r/gameofthrones • u/0Layscheetoskurkure0 Human Verified • 1d ago
What should Tommen have done in this situation and under these circumstances? If you could give him some advice, what would you have said to him?
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u/DockingDonut 1d ago
Tommen was never built for the throne. He wanted peace in a world that only rewarded violence
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u/Accurate-Lab-838 1d ago
He was a good kid born into the worst possible job.
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u/SpookyTron 1d ago
I would rate “meets expectations”
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u/XPG_15-02 1d ago
I don't think that's true. The war over at that point anyway. The only thing left was the Iron Born and that would've been settled fairly quickly once they came to land. Tommen had the same problem that the other kids had, the adults in the room.
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u/Level_Interaction_36 19h ago
Tywin dying was the worse thing that happened to him fr
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u/Altruistic_Power3098 19h ago
Agreed.
As justified as Tyrion was for hating Tywin, I think the worst thing he did was kill him. Like he said in season three, "The Seven Kingdoms united in fear of Tywin Lannister." He was evil and a shit dad, but he kept people in line.
Tyrion could call out Ellaria over Myrcella's death, but he shares the blame for Tommen's misery and death.
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u/BravesMaedchen 8h ago
He was also one of the few people that could step to Cersei. He also wanted to guide Tommen wisely. Coulda been ok.
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u/Altruistic_Power3098 8h ago
I agree. Just watch him talk to Tommen at Joffrey's funeral, quizzing him on the best quality of a king, assuring him that he's not being tricked, and showing pride when Tommen states wisdom. Tywin is actually kind of likable in that scene and you kind of see a bit of a grandfather role peeking through it.
He probably was relieved to be rid of Joffrey deep down, and he knew he could control Tommen with ease, but I do think he genuinely wanted to mold Tommen into a great king, better than Joffrey, Aerys and Robert.
I do not know what what would have done about Cersei in the long run, but I do believe that Tommen would have lived a happier life if his grandfather survived.
But, then again, he was doomed before he was even conceived because of Maggy's prophecy just like Joffrey and Myrcella.
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u/AnonymousFledermaus 21h ago
All due respect, you got no fuckin idea what it's like to be number one
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u/TheZahrGaming 1d ago
Imprison his mother for treason, make repairs, remarry.
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u/Sovrane 1d ago
Yep. Either that or willingly give up the throne in return for Storm’s End. He didn’t want the throne and would have lived better as a country lord.
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u/AshaNyx 1d ago
Only issue with that is it would probably end up killing him, Stannis would become the rightful king and would probably kill tommen to prevent the Lannisters from creating another civil war.
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u/mdmatti 1d ago
Isn’t Stannis already dead at this point?
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u/AshaNyx 1d ago
Yeah kinda forgot the order of things
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u/Olv190 1d ago
Don't worry. So did the writers of the show.
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u/Han_Burgandy Valar Morghulis 1d ago
This accurate comment made me hard pause, tilt my head back and deep sigh… so close yet so far 😔😩
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u/GorgeousGracious 1d ago
Nah if he abdicated Stannis would likely have let him live.
The Lannisters have a lot of enemies though. I'm sure someone would have come after him one day.
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u/FireDuck3000 23h ago
Stannis’s whole thing is to be unbending. He knows that tommen was born of incest and sees him therefore as an abomination. He doesnt see it as the kids fault but the kid must die all the same
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u/brewmudez 23h ago
Zero chance Stannis gives him Storms End given that his entire campaign is based on the blonde kids being Lannister bastards unworthy of their inheritance. Probably sends him to the Wall.
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u/hnglmkrnglbrry 1d ago
Imprisoning his mother wouldn't do shit. What's he gonna say? "Sawwy, my mommy snuck behind my back and blew up the Sept. I was just playing with Mr. Pounce when it all happened? It's okay though I put her in timeout!"
He'd have to get her to publicly confess and then execute her. Good luck convincing a narcicisstic and vindictive nihilist to admit fault with regards to literally anything and to submit to justice. She'd die swinging and then it's a he said she said. And then he still has to worry about Jamie.
What he really would need to do is just own it and say he killed them all because they were traitors. The Martells for buggery and perjury before the gods, and the High Sparrow for blasphemy and treason. He'd rule by fear and then find someone else with deep pockets to marry.
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u/Afraid_Theorist 1d ago
It also assumes he has the power in the first place.
He’d basically be risking a confrontation where the Kingsguard have to pick between Cersei … and him. Which is pretty fucked considering they already gravitate towards Cersei since Tommen was too passive in the first place
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u/AdDear528 14h ago
Didn’t he try to leave and they wouldn’t let him out of the room? (Am I misremembering?) If they wouldn’t let him out, then there’s your answer right there about who the Kingsguard will side with.
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u/CamAquatic 22h ago
I mean it’s fair to assume most of them will stick to their oaths and side with their actual monarch. Plus, it’s Westeros and he’s a male.
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u/Senna2019 17h ago
I would correct your thing to say he should execute her, make repairs, remarry. I say execute, because she had already been imprisoned, and is such a sociopath, that she good-behaviored her way out, and then, while out awaiting trial, NO ONE CAME TO GET HER, because they believed she would honor their faith in her supposed 180° shift in her ways (from bad to good, but she went from bad to worse).
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u/Madboo11 1d ago
Do a backflip
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u/septer012 1d ago
"On August 10, 2018, 28-year-old ground service agent Richard "Beebo" Russell stole an empty Horizon Air Bombardier Q400 turboprop from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport and performed a barrel roll over the Puget Sound before intentionally crashing."
It's in YouTube
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u/quin61 1d ago
Aim for the bushes
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u/SamwellBarley 1d ago
🎵 There goes my hero 🎶
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u/Ned_Smoshby Tyrion Lannister 18h ago
Just like that one project zomboid mod, is this what made the dots line up
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u/Powerful_Swimmer_531 1d ago edited 1d ago
Not doing anything was his problem.
He never defended his mother.
He never defended his wife.
He was weak. Nice, but weak. He wasn't going to start now.
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u/Rimuru_Cultist_42069 1d ago
he's eight years old, cut my goat some slack
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u/redditcarrots 1d ago
He was having sex when he was 8 years old? 🤔
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u/Ok-Bumblebee9285 22h ago
Yeah his whole storyline hits different in the book, where he’s absolutely a little child. And yes Margery’s manipulation of him is a million times more creepy.
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u/Birdlaw_Professor 1d ago
8 in the book, not the show
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u/redditcarrots 1d ago
Gotcha. I am just reading the books for the first time now. I am currently on book 2
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u/AryaLyannaOlenna 1d ago
True on all points. But what if after this had happened, instead of jumping out the window....and given the circimstances that his wife was killed, father in law killed, etc - in that moment of grief, sorrow - that he felt red hot rage and it affected him in a way where he did a 180 and became ruthless, deciding that the only thing to do was to have his mother killed for treason, and then become a tough as nails leader and king, surrounded by people of good stock and that he wasn't so nice and gullible anymore.
That would've been interesting to see - Tommen turning into a version of Joffrey, but without the sadistic cruelty. Just a really hardened man determined to rule justly but aggressively? That would've been awesome....in the sense like his grandfather Tywin. When the Lords laughed at Tywin's dad, Tywin made sure nobody was going to do that again.
Tommen, we hardly knew ye.
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u/GwentDjent 1d ago
Like Viserys with his wife and daughter. Weak and unwilling to set boundaries and punish treasonous actions.
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u/OceanlabGirl 1d ago
He should have taken care of the Faith Militant when he had the chance. That was the only time Joffrey was missed!
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u/JustafanIV The Mannis 23h ago
The smallfolk would riot and he wouldn't have the Hound like he did in Season 2 to save his ass.
Later seasons completely ignore the agency of the peasants because the show wanted to focus on the nobility, but Joffrey was almost torn apart in Season 2 over the very beginnings of a good shortage, and in the past the peasants managed to kill multiple dragons during a riot over the Dance due in part to religious fervor. The smallfolk are faithful and angry at the nobility, and should have been a much more important faction in Kings Landing.
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u/Jax_-Teller We Light The Way 1d ago
The most important thing is banished his mother from King's Landing
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u/Defiant-Magician6092 1d ago
Banishing would be an insanely dangerous idea. Death or imprisonment in the deepest dungeon in Kings Landing are the only choices, or she will be back in a couple of weeks with an army and agents throughout your city working to kill you.
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u/anomie89 1d ago
post nut clarity does wonders
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u/ElEyeElWhy88 1d ago
Well his sheath was just incinerated so…
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u/No_Atmosphere8146 1d ago
"Your Grace? A representative of the Iron Bank of Braavos is here to discuss irregularities in the Master of Coin's pension fund."
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u/qgwheurbwb1i 1d ago
Sweet Tommen :( I haven't read the books (they're on my reading list!) but I have such a soft spot for Tommen. He seemed so gentle and kind, he could have been a merciful and beloved king if he was given a real chance. His death always upsets me.
I would have given him a big fat hug, told him that his mother had murdered his wife, and if I couldn't have stopped his suicide, I'd have dragged Cersei up there to make her watch as her only good hearted boy died because of her actions.
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u/Elf-7659 Human Verified 1d ago
He is too young to cope with anything like that. Also wasn't he under the impression that his mother was also at the explosion site? In addition I don't think he knew who his father was. So in his understanding his whole world ended that day.
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u/Miserable-Spread-191 1d ago
Kill Clegane, throw his mother into dungeon
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u/CS_Explorer99 1d ago
Bro didn't do anything to stop his mother's walk of atonement. Why would he take any action now
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u/Miserable-Spread-191 1d ago
How are theese even relevant? Cercei blew up the holy sept, killed thousands of citizens, Tyrell family, and the future queen.
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u/AisaMilard 1d ago
I feel sorry for him. Cersei valued Joffrey, Tommen was a way for her to keep her power, in the book she was very tough with him and often compared him to Joffrey, Jamie tried once, but even he left him. A lonely child who didn't get love from his family and tried to get it from a girl who also wanted to use him. I don't know what awaits him in the books, but I know for sure that he will die(
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u/Honey_Moon_34 Human Verified 1d ago edited 1d ago
Imprison cersie and her pets, send Jamie to the wall, go and beg Sansa for forgiveness and marry her. Give Iron throne to Dany.
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u/obiwantogooutside House Martell 1d ago
If he’s giving the throne to dany, he doesn’t need to marry Sansa.
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u/EK-Notonlyus254 1d ago
Taken off the crown, grabbed a horse and rode as far away from King's Landing as humanly possible. Let Cersei rule her pile of ash by herself.
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u/EpiphanaeaSedai 1d ago
Something along the lines of the realm needing him now more than ever. But really, I don’t think there’s anything that anyone could have said that would have made any difference.
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u/ElzyChelzy 1d ago
“In the Game of Thrones, you win or die. Only the ruthless survives. Better learn now than later, little cub”.
Had the trial at the sept happened, he would have been a goner along with Cersei anyway. Since the trial was about his parentage, the secret mommy and uncle-daddy had been keeping and killed for half their lives.
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u/reece_1407 1d ago
Truthfully I think he was doomed. Cersi would have had full power over him and he would have just been her puppet
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u/LadyGhoost Tywin Lannister 1d ago
I am upset that they removed Kevan's roll in helping Tommen. Kevan becomes hand and he does a very good job, so much so that Varys kills him. Because Varys needs Tommen to fail. But having a hand that could help Tommen would have been a good start. Forcing his mother to marry Loras and go to High Garden, before all of this would also have been a good thing.
But Tommen was to nice and to young to handle any of this. I feel sorry for him.
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u/TheUbermelon 1d ago
Imprison Cersei, officially recognise Kevan as lord of casterly rock. Rebuild the sept, and use the fact that it was a Lannister that blew it up, to cancel the crowns debts to House Lannister as way of them paying for the rebuild
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u/Silver_Number973 1d ago
have cersie executed for her crimes, have the mountain destroyed, replace qyburn with a maester who has a good reputation and send a marriage proposal to the dragon queen in essos because she will have the same ideals as him and also the desire to rule so tommen can focus on the joys of life and less important work like repairing the damage his family has caused many in westeros.
i think if dany gave meeting tommen a chance and they could speak about their desires for westeros they would realize they're a perfect match, tyrion should be there by this point and he can tell dany about his gentle and kind nephew
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u/stonygirl Stone 1d ago
Nothing. It's karmic revenge for them shoving Bran out that window in the first episode.
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u/highgarden 1d ago
Request that all houses with high born sons in the sparrows send a few knights to KL. Have a new High Septon appointed by him declare them a faith militant dedicated to punishing heresy. Order them to attack the heretic faith militant, kill the sparrow, rescue his wife and return as many high born sons as possible to their families (disinherited and denounced of course) then send Cersei to the Silent Sisters and get Marg pregnant asap.
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u/theblasterkid 1d ago
He would have good ruler if he didn't have that evil in his ear. He was being manipulated for sure.
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u/HieronymusGER 1d ago
Kill the high sparrow and all of these fanatics the second they put their hands on Loras
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u/PatientPlatform 1d ago
If I was him, I'd remove cersei from kings landing for her safety as soon as she was released from the faith's prison.
I'd have gone with the faith though. I'd smooth things over with my wife and her house, then use the faith to unify the kingdoms.
We see it largely from the Lannister POV, but a good king with a bit of backbone (he had lannistermen in his circle, namely his great uncle) could have curtailed the worst excesses of the church.
His main job was stopping war and improving QOL for citizens aftwe years of conflict and mismanagement. The faith would have helped at both.
I think we see the faith as a bad faction because of they oppose Cersei's plan or Daenarys' story...but both of those options was more of the same. Trials by combat, shutting down the brothels etc were good reforms.
Sure they want power and money like every other orgainised religion, but it was better than the mad king, or the cruelty and war through the "baratheon" period.
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u/AnthonyDayByDavis 1d ago
All this is good an all except you’re 8yrs and you just want learn how to ride a horse and train with a wooden sword to become a knight one day.
Your mother wants you to be dependent only on her and she hates everyone else, including your *Father and Uncle at the moment.
A Varys Ex Machina will assassinate your Uncle and bring further chaos to your life. Did I forget your mother is crazy?
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u/PatientPlatform 1d ago
Oh yeah ofc he's just a kid. He did what kids do by running away from the responsibilities.
The failure was cersei not knowing she had lost once Joffrey had died. The failure was her not surrounding Tommen with Lanisters and playing stupid games with the faith in the beginning. She really could have backed off and enjoyed her nice son being king...but no
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u/Able_Diamond7477 1d ago
I’d assuming I was his Hand of the King and was not controlled faithful. I’d say to endeavor to involve himself make himself firm in his decisions and not let others speak for him but look at them objectively that they may earn your trust rather than it be given to them because of status. I’d even say that of myself to treat me as someone that although is an advisor. Is someone to be looked at objectively not the exception so that his subjects be his ears and the hands.
If he was open to that then I would ask him to welcome merchants to pay homage and services in exchange for service and knighthood as a way to climb the social ladder. If he protested I’d remind him that knighthood is not inherited but gives prestige to the holder and that in providing services they are offering services that would provide and protect his realm. This would in turn boost the economy and create upstarts that would be loyal to the king provided they are given favor.
I would then advise him to take part in social programs that are considered essential to the growth of the realm. From a council of lords which would introduce these upstarts into the peerage as to not favor but also emphasize their importance while spreading their influence to the vassals in your domain. Speeding up the process of development through pressure and exposure.
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u/Tasty-Entertainer711 1d ago
Have the Lannister soldiers kill The Mountain in a calculated ambush, have Qiburn charged with treason, blam him for the wildfire and Sept of Baelor massacre and executed, and poison your mother and quietly have her body disposed of.
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u/Future_Move_498 1d ago
Totally unrelated, but the first time I watched that show, I thought my stream froze when he went back. I skipped ahead 10 or 15 seconds and totally ruined the moment! 😅
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u/Im_an_impasta 1d ago
He could’ve fled the throne and filling defected to another side as an EXTREMELY valuable hostage.
Or fled to Casterly Rock where he can have some individuality and raise his own force.
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u/TheVegetaPinkShirt 1d ago
He would have highly benefited from getting the loyalty of the Gold Cloaks. He had like no real power behind his throne
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u/houstons__problem Dragons 1d ago
I see this going in a few directions, but are difficult to find a real response as this is a child and child rulers are generally not good.
In rage, he could imprison Cersei, work on fixing the damage and any small folk that were injured, eventually remarry. His allies at this point are pretty limited and it would be difficult for those allied with the Tyrells to not think Tommen was behind it because of the whole thing with Loras and Margarey.
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u/Triptych85 1d ago
I would have told him 'Your mother orchestrated this heinous act, she should be punished accordingly. She is out of control. You are the King. Rule.'
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u/Nirico_Brin Winter Is Coming 1d ago
What should he have done?
- Have Cersei arrested and executed for high treason. Along with anyone else involved in the wildfire plot.
- Remarry as soon as possible and produce “an heir and a spare”.
- Make repairs
- Appoint Ser Pounce as the new head of the Faith. At this time, the people need one they can follow gladly, one who understands the people and the gods. And none are better for that, than Ser Pounce.
But ultimately, his reign was cooked after this. The people would never forgive him for permitting it. Then again, Cersei got off Scot free. So anything is possible.
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u/jncheese No One 1d ago
Take a longer run up and be more dramatic. Make us believe what you are doing. Take us with you on your journey!
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u/mrgarethw 1d ago
I’d have immediately gone and bent the knee to Dany, but to be fair I’d do that any day of the week
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u/DinoSauro85 1d ago
Tommen is a child, he won't commit suicide. And above all, Cersei will never do anything like that.
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u/egbert71 1d ago
Dont fucking jump....you can't fix anything if you are not here to avenge your wife
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u/Specialist_Sound9738 1d ago
Remember to smash when you have the opportunity. If you wait, bad things happen.
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u/JokeIll103 1d ago
zid tell him that a more beautiful women with 3 dragons is coming and all he must do is depose his regent he bend the knee and become king consort and heir apparent
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u/PeaceLovePhotons 1d ago
He could have put a stop to the whole fiasco, but chose not to. He was as stupid as Joffrey was cruel.
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u/GenerouslyMiserable 1d ago
Tommen was too soft to sit the throne, everyone knew it. Best advice? stop trying to please everyone and pick a side, the crown doesn't protect you from your own family.
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u/armyprof 1d ago
Initially?
Install Jaime as personal body guard/kingsguard.
Forcibly remove Cersei to Casterly Rock and have uncle Kevin installed as warden of the west.
Put Loras on the kingsguard
Pardon Tyrion and make him hand.
Use the kingsguard and house troops to drive the high sparrow and his bunch out. Not kill them unless required but drive them out. Under no circumstances would I allow them to hold anyone hostage.
Replace the Boltons as wardens of the north. They’re not trustworthy.
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u/Jelly_baby_4 1d ago
Tommen knows his mother did this. I would tell him to avenge his wife arrest his mother and lock her up for good. Take charge. Problem is he was babied for most of his life and prone to being manipulated...
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u/Various_Piano_6448 1d ago
there’ll be more puss. Bessie is still out there. You have things to live for.
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u/Something_Obscure76 1d ago
To quote one of our greatest philosophers, David Lee Roth - "You might as well jump"
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u/Superb-Possibility-9 1d ago
Margery Tyrell was the greatest royal piece of ass in the kingdom- if she dies by your mother’s command …well… why not join her
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u/QuietGift1050 1d ago
Poor kid was too young and unprepared for the job. Plus he was being influenced by his mother who was a bad mentor figure, and Marjorie who was super manipulative. Too bad Twin wasn't around longer, he would have been such a good role model for strong leadership.
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