Social The WNU Interview Thread!

Thanks for interviewing me, @Khalia Octa and for getting the interview started with some excellent questions!

I came up with my username because I always appreciated the expression "the devil is in the details" and also because I am a fan of the hockey team, the New Jersey Devils. My username is also one that I use on other fan sites, so this allows me to have some consistency across platforms, aiding my memory in that regard.

My favorite era of Star Wars is the Prequel era because I love seeing the Jedi in their prime, many of the worlds such as Coruscant and Naboo are beautiful and intriguing to me from an aesthetic perspective, the politics of that era interest me, and I do appreciate that my favorite character, Obi-Wan Kenobi, can be a main character in that era.

In terms of books, movies, and TV shows, I'm involved in the Harry Potter fandom and the Game of Thrones fandom. I also am involved in the sports fandom by my love of hockey and gymnastics.

 

@Khalia Octa Yes, I'm definitely looking forward to the High Republic/Project Luminous materials. I have placed pre-orders for both the Claudia Gray Into the Darkness book and the Light of the Jedi book by Charles Soule. I think this could be an exciting era for the New Canon to explore, and I'm eager to be introduced to some new Jedi in this era.

 

With the Jedi, I always like to see some exploration of their lore, their culture and philosophical beliefs, and the bonds between Masters and their apprentices. From the descriptions of the books, it sounds like some galactic conflict might be involved along with a threat to the Force and something that rips ships out of hyperspace. I think that sounds like a cool concept and one that maybe could even form the basis of a Disney Plus TV series one day. I'd totally watch that.

 

@Dagobahsystem Thanks for the great Game of Thrones questions! You're right that we haven't really discussed Game of Thrones before

Yes, I've read the entire five published books in the series and seen all the episodes of Game of Thrones. I've also read the Dunk and Egg short stories (compiled in Knight of the Seven Kingdoms) set in Westeros before the main series when the Targareyns were still in power as well as the World of Ice and Fire book. The Dunk and Egg stories had two adorable main characters with a great dynamic between them, and I'd definitely recommend it for those who like the Westeros setting but maybe want something a little shorter or less dark. The World of Ice and Fire book is informative and beautifully illustrated. Definitely a coffee table sort of book meant to be displayed. I do also own the Fire and Blood history of the Targareyn book but have yet to read it because it is something like 800 pages and I can't help at that point thinking my time is better spent reading a real history book rather than a fantasy book written in the style of a history book. Plus, I'm not a huge fan of the Targareyns with two exceptions, Maester Aemon and Egg himself, so a book all about their history doesn't appeal to me that much. A book about the Starks, who I find more interesting and mysterious, would've been more exciting to me.

My ultimate favorite character has always been since I read the first book the one currently residing in my avatar, Sansa Stark. I found her to be a lot more intelligent and observant character than she got credit for, I thought that she had some quite strong political instincts even at a young age (even if she did make some missteps), and I found her perspective in places like King's Landing very interesting. I also like her mother, Catelyn Stark/Tully, who I thought was a loving wife and mother (Ned and Catelyn's marriage was probably the healthiest we saw on Game of Thrones when I think about it) who had better political insights and instincts than she often gets credited for and to me also had believable emotions that could sometimes dominate her thinking, which helped to make her feel very realistic to me. Davos Seaworth is another favorite for being a good advisor and a down-to-earth type person with a fairly clear moral compass. Jamie and Brienne are other favorites, and I think they had a really compelling dynamic. Other favorites were Maester Luwin and Maester Aemon whom I appreciated for their gentle wisdom. Jon Snow is also pretty cool in the standard fantasy hero type way, and I do like Sam though more so in the books than the show. Theon also grew on me especially in the show where he rescued Sansa and they developed a deep sort of friendship and loyalty like siblings.

My least favorite characters are Ramsay Bolton since he just seemed like a sadist and there wasn't much depth to him compared to villains like Littlefinger or Tywin, who I found to me more compelling characters, and Dany herself. Part of the reason I wasn't a fan of Dany was that I couldn't get engaged in the Essos setting where she was located (it to me didn't have the in-depth world building of Westeros) and I had a spidery sense season one and the first book that she was being set up as a future tyrant.

I kind of have mixed feelings about the final season of the show. Some moments and characters arcs were beautiful, moving, and well done. I loved Theon's final character arc as well as that hug between him and Sansa when he returned to Winterfell to fight for the Starks. I also liked seeing the two Stark sisters finally really get along and trust one another for a whole season. Seeing Sansa Stark become Queen of the North was everything I could have wanted for her character and so rewarding. I liked seeing Jamie knight Brienne, but I hated that Jamie went to King's Landing to die with Cersei the way he did (if he had to die with Cersei, I think he should've died killing her).

The Battle of Winterfell was too dark (I couldn't see half the action) and having the Night King killed off so easily did feel anticlimactic to me. I also thought that the White Walkers shouldn't have bothered with attacking Winterfell and just laid siege to it until the food supplies ran out in Winterfell (which is one reason I thought Sansa's food concerns were one hundred percent valid to me not only from a weather perspective but from a strategic warfare perspective since medieval warfare is often siege warfare more than large, open battle warfare).

I also think Bran will make a pretty terrible ruler of the remaining kingdoms of Westeros since he has no people skills and seems to have really lost an ability to connect and empathize with others. To me, the Seven Kingdoms should all have been split up and ruled by someone from their own place with the Iron Throne itself destroyed. So, yeah, that part of the ending didn't work for me at all, and I'd rather be a citizen of the North under Sansa than of anywhere else under Bran. Sansa seems in touch with the needs and wishes of her people, while Bran seems totally remote from them in his own plane of reality.

That being said, I wasn't mad about Dany burning down King's Landing. In fact, her character arc in that way ended pretty much where I expected it would, and I think it was better foreshadowed in the books and TV show than many want to admit. I also do think that the show creators get a lot of unfair criticism given that they actually concluded a story that the author of the books seems to have lost the ability to conclude at all. I'd rather get a conclusion with good and bad elements like the show gave us than no conclusion which seems to be where the books are headed.

I'd definitely re-watch Game of Thrones again. There's a lot of great acting in it and the settings are often beautiful. Even just watching it again for Sansa's glorious arc would be rewarding for me.

@Ananta Chetan What wonderful questions about the natural world! The last time I swam in the ocean was probably last summer when I went to the beach. I'm lucky in that I can usually go to the Atlantic coast every summer since I live about an hour away from it. The last time I really stopped to watch a sunset was last summer with my brother when we watched the sun set over the Pacific when I visited him out in Oregon. I got some gorgeous pictures of that. I try to look at the stars every time I go out at night. I just love the way they shine silver against the dark night time sky.

 

@Khalia Octa Thank you for more great questions. To relax I like to read, write, or take walks in nature or on my treadmill while listening to music or an audiobook.

My fan fiction varies in genre from more general stories that focus on family and friendship to romance to humor to fluffy mush to drama and angst. I like to explore the whole spectrum of human emotion and experience as it were.

 

@Dagobahsystem Thanks for some marvelous music questions!

I have to admit that I have a sort of eclectic taste in music. I like classic rock, country, Celtic music, and songs from musicals. Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, and Bon Jovi were singers I grew up on here in New Jersey (I'll never forget getting to see Billy Joel perform live at the Madison Square Garden with my dad). I like the Eagles a lot and have currently been listening to songs like "Peaceful, Easy Feeling" a lot. I listen to Bob Dylan quite a bit. I also listen to Taylor Swift. From musicals, I love to listen to songs from Wicked (I got to see that live on Broadway when I was in seventh grade, lucky me), Mamma Mia, and Les Miserables. For Celtic music, the Chieftains are my favorite.

My favorite composer is John Williams because I'm most familiar with his work, but I did get to see the Boston Symphony Orchestra get to play a lot at Tanglewood because my family had a vacation house in the Berkshires.

My dad loves music, so I got exposed to quite a bit of variety when I was little. I was a lucky child in that way.