On Expectations

Spoiler: Must have read book three of A Song of Ice and Fire and/or watched Game of Thrones episode nine "The Rains of Castamere"to proceed.

Billy Idol (who knows a thing or two about weddings, but had the color wrong on his 1982 hit) was one of two things running through my head throughout the weekend, leading up to Sunday night's "shocker" episode of Game of Thrones (his facial expression above is apt for this post methinks).  No surprise the other was "The Rains of Castamere" in a low baritone (I imagine it as sung by Leonard Cohen - Listen to "Waiting for the Miracle" on the Natural Born Killers soundtrack...  go ahead, I'll wait).  

WinterIsComing.net created two versions of recaps of the episodes; one for those who have not yet read the books (those who have not read the books are aptly called "the Unsullied"), and one for those who have read the books ("Sullied").  I would fit into the latter category, thus explaining the quotes around the word "shocker."  There was little doubt the episode would contain the long-awaited "Red Wedding." In each season, episode nine contains the "big reveal" of the season (Ned's head, Blackwater), and season three is no different (will Season four wait until episode nine to off @)(#*()32@#?  (doubt it).  

As a Sullied individual, I went into this episode with certain expectations.  This was derived from the gut-wrenching impact the Red Wedding had upon the first reading (even that first line of the chapter, "The drums were pounding, pounding, pounding, and her head with them" elicits such uneasiness).  I expected to be brought on the emotional roller coaster of anticipation, dread, shock, and sadness.  As I've mentioned earlier, I am prone to outbursts of book snobbery, but accept certain changes as necessary for the change in medium.  There were a lot of changes in this episode.  

So, did "The Rains of Castamere" deliver?

At the beginning of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Ace is delivering a package disguised as an H.D.S. delivery man.  This of course is an elaborate ruse to rescue (dog-nap) a pilfered pooch (we don't learn that until later...  which is mostly after my point - yes, I promise there is one of those in here somewhere).  So, he's carrying the package, like a delivery-person is apt to do, by more or less destroying the package and it's contents (I think Ace delivered the swing set I ordered for CrabCakes and Peanut based on the difficulty to assemble said set...  but that's a story for another time).  However, upon delivery, the box is intact enough for acceptance - and here is where the woofy wackiness ensues.

Game of Thrones was like the delivered package.  The box was damaged and everything inside was shifted or broken and not exactly in the order I was expecting things to be, but the overall contents of my order were present.  This is not painting the best of pictures, so before going further I will state that I did enjoy the episode.

One of the most controversial changes in the series was the replacement of Jeyne with Talisa, a character with a background and feelings.  This change became most prevalent at the RW, wherein Talisa was present (Jeyne did not attend the wedding - leading many to speculate that Jeyne is carrying a wolf pup who could later sit the Iron Throne).  But Talisa attended the wedding, with the proverbial bun in the oven, and it is with Talisa that the massacre begins (stabbed in the baby - who was potentially to be named Ned Stark, repeatedly - and Ned Stark is killed again!).  There were theories that Talisa was a Lannister spy and would wind up as a conspirator in the RW.  Reading that theory, even though I didn't really believe it, made this scene all the more hurtful. 

The massacre continues as in the book; crossbow bolts, knives, "the Lannisters send their regards" (though it was "Jaime Lannister sends his regards" in the book).  Jinglebells or whatever Frey's lackwit son was called is replaced with Walder's wife - acceptable; one less minor casting decision/explanation needed - throats are slit.  Cat's reaction changes from mania (in the book, concerned about her hair as Ned loved her hair) to catatonia (stillness done well can show loss of all hope - and Michelle Fairley ran the emotional gauntlet through the affair). 

So, there was one band that played well and not a ton of terrible musicians (because they were really marksmen), and The Rains of Castamere is played clearly, not mixed in with the rabble, and Robb died for love - not honor like his father, and maybe the affair was a little rushed - there's a lot of other story lines to get to!  The RW wasn't perfect - but will the portrayal in a new medium ever meet the expectations you create when the entire scene is visualized your own way, as happens when you read it?  So, the packaged wedding was a little dinged up, maybe a piece or two broke, but everything was there.  And as the silence of the credits rolled, I still had that gut-wrenched feeling of FUCK (wonder if that's the first curse I've written on this - quite possible - and it fits).



On Book Snobbery

Warning: Anything I discuss (be it books, movies, tv shows, etc.) may or may not contain spoilers and I may or may not mention the potential spoilers before/during a post.  

This seems to be the running screenshot used for discussing "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" episode of Game of Thrones (aired 05/12/13).

Roar.

I have read all of the published books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, and LE made a comment as we watched GoT that got me thinking about book snobbery - which I admittedly take part in. 

It's a rare occasion that I see "the movie" before reading "the book" (picture those as air-quotes) - and yes, I'm prone to outbursts of "the book was better" (not counting you, American Psycho).  So, I will watch Game of Thrones and contemplate the changes in story or character, understanding some of the reasonings behind the changes from canon, other times scratching my head, and other other times not even realizing there was a change at all until reading about it later on WinterisComing.net or the like.  But for the most part, I am willing to drop the "book purist" mode and allow things to flow.

But I digress.

I'll give you your warning this time: if you haven't read the books, SPOILER.

The Robb/Talisa scene comes on and we all watch as the couple continues to fall deeper and deeper into their doomed love, and now with news of a wolf pup on the way we get fed sensations of love and pride and anticipation (separate storyline, but what was it The Boy said to Theon?..  "if you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention").  LE looks over at me, blank, "it's hard to care knowing it won't matter soon." (that's likely paraphrased more than quoted - as a reader/writer you'd think I'd remember dialogue better, but I was also watching the show and unless I really dislike something, I am prone to tune the rest of the world out).  But she means more than "care" here.  It's hard to even pay attention.  Who cares about his discussions, battle plans, love life, family matters, etc. when the Red Wedding is at most three episodes away?  Let's get Arya's storyline moving!



Which takes us to the point of this post; maybe it would have been better to not have read the books first (in this case).  Part of me envies the "non-book reader" reviewers out there that are living in the moment of the show, trying to piece together how it will all work out (I look forward more to reading as they try to decipher the complex puzzle GRRM has laid out - vicariously living through that blank slate view of the GoT world, than I do the other reviewes of those who also know what's coming).  Not having read the book, how much more surprising would it have been to see Sean Bean's head taken off at the end of Season 1?..  Ok, Sean Bean dying is a bad example. 

I suppose in the end it is a matter of preference.  One way or another you will be spoiled.  So, which is worse, reading first and knowing how things are "supposed to" go or watching first and having character images, plot, etc. potentially spoiled and then having additional details filled in with the reading (I mean, the show just doesn't give me the details I need about Tywin Lannister's breakfast choices)? 

I will fess up and admit that I watched Season 1 before reading the book (that'll be 50 DKP minus, for me), and in the end I was not concerned about having the character images ingrained in me as Sean Bean, Peter Dinklage, etc. etc. because the show did (and continues to do) a fantastic job in the casting department (I also watched Silence of the Lambs before reading it, and why would I want to picture Hannibal Lecter as anyone but Anthony Hopkins?). 

But there's some form of dork power in reading the book first - in knowing that in front of Cersei is a creamy chestnut soup, crusty hot bread, and greens dressed with apples and pine nuts - bickering over the show's use of Gendry instead of Edric Storm - QQing over the omission of Renly's peaches. 

My personal preference will likely always remain that I'd rather read the book first, and in doing so I accept that the show is manipulating me in adding more details of Robb and Talisa's relationship so I care more about him before "The Rains of Castamere" is playing at Edmure's wedding.  I'll admit a certain lack of caring about storylines in knowing the outcome, but revel in seeing something I enjoyed reading so much transformed in a new (and let's face it, more mainstream) medium. 

What I liked: I am a sucker for witty dialogue and Tywin stole the show belittling Joffrey.

What I disliked: The eight hour march of the Yunkai delegate through the underwhelming Unsullied (LE wants the Unsullied to be CGI copies of The Rock - or maybe the members of 300...  and I can't say I disagree).  At least her dialogue with the slaver was amusing and furthered Daenerys away from the Shinji-esque (Neon Genesis: Evangelion reference) whiney little girl (if I have to hear her little voice cry "I will take what's mine with fire and blood" one more time...)

On a Version of Writer's Block

I read somewhere that writer's block doesn't exist (it does), and to a certain extent I agree (and it doesn't).  I think when most people think about writer's block they imagine sitting in front of a computer and just not knowing where to even begin.  But it's more than that.  It's perfectionism (face it, you are not going to get it right on the first try).  It's fear (not everyone is going to love what you have to say).  When you can get past these things, I think that version of writer's block is passable.  You fight through it one word at a time.  Words become sentences, become paragraphs, become chapters.  They needn't be perfect.  That's what editing is for (but no one wants to think beyond the first draft - I'm guilty of this myself). 

Yet as I am typing this now, I am writing at a time when I feel the pressure of that invisible block upon me (and maybe part of me is writing this as a distraction from doing the actual work of progressing things).  However, in this case, I know the problem and namely it's Naming. 

Someone said "names are important" and I firmly believe that (all bow to Patrick Rothfuss in acknowledgment of his awesome).  With some characters, all they have is their name.  So, even though I have 3,500 words (give or take) of a first chapter (for now it's a first chapter, but I've already taken a first chapter and bookmarked it for later on) written down, progress has come to a standstill.  Do I know where I want the story to go?  Yes (I have a general direction in mind anyway - sometimes not having everything figured out helps because the characters don't always want to listen to you...  but that's another story).  So, what's my problem?  I haven't named EVERYTHING yet, and I just can't bring myself to write something along the lines of "and the King of (Island Not Yet Named) turns to (Character Not Yet Named) and..." Sometimes you can get by naming something later (hell, this blog is titled Insert Title Here - was titled that...  we will see if the new title sticks), but with the bulk of the nouns you're dealing with unnamed it doesn't really work. 

I already know who the main POV characters are in title, in physical description.  I've started giving them personalities, traits, backgrounds (or have they been giving that information to me?).  They are becoming more than their clothes, profession, political titles (I seem to have a problem with the word "and" at the end of my lists).  Yet I can't figure out their names and without that, the story is behind the block - now picturing my story trapped under a giant children's block of wood carved with various letters (likely F and U are visible).  I've scanned baby-naming books, web sites, movies and novels.  Nothing feels right yet. 

On top of that, the scale of the story that is clawing it's way out of my head is grander than anything I have handled before.  Maybe that comes from all the George R R Martin I've been reading/watching lately (though I would never even begin to compare myself to such a master).  I'm an amateur and I know it.  I have a day job I am fond of (at least I tell myself that to help the days go by).  Regardless, I count at least six POV characters (only two of which have been named thus far), another 10 - 15 that require more in depth characterization (two or three names done), nine land names (one I am happy with), 12 or so ship names (three done), etc. 

Why is writing so hard when we've all been doing it since we were children?  It's work.  It takes time other than the time you spend actually typing (or hand-writing, as I had always been prone to do until not too long ago) the story to research names, customs, diction, etc. (throw an "etc." on and you don't need an "and" anymore!). 

So may this post exist as a reminder to (what the hell are you still doing typing here?! Get back to work!)