I’m sorry, but a man who STARTS OFF his rise to power and eventual reign of terror by killing a twelve-year-old boy to lure his father out and shoot him, and THEN murdering another twelve-year-old boy when those two are dead…is nothing but shit. We called that wrong when it was done to the medics in World War II, and it’s wrong in Westeros, too.
Bloodraven never regretted anything – I don’t care what he says to an eight-year-old boy to seduce him to the Weirwood Cause. He was a fucking amoral sociopath and his getting to be a kewl immortal and Lord Commander (with a 200-strong honor guard that PROBABLY GOT HIM ELECTED) is a reward, not a punishment.
“You cannot speak to him, try as you might. I know. I have my own ghosts, Bran. A brother that I loved, a brother that I hated, a woman I desired.”
cool story bro have u considered:
- the two unarmed 12 year olds you killed at long range either 1) as a reverse human shied or 2) just out of spite
- the families of the people whose bodies you burned during the Great Spring Sickness
- the smallfolk you ordered back to their lands because they wanted a better liege lord after surviving the greatest humanitarian crisis in Westerosi history
- the people who were killed in the banditry caused by the above order
- the Westerlanders who were killed and raped in the Greyjoy raids because you refused to send the Iron Fleet to help them because “my one eye is fixed on Tyrosh hurr durr”
- the people who were interrogated and killed under your authoritarian regime who were otherwise defenseless; ie, the Septon in TMK who just repeated some rumors and had his head mounted on a spike outside his sept
- that other nephew who you imprisoned for years and then had killed for…reasons?
- that other other nephew who tried to surrender peacefully and you killed treacherously for…even better reasons?
- a fifth nephew who you deceitfully promised safe passage to Westeros to attend a peaceful conference and then had killed the minute he arrived in the city, thus defiling the reputation of the Iron Throne even more than you had previously (see: authoritarian regime & refusing to help the Westerlanders)
- deserting the Night’s Watch (a crime punishable by death), which had for some unfathomable reason chosen you as Lord Commander, during a raid to become an immortal greenseer at the age of 77 when you knew you were dying
…you’re not sorry for any of this, are you?
^ Yeah, this.
As far as I’m concerned, anyone who utilizes Bloodraven’s tactics for their own gains is suspect, too. Aegon V did the absolute bare minimum in getting rid of him. Again, with an honor guard.
Death By Catchphrase 