Your Unpopular ASOIAF Opinions/Hot Takes

[Ran]

25 minutes ago, KingAerys_II said:

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. 

There's nothing contradictory here unless you believe that events that happened 3 years into his life can't lead to a setback just because he had a dragon? 

[KingAerys_II]

55 minutes ago, Ran said:

There's nothing contradictory here unless you believe that events that happened 3 years into his life can't lead to a setback just because he had a dragon? 

However, when Aenys was given the hatchling dragon Quicksilver in the same year, his condition quickly improved, and "as the dragon grew, so too did Aenys." The rumors that he was not Aegon's son ended at this time.

Aenys was three years old when Queen Rhaenys died in Dorne.The death of his mother shattered him: he went back to crawling around as if he were a baby.

Visenya gave birth to Maegor, because Aenys was dying, Maegor was born in 12 AC, so Aenys agony lasted some years, the book doesn't explain how he healed from the collapse, the magic of the dragon seemed to disappear, then it worked again, it's strange and a bit schizophrenic, unless there is some kind of spoiler

[Maegor_the_Cool]

Balerion the Black Dread didn’t die of old age. Nor was he getting too large and tired to fly. He was suffering from that major wound he got with Aerea AND the Maesters were poisoning him. He could’ve lived a lot longer.

[KingAerys_II]

Another contradiction involves Daeron I. 

He studied the first dornish war to make his Conquest a success, he fixed the mistakes made by Orys, but he was not aware that House Wyl is famous for committing war crimes, one of his Kingsguard was an Oakheart, I mean, they knew those people don't care about rules in a war

Edited August 14, 2023 by KingAerys_II

[Ser Arthurs Dawn]

6 hours ago, Casso, King of the Seals said:

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.

AFFC is my fave book! ♥ The only POV's that get me through ADWD are Bran, Asha, Davos, Reek, and Vic. And maybe Mel. And Jon's chapters take a comical turn once he announces his plans to a jam-packed dining hall filled with his now ex-brothers.

[sifth]

36 minutes ago, Ser Arthurs Dawn said:

AFFC is my fave book! ♥ The only POV's that get me through ADWD are Bran, Asha, Davos, Reek, and Vic. And maybe Mel. And Jon's chapters take a comical turn once he announces his plans to a jam-packed dining hall filled with his now ex-brothers.

Hey, I thought I was the only one. I love AFFC's, and I agree Jon's chapters become beyond boring after a while, same with Dany and Tyrion for me. It feels like all of the minor characters get to shine though. I also really love the one Dorne chapter we got and the few Cersei/Jamie chapters.

[kissdbyfire]

44 minutes ago, Ser Arthurs Dawn said:

AFFC is my fave book! ♥ The only POV's that get me through ADWD are Bran, Asha, Davos, Reek, and Vic. And maybe Mel. And Jon's chapters take a comical turn once he announces his plans to a jam-packed dining hall filled with his now ex-brothers.

Hmmmm. The Shieldhall is full, but the free Folk outnumber the crows 5:1. Só I'd say it's full of his newly added brothers. 

[Ser Arthurs Dawn]

4 minutes ago, kissdbyfire said:

Hmmmm. The Shieldhall is full, but the free Folk outnumber the crows 5:1. Só I'd say it's full of his newly added brothers. 

Hehe I love your glass half full pov. Or, 5/6 full? (I think I did that right..)

19 minutes ago, sifth said:

Hey, I thought I was the only one. I love AFFC's, and I agree Jon's chapters become beyond boring after a while, same with Dany and Tyrion for me. It feels like all of the minor characters get to shine though. I also really love the one Dorne chapter we got and the few Cersei/Jamie chapters.

I mostly enjoy Tyrion's POVs when he's sailing through the Rhoyne (despite his pissiness), but as soon as he reaches Slaver's Bay I get bored.  And I'm excited for Dorne. I look forward to seeing what goes down in KL once they get there hehe.

[sifth]

20 minutes ago, Ser Arthurs Dawn said:

Hehe I love your glass half full pov. Or, 5/6 full? (I think I did that right..)

I mostly enjoy Tyrion's POVs when he's sailing through the Rhoyne (despite his pissiness), but as soon as he reaches Slaver's Bay I get bored.  And I'm excited for Dorne. I look forward to seeing what goes down in KL once they get there hehe.

For me Tyrion gets boring the second Jorah returns to the story. I like Jorah, but George just spent too much time with Jorah and Tyrion doing nothing. The boat chapters with them were ridiculous. 

[Terrorthatflapsinthenight9]

Catelyn being surprised by Edmure taking smallfolks into Riverrun, and thinking of it as naive and impractical shows GRRM's limited understanding of medieval times and strategies, or that he caricatures the nobles' abuse of the people beyond what really happened during these times. 

Castles and fortified towns were made exactly to host smallfolks and protect them from invaders, as they were essential for the cultivation, building, maintenance and other forms of labors that the lords and kings depended on, as their main source of wealth and power was their lands and as such they couldn't afford to lose their subjects and workforce, and most nobles couldn't afford to sadistically abuse their subjects because it would mean losing their workforce and main source of revenues. 

[Ran]

47 minutes ago, Terrorthatflapsinthenight9 said:

Castles and fortified towns were made exactly to host smallfolks and protect them from invaders

Fortified towns, yes. Castles, only if it was believed a siege would be brief or that relief or at least fresh supplies could be brought in.   When Philip II laid siege to Château Gaillard in 1202, the garrison commander Roger de Lacy put out all non-combatants from the castle because he did not think the supplies would last otherwise. Initially the French allowed them through the siege lines... but then they realized it would be better to try and force the castle to take them back in, so hundreds of poor peasants found themselves literally between a rock and a hard place, sheltering in water-logged ditches between the siege line and the castle, exposed to the elements (and the arrows and stones from siege engines that would pass overhead). They starved for a time, until King Philip at last relented, fed them, and let them pass through the line.

There were so-called "refuge castles", essentially what George calls holdfasts, which were often simple constructions made by villagers as a place of refuge during an attack, but that's not the same thing as a castle like Riverrun. Catelyn's expectation was that the siege Riverrun would face from the Lannisters would be a long one, in which case putting out non-essential persons was exactly what Edmure should have done, and what any actual medieval nobleman in charge of a castle would have done.

Edited August 14, 2023 by Ran

[SeanF]

2 hours ago, Ran said:

Fortified towns, yes. Castles, only if it was believed a siege would be brief or that relief or at least fresh supplies could be brought in.   When Philip II laid siege to Château Gaillard in 1202, the garrison commander Roger de Lacy put out all non-combatants from the castle because he did not think the supplies would last otherwise. Initially the French allowed them through the siege lines... but then they realized it would be better to try and force the castle to take them back in, so hundreds of poor peasants found themselves literally between a rock and a hard place, sheltering in water-logged ditches between the siege line and the castle, exposed to the elements (and the arrows and stones from siege engines that would pass overhead). They starved for a time, until King Philip at last relented, fed them, and let them pass through the line.

There were so-called "refuge castles", essentially what George calls holdfasts, which were often simple constructions made by villagers as a place of refuge during an attack, but that's not the same thing as a castle like Riverrun. Catelyn's expectation was that the siege Riverrun would face from the Lannisters would be a long one, in which case putting out non-essential persons was exactly what Edmure should have done, and what any actual medieval nobleman in charge of a castle would have done.

It’s one of those arguments which are finely balanced.  Edmure is right that he should protect the smallfolk.  Catelyn is right, that cruelty is actually kindness.  The fate of the smallfolk would be far worse, holed up in a castle that is under siege.

[KingAerys_II]

Another Unpopular opinion is that Tolkien characters are far better than the ones in Asoiaf, Glaurung, Smaug, Sauron, the Nazguls, Eowyn, Galadriel, Arwen, Aragon, there are few characters comparable to these as Euron, Wyman, Varys, Jaime, Daenerys, I consider Arya one of the most boring characters, almost as Quentyn, the chapters of Bran are very hard to read, Asoiaf has more character development, Jaime is one of the best creations made by the author

[SaffronLady]

59 minutes ago, KingAerys_II said:

there are few characters comparable to these as Euron

Calling Euron "Son of Cthulhu" Greyjoy a good character is inexplicable even in context.

[frenin]

As a purely narrative standpoint, it is incredibly sus that the only four prominent women rulers (Rhaenys died too soon to enact little but that women ought to be beaten just six times) end up invariably all mad, paranoid and prone to mass murder and all serve as a cautionary and the the text's go to Queen is Alysanne who was merely her husband's advisor.

I don't think it is intentional but still leaves a really bad taste.

[Craving Peaches]

1 minute ago, frenin said:

As a purely narrative standpoint, it is incredibly sus that the only four prominent women rulers (Rhaenys died too soon to enact little but that women ought to be beaten just six times) end up invariably all mad, paranoid and prone to mass murder and all serve as a cautionary and the the text's go to Queen is Alysanne who was merely her husband's advisor.

I don't think it is intentional but still leaves a really bad taste.

It's not the best writing choice, as it serves to promote in-universe that the idea of women being unfit to lead because they are too emotional and not rational is correct.

[KingAerys_II]

1 hour ago, frenin said:

As a purely narrative standpoint, it is incredibly sus that the only four prominent women rulers (Rhaenys died too soon to enact little but that women ought to be beaten just six times) end up invariably all mad, paranoid and prone to mass murder and all serve as a cautionary and the the text's go to Queen is Alysanne who was merely her husband's advisor.

I don't think it is intentional but still leaves a really bad taste.

The rule of the six is the proof Targaryens weren't imperialist or supremacist, the Queen produced the law of six to avoid the murder of women, so she used a trick, she involved the Faith to make the law acceptable, then in addition to the law of the thumbs the purpose was that to avoid murder. 

Alysanne and Rhaenys improved the standard of living of Westerosi women, meanwhile Visenya founded the Kingsguard, she is remembered as the best female knight in the history of the Seven Kingdoms. 

I don't think the Seven Kingdoms cared so much of women rights before the Conquest, in Dorne there are the stony dornishmen that raid the Reach and the Stormlands, the widow lover and the Second Vulture King committed rapes during the raids

Edited August 15, 2023 by KingAerys_II

[Craving Peaches]

23 minutes ago, KingAerys_II said:

The rule of the six is the proof Targaryens weren't imperialist or supremacist,

I disagree. One law doesn't make someone who is imperialist suddenly not. The British Empire prohibited the practice of Widow Burning in India, but no one is arguing this makes them not imperialist.

[SeanF]

1 hour ago, frenin said:

As a purely narrative standpoint, it is incredibly sus that the only four prominent women rulers (Rhaenys died too soon to enact little but that women ought to be beaten just six times) end up invariably all mad, paranoid and prone to mass murder and all serve as a cautionary and the the text's go to Queen is Alysanne who was merely her husband's advisor.

I don't think it is intentional but still leaves a really bad taste.

It’s an entirely fair criticism of the author that women who hold great power are constantly presented as mad or evil.  That is presented  as an ethical truth in this series.

[Ran]

Nymeria, various Summer Isles princesses.... They are of course historical figures, but still.