What if Gwok Fu and Gwok Seung were collapsed into a single character?

[Ken Cheng]

You couldn't get a more stark contrast than ROCH's Gwok sisters - Gwok Fu and Gwok Seung. Gwok Fu is one of the most hated wuxia characters ever, depicted as foolish, selfish, incompetent, and vicious. Gwok Seung is widely popular, possessing the best of her parents' attributes.

Gwok Fu needs no explanation, but I've never warmed to the Gwok Seung character very much either. In characterizing Gwok Seung, Jin Yong seemingly tried too hard to make her the Anti-Gwok Fu. Gwok Seung was so perfect in every way that she's almost too good to be true...just as her elder sister is too awful to be true.

What if we were to replace the two Gwok sisters with a single character that combined attributes of both of them? This new young Gwok girl would be 70% like Gwok Seung, but retain 30% of Gwok Fu's characteristics as well. Would you find such a character more compelling than either of the Gwok sisters as we know them?

[Extremer88]

First of them, I think Guo Jing and Huang Rong would be the most happiest of all, because they won't have the old Guo Fu fooling around to bother about.

Back to the topic, I think the new character would basically be the same (charismatic, likeable and cute) as Guo Xiang, but with a added slice of toughness, bossiness and not-easy-to-push-around kind of attitude derived from Guo Fu.

An ideal character for a lady wandering in Jianghu, I suppose.

[HuangYushi]

What if we were to replace the two Gwok sisters with a single character that combined attributes of both of them? This new young Gwok girl would be 70% like Gwok Seung, but retain 30% of Gwok Fu's characteristics as well. Would you find such a character more compelling than either of the Gwok sisters as we know them?

Is there a reason behind the selection of percentages?
Or are they random?
If they are, any combination would work ... even 5% Guo Xiang and 95% Guo Fu!

In any case, there's more to the whole combo than just the percentages.
We'd also have to consider which specific character attributes are included in the selected percentages.

Then, we'd end up with an entire range of characters to choose from!

[pannonian]

Is there a reason behind the selection of percentages?
Or are they random?
If they are, any combination would work ... even 5% Guo Xiang and 95% Guo Fu!

In any case, there's more to the whole combo than just the percentages.
We'd also have to consider which specific character attributes are included in the selected percentages.

Then, we'd end up with an entire range of characters to choose from!

A character with 10% of Guo Fu's characteristics and 90% of Guo Xiang's would be called Guo Fiang. A character who is equally balanced would be Guo Xu.

[Guo Fu ):]

that would be hot.

[Ken Cheng]

Is there a reason behind the selection of percentages?
Or are they random?
If they are, any combination would work ... even 5% Guo Xiang and 95% Guo Fu!

The percentages were picked so that the new character would retain most of Gwok Seung's positive characteristics, but also feature enough of Gwok Fu's idiosyncrasies to leaven the character so that she isn't as much of a "Mary Sue" character as Gwok Seung was.

[Guo Fu ):]

The percentages were picked so that the new character would retain most of Gwok Seung's positive characteristics, but also feature enough of Gwok Fu's idiosyncrasies to leaven the character so that she isn't as much of a "Mary Sue" character as Gwok Seung was.

you can never have too much of Guo Fu

[Guo Xiang ( :]

you can never have too much of Guo Fu

I beg to differ. Even though Guo Xiang is a goody two shoes it's beter than being a bad tempered, violent brat. No offense. I think that a Guo Fiang woul be better than Guo Xu because Guo Xiang is a little too nice for her own good because she's easily tricked.

[owbjhx]

What if we were to replace the two Gwok sisters with a single character that combined attributes of both of them? This new young Gwok girl would be 70% like Gwok Seung, but retain 30% of Gwok Fu's characteristics as well. Would you find such a character more compelling than either of the Gwok sisters as we know them?

I think the Guo Fu / Guo Xiang contrast can be looked at in two different ways. From a critical point of view, one could say it's poor characterisation. From a more charitable point of view, it's a interesting device which is in keeping with the fairytale/symbolic quality of the rest of the novel and sits beside various other contrasts: the individualistic Yang Guo vs the collectivist Guo Jing; the angelic Xiaolongnu vs the diabolic Li Mochou; the patriarchal, public Quanzhen vs the matriarchal, private Ancient Tomb. I'd tend towards the charitable viewpoint, as I think the way Jinyong set up GX is very deliberate and clever.

Squishing together GF and GX would make for a more compelling character but a less interesting idea. Personally I think that, if the objective is to make the novel better, this aim would be better served by bulking up GF's character (who's painfully flimsy, as well as just plain painful) rather than doing anything to GX, who is at least not dysfunctional.

[flamer]

I enjoy Guo Xiang's character. She is amazing as it is.

[Dimeron]

I think most of us all meet some one like GF at least once in our life. You know, the selfish spoiled rich girl (or guy).

Unfortunately, people like GX are a lot more rare.

[mawguy]

um, wouldn't kwok fu + kwok seung = chiu mun?

[Ken Cheng]

um, wouldn't kwok fu + kwok seung = chiu mun?

Actually, the resulting combination might closely shadow Wong Yung from LOCH.

[flamer]

um, wouldn't kwok fu + kwok seung = chiu mun?

Nah they are not smart enough. Guo Xiang is smart, but not quite Zhao Min.