General grumpy GoT blather

[shapinglight]

The plasterer has turned up today, which is a relief (can't get much further with the house renovation till the plastering's done), so I'm sitting here , trying to look properly at LJ for the first time in ages and feeling a bit sad about how quiet it is.

More behind cut with vague spoilers for GoT.



Comments really have dropped off a lot, haven't they? Even last year I was getting about 40 comments (including my answers) on my Game of Thrones reviews. This year, I'm lucky if I get ten. Also, the GoT comms on LJ are just...dead. Hardly anyone is iconning or vidding any more - or if they are, they're doing it on Tumblr (a site I still can't get my head around and don't particularly want to).

The same is true of sb_fag_ends, which suddenly (you could almost date it to the day) went quiet at the beginning of this year and has never recovered.

Oh well. It's the way things go, I guess, and where GoT is concerned, it could well be down to the fact that people haven't liked this season as much. Must admit, though I'm still enjoying it, I'm sick of the way interesting characters keep getting killed off (Oberyn) and characters that are good together (I'm thinking more Jaime/Brienne and Tyrion/Bronn here than Dany/Jorah) keep getting split up. It may be what happens in the books, but it doesn't do the story in the show any good.

Anyway, I know I should be doing more to help keep LJ going, but my brother-in-law is coming back tomorrow so I'll be gone again, no idea how long for this time.

I should spam everyone with posts today, but I can't think of anything to say.

I'd better go and do something useful, like the ironing.

Whinge, whinge, whinge.

ETA: rebcake has started doing the 30 days of Buffy meme. I'd quite like to do it myself (have only done the short version before), but I realised when reading what she's written that I've actually forgotten an awful lot. I need to do a re-watch.

Except that I can't, because all my BtVS DVDs are in storage. Buggerit.

ETA 2: This post is exceptionally whingey, even for me. ;)

Comments

[bogwitch.livejournal.com]

But I don't think its just LJ, although it is worse here. Even on Tumblr fandom seems to be struggling a bit.

Gifs aside, hardly anyone is doing anything creative and that make it hard for me to get enthused. I have written about 6,000 words this month (whoo!) but none of it was fannish or even stuff I am ever going to show anyone. I'm hoping the momentum can cross over back to my WIP...

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I think its a fandom thing. The ratings for GOT actually have gone up.

[slaymesoftly.livejournal.com]

I admit to being MIA a whole lot. I am trying to make up for that by doing more "journal-y" posts about what I'm doing, but so far... Epic fail. :)

[ex_peasant441]

What happened to Brienne? Last I recall she was off with Podrick, but I can't remember what they were doing or why.

I haven't commented on your last two GoT posts because the week before last sounded horrid and this week sounded like a battle. And there really isn't much to say about a battle.

My predictions for the finale (just to ensure it doesn't come true):
* That missing relative of the Starks in the Night Watch will turn up with News or as a game-changer in some way for the Northern story-lines.
* Stannis Baratheon will actually do something (who am I kidding).
* One of the major Lannisters will die. I'm assuming not Tyrion because getting executed would seem a very tame end to his story, but one of the others. Not sure which though or exactly how. Probably Tywin or Circe, maybe Jaime. I suspect Lannister on Lannister violence though more than an outside influence.
* The Tyrells will be pushed out of the game in some way. Possibly by the revelation that they were responsible for Jophrey's death.
* Something bad will happen to Danny as story-teller's payback for sending Jorah away. In-show it will be portrayed as one or more of the people she has hurt getting revenge.
* I also wonder if Sansa will die, but that is mainly because I saw the actress talking about her future projects and they seemed rather busy for someone with a part in the next season. If she does die it will presumably be minutes before Arya reaches her.

Glad the plasterer came back and hope he stays. Could you kidnap one or more of his children to hold hostage?

[shapinglight]

But I don't think its just LJ, although it is worse here. Even on Tumblr fandom seems to be struggling a bit.

Really? That's odd. I can't believe fandom as a whole has just keeled over and died. Are they finding some other form of expression (I dunno, like giant art installations?) and we're just unaware of it, or is the whole phenomenon just withering on the vine?

[shapinglight]

Yes, I understood that to be the case. I suppose I could understand if online fandom had turned against GoT, as its latest manifestation (from what I hear) on Tumblr is very young and has a very strong social justice agenda, so not so keen on the sex, violence etc, but it seems to be true of all fandoms.

What are people doing instead, I wonder?

[shapinglight]

Well, I know I'm not helping by being largely absent, but I can't help it - at least, not until September.

However, even when I do have a bit of time for LJ, I find myself rather reluctant to post (probably because hardly anyone seems to be doing so).

[shapinglight]

What happened to Brienne? Last I recall she was off with Podrick, but I can't remember what they were doing or why.

They'd gone looking for Sansa Stark and were heading towards the Eyrie, which happens to be where she is, but I doubt they'll get there until next season so we probably won't see them again this year.

Re: some of your suggestions, I'm not that spoilered but from what I understand two of those may actually happen. Well done.

* That missing relative of the Starks in the Night Watch will turn up with News or as a game-changer in some way for the Northern story-lines.

You're not alone in wondering what happened to him. I've asked around and no one seems to know. I suspect GRRM forgot about him.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I know Tumblr is big but, like you, I simply cannot wrap my head around it.

I feel old.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Book Reader:

You've got two on the head.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

You're not alone in wondering what happened to him. I've asked around and no one seems to know. I suspect GRRM forgot about him.

As per usual, fandom has theories. But, yeah, that's all they've got.

[shapinglight]

Yeah, me too. :(

[shapinglight]

Do you think GRRM forgot about him?

Maybe not. He must have a chart somewhere, surely?

[slaymesoftly.livejournal.com]

So we're all not feeding the same giant hole? :)

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Honestly, I do not know.

Here's the thing with not just one but two characters. In books you can hide stuff from the reader because we cannot actually SEE the character. So if he introduces a new character that the POV characters he/she interacts with may not recognize, then the reader cannot recognize them. Theories then arise. This cannot be hidden on TV (see: how fast they introduce Barristan Selmy to Dany as opposed to the nearly book long hidden under a false name that happened in the book).

All of which is to say, fandom theories abound about two three characters who may or may not be characters we 'know' but it's all just guessing. If it were ME and my druthers both of these theories about who these characters are would pan out. But there's nothing stated anywhere that says they are.

Which is a very long way to say that there's a theory that very mysterious cloaked "Cold Hands" may be the missing Stark. That may even be why they left "Cold Hands" out when he should've shown up when Sam and Gilly were fleeing and when Bran passed the Wall... when the tv show didn't show Cold Hands at all.

You have to wonder whether they just dispensed with the character as irrelevant or whether it had to do with showing him would reveal him as the missing Stark and they weren't ready for that yet. Who knows. It's all theory at this stage. And even if it were to be true in the book, it may not even be applicable to the show. So, again, who knows.

[shapinglight]

Erm...I'm not quite sure what you mean.

[shapinglight]

I wonder, if the character ever shows up again, he'll even be played by the same actor. It's been so long since the character disappeared they could probably get away with replacing the actor if they have to.

No one would remember.

[slaymesoftly.livejournal.com]

I thought I was replying to something rahirah wrote, and that made three of us not posting much. Just meant (somewhat sarcastically) that we were also part of the problem. There's a lack of material on LJ, and we aren't providing any either. Don't know why I thought Barb made the comment - did she have one right above it?

ETA I see she didn't. No idea why I thought that - but the answer still applies. Not posting because no one is posting means we're just contributing to the lack of content. I know my commenting is way down. I may think of something to say, but chances are I'll go "ah... nevermind. Too much trouble to respond." :)

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Yeah, some stuff takes so long in the books to reveal that it's so anti-climactic it's "who cares". I was actually surprised that the show bothered to reveal that Lysa killed her husband (which set the whole thing off). And not at all surprised that they skipped the Purple Wedding reveal that it was Joffrey who sent the assassin to Bran's bedroom (which led to Cat 'arresting' Tyrion which... set a whole lot of other stuff off.) By this point does it even matter?

And since they've passed the point where Cold Hands appeared in the books -- and those are the only places Cold Hands has been used to date-- then the character may actually be irrelevant and the fan theories regarding him equally so. Who knows.

[shapinglight]

My problem at the moment is simply lack of time. Most days at the moment I'm lucky to get on LJ at all.

[shapinglight]

I was certainly taken by surprise when Lysa owned up to murdering her husband. I had, as you say, forgotten about him.

Season 1 seems like a very long time ago, and - despite all the horrible things that happened in it - a more innocent time.

[kathyh]

I can't deal with Tumblr either.

LJ does seem to be exceptionally quiet at the moment but there doesn't seem to be one "big" fandom for people to squee about any more (and if there is it's on Tumblr where I can't be bothered to go). I must admit to feeling a bit disengaged from fandom myself at the moment and with other things going on I haven't been posting nearly so much. There's also the problem of watching things at different speeds. I still haven't seen all of Season 3 of GOT yet even though I have read the books.

Hope the house renovation is going as well as can be expected.

[ningloreth.livejournal.com]

I've not been commenting on your GOT posts because I've read the books -- all of the books! -- now, and I don't want to inadvertently spoil you, but I've been reading your posts. As usual, I've been saving the episodes unwatched, and then my brother, sister-in-law, and I will marathon them when the series ends -- SOON! It's very frustrating!

[chasingdemons.livejournal.com]

I've been watching a SPN com on LJ just to look at the art. It is HOPPING! Posts and comments and fans galore. The energy level is pretty amazing. So it's not necessarily LJ. I guess I have to admit, it's our fandom. As for the reasons, there are probably many. But I do think, and I have always thought, lack of comments will kill a fandom much faster than lack of posts. I'm working on a couple pieces now that I will be posting eventually. I was kind of laughing to myself and thinking I probably won't get any comments at all. Unless you and Sue happen to be online and one or two other "regulars". But I'm kind of resolved. I'm still working happily along. Tra la la.

I can't do Tumblr. I just can't. I'm not in it to look at endless gifs. I want to see things that actually took some talent to create. And sadly, you have to wade through so much to find something that takes real work.

[shapinglight]

I can't deal with Tumblr either.

There are nice Tom Hiddleston pics occasionally.

I realise not everyone is interested in those.

but there doesn't seem to be one "big" fandom for people to squee about any more (and if there is it's on Tumblr where I can't be bothered to go)

This is true. The HP fandom, which was dominant for a long time has died off (at least on LJ) and nothing has really taken its place. Lots of the BtVS fans have left (inevitably, it's such an old show now) or moved on to other things. You do find some interesting stuff around. For instance, over on Dreamwidth, there's a comm that discusses The Americans. However (rather ironically) I find the posters a little offputting at times because they're all so clever and seem to know so much. I feel too stupid to join in. Here on LJ, chasingdemons below says SPN is still going great guns, which is nice, I suppose, if you like the show. Unfortunately for me, I don't. ;)