It's pretty sad that he gets all this description which makes it seem like he's going to be a very deep, cool, complex and mysterious character given that in fact he is never going to get any development or do anything all that important. Mostly he just kind of shows up to provide Sue praise and really annoying hand-holding. And then explodes.
SCSF: And then becomes the White Stag, because he has such a ""pure heart"". Try me, Douglass. Indeed, he should rightly have a larger role than that.
Just as racist as Faraday the rich white woman being appointed leader of the Avar instead of them being led by themselves. And she never even lives among them or gets to know any of them. Like if that's supposed to be her role she should have just gone with Raum and never mind the whole forced marriage to Borneheld nonsense which ultimately doesn't go anywhere anyway.
That certainly is a big problem with this trilogy, I think: the sheer amount of plotlines Douglass put in (and then did not resolve, I presume in part because there were just too many).
Back in the 90s when this was written, this kind of crap probably wasn't even considered racist to begin with. There's a LOT of blithely ignored racism in this trilogy.
Then it is a good thing I am not from that period, I would think.
Because the author thinks "white skin" is beautiful. That's why every single one of her attractive characters is "porcelain-skinned" and other such racist nonsense. Even Shra when she grows up is considered beautiful because she's "unusually tall and fair-skinned" for an Avar. Which is of course also racist as fuck.
I... I did not even think Douglass would have gone that far, but I should not be surprised.
It's also blatant Mary Sueism. Faraday didn't have to learn anything or change as a person in order to be good enough to pass the test. She just has to... exist.
Eh, it follows logically, so here I cannot complain.
There's quite a few Norse placenames that end in "heim", as you're probably aware. Which just makes it even more jarring and out of place. Like, the Avar aren't a Nordic people. Nobody in this setting is.
I was rather more aware of German placenames ending in "heim", so...
Come to that, why don't any of the other forests eat axes?
Because they are not next to one of the Sacred Lakes, maybe? I think that is why Silent Woman Woods can do what it can, after all.
Also, Raum? your people raise and slaughter livestock. THAT'S FARMING. It's also harming animals for your own benefit. How exactly are you giving anything back to the goats and sheep you kill, skin and eat? And then wear the skins and use them to make tents and such?
Hypocrite.
I do not think that is what he means, per se. I rather think he means that they give back by caring for the Avarinheim and "helping the seasons turn", rather than "giving back" to who/what they take.
(Given that I know where Douglass is going... I am trying to be careful in what I say. I can hardly complain about her handling of the Avar and then go down the same path, after all.)
I don't know about you, but I've seen ploughed land being used for farming and this might sound crazy but it's the exact opposite of "barren". I've seen vast fields of corn and wheat, lavender, brassicas and other crops and guess what? THEY WERE LUSH AND GREEN AND GROWING. Douglass seems to be suggesting here that converting an area into farmland turns it into a freaking desert. Which, yes, if this was at all realistic, could have happened as a result of all that deforestation. But clearly it hasn't. Nobody's starving. The Acharites are clearly rich and prosperous.
Yep, it is just so obviously wrong that I found little to say to it.
And Faraday asks no follow-up questions. Naturally
No, that would mean acknowledging that there is something wrong with this.
It's so utterly ridiculous that Gorge's only motivation is "he hates". Like why is he so angry and hateful? So much so that he was BORN that way? Is he after revenge? And if so, why? And on who? After all, Axis is constantly shown to be full of irrational anger and resentment, far more so than Gorge, yet he's the hero! Allegedly.
I just don't get it. I do not get why Douglass' (not actually her real surname, by the way) villains are always motivated by "hate" that comes out of nowhere.
Well, then they do not need any depth, and they can be completely evil, so the heroes can destroy them without qualms. And so Gorgrael attacks because of "hate", not because of the influence of the Skraelings or of WolfStar (why would you even think that?).
At least she had the sense to have the villains motivated by hate be actual demons next trilogy...
Cut to later on in the trilogy, when he's now magically able to say things like "though I am afraid I will not be able to use the ice spears again, though they were such a pretty creation". Given that the guy has a beak and huge tongue you'd think he'd have a speech impediment, but nope.
And, if I recall correctly, the SkraeBolds also had trouble speaking... I think it would work if Gorgrael or WolfStar helped him out with this, but I doubt there will be anything about that.
Also the homoeroticism here just makes this even funnier.
And it is bound to become even more obvious...
The treatment of the Avar is indeed quite bad (did Isfrael, our primary culturally Avar character in Wayfarer Redemption, really need to kill the Sacred Groves, for example?) and naturally, they are not even there in DarkGlass Mountain.
no subject
It's pretty sad that he gets all this description which makes it seem like he's going to be a very deep, cool, complex and mysterious character given that in fact he is never going to get any development or do anything all that important. Mostly he just kind of shows up to provide Sue praise and really annoying hand-holding. And then explodes.
SCSF: And then becomes the White Stag, because he has such a ""pure heart"". Try me, Douglass. Indeed, he should rightly have a larger role than that.
Just as racist as Faraday the rich white woman being appointed leader of the Avar instead of them being led by themselves. And she never even lives among them or gets to know any of them. Like if that's supposed to be her role she should have just gone with Raum and never mind the whole forced marriage to Borneheld nonsense which ultimately doesn't go anywhere anyway.
That certainly is a big problem with this trilogy, I think: the sheer amount of plotlines Douglass put in (and then did not resolve, I presume in part because there were just too many).
Back in the 90s when this was written, this kind of crap probably wasn't even considered racist to begin with. There's a LOT of blithely ignored racism in this trilogy.
Then it is a good thing I am not from that period, I would think.
Because the author thinks "white skin" is beautiful. That's why every single one of her attractive characters is "porcelain-skinned" and other such racist nonsense. Even Shra when she grows up is considered beautiful because she's "unusually tall and fair-skinned" for an Avar. Which is of course also racist as fuck.
I... I did not even think Douglass would have gone that far, but I should not be surprised.
It's also blatant Mary Sueism. Faraday didn't have to learn anything or change as a person in order to be good enough to pass the test. She just has to... exist.
Eh, it follows logically, so here I cannot complain.
There's quite a few Norse placenames that end in "heim", as you're probably aware. Which just makes it even more jarring and out of place. Like, the Avar aren't a Nordic people. Nobody in this setting is.
I was rather more aware of German placenames ending in "heim", so...
Come to that, why don't any of the other forests eat axes?
Because they are not next to one of the Sacred Lakes, maybe? I think that is why Silent Woman Woods can do what it can, after all.
I do not think that is what he means, per se. I rather think he means that they give back by caring for the Avarinheim and "helping the seasons turn", rather than "giving back" to who/what they take.
(Given that I know where Douglass is going... I am trying to be careful in what I say. I can hardly complain about her handling of the Avar and then go down the same path, after all.)
I don't know about you, but I've seen ploughed land being used for farming and this might sound crazy but it's the exact opposite of "barren". I've seen vast fields of corn and wheat, lavender, brassicas and other crops and guess what? THEY WERE LUSH AND GREEN AND GROWING. Douglass seems to be suggesting here that converting an area into farmland turns it into a freaking desert. Which, yes, if this was at all realistic, could have happened as a result of all that deforestation. But clearly it hasn't. Nobody's starving. The Acharites are clearly rich and prosperous.
Yep, it is just so obviously wrong that I found little to say to it.
And Faraday asks no follow-up questions. Naturally
No, that would mean acknowledging that there is something wrong with this.
Well, then they do not need any depth, and they can be completely evil, so the heroes can destroy them without qualms. And so Gorgrael attacks because of "hate", not because of the influence of the Skraelings or of WolfStar (why would you even think that?).
At least she had the sense to have the villains motivated by hate be actual demons next trilogy...
Cut to later on in the trilogy, when he's now magically able to say things like "though I am afraid I will not be able to use the ice spears again, though they were such a pretty creation". Given that the guy has a beak and huge tongue you'd think he'd have a speech impediment, but nope.
And, if I recall correctly, the SkraeBolds also had trouble speaking... I think it would work if Gorgrael or WolfStar helped him out with this, but I doubt there will be anything about that.
Also the homoeroticism here just makes this even funnier.
And it is bound to become even more obvious...
The treatment of the Avar is indeed quite bad (did Isfrael, our primary culturally Avar character in Wayfarer Redemption, really need to kill the Sacred Groves, for example?) and naturally, they are not even there in DarkGlass Mountain.
You did a fantastic job!
Why, thank you!