Universal Sword Donor

FWIW I think the Boltons were losing, but yeah the fighting wouldn't have been done just like that.

When I comment on one specific thing, I don't care about the rest. I usually delete them If I'm not on mobile. If you see me break out the post into quotes, I respond under each one.

I have no thoughts on this Theoretically, maybe. Practically, no for the reasons I mentioned - Jaehaerys and his coalition, Vermithor, his hand being sexist/traditional, seized the Red Keep Rhaena was older and had a similar sized dragon, but she had no one to back her claim and she hated KL. I have no thoughts on this

The Manderlys leaving the Hornwood lands under their control contributed to the stream of refugees and so did the ongoing fighting between the Manderlys and the Boltons. I can't attribute how much to either.

Because you didn't read what I wrote. I didn't address 2/3 of the three points. I only addressed your assertion that Rhaena being the favored successor wasn't in FAB.

If you cannot derive that from my post, I won't hold you back.

Yep. As bad as those casualties are, he made the correct decision. Honestly I am a bit surprised Paxter didn't push for it, though he might not have known about the IB yet. The Arbor and the Reach are far more important to the IT than Dragonstone. Cersei knows it has a small garrison and yet claims it's a knife at her son's throat (). Her "devious" plan to get Loras hurt may have worked, but it also killed the cream of her remaining forces near the capital, which is something I am sure the Tyrells felt terribly about doing. I subscribe to Loras not being critically hurt, but even if he is the Tyrells severely weakened the Lannisters in the short term and in the long term and were able to get their fleet back to the Reach much more quickly. It's a win-win for them.

I have absolutely no idea who would become King / Queen if Tommen and Myrcella died. Stannis and his line are already attainted. Edric is a bastard and hidden away in Lys. Probably would be a council to figure out who should be king. Mace might try to grab the throne for his daughter based on her marriage(s) to the Baratheons but he would not be able to keep the 7 kingdoms together. Short of Aegon or Dany seizing the throne, splitting up the kingdoms seems most likely.

I didn't end any debate. I said there's merits to both your points.

That's a very long way to type out, "I can't believe someone quoted text I didn't see when I re-read it." Man it's an open question. Only #1 is really up for debate.

Put the bottle down and leave the revolver in the safe. I don’t agree with everything he said. Its only paranoia if they aren’t out to get you, but in this case it is paranoia.

“Some suggested that Rhaena herself might have the strongest claim to the crown, as the firstborn child of King Aenys and Queen Alyssa. There were even some who whispered that it was Queen Rhaena who had somehow contrived to free the realm from Maegor the Cruel, though by what means she might have arranged his death after fleeing King’s Landing on her dragon, Dreamfyre, has never been successfully established. Her sex told against her, however.” It was less concrete than it should have been, but the combo of Jaehaerys putting together a coalition, being a dragon rider, and Rogar, then the hand, was a sexist sumbitch. “This is not Dorne,” Lord Rogar Baratheon said when the notion was put to him, “and Rhaena is not Nymeria.” But to say it wasn't considered by some to be true would be incorrect, though we don't know who those people are.

I'd assume there would be some number of smallfolk streaming south as Manderly gives over control of the castles to Ramsay. It's not as if it isn't common knowledge that he's a monster. Would you rather live where the "Lord" starved your former liege lord, starts a fight over land he realistically shouldn't have a claim to, and hunts and rapes peasant girls all over his land? There's open negative talk of the Boltons in the Merman court, the wine sinks, Lady Dustin mentions it, and Roose chastises his son for sowing tales in Bolton lands. How much of the refugee population is due to that? I have no idea, but it's certainly something to take into consideration.

This

That's the most common interpretation I've read, and I agree.