Valar Dohaeris

Thank you, for the outpouring of love to my friend WinterPhil as he steps away from what has been such a large part of his daily routine, his focus, and more importantly his time (we do have so little of it, although contextually more than our heroes of Ice and Fire). And thank you for the staggeringly warm welcome, it has certainly helped this day ease down easier, as Phil passes the reign. I remember the minutes following Phil’s message, updating me on his decision to dedicate time to other places in his life. Such a strange, sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach — I have greatly enjoyed the almost daily workflow/brainstorming (both fitting this in during our own demanding “work work” times) we established throughout this past year, dreading severely the idea of it all coming to an end so soon. It started with an email, then a phone call outside of my house in Nevada (since moved) where we both took turns passing compliments which way, and ultimately deciding we must rally our banners to the same cause — you. In the weeks following, we at the podcast were unsure who would replace Phil, or how the soul of this portal to our collectiveness would alter because of it.

When first approached with this concept of leading the website, it wasn’t likely the time would be there. I was hesitant, three weekly episodes of what has become such an important part of the friendship with some of my best friends does take a toll on the available amount of hours we each have to spend in any given week. Over the course of the last forty (or so) days, I’ve worked in the background, ironing out the transitory wrinkles (things like being unsullied) and learning that, in the beginning of the process, my (good) foot could not have been lodged more deep inside of my mouth. Axe, Oz, Fury, and Roar have murdered those concerns, been an incredible support structure, and will continue to be such a large part of this community. I am thrilled to serve, anything I can do to help bolster this (what will become) small piece of time in our lives in which the mystery and wonder still remain. Books are yet to be released, television seasons remain unassembled, and many flagons of wine have yet to be shared between the lot of us.

To me, stories are like magic — we can live so many different lives inside of our own. I began my journey into finding others who share these interests at the age of 9. Years (and many memories) later, a few of my best friends and I near 200 episodes in what we jokingly consider the documentary of what would be our normal regular conversations anyway, and may the future hold 900 more. And may the future bring us closer together, as we discover the mysteries of this story, and give thanks to George R.R. Martin for playing matchmaker on such a massive scale. That’s really the key to all of this, right? The interactions between all of us as we experience this story, together.

-zack

ps. for now, please enjoy this moving picture

• Published on 02/28/2014 at 3:52 PM CDT
• Last updated on 10/21/2016 at 12:43 PM CDT