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teresChapter Twenty-Six (Part II) | Table of Contents | Chapter Twenty-Eight
SCSF: A good day, everyone, and welcome back to BattleAxe! Last time, Gorgrael sent a “storm of fear” at the Axe-Wielders, which was defeated without causing any trouble whatsoever.
Now for the reader post:
Epistler rightly points out that we know very little about Axis’s military history, which is frankly hurting the story by this point.
PPP: 196 (+5)
Chessy points out that the bit about “bards and pregnant women” is “a tasteless reference to hormonal mood swings”. Well, it seems I was quite right in complaining about it, then.
She further explains what the purpose of digging holes is: those are supposed to be foxholes to shield them from the oncoming ice spears! Then some kind of explanation or thought process might have been nice to have.
Ill Logic: 142 (-1)
PPP: 197
The problem with that is that it comes across like something Axis just knew already, when there is no way he should know about foxholes.
Godmode Engaged: 4
She finally notes that the resolution for the attack does not work well, which might be improved by including more of the “emotional uplift”. I think it would certainly be better to include both how badly everyone is affected and how they get better…
PPP: 198
Both she and Wolfgoddess note that it is quite unlikely that the attack at the Barrows was Axis’s first “serious military defeat”. I am now quite willing to agree. Would he never have lost some Axe-Wielders to the summer raiders, for example? Was there never any bad luck?
Godmode Engaged: 5
Wolfgoddess further notes that someone ought to have seen Gorgrael’s cloud of fear before now. After all, as I see, Axis posted double sentries to watch for this. Did none of them see this?? Of course, I am quite sure this is so Axis can be the one to see the cloud first and give the orders.
Godmode Engaged: 6
Finally, she notes that the cloud must be moving very slowly indeed. Going by the descriptions Axis gives and the distance given, I see there would be about half an hour before the cloud hit, so I will give Douglass the benefit of the doubt here.
With that done, let me do the next chapter!
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Towards Fernbrake Lake
Hmm, looking at the map, that appears to be a lake in the middle of the Bracken Ranges. We are also back with Faraday and Timozel, and there should be some advancement in their plot soon.
We open on them leaving “the next morning” (the 7th of October, then). They have clean clothing, Yr has “new clothes and boots” (and even an old cloak that was once of the Goodman’s father). Further, they have a “plentiful supply” of provisions, blankets, and the mule they were promised to carry their belongings. Jack goes in the lead, letting go of his “Jack Simple” persona once they are out of view of the farmstead, the pigs “trotting happily before him”. Timozel follows, leading the mule, and Faraday and Yr are in the rear. Their energy has “been a little replenished”, and thus they walk healthily.
The snow keeps drifting down around them, but the wind “ha[s] abated”. …We saw no mention of snow in their chapters so far??
PPP: 199
Either way, this seems like more tolerable conditions to walk in. All of them are aware that “mid-Bone-month [is] six weeks too early for snowfalls this far south”. October 7 is not yet mid-October, Douglass. I think the timeline got tangled again.
PPP: 200
No one speaks his name, but “the lingering menace of Gorgrael’s threat” shadows them. This does work well qua atmosphere, I find.
Well, though Faraday and Timozel said they were to go northeast toward Rhaetia, Jack leads them “north-east toward the Bracken Ranges”, which we are told are the mountains that separate Arcen from Skarabost. Um…
If that is the case, the farm of the Goodpeople Renkin would have to lie between Rhaetia and Fernbrake Lake in longitude. Looking at the map, the Ancient Barrows lie in a crescent that is open to the northeast. If we say that Faraday and co. went into a barrow that lies roughly to the south, they would have emerged somewhere to the north. The farm of the Renkins must have been close by.
So, on this map, the yellow (left) dot indicates where Douglass says the farm lies and the red (right) dot indicates where it actually is. That is quite a difference! I also think the red dot fits the travel times better.
PPP: 201
Also, do Faraday and Timozel not notice this? Do they not wonder where they are going? Or do they just accept where Jack and Yr are leading them? To the best of my knowledge, they simply do not know where they are led, after all.
As they approach the mountains, they “scrabble[]” up and down “low rolling hills”, and their legs ache with it. I am not sure why they would not to scrabble up them if the hills are low, but sure.
PPP: 202
They meet no one at all, and do not encounter “insurmountable obstacles”. It does bother Timozel that Jack leads them, since his vision from Artor has clearly shown him that he will lead a great army one day. He keeps silent, however, as he trusts Artor to show him when the time is right. Meanwhile, during the day he keeps fulfilling his role as Faraday’s Champion, making sure she has the best spot before the campfire and the nicest food. The nights are “devoted to other pursuits”. So Timozel now regularly has sex with Yr thanks to the power of sexual assault. I quite hate this story.
Faraday became “abruptly and uncomfortably aware” of this on the first night of travel. At first, the sounds of sex made her “wriggle in embarrassment”, and after that she struggled to suppress her own “curious thoughts about what it would be like to bed with a man”. She then had images of Axis and Borneheld in her mind, which confused her, and she only fell asleep after several hours.
We then go to Jack watching Faraday toss in her blankets (on what has to be a later date). He is “more concerned than ever” about Timozel being with them, and he wonders if he will “disrupt their purpose”. Ogden and Veremund told him that Timozel had a “good if troubled heart”, but Jack wonders how much of that goodness survived after their trip along the Star Gate. Well, I would say it clearly did. When have we seen him be “not good”, then? Yes, he may argue with Jack, but that hardly is an indication that he is the “goodness” is gone from him!
Like Yr, he has noticed the changes in Timozel, like “increasing confidence and maturity”, and he wonders what they will lead to. Not per se to something sinister, I would think. Jack only hopes that Timozel’s devotion to Faraday will serve her well. It means nothing that Yr and Timozel have a relationship, since Yr will eventually leave him alone to “pursue her purpose”. Those things do not have much to do with each other, I note.
Jack tosses some more “dead rosenberry branches” on the fire. Even in weather like this, if one reaches deep enough into a rosenberry bush, there will always be suitable wood for a campfire. He “hunker[s] down” into his blankets, grateful for the warmth it gives, and tries to get some sleep.
He says they are only “three or four days” from Fernbrake Lake, and they need to talk with Faraday before it. He then explains that the Sentinels told Faraday she had two important tasks to fulfil so Axis can stand against Gorgrael (because he most certainly will). The first one is to keep Borneheld from murdering Axis “in a fit of jealous rage”, which she already understands. But, at Fernbrake Lake, she will need to begin her second task, “that of Tree Friend”. That promises some movement, at least!
Also… we did not need to have this explained to us at length, Jack.
Hand-Holding: 16
Further, the section with Jack is all a single large paragraph of 293 words! I think this should have been split up because of the different subjects it has and its sheer length.
PPP: 203
There is a scene break, and we are told they reach the Bracken Ranges “[a]fter ten days of travel”. That would be the 16th of October, then, so we are quite a bit ahead of the previous chapter! Jack leads them into a “narrow gully” that will lead them into the mountains. Timozel protests, Jack explains that it is the “easiest passage”, and Timozel “walk[s] off in a huff”. …Then maybe you should let Yr or Faraday explain it to him?
Ill Logic: 143
Faraday sighs and goes to walk after him, but Jack keeps her back. He says that Yr and he need to speak with her for a moment, and she should let Timozel go. Faraday looks at Timozel walking ahead, “upset at his constant arguing with Jack” (then tell him to stop), but she agrees.
Jack begins “soothingly” by calling her “[s]weet child” (great start there!). He says that she is the one they trusted so much to, and aside from themselves, she is the only one who knows who the StarMan is. Faraday needs to keep that trust and not tell Timozel too much, because he might well “betray Axis with an unwary word”. He asks if Faraday agrees. I mean… who would he betray Axis to, then?
It “ache[s] Faraday’s heart” to keep secrets from Timozel because he is her Champion. I do not think this is the right phrase to use.
PPP: 204
Yr smiles and takes Faraday’s hand. (No, I do not like this.) She says she will stay by Faraday’s side “for the time being”, and if Faraday must, she should share her “doubts and secrets” with her. It will be much safer that way. So… is she truly saying that she wants to take over Timozel’s place as Champion? And how long will this “time” last, then? I do not think this becomes a thing later, but I still do not like this at all. You cannot take that position over like this, Yr; you need to win Faraday’s trust first!
Faraday gets reassured by Yr’s touch. She says that she will do anything she can to protect Axis, and she has told Timozel nothing and will keep Axis’ “true identity” from him. Jack confirms that Timozel still cannot hear them and says that tomorrow, they will reach a “lovely lake” in the middle of the range, and when they are there, Faraday will be shown “some of what [her] second task will be”. (Finally!)
Faraday frowns, and notes that the pass they will take is very close. She says that Jack would not tell her what it was when she asked before, so will he do so now? Jack nods and recalls the night that she had the vision at the Silent Woman Woods. Faraday pales at this and Jack hurries to say that what the trees sing is “often confusing”, and their truth “is sometimes not as we understand it”. I do not even know what kind of “truth” we are supposed to take from the vision at this point, so sure.
Faraday “nod[s] curtly”, but she is not comforted by what Jack says. After all, none (emphasis original) of the images were positive. No matter how she rearranges the images, she cannot see how the vision can show “anything except pain”. …Yes, that tracks quite well with what we were shown.
Jack and Yr watch Faraday’s face “close over”. They hope her horror at the vision has not become “a complete rejection of the singers”. “The singers”? Those are the trees, I think, but this could truly be clearer.
PPP: 205
It also feels like this is written “simply” once again, though I cannot quite put my finger on it.
Yr squeezes Faraday’s hand and says that no human “has ever before heard Tree Song”, and even very few of the Avar have. (She also says that Avar are the “forest people”. Thank you for that.) Well, that is interesting. It is important that “the forest has a friend who can lead them to Axis” (why?) and so Faraday must be Tree Friend. …Why is she not “Forest Friend”, then?
Faraday says that she hates the forest, because it is “dark and evil” and she will have nothing to do with it. Yr and Jack “exchange[] worried glances”. What did you expect would happen? Surely Ogden and Veremund told you that she said that it was right the Seneschal drove the Icarii and Avar out after they told her about the Avar talking to trees? You have also not bothered to reassure her since, so why would you expect anything else from her?
Ill Logic: 145 (+2)
Jack puts a hand on her shoulder and tries to speak, but Faraday turns on him. She tells him not to “dare enchant [her] into submissiveness”, which we are told is her “festering anxiety over the vision” finding release. Though she genuinely likes Jack and Yr and is prepared to trust them if it helps Axis, she wonders about their secrets “and occasionally resent[s] their obvious manipulation of people about them.”
Alright… it seems the NRSG and I were completely right about what the Sentinels did, then! I am frankly amazed that Douglass actually says this, and then expects us to side with Jack and Yr!
We are supposed to do the latter, after all, as the comment about “festering anxiety” shows. I can see what Douglass was aiming for, since it would be quite possible for Faraday to say something unreasonable because of this. The problem is that this is what we have seen! Faraday is addressing an actual problem that we have seen, so you cannot just blow it off, Douglass! This makes things look quite bad.
Petty Ain’t the Word for You: 37
PPP: 206
Jack quickly lets Faraday go and says that none of them will “force her into anything”. Do you even believe this yourself? Faraday “turn[s] on him again”, with no indication she ever turned away.
PPP: 207
Faraday tells him he did not hesitate to trick her into listening to the tree with “[his] deceptively simple face”. Yes! She pulls her hand from Yr’s, and then says that if they worry about Timozel learning “some of [their] dark secrets”, they should be more concerned with what Yr is whispering in his ears during the night than what she herself might “innocently say” during the day! You go, Faraday! She glares at Yr for a moment, and then tells Jack that if the Prophecy needs a Tree Friend, it will need to find another. Then she turns away and goes after Timozel. Ah, I truly love seeing Faraday get to tell them off!
Jack stops Yr from following her. He tells Yr to leave her alone for a while, since they will only have one chance at Fernbrake Lake. If they cannot present her to something/one called “the Mother” in the next few days, they are “all doomed to endure the long dismal slide into complete destruction”. Do you even hear how over the top this sounds, Jack? Also, is there any reason you could not flee to lands outside of Tencendor?
That talk of doom gives us a section break, for added effect, and we pick up with them making camp in the pass, which Jack calls “Pig Gully”. They are about a league in, around the point where it “narrow[s] into an end”. The sides of the gully shield them from the wind, and there are enough bushes for a large fire.
Timozel unpacks and “rub[s] down” the mule, and Yr prepares the evening meal, which consists of slices from a “smoke-cured ham” (where has it been smoke-cured, then?) and a loaf. As she puts it on plates, Faraday joins her. She says “stiffly” that she is sorry for what she said earlier, and that she was upset. I would have preferred if she did not apologise, but she does still seem upset, so I will take it.
Yr calls Jack closer, and Faraday gets even stiffer when she sees him. She says she understands that they are bound to the Prophecy and that she has her own role to play. She pauses, but neither Yr or Jack say anything. She asks why the trees need a friend, and why they need her. I would like to see what they say, too.
Yr (I think) says that the trees and their people need someone to “speak for them”, and Faraday has been chosen. Someone needs to bring the trees behind Axis, because he cannot unite Tencendor otherwise. So… Faraday needs to convince the Avar and the Avarinheim to back Axis? That makes sense, though it is phrased very unclearly.
Faraday says Veremund told her her second task would be “less distasteful than [her] first”. She asks if he spoke the truth. Yr just says that Faraday will “come to love the trees almost more than life itself”. She thinks that Tree Friend’s role is far larger than bringing the Avarinheim behind Axis, but it is not her or Jack’s place to tell that. No, of course not. That would be clear. Come to think of it…
This is What the Mystery: 20 (+2) (one for “the Mother”, one for all this wrangling)
Yr continues that the trees have chosen Faraday for a reason, and that reason “contains only joy” and no sadness. She asks Faraday to believe her. Faraday remembers the Tree Song and says that the trees were “so sad”, yet “so beautiful”. Well, I guess she is over her distaste, then. That is exactly how it works, right?
Jack says that they were “slaughtered across Achar” and few remain. Then he changes subject and says that they will take her to Fernbrake Lake tomorrow. She needs to understand that Timozel “cannot, must not”, come with them, because he is an Axe-Wielder and would be in danger. …Fair enough.
Faraday gets alarmed, but Yr goes to reassure her. They will have to “enchant [Timozel] a little”. He will know nothing and simply sleep unaware while they visit the lake. She asks Faraday to trust them. I can grant that it is necessary to enchant Timozel like this, but Jack and Yr truly should not be this alright with doing so! They are still doing this without asking, after all!
Faraday sighs and nods. The chapter ends with her wishing she had never left Skarabost as she turns away. I feel you, Faraday.
Well, now we have restored Faraday’s trust in the Sentinels,, I guess. Until next chapter, then!
(no subject)
Tuesday, 27 August 2024 04:10 (UTC)The only problem I have with 'aches her heart' is that it doesn't match the style of the book as a whole since it's no longer in common use - I think I've seen it in books from one hundred to one-hundred fifty years ago? Something like that.
I've got to wonder what Jackass was expecting when he knew how distressed she was by the vision she recieved! What, did he think she would just get over it? And even now neither of them are doing anything to try to HELP her work through the vision! Good heavens, at least 'the future is always in motion' is a good reminder that the future isn't set in stone! What good is 'They might not have shown you the full picture'?
Faraday stormed off, fury in her heart, uncaring of her surroundings.
"Hail and well met, traveller!" someone called.
She turned to see a whip-thin man, taller then most, clad in the colours of a summer field. "Who are you?"
"If you want my name you should first give yours," the stranger said chidingly.
Faraday felt dreadfully embarrassed at her poor manners. "I am Lady Faraday," she answered, "who might you be?"
"I am Ceolmund," the man answered. "But tell me, what are you doing wandering the lonely hills?"
Faraday flushed. "I wanted to get away from Jack and Yr," she replied.
Ceolmund hissed in distaste. "Ah. Them." He sighed. "And what do those two want with you?"
"They say I must be Tree Friend!" Faraday cried. "I can't befriend the trees!"
Ceolmund nodded. "And why is that?" he asked with quiet interest.
Faraday then told him of the Silent Woman forest and the vision the trees had sung to her.
"I see," Ceolmund said when she was finished. "And was that the first time you ever saw a tree?"
Faraday nodded.
"It was a very cruel thing then," he said, "for the trees of Silent Woman sing of little but pain. It was once known as a place of mourning for that very reason."
"Then why did he want me to listen to them?" Faraday demanded.
"Likely in the hopes you would be so overwhelmed by their power you would fall down and give homage," Ceolmund said dryly. "He and his have long suffered from the peculiar conviction that it is better to overpower the soul then convince it. Tell me, did he take you to see the Stargate?"
"How did you know?" Faraday asked in wonder.
"The Stargate bears a powerful enchantment," Ceolmund answered, "one which easily snared unguarded souls. I trust you experienced a great change of heart at the sight?"
"Yes," Faraday breathed, suddenly horrified. "Artor seemed so small when I looked at it."
He nodded. "It is only to be expected. You had no warning or guard."
"How do I get rid of it?"
He smiled. "Merely knowing the enchantment exists begins to break it," he said. "Be on your guard, and soon enough you will have rooted every last trace of it out."
Faraday nodded determinedly, and then a question occurred to her. "What are trees usually like then?" she wondered.
"It depends on the kind," Ceolmund answered her. "Willows for instance are lively and tenacious beings, overflowing with the joy of living. Cut one down and a crown of new shoots bursts from the stump."
"They don't sound so bad," Faraday said thoughtfully.
"They are my favorite kind," Ceolmund said, "and they still grow along watercourses and lakes, both cultivated and wild."
"What are they cultivated for?"
"Wood," he answered, "As they produce no other useful thing. But there are many kinds grown in this land, and some of them produce fruits and flowers and other good things. Ink, for example. Did you know the galls in iron-gall ink grow on oak trees?"
"No!" Faraday exclaimed. "Do they really?"
Ceolmund nodded. "They do indeed. Wasps grow their young in the tree, and in responce the trees produce galls around the young wasps."
"So trees provide many good things," Faraday said. "I suppose they cannot be all bad then."
Ceolmund smiled warmly. "It is good of you to recognize that," he said. He looked thoughtful for a moment, and then pulled out a pendant of carved bone. "Here, take this. It will protect you from all manner of enchantment. Guard it closely, for neither Jack nor Yr will be happy I have gifted it to you."
Faraday accepted it gingerly. "And what will you ask for it?"
"Nothing burdensome," he replied. "All I ask is that when you return to your camp you tell them you have spoken with Ceolmund and he says his debt to them is paid in full."
(no subject)
Tuesday, 27 August 2024 10:27 (UTC)The only problem I have with 'aches her heart' is that it doesn't match the style of the book as a whole since it's no longer in common use - I think I've seen it in books from one hundred to one-hundred fifty years ago? Something like that.
SCSF: Well, I did not know that! It is still out of place here, as you say... and that genuinely makes me wonder, again, how much this book was edited.
I've got to wonder what Jackass was expecting when he knew how distressed she was by the vision she recieved! What, did he think she would just get over it? And even now neither of them are doing anything to try to HELP her work through the vision! Good heavens, at least 'the future is always in motion' is a good reminder that the future isn't set in stone! What good is 'They might not have shown you the full picture'?
And they had ten days right now to talk to her about it! Why wait until it is nearly too late?
Even something like "The trees might want you to avoid this purpose" would be better... In fact, why do they not think this is a future to be avoided, if it is so dire? (Of course, the real problem is that they think it is "unavoidable", for some reason.)
(applauds fic) Yes, that is what Faraday needs! Education, not mind-control, as you said! (And good to see you used an actual Old English name.)
(no subject)
Tuesday, 27 August 2024 14:59 (UTC)Which amuses me, since Catholics have jokes about the kind of people who blindly trust that their faith in God will keep bad things from happening to them.
I'm glad you liked the fic! I think my best touch was the bit about the ink, since iron-gall ink was basically the ink of the Medieval Period so it's something Faraday would be familiar with since she's likely literate. (On an amusing note, I was originally going to have the pendant be made of wood, and then I remembered she'd only just been convinced trees weren't all evil so I changed it to bone on the grounds that would be less creepy to her.)
(no subject)
Tuesday, 27 August 2024 15:43 (UTC)SCSF: It does amuse me, too, since they directly make themselves more vulnerable to the slightest disturbance. They had all this time to prepare, and following the Prophecy to the letter is the best they can come up with?
Oh yes, the ink was a quite nice touch!
(no subject)
Wednesday, 28 August 2024 11:50 (UTC)I still think it's bullshit that simple farmers have this much to give away. Relying pretty much solely on what your farm can produce means that you're at the mercy of how well the crops grow that year. Living on a farm can lead to some bleak years due to a variety of reasons (weather, drought, too many storms, unfertile soil, pests, temperature fluctuations...). And even if they did have excess, they should be preserving it for those lean times, not giving it out like they have an endless supply.
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I'm starting to think that Douglass wrote this book, and then gave someone a list of place names and told them to make up a map, regardless of whether the cartography aligned with what was written in the book. I can forgive a discrepancy or two, but this many just makes me think she never once looked at said map.
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So they didn't even have the decency to get far enough away from camp that they wouldn't be overheard? Really classy, guys.
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Well, that doesn't sound ominous at all...
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He must have done it for the benefit of the goldfish in the audience.
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I think he's just using this as an excuse to subtly bully Timozel some more. Just keep him in the dark about everything, even though there's no proof that telling him would lead to any kind of danger.
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But of course she can. She has mind-control powers on her side, after all. Who needs real trust when you can just melt their brains and make them like you?
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*applauds loudly* GO OFF, GIRL! Chew him up and spit out the remains! I swear, I could read a whole book of her just snarling at them and calling them out for their despicable behavior.
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That was glorious. I don't care if we're supposed to be on Jackass's side here, I loved that. More please!
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And whose fault will that be, hmm? You've done nothing but manipulate Faraday and treat her friend like dirt, but you still expect her to just placidly follow after you and do everything you say. Maybe if you were genuinely kind to her, you wouldn't have this problem!
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...this seems like an incredibly dangerous place to be. If it's snowing down below, then I'm guessing the mountains are absolutely covered with it. Are they not worried about avalanches? Flash floods? There's a reason why you don't cage yourself in like that when you're in unstable terrain.
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Don't tell me even the trees have some kind of mind-control! Don't get me wrong, I love forests, too, but not more than life itself. That just speaks to some kind of outside influence making her feel that way.
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I think they're just making all of this up as an excuse to get to use their mind-control as often as they want. They probably get off on it, the sick fucks.
(no subject)
Wednesday, 28 August 2024 12:18 (UTC)I still think it's bullshit that simple farmers have this much to give away. Relying pretty much solely on what your farm can produce means that you're at the mercy of how well the crops grow that year. Living on a farm can lead to some bleak years due to a variety of reasons (weather, drought, too many storms, unfertile soil, pests, temperature fluctuations...). And even if they did have excess, they should be preserving it for those lean times, not giving it out like they have an endless supply.
SCSF: Yes, that is quite nonsensical, indeed.
I'm starting to think that Douglass wrote this book, and then gave someone a list of place names and told them to make up a map, regardless of whether the cartography aligned with what was written in the book. I can forgive a discrepancy or two, but this many just makes me think she never once looked at said map.
Well, the old map does have "S. Douglass © 1995" on it, so I presume she made it herself, though I get the feeling she did not consult it after drawing it.
I think he's just using this as an excuse to subtly bully Timozel some more. Just keep him in the dark about everything, even though there's no proof that telling him would lead to any kind of danger.
Yep, that would fit. Never mind that keeping him in the dark will make him more likely to betray them...
But of course she can. She has mind-control powers on her side, after all. Who needs real trust when you can just melt their brains and make them like you?
It is a pity they will not keep around long enough for all this manipulation to blow up.
applauds loudly GO OFF, GIRL! Chew him up and spit out the remains! I swear, I could read a whole book of her just snarling at them and calling them out for their despicable behavior.
So could I!
And whose fault will that be, hmm? You've done nothing but manipulate Faraday and treat her friend like dirt, but you still expect her to just placidly follow after you and do everything you say. Maybe if you were genuinely kind to her, you wouldn't have this problem!
Neither would they if they had any kind of back-up plan if Tree Friend did not want to be Tree Friend (which they rightly should have expected!).
...this seems like an incredibly dangerous place to be. If it's snowing down below, then I'm guessing the mountains are absolutely covered with it. Are they not worried about avalanches? Flash floods? There's a reason why you don't cage yourself in like that when you're in unstable terrain.
Well seen! I think that might indeed be a problem.
Don't tell me even the trees have some kind of mind-control! Don't get me wrong, I love forests, too, but not more than life itself. That just speaks to some kind of outside influence making her feel that way.
I could see that from an Avar Bane, but this indeed sounds like either hyperbole on Yr's part or, indeed, mind-control.
I think they're just making all of this up as an excuse to get to use their mind-control as often as they want. They probably get off on it, the sick fucks.
If I remember right, this will prove to be a genuine concern, though the way they go about it is indeed the very worst. (Why could they not let one Sentinel stay behind with him, for example?)
(no subject)
Thursday, 29 August 2024 14:22 (UTC)As is being repeatedly demonstrated, Douglass had a REALLY bad case of internalised misogyny.
Good god, the count is that high already??
*facepalm*
This is why you draw the map FIRST and consult it regularly while writing.
That whole thing is SO unnecessary. What was even the point of making Yr a huge slut? Being promiscuous is not a personality trait. With all the sleeping around she does it's preposterous that she doesn't end up pregnant or suffering from an STI.
SHOW DON'T TELL
And we're not even anywhere close to the worst of THAT patronising nonsense.
Which never once looks like even remotely likely to actually happen.
God this guy is a manipulative creep. Note how he keeps using syrupy sweet pet names on her to make himself seem harmless and nice while he's doing it, which a classic tactic you'd use on a child or someone very stupid.
Which she never even does anyway.
Ah, Sin Thine Ass Off rears its ugly head. As with Axis' vicious temper tantrums it gets acknowledged but never addressed. And WHY does she like them? They've been complete creeps to her since day one!
Liar.
And this token show of resistance is due to last all of five minutes, too.
I told you so.
WHY DO THEY HAVE PLATES??
She never does this either.
Nor does this ever happen. The Avar do nothing except give Axis McDouchebag a stick.
Oh yeah, months on end digging holes in "hard-packed soil" more than 100,000 times WITHOUT A SHOVEL is going to be so much fun, you guys.
You know what kind of person actually says "believe me"?
A liar.
Ah, yeah, about that. Do you know what happens in the wake of deforestation, and especially on such a massive scale as this? Because I do.
-Erosion
-Desertification and increased soil salinity (leading, ironically, to massive crop failure)
-Massive flash flooding
-Landslides
-Climate change
And if it's been THREE THOUSAND YEARS or so since "the Wars of the Axe", by now the country should be a fucking disaster area with famine running rampant.
I also happen to know that this sort of thing was all over the TV in Australia back in the 90s when this stupid trilogy was being written. Douglass has no excuse.
So now they're effectively drugging him.
...and again with the "trust meeeee" red flag.
Another excellent spork of a truly appalling book.