EARLY ACCESS: GoT S1 E7&8

I really love your reaction room, but I gotta say.....sometimes I really miss your cozy little attic room at the other place. You have now become nostalgia Ashleigh. :)

Okay...a semi-brief 'What You Need to Know' lore primer about Game of Thrones for Ashleigh (and anyone else needing it) First off, the planet has a highly unstable elliptical orbit. That's why there's extreme variations in the length of the seasons, where winters and summers can last for many years or just a couple of months. 'You sweet summer child' is sort of like 'well, bless your heart'; a patronizing phrase indicating the naivety of a person, suggesting they they've only known a long summer and not the harsh reality of a long winter. There are 2 main continents that the story takes place on: Westeros (the Seven Kingdoms) and Essos (the Dothraki, and several Free Cities like Pentos and Bravos. Also the ruins of the old Valyrian Empire). The two continents are separated by the Narrow Sea, but were once linked by a land bridge in the South of Westeros where King's Landing is now. Now...pre-history... Thousands of years ago, Westeros was inhabited by a bunch of elf-like people called the Children of the Forest. They worshipped the Old Gods, carving faces in the trees to act as focuses of worship (one of these trees is in Winterfell and another is where the Night's Watch took their vows in front of). Then came the first refugees from Essos, travelling across the land bridge. They spread out through Westeros, living in peace with the Children of the Forest, and adopting their religion (the Old Gods). Around then Brandon Stark (Brandon the Builder, whom Bran is named after) built The Wall with the Children of the Forest to hold back the White Walkers and other monsters living in the extreme North, as well as the savage tribesmen called Wildlings, from raiding human lands. Then came the Andals from Essos. They mostly stayed in the southern areas of Westeros, but pushed the Children of the Forest further and further north, stripping the forests to build their cities and fuel industry. They brought with them the religion of the Seven Gods (The New Gods). The Seven Great Houses each established their kingdoms: House Stark (who had established themselves in the North at Winterfell, already), House Arryn (psycho breastfeeding mommy; rulers of The Vale), House Greyjoy (Theon's family, rulers of the Iron Isles), House Lannister (rulers of the Westlands), House Tyrell (rulers of The Reach; they make their main entrance in Season 2; Loras, the pretty knight from the joust is a member of the House), House Baratheon (Robert's House, ruler of the Stormlands; the House now has two remaining sons, Stannis (yet to be seen) and Remley (guy getting shaved by Loras/the pretty knight), and House Martell (of Dorne, technically independent of the Iron Throne, but still allied). Then, about 150 years before the show starts, House Targaryen arrives from Essos. Bringing with them 3 dragons (why the symbol for the House is a three-headed dragon). With the massive advantage the dragons brought, the Seven Kingdoms were quickly conquered by Aegon Targaryen. Aegon founded King's Landing, where the House landed and launched it's conquest from, and melted all the swords of his opponents into the Iron Throne. House Targaryen, however, was a staunch believer in the idea of 'purity of blood; so they were given to incestuous relationships (where Jamie and Cersei got the idea from). And after 150 years of inbreeding...some instabilities started showing up. Everything came to a head with Aerys Targaryen, the Mad King. Aerys was a paranoid sociopath, as you've probably figured out by now. He had Ned's father and brother brought before him and burned alive by dragonfire. Then, Aerys' eldest son, Rhaegar. kidnapped Lyanna Stark and ended up killing her. This pissed off both her brother, Ned, and Robert Baratheon, who was engaged to wed Lyanna. And so, Robert's Rebellion was kicked off... The remaining Great Houses were good and tired of the Targaryens, anyways, so they all signed up. Then a member of the King's Guard, Jamie Lannister stabbed Aerys in the back when the Rebellion reached King's Landing, earning the name 'Kingslayer', and House Targaryen was killed to a man...except for the children Vicerys and Daenerys, who were only a few years old at the time. They were sent into exile to Essos, where they grew up among the Free Cities. And now you're all caught up on What Happened Before

Yes GRL! Your getting it .... Game of Thrones ideas