sorry but i'm soo obsessed with robert keeping the dragon skulls in the dungeons after he wins. it's a sign of triumph, and a sign of continuity. what's left of the targaryens is bones. we will build our house atop the dead things that once made you gods

I think ASOIAF asks the question of whether or not free will exists at all if we can prophesize the future. Jojen believes that the future can't be changed at all, so where does he fall in the debate of free will? Does he think everyone is a slave to fate? On the other end of the spectrum is Melisandre, who believes that the future can be changed (else what's the point of visions) ... and that's so fitting because she used to be a slave. So of course she believes in free will by contrast.

What is honor compared to a woman’s love? What is duty against the feel of a newborn son in your arms… or the memory of a brother’s smile? Wind and words. Wind and words. We are only human, and the gods have fashioned us for love. That is our great glory, and our great tragedy.

Jon Snow - and family that haunts him, because sometimes ghosts make for the best love stories.

Brienne spending most of asos w Jaime sobbing on the back of the horse shaved bald and covered in shit and next book she’s imagining their wedding. ppl like ‘she could do better’ she doesn’t want better she wants That

it is extremely funny to me that Jon is the character that inspires the most insane asoiaf ship wars, of all characters. Jon. Jon!! Think about it. The boy is just in pure suffering throughout the entire story. He's just trying to cope, he's minding his own business, he's fed up and he's also dead last time we saw him. The burden on his shoulders is so so heavy and he's just a boy ffs. Like I'm mainly concerned by how on earth is he going to survive this and when is he ever gonna get a break and just, live basically. But because he's the only, singular, male character with an iota of decency and integrity, he suddenly becomes this golden boi archetype that everyone wants to claim as the ultimate prize for their fav gal. Leave the poor guy alone, even in the meta world the furies don't stop pursuing him somehow

that fucking royal feast at winterfell haunts me. did they toast to the royal house baratheon? did robert shout out his war stories about taking down a once great dynasty? did ned watch jon snow cheers to the death of his own father? raise a glass to the death of his future, the loss of his identity? would he even notice if he had?

I noticed earlier that Tyrion often thinks of Tommen and Myrcella, who he is very fond of, as Jaime’s children, but never Joffrey who is in Tyrion’s narration Cersei’s son only. Until the moment he is dying and then all of a sudden he has Jaime’s eyes.

again, the Catelyn/Cersei parallels. also thinking many thoughts about how Tyrion thinks he should run away but instead he goes towards Cersei, like he wants to comfort her, and then of course she accuses him instead.

[…] Wordlessly, Morrec handed him the ladle. Tyrion tasted and handed it back. “More pepper,” he said.

Benjen Stark emerged from the shelter he shared with his nephew. “There you are. Jon, damn it, don’t go off like that by yourself. I thought the Others had gotten you.”

“It was the grumkins,” Tyrion told him, laughing. Jon Snow smiled. Stark shot a baffled look at Yoren. The old man grunted, shrugged, and went back to his bloody work.

Tyrion II, A Game of Thrones

fundamentally cannot stomach a lot of asoiaf character discourse because like. I love all of these characters even the terrible inexcusable ones and the ones who love so deep and so raw that they are their own doom and the ones who are so tangled up that every choice they make in the narrative is the wrong one. noticing more and more that people are evaluating a lot of the decisions that characters make like theyre math equations as if every single one of these people is not deeply sick in the head. if you dont love all of these characters why are you here reading these books

“Ned Stark reached out his hand to grasp the flowery crown, but beneath the pale blue petals the thorns lay hidden.”

- Eddard XV

the "long live good king renly" post is from @/maculategiraffe, it's one of my favs

Thank you!!!!

Love in this very serious chapter (Theon I TWOW) when Stannis is interrogating Theon and both of them momentarily pause to mutually roll their eyes at Asha bringing her pirate polycule to the party.

Mind you Theon is currently chained up like this:

(Couldn’t find a fucking image that worked so I had to use one from Shrek 2 I’m so sorry)

Hi!! I was wondering if you or someone you know did a post on how slowly word travels in Westeros? Like how uninformed everyone is and someone's like "Long live king Renly!" And they're like "King Renly died"

i have been looking for this for you since you asked this bc i could’ve sworn i’ve seen one but i seriously cannot find it anywhere. if anyone knows one pls feel free to tag/link it

i don’t think anybody could ever understand each other like Jon Snow, who’s learned he’s not ned’s son, and Young Griff, who’s learned he’s not rhaegar’s son. but i don’t think they’ll ever get to meet

Go cry, emo kid.

(Reference)

i need reunions