So, a few days ago I started reading the first book of the A Song of Ice and Fire series—aka the books Game of Thrones is based on.

I bailed after 150 pages.

There are many reasons why I did, among them racism, pedophilia, and implied rape (also historical inaccuracy parading around as realism, which is something else entirely). These are all reasons I hate the book, and are part of why I won't watch the show (the rest is bc it's graphic and I'm not about that life). Me and Game of Thrones, we are not friends.

HOWEVER.

I find myself drawn to the characters (especially the Starks. And Jon Snow. I love Jon Snow) and the world, and the rich narrative the show and books have built up. And I love reading fic; I can really get into it!

And it's weird, because I hate the actual thing so much and yet I still absorb all this content.

And I think I figured out why.

Though I dislike Game of Thrones (and the books) themselves, I like what fans turn them into. And that's interesting—it shows the power of fandom, and how even though a person doesn't like a thing, they can still enjoy the thing's fan content.

Just some thoughts of mine!

July 16, 2019