#kvothe gary stu

[hedonistbyheart]

Kvothe is really lucky that he's pretty and ginger, because if he'd been even slightly less my type I'd have called him a complete Gary Stu. This boy is so OP it's ridiculous.

#the name of the wind #literary chatter #it's so funny #he even fails epically

[glittercracker]

Kingkiller Crap

So, I’ve never really posted much here that involves my own thoughts. There are a number of reasons why, but whatever. I feel the need NOW to post some thoughts, and having no working independent blog (yet!) I suppose this is the place to dump them. PSA: none of this is about anime. None of this is frivolous or fun. TW for sexual abuse. You have been warned! So. I’ve been rereading the Kingkiller Chronicles. aka “Name of the Wind” and “The Wise Man’s Fear” and “That Other One That Shall Not Be Named.” This reread was, at the beginning, almost an afterthought. A way to keep my 13 yo happy on a 7 hour car ride. Except, he could not have cared less, and I got sucked back into the story (and okay, if that is how all our audiobook car rides go, meh? At least it keeps me sharp!) I raced through book one, and bought book 2 on audible with an eye to my upcoming surgery and recooperation. Book one was problematic in the places I remembered, but also as generally engaging as I remembered. And then book 2 happened, and surgery happened, and I have had weeks to lie in bed listening to this bloody interminable sequel, and I find myself lost in a morass of, “WTF was I ever THINKING?” Namely, how did I ever love this book enough to pine for the next? It’s been hard to put a finger on exactly what is making this time through book 2 both a slog and also vaguely, creepily uncomfortable, but if you’re interested, my rather stream-of-consciousness ramble of thoughts ensues. First, the male gaze that rears its head at times in book 1 predominates here. But while I don’t love the way Kvothe describes women, I also have 2 degrees in literature, and I’m beyond that being a reason not to read an otherwise engaging book. Second, Kvothe is a Gary Stu, for all of Rothfuss’s protestations to the contrary. Again, so far, so much traditional high fantasy. But while, say, Aragorn is content to just quietly be Awesome At Everything, Kvothe is a braggy little shit of a Gary Stu: the person you hated for announcing their perfect scores in that hs class you could never quite master. I could fill several pages with examples, but for some reason what really made me want to kick him in the head was not Felurian’s disbelief of his virginity (though really, jfc, REALLY?) Nope, it was the end of his time w the Ademrae (sp may be off, remember, I’m listening not reading!) when he crows about having learned the history of his sword 2 days earlier than expected. Why does this stick out? Oh, idk. Maybe bc he sucks so hard he can’t even get past the first obstacle in his practical final exam? Yet he still has to tell us how fucking awesome he is for remembering 6000 names of previous owners.

I know, I’m supposed to forgive his teenage idiocy. The internet sympathists (no pun intended!) keep telling me this. And I suppose that I would, IF this were a simple first-person narrative - but it isn’t. Let’s repeat that, and really think about it. This story is being narrated by an older and presumably wiser Kvothe who has lost everything - whose abilities have been expunged to the extent that he can’t open his own chest of Cool Stuff. He shows humility in his actions, mostly. And yet when discussing his 16 yo self, the humility evaporates, and he speaks with no kind of perspective or lens of accrued wisdom. He still compares women to instruments waiting for the “right” player (i.e. him) and defends this choice of words by saying, essentially, “You aren’t a musician, you don’t know!”

Interesting assumption for an innkeeper in a medieval-esque world. Interesting assumption if this is in fact authorial interjection, too, because I suspect the majority of this book’s audience *are* musicians to at least an extent, and I also suspect that the majority of us (yes, us - I own several beloved instruments, including a harp custom made for me as a wedding present from my husband) would not equate a human lover to even the most beloved of instruments.

But all of this is well-trodden critical ground. As far as I can tell, though, my third issue isn’t: although it’s perhaps the most glaringly tone-deaf example of all of Rothfuss’s excruciatingly tone-deaf portrayal of his world’s women. Namely, the two girls kidnapped and gang-raped by the fake Ruh.

Almost all of the criticism I’ve read on this section of TWMF concentrates on Kvothe’s treatment of the girls’ abusers. What’s interesting is that no one ever seems to write about Kvothe’s treatment of the girls themselves. Yes, he treats them kindly. He tends their wounds, he feeds them, he tries (and succeeds, of course) to draw Ellie out of her shocked stupor. 

Yet what he never once does, from the moment he takes control of the situation, is ask their opinions on any of this, including what their next step should be. He just decides to bring them back to their families - families who, in this type of society, might well disown them for being “ruined”. And the girls themselves, namely the intelligent and savvy Krin, seem to go blindly along with what he says. Why? Would Krin at least not question this, or object to his making decisions for her, when a group of men had so recently and brutally taken away all of her agency? Would she not question whether being brought back to her family is the best thing for the catatonic Ellie?

Okay, apparently not. So they return to their apparently very forgiving town. Kvothe stands up for the girls against the village shithead: thank you, Kvothe, bc I’m sure Krin could not have said those words herself. He assures the reader that they are with people who will love and care for them despite what has happened to them: thank you, Kvothe, though it’s stretching my credulity a bit that you would assume that no one will take issue with their deflowering. But then he “gifts” the girls the spoils of his slaughter: the horses, the valuables, the wagons. And I was about to give him a (grudging) pass for being decent about this, EXCEPT: he goes on to say that these goods are meant for the girls’ dowries. Specifically, to make them worth enough financially for potential husbands to overlook their loss of virginity. He even tells Krin not to settle for a less-than-lucrative marriage.

And suddenly, I was outraged. Why? Because a man who had witnessed the full extend of these women’s abuse brought them back to a backwater town believing that he was being magnanimous both in doing so, and in giving up whatever share he might have taken of the spoils of the debacle to make them financially lucrative marriage prospects. Because he never asked these traumatized girls if they might rather cut and run with the money than use it to make some man overlook their abuse in order to make them his property. He never even questions the idea that they will be grateful to submit to marriage contracts that will no doubt require them to have sex with their husbands, even though these women have been abused to the extent that they cannot sit a horse for *two days* after being rescued. And the worst part is that 20-something frame-story Kvothe doesn’t question this either; he just goes on to gloat about people singing songs about his daring rescue. Maybe I was just ready for a straw to break my benefit of the doubt. Or maybe this really is as outrageous as it feels. Either way, I can’t help being angry at Rothfuss. As a writer, I am very well aware that character and author are not the same thing; that authorial intent is not the same as authorial beliefs. But there are moments in some books when I have to wonder if that line is blurring, and this is one of them. Kvothe has literally JUST left a female-dominated country full of independent women happily doing their own thing. He has given these girls the means to find themselves a situation that will never require them to be beholden to a man again - even houses ffs, in the shape of those 2 wagons, should they want them. There are so many options beyond marriage: I can’t, for instance, think of a medieval society that didn’t have its version of a convent. Or, for Krin at least, why not the University? For that matter, why not marry her himself, and then set her free to do as she likes under the awning of a respectable marriage? 

Instead he returns them to their fathers, and likewise gives their fathers the means to marry them off with no argument. Who, after all, holds the reins of the horses at the end? Why does Kvothe assume that these families will actually use the wealth even in the dubious way that he recommends?

And in this, I think, I am justified in giving Rothfuss the stink-eye. This is one more instance for Kvothe to play the hero with no real attention given to the consequences. Kvothe himself, I think, would be appalled. He has suffered so much deprivation in his life, so often been marginalized, scapegoated, powerless, how on earth could he so easily consign others to that fate? How could he think, loving Denna as he does, having heard her words to the beaten girl in Severin, that buying these girls husbands who will “overlook” their abuse for the sake of wealth is anything but a wretched life sentence for them?

Sigh. There was a time when I desperate awaited book three. Now, given the other women’s lives at stake in this series, I’m not so sure I want to know.

#kingkiller chronicle #kvothe #patrick rothfuss #wise man's fear #Kingkiller chronicles sexism #kvothe gary stu #kkc sexism

[andmynameisadora]

(( one of my fave series is the ‘earth’s children’ series w/ clan of the cave bear, and the main protag is accused of being a mary sue so much

and it’s like

YES she gets special exceptions but the key is with every boon she either suffers, or works for it, or it’s incorporated into the story! being super special is not a bad thing in books esp for women

#(( but then you have asshole gary stu dudes like kvothe in name of the wind that ppl go gaga for #but still. i hate him but that character is fun to SOMEBODY i guess #he's fine but ayla's hated ok

[alcorian]

A lot of people complain about Kvothe being a Mary Sue/Gary Stu by saying "everyone loves him and the people who hate him hate him for no reason." I'm not trying to discredit criticisms of KKC, but wasn't a huge part of the books like.... Kvothe doing stupid shit and pissing people off? Like he is an insufferable little twat with a mean mouth sometimes and the book shows us that, and other characters hate him because of that. He's got flaws (he's proud, he doesn't know when to back down, he prioritizes making his enemies look bad over anything else) and other characters dislike those traits!

#kvothe #patrick rothfuss #kvothe kingkiller #the kingkiller chronicle

[scienter]

1, 7, 19

1. Book I’vereread the most times

Mistborn the FinalEmpire by Brandon Sanderson. I reread it at least once a year. I lovethe characters (Kelsier! Vin! Sazed! Elend! Dox! Marsh! Breeze!Spook! I LOVE THEM ALL!!!) The world building is original andintriguing (a post apocalyptic and ash covered world with an earlyVictorian era feel). I also really enjoy the heist plot (it has anOcean’s 11 vibe going on). Mistborn is my go-to comfort book.

7. Is there a series/ book that got you into reading?

Well I’ve enjoyedreading since I was a kid, but I think the series that really made meidentify as a “reader” is probably the old Star Wars ExpandedUniverse (specifically Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy. And yes Iprefer it to the crap Disney makes now. lol)

19. Most dislikedpopular books?

G.R.R.M’s A Songof Fire and Ice and Patrick Rothfuss’ Kingkiller Chronicles.

I read Game ofThrones (years ago before the show premiered), and I simply didn’tget the hype. I didn’t care about the characters. The setting isnot original (European medieval setting with knights & dragons –rme puh-lease!). And I didn’t care who got the damn throne in theend. I feel like the only fantasy fan who unimpressed with G.R.R.M.’smagnum opus.

While I liked TheName of The Wind well enough, Wise Man’s Fear killed my enjoymentfor the Kingkiller series. Kvothe is a Gary Stu is excels ineverything. The pacing is glacial as fuck (700 pages into book 2 andhe’s STILL hasn’t graduated from that stupid magic school). Andalthough Rothfuss is praised for his purplebeautifully detailed prose the man sucks at writing females (I’mlooking at you Denna). I also can’t figure out why Kvothe losinghis virginity to some seductive wood nymph requires some 60 odd pagesof detailed devotion? It doesn’t further his characterization orthe plot so what’s the point making me read through chapter afterchapter of Kvothe & Felurian’s sex-capades? All it did was makea painfully slow book series even slower.

(Oh it felt good torant about those! lol)

https://scienter.tumblr.com/post/188997563383/aeryastark-book-asks-book-youve-reread-the

#thanks lint! #asked #asked for ts #book asks #book meme #knives-and-lint #books #misc

[cisonostorie]

La prima lettura di questo mese è anche quella che mi ha portato via più tempo e non perché fosse pesante o noiosa, ma perché molto lunga. Il primo libro che ho terminato e di cui vi parlerò in questo articolo è Il nome del vento di Patrick Rothfuss, il primo capitolo della saga de L’assassino del re. Se non ho capito male, si tratta di una trilogia e l’ultimo volume non è ancora stato pubblicato e i fan stanno aspettando ormai da sette anni, quindi se avete intenzione di iniziare la saga fatelo con molta cautela.

La narrazione si apre alla Pietra Miliare, una locanda sperduta, che nasconde un segreto. Kote, il locandiere, infatti non è veramente chi dice di essere e con il procedere della lettura apprendiamo che in realtà è Kvothe, l’eroe che ha ispirato moltissime leggende. Il suo cammino si incrocia fortuitamente con quello di Cronista che è intenzionato a raccontare la vera storia, in fondo è quello che fa, di come un uomo comune è diventato un mago esperto, un abile ladro, un talentuoso musicista e un temibile assassino. L’incipit ci invoglia subito a buttarci a capofitto in questo nuovo mondo e la curiosità di conoscere tutta la storia è fortissima. Perché il leggendario Kvothe si nasconde dal suo passato rifugiandosi sotto una falsa identità e una vita sedentaria e abitudinaria che lo sta logorando e sta distruggendo le sue abilità? Ed è così che ci ritroviamo a percorrere i giorni della sua infanzia e della sua adolescenza. Kvothe acconsente, all’inizio un po’ riluttante, a narrare la sua storia, e infine solo alle sue condizioni: ci metter�� tre giorni, un tempo spropositato. Ogni libro, infatti, ripercorrerà un giorno della narrazione.

Le premesse della quarta di copertina sembravano molto interessanti, ma l’esecuzione non mi ha convinta completamente. La scrittura è abbastanza lenta e allunga ulteriormente i tempi di lettura, alcuni dialoghi, così come alcune scene sono assolutamente inutili ai fini della trama. Il background poteva essere un elemento di forza, ma rimane nebuloso, senza dettagli e indicazioni che ci permettano di orientarci e seguire i movimenti dei personaggi, l’unico modo per non perdersi è fare riferimento in continuazione alla mappa fornita all’inizio. Deduciamo che il regno è in guerra e sull’orlo del tracollo, non c’è cibo e i prezzi lievitano e le strade non sono sicure. La possibilità di venire derubati sia da banditi che da disertori si stanno moltiplicando e stanno avvenendo sovrannaturali uccisioni. Rothfuss ha pensato al calendario, alle diverse festività e alle usanze dei vari popoli e tuttavia il contesto rimane molto vago. Non abbiamo idea di quale sia la situazione politica reale del regno: chi sta combattendo? Per che cosa si sta combattendo? Qual è lo scopo dei ribelli? E quello della resistenza? Non ci viene fornita nessuna informazione. Facciamo conoscenza della simpatia, che altri non è quella che noi chiamiamo magia. È un sistema magico unico, basato su memoria, abilità, conoscenza e un pizzico di talento. Ma ancora una volta è come essere catapultati in una serie di nozioni per cui non ci sono state le basi per capire.

We undestand how dangerous a mask can be. We all become what we pretend to be.

Il Kvothe del presente è un bellissimo personaggio. Con il tempo ha acquisito moderazione, saggezza e umanità. Recita benissimo le parti che si trova a rappresentare ed è meno pretenzioso. Il Kvothe del passato è invece snervante: l’autore si sforza di creare piccoli ostacoli che possano farci empatizzare con il personaggio, ma la verità è che si merita solo schiaffi. Kvothe il giovane è un perfetto Gary Stu. Poteri e abilità superiori a qualsiasi personaggio, c’è. Capelli di colore insolito e occhi cangianti, ci sono. Passato tragico, c’è. Fortuna incredibile, c’è. Popolare, c’è.

La cosa più sconcertante rimane però la mancanza di direzione della storia. Per ottocentosessantaquattro pagine tentiamo di capire dove la storia stia andando a parare. Ci vengono narrati moltissimi episodi della vita di Kvothe che non portano proprio a nulla. La domanda sorge spontanea: perché sono stati inseriti, se sono inutili? Se lo scopo, alla fine della fiera, è di sfatare il mito dell’eroe, di spogliarlo delle sue vesti soprannaturali e renderlo umano a tutti gli effetti, allora siamo sulla strada giusta, altrimenti qualcosa non sta funzionando.

Un’altra cosa che non mi è piaciuta affatto è stata la presenza minima di donne all’interno della storia. Ci sono stati uno o due commenti poco simpatici che oggi definiremmo assolutamente razzisti e irrispettosi della parità dei sessi. L’unica donna a cui viene dato un grande ruolo è Denna, l’amore di Kvothe, che l’autore si sforza di nascondere dietro il mistero, con le sue apparizioni e sparizioni repentine e la sua vaghezza sulla sua storia, ma che in realtà è un personaggio piatto, senza personalità, gusti e opinioni. Non esattamente un buon modello di donna.

Nel libro si parla di male non dormiente, sempre all’attacco, con la figura affascinante dei Chandrian, esseri asserviti all’ombra per l’eternità, che mi hanno ricordato un sacco i Nazgul de Il signore degli anelli. Ed ecco che la cosa più affascinante e per cui nutrivo più aspettativa viene snobbata alla grandissima, seppur queste figure rappresentino un punto focale della narrazione. Male, Rothfuss, male.

In conclusione, la storia si legge, ma non credo sia all’altezza dell’hype booktuberiano anglo-americano (quasi come tutto, del resto). Leggerò il secondo volume, perché non vi nascondo che la curiosità di sapere come andrà a finire c’è, ma sicuramente Il nome del vento non è un capolavoro, anzi ha molti difettucci che secondo me con un po’ più di lavoro potevano essere limati.

Recensione | Il nome del vento, Patrick Rothfuss La prima lettura di questo mese è anche quella che mi ha portato via più tempo e non perché fosse pesante o noiosa, ma perché molto lunga.

#epic fantasy #fanucci editore #il nome del vento #patrick rothfuss #recensione

[ghostoftheyear]

Tagged by @hellielives, here goes!

Nickname: Hutch, Allen-sama, edibleflowers or Pam

Sign: Pisces

Height: 5′2″. Technically 2 and a half but I’m shrinking as I get older.

Time: 3:24 pm

Birthday: February 19

Favorite Bands: I’m a very old fart and so is most of the music I listen to, apart from Hamilton. My favorites are U2, Crowded House, Def Leppard, Harem Scarem, and more recently Ninja Sex Party. I was also into ‘N Sync back in the day.

Favorite Solo Artists: Don’t think I have any really? Justin Timberlake, I guess. Oh, and John Barrowman. I’m not as much of a fan anymore, but I made my mom come with me to Wales to see him.

Song Stuck In My Head: Right now it’s “Samurai Abstinence Patrol”.

Last movie I watched: In the theater, Thor: Ragnarok, which was fantastic. At home, Grand Budapest Hotel, which was... actually pretty interesting. I don’t generally follow Wes Anderson movies very well but I enjoyed it.

Last TV show I watched: The Good Place, I think. I don’t watch much TV.

When did I create this blog: 2012. God, where have the last five years of my life gone.

What do I post: Fandom stuff, my own art, random musings, links to my fic. Mostly right now the fandom stuff is FFXV related, though I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a Star Wars (or Oscar Isaac) resurgence next week.

What did I last google: I don’t remember... probably images of Luna and Ravus nox Fleuret so I could make emojis of them.

Other Blogs: @ghostoftheyearartblog for art references, @edibleghostart where I post my own art, and @themhorinlegacy which I basically just created so that if I get back into SW:TOR, I have a place to put stuff related to that.

Do I get asks: Not often. That might be because I have anon turned off, but frankly I have had shitty experiences in fandoms past w/r/t anon and I don’t stand for that shit anymore.

Why this url: I usually go by edibleflowers most places; that’s a title of a Finn Brothers song (Finn Brothers being a side project of Neil Finn from Crowded House and Tim Finn from Split Enz and Crowded House and also from Neil Finn’s parents). Since that was taken here, I went with Ghost of the Year, which was a Max Q song. Another side project band, this time Michael Hutchence from INXS and Ollie Olsen, another Australian punk artist. I LOVE EXPLAINING THINGS.

Following: 137

Followers: 80

Average hours of sleep: I try for 8, but I could always do with more.

Lucky Number: 19

Instrument: I play piano and guitar. Both, I would say, I am largely out of practice on, and also all my callouses are gone so I can’t play guitar much without great pain. I didn’t have a piano around for a long time, but I got mine back earlier this year (well... I got it from my parents’ house) and I’m trying to get in the practicing habit again.

What am I wearing: jeans and a dark blue floral print shirt with a little keyhole thing at the neck and puffed sleeves. Basically my work uniform.

Dream Job: haha what is that (no, seriously, if I could just draw all day every day I’d be the happiest little ghost on earth)

Favorite Food: Depends on the day, the hour, the minute. I love me some sushi, I just had Chipotle (steak burrito mmmmmmm), I’m a hardcore carnivore and a perfectly cooked medium rare steak is my weakness. Also Southern fried chicken, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, cheeseburger soup (I have a favorite Crockpot recipe), sweet rice, shumai dumplings, lemon chicken, pork fried rice, nnnnnnn I’m so hongry

Last book I read: I’m in the middle of reading the Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss, though it really does drag (fucking hell Kvothe is such a Gary Stu). Before that I finished something by Seanan McGuire... the second of the October Daye books, I think.

3 favorite fandoms: OK, so I don’t define “fandom” like everyone else; to me, fandom is the community around the creation, which means I can’t really classify a fandom as a favorite (though, for the most part, I have really enjoyed being in FFXV fandom). Favorite things, though? Like, stuff I’ve been massively obsessed with? Torchwood, even though I’m still bitter about it: I have never been so deeply in love with an OTP and have never been so hurt by what happened. Jack and Ianto were my life. Star Wars, because that’s been the universe I longed to be in since I was four years old. And yeah, I’ll say ‘N Sync, too. I was in the old fart corner of the fandom and I wrote so much fic, you guys, just. So much fic. It’s still the most productive I ever was in a fandom. I dove into RP in a way that I hadn’t in a long time; I found and fell in heterosexual partnership with my best friend forever. I did a lot of very graphic art (though I don’t even know where it is now, but hey, it’s out there), I made mah jongg games. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. The fandom ate itself from the inside out, but before that happened, I saw the band seven times (six of them with fandom friends) and had some wonderful moments. So yeah.

Let’s see, I think I’ll tag @lemniskate67, @zombiearmor and @heyjealousyyy. Have fun =)

#meme me #i love talking about myself #have you noticed #about me #personal

[aurum-auri]

👾, 👽, 👻, 🐮, 🌸 ~ (sorry, I got a bit too curious t w t)

Whooo lets do this! This is going to be long as hell.

Favorite Book/Comic:The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss is poetry in prose. Probably one of my favorite books of all time, and a SHINING example of an unreliable narrator. Yeah, Kvothe is a little bit of a Gary Stu, and Dinah gets on my nerves a bit, but I’m so excited to see how Kvothe ruins everything for himself in the next book. And that world building? Those disparate stories leaving breadcrumb clues everywhere? Mmm, that’s doing shit right. This book is my aesthetic.

Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch is the fantasy Oceans Eleven you never knew you needed in your life. Imagine a bunch of separate threads all tangled together, and by the end of the novel, you’ve suddenly realized they weren’t tangled, but carefully interwoven and now suddenly everything is on fire and it’s brilliant. The sequels aren’t as good as the first though.

I… really like fantasy novels.

Languages: I speak fluent English and Sarcasm. I took five years of Spanish classes and I probably couldn’t ask someone where the bathroom is. I can understand the gist when reading it though. I tried to learn Italian because it’s really pretty, but I didn’t get very far. Now I’m trying to learn Japanese because apparently I have to be that sort of weeb. Language is fascinating, though. I try to learn a few words of a lot of languages because it opens a window into the country that speaks it.

Favorite Animal(s):Penguins are cute as heck. Dogs are great too. I grew up with them, and they’re the best pets. My sister would get a half wolf/half husky, but I would get a kuvasz. Look them up, they’re the cutest damn gigantic marshmallow dogs you’ve ever seen. I want that massive fluff ball. Big dogs are so much fun to take for walks

Do Dinosaurs count as animals? Because a pterodactyl is my spirit animal. It’s a bit of an in-joike that would take waaaay too long to explain, but basically, it’s a thing 

Fandoms I’m a part of: 

Ooooh boy, where do I start? YOI is probably the most obvious. I could talk for days about how special it is, but I’m certain you all know already. Kingdom Hearts has had a special place in my heart for a decade *patiently waits for 3* 

The glorious bastard at the top of my blog is Perfect Kars from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures (Battle Tendency is best JoJo sorry not sorry). That show is amazing if you like big bara supermodels using magical powers and poses to fight vampires and gods and everything else. And if you don’t like that… why not? It’s ridiculous, over the top, and fun and the animation is so unique and colorful. *strikes Jojo pose* 

 Critical Role is a non-anime entry and is the quintessential D&D show. It makes me laugh, it makes me cry, but most of all, it feels like being a part of a family who struggles and ultimately comes out stronger for it. Even with all of the doors, rakshasas, and dragons, it’s always a wonder if they’ll actually only die because of their own self-inflicted chaos and hijinks. Even if you know nothing about D&D, watching the improv shenanigans is still a riot. Vox Machina is a group of flawed people who are better because they’re together. 

Country I live in: 

 United States

[youarenotthewalrus]

Been reading The Name of the Wind. It’s kind of disappointing, honestly. Cause like, “Gary Stu of Fantasyland writes his memoirs” is a very promising premise. But it lacks self-awareness. Rothfuss doesn’t realize that “inexplicably good at everything and somewhat smug about it” doesn’t work as a character concept if you expect the character to be taken entirely seriously as a Badass Hero. There is so much that you could do with Kvothe. There is talk of false stories in his conversation with the Chronicler, who is stated to be a noted skeptic. What if Kvothe is a Gilderoy Lockhart-type figure, his legendary reputation built on lies and exaggerations, with Chronicler here to try and debunk it? Or perhaps he really is that awesome, but his genuine badassery is inflected with smugness and the complete inability to comprehend that not everybody is as keen on him as he is. Hell, if you want to stay more or less true to the original story, consider the fact that he is only 25. Perhaps he is a child prodigy who got in way over his head, taken to running an inn in an attempt to slow down a little and lay low from all the people who want him dead. There’s just... no real characterization beyond generic badassery, inexplicable awesomeness, and a long list of powerful abilities and impressive-sounding feats. That’s not a winning combination, especially if you’re making the bastard your narrator. I mean, again, there’s the smugness, but I suspect that we’re just supposed to take that as wholly justified self-confidence.

#idk man #maybe it gets better but i'm not optimistic #walrus consumes media #idle musings

[whathappenedtomyoldblog-blog]

Kvothe is not a Gary Stu He is a Gary stupid