Lurker > Solfadore

I still have no clue why Kanz did what he did.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

Ah. I have not noticed anything.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Valve_Time

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

Note that I actually saved Kanz because my intent is to make everyone else's life miserable, and if Kanz is dead, there's just no way he can be annoyed enough.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

**** it.

##Help Kanz.

I owe my victory last game to two people doing that to me, and though neither of them were Kanz, I'm still going to do it.

Also WTF.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

I have such a bad feeling about this.

I did literally jack**** with my private actions today, and now I feel like everything's going to explode around me while I do stupid ****.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

8. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister)

I’ve said it time and again already, but I’ll just have to repeat it one more time: it’s really a testament to the quality of the acting that a guy like Coster-Waldau ranks so low. The man was unbelievable in the first season (definitely a top 5, maybe top 3 even).

Unfortunately for Coster-Waldau, there’s quite a world in terms of material between S1 Jaime and S2 Jaime (there’s no such thing as book 2 Jaime, so yeah). Season 1 allowed him a wide range of scenes and little subtleties, be they the trolling, ***-kicking, or just plain complexity of the character. These scenes with Ned were incredible, as were the ones with Cersei in which he’s just completely blood-chilling (“until you and I are the only ones left” – there’s a reason why that line was in all the trailers, and that’s because Coster-Waldau absolutely ran home with it. I have no idea how Headey managed to keep a straight face during that one).

That said, though, that’d be S1 Jaime. S2 Jaime is stuck in a cell for most of the year, and aside from one (exceedingly good) scene, has to limit himself to his ‘trolling’ persona. Coster-Waldau doesn’t mind, though, and even if the script limits him to a trolling role, he says **** it and explores around a bit to try to flesh out his character a bit. He’s just supposed to Hannibal Lecture Robb to show the latter that he sucks? “**** it, I’m going to shed some light on my character as well by making him appear as somewhat of a nice guy with hidden depths, yet still a troll/douchebag. And it’s going to work. Deal with it.” I think that might come from the fact that Coster-Waldau really likes his character a whole lot. Seriously: watch any interview of him, and you’ll see him defending every action his character makes. It’s awesome.

Why’s he ranked so ‘low’, then? I have no idea. HBO seriously couldn’t have picked a better actor for the role, but I just feel like overall, Jaime doesn’t deserve to really rank higher. He did a whole lot with little material, but others either did more with even less material, or were just too magnificently splendid that there’s no way they rank lower than Coster-Waldau.

Jaime should get way better material next season, so Coster-Waldau will be higher. Note that I don’t say “he better be higher”, like I did with Harington/Jon Snow. There is no doubt in my mind that Coster-Waldau will continue to nail his scenes.

There are no actors like him. There’s only him.


Best scene: There’s really one right choice here, and it’ll have to be the scene with Alton Lannister in the cell, because that’s the one time where he really has something consistent to play with, and since he’s good, obviously that translates into something incredible. Which reminds me that I’ve completely forgot to include Alton in these rankings. I’d rank him around Finn Jones/Loras. There, I’ve done it.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

---TYRION LANNISTER TIER OF SCHEMES, PLOTS AND BROKEN THINGS---
Forget Lancel, Hot Pie and all the other guys. This is where it’s at. This tier is just freaking amazing. Would it be any other non-HBO show, any of these guys would nail the #1 acting spot. They’re just really, really good – and I have truly nothing to say against any of them. The top tier’s just more mindblowing, generally because of the material available to them.

If you like comparisons between leads and supporting actors, you’ll have to wait until about Supporting #6 or #7 to find someone of their caliber. All three of them are fairly close to each other, by the way, so I could easily see #8 being #6, and vice-versa. Why am I making this spiel? To make you understand that getting #8 is something to be proud of given the quality of the acting on the show. Which is good, because the next one on the dissecting table is...

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

15. Eugene Simon (Lancel Lannister)

I don’t know for you, but I’m getting a bit tired of all these write-ups for thoroughly unmemorable characters. Can’t wait until we reach the really interesting ones! Oh well.

So this writeup will be fairly short this time around because I just got back from a 9-hour workday and I’m a bit tired, and well... this is Lancel. I will say, however, that Simon has improved dramatically from the last season, as I used to rank him *very* low in my unofficial rankings (S1 Simon would’ve been around #25, I think) for a very artificial performance. Since then, I think he’s grown into the character, and since the character’s grown as well, that gives him more leeway to play with.

Following Robert’s death and his appointment by Cersei as Jaime’s “replacement goldfish”, the guy has gone very arrogant. That’s not too hard to play, and Simon does it well, although there’s nothing too mind-blowing there. However, from a rather average first scene (aka the first one with Tyrion, though he did have a short scene before that but no one cares about that one), Simon has really grown on me with a very consistent and convincing performance for the rest of the season.

He’s good at being this intense, but slightly cowardly guy, who knows that he’s screwed no matter what he does but still tries his best to keep his head out of the water – and failing badly. What I like most, though, is that Lancel undergoes a bit of unseen character development (we see the result, but not the journey), a development that Simon actually makes believable. He decides to stand up to Cersei in Blackwater, and though he’s still the very same Lancel we’ve seen all year, Simon tweaked his delivery and posture just a bit to try to sell this “Lancel with a backbone.” I’m a bit too tired to analyse exactly how he did it, but in any event, it works and I’m going to keep it at that.

And then Cersei pushes him and he turns back into the pathetic weakling he is. And that’s still credible as well.

Best scene: Ohhhh, that’s a tough one. I actually didn’t like his performance that much in his first scene with Tyrion, so I’ll have to settle on something else. Probably the second scene with Tyrion in the carriage, although Simon’s main strength is consistency, so it’s hard to pinpoint a scene in which he really shined.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

(Also don't expect anything from me until tonight, since I'll have to work for most of the day.)

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

From: Rex915 | #130
Is it too late for me to post a list??

Lead Actors
1. Alfie Allen
2. Maisie Williams
3. Lena Headey
4. Peter Dinklage
5. Charles Dance

Supporting Actors
1. Jack Gleeson
2. Conleth Hill
3. Tom Wlaschiha

I know I'm breaking the Tyrion/Arya top two thing but Theon was just amazing this season.
Again, yes, you're a bit late in submitting your list (doing so after I've already started giving out hints to the top tiers - it wouldn't really be fair to the others who had to submit theirs without any help from me). Thanks a lot for submitting it, still, though: I'm always curious to see these!

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

Also, I actually think that Renly would've made the best king out of all the five pretenders we've seen - six, even, if we throw Dany into the mix - so I'm not holding his awkwardness against him. Joffrey and Balon are obviously not kingly material; Stannis sees the world in black-and-white and is led by the nose by a religious nutjob; Robb is alright but a bit stupid (basically Ned v. 2.0). If Ned hadn't been stupid and had actually sided with Renly back in Season 1, the series would've been over very quickly. Starks + Baratheons + Tyrells = not good for Stannis and the Lannisters. Although I suppose Melisandre might've still tried to pull a fast one on Renly.

I do still think that he didn't really want to be king, really - it was just a matter of circumstances and he kind of went with the flow. Like Robb with the whole King in the North bit. The only pretender who really, really wanted his crown was Stannis (although 'wanted' might not be the most appropriate word).

Regarding Renly's awkwardness, he's essentially trying to 'pose' as regal. We've all seen Renly back in Season 1: as smart and surprisingly not-a-douchebag as he was (which is more than I can say for the rest of the pretenders), he did not *look* like a king. In Season 2 - and especially in the tourney grounds, he's acting overly pompous to give himself the sense of grandeur that he lacks (it's a good and necessary move, but he needs to do it). If you want a 'natural king', look at Tywin Lannister. That guy doesn't need to fake anything - he's just 'kingly' by nature. Dany also has shades of this when she enters the Mother of Dragons mode. Now look at Renly again. A bit fake, don't you think?

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

Thanks a lot for submitting your list, Kaxon! Always interesting to see who the favourites are! Although unfortunately you're a bit past the deadline; since you submitted yours after I started giving hints about the actual actors in the top tier, I don't think it'd be fair to the others to include you as an eligible contestant (unless they really don't mind, but yeah).

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

"Fun" facts regarding predictions:
- Dinklage and Williams are unanimously held to be the best actors on the show. You'll just have to wait and see if that holds in my rankings!
- Lena Headey and Conleth Hill also appear on everyone's list. Will they make the cut or will they falter before that?
- There is no dark horse in these predictions, i.e. every actor appearing in your predictions has been guessed by at least one of your fellow competitors.
- Despite that last fact, two actors (leads or supporting) that made *my* top tier(s) do not appear at all on anyone's list. In light of your predictions, I suspect one of them will be a somewhat controversial placement (although I've said the same thing of Gillen and we've seen how that played out).

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

The Predictions (by chronological order)

Eeeevil Overlord
1) Arya Stark
2) Tyrion Lannister
3) Tywin Lannister
4) Theon Greyjoy
5) Cersei Lannister

1) Maester Luwin
2) Varys
3) The Hound


AlecTrevelyan006
1) Arya Stark
2) Tyrion Lannister
3) Cersei Lannister
4) Jaime Lannister
5) Tywin Lannister

1) Jorah Mormont
2) The Hound
3) Varys


LordoftheMorons
1) Arya Stark
2) Tyrion Lannister
3) Theon Greyjoy
4) Jaime Lannister
5) Cersei Lannister

1) Tywin Lannister
2) Varys
3) Joffrey Baratheon


MarquessLaus
1) Tyrion Lannister
2) Arya Stark
3) Cersei Lannister
4) Joffrey Baratheon
5) Theon Greyjoy

1) Jorah Mormont
2) Varys
3) Maester Luwin

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

THE LIST SO FAR

Lead Actors

??? Tier (Top Tier)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

??? Tier (Amazing Tier)
6.
7.
8.

Margaery Tyrell Tier of Political Seduction
9. Gethin Anthony (Renly Baratheon)
10. Michelle Fairley (Catelyn Stark)
11. John Bradley (Samwell Tarly)
12. Isaac Hempstead-Wright (Bran Stark)
13. Richard Madden (Robb Stark)

Eddard Stark Tier of Political Savviness
14. Kit Harington (Jon Snow)
15. Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen)



Supporting Actors

??? Tier (Top Tier)
1.
2.
3.

??? Tier (Amazing Tier)
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Bronn Tier of Honourless Pig****-Throwing
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16. Ben Hawkey (Hot Pie)

Jon Snow Tier of Not-Knowing, yet Still Being Competent with a Sword (Good Tier)
17. Aidan Gillen (Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish)
18. Carice van Houten (Melisandre of Asshai)
19. Michael McElhatton (Roose Bolton)
20. Gemma Whelan (Yara Greyjoy)
21. Finn Jones (Loras Tyrell)
22. Robert Pugh (Craster)

Arya Stark Tier of Pointy-End Sticking
23. Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell)
24. Dominic Carter (Janos Slynt)
25. Natalia Tena (Osha)

Bran Stark Tier of Combat Prowess
26. Sibel Kekilli (Shae)
27. Kerr Logan (Matthos Seaworth)
28. Esme Bianco (Ros)

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

---BRONN TIER OF HONOURLESS PIG****-THROWING---
I’m sorry, guys, but we’re beyond the stage of me trying to find flaws in the actors’ performance. That stands for both leads and supporting actors. I might make a passing remark if one scene strikes me as strange, but that’ll be the exception rather than the norm. In any case, regarding this tier, we still have some “average” (this series’ average) actors to go through, but after that, we’re in the clear for some phenomenal performances – around #12 or so, I’d say.

But first, an oddball, and not the least of them.

16. Ben Hawkey (Hot Pie)

**** yeah Hot Pie! Just kidding.

This was a character in the books that I absolutely did not care for in any tangible way. He was more annoying than anything in the book (although that doesn’t make him a bad character: it’s just that we’re not supposed to care for him). To make him memorable is no mean feat, and Hawkey managed to nail one of the best moments of Episode 2 with the glorious definition of a battle.

What a thoroughly well-acted scene! Hawkey sounds like such a simpleton – the stupid little eyes, the confident tone, the moronic, yet not excessively moronic delivery is great. And then he peaks when he actually has to explain to Gendry that a battle is when ‘they’ve got armour on’. “And who told you that?” says Gendry, “A knight? How do you know he was a knight?” Hot Pie: “He... had armour on.” The tone was perfect. The hesitation and mumbling was spot-on. I cannot conceivably see a better way to deliver that line. Amazing.

Aside from that, he was very consistent throughout and I don’t think I can pinpoint any flaw in his performance (although there was not much variety).

This was “How to make it on the Top 16 with one line in Solfadore’s rankings.” Admittedly, he probably shouldn’t be so high, but hey, I liked his character in the show, and since his lines weren’t that much better than in the books, I’m going to pin this on Hawkey.

Best scene: Gee, I wonder.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

I have no choice but to agree with Alec here. A dismal change that could have been remedied very easily.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

Silver, you are a riddle wrapped inside an enigma.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

Someone watch Maria please. That 17:00 action is way too shady.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

Is it in Valve time?

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

Coming up next in this riveting thriller of a topic:
---> The last member of the oddball family. Bolton's rival in terms of randomness, but they definitely deserve a kudo.
---> Another one of these middle-of-the-pack supporting actors, although the actor had a bit of a tougher job with the material/development of the character they embodied, which gets them a mention.
---> A really great leading actor who has been amazing throughout. It pains me to rank them so low, but it's a testament to the quality of the acting that such a great actor is ranked so low.

As always, when I say "actor", I can mean either actor or actress. You'll have to wait and see.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

9. Gethin Anthony (Renly Baratheon)

Okay, before we start, I’ve noticed a lot of you had him pegged as a supporting actor. That’s understandable, as he’s one of my two lead actors that really skim the line between leading and supporting (there’s also one supporting actor who’s really hard to peg down). Just to clear things up on the definition: Renly’s a lead because, while he doesn’t have that many scenes, he has the tendency to assume the leading role during these scenes. Think of the tourney grounds, the sex scenes with Loras/Margaery (these scenes were really all about him), the confrontation with Stannis, his death, etc. He was the focus of these scenes, and tended to dictate their flow, so I pegged him as a lead actor. Hope that’s clearer.

Compared to other actors above and below him, Anthony’s a bit inconsistent, which may be why he is on this tier and not the next, but also why he’s at the top of his tier. Some things he does exceedingly well, but in some scenes, he does falter a bit.

Renly’s kind of this really ‘soft’ character. He’s not passionate, he doesn’t want to be king with all his heart – he just does it because Loras told him that he would make the best king and he kinda got lost in the dream. He’s basically playing at being king – Anthony’s got that side of Renly pretty much in the bag. You can sense that he’s just out of place compared to the big players, and that he tries to overact a bit (Renly, not Anthony) to make himself seem grander than he is. I’m thinking of the tourney scene here. Anthony’s playing Renly with just a hint of awkwardness that helps define the character. It works.

However, where Anthony really shined for me was the scene with Stannis on horseback. Yeah, he didn’t have a peach, like he did in the book, which is a shame (let’s not make that big a deal of the peach, though), but that’s obviously all on the writers. I’d like you to think/scroll back to my write-up on Shae, when I said I used to see her not as a character, but as an actress playing a character. Anthony’s doing the opposite, if that’s possible. During that scene with Stannis, I felt like he was not a character, but a... real person, for lack of a better term.

It’s nothing mind-blowing; there’s no theatricals, no flashiness involved. It’s really underplayed. The little comments he make, about the battle being terribly confusing with the same flags, about Stannis being a ham, and, most of all, his final line (“I loved him once. Can you believe it?” – exceedingly well delivered with a touch of irritation) – all feel real to me. That’s quite a feat. I wanted to acknowledge that – the more we go up the list, the more often I’ll refer to these ‘real person’ moments.

At the same time, I’m not entirely convinced by his performance with Margaery in the tent (no, not in that sense, you perverts!). It just felt a bit too much, maybe? The guy (Renly, not Anthony) is a good actor – though of course it wouldn’t necessarily rise, I think he could’ve gotten a bit more into it, maybe? That said, maybe that’s the normal reaction in these kinds of situations.

So yeah, he does really well at times, plays the character very convincingly, but there’s just something missing for him to break the next tier.

Advance warning: there is quite a big gap between him and Lead Actor #8. You have been warned.

Best scene: His scene with Stannis on horseback, for the reasons outlined above.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

I am now drafting LA#9's writeup. If you want a shot at predicting the top tiers, now would be a good time to post your list.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

@Alec: Don't you remember my rants against Gillen/LF back in the days of Episode 2-3? Nearly everyone fell on me and ardently defended Gillen. I think the discussion must have gone on for about a page or so.

I expected pretty much the same range of reactions this time around! Oh well.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

Eeeevil Overlord posted...

I disagree, but I think it's more about interpretation of the character than anything else. I would quibble with what you say at the end though - Renly tries to convince Ned to attempt a coup, Littlefinger tries to convince Ned to seat Joffrey as King and kill Stannis.

Well yeah, that's pretty much what I meant. It's not technically a coup, but rather a coup long in the making (i.e. the coup would have come in a few years when Joffrey comes of age).

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

I'll be eating my canned food, thank you very much.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

The Real Truth posted...

From: Solfadore | #105
Just bought the game a few days ago as well (maining a male witch doctor, but I've also played a bit with a female demon hunter). WD sucks until he gets his Gargantuan (level 19 or so) - afterwards, it's great fun. Just got past Act 2.

Solfadore#1346, IIRC.
Wrong gamer tag. Just tried adding you.

My bad, it was #1364.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

(cont'd from last post)

Second, the scene with Tyrion in which the latter plays him out like a fiddle by promising him Harrenhal. I’ve ranted quite a lot in the other topic on this point, so I’ll avoid repeating myself, but I was annoyed by how... ‘caricatural’ LF seemed. Tyrion tells him to convince Lysa to marry Robin to Myrcella. Sure enough, LF says, but what’s in it for him. It was pretty much the exact same line in the books – but it didn’t work on screen, and not because of the script. Gillen played him way too much like the evil chancellor who just can’t help it but be evil and conniving and selfish. Again, it’s a wonder they keep him around. The real LF would have played it very matter-of-factly, like it’s perfectly natural and that Tyrion was crazy to even ask for his help unless he brought something else in return. Still douchey, but it works.

I have a lot of misgivings with the scene with Catelyn, but that’s mostly the writers’ fault, I’m afraid. I did find Gillen to be much too forward in his feelings (and before you say that he was talking to the love of his life, let me remind you that he had a few scenes with Catelyn last season and was perfectly reasonable in them).

So yeah, I’m very disappointed in Gillen this season. At the same time, though, I can’t rank him any lower because even though he has dropped the ball a few times, when he does bring out his A-game, he’s really good. He’s got great screen presence and does a good job of supporting the leads around. And most of all, it’s the writers who should take most of the blame for his characters’ portrayal this season. To be fair, it’s not exactly an easy role to nail down either.

Best scene: As much as I hate the scene because it’s so out of character for him, I can’t deny that his scene with Cersei in the first episode in which she almost has him killed was exceedingly well-acted. Kudos to him. And since I want to end on a good note, I would also like to say that he was awesome in the first season – particularly in the scene with Ned Stark (in which he tries to convince him to attempt a coup against Joffrey). Holy **** was he magnificent in that one (and that’s a really, really hard scene to nail). If you want to see the true Littlefinger, as he should have been all along, go rewatch that scene.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

17. Aidan Gillen (Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish)

Alright, this has gone on long enough. Ranking one-off characters and bit actors who had little to no material variety is fun and all, but it’s time for the first big name to go. This is the first actor who actually has the material necessary to break the top 10, having the chance to play a complex character with a wide array of material at his disposition.

Now before I go off, some preliminary stuff. Yes, the writers changed his character a bit for the second season, played him out for a bit dumber and simplistic than he is, thereby leaving him with less material than would have been ideal. I am aware of this, and have taken that in consideration when doing the rankings.

So, Littlefinger. One of my favourite characters from the book. I was a tad disappointed with Gillen last season, but that was mostly because my expectations were excessive; in retrospect, Gillen has played the character quite well during the first season (well enough to break the supporting actors’ top 10, I’d reckon). I’ll be honest with you, though: I have yet to find a single LF scene this season that I’m satisfied with (well, there are a few, but they were carried by other characters). Most of the time, it’s the writers’ fault, but there are quite a few instances where Gillen has just... not understood the character very well.

I’ve made the same comment re: Osha. Now, this is a bit direr. Tena having a different take on Osha is alright, because she’s not very important to the plot (as of yet – she may or may not grow more important in later season(s)). I think we can all agree that LF is a centerpiece of the whole plot, along with the court at King’s Landing.

See, LF has taken the mockingbird for his sigil, and that’s precisely who he is. He likes to quip, he likes to snark and mock, always a smile to his face – but most of all, he’s charming. Everyone knows he’s a conniving traitor with a chronic backstabbing disorder (Ned, Tyrion, Tywin and Varys, for instance, have all been shown to be acutely aware of this), but nobody really does anything because he, well... charms and flies and mocks his way out of any potential harm.

Gillen plays him like a weasel – some sort of slimy courtesan that doesn’t really do anything except scheme and plot his own advancement. It’s a wonder they keep him around. Most of the faults’ on the writers on this one – be it the scenes with Tywin in Harrenhal or with Catelyn in Renly’s camp, LF’s been acting pretty uncharacteristically. Gillen, however, has dropped the ball in some instances as well.

First, the scene in the brothel when he threatens Ros. The script was pretty vague for that scene – leaving a lot of leeway to Gillen to play it however he felt like. He went for the direct threat, looking her straight in the eyes with nary a smile on his face while he threatened to basically have her killed. A chilling performance. Now, if this were someone else (say, Bolton), this type of performance would have worked well. Not with LF, though. LF might’ve threatened her, sure – might’ve even used the exact same words the writers put in his mouth. But he’d have done so with a smile, very pleasantly, with a hint of charm and very matter-of-factly. He would’ve probably enjoyed to see her squirm, but most of all, he would’ve been detached. This is not LF.

(cont'd in next post)

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

Epic rant incoming in a few minutes.

Warning: this will be fairly divisive and I expect almost all of you to disagree with me. This is by far my longest write-up and the most personal one. Even if you disagree, please keep in mind that write-up #17 is an exception and that I will be back to my usual positive self by Lead Actor #9.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

Alright, let's make of tally of everyone who is not suspicious:




Here we go, I've done it.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

And to think that KP and Maria haven't even posted yet.

This game will be a mess.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

Check the video description. I've uploaded the sheet music.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

Okay, then. I'll give it a shot anyway.

What will you be doing privately during the afternoon, Spiral?

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

Oh derp. Didn't even notice that the 2nd floor was accessible right away this time.

My decision to investigate the Stairs to Floor 2 has now been rendered completely useless.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

I remained loyal to Maria, so I consider this to be a great feat of honesty, tbh.

Also we need three people to follow the guys who made private actions and make sure they don't do anything funny. Including me if you suspect me (I really don't mind) - but I think it's important to know what Reg and Spiral are up to in case they try anything shady. So if you're not doing anything during the afternoon, coordinate with others and follow Reg/Spiral, making results public.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

Or you could just ask me after the day phase is over and I'd PM you the results.

When have I ever been dishonest in a Dangan Ronpa game?

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

Let me clarify: #17 has showed up in some lists, just nowhere near the top tier. AKA I highly doubt someone will guess them for top tier.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

Nah, Spiral. If you want the results, you'll have to PM me/ask for them every single time. Don't feel like providing my hard-earned investigation results to someone who tries to lawyer my extraordinarily kind offer - and even copies my anti-poison routine.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

Just bought the game a few days ago as well (maining a male witch doctor, but I've also played a bit with a female demon hunter). WD sucks until he gets his Gargantuan (level 19 or so) - afterwards, it's great fun. Just got past Act 2.

Solfadore#1346, IIRC.

--
When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

Raka, are your investigations public or private?

--
When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

Also, I may upload both the rant (aka Supporting Actor #17) and Lead Actor #9's writeup very close to one another tomorrow evening (around 9:00PM-ish EST), so I would suggest everyone submit their predictions by then. I don't think #17's identity will help you in any way in guessing the top tiers, and #17 has yet to appear in any of the predictions submitted so far, so hopefully we're fine and nobody submits them in their list.

--
When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

I've also bolded the rooms I investigated in order to avoid people investigating the same rooms and wasting valuable time. I'll repeat them, they are:

- Stairs to Floor 2
- School Store

--
When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

07:00 Solfadore leaves his room for the cafeteria with a pillowcase in hand, responding to other greetings from other players with a smirk and a snarky/pretentious comment. Once there, he grabs a bottle of water and enough food for three meals (preferably food cans aka anything that is both nutritious and non perishable). He also swings by the kitchen to grab the largest knife available. He takes everything back to his room. There, he checks his trophy to make sure that there's nothing inside it. If there is, he takes it out of the trophy.

08:00 Solfadore tries to enter the room of three other students at random. If the door opens, he immediately closes it without trying to enter (this is just to check that the locking mechanism is the same as last game - don't fret, guys. Someone can watch me if they think I have evil intentions or something).

09:00 Solfadore leaves his room with his trophy in hand, investigating the "STAIRS TO FLOOR 2" (number 8 on the map). Results private.

10:00 Solfadore finds the most easily accessible camera and shows his trophy to the camera, so that everyone can see it. He shows every angle and makes sure everyone can see the title.

11:00 Solfadore investigates the SCHOOL STORE, with his trophy in tow. There, he makes private actions. Results of the investigation will also be private.

12:00 Solfadore moves to the cafeteria and eats, prioritizing food that is impossible to poison, such as canned food, which he will always inspect to make sure there's no hole on it, being careful as to not move his face too close to the can in case the poison is on the can itself. He will then wash the yet-unopened can with water (no soap). He makes sure to wash his hands after the inspection (checking the soap beforehand to make sure it's not been tampered with). Then he washes the can opener - and the utensils he uses. Then he opens the can, washes his hands once more, and eats, after which he will again wash his hands. He never drinks in the cafeteria - but will rather drink from his trusty water bottle which he will fill and drink in his room. For further notice, he will always do this whenever he eats at the cafeteria.

13:00 Solfadore hangs by the cafeteria, trying to talk to other people there while still remaining a dick.

14:00 Solfadore does a quick exploration of the whole first floor, not investigating anything in too much detail but just glancing very quickly to get a bearing of the rooms, doing one private action while he's at it (which will be caught on camera). If for some reason the exploration is illegal even though no actual investigation is being done, then Solfadore merely remains in the cafeteria to talk with the others.

18:00 Solfadore eats at the cafeteria.

21:00 Solfadore returns to his room.


To other players: basically, I have the intention of selling my trophy to buy stuff from the store with which I can defend myself, but which is not convenient or even useable to actually carry out a murder (in addition to other self-defence stuff that I already have). I'm showing you my trophy to avoid shenanigans later on with people thinking I'm some other role or something. Someone is free to come with me to check what I buy if they think I have evil intentions.

Additionnally, all of my investigations, just like last game, will be done in private. However, I will gladly transmit the results of my investigations in PM to anyone who asks about it, be it in PM or in public. I will simply ask that you not post the results in public.

--
When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

As of ACOK, she sucks and steals valuable screentime away from the much more fascinating Stannis.

--
When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

18. Carice van Houten (Melisandre of Asshai)

The night is dark and full of bad characters. Although she does grow more bearable in later outings, Melisandre is a real pain in A Clash of Kings, because she sees everything in black and white. I know that Martin was trying to make us realize that seeing things in black and white is bad, but I think Ned dying already set the tone pretty well. I’m not really a fan of the whole religious angle either.

That said, I let my hatred of Melisandre taint my appreciation of van Houten’s work, which is really unprofessional. I’ll never do it again except in the very next ranking and the twenty-five ones after that.

Seriously though, van Houten has the particularly difficult job of playing a threatening religious nutjob who likes to speak in riddles. There’s really not a dozen ways to do it, but even then, there’s not much leeway to actually venture somewhere else. As usual (and as you’ve heard me say a dozen times by now), she does her job really well, in that she’s a believable threatening religious nutjob who likes to speak in riddles. She has the mystical allure, the right vocal calibre, the just-a-tad-slower-than-average delivery than gives this sort of exoticism that she needs. So did Slynt, Craster and all the other one-note characters. Why’s she higher, then?

Well, I like that she actually tries to explore a bit. She’s taking chances and some of her decisions are a bit gutsy, but most of all, they work. I’m thinking, first and foremost, of her very last scene of the season, as Stannis is none-too-gently strangling her. She could have gone with her usual mysterious delivery, staring into the lobster’s eyes with some sort of deadpan stare. She did not do that. She was panicked instead. I found that a bit odd at first, but when Stannis asked her where her god was now, and she answered ‘within you’ with such supplication and distress in her eyes, she immediately won me over. Amazing line, very well delivered. Van Houten has gusto; can’t help but appreciate it.

Still hate Melisandre, though.

Best scene: I think I’ve made that pretty clear. Honourable mention to a single line from the Stannis vs. Renly scene on horseback: "look out to your sins, Lord Renly, for the night is dark and full of terrors." Boring line, positively chilling delivery.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

On the fourth to eight months, slit your wrists or something because there's no way anything you do will have an impact on the game's release date. Please continue to praise my name on high, though - I've really grown accustomed to it.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

(Although to be fair, the pot-shot is mostly the writers' fault, and not hers.)

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

10. Michelle Fairley (Catelyn Stark)

What a horrible role to get. No, seriously. Of all the leading roles you could possibly get in this series, this is by far the worst – and the worst part is that it’s not obviously the worst unless you sit down and really think about it. Bran, Dany, Sam – they’ve all got very little material to themselves, but there’s still a few things you can use to try to make something memorable. It looks like Michelle Fairley has a wide array of material to work with, too, but that’s really not the case.

In Season one, Fairley had some leeway, between the caring mother, loving/jealous wife, military strategist and whatnot. This all ended with Baelor. For the entirety of season two, Catelyn has entered and basically remained in Mama Bear mode. She’s no longer a caring mother – but a bear who happens to have a kingly son. She’s no longer a military strategist – she’s a bear which happens to be providing strategic advice (and sounder advice than her own kingly son).

So, what does Fairley do? Pretty much the only avenue open to her at this point: play the Mama Bear. And she does it well – with energy, caring, dignity and a hint of ferocity underneath. She’s got great screen presence and tends to be the main focus of the scene no matter who she’s talking to, save for maybe one or two exceptions, regardless of her actual importance to the scene. I want to recognize that, hence why I put her above Bradley and Hempstead-Wright. The fact that she’s got such a horrible role and such a lack of material prevents me from doing any more, though.

Since we’re not actually out of the “I take pot-shots at perceived flaws/make up flaws just so I can extend the write-ups” tier, please allow me to be nitpicky with her rendition of one scene – the one when Roose informs Robb that Winterfell has been taken by the Ironmen. This was her one chance to leave Mama Bear mode and reprise the role of the caring mother. Normally, Catelyn should have been absolutely obsessed with Bran and Rickon’s safety. Yet, Catelyn emphasizes most of all “I told you not to trust Theon Greyjoy.” That’s a great line, but that shouldn’t really be the centerpiece of her performance. She shouldn’t be trying to stick it to her son, but rather figuring out if her sons are safe and worrying like crazy.

There, I took my pot-shot.

Best scene: Fairley had one other shot at leaving Mama Bear mode – and she did that wonderfully. I’m of course thinking of the oath scene with Brienne back in Episode 5. Great scene, marvellously acted by both parties.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore