Post by Melifeather on Nov 26, 2018 23:12:41 GMT
Part 6
Cats that liked the smell of Cat
Or more DC villains and heroes
Cats that liked the smell of Cat
Or more DC villains and heroes
“Oysters, clams, and cockles” were Cat’s magic words, and like all good magic words they could take her almost anywhere. She had boarded ships from Lys and Oldtown and the Port of Ibben and sold her oysters right on deck. Some days she rolled her barrow past the towers of the mighty to offer baked clams to the guardsmen at their gates. Once she cried her catch on the steps of the Palace of Truth, and when another peddler tried to run her off she turned his cart over and sent his oysters skittering across the cobbles. Customs officers from the Chequy Port would buy from her, and paddlers from the Drowned Town, whose sunken domes and towers poked up from the green waters of the lagoon. One time, when Brea took to her bed with her moon blood, Cat had pushed her barrow to the Purple Harbor to sell crabs and prawns to oarsmen off the Sealord’s pleasure barge, covered stem to stern with laughing faces. Other days she followed the sweetwater river to the Moon Pool. She sold to swaggering bravos in striped satin, and to keyholders and justiciars in drab coats of brown and grey. But she always returned to the Ragman’s Harbor.
The “customs officers” and “paddlers from the Drowned Town” make me think of Petyr Baelish again. Upthread I had identified Petyr as the “Drowned Town” for losing to Brandon Stark in a stream, and for his father’s origin of Braavos. Recall that he also made a name for himself after Lysa convinced Jon Arryn to give him control of customs at Gulltown where he increased incomes tenfold. The Purple Harbor mentioned could be in reference to his relationship with Lysa (with the history of miscarriages and abortion). Eventually Jon Arryn brought Petyr to Kings Landing, and within three years he was Master of Coin and appointed to the Small Council. Once there he increased his influence by bringing in his own people to become Keepers of the Keys, the King’s Counter, and the King’s Scales, as well as harbor masters, toll collectors, and wine factors. Petyr was the swaggering bravo filling Kings Landing stern to stern with “laughing faces”, or rather people that worked for him, adding to his power and influence.
Edited to add Jan 13, 2019 - Later down thread I'll demonstrate how the Bolton's Dreadfort is the identity of "Gulltown". Instead of "Gull" think "Gall". And if Petyr took control of customs, then this could implicate him as one of the players in her abduciton.
I’m thinking that once Lyanna rescued these noblewomen, she smuggled them out of Westeros. If Cat was selling to “bravos, keyholders, and justicaiars”, then it may be that Lyanna knew Petyr Baelish. We’ll explore more about this in just a few minutes.
In the Sworn Sword, Dunk worked for Eustace Osgrey, where the Chequy Water is a stream that runs between House Osgrey and House Webber lands located in the Reach. Ser Eustace turned out to be a Blackfyre loyalist, but he had been concealing his loyalties until Dunk with Egg’s help figured it out. Bringing up the “Chequy Port” might infer some type of deception. It could be that while Lyanna thought she was helping these women, that perhaps Littlefinger was selling them into the pillow houses in Essos. OR he was working with Illyrio, Varys, and Jon Connington. More on this is a bit.
Another idea for when Brea took to her bed with her moon blood and Cat took her place, might be a clue that Lyanna either had an abortion, or she helped someone else get an abortion. The connection to “Purple Harbor” seems to indicate an abortion with “purple” indicating tansy or moon tea, and “harbor” being a womb.
“Oysters, clams, and cockles,” the girl shouted as she pushed her barrow along the wharves. “Mussels, prawns, and cockles.” A dirty orange cat came padding after her, drawn by the sound of her call. Farther on, a second cat appeared, a sad, bedraggled grey thing with a stub tail. Cats liked the smell of Cat. Some days she would have a dozen trailing after her before the sun went down. From time to time the girl would throw an oyster at them and watch to see who came away with it. The biggest toms would seldom win, she noticed; oft as not, the prize went to some smaller, quicker animal, thin and mean and hungry. Like me, she told herself. Her favorite was a scrawny old tom with a chewed ear who reminded her of a cat that she’d once chased all around the Red Keep. No, that was some other girl, not me.
Who are these cats that liked the smell of Cat? Cats are known for their strong flexible bodies, quick reflexes, sharp teeth, and retractable claws adapted to killing small prey. They can hear sounds too faint or high in frequency for humans. They can see in near total darkness, and have a keen sense of smell. People sometimes think cats have nine lives. In other words, these cats have superpowers.
Returning to the DC Comics universe again for information about Catman! The first thing that seems applicable is that Catman was a burglar who stole cat-themed items such as cat statues, cat’s eye gems or emeralds, etc, and his choice of weapons were a pair of steel claw-tipped gloves and a razor edged caterang, which was a type of cat-boomerang. His costume was made of special orange African cloth, and endowed him with nine lives. In one story, Catman’s costume was made from retconned material that had belonged to a South Sea cat cult. In a few stories Catman starts out as a has-been over-weight loser who was over looked by other villians, and was easily defeated by the Green Arrow. When Catman was trying to resalvage his life he began living with a pride of lions. He later becomes a member of the Secret Six. The Secret Six is led by a mysterious figure named Mockingbird. (are you effin kidding me?) Along with Mockingbird and Catman were Deadshot, Cheshire, Rag Doll, a Parademon, and Scandal Savage. Might I point out that “Cheshire” and “Rag Doll” are cats? Because Catman wears an orange suit, I’m thinking his parallel is Rolly Duckworth, but before we get to Rolly, lets review the Mockingbird and his Secret Six.
First off, surely Littlefinger is inspired of the Mockingbird? Mockingbird is the code name of several characters appearing in DC Comics denoting whoever is in charge of the Secret Six with the very first villianous one being revealed as Lex Luthor. Luthor is a wealthy, power-mad business magnate, and he’s depicted as a diabolical genius. Luthor battles Superman with a green ray. Luthor is intent on ridding the world of Superman, whom he views as an obstacle to his plans and a threat to humanity. Given his high status as a supervillian he also comes into frequent conflict with Batman and other superheroes.
Is it possible that with regards to our Mockingbird (Littlefinger) and his Secret Six, that “Superman” and “Batman” are in reference to Aerys and Rhaegar Targaryen? You know, Batman is a funny parallel for Rhaegar since he used the tourney at Harrenhal to meet with supporters. House Whent of Harrenhal's sigil is a field of black bats.
The color green comes up alot in the Arya POVs in Braavos. Green lantern, Green Fork, and now a green ray. A little later on we’ll be going over a superhero that was often in comics with the Secret Six called the Green Lantern, which I believe includes some inspiration for glass candles.
After Lex Luthor gave up on the team, the new Mockingbird was Amanda Waller who was later a member of the Suicide Squad. In 2011 the Mockingbird is revealed to be the Riddler. Amanda is the sole female African-American villain in the DC universe. She is the director of the deadly Suicide Squad missions, and she’s a specialist who oversees research into people with powers. Although she lacks superpowers herself, her character is a ruthless high-ranking government official who uses guile, political connections, and sheer intimidation to achieve her goals, often in the name of national security. Her Mockingbird makes me think the female version is an inspiration for Chataya, the head madam that might be Littlefinger’s closest partner, or at least a silent partner, in the “trade” business. Both the Lex Luthor and Amanda Waller versions of Mockingbird seem to be inspirations for Littlefinger.
Rolly Duckfield is a knight in service to Young Griff. He’s described as a brawny man with a shaggy beard and a shock of orange hair. He was born in the Reach to a blacksmith father who serviced Lord Caswell at Bitterbridge. Rolly’s father forged a longsword for Rolly’s 16th nameday as a gift, but Lord Caswell saw it and claimed it for his own, saying to Rolly that he was fit to wield a hammer - not a sword. In his anger, Rolly grabbed a hammer and broke both of Lorent’s arms and many of his ribs, and then fled across the Narrow Sea to escape punishment.
1) Catman dyed his hair black to make himself look tougher. The dyed black hair might be a nod towards Rolly’s blacksmith father, while dye-ing hair is connected to Jon Con and Young Griff. One story about Catman involved a near death experience of being eaten alive by Monsieur Mallah (an ape that had a high IQ and was also known as the Brain) and Warp (a Frenchman). I only bring this up, because Warp kidnapped Icemaiden.
Icemaiden received her powers as the result of an experiment funded by the Norwegian government. During the DC miniseries Legends (har!) the people of the United States had turned against all superheroes and decreed no costumed hero could operate legally. Doctor Mist sent Icemaiden, along with Rising Sun, the Tasmanian Devil, and the Green Flame (there’s that green color again) to Canada to run security for the International Trade Conference. She later jointed the Justice League. There were hints of a romantic relationship with her Justice League teammate Fire, who was actually another female, which makes the romance between Ice and Fire a lesbian one. Am I just seeing what I want to see, or is this perhaps evidence to support a connection between Lyanna and Ashara? Did you notice the connection to “Legends” too, which is a book series published by GRRM that has Dunk and Egg novellas in them? Of utmost importance are the hints that Lyanna may have been part of a secret international “trade” for “justice”.
2) Deadshot (Floyd Lawton) was an excellent sniper who never misses a shot. You may know him as played by Will Smith as part of the Suicide Squad. He was revealed as an enemy of Batman, because of his attempts to replace the Dark Knight (Batman). This could be really weird if Batman is Rhaegar. Deadshot’s costume is a red jumpsuit and a distinctive metal plate with a targeting device on the right side. Floyd’s mother claimed his father had become too abusive, prompting Floyd to attempt to kill him. This may be an influence for Rhaegar and his motives for overthrowing his abusive father. When he took his shot from his tree house, he missed and killed his brother, Eddie, instead. From that moment on he swore to never miss another shot again. One of his most defining traits is his desire to die in a spectacular fashion. His red suit seems to be an inspiration for Jon Con’s House colors of red and white. At the same time I can see how Rhaegar’s death was “spectacular”, and how his black (Dark Knight) armor turned red with blood, or perhaps just a connection to the red rubies. Jon Con currently dyes his hair blue, but his roots are plainly fiery red. Jon also prefers to wear a red wolf-skin cloak which may be a small clue connecting him to Lyanna's death. We also learned that Jon Con has greyscale, which could make him like Deadshot with regards to wanting to die, which was Deadshot’s motivation for joining the Suicide Squad.
3) Rag Doll was a contortionist and a robber who dressed in a rag doll suit (a mummer?) After an encounter with the Thinker, the Rag Doll became brainwashed to commit crimes based on dolls.
I suspect Young Griff is a parallel to Rag Doll. This seems an apt parallel, since he’s supposed to be Rhaegar’s hidden child, Aegon. I think it’s important to consider that Rag Doll was brainwashed to commit crimes. Is this a clue that Young Griff was brainwashed into believing he’s Aegon?
4) The Parademons are a fictional group of extraterrestrials. One rogue Parademon was forced by Mockingbird to join the Secret Six as punishment. During that time, he forms a close bond with Rag Doll, calling him “clown”. When the six were living in their mansion they are attacked by members of the Secret Society of Super Villains, but he detonates the Mother Boxes (alien supercomputers) which he had strapped to his body, killing him, but saving the rest. His body ends up getting stuffed and kept in Rag Doll’s bedroom. Rag Doll talks to his stuffed body as though he is still alive. In a later story, Rag Doll attempts to resurrect Parademon, but discovered that Parademon actually enjoyed Hell as it reminded him of his home planet.
Haldon Halfmaester is a healer and tutor for Young Griff. He’s clean-shaven with a lined, ascetic face, and wears his hair pulled back and tied in a knot behind his head. He has cool grey eyes. He studied at the Citadel, but did not earn enough links to become a maester. He’s the one that met Illyrio Mopatis to escort Tyrion to meet the rest of the party. He might be the parallel to the grey cat with the stubbed tail, because he’s a “half” maester, and also because maester's are described as "grey rats". Haldon goes to Griffin’s Roost with Jon Con and Young Griff, and assumes the duties of the castle maester. While still on the Shy Maid, Haldon and Tyrion play Cyvasse. Haldon says Tyrion will defeat him “the day turtles crawl out of arse.” Later when Haldon is feeling uncomfortable, Tyrion says it’s because “there are turtles crawling out of his arse.” While there aren’t yet clear parallels for Haldon to be Parademon, I have a suspicion that many of Parademon’s associations with Rag Doll will look familiar in a future Arianne or Jon Con POV chapters. Parademon is close to Rag Doll, so I anticipate that Haldon will also demonstrate in future a particular closeness to Young Griff. The references to a "Secret Society of Super Villains" and the detonation of "Mother Boxes" seem like clues too. Making adjustments to my tinfoil hat, I'd say that Mockingbird's Secret Six (Petyr, JonCon, Rolly, Haldon, Lemore, and Ysillla/Yandy) routinely are attacked by another as yet unknown group living in the Red Keep. The detonation of Mother Boxes sounds like it might have something to do with abortions again. "Mothers" is self-explanatory, but "boxes" might be their wombs, but then again what do you do with the "mothers" after their bastards are born? Do you return them to their families or do you kill them? Mother boxes also may indicate motherless "cats" - people with unusual power playing the Game of Thrones. Certainly Cersei is a supervillian, but she is not a secret supervillian, so maybe this group is headed up by Varys? At the end of Dance, Varys kills both Pycelle and Kevan Lannister, saying its "for the children". Who is Varys working with and what is their agenda? I think we're about to learn about this "Secret Society" in the next book.
5) Cheshire was a French/Vietnamese female who was sold into slavery as a child. As a young adult she killed her master and was informally adopted by a Chinese freedom fighter named Weng Chan, who taught her guerrilla fighting. She aquired knowledge of poisons from a famed African assassin named the Spitting Cobra (which makes me think of the Viper). She fell in love with an archer named Speedy, and they had a daughter named Lian.
Ysilla is Yandry’s wife, and one of the crew of the Shy Main. She’s an orphan of the Greenblood. She’s older, small in stature, with dark Rhoynish features. She might be the parallel to Cheshire - the one that was sold into slavery as a child.
Yandry is the master and captain of the Shy Maid, and husband to Ysilla. He too is an orphan of the Greenblood. Recall that so far all descriptions of “cats” include an association with being an orphan of one kind or another. Thus Ysilla and Yandry are “cats”. Right now I’m pegging him as the parallel to Speedy, who was Cheshire’s husband.
On second thought Cheshire could be Tyrion. While he's not a child, he certainly is small in stature and was sold into slavery. He also killed his "master" - his father, Tywin. He also has some poisonous mushrooms, and he learned how to fight. He fell in love with Sansa after they married, but they never consummated the marriage, nor had any children, so Tyrion has a couple things missing details that may be fulfilled in the next book. There's always Penny. She wants Tyrion, so maybe something will develop there?
6) The last of the Secret Six is Scandal Savage. She is the daughter of an immortal villain called Vandal Savage, with her mother being an unnamed Brazillian woman. (another motherless orphan cat!) She is resilient to harm and capable of regrowing damaged organs - as such, she may be an immortal herself, which would echo the nine lives of a cat.
Lady Lemore is a septa and the spiritual tutor for Young Griff. She’s over forty years old, but still handsome with an outgoing personality. She has brown hair and has stretch marks on her belly. She seems like she might be the parallel to Scandal Savage, because being a septa with stretch marks seems like a scandalous past to me. Also, since Ashara was said to have died throwing herself off of a tower, then being capable of regrowing damaged organs would seem necessary for being revealed to be alive.
One of the superheroes that were seen in conjunction with the Secret Six was the Green Lantern. After a railway crash, a railroad engineer named Alan Scott came into possession of a magic lantern (glass candle?) that spoke to him and said it would bring power. Thousands of years ago a mystical “green flame” meteor fell to Earth in ancient China. The voice of the flame prophesied that it would act three times: 1) once to bring death (a lamp-maker named Luke crafted the green metal of the meteor into a lamp), 2) once to bring life (the lamp came into possession of a mental institution patient which restored him to sanity), and 3) once to bring power (which is when Alan Scott received it.) Surely one of Quaithe’s prophecies for Dany is inspired by the magic Green Lantern!
Alan Scott crafted a magic ring from part of the lantern, which gave him a variety of powers. The limitation of the ring was that it had to be charged every 24 hours by touching it to the lantern, and it could not directly affect any object made of wood. A later reinvented Green Lantern had a more science fiction hero named Hal Jordan who’s powers were roughly the same as Alan Scott except he received his ring from a dying alien.
When Arya caught Balerion, the black cat that roamed the Red Keep, she called him the “real king of this castle”, so I’m thinking that “cats that like Cat” are the skilled people who pull strings behind the scenes, like Illyrio Mopatz, Varys, and LIttlefinger. The scrawny old cat with a chewed ear is, as yet, unidentified, but he must have been someone connected to Littlefinger.
Working on part 7.