Why Am I the Only Black Kid in Westeros?

San Diego Comic Con swept through the realm of geekdom as the entertainment industry offered glimpses into upcoming comic, television, and movie releases. Not too much information, of course – just enough to bring fans to a near climax before pulling the curtains closed and watching obsession run its course. Call it media edging: strike the right balance and we love it despite ourselves. San Diego Comic gave us a mural of Age of Ultron, added hype for Bungie’s Destiny, and the internet was finally given sight to Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman (may they calm the eff down).

But only one story, the official casting release for Game of Thrones’ fifth season highlighting a late-arriving, crowd-favorite region in Westoros, left me wanting to ask to speak with a customer service representative. And yes, I would like to speak with a manager. The Sand Snakes of Dorne became some of my favorite characters in A Song of Ice and Fire, a light in the dark tunnel of drudgery that was Feast for Crows/Dance with Dragons. They were complex, independent, unique, scary. Basically, everything I hope for in strong female characters. For those who haven’t read ahead, the Sand Snakes refer to the daughters of Oberyn Martell, the Red Viper of Dorne. Now, to say Prince Oberyn enjoyed sex would be an understatement, as we learned in Season 4. And since Westoros had yet to come up with contraception and/or was once run by a Mad King Republican, Oberyn Martell had many, many daughters by women across the sev…