RFTIT Tumblr Weeklyish Roundup

Hey folks! Now that we’re done with Dunk & Egg (hopefully just for the moment), it’s time to get back to ASOS. However, it’s going to be a little bit before the next Arya chapter is ready, so in the mean-time, we’ve got some stuff on the Tumblrs.

ASOIAF:

• Was there organized crime in medieval cities?
• The expense of paying for an Early Modern army’s uniforms.
• The expense of a Westerosi standing army.
• Louis XII’s annulment and why medieval annulments could get nasty.
• Aegon V’s motivations for Summerhall.
• Why the Brotherhood Without Banners support Robert not Stannis.
• How chivalry can be used to get one’s husband to do something (or not).
  • Part II
• What if the queen despises the king’s mistress?
• Hair color, ASOIAF, and the Wars of the Roses.
• Why did Edward IV marry Elizabeth Woodville?
• How would a live dragon have helped Daemon II at Whitewalls?
• Secret conversations during court dances.
• How did the “outdoors” part of the RW work?
• Debating the land bank as part of Westerosi economic development.

Non-ASOIAF:

• Conclusion of a discussion on Wanda Maximoff and Krakoa.
• Wanda Maximoff isn’t real.
• Summarizing the X-line for a potential new reader.
• What makes political parties do a 180 in ideology?
  • Part II
• Krakoa, Rx smuggling, and international relations.
• What the mystery box is suited for and what it’s not.
• Anti-Monarchism as the Good King in Discworld.
• Arguing arguments on the minimum wage.
  • Part II (the slippery slope)
  • Part III (the long haul)
• Arguing arguments on national debt.

“What a Wonderful Knight for a Mystery”

Pages: 1 2

Credit to Marc Simonetti

For the ASOIAF essayist, Mystery Knight places us in the slightly odd position of having to analyze a short story that is simultaneously the third and concluding part of a trilogy (and thus of particular significance), and merely one part of a series. As GRRM has said repeatedly, he intends to write “eight, nine, ten, twelve novellas” covering all of Dunk and Egg’s time together from their first encounter in Hedge Knight to their deaths at Summerhall. This latter perspective would seem to make Mystery Knight a relatively minor episode in a longer, more complicated character arc.

However, I would argue that Mystery Knight is still worth spending some time on, because it is GRRM’s longest and most involved discussion of Bloodraven’s time as Hand of the King, and thus an important part of our understanding of how royal government functions and malfunctions.

Chapter-by-Chapter Analysis: Catelyn VII, ASOS

“Was there ever a wedding less joyful?”

Synopsis: Catelyn’s story ends. Catelyn’s legend begins.

SPOILER WARNING: This chapter analysis, and all following, will contain spoilers for all Song of Ice and Fire novels and Game of Thrones episodes. Caveat lector.

RFTIT Tumblr Weeklyish Roundup

I hate to do three of these in a row, but the Mystery Knight essay is – while up to 2,000 words – not finished, and Catelyn VII won’t go live for the general public until the 25th, and the content gods demand more content. Thankfully, I’ve got some really good stuff on the Tumblrs for this week. Let’s check it out!

ASOIAF:

• What happened with Edward II’s daughters?
• Did Margaery flirt with Kettleblack?
• Why is Stannis’ victory at Fair Isle considered impressive?
• The Stark cousins problem.
• Why the Sand Snakes aren’t married.
• Impact of royal government on smallfolk.
• Royal defaults and Robert’s Lannister debts.
• Slashed dresses on women.

Non-ASOIAF:

• Thoughts on Zinn and other recommendations.
• Access to spices in late medieval Europe.
• Gracchi Brothers discourse.
• Austro-Hungary and Yugoslavia.
• Historical inflation.
• Recommendation on medieval ransoms.
• What nobles ate for breakfast in the 1500s.

Patron Questions:

• “Since Ramsay and Roose will be presumably dead by the end of the series, who is most likely to get the Bolton lands, and who will get the Hornwood lands. I know, that it is a stretch, since there is no certainty, who will stil be alive by then, but in your opinion, who are the most likely candidates.”
• I think the lands in question will be split between the Manderlys and the Umbers as the most prominent Stark loyalist neighbors. Barbrey Dustin’s kin might make a play for some of the lands as Domeric’s mother was a Ryswell. As for the Hornwood lands, I think eventually Bran will impose the settlement he originally intended with Larence Snow as the heir.

Hey folks, if you’d like to have a guaranteed monthly question, consider becoming a Patro

RFTIT Tumblr Weeklyish Roundup

Hey, folks! So if you’ve been following me on Twitter, you’ll have heard that Catelyn VII is done and is available for Patrons today. However, in the spirit of the season, I’m holding off on general release until December 25th. Between now and then, I plan to have some fun. Some Dunk & Egg shenanigans, definitely some Tumblr Roundups and Patreon asks, and maybe even some time to write some of my novel.

In the mean-time, we’ve got some good stuff on the Tumblrs:

ASOIAF:

• Stannis, Hightowers, and over-mighty vassals.
• A debate as to the provenance of Dany’s eggs.
• Are there living dragons in Asshai?
• A series of discussions about relative mining:
  • Part I
  • Part II
  • Part III
• A flag for Robb’s kingdom.
• The Faith of the Seven and Saints.
• Why was Rhaegar cremated?
• Dunk and knight’s vows.
• Why didn’t Baelor do various religious things?
• Who built Pyke, Asshai, and Yeen?
  • Part II

Non-ASOIAF:

• Thoughts on Emperor. Franz Joseph.
• Why is King Aethelstan so highly rated? Must we stan?
• What would the Vikings call England?
• Worst year to be alive in history?
• A long debate on “mutant supremacism.”
• A long debate on the mutant cure.
• Is the Hellfire Trading Company too powerful?
• Parallels between Israel and Krakoa.
• Advising students taking survey American history courses.

RFTIT Tumblr Weeklyish Roundup

Hey, folks! So I’m going to take my time with Catelyn VII, because getting this one right is way more important than getting it done fast, so in the mean-time I’m going to be leaning more heavily on Tumblr asks than I normally do. So here’s the first batch.

ASOIAF:

• Mercantalism as early capitalism?
• Consequences for breaking Westerosi norms vs. Medieval European norms.
• Can you use an old king’s coins forever?
• Would Stannis be less grudge-filled if he’d been granted Storm’s End?
• How does the Iron Price actually work?
• Targaryen funerary memorials.
• Has Gendry heard about “Arya Stark”?
• Is the Count of Paris different from the Duke of Orleans?

Non-ASOIAF:

• Retrospective on David Dinkins, Hizzoner.
• Thoughts on BuckyCap.
• Conservatives learning in defeat.
• What accent was Shakespeare originally spoken in?
• Thoughts on X of Swords.
• Was it a mistake to bring back Jean?
• Job Guarantees and Universal Basic Incomes.
• Democratic socialism, post-Bernie?
• What if Iroh’s son doesn’t die at Ba Sing Se?

Chapter-by-Chapter Analysis: Arya X, ASOS

“The music grew still louder as they approached the castle, but under that was a deeper, darker sound: the river, the swollen Green Fork, growling like a lion in its den.”

Synopsis: A farmer and his son deliver some catering supplies.

SPOILER WARNING: This chapter analysis, and all following, will contain spoilers for all Song of Ice and Fire novels and Game of Thrones episodes. Caveat lector.

RFTIT Tumblr Weeklyish Roundup

Hey folks! We’re in the final, final home stretch of the Red Wedding, but in the gap between now and then we’ve got a bit of stuff on the Tumblrs.

ASOIAF:

• How much land did leading nobles have? It’s complicated.
• How do widow’s rights work with a castle?
• Valuable things that a lord might have on their fiefdom?
• House of Percy and the Mortimer claim.

Non-ASOIAF:

• When did Magik become really popular?
• Overall thoughts on the election.
• Is election reform possible before 2024?
• Why does Feige hate the Netflix shows?
• Would Steve Rogers assume Spiderman couldn’t vote because he was a non-citizen (as opposed to underaged), or ex-offender?
• Thoughts on Aunt May.

Chapter-by-Chapter Analysis: Catelyn VI, ASOS

“I know the Freys, Mother. I know how much I wronged them, and how much I need them. I shall be as sweet as a septon.”

Synopsis: Robb and Catelyn are given snacks at the Twins ahead of the wedding rehearsal.

SPOILER WARNING: This chapter analysis, and all following, will contain spoilers for all Song of Ice and Fire novels and Game of Thrones episodes. Caveat lector.

RFTIT Tumblr Weeklyish Roundup

Hey, folks! Now that we’ve got Jon VI out of the way, we are locked in for our coverage of the Red Wedding itself, in all its terrible glory. But in the mean-time, let’s check out what’s on the Tumblrs:

ASOIAF:

• What does Lionel of Clarence have to do with the Wars of the Roses?
• What if the Reformation had happened with Jan Hus and John Wycliffe?
• Tudors vs. Wolf Hall and Henry VIII casting.
• Why travel for months for a royal wedding/coronation?
• Impact of Volantis’ fall on Essosi politics.
• Would canceling Robert’s debts crash the economy?
• Why did ancient people stop using chariots in war?

Non-ASOIAF:

• What caused the defeat of the Attlee Ministry?
• The Moon is wet, and X-fans know why.
• Non-X titles and Krakoa.
• How to teach “history of the present”?
• Does Wolverine pay taxes?
• Air Nomad worldbuilding questions.
• How was Magneto reformed in the comics?

Patron Questions:

• Ilyn Payne is portrayed as being an illiterate knight, and he’s not alone — in general, a number of knights are shown as being illiterate. But to learn to use a sword, you had to have some resources in your own family or be considered worth training by a lord. How likely was it for someone to have that kind of training yet be completely unable to read?
  • It depends very much on time and place: Henry Beauclerc (r. 1100- 1135) got his nick-name because he was literate in Latin, which made him rather unusual for his time, suggesting that literacy (or at least literacy in Latin, the only kind that was considered to really count) literacy was somewhat unusual. By contrast, by the time that you get to the 14th and then certainly by the time that you get to the 15th century, it would be rather unusual for a knight to not be literate.
• Dear Steven, 1. What is your theory on the origin of the Others aka the White Walkers? Sorry, if you already gave one. 2. Just for Fun, but Barristan Selmy mentions in ADOD that he was present at Eddard Stark’s execution. What would have happened, if Selmy had grapped Arya that day, and not Yoren?
  • 1. They’re Unseelie Fae.
  • 2. He probably tries to deliver her to Winterfell.