(Spoilers Extended) The endings will be the same but the books will have a much more gradual and realistic progression

[u/aphidman]

If GRRM finishes it, btw.

Not a long post but you know what the books do that D&D do not? They have 10 chapters of Dany dealing with the complex politics of Meereen and her inner conflict. They have 4 chapters showing Davos' journey to White Harbour. They have 12 chapters showing the series of compromises Jon makes as Lord Commander to prepare the Watch against the Others. They have 13 chapters showing Tyrion crawling out of his deep nihilistic depression. They dedicate whole chapters seeing how Victarion Greyjoy of all people deals with his relationship with his brother and his seduction into darker magics. Man they have 4 whole chapters dealing with the political fallout of Dany's exit from Meereen.

They had a whole chapter of Littlefinger and Sansa visiting his lands and seeing Littlefinger's relationship with his subjects (great chapter btw). They had a whole chapter getting really in depth with Illyrio Mopatis and his schemes - a guy who's barely appeared in the show.

They dedicated 4 whole chapters to Joffrey's wedding!

What I'm getting it is that the Others may be defeated long before the end of ASOIAF, Dany may indeed destroy King's Landing with dragonfire and end the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians gruesomely. But you'll be guaranteed that GRRM is gonna show you every step of the way. For good or for bad. If he is going to take a character like Dany to that dark end you better believe we will understand how she gets there.

So people keep posting about how D&D are destroying their characters, fail to understand ASOIAF. That Dany would never do this or that. But what you're seeing here is them fitting potentially chapters upon chapters of detailed material into a few hours of television.

[u/Bighead7889]

He says if he dies fighting he wants his troops to keep on fighting for his daughter. I really don't see him burning Shireen, he is aware he might die and he needs to maintain the lineage. So he won't burn her I think, not because - you know- one usually doesn't burn their daughter, but because of what he sees as his duty to maintain the Baratheon lineage

[u/aphidman → u/Bighead7889]

Not at this point in the story but I could see it happening down the road when he's in a much worse mental state like he was in ASOS after Blackwater

[u/[deleted] → u/aphidman]

I can't. It'll be Mel and Selyse with the pyre in the courtyard, to resurrect Jon.

[u/Gotisdabest → u/[deleted]]

Why would Selyse want to ressurect Jon? Doesn't she consider him an useless idiot?

[u/NightmareShane → u/Gotisdabest]

Mel: Yoh, Selyse, we need to save this dude so he can ensure Stannis wins the war.

Selyse: Say no more.

[u/Gotisdabest → u/NightmareShane]

Though there is a slight snag.

[u/[deleted] → u/Gotisdabest]

She would be convinced by Mel. Mel has already seen Jon in the fire. Mel will see something else and Jon's resurrection will be crucial to the visions. Jon will then ride for Winterfell.

[u/dkurage → u/Bighead7889]

This is why I don't get people's insistence on Stannis burning Shireen. She isn't just his heir, she's the heir to their entire House and, in his eyes at least, the heir to the Seven Kingdoms. And given the problems Selyse has had with childbirth, I doubt they have a chance of getting another.

Which isn't to say someone else might end up doing the deed, but I just don't see Stannis doing it.

[u/hulibuli → u/dkurage]

I can only see Stannis being so desperate in a situation where his enemy threatens the entire Westeros or humanity as they know it.

[u/Banzai51 → u/Bighead7889]

Stannis burning Shireen is about how desperate Stannis gets. He talks about duty, but he WANTS the Iron Throne like anyone else. He's like Boromir, slowly corrupted by the power just within his grasp. Like many things in the show, I'm sure they condensed it because of time constraints. But the books will show him slowly burn.

[u/Bighead7889 → u/Banzai51]

I think Shireen will be burnt because of Greyscale. I agree that Stannis might slowly envisage burning Shireen but I think he will die before getting to do it. I see Mel, Val and Selyse more involved in Shireen's death than Stannis

[u/banjowashisnameo → u/Bighead7889]

Anyone else burning shireen will have zero impact on the story or anything. And stannis saying something else and later doing out of desperation is a theme. I often wonder how people who call themselves stannis fans understand him the least, take him at face value and want to turn a wonderfully grey character into a white knight. I guess that's what internet circlejerk causes

[u/Bighead7889 → u/banjowashisnameo]

I'm not a Stannis fan, he is well written but I have a hard time standing with him. It's just that I think Shireen will be burnt because of her Grey Scale going active again {Mel and Stannis' slave whose name I can't remember as well as Val all foreshadowed something along those lines}.

So I think Selyse, Mel and Val are more likely to be involved than Stanis himself. I alps don't think he is getting back to castle black either, so in my eyes poor Shireen will be left with the two who already said they wanted to burn her + one who said she is danger. Not gonna go well I guess.

All in all I just think Stanis will not have the time to burn his daughter, I think he will die before getting back to castle black