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teresChapter Thirty-Seven (Part II) | Table of Contents | Chapter Thirty-Eight
SCSF: A good day, everyone, and welcome back to BattleAxe! Last time, Faraday, Timozel, and Yr actually reached Jervois Landing and had a lot of trouble getting transport. For the reader post:
On part I of chapter 23, while talking to Maegwin, I had some thoughts about the statues of the Talons we see in the Chamber of the Star Gate. These statues are, after all, integrated into the structure of the chamber (their wings form the top of the archways around the chamber, for example), and since the Icarii could not have known that there would be only twenty-six Enchanter-Talons, that means that they must have replaced a statue of a Talon with that of an Enchanter-Talons every time one died. While that ought to be quite achievable (if building massive Barrows is not a problem, replacing such statues should not be, either), that does make me wonder why they did not put these statues next to the entrances to each Barrow instead of clumping them together. The Icarii put a lot of effort toward personalisation with the Barrows, after all, so why not here?
Gold-Star Worldbuilding: 92
On part I of this chapter, Chessy notes that Timozel would be fearing eternal damnation if he breaks his oath, which would make sense if the oath was valid, which it certainly is not.
She further confirms my suspicions about Faraday’s ring; as it has no specific marks on it and we have not heard of it being famous, few people would recognise it.
On part II of this chapter, Epistler notes that the ferryman should not be able to talk as much as he does when Timozel is holding him by the throat.
Did Not Do the Research: 69
She further notes that the sexism Faraday and Yr receive comes from “usual suspects”: “rough” and/or “slimy” men, which is indeed not exactly insightful (and comes with the implication that it is only wrong because they are “usual suspect”, which is supported by Axis not being called out on his sexism).
Chessy notes that the Sign of the Plough might be used as a blessing (analogous to the Sign of the Cross), but it ought to be Timozel, not the ferryman, making it. And now that I think about it, it would make more sense if Timozel attacked the ferryman because he misinterpreted this usage as the ferryman trying to ward off evil; it would not make much sense, but more than what we have.
With that done, let me resume with the present chapter! We last left off with Timozel declaring that he has no idea how they can secure transport. Just then, a horseman stops in front of them who turns out to have recognised Timozel! Hmmm, I do find it a bit silly that Douglass apparently could not come up with a way to have our protagonists find transport on their own (like I outlined last time), but I hardly mind that we can finally get ahead.
PPP: 396 (comma instead of full stop at the end of the action, which accidentally makes it a dialogue tag)
Timozel looks at the man for a moment, and then recognises him with relief as “Gautier”. That is Borneheld’s lieutenant, who was present at the war council at the beginning of the book and then at Faraday’s betrothal, where he did nothing much of significance. I still wish we had not skipped those chapters… but in this case, it does not matter much, as we get an introduction anyway. So, Timozel met Gautier in Carlon while the Axe-Wielders prepared to leave, and they struck up “an easy acquaintance”, even though Gautier managed to “[win] Timozel’s best cloak from him at dice”. Thank you for the backstory, I suppose? It is nice to know how they recognise each other, but I doubt we really needed to know this, or that it can become relevant. In any case, “fortune [has] favoured them” at last, since no one except Borneheld will bring Faraday to Gorkenfort faster than Gautier. That is quite positive news, then! Our group has spent long enough going slowly in difficult conditions, and while that makes for a good obstacle, it is past time for this book to get going.
Gautier dismounts, keeping to the reins of his horse as soldiers go past to their “overnight billets”, and we get a description of him. He is only wearing his “regulation brown leather uniform” despite the cold, and has a “short cropped blond head” and “[l]ight grey eyes in a sharp and narrow face”. His face makes him look “constantly secretive”, though few trust him with their secrets. Because of course we need to learn something negative about Borneheld’s lieutenant in his first detailed appearance…
Petty Ain’t the Word for You: 66
He is quite amazed to see Timozel, since he heard he was dead, and word “reached Carlon” about the landslide. Given that the troops arrived here via the Nordra, that fits well with the timeline. Then Gautier notices Faraday, which surprises him even more, and he can only ask “How… what… who?” That is not an unsympathetic introduction, I note. So Faraday “force[s] a light laugh”, because she does “not particularly like Gautier”. …Why is that? Her only interaction with him before now was him attending her betrothal, where he was not noted to do anything she could see, in the present interaction, he has mostly been confused (and he called her “my lady”, which seems like an all too small thing to take offence at), and we have not heard any stories about him that would make him look bad. I think that Douglass is trying to make Faraday look smart by having her be suspicious of him before he actually turns out bad (as he will), but when she barely knows anything about him, it makes her look quite shallow and/or paranoid, and it is not wholly honest with the readers.
For something else, why does Faraday give a “light laugh”? From the context, I think that she wants to please Gautier, but given that he expresses a serious concern about what happened to her, this comes across at best like she has no idea of the seriousness of the situation, and at worst like she is mocking his concern. It does not fit with the situation at all in any case.
Ill Logic: 225 (+2) (for both this and Faraday disliking Gautier without much cause)
Now Faraday looks at Timozel, “her eyes pleading with him silently” to let her hold the conversation (not that I think he would interrupt). She says that Timozel saved her and her maid “from the earthfall”. They managed to “struggle free” and have been going north since then. That explains their clothing, since they had to buy their dresses from a “peasant woman”. Then she reaches the part which she thinks will put her story to “its first real test”, as she says that after nearly dying, she “could not bear the thought of being separated from Borneheld any longer”, so she asked Timozel to bring her north instead of “back to Carlon or Skarabost”. Then she “shrug[s] prettily” in order to flirt with Gautier as she asks if he can maybe help with getting her to her “intended husband”.
So that Faraday’s cover story and her request for help, and I do have some problems with it. The first problem is her claim that they managed to “struggle free” from the earthfall. If they had done so, they would have reappeared quite quickly (else they would have died), and in the place where they disappeared. Given that there were a lot of people around, some of whom would be looking for them, and that there was nothing for them to hide behind, I find it very hard to accept that no one would have seen them. That also raises the question of why they went north on foot without horses or a further escort; that would have made their journey considerably faster, which is what Faraday says she wanted!
I can see where this is coming from: Faraday thinks that a story about falling into a tomb and climbing out elsewhere is too fantastic for Gautier to believe, so she comes up with a simpler version. Given how nonsensical the “simpler” version turns out to be, though, I think sticking with what actually happened would work better; if Gautier wants to verify it, Axis has heard much the same from Veremund, so that would help. Going with the real version would also improve the cover story considerably, since it explains why no one knew they were alive and a bit of why they went north by themselves.
That leads me to another problem: her motivation for going north to Borneheld is, as Faraday is afraid of, somewhat lacking. I can accept her explanation about being eager to meet Borneheld since she nearly died, but then it makes little sense not to get horses at some settlement and go north via established routes, since that is safer and faster. To be fair, I have some trouble coming up with any story that would explain why they only have a mule with them and have taken so long to get here; the best I can think of is that they originally did get horses and made good progress, but then got lost, had to abandon their horses (or had them stolen), and then got a mule and new clothing from people along the way, and the lack of horses slowed them down quite a bit. It still leaves the question of why they did not try to let anyone know they were alive, but it is not as glaringly wrong as the original.
Then… Faraday saying that Timozel could have brought her back to “Carlon or Skarabost” bothers me. Arcen would be a more natural destination to use here, since she was supposed to go there in the first place (and had people waiting for her there), and it is closer to the Ancient Barrows than Carlon is. It is a minor thing that would not affect her story, but it is still a clear indication that she has not tested this story nearly enough for it to work (as is quite clear by now).
I do suppose I should name some positive aspects of the story… It works quite fine without the specific context it is in, for one; that is, I could actually see it work if Faraday and co. had disappeared somewhere else and in other circumstances. I also like that Yr is claimed to be one of Faraday’s maids. Axis knows that Merlion is dead, after all, and if she was found, one of Faraday’s maids must have been found. The other has probably been found, too, but I doubt that Axis (or any of the commanders, for that matter) would know about that, and so Yr could plausibly claim to be that maid. All in all, the cover story sounds plausible enough at first glance, though it has some glaring errors and would not stand up before a more detailed look (that kind of describes this whole book, does it not?).
Moving beyond the story, I note that Faraday tries to convince Timozel to let her do the talking, which she has apparently not bothered to establish before now? Also, why would Timozel interrupt her? The first answer I can think of is that no one told him that Faraday would be using a cover story (which would be expected), but even then, he would probably be expecting it and I do not think he would interrupt her if she took the word (he is her Champion, after all). It just comes across as a little too cautious of Faraday.
Ill Logic: 230 (+5) (for the quite sloppy execution of all this)
That brings me to the last thing that bothers me in this scene: Faraday hardly needs to “plead” with Timozel to keep silent, nor does she need to flirt with Gautier to convince him, as it turns out. Sure, I get that Douglass wants Faraday to have some problems in getting transport, but I would love it if she could have done that without once again putting Faraday at a disadvantage. Timozel is still her Champion, after all, so she can tell him to stay silent if he needs to, and she is also still a noble and Borneheld’s betrothed, so there is no need for her to flirt with Gautier or even be this submissive to him. That reminds me that I do not remember Azhure having this trouble when trying to be accepted by the Avar, so I wonder if we are seeing a prejudice against Faraday taking shape here.
Petty Ain’t the Word for You: 67
Let me go on with the story, then. Gautier fortunately does not note any of the gaps in the story, and instead thinks about walking into the “audience chamber” of Gorkenfort with Faraday and taking all the credit for finding her and bringing her there. Good to know that Borneheld’s lieutenant also really likes fame… It does help here, though, and I think it might be useful in other circumstances, so I will not complain about the characterisation. I will complain about his mention of an “audience chamber”, since that does not seem like something Gorkenfort would have and the place he means is never actually called that.
PPP: 397
Now Gautier looks to Faraday’s “pretty maid” and immediately gets attracted to her, thinking that “[t]he wench [is] panting for him!” and that she will be “far hotter sport” than the “tired old crones” who work in Jervois Landing. …I think that Douglass meant for this to be funny, which would work better if Gautier sounded like an actual person, if this remotely fit with his relatively restrained speculation about getting glory for finding Faraday, and if the scene were actually comedic in nature. As it is… it does not work at all.
Tone Soap: 44
I also note that we have yet another case of someone being attracted to Yr at first sight. By this point, I do wonder if she is not actually using her powers to make that happen… Whatever the case may be, Faraday sees where Gautier is looking and hopes that Yr “[isn’t] playing the lustful wench too heartily”. Going by Gautier’s reactions, she probably is, though I do not think she is exactly “playing”, going by her previous behaviour. Also, while I do like that Faraday recognises Yr might be going too far, I would like it more if she actually told Yr not to flirt so much with Gautier. I suppose that would be a step too far for Douglass, though.
Well, Faraday says they would be “very grateful” if Gautier can find them beds, and she is sure Borneheld would appreciate it, too. Gautier immediately agrees (so what was the point of trying to push him into it, then?) and gives the reins of his horse to Timozel, who takes them with “studied bad grace” (I am not quite sure of why). And so the problem of finding transport and beds for the night has been resolved rather anticlimactically, as they immediately find Gautier and he is quite eager to give them what they want. I hardly mind that, since it is only to be expected, but it would have been nice if Douglass did not build up getting transportation as such a problem when it really is not. And in other circumstances, I might not mind, but given how long we have spent on setup, I have quite lost my patience for filler like this. All the same, the problem has been solved, so we are a bit closer to Gorkenfort, and Faraday and co. are finally out of the snow, which they have richly deserved by now. So… let us see what they do with that.
Faraday takes Gautier’s arm and he leads the way, shouting for people to get out of the way, while Timozel and Yr hurry after him with the mule and Gautier’s horse (and that will be the last time the mule is mentioned, so goodbye, mule!). Yr thinks that they will at least have rooms and a “decent bed”, though she wonders if she will “have to work a little for her share of the warmth”. Well, I am sure that your companions will not begrudge you their warmth, and if you do want to “work for it”, Faraday will probably be willing to provide. Then she talks about how she thought for a moment that Gautier would “wrestle her to the muddy street and take here there”. She smiles and thinks she might not have minded. …I get what Douglass is going for here: “Yr using her attraction could have caused an overreaction that we would think is undesirable, but instead she decides she might have liked it”. That can certainly work—to give an extreme example, having this happen with myself (a huge salamander) ought to have some comedic potential—but it does not work when the overreaction is Gautier trying to rape her! It is just not funny at all, even if it never happened, and Douglass would have done well to think more about this.
Then she thinks that it is the least she can do to ensure that “Faraday arrive[s] in Borneheld’s bed” as soon as possible, which does not give me the impression that she cares much for Faraday (if we needed that confirmed), and that is the end of this segment. My main impression from this is that I would like to her to go back to cat form; back then, she was not this obsessed with sex and had more to do than she does not, at least.
So Gautier leads everyone to an inn called “the Tired Seagull”. The name may be weird, but I know that is often the case with inns, and it is memorable, so I genuinely like this! Gautier gets three rooms for Faraday and co. “with a minimum of shouting and fuss” (he is professional in some ways, it seems). The people who had the rooms before complain about being evicted at first, but Gautier then threatens them into silence (nice), and some maids come in to change the beds and “remove the luggage of the previous occupants”. Hmm, I note that Douglass uses much more formal language here, like referring to the occupants as “incumbents”, and I am not sure why this is. My first guess would be something to do with humour, given Douglass’s rather bad attempts at it, but it does not seem like she meant that, so… (shrugs)
That aside, I do wonder about these guests. Given that Gautier threatens them to get them to leave, I do not think they are soldiers (who Gautier could order to leave), which raises the question of why Gautier and/or the other commanders before him did not bother to claim the Tired Seagull for military use for as long as troops will be coming through Jervois Landing. It just seems like it would be more efficient than having to evict people every time more space is needed in the inn. I also wonder why these guests think that arguing with the military commander would work… That could be a further indication that Gautier Is Bad, since that worked with the previous commanders, while he just threatens them. I am not sure if Douglass meant that, but it would work.
Ill Logic: 231 (this situation could surely be handled better than it is)
I also note that Faraday, Timozel, nor Yr seem to have a problem with Gautier acting like he does or even seem to note that he is threatening people. I do not like it: it does not fit well with their characterisation, and I get the feeling that Douglass wants to have characters use violence and cannot be bothered to come up with a justification for it. In any case, Faraday now goes to ask Gautier something, for which she “force[s] a smile to her face”, addresses him as “Lieutenant Gautier”, uses quite polite language, and invokes Borneheld. It seems that she is still trying to flatter Gautier, as she did before (and using Borneheld to ensure he does what she wants), but by now she has seen that he is eager to do what she asks of him, so she really does not need to flatter him this much. Given that Gautier is designated as bad, I am once again under the impression this is only there so Faraday can be put in an uncomfortable position.
Petty Ain’t the Word for You: 68
So Faraday says they have been travelling in their present clothing for “close on four weeks”, and she asks Gautier if he could ask the innkeeper for new clothes, and if he could maybe get “a seamstress for the morning”. She cannot appear before Borneheld as she is now, after all. Let me see if the time period checks out… they got their clothing on the 6th of October, and it is now the 1st of November. Four weeks back would be the 4th of October, so this does fit! Gautier thinks about how Faraday, as Borneheld’s betrothed, is “almost as important to impress as the Duke himself”. Yes, I would think so… and this shows all the more how nonsensical Faraday’s treatment is.
PPP: 399 (+2) (incorrect capitalisation of “Duke” and Gautier “bowing over Faraday’s hand” as a dialogue tag)
In fact, let me address all such improper capitalisation right now; that should save me some time. Let me see…
PPP: 406 (+7) (for all other instances of improper “Duke”)
Gautier follows through on impressing Faraday, as he promises to have clothes and water brought to her rooms at once, and then invites her to dinner once she has rested. Faraday accepts and says she will certainly “inform Borneheld that [he has] been so helpful”. I see she he learned quite well to be flattering… Then again, Gautier has been helpful and I do appreciate that, so I do agree with Faraday’s assessment.
--
We pick up late at night as Yr helps Faraday “unlace […] the yellow silk gown” that Gautier has found for her. He took pains to get them clothes for the evening and a “bevy of seamstresses” for the morning, and when she leaves, she will have “virtually a complete wardrobe”. She says Jervois Landing being such a “major trading post” is fortunate, since that meant that once the merchants heard where she was, they gave her “bolts of silks, satins and velvets […] by the cartload”, and everyone assured her that “the trifling details of payment” can wait until she is married. That is a stark contrast with the conditions she has spent the past month in, and Douglass sells it quite well (which the formal style, like referring to her “nuptials”, also helps with).
Still, I do want to look at some things, like the bolts of fabric Faraday gets. The intent is presumably that the seamstresses can make Faraday some dresses, but given that she will leave in two days, I doubt that many will be made, and I doubt that Gautier will bother taking much of this fabric with him. So I think the merchants might be a bit disappointed. Beyond that… this feels a bit off to me; sure, Jervois Landing may be a “major trading post”, but it does not seem like it would be large enough to have so many seamstresses in it.
PPP: 407 (I think “a virtually complete wardrobe” would work better here)
Back in the present, Yr finishes unlacing her gown, at which she breathes a sigh of relief. Though the Goodwife’s dress was made of “rough material”, it did have a “loose cut” which made it quite comfortable to wear, and it has nearly made her forget “the restrictions of high-fashion gowns”. That is a nice bit of characterisation, though I cannot shake the impression that we have skipped over some other characterisation. The Faraday we saw at the beginning of the book would probably convince herself that she needs to get used to wearing such dresses, after all, while the current Faraday does not. It probably has something to do with her coming to dislike Borneheld, but, as I have probably complained about before, we need to see the process of her changing her opinions.
Faraday slips off the gown, saying that Yr would do “very well as a maid”. Yr says it would not be her “chosen profession”, and then tells Faraday not to drop her dress on the floor and puts it over a chair. It may not be what she wants to do, but she does seem to be somewhat competent at it, and that will serve Faraday very well at Gorkenfort. I do like seeing Yr (or indeed any of the Sentinels) be competent at something, and in Yr’s case, getting more characterisation than “seductive” and “likes sex” is rather necessary, so I very much appreciate getting to see this. Faraday now unpins her hair and we learn that the dinner with Gautier was “reasonably pleasant”. Gautier wanted to please her and even Timozel accepted that as “[the attentions] due to Faraday as Borneheld’s intended wife”. So she expected that Timozel would raise trouble when Gautier cares for her (probably because that would be “his” responsibility)? It does fit with his earlier behaviour, but I find it quite weird that Faraday is seemingly fine with Timozel being so ridiculously protective toward her and has accepted it without questions. Yes, it does fit (says Douglass) with his experiences, but Faraday does not know about his visions of Gorgrael, so it should be a complete surprise!
PPP: 408 (failing to distinguish between what the author knows and what Faraday knows)
Thinking about becoming Borneheld’s wife makes Faraday shiver, and she thinks that they will leave within the next two days. Gautier has said that it will be “ten days” to Gorkenfort at most, since the route is “well-marked and well-provisioned”, so “[w]ithin two weeks”, she can indeed be Borneheld’s wife. I can certainly sympathise with that, since her marriage would originally take place after Borneheld came back from Gorkenfort (or so I presume, at least, as I cannot find anything to that effect), so this means that she has much less time to prepare herself. Combined with how evil Borneheld supposedly is, I do feel for Faraday’s nervousness and anxiety here… though I still wish we would see her happy for once.
Let me also check if the time given to arrive at Gorkenfort is reasonable… I see that the straight-line distance to Gorkenfort is about 250 miles, for a speed of 25 miles per day. The actual speed would be higher, since the straight-line path cuts across the Urqhart Hills, and Gautier says that this is an upper limit, so the expected speed would lie anywhere between 25 and 30 miles per day. Looking ahead, Gautier will ride with four hundred mounted troops, which I think should be achievable, so… points to Douglass, I suppose?
Something else that is worth noting is that Faraday and co. are now certain to arrive before Axis does; at latest, they will leave Jervois Landing on the 3rd of November and arrive on the 12th. Though Axis will leave a day earlier, he is considerably further away (see the map; at a guess, it is one-and-a-half times further away), he has a considerably larger army with him, and he will stop at Sigholt, so I can see no way he can arrive before them. So that means that, unforeseen accidents aside, the one thing that could thwart the Sentinels’ plans for Faraday is now no longer a problem! I still doubt that it would have been a problem, but it is still nice that it is solved.
Yr notes Faraday’s anxiety, and offers to “brush [her] hair out” while she sits on the bed (and she calls her “sweet one” here), then tells her not to fret since she “will not leave [her]”. That is quite nice of her! So for a while, Faraday closes her eyes and surrenders to the “soothing feel of Yr stroking the brush through her hair”. I do hope that we see more of this side of Yr; she actually seems to care for Faraday and knows how to calm here, which is more than we have seen from any of the Sentinels so far, and it is so much more characterisation than what we had just now. (And I just like the idea of someone taking care of Faraday, even if it is someone who might not always have her best interests at heart… and even if it is done somewhat condescendingly.)
After a while, Faraday brings up that she wants to reach the Sacred Grove tonight and asks for Yr’s help. Yr stops brushing Faraday’s hair and asks if she is sure. Faraday explains that she has nearly “lost the feel of the Mother” and is afraid she will lose Her altogether if she does not try tonight. Yr then kisses Faraday on the forehead and explains that the Mother will always stay with Faraday and she just has to “train [her]self in the arts of reaching Her”. So, let us see just how she needs to do that! Faraday retrieves the bowl she got from the Horned Ones and asks Yr if she knows how to use it. Yr has “some idea”; she tells Faraday they will need “some water”, then puts the bowl on a table and tells Faraday to fill it nearly full with “water from a china pitcher”. …Maybe I should not be complaining about this, but it does bother me that Douglass uses “china” in a fantasy setting where there is no China the name could come from. Since it could be omniscient narration, I will not give a point, but Douglass could easily have used “porcelain” (which seems to be mostly synonymous?) and avoided this issue altogether.
Well, Yr explains that the Mother “always demands blood” as a “small sacrifice to show that you are prepared to give of yourself to be with Her”. That does make sense in itself, but it fits badly with what we saw at Fernbrake Lake; there, Raum used the blood from the hare as a sacrifice, after all… and last chapter we also learned that Shra supposedly accepted Azhure killing Hagen as a sacrifice to the Mother. Given that that involved actual Avar, I am inclined to believe that Yr has got this wrong, though it might as well be Douglass trying to retcon the meaning of this sacrifice.
PPP: 409
So Yr hands Faraday a “small knife” (which she has from somewhere. My best guess is that she stole it from a farm somewhere), which is used as a dialogue tag.
PPP: 410
Faraday hesitates for a moment, then agrees, since the “idea of blood [feels] right”. I would expect her to agree because the ritual at Fernbrake Lake included a blood sacrifice, and it stands to reason that this ritual would follow suit… but she seems to have forgotten that. And yes, I can see Faraday agree because it feels right, but it just seems much more likely that she would agree because she has seen it done before.
Ill Logic: 232
So she “pushe[s] [the knife] into her thumb” until she sees blood, at which point Yr steps back and says that she thinks Faraday “will know what to do from here”. Yes, she has done this ritual for Raum, who was already a Bane, so she probably knows what words to say in case the bond is renewed, but she is not a Bane, so she might well need another formula to go with the sacrifice, and she has no way to know for sure what that should be! And yes, I would not expect it to be a problem, but for all we know, the Mother is quite attached to the proper forms of rituals and will not let Faraday in if she speaks the wrong words. I do get that that is probably not the case, that Yr most probably does not know what Faraday should say, either, and that letting Faraday do this herself is the right thing to do… but I still find that Yr should give Faraday some guidance, or else assure her that she will do well, and make sure that Faraday has a good idea of what to say. The former would just be decent, and the latter ensures that Faraday will be able to do her job well.
Faraday looks at the blood for a moment, which seems mostly to be there so we can have a mention of her hair, then remembers that she had to meet the Mother completely naked. She quickly “shrug[s] out of her linen shift”, careful to keep the drop of blood on her thumb, and kicks the shift away. Here is a picture of a shift:
As is visible in the image, it has sleeves, which makes it impossible to “shrug off” unless the wearer has removed their arms from the sleeves beforehand, which we have no indication of with Faraday. I can see Faraday keeping the drop of blood intact as she pulls her arm out, but not this.
Did Not Do the Research: 70
That aside, I find this is a bit too long for its place in a sequence that builds up to Faraday contacting the Mother, since we get the exact words Raum used, and we are told she takes care not to disturb the drop of blood when she would not be in any danger of doing so if she shrugs her shift off. It does not matter much, but it could still have been improved by an edit.
So, now that she is ready, she extends her hand over the bowl, and commences the ritual. She wishes that her blood may serve to “renew [her] bond with the Mother”, that it may serve to “remind [her] of [her] pledge of faith and service to the Mother”, and that it may serve to “bring [her] closer to the Mother”. That seems like it is the right thing to say, since all of this is applicable to her, and she said the first thing to Raum, too, so well done! Then she tilts her hand over the bowl and lets the drop fall in as she says “Mother, with this my blood may you wake for me tonight”. Given that the phrasing is slightly different from Raum’s (“tonight” instead of “this night”, and of course she does not mention “heart’s blood”; I have to note that the phrasing she does use is rather old-fashioned), it seems that I was right in my qualifications, and the Mother is indeed not attached to the exact phrasing. Then Yr can safely let Faraday do this, but being told that would have still been nice.
So the blood drop falls in, and the water instantly “flare[s] bright emerald” like it did at Fernbrake Lake. Faraday feels “[s]trength and power” flowing through her; she closes her eyes, “revelling in the feel of the Mother’s touch” and shutting out everything except “the surge of power through her body and mind”. Good to see Faraday finally experience something positive! She drifts with the power, and feels it carrying her into “realms beyond that of the physical”, and she also feels “tremendously alive”. Then she feels “[r]apture” growing within her, and she realises that it is the “equivalent of the Star Gate”, since the Mother is a “Gate” as well. …Yes, I think that was made quite clear at Fernbrake Lake, when she stepped through it and ended up in the Sacred Groves. It has not been explicitly said so far, but it should not be as big of a revelation to Faraday as Douglass is making it out to be.
PPP: 411
Faraday now gets ready to step through… and just then there’s a knock on the door and Timozel asks for her. Yr jumps forward and “tip[s] the water out of the bowl”, which instantly severs the connection and brings Faraday back to reality (and we are told she “[feels] the loss of power keenly”). She asks what is going on. Yr tells her to be quiet since Timozel is at the door, while throwing a cloak over “the girl’s naked body”. Faraday is dazed and only watches as Yr opens the door a bit and asks what Timozel wants, “furious with [his] interruption”. Timozel tries to look in, and says that he just wanted to know if Faraday was comfortable. Faraday “nod[s] curtly” and says she is fine; we are reminded that Timozel has stopped her from “stepping through the Gate”. Timozel grumbles a bit about her reaction, then tells her to sleep well and leaves, at which Yr slams the door shut and calls him a “[d]amn fool”.
I appreciate what Douglass does here in some ways: it is rather frustrating to have Faraday be prevented from stepping through, while at the same time, it is absolutely better not to have that happen yet, since we are still firmly in the setup phase. I also kind of like that Timozel disrupts the ritual simply because of his concern for Faraday. Beyond that, though… I do not exactly care for this.
My first main problem with this is that Faraday is once again denied both happiness and agency. Yes, she does get to be happy before Timozel knocks, but it is quite little compared to what she could have had if Yr had not intervened. Concerning that, I can see why Yr broke the connection, but would it really have been that hard to get Faraday’s attention and let her deal with it? I think I should resurrect something, actually:
Faraday Feels Bad: 12 (one point for now, one for her putting debasing herself in her meeting with Gautier, one for the rather arduous journey to come here, and one for her being the recipient of Raum’s speech at Fernbrake Lake)
My other main problem is that this means that we will have to wait even longer before Faraday can begin her duties as Tree Friend and help out the Avar, which means it will be even longer before anything can happen! This book has been mostly (or should I say nearly exclusively?) setup so far, and after over a hundred thousand words of it, I would dearly love it if we would get some resolution for any of the plot threads we have… but apparently we can only get that once everyone is either at Gorkenfort or at the Yuletide Meet.
Looking closer, this scene also has quite some problems. Yr seems to be treating Timozel like a much greater threat than he actually is: she immediately removes the obviously magic object, tells Faraday to be quiet (for some reason), covers her with a cloak so she will not look out of the ordinary, and then starts the conversation herself, being careful to keep Timozel from getting a good look inside the room. This would make some sense if Yr expects Timozel to come in regardless of what she does, but if that were the case, he would hardly knock on the door! What would have been the trouble in saying that Faraday is currently indisposed, or that she is sleeping, and in having Faraday back it up (in the case of the former) if needed? Sure, it would have been a bit of a bother, but no more than what Yr ends up doing, and it would have allowed Faraday to get to the Sacred Groves. None of what she did was necessary!
Ill Logic: 233
As for Timozel… asking to make sure that Faraday is comfortable does seem like something he would do, but I do not think he would “grumble” here. Yes, this is rather unsatisfying, but given that he is her Champion, I am sure that he would do his best to not to let that show to her (and that is not mention that I would not expect him to grumble when Faraday does let him know that she is alright). It just does not seem like something he would do.
Ill Logic: 234
Then we have Yr’s complaints, which I am not exactly sympathetic to, since she decided that the ritual had to be stopped for no adequate reason, so if anyone is a “damn fool” here…
Something else that bothers me is Yr telling Faraday to be quiet when Faraday asks what is going on. That would make sense if Faraday is not supposed to be here, and Timozel should not know she is there, but she is in her own room and Timozel knows she is there, so why bother?
Ill Logic: 235
Finally, Douglass telling us that Timozel has “prevented Faraday from stepping through the Gate” bothers me, too. Firstly, we already knew that, so it is rather unnecessary to have it repeated. Secondly, we know where the Mother leads to, so trying to keep that a mystery is unlikely to be successful. Thirdly… why has Timozel kept her from going to the Sacred Groves? I see no reason they cannot repeat the ritual, and while I can come up with some why it would not be practical (mostly because it is late at night, so would Faraday really want to go on an adventure?), there is no stated reason.
Ill Logic: 236
This Is What the Mystery: 32
To resume with the story, Yr now tells Faraday that this is a “lesson well-learnt”: the next time she “bond[s] with the Mother”, she has to make sure that she will not be interrupted. “Imagine what would have happened” if Timozel had seen it, for example… or if Borneheld were to see it. I can appreciate the sentiment, Yr, but do you have to present this as a lesson to Faraday? (And will you consider your own part in making sure you will not be interrupted?) I also wonder what she thinks would have happened if Timozel had seen this. Yes, he would see Faraday and Yr doing a magic ritual, but given that he has travelled with them for a while, he would probably wait long enough for Faraday to be able to give an explanation. That explanation would undoubtedly be difficult, as it would have to involve trusting Timozel with information about these rituals, which Yr does not want to do, and Timozel would have to come to terms with having been deceived by both Faraday and Yr… but it would be not impossible to bring that to a good end. For Borneheld, I do agree with her assessment; he is not accustomed to magic in the least and does not nearly have the same attachment to Faraday (and I would not be surprised if he would have her killed). Timozel is hardly Borneheld, though, and I do not like that she puts them in the same category.
Petty Ain’t the Word for You: 69
Faraday understands and is “sobered” by what Yr has said, though she is “pleased beyond measure” to have made contact with the Mother at all, and she feels “renewed” even after so brief a contact. That is good to hear; she does deserve to be happy! She finds the bowl a “wonderful thing”, and then sends a “silent apology” to the Mother for having “so rudely broken the contact”. Yr did that, though, not Faraday, and while I do like Faraday giving this apology, it would be nice if she did not take the blame for something she did not do.
Petty Ain’t the Word for You: 70
Faraday now asks Yr what she will learn from the Mother. Yr then “stroke[s] the girl’s cheek” and calls her “lovely lady”. I just love to see she has kept that phrase from Jack (though at least it is the last occurrence in this book!), and it seems like she has assumed his “mother role” for Faraday, too… which I cannot complain about that much. So Yr explains that she does not know what Faraday will learn. The bowl is an “unusual gift”, and the Horned Ones have always kept it in the Sacred Grove until now. It is “enchanted wood”, though she does not know what enchantments it has in it. …Faraday asked what she would learn from the Mother, not about what the bowl can do, Yr; is it so hard to answer the question she actually asked? I also have to say that her answer is rather unhelpful, since we could have guessed most of it ourselves, and Yr does not provide any description of what it is and does. To me, it is quite clear that it is a way to simulate Fernbrake Lake and thus gain contact with the Mother, and that it has only been let out of the Sacred Grove now because it was not necessary earlier, and I think that is a better explanation, too.
Yr then says that it might be best for Faraday to go to sleep, as the seamstresses will keep her busy the next morning. Faraday kisses her cheek (which strengthens my idea of Yr being in some kind of parental role) and wishes Yr a good night and a good sleep “in [her] bed tonight” (because she has not slept in a bed for a long while). There the scene ends.
--
We then open on Yr going to her own room, where she finds Gautier “stretched out naked upon her bed”. She smiles and closes the door, and there the chapter ends. Good on Yr, I guess (though I do not care much for any of this “Yr seduces people”)? I do wonder why he thinks this is a good idea; maybe Yr has had something to do with that? In any case, we are now finally done with this chapter!
My main impression of this chapter is that it is filler. I do not think it is quite warranted, since some things do happen in this chapter, like us learning that Timozel is turning evil, Jack leaving to find the fifth Sentinel, Faraday and co. finding transport and us meeting Gautier again, and Faraday trying to enter the Sacred Grove. At the same time, we do have a lot of repetitious material: Timozel becoming evil, Yr seducing people, and a lot on how Gautier actually sucks, and I think this chapter could have easily been half its present size. What galls me the most about it is how little it does to advance anything; it has been quite a while since we last saw Faraday and co., so I would expect to see an update on how they have been and to see Faraday begin to assume her role as Tree Friend. For the first, we get relatively little, and then the bulk of the chapter is spent on trying to get transport to Gorkenfort (like that is a very hard problem…), and while we do get the attempt to reach the Sacred Groves, I find that all too little for what I would expect. Combined with the relatively better pace of the previous chapters, it is rather disappointing.
Next time will be better in that regard, as we will go to meet Axis at Sigholt in a much shorter chapter. Until then!
(no subject)
Thursday, 10 July 2025 13:25 (UTC)His HEAD is cropped?! Instead of, I don't know, his HAIR? What a ridiculous piece of description.
I'm sorry, WHAT? Is that seriously how it is in the book?
This is no different from her instantly disliking Borneheld while instantly liking Axis, for no reason because she doesn't know either of them.
Which somehow fit despite the "Goodwife" very much not being a slender teenage girl.
Yeah, this whole lie is suspicious as hell and Jean Paul Gaultier here shouldn't have bought it for a second.
Not that Faraday seems to even care.
It does indeed. Nothing really stands up under scrutiny.
And how does a girl this sheltered and naïve even know how to do this anyway? Or feel comfortable doing it?
Heck, she could have just said "that is none of your concern; now take me to my betrothed at once!"
Like what is he going to do? Say no and piss off his leigelord to whom (we learn) he's extremely loyal?
Instead it's just a regular old hall/dining room. Did actual Dukes and even Kings even have "audience chambers" anyway? Rather than a throne room or a solar or somesuch? You'd think a medieval historian would know, really.
Like Paolini, when she attempts to be funny it doesn't work because she always gets the tone completely wrong. And in both cases the biggest issue is that nobody sounds like a human being. The dialogue is so flat and stilted that it's distracting.
Also why is this guy sleeping with old ladies anyway?
Dude, mind your own business! What do you care who Yr sleeps with?
Yeah, that's just completely inappropriate and she's being awfully inconsiderate to poor Timozel, who has probably assumed they're in a relationship now, and rightfully so.
It just occurred to me that Yr is the only important female character who DOESN'T get pregnant at the drop of a hat, which is impressive considering just how many guys she sleeps with. Maybe the Sentinels can't have children?
Quite frankly he's been nicer and more considerate than Axis, which actually is pretty damn amusing.
I wonder where he "found" it?
And where are they getting silk, come to that?
I sew as a hobby. I haven't made much in the way of clothes (and never without a sewing machine) but I have made quilts, several of them, by hand. It takes WEEKS, and that's "just" to stitch some simple squares of fabric together. Nobody on the planet is going to be able to measure, cut and sew a dress worthy of a noblewoman in TWO DAYS. Even if they had a sewing machine that would be completely insane.
Yr does deserve some credit in that she does indeed stay with Faraday and act as a friend (and unintentionally implied lover) for most of the trilogy. Also, speaking as a woman, having a friend comb or otherwise do things with your hair is quite a common bonding activity and very soothing, at least in the culture I grew up in. I actually really enjoy getting a haircut because it feels nice in the same way.
Fun fact, in some cultures men traditionally bond in the same way!
It should. I mean how hard was it to call it "clay" or "earthenware" or something like that?
Yeah, this chapter is a waste of ink.
By the way, idle question - what made you choose (adorable!) rats as your mood avatars? Are you fond of the little cuties, or even a pet rat owner like myself?
(no subject)
Thursday, 10 July 2025 19:24 (UTC)His HEAD is cropped?! Instead of, I don't know, his HAIR? What a ridiculous piece of description.
SCSF: Hmmm, I can see it as a metaphorical use, and a look at Wikisource shows me over a hundred occurrences, so I will not complain about it. That is wholly separate from personal taste, of course, and while it did not bother me myself, I can say why it would stick out for you.
I'm sorry, WHAT? Is that seriously how it is in the book?
That was my transcription error, and I have corrected it now!
This is no different from her instantly disliking Borneheld while instantly liking Axis, for no reason because she doesn't know either of them.
Exactly... and in trying to make her look good by (dis)liking the "correct" people, Douglass shows her hand insted, which is rather distracting.
Which somehow fit despite the "Goodwife" very much not being a slender teenage girl.
Looking back, there was a note back when she first put it on that it "hung loosely" on her and was too short, but that is all the thought that is given to it.
Yeah, this whole lie is suspicious as hell and Jean Paul Gaultier here shouldn't have bought it for a second.
And lying about this is not even necessary in the first place! I wonder if Douglass only put that in because people in Faraday's situation generally have a cover story, so Faraday also gets one, regardless of whether it is actually better.
Not that Faraday seems to even care.
Oh, she has a better mother figure now, so that is totally alright (that might well be what Douglass thought, at least).
It does indeed. Nothing really stands up under scrutiny.
It is one of the more thoughtless books I have encountered, and if I remember correctly, the next ones will only be worse in that... (or rather, Douglass put more thought into "how can I make my characters look awesome").
I think it only serves to humiliate Faraday further, as there is indeed no good reason she cannot ask it of him without any further formalities.
Instead it's just a regular old hall/dining room. Did actual Dukes and even Kings even have "audience chambers" anyway? Rather than a throne room or a solar or somesuch? You'd think a medieval historian would know, really.
Hmmm, from what I can see (since I am not a medieval historian), it seems to have been the same as the throne room in most cases, though I can find an example of a Duke having an Audience Chamber, and also one of a King so it presumably is a thing, though both examples are considerably later than medieval.
Like Paolini, when she attempts to be funny it doesn't work because she always gets the tone completely wrong. And in both cases the biggest issue is that nobody sounds like a human being. The dialogue is so flat and stilted that it's distracting.
My own biggest issue is that she does not seem to pay much attention to whether humour would fit, which really bothers me when we are in an otherwise serious scene.
Also why is this guy sleeping with old ladies anyway?
And I do wonder how he knows about that when he has only arrived in Jervois Landing this morning... I suppose he could have been told, but that just makes me wonder why the only sex workers would be old people; from what we have seen, there are plenty of young people in Jervois Landing. I think it is an attempt to make Jervois Landing look a bit bad, but it just makes no sense at all.
Yeah, that's just completely inappropriate and she's being awfully inconsiderate to poor Timozel, who has probably assumed they're in a relationship now, and rightfully so.
(nods) If I remember correctly, we will learn later on that Yr never meant to have an actual relationship with him, but the least she could do is say that to him, which would have made this better. (And I will note this!)
It just occurred to me that Yr is the only important female character who DOESN'T get pregnant at the drop of a hat, which is impressive considering just how many guys she sleeps with. Maybe the Sentinels can't have children?
I can see WolfStar make sure of that, possibly from a "children will distract you from your purpose" mindset, so I think that might well be the case!
Quite frankly he's been nicer and more considerate than Axis, which actually is pretty damn amusing.
Indeed he is! Douglass probably wants us to believe that it does not "count" since he is not being entirely genuine about it, but that does not keep him from actually acting respectful toward Faraday, and that is more than most people in her life right now can claim, no matter how pure their intentions might be.
I wonder where he "found" it?
Presumably he got it from one of the merchants around here, with or without compensation.
And where are they getting silk, come to that?
That is a good question... Enchanter indicates that a source of silk is the "strange hot lands to the south of Coroleas", and in Sinner we hear about "Corolean silk". I guess a silk road from those lands to Coroleas could exist (there is sea on both sides of the land there, so the desert can be avoided), and Achar certainly is involved with Coroleas, so presumably that is where it comes from (or from Coroleas's other trade relations).
sewing
Thank you for the information! I already had my suspicions (and simply looking for information on this could have told me so...), but it is nice to have something solid to point to. I find this also makes these gifts seem rather like a veiled insult, since Faraday cannot be expected to bring all of this along with her, and they could easily have given her at least a single dress instead.
Yr does deserve some credit in that she does indeed stay with Faraday and act as a friend (and unintentionally implied lover) for most of the trilogy. Also, speaking as a woman, having a friend comb or otherwise do things with your hair is quite a common bonding activity and very soothing, at least in the culture I grew up in. I actually really enjoy getting a haircut because it feels nice in the same way.
...Yes, she does seem to actively help Faraday out from now on, so I should probably give her a little more credit. And yes, I can absolutely understand that! I especially like it here since she has done it for Farady before, and so she knows that it will calm her; whatever else I can say about her, she at least bothers to understand Faraday.
I would have stuck with "porcelain" myself, since that is an exact synonym, but anything else would have sufficed.
Yeah, this chapter is a waste of ink.
Especially since it is a bit over 5000 words in length and considerably longer than average for this book!
By the way, idle question - what made you choose (adorable!) rats as your mood avatars? Are you fond of the little cuties, or even a pet rat owner like myself?
Scales: Well, I saw SocChan make that mood theme last year, and then it became a site-supported one, so it seemed quite fun to adopt it, too. Beyond that, the rats are easily distinguishable, there's an image to every site mood, and they're quite large, which I find makes them the best mood theme of all!
(no subject)
Friday, 11 July 2025 06:04 (UTC)I actually have seen it used before, but it just always looks really stupid to me.
She needed to stop handing author knowledge to her characters but noooo, they always have to be right about everything. For no reason.
It could have worked if Faraday immediately attached herself to the Mother because she was so traumatised by her actual mother's death that she forms this unhealthy fixation on an alternative. But instead it just makes no sense at all and makes her look really unfeeling and unsympathetic.
This is what you get when your priorities are completely skewed like this, to the point that your first priority isn't "tell a good story" but "make my favourite characters SUPER KEWL!" It's especially telling in how she handles Faraday going forward, once she's completely lost interest in her and doesn't like her any more.
It just gets worse later on when Yr is screwing the captain of the guards and Douglass throws in this pathetic one line of narration about the two of them being "deeply emotionally involved" like now Yr finally is in a relationship... and then it just gets dropped as an afterthought when it should have been a major part of her non-existent character arc.
(no subject)
Friday, 11 July 2025 09:03 (UTC)She needed to stop handing author knowledge to her characters but noooo, they always have to be right about everything. For no reason.
SCSF: Yes, I would really not mind it if the characters were wrong sometimes; that just makes the book more engaging!
It could have worked if Faraday immediately attached herself to the Mother because she was so traumatised by her actual mother's death that she forms this unhealthy fixation on an alternative. But instead it just makes no sense at all and makes her look really unfeeling and unsympathetic.
That would have worked, as it kind of works now that she attaches herself to Jack and then Yr as mother figures. If Douglass had realised that was what she wrote, she could have enhanced Faraday's character arc considerably!
If I remember right, Faraday will have rather little to do next book other than being married to Borneheld (and her treatment in StarMan will be not much better), so I certainly see what you mean.
It just gets worse later on when Yr is screwing the captain of the guards and Douglass throws in this pathetic one line of narration about the two of them being "deeply emotionally involved" like now Yr finally is in a relationship... and then it just gets dropped as an afterthought when it should have been a major part of her non-existent character arc.
Why even bother with that? Even if she had such a deep relationship (and it seems quite unlikely to me that that would suddenly happen), she would need to leave him at some point, and I doubt Douglass would have bothered to make the change in mindset stick.
(no subject)
Friday, 11 July 2025 11:07 (UTC)I actually really enjoy writing about characters misjudging things, in part because it's true to life. In reality, most of the time we have no idea what other people have going on beneath the surface. In reality, you cannot take one look at a person and instantly know they're 100% evil. Well unless they're wearing a Nazi uniform I suppose.
Definitely. A lot of people who have lost a parent or other loved one in traumatic circumstances are likely to form attachment issues. It's one reason why cults like to recruit people who've just been through a really nasty breakup or similar - they're emotionally vulnerable and thus susceptible to accepting shows of kindness and support wherever it might be coming from.
And let's be real, these creeps basically have just recruited Faraday into a cult.
Yeah, she basically does nothing in book two and in book three she's off planting ridiculous numbers of trees without a shovel while Azhure-Sue takes centre stage.
It could at least have made us give a damn about the fact that Yr "has" to abandon him to complete her mission and they never meet again, boohoo. Instead it's just a completely useless couple of throwaway lines.
(no subject)
Saturday, 12 July 2025 16:23 (UTC)I actually really enjoy writing about characters misjudging things, in part because it's true to life. In reality, most of the time we have no idea what other people have going on beneath the surface. In reality, you cannot take one look at a person and instantly know they're 100% evil. Well unless they're wearing a Nazi uniform I suppose.
SCSF: Absolutely! One look can never give you enough information (and especially not enough context) to make an informed decision, and acting like it does will never do you much good.
And let's be real, these creeps basically have just recruited Faraday into a cult.
Indeed it is... The only thing they did "wrong" in that regard was trying to recruit Faraday before Merlion died; I think they would have had considerably less difficulty if they had done it afterward.
Yeah, she basically does nothing in book two and in book three she's off planting ridiculous numbers of trees without a shovel while Azhure-Sue takes centre stage.
I knew it would happen, but I am rather disappointed, since Faraday has been one of the more interesting and tolerable characters so far. Oh well, at least Wayfarer Redemption will have plenty of her.
It could at least have made us give a damn about the fact that Yr "has" to abandon him to complete her mission and they never meet again, boohoo. Instead it's just a completely useless couple of throwaway lines.
Huh, given how much Douglass likes drama, that would have been a prime opportunity to include some, but apparently not?
(no subject)
Friday, 11 July 2025 14:52 (UTC)Soldier ex machina! Either that, or he deliberately timed his appearance for when it was the most dramatic.
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I saw it like the laugh was kind of a scoff. Like, "Of course it's this guy we run into."
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I guess the only way women have any agency in this world is if they ever beg for it, or flirt their way into it. Plus it doesn't even make any sense for Faraday; as a noble lady, she would have been used to having authority practically since the day she was born. Even if she was shy, she would still be used to taking the lead. But I guess once anyone with giblets shows up, the women all become helpless and completely lose the will to do anything except fret and wring their hands while the men do all the important stuff.
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*bangs her head against the wall* Can someone take this thing away from me before I bash a hole through it with my head? This is just unbelievable, and frankly, more than a little gross.
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I still maintain that she's some breed of succubus, and unless the text explicitly states otherwise, I'm not going to change my mind.
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Maybe he doesn't like the way Gautier is eyeing Yr, or that Faraday is flirting with him, even though it's just a ploy.
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*coughcough* I don't think things like chores are what she had in mind when she said 'work for it,' if you get my drift.
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Does Yr think about anything other than sex? Because it doesn't seem like it, and it's starting to get extremely excessive. There's nothing wrong with having a character that enjoys sex, but when it's the only thing she ever talks or thinks about...
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That did give me a bit of a chuckle. Like if the ocean is far away from where they currently are, that would be a very exhausted seagull indeed if it somehow made it there.
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Wow, rude! I guess it's an innkeeper's prerogative to pick and choose who gets what rooms, but I imagine those guests already paid a lot for them. Did they get their money back, or at least get some kind of compensation, like free meals, to make up for the inconvenience caused by kicking them out?
(no subject)
Saturday, 12 July 2025 16:24 (UTC)Soldier ex machina! Either that, or he deliberately timed his appearance for when it was the most dramatic.
SCSF: I presume it is the former, since he does seem genuinely surprised. And as you say, it certainly is awfully convenient that he just happened to show up right now, and that Faraday and co. did not have to ask. Then again, that is presumably because Douglass did not think they could find Gautier in any other way than this.
I saw it like the laugh was kind of a scoff. Like, "Of course it's this guy we run into."
That would make sense, except that Faraday "forces" it, and I do not think she would need to force a scoff.
agency
I have certainly noticed that phenomenon, though I wonder if it might just have to do with Faraday, since Azhure does not suffer from it to nearly the same extent. At the same time, she is a creator's pet, so it might just be that she is exempt from that... I think it is in part sexism, another part pettiness toward Faraday, and I think yet another part is Douglass wanting to show female characters suffer. I am honestly basing that last part only on reviews of other people, and on my recollections of other books of her, but given that the worst-suffering characters (Faraday here; Tirzah in Threshold; and Ravenna in DarkGlass Mountain) are female... I do think that points to something
*bangs her head against the wall* Can someone take this thing away from me before I bash a hole through it with my head? This is just unbelievable, and frankly, more than a little gross.
I do have a physical copy for you to make a hole in, if you want to! And yes, it is quite unbelievable on multiple levels, and it rather ruined the mood Douglass was going for here for me.
I still maintain that she's some breed of succubus, and unless the text explicitly states otherwise, I'm not going to change my mind.
If we would not eventually get an explanation of where the Sentinels came from, I would believe that, too! Even then, I would not be surprised to learn that she is not entirely Charonite...
Maybe he doesn't like the way Gautier is eyeing Yr, or that Faraday is flirting with him, even though it's just a ploy.
Oh yes, that makes sense! I think that it would be the former, both because Yr was supposedly in a relationship until now, and because that is closer to Timozel doing this.
*coughcough*\ I don't think things like chores are what she had in mind when she said 'work for it,' if you get my drift.
(grins) That is why I meant my comment to be read with that interpretation in mind.
Does Yr think about anything other than sex? Because it doesn't seem like it, and it's starting to get extremely excessive. There's nothing wrong with having a character that enjoys sex, but when it's the only thing she ever talks or thinks about...
That genuinely bothered me, too! Having Yr liking sex a lot is one thing, but this makes her almost one-dimensional. Thankfully, she does have a better showing in the later part of the chapter, but it still irks me.
That did give me a bit of a chuckle. Like if the ocean is far away from where they currently are, that would be a very exhausted seagull indeed if it somehow made it there.
Hmmm, the nearest bit of ocean is the estuary of the Azle, which is... 231 miles or 371 kilometres away, and would probably lead to a rather exhausted gull!
Wow, rude! I guess it's an innkeeper's prerogative to pick and choose who gets what rooms, but I imagine those guests already paid a lot for them. Did they get their money back, or at least get some kind of compensation, like free meals, to make up for the inconvenience caused by kicking them out?
Maybe? We do not learn anything about what happened to them, so I have nothing there.
(no subject)
Monday, 14 July 2025 00:29 (UTC)I keep picturing her as still a cat, which REALLY isn't helping.
It's absolutely ridiculous, and yes, other than babying Faraday that is her entire personality.
I live inland and we have seagulls anyway! They don't even always hang around the lake, either. You see them hanging around the bus interchange like a bunch of unemployed slackers.
(no subject)
Monday, 14 July 2025 09:22 (UTC)Oh, that's just great. I cannot wait to get rid of her. Why does ninety percent of the cast in this thing utterly unbearable?
They know where easy food is! Why bother with the hard task of fishing when they can steal all kinds of food from unwary bus-riders?
(no subject)
Monday, 14 July 2025 09:56 (UTC)We won't be entirely rid of her until Sinner, unfortunately, but by then, the characters should be getting more likable.
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Monday, 14 July 2025 11:27 (UTC)(no subject)
Monday, 14 July 2025 10:19 (UTC)Probably because Douglass simply cannot look objectively at how they act and only cares to tell you who you should and should not like, usually because they look pretty.
At least I can assure you that there will be a scene in book three that will have you cackling for joy, because that's certainly how I reacted.
They compete with the pigeons.
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Monday, 14 July 2025 09:53 (UTC)I'd honestly love it if she became a cat again, because that'd probably force her to become more productive and less focussed on sex, but I'm afraid that won't be happening.
For seagulls, I get the impression that those I see around are more attracted to the lake than the city, but the lake I live next to is quite large, so...
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Monday, 14 July 2025 10:20 (UTC)Our lake is very big too!
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Monday, 14 July 2025 10:25 (UTC)How big is it? Mine is some 700 km^2 (270 mi^2).
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Monday, 14 July 2025 11:14 (UTC)Probably doesn't hold a candle to the Great Lakes of America, but it does have pelicans as well as gulls, and some islands. It's a beautiful place. If you were here, I'd take you to see it! 😊
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Monday, 14 July 2025 17:38 (UTC)Hmmm, I don't know if my own lake would count very much, but I think I'd still extend the same invite. It does sound nice!
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Tuesday, 15 July 2025 11:33 (UTC)(no subject)
Monday, 21 July 2025 01:56 (UTC)If it were me I'd have gone with 'by the time Timozel found us everyone else had left since we were believed dead'.
... I think Yr has spent far, far too much time as a cat.
I think we're supposed to believe that Gautier handing his horse off to Timozel instead of a stableboy or some other menial is either insulting or being interperted as insulting.
My first guess would be that Doughlass is just bad at keeping a consistant register. ('There are nineteen rules governing literary art ... 7. They require that when a personage talks like an illustrated. gilt-edged, tree-calf, hand-tooled, seven-dollar Friendship's Offering in the beginning of a paragraph, he shall not talk like a negro minstrel at the end of it.' Mark Twain, Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offences.)
I'm not at all sure Doughlass realizes indiscriminate use of force is a bad thing. Axis is painted as something like a saint for being ill-tempered after all.
Hang on, when did she mention the Goodwife's dress was any looser than what she was used to? Also, medieval court dresses weren't laced. If Doughlass wanted Faraday to suffer from fashion she should have either piled on the layers (which you'd think would have come up before now) or gone for forehead plucking and headresses.
Uh, Yr? Are you trying to suggest you'd take up prositution? Please say no...
Stabbing one's own thumb is a bad idea. Recovery from that is going to hurt.
Orthopraxy ('right practice') is an integral part of all serious rituals, especially pre-christian religious ones.
Hey, Yr? This was YOUR idea.
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Monday, 21 July 2025 13:24 (UTC)It does seem odd that she takes a dislike to him now, instead of when they actually met. Same for him havinf 'a secretive face'.
SCSF: Yes, it would have been better to have this introduction when he is actually introduced first; even if Douglass only though to put this in when she had written this far, it would have been quite easy to shift it back to Faraday's betrothal. And if she did not want to describe Gautier at the betrothal for whatever reason, she could just have made Faraday too nervous to pay attention to him.
If it were me I'd have gone with 'by the time Timozel found us everyone else had left since we were believed dead'.
Yes, that would work if Jack had picked a less central place for the landslide, and while Axis would know that was not the case, it will be quite a while before he arrives at Gorkenfort, so that would work, I think!
...I would love to see Yr turn back into a cat, honestly. She would (hopefully) not be obsessed with sex any more and she would be cuter.
I think we're supposed to believe that Gautier handing his horse off to Timozel instead of a stableboy or some other menial is either insulting or being interperted as insulting.
(nods) I thought of something in that corner myself, so I will be sure to note this next time!
My first guess would be that Doughlass is just bad at keeping a consistant register.
Now that you say it, she mostly does have the characters speak consistently, but looking back, I can see some notable failures, so that is probably what is going on (and I think a lot of it could have been fixed in editing...). And I recognise that essay! I love that people were doing things similar to what I am doing now more than a century ago.
Hang on, when did she mention the Goodwife's dress was any looser than what she was used to? Also, medieval court dresses weren't laced. If Doughlass wanted Faraday to suffer from fashion she should have either piled on the layers (which you'd think would have come up before now) or gone for forehead plucking and headresses.
Here it is, in chapter 25:
And I did not know that, so thank you for informing me!
Uh, Yr? Are you trying to suggest you'd take up prositution? Please say no...
I would genuinely not be surprised if she did think of that... (though she never actually will).
Stabbing one's own thumb is a bad idea. Recovery from that is going to hurt.
That is a good point, and she could easily have cut herself on the arm or somewhere else that does not see as much use (and does not have as many nerves in it). It sounds somewhat cool, but it would not work in practice.
Yes, Yr is not exactly giving a good showing here.
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Monday, 21 July 2025 20:46 (UTC)