A city in Australia is up in arms after a Game of Thrones-inspired street name was changed following claims it was a reference to incest. Things are heating up like dragon fire in the suburbs of Geelong, as a developer is griping about the local government forcing him to change the name of Lannaster Rd. Now, both sides are speaking out in regards to the matter, and the drama is almost as good as the latest episode.
For the record, that above spelling is not an accidental Game of Thrones typo, as the Geelong Advertiser reports the suburban development project manager Gary Smith intentionally misspelled Lannister in an effort to make the reference less obvious. The subtlety was apparently lost on the neighboring estate, located in the Armstrong Creek area, since that's where the complaint was first leveled against the street name for referencing the incestuous relationship of Jaime and Cersei. The City of Greater Geelong ultimately held a vote over the matter, and the final verdict was that "Lannaster Rd." was deemed offensive to the community and , and was thus renamed "Precinct Rd." in reference to a nearby shopping precinct. One wonders if Game of Thrones merchandise can be found in that area.
While Gary Smith lost that battle, Game of Thrones fans can take solace in knowing he has perhaps already won the war. While the city took issue with Lannaster Rd: nobody has voiced complaints against Catelyn Rd, Stannis St, Winterfell Rd, Greyjoy St, Baelish Drive and Tywin St., and they all got to remain street names in the Charlemont Rise estate. Someone familiar with the show should've argued that Baelish Drive is far viler than a misspelling of the name Lannister could ever be, but it's not as though there are too many people willing to step up and defend incest in any context, so perhaps it's best to just let the situation die.
Smith says his reason for the street names was to bring something original to the table, and maintains that the only complaints he heard himself, regarding Lannaster Rd., were from residents living on the street upset that he was forced to change it. Whether or not any of those unhappy residents had some oddly close ties to others in their family was not mentioned, but it's far more likely they were just fans of Game of Thrones upset they don't have a cool name for their street like all of their surrounding neighbors. Let's start the petitions to get
Geelong residents miffed about the name change still have the Season 7 finale of Game of Thrones to look forward to, as the season finale is set to air on HBO on Sunday, August 27, at 9:00 p.m. ET. There's a lot to look forward to, as speculation about why Dany has been absent from the previews is abound, and the episode is also poised to do something it hasn't done since the pilot.
And remember, there is a long wait between this Sunday's finale and next season, so any fan needing something to watch between those dates would do well to visit our fall premiere guide.
