A Song of Ice and Fire 2021 calendar available for purchase now!

calendercover

If you’re of the opinion that some gorgeous A Song of Ice and Fire artwork would brighten your life up right now (and, really, why wouldn’t it?), I have some good news for you. Penguin Random House’s 2021 A Song of Ice and Fire calendar is available for purchase!

The calendar features 13 illustrations (including a fold-out poster) of scenes from A Song of Ice and Fire painted by Sam Hogg. The artist celebrated the calendar’s release on Twitter earlier today with a preview of her personal favorite illustration, which depicts Theon Greyjoy giving Jeyne Poole “Arya Stark” away at her wedding to Ramsay.

Ramsay and Jeyne Poole's wedding
Credit: Sam Hogg/@Zephyri

Hogg offered insight into how she crafted these gorgeous works, tweeting that they were all done in oil on canvases at least 20×20 inches in size. A limited number of signed prints and/or copies will be available at a later date. I recommend following her on Twitter to stay up to date on any developments.

The Penguin Random House preview of the calendar also includes a look at February’s art, a depiction of Chataya and the women of her house:

Chataya's girls
Credit: PenguinRandomHouse /Sam Hogg

In the meantime, you can purchase the calendar from Penguin Random House’s website for  $18.00.

Which A Song of Ice and Fire scene do you most hope is included in the collection? Tell us below.

194 Comments

  1. ”Which A Song of Ice and Fire scene do you most hope is included in the collection? Tell us below.”

    As a pre-books, show-only fan, I may not be qualified to answer this. Here goes anyway…

    1. Jon gives Arya Needle.

    2. Arya kills somebody. Anybody.

    3(a) Oh, I know! From the TWOW sample chapter which I have read:

    Raff starts bleeding out from severed thigh artery as Mercy feigns surprise

    ; or
    3(b)

    As the light in Raff‘s eyes go out from the coup de grace administered by Mercy (a long thin blade impaled in his neck and then twisted on its way out), Mercy nka Arya is chagrined because she realizes she’ll have to lug his corpse down several flights of stairs before rolling it into the canals for the eels to snack on.

    4. Arya holding Needle and sobbing on Braavos dock (“Needle was Jon Snow’s smile” passage).

    5. Sandor rescues Sansa from KL riot mob.

    6… (to be continued)?

  2. Those are nicely done. I love Winterfell scenes in general because of the bluish hue that it tends to take. ❤

    Who is on the cover, is that

    Quentyn?
  3. Ten Bears:
    ”Which A Song of Ice and Fire scene do you most hope is included in the collection? Tell us below.”

    As a pre-books, show-only fan, I may not be qualified to answer this. Here goes anyway…

    1. Jon gives Arya Needle.

    2. Arya kills somebody. Anybody.

    3(a) Oh, I know! From the TWOW sample chapter which I have read:

    ; or
    3(b)

    4. Arya holding Needle and sobbing on Braavos dock (“Needle was Jon Snow’s smile” passage).

    5. Sandor rescues Sansa from KL riot mob.

    6… (to be continued)?

    Those are all great.
    I need one of those old school daily desk calendar with a different little sheet of paper for each day that you tear off…. Each day would have a classic GOT saying, such as
    “Chaos is a Ladder”… with a picture of LF…. Or “What god do you pray to…” “the old AND the new” with a picture of Arya and Syrio…. (and of course Not Today).
    There are a ton of others… There are lots of NED sayings. . Plenty of Ol’ Nan sayings…
    Tywin with Arya…. “can’t say I’ve ever met a literate stonemason. have you met many stonemasons my lord”……

    I wish I had enough time to make one!!! The illustrations could be graphic novel style instead of the actual photos… I can see it very clearly and I want one!!

  4. Tron79,

    ”…I wish I had enough time to make one!!! The illustrations could be graphic novel style instead of the actual photos… I can see it very clearly and I want one!!

    I have no doubt that you could make an excellent 2021 calendar with images from the show. “I’d pay good money to see that.”

    Meanwhile… I wish I knew how you edit videos – like the last sixty seconds or so of your Arya/Alice mashup that extracted and spliced together the Arya shipboard segments from the S6e8 closing montage.

  5. Tron79,

    ”Those are all great.
    I need one of those old school daily desk calendar with a different little sheet of paper for each day that you tear off…”

    You know what? I’ll bet there are 365 Arya & Sandor images I’d want in a daily calendar like the one you described. My 11-year old nephew is a computer whiz. He’s sequestered at home for the foreseeable future.* I may try to recruit him to print a customized Arya & Sandor 2021 calendar.

    * Our Covidiot governor is still pushing to reopen schools next month. Who is he kidding? Despite “protocols,” half of the Miami Marlins baseball team just got infected. Little kids jammed into classrooms are going to be safe?

  6. Tron79: That’s when she still liked dragons.I had hope that she could be a rider!

    I know! That glimpse of Arya looking up at the dragons, first shown in the pre-S8 teaser trailer, had me looking forward to some Dany & Arya mutual fangirling scenes plus Dany & Arya dragon joyriding.

    Kind of odd that they had zero scenes together.

  7. Ten Bears:
    Tron79,

    ”…I wish I had enough time to make one!!! The illustrations could be graphic novel style instead of the actual photos… I can see it very clearly and I want one!!

    I have no doubt that you could make an excellent 2021 calendar with images from the show. “I’d pay good money to see that.”

    Meanwhile… I wish I knew how you edit videos – like the last sixty seconds or so of your Arya/Alice mashup that extracted and spliced together the Arya shipboard segments from the S6e8 closing montage.

    So here’s a few sample quotes for a couple of days of the calendar:

    Illustration:
    Ol Nan sitting in her rocking chair next to Bran and Summer…

    “Oh, my sweet summer child. What do you know about fear? Fear is for the winter when the snows fall a hundred feet deep. Fear is for the the long nights when the sun hides for years, and children are born and live and die, all in darkness. ”

    The next day….. Ol Nan’s expression changes to a grimace and her eyebrows scrunch together as she says…
    “That is the time for fear, my little lord; when the white walkers move through the woods. Thousands of years ago there came a night that lasted a generation. Kings froze to death in their castles, same as the shepherds in their huts, and women smothered their babies rather than see them starve, and wept and felt their tears freeze on their cheeks.”

    And then the next day….an illustration of an Ice Spider looms over the room with Nan continuing to tell her story… Summer’s ears perk up like he hears those ice spiders coming…

    Ol Nan continues… “In that darkness the white walkers came for the first time. They swept through cities and kingdoms, riding their dead horses, hunting with their packs of pale spiders big as hounds.”

    A new day….
    “Valar dohaeris”…. An image of Arya sweeping in the house of black and white…
    “a girl must serve”

    A new day….
    “Valar dohaeris”…. An image of Arya washing a dead body in the house of black and white…
    “a girl must serve”

    A new day…
    “Valar dohaeris”…. An image of Arya sweeping again in the house of black and white…
    “a girl must serve”

    The whole month is Arya stuck in the house of black and white serving….uggggg
    She was in there a long time sweeping!!!!

    on February 22nd of that same month…
    Arya plays the game of faces with the Waif on George Washington’s birthday (known as someone who never lied)….

    Guess that’s all for now…

    Anyway, you get the idea… I could go on forever with these…but you would need 365…

  8. Tron79: That’s when she still liked dragons.I had hope that she could be a rider!

    ;_____;
    I want to forget what was done to her and most others. *does not acknowledge*

    I get a page-a-day calendar every year. This time it’s Chuck Norris facts. Saw a very cheaply-made daily GoT photo one that could’ve been so much better (………)

  9. From book Dorne, while I never found book Doran’s masterplan to be very masterful, I wouldn’t mind seeing

    Doran’s reconciliation with Arianne where he tells her of the plan. Or the part where Arianne looks at Nymeria’s star and says she doesn’t want to give up her birthright.

    From the show, Jaime knighting Brienne or Sansa being crowned Queen of the North (or should that be ‘in the North’).

    From both/either though the scene is set somewhat differently in each version, Dany rides Drogon for the first time.

  10. Ten Bears this has absolutely nothing to do with this thread but stupidity in the face of the pandemic is not confined to the USA. An Australian YouTuber had taken pieces from various people smashing their TVs/computers or one lady tears a newspaper or periodical and made a compendium video. These folk aren’t going to be lied to by the ‘lamestream’ media and television means tell lie vision (yes people really are that daft). According to one of the comments below the video, one person doesn’t even smash his screen, he’s faked it. https://youtu.be/LOVy3weAtqw

  11. Ten Bears,

    This would be lovely as would the Jon/ Arya reunion by the weirwood tree.

    I would personally appreciate a rendition of Jon drawing his sword as the Bolton Army bears down on him.

  12. I love ASOIAF illustrations and all the calendars I’ve seen have been beautiful 🙂 I don’t have any specific scenes I’d like to see illustrated but I am excited to see what new illustrations are included in this one!

  13. Ten Bears:
    Tron79,

    and Tywin in this S2e7 scene …

    https://youtu.be/mVxZQXoORCw

    0:19 – 0:30
    Tywin: “Wolfsbane. A rare substance. This is no common assassin.”

    I love that scene. I think that D&D’s best decision about changing the books was including Tywin and Arya (Arya tangles with someone different in the books at Harrennhal) I loved their scenes. And what about the fantastic foreshadowing for her role in New Mutants as Wolfsbane!!

  14. Tron79,

    I know! I love the coincidental “Wolfsbane” premonition.

    Even more, when I rewatch the scene and hear Tywin say “Wolfsbane…This is no common assassin,” I want to answer: “No. No she isn’t. She’s quite extraordinary.”

  15. Pigeon,

    Pigeon, it seems to be, though rather more heroic than I picture him. I also love Winterfell scenes, especially as it is summer andcurrent social limitations are bloody frustrating. That Wolf rampant on her cloak made me think at first it was a Lannister. For an Arya scene, I’d welcome her pleading with grown Nymeria. It could look epic.

  16. Stark Raven’ Rad:
    Pigeon,

    Pigeon, it seems to be, though rather more heroic than I picture him.I also love Winterfell scenes, especially as it is summer andcurrent social limitations are bloody frustrating. That Wolf rampant on her cloak made me think at first it was a Lannister. For an Arya scene, I’d welcome her pleading with grown Nymeria.It could look epic.

    Yes, it does seem to glow him up a bit…lol. And yes to the Arya/Nymeria scene! That could be so good. Sigh.

    It’s too hot for my liking right now, so I’ll take some wintry scenes. 😄

  17. Tron79,

    ”…Anyway, you get the idea… I could go on forever with these…but you would need 365.”

    Let’s see: 73 episodes. 5 images (w/ snippets of dialogue) per episode. That comes out to 365.

  18. ” The calendar features 13 illustrations (including a fold-out poster) of scenes from A Song of Ice and Fire painted by Sam Hogg. The artist celebrated the calendar’s release on Twitter earlier today with a preview of her personal favorite illustration, which depicts Theon Greyjoy giving Jeyne Poole “Arya Stark” away at her wedding to Ramsay.”

    Maybe this is a stupid question from an uninformed non-book reader.

    The illustration of Theon “giving away” fArya (really Jeyne Poole) appears to show fArya in a cloak with a Lannister lion on it. There’s also a Lannister lion sigil on a banner in the background.

    What’s the deal?

    https://watchersonthewall.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/wedding.jpg

  19. Ten Bears: The illustration of Theon “giving away” fArya (really Jeyne Poole) appears to show fArya in a cloak with a Lannister lion on it. There’s also a Lannister lion sigil on a banner in the background.

    What’s the deal?

    I think that is a wolf (see the bushy tail!)… but in the Lannister lion sigil position (but I have seen the House Stark wolf in this positioning when the wolf’s body is included). And it is grey on white though as opposed to gold on red…

  20. Ten Bears: Yes. You’re right. Enlarging the insignia on her cloak…I guess it is a wolf’s head.

    I got used to seeing the Stark direwolf the way it looks on the show.

    I’m not used to seeing the Stark direwolf that way either so it kind of threw me at first too.

    (It is a beautiful, beautiful piece though!)

  21. Adrianacandle,

    (Not to detract from Sam Hogg’s artwork….)
    I wouldn’t mind a 2021 calendar with some of Helen Sloan’s photographs.

    Here, for example, is a beautiful, colorful photograph of Sansa by the heart tree.

    https://www.thewrap.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Helen-Sloan-HBO-Photo-9.jpg

    … and here is Beric with his flaming sword.

    https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/768×433/2019/04/sword-sloan.jpg

    (Of course I’ve also got links to iconic Helen Sloan photographs of Sandor and Arya… 👸🏻 🐓 🐓)

  22. Adrianacandle,

    ( ⚠️ Warning: Risqué illustrations below)

    Speaking of calendars….
    Graphic artist Andrew Tarusov has a series of 20 GoT Pin-Ups that some might find appropriate for a calendar:

    https://preview.redd.it/5onm7z7sdvv21.jpg?auto=webp&s=c7be58cbba4a31ef9061169f1d4b6967dad0baa9

    While some might find these sexist, I don’t think they’re intentionally offensive.

    However, I was a bit taken aback by Undead Karsi as a pin-up girl.* 🧟‍♀️

    https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/disp/785b7e29641941.55fc6ece9d754.jpg

    * Still too soon. 😢

  23. Ten Bears: I wouldn’t mind a 2021 calendar with some of Helen Sloan’s photographs.

    I agree — Sloan’s photographs are always so beautiful (and I still need to get that book, dammit!)

    Speaking of calendars….
    Graphic artist Andrew Tarusov has a series of 20 GoT Pin-Ups that some might find appropriate for a calendar:

    Those are so nicely done! Wow! I’ve enjoyed a lot of artist interpretations of Game of Thrones and ASOIAF, you can get some really well-done and creative ones! I saw another set recently of GoT characters re-imagined as Disney films XD

    * Still too soon. 😢

    No no, Karsi is living her best life as the lead of a German acapella group!! 😉

  24. Ten Bears: I wasn’t so thrilled with the renditions of Arya or Cersei.

    Admittedly, I’m not a pin-up fan in general but I didn’t love Arya’s either — it sort of just feels like she’s a kid caught without pants — and this resembles her season 1-3 look when she was definitely a kid and she still looks like a kid (which makes me uncomfortable).

    I do like how Ygritte’s looks like Rose Leslie 🙂

  25. Adrianacandle,

    I think you have a valid point about the Arya picture. One thing I found unsettling about the book version of GoT was how very young (13) book Dany was, even if the sex was consensual between her and Drogo. There are still young girls who get pregnant of course. I (sort of) reconciled Dany’s youth in my mind with the fact that in medieval England very young people could marry. From Wikipedia “In 1275, the first age of consent was set in England, at age 12 (Westminster 1 statute).[3] In 1875, the Offences Against the Person Act raised the age to 13 in Great Britain and Ireland, and ten years later the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885 raised it to 16.[4][5] In 1917, a bill raising the age of consent in Great Britain and Ireland from 16 to 17 was defeated by only one vote.[6] ” Book Dany’s youth at marriage did make me feel uncomfortable though.

  26. Dame of Mercia: I think you have a valid point about the Arya picture. One thing I found unsettling about the book version of GoT was how very young (13) book Dany was, even if the sex was consensual between her and Drogo. There are still young girls who get pregnant of course. I (sort of) reconciled Dany’s youth in my mind with the fact that in medieval England very young people could marry. From Wikipedia “In 1275, the first age of consent was set in England, at age 12 (Westminster 1 statute).[3] In 1875, the Offences Against the Person Act raised the age to 13 in Great Britain and Ireland, and ten years later the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885 raised it to 16.[4][5] In 1917, a bill raising the age of consent in Great Britain and Ireland from 16 to 17 was defeated by only one vote.[6] ” Book Dany’s youth at marriage did make me feel uncomfortable though.

    I agree — when I first read the AGOT, I had already seen the pilot episode of GoT in which there was a 20-something Emilia Clarke who I took to be around 17-20, which is the age I assumed Dany was in the books and it became fixated in my mind. But when I learned she was 13 at the time she was married to Khal Drogo upon reading AGOT, I did a double-take… By that time, I believe I was a few episodes in of season 1 (I started reading the books in early May 2011 during my internship overseas and was finished by July 2011 when ADWD came out).

    When I remember how young Robb, Jon, Dany, Sansa, Arya, Bran, and even Joffrey all are in the books, it sort of still throws me.

  27. My mind works tangentially sometimes and the picture of FArya’s wedding made me think about people assuming identities in ASOIAF/GoT and also of masks (tenuous link to the times we are living through).

    Arya was “Arry the orphan boy” for a time in both book and show and in ACOK she had another nickname at Harrenhall. She plays with both masks (as in putting on a face)and assuming identities in the House of Faces though the show and book versions were different. There is ‘Mercy’ in the WoW preview chapter of course which made its way, slightly adapted, into the show

    Jon Snow grows up without knowing his true identity. Sansa was Alayne in both versions though she stays as Alayne longer in the books than in the show – in fact she is still Alayne in the unfinished book story and the story is given out that book Alayne is Beilish’s illegitimate daughter.

    In the books more is made of Varys having travelled with actors when he was younger and in AFFC (I don’t think this is a spoiler) a jailer is noticed to have disappeared at around the same time as Varys.

    Quaith is masked in both show and books. She’s a mysterious character and it is still unknown whether she will return in the books.

    Alleras (who didn’t appear in the show) is suspected to be a different identity.

    Anybody have any other instances of hidden identities/using masks in GoT/ASOIAF? Or do you think I’ve veered off the subject of the thread?

  28. Dame of Mercia: Anybody have any other instances of hidden identities/using masks in GoT/ASOIAF? Or do you think I’ve veered off the subject of the thread?

    Of all the people you mention, I think Jon is the only one who isn’t aware of his true identity.

    Also, there might be Young Griff. There’s debate over whether or not he’s the genuine Aegon Targaryen, son of Elia and Rhaegar, but I think he’s grown up believing he was this boy too?

    Would Gendry count? He didn’t grow up knowing Robert was his father and thought he was just a run-of-the-mill bastard.

    There is also Gilly’s son and Mance’s son, whose identities have been switched.

  29. Ten Bears,

    Your post inspired me to search to see what other calendars were out there with Helen Sloan’s photos… I actually found a couple!!!

    I may buy this one..It’s the day to day calendar style I was talking about (but no cool sayings..just photos…I’m assuming they have to be Helen Sloan). I only hesitate buying it, because Arya isn’t on the cover of the box, so I’m not sure how many (if any) Arya photos will be included….
    https://www.etsy.com/listing/825268044/game-of-thrones-2021-day-to-day-calendar

    Here’s a whole year of Jon Snow brooding!!
    https://www.etsy.com/listing/720923863/jon-snow-from-game-of-thrones-wall

    For those Dany fans…
    https://www.etsy.com/listing/707059408/daenerys-targaryen-from-game-of-thrones

    Jon and Dany on the cover…I can’t see inside…Looks like it’s only in the UK or Germany..not sure..
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Game-Thrones-2021-Square-Calendar/dp/1789933153

    I’ll stop there for now… otherwise, these links may be stuck in moderation… praying these go through…

  30. Tron79: I may buy this one..It’s the day to day calendar style I was talking about (but no cool sayings..just photos…I’m assuming they have to be Helen Sloan). I only hesitate buying it, because Arya isn’t on the cover of the box, so I’m not sure how many (if any) Arya photos will be included….

    I think the chances of Arya photos in this calendar would be pretty high. If you take a look at this link and select ‘Look’, you’ll find a photo of Jorah, of Grey Worm, and of Lyanna Mormont. It might be a different photo per day and if they have photos of the aforementioned characters, I think there’s a high likelihood of a few Arya photos 🙂

  31. Adrianacandle: I think the chances of Arya photos in this calendar would be pretty high. If you take a look at this link and select ‘Look’, you’ll find a photo of Jorah, of Grey Worm, and of Lyanna Mormont. It might be a different photo per day and if they have photos of the aforementioned characters, I think there’s a high likelihood of a few Arya photos 🙂

    Yeah I would hope, but even so I may get that one, since it’s small and would fit on my desk and I could look at someone else each day..Those photos are really good!! I do like some characters besides Arya, but I would hope she at least gets her fair share of days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’ll take a whole month, but I won’t be greedy..

  32. Dame of Mercia,

    ”…Anybody have any other instances of hidden identities/using masks in GoT/ASOIAF? Or do you think I’ve veered off the subject of the thread?“

    – Using masks or hiding identities: Did we mention Jaqen H’ghar (and whoever he was when he told Arya “Jaqen is dead” right before saying farewell to her)?

    – If “veer[ing] off the subject of the thread” is an offense, I’d be in big trouble. 🙄

    ”Arya was “Arry the orphan boy” for a time in both book and show and in ACOK she had another nickname at Harrenhall. She plays with both masks (as in putting on a face) and assuming identities in the House of Faces though the show and book versions were different. There is ‘Mercy’ in the WoW preview chapter of course which made its way, slightly adapted, into the show.”

    From just the handful of books! passages I’ve read (e.g., “Needle was Jon Snow’s smile” internal monologue + “Harwin, you have to know me!” passage + the “Mercy” sample chapter you cited), I understand that in the books Arya has used so many aliases she’s sometimes not entirely sure who she is anymore. (I don’t know all of those various books! names. I think they included “Salty,” “Weasel,” “Cat of the Canals,” “Arry” (?), and of course “Mercedene” aka “Mercy” in the sample chapter.)

    On the show, I think she only used a three different names: “Arry” while posing as a boy with the NW recruits in S1e10 through S2 or mid-S3 until Sandor blew her cover as “the Stark bitch;” “Lana”? during one FM-sponsored excursion; and “Mercy” in the S6 Braavos episode when she introduced herself to Lady Crane. And I suppose we can include “No One.” (Did I miss any?)

    – Am I wrong that in the books Arya has not used the face-peeling/mask trick very much if at all?

    By contrast, on the show she used face masks multiple times, including: (1) borrowing the euthanized little girl’s face to pose as a child prostitute to perform impromptu plastic surgery on Meryn F*cking Trant’s face in S5e10; (2) disguising herself as a comely waitress to serve justice to Walder Frey in S6e10; and (3) recycling Walder’s face to gather the Stark-slaughtering Freys for the Arbor Gold Wine Tasting Party to efficiently avenge the Red Wedding in S7e1.

    Then there was that odd scene when Jaqen 2.0 busted Arya/No One for her unauthorized hit on MFT, in which Jaqen 2.0 apparently poisoned himself and then his “corpse” peeled off multiple faces, ending with wearing what appeared to be Arya’s face. (I don’t know. Was that little demonstration just intended to freak out Arya?)

    While Arya wound up peeling off the Waif’s face, she dutifully followed HoB&W protocol and mounted it in a cubicle in the Hall of Faces showroom, instead of adding it to the face mask satchel she took with her to WF, so I guess that doesn’t count.😬 (Speaking of which, when snooping Sansa discovered Arya’s facemask satchel, I wondered whose faces were in that collection. Were they souvenirs she ripped off from the HoB&W showroom? Or did she assemble her own collection of faces after she left Braavos? Though PsychoArya did confirm to ParanoidSansa that she could easily transplant Sansa’s face and assume her identity if she wanted, I kind of wish there had been a little more exposition of the provenance of those face masks in her satchel.

    [⚠️ Disclaimer: Ex Post Facto Wishful Thinking to Follow]
    I had also wanted the sisters’ reconciliation to include Sansa deducing that her little sister was the strange face-changing girl who had single-handedly exacted vengeance on the Red Wedding perpetrators, including: the Frey jerkoff who bragged about sewing Greywind’s head onto Robb’s mutilated body; Walder Frey’s “damn moron sons” who had butchered their pregnant sister in law and her unborn child, and sliced their mother’s throat; Walder himself, who orchestrated the mass murder; and the rest of Walder’s treacherous spawn who celebrated helping him “slaughter the Starks at the Red Wedding.”

    I say this not as an Aryaphile:

    (a) Sansa putting 2 + 2 together would have established that she is “smart” instead of Tyrion and then Arya simply telling us she is:
    – Arya had left a virtual calling card when she calmly advised Walder’s stunned child-wife: “When people ask what happened here, tell them: ‘The North remembers.’ Tell them: ‘Winter came for House Frey’.” While the reliability of a shell-shocked surviving witness might be doubted, the bizarre story of “Walder” peeling off his own face to reveal a diminutive girl who then uttered “The North Remembers” slogan + a variation of House Stark’s words, would’ve been quickly disseminated, e.g., via the Hot Pie News Network.
    – The parting words of the shape-shifting girl, along with her recital of the condemned Freys’ crimes (while still in the guise of “Walder”),
    were a pretty strong clue that she was there to seek retribution on behalf of House Stark.
    – Also, as Sansa conveyed to LF, she was aware that Arya was or had been a member of a guild of death-worshipping assassins.
    – Therefore, once Sansa discovered Arya’s face mask collection, and personally heard Arya explain that she had the ability to assume other people’s identities by wearing their faces, Sansa could have deduced that Arya was in fact the face-changing assassin.

    (b) This realization on Sansa’s part would have also provided a compelling narrative bookend to her S3e10(?) scene with Tyrion, after she had learned the gruesome details of how her mother and brother had been savagely butchered and their corpses mutilated.
    – Sansa, understandably traumatized and inconsolable, described to Tyrion how she was haunted by images of the murders of Catelyn and Robb and the desecration of their bodies.
    – Learning that her murdered family had been avenged by her sibling would have provided her some solace.
    – For the most part, GoT effectively used callbacks to prior scenes and variations of previous lines of dialogue. The post Red Wedding traumatized Sansa scene with Tyrion was heartbreaking. (For that matter, so was woozy Arya having to witness Robb’s decapitated body with Greywind’s head being paraded around by cheering Freys.) A followup scene between the sisters could’ve provided a semblance of emotional closure for them – and for the audience.*
    – Also, if Sansa truly took to heart LF’s lesson that “there is no justice in this world unless we make it,” then Sansa would have been proud of her little sister for obtaining justice for their slain family members and bannermen.**

    * (Personally, I would’ve preferred a scene of sisterly high-fives and congratulatory hugs, while eliminating some of the contrived, time-consuming, repetitive, and out-of-character Sansa vs. Arya nastiness in S7. )

    – I loved their reconciliation scene on the battlements at the end of S7e7. A couple of brief setup scenes of the sisters describing their harrowing experiences and coming to appreciate their respective strengths and admire each other would (in my mind) have been more effective than their redundant, dumbed-down mean girls squabbling amid the ridiculous retrieved hostage letter plot line.
    – That whole storyline was predicated on Sansa “Only a Fool Would Trust LF” Stark being duped – again – by LF. The “smartest person I’ve ever met” ought to have demonstrated her evolved intelligence by figuring out what LF was up to rather than getting snookered by him. Sansa having to rely on Branotronic-3000 CC-TV at the last minute (or belatedly playing LF’s “what’s the worst thing” mental game), was not as effective in showing her exercising her supposedly superior intellect.

    ** P.S. I suppose it would have been asking too much for a mea culpa from Lord Manderly, or at least an acknowledgement that he may have been presumptuous when he announced: “Jon Snow avenged the Red Wedding!” I never understood how Jon got credit for that to begin with. In any event, that Arya was never openly revealed as the avenging angel, and did not boast of her accomplishments, foreclosed the recognition of her role in terminating the RW perpetrators.

    I assume the showrunners figured that Arya winding up as the ever-so-humble, reluctant Hero of Winterfell and savior of humanity was more than enough glory for her character. Besides, exterminating fifty or so cowardly Frey doofuses paled in comparison to vanquishing the 100,000-strong Army of the Dead. Benioff and Weiss really can’t be faulted for showing restraint, lest their show turn into The Adventures of Arya Super Ninja Assassin Warrior Princess. 👸🏻
    (Not that I would have complained. 😝)

  33. Ten Bears,

    (I don’t know all of those various books! names. I think they included “Salty,” “Weasel,” “Cat of the Canals,” “Arry” (?), and of course “Mercedene” aka “Mercy” in the sample chapter.)

    I think these are more of her aliases (from the wiki):

    Arry
    Lumpyhead
    Lumpyface
    Stickboy
    Rabbitkiller
    Weasel
    Nymeria
    Nan
    Squab
    Squirrel
    Salty
    Cat of the Canals
    Blind Beth
    The blind girl
    The ugly girl
    Mercedene
    Mercy

    _____

    Am I wrong that in the books Arya has not used the face-peeling/mask trick very much if at all?

    I think she has but I think she’s only done it once so far but we’re only at book 5 right now. Here’s the first time her face is changed:

    [Preparing Arya for changing her face]

    “Sit,” the priest commanded. She sat. “Now close your eyes, child.” She closed her eyes. “This will hurt,” he warned her, “but pain is the price of power. Do not move.”

    Still as stone, she thought. She sat unmoving. The cut was quick, the blade sharp. By rights the metal should have been cold against her flesh, but it felt warm instead. She could feel the blood washing down her face, a rippling red curtain falling across her brow and cheeks and chin, and she understood why the priest had made her close her eyes. When it reached her lips the taste was salt and copper. She licked at it and shivered.

    “Bring me the face,” said the kindly man. The waif made no answer, but she could hear her slippers whispering over the stone floor. To the girl he said, “Drink this,” and pressed a cup into her hand. She drank it down at once. It was very tart, like biting into a lemon. A thousand years ago, she had known a girl who loved lemon cakes. No, that was not me, that was only Arya.

    [After the face changing is done]

    “The girl took a deep shuddering breath, and realized it was true. No one was choking her, no one was hitting her. Even so, her hand was shaking as she raised it to her face. Flakes of dried blood crumbled at the touch of her fingertips, black in the lantern light. She felt her cheeks, touched her eyes, traced the line of her jaw. “My face is still the same.”

    “Is it? Are you certain?”

    Was she certain? She had not felt any change, but maybe it was not something you could feel. She swept a hand down across her face from top to bottom, as she had once seen Jaqen H’ghar do, back at Harrenhal. When he did it, his whole face had rippled and changed. When she did it, nothing happened. “It feels the same.”

    “To you,” said the priest. “It does not look the same.”

    “To other eyes, your nose and jaw are broken,” said the waif. “One side of your face is caved in where your cheekbone shattered, and half your teeth are missing.”

    She probed around inside her mouth with her tongue, but found no holes or broken teeth. Sorcery, she thought. I have a new face. An ugly, broken face.

  34. Tron79: Yeah I would hope, but even so I may get that one, since it’s small and would fit on my desk and I could look at someone else each day..Those photos are really good!! I do like some characters besides Arya, but I would hope she at least gets her fair share of days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’ll take a whole month, but I won’t be greedy..

    It’s a nice price at $16 so I’d take the gamble! And I like the size too! (But I do fear time… and calendars remind me of time…) Anyway! As a high-ranking and prominent character (and with 365 days in the year), I’d bet money there’s more than a bit of Arya! 🙂

  35. Tron79,

    Adrianacandle,

    I just saw both of your calendar-related comments.

    Over the weekend, I’ve been toying with the idea of making my own calendar. I’ve realized that there are well over 365 iconic images to choose from. (As I previously calculated in a response to Tron, 73 episodes x 5 images = 365 images.) If I can justify spending the time, and if can recruit my computer-savvy young nephew to help, I just may try to create a customized* 365-day GoT 2021 calendar.(I’m not sure I could even narrow down selections to only 12 for a monthly calendar.)

    I’ve gotta decide whether to organize images chronologically; by character; or by theme. As I’ve indicated in the past, I’m big on “mirror image” scenes. (Example: Jon & Arya hugging in S1e2; in S8e1; and in S8e6.)

    * For personal use. Obviously, not for sale. I would not dream of infringing on Helen Sloan’s or HBO’s copyrights.

  36. Ten Bears: I just saw both of your calendar-related comments.

    Over the weekend, I’ve been toying with the idea of making my own calendar. I’ve realized that there are well over 365 iconic images to choose from. (As I previously calculated in a response to Tron, 73 episodes x 5 images = 365 images.) If I can justify spending the time, and if can recruit my computer-savvy young nephew to help, I just may try to create a customized* 365-day GoT 2021 calendar.(I’m not sure I could even narrow down selections to only 12 for a monthly calendar.)

    I’ve gotta decide whether to organize images chronologically; by character; or by theme. As I’ve indicated in the past, I’m big on “mirror image” scenes. (Example: Jon & Arya hugging in S1e2; in S8e1; and in S8e6.)

    * For personal use. Obviously, not for sale. I would not dream of infringing on Helen Sloan’s or HBO’s copyrights.

    If you wanted, I could probably help you with that (ie. aid in developing a template you can position photos into while allowing you to change the number, month, and day). You’ve got my email if you’d like an extra pair of hands!

    It also sounds like a great project for you and your nephew to work on together! And it’d be a one-of-a-kind calendar 🙂

  37. Tron79,

    I checked out the calendars you linked. For the modest prices listed, and unfamiliar sellers, I’m wondering if they are “officially” licensed and authorized.

    I don’t know the legal details. I thought GoT products have to be licensed by HBO or the copyright holders – which might explain why HBO Store merchandise prices are so high. 😠

  38. Ten Bears:
    Tron79,

    I checked out the calendars you linked. For the modest prices listed, and unfamiliar sellers, I’m wondering if they are “officially” licensed and authorized.

    I don’t know the legal details. I thought GoT products have to be licensed by HBO or the copyright holders – which might explain why HBO Store merchandise prices are so high. 😠

    Well the 2021 day by day calendar says HBO. I’m not sure about the other ones.

  39. Tron79,

    I’ve got links to over 700 images I saved on my cell phone over the past couple of years! Some are duplicates. Some are probably screen captures. Some may also be “gifs” instead of still photographs.

    Even so, I can tell I’d have too many to populate a 365-day calendar.

    Of course, after including my favorite Arya and Sandor photographs, there would not be many days left for other characters. 👸🏻

    Oh, and I’ll say this about S8: Separate and apart from any debates about whether “the writing” was bri****nt or “rushed,” S8 is chock full of glorious images. (Now, if only S8e3 had been a little brighter I’d have a slew of iconic images of ASNAWP fighting scenes to choose from…)

  40. Adrianacandle,

    Thanks! I may just take you up on that offer at some point. (Yes, I have your e-mail…)

    I know that some images, like Helen Sloan’s photographs, are high quality. Others (screen caps?) aren’t so good, and are blurry when enlarged. I’m sure there is a measurement for “resolution” or something…

  41. Ten Bears: I know that some images, like Helen Sloan’s photographs, are high quality. Others (screen caps?) aren’t so good, and are blurry when enlarged. I’m sure there is a measurement for “resolution” or something…

    There is! It’s called “dots per inch” (dpi)!

    Typical printing resolution is 300 dpi.

    So, for instance, if you wanted your image to be 6″ x 4″ at 300 dpi, it’d need to be a minimum of 1800 x 1600 pixels. You can drop a bit lower (though, I wouldn’t go lower than 200 dpi personally) but you’d lose image quality.

    When I was doing large-scale booths and billboards, 150 dpi would be the printing resolution in that case since the prints were so big so they’d look fine from a standing distance but up close, you could see pixelization.

  42. Adrianacandle,

    Oh, another thing: As Tron indicated or suggested, some calendars have images with snippets of dialogue superimposed or as captions below the image. Excerpting 365 bits of dialogue would be a time-consuming, painstaking task. Hmmm…

    And then there are a bunch of scenes for which I cannot find still photos. Like this one, a “gif” of Cersei…

    Cersei: “You’re annoying me right now.”

    https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a6/f8/35/a6f83565a10736f0046035797c237027.gif

  43. Adrianacandle: There is! It’s called “dots per inch” (dpi)!

    Typical printing resolution is 300 dpi.

    So, for instance, if you wanted your image to be 6″ x 4″ at 300 dpi, it’d need to be a minimum of 1800 x 1600 pixels. You can drop a bit lower (though, I wouldn’t go lower than 200 dpi personally) but you’d lose image quality.

    How does one know how many dpis are in an image?
    I just assume that an image that gets blurry when enlarged is a crappy picture to begin with.

  44. Ten Bears,

    Oh, another thing: As Tron indicated or suggested, some calendars have images with snippets of dialogue superimposed or as captions below the image. Excerpting 365 bits of dialogue would be a time-consuming, painstaking task. Hmmm…

    It would be. To have a different quote each time, I think you’d have to pull 5 lines from each episode to fill 365 days.

    But you could use the same one again if you wouldn’t mind that?

    And then there are a bunch of scenes for which I cannot find still photos. Like this one, a “gif” of Cersei…

    Cersei: “You’re annoying me right now.”

    Yeah, I haven’t either. But I don’t think promo pictures were taken for all scenes… You have the photo book, right? I think that’d be my primary resource for a personal calendar and screen grabs taken from high quality sources.

    If you even went down to a 6″ x 3″ image on each calendar page, screengrabs would only need to be 900 x 600 pixels for 300 dpi.

    How does one know how many dpis are in an image?
    I just assume that an image that gets blurry when enlarged is a crappy picture to begin with.

    A program like Photoshop or Illustrator can tell you this information. You can also change the dpi but to maintain quality, you’d have to proportionately lower the dimensions if you’re increasing dpi.

    You can downsize an image but you can’t upsize an image because you can’t create that extra information needed to improve quality and size. You can take away information (downsize) but the opposite is far, far harder and not really worth the effort.

    It’d be better to start with images that are at least the size you need required by the dpi you’re looking for.

  45. Adrianacandle,

    Here’s an example of what I’d call parallel or mirror images…

    Jon cradling back of Arya’s head (S1e2)

    https://nerdist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/arya-jon-540×305.jpg

    —-

    Sandor cradling back of Arya’s head (S8e5)

    https://cdn3.whatculture.com/images/2019/05/f3fbce401b94b574-600×338.png

    I cannot tell whether the images would get blurry when enlarged.

    Maybe I should try to search for other versions? Sometimes the links I copy do have pixel numbers. I’ll start keeping in mind your pixel/dpi guidelines now that I know what to look for.

  46. Ten Bears,

    Those are great images! But I think they’d be a little small for what you’re going for.

    And you’re welcome! 🙂 Also, do you know what image ratio you’d like? Square? 4:3? 16:9? etc. If you decide that, how big you’d like each image to be, and the dpi, you’d have your minimum size all set!

    (ie. a 4″ x 3″ image with a 4:3 ratio at 300 dpi would be 1200 x 900 px)

    (If you’re also interested in sizing and checking the dpi of images you find, GIMP is a great tool and free, I think!)

  47. Adrianacandle: It’s a nice price at $16 so I’d take the gamble! And I like the size too! (But I do fear time… and calendars remind me of time…) Anyway! As a high-ranking and prominent character (and with 365 days in the year), I’d bet money there’s more than a bit of Arya! 🙂

    Ooh… the 2020 day by day calendar looks very intriguing..I guess there is still some of 2020 left, but looks at these first two photos… This is the best photo of Dany I can remember seeing. I know this is from early on in the series I think, but she looks incredible in this shot, and I love this Jon Snow shot too… Maybe i should just get the 2020 version!! I don’t really care about the dates anyway… The 2021 version starts out with Dany and Jon together and you know how I’m not quite moved by that photo…
    I made use out of my own website to avoid moderation again…
    http://www.73chickens.com/images/khaleesi.jpg

    http://www.73chickens.com/images/joninsnow.jpg

    Love these photos… now all we need are some cool Arya ones!!

    I’ll buy Ten Bear’s calendar too if you guys make it!

  48. Tron79,

    Those are great photos! Yeah, the first one is from early on in the series — 1×02? Her wedding to Khal Drogo?

    And I think the nice thing about a day-by-day calendar is that the picture only lasts for a day, not a month, so you can easily skip a photo if you’d like, especially if you don’t care about the dates 🙂

  49. Adrianacandle,

    I think I’d have to use my desktop computer for the Gimp tool. I opened the link you embedded, and before a bunch of hieroglyphics and technical terms I couldn’t understand, it said:

    “Current Stable Version
    The current stable release of GIMP is 2.10.20 (2020-06-07).

    We think your OS is iOS.
    This platform is not currently supported.

    Show downloads for GNU/Linux | OS X | Microsoft Windows | All…”

    ——
    By the way, I assume if I want to scan pictures or even the Royal Mail GoT stamps, I should try to set the DPIs at the highest values possible, even if the scan takes a long time or the resulting file is relatively large?

  50. Tron79,

    I couldn’t help it… I was so impressed with those first two photos, I ordered it..
    It’s due to arrive in a few days…
    It was only $3.19 on amazon!!, since 2020 is already August!
    But it was $3.99 shipping lol…Usually things are free for me with Prime, but no such luck on this one… I know some folks don’t like amazon..My guess it’s around other places too… I’m excited!! I hope arya is in there, but those two shots were much better than the samples in the 2021 version… I may not tear them off..I might just keep them all on and flip through them…

  51. Tron79,

    Obviously if I make it you needn’t buy it.

    (Tentative Title: “2021: All Arya, All the Time”) 👸🏻

    Just kidding. There are plenty of other characters’ images I’d want to include. Except LF, Euron and High Sparrow. None of them.

  52. Ten Bears,

    I think I’d have to use my desktop computer for the Gimp tool. I opened the link you embedded, and before a bunch of hieroglyphics and technical terms I couldn’t understand, it said:

    “Current Stable Version
    The current stable release of GIMP is 2.10.20 (2020-06-07).

    We think your OS is iOS.
    This platform is not currently supported.

    Show downloads for GNU/Linux | OS X | Microsoft Windows | All…”

    Oh! Did you click the BitTorrent option? Go for the orange “Download GIMP directly” option instead and it’ll download a .dmg (Mac) or Windows executable file! 🙂

    And yes, it’s a desktop only app 🙁

    By the way, I assume if I want to scan pictures or even the Royal Mail GoT stamps, I should try to set the DPIs at the highest values possible, even if the scan takes a long time or the resulting file is relatively large?

    Yes, try that! You may need to quadruple the dpi (so about 1200) to get the pixel size you need before you increase the dimensions while lowering the dpi (if that makes sense).

    I don’t expect the file will be large if it’s only something like a 1200 x 1600 px image since a stamp is so small and will scan that tiny size at 1200 dpi. Try it out and see! You can email me the resulting image if you like!

  53. Ten Bears:
    Tron79,

    Obviously if I make it you needn’t buy it.

    (Tentative Title: “2021: All Arya, All the Time”) 👸🏻

    Just kidding. There are plenty of other characters’ images I’d want to include. Except LF, Euron and High Sparrow. None of them.

    You could include the photo when the High Sparrow looks surprised and gets blown up though…

    Love the all Arya calendar of course… but you could include her associates/siblings with her. Sandor of course, Tywin, Hot Pie, Gendry, Jon of course, Sansa, Nymeria, Father Ned, Brienne, The archer guy who told her to never hold, Beric, The red woman, Jaqen H’ghar, The Waif, Syrio……

  54. Ten Bears: I think its resolution/dpi in pixels (?) is

    1296 x 730

    I’m going to work backwards from your guidelines to see if and how I could enlarge this image, or crop it if necessary.

    That would work! It looks to be about 4.3″ x 2.4″ at 300 dpi. You can also increase the dimensions and lower the dpi bit by bit if these dimensions are not quite big enough.

  55. Tron79,

    Oh, for sure. All of Arya’s entourage would be included. Lady Crane, if I can find good shots of her; the captain of the Braavos-bound ship in S4e10; Polliver with Needle in his esophagus; Yoren telling her about Willem; Joffrey whimpering “no! please don’t”; mortally wounded farmer in S4e7 (“fair exchange”); unconscious pork merchant she saved from Sandor – before she knocked him unconscious again as he came to 😃; Davos in background during wight slicing and dicing… I’m sure there are more.

  56. Adrianacandle:
    Ten Bears,

    The last link! It’s the biggest and would print the best 🙂 Start off 2021 with a high res image!

    Jan. 1, 2021

    “Sansa can keep her sewing needle. I’ve got a Needle of my own.”

    … or some other caption

  57. Adrianacandle:
    Ten Bears,

    Tron79,

    New Maisie Williams interview! From a magazine entitled ‘Wonderland’ (I thought of the Arya-Alice connections you had made, Tron 🙂 )

    https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2020/07/31/maisie-williams-summer-2020-issue/

    Wow. Thanks so much. That was a great article to wake up to. And yes I love the Wonderland connection. The writer waxes eloquent. Maisie does have plenty to say in between the writer’s soliloquies. And in between the text are some great new photos of Maisie from a photo shoot they did for the article. She talks about a project shot at home over zoom during the lockdown. This reminds me of her Cyberbully one hour film with Maisie in front of her laptop. I thought Cyberbully was important work during this time in history when young people were so cruel to each other using the new medium of social media. She also had to carry the whole hour by herself.

  58. Pour vous Ten Bears. I don’t speak Occitan but this is supposedly the only song by a medieval trobairitz (female troubadour) that survives with both words and music (there are others where the words survive). If I was choosing a video for myself I would definitely not feature this lady – but the stills are from ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ when the inhabitants of Jerusalem would have spoken a sort of Norman French. Also the lady isn’t talking so I don’t have to put up with the accent. https://youtu.be/a_RQJOAHedQ

  59. Ten Bears:
    Tron79,

    and Tywin in this S2e7 scene …

    https://youtu.be/mVxZQXoORCw

    0:19 – 0:30
    Tywin: “Wolfsbane. A rare substance. This is no common assassin.”

    MInd-bending image: Tywin looking out the window as in the foreground Arya transitions from herself to mutant Wolfsbane from the (long-delayed) film. Sigh.

  60. Adrianacandle,

    You both have hit on what is most likely a key theme of the story: IDENTITY. Hidden/known/known only to the audience/long-term/ short-term/fabricated for a ploy (possibly fAegon and definitely fArya in the books)/ nature v nurture/etc. Many characters grapple with this issue, even a few who know *exactly* who they are. Since he was a lad Ned thought Brandon would rule as lord, and as a result feels a bit like a fraud. Hot Pie knows who he is, but we don’t. What is his real name? What’s in a name? What isn’t in a name?

  61. Ten Bears: Jon cradling back of Arya’s head (S1e2)

    https://nerdist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/arya-jon-540×305.jpg

    —-

    Sandor cradling back of Arya’s head (S8e5)

    https://cdn3.whatculture.com/images/2019/05/f3fbce401b94b574-600×338.png

    Oh, TB, you genius! I just glanced at a URL you or another posted of the calendar stills. The image of Sansa crowned parallels the image of Cersei crowned from 6.10. They even have the same type of crown.

  62. Stark Raven’ Rad: You both have hit on what is most likely a key theme of the story: IDENTITY. Hidden/known/known only to the audience/long-term/ short-term/fabricated for a ploy (possibly fAegon and definitely fArya in the books)/ nature v nurture/etc. Many characters grapple with this issue, even a few who know *exactly* who they are. Since he was a lad Ned thought Brandon would rule as lord, and as a result feels a bit like a fraud. Hot Pie knows who he is, but we don’t. What is his real name? What’s in a name? What isn’t in a name?

    If Young Griff turns out to be false, that’s a great connect with fArya 🙂 Where I don’t think Young Griff knows, Jeyne knows and is being posed as Arya Stark by the Lannisters so Ramsay can marry her as part of the deal for turning against Robb… but I think there’s question over if the Boltons themselves know they don’t have the real Arya.

  63. Thinking about the identity thing, we never really had a back story for the Waif in the show. In the book the Waif is somewhat mysterious and changes appearance sometimes. In the book Citadel subplot someone looking like the character Jaq’en changed into when he alters his face in ACOK bumps someone off quite ruthlessly to take his place at the Citadel where we already have someone in disguise if book Doran’s observation about

    Sarella playing her game in Oldtown is true.

    Although I always thought some of the criticism of book Sansa was harsh (she was an 11 year old kid at the start in the books) I wondered if learning how a bastard (while she was under cover as Alayne) was treated might have something to do with her development as a character. Book Sansa is still only about 13 if my memory serves me correctly.

  64. Dame of Mercia: Although I always thought some of the criticism of book Sansa was harsh (she was an 11 year old kid at the start in the books) I wondered if learning how a bastard (while she was under cover as Alayne) was treated might have something to do with her development as a character. Book Sansa is still only about 13 if my memory serves me correctly.

    Yeah, I think that’s fair. She is only 11 at the start of the books and some girls can be pretty mean at that age (which matches my own experiences), especially to sisters they think are embarrassing and sisters who don’t fit appropriate standards of behavior per what Sansa was taught by her septa and Catelyn. It doesn’t make her treatment of Arya right but I don’t think it’s very unusual, especially for age 11. Plus… glass houses :/ I certainly wasn’t awesome to my sisters…

    But I do think she’s learning compassion and increasing in her compassion as she progresses through the books because of her own experiences.

    I think her time as a bastard will give Sansa some insight and more compassion, I think it already is, but I don’t think it’s the same as having lived as a bastard or an outsider for her entire life, which is a different kettle of fish altogether. It’d be a different experience from Dany’s, Jon’s, Tyrion’s — who have lived with a kind of social stigma and suffered lifelong for it, for which it’s become a big part of their identities that they can’t escape — it’s stuck, it’s all they know. And in Arya’s case, she’s had to struggle with society trying to force her into a gender role she doesn’t want, can’t relate to, can’t feel, and is looked down on for it, being bullied throughout her childhood at Winterfell because Arya didn’t look or act the part of a highborn girl.

    I think Sansa’s struggle is different. She perfectly fulfills all the traits of what a highborn girl should be and the role suits her and I think the narrative shows the horrible downsides of that as well, especially for one as young and sheltered as Sansa is. Because of this, Sansa finds herself being used as a pawn in some really terrible circumstances with only her mind to protect herself. She has the right name, the right bloodline, while her temperament, look, and demeanor are preferable per traditional Westerosi views of how ladies should look, act, and be — this makes Sansa the preferable choice for those who want to use her as a pawn, despite what she herself wants, because she’s not going to kick and put up a fight like Arya, she’ll fulfill her role as she was taught to do, she’s beautiful, soft-spoken, trueborn of a Great House, and has all the ideal traits of a lady — making her a coveted choice.

    Even as Alayne, this false identity being used for Sansa is just a tool being utilized by LF to bide his time until he can reveal Sansa’s true identity after he knocks off Sweetrobin, Harry becomes the heir, and Harry marries Sansa, upon which they’ll take back Winterfell:

    Petyr arched an eyebrow. “When Robert dies. Our poor brave Sweetrobin is such a sickly boy, it is only a matter of time. When Robert dies, Harry the Heir becomes Lord Harrold, Defender of the Vale and Lord of the Eyrie. Jon Arryn’s bannermen will never love me, nor our silly, shaking Robert, but they will love their Young Falcon . . . and when they come together for his wedding, and you come out with your long auburn hair, clad in a maiden’s cloak of white and grey with a direwolf emblazoned on the back . . . why, every knight in the Vale will pledge his sword to win you back your birthright. So those are your gifts from me, my sweet Sansa . . . Harry, the Eyrie, and Winterfell. That’s worth another kiss now, don’t you think?”

    And I think, per GRRM himself, Sansa is going to have to rely on her wits and develop them like Littlefinger has because they’re both non-combatants. From GRRM:

    “…She is beginning to at least try to understand how she can play the game of thrones and be not a piece, but a player. With her own goals, and moving other pieces around. And she’s not a warrior like Robb, Jon Snow. She’s not even a wild child like Arya. She can’t fight with swords, axes. She can’t raise armies. But she has her wits! Same as Littlefinger has…”

  65. Adrianacandle:
    Ten Bears,

    Tron79,

    New Maisie Williams interview! From a magazine entitled ‘Wonderland’ (I thought of the Arya-Alice connections you had made, Tron 🙂 )

    https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2020/07/31/maisie-williams-summer-2020-issue/

    Thanks for this link to the Wonderland magazine interview of Maisie Williams.

    I agree with Tron’s [8/3/20, 7:22 am] reply that “Maisie does have plenty to say in between the writer’s soliloquies.”

    I may cut and paste some of MW’s observations for use the Comment Section under the recent Missandei article, since I think they’re relevant to some of the discussions over there…

  66. Mr Derp,

    Like Tool (one of your prior recommendations?), I had never heard of Rammstein before. I’ll check them out. From that video you linked I assume Rammstein is a high-energy kind of band that does not fall within the “Easy Listening” category.
    I have also noticed that Rammstein pops up frequently in YouTube recommendations of “reaction” videos.
    I will make a note to check out Rammstein the next time I have a couple of hours to escape down into musical rabbit holes.

  67. Ten Bears,

    Rammstein is very high energy, especially their live shows. It goes great with tits and dragons! Easy listening, however, not so much.

    They are from Germany, so they obviously sing in German. They have a very industrial, aggressive sound, which makes it even more deliciously German.

    The singer “Till” is also a licensed pyrotechnician, so they frequently have a lot of fireworks and fire spectacles at their shows. They actually have to tone it down in the U.S. because of stricter laws.

    I would highly recommend checking them out. They’re very unique. They have their own sound and do their own thing. You should do a reaction video yourself!

  68. Mr Derp:
    Ten Bears,

    Rammstein is very high energy, especially their live shows.It goes great with tits and dragons!Easy listening, however, not so much.

    They are from Germany, so they obviously sing in German.They have a very industrial, aggressive sound, which makes it even more deliciously German.

    The singer “Till” is also a licensed pyrotechnician, so they frequently have a lot of fireworks and fire spectacles at their shows.They actually have to tone it down in the U.S. because of stricter laws.

    I would highly recommend checking them out.They’re very unique.They have their own sound and do their own thing.You should do a reaction video yourself!

    One of the best bands ever, imho….probably still missing a few eyebrow hairs. 😁

  69. Mr Derp,

    ”The singer “Till” is also a licensed pyrotechnician, so they frequently have a lot of fireworks and fire spectacles at their shows…”

    Pyrotechnics? ☄️💥🔥 🚀 🧨??? Count me in!!!

  70. Pigeon: One of the best bands ever, imho….probably still missing a few eyebrow hairs. 😁

    Well then, a long Rammstein listening session is on my to-do list. Any particular songs you’d recommend? I could prioritize songs on my playlist based on number of views on YouTube, though that is not always a reliable indicator.

  71. Ten Bears: Well then, a long Rammstein listening session is on my to-do list. Any particular songs you’d recommend? I could prioritize songs on my playlist based on number of views on YouTube, though that is not always a reliable indicator.

    You could pretty much start just about anywhere, but I would personally suggest “Du Hast” simply because it’s their most popular and famous song. You’ve probably heard it before.

    After that, it doesn’t really matter, but I would recommend “Engel” or “Angel”. Watch the live version. Till comes out on stage wearing pyrotechnic angel wings that shoot fire!

    So, I’d go Du Hast, then Engel. Make sure to watch the live versions. After that, I’d go anywhere the rabbit hole takes you. Though be careful, those rabbit holes go pretty deep.

  72. Mr Derp,

    Thanks. I’ve put “Du Hast” and “Engel” (live versions) on my List of Songs to listen to.

    You cautioned: ”After that, I’d go anywhere the rabbit hole takes you. Though be careful, those rabbit holes go pretty deep.”

    Yeah, I know about those rabbit holes. I could look for one song, then have to choose among many videos – studio and live versions – to find those with the best quality. While I’m at it, YouTube shows me a bunch of other songs by the same band.

    (Last month I went looking for one Linda Ronstadt song for a “Musical Interlude” dedicated to Gendry & Arya, and wound up listening to virtually every song Linda Ronstadt ever recorded or performed live. I had never appreciated what a fabulous singer she was, or what a great backup band she had.)

  73. Ten Bears,

    Linda Ronstadt isn’t my cup of tea, but I’ve always loved her contribution to “Under African Skies” on Paul Simon’s “Graceland” album.

  74. Mr Derp,

    That’s the thing: Linda Ronstadt wasn’t my cup of tea either. Lots of her recordings were covers of songs I didn’t like very much to begin with.

    Still, I couldn’t deny how well she sings after listening to the high quality audio and live versions after all these years.

  75. Ten Bears: Well then, a long Rammstein listening session is on my to-do list. Any particular songs you’d recommend? I could prioritize songs on my playlist based on number of views on YouTube, though that is not always a reliable indicator.

    Agree with “Du Hast” (still my favourite, call me typical 😆) “Engel” for sure, would also recommend “Deutschland” more for their (rather long) video, which is pretty interesting as it takes a look through German history with their typical campy but disconcerting lens. Man, there are just so many in their 25+ year history. They have the musical talent and a massive dose of spectacle, for sure. I remember an interview with Marilyn Manson where he described how excited he was to meet Till, but when he got the first opportunity he couldn’t shake his hand as he was on fire. 😄

  76. Young Dragon,

    Thanks for that. “The Owners” trailer had some good snippets of scenes with Maisie Williams. I was half expecting her to whip out her double-ended spear and start carving up some ghouls.

    After the Long Night – I mean the Long Drought – of Maisielessness since GoT ended, it looks like in the next couple of months she’ll be on our screens again:

    • The long-awaited “New Mutants” in theaters at the end of this month [though I predict it may go right to Video on Demand, at least here in the U.S.].

    • “The Owners,” which I believe is going to be on VOD.

    • “Two Weeks to Live” 6-episode series on SkyTV sometime “this fall.” I hope this will be made available in the U.S.; I’m really looking forward to seeing the Many-Faced Goddess in an action-comedy role. (And Sian Clifford as her overprotective, survivalist mom. What was her line in the first trailer when she was scolding her daughter? Something like: “How many times have I told you! ‘Gloves and a gun if you want to have fun.’ For f*ck’s sake, it rhymes!”)
    🔫 🧤🧤

    • HBO’s blockbuster GoT spinoff, “Arya Stark: West of Wester.…”. Oh wait. Sorry. Not quite yet.

  77. Ten Bears: ASNAWP is never off topic. 🙂

    🗡👸🏻

    I hope Maisie will turn the tables on those creepy homeowners… I will definitely watch this immediately! I so wish I could get Sky TV in the USA to watch 2 Weeks To Live.

  78. Ten Bears: ASNAWP is never off topic. 🙂

    🗡👸🏻

    I just had a random thought of Maisie showing up as a guest star on season 4 of Daredevil (Netflix). Daredevil’s mentor “Stick” I think died last season… Maisie would be a great new Mentor for Daredevil… (Blind Maisie, since Daredevil is blind and Stick was Blind). She has that FM training after all. But I just read there won’t be a 4th season of Daredevil…

  79. Tron79: I hope Maisie will turn the tables on those creepy homeowners… I will definitely watch this immediately! I so wish I could get Sky TV in the USA to watch 2 Weeks To Live.

    I am cautiously optimistic that if “Two Weeks to Live” is as good as the early reviews says it is, HBO or some other distributor will make it available here in the USA. (HBO and Sky TV had some kind of partnership in broadcasting GoT, didn’t they?)

    Moreover, with the dearth of new content being produced because of the Covid Sh*tshow shutdowns, I figure cable TV and streaming devices will soon be scrambling for new shows for their customers to watch. By the time “Two Weeks to Live” is set to premiere on Sky TV this autumn, U.S. audiences are going to be starving for new entertainment, and GoT’s/Arya’s built-in fan base makes acquiring broadcast rights to a MW action-comedy series a no-brainer.

  80. Pigeon,

    I have to confess that my familiarity with modern German music is limited to the faux German group Das Sound Machine, fronted by Karsi the Wildling – I mean Birgitte Hjort Sorensen as the Kommisar.

    • Birgitte Hjort Sorensen performing as the Kommisar of Das Sound Machine in “Pitch Perfect 2”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2otY8nVEsI

    • Ellos presents Strong Women:
    Birgitte Hjort Sorensen

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxdSnCvj8fs

  81. Ten Bears,

    Edit: I meant to add that in the linked Ellos interview of Birgitte Hjort Sorensen (above), she talks about filming “Hardhome.”

  82. Adrianacandle,

    I got my GOT 2020 Day-to-Day calendar!!
    I counted 8 1/2 Arya pictures (or maybe 9 1/2, but pretty sure it was 8 1/2)
    The 1/2 was one where they showed Jaqen, but Arya’s hand and needle was in the picture slightly!! She had another day that had all of her in that same shot…

    The pictures are a little small. They could have expanded them some to fill more of the paper, but I really do love looking at them. There are alot of characters shown…

    BTW, if you are an Arya fan and celebrate Christmas, you get a Christmas gift, since there is an Arya picture on Dec 25!

    The calendar starts with alot of season 1 shots… Benjen is in there!!

    Other characters that I enjoyed seeing that I didn’t expect to see…
    Yoren!!! January 13
    Barrison Selmy
    Jeor Mormont
    Aemon
    Allister Thorne
    Lysa Arryn
    Rodrik Cassel
    Balon Greyjoy
    Yara
    Roose Bolton
    Xaro Xhoan Daxos
    Osha
    A very young looking Loras Tyrell
    Pyat Pree
    Spice King
    Qhorin Halfhand..

    I’ll stop there… They do have all of the major characters, but it is nice to see some of the characters that don’t get as much PR!!!

    My favorites are the Ygritte pictures…. I love their love story…It makes me want to re-watch those seasons again…. Damn you Olly!! There’s one Ygritte shot in particular that I don’t remember seeing… I love this one.. I just found the same shot online…
    I just copied it to my 73chickens site to avoid moderation…Here it is!!
    http://www.73chickens.com/images/ygrittegreatshot.jpg

    I’ll stop there.. .It was well worth the $3 (plus the $3 shipping)… But the photos could have been scaled a little larger… There’s alot of margin around them, but perhaps you are supposed to write something there as a note….. Hummm…

    One Arya/Hound shot at the Red Wedding with Arya unconscious with Sandor up on Sandor’s horse…

  83. Tron79,

    I watched your Arya & Alice mashup again on 73Chickens.

    I remembered you said you liked the blue butterfly in one of Alice’s scenes. Something about that was…familiar.

    Then I realized: I saw the blue butterfly in one of my favorite Maisie Williams photographs:

    • 73 Chickens: Arya & Alice

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZOXGce37HE

    Blue butterfly 🦋 13:35 to 13:49

    • Maisie Williams & blue butterfly 🦋

    https://imgix.bustle.com/lovelace/uploads/344/34974610-e042-0131-6ccf-0aa0f90d87b4.png

  84. Tron79,

    That is a beautiful shot!

    But the photos could have been scaled a little larger… There’s alot of margin around them, but perhaps you are supposed to write something there as a note….. Hummm…

    Based on what I saw, I imagine that was an aesthetic decision with the wide borders. I’ve done similar looks before 🙂

    Anyway, thank you for sharing! And it’s great to hear characters like Benjen, Osha, Aemon, Yara, and Qhorin get some page time too!

  85. Tron79,

    Hey, if you wouldn’t mind measuring (no pressure, no rush!!) how big are the pages and photos? Maybe these dimensions would give me a better idea for scale (and to keep in mind for templates and as a baseline for modification) — I think it’s easy for me to forget how big/small dimensions are without looking at them on a ruler.

    I recently ordered some mini 4″ springform pans to make mini appeltaarts for my dad and grandpa (inspired by Kevin’s appeltaarts!) — and I totally forgot how small 4″ is. Will make very very cute appeltaarts but I was shocked by the mini-ness!

    And thank-you again for sharing about the calendar!!

  86. Ten Bears:
    Tron79,

    Ooh! That is a nice Ygritte photo. I had not seen it before. 💋🔥

    Yeah I don’t remember seeing it either.
    The butterfly connection is cool. Thanks for sending the photo.

  87. Adrianacandle:
    Tron79,

    Hey, if you wouldn’t mind measuring (no pressure, no rush!!) how big are the pages and photos? Maybe these dimensions would give me a better idea for scale (and to keep in mind for templates and as a baseline for modification) — I think it’s easy for me to forget how big/small dimensions are without looking at them on a ruler.

    I recently ordered some mini 4″ springform pans to make mini appeltaarts for my dad and grandpa (inspired by Kevin’s appeltaarts!) — and I totally forgot how small 4″ is. Will make very very cute appeltaarts but I was shocked by the mini-ness!

    And thank-you again for sharing about the calendar!!

    So here’s the measurements…
    I’m using inches…

    The calendar paper is square 4 1/2″ X 4 1/2″
    The photos are 3 1/4″ Wide X 2 3/4″ high

    I took two photos and put it on my 73chickens site.. It’s amazing how much better these look when I take a photo with my iphone camera!! They are bigger on my screen.. I may have to do this for the ones I really like to put them on my computer…

    An Arya one… A couple of pages like this one have two days…Most only have one.. I’m not sure why exactly…
    http://www.73chickens.com/images/aryacalendar1.jpg

    A Sandor one from beyond the wall…
    http://www.73chickens.com/images/sandorbeyondthewall.jpg

  88. Tron79,

    Thank-you so much for this!

    So a 3″ x 2″ proposed dimension for a calendar’s page imagery may work okay…

    But I did look on a ruler, that is quite tiny — I see where you’re coming from there.

    They do look great, those pages!!

    (Btw, when I first opened these images up, did they load sideways? Or was that me just being bleary-eyed from first waking up? Or was I dreaming? Is that even possible, images loading sideways?)

  89. Adrianacandle:
    Tron79,

    Thank-you so much for this!

    So a 3″ x 2″ proposed dimension for a calendar’s page imagery may work okay…

    But I did look on a ruler, that is quite tiny — I see where you’re coming from there.

    They do look great, those pages!!

    (Btw, when I first opened these images up, did they load sideways? Or was that me just being bleary-eyed from first waking up? Or was I dreaming? Is that even possible, images loading sideways?)

    Yeah, I guess I would have went a little bigger on the paper, but I guess there’s less room to write notes, but of course, I only got it for the pictures!! 🙂

    I’m not sure about loading sideways, but the iphone does take hi res photos at
    3024 X 4032, and I think on my screen it loaded half and then the other half before it popped into place, so maybe you weren’t dreaming. But it shows the right way once it loads hopefully…

    Some of the photos are dark to my eye on the paper, but when I take it with the iphone camera, they lighten up nicely…could just be my eyes as I’m getting older…
    I may ask for the 2021 version for Chanukah…I will need to save something for my family to get me… I can impulse buy on this kind of stuff and then I have nothing to tell them…

  90. Adrianacandle,

    So i watched another Alice In Wonderland like movie today. The new “The Secret Garden”. There were a couple GOT tie ins. The young girl who stars in the movie woke up at the beginning screaming “Arya”. Well it’s sounded like Arya to me but when I turned on closed captions it was “Ahya” but still close!

    She takes a tumble over the wall and down the hill the first time she enters the secret garden much like Alice down the rabbit hole.

    Michele Clapton did the costumes!!! I didn’t realize it until the closing credits but I did really take notice of the jacket the little girl Mary wore.

    I did fall asleep in the middle but there was a lot to like. It’s still full price on amazon as one of their movies that would have been in theaters were it not for COVID

    Mary has an Arya line “I’m no lady”

    She does see herself as privileged for awhile ordering the servants around but she eventually comes down to earth. The start of the movie is very well done shot totally from the child’s perspective. Mary is left in an unimaginable situation.

    The score was definitely NOT written by Danny Elfman or Ramin Djawadi. I was thinking it sounded too much like Downton Abbey music and it didn’t work for me and I think partly put me to sleep. But I absolutely loved the song “The Secret Garden” during the closing credits performed by Aurora.

    Here’s a fashion article about Michele Clapton and her costumes for The Secret Garden.
    https://www.google.com/amp/s/fashionista.com/.amp/2020/08/the-secret-garden-movie-costumes

  91. Adrianacandle,

    Tron79,

    So… 3” x 2” images would be too small (?)

    I was thinking of using 5” x 7” or 6” x 9” pages, with margin at the top for the day and date, and a narrower margin at the bottom for a caption (e.g., an accompanying quote).

    One potential problem is that some images are oriented vertically, and others horizontally. Unless a long horizontal image is cropped – which might chop off part of the scene – the printed image would be a “sliver” on the page. Likewise, the top or bottom of a long vertical image would need to be cropped off to “fit” on a calendar page.

    (Am I making sense???)

  92. Adrianacandle:
    Ten Bears,

    I’ll reply more thoroughly later — I’m with the laser cutters now 😊😊😊🔥

    Are you a high-tech safecracker in mid-heist, or a sci-fi action heroine gallantly trying to free your people from an evil space warlord’s prison ship?

    (Sorry. “With the laser cutters now” conjured up these kinds of images.)

  93. Tron79,

    Thanks for those calendar sample images + measurements:

    ”The calendar paper is square 4 1/2″ X 4 1/2″
    The photos are 3 1/4″ Wide X 2 3/4″ high.”

    For my own desk calendar, I did not envision any side-to-side margins, and nowhere near that much “blank” space on the top and on the bottom (for the day and date).

    Perhaps leaving borders to “frame” the image is a good idea to avoid messing up the image if pages fray or get dog-eared?

  94. Ten Bears: Are you a high-tech safecracker in mid-heist, or a sci-fi action heroine gallantly trying to free your people from an evil space warlord’s prison ship?

    (Sorry. “With the laser cutters now” conjured up these kinds of images.)

    Yes to both 🙂

    (Will provide a photo of lasers tonight when I get home! Will also provide calendar input if needed!)

  95. Adrianacandle,

    • Calendar input isn’t time-sensitive. If I do this, it will be a months-long project to find 365 images along with quotes or captions to go with each one if possible.

    • I suppose I’d want to be wary of low-resolution images that wouldn’t survive enlargement, and those with odd dimensions that would be difficult to crop (like the Myranda picture in my 4:32 pm comment) assuming the calendar pages images will be square, or rectangular roughly proportional to the 3.25” wide x 2.75” high dimensions of the printed images Tron measured in the calendar he photographed.

    I’m assuming each printed image should be of uniform width, even if the height varies slightly, since each page has to have enough room for the day and date in conspicuous font size.

    • Again, the primary function is to serve as a daily calendar, not a photo album. If, for instance, I mount it on a wall, I’d want to see the day and date without squinting – as much as I’d enjoy seeing a new photograph every day.*

    *Misc. thought… Perhaps I should assign certain days to specific characters. Then I’d learn to associate a particular day of the week with a specific character, e.g., “If it’s Ygritte, today must be Sunday.”.

    • Also: I’m thinking of making a monthly wall calendar. Usually I draw or print out
    five rows and seven columns of 2.5” x 2.5” boxes on an extra large piece of card stock or two sheets of 11” x 17” paper taped or glued together, and then write in the month’s 30 or 31 dates. That’s boring.
    Perhaps I can find 12 high quality images to blow up and append to each month’s calendar so each month will have a new picture – like real wall calendars….

  96. Ten Bears,

    Right. If you want a uniform ration and size, you’ll likely have to sacrifice some of the artwork to fit the image into this uniform ration/size. However, depending on what you want since this a personal calendar, you may opt to have different rations/sizes on each page? As long as you have room for the information (ie. date/day of the week) you want to include. But there’s no rule that says you have to have each page follow the same template 🙂

    For me, the size of each photograph in Tron’s calendar with the wider margins is a look I like but it might not be to your preferred taste. I’d play around in GIMP with font and artwork sizes to experiment and maybe find a look you’d like if that’s helpful? Or browse other day-to-day calendar designs?

    With resolution, I think you can get away with as low as 200 dpi. I can give some links for checking an image’s dpi (or how to change dpi) via GIMP if you like!

  97. Tron79,

    Oh, thank-you for this, Tron! I love the Secret Garden! I grew up with the 1993 Maggie Smith version and I read the book over and over! I had no idea Michele Claption did the new Secret Garden! I’ll definitely put it on my watch list!

  98. Adrianacandle:
    Tron79,

    Oh, thank-you for this, Tron! I love the Secret Garden! I grew up with the 1993 Maggie Smith version and I read the book over and over! I had no idea Michele Claption did the new Secret Garden! I’ll definitely put it on my watch list!

    I think you will enjoy it. Even though there were beautiful fantasy magical elements there was a very realistic gritty style to the movie (especially in the beginning). The opening sequence of Mary as she is forced to fend for herself after her parents’ disappearance had powerful images that I will not soon forget. I may rewatch to see what I missed in the middle when I dozed off :). Now that I read the article about Michele Clapton I want to take a second look at the costumes she described as she adds additional embroideries mirroring the growth of Mary and the garden.

  99. Ten Bears,

    Here is the link to the photos of the lasers!

    First photo is of one of the projects I was designing and cutting.

    Second photo is of that project being cut with the big(!!) laser.

    Third photo is of the two smaller lasers in the back with my crap strewn about — I use the one on the left! 🙂

    (Also, please forgive the temp URL masker! To proceed to the photo directory, just click ‘Continue’! This is just an added layer of protection because I can take this temp URL down after a few days! 🙂 Note: the parent directory for this photo directory is the site I’m working on that’s very very slowly in progress. At this point, it’s basically just an uploaded template which I’ve fiddled around with only a bit.)

  100. Tron79: I think you will enjoy it. Even though there were beautiful fantasy magical elements there was a very realistic gritty style to the movie (especially in the beginning). The opening sequence of Mary as she is forced to fend for herself after her parents’ disappearance had powerful images that I will not soon forget. I may rewatch to see what I missed in the middle when I dozed off :). Now that I read the article about Michele Clapton I want to take a second look at the costumes she described as she adds additional embroideries mirroring the growth of Mary and the garden.

    I’ll definitely watch it this week! Thanks for this!

  101. Adrianacandle,

    Typo!

    Every time I said “ration”, I meant *ratio T___T Not rations!

    And jeeze, I didn’t say ‘ratio’ correctly in that post, not once. My own fingers “auto-corrected” me 🙁

  102. Tron79: So here’s the measurements…
    I’m using inches…

    The calendar paper is square 4 1/2″ X 4 1/2″
    The photos are 3 1/4″ Wide X 2 3/4″ high

    I took two photos and put it on my 73chickens site.. It’s amazing how much better these look when I take a photo with my iphone camera!! They are bigger on my screen.. I may have to do this for the ones I really like to put them on my computer…

    I missed this post! And thanks for the great photos! 🙂

    Yes, phone camera resolution is getting pretty impressive. I only have an iPhone 7 but even on the 7, the photo resolution isn’t bad. My dad has the latest iPhone and the resolution is really nice.

    Ten Bears,

    Oh! I wanted to add that while the pages themselves should be uniform, the design you use for each page doesn’t so photos can be of various ratios and sizes if you like 🙂

  103. Dame of Mercia: I’ve seen a couple of TV versions of ‘The Secret Garden’ over the years (going back to about 1960 – that ages me). I didn’t realise that Frances Hodgson-Burnett had an American connection (though maybe I should have had a notion as she wrote ‘Little Lord Fontleroy’.

    I see that Frances Hodgson-Burnett also did A Little Princess, another novel that was adapted into a movie in 1995 and another one I loved as a kid!!

  104. Part 1 of 2

    • On 8/6/20 at 12:46 pm, above, Young Dragon was kind enough to post a link to the trailer for the upcoming movie, “The Owners,” starring Maisie Williams.

    Following is a different link to what I assume is the same trailer (2:20 long):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ7mb5DmLfk

    • From what I can glean from the web, the movie is scheduled to be released in the U.S. on September 4, 2020. I assume that is when it will be available on Video on Demand.

    • For anyone who’s curious, here’s an August 5, 2019 article/preview of “The Owners,” and the graphic novel on which it’s based. (* The article is a year old. I think the only part that’s obsolete is the note at the end that no release date had been scheduled.)

    https://www.blogtorwho.com/the-owners-mccoy-versus-williams-in-new-thriller/

    The Owners: McCoy versus Williams in New Thriller – Blogtor Who

    The Seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy, is to take on Maisie Williams in the new psychological thriller The Owners.

    One night in rural England in the 1990s, a retired couple (Doctor Who star Sylvester McCoy and Rita Tushingham) find their isolated house besieged by a gang of young criminals. The thieves think it will be easy to make them give up the secret of the house’s safe. But they have no idea what they’ve gotten themselves into.

    Maisie Williams (Ashildr/Me in Doctor Who Series Nine) plays one of the gang, dragged into events against her better judgment by her boyfriend. Soon, however, she finds herself fighting to escape the house alive. Also in the cast are Ian Kenny and Andrew Ellis as her fellow thieves. Meanwhile Jake Curran plays the out of town sociopath who recruits them for the robbery.

    The Owners adapts the graphic novel Une Nuit de Pleine Lune from legendary creators Hermann and Yves Huppen.

    The new film is adapted from the 2011 graphic novel Une Nuit de Pleine Lune (Night of the Full Moon) by legendary comic artist Hermann Huppen and writer Yves H, transplanting the action from the original French countryside. With filming just begun, little detail of the plot is known. But Blogtor Who can share the synopsis of the original book.

    ….
    [Caption of embedded photo 📷 of book cover:
    The graphic novel Une Nuit de Pleine Lune, on which The Owners is based. Cover by Hermann Huppen (c) Hermann Huppen]
    ……

    (Original book synopsis):

    Karim dreams of returning to live one day in Morocco, in a villa in the sun, by the sea. But for that, he would need to score the jackpot. With a team of amateurs, he decides to tackle the small fortune of a couple of individuals … So it is five young thieves, nervous and unprepared, enter the remote house of an elderly couple, the Boisseaus. The idea is to wait for the return of the couple and scare them enough to reveal the code of their chest. Anyone would eventually give in! Except that Mister Boisseau is not just anyone…


    You can also watch the special motion trailer for the graphic novel, to get some hint of the spirit of the film adaptation. Published by Glénat, the book can also be bought from the publisher’s official site.

    There’s still no release date for The Owners, but Blogtor Who will keep you updated as news emerges.*

  105. Part 2 (cont. from 2:25 pm)

    re: Serendipitous, Multiple Maisie Williams Encounters with the Doctor(s)

    I am not a “Whovian” and I am not familiar with WhoVerse canon. I did not know who Sylvester McCoy is. However, I did notice that the above article mentions that “the Seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy, is to take on Maisie Williams in the new psychological thriller The Owners.”

    That means Maisie Williams (Arya on GoT and Ashildr on Dr. Who) will tangle with three different incarnations of the Doctor:

    The First Doctor: In GoT S6e10 (June 26, 2016) MW vs. David Bradley (Walder Frey on GoT, and the First Doctor on Dr. Who in 2017, replacing original actor)

    The Seventh Doctor: In the upcoming movie “The Owners” (2020) MW vs. Sylvester McCoy, the Seventh Doctor (from 1987 – 1989).

    The Twelfth Doctor: In Doctor Who S9e5, e6, e10 & e12 (2015), MW & Peter Capaldi, the Twelfth Doctor.

    – If the world ever returns to normal, I’m going to jump back on the bandwagon of fans clamoring for an Ashildr & Clara Dr. Who spin-off.

    https://i.pinimg.com/474x/65/ba/d9/65bad9f5c10fbd5bd982f04efa294d87–doctor-who-clara-ship-it.jpg

    – Alternatively, I’ll hope for another guest starring stint for Maisie Williams on Doctor Who in which Ashildr/Lady Me tangles with the (current) Thirteenth Doctor, played by Jodie Whittaker.

  106. Ten Bears,

    Oh, one more thing. Here’s the poster for “The Owners.”

    The_Owners_2020_film_poster.png 220×326 pixels

    Check out Maisie Williams, front and center. Is that Gendry’s sledgehammer she’s wielding?

    🔨 👸🏻

  107. Ten Bears,

    This video goes over image size, dimensions, and resolution in GIMP and how to size an image and determine/change its resolution (if you start at 1:05, he’ll be done his promos and plugs):

    Were you successful in installing GIMP? Let me know if I can help in any way 🙂

    I am not a “Whovian” and I am not familiar with WhoVerse canon. I did not know who Sylvester McCoy is. However, I did notice that the above article mentions that “the Seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy, is to take on Maisie Williams in the new psychological thriller The Owners.”

    My dad has been describing himself as a Whovian since my life began 🙁 I still also never know what he’s talking about… Sadly, none of his first-order derivatives (his word for kids) have inherited his Whovian ways. I think this is a source of disappointment for him… but I DO know he liked the Tom Baker doctor best!

  108. Adrianacandle,

    • Thank you for the GIMP tutorial video. Watching the host’s demonstrations and listening to his explanations, I realized that the GIMP program is very similar to whatever photo editing program I have on my desktop computer.

    When I had printed my “customized” GoT stamps using 1” x 1.625” address labels a while back, I had figured out – using the play around + hit or miss method – how to crop photos and change their size and dimensions. While I am sure the GIMP program has many more features, I’m thinking that for purposes of the contemplated 365-day calendar 📆, whatever program is in my computer should suffice:

    • Thanks to your explanation of pixels and DPIs last week, I have a pretty good idea now what downloaded images can “survive” enlarging, and print out cleanly without blurring.

    • I’ve noticed that when saving image links on my cell phone, if I click on the saved link to test it, and then re-save the resulting image, the new saved link shows up with a slightly different file name that contains the horizontal x vertical pixel numbers. (Does that make sense?) Now that I have some idea what those numbers mean, and have your guidelines to refer to, I ought to be able to (better) locate high quality images.

    • After a while, I’ve kind of gotten a “feel” for distinguishing low resolution images from high quality, high resolution images (with sufficiently dense dpis). Even on a small cell phone screen, low res images get blurry and washed out when enlarged, even slightly.* High quality images, like Helen Sloan GoT photos, stay crisp and colorful even when enlarged.
    So this is my low-tech, eyeball method of finding decent images for a calendar, which I can then confirm by looking at the pixel #s on the re-saved link.

    • Now that you’ve given me an idea of how dpis and pixel values work, I can better adjust the settings on my desktop scanner to produce a high quality image for enlarging and printing, e.g., when scanning a Royal Mail GoT character stamp.

    • You asked: ”Were you successful in installing GIMP? Let me know if I can help in any way.”

    A: – I was not successful in installing GIMP (on my cell phone), but after watching that video I think I’m going to try to use whatever is currently on my desk top. Navigating through and familiarizing myself with GIMP would probably take longer.
    – I may still take you up on your offer for help if I get confused. 🤯

    * As an example, the image of the poster for “The Owners” movie (link embedded in my 8/9/20 3:23 pm comment above), was deliberately posted online in low-res format by the studio’s digital PR department, apparently to prevent folks from making their own posters. Even when enlarged just a little, that low res image of Maisie with a sledgehammer quickly gets out of focus.

  109. Ten Bears,

    Thank you for the GIMP tutorial video. Watching the host’s demonstrations and listening to his explanations, I realized that the GIMP program is very similar to whatever photo editing program I have on my desktop computer.

    A: – I was not successful in installing GIMP (on my cell phone), but after watching that video I think I’m going to try to use whatever is currently on my desk top. Navigating through and familiarizing myself with GIMP would probably take longer.
    – I may still take you up on your offer for help if I get confused. 🤯

    That’s great!! It sounds like you’re getting the results you’re wanting with software you’re already comfortable with!

    Yeah, GIMP is a desktop-only application, not one for mobile 🙁 (I’m sorry that I assumed you’d be working on desktop. Desktop is how I work when doing any graphic design projects. I have the mobile app ‘Enlight’ for any quick photo touchups on my phone but I usually reserve bigger projects for my Mac so yeah, I assumed 🙁 ).

    And definitely email me if you get stuck anywhere! 🙂

    I’ve noticed that when saving image links on my cell phone, if I click on the saved link to test it, and then re-save the resulting image, the new saved link shows up with a slightly different file name that contains the horizontal x vertical pixel numbers. (Does that make sense?)

    Can you email me some of the links this is happening with? I don’t think I’ve had this happen to me (the image changing size). Could it be auto-sizing an image for mobile?

    Anyway, it sounds like you’ve got a good feel for things!! 🙂 Certainly email me if you need to though!

  110. Ten Bears,

    I should add that with the sizes I gave you, it doesn’t have to be those exact sizes to the pixel (especially if the ratios of your photos are different to the ratios of the sizes I gave you), they’re just an idea of what you may want to shoot for if you’re wanting a 300 dpi 🙂

    For instance, if your image has a portrait orientation, your x value could be a different number from the 1200 px I gave you while your y value may be close to 900 px.

  111. Adrianacandle,

    Let me try to give an example of a saved link and slightly different re-saved link showing pixel #s. (I usually save and re-save links on my cell phone; I am not sure if this would work the same on a desktop.)

    This is one of my “hit or miss + trial and error” methods:

    Here’s an image of Arya, with the link saved by –

    (1) pressing my thumb on the image and moving my thumb up
    (2) selecting “share” from a menu that pops up;
    (3) choosing “copy”;
    (4) pasting into (new) text in a “Notes” subdirectory.
    (5) The pasted, saved link looks like this:

    https://nit.pt/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/5b554a4b5335e85ef8de1c4641eb9d4c-754×394.jpg

    THEN ….
    (6) I click on that saved link, and when the image appears;
    (7) I press the icon at the bottom of my screen that looks like a small box outlined in blue with an “up” arrow ⬆️ peeking through the top;
    (8) I select “copy” from the scroll down menu that appears;
    (9) I paste the “new” link into a “Notes” page (usually the same one as in Step (4) so they are in the same place).
    (10) The new, “re-saved” link looks like this:

    5b554a4b5335e85ef8de1c4641eb9d4c-754×394.jpg 754×394 pixels

    This re-saved link contains the pixel #s: “…754 x 394 pixels.”
    (This Arya image is not the best example; the original link has those numbers too. However, not all initially-saved image links contain the pixel values; often the pixel numbers do not appear until I re-save the image as in Steps 6-9 above.)

    I have no doubt that I have created unnecessary work for myself with all of these “steps.”

    Anyway, if I email links from my cell phone to my desktop address, I can open the images on that computer and play around with them (cropping, editing, lightening or darkening, re-sizing, etc.) there in order to print them.

  112. Ten Bears,

    Okay — so you’re saving the link of an image by touching it to bring up the option of copying the link, saving that link to Notes app, but when you click the link again to resave it, the resulting link you get looks slightly different?

    I’ve never experienced this before so I can’t be sure why this would happen but could it be the app you’re using to open the image and parse the link from?

    If you text/email the image link directly to yourself and open it in a browser for saving, I’d expect you’d get consistent results that way.

    (I’m so sorry if I’m misunderstanding anything here!)

  113. Adrianacandle:
    Ten Bears,

    I should add that with the sizes I gave you, it doesn’t have to be those exact sizes to the pixel (especially if the ratios of your photos are different to the ratios of the sizes I gave you), they’re just an idea of what you may want to shoot for if you’re wanting a 300 dpi 🙂

    For instance, if your image has a portrait orientation, your x value could be a different number from the 1200 px I gave you while your y value may be close to 900 px.

    I am going to re-read all of your guidelines before I start selecting and saving images for the contemplated 365-day 2021 calendar.

    Along those lines, I would welcome any suggestions for images, along with memorable quotes to put in the caption underneath each of the printed photos. (Finding 365 images will take time. Coming up with 365 accompanying quotes will likely be more difficult and time-consuming.)

  114. Ten Bears: Along those lines, I would welcome any suggestions for images, along with memorable quotes to put in the caption underneath each of the printed photos. (Finding 365 images will take time. Coming up with 365 accompanying quotes will likely be more difficult and time-consuming.)

    Are ASOIAF illustrations and book quotes acceptable or would you rather stick to the show? 🙂

    (I have the Jon Snow Royal Mail stamp set and if I can find it, I think I know where it is, would you like me to scan it for you? I thought all the stamp designs for each individual character in that collectable set were really well done.)

  115. Adrianacandle,

    FYI/Cont. from 1:16 pm (Part 1 of 2)

    Although I have not read the books yet, I’m aware of several book quotes that didn’t make it into the show’s dialogue that I would nevertheless want to include in captions under images in the calendar.

    As an example – and excuse the poor quality image – here’s a photo of show! Arya on the Braavos dock in S5, along with a snippet from book! Arya’s internal monologue:

    https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q5qQeXXzoL8/VVbxRcxp0kI/AAAAAAAAD6c/TwL5GKw-O2M/s280/5.03.arya.needle.cries.png

    “Needle was Jon Snow’s smile. He used to mess my hair and call me ‘little sister,’ she remembered, and suddenly there were tears in her eyes.”

  116. Ten Bears: Although I have not read the books yet, I’m aware of several book quotes that didn’t make it into the show’s dialogue that I would nevertheless want to include in captions under images in the calendar.

    As an example – and excuse the poor quality image – here’s a photo of show! Arya on the Braavos dock in S5, along with a snippet from book! Arya’s internal monologue:

    [link]

    “Needle was Jon Snow’s smile. He used to mess my hair and call me ‘little sister,’ she remembered, and suddenly there were tears in her eyes.”

    Okay, great! I’ll keep that in mind!

    What do you think of a shared Dropbox for dropping files into (suggested images, text files containing proposed quotes) if we come up with something?

  117. Adrianacandle: Are ASOIAF illustrations and book quotes acceptable or would you rather stick to the show? 🙂

    (I have the Jon Snow Royal Mail stamp set and if I can find it, I think I know where it is, would you like me to scan it for you? I thought all the stamp designs for each individual character in that collectable set were really well done.)

    – I don’t mind mixing and matching ASOIF book quotes with GoT show images. See “Needle was Jon Snow’s smile” example above. Likewise, ASOIAF illustrations are fine too. The only thing is that I’m not as familiar with book! quotes as book readers are.

    – I have the Royal Mail stamps, and scanned them a while back to print my own “stamps” to affix to envelopes, just for fun – not for postage.
    (The Royal Mail Daenerys stamp does go well with a USPS 55-cent dragon stamp or T-Rex stamp.)

  118. Adrianacandle: What do you think of a shared Dropbox for dropping files into (suggested images, text files containing proposed quotes) if we come up with something?

    Yes to Drop Box. (As long as I don’t screw up or forget log in information.)

  119. Ten Bears,

    Those are beautiful images, would be great for a calendar!

    Re: Dropbox, great! I will email you my Dropbox info 🙂

    UPDATE: Sent the email!

  120. Some off-topic stuff: my girlfriend just finished watching “The Long Night” for first time today and she absolutely loved it! She described it as “the most intense thing I ever watched” to me.

  121. Erik, formerly Lord Parramandas:
    Some off-topic stuff: my girlfriend just finished watching “The Long Night” for first time today and she absolutely loved it! She described it as “the most intense thing I ever watched” to me.

    I agree. I had to sit in front of my chair on the floor to get closer to the tv. I thought everyone might die when the Dothraki’s 🔥 flames were extinguished one by one until they were all out. Omg. I thought that was it for Jorah and Ghost.

  122. Tron79: I agree. I had to sit in front of my chair on the floor to get closer to the tv. I thought everyone might die when the Dothraki’s 🔥 flames were extinguished one by one until they were all out. Omg. I thought that was it for Jorah and Ghost.

    I was going to answer my question to Lord Parramandas at 8:50 am (asking about his gf’s top five moments of “The Long Night”) with my own personal favorites.

    • Near or at the top of my list was actually a two-part “moment”:

    – The exhilarating long-distance shot of the Dothraki cavalry with their flaming araks charging the across the field; but then…
    – The horror as the “thousands points of light” were snuffed out, like blowing out candles on a birthday cake.

    That they were decimated by an unseen enemy in the darkness made it all the more horrific; and then to see only Jorah and a few other stragglers make it back – including poor Ghost missing an ear! – made it a real “Oh f*ck!” moment.

    • I can’t put Arya pulverizing NK in my top 5; having her materialize out of thin air didn’t do it for me. (As I understand it, the script originally called for the camera to track Arya as she ran/fought her way to the godswood. I would’ve preferred that. Anyway…)

    • Arya slicing and dicing wights with her double-tipped spear is up there on my list. I just wish it had been a bit longer, and that Jon had been watching her in action instead of or in addition to Davos.)

    • Beric and Sandor saving Arya, and Sandor dragging her to safety as Beric sacrificed himself, followed by Mel’s pep talk to Arya has to be up there.

    • Melisandre was my MVP of that episode. I’d have to choose which of her scenes I liked best. Probably the suspense as she prayed her heart out until the LoL (finally) enabled her to ignite the trenches.

    • As much as I liked the visual of the two dragons soaring above the clouds silhouettes by the moonlight, I felt Jon was kind of neutered in that episode. (Geez, why not at least give us a little fan service and show Jon and Arya fighting side by side, as had been teased in the pre-S8 WF Crypts teaser trailer?)

    • Jorah’s heroic death – giving his life to defend his beloved Khaleesi as he’d always wanted to die – was a great send-off for his character (and a fitting bookend to his S5 scene when he bought his way back into servitude to fight and die for her in the fighting pits).

    • Come to think of it, I should put Beric’s “self-crucifixion” to save Arya, by itself, up there too.
    [Correct me if I’m wrong] that Jorah was the only character in the show who outlived his counterpart in the books.
    I really enjoyed what the showrunners did with Beric, especially his theological discussions with Sandor and laughing off Sandor’s insults; his conversation with Jon in S7e6; “negotiating” the executions of the three rogue BwoB and
    then recruiting Sandor in S6e8; and I guess just about everything else that were show-only creations.
    (Damn! That mellifluous voice! That flaming sword! No wonder the show kept him alive.)
    Best of all (in my view): Beric – and the audience – finally got the answer to the question Beric had kept asking himself (e.g., as recounted to Sandor in S7e1): Why had the Lord of Light kept bringing him back? *

    * P.S. Question for book readers: Were show! Beric’s sacrifice and death more satisfying than those of book! Beric?

  123. Ten Bears: [Correct me if I’m wrong] that Jorah was the only character in the show who outlived his counterpart in the books.

    Jorah is still alive in the books! 🙂

    As for Beric, from what I can remember (I should refresh on his storyline because it’s one I’m less familiar with since I wasn’t as invested), he’s a bit different in the books. He’s about 22 years old, he’s handsome, charming, and I feel the ravages of his resurrections have taken a greater toll on him (he can no longer remember important parts of his life like the girl he was betrothed to and where his castle is). He also doesn’t sell Gendry to Melisandre since there’s no comparable scene or situation in the books (which is why Arya and Mel don’t meet in the books).

    I think the biggest change in Beric’s storyline was due to the removal of the Lady Stoneheart story. Beric gives his life to bring back Catelyn and it’s here that Thoros believes Beric truly died. I think Lady Stoneheart now leads the Brotherhood.

  124. Ten Bears: *P.S. Question for book readers: Were show! Beric’s sacrifice and death more satisfying than those of book! Beric?

    “Show” Beric could have tripped on a pebble and hit his head on the hilt of his own sword, and it would have been a better use of his last life than in the book. 😃 (Guess who isn’t a LS fan?) 😜

    Richard Dormer and that damn flaming sword gave me all the feels.

  125. Pigeon: (Guess who isn’t a LS fan?)

    (whisper)I don’t really like the LSH stuff either 😉 (But that’s an opinion I feel isn’t really shared by a ton of people. Most seem to love her, which is fine! For me, the idea of LSH never appealed — taking away all the good Catelyn had in her and leaving behind this revenge, hate-filled husk.)

  126. Adrianacandle,

    Oh sh*t! Typo/screw-up on my part. I meant to write, “Correct me if I’m wrong” that Beric – NOT Jorah – “was the only character in the show who outlived his counterpart in the books.”

    It’s my understanding that book! Beric already died, having given his “last” life to resurrect Catelyn’s rotting corpse. (Not sure when that would’ve occurred in the show’s timeline, but I assume sometime shortly after the Red Wedding? However, I remember some book + show fans concluding that once Sandor ran into the BwoB in S6, there was no longer any possibility of LSH appearing in the show…)

    So, wouldn’t Beric have died in S3 or early S4 if the show had followed book! Beric’s timeline?
    If so, was show! Beric the only character to outlive his book! counterpart?

  127. Pigeon,

    ”Richard Dormer and that damn flaming sword gave me all the feels.”

    Yeah! Me too!
    Plus, the show gave him a really meaty role from his reappearance in late S6 through his departure in grand style in S8e3.

  128. Adrianacandle,

    Another common critique of LSH that I’ve heard is that her resurrection – after Beric’s multiple resurrections were already established – cheapened the phenomenon of resurrection, and would therefore “spoil” book! Jon’s anticipated resurrection. It would no longer be a novelty.

  129. Ten Bears:
    Adrianacandle,

    So, wouldn’t Beric have died in S3 or early S4 if the show had followed book! Beric’s timeline?
    If so, was show! Beric the only character to outlive his book! counterpart?

    He wasn’t the only character to outlive its book counterpart. There’s two characters who die in ADWD which were on screen after season 5. But it’s the character who outlived its book counterpart the longest, if I’m not mistaken.

    By the way, his death is better on the show, with that Christ imagery. In the books, you know he died through other characters.

  130. Pigeon,

    At the risk of diverting the discussion to a Beric Dondarrion Appreciation subthread, here is one of my favorite Beric scenes:

    (S7e1, Beric & Sandor theological discussion)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVDGnZd-0pk

    at 2:58 through 4:19

    (Concluding with Sandor asking: “If he’s so all powerful why doesn’t he just tell you what the f*ck he wants?”)

  131. Ten Bears,

    It’s my understanding that book! Beric already died, having given his “last” life to resurrect Catelyn’s rotting corpse. (Not sure when that would’ve occurred in the show’s timeline, but I assume sometime shortly after the Red Wedding? However, I remember some book + show fans concluding that once Sandor ran into the BwoB in S6, there was no longer any possibility of LSH appearing in the show…)
    So, wouldn’t Beric have died in S3 or early S4 if the show had followed book! Beric’s timeline?
    If so, was show! Beric the only character to outlive his book! counterpart?

    I would say season 4 would have been around the time Beric would resurrect Catelyn into LSH if LSH were included on the show, upon which Beric dies his final death, yeah.

    Doreah (one of Dany’s khalasar ) briefly outlived her show counterpart. In the books, she dies in the Red Waste, she doesn’t even make it to Qarth but in the show, she is locked in that vault to die with Xaro Xhoan Daxos at the end of season 2.

    Another common critique of LSH that I’ve heard is that her resurrection – after Beric’s multiple resurrections were already established – cheapened the phenomenon of resurrection, and would therefore “spoil” book! Jon’s anticipated resurrection. It would no longer be a novelty.

    I don’t think I’d quite agree with this criticism. Even Beric and LSH represent two very different kinds of resurrected people with different impacts and costs (Beric is still himself but losing his memories while LSH is just the worst parts of Catelyn, she’s all but a husk and has lost all of Catelyn’s warmth and humanity. She spent three days rotting in a river with her head nearly separated from her body before she was brought back — but I didn’t get that Beric lost all his humanity the way Catelyn had, he had lost pieces of himself in other ways). This is still an unknown area for Jon, whose death and resurrection may not look like Beric or Catelyn’s (especially since Jon has Ghost, is a warg, and cold preserves). From what I remember, there was a large upset reaction when he died in the books and uncertainty over whether he’d be brought back since this happened well before the show outpaced the books. And as per usual, people were combing over every word GRRM said on the matter with a fine-toothed comb 🙂

  132. Tiago: He wasn’t the only character to outlive its book counterpart. There’s two characters who die in ADWD which were on screen after season 5. But it’s the character who outlived its book counterpart the longest, if I’m not mistaken….

    Who are the other two characters who died in the books but were on screen after Season 5?

    (It was my impression that the show “prematurely” killed off many characters who are still alive (eg Barristan) or may still be alive (eg Mance), in the books’ corresponding timeline(s), rather than the other way around.)

  133. Ten Bears: If so, was show! Beric the only character to outlive his book! counterpart?

    Alliser Throne might be another. In ADWD, Jon sends him on a ranging beyond the Wall and his fate (along with the other members of their ranging party) is currently unknown. In the show, Alliser Throne lives until early season 6. But he might still be alive in the books…

  134. Ten Bears: (It was my impression that the show “prematurely” killed off many characters who are still alive (eg Barristan) or may still be alive (eg Mance), in the books’ corresponding timeline(s), rather than the other way around.)

    That’s also true! Barristan is definitely still alive, Stannis is likely still alive, and Mance may be still alive. Pyp and Grenn, Xaro Xhoan Daxos, Hizdahr, and Doran Martell and his son are still among the living as of the end of ADWD. Myrcella is also alive, though she’s been maimed, while Meryn Trant and Maege Mormont are still alive too.

    Not an exhaustive list! There are probably others but I think it’s more dead-on-show-alive-in-books than the other way around — but how much longer some of these characters may be around in the books is another thing.

  135. Beric Appreciation Subthread (cont.)

    Here’s another one of my favorite Beric scenes, from S6e8: negotiating with Sandor over execution of the three rogue BwoB, followed by Beric’s recruiting pitch.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmmGplTqWZs

    (Last part of the clip)
    Beric: “You can still help a lot more than you’ve harmed, Clegane. It’s not too late for you.”

  136. Ten Bears: Who are the other two characters who died in the books but were on screen after Season 5?

    (It was my impression that the show “prematurely” killed off many characters who are still alive (eg Barristan) or may still be alive (eg Mance), in the books’ corresponding timeline(s), rather than the other way around.)

    Pycelle and Kevan Lannister. They die at the end of the book. And there’s Balon. His death is mentioned in ASOS. But yes, I think there were more characters whose lives were shortened in the show (Barristan, Xaro, Myrcella, Mance supposedly, Jojen)

  137. Adrianacandle: Doreah (one of Dany’s khalasar ) briefly outlived her show counterpart

    *briefly outlived her *book counterpart.

    Tiago: Pycelle and Kevan Lannister. They die at the end of the book. And there’s Balon. His death is mentioned in ASOS. But yes, I think there were more characters whose lives were shortened in the show (Barristan, Xaro, Myrcella, Mance supposedly, Jojen)

    Oh, I forgot about Kevan and Pycelle! Nice catch!

    Jojen paste 🙁

  138. Adrianacandle: *briefly outlived her *book counterpart.

    Oh, I forgot about Kevan and Pycelle! Nice catch!

    Jojen paste 🙁

    Oh, that very well known theory. Is it certain he’s dead within the events of ADWD? Anyway, he’s done sooner or later.

  139. Beric Appreciation Subthread, Part 3

    S8e2, Beric meets up with Arya and Sandor on WF battlements.*

    (Starting at 1:25)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBiz2O83b2c

    * In retrospect, this scene between Arya and two men she had once condemned (before taking them off her List), was a good setup for the next episode when those two men save her life, and one gives his own life so that she may live.

  140. Tiago: Oh, that very well known theory. Is it certain he’s dead within the events of ADWD? Anyway, he’s done sooner or later.

    I think it’s just speculated that he died but no, no confirmation.

  141. Adrianacandle: I think it’s just speculated that he died but no, no confirmation.

    We have to wait for the next Bran chapters to really know, if they’ll ever come.

  142. Ten Bears,

    Beric Appreciation Subthread Part 4

    S8e3*, Sandor, ready to give up, tells Beric, “We can’t beat death,” but as Arya tumbles into view, Beric replies, “Tell her that!” … and Sandor leaps into action to defend her.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1RJ2wVSg_s

    … and

    S8e3*, Sandor and Beric save Arya; Sandor drags Arya to safety

    (at 2:15 – 3:42)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUw8SyJoo10

    * 🎶 Note: These two S8e3 scenes, and the S8e2 battements scene (in my 7:26 pm Comment) were also part of a 4-part prelude to a pending Musical Interlude dedicated to Sandor Clegane. Maybe tonight is a good time to post that, to avoid repetition?

  143. Ten Bears:
    Pigeon,

    (Concluding with Sandor asking: “If he’s so all powerful why doesn’t he just tell you what the f*ck he wants?”)

    I will never be unhappy with a Beric appreciation thread. 😃 Never could figure out how he and Jorah speaking didn’t melt the damn Wall down. 😍

    But that Sandor quote always makes me laugh, because the LoL is apparently very hard to interpret at the best of times (or perhaps people just really suck at doing it…)

    Also, it’s why I would be a pain in the ass to any paranormal phenomenon ever. Poltergeist throwing furniture around and terrorizing a family? Ghost causing turmoil in a centuries-old mansion? Here I come, pad and paper in hand, telling them to get over themselves and just damn well write down what they want. Need revenge against a terrible wrong? Cool, give me names and dates, I’ll do what I can. STOP DRAGGING CHAINS ON THE FLOOR, YOU’RE GONNA MARK THE HARDWOOD!!! *ahem* So anyway, in 1766 the Jones family killed your sibling, and….DAMMIT QUIT WITH THE BLEEDING WALLS. NOT PRODUCTIVE.

    If they can walk through walls, they can write coherent sentences, I’m sure.

  144. Musical Interlude:
    Dedicated to Sandor Clegane

    Prelude:
    • S8e2 scene [7:26 pm Comment above], at 1:11; Sandor reminds Arya: “I fought for you, didn’t I?”
    + • Two S8e3 scenes [7:44 pm Comment above], Sandor overcomes fire PTSD🔥 when Arya’s in danger; then drags her away from wights and carries her to safety.

    Prelude (cont.)
    • S4e10 Episode Commentary
    (by Rory McCann, Gwendoline Christie and Director Alex Graves)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gDqggrInk0

    at 4:11 – 4:20: When the Hound says “Aye, that’s what I’m doing” [watching over Arya]…. Director Alex Graves explains:
    You can see right there that he loves her, and he’s not doing it for the money.”

    🎶”Through the fire, to the limit, to the Wall.🎵
    For a chance to be with you
    I’d gladly risk it all.
    Through the fire
    Through whatever, come what may
    For a chance at loving you
    I’d take it all the way
    Right down to the wire
    Even through the fire
    . 🎵🎶

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4m1rtW40Lg

    “Through the Fire” (1984), Chaka Khan

  145. Ten Bears:
    Musical Interlude:
    Dedicated to Sandor Clegane

    Prelude:• S8e2 scene [7:26 pm Comment above], at 1:11; Sandor reminds Arya: “I fought for you, didn’t I?”
    + • Two S8e3 scenes [7:44 pm Comment above], Sandor overcomes fire PTSD🔥 when Arya’s in danger; then drags her away from wights and carries her to safety.

    Prelude (cont.)• S4e10 Episode Commentary
    (by Rory McCann, Gwendoline Christie and Director Alex Graves)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gDqggrInk0

    at 4:11 – 4:20: When the Hound says “Aye, that’s what I’m doing” [watching over Arya]…. Director Alex Graves explains:
    You can see right there that he loves her, and he’s not doing it for the money.”

    🎶”Through the fire, to the limit, to the Wall.🎵
    For a chance to be with you
    I’d gladly risk it all.
    Through the fire
    Through whatever, come what may
    For a chance at loving you
    I’d take it all the way
    Right down to the wire
    Even through the fire
    . 🎵🎶

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4m1rtW40Lg

    “Through the Fire” (1984), Chaka Khan

    Chaka Khan is good with those sticks, just like Arya with her double spear sitck

  146. Ten Bears:
    Erik, formerly Lord Parramandas,

    Out of curiosity, what were her top five moments?

    She didn’t really specify top 5 moments but if I rougly summarize her message to me, what she loved the most was:

    – Anything involving dragons, especially dragon-on-dragon fight
    – Jorah’s death as an emotional scene (she said she cried as much as Dany did during it)
    – The fact how majority of main protagonists’ paths led to this very moment and how everyone had a role to play
    -She also loved that White Walkers obtained the dragon as she felt it added additional horrifying presence in the battle
    – She’s in full support of Arya being the one to kill the Night King and she said it made perfect sense for her. She only wished there would be a teeny tiny more buildup for Arya in those last moments instead of her just popping out of nowhere
    – And most of all, she described her experience that she felt like she’s “in there” with the characters

  147. Hullo, Erik. My compliments on your GF’s enthusiasms. She;s one observant lady.

    Heads up to Maisie fans: Just saw a promo for her appearance with Jimmy Kimmel on the 19th to promote NMs. One can hope it’s as funny as their April Fool’s joke.

  148. Stark Raven’ Rad:

    Heads up to Maisie fans: Just saw a promo for her appearance with Jimmy Kimmel on the 19th to promote NMs. One can hope it’s as funny as their April Fool’s joke.

    Is Maisie Williams going to be on Jimmy Fallon rather than (or in addition to?) Jimmy Kimmel on August 19th? Her April Fool’s joke was on Fallon’s show in April, 2019…

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw2SaHkGfss

  149. Ten Bears,

    According to NBC’s schedule, the lineup for The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon on Wed. 8/19/2020:

    “Wednesday, August 19: Guests include Tyler Perry, Maisie Williams and musical guest Trevor Daniel. Show 1310A

    These listings are subject to change.”

  150. Ten Bears: You’re more likely to see a werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic’s before you see the next Bran chapters.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qae25976UgA

    🐺

    Maybe! Or as some would say in my country: it’s more likely to see a pig riding a bicycle. Btw, I’ve been at London for the first time last october. I walked at night, but no werewolves to be found, unfortunately.

  151. Tiago: Maybe! Or as some would say in my country: it’s more likely to see a pig riding a bicycle. Btw, I’ve been at London for the first time last october. I walked at night, but no werewolves to be found, unfortunately.

    For what it’s worth, I’ve been to New York City several times, walked the streets of early morning Manhattan, and never saw a lamb lying down on Broadway.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBNClKqpb_Q

    “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” (1974) – Genesis
    🐑

  152. Ten Bears: For what it’s worth, I’ve been to New York City several times, walked the streets of early morning Manhattan, and never saw a lamb lying down on Broadway.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBNClKqpb_Q

    “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” (1974) – Genesis🐑

    Eheheh! Maybe one day I’ll go there too. But Melisandre knows one or two things about lambs. She killed a few and “none have seen the blade” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6FOHHwpW3g

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