A smuggler also knows all the secret locations on the coastlines too. Smuggling in medieval times is different from in modern times, no matter what Preston says.
@@Blood_Video_company correct, but Manderly claimed most of his were rivermen. It is a bit odd, but White Harbor would not have a reason to trade with Skagos or anywhere else there.
@@Blood_Video_company Do we know if Manderly knows of Shaggydog? Because getting a child into a port by boat isn't an issue, but a full grown direwolf...
For what I get, smuggling in this world is supposed to work by bypassing physical obstacles put in place to force you on a righteous path of paying tariffs. Basically, instead of going into the port and through customs, you go to some beach that is believed to be unreachable by boat and unload your cargo there at night.
Wex followed OSHA because he doesn’t know how to get back to the Ironborn (he’s only a kid in a huge foreign land). Shaggy dog finds him, and they catch him. They took pity on him and don’t kill him (maybe take him captive). He leaves them or escapes from them right before they sail for Skagos.
To the question on who Rickon is to be smuggled past: I always assumed he got in the hands of the locals, either the local lord if there is such a thing o local peasants or tribes. They captured him and don't want to release him. Manderly knows that Skagosi don't like unannounced visitors and often don't let them go or make it difficult, so he wants Davos to baisically jailbreak Rickon.
Davos in Winds: Davos I - Davos is rowing on a small boat after Manderly ship wrecked on its way to Skagos Davos II - Davos goes to the bar in some town/village to listen to what's going on Davos III - Davos spends a couple of weeks in prison that's surprisingly warm and has decent food. Davos IV - lord Flint of Widow's Watch agrees to help Davos with his Skagos mission if Davos helps him with smuggling an assault unit into Dreadfort.
@ilanoshri3144 Alternatively, Davos I is Davos some place near Winterfell with Rickon, Shaggydog and Osha. His Skagos trip is one paragraph flashback about how all those 20 people still living on Skagos are very nice and helpful.
Dream of Springs Davos I: Davos is imprisoned in the Dreadfort Davos II: Davos listens to some jailors talking about events in the Seven kingdoms Davos III: Davos escapes in a rowing boat following a local unmarked creek. Davos IV: Davos is shipwrecked off the shore of Dargonstone Davos V: Davos finally returns to his wife and family.
Davos questioning Stannis is definitely not undone. In ADWD when Wyman asks what Stannis has to offer, Davos thinks :”War and woe and the screaming of burning men.” I don’t think he ever turned his back on Stannis, more so that his fears and doubts are growing. Even if he disobeyed Stannis in the instance of Edric Storm, I would argue it wasn’t due to increased disloyalty but a strong moral conviction against Stannis’s actions, specifically in regard to Edric. It doesn’t mean he completely abandoned him. I think Davos does question Stannis, but it’s buried inside of him.
George wants Skagos to be flashbacks in early Winds. The two names in Winterfell Osha knew best were her lover/boss and the smith who was constantly adjusting her chains. We know Davos was already back before the sample chapters because that's the obvious explanation for why Crowfood would be able to verify Jeyne's identity with those specific names.
davos 1 ADWD is the most atmospheric chapter in the series. and 3 is so entertaining omg, all the freys who are lying about the red wedding, all the manderlys who have to lie about their intentions, it's very theatrical fun dialogue with a ton of enemies pretending to get along, i love thinking about what they hide VS what they give away here. do people really not like davos 3?
Perhaps Manderly reasons that, to find Rickon, he needs someone trustworthy who can bribe and talk to port workers, innkeepers, etc. without the threatening color of authority, all while maintaining some degree of loyalty.
37:00 There is a few things you missed here. A big part of Bran being so recognisable is that he's a crippled boy with a giant as his 'legs' with 2 crannogmen that are apparently rather distinct. 'the tale would spread' I'm pretty sure Osha even says that she will specifically follow the Kings Road for a bit, Brans party are specifically staying away from the road so it makes sense that they wouldn't be walking beside eachother. The North is pretty huge besides.. Agreed the Wex journey doesn't make sense which is fine to criticise but the rest is massive reach which is irritating to see, it's like the goal is to be as uncharitable as possible.
@@Hugorshill Again, Preston is a self-righteous douche with poor insight. He has a very hard time being charitable to people who disagree with him, his arguments against things he disagrees with are generally petty and he gets fired up when he's being challenged in any way, WAY too quickly. He just gets dismissive, and doesn't seem to have enough self-awareness to understand that this attitude is sooooo WEAK. Didn't he have a stream recently about "How to be a man"? Who wants to fucking hear about that from him? He's a clown who hangs out with young adult men online talking about comic books and shitty TV shows.
Davos being recruited for smuggling Rickon off an island of reputed cannibals and back home to the north makes sense if you apply the great northern conspiracy. Manderly doesn’t want worth to reach Bolton that he is attempting to return a Stark back to Winterfell and supplant Roose as warden of the north. Manderly is loath to trust another northern lord during this tumultuous time, especially since Bolton has misgivings surrounding Manderly’s loyalty, so he has turned to an outsider, a common ally, to unseat Roose and restore a Stark as his “liege lord.”
Doesn't that require the GNC to *not* be true? Usual presentation I've seen of GNC has the majority of Northern lords on Manderly's side, whereas he only needs to smuggle Rickon home if he doesn't trust his neighbours (either because they're loyal to Bolton or simply have their own agendas). Then again IIRC Bolton lands are his immediate northerly neighbours, so he might have to be careful either way.
Osha was going outside the east gate because they need a ship to get to Skagos. Thats why they‘ve gone to white harbour. And thats where Wex overheard Osha saying their going to Skagos.
Hi Preston, the pedantic old-world guy again. About smuggling, you are right that Grrm has an odd notion, but I put it to you that you have too modern a notion of smuggling. He clearly thinks that if Davos knew how to smuggle things to and from Kings landing and he could pilot a small (yacht size?) ship or even sailed boat into Dragonstone castle, he would be able to pilot a ship and remain stealthy anywhere. Now the ideas you present of corrupt dock officials is very much how it happens today and would have been also as old as taxes. But around 1:42:00 when you question if they would *lay anchor* (not park) off the shore and then row things ashore. Yes that is exactly what many smugglers, and indeed legal traders would do. In a time when even the cranes were manual, what does it matter if you're moored to a wharf or anchored off shore? You still needed manpower (literally porters) to move the cargo. I know you don't usually have the time but on the off chance you have some dead time and want to find out more, there are a few documentaries (i believe on YT also) specifically about Cornwall and Devon smuggling that would have included the corrupt taxmen and also the jolly boat types of smuggling. Also until radar ships can and would disappear and remain unnoticed at will, hiding just over the horizon, or without sails possibly even closer. Edit. 2:14:00 I feel seen 😂 . But in all seriousness I agree with you on your Wikipedia point of view. And as someone who was a mariner and an academic, I try only "but actually" on things I actually know something about
In a traveling context, which im guessing is where you met most Canadians, we sow the patch on our packs so we aren't mistaken for Americans. We get treated better that way, no joke.
I really don't get Preston just hand waving away magical acts in the book. The Maggie the Frog prophecy has three correct monkey paw predictions: Cersei will not marry the prince, she will marry the king. Yeah, Maggie just happened to know about the coming rebellion and Robert becoming king. Don't play off Rhaegar becoming king in this, because Rhaegar's personality does not reflect the next prediction. Cersei will have 3 children and the king will have 16. Preston being "umm, actually, we don't know the full count" sort of missed the fact that Cersei and the king don't share children in common. Oh, and that her friend will be killed by Cersei. These are not lucky guesses and point to a form of prediction that Melisandre accesses via staring into the flame. True, Cersei actions caused a number of them to happen, but certain events like Robert's rebellion which were outside her control would have had to happen as well. My main rule when it comes to theories and predictions is: was this GRRM's intention when he wrote it. I doubt GRRM would have been this clear in that prophecy if his intention was to trick the reader into believing people in that world have a means to read the future. What GRRM loves to do though is create prophecies that get misinterpreted or are confusing until after the fact. If Preston's theory is that these are ripples of Time Traveling Bran affecting people so they see a certain way events play out when they connect in some way to Bran's mind either in weirwood dreams, fire trances, or purple drink.
I’ve not watched this, I probably won’t hang in for the whole thing… but Maggie tge frog’s prophecy only comes true because Cersei. It’s a self fulfilling prophecy, had she used sone self control then things clearly wouldn’t have happened that way. But yea I totally agree, there’s a lot of things people dismiss in this series… for one reason or another. Usually something related to hbo confusing people
Maybe the Scagosi only allow very specific trading guilds to work with them. Manderly wants someone who can fake being a member. Either that or he suspects that Bran is being held as a “ward”, and wants to free him.
Maybe manderly expects to die at Winterfell so when Davis returns to White harbor he has to avoid the ships that may be loyal to Roose now? Although idk why he wouldn't just send Davos to say Widow's Watch.
The Skagos reveal with Wex throwing the dagger at the map is one of the big Oh-fuck moments in ADWD, but I agree that it doesn't make too much sense. In fact, even Rickon going there in the first place. Do the books ever give a good reason not to go to White Harbor instead? Just go South from Winterfell (away from the Boltons), steal a boat or dingy and float down the White Knife.
The way it makes sense is maybe Osha is from there or has been there and thinks it is the safest place to be as she wouldn’t know which houses are loyal to the Starks .
@@matthewheywood8532 People in the books describe Skagos as an untamed, insanely dangerous place. The only way to make sense of it is that Osha knows that these stories are all bullshit and made up to deter outsiders from going there.
I would say that dragon eggs *are* stone. I think Stannis is definately in control of some eggs from dragonstone. That's what they are trying to wake, no?
I remember when the price of Avocados went up several years ago that several of the major drug cartels shifted from smuggling drugs to primarily smuggling fresh produce.
Another one that isn’t difficult to understand. He wants the boy brought back in secrecy because Westeros is a dangerous world where treachery abounds.
1. The message at the end of the show to celebrate wisdom and adventure instead of bloodright and conquest. Bran has the best story to unite the realm because thats what his story is about. 2. Expecting the show to invent perfect, incorruptable system that humanity was unable to find in 1000s of years is unreasonable and ridiculous. 3. The ending is about hope, a dream of spring. 4. Yes, mindcontroll is the perfect step towards democracy... thats why GoTs ending worked: its baby steps toward real democracy instead of forcing it in a unnatural way. Its believeable because it doesnt pretend its possible to change the human core and society overnight and throw thousands years of tradition away like that. Thats what dany tried and why she had to be killed.
Doesn't the problem of Skagos's size solve the problem of the timeline? Surely Davos I TWOW could open with Davos having spent a few months on Skagos and finally starting to narrow down Rickon's location; maybe a monstrous black direwolf has been killing hunters or something. Also, aren't there a bunch of Essosi slavers in the waters around Skagos? Maybe that's what Manderly's worried aboot?
1:41:53 I thought stannis wanted Davos to go because he'll avoid conflict if possible. Many of stannis' other commanders are rather driven by honor and glory. He needs commanders who don't conform to the standards of westerosi warfare.
Skagos surely knows how to sail and, while passing by, Sam saw a ship crashed on the rocks. Seems awfully dangerous to me. I think Manderly would've been better served with Bronn and Jamie, though.
Alot of great points. I thought hizdar was that character, and the barrister chapter in dance kinda solidified that in the way he still used his slaves that he was the sortof bitter arcing grey character for that role. It fits.
@PrestonJacobstheSweetrobin I do feel like Davos requires at least 2 Skagos chapters, one being the one "Missing" from the Dance. I think you are 100% correct about Rickon being wild. Davos should essentially be captured by cannibals on Skagos, inexplicably led by Rickon, which is how Davos I should end. However, Davos II can parallel the rescue mission from The Bravo (which ended in a complete failure). Davos COULD die at the end, failing to save Rickon and thus failing to save Shireen later. This way you get rid if the directionless character. However, you can simply have Davos escape Skagos empty handed and arrive to Eastwatch to observe in Davos III Or Davos could succeed in Davos II, and then arrive to Eastwatch in Davos III and then go to Castle Black only to have Wildlings seize Rickon and rally behind him as he discovers that Stannis is dead and Mel is in charge of the Wall in Davos IV . And he gets to see Shireen burn since Mel will be controlling the Watch , being 1000th Lord Commander and all in Davos V, towards the end of the Winds. It all depends on your bigger picture vision for the fanfic. I think version 3 works best, but it would require a lot of work. You can do it like this: Davos I - Fashbacks to arriving to Skagos, the party has been shipwrecked and lost for weeks. Getting captured. Could be paralleled to Jaime. Davos II - Rescue and Escape from Cannibals. Could be paralleled to The Bravo. ( I and II could be combined or you can put a our a roll call for a joined chapter, which you can split to be make it more George like. Maybe Davos I starts with them already captured) Davos III - Eastwatch. Davos IV - Captured at Castle Black Davos V - Burning of Shireen. But honestly, your fanfic has been absolutely fantastic, so I am sure whatever direction you wanna take Davos, I'd be curious to see
He needs a smuggler to bribe people around while he is looking for the kid. Also he needs to bribe people to get him out as he might be enslaved. And he didn't continue the story because something so great and awesome happened there and could impact the story very powerful. My thoughts
Preston, you can resolve a lot of your issues especially with Daenerys by planning that Daenerys will land at Dragonstone only at the last chapter. It will help you with the pace of the Daenerys story and it's a real GRRM thing to do
3:06:00 Preston every time younsay "pax" I hear "pox" and "pox Americana" is actually very fitting for the way things are going in America and the world.
Sorry if its answered/comes up later in the video. I have ADHD and if I don't comment now I'll forget. You're focusing on how Davos would be useful in getting Rickon, but what if it's more about getting Rickon back to White Harbor (or somewhere else). It's war time, and there's lots of different factions. Maybe Manderly is just worried about Davos/Rickon being picked up by another faction and him losing that leverage?
"If China hurts US economy they hurt themselves". Doesn't it matter the degree of hurt or the branch of economy or where reps vs dems have money? Also lately some countries seem to be willing to hurt a hand if that means US will hurt a finger, metaphorically speaking.
Smugglers did often just sail in small boats to land ellicit cargo, its why so much of the south of england had smuggler coves etc. It was only latter when people were smuggling across oceans that it became more about bribery etc.
There was Pax Britannica during the long 1800 century, the Pax americana was really after the fall of the soviet union, so we are still in it, but China's use perhaps mirrors the Parthians...
How would Wex go to any of the places held by the Ironborn as he only knows their general locations by hearsay since he can't read a map because he's illiterate!
Have you ever considered that there are things about Wex, Osha, and Rickon that we just haven't learned because Wex is still learning to write? Davos may find out much more during the time it takes to prepare for his journey. He's not going to hop into a row boat and head out into the open ocean. You have to use your imagination. We also don't know who lives on Skagos. Might there be a skin changer on Skagos?
"Gutteral Melbournian accent"? We have the mildest accent, along with Adelaide. Literally any other part of Australia would have been a better choice...
There is no evidence that they were higher advanced as we humans but there are things that are magical but you ignore it. Even I think most what you said about Cersei and Maegy is as you said how did she know that Rheager will not be king and that Cersei will marry the new king. She predicted the rebellion and how it would end years before.
Sorry, but this is wrong number of wars may be lower than in the past but the deaths from wars has massively risen the Congolese civil war alone has had a tremendous death toll. As have many of the long running conflicts in Africa, Asian and Latin America.
You know what doesn't make any sense to me? HOw you two can keep talking about this show/book series for hours on end. Help me understand what keep you motivated to do so.
Their passion for the books and people like me, the equally passionate fans, who want to discuss it just as much. And we admire all the hardwork these creators put in....and the insights they provide
Because it is as stupid to think you can buy Scotland as it is for Greenland. They said Trump will bring peace and know he wants to invade sovereign countries. People forget how WW2 started.
Just watched the trailer for In The Lost Lands, could be a fun little shut off your brain movie. Dunno why Carmine has to be so negative, maybe if it was a anime, he might be more responsive.
Could just be my opinion but Preston seems to be the cynical & critical song of ice and fire blogger.. secrets of the citadel, Tony Teflon, order the green hand.. offer opinions and some critiques.. but it never comes off like “this is so fuckin stupid it just doesn’t make sense at all” like brother this is still FANTASY lol take it easy… and some of YOUR takes are just brutal.. for instance did davos bribe Mel into the secret passage on dragonstone.. or did he sneak her in.. smuggling means sneaking not bribing by definition
I think starting the fan fiction project has ironically led him to approach the work more as a creative than a fan, which could explain the cynicism. It's a very "behind the curtain" perpective analyzing someone's work as a creative in the same field. It's sort of the ultimate immersion break, the difference between a wowed audience trying to figure out how a magician did a trick vs a fellow magician. Not that he's always right or anything. But I think it's also deepened his love for the series in other ways. Like go back and watch that Brienne series and tell me it could have been made by anyone else.
The man has picked apart every layer and aspect of the story, for YEARS he’s been analyzing it so of course eventually he’s gonna find some plot holes. And besides he provides a different and in my opinion interesting take on it even though yes I agree he can be a bit harsh.
It honestly makes me think he should branch out and talk about other books. If you spend this much time analyzing one series you are gonna find more and more faults. It's good to be critical of things you like of course but after a certain point it just gets detrimental to your own enjoyment. I think it could be healthy for him to take a break from ASOIAF content for at least a year or two. Just my two cents
@PrestonJacobstheSweetrobin That Act creates a mechanism for the independence of the Greenland territory yes. But Greenland, the constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark, cannot leave on its own. The Act says in 21 (3) "The agreement shall, furthermore, be concluded with the consent of the Folketing. " Ultimately, the Danish Parliament has the power to cede territory. Would the Danish Parliament refuse? Probably not, but it could.
It’s a shaggy dog story. He’s basically telling us the mission is without substantive contextual relationship to the main story. It’s a diversion. It will probably be “subverted”, as people like to say about George plot twists, but I guess we’ll see. Myself I think Manderly might have designs on replacing Stark in the power vacuum left by the war.
Your take on smuggling is hilariously uninformed. That wouldn't even cover modern smuggling let alone medieval times where black sails were definitely used we have records of it. Also Geralt and Yen have sex on a stuffed unicorn. Maybe Sabkowski was trying to break that rule as well.
Davos is a sub character mcfly. That why his storyline isnt built the way the main characters are. Your complaining that the sub character doesnt have subtly and subtext. Hes a sub character. Thats why. Think mcfly, think.
When was the last time PJ had something positive to say? Week in, week out, it's "this is stupid, this doesn't make sense" , after 10+ years of over analysing an incomplete book series, Jacobs is clearly sick of it. That's fine, everyone will get bored of things they once loved eventually. It's just a shame this guy no longer does this out of love, but for the dollars? I genuinely recommend PJ goes and finds something he loves, cos it's clear he no longer loves asoiaf. Which is ok. Just move on bro.
Dude, what the hell are you talking about? Preston is clearly well enough off to not care about the money to do this stuff, he's still passionate, or else he wouldn't be doing this, alongside the tWoW fanfic and other side projects. Sure, he complains more than he used to but then again, once you've been covering something for close to a decade you're going to start finding flaws and inconsistencies in it, it's not about him losing interest in the books or else he would just stop doing this. He works for the DoS, they don't exactly pay them with a good word and pat on the back over there.
@marnie4629 You ONLY could make a fanfic if you hate the source material and don't respect the creator. Preston is taking the path of least resistance, easy nitpicks rather than the interesting, well-integrated theories he used to make.
@marnie4629 It's just Preston's personality. He's bitchy because he's personally a bitchy person. He's continuously active on RUclips for the continued attention he receives` from the audience he's accumulated. He's always been arrogant and self-righteous, but more than that he's mostly always been wrong.
I genuinely enjoy Preston Jacobs' content and appreciate his deep analysis of A Song of Ice and Fire. However, his presentations can sometimes feel a bit neurotic and repetitive, occasionally making me want to scream at the screen. That said, he's undeniably one of the most knowledgeable voices on the series, outside of GRRM himself. The key difference, though-and one that more and more people are starting to recognize-is that Preston's attempt at creative storytelling doesn't match GRRM's brilliance in the slightest. Yea, it's not even close, babe... The Winds of Winter fan project is an attempt to prove otherwise, a way of PJ saying, "Hey, look, I'm just as good as George, if not better." Unfortunately, that ambition doesn't quite land. Not even close! PJ doesn't seem to possess the creative capacity to craft a narrative on par with GRRM’s intricate and layered world-building. His frequent approach during live streams is to critique GRRM’s work extensively, yet in doing so, he often reveals a sense of envy toward George’s effortless ability to weave the poetic and immersive world of ASOIAF. And, I get it-I truly do. It’s understandable that Preston yearns to be seen in the community as a similarly profound and thought-provoking literary figure, capable of crafting narratives as extraordinary as GRRM’s. However, despite his efforts, many longtime viewers seem to be reaching a similar conclusion: that aspiration, while admirable, doesn't fully translate into execution.
I love the fanfic, and I'm looking forward to the version of twow based on Preston's theories more than Georges own twow. If you think Preston is not enamored with asoiaf enough to be the one to write it, try to imagine Georges own feelings after procrastinating for this long, with a mess of diverging plots he doesn't seem to be able to "garden" back into focus.
I have watched Preston for years, since 2018. HE DID start off with theories based on george's writing and the clear underlying subtext was the brilliance of George's writing and the deep level of intricate storytelling behind his work. You know what happened after that. With every year of Winds not being finished it became more and more apparent that deep level of intricacy that is definitely there has led to George struggling to finish his story. In the fanfic Preston uses his, perhaps the most extensive knowledge of George's writing style and the universe of ice and fire to keep as much of George's story but to finish it George writing is not perfect but Preston's critique do absolutely come from love for the series
The fanfic is so indistinguishable from George that haters comment under the sample chapters not realizing it's not the fanfic. If this weird conspiracy theory notion about Preston wanting to be George RR Martin or seen as on his level were true then the fanfic would not operate the way it does. How does a team of 8 editors taking a fuckton of submissions from the community based on a rough outline and pairing them down into a chapter equate to a proving of Preston's individual skills as an author? Hell he's literally put his own work on his own book to the side for the fanfic in many ways. I agree Preston can be overly critical or miss the point sometimes, but that's a product of 45% of the time since the series came out being spent waiting on 1 book while picking apart the others and not a product of weird narcissism or a desire to surpass his idol or some shit.
Manderly needs a smuggler to get Rickon back INTO Westeros and get to White Harbor safely, not to get into Skagos
That makes so much more sense lol
A smuggler also knows all the secret locations on the coastlines too. Smuggling in medieval times is different from in modern times, no matter what Preston says.
@@Blood_Video_company correct, but Manderly claimed most of his were rivermen. It is a bit odd, but White Harbor would not have a reason to trade with Skagos or anywhere else there.
@@Blood_Video_company Do we know if Manderly knows of Shaggydog? Because getting a child into a port by boat isn't an issue, but a full grown direwolf...
Why would they need to smuggle Rickon into White Harbor? Everyone believes he's dead, no one is looking for him.
Davos "emptying his onions" needs to be in the fanfic.
Yes!
Should he be emptying his onions or fingerboning?
he is married
@@MrPhbahia so he's gonna think about his wife and reach for the bag with his fingerbones at least once per page.
For what I get, smuggling in this world is supposed to work by bypassing physical obstacles put in place to force you on a righteous path of paying tariffs. Basically, instead of going into the port and through customs, you go to some beach that is believed to be unreachable by boat and unload your cargo there at night.
Wex followed OSHA because he doesn’t know how to get back to the Ironborn (he’s only a kid in a huge foreign land).
Shaggy dog finds him, and they catch him. They took pity on him and don’t kill him (maybe take him captive). He leaves them or escapes from them right before they sail for Skagos.
To the question on who Rickon is to be smuggled past: I always assumed he got in the hands of the locals, either the local lord if there is such a thing o local peasants or tribes. They captured him and don't want to release him. Manderly knows that Skagosi don't like unannounced visitors and often don't let them go or make it difficult, so he wants Davos to baisically jailbreak Rickon.
Omg, the onion knight is going to the cannibal island. Davos is going to be made into soup 😂
Onion soup 😳
Davos in Winds:
Davos I - Davos is rowing on a small boat after Manderly ship wrecked on its way to Skagos
Davos II - Davos goes to the bar in some town/village to listen to what's going on
Davos III - Davos spends a couple of weeks in prison that's surprisingly warm and has decent food.
Davos IV - lord Flint of Widow's Watch agrees to help Davos with his Skagos mission if Davos helps him with smuggling an assault unit into Dreadfort.
That's awful but tbh probably what George would go for
@ilanoshri3144 Alternatively, Davos I is Davos some place near Winterfell with Rickon, Shaggydog and Osha. His Skagos trip is one paragraph flashback about how all those 20 people still living on Skagos are very nice and helpful.
@@iliaponomarev1624 Why would they be at Winterfell?
@ilanoshri3144 Manderly is at Winterfell.
Dream of Springs
Davos I: Davos is imprisoned in the Dreadfort
Davos II: Davos listens to some jailors talking about events in the Seven kingdoms
Davos III: Davos escapes in a rowing boat following a local unmarked creek.
Davos IV: Davos is shipwrecked off the shore of Dargonstone
Davos V: Davos finally returns to his wife and family.
Davos questioning Stannis is definitely not undone. In ADWD when Wyman asks what Stannis has to offer, Davos thinks :”War and woe and the screaming of burning men.” I don’t think he ever turned his back on Stannis, more so that his fears and doubts are growing.
Even if he disobeyed Stannis in the instance of Edric Storm, I would argue it wasn’t due to increased disloyalty but a strong moral conviction against Stannis’s actions, specifically in regard to Edric. It doesn’t mean he completely abandoned him. I think Davos does question Stannis, but it’s buried inside of him.
weirdly narrow definition of smuggling. It doesn't even hold up for modern times.
Yeah, I mean Preston is weirdly narrow-minded
I don't get it it's almost like he's being deliberately so just for the sake of conversation
George wants Skagos to be flashbacks in early Winds. The two names in Winterfell Osha knew best were her lover/boss and the smith who was constantly adjusting her chains. We know Davos was already back before the sample chapters because that's the obvious explanation for why Crowfood would be able to verify Jeyne's identity with those specific names.
davos 1 ADWD is the most atmospheric chapter in the series. and 3 is so entertaining omg, all the freys who are lying about the red wedding, all the manderlys who have to lie about their intentions, it's very theatrical fun dialogue with a ton of enemies pretending to get along, i love thinking about what they hide VS what they give away here. do people really not like davos 3?
Perhaps Manderly reasons that, to find Rickon, he needs someone trustworthy who can bribe and talk to port workers, innkeepers, etc. without the threatening color of authority, all while maintaining some degree of loyalty.
PJ’s Aussie accent just sounds like Bobby Kennedy
Whatever happened to the Livestream for Kamala? I went to watch it the other day but it wasn't available anymore
Wtf there was a livestream for kamala?
@@deuceyd8468 Yeah it was right before the election. It was up for like a week or so and then I'm assuming he had to take it down for whatever reason.
Trolololololol trump yo daddy now
37:00 There is a few things you missed here.
A big part of Bran being so recognisable is that he's a crippled boy with a giant as his 'legs' with 2 crannogmen that are apparently rather distinct. 'the tale would spread'
I'm pretty sure Osha even says that she will specifically follow the Kings Road for a bit, Brans party are specifically staying away from the road so it makes sense that they wouldn't be walking beside eachother.
The North is pretty huge besides..
Agreed the Wex journey doesn't make sense which is fine to criticise but the rest is massive reach which is irritating to see, it's like the goal is to be as uncharitable as possible.
As uncharitable as possible seems accurate to me. It's quite irritating and seems petty
@@Hugorshill Again, Preston is a self-righteous douche with poor insight. He has a very hard time being charitable to people who disagree with him, his arguments against things he disagrees with are generally petty and he gets fired up when he's being challenged in any way, WAY too quickly. He just gets dismissive, and doesn't seem to have enough self-awareness to understand that this attitude is sooooo WEAK.
Didn't he have a stream recently about "How to be a man"? Who wants to fucking hear about that from him? He's a clown who hangs out with young adult men online talking about comic books and shitty TV shows.
Davos being recruited for smuggling Rickon off an island of reputed cannibals and back home to the north makes sense if you apply the great northern conspiracy. Manderly doesn’t want worth to reach Bolton that he is attempting to return a Stark back to Winterfell and supplant Roose as warden of the north. Manderly is loath to trust another northern lord during this tumultuous time, especially since Bolton has misgivings surrounding Manderly’s loyalty, so he has turned to an outsider, a common ally, to unseat Roose and restore a Stark as his “liege lord.”
Doesn't that require the GNC to *not* be true? Usual presentation I've seen of GNC has the majority of Northern lords on Manderly's side, whereas he only needs to smuggle Rickon home if he doesn't trust his neighbours (either because they're loyal to Bolton or simply have their own agendas). Then again IIRC Bolton lands are his immediate northerly neighbours, so he might have to be careful either way.
Osha was going outside the east gate because they need a ship to get to Skagos. Thats why they‘ve gone to white harbour. And thats where Wex overheard Osha saying their going to Skagos.
Hi Preston, the pedantic old-world guy again. About smuggling, you are right that Grrm has an odd notion, but I put it to you that you have too modern a notion of smuggling.
He clearly thinks that if Davos knew how to smuggle things to and from Kings landing and he could pilot a small (yacht size?) ship or even sailed boat into Dragonstone castle, he would be able to pilot a ship and remain stealthy anywhere.
Now the ideas you present of corrupt dock officials is very much how it happens today and would have been also as old as taxes. But around 1:42:00 when you question if they would *lay anchor* (not park) off the shore and then row things ashore. Yes that is exactly what many smugglers, and indeed legal traders would do. In a time when even the cranes were manual, what does it matter if you're moored to a wharf or anchored off shore? You still needed manpower (literally porters) to move the cargo.
I know you don't usually have the time but on the off chance you have some dead time and want to find out more, there are a few documentaries (i believe on YT also) specifically about Cornwall and Devon smuggling that would have included the corrupt taxmen and also the jolly boat types of smuggling.
Also until radar ships can and would disappear and remain unnoticed at will, hiding just over the horizon, or without sails possibly even closer.
Edit. 2:14:00 I feel seen 😂 . But in all seriousness I agree with you on your Wikipedia point of view. And as someone who was a mariner and an academic, I try only "but actually" on things I actually know something about
In a traveling context, which im guessing is where you met most Canadians, we sow the patch on our packs so we aren't mistaken for Americans. We get treated better that way, no joke.
A show I would like them to make would be one about the first time the crown had to remove the faiths power
I really don't get Preston just hand waving away magical acts in the book. The Maggie the Frog prophecy has three correct monkey paw predictions: Cersei will not marry the prince, she will marry the king. Yeah, Maggie just happened to know about the coming rebellion and Robert becoming king. Don't play off Rhaegar becoming king in this, because Rhaegar's personality does not reflect the next prediction. Cersei will have 3 children and the king will have 16. Preston being "umm, actually, we don't know the full count" sort of missed the fact that Cersei and the king don't share children in common. Oh, and that her friend will be killed by Cersei. These are not lucky guesses and point to a form of prediction that Melisandre accesses via staring into the flame. True, Cersei actions caused a number of them to happen, but certain events like Robert's rebellion which were outside her control would have had to happen as well.
My main rule when it comes to theories and predictions is: was this GRRM's intention when he wrote it. I doubt GRRM would have been this clear in that prophecy if his intention was to trick the reader into believing people in that world have a means to read the future. What GRRM loves to do though is create prophecies that get misinterpreted or are confusing until after the fact. If Preston's theory is that these are ripples of Time Traveling Bran affecting people so they see a certain way events play out when they connect in some way to Bran's mind either in weirwood dreams, fire trances, or purple drink.
I’ve not watched this, I probably won’t hang in for the whole thing… but Maggie tge frog’s prophecy only comes true because Cersei. It’s a self fulfilling prophecy, had she used sone self control then things clearly wouldn’t have happened that way.
But yea I totally agree, there’s a lot of things people dismiss in this series… for one reason or another.
Usually something related to hbo confusing people
Maybe the Scagosi only allow very specific trading guilds to work with them. Manderly wants someone who can fake being a member.
Either that or he suspects that Bran is being held as a “ward”, and wants to free him.
Maybe manderly expects to die at Winterfell so when Davis returns to White harbor he has to avoid the ships that may be loyal to Roose now? Although idk why he wouldn't just send Davos to say Widow's Watch.
The Skagos reveal with Wex throwing the dagger at the map is one of the big Oh-fuck moments in ADWD, but I agree that it doesn't make too much sense. In fact, even Rickon going there in the first place. Do the books ever give a good reason not to go to White Harbor instead? Just go South from Winterfell (away from the Boltons), steal a boat or dingy and float down the White Knife.
Osha is a wildling
The way it makes sense is maybe Osha is from there or has been there and thinks it is the safest place to be as she wouldn’t know which houses are loyal to the Starks .
@@matthewheywood8532
People in the books describe Skagos as an untamed, insanely dangerous place. The only way to make sense of it is that Osha knows that these stories are all bullshit and made up to deter outsiders from going there.
I would say that dragon eggs *are* stone. I think Stannis is definately in control of some eggs from dragonstone. That's what they are trying to wake, no?
I remember when the price of Avocados went up several years ago that several of the major drug cartels shifted from smuggling drugs to primarily smuggling fresh produce.
Another one that isn’t difficult to understand. He wants the boy brought back in secrecy because Westeros is a dangerous world where treachery abounds.
1. The message at the end of the show to celebrate wisdom and adventure instead of bloodright and conquest. Bran has the best story to unite the realm because thats what his story is about.
2. Expecting the show to invent perfect, incorruptable system that humanity was unable to find in 1000s of years is unreasonable and ridiculous.
3. The ending is about hope, a dream of spring.
4. Yes, mindcontroll is the perfect step towards democracy... thats why GoTs ending worked: its baby steps toward real democracy instead of forcing it in a unnatural way. Its believeable because it doesnt pretend its possible to change the human core and society overnight and throw thousands years of tradition away like that. Thats what dany tried and why she had to be killed.
European who can't catch you live. Any opinions on the parallel between Euron Greyjoy and Elon Musk?
that's a great question lol
Doesn't the problem of Skagos's size solve the problem of the timeline? Surely Davos I TWOW could open with Davos having spent a few months on Skagos and finally starting to narrow down Rickon's location; maybe a monstrous black direwolf has been killing hunters or something.
Also, aren't there a bunch of Essosi slavers in the waters around Skagos? Maybe that's what Manderly's worried aboot?
Sometimes the best explanation for plot conviniences is just that... plot conveniences. There's no need for a massive plot for every single occurrence
New theory at 1:29:30 - Varys let Ned die because Ned ‘learned’ that Varys wasn’t actually a eunuch. Love it.
1:41:53 I thought stannis wanted Davos to go because he'll avoid conflict if possible. Many of stannis' other commanders are rather driven by honor and glory.
He needs commanders who don't conform to the standards of westerosi warfare.
Skagos surely knows how to sail and, while passing by, Sam saw a ship crashed on the rocks. Seems awfully dangerous to me. I think Manderly would've been better served with Bronn and Jamie, though.
Theon goes to take the dread fort and finds it’s already been taken by Davos and Rickon
Alot of great points. I thought hizdar was that character, and the barrister chapter in dance kinda solidified that in the way he still used his slaves that he was the sortof bitter arcing grey character for that role. It fits.
Great to see something on my favorite character thanks Preston!
Damn, you one up me by knowing 1 more digit of pi than me!
@PrestonJacobstheSweetrobin
I do feel like Davos requires at least 2 Skagos chapters, one being the one "Missing" from the Dance.
I think you are 100% correct about Rickon being wild. Davos should essentially be captured by cannibals on Skagos, inexplicably led by Rickon, which is how Davos I should end.
However, Davos II can parallel the rescue mission from The Bravo (which ended in a complete failure). Davos COULD die at the end, failing to save Rickon and thus failing to save Shireen later. This way you get rid if the directionless character. However, you can simply have Davos escape Skagos empty handed and arrive to Eastwatch to observe in Davos III
Or Davos could succeed in Davos II, and then arrive to Eastwatch in Davos III and then go to Castle Black only to have Wildlings seize Rickon and rally behind him as he discovers that Stannis is dead and Mel is in charge of the Wall in Davos IV . And he gets to see Shireen burn since Mel will be controlling the Watch , being 1000th Lord Commander and all in Davos V, towards the end of the Winds.
It all depends on your bigger picture vision for the fanfic. I think version 3 works best, but it would require a lot of work. You can do it like this:
Davos I - Fashbacks to arriving to Skagos, the party has been shipwrecked and lost for weeks. Getting captured. Could be paralleled to Jaime.
Davos II - Rescue and Escape from Cannibals. Could be paralleled to The Bravo. ( I and II could be combined or you can put a our a roll call for a joined chapter, which you can split to be make it more George like. Maybe Davos I starts with them already captured)
Davos III - Eastwatch.
Davos IV - Captured at Castle Black
Davos V - Burning of Shireen.
But honestly, your fanfic has been absolutely fantastic, so I am sure whatever direction you wanna take Davos, I'd be curious to see
We pretty much do not have any details about Aegon the 3rd time as a king , only on the regency
If you take a look on the map, Boltons are actually "holding" just around third of the north at best
So it's not actually cannibals on Skagos but Cannibal. Davos is a secret Targaryen and will be the one that claims him. 😂
Which is why he needs to be on Skagos. You're welcome.
He needs a smuggler to bribe people around while he is looking for the kid. Also he needs to bribe people to get him out as he might be enslaved. And he didn't continue the story because something so great and awesome happened there and could impact the story very powerful. My thoughts
Preston, you can resolve a lot of your issues especially with Daenerys by planning that Daenerys will land at Dragonstone only at the last chapter. It will help you with the pace of the Daenerys story and it's a real GRRM thing to do
3:06:00 Preston every time younsay "pax" I hear "pox" and "pox Americana" is actually very fitting for the way things are going in America and the world.
Sorry if its answered/comes up later in the video. I have ADHD and if I don't comment now I'll forget. You're focusing on how Davos would be useful in getting Rickon, but what if it's more about getting Rickon back to White Harbor (or somewhere else). It's war time, and there's lots of different factions. Maybe Manderly is just worried about Davos/Rickon being picked up by another faction and him losing that leverage?
Davos I - Skagos - finds Rickon
Davos II - unwanted detour to Hardhome
Davos ||| - Eastwatch
Davos IV - CB/Wall or Winterfell?
in the show they gave him soup duty in the winterfell kitchens
How do you think Dario's Empire based out of Meereen will do? once Dani & co bugger off back to being part of a "good story"in Westeros?
Preston's never heard of like a smugglers cove
I think Jon Snow might return as POV in the next book though.
Was shipwreck both Sam and the watch see Manderly's first failed attempt?
That could be or be a clever thing to use in the Davos story
Davos speaks of some of Saan's ships wrecking. Timeline-wise, it's probably them.
Davos is the Prince that was Promised.
"If China hurts US economy they hurt themselves". Doesn't it matter the degree of hurt or the branch of economy or where reps vs dems have money? Also lately some countries seem to be willing to hurt a hand if that means US will hurt a finger, metaphorically speaking.
Smugglers did often just sail in small boats to land ellicit cargo, its why so much of the south of england had smuggler coves etc. It was only latter when people were smuggling across oceans that it became more about bribery etc.
Davos got plot nerfed because he was way to powerful hahaha amazing analysis Preston totally agree 👍🏻
Ignore this, I just need a quick way to jump to 3:13:10
@preston Jacobs I think it would be more fitting if Bronze Yohn Royce dies without his armor on. And I don't think it's magical.
Did Wex defeat the missing Umber army?🤔
People need to read orwell essay on the difference between patriotism and nationalism
There was Pax Britannica during the long 1800 century, the Pax americana was really after the fall of the soviet union, so we are still in it, but China's use perhaps mirrors the Parthians...
How would Wex go to any of the places held by the Ironborn as he only knows their general locations by hearsay since he can't read a map because he's illiterate!
Have you ever considered that there are things about Wex, Osha, and Rickon that we just haven't learned because Wex is still learning to write? Davos may find out much more during the time it takes to prepare for his journey. He's not going to hop into a row boat and head out into the open ocean. You have to use your imagination. We also don't know who lives on Skagos. Might there be a skin changer on Skagos?
Luwin was dying in the Gods what presumably hours after any battle. If he survived wounded on the ground why can't Wex survive in a tree then?
"Gutteral Melbournian accent"? We have the mildest accent, along with Adelaide. Literally any other part of Australia would have been a better choice...
Yes, Skaggs and rickon are essential.
Banish all other thoughts. Dod Davos is the best davos. ❤
Wex/ Davos/ Manderly plot is probably GRRM weakest ASOIAF plot.
Nah, the part of Meeren with all time-skip left-overs and Quentin is tons worse. Neat from a meta perspective maybe, but that's all.
There is no evidence that they were higher advanced as we humans but there are things that are magical but you ignore it. Even I think most what you said about Cersei and Maegy is as you said how did she know that Rheager will not be king and that Cersei will marry the new king. She predicted the rebellion and how it would end years before.
Varys origin would be the show we don’t know we need !
I’m good on anything they try to make that doesn’t have source material. They even find ways to mess up the original source material
The reason people think the Spanish inquistion didn't exist, is because their main weapon was surprise... and fear, fear and surprise...
Woh hoo!! Shout out to the Faroe islands... Preston Knows we exist!! 😂
Sorry, but this is wrong number of wars may be lower than in the past but the deaths from wars has massively risen the Congolese civil war alone has had a tremendous death toll. As have many of the long running conflicts in Africa, Asian and Latin America.
You know what doesn't make any sense to me? HOw you two can keep talking about this show/book series for hours on end. Help me understand what keep you motivated to do so.
It's their job
It's just hanging with the boys 😎
Their passion for the books and people like me, the equally passionate fans, who want to discuss it just as much. And we admire all the hardwork these creators put in....and the insights they provide
@Blckrngr fair enough but you realize this kind of stuff is helping to prevent george from facing his procrastination right
@@AJ0223literally how tf would that be true in any conceivable way lmao
Wow! You were comparing Scotland and Greenland, and you talk about others having out there ideas.
Because it is as stupid to think you can buy Scotland as it is for Greenland. They said Trump will bring peace and know he wants to invade sovereign countries. People forget how WW2 started.
Witcher games are irrelevant to book lore, they're not by Sapkowski or anything so you can just read the books and be okay with it.
Does he say sex and unicorns? Because there are unicorns in Harry Potter.
2:41:13 lol what really niche issues Mr. State Department?
Just watched the trailer for In The Lost Lands, could be a fun little shut off your brain movie. Dunno why Carmine has to be so negative, maybe if it was a anime, he might be more responsive.
Could just be my opinion but Preston seems to be the cynical & critical song of ice and fire blogger.. secrets of the citadel, Tony Teflon, order the green hand.. offer opinions and some critiques.. but it never comes off like “this is so fuckin stupid it just doesn’t make sense at all” like brother this is still FANTASY lol take it easy… and some of YOUR takes are just brutal.. for instance did davos bribe Mel into the secret passage on dragonstone.. or did he sneak her in.. smuggling means sneaking not bribing by definition
Yea it's gotten a bit played out
I think starting the fan fiction project has ironically led him to approach the work more as a creative than a fan, which could explain the cynicism.
It's a very "behind the curtain" perpective analyzing someone's work as a creative in the same field.
It's sort of the ultimate immersion break, the difference between a wowed audience trying to figure out how a magician did a trick vs a fellow magician.
Not that he's always right or anything. But I think it's also deepened his love for the series in other ways. Like go back and watch that Brienne series and tell me it could have been made by anyone else.
The man has picked apart every layer and aspect of the story, for YEARS he’s been analyzing it so of course eventually he’s gonna find some plot holes. And besides he provides a different and in my opinion interesting take on it even though yes I agree he can be a bit harsh.
It honestly makes me think he should branch out and talk about other books. If you spend this much time analyzing one series you are gonna find more and more faults. It's good to be critical of things you like of course but after a certain point it just gets detrimental to your own enjoyment. I think it could be healthy for him to take a break from ASOIAF content for at least a year or two. Just my two cents
Half of the creators that you mentioned aren’t on this platform anymore. I don’t know what that means per se, but it feels important for this context…
Preston likes Green Bay is what I'll take away from this stream 🎉
Fugazi shout out love it
I was going to ask if he even actually likes asoiaf ? He’s past critical at this point
He is a raging liberal so it makes sense he hates the series he is obsessed with
This is a danger in creative immersion.
What would be the point of critiquing something he *doesn't* like?
To do the fanfic well he kinda has to analyze the text to that extent
When you're upset that Davos isn't smuggler enough for the smuggling job, you're below the bottom of the barrel.
The Kingdom of Denmark is a unitary state. Greenland and the Faroe Islands, whilst autonomous, do not have the power to leave.
Honestly, you could have spent 5 seconds to google this smh. You're just wrong. english.stm.dk/media/10522/gl-selvstyrelov-uk.pdf
@PrestonJacobstheSweetrobin That Act creates a mechanism for the independence of the Greenland territory yes. But Greenland, the constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark, cannot leave on its own. The Act says in 21 (3) "The agreement shall, furthermore, be concluded with the consent of the Folketing. " Ultimately, the Danish Parliament has the power to cede territory. Would the Danish Parliament refuse? Probably not, but it could.
@@MagicBrianTricks No! Didn't you read Preston's reply to you!? You're wrong!
It’s a shaggy dog story. He’s basically telling us the mission is without substantive contextual relationship to the main story. It’s a diversion. It will probably be “subverted”, as people like to say about George plot twists, but I guess we’ll see. Myself I think Manderly might have designs on replacing Stark in the power vacuum left by the war.
Your take on smuggling is hilariously uninformed. That wouldn't even cover modern smuggling let alone medieval times where black sails were definitely used we have records of it.
Also Geralt and Yen have sex on a stuffed unicorn. Maybe Sabkowski was trying to break that rule as well.
may be osha go on ib(ibben) island
Do you even like ASOIAF?
Super Bowl L 😂
Naurth
Love you, hate your disrespectful tone on my Commanders.
I liked when they were the Washington Football Team. I could say things like, “Tomorrow the Giants play the Football Team.”
replay crewing
Davos is a sub character mcfly. That why his storyline isnt built the way the main characters are. Your complaining that the sub character doesnt have subtly and subtext. Hes a sub character. Thats why. Think mcfly, think.
Love u preston
When was the last time PJ had something positive to say? Week in, week out, it's "this is stupid, this doesn't make sense" , after 10+ years of over analysing an incomplete book series, Jacobs is clearly sick of it. That's fine, everyone will get bored of things they once loved eventually. It's just a shame this guy no longer does this out of love, but for the dollars?
I genuinely recommend PJ goes and finds something he loves, cos it's clear he no longer loves asoiaf. Which is ok. Just move on bro.
Dude, what the hell are you talking about? Preston is clearly well enough off to not care about the money to do this stuff, he's still passionate, or else he wouldn't be doing this, alongside the tWoW fanfic and other side projects. Sure, he complains more than he used to but then again, once you've been covering something for close to a decade you're going to start finding flaws and inconsistencies in it, it's not about him losing interest in the books or else he would just stop doing this. He works for the DoS, they don't exactly pay them with a good word and pat on the back over there.
@marnie4629 You ONLY could make a fanfic if you hate the source material and don't respect the creator. Preston is taking the path of least resistance, easy nitpicks rather than the interesting, well-integrated theories he used to make.
@marnie4629 It's just Preston's personality. He's bitchy because he's personally a bitchy person. He's continuously active on RUclips for the continued attention he receives` from the audience he's accumulated. He's always been arrogant and self-righteous, but more than that he's mostly always been wrong.
@Preston. Wex is a little bird!
I genuinely enjoy Preston Jacobs' content and appreciate his deep analysis of A Song of Ice and Fire. However, his presentations can sometimes feel a bit neurotic and repetitive, occasionally making me want to scream at the screen. That said, he's undeniably one of the most knowledgeable voices on the series, outside of GRRM himself.
The key difference, though-and one that more and more people are starting to recognize-is that Preston's attempt at creative storytelling doesn't match GRRM's brilliance in the slightest. Yea, it's not even close, babe... The Winds of Winter fan project is an attempt to prove otherwise, a way of PJ saying, "Hey, look, I'm just as good as George, if not better." Unfortunately, that ambition doesn't quite land. Not even close!
PJ doesn't seem to possess the creative capacity to craft a narrative on par with GRRM’s intricate and layered world-building. His frequent approach during live streams is to critique GRRM’s work extensively, yet in doing so, he often reveals a sense of envy toward George’s effortless ability to weave the poetic and immersive world of ASOIAF.
And, I get it-I truly do. It’s understandable that Preston yearns to be seen in the community as a similarly profound and thought-provoking literary figure, capable of crafting narratives as extraordinary as GRRM’s. However, despite his efforts, many longtime viewers seem to be reaching a similar conclusion: that aspiration, while admirable, doesn't fully translate into execution.
We're just having fun passing the time. Yes, he is harsh. But Preston does not want to compete with GRRM :D
It's all not that serious
I love the fanfic, and I'm looking forward to the version of twow based on Preston's theories more than Georges own twow.
If you think Preston is not enamored with asoiaf enough to be the one to write it, try to imagine Georges own feelings after procrastinating for this long, with a mess of diverging plots he doesn't seem to be able to "garden" back into focus.
If George weaved it effortlessly he would be done with everything
I have watched Preston for years, since 2018. HE DID start off with theories based on george's writing and the clear underlying subtext was the brilliance of George's writing and the deep level of intricate storytelling behind his work.
You know what happened after that. With every year of Winds not being finished it became more and more apparent that deep level of intricacy that is definitely there has led to George struggling to finish his story.
In the fanfic Preston uses his, perhaps the most extensive knowledge of George's writing style and the universe of ice and fire to keep as much of George's story but to finish it
George writing is not perfect but Preston's critique do absolutely come from love for the series
The fanfic is so indistinguishable from George that haters comment under the sample chapters not realizing it's not the fanfic. If this weird conspiracy theory notion about Preston wanting to be George RR Martin or seen as on his level were true then the fanfic would not operate the way it does. How does a team of 8 editors taking a fuckton of submissions from the community based on a rough outline and pairing them down into a chapter equate to a proving of Preston's individual skills as an author? Hell he's literally put his own work on his own book to the side for the fanfic in many ways. I agree Preston can be overly critical or miss the point sometimes, but that's a product of 45% of the time since the series came out being spent waiting on 1 book while picking apart the others and not a product of weird narcissism or a desire to surpass his idol or some shit.