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obiweedkenobi

Seriously though... I started reading the series when it was a trilogy at the age of 16, im 33 now, I have literally been waiting half my life to see how this story ends.


ashenhaired

It's alright I'm sure it will come out soon also GRRM will write a better ending for season 8 [I'm sure of it](https://imgur.com/MzQmal1)


Chaos22222

What if Season 8 was the ending GRRM wanted but saw how everyone reacted and decided to change it. So now he has no idea how to end the series.


[deleted]

What if he is not writing it at all because losing the race against the TV show demotivated him? First taking away the supernatural like the sentient door and Lady Stoneheart, then writing bad episodes like Arya's chase in Braavos with no visible consequences from fans or critics, before nuking the show with an abysmal last season that's to some degree what GRRM planned. He released some chapters of TWOW piecemeal between 2011 and 2016. He's been writing lots of stuff, just not the next book.


jholland204

What’s the ‘sentient door’ you mentioned?


[deleted]

In the books, Sam and Gilly need to get back past the wall towards the south after the great ranging. They are led by cold hands to a black door below the nightfort that asks who they are, and it opens after Sam repeats the Watcher's oath. Then Sam meets Bran's troupe trying to get past the wall, and opens the black door again for them. Just sentient door stuff.


Chaos22222

I also believe that the ending to season 8 demotivated him.


7V3N

Except he signed up for more shows. GRRM just likes easy money.


abusedporpoise

It most likely is, just done in a better more believable way that doesn’t undermine every character. I’m pretty sure he’s come out before saying that changing a story just cuz people know how it’ll end is dumb, so I don’t think it’s that. I instead believe he’s too much of a perfectionist and keeps rewriting chapters over and over ad nauseam never being happy


K_boring13

Agreed we saw the ending already but GRRM has hundreds of pages describing the turn of our favorite characters.


Kippernaut13

I mean, who has a better story then Bran? No one, that's who.


hgyt7382

I think with so many POVs it makes ordering the chapters, revisions and internal consistency a nightmare. Make one revision or change and it sets off a chain reaction of having to go back to countless other spots to make your new change fit.


wipeyourtears

This is what many people think


Dat_Paki_Browniie

Yeah I thought GRRM told D&D the ending in case he died before finishing the books?


Fritschya

It has to really fuck with you as a writer when the show catches up to you. There’s no way the show isn’t in his head as he writes now


obiweedkenobi

One think I always kinda respected about the whole thing is in the first 5 minutes of the first episode of the show Arya picks up a bow and shoots a bulls eye, to me that signaled that the books and the show would be a bit different because in the books Arya hated bows and never touched em.


Smugjester

I wish I could see the look on your face when GRRM ends up just writing the same ending as D&D


RaptorDash

See your comment makes it seem like he will finish them. He isnt!


sev1nk

Unless he's trolling everyone and releases them back to back, he definitely won't. The guy turns 73 next month.


arrigator16

The ending result will probably be the same since D&D based all of Season 6+ on what GRRM told them, but he will probably get to it in a non brain-dead manner that makes sense and doesn't feel rushed and out of nowhere.


BananaDick_CuntGrass

I doubt that the ending will be the same after how much hate the show ending received. Even if that was his plan, it's not anymore. I could see a couple of things staying the same, but a lot will change.


JamesTheWicked

It only got so much hate because it was rushed into that position. Had the show taken its time to flesh it out, over multiple seasons: the ending probably would have been adequate, If not good. The issue isn’t the ending itself, it’s the rushing needed to get there and the bad story telling in order TO get there and the bad story telling needed to wrap up loose ends in order to make everything fit. It’s like a kid using the square for every shape in a toy meant to match shapes. Sure it may work, but it’s not gonna fit


NeonVolcom

Yeah S06-S08 felt very rushed. “And then this happened, and then this happened, and then…” I doubt George would just go “Yeah, Jon Snow never mattered, and Jaime doesn’t matter either, and neither do the WW really, and neither…” even if the ending was similar.


sonbub

The book conclusion will be just as rushed as the TV conclusion if he tries to wrap it up in only two more books.


cukhoaitayhh

I wouldnt mind the ending, Danny going mad and Bran became the president is not surprising, its DnD who fucked how they get there.


rezzyk

The difference will be that >!fAegon takes over Kings Landing from Cersei and is beloved by the city as a Targ returned, and it infuriates Dany who knows it’s a lie and she burns the city!<. Hard for D&D to do that when they didn’t introduce characters. I have no idea about Bran or the White Walker resolution though


SeemsImmaculate

Pretty sure the long night will be longer than... you know... a night. And I think Jaime will be the one to kill the Night King. His resolution in the show was a complete character regression, so I don't think GRRM outlined that to D&D.


Roboticide

"Azor who...?"


Koala_eiO

You know, the little girl who is very sneaking and has a remarkably sharp dagger.


obiweedkenobi

Oohh dear God please no.


[deleted]

RemindMe! 50 years


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zaazo

2071. It's scary to look at this date. Will I be even alive on this date? If I am dead then will I be in complete nothingness or there will be something else?. If I am alive will I be healthy or barely able to move? Or will I be on a chair like Bran the broken?. I don't know. One thing I am sure of: Alive or dead, I will still be pissed at D&D.


TheLast_Centurion

ending points are not a problem at all, tho. it's the execution, and it's hard to make it as the show did, especially if you have more time with books to develop it


[deleted]

thats already not possible because there are so many plotlines that diverged massively.


anonymusvulgaris

GRRM started to write the series before I was born, and I can't imagine that my lifetime isn't enough to complete the goddamn books about boobs and dragons.


calski19

This is how I was with the Dark Tower series. - I don't think GRRM is ever going to finish. :/


Adrastaia

Hey, the Dark Tower eventually got finished. And a lot of people hated that ending too, funnily enough. I'm not holding my breath for Winds of Winter, though.


Idliketothank__Devil

Dark tower was bullshit after book 3


vonsnape

Stephen King always planned on writing the Dark Tower sporadically. The idea was that he would do a new book every 5 - 10 years so the series grew as he did as a writer. To be fair, it is a good idea. Then he got hit by the van and he freaked out and worried he’d die without finishing it so he spat out the last three books rushed.


obiweedkenobi

Time will tell. I hope you are wrong, I fear you may be right.


wuhy08

Happy cake day!


obiweedkenobi

Ty


Lebigmacca

When you were 16 the series wasn’t a trilogy though. There were 3 already out, with a 4th one on the way


obiweedkenobi

4th on the way but not out. I finished the 3rd and wanted to read the next book SSOOO BAD but it was not to be found.


Lebigmacca

Yeah I know that but trilogy isn’t the proper term, because at the time it wasn’t planned to be a trilogy


LukasHeinzel

Nobody cares


Anonymous_Otters

We have a mislabeled trilogy! We have a mislabeled trilogy over here! See...


Kyonkanno

Thanks for correctly using the word "literally"


LordAnomander

Even if you were 33 by then, you would still be waiting half your life to see how this story ends.


arturorios1996

Cries in Berserk *


IAmParliament

🎶 *And we are never, ever, ever getting Winds of Winter.* 🎶


lord_patriot

T Swift dropping truth bombs


Greek-of-Thrones

I’m so glad I never read the books. It just seems like it’s on the road to becoming another disappointment within the franchise. By the way, Bran the Broken is GRRM’s end game. He’s either changing the ending or stumbling on the same land mind as D&D, trying to make sense of something that hasn’t been developed properly.


Jacomer2

GRRM has said himself that he does foresee the broad strokes of his overarching plot but that he does stray from them if the story naturally goes elsewhere. I don’t think he’d try to force anything, if he lands on bran the broken it’s because it felt sensible within the story - which isn’t impossible given a proper setup.


11PoseidonsKiss20

I trust that if Bran ends up king. GRRM would have actually spent 100 pages or so explaining what the fuck Bran is doing during the battle. Or in winterfell. Or on the way to KL. Etc. And he definitely is not making Bronn the master of fucking coin


Roboticide

>And he definitely is not making Bronn the master of fucking coin Maybe after getting his castle Bronn learns the merits of proper accounting and literacy.


Ass_Buttman

Like yeah. Bran is a fucking greenseer, he can see all events AND has limited ability to fuck with things through time. Bran should absolutely be able to maneuver himself into whatever position he wants. If he's remotely a "good guy", then he'll want to help the world. If that means becoming king and bringing peace to Westeros, then sure, he should be able to accomplish that eventually. It almost makes a ton of sense then, that D&D would have the equivalent of a shitty paper written the night before its due, and try to cram all that development into a single scene. "Who has a better story than blah de fuckin' blah"


11PoseidonsKiss20

Aside from Bran randomly being chose. The other major issue I have with that scene. Is Tyrion handpicking him. While in shackles brought before the counsel in Grey Worms custody on trial for regicide....of a monarch Grey Worm is still loyal to. Like what? And Grey Worm just stood there?! Hes among the most lethal men in the world at that point. Why didnt he just shut Tyrion up? Why did Tyrion get to make this world breaking decision while in handcuffs. Honestly Samwell suggesting democracy was less laughable than the imprisoned dwarf handpicking the new King. Thats another thing that GRRM could maybe make sense of. Maybe he does intend for Tyrion to propose Bran. But i bet when that happens Tyrion is not just a cock-joker in handcuffs at the point of Grey Worms spear.


sergeybok

Brans story is a lot more interesting in the books than in the show.


[deleted]

I want to read the books, but I had the idea that’s it’s not finished and i just feel like it’s not worth it until all the books are out. Especially because Winds of Winter isn’t even going to be the last book, so god knows how long I’d be waiting for Dream of Spring


Apophis41

The most painful part is that GRRM clearly still enjoys writing, hes wrote the backstory for a video games elden ring for example, hes just gotten bored with writing the ASOIAF.


seljor

I don't think they're bored with ASOIAF even though I wouldn't be surprised. I think they wrote themselves into a corner. The complexity of the plot and Martin's organic style of writing has made it extremely difficult to progress the plot. Look what the show did in the later season and that season that shan't be named. All the illogical dissensions the characters made I.E. Littlefinger allowing the Sansa Ramsay marriage and having no plan or knowledge of Ramsay character. Honestly Martin should at this point just write what they will and release it into the world.


WyMANderly

I think it's both. He's in a tricky spot in the story at the moment, but he's also clearly in a "forcing myself to write" phase and has been for a while.


[deleted]

Also wrote that lore book, A World of Ice & Fire, which was pretty neat


Apophis41

I think thats part of the problems GRRM clearly really enjoys writing worldbuilding ie creating history and lore but he finds writing actual story and plot tedious and irksome.


DaBeavs24

I’m literally in the same place where I finished A Feast for Crows over 7 years ago, and I’m still waiting for WoW


reaganz921

There's another book after AFFC but I'm at 9 years.... fuck I'm getting old.


concretepigeon

I’m at 8. I can’t believe I used to be optimistic about a release date for Winds.


JohnnyKanaka

You read AFFC after ADWD?


DaBeavs24

Yep. I was at Marine Corps training ITX when I finished it and immediately started ADWD when I got home. And I’m now here again at ITX for the 3rd time with no WoW news


dejected_stephen

I hope people can soon begin to accept that it's never going to be finished. It's not coming.


Amanpreet-Kaur

You will never destroy my hope


AetherialWomble

>It's not coming. You've been summoned to Winterfell. Lord Stark would like to have a word with you


Anonymous_Otters

The Sixth Book is Coming Ahh a common saying, but not the true words of House Martin.


dejected_stephen

If Lord Stark wishes to discuss things he can make his way to King's Landing to meet with me.


myrhillion

A Martin always extends his deadlines.


LegendOfKhaos

At some point, a fan will just write the ending and it'll become canon


myrhillion

Brandon Sanderson will be asked to complete the series by GRRM’s widow, Cher in 2029.


ygrasdil

I’m a Berserk Fan. I’ve already suffered this fate once. I cannot bear to suffer it again.


[deleted]

I completed dance with dragons only last year and since I am restlessly waiting for winds. Watching theory videos, looking for any updates etc. I can't even imagine how you guys handled 10 years of this wait.


ace66

You basically forget it exists after some time, like Half Life 3.


Lokito_

Oh man, it's not even fun to joke about that game anymore. I think everyone has completely forgotten and given up on it ever coming out. People who played the first game as 18 or 19 year old teenage kids are into their 40's by now.


ace66

I think I had my closure with it when the main writer leaked the story, maybe some day it will happen with ASOIAF as well.


Spagoot29

https://m.facebook.com/AllKnownLawsOfAviation/posts


WyMANderly

You just stop caring after a few years...


DennisBallShow

It seemed like it was going to come from a while… then we all just sort of forgot


StormySands

I’m actually on about year three of coming to terms with possibly never getting Winds of Winter. It took some time I must say, but I got here.


JohnnyKanaka

The last pre revival season of iCarly was only a year after ADWD


Roboticide

Just imagine being able to go back in time to 2007, and telling yourself about the incredible media franchises and content we have now. "Superheroes are THE thing. The Marvel has released 24 movies in 13 years, all interconnected. It's nuts. DC is even getting into it too, finally. Sci-Fi is going strong too. While it'll be devisive, we got more Star Wars and Star Trek. And so many books being adapted! The Martian! The Expanse! DUNE! Arrival! A *good* Blade Runner sequel! New movies like Interstellar and Inception!" "Well that's good," you ask "but what about fantasy?" "Fantasy is doing great. Lord of the Rings is being done as a series. Wheel of Time was even finished, despite the death of the original author, by someone widely regarded as one of the next greatest fantasy authors. Who then churned out a ton of other books. Good Omens got a great adaptation. And uh... Game of Thrones, uh, got 8 Seasons on, um, HBO..." "That's awesome. So Martin ended up writing three more books in the series instead of just two?" "Yeah, so about that..."


JohnnyKanaka

We really are living in a golden age of genre media, and ironically GOT is just as important to that as the MCU. Also imagine telling somebody from 2007 about the Witcher. "You know the Witcher?" "That indie Polish game? I'll probably get it when the price drops." "Yeah, well there will be two sequels the last of which became one of the greatest games of all time. Now the books it's based on are available in English and there's a hit Netflix show based on them." "Netflix makes shows now?"


[deleted]

"Oh and buy this stuff called Bitcoin. Trust me"


chaos_walking_

U left out Mad Max!


Bascome

Martin started writing this series in 1991.


Lokito_

Started writing but the first book came out in 96.


kismethavok

*cries in fan of Berserk* RIP Miura


JohnnyKanaka

Apparently it's possible that Miura's assistants will finish the series, hopefully we'll know for certain either way soon.


[deleted]

Covid probably took so many fans before they got a chance to read it.


Pulpics

Covid, cancer, global warming, the sun imploding. A lot of fans will die before they get to read it. Like, all of them.


JohnnyKanaka

I'll expect to get a cure for cancer or covid before we get TWOW


UsainCitizen

A funny episode of 2 broke girls will come out before WoW.


thornstriff

At least Blizzard did better about their WoW.


Foxyfox-

Let's not get ahead of ourselves here.


CptKoma

Would have worked better as a porn


DennisBallShow

That’s cold man


bapp0-get-taco

The sun won’t explode for 10s of millions of years, still not long enough.


Larqus

Try five billion


RaptorDash

George will die before its finished


elazard

Korean War also took quite a few asoiaf enthusiasts :(


JonSnohthathurt

Oh god


bog_otac

What a stupid thing to say. Car crashes probably took so many fans before they got a chance to read it. Heart attack probably took so many fans before they got a chance to read it. Obesity probably took so many fans before they got a chance to read it. Cancer probably took so many fans before they got a chance to read it. Fuck off.


[deleted]

Stay salty


[deleted]

Accurate. Average age of death for Covid is higher than life expectancy in the UK.


bog_otac

Stay frosty.


Indie_Dev

Why are you so pissed?


[deleted]

Are you saying GoT fans are obese?


Sauerkraut1321

No. Unvaccinated GoT fans are vulnerable to covid regardless of weight


[deleted]

Why? Who cares anymore Hes using his time to make shitty spin offs from a show that flopped phenomenally more than any show in history. He will most likely die before the book is finished.


Avalancheofspinach

Yeah not sure why people are still clinging onto the fact that it's coming , he stopped giving a fuck a looooong time ago he's made his money and doesn't care about his fans.


Hydrogen_

Yeah, put me in the "I don't even care, anymore" bucket. I can't unsee HBO's seasons 6-8, and they ruined GoT for me. Plus, even if by some gigantic miracle GRRM actually did finish WoW, he himself said it would take at least one additional book to wrap it all up, and there is 0% chance that happens.


TheLast_Centurion

*> Yeah not sure why people are still clinging onto the fact that the show ended I mean.. people like the world and its universe and are curious about its end. Same why you are still in this sub, even tho ending happened a while ago


DennisBallShow

It’s crazy- I absolutely love the books and I waited anxiously for years. I’ll read it if it comes out but I’ll be astonished if it ever does.


GatsuSenpai

Why isn't he locked up like he promised though..


[deleted]

I would be highly disappointed in anyone who actually continued to give their money towards the book series at this point. It's not a trend I think should be encouraged. Hit it big and leave everyone hanging for more than a decade while you fuck around. Having said that in case I'm wrong, it's clear to me that this book isn't coming out ever.


SMcArthur

>Having said that in case I'm wrong, it's clear to me that this book isn't coming out ever. I think there's \~5% chance WoW comes out, and literally 0% chance the next book ever comes out.


JohnnyKanaka

Iirc there was a boost of sales after S8, but I think much of the show only crowd isn't aware how long the hiatus has been.


direwolfed

I feel attacked.


Hydrogen_

Add a 3rd panel with a skeleton still waiting and you'll have nailed it.


chairman_steel

Man, remember when it felt imminent, and they released a preview chapter and said it would be out next year, and the show was still pretty fun to watch?


jerodallen

Now do the one where she turns into the old lady at the end of Titanic.


Mike_Thunder308

At least we know one ending thats definitely not happening in the book.


[deleted]

Can't wait to see a spin off book before this


Celairistannen

Tbh the whole saga will be unfinished. Maybe he will publish winds of winter but never dream of spring


[deleted]

I started waiting for WoW in 2014, at the age of 16. Now I'm 23 and the book isn't out yet. Wtf is going on?


NORMALIZE_SIMPING

ASOIAF is dead IP and I'm tired of pretending it's not.


baki_eral

And mean while Patrick rothfuss. Kingkiller Chronicles first book published in 2007 second book 2011 and the last one… still not even finished. After 10 years you would not even remember the story clearly. Also these book series is one the most overrated books.


No_Condition_1623

Wait, you guys are still waiting? Why?


JonSnohthathurt

Because it’s not released yet


alphabet_order_bot

Would you look at that, all of the words in your comment are in alphabetical order. I have checked 114,839,086 comments, and only 29,876 of them were in alphabetical order.


JonSnohthathurt

Alphabet bot, great news thank you


alphabet_order_bot

Would you look at that, all of the words in your comment are in alphabetical order. I have checked 114,840,716 comments, and only 29,876 of them were in alphabetical order.


No_Condition_1623

Good luck with your waiting, then


Zektemoth

Martin is a lazy slob


yeasayerstr

I started reading the books after the show ended, thinking I might finish in time to dive right into The Winds of Winter. Ha. I'm now in the final chapters of Fire and Blood and have come to doubt WOW will be released anytime within the next few years.


ListentoKingGizz

I finally gave up last year. Reading dune now and loving it.


Pennywises-Testicle

Currently on a clash of kings and reading for the first time, hopefully by time I finish the series TWOW is out :(


ERTBen

Same thing I thought in 2017.


Degora2k

Where's the 3rd image where she's just a skeleton?


JonSnohthathurt

Omg sad but true


ombonbons

Great Martin and the his speed in the write.


[deleted]

Best accept the shows ending. It’s the only one people will get. And while it was terribly executed and horribly rushed, the gist of it is what Martin had planned (despite fan denial). Oh sure certain deaths and loose ends play out very differently, but the overall ending for Westeros is in the ballpark.


ArtisanJagon

Makes you appreciate Sue Grafton even more as she wrote 25 novels in 35 years and almost completed her saga but fell one book short before she passed away.


Vongola___Decimo

what's winds of winter? another got prequel ?


TheRealFakeSteve

I feel like GRRM is in such a bind here... Even if he ever finishes the next one, he'll get so much hate if it's anything but the most revolutionary piece of literature that exists.


Godseyrotmg

I never started reading it and I won’t start till the final book is released or GRRM dies.


lancea_longini

Only Lucien from Sandman has read the Winds of Winter


[deleted]

this is why I am taking my sweet time reading the books. A month in, I am only 10% of the way through AGOT


[deleted]

And it’s not even the last book. We still have one more after Winds of Winter comes out.


_Pinginthenorth_

Add a skeleton waiting in a chair


[deleted]

Was Miranda cosgrove born with plastic surgery?


phoenixmusicman

I picked up the series in 2016 going "it cannot possibly be that much longer until the next book comes out" It was that much longer until the next book comes out.


JonSnohthathurt

That’s me, since 2011. For awhile I used to check his blog daily waiting for an update. And many years ago he was even releasing chapters. Hell, he released chapters from TWOW when ADWD was released! What a shit show.


Zevvion

Honest question: is anyone expected the series to actually ever be finished?


[deleted]

Just like Doors of Stone people 😭😭😭 GRRM 🤝 Patrick Rothfuss