Small notes / Common mistakes
I've been reading a lot of fan fiction lately and I've noticed a few really common mistakes, to keep it brief-ish:
- Gendry is just Gendry, he is not "Gendry Waters" as he is not an acknowledged bastard. He is no different than the rest of the smallfolk
- There is no "Night King", that's a show invention. The "Night's King" in the book is a different character and not the leader of the current Others - as far as we know there is no lead Other.
- Westeros as a whole, including Ned Stark, is not tolerant of women warriors - Dorne is not an exception, Oberyn specifically is. Ned hired Syrio to indulge Arya as he figured it was just a phase and she'd grow up to be a proper lady and marry a lord.
- Bloodraven is not the Three-Eyed Crow. When Bran asks him directly Bloodraven has no idea what the hell he's talking about and assumes that Bran is asking him if he's a former member of the Night's Watch.
- Coldhands is not Benjen
- The Starks are extremely wealthy, the show had Ned dressed in leather to differentiate him from Southerners. In the books he wears silks and wool and his clothing is described as being very ornate.
- Ned Stark would be just as pissed off at someone speaking to him impertinently as Tywin would, he just wouldn't be as harsh. He is a nobleman in a medieval society - he is not your friendly uncle.
- Sansa, Arya, and Danaerys cannot go toe-to-toe with most warriors in the series. They're not warriors and were never and would never be trained to be, warrior Arya is a show invention, any of them would be cleaved in two easily by 99% of the fighters in the books.
- Elia being Dornish doesn't mean she's into open relationships - Dorne is more tolerant but that doesn't mean they're all bisexual and into adultery. Oberyn and Ellaria are the exception, not the rule.
- Tyrion Lannister is not a good guy, in the books he mocks a mentally-challenged woman getting raped, rapes a slave, and murders Shae despite her being a victim of circumstances he put her in.
- Medieval working conditions are not the same as ours, they do not have set break times or lunch times. They're peasants being exploited by feudal lords, not factory workers.
- Sansa, Arya, Catelyn, Cersei, Daenarys, etc.. will never at any point do their own physical labor unless literally forced to. They have servants. They're nobles.
- Westeros is very conservative, Loras and Renly as well as Oberyn get away with it because of their status, not because it's considered acceptable.
- Asha Greyjoy is straight - her bisexuality is a show invention. She is a conservative Ironborn. Her stance towards women is where she differentiates from the rest of them, otherwise she does 100% believe in their values.
Those are just a few that popped into my head. A lot of fanfics try to make Westeros too modern or write a story 100% contradictory to the original text, which in that case it should just be it's own thing.
If y'all would like to add anything I missed (which is probably a lot, these are just what were off the top of my head) I'd be down for it.