Poll: Choose Your House

[Meredith Quill]

We are almost halfway through this epic saga now and the time has come to get off the fence and pick a side...

 

I realise there was a similar poll prior to S4 starting but that one allows for changes of allegiance. There shall be no such dilly-dallying here.

Using the above, this is your chance to firmly pin your colours to the mast of your chosen House. Choose wisely smallfolk, for once chosen, you should remain loyal to your liege lord come what may, else forever be known as - GASP - an oathbreaker - the shame, the dishonour!

 

(If your House is destroyed with no living heirs a la Renly Baratheon, then you may follow Briennes' example and choose again)

 

I'll choose House Stark till the bitter end as I have a soft spot for those kids.

 

Please state your choice &, if you so wish, reasons for below.

 

Please remember to put any book talk behind spoiler tags. Thank you

[CletusMusashi]

I suppose I lean toward Tyrell. Oh, I don't view Mace as any kind of authority, but nobody else in Tyrell does, either. The chicks who we have seen pulling the actual strings are fucking awesome, and if you must have a patriarchal figurehead whether he's qualified or not, I love that they're willing to just laugh, shrug, and "follow" a really stoned human-sized muppet.

Also, we haven't seen a Tyrell die yet, have we? I like not getting killed. 

Martell interests me as well, but we don't know enough about it yet. Hell, we don't even know much about Dorne.

I'll play it safe and stick with Tyrell.

[Conan Troutman]

House Arryn. Cos.

[joliefaire]

Martell.  Because

 

1.  Oberyn

2.  Ellaria's gorgeous outfits

3.  Oberyn's gorgeous outfits

4.  Dornish wine

5.  Warmth.  Dorne is 'as far south as south goes.'

6.  Water gardens

[Cricketoo]

Targaryen.  Dragons, duh.

[bluvelvet]

I'm all house Lannister and I know they aren't good guys.

[PatsyandEddie]

Stark.     Arya and Jon are awesome.

[Haldebrandt]

Die-hard Stark. Direwolf all the way.  The North Remembers.  I have faith.

 

(Pet peeve: In a rush to describe the moral ambiguity that so deliciously characterizes this work, people like to claim that "there are no good guys or bad guys."  That's never been true.  There are plenty of evil folks in this tale (Boltons, Greyjoys, etc) and several textbook sociopaths (Ramsay, Joff, the Mountain, etc.).  No one could credibly deny that.  If evil exists, then so does good.  In every respect, the Starks are good people, generally driven by nobler sentiments.  For that reason, they will always have my loyalty.)

[dramachick]

[TooMuchCoffee]

House Arya the Avenger, Future Faceless Dancing Mistress.  Words: Winter is Coming but Not Today as long as you remember to use the pointy end.  I believe that puts me with one foot firmly in House Stark and the other in House Other - Braavos, Nonferrous Division. 

[GreyBunny]

House [the guy who owns the Iron Bank].

[Danny Franks]

If I can only pick one, it has to be the Starks. Not only are they thoroughly decent (if ill-suited to politics) people who value family and loyalty and  trying to do things the right way, but they're also northern, like me. And one thing Westeros shares with Britain is the idea that Northerners are blunt and straightforward and down-to-earth, while Southerners are sly and devious and a little bit decadent.

 

But, having said that, my second choice would be Martell. And they're probably about as unlike the Starks as it's possible to get. I can't go into much more detail though, because Oberyn is the only one we've met so far.

[BlackberryJam]

I'm calling House Hot Pie. 

Our sigil is a kidney pie.

Our words are "You must not give up on the gravy."

 

All other Houses can suck it.

[Nezzer]

Bolton, because I'm a sick bastard.

[Independent George]

It's got to be the Tyrells or the Martells.

 

The Starks are noble, just, decent, and just plain dull. The Lannisters are fun, but horrible. The Tyrells are awesomely awesome (and gorgeous), and while we've only seen one Martell so far, everything we've heard about Dorne makes it seem like a paradise (Wine! Women! Social equality!).

[Colored Francie]

House Martell - Dorne sounds fantastic (all except for that one lower house with the sigil of the vulture with a baby - WTF); they were the only ones to resist the dragons and the Targaryens; they try to avoid hurting little girls; they don't like rape; and though they may not be people of color, they're certainly people with color, so I'd hopefully fit right in.  And I am adoring Pedro Pascal and Oberyn Martell.

[John Potts]

Nezzer Bolton, because I'm a sick bastard.

 

Well as a die hard Stark, you sound like the sort of guy I'd want to have at my back!

Edited May 19, 2014 by John Potts

[Which Tyler]

Tyrell - wine, women, weather, gradens, medicine & surely the best library in the 7K

[Constantinople]

House Tully - I don't much like them except for the Blackfish, and I think they're toast.  At the very least I don't think dear Edmure need worry about protecting his monster from the 200 odd swords that comprise the Iron throne.

 

I'd rather pull for

• the Starks, the heroes,
• the Baelishes, the evil scheming bastards with big, evil dreams (the Boltons are small potatoes compared to the Baelishes), or
• the White Walkers, the one "house" dedicated to wiping out the human scourge of Westeros, plus they have great day care

 

But I realized I live must live near Riverrun.

 

A few feet away from where I live is a very small park - or intimate, in realtor parlance -- that has two bronze fish statues likes this

 

 

and one fish fountain

 

 

So I have to be loyal to the local house.

[Gudzilla]

I serve house 'keep on paddling' or maybe house nude prostitute.

[LilWharveyGal]

The fountain in that picture looks so familiar.  If that's the park I'm thinking of, I spent about half an hour sitting there a couple of years ago waiting for the Constitution to open.  If I'd been familiar with the Tullys at that point I would have tried to shoot a flaming arrow at it.  

[sev]

House Tyrell: comfy, posh, and, as far as I can see, the house with the least casualties, but still close enough to the Lannisters to follow their entertaining shenanigans. Plus, how about Margaery + Daenerys for an endgame? ;D

Edited May 31, 2014 by sev

[ebevan91]

I serve what's left of House Baratheon (NOT THE TWINCEST KIDS). After that Martell. I love those guys.

[Dewey Decimate]

House Targaryen.

• Quick (albeit brutal) justice.
• Beautiful clothing.
• Impervious to sunburn.
• Ability to blame occasional moments of craziness on the whole incest-bloodline thing.
• Adorable dragons. (I cried more when Dany agreed to trade away one of her scaly babies than I did when Ned was offed. Thank the Seven she had a magnificent plan.)

[Hecate7]

Stark, even though I'm starting to think that they are no longer the good guys, or at least, won't be, by the time this is all over.

[TooMuchCoffee]

Still House Arya for me (although the Sansa love is coming back). 

Words: no words, just a laugh lying somewhere between resigned and maniacal.

 

[Gheed]

Our blades are sharp.

Evil will always triumph because good is dumb.

[Taget]

House Targaryen though lately I've found House Whitewalkers intriguing.

 

But Targaryen has a few things going for it.

 

1) Dragons.

 

2) Legitimacy.  The only way to stop the bloodshed is to firmly re-establish the pecking order which Robert through off when he rebelled and Tywin tried slaughtering the royal family.  The other Westerosi families have proven why they can't be allowed to have nice things.  They just break the good china when put in charge.  They had one bad apple but on the whole Westeros has done well under them.

 

3) Mother of dragons is pretty.  Sorry to be shallow.

 

4) Dragons.

 

5) Dany actually is thinking about how to be a good ruler and how to find good people to advise her.

 

6) Dany thinks for herself.  As opposed to Tommen and Stannis who are just puppets.

 

7) Dragons.

 

8) Interesting back story with Valyria and all that.  Only House that comes close is the Starks.  And they seem ho-hum compared to the incest loving albinos of House Targaryen.

 

9) Did I mention they have dragons?

Edited June 3, 2014 by Taget

[PeteMartell]

I have to go with House Baratheon.

 

- I have a soft spot for Stannis. He is more like me than I care to admit.

 

- I love the Dragonstone group, so interlocked and toxic. I love the dynamic of these staid people choosing to intertwine with magic and madness, and both sides being changed as a result.

 

- There are so many interesting side relationships in this group, like Selyse/Melisandre. Where else is that on the show? Such ambiguous interaction between female characters? 

 

- I wasn't a big fan of show Renly, but book Renly and AU Renly (especially modern AUs) interests me, and his relationship with Stannis interests me. 

 

- I like how the recurring theme of House Baratheon is "you choose your own family." Robert did, with Ned. Renly did with the Tyrells. Stannis did with Davos and to a lesser degree Melisandre.

 

- I love Davos and I love Shireen. 

 

- I feel like there was so much to mine from the Renly/Stannis/Robert relationships. 

 

- I really feel like the Baratheons are the most modern of any characters on the show. They represent where we are as a society and a world today. 

Edited June 3, 2014 by PeteMartell

[Zalyn]

House Martell: it's all about the spicy food.  And the sex. And the spears.

[Maximum Taco]

I think I'm a bad guy.

 

I'm gonna go with House Bolton.

 

Added bonus: I'm less likely to get flayed this way, even if I die, those foolish good guys will give me a clean painless death.

[merlinmerry]

These are my dogs.  Guess which House I (have to) choose?

 

 

[Jeebus Cripes]

Gonna go with House Martell. I like the way they roll.

[Trisan]

My thoughts go to the Watchers on the Wall and I share the plea of the Night's Watch.

 

But... I need too much Dornishwomen ! So... Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken !

[QuantumMechanic]

I declare for House White Walker.

Everyone else on Planetos is either too evil or too stupid to deserve to live.

[Harald Hardrada]

House Greyjoy. Always hated the Mainlanders and their laws.

Edited June 18, 2016 by Harald Hardrada

[GrailKing]

Team Stark:

Despite all that's happened, each kid still has humanity in them, while other houses are on either revenge only, throne only or a combo, the Stark kids just want home and family; but along the way will also rally to try and save the realm.

If GRRM says they are the good guys, that's good enough for me.

[Constantinople]

By surrendering Riverrun, Edmure is no longer Lord of Riverrun and I am released from my allegiance to House Tully (and because it cannot be said too many times, F*ck you Edmure and the fish you swam in on).

So now I need a new House.

Recently, I saw a sign next to the road that had a silhouette of a leaping stag against a yellow background.  Since that's the sigil for House Baratheon, I figured I must be in the Stormlands and should pledge allegiance to the local house.

But there are no more Baratheons left, and as much as I admire the White Walkers childcare policies, I just can't get behind a genetic experiment.

I'll probably head North and support the Starks, but I also like Lyanna Mormont's no bullsh*t attitude.

[Harald Hardrada]

I bet the Ironborn would get more votes if Ragnar was one of them.

[Maximum Taco]

I don't care that we're very likely to be wiped out in the next episode!

House Bolton Forever! Our Blades Are Sharp!

[TudorQueen]

If they hadn't killed Doran (and Trystan and Myrcella), I might have gone for House Martell. Dorne is beautiful and the society is (was?) advanced and I adore Alexander Siddig and Indira Varma.

That being said, I guess I'll go with House Tyrell. Yes, Mace is a buffoon, but he has no real malice in him, and The Queen of Thorns and Margery are both kickass, and Highgarden seems beautiful and civilized.

BTW, PeteMartell, I also have an odd weakness/sympathy for Stannis Baratheon. I loved the character of Renly, but I didn't think Gethin Anthony - although he's a good actor - was handsome enough. Renly and Loras were supposed to be the handsomest men in Westeros and, IMHO, neither could hold a candle to Jaime Lannister.

[Constantinople]

On 6/18/2016 at 3:37 PM, Maximum Taco said:

I don't care that we're very likely to be wiped out in the next episode!

House Bolton Forever! Our Blades Are Sharp!

Time to pick a new house.

[Harald Hardrada]

What is the most vicious and terrifying House in Westeros? other than the Umbers and Boltons?

[AshleyN]

Heh, I'm guessing House Martell wouldn't have quite so many votes if this poll had been taken after Season 5.

Anyways, I too am House Stark until the bitter end, for all of the reasons already stated. House Tyrell comes in at a close second though. I still occasionally like to imagine what an amazing power couple Robb and Margaery could have been. His military genius combined with her political know-how? Look out Westeros.