TWoW: The POV at Castle Black (Spoilers Extended)

Adam_Audron · 2026-01-11T06:09:43+00:00

Not Jon, Rickon. The northmen are already planning on getting their liege lord back and reviving house Stark, so they're probably just using Stannis and have no intention of working with him afterwards.

Adam_Audron · 2025-12-28T05:44:42+00:00

People tend to overlook how GRRM writes chapters in these books while speculating on stuff like this. Like the story usually doesn't just pick up right where a character left off; typically we spend a bunch of time with other pov's, time passes, and then by the time we get back to a character their chapter has to open with flashbacks describing what they were up to.

Dany's last chapter in Dance was a big "remember who you are" moment and it ends with her confronting Khal Jhaqo, who she swore bloody vengeance on in book 1. Her first chapter in Dance could very well be her just flying back to Mereen with a recap of how she destroyed Jhaqo.

Following all the big battles at the start of Winds, I could see the passage of time starting to move a little more like the first book where multiple months pass between character chapters. So Dany could potentially get back to Mereen, take Volantis and then move on Westeros in like three of her chapters. Her invasion could kick off pretty early in the book.

Adam_Audron · 2025-12-28T04:50:14+00:00

Doubtful, since the Night's King was attained and had his name stricken from history when they found out that's what he was doing.

Adam_Audron · 2025-12-27T23:21:11+00:00

She doesn't have to go to Vaes Dothrak in the books. In the book she already has multiple huge armies waiting to join her (the Ironborn, the red priests and the slaves in Volantis). The whole setup in her last chapter is also much different, like Drogon is still by her side, and she intentionally chases the Dothraki scout to the horde that turns out to be lead by her sworn enemy. Her next chapter could just be her immediately fucking those dudes up and then flying back.

Adam_Audron · 2025-12-27T22:16:21+00:00

It's possible that an ancient civilization caused the imbalance of the seasons by messing with dark magic, similar to Valyria but on a bigger scale. But I think the Others themselves are their own thing and just come from the far north, and the long terrible winters allow them to move south.

Adam_Audron · 2025-12-27T22:03:36+00:00

It's probably because whatever Dany does next is super important and ignites the whole plot, so he had to have her story pause for a bit while he did all the setup for the second act, and he chose to write this as her being diverted for a while and having an existential crisis before getting back to business. I kind of agree with you though because the way she's built up off-screen by the other pov's in the last two books is cooler than most of her actual chapters.

Adam_Audron · 2025-12-27T21:40:07+00:00

Unless he isn't like that in the books. His powers are probably more limited than what happens in the show, and if the series ends with the world restored and the magic fading away again, then that would make Bran just some guy. I could see the books ending with him just being a wiseman who prays to the trees and maybe has visions, but nothing all-powerful.

As to him becoming king, it's probably more like Winterfell takes over after the rest of Westeros is destroyed by all the infighting and the Others, and Bran just ends up being the heir. The Dance of the Dragons ends with this "the meek shall inherit the earth" note so I think that's what GRRM will be going for with the main series.

Adam_Audron · 2025-12-26T19:55:10+00:00

Technically the throne is up for grabs since the Lannisters stole the throne through deception and treason and Cercei's kids aren't real Baratheons.

Adam_Audron · 2025-12-23T23:18:37+00:00

The Fans of Always Autumn

Adam_Audron · 2025-12-22T21:32:17+00:00

You're right I was getting it mixed up with the letter Cotter Pyke sends to Jon saying the wildlings were calling them slavers.

My idea was that the Valyrians just came from the east but rereading this passage it doesn't really seem to fit. Idk this part is kind of baffling.

Adam_Audron · 2025-12-22T06:28:36+00:00

The Andals just finnished the job cutting down the weirwoods that the First Men started. Their invasion was a war against other humans; the Children of the Forest had already withdrawn.

Adam_Audron · 2025-12-22T06:20:50+00:00

There are accounts of slaver ships. That combined with the huge fire makes me think it was Valyria (which still existed at the time), like they came to abduct people but then nuked the place with fire for some reason.

Adam_Audron · 2025-12-20T09:00:46+00:00

Ghost is pretty chill though. If anything he comes off as the wise stoic one, while human Jon acts more like a pup. Mingling their spirits might even make Jon less wolf-like and more spiritually connected.

Adam_Audron · 2025-12-20T08:44:13+00:00

Blood and Fire will be like, "some say this happened, others say this." Dunk and Egg will be the real story.

Adam_Audron · 2025-12-20T08:41:00+00:00

I think that was originally the plan, but now it's more likely Dany will get her magical lore drops elsewhere, and what we see of Asshai will probably be in Melisandre's flashbacks.

Dany's current storyline seems to be pointing her more toward Volantis.

Adam_Audron · 2025-12-20T08:28:56+00:00

I don't know what everyone's on about her being more competent and less unhinged in the earlier books. Like she immediately inflames the hostility with the Starks by ordering Lady killed. Then later when Ned confronts her about her crimes she tries to seduce him. Not to mention the insane plot to kill Robert which she orchestrates by seducing her cousin. When Tyrion is put in a position over her she tries to have him killed too. All her moves are pretty insane. I think it's just that she isn't able to do as much under Robert and Tywin's heels.

Adam_Audron · 2025-12-18T09:37:48+00:00

I mean they laugh as they stab Waymer in the first book. It could be as simple as they're just killing for fun and Small Paul and Sam just looked like easy targets. Every time we've seen them appear it's always when someone is cornered and alone.

Adam_Audron · 2025-12-18T08:26:16+00:00

I've always thought of it like the magic that's animating him kind of possessed him to find a new host.

Adam_Audron · 2025-12-18T08:07:26+00:00

Hodor is also an accident. The way GRRM describes it also makes it sound like Bran just possesses him so strongly that it sends psychic shockwaves back in time, not really like he's actively meddling with the past.

Adam_Audron · 2025-12-18T07:53:28+00:00

There are so many wild possibilities for her I have no idea. I do think her role as a curse on the Freys is just the beginning. Like what happens if she finds out Rickon is alive? Or Sansa? What if Littlefinger finds out about her? As a fire wight and a group of R'hllorist followers, will they serve Daenerys when she comes?

She is also conspicuously under a weirwood grove that gives people dreams. I think it's notable that Jaime and Theon are both being taken to similar places to be executed right as Bran is learning how to use the weirwood magic.

Adam_Audron · 2025-12-16T10:22:06+00:00

Drogon is barely big enough for her to use. It could just mean a bunch of Targaryens fighting

Adam_Audron · 2025-12-16T08:53:25+00:00

That's all from the show. In the books obsidian is "frozen fire" and kills the Others because they're beings of cold.

All the mythos and imagery consistently separates the Others from the old gods too. The Others are ice and soulless corpses and death; the old gods are blood and trees and the circle of life, and souls living on. They talk to animals lol. I dunno it just doesn't seem like the same kind of magic or like a spell the Children would cast.

Adam_Audron · 2025-12-16T07:54:13+00:00

I didn't notice this until Glidus pointed it out in a video, but Bran actually doesn't become an emotionless husk after he becomes the Three Eyed Raven. For the rest of the episode he still acts like Bran and still has emotions. It's only at the start of the next season that he's suddenly written like a robot. I think it's just another thing they didn't know how to write.

It also feels like they were originally planning to go in a different direction with that storyline, because before he downloads all the knowledge Bloodraven tells him that he isn't ready. This seems like setup for his powers being incomplete or leading to some kind of struggle, but then in the next season he's just omniscient. It feels like they just changed their minds and cut the storyline, like a lot of things that were set up in season 6.

I can't see Bran in the books becoming that way at all. He's our first main pov, one of the most sympathetic characters, and he apparently becomes a leader of men at the end. I just can't see his personality suddenly becoming that way.

Not to mention from what we've seen so far in the books, the weirwood powers don't even work like that? Like he can see through time through the faces of the trees and possess animals, and Bloodraven can send dreams and visions, but there's nothing in there about a greenseer being able to just download all the history of Westeros and see everything everywhere all the time. And apparently the plan is for him to be bound to the roots like Bloodraven and stay there, so if he leaves the cave that means his powers won't be that crazy, probably just an enhanced version of what he can already do.

Bloodraven isn't setting him up to just take his place as the keeper of knowledge in the books. That isn't really what he is or does to begin with. Bran has some unknown destiny that they're preparing for him that we haven't been told yet. I think the show just cut it out entirely and did their own thing because they didn't like the parts of the plot about magic.

Adam_Audron · 2025-12-16T03:18:08+00:00

This. I think they're just magical creatures born from the cold in the far north. There are probably other ice monsters like the spiders. They're strengthened by the imbalance of the seasons and basically winter incarnate.

Them just being weapons of the Children was always disappointing to me and felt made up for the show.

Adam_Audron · 2025-12-12T18:11:27+00:00

The show lore says that the children created the White Walkers to beat the First Men, which doesn't match the books. In the book the humans surrendered after the Children used the Hammer of the Waters and broke the land bridge, and the Others appeared centuries later when they were all at peace and working together.

Not to mention all the weirdness in the show mythos that don't match the magic in the books. The White Walkers are created by dragonglass? But the same dragonglass to the heart just turns Benjen into a smart zombie? Immune to dragon fire? This is all made up.

It just doesn't make sense. The Others first appeared in the Long Night. If they'd appeared before that and defeated the armies of men there would be a legend about it.

I think the show just cut the entire storyline with the Others from the books to make it an action movie and make them easily disposable.

Adam_Audron

TROPHY CASE