When did Stannis Baratheon become your favourite character?

[100%Targ]

When he appeared as a badass sort of warlord in the second book and slmost won the Blackwater despite the wildfire.

When he went North and saved the realm and the North.

Whenever he says 'they will bend the knee' or stuff like that.

The way everybody recognizes him as a threat despite his lack of resource and how much he achieves with this lack of resource.

The stupid criticisms of him which show how his amazingness intimidates fanbases.

Everything.

[The Drunkard]

Probably at this point:

"Edric—" he started.

"—is one boy! He may be the best boy who ever drew breath and it would not matter. My duty is to the realm." His hand swept across the Painted Table. "How many boys dwell in Westeros? How many girls? How many men, how many women? The darkness will devour them all, she says. The night that never ends. She talks of prophecies . . . a hero reborn in the sea, living dragons hatched from dead stone . . . she speaks of signs and swears they point to me. I never asked for this, no more than I asked to be king. Yet dare I disregard her?" He ground his teeth. "We do not choose our destinies. Yet we must . . . we must do our duty, no? Great or small, we must do our duty. Melisandre swears that she has seen me in her flames, facing the dark with Lightbringer raised on high. Lightbringer!" Stannis gave a derisive snort. "It glimmers prettily, I'll grant you, but on the Blackwater this magic sword served me no better than any common steel. A dragon would have turned that battle. Aegon once stood here as I do, looking down on this table. Do you think we would name him Aegon the Conqueror today if he had not had dragons?"

"Your Grace," said Davos, "the cost . . . "

"I know the cost! Last night, gazing into that hearth, I saw things in the flames as well. I saw a king, a crown of fire on his brows, burning . . . burning, Davos. His own crown consumed his flesh and turned him into ash. Do you think I need Melisandre to tell me what that means? Or you?" The king moved, so his shadow fell upon King's Landing. "If Joffrey should die . . . what is the life of one bastard boy against a kingdom?"

"Everything," said Davos, softly.

He's got almost no army, no gold, only Saan's ships, his bannermen surrendered and his Hand betrayed him; his ability to take the throne seems non-existent. Yet Melisandre is telling him that it's not just the throne that concerns him, that the fate of the entire world rests on his shoulders, that he's responsible for saving humanity. Melisandre provides the only way for him to do that, but it will force him to betray the code he's held and kill a small boy who never did anything wrong. Though he initially refuses, Melisandre becomes harder and harder to deny, with her visions, her ability to strike down kings with her gods power, her warnings that time is running out, and the vision he's had of the enemy.

He knows that if Joffrey should die amid all of his power now, he can't keep disregarding her warnings, and he can't keep Edric alive at the potential expense of everyone. Not only that, the only thing he gets out of this victory is his own death. Yet he'll do it all because great or small, it's his duty.

[Nyrhex]

Probably at this point:

"Edric—" he started.

"—is one boy! He may be the best boy who ever drew breath and it would not matter. My duty is to the realm." His hand swept across the Painted Table. "How many boys dwell in Westeros? How many girls? How many men, how many women? The darkness will devour them all, she says. The night that never ends. She talks of prophecies . . . a hero reborn in the sea, living dragons hatched from dead stone . . . she speaks of signs and swears they point to me. I never asked for this, no more than I asked to be king. Yet dare I disregard her?" He ground his teeth. "We do not choose our destinies. Yet we must . . . we must do our duty, no? Great or small, we must do our duty. Melisandre swears that she has seen me in her flames, facing the dark with Lightbringer raised on high. Lightbringer!" Stannis gave a derisive snort. "It glimmers prettily, I'll grant you, but on the Blackwater this magic sword served me no better than any common steel. A dragon would have turned that battle. Aegon once stood here as I do, looking down on this table. Do you think we would name him Aegon the Conqueror today if he had not had dragons?"

"Your Grace," said Davos, "the cost . . . "

"I know the cost! Last night, gazing into that hearth, I saw things in the flames as well. I saw a king, a crown of fire on his brows, burning . . . burning, Davos. His own crown consumed his flesh and turned him into ash. Do you think I need Melisandre to tell me what that means? Or you?" The king moved, so his shadow fell upon King's Landing. "If Joffrey should die . . . what is the life of one bastard boy against a kingdom?"

"Everything," said Davos, softly.

He's got almost no army, no gold, only Saan's ships, his bannermen surrendered and his Hand betrayed him; his ability to take the throne seems non-existent. Yet Melisandre is telling him that it's not just the throne that concerns him, that the fate of the entire world rests on his shoulders, that he's responsible for saving humanity. Melisandre provides the only way for him to do that, but it will force him to betray the code he's held and kill a small boy who never did anything wrong. Though he initially refuses, Melisandre becomes harder and harder to deny, with her visions, her ability to strike down kings with her gods power, her warnings that time is running out, and the vision he's had of the enemy.

He knows that if Joffrey should die amid all of his power now, he can't keep disregarding her warnings, and he can't keep Edric alive at the potential expense of everyone. Not only that, the only thing he gets out of this victory is his own death. Yet he'll do it all because great or small, it's his duty.

:agree:

[calo760]

I have always rooted for Stannis since the death of Robert because he is the rightful heir, and Eddard spoke of him in such high regards while others spoke about how they fear him. When the war erupted he was the only one who had any rights to the thrones (besides Danaerys, though he family did rightfully lose their dominion over the Kingdoms to House Baratheon, by rite of conquest.

Every quote by Stannis or about Stannis is usually deep or epic or comical in some way. Once you understand Stannis, he is one of the funniest characters in the series (without trying to be).

He's one of the very few people in the series that uses magic, which makes his story even more interesting..and he has a fire God on his side (which I think will have a bigger role to play in the end)

Also, he is the ONLY one to respond to the Night's Watch letter, and if he ignored them as well and didn't show up when he did the Wildlings would have destroyed Castle Black and the Nights Watch, horribly murdering Jon Snow for being a traitor..and then would have ransacked the entire north with their 100,000 man army and would have raped, murdered (and cannibolize) their way south. That would have been lame

Instead, he crushes their army that greatly outnumbers his and then does the one thing no would ever have thought to do...allows the wildlings and giants through the wall to live safely in the North, as long as they declare for him as king, abandon their old gods and take Rhollor as their new God... or they can live with zombies and ice deamons on the other side of the wall. Which is pretty fair and in my opinion it shows a much more humanistic side of Stannis. He understands what the real enemy is. and his throne can wait.

[The Dragons Hand]

Stannis isn't my favorite, but I still really like him. I also like Daenerys. It's possible.

Anyways, Stannis is hugely refreshing, in the game of thrones the best moments often come from straight-talkers. Ollena Redwyne withstanding.

[Mikkel]

I have a lot of respect for people who will buckle down and do what's necessary, particularly when it's to their own detriment and potential demise.

Those who will make the hard choices, when it's required of them, and who will say "fuck you" to people who will only make the easy choices.

Those who value competence and loyalty over flash and fair-weather friendship.

Stannis, at his best, represents all of that. Of course he's a human character so there's lot of dark and depressing things about him, too.

I can't pinpoint exactly when he became my favorite, as the way he's described and spoken of before we meet him is hardly promising, so it was a gradual process from "he's not that bad" over "this guy really does not deserve his shitty reputation" to "I think this is by far the best candidate for King we've met so far".

[King of Winters]

He's not my favourite, but among my favourite. I stared liking him even more when he arrived at the Wall, and this quote just makes him a badass to me:

I defeated your uncle Victarion and his Iron Fleet off Fair Isle, the first time your father crowned himself. I held Storm's End against the power of the Reach for a year, and took Dragonstone from the Targaryens. I smashed Mance Rayder at the Wall, though he had twenty times my numbers. Tell me, turncloak, what battles has the Bastard of Bolton ever won that I should fear him?

[Nictarion]

I have a lot of respect for people who will buckle down and do what's necessary, particularly when it's to their own detriment and potential demise.

Like telling your brother that he's a cuckold?

[Kaguya]

Stannis will become my favorite character when pigs fly.

[Mikkel]

Like telling your brother that he's a cuckold?

Yes, that too, but obviously you need to believe your actions will make a difference, and not just result in your own death, with nothing to show for it. It'd just be an empty, suicidal gesture then.

Now if you want to start a discussion on whether Stannis' lack of faith in Robert and his (lack of) brotherly love was warranted, that's fine, but it's a different question, and this isn't the thread for it.

[No Song so Sweet]

When he is introduced, talking to Davos.

[peterbound]

Never?

[Michael Stark thenewwolf]

When he killed his brother... Oh when that's when I knew I didn't like him.

Or when he fled kings landing letting Jon Arryn die without sending anything to anyone to let them know his suspicions. For all his I am the one true king he sure could have done a lot more right at the start to stop all the things that went down. Granted the story wouldn't have been as foot but if I knew that was going on I would have gone to my brother and told him what was up not sail off and leave him with a wife who was bend on killing him.

[Stannis's birthright]

He bacame my favorite when he gave The now famous Nod to Jon after he beheaded Janos Slynt . Stannis is a stone cold badass ..

[Cayrouse]

Stannis will become my favorite character when pigs fly.

In a world with Ice Zombies and Dragons flying pigs aren't all that unbelievableBehold Clayton Sugg's Sigil. You'll come around yet! ;P

[GreatGatsby]

Bow before me.

[It-was-koff-the-Pie-koff]

When he called his wife out for going too far with Cressen. You can really tell how torn he is between being himself and being Melly's AA. That prologue was amazing, I think I'll read it right now.

[ForgottenKnight]

From the beginning more or less. The line about Margery dying a virgin in Renly's bed during the parlay is what grabbed my attention. When I realized he was an honorable man who understood the realities of the world and struggled with the moral decisions he must make to become king.

[Wmarshal]

Not saying my fav but top 20 in storms.

[Dead Wolf]

I like Stannis, but that may change if he insults Robb one more time