Which of the following Monarchs would you serve?

[Gingerly Grumkin]

I mean out of all of them so that includes Robert, Viserys, Joffrey, Stannis, Renly, Robb, Balon, Mance Rayder, Dany, Tommen, Euron and Aegon.

So many monarchs! I'll put them into groups

Hell no, never!

-Joffrey. Born of incest, a totall dick, and the way he treats poor Sansa... that's no king for me

-Stannis, he's chill and smart, but doomed and loves burning folks

-Viserys, I see the treatment he gives his "friends"

He's my leige so, I won't die for em

-Balon, good plans, no enemy in sight, promised wealth and stuff

-Mance, don't have to kneel, it's either him or the Others

-Tommen, ok, I guess

-Renly/Robert, why not? There nice and funny, and the people love em

-Aegon, the dragons back bitch!

I give you my life

Euron- Dragon what? Horn! Iron men, with dragons... sign me up your Grace!

Robb- The King in The North! He's an idiot, but his last name is so cool!

My life, my house, my friends life, everything and anything

ASOIAF has a lot of strange characters that don't make any sense. Like no one is as fucked up as Ramsay or Gregor and nobody can hide and creep like Varys. Warging direwolves are outlandish, as is dressing in Maester chains. But the one character that makes perfect sense is Darrio. I would in the drop of a second kill my friends, throw away my honor, put a bounty on my head, run away from home to just spend one more minute with Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar, the First Men and Meereen, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea the greatest monarch of all, Dany

[StannisBamfatheon]

Oh, I don't know about that. I get the sense that Stannis is made to be rather likeable to the reader, if not to the characters within the story. For one, he is immeasurably better at being king than Joffrey, Balon, and Robb.

Truth. But I meant contextually in the story he's unliked, as Renly would say "he inspires no love" It's really only in ADWD that Stannis becomes more heroic, wiser too, dare I say he grows as a leader. Something Dany seems to not be doing.

But as I've said before, there's a reason for that. If you look at Stannis in only Clash of Kings or Storm of Swords, I doubt very many readers would have supported him. But his actions in Dance, namely taking Jon's very sound advice, understanding that loyalty and fealty are earned, not given, and working to earn the northmen's loyalty by driving the vermin out of Winterfell proved to me (and I assume many others) that Stannis had his eureka moment and has started to shed the idea that the Iron Throne should be his just because.

The Theon Gift Chapter also sealed the deal for me when it comes to Stannis. His handling of the Karstarks, his cool confidence while keeping things close to the vest, his calling out his knights' bullshit when they shovel it, his dealing with the Iron Bank and his determination to pay off the debts, and, yeah, his nicknames (Lord Too-Fat, Ser Stupid, etc.) cemented for me that this is a guy I can root for.

ahhhh man, what's the point of me posting on this board. You say everything I say only with more eloquence. This may be my retirement post.

[ServantOnIce]

I mean out of all of them so that includes Robert, Viserys, Joffrey, Stannis, Renly, Robb, Balon, Mance Rayder, Dany, Tommen, Euron and Aegon.

Personally if I had to choose one it would either be Renly (seemed to have the interests of the people at heart) or Dany (good leadership and has an ability to inspire loyalty).

Queen Dany II

[Dr. Pepper]

Truth. But I meant contextually in the story he's unliked, as Renly would say "he inspires no love" It's really only in ADWD that Stannis becomes more heroic, wiser too, dare I say he grows as a leader. Something Dany seems to not be doing.

It is curious that we are given this thought early on about how Stannis inspires no love and he does quite a few very unlikeable things (shadowbabies, burning for executions, etc). But then when we look very closely, his core bannermen remain true to him against all odds. He's consistently outnumbered and out financed and yet they remain true when it would have been easier and their chances of survival much more likely if they had bent the knee to Joffrey or Tommen and/or concocted a scheme to have Stannis killed and return themselves to the rule of the Iron Throne. That's loyalty and love right there. They may not want to cuddle up and have a few drinks with him, but there's obviously something about Stannis that causes these folks to continue to follow and support him.

[Bourne]

Tommen, if only because it means Tywin would be the true king. But if I have to pick based solely off the monarch, Renly would be the best king to serve.

[assjfjgjsgjljljglgjfjsduar]

It is curious that we are given this thought early on about how Stannis inspires no love and he does quite a few very unlikeable things (shadowbabies, burning for executions, etc). But then when we look very closely, his core bannermen remain true to him against all odds. He's consistently outnumbered and out financed and yet they remain true when it would have been easier and their chances of survival much more likely if they had bent the knee to Joffrey or Tommen and/or concocted a scheme to have Stannis killed and return themselves to the rule of the Iron Throne. That's loyalty and love right there. They may not want to cuddle up and have a few drinks with him, but there's obviously something about Stannis that causes these folks to continue to follow and support him.

Really good observation. I think that with Stannis, the consistent pattern is, don't believe what you're told at face value. I mean, we're also told repeatedly how humorless this guy is, when he has one of the sharper dry wits in the series.

Queen Dany II

Who was Dany I? If you mean the Targ princess who married the Martell, she was never a monarch and thus would never have been styled Daenerys I.

[Lady Tippy Wolfsbane]

He pretty much did. Not in sentiment but in action. He acted in a way that could only mean that he valued the Freys, and his honor less than Jeyne's. Also he failed to realise that even though him and Lord Walder made a deal to marry a Frey into a Great House, Robb had in been promoted to the interim and that Lord Walder would lose out no matter what now. Fuck Robb. It doesn't matter if he tried to fix it, that's akin to throwing eggs at the wall and then offering to clean them up.

To each their own, but I disagree.

Also, if someone threw eggs at my wall, but then offered to clean them up...it really wouldn't bother me that much. :laugh:

[Gingerly Grumkin]

Who was Dany I?

Daenerys is such a great monarch she's ahead of her time

[SerStinger]

My problem with Stannis, more than with himself, is with his wife and Melly. My hatred of ultra-religious nuts is so immense that I would support the lovechild of Ramsay and Cersei who was killed and then raised from the dead by Qyburn over the side wich includes Melly and/or Damphair.

[Lady Tippy Wolfsbane]

It is curious that we are given this thought early on about how Stannis inspires no love and he does quite a few very unlikeable things (shadowbabies, burning for executions, etc). But then when we look very closely, his core bannermen remain true to him against all odds. He's consistently outnumbered and out financed and yet they remain true when it would have been easier and their chances of survival much more likely if they had bent the knee to Joffrey or Tommen and/or concocted a scheme to have Stannis killed and return themselves to the rule of the Iron Throne. That's loyalty and love right there. They may not want to cuddle up and have a few drinks with him, but there's obviously something about Stannis that causes these folks to continue to follow and support him.

As I read AGoT and ACoK I was constantly wondering why I liked Stannis. After his pre-shadow baby talk with Renly, I began to adore Stannis. In the later books it became apparent why I was initially drawn to him, plus if Davos considers you to be the ish...how bad can you be?

If he would kick Melisandre to the crub, I would gladly pledge my life to Stannis...no questions asked.

[Dr. Pepper]

As I read AGoT and ACoK I was constantly wondering why I liked Stannis. After his pre-shadow baby talk with Renly, I began to adore Stannis. In the later books it became apparent why I was initially drawn to him, plus if Davos considers you to be the ish...how bad can you be?

If he would kick Melisandre to the crub, I would gladly pledge my life to Stannis...no questions asked.

Yup, I take Davos' opinion quite seriously. Davos could have assisted the Tyrell's in finding a sea breach into Storm's End but he assisted Stannis instead. Davos also made a career out of being a smuggler. He could have continued on that way and become quite wealthy but he didn't. He chose to stay in Stannis' service for the long haul. True, his staying on with Stannis offered his sons a better life, but there are other better lives to be had. But he could have easily found this by aiding the Tyrells and by extension the Targs. And Davos proves that Stannis is so unbending because Davos has give Stannis pause and caused him to alter his tactics and plans.

I could totally do without Mel also. But what is interesting is that we see Stannis isn't really blindly following her every word. He's shrewd enough to mistrust her honesty when she says the leeches killed the king and doesn't go off burning people willy nilly just because she says so. And really, though fire is so much more terrifying than water or crystals, Stannis' use of a religious figure isn't all that different from the Ironborn using the Drowned God or the Lannisters using the HIgh Septon for their needs. I sort of get the feeling that Stannis grudgingly acknowledges that the Red God has helped him some and so he owes a sort of debt to him. Like in his head he's thinking, "Grr, this R'hllor is weird but it's my duty to honor him since he's assisted me."

[kissdbyfire]

The King in the North!

'Present' time, Stannis.

[Kittyhat]

In all serious have you read ASOIAF? Do you really think the battle of castle black happened off screen? Cause Stannis riding to the aid of the Night's watch totally happened in ASOS, it's right there in the text.

And? It's not like he was doing anything special there. It was basically just cleanup using an overwhelming force he'd obtained thanks to Melisandre's abilities and not his own. I didn't mention it because it didn't bear mentioning as a meaningful victory. A trained monkey could have led that force to victory under those circumstances.

And when did Dany ONCE pick up a sword?

What does that have to do with anything? Sure, I'm pretty sure Stannis would kick the living shit out of Daenerys in a swordfight without so much as breaking a sweat. That doesn't make him a better leader, just a better swordsman.

And honestly, Arya would beat her in that kind of fight, too. You wouldn't need to bring Stannis. It's utterly irrelevant, though.

[Castel]

If he would kick Melisandre to the crub, I would gladly pledge my life to Stannis...no questions asked.

Considering that Melisandre has consistently been useful and is the only one that has any inkling of what's going on beyond the Wall...I doubt that this will happen.

[Castel]

And? It's not like he was doing anything special there. It was basically just cleanup using an overwhelming force he'd obtained thanks to Melisandre's abilities and not his own. I didn't mention it because it didn't bear mentioning as a meaningful victory. A trained monkey could have led that force to victory under those circumstances.

By the time Stannis got to the Wall, he wasn't much better off than when he started. I can buy his knights having greater equipment/cohesion being a deciding factor, but he wasn't that much stronger than when he met Renly.

[assjfjgjsgjljljglgjfjsduar]

Daenerys is such a great monarch she's ahead of her time

More like, her spoiled-brat ego is so huge that she takes up two monarch titles.

[Gingerly Grumkin]

What does that have to do with anything?

I can't find the post your responding to, but Dany whipped the fuck out of that Aspator slaver

More like, her spoiled-brat ego is so huge that she takes up two monarch titles.

Spoiled? I never knew being hit by your brother/king, getting sold to a savage, betrayed by your "khallisar", a few attempts on your life, a dead baby and husband, was spoiled.

How about Emilia Clarke's ass is so fat it takes up two titles

[kissdbyfire]

Considering that Melisandre has consistently been useful and is the only one that has any inkling of what's going on beyond the Wall...I doubt that this will happen.

I think she's the most clueless as to what's going on beyond the Wall.

[Lady Tippy Wolfsbane]

Considering that Melisandre has consistently been useful and is the only one that has any inkling of what's going on beyond the Wall...I doubt that this will happen.

I doubt it will happen as well, but I also feel Melisandre will be Stannis' downfall. He would be an even greater character if it wasn't for her 'assistance'. I feel Melisandre is seriously misguided, especially with the goings-on beyond the Wall.

[BongSooHan]

Ned Stark would have made a great King if he has a decent council.

A good King is a King that does not want to be King. He is just and honorable.