Hello, you awesome people!
As you may or may not know, Wars and Politics of Ice and Fire has its own Tumblr page (as well as its own Twitter and Facebook pages). Even more excitingly, we here at the blog have partnered with ASOIAF University to answer questions about A Song of Ice and Fire. We – that is, SomethingLikeaLawyer and I – take the text-based questions submitted to us, write up thoughtful, text-based answers, and publish these answers on the Tumblr.
With yours truly on vacay, it was a quieter week at Wars and Politics Headquarters. The Hand, as usual, did a fantastic job, keeping up a very steady pace of great answers all by himself; his thoughts on the various fighting styles favored by each region is particularly smart and very well-informed worldbuilding. I was more focused on the Dance this week, with not only an essay (the first of the year, hooray!) on the murder mysteries of the Year of the Red Spring but a Tumblr piece on the real winners of the Dance (that is to say, no one).
Without further ado, here’s The Ravenry for the week of January 11:
- SomethingLikeaLaywer distinguishes between Brackens and Blackwoods
- SomethingLikeaLawyer picks Stannis’ next move after victory at Winterfell
- SomethingLikeaLawyer names the better statesman between Tywin and Viserys II
- SomethingLikeaLawyer believes GRRM will not open up the series to many authors
- SomethingLikeaLawyer briefly mentions Aegon IV’s attempts at war in Dorne
- SomethingLikeaLawyer considers why Aegon IV would not disinherit Daeron
- NFriel emphasizes the importance of keeping character motivations grounded in hypos
- NFriel lacks information to say what would happen to a greenseeer/warg Brandon Snow
- SomethingLikeaLawyer looks to the military power of the Essosi free companies
- SomethingLikeaLawyer describes his fondness for House Arryn
- SomethingLikeaLawyer goes meta on the time needed to write replies
- SomethingLikeaLawyer speculates why Corlys Velaryon was not given a court position under Viserys I
- SomethingLikeaLawyer criticizes the Ironborn North invasion
- SomethingLikeaLawyer rejects the doling out of blame for the First Blackfyre Rebellion
- SomethingLikeaLawyer briefly cites several very young but extremely competent warrior royals
- SomethingLikeaLawyer doubts King Stannis would be a new Maegor the Cruel
- SomethingLikeaLawyer confirms the probability of Chekhov’s wildfire
- SomethingLikeaLawyer instructs Rhaegar on how to move against Aerys
- SomethingLikeaLawyer denies that Tywin would have taken a deal with Balon
- SomethingLikeaLawyer underlines the problem of presentism in Tyrion’s trial
- SomethingLikeaLawyer explains why the Martells want the Targaryens back
- SomethingLikeaLawyer praises “Davos III”, A Dance with Dragons
- SomethingLikeaLawyer imagines what would happen if Viserys died before the Great Council of 101 AC
- SomethingLikeaLawyer dismisses a potential plot hole in P&Q
- SomethingLikeaLawyer notes why Dorne would accept Daeron II’s treaty
- SomethingLikeaLawyer develops different fighting styles for the various realms
- SomethingLikeaLawyer elaborates on Northern fighting styles
- NFriel sorts out Aegon’s abandonment of his granddaughter at her marriage
- NFriel decides who really won the Dance (spoiler: no one)
- NFriel expounds on the many succession problems if Rhaenyra emerged from the Dance victorious
As always, we love to hear your text-based questions, so if you have a burning question about ASOIAF, click this link to send us a raven.
Be safe and make good choices,
The Queen Regent (NFriel)
Wars and Politics of Ice and Fire 