The Bard of Banefort
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Posts posted by The Bard of Banefort
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3 hours ago, Corvinus85 said:
Promising. I like the casting just based on this info.
I’ll say this, he certainly looks like he could be related to show-Brienne.
I wonder if they’ll try to get a big name for Baelor, since D&E are both relative unknowns. I like the Oscar Isaac fan casting, but he might be too expensive lol.
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1 hour ago, Lord Varys said:
That would be motivation/justification to kill Daemon ... but it doesn't make Aegon a good or even mediocre potential king. It doesn't give good motivation for the coup.
The show's narrative of 'Viserys changing his mind on his deathbed' repairs the second major flaw in George's outline - the biggest blunder being Daemon and Rhaenyra not preparing for the succession struggle that's firmly on the table at least since 120 AC, counting on teenagers to forge alliances they should have made personally years ago -, namely, that the Greens don't publicly announce Viserys changed the succession on his deathbed or a some days before, forging his last will and testament.
That would have been the obvious way to make Aegon the rightful king in the eyes of the public. Instead we have Eustace portray Aegon as a pious and dutiful son by way of him rejecting the crown that was Rhaenyra's by right ... which makes it clear that Otto and Alicent made no attempt to paint Aegon's coronation as something his father supported in the end, implicitly confirming they are traitors to the late king and his wishes. That is a silly way to stage a coup.
The king's word and wishes are the only real law in this land, so not using this authority - real, misunderstood, or forged - is stupid.
The show actually made that better. Had George included something like that in FaB his AGoT appendix narrative of Rhaenyra contesting the rise of Aegon II would have actually been accurate again. Who could possibly prove the king didn't have a change of heart on his deathbed? No one. The Blacks could just (want to) believe Rhaenyra was still the rightful heir. Like Stannis believes he is, etc.
Alicent acting on behalf of her children, etc. would just reinforce the evil stepmother/slut character she is in the book. We got some nuance there in the show. Alicent is not in the game for herself or her blood, is not the clichéd protector/arbiter of her sons, like book Alicent who is clearly based in some parts on Graves' Livia, but rather somebody who is conflicted because she is part of a larger whole.
We also see this with Otto, who isn't just a powerhungry asshole but a guy who is both pushed by his brother as well as deluding himself his/Hightower interests are the interests of the Realm. I think that is actually the best way to show him becoming imperious by way of growing attached to his high office.
It is not a two sides narrative ... it is a narrative in which neither side are clean or white heroes since the war as such is wrong, but there is still one side that is clearly worse than the other. And consistently so, especially in the source material.
The show added nuance to the Greens, but keeps them as the faction who is 'more evil/corrupt'.
I completely disagree. It’s kill or be killed. The Greens would never be safe if Rhaenyra took the throne, and vice versa. I don’t see how Alicent recognizing this makes her a wicked stepmother. Her caring more about Rhaenyra’s claim than her own children’s safety would just be nonsensical.
- Khloey and Ser Arthurs Dawn
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52 minutes ago, Lord Varys said:
Having both sides use Viserys last words/wishes as their justification is actually a nice way to make them less disgusting powergrabbers. George's Greens let the old man rot in his bed. And making Alicent ambitious for her own brood isn't really agency in modern sense, especially since Aegon is so manifestly unsuited for the job.
If we had the book scenario they would have to actually explain how Rhaenyra & Daemon neither saw the coup coming nor prepared for a struggle or war. Dalton Greyjoy is more prepared than they ever were...
Yes, there are multiple shots of him but who is the pale white one?
Is it Baela on Moondancer doing that fast plunge down or was that a fast cut from her to Aegon? If it is Baela then the chances that she will be at Rook's Rest are pretty good. Would be a nice way to spice things up.
Alicent’s rationale could be that Daemon is a psychopath who killed his own wife and would definitely murder her children to secure the throne. They made Daemon so obviously evil on the show that it’s silly for Alicent not to expect that to happen if Rhaenyra takes the throne. Crowning Aegon would be about saving her family.
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Should we read anything into them dropping the trailers on the same day that 3BP premiered? From what I’ve read, D&D have been very careful not to say anything negative about GOT/HBO/GRRM on their press tour, so things don’t seem to be too bad at the moment.
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2 hours ago, Lord Varys said:
Can anyone sort out the dragons?
Apparently that’s Sunfyre in the Dragonpit.
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Looks like they’re really going to showcase Aegon more this season, which is promising. TGC has shown a lot of potential so far.
It’s interesting how Aemond already seems to be subtly replacing Daemon in terms of marketing. It reminds me how Stranger Things relied so heavily on Winona Ryder to promote the show at first, only to then switch the focus almost entirely to the kids. Ewan must really be driving online traffic.
Still no sign of Alys, curiously.
Well, I was way off-base about assuming they’d hype Winterfell. There have only been slight hints to the northern storyline so far. As an aside, Jace is in the scene at Dragonstone where Rheanyra declares her intention to fight for the throne, so either that scene takes place at the end of the season, or the Winterfell arc is a short one.
I’m sorry, but I can’t get past how stupid the Alicent-misunderstands-Viserys’-deathbed-ramblings twist is. It’s so, so bad.
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Man, they’re really sleeping on Jace. Shame.
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On 2/21/2024 at 1:19 PM, BlackLightning said:
I've stated this before in this HoTD Musings thread but I'm concerned about where they are going to take HoTD
It seems like D&D gave Rhaenyra's ending to Daenerys (promising start with a bad end, became a cruel dictator, murdered by a blood relative because of the schemes of jealous people) which has basically made Daenerys' book ending unnecessarily complicated but is slated to make HoTD look bad.
smh
I think HOTD is trying to set up Rhaenyra’s downfall as her being destroyed by the patriarchy, rather than having her actually be cruel or incompetent. Same with Alicent.
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Aegon’s Conquest is good for the lore, but it’s a pretty boring story on its own, with the Targs just steam-rolling over everyone. I’m also not sure how you could portray them as the heroes here in this day and age.
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Looking back at the Tamzin Merchant recasting mystery, I would guess that the most likely reason she was replaced was probably just that she wanted more money. It would explain why everyone was so cagey about the recasting (salaries aren’t something that’s really discussed publicly), and why the other “established actresses” who were offered the role before Emilia turned it down. Pretty much all of the young cast in season one were unknowns who likely weren’t getting paid much by Hollywood standards. (And just speaking from my own experience in the job market, I have definitely noticed that the lower I put my “desired salary” on a job application, the more likely I am to get an interview. I’ve heard similar things from other people.)
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On 2/3/2024 at 4:44 AM, SeanF said:
Yes. Albeit, I can relate to his depression. This has been quite a miserable decade, so far.
Although in my case, I find hard work, and writing, helps to take my mind off bad news.
He said last year was a bad one for him professionally, too. Obviously the writing isn’t going well, but I think he was probably alluding more to the TV projects, since that’s what seems to give him the most joy at this point in his career. Maybe these spin-off shows are just getting too expensive.
His latest blog post was also a reminder for me that as old as I may feel at times, I still have a long way to go. There are a lot of think pieces going around these days asking “why don’t young people care about x, y, z?” But that’s just part of getting on in life. You can’t exist in a permanent state of hysteria, especially when so much of what’s going on in the world is beyond your control.
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Judging by his latest blog post, I wouldn’t expect a new book anytime soon. He’s clearly not in a good headspace. The most we can do is pray for another Miracle Mets season, because I think that’s the only thing that would be able to considerably lift his spirits at this point.
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I was reading some excerpts from a recent interview Sophie Turner did, and it’s interesting how she seems to have some regrets about being a child star. I wonder if other former child actors feel the same way?
https://x.com/badpost_sophiet/status/1749003971237216664?s=46
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4 hours ago, Adaneth said:
True. But it comes after 9 (intense) years of living and breathing GOT - with results that we know - without much pause in between either. And even though we've only had one new show so far, just hearing about more coming it becomes a bit too much. I wish there were some long pauses and one project at a time. But I know television doesn't work like that.
I think we’d all be a lot more excited if some new written material came out. Winds, Dunk & Egg, Fire & Blood—I’ll take anything at this point.
- Adaneth and swirlingdown
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16 minutes ago, sifth said:
Two of the teachers I work with like anime. So it's not just the kids, lol
What I meant is that it’s spreading and becoming less niche.
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BES is a really easy show to re-watch, too, since it’s so short.
SpoilerInterestingly, Mizu also briefly reverts to her natural voice when she says goodbye to Taigen (“We’re not done yet”/“I know”). Obviously there’s a lot of symbolic significance in that.
This might interest some of you. I have a relative who is an elementary school teacher, and he was telling me that many of his students are into anime/manga, particularly the girls. Anime was very much present when I was a kid* but it was still kind of a niche thing, and it mostly appealed to boys. It’s pretty neat to see how the cultural exchange continues to grow.
* I did miss out on K-Pop though -
On 1/10/2024 at 3:25 PM, Ran said:
That's also a good one, but I'd disagree on the difference. The moment when she's passing out and remembering the horse race with Mikio, she shouts. "Too fast! You're going too fast!"
In English, yes, she is speaking in a higher register and without the angst that she usually displays, but it's not a huge difference... but in Japanese the difference between her "Blue Eye Samurai" voice and her "married Mizo" voice is startlingly different. It's 100% feminine, not just in register, but also in the tonal quality. A male character would have ennunciated that phrase really distinctly differently.
As to Madame Kaji, yeah, would have been interesting if she saw through the disguise. As to the freedom of Akemi vs the freedom of the brothel girls... I think the thing is that Akemi's every waking moment was regulated, and her stealing what time she could with Taigen was not easy. These brothel girls, they sleep with whoever is sent their way, but otherwise their time seems to be their own.
SpoilerEh I think Akemi just kind of fell flat for me. She was always the person she was by the end of episode 7, she just learned to like it (in part because Kaji told her to check her privilege lol). She only showed some new development in the finale, when she decided she wanted to be great. [Side-note: That moment reminded me of Daenerys, with the fiery background and ominous music. I don’t think Akemi will go full-evil, but she’ll probably become more morally ambiguous.]
Maybe the problem is that I haven’t seen much anime, but I don’t know if we’re supposed to dig that deeply into the voice thing. Everyone aside from Fowler and George Takei speaks in an American accent* and most of the actors, while all of Asian descent, aren’t Japanese. I don’t think they expect the general audience to pick up on such specific cultural clues.
*Because of this, I was wondering what a character from the New World would sound like if one appears. I’m guessing they’d use a southern accent in that case, especially since some historians believe that many Brits spoke with that accent themselves during the colonial period, which is how it ended up in the American south.
Update: Just re-read your comment and realized that I misunderstood what you were saying. You were able to watch BES with the Japanese dubbing?
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52 minutes ago, Rippounet said:
Gender-bending is a common trope in manga/anime at least, so even if the writers didn't know about the linguistic aspect, someone surely told them about it at some point during the process. Even in the English version, it's clear that Mizu's voice actress (Erskine) uses male intonations throughout (low-pitched, flat/falling, assertive).
Though the more relevant bit, imho, would be to see how Akemi talks in the Japanese version, because as a high-born lady, she would definitely have to use all the female codes, at least in public, and her Japanese might even be particularly elegant/pleasant (It's said that high-born ladies and geishas use a "literary" kind of Japanese that only the Japanese can fully understand and appreciate).
The contrast between Mizu's and Akemi's speech patterns would easily establish how Mizu can fool people.
Also, the fact that Mizu grew up playing with boys no doubt influenced her talking habits, whereas the village girls would have been educated to talk... well, as girls.
Ah, also, it's possible that in the episode in which she gets married, Mizu has a higher-pitched voice with less falling intonations... can't remember for sure, but it's the kind of detail that may have been used to make her more feminine.SpoilerI recently went back and checked and, yes, Mizu reverted to her natural voice when she was married to Mikio. It’s not a huge difference though.
I also found it odd that MK wasn’t able to deduce Mizu’s secret, especially since Mizu figured out pretty quickly that MK was making a sales pitch tailored to men—which was reaffirmed by how bluntly she spoke to the women about working at the brothel. (I read an interview where the showrunners said that Akemi realized upon visiting the brothel that the prostitutes had more freedom than her, but I don’t think that’s what BES conveyed—if anything, we’re shown pretty clearly that the girls are sold into the brothel and then have to do whatever MK tells them to).
And now, because this is an ASOIAF board, time for parallels!
I’ve seen Mizu compared to Arya and Akemi compared to Sansa, but I think that’s an oversimplification. If anything, Mizu reminded me more of Brienne, who’s a talented warrior but in some respects didn’t have any better options due to circumstances that were beyond her control. They both have that same kind of wounded, hidden vulnerability too.
And for whatever reason, Taigen reminded me of Dunk on a visual-level. I think it’s because his hair and build are similar to how Dunk is depicted in the graphic novels.
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Just finished Blue Eye Samurai and I really enjoyed it. There were some plot threads that didn’t sit quite so well with me, but I think that they may make more sense once the story is told in full. The funny thing is, I don’t particularly like violence, so I ended up just tuning it out/looking away during the gorier scenes and focusing on the story.
I have so many thoughts!
SpoilerI’ve noticed that many people were disappointed by the final episode. I liked it, although there were a few pieces that felt rushed. As nice as it was for Taigen to decide he’d rather be happy than great, I don’t think this revelation was built up very well. He was concerned with honor and glory right up until that scene. If anything, I think that seeing the city go up in flames would only have made him want to fight more.
Akemi’s arc also didn’t quite work for me, and I’m having a hard time putting my finger on why. One reason may be that it wasn’t really much of an arc at all: despite framing her lessons from the madam as Akemi learning to control men through sex, she was already doing that back in the second episode. The only difference is that Taigen was slightly more headstrong than the others, so he didn’t bend to her will as easily. I never really felt a connection to their love story, but I think that was intentional—much like the lack of emotion between Mizu and her “mother”—and it was an interesting twist on the love triangle to have it end the way it did (although I doubt it’s completely over).
I thought the sex scenes were mostly tasteful. Believe it or not, the one I found most cringe was the one with Ringo in the premiere, because it reminded me of all the weeaboo porn targeted at teenage boys lol. Similarly, I didn’t find the madam’s moralizing terribly consistent, but again, this might be the product of an unfinished story.
Mizu is heading to England during a very interesting time—Cromwell was in power in 1657—but I’m a bit bummed because I liked seeing her interact with the other main characters in Japan. Hopefully she’ll return before the end of season 2.
Mizu handing over Akemi was framed as this major betrayal, but what I saw was someone who was battered and bruised after taking on an entire goddamn army. She didn’t have the strength to do it a second time in one day.
Also. . . does anyone else have a hard time believing that no one other than Fowler ever guessed that she was female? Her voice was very clearly a woman’s, no matter how much she tried to disguise it.
There’s a really interesting theory online that Mizu’s mother was her white parent, which I think would be a pretty great twist. Either was, I suspect that she won’t be able to kill her white relative once she finally finds them. Like all good revenge stories, she needs to find her way back to her humanity at the end. It wouldn’t surprise me if she eventually has her own blue eye daughter.
And fun fact: the guy who voiced the Shogun played Mr. Wu on Deadwood!
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Is there a thread for Blue Eye Samurai? I really enjoyed it, but at the same time, I’m thinking it may have been better if I had waited until the show was over and binge-watched it. It left me wanting more, but there were some characters who fell flat for me and I think I may have felt differently if I watched the characters’ arcs from beginning to end.
SpoilerI think the most challenging part for me coming away from BES is how much suspension of disbelief is too much, both in terms of the fight scenes (how the hell is Mizu still alive? How do her and Taigen’s injuries heal so fast?) and general storylines (the sleazy pimp is a complete gentleman to Akemi for some reason, and she just happens to get a client who is aroused by poetry).
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2 hours ago, Potsk said:
He means the WGA strike, which ended on 27 September
But the casting was for the actors, not the writers.
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2 hours ago, The Dragon Demands said:
They didn't start casting during the strike, we only saw casting sheets AFTER it ended
They put out the casting call in October (you made a video about it). The strike didn’t end until November.
Random Thoughts About ASOIAF
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He stopped doing the chapter reviews a year or two ago, and I had assumed that he just lost morale after waiting for Winds for so long. I hadn’t realized he was sick.