hey! i'm moving the longform blog to wordpress. https://witabif.wordpress.com/
however i'm keepign this blog as an archive. the posts that have been reposted on the wordpress include my asoiaf analysis posts, and my posts about lorde. most everything else will stay here.
the original long blog. now on wordpress.
Monday, June 22, 2015
Friday, June 19, 2015
asoiaf read: catelyn in a game of thrones
i didn't take any notes on this chapter so we're going straight to the analysis.
Just like with Bran, I wondered what exactly Catelyn's arc in this book was. Across her eleven chapters, Cat's journey takes her many places. In the end, I think a lot of that had to do with shattering expectations and confronting reality, which parallels with Sansa in ways we'll discuss later.
I determined this because so many of Cat's chapters are spent thinking of the way things used to be. In her introduction, she reminisces about Riverrun and it's godswood in comparison to the one in Winterfell, and notes how different they are. This is something that happens often, especially once she travels south to find the owner of the dragonbone dagger. Cat will begin relaying her memories of a place or a person upon thought, but then she is confronted with the current reality and how it's changed.
However, one of Cat's best traits is her ability to adapt. Unlike Sansa, who is beat down by the constant shattering of her songs and stories, Catelyn simply shifts herself to what the time is offering her. That's not to say that she doesn't get clouded by the past - her putting her trust in Petyr and Lysa are evidence of this - but she tries her best to adjust when she can.
Something I want to note about Cat as a character is the fact that she is allowed to exist as more than just a mother and wife. This is something I haven't forgiven the show for, making Cat's entire character revolve around her motherhood to the point of it making her do foolish things. In this book Cat adheres to all three of the Tully words: family, but also duty, and honor.
The only time we see Cat turn into this flattened character is when after Bran's fall, and even then it's much more complex. Cat is in shock and extremely stressed by the events, and it is clear that this is not her usual mode of being. The previous chapter as well as the reaction of her and others shows this. Unlike the show, where Cat begs Ned to deny the king's wishes, in the books she urges him to go, to protect his family and Robert's. Cat is the one who realizes that she is the best candidate to go south to search for the dagger's owner. When confronted with the man she believed to have put a hit on her son, she took action against him. And when it comes to war at the end of the book, Cat gives Robb just as much council as his bannermen, without overstepping in a way that she thinks might take away his agency. She is also allowed her flaws, such as her thoughts on base born children, and trusting the past when she ought not to. She is so much more than just a weepy, nagging mother, and I can't wait to see where her journey takes her in the next book.
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
asoiaf read: analysis of bran in a game of thrones
okay, so I've decided that i need to come back and talk about bran's chapters and arc in this book more in depth.
When i first finished reading, i was a little unclear about what Bran's character arc was supposed to be in this book. He only has seven chapters, which doesn't seem like enough time to establish and go through any change. That mistake is easy to make, especially if you don't know the amount of time that passes in this book. All that being said, Bran definitely does have an arc.
Bran's first two chapters are used for establishing - both his character and the world he lives in. The first chapter, in particular, spends more time on world building than it does on Bran, at a glance. The beheading of the Night's Watch deserter seems more like a background for introduction to the ways of the Northerners and our characters, as well as a set up for the boys finding the dead direwolf and it's pups. Of course, that's if you're looking at this chapter outside of the context of the prologue, which we're doing just for now. The second chapter, in contrast, speaks about Bran more directly as it relays the many stories about his climbing. I think it is safe to say that Bran's love of seeing the castle from above is foreshadowing to his next chapter.
The end of the second chapter throws a wrench into everything we've been set up to believe would happen to Bran later in the book. The next time we see Bran he's in an extended dream, filled with surreal imagery and symbolism. This is our first glimpse into his endgame, and the truth of what this entire series is about: not the politics or the wars or the conquests, but the battle for survival in the face of winter. From this point onward, we are reminded again and again that this is the focus, but subtly. It is no mistake that Bran doesn't remember the circumstances of his fall except in the vaguest terms.
Chapter four chronicles Bran's introduction back into the world after his accident. Multiple times we come face to face with Bran's feelings of inadequacy due to his paraplegia. No longer able to conform to the ableist standards for which Westerosi society has set forward for him as a boy, Bran is frustrated with his lot. Yet, he insists he is not broken, a subtle push against this. But unlearning oppressive ideology is hard - when presented with his saddle plans, Bran's mind goes to war and how he could learn to fight on horseback pretty quickly. I think it is important that it is Tyrion, a fellow outcast due to ableism, that provides the plans for Bran's saddle. I think it means a lot more coming from him, another person who has spent much of his life looking for ways to be mobile in this oppressive society. It's a genuine attempt at help, rather than someone trying to fit Bran back into the mold in anyway they can.
This continues into his fifth chapter, where, after finally riding out of the walls on his own, Bran feels inadequate again when he can't defend himself against the Wildings that attack him. However, I think this experience works to let Bran know that a warrior's life is not for him - not because he is paralyzed, but because he isn't cut out for it mentally. He is no Theon, and no Robb, even keeping the age gaps in mind. He is no Arya. Hopefully, he will realize that this is fine. Of course, it will not happen in this book. Unlearning oppressive ideology takes time. Once chapter 6 comes around, it is shown that Bran is beginning to become more comfortable with himself and his disability.
Throughout these two chapters, we have subtle reminders of the real threat, in the way of Old Nan's story about the Others, and even the Wildlings raiding in the woods. These come again in chapter 6, where Osha, the captured Wilding woman, tells Bran that Robb needs to march his army north, not south - toward the true problem, and not the distraction. Of course, we know he does not listen, but that is not Robb's fault - he doesn't have much to go off of. What's important is that Bran is listening, and that the things he saw in his dream, and what the crow has told him, haven't fallen on deaf ears. Bran is no longer afraid of the weirwood tree.
Bran's last chapter brings us to the climax of his arc in this book, away from the traditional male role. Again, we see that Bran does cling to some vestiges of this other path, reminiscing about his sword practice with Prince Tommen and wondering if he could go to war riding Hodor's back - remember, unlearning oppressive ideology is hard. But this chapter is also the beginning of a new journey for Bran. His dream of the crow, and his father in the crypts, is the first of his green dreams that he actually remembers. His father's death hangs over his head before it even happens. From this point forward, Bran's life will be led along by prophecy, an aspect he shares with many characters that lived before his time. Slowly,we begin to see how Bran will be directed away from Winterfell and toward the far north, as he learns about the First Men and the children of the forest. Bran's new journey that begins with this chapter, is that of the greenseer.
When i first finished reading, i was a little unclear about what Bran's character arc was supposed to be in this book. He only has seven chapters, which doesn't seem like enough time to establish and go through any change. That mistake is easy to make, especially if you don't know the amount of time that passes in this book. All that being said, Bran definitely does have an arc.
Bran's first two chapters are used for establishing - both his character and the world he lives in. The first chapter, in particular, spends more time on world building than it does on Bran, at a glance. The beheading of the Night's Watch deserter seems more like a background for introduction to the ways of the Northerners and our characters, as well as a set up for the boys finding the dead direwolf and it's pups. Of course, that's if you're looking at this chapter outside of the context of the prologue, which we're doing just for now. The second chapter, in contrast, speaks about Bran more directly as it relays the many stories about his climbing. I think it is safe to say that Bran's love of seeing the castle from above is foreshadowing to his next chapter.
The end of the second chapter throws a wrench into everything we've been set up to believe would happen to Bran later in the book. The next time we see Bran he's in an extended dream, filled with surreal imagery and symbolism. This is our first glimpse into his endgame, and the truth of what this entire series is about: not the politics or the wars or the conquests, but the battle for survival in the face of winter. From this point onward, we are reminded again and again that this is the focus, but subtly. It is no mistake that Bran doesn't remember the circumstances of his fall except in the vaguest terms.
Chapter four chronicles Bran's introduction back into the world after his accident. Multiple times we come face to face with Bran's feelings of inadequacy due to his paraplegia. No longer able to conform to the ableist standards for which Westerosi society has set forward for him as a boy, Bran is frustrated with his lot. Yet, he insists he is not broken, a subtle push against this. But unlearning oppressive ideology is hard - when presented with his saddle plans, Bran's mind goes to war and how he could learn to fight on horseback pretty quickly. I think it is important that it is Tyrion, a fellow outcast due to ableism, that provides the plans for Bran's saddle. I think it means a lot more coming from him, another person who has spent much of his life looking for ways to be mobile in this oppressive society. It's a genuine attempt at help, rather than someone trying to fit Bran back into the mold in anyway they can.
This continues into his fifth chapter, where, after finally riding out of the walls on his own, Bran feels inadequate again when he can't defend himself against the Wildings that attack him. However, I think this experience works to let Bran know that a warrior's life is not for him - not because he is paralyzed, but because he isn't cut out for it mentally. He is no Theon, and no Robb, even keeping the age gaps in mind. He is no Arya. Hopefully, he will realize that this is fine. Of course, it will not happen in this book. Unlearning oppressive ideology takes time. Once chapter 6 comes around, it is shown that Bran is beginning to become more comfortable with himself and his disability.
Throughout these two chapters, we have subtle reminders of the real threat, in the way of Old Nan's story about the Others, and even the Wildlings raiding in the woods. These come again in chapter 6, where Osha, the captured Wilding woman, tells Bran that Robb needs to march his army north, not south - toward the true problem, and not the distraction. Of course, we know he does not listen, but that is not Robb's fault - he doesn't have much to go off of. What's important is that Bran is listening, and that the things he saw in his dream, and what the crow has told him, haven't fallen on deaf ears. Bran is no longer afraid of the weirwood tree.
Bran's last chapter brings us to the climax of his arc in this book, away from the traditional male role. Again, we see that Bran does cling to some vestiges of this other path, reminiscing about his sword practice with Prince Tommen and wondering if he could go to war riding Hodor's back - remember, unlearning oppressive ideology is hard. But this chapter is also the beginning of a new journey for Bran. His dream of the crow, and his father in the crypts, is the first of his green dreams that he actually remembers. His father's death hangs over his head before it even happens. From this point forward, Bran's life will be led along by prophecy, an aspect he shares with many characters that lived before his time. Slowly,we begin to see how Bran will be directed away from Winterfell and toward the far north, as he learns about the First Men and the children of the forest. Bran's new journey that begins with this chapter, is that of the greenseer.
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
asoiaf read: notes on bran in a game of thrones
so i'm gonna try something.
i've recently decided that i was gonna read a game of thrones, but only the chapters told from the pov of female characters (and later, also bran), as well as doing it one character at a time. i read all of bran's last night and took notes on the things i noticed, so i'll post those here. i'll link to the synopsis of each chapter on a wiki of ice and fire so you can have context if you aren't a book reader, or just haven't looked at it in a while.
bran I:
i've recently decided that i was gonna read a game of thrones, but only the chapters told from the pov of female characters (and later, also bran), as well as doing it one character at a time. i read all of bran's last night and took notes on the things i noticed, so i'll post those here. i'll link to the synopsis of each chapter on a wiki of ice and fire so you can have context if you aren't a book reader, or just haven't looked at it in a while.
bran I:
- as bran is relaying the stories old nan has told him about the wildings, i noticed how westernized (southernized?) the descriptions of them were, and how they also seemed to be conflated with other "savage" or "barbaric" societies like the dothraki. it seems like there's a prevalent "all savages are the same" attitude, when it comes to the stories at least, where they demonize them by saying that they drink blood or are cannibals or own slaves. a very black and white view that erases the nuance of the situation with the free folk and erases the negatives of westerosi society, of which there are many.
- i noticed that bran is really perceptive to the way people change how they act in certain settings and situations, which he rationalizes as 'faces' (ex: father vs 'lord stark of winterfell', robb his brothjer vs robb the lord, etc). i wondered if maybe the other kids thought of it this way too, though i won't know until i read their chapters. with arya, in particular, this could be foreshadowing.
- i know nothing about swords, so idk how ice can be as big as robb and still be useable. it's much shorter in the show.
- this is something i've noticed throughout bran's chapters, but it came up here first: it's very unnerving how desensitized to death theon is. this comes from me being used to my own writing, but i also had to periodically remind myself how much older theon was, and that he came to winterfell at nine after having lived through a war.
- and of course i noted the dead direwolf scene, where the stag antler in the neck represents ned's death. i wrote that that was kind of a misdirect, since the person who killed him is a baratheon in name only, but i guess that's the point? also, joffrey never believed he was anything other than robert's son, as far as i know. and even though cersei had her hands all in it, jofffrey called the order. besides, i don't know if there are any lions in westeros anyway, especially north of the neck.
- also noted that the fact that the stark kids have to raise the pups themselves is foreshadwing to when their dad dies and they're all separated, having to fend for themselves.
- bran mentioned that jon seemed to be missing the day of the hunt, but ned said that he wouldn't tell jon that he was allowed to go to the wall until the end of the visit so... is he just hiding or something? where's jon?
- i'm still confused at the fact that jaime is demonized for killing king aerys when people knew aerys was violent and cruel. maybe it's because i'm coming from a modern perspective? but i just don't see why he's seen as so bad for it. and i know people didn't know about aerys wanting to destroy the city during the sack, but still. i thought it was well known that aerys was a shit bag. what gives.
- i loved the HEAVY FORESHADOWING toward what was gonna happen to bran at the end of this chapter with all of the stories about how scared cat was of bran falling. establishing how good he is was good set up to them realizing something was up, though.
- the 'fly or die' thing reminded me of harry's after death scene in deathly hallows for some reason. i linked the fact that bran was being given a choice to live or die with dumbledore telling harry that he can choose to take a train onward if he'd like. though, i know the circumstances aren't exactly the same.
- the amount of symbolism in bran's dream is STAGGERING:
- bran remembered jaime's face, but it seemed like the crow made him forget? i'm not sure he recognized it as jaime though, it just said s/t like "a golden face". but the crow did tell him to 'put it away' or s/t like that.
- it'd been a while since i read this, so i didn't notice that there was literally a storm over king's landing in his dream, even though the location wasn't specifically noted.
- the whole thing with the three shadows on the kingsroad has been talked to death, and it's pretty obvious that one is jaime and one sandor clegane, but i'm still unsure if the third is ser robert strong or not.
- are the 'dragons stirring beneath the sunset' dany's dragons? i was unsure b/c the line followed a mention of asshai, and i thought maybe they were somewhere else. idk.
- i wonder if bran saw where the others come from when he looked beyond the 'curtain at the end of the world'. i know that's what the crow was warning against. or maybe he just saw the others themselves. also: what the heck is the curtain at the end of the world?
- the three eyed crow/raven is definitely brynden rivers right? and the crow pecking at bran's forehead is him opening his third eye. just wanted to make sure i was clear on that.
- i noted bran's thing with faces again with the introduction of 'robb the lord'
- i made a note of the fact that it seemed like the show writers read tyrion's appearance in this chapter and based their whole read of him off of it.
- i noticed twice (here and in the next) that bran remembers certain things about his accident but has no context for them. in this one in particular, whenever someone mentions that he fell, specifically that, he blurts out that he never falls.
- when robb tells bran that they'll go to the wall to see jon, it'll be an 'adventure'. bran gets his adventure to the wall, but it's under very different circumstances.
- the second thing i noticed: bran fears the lannisters but doesn't know why. again, he lacks the context to connect it to the fall. this also means that he might have known that that was jaime's face in the dream, or at least that of a lannister's.
- is the "dark wings, dark words" quote reoccurring? or is it just foreshadowing to the letter from king's landing in his next chapter.
- spoilers for a later book, but is the kyra from the winter town the same kyra that gets killed by ramsey snow?
- i wondered if the karstarks still counted as family, in reference to when robb kills rickard later, wondering of that counted as kinslaying still.
- i noticed that bran wasn't afraid of the weirwood tree anymore and how that was evidence of his emerging greenseer powers.
- i also wondered why robb didn't get betrothed before he went south, just because it might have stopped a lot of the trouble later with the freys. but hey.
- bran totally called the 'king's landing black hole,' which is the fact that 99% of the people who go to king's landing never come back home. the fact that anybody gets out is amazing every time.
- i wondered if the whole thing about bran fighting on hodor was foreshadowing to him being able to warg into hodor in later books.
- i also wondered if rickon sees the three eyed crow. he never mentions it, though.
Thursday, April 23, 2015
uh (and a review or two)
so... I've been gone for a while.
Understatement of the year, I know, but hear me out: I've been at an all time low with writing both here and elsewhere. It's not just the blog. However... I still haven't been blogging.
The thing is, I don't know what it is I want out of this blog. I know I had the review thing going, but I don't think that's a gig I want to keep up, at least not the way I'm doing it now. It's too monotonous. But I don't want to get rid of this blog for reasons, because I've convinced myself that there is something I can use it for. But I don't know what that is just yet.
So I guess that means we're in a transitional period. But there's still something I want to do.
I'm going to keep these relatively short due for both of our sakes. I mentioned in my last post that I had gotten both LEGO Batman 3 and Disney Infinity. I finished both of those games last month, and I didn't want to leave you guys hanging.
So LEGO first: LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham came out last November for all platforms. In it, Batman and Robin's adventures take them beyond earth and to outer space, where they, the Justice League, and the Lantern Corps end up teaming up with a bunch of villains to battle the evil Brainiac. I thought this game was really fun. The cast has been expanded, the controls have improved drastically, and the worlds and levels are more diverse. My only complaint is that there weren't nearly enough female characters (only two playable during the main game), and that I thought it was really weird to call this LEGO Batman when the story doesn't center around him like the first two did. Also, it was a little heavy on the fanservice, but since it came out during the 75th anniversary year of Batman's publishing, I can let it slide. Overall, I had a lot of fun with this one, and would definitely recommend it, especially if you found the previous game a little frustrating like I did.
Disney Infinity: Marvel Superheroes also came out last year, in September (Disney Infinity 1.0 came out a year earlier). For this game you buy separate play sets that determine which world and adventures you have. I had the Avengers play set that came prepackaged with the 2.0 re-release. The story of this, like most Avengers media post-MCU phase 1, pits the eponymous team against Loki, who is trying to take over New York City with the help of the Frost Giants. The team has to work to take him down before he rebuilds the Casket of Ancient Winters and freezes the whole city. I thought this game was fun as well, if a little repetitive. The controls are a little off to me, but I'm willing to attribute that to me being so used to playing LEGO games and still adjusting to a new game. The New York of this world feels bigger than it actually is due to the scale (another thing throwing me off because I came from LEGO). I am still upset about the lack of female figures for this (only Black Widow and Gamora for Marvel, and they can't even play on the same sets together), but this play set, at least, had three more girls show up in the game itself, evening out the cast. Since the other Avengers besides the one you play as don't show up except for cut scenes, because e I was playing as Nat it was basically four female characters and Nick Fury. In the end I also recommend this one, because once I got used to the controls it was pretty fun - and its a LOT less frustrating than the Guardians of the Galaxy play set, which I'm working through at the moment.
And there you have it. I don't know when the next time I'll post on this blog will be - hopefully sooner than later, though. I've got some thinking to do.
Understatement of the year, I know, but hear me out: I've been at an all time low with writing both here and elsewhere. It's not just the blog. However... I still haven't been blogging.
The thing is, I don't know what it is I want out of this blog. I know I had the review thing going, but I don't think that's a gig I want to keep up, at least not the way I'm doing it now. It's too monotonous. But I don't want to get rid of this blog for reasons, because I've convinced myself that there is something I can use it for. But I don't know what that is just yet.
So I guess that means we're in a transitional period. But there's still something I want to do.
I'm going to keep these relatively short due for both of our sakes. I mentioned in my last post that I had gotten both LEGO Batman 3 and Disney Infinity. I finished both of those games last month, and I didn't want to leave you guys hanging.
So LEGO first: LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham came out last November for all platforms. In it, Batman and Robin's adventures take them beyond earth and to outer space, where they, the Justice League, and the Lantern Corps end up teaming up with a bunch of villains to battle the evil Brainiac. I thought this game was really fun. The cast has been expanded, the controls have improved drastically, and the worlds and levels are more diverse. My only complaint is that there weren't nearly enough female characters (only two playable during the main game), and that I thought it was really weird to call this LEGO Batman when the story doesn't center around him like the first two did. Also, it was a little heavy on the fanservice, but since it came out during the 75th anniversary year of Batman's publishing, I can let it slide. Overall, I had a lot of fun with this one, and would definitely recommend it, especially if you found the previous game a little frustrating like I did.
Disney Infinity: Marvel Superheroes also came out last year, in September (Disney Infinity 1.0 came out a year earlier). For this game you buy separate play sets that determine which world and adventures you have. I had the Avengers play set that came prepackaged with the 2.0 re-release. The story of this, like most Avengers media post-MCU phase 1, pits the eponymous team against Loki, who is trying to take over New York City with the help of the Frost Giants. The team has to work to take him down before he rebuilds the Casket of Ancient Winters and freezes the whole city. I thought this game was fun as well, if a little repetitive. The controls are a little off to me, but I'm willing to attribute that to me being so used to playing LEGO games and still adjusting to a new game. The New York of this world feels bigger than it actually is due to the scale (another thing throwing me off because I came from LEGO). I am still upset about the lack of female figures for this (only Black Widow and Gamora for Marvel, and they can't even play on the same sets together), but this play set, at least, had three more girls show up in the game itself, evening out the cast. Since the other Avengers besides the one you play as don't show up except for cut scenes, because e I was playing as Nat it was basically four female characters and Nick Fury. In the end I also recommend this one, because once I got used to the controls it was pretty fun - and its a LOT less frustrating than the Guardians of the Galaxy play set, which I'm working through at the moment.
And there you have it. I don't know when the next time I'll post on this blog will be - hopefully sooner than later, though. I've got some thinking to do.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
a note
i just wanted to tell you guys that i got lego batman 3 and disney infinity for christmas, so those reviews will be upcoming !!!
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