going first and telling his brother what the Wall really is like, Arry would join him. Also, Ned didn't send Bran anywhere. He was thinking of giving Bran land and making him Robb's bannerman, so I assume he would have done the same with Arry.

I think Sansa's life would have been a lot different if she was the only girl. In the books, she was often the target of Bran's and Arya's pranks, but if she was the only girl the whole family would have been very protective of her.

Bran on the other hand, especially after his accident would have been in a very bad position. When Robb went South, Bran was left behind to be the Lord of Winterfell, but if Arry was around, he would have been the Lord of Winterfell and Bran would have only been a cripple.

[A Man Has Said]

Aryas not a boy. What if Tyrion was taller? This is a stupid thread, stupid

I tend to agree. "What if" threads are cruising very close to being fan fiction in my opinion.

Even putting that aside, there's no way they can be construed as adding anything to the analysis of GRRM's books.

Basically you're analyzing the books he chose not to write.

..but if you're taking requests, could I suggest you follow this one up with, "What If Brienne Had Been a Man?" :P

[Ibbison from Ibben]

Eddard was fostered to Jon Arryn in the Vale when he was 8, IIRC.

I've always believed that the reason Robb was never fostered out was because he was being used as cover for Jon. (If Robb left, Catelyn would insist that Jon be sent away. Eddard wanted to keep a close eye on Jon.)

Arry, being 9, would likely have been fostered out, either to a northern bannerman or a lord in the Vale or the Riverlands. That would change some of Joff's actions, but not the actions of the Players. (Varys, LF, Tywin).

[binga]

What would Arya have been named as a boy? I'm thinking Ben...

So Ben can either just have Arya's same personality or be effeminate, as suggested above. Either way I think the journey would be the same, but she'd have more interaction with Joffrey since Eddard's plan was to send Bran to KL to befriend the little bastard.

Probably Aryan, Arian, etc.

[ejhawman]

It would make a world of difference.

For starters, he wouldn't be spending so much time with Sansa or his mother, and wouldn't be discouraged from masculine pursuits like learning the sword.

And after going missing from KL, Tywin won't have a younger daughter of Ned to use as a play for the North. He couldn't come up with a fake Arya as wife for Ramsey; he would need to offer the Boltons something else. Sansa would already be taken, and indicted as complicit in the murder of the King; if caught, they could claim Tyrion was dead and give their fake to Ramsey with orders to make sure she was dead eventually, but produce a putative heir before then. But Tywin would appreciate the risk that the real Sansa would show up eventually.

[LadyMary]

She'd roll out of bed in the morning and throw on what she wanted and go. Drink beer with the guys and chase after girls. She'd kick it with who she wanted and never get confronted for it, 'cause they'd stick up for her.

If Arya were a boy even just for a day, she'd roll out of the bed in the morning and throw on what face she wanted, then drink an ale with Jaqen Hghar.

She'd chase after jerks and she'd kill who she wanted, and she'd never get confronted for it, 'cause they'd never see her.

If she were a boy she'd hide her Needle, tell everyone it's broken, so they'd feel unafraid with her alone.

It's a little too late for you to go back, say it's just a mistake. Think she'd forgive you like that? If you thought she wouldn't kill you, you thought wrong.

If Arya were a boy...

(with apologies to Beyonce).

Seriously, if she were a boy, Arya might be dead. As it is, she might have been conscripted to fight in a war on one side or another and so like so many others, been killed, maybe along with Robb. She might have suffered the same fate as her brothers Bran and Rickon, a prisoner in her own home and forced to flee. Maybe she would have been imprisoned, like her sister and forced into the Night's Watch for real when her father was murdered.

As it is, because Arya's a girl, people may underestimate her. She's born and raised into privilege but has the advantage of looking like a peasant, so she can blend into the background, but has the ability and upbringing to maneuver around nobles if she needs to. She's also a skin changer who can see through the eyes of various creatures which would help her, regardless of her sex. Being a girl has given her something of an advantage, but that may change as she goes through puberty.

[Pikachu101]

I think it should also be pointed out that if Arya was a boy she wouldn't suffer from the same insecurities. Because she was constantly compared to the beautiful and perfect Sansa; who was clearly Septa Mordane's favourite Arya had very low self esteem. It's why she thought Robb and Cat wouldn't want her and its also why she never felt comfortable in her own skin.

If she was a boy I believe Arya would have a lot more self confidence and an easier relationship with Cat and Sansa.

[LordStoneheart]

Probably Aryan, Arian, etc.

I chose Ben from Benjen. All Eddard's sons are named after his close friends/family. But Arya and Sansa seem so random...

[Pikachu101]

I chose Ben from Benjen. All Eddard's sons are named after his close friends/family. But Arya and Sansa seem so random...

Cat probably chose their names

[Nerolunar]

I think it should also be pointed out that if Arya was a boy she wouldn't suffer from the same insecurities. Because she was constantly compared to the beautiful and perfect Sansa; who was clearly Septa Mordane's favourite Arya had very low self esteem. It's why she thought Robb and Cat wouldn't want her and its also why she never felt comfortable in her own skin.

If she was a boy I believe Arya would have a lot more self confidence and an easier relationship with Cat and Sansa.

This is a good answer.

[LordStoneheart]

Cat probably chose their names

Makes sense. Her mother's name was Minisa, which is kind of like Sansa.

So maybe a variation of Hoster or Edmure for the boy Arya...