Why all the love for Stannis ?

[Jon's Queen Consort]

Why I like stannis?

Because he said "I was trying to win the throne to save the kingdom, when I should have been trying to save the kingdom to win the throne.” meaning he is the only one who cares.

He acts meritocratically (Davos incident).

He is a trully just man.

He is the only one who does things for the Realm and not for the throne.

He is funny.

He is a Baratheon.

He is the only true, rightful and lawfull (heir) King.

and as Varys' said "There is no creature on earth half so terrifying as a truly just man"

1. He killed his brother

2. He wanted to kill his nephew

3. He kills Maynce for deserting but is trying the persuade Jon to do the same

4. He has the Oprah syndrome meaning the thinks he is something Godly though many people seem to have this including my fave Dany and all of the recently living Targs, and some of the Lannisters

5. He keeps bragging that he is the Prince that was promised , When Dany says that she is the blood of the dragon everybody gets on her but the difference is that Dany really is the blood of the dragon and Stannis is not the Ptwp

6. He dropped everything for Mellisandre his faith,family, etc.

7. And he is cheating on his wife(or is that just the TV adaptation )

1. Mel's shadow baby killed Renly not Stannis.

2. You mean Joff? The Lannister bastard Joff?

3. He didn't killed Mance.

4. No one except AAR has something Godly. Stannis has never claimed it.

5. He doesn't bragg that he is AAR, Mel does. Dany the only thing she does is bragging.

6. He change his faith, there is nothing wrong with that.

7. So? He cheats yes, but he never loved his wife. Dany cheats too.

[The Young Shark]

I feel like people that don't like Stannis, don't really have a grip on reality,

Stannis and his government would be a major positive for Westoros.

[Dany4eva]

I don't understand why people like him. They have somehow made him bigger and more important than he actually is. It might be because of the long time between books. I for one find him to be a minor character and an extremely vile and weak individual.

[The Young Shark]

I don't understand why people like him. They have somehow made him bigger and more important than he actually is. It might be because of the long time between books. I for one find him to be a minor character and an extremely vile and weak individual.

read above please

[Dany4eva]

read above please

Its a fictional story not reality.

He would burn everyone who didn't follow his new found religion. How is that good for westeros. He has proved he is incapable and weak when he was smashed embarrassingly at blackwater. How is such a weak king good for westeros?

[David Selig]

I feel like people that don't like Stannis, don't really have a grip on reality,

Condescending much?

IMO Stannis is a great charater, but as a person I don't like him. Too much of a hypocrite and of course he burns people alive regularly. For all his claim of being truly just, he lets nobles get away with crimes for which he executes others.

[butterbumps!]

I don't understand why people like him. They have somehow made him bigger and more important than he actually is. It might be because of the long time between books. I for one find him to be a minor character and an extremely vile and weak individual.

Some parts of Stannis' character are vile. But he's not all bad or all good, and that's why many find him compelling.

What do you think of the fact that Davos- an unquestionably good guy- puts his faith in Stannis? What do you think of the fact that he made Davos his Hand despite it being an unpopular choice with the other nobles? What do you think of the fact that he was the only king to come to the aid of the NW, that he's trying to rectify the wrongs that happened in the North, and that he's making it his business to protect the realm and dole out justice in order to earn the right to rule it?

Blackwater is hardly a proof of his weakness. He didn't lose because of ineptitude but because he was grossly outnumbered. Now, there is an argument that the fact that he had fewer men behind him speaks to the fact that he is not accepted by the majority of Westeros and that is a form of weakness. But the Blackwater was a huge turning point for his character, as he saw he was outnumbered in support and chose to frame his claim around earning the throne to win said support.

[Rolex Baratheon]

Its a fictional story not reality.

He would burn everyone who didn't follow his new found religion. How is that good for westeros. He has proved he is incapable and weak when he was smashed embarrassingly at blackwater. How is such a weak king good for westeros?

Hold your horses, m'lady. Stannis cares not about the Red Faith on a personal/religious level, and plenty of his King's Men follow the Seven. And there are the Northmen who follow the old gods fighting alongside him. You don't see him burning them, do you?

[Dany4eva]

Some parts of Stannis' character are vile. But he's not all bad or all good, and that's why many find him compelling.

What do you think of the fact that Davos- an unquestionably good guy- puts his faith in Stannis? What do you think of the fact that he made Davos his Hand despite it being an unpopular choice with the other nobles? What do you think of the fact that he was the only king to come to the aid of the NW, that he's trying to rectify the wrongs that happened in the North, and that he's making it his business to protect the realm and dole out justice in order to earn the right to rule it?

Blackwater is hardly a proof of his weakness. He didn't lose because of ineptitude but because he was grossly outnumbered. Now, there is an argument that the fact that he had fewer men behind him speaks to the fact that he is not accepted by the majority of Westeros and that is a form of weakness. But the Blackwater was a huge turning point for his character, as he saw he was outnumbered in support and chose to frame his claim around earning the throne to win said support.

Just because one man puts faith in him, does not mean much.

Blackwater was just one example, thanks for pointing out the other.

I find him to be a puppet led by mel.

But look at what he did after coming to the wall. Trying to manipulate jon into breaking his vows. And furthermore, stannis had no where else to go. He already lost and has a skeleton army left. What more use did he have?

[Dany4eva]

Hold your horses, m'lady. Stannis cares not about the Red Faith on a personal/religious level, and plenty of his King's Men follow the Seven. And there are the Northmen who follow the old gods fighting alongside him. You don't see him burning them, do you?

And what about the ones he burnt? He is too fickle to rule westeros. What religion will be turn to next and sacrifice people for? Not that he is so easily manipulated. He believes he is AAR! Really now. I rather westeros not be ruled by him.

[butterbumps!]

Just because one man puts faith in him, does not mean much.

Blackwater was just one example, thanks for pointing out the other.

I find him to be a puppet led by mel.

But look at what he did after coming to the wall. Trying to manipulate jon into breaking his vows. And furthermore, stannis had no where else to go. He already lost and has a skeleton army left. What more use did he have?

1. No, I think you're missing my point. Davos functions as a kind of litmus of a character's worth. That he holds Stannis is such high regard, while not whitewashing his flaws, speaks volumes.

2. What other example did I point out? He lost Blackwater because he was grossly outnumbered. He's actually a very competent general/ admiral. That he's outnumbered says something, but maybe we should look a bit further into why the nobles don't want to back him. The reason he has little support is because everyone knows they are not going to get special favors out of him; this is what a "truly just man" means. There is no way to seek personal gains due to favors or title if Stannis is in charge. So the reason they won't back him speaks more poorly of those refusing fealty than about Stannis. It actually makes Stannis look better.

3. This is somewhat misappropriating the problem. The issue is not that he's Mel's puppet, but the fact that he's willing to use a religion/ sorcery that he doesn't fully understand. I think that this is foolish- very unwise- but he's not exactly a puppet.

4. Stannis did not try to manipulate Jon into breaking his vows. He offered Winterfell, and Jon refused it. Again, I think you're misappropriating the problem here. The big problem after the Wall bailout is the fact that Stannis wanted weirwoods burned and forced the wildlings to kneel, which was a foolish move politically. Offering Jon Winterfell was not in and itself a problem, as it could have solved a good number of things for everyone (I'm overlooking the NW vow part, as a king can absolve this).

I think that you're being a bit disingenuous in how you're thinking about Stannis' choice to earn the right to rule. Stannis was defeated after Blackwater. He could have stopped there and sworn fealty, but instead he chose to defend the realm/ enact justice as a king. How can you chalk this up to "he had nowhere else to go"? I mean, he could have just stopped fighting. I mean, isn't the fact that he went to the Wall at all, and is subsequently fighting for the North worth anything?

[Tony Soprano]

" Few of the birds that Aemon had sent out had returned as yet. One reached Stannis though, one found Dragonstone, and a King who still cared. "

" I was trying to win the throne to save the kingdom, when I should have been trying to save the kingdom to win the throne. "

He's the only one who actually cares for the Realm. He was the only one who went North to help the Night's Watch. He saved the Wall and stopped the Wildlings while the other pretenders were playing their games.

Euron is a psychopath who has delusions of grandeur. If he ( or any Greyjoy ) actually thought before he acted, the Ironborn wouldn't be in the position they are now. His rule as King of the Iron Islands will mark the end of House Greyjoy, and the death of thousands of Ironborn. So, he conquered some rocks. I'd like to see him go against the power of the Reach.

I like Tommen. But he's just a boy and everyone is using him to fulfill their own personal ambitions. Cersei is the worst guardian anyone could ever have, but at least she would have looked out for him and his interests. I also think Kevan would have been a great Regent, and he could have stabilized the situation in King's Landing. That's exactly why Varys assassinated him. He didn't want someone capable ruling in Tommen's stead, so he killed the last person that was. Now, the Tyrells have their paws on Tommen, with Mace Tyrell ruling pretty much everything in King's Landing. A man whose own mother calls him a dimwitted putterfish.

This " Aegon " who attacked the Stormlands...Varys and Illyrio would have us believe that he was taught how to be a King since he was born. But, from what I gathered, he's just another hotheaded boy who can't see the bigger picture. Tyrion proved how weak willed he is. He manipulated him into attacking the Stormlands after a game of cyvasse. Illyrio and Varys are doing the same. They're just using him. That boy is no Targaryen... he's just a pawn in their games.

Daenerys...Mad King 2.0. That's all I'm saying...

And what about the ones he burnt? He is too fickle to rule westeros. What religion will be turn to next and sacrifice people for? Not that he is so easily manipulated. He believes he is AAR! Really now. I rather westeros not be ruled by him.

You mean the rapists and cannibals? And Theon Turncloak? Anyone would have done the same. Granted, they would have used an axe or a noose, but the result would be the same. Stannis just saw that as an opportunity to lift the morale of the Queen's Men by making those men sacrifices to R'hllor. He believes he's AAR huh? Do you have a quote where he says that?

Oh, and didn't Daenerys do a similar thing with the slavers? She stringed them up with their entrails hanging out. I imagine that would be a longer and even more painful death than burning.

[The Young Shark]

yo slayeroflies,

mel leading him is an antagonist point of view, mel worships the ground he walks on, to the point she claims hes a prophet or w/e. Stannis worships the Red God and it is what it is.

As for jon snow, he politely asked him if he wanted to lead the North, Snow said no, and that was the end of that. We as readers know that Robb Stark named Jon Snow his heir, so it validates Stannis' righteousness further.

[Thendel]

I'm gonna catch some flak for this, but here goes:

I don't believe assassination of military targets is morally wrong in comparison to killing someone in battle.

And battle was one of Stannis' only options in regards to Renly: He couldn't convince him to forfeit his claim (their parley attest to that), and he would never forfeit his own claim when he knew he was in the right.

A fight with Renly would certainly lead to the loss of a lot of lives. By assassinating him, you only take out the one directly responsible for the rebellion. Renly had actively and consciously marked himself as an enemy of Stannis - that makes him a legitimate target in my eyes. And a much more legitimate one than any of his soldiers, most of whom didn't really care whether it was Stannis or Renly commanding them.

[The Young Shark]

+1 Thendel

not to say Stannis willingly killed his brother

[Tony Soprano]

Stannis worships the Red God and it is what it is.

No, he doesn't. He believe in Melisandre's powers. He doesn't attribute those powers to this god or that, he just believes what his eyes can see.

" I stopped believing in gods the day I saw the Windproud break up across the bay. Any gods so monstrous as to drown my mother and father would never have my worship, I vowed. In King's Landing, the High Septon would prattle at be at how all justice and goodness flowed from the Seven, but all I ever saw of either was made by men. "

" I know little and care less for gods, but the Red Priestess has power " .

I'm gonna catch some flak for this, but here goes:

I don't believe assassination of military targets is morally wrong in comparison to killing someone in battle.

And battle was one of Stannis' only options in regards to Renly: He couldn't convince him to forfeit his claim (their parley attest to that), and he would never forfeit his own claim when he knew he was in the right.

A fight with Renly would certainly lead to the loss of a lot of lives. By assassinating him, you only take out the one directly responsible for the rebellion. Renly had actively and consciously marked himself as an enemy of Stannis - that makes him a legitimate target in my eyes. And a much more legitimate one than any of his soldiers, most of whom didn't really care whether it was Stannis or Renly commanding them.

Exactly! I've been saying that forever. Yes, kinslaying is a taboo, but if they had met in battle, wouldn't Renly have swung his sword to kill Stannis. He would have. They're enemies. Stannis didn't have enough men to go head to head against Renly, so he devised another plan. The plan worked, and Renly's soldiers flocked to Stannis' banner.

[butterbumps!]

I'm gonna catch some flak for this, but here goes:

I don't believe assassination of military targets is morally wrong in comparison to killing someone in battle.

I'm probably going to take some flak for this too, lol. I agree with you for the most part. What I don't like about the Renly assassination is the fact that it was done with blood magic. Given that I dislike Dany's use of blood magic- and blood magic generally- I feel that I can't excuse the manner in which Stannis went about this. I know that there is some controversy about the extent to which Stannis was fully conscious of what occurred, but I think that by the time it came to Courtney Penrose's assassin, he had a pretty good idea.

[David Selig]

I'm gonna catch some flak for this, but here goes:

I don't believe assassination of military targets is morally wrong in comparison to killing someone in battle.

And battle was one of Stannis' only options in regards to Renly: He couldn't convince him to forfeit his claim (their parley attest to that), and he would never forfeit his own claim when he knew he was in the right.

Of course Stannis could forfeit his claim. It was his own choice not to do it and go for war and assassination of a brother instead.

[Kobayashi Maru]

You know, if I had a brother who plotted to steal everything from me by force because he knew he had the power to, and he knew that there was nothing I could do about it, a brother who was prepared to kill me if I tried to stop him, I might consider killing him too.

If my brother did all this to me and worse I still wouldn't even consider hurting let alone killing him.

[The Young Shark]

As a Stannis fan, I like to believe his brother dying happened behind his back, but Im still cool with him orchestrating it.