#It’s right there!!!

[jonsnowunemploymentera]

“I didn’t catch anything,” Bran said, “but Jon gave me his fish on the way back to Winterfell. Will we ever see Jon again?”

“We saw Uncle Benjen when the king came to visit,” Robb pointed out. “Jon will visit too, you’ll see.”

- Bran V, AGOT

There’s something so strange about this exchange because it’s preceded by Robb and Bran grieving Jory and then all of a sudden we get a random callback to Jon Snow. it’s only two lines of dialogue but I think it does quite a bit of work in terms of establishing who Jon is as a character, and also gives us a few hints of what we might expect to happen in coming books.

They’re talking about going fishing with Jory once upon a time and Bran mentions that when he didn’t catch anything, Jon gave him his fish. This, in and of itself, isn’t very surprising and it doesn’t tell us anything new about Jon’s character. That’s because he’s been established as a selfless and kind person from the very first chapter. Jon being self-sacrificial, then, isn’t something that is new to the reader at this point. But this short exchange does show us the extent to Jon’s sacrifice. He isn’t someone who takes half measures. Rather, he’s someone who goes all in.

And it’s so fascinating because Jon giving away all his fish may seem like a typical ‘big brother looking out’ moment, but I can’t help but notice the extent to which Jon looked out for Bran. Because he could’ve given him a just few fish and it would’ve been quite lovely; we would still say that he is kind and compassionate big brother. He could’ve given Bran half his fish and we’d praise him for such a great display of kindness. But Jon gave Bran everything he had. He didn’t take any half measures; he went all in. And Bran doesn’t mention Jon only giving him some, so I’m assuming that this means all.

This is something we see in an earlier Tyrion chapter, where he and Jon are parting at the Wall.

“Rickon will ask when I’m coming home. Try to explain where I’ve gone, if you can. Tell him he can have all my things while I’m away, he’ll like that.”

- Tyrion III, AGOT

Jon once again assumes the role of the big brother looking out for his younger sibling, but it’s quite stark (pun intended) how far he goes to make sure that Rickon is happy and well-provisioned. He doesn’t say “tell Rickon to pick and choose what he wants”. He doesn’t name a specific thing that Rickon might want. No. Jon means to have his brother take everything.

The depth of Jon’s kindness is quite remarkable. Yes I know, it’s not the most revolutionary thing to have the fantasy protagonist be good to people. But it’s still quite nice to see him being so kind in a series half-full of actors motivated by purely selfish reasons. It’s especially important because this flashback comes after Bran gets news of Jory’s murder - a selfish, unkind, and senseless act; it’s just pure malice. There aren’t many people in this world who would give everything they have, especially when they don’t have to. Jon had no reason to give Bran all his fish, but he did anyway. He didn’t have to give Rickon all his things, but he did it anyway. It’s the extent to which he goes about being good to people that’s impressive. And we see this develop where he starts extending that to the dozens, hundreds, and thousands.

And I would be negligent if I didn’t mention the obvious messianic framing here. We’ve got a sacrificial lord (mayhaps we might even say a prophesied sacrificial savior), a little boy, and a couple of fish. And we also have mentions of giving away all your possessions to attain true righteousness in scripture, as Jon did with Rickon.

But what I find most curious is Robb’s line. Because it reads like a promise of some sorts. Robb makes the observation that Uncle Benjen visited them when King Robert went to Winterfell, and he is using that as proof to say that Jon will visit too. It’s interesting because Jon mentions hearing his uncle talking to his father about settling people in the Gift. Plus Jon and Benjen have a pretty good relationship so he must’ve travelled there earlier. Thus, I’d assume that King Robert’s feast wasn’t the first time that Benjen went to Winterfell in Robb’s lifetime. So it just makes the connection of Jon’s arrival coinciding with that of a king all the more noteworthy. Except, Jon might be the king who visits this time around.

Robb’s line evokes the imagery of the Return of the King. And also if we go back to scripture, there’s the return of the lord/king, after a great sacrifice. So:

Bran mentions Jon’s sacrifice and then Robb promises that he will return

The savior sacrifices himself then returns in glory (scripture)

Therefore, Jon shall return to Winterfell as a glorious king after a sacrifice

It’s part of why I think we as a fandom need to be a bit more flexible when we talk about Jon’s relationship with sacrifice. I always see people say that because Jon is self-sacrificial, then he is the one who needs to/must die after sacrificing himself for the realm/other POVs. Nevermind the obvious bias in this line of thinking, which is usually in favor of other characters, but I think such opinions only got half the picture. They don’t follow the pattern that has been presented to us by the text. Yes, it’s true that Jon makes some big sacrifices. And it’s true that they’re sometimes preceded by a period of temptation. HOWEVER, these sacrifices are usually followed by something more spectacular (obviously, in my humble opinion). For example:

When they find the direwolf pups, Jon sacrifices himself so his siblings can get a pup each. However, he immediately finds Ghost afterwards who is the most special of all the dire wolves (and even becomes the largest)

He sacrifices his want for Wintefell in ASOS, but is elected Lord Commander of the NW by book’s end. So the sacrifice is followed by a great appointment to power (rather quickly, I might add). And being Lord Commander puts him in a special position in the upcoming war for the dawn.

So the quote at the beginning of this post, imo, just illustrates that pattern. A sacrifice is followed by something grand. Bran mentions Jon’s sacrifice and then Robb connects his coming to a king’s return. The question remains though: if this is something that will happen in the future, how will it happen and when? I don’t really know tbh, but it would be quite a nice bookend to have Jon’s glorious return be towards the end of ADOS so that it can parallel King Robert Baratheon’s arrival in the beginning of AGOT (which preempted Jon’s departure in the first place).

[mostlykind]

I keep showing my sister gifs of jamie and basically saying look at the love of my life isn’t he so beautiful and adorable and amazing and she looks at me like I have lost my mind

[awesomefringey]

I was looking at the photos of bbc music awards 2015, Harry and Louis look like bf and gf there. Could it be any more obvious?

Both looked so handsome that night. 🤩

Sorry I had to use all those watermarked pics but LOOK AT THEM!!!

[d4rkerthanbl4ck]

This will never not be funny to me.

[texaschainsawmascara]

links to the donations mentioned

https://unrwa.org/

https://www.instagram.com/gazamutualaid

https://campusbailfunds.com

[fallout-lou-begas]

[metaphoricallyrose]

Support group

[snaxle]

I DONT WANNA PAY BILLS I WANNA USE MY MONEY FOR FOOD AND LIL GIFTS FOR MYSELF AND MY LOVED ONES

[puppyeared]

filipina miku!! my mom helped me with her outfit ^_^

[suzypfonne]

Before January 2025:

If you are a USAmerican in a relationship that might be affected by legislation that dissolves same-sex marriages, who may no longer be recognized as next-of-kin, especially if you have children, get your rights in writing!

Your marriage certificate may not be enough to prove you have rights to make medical decisions for non-biological children or for a same-sex spouse or partner.

Go to a lawyer, get it spelled out as clearly as possible that you have a voice in emergency medical and legal situations.

[srldesigns6277]

If by some miracle sweet potato Hitler doesn't win come the end of the week, this won't be necessary, but should he win here are some of the first things to be aware of or do.

If you know a trans person, no you don't. Respect them as best you can in private but you know nothing in public.

Be aware that TikTok will likely be banned, find new platforms to spread information. Fuck Twitter and what ever tiktok replacement he's working on.

Learn to Garden, even in winter so you can feed yourself should prices skyrocket

Get an air purifier. The Clean Air Act is likely to be stripped of its power with the EPA deregulated, air quality is going to suffer

Should you have kids, try to supplement history/social studies education. That's the first place they will attack, if you need help ask, history teacher will help

Try and do what you can to be aware of your health before January.

Help one another. That's the best way we can move forward and make change in the future.

[mischieviem]

You guys realize this means we ALL have to vote now. No "don't wanna vote biden" excuses now- if we don't vote our rights are going to be taken away.

[ilona-mushroom]

Not socialist in a “I won’t have to work” type of way but socialist in a “I’ll still be working but I won’t be worried I won’t make the rent” type of way. In a “billions won’t be hoarded by one person” type of way. In a “janitors, fast-food workers, child care workers, preschool teachers, hotel clerks, personal care and home health aides, and grocery store cashiers, will live comfortably” type of way. In a “the sick and elderly will be cared for” type of way. In a “no child should work” type of way.

[politijohn]

Source

[muffinlevelchicanery]