This post will be about Game of Thrones and its reprehensible monster of a villain, Ramsay.
Reprehensible? Me??? – Well, I suppose that’s fair. Carry on.
Game of Thrones is a rare story in that so many of its villains have sympathetic traits, and its well-intentioned heroes more often-than-not struggle with the consequences of questionable choices.
This post will be talking about Game of Thrones. If you’ve not heard about it, it’s this pretty cool show based on an amazing (and sadly, unfinished) book series.
When you play the Game of Thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground.
But if we dead things kill you, then you’re on our team and when we win, you win.
So, when you play the Game of Thrones, it’s Win-Win! #TeamUndead
In the very first episode of Game of Thrones, a party of rangers from the Night’s Watch fall prey to the Others, the legendary White Walkers who figuratively dwell in myth and literally dwell in some frozen land far north of the Wall.
This set the stage for a conflict that has been slowly developing over the seasons, promising a large battle between humanity and an army of the dead.
I’m not here to talk about that.
As the name of the post implies, I’ll be talking about Game of Thrones. If you’re not up on the show (or the books, the excellent books) then consider this your spoiler warning.
The events that take place in Westeros largely concern themselves with the interaction of four prominent families: the Targaryens, the Baratheons, the Starks, and the Lannisters. I’ll make my apologies to the Greyjoys, Tullys, Arryns, Tyrells, and Martells right up front for implying that they’re not important.
But the show’s opening title card has no krakens, trout, falcons, roses, or suns-with-spears displayed prominently. Just a dragon, lion, direwolf, and stag.
To be clear, the trailer for Season Seven of Game of Thrones was great!
My post is technically unnecessary and obsolete, because the trailer came out a few days ago and instantly a plethora of podcasts, YouTube videos, and professional/semi-professional online articles were released talking about the trailer.
But this blogging hobbyist can’t be silent. And I can’t listen to these podcasts or read the trailer articles until I got my thoughts down, so after diligently screen-shotting each frame (more or less) from the trailer (thank you YouTube and the PrintScreen button) here’s my analysis.
Game of Thrones is still over a month away, but there’s no reason not to keep blogging about it. If you’re up on the storyline and have any interest in some off-beat comparative religion talk, you have come to the right forbidding, chilly seaside.
Don’t listen to him! I drown people who are interested in comparative religions! (To be fair, I drown everyone I get my grizzled hands on.)
Located west of the Riverlands across Ironman’s Bay, the last stretch of dry land before one enters the endless Sunset Sea, you’ll find the Iron Islands.
Before the advent of dragons in Westeros, the Ironmen of those rocky metal-rich islands held tremendous sway over the people of Westeros. The Riverlands and all people who lived within the sound of the waves paid tribute to keep axe-wielding torch-brandishing reavers from their doorsteps.
The Ironmen consider themselves a breed apart from the other inhabitants of Westeros, with cultural differences that include a specific faith not followed on the mainland. The Ironborn do not hold with the Old Gods or the New, but instead worship the Drowned God who dwells beneath the waves.
If you don’t know who Bran Stark is, then you’re not familiar with HBO’s Game of Thrones, or the book series A Song of Ice and Fire that it’s based on. I won’t forbid you from reading my article (because it’s great, yo) but it’ll end up spoiling details of the plot. I recommend you binge-watch the show and come right back.
The most recent season of Game of Thrones marked the return of Bran Stark, the little lad who climbed too high, saw things he shouldn’t have seen, yet lived to tell the tale. Well, he would have told the tale, if he didn’t have traumatic amnesia.
On the off chance that the names Jon Snow or Ned Stark are unfamiliar to you, go watch Game of Thrones or read the book series A Song of Ice and Fire. Otherwise this post will be spoiling the story.
Ned: Thanks to the North’s chilly climate, things don’t spoil too quickly up here.
Jon: Well actually, Lady Catelyn just makes me eat all of the spoiled food.
Ned: There’s that. Wait, did you just “well actually” me?
Jon: Uh, no?
When Game of Thrones first aired in 2011 on HBO, one could not escape promotional material featuring Lord Eddard “Ned” Stark, played by ruggedly handsome Sean Bean.
Typically our man Ned was shown seated and pensive upon the Iron Throne, the symbol of power in the fictional Seven Kingdoms.
Whoa, it’s the month of May, and there’s still no new Game of Thrones? Fine. (Pronounce that the way my teenage daughter might…)
So hopefully you’ll enjoy a short essay on the politics of the kingdom of the North, an area usually associated with the rule of House Stark. (Spoilers within if you’re not watching the show/reading the books. But you already know that.)
Politics? I hear you cry out. Don’t we have enough of that going on in the real world? Yup. We do. But I’m still going to write about Westeros and politics. (My family gets less worried about me when I’m talking about kings and not presidents.)
If you’re unfamiliar with the land of Dorne, the southernmost of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros in HBO’s Game of Thrones, then this post possibly won’t be all that interesting. It’ll also be spoilery should you wish to go back and watch the show or read the books. (You should read the books, because Dorne has a better reputation on the page.)
Television Sand Snakes: Admit that we’re cool!
Book Reader: Never! I’ll never admit to such lies!
Dorne: the region in the Seven Kingdoms that defiantly resisted Aegon the Conqueror the longest; the people of Dorne eventually joined the super-kingdom in Westeros on their own terms. It’s recognized as a pretty crazy place.
This post will be talking about Game of Thrones. In particular, I’ll be discussing king-in-exile Viserys Targaryen. This has been your spoiler warning.
Spoiler warnings? Spoiler warnings are for babies! When I am seated upon my throne, there will be no “warnings”
There’s precious little that can be said positively in regards to Viserys Targaryen.
I Can't Possibly Be Wrong All the Time 