Oh, Needle child...
The ADWD summer was a brief one and we have now entered the longest winter in living memory. You enjoyed the dancing and the tournaments... yet, enduring through the winter will result in real satisfaction. Here are two sections from AGOT that foreshadowed our own winter...
Nan speaks literally of winter...
“Oh, my sweet summer child," Old Nan said quietly, "what do you know of fear? Fear is for the winter, my little lord, when the snows fall a hundred feet deep and the ice wind comes howling out of the north. Fear is for the long night, when the sun hides its face for years at a time, and little children are born and live and die all in darkness while the direwolves grow gaunt and hungry, and the white walkers move through the woods”
Eddard interprets winter figuratively.
She perched anxiously on the edge of her bed, "You are too young to be burdened with all my cares," he told her, "but you are also a Stark of Winterfell. You know our words."
"Winter is coming," Arya whispered.
"The hard cruel times," her father said. "We tasted them on the Trident, child, and when Bran fell. You were born in the long summer, sweet one, you've never known anything else, but now the winter is truly coming. Remember the sigil of our House, Arya."
"The direwolf," she said, thinking of Nymeria. She hugged her knees agaist her chest, suddenly afraid.
"Let me tell you something about wolves, child. When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives. Summer is the time for squabbles. In winter, we must protect each other, keep each other warm, share our strengths. So if you must hate, Arya, hate those who truly do us harm. Septa Mordane is a good woman, and Sansa... Sansa is your sister. You may be different as the sun and the moon, but the same blood flows through your hearts. You need her, as she needs you... and I need both of you, gods help me."
Many of us remember when this forum was the most active author forum on the Chrons. Probably ten years ago, I compared the number of active threads in the last few months and found that the GRRM forum was more active than the next three (maybe four, I'd need to find the post) combined! Many popular, humorous, insightful, and ubiquitous posters have disappeared. They left the pack.
This is still the time to enjoy this very forum. Go to the Tolkien forum... it's only populated by Denethors reminiscing over past glories. (I'm guilty.) Go to the Robert E. Howard or the Edgar Rice Burroughs forums... oh, wait, there aren't any... because there are not any new Conan and John Carter stories. Think of the global phenomenon that was Harry Potter.... the Rowling forum does not have any new threads this year, but it had two last year.
There may not be much meat on the bone now, so crack the bones and suck the marrow. Or go read Joe Abercrombie, N. K. Jemisin, Robin Hobb, China Mieville, et al., but keep an ear out for the howls of the pack... you'll know when a fresh kill has been made.
