Who Woulda Thought?

Who woulda thought?

50 likes? Thank you guys for your engagement with my posts! The Arya one really blew up, but seeing the likes on the Monster one stunned me. Thanks again, and stick around to see more analyses/reviews/random stuff!

Thank you @hozukitofu and everyone who got me to 5 reblogs!

Doll-Tearing = Loss of Innocence

In ASOIAF, doll tearing is often associated with the loss of innocence. When Arya visits a village, the village elder's daughter begs Arya to play with her. Annoyed and frustrated, Arya rips apart the young girl's toy knight, shouting "Now he's like a real knight! Torn apart and bloody!" (i can't remember which book). Arya has seen harrowing sights of violence and death that no normal adult should witness, much less a child. This incident highlights how deeply traumatized Arya is after what she has been through.

A similar scene occurs with her sister Sansa. She's building a snow Winterfell, thinking the snow has the "taste of innocence". Robin Arryn, her cousin, then destroys it with his stuffed toy. She accidentally tears it and Robin storms away, sobbing. Littlefinger then comes and kisses Sansa. This isn't Sansa's first time suffering an unwanted advance, but she truly realizes how little support she has when her aunt tries to punish her. Sansa has relied on the memory of her family for strength and the only relative she's seen after the death of her father threatens to kill her after an incredibly vulnerable moment.

Matahachi Honiden and Peter Keating

Despite being from two completely different eras and countries, the deuteragonists of the Vagabond manga and The Fountainhead share a lot in common. The Fountainhead has Peter Keating, an aspiring architect who sacrifices others and eventually his own happiness to achieve ephemeral success. In Vagabond, we see Matahachi Honiden bumble through various troubles on his quest to become an esteemed swordsman. Both of these men pursued these paths because of their mothers. Mrs. Keating guided all of Peter's career choices, from attending college to joining a firm and marrying his employer's daughter. Osugi Honiden, Matahachi's adoptive mother wanted him to be a worthy heir of the Honiden name. One of these men falls into disgrace, whereas the other accepts his failings and aspires to be better. Their maternal support is critical to their character arcs.

From the very beginning, Peter and Matahachi are pushed towards divergent endings. Peter mother frequently dismissed Keating's actual desires in favor of fulfilling a shallow version of success. This is epitomized in Keating's rejection of Katie, his true love. One day, a panicked Katie goes to Peter's home and asks to marry him the next day. He agrees, but his mother dissuades him from doing so. Instead, she advises him to marry Dominique Francon, his employer's daughter. Peter ultimately follows his mother's wishes rather than his own. This desperation to live up to his mother's standards drive him to ghastly measures. He frightens his firm's partner into dying of a stroke. Keating also plagiarizes his rival's designs. Despite owing his success to his rival, Peter still resents him Reaching all the hallmarks of traditional success leaves Keating tormented; he knows that he can credit himself for none of it.

By contrast, Osugi supports Matahachi's goal of becoming a skilled swordsman. In her eyes, this ambition makes him a better heir. However, Matahachi doesn't have the discipline to develop his sword skills. His indiscipline leads him to make the same mistakes as Keating. He cheats on his fiancee Otsu and wounds her deeply. Matahachi pretends to be the renowned swordsman Sasaki Kojiro. Admiration also sours into envy for Matahachi. He also resents his friend Musashi for becoming a better swordsman and taking his ex-fiancee.

It's Osugi's support, however, that guides Matahachi on a better path. Before her death, Osugi reveals that she knew about his failings but loved him anyways. She even compares him to Musashi positively. Even though Musashi's single-minded focus is admirable, Osugi believes that Matahachi wandering before finding his path is still beautiful. This validation and love is what gives Matahachi the strength to accept himself and his mistakes. This is the start of his redemption arc. Keating, however, never receives this same love. His mother recognizes that her constant meddling led to Peter's current misery; however, she never openly states that she accepts him for who he is.

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!

Princess Charlotte-Damsel to the Rescue

Remember how Princess Charlotte informed the Band of the Hawk of Griffith's location and helped them sneak in? Causality is a spiral. I would not be surprised if she plays the same role again, this time helping Guts' band rescue Casca from her imprisonment.

I think that Charlotte will find out where Casca is being kept when Griffith transforms into the Moonlight Child. Griffith most likely has measures to make sure his identity as the Moonlight Child stays hidden. However, the Moonlight Child is very playful. When he appears on Elfhelm, he engages with Guts' band and the inhabitants of the island. He'll likely try to interact with other people around the castle. In fact, Charlotte even stated that she wanted to open an orphanage. If she sees the Moonlight Child wandering around the castle, she might confuse him for an orphan. The Moonlight Child would escape from Charlotte's grasp and run to his mother, leading the princess to Casca.

Mind you, that earlier paragraph veered off into fanfiction. I'm not sure exactly how Casca and Guts' third reunion will go down, but it'll be satisfying to see if Charlotte plays a role in it.

Dona Laurel-Just How "Benevolent" Is She?

One of the few people to give Reina unconditional kindness is Dona Laurel Aguila, the caudila of Sadul Fuerte. Known as the "Benevolent Lady" by her servants, Dona Laurel cares for Reina as she recovers from her iridio transplant and offers her a home. She certainly isn't a cruel woman, but why has she widely been given this title?

For example, her servants call her The Benevolent Lady, but we see nothing to suggest that she actively helps the people of Sadul Fuerte. Reina has been a servant all her life, yet never notes that Dona Laurel is kinder towards her servants than other employers. In fact, Reina is only given special treatment because she's the daughter of Dona Laurel's deceased friend, Juan Vicente.

It's also strange that Dona Laurel never questions why Reina is a servant in the first place. Reina is meant to take Juan Vicente's place as an Aguila soldier, which would require courses in sword fighting and geomancia. However, Reina splits her time between serving the Aguilas and learning sword fighting. She doesn't balance these tasks effectively; in fact, the kitchen staff refuse to feed her because she can't complete her duties. The reader knows that Ursalina told Reina to spy on the Aguilas while serving them. Laurel, however, doesn't have this information. Why doesn't she exempt Reina from kitchen duties and have her focus on sword training? We never see her bring up this issue to Dona Ursalina.

Not expanding on how Dona Laurel earned this title is a missed world-building opportunity. Seeing her engage with the people of Sadul Fuerte could have informed the reader about the common man's struggles. For example, how do normal people fend off a monster they can't see? Do normal people learn to use geomancia, or is that only allowed for nobles and nuns? How do Penitents like Dona Laurel justify mining iridio, a powerful geomancia metal, when geomancia is contrary to their faith? Do any of the people under her rule bristle at this dissonance? The title makes this sound like a hit piece, but I really feel like Dona Laurel could've been more thatn a maternal figure for Reina. Seeing how she engages with the world could have fleshed it out more thoroughly.