What’s the deal with Mercedes Lackey?  I haven’t read her in a long time, and I don’t remember things holding up super well quality-wise, but what’s the repulsion bit about?  

Sure, not all his “chosen ones” are created equal, but Bran has a pretty bog standard chosen one arc, as does Jon Stark.  Danerys’s final heel turn aside, nothing that unusal about hers either.  

We’re talking about the tv shows, and the GoT tv show was entertaining, but it wasn’t unassailable high art - it was pulpy fun.

Based on the review, pretty good? It got a B.

This is a massively popular book series set in a well rendered fantasy world with excellent costumes and casting - I can definitely see overlapping appeal. Maybe it’s YA “nonsense”, but GoT was pretty darn puply itself. This one will have a lot less gratuitous nudity and rape, at least, so it’s got that going for it.

Some great imagery there :)

Same!  It was always so confusing for me, seeing how casually other people could pair off, and wondering why it didn’t work the same for me.  I wish I’d understood better that different people have different degrees to which their emotional and sexual needs are paired or separate elements, and that it’s ok to not want…

Could be, although I’ve recently come to better understand that emotional needs and sexual needs are different things, and that while they’re very closely linked in many, they aren’t in everyone. Maybe he really doesn’t have any emotional bandwidth right now, but does need/want the release of sex.

I’m not your sweetie, you condescending ass

I didn’t know who he was, but after seeing the list of what he wrote, I think the label fits

Some stuff about vaccines causing autism - he has a kid with autism, so at some point he’d been sucked into the anti-vax stuff some parents in those circles ascribe to.  But, hopefully not anymore (?)

Oh, no, definitely both in this case - they discovered this mystery because a backup somewhere was causing things to arrive in the basement (but also the basement of a neighbor 2 houses down - yay!).

I’m confused by the increasing strength thing - what were they looking to measure, exactly?  Because if you’re just looking to measure effects of long term usage, that’s not duplicative of peoples’ actual habits.  

I mean, I know some very productive people who smoke every day, and who are pretty hard to be around if they don’t, for whatever reason (usually travel).  Brain chemistry is highly variable!  

I’m wondering if there’s a word for being simultaneously really excited for a new show, but also really annoyed that it means signing up for a new service?  

These home mysteries are much better than the one my sister was just dealing with - the mystery of where their sewer line actually goes.  Not to the street, apparently!  Possibly through several neighbors’ yards?  Basically, home mysteries are always worse when they involve poop.  

Whenever I think of frozen yogurt, it reminds me of The Good Place, particularly (SPOILERS!)

I always love Funches’ comedy.  I’d heard him say some anti-vax stuff a while back, which was a huge bummer, but he’s publicly stated he got the Covid vaccine, so maybe he’s come around on that?  (fingers crossed)  

If you haven’t heard it, I’m very partial to the Blanks’ (the “Ted the lawyer” band from Scrubs) acoustic cover of Hey Ya - really highlights the more poignant elements in the lyrics.

People make fun of that accent, but it always just reminds me of my grandma.  Sadly, though, this show sounds like very much not my thing.