icon anon! i’m excited i not only pegged it as gil (mr foglio does have a p identifiable art style, so that wasn’t very hard) but also knew it was from the page where he’s screaming about destroying england. i think my favorite gil moment is probably when he’s screaming about how he tries to be a reasonable person while beating the everloving shit out of vole.

Considering that as the capper to his encounter with the war stompers, it’s definitely Peak Gil.

this is completely unrelated to asoiaf but still vitally important: is your icon a picture of gilgamesh wulfenbach or am i completely imagining things?? thanks! (or sorry, if someone has already asked you this)

It is indeed. I’m a huge Girl Genius fan, and Gil has been my favorite ever since this comic.

Pycelle is kept on because he’s already a Lannister stooge. Barristan is a symbol of continuity, legitimacy, and Robert’s knightly mercy. Jaime can’t be released from the Kingsguard because that would reward his kingslaying, but neither can he be forced to take the black without making an enemy of Tywin and Robert’s new queen from the outset. But is there a valid Watsonian reason for keeping Varys alive? He was wholly a creature of Aerys, a foreigner with no natural allied constituency.

1. Robert was generally pro-amnesty.

2. Varys is good at his job.

3. In part because he’s a foreigner, he’s not deemed to have any specific loyalties to House Targaryen – a sellspy if you will.

4. It’s kind of a dirty job, so there might be fewer other candidates.

What do you think the future holds for Thoros of Myr? Hopefully he’s not just sat in a tavern with a few certain Tyroshi sellswords.

I think he’ll be there for the end of the Brotherhood Without Banners, when LSH finally goes too far for him.

How many courtiers do you think the lesser lords (like the Rohannes) host? What about the Red Keep?

Well, Rohane Webber seems to have around six or so.

The Red Keep in normal times? A hundred or two.

Do you ever get the feeling that ASOIAF is a bit restricted by its use of POV exclusive to the Second Estate? I feel that it somewhat hampers the sense of a full, realised world in favour of a mere chess game for the Nobility.

This is why Davos is the best.

If Harrold Hardyng becomes the lord of the Eyrie would he change his last name to Arryn?

Absolutely. Not only is it just very basic politics, but it seems to have been the case in all failures of the line – such as when Joffrey Lydden became Joffrey Lannister upon the death of King Gerold III without male issue.

Chapter-by-Chapter Analysis: Tyrion XI, ACOK

“Them as own all this won’t like that much.” “I never imagined they would. So be it; they’ll have something else to curse the evil monkey demon for.” Synopsis: as Stannis‘ army nears King’s Landing, Tyrion organizes the defenses of the city. SPOILER WARNING: This chapter analysis, and all following, will contain spoilers for all Song of Ice and Fire novels and Game of Thrones episodes. Caveat…

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The Battle of Blackwater Fortnight Is Here!

Credit to haryarti After a long wait, the Battle of Blackwater Week Fortnight is here! A brief explanation of the festivities: 12/14 – Tyrion XI 12/15 – Sansa IV 12/16 – Tyrion XII 12/17 – Sansa V 12/18 – Davos III 12/19 – Game of Thrones Season 2, Episode 9 Podcast Re-Post Sometime Week 1: Bonus Podcast Recorded and Released (Kickstarter backers get advance copies) 12/21 – Tyrion XIII 12/22 –…

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If the lords of the Vale had somehow managed to work around Lysa and ride to help Robb, would they be doing that as part of the old RR alliance or because they implicitly sought to join his kingdom? Robb is Lord of Winterfell in his own right and he can plausibly claim some sort of dominion over the Riverlands through his Tully grandfather, but the only way to cement a new kingdom that includes the Vale would be a marriage, probably to Ysilla Royce (not yet married to Mychel Redfort).

That’s a major quandary, and part of what would have made helping Robb a bit tricky. But again, it depends about timing – if it’s before Catelyn XI, then it’s pretty straight-forward. The Vale hates the Lannisters because they think Jon Arryn was murdered by them and the theft of the Warden of the East title, Robert Arryn’s grandfather is being besieged, his cousin’s father has been imprisoned and his cousins (both Robb and Edmure) need military assistance, and Tywin’s breaching the King’s Peace.

If it’s after Catelyn XI, then it gets more complicated. The Vale has never been part of the North and isn’t about to bend the knee to Robb – if they’re sufficiently alienated from the Lannisters, they might proclaim Robert the Falcon King. Only a federation of equal kings is going to work for the Vale. Now, it helps that Robb and Robert are cousins, but a marriage would work to really tighten those links- Robert’s hand is free, first cousin marriage isn’t considered incest.

On the other hand, the Vale is notably conservative and loyalist when it comes to the monarchy – even when it came to Robert’s Rebellion, a good number of Vale lords rose up against the Lord of Eyrie rather than war against the Targaryens. I doubt that the Vale would be as punctilious with Joffrey, especially once Stannis’ letter is known.

On a third hand, Robb’s political strategy might change depending on whether the Vale lords are present for the war council in Catelyn XI. The Vale lords would probably not be ok with an outright secession, and Robb is smart enough to know that you don’t alienate 35,000 swords. So Robb might hold back from declaring any way for the moment, while pursuing his war against the Lannisters.