BlackLightning

If they can't be given a new job and trained accordingly, then they would either be murdered or abandoned and left for dead.

Cersei was not right to kill Robert. Like @Alester Florent mentioned, the one to have killed in this scenario would have been Renly. However, the problem here remains the same as it was within the series. Cersei was not ready to kill anyone at this point. Even Cersei knows that killing Robert before figuring out what to do about Stannis and Renly (especially Stannis) was a bad call...but her hand was "forced"

The Wall was not his only option. He could've become a maester or a septon. Ned could've actually secured a good/decent marriage for Jon. I'm sure that the Manderlys, the Mormonts, the Royces and the Umbers would've loved to have him.

Don't forget about the Lothston/Whent bloodline. Danelle Lothston was a skinchanger and the Whents are kin to the Lothstons. The Starks are actually well-positioned to lay claim to Harrenhal because of their Whent heritage by way of their mother.

The OP is a bunch of nonsense but I'll bite. First of all, Dany's return to Westeros will be not only just but necessary if the Wall malfunctions and the Others and their undead thralls begin flooding the Seven Kingdoms. Second of all, Dothraki will follow Daenerys because she will -- in one way or another -- become a full-fledged member of the dosh khaleen. The most mightiest and fiercest khals are still obligated to obey and honor the decisions of the dosh khaleen. Hence the reason why Khal Drogo (the most powerful khal of his day) felt the need to drag his khalasar all the way back to Vaes Dothrak after having just brought them to Pentos for the wedding simply to ask the dosh khaleen for the approval of his wife. The dosh khaleen work as judges, seers and rulers. The Dothraki do not do anything (much less go to war with foreign powers) without the leave of the dosh khaleen. If (or rather, when) Daenerys is able to gain control of the dosh khaleen, she will have effectively have control over the Dothraki. The khaleen (i.e. widowed khaleesis) are likely to be in awe of her...she is arguably more experienced and worldly than all of them combined. Especially the younger ones. And if the structure of the dosh khaleen is remotely democratic, then Dany's path to power is clear. And yes, for all her mistakes, Dany is the quintessential khaleen. Like the dosh khaleen, Dany is served and protected by a massive army of eunuchs and "slaves." Said eunuchs have a history of being able to overpower and defeat the Dothraki, despite their lack of strength and numbers...something that all of the Dothraki respect and remember. She also has presided over matters of economics and warfare, and has her own city that she rules over. Plus, Daenerys is an experienced general who also can command dragons and fly. Do you all remember how Khal Jhaqo and his riders found Daenerys? She was eating a dragonfire-roasted stallion with her bare hands right beside a dragon...and then proceeded to glibly wipe her hands clean on her clothes and stare them down. Doubtless she looked filthy but she most assuredly looked strong and wild and gnarly. And that's what the Dothraki respect.

I agree Ned never liked or felt comfortable around Roose (for good reason) but that doesn't mean anyone thought that Roose was incompetent or untrustworthy in military matters. A cautious nature makes for a good general. Jon's thoughts/comments about the Boltons is made in hindsight.

I'm thinking it's Benjen Stark

I feel like House Dayne's coat of arms is perfect

Me too. But the question isn't if Bloodraven is evil or not. The real question is if Bloodraven is the Three-Eyed Crow or if the Three-Eyed Crow is someone or something completely different. I think once we solve THAT mystery, it will be easy to determine whether Bloodraven is evil or not.

No it's not LOL If something happened to Jaime or Tywin, Cersei would have definitely killed Sansa. Moreover, if King's Landing fell to Renly or Stannis, Cersei - again - would've killed Sansa...or at least let her die. She said as much during the Battle of the Blackwater. No Releasing Jaime was a good move (it should've been done a long time ago) but the way she did it was both stupid, illegal and dangerous. She didn't notify the Iron Throne about the hostage exchange, meaning that they would be under no obligation to return their hostage. And then she didn't ask her liege for permission, meaning that releasing Jaime is not only a form of insubordination that directly undermines his cause but it was also treason. Even in normal circumstances, she wouldn't have the authority to unilaterally make such a decision: it would fall to Hoster and then Edmure. And since Cat released Jaime without any authorization, Jaime had no escort. And we saw what happens when you try to send a political prisoner through a warzone with no escort.

Seizing Tyrion was not a mistake. Stop saying that! It was a good call. A bunch of other characters (Ned included) would've done the same exact thing...except Ned would've waltzed right into Lannister-controlled King's Landing with Tyrion in tow or chanced the journey north only to be intercepted by Lannister outriders. In any case, had it been Ned instead of Cat, Ned would've been blindsided by the Lannisters. Telling Robb to give half his army to Roose was not a mistake. It was also a good call. Granted, it wasn't one that Jon Snow or Ned Stark would've made. BUT look at the alternatives...Greatjon Umber??? Telling Edmure that housing all of his smallfolk in his castle is a good call...one that is confirmed shortly thereafter by both King Robb and the Blackfish. Blackfish later proceeds to kick them all out after the Red Wedding. Why? Because the primary function of castles is as a military base and the secondary function of castles is to be the center of government. The presence of tens of thousands of peasants and their animals are not only a distraction but a hindrance. Most castles (Winterfell and Harrenhal are the exception) aren't built to house and protect hundreds of thousands of people. But we already know why she decided to take the Kingsroad instead trying to find a ship to White Harbor Given the fact that Varys and Littlefinger both knew that she was in the city and trying to speak to her husband, she no longer felt safe waiting around in the city for a ship bound for White Harbor. Disguise be damned: the longer she stays in the city, the more likely it is for Cersei (or Jaime) to find out that she too is in the city. She was wanting to personally warn her father and brother so that they could start marshalling their troops and calling their banners. Ned had not only given her leave to do so but he expected her to do so.

For starters, @Tradecraft is half-wrong. Cat figured out that Jaime (and maybe Cersei) attacked and tried to kill Bran. When she was praying in the sept before Renly's assassination, Cat had an epiphany and realized that the truth of Stannis' words was truer than she had thought. Is it an odd reaction? Well, let's be honest...it's not an odd reaction. There are a lot of characters who know or have a feeling that Cersei is up to no good. When they find out exactly what Cersei is up to, everyone is shocked and left wondering if she really is insane. Seriously! Everyone from Littlefinger to Jaime Lannister to Taena Merryweather to Catelyn Stark, the list is long and growing.

Don't forget the Fiery Hand And many of her freedmen soldiers are a diverse group. Besides the ragtag bands of pitchfork-wielding freedmen, the Mother's Men is an army of freedmen created and commanded by the Unsullied soldier Marselen, brother of Missandei. And the Stalwart Shields was first created and commanded by a guy who looks more like a scribe than a warrior but is very clever and has a great military mind. Now, it is being commanded by Tal Toraq, an ex-slave from the Summer Islands. And Summer Islanders are known to have a superb archery tradition.

Arresting Tyrion was a good decision. Modern-day policemen arrest and hold people on much less evidence than what Catelyn had. Hell, modern-day policeman kill people for less than what Catelyn had. And she has jurisdiction: she is the wife of the Warden of the North and the Hand of the King and the eldest daughter of the Lord Paramount of the Trident. The crime was committed in the North within Winterfell, the suspect was arrested in the Riverlands and the victim was her son. So I'm not seeing what the issue is. People who hold the belief that arresting Tyrion was wrong (and that Catelyn should've somehow knew that Tyrion was innocent) are blindly biased in favor of Tyrion. Tyrion himself has done much worse than Catelyn for arbitrary reasons Releasing Jaime without notifying the Lannisters and asking for permission from Robb was stupid. However, it was VERY UNJUST and SHORT-SIGHTED for Robb to not have made an attempt to get Sansa and Arya back with Jaime. It's a sensible and good trade. As we see, Robb later comes to regret that decision after Bran and Rickon are "killed" by Theon and Sansa is forcibly wed to Tyrion (and, as far as the Starks know, Tyrion is regularly raping Sansa). Not sure if there was any stopping Walder Frey and Roose Bolton with offering Sansa as a bride... But had Sansa been retrieved, Robb would've had an heir tucked away in Riverrun. The North and the Riverlands would have easily rallied around her. In the books, it's through the throat by way of the gorget. In the show, it's through the chest by way of the breastplate. In any case, absolutely no one believes Catelyn murdered Renly. However, the Tyrells have even less reason to be sympathetic or merciful to the Starks BECAUSE Catelyn ran off with the number one suspect. And Catelyn was right to run off. If she escaped Loras Tyrell's rampage, then she would have to have escape Randyll Tarly's. Catelyn becoming a hostage would have done Robb less than zero good.

Right but killing the elite slave masters alone means that the overseers and soldiers of the city (i.e. people who play a big role in the enslavement of the masses) live on. The situation that unfolded in the books is that an ex-slave made himself king, slaughtered the city's existing leadership, and enslaved the freeborn population of the city that HAD NOT been an overseer, soldier or slavemaster. I don't think that executing the slavemasters alone would have cut it. Sure, the ex-slaves would have outnumbered the overseers and the soldiers but those two groups still had the wherewithal and the means (i.e. weaponry, experience) to re-enslave them. There's a reason why most slave rebellions either failed (i.e. Nat Turner) or were short-lived successes that had severe long-term consequences (i.e. Haiti)

Not sure. Maybe this said soldier king found that making common cause with slavers is in his personal best interest or maybe he was harboring a grudge against Daenerys Targaryen. After all, he was forced to renounce slavery (and therefore, change careers) at swordpoint just like Balon Greyjoy was forced to swear fealty before Robert Baratheon and surrender his son. If Balon rebelled, so can this guy. I'm not seeing what the big deal is. Nor am I seeing how this scenario would be any different than what happened. There were three kings and one queen in Astapor before the city was destroyed by the Yunkai'i. One of the aforementioned kings and the sole queen were killed by the people within the city. My point is that it doesn't matter. Barring a decision to make Astapor a vassal city-state under the command of someone competent and loyal and a small army of guardsmen, I don't see a situation in where Astapor does not recidivate into slavery. The only real question is if Astapor becomes a slave state that is allied with Yunkai or a slave state that is opposed to Yunkai. In short, the names change but the streets stay the same.

Is this a thread about unpopular opinions or unpopular predictions?

Right...IF, that is, they held true to their vow to renounce slavery. Judging from what happened to Yunkai, the likelihood of the Astapori soldiers (and let's be frank: the soldiers more than likely worked as overseers) recidivating and becoming slavers themselves would have been high. Dollars to donuts, the only thing that would've changed is that "King Cleon" would've been a soldier versus an ex-slave. But with a soldier in charge instead of a butcher, Astapor might've stood more of a chance against Yunkai and Dany might've been more inclined to ally with them. Or Astapor, under the control of its soldier king, might've just made common cause with Yunkai. And that would've made Dany's situation worse.

Yes, I do think we will see Lys Not sure that we will see it in a Dany POV (most likely, it'll be a Victarion POV) but we will stop in Lys Not only is Edric Storm is making a comeback, but the mystery that is Varys the Spider begins in Lys. GRRM said a while ago that Varys' backstory would be revealed in A Dream of Spring

Because an former slave killed the ruling council of Astapor, installed himself as king and enslaved the former slaver and slaver-adjacent upper class

Yes Actually, Daemon was Viserys' heir for quite a long time and everyone (including Rhaenyra) just accepted it. Everyone didn't like it...but everyone accepted it. Right. Of course, Aegon the Elder named Aegon the Younger his heir but...then proceeded to vow to destroy any and every one who ever supported Rhaenyra (and by default, Aegon) Makes sense.

I'm sorry; I should've clarified This would not have worked in Astapor. And that's what you stated/said... In Meereen? Sure.

I don't think you can blame Dany for the defeat of Astapor. She told Cleon what not to do and he did it anyway. And Cleon and his successors were vicious idiots Agreed Astapor should've been almost completely comprised of ex-slaves. Who did they enslave? GRRM wasn't very clear on who was left. That would not have worked AT ALL

This is not true. Lysa and Catelyn are compared directly to each other. Catelyn has been much more fortunate than Lysa in terms of both aging and fertility; Catelyn is also a lot more physically fit than Lysa. In fact, Cat is something of an expert when it comes to the physical fitness and childbearing potential of women and girls. She's our most reliable source of information on that topic in-story...and given that she has given birth to five children without experiencing any prepartum, partum or postpartum side-effects (i.e. tooth loss and decay, eclampsia, etc.), I'm very inclined to believe her. Exactly. Cat's visit to the Vale was short but it was a comprehensive one. A bunch of nobles were present for Tyrion's "trial." Moreover, Cat and the noblemen of the Vale would be very familiar with each other: not only did we see Cat and the Valemen interact with each other like old acquaintances would in A Game of Thrones but Ned was practically raised among them and had hosted several of them (Yohn Royce chiefly) in Winterfell.

Absolutely not. Even if you could completely discard Rhaenyra and her Velaryon sons on account of the bastardy issue, Rhaenyra's Targaryen sons are legitimate threats. Especially with Daemon as their father.