renly appreciation thread

[King17]

What do you guys appreciate about renly ? I appreciate his that he crowned himself and the way he mocked stannis

[Trigger Warning]

What do you guys appreciate about renly ? I appreciate his that he crowned himself and the way he mocked stannis

Lighting a powder keg right there, prepare for pages upon pages of Stannis arguments.

[Veloknight]

Lighting a powder keg right there, prepare for pages upon pages of Stannis arguments.

Yup.

Don't get me wrong, I thought his jokes at Stannis' expense were funny. Then again, I thought Stannis's jokes at everyone else's expense much, much funnier.

I like his initial strategy, and even if he mocked her in secret, the fact that he recognized Brienne's talents was progressive. I thought he was politically astute and would've made a better king than most people give him credit for.

[Alester Florent]

Renly was the most credible king of the initial round of claimants, which is why, narratively, he was the first to die. It was a useful illustration of how there weren't going to be any easy answers.

We can argue all day about whether he should have recognised Stannis's claim, and the circumstances surrounding that are sufficiently woolly that that is never going to be conclusively resolved even leaving aside partisanship. But ultimately I think Renly would have been a better king than ACoK-era Stannis. Stannis after his tribulations and development by ADwD, possibly not, but the things that people (including Stannis) made Renly weak, risible or a showpony - charisma, compromise, popularity - are also precisely the qualities that would have made him a better king. Not perhaps the best king that ever lived, but the best of those on offer. (This is also why, if not for the DEM shadow assassin, he'd have won the war).

Things are muddied later when we hear people badmouthing him after his death, but I think that's confirmation bias after he failed. From what we see of him, he was politically intelligent, harder-working than Robert, a decent judge of character, and capable of inspiring loyalty that lived on long after his death. He wasn't a saint, certainly, but then nobody in ASoIaF is, and I think sometimes he's held to an unreasonably high standard by the fandom.

[LordPathera]

I liked his character well-enough.

There was an element of self-service and pride in his actions what with leaving Ned to the lions and attempting to seize the throne knowing that he's not the rightful king by the laws of succession. (remember, he didn't know about the truth of Cersei's kids till Stannis and Catelyn told him during their Parley)

But whether he'd be a good ruler? He'd be a competent politician to be certain and with the Stormlands and Reach personally tied to him, he has the strongest army. He was also competent enough in strategy to be able to decide not to make the North into an enemy and give them reasonable terms for peace.

However, I doubt that he'd be able to have a kid considering his homosexuality. This would be a sore point between him and the Tyrells would could turn ugly unless Loras does "something" to help out Renly in this regard.

He also appears to be very arbitrary which isn't a good quality as a king and didn't seem concerned with smallfolk or the other fine details of lordship. He'd probably end up as Robert Lite and would leave the ruling of the realms to the Tyrells.

[Minsc]

However, I doubt that he'd be able to have a kid considering his homosexuality. This would be a sore point between him and the Tyrells would could turn ugly unless Loras does "something" to help out Renly in this regard.

Gay men have been having children for ages, thus I doubt it would be a real problem for him. Honestly, he is likely the reason Margaery doesn't have her maidenhood anymore.

[Laughing Storm Reborn]

Bit arrogant, highly intelligent, supremely charismatic and a great public politics mind... the biggest waste of potencial i´ve seen in ASOIAF (TWOIAF included), really... he could´ve been a legend

(well there´s the ghost of renly legend but that´s crap compared to what he could achieve)

[MyLittleFinger]

He looked good in green.

[Good Guy Garlan]

He looked good in green.

He was very clean

I actually appreciate how he gave zero fucks about rights and shit. He was like, "I could be a better king than all those other clowns, birthright be damned"

[Twenty of House Goodmen]

Best looking guy in the books. He would've made the best king out of all the claimants too, and I'm a Stannis fan. I don't think he was ever going to have a hard time producing heirs.

[jobmartell]

He was very clean

I actually appreciate how he gave zero fucks about rights and shit. He was like, "I could be a better king than all those other clowns, birthright be damned"

You beat me to it. But, I'll also add he had an amazing quinoa recipe.

[RenlyIsNotRight]

Don't get me wrong, I thought his jokes at Stannis' expense were funny. Then again, I thought Stannis's jokes at everyone else's expense much, much funnier.

"In your bed, she's like to stay that way" pretty much completely overshadowed everything Renly said during that exchange to me.

That said I'm not exactly a Renly hater - I thought he was kind of an arrogant douche in the books but a funny one at points, particularly when he was busting Joffreys balls. If nothing else I can definitely appreciate him for that.

Show Renly straight up sucked though...I mean figuratively guys calm down.

[The Onion Kniggit]

When Cressen was recounting Renly's youth, I couldn't help but laugh. I can just imagine little Renly running around Storm's End laughing and screaming nonsensical things while young Stannis is shaking his head and grinding his teeth watching from the balconies.

Show Renly straight up sucked though...I mean figuratively guys calm down.

They somehow managed to make show Renly more sympathetic but also pathetic at the same time

[Good Guy Garlan]

Slightly off topic, but that story about Stannis going to court when he was little and seeing the king, who he thought was Aerys but was actually Tywin?

That has always bothered me because I think it would fit Renly's character better. That's the essence of Renly's entire ideology: that sometimes the people in power don't really deserve it. And say what you will about Tywin, but he would've been a far better king than crazy Aerys, and yet Aerys was the one with the claim. Renly felt the same about him and Stannis

[Roose on the Loose]

Renly was charming and charasmatic. Everybody liked him and wanted to help him. Thus his massive host.

I don't think he was a wise battle commander. The way he reacted to Randyll Tarly warning him that they would be marching into the rising sun made me think that he has to be the smartest guy in the room. Sooner or later that would have got him killed.

[RenlyIsNotRight]

They somehow managed to make show Renly more sympathetic but also pathetic at the same time

He was definitely whitewashed on the show, but in the process they took out that arrogant quality that made him endearing in the books, and he was just bland. Watching the show I never would have believed Renly was supposed to be a super likable character - hell I watched Season 2 before reading the books and just assumed he got all his bannermen due to his alliance with the Tyrells.

His stand off scene with Stannis was also pathetic in comparison to the books in part because they took out Stannis' best line, but also Renlys delivery of the "insults" to Stannis were so flat and, for lack of a better term, lame. Even Stephen Dillane seemed to play Stannis' reaction to it as less the fuming tooth-grinding of the books and more just "...seriously bro?"

[The Onion Kniggit]

Slightly off topic, but that story about Stannis going to court when he was little and seeing the king, who he thought was Aerys but was actually Tywin?

That has always bothered me because I think it would fit Renly's character better. That's the essence of Renly's entire ideology: that sometimes the people in power don't really deserve it. And say what you will about Tywin, but he would've been a far better king than crazy Aerys, and yet Aerys was the one with the claim. Renly felt the same about him and Stannis

I don't know, I f

Because Tywin looked powerful, commanding and was sitting on the Iron Throne which little Stan probably thought that only Kings were allowed too?

Then there is also the fact that when he saw Aerys, what he saw was probably a haggard skinny eccentric man that look more like an old demonic pedophile than the king the smallfolks claimed brought prosperity to the lands. Little Stan probably got more shocked by the fact that the satanic dude was suppose to be his first cousin once removed

[Good Guy Garlan]

Because Tywin looked powerful, commanding and was sitting on the Iron Throne which little Stan probably thought that only Kings were allowed too?

Then there is also the fact that when he saw Aerys, what he saw was probably a haggard skinny eccentric man that look more like an old demonic pedophile than the king the smallfolks claimed brought prosperity to the lands. Little Stan probably got more shocked by the fact that the satanic dude was suppose to be his first cousin once removed

That's my point. Stannis is all about the law, so he accepted Aerys as his lawful king (until he demanded Robert's head, that is) despite him being and looking like Howard Hughes during his final days.

Renly, on the other hand, was all about the trappings of power (he and Mel have that in common, ironically) and about who deserved to be king. He couldn't care less about the law, he was a meritocracy supporter, in a way. So he would've seen Tywin looking all clean and rad and powerful and he would've probably thought, "Huh, this is what a king should look like, not like that crazy fucker. This whole thing is so unfair"

So yeah, it could've been a character-defining moment for both Stannis and Renly

[GallowsKnight]

I don't think he was a wise battle commander. The way he reacted to Randyll Tarly warning him that they would be marching into the rising sun made me think that he has to be the smartest guy in the room. Sooner or later that would have got him killed.

Something he gets overly lauded about is his sitting and waiting.

If I'd the numbers he'd had. I would have sent 20,000 men up the Rose road under Garlan Tyrell and Alester Florent's command to harass the Westerlands. Sent Mace Tyrell and Bryce Caron to besiege Kinglanding with 20,000men. Taking Randyl Tarly, Loras Tyrell and the best 20,000 men with me into the Riverlands to squeeze Tywin between us and Robb Stark. Leaving Willas Tyrell with the rest to react against Dorne, the Iron Island or Stannis.

[The Onion Kniggit]

He was definitely whitewashed on the show, but in the process they took out that arrogant quality that made him endearing in the books, and he was just bland. Watching the show I never would have believed Renly was supposed to be a super likable character - hell I watched Season 2 before reading the books and just assumed he got all his bannermen due to his alliance with the Tyrells.

His stand off scene with Stannis was also pathetic in comparison to the books in part because they took out Stannis' best line, but also Renlys delivery of the "insults" to Stannis were so flat and, for lack of a better term, lame. Even Stephen Dillane seemed to play Stannis' reaction to it as less the fuming tooth-grinding of the books and more just "...seriously bro?"

Too many great lines removed from the parley. It's still sort of funny though. Stephen Dillane made it looks as if Stannis was bored with Renly's rant the whole time and the whole "Watch yourself Renly" sounded like he was still treating Renly as a baby, which kind of pertains to what Renly says in season 1 about his brothers viewing him being unblooded as a sign of not being a man yet.

Still even with that god awful shaving scene, they did add a layer of sympathy to him. In spite of implying that Bob and Stan bully him all the time, he seems to still respect their birthrights and succession laws... at least until Loras did his thing. Later on he remarked how he once loved Stannis even though in the books he states the complete opposite and they cut out the veiled threat he made to Cat about Rob being dealt with after Stannis.