Game of Thrones 30 Day Challenge: Day 1

I've been going through a lot of sickness and headaches and need a break from really THINKING about stuff. To that end, I'm going to do the Game of Thrones 30 Day Challenge. If this isn't of interest to you, I understand why you might want to skip my posts. Though, I promise you, even if you've not read the books, you'll still get your usual ME stuff from me. <3

DAY ONE: YOUR FAVORITE CHARACTER

BRANDON STARK

In all the clamor of Tyrion, Dany, Jon, and the others, I think people forget how important Bran Stark is to the story. Maybe it's because he's so young. Perhaps it's because his chapters don't contain a lot of action. Maybe it's because he can be, at times, difficult to deal with as a POV character. He is crippled, after all. He still has a lot of resentment about that. He is hurt over the death of his father and the loss of his home. He doesn't even know yet about the other losses his family has suffered. He just knows he has to do what he can to change all of it.

I love Bran because Bran represents the true aspect of high fantasy in the series. He is on a mysterious quest full of magic and mystery. He trades stories of history, lore, and legend with his companions, stories that serve to shed light on the rest of what is happening. Bran also has one of the more touching love stories, as his feelings for Meera grow and he has no idea if there is even a possibility that she could feel the same way or if it would even be possible for them to marry.

When Bran finally makes it to Bloodraven, we have our first inbook meeting of Targaryen and Stark. It's interesting that these two are the first to meet, considering it is connections between these two houses that define everything that happened before the story and will probably define how it all ends. A lot of people find Bloodraven to be sinister and question his motives, but I believe they always have. I think Bran is where he needs to be, though perhaps the level of sacrifice he will have to make to take power is going to cost him things he didn't want to lose.

Bran isn't innocent. He makes mistakes. He can be selfish and sometimes bratty. But despite everything, he is a boy who can no longer walk, yet has managed to make it through an snow-covered stretch of miles, brave wights, starvation, and hopelessness, to make it to a place of legend. It seems to me that, like his namesakes before him, he will help to end the Long Night.