Lit Apropos of Nothing - ACKBAR IN CAPITALS - The Lit Forum Social Thread, v2.0.15

Yup, just came out. I have heard very good things about the British version, so I definitely want to check it out.

--Adm. Nick

 

Alright. Needed something to watch, anyways, so I'll give it a shot.

I'll let you know later.

 

I except I'll need this gif many times in the coming weeks.

Spoiler

So until the last five minutes I was ready to say that this episode just re-introduced the characters and showed where they are going to go in this season. Tyrion is still cool, Joffrey is still a ****, Jaime still plays a mixture of Han Solo and Sawyer and so on. But then... dude, what? Would Robert's bastards have a claim on throne even if Stannis and Renly were both dead? I think not, so perhaps the slaughter won't lead anywhere but show that Joffrey really isnot Duros a ****.

But Joffrey doesn't have it well either, his "father" mocking him openly and saying on his deathbed that "I should have taught you how to be a man", and his mother (who is the only person in the world who loves him) slapping him in public. I'm not against slapping him, though.

Hey it's Stannis the Often-Mentioned. And he's ready to kick everyone's backside and sit on the throne, it seems. Well done on quickly establishing the characters of Stannis ("It's a lie. Take it out") and the Woman of One God ("You give me a drink which clearly is poison? I'll drink anyway"). But one thing: How did Stannis receive the letter from Ned? In the novel Lannisters find it from Ned's guardsman's body. That didn't happen in the first season so I guess that is streamlined in the adaptation. If the answer is not spoilerific you can tell it.

The rest of the episode didn't have many surprises. I was hoping to see Renly (Renly is right!), but since he doesn't have any main characters with him yet (Catelyn is going to change that I hope) I didn't expect it.

Grey Wind looked cool, as did the dragons. Mirri Maz Duur was really a hero, Daenerys' horde won't pillage many towns in the future.

All in all, good episode in re-establishing the characters and establishing new ones, but didn't really get an "I have to see the second episode NOW!" reaction from me. After the initial shock even the ending doesn't thrill me that much. The guard will be sent after Arya and Gendry and hijinks ensue but that isn't much of a twist. But Joffrey is four-star material (in a sense that he's a ****).

 

One of the last episodes in Season 1 has a scene were Ned sends a messenger to Stannis with the instruction to show the letter to Stannis and no one else.

 

Now, for something completely different.

 

I love the whole plot of Stannis sending the ravens across the realm about Jaime and Cersiei, so I was glad the show took the time to actually show that - I didn't think it would. But yeah, the first episode is just a recontextualiser, enjoyable though it is.

 

Somehow this is more awesome then it should be.

 

You sir, have just made my day. Heck, make it week. Ain't nothing gonna top that.

 

Not even singing Dooku?

 

I've been meaning to watch House of Cards. After I finish Firefly (this weekend!). I should also probably rewatch Game of Thrones at some point before the new season.

I'm partial to this. It has a hypnotic quality.

 

So, Dragonborn is fun, though the main quest is short. It's not Kirkbride-level writing, but it definitely benefits from the use of lore and the Solstheim setting. However, Solstheim feels smaller than it did in Bloodmoon. Also, dragon riding is just kind of an on-rails mode.

Also, there are several sets of armor that return from Morrowind, and they look far better. Stalhrim in particular, much like ebony armor, finally looks cool instead of embarrassingly goofy.

 

Still running through Dragonborn myself. Fun stuff (never played Morrowind or the Bloodmoon expansion), and enjoying the add-ons. Reminds me strongly of Point Lookout, the best of the Fallout DLCs; brand new area with a number of side quests and lots to see.

 

Point Lookout would have been fantastic, if not for the Feral Ghoul Reavers and overpowered swamp people.

 

To be honest, I stopped playing Dragonborn. The plot frankly bored me. Once the novelty of exploring Solstheim wore off, I haven't felt the need to play it anymore. It was good fun re-exploring the region and seeing how it changed since Bloodmoon, but even that has it's limits of fun. Once I learned everything there was to know about the status of Morrowind in the Empire, I just didn't have the heart to finish it.

--Adm. Nick

 

Yeah, the main quest doesn't quite sell the threat of Miraak that well. Or just what was so monumental about what he learned from old Hermaeus Mora. Don't tell me that those two shouts were that monumental, because they weren't.

However, I did scream "THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE!!!!!" at the end of that boss fight. Also, there's a sword that shoots energy blasts like you're Link pre-1998, so there's that.

 

Speaking of "One"...

This is a superbly edited Doctor Who video posted by PirateofRohan in the JCC Who thread. I figured those Litizens who double up as Who fans would also appreciate it:

 

I've never been able to get into the plot of any Elder Scrolls game. I don't think it's the plot itself, usually, but the method of presentation. The way conversations are handled in Skyrim is... not to my liking. Luckily, there's so much else to love about Skyrim.

I still need to play Dragonborn. RC-1991, purely out of curiosity, what kind of character do you play in Skyrim?

Ulicus. I haven't seen a minute of any Dr. Who show ever, but that trailer still gave me goosebumps.

 

I have been playing many other things lately, and I am somewhat stuck on the Companions quest, Hired Muscle. I found out I had to brawl the person in order to succeed, but I keep dying.

 

I keep going back and forth on just specializing in something or trying to do everything. I haven't played Skyrim in a few weeks, though, but I was trying to balance out my meatheaded warrior with some skill in destruction.

 

Ulicus: Once again I'm remorseful about how many episodes I'm behind.

It's never too late to start! I started 48 years late.

 

I have dabbled into so many things with my Nord warrior, but its so re-playable that once I beat it, I will definitely experiment with different races and perks.