Section 1: Announcements & Commendations
To our readers - Just as Season 5 comes to an end this series does as well. Words can not describe the gratitude the Kings Landing News Network and GOFN has for your patronage. Thanks to your viewership and reading the K.L.N.N. Team will return in a few weeks with a new permanent Game of Thrones Bi-weekly column with an all new format and schedule. Don't worry, we will move back to once a week for the duration of season 6, we won't leave you hanging!
Once again we thank you with every ounce of our being, we could not have done this with out you, the dedicated passionate fans.
A Special Thanks - Many diehard fans have distributed and provided content to our column to make it possible. Sharing posts, retweeting and special interests such as cosplay, photos, interviews, customized collectables and comparing theories have been the life force of our operation and we are forever in your debt for your contributions.
This is our list of notable mentions. THANK YOU for your participation, feedback & support, M. Paul & T.J. Rhoads
Jillian Renz Hearty & all the members of our FB fan page
All the members of the Night's Watch on FB
@danygonebad
All of @the_Windblown & @beyond_wall's followers on Twitter
@ServantOnIce
Pam Hearty
@TheLadyShelly
Mica Bethea
Elizabeth Jones Ueding & the members of Game of Thrones Fan Talk on FB
@NiceQueenCersei
Matty James
@WargoftheNorth
Mick Minogue
@998LC_Snow
Dan Berry and the the GOFN team
Meghan D
@DreamOfChivalry
Angie Malone
@Theon_Turncloak
And last, but surely not least....The one and only TJ Norris
Section 2: The Realm Reviewed
S5E10
The season is over but the season finale gave us much to think about, and more than a few tears were shed. Some wrongs were put right and perhaps a new war was started. Here's how it all went down.
● After seeing their King burn his only child alive, the rest of Stannis' sellsword army deserted him, taking all the horses. Selyse hung herself, whether from grief or from shame, we will never know, but Stannis marches on. His troops expected a siege on Winterfell, but instead the Bolton army rides out and kills them to a man, overrun beneath the very walls of Winterfell, Stannis sees his army slaughtered. The war is over in one bloody battle.
And then, out of the cold woods appears Brienne of Tarth. Who knew that after all these years she was still Brienne the Blue, kingsguard of King Renly I Baratheon, awaiting the moment when she could avenge her king. She lays his charge on him and takes his head, and so ends House Baratheon.
● Sansa climbed the broken tower and lit a candle while her crazy husband was away wiping out Stannis' troops, but no one saw it.
Unfortunately little Myranda saw her come back, but this time Ramsey's toy went a little too far, and Reek became Theon long enough to give her a good shove off the wallwalk. Her torturing days are over. And Ramsey has lost his prize, too. Sansa and Theon jumped the wall and made their escape. If the snow was deep enough. If they can get away soon enough. If Ramsey doesn't catch them.
● Arya has one less name on her list, and a new skill, she can change her face, but her story is still a garbled mess. Nothing she's done makes any sense this season, it was just pieced together in random order. Oh, she kicked some butt, and we like that, but there was no story..Blind Beth, Cat of the Canals, Mercy.. each has a reason for being who they are. Who knows if next season will be better?
No one.
● Ellaria Sand killed Myrcella Baratheon with a kiss, we see her drink the antidote Tyene gave her, evidently this is their favorite poison since they just used it on Bronn. Expect uncomfortable silence on the boat to King's Landing with Tristane and Jaime, and possibly war with Dorne next season. Only one child remains of Cersei's three, good King Tommen, but for how long?
● When Cersei finally broke down and gave the High Sparrow her confession, she got a free haircut and a long walk home. "Shame, shame, shame on the sinner," the bell, the people throwing filth and rotten food, their Queen reduced to a naked middle aged woman, no different than any other, stretch marks from child bearing and her beautiful hair shaved off..suddenly she's nothing and they see it. She's bloody and covered in filth by the time she finally arrives at the Red Keep, but her Uncle Kevan and Pycelle are there, and Qyburn, with Ser Robert Strong, Tommens new Kingsguard knight. It seems the dead walk in more places than just beyond the wall.
● Drogon is a big dragon now, he doesn't mind his mother either. He's taken Dany into the wild lands beyond Mereen, but have no fear, the prophecy Quathe gave her said,
"Before you go forward you must go back" and she's back, back among the Dothraki, where she is a Khalesi, where she has an undeniable status.
Meanwhile her small council is getting bigger, Varys has arrived in Mereen, (in the books he's in King's Landing doing, well I'll let you #ReadTheBooks and find out). Half of them are going to hunt down Daenerys, leaving Tyrion and Grey Worm and Missendi to rule in her place.
● Son of a Lord, brother of a King, man of The Watch, he rode with the wildlings, he fought them, he saw the army of the dead. Lord Commander Jon Snow knew more of the Enemy facing the Night's Watch than anyone else, except Mance Rayder.
"For The Watch," they said they stepped up and took turns, stabbing him with their blades of cold steel." For the Watch," the cold eyes of his men, his brothers as they killed him, and the cold seeping into him as the warm blood left his body. Did Ghost feel him die? Did his spirit go into his wolf?
Twice now the men of the Night's Watch have killed their Lord Commander. There is nobody to lead them as they face their greatest enemy and the man who promised safety to the thousands of free folk who passed through The Wall is dead. When Night's King comes to Castle Black, there will be no Jon Snow there to save them.
Melisandre is there at Castle Black for a reason. She didn't save Stannis, but she could save Jon.
SHE BETTER SAVE JON!
Section 3: Collecting Westeros
Looking back.....Collectables are a pillar in the temple of Nerdvana and GOFN's everlasting goal is to connect fans of all shapes, sizes and walks of life together in the collecting community. It has truly been a grand pleasure to cover Game of Thrones toys for you. Nothing else recaptures an iconic scene or era of a saga better than a quality replica or toy.
In this series I have brought you numerous action figures from several different manufactures including Funko, custom crafted characters, Legacy Collection, Dark Horse Deluxe and Threezero. It's been one of the best series I have ever done so far for Gofigurenews.com and I enjoyed every minute of it!
Please enjoy this video recapping all the incredible Game of Thrones toys I have had the opportunity to present to you throughout the series. Thank you again, keep collecting! #CollectingWesteros - M. Paul
Section 4: Hall of the Dead
In Season 5 we witnessed literally thousands of deaths, it was sad, gruesome, visceral and breathtaking here are the final names of the deceased for season 5.
Stannis Baratheon, the King of the Painted table, lord of Dragonstone also known as the King in the Narrow Sea. Originally from the Stormlands, brother to Robert and Renly Baratheon. Brienne the Blue made good on her original oath for Renly 1 Baratheon's blood magic murder by finding him in the Godswood injured and defeated. No begging for mercy, he was ready to die and she obliged in her dead Kings name. Although she knows not of his actions beyond the charge she gave him, she did a great service to many and for that we thank her immensely.
Selyse Baratheon of House Florent was the wife and queen of Stannis I Baratheon. She gave birth to four sons who did not live, and a daughter, Shireen, who survived greyscale, only to die at the hands of Melisande of Asshai, a priestess of Rh'llor. The queen apparently died by her own hand, as she was found hanging in a tree the very next morning.
Ser Meryn Trant of the Kingsguard was known for his obedience and his willingness to do whatever needed to be done for his king, no matter how distasteful the work. He served King Robert Baratheon, King Joffrey Baratheon and King Tommen Baratheon. He died at the hands of Arya Stark, who killed him in revenge for his attack on her swordmaster, Syrio Forel.
Princess Myrcella Baratheon was the middle child of Cersei of House Lannister and Robert Baratheon, but her real father was her uncle Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer. She was sent to Dorne by her Uncle Tyrion for her own protection where she fell in love with her betrothed, Trystane Martell. She died from poison on her return trip to King's Landing.
Myranda Royce was a plaything of Ramsey Bolton's. She helped him torture, hunt and kill other women for sport. She died after being thrown from the wallwalk of Winterfell by Theon Greyjoy.
Jon Snow, known as the Bastard of Winterfell, was the son of Eddard Stark. He was raised by his father with his trueborn brothers and sisters. He never knew his mother's name, as his father refused to speak of her. When Lord Eddard was named hand of the king, Jon Snow left Winterfell with his uncle Benjen Stark to join The Night's Watch, becoming a Steward under Lord Commander Mormont, who gifted him his family's Valyrian steel sword Longclaw, after Jon saved his life from a wight.
He rode with Quoren Halfhand, Mance Rayder, and Tormund Giantsbane and thousands of the free folk. He loved a wildling girl named Ygritte and a white direwolf named Ghost. He climbed The Wall and fought the wildlings and the wights, and became Lord Commander at the age of 17. He did everything he could to save the realms of men, to get the free folk south of The Wall, but in the end his brothers named him traitor and killed him.
We shall never see his like again.
And now his watch is done.
* Thank you for everything, without you we could not have made this possible.