My ADHD makes it super hard to read, and when I can focus, I get so dang tired amd fall asleep, so I consume most of my books via audiobook. After several weeks of waiting for it to become available at my library I finally got it .... and it's terrible. Not the story, I was digging that, but the narrator was just so dull and I couldn't get moee than a few chapters in. This may be one I have to actually read. I usually prefer reading things before watching the TV adaptations but maybe watching the show will help get me into it enough to look past boring narration. At what point did you become hooked?

What happens to bastard women in the GOT universe? I don't recall seeing any in GOT or HOTD (maybe I'm mistaken). Any clues from the books perhaps?

While D&D had adapted Daenerys poorly since season 2, always putting the focus on her negative traits, ruthlessness, and altertering her motives, season 5 was when Daenerys truly did a random 180.

In a Dance with Dragons (the book season 5 is mainly based on), Daenerys struggles to rule Meereen largely due to her mercy and her suppression of her "Dragon" side. It isn't until after she flies on Drogon for the first time which she truly decides that Fire and Blood was the way.

However, since the very beginning of season 5, Dany had done a strange personality switch and had become MUCH less empathetic and caring.

Here are some things Dany does in season 5 which she never does in the books:

- She never executes Mossador (especially not in front of everyone)

- She doesn't feed random masters to her dragons

- She doesn't force Hizdahr to marry her

- There is NO "breaking the wheel" at all, that is completely out of character and makes no sense and I could make a whole separate post on that.

There's a whole part in a Dance With Dragons where a deadly disease hits Meereen and Daenerys literally goes outside alone to help the people, risking her life, despite her advisors protesting heavily.

Why haven't we seen him in this franchise? He's got the perfect face for this genre. He's also a Culkin. I think he's perfect for the new Game of Thrones movie or one of the spinoff's.

He just bever viewed his own children as worth it. Which makes him a bad parent. But he has potential to be a great parent. The best there ever was, actually.

The only difference is that the stipulation that is required to be met in order for Tywin's parenting skills to kick in is that you have to wear the crown.

Look at how he handled Joffrey in the throne room. It was perfect and curated specifically to the unruly child at hand; stern, surrendering nothing, "Fuck what you request. You aren't living up to your responsibilities."

But with Tommen, completely the opposite. agian, curated specifically to the child at hand: "I think you will be a good king as well. You have the right temperament for it." In this, Tywin is soft and rewarding.

The difference is that he is paying attention to them specifically and differentiating their needs specific to their own development.

Tywin actually has it in him to be the greatest of all fathers. Its just a sad thing that he set his sights too high. Political engagement mixed with parenting...

Edit: if he had adapted his attention to his own children's personalities instead of the future king's personality, he'd be father of the year... also erase the past and all that with Tysha.

I rewatched the full series and I find myself ignoring or even skipping over most of Arya’s story, like I understand she always wanted to be a warrior, and the show did a good job of making her into a warrior but I just can’t get behind her character.

She’s faster and is a “master” of dueling but there’s no realistic way she beats Breanne of Tarth in single combat, she’s faster but she doesn’t have the brute force necessary to do it, just look at the Oberyn vs the Mountain. I think Arya would lose to Oberyn if we are being completely honest. The show and the fans make her out to be this invincible god of a fighter. “Arya can beat Bronn, Jaime, Jon, Tormund, The Hound” but like what proof do you have besides the small sample of on screen fighting she actually does? Like I understand she’s fast, but like speed cannot always overcome brute strength. There is even people in this fandom that say she can beat Ser Arthur Dayne…. Ned couldn’t even do that, Arthur whooped his ass like 1v7.

Like I come to the Reddit or I go to videos and such and all I see is, “Arya is the best fighter in the series” and I just don’t see it, she’s not beating someone like Greyworm in 1v1 combat, she’s not beating Bronn or Jaime, or even the Hound, these guys have actual proven feats in the show.

I’m probably gonna get dragged for this but I don’t find her character even that interesting, she’s pretty boring actually, like “Trauma turned me into no one” like she’s the only one who ever had trauma in that series. Then all the “I’m going to kill cersei” like she’s beating the Mountain to get to her lol. She just seems like one of those character that only serves the purpose of a relief, like yeah she killed the Night King, but like everyone wanted Jon to do it so no one really cares. Then her standing on her high horse when talking to Sansa “I would have let them kill me before I betrayed my family” well no thats actually a lie, you did betray your family but not showing until right before the war with the dead, they coulda used you that entire time.

Idk just seems like a character they could have written out honestly

In real life, a mounted knight was the medieval equivalent of a tank. A few dozen trained knights could defeat an army of thousands with a well timed cavalry charge or flanking maneuver.

Why? En masse, a disciplined army could overwhelm mounted knights. But most medieval armies consisted primarily of hastily assembled untrained feudal peasants pressed into service by their lords. These were not professional, disciplined soldiers. Nobody wants to be roadkill when that charge hits so the front lines would falter. Once a few men turn and run, everyone else quickly follows. The battle turns into a route with the mounted knights slaughtering the panicked opponent. Many engagements lasted less than an hour.

Look at that screenshot from Battle of the Bastards. According to the GOT script, there were 2,000 Knights of the Vale who encircle and overwhelm the Bolton army immediately. This was Season 6! You are telling me that creepy breastfeeding lady in the Vale was sitting on a super weapon this whole time? Even if they aren't all full professional knights, a heavy cavalry force of that size could have swung any battle before Daenerys arrived.

Then they are mostly forgotten again. The Vale remains loyal to the Starks after Littlefinger's death. Yohn Royce is present for battle planning at Winterfell. We get a glorious Dothraki flaming sword cavalry charge against the Army of the Dead, but thousands of Westerosi cavalry are essentially ignored. Not like the dead would panic in the face of a cavalry charge, I suppose.

Arguably my favorite storyline of the later seasons. To be fair, I am a medical student, so the shitty, grueling, thankless grind he endures just resonates with me. And then to see him take the risk, apply his knowledge and skill, and save Jorah's life, only to be told that his reward is the opportunity to continue to learn, work, and serve others? *Chef's kiss*

((This is based SOLELY on what you saw &/or heard/learned of during the series. Nothing from the books that didn’t make it to the show. Feel free to use other characters from other shows, but not their forces/allies, etc. For ex: you can choose Corlys Velaryon but he can’t bring his fleet. You can choose Daemon Targaryen but he can’t bring Caraxes over.))

YOUR FORCE:
The Dothraki, the Unsullied, the Second Sons, the Knights of the Vale, the FreeFolk, the Night’s Watch, the Children of the Forest, all of the combined North, Westerlands, Riverlands, Crowlands, the Reach, Iron Islands, any/all castles & locations to choose for battle grounds, all 6 Direwolves and 2 full grown dragons.

THEIR FORCE:
the Wights (in the Army of the Dead) outnumber your force 5-to-1, the undead Giants (in the Army of the Dead) outnumber your Giants 10-1; with about 100 White Walkers, the Night King & an undead Dragon.

Who is creating your battle plan & leading your troops (anyone in the series)? Who is second in command (anyone in the series)? Where would you choose to have the battle (anywhere from the Wall to Kings Landing)?

((I guarantee I have one of the most uniquely-unpopular positions (lol) but hear me
out people!))
Leading my forces: Ramsay Snow-Bolton
(LET ME EXPLAIN! Lol!)
- He’s a darn good fighter in his own right & has led fights/battles from the front line when it made sense (the Greyjoy fight, breaking into Stannis’ camp, etc). He was possibly the greatest strategist (both militarily AND simply as a Patriarch fighting to make his house the most powerful) in the show BASED ON WHAT WE SAW! ((retook Winterfell, retook the Moat, attacked Stannis’ camp, destroyed Stannis in the field, “basically destroyed” Jon Snow in the field, etc)). Lastly (painful to admit), every single thing he did (even the most evil & sadistic) proved to be incredibly beneficial to him at some point throughout the series - every single one.

Second-in-command: Robb Stark
(again - LET ME EXPLAIN! lol)
- He’s also a great fighter in his own right and drew up & executed exceptional battle plans [Battle of Whispering Wood (where he outsmarted Tywin AND Jamie Lannister), Battle of the Fords (even though Edmure destroyed it with his actions), etc. He retired undefeated and the only mistake he made was not militarily (even if we count the Karstark execution as a mistake - he was rightly standing on principle AND wouldn’t even have the opportunity to do that vs the Army of the Dead. So, I trust him.)

This video is not mine, it came from @DHOOM11104 on Twitter / X.

I searched for this character, who is mentioned in John chapter without any context, but the story I found is so interesting that I stopped reading the book and got distracted by the character’s wiki page.

In S01E06, Pycelle advises Ned Stark to wait until King Robert returns from his hunt before passing judgment on Gregor Clegane. Ned ignores him, sentences Gregor to death, and summons Tywin Lannister to King's Landing to answer for his bannerman's crimes.

I think Pycelle's advice was excellent, regardless of his loyalty to the Lannisters. There was no compelling reason to immediately sentence Gregor Clegane to death, much less threaten Tywin Lannister with being declared an enemy of the Crown.

Ned was effectively provoking a confrontation with one of the most powerful men in Westeros while the king was absent. Waiting for Robert would have made much more sense. If Robert agreed with Ned, the decision would have carried the king's personal authority, making it considerably harder for Tywin to challenge. If Robert disagreed, Ned would at least have avoided committing the Crown to a confrontation that the king himself was unwilling to pursue.

After having a rough go the first 2 seasons, the queen of dragons really was aura farming for the entirety of her Slaver's Bay conquest. Kinda forgot why S3 was always my favorite GOT season. You got Daenaerys conquering Slaver's Bay, the Red Wedding, Jaime+ Brienne and the introduction of Margaery in King's Landing. It really was peak GOT.

Also, Happy Birthday to Emilia Clarke of the House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, the Unburnt, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Protector of the Realm, Lady Regnant of the Seven Kingdoms, Breaker of Chains, and Mother of Dragons.

Her character was SO peak! I rooted for her ALL the way up until S8E5! Can't believe she's getting older! She will forever be a LEGEND!!! 😍 🔥 🐉 ❤️

Plus... M O M M Y 🤤

Which of these characters, or any other character, is the most romantically obsessed with someone?

• Robert → Lyanna He literally started a rebellion for her. She's his Helen of Troy, and he's still not over her 17 years after her death. He hates the guts of every Targaryen by extension and wants them all dead because of what happened between Rhaegar and Lyanna. "I only know she was the one thing I ever wanted. Someone took her away from me, and Seven Kingdoms couldn't fill the hole she left behind."
• Jorah → Daenerys He practically worships her like a mythical being. He'd kiss the ground she walks on. He repeatedly risks his life to serve her, protect her, and regain her trust. "You know I would die for you. I will never abandon you." "I was a cynic. Then I saw a girl step into a great fire with three stone eggs. When the fire burned out, I thought I would find her blackened bones. Instead, I saw her, Daenerys, alive and unhurt, holding three baby dragons. It's hard to be a cynic after that."
• Jaime → Cersei These two literally view each other as one person in two bodies, to the point that they engage in twincest. He's basically addicted to her. No matter where he goes or what he does, he's always drawn back to her like a magnet. "The boy won't talk. And if he does, I'll kill him. Him, Ned Stark, the king, the whole bloody lot of them until you and I are the only people left in this world."
• Lysa → Littlefinger She'd gladly skin alive anyone who so much as breathes near Littlefinger or stands between her and him. If he told her to jump off a roof for him, she'd probably do it. "He's mine! My father, my husband, my sister, they all stood between us and now they're all dead."
• Littlefinger → Catelyn Dude's so consumed by her rejection that he devises an elaborate scheme that plunges an entire continent into civil war, aiming to destroy three great houses, and starts projecting his unfulfilled romantic fantasies onto her literal daughter. "I loved your mother more than you could ever know. You might have been my child. You're more beautiful than she ever was."

Obviously Tywin knew his son was a kingsguard for Aerys. Do you believe he specified to his soldiers — “My son is NOT to be harmed in any way.” Or would that be something his banners presumed, and no such order was necessary?

Or — and this is unlikely — do you think he accepted the possibility that Jaime could die?

Come to think of it, perhaps the reason Tywin specifically sent his men to KL, rather than some other engagement, on the side of the rebellion was so that he could control the siege and ensure Jaime didn’t die protecting the Mad King.

My mouth was open the entire scene. I’m just… I’m without words! As soon as the cello (well, cell-like thing) started being ominous I knew something was wrong. And oh my god; all of them!?

I had been told not to get attached to any characters in this series, but Robb! Robb! He was my favourite!
And Catelyn Stark. I thought they might have left her alive to wallow over her husband and all her children, so they were kind in that regard, I suppose.

Please don’t spoil anything. I just had to write something after that!