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LugaJetboyGirl

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Everything posted by LugaJetboyGirl

  1. Ugh, I knew those AirBnB rates were too good to be true. The system had posted the availability wrong.
  2. I'm really confused by the hotel situation. The conference rates are more expensive than the normal rates for these hotels. I'll be attending the con, by the way. Just booked a cute AirBnB for $120 bucks (discounted) that's only 0.5 miles. I'll be coming into Glasgow on August 5, leaving the night of the 12th, flying home from Edinburgh on the 13th.
  3. And part of the problem is that as much as you might dislike a country's government, it's not fair to punish their fans. I perhaps naively believe that our passion for spec fic at least theoretically makes us part of the same Worldcon community. Plus, the US has a LOT to answer for and yet US fans get to control Worldcon as much as they like. Anyways, thanks to virtual components going forward, we can attend virtually and still participate. And Ran, I thought the Chair said he expected 10,000 attendees during the Business Meeting, but perhaps I misheard.
  4. Let's continue our discussion of the Hugos and other Worldcon Awards. @Lily Valley I recommend starting with A Deadly Education, then Cemetery Boys and Legendborn. I'll have to give Elatsoe another try because it was a DNF for me, and the others have been on hold at the library for weeks. ETA: this is a continuation of the previous thread found here
  5. God, I really want to participate in this discussion but this thread is so long I despair of even reading a few pages of it. I will say that I really loved that the episode had such a visual link to the tradition of ASOIAF art. So many of the scenes were laid out in compositions that couldn't help but be familiar to followers of fantasy art and art from the series. I thought the colors were stunning and some of the scenes had really spectacular imagery - the meeting of the two Bolton armies, the scenes inside the Eyrie (whether that wonderful winding LF stroll down the stairs, Sansa in her room, or the great shots in the LF trial) , the dramatic ugliness outside Moat Cailin with Theon on his horse, Grey Worm leaping into the river viewed from under water, Barriston and Mormont on the outside terrace, the absolutely stunning battle location in Kings Landing. So many of the episodes lack that epic visual element, but I thought it was well done in this case. It was a feast for the eyes. (Of course, as Pod says, it may helped that I was watching it in HD).
  6. To me it seemed like a way to establish for viewers what the situation was in Winterfell, with no parents and elder siblings. Also as a way to indicate how all the strong and able bodied men have been pulled out of the north, which will of course be relevent when Theon comes.
  7. Okay, I wasn't going to post because these threads were making me want to scratch my eyes out, but Humble Asskicker saved the day. I can't even begin to contemplate the reaction if Renly and Margaery start fucking like dogs. Anyways, I might as well join the fray. I continue to think Jack Gleeson is the greatest thing to ever hit television. That kid is seriously fucking brilliant. Not only was he wonderful in the Ser Dontos scene ('did you like that?), but the throneroom scene with Cersei was totally amazing. I thought Lena Heady was really fantastic in that scene as well, because you could see Cersei trying to remain calm and keep a straight face, while also 1) having her heart crushed by her own son, and 2) realizing just a little bit that she has no control over her son and he is in fact a monster. I thought they did a good job of sticking to GRRMs love of parallelism, since the violent, cruel, and twisted mother-son interaction of Joffery and Cersei was preceded by the scene with Robb and Catelyn, where Catelyn respects her son's role as king and Robb comforts and supports his mother, exhibiting just how a loyal and loving family is supposed to operate. God, those poor Starks. As for Cersei, I thought the Cersei/Littlefinger scene was fine. The Littlefinger in action there was the exact same Littlefinger we saw throughout the first season, a creepy, information hoarding, extremely confident douche. The show has to have him be like that for reasons of suspense, otherwise, when we get to the big Littlefinger 'reveal,' the audience will have been totally thrown for a loop and will likely be pissed and WTFing. What he says with Cersei is perfectly in line with what he said to Renly at the joust and what he revealed to Varys. On top of that, the fantastic 'power is power' line in that scene was one of my favorite parts of the episode. One other thing about Cersei. Her dress at the beginning of the episode in the small council meeting was so gorgeous I could hardly pay attention to what was going on. I kept wanting her to get up so I could see the whole thing. (Also another nice contrast with Catelyn who was still wearing that same green dress). Overall, the costumes were stellar. Joffery's outfit was stunning. They've really raised the bar this time. If they don't get nominated for costume awards I am going to go on a rampage. The design in general was impressive, as was to be expected, what with the giant wooden statues of the Seven, Craster's Keep, and the map table at Dragonstone. Very cool stuff. I felt fine with the wolves, especially because I was too busy being damn relieved that they didn't look like the Twilight wolves. I barely had time to register whether or not they met the actual laws of physics in their confirmation, even! Crazy, I know. I've already said it, but the dragon - holy shit. I want one! Baby Drogon looked totally convincing to me, very real. Definitely better than Newborn Drogon from last year. I hope we get lots of dragon appearances in the rest of the season because I was so blown over by that one minute. Craster was fine with me, and his keep was sufficiently perverted. I have to disagree with most complainers and with Milk Steak, although I like his thinking. There is no way in hell that any non-book reader will look at Craster and think he is fat and happy and clean. Get real, people. I'm fine with Ros being the new Chataya. No problem. I even liked that they referrenced the infamous sexposition scene from last year. Very tongue in cheek. The bastard slaughter at the end was great - I didn't see it coming at all and it was pretty heart-rending. That one gut-twisting scene with the Guard carrying the infant by its leg, oh my fucking god. I also liked that one guardsman refused to kill the baby and was weeping in a later scene. My assumption that he'll be Jacelyn Bywater. And the switchover to Gendry was perfectly done. I can't wait to see more of his and Arya's story.
  8. My favorite CGI was the dragon. Holy crap. He was so awesome and natural and realistic looking. I loved that he was awkward and unbalanced. I loved the way he jumped into Dany's hand. He should be on Cuteoverload.
  9. So you don't have to read through 27 pages anymore. Go!
  10. Welcome to the Board, you guys!
  11. Hi Pug. A (belated) welcome to the Board!
  12. For those who want to talk about Arya's mental state, here is a thread that was started less than a month ago on that very topic: Arya is not psychotic
  13. The detail that i particularly liked was that Tyrion wouldn't/couldn't look his Dad in the eye. He kept sort of glancing off and ducking his head and what not. And then we got that amazing stare from Tywin - no wonder!
  14. One of my complaints the first time around was that the wight's eyes weren't piercing-blue enough. After a rewatch, I still feel that way, but Ghost's piercing red eyes were phenomenal and made up for it. On a rewatch I was also further impressed by Dinklage as Tyrion, he was really stretching his chops in this episode. When we met him at the beginning of the season, he was all cocky and lordly, but in different points in this episode he was afraid and unsure and apprehensive. His uncertainty and distress were plain on his face and I appreciated getting to see the other side of Tyrion that we know from the books but hadn't seen yet in the show.
  15. Oh! Oh! Oh! This was one of my favorite bits because all of Chella's ears, there was a big mound of them hanging down over her chest. Geeeerrrr-owe-sssssss.
  16. I just want to point how much I think the actor who plays Alliser Thorne is nailing his part. It's like what everyone says about Joffery, how he has a douchey face and you just hate even seeing him. Every time Thorne comes on screen he has that look on his face, such as when he called Jon a traitor's bastard and then did that ever so simple little smirk. The Thorne Smirk of Superciliousness. I just want to punch him in the fucking face. Alll Thorne has to do is look and I want to claw his fucking eyes out. Arrrggghhhhhh. It's brilliant.
  17. Yes. Anyways, signing up isn't really necessary. If you like GRRM and you want to hang out, you're part of the group. Although there is an official distinction between Westeros.org and the Brotherhood Without Banners, if you're on this board you're basically a BwB member by default.
  18. I didn't write it! It came from the BwB website. Straight up cut-and-paste. I think know Xray wrote it :)
  19. The following text comes from the BwB website. The Brotherhood Without Banners is a George RR Martin fan group. Our primary mission is to bring together fans of GRRM's writing for fun and discussion. Oh, and parties. Membership is open to everyone who is a fan of GRRM, even those who aren't especially into his latest series, A Song of Ice and Fire. That said, ASOIAF is a major focus of our interest, a theme reflected in the title of our group. What is the Brotherhood Without Banners in the books? The BwB is a collection of outlaw knights, squires and various other warriors, led by Beric Dondarrion. (Those who fight for a lord, under the lord's banner, are said to be "bannermen.") How did this BwB get started? Long ago (mists-of-time long ago), Lodengarl the Three-Fisted decided that it would be great to get a bunch of online friends and fans of ASOIAF together at PhilCon 2001 (that was the 2001 WorldCon) for a party. In the middle of the night, GRRM and the squires embarked on a quest for Pat's cheesesteak. The late-night cheesesteak chasers were knighted, and a tradition was founded. Where do I interact with the BwB? We are most easily found on the discussion forums at Westeros. There is a dedicated subforum for the BWB here. We also have an official presence at every WorldCon, and an unofficial presence at some of the regional conventions. One can usually find a smattering of us at World Fantasy every year as well. When is the next official BwB event? WorldCon 2011, which will be held in Reno, Nevada, USA. August 17-21, 2011. Here's a link to the Renovation 2011 website. WorldCon 2012, which will be held in Chicago, Illinois, USA August 29-September 3, 2012. Here's a link to the ChiCon 2012 website. WorldCon 2013, which will be held in San Antonio, Texas, USA August 29 - September 2, 2013. Here's a link to the Lonestarcon 2013 website. Do I need a con membership to attend the party? Yes. In the past, security has checked con badges and booted freeloaders. Plus, it's good manners. This is a fan-run event, not a corporate convention like San Diego ComiCon, and every dollar goes to running the convention, making it the best event it can be. What about HBO Game of Thrones fans? We welcome them too, both on the boards and in real life. That said, if you're the kind of person who doesn't want to be spoiled for things that happen in Season 2 or 3 (one season = one book; book 5 will be published in July), then you might want to be mindful of how you interact with us, as we're prone to cracking jokes about events that happen in all of the books thus far published. The only part of the Westeros forums that will be totally safe for you to read are threads marked "NO SPOILERS" in the HBO subforum, located here, called General (GoT). The next easiest thing is to just read the books, which will obviate spoiler avoidance altogether. Who runs the BwB now? After many years of successful reign, Lodengarl chose Stego to carry the BwB torch. Stego steered us for many years until last spring, when he asked Xray to take over. Xray is helped by a group of seasoned BwB congoers to keep things running efficiently. Our grassroots philosophy:"Everybody Welcome, Everybody Responsible" ( -- Parris McBride) The BwB as an organization might be different from other fan groups you've encountered, in that we're an inclusive group that does not demand monetary dues to join. If you like GRRM's writing, you're in. That said, we have a defined structure and we have a committee of seasoned con-going fans who help Xray run the BwB and make decisions on behalf of the BwB. We organize official parties at certain conventions, most notably the World Science Fiction convention, and we occasionally have BwB-sponsored charity drives. We are not, however, a general social event coordinator. If you want to have an unofficial BwB meet-up at a bar, that's awesome. But we're not going to organize it for you. Further, BwB events are paid for by donations from the members organizing or attending the event, with occasional supplements from tip jars or raffles. This grassroots ethos is at the heart of fandom, and has grown out of the grassroots SF conventions (fan-funded and volunteer-run) like WorldCon. Parris McBride, GRRM's wife and BearMother of the BwB, has instilled us with the values that have guided fandom for many decades, and we follow them proudly. If you want something to happen, you have to put forth some effort to make it happen. If you would like to know more about how the BwB is run, how we organize official events, or would like to volunteer to help us run those events, contact us. Nobody on the BwB steering committee is there because of his or her charm or good looks (OK, except for maybe Stego). We're there because we demonstrated a willingness and aptitude to organize parties, clean up afterwards, make budgets that keep us financially solvent, run security, fetch ice, etc. We welcome anyone who wants to help and to learn from us how to make a con party successful. Who runs this joint? Xray Who helps Stego run this joint? Fenryng LugaJetBoyGirl Yagathai Regina Stego Mr. X Aoife Lodengarl Mormont, European Steward Ser Stubby, Australian Castellan and Wrangler of Wombats Can I host my own BwB event? The quick answer: Ask Xray. The longer answer: Those who aren't familiar with SF/F fandom might not know that reputation within the community is very important. Groups who end up with a bad rep can find themselves unwelcome at events like WorldCon, which is something we certainly don't want. So, when it comes to official BwB events, we're pretty strict about who gets to run one and what those events might be. That said, if you want to organize a pub-crawl with other BwB members, we generally don't care, so long as you're not representing it as an official BwB event to outsiders. Where's the White Book? We're working on that. Learning a new CMS is a challenge.
  20. Yeah, as noted, it was the beheading that I was talking about as the change. I personally liked the hanging better. It was much more viseral and shocking and dramatic. But that's just me. I also have a pet theory that since Jon's first chapter features him beheading someone, he will be beheaded too. In GoT Ned gets Gared and he dies in the same way. Robb has to behead someone and he gets decapitated. Now Jon Snow....NOOOOOooooooooooooo! Bring back the hanging! The Hanging, George, the Hanging! Otherwise, I was much more moved by the chapter this time than the last few times I heard it. Perhaps that's because this time I imagined seeing it as the Show, and imagined Kit Harrington and the other actors doing it as I listened to the reading. I liked the emphasis that the chapter puts on Maester Aemon and Jon's relationship - he seems to be the only one that Jon can get advice from, since Jon has to 'kill the boy' with everybody else. I think that will be a very compelling story to follow. I got a little secretly weepy inside, actually.
  21. I imagine the tenor and energy of Auda Abu Tayi's when I read this.
  22. [quote name='Ran' post='1306453' date='Apr 8 2008, 15.46']I very much doubt some Red Priest gave Coldhands the kiss of fire. ;) And still, the black hands don't suggest he just died and then was magically revived into something like full health. He's a wight with volition and humanity. As to the warding, it must be the whole Wall that's warded, IMO. Jon can't feel Ghost when he's south of the Wall, until Ghost gets south of the Wall as well.[/quote] I have to agree. Usually in these situations, the wall/boundary line/etc is magically enforced but a gateway is actually a break in the magical enforcement, which is why they are so dangerous, guarded by other magics (e.g. a weirwood door). GRRM tends to have a pretty good grasp of real world religious/magical beliefs, so I am with you here, Ran. I'm assuming the reason Bran could talk to Jon was because it was through a weir-wood tree, which I think is a different sort of thing. The weir-wood serves as an electrical socket, a hub on a larger different network. If a lot of CotF magic went into fortifying the wall, it would make sense the CotF would have the ability to circumnavigate it, and keep on eye on both sides. I'm assuming the weirwood door at the wall means the CotF are keeping watch on what goes through.
  23. [quote name='Tom O'Sevens' post='1303137' date='Apr 6 2008, 15.54']'Lord' Janos Slynt in retrospect Looking back on him, Janos Slynt was yet another of GRRM's twisting of the generic heroic fiction stereotypes. The lowborn guardsman who raises up the ranks in a world where the nobleborn rule and ends up winning a title for himself. Of course he seems to do it all by betrayal and patronage. Ultimately Slynt is brought down by his own hubris, he fails to realise that his patrons have long since washed their hands of him. The other big character flaw of Janos Slynt is the massive sense of entitlement that he gains the moment he gets the 'Lord' in front of his name. Once you add that four letter word, the ego of this butcher's son from King's Landing is only really rivalled by people with surnames such as Lannister and Targaryen![/quote] Thus Davos is a foil for Slynt. And according to AFFC, Davos may meet his end in Dance as well. I wonder if there will be a strong contrast between his death (or fake death, or whatever) and that of Janos.
  24. [quote name='Winter Roses' post='1301571' date='Apr 4 2008, 21.57']In all seriousness though, I wonder if it's possible for wights to climb the Wall, even with the assistance of a rope. They seem.... clumsy. ::shudder::[/quote] I always assumed the Others and wights could not pass the Wall, since it was built to keep them away; it is full of spells and is a magical boundary. This is why I assumed that the Horn that can bring down the Wall is so dangerous. While it will let the Wildlings in, it also breaks the magical boundary that keeps out the Others/wights. Really that means it is in the Others best interest to freak out the Wildlings enough that they break the Wall to get away. BTW, is that old broken horn that Jon found the horn in question?
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