Lessons from Anime- Mental Illness in Your Lie in April

Well I waited forever to post the second part of my Your Lie in April writing lessons, didn't I? Oops. Last time we explored the portrayal of physical illness in the show. Today, let's talk about how Your Lie in April portrays MENTAL illness.

The media is really bad at getting this right, aren't they? At best, you’ll have a stirring drama about one man conquering the trials of his mental illness like in Beautiful Mind but at worst you’ll have a protagonist who only experiences things like depression, anxiety or ptsd as other people have heard about them. Usually that means a watered down...consumable form of the mental illness. Sometimes it means making them a straight up horror movie villain. Thanks, Split. Glad to see you’re keeping the trend alive.

And then there’s Kousei Arima. Kousei is not just that basement dwelling guy who just needed a manic pixie dreamgirl in order to stop feeling depressed. In fact, he has legitimate depression and PTSD that plays an active role in the story and CANNOT just be solved by Kaori. 

His mother pushed him very hard to be great at the piano. Way too hard. She beat him when he got the notes wrong and made him practice for hours and hours every day as she was slowly dying herself. Since her death, Kousei hasn’t been able to play the piano the same anymore. He struggles to hear the notes and he keeps seeing and hearing his mother when he steps onto the stage.

When we meet Kousei at the start of the show his whole world is represented in dull shades, at least when he is alone. It makes the mood around him so heavy. And when he plays the piano, it takes a step up by plunging him under water, where all sound is dulled and everything moves sluggishly. This is a pretty apt visual representation of depression. Dulled colors, dulled senses and this feeling of sluggishness that permeates everything. All the while, there’s this distant light far above Kousei’s head, too far away to reach.

Now of course, he doesn’t just have depression, he also has a fair amount of anxiety and PTSD to the point where he sometimes shuts down on stage, cradling his head in his hand, tears rolling down his face, sweating buckets. This show doesn’t pull any punches with our main character’s mental breakdowns. He has triggers like sitting at a piano on stage or hearing certain songs and they affect him physically, making him nauseous and want to throw up, or making his legs shake backstage until they go numb. It is an ugly, terrifying, messy affair, and I was glad to see it well represented with Kousei.

Now this isn’t a show about depression or ptsd or anxiety or any of that, and Kousei is not just a conglomeration of mental illnesses. He’s a prodigy at the piano, he has perfect pitch, he’s serious but can be convinced to have fun, and he’s extremely compassionate. Like Kaori he’s a well written character with some big problems that affect his life in palpable ways. And yes, Kaori does play a part in changing his life, but she doesn't CURE him. She simply pushes him to work through his fears and try to get to a better place.

And that’s one of the reasons why Your Lie in April works as a show even with clichés galore. It easily could have been eyeroll-worthy because it has tropes for days and it’s pretty predictable. However, the excellent character writing for the leads carry the show to amazing places.

Game of Thrones Predictions- House Stark

Back with more Game of Thrones posts, today we’re going to focus on the Starks and go more in depth with the fate of our favorite and most sorrow prone family.

The Starks have had a rough series run. The majority of Starks have been killed off, and those who haven’t were put through the ringer. Bran was crippled in episode one and now appears dead inside after taking on the responsibilities of the three eyed raven. Sansa has been married or engaged to plenty of terrible people, beaten, raped and generally tormented. And Arya endured abuse as a servant for the Lannisters and later as a trainee assassin, even having her sight stolen from her for a time. It is not easy to be a Stark. So how are they going to come out of this story? Will they have a triumphant ending or will their journey end in tragedy?

I should mention that for the purpose of this post I am NOT going to be talking about Jon Snow. While I consider him, personality wise, more of a Stark than a Targaryen, I am still going to save him for the Targaryen post, just so I don’t have so much to write.

That said, let’s focus on the true remaining Starks: Sansa, Arya and Bran.

Game of Thrones has garnered a reputation for killing off main characters with no mercy. However, there was never a doubt in my mind that these three would make it this far. Because these are characters that suffer rather than die. That is the hallmark of their journeys: Suffering great personal losses and having to change to overcome the world around them. They are children who had to grow up very quickly to survive and they all developed into very different people. This is significant because none of them are a plot device in someone else’s story.

Take Shae, Oberyn and Tywin for instance. Each of these characters was killed off in season 4. But their deaths were not culminations of their own arcs but rather, Tyrion’s. Oberyn had to die so that Tyrion was forced to leave Westeros. Shae died as Tyrion’s tragic love interest, breaking his heart. And Tywin’s death was a long time coming and showed Tyrion finally standing up to his father. These characters, while all very interesting, were never going to be major players because they were tied to a different POV character.

On the other hand: Arya, Sansa and Bran are each a part of their own story. Therefore, they had substantial plot armor throughout the show. It’s not a knock against the show’s quality. All fictional stories have characters with plot armor. Some characters are necessary to the plot.

But now we must ask what the culmination of all this Stark suffering will be. After losing so many family members and spending their days in hellish environments, how will this madness end? With triumph or tragedy?

I think the answer is different for each of the Stark children, so I’ll cover each of their arcs separately before talking about them and their family as a whole.

Bran

Let’s start with Bran, the youngest surviving Stark and the plot device that started it all. Bran’s fall from the tower is one of the great inciting incidents of Game of Thrones and it sends him on a journey of self-discovery. He learns more about his magical powers with the help of friends and, after being kicked out of his home by Theon, goes beyond the wall to the tree he saw in his dreams. There he becomes the new Three Eyed Raven, ascending to a higher form.

In many ways, Bran is already dead. His wolf, Summer, has been symbolically killed and he is a shadow of his former self. Really, he’s a plot potato, showing up to give exposition when needed but not doing much of his own volition. Because of this, his arc as a character seems to have ended already. He is no longer Bran. He is the three eyed raven, and more of an accessory to other’s stories now.

For this reason, his journey will likely end in tragedy. His suffering has culminated in his rise as the Three eyed raven, learning to fly. But as he is so powerful, the plot cannot allow him to live. It’s too easy to have an all seeing person around and that can open up a lot of plot holes if the all-seeing person doesn’t dispense much needed information.

Thus, Bran will fall in season eight, coming full circle from season one. His first death scare came in the first episode, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he lives up until one of the last episodes, maybe even sacrificing himself to help defeat the Night King. He does have one of the most personal relationships with the Night King because of his visions, so it would not be surprising if he was key to taking him down.

Alternatively, if Bran does live, he must find himself again and divorce himself from the three eyed raven. I don’t know if that is even possible, but I am open to possibilities. Maybe he could lose his memory again in an echo of the first episode. Right now, however, it seems like he will follow his wolf to the grave.

Sansa

Next we come to Sansa, one of my favorite characters, and also my candidate for most likely to survive this damn show. If someone asked me to bet my money on ONE character who I thought would survive Game of Thrones, I’d bet on Sansa. I would have bet on Sansa since the end of season one when we see her first true moment of strength.

Sansa’s arc has been marked by suffering, suffering and more suffering. She has arguably suffered more humiliation than anyone else on the show, being engaged to Joffery, beaten and psychologically tormented, married off to Tyrion, the member of the house that killed her family, engaged to another prick shortly after escaping while Littlefinger creepily preys on her, sold to the Boltons and tortured and raped by Ramsay. I could go on. But Sansa is the example of a character who started off naïve and slowly but surely learned to play the game.

With each passing season she got better at lying and hiding her true emotions, developing a mask worthy of even the best manipulators. She has become a powerhouse much like Dany and Cersei, but in my opinion, she’s a smarter politician than Dany and has a kinder heart than Cersei. She has become the game’s best player.

And since this show is called Game of Thrones, this means good things for Sansa. Now that she has finally cast off her so called ‘mentor’ Littlefinger, she has really come into her own. Not only that, but she is back at Winterfell where she belongs, along with her surviving family. This is a well earned victory for Sansa. And while season 8 will no doubt be a hard road for her, the only satisfying ending for Sansa Stark is her survival.

If she suffered so long only to die, it would feel excessive. This show has not been building to Sansa’s tragic downfall but her rise. When all the soldiers and fighters lay dead on the battlefield, she will outlive them all and be the one to bring the Stark house into spring.

Arya

And last we come to my dearest Arya. The treasure of my heart. While I grew to love Sansa, Arya has been a favorite of mine since day one because I’m biased toward tomboys. Which is why I’m extremely nervous for her in the upcoming season of Game of Thrones.

But let’s reflect back on Arya’s journey first. Our pint sized Stark daughter has been through her fair share of suffering too. She watched her father die, then narrowly escaped the castle dressed like a boy. Soon after she fell into the hands of Lannister men and was forced to serve the patriarch of the family who destroyed hers. She survived travelling with the Brotherhood without Banners and the Hound and, after months without seeing her family, thought she might finally reunite with her mother and brother. Instead, she bore witness to the red wedding. This started her on the path of a killer, which eventually led her to Bravos where she endured the ruthless training regimen that one day even left her without her sight. Still, after all of this, she could not become faceless or abandon her family. She is still a Stark through and through.

At the beginning of season 7 was worried that Arya may have fully changed into an assassin when she did not immediately return to Winterfell. However, it is clear that by this season’s end, Arya has chosen her family over her vengeance, even making up with her sister Sansa. Her list is nearly exhausted and she just wants to protect the loved ones she has left.

Arya has had one of the journey’s most independent from other characters. She didn’t see any of her family since season one and wasn’t even in Westeros for two whole seasons. Now that she has returned with bad ass fighting skills and come into possession of a Valyrian steel dagger, it is clear she will play a big part in the war to come.

I stated in a previous post that Arya was one of my 50/50, live/die characters. Because there are a few ways I can see her story going.

1. The tragic revenge plot- Though she wants to become a Stark again, she has gone too far down the dark path and cannot leave the assassin life behind. She decides to go after Cersei herself and ultimately loses her life.

2. The sacrificial hero- Now that Arya is back with her family she will do anything to protect them, including sacrifice her own life. When one of her loved ones is in danger, probably Jon, she will step in to defend them. She can’t watch one of her siblings die again without doing something about it.

3. The survivor- Arya has already suffered a lot and proved herself a survivor. If she makes it through the Game of Thrones, she will experience more loss, but ultimately become stronger for it.

Whatever the result, Arya will never be a player of the game. She will not be a lady in a castle but rather her own person, following her own path. If she survives the war, she may even travel to get away from Westeros for a while. Now that she has seen so much she can never fit into a mold again. Her ending will be bittersweet no matter what. Though I would not complain if she and Gendry got a sweet resolution.

The Starks as a whole

Whoever lives and dies, the Stark family must survive. After suffering so much, the name Stark will continue one way or another. It will be the finest revenge against their enemies: enduring. At this point, either Sansa will be the lone survivor of her house (not counting Jon if he lives), or the two sisters will live on. It is up for debate.

Let me know what you think in the comments. Next week we’ll talk about the Lannisters.

Game of Thrones- Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story?

BEFORE we jump into this post, just a quick plug- the sequel to Hour of Mischief, SEASON OF WIND, has a giveaway on goodreads right now so pop over if you'd like to win a copy. It comes out September 19th. Cover reveal will come soon.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Season of Wind

by Aimee Hyndman

Giveaway ends September 30, 2017.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Okay, now to todays post! The question of Game of Thrones has always been ‘who is going to die’? As a show that built itself a reputation for murdering beloved characters, with each passing season fans have prayed for the survival of their favorites. But with the last season nearing the question becomes: Who will live?

It’s an exciting question, right? Whoever survives this season gets to live indefinitely in our hearts. We never have to watch their death scene. That’s the stuff dreams are made of. I certainly have favorites that I want to make it through, but I want to take a step back and think about this as a story teller. Putting my personal feelings aside, who do I think will make it through this season based on the needs of the plot? I have a few ideas.

1. There must be at least one survivor from each of the original houses

The original logo of Game of Thrones sported a wolf, a lion, a stag and a dragon, each symbolizing the houses of Stark, Lannister, Baratheon and Targaryan. These were our initial players. Obviously, there are other major families who have come and gone, but these four started it all.

With the arrival of Gendry, the one surviving member of the Baratheon family (literally the only one, the others have been out for a while), this old theory of mine becomes possible again. Many of the members of these houses are dead and gone. Certainly all of the original leaders are in the ground. But at least one member of each will survive to tell the story--and hopefully rebuild their family.

On the Baratheon side of things, there’s really only one option: Gendry. He didn’t come back from rowing just to get axed in the finale. I think this bastard son is going to make it through with his war hammer in hand. He’s been through a lot but he’s good at heart: brash like Robert but not a drunk or a war lord.

On the Targaryan side of things, it seems deceptively simple. Danerys has been the last Targaryan for a while. UNTIL of course, Jon Snow’s true parentage was revealed. Now there’s another Targaryan on the scene, which means Dany may not be safe. The more I watch the show, in fact, the more convinced I am that she is going to die. It has always been a little too obvious that she would be the one to sit on the iron throne. She’s been planning it since the beginning whereas Jon is a dark horse in the running. 

Jon could die. It’s in character for him to make reckless decisions and perish as a hero. But we’ve already had a death scare with him, so killing him at the end would lack punch (unless of course it happened in conjunction with Daenerys). There is a possibility they’ll both survive, but since George R.R. Martin has talked of a “bitter sweet” ending, I doubt it. If they do both die, you can bet that their child is going to survive. I don’t think there’s any question that Dany is going to get pregnant. The show has been a bit heavy handed with it’s foreshadowing in that department. But, whether that child will grow up parentless remains to be seen.

The Lannisters and the Starks have, oddly, the most surviving members, both standing at three. Let’s look at the Lannisters first. I don’t think there’s any question that Cersei is going to bite it by the end of this series. She will never bend the knee and with her children gone, she has no more love to give anyone. I don’t think she’s really loved Jaime for a while. She manipulates him and uses him, but she doesn’t seem to bare much true affection for her brother anymore, hence why he has finally left her. Loveless and cold, she will bend for no one and that will be her downfall.

As certain as I am that Cersei will die, I am equally certain that Tyrion will live. Tyrion is the underdog of his family and has also been close to death more than once. But, other than his sister, no one is out to get him anymore, and he’s established himself as important to many characters. Considering his arc, I can’t think of a satisfying way that the writers could kill off Tyrion. No. He is the dwarf who was underestimated all his life so he must be the one to survive.

And then we have Jaime, smack dab in the middle. Oh Jaime. He’s one of the only characters in the mix that I’m 50/50 on his chance of dying. On one hand he’s finally left his sister and his arc is headed in a positive direction. But will that result in ultimate redemption or a heroic death? Again, I can see either. If he’s going to die, I’d like it to be in the arms of Brienne as a small confirmation of my ship of all ships. But I’ll talk more about that in a later post. At the very least, Jaime will make it to the very last episodes, and if he does go, it will be fighting for the right side.

And then there’s my favorite family: the Starks. After losing so many Starks I am head over heels for all of the survivors. I want them to be safe and grow up strong. But I don’t think they’re all going to survive.

Bran is probably the Stark most likely to die at this point. The series started with him being crippled and now, according to the writers, he’s sort of dead inside. At least, he has moved beyond Bran Stark. But, simply put, he is too powerful to be left alive. He will likely play a huge role against the Night King, but in the end he will sacrifice himself. The show will come full circle.

Sansa is the Stark most likely to survive. If a character has been through enough, killing them is just excessive and not productive for their arc. And Sansa has been through a lot. She has grown from a naïve girl into a strong woman and I have no doubt that she will be one of the prominent rulers in Westeros at the end. Likely, the Queen in the North. She’s earned it.

Arya is another one of my 50/50 characters. As a fighter, she’s going to want to be in the thick of battle. That puts her in the line of crossfire. And though I dearly love her, there is a chance she could be killed, possibly protecting someone she loves. I think after reconciling with her sister, Arya is 100% on the side of her family. They are where she finds her identity and her name. She can’t deal with losing them again and would sooner die first than watch them go. But, on the other hand, she is a survivor and she could live on past the war and find her place in the world as a strong woman who no longer has to fight for her right to hold a sword. I am intrigued by both possibilities.

Those are the major families, but what about the other side characters? I’ll give you a quick rundown of their possible fates.

Theon- 50/50. He has been through enough at this point that killing him, again, seems excessive. However, he may die heroically, saving his sister, finally surrendering his cowardice.

Yara- 50/50. They’ve kept her alive for the last season for a purpose. Possibly just for Theon’s redemption arc, but who knows. If she dies, it will be fighting but I can see her living on. And wouldn’t it be great if a Lesbian actually lived in this show? That’d be rad.

Euron- He’s gonna die. Absolutely gonna die. No way he won’t die, hopefully at the hands of Yara or Theon.

Brienne of Tarth- 50/50. The other half of my ship is a warrior who will fight to the bitter end, but she does have a Valyrian steel sword. She’s gonna make waves and I do think, if Jaime dies, she will outlive him. Likely one or the other of them is going to die. Because happy endings never happen. Not that I’d complain if they did.

Davos Seaworth- Davos is going to live. It wouldn’t feel right to kill him. He’s one of the old characters who lives to a ripe old age and surprises us all. He will survive to adopt all the lost children of Westeros.

The Hound- If he goes, the Mountain is going first. I think he might live. He’s already had a death scare.

Tormund- Probs gonna die. They keep faking us out with his death, but since he doesn’t make much of a difference in the story anymore, the writers can let him go whenever they want to make us tear up.

Jorah- It’s amazing to me that he’s lived this long. I put my money on death. He will die fighting for Dany and have no regrets.

Lyanna Mormont- My girl is gonna live and be awesome. No question

Bronn- Another character who is...somehow still here? He’s either going to die in battle or get his castle.

Berric- Doesn’t have much of a point anymore and he’s on his last life with Thoros dead so...yeah, his days are numbered.

Melisandre- She has to die in this strange country and she will before the end.

Varys- Considering Melisandre’s foreboding line, Varys will likely die before the end. But he outlived Littlefinger, so he won that game.

Greyworm- Much as I love him, I doubt that D&D will let him live. He’s a loyal soldier and commander and we know what happens to loyal people in this show.

Missandei- She will live, even if Dany dies, and remain in an advisor role. She seems too smart to get herself killed and if she has to live with Greyworm’s death that would be more tragic.

The dragons- Obviously one dragon has already gone down, and I think Drogon will join Viseron before the end, just like his namesake. I think Raegal might be the dragon to make it through if any do.

And then, last but not least, Samwell Tarly. If I were to name a character for ‘Most likely to survive Game of Thrones’ it would be this boy. He’s the one you never expect to get this far but he has. And he is the reason for the name of this post. There’s the question of who lives or dies, but Samwell Tarly will be the one who tells the Song of Ice and Fire, which will be told for generations to come.

Those are my predictions. We’ll see if they’re right or wrong. Let me know what you think in the comments! I’ll be posting more detailed prediction posts in the coming weeks about the various families so stay tuned.

Happy Game of Thrones drought everyone and see you soon.