Regardless claims I can actually make quickly
with evidence linksin reverse order
- is that HBO picked up the show in January 2007,
- that Showtime and HBO were pitched in March 2006,
- that Martin and D&D met for a restaurant in winter of 2006 a few weeks before the March 2006 HBO meeting and D&D knew R+L=J, which delighted Martin
- Martin in other interviews said he would not sell movie or tv show rights if they do not know the shibboleth (this may be a lie on Martins part for he was broke until the year 2000 when the second book dropped, the second book being a success allowed Martin to retire from his other jobs such as teaching and tv and movie film writing. Jobs he loved but he was frustrated being forced to write to the medium and other peoples wants.)
- D. B. Weiss was the second of the two D&Ds to read the books after his friend David Benioff recommend them to him
- D. B. Weiss thought one can pitch this as a tv show after reading the Red Wedding in Book 3. His logic is that he could promise things to a tv network with at least a 3 season run , for the books are a road map a template and one is not creating a new thing from scratch but instead delivering a half made thing already. Thus the execs for a tv network can feel they are getting a consistent product already and thus their money feels more like a sure thing.
- David Benioff fell in love with the books after the 9th chapter. Bran Chapter 2 where Jamie utters the things I do for love line. This would be the 9th chapter after 1 prologue and 8 normal chapters.
- David Benioff started reading the books when there were 4 books, he ordered a boxed set.
- For the people who are unfamiliar Book 4 came out in the United Kingdom in Oct 2005, and the US in November 2005.
- Thus D&D were not familiar with the books for less than 6 months when they pitched HBO in March 2006, and they met George RR Martin at the restaurant several weeks before (it sounds like a January meeting but I can not prove that for they use vague words like weeks). It is likely the two of them had only been familiar with the books for 60 maybe 90 days when they met Martin for the first time and answered R+L=J.
all of those above things are factual
claims which I can provide interview links for. (I am assuming the interview claims are accurate, something I am not sure of since people are unreliable narrators.)
I would go further and state things from memory I can not provide interview links off hand. Those are 1) Martins agent talked to Benioff’s agent , and Benioff’s agent is the inciting incident that got Benioff to read the 4 books and 2) D&D before meeting Martin were excited and nervous fans. They were afraid before the winter meeting and they did some studying via internet forums before the 5 hour meeting. The internet forums is where they learned R+L=J. I have read interviews with 1 and 2 before but I can not procure them at this time.
Yet it does not matter. This goal for after Errorname said they were not feeling alright I realised I could annoy and trigger people and that was not my intent. People put themselves into their passions, when they become fans. And defending other people’s honor becomes also about defending their own honor. (Zuko from Avatar gif goes here, also Sokka.)
I fundamentally believe
faith D&D had no ill will with the franchise, and they earnestly spent a decade trying to breathe life into it and it was their baby. They acted with honor.
I also believe
opinion D&D did not get some important themes about the franchise, snide comments about themes are for book reports from a season 3 interview, and so on. Also D&D were burned out after spending over 10 years of their life with this project and they got sloppy / inelegant due to the exhaustion. But this second part is opinion less so than faith, and honor is about where opinion and faith intersect. Thus questioning these things will trigger many fans and can activated inverted vibes with individuals but also the group aura of conversation.
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So yeah D&D are authentic fans I do not question that. Yet I will repeat the earlier statement (paraphrase not literal) all productions have midwives that are divided and not perfect-elegant. Yet they are perfect-as in completed for they came into this world. (word play here for the word perfect has multiple meanings. Love and Duty and the Divide Choice.)