The Creepy One God is definitely extremely bad for Stannis, and a hugely corrupting influence that will only get worse and worse. Without that influence in his life, I agree Stannis would likely be an entirely different person. But I don't think he has any chance of escaping the COG's clutches at this late point, especially since I see no sign that he wants to. He's fallen prey to the promise of being the Chosen One, the One True King... and by exploiting his feeling of having been unjustly overlooked and being the only true king, the priestess has very cleverly found the huge chink in his armor, the best and surest way to corrupt him. Because what dark deed isn't justified in the name of finally bringing the one true king to power and ending all this darkness and injustice?
Stannis desperately wants to see himself as a righteous, honorable man, and in some ways, he is. I suspect that as a young man, he would have made a far better king than Robert. Unfortunately, at this point Stannis has done such heinous and unjustifiable things in the name of his cause that he isn't righteous or honorable anymore, and he can't - won't - see it. If he ever does realize it, it will destroy him.
This is not a spoiler, only speculation: Personally, I think that Stannis will die at the hands of Brienne, avenging Renly, her king who was slain by an evil shadow with the face of Stannis - and that in the last moments of his life, he will acknowledge that this is a just death for him.
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Date: 2015-04-19 04:40 pm (UTC)Stannis desperately wants to see himself as a righteous, honorable man, and in some ways, he is. I suspect that as a young man, he would have made a far better king than Robert. Unfortunately, at this point Stannis has done such heinous and unjustifiable things in the name of his cause that he isn't righteous or honorable anymore, and he can't - won't - see it. If he ever does realize it, it will destroy him.
This is not a spoiler, only speculation: Personally, I think that Stannis will die at the hands of Brienne, avenging Renly, her king who was slain by an evil shadow with the face of Stannis - and that in the last moments of his life, he will acknowledge that this is a just death for him.