#melissandre

Sorry, should have elaborated. Mel brings out the worst parts in Stannis and leads him continually towards darker and darker places. She also has her own agenda. I think Euron could play this role for Dany. Having his own motivations while encouraging her worst impulses and applauding her increasing acts of brutal violence.

Hi there!

I must admit I don't think that there is much to corrupt in Stannis. We know him already as a harsh and unforgiving man. The only thing that changes with Mel is that he has more methods and instruments at his disposal. The tendency to be hypocritical, to punish for the principle of it, to put his own right and privilege over others was always there. In that regard Mel just means that Stannis has more possibilities to do wrong (and that is reduced since he can't make any more shadow babies).

I think the role of Euron is something else. I think he will be the villain who is so bad that Dany looks good in comparison and that defeating him and getting rid of him will look like a major victory for Dany and the good side.

That does not rule out that he will further her violent tendencies, encouraging her etc. I think at the beginning Dany will see him as an ally and maybe she'll even do some stuff to impress him, before she will see his real purpose (which is to become a god and sacrifice everyone else to achieve this goal).

Has fandom ever made you enjoy a pairing you previously hated?

Mmm... Dany x Tyrion maybe... @rakharo had really good metas about them in her main...or had them before tumblr purged her.

Is there an unpopular arc that you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

I feel like this Fandom doesn't appreciate Melissandre enough. They go like ooh "superstitious witch" or the likes because people genuinely don't get what being religiously brainwashed is actually like, the amount of cognitive dissonance you apply to cling to a belief that is just incoherent with the evidence you have in front of you..

(Part 2) and then we get Craster murdered during a Night’s Watch revolt during which his last son is saved by three of his wives (and Sam!)… so we get to a later situation in which we have Selyse (the true religious zealot), Shireen, and Mel at the wall with Stannis saying not to listen to rumors that he’s dead and to crown Shireen if they do confirm his death. Then we have a similar situation in which the Night’s Watch revolt and again the Lord Commander is murdered. Of course there are Mel and

(Part 3) Selye who profess their faith (like Craster), and they’re going to hear news of Stannis’s death during the revolt and then decide to sacrifice Shireen to bring Stannis back from the dead… like more of a gender swap of Agamemnon? So then Stannis comes physically back to the wall to find that Shireen was sacrificed (but not “MY child”) and that Mel attributes his daughter’s death to bringing back Jon who she now regards as Azor Ahai and NOT Stannis because Sansa/Mary Magdalene is there.

(Part 4) To me, the show confirmed that Mel believed in Jon as Azor Ahai BECAUSE of Sansa’s arrival, and she was then able to put all the pieces together. Like Mel says to Davis that Jon is IT only after Sansa shows up… and Mel totally backs off of Jon then, and the show never shows her reaction to Sansa in the strategy meeting at Castle Black - but EVERYONE else. Mel doesn’t want to interfere with the Jonsa mojo; she realizes how important they are to each other/their fates/the world’s survival

(Part Five?) So… Stannis shows up, and Mel says, “We killed your daughter… you’re out, and Jon the Bastard is the chosen one.” Am I totally 100% off? Shouldn’t Stannis actually have to actually learn and LIVE with the knowledge? I feel like Agamemnon got off easy in dying… he should have had his kingdom taken and lived with the stigma/any guilt of killing his daughter. So Stannis who asked Davos what one child’s life is worth, shouldn’t he lose his title and think about Shireenfor a lifetime?

(Part Six) I just think Stannis is set-up to suffer long-term and to have his thoughts filled with Shireen and Renly (and his peach!) BTW, this your fairy tale anon! If you got this far, thanks for reading and sorry for rambling!!

Hi there!

Ramble all along! I got it: you think GRRM wants to 'fix' some tales give them a more satisfactory ending. Narrative punishment that feels like justice.

So, Stannis will be punished for believing that he was Azor Ahai and sacrificing people for his belief. And his punishment will be that Mel abandons him, sticks to Jon like she did on the show and Stannis will return to Castle Black only to see his child dead, his wife possibly insane and his priestess worshipping a new God... And then he has to live with that.

I must admit that I like the idea of 'living with his sins' instead of having a quick death that 'releases' him from his guilt. And it would be satisfying.

There are just some problems with Stannis surviving : He has a claim to the Iron Throne, so unless he joins the NW I don't see him surviving.

And I think he will be the one to sacrifice Shireen. The interesting thing is that Stannis is not even a true believer. He just sees that Mel has real power and thus turned to the God who might support him. He knows his sword is fake, he knows Mel prepares a stage for him. So, he will sacrifice his daughter (and I think the show had that right not because of the Others but because of the weather) to a God he doesn't even truly believe in. He believes in Mel's magic but he has no real control over the magic - remember he is not strong enough to make another shadow baby with Mel.

So, what if the magic does not work like Mel wants it to? What if the sacrifice of Shireen is one of the factors that contribute to Jon's resurrection, but accidentally? What if Mel's magic got a boost by the sacrifice but that did not work for Stannis because of the interference of the Old Gods? I think the show made a connection like that without ever spelling it out: Jon was resurrected by Mel when Mel explicitly told Davos that she had never successfully done that ritual. Where does her magic come from if not Shireen's death?

I guess there will be some real classic Greek drama going on. Selyse might even be the one to kill Stannis. I sort of liked Brienne doing it on the show but I think in the books Brienne will have had enough of revenge forever after she will have witnessed Catelyn Stoneheart doing the Kriemhild and killing everyone at the Red Wedding 2.0.

So, I agree with you that Stannis will have to face the consequences of his false claim to be Azor Ahai and although I agree that he'll have to see the full range of his hypocrisy - playing the saviour for his own goals and sacrificing humans to a God he doesn't even really believe in just to get the 'magic' that comes with it - I doubt he'll survive. I can see how him 'living with the true knowledge of how much he did wrong' has its appeal, but he is a contestant für the Throne and he has to die.

Hi there!

I must admit that I have no idea how Patchface fits into it. It seems quite clear that he was influenced / touched by the Sea God of the Ironborn. He has more than a smudgering of prophecy - which seems to be a gift that all the Gods can give. If Patchface himself is creepy is something that is difficult to tell. He might be completely harmless despite his eery prophecies.

Now Melissandre would obviously see him as an enemy because the Drowned God of the Ironborn is an antagonist of Rh'llor. But being an antagonist of Rh'llor does not necessarily mean that he is evil. Mel also thinks the Seven and the Old Gods are bad.

So, I think Patchface might even try to save Shireen and this might cause Mel to be even more resolved about sacrificing her. If Rh'llor's enemy tries to intervene that might point towards Mel doing the right thing - at least in Mel's mind. It could also hapoen that the Drowned One possesses Patchface at some point and then he might be dangerous.

As for Patchface being around Shireen all the time: He is certainly not the ideal playmate. But that the fool was around the children at court was not that unusual. He was supposed to be amusing after all. Shireen should have other playmates that is true enough.