Brandon Stark No, not Bran the Legless. I'm talking Brandon "Come Out and Die" Stark. Sure, he's not alive in the book series, but anyone brave and stupid enough to charge into the Red Keep calling for Rhaegon Targaryen to man up and fight must be awesome. Right?
Jaime. I liked this guy since the beginning, even when he was the "bad guy." Sure, he did despicable things in A Game of Thrones, but he had a right to be arrogant and cocksure. Plus, unlike his sister, he could be hilarious when necessary. I appreciated his sharp wit and blade.
Arya What's not to love?
Sansa Yes, I feel the flak hitting me already. I've enjoyed her growth and think she has the intelligence to be a real player when she wakes up and smells the Westeros version of coffee.
Oberyn + the Sand Snakes What a bad ass. And I love that he has a slew of mean little daughters.
Least favorite:
Cersei and Joff Yes, I hate some of the people I should hate. And I want to punch the actor that plays Joff in the series. What a weasel.
Brienne She's big. She's ugly. She wants to be a man. No one likes her. She loved Renly. Jaime was nice to her. Wash, rinse, and repeat twenty times a chapter. Reading about her riding circles around Westeros puts me to sleep...
Dany I enjoy Dany in the show, mostly due to Emilia Clarke's portrayal. But in the book, she's a Mary Sue and self righteous to the point of being obnoxious. If I lived across the Narrow Sea, I'd dig up her dead brother, remelt his head, and pour the gold on hers too.
People like Davos, really? He always came across as such a .... doormat to me. Like bad **** just keeps happening to him and he's just kind of like "oh well, such is life" and keeps trucking along doing whatever Stannis tells him too. What's that, you kept this guy alive for a year while his castle was under siege and now he wants to cut off your fingers since you *used to be* a smuggler? Sounds fair!
I dunno if I had any real favourite characters... Tyrion I guess, his zingers are always pretty good. And of course Arya's story is one of the more interesting ones. OTOH I've found Bran's chapters to be kinda tedious, the whole "warging" thing doesn't really do it for me.
My prediction for the new book:
Spoil:
Arya gets hired to assassinate Jon
Also I think Sansa is eventually going to wise up and orchestrate Littlefinger's death somehow, but I think that'll happen towards the end of the series, probably not in the next book.
I like Davos cause he's the little guy that just keeps on trucking. Also despite being the little guy in a room full of yes men he's the only one with the balls to tell it straight. There is talk of his demise in the 4th book, but I can't help but feel that is entirely exaggerated.
For you're prediction within the spoiler, it's an interesting thought but if I could put a damper on it:
Spoil:
who's going to have the gold to hire the faceless to kill Jon? Remember in the first book while it would be a guarantee kill they balk at hiring one to kill Dany because it would cost a fortune, offering up a lordship was the cheaper route. The only one that would really want him dead is Cersei and I doubt she'd pay that price when she has her own 'cunning' to rely on.
For my own cunning prediction (and a warning that this deals with potential spoilers of Jon's questionable origins):
Spoil:
Maybe not in this book but perhaps Melisandre will sacrifice Jon to the fire to wake the 'stone dragon' she's so obsessed about. And she's successful... as Jon himself emerges from the fire unburnt as her dragon.
For you're prediction within the spoiler, it's an interesting thought but if I could put a damper on it:
Spoil:
who's going to have the gold to hire the faceless to kill Jon? Remember in the first book while it would be a guarantee kill they balk at hiring one to kill Dany because it would cost a fortune, offering up a lordship was the cheaper route. The only one that would really want him dead is Cersei and I doubt she'd pay that price when she has her own 'cunning' to rely on.
It's mostly a gut feeling based on the theme of
Spoil:
her having to renounce her past as part of her initiation into the Faceless Men... it would be just like GRRM to throw in a twist in order to put that to the test right away.
While it is mentioned in AGOT that it's pricey to hire a Faceless Man, remember that they do have a weird code of ethics... Arya earned THREE assassinations on her behalf just for saving Jaqen H'gar and two other criminals' lives. If someone saves Arya's life then she may owe them...
Also IIRC one of Robb's last acts before the Red Wedding was to legitimize Jon as his heir (the letter goes out before he dies, I think), so Jon could have a lot of people gunning for him since he's now the Heir to Winterfell
... should we continue to spoiler-tag speculation? Not sure if it's necessary
... should we continue to spoiler-tag speculation? Not sure if it's necessary
I vote no. This thread is clearly marked to indicate that it might include spoilers, and plus, none of this speculation can be spoilery since it's just that...speculation. Plus, I hate having to highlight everything.
It'll be interesting to see how they cast for Brienne in Season 2 -- how much of an emphasis they put on the looks and size and everything. Not too many 6+ foot tall ugly actresses out there.
This was the casting call:
Quote:
[BRIENNE TARTH] FEMALE. Age: 20s. A skilled warrior in service to Renly Baratheon. Larger and stronger than most men, we first meet Brienne when she wins a tournament, defeating the famed Loras Tyrell. Big-boned and plain faced, she has an awkward personality, but is also honest and loyal. She is derisively known as “Brienne the Beauty”… RECURRING. (Season Two: 6 episodes/Season Appearances: Multiple Season) Must be a MINIMUM of 5’10″. Do NOT submit actresses that look like models. We are looking for a big, WARRIOR-TYPE woman that’s more MANLY than womanly.
Apparently this Dutch actress has been campaigning for the role, though it looks like she's "only" 5'9".
Brienne She's big. She's ugly. She wants to be a man. No one likes her. She loved Renly. Jaime was nice to her. Wash, rinse, and repeat twenty times a chapter. Reading about her riding circles around Westeros puts me to sleep...
I actually agree with this.
She's not "bad", she's just boring and her insecurity became annoying after a while.
As for Sansa, someone mentioned she might be a huge player in the future...
She might, but I'll never like her. She was raised properly (by all accounts), with siblings that knew modesty and courage, yet she was petulant and petty and jelaous etc.... And got Lady killed.
She got Ned killed too, really, but I can't forgive puppies!!!!!!
Arya, on the other hand... The Harrenhall scenes with Jaqen are some of my favorites in the whole series.
BTW, it's been 15 years since GoT was published, and people on fan sites still can't agree on the fate of certain characters (while it's widely considered The Hound is probably still alive, there're debates on whether Syrio Forel lives - especially after the excellent portrayal of him in the series).
Any chance we get some chapters from Howland Reed's POV? You almost feel like there is an entire book work of material on his story. I also wonder if we'll ever find out what actually happened on the Tower of Joy and the whole stuff with Lyanna. From the little we've read about Rhaegar, he just doesn't seem to be the rap*st kind.
When I first read Brienne's desciption, I immediately thought of Nicole Bass...
BTW, it's been 15 years since GoT was published, and people on fan sites still can't agree on the fate of certain characters (while it's widely considered The Hound is probably still alive, there're debates on whether Syrio Forel lives - especially after the excellent portrayal of him in the series).
I'm interested in seeing how that scene goes in this weekend's episode. Martin himself wrote the script for it (the only one this season that is actually written by him) so I wonder if he might want to give fans some more "closure" on that issue. Since apparently a large number of them have been pestering him over the years over whether or not Syrio is alive.
Also I think GRRM is on record as saying that there would never be a Howland Reed POV because he "knows too much". Same with Littlefinger and Varys IIRC.
I really don't like Bran. I get that he's young and horrible things happened to him through no fault of his own, but he acts like a little ***** most of the time and his chapters are boring, especially until Meera and Joren come along.
I share the Sansa hate, she is given so many chances to do things better and keeps flubbing them, although towards the end of Crows she gets a bit better.
Jaime is awesome, it'll be really hard for the TV show to convince us of this after his introduction if it makes it that far though. Of course I love Arya, how could you not.
Also I think GRRM is on record as saying that there would never be a Howland Reed POV because he "knows too much". Same with Littlefinger and Varys IIRC.
Yeah, who wants to hear from people who actually know things
Even though we likely wont get a Howland POV, I would guess that he will get into the story sometime (hopefully sooner rather than later). Hasn't GRRM confirmed that Jon's parentage will be revealed? We just don't know when? So Howland either has to make some sort of an appearance, or Wylla is found and reveals the truth (if she's even alive).
I definitely see why some think Bran's chapters are a bit boring...I like him because of where I think the story is going, not so much the story so far. Now that he's beyond the Wall he has my full attention. I've loved the parts from beyond the Wall.
I'm interested in seeing how that scene goes in this weekend's episode. Martin himself wrote the script for it (the only one this season that is actually written by him) so I wonder if he might want to give fans some more "closure" on that issue. Since apparently a large number of them have been pestering him over the years over whether or not Syrio is alive.
Good point, especially since GRRM himself wrote it.
Either Syrio dies on screen, and we have closure.
Or Arya leaves with him fighting Meryn Trant after he offed 5 knights with a stick.
Also IIRC one of Robb's last acts before the Red Wedding was to legitimize Jon as his heir (the letter goes out before he dies, I think), so Jon could have a lot of people gunning for him since he's now the Heir to Winterfell
[/spoil]
... should we continue to spoiler-tag speculation? Not sure if it's necessary
But that wouldn't really matter, since Jon renounced all titles twice, once when he became a brother of the watch and again when he took command. Plus Stannis offered to give him Winterfell and he turned it down, I don't see how Robb legitimizing him would change that, especially as Bran, Rickon, Sansa, and Arya are in fact all alive.
So I know the whole fighter tournament has been done to death. Sandor versus Gregor. Jaime versus Arthur Dayne. Yet despite it all, the idea of it still intrigues me. That's what I love most about Martin's world: he's created real, flesh and blood characters worth debating who would win in a fight.
In that spirit, I have five matchups of slightly lesser talked about characters that intrigue me. And I view most of the fighters in Westeros like MMA fighters, all highly trained yet differences in skill level clearly exist. But despite those differences, even the best man can have a bad day or make a stupid decision. And even the mediocre can catch someone far better with a Hail Mary. See Matt Serra knocking out P4P champ George St. Pierre. That was the Westeros version of Jory Cassel cutting up Jaime Lannister.
So I will propose five matchups, and you tell me who wins how many times if they fought 10 times. If they're close, maybe a guy wins 6 of 10. If it would take a fluke to lose, it's 9 of 10. Feel free to add a reasoning if you'd like.
Match One
Areo Hotah vs. Victarion Greyjoy
Hotah: Best known for having hair like Taylor Hicks. Oh, and for being the big Norvos with the six-foot ax who hacked off Arys Oakheart's head.
Victarion: Best known for beating Euron Jr. out of his pregnant wife. Also, for being massive, wearing full plate, and being known as the warrior in one nasty family.
Match Two
Asha Greyjoy vs. Obara Sand
Asha: Best known for giving Theon some incesto blue balls, as well as being raised to throw a mean ax.
Obara: Best known for being like the least hot Kardashian sister (or Sand Snake if you will) but big, tough, and likely the best with arms.
Match Three
Lyn Corbray versus Osmund Kettleblack
Lyn: Best known for wanting to become Little Robert's new daddy. Also for killing a wounded Lewyn Martell of the Kingsguard at the Battle of the Trident, no small feat mind you.
Osmund: Best known for being confused with a certain winner of Dancing with the Stars. Also, for being a member of the Kingsguard (though some would question his appointment) and being six foot six.
Match Four
Euron Greyjoy vs. Shagga
Euron: Best known for being the subject of a Gnarles Barkley song. Also, for being well traveled. Fighting prowess unknown.
Shagga: Best known for being the son of Dolf and for having an obsession with goats. Also for his reckless, two-handed fighting style. Match Five
Garlan Tyrell vs. Brandon Stark
Garlan: Best known for being the Tyrell brother not to have shaved Renly's chest on television. Also known for being the best swordsman in the Tyrell clan, supposedly even dwarfing the Knight of Flowers in skill.
Brandon Stark: Best known for being the badass who called out Rhaegar Targaryen in his own house. Too bad that didn't end well. Also known for his hot temper and being a better swordsman than Eddard Stark.
But that wouldn't really matter, since Jon renounced all titles twice, once when he became a brother of the watch and again when he took command. Plus Stannis offered to give him Winterfell and he turned it down, I don't see how Robb legitimizing him would change that, especially as Bran, Rickon, Sansa, and Arya are in fact all alive.
Yeah, I forgot that it was offered to Jon by Stannis and that he declined. That said, I don't believe he's actually gotten the posthumous letter from Robb declaring him heir yet, which he might be more willing to accept. Also as far as the vast majority of people know, the other four Stark kids are dead (well, aside from the fake Arya who's supposed to marry Ramsey Bolton), so as long as Jon is perceived as the real heir then their could be people gunning for him? I guess it's a stretch but thematically it seems likely to me that Arya is going to be asked to assassinate someone from her past. Maybe not Jon.
Anyways here's the first review I've seen of the new book. It doesn't contain any specific spoilers but there are definitely some vague ones there, so consider yourself warned. Can't wait.
You can always order from Amazon or something, the prices are really decent these days (especially, "used" ones - like 2.99$ or something, mostly really good quality).
But that wouldn't really matter, since Jon renounced all titles twice, once when he became a brother of the watch and again when he took command. Plus Stannis offered to give him Winterfell and he turned it down, I don't see how Robb legitimizing him would change that, especially as Bran, Rickon, Sansa, and Arya are in fact all alive.
Unless the wall comes a tumbling down and they get overrun. An oath is meaningless if there's no more Night's Watch, and I highly doubt the final stand against the others will be at the wall. After Jon joins up with Dany and Tyrion in the south they can ride the dragons into the heart of the north and defeat the Others once and for all, then they can get married making Jon and Dany king and queen with Tyrion acting as the hand and they'll all live happily ever after.
It'll be interesting to see how they cast for Brienne in Season 2 -- how much of an emphasis they put on the looks and size and everything. Not too many 6+ foot tall ugly actresses out there.
This was the casting call:
Im sure they could do something to make her look taller than she is.
Count me on with the crowd that find's Brienne boring. I'm about 20% into Feast For Crows and I'm seriously considering skipping her chapters whenever I come across them.
Am I the only one who gets reminded of Biggus Dickus whenever Vargo Hoat's speaks?
Plus Stannis offered to give him Winterfell and he turned it down
He turned it down because Stannis wanted him to burn the godswood at Winterfell and become a disciple of the God of light and he also had to marry that wildling girl.
I think he would definitely accept the Robb 'heritage'.
My prediction: Jon Snow is the son of Rhaegar and Lyanna. Lyanna's 'Promise me Ned' was that he would raise the son as his own. If that is indeed the case, Jon Snow is the legitimate heir of the Seven kingdoms.
He turned it down because Stannis wanted him to burn the godswood at Winterfell and become a disciple of the God of light and he also had to marry that wildling girl.
I think he would definitely accept the Robb 'heritage'.
My prediction: Jon Snow is the son of Rhaegar and Lyanna. Lyanna's 'Promise me Ned' was that he would raise the son as his own. If that is indeed the case, Jon Snow is the legitimate heir of the Seven kingdoms.
I agree with your points about Jon...if he ever gets word that Robb did indeed name him heir he may change his mind. Although I am of the opinion that something will happen to the Wall, thus freeing Jon of any vows (although I don't expect that to happen in the next book).
I also agree that R and L is Jon's parentage...however, he would still be a *******, leaving Daenarys with the better claim.
There are theories though that Lyanna and Rhaegar might have been married, as apparently there is some evidence of the Targaryens and polygamy...I'm not sure if I believe that though, so I'm not sure if Jon would ever be legitimate.
He turned it down because Stannis wanted him to burn the godswood at Winterfell and become a disciple of the God of light and he also had to marry that wildling girl.
I think he would definitely accept the Robb 'heritage'.
My prediction: Jon Snow is the son of Rhaegar and Lyanna. Lyanna's 'Promise me Ned' was that he would raise the son as his own. If that is indeed the case, Jon Snow is the legitimate heir of the Seven kingdoms.
That's what I think also.
I wonder how they are going to come out and say it though.
Like are they going to introduce some secondary character who will tell them, or will it be more of a realization.
I also really like Yohn Royce as a secondary character. Sounds like Stannis a little(who I actually really like)
__________________ <-- Credit goes to The Nemesis.
I don't know that the "Promise me, Ned" was a request to raise Jon as his own son so much as it was a "Promise me you'll keep him safe," and that was the best way Ned could think to accomplish that.
I hate the theory that Syrio isn't dead. It makes no sense. It's pretty much based on the notion that he's a Faceless Man and is also Jaqen H'ghar. Which implies that he killed Meryn Trant and took his identity...but Meryn Trant is still hanging in King's Landing while Pate/Jaqen is in Oldtown at the same time. So since that makes no sense, people just transferred the Faceless Man aspect to Syrio for no reason, with no reason to make such a suggestion. My thought is Syrio=expert swordsman hired to train a noble's daughter, dies protecting her. He's just a character people like so much(for whatever reason, I don't really care for him) that they make up these far fetched, outlandish theories about how he MUST be alive just because we didn't actually SEE him die.
We don't actually see Ned die either, though...maybe he's actually a Faceless Man too and escaped to the Wall where he became Mance Rayder.
<-- Credit goes to The Nemesis.
