[ADwD Spoilers] Who is the main character?

[ARYa_Nym]

I see death in Arianne's future actually.

Oh, and Tyrion is still his favorite character.

"

Still seven books and favorite character?

Favorite is Tyrion but he loves them all, even the slimeballs. Still aiming for seven books but no promises.

"

http://www.westeros...._Burlington_MA/

Reasoning:

Q: Your characters are paricularly well-drawn and people care for them astonishingly much. Which character you like the most and which perhaps the least?

A: My favorite character is Tyrion. He is perhaps the most like me and his chapters are the easiest to write. I don't really dislike any of my characters. When I write, I become them to some extent and it wouldn't be possible for me to despise them.

http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/Eurocon_Czech_Republic_July_3_7/

Arya is his favorite female character.

"8) A part from Tyron, is there any female character you love more than the others?

Oh, probably Arya... but as with the men, I love them all.

A lot of females on stage in A FEAST FOR CROWS, by the way. The women are taking over..."

http://www.westeros....d_of_Questions/

[Verboten]

I see death in Arianne's future actually.

:bawl: NOOOOOOOOO

[ARYa_Nym]

I could be wrong but I have a bad feeling about her future.

[ckongo]

Question - why do you think Bran's role has diminished?

He's gone from a little boy climbing walls in his home to meeting the fabled Children Of The Forest, learning and practicing his greenseer abilities (which were developed and realized over the story's time), and warging.

As I said, there are 2 aspects to determine a main character. First, the quantity of POVs in each book. Second, how much the actions of the character affect other plotlines in the story.

Bran has neither of these.

In regards to # of chapters, he has had only 7 in the last 3 books. He had about that many in AGOT. His story is diminishing.

His role has been somewhat reclusive from most of the books' plots since the beginning. He was isolated at Winterfell for the first 2 books and then beyond the wall for the next 3. But more importantly, most story arcs (King's Landing, the Night's Watch, the free cities, etc.) have had nothing to do with him. Arya is in the same boat (despite having many more chapters) because her story is isolated somewhat from the main story of these books; the politics of the game of thrones. Neither's presence influences many plots to the extent that Eddard, Tyrion, Cersei, and Jon have. Even Dany (while perhaps destined to be a main character in a future book) has had nothing to do with the majority of the story (on Westeros).

[Candor]

I see death in Arianne's future actually.

I also see death in Arianne's future. Curious - are you and I thinking the same general thing?

Say, around the time she goes gallivanting off to meet Aegon at the fallen Storm's End?

[Verboten]

Oh, I retract my previous statement. I was confusing GRRM's favourite with 'character who GRRM identifies with'. Thanks for the links. :)

I just like Dorne for some reason, I should hate it but it's just so intriguing and Arianne is a fun character. I don't see her as stupid, I see her as a sort of female Oberyn. She resembles him more than his daughters, and her hatred of chess has more to do with her patience than her intelligence imo.

[Candor]

And yet, it is not possible that Bran is sort of a sleeper cell as far as plot goes, that what he's getting around to is going to gain its importance in WoW/DoS?

[Francis Buck]

I don't think that Jon, Dany, and Tyrion are actually the three "main characters" so much as the three most popular characters. I doubt that when GRRM started writing the series, he intended for people to think of Jon, Dany, and Tyrion as being somehow more important than the other main POVs (basically the other Stark children). It's just that the audience has come to think of those characters as being more important due to their popularity, and in the case of Jon and Dany, falling into the more typical "hero/heroine" convention.

That being said, I do think that the Stark children (including Jon), along with Dany and Tyrion (and to a lesser extent, Cersei and Jaime) are more or less the "main characters" of the series, however I definitely don't think there is one particular character (or three characters) that you can say are more important than the others. All of them are and/or will be integral to the story by the end.

[ckongo]

And yet, it is not possible that Bran is sort of a sleeper cell as far as plot goes, that what he's getting around to is going to gain its importance in WoW/DoS?

It's certainly possible. The same with Dany. Although I'm leaning more towards Dany become a main character because of all those prophecies about her destiny in the House of the Undying. She'll almost certainly be coming to Westeros where pretty much the rest of the books take place.

I go by each book on who the main character is, because roles get increased/decreased in the overall "game of thrones." Ex: Tyrion's role has decreased greatly in the 5th book in regards to his influence. Characters also tend to die. It's too difficult to name only one person for the entire series.

[ARYa_Nym]

I also see death in Arianne's future. Curious - are you and I thinking the same general thing?

Say, around the time she goes gallivanting off to meet Aegon at the fallen Storm's End?

Yes.

It just sounds bad to me. She was advised against going. She should have let that other guy go in her place but I understand her reasoning.

Oh, I retract my previous statement. I was confusing GRRM's favourite with 'character who GRRM identifies with'. Thanks for the links. :)

No problem!

[brashcandy]

He is not Martin's favourite character, he is the character Marting enjoys writing because of his humor. And honestly I don't see how anyone could deny the importance of Tyrion, asshole though he may be.

Favourite character to write for means favourite character. And no one is denying Tyrion's importance, but if the series is only going to last for two more books, GRRM has to start killing some people, fav or not, and some of these will be main characters. IMO, Tyrion should be the first to go.

[Francis Buck]

And yet, it is not possible that Bran is sort of a sleeper cell as far as plot goes, that what he's getting around to is going to gain its importance in WoW/DoS?

I actually think that all of the true-born Stark children are basically sleeper cells plot-wise. They're all being trained in different faculties, by arguably the very best "teachers" in those particular fields: Bran as a greenseer by the Children of the Forest, Arya as an assassin by the Faceless Men, and Sansa as a politician by Littlefinger. By the end of the series they'll all be adept in their respective "professions", and they will almost certainly become integral parts of the main storyline.

[Candor]

I actually think that all the true-born Stark children are basically sleeper cells plot-wise. They're all being trained in different faculties: Bran as a greenseer, Arya as a warrior, and Sansa as a poltician. By the end of the series they'll be adept in their particular fields of specialty and will certainly become integral parts of the main storyline.

Putting it that way, I like. I just hope Rickon's not getting trained to be a cannibal over on the heartwarming isle of Skagos.

[Candor]

Yes.

It just sounds bad to me. She was advised against going. She should have let that other guy go in her place but I understand her reasoning.

Agreed. Arianne is trying to shape up her game, I believe, but that might not always be the best move. IMO, being exactly like Doran does not suddenly make you amazing at The Game. Doran's plans or lack of action have sometimes (read: more than not, lately) gone awry. Also imo, Arianne needs to find a balance between being like her father, and retaining some of her own anti-caution, spark, whatever-you-want-to-call-it.

She may be trying overcompensate, or over do becoming responsible and to me that says Arianne is in for some bad times.

[iamthedave]

Favourite character to write for means favourite character. And no one is denying Tyrion's importance, but if the series is only going to last for two more books, GRRM has to start killing some people, fav or not, and some of these will be main characters. IMO, Tyrion should be the first to go.

Given Tyrion is faintly relevant to the plot, why not start with Arya who has been completely irrelevant for over a book and a half?

[ARYa_Nym]

He's not giving us any clues as to what Arya's future will be. We don't even know where she's going next. He didn't give us any clues about Rickon for a while and now it looks like he will inherit Winterfell.

[Faint]

My opinion on the main characters for each book are:

AGOT- Eddard

ACOK- Tyrion

ASOS- Tyrion (?) Arya

AFFC- Cersei

ADWD- Jon

My .02.

She may be trying overcompensate, or over do becoming responsible and to me that says Arianne is in for some bad times.

I agree. Nobody seems to remark on this point, but, basically:

She's Aegon's hostage at this point.

[Candor]

My opinion is that Arya is going to drop out of her training. She's been having a lot of these wolf-dreams lately, as well as having certain issues with trying to judge her "assignments" before killing them (something picked up from her Father, perhaps, the sense of justice?). I think she's headed back to Westeros, and the question will be what she does first upon arrival:

Does she go to find Nymeria?

Cross some people off of her nightly list?

Look for signs of her sister?

Try to go to Jon?

---

As for Rickon, I don't doubt that he will be found on Skagos and yada yada, but I don't know. I won't be very happy if he ends up with Winterfell. Maybe that's me just because we haven't been as invested in him as the other kids, but that's my opinion.

[tze]

There is a two part explanation. (1) AFFC was supposed to be combined with ADWD in the same book and was split geographically, as Apple Martini says. (2) AFFC replaces what was intended to be a "5 year gap" period, which was meant to be a rather boring period for the main characters without major plot advancement. So by necessity Martin had to invent new material for characters like Cersei, Dorne, the ironborn, and Brienne so stuff could actually happen in the book . These were characters he didn't originally intend to give POVs to.

I understand this, and those are relevant points. My issue, I think, derives from the mere fact that GRRM left Jon/Dany/Tyrion out of AFFC at all, not with the reasoning behind why he did so. GRRM couldn't fit the stories of Dany, Jon, or Tyrion into 1/7 of ASOIAF---but doesn't that cut against the notion that they're the three primary characters? In a series with literally hundreds of characters, can we truly say that three particular characters are the "main" characters when the author feels comfortable writing and releasing an entire 1,000+ page book without any of them? That's the antithesis of what I think of as main characters.

I'm not saying they aren't important characters, I'm saying I don't think they're the three "main" characters. Honestly, I don't think that anybody in these books is a "main" character. (Either that, or everybody in these books is a main character.)

I don't think that Jon, Dany, and Tyrion are actually the three "main characters" so much as the three most popular characters. I doubt that when GRRM started writing the series, he intended for people to think of Jon, Dany, and Tyrion as being somehow more important than the other main POVs (basically the other Stark children). It's just that the audience has come to think of those characters as being more important due to their popularity, and in the case of Jon and Dany, falling into the more typical "hero/heroine" convention.

My thoughts exactly.

[ARYa_Nym]

My opinion is that Arya is going to drop out of her training. She's been having a lot of these wolf-dreams lately, as well as having certain issues with trying to judge her "assignments" before killing them (something picked up from her Father, perhaps, the sense of justice?). I think she's headed back to Westeros, and the question will be what she does first upon arrival:

Does she go to find Nymeria?

Cross some people off of her nightly list?

Look for signs of her sister?

Try to go to Jon?

---

As for Rickon, I don't doubt that he will be found on Skagos and yada yada, but I don't know. I won't be very happy if he ends up with Winterfell. Maybe that's me just because we haven't been as invested in him as the other kids, but that's my opinion.

Arya's future can go anyway at this point. She has figured out warging now so maybe she can do some damage.

I think Bran would be best but he might not leave the cave. Rickon will be the Lord for sure anyway until Bran returns if ever.