Angel Eyes

The fate of Viserra Targaryen (crashed headfirst into a wall while horseback-racing) seems similar to that of Philip, the eldest son of Louis VI of France who died in 1131 at the age of 15; he was riding one day with some companions when his horse was tripped "by a diabolical pig" and Philip was catapulted over the horse, breaking all his limbs. The image of him on Wikipedia depicts him slamming headfirst into the ground.

It was about the idea of turning the fantasy genre on its head with the grey morality and since Martin criticized Tolkien in this manner (as an extension of Aragorn's tax policy).

I had suggested the Tysha incident in the OP.

Personally, I'd imagine Robb would ally with Renly if Ned is executed as in canon because he has no other viable options with Stannis dead. Daenerys' story wouldn't change much since she's pretty self-contained aside from Barristan, and he left to find her before Ned lost his head. Renly advocated for her assassination in the first book, but it's unlikely he'd tell that to Robb.

Which is why I said in the OP that if Tywin disinherited Tyrion and Tyrion appealed, he'd probably lose. One job, in nine years since Tyrion reached majority. I guess it comes off as an informed ability since Tyrion has been given no other tasks to do aside from that.

I started thinking about the Devidians from Star Trek TNG two-part episode Time's Arrow where they require human neural energy to survive (time-travel not required, they just use it to blend in) but are unwilling to compromise over the issue (they set up a time distortion that will blow up the planet if the torpedoes aren't modified correctly). Tolkien certainly wasn't a stranger to moral ambiguity as in The Silmarillion, the factions opposing Morgoth aren't afraid to fight each other if their goals conflict. And then there's the prideful, rage-filled, walking disaster area that is Túrin.

If that was the case, why does Tywin still fund the former two habits? Surely he knows where his money's going, so why not publicly express his disapproval by cutting it off?

What the show-runners did was take problems already in the text and make them writ large. It's like the two sides of Jack Nicholson's Joker; he was always a murderous psychopath but just hid it better until something happened that let loose all his impulses. Teleportation without rhyme or reason? Judging by the timelines, Tyrion covers 71 miles a day just so Catelyn can intercept him at a convenient spot. Ramsay and Euron have too much plot armor and show up just to cause havoc? Ramsay was already doing that in the books and inexplicably survives because other characters are idiots (both Rodrik and Theon are standouts), Petyr Baelish has nuclear-grade plot armor extending back years, Balon Greyjoy is somehow still Lord Reaper despite getting his ass kicked and his stupid plan goes off without a hitch, with nobody questioning him, while Tywin crushes a dozen castles like blitzkrieg. Hollywood Tactics that would make George Pickett facepalm? Part and parcel of being a Dothraki. Subverting expectations? Sansa's story is one long subversion of expectations and with the path her story is trekking, I see little difference with what GRRM has planned for her versus what happens to her in the show. Similarly, Robb and Oberyn Martell were written to subvert the revenge plot in different ways. Quentyn? Subverts the Hero's Journey. Arya jumping down to take down the Night King? Hasn't Martin said that anyone could be a hero?

So the readers know that after King Robert left for Winterfell to appoint Ned Stark Hand of the King, Stannis, in dudgeon over not being named Hand and believing himself to be next on the hit list after Jon Arryn is poisoned, left for Dragonstone and started gathering forces before declaring himself King. But what would have happened if someone (e.g. Cersei because she knows how far Stannis got in his investigation into her children or Petyr because he wants to destabilize things and Stannis would threaten that because he knows how corrupt Petyr is) decided Stannis was a threat to their plans and eliminated him, say by having a catspaw sabotage his ship and leaving Blackwater Bay to do the rest? The investigation into Robert's bastards took place and the pieces are still there for Ned to find, albeit with a larger threat level since Ned knows two high-ranking nobles who were involved in the investigation are now dead Renly essentially becomes the true heir The Dragonstone faction in the War of the Five Kings has no leader; would they throw support behind Shireen? Does Melisandre show up? No Davos POV chapters?

I had a couple conspiracy theories about maester deaths occurring during the years of Robert's Rebellion, mainly due to the (in)convenient timing.

The other half of the question would be: Is there a commander knowledgeable in Westerosi tactics who would be able to marshal the Dothraki into some victories where he'd take advantage of any shortcomings?

And your precious Ser Alliser would have had Jon break guest right, which the Wildlings hold sacred.

Another set of brothers I was thinking about with this topic in mind was Daemon's two sons with Rhaenyra, at least with hatching; Aegon's egg hatches to become Stormcloud but Viserys' egg doesn't. Likewise, of Viserys I's children with Alicent, half are cradle hatchlings like Sunfyre and Tessarion, while Aemond and Helaena had to claim older dragons like Vhagar and Dreamfyre.

A calling that Bowen betrayed.

Aerys didn't need a mind connection to go insane.

Actually, there is a case of an only son being disinherited in favor of another relative. This case happened in France and given Martin's own inspirations for the books, he'd be quite familiar with it. In 1298, Philip, heir to the County of Artois, died from wounds received in the Battle of Furnes. His father Robert II was killed in the Battle of the Golden Spurs in 1302. Philip's son, also named Robert, was 14 or 15 at the time, so Philip's sister Mahaut inherited the county on proximity of blood, though Robert would contest the ruling until the 1330s when he was forced to flee France due to fraudulent documentation.

Lancel disinherited himself to join the Warrior's Sons.

And then Dany's army finds out the Lannisters left Casterly Rock unguarded... on purpose. Meanwhile, Bowen and his mutineers are traitors to the human race.

Wait, Janos Slynt appeared in Harry Potter?

Has he? All that Tywin's given Tyrion to do before the books is the drainage system, unless there's some other great project in the Westerlands that Martin hasn't seen fit to tell us about.

Ramsay might; he's survived worse scrapes than this.

Aside from the whole plumbing fix, Tywin hasn't really given Tyrion any other points where he can be an asset. And if he isn't going to be an asset, why bother keeping him around?

Why would the Vale support Tyrion? He wouldn't be their liege lord.

He clearly hates Tyrion's guts, he has other options as heir (his brother Kevan's family, his daughter Cersei and her son Tommen, his nephew Tyrek, just to name some of his father's descendants), it seems he wants to believe that Tyrion isn't his son ("Men's laws give you the right to bear my name and display my colors since I cannot prove you are not mine"), he can do that sort of thing (e.g. Randyll Tarly threatening to kill Sam unless he joined the Night's Watch) Tyrion has done things that Tywin made it plain he disapproved (the Tysha incident, the general drinking and whoring) and it's unlikely that anyone would back Tyrion in a court case (to be fair, Tyrion hasn't helped his case by not having backers, Janos Slynt and Ramsay Bolton have more friends than him).

Thorne is like Gunnery Sergeant Hartman but not funny, a deliberate example of how a military trainer is not supposed to act.