Fanfiction.net/gameofthrones

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons.

In light of the disgusting deviations of Game of Thrones in respect of the books, I believe this quote sums up the difference between the books and the television series quite perfectly. We are at the end of Season 5, and by now, the only light exasperated book-fans have is the fact that certain theories are now being confirmed. Apart from that, this show has become a fanfiction, and we all know GRRM's opinion on fanfiction.

Today, I was told that 'the show is based on the books, so it doesn't have to follow them directly'. Did book readers expect changes? Yes of course, we're not illogical. We know that adaptions are often tricky and it's difficult to include everything in the adaptation. Did we expect the producers to respect the source material? Yes. Did we expect characters, especially key characters, and their character developments to follow the same line as in the books? Yes, of course. Why on earth wouldn't they?

Have they portrayed key character's developments as in the books? Not. At. All. They have white washed so many characters simply because they are fan-favourites or because the actresses have really nice breasts. 

D&D clearly favorite Dany over everyone else, including the true heir to the throne, Stannis. This is why they seem to have swapped the roles of madness between the two characters. Let's talk about the logic of Shireen's burning. Had this series not been based on a set of pre-existing books with pre-existing characters and pre-existing storylines,  one would say say Shireen's burning is an indication of change in Stannis's character, in that he's willing to sacrifice everything for his cause. It would've been a poignant change in character. But this is a series based on the pre-existing - so to have this change is not honouring the books, but rather another example of D&D's lazy story telling by having Stannis go all Dany on his own child rather than finding a way to show Stannis's true character in the most concise way possible. There are lots of ways of doing this. Exhibit A: DONT BURNER SHIREEN BARATHEON. 

Books vs Show

Let's not even talk about how out of character it was off Davos , who saved Gendry,  a boy he barely knew, to not save Shireen, the little girl whose been teaching him how to read,  the little girl with whom he has spend much time with and grown fond of. But hey, D&D's budget constraints (see 'lazy story writing') couldn't have that in either.

You know who HAS gotten crazy at this point in the books? Dany! D&D's beloved. You know who HAS become bitter about everything and experienced an interesting turn in character development? Tyrion! But Tyrion being a fan favorite and Dany bring D&D's precious angel basically means no interesting character developments for these two. Nope, we shan't ruffle any feathers or show full characters on this show because budget constraints. Let's just make Stannis crazy because hey,  he won't fill our nude quota and no fans seem to like him anyway (given than we've portrayed him as a megalomaniac. Oops). 

Dany Apologists

D&D have said they're sticking to the books as much as they can - how is this even remotely true when Stannis wouldn't have anyone else burned just because they were experiencing difficulties? How is this true when Stannis names Shireen heir to Storms End before he marched onto Winterfell? 

I used to dislike Stannis when I first watched the show. But once I'd started reading the books,  I realized D&D made him out to be this crazy,  power - hungry leader when he was really the opposite. He's one of the few players on the Game week wishes to serve the Realm. I realized then that if characterization had been cut out for one major character on the show, how many more could this have happened to?

I think by choosing not to read the books simply because they are too long or because the show will portray the end result anyway, book-burners and show apologists are doing themselves a disservice, You are entitled to whichever form of entertainment you choose, but why settle for a Chomp when you can have Lindt? You are allowing D&D insult your intelligence with sudden, illogical changes in character and plot-holes deep enough to fit Drogon, Viserion and Rheagon. Firstly, why on earth would Stannis take his child, wife and Melissandre down to Winterfell with him when he is on the brink of war?

Lancel Lannister, at the beginning of Season five, stated that he had confessed his sins when he became a part of the Faith - so why didn't the High Sparrow imprison Cercei as soon as they had the power to do so? Why wait for Littlefinger to present him as a means of getting back at Cercei? It doesn't even make chronological sense - unless Sparrow has been acting selfishly,  which we all know is nonsense. But then again, given D&D's disregard for audience intelligence, they probably expect you to believe everything they feed you.

Also, how are you forgetting the Greyscale saga? Show Jorah even says that one touch of someone with Greyscale can cause you to contract the disease. So how is it that Tyrion,  Dany etc have not yet contracted it when Jorah has been freely shaking hands with people?

Friendzone? Here, have some Greyscale.

To maintain its viewership, D&D have resorted to attacking the good, sweet, quiet characters (Sansa,  Shireen and to a degree, Myrcella - although we already knew her shroud would be gold) for shock value. This is precisely what GRRM doesn't not like about fanfiction. But why did they have to resort to these non-existent happenings when they had two whole, 1500+ pages worth of fantastic storytelling that includes action and a water-tight plot?

Do yourself a favour - read the books. Because things have changed to the point where it is not following the books anymore, but rather going on their own path. Jon Snow said two roads lead to the same castle - in this case, I believe the show's road is more likely to end up Sothoryos than in Kings Landing.

Game of Woes

(This post initially started as a post about the increase in blatant misogyny in general - however, the rant about its underlying presence in Season five of Game of Thrones went on longer than I expected.)

If you follow me on Twitter, then you will know that I am currently incredibly passionate about and incredibly annoyed at the progression of the Game of Thrones storyline. Apart from the fact that it detracts from the books in respect of the general storyline, there have been several changes that have strong undertones of misogyny. The exclusion of two strong female characters, Lady Stoneheart and Arianne Martell (who is a point of view character), for me was the worst because, apart from the fact that they're two of my favourite characters, their presence in the story is significant as issues that GRRM explores in the book cannot be explored through other characters. Lady Stoneheart isn't a vengeful ghost - she represents the aftermath of someone who has lost all that is dear to her in the most brutal way possible. All the prettiness is stripped away to reveal the cold, hard and bitter truth. She is justice and she gives the Brotherhood a worthy cause. Arianne isn't another insignificant player in the games - she represents those who have attempted, and failed, to play the game based on manipulation and emotion rather than viewing the game from a birds eye view. She had, as she put it, played the Game of Thrones 'like a drunkard'. But she, unlike many others, has been given a chance to make up for her mistake and is guided by the mentorship of her father. This is where we start to see the combination of character growth and flaw, and I am so excited to see what GRRM has in store for her in The Winds of Winter.

Another character we see growing in the series to become a strong player with a different strategy is Sansa Stark, or rather Alayne Stone. She grows from the victim we saw her become in Kings Landing to a player who stays under the radar, much like her current protector Petyr Baelish. She plays the quiet, intelligent game and in the Alayne chapter from The Winds of Winter, we see her start to beat Petyr at his own game. We see POSITIVE things from Sansa!!!

So why the on earth do D&D ship her off to Winterfel to marry one of the most cruel characters in this series? To revert her to the victim she was in Kings Landing? We needed the Jeyne Poole storyline, we get that. But why Sansa? Because she's conveniently nearby? Why have we reduced Sansa to a plot device? Apart from the fact that this is incredibly lazy script writing, D&D have once again trampled over another female character's development and storyline to convenience themselves.

GRRM about Fanfiction.

This show is now so uncanon, it's a fanfiction; you can read all about GRRM's opinion on fanfictions here.

While we're on the topic of D&D's disregard for female significance in the series, can we please talk about how they've reduced Dorne to some tropical Southern paradise and the anti-climatic Sandsnakes. One of my book-burning friends comment on the Sandsnakes was that they were lame. Honestly, I don't blame him, given their portrayal in Season five. In the books, the Sandsnakes are such a force to be reckoned with that Doran has them locked up before they can avenge their father's death. In season five, we got this anti-climatic tug-o-war between Bronn and Jaime (wth is he doing in Dorne) and the Sandsnakes over Myrcella and an excuse for nudity. WHY ARE WE REDUCING THE EPIC SANDSNAKES TO LAME FIGHTERS AND 'SEDUCTRESSES' TO FILL D&D's NUDE SCENE QUOTA? Oh, and Ellaria has been reduced to a bloodthirsty, vengeful woman who lost her lover in the series, because that's easier than portraying her as a woman who loves her children and would rather keep peace to ensure they are safe and that some sanity remains in Dorne. More lazy screenwriting and female character reduction, curtesy of D&D.

Back to the topic of Dorne, the 'Kingdom of Acceptance', where base-born children are loved and not looked down upon. Where next in line to the throne is not determined based on gender but rather on age. Where the Martells are actually 'Nymeros-Martells' due to the significance and influence of Nymeria of Rhoyne. Why have D&D given us a summer island holiday resort instead of the only kingdom that didn't bend the knee, but joined the Seven Kingdoms through marriage. Why aren't we shown why the Martells, who rule Dorne, are 'Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken'? 

Why is it so difficult for the show to portray the women of the series as strong individuals, instead of reducing them to victims, manipulators and nude scenes, incapable of being worthy players in the game of thrones?

PS: Please do not use Dany to defend D&Ds misogyny. Half her storyline for this season has been cut, meaning book-burners don't get to see her full descent into madness (yaaaay for more female plotline reduction). Plus, in the tv series, she watched, with a straight face, her dragons burn alive and eat a fellow human being. She has no claim to the Iron Throne. Apart from the fact that she lost that claim after Robert's Rebellion, she knows nothing of Westeros or its people. Granted her own ancestors conquered Westeros with the aid of their dragons, so anything is possible - however, she would fly to Westeros with vengeance in her heart and claim that which she believes was taken from her. There are other, less selfish players who would serve the realm better than she would.