Castellan

Poor Joffrey. These scenes with Sansa are the only ones where I feel any sympathy for him. I can't remember how old he is but Sansa is only 12 and he does not seem much mentally older than 14 at the most. He is genuinely taken with her and they are strolling around with him trotting out all the high faluting courtesies he's learned and her thinking he's so handsome and repying in kind. He is trying to act princely in a sauve way that would make listening adults laugh. It all breaks down when there is a larger audience with the dratted Renly in it. But Joffrey doesn't really show his true colours till he encounters Arya and Micah. All a bit sad really.

One reason could simply be that Sansa has directed a question to Joffrey - why will Ilyn not speak to her? - but Renly buts in with the clever comment that Ilyn has not been feeling talkative these 14 years. I think Renly simply not deferring to precedence and allowing Joffrey to take centre stage with Sansa annoys him. He should have let Joffrey answer, Joffrey thinks. He probably didn't even like Sansa playing the game of guessing who Barristan and Renly were, and giving them attention (also getting the attention herself). Also, as several have suggested above, he may already hate Renly because it does seem from the later scene after Arya beats him, that Renly doesn't bother humouring him at all. And perhaps if Renly often speaks in an oblique, witty or ironic way, he hates him for that, because, being dumb, it would be hard for him to follow or join in or feel he could control the conversation.

3.1 1

I thought I had in the past seen a list of homages in the wiki but now cannot find it. I also looked in the Citadel. Has anything been done with the suggestions listed in this thread?

I have to say that I think A Storm of Swords is the best of the novels and A Dance with Dragons so difficult to maintain interest in that I'd rate it last. I may be being unfair, and I'm sure there are great bits in it, but I hope TWOW is more like ASOS than ASWD.

I have to choose so I can play the bonus round. It was very hard. 1) 4 2) 3 3) 2

I am willing. Didn't reply at first as had no round 4 ideas yet, but I have a few now so am happy to try a bonus round.

It wasn't sarcastic or ironic. I really am not sure what it was, the words just came out to match the letters. I think because i was using 'acrobatic' or 'athletic' in an entry I made with the ANIMAL letters I was thinking in terms of sports and that the athletic Ser had hinted at interest in a transfer to another team - so here is your opportunity if you have the money! Then Jez read it and interpreted that Ser wanted out of the toxic Red Keep, so that was a good intepretation too

How I wish I had thought of promoting it like this! I never would have though.

This is like choosing a real kitten from a litter. By choosing one I feel I am rejecting four perfectly good kittens that need a home. I was very tempted to go for #5 because kittens can advertise themselves very well and this is how they do it. But I'll go for the cleverness of "incarnate mousetrap". so, voting for #1.

I don't have a rival interpretation or hope to, but these are my first impressions and vague thoughts: Ashara Dayne would have stretch marks, has born a child (perhaps stillborn) and she could be said to have slipped into the water (jumped off a cliff into the sea). I don't think 'crystal' has the same connotations as stone - its pretty, translucent, somewhat magical looking, and while snuggling it between her breasts may technically mean its near her heart I think other associations are being raised. So, no I don't see Lady S. floating around here. I do see older women who were once maids and have been transformed by life. Lemore seems to have actively remade herself, if she really is a Septa. She seems to be more happily transformed. Her goal may in fact be vengeance though, and her apparently calm mindset may crumble once the battle for Westeros starts.So she does have points in common with Catelyn. So maybe she is substituting for Catelyn in the sense that she is the compulsary older angry female flavour in ADWD, at least in Tyrion's POVs. GRRM does have recurring types and themes. By the way, i was inspired to reread some chapters with Tyrion on the Rhoyne and noticed that he plays a game of chyvasse with Haldon and asks to play for secrets. Haldon says 'Griff would kill me" or something like that but agrees anyway. We later learn that Tyrion has won. Has there been any speculation on what information he asked for?

I'm in although I have to do my round 3 entry too.

1. 4 2. 1 3. 2

John Dick and sequels yes, a porno franchise

Done with the Wind promoting a flatulence cure

Probably Walder kust wanted to know Roslin was captured and not roaming somewhere possibly pregnant. But possibly there is something sinister in his question and he would have preferred killing her. His alliance is with Tywin rather than the Westerlings, Tywin's not going to break it over Roslin's death. The reason they were happy to kill Raynald was because Raynald started to fight them in order to save Grey WInd, and he was known to be a particular friend of Robb's anyway. There was probably no order on high to kill him, just the men on the ground trying to kill Grey WInd and he challenged them

The dream is unreliable in that there are gaps in it - things known to Eddard but not spelled out in the dream, and not known to us. I don't think its unreliable unless you unconsciously fill in those gaps.

Spose I better vote. 1. 3 2. 8 3. 7

I have nothing medical to contribute thank goodness, but best wishes to you brave people. My partner did have a heart attack a while ago. Luckily he was a kilometre from a major hospital with a cardiac emergency ward when it happened and now has a couple of stents in his heart. It turned out he has a super cholesterol producing gene and they can't understand why he didn't die at 20. He has agreed to go in a trial of a new drug. As well as a having regular injections and taking blood to see what's happening to him they take his blood cells for experimentation. He is one of those cell line people now.

Great! I think medicine is getting better, based on my husband's adventures therein. knock wood.

I would be quite happy if the Greyjoys and the Iron Isles had not been included in the books. Apart from being vehicle for dragging in the Norse myth of Ragnorak into the foundations of ASOIF I really dislike the cliched lot of them. That said, has anyone got any ideas re what is ultimately going to happen to Euron, for example? Nutjob though he appears to be, might there be something in his belief he can harnass all the priests and necromancers he can find, take over the world, marry Dany? After all there are various other signs of seismic battles to come and 'magical' things stirring. Or is he just a fool in shiny fake armour?

Eeek. Hope nothing too bad. Good to hear you are better.

I like the way this thread has wandered away from the opening question!

The main reason for House Tully to rank high is because Catelyn's POVs are so good, same as Lannisters are. Otherwise I'd rank the Baratheon's above them for importance to the plot and Stannis's interesting freaky character.

Yes I suppose hunting dogs and herding dogs are the common ones in the books. Can't think of anyone who has another kind. Are there any? You would think there would be guard dogs too. Perhaps there are they are just not memorable. Still, you'd think in some place like Qarth where they are richer and more effete someone would have bred companion dogs.