Small questions v.10079

[RumHam]

What is a Gary lou or a Mary sue? Also could you give an example

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Sue

In fan fiction, a Mary Sue is an idealized character, often but not necessarily an author insert.^[1]

[Russellstiltskin]

What is up with Howland Reed not appearing in the books yet? Even if H+A=M&J, I don't see why he wouldn't have made a personal appearance at WF or fought alongside Robb. What is he up to?

[Unlady B]

Lots of off topic threads there, but much info about he World Book is hidden in the thread "When is 'The World of Ice and Fire' coming out v.2". We asked all sorts of questions there, and Ran answered a lot of them.

Thanks for the tip, I'm definitely checking that out!

What is up with Howland Reed not appearing in the books yet? Even if H+A=M&J, I don't see why he wouldn't have made a personal appearance at WF or fought alongside Robb. What is he up to?

There are lots of theories about Howland Reed, some say that he is planning the Great North Conspiracy to crown Jon king, others say he is the High Septon, etc.

Try searching in the general forum for theories, or if you come up with something new and original, open a new thread. You can use the search box in the upper side of the page, or just type howland reed site: westeros.org in google and search from there.

Good luck!

[lord summers]

What is the advantage of having a Valyrian Steel sword exactly? Is it faster, sharper, lighter?

[aryagonnakill#2]

What is the advantage of having a Valyrian Steel sword exactly? Is it faster, sharper, lighter?

Its lighter and stronger, its basically titanium to the average steal.

[TheCrannogDweller]

What is the advantage of having a Valyrian Steel sword exactly? Is it faster, sharper, lighter?

Sharper, lighter and more durable.

The speed depends on the person who wields it and the type of the sword - but yes, being lighter would mean that a VS blade would require less force to be swung and therefore be faster than a regular steel weapon of the same size.

And there is also the prestige, of course. It is not only a weapon, but also a relic from a different time and place.

[Rill Redthorn]

What is a Gary lou or a Mary sue? Also could you give an example

It's usually Gary Stu (or Marty Stu), but since male examples are somewhat rarer than female ones in fanfic, the name of the male version is less standardized. You can get details and a ton of examples here:

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MarySue

One current example of a Mary Sue is the character of Skye on "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.", who is generally regarded as utterly unrealistic (magic hacker powers, accepted into an elite government organization with no training, half the team in love with her, Coulson treats her as a daughter for no reason...and so on and so on...). The writers of the show kind of acknowledged this in a recent episode by having her give her legal name as "Mary Sue Putz." Bella Swan from Twilight is often regarded as a Mary Sue as well.

A literary example of the rarer male version might be Eragon in the Inheritance Cycle. A classic male media example was Wesley (Eugene) Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation who was an insert for creator Gene Roddenberry, more or less.

Calling a character a Mary Sue or Gary Stu implies that they are unrealistically perfect and beloved by all others in the story for no good reason, implying that the author has written him or herself into the story and recentered the story to make themselves the amazingly competent beloved beautiful hero(ine) yada yada yada (*barf*).

[mindchap]

What is the advantage of having a Valyrian Steel sword exactly? Is it faster, sharper, lighter?

Just to elaborate. From various POVs:

“Longclaw is an apt name.” Jon tried a practice cut. He was clumsy and uncomfortable with his

left hand, yet even so the steel seemed to flow through the air, as if it had a will of its own.

Bronze was no match for Valyrian steel. The blow sheared right through the Thenn’s helm and

deep into his skull, and he went crashing back down where he’d come from.

He was better than Pyg, but he had only a short throwing spear, and she had a Valyrian steel

blade. Oathkeeper was alive in her hands. She had never been so quick. The blade became a grey

blur. He wounded her in the shoulder as she came at him, but she slashed off his ear and half his

cheek, hacked the head off his spear, and put a foot of rippled steel into his belly through the

links of the chainmail byrnie he was wearing.

[RoamingRonin]

Does Jon wonder if his mother was a whore in the books or is that just on the show?

[mindchap]

Does Jon wonder if his mother was a whore in the books or is that just on the show?

From Jon:

Toad stepped close. “The little lordling has a mouth on him,” he said. He had pig eyes, small

and shiny. “Is that your mommy’s mouth, bastard? What was she, some whore? Tell us her

name. Maybe I had her a time or two.” He laughed.

Jon twisted like an eel and slammed a heel down across the instep of the boy holding him.

There was a sudden cry of pain, and he was free. He flew at Toad, knocked him backward over a

bench, and landed on his chest with both hands on his throat, slamming his head against the

packed earth.

“The Watch has need of every man it can get,” Donal Noye said when they were alone. “Even

men like Toad. You won’t win any honors killing him.”

Jon’s anger flared. “He said my mother was-”

“a whore. I heard him. What of it?”

“Lord Eddard Stark was not a man to sleep with whores,” Jon said icily. “His honor-”

“-did not prevent him from fathering a bastard. Did it?”

Jon was cold with rage. “Can I go?”

“You go when I tell you to go.”

Even his own

mother had not had a place for him. The thought of her made him sad. He wondered who she had

been, what she had looked like, why his father had left her. Because she was a whore or an

adulteress, fool. Something dark and dishonorable, or else why was Lord Eddard too ashamed to

speak of her?

Those were the best I could find.

[Wat Barleycorn]

9y

[Chi]

Hi, I'm on my first re-read here but I still can't figure out who are the 2 persons Arya overheard in the first book (the ones talking about bastard, pregnant Dany and killing the Hand) I guess one is Varys but what about the other?

[LordStoneheart]

That would be Illyrio Mopatis

[Rhaenys_Targaryen]

Hi, I'm on my first re-read here but I still can't figure out who are the 2 persons Arya overheard in the first book (the ones talking about bastard, pregnant Dany and killing the Hand) I guess one is Varys but what about the other?

Illyrio Mopatis (who took Viserys and Dany into his housem and arranged Dany's marriage to Khal Drogo, and later also took care of Tyrion, dropping him off in the company of Jon Connington and Young Griff) and Varys.

[HexMachina]

In GoT, Yoren tells Lord Eddard that the freeriders and sellswords from the Inn of the Crossroads will have reached the Rock before he got to King's Landing, because the Rock lies closer. But from.the maps, it appears the Inn is closer to King's Landing (unless I am looking at the wrong inn of course). Is this a thing where the maps are misleading or me looking at things wrong?

[Rill Redthorn]

In GoT, Yoren tells Lord Eddard that the freeriders and sellswords from the Inn of the Crossroads will have reached the Rock before he got to King's Landing, because the Rock lies closer. But from.the maps, it appears the Inn is closer to King's Landing (unless I am looking at the wrong inn of course). Is this a thing where the maps are misleading or me looking at things wrong?

It might just be that GRRM wrote that section before the maps were drawn and just forgot about that detail.

[Russellstiltskin]

It's funny, but I was dying to know who the hell those guys were and what was going on too...and then I watched the show and got some still frames that showed it's Varys and Illyrio...and after I knew that I was able to read on and it made it easier to see the clues in the book, as I didn't at the time (just after first season of the series had finished airing, I had just started reading the books) know how closely the show would follow the novels...This is one of the things, combined with the mystery of Jon's parentage and some of the dreams/visions that really got me hooked and started me looking at things a bit deeper...but I still missed so much! :bang:

[Child of Summer]

Is Varamyr Sixskins still around in some form or did he really die (for good)?

[HexMachina]

Is Varamyr Sixskins still around in some form or did he really die (for good)?

We know he went into his Wolf, and Bran later encountered him as Summer. There was recognition between the two that each wolf hosted a Warg. Summer bested Varamyr's wolf pack, but I dont think that means Varamyr is no longer living on in his wolf. So yes, it seems he should still be alive in his wolf

[Rhaenys_Targaryen]

Is Varamyr Sixskins still around in some form or did he really die (for good)?

He warged into One-Eye, one of his three wolves. Slowly but surely, the wolf will consume the human inside, but a very small part of Varamyr will remain inside the wolf.

Imagine it like Varamyr being able to sense Orells presence in the eagle a while after Orells death..