If the man HAS to change the book now like Preston says, I know for a fact hes using Prestons work. Its the only way he can keep track of all the knots!
Preston's analysis could probably provide the plot structure needed for a ghostwriter to get the main plot points right. Which pov characters would reveal the information from these videos is another discussion entirely lol
He may as well finish it! Preston is so detailed. I wonder if GRRM sees your videos and thinks “damn, he’s figured it out. I need to rewrite all this.” 😂😂😩
Myrish Swamp opening for Fat Pink Mast Eyes Askance & The Thrice-Damned Doves (ft the Strangler) …And Yet ft Lord Arnolphe Turns to Fat Clubfoot Carl and The Mutineers
My thoughts exactly. Why else would Jamie even mention Merriweather unless it was related. Also, I NEED SOME PRESTON LEVEL BREAKDOWN OF SLAVER'S BAY! I am so excited.
What if George R. R. Martin is just waiting for Preston Jacobs to pass away to release _The Winds of Winter_ and _A Dream of Spring_ because Preston has already guessed everything exactly right and does not want him to accuse him of blatant plagiarism. Tinfoil theory.
"No way in seven hells am I letting that lanky Baltimore auditor fuck go through and pick apart one more of my books like Swiss cheese. Hes spoiled every single plot twist I had planned, I even gave away the TV-show rights to 2 of the biggest dumbfucks in entertainment history in order to reinforce the R+L=J theory in the minds of geeks worldwide, just so I can maximise the shock-value. Not that he was satisfied with just that, Preston single handedly called out every charade and mindfuck I worked so hard to weave into this story." - GRRM probably
Bonifier Hasty was alluded to being in love with Rhaella Targaryen ( Aegons grandmother). So besides the Merryweather placement. The obligation Hasty might feel to his lost loved ones ( a classic GRRM trope) could put him in Aegon’s camp regardless.
Damn Aegon’s got a good chance of being crowned.. till either winter or Dany show up, which is taking longer than my potato to power up my commenting device.
Sorry but I dont buy the castellan of Harrenhal thing. Bonifer Hasty was appointed as castellan by Cersei, so if he is rebelling against the throne he can be put done by Cersei. He is lord of nothing. Littlefinger on the other hand...
Wasn't ser Bonifer the Good the one who uses gelded horses for mounts and refuses to allow his men to rape women? Now they do talk about piety a lot, but Bonifer's Holy Hundred are a force of disciplined warriors who are lead by a man who was known for his prowess at jousting. So Harrenhall is garrisoned by a group of disciplined warriors who are probably quite loyal to whoever they serve...
@@hi1gr196Yeah....but... my point was that connecting all the dots and following this obscure subplot to make an interesting and compelling series of videos on it is pretty darn impressive. Your point was what?
one thing i will bring up. is that while Bonnifer might support aegon initially. i think he would be far more likely to switch sides to Dany when she arrives. after all, she is Rhaella's daughter, a woman, and super hot. he might feel more loyalty to her out of his love of Rhaella than to Aegon
Hopefully we will one day know if all of your theories are right Preston. Glad to see you're still making content after the end of the show, which unfortunately concluded after season 3. You got at least one fan from Trinidad!
You mentioned a few episodes ago that Horas and Hobber were often talked about together with little distinction made. Just letting the comment section know that Sam recounts how he was going to be set up with their sister and Horas was going to be fostered with Randall. Don't know if this points to Hobber being the preferred heir at that time. For those that go looking... I think this is early in aFfC. Sam talks about how they dressed a kitchen wench in armour and even she bested him in the practice yard. It's when Sam is on his way to Old Town.
Going back to the situation with the Riverlands and Bonifer Hasty, it also brings up an interesting conundrum with Littlefinger and Sansa. Between the Waynwood Freys with claims to The Twins/Crakehall, Sweetrobin and Riverrun/The Riverlands, and Sansa, there are a lot of routes that Littlefinger could go to march 40,000+ men down to essentially annex The Riverlands. The unfortunate reality to that claim is I doubt many Riverlander Lords would take to their former Lord Paramount's daughter's sickly son as their new High Lord in a time of a civil war between every Frey-influenced/controlled House as well as during a potential invasion by Aegon and a brutal guerrilla war by the BWB. And if there are any Lannister loyalists who wouldn't immediately rally behind an invading Littlefinger, Sweetrobin, and Sana, they'd rally behind Bonifer and Emmon Frey as the people placed in charge of The Riverlands by Cersei. HOWEVER If Littlefinger should use Sansa (a teenage girl who could rule much better than a young boy with advisors) with claims to The North, Riverlands, and sorta kinda The Vale as well as Harrenhal through her adoptive father, Baelish, as the rallying cry to gather these Lords together and reclaim this territory while Cersei is unable to stop them and Mace is dealing with his daughter's trial and an invading Aegon, and Stannis is about to absolutely smash the Frey and Manderly forces up North and put Roose and Ramsay on the defensive, she could in theory become "Queen of The North, Rivers, and Mountains" under his regency. Add that together with all the alliances he has through his wards and indebted Houses, he will have a lot of outside help as well. And finally, there is the Aegon situation. Littlefinger could, in theory, use Sansa as a bargaining chip to get back Harrenhal if he discovers Bonifer was going to declare for Aegon. Using the prospect of a royal marriage, one that would unite The North, Vale, Stormlands, and much of the Riverlands and Reach under their rule. With Riverrun under Frey and Lannister occupation and Harrenhal technically considered the new capital of The Riverlands, having Sansa and Littlefinger rule from there would grant major legitimacy to their cause. Assuming your theory of Harry trying to rape her is correct or anything else happens that leaves her available for that marriage, she'd be the most eligible bachelorette in Westeros and JonCon would be an absolute moron to refuse the prospect of a marriage between her and Aegon. Not only would he have the Golden Company and any forces he collects along the way from sympathetic Houses or allies, he would have one of the two Westerosi armies untouched by the War of Five Kings (rumored to be 40,000+ as stated above) on his side. And that is how Littlefinger wins the game of thrones for himself and Sansa (for a while, anyway) He unites so many Kingdoms behind Sansa and has the men to do whatever he wants while the rest of the world is in disarray. He marries Sansa to Aegon (or at least "intends to") and unites their armies to crush the Lannisters and Tyrells. He uses Sweetrobin as his puppet to keep the Vale Lords in line, but never marries him to Sansa He alienates the Dornish from supporting Aegon by having the potential Queen of Dorne, Arianne Martel, look like a secondary prize by comparison to Sansa Stark (whether or not Doran would actually marry her to Aegon, it would still be a slight) He could crown his own High Septon through Aegon's control of Oldtown and denounce the High Sparrow as an extremist zealot and an enemy of the Realm while simultaneously getting Sansa and Tyrion's marriage annulled. And when all is said and done, he would just have to have to have JonCon and Aegon killed so he and Sansa could rule the galaxy together because he is a creepy, jealous middle-aged pedophile who wants nothing more than to bang Sansa and would never let some handsome Targaryen boy get in his way of living his fantasy. Will this happen perfectly the way I proposed it? Absolutely fucking not. Am I right about half of this? Probably not and I admit it since the variables are so many and so big. HOWEVER... it does open up a number of possibilities as to what Littlefinger is up to and how he could use the chaos in the world to his advantage. He's the one who played Sansa against the Tyrells when he pretended Lady Olenna was the one who killed Joffrey. Why not play the prospect of reuniting her family's ancestral lands and getting revenge on Cersei through a marriage to a Targaryen Prince to his advantage as well? Any thoughts if you made it this far? If you did, I love you
There is the Ashford Tourney theory, it supports your arguments. But I don't think Petyr will survive. I don't think he can win with so many players. It's quite possible the Vale lords will try to use Sansa against Petyr since the man is the worse. And the riverlands will not be his bannermen unless the Vale marches. And why would they? The war is mostly over, only Aegon's invasion is a thing, and a poor one at that. Petyr needs to conquer his own titles now, and if he manages to not be exposed(Varys will do his best to undermine Petyr), he will have the Riverlands and may have some Vale loyalty.
This does sound more interesting than a second Dance of the Dragons though. It also comes as a consequence of the main actions and focus of the plot. like a story should.
If Aegon gets The Reach, Dorne, and the Stormlands and he marries Sansa with connections to the Riverlands, The Vale, and The North - the only kingdom they'd be missing are The Westerlands and The Iron Islands. Which could make sense for a Dany/Tyrion/Euron alliance.
Sansa has no right to the Vale without a marriage, nor to the Riverlands with her uncle and his child alive in Casterly Rock (Edmure has a stronger claim to both Harrenhall and to Riverrun), nor she has to the North. She is actually in a very perilous position. The only true claim she has is to Casterly Rock as Tyrion's lady, which is most ironic and makes things rather weird.
@@atlash6387 I think there's a Chekov's book scenario with Doran's insistence on Arianne learning Dornish law with Dornish primogeniture being irrespective of gender. If Dornish law were to apply across the land, either through Faegon marrying Arianne or potentially Lady Nym manipulating Cersei (since she has long rankled for not being Tywin's heir due to sex), then tracing the lines through eldest child would be Sansa through Catelyn. An underlying theme of ASOIA has been feudal sexism and how prioritizing men over women in feudal context leads to a missing history and lineage of matriarchy. Instead of the War of the Five Kings, it may end with War of the Five Queens (Sansa, Arianne, Daenerys, Cersei, and Asha.
@@chinesebear211 This might even explain why GRRM made the Faith rise in power recently. He would need some authority acknowledged even by non-supporters of the Lannister rule to authorize the change in laws of inheritance. It might also explain why so many minor houses are getting left with female heirs: to control the explosive change that could be caused when GRRM launches this rocket
I feel better now. Thank you for helping me through depressed nights that are too hot. 💕 I just hope that you and your family are safe. Stay healthy and some nice greetings to Carmine! 💕
I'm pretty sure that Jon Con will take Storms End via guile by producing Edric Storm. Edric was sent into hiding in Essos by Davos before the Blackwater. It's very likely Varys or Illyrio, who have many contacts there, could have found him and are going to use him to persuade the garrison of Storms End (who to remind you were loyal to Renly's memory and refused to surrender with Courtnay Penrose solely because Edric's fate was not certain as an heir which says to me that they are insanely loyal and most likely many there are still loyal) to oust the Stannis supporters in favor of a legitimized Edric ruling the Stormlands.
Varys and JonCon will probably have Gendry - from a narrative perspective, it would make no sense for the Aegon cause to have both Gendry and Edric. I predict future conflict over Storm's End when the second Dance of the Dragons happens - Aegon will support a legitimized Gendry, Daenerys will support a legitimized Edric. She will definitely stop in Lys on her way west in TWOW and will probably capture Edric.
@@lasttoparty7570 I think that it's a lot easier for Illyrio in particular to get ahold of a bastard noble who is trying to remain hidden than it is to find Gendry especially considering Edric's age how well he would be 'hiding' may be easier since he was brought up a noble and he would also have a more clear effect on the men of the garrison which is something they would be looking for as I think that the guard may stay loyal over Gendry but not Edric was brought up and raised there. Daenerys finding one is something I haven't considered mostly because I find myself thinking Daenerys dies in the North as azor ahai choosing to give up the throne to save the common people making the choice neither (f)Aegon or Viserys would have made.
Hey Preston just wanted to thank you for making these videos, they finally got me to read the books seeing all this complicated shit going on in the background, hope quarantine is treating you well brother much love
something I don't know if it's important: """historically""" elephants and dragons are enemies. Many medieval manuscripts have a Christ-elephant fighting a Satan-dragon. I don't know if this first came from "natural history" of the time, or maybe ancient times (as in Pliny's Natural History) or if it came about in proper medieval theology... Don't even know if that's on George's ballpark, as it's not the most common of Catholic symbolisms (much better known are the cult of the sacred heart, seen in Stannis' banners, the whole Trinity concept, which is one of the Free Cities religions, and all Jesuses in the story, from Greyjoy to Snow...)
9:30 I would argue that Beric's body has been returned to Blackhaven since his final death in ASOS - Edric Dayne, Anguy, and Greenbeard have been suspiciously missing ever since, and they are no longer aligned with the Brotherhood under Stoneheart. Blackhaven may welcome Aegon with open arms, as Anguy and Greenbeard would fit right in with the Golden Company and the Brotherhood sympathised with Aegon anyway. However, what happens to Edric is more complicated - he may be held at prisoner in an attempt to force Starfall into declaring for Aegon. I would be thrilled if we could see Edric again in a future Arianne chapter - it would be extra incentive for Arianne to refuse JonCon's offer of an alliance if she saw one of the principal lords of Dorne - and a boy of thirteen at that - be held hostage by the Golden Company. As for House Caron, I think Rolland Storm would stay loyal to Stannis and not go over to Aegon. Dragonstone was likely never taken by the Tyrells and Redwynes, so it would still hold out for Stannis. I thought the Golden Company's eventual plan for Nightsong would be to take it through marriage to Petyr Pimple's widow, Mylenda Caron.
Definitely agree with the first part of your comment. Still not sure about Roland. And yes, the last part does make sense. I like the way you work, LTP
I just listened to the Daenerys playlist the other day, excited for more! This whole series was a real treat. Love when you lay out the chess board this way and I see how much slipped past my noticing. Makes the rereads much more enjoyable.
Yeah!!! I wasn't sure how long it was going to take you to post this. I couldn't have imagined that such a "minor" (it remains to be seen how minor Taena was) character could be so interesting.
It only has a token force left after Stannis' journey to the north. Dragon stone as a castle doesn't actually need to be that defensively sound, since it's on an island that's hard to invade with dragons prowling around and with kingslanding as the main seat of the targs
The most funny thing about the whole video is how everyone is playing a long and intricate political game and euron is just out here literally just trying to kill God😂
Another good insightful video. I didn't realise about Hasty being a potential pawn. Currently rereading books and watching ur videos helps a lot with noticing these minor characters who can have a bigger part to play. Along with Faegon, the greyjoys, stannis if he prevails and the dornish, the lannisters hold will be torn apart and cersei will probably help cause that faster if she is in power again
'The Myrish Swamp Incident' is the perfect format for GRRM's awkward sex scenes. I can't wait for you to make a video involving the 'Fat Pink Mast Incident.'
One of the best series on here. Should have been named 'Schemes for the Golden Dragon' or something. It's basically about Aegon's supporters, way broader than just Cersei and Taena.
I feel like the title of this video series does a disservice to it. Even though it starts off talking about Cersei and Taena, the scope is so much bigger than that. The first time I watched this series I didn't give it the attention it deserved because of that. I've just rewatched it and I'm actually quite surprised at how much more interesting it is than I remember from my first viewing.
Been a fan of your theories for a long time. I do not agree completely with your theories, but I find them very entertaining. Your series like this is masterfully crafted and infinitely intriguing to consider. I'm not certain if your theories are correct, but I absolutely love how well you present them and craft very believable and entertaining videos. Thanks very much for the in-depth look at House Merryweather.
Hmmmm, I know you give GRRM a lot of credit and that he’s a complex writer etc. But could it not be that GRRM wanted JonCon to poetically return to Griffins Roost and needed the landing to go unchallenged. So he just wrote these conveniences into the story to make it so he could advance the Aegon plot without them taking undue casualties?
That doesn't really sound like grrm, the man who painstakingly gives clues books ahead and is very careful in hist continuity. If he needed this to happen without faegon knowing, he could have advanced the kingslanding plot faster so that the redwyne fleet was out of the way already.
Preston, you are legit a genius and a god among men. You have my absolute respect and reverence, good sir. Not to mention one of the funniest RU-vidrs on the platform. Thank you for all the effort and hard work you put into your videos. It is very much appreciated by your fans!!
I think there's a fan consensus that fAegon will conquer The South pretty easily but it's definitely interesting to have some detail about how it will go down.
Cersei blows up the Red Keep before fleeing for Casterly Rock, doing what Jaime had prevented Aerys from doing. Out of salt and smoke, to wake dragons out of stone. The Red Keep crumbles, burning, into the sea. Dragonstone awakes and becomes the seat of the Targaryens once more. Cue the Dance of Dragons.
Shit i listened to this and didn’t realize there were map markers, I love map markers. Guess I’ll listen twice. Preston this feels right, definitely your best thread to pull in many years. Now do a topic that’s extra out there.
Gonna have to give a hard pass on that Bonifer Hasty idea. Maybe if the castle itself plays a part, but to suggest that the Riverlands will be moved by a castellan ruling in absentia for an upjumped bean counter appointed by the king who was until recently the Riverlands' enemy and primary cause for their current devastation does not hold water. It also contradicts the rest of your video - Bonifer Hasty's authority over the Riverlands is nothing compared to House Tyrell's authority over the Reach, yet you've predicted pretty rampant disloyalty there.
If all this turns out to be true it's rather interesting just how deep fAegons camp have embedded themselves in the realm and have a pretty good chance of pulling through , that is until Dany arrives...The plan Varys and Illyrio concocted seems like it was tailor made for fAegon and only him. That kinda explains why Varys didn't really have a problem with getting Dany assassinated....she was an unnecessary complication.
Hey Preston , you mentioned in your channels “about” about doing some videos on fever dream . Really looking forward to that . Let us know if that’s still a possibility and when
Love the series, keep up the good work Preston! What do you guys think about house Smallwood? Lady Smallwood is certainly in league with the brotherhood without banners, who we presume to be blackfyre men, not a whole lot of info on the lord of the house. What gives me pause is a line in the sworn sword, where Ser Eustace Osgrey tells Dunk, that his youngest son was killed by a knight of house Smallwood, meanwhile, in the mystery knight Lord Smallwood seems to be a trusted supporter of Aegon Blackfyre. Maybe its author error, maybe Ser Eustace lied to Dunk. The riverlands is a mess lol
Preston, what's happening with your book? Are you still working on it? Btw, I was re-watching your Craster series, and I began to wonder about the possibility of wells being historically used for sacrifice because of something that could be pretty significant. What if the reason is precisely because the Other's were a group of humans that lived EVEN deeper below the earth than the other First Men in their underground strongholds? The Others aren't monsters, but just much more severely mutated. One other completely random/ not related theory I have is that the Essos tales of the Lion of Night and Tiger Women are actually in reference to the COTF.....the ONLY known species that is explicitly described as catlike (eyes, claws, spotted skin which is meant to make us think of deer but could really be akin to leopards). Anyways, just a thought.
Thank you! I can’t wait to go back to Danny! I believe with out a doubt the green Grace is the harpy and the Shavepate is a good guy just a rebel willing to do what needs to be done to keep his people free. Danny shouldn’t be integrating with evil slavers. She’s messing up trying to make them happy. I can’t wait for the next video!!
Correct me if I'm wrong (I read ADWD some time ago and among a sh:tload of uni readings) but wasn't there a point about the timing of the invasion being partially caused by Aegon's spontaneous idea following a game with Tyrion, who later thinks the idea was something of a hypothetical triplecrossing and counterproductive to his (Aegon's) cause? The overall analysis still holds but I'm unsure about the timing...
How can the Brotherhood Without Banners be Aegon supporters? I could see it early in the story when the Darry's were in the picture but late in the story when Lady Stoneheart is running the show? Catelyn is too much of a Stark and actually remembers the lead up to Robert's Rebellion. She'll throw in hard behind Manderly or Stannis when she finds out Rickon is alive.
Well Stoneheart is not necessarily the same as Catelyn, she only seems to care about revenge rather than political machinations. I think she would be fine with anyone who helps kill Freys, Boltons, etc. Also Aegon could be well on his way to the throne before the BWB even finds out anything about Rickon
Is there any chance that house Darry might be relevant? Ser Jonothor Darry of the kingsguard went missing after the trident and his body was never recovered. Could he be alive and in hiding with the missing heir of Darry?
I think it's time for Preston to give us his best guess of what's going to happen in the next two books. Certainly not an unauthorised sequel, just a very detailed "what I would do". 😉
