Topics you are tired of seeing on this ASoIaF/GOT sites?

[Sand Snake No. 9]

Sansa, Sansa, Sansa. You'd think the girl had dragons or fought a bear with a wooden sword or something. <_<

[DaveSumm]

Mainly ones that don't merit having a thread, just stuff that could be posted in the small questions thread. "Clash of Kings is the second book, yea??". And threads in the wrong section that close with "sorry if this is in the wrong section".

By and large though, given the number of posters and the time between books it's a miracle this place is as tidy as it is.

[Ice Turtle]

I roll my eyes every time I see Jaqen is Syrio though I still haven't decided if believe the theory or not.

Posting R+L=J as a new theory is faux pas of such a gigantic scale around here that it makes me uncomfortable seeing some poor soul doing it.

Otherwise I'm good at ignoring things, though there are categories of threads that I don't open as a rule.

[Ghiscari]

I find the current fad of "Why all the love/hate for (insert character)?" threads a bit annoying. Syrio and Jaqen threads are the only thing I really dislike -- but the sheer volume of them probably indicates there's some fault on GRRM's part if he meant for Syrio to be dead. And I think he's not only merely dead, he's really most sincerely dead.

[SerStinger]

It's not GRRM's fault. We had Arya's POV, and she couldn't stay and watch him getting killed, she would get killed and had to run as fast as she could. But now since narration requires his death to be "off screen", people are speculating.

[Lummel]

Do you mean the threads with the actual "v. #" in the title, like "Heresy 14"? If so, speaking as one of those HBO-recruited noobs, I have to say those long, continuing threads do get intimidating. (And I don't just mean the Heresy ones!) I've tried to read up on some of those topics, but if you're not familiar with established theories, it's easy to get confused fast...

As somebody taking part in ongoing threads like Heresy 15, Learning to Lead II: Wrath of the decision makers?, and for my sins on occasion L+R=J to infinity and beyond I apologise. Personally I don't expect anybody who wants to take part in those threads to have read every single post or even most posts in those threads and I generally hope that people can pop in and find something to enjoy, (particularly with learning to lead because I'm one of it's parents). In that thread we are posting summaries to help posters (and ourselves) keep track of the debate, but I have no idea if it is working to help new readers get involved yet.

I'm not hating on anything, just saying that sometimes the repetition of the same types of threads being started every other day becomes tiresome and annoying. I've taken years-long breaks from this website in the past, and may do so again. But I chose to come back at this time, and there are enough threads that *do* interest me at the moment to keep me here a while longer. :)

Yes there are shifts. Sometimes there are more interesting threads in the ADWD than in general and it was the same when we had the AFFC forum. Actually because the pace is slower (now) in that forum it is a good place for the more unusual topic, they don't get lost with the quicker turnover in general.

People have a different opinion on what makes an interesting thread... the one "good" thread I came up with a few months ago, about Ragnarok and how the series will end, died out before we even reached page three, while Catelyn/Robert/Dany hate threads, Syrio theory threads, Coldhands theory threads, and Aegon VI theory threads prospered around it. I thought the thread was pretty good but...

Wait, if the thread isn't locked it is still open for debate. All that is happened is that the people who were taking part ran out of things to say. What did you do to promote the thread? Are you linking to it in other threads? Sticking a link to it in your signature line? Sending PMs to people you think might be interested?

If the subject is too specialised only a few posters will be interested. If the topic is too broad the debate can never get started compare the importance of symbolism (3 pages) with this thread just on the symbols and ideas in Jaime's dream which has 8 pages (and a very interesting thread it was too).

Also the system is open. You have an idea you can start a thread, but generally threadstarters aren't disciplined or organised. You've got a continual turnover of threads on the first page and unless you've got loads of people following your thread is going to get lost in the turnover. If you've got an unusual idea why not think about launching the thread in partnership with a couple of other people and planning to post on specific issues to stir the pot and keep the debate going or explore different areas?

ETA I do dislike the threads that start with hate for one character in their title because it's a struggle for the discussion to escape the curse of it's title which is for it to only go one way, you hate that character or you don't.

[Fantôme]

My main problem with hate/love of a character threads is not that they exist , but the generally very black or white positions of both sides in them. It's so much more interesting imo when people love characters for various reasons but still recognize their faults and flaws , and when they dislike characters without denying them the least and most obvious quality. But too often , defending a character's worth seems to go along with defending everything they've ever done. For example , Jaime had good reasons for pushing Bran , Catelyn's decision of releasing Jaime was in no way reprehensible regardless of her emotional state, Sandor murdering Mycah is okay because first , he was following orders and secondly , everybody is a killer in Westeros, Sansa never did anything wrong in Games and everything she's blamed for is actually Ned's fault...Of course that goes the other way around too , with ridiculous reproach and gratuitous insults . Overall those discussions would really benefit from both sides being a little less extreme. Imho.

[hockema56]

What are the ones you are tired of seeing?

Here is my list

1. Why do folks hate (insert character).

2. Any idea when WoW will be released?

3. Why do folks LOVE/LIKE (insert character)

4. Most liked characters

5. Most hated characters

6. Characters you want to have sex with

7. Characters you want to have sex with other characters

8. Who would you die for?

9. What house/army/group would you belong to?

10. The Others/White Walkers aren't bad guys or evil or a threat

11. Who is, "Cold Hands."

12. Benjen Stark (insert question)

13. Rhaegar, Lyanna (insert question)

14. Who do you want to win the Iron Throne?

15. How do you think this series will end?

16. What if GRRM doesn't finish the series?

17. Is ___ really dead? (insert character name).

18. How do you want ____ (insert character name) to die?

Enough of those, let's get some new material . .

Translation: I've been on these forums way too long and hate everyone else who hasn't wasted their life jading themselves on everything ASOIF

[Ghiscari]

It's not GRRM's fault. We had Arya's POV, and she couldn't stay and watch him getting killed, she would get killed and had to run as fast as she could. But now since narration requires his death to be "off screen", people are speculating.

Right, but he's had the chance to clarify it and said people could "draw their own conclusions" or something to that effect. I don't fault him for people not doing a simple search on the forum.

[PatrickStormborn]

The only threads I get tired of seeing are the Sansa/Dany/Cat hate threads that pop up on an hourly basis. But they're easy to ignore, so I guess the worst threads are the general Sansa/Dany/Cat threads because they always turn out the same: "Sansa killed her father and his guards!", "Daenerys is an egomaniac and she's going to kill my favourite characters so I have to hate her!", "Cat started the war!!!"

[lakin1013]

With a modest number of posts, here are things I have noticed.

1. Why all the hate for PERIPHERAL CHARACTER NAME! The most current one is for Randyll Tarley and frankly, I could not remember who that was. Had to go to the Wiki, look him up, then go -- jeez, this is not even a character we have met yet, and we only have Sam's account. Why don't we wait and see??? Seriously, people hate him? Uh, wait, who was he :-) Somehow the forums for hating main characters do not bother me half as much as the really peripheral ones.

2. Wording. The most recent example is the thread that was called Tyrion a Target. I read it as Tyrion at Target and idly wondered -- Peter Dinklage is at Target? I wonder which Target? Is it one I can drive to? lol

3. Numerous same threads. I have noticed this too but I thought that the moderators should handle this. I have read several forums where the OP apologizes first (something like ... Sorry, there may have been threads on this but anyway why all the hate for Shireen :-). Why don't the moderators intervene if there are so many that are the same?

4. Original Forums. Okay, let's say I am new here (I am) and I have an idea for a forum (I do). I go to the search box and enter my terms. I get 304 hits back but I cannot always tell if these are all previous forums or if the hits simply show that the word appears in a response. And really, are new folks expected to read every one of the 304 possibilities before they began a new forum? Is there some other way to see what the previous forums are? Am I doing this wrong?

5. Why not set up a rule where a person cannot begin a thread until they have X number of posts (50 maybe)? I actually thought that already WAS a rule, but there are several forums right now where the OP has 35 or fewer posts.

5a. Dissatisfaction with these forums seems to rise with the number of posts. Maybe people get jaded. At the same time, a new reader has just arrived and wants to share how much they love/hate/desire/ Sansa who is actually a Targaryen/Baratheon/Stark and who will one day sit in the iron throne/die saving birds/marry Sandor Clegane. I think that these waves just come and go. Somebody suggested maybe taking a sabbatical from the board when frustration really sets in ... maybe that is a good idea.

6. Foreign spellings. I must say, I love these. Yesterday somebody went on and on using the term 'mabie' and it took me a bit to figure out what they meant (Mable? another peripheral character whose name I have forgotten like Mabie Targaryen? maybe? something completely else?).

7. Finally, I want to commend this site for the number of really intriguing discussions. I have sat with book in lap, re-reading a passge to determine what the POV meant to me, how it meant something else to the OP, and what could be hiding in the very passage. gotta love that!

[bloodymime]

I'm willing to enjoy all topics that pertain to the books. You never know, you might just learn something new, something different. Everybody likes to point at Doran Martell as a foil to Lord Tarly as if he were a big old softy. I just realized today how wrong that is as Martell has his own daughter broken down with isolation torture to the point she begins starving herself. A new connection, a new discovery for me in a topic that has likely been hashed over a million times. You just never know.

[three-eyed monkey]

I agree with bloodymime, I'll give any topic pertaining to the books a go. You don't like the topic, you don't read it. If you grow bored with it, you don't come back to it. You have that choice.

Take for example, R+L=J v 28 as opposed to 'What if R+L=J is not true?' Sure, most people accept R+L=J, it is 99% probable that it will be true, but what's wrong with speculating on the 1% off chance. To me this is far greater fun than getting bludgeoned with the same old thing that I accept anyway. The problem with the 'What if R+L=J isn't true?' thread was that lots of people got on there and started spelling out why R+L=J is true. That's not the point of a thread like that. The point is to explore other options, however unlikely they may seem, and not have to run in tired circles with the same old arguments.

Stanley Kubrick once said that the secret to creating an epic is leaving plenty of room for speculation. GRRM is a master at this, and hence we get all the speculation, theories, and counter-theories. That's what makes ASoIaF epic and boards like this so great IMHO.

The simple fact is that threads are subject to survival of the fittest. If people don't like a thread, they won't post comments, and it will fall away into the background.

[jons nissa]

As somebody taking part in ongoing threads like Heresy 15, Learning to Lead II: Wrath of the decision makers?, and for my sins on occasion L+R=J to infinity and beyond I apologise. Personally I don't expect anybody who wants to take part in those threads to have read every single post or even most posts in those threads and I generally hope that people can pop in and find something to enjoy, (particularly with learning to lead because I'm one of it's parents). In that thread we are posting summaries to help posters (and ourselves) keep track of the debate, but I have no idea if it is working to help new readers get involved yet.

ETA I do dislike the threads that start with hate for one character in their title because it's a struggle for the discussion to escape the curse of it's title which is for it to only go one way, you hate that character or you don't.

please don't think i'm complaining about long or multiple threads. no apology required! i was merely stating that they exist because there's a lot to say or because people want to keep discussing them. i've read many of them and have formulated quite a few theories of my own as a result of the posts i found in these threads. this site is awesome for the fan that wants to know more!

and i don't mind threads where people say what they don't like about a character. in fact, the take away i have from seeing the same reasons over and over again are because they are based on something that must be pretty obvious in the text. however i do not like when it gets ugly or when it is impossible to discuss a specific point or theory because posters keep shutting you down. everyone's opinion is valid and if they're not based in the text, just tell the poster that. politely.

[MindOfIceAndFire]

Wow three pages and nobodies mentioned the amount of WHO IS AZOR AHAI/WHY MISSANDEI(or random character) IS AZOR AHAI threads? Far too many of these now.

[Lazydrunk]

Translation: I've been on these forums way too long and hate everyone else who hasn't wasted their life jading themselves on everything ASOIF

Perfect.

[The Storm Queen]

The Dany/Cat/Cersei hate masturbation threads

[The Storm Queen]

I'm willing to enjoy all topics that pertain to the books. You never know, you might just learn something new, something different. Everybody likes to point at Doran Martell as a foil to Lord Tarly as if he were a big old softy. I just realized today how wrong that is as Martell has his own daughter broken down with isolation torture to the point she begins starving herself. A new connection, a new discovery for me in a topic that has likely been hashed over a million times. You just never know.

that sounds rather interesting. If you have time could you maybe send me the link?

[The Trumpet of Joramun]

I don't like topics about hate for other topics...

[Night Gathers]

Most badass character

x VS y, who wins?

What if?

THREE HEADS OF THE DRAGON

So, is Jon dead?

Why do you hate x?

Is Jon AA?

-

The first few times were alright. But these threads pup up like lice on Reek's head every week.