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The Game of Thrones Finale, in 18 Essential GIFs

Photo: HBO

It was the best of Thrones, it was the worst of Thrones, it was the age of ice, it was the age of fire, it was the epoch of King Bran, it was the epoch of Queen Sansa, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of dragons, it was the winter of zombies. And now it’s done! These are the best GIFs from the Game of Thrones finale, “The Iron Throne,” so you can feel all the big feelings and process your grief that the show has finally ended. Don’t worry, there is a GIF of Jon petting Ghost.

Daenerys is the dragon now! That’s definitely going to be fine for ruling a kingdom of humans with mercy and without burning them all into bits.

Tyrion can see the writing on the wall immediately and resigns from his position as Hand of the Queen, refusing to participate in Dany’s reign any longer.

It’s honestly very hard to tell if this is a pile of snow or ash or both, but whatever the case may be, it’s also a dragon!

Jon is moved by Tyrion’s argument that Dany will only end up killing everyone, and so he stabs her in the belly just as she’s asking him to rule with her forever. The look in her eyes when she glances back up at him is brutal.

In arguably the most moving sequence of the finale, Drogon loses it after Dany’s death. He torches the Iron Throne, melting it away forever.

Then Drogon carefully picks up Daenerys’ corpse and flies off into the horizon.

THEN BRAN BECOMES KING?! There’s a council and they elect Bran?!

The only significant final moment for Brienne has her writing the story of Jaime’s turn as the Commander of the Queensguard. Poor Brienne.

Jon, banished to the North, says good-bye to Arya and the rest of the Starks.

He also bows to King Bran. KING BRAN!

The Starks began Game of Thrones all together, and it’s nice we get this one moment with them together again before they all go their separate ways.

Archmaester Ebrose, still out there in The Citadel, wrote the history of the latest epoch, and there’s no telling how much time has passed at this point but dang, he turned this illuminated manuscript around pretty quickly?

Back at Winterfell, Sansa rules as Queen of the North.

Arya sails away from Westeros to find out whatever is there, past where the maps end.

Jon pets Ghost! Thank God. What a good boy he is.

And finally, in an echo of the series’ beginning, we end with a shot of the gate opening within the Wall. This time, Jon rides through with a band of Wilding allies, leaving everything else behind.

The Game of Thrones Finale, in 18 Essential GIFs