It was a hell of a party

[khaleesian]

Over the past couple of years, I’ve gotten many PMs, emails, AO3 comments saying something to the effect of….”Oh you must really love Game of Thrones, right? Your username!” And I’d would just politely demur, to their puzzlement.

It’s true, I’ve been ‘khaleesian’ since 2000. I started reading ASOIAF in 1997. But I have not willingly watched past S1

Comments

[enigel]

*glares in the general direction of your Schadenfreude*

[khaleesian]

Snerk! I accidentally spoiled someone by asking 'so have they cut Jaime's hand off yet?' Ever since, I've been trying to be 'good'. I had a friend who would quiz me by calling character names out and scrutinizing my facial expressions. Every time I'd wince, she'd wail.

[kadymae]

I had to give up because they're changing too much from the books, and not because of reasons that have to do with the differences in mediums. The showrunners think they're smarter than GRR Martin, and they're not.

They're so not.

They've stripped out so much of the meta -- they've put back in all of the racism and sexism he's worked so hard to try and take out.

[enigel]

I admit, I'm traumatised enough by the TV series so far that I can't brave the books, even though I am now curious how this fictional world could possibly be written in a non-sexist and non-racist way.

I'm hazarding a guess that whatever they changed, it hasn't been the gruesome body count and miserable fates of, well, everyone? >.>

[khaleesian]

While it remains genuinely brutal cross-genres, you can leaven text with subtlety that might be lost on screen. I fell in love with Daenerys and it has been a bitter, fraught affair.

[kadymae]

He doesn't always succeed at making it non sexist and non racist, but you can so clearly see what he's critiquing as you read.

I talk about it here. (Minor spoilers.)

Beyond the Wall is an excellent book of essays, and there's one in there, written by a woman, about how there's some good feminist stuff in the books.

There's never just one kind of woman character. We have a variety of women warrior characters (Link focuses on two and contains some spoilers, and it just touches on the 3rd type of warrior woman character we see.)

Seriously, the books are SO much better. SO much better.

[tartysuz]

I completely agree with kadymae.

I haven't watched after S1, but after that episode, I was this guy:

[khaleesian]

LOL! Perfect .gif is perfect. This guy could be the narrator of 'Heart of Darkness': the horror...the horror.

[turnonmyheels]

I've been following you since ... 2002 and had no knowledge of GoT until it came on HBO and I had NEVER connected your username to that fandom. Now, I can't unsee it. I feel so silly

[khaleesian]

No! Why would you feel silly? Seriously when someone told me they were making a series, my first response was *blinky eyes*. I always thought it would be the ultimate obscure username.

Someone wrote me a nice email back in the dark ages of 2001 and she was all, OMG, can you believe Storm of Swords and I was like INORITE? It was like the tiniest fandom ever. And now everyone gets to suffer! Yay?

[turnonmyheels]

Yay? Indeed. I just started book four and I'm not even out of the first few pages [still in Dorne] and I'm already side-eying all the characters hoping against hope no one else I care about dies.

:-/

[khaleesian]

I make my husband read them first now. He gives me this pitiful little look, but I have no mercy.

(OMG, just please not Daenerys! GRR, I WILL FIND YOU.)

[firefox1490]

lmfao, that's pretty much been me when people ask why I haven't watched season 2.

[khaleesian]

It's so awful, watching people get more and more invested and you're at home just shaking your head: no, no, no, save your poor heart! Run awaaaaay!

[firefox1490]

I went and binged read them after this actual conversation happened with my bf and roommate

Me: I love Renly, he's the best. He can't die he's too pretty

Black smoke thing happens.

Me: What what what what what! I CANT EVEN!

BF & roommate: *laughing*

Me: This is not cool what is this I don't want.

I was very upset. Like I didn't want to spoil myself for the TV show but then I was like fuck this shit I need to not get emotionally invested in this characters because this is BANANAS. And reading them made it better and worst at the same time. I'm just gonna wait for the books to be done and read the ending cause I can't handle the killing. GRRM takes Kill your darlings WAY TO SERIOUSLY

[khaleesian]

He really does. I mean, When he killed Ned, I was like....uhm, wasn't that the closest thing you had to a protagonist? LITTLE DID I KNOW. Death isn't even the worst thing that can befall you in his 'verse. Plenty of new horrors await.