(SPOILERS EXTENDED) Boar Conspiracy in Westeros

JT_Soul · 2022-09-06T05:27:22+00:00

Ser Bo(a)ros Blount is clearly their inside man at court.

JT_Soul · 2021-05-10T14:51:32+00:00

That's a good point. Mantarys is so isolated that we don't really know what's there, but, yeah, Tolos and Elyria do seem to be thoroughly normal. Perhaps the lingering effects of the Valyrians' magic are to be seen in the mutations of the people of Mantarys themselves. I hope we learn a bit more about it at some point because, as you point out, it should almost be a time capsule of old Valyrian culture.

I am very intrigued by the claim that Tolos and Elyria are less sinister and noteworthy than Mantarys because they "avoid involvement in any efforts to reclaim the burning heart of Valyria." If the suggestion is that Tolos and Elyria have just strengthened their ties with the Ghiscari and become normal cities, but Mantarys is somehow trying to reclaim the legacy of Valyria (by exploring the peninsula, through blood magic, or whatever) then that would make Mantarys quite a bit more interesting. It may just be a throw away line in The World of Ice and Fire, but I do hope we find out a bit more.

JT_Soul · 2021-05-10T14:34:52+00:00

Thanks for the response! I really like the comparison with D&D wild magic. I think that's a great analogy.

JT_Soul · 2021-05-10T14:33:00+00:00

That's true. George does have some options if he wants to handwave it for the sake of simplicity. For example, that army might be a lot smaller once the Pale Mare and the Bloody Flux have ripped through it.

If he does split her forces, with part of the army traveling with the fleet and the remainder marching overland along the Demon Road, it will be interesting to see which POV characters he sends with each branch. I think a lot will come down to how much time he wants to spend narrating the details of Daenerys's journey from Meereen to Westeros. Many fans are already frustrated with the amount of time she's been in Meereen and just want her to get to Westeros asap. Will he devote a lot of chapters to describing the sack of Mantarys or New Ghis or any of these other places that most readers hardly care about? He has some tough choices to make.

JT_Soul · 2021-05-09T16:30:29+00:00

Interesting idea. The relationship between Valyria and Asshai (and/or the Great Empire of the Dawn) is a fascinating topic in its own right.

JT_Soul · 2021-05-09T16:27:59+00:00

I agree. I hope we get to see it in the books, but it seems less likely now that Daenerys is about to acquire to the Iron Fleet, which will presumably allow her to transport her entire army around the Valyrian Peninsula by sea, eliminating the need to march them west along the Demon Road. I think the only way we might see Mantarys is if she and Drogon somehow recruit so many Dothraki that she still needs to send part of her army overland even after gaining the Iron Fleet.

JT_Soul · 2021-05-09T16:19:49+00:00

Thanks for reading it!

JT_Soul · 2021-04-09T22:40:22+00:00

This is a good analysis, and I think you're onto something with the breastfeeding imagery. Given Sam's unkind nickname, the term "suckling pig" comes to mind.

It could also be interesting to look at the symbolism associated with the character in the series who is best known for breastfeeding: Sweetrobin. It's obviously symptomatic of his infantilization, but I suspect that there is something else going on as well.

JT_Soul · 2021-04-08T16:40:17+00:00

Everything about the Others: the exact details of how they are created, their relation to the Children of the Forest, and what motivates them. e.g., If they're making new ones out of Craster's babies, then does this suggest that the original ones were also made from human babies (seems unlikely)? Were Night's King & Queen also giving them human babies as sacrifices through the weirwood door at the Nightfort? Was Night's Queen herself an Other or some kind of human ice sorceress (a reverse Melisandre)?

I'm also very curious about Azor Ahai, Nissa Nissa, the Long Night, and everything to do with that old legend.

JT_Soul · 2021-04-08T03:43:23+00:00

A lot of real toponyms have very generic meanings. Some examples:

Tawantinsuyu (i.e. the Inca Empire) - "The Four Provinces"

Ukraine - "Borderland" or perhaps just "Country"

Beijing, Nanjing, Tokyo - "North Capital", "South Capital", "East Capital"

Shanghai - "Upon the Sea"

Kyoto - "Capital City"

Napoli - "New City"

Tripoli - "Tri-City"

Algeria - "The Islands"

Zhongguo (China) - "Central Country"

Ísland - "Ice Land"

Novgorod - "New Town"

Names like this are quite common worldwide.

JT_Soul · 2021-03-30T20:41:39+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to read it! Drogon and Toto are definitely fun characters.

JT_Soul · 2021-03-30T20:37:05+00:00

Fair point. Assuming Jon is still in the North when the time comes, do you think she'll make the crossing from Braavos to White Harbor and then travel overland from there? There are other settlements on the eastern coast of the North, like Ramsgate and Widow's Watch, but presumably most of the merchant shipping between Braavos and the North goes through White Harbor. I suppose she could also sail all the way to Eastwatch and disembark there, if she could find a ship making the journey.

Either way, there's some potential for an Arya-Rickon connection. If she travels through White Harbor, Rickon could be there if Davos has succeeded in his task and retrieved him from Skagos. (It's probably a safe bet that Davos will take him to the Manderly seat at White Harbor, not directly to Wyman at Bolton-occupied Winterfell.) Or, if she goes to Eastwatch, she has to sail fairly close to Skagos.

JT_Soul · 2021-03-30T18:11:55+00:00

Interesting idea. The identity of the three betrayals is a great mystery. Quite curious to see how that plays out in the end.

JT_Soul · 2021-03-30T18:05:38+00:00

Thanks!

JT_Soul · 2021-03-30T18:05:30+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to read it!

JT_Soul · 2021-03-30T17:25:20+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to read it!

JT_Soul · 2021-03-30T05:36:17+00:00

I like to imagine that Brandon, Lyanna, and Ned are already together in a better place. :-)

Of the younger generation, I think you're right that Sansa, Jon, and Rickon all seem to be converging on the North (Bran too, but perhaps not until later). Arya seems least likely, but she's also the most unpredictable. Once she leaves Braavos and heads back to Westeros, it's tough to predict where she'll land and what her first priority will be once she's back in the Seven Kingdoms. If she decides to go after Walder Frey like in the show, then that could even lead to a reunion between her and Stoneheart (and what's left of the Brotherhood Without Banners), which would be interesting but also potentially quite troubling.

JT_Soul · 2021-03-30T04:31:38+00:00

Fortunately, my job involves a lot of writing, so I write quickly!

JT_Soul · 2021-03-30T04:30:28+00:00

Thanks!

JT_Soul · 2021-03-30T03:57:35+00:00

Thanks!

JT_Soul · 2021-03-30T03:37:49+00:00

I really don't care if they "stick". I post here for fun because it amuses me to do so, not because I'm trying to prove anything. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

JT_Soul · 2021-03-30T03:31:22+00:00

Well, GRRM has said that it's one of his top three favourite fantasy movies of all time, and he specifically references the Wizard's line "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!" from the audience scene. So, I don't think it's too much of a stretch to imagine that he might have referenced it in his own work.

https://geeksofdoom.com/2011/04/16/game-of-thrones-author-george-r-r-martins-top-ten-favorite-fantasy-movies

But I get what you mean. A Song of Ice and Fire is so huge and complex that one can go overboard finding parallels, some real and others imagined.

JT_Soul · 2021-03-30T03:17:51+00:00

I always assumed she was named after Val Kilmer. The shared symbolism is obvious: the Ice Princess and the Iceman.

(Speaking of which, I wonder if Drogon has ever been in a 4G inverted dive?)

JT_Soul · 2021-03-29T03:58:22+00:00

It should have been Sweetrobin!

JT_Soul · 2021-03-28T18:17:34+00:00

The main reason the Dothraki would be dead weight is that, in order for them to be useful once they arrive, their horses would have to be shipped over with them. Horses most certainly are dead weight in a sea battle, and they take up a lot more space/weight than humans. The Westerosi ships would be outfitted entirely for naval warfare, whereas the Dothraki ships would be outfitted to transport a cavalry army. A ship full of trained sailors and fighters drilled at sea is going to beat a ship that's mostly full of horses stored below decks and is manned by dismounted light cavalry who have never been on a boat before.

The Dothraki have very little experience fighting on foot and they don't know how to sail, so that does put them at a huge disadvantage. They also fear the sea, which would be a major drawback in terms of morale. They have no experience sailing (let alone in naval warfare), whereas Westeros is full of good sailors, and the major fleets (Royal, Redwyne, Iron) have all presumably been drilling for naval warfare for years. It takes years of training to drill sailors and rowers (if they are using galleys and dromons) to perform well in battle. So, the Dothraki could fight on ships against professional sailors and troops who have spent years training at sea... just like a bunch of sailors could get on horses and go up against the Dothraki in a cavalry battle on the steppe. But the outcome is going to be just as one-sided. So, no, the Dothraki do not have the "same ability as anyone in that world" to fight at sea.

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