J_Crews

I'm holding out some faith for Dany. She basically did nothing in ACoK (she only had, I think, 5 chapters in the whole book, which is why they added so much non-book stuff to this season, in an effort just to give her something to do), so the jury is still out, asaic. We'll have to see what happens with her story next season and beyond.

Calling you "pooh bear" isn't sexist. I've said it to other men, more times than I can count. It's a Disney character. It was a reference to my argument that you're being overly-sensitive, which you confirm, by the way, by calling it not just sexist (which is absurd), but also offensive and condescending, all in the same sentence. Other than a very few extremely egregious examples (such as racial slurs), words are words: they only have the power to offend you if you willfully give them that power over you. I do not, so feel free to call me a "condescending ahole" all you wish. I give words zero power over my emotions. But, with that said, I apologize for offending you. Can we be done now? Please and thank you?

I agree.

All snarkiness aside, yes -- you were talking about what another poster said, but you responding directly to my post challenging whether or not it reached the severity of being qualified as "e-bullying" (a position others challenged as well). You even re-quoted my little joke about the PC Thought Police, so how you could be surprised by my responding as to the origin of the whole convoluted, ignorant discussion escapes me. I'm done now, both because it's off-topic and no longer amusing. None of us know each other. It's an internet board. Again, you're taking yourself far too seriously and degenerating into calling me vulgar names. Let's just let it die, shall we? Sheesh.

Hoat or no Hoat, having Catelyn cut Jaime's hand off would be a disastrously bad change.

I'm of a mind that there will be 3 more books, as opposed to the 2 that are planned, in order to bring the series to a close. I could be wrong, but I have a hard time seeing how he can wrap it up in only 2 more books without rushing things, and I do not believe he will rush things. It was originally only supposed to be a trilogy, so his "plans" are malleable. I don't believe he'll be satisfied until he's told the story he wants to tell, and I, for one, applaud that... though I fervently hope there are no more 5 years gaps. Keep reading. Used spoiler tags in case you're trying to avoid them, though, since you're posting in the book spoiler marked thread, that's likely moot.

The voice of reason. Thank you.

Because everyone's getting more drunk and rowdy by the moment, and she knows Jaime'll never live to see the sunrise -- much less Robb's return -- if she doesn't get him away from there. People forget that, in the book, Lord Karstark is away with Robb when she gets word the boys are "dead" and is moved to free Jaime in the desperate hope of getting her girls back; in the show, however, he's right there in camp, pouring horns of mead and stewing on his dead son, trying to whip everybody up into a frenzy.

Sigh. I'm not requiring anything, pooh bear. It was a suggestion made in an effort to increase someone else's enjoyment. I couldn't possibly care less what someone does or doesn't read. My entire position, all along, has been simply to say, "if you like one, you'll most likely also enjoy the other." Sheesh.

Don't worry. According to the summaries/teasers, this is still happening in episode 10. People are wigging for no reason, just because the show is taking a different route to get to the same destination, and because they're hyper-sensitive to any changes that are made. I wouldn't call it a requirement. This whole rigamaroll got started because homeslice said he/she didn't want to read the books and I told them they were doing themselves a disservice. I still stand behind that. If you enjoy the show, you will very likely enjoy the books as well, regardless of which you enjoy more. Why deny yourself that enjoyment, unless you just don't enjoy reading? (which I suspect is some sort of functional mental illness -- and that was a joke, just in case the PC thought police are reading this!)

I guess I can see your point. Sort of. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion, but, when you express that opinion, you invite others to disagree and to voice their disagreement. I suppose the poster quoted above could have gone about it in a different manner, but I, for one, refuse to filter every word I say and/or type to make sure it meets the criteria of being PC enough before I put it out into the world. People, in general, need to grow a thicker skin, before the world eats their proverbial lunch for them.

I would call it what it is: normal human discourse. If folks find what's been said here to be extreme, I can't imagine how they fare in the real world. I took bigger hits in Model U.N. debates than have been tossed-out here.

Have faith. We'll be seeing Quorin again.

Wow. You guys are awfully sensitive. Bullying? Really?

He was far better this week, but I still like the other dude better.

Or perhaps neither of them are offensive in the slightest and you're being far too sensitive.

Some of the folks I've introduced to ASOIAF are watching each season, THEN reading the book, which seems to be working-out pretty well for them.

Again, the disservice is to yourself, so to each his own. My point was that, as someone who enjoys the TV series, you're missing out by not reading the books... quite simply, because they're better, and, if you like one, you'll love the other.

You're doing yourself a terrible disservice.

I'm telling you, they've upped the age of majority from 16 to 18, like in the modern world, to appease TV viewers who would freak over kids going to war, etc.. It's the only way things make sense.

The North must have different standards then, otherwise Robb would require a Regent to rule in his place until he turned 16. Either way, my point was that they've aged he and Joffrey up in the show. Richard Madden is 26 and looks it; calling him 18 is a real stretch -- calling him 15 is beyond any hope of suspending reality, imo. Plus, they clearly say in Season 1 dialogue that Robert's Rebellion was 17 years ago, as opposed to 15 years ago in the book. Joffrey is, likewise, played by a college-age actor and looks it. I guess I can buy him as being about 14 to keep him of an age with Sansa, but it's a stretch. He looks and acts 16-17.

When does she say her age? At the feast? I had forgotten that somehow. :bang: Good catch.

16 was age of majority in the book. Robb was 15 when AGoT started, 16 when named King in the North. They talk about Robert winning the throne 15 years ago. In the show, they say 17 years ago, meaning, in the show, Robb is 17 when AGoT started, 18 when named King in the North. Seems to me they've modernized the age of majority in the show's version of Westeros to 18, like we have it.

For me, I just have to try suspend my cultural bias in order to enjoy it and not get creeped-out. Like you said, the way we think of age-appropriateness now is wholly a product of the last century. My great-grandmother was married to my great-grandfather when she was 12; family lore talks of her waiting for him to go to work to sneak and play with her dolls, which is sad by today's standards, but marrying young like that was perfectly normal back then. You gave daughters to men who could provide for a family, not boys.

According to the wiki, she was born in 286AL, making her of an age with Joffrey and 12 when Ned dies in 298AL. I would say she's closer to 15, going on 16, in the show, because Joffrey is clearly supposed to be 16 or so, and they're playing Arya as a 13-14 year old (Sansa is 2+ years older than her). They've never said specific ages on the show, but it isn't hard to see.