Maximum Taco

No doubt. That was dramatic! Grilli with the 3 pitch strikeout to end it! Thankful my Jays didn't let that one get away. I love watching the O's and Jays, so exciting.

Longball is flying at the Rogers Centre. O's and Jays have 7 Homers between them. Gotta love a shootout.

If you count their WHA goals too Howe actually has more then Gretzky. He was a giant of the game. Strap on your skates Gordie, you've been called up to that shinny game in the sky #9RIP.

That would be awesome.

In the books,

Of course it's baseless spec. Most spec is baseless. But yeah, most people think he's on assignment in King's Landing, and then after he makes his kill he uses the opportunity of the attack on Ned and his kids as a cover to kill "Syrio" and take another face (Jaqen). I don't buy it myself, but that's the theory that a lot of Syrio Survivalists use.

There's a lot of fan speculation that Syrio might have been a Faceless Man. I agree with you that it doesn't make much sense. From everything we've seen of the Faceless Men they choose their identities to be discrete, and forgettable. A flamboyant water dancer who constantly brings up his history as First Sword of Braavos is the very opposite of that.

Are you implying that the Faceless Men have Lyanna Stark's face for their use? That doesn't seem possible, we're told that she rests in the crypts of Winterfell. I suppose they could have snuck in and stolen her face, but that doesn't seem to be of any benefit to them. The Faceless Men choose their alternate identities for anonymity, not to trick people into thinking they are specific people.

Actually typically bastards don't even inherit then. They go looking for the first trueborn member of the house who was related to one of the Lords of the House. So after exhausting the Lord's children, they'd back up and look for someone with the previous Lord's blood, and then the previous Lord and so forth. So let's use the Starks and assume that Bran, Rickon, Sansa and Arya all die or disappear before having children of their own. Also let's use the Stark family tree found in the World of Ice and Fire. Ned's father Lord Rickard Stark had four children, Brandon, Ned, Lyanna, and Benjen, all are dead (or have renounced their inheritance and are missing beyond the Wall) and in our scenario all their children are also dead. If Benjen is found alive there is the possibility of a King releasing him from his vows to carry on his line, but let's assume that doesn't happen. Lord Rickard's father was Lord Edwyle Stark, he had only one son, Lord Rickard, no help there. Lord Edwyle's father was Lord Willam Stark, he had 3 children, Edwyle, Brandon, and Jocelyn. Lord Edwyle (as previously stated) was Ned's Grandfather and had only one son who became Lord Rickard, Brandon died without issue, but Jocelyn had three daughters with Benedict Royce (of House Royce of the Gates of the Moon) If Jocelyn is alive (unliklely) she would become Lady of Winterfell. If Jocelyn is dead but her eldest daughter (who wed into House Waynwood) is alive she would become Lady of Winterfell, her descendants would come after her, then Jocelyn's next daughter (who wed into House Corbray) and her descendants and finally Jocelyn's youngest daughter (who wed into House Templeton) and her descendants. In ASOS Cat implies that someone from this line may be alive. If all of them are dead, Lord Willam had a younger brother, Artos Stark (called the Implacable), he had twin sons Brandon and Benjen who both had children as well, if any of those children (or their descendants) were alive they would come next. If they are dead Lord Willam had another younger brother, Rodrik Stark (called The Wandering Wolf), he had two daughters, Lyarra Stark, who wed her cousin once-removed Lord Rickard (and therefore was the mother of Brandon, Ned, Lyanna and Benjen.), and Branda Stark who wed Harrold Rogers of House Rogers of Amberly in the Stromlands. If Branda had any descendants they would come next. So yeah, under normal inheritance a bastard does not come after a Lord's trueborn sons and daughters. Maybe if the entire House was extinguished a bastard might be considered, but I doubt it, cause in those cases the House is usually just considered extinct and the King would award the lands and castle to another Lord.

That's interesting. I'm of the opinion the the dragons will all die by the time the series ends, but I hadn't counted on the possibility that one (or more) might leave a clutch of eggs behind before she passed.

Bran brings up a similar point in season 2 when he is the Stark in Winterfell and the Ironborn besiege Torrhen's Square. "If we can't protect our own bannermen, why should they protect us?" He also lends masons out to help Lord Tallhart repair his holdfasts, and sends two orphan boys home with a shepherd who needs help tending his flock after sending his sons with Robb's army. This actually kills two birds with one stone it gives the shepherd help to tend his flock, and gives the orphans a home. Bran would've made a pretty good Lord if he had been given the opportunity.

Can they? Who would protect them from bandits and rapers? Who would keep the roads safe? Who would feed them if the harvest is poor or if the winter is extended? Who would settle a dispute if someone cheated someone else? The nobles don't just lord over the smallfolk, they also help them. And that's not to say another system can't work, it obviously can. but your plan of killing all the nobles and riding off on your dragon would doom these people to anarchy, with no laws to protect them if somebody wanted to come to their farm take all their goods, rape their wife and children and slit their throats.

Don't think the Sharks are pulling it out. The games seem close but the Penguins are just dominating them. The trifecta is tough.

I don't think Margaery is going to survive. It might just be a feeling but I think she's marked for death.

And if you ever came back you'd find things exactly how they were before you did anything at all. With a few squabbling houses fighting for power, and the smallfolk crushed beneath their heels. I think that's one of the large points GRRM is trying to make. It's not enough to beat up the bad guys, you need to put into place a proper system of government. Dany kicked the asses of all the Masters, and tried to let the people rule themselves, but when she left Astapor all that happened was a Butcher King rose in the Masters' place and kept on doing exactly what the Masters had been doing before.

I thought he pretty much did, or rather Davos did. Even with the full strength of the Watch, Jeor Mormont's forces fell at the Fist of the First Men, and Jon (with the wildlings this time) failed at Hardhome. Only a united North would be able to stand against the coming threat, and he doesn't believe that Ramsay is capable or willing to do that.

I don't think most common folk care who is the King. As long as he keeps the peace and protects the roads, it could be anyone. That's one of the points of Dany's story. She thinks the small folk are eagerly waiting for her return, in fact they are just trying to stay alive and live their lives.

Impressive detective work by reddit. I think that "north" should be "hard" though as in "ride hard for Winterfell." Doesn't change the content really, but makes more sense to me. I mean he knows Winterfell is North, Sansa doesn't have to tell him. But she might have to tell him to hurry and not take his time. The reward part is intriguing, and possibly gross.

Euron would pull some Euron bullshit, and then win the White Walker Kingsmoot to depose the Night's King!

1 WIN AWAY! Penguins, vindicate me and my choice of you as my Stanley Cup Champion way back in April. End it in 5! LET'S GO PENS!

That all depends on the Blackfish. If the Blackfish is willing to usurp his nephew's seat and power, and name himself Lord of Riverrun then sure, the men might side with him. But he's far too honorable for that (Family, Duty, Honor.) If Edmure, his liege lord, orders the castle's surrender as a free man (which he would be if Jaime released him into the castle), even the Blackfish would begrudgingly accept his decision.

In the books there are many delightful she-bears, as Maege, Alysane, Lyra, Jorelle, and Lyanna are all alive. Only Dacey perished at the Red Wedding. In the show it appears that Lyanna is Lady of Bear Island, not just its castellan, and the only surviving member of House Mormont, aside from Jorah.

I actually thought so too. If she was writing to Littlefinger there's no reason to sign and seal the letter with the Stark sigil, she's (presumably) one of the only ones who knows he's at Moat Cailin. In fact it's a much better idea to not sign or seal it. I'd like to believe she'd be smart enough to send the message in some sort of code that would be difficult to decipher if the Boltons should intercept it. She even already has an alias as Alayne. Perhaps I'm being too clever with that though and it's meant to be obvious.