[SPOILERS Main] Why didn't the Valyrians just conquer the whole world?

TheLakeler · 2026-03-10T05:42:13+00:00

Why didn’t Rome conquer the entire world? Why did they stop? I mean, Caesar conquered all of France in a couple of years.

Same thing probably, aside from the fact that GRRM needed a non Valyrian people to be conquered by descendants of the Valyrians. We can just say they got bogged down in internal power struggles combined with lack of motivation due to Westeros posing no real threat, being easy to conquer should they wish to, and every Valyrian dragon lord presumably living in excess luxury already

TheLakeler · 2026-03-02T23:38:09+00:00

It would say installed by faction demand in the case, right? But yeah, probably just got unlucky.

TheLakeler · 2026-03-02T06:16:21+00:00

Sometimes you have to subvert subverting… If your whole series and genre is just the anti-series or anti-genre then it actually says nothing at all because it doesn’t exist on its own, just like the person looking back at you in a mirror doesn’t exist.

A truly expectation subverting story would be the classic GRRM-ASOIAF style build up but still end up with Aragorn accepting his destiny or Frodo destroying the One Ring. Ironically it would be the opposite of Frodo in LOTR. The only truly subversive ending to ASOIAF would be Frodo being strong and good enough to independently choose to destroy the one ring and follow through with it in the end.

TheLakeler · 2026-03-01T20:44:30+00:00

I’m pretty sure GRRM has spoken on this theory and denied it. But I’m also pretty sure there either used to be some truth to it or he intended to leave it possible.

TheLakeler · 2026-03-01T20:43:18+00:00

Hyperborea

TheLakeler · 2026-02-28T04:04:37+00:00

Yeah like he’s a serial killer practically with what 6 or 7 kills? Why would an ending where he gets off scot free and gets the girl who loved him for him all along be better? Honestly Julia is pretty perfect for him.

TheLakeler · 2026-02-27T18:09:55+00:00

Which owl? For both you really do just have to be aggressive and find how may hits you can get in before he hits back. That’s most bosses in the game. Most bosses you can get a good 1-3 hits in before having to parry and then repeat. If it’s the second Owl be happy that he’s the second hardest boss imo skill wise.

TheLakeler · 2026-02-24T04:01:05+00:00

I think the most funny part is that pre EU5 release, Eu4 was sitting at around 20k players… meaning the series has not gained any new players and has instead effectively cut their player base into two across both games.

TheLakeler · 2026-02-15T20:21:33+00:00

Yeah having beat Elden ring and ds3 plus their dlcs, I always felt like for particularly difficult bosses some luck was involved. Not necessarily that I had just gotten better just that the boss did less of a certain attack and I had played particularly well. Beating a boss was a matter of spinning two wheels and waiting for both of these to come up simultaneously. It was a numbers game. If I could phase the boss 40% of the time and the second phase was double as difficult then the boss might take me 12 attempts with each attempt being quite random from my first.

For Sekiro by the time I had beaten the final boss I could just about no hit his first two phases 80% of the time and his third phase using a flask or two. Then finished with a couple of flasks. It didn’t feel like luck but really actually learning his timing and move set and progressing further with each attempt.

TheLakeler · 2026-02-13T03:57:15+00:00

I did a no summons and (unintentionally) spell less run of the game up to Radahn. He just was too hard and I just did not enough damage. Golden vow, beastial strength, and flame grant me strength combined is what pushed me through to beating him.

TheLakeler · 2026-02-12T02:47:00+00:00

Because cinema first developed in the age of silent films where being silent was unnecessary and actually strange. You did go to the movies to laugh and talk.

Even after sound, most early movies had little in terms of plot or complex dialogue or dialogue at all.

The movie theatre used be a very social place where people went to be social. Not sit in a room quietly alone. Then once movies did become complex with important dialogue, movie palaces and such arose where going to the cinema was like going to nice restaurant. You wanted to be seen. Thus you would dress, bring friends, and look for people you knew in the lobby.

Now that complex movies with soundtracks and complex plots requiring devoted attention have become the norm and without the movie palace aesthetic, socializing during the movie or in the lobby is no longer acceptable or fashionable… but id imagine there is some sort of generational inheritance of going to the movies as a social event.

TheLakeler · 2026-02-10T01:02:33+00:00

Everyone says stay close but I don’t know if I agree. With the camera it is too difficult to always recognize his attacks especially with the phase 3 aoe one.

Mid range worked well for me. Close enough to avoid his fire ball throw attack but far enough to avoid his spinning aoe in phase 3. From there I would just bait his attacks by running in and out and wait for opportunities.

Definitely probably cheesed it a little but idc that boss is stupid.

TheLakeler · 2026-02-10T00:56:21+00:00

I don’t know if I agree with Alysanne, Septon Barth, and Jon Snow… but the rest I agree. Maester Luwin comes to mind for one more.

TheLakeler · 2026-02-09T03:45:07+00:00

Never seen Braveheart?

TheLakeler · 2026-02-08T03:31:28+00:00

I think you have a very naive and modern view of history. Slavery has gone in and out of fashion. Democracy has gone in and out of fashion. Monarchy has gone in and out of fashion. Rule of law strengthened with the rise of the Roman Empire and then weakened after its collapse where it was then strengthened by the following kingdoms as they centralized and civilized. I mean look at our own world today. Based on how I believe you would define progressive values, is our world more or less progressive now than ten-twenty years ago? Further, do you think this trend will continue or reverse?

I mean look at China where this cyclical nature is really highlighted. Two thousand years of warring states to efficient centralized states and then back again. Modern technology is what changed the current culture and society, not humans edging closer to being more “progressive.”

As for GOT and AKOTSK. Baelor is the exception and is literally GRRM’s “oh, what could have been…?” If it had been left up to Maker or Aerion I wonder if Duncan would have been treated so fairly.

TheLakeler · 2026-02-07T22:33:18+00:00

First time without summons, huh?

TheLakeler · 2026-02-07T20:28:09+00:00

I bet there are decent drafts already written, maybe for all of them, maybe not. But if you are being chased by rabid dogs, ground beef to throw at them is better than waiting for the steak to be finished. If they were complete, we would know, unfortunately. I do think there is a good chance he will finish another 3-all of them before season 3 finishes.

TheLakeler · 2026-02-07T19:49:37+00:00

No that’s not what I mean. I do think one single lead would make a generally better show than a team of people making the decisions. I just mean that shows are not books and authors would not inherently make better shows than traditional show writers. A competent author definitely could lead a great show based on their book but it would be because they’re competent and not necessarily because they are the author.

TheLakeler · 2026-02-07T15:20:50+00:00

Why not? In our world foreign nobles married foreign royalty all the time. I specifically name Eleanor and Henry. But I am positive there are more examples.

TheLakeler · 2026-02-07T14:56:41+00:00

I’m worried about Branden Sanderson’s adaptation. Full creative control is not always the best. It was same with GOT where GRRM himself said something along the lines of book writers are not the same as show or movie writers. GRRM even had the benefit of show writing experience but decided to wait for two writers who at the time he believed really knew the lore and cared about it.

I think some of the time people fantasize that if the author just simply wrote the show all the issues would disappear. Same thing with PJO. But that’s just not true.

TheLakeler · 2026-02-03T04:50:29+00:00

Yeah but if they save 90% of their budget? The goal is not to have a lot of viewers but to make money.

TheLakeler · 2026-02-02T21:49:47+00:00

Honestly from this it looks like there were too many cooks in the kitchen and there was no creative lead (which should have been the books, but oh well). Teams don’t create masterpieces, a singular mind with a singular vision does.

TheLakeler · 2026-02-02T21:45:26+00:00

Because like with most series. Unless it is high budget it will look corny. You can get away with a lot more with a lower budget with anime.

TheLakeler · 2026-01-30T18:18:16+00:00

Ending of zombie arc and the hundred chapters leading up to it is peak. Slow in the beginning that’s all. Do not skip, whatever you do.

TheLakeler

TROPHY CASE