I think the true "Wonderland" is the internet. It's a strange place because the psychology of people is strange, and when you get so many ideas being shared, you are bound to run into anything that you can imagine and a few that you never could. One of the things that I've discovered/run into on the internet is a whole community of "Red Pillers." These are an enormous group of men who essentially co-opted the scene from the original Matrix wherein Morpheus asked Neo if he wanted to take the Red Pill or the Blue Pill. Men who are "Red Pill" are referred to by this community as being ideal men, with strong alpha masculine traits. Divorce is referred to as "wealth extraction," and liberals (because of a strong connection with modern feminism) are truly hated/loathed. Contrary to what many may think of me, I find their discussions among each other to be fascinating. Lurking under the surface of every man in this online community are extremely embittered feelings that have no outlet. To say that these men will never trust a woman again might even be an understatement. Rather, to say that these men actually have contempt is what's really going on, and the real struggle with these people seems to all center around one basic idea: how does a modern man feel masculine, powerful, and respected (sexually--it's always about sex) in settings (whether they be at bars, parties, raves, or at home having dinner) that are ultimately dominated in sexual tension. These men even have their own vocabulary consisting of words like "beta cuck." All of this rests (of course) on an underlying principle that men need to embrace in order to get around to the idea that men need fixing to begin with, and it's this: young attractive women have all the power in relationships and men are dogs begging for scraps.
It's a fascinating premise, and I have no idea if it's true or not. For some people it probably is, for others it probably isn't. Sweeping generalizations never seem to work out just right, but I've often discovered that buried within a generalization might be a shred or two of some truth. And this again may depend entirely on belief. In other words, what a person believes may actually make some thing true, which is not to say that it is "factual." I'm saying this now because "facts" and "truth" are oftentimes confused and used synonymously, but they are not the same thing. But I digress. No, what all this "red pill" stuff got me thinking about was the genre of "fantasy fiction," which is more or less dominated by "Game of Thrones" right now. But there are other examples aplenty, and I (for one) love both to write and to read fantasy fiction. It wasn't until I started to read all this "red pill" stuff online though that I truly started seeing how a lot of fantasy fiction written by men is filled with "red pill" qualities. So (for that matter) are video games like World of Warcraft and other such things.
In these fantasy worlds, which oftentimes are based in some kind of world that is similar (or borrows strongly from) the medieval periods of Europe and Asia, you can read exceptional tales of fictional lives that are literally filled to the brim with something lacking in a lot of lives: meaning and purpose. What a concept, right? In many of these stories, women (for the most part) need to be saved a lot, whether it is from rapes from monsters and other such evil creatures, or from tyrants or other such bad agencies. I suppose that a lot of fantasy (in fact) rests on the trope of good vs. evil, but even if it doesn't (such as that presented by George R.R. Martin), it does need to have constant conflict between groups (think the warring kingdoms of Westeros) because only in conflict can men really prove how masculine and mighty they are. I started to think that this may be a reason why games like World of Warcraft and the fantasy genre (typically awash with nerds) are so popular with men as are gaming and comic book conventions (which also have a greater percentage of men than they do women). In other words, I started to think that because our country is so safe (let's face it peeps...in comparison to other countries the U.S. as a whole is a pretty darn uneventful place to live). To clarify, I'm not saying that the U.S. doesn't have its problems with crime and punishment, inequality, justice, etc. What I'm saying is that we are not war-torn, nor do we have a widespread problem regarding access to food and water and other such necessities. Americans for the most part, have the ability to enjoy a concept called "free time," which means that (as a society) some of us even experience boredom on a regular basis. But a side-effect of all of this free time is that a lot of young people no longer have purpose and meaning.
Enter in the epic fantasy, whether it be presented as a role-playing game, a video game, a fictional book of a thousand pages written by George R.R. Martin, or some virtual reality thing that I have never yet seen, and I suddenly realize what's going on here. It's a "red pill" dreamland. In these entertainments, men feel powerful when (I'm beginning to suspect) they don't feel powerful in real life anymore. In other worlds, in our society there's no one that really needs to be saved anymore in some "dramatic" way. There are no dragons to slay. The modern way of "saving" someone is to get a job and turn over a paycheck, which has far less appeal than raiding the horde of an ogre.
Anyway, all of this collapsed into an idea that popped into my head about why boys don't read fiction anymore (for the most part). Sure there are still some of us out here that do, but it got me to thinking that if publishers want to have boys read fiction then they're going to need to make stories wherein (when a boy reads it) he feels powerful. It sounds pathetic, right? Why do men need to feel powerful? But it is something I'd like to open for debate to see if anyone else has noticed this. In any event, we live in interesting times.
Game of Thrones brought to a conclusion its best season yet last night. And as the credits rolled across the screen, I decided that this is one story that really does well as a series rather than a movie. For one, a movie would never have time to follow along with each point of view character. And second, the conversion to film breathes a different kind of life into written words. For example, music makes certain scenes greater than they actually are because of the emotional impact, and a skilled director can bring together certain pairings in the narrative that you don't see when you're reading. The final episode of season 4 was called "The Children." And it really is perfect, because the children in the story are making their impact known in every single storyline from Westeros to the far North and to the shores of Mereen.
I guess I was moved by last night's episode. As the music played and Varys gazed up at the Red Keep and heard the bells toll for what could only be something absolutely terrible that Tyrion had wrought, he silently turned his back and got on board the ship that originally was meant only for Tyrion's escape. Seeing Varys do this was emotionally powerful, because we knew just as he knew that there was no going back. Not if he valued his life. I suppose the saying goes, when one door closes another may open and Varys, if anyone, has the keys to many doors.
And then the story shifts to Arya who willingly departs from someone that offers safety to pursue her own way in the world. Nothing good can come from someone filled with so much hatred. But this doesn't change the fact that Arya has suffered many wrongs and has every reasons to fully worship and embrace the teachings of the god of death. Perhaps this is a lesson about life. That children are sculpted by the experiences of their childhood and when terrible things happen to the young, they carry these things with them into adulthood and become a curse upon the world.
And then there's Bran. When I'm reading the books, I really dread the Bran chapters. They never go anywhere and for the most part are filled with too many "Hodors" for my taste. But in the show, this character is interesting because they truncate all the things that irritate me into a cohesive story about a child looking for a way to help his family. Bran is pursuing the truth behind his powers, clinging to the only thing that gives him strength: the ability to warg. And his quest came to an end in last night's episode in the care of the Children of the Forest (who just might be cannibals if you ask me). Well "cannibal" might be a misnomer as the "children" are clearly elves without calling them that. So maybe I should just say, "slightly inhuman humans who may just find regular humans to be as tasty as pie."
In both book and film, Bran is so far North he might as well be lost to the world. There, surrounded by the same necromancy that animates the White Walkers, an undead horde tries to get at him in a cave that's protected by the magic of the Children of the Forest. On a floor full of human bones that does not bode well for Hodor and Meera Reed (because well...children need to eat), we are left wondering what Bran could possibly do to "fly" in this place. But the Tree he has come to see assures him that he'll fly. I just wonder if it's going to be in the guise of one of Daenerys' dragons.
And Daenerys' dragons are probably the most troubled of the children. We kind of knew it was coming, even if you don't read the books. The foreshadowing earlier in the season of Drogon rising upon huge wings over the shepherd innocently tending to his flock was a hint that sooner or later, the greatest of Daenery's dragons would start to lunch on easy prey. So Daenerys did the responsible thing: she locked her children up for the safety of her people. She's a ruler true and true, and knows that her first responsibility is to protect the people that look to her for leadership.
I think we are at the midpoint of the story now. It's all downhill from here, and I'm sure its going to be a thrilling ride. I expect the next seasons to reveal things that I haven't read yet, and it really is exciting. I've got to hand it to George. He's got the most popular show that HBO has ever had in its entire history with 18.5 million people tuning in to watch each new episode. Game of Thrones by every which way you can measure a story IS a phenomenon. A friend asked me in the car, "Do you think George R.R. Martin will ever eclipse Tolkien?" My answer, "He's done that already. The width and breadth of Game of Thrones, and its effect on pop culture is pretty much immeasurable."
Wouldn't you agree? If you have time, listen to the song "The Children" from last night's episode. It has a nice melody and reminds me of the greatness that can happen when film and music come together to make art.
I seriously need to rethink why I like A Game of Thrones so much and decide whether or not I want to keep watching it. More than likely (99% chance) I'm going to keep watching it. But here's why I'm upset: the tv series is going to spoil the entire book series. Allow me to elaborate.
It turns out that HBO's television series is going to tell the entire story BEFORE Martin finishes it. I have never EVER heard of this happening and it really makes me angry. Adaptations of books happen AFTER the book is published and written. The reason this is happening with Martin's story is simple: he's too f'ing slow and he has a contract with HBO, D.B. Weiss, and David Benioff (the show's creators). It's actually kind of ridiculous. Here's how it all went down (according to Vanity Fair).
In the article, Martin confessed that the show is catching up to his writing speed and that this is essentially something he had sworn would never happen. In Martin's own words, "They are. Yes. It's alarming." Fans (including me) have weighed in that season five (to arrive in 2015) will have to include events from The Winds of Winter--a book that Martin hasn't finished yet.
How do Benioff and Weiss know about the events? Well Martin's capitulated and is basically telling them everything from his notes. He's given them access to every character's fate in as much detail as he possibly can. Here's the actual copy from the Vanity Fair article:
[Benioff] "Last year we went out to Santa Fe for a week to sit down with him [Martin] and just talk through where things are going, because we don't know if we are going to catch up and where exactly that would be. If you know the ending, then you can lay the groundwork for it. And so we want to know how everything ends. We want to be able to set things up. So we just sat down with him and literally went through every character."
So yeah, Martin has basically given up on being the first person to tell his story and is going to let HBO do the job for him.
Are you f'ing kidding me? Is this at all how an author is supposed to behave? The last book in the series is supposed to be called A Whisper of Spring. I guess underneath the title it will say, "Adapted from the television series."
What a joke. I guess the joke's on us though because Martin is the one that is a millionaire twenty (or more) times over.
These three authors would have you believe that writing every day is an urban writer myth:
George R.R. Martin. The famous author of A Song of Ice and Fire has anxiety about the HBO TV series passing the point where he is in the writing of the story. He said that he felt like he was "bound to train tracks and could see smoke wafting," though he can't yet see the train. To be honest, George is so slow, so easily distracted, and so unhealthy the likelihood of him not finishing the series is the same as the sun rising in the east.
Thomas Harris. An American author and screenwriter that's managed to produce five books in forty years (Black Sunday, Red Dragon, The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, Hannibal Rising). That's about one book every ten years. If he's writing every day, it's one word and then...done. Time to get lunch.
Harper Lee. She wrote one book: To Kill A Mockingbird. Ayep...that's it.
So yeah, why do so many writers listen to the mantra "To be called a writer, you should write every day?" It's pretty much hokum. That's my point and I'm sticking to it. Have a good weekend you nano-wrimo preppers out there!
This scene ended the episode. It's the invasion of the Earth Republic
army taking over Defiance. It's a bad time for this sci-fi outpost.
Everything is indeed broken. Click to EMBIGGEN
The culmination of an amazing season one ended last night with cliffhangers that made me realize, Defiance is not your run-of-the-mill "play it safe" and be predictable sci-fi series. I am thoroughly engrossed in this story, and I HATE the fact that I have to wait until June 2014 for more. SyFy channel built last week's episode as "the one everyone will be talking about." Although good, it had none of the shocking moments that Monday night's season finale called "Everything is Broken" had. And I just want to warn those who are following this series and haven't watched it yet, there are some major spoilers in this post.
Kenya had the upper hand on Stahma, but got outmaneuvered. R.I.P. Kenya.
OMG they killed Kenya. She was like one of my favorite characters. And Kenya didn't die a useless death either. She was outmaneuvered in a game of chess and paid for it with her life. I really shouldn't be shocked, but I am. Kenya's demise was foreshadowed by the venomous and treacherous threats coming from the evil Stahma. "This will not end well for you," Stahma said to Kenya. I just didn't think Defiance had the cojones to go there. After last night's episode, I'll never say that again.
To be fair, I admire Stahma. She's got more layers than an onion and makes for a powerful villain. She's as ruthless, conniving, and clever as Cersei in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. But I thought Kenya could outwit her. In truth, I believed she had up until the end. I kept asking myself, what would I do if I were in Kenya's position? I don't know if I would have met Stahma in the woods, but I sure as hell wouldn't trust her...not after she back-stabbed her sister, Mayor Rosewater, to give Datak an edge in the election.
Meeting an evil person in the woods is never a good idea. Here Kenya
in back (she's the brunette) is meeting Stahma. This scene reminded me
in every way of the 1976 film "Omen 2" where Damien kills a blond boy in
the woods who suspects who he truly is, i.e., the Antichrist. See picture below.
This scene gave me nightmares when I was a kid. The dark-haired boy is
pure evil. The blond kid in the background goes to the same military
academy and stumbled across Damien's secret, so he kills him with his
"powers." It's awful. Lesson: never meet an evil person in the woods. Ever.
But as it turns out, Kenya did meet Stahma in the woods (NEVER DO THIS! NEVER EVER MEET AN EVIL PERSON IN THE WOODS PEOPLE!), and Stahma acted just like a spider, luring Kenya in by saying she was on the run from her monster husband. The only thing that makes this act even believable is that Datak is a monster. I suppose that Stahma said at least one thing that was correct: "You don't know Castithans." Kenya paid the price with her life by accepting a flask coated with poison. She was smart enough not to drink it, but just touching the surface of the flask was enough to kill her. It was a total turn around since Kenya had a gun to Stahma's head and seemed to have the upper hand. I'm still reeling from this surprise, and I thoroughly expect this to go down as one of the top ten shocking deaths in science fiction. It's right up there with Samuel L. Jackson's death in Deep Blue Sea.
One of the most shocking deaths in cinematic history.
OMG they killed Nolan. What the hell is going on? I loved Nolan. We've been seeing Defiance through his eyes since day one. We started out with him in the pilot episode in a crawler with his daughter in tow making their way to Antarctica. Right from the start, he established himself as a rugged military man with a sense of honor and the ability to beat anyone up in a fight. Strong, cunning, with a "straight as an arrow" moral compass, and boom...taken out with a bullet fired from an Earth Republic surgeon that has a reputation for loving his work. This is a euphemism for "I like to cut people up on the operating table."
Noes! They killed Lawkeeper Nolan.
To be fair, Nolan's fate is similar to Catelyn's Stark's: dead but then resurrected through magic (sorry if I'm spoiling A Game of Thrones here). But the resurrection comes at what price? Irisa has essentially given herself over to being "The Devouring Mother" because she didn't want to lose her dad. She's now the weapon of Irzu, the goddess of the Irathients, and from the look of things, I think this means she's going to lose all of her identity and become a killing machine. Her body may survive the fall into the strange glowing pit deep within the mines, but all the things that make up Irisa can't possibly survive that. So in a sense, they've killed off Irisa too!
Major cast members have been dropping like flies in this season. Who OTHER than George R.R. Martin does that? Well okay...The Walking Dead does it too. I don't know if I really like that or not? I suppose I do because I'm completely hooked in this show.
The conniving and murderous Tarr family. As much as I'd like to see them
get justice for killing Kenya and hurting others, they are some great villains.
OMG they killed Datak. Okay...we didn't see him get killed so he'll probably be back next season. But the fact is that he did kill the leader of the Earth Republic with a knife in his office and soldiers were pounding on the door. I just don't see how that could go over well? Hands covered in blood, dead body of the leader on the ground. I know if I'd been a soldier and saw that, I'd fill the dude full of bullet holes. All they wanted was access to the mines and they got that when Datak won the election. What further use is this Castithan to them? He's dead weight; a liability. And by the way the writers offed Kenya, I fully expect Datak to get executed along with Stahma in the season premiere.
Man oh man, the shocking twists and turns of Defiance channel George R.R. Martin in a spectacular season finale dripping with blood. Why does June of 2014 seem so far away?
I honestly could not imagine the upper body strength it would take to
climb The Wall. I guess I'd never make it as a Wildling. Good thing my
plans would be to live in Highgarden.
Last night's episode of "A Game of Thrones" was built around the premise of a climb. In one case, this climb is quite literal with Jon Snow having to tackle the 700 foot icy death wall that separates the free North from the lands of the South. In a metaphysical sense, it emerged from a soliloquy delivered by Littlefinger to Varys where he made up a lot of b.s. about how "Chaos is not a pit, it's a ladder" and eluding to the fact that in chaos there is opportunity for those who are bold enough to seek it out "balls to the wall" style.
In truth, Littlefinger's speech came across to me with a definitive Tony Robins-esque "self help" style. It almost sounded like a guru paid to convince you to pull yourself up by your bootstraps while coaching you that it's okay to walk across burning coals when in fact, the only reason it works is because there's a "trick" to it. And where there are "tricks" to anything, it also means it isn't legit (because the only way you fail is by not doing the "trick").
So what was "The Climb" really about? In my opinion, it had to do with sacrifice for the realm versus being a selfish prick. If you do what's right by the realm, then the realm prospers (and consequently you prosper too). Varys a.k.a. "The Spider" had maneuvered Sansa Stark and Loras of Highgarden together. This would have solidified two relatively strong families and made Sansa happy. Loras could have saved his reputation as a "sword swallower" and probably made a good husband while carrying on discreet affairs with his squires at night.
It's always interesting when Varys and Littlefinger meet. I truly like
Varys, even though I'd never trust him. These two are always at each
other's throats, and I hope that someday Varys out maneuvers
Littlefinger. I think Varys is the perfect counterweight to this rat in robes.
But of course, that all got put on the back burner for selfish reasons, namely Littlefinger's. And I've a feeling there's going to be more blood shed as a result of Littlefinger's selfishness (think of it as anti-realm and completely pro-Littlefinger) than the death of poor Roz who got murdered by Joffrey because Littlefinger felt betrayed.
How did it happen? Well Littlefinger clued Cersei into the arrangement made by the Tyrells, undoing all the hard work Varys had done. This led to more selfish decisions by Tywin to marry Sansa and Tyrion (which is doomed) and to marry Cersei to Loras (also doomed). And let's not forget Robb who in the role of hypocrite is trying to force one of his lords to marry a Frey girl in the hopes that this will patch up the grievous wrong he dealt Walter Frey by casting aside his vows. He's doomed too. Ironically the one that deserves doom the most is Littlefinger, but he as yet seems immune to it.
Everyone that's been selfish is doomed. Doom Doom Doom. It's like the drums underneath the Great Hall of Moria in the Fellowship of the Ring.
I think "The Climb" on A Game of Thrones teaches us that selfishness is the way to your doom. It has nothing to do with chaos or whether you want to visualize it as a pit or a ladder (both being absurd metaphors for true chaos). If anything, the only ones in last night episode that were truly doing things for "The Realm" were Jon Snow and Ygritte. And because of that, they made it to the top of the Wall and got to see the world spreading out before them horizon to horizon. Maybe Ygritte should change her line from "You know nothing Jon Snow," to "You know everything Jon Snow" because Jon (like Daenerys) is most definitely not selfish.
Still, the title of the episode was well-named, and I enjoyed it immensely. I look forward to seeing next week's installment with baited breath.
This really was not the "Epic" that I expected from the fight at
the Fist of the First Men and it still kind of pisses me off. However,
I know they have budget constraints. I suppose the whole severed
horse heads lying in a pattern in the zombie wasteland snow was
kind of creepy but couldn't they have done a little battle?
We're already halfway through season 3 of HBO's adaptation of A Game of Thrones and naturally, I have a few thoughts. Once I got past my initial disappointment from the season opener (called "Valar Dohaeris") I settled in to see that the episode actually did have quite a few gems. Sure, the whole White Walker scene at the end of season 2 really made me expect something epic. What I got was a fat Samwell Tarley running through some snow (how does he stay fat with no food around?) and then a quick cut to other characters...mmm okay. That was one of the best scenes in the book, but I guess if you wanna go cheap.... However, I really loved the juxtapositions in this episode which is how the cinema is different than the book. In cinema, you can show a scared Tyrion Lannister peering through bars at his sister the queen regent and then cut to a similar scene with a scared Joffrey in Flea Bottom peering through bars at the future queen Margery Tyrell as she wins over everyone with her gifts and her charm. A subtle yet awesome way of showing the power of the women in the world of the Iron Throne done easily with film; not so easily with print.
The Tyrells are the only family that's got any money and resources anymore.
I really like this family. I'd want to live in Highgarden if I was forced to choose
a place in Westeros. 1) It's warm and 2) the Tyrell's by all accounts are clever
and good rulers of the people (unlike the Lannisters who completely suck).
In episode 2 "Dark Wings, Dark Words" the HBO adaptation gives us the evolution of character. Brienne overcomes Jaime who used to be the best swordsman in Westeros. It's great foreshadowing for when he gets his hand cut off (further relegating him to a "has been"). Robb angers Lord Karstark by attending the funeral of his grandfather on Catelyn's side at Riverrun. So basically you see Robb is losing all of his support by being a good son. And Sansa finally gets some courage by confiding with the Tyrell's about what a monster Joffrey is. The Tyrell's aren't stupid, and truthfully, if I had to choose a house to ally with myself, it'd be with them. I especially love the evolution of Margery because she manipulates Joffrey like the horny and naive teenage boy that he is.
In episode 3 "Walk of Punishment" we pretty much see what power gives you in Westeros (and it's the ability to make everyone else miserable around you, which is technically joy by Westerosian standards). As a side note: is that why all these damaged people want to be king? So they can order everyone else around? Cause from where I'm standing, being king in Westeros really sucks. Anyway, Tywin orders Littlefinger (who really wants to bone Sansa--yes, Littlefinger is a grotesque but conniving man) to marry Lady Arryn (the hag that had the six-year old kid breastfeeding off her in season 1), Tywin makes Tyrion the Master of Coin, Mance Rayder decides that Jon Snow will scale the Wall with some other Wildlings, and Sam witnesses Gilly give birth to a son which he knows will die if Craster gets his mitts on the poor baby boy (Craster has got some deal with the white walkers to feed them baby boys in exchange for them leaving him alone). Oh and let's not leave out poor Theon who is being tortured because he really does deserve it. Daenerys makes a deal to buy an army of 8000 Unsullied...the best fighting warriors in the world, and it completely sets up what happens next week.
Episode 4 gave us this gif, which is totally a win in my book.
Episode 4 called "And Now His Watch Is Ended" is my favorite thus far this season, mostly because of the scene where Daenerys meets with Kraznys to complete the trade of a dragon for the Unsullied army. It goes bad for the arrogant and stupid Kraznys when Daenerys orders the Unsullied to sack the city, killing their former masters, and reclaiming Drogon as her own (the biggest dragon). Sure Commander Mormont dies, but it's completely overwhelmed by what happens in Dany's storyline. If anyone deserves to be queen of Westeros, it's her and I hope it happens. She has compassion, and I got to admit: the Targaryens (despite there being only one left in the world) are a power to behold. And at long last, we get the story of how Varys "The Spider" got cut and was made a eunuch. It's where I picked up the phrase "twig and berries" if that gives you an image, because that's what got removed when Varys was a little boy by some perverse sorcerer. Good thing that Varys is now powerful because just like all the other damaged folk in Westeros, he's able to get his revenge. Right after his story, he shows Tyrion the very sorcerer that removed his "twig and berries" still alive in a box. He had him shipped all the way from Myr; I can only imagine the suffering that man is going to endure...the least of which will probably start with having HIS twig and berries cut off. Yikes.
Grantland produced this awesome UPS label that shows the Master of Whisperers
missed the first delivery attempt of the sorcerer in the box seen in episode 4.
In episode 5 called "Kissed by Fire" the Starks have gone completely bloodthirsty. Arya wants revenge on the Hound so much that she almost takes it herself, and Robb cuts off the head of Lord Karstark despite what all of his advisers tell him to do. The best part of this episode though was the tub scene between Jaime and Brienne where he tells her about the mad king and what happens when a ruler has gone insane. The little bits about how the king loved to watch people force fed wildfire so he could watch them burn was awesome and how the first person Jaime chose to kill was the chief pyromancer followed by the cowardly king himself. Another gem in this episode was when Loras Tyrell got laid by his squire. Sure the dude was a spy hired by Littlefinger, but holy crap, I must have watched that scene like ten times. I hope we see more of that in the future.
I like two things about Ygritte. 1) How she calls Jon Snow by first and last name.
2) How she always says, "You know nothing Jon Snow." And as this picture
proves, I guess that's not entirely ummm accurate. The scene in the cave
both on screen and in the book was pretty cool.
The amount of saturation that the television series A Game of Thrones has had in popular culture is kind of crazy to comprehend. Take for example Chick-Fil-A with their Mother-Son Date Knight promotion. Customers are encouraged to dress up in medieval garb and go on mother-son dates to Chik-Fil-A ala Cersei and Joffrey. Keep in mind that Cersei and Jaime were brother and sister, have an incestuous relationship, and resulted in Prince Joffrey while still married. I guess this is a more preferable choice than backing gay marriage. In my opinion, something hasn't sounded so wrong since KFC called their chicken a Frak Pack when Battlestar Galactica aired on SyFy. I suppose Chick-Fil-A wants to know how far sons can get with moms on the first date. Ewww.
Also, the differences between the television adaptation and the books catch me by surprise all the time, however, I really like them. For one, they condense a lot of the stuff that I think should be cut from the books. I am a little concerned though that Daenerys' storyline has petered out. I honestly cannot recall another scene in the books that really excited me outside the fall of Astapor. There's a scene in A Dance with Dragons that happens two novels later (which could be three seasons from now before its filmed) wherein a relatively minor character gets barbecued by a dragon. We do have an interesting Dr. Mengele-esque character that's been introduced. But A Feast for Crows was mostly boring, introducing a ton more characters that I could really care less about. I guess we can look forward to a ton more Cersei development. And it's become apparent from watching this season that the writing is all over the place. They're literally taking scenes from book 2 and book 4 and kind of weaving it all together to produce their version. I don't expect the show from here on out to be contiguous at all with the events written by George.
Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen. I'm pretty sure these two will eventually
be King and Queen of Westeros. I suspect Jon is a Targaryen anyway. Once
that comes out, she'll have to marry him, because Targaryens like to keep it
in the family if ya know what I mean.
With the way things seem to be heading for Robb, I wonder if any of the powers that be in Westeros realize that the Starks are the canary in the coal mine. Their whole family crest is "Winter is Coming." And it really is coming. You couldn't foreshadow it more. Just about everything has said this particular winter is going to be the worst one on record, with monsters that the world hasn't seen in a thousand years and a cold to last a decade or more. And when Robb metes with his destruction that everyone knows is coming, doesn't that mean that all of their fates are collectively doomed? With all the plotting and infighting going on over a stupid Iron Throne, there's no way any of the houses will have the strength to repel what shows up on their doorstep when the snow starts coming. And I think that's the point. In fact, the only person "gaining" actual power and not "losing it" in some way or another is Daenerys.
Perhaps it will come that she lands on Westeros at some point in the future, sees the butchering that the White Walkers are doing, and when those undead try to take her down, she introduces them to her three gargantuan dragons, and then proceeds to burn them to ashes. I suppose that would be a scene worth waiting for but then I'm just speculating.
Has anyone else noticed that there is no royal in Westeros that hasn't been wronged in some way? I think that's odd. Surely there is some character that hasn't been crushed or stepped on, but I went through the list and I was like...ummm nope. If life is that hard at the top, imagine what it must be like for the common folk.
With the calendar about to turn to a new year in just a few short weeks, season 3 of "A Game of Thrones" really isn't all that far off. Recently io9 ran an article on the characters least likely to sit on the Iron Throne by the time Martin pens the last page of A Whisper of Spring which is tentatively the title for the last book (following The Winds of Winter due to hit shelves in 2015). So I'm taking my argument to you, dear readers, who are also fans of Martin's epic fantasy saga.
Daenerys Targaryen
My prediction: Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow.
Why? Daenerys is the last of the Targaryens, she is the blood of the dragon, and I think the coming of the dragons is going to be instrumental in the war against the Others (the White Walkers). And I think Jon Snow is a Targaryen. I think there's plenty of evidence written subtly into the narrative penned by Martin to suggest that Lord Eddard Stark could never be unfaithful to his wife. He was just too much of a goodie two-shoes that the whole "I'm a cheater" thing is really bothering me. I think that Jon's mother could possibly be Lyanna (who Robert Baratheon loved very much) and who was kidnapped by Rhaegar (called the mad king). What if the mad king raped her, and she bore a child, Jon, and then forced her brother, Eddard, to raise the child as his own upon her death bed and to protect him so that no one would know he was a Targaryen?
Jon "You know nothing" Snow
Why it would be the greatest kept secret in Westeros. And that, I think, is brilliant.
So this is what I see happening. The kingdoms softened up by warring with each other no longer have the strength to withstand the White Walkers. The White Walkers march all over them with an army of wights at their back and keep heading south. The North falls. Then Daenerys shows up with her dragons and arms the men with dragon glass weapons and the might of old Valyria. And because Targaryens are known to intermarry, Daenerys and Jon Snow hook up and take the Iron Throne as king and queen.
And that is my prediction regarding the Iron Throne of Westeros. Thoughts anyone?
It kind of gives me goosebumps thinking that this may be what Martin is doing.
I'm gonna talk about the second season of HBO's Game of Thrones today (as it is coming to a close soon). I think that there are two episodes left (at least that's what the preview indicated this last Sunday).
This is an HBO screen capture of the castle of Harrenhal
More specifically, I wanted to talk about Harrenhal because it's one of the important castles that we see in George R.R. Martin's epic fantasy, A Song of Ice and Fire. Last year, I wrote about the Eyrie, and I compared Ted Nasmith's version of the Eyrie to the one that we saw on film. You can find that post HERE if you want to read it. Now, I'm going to do the same treatment for Harrenhal.
This is concept art for Harrenhal
First, a little history.
In the Song of Ice and Fire novels, Harrenhal is a colossal castle consisting of five massive towers (the Tower of Dread, Widow's Tower, Wailing Tower, Tower of Ghosts and Kingspyre Tower) and immense walls.
Concept art, interior of Harrenhal
The castle was built by House Hoare, the ruling house of the Iron Islands which had overrun and conquered the Riverlands. It took three generations to construct. King Harren the Black completed the castle, boasting that it was impregnable.
Painting of Harrenhal by award-winning artist Ted Nasmith
King Harren was betrayed by his bannermen during the War of Conquest and the castle was largely melted by dragonfire: while Harren had thought the castle's walls were tall enough to withstand any assault, he neglected to consider that the Targaryens' dragons could fly right over them. Aegon the Conqueror roasted Harren alive in the tallest tower of the castle, now known as the Kingspyre. As a result Harrenhal is half-ruined, with stone towers melted and twisted by the flames of the dragons, giving it an ominous and nightmarish appearance. No lord has held the castle for long since Harren's death.
Since Harren's death the castle has passed through a number of other noble houses (Qoherys, Towers, Harroway, Strong and Lothston), each of which has come to ruin. prior to the War of the Five Kings House Whent, loyal vassals to Lord Hoster Tully of Riverrun.
Harrenhal is technically the biggest castle in Westeros. It is so ridiculously large that the surrounding area cannot possibly produce the necessary food to support the massive army needed to fully man it. Rulers of Harrenhal usually lose money and resources simply by possessing it. As a result, Harrenhal is rarely if ever fully manned.
*****
So what do you think? Did Ted Nasmith's vision fully capture Harrenhal? Or do you think HBO nailed it with their version? Or do you think the concept art is closer to how you picture a castle would look that got melted by dragon fire?
I think that I would be remiss in not admitting my outright excitement for the return of this Sunday's "Game of Thrones" on HBO. I know that I have, from time-to-time taken different looks at Mr. Martin's books. I was not impressed with A Dance With Dragons as an example...but that comes from me being frustrated that I feel Mr. Martin has turned into a capitalist who seeks to milk every penny from his franchise as opposed to giving us the story that so strongly permeates the first three books of his series.
Season two is all about the book A Clash of Kings. And this my friends, is a masterpiece. For those of you who haven't read the books and are concerned that there is no one to step in and fill the void left behind by the death of Ned Stark, I want to assure you that the tales of Westeros do not stop with him. I'm looking forward to seeing Tyrion, Cersei, Jaime, and Daenerys develop. I'm interested in new characters...Milisandre of Asshai, Stannis Baratheon, and Daenerys' dragons (which will become characters unto themselves).
If I had to say one thing about George's fantasy, it's that it got me interested in reading the genre again. I had wandered into general fiction (which still makes up the bulk of my reading list). I'd read most of Vonnegut's books, I'd explored non-fiction by reading Hawking, read some young adult (and didn't find it necessarily to my liking), but I hadn't read fantasy (the stuff that I read as a kid) in years. George changed that with his books. And he seems to be the one that I kind of stick with because, as I've explored other fantasies, they all strike me as knockoffs of what George managed to do, and I wonder how long that trend is going to continue.
I'm really not a fan of knockoffs. Just to illustrate what I mean by this term, I've heard that "Divergent" is a knockoff of "The Hunger Games"--I've read the Hunger Games...but not Divergent. Again, it's only what I've heard from reading what people write online. I honestly don't care because I'm not going to read Divergent anyway. But it may serve to illustrate my point.
George's story is first and foremost about power. It's an epic that really kind of reinvented fantasy by introducing a psychological component. Instead of a black and white struggle of good vs. evil, it is a complex examination of real world characters who pursue their own interests. I'm excited to dive back into this backstabbing, power-grubbing, drama-filled murderous tale of the most flawed human beings and their struggle to outdo one another by screwing each other over in the most hate-filled ways. Really...it's like looking at our own government.
I shall be participating in the A-to-Z challenge starting this Sunday. Have a great Friday and Saturday.
I'm getting very excited that HBO's Game of Thrones is returning with an action-packed, fantasy-filled, second season. I do like the world of Westeros, so I wanted to chime in on the different houses. HBO did videos for each one to get people interested in picking a side. But, I'm not going to show those even though I watched them. As a reader, I haven't picked a side as much as I've enjoyed all the story arcs. Here are the houses from my perspective.
House Lannister. The only one of the Lannisters that I like is Tyrion. He's clever and smart. Yet Jaime has shown remarkable growth after he had his sword arm cut off. I still don't much like him though. The Lannisters are smug and pretentious. They all have lily white skin, blue eyes, and blond hair. I would liken them to Hitler's "master race" with all the superiority that issues from such a statement. I think that this house would appeal to anyone that could identify with the need of feeling superior to someone else exclusively because of beauty or wealth and not ability. Lannisters are manipulative. They are the people that plot and plot if not against you...then each other. You can't trust a single one of them.
House Baratheon. I did like King Robert even though I thought he made a terrible monarch. I also like Renly (his younger brother) because he's gay and that (in my book) makes him more open-minded and understanding, because he has had to live in a world where people just assume that everyone is straight (and that this is natural). The Baratheons are a tough, honest house. This means that they won't lie to you. It also handicaps them because they assume everyone is like them and that's not true. They tell it like it is whether or not you care for their opinion. And they do know how to party. A Baratheon is the kind of person that would have your back in a fight. They have honor and I think that would be important to me in this world.
House Targaryen. Daenerys' brother died in season one and he was condescending, pompous, demanding, and evil. Daenerys herself has these same traits, but to a much lesser extent. Like about 5% of what her brother had. This I think seems to be at a tolerable level for someone that is a ruler of many people. She's also cool-headed, intelligent about what she does, and seems to be quite calculating. She's also fiercely loyal to anyone that serves her just so long as you do not cross her. I also like that. She's got your back even more so than a Baratheon. I like Daenerys (not necessarily her house) and if I had to choose, I'd be in her camp and would predict that she would make the best ruler on the Iron Throne.
House Greyjoy. I hate this house. I wish George had not included it. Theon is a waste of skin (the irony is that he gets skinned). Asha sucks. They are a bunch of backstabbing, power-grubbing, rapists and murderers who live on the sea like pirates. I just really can't say anything I like about the Greyjoys. They are as likeable as a squid (shown prominently on their banner). I honestly can't say anything good about this house. There only existence, it seems, is to get involved with Daenerys at some point because as it is, her story has gotten boring.
House Stark. I loved this house. They are romantics. Loyal, honest, knightly, and hard-working. The decimation of the Starks leaves a sour taste in my mouth because they were legitimately good people. And in A Dance with Dragons, Bran is doing some weird spiritual thing with trees that makes me wonder if George is smoking weed. I don't get how any of Bran's powers are even remotely tied to the story. Everytime he goes off on a Bran chapter, I think, "Okay another waste of fifty pages where some crippled boy flies around and teleports through trees but doesn't do anything and no one cares because...well...no one cares."
Anyway, Season 2 starts on April 1st. I'm really excited because it's sexy, romantic, cunning, dangerous, and all around riveting. And I'm most excited about the new character of Melissandre (sp?). She's just dang cool.
This isn't a list I got from somewhere online. Rather, it is my own list that I compiled after looking at Brent Weeks' new fantasy series and finding things that I'm growing tired of. Note that this list is not indicative of his fantasy. Merely...it is indicative of all fantasy that I've read. Read this as "Mike has already seen, read, and done this many times and is ready for something fresh." As a writer, you might possibly spot some red flags in your own writing from a person who is well-versed in the genre.
1) Stop making your villains gay. I hate reading about some horrible evil nasty terrible incarnation of pure evil who is also homosexual while the hero is comfortably heterosexual. And stop doing unnecessary things to male genitalia just to make your villain repulsive. An example of this is in the movie Immortals. Why on earth did Mickey Rourke's character insist on castrating men that worked for him with a huge hammer? There are other ways to be gross.
2) Stop portraying barmaids as sluts with big boobs.
3) Stop portraying dwarves as alcoholics. Not every dwarf in fiction needs to consume huge tankards of ale or beer.
4) Why are all thieves either named "Rat" or have something in common with the animal of the same name?
5) Why are all knights Caucasian? Have a black man or a black woman or a Hispanic as a hero. And having them be a prince is just boring.
6) Why are all elves graceful? Just stop it. Have a clumsy fat elf. And if you're going to use elves...just use them. Don't try to be clever. George R.R. Martin uses "Children of the Forest" and it's just stupid. They are frickin' elves. You're only fooling people into thinking they aren't elves if they haven't read any other fantasy.
7) Why do all male heroes hook up with a woman who is a virgin? Why can't a hero hook up with a woman who's been around the block a few hundred times? Or...even one that's plus-sized or wears a size 14 toga.
8) Heroes having babies. I'm tired of the pregnancy trope. Why can't a hero and a girl get together and say, "Hey...we don't want kids. They're a nuisance and will get in the way of our adventuring." And then have them use magical contraception that religious groups in the world they live in try to pass laws to make them illegal to obtain.
9) All villainous rapists seem to be men. In fantasy, women can be empowered with magic. Why can't they go around raping men and have people badmouth the evil woman rapist?
10) Women as healers. This is always bullshit. How about a man that is a healer and a woman that is the warrior?
11) Single women. Every woman the hero meets is single and available. How about having the hero be already married and the women he meets already married? They just need to get together to do a job. And if they get romantically attracted to each other, then bring on the adultery baby. Does a hero need to be likeable to get the job done? Nope. He or she could still slay a dragon and then cheat on their loving spouse.
12) Multiple volumes consisting of 1000 pages or more. Just stop. No one needs this kind of space to tell a story. No one.
13) Wizards and magic are frowned upon. Oh stop with the closeted wizards that have to "come out". It's getting old. Give me a society where wizards and magic rule everything, have it ruled by women, and men who want to play with swords are the ones that are shunned. But I don't want another "magic school" story. Lev Grossman, J.K. Rowling, and others have beaten this to death.
14) Weak magic. The hero slays a dragon after 500 pages and finds a ring that can turn him invisible. Invisibility sucks. How about a ring that blows up mountains, destroys cities, and turns people into salt pillars? Give me some real powerful sorcery...stuff that destroys armies and summons legions of demons. Think big or go home.
15) The end of the world is prevented. How about it happens and the hero fails and everyone dies? That would be cool.
*End of rant. If you have the time, please check out Briane Pagel's blogfest with writing prompts and Star Wars questions. You can find it HERE.
George R.R. Martin is one of the most successful writers alive. And he's now filthy stinking rich because of that success. I think his behavior with regard to his fans is pretty atypical. Here are some words of "encouragement" for you from him:
No, I will not come to your convention, thanks for asking. No, I will not read your manuscript/ galley proof/ book, but good luck with that. No, I will not write a story for your anthology, I am a year behind writing stories for my own anthologies. No, I will not write a preface/ introduction/ foreword for your book. No, I will not do an interview. No, no, no, no, no, no.
LOLOLOL
In my opinion, fame brings out a person's true colors.
So, how will you act if the day comes when you have money, an agent, a book deal, and fame? If you're in YA you could be super polite (super fake), never follow anyone on twitter (except other celebrities), never visit anyone's blogs, say things like "goodness me...I'm so busy..." and when someone wants to legitimately talk with you, you'll refer them to "Your Publicist."
Know any authors that fit this bill?
Here is the real mind-bender. Maybe arrogance is the whole point of fame.
Maybe the people that behaved this way were ALWAYS arrogant and couldn't stand being mediocre. It beat them up. They knew they had to HAVE FAME to have an excuse to be arrogant. Without the fame, being arrogant just made them look like jerks. But with it, people get a free pass.
I read an article on the science-fiction blog io9 about this autistic savant who spent 20 years creating a fictional city called Urville. Here are some pictures that he drew (go and see the rest at this link if you are interested in the full story). In a nutshell, he envisioned everything including its own fictional history and how it was impacted by events in humanity's real timeline.
I started to think of how many stories there must be to a place like this, and I wonder if this person will ever get around to writing fiction about it or about the lives of the people who populate it. I think that world-building can be taken to an extreme. I'm sure for the guy that made this city, it felt real to him. For me, world-building is the funnest part of fiction, and it's where I start with my stories. But there are definitely other approaches.
Brandon Sanderson seems to focus a lot of attention on unique magic systems for fantasy. For myself, I dislike unique magic systems. They seem to slap me in the face as the author is trying as hard as he can to be "clever", and I hate it when an author tries to be "clever." I think to myself that maybe they'd like it if everyone they met looked at them and said..."Oh you're such a clever writer...look at you being clever" and then just pinched their cheeks.
To use a writing analogy...I liken it to using some other word as opposed to "said". The word "said" is fine, don't get rid of it, I like it. But sometimes you get authors who have characters who are "retorting" and "cajoling" and "exclaiming" and "replying" and all that jazz. Just give me plain old "said". I take the same view with "magic". Just give me plain old sorcery with spell books and fireballs that form the backbone of the genre. Don't use a wyvern...just give me a damned dragon. Stop trying to be "different". J.K. Rowling just used wands and spell books. Look at how that worked out.
The fantasy and science-fiction that I have studied that makes an impact on me has taken the clever route on the world-building. Ringworld by Larry Niven is one example. The world in the Rose and the Prophet by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman is another. A third is David Eddings' Belgariad. And a fourth is George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire". All of them have amazing worlds. Sure, Eddings had a unique magic system but I liked his world more than the magic system and it really wasn't all that clever. It was just like psionics in Dungeons and Dragons.
And then there are those that say that development of character and romance is the most important. My only problem with this is that some people go overboard on character development to where the story is their reactions to what other people are saying and doing and it goes on for hundreds of pages with nothing happening.
When you set out to tell a fantasy story, is your first step to envision the character first? Or do you build the world first? or do you come up with a magic-system first? Or do you do something different from these three things that I haven't touched on in this post?
The second season of "A Game of Thrones" that was brought to the screen last year by HBO pictures in conjunction with the genius that is George R.R. Martin will soon be upon us. They just released the second trailer that gives us a more in-depth look into the upcoming season. The name isn't changing but the story will be taken directly from A Clash of Kings as the first season exhausted the plot from that book. Here are the things that I'm looking forward to seeing:
1) The arrival of Jojen and Meera Reed at Winterfell. They are influential in taking Bran north of the wall and to awakening the powers that reside within him.
2) Melisandre of Asshai. This witch is able to "birth" a demon from you know where (completely nude in the process). It literally crawls out of her birth canal when she summons it. I'm wondering how they are going to do this one.
Carice Van Houten plays the priestess Melisandre
3) Tyrion as Hand of the King. His lines are the best written so there will be much conniving going at King's Landing between Tyrion, Cersei, and Varis.
4) North of the wall we see Craster's keep. This is a guy that has twenty or so wives, and they are all his kin (daughters). He's a complete and utter pig. Any boys that are born (he doesn't want competition) are given to the White Walkers as a sacrifice of sorts. It's about as disgusting an act as I've seen in an epic fantasy.
Robert Pugh plays Craster. He doesn't look so bad here, but in the book, he
was pretty ignorant and vile.
5) Battle at the Fist of the First Men. The White Walkers a.k.a. the Others attack the Night's Watch in a battle that should raise the goosebumps on anyone watching. This is one of the most hair-raising moments in the book.
This is an artist rendition of the Fist of the First Men.
In case you missed it, HBO released the teaser for season 2 of Game of Thrones. Oooh it has me so excited. We are only four months away from more of the White Walkers!
And yes for those of you that read the books like me, that is the voice of none other than Stannis Baratheon providing the voice over. Rather chilling, don't you think?
