BlackLightning

I don't think Viserys and the Dothraki alone were meant to create chaos and destabilize Westeros just to enable Aegon and the Golden Company to be seen as heroes. If that was the plan, it'd be a stupid and very risky plan...and I feel Varys is too careful. Why? My reasoning is that no one of import is going to want Aegon and his Targaryen successors in charge after everything is said and done. The realm already suffered immensely from the actions of Aerys and Rhaegar--within living memory, I might add. To have them endure Viserys and Drogo (and Daenerys, because the best-case scenario is that she'll be viewed as the "mafia wife") only to spring the Aegon surprise on them at the last minute...it's too much. Unless most of the Westerosi population (and all of Aegon's would-be competition) are slain, Aegon and every other Targaryen would be rejected offhand. My thought -- and I feel the books support me in this -- was that: Viserys, Aegon, the Dothraki and the Golden Company were all supposed to invade Westeros together during an ongoing period of chaos and strife. Aegon's identity (which was always going to be doubted or disbelieved) gets the ultimate red stamp of approval from both Viserys and Daenerys Viserys will name Aegon his heir, making it so that there are two unwed males ready for dynastic marriage alliances. Drogo, Daenerys and the Dothraki would leave with all their plunder (and, unfortunately, slaves ) after the war was fought and won. Viserys would meet some unfortunate "accident" either during the great war or shortly after taking the Iron Throne (but definitely before having children) Aegon will become the King, sire 2-5 children and reign for many years before dying and being succeeded by the next generation. And this is, of course, assuming that Viserys, Daenerys and Drogo would all just suddenly become passively compliant side characters in their own stories. This is also, of course, assuming that no one else like Jhaqo, Mago, Jorah, Mirri Maz Duur or Marwyn would be around to interfere with these plans. That's another reason why the whole "let's make Viserys the villain so that Aegon can be the hero" plan is stupid. Whenever I hear or think about that plan, I can't help but think of all of the ways that it can backfire or just go wrong. Even if the Golden Company is able to overpower the Dothraki with the support of Westerosi lords, how long will that take? And what kind of damage will be done? Varys and Illyrio are some of the smartest guys in the series, but they have three serious problems. The first problem is that they keep making plans and contingencies to weaponize or exploit things that they don't even try to understand (i.e., the Dothraki, Tyrion, Daenerys). The second problem is that they don't prepare for the things that they either don't know or that is deemed irrelevant (i.e., the Others, the religion of R'hllor). The third -- and biggest -- problem is that they still think that they are teenage con artists that can still run game on everybody they encounter. I really enjoy those characters, but I think that they are a menace. That's another thing. Doran waits too long to do anything, and Arianne is perpetually misinformed.

I agree As long as it is divided and organized better than Feast and Dance were. The way that he did it for Feast and Dance created more problems than it solved.

Well of course, I'm not saying that they show up for the wedding carrying Martell banners and screaming "We are here to celebrate and commemorate this union on behalf of all of Dorne!" Quentyn traveled to Meereen bearing a false name under falser pretenses and asked for a private audience. Barristan (and to a lesser extent, Belwas) did the same. There's no reason why any of the Martells or any other anti-Lannister, anti-Baratheon Dornishman couldn't do something similar at the wedding. Or in Vaes Dothrak. Or Qarth. Jorah would also have to be stupid to expose the Martells like that. Even if he was so stupid, Varys wouldn't be. He'd take it as an invitation to actively include the Martells in his masterplan for the realm...and doing so would definitely speed up the process.

You're not getting what I'm trying to say. It's not so much a question of competence but a question of intel. Okay, so Daenerys doesn't like the locusts. Great. How many people know that she doesn't like the locusts? Sure, she doesn't like a fair bit of Meereenese food but she's eaten a bit of it on occasion to be polite. It's part of her floppy ears speil. What I'm saying is that either the would-be assassins didn't know that she didn't like them or they underestimated how much she didn't like them. Or maybe -- just maybe -- they failed on purpose as part of some larger, more complicated plan. In any case, Hizdahr was definitely trying to peer-pressure Dany into eating the locusts. A weaker-willed and/or very distracted individual would've acquiesced and had a few just so their nagging spouse would shut up about it. As we know, Dany is neither. What made it really strange (and makes Hizdahr look complicit, if not outright guilty) is the fact that Hizdahr didn't have any locusts at all. All the more stranger when you remember that Hizdahr says that he likes them. Hey that's actually very possible lol It's also possible that it wasn't indigestion but just a matter of Belwas having a case of the bloody flux that simply presented itself differently. After all, Dany appears to have contracted it as well.

Skahaz is loyal but that doesn't mean he's a good man nor does it mean that he's trustworthy. And the fact that he is loyal does not mean that he wouldn't harm Dany. Bowen Marsh was loyal to the Watch for all intents and purposes but he ended up murdering the leader of the Watch. Tywin Lannister has always been loyal to the Seven Kingdoms and the Iron Throne but he did not hesitate nor feel bad about deceiving one king and openly defying another. Who isn't using her as an opportunity to remake Meereen in their own image and favor?? Frankly, I don't trust any member of Daenerys' inner circle apart from Barristan, Grey Worm, her core Dothraki and maybe Missandei. Everyone else is varying degrees of sketch. Even Missandei does things that make me feel odd. I partially agree. I too think it is Hizdahr but I think that he wanted to kill Dany and use the precedent she set to become the undisputed King of Meereen. Keep in mind that Belwas is three times Dany's size and had gorged himself on the locusts after already having a full stomach. The dosage that made him deathly ill would've killed Dany. And Dany would've been eating them on an empty stomach. Why not use other poisons? Whoever tried to kill Dany (regardless Hizdahr, Skahaz or someone else) was sloppy They wanted to make it look like she caught a particularly bad case of the bloody flux and expired quickly Whoever did it likely didn't have access to the more elaborate and subtle poisons and likely had to make do with what they could get

I find it interesting that this explosion of far right ideology is largely irreligious in nature. But that's another topic. Anyways, the real answer to both questions is yes. Doran is a smart guy but he did miss a huge opportunity. In fact, missed opportunities should be his middle name because that's all he does. He should've kept a much, much closer eye on Viserys and Daenerys. Especially after they were accepted into the household of Illyrio Mopatis, it should've been fair game. You can't tell me that the Prince of Dorne (which has more in common with the Free Cities than the rest of the 7K) doesn't know that one of the richest men in the Free Cities is hosting the heirs of the fallen Targaryen dynasty indefinitely. Just think what would've happened if Quentyn, Arianne, the Sand Snakes or -- better yet -- Oberyn had been made to present themselves to the Targaryens at Daenerys' wedding to Drogo...just like Jorah Mormont. It would've been so easy for that to have happened. Doran waited way too long to send someone to the Targaryens. And it's not even a matter of caution. When all hell broke loose after Ned died, it would've been so easy to take action. When Robert was still alive, Lysa and Stannis were preparing for war and Margaery was preparing to become the new queen. There's literally no excuse. He's a perfect example of how you can be too smart for your own good. He thinks too much

I just want to come in here and push back against the sentiment expressed by @sifth and @KingAerys_II. Circumstances absolutely matter. Living in impoverished conditions does something to your mind. It changes you. Take these two women for example: Abby and Becky. Both have 24 hours in a day. Abby can work from home for 6 hours a day and have enough time and money to shop for and then cook good food. After all, she can afford to live in a good neighborhood and part of what makes a good neighborhood are good stores. Becky however has to work 10 hours just to have the money to get food but she has to travel an hour to get shop for good food. By the 12th hour of the day, Abby has all her nutritional and financial needs taken care of and she has time for multiple hobbies while Becky still hasn't even fed herself. So, Becky has to decide if she is going to cut corners and settle for cheap, fast and bad food or go the extra mile to get good food. Living in impoverished conditions that are unsafe does even more to your mind. If everyone who lives in an certain area is unemployed or barely employed, then their landlord probably doesn't have enough money to consistently maintain and renovate the old buildings they live in. And if that's the case, then they definitely don't have the money to pay to fix the broken roads around the buildings that they live in. Before you know it, that community is unsafe. There's a specific reason why the poorest areas are the most dangerous areas even if it is a low crime area. And we all know that with poverty comes higher (and arguably, more violent) crime. It's not an excuse for Viserys' behavior. But it is a reason. If he had grown up differently, he (and by default, Daenerys) would've turned out differently.

I don't know but Qarth is defintely giving Baghdad, Leng & Yi Ti are Japan and China respectively and Asshai sounds a lot like what western Europeans thought of India As for the Free Cities, Braavos is very much Venice, Myr is Florence, Volantis is Rome, Lys is Palermo and Pentos is Milan.

I think in that in the TV show, Sansa took Rickon's endgame and Tyrion took Sansa's endgame Meaning that I think Bran will become King of Westeros, Sansa will become the realm's first female Hand and Rickon will become Prince of Winterfell

At the very end of the story? Rickon.

The thought of Stannis and Cersei being wedded to each other is overwhelming.

Honestly, I feel like Bran makes the most sense as the endgame king of Westeros. Not only for all of the really cool magical acts of heroism he'll likely perform, but also for the fact he is the rightful Lord of both Winterfell and Harrenhal, the head of House Stark, Jon Targaryen's closest male relative and the true heir of Robb Stark who was a king in his own right. Also, given the fact that Arya is his sister, the Iron Bank (if it's still intact) will likely support him by way of Arya. Exactly! That was the problem with the show. The Dothraki and the Unsullied and the freedmen companies and whoever else sworn to her are not going to just accept the fact that their beloved Mhysa had been murdered...much less by someone who was supposed to protect her. Dany is also in a unique position as she will be both khal and a member of the dosh khaleen. The Dothraki (who already have an established custom of avenging fallen khals with fire, blood and steel) will go apeshit and the Unsullied will co-sign the madness. In fact, murdering Dany could make her allies and supporters back in Essos want to invade Westeros.

This already happened. Bran has already crossed paths with Varamyr Sixskins as Summer and claimed that pack as his own. Not so fast. The burning king could very well be Jon or Aegon.

Sorry friend but Stannis burning Shireen is 100% aligned with the character arcs of Stannis, Shireen, Melisandre, Selyse, Davos and hell...even Justin Massey. Now Stannis himself might not do it but I fully believe that Shireen is going to be sacrificed and burned and that sacrificing her will backfire catastrophically. I am 100% it will not happen like it did in the show. My personal theory is that Stannis burns Shireen at the Nightfort in an attempt to stop the Others or thwart/usurp the newly reinstated Starks but burning her ends up being the very thing that allows the Long Night to begin.

I strongly disagree. Once the Wall falls and the Others advance far enough, every nook and cranny of Westeros will have a walking dead problem. Otherwise, what's the point of the Long Night? Besides, I think the bulk of Dany's forces are going to make landfall in Dorne instead of on Dragonstone. I think Euron is going to prevent a smooth, organized landing of Dany's forces. Just like how Rhaegar took Elia of Dorne and then took Lyanna of the North, the Others will descend on the people of Westeros from the north and Dany will carve her way from the south.

She doesn't. My comment was a tongue-in-cheek diss at the show.

I feel like a lot of fans were spoiled by Storm Because, in fact, a lot of stuff happens in Feast and Dance...it just doesn't happen at the breakneck speed like it did in Storm. People also tend to forget that Storm is the climax of events that were introduced, complexified and broadened in Game and Clash. Feast works as both as epilogue for the first part of the story and the intro to the second part of the story.

The family trees of the Great Houses at the start of the series are too small. To be specific, there aren't enough Starks or Targaryens The Lannisters and the Tyrells are a huge family network. The Starks start off the series with two male adults (one being in the Watch) and six children with one of the six which being half-Stark. The Arryns start off the series with one adult and one child. There's no reason why Hoster Tully only has one sibling. To be honest, the Targaryen royal family should be a lot larger. Aegon I and Rhaenys should've had another child, the descendants of Saera should be a lot more prominent, the children of Gael and Alyssa should've survived, Rhaenyra should've had a younger sister, Maekar and Aegon V should've had more children, Like when I read any of the material, I feel like that there should be a whole cadet branch of the family. Like the absence of the descendants of Saera and Gael are odd and Alyssa could've definitely given birth to another child before her death. It becomes really weird at the time of Robert's Rebellion. I feel like there should've been one cadet branch of the Targaryen family that isn't based out of Dragonstone or King's Landing.

Agreed.

Sansa will get her annulment. But I think that she won't get it until Aegon takes King's Landing. She might have to manipulate both Aegon and the High Sparrow (if the High Sparrow is still around) in order to secure said annulment, however. But I think that Tyrion will find out in the last book and be outraged. Not because he actually cared for Sansa but because her state-sponsored rejection of him on top of the prior abandonment will be too much for his fragile ego to handle. He will object (belatedly, of course) and demand that she returns to him and perform her wifely duties. Sansa will naturally refuse or ignore him...she might even be married to someone else at the time. Her family (namely Arya) will support and protect her in this, and Tyrion will be even more outraged. If Daenerys supports Tyrion in this (which is likely...unfortunately), then that's yet another reason why we will have conflict between the Starks and Daenerys. It also gives Sansa a legitimate reason to hate Daenerys.

It's my prediction that King's Landing will be an uninhabitable ruin, and that all of the Targaryens will perish or be banished by the end of the series. When that happens, Bran will become the King of Westeros and his seat will be on the Isle of Faces with Harrenhal being the new capital. After all, with Lady Shella Whent most likely dead, Bran is the rightful Lord of Harrenhal. Actually, the Eyrie is the only true exception. And it's more of a palace than a true fortified military installation. That privilege belongs to the Gates of the Moon. Winterfell is located at the headwaters of the White Knife. You should be able to use barges and ferries to travel from Winterfell to White Harbor and the Bite. Let's see...there's Kiev, the cities of Chicago, Detroit and Toronto, the entire Crimean Peninsula, Geneva and maybe Constantinople/Istanbul

I don't think Aegon is a brat. I just think that Aegon has to be better than Robb if he wants to be successful. Unfortunately, however, Aegon has a lot less going for him than Robb did. Robb was something of a military genius who never lost a battle and stood a good chance of retaking the North. Yet Robb made a couple of big mistakes and he got way too ahead of himself.

Seconded. I don't really believe Cersei either. I find it very hard to believe that Cersei had been repeatedly raped by Robert at length only for Jaime to not find out about it. I mean come on. He was chomping at the bit to kill Robert at Darry over the whole Nymeria/Joffrey incident. Not only was that before Arya was found and Lady killed in Nymeria's place, but the whole Nymeria situation had absolutely NOTHING to do with Robert. Jaime hates rape. If Jaime found out that Robert was regularly raping Cersei (just like how he found out Aerys was regularly raping Rhaella...there's no way he wasn't going to find out if it was happening), he would've found a way to kill Robert. Even if he couldn't pull it off, the fact that the love of his life is getting raped by a man that he actively dislikes is something that he would think about. But it's something that Jaime never thinks about it? The closest thing that we get to a case of Robert raping Cersei is... the time that Robert cracks that lame joke about rough sex and Cersei responds by knocking out his tooth the time when Jaime had to go find someone to perform an abortion for Cersei

Dany, Stannis, Robert and Visenya That's it. If Catelyn and Ned count, I'd put them on the list. But right now, it's only the four of them. No way Varys made such a big deal about Aegon being able to clean his own underwear...there's no way that this would be true

I think you have the definition of calmly mixed up with that of quietly. There have been multiple cases of Bran reacting badly to stuff...it's just that Bran is a lot quieter than Arya. He takes after Catelyn; both of them are prone to severe depression. What with her rages, Arya has more in common with Lysa, Robert and Rickon. Bran is more like ice and Arya like fire.