Winds of Winter Reading at WorldCon

[Ser Osis of Liver]

3. Jon slips into Ghost temporarily, people think he is dead, and he later slips back into his own body.

5. Jon is wounded and doesn't actually die, though he's left for dead. Somebody finds him and nurses him back (most likely a wildling friend)

6. Jon is dead, but Melisandre brings him back (my least favorite, this could get overdone, Heroes, anyone?)

I sort of like 3 and 4 the best, with 3 my personal favorite. I'm hoping R+L=J is true and he's one of the dragon heads, so I'm biased.

I kinda like some combination of 3, 5 and 6 is most likely. My take on the end of DwD is that he's Mostly Dead (as opposed to All Dead). Somewhere near the beginning of WoW he'll warg out to Ghost, we'll have a lot more exposition (probably involving making contact with Bran again) before he finally revives one way or the other and de-wargs. My money's on Mel, much as I dislike the whole R'Hellor thing. That gets me thinking, too, if he can establish a link with Bran this way, and with Arya being a warg-ette, this could be the beginning of StarkNet...and wouldn't that be a fun little path to follow!

4. Jon slips into Ghost, then slips into someone else and takes control of their body, possibly one of the bodies in the frozen cells (I'm sure GRRM put them there for a reason).

I thought the whole reason for the bodies in the ice cells was to experiment on them if they ever animated as Others...but since they've been un-used to date and they're still there....hmmm....

[Gianetta]

How's this for a (very unlikely) #8?

Un-Cat ends up at the Wall, finds out from HR that Jon is not Ned's bastard (or not - doesn't really matter, although the poor woman deserves some consolation after what she's been through), and gives up her un-life to bring back someone Ned cared about enough to bring dishonor to himself rather than danger to baby Jon.

After reading the posts here, I think Jon is in Ghost, but she could bring him back to his body.

[Solmyr]

From the 3 likely characters discussed in the thread (Sansa, Aeron and Arianne) Sansa is the most likely candidate, because she will probably have the most chapters (of the 3) in Winds. However, I would say there is at least 50% chance that the first read will be of a character different from these 3, someone who has lots of chapters in Winds and whose first chapter doesn't give away much. This is the reason I think Aeron and Arianne are unlikely to be released before the book, as their chapters will perhaps reveal too much.

Of the 3, I'd like Aeron - I crave to see what Euron's up to.

Of the entirety of characters: perhaps Jaime, Brienne or anyone in their proximity - I've been waiting for too long in uncertainty as to whether one or both of them will die.

[4rcane]

I think first Arya chapters would be of her finding the news of Jon's death.

Kindly Man would ask her "Who are you?".

Arya will reply stonefaced: "Noone".

Kindly Man: "You tell the truth"