One reason why I'm anxious about playing GoT
This is a long article, but it hits the nail on the head as far as my personal reservations with the franchise go:
http://www.mercatornet.com/articles/view/battle_of_the_myths_game_of_thrones_v._lord_of_the_rings
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This insinuation that GRRM's world is devoid of goodness and beauty is silly. I'm not sure if you read the books or watch the show yourself, but there is quite a lot of beauty and goodness to be had. It's just not pure. The reason why "we sympathize with immoral characters like the incestuous Lannisters, Varys the Eunuch, and an assortment of murderers, rapists, and sadists" is because we find something good and laudable in them despite their ugly flaws. That's what being "grey" means: to have both beauty and ugliness within the same space.
I lost interest in the show/books after Eddard Stark was decapitated - and I'm aware of the irony, as it's also the same event that made a lot of fans out of readers/viewers in the first place. It's a "make or break" kind of deal; either you buckle up for the ride, or bail completely. I just can't get emotionally invested in a dark, miserable saga where the only prevailing rule is "nobody is safe." I feel there's a nasty machismo at the heart of that manner of storytelling I find personally distasteful.
It's not that I prefer my reading material to always be "safe", but I guess I'm just a hoary old traditionalist in the sense that I like the bad guys to eventually get what's coming to them, as I see too much of evil winning on a daily basis in real life. I'm already easily given to depression, and I prefer not having that kind of pessimism in my fiction. I'm the kind of reader who grew up in Narnia, not Westeros. But I don't carry any ill will towards the fans who find quality in the way GRRM chooses to tell a story.
Nothing wrong with incest
is that what your dad whispered in your ear every time he touched you?
The story's brutality is definitely not gonna be for everyone, but I guess I enjoy it as being one theme of many, not just as a singular focal point. (And Caspian was my boy growing up)
If A Song of Ice and Fire was completely defined by its misery and immorality than the death of a main character wouldn't leave any impact. But the fact that there are these strong familial bonds working to endure throughout the tragedies gives it a kind of weight that I don't see in many series. As things develop, good and evil do become less clear, but not just because of the questionable things that heroic people are driven to do, but because of the redemptive qualities you begin to see in those were initially thought to be villains (Except Joffrey. To Hell with Joffrey).
In a way, there's enough conflict and misfortune to give the plot genuine tension, but still enough hope to keep me from giving up on wanting to see what happens next.
incest is best put your sister to the test
Wtf
It really is more of a social thing. I don't think I've actually seen any medical or health issue caused by incest, except for inbreeding. I can't say I support it, but I don't really give two shits either way.
I don't see a problem with it if they use contraceptives to prevent genetic disorders. If two consenting adults love each other, I say leave them be.