With the TCA press events happening this week, it was a safe bet we’d get a tidbit or two about House of the Dragon and the other potential new prequel/spinoffs, but HBO has done much better than that today!
HBO’s new House of the Dragon page at the official site went up today, with info about previously announced cast members- and four new cast and character names!
The new additions are:
Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon aka “The Sea Snake.” The lord of House Velaryon, a Valyrian bloodline as old as House Targaryen, “The Sea Snake,” is the most famed nautical adventurer in the history of Westeros. He built his house into a powerful seat that is even richer than the Lannisters and that claims the largest navy in the world.
Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Velaryon. A dragonrider and wife to Lord Corlys Velaryon, “The Queen Who Never Was” was passed over as heir to the throne at the Great Council because the realm favored her cousin, Viserys, simply for being male.
Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, who loyally and faithfully serves both his king and his realm. As the Hand sees it, the greatest threat to the realm is the king’s brother, Daemon, and his position as heir to the throne.
Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria. She came to Westeros with nothing, sold more times than she can recall, and could have wilted…but instead she rose to become the most trusted — and most unlikely — ally of Prince Daemon Targaryen, the heir to the throne.
The official page also confirmed that Game of Thrones composer Ramin Djawadi will score the new series.
An exciting day! Fans have been dyinng to find out who will be playing Corlys the Sea Snake. Personally I’m a huge fan of Rhys Ifans so I’m thrilled to see him join the cast as Hightower.
What do we think of how the cast is shaping up so far, Watchers?
Ok, then
KGQuote Reply
I absolutely love Rhys Ifans!!!! And I look forward to finding out more about the other 3, especially our new Rhaenys! 😊
PigeonQuote Reply
I’ve only ever heard of Rhys Evans and am confident he will do well, the two ladies look well cast but the Sea Snake looks nothing like how he’s described in the book. I don’t only mean skin colour but I visualise him more as a rough, almost skinny, well chiselled/almost worn character and this guy looks very different – big powerful, good looking etc. so the casting here feels very strange.
Jon SnowedQuote Reply
Exciting!!! I don’t know much about any of these actors but hungry for any and all announcements!
I’m a little curious as to why the descriptions depict Daemon and not Rhaenyra as heir- do I have my in world history right? Wasn’t Viserys announcing Rhaenyra when she was pretty young and naming her Princess of Dragonstone while Daemon was off being King of the Stepstones or whatever? Maybe the timeline of the show will start before/around Rhaenyra’s birth and then fast-forward?? Maybe they will simplify everything? The website also states Daemon is heir. I sort had the in-world impression Daemon thought he was behind Rhaenyra in the succession- hence his constant attempts to ingratiate himself to her and/or marry her..
Jaime’s girlQuote Reply
Great.
mauQuote Reply
Daemon was initially Viserys’s heir. Otto Hightower, Alicent’s father, pushed Viserys to defy the precedent set by the Great Council and remove Daemon from the line of succession to make Rhaenyra his heir but Viserys refused. He was still hopeful his wife Aemma could give him a son. Aemma became pregnant but she died birthing their son and their son died shortly after. When Daemon made some ill-advised drunken comments mocking Viserys’s dead wife and son, a grieving Viserys became enraged and decided Rhaenyra would be his heir.
So I wonder if this means they’ll be starting early-on, while Rhaenyra is still a child, Queen Aemma is still alive, Alicent is a young teen, etc.?
AdrianacandleQuote Reply
Also, this is amazing news!! 😀
AdrianacandleQuote Reply
”Personally I’m a huge fan of Rhys Ifans so I’m thrilled to see him join the cast as Hightower.
What do we think of how the cast is shaping up so far, Watchers?”
Delighted!!!
I too have been a fan of Rhys Ifans, especially after his turn as Hugh Grant’s oddball roommate Spike in “Notting Hill” (1999).
Two clips of Rhys Ifans from that movie follow:
• (1) Spike can’t believe there’s a world-famous actress in his bathtub.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NbFUeP5VC4
• (2) ⚠️ Spoiler Alert (scene near the end)*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJPI1qu9bE4
* Six Degrees of Game of Thrones:
at 0:23 – Lord Glover (Tim McInnerny)
Ten BearsQuote Reply
Ten Bears,
Almost forgot…
”Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, who loyally and faithfully serves both his king and his realm…”
So he’s going to be playing Alicent’s dad. Now I am definitely all-in for Team Green. 💚
Ten BearsQuote Reply
Ten Bears,
As soon as you said this:
I had a feeling about this:
Team Green is looking pretty good!
AdrianacandleQuote Reply
Sonoya Mizuno played the lead in the Alex Garland series DEVS on HULU. Loved her performance and that show as a whole. Looking forward to seeing her switching from sci-fi to fantasy.
Granny WeatherwaxQuote Reply
Adrianacandle,
Thanks for the clarification! I’m really curious then when the start point of the narrative will be…
Jaime’s girlQuote Reply
The more Ramin magic the merrier ❤️🎵🎶
IsabelleQuote Reply
I just saw Eve Best in the series “Fate: The Winx Saga”
It’s a bit like a twist on Harry Potter with a school of magic.
She played the headmistress Farah Dowling. The school taught magic similar to Harry Potter, but for Fire Fairies, Earth Fairies, Water Fairies and more. I found the series somewhat watchable. It had alot of standard teen drama themes. Eve Best did a nice job as one of the adults. She had to come to the rescue and use her own magic several times. I can see her fitting the part of Princess Rhaenys Velaryon, “The Queen Who Never Was” She fits the age as described in the novellas.
Tron79Quote Reply
I love the exotic look of Sonoya Mizuno:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/32/c5/55/32c555d1ffb56ba49dda4867892d1255.jpg
I’ve got to go look for some video clips to see her in other roles.
Question for Fire & Blood scholars:
The character description in the main article says:
“Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria. She came to Westeros with nothing, sold more times than she can recall, and could have wilted…but instead she rose to become the most trusted — and most unlikely — ally of Prince Daemon Targaryen, the heir to the throne.”
I’m intrigued by this backstory. It sounds like Mysaria is going to be more than a loyal sidekick to Prince Daemon.
Are there any additional details about the character in the books? (Kindly cover replies in spoiler coding.)
Thanks in advance!
Ten BearsQuote Reply
ack, good point, hope I did not spoil.. was assuming I was writing all backstory stuff re the character descriptions provided by the show site and no plot spoilers but I may have been borderline. If so, I apologize 🙁
Jaime’s girlQuote Reply
I’m all for diverse casting, but Corlys being black ruins a major plot point of the book. Unless Hugh Hammer is also black…
MJQuote Reply
Ten Bears,
Thanks for the reminder about spoiler codes! I forgot too 🙁
Some details about Mysaria:
And when Princess Rhaenyra is named Viserys’s heir in an opulent ceremony, Daemon is furious and takes off with Mysaria:
There’s more to Mysaria’s story but I think this is a good start? 🙂
And maybe Max will have some commentary too!
AdrianacandleQuote Reply
I forgot too 🙁
Me too!
AdrianacandleQuote Reply
I think casting a black actor as Corlys Velaryon is a great choice because it makes one of the most important plot points obvious: that Corlys’s grandsons look nothing like him or his son. Instead, they look very much like their mother’s good friend.
Hugh Hammer isn’t important from this plot point of view. We don’t know where he got his “dragonriding blood”, probably not the Velaryons because they weren’t dragonriders. Corlys’s son only was one because his mother was a Targaryen.
(The Targaryens and Velaryons had intermarried before but we’ve never heard of a Velaryon dragonrider before Corlys’s son.)
Besides, Hugh was from Dragonstone, the Targaryen island, not Driftmark, the Velaryon island.
talvikorppiQuote Reply
Based on the context of their post, I think that poster meant to say “unless Harwin Strong is also black.”
NeeQuote Reply
Great news about Ramin! Hopefully Miguel doesn’t butt in on his score with lame suggestions. Also love Rhys and Sonya Mizuno. If you haven’t checked out Alex Garland’s mini-series Devs which flew under the radar last year, you should, Sonya was great in that.
LatrineDiggerBrianQuote Reply
Great news! Among the four, I only know Rhys Ifans (Grutas in Hannibal Rising, Xenophillius Lovegood in Harry Potter and it’s likely I spotted him somewhere else too) but I’m lookinh forward to seeing all these four on screen. As I said in another thread, I’m especially intrigued to see the what’s originally written as historical account play out as true story, with characters’ interactions and firm characterization.
As for black Corlys, I really don’t mind it. What matters to me is the performance, not outlook.
Erik, formerly Lord ParramandasQuote Reply
Adrianacandle,
“Mysaria,whose looks and reputation led the prostitutes who knew her to call her Misery,
the White Worm.”
I wonder if that was an intentional reference to the movie “The Lair of the White Worm.”
http://www.vaultofthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/amanda-donahoe-lair-white-worm.png
That 1988 movie starred Peter Capaldi, Matt Smith’s eventual regenerated successor as Dr. Who.
Ten BearsQuote Reply
Adrianacandle,
With the understanding that I have not read the source material and I am engaging in rank, uninformed speculation, from your description of Mysaria + the casting news, below, I’m thinking that Mysaria is the frontrunner to be a fan favorite. A few reasons…
(1) Everybody likes an underdog story. (Well, at least I do.) Even more so when the underdog has pulled herself up to achieve a vaunted position
among those given everything on a silver platter – like snooty, self-entitled aristocrats.
(2) Similarly, a loyal and “most trusted ally” type of character is usually endearing to an audience.
(3) In some ways, her story seems to mirror that of S1-S5 Varys
(4) From comments about and descriptions of Alicent and Rhaenys, I get the impression that
While I understand that Big G usually blurs the bright line between stereotypical “good guys” and “bad guys,”there are exceptions…
(5) That Prince Daemon not only
but elevated her to a position of trust and
should mean that audiences will be enamored with her too. If her trajectory
(6) Though this is admittedly shallow of me to say, based on physical appearance Sonoya Mizuno looks like Mysaria will be an alluring but fierce character: Easy on the eyes and fun to watch in action. (Fanboy Alert: She reminds me a little of Rila Fukushima, the GoT S5 Volantis Red Priestess, who I thought stole the show from Hugh Jackman in “The Wolverine” movie in which she played
* Caveat(s)
– I can’t tell if Daemon (and Mysaria by extension) will align with Team Green, Team Black, or neither one.
– Please, oh please!
➖➖➖ “found a favorite, a paramour—a very pale Lysene dancer named Mysaria, whose looks and reputation led the prostitutes who knew her to call her Misery, the White Worm. Later, she became Daemon’s mistress of whisperers.”
[Daemon]
➕
“Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria. She came to Westeros with nothing, sold more times than she can recall, and could have wilted…but instead she rose to become the most trusted — and most unlikely — ally of Prince Daemon Targaryen, the heir to the throne..”
Ten BearsQuote Reply
Ten Bears,
I’ll get back to you in about an hour! I’m on my way out for a quick errand but I don’t know if you’ll like some of the stuff since
She’s Team Black though.
AdrianacandleQuote Reply
Ten Bears,
Kay, some passages from Fire & Blood:
This is where poor Helaena comes in and she is forced to choose which of her sons would die. When Helaena very reluctantly chooses, Blood kills the one she doesn’t choose so that son will have to live with the knowledge that his mother rather he died over his brother. Yikes.
Anyway…
So when Rhaenyra becomes queen…
Mysaria helping Rhaenyra out with her punishments…
When Mysaria informs on Nettles….
Mysaria warns Rhaenyra to flee and stays behind.
AdrianacandleQuote Reply
Adrianacandle,
Oh sh*t!
Ten BearsQuote Reply
But that would defeat the whole point, wouldn’t it?
Anyway, I don’t think you know what the poster “meant” to say.
talvikorppiQuote Reply
Ten Bears,
Be careful of prejudging yourself, ha ha ha.
Seriously, I find it a bit weird “picking a side”, being “team this or that” before a single episode has aired, based on the scant information you – as a self-confessed non-book-reader – have and the looks of the actors.
Indeed, I find “picking a side” and supporting them through thick and thin like a sports team a bit weird. The whole point of the Dance of the Dragons, as GRRM wrote it, is that there’s no right side or wrong side. It’s a tragic muddle and mess.
I’ve read the available published GRRM material, and I think the Greens were worse but the Blacks came a very close second, especially later on. They were both awful for the smallfolk.
It all came to an end, when the awesome
talvikorppiQuote Reply
Of course, my own ideas about this new, potential show are “tainted”, even prejudiced, by having read the available GRRM book material.
However, I do not expect “book purity” from a TV show. (Such as the nonesense some of the more extreme elements of fandom shrieking that the actors cast don’t exactly fit the book description. )
Because I know perfect book/show equivalence can never be achieved. Because you’re dealing with two very different, though related, art forms. The way you tell a story in written word is very different you tell a story in a visual, time-sensitive medium.
TV/film has at its fingertips a multitude of means to create and convey meaning in seconds that the writer has to spend pages on. Think colour, lighting, costumes, scenery, framing, zooming in or out. The viewers take it in in seconds, the reader takes minutes to read through the description. Add sound effects and especially music – which especially appeals to viewers’ feelings – witness the love for Ramin Djawadi!
I’m prepared to like this new HoTD project if they don’t descend into clichés of “goodies” and “badies” but keep it grey and ambiguous, with strong actor performances (supported by strong writing, of course). Heh, “high thread-count” scenes.
If it becomes just another fantasy superhero dragon spectacle… No thanks.
talvikorppiQuote Reply
This made me laugh XD
But she still may be a compelling character!
Again, I think you’re on point with the characterization of what went on during this time period (“no right side or wrong side”, “a tragic muddle and mess”). Although, I admit that I like the idea of declaring for Team Black or Team Green in a good-natured fandom way, I think it’ll be pretty impossible to root for either thick or thin no matter what. Both sides do some pretty atrocious things and although I side a bit more with Team Black,
I think that there is no morally superior side and both are undoubtedly grey, muddled, each having done horrendous things while (most) characters all have their selfish/horrible/sympathetic/and everything-in-between qualities, I think that should make this an intriguing series.
AdrianacandleQuote Reply
One thing I find myself wondering about is the HotD timeline. How will they handle it?
The roots of the Dance of the Dragons are buried deep in the reign of Jaeharys I and his sister-wife Queen Alysanne. Then the Great Council of 101 AD. The actual “Dance” happened in 129-131 AD but things had been going on in court for at least 15 years before that.
Rhaenyra from a child, “the Realm’s delight”, to a middle-aged (by Westerosi standards) woman.
The TV show probably has to condense the timeline. How will they do it?
I’m not too fussed if they don’t exactly follow book canon, I just hope they’re not falling into too many plot holes because of it. Hell, I won’t even care, if they do it well enough. But I set quite a high bar on that.
talvikorppiQuote Reply
I guess there would be two important considerations: when will they begin the narrative and how long they’d like this show to go on for (how many seasons?)
Because you’re right, this story spans quite a length of time and the seeds of conflict were sown before even Rhaenyra was born in 97AC and well before Alicent came to court in 101AC as a young teenager. Perhaps they’ll have a quick history lesson on this?
As for the rest, since the story covers about 25-30 years, I wonder if they’ll do it something like how The Tudors covered the reign of Henry the VIII. While The Tudors definitely took… liberties… it ran for four seasons (10 episodes a season, I believe) and took Henry from his 20s to his death in his 50s. Each season seemed divvied up by a change in time period and/or wives.
So I wonder if they’ll perhaps handle it like that?
AdrianacandleQuote Reply
One final note before I have to go to bed (it’s past 2am where I live, ha ha).
When the idea of prequel shows were first mooted several years ago, there were lots who wanted Robert’s Rebellion or Dunk & Egg or Long Night or whatever.
The Dance of the Dragons was always my first choice. However, I thought it maybe unfeasible because of expensive dragon CGI. I was even finding ways to keep dragons off-screen as much as possible. It is, after all, most of all, a court intrigue and human drama at heart. Dragon flights and fights are actually just fantasy window-dressing.
Ha ha, a year ago the bosses that be at HBO (or their bosses) came to the same conclusion. I just hope they do it well. Well enough for me to like it.
talvikorppiQuote Reply
talvikorppi,
”Seriously, I find it a bit weird “picking a side”, being “team this or that” before a single episode has aired, based on the scant information you – as a self-confessed non-book-reader – have and the looks of the actors.
Indeed, I find “picking a side” and supporting them through thick and thin like a sports team a bit weird…”
Nah. It’s all in good fun. Nothing serious.
From what I gather about the two sides in HotD,
, if I’m going to pick sides like sports teams… I’d better be prepared to watch the show with a paper bag over my head.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4giMDi3Cugs
🏟
Ten BearsQuote Reply
Adrianacandle,
thank you for the preview on a story that seems to be darker than GoT. it’s time for me to get prepared and read what i can get about House 50%-Chance-of-Batshit. a few watchings of the GoT history and lore just left me remembering some few civil wars or at least rebellions, and a seemingly limited pool of first names. by which i mean, confused.
as there might be no climax like “the only war that matters” aka the war of the living against the dead, i expect HotD to be focussed on simply everything being shit and suffering. Ghost of Harrenhal – like.
off now for learning about all the Aemons, Aegons, Aerons, Aerosolons, and then comes the letter B, and their numbering and all the sisters and mistresses they banged. i watched GoT without knowing anything about the book story. i want to be prepared this time, because i feel GRRMs writing is worth some preparation before watching adaptations.
(finally, i can’t hold back this: a guy is nicknamed Iron-Banger? really? never lose the hyphen, or the internet will be out for you!)
death by chickenfireQuote Reply
I’m afraid so XD; He was a knight, loyal to Team Black, who was sent to retrieve one of Rhaenyra’s sons when that son (named Joffrey! But not nearly as problematic as Cersei’s Joffrey…) was trying to save the dragons in the Dragonpit but Joffrey is killed in the attempt.
As for sorting out all the wars, Aegons, Aemonds, Aerons (we even have a Princess Rhaenys and Princess Rhaenyra), I recommend looking up various key players on westeros.org’s wiki:
Alicent Hightower
Rhaenyra Targaryen
Otto Hightower
Daemon Targaryen
And I think that should cover you well enough and give you a good timeline of what wars were fought when and what led up to them 🙂
This can also provide a pretty good skeletal guide if you wish to make your way through the source material! (The World of Ice and Fire, Fire & Blood, as well as the short stories: The Princess and the Queen, The Rouge Prince)
AdrianacandleQuote Reply
Nee,
That would make more sense to me too. I can’t figure out a plot that would make the Hammer and Corlys’ skin color be at odds plot wise, but Harwin IS rumored to have fathered Rhaenyra’s children by Corlys Velaryon’s son. So it would make a lot of sense for Harwin Strong to be cast as a black character.
Maybe they will cast him so and thus have more diverse cast.
TormundsWomanQuote Reply
Don’t know anything about any of them but I hope for the best for the dude who plays the Sea Snake. He’s got a kick ass character to portray and Of which I’m a fan.
No word on Cragan Stark, so I’ll assume he won’t make an appearance until season 3 or so…
TormundsWomanQuote Reply
They could bring back a Stark actor from GoT, similar to what Star Trek: The Next Generation did in “Redemption Part I.”
⚠️ Massive Spoiler!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6tgDotNSn4
⚠️ Spoiler details!
Ten BearsQuote Reply
Ten Bears,
I commend you on your frequent TNG asides. I can tell you are very knowledgeable about that show, which can only be considered a mark of good taste. Tip o’ the hat. Tap on the communicator. Or something to that effect.
Mr FixitQuote Reply
Yikes! Ok then…🙄
Anywho…just a little snippet…here is Rhys Ifans in “Notting Hill”:
loco73Quote Reply
…aaaand here is Rhys Ifans in “The Importance Of Being Idle” by Oasis:
loco73Quote Reply
Adrianacandle,
You know, this “team Black” vs “team Green” thing, this is something that really intrigues me in terms of how the story will “emotionally” unfold on screen. As I said once before, I only know about The Dance of Dragons from Viserys I/Aegon II chapters of TWOIAF and from S5 Histories & Lore episode and regarding the conflict itself, I ended up thinking at the end who is more horrible than the other and I couldn’t decide. It makes me wonder if the events of GoT were writen as historical records, what would our opinion be on these years of conflict… maybe we would have even darker impression of this 8-season story.
Erik, formerly Lord ParramandasQuote Reply
Erik, formerly Lord Parramandas,
I think the benefit of having HotD as a show based off of a historical account is that we’ll be getting insight into who the characters are rather than just these historical figures. What they’re thinking, what they’re feeling, what motivates them — basically, what makes them human.
In historical documents, people can come off looking quite a bit worse because history documents and texts don’t record the private things, the emotion, the feelings, their thoughts, what’s driving them. Well-meaning characters can come off quite badly and vice versa (depending on who’s providing the documentation. The world books — The World of Ice and Fire as well as Fire & Blood — are written in-universe by maesters with their own biases. I think Fire & Blood may be written by maester who is more sympathetic to Rhaenyra, for instance).
So I think HotD will humanize these historical figures, make them real, human, and relatable. Give other sides to the story.
AdrianacandleQuote Reply
Adrianacandle,
Yes, exactly that! I’m really intrigued to see with which character I’ll sympathize the most when we see them as full-fleshed characters on screen, rather than just figures in historical account. I’m sure the whole conflict would come across as more complex than just “people being greedy and powerhungry”. After all, if GoT was recorded as historical account rather than a character-focused story, I’m sure we would be grasping some characters differently or the story itself.
Erik, formerly Lord ParramandasQuote Reply
Erik, formerly Lord Parramandas,
And I think this is truth in fiction. Often times, on the surface, people (and real life historical figures) can appear quite different in a text book than they would if you knew who they were one on one, what motivates them, why they make the decisions they do, what they care about, and their story. The full truth (or something like it) is often buried a bit under the surface details and is, perhaps, never known publicly. If it is documented, it’s at the mercy of the one presenting it.
In this, I think HotD characters can be made pretty compelling, even the ones who make some pretty yikes! choices.
Bonus points if they’re given a sense of humour 🙂
AdrianacandleQuote Reply
I wonder if GRRM got the idea of the team colours from the chariot teams in the Byzantine Empire https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/blue-versus-green-rocking-the-byzantine-empire-113325928
Dame of MerciaQuote Reply
Adrianacandle,
Once when I was at the French conversation group I attend with U3A (umbrella group for retired and semi-retired people) when we were able to meet in person (pre-lockdown) I mentioned something about having looked for information on Wikipedia. Somebody said it’s not always a reliable source. I countered with saying (not nastily) that I thought it had improved latterly. The other lady said the entries on Richard III (of England) change regularly – a person who thinks Richard III was one of the baddies may write something and then a person who thinks Richard was a good bloke will come along to edit the page to reflect his/her point of view. Some people call Wiki——-a, Wikimisleadia I know. I wonder if GRRM was playing with the idea of different people telling different histories in his Westeros ‘history’ books. I’m a stubborn old trout and I’m not spending any of my hard earned on books by GRRM re: Westeros that aren’t part of the main series until when and if TWoW makes it into print – so this year, next year, some time, never, who know.
Getting back to the topic of this thread, offhand I can’t think of having seen the four thespians cited above in any films or shows so I can’t judge them. I was rather surprised there were some people who were less than enthralled when Matt Smith’s casting was announced because he wasn’t ‘hawt’ enough. I’m not saying I’m averse to looking at attractive males but if it comes to a toss-up between acting chops and looks I’d go for acting chops when casting a character. Make-up can work wonders – I don’t bother so much now but back in the day when I went to dances or otherwise socialised I could achieve miracles with war paint.
Dame of MerciaQuote Reply
I think Wikipedia is getting better — it really depends on the editors who are working on the articles at the time. What sounds like is going on with the Richard III article may be perhaps editing warring or conflict between editors, indicating the article is unstable. There’s also something on Wikipedia called WP:Undue weight (the weight a reliable source is given to represent information in the article) and this can lead to quite a bit of conflict between editors. Recently, I was involved in an arbitration case (not as one of the parties but as an editor who made a statement on my view of what was going on) where WP:Undue weight was a pretty major issue. Ideally, articles are supposed to be written in a neutral point of view (not informed by an editor’s bias) where sources are given appropriate weight (the more mainstream the view, the greater the weight since Wikipedia is an encyclopedia: meant to neutrally record and document what’s going on in current events and society, not be a leader in change while some editors try to use it as a plotform for change and as a soapbox) and that can cause conflict as well.
I do know quite a few hardworking, experienced Wikipedians who have been working on the site since like 2003/2004 and have hundreds of thousands of edits under their belts, tirelessly devoting themselves to improving quality of articles. The problem is, there are also problem editors as well. Not ever article self-corrects especially if there’s aren’t dedicated, policy-focused editor actively working on that article, and there can be some misinformation.
I think that’s fair!
But I think GRRM is specifically playing with this idea. In Fire and Blood and The World of Ice and Fire, they are written to be in-universe textbooks by maesters and septons, including some statements like:
And so on… 🙂
Whereas in Dunk & Egg and ASOIAF, the story is told from the character’s point of view so we’re in their head, we know what’s going on there, what they’re feeling, what’s motivating them, and this internal perception of the character can differ pretty significantly from an external perception.
AdrianacandleQuote Reply
Could be. I wonder if GRRM was influenced by the green uniforms of his beloved New York Jets (aka “Gang Green”):
https://images.app.goo.gl/2EcBfxuG6XrL3Ya8A
💚
… and the black uniforms of the Oakland (now Las Vegas) Raiders:
https://images.app.goo.gl/hx7axgrGe2KvDFt19
🖤
Ten BearsQuote Reply
Musical Interlude
Dedicated to Rhaenys Targaryen
🎶 “She was moving like a lady
Looking like a Dragon Princess.“🎶
at 1:15 – 1:32
Ten BearsQuote Reply
Ten Bears,
Awesome, TB! 😀
AdrianacandleQuote Reply
Congrats to Kit and Rose on baby #1! That boy is going to have to fight with Sophie’s daughter for King/Queen in the North status.
Mr DerpQuote Reply
Starting to get pretty exciting. Corlys, Rhaenys, and Otto are all characters I was really looking forward to. For some reason I wasn’t sure if they were even going to cast Mysaria, but I’m very intrigued, and I love the choice they made there.
Azor AsshaiQuote Reply
Mr Derp,
Oh that’s nice news – about baby Harington. While I’m here, I hope those in North America (southern states) who may be suffering with the unusual snowy weather are bearing up alright. We’ve had some cold weather in the UK (not today which is quite mild) this winter and my electric (electrical?) consumption was more than the projected amount for the last two months because I kept the heaters plugged in . It usually evens out over the summer months though.
Dame of MerciaQuote Reply
yesterday i saw Rhys Ifans in “Enduring Love”. surely not a masterpiece, though all of the actors tried their best to save the thin story.
anyway, he left a bit of an impression, and i think we can expect his HotD character to be something in the range of twisted and gut-wrenching.
death by chickenfireQuote Reply
I’m familiar with Rhys Ifans from his major role on “Berlin Station”. Charismatic guy, a great actor, and a bit of a scene-stealer. He’s probably the best catch for HotD so far. Really good news.
JaiQuote Reply
Dame of Mercia,
I’ve just thought, my previous comment may have sounded like I was unconcerned about people from the northern USA or Canada which isn’t the case. It’s just that in the UK the news has talked about snow in states like Texas and Tennessee.
Returning to the topic of the thread, it is heartening that a number of visitors to the site feel the actors mentioned are decent at their craft (or art or skill or profession, however folk like to call it).
Dame of MerciaQuote Reply
So… a firstborn female heiress and a younger, male heir vying for the throne? Somebody ought to make a TV series about that.
Oh…wait…
Ten BearsQuote Reply
Ten Bears,
LOL.
I just realized I used gender pronouns and the word police didn’t crucify me……yet. There is hope afterall.
Mr DerpQuote Reply
Oh, I think you did just fine. I don’t see where you (mis-)used gender pronouns. I thought “King/Queen” covered either or both.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EdVqgF3XYAAZ44O?format=jpg&name=medium
“I’m Stannis Baratheon and I approved this message.”
Ten BearsQuote Reply
⚠️ Warning! Thread Derailment Ahead! 🛤 🚂
In the absence of on-topic discussions for over three days, I hope the community won’t mind an off-topic, GoT-related musical interlude that may
require the hashtag #ARLTA.
Ten BearsQuote Reply
Sounds good to me. Speaking of musical interludes, I just finished watching a very odd new movie called “Music” by Sia. It stars Kate Hudson, Leslie Odom Jr., and introducing Maddie Ziegler as Music. They break into these bizarre music video interludes! (at least 5 or 6 or 7 times). Some of the inflated costumes reminded me of the Oopa Loompas in Willy Wonka. Maddie’s character “Music” is autistic and I think the music videos were showing us what was going on in her head. I found it oddly effective. Can you imagine a random musical number with people in weird oompa lumpa costumes after a traumatic scene in HotD? Perhaps it’s a new genre and could be worked in! I could hear the pitch now.
Here’s one of them… They weren’t all on YouTube. The trailer doesn’t really show much of the random video interludes… but here’s one of Maddie’s (Music’s) interludes.
This also could be a great Musical/Play.
Tron79Quote Reply
Adrianacandle,
⚠️ Semi Off-Topic, Trivial Pre-Musical Interlude
Questions about GoT S8e2 and S8e3:
I don’t have the episodes saved to rewatch and my memory is hazy (and I’m probably stilldisoriented by the quiet, “high thread count” content of S8e2 leading right into the frenetic, action-packed, clusterf*ck of S8e3):
• As I recall, S8e3, “The Long Night,” opened with Winterfell’s defenders arrayed outside the castle, in the dark, awaiting the imminent approach of the Army of the Dead.
Did the bulk of the preceding episode (S8e2, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”), and especially its closing montage, take place that same evening? S8e2 and S8e3 both took place the same night, right?
• In the latter part of S8e2 including the closing montage, were the characters choosing with whom to spend (what might be) their final hours on earth?
• As I recall, Tyrion, Tormund, Davos et al. were drinking; Arya and Gendry were doing the horizontal bop; and Jaime and Brienne were going at it – even though the battle royale was hours away?
They didn’t sleep off their buzz or take naps beforehand, right?
• I guess what I’m asking is:
Did the anxious Winterfell defenders stay awake all through the night to await the arrival of Team NK in the wee hours?
• In colloquial terms, did the whole gang pull an all-nighter? Were they awake all through the night until the the sun came up the next day (when Mel walked off and disintegrated)?
Ten BearsQuote Reply
Ten Bears,
That was my impression — and I imagine it’d be a hard night to sleep on, knowing the army of the dead were coming but without knowing exactly when. Just that it’d be before sunrise sometime, given Tormund’s ETA. I think they even might have arrived a bit earlier than anticipated because the battle started well before sunrise/twilight.
But that’s just a guesstimation 🙂
Myself, I’ve pulled a ton of all nighters — especially in high anxiety situations. Well, not like facing a zombie apocalypse but like an MFA oral defense (where I puked out the gallery window into the alleys of Dundas right before). I think the longest I’ve stayed awake is 70 hrs and by then, the air was vibrating colours and I swear I could see sound 😉
Looking forward to your musical interlude!!
AdrianacandleQuote Reply
Tron79,
”Sounds good to me. Speaking of musical interludes, I just finished watching a very odd new movie called “Music” by Sia.”
From a quick Google search it looks like this movie is playing in theaters and on cable via On Demand. (Apparently, it’s gotten lousy reviews and there’s some backlash over its portrayal of autism – but I don’t take stock of reviews, and these days it seems everything invites some kind of “backlash.”)
However, if Tron79 gives “Music” a thumb’s up I’ll put it on my “To Watch” List.
Ten BearsQuote Reply
I give it a thumbs up. I haven’t read the reviews yet. Regarding autism, it’s called being on the spectrum for a reason. Not everyone is the same. Some who are barely on the spectrum may not have as many physical signs that people recognize, but they still may have behavioral symptoms, such as not being able to understand social cues. Music’s character was pretty high up on the spectrum IMHO. I enjoyed Kate Hudson’s performance. I’m not sure how much you have watched her in other things, such as her role as “Penny Lane” in Almost famous. I almost didn’t recognize her with her “burr” haircut. Leslie Odom Jr. (of Hamilton fame) was also very good. I think this could be made into a great Broadway play/musical. Most of the interaction was between Leslie Odom Jr. and Kate Hudson. Also much of the movie takes place in a little NYC apartment. They do venture out some. There were also some very likable neighborhood characters. Anyway, it’s definitely something different than the usual fare out there. I rented it on Amazon. They already dropped the price some from the usual early release movies, so my guess is the reaction has been less than enthusiastic from the masses. But according to Tron, it gets a thumbs up. I’m lovin’ the Oompa Loompa musical interludes.
Tron79Quote Reply
Adrianacandle,
”….Myself, I’ve pulled a ton of all nighters — especially in high anxiety situations. Well, not like facing a zombie apocalypse but like an MFA oral defense (where I puked out the gallery window into the alleys of Dundas right before). I think the longest I’ve stayed awake is 70 hrs and by then, the air was vibrating colours and I swear I could see sound…”
• So sorry. I didn’t get the reference/abbreviation “MFA oral defense.” Is that a video game or something?
• “I puked out the gallery window into the alleys of Dundas” is oddly poetic. 😬
But as Sandor might ask: What the f*ck’s a Dundas? (I guess I can look it up…)
• Oh, yes, I’ve been there: staying awake ~ 70 hours when it started to seem like the air was vibrating colors and I could “see” sound. (I’ve tasted black cherry bubble gum in my fingertips, but that’s another story entirely…)
• I can’t pull all-nighters like I used to. They make me worthless for the next two or three days, unless and until I repay the sleep debt – with steep interest.
Though it’s been many years, I distinctly remember times when I’d tell myself that all through the night, I’ll be awake.
So where was I??? Oh yeah. Musical Interlude…Not sure though if it should relate to “The Long Night” or to Cat of the Canals.
Ten BearsQuote Reply
I will never forget when one of the writers on this site decided to chastise me for using the word “female”.
Coincidentally, I also used the word “male” in the same sentence, yet that was apparently ok.
That was insane.
Mr DerpQuote Reply
Ten Bears,
MFA stands for Master of Fine Arts (I got it in visual arts). At the end of traditional grad programs (like in the arts and sciences), you’re required to do an oral defense. It’s basically a presentation of your thesis to a committee, who have read the thesis paper you have put together over a 2+ period and will question you about it and your supports.
It’s a pretty nerve-wracking experience. They can either:
a) Say, “Yay! All good! You’ve passed! You’re a master now!”
b) Say, “It’s good but we suggest you make these revisions/address these minor areas or questions/and resubmit for approval.”
or
c) Say, “Nope. You’ve failed. No degree for you.”
In most cases, ‘b’ happens. I don’t know anybody who hasn’t had to make revisions to their thesis paper. At that point, once your thesis is approved, copies are professionally printed, bound (into its own hardcover text!), and made available in that university’s library.
I recently found my dad’s PhD thesis paper digitized online by the university!
Dundas is a street in Toronto! It’s where the gallery I was presenting my oral defense was located! 😀
The nerve-induced vomiting did bring a rosy glow to my cheeks 😉
It’s a strange, hallucinatory experience, isn’t it? It kind of reminded me when I accidentally mixed meds and hallucinated an entire day.
There are intense studies on what sleep deprivation does to the brain.
Now, my question would be: was the black cherry bubble gum really there or is that what your skin tasted like after three days of no sleep?
I’d be curious about a Cat of the Canals musical interlude!
AdrianacandleQuote Reply
Tron79,
“I enjoyed Kate Hudson’s performance. I’m not sure how much you have watched her in other things, such as her role as “Penny Lane” in Almost Famous.”
Oh yes. Kate Hudson stole the show in “Almost Famous” (2000), along with Anna Paquin and Zooey Deschanel as her fellow “Band Aids.”
Six Degrees of Game of Thrones note: I remember that Noah Taylor (“Locke” on GoT, playing against type as a bad guy) was in “Almost Famous.”
Ten BearsQuote Reply
Ten Bears,
WOW! I just read some reviews. People were unbelievably offended!!!!!!!!!!! Many people with autism wrote reviews, and they were offended by the portrayal. The only thing I can say is that if you have trouble with over stimulation like some autistic people, then this movie is NOT for you. Those music videos are out there with every primary color in the world and people doing wild motions…
Oh well… I will leave it up to you. You do already have a bunch on your watch list!
Tron79Quote Reply
I didn’t realize a young Noah Taylor was that guy in Almost Famous! Wow. It’s also hard to believe Almost Famous came out 21 years ago!
Thanks for the 6th degree!
Tron79Quote Reply
Adrianacandle,
“Now, my question would be: was the black cherry bubble gum really there or is that what your skin tasted like after three days of no sleep?”
The black cherry bubble gum was really there (in my mouth). The hallucinatory sensation of tasting it in my fingertips was unrelated to sleep deprivation. It was sort of similar to your account of accidentally mixing meds…
”I’d be curious about a Cat of the Canals musical interlude!”
On its way. Because the song is by one of those rare talented singers who sounds just as good if not better live than in the studio, I’ve got to choose between several live versions over the span of 35 years.
Ten BearsQuote Reply
For what it’s worth, Betty Gilpin played a “neuro-atypical” high-functioning autistic software engineer in Season 4 of CBS’s “Elementary” in 2016 opposite Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes.
(Betty Gillian was in “Nurse Jackie” on Showtime in 2013 – 2015, and after “Elementary” went on to co-star in the buzzworthy series “GLOW” on Netflix in 2018-2019, though I don’t remember her in “Nurses Jackie” and haven’t watched “GLOW” – because I haven’t signed up for Netflix yet.)
I bring this up because I thought Betty Gilpin did a great job in “Elementary” portraying someone on the “autism spectrum” without playing into cliches or stereotypes.
I may try to find a couple of YouTube clips that highlighted her performance.
Ten BearsQuote Reply
For what it’s worth, Betty Gilpin played a “neuro-atypical” high-functioning autistic software engineer in Season 4 of CBS’s “Elementary” in 2016 opposite Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes.
(Betty Gillian was in “Nurse Jackie” on Showtime in 2013 – 2015, and after “Elementary” went on to co-star in the buzzworthy series “GLOW” on Netflix in 2018-2019, though I don’t remember her in “Nurses Jackie” and haven’t watched “GLOW” – because I haven’t signed up for Netflix yet.)
I bring this up because I thought Betty Gilpin did a great job in “Elementary” portraying someone on the “autism spectrum” without playing into cliches or stereotypes.
I may try to find a couple of YouTube clips that highlighted her performance.
Ten BearsQuote Reply
Adrianacandle,
“…. Though it’s been many years, I distinctly remember times when I’d tell myself that all through the night, I’ll be awake.
So where was I??? Oh yeah. Musical Interlude…Not sure though if it should relate to “The Long Night” or to Cat of the Canals.”
“I’d be curious about a Cat of the Canals musical interlude!”
My only reservation is that my understanding
is based on my second-hand “osmosis” of book readers’ commentary, since
And yes, I KNOW I could read the books and find out these details for myself. However, as I’ve said (whinged) before, I’m reluctant to start reading the books unless and until GRRM finishes TWOW and ADOS – or Kevin1989 finishes them for him.
Ten BearsQuote Reply
Yeah, I’m kind of a fan of Noah Taylor.
In addition to his supporting role in Cameron Crowe’s “Almost Famous” (2000), Noah Taylor was the tech support hologram in “Vanilla Sky” (2001), Cameron Crowe’s follow-up movie.
Oh, and Noah Taylor was really good as Emily Blunt’s scientist sidekick in “Edge of Tomorrow” (2014), a sci fi movie I really enjoyed, and as Angelina Jolie’s sidekick in the 2001 and 2003 Lara Croft “Tomb Raider” movies.*
I think “Locke” may be the only character in any of his shows or films that I’ve seen in which he plays a bad guy.
* Six Degrees of GoT cont.: In one of the Lara Croft movies, Lara Croft’s (apparent) frenemy was played by an impossibly handsome, impeccably dressed actor with a mellifluous voice. Instant man-crush on my part.
Ten BearsQuote Reply
Adrianacandle,
(from 2:40 pm re: All-Nighters):
TB wrote: “Though it’s been many years, I distinctly remember times when I’d tell myself that all through the night, I’ll be awake.
So where was I??? Oh yeah. Musical Interlude…Not sure though if it should relate to “The Long Night” or to Cat of the Canals.”
Adrianacandle replied at 2:49 pm:
”I’d be curious about a Cat of the Canals musical interlude!”
…………………………
⚠️Musical Interlude
Dedicated to “The Long Night” – or
to Cat of the Canals
🎶”All through the night
I’ll be awake, and I’ll be with you.”🎶
***
🎶 “All through the night
Stray cat is crying, so stray cat sings back
All through the night
They have forgotten, what by day they lack
Oh, under those white street lamps
There is a little chance they may see
We have no past,
We won’t reach back…”🎶
at 1:19:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIjWfvSz-bo
…. or 30 years later….
at 1:18
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yluGnvOazU
Ten BearsQuote Reply
Since this year it will be twenty years since “LOTR:The Fellowship Of The Ring” was released in theatres, as a musical interlude, here is “The Breaking Of The Fellowship”, one of my favourite bits of music courtesy of the amazing Howard Shore…
loco73Quote Reply
Aaand of course because it would be impossible to think of the LOTR trilogy in general, and “The Fellowship Of The Ring” in particular without this song, here is the lyric video for “May It Be” by Enya:
loco73Quote Reply
loco73,
Uh oh. Enya? Now you’re getting into
. Enya’s “Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)” is queued up and ready to go.
Apologies in advance to commenters who are piqued
.
Ten BearsQuote Reply
Ten Bears,
This sounds more like a cat than a wolf — for instance, wolves (and dogs) don’t typically bound over rooftops.
But yes, Arya can warg cats and I think it can be argued she’s always had a kind of special connection to cats 🙂
And that is a wonderful song choice for a Cat of the Canals musical interlude! I enjoyed all the variations but I think there’s always something so magical about live versions because it’s happening live. It’s like magic watching somebody sing in real time without any technological assistance. Just them.
loco73,
Thank you so much for linking these LoTR songs! ;0;
AdrianacandleQuote Reply
Ten Bears,
I expect you know that Enya is sister to some of the members of Clannad – I think she was in Clannad herself at one time.
Adrianacandle,
Though I was glad a lot of the waffle and slog was cut out of AFFC and ADWD for the show (not wanting to tread on any book purists’ toes but I probably am going to though it’s not done maliciously) I would have liked to see the bit where blind Arya discovered something whilst warged into a cat (I won’t say what Arya’s discovery was as I don’t want to spoil too much for anyone who might read the books in the future and I’m rubbish at inserting spoiler tags).
Bearing in mind my last sentence
SPOILER IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE BOOKS
SPOILER IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE BOOKS
SPOILER IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE BOOKS
In the books it was implied that the old black tomcat who roamed around the Red Keep and couldn’t be caught was the kitten owned by Rhaegar’s little daughter who was slain. There used to be someone who posted here in the earlier days of this site (or it could have been its predecessor) as ‘Balerion the Cat’. Though I think you’ve read the books more times than me – I only went through them once, so you are no doubt well aware of that plot point.
Dame of MerciaQuote Reply
Dame of Mercia,
And yes, later, when Arya is blind, she has a tomcat purring in her lap and for a moment, can see:
I believe, here, we learn what happened to one of the slaver ships that were driven to Hardhome by the storms, whereupon they picked up-then grateful wildlings… but the pirates intended to sell them as slaves. However, thanks to the storms, the Goodheart is forced to go to Braavos instead, where slave trade is forbidden and the ship is seized.
Also, when she’s being trained blind so she better uses her other four senses and she’s being attacked by a stick, she finds that the voice instructing her is unfamiliar. However, she later reveals to the kindly man it was him who was attacking her.
AdrianacandleQuote Reply
I watched a video about reverse applique today and the presenter said something about the activity (which was a simplified version – about right for me) was one of the ‘funnest’ things to do. I don’t think Stannis would have approved of the word (or is it?) ‘funnest’. Though the ‘Stop the steal’ with the last American president confused me. In the UK ‘steal’ isn’t usually used as a noun but rather as a verb. There is a context where something can be described as a ‘steal’ if somebody gets a worthwhile bargain but the context of people thinking an election result was fraudulent being fraudulent jarred rather with me.
Adriana, this is only a small point so I don’t really think it’s a spoiler but in either AFFC or ADWD the old black cat at one point looks into Tommen’s bedroom (book Tommen being younger than show Tommen) at Tommen with his (Tommen’s) kittens.
Dame of MerciaQuote Reply
Adrianacandle,
”…And that [“All Through the Night”] is a wonderful song choice for a Cat of the Canals musical interlude! I enjoyed all the variations but I think there’s always something so magical about live versions because it’s happening live. It’s like magic watching somebody sing in real time without any technological assistance. Just them.”
————-
Because you/we have an affinity for bouncy “trampoline” songs,
Here are the two links if you’re interested:
•
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-yis9av6xc
+ Interview (4:31 to 10:31)
+🎶 “Time After Time” (10:32 – 15:11)
+ Concluding chat (15:11-16:29)
•
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPfu9V_VS-A
+ Interview (4:50 – 12:16)
+ 🎶 “All Through the Night” (12:22 – 17:13)
+ Concluding chat (17:14 – 19:14)
P.S.
I would have included another “trampoline song”
Maybe later…
Ten BearsQuote Reply
Dame of Mercia,
Are you thinking of this passage?
Ten Bears,
Thank-you so much! I’m familiar with quite a few of these songs and they would be perfect bouncers!! 😀
AdrianacandleQuote Reply
Hey, folks. Random question: do we have a Discord server? If not, we should have one! I’d love to talk with all of you without needing an excuse to do so in the form of a new piece of news.
Farimer123Quote Reply
Adrianacandle,
If the algorithms will allow the link the part in ADWD is referred in the last paragraph of this page of the ASOIAF Wiki. https://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Ser_Pounce I had misremembered slightly as Tommen only refers to “the bad cat”.
Dame of MerciaQuote Reply
I do not know what a “Discord Server” is. I don’t know if I or we have one, or should have one. (I’m computer illiterate.)
If I Google it will I understand it? (“IPs,” “servers.” flux capacitors…none of that stuff makes sense to me.)
Ten BearsQuote Reply
Dame of Mercia,
Oh, of course! That epilogue passage! Thanks! 😀
Ten Bears,
It’s an application that allows text and voice chat, as well as live streaming — first became popular with gamers.
I use it for online Dungeons and Dragons with my party and am part of a giant YouTuber gossip Discord for which my friend is part of the admin team 🙂
Farimer,
As far as I know, WotW doesn’t have a Discord server. I think there are two issues with it (as far as I can tell) currently: it requires learning a new app (for people who don’t know what it is/don’t want to download it) and would need a neutral and solid admin/mod team to keep things running smoothly. In my experience, private or small-group chats are fine without admin teams but when groups get larger than that, things can get messy. Just my perspective, though 🙂
AdrianacandleQuote Reply
Dame of Mercia,
Ah, I see we’re on a cat-centric sub-thread. 🐈⬛
[/spoiler]
Ten BearsQuote Reply
Adrianacandle,
”As far as I know, WotW doesn’t have a Discord server. I think there are two issues with it (as far as I can tell) currently: it requires learning a new app (for people who don’t know what it is…”
“People” like me. 🤥
”…and would need a neutral and solid admin/mod team to keep things running smoothly.”
I’d imagine Sue and the other members of WotW’s administrator and moderator team(s) have already devoted countless hours (over how many years has it been?) keeping this site up and running and running smoothly.
While I don’t know what’s involved in monitoring Discord group texts and chats, might it be a bit presumptuous to expect them to take on even more work and responsibilities?
You observed that in your experience “private or small-group chats are fine without admin teams but when groups get larger than that, things can get messy.” It’s not uncommon for Comments Sections here to exceed hundreds of posts (even in GoT’s off-seasons as well as its post-mortem period). With few exceptions everyone who comes here is civil and respectful, even when they disagree.
If a group “Discord” chat is anything like YouTube comments sections, wouldn’t it take just one or two “trolls” or sh*tposters to turn a group chat or text string into a cesspool of non-stop back and forth name-calling and personal insults?
Finally, we do have the Forum Section for those who, like Faramir, would “love to talk with all of you without needing an excuse to do so in the form of a new piece of news.” However, for whatever reason (e.g., reports of difficulties registering; unfamiliarity; temporary spam infestation; etc.), the Forum Section has been an underutilized resource. With only a handful of participants, it’s hard to generate lively discussions.
I wish that weren’t the case:
I guess the same considerations apply to
I mean, no matter how one feels about whether GoT stuck the landing, or crashed and burned on the runway, those topics have been beaten to death. Besides, there are enough hours-long, hypercritical YouTube videos uploaded by that demanding dragon guy and scores of other armchair quarterbacks to quench in perpetuity anyone’s thirst for vitriol directed at “Dumb & Dumber.”
. A dedicated Forum Page might be a more appropriate place for that.
But I digress…
Speaking only for myself, I would welcome, and reply to, any insights on any subject by Faramir, “without needing an excuse to do so in the form of a new piece of news.”.
If an off-topic comment or subthread doesn’t pique my interest…I simply don’t read it, skip over it, or refrain from clicking on the grey spoiler cover. I assume everyone else has the same options.
At the same time, I do appreciate being exposed to shows, films and music recommended and discussed by other commenters.
Anyway, at this juncture, there’s not a whole lot of HotD news to analyze. Nor have there been any substantive ASOIAF updates from the Big Kahuna to ignite serious discussions or generate worthwhile speculation.
Ten BearsQuote Reply
Ten Bears,
A Discord would be a 24/7 thing to monitor since chat is instant and all the time (even on slow mode) — it’s a different dynamic because of that. It’s not like a forum or a board where we post more intermittently in a more-organized-thought-fashion, it’s an instant back and forth. It’s more like group texting and sometimes, yeah, things can get pretty heated — no matter how civil the group can be. Conversation can also be more difficult to follow if the chat is active due to the slew of text.
I think that’s one of the drawbacks of Discord vs a forum or board.
And that’s why I think a pretty solid admin team would probably need to be on top of things. Even without such, even the most civil groups can succumb to disagreements and arguments since we’re all human. I think these would need fair and neutral moderation just to keep things under control and to keep the space feeling okay for all.
I agree. A forum would probably be the most appropriate but I also think, when things get quiet here due to lack of news, it can be nice to have a natural break.
I think so too. And I think using the spoiler codes to hide OT conversation can help people not interested in such to scroll through threads faster.
AdrianacandleQuote Reply
Adrianacandle,
[Your reply to my 3:33 pm comment*):
”Thank-you so much! I’m familiar with quite a few of these songs and they would be perfect bouncers!! 😀”
* From my 3:33 pm Comment:
“…I would have included another “trampoline song”
Bookend coming soon. I’m trying to decide between a live version, a studio (audio) version, or both. I also realized it’s got a cat lyric too. (”Scat, alley cat!” )
Ten BearsQuote Reply
Adrianacandle,
and Ten Bears – and everyone really, I tried to use the forums recently but when I had made the post I was asked to sign in BUT I WAS ALREADY SIGNED IN. I tried to report the problem to the mods and was told to sign in. DoM gave up in frustration.
Dame of MerciaQuote Reply
Dame of Mercia,
Just clarifying – no mod told me in person, just the site algorithm (or was it the site gremlins). Neither the old gods nor the new were heeding me that day.
Dame of MerciaQuote Reply
Dame of Mercia,
I totally got what you meant! I think the forums these days are kind of on sabbatical.
Looking forward to it!
AdrianacandleQuote Reply
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