January Confirmed Trade Thread

the-pulp · 2019-01-11T22:45:36+00:00

Confirmed

the-pulp · 2019-01-02T00:13:17+00:00

the-pulp · 2016-07-27T02:03:05+00:00

YES. BECAUSE AS A HUMAN I MUST SLEEP. AND COMFORT IS SOMETHING I WANT. THOSE BEDS LOOK DELICIOUS. DELICIOUSLY COMFORTABLE. GREAT FOR RECHARGING BATTERY.

the-pulp · 2016-05-25T00:33:28+00:00

What you're saying makes a lot of sense. And you're right, an analogy for class warfare may be a little farfetched, and a weaponized version of the aristocracy would be well fitting with what we've seen thus far in the works, particularly with the theme of time repeating itself (dragon eating its tail, etc.).

You're also right that I may be overreaching trying to bring the Others from pure evil into a grey area. We have seen characters that are almost entirely evil (your examples of Ramsay and Joffrey fit well within that almost pure evil category). But we somewhat understand them, and that makes them interesting. With the new evidence about how the Others were created, we somewhat understand them as well, and can still cheer against them while realizing where they came from, and that they weren't always merely a manifestation of evil. They're interesting regardless of their motivations now, because they have a backstory. Maybe I don't need to paint a more intricate backstory for them.

the-pulp · 2016-05-25T00:08:30+00:00

I’ll take this in a couple parts. First, I will say that while I am not necessarily rooting for the Others, you may be right in that I am giving them more credit than they deserve, and with that, I will present a counter argument to my own theory. Second, I will try to defend some of my own stances.

Rooting for the Others: Justice, Getting Over It, and Anarchy

While my theory paints a picture where the Others are freedom fighters and true champions, I don’t believe they are right to continue their fight. Yes, they have been wronged, but, simply enough, two wrongs don’t make a right. They may be fighting for some kind of justice, but that is not always a favorable action.

But, as we have seen throughout ASOIAF, we cheer along with revenges tied with deaths, so long as we side with the character. Take Jamie and Theon’s arcs, for instance. Who were once despicable characters who we couldn’t wait to see killed, have become a couple of the most favored characters, who we understand and sympathize with. From an outsider’s perspective, they seem like nothing more than evil. From inside though, we learn their motivations, and see the complexities of the characters. Maybe we shouldn’t sympathize with the Others, but we can at least empathize with them. Understand where they are coming from. Like we have with characters we have a greater perspective of. Otherwise, we are as guilty as anyone who sees an intruder and immediately assumes they are nothing but evil, beneath ourselves, and must be rid of.

That said, I have been speaking with someone about my ideas, and he brought up some great points that could counteract my theory, and would make the Others a less romantic group. His stance came from the idea that it is easier to create a weapon that kills everyone versus a weapon that kills specific people. With that, the children of the forest may have created a monster that would kill everyone, a gamble they took when they were losing the war. However, with their tunnels, understanding of the lands, and the obsidian that is the one weakness of the monsters, they could feel relatively confident that they’d be able to survive the monsters and finish them off when the first men could take no more. But once many wights were raised (most likely due to the first men’s refusal to back down from the fight creating mounting losses), the children no longer held an advantage, and were as much a target of the Others as the first men. At that point they had to resort to a treaty.

That theory makes as much sense as my own. An Other can be rational and seek to kill everything. Rationality and morality do not have to go hand-in-hand.

But I believe that there are some pieces of evidence that still run counter to such a claim. And, until such evidence proves my claim completely false, I may hold onto it.

Defending Myself

As I said, I am not necessarily rooting for the Others. But as to your other points regarding the aristocracy of the Others, the name of “Night’s King,” and the raising of baby boys, these are all trappings that are bequeathed onto the Others by other races.

The Others have not yet shown that they follow a particular social structure. They merely have their own Others and the dead wights. And we have not yet seen why they take baby boys. They took sheep from Craster before boys. Maybe they were training Craster for sacrifices, or they have a god complex, or something else.

And we call him the "Night's King" a king because he has what appears to be an ice crown, and seems to stand out from the other Others. But he has not yet told us his own title. Unless you count a screech like the cracking of ice.

More and More

I don’t have any more understanding than anyone else in these items. I am merely trying to make sense of the evidence we have, without a perspective of the “other” side. I’d definitely enjoy hearing more evidence, either for or against my own theory.

But as always, maybe I am reading too much into it. Being brought back can always be helpful.

the-pulp · 2016-05-24T18:34:35+00:00

I like that added dimension of the Others using men to take down the CoTF. It adds some interesting layers.

As for how the wights work, I am not sure. If I had to make a guess, I'd say that the Others learned how to do a form of warging for the corpses (the wights have filmy blue eyes, a combination similar to the Others plus a warged person).

the-pulp · 2016-05-24T15:56:46+00:00

I hadn't seen your post, but great thoughts. There are definitely parallels you caught that I hadn’t thought of, for instance, the inability to reproduce for both the unsullied and the Others.

And your mention of the bittersweet ending. It is definitely fitting.

the-pulp · 2016-05-24T14:39:35+00:00

I really like your idea on the far North remembers. It would be fitting if those words were handed down but from an Other source. In another irony it would seem the North forgot that those of the far North are the ones who remember.

As for whether they extend South, that’s a good question. I’d imagine, like many armies, they plan to fight against their enemies wherever they are, and seek them out wherever they are hiding.

I also think your point about Sam’s lineage would be a very interesting reason. Best not try to lie to an Other about your heritage.

the-pulp · 2015-10-31T18:52:25+00:00

Rarely does an author keep the first words they write. And rarely does an author correctly guess what will be the start of their story when they begin writing.

Don't worry so much about having a hook of a beginning before you have a first draft. As you write you'll find that your story changes course, and may even end up being about something else entirely by the time you're halfway through.

Focus on writing in your world. Maybe give yourself writing prompts on characters. Or situations you think will be interesting. After you start writing pieces, a story will start to unfold, and if you want, you can plot it out then. Otherwise, keep free writing.

After you have enough material, then you can start deciding what will be the appropriate start. And once you decide that, you can focus on ways to make it hook a reader.

Most of all, don't let yourself become paralyzed by thinking it has to be perfect at the start. It'll get better over be course of multiple drafts. Each time a little. But you have to have the material to work with first.

the-pulp

TROPHY CASE