The Night King's Target and White Walkers Discussion

Yeah, that’s why I don’t think it’s Bran. They could have killed the 3ER at any time as the NK had no trouble walking into the cave. Whatever he wants has to be a little different. Would explain why he hasn’t killed Jon even though he’s had multiple opportunities to do so.

Right, I’d forgotten about that. Still, he’s had 8,000 years to kill one of the 3ER’s and hasn’t managed it. Seems a bit of a stretch.

I think they had been dormant for a long time and something awoke them. Whatever that may be might be tied to the greatest storm to hit Westeros which also happened to be the day Dany was born. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they are referred to as a storm and Dany is Stormborn.

I am not sure we would get that in the prequel, just because it takes place so far in the past. I think we get what happened and why it happened that he became the NK. But his target 8000 years from now seems kind of odd to me.

My problem with Bran and the 3 eyed Raven as the reason is mostly do to faulty plot or writting I don't know which. In the books and on the show the NK had the cave under guard. He already knew where the 3 eyed Raven and children were. But after Brans vision quest where the NK touches him he says he knows where you are, he can find you know. You already know where he is at, you posted a guard there. If Bran doesn't become the three eyed Raven what the hell could he have done to the NK? The Three eyed Raven is the one who woke Bran, he is the one that triggered his powers, he is the one that brought him north. So if the target was the three eyed Raven you already know where he was at and your best effort was a couple dozen Wights? Really?

If he don't want the two meeting, triple the guard. You know where he is at, you literally have the place surrounded. The NK spends only a little effort to keep Bran out of there, no effort to take the place, and zero effort to find Bran before he gets there. His focus was on the Watch, and the Wildlings. Oh and getting babies from Crasters.

What is he just dicking around this whole time and then Bran gets there and he's all okay now it's serious.

We know Bran knows what's going on or the three eyed Raven does. We know he can change the outcome and is a major key in the war. But the series is called A song of ice and fire. If it's Bran vs. NK. Then basiclly the whole series including the title is a red herring.

I get it if he didn't want to move while there were dragons. I get that. So he had a window of let's say 150 years. No dragons, alright let's go kill the tree guy. Or at least prevent them from getting any fresh bodies for the tree guy. But... Cliffhanger, let's wait till... The Dragons are back. Genius. This is the least proactive villian ever, which makes sense if you look at the writer. "Hmmm I should really get on writting chapter two of winds of winter or... Nachos and Xbox. This won't be a problem the show will never catch up to me." 10 years later and it's now Nachos and Xbox One. The NK is a metaphor for Martin's writting. "It's coming, it's coming, just you wait, it's gonna be epic. But not as epic as nachos and Halo the remastered edition."

alcasinoroyale

You know a lot of the stagnation of the WW and Dany is a product of Martin's writing. He spent a lot of time waiting for the younger characters in the books to grow as well as the Dragons. He made the dragons grow slowly because he couldn't advance Dany to quickly or make her to powerful as he had to wait for the Starks to grow up. He wanted to do a time skip, a 5 year fall season but couldn't work it in.

One thing that is sort of easy to spot is that he kept Dany and the WW on the same trajectory. They were built up slowly but are meant too be the two great powers in the world. Then they both start moving at the same time Dany comes to Westeros and the WW breach the wall. If Dany gets to powerful to early she comes to Westeros sooner can take the throne and settle the Kingdoms as one sooner.

Only death can pay for life is a theme but it's not always true. The Wights come back but that's not really living. But also on the fire side you have Beric and Jon, life doesn't pay for them either. In books Beric points out the more you come back the less you are who you were. You are deminished you lose something. The best example of only death can pay for life is the Dragons. 3 deaths, three dragons live. The saying really isn't about bringing back the dead it's about balance. We live, we die we are born.

The other two big mottos or sayings that seem to apply are All men must die, all men must serve. In a sense they are true. Everyone dies, the serving part is vague, a metaphor that can be applied in many ways.

Finally we have the Iron born what is dead may never die. I often wonder why the Iron born plot has dragged on so long when it seems so out of place. In part I think it's a warning from the past that has been applied as a motto many years later. You can't kill the dead. So how do you stop them? And that ties into the NK and the Others they may have lost the war for the dawn or made a pact. But they were not finished. They come back, you can't beat them that way. If they were defeated there would of been no need for a wall. It's sort of like that Jeff Bridges King Kong movie when he first sees that wall of the islanders. His first thought was something must really scare the shit out of them to build this.

Fans never really go there, the wall is epic, it's magical, the Night's Watch has awesome words. It's amazing. It's a 700 foot high 300 mile wide barrier to protect humans from the Others. Even in the books, most look at the wall as a wonder but view it and the watch as a defense against the Wildlings. The Wildlings are a problem any King of Westeros could of crushed at any point they wanted, they were hardly viewed as a threat. But something scared the shit out of Brandon the builder, the Giants and the children. You really gotta wonder why the 3 eyed Raven decided the best place to live was beyond the Wall. The most northern part of the north is hardly populated, pick a forest. I also often wonder what the hell the Wildlings are doing north of the Wall. First men who got trapped there? Like how did that whole mess start? They haven't advanced since the dawn age. The last true first men. The northerners outside of tree worship live like Andals. They act like Andals and they speak the Andal language. No Knights, just lords in armor on horses using lances for jousting. The last people the Children and the First men fought, and the Others, were the Andals. Notice how they are all on the other side of that wall?

The North men still have first men blood you can see it. But they bent the knee. The first King in the north, was not a Stark his sigil was an axe. The Andels were known as the men of the axe. But the Starks fought wars and eventually ruled the north. Maybe even sent an Andal King to the Wall. 
 
You ever wonder why the Nightfort and the Starks seem so connected to Andals and Lions? Think about it. Dany too. 

sercreighton, the wildlings were either first men trapped beyond the wall or had considerable differences with Bran the Builder and the other northerners so they decided to go about their own way of life. However, because their access to resources was lacking compared to the southerners, they couldn't advance to the same extent...

And I was typing this, I then saw another post.  Nah it's all good, I think these conversations would work better in the Prequel section though only because we're discussing a lot that could be things explored there rather than S8.

Just wanted to let you know I finally got time to read that entire blog essay and it's wonderful! Kudos to your friend! It definitely gives a lot of food-for-thought on what the Others/White Walkers really want and how that's going to play out. I'm still trying to sort a lot of details out and think about how I feel on it all but I think we should continue to discuss it until the finale airs and we learn through the ending.