Month: April 2016

A Jon Snow Poll

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Game of Thrones is back for its sixth season, and there is one major question on everyone’s lips and heart.  Before I discuss that, I just want to preempt this post by saying I will not be reviewing/analyzing each episode of season 6 as I did last year with season 5.  Though I have been feeling the itch, my efforts didn’t garner as much discourse as I was hoping from any source, so I’m just going to watch/comment on my followed and favorite WordPress, YouTube, and other theorists who have a better following than me.  Also the past seasons posts did a lot of book to show comparisons, and that’s no longer possible as the show has outpaced the books.

The fore mentioned question (as indicated in the title) has to do with our recently and poorly departed Lord Command Snow and how (or if) he will come back.  I am of the mind that Jon is definitely returning, owing to what paradigm he represents, but how shall the dark deed be done?

If you have any other suggestions or theories about what might happen this season, I would love to hear them.

Valar morghulis.

Cosplay Confessional – Cosplayer Courtesy

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In my cosplay adventures I have managed to come across many amazing people whom I not only admire for their glorious cosplay skills, but also their willingness to talk to and advise an amateur like me.

A little less than a year ago while perusing Deviant Art, I came across a Sephiroth cosplayer extraordinaire, Ferash/Isidora. 

I’m not sure what I said in my comment besides incoherent babbling, but somewhere in the morass of words, I sparked up enough of an interest that she messaged me, and I admitted that I was planning a Sephiroth cosplay of my own.  Instead of laughing, she warned me about binding my boobs during that time of the month, and we discussed the merits and annoyances of contact lenses.  I had just bought a pair of custom ones from Vision Direct (no longer available; if there were I’d provide a link), and Isidora told me that in her experience, they tend to turn quite often, which is not readily fixable without a bathroom while you’re walking around con.  I was unsure what that meant until they drifted horizontal, and suddenly I had goat pupils instead of cat.  She typically goes for photohop the eyes, which is not a terrible plan.  I’m determined to use my contacts though at some point thought.  I paid far too much for them to fail.

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Question of the Week: 4/24/16

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 2 Comments

<–Question of the Week: 4/17/16          Question of the Week: 5/1/16–>

The Question of the Week is posted every Sunday and will consist of a question followed by my answer and explanation to the same.  Some questions will only require a simple answer that could potentially be followed by an explanation.  Many questions will be writer oriented, but not all.  Everyone is encouraged to answer in the comments and discussions/follow up questions are more than welcome!

**********SPOILERS FOR GAME OF THRONES SEASON 5**********

How do you think Jon Snow will be revived?

The day has finally come; Game of Thrones, the television adaptation of George R R Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire is coming back, and I’m looking forward to it so hard (I don’t really get excited about things.  I’ve learned that generally leads to disappointment, but I digress…).  One of the biggest questions is if or how Jon Snow is going to come back.  I currently have a $5 bet with my Doubting Thomas friend, because Jon Snow is coming back, and I declare this based mostly on what major motif he represents, despite being told my prediction is “mere speculation.”  It’s fine.  Time will tell, and soon I will (hopefully) be vindicated and validated.

I think Melisandre will be integral in bringing Jon back using fire and potentially blood magic.  I’m wondering who might be the sacrifice.  I hope it won’t be Ser Davos and would much rather prefer it be one of the mutineers who Caesared Jon in the first place, but we all know that GoT is never that fair.  Ah if there were only some way to get Ramsay to the Wall #wishfulthinking

Do you think Jon Snow will be revived and if so how will it be done?

I look forward to your answers in the comments!

<–Question of the Week: 4/17/16          Question of the Week: 5/1/16–>

Character Name Conundrum

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 4 Comments

I’ve been pondering this for the past half hour so I figured I’d ask some of my fine friends on the internet for their opinion.

I’m attempting to work on the final chapters of my WIP fanfiction The Broken Rose when a series of random thoughts/internet searches led me to consider a name in my currently unpublished and aging original paranormal romance novel The Serpent’s Tale.  The main character’s mother’s name is Cymbeline, who is the titular king from the Shakespeare play (link provided).  As  you can see, the character is male.  I choose the moniker from the Loreena McKennit song of the same title that I first heard when I was in high school.

You must understand I was young and foolish back then and decided at the time that I loved the name and would give it to a character at some future point, and since (to me) the “-line” ending sounds feminine and quite beautiful, I would give it to my MC’s mother who is very beautiful (I don’t write about ugly people, plus all mother’s just are) and in fact looks like a dark-haired fairy queen.

Now it is 2016 and I have done my homework.  I now know Cymbeline is the name of the king of Britain in a play of the same title.  Logic leads me to believe I should change her name and I have a viable option in Cassandra,  but I love the way Cymbeline just rolls off the tongue.  She is also very regal looking so the name of a monarch is not far-fetched (her last name is Danann, and yes, I did more research on that than I originally did with Cymbeline).

What do you fine people think?  Can I get a way with having female character with an originally masculine (though not masculine sounding to my ear) name.  Semantics of course.  We decided what’s masculine/feminine sounding.

Also, yes, amazing I posted something besides my Question of the Week, though it was quick and for a reason.  I am trying.

Let me know your thoughts on my Cymbeline conundrum.

Question of the Week: 4/17/16

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 12 Comments

<–Question of the Week: 4/10/16          Question of the Week: 4/24/16–>

The Question of the Week is posted every Sunday and will consist of a question followed by my answer and explanation to the same.  Some questions will only require a simple answer that could potentially be followed by an explanation.  Many questions will be writer oriented, but not all.  Everyone is encouraged to answer in the comments and discussions/follow up questions are more than welcome!

Who is your favorite poet?  What’s your favorite poem?

William Butler Yeats is my favorite poet for the express purpose of penning two of my favorite poems: The Two Trees and The Second Coming, which upon examination are about the arcane Tree of Life/Sephiroth and a dark advent respectively.

I was first introduced to The Two Trees while still in high school through Canadian songstress Lorenna McKennitt’s rendition of it on the album The Mask and the Mirror.

I loved the song/poem so much that I choose to recite it by memory in my high school English class (and also because it was put to music and my auditory memory is near god-like in some ways.  This is both a blessing and a curse…), though at that time I didn’t know the higher meanings of the verse. Later I started studying the Qabalah, read some fascinating interpretations, and gained a better insight.  I included some of the latter in my analysis of Game of Thrones’ S5E9: “The Dance of Dragons,” and can only hope I didn’t bungle it too much.

The Second Coming was introduced to me by my favorite ASOIAF theorists, James and LaDonna.  I hope I can find it.  James actually reads the poem in one of his videos…probably the one about Paradise Lost, but that video is nearly 2 hours long (worth every second though), and I can’t pinpoint the exact time if it’s even there.  I think there’s another video where he reads it as well, but alas, I can’t find it.  I made a few recordings of myself reciting the verse, and one day I’ll update my YouTube channel with all of my inane babblings, but that will be after the WIP is finished.  Because I love this poem so much, I’m going to post it in its entirety below (even though I’ve provided the link) for you to read yourself.

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Question of the Week: 4/10/16

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 8 Comments

<–Question of the Week: 4/3/16          Question of the Week: 4/17/16–>

The Question of the Week is posted every Sunday and will consist of a question followed by my answer and explanation to the same.  Some questions will only require a simple answer that could potentially be followed by an explanation.  Many questions will be writer oriented, but not all.  Everyone is encouraged to answer in the comments and discussions/follow up questions are more than welcome!

Who is your favorite ASOIAF/GOT character?  Can be past/present; living/dead?

Game of Thrones, David Benioff and Dan Weiss’s adaptation of George R R Martin’s epic masterpiece is coming back on April 24.

The hype train has no brakes

I figured I’d post a question for my fellow ASOIAF/GOT fans of which I am both.  I have read all the books, seen all of the show, and have written analyses of each episode in season 5 in addition to several essays.  I’m considering reposting some of the latter in preparation for the new season, but in the interim, I thought this question would be apt.

I have both a past and present; living and dead favorite character.  Briefly mentioned by second favorite character is Rhaegar Targaryen,

Rhaegar Targaryen Crowned

For obvious and not obvious reasons. I’m not utterly shallow.

but my first and foremost is Tyrion Lannister whom I wrote a character analysis for.

TyrionTyrion is a tragic character with massive potential.  He exemplifies the paradigm of why books should not be judged by their covers.  Despite his grotesque features and physical deformities, it is the way others treat him based upon those that shape what he becomes.

Can't find the source on this one

Can’t find the source on this one

One of the things I love about Tyrion is that he refuses to be the caricature that everyone wants to reduce him to.  While being a dwarf is part of his identity, it is not all he is, but he constantly has to prove how capable he is by almost literally moving mountains (not the Mountain mind you…), and still he is seen as not good enough.  His existence speaks to a parallels the prejudice many face.

Do I think Tyrion will survive to the end?  I certainly hope so.  He says one of my favorite if not favorite quotes in the entire series.  The words that lie at the crux of the narrative and speaks to so much more:

But even if he doesn’t make it to the epilogue, we must all remember that “a small man can cast a very large shadow.”

Who is your favorite ASOIAF and/or GOT character?  Are they still alive in the books/show?  Do you think they’ll make it to the very end or even out of season 6?

I look forward to your answers in the comments!

<–Question of the Week: 4/3/16          Question of the Week: 4/17/16–>

Question of the Week: 4/3/16

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 7 Comments

<–Question of the Week: 3/27/16          Question of the Week: 4/10/16–>

The Question of the Week is posted every Sunday and will consist of a question followed by my answer and explanation to the same.  Some questions will only require a simple answer that could potentially be followed by an explanation.  Many questions will be writer oriented, but not all.  Everyone is encouraged to answer in the comments and discussions/follow up questions are more than welcome!

How long does it take you to finish and edit a novel?  What is your average word count?

Finishing a novel from start to finish is usually a two year job.  This also includes a fairly thorough edit as I do it as I go along (maybe I’ll post a question asking about writing process, and if so I’ll explain mine).  Since my original novel still remains unpublished I have more editing to do on that though.  Hoping to get to that before the end of this year.

Northern Lights followed the two year pattern and The Broken Rose is coming up on a year and I’m hoping it will only take a few months to edit.  Fanfiction is a bit different though since there are no gatekeepers per se for that.

I have never written a novel that’s been less than 100k words.  The average is around 150k.

How long does it normally take you to finish a novel?  Does that include editing?  What’s your average word count?

I look forward to your answers in the comments!

<–Question of the Week: 3/27/16          Question of the Week: 4/10/16–>