Writing imitates life... but good (or at least, popular I guess) writing is seldom life. I mean, yes we live our lives day to day and in a "real" scenario Aeryn was just a 'lucky' girl at the right place at the right time. She met Harry, befriended him incidentally, and then got raped, which cemented some kind of stronger relationship between them (I imagine they could have drifted apart over time without that event). Realistically, Aeryn could fade into the background of the story and we could literally forget about her and it wouldn't hurt the story, not really. It'd be believable too - every day we meet people who might be important to us but we lose contact with them.

But Aeryn has been center stage for a large number of the six chapters that currently exist. I'd say, "Why did Aeryn even exist at all?" If she's just going to step back and become a wallflower or plot device, she shouldn't have even been given the role she has. Harry has met countless guards already, why don't they get heroic or dramatic spotlighting?

I'm just saying, even if Aeryn is intended to fall away into the background, giving her definition is important! It makes her more believable, since she's an odd element to the story. I don't think any of us expected Harry to already have some questionable company that would make things harder for reacquiring his magic. Even characters we only intend to be plot devices or story mechanisms should have effort spent to make them SEEM more than that, whether it be physical details, odd manners of speech, or apparent motiviations that exist outside the realm of the protagonist.

It's not that I feel all that strongly about Aeryn myself, Cxjenious COULD kill her off next chapter and I wouldn't really care. I'm arguing more or less in the spirit of it - that is to say, I hope Cxjenious doesn't make it a habit of introducing deus ex characters to kill them off. Not that I'm suggesting he'd do that, but if Aeryn were to die next chapter, I'd say it was wasted potential. She could embody any number of future conflicts Harry has to resolve - be it his relationship with the peasants or his inability to protect people who he cares about.

What was the name of that kid who DID die? I forget his name and I forget his character - he was a quirky ruffian full of hot air. A caricature, I guess? I'd have to reread the story to see if anything lies deeper beneath the surface, and he is a child so I can hardly fault Cxjenious for not developing his character more, but it's clear to me that character only existed to die to fuel Harry's rage. It's not as though we can sympathize with his death (well, maybe some of you can, my reaction was, 'oh he's dead'), it's not as though it means anything outside of Harry's motivation to remain in control and gain control of events, to prevent that kind of tragedy. Perhaps if the kid had been particuarly bright and said something wise (perhaps something uplifting about living as a lowborn), or been particuarly heroic or "underdoggy"... or perhaps he'd aspired to enter a trade and had some noticable skill in something... his death would have had relevance to matters beyond Harry's rage. I'm not really criticizing Cxjenious for how he handled the whole rape and slaughter chapter, since I can't find fault in it, since these are Harry's early years and so many such things aren't intended to be focused on yet, but in the future, if we're going to be killing characters or hiding them away after they've served their story purpose... we should be doing it with at least some extra purpose in mind. If a developed character dies, it should make waves, I think. If a character isn't developed, we aren't going to care if they die.

lol man I'm being way too long winded? Is what I'm saying making any sense to anyone but me?

 

I understand exactly what you are saying.

There is no point in introducing new characters if they don't add anything to the plot. I agree with this statement mostly but the thing is I do feel like she will do something for the plot. I am not sure how much her character will, but her existing as a person. My issue is people seem to want her to be a badass, mostly since they can't kill her.

 

Aeryn isn't simply a plot device. She is a fleshed out character, and an excellent one at that, not a Macguffin, so please stop asking her to be killed in a retarded way just because this story isn't going exactly as you want. Go write you own, if it annoys you so much. If she is going to be killed, it will be done in a great, bloody way, just like in ASOIAF, with consequences and implications. I know because I have faith in Cxjenious ability and talent.

I would be sad, because I truly like her, but again, I trust in Cxjenious. She is more like Ned, a character whose lost we felt a lot and it was a huge thing, then Yigritte, a Macguffin with a great personality, but still, a plot device. And when I say about those two, is the way they are in the books, Yigritte in the TV series is a full character.

 

To put sum up the dozens of Aeryn post in a nut shell...

Since she's an OC, people are afraid of her becoming untouchable in every aspect.

 

Don't forget the fact that she's a woman, and since she might get in the way of their precious incestuous pairings, to the headsman with her!

The trend of killing off good female characters is annoying. It might be perfectly justified, and it often is, but it's also constant in nearly every medium that exists.

 

Cue to GRRM interview, when asked how he could write such great and different female characters, he said: "well, I always considered women human beings so..."

You think it isn't like that, but to many people, yes it is. They refuse to acknowledge a female character as good one when she strays from the clichés paths, like the lady in distress, the faux action girl who can become the lady in distress, the tomboy action girl who falls for the hero and gets girly. Those aren't characters, they are stereotypes with thin layers.

That's why I really like Aeryn, she feels real, just like Cersei amd Arya, they have their motivation and needs, they suffer and change, they live their lifes, something that some readers here doesn't seem to understand, to live is to change constantly and have needs, ugly and even dark needs, but human needs.

And also, writing a male character than changing only the sex to have a "good" female character is less bad, but it has much worse unfortunate implications , women aren't men, biologically and psychologically we are different, and is not sexism admit that. It's called reality. Double Standard isn't bad per se, buy it's a very subjective and delicate problem. To understand it is the challenge.

About OCs, please, read the Thread, Alternates, now please read what is this site about, fanfiction. OK, now tell me, why you want to curb the author creativity and writing with your bitching when this is not a JKR or GRRM story. Even if it was, did you bitch every time a new character was introduced in canon?

 

Are there really more good female characters killed off than good male characters to call it a trend? Just curious.

Should happen. Harry/Jon bromance FTW.

 

THis has been discussed at length (heh) and I stand by my earlier comment.

 

It's sort of obvious, isn't it? Harry, like his uncle, has a soft spot for bastards, and he thinks highly of honor. Jon is the most honorable bastard alive.

 

Well, perhaps not "killing" them off in a literal sense, but I think you can think of any number of popular series where really interesting characters get no development or are thrown to the curb once they serve their narrow narrative purpose. Be it Harry Potter, or various anime/manga series...

I mean, it could be really interesting if Aeryn became an antagonist of some sort instead of a supporting love interest. You could honestly do anything with her at this point.

 

I'm sure I could prep a big analysis, but while more male characters might be killed off, that's usually because there's a lot more major male characters in nearly every given work of fiction.

Buuuuut that's not entirely germane to the thread, nor do I have anywhere near the patience to comb through hundreds of books and movies and games to determine that trend. It's just something I've noticed, not necessarily a hard and fast fact.

Either way, I like Aeryn, and I hope she continues to play a part in this piece of writing and I have every confidence in cxjenious' (did I spell it right? I think I spelled it right) ability to write her well.

 

The obvious exception would be The Wheel of Time. But most of those female characters were obnoxious. So I'm ambivalent.

 

The melody stuck in Harry's head, the one that Myrielle had been humming, that's the Ballad of the Black Prince, isn't it?

 

That's one reason why I was afraid to get into your story

Jon, if speculation/theories are true, is set up to be the 'Hero' of ASoiAF...

Spoiler

Especially if R+L=J rumors are TRUE, which I think they are, a long with him reuniting the North as he's the one Robb made his Heir according to the official WoiAF App

With this being an XVerse, Harry may ultimately fill in that role. Jon, the Starks, pretty much the North are my favorite character(s). So I'm interested and yet scared how things with unfold...

 

Which head is Harry replacing becomes the question?

Jon? FAegon?

 

Legilimency is a wandless spell right? Maybe the author will have Harry "accidentally" discover that spell no? I mean, if he can't have a wand, and if can cause "wandless" magic, it means he can also do Legilimency.

Anyhow, I do vote for Aeryn not getting killed. I like her well enough and she's very pragmatic and realistic in her approach to Harry.

I mean a whore's daughter catching the attention of a prince? What person in their right mind wouldn't capitalize on that? Aeryn, for whatever reason, is doing her best to stay afloat and grip her one shot to a better future.

 

He couldn't have used it, rarity of Occlumency books and all that.

But yeah, it seemed to be some form of legilimency.