Eden-Mackenzie

Korn's Freak on a Leash for Ramsay and Theon

Nah, at least not beyond the title. Sabbath's music is too ... upbeat...? for Theon. Mad World is soooo mournful, and whenever I hear it I imagine Theon roaming the walls of Winterfell with a montage of memories playing in his mind, and song ends when he runs into someone (spearwife, Barbrey Dustin, the Hooded Man, etc.). But maybe that's just me...

Gary Jules's Mad World always makes me think of Theon.

Here's the thing about songs though: they're open to a myriad of interpretations/associations, especially those with uncertain origins, such as the Dornishman's Wife and the Bear and the Maiden Fair (it's about Brienne; no wait, it's about Sansa; no wait, it's about Dany and Jorah). Even the Rains of Castamere, which we know was written about Tywin's takedown of the Reynes, is forever tied to the Red Wedding, and, to a certain extent, the Purple Wedding as well. When Mance changed the lyrics from "Dornishman's wife" to "Northman's daughter", he made the song be about the situation in Winterfell. Mance has brothers too: his former brothers of the Watch, and his brothers-in-arms of the Free Folk; portions of each group are/were planning a visit to Winterfell. Mance is a singer, knows all the bawdy songs, and seems like an overall jovial guy who may smile from time to time. Seducing is not the only possible interpretation of "tasting" a woman, it could also be raping, or it could be stealing the hostage wife of a sadistic lunatic. I would think the staircase would still have to be a bit wider than just a single person, in order to allow a defender to effectively swing a sword, but not wide enough to allow two people to fight side-by-side against a common enemy. So staircase is maybe wide enough to allow two people to walk beside each other? The real advantage comes from holding the higher ground: your blows are going land higher on the body, near the more vulnerable spots (eyes, mouth, throat etc.), and have the added momentum of gravity behind them, whereas your attacker will have to be swinging up at you, with less of a target. The only advantage this staircase could have for Mance would be if he can get to it without being seen by Roose's men, and that is going to largely depend on exactly what caused all the commotion, whether it was the escape or the sounding of the war horns.

Maybe bravos train in Braavos, the way maesters train in Oldtown, Unsullied in Astapor, etc.? Or bravos and their style of fighting originated in Braavos but have since spread to the other Free Cities, and the name continued. Whichever way it happened, Illyrio is Pentoshi, a former bravo/schemer and current cheesemonger/schemer who has designs on a Westerosi lordship and shows an extraordinary amount of interest in and affection for a supposed Westerosi orphan. Lemon trees can grow just about anywhere, if given adequate care they do quite nicely in pots. My hope is Arya's next mission in Braavos takes her to a house with a red door with a big ass lemon tree growing in a huge copper pot. Okay, the copper isn't a requirement, I just like shiny things.