Thyroid

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Posts posted by Thyroid

  4. Posted

    Actually to be honest my memories of the book made me think he actually did die there, and when I saw him being dragged away, I was genuinely surprised that he was going to live to fight another day. So when I saw him alive the next episode, I expected it.

    But (all books spoiler)

    Stannis wins the War of the Five Kings, technically

    . That's funny.

  5. Posted

    Orvidos needs to re-read ASOIAF.

    So, regarding GoT:

    Also, who burned Winterfell? The twenty Pykemen when they were surrendering to the Starks? How does that make sense?

    It's intentionally left vague in the TV series, a storytelling decision in preparation for a future event. You'll understand what I mean when the next season rolls around.

    Those aren't Starks sieging Winterfell, they're Northmen. Starks are just one single family of Northmen.

    Sansa doesn't leave with Clegane in the books either, unless I'm misremembering. If she does and I'm forgetting, she ends up at Harrenhal as Baelish's fake daughter either way.

    What happens in the books is a lot more intricate and detailed than that. Book 3 spoilers:

    After the shit that happens at Joffrey's wedding, Sansa escapes with Dontos. Dontos takes her to a ship where Littlefinger is waiting, asking for his money - turns out Dontos is a filthy liar selling her off to the crown to show what a traitor she is. Littlefinger's men shoot arrows into Dontos, and he takes her with him first to the Fingers, then to the Eyrie, where he marries Lysa.

    E: Oh, I guess I should clarify. The Ironmen escaped, not surrendered, and burnt down the inner keep on the way out.

    Not exactly

    . Major spoilers for book 2 (TV-only people stay away too) - read the second paragraph, Orvidos.

  6. Posted

    I read through Patrick Suskind's The Pigeon yesterday, a short, good and depressing novella about a man whose obsessive, meticulous lifestyle - one of a hermit - is set off-balance when a pigeon decides to land on his front doorstep. Considering the author, it felt almost autobiographical.

    For what is supposedly a character sketch, Hideyoshi's personality and motivations seem wildly variable. He is both clever and dense, sentimental and hardnosed, carefree and intense, faithful and conniving, each in turn as the plot demands.

    I've found that, very often, the best, most-rounded and believable characters are the ones that are, essentially, a pile of contradictions. MaybeTaiko is an attempt at that? Or is it that the character switches beliefs at the drop of a hat?

    The Information sounds like a very interesting book.

  8. Posted

    I assumed you meant

    The Red Wedding

    ,

    I did! OK, yeah, for a second there I thought you were talking about

    The House of the Undying

    .

    if the scenes play out in that order a good place to end the season is on

    the appearance of Mance or Qhorin's head.

    I'm almost sure the episode will end with

    Qhorin and Jon's swordfight

    .

    The scene I think Orvidos is eluding to (

    RW

    ) has also been confirmed to be the big season 3 closer, which is a perfect fit... it happens about halfway in book 3, and it has some broad repercussions on the story.

    I'd be surprised if that's where they ended it.

    They ought to at least get to the other big wedding, to at least complete Melisandre's prophecies/predictions. Ending it on the RW would be a huge mistake, but putting it in episode 8 - now that'd be ballsy. End it with everyone's favourite little shit choking and leave the audience dying to know how Tyrion's trial plays out, and you get big numbers for season 4 while also introducing all of the Dorne cast in that season.

  9. Posted

    I was really disappointed by the choice of singer for

    "The Rains of Castamere"

    . I get the ragged old soldier thing they were going for, but the guy just mumbles half of it. Shame too, because I know he's a good singer.

    It was just a rendition for that particular episode, a dose of background story about

    Tywin Lannister and what it means to fuck with him

    . I think the (MAJOR book 3 spoiler)

    version they do in the wedding - much like the one they sang with Bronn - will be very different.

    As for that scene keep in mind Season 2 is a book and a half. In fact, I suspect the "half" line is exactly where that'll be the first episode of next season. Last episode of this season (meaning the next) on the outside odds. Of course, HBO could just do something they've never done and change the length of a season in an already established show, and I could see them finally doing that for GoT, but I doubt it.

    Not exactly. Season 2 borrowed elements from book 3 to get certain wheels moving and, I suspect, to give some actors something to do (so

    Jaime/Brienne start-off early and they get the Fist of the First Men subplot done quickly so they can get to the battle at the wall

    ). This season ends with the prologue chapter from A Storm of Swords, with

    Chett, Sam and the three blasts

    .

    I think we're talking about different things? What scene are you referring to?

    E2: Okay, did a bit of digging, next episode is the last of the season, it will not be happening, sort of leading me to hope that Season 3 is the rest of Storm rather than the rest of Storm and part of Crows, because to be fair, Kings is a fairly dull book for making TV, where-as Storm is not. But either way it'll still be another six or seven months before we see that little debacle.

    We're still very much in A Clash of Kings, the

    Jaime/Brienne

    thing aside!

    E3: From official sources: "However, whilst the first two seasons roughly corresponded to the first two books, the sheer length of the third novel (half again the length of the first) makes this impossible. As a result, the events of the novel will be split over the third and a potential fourth season. Some events from the third novel were also moved into the final episodes of the second season to help facilitate this."

    From the recent casting list - and some hoping - I feel like season 3 will end with

    pigeon pie

    , with the opening bits of season 4 dealing in

    the Red Viper, Tyrion's trial and Dorne

    .

    Which means we've got at least a season, probably two of A Storm of Swords. Very likely two, considering that both the second and third season were confirmed literal hours after the second episode of the season at the time. I'm really happy about that. My biggest worry about this whole endeavor was how you'd fit this series into neat little chunks, but it seems they went to the right people to do this because they're allowing them entire seasons for half a book. Man, Dance is going to be three or four seasons.

    David Benioff and DB Weiss are good writers in their own respective rights. I'm reading through Benioff's When the Nines Roll Over, and I like it a lot.

  10. Posted

    I watched clips of the new Game of Thrones episode on YouTube. George RR Martin wrote it, and it shows. The man knows how to make a memorable character.

    They actually sang "The Rains of Castamere". Anybody here who has not read all the books should not look it up; that song is a big spoiler.

    Orvidos knows what I'm talking about.

    You have no idea how right you are.

    Make a list of your five favorite characters. I can guarantee you, sight unseen, three of them will be dead.

    And none of the major players die needlessly. It's all needed for the story, and for the complete shift in dynamics every death means.

    God, I can't believe how close we are to that scene - just one of many, many peaks that book 3 hits.

  11. Posted

    I haven't. His essay "Why Bother?" seemed almost to dismiss it - or at least describe it in a way I found unappealing - and I avoided it, though I read the first chapter on his website ages back and I liked it. I may read it eventually. Strong Motion was always the one that really interested me.

    It'll be a while, though. There are more immediate books to turn my attention to.

  12. Posted

    I read an entire Agatha Christie novel in one sitting yesterday and it was fun. It's nice to be able to just relax like that after a month of constant exams.

    I mean to correct that

    Hah.

    I think you'd like The Corrections; there's some interesting insight into human nature, coupled with generally strong writing. Franzen's How to Be Alone has some interesting essays as well, including one that tries to explain why people bother reading in the first place. I got flashbacks of that one while reading the "Adults should read adult literature" thread, so I thought I'd recommend.

  15. Posted

    I read The Grifters by Jim Thompson over a four hour sitting yesterday. I was impressed with how alive the characters turned to be. It's a pretty funny, thoughtful book, and I recommend it. I don't think the full impact of it has hit me yet, and suspect it's going to end-up being one of my favourite novels.

    maybe the Game Of Thrones novels

    I can not overstate how much admiration I have for these books. I respect the TV series (it's mostly a good adaptation, the added, awful sex scenes aside), but it's simply texture to a very rich fruit. I think I read A Feast for Crows in two sittings. Yes, the prose can sometimes be clunky; yes, he takes his time fleshing-out certain characters, making them appear two-dimensional until the story allows him to show you more of them; and my goodness, yes, is it a daring, masterful work. The fact he never explains certain connections or themes to you until you re-read or read essays online is something I want to high-five him for.

  17. Posted

    I love Zeno Clash; it's such a cult game. Rough and mean (and I still got my ass kicked, all the way to the end), but also good. The alien, bizarre world is very memorable.

    One of those rare, brief flashes of brilliance from the industry that stuck with me.

  18. Posted

    So, based off of a suggestion, I was wondering if anyone had an extra copy of the original Torchlight? I'd appreciate being gifted it. I own it, personally, so this is meant for someone else.

    If possible.

    Sorry if this is rude.

  19. Posted

    That really blows.

    I also heard most of the secondary characters (such as Garrett and Neil) aren't coming back for season 4.

    None of the original writers are working on the show, either.

    I think it's safe to say I'll skip season 4 onwards.

    I remember now why I only get into a show after a series has wrapped.

  20. Posted

    Playing a video game boasting the kind of writing you'd find in an eighth grader's notebook? Post it here.

    Here's something from Resonance of Fate, which I swear to David Cage is an actual video game that someone was paid in real money to supply this dialogue for:

    tVibNKrp8sQ

    Post some of your favourites.

  21. Posted

    HOWEVER, since this school is stuck in the stone ages, you have to do the programming... WITH PEN AND PAPER.

    Ugh. I have to deal with the exact same shit, which is unbelievably annoying. How am I supposed to write object-oriented code thinking in a top down way? It's object oriented. The whole point is that you add functionality on the fly. Why do you expect me to write BSTs on pen?

    There's a reason why my lab grades are consistent A+'s, but my pen and paper exams are vary between A- and D; 9 times out of 10, it's the freaking pen and paper.

    Good luck, though. I've found that quickly sketching out (in pencil) the general flow of the code on the back of the paper helps.

    Sorry if I freaked you out with my little rant, too. It's me trying to be sympathetic.

  22. Posted

    EVE is the only game I can think of that sounds astonishing, but that I'd never want to enter. This coordinates thing is pretty scary. I wonder what those crazy people will come-up with.

    According to your link, Dust 514 is F2P. I wonder how long-time EVE players - some undoubtedly PC snobs - will take to that.

    I think I'll watch this from afar, but stay out of it.

  24. Posted

    “If you’ve suffered through six hours of an experience and remain unhappy, you’re either (1) playing a video game, or (2) in prison,” Tom Bissell wrote of The Witcher 2. While many of his complaints of that game are valid enough, that title is everything that Game of Thrones is not: polished, well-written and acted, and quite a lot of fun even if it drags at some points and the combat system is imperfect. But he is right about sitting through an experience that keeps you unhappy. You’re either playing a game or in prison. Or maybe the hospital – though there you likely have drugs.
    - Not IGN.com, but man.

  25. Posted

    Thanks, everyone, for the kind words and birthday wishes. I've thought a lot about what you all said.

    And I gamed Legend of Grimrock for 15 minutes before I got mauled to death by a mutant mushroom.

    I have the idea that some people get wrapped up in what they think they should be doing based on what is considered normal in society. I'm not a fan of that view.

    Me either, and I see where you're coming from. My principal worry last night was that I realized that I wasn't at the point of my life where I wanted to be - working within a certain company and doing wonderful things - because of unforeseen circumstances, and that made me panic a bit. It was an issue of wanting to be somewhere, but being in a different place.

    Thanks for the advice, though. It's pretty solid.