#*book stuff

[the-khaleesi-sucks-at-acting]

I was wondering which show changes you think are most damaging or severe. I think removing Ser Dontos and the changes to Catelyn's story are some of the worst.

SPOILERS

For me:

the minimum amount of Catelyn and taking her own ideas and actions and passing them to Robb and Talisa. As well as reducing her a bystander in Robb’s story, when it was her story or actually her perspective.

Robb and Talisa is the worst imo. Talisa instead of Jeyne was a really bad choice.

Catelyn’s monologue about Jon.

Littlefinger. Subtlety was key with that character, and D&D spoiled it.

as it is Ramsay-Theon is overdone. I get why they want to keep Theon in each season, even though we know more about him later in the story, but they should have kept it shorter, and they certainly overdid it. Of course it’s not a done deal...

Sansa’s show storyline is too pretty damaging to the overall story. And of course Ser Dontos is a part of it. 

Tyrion’s a “knight in shinning armour”. He’s always there to make everything right and awesome, and everyone opens up to him. It’s too much, and overkill at this point. We’ll see what happens with his father and Shae in this season.

Xaro’s death. I don’t know how they’ll deal with that, unless someone else takes his place. Though for a show that tends to simplify  characters and use one to represent 2 book characters (or more), that seems odd.

"WHERE ARE MY DRAGONS?!!" instead of The House of Undying.

Gendry instead of Edric Storm. I know it sounds like a superfluous complaint, but it shows the oversimplification of Stannis’ storyline, and his advisers’. Gendry here is sort of like the tip of the iceberg. 

And where is Stannis’ character development?

Little ones but that bother me:

Patchface (lol)

and in season one when Osha seduces Theon instead of showing him her strength as a warrior by disarming one of his men.

Catelyn thirsty for blood instead of mourning widow and smart adviser to her son. I mean there was still advice and all, but the change of mood definitely gives the wrong idea.

E.T.A: corrected

[the-khaleesi-sucks-at-acting]

When I was first introduced to Joffery, in TV show, he talks about a centralized army and from then on I felt that his character would be far better if he was a modernizer of the kingdoms but a douche who nobody liked from a personal stance as well as fearing the change in status quo. I feel that petulant child character was too simple and martin could have done better to a degree. Putting that out there to see if anyone agrees with my weird idea

Hi anon.

I disagree. The purpose of Joffrey as a character is to show he's a child with power with no idea how to handle it. It’s in fact his need to show he has it that leads to all of his abuses. He’s a capricious little kid, who knows nothing about ruling the seven kingdoms, or even how to keep his people happy and loyal to him. The purpose of him as a character is to show failure and capriciousness (and that even in that case power would still allow him to sit on the throne).  Joffrey wouldn’t have ever had a political plan to modernize or even rule the kingdoms, because he was never taught to do anything else but to show his privilege and status. He was never taught about the importance of ruling, the needs of the people, how to win wars and how to take care of his kingdom. He couldn’t have ever set up an idea of how to change things because he had no interest in changing them. If GRRM had made him what you wanted there would be a real disconnect between where the character comes from, has been, or lived, to where he is going. The writer has to "realistically" set up situations that have explanation in past lived moments. How can he write that Joffrey wanted to modernize the 7 kingdoms if his father was more than happy to "rule" things as they were. His father wanted order and his Hands provided that. The Hands ruled the 7 kingdoms, not the King, and Robert knew that. Robert didn't care to do more. And where else would have Joffrey gotten those ideas? From his mother? I don't think so. She just taught him he could do what he wanted, and sheltered him. For me, you have to have something that explains why the character wants to go in a certain direction. For example, Daenerys' ideas to free slaves and ban all sorts of slavery finds an explanation and is the result of her own experiences when she was sold, raped and used.

Joffrey's kingship was never about ruling, it was about domination. He has power and he wants them to bend the knee. Nothing more. Joffrey is there to prove to the reader (whether that comes across in the show is another thing), an heir, no matter how much or how little right he has to rule, is not necessarily the best choice for his people. At some point Joffrey is aware of the dangers his crown is facing, and all he wants is to do is defeat the rebels, and sit back an enjoy. He even questions his grandfather’s actions in that sense. But all in all, his purpose as a character is showing nothing new but to cause the needed riots in order to allow the arise of other Kings and other forces. Of course the main issue with his ruling is his lack of right to sit on the throne, but as time passes he not only wins the hate of the North and others, but as well the hate of his own people, that don’t even respect him no matter how much they might fear his capricious ways.

If Joffrey had been in any way trying to rule, or like you say modernize the kingdom, then Renly and Robb would have been more of the same in a different package, and with slight different ideas (even if their ideas weren't necessarily about "modernizing" still it would have been repetitive).

Joffrey as a character is there to show a child is the result of the life his parents have provided for him, the life they taught him, and the future they showed him he could get. Robert and Cersei failed him. They either didn't care or cared to much, but in the wrong way. You clearly see he was prepared to be a King in the wrong way  or wasn't even prepared (while his brother and sister were just kids, he was going to be a King someday). They gave him a responsibility without teaching him about responsibility and duty. I don't excuse Joffrey, I just think people forget sometimes he's a child with a big job, he knows nothing about because no one taught him. And even in the case of coping what his predecessor did, he did not have much of an example to know better. His tyrannic ruling is a more Mad King than Baratheon, and that's on him, not on his parents. But still he had no good example to follow and to change things like you want.

Thanks!

[the-khaleesi-sucks-at-acting]

not really related to the ask you're currently answering, but do you have any favorite asoiaf theories??

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE SECOND HALF OF ASOS. AFFC-ADWD

Hi!

Robert Strong= Robb Stark’s head + Clegane’s body. Kinda like a Frankenstein monster, Robert Strong is not just Clegane. Qyburn was experimenting, and I think his experiments were far more atrocious than just stitching and bringing back Gregor. Also there’s that tumblr post that said “Stark” in german means “Strong”.

Varys’ a Blackfyre (a follower provided me with the links for this particular theory and I’ve been hooked since). It really is interesting. Definitely puts in perspective everything that Varys has been doing. It’d be kind of cool if it’s like that cause once again it all comes down to bastards and legitimate children. Also to the rivalry between the rights of one and lack of them of the other (actually it would more like the lesser rightful heir).

Cold Hands= Benjen. Yes ColdHands is a NW brother, but which one, right? It’s Benjen. Everyone says that, and I agree. There are more complicated and better theories about it, I just like this one.

Howland Reed= Jojen. Or Howland warged into Jojen. Reason? I don’t know. I’ve read many, but I think mainly Jojen can’t be teaching Bran all of those things, especially how to warg, if he’s not a warg himself. He seems to know a lot more than any 12 year old. 

Dany is not fire proof, the Targaryens are not fireproof It’s a given. Not a theory, not a personal take. GRRM has said the pyre was a one time thing, not an ability the Targs or Dany have. So, what happened in the pyre? Why Dany survived it? How were really the dragon eggs hatched? There are many different theories, I don’t find one better than the other, but I personally think it was one magical moments aided by Mirri’s magic (unintentionally), blood magic and Dany’s fire tolerance. It was a mix of many things that placed Dany with an advantage that she did not see coming, nor did Mirri. I think “fire cannot kill a dragon” will eventually backfire (no pun intended, though the irony was intended) on Dany. If we think about it, if someone had poured boiling molten gold on her head, she too would have died.

I think Cersei’s “the more beautiful queen” prophecy is certainly interesting. But I have a hard time taking seriously any leads or theories because people usually get defensive about their choices (or favourite characters let’s say). I don’t think it’s Dany; What Cersei holds dear will surely be taken from her -if it hasn’t already- a lot sooner than Dany’s arrival to Westeros. I don’t think it’s Sansa either, though I totally get why people see her as her successor. In my opinion is Margaery, just because I want Cersei to place her fears in the right place. She’s been paranoid for a while -and who wouldn’t in her case- but I think she has in the past placed her eye in the right direction. She’s seen the Tyrells as enemies in general, and that is sort of coincidental with a Tyrell Conspiracy theory I read a while ago. Meaning basically that they orchestrated everything to make Cersei fall. And since they’ve already had part in killing Joffrey, how can I doubt they have more cards under their sleeves?

Stannis as Night’s King. (Was as well brought to my attention by a follower-anon). Honestly it makes a lot of sense to me. There was a time I sort of liked Stannis, so because of that I wouldn’t like this to be true. But on the other hand it would be so awesome, and I don’t care anymore for him so bring it! 

Those are all I can think for now, will add others if they come to mind. Thanks!

[the-khaleesi-sucks-at-acting]

Hello! I'm curious, why do you consider Cersei to be one of the best players? She was a complete disaster on AFFC, and even before that, she was not extremely smart or manipulative.

Hi!

AFFC- ADWD SPOILERS

I think I could go into a rant about it and still wouldn’t make sense to you, simply because we feel different about her. I mean her involvement in the following situations pretty much says it all: keeping Sansa in KL as a hostage; Tyrion’s trial; her connection with Qyburn; killing Robert’s bastards; keeping secret a relationship with her brother and having 3 children with him passing them as the King’s; arranging the hunting accident that killed Robert; using her cousin; imprisoning Ned and naming herself Queen Regent; planning to send Ned to the NW so he wouldn’t be a problem, but at the same time not giving the North an excuse to rebel against the Crown; putting Tywin on her side against Tyrion while he was injured, removing him from his place of power; naming herself Queen Regent during Tommen’s reign. Of course many of her plans backfired on her, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t have good plans and execution. She’s done a lot, good or bad, and even awful, but she has stayed in the game for long, and even longer than people with more power or wits than her. She didn’t just survive, she was quite proactive, and tried to made sure she and her own would be safe and secured.

Surely as other characters, she has had her downfalls, but remains in the game and even after the penance walk, she’s still thinking and planning her next move. I don’t excuse Cersei for the things she’s done, or plans that backfired on her, I just simply think she has done a lot of things that merit her title as a good player. Surely Varys (a really good one, if not the best) has seen her plans as an inconvenience or at least planned on his own to win advantage.

Of course she was in a better situation and played better the game before than now, but hmm, I still see her doing a lot and bothering many people in WoW.

E.T.A: manipulation is Cersei's game in my honest opinion.

Thanks, and agree to disagree I guess.

[the-khaleesi-sucks-at-acting]

I'm a big Sansa fan and I agree with what you said. It also annoys me when they think of her as a warrior, it would be cool but I feel like that's not the purpose of the character, and not every character is seeking revenge to overcome the stuff that she's been through (she's no Arya). I love how her character developed so much from the first books, and I agree she's a good player but still learning. I do, however, want Sansa to have power. Only because I think shed make a good queen.

Hi!

I still hesitate about Sansa becoming a queen. She could rule the North, after all it’s her right, as it is her brothers and sister, depending on what happens to them. But I don’t think she’ll be able to rule it by herself, I think she’ll be a chess piece there, and will be manipulated and used by others. Though maybe she could eventually smart them out. I don’t know. I always think there’s a lot of wishful thinking about her future. I don’t see her becoming something that she’s not now, because right now her future doesn’t look promising, or even hopeful. I don’t think GrrM is going to end the story with happy endings for everyone… maybe for some.

Thanks!

[the-khaleesi-sucks-at-acting]

We haven't talked book in a while. Is it possible we are wrong (or being fed 'false' information) about magic's return? What if it didn't depend on dragons, but on Others? And the Others coming back made it possible for Dany to hatch?

Hi!

I think it’s pretty possible, and I can see the elements that serve to its purpose. If we think about magic coming back, that includes: the warging, the dragons, the direwolves, the Others… (though the warging is not something that went completely away, I think). And first (in AGOT) we get the Others’ introduction, the direwolves, and the awakening of Bran’s abilities, then we actually get the hatching of the eggs. So, it’s possible the chain reaction did not start with the dragons, but with the Others. Now, why did the Others come back? Because winter is coming? Or winter is coming because the Others are coming? What’s the cause what’s the reaction, I don’t know. I guess it’s easier to discard the dragons as the cause of the chain reaction. Magic’s return was not originated in the dragons, imo. The timing of the hatching doesn’t suggest it as a cause but as the reaction of something.

I don’t personally think Dany’s the source of it either. Because she herself didn’t have the ability to hatch them before the pyre, or at least it didn’t seem that way. Imo it was a combination of all things, including Mirri’s magic, and of course her own “fire” powers. But Dany as the cause of the dragons and the dragons as the cause of magic, I don’t think so. Also, magic was present before the pyre moment, so even if Dany was solely the cause of the dragon eggs hatching, she wasn’t the cause of the magic in general coming back.

And about the winter in general awakening magic, I just don’t think it’s that way. Because there were winters before, and most of the things happening now, didn’t happen in the previous winters.

Maybe it’s a combination of many things, but I seriously doubt the dragons are the cause of all the things that have been happening. If anything the dragons seem like a reaction or result of the Others. In AGOT the story starts with the Others attacking the NW’s bothers, and the book ends with the appearance of the dragons. It’s almost like a way of bringing balance. Ice caused fire, to get that balance. My best guess is The Others as the cause, or maybe a combination of all the things, or a bigger cause we have yet to know about.

Thanks! Sorry for the late reply.

[the-khaleesi-sucks-at-acting]

Hello! What are your thoughts about "Sansa is the best 'Game of Thrones' player" (recently very popular) opinion?

Hi!

I’m not really sure what you are talking about. I’ve seen a Sansa defense project in the tags? Is that what you are talking about?

I don’t consider Sansa much of player, as much as I consider her a survivor. But there’s a good deal of surviving skills in any player, so I guess in that sense she’s a good player (and she’s been learning and has been smart enough to do the right thing to survive). The best one? I don’t think so. I think I would name Cersei as one of the best players.

I definitely think it’s always good to defend a character when it is getting absurd criticism, that can’t be deemed as serious or constructive. But I feel some people take it too far. I mean, I get the whole idea of defending the character especially when it comes to the sexist and misogynistic comments she gets, but that doesn’t mean we should deny all of her qualities or flaws in order to elevate her above the criticism (appropriate or not). In those terms I see people trying to make her into this revenge machine, that will kill all of those who used her and hurt her. And I personally think that defeats (to some extent) the purpose of the character. If she does become a revenge machine, then what was the point of the character to begin with? Others discuss and deny that she can be weak or is weak. I mean, I don’t know where this insane attempt of making everyone valiant and brave even in the most awful circumstances came from. Like she can be weak, there’s nothing wrong with it. Every character has weak moments, moments in which things didn’t go their way, moments in which they were victims, they had no escape, they had to endure pain and such. There’s nothing wrong with the character if it is weak, or had a weak moment, or was played, or is being played. Sansa was played and used, even by the people she trusted the most at some point, and that even now she sees as what would have been her escape. So hmm, it is possible to defend her, but I think you have to be careful when you do it. What’s the purpose of defending her if with it you are denying her beginning, her growth, her journey, and her learning process.

Was that an answer, or has nothing to do with what you asked? lol. Thanks!