And here… we… go!
Comments and questions are welcome. In fact, we intend on having routine Q&A sessions with questions from fans, etc. Here is the YouTube version of The Daily Raven: Episode 1.
Fire And Blood: Thanks to Simone for her tireless work in this endeavor, thanks to Winter for letting us play in his playground, and thanks to me, for being (generally) pretty damned awesome.
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156 Comments
I already feel a certain loyalty to the Daily Raven…
LexQuote Reply
A lot hotter than Elio.
TastesLikeTheSeaQuote Reply
“Rest in peace, homie’s!” Perfect!
Dale RippkeQuote Reply
I’m still not convinced, tho. I still think nerd babes are a myth.
Aaaaanyway… this is awesome on every level. Keep up the good work! :D
PepiQuote Reply
I think I can enjoy this! Most definitely!
Lise BollumQuote Reply
“Balon Greyjoy looks so… salty. He looks like he’s been fossilized by years of sea spray.” LOL.
That was well done. I’ve followed most of the Hobbit-in-5 videos, so it’s pretty awesome to see WiC having their own video series. Who is handling all the editing and production?
LexQuote Reply
So much love for “Kristian Nairn in a blond wig.”
Well done, Simone! And FaB and co.
Ours is the FuryQuote Reply
They exist, trust me. ;)
LexQuote Reply
Love this! Can’t wait for the next one. Nairn in blonde wig… Priceless! :D Also that elegy… Nice job!
RavenaQuote Reply
That was much better than I expected …very well writen and it doesn’t hurt having a smokin hot hostess…where is it filmed ?…
Coltaine777Quote Reply
Lex,
Just remembered now, ye. Gotta think twice, before I post something next time. They do exist indeed! Although… they are arguably rarer, than one would like. :D
PepiQuote Reply
Firefly love !! :D
Alwyn JosephQuote Reply
Alwyn Joseph,
Shiny.
MormegilQuote Reply
This shows promise. The elegy was very good.
Well done!
Johan SporreQuote Reply
Loved it! LOL at “Kristian Nairn in a blonde wig”!! Really liked every sentece (most of them) being connected to GoT. And the elegy was a very good idea, but you forgot Septa!!
RobbetQuote Reply
The poem to our lost brethren was fantastic.
fevredreamQuote Reply
Not quite my cup of tea. It gave me a tad too much of the glossy MTV feel and not that much of HBO. Good that other people have enjoyed it though and I did appreciate the poem.
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
That was nice :)
And love the firefly reference!
Kharn9Quote Reply
Nice, gotta similar feel to IGN’s Daily Fix.
The KingslayerQuote Reply
That was sooo good! Way better than I expected! Can’t wait for the next episode!
G_LeeQuote Reply
Great first episode. Simone is doing a great job hosting The Daily Raven. I’ll definitely be looking forward to this hopefully weekly series.
Also, I’m going to start picturing Brienne as Kristian Nairn in a blonde wig from now on!^^ In all honesty, I do like what they done to turn Gwendoline Christie into Brienne.
DreamlifeQuote Reply
Niiice! I loved the poem, great writing there :) ;)
We need some better backgrounds, though.
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
Good work. I found it fun and enjoyable. Her presentation is even and light. Like the shirt but not the graphic. But that’s 2ndary. It’s a good way to catch up if your too busy to check sites like this one regularly.
surfKrakenQuote Reply
That poem was hilarious.
The KingslayerQuote Reply
Huh. When this was announced, I was convinced it would suck, and that it would be embarrassing to watch. I was wrong! I greatly enjoyed it, and I even laughed out loud at one point (not common). I’m very much looking forward to the next installment, keep up the good work!
KennefQuote Reply
Well that was lame.
Steven ScottQuote Reply
Pepi,
Nerd hotties are very real. If you have a few million $$ in the bank, they are as nerdy as you want them to be.
As for Simone, this is work. It’s good for her demo reel and is experience on the resume. It helps her to move up the ladder.
surfKrakenQuote Reply
I enjoyed the webisode and especially the poem since I already read all the news. I’m looking forward to tuning in not quite daily :)
Ivan PopićQuote Reply
That was pretty awesome, looking forward to more episodes!
“Rest in Peace homies!”
John-Michael LelievreQuote Reply
A little bit fast, energetic and flashy for my taste. Uuh… I guess MTV-ish, is what I’m trying to say. But overall well done. I’ll continue watching for sure.
sjweningsQuote Reply
surfKraken,
Could you guys dial it down a notch with the comments about cool/attractive nerd girls? They exist, are not a freakish occurrence, and the comment about money is not cool. Thanks.
Ours is the FuryQuote Reply
I don’t like the style of the show. Too much MTV touch, describe my impression.
That’s okay, I can image others will enjoy it, but for me it was the first and probably last view.
No-OneQuote Reply
^ +1
Damián ErroQuote Reply
Ours is the Fury,
Thank you.
KatieQuote Reply
“Rest in peace, homies” was great. Good first show! Looking forward to seeing how this develops.
KatieQuote Reply
Never knew Brienne was pronounced like that, ah well, thanks for being educated!:)
Catelyn StarkQuote Reply
It looks like OURS IS THE FURY might have taken offence to a few comments concerning the looks of Simone , which would include my earlier comment ….and I make no apologies for describing Simone as ‘smokin hot’ …You don’t like that ? …I don’t care :) …
Coltaine777Quote Reply
I’m mad drunk in Atlantic City and just sang A Bear an The Maiden Fair
Ted furthmanQuote Reply
And Syrio. Or not?
Daniel MoitzQuote Reply
Great feature… keep the daily raven coming!
BryonQuote Reply
That was great! I loved the eulogy poem.
HollyoakQuote Reply
I thought this was awesome! I hope to see many more episodes of the Daily Raven in the future! I thought tipping her horn of ale to her homey’s memory at the end, was a nice touch!
Ed EricksonQuote Reply
Coltaine777,
I didn’t say anything about that actually. Reread what I wrote. Simone is gorgeous. Compliment away. :)
Ours is the FuryQuote Reply
Coltaine777,
You get that Fury specifically named someone in her response, right? Pretty sure it wasn’t you.
KatieQuote Reply
I’m not that impressed with this. There is not really new info in there I assume. It are the same pictures I already saw on websites like this, the stories I already heard like from ‘making of’ videos from HBO itself. Personally, I don’t see the added value here. It is just a new wrapping, a different way of bringing the same information. If that attracts more people, then please go ahead by all means. My aversion to such videos is something in general though, I just prefer text+images over videos on about every subject out there.
TimdorionQuote Reply
To the people who didn’t really like this, I would think of it as a pilot. They haven’t got all the kinks out yet, but the idea is good. Simone is engaging, and there’s a nice sense of humor to the show. Since she’s a fan herself, I’d be interested to see a little more of her commentary on the series, and less a rehashing of older WiC posts. The content on different platforms should be complimentary to each other, but not necessarily the same.
KatieQuote Reply
Simone show she is for the fan base. Look at the Malcom Reynold shirt. I think this can be a hit among the fans and have some legs. I started using the tag #TheDailyRaven on Twitter.
Bryon BlofsteinQuote Reply
For a first time outing this was quite entertaining and funny (4 outa 5), it helps having Miss Nergasm “Sigh-moan” as the hostess with the mostess. I especially like the poetic tribute at the end.
Good job to the writers (there is room for improvement), and have “Simone” wear some Qarthean wardrobe for the next non-daily edition.
tysnowQuote Reply
Well than my apology to you for being oversensitive..I just assumed your opening comment was all encompassing…I stand corrected and will try to read more carefully in the future lol …
Coltaine777Quote Reply
It was alright for a first episode. I’ll definitely tune in to future ones (as if I could actually ignore anything on this great site!). I still don’t get all the Brienne is too pretty comments. She’s supposed to be ugly (which she is), not hideously deformed.
FacelessManQuote Reply
Yo Fury, you specifically said guys, as in plural. Of course everyone with a comment about her appearance would react to your comment.
And when your following an HBO show, you would do smart to expect peoples looks to be objectified. It’s television after all.
And for the record, the chick is hot. And she knows it. Smart as she is, shes even using it to her advantage. You go girl!
The(insensitive)DudeQuote Reply
Looks like Simone beat me to the tag #TheDailyRaven. Hope it picks steam on twitter.
Bryon BlofsteinQuote Reply
Written by:
Simone Boyce and…
Tobias J. McGuffin?
I thought that was very Axechucker-ish!
LangkardQuote Reply
Like I said, no problems with anyone complimenting her looks. I do have a problem with people denigrating other fangirls as being rarely attractive, which is what was happening . I think I made that clear. And that’s that.
Ours is the FuryQuote Reply
To all the non-believers: heads. spikes. walls.
I’d watch Simone read the phonebook, tbh.
The poem and the horn of ale for the dead homies were great! I shall quaff several in their honor myself. Lookin forward to ep 2 and hope that rumored interview comes through.
the goatQuote Reply
Glad we’re hitting a few of the right notes with most of the viewing audience!
Of course The Daily Raven can’t bring the news as it happens. Winter Is Coming generally does the best it can with that. Think of this as a (vaguely) comical look at the latest happenings; a skewed look at the Westerosi side of life. In the end we’re really just providing more content.
As this is sort of all of our thing—and we’re all bottom supporters, after all—we’re completely open to suggestions. I’d like to think we’re all building this together. None of us are getting paid; it’s for all of our enjoyment. So let us know:
What was your favorite / least favorite part?
Do you have a question for The Daily Raven?
Is there something you’ve seen in other webcasts or shows that you wish The Daily Raven could do? (Simone providing the news whilst jumping on a trampoline is probably not going to happen.)
I assume none of you will object to occasional live interviews with various Game of Thrones-affiliated people. That could be coming!
Fire And BloodQuote Reply
FacelessMan,
You’re calling Kristian Nairn with a blonde wig “hideously deformed”? Come to TitanCon and say it to his face :)
Johan SporreQuote Reply
Nicely done!
Pearson MooreQuote Reply
I know he was mentioned in the video, but that’s still quite the assumption.
I was speaking in general about all the too pretty comments, fyi. ;)
FacelessManQuote Reply
The “re-hashing” of news is to be expected. Simone hosts a similar series called Hobbit In 5, for theonering.net, where they basically just re-hash the week’s news. I’m fine with this; it may attract new traffic and reach a different audience (the youtube-only crowd?). Also, many of us are bored enough that we will gladly watch an attractive host re-capping the latest news.
Personally, I almost thought it was a tad long, like you guys tried to squeeze in a bit too much. I loved the poem, but I don’t think you should feel pressured to write awesome stuff for every episode. Then again, others will probably complain if you don’t.
Once the show starts airing, it would be cool to see Simone commenting on the actual episodes, similar to her Game of Thrones for Dummies series last year. I’d also love to see interviews and even guest appearances by other WiC staff!
LexQuote Reply
I thought it was fun and that it might well attract a new crowd to the site. Like a couple of people have said, I have to admit that this style of reporting is not my cup of tea, but that’s not to say it wasn’t well done.
I think the suggestion someone made about asking Simone (or anyone involved, really) to do a bit of an opinion piece might be interesting, maybe to make it feel a bit more targeted or specific to WiC.net. The speculation and theories on this site are some of the parts I find most interesting and engaging, so maybe doing a show or two on fan theories about what will be changed/modified for S2 might be fun and generate more discussion. That said, I can see the danger for spoilers there, so it’s a bit of a conundrum.
Good job!
Steve Hugh WestenraQuote Reply
I agree.
Feedback.. lol’d at the spoiler alert part.. the raven over the mouth was hilarious. The quick COPS clip was funny and out of left field.
If you’re looking to promote WIC, maybe add the website to the end credits. I don’t know about most people, but I tend to go to sites more often if I actually see the the site address.
I agree, the background could be played around with.. maybe make it look like Simone is in Westeros or something. lol I don’t know how hard it would be to put the Iceland picture behind her.. or some other HBO screen shot of GOT.
Overall, I really enjoyed it and I think Simone is quite funny and entertaining.
MimsyQuote Reply
Wait now, I just re-watched this and I notice she said Balon’s name like “Baa-lun”. I always thought it was like “Bay-lun”. Anyone know?
Edit: Just thought too, I have a question for the Daily Raven :) Just wondering what the opinion is of Ros, and any thoughts on her role in season 2 (If in fact she is still around).
John-Michael LelievreQuote Reply
John-Michael Lelievre,
They already pronounced it BAY-lon in Season 1. I think Simone’s pronunciation is different than the show.
Also, forgot about the COPS clip. That was the best part!
LexQuote Reply
Lex,
You’re right, I remember Theon saying it now. thanks :)
John-Michael LelievreQuote Reply
Sucked
DarrenQuote Reply
heh, well unfortunately that was just plain bad :(
FishQuote Reply
I don’t quite understand the point of these.
Thomas KristQuote Reply
The eulogy was a nice touch. From what I can gather, here’s a full “In Memorium” that I compiled a while back…
Ned, King Robert, Khal Drogo, some wildling villagers, Ser Waymar Royce, Gared, Will, Jon Arryn (we hardly knew ye), that Direwolf and Stag, Margaret John (and by extention, Old Nan), Bran’s future as a knight, Lady, Mycha, Benjen Stark (?), Ser Hugh of the Vale, the Mountain’s horse, those mountain bandits, Ser Vardis Egan, whatever horse previously owned that heart Daenerys was eating, Viserys, Mord’s money troubles, Ros’s virginity, Osha’s wildling friends, Osha’s freedom, Jory, that boar, more than likely that wine merchant, Mago, the Greatjon’s fingers, that stableboy, that sheep-worshiping village, Syrio Forel (we shall see), the Winterfel guardsmen, Septa Mordane, some Winterfel soldiers, some Lannister fodder, the audience’s belief that everything will work out in the end for the heroes, Rhaegar (the Stallion who shall Mount the World, not the long-dead Targaryen prince), Marillion’s tongue, and Mirri Maz Duur.
Valar Morghulis.
Rukie44Quote Reply
A little something i created for Arya Stark, based on the What I Really Do meme: http://tinyurl.com/6re33hm
spacechampionQuote Reply
I don’t like webcasts, point. But having said that, this was nicely done and I think it’s a great new addition to WiC.net for reaching out to a larger audience. To all that made it happen: very well done!!
Tar KidhoQuote Reply
Apart from the poem, COPS, Kristian-inna-wig, and the raven spoiler alert is what I liked best. Many great moments :)
BTW, Faceless Man, the Brienne jab was obviously there just as a set-up for the wig joke.
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
Favorite part was the poem since it was clearly a thing that had a good amount of effort behind it.
The least favorite was unfortunately the rest and that’s, as I said early in the comments, probably just a matter of that this just isn’t for me (so I won’t keep whining about it as I’m fine without the whole world catering to my needs). The whole feel of the show comes off as when MTV delivers superficial information in a high paced, non-serious manner, which seem to cater mainly to those that aren’t deeply interested in the subject.
I had hoped (but not expected) a show that’s a bit more like when Elio and Linda discuss subjects from the books on Youtube in great detail. Their videos have no production value or professional appearance whatsoever but what it has is that it clearly caters to the big fans of the material. A lighter version of that concept, with better production, would have been cool.
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
Rukie44,
Actually the Stallion Who Mounts the World was going to be named “Rhaego.”
We should have eulogized the Greatjon’s fingers!
Fire And BloodQuote Reply
Not my cup of tea either, but nice effort. Simone’s kind of plastic and the humour pretty forced I thought, but maybe she just needs some practice with this kind of format. I’ll stick to just reading the articles and people’s comments on this site–much more entertaining!
HildegardeQuote Reply
Tar Kidho,
Signing this.
The RabbitQuote Reply
I knew this would happen. Because she’s an attractive woman her nerd cred gets questioned. For those of you who have, perhaps be less predictable and stop judging a woman on the scale of her looks. It falls into the if she’s attractive then she’s not geeky/intelligent enough, if she’s unattractive then she is a failed woman dichotomy. Instead judge her by what she does and her actions instead of commenting on her appearance.
For one thing, it seems like she has much more nerd cred than most of us here. She hosts webcasts and interviews personalities. Simone doesn’t even need to prove anything to you, or wear the right shirts, or talk the talk, to qualify as a nerd to you.
XenkanMonkQuote Reply
Lame. No depth. Packaged for people with ADHD.
Dolorous NedQuote Reply
Shocked to see that many negative comments in here…
I think the production was top notch, the jokes were good and the content was ok, since a wrap-up was to be expected.
Looking forward to the next not-so-daily raven!
Ender985Quote Reply
I’m really puzzled by the direction some of the discussion here is going to. Some here have said that it looks a bit too much ‘MTV’ for them. That I can understand, and one can like or dislike it for clear-cut reasons. But any judging on the basis of ‘nerd-credibility’ is just too stupid for words as it is internally flawed.
In the past years, being a ‘nerd’ has become cool, but cool people (or ‘good-looking’, or ‘socially able’, or whatever you personally want) can’t be nerds?? Why don’t we just get rid of this ridiculous idea that GoT is for nerds sensu stricto. Or while we’re at it, let’s just get rid of the ridiculous concept of the ‘nerd’ all together!
Tar KidhoQuote Reply
XenkanMonk,
God… since the problem probably originates from my comment and before it goes any further; it was a joke. A bad one. End of story. Get over it. It’s not about (beautiful) women’s rights and nobody doubts their intelligence(who said not being a nerd makes you unintelligent, anyway). Christ. -.-
I suggest we rather focus on the awesomness that is The Daily Raven. And to the folks, who are not too happy about it; try thinking of it this way. Sure… it’s not as awesome as, say, a 16 minute preview of the first episode would be, but hey, the more publicity the GoT gets, the better. GoT achieved the “part of pop culture” status(in a very short time, as far as the series are concerned) and we’ll be getting more and more GoT stuff on our every step(blogs, nods in other tv series or movies, even… stuff). I’m not sure how far can this go, before it becomes annoying, but one thing’s for sure. Short, sweet and humorous bits, like this, are welcome to the majority of fandom, I think.
PepiQuote Reply
The poem was cool.
As far as content goes (not presentation ;) ), this episode at least was an unnecessary watch for someone who reads the site every day. But it is a good ‘highlights’ reel for someone who doesn’t (is this the aim?).
Jordan HealeyQuote Reply
It’s not something to get over for those of us who are attractive female nerds, who are constantly getting questioned about our identity in nerd culture and our right to be there. It doesn’t matter if your intention was jest or not, it is still harmful. Instead of me getting over it, why don’t you think before you type and contribute to further marginalizing us?
XenkanMonkQuote Reply
XenkanMonk,
Ow come on! You’re not a victim, alright?
PepiQuote Reply
This was okay(now I’m over here). Not so bad(now I’m over here). Simply horrible(now I”m over here, wait, can you tell that I’m reading?)
MeekyReekyRamsayQuote Reply
It’s not up to you to dictate what is and is not offensive, or to define victimhood.
XenkanMonkQuote Reply
Tell yourself that. Anyone can get offended by anything. So at the very least, being offended does not mean you have a good reason to be. It’s a matter of opinion, and everyone has the right to have one.
sjweningsQuote Reply
Haters gonna hate ;D
Best part for me: COPS! I laughed out loud which rarely happens when I sit in front of the PC.
Apart from that: All the rest was great! Can’t wait for ep. 2.
I’m glad there are more good-looking nerds with social skills out there apart from me (just joking ;) ).
G_LeeQuote Reply
XenkanMonk,
Uhm… uhm… I can’t win this, can I? It was a trap all along… :(
PepiQuote Reply
Yeah, because I love trapping people. Maybe you perceive a trap because you aren’t clever enough to realize you fucked up and apologize for saying something problematic and discriminatory, instead of offering weak excuses.
XenkanMonkQuote Reply
XenkanMonk,
Well, my second comment(the 11th in this thread) is the apology, you’re so eager to get. Now get off my case.
PepiQuote Reply
XenkanMonk,
Weak(it rhymes with Reek)? This argument you children are having is just as weak as the editing in The Daily Raven.
MeekyReekyRamsayQuote Reply
THIS. Couldn’t agree more. It’s really annoying, there’s always a double standard.
For my part, I found her hosting slightly akward. I do think it’ll be a lot more fun once she starts doing episode recaps because she’ll actually have something to say. But I honestly don’t give a damn if she is a “real” nerd or not – that question derives from sexist impulses. Did anyone say “hey, I don’t know if this WiC person is a _real_ nerd, he looks pretty normal”? I don’t think so.
userjQuote Reply
Nobody else finds the end too spoilery abou S1?
GrujahQuote Reply
Jump Cuts……….. luv it.
Otia Dant VitiaQuote Reply
I was more offended by surfKraken’s comment that if a man has enough money, women will be anything they want them to be. I’m paraphrasing of course, by it’s at the top of the page if anyone’s curious.
If we’re going to work off the assumption that attractive females couldn’t possibly be nerdy ( and therefore, smart), we’d also have to assume that all nerd males, and thus fans of this series, are anti-social and kind of trollish.
Now, I know for a fact that’s not true, but do any of the people perpetuating the hot nerd chick jokes want to cop to the male part of that? I doubt it.
Lay off. Fans come in all shapes and sizes, get over it.
KatieQuote Reply
Can’t say I’m enthusiastic about it. Instead of a news service with a pretty face, I expected a critic and, perhaps, a sarcastic view of current news and events (which are more than easy to find and catch up with tons of sites following the production).
Also, can the world please get over that geeky-girly-hot-gamer obsession? We’re not all horny teenagers, y’know.
I’d rather watch Zack Gilifianksomething, Jack Black, Ricky Gervais-types causing all kind of mayhem and hate mail with their witty, trollish and hilarious comments instead of “Rest in peace, homies”.
Siniša Grimjaur ŠiškoQuote Reply
Funny how people are arguing for the right to be nerdy as if it’s a badge of honour. Used to be that being a nerd was something to hide. :)
Anyway, I’ll side with the “not my cup of tea” comments. If it brings more fans into the fold then cool, but I do have to wonder – if this is the content now, when information is starting to hot up, then what will happen in the mid-season lull?
RamahQuote Reply
About two weeks after this season’s finale, when everything has been said about it and there’s no news about S03 yet, I want to see a Daily Raven where Simone rests her head on her hands and looks forlorn into the camera…ten minutes long!
Tar KidhoQuote Reply
Ours is the Fury,
Katie,
My apologies. Did not mean to offend anyone.
surfKrakenQuote Reply
Well done! If I have one criticism, it’s the editing in the very beginning. The way Simone jumps around the screen as she’s talking is distracting. But the content is A+. Keep it up!
Strong BelwasQuote Reply
- I found the editing at the start so poorly done that I nearly stopped watching straight away. If I was a first-time visitor to the site then I definitely would not have persisted with it. Too jumpy, irritating to watch.
- I don’t care about the host’s looks, but I strongly dislike her presentation style. It was like watching the E! Channel, very strong whiff of CHEESE.
- I learnt absolutely nothing new from this video, which means that I am unlikely to want to watch the next one.
I know that the guys running this site need to keep the hits up, and need to turn over a bit of cash. But please don’t lose site of what made the site a success in the first place.
JamesQuote Reply
Grujah,
Season 1 ended eight months ago. It’s almost season 2, and she’s discussing current news. If someone hasn’t watched season 1, they should have the sense to know they shouldn’t watch a current discussion about Game of Thrones.
And I think people are being way too harsh frankly, about the content. It isn’t supposed to be a hard-hitting news program. I wasn’t involved in the making of the Daily Raven, this is just my opinion as a viewer like yourselves.
Ours is the FuryQuote Reply
That was very well done. Very professional looking.
Infact the script for this was better than most of the scipts in season 1…
MiddlefingerQuote Reply
James,
Just two things:
1) No one is making any profit here.
2) We are definitely not losing sight of the main thing – the site itself. It will always remaing central, and will only improve. All the rest are extras, additional channels of communication and spreading the gospel, but not at the expense of the main site. Every little bit helps (when you’re building an empire).
Being the number one place for all GoT news and rumours remains our motto and sacred goal :)
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
I think it’s great. I don’t always get to check the site daily and taking five minutes to watch a webisode is an easy way to catch up. : )
MiraxQuote Reply
I thought it was great and really wouldn’t change anything. Keep the news/humor coming. It’s a fun way to catch up on GoT news. Also, I think Simone is doing a great job and hope she doesn’t get too offended by the comments here. As a female fan, it’s nice to have someone who seems down to earth rather than the stereotypical nerd girl (i.e., the women on G4) who come off as trashy and dumb.
DreamlifeQuote Reply
Great job, but I thought like I was watching a Got Laughs clip. It is not something I would go out of my way to watch.
VeraQuote Reply
Fire And Blood,
Since you’re going for a “skewed take on Westerosi life,” I say commit more to that idea. Give the show a more Westerosi vibe (right now, and no offense meant, but it feels VERY “generic youtube vlog”). You’re right that the main site is the only place that can deliver news as it breaks – so you need to find that something special in regards to the Daily Raven. Brainstorm it out! This show could be great for the fans if it were just developed a little further.
ZachQuote Reply
Love the music that played during the credits. We also need to have a *rest peace homies* memorial after every episode =]
AngelQuote Reply
Zach,
Agreed,
Simone should carry a batlle axe or something, dressed in furs or a westerosi style robe.
Interview the cast in Dothraki with a castle hearth in the background.
Call the interview section “Words are wind!”
And there must be a raven on her shoulder at all times.
DurendaeleQuote Reply
Well, there’s over 100 comments, so its a start. Someday, we’ll all look back on this and laugh.
(whilst staring at the tarred, spiked heads of those who’ve wronged us)
/Baelish thought bubble
the goatQuote Reply
Only partially related to the video, but the whole “Brienne Should Look Like A Mutated Troll” wank really gets my goat. I mean, obviously Brienne should not look like a supermodel, but just because a bunch of jerks say she’s hideous doesn’t mean she is. It just means a.) she doesn’t conform to society’s standards of female gender roles/beauty, b.) she won’t sleep with them, and c.) they have an inferiority complex because she can beat them up. And frankly HBO’s character design (short hair, minimal makeup, guys’ clothing and height/bulk) is perfect for just that. I mean, the point of her character isn’t that she’s ugly; it’s that society is trying to shoehorn her into a mold she doesn’t want to fit, and said society reacts venomously when she resists their efforts to do so. /rant
Shannon O’SheaQuote Reply
I’m not going to read all 100+ comments, so maybe someone already pointed this out. Simone is the same chick that does “Hobbit in 5″ for theonering.net.
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2012/02/17/53705-hobbit-in-5-middle-earth-beer-festival-lotr-lego-info-dwalin-bust-from-gentle-gianthobbit-in-5-middle-earth-beer-festival-lotr-lego-info-dwalin-bust-from-gentle-giant/
LindaQuote Reply
Pretty cool video! I definitely like the idea and Simone is adorable. Fantastic eulogy, too!
I realize this is the first episode and bound to get even better as time goes on, but I do have a couple of suggestions.
First of all, I did find the cadence of Simone’s voice to be a little distracting. Some people said in comments above that it was a little too MTVish and I think they might be on to something. Not that there’s anything wrong with the way MTV does its reporting, but I think of WinterIsComing as something a little more intimate (and sometimes wonderfully sardonic and controversial) than MTV and I felt that the style of Simone’s reporting on the Daily Raven was a little out of place – it was a little impersonal and generic… maybe it felt too scripted. Simone is obviously charismatic and clever (did she write that poem herself?) and I think it would be nice to see some of her own personality and wit come out in future episodes.
Secondly, I noticed some of the posts mentioned that if you are a regular visitor to WinterIsComing you won’t find anything new in the video. I am a regular visitor and I agree – there isn’t anything in there I haven’t seen because I loyally check the site every day and read nearly every post. However, what I don’t always read are the comments (I may be a nerd, but I’m a busy nerd and there are too few hours in a day). I sometimes miss out on the way the WiC/Game of Thrones fan community has reacted to posts, rumors, castings, etc. When I do occasionally read the comments, I almost always learn something new or thought-provoking. Simone touched on that a little bit in mentioning the lack of forests in Iceland and indirectly with her comment about Brienne (forget about pretty – what about her eyes not being blue? That’s been a bone of contention within my own little group of Game of Thrones/ASOIAF fanatics), but that was about it.
Maybe a way to make the Daily Raven new and interesting to those of us who are already “in the loop” would be to incorporate fan musings, theories, casting suggestions and reactions to the posts in one easily accessible package. I realize that this might make the Daily Raven a little longer and might require a little more research, but I think it would definitely make me more excited to watch.
All in all, though, I think that the Daily Raven is great and I will certainly be watching for the next installment. :)
HilaryQuote Reply
Her eyes are blue.
http://i2.cdnds.net/11/27/ustv_gwendoline_christie.jpg
Ours is the FuryQuote Reply
Ours is the Fury,
That is fantastic! I suppose I should have remembered that from the initial pictures of Gwendoline Christie. The picture that provoked conversation with my fellow fans was this one: http://winteriscoming.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Brienne-Gwendoline-Christie-Helen-Sloan.jpg
Her eyes look quite brown in this shot, but it must just be the light.
HilaryQuote Reply
Cool. I wouldn’t change anything yet.
I’m assuming this’ll be used to recap each ep and to speculate on future events.
John WQuote Reply
I have to agree with Hilary and maybe others, haven’t read them all yet, but WiC needs to save some fresh news for this bird. It will add to the importance and must view aspect for the not quite daily video’s.
tysnowQuote Reply
Big… Blue…
userjQuote Reply
Get a host that knows what she’s talking about and who is interested and follows the books. Damn, at least pronounce Balon Greyjoy, right! Also, i think the casting for Brienne is amazing and uncanny , kinda looks like Darth Vader without the mask which means amazing casting for Brienne and Season 2. Daily Raven, Step Up Your GAME……
Patrick CarlisleQuote Reply
I’ll give it a few more tries as new episodes are released, but I’m not sold yet. I think it’s the style, which as some others said, seems too generic, or “flashy” or “MTV.” I’m not sure the exact adjective to use, but it just doesn’t seem to fit with everything I understand and love about ASOIAF/GOT. I guess I would have expected something more rustic or elegant. This looks like anything pulled off of G4. Also, I find the writing a bit contrived, like it’s trying too hard to be funny or witty. This doesn’t need all the proverbial bells and whistles of references to other fandoms or cliches such as pouring ale on the ground for a homie. That stuff just seems cheesy when compared to GOT, an already wonderful source material that challenges conventions.
And let me just say as a disclaimer, the above is not intended to offend anyone who worked on this. I’ve done multimedia journalism, and I know how much work goes into producing things like this. I’m just trying to provide constructive criticism, and I recognize that my opinion may be in the minority.
And one last thing, about Gwendoline Christie as Brienne. She looks big enough, strong enough, and awkward enough to portray the characters, and I think all of those qualities are more important than how ugly or “not that ugly” she looks. It’s a bit disappointing that looks have become a primary discussion topic for Brienne, who has a wealth of psychological and social elements to her character, all of which would make for more interesting points of conversation.
LinaQuote Reply
Brienne looks PERFECT. Discussing her looks was probably my least favourite part of the video… especially since we know what a slippery slope that is. What will she talk about next, Tyrion’s good looks, Jaime’s crooked nose, etc? I don’t think the video segments should go there… (unless maybe they’re prepared to go all the way, and re-name it The Daily Gate!).
LexQuote Reply
Great video!
Waiting for more.
cwolfQuote Reply
I’m a guy and I would probably hurt someone to get the same T-shirt. It’s just that good!!
Nice video guys, and Bravo “McGuffin” (lol)
vianneyQuote Reply
Lex,
Lina,
I agree with your judgements on the nature of (some of the) Brienne discussions, the reference in the video didn’t help. I saw it mostly as an excuse to use the Kristian in a blonde wig gag, not to be taken seriously.
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
As for Brienne I think she looks more like the unattractive woman she should be than Arya looks like a boy in those pictures. I think Arya looks good as Arry but I still find the ranking clearly reversed from the opinion of the show.
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
That was my impression as well, and I even had the idea that she was actually mocking the fans that had complained about Gwendoline being too pretty.
Tar KidhoQuote Reply
I can speak with some authority on the subject of nerd girls. There are and have always been a good number of them in fandom, some of them downright beautiful.
In L. Sprague deCamp’s novella -The Goblin Tower-, published first in 1968, which is in part a parody of science fiction conventions, he talks about the Most Naked Lady competitions which showed up at many such conventions, so there is some documentation available on the web. Not to mention the thousands upon thousands of photos on FaceBook and otherwhere on the web depicting contestants from the masquerade competitions at such sf conventions.
In the late 1970s, after the release of Logan’s Run and Star Wars, our local science fiction club had hundreds of members attending every month, most of them in their teens or twenties. Nearly half were females, most of them college students. Today, with the popularity of anime and the Twilight saga and other vampire tales, I suspect that the younger set in fandom might approach a majority of females at the moment. Come to a Comic Con sometime and see for yourself.
Maester TcostQuote Reply
I’m afraid i’m in the ‘not my cup of tea’ camp. I wasn’t expecting a newsnight like serious discussion but the E! like style was hugely grating to me. I do sympathize with how hard this must be to make. Coming up with enough jokes that are actually funny must be very hard. Maybe if the host relaxed a bit more (lovely T-shirt though).
Plus I must say i’m somewhat disappointed with some of the comments here about either nerd girls or Brienne’s appearence. One of the reasons I really like this site (apart form it’s good looks and fantastic content) is that WiC and the commenters tend to stay away from the sort of rampant sexism that does occur on other fansites.
Tessa LeonieQuote Reply
Tar Kidho,
If the point was to mock the ones that say that Brienne is too pretty then that segment was a big insult to Maggie Gyllenhaal, seeing how Simone said Brienne looked like her.
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
Now, if all of the GoT-nerdy girls adopted the Qartheen fashion, I suspect that the number of negative comments would go down considerably.
Siniša Grimjaur ŠiškoQuote Reply
Now I can’t get the picture out of my mind of that (in my opnion) terribly annoying Jeremy Paxman presenting the Daily Raven! :)
Yeah, I’m with you there. And I simply don’t see the reason to most of those discussions! (see my comments above…) With more posters here, it does seem like we are losing some of the ‘Always Support the Bottom’ spirit… (by which I don’t mean there can’t be any criticism here, rather that ‘discussions’ seem to descend more frequently to black-white pro-contra extremist opinion shouting, like on other parts of the web) Or maybe it’s just me experiencing some ‘everything used to be better’ sentiments ;)
Tar KidhoQuote Reply
Siniša Grimjaur Šiško,
And if all GOT nerd boys would go naked and do the wiggle wiggle dance it would start raining kittens.
Tessa LeonieQuote Reply
Tywin’s Bastard,
…or maybe we could all just stop over-analyzing every little thing that was said?
Tar KidhoQuote Reply
Tar Kidho,
You’re the one analyzing what was said in the video, I’m analyzing the consequences of what you said. I don’t think it’s good form to put forth an analysis and then complain when someone else does the same.
I don’t have any problems with someone having different opinions than my own so I don’t have any need to find any excuse for what was said in the video. I can accept that she thinks that way.
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
I dunno, maybe it’s because Simone wasn’t really one of ‘us’ before, so she is not part of our bottom? She’s horning in on our bottom? She’s wanting the support of our bottom when she hasn’t participated in endless critiques of epsiodes like we have, where everyone is right(lol), so she hasn’t suffered like we have?
I’m not sure why she is doing this, and that makes me nervous. To try and get exposure for herself, in hopes that she gets a better, paid announcing job working somewhere else? Well, that’s working your way up from the bottom, we can go along with that, but can I trust her? In the Game of Reporters, will she throw us under the bus later, when she gets more famous and ditches WiC? Or will she always speak fondly of us?
If the reporter was someone I knew from the site, like the Rabbit or Fury or FaB, I would be 100% more behind it. I still will probably get behind it, but I want to wait and see how it all works out.
purplejillyQuote Reply
From westeros.org: “In 2005, GRRM pointed out that Syrio seems to have been left in a hopeless situation when he was last seen, and suggested readers should “draw your own conclusions” based on this (SSM), which seems to imply that Syrio Forel was in fact killed. More recent reports (but, it should be said, unconfirmed) indicate GRRM does not understand why he gets asked the question repeatedly, pointing out that Syrio is not immortal; if accurate, this seems to more heavily imply that Syrio Forel is dead.”
Tyrion4LyfeQuote Reply
Tywin’s Bastard,
Simone literally said: “I was expecting a bit less Maggie Gyllenhaal and a bit more Christian Nairne in a wig”. Even if she was mocking (or ‘teasing’ if the word ‘mocking’ has too much of a negative ring to it – I didn’t mean it in a negative way, but then again English is not my first language…) the discussions amongst us fans, than I still fail to see how this could be a ‘big insult’ to MG.
purplejilly,
Stop overanalyzing!!! :-) In a way I can see what you mean, but personally I don’t care for the reasons Simone is doing this. In the end it’s very simple: WiC and co went looking for a host, they contacted Simone (probably based on her involvment with something similar on theonering.net) and she wanted to do it. Even if she looks at this from a carreer perspective, I fail to see what could possibly be wrong with that. If anything, I’d be thrilled if being involved with WiC.net would deliver somebody new carreer chances!
Agreed, it might have been nice(r) if someone we knew already had become the host, but I assume they must have had good (personal) reasons not to.
One idea for future Daily Ravens might be a feature that is ‘hosted’ by visitors of this website? For instance, in House Gatewatch, purplejilly was supposed to be the bard, so maybe the next poem could be written (and presented?) by her? What think you, Jilly? ;) Just an idea, but there’s many ways us readers could get more involved in the creation of the Daily Raven!
Tar KidhoQuote Reply
Not really my cup of tea… But if you get interviews etc. content in these videos that would actually make these way way more intresting.
FlourideQuote Reply
Tar Kidho,
If she was mocking people that think Brienne is too pretty in the show she was basically saying “of course she’s not too pretty, she looks like Maggie Gyllenhaal. Do you want her to look like Hodor?” I don’t see how that’s not a significant insult towards someone’s looks.
That’s only a comment on your take on what she said though because I think her comment sounded very genuine and serious (i.e. that she feels Maggie is pretty) and then made a funny exaggeration about how Brienne should be according to her.
And as said, I don’t care what her opinion is, she can and should think what she wants. I just felt that you were the one over-analyzing it and really reaching for an “excuse” for what she said.
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
Now there’s an idea I like! Maybe if we were contributing content or ideas it would seem like even more of our ‘own’ production. I’d love to see some skits on there, aka SNL, but I guess then you are talking budget, and I don’t think we are at THAT level yet. But I’ve already written a whole script in my head for “An Idiot Abroad 3 – Karl goes to Westeros”.
purplejillyQuote Reply
Not another Maggie Gyllenhaal is ugly thread? What is this IMDB?
As for Simone she was hired for this job by WIC, therefore I will not feel betrayed if she leaves us for better things, she is only human after all with human ambitions and isn’t that one of the main themes of GoT/ASOIAF?
As a web show I am not tickled by the Daily Raven, but that is no comment on its quality it is simply as someone said ‘not my cup of tea’.
Lot of anger in here today. Nerds may be accepted these days (if they are not ‘in’) but I think we still have miles to go in accepting ourselves. The school bullies may have slightly dissipated but we still have other monsters to fight.
Peace.
Joshua TaylorQuote Reply
Is Larry going to be reviewing Game of Thrones S. 2, does anyone know?
purplejillyQuote Reply
You are right. Peace now.
Tar KidhoQuote Reply
Tywin’s Bastard,
There seems to be a strong consensus in discussion boards across the Internet that Maggie Gyllenhaal is an unattractive woman. This topic originated sometime around the release of The Dark Knight, an idea hatched by uber fanboys who railed at the very notion that the love interest of Batman was played by a woman who did not match the ridiculous comic book ideal. Not to say that MG is unattractive (anyone whose seen Secretary or Stranger than Fiction would probably agree with me) but to them she is the singular blight on their beloved superhero flick.
Personally i felt that the character of Rachel Dawes played by Mrs. Tom Cruise or by Maggie the thespian is not a strongly written character in the first place, regardless of who plays her .
Overall, as stupid as the subject is it’s a bone of contention amongst fanboys/geeks in general. Again it’s another commentary on the misogyny that exists among fanboy circles. I wonder if Simone brought MG up because she is aware of that issue (or her writer’s are) and is merely capitalizing on iit for her Brienne piece as a means to show her geek cred of is she mocking the notion?
Joshua TaylorQuote Reply
I hope not.
Siniša Grimjaur ŠiškoQuote Reply
We need to leave Maggie Gyllenhaal, Brienne of Tarth, Simone and nerd girls everywhere out of this conversation. The latent problem here is that we’re spending far too much time discussing women’s looks, a subject which is not relevant to the topic at hand.
LinaQuote Reply
No offence intended, the presentation wasn’t really to my taste. The overall effect seemed very forced/fake (not sure that’s the best word)- it made me think of those ‘news’ segments that go on forever about what celebrities (aren’t) wearing and end with ‘and by the way, Greek people are upset about something an… who’s Syria?’. Not in any way suggesting the content is the same, but the style of the show reminds me of that and I’m trying and failing to ignore it. Might be one of those things that only works on one side of the Atlantic.
Having said all that, I rate content as more important than presentation style- just wanted to get the negative out of the way first- so will keep watching for now in the hopes that when there’s more to talk about I’ll like it more.
Today’s content was ok ish given there’s very little to go on (poem was a nice touch, personally think the wig joke was nowhere near worth diving into the Brienne’s appearance argument though!) and hopefully will improve when there’s more material. In the meantime, how about some quick recaps of series 1? Or a brief reminder of the various family/political alliances?
ShinyteapotQuote Reply
“Arya looks totally busted”…LOL ! Good work! I shall continue watching…and Simone IS smoking hot (and did a good job too).
loco73Quote Reply
I’ve never heard of this ‘GOT For dummies’ video series, are they available somewhere? Removed from Youtube.
vianneyQuote Reply
purplejilly,
He said he would … I really hope so :)
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
Epic! :D
Christina HandtQuote Reply
Has anyone noticed that the absence of Epic coincides with the launch of the Daily Raven?
Does Simone Boyce= Epic?
Joshua TaylorQuote Reply
Every nerdy girl is hot, and they are hot because they are nerdy.
Ted furthmanQuote Reply
dark wings, dark words.
but in pretty good feathers! hahaha
and that poem almost drove me to tears… of laugh!
huahahua
awesome!
Thiago SlashQuote Reply