Poll

[rosalui.livejournal.com]

[Poll #1438368][Poll #1438368]

Because Gen is a man of many personalities, and I'm curious.

Comments

[styromgalleries.livejournal.com]

Allow me to explain my answer. I wavered between the last two and then picked "Thief of Eddis". I love love loooove Gen (as we all do) no matter what "personality", as you put it, he is playing up at the moment.

Actually, KoA was when I absolutely fell in love with the series, but...Thief of Eddis is a lifelong title, so technically as King he's still the Thief.

*crosses arms and takes her stand against anyone who would defy her logic*

[rosalui.livejournal.com]

YOU CHEAT!!! :D j/k

[openedlocket.livejournal.com]

I dare defy the logic.

Even if he's Eddis' thief for life, he isn't always the Thief of Eddis because technically he isn't even a citizen of Eddis anymore. The fact that he's the king of Attolia makes him (in citizenship) an Attolian. He can't have two contrasting titles at the same time...and so he is no longer serving the state of Eddis. So yes, he may always be Eddis' thief but he isn't always the Thief of Eddis.

*looks smug*

[sleepingfingers.livejournal.com]

I hesitated between Thief and King: I loved Gen's almost carefree attitude as the Thief, but ended up choosing King because Gen is still there, if somewhat more subdued, and while he makes a brilliant Thief, he will be an even better King.

[openedlocket.livejournal.com]

*seconds this*

[rosalui.livejournal.com]

Ah! See, that's why I'd choose the Thief; carefree Gen is happy and carefree. :D Still, I get your reasoning.

[zumie-ashlen.livejournal.com]

I put King. Because I like him breaking Costis's brain. :D

[rosalui.livejournal.com]

LOL, you have a point. XD

[avalonestel.livejournal.com]

*dies laughing*

[wondersuntold.livejournal.com]

I chose the King as well. I think it's rather hard to pin Gen down to just one category personally, but I love how as King he is still able to incorporate his Thief characteristics and use them to become something even greater. :)

[rosalui.livejournal.com]

*ponders this* I suppose so. I'd love to see him stealing stuff as king. 8D

[tiegirl.livejournal.com]

I also chose King. I suspect he will incorporate of his Thief incarnations in the course of his reign!

[tiegirl.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. Italics fail again. That was supposed to say, "...incorporate all of his Thief..." with all in italics. Apparently I am still the most technologically challenged being on the face of this planet.

[rosalui.livejournal.com]

Don't worry, I can never get italics to work in comments. D:

[avian-xj.livejournal.com]

...gutter rat Gen is not getting enough love *clings to minority vote lovingly*

Is this a trick question for choosing favorite Gen in book one, two, or three? That's about where the dividing lines are if he can't be more than one of the descriptions at a time (because he IS always the Eddisian thief, but he's only that alone in QoA).

[rosalui.livejournal.com]

I knowwwww. *clings with you*

That wasn't exactly what I meant, but it does split up like that, in a way. Still, when I think of him as the Queen's Thief, I don't think of him in QoA; I think of before, or right after, TT.

[readsintrees.livejournal.com]

I chose the Thief because that was the role when I fell in love with Eugenides. I even remember the exact scene where it went from, "Aw, I love Gen because he's so clever and yet so cute." to, "Holy smokes, Eugenides is kind of sexy! He is going to make me swoon!....I want him." It was the scene where he goes to kidnap the Magus, and he's standing in the shadows, all mysterious like. He seems suddenly less mischievous and more ruthless and cunning. To me that's the point where he pulls out of the gloom about his hand, and goes into Clever Thief Mode 2000!! "I can steal anything, even with one hand." *swoons*

[rosalui.livejournal.com]

LOL, he is sexy, isn't he? 8D

[newbia.livejournal.com]

Interesting question! I chose "Thief of Eddis" because that's when he's at his cleverest, and I love to watch him steal stuff (does that make me a second-hand kleptomaniac?). Gen the gutter rat would be my second choice, and King of Attolia comes in last, because it's such a sad role.

[rosalui.livejournal.com]

YES, I AGREE EXACTLY!!!! EXACTLY!!! Thief Gen is awesome, Gutter Gen is hilarious, and King Gen rocks in his own way but is just so DOWNTRODDEN in a way, you're right! At least Gutter Gen could spit curses at people to his heart's content. :D

[thelasteddis.livejournal.com]

I went with thief, because I think it's the one that makes him the happiest. And I like happy Gen best. :-)

[rosalui.livejournal.com]

SO agree. :)))) Happy Gen is happy. :D

re-posted because of typoFAIL ;_;

[viviolo.livejournal.com]

I'm going to go with Gen the King, because aaaaaa I love KoA. But I will give some actual reasons too. :D

Gen-as-Thief uses his skills in a far more individual, private, self-involved way. Since Gen has a rather introverted personality, this is his comfort zone--and a comfort zone for me as a reader, because when Gen is in his Thief mode, I really don't get much sense of jeopardy. It's all going to turn out okay, because really, Gen knows what he's doing.

Now, a Gen who's out of his element is far more interesting to me. Gen-as-King is forced manipulate politics in the public eye! Gen-as-King must use his skills to SERVE OTHER PEOPLE, NOT HIMSELF! Gen-as-King gets confused and homesick AND CRIES and I want to reach into the book and hug him! Gen-as-King can scream it at the top of his lungs, but he can't do whatever he wants to anymore! Gen-as-King acts like a crazy person and gets drunk on rooftops! Gen-as-King has no idea what he's doing! And my God, I CAN'T STOP READING!!

I love stories that build the protagonist up as awesome, and then face them with an insurmountable task that is completely incompatible with their personality. Then you can watch them become awesome in this WHOLE NEW WAY.


P.S. Great post, I love thinking about different aspects and phases of character evolution. :D

Re: re-posted because of typoFAIL ;_;

[magicsandwiches.livejournal.com]

NICE! I love your reasoning, viviolo, I'm totally on board.

[avalonestel.livejournal.com]

Can't we have a "Gen in any form" choice? Because I love him whatever he's being.

[katewaits.livejournal.com]

I didn't vote. I love them all. I really couldn't possibly choose.

[appellations.livejournal.com]

I loved Gen in QoA. Because he wasn't hiding anything (c.f. TT and KoA); not a plot, not his personality. It was just.. him, you know *cuddles*

plus, emo gen is awesome. emo gen who still destroys a navy and steals a queen is SUPERR

[appellations.livejournal.com]

LOVE, LOVE. OH MAN. I LOVE GEN IN QOA.

[tiegirl.livejournal.com]

Wait..."Second favorite"????

*glares*

;p

[themaskedpostit.livejournal.com]

;; So torn. I gotta say Thief of Eddis, though, because I feel like it's almost all encompassing. Regardless of what book he's in, I think that's who he is at his core and that he just uses what he learned from that role in the others he plays and just adapts himself accordingly.

[tencups-i-swear.livejournal.com]

This was SO hard. I spent a good ten minutes sort of twitching my computer mouse and pretending to be doing something usefull while trying to choose.
In the end I chose The King of Attolia too though, because in KoA he's proving himself AGAIN. I already know how amazing he is when I read KoA but the Attolians DON'T know, and that's why I like him best in KoA. He's still the same Gen as before, except quieter, more . . . thoughtful . . . and more suprising.

[thelasteddis.livejournal.com]

Uh... tencups... your icon? what the...?

[openedlocket.livejournal.com]

THIEF OF EDDIS IS WINNING...I don't know whether to feel happy, sad or normal anymore.