The End of Darkstar

[DaeneryStormBorn]

I would say that a) there is nothing to suggest that he isn't serious, and b ) even if he was being sarcastic it's still really sad. Hipster Dorkstar is still Dorkstar.

Also, if the Blackfish announced himself in that way I'd say he was a loser too. :)

Dam you Ab, I just named myself The Virgin Assassin and proclaimed myself the best cut player in the world :P

[Ran]

It's obvious that other people call him Darkstar. He didn't come up with the name, and it's very obvious from GRRM's statements that he never once thought anyone would believe Dayne came up with it himself. This is the sort of thing that bothers me about all the jokes -- people start to take them literally, when it's at odds with what's actually intended.

I mean, the statement itself is, "Men call me the Darkstar" -- other people.

I don't believe the line is sarcastic. He's serious. But on the other hand, there's not exactly sweetness and light about him, is there? He's contrasting himself to his cousin Ser Arthur, the Sword of the Morning, with all that that title and that name connotes about chivalry and honor and whatnot. Does the Darkstar have an ego? Sure. You see it there.

[Jslay427]

I shall refer to him now only as "The Darkstar". Like someone said previously, he most likely talks in the 3rd person, as in "The Darkstar wants another pint". Epic, very epic.

[Ororo727 Jon Snow Fangirl]

Hopefully Aegon will kill him!

[Light a wight tonight]

That statement "Men call me the Darkstar" is just jarring to me. Sounds like wishful thinking on Gerold's part, not what people really call him. But my initial thought is "What do women call him?" Why is he emphasizing men? In conversational American English you'd say "people" or "they" call me.......

[ab aeterno]

That statement "Men call me the Darkstar" is just jarring to me. Sounds like wishful thinking on Gerold's part, not what people really call him. But my initial thought is "What do women call him?" Why is he emphasizing men? In conversational American English you'd say "people" or "they" call me.......

I'm terrified about where this is going...

[Jon Flowers]

Regarding the OP; great news. that much less fodder for poorly concieved pet theories now. I've got to say though, it already seemed rather obvious that he was around that age since he was never mentioned as being either young or middle age, something Martin usually lets us know about when we meet a character.

[Ran]

Arianne calls him Darkstar. The appendix notes him as Darkstar too. Kevan Lannister thinks of him as Darkstar, so his name is known outside of Dorne, it's what the Martells have reported. Doran says it. The Sand Snakes call him that, too.

Seriously, it's his byname. He's not known outside of Dorne, it seems, because he never bothered to leave it I guess. But apparently, he has a genuinely dangerous reputation within Dorne.

[Jslay427]

He prolly has left Dorne, but obviously only at night time.

[ser naes yennet]

Quote

Men call me Darkstar, and I am of the night.

He is Joshua York, long before getting into the steamboat business.

[The Fallen]

` On a serious note, I don't think Darkstar meant to kill Myrcella. I think he wanted to maim or disfigure her. That may not seem as bad as her dying, except when you go to explain what happened. And how furious will superficial Cersei be when she gets the news or sees her for herself?

[Men in their cups say...]

Thank you Fallen. #TeamDarkstar

[Aerys Blackfyre]

So, this is now published

this is awesome! good job!

[Alia of the knife]

In all seriousness, I get the point that Martin mean both Darkstar and Jaimie to be characters not to be taken lightly.

Both of them speak in a dramatic fashion, but I do sense a certain sardonic tone in reference to themselves.

"Men" call him Darkstar, (and if we take the style of the times Martin sets the characters in, this statement is all-inclusive), and he is of the night could be his way of saying, "didn't you know, I'm not like good ole' Cousin Arthur who was the Sword of the Morning," i.e, reading between the lines, the darling of the family while he is obviously the blacksheep of the family who has "run" with that reputation.

Jaimie, and "there are no men like me."

Well, there aren't. He killed a King, is sleeping with his sister, fathering all her children, and pushed an eight-year old boy out the window "for love."

Reading between the lines, "I am the monster under the bed, and you don't know what I'm capable of, and I do these things because I can."

These aren't ringing endorsements of his character, and far from arrogance, it is self-mockery to a degree because he knows people have no respect for him, is resentful and only seems to be snapping out of a life full of mistakes when it comes down to how his legacy will be written in the little white book.

In our modern world of text-speak, acronyms, and "get to the point," the way they are speaking does sound over the top, but they are written to the language of the times, when language was actually an art form and was the "entertainment, so therefore embellished.