OT: House Bolton *might contain spoilers!*

[Antoniusz]

As the title says discussion about House Bolt. What do you think of the members? Do you have some twisted sympathy for their doings or you are just hating on them as the crowd does?
Personally I liked Roose Bolton since he was introduced. I totally fell for his "badass" aura when he was so soft spoken and gentle yet everyone was scared of him. Especially I can relate to his habit of speaking very quietly. Also he is the one to sport pink as his house colour and it doesn't seem ehm barbie like
Then Ramsay is another kind of cake. I like his character even though he is quite primitive in his doings and lacks finesse. I despise him for what he did to Theon (because I relate to this bastard the most of all of asoiaf characters ), but if it wasn't for my sympathy to him I'd totally like mr. Snow, because he is such a sensitive, sweet young man ain't he?
Also the thing that was bothering me, how do you guys portrait Bolton's special eyes? I thought they were pretty much the same as Leo's Bonhart from Witcher books.
Also I'd appreciate any links to this particualar eyes (as if real photos of someone not artwork), and lets fill this thread with some Bolton spirit!

!!War Bolton, Warden of the North!!
Haha

[Captain Zoran]

Roose has always been one of my favourites, for those reasons you named. Also Im going to quote Dane Cook why he speaks so quietly: "Why do they do that? TO MAKE YOU listen..." I have no doubt that when Roose speaks, the rest shuts up immedietly.

Although I have to say I truly hate Ramsay, but not for the obvious reasons. I hate him so much because he is such an shallow character, he has nearly no depth. He is every definition of a badguy down to the bone, unlike so many of GRRM's characters, who all have their good and bad sides.

[thespaniard]

I really liked roose at the beginning because use he was so quiet and didnt use brute force as much as other characters. Actualy he kinda reminds of tywin lannister. But the fact that he kinda failed at his job of doing somthing sneaky when he led the norths foot against Tywin really bothered me since he was supposedly so smart and tyrion saved him with his buddy shaga. then he helped with the betrayal of the young wolf and i no longer liked him. If you havent noticed i tend to ramble on

[achudnow]

I liked Roose, until he betrayed Robb. Despite the fact that it makes sense for his character I really liked Robb, so that kind of soured me on Roose. Ramsay, for the reasons Captain Zoran stated, really stood out as a despicable character to me. He could easily be transplanted into the villain role of any bland good vs. evil story, which bothered me.

[ariobarzanes1388]

Roose, like Tywin believes the ends justify the means and I respect that as I am a Machiavellian myself ( At least in some aspects of life )
But loyalty and unity should not be betrayed so easily and that's why I hate him and his guts! I hope he rots in hell

[Super-Soviet]

Roose, like Tywin believes the ends justify the means and I respect that as I am a Machiavellian myself ( At least in some aspects of life )

Not much of a justification since the ends are 'the enrichment and advancement of House Bolton at the expense of the North generally.'

[Skizbot]

Roose is a great character. I loved him in the early books...with Robb going up against so many experienced enemies, I was glad that there was a man on his side who made even Tywin Lannister scared. However, He seems to be kind of a B minus leader and lord all across the board. He wasn't a great military commander like Robb, nor was he a great tactician and ruler like Tywin Lannister. The only thing he really excels in is treachery.

Still, Roose does have one of the most twisted, greatest lines in this or any other book series in ADWD when he turns to Ramsay and says something like "Don't make me regret the day I raped your mother."

So wrong. So epic.

[Karazor]

Roose Bolton is one of the most epic characters in ASOIAF and i like him very much because of his personality and that aura of evil ad uneasiness that surrounds him , and he is very probably the most intelligent of all the northern nobles.

As for his son i kinda of don't like because most of the time he is too short tempered and too barbaric wich makes him more of
a easy pray for nobles who might seek revenge for the red wedding and i think in a certain way he can be influenced more easily.

Also i wish there would have been more description , information on Boltons first son Domeric Bolton it would be nice knowing more about him.

[Prophet1331]

The Boltons are very cool at least in my book, and are made as the perfect bad guys.

Roose is calculated, and has wits so he knows a bit or too of how to get along in the world of Westeros. And at the moment he may be the best at treachery trickery or all manner of sly moves in the north. You say that he betrayed Robb and the north, but the Boltons were traditional enemies of the Starks. The only time I know of good Stark-Bolton relations was when the Boltons teamed up with the Greystarks or something similar to take down the original Starks. So they are sticking to tradition while going against the Starks. Maybe for the men down at the Dreadfort following the Young Wolf in his war was treachery to their long tradition. Still Roose is one damn clever character. One of the few remaining in Westeros as Tywin is dead Tyrion has fled, Varys is hidden, Petyr is busy in the Vale. And Kevan for all his potential is no more.
In the West there was Tywin, in Dorne prince Doran, in the Reach the Queen of thorns, on the Isles Euron Greyjoy and the north has Roose. You can't see a noble Stark to low down and use such underhanded and treacherous tactics that are needed to make a living in Westeros these days.

Ramsay on the other hand is cruel and barbaric, I should hate him, especially for most of his mindless torturing and so on but somehow I like him as a character. It's not like his a character that doesn't reflect real life people. He does his part quite well keeping the fear in his enemies. He's by no means a worthy heir for the Dreadfort but he still makes for a good villain. Who knows maybe GRRM will somehow redeem him, and give a POW on him or a reason for his ways.

[Skizbot]

Who knows maybe GRRM will somehow redeem him, and give a POW on him or a reason for his ways.

I'm going to go ahead and say no.

[Dux]

They're a great house. Roose Bolten is a great character.

They're doomed tough I think, they won't survive the series or the next book for that matter.

[Antoniusz]

Hmm, everyone is fast to bracket Ramsay as shallow character, yet he outwit Theon Greyjoy and Starks royalists in the North, manages to survive the manhunt put on him and in the end capture it for his father. He certainly isn't in LF league but he's not so stupid as he seems, while author make us focus on his cruelty and other antics we usually don't see or don't want to see that he is quite clever.
Also if it wasn't for Ramsay most of readers would hate Theon to the bone, yet with his actions he managed to bring him closer to readers sympathy once again after his betrayal.

[Captain Zoran]

Hmm, everyone is fast to bracket Ramsay as shallow character, yet he outwit Theon Greyjoy and Starks royalists in the North, manages to survive the manhunt put on him and in the end capture it for his father. He certainly isn't in LF league but he's not so stupid as he seems, while author make us focus on his cruelty and other antics we usually don't see or don't want to see that he is quite clever.
Also if it wasn't for Ramsay most of readers would hate Theon to the bone, yet with his actions he managed to bring him closer to readers sympathy once again after his betrayal.

Just because he has wits doesn't neccesarily give him more depth. What I meant was that he's such a typical "badguy" character, right down to the bone. Many "bad" characters are certainly cunning and clever, what I meant with "depth" was the lack of perspective on the character. Is he kind against birds? Did he become the twisted monster he was trough some sort of terrible happening that would explain his overly malicious behaviour? None of these we really get, and thus, so far he is an black and white badguy, classical for other novels. What makes GRRM's characters so special is that he puts effort in making them complex and natural. Ramsay is a stereotype character for "hateable badguy".

[Skizbot]

Just because he has wits doesn't neccesarily give him more depth. What I meant was that he's such a typical "badguy" character, right down to the bone. Many "bad" characters are certainly cunning and clever, what I meant with "depth" was the lack of perspective on the character. Is he kind against birds? Did he become the twisted monster he was trough some sort of terrible happening that would explain his overly malicious behaviour? None of these we really get, and thus, so far he is an black and white badguy, classical for other novels. What makes GRRM's characters so special is that he puts effort in making them complex and natural. Ramsay is a stereotype character for "hateable badguy".

I think you're confusing villain with psychopath. Ramsay is not a "bad guy", he is a sociopath. Westeros doesn't have advanced terms for mental illnesses, which is why a woman like Lollys, who would be considered severely mentally retarded in our world, is called "dim-witted", and Ramsay is described as having something dark inside him, or being a monster in human skin. Even in a world that has villains like The Mountain, Tywin Lannister, Vargo Hoat and Roose to name a few, the people who know Ramsay know that he has something inside him that makes him different, their society just does not have the proper terms to describe it like we do.

Some human beings are born without the ability to feel or even comprehend empathy. That's not lazy writing, its a fact of our species.

[Karazor]

Hmm, everyone is fast to bracket Ramsay as shallow character, yet he outwit Theon Greyjoy and Starks royalists in the North, manages to survive the manhunt put on him and in the end capture it for his father. He certainly isn't in LF league but he's not so stupid as he seems, while author make us focus on his cruelty and other antics we usually don't see or don't want to see that he is quite clever.
Also if it wasn't for Ramsay most of readers would hate Theon to the bone, yet with his actions he managed to bring him closer to readers sympathy once again after his betrayal.

that was just survival instinct on his part

[jacb547]

I liked Roose in the beggining but then he killed Robb and ended the war I didnt like that part.
As for Ramsay,he is a very cruel guy(the sort of guy that end dead).But if he could have killed Theon and I would like him best.

For the Boltons now I think they dont have a very good position and if Rickon shows up most of the north will disband from their because:
"The north does not forget"

[Pinkie Pie]

It id the same as people considering Greyscale a punishment from the gods

On a side note I love the characters, Ramsay Bolton is so evil you just can not wait to find out what sick perverted thing he will do next and his father Roose is the kind of bad guy you want to hate but can not help but love. I can imagine his maidens falling in love with him even as he skins them alive

*Edit* I think that all Ramsay needs is a hug and a pat on his shoulder from Roose and he will be alright