Since Elliot Page Just Came Out I Started To Experiece Something I Call I Am Cool With It, But My Brain

Since Elliot Page just came out I started to experiece something I call “I am cool with it, but my brain hates change” again.

And it is very annoying. I have no issue with anybody coming out, transitioning, cutting their hair, choosing certain clothes, switching jobs or follwing religions, but my brain take forever to wrap aroung the fact that there is now new information about this person.

It’s like a library where every book is under a certain file and now it has to be moved into a different section and the system has to be updated that it is now there. And once all of that is done you don’t even notice anymore that it used to be somewhere else. And then one day another book has to be moved and it’s starting again. It was the same when a school friend of mine cut her hair short, it was the same when I found out that one of my coworkers told me he felt god and it was the same when a former friend of mine had his coming out to me. Everbody thinks I react weird or bad, when i am just still in processing mode. This is also why I am not great in fast situations in general. Give me a couple days time and I will get through anything that comes up with a solution and 5 backup solutions if the first one doesn’t work out but ask me for something right now and you will get nothing out of me.

Anybody else experience this “I am cool with it, but my brain hates change” feeling that information feels like it takes to long to process that it does for other people that can just say cool and move on instead of replaying the information in their head for a couple days until it is filed up/ changed to true/ clicked in?

But anyways good for Elliot Page, congrats, I will process this information in about a week because I am sick, so everything takes even longer than usual.

I think with Book!Theon Ramsay’s torture is so specific to Theon’s character it makes perfect sense, even if it is really cruel.

Theon smiles all the time, even names his horse Smiler. Ramsay breaks his teeth.

Theon dresses fashionable and takes good care of his body. Ramsay dresses him in rags and doesn’t allow him to wash.

Theon fuckes around a lot. Ramsay castrates him.

Theon is a great archer. Ramsay cuts his fingers off.

Theon is handsome. Ramsay lets him starve and partially flays him.

it just takes everything Theon is piece after piece and that makes Ramsay’s torture so effective because it works on both a physical and psychological level. Ramsay is insane, but his torture seems very on point, he definilty knew how to break Theon and worked accordingly.

But I in no way want Alfie Allen to go through starving himself of having to wear too many prosthetics (Liam cunningham said about his fingertipless-gloves, that they were very uncomftable, I can’t imagine having them on 3 different fingers would be good to wear). Alfie portrayed Theon’s psychological torture effects well enough without having to go through all the physical trauma aswell.

I still think they could have done more with the costumes back in season 1 and 2 for him, they are quiet plain in comparison to his book counterpart, he looks like every other Northener (also brings a point across, but I still laugh whenever show Balon tells him he dresses like a girl, while Balon is wearing pretty much a dress).

Your post about Theon's Position in Winterfell was absolutely brilliant and I couldn't agree more. But what do you think is the reason for this misconception by so many fans. The books make it very clear. And if I remember correctly there where 3 dialogs just in season one about Theon position as an hostage. And credit where credit is due, I think those where quite good. So it really confuses me why so many fans (especially show fans) seem to misunderstand Theon's situation.

Well there is a scene with Ramsay in season 3 episode 4 where Theon literally sais "My real father lost his head at king's landing.", which tells us 2 things.

1. The showrunners have no idea about Theon Greyjoy and Ned Stark.

2. The showrunners also have no idea that being a hostage for 10 years does psychological damage to you.

I could make a really long list of characters they screwed up by just leaving so much out that the only thing left about them is the shell of their plot without having their core character traits even being there anymore, but in this case it shows so well.

Why would someone say that the man who held them prisoner for a decade is their “real father”? I get it, Ned is a great and interesting character but that doesn’t make him the best person in the world but as the seasons went on, the showrunners decided that whenever someone talked about him he became better person by modern standarts, instead of a decent person by Westeros standarts.

They  changed pretty much everything about the conversation he had with Arya in season 1, when Arya talked about it in season 8 (aka Ned is now pro Arya taking on “masculin traits” for some reason).

And that season 3 scene just shows that really well. There’s a lot more where they screwed Theon up, but at least we had the fantastic Alfie Allen playing him to make up for that.

German vegetarian here, I know what Veal Heart Ragout is, but I think it’s so funny that these are supposed to be the horrors.

Like who made this? Nothing of this is uncommon in a lot of other countries and it’s not even disgusting stuff, it’s just so normal. Like I have seen at least half of it here in Germany just as totally normal things and I don’t even eat any of it!

I love Theon being included in fanarts and storys with the Stark family as much an anybody. Just the way Robb would have wanted it.

But the next person that says that the show did Theon and Ned’s relationship better by saying that Ned was like a father to Theon is going to hear from me.

He was a HOSTAGE!

You can call him his ward all you want. BookTheon said himself that Ned was not a father to him, the few times he acted fatherly towards him, Theon thought of it as worse, because they both (unlike the rest of the Stark family, minus Cat it seems) had a really good understanding of what Theons position in Winterfell meant.

I like Ned but he was never Theon’s father. And as much as a dick Balon was he was Theon’s father. He neglected him and did not give a fuck and saw him as nothing but a dissapointment (like every other familymember that isn’t Asha) but for Theon he was his father.

And Ned treated Theon like you are supposed to treat a highborn hostage. Maybe he let Robb spend too much friend time with Theon, but that’s about it. Everything else (education, good food, rich clothing) is normal hostage treatment we see in Sansa and Cersei just as much.

Don’t get me wrong, Ned is no Cersei, he is never shown to think that Theon owns him anything (even if they didn’t have scenes together, I don’t think Ned is that delusional), whereas Cersei thinks Sansa should be greatful.

But noone sais Sansa sees Cersei as her mother or that she should be greatful for the Lannisters treatment, but Theon should be? Just because the Starks are generally better people than Cersei and Joffrey? No.

Theon was as much a hostage as Sansa was, just for much longer and it did some psychological damage to him that can’t be undone.

Is this Ned’s fault? Also no. Ned didn’t take Theon hostage because he wanted to, it was an outcome from a war Theon was not responsible in any way of. Theon is innocent of his situation as a hostage to the Starks.

And Ned treats him as a highborn hostage. He raises him, feeds him, trains him and would most likely execute him if neccessairy. Would he like it -definitly no, but Ned killed innocent Lady as he was ordered by the king (I know she was a wolf, but still).

So no, Theon Greyjoy hostage of Ned Stark did not see the man as his father.

He saw Balon Greyjoy as his father, may he be a terrible father but to Theon he was his father.

Honestly the only decent father role Theon has is Dagmer anyways. In this essay I will...

Me: Cat is one of my least favourite characters because she always reminds me of my uncles partner who treats his two sons from his ex like shit, only because they aren’t her children.

Someone else: Catelyn Stark is dumb and mean and I hate her 

Me: She is one of the best written characters with a compelling arc and strong motives and one of the best written female characters ever. She is a good balance of good and bad qualities that makes occationally bad choices, but also with a really good cause in mind and a clear motive. She’s do anything to save her children and is one of the best parents in Westeros when it comes to raising decent children. She also has a grat sense of humor.

Me: I love Catelyn Tully Stark because she doesn’t fall into the ‘perfect mother’ archetype. She isn’t just an extention of her children and she has her own arc, yet she also cares for them so deeply. She’s smart, she’s strong, she grabbed a knife with her bare hands to protect her son. She has flaws of course, but that is what makes her so likable and well rounded as a character.

Someone else: Catelyn Stark is dumb and mean and I hate her

Me: On second thought, Catelyn has never done one single thing wrong in her life. Love how perfect she is. Flawless. Her power.

I am very glad GRRM decided to give Theon PTSD pre Ramsay. The fact that Theon gets PTSD in the middle of the war, because he has a break is showing that GRRM has an understanding of both PTSD and that torture doesn’t make you a better person or whatever D&D were going for. Theon developed PTSD during a break in war for him, he started his nightmares about dead people which is something that can totally happen to any person that is coming out of the adrenalin rush of survival (of any sort, but in this case war). The other thing is, Theon subcotiously started to regret his actions, deciding against Robb, letting bad come to the smallfolk of Winterfell, that were in no way at fault for his hostage status and the killing of the miller’s boys, as much as he tries to tell himself that they were JUST the miller’s boys and therefore for war purposes not important. But something in him knows that this is bs, that is is wrong to kill these innocent children and all of that triggers his PTSD way before Ramsay starts torturing him. The way it’s done in GoT shows Theon showing regret and remorse after he gets tortured, wich implys that his change in character comes from said torture whereas book!Theon has this point way before. And that is way better. Being a victim does not make you stronger or a better character. Reflecting on your actions and knowing they were bad does. Torture will just screw your brain up, it will not make you a better person, it will just fuck you up. But apperrently D&D think differently- The same thing happend to Jamie aswell, just saying.