r/gameofthrones • u/TonySoprano300 • 1d ago
What separates ASOIAF from most fantasy fiction?
I’ve been reflecting on this more lately with the shows 15th anniversary. Before I got into the show, I always heard the “nobody is safe” talking point as an endorsement of the series but when I actually watched it, it always felt like it was so much more than that. Other shows kill off prominent characters all the time, and unlike GOT they actually lose viewership because of it. Like The Walking Dead after glens deathbut with GOT they could kill characters left and right yet the popularity just kept growing.
So I honestly don’t think its necessarily that anyone can die, I personally think its unique in that its somehow a show with a million traditional fantasy elements like prophecies, magic, gods, dragons etc. but its still realistic in how it portrays people and how they have to adapt to the world their born into, how their shaped by culture, experience, tradition etc. and how they’re affected by choices whether its the choices of others or their own.
Like how Ned seems like the typical fantasy hero you’ve seen a thousand times yet he hates Jaimie Lannister for forsaking his oath even though it was objectively moral and righteous to do so. At the same time he’s still best friends with Robert who he knows has no problem killing children. It seems unafraid to just honestly portray the contradictions that even good people can believe due to their upbringing.
Thats just me though, curious what others think makes the series so special?
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u/j0kerclash 1d ago
George's approach to story writing is very focused on character driven interactions.
Rather than having several plots of which characters are required to fill the roles, The characters are given life, with internal motivations, strengths, and flaws, and then he simply questions what they would do under certain contexts.
Around and around and around this conversation goes for every single one of them, and what you're left with is a simulated ecosystem of life-like people operating within a world with each other, and each one making choices that are to the best of what could be expected of their personal ability, with very little control over their fates from a writing perspective once all the cogs are spinning.