Yes, my favorite thing about the books/show is that there are so many great *characters.* Lots of people only enjoy watching characters they *like.* I’ve always gravitated toward characters who evolve and surprise me. And that’s why ASOIAF/GoT are so great.

Way back in Season 3, I was like, “OK but wait til you guys meet Ramsay and Victarion/Euron! Joffrey will seem adorable by comparison.”

The same supervillian progression happened in the books, too, so if anyone is at fault, it’s GRRM. Granted, show Euron is way more cartoonish than book Euron (who I thought was WAY creepier and more terrifying).

Exactly. Nobody believes me when I say Theon is my favorite character. But:

I was pretty surprised that the show-only fans’ general reaction to 2/3 of the sandnakes getting killed and Ellaria getting captured has been “Meh ... stop cutting into my Jon Snow time with these random subplots.”

He’s more than welcome to stop watching and judge the show for “pandering” or whatever he thinks is going on. I don’t even watch the damn show, I’ve got no horse in that race.

Well, no, the character was consistent with that particular characteristic, and it’s a characteristic that we regularly attribute greater importance because it’s so related to identity.

I think it’s a very dangerous road to go down when we are trying to tell people what they should and shouldnt like in things that they consider entertainment.

We do take it as given that an audience will more easily identify with characters whose characteristics they share, so why are we surprised if that audience expresses some honest displeasure when those characteristics are changed? Like, maybe this person really likes the character.

I, too, would hesitate before visiting Saudi.

It’s his whole response taken together that is the issue. You are focusing on just half.

We probably don’t disagree on a fundamental basis — fair enough.

IF there were some significance in the Doctor being male, I’d understand why people are uncomfortable with the change. But this is a show about a magical, immortal being that changes form every time it regenerates and can take absolutely any human form.

Yeah, I was just astounded that the guy posted that like there was nothing wrong with it, like this was a totally healthy reaction. He totally sees himself as some kind of Dr. Who hipster whose judgement is superior and valued.

I have been watching a social media conversation with great interest on the wall of a friend of mine. A man in my social circle has posted, “I’ll probably stop watching. I don’t feel like the show is for me anymore. I feel like they’re trying to cater to new fans to get a bigger audience and not to us old fans who…

Seriously. This guy. His comments about how he hopes his daughter won’t be “insecure” and spend “too much” on her wedding dress is making me extra thankful I grew up with a dad who was like, “Do whatever the fuck you want, that’s what men do.”

Self conscious is not insecure. I like to put my best self forward in my clothing choices and take pride in my personal style.

Yeah. I don’t think this is actually a terrible idea.

I bought my dress a full year early and spent more than I have on any other garment I’ve bought. So how much is “too much” and how early is “too early” is arbitrary. Obviously, marriage isn’t about how the bride looks on her wedding day, but it was important to me to be comfortable with how I looked and the dress was…

I mean ... a wedding is often a highly-photographed day and for me, as a self-conscious person, it was important to have a dress that reflected my personal style and fit me well. It took me about a day of shopping to find my dress and then it needed to be altered (which took a couple weeks because my tailor is pretty…