If there is one thing 'Game of Thrones' is known for, it is the complete lack of safety net for any main character. On most shows, having your name in the opening scroll gives a certain immunity from agonizing death and/or maiming. Not so in the universe of George R.R. Martin. BuzzFeed contributor Antonia Heslop tried to take the sting out some of these unflinching deaths by turning them into adorable 8-bit GIFS. The results are still traumatic. Cute. But traumatic.
(Warning: Spoilers below!)
The precedent was set with Ned Stark.
GIF Credit: Antonia Heslop
It was at this moment when fans realized – either while reading or watching – that Westeros was a dangerous place for an honorable man. Also, that Joffrey was dangerously entitled.
Fire cannot kill a dragon, but it can be used by dragons to kill.
GIF Credit: Antonia Heslop
'Dracarys!' has got to be right up there on the list of all-time righteous vengeance quotes. In the Hall of Fame, it sits in a cross-stitch right next to Ripley's 'Get away from her, you bitch.'
Let's see you regenerate that!
GIF Credit: Antonia Heslop
Oh, you can regenerate that? Well isn't my face red. Though one has to wonder at the mental strain of being constantly maimed, scarred, and killed only to be brought back once more. How much memory and limb loss can one man take?
Renly deserved better than to betrayal via shadow baby shenanigans.
GIF Credit: Antonia Heslop
After assassinating his uncle, what do you think happens to a Shadow Person? Mission fulfilled, does he disperse to the winds? He certainly never returned to his mother and father for approval. Perhaps somewhere out in the wilds of Westeros, a flickering candlelight reveals a somber silhouette deep in his cups over forced familial murder.
Pixelated wildfire is still terrifying. It's basically the punk rock love child of napalm and Greek fire.
GIF Credit: Antonia Heslop
Magic or proto-science? To paraphrase the great Isaac Asimov, any advanced – or in this case lost – technology is indistinguishable from magic.
And of course, the worst wedding ever. Stark family is dropping like flies.
GIF Credit: Antonia Heslop
We'll stop just short of saying it is the most brutal scene in the whole 'Game of Thrones' series because author George R.R. Martin appears to take such statements as a challenge.
Of course, these are only a handful of the myriad of endings that befall the citizens of Westeros and beyond. If you want to see more animated 8-bit GIFS of gory death, click through to see the entire set!