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 Imagine a world where characters from the of the TV series ‘Game of Thrones’ would choose the pen as their weapon and don the armour of journalists. Read on as our correspondent envisages a parallel universe where killing would stop in the money-minting TV series, and instead, words would flow.

The‘Seven Kingdoms’from writer George RR Martin’s brain are expansive and diverse. Apart from the television channel  HBO, don’t you think there should be a mechanism that would keep every citizen of ‘Westeros’ aware of all the songs of ice and fire that are playing around in this world? Let us take a look at how a weekly ‘Westerosi’  newspaper  would roughly look like:

Sansa Stark

Column: Showbiz

Sansa talks, looks and feels like a perfect princess from Disneyworld who accidentally got transported to Game of Thrones. While growing up, all Sansa has done is adorn her hair, talk about royal weddings and the whole glitz and glamour of belonging to a ruling family. Amidst the usually violent and gory news of Westeros, a few ineffectual articles on the glamourous celebrities of Westeros would be a welcome respite for the public and Sansa would be the perfect journalist for the job. Instances of some articles that might feature on the column are “The short hair look: Who wore it better? Cersei or Ellaria Sand?” or “Ranking Daenerys’s  boyfriends.”

Petyr Baelish
Column: Gossip

If you thought the showbiz section on wardrobe, fashion and entertainment are nonsensical, then wait for the gossip column by ‘Little Finger’. This would be the area that would cover all the scandals and hearsay in the Seven Kingdoms based on information gathered by Lord Varys and the young journalists, his little birds. Knowing how sly and offensive Baelish can get, it is no wonder that in the reports, he would always prefer to keep the by-line of his reports anonymous.

 Tyrion Lannister

Column: Wisdom and humour

As he describes himself, Tyrion drinks and knows things. He also talks a lot, a tad bit too much which is enough to bring down the ego of many a big man. With the turbulent political system of ‘Westeros’,  Tyrion takes wields the pen to express himself to all the people across the borders, writing on tactful war strategies and wise anecdotes along with sarcastic observations of the people he meets. There might be a few grammatical errors here and there as he writes mostly when he’s drunk (which is in fact, a common occurrence) and because the Westerosi Weekly would inevitably have bad Editors.

 Arya Stark

Position: Undercover Criminal Journalist

You can’t write about something in a realistic fashion until you have experienced it. From a young age itself, Arya Stark has experienced troubled times. The circumstances have surely made her bolder and not only that, these experiences can make her money too if she delves into the foray of criminal journalism. Considering how sneaky she is, she can reach any tavern, forest or palace of the kingdom. Learning the ability to change faces would only help her to go undercover and write first-hand accounts.

Samwell Tarly

Column: Science and Tech

Samwell Tarly eats a lot. Samwell Tarly also reads a lot. Whether it be the Dragon glass discoveries or remedies for Greyscale disease, Tarly can cover everything related to the sciences in ‘Westeros’. However, considering how Tarly goes overboard with his research, it is highly unlikely that his section in the paper would have a wide readership.

Tormund, Jon Snow, and ‘The Hound’

Column: Letters to the Editor

This particular space on the paper involves the non-journalist players expressing their queries and views to the Editor. The usually dumb and naïve Jon Snow can be expected to ask “Has anyone seen Ghost, my direwolf? I care for him deeply but I left him again” and “The Brothers of the Nights Watch give me salty looks as if they are about to kill me. Should I trust them?”.  Sandor Clegane (The Hound) would be the one who is writing sarcastic hate mail, so much so it would be highly likely that the Editor heavily censors Sandor’s words or doesn’t publish them at all. Similarly, letters by a ‘Wildling’ like the merry drunkard warrior Tormund Giantsbane would be filled with grammatical errors and strangely creative cuss words.

 

Feature Image Credits: The Hindustan Times

Shaurya Singh Thapa

[email protected]

 

 

It’s a Monday ritual to gloss over the dynamics of Westeros. After almost eight weeks, it’s time to put the ritual to a cold bed, for Winter is finally at our doorsteps and the wait for the long night begins.

The last two rounds of Game of Thrones weekly offerings certainly met with unscrupulous practices. Naturally, the release of the last batch of the episodes of Season 7 was shrouded in rumours of leaks and spoilers. Speculations and conjectures were being spread like wildfire, being subjected to all permutations and combinations. No theory (well, one), no foreboding (well, more than one), and no experience of watching 66 episodes could have prepared us for the aftermath of The Dragon and The Wolf. Here’s what the eventful episode proffered to its viewers, leaving us yearning for more.

Reunion at the Dragonpit

King’s Landing has been home to treason, lies, betrayals, and an underlying social injustice which seems to be plaguing that reality ever since the beginning. This episode saw the tremulous union of the two Queens, the King in the North, and their respective entourages in the historically rich Dragonpit. It was a convention of comedy plays to unify all characters on the stage when it neared its culmination, and one couldn’t help equating those happy, conflict-resolution reunions with one which only set the stage for tragedy and deceit. The negotiations at hand were aimed at driving a truce between Cersei and Daenerys, and Jaime Lannister’s poignant epiphany that “Maybe it is all cocks in the end” might not be reeling with verity. Besides Jon Snow’s first visit to King’s Landing, it was also the providential wight who entered the Westerosi realms for the first time and died in ‘combat’. The wight did manage to serve its purpose, breaking the wavering amorous chord between Jaime and Cersei and perhaps, fuelling Cersei’s malevolent tricks up a notch. Tyrion’s brutal parley with his sister at the forefront presented an idealistic picture – with the Lannister bannermen fighting alongside Jon and Daenerys’ armies against the Army of the Dead. It is later we realise that all’s not simple with Cersei, and the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms’ word reeked of deceit and uninhibited, fearsome ambitions.

Revenge finally reaches Winterfell

Littlefinger’s sharp voice is fresh in our ears as he begged for mercy. So is the vision of Arya’s Needle fatally poking him with blood soiling the wet snow. Lord Baelish’s fate was long time coming, and in a series of events which would serve just for this connoisseur of manipulation. Fear lingered as we saw Sansa saunter towards the Hall after giving instructions to bring her sister, one of the Faceless Men. Maybe the former Master of Coin’s schemes had borne fruit to fallacious assumptions in Lady Stark’s mind? However, when Sansa turns her head and calls Lord Baelish to respond to the charges of murder and accusation, a pleasurable smile collectively dawns our faces. Every ounce of dirt spewed by Littlefinger was brought to an accentuated spotlight, and the murders of Lord Eddard Stark, Lord Arryn, Lysa Arryn, and the rivalry between the Starks and Lannisters were masterfully avenged with satiation. The raw power of sisterhood, a scheme which was brewing around the walls of Winterfell, granted validity to Sansa’s words in the end, “When the snow falls and the white wind blows, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives.” Sansa is a slow learner, but the lesson we’ll remember is that she learnt.

The History and Ancestry Unveil

The theory which we all knew of and prized has at last unravelled itself gloriously. All those fandom articles alluding to R+L=J have finally found merit in this beautiful unveiling of history.

Samwell Tarly arrives at Winterfell to aid his Nightwatch associate in the war which has managed to unsettle every ruler. The heir of the Tarly House rendezvous with Bran Stark, who pulls the aesthetic covers on the lineage truth which possess the power to change claims to the disputed Iron Throne. Bran narrates how Jon is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, and bears the last name of ‘Sand’ instead of ‘Snow’ as it is the rightful nomenclature for a Dornish bastard. The words ‘Robert’s rebellion was built on a lie’ manage to grant velocity to a truth that was already raved about; Rhaegar and Lyanna were in love, and the war which brought the Baratheon house to power was based on the allegation that Rhaegar had kidnapped and raped Lyanna. Jon’s parentage is elucidated upon fully as Bran hears Jon’s real name. Thus, the rightful heir to the Iron Throne stands to be Aegon Targaryen (since Season 1 known as Jon Snow). It is interesting to note that Aegon the Conqueror was the first ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, and to bestow the honour of that name on Jon is bound to prove its legitimacy. The irony here rings in the backdrop, as Bran’s narration is complemented with the love-making of Jon and Daenerys – a relationship the netizens have been cheering on since their fates intertwined. The contention which thus presents itself is simple yet increasingly knotted: Jon’s claim to the Iron Throne has been authenticated by his parentage and would overpower Daenerys’ vision of ruling the Seven Kingdoms. Also, the love which is brewing between the last-surviving Targaryens oozes of a political and personal incestuous relationship, doesn’t it?

Knock, knock on the Wall?

While we recover from the ancestral snippets of Jon’s parentage, Bran’s vision foresees the great threat to the Westerosi mankind and the arrival of the storm which had been the source of nightmares for them. The majestic Wall stands tall with its icy shields and magical ways. It’s a grand and beautiful sight to witness. And in seconds, the Army of the Dead comes propping from the trees and stands in anticipation in front of the Wall. The penultimate episode’s dreadful outcome emerges into a full-blown reality, with the Night King arriving on an undead Viserion and abolishing a part of the Wall. It’s a deeply tormenting thought that the Wall, which boasted of ensuring the safety of Westeros, now stands destroyed, and a dragon which was believed to be a remnant of the past spews unrestrained death.

Season 1 was embroiled in inching closer towards the truth but anticipating the deceitful ways at work. Seasons 2 to 4 removed all masquerades from noble intentions and honourable alliances. Season 5 witnessed struggle at every front, from the Dragon Queen advocating against slavery, Lannisters countering the High Sparrow, Baratheon endeavouring to be the Promised Prince, and the Starks waging their discovery of home and the distant truth. Season 6 unleashed cruelties at its peak and robbed Cersei of all fathomable inhibitions. Season 7 orchestrated the truth and discomfiture which lurked in anticipation in our minds, and has finally been conjured to a spine-chilling reality.

Perhaps, Jon Snow does know something. It is as the Wolf said, “There is only one war that matters – the Great War – and it is here.”

 

Feature Image Credits: Metro 

Saumya Kalia
[email protected]

*Spoiler Alert*

Most of us, the ardent followers of Game of Thrones, every week, had a routine of finding the most apt torrent to download the latest episode, avoiding the social media till this episode can be devoured and then pervading the social media with expert comments or reactions about the same.  But, now as all of us are struggling to finally accept the end of the dynamic season, let’s look at season 6 for the last time, to try to evaluate what all led to the season getting the sort of love and attention that it did.

  • Cinematically Pleasing
    May it be the attack of the eerie yet interesting White-walkers, flashbacks of Bran, dragons flying above Meereen or the Battle of the Bastards, all of these scenes have been shot and presented on screen in a way that leaves its viewers awe-struck with the show’s glamour and grandiosity.
Battle of Bastards, Season 6 Episode 9
Battle of Bastards, Season 6 Episode 9
  • The Surprise Quotient
    Season 6 has surprised the audience in many ways and has also solved a lot of mysteries which were left unsolved before. We were given a hint about Melisandre’s past (and that image in the mirror is something none of us are getting out of our heads soon enough), then there was the heartbreaking ‘Hold-the-door: Hodor’ reveal. Also, the last episode confirmed the long-floating theory by fans of Jon Snow really being a Targaryen.

 

Hold the Door, Season 6 Episode 5
Hold the Door, Season 6 Episode 5
  • Many (rather, Most) deaths in a season
    Almost all the characters which people didn’t like or were coming in the way of the so-called main characters were killed off in bulk this season. ‘Battle of Bastards’ saw the most on-screen deaths with a huge number of military men dropping like flies and also the most vicious character Ramsay dying because of his own hounds. But, ‘The Winds of Winter’ killed far more named characters. Because of Cersei’s plan of using the wildfire bombs, she was able to get rid of her enemies’ like Margaery, The High Septon, and her cousin, Lancel Lannister. This episode also saw the death of the last living child of Cersei and Jaime, King Tommen; a sequence that kept up with the tradition of the death of a king in each season.

    Winds of Winter, Season 6 Episode 10
    Winds of Winter, Season 6 Episode 10
  • Faster jumps between story-line
    There was a lot of action and plot development in the season. We saw Jon’s resurrection which led to the resurrection of the Starks in the North, Sansa and Jon finally re-uniting, Arya striking off an important name in her list, Walder Frey and taking the revenge for the skin-crawling Red-Wedding, and Daenerys finally moving to Westeros to contest for power.

    Oathbreaker, Season 6 Episode 3
    Oathbreaker, Season 6 Episode 3
  • Game of Thrones has now come down to a full circle
    We know that a Stark (yes we can finally call him that) is now the King in the North after three painful seasons. We know that Daenerys has managed to unite the houses beyond the sea through a common motive of seeking vengeance against the Lannisters. We also see Tyrion rising to the position of the Hand to the Queen and Cersei finally sees herself where she dreamt to be at as a child which has also sent shudders down Jaime’s spine. Game of Thrones is back to the power being in the Hands of the Lannister Queen, Cersei and all hopes are being placed on Daenerys and Jon (Snow? Stark? Targaryen?). Arya has avenged her brother’s death and as brief as Benjen’s appearance was, we know Winter is coming and it shall be stronger than ever.

 

Winds of Winter, Season 6 Episode 10
Winds of Winter, Season 6 Episode 10

Nishita Agarwal  and Arushi Pathak 
[email protected]
[email protected]