Why isn't George R. R. Martin on Twitter?
Because he already killed off 140 characters.
Because he already killed off 140 characters.
—Internet joke
He dies, she dies...everybody dies.
—Unknown, but originally heard as a response to The Godfather's death toll
Bob: We're... we're gonna starve.
Sarah: Oh, come on. They wouldn't do that to the main cast
Bob: They've done arcs before, Sarah! There are no guarantees.
— Common Sense Soapbox, "How to Make a Bad Economy WORSE".
Don't waste your time on the kiss of life
We're the walking dead now
Don't even try in your nine-to-five
We're the walking dead now
Look overhead, listen what I said,
you'll see our little halos
We're the walking dead now
Don't even try in your nine-to-five
We're the walking dead now
Look overhead, listen what I said,
you'll see our little halos
—Puessence, "Walking Dead"
For though Eru appointed to you to die not in Eä, and no sickness may assail you, yet slain ye may be, and slain ye shall be: by weapon and by torment and grief...
—The Doom of the Noldor, The Silmarillion
If anything in this life is certain; if history has taught us anything, it's that you can kill anyone.
—Michael Corleone, The Godfather
Sometimes it's hard to understand the drift of things. This was a good boy. He'd have been a good man. He didn't get his chance. Death can come for ya any place, any time. It's never welcomed. But if you've done all you can do, and it's your best, in a way I guess you're ready for it.
— Wil Andersen, The Cowboys
For we are sojourners with You, mere transients like our fathers; our days on earth are like a shadow, with nothing in prospect.
— King David, I Chronicles 29:15
"All Men Must Die"
EVEN MAIN CHARACTERS CAN'T LIVE FOREVER.
— Tagline for Book Four of Goblins
Everyone's dying and I don't know how to stop it!
— Krillin, Dragon Ball Z Kai
The concept of death is inevitable. Everyone has to die sometime.
— Kiyo Kamiya, Crisis Moon, Chapter 1: A Fateful Meeting
Most will end up here, covered in the poisoned earth, waiting for merciful oblivion....
—The Ancestor, Darkest Dungeon, when first accessing the Graveyard
Don't get too attached.
— A Tagline for The Suicide Squad.
Mordecai: Do you ever think about how many people we've seen probably die?
Rigby: Ehh, I'm sure they're all fine...
Rigby: Ehh, I'm sure they're all fine...
Creators
Hoping this is acceptable. Sorry for killing anyone/everyone you’re fond of.
Spoony: Speaking of children: Why do you hate children so much?
Richard Garriott: I love children! I don't know why you think I have this thing for children—
Spoony: You love DEAD and DISMEMBERED children.
Richard Garriott: I do love dead and dismembered children also.
Richard Garriott: I love children! I don't know why you think I have this thing for children—
Spoony: You love DEAD and DISMEMBERED children.
Richard Garriott: I do love dead and dismembered children also.
These are the books where people begin to die. These are the books where we realise that all bets are off and no one is safe. And on that cheerful note, enjoy the trip.
— Dan Abnett foreword in The Saint, the second Gaunt's Ghosts Omnibus.
From your training in seeing so many movies and reading books, you know your hero is going to be saved … Someone has something planned, because they’re not really going to chop off his head — right up until the moment when they chopped off his head. I was shocked, and then admiring of George’s ruthlessness. It’s a tough thing to build up a character and make somebody as memorable and impressive as Ned and then get rid of him. But at the same time it leads to a story that is so much more suspenseful because you truly have no idea what is going to happen and who is going to survive.
— David Benioff, on A Game of Thrones
J. K. Rowling: It's the 16th anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. I'm having a moment's silence over my keyboard. I hated killing some of those people.
George R. R. Martin (parody account): Oh my sweet summer child...
George R. R. Martin (parody account): Oh my sweet summer child...
Reviews
The Game of Thrones theme is now a Pavlovian response for millions of viewers. Play it in a public place and everyone will start phoning their family to make sure they're still alive.
— Cracked
The death of Deep Throat is so brilliantly handled that the show would be trying to replicate its success for years to come, but never quite get it as right as it does here. The idea of killing off such an established character is a shocking move because he has formed an integral part of the show's tapestry. Had this been the end of the series, (Chris) Carter was bowing out with the message that nobody, not even Deep Throat, was safe from being tidied up by this government conspiracy. What a bleak, unforgettable message that would have been. With the show renewed, it has a secondary purpose of reminding us that not even Mulder and Scully’s safety should be taken for granted. That’s something that would prove quite prescient very soon in the first third of season two. More importantly the execution is perfect. There’s simply no way this outcome could have been predicted on first viewing because Deep Throat has always appeared so well connected. The prisoner/embryo exchange seems to be going down perfectly and Deep Throat is suddenly shot with such speed I was left reeling on first viewing. I wanted to rewind it to confirm what I had just seen! If you are going to slap your audience around the face with the death of regular character this is how to do it. Quick, unexpected, unfair and unforgettable. I don’t think I have ever seen it done better, personally.
—Joe Ford on The X-Files, "The Erlenmeyer Flask"
The fact that the game focuses on constantly changing the party means that it has to contrive to get rid of characters regularly. Accordingly, all but a handful of characters die at some point in the narrative. In turn all but one are eventually restored, but the game has an aggressively unrelenting sense of doom and tragedy throughout it, to an extent that’s slightly shocking even in 2015.
The deathcount in this series is so high, that a committee comprised of Joss Whedon, Steven Moffat and George R. R. Martin would tell the writers to calm the fuck down.