Personal reasons—

I am relatively young (in high school), and I just finished reading the series. A few years ago, I developed my first crush on a girl. We ended up dating for around a year, then broke up. I was incredibly dumb, I believed we were soulmates and would get married, etc. It’s only been just over a year since we broke up, and since I still see her everywhere at school and we’ve remained friends, I can’t say I’ve fully moved on—but she has. While reading asoiaf, I couldn’t help but see myself in Jaime. My ex wasn’t my sister, but I did view her as my perfect soulmate. I completely defined myself by her and thought we would be each other’s only partner. When I saw her with other people, it crushed me. Similar to Jaime, I couldn’t stop thinking about her with someone else. Reading asoiaf has helped me realize how flawed that ideology is. I also noticed my tendency to cope with trauma by “going away inside.” I often try to laugh off traumatic events or just ignore them completely, which feels like an obvious parallel to Jaime. I wouldn’t say I’m a narcissist, and I’m definitely not beautiful with golden curls, but his internal conflict is relatable enough that I think I see parts of myself in him. Sorry if this sounds corny or cringeworthy.

Just to clarify, my ex is a totally normal person—I’m not trying to imply she’s a drunken, manipulative narcissist.

A symbol for hope—

I view Jaime’s story as a symbol for hope, more than characters like Daenerys. I know that sounds ridiculous, so let me explain. Jaime started out as an egotistical teenager, but he dreamed of being a legendary knight a hero. He did a heroic deed, and instead of being praised, he was seen as a monster. Over time, the “Kingslayer” mask he wore began to fully envelop who he was. Then he met Brienne, and his worldview was challenged. He believed there were no good knights and that everyone was a hypocrite, yet this stupid stubborn ugly wench was genuinely good. She was actually a hero who wanted to save people. As their story develops, Jaime slowly, very, very, slowly begins to become the boy he once was. He isn’t there yet, but he’s trying. I see this as an incredibly optimistic story: he believes the world is terrible until he meets a truly good person. She reminds him of who he used to be, and he starts trying to become better. Of course, Jaime owes a lot of this to Brienne, and I love her as a character, but I think Jaime’s story overall has influenced me more to become a better person.