five reasons why you ship gendrya?

1. they complement each other.

arya and gendry have a lot of qualities in common, but many of their most prominent traits are complementary. arya is sociable and friendly. gendry is more reserved and standoffish. arya is audacious and focused on the big picture. gendry is cautious and detailed orientated. arya is becoming skilled at concealment, but gendry is transparent. the combination of traits is what makes them such a good team. its not just personality, though. i’ve always felt that arya/gendry are a great example of an ice and fire pairing in asoiaf. arya is water/the north/the old gods/quick/lady/trueborn/sword and gendry is fire/the south/r’hllor/strong/lowborn/bastard/shield. honestly, they’re just a good match. gendry is strong and brave and loyal he’s the perfect partner for arya. he’s every bit as stubborn as her too so arya cant just railroad him into doing what she wants. 

2. similar experiences 

before they even meet they have scenes with ned who notes their resemblance to lyanna and robert respectively, but more importantly he tries to take their treasured items and a/g are totally defiant. later, they both flee kings landing together as they’re pursued by the same enemy which set them apart from the very beginning. “only gendry was different” arya recognizes this and trusts him bc of it. nearly every experience after the fact? they share: the battles, the starvation, the imprisonment, the trauma of the war. they went through all of that together. they played mom and dad to their little band of war orphans. which i think creates a level of understanding that few others could truly relate to. this theme continues even after they’re separated too. they're seeking justice, but their trauma and grief lead them both to religious cults that are dark, teaching them to kill regardless of guilt as per their boss who is the embodiment of death. gendry’s is a vengeful zombie (who also happens to be arya’s mother) and arya's the many faced god. they are BOTH serving death. this is genuinely one of my fave things about them as a ship. 

3. “but gendry came back” + “i don’t care what you say, i’m going back for him”

when everyone left arya and that baby behind gendry went back for them. he tries to get arya to go thru the tunnel before he does. when they run from harrenhal gendry is the one who convinces arya to stop and sleep. he lets her eat before him at the inn of the kneeling man too. he protects her and her identity. “she’s not alone. do like she says and leave us be” arya does the same for him. she shares her rabbit leg with gendry. she went after him when he was captured by the mountain’s men. she wanted him to go home with her to meet her mother and “stay” she frequently reflects on gendry’s counsel and how it was wise even if she couldnt see it in the moment. “and Arya knew he was right.” theres mutual respect and care. 

4. the playful vibe

as a pair they really do bring a youthful, fresh, energy to the story. acorn hall does 98% of the heavy lifting to lighten up what is otherwise a very dark book. theres also not a lot of friendship based ships in asoiaf. i actually cannot think of even one other example in the main series. which makes them a unique dynamic in this universe. and their scenes are just fun! like even when they’re fighting. everything from “then pull your cock out and take a piss” to “would m’lady permit????” and “you stupid stupid stupid STUPID” and “not the fucking moss again” (paraphrased) plus they hit a lot of tropes i personally enjoy. uptown girl, lady and knight, unresolved romantic tension, battle couple, like an old married couple, eating the eye candy, childhood friend to lovers, ect. 

5: “she was much the same at winterfell”

harwin says this to arya when gendry is being scolded and i love it so much. its about how a/g in relation to arya's identity. because with gendry arya can embrace her true self. she doesn’t have to be on guard. she doesn’t have to put on an act for survival. when everyone else sees arry or weasel or nan gendry knows the truth. she’s just “arya” when he asks her to go to the smithy to have a look. arya finally gets a chance to just play again. gendry is one of the few people she can truly be herself with and in an arc thats defined by identity that in itself is so significant.  and then theres: “those soft little things?” gendry has seen arya’s hands covered in the blood of her enemies, LITERALLY, and he still thinks they’re soft and little. one of arya’s greatest fears is that she won’t be wanted because she doesnt meet an arbitrary femininity standard and on account of the things she’s done to survive. but gendry has seen arya in rags, shaved head, eating worms, slitting throats, and thought “she’s the one” lol 

bonus: the potential

arya/gendry already has a great foundation going into the last two books. they're hardly an eleventh hour ship. but theres still so much to explore at the same time. they’ve grown up a lot. i wanna see what their dynamic looks like with the romantic subtext turned up a bit. theres a lot of foreshadowing suggesting their relationship will continue to be important. ive made this comparison before and i know its corny but they really are just this little acorn of potential that could grow into a tree so strong it can weather any storm.