Jon Fossoway

Fringes. They are geographically located in the frontier of the known world. Frontier people are usually particular. The ironborn themselves are considered half insane by westerosi inlanders. I believe time and isolation -and probably inbreeding- have made them more or less a microculture of its own inside an already isolated culture.

Well, would have been incresingly difficult for George to keep it a puzzle for readers to figure out.

I wholeheartedly believe that in the end it will be a free for all between the Others (north team), the stonefolk (south team), the Old Ones (east team) and the lemmings (the human team).

No one thinks about the plants...

They had an objective, not that much of a planned path to achieve it. There were many factors that could steer things one way or another. I think GRRM projected himself on that famous line of a golden company mercenary about 'the fat man''s plan. Taht's mostly the itinerary of the books.

Was reading some stuff I love to read about when this name came up. Something in the back of my head began itching and then I realized where that name was familiar from. It is clear, then, where GRRM got the hero Herndon of the Horn from.

Sunlight basically creates a rainbow when it interacts with rain and light rain. The sun is, of course, Renly. Loras literally compares him to the sun (in a personal fashion, sure; but being Loras one of the Guard makes it the more tragic of a love story). When Renly dies, the Rainbow Guard vanishes. At first, I thought it was a way Renly had to simply mock the Kingsguard (I never took it as a 'homosexual cue', since that kind of saying doesn't exist in ASOIAF inworld) but he does take the Rainbow Guard seriously. I do think Renly thought highly of himself.

I like both sagas so it's a hard choice, but being pressed against a wall for a decision: Dunk & Egg. It is also an easier write-up for George.

Theon Greyjoy. I remember never wishing him bad during the course of my readthrough. But I distinctively remember not liking his arrogant, ignorante pose at first that spiraled down kinda quickly to the broken and hopeless submissive lapdog named Reek. And I did not like Reek neither. Both archetypical ends of a character that is not complex at all. I like his inside look at the Boltons and his POVs become really interesting when he is in the middle of the Bolton occupied Winterfell, but the character himself doesn't inspire me a single grain of empathy.

The servants sacked the treasury. This probably plunged the Targ siblings into poverty and into the streets.

The text is rather murky on the maester's replacement issue. Initially I thought that the Citadel dictates who goes where, especially in the case of the demise of a maester stationed in a certain settlement. Pylos is a good example, since he is sent by the Citadel to replace Cressen. Even though Cressen at all lights can't physically perform as a maester at the difficult-to-transit Dragonstone, Stannis doesn't "fire him", since Cressen, a sworn member of an order, is bound to... Well, wait, wasn't he bound to Storm's End? So I still find it weird or not explained enough. As for Luwin, I can't find information on the wikia (my book worming days are long past gone), but pressumably Walys died and Luwin was also sent to Winterfell by the Citadel. Since Catelyn was married to the lord of Winterfell for some reason Luwin delivered the Lady of Winterfell's firstborn, even though she was at Riverrun at the time. Still murky, IMO. And just following a hunch, I don't think Luwin was Riverrun's maester before since I can't remember a single remembrance of Cat mentioning it. It is quite a piece of information, if you ask me.

I was reading about the maesters being bound to the castle or settlement, not the lord or the family ruling the place. This is somewhat a law in the order. When Theon takes Winterfell, Luwin counsels him. On the other hand, Tybald, the Dreadfort maester, poses as Karhold's maester, is eventually caught and gets imprisoned by Stannis. Since he broke the previous rule of "a maester is bound to the place, not the people" he'll be probably condemned to death by Stannis. But then comes Cressen... He was Storm's End maester but at some point "follows Stannis Baratheon to Dragonstone". I find it weird, especially when it is Stannis also involved, being to close to rules and all. Question is, how come Cressen could switch his station? Is there any clue in the text?

Sending someone to bargain on Tyrion's safety is a rational thing to do, but we're talking about Tywin Lannister here. Any slander to his family is responded in force. Even if it's about Tyrion.

Jon Cupps to Leyla Hightower. I wonder what's up with that couple, because almost non existant information was provided. Maybe a small subplot later on?

I was listening to a POV in audiobook format and I noticed a name I had hard time relating to my previous reads. Sarella. Sarella's is pronounced almost the same as 'ciruela', a spanish word for a plum, which obviously led me to the Plumms which are fond of characters playing double agents. Also, Sarella's mother worked or was a captain of a ship called 'Feathered Kiss'. Feathered, again, in spanish is 'Beso Emplumado'. Now again, Ben Plumm ancestry feels like a chimera. Or even a sphinx. A little of these, a little of that. Probably just wild coincidence. But the wordplay, if it was intentional, is actually awesome.

Any extensive First Men theories/essays around here?

Hello all. I hail from Chile, so excuse my poor english. And, well, you have the Great Umber, the Small Umber... I am the Umber in the middle. :P