New GOT photos! What do they mean?

The following piece contains spoilers from Season 5 of HBO's "Game of Thrones."

"Winter is coming."

Sorry Stark family, winter is here in the northeast and it's really cold outside. While we're counting down the days until April for warmer weather, we're eagerly waiting for the season 6 premiere of "Game of Thrones." It's Valentine's Day and "Game of Thrones" gave fans a great gift to fall in love with.

HBO and "Game of Thrones" released 24 photos of the upcoming season, each seeming like a shot of hot chocolate in a cold desolate winter — just enough to give us some warmth, but not enough to heat us for the winter.

Here's some quick thoughts on the photos:

• Bran is back!  
• Bran is standing on his own two legs at, what appears to be, Winterfell. It's too good to be true. This is most likely one of several flashbacks "Game of Thrones" has planned, with Bran as the means for viewers to see these pre-season 1 events.  
• I'm going to need Bill Nye the Science Guy to explain to me how Sansa and Theon survived a 50-foot fall from the top of Winterfell without being seriously injured. I mean, they look like they just fell into some snow. What gives? 
• Speaking of the Greyjoys, Yara and Balon are back. We haven't seen another Greyjoy since Yara tried to free Theon in Season 4. Their storyline should be a large part of Season 6. 
• Well, it appears Myrcella didn't survive her kiss of death from the Martells. 
• Seriously, how can you still hate Jaime Lannister considering everything that has happened to him since Season 3? It started when he spoke to Brianne about why he killed the king. Since then, he's lost his hand, father, son and daughter. Meanwhile, his lover can't stand him anymore.  
• Daenerys was captured by a bunch of Dothraki at the end of Season 5, and given her circumstances, she doesn't look half bad. Seriously, she needs a comb and a bath, but nothing a good trip to the spa won't fix, right? 
• Tyrion's back: He's drinking wine and he's helping lead a city. 
• While things are on the up and up Tyrion, they're not so good for Arya, who remains blind and now is disheveled and raggedy looking. I had hopes for the little Stark assassin, but now without Needle to save her, and without eyesight, where could she possibly be headed? At least she's got a good career path selling oysters, clams and cockles.

Reader response:

Q: From @cigarts on Twitter, "Where is Snow :( #GoTSeason6" 

A: I still believe that Jon will be back. Showing Melisandre at The Wall is a good sign. "Game of Thrones" has left viewers wondering about Jon's return for nine months now, do you really think they'd spoil his return with some photos before the season even began?

Q: From @RealLifeOhza on Twitter, "Is Sansa pregnant??? Or dodgy costume???" 

A: This has easily been the second most-asked question since the photos were released. I don't think Sansa's pregnant. That would be a great storyline: Sansa pregnant with Ramsey Bolton's kid. But I think she's extra bundled for winter.

While Sansa's mysterious bump may not lead into a legitimate storyline, it has lead to a great public relations boost for the photo release. Kudos to the show's PR department.

Q: From @ManicMongoose1 on Twitter, "No Stannis or Snow in the newly released teaser shots?... come on HBO who are you kidding? #GoTSeason6"  

A: I already addressed Jon, but as for Stannis, don't hold your breath. Like many viewers, I subscribe to the "If you don't see the body, they're not definitely dead" theory. But in what way would he have survived that? Brianne missed him with the sword? He obviously didn't kill Brianne (she's pictured). Even if she spared him, how could his storyline be further developed?

Anthony Machcinski is FlipSidePA's "Game of Thrones" expert. Have more questions about the photos or just want to chat about the upcoming season? Follow him on Twitter @ChinskiTweets