James Steller

I don’t like any of the main faiths. The Seven are intolerance incarnate, R’hlorr and the old gods both demand grisly sacrifices (stringing up entrails in weirwoods and burning people alive, respectively), and the assassin death cult is exactly that, a death cult. I’d embrace Stannis’s atheism, personally, but if I have to pick a religion, I’m going straight to the Summer Isles.

Borroq was apparently a mature adult when Varamyr was ten years old. I’ve seen a lot of fan art of Varamyr which portray him as a wizened old man, but then how old must Borroq be, then? But there’s no indication that he’s especially old when Jon Snow meets him. Do skinchangers just age differently or was Varamyr younger than assumed?

Superior: no slaves (except the Ironborn, arguably) Inferior: intolerance towards many religions and other races, patriarchal feudal society, hang ups regarding sex, almost no class mobility (To be clear, I’m using Braavos and the Summer Isles as my barometer for the ways in which Westeros is inferior. I know most places in Essos have similarly severe issues)

The Summer Isles

I doubt we’ve been introduced to all eight knights yet. They’re probably gonna be new characters, most of them, relatives to the houses we’ve already been introduced to.

Apparently wolves can’t see red or green, so that’s some clever attention to detail on GRRM’s part.

Wow. Shows you what I know, I guess. Though I do wonder about those animals who don’t see colour. Would a warg be able to see colour through their eyes or not?

I can’t recall how it goes in the books, but when characters warg into animals, can they still see colour? Far as I recall, wolves don’t have colour vision, nor do cats or bears. Did GRRM keep that in mind or is it just another aspect of warg magic?

Balin: It’s not a show! IT’S AN ABOMINATION!!

Probably for the best. We nitpick enough as it is, heh. If things are vague, then GRRM can dredge up details when he needs them and it isn’t a contradiction. That’s why the Manderlys, Ryswells and Dustins suddenly have most of their strength intact and are also very powerful houses to boot.

I can’t recall if he ever completed his knighthood or if he was attending the tourney purely on the privilege of being a prince.

Not even Vaegon?

I know such a thing is impossible to determine properly, but I feel like there are some obvious examples. Vaegon and Aerys I, for example, strike me very much as people with some level of autism (assuming that’s still the correct way of saying it, and I’m very sorry if it isn’t). Stannis could possibly be another one; someone else on this forum speculated as much and they made a compelling case for it. Any others?

I’m mostly a fan of House Blackwood, except for Brynden Rivers. One of the most repulsive and evil characters that GRRM ever created. On the other hand, I’m mostly indifferent to House Bracken. I have especially mixed feelings about Bittersteel. Yes, he’s partly responsible for the Blackfyre Rebellion, but he’s still better than Bloodraven.

Stannis would be proud. Joking aside, I firmly agree that the Old Way is awful and needs to be expunged from people’s mindsets. The II need to be dragged kicking and screaming out of that belief system.

I’m hoping that Perwyn, Olyvar, Roslin, and Alesander avoid the cruel fate which surely awaits the rest of their house. Big Walder Frey seems okay, but we’ll see. Also, Stevron Frey seemed like a decent person before he died.

Don’t forget Dondarrion

That makes sense. Though is it actually said he doesn’t take part in the fighting during his first rebellion?

Tough question, but my guess is that (A) Alysanne wanted to tie the North closer to the other kingdoms (B) she didn’t want Viserra’s kids to be serious rivals for the Iron Throne when there was already a surplus of heirs (C) Theomore Manderly had done some great service for the Iron Throne which Gyldayn breezed over (D) Alysanne disliked Viserra for being an ambitious narcissist and wanted to humble her without banishing her to the Starry Sept

Like Borros Blount?

Considering that Maegor’s offspring proved to be unnatural monstrosities (if the records can be believed) and considering how strangely powerful and strong he was from an early age, and also how unstable and psychopathic he was, my guess is that he had no “father” in that sense. Visenya doesn’t strike me as someone who’d sleep around like Rhaenys did. I’m guessing that she used some kind of sorcery and black magic to create the perfect heir, and it came with consequences that she didn’t anticipate.

Do you mean Rolland let the garrison surrender?

I don’t need to go over the suspicions that people have had with the details we’ve gotten regarding the siege. Nor do I have to regale you with the counter-arguments against any theorizing. based on what we’ve been told so far, do you think the siege played out as it’s been claimed? Was it all a lie? Something in between truth and lie?

Tough to say, but probably a lot. Doesn't help that he regularly drinks lemon water. While it’s really healthy for you in several ways, the citrus acid can be damaging to one’s teeth. So he’s not doing his dentist any favours. That’s why I always drink it through a straw.

And look at the consequences of such an action. Look how much changed in European history with such a controversial decision. Henry and his descendants had to deal with social and religious backlash, wars, and permanently reshaped cultural and political lines. The after effects are still playing out to this day. It’s debatable whether Henry fully understood the gravity of his situation and what he was getting himself into with that decision. But Renly seems completely oblivious of any such consequences.