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[Spoiler]Do you all hate Bran?


ShadowRaven

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Bran is my favorite character in the series. I'm re-reading the second book, and one of my favorite parts is when he is passing food off to people during the harvest feast, and he gives sweets to Ol' Nan and Hodor just because he loves them. I think that even at eight years old he would be a better king than a majority of the creeps vying for the Iron Throne, but he is much better suited distributing blessings from his weirwood network. His chapters may not be the most exciting, but as far as giving us a character we can still admire and care about, he is at the top of the list.

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I like Bran. Some of his chapters are slightly baffling with all the dreams and mysticism, and his northern journey was a little long. But I didn't find it boring or uneventful.

Whatever your opinion of the Bran chapters that have come before, from here on out he's going to be one of the POVs I look forward to the most. I think we're going to get access to a lot of fascinating historical info via Bran. His new abilities may be the key to finding the answers to a number of mysteries: Jon's parentage, Benjen's reason for joining the Watch, details about Rickard's southron ambitions, etc.

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I can't get over his warging of Hodor. Even a kid knows not to do that to their friend if it causes them pain and he is hiding it from others. Plus I just find the concept of mind control very insidious in general; much less applying it to a companion and friend because he has a weak mind. Suggesting that he doesn't see Hodor as a person; which for me undermines the him being a kid n likeable. I also felt he was very snappish and moody with Rickon for no real reason.

Aside from that. I have never been a fan, in any fantasy series, of people wandering around in the woods to get somehwere; even with good characters that you like. Bran is no exception to this. Plus, kid learning magic is a troupe I've never found the appeal of. When I read magician by Feist I always prefered reading about Thomas than about Pug for instance; even though the latter had more chapters. These things are just personal preferences and nothing to held against the character or standard of writing.

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I think it has something to do with the fact that the series is politically driven with elements of fantasy/magic. as Bran goes further north he becomes further removed from the politics and the game of thrones. I personally like the political intrigue of the series and the characters involved in the game of thrones. That is my favourite theme of the series. So I don't hate bran but I find his story is a distraction from the elements of the story that I like.

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I can't get over his warging of Hodor. Even a kid knows not to do that to their friend if it causes them pain and he is hiding it from others. Plus I just find the concept of mind control very insidious in general; much less applying it to a companion and friend because he has a weak mind. Suggesting that he doesn't see Hodor as a person; which for me undermines the him being a kid n likeable. I also felt he was very snappish and moody with Rickon for no real reason.

We have seen one case of him doing that when there wasn't a good reason for it. For all we know he stopped doing it after that or Hodor somehow let him know it was ok. We just don't know enough to condemn him for it yet. You could argue that when he wargs Hodor it makes one complete person. Hodor supplies the body and Bran the mind.

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Will we ever find something that we don't agree on?

We do disagree on some things. If you go in the confession thread you'll see. ;)

I can't get over his warging of Hodor. Even a kid knows not to do that to their friend if it causes them pain and he is hiding it from others. Plus I just find the concept of mind control very insidious in general; much less applying it to a companion and friend because he has a weak mind. Suggesting that he doesn't see Hodor as a person; which for me undermines the him being a kid n likeable. I also felt he was very snappish and moody with Rickon for no real reason.

Aside from that. I have never been a fan, in any fantasy series, of people wandering around in the woods to get somehwere; even with good characters that you like. Bran is no exception to this. Plus, kid learning magic is a troupe I've never found the appeal of. When I read magician by Feist I always prefered reading about Thomas than about Pug for instance; even though the latter had more chapters. These things are just personal preferences and nothing to held against the character or standard of writing.

Bran warging Hodor is definitely wrong. I think Bran isn't really thinking it through,though. The first time he did it it was just to shut Hodor up. The second time it was because he wanted to hang out with Meera and Jojen and that was the only way he could do it. I personally don't mind all the wandering even though it can get a bit dull at times.

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Bran is alright. His chapters, not so much.

I completely disagree that Bran's chapters aren't interesting. The feel of his chapters is totally different because he is now completely removed from society and there is a major supernatural aspect. Some people may not like the way his chapters are so different from the rest of characters.

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I like Bran, I feel as the series has gone on, his chapters has steadily improved. I loved his chapters in ADWD.

I also think his chapters have a different feel to them than all the others chapters do, especially since he crossed under the Wall and encountered the Others.

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I really liked his chapters in DANCE. Especially the one where they fought the wights and then met bloodraven. I felt robbed he only got 3 chapters and not one in the second half of the book... I think he is close to a big reveal about various things...

I wouldn't say Bran is one of my favorite characters, but I like him and I definitely want to see more of him with Bloodraven

I also think Summer is a very underrated wolf... saved Bran, saved Jon, killed all those wildlings, fought all those wights...

You could say that Summer has been the hero of the wolves so far. Jon would have been screwed if not for Summer / Bran.

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I love Bran and his chapters are mostly interesting. The long walk through the snow was perhaps dull but the rest is OK.

Not too wrapped in the Reeds and have no special wish to see them in the screen version. Meera is OK but Jojen is a bit creepy.

I do not wish to see Brandon become a tree (at least not yet).let him have 60 years of real life and then he can retire as a tree.

I see him as Bran the builder and Bran the sailor . He would make a fine Lord of Winterfell passing the role to Rickon at some stage (when he is ready to become a tree) or perhaps resigning to become Rickon's admiral.

I doubt he will have kids - it would take a very experienced lover to manage this so it is unlikely.

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Personally, I don't hate the kid at all, though at times his chapters have felt like a bit of a chore. This is not because of a deep personal dislike I have of Bran, but because for some reason, his chapters seem to indulge in great surplus all of the annoying fantasy cliches that GRRM so brilliantly avoids elsewhere. Bran's "mystical connection" with nature/ trees; him traveling through the frozen wastes to discover a mysterious presence that will mystically reveal his path in life; Jojen Reed's ridiculous charaterization as the wise child prophet/ seer who speaks like a bloody fortune cookie; and phrases like "green dreams" "opening your third eye" "children of the forest" all contribute to a rather cheesy atmosphere that feels both cliched and, at times, (dare I say it?) vaguely ridiculous. This has become a greater problem as of late, with the introduction of Bryndyn the mystical tree man, and the looming possiblity of Bran learning to open his "third eye." (Whatever the fuck that actually means. :uhoh: )

And don't even get me started on the children of the forest. They are super long lived! They are wise and supperior beings! They are quasi elphin forms! I feel as though I've read this all before, somewhere else, in other novels of this type. I've rarely gotten this feeling elsehwer in GRRM's universe; here I feel it constantly.

Of course, these are just opinions. I'm sure that for many, Bran's POV chapters make riveting reading. Alas, I personally cannot agree with this.

As for the lack of hard core Bran fans, I do see one issue with his characterization (rather than just his storyline) that might account for this. In the past, GRRM has admitted that it was difficult to write from Bran, a then seven year olds, perspective. IMO, this sort of came through to me with his characterization in the first book, and continues to do so. In a book full of complex, multifaceted characters, Bran has always come off (to me) as somewhat one note. Less than complex, less than compelling, less, at times, than fully believable. However, no doubht many will disagree with me on this; and love Bran and see him as fascinating. However, I do think it is an undeniable fact that Bran has in general inspired less fanfare and less of a following amongst readers as characters like Danerys, Jon Snow, Arya, or Sansa. In my opinion, this is why.

This

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