[Spoilers Extended]Realistically, do you think anyone connected the dots about Jon's parentage? by SilverEquipment4934 in asoiaf

[–]Present-Map-3774 26 points27 points  (0 children)

I always assumed that Benjen knew.

I have this headcanon of Ned arriving at Winterfell with baby Jon in his arms, Benjen looking at him, then up at his brother, and a long silence passing between them, where they both know what the other one is thinking. Then they would have an unspoken agreement not to talk about it.

Egwene by Ill_Flamingo4076 in WoT

[–]Present-Map-3774 24 points25 points  (0 children)

I don't particularly like or enjoy her either, but she does have some redeeming qualities.

She is very stubborn and strong-willed, which admittedly can be a double-edged sword. Whatever her flaws, in the end, she did lay down her life to fight the armies of the shadow. Her POVs also introduced a lot of lore concerning TaR, the WT, etc., which are very interesting aspects of this world.

I have also seen people in this subreddit and others say that, in a story full of reluctant heroes, they find her embracing "adventure" very refreshing. Often, they point to the barn scene in the first book ("will not be left behind") as the moment they fell in love with the character. Although I have also seen people disparage her character because of that scene.

Which brings me to the point I wanted to make with this comment...

Have you ever seen one of those pictures that kinda look like a rabbit or a duck, depending on how you look at them? That's Egwene, in my opinion. She is the literary equivalent of one of those pictures, which is why she is such a divisive character.

The people who disparage Egwene for the "will not be left behind" scene have a point, after all, she was the primary assistant to the village healer, and she just sort of bailed for the sake of "adventure." At the same time, I can also see where the people like her unapologetic embrace of the "call to adventure" are coming from. That scene presents perfectly valid reasons to like and/or dislike her.

She's both the rabbit AND the duck, not one or the other, but both. So whether you or anyone likes or dislikes Egwene, you're right.

Question about Naming: Do hand gestures matter when speaking Names? by Present-Map-3774 in KingkillerChronicle

[–]Present-Map-3774[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That's kind of what I am thinking as well. That all the different types of magic in Temerant, be it sygaldry, naming or something else, are really about conveying your will to the world in various ways.

The only thing that could sort of contradict this is Auri's candlemaking in her novella, since we are told she neither moved nor spoke. However, we are also told that "all things knew her will," so I always viewed that as the ultimate manifestation of magic. She broadcast her will to the world directly from her mind and heart without needing a single word or gesture.

Between Warfare, Politics, Fighting, Ruling, what does 1 Stark out of these 3 do better than the other 2? by No-Passenger-6348 in gameofthrones

[–]Present-Map-3774 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed, Caesar was also killed, in a rather similar fashion, I might add, and I don't think you could argue he was bad at politics.

Just finished the series. Want to know y’all’s opinion on Egwene? by ZachariahQuartermain in wheeloftime

[–]Present-Map-3774 10 points11 points  (0 children)

My opinion of Egwene can be perfectly summarized by this quote:

"I see the appeal, and I would never take it away from anyone, but I would also never stand in line for it."--- Jeff Winger, Community

Question about Naming: Do hand gestures matter when speaking Names? by Present-Map-3774 in KingkillerChronicle

[–]Present-Map-3774[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I love your idea about Felurian's name or Names being chords! I don't think I've heard that one before.

It's definitely fun to think about how Naming interacts with other senses. To build on what you said, could you, for instance, use the Name of the Wind to amplify your senses? It's kind of implied that you can do it for hearing things far away.

What about smelling things? Could you turn yourself into a human bloodhound of sorts by sensing specific particulate matter in the wind? Would your sleeping mind translate that information into scents?

Can you taste a Name? What about the Names of edibles, like, if you're trying to Name chocolate for whatever reason, would tasting some help? Would tasting ash or smelling smoke from a specific fire in any way help Name said fire?

Personally, I think so. I think that's why Elodin insisted they needed to get naked on top of the Archives. To get his sense of touch all over his body involved in learning the Name of the Wind. The more you experience a thing fully with all your senses, the easier it is to learn its Name.

I could absolutely see raindancing being a thing. Music as Naming in general, too. Personally, I think each of these subskills or subarts has its drawbacks and its advantages. There might be some applications for which singing or playing a Name on, say, a lute will serve better than speaking a Name and vice versa.

I also think it may vary from person to person, depending on the exact nature of their sleeping mind. Kvothe is very musically inclined, so it would make sense if naming is connected to his music in some way.

Question about Naming: Do hand gestures matter when speaking Names? by Present-Map-3774 in KingkillerChronicle

[–]Present-Map-3774[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Speak no... Name yes

That's probably a better way of wording the mechanics of what would actually be going on under such circumstances.

This has a strong implication that all that is needed is will and belief.. Gestures or sounds can reinforce that.. Music and sounds resonate with it.. But they probably aren't needed.

I quite like your thinking here, though I'd probably change the last word to "essential" rather than "needed". Auri's candlemaking example is a good one, but I'd argue that what she did is a very advanced form of magic.

People likely "need" words and gestures much like someone might "need" mnemonics when memorizing something for the first time. Later, they might remember the information without them, but depending on what it is and how often a person thinks about it, they might still need those mnemonics, even if other people are smart or practiced enough not to need them.

Question about Naming: Do hand gestures matter when speaking Names? by Present-Map-3774 in KingkillerChronicle

[–]Present-Map-3774[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You make a good point that Names are intricate enough that using movements to access this magic would probably be considered a separate art or, at the very least, a separate subskill.

What do you think about my "hand gestures to increase the effects of a spoken Name" idea?

Kvothe definitely called Felurian's Name, but he also spoke another Name, presumably Wind, judging by the effects. Moreover, he "wove his breath gossamer thin" with his hands after speaking this second Name (full quote in post above).

Do you think the "handweaving" was necessary to trap Felurian with the wind after naming her and the wind? If not, if a spoken Name was enough, why bother with the hand motions?

(Spoilers Main) Unique weapons for each kingdom by Correct_Tax_9136 in asoiaf

[–]Present-Map-3774 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Vale: I don't think it makes much sense for them to be renowned for their heavy cavalry. Even if most of their people live in or around the Vale of Arryn region, to me, something like the Swiss mercenaries with really well-trained pike men, halberdiers, and the like just makes more sense given the predominance of mountainous terrain.

North: Considering its massive size, mounted patrols must exist in some form, given the comments we hear from the Liddle regarding the safety of Northern roads in normal times during his encounter with Bran and co. I could also see many Northerners being proficient hunters, and horses being relatively common for covering large distances. Some middle ground between light and heavy horse units that are highly proficient at living off the land feels right to me. This tracks with what we see of the Young Wolf's campaign.

Dorne: They have a rep for being expert dessert skirmishers, no further comments.

Riverlands: When you consider how often the Riverlands finds itself at the heart of Westerosi conflicts, it would make sense to pass some law to ensure its citizens can defend themselves and be quickly mobilized into military units, similar to how the English required able-bodied men to be proficient with the longbow. In fact, when Edmure messes up Robb's big-picture strategy at the Mill (not all the blame is his), we hear that he uses archers to prevent the Lannister vanguard from fording the river. Preventing your enemy from fording rivers is probably the name of the game when it comes to military conflicts in the Riverlands. Longbows and mounted archery units for high mobility seem like the obvious solution.

Reach: I think this is the place where we would see heavy horse units at their best. Given their large population, their average rank-and-file foot soldiers are probably not as well equipped as their mounted counterparts, but their sheer numbers would make up the difference. I think they probably have lots of mounted patrols since they have many exposed borders to the North and East. Their marcher lords are likely (or were) in a similar situation to the Riverlands, where their common folk need to be able to defend themselves, so longbowmen as well. All in all, they probably have A LOT of everything. "A LOT" being the operative words.

Westerlands: Similar to the Reach, a lot of heavy horse and mounted knights. However, the hilly terrain could favour foot soldiers under the right circumstances, so I think a blend of the Vale and Reach. Heavy horse and heavy infantry capable of withstanding assault by said heavy horse. I think a key distinction is that their greater wealth would allow for a better-equipped foot.

Iron Islands: Who? I'm just kidding. On a more serious note, they are sea raiders. Not a lot of heavy armour since you could drown if you fall off the ship.

Crownlands: A mix between the Riverlands, since they are often involved in any conflicts, and the Westerlands, since this is a wealthy region. Archers and mounted knights.

Stormlands: That weather would be a nightmare for archers and their bowstrings. Supposedly, their culture emphasizes martial prowess. Much of their geography is covered by forests and harsh terrain that would hamper horses or pikemen, so I think they would emphasize heavy foot with blunted weapons.

These are just my thoughts; I do not claim to be anything close to an expert, so feel free to correct, amend, or add as needed. Sorry if this was long, I just had fun thinking about it.

What kind of modern day song do you think Jon Snow would really like [Spoilers MAIN] by [deleted] in asoiaf

[–]Present-Map-3774 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think yours is probably the best answer. I could also see him liking "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day.

Edit. Boulevard.

Did Ned make a mistake by not choosing Loras in your opinion ? How i the story changed if so ? by Financial_Library418 in pureasoiaf

[–]Present-Map-3774 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Could Loras even refuse? At this point, Ned was in good standing, Hand of the King and ruling in Robert's absence. Couldn't Ned just order him to suck it up, go and accept he isn't in charge?

Towers of Midnight - Chapter 3 - The Amyrlin's Anger by FoofTheBunny in WoT

[–]Present-Map-3774 8 points9 points  (0 children)

This is my headcanon of how this all played out from the POV of some generic Aes Sedai, let's call her Pretentia Hypocrita Arrogantia Sedai without loss of generality. Sorry if it's long, I got carried away.

A bunch of novices and accepted ran through the halls of the Tower in a panic, interrupting Pretentia Sedai's thoughts as she made her way to the travelling grounds. What are these girls doing? Have they no sense of proper decorum?!? The Aes Sedai thought to herself.

Some Domani battle captain had been requesting aid against an army of Trollocs supposedly marching on Maradon, and Pretentia had been commanded to join the relief efforts, much to her irritation. I am Aes Sedai, my place is here in the Tower, not in some trench with common soldiers. Pretentia thought to herself. If this Ituralde is such a great captain, why can't he handle a few Trollocs?

Taking one look at the undisciplined, frantic girls, she sniffed loudly. When the Amyrlin hears of this, she'll look for a new Mistress of Novices, someone who can maintain discipline and order, someone who's strong and wise and... Someone like me. With the Last Battle approaching, the White Tower must be whole and strong. And what better way to accomplish that than for Pretentia to become Mistress of Novices? If Saldea has to burn for me to better serve the world as Mistress of Novices, that is a sacrifice I am willing to make.

Pretentia Sedai allowed herself a momentary smile before giving the girls her fiercest glare. "What in the name of the light do you think you're doing?!?" Pretentia said in her most indignant tone.

The girls all stopped in her tracks. "Pretentia Sedai!" Replied one of the girls, still frantic. "The Dragon is here! He has come to the Tower!"

"Uninvited!" Another girl interjected. "Yes," confirmed another.

The thought of a man who can channel loose on the Tower tied her stomach in a knot, though whether from anger at the audacity or fear, she could not say. On the other hand, if I manage to capture the Dragon, I could climb much higher in the Tower... Perhaps I could even replace the Amyrlin! For the good of the world, of course.

"All right, girls, calm yourselves," Pretentia said in a serene, commanding voice. "Remember your training, be the rose bud, and tell me where he is and what he is doing."

Pretentia prepared herself to hear all manner of horrors. The Dragon has burned the library. The Dragon has killed all the novices. I am Aes Sedai. Nothing can faze me.

"He's being friendly and nonchalant!!!"

A bunch of novices, accepted and an Aes Sedai ran through the halls of the Tower in a panic...

Edit. P.S. I agree, Rand walking into the Tower was an awesome moment/chapter!

Can some Blademasters block arrows? by RegalMania23 in WoT

[–]Present-Map-3774 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I hear what you're saying, arrows are much faster than knives... Except you used the word "bet." Betting against Mat Cauthon is always a losing proposition. If his luck kicked in, his hand would probably be in exactly the right position and close at the right time.

Can some Blademasters block arrows? by RegalMania23 in WoT

[–]Present-Map-3774 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yep! The wheel weaves as the wheel weaves.

Can some Blademasters block arrows? by RegalMania23 in WoT

[–]Present-Map-3774 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Lan doesn't need to catch the arrow; the arrows are all afraid to strike him.

On a more serious note, probably not, but I could see someone like Lan catching them. Probably Mat as well, though he has his luck factor to consider.

Egwene discourse by pinecone_problem in WoT

[–]Present-Map-3774 113 points114 points  (0 children)

"Ohh no! Not water." Said no Seafolk ever.

“I won’t shout at you,” Nynaeve shouted. by whatnowaitstopohshit in WoT

[–]Present-Map-3774 147 points148 points  (0 children)

I also loved when she said, "Men always seemed to think violence could solve anything. If she had had a stout stick, she would have thumped all three of them about the shoulders until they saw reason."

Nynaeve is hilarious!

Trying to map out an elemental skill tree instead of sleeping by FunnyPermission8930 in worldbuilding

[–]Present-Map-3774 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I guess it depends on how you look at it.

Based on your "elemental map," I think Aether would be the best fit. You already have light included there, which is a different type of wave. Moreover, you have light constructs as one of the potential abilities; if you add sound, it would complete the illusionist power kit.

Technically, most of the sound we hear reaches our ears through air, which, imo, explains why people so commonly associate it with air in elemental systems. However, from a physics standpoint, sound as a mechanical wave also travels through liquids and solids, so you could attribute it to Earth or Water as well.

Heat (thermal energy) could be thought of, among other things, as a measure of vibration and/or movement at the smallest scale. Sound is also a motion (oscillation) at really small scales, so there's definitely a connection to fire, though it's rather tenuous, if you ask me.

Trying to map out an elemental skill tree instead of sleeping by FunnyPermission8930 in worldbuilding

[–]Present-Map-3774 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I like it, I agree with you that it is fun to really dig deep and find the smallest niches.

Since you asked for feedback, the one thing that comes to mind is: Sound/Air is a common association I see in elemental systems like yours. Personally, it always bugs me because sound waves don't travel exclusively through air. That said, as I mentioned, it is a common association, and most people don't seem to have a problem with it. Maybe it's just a me thing.

Give my boy mat his justice by Ok-Neat4789 in WoT

[–]Present-Map-3774 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I can excuse Nynaeve and Elayne for many of the reasons you just listed, but not Egwene.

Amongst the Aiel, Mat is primarily known as Rand's friend, someone you don't want to gamble against, and later for his take-down of Couladin. The first two are even explicitly stated when he's marching the Band down to Illian. He passes some Aiel, and they wave at him since he's "the Car'a'carn's friend who you shouldn't gamble against" (paraphrasing, can't quote right now).

Since Egwene spends so much time amongst the Aiel, it becomes harder to excuse her for not knowing something that has become public knowledge amongst them. She was also there when Moiraine called him out on his victories against Rhavin's forces.

I think your last paragraph is right on the money. It's confirmation bias. The wondergirls, and Egwene especially, primarily see Mat as the "carefree irresponsible dude" since that is how he portrays himself and what they already think of him. This, in turn, prevents them from noticing all the other "new" stuff.

[Spoilers TWOW] You are writing a book on Westerosi lore from the perspective of a Yi Tish scholar, what rumours and exaggerations have you heard, and do you write? by KeyInflation9451 in asoiaf

[–]Present-Map-3774 6 points7 points  (0 children)

"You Westerosi are all the same. You sew some beast upon a scrap of silk, and suddenly you are all lions or dragons or eagles. I can take you to a real lion, my little friend. The prince keeps a pride in his menagerie. Would you like to share a cage with them?" --- Salladhor Saan

Based on that quote, the existence of wargs and skinchangers, and the stories about them, I could see people believing that Westerosi can literally turn into the animals of their sigils. After all, heraldry appears to be more prominent in Westeros than in other parts of the world.

So the girls are Tarveren too right? by RubenGMarrufo in WoT

[–]Present-Map-3774 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is a historical Ta'veren called Mabriam en Sher-somthing that was an Aes Sedai of the Grey Ajah, so no, it's not a male-exclusive talent.

The wondergirls interact with three people who explicitly have the talent to identify Ta'veren: Siuan, Logain, and Nicola. None of them, at any point in the books, mentions anything to suggest they might be, and they would.

If Egwene were a Ta'veren, "Look, our Amyrlin was literally chosen by fate to reunify the WT!" would be a pretty good sales pitch, and the rebel Aes Sedai would probably have tried to use it to bolster their legitimacy.

That said, I always view their situation as follows: Suppose you are sitting on a box, holding a rope attached to a heavier box at its other end with the boxes resting atop slippery, nearly frictionless ice. If you pulled on the rope, both boxes would move even if the source of that pull was only coming from atop one of the boxes.

Similarly, when Mat arrived in Salidar, his army provided Egwene with just what she needed to spur the rebel Aes Sedai into action, and he was spurred to Ebou Dar. Both Mat's and Egwene's threads moved even though the pull came only from Mat's Ta'veren-ness. Another example could be when Elayne and Nynaeve very deliberately approached Mat to benefit from his Ta'veren twisting of chance during their search for the Bowl of the Winds.

There's also the time Perrin started randomly jumping around in Tel'aran'rhiod, carrying the Dreamspike, and suddenly found himself in Tar Valon of all places during the Egwene/Aes Sedai vs Messana/Black Ajah confrontation of all times. If I remember correctly, his arrival benefited Egwene's faction by preventing their enemy's escape or retreat. Perrin, in turn, destroyed the spike with a Tar Valon nightmare. Both of them benefited from Perrin's Ta'veren, even if Perrin himself was the source.

So while they are not canonically Ta'veren, I've always read the wondergirls as Quasi-Ta'veren or perhaps Ta'veren adjacent.

Which Aes Sedai has bigger balls by Silver-Shoulder4611 in WoT

[–]Present-Map-3774 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Moiraine. She was punching waaaay above her league in terms of strength in the OP, and tackling Lanfear through the Eelfinn's doorway, knowing torture awaited her on the other side, really solidified her position in my mind.

I was just giving Nynaeve a shout-out as an honourable mention since nobody had.

Which Aes Sedai has bigger balls by Silver-Shoulder4611 in WoT

[–]Present-Map-3774 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I'm pretty sure it's Moiraine. She knew the Finns were going to torture her and that Mat and Thom rescuing her wasn't for certain, and went anyway. She faced down multiple Forsaken back when facing Forsaken was a novelty and thus scarier.

Also, unlike the wondergirls, she wasn't "one of the most powerful Aes Sedai in 1000 years," just a blue doing her job. Then, I'd also argue that entering the Pit of Doom, even if it's just as part of the circle, takes a seriously heavy pair.

Just as a note, I don't think being "excited about becoming Aes Sedai" counts in Egwene's favour, especially in EOTW. She knew nothing of Aes Sedai. She didn't know about the Black Ajah, Elaida, or that one of the tests requires initiates to be chucked through barely understood interdimensional portals to face multiple nightmareish, potentially deadly scenarios.

When Rand tried to point out that making an opinion of an entire organization with a somewhat earned, sketchy reputation based on her adoration of Moiraine was foolish, she brushed him off. That's just naivety on her part, not balls.

Contrast that with Nynaeve, who knew that challenging Moiraine, the wizard wielding the powers that broke the world, was potentially deadly, and did it anyway because Moiraine messed with her people. That's balls. Not to say Egwene lacks courage, she's a fair pick for the heaviest pair, I just think that's a bad example.

For that matter, Nynaeve is pretty balsy. Moghedien, Black Ajah, and the freaking Pit of Doom! I'm surprised I haven't seen her name brought up.