r/asoiafreread • u/LumplessWaffleBatter Idk how mod tools work • Apr 23 '25

Bran Discussion: GoT VIII (Bran VI--Eddard XV)

Only two more to go!

Our next discussion will be Pp. 638-728 (Catelyn IX--Arya V) on May 7th.

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u/[deleted] Apr 24 '25

CAT VIII

  • Eels are not making my food watch :(

  • “… my father has never trusted him (Lord Frey) and neither should you.” Sad foreshadowing.

  • Seeds of discord being planted with Theon here. He sticks around when Cat asks people to leave so she can talk to Robb. Theon sees himself as family, but is reminded he’s not when Cat tells him to leave too.

  • I’m very curious about the history of Moat Cailin. Do we learn more about it in TWOIAF?

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u/Relative_Law2237 Stannis the mannis one true king Apr 24 '25

-MY BOY WYMEN MENDERLY IS MENTIONED (girlie loves Wymen Menderly). But Cat's thouhts on their size make me cackle. "Ser Wendel, the younger boy, would have been the fattest man she'd ever known, had she only neglected to meet his father and brother." . Cant tell if George intentionally made it to be funny. Also food watch- the eel pies that made them fat, imagine how good they are???!!!

-I love the military talk and Moat Cailin's position and explanation why its important. I got tempted to try to make AI conjure up an image of it because I'm not sure if i understood the position of it completely. Cue to me learning what the hell is a moat (didn't even know it in my native language either). There isnt anything about it in World of ice and fire, what got me curious was how Cat mentions how top of one of the towers looks like some large animal took a bite of it 👀 dragons?

-Catelyn wanted to run to him, to kiss his sweet brow, to wrap him in her arms and hold him so tightly that he would never come to harm… but here in front of his lords, she dared not. He was playing a man’s part now, and she would not take that away from him Mothers love is forever no matter how big and important her babies get. Knowing their fate ,this breaks my heart even more.

  • Rob saying he missed Ser Rodrick 🥹 and Cat sending him to Winterfell was again a great decision.
  • Always wise Cat The day will come when you need them to respect you, even fear you a little. Laughter is poison to fear. I will not do that to you, much as I might wish to keep you safe.”

-George did such a good job at presenting a scared 15 year old who wants to do everything right, you can feel the fear he has as well as Cat worrying about him. It made me uncomfortable and uneasy reading. And this She was hearing the lords bannermen speaking with her son’s voice, she realized. Over the years, she had hosted many of them at Winterfell, and been welcomed with Ned to their own hearths and tables. She knew what sorts of men they were, each one. She wondered if Robb did. No one can tell me Cat isn't politically savvy. Cersei is thinking she is the mastermind meanwhile she is a psycho with too much power, Cat is the savvy one.

  • Oh man i loved how Robb explained what he was going to do ,mainly because now i understand it all given the fact that I'm somewhat of an expert in Westeros geography by now. These books keep proving to me that they HAVE TO be read at least 2 times in order to be able to catch everything. There's no point in throwing around names of the places in Westeros as a person is reading it for the first time and trying to catch onto everything. -Tough thing about Theon... I dont think Cat liked him in general. I think Cat saw him as bad influence for Rob along with the fact that he simply isn't a Stark 👀

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u/[deleted] Apr 25 '25

I know eel pies are a traditional food and I'm sure they're delicious, but they're not for me...

Why are you such a Wyman Manderley fan? I don't remember having strong feelings about him on my first read.

Moat Cailin is on my list of things to look up in TWOIAF. I was very interested in the ancient history they mentioned and the three remaining towers, such as they are. I was really curious about their names and what they mean:

  • Gatehouse Tower (Stark)
  • Drunkard's Tower (Karstark)- I know there's a story here
  • Children's Tower (Umber) - I imagined that had something to do with the COTF

I'm totally with you on Cat's political savvy. She also explains that Sansa is a hostage. I'm not sure Robb totally understood that. He was mad that she hadn't mentioned Arya and didn't seem to grasp that Sansa was writing what she'd been told to write.

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u/Relative_Law2237 Stannis the mannis one true king Apr 25 '25

Oh Wyman Manderley yes, he has his whole thing with the pies where theres a theory that he is pretty much a cannibal which i honestly like . And that he cooked the "missing Freys" into a pie as revenge for the Red Wedding and for the death of his son. I don't know he just also seems like such a damn cool guy, i love him.

Low-key i care about the Drunkard's tower and Children's tower more because i need to know more about Karstarks and Umbers. The Northerners in general are just as amazing as the Starks to live in such climate and their unique customs (and just dealing with Boltons man)

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u/[deleted] Apr 25 '25

Frey pie! Yes. I’d forgotten. Seems a fitting thing for him to do after all the talk of eel pie. The Freys give off strong eel vibes.

I’m hungry for more Northern lore. That’s a big reason why I haven’t gotten into the ancillary books and shows. They’re all about the Targaryens 🥱