Arya Had Broken Dreams, Too

Arya had broken dreams, too

Everyone hones in on how Sansa's dreams were brutally dashed, but I don't think enough people realize how Arya's dreams were broken too. Arya wanted to become a swordfighter and have bold adventures. She never imagined the death and destruction that could result from it. She, too, suffered the loss of her idealism and sunk into a deep depression. She doesn't even believe her mother will love her after seeing what she has become. Becoming what she has wanted is costing her who she was.

Ursalina Duvianos: Reina's Dark Reflection

A good villian should aways mirror the hero, showing that it's easy to go wrong. Dona Ursalina Duvianos shares Reina's same insecurities and suffered for it. As a young woman, she was obsessed with Feleva Aguila, the ambitious valco leader. Superficially, Ursalina's relationship with Feleva mirrors Reina's relationship with Celeste. Reina and Ursalina both were infatuated with valcos whom they served. There is another interesting facet, however, that I think may have lead to Ursalina becoming the vengeful sorceress we see in the books. Both Reina and Ursalina felt inferior because of their species in the presence of their love interest.

At the beginning of The Sun and the Void, Laurel dismisses rumors about Feleva raging her way to an early death because of Laurel's marriage to Enrique. Even if Feleva's discontent wasn't that intense, it still must have been there for the rumor to exist. What would that have done to Ursalina? Seeing someone whom you love degrade their daughter-in-law because they are the same species as you must have destroyed her. By this point, however, Ursalina grew to accept the disrespect. She had already let Feleva take all the credit for discovering iridio. Ursalina's son, Juan Vicente, was raised to serve Don Enrique even though they were both heirs.

However, Ursalina's attitude towards Reina's mother is hypocritical. Juan Vicente left Dona Ursalina to marry Beatrice Torondoy, a nozariel. Ursalina's disdain for Vicente's wife mirrors Feleva's scorn for Laurel. Even though Ursalina resented Feleva for her speciesm towards humans, she never recognized her own prejudices.

Podrick Payne- The Boy Littlefinger was

I read a post a while ago about how Podrick only joined Brienne to search for Sansa, not for Tyrion. Podrick's chivalrous love for Sansa reminded me of Littlefinger's infatuation with Catelyn. Both Littlefinger and Podrick came from small houses, were fostered by a Great House, (in Podrick's case, he was Tyrion's squire), and developed a crush on someone unattainable. Sansa's romantic ending is still uncertain. However, if she rejects Podrick, I don't think Podrick will fall into self-pity and bitterness like Petyr did.

lydia bennet-19th century sansa stark

Poor Lydia. Her dreams were realized, but, unlike Sansa Stark, she never recognized they were nightmares too. Sansa and Lydia were beauties who insulted their sisters for not adhering to societal standards. Sansa grew exasperated with Arya's boyishness and called her a horseface. Lydia snarks about Wickham's previous love interest and insults Mary's performance. Sansa, however, quickly gets bitten in the butt by the standards she revered. Numerous tragedies, such as the Battle of the Blackwater and Joffrey's abuse, force Sansa to confront how women's conformity only leaves them at the mercy of others.

By contrast, Lydia seems to be rewarded for fitting into society's mold. She and Wickham are deep into the honeymoon phase when they get married. By the end of Pride and Prejudice, she still doesn't know about Wickham's manipulativeness. Lydia even gloats about her marriage to Wickham, seeing no issue with her actions. Slowly but surely, reality sinks in. In the epilogue, Lydia and Wickham move frequently, saddled by debts. Lydia isn't great at managing her money, but Wickham is expected to provide a living income. Even if she were a financial mastermind, Lydia's livelihood would still be hurt by Wickham's inability to manage money. However, the Wickhams are always cushioned from the consequences of their mismanagement. Sadly, it seems like Lydia will always remain blinded to the issues within her society.

poor emi. she's stuck in the world's worst custody battle

Jaime Lannister's life is a series of good intentions leading him closer to hell. He saves King's Landing from wildfire? He suffers condemnation. He innocently congratulates Robb Stark on his upcoming marriage? Now he's suddenly implicated in the Frey's betrayal. He can't win!