Teres

But of course. Why explain anything when you can keep characters (and the readers) in the dark until the last possible moment? Assuming you ever explain it at all.

SCSF: Ah, but that is the mystery! I would genuinely not be surprised if Douglass thought that was how to keep things "mysterious", never mind that it makes for a quite bad reading experience...

The hell is a 'mobile mouth'? I would have said 'an expressive mouth', because the word mobile just makes me think it moves around all over his face, like some kind of living Picasso painting.

I guess she means... well, she probably meant "expressive", but she indeed got something closer to what you are saying.

I guess Faraday has never seen brown eyes before. They almost always look black unless you see them up close, or in direct sunlight.

Given how dark it is where they are, that would indeed make sense!

I know that stories that take place in different worlds often have their own unique ways of saluting, but this just sounds like it would look really stupid.

For myself, I think it would not look especially silly, but I would not exactly know.

And of course, he couldn't have explained any of this before, because...reasons. I know that dramatic reveals at the last moment are a popular literary device, but Douglass does not do it well.

There is no reason Veremund could not have told her when he talked to her earlier. That, at least, would not have driven her away.

I want to say this is cute, but I don't trust it. Douglass is going to find a way to ruin it somehow, I'm almost positive.

Looking at the next chapter... I think the main problem with Shra here is how very much she stays on the background and how calm she is. That does not fit such a young child very well.

Suuuure you will, Jackass. Because you've been so trustworthy up until now. You couldn't be trusted to keep an artificial plant alive! This is a blatant lie, and we all know it.

Yes, they will totally badger him into accepting Faraday either way.

...I'm starting to think that Douglass has some kind of non-con kink. This happens way too often for it to just be a coincidence. Not only is it a cheap plot device, it also makes me believe that Douglass gets off on it.

I have no idea, frankly.

Right, because when I'm having a terrifying nightmare, 'naughty' is the first descriptor that comes to mind. You just killed the tension there, Douglass. Way to go.

I also note just how unlikely it is that she would say the same thing as Jack here.

bursts out laughing So all Faraday can to in her 'all-consuming rage' is slap a tree? She doesn't scream, or find things to break, or any normal methods of venting? Nope, she has to... cackles ...slap a tree!

If this were with an animal or something, I could see it, but this tree simply will not feel anything from it, so it is indeed quite silly.

This actually doesn't bother me. As it was stated previously, this is supposed to be a strictly Avarii ritual, so bringing an outsider in is a huge deal. They probably wouldn't agree to it unless she proved herself in some way. Plus, if she really was the one spoken of in the prophecy, she would be perfectly safe during the test.

Still... Raum does not give any sign that he knows Faraday is Tree Friend, and he also only has the word of the Sentinels that Faraday has any magical talent. Why would he even agree to hold this test in the first place?

Also, given how he acted when he went to test her, it does feel like he is taking out his anger on her by subjecting her to a futile test... which means I should probably also give a Petty point.

These people are idiots. You're sending your children to certain death for no reason at all, when you could simply wait a few years until they actually have the chance to understand what you're asking them to do. Do they secretly want their race to go extinct? Because that's where they're heading.

True, those Banes would not have their talents grow quite right, apparently, but it would be better than this. Further, if they went with the "getting back to the Avarinheim" test I proposed, they could simply tell the children that and pick those that succeed in a certain time!

BULLSHIT! You've had every opportunity to explain any number of things, and you haven't. You've refused to, even when she tries to ask questions! ...I'm about to go on a cactus-swinging rampage again. This is seriously pissing me off.

What do they even think all of this would accomplish? If she is better prepared, she can do what she should better!

Right. Which is why so many of your children are dead. You might not have killed them with your own hands, but their deaths are still your responsibility. Don't act like you're completely guiltless while telling Faraday how horrible her race is.

Exactly!

Is it really just venting if the whole thing serves as a massive guilt-trip for someone who hasn't done anything except be born into a race that he hates? I can understand his frustration and anger, but this is out of line and misplaced. Is this just another chance for Douglass to use Faraday as a whipping girl?

Hmmm, I do think it is for Raum, but Douglass clearly meant it as a guilt-trip. (And yes, I do not doubt it is, at all.)

Wait, wait, wait, hold on. Regenerating forests I buy, since magic could speed the growth of trees, help keep them healthy, etc. But changing the seasons? Do they honestly have that much power, or are they just being metaphorical?

I am quite certain it has to be metaphorical. If I recall correctly, quite a bit of their power is bound to Tencendor, so they cannot exert enough influence to "change the seasons", and I do not think they ever show enough power to do so. (Further, they are on a planet, so they would not need to do anything to help the seasons, since they are caused by Stellaris keeping the same orientation around its star.)

First of all, that isn't 'life being cruel'. That's you being cruel. You are the one putting them through those tests, and it's you who chooses to do it at such a young age. If they're so worried about not having any Banes, then stop killing candidates. Wouldn't it be better to have dozens that begin training a few years later rather than just one or two that survive? Not only are you restricting the number of Banes, you're also decimating your own race! (And yeah, I saw the 'their talent will not grow right' line, but that still doesn't excuse any of this.)

Indeed!

I would find it easier if they weren't essentially hamstringing themselves by killing their children. I will not let this go. If their race eventually dies, it'll almost certainly be on them.

Oh, neither will I. Let me see... I guess the death of their race is on them, because they apparently have no one living outside of Tencendor by the time of Wayfarer Redemption? DarkGlass Mountain does not mention any living Avar, at least.

Foreshadowing, maybe? I'm guessing those bumps could potentially be...antlers? I haven't forgotten that creepy-ass deer man wendigo wannabe.

Well, you guessed right! It just seemed like an odd amount of focus for something that might be expected from him... but I have not read the following books yet, so I might just be off.