Girls Gone Canon Cast - ASOIAF Episode 194 — AGOT Arya II

Episode Date: July 21, 2023

"Let me tell you something about wolves, child. When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. Summer is the time for squabbles. In winter, we must protect one another, keep each other warm, share our strengths. So if you must hate, Arya, hate those who would truly do us harm. Septa Mordane is a good woman, and Sansa … Sansa is your sister. You may be as different as the sun and the moon, but the same blood flows through both your hearts." Links mentioned:  Chloe's guest episode on Game of Owns, "Grey Mist" — http://gameofowns.com/396  Check us out on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/girlsgonecanon.bsky.social  --- Eliana's twitter: https://twitter.com/arhythmetric Eliana's reddit account: https://www.reddit.com/user/glass_table_girl Eliana's blog: https://themanyfacedblog.wordpress.com/ Chloe's twitter: https://twitter.com/liesandarbor Chloe's blog: www.liesandarborgold.com Intro by Anton Langhage

Hello and welcome to Girls Gone Canon Reads A Song Of Ice And Fire, episode 194, Arya in a Game of Thrones 2. I am one of your hosts, Chloe. And I am another one of your hosts, Eliana. And are you ready for the second Arya episode? Don't do it. I'm gonna do it every time. My suffering begins. Now my watch begins. I'm ready. I'm ready for Arya 2. It's another really, I don't know, the first few Game of Thrones chapters are nice. They introduce you to the character and the world. Yeah.

And we'll talk it a bit, but it's been a bit since we've been back with aria if you read these books in the way that they were written and compiled and published like from you know one to two to three four not like one five seven eighteen i don't understand what are you i don't i don't think i can like at all conceive of what you're saying my roommate's podcast you know reads the books from very one through sometimes they pair episodes up they get crafty but i do forget sometimes like what what the order is i'll be like wait what episode are you doing next time what comes next in this book this podcast has me messed up is what i'm saying i feel that way about it in a couple different ways uh well we'll we'll come back to some of those ways, I'm sure, today, if not next week

and every week following that until we finally end our suffering. Little housekeeping. Up top, Patreon episode this month for our patrons in the Stranger tier and above. That's five bucks and up at patreon.com slash girls gone canon,

where you get a bonus episode every month in that tier. And last month was what forsaken? Was that last month? Oh my god, forsaken. Yeah, it feels so long ago, right? Yeah, deep below deep below. Well, this month is coming. It's still coming. It's going to be actually it's going to be kind of fun. It's going to be road trips. We're going to talk about road trips, our own road trips, other road trips, stories, shows, characters from A Song to Vice and Fire who go on some road trips like Arya. As people have argued in our Discord, Catelyn to an extent. A lot of other characters, Tyrion.

Quentin. Yeah. True. Quentin. Yes, part of it is a road trip part of it sea trip quentin goes on a road trip with his bffs looking for like some glory some fun a summer away from home instead instead he goes on a final destination it actually is that right i mean a lot of the final destination movies my understanding as someone who doesn't watch scary movies,

is that they do start as road trip kind of films, right? Actually, yeah. And then you have Camping in the Woods, another kind of often. But yeah, the one Final Destination thing that sticks with me, and perhaps, mayhaps, we'll speak about this in the episode on Patreon, is when, I don't know which one it is, but the pole comes through the car and like impales someone there's like a pole yeah that's horrible that's horror man that's

i can't do that shit you know me i'm frail i'm a babby yeah we're soft and we're very soft very sweet fire signs that's why we do these books right soft very soft soft core that's why you know we we do i don't know i can watch like a lot of like gory i guess suspenseful stuff just not horror i can read i can read horror i can't watch as well i i can read i can do it i guess as comics and stuff but much to ponder i don't know much to ponder about what's wrong with us yeah a lot well you can get a little more info on what's wrong with us

if you join our discord which is available for patrons in the thunder tier and above it's $10 and up where there's fun channels where people discuss things but also once a month we do brunch slash happy hour where you get to, yeah, see what's wrong with us. Happy hours.

Live. You can say that again. I'm gonna cry. Yeah, you absolutely can come hang out for brunch with us over on discord or chat and all those channels this month's brunch slash happy hour is gonna be popping off actually if you're listening to this live on public release the day it releases in 2023 sorry historians. It's happening, like, this weekend. July 22nd. Saturday. 2023.

So tomorrow, if you're listening to this on the Friday, it came out. If not, no worries. 3 to 5 p.m. ET. That's Eliana-ish time. We hang out. We sometimes play some Discord games if the mood strikes, you know. We haven't done that in a while. I know. My computer was suffering too that was part of that but i think uh i think it could

happen for us i think it could happen yeah we just hang out and the discord itself is a blast people are fun we there's a swath there's other stuff popping off you know i finally got my switch so i can talk about tears of the kingdom just a wee bit. Yeah, a wee bit. Should we combine brunch slash happier hour and start calling it like bruppie hour? Brappie? Brappie.

Brapp. I like where this is going. These are proposals that I've put on for this week for everyone. We can discuss tomorrow. You know, that's why they pay her the big bucks. That's why. I'm an ideas person. Alright. That's all we got.

We got some emails rolling in on Arya. Get ready. You're gonna get them. But right now we're just getting into it. You know, we're just touching the surface here on Arya Stark. Actually really are. There's so many Arya chapters. We've gotten some a lot of really good thoughts already, both

like in our emails, in the Discord, and like on Twitter as well. Oh, a thought! You can also send thoughts on Blue Sky, friends. Oh my god, good call, because we are on Blue Sky. That's right, check it

out, Girls Gone Canon. Not just one girl or two girl, separate girl, good call because we are on blue sky that's right check it out girls gone canon not just one girl or two girl separate girl we are one whole girls gone canon account now that's girls gone c-a-n-o-n not like the canon that you shoot things out of right or that you trebuchet babies out of the canon like what is is canon? What is the truth? What is the fucking lore? That's us. That's us. Girls Gone Canon. Never forget it. So go follow us on Blue Sky if you're on there.

Yeah. We have that now. This week. Chloe's rolling in invites. Did you give one out also? I did to our friend Zaynab our friend zaynab is joining us on blue sky she has won the lucky new invite code anyway we're on blue sky now if you would like to share your thoughts there and yeah we've got a lot of good ones um some of them i think would have been fun to bring in today as well, but I'm in the middle

of a move. I'm really tired. So just like Arya Stark, who is in the middle of a move right now. Yeah. And it's been many chapters since Arya's been able to be on the move, honestly. Gotta be honest, it's been many chapters. So today for our lightning round, it's Stark only, baby. Sorry, Tyrion. Sorry, Dany. We'll come back to y'all. We'll come back to y'all. only baby. Sorry, Tyrion. Sorry, Dany. We'll come back to y'all. We'll come back to y'all. Let's start this lightning round off with Bran 2.

Bran has a great fall. Poor Humpty Dumpty. I almost just like blew up laughing reading this first one before you got to it. Humpty Dumpty. Jon 2. Jon says his goodbyes and gives Arya a gift. Edpty dumpty. John 2. John says his goodbyes and gives Arya a gift.

Eddard 2. Ned and Robert reminisce on the Targaryens. Keeping up with the Targaryens. Catelyn 3. Catelyn protects her child with bone and blood. Sansa 1. Near the Ruby Ford, friendships, sibling

relationships are changed. Forever. Traumatically. Also, pet relationships. Things are bad. Things are indeed bad. Especially as we get to Eddard 3 and where Arya and Joffrey's stories don't align from the Trident and when the moment comes sansa lies for duty for honor for family kinda brand three brand dreams he can fly and then he truly wakes catalan four catalan heads to king's landing on ship with sir roderick and meets up with little finger and berries to learn some truths. Some. Some. Littlefinger and Varys lie for duty, for honor, for family.

None of these things. Oh my god. John III. At the Night's Watch, John learns that maybe he didn't have it so bad. Just kind of bad, you know. Medium bad. The medium place. Just right. Lukewarm beer. Ettered for Ned learns they're throwing a party

for him. Accepting the hand job he definitely doesn't want. Littlefinger brings him to his wife. That sounds promising. Things could go really great for that guy. He's got a new job even though he didn't want it. You know, I mean his wife. That sounds promising. Things could go really great for that guy. He's got a new job even though he didn't want it. You know, I mean, his wife's here. What could go wrong? Anyways,

so that brings us to Arya 2. King's Landing stinks. Arya almost loses her sword, but gets to keep it, and she also gets a new teacher and mentor in the process. Yeah. So. The whole family. not the whole family, sorry.

Part of the family has just moved for dad's new job. He got placed somewhere else and they paid for his moving expenses in King's Landing. Things are tense. Arya's father has been fighting with the council and he's once more late to dinner the first course was a thick soup of pumpkin oh my god i'm salivating oh my god and was already gone when he got home from the job jory greets him and the guard all stand as well wearing new gray wool cloaks with white satin borders the king's silver hand adorning it he thought that they started without him though and they bring out the platter of ribs with garlic and herbs it's crested in it and jory brings up the gossip they hear that there is to be a tourney with knights all over the realm to celebrate his appointment as hand of the king aria can tell that ned's unhappy and sans is like oh my god dad please can we go to the tourney and he's like you know how i feel about my daughters watching folly watching fake sports

septimordane speaks up though and it's like princess marcella will be there and the ladies of the court are expected it would look bad if his family didn't attend, she says. So Ned will arrange them a place, but Arya doesn't want to go. Sansa's like, good. Ned's pissed. He's like, oh, you guys are sisters. Remember, you're expected to behave like sisters. And everybody's really upset, borderline tears, angry fighting. After that, no one talks anymore. They just eat angrily and quietly. It really stands out to me that Arya hates the idea of going to the tourney because specifically she does not want to be around Joffrey because she hates him for pretty good reasons, considering what happened on the road down here.

But mostly I feel like it stands out because in theory a tourney seems like exactly the sort of thing that Arya would enjoy considering that in the previous chapter she went down to the yard just to watch people fight and that's pretty much what the tourney is yeah there's a couple interesting things going on there right because it's almost like she's punishing herself for what happened in a way not letting herself enjoy things. But also I think a lot of her worldview just changed, right? Because we don't really get to see all of that, but just like Sansa kind of loses some of her faith and view

and getting to watch kind of those things with knights. I think Arya does too, right? Like her view just changed too, that knights and men-at-arms are bad. The people of King's Landing that support the lannisters and should be knights or should be good men are not like the people of winterfell that are knights and good men well no knights but you know what i mean yeah they're not knights also the hound's not a knight but um well he's no true knight but i think he is so i mean yeah he is aria does not right now but she's she's allowed um people change yeah ish yeah yeah i think that's a that's a good point for her it's now

just like kind of lost it's luster she doesn't really want to go there and i mean she doesn't want anything to do with the royal family they kind of really blew up her spot and by that i mean having a dog cr Cramp her skis. And they did that for her sister too. They really ruined having a dog for the whole family. And yeah, I think Arya would really like hockey.

Oh, she'd be great at hockey. I could see, I mean, not only is it, it can be violent, you wield a stick, kind of like maybe a sword, but on the ground of ice. It's funny you say that because a while back, a bunch of us were talking about wanting to do a sports ball cosplay, but Game of Thrones. And we talked about doing stark hockey costumes. Yeah. It'd be fun. Fun as hell. I think that makes sense.

Yeah. They would play hockey. It would be a pastime on the pond. Actually, they really would play hockey. Yeah. They'd love it. I think we even talked about it before with that what's her name? Emmy Rossum in that one Disney Channel original movie long, long ago.

Remember? With the atoms that are split. I forgot about that movie, but yes. We talked about it in His Dark Materials. I'm more of a smart house kind of girl, sorry. Anyways, as you were. Their father leaves early and Sansa and Jane gossip

while the men also gossip. But we have no one talked to Arya. She didn't care. She liked it that way. She would have eaten her meals alone in her bedchamber if they let her. Sometimes they did when father had to dine with the king or some Lord or the envoys from this place or that place. The rest of the time they ate in his solar, just him and her and Sansa. That was when Arya missed her brothers most. She wanted to tease Bran and play with baby Rickon and have Rob smile at her. She wanted

Jon to muss up her hair and call her little sister and finish her sentences with her. But all of them were gone. She had no one left but Sansa, and Sansa wouldn't even talk to her unless father made her. Things are so rough for them. That is a lot of this chapter is that relationship being so fractured. And Arya's first chapter is so unique in that it gives you a huge sense of who we see Arya as, right? Like she's the rapscallion younger sister in Winterfell. She is. She's like a little dormouse.

She's running around. She's getting into trouble. She's, you know, and it's all in a positive, happy way in that first chapter. And in the second chapter, she's doing a lot of the same things, like running from the people that teach her and that she's supposed to obey and respect, like Tom or Septimordain, but it's all in a negative, horrible, life is now bad way. So we'll come back to that. But, you know, she's one of the boys in the family. She loves her brothers. She likes to tumble about and fuck around and find out and play with swords. And, you know, that gives you such a great view

of her as this free spirit. And setting her second chapter, first of all, so many chapters after her first, so many chapters after the Trident incident, you know, re the Trident, so many chapters after the main plot has really already started to take hold. Right. We're a few chapters in for other characters. So things are starting to move. All the action, the drama is really starting to heat up. is really starting to heat up and it's kind of a great way to reveal more of the heart of Arya's chapters right to show how much she's grown in that time that we've missed her chapters where she's moved on location keeping her out of the way with what's actually going on in the road and it just makes her like a really effective chapter here to feel that sorrow that loneliness right she's lonely sad young naive the only friend she had at all on the way is killed because of the prince she has to throw rocks at her dog and make it run away because of the queen she's alone and she's not even really allowed to grieve her friend no one's told her what's appropriate she has to

like just guess at how to be appropriate in this city that she can't stand yeah i i think that's a great breakdown of what's going on and again like the moving part of it as a child right is she she has no way to make new friends like she has no friends here right and everyone that came along with them they're they feel like strangers to her all of a sudden which i think is kind of something that we see throughout the series, right? The people that you're supposed to be close to, suddenly they become strangers to you. And I think the way that it happens in Arya's story, it's really interesting because it comes at a point of her learning who she is. Even at the front of the chapter, we see a little bit of

that with those new trappings of power that the Winterfell guard is wearing right that satin yeah gray and white cloak and how you know they look so different than they did back at home and how everything has changed these people have changed now that they're wearing that cloak yeah that's true attorney in their honor what is that it's funny yeah because now it feels like they're different people to her which is kind of funny you know when they because they have what different cloaks and banners and you think of it in the context of running into harwin later yes i was thinking that yeah yeah yeah um you got that good brain for them in their new clothes though you got such a good brain you keep it upiana. You also have a good brain. Eliana gives that good brain. That's, okay, okay.

That's a lot. That's a lot. No, but I think that's super important when you think of Harwin and why, like, those chapters are so, I think they're really gripping chapters. They're good chapters and they're sad chapters. They're sorrowful chapters. And I love that. There's a lot of sorrow building here. or sorrowful chapters and i love that there's a lot of sorrow building here

grieving for like the childhood you lost and the people you lost at the same time yeah she's not at that stage yet you know it's too early it's too soon i kind of wonder if because it doesn't really make sense for her to grieve it in that same way right like based on how old she is in the storyline sans five-year gap yeah but it would have made it's one of those things that i would think would have made a little more sense with it there's gonna be some sad fucking chapters in those last eight books he writes yeah yeah well anyway we're not there yet right at winterfell i remember the lessons her father told rob to always dine with your men, to not let them die for strangers, similar

stuff to Jon's chapters, right? To let them know you, great or small. Arya had loved to listen to people talk at these dinners and listen to the men at the benches as well. They're free riders, knights, squires, old men in arms. And their wives would give her scones and she would play games with their children. Honestly, I would listen

to people if they gave me free scones too. Fat Tom would give her scones and she would play games with their children. Honestly, I would listen to people if they gave me free scones too. Fat Tom would call her Arya Underfoot because she was always underfoot. But that was Winterfell. And now in King's Landing, they had all betrayed her. Betrayal. Betrayal. They let the queen kill Lady. They let the hound kill Micah.

Jane said he had been cut up into so many pieces, he was returned in a bag to the butcher. No one had raised a voice, a blade, or anything. Not even her father. Not to ruin the mood, but also, then you said Jane said, and I had to start singing Jane said in my head. I'm like, Jane said. Yeah.

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh. I actually don't know the rest of the lyrics other than Jane said. Oh, I, ooh, ooh, ooh. I actually don't know the rest of the lyrics other than Jane said. Oh, I know this song by heart. Yeah, I don't. Jane said Thomas Sergium treats me like a recto. This is the saddest. This is, sorry for the musical interlude, everyone. Thanks for tuning in.

It's a song of ice and fire. He was my friend, Arya whispered into her plate, so low that no one could hear. Her ribs sat there untouched, grown cold now, a thin film of grease congealing beneath them on the plate. I'll eat them. Arya looked at them and felt ill. She pushed away from the table. Ooh, that reminds me of the the meat in a feast for crows a little oh yeah yeah or even the the prophecy that

brand gets right like your dinner was less delicious but you liked it more or wait no your dinner was more delicious but but you liked it less. Yes, there we go. That's what it was. There we go. That was what it was. Yeah. So there's a lot of sad things going on in this one little passage. I'm going to start with the saddest part. Thanks. I'm glad that you're going to do that. Thanks for breaking it down this way.

I really appreciate the way that you're rationing your sadness. The saddest part is that the ribs sounded fucking delicious and she didn't eat them. Yeah, that is really sad. That's the saddest. Honestly, they sounded so good. Kids in Flea Bottom are dying. They were crusted in garlic.

And herbs. Anyway, she should have just eaten them. So, you know what? For other obvious reasons, this whole Micah incident, it's a defining moment in Arya's life because she's right no one had done anything to stop micah's murder no one sought justice for him or his father but i mean he was a person to her he was a real person to her everyone else not a real person involved that's how they feel there's a lot of ideas wrapped up in this

about injustice and class that aria doesn't fully understand and that her chapters do explore and that we've also discussed in other chapters such such as Theon's, especially around like the Miller's boys and the abuse that Jane Poole suffers, ironically, as Arya. But it's also a moment that I think puts Arya on the path to feeling that, you know, if she wants to seek justice or vengeance, whatever, but if she wants someone to raise a blade, raise their voice or anything, it has to be her, right? For whom the bell tolls tolls for ari stark and so she learns to do so and you you kind of get a sense as you said earlier about the grief right like how ned's kind of lost in his own like stress about the new job and his own

unaddressed grief being with this person who reminds him of all of this trauma aka robert uh because he hasn't wrestled with anything. He will literally join a tourney that he'll lose before he goes to therapy. Are men okay? Robert is definitely not okay. Ned's also not okay. They're both even more not okay being dead.

Rip. Yeah, but they're just so lost in their unaddressed grief and and ned is and because of that like no one really cares until later this chapter that ari is also grieving none of these people are fucking there for her right and you know septimordane would rather she do her courtesies instead of being like wow you know what a good teacher would do a good teacher would see her student and be like wow i'm really sad that your friend was murdered yeah that's that's a great point that there's and this is the only conversation anyone has with her about this with her and ned and it's a good conversation but it's interesting because there's so much going on in a Game of Thrones for this family that at this point, I mean, Ned's also investigating.

And more happens for them. Yeah, more happens. Spoilers. Spoilers. But, no, I'm serious when I say, how could he have even realized for a moment, like, oh, I guess no one would have talked to her about how her friend was murdered. And that kind of sucked. And she's also a kid kid. Like, she's not like a grown up.

And we'll come back to this in just a few minutes. But, you know, this is Bran and Rob and Jon have seen men die. Arya and Sansa have not. Right. So we'll talk about some of that death soon. Septimordain tries to stop. Septimordain tries to stop. Septimordain tries to stop Arya from fleeing the room, but after feigning politeness, Arya bolts for the door.

Fat Tom tries to stop her, but she's faster and smaller. She reaches the door, she puts the crossbar on it. The thing she liked best about it was the door, a massive slab of dark oak with black iron bands. When she slammed that door and dropped the heavy crossbar, nobody could get into her room. Not Septimordain or Fat Tom or Sansa or Jory or the Hound. Nobody. Little bit of foreshadowing, I think, for later, right? When it comes to the escape from King's Landing, it makes me think of Sansa in her room, trapped in her room.

Of course, Arya's already fleed at that point. And also it stood out that the only thing she really likes about King's Landing are these great doors on her room, which are oak and iron. Serve me well. Yeah, it's her shield, right, in the world. It's a giant shield. Yeah, it is. The doors do stand out, though,

considering that there are some pretty iconic doors later on in Arya's storyline. Yeah, I've got all eyes on those doors. I'm like, oh, it might not be Weirwood and such, but it could be. I don't know. It could be Weirwood. Keep your eyes open.

It could. She hides in her room, feeling safe, finally. This is her safe space for now, and Fat Tom knocks on the door, asking what's wrong. She shouts that, no, no one's here, and he's like, hmm, sounds true. Wanting to return. She wants to return to her

den of misery, all alone, where she can sob, and once Fat Tom leaves her alone, she goes to her chest, opens it with both hands, and digs until she finds Needle, tossing all the velvet and satin on the ground. This reminds me so much of how her and Sansa both put their prized possessions

at the very bottom of their summer chest. Sansa's, of course, in the veil, when she has Sandor's bloody cloak, and she brings it out sometimes. And then, of course, Little Miss Aryria with her sword which she later will hide again right in the rocks there's also something like they're hiding their protections in their chests and there's almost some wordplay of hiding something close

to them in their chest right when you think about it like something close to your heart and it reminds me of bran's vision in bran 3 that you mentioned earlier where he looked south and saw the great blue-green rush of the trident he saw his father pleading with the king, his face etched with grief he saw Sansa crying herself to sleep at night and Arya watching in silence, holding her secrets

hard in her heart which I love is just an overview of them and it goes on of course to see the face of the hound and someone armored like the sun which he can't figure that one out for a while because you know trauma but and being thrown from a window but yeah that's just sad to think from a window it's nothing it's like you know i do that as a lark. Hoops-a-muxus, yeah, has not. I mean, Hoops-a-ditive hasn't sprained their ankle recently. You know, jumping from something. Come on.

Yeah. And by jumping, I mean falling down something. I was like, wait a second. Anyways, what is Chloe talking about? But yeah, I like that this vision kind of reminds you, even though it's brand three, it makes you think of where they are emotionally, where Arya and Sansa are

as we come here to talk about some of this being broken apart and sad. Arya has no one to talk to and is holding all her secrets in her heart, and Sansa is putting on her lady face and then crying about Lady's face in private.

I know. Yeah, it's horrible you're welcome also love the aria's like i'm not here and tom's like again sounds true i can't i i can't decide did tom believe it because she says like he's easy to fool right or was he just being respectful? I think he's just being kind because he likes Aria a lot. I think that's the better answer, probably. Yeah, that's how I feel now, looking back on it. I'm like, aw. Everyone likes Aria, yeah.

He's a real one, yeah, that's true. He was giving her space, he knows it's hard. Yeah. He's like the little girl, the little girl very true about sansa and i'll come back to that in a second because aria she's thinking of micah and how she had asked him to come along and how it was her fault she wants to leave to get away from all of them and i just i just feel so sad that aria blamed herself for Micah dying like it's really not her fault it's Joff reasoned sorry Chloe it's also Sandor's and sorry what I'm sorry the hound the hound um they're two different people okay uh honestly I'm gonna be real I don't remember

how much of it obviously like Cersei was mad but if she asked for if she had asked for micah to be punished or not um but that was that was a while ago so uh that's my bad for not remembering everyone um and to be honest it really is very shitty of of sansa and jane to act like it is aria's fault i understand that sansa's grieving and in pain too but it is pretty shitty oh yeah absolutely it's cruel they're being cruel to her but it's uh it's also interesting i don't know there's something interesting going on of like sansa publicly having to like you know agree oh haha it was aria's fault and take the side of the lannisters i mean mean, the Baratheons. There's something interesting. Like, I don't think it was Cersei necessarily

that asked for Micah to be punished. I don't think it's kind of revealed. I think it's just that we learned that he died and it was likely, you know, directed. But I kind of am curious, was it Joffrey? Because the boy had shamed him and embarrassed him and Joffrey and Sandor are, you know, duo. I could see it being Joffrey, right? Like I could see it being Joffrey. Like we know that

Cersei asked for Lady's Head and again, this is my bad for not reviewing this, but I just don't really remember Cersei asking for Micah's body or like Micah to be punished. but in retrospect it is possible that she could do it in order to get back at Arya seeing how Cersei goes after Aliyah right it wouldn't surprise me yeah to hurt Tyrion but something else that's kind of like and it's not directly said who does it but the bigger point of the moment when Sandor comes in is that like i think is that we don't know because that's just how they deal with things around there that's just how they quiet things that's just normal it's a normal day that they kill a peasant boy to quiet shit up um so i think i think that's kind of somewhat of like the bigger message to take home is that's just how they do work here on the capital now.

This regime. Oh, for sure. Absolutely. I think that's a great point. Yeah, it's for them. Again, no real person involved. Yeah, absolutely. Goddamn Roy's have done it again.

Actually, Roy's royalty. Absolutely. Septimord Dane is the next visitor to bang on Arya's door and Arya's like, go away. And finally, her father comes to the door and he bang on Arya's door and Arya's like go away and finally her father comes to the door and he tells her to open the door he sounds more sad than angry that makes her feel even worse and he comes in he sees the sword and he's like oh whose is that she reluctantly gives it to him and he immediately knows that it's Mikan's work it's a bravo's blade yeah so there's an interesting line here that when Ned points out you know that it's Mikan's work it's a bravo's blade yeah so there's an interesting line here that when ned points out

you know that it's micken's work we have aria could not lie to him she lowered her eyes so i kind of wonder now who will be the other people in the future that aria finds herself unable to lie to and then also that she refuses to say john gave it to her when he asks how did you get this and it's like she would not betray John and so I think we have some foreshadowing of something I don't know what yet going on here not necessarily like an event

but maybe the loyalty that the family will end up showing to each other yeah I like what you've said here about the loyalty of the family because I do think that part of lying and part of her she loses that stark identity through the next few books and she erases who she is. She embraces that lying, right? And not being able to lie to her family is interesting. And maybe there are some hard truths she'll have to tell someone like John.

That's true. Yeah. Yeah. Ned realizes that he's absolutely clueless about everything going on in his own house. Yup. That's true. Yeah. Yeah. Ned realizes that he's absolutely clueless about everything going on in his own house. Yup. That's true, Ned. Thanks. I just wanted to make sure that commentary was heard as I said it out loud to myself.

Yup. Yup. His own daughter has been armed by his forge. He can't rule the Seven Kingdoms or his household, he thinks. Arya refuses to tell him where she got it. She doesn't want to betray Jon, as mentioned, and he relents and says, this is no toy. What would Septa Mordain say?

Arya's like, I don't fucking care. I hate Septa Mordain, dude. And Ned's like, that's enough of hating people in this household, even if they suck in their Septa Mordain. And he's like, I should break this sword. And she's like, well, needle wouldn't break, so nice try, dad. Oh, just like her bonds to her family would never break this sword. And she's like, well, needle wouldn't break. So nice try, dad.

Oh, just like her family, her bonds to her family would never break. Never. I get it. So there's this funny line here also meant to be defiant, right? But her voice betrayed her words when she says needle wouldn't break. And again, you have that language of betrayal in here. So just stands out to me. Or the lack of betrayal, things like that. There's like a certain faith there.

Like a certain like a faith in like Needle and what it stands for and her familial bond and John like, like a kid when they're like, well, Santa's real, like before they don't know. Yeah, I also think I do. I mean, how strong is Ned? I actually don't think he could break it. But maybe, you know, that's very swole. You know, that's that's what he uses to pull Catelyn's hair. I bet he has great thighs. I bet he has really good thighs like some. He picks her up, throws her around.

Muscle dad thighs. I bet he has some great ripped dad thighs. Some hamstrings. I bet he has some calves ripped dad thighs some hamstrings I bet he has some calves oh definitely he definitely does he fought a war some hair on that chest sorry I think I lost myself there

we've been getting a loss a lot this episode Septimordain, I just want to come back to how rude she was at the door. She was like, you will regret this insolence, Arya. And I'm like, yo, chill. Please be nice to the little girl. Please be nice. Please. It's not

fair. It's not fair. We've got a classic passage. It has a name, does it? Ah, Arya, you have a wildness in you, child. The wolfblood, my father used to call it. Lyanna had a touch of it, and my brother Brandon, more than a touch. It brought them both to an early grave. Arya heard sadness in his voice. He did not often speak of his father or the brother and sister who had died before she was born.

Lyanna might have carried a sword, if my lord father had allowed it. You remind me of her sometimes. You even look like her. Lyanna was beautiful. Arya said startled. Everybody said so. It was not a thing that was ever said of Arya. She was beautiful and willful and dead before her time.

Wow, classic. Wow, we finally hit one of the classics organically. It's kind of crazy. We've quoted it 8 million times, I'm sure, by now in the last 193 episodes, so amazing. I don't think we're going to stop quoting it, but yeah. No, probably not. Probably not, but. It'll come back somewhere.

And yeah, I'm definitely not the first come back somewhere and yeah i'm definitely not the first one to say this i've definitely read theories about this but rereading it the aria chapters like this really kind of and and with all this time between the books really uh helps me buy into more the idea of you know regarding some of the stuff from last chapter of you know they'll find you your body in the snow clutching needle i am now starting to think that aria stark might die not the person whose povs were getting but the aria stark might die in the way that the elder brother on the quiet isle says that the hound is

dead you know that kind of kill your past that kind. Starting over. And I don't know why she would do it. Like, it might even be something she chooses. So, like, her claim can't be used against either of her siblings' claims. The way that Jane was used. Or maybe she even does it to protect Jane. Who knows? Which would be kind of interesting considering Jane's pretty mean to Arya. But also, I kind of get it in regards to like jane's jealous

of like the class and all the the privilege and stuff that's what she wanted until she gets it you know monkeys polish it and especially like after after maybe aria sees how people might try to use john's claim against like the nares or even against Sansa or maybe how Rickon's claim might be used against other people she might be like I don't want myself to be used like that. If there's one thing that I think the bad show did okay was like

that Arya wasn't worried about that stuff. About ruling, about taking Winterfell or you know there was no power grab for Arya it was that she came home from brutal war to more brutal war and she was traumatized and had to leave it all and I feel like that's actually I think that actually would be something I'd be interested to see her killing her past identity especially I mean who knows maybe her past identity will be killed too because

maybe when she defects they'll quote-unquote kill someone that has her face who knows exactly and yeah i don't think i see it as a you know what's west of westeros or whatever which i mean maybe that's what she does who knows but i just hated the way that they executed it and i think it could work in a way that was better done in the books that's seven minutes of the show ever. What are you talking about, in my opinion? It's just the lines were stupid. Okay, I'm done. You just need the last seven minutes of that entire show.

It's perfect. That's enough. I think if you watch season one, season two, and then the last seven minutes of the last episode of Game of Thrones in season eight, it's a perfect show. It's a perfect show. In fact, you don't even need to watch the tenth episode of season two Thrones in season 8. It's a perfect show. It's a perfect show. In fact, you don't even need to watch the 10th episode of season 2. You can just cut it at Blackwater

and then cut that last 10 minutes, you know? You're good. Honestly, apparently I need to rewatch Blackwater, as we've all discovered in Discord. Again, finding out what's wrong with me and Chloe. Nothing's wrong with me, nor Arya Stark. We're perfect beings.

So, Ned asks Arya what she hopes to do with her sword. He's like, what do you plan to do? Hurt your sister? Septimord Dane? Do you even know the first thing about fighting? And she's like, yes, stick them with the pointy end. And he snorts back laughter, saying,

okay, yeah, true. Good move. Good move. True. So, I remember way back in the day, you did an episode with Game of Owns and discuss this concept of magic words with them. And it felt kind of like Valar Morghulis operates kind of like magic words in the way that Open Sesame does, right? And I kind of wonder if Stick Them with the Pointy End will be this sort of magic words thing for Arya and

Jon one day. Yeah, I love that. That was in an Arya episode for Feast. It was either one or two, I want to say. And you can check that out. The episode is, yeah, it's two. It's Grey Mist from

Game of Owns owns and i like what you've said here about that because with all that lost identity and life after death stuff going on we don't know right like how john will come back or aria will come back and how they'll kind of perceive one another right what if he's like who the fuck are you you're not my fucking seven-year-old sister uh and there's also like my sister's right here just for that jane pool jane pool who doesn't look anything like her mathematics meme all the math numbers rolling across my face it also kind of reminds you of cat and liza's secret language right their secret code it's almost like a secret code and coming back to kind of what you said

about aria telling perhaps some truths or perhaps not being able to lie to certain people. I think it could fall in line with that too. Yeah, it's one of those tropey things, but I like the idea of it, you know, the words, it rings a bell and then he's like, oh my god, I know those words. And it's so cheesy. And I like the idea of it. And I do, this stood out to me when you said it again, when and I like the idea of it and I do this stood out to me when you said it again when Ned's like what did you hope to do with this sword because

at the end of the day right it is a weapon I mean it's not like you know sure you can use it just for exercise they do in some martial arts trainings and stuff but at the same time he's like this is a real weapon what were you gonna do with this and the kids not just aria but joffrey rob all of them not realizing same as in the last chapter like these are these can actually hurt people these are for war

well just stay tuned in the next two to three books ned and people oh wait you don't yeah but it's a good thing she has it you would be really happy that she had it probably maybe not with what she does with it but you'd be happy that she was alive i also really appreciate that the first rule of sword is like you'll shoot your eye out kid you know what i mean like that's literally what they're saying every time you're like well use the pointy end or something yeah it is you'll Shoot Your Eye Out Kid, a classic. A classic. Last week you tuned in for the Brady Brunch.

Today. We got other classic movies coming up in a sec. Arya wants to explain to make him see, but she's consumed with grief and all she can say is it's my fault that Micah was dead and it comes tumbling out like word fucking vomit word stew. And he immediately holdsumbling out like word fucking vomit, word stew.

And he immediately holds her and he tells her, grieve for your friend, but never blame yourself. And then he says, the hound murdered Micah on the queen's orders. So that's what Ned thinks happened, by the way. Doesn't mean that's true. It might be, it might not be, you know, again. I mean, the kid basically cucked her kid, so what are you going to do? Yeah. Socially. not be you know again i mean the kid basically cucked her kids so what are you gonna do yeah socially and and like that sort of punishment makes sense within that system when you come back to you know the way fuko i discussed previously the way that that the justice

the way it was interpreted was breaking the law is hurting the king's body right like it's seen as an extension of the king and joffrey of course as a prince is within that and if you literally hurt the prince i guess the punishment is something like death or something like that yeah i mean what brandon now that i think about it coming all the way back brandon and got executed just for threatening to fight the prince. Yeah. At the time. And that's the other thing is like,

he stood up for her. And also that's the end of the lie, right? Like Joffrey's like, yeah, it was all their fault. They did it. It wasn't me being a shithead.

So he's taking that lie all the way to Micah's grave by, you know, resting on that lie. Like he really shouldn't have died quite obviously, but also that Micah was standing up for Aria in that moment, you know, resting on that lie. Like, he really shouldn't have died, quite obviously. But also that Micah was standing up for Arya in that moment, something no one has done for months while they've been here. That was the only person willing to be her friend,

and they just killed him and took that away from her. And it speaks to the injustice, too, because even if Joffrey didn't stick to that lie, would it have mattered? I think Robert would have thought it mattered because Robert was biased against his own child rightfully or not rightfully so he didn't express that bias against him in

positive ways but true bestie Brandon wasn't wrong to come all the way out to King's Landing and be like hey where the fuck is the prince I'm going to fight him he kidnapped my sister he got executed for it but he wasn't wrong to do that so it doesn't matter if you were righteous in standing up or not or if the person was lying or not like

deck stacked yep that's just the way it falls under their little cute little feudalism they have going on cute little feudalism real cute real small so small s-m-o-l uh it this scene with ned and aria though is really it is so touching right and it's part of why you feel for dad it's so sad and it's beautiful that ned gives aria the space finally to grieve let out all of her feelings, be this poor little girl. And I also wonder if it's because it's something that Ned has had to tell himself in the past about grief and blame. Go away. Get away from me. I'm serious.

What if he had told himself in the past, oh, it's my fault, right? I'm sure he fucking has eliana i'm sure he does it every other day every moment of every day really thank you pretty much pick it out he does he's like it's my fault that liana ran away at the tourney or it's my fault because i didn't get to the tower of joy earlier right or it's my fault that i don't know whatever thanks I hate it I fucking hate it thanks you know what else is hated you yes Arya hates me

but she also hates Sandor and Cersei and Sansa and Joffrey oh and Sansa too because she lied so Joffrey would like her yeah Ned reminds her everyone lies Arya even you who said Nymeria ran off. Arya says, Jory promised not to tell.

And Ned's like, okay, well, he didn't. There are some things I don't need to hear to know. I obviously know. She tells him they had to throw rocks to get her to leave and that she had to tell her to be free and that Arya didn't want her anymore to play with the other wolves. Jory had said the woods would have game for her to hunt. So that Arya didn't want her anymore to play with the other wolves. Jory had said the woods would have

game for her to hunt, so that's where they freed her. Maybe that's what she tells her family, right? To protect them. She's like, I don't want to be part of this family anymore. But she's just trying to protect them or something. I don't know. No, there's something to that

in the idea of Nymeria having to flee and get a new found family right and then that numeria can stay undercover for so long and also like survive and become the leader of the pack even and come back like ready to rock and roll with that wolf pack like there's something there which also there is something there because again george just said you don't hang a wolf pack on the wall he didn't mean that wall he was talking about chekhov's gun and that saying there's something it was very misleading yeah it's gonna come back one day theoretically um caveats i i appreciate ned's we know he's disappointed in sansa for lying but that he understands why she had to do it. And I think it

is testament in this moment to his parenting of Arya that he doesn't throw Sansa under the bus here to Arya and defends her to an extent. He's trying to keep the family together and reminds Arya that everyone lies. And you know what? Arya is about to become a very good liar. All right. So maybe everyone lies, but also no one lies. Oh my god. And I'm, again, like, we're unsure. Did Cersei ask her if I could have died or not? But I think it makes sense that Ned, in his mind, blames her because he can't stand,

he himself can't bring himself to blame Robert yet. Also, his relationship with Sansa is fractured then by Sansa's grief for her wolf. We've talked about it in the Sansa chapters, but it does really suck, right? He knows he can't comfort Sansa in her grief because he knows that Sansa blames him, whether that's right or not. And unfortunately, that does leave her vulnerable. That isolation leaves her vulnerable to being taken advantage of, manipulated by people and groomers. Many of them. Pick one.

Pick fucking one. It's a bummer because it's actually also fractured so much that Ned doesn't have this conversation with Sansa. He says, well, Septimordain had it. Yeah. I don't think Septimordain did. You do not have to hand it to her is what i'm saying we are septimordain hate podcast it seems cruel it's septimordain anti-podcast i know she dies

but i don't care i mean i still feel bad about that and she's still a person i just think that she's a little she's not but yeah she's a little old fashioned and her values that are very traditional and old school do not maybe protect the girls as much as everybody that believes in that system would think that they do so that's my official take that said fuck that bitch fuck that bitch that is a good balanced take, what you said. But also, I don't have to be rational. Yeah, I have a podcast. You guys don't listen to me to be rational. If you want to listen to rational fuckers. Hot takes.

Yeah, hot, spicy, sexy takes from gorgeous, gorgeous girls. It's us. About Ned's thighs. All right, so Arya asks if she did the right thing because otherwise cersei would have killed her and net agrees it was right he tells her even the lie was not without honor what does it mean well it hurts my feelings though right like this entire chapter and that echo of liana's ghost is hurtful it's allful. Liana's stuck in her own rock and hard place like Sansa, right? Between her betrothed, the crown prince, and then like the raging crowned

rebel king, right? And she can't really, I mean, like the crown prince shows her and then the crowned rebel king and these little ironies that trap them in this society, right? That's where Sansa is. And then Arya's also trapped that she wanted to be kind to her friend who stood up for her and now nobody will let her even speak or think about it or express it this is kind of aria's version of you know when he took the boys beyond the wall to watch the dude get killed that's this kind of talk that's this grown-up talk a very different talk to have and kind of like we referenced earlier this grown up talk, a very different talk to have. And kind of like we referenced earlier, it's interesting to think like he doesn't teach his daughters what it means

to see a man die because he shouldn't have to. He thinks he thinks it's protecting them, but in a way, then the first man they have to see die, which not true, not the first man, but the first man they see in spectacle beheaded for the crown is him yeah for them it's so different than with the boys because they're not exposed to it in that

way aria's first experiences with death are so close to her right like her friend her only friend and then her dad her dad her mom so oh yeah her mom and then her brother later her i mean before that there's a kid that she kills but whatever you know whatever there's more death too yeah but you know what we mean lots of death yeah yeah yeah lots and lots of death oh good and you know aria has her own lives throughout the story not without honor and not just in this book as she goes on there are more lies that she tells to you know to help people in the end but throwing rocks at your dog and sacrificing that part of your friendship with your dog that's like liana would have done too if it meant saving her and aria even has that moment at the front of the

chapter where she's mad at her dad and she thinks he didn't even stand up and tell them no. They just killed Lady. Like, there's at least that that she can understand what Sansa is suffering and going through, right? Like, they can find that common ground of that hurt, that pain that they both have experienced. Yeah, absolutely. And I like that you called out here the sacrifice of it, right? Because it is a sacrifice, what Arya does.

She sacrifices that friendship in order to save someone else's life. And by someone else, I mean her wolf, right? Because she can only do so much about Maika and did not know the world was like this. But yeah, that's a sacrifice that benefits someone else, though it hurts her. I guess it kind of hurts her wolf too, but whatever. In the long run, Nymeria becomes big and mean and strong for it. Super big, yeah, and she rules

all the wolves. And they're gonna come back in the story one day, maybe. Witch queen, witch queen. Oh, true, true, true. Witch queen, witch go witch. Woof, woof. Woof, woof. Ned embraces Arya and sets Needle down and they sit in the window seat

with Needle. He tells her to you know, hop here so I can explain some shit about life to you, kid. And once more we get a great Ned talk. Possibly the last paternal advice. Oh my god, a Ned talk. Yes, yes. I don't mean

half the brilliant things I say. I should have realized. Good for me. Yeah, we get a Ned talk. The last of the Ned talks. And here it goes. You are too young to be burdened with all my cares. But you are also a Stark of Winterfell. You know our words. Winter is coming.

The hard, cruel times. We tasted them on the Trident, child, and when Bran fell. You were born in the long summer, sweet one. You've never known anything else. But now the winter is truly coming. Remember the sigil of our house, Arya? The direwolf. She said, thinking of Nymeria.

She hugged her knees against her chest, suddenly afraid. protect one another, keep each other warm, share our strengths. So if you must hate Arya, hate those who would truly do us harm. Septa Mordain is a good woman, though a drunk. No, he didn't say that. And Sansa. Sansa is your sister. You may be as different as the sun and the moon, but the same blood flows through both your hearts.

You need her as she needs you. And I need both of you. God's help me. But why do you have to go? Why do you have to go? So soon? Dad? Dad, no!

Dad, no! This is horrible. I have to be sad all over about this fucker. This is bullshit. Yeah, it is. Especially because we got the good quotes. You know, we got the iconic moments. why do men take up so much emotional space it's rude ned work on that yeah you were like this is such a weird day i was like is she a good woman

like yeah i mean i think you made a good case for her earlier i mean good to know who you are it's what you do okay well that well, that didn't help. I was like, Chloe, that does not... So I strongly, strongly think that the point of the story as it goes on or, like, not of the story, not all of it, but of these arcs with Sansa

and Arya and how it's being played up here their tension between them is about the two sisters eventually finding strength in each other and I can't, I don't know there are people who think that when they come back together they're going to hate each other and they might squabble, right?

but I do strongly think this is built up because it's much more impactful in the end when they unite and they're able to find and again share their different strengths as ned told them to and complement each other and support each other that's it that's all yeah the sword and the shield as you've kind of talked about you know like they support one another yeah i. I think that's fair. They're both dancing in different ways. I have to say that nine years ago, a song of ice and fire and misogyny is still alive today, just like it was nine years ago.

And I was Googling some old theories and just reading and doing some light A-swath browsing, and, like, the first comment on somebody's, like, post about this chapter somewhere on Reddit was the first comment. Wow, I really hate Sansa. I wish I could just kill her. I'm like, oh, all right. She's 12. Cool. Cool. She's 12. I'm like, why would you do that when there's Septimordain is right now. Septimordain is right. It's also fucked up.

Yeah, I know it is. Sand Sandra Clegane's a bright thing shots fired shots fired oh my god I'm quitting this podcast I'm so sick of it here I'm so sick of it you know who else is tired Ned he sounds it oh god

yeah Chloe mom dad everybody Ned's tired Ned is tired he's tired as a Yeah, Chloe, mom, dad, everybody. Ned's tired. Ned is tired. He's tired as a motherfucker. Eliana, you're not wrong. He did fuck their mom.

That's so true. Oh, Jesus. It made Arya sad. How tired he sounds. And Arya admits that she doesn't hate Sansa. Not really. And he tells them that they are in a dangerous place at home. They could play these summer games. But here here it's time to start growing up.

And she vows to be as strong as Rob and he hands her needle telling her she can keep it. How exciting, how exciting. Besides, if he denied her this sword, he'd find a morning star hidden under her pillow within a fortnight. And also he makes her promise to not stab her sister. This is a small little cute call out, but Daisy wields a morning star, right?

Daisy Mormont wields one. So it's cute. I know it's not 100% connected, but it just makes me smile that really the next morning star we see that's significant is Daisy's. Yeah, I do like that i uh daisy rip rip uh also real i want to point out because i feel like there's an opportunity here to point it out that aliana really loves whenever the girls say they want to be as strong as rob it always makes her so sad i don't know what it is like i don't know i don't know but she really maybe you killed your twin in the womb we don't know i don't know what it is. I don't know. I don't know. But she really, maybe you killed your twin in the womb.

We don't know. I don't think so. Eliana loves siblings and their love of Rob. Disgust. I do. It's so, I don't know. He gives them so much strength. It's so beautiful.

But Rip to him, same as Rip to Daisy. I don't know. I think Daisy and Rob, Daisy Rob Shipper here. Daisy was a Daisy Rob Shipper. so yeah oh yeah so the next morning aria asked septimordane to forgive her for her behavior and her father nods approvingly at midday three days later vian pool summons aria to the small hall where the benches and tables were pushed out against the walls and the bald man with a bravosi accent steps forward from the shadows holding two wooden swords

and telling her that she will begin her training. He tosses her the sword and she misses and he says you know what, tomorrow you're going to catch it. And he corrects her stance and she complains that the sword is too heavy for her but he says that it's as heavy as it needs to be so that she can become stronger and to hold it with one hand.

I love that she, of course, is left-handed. And I love this little line. This line's great. She held the sword in her left hand. He seemed to approve. The left is good. All is reversed. It will make your enemies more awkward.

So, as you may know, if you've listened to this podcast before, I'm left-handed and I will say I was bullied by teachers. Like I had a substitute teacher and a regular teacher. Yeah. Yeah. In first and second grade, I want to say, or maybe it was second and third that told me a, the way I hold the pencil is wrong, which is different just because I have hand issues. uh b not only that but then b told me that writing with my left hand was incorrect why that's messed up that's some septimordane shit that had to be like 99 2000 so like that was as recent that shit was as recent as then okay uh so very interesting very meaningful to me that sirio's like huh he looks at it and i'm sure george actually thought that when he

wrote this because that was a thing like left-handed people were like holy shit cement galosh those witches you know what i mean like throw them down the river especially in george's time exactly so i'm like i really felt that when he was like, instead of, for a moment he looks and instead of saying that's wrong, he goes good, all will be reversed. Your enemy won't expect it. Yeah. I kind of wonder, do you think she's going to learn to also fight with her right hand and then

switch and then be like, ha ha ha. Right? Kind of like in, not to spoil this, but Ted Lasso. I have not seen it. I have not seen it. I have not seen it. Yeah. Cute.

But there's something fun there, too, also with, you know, the darkness imagery surrounding Arya and this idea of sinister, right? I thought you were going to say of, like, this idea of her being a lefty. I was like, yeah, it is sinister. You're right. Well, because sinister in Latin, right? That's what left was, right? Yeah. Not right.

Oh, that was confusing when I said that. That is what left was. Correct. Sinister. And I'm sure many of you know this, the trivia of Maisie learning to use her left hand in order to play Arya. I respect that. I'm so glad she kept that. Yeah.

Yeah. Syrio tells her to make the steel part of her arm, that it won't fall then. He says he was first sword to the sea lord of Braavos for nine years and says, you too are a sword. In fact, that's all you are. They begin the dance, not the dance of Westeros, which is hacking and hammering

what knights do, but the dance of Braavos, the water dance, swift, sudden. He tells her men are made of water. When you pierce them, the water leaks out and, sudden. He tells her men are made of water. When you pierce them, the water leaks out and they die. Part of it is the dance is fluid, right? And the water dance feels very inspired by Bruce Lee. And actually a lot of, I think, Arya's training sequences,

looking back on it, seem inspired by martial arts movies training in general, right? Doing these unrelated tasks in order to learn that muscle memory and get that sort of physical training and you know anyway back to bruce lee the the famous quote horses be like water making its way through cracks do not be assertive but adjust to the object and you shall find a way around or through it if nothing within you stays rigid outward things will disclose themselves. Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. If you put water into a bottle, and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot,

it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend. And that's Arya and Syrio Forel's story here. And I love that the water flowing or crashing from Bruce Lee can, you know, water can disappear. It can be malleable. It can also hurt. But also that, you know, be formless, shapeless, like water. Formless, shapeless, faceless. Ah, I love that. I love what you pulled out here because it's kind of like you know the way of the dragon or you know like game of death or like fist of fury or enter the dragon dance of the dragons or one of his very early ones the kid you know when he was an actual kid um no i'm sorry i was just being sassy but i actually really do like that comparison i do also great thighs just like that yeah i do think thighs is the thematic part of the episode we were supposed to pay attention

to so no i like that you compared it to this, especially because he pulls out the dance of Westeros, right? In the next chapter for Arya, we start to open up a possible conspiratorial dance happening in Westeros, if you will, if you will, if you won't. And a dance, of course, being seen as the way that we describe some of these fights and battles, like a dance or a dance of the dragons, even, that is to come. fights and battles like a dance or a dance of the dragons even that is to come but i love that of course it's more staccato right the hacking he calls it of westeros the hacking it's a very staccato sound it's a very not fluid thing so that you've compared it here to this quote and to the fluidity of water which i will say i have heard this quote with the words replaced with cats but with cats instead because they are also fluid like this. So do what you will with that in your brain.

I thought you were going to say that you had heard it referenced through Cowboy Bebop. No, no, but I do know that. Because it also does that. Yeah, yeah. No, no. You know, like, empty your mind, be formless, shapeless like cats.

If you put cats in a cup, it becomes the cup. You put cats in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put cats in a cup it becomes the cup you put cats in a bottle it becomes the bottle you put cats in a teapot it becomes the teapot now cats can flow or they can crash the cats the cats that is true about cats and that actually you know cats are the canals perhaps ah aha see i'm not wrong i'm not wrong thank god you brought me home like that oh man eliana wasn't gonna leave me out in the cold. I'll bring you home anytime. Yeah, you will. So, to end this chapter, Arya tries for four

hours to strike Syrio until her body is sore and aching. And then, of course, the great line, the next day the real work begins, implying that was nothing. Yeah, right right training montage music starts in the background I'll make a man out of you

from Mulan which actually is very applicable to this very specific situation in several different ways to Arya's story in several different ways yeah I do agree sorry I started jamming now now it's in my head thank you to defeat the Lannisters

Sirius has the dark side of the moon different as the sun and the moon masquerading as as a man yeah boy ari um eliana it's been a pleasure to have you here this evening thank you for coming to our podcast with me thanks it's fun i enjoyed talking about aria the plot's thickening you know next week we're gonna get into it we've got some very Thank you for coming to our podcast with me. Thanks. It was fun. I enjoyed talking about Arya. The plot's thickening. You know, next week we're going to get into it. We've got some very similerio drama happening in the background.

Lots of stuff to chat about as a Game of Thrones goes on and shit gets crazier. All those bastards and oh my, all the death. Yeah, that is also true of all of the rest of Arya's story. My god, bastards and death. We'll explore more of those bastards and death. But before we give you a word from our sponsors to take us out, to lead us out, to Country Road, to take us home, Eliana, where can the good people of the internet now find us to tell us things? Yeah, well, last week we told you about our individual blue skies, but forget all that.

Forget everyone. We have an official Girls Gone Canon blue sky now. All right, it's Girls Gone Canon, C-A-N-O-N, which is also where you can find us on Twitter, Girls Gone Canon. And then again, if you have any thoughts, you can share it on any of those, or you can find us on Twitter, Girls Gone Canon. And then again, if you have any thoughts, you can share it on any of those, or you can also send them to us via email at girlsgonecanon at gmail.com. Yeah, recipes,

cats, dogs, birds, we're very open. Whatever you want to send us, come on through. Yeah, we'll see you over there on the internet, and of course our patrons are going to tell you where to find us, where to listen listen to us and what's up on patreon so play us out friends and patrons you can catch girls gone canon on any of the following streamers on podbean itunes google

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Come by, join the community. It's a lot of fun, and you won't regret it. As always, I've been one of your hosts, Chloe. And I have been another one of your hosts, Eliana. Thinking about those ribs still that she didn't eat. Oh, it wasn't just the ribs, right? Like there's also, I forgot about it and thankfully your notes had it that there was also the

thick soup of pumpkin. That sounded super good too. A thick pumpkin soup? Sometimes I make some of the pumpkin stew stuff in like or any of the soups in Zelda and then I'm hungry.

I want that pumpkin soup and those ribs we'll see you next week goodbye