u/Crank27789

All the members of the pact in the Enemy Within are superhuman to a degree. Riddler's blood gives him superhuman strength and agility at 60.

Bane has super strength as well as an immunity to bullet due to whatever venom does to his skin and Mr. Freeze has his ice powers.

What power does Harley has? Does she have advanced reflexes and strength given she never wears body armour of any kind and can effortless wield a sledgehammer as a weapon including using it to murder multiple people by herself at the bank heist?

Their plan for this attack was to drug Mayor Hill and Harvey with truth serum, then publicly expose Thomas Wayne, broadcast the movement's message and then kill both of the candidates.

So it's both an attack and a PR stunt but Penguin's actions and presence there kinda undermine it and their future goals.

Firstly he executes the moderator on live television, he executes an innocent man and undermines the image they want to craft as a revolutionary group standing up for the downtrodden in Gotham, instead the average viewer will see them as a terrorist group, he then orders the militia to start to mindlessly firing into the crowd.

Secondly, he's wearing no gloves so leaving both his fingerprints and DNA.

Thirdly, they air the video of Thomas Wayne drugging Esther Cobblepot, Oswald's mother, however Penguin does not bother hiding his very distinct English accent during this attack. So they shared a video of Thomas Wayne drugging an English woman and a few days later, her son becomes the CEO of Wayne Enterprises who happens to share the same accent as the leader of this attack.

Lastly, Cobblepott taking control of Wayne Enterprises is an important part of their plan. Why would they put him front and centre of this attack where he could easily be implicated, arrested, shot etc?

A light rewrite of this scene I'd have would be to have them simply take the moderator backstage, have the Penguin wear gloves and have a voice changer and then have them throw smoke grenades into the crowd when Batman and the police enter.

I also find Oswald becoming the CEO of Wayne Enterprises to be a bit contrived. When Bruce searches him in the first episode, he learns that he has an extensive criminal record in the UK which Selina also knows off.

The Children of Arkham are able to alter his record and submit a fake resume to the company but wouldn't a basic background check (probably just a google search) expose Cobblepot's criminal past?

It is believed George planned for the story to be 3 acts - The WOTFK, a 2nd Dance between Daenerys and Aegon and the War for Dawn.

However do you think this 2nd act could be cut?

It's obviously a major hurdle if George wants to stick to the 7 book limit and creates writing issues for Daenerys.

It's speculated that she will lead a major slave revolt across Essos. I could see her becoming more committed to improving Essos as her home (see the meaning of the house with the red door mystery) and letting go of the Viserys' entitled dream. She has seen the hardship the common people endure and that Westeros has suffered it's worst war while facing down a harsh winter and I think she could make peace with her nephew ruling Westeros (who could be loved by the people) and making her home in Essos.

I personally think it would be efficient for the narrative if Aegon took the throne. Upon learning this, she becomes extremely intrigued and possibly joyful at the hope one of her family is still alive and she's not the last Targaryen.

She meets him at Dragonstone and ultimately decides to make peace and return to Essos.

Factors that could influence this are like I mentioned, her realizing that the common people do not need another war, Essos being her home, trusting Varys and Illyrio, guilt over Quentyn's death (with Aegon marrying Arianne), Cersei fleeing to Casterly Rock and the vengeful Tyrion wanting her to let Aegon finish the job etc.

She could be pulled back into Westeros when the Others invade and the Red Priests begin heavily, heavily urging her to go fight in the War for Dawn.

Picture this scenario.

After the end of Robert's Rebellion, Varys is executed.

Littlefinger's affair with Lysa is exposed and he is executed (privately as Jon wouldn't want to compromise the marriage pact), Illyrio dies of a heart attack and Daenarys and Viserys are forced to fend for themselves.

Robert dies naturally with Joffrey ascending the throne as his legal, unchallenged heir (though some would still have suspicions).

Tywin is appointed hand and Stannis and Renly are forced out with Lannister dominance asserted in the small council. This is effectively the Lannister best case scenario.

Despite their POVs, it's very obvious they are effectively the villains of the first third - half of the story and most readers root against them and want Tywin and Joffrey to face justice for all they have done, especially to the Starks.

However this scenario avoids the WOTFK and leaves behind a stable Westeros that has a much higher chance of surviving the Long Night. With Ned being in Winterfell too, he could send additional ranging parties to the Wall to find Benjen and uncover the threat much earlier.

For the small folk (95%+ of the population), this scenario is a no brainer option. Tywin isn't going to advance their rights but no other claimant in the original timeline wishes to either.

Even for the nobility, pretty much only Stannis and Renly would be aggrieved, they could chill out at Dragonstone and Storm's End in luxury.

While Joffrey is a piece of shit, I think he would be a hedonistic ruler like Robert and Tywin would be the defacto King and could set Kevan up as his successor to keep Joffrey in check, potentially he could even educate him to be a proper king. Joffrey's illegitimacy doesn't matter. Critique of feudal succession is a major part of the story as well as noble entitlement. It isn't possible to fully prove Joffrey is illegitimate, there is no DNA testing in Westeros.

This scenario really ties back into George's point about the pettiness of the nobles playing their games while the smallfolk suffer. Would you prefer it?

Do you think it would have added to the narrative if it was initially unknown how Bran fell from the tower?

His 2nd chapter could have been cut or ended just before he sees Jaime and Cersei. After he wakes up, his memory is extremely hazy and vague about it.

Later when Ned deduces that Bran's fall could relate to Jaime and Cersei, she could hint/semi confirm that it does relate.

Then in the next Bran chapter, he fully remembers how it happened.

I think this would have added an extra layer of mystery and intrigue. Though I imagine George fully revealed it for shock value and "other" reasons.

Do you think it would have added to the narrative if it was initially unknown how Bran fell from the tower?

His 2nd chapter could have been cut or ended just before he sees Jaime and Cersei. After he wakes up, his memory is extremely hazy and vague about it.

Later when Ned deduces that Bran's fall could relate to Jaime and Cersei, she could hint/semi confirm that it does relate.

Then in the next Bran chapter, he fully remembers how it happened.

I think this would have added an extra layer of mystery and intrigue. Though I imagine George fully revealed it for shock value and "other" reasons.

Doran's story in Winds will likely be either siding with Aegon out of rage and grief after learning of Quentyn's death or suffering a stroke and dying upon learning of it and then Arianne declaring for him.

Let's assume the former, with Doran even going himself to meet Aegon. During a battle near King's Landing, Robert Strong is deployed and his force makes it to Doran's camp and he quickly goes in and kills him by smashing his head in like he did to Elia and Oberyn.

So in this scenario, Gregor would have wiped out a generation of Martells with the same method. Would this fit George's style?

From tinkering around with modding Oblivion, I am not keen at all on how Nehrim is installed, you basically have to merge it's directory with Oblivion and if you mess something up with modding either, both games are completely fucked. It makes modding Oblivion way more complicated than it needs to be.

For separating both, is the best solution just to delete everything Oblivion related in steamapps, then uninstall and reinstall?

At the end of Arkham Knight, Scarecrow unmaskes Batman.

Bruce decides to initiate the Knightfall protocol due to the issues caused by this.

However, do you think there was any way around this? For example, could he claim that he/Wayne Enterprises figured out who Batman was and that he respected him and decided to support him with funding from Wayne Enterprises and that he decided to put on the Batman's suit as a bait and switch tactic to trap/trick the Scarecrow and that the sniper rounds that people would have seen freeing him was from the real Batman?

Obviously he would still face legal scrutiny with these claims but he would be able afford the best lawyers. As for him taking down Scarecrow on the live feed, he could say Batman inspired him to work out and it was all part of the trap.

The main probable reason why he didn't try to fight the exposure was his depression from the events of Arkham City and the fear toxin "killing" his mind. But if he tried, could this plausible deniability work?

In Season 5 of the show when Stannis decided to burn Shireen, why did he do it in public in front of his army?

Burning Shireen makes him both a kinslayer and a tyrant something that is universally scorned, it also leaves him without an heir. While a lot of Stannis' army were Rhllor converts, a lot still followed the seven and Westerori cultural standards. I can imagine Shireen screaming to the death would also be pretty demoralizing.

Why couldn't he have taken her aside with Mel and burned her somewhere more private? Why not also incapacitate her and burn her while she's unconscious (if her being alive is required for the sacrifice)?

If higher ups ask where she is, he could either say she was sent to the wall for protection or died of a fast acting illness and they cremated her.

Obviously his action was driven by desperation and is still monstrous but I think he could have done it in an optically better way that doesn't cause the majority of his army to desert the next day.

Stannis is in an extremely precarious situation at the end of Dance (Note: Assume the pink letter is fake/misleading). What do you imagine a scenario where he is able to turn it around looks like?

Some basic things

He needs to win the Battle of Ice and take Winterfell. He has to restrain himself from burning the Godswood and doing anything that will offend the Northerners.

Davos needs to get Rickon back and publicly reveal him.

The Northern Lords need to back him and ignore Robb's will and any talk of Northern secession.

Order needs to be restored to the Wall.

Littlefinger has to be neutralized, with the Vale considering rallying behind him.

The Riverlands needs to be in a civil war so Stannis can easily cross the bridge at the crossing and the forks of the Trident.

The Reach armies need to be crippled from fighting the Golden company and Ironborn.

Euron has to be neutralized.

Aegon and the Golden Company have to be weakened from fighting the Crown forces.

Daenarys must be convinced of the threat of the Others and assist in the long night.

Stannis can't become a servant of the Others.

What do you imagine a scenario where Stannis wins both the Throne and the Long Night in the end would look like?

Stannis is in an extremely precarious situation at the end of Dance (Note: Assume the pink letter is fake/misleading). What do you imagine a scenario where he is able to turn it around looks like?

Some basic things

1. He needs to win the Battle of Ice and take Winterfell. He has to restrain himself from burning the Godswood and doing anything that will offend the Northerners.

2. Davos needs to get Rickon back and publicly reveal him.

3. The Northern Lords need to back him and ignore Robb's will and any talk of Northern secession.

4. Order needs to be restored to the Wall.

5. Littlefinger has to be neutralized, with the Vale considering rallying behind him.

6. The Riverlands needs to be in a civil war so Stannis can easily cross the bridge at the crossing and the forks of the Trident.

7. The Reach armies need to be crippled from fighting the Golden company and Ironborn.

8. Euron has to be neutralized.

9. Aegon and the Golden Company have to be weakened from fighting the Crown forces.

10. Daenarys must be convinced of the threat of the Others and assist in the long night.

Stannis can't become the Night King.

What do you imagine a scenario where Stannis wins both the Throne and the Long Night in the end would look like?