What small thing really annoyed you?

[Winds of Winter blow cold]

1. "Tansy". What on earth was all the point of that scene? Was it meant to be some great twist, that we think he's referring to a girl, when it's an ingredient for an abortion potion? Why would he just call out one ingredient like that? Just sounds silly every time I read it.

Tansy is an ingredient in Moon Tea. It helped Cat figure out what happened with Lyssa.

[SerStinger]

I know they are. I was thinking of Martin here. He seems to focus on the breasts of his female characters quite a bit. Check out how often Dany thinks of hers, it's almost uncanny.

Well Dany seems to have spectacular breasts, and I think that's part of her character.

[Lord Liam DarkStark]

I believe Tansy was a nickname, one of Cat's theories. Granted, no evidence either way.

It seemed more that he was speaking of tansy tea he forced on lysa. But we did meet a wench in the same book from a whorehouse in the riverlands named tansy. Much more inclined to the first though. For my opinion.

Now what little thing annoyed me is.........wow........ I'm trying so hard to think of something and I can't! Besides being kept in the dark about everything!! I hope as the long night comes and the darker it gets the more enlightened on the storyline we'll be.

I did kinda get annoyed that we don't get more views on vaylria too.

[KhaleesiDany]

Well Dany seems to have spectacular breasts, and I think that's part of her character.

I think so too!

[thestarsapart]

The moment when Sansa refuses to kneel for Tyrion at the wedding is a microcosm of their marriage. Sansa is powerless over the big things, but she has power in the little things with her cold dignity. Tyrion desperately wants to feel respected and loved so her coldness hurts him but he neither woos her nor uses force. I thought it was a good scene. I think most of the arguing about that scene boils down to trying to assign blame for their marital unhappiness.

I think Tyrion and Sansa's relationship is one of the many little tragedies of this series. They probably could have found a lot of comfort from each other, as both are outcasts of a sort and could use a friend. Sansa's fear, grief, and disgust and Tyrion's need for respect and sensitivity to rejection prevents this from happening.

Look at the wedding in context for Sansa. She was finally entertaining hopes of escaping Kings Landing by marrying Willas Tyrell. She even reminds herself not to judge Willas for not being the young and beautiful Loras. The wedding is sprung on her that very morning, so she has just learned that she won't be getting away from Joffrey and Cersei and will also be marrying a man most of the kingdom seems to consider grotesque and laughable. Just to remind her, Joffrey gropes her while removing the maiden's cloak (which is also very upsetting, as Ned should be doing this and instead it's the person responsible for his death) immediately before this scene!

I sympathize with Tyrion but I can't blame Sansa. She does regret her stubbornness right afterwards, and she kneels for Tyrion to kiss her. She's well aware that Tyrion treats her better than most people at court, and acknowledges this to herself several times. I do wish that she had opened up to Tyrion a bit more after the wedding, when he obviously tries to make things easier for her, but what did she learn from the last time she tried to trust and care about a Lannister?

That's what makes this scene so sad. The actions of both characters are perfectly reasonable and justified, but they just end up costing them an opportunity for some comfort and happiness.

[Harle The Handsome]

I think its annoying that it could even be done. I thought the knowledge of how to forge Valyrian steel was lost? I don't see how melting a Valyrian sword down and reforging it would be possible.

As GRRM said when asked in an interview, "You cannot make NEW Valaryan Steel, but you can reforge Valaryan Steel."

It could be that he is owning what he is being called, as he owned "dwarf" the better to be able to survive. No idea why he told Jaime he did it. Maybe a final F you.

I think it was two parts. First it was to hurt Jaime as much as Tyrion was hurt when Jaime told him his first wife wasn't really a whore. The second, and this is more a guess from trying to understand Tyrion, is to keep Jaime from looking any further into Joffrey's murder. Uncovering the truth could do even more harm to the realm than the false conviction of Tyrion.

[PatrickStormborn]

One small thing that annoys me is that, for some reason, no one ever thinks to reforge Valyrian Steel daggers (which are basically useless) into swords. Am I missing something here? Wouldn't that have answered Tywin's problem? I get that GRRM wanted to twist the knife in with Tywin reforging Ice, but if that's the case he could have just made no mention of valyrian steel daggers.

[Brandon Martell]

One small thing that annoys me is that, for some reason, no one ever thinks to reforge Valyrian Steel daggers (which are basically useless) into swords. Am I missing something here? Wouldn't that have answered Tywin's problem? I get that GRRM wanted to twist the knife in with Tywin reforging Ice, but if that's the case he could have just made no mention of valyrian steel daggers.

^^^this. It seems that Valyrian steel daggers are not that rare. They're a bit expensive, but not rare. I can't see why Tywin didn't just buy a few daggers and make a shortsword out of them.

[Brandon Martell]

Also two small thing that really annoys me (and this is really small): "Everything happened so fast.", and GRRM's use of the word cupped. Every time he uses it I imagine the person making his hands in the shape of a cup to drink water or something, and it looks awkward in my mind when he says things like "she cupped his cheek."

[Night Gathers]

One small thing that annoys me is that, for some reason, no one ever thinks to reforge Valyrian Steel daggers (which are basically useless) into swords. Am I missing something here? Wouldn't that have answered Tywin's problem? I get that GRRM wanted to twist the knife in with Tywin reforging Ice, but if that's the case he could have just made no mention of valyrian steel daggers.

The way I see it, the books try to give us the understanding that it's really hard to find someone able to reforge valyrian steel, especially with all the spells. But it's certainly odd since Tywin found Tobho Mott, and he knows how to do it, so I agree it feels strange that the major houses without a significant blade haven't done something about it, especially the Lannisters.

[Ser Lepus]

The way I see it, the books try to give us the understanding that it's really hard to find someone able to reforge valyrian steel, especially with all the spells. But it's certainly odd since Tywin found Tobho Mott, and he knows how to do it, so I agree it feels strange that the major houses without a significant blade haven't done something about it, especially the Lannisters.

Tobho Mott and others can refoge old items, but not make more valyrian steel. I would say Tywin have been gathering all the valyrian steel stuff he could put his hands on for some time, in the hope of forging a valyrian sword, but he would need several daggers to make a single sword, and we don't know how many valyrian daggers are around.

Think of this: valyrian swords are supreme objects of prestige, lords and kings have been always seeking them but there isn't any new valyrian steel being created since four centuries ago, so there probably have been other important people trying to gather valyrian steel to make their own royal swords before (think of Harren, Argilac, the dornish princes, House Gardener...etc.). Tywin has probably just arrived too late, and there isn't enough valyrian steel left around.

As a matter of fact, if there were enough daggers around to make more valyrian swords, the price of each dagger would rise astronomically, since everybody would know Tywin would pay millions to get them (offer and demand). If Littlefinger's valyrian dagger is worth only as much as 10,000 gold dragons is probably because you can't use it to make a sword, so you're stuck with a dagger that isn't useful as an object of prestige, and isn't even that useful in combat.

[Brienne Tarly]

Freys with Targaryen names. RHAEGAR Frey? Really?

Also the fact that hardly anybody seems to be able to eat without grease or juice or whatever running down their chin. It's not that hard to avoid, right? Do these people want to get even more dirty and smelly than they already are?

Haha, I think the Frey names are that way to demonstrate how Walder is always trying to curry favour with who's in charge: there is a whole bunch of kids with Targ names, then there's at least two Roberts, also a (middle-aged?) Tytos, and among the youngest ones are a Cersei, a Tywin and a Jaime.

Re. Juice

I have noticed that, too, and then I also noticed that some people are described to be very careful not to have juice on them. And I realised that GRRM uses this to characterise people. People with grease in their face may cruel, OR just like to indulge in life's pleasures, i.e. Robert, Tormund, Tyrion, ...

Anyway, medieval or pre-modern table manners where not what they are today. First of all, fat was considered a good thing, and if you eat greasy things, especially with little or no cutlery, it's difficult not to get messy.

Fruit juice seems to point toward sensuality, and/or a willingness to do "dirty work". Examples off the top of my head: Renly's peach, blood oranges in Dorne, Septon Meribald, who used to have a very inappropriate "weakness" for women, and now only a weakness for oranges...

While on the other hand, Littlefinger is very careful to eat some fruit without getting his hands and face juicy (dirty); Ser Bonifer the Good cuts a (shriveled) pear so as not to be stained by juice... I don't know whether there are other examples, but these stood out to me.

[Arkantos]

Grey Wind didn't kill enough Freys :(

[The Monkey]

The fact that The Ned's bones were send north from Riverrun in the middle of aCoK, and never heard about again. What's up with that?

[The Wolves]

When Sansa and Tyrion was talking in the carriage on the way to Joffery's wedding feast. Tyrion was asking about Bran and when Sansa replied Tyrion said something like Bran and Rickon were innocent but Robb rebelled against his right king, that pissed me off. Robb rebelled against a psychotic, Lannister, little bastard, Robb rebelled against no king ugh.

When Stannis sat at court and let his maester be made in front of(keep it classy Stannis keep it classy) and the way the Frays treated Hodor. The Lannister, Fray, and Boltons existence.

The fact that anybody but a Stark is in Winterfell and Tyrion thoughts about being The Lord of Winterfell and telling Bronn he will command the North(yeah the feck right). Bronn abandoning Tyrion annoyed me so much.

Anytime a Lannister, Fray, or Bolton mentions the Starks I see red. The common folk suffering. Also the way people have switched sides in this war have annoyed me. Loras Tyrell annoys me for some reason so does Mace's presence.

[Sand Snake No. 9]

The fact that anybody but a Stark is in Winterfell and Tyrion thoughts about being The Lord of Winterfell and telling Bronn he will command the North(yeah the feck right). Bronn abandoning Tyrion annoyed me so much.

I'll second that emotion. In the absence of plot armor he shouldn't even make it through the Neck alive.

[Kittykatknits]

Well Dany seems to have spectacular breasts, and I think that's part of her character.

For George it sure is. She is constantly reflecting on how they feel, swing, sway, and looks. It's bizarre. And they are never described as spectacular, rather they are small.

I'll second that emotion. In the absence of plot armor he shouldn't even make it through the Neck alive.

The man would be dead within hours of setting foot inside WF. To me, Tywin's plan here showed just how little he and Tyrion understood Northern culture. The whole thing makes me want to vomit.

[Queen Cersei I]

I hated how Littlefinger and Renly made fun of poor little Shireen.

Renly both mocked his brother's sexuality (something that's nasty, petty, rude, and actually degrades the whole Baratheon family-- including Renly himself), then says "I wonder how he got that ugly daughter of his." You mean that innocent child who was scarred horrifically by a childhood illness that was by no means her fault, Renly? Yeesh, what a creep. Making fun of unattractive people is one thing, but mocking a gentle hearted, lonely little girl of 9 (his own niece) is completely another. What a creep.

And Littlefinger was even more revolting: "People have said Stannis must love his daughters to have erected statues of her all over Dragonstone. I said, no Ser, that is not the little girl, but a gargoyle."

Some might find the following amusing/ witty, but personally (beyond the shock value that LF is really this much of a dick) I found it pathetic. I mean, seriously, unlike the 21 year old Renly (who at least has his youth as an excuse) Littlefinger is over 30. Here's he's acting like a 14 year old, and an immature 14 year old at that.

[Jolene Brown]

Some might find the following amusing/ witty, but personally (beyond the shock value that LF is really this much of a dick) I found it pathetic. I mean, seriously, unlike the 21 year old Renly (who at least has his youth as an excuse) Littlefinger is over 30. Here's he's acting like a 14 year old, and an immature 14 year old at that.

He seems sort of emotionally stunted generally. He's clearly been stewing over his upbringing with the Tullys and everything that happened with Cat since he actually was around 14 (or was he younger?). He may be clever and manipulative but there is a lot about how actual human beings think and feel that I don't think he understands.

[Field of Asphodel]

I hated how Littlefinger and Renly made fun of poor little Shireen.

Renly both mocked his brother's sexuality (something that's nasty, petty, rude, and actually degrades the whole Baratheon family-- including Renly himself), then says "I wonder how he got that ugly daughter of his." You mean that innocent child who was scarred horrifically by a childhood illness that was by no means her fault, Renly? Yeesh, what a creep. Making fun of unattractive people is one thing, but mocking a gentle hearted, lonely little girl of 9 (his own niece) is completely another. What a creep.

Stannis was quick to dismiss Tommen and Myrcella as abominations of incest too, and until a few years ago, he thought they were his nephew and niece. Apparently, nieces and nephews don't count for much among the Baratheons.