We’re flying back into your lives with this short but sweet little birdie; one day prior to the U.S. premiere of Game of Thrones‘ season 2, and with a tiny tip o’ the hat to one of George R.R. Martin’s favorite football teams, this is The Daily Raven!
Here is the You Tube link to today’s episode.
Fire And Blood: During the next ten weeks we will attempt to be a weekly raven, giving our reactions to each episode every Tuesday. Looking forward to it!
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77 Comments
If we watch it on youtube, versus watching here on the embedded video, does it make a difference to the hit count for the video?
purplejillyQuote Reply
I’m excited to…
bonQuote Reply
THIRD!!! [closest I've ever got!!!!!!!!]
HERP-DERPQuote Reply
Yay! Simone is back!
ArthurQuote Reply
Also I think it’s a good move to plug the site, love the screenshots, and good to plug the WiC exclusive interviews.
purplejillyQuote Reply
Seven Hells!! I can’t wait!
Lady StoneheartQuote Reply
You obviously haven’t read the books…Ygritte is described in the book as “at a lord’s court, the girl would never have been considered anything but common”… and having a “round peasant face, a pug nose and slightly crooked teeth, and her eyes were too far apart.” To have Rose Leslie “literally jump out of your imagination” as Ygritte only proves you haven’t read the books. I don’t think Jon Snow would have been able to keep it in his pants if Ygritte actually looked like Rose Leslie.
My advice, read the books if you have time, you’ll truly be excited about George R.R. Martin’s writing and not only a talking head. And there’s my long shadow. :)
JaimeQuote Reply
My nerd pipe **cough, cough** is SMOKIN’!
Mike ChairQuote Reply
HERP-DERP,
even i got first 2 times….lol…
i thought u r more regulr than me…
the waIFQuote Reply
Jaime,
just a quick comment even though i think this is on the wrong page… john didn’t keep it in his paints, so you haven’t read the books either. Though i agree that ygritte doesn’t look like she should, but I’m not going to say no to another pretty face
now back to the daily raven… <3 simone
Sword of the morningQuote Reply
LOL!!! I wonder what Mike’s nerd pipe is shaped like..
purplejillyQuote Reply
Jaime,
I originally had a L’oreal Paris / Piperlime wall / Project Runway joke in the script, if that helps fill your snark quota.
But I assure you Simone has read the books. We talk about them every time we meet. She said the picture of Rose Leslie jumps out of her imagination, not ours, or yours. Imagining how a character looks, even if it does not 100% fit the book description (since those are fantasy characters not based on real people), does not define whether or not a person has read the books.
Hell, the books tell me Arya has a long horsey face. And in my mind she looks a lot like Maisie Williams.
And as Ser Arthur Dayne just pointed out, Jon eventually does lose his pants.
But if you’d read the books you’d know that.
Cheers!
Fire And BloodQuote Reply
It’s like Gandalf’s. But I only smoke parchment.
Mike ChairQuote Reply
Fire And Blood,
I think he has read the books, everyone has read the books. Now Stop Arguing. Ser Pounce Has Spoken…..
Harry The HeirQuote Reply
Fire And Blood,
I think since Simone is so pretty, everyone else in her imagination is upped a few levels, too. She imagines in “Hollywood Ugly”, as opposed to the rest of us :)
purplejillyQuote Reply
Wait a minute… there’s books?!
RamahQuote Reply
I love the Daily Raven and I’m really looking forward to seeing more of it for the next 10 weeks :)
Ivan PopićQuote Reply
Ok people, I know we’re all super excited that season 2 is so close but lets calm down and stop comparing the size of our bookmarks!!
SillysignupnameQuote Reply
I’m going to go ahead and say it. I don’t think the daily raven is for me. I don’t konw exactly what it is but I’m just turned off by the whole thing, and feeling akward while watching… it feels sort of …commercial, like it’s taking itself too seriously but at the same time trying too hard to be funny. IDGI.
I’m sure at the same time that it is for somebody. Just that the person it’s for isn’t me. All the best to Simone and FaB though!
Jaime,
Wow, not sure if troll or just stupid…
userjQuote Reply
Good episode of The Daily Raven! As I said, I really like Simone as hostess.
Btw, the final of the Game of Thrones Tournament is happening, vote! http://gameofthronestournament.com/
(In my opinion, Arya!!!!!!!!! Go Arya!!!!!!!!)
RobbetQuote Reply
Jaime,
Ooo, if you object to attractiveness that much, you must have spat the dummy when Peter Dinklage was cast as Tyrion.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this episode of the Daily Raven. And yah, Rattleshirt…tee hee. Thanks Simone!
Cersei_IIQuote Reply
userj,
I’d say you’ve probably given us as good a chance as any, 5 episodes in. We’re cool with that, and you’re still a thoughtful poster. Much love!
“All desires are valid… to a man with a full purse.”
Fire And BloodQuote Reply
purplejilly,
Are you for real with this comment? Lol I don’t understand why how pretty Simone is is still a topic of conversation. What does it matter? She’s a fan, she sees the characters how she sees the characters.
To be perfectly honest, if I happen to like a character, I’m going to imagine them (or the people they end up with) as being good-looking. Kind of how you tend to see the people you love, are friends with, fall for, whatever through rose-colored glasses because of how you feel about them as a person. Therefore, an author can describe a character as plain as they like, but if they’re interesting and fun to read about, they’re ging to come out much more like Rose Leslie than some random in my head. And I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case for most people, to be honest.
KatieQuote Reply
userj,
The way I am interpreting it, is The Daily Raven isn’t really aimed at us, the frequent WiC reader and poster – I think it’s more aimed towards someone browsing YouTube, searching for Game of Thrones things. It’s one of those ‘stumble-across’ things that they are hoping people will find, that will then lead them to the WiC website. That’s how I see it, anyway, since it is very ‘commercial’, but all the things Simone talks about are things that anyone here at the WiC website has already seen and discussed. I understand with a video show like TDR, it’s going to be hard to be a ‘breaking news’ thing. I don’t know if this is what Simone and FaB intend it to be, but that’s what is seems like it is becoming, to me.
purplejillyQuote Reply
Beautiful positive review
http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/18017/tv-review-game-of-thrones-returns-with-dark-foreboding-premiere
the waifQuote Reply
Katie,
It was meant as a joke, actually. : D
purplejillyQuote Reply
purplejilly,
Lol, well thank god. With some of the rhetoric I’ve seen on here lately, I couldn’t be sure. :p
KatieQuote Reply
Katie,
That’s why I was joking about it!
purplejillyQuote Reply
purplejilly,
LOL, oops. *blushes* So, basically I’m the asshole in this situation? Right, well, just a normal day then. Carry on.
KatieQuote Reply
No way!! We’re all just here having fun.. And waiting for the next 24 hours to hurry the hell up and get here!
purplejillyQuote Reply
Another great episode. Love the Star Wars ref too!
thomasQuote Reply
I’m so pumped for tomorrow!!
DragonSlayerCoachQuote Reply
Maybe this is old news by now but muthafuckin’ Foreign Affairs has two great essays on Game of Thrones as History and Game of Thrones as Theory
MegQuote Reply
That image of Nik with the sword is strangely erotic.
The KingslayerQuote Reply
I laugh at the “Ygritte is ugly cuz she would look like a commoner” and “Cersei is supposed to be one of the most beautiful women in the world.”
Talk about failing at reading comprehension. Try reading AFFC where suddenly Cersei is revealed as just as plain as any commoner.
The whole concept here is that the noble women have better clothes, better makeup, bathe regularly, and in theory have better diets… Cersei and Dany are not truly the “most beautiful women int he world.” They are just the women everyone wants something from, so they become more appealing.
How could people have read 5 books and still not have picked up on this?
stevelabnyQuote Reply
Wow, that same Tim Tebow joke that everyone’s doing, how original… this show is so corny.
Darren MasonQuote Reply
Interpretation is a funny thing. When I read Ygritte’s description, I pictured her with wide or large eyes, button nose and a head of unruly firey red hair. I took the crooked teeth as a quirk more than an orthodontic nightmare. lol I pictured her pretty as I read the books.. not Dany goddesslike, but good enough to meet mom and dad.
Sometimes, the way someone describes a person is soooo not like what you would imagine. I have forbidden mr. mimsy from EVER describing me to anyone!! He is the absolute WORST with what he thinks are flattering descriptions. If mr. mimsy described me to y’all, I would probably end up looking like the ewok in the Raven’s video. lmao ..and that is sooo not me… as cute as that ewok is..
BTW.. I think the best parts of the Raven are the funky offbeat comparisons.. such as the ewok and the cops reference in an earlier episode.
MimsyQuote Reply
http://www.change.org/petitions/george-r-r-martin-address-the-controversy-of-westeros-org-and-its-owner-linda-antonsson
Felix ZschieschowQuote Reply
Felix Zschieschow,
wow. so I guess I totally missed this controversy. someone quickly fill me in: is this crusade worth my time?
MegQuote Reply
Looking forward to the episode re-caps.
In other news the UK news paper called The Guardian ran a few pages of Thrones write up today. Nothing new to report but it was funny to see a pic of Masie with her new hair cut captioned as “Bran Stark”. Hehe
Christopher BroadbentQuote Reply
I’ve never heard of it before. But I went and read the petition, and I think it would be a bad idea to set a precedent that an author has to address the behavior and attitudes of people who run fan sites. I mean, who has time to police all your fan sites? I know I don’t. And to answer for the behavior of your fan site owners? Eh.. Even if the aformentioned lady is what the petition says she is, (I don’t know because I only go to WiC and Otaku Assemble!) I don’t think making the author comment on it is a good idea or would necessarily change anything.
purplejillyQuote Reply
purplejilly,
I agree with what you’re saying 100%. Also, I refuse to sign a petition where someone is being accused of these things without proof. The whole thing seems off-putting.
Back on topic, TDR is starting to grow on me. I can’t wait for what’s to come. I’m a complete sucker for weekly episode reviews.
HanQuote Reply
purplejilly,
Linda is notoriously nasty to fans who criticize her ideas and her priorities on Westeros.org. To be fair, these fans have been aggressive with her as well. She did everything she could to escalate the situation by creating a tumblr to specifically call out her detractors by name, and colorfully denounce them. If she weren’t treated as a semi-official spokesperson of the series, I’d think she could handle herself however she wants to (as distasteful as I find it.) But she is portrayed as a representative of the fans. It’s pretty disheartening to have George, and even people from the GoT team, talk so highly of westeros.org and of these two, considering how little respect she has for their fans.
That being said, I don’t know how I feel about a petition. The website that she has stated she co-owns has been credited in the media, by the show runners, and the author of the series as a reliable source of information. She can therefore be seen as a public figure related to ASoIAF, and verbally abusing fans can be seen as damaging to the brand. That should be acknowledged. But a petition seems like overkill. Has anyone tried to actually talk to George about this first?
KatieQuote Reply
That sounds childish, immature, and like plain outright harassment and bullying.
purplejillyQuote Reply
purplejilly,
Exactly. I mean, I agree with Han in that circulating a petition without any examples of her behavior attached comes of as shady, and will most likely not get a lot of support. And again, I’m not even going to say that dirt wasn’t slung on both sides. But you shouldn’t be as close to the production as she is, and be able to be as heinous to fans as she’s been. Why should we be supportive of them if they think this is ok?
Btw, XenanMonk linked to her tumblr in the recent fan round table post, if you want to read for yourself.
KatieQuote Reply
I did some mild searching and found this
http://www.hippoiathanatoi.com/Virtually/MUsings/Entry/Race_in_Westeros/
…and it sounds like this is just the tip of the iceberg. I’m still not 100% sure how I feel about the petition, but I’m glad I’m aware of this. I really don’t go to Westeros a whole lot anyway, but information like this gives me more reason to love winteriscoming.net
HanQuote Reply
It could be argued that her tumblr (linked in the petition) is “proof.” Phrases like “Delusional harpies” and “c*nt” are used to describe other fans of GRRM’s work and the show on her tumblr.
Obviously if Linda were just anyone, I’d have no issue whatsoever with her saying whatever she wants about whoever she wants. But she simply isn’t. Whether she wants to be or not, Linda is a public figure. She is a public representative of the fans by virtue of the fact that she has co-owned the largest fan site for over a decade. She is asked to give public interviews about the series, and by virtue of her position has the ear of both George RR Martin and people who are running the show. She gets invited to press events, interviews cast and crew, etc.
Because she is a public figure, Linda should act professionally. She should not respond to attacks with further attacks, and certainly not with profanity and sexist insults. While she’s free to hold whatever opinions she likes, as a public figure, she should not demean other fans.
I don’t think Westerosorg should be brought into this, however. Elio’s a gentlemen even when he disagrees strongly with some fans, and while the site may have some issues with moderation that’s true of every fan forum I’ve ever heard of.
userjQuote Reply
userj,
my bad! i must be blind not seeing it was linked. being as curious as i am, i ended up just googling it myself and didn’t have problems finding what the petition was talking about anyway. it’s a sad situation that a grown woman has to act like a high school mean girl.
HanQuote Reply
userj,
Unfortunately, it’s her association with westeros.org that makes her behavior an issue. Her actions reflect just as much on the credibility of the site as his do.
KatieQuote Reply
I wont sign a petition, but I’m glad I have the tools to make my own decision about the situation. I’m browsing her tumblr now and I’m actually quite horrified to find her insulting feminist ASOIAF fans. It sounds like she’s talking in a very gossipy way about the posters who defended Cersei in the Cersei/Rob debate that exploded on the forums recently. I participated in those debates but I had no idea Linda was making snarky comments about it on her tumblr. It makes me not want to participate on Westeros anymore if anything I say can be grounds for Linda to fire off a rant behind our backs on tumblr. If she were just another fan, who cares. If she posted anonymously, who cares. But I would be shocked and hurt if, say, WiC, FaB, ect acted this way in an official capacity.
MegQuote Reply
Wow. After reading the Tumblr and some related stuff at Westeros.org, I have an heightened appreciation for this site… in spades.
This is entertainment, folks. Not religion. The way she keeps referring to the books as “canon” is kind of… scary.That’s just from an outsider’s first impression. I’m sure running a popular fansite can be difficult, but attitude begins at the top. Just sayin’…
On a surface level, it sure doesn’t look like she’s enjoying her “work.”
I’m not taking sides. It just seems like Linda needs to take a step back and a deep breath. She could learn a lot from the people who run this site about wit and levity and balance. This is supposed to be fun.
One thing she’s right about: Madeline Miller’s A Song for Achilles is a most excellent take on the classic.
PatDQuote Reply
But if she were to simply stop her problematic behavior on tumblr (and more rarely elsewhere) that would be enough for me at least. Elio and Westerosorg can continue to exist. That’s what I mean by saying that neither of them should be pulled into it.
I like the petition except that it calls for GRRM to publicly denounce Linda. This is ridiculous and isn’t gonna happen. My friends and colleagues act like asswipes sometimes but I’m not going to publicly denounce them – I’m going to pull them aside and let them know they are being asswipes, and could they please stop dragging me into it? That’s how things are done.
I disagree that GRRM should do anything publicly. As a public figure, he’s above this fray and the entire point is that Linda herself should be above it too. George should privately ask Linda to cut it out, emphasizing the damage she is doing, and then Linda should either apologize or if she’s too stubborn for that, delete the incendiary content.
userjQuote Reply
Hey guys, the day counter is at 0!
MWQuote Reply
MW,
HOLY SHIT ONLY 20 hours left
Nimble DickQuote Reply
userj,
I can’t say I disagree. I get the sentiment behind the petition. But, the ultimate goal of any action taken should be to call Linda on her shit and get her to cut it out, not to have George publicly flog her.
KatieQuote Reply
I’m confused. The “offending” material is all very clearly Linda’s non-offical opinion as she has stated repeatedly. Is everyone saying that she is not allowed to have and express her opinions in any capacity at all?
That’s just nuts, and the petition is very bad form indeed.
The fact that Linda has used a few naughty words in denouncing what appear to be internet trolls is hardly surprising, and again – she’s deliberately doing it in a way that is separate from the “official” forums.
Sheesh. Lots of thought police out in force.
JackolQuote Reply
Damn, XenanMonk’s tumblr is so much more fun compared to…well, you know. I feel like I’m working like a dog defending the female characters of ASOIAF over at Westeros.org. Its really exhausting. Thank god for tumblr and WiC to remind me I’m not alone :)
MegQuote Reply
Now that is an interesting thought. :-)
Personally from what I have hear and seen:
I dont really think calling Linda a racist is right, since she is just a passion book-purist.
Michael TschuertzQuote Reply
Character assassinations are not cool. You may disagree with Linda’s actions and tell her so (preferably in person or internally on westeros.org). But putting up a petition for a whole community to go against her is going way too far. Especially when you put out a lot of ungrounded accusations. Calling someone racist or misogynist are pretty strong accusations and in the least have to be documented.
MagnusQuote Reply
Katie,
they are regarded as a representative of fans because they are ‘purist’ and in my opinion their loyalty to book remain 100% in storm of critics and beauty of tv series while others (we) enjoy both TV series and ASoIaF books , Their (our) loyalties lies to both (obviously more to book). And that’s make us untrustworthy because we might give our allegiance to TV series just like most of the lords of westeros. Stannis might be rude and ‘less fun to be with man’ but he is loyal to his cause.
And there is nothing wrong with our split loyalty, there is nothing wrong about them (elio & linda) either.
the waifQuote Reply
userj,
totally agree with you….
the waifQuote Reply
Michael Tschuertz
You’re right,she is a ‘racial purist’
elioQuote Reply
Let’s not forget Linda once singlehandedly braught down another fanforum by reporting them to their serverprovider simply because the contents weren’t to her liking.
KnurkQuote Reply
This
Pau SorianoQuote Reply
Has this been around here?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlRxLdksEJw&
Season 1 spoilers.
KharnQuote Reply
Knurk, I missed that one, was it “Is Winter Coming?”
Ivan PopićQuote Reply
that mother f***r Mark A. Perigard of boston herald gave B- to season 2 based on just 2 EPISODES!!!!!!!(bastard)…. last time he gave C+
http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/television/reviews/view.bg?articleid=1061121306&srvc=home&position=also
the waifQuote Reply
Katie,
Exactly? I think we agree completely. GRRM shouldn’t get involved publicly at all.
userjQuote Reply
Ivan Popić,
jup, one of the earlier versions when they had a crappy host I believe
KnurkQuote Reply
Lords know i’ve as much reasons to dislike the Westeros.org authorities as anyone else (they’re totalitarian, juvenile, and needlessly aggressive – but then I would say that, since they banned me).
But neither summoning up a mob with pitchforks nor calling for public denunciations is any better than what they’ve been doing. McCarthyism is just as ugly when its on my side. What’s more, besides the barbarity of the whole thing, the idea that authors should work on behalf of vocal fans to regulate the private behaviour of other fans is both unhelpful and impractical. He’s not your daddy, you don’t have to go crying to him when your sister is rude to you.
WastrelQuote Reply
userj,
We do agree. I don’t think the drafter of this petition thought this one through, to be honest. This comes off as petulant. This is ultimately a fan problem. GRRM should know about it, but humiliating her because she’s been nasty to us isn’t productive.
KatieQuote Reply
He may not be their daddy, but they are his co-authors, his official representation on twitter and facebook, they beta-read ADWD. They are amazon affiliates, earning money with every copy of the books sold. In those functions, it makes them GRRMs responsibility.
saphanaQuote Reply
And FaBs post of the TDR episode has what to do with Westeros.org and its owners???
Oi!Quote Reply
Oi!,
Nothing, but this is public awareness.
Felix ZschieschowQuote Reply
@Michael – I don’t know. Haven’t really thought about it much. But my gut feeling is, wouldn’t a fictionalized game based on a fictionalized universe be the least fitting place for purism about race? Seems ironic to me. It may be medieval fantasy with emphasis on the “medieval,” but the other word has to mean something too, right?
MegQuote Reply
I know this is late in the posts but if anybody has picked up the GoT comics and the graphic novel that just came out (I reccommend it) then you would see that George and the guys who draw the comics view cersei, dany, cat, pretty much ALL the female characters as incredibly good looking. I know it is a comic but I have to say everyone in the comic looks very clean and handsome. Not really how I or probably most readers view all the characters\. just my two cents
OGTargaryenQuote Reply
Yeah, there’s some serious doublethink going on with these petitioners. “We hate you for censoring us at your website Linda, now get in line with our political ideals or we’ll destroy you”. Pretty goddamn scummy IMO
ShabbaRanksQuote Reply