I’m not sure if my input is what you’re looking for, since it’s not really about change; more like impressions. And that’s really because I haven’t been involved long enough to see any real change. My first TES game was Oblivion. I started playing in maybe 2007, honestly because my husband played a time-consuming online game and he wanted me to play something too so I’d stop bugging him. Well, the joke was on him, because I got quickly obsessed and started seeing Nirnroot everywhere we went from there on out. You know, like you do. So Oblivion wasn’t only my first TES game, but my first game since Space Invaders in 1983. Still, I only play Oblivion and Skyrim. Not quite sure what these games have that others don’t, but I’ve tried others—Dragon Age, Witcher, Assassin’s Creed, Fable—and I just can’t get into them at all. So as a fan, I am super invested in the next TES game. I mean, that goes without saying, really. But since it’s my only gaming outlet, I admit I’ll be disappointed if TES 6 doesn’t fit the profile of whatever these games have that makes them my games, if that makes sense.    The journey to fandom for me was just as brainless as why I picked up the games in the first place. I honestly didn’t know fandom existed. I didn’t know it was a thing, even after playing Oblivion for years and Skyrim for years and being obsessed with fantasy movies and books and TV. I just didn’t know, and I didn’t have friends who were fans of anything, really, so it didn’t dawn on me that anything like this existed. I was just playing Skyrim one day and thought to myself “I wonder if anyone writes stories about questline stories. But wow, if they did, wherever would I find such a thing?” If you’re laughing, don’t worry, I am too.    So, in the fall of 2016, I finally did a google search for Skyrim stories. And it’s been pretty consuming since. I mean, finding out there’s such a thing as fanfiction and discussion communities...pretty big rush. That led me to fic sites first (AO3 and FFN), and I read and started writing. And one day I was searching for picture for inspiration for a story I was writing, and came across an image attached to a build, here. That was in the winter of 2018. And I mean, that was another crazy discovery. People gather online and talk about the ways they play the game? Develop these amazing blueprints for their characters and tricks for using basic game mechanics to do just the coolest damn things.    So honestly, there it is. I love reading fanfic and builds here, and roleplay profiles. I‘m a little less into lore—if you’re talking about the weeds of it all—and more into characters and settings. The discussions we have here on TV and Discord are engrossing, but sometimes it goes a little over my head and I end up just reading and learning. Because I’m still in the “holy shit, you can do that??” stage, and I’m not sure when that’s going to end.    My impressions of fandom in general are limited, too, I suppose. I’m continually shocked by the enthusiasm, for one. I guess if I have one negative thing to say it’s about fandom in general, not here, but I’ve seen it in other places. And that’s really the entitlement I’m seeing. Some fans seem to feel entitled to have their view of what their fandom should be about—what it should encompass, what it should look like, how its stories should unfold—be the only viewpoint. And if it doesn’t unfold like they think it should, they’re going to take their ball and go. And on the surface that seems logical—if you don’t like it, leave. But when I’ve spoken to people who do things like this, it seems to be less about what they like and more of an “I’m right” standpoint. I’m right, and therefore my view is the one that counts, and if it’s not included, the fandom doesn’t deserve my presence. Even though they’re not the creators. I’ve delved a bit into r/teslore to find quick answers, and I’ve read so many discussions where something like this happens, and I understand it. But that’s another cool thing about TES in general. Like Paws said, lore is grass roots, and there’s always people around who will listen to different viewpoints and even get excited about them and how they could possibly work in the TES world.    So that’s my impression of fandom and TES fandom in particular. Good luck with your article! 

Welcome! Formatting is a daunting beast, so I feel your pain on that one. :)

44. I don’t feel old, though, until I’m around a bunch of youths, and then I feel every single one of my years plus a few decades more.

The oddsmakers were the winners, I think. I looked around today and there were soooo many leaks that spelled out the last few episodes just scene for scene. Apparently, they have some editors who need a lesson in shutting the hell up. 

SPOILER WARNING! Do not click on "more" if you don't want to be spoiled! This discussion contains spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 8, previous seasons of the show, the "A Song of Ice and Fire" book series and related works by George R. R. Martin. If you haven't watched this episode yet, leave now, for the discussion is dark, and full of spoilers...   Re the Dothraki, I had this convo with a friend this morning. There’s no way they wouldn’t already be raping and pillaging all over Westeros by now. No way.