Yukle

We're looking forward to having you all! BTW, you've picked a funny time; much of the userbase aren't using their regular names due to the World Cup. Normalcy will return soon.

Based on recent form, though, those prizes will go to Donald Trump, for his use of Twitter, and the writers of The Avengers.

Welcome, welcome!

You've come to the right place, then! Enjoy yourself!

Oh... Well, fingers crossed for the next time, Lily!

All the feels for you, and I am glad things have worked out. I heard a dry quip from one of my close friends, "A bisexual man robbed a bank. Nobody could find him. Why? Once he walked into society he was invisible." It really cut through with me. I don't have a ready answer about how to remedy things, but I am always trying.

Many warm fuzzy thoughts your way, Lily! Hope it all works out well! Such happy news. Fingers crossed for you too, Theda.

Wow! The book is now #1, #3 (in audiobook) and #6 (ebook version)! It takes up three spots in the top 10!

I just watched this episode. I so dearly hope that this version of the book becomes a smash hit, utterly crushing the other in sales. And long-term effect. I will buy it for my kids.

OMG! This is the saddest I have felt in ages.

Hi everyone! Do enjoy yourselves - looking forward to chatting with you!

I like the quote at the end of the document: "Forward progress ebbs and flows in every social justice movement." If you were born a gay man or woman in 50BCE within the city of Rome, nobody would have cared. Emperor Hadrian was openly gay, for instance. 1,000 years later and it was cause for disinheritance - at best. It says a lot about how people like me, who don't fall into the category of LGBTQIA+ must work so hard at supporting fellow humans' need for the recognition of their rights. There really isn't an excuse for the institutionalised discrimination that exists and it's disheartening to see a drop in those classified "allies" in the document.

Ditto! I once loved it, but it has really gone stale and, to be honest, stupid. Also welcome!

Welcome aboard! And let's face it, nobody offers negative feedback more regularly than die-hard fans!

The Carthaginian defeat of the Roman Republic at the Battle of Cannae in 216 BCE was their inspiration. It's a very loose inspiration, though. In real life, here's what happened: 1) Rome was reeling from 2 shocking losses in the previous two years of the 2nd Punic War, so massed their biggest ever army at that time, estimated at 70,000-90,000. 2) Seeing they outnumbered Carthage, whose numbers were 40,000-50,000, they bunched up tightly. At this time Romans normally moved into battle in their maniple tactic (groups of 120 legionaries arranged in 3 lines, with gaps between each maniple. From a bird's-eye view it looked like an elongated checkerboard). However, they removed the gaps they normally left in their columns to assist with moving on the battlefield because they decided to use a brute force push instead. 3) Carthage's commander, Hannibal Barca, spotted that the maniples no longer had the ability to maneouver easily, so he placed his weakest forces in the centre and told his stronger forces on the wings to hold at all costs, while telling the centre they could give ground whenever they needed to. 4) The two armies charged at one another. 5) Rome easily began to push the centre back - but crucially, they did not make any headway on the flanks. 6) Carthage's cavalry swept Rome's from the field. This was common and usually Rome incurred the losses in cavalry with superior heavy infantry. 7) The tightly-packed Romans were now exposed on three sides: the centre and each wing, because of how far forward their centre was and how the Carthaginians hadn't given any ground on the flanks. Only their rear was now clear. 8) The Carthaginian cavalry charged at, and hit the Roman rear. 9) Hannibal ordered all forces to press toward the centre of the Roman army (now completely encircled) at the same time. 10) The Romans were too close together for any given legionary to defend himself. Carthage's forces would stab, press forward, and keep squeezing. Some legionaries made efforts to slash their wrists or bury themselves beneath the crush to suffocate, rather than wait for the time to pass while they were slaughtered. 11) All told, less than 10,000 Roman forces escaped, with about another 10,000 captured (as valuable hostages) and the remainder killed. Rome, as a region, lost 1/5 of its working-age male population in that battle. 12) Carthage awaited Rome's surrender. Unfortunately for them, a Roman motto was: "You're not beaten until you accept defeat," and Rome kept fighting. Initially, they used Fabian tactics (which were, in fact, invented during that war as a response to Hannibal) before Publius Cornelius Scipio (better known by the cool name Scipio Africanus) volunteered to lead Rome's invasion of Hispania. It was a job nobody else wanted, as it was a virtual death sentence, so it was a complete shock to all when he won stunning victories, then went on to invade North Africa. He defeated Hannibal convincingly at the Battle of Zama, ending the 2nd Punic War at the cost of reducing Rome's population by 17% over the war's nearly 20 year period. 13) Nobody made a wall out of a pile of dead bodies.

I took it differently. She was really touched when he called her, "Dany," and, for the first time in years, somebody looked at her as a person first and not as a queen, warlord, politician, general or anything like that. Even Jorah and Tyrion don't really treat her as a person. Jon sees Dany as his equal because he doesn't believe in power that way. For him, people are people, and that's his great quality. For Dany to have a man come to her is treating her as a person, and that's what she craves most of all. It's not that dissimilar to Daario's first encounters with her.

6. It was engaging at the end. Not sure why Bran is now so dull and an arse. We saw the previous 3ER and he wasn't so cold. Also, Arya/Sansa was badly executed. They haven't seen each other in years! Returning was a matter of, "Sup?" Dany and Jon was interesting, the bit on the beach.

So apparently Yara (Asha) joins Stannis as too stupid to have scouts. Seriously getting bored by the show's dependence on twists as the only narrative technique. There needs to be more arcs with build up, like Cersei's descent into madness, and less, "Ta daaaaaa!" scenery where characters are in danger before we even remember (or care) who they are.

Hello to you both! It's lovely to have you!

Hi there! Have lots of fun - we look forward to you joining the discussions!

Welcome aboard! Tyrion is also fantastic in the show because Peter Dinklage is amazeballs, don't you think? My favourite is Arya. And also Jon. And also Dany (and top tip: Dany is the most divisive character on the forums... ye be warned... )