BalerionTheCat

I believe Mance knows better than any of us what is the Guest's Right and what is not. He and more so his spearwives would not kill someone if it was violating the GR. And killing Boltons men was not much serving their mission. IMO the Boltons are not the legitimate hosts of WF. They do not feed or protect people living around. They have no grant from the Old Gods.

Good point. With Targaryens, if I'm correct, Dragonstone was the seat of the King's heir. If Robert intended the same, it would go to Joffrey when he would be of age. And maybe later to Tommen or Joffrey's children. I believe it would be why Stannis wanted Storm's End.

Bobby B wanted to foster him with Tywin. Why so? And not his friend Ned? Ned also proposes himself. And Robert calls it "A generous offer". IMO Robert doesn't see the job as a "gift" and he doesn't want to bother his friend with a boy who is likely to die on his charge. Apparently Cersei or Tywin also gave some "offer" difficult to refuse "Lord Tywin has already given his consent. Fostering the boy elsewhere would be a grievous affront to him". In fact, IMO, Robert simply doesn't care who has the boy. First to ask got it.

The show is not suitable for children. And even for many adults, the level of violence and the amoral atmosphere are uncomfortable. This is not an easy story. Some lack the investment for understanding it. And there was no movie, to reach very large populations. Some reasons why some adore. But not a huge base of uncommitted viewers.

Of course, we don't know. But the Frey were battle ready. Ready for Roslin blowing up the whistle. Not the Starks, after the bread and salt. IIRC, Cat tried to talk to Roslin alone before the wedding. But she couldn't. The girl was closely monitored. She could have done like Olyvar, maybe. Refuse her part. But we don't know what happened to him. Maybe he tried to warn Robb and got killed or imprisoned.

She would talk and what? The Frey would attack and kill every Northmen in the castle anyway. Those outside would have a better chance. If they knew in time what was happening.

I don't think she would recognize Roslin had not part in the RW. She was there and did nothing to prevent it. Regardless she couldn't do anything. IMO, LSH has not enough humanity left to spare Roslin. But I believe she would spare the baby. Delaying the execution until the birth if necessary.

R+L=J must be taken in the context of the LN to come and the prophecies. It would have been much much simpler for Rhaegar to ignore that, and do what was expected of him. Stay with his wife and children, replace his father ASAP. He did what he believed he had to. Forsaking honor, like Jaime who would just have done his duty by letting Aerys burn KL. I love the books, and R+L=J is "mind blowing".

In fact I like that. His cold minded decisions. Looking only at the bottom line. It changes from most everyone else "hot tempers" and what I admire myself.

Jaime and Bran are the 2 chars I most want to meet. Bran to say: It's OK. You did what you had to. BTW, I would not be what I am without you. I would be dead by Ramsey. Bran wanted to be a knight and Jaime ruined that. But Bran knows becoming the 3ER was necessary. He can't really put the blame on Jaime.

I'm a big book reader. I read the books before the show started. ADwD after S1 IIRC. I'm not sure, but I probably would not have been that much interested by the show without the books. I'm a book addict, no a TV addict. But I was always complaining about the show not faithful. Even if I understand the need to simplify and the constraints of the big/small screens, sometimes, IMHO, I feel the changes are not justified. And even if so, I'm still sorry for the changes. Whatever. I much enjoy when I recognize something from the books in the show and ignore the rest. I was afraid of spoilers. But I'm tired of waiting TWoW and now I see show and books as different stories with the same (I hope) final purpose: The importance of loyalty and duty. The dangers of honor and glory and wanting. I don't care now if the fate of the characters will be the same or different.

I agree it's likely a hoax. But:

Very likely: Bowen Marsh, Tommen, Maergery, Roose Bolton, Hizdar zo Loraq. Quite likely: Walder Frey, Gregor Clegane, Shireen, Selyse, Melisandre, Mance, Ramsay, Barristan, Daario, Victarion, Littlefinger, Harry the Heir, Arianne and some Sand Snakes, Loras, the High Sparrow, Jon Connington Don't think will die in TWoW: Stannis, Stoneheart, the Hound, Euron, Theon, Alliser Thorne, Tormund, Brienne, Jaime, Cersei, Myrcella, fAegon, Varys, Davos, Sam and the main characters.

I'm usually first to discount things happening in the show as "will be different in books". All these sorry tales of NK, Dorne and Euron for example. The question of how identically book and show will end is interesting. The details of what happen will be quite different of course. The show is too far from GRRM tracks now. But some of what happened in S7 was more in line with what I expect from the end books. More than the erratic previous seasons. So far as I've ideas about the end. I believe now the two will have similar conclusions and meanings. So at a high level, spoilers it will be. The way Daenerys got in charge of the Dothrakis was making sense to me. OK, she is not immune to fire. But she may still put some big fire somewhere. D&D sometimes pick one idea and use it differently, like Ramsey's marriage. The "three fires" never have inspired me much. But this and that made me think that maybe...

I'm not sure who will burn KL. There are plenty of candidates. But I don't see Bran as one of them. In the book, the Undying Ones tell Danerys: "Three fires must you light". I'm not sure how much the show still matches the books. But Khal Drogo's pyre and the Dosh Khaleen temple should count for two. One still to go. The last fire is "to love". What if people she love had become undead?