Your Unpopular ASOIAF Opinions/Hot Takes

[SaffronLady]

30 minutes ago, csuszka1948 said:

I mean, it's not just a theory with no evidence. There is plenty of evidence that 'Lighbringer' has been a dragon, it definitely makes more sense than a simple red sword and it's understandable why the Others fled before it:

“He told me the moon was an egg, Khaleesi,” the Lysene girl said. “Once there were two moons in the sky, but one wandered too close to the sun and cracked from the heat. A thousand thousand dragons poured forth, and drank the fire of the sun. That is why dragons breathe flame. One day the other moon will kiss the sun too, and then it will crack and the dragons will return.“

“The third time, with a heavy heart, for he knew beforehand what he must do to finish the blade, he worked for a hundred days and nights until it was finished. This time, he called for his wife, Nissa Nissa, and asked her to bare her breast. He drove his sword into her breast, her soul combining with the steel of the sword, creating Lightbringer, while her cry of anguish and ecstasy left a crack across the face of the moon.”

“She heard a crack, the sound of shattering stone. The platform of wood and brush and grass began to shift and collapse in upon itself. Bits of burning wood slid down at her, and Dany was showered with ash and cinders. And something else came crashing down, bouncing and rolling, to land at her feet; a chunk of curved rock, pale and veined with gold, broken and smoking [salt and smoke]. The roaring filled the world, yet dimly through the firefall Dany heard women shriek and children cry out in wonder.

Only death can pay for life.

And there came a second crack, loud and sharp as thunder, and the smoke stirred and whirled around her and the pyre shifted, the logs exploding as the fire touched their secret hearts. She heard the screams of frightened horses, and the voices of the Dothraki raised in shouts of fear and terror, and Ser Jorah calling her name and cursing. No, she wanted to shout to him, no, my good knight, do not fear for me. The fire is mine. I am Daenerys Stormborn, daughter of dragons, bride of dragons, mother of dragons, don’t you see? Don’t you SEE? With a belch of flame and smoke that reached thirty feet into the sky, the pyre collapsed and came down around her. Unafraid, Dany stepped forward into the firestorm, calling to her children.

The third crack was as loud and sharp as the breaking of the world.”

“In ancient books of Asshai it is written that there will come a day after a long summer when the stars bleed and the cold breath of darkness falls heavy on the world. In this dread hour a warrior shall draw from the fire a burning sword. And that sword shall be Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes, and he who clasps it shall be Azor Ahai come again, and the darkness shall flee before him.”

“When your dragons were small they were a wonder. Grown, they are death and devastation, a flaming sword above the world.”

"The Jade Compendium. The pages that told of Azor Ahai. Lightbringer was his sword. Tempered with his wife’s blood if Votar can be believed. Thereafter Lightbringer was never cold to the touch, but warm as Nissa Nissa had been warm. In battle the blade burned fiery hot. Once Azor Ahai fought a monster. When he thrust the sword through the belly of the beast, its blood began to boil. Smoke and steam poured from its mouth, its eyes melted and dribbled down its cheeks, and its body burst into flame."

"You’re lazy,” she told him, scratching under his jaw. His scales were hot to the touch, like armor left too long in the sun. Dragons are fire made flesh. "

“There is a reason. A dragon is no slave.” And Dany swept the lash down as hard as she could across the slaver’s face. Kraznys screamed and staggered back, the blood running red down his cheeks into his perfumed beard. The harpy’s fingers had torn his features half to pieces with one slash, but she did not pause to contemplate the ruin. “Drogon,” she sang out loudly, sweetly, all her fear forgotten. “Dracarys.” The black dragon spread his wings and roared. A lance of swirling dark flame took Kraznys full in the face. His eyes melted and ran down his cheeks, and the oil in his hair and beard burst so fiercely into fire that for an instant the slaver wore a burning crown twice as tall as his head.”

 

I think Domeric was talking about the Great Empire of the Dawn part of my statement.

OTOH, now we just need Dany clasping her dragon(s) to confirm that she is Azor Ahai.

[KingAerys_II]

36 minutes ago, SaffronLady said:

I think Domeric was talking about the Great Empire of the Dawn part of my statement.

OTOH, now we just need Dany clasping her dragon(s) to confirm that she is Azor Ahai.

I think Jon is Azor Ahai, Daenerys is his red sword 

[KingAerys_II]

Aenys was too good to be king, instead Viserys lived to please Rhaenyra and Daemon, two horrible individuals, they are as bad as Aegon and Aemond, that's why I consider childish the support of the two factions. 

The Dance of the Dragons broke years of peace and prosperity. 

I don't know why Aemond didn't focus on the destruction of bridges in the Riverlands, it would have slowed the March of the Northerners, if I am not wrong the Frey Towers are important to enter in the Riverlands from the North, Aemond was very dumb

[KingAerys_II]

19 hours ago, csuszka1948 said:

Honestly, it should be pretty clear by this point that Aegon invaded because he wanted Westeros united when the threat he saw came and that uniting the continent had positive effects on the 6 kingdoms (king's peace, better trading connections and roads etc.).

Still, his actions in Dorne aren't defensible, not even if Rhaenys was tortured (of which we have no evidence). The Dornish people clearly resisted the Targaryens with all their might.

I think they tortured her, the only Christian concept, the author hasn't included in Asoiaf so far, is the concept of martyrdom, Christianity had great influence on him, the concepts of trinity, resurrection (Jon), and the behavior against slavery of Daenerys are part of Christian doctrine.
Rhaenys martyrized would not be surprise, George RR Martin already put another Queen on the cross in Elden Ring : Marika the eternal.
However if Aegon and Aenys went to Sunspear for the feast of friendship of Dorne, it seems the letter was not a threat, Aenys was a frail man, who collapsed after Meraxes fall at Hellholt and the news about the capture of Rhaena and Aegon, but torture is the reason why Aegon clenched the letter.
That's speculations, but the author wrote the entire plot of Elden Ring about the Demi God, it seems very similar to the story of Aegon and his sisters.

[sifth]

2 hours ago, Craving Peaches said:

This is a major thing to change though, and I also think thematically there is no reason to change it.

Not really. Pleanty of things happen on the show, that never happen on the books. It's like seeing Sansa get raped on the show; I really hope that doesn't happen in the novels.

[csuszka1948]

3 hours ago, Craving Peaches said:

This is a major thing to change though, and I also think thematically there is no reason to change it.

 

Well, it fits the theme of the Targaryens being 'dreamers' (whose dreams bring greatness or madness) though, and it seems GRRM intends to keep it as their central theme.

[SaffronLady]

2 hours ago, KingAerys_II said:

Aenys was too good to be king, instead Viserys lived to please Rhaenyra and Daemon

Aenys wasn't good. And at least Viserys could steel up to Daemon when needed, while Aenys, the soft and political imbecile he was, gave Maegor the terror of the 7k the sword of the Conqueror, entirely oblivious to the implications of his father's dragon and sword both belonging to his brother.

Aegon the Uncrowned would remain uncrowned because his father was bad. A bad king and father both.

[KingAerys_II]

4 hours ago, SaffronLady said:

Aenys wasn't good. And at least Viserys could steel up to Daemon when needed, while Aenys, the soft and political imbecile he was, gave Maegor the terror of the 7k the sword of the Conqueror, entirely oblivious to the implications of his father's dragon and sword both belonging to his brother.

Aegon the Uncrowned would remain uncrowned because his father was bad. A bad king and father both.

Viserys only lived to please Rhaenyra, he ordered his guards to remove the tongues of Velaryons that labeled Rhaenyra children as Strong bastards, he was not so weak. 

Is the excessive weakness of Aenys a sign of Targaryen madness? 

[Alester Florent]

Quote

Stannis pointed his shining sword at his brother. "I am not without mercy," thundered he who was notoriously without mercy. "Nor do I wish to sully Lightbringer with a brother's blood. For the sake of the mother who bore us both, I will give you this night to rethink your folly, Renly. Strike your banners and come to me before dawn, and I will grant you Storm's End and your old seat on the council and even name you my heir until a son is born to me.

A son was indeed born to Stannis very soon after this conversation... a son which immediately killed Renly, that apparently being its sole purpose in "life".

Stannis might have named Renly his heir, but only until his son was born and killed him. Which might have been as soon as the next morning. In the same paragraph, we are reminded that Stannis is without mercy, whatever he says, and will not let Renly's apparent transgression stand.

He always intended to kill Renly, he just wanted him to hand over his army first.

No, I don't really believe this. I don't think.

[KingAerys_II]

Aegon conquered for the dream, Jon is Azhor Ahai, Daenerys is Lightbringer, these are my Unpopular opinions 

[SaffronLady]

5 hours ago, KingAerys_II said:

Is the excessive weakness of Aenys a sign of Targaryen madness? 

Another one of my unpopular opinions is that there is no such thing as Targ madness. There are mad Targs, but mad Lothtons and Greyjoys exist too. Nothing we see solidly proves there is such a special brand of madness called Targ madness, nor madness is passed on through the family. Granted, incest does increase the risks of insanity, but it's not decisive.

[kissdbyfire]

- Ramsay wrote the Pink Letter

- Dany is the daughter of Rhaella & Aerys

- If Ashara had a thing w/ a Stark, it was Brandon

- Tyrion is boring

- Jon is not dead

- Stannis won’t kill Theon 

 

 

 

[csuszka1948]

19 minutes ago, kissdbyfire said:

- Stannis won’t kill Theon 

 

 

 

Is this an unpopular take? Logically, Stannis should kill Theon but most people (including myself) tend to believe that he will live.

I feel out of your theories only the "Jon is not dead" and the "Tyrion is boring" () are truly unpopular.

The "Ramsay wrote the Pink Letter" is just hotly debated despite it making a lot of sense, because it's a cliffhanger and some details in the letter are wrong. :-)

Edited August 14, 2023 by csuszka1948

[kissdbyfire]

28 minutes ago, csuszka1948 said:

Is this an unpopular take? Logically, Stannis should kill Theon but most people (including myself) tend to believe that he will live.

I’m not sure it is unpopular tbh. It feels unpopular to me b/c most people seem to argue in favour of Stannis chopping Theon’s head off à la Ned. Maybe it’s just a wrong impression of mine. 

28 minutes ago, csuszka1948 said:

I feel out of your theories only the "Jon is not dead" and the "Tyrion is boring" () are truly unpopular.

Sorry, I’m unmovable on both of these. And I’ll tell you something else: because it’s very late and I’m very tired, I went super gentle on Tyrion. I could use plenty more adjectives for him, none of them positive!

28 minutes ago, csuszka1948 said:

The "Ramsay wrote the Pink Letter" is just hotly debated despite it making a lot of sense, because it's a cliffhanger and some details in the letter are wrong. :-)

That’s the thing, I don’t think it’s a cliffhanger. To me the other options are borderline conspiracy theory stuff. Some are not even borderline, they’re all in conspiracy theory w/o a single redeeming quality. I’ve seen good arguments made for Mance and Stannis, but all require mental gymnastics to explain many of the points they try to make; the only thing they have in their favour is that [some] are very well and intelligently argued. Others are just ludicrous, like Littlefinger, Melisandre, Howland Reed, and others. 
As you say, some of its contents are wrong and/or false (deliberate lies), and that is the true mystery in the now infamous missive: what is correct, what is true, what is wrong (but that the author believes is correct), and what are deliberate lies. 

Edited August 14, 2023 by kissdbyfire

[Alester Florent]

56 minutes ago, kissdbyfire said:

- Ramsay wrote the Pink Letter
- Dany is the daughter of Rhaella & Aerys

Now these really are some crackpot shizz. Taking what's in the book as being true? That won't get you far around here.

[Maegor_the_Cool]

1 hour ago, Alester Florent said:

Now these really are some crackpot shizz. Taking what's in the book as being true? That won't get you far around here.

it’s been so long since Dance that people question everything

[KingAerys_II]

5 hours ago, Darrow of Lykos said:

it’s been so long since Dance that people question everything

The hot takes I have written, need to be confirmed in the next books, the problem is the release of the next books, 12 years are a lot of time

[Tyrosh Lannister]

My unpopular opinion: I don't like it when someone says "hot take" or "his/her take"

[KingAerys_II]

In 12 years he published Fire and Blood, Sons of the Dragons, full of contradictions, Quicksilver date of birth is contradictory, it was given to Aenys as a young hatchling and he started to grow, but when the mother "died", he regressed, so it has no sense that date of birth. He approved the prequel where he added Aegon dream, then made the plot of Demi Gods in Elden Ring, clearly based on the history of Aegon and the sisters

Edited August 14, 2023 by KingAerys_II

[Casso, King of the Seals]

I only found out that people think AFFC and ADWD were "slow" and "boring" after I read them and found them as engaging and entertaining as the previous books.

Following up on what Tyrosh Lannister said, the word "headcanon" should also be abolished.