Red Brick Commentary
Nov. 4th, 2020 06:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mara_dienne459 posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
antishurtugal_rebornChapter Thirty-Nine: Why Do You Fight?
Eragon’s woken up by his anachronous elvish-made alarm clock. We’re told the knee he smashed into the stairs is purple, he’s sore, and his throat hurts. We’re also told that Eragon firmly believes his back issues will start to become more prevalent a problem for him and that makes him a whiny brat. 300 pages in and a plot device finally becomes a plot device. So Eragon whines:
So many weeks passed between attacks, he said, I began to hope that maybe, just maybe, I was healed.... I suppose sheer luck is the only reason I was spared that long.
No, what spared you was your author’s unwillingness to be consistent and picking and choosing when you had attacks. Because it doesn’t make sense that you’d have an attack practicing your swordsmanship, but not when you lift an extremely heavy backpack plus a canoe. Or you wouldn’t have an attack doing a strenuous activity like elf yoga, but have one trying to close a damn door that should’ve been closed in the first place. You can’t have it both ways Paolini. You can’t have this malady that affects Eragon at every single turn and then never use it except when you feel like it. That’s not how injuries work. You’re either all in or not at all. But then, Eragon’s injury is just a failed plot device that gets forgotten about more often than not, and is used to send a message that isn’t true nor should be believed, and is cured in the most stupid of ways
Saphira plays the role of comforting woman for a moment, telling him he’s not alone and she’ll do whatever she can to help. Then she tells him to get ready to go. Eragon goes to get his bath and shave and generally get ready for the day.
He was in the middle of drying himself when he felt a presence touch his mind. Without pausing to think, Eragon began to fortify his mind, concentrating on an image of his big toe to the exclusion of all else. Then he heard Oromis say, Admirable, but unnecessary. Bring Zar’roc with you today. The presence vanished.
What is with Eragon’s teachers and touching his mind without warning him first? Like this would be a severe violation of my rights as a student under Brom and Oromis. Stop invading my mind to deliver a message without warning! Just tell me up front you’re gonna do something like this so I’ll expect it! This is the second time someone tried to invade Eragon’s mind, the first after the Twins’ mind-rape back in Farthen Dur. I would be extremely wary of anyone trying to touch my mind without warning, and I would do exactly what Eragon did - fortify his mind so that nobody could break into it. Of course, with someone as powerful as Oromis, that’s an impossible task, because Oromis could just force his way in if he wanted to, but still. It’s invasion of privacy and it makes me uncomfortable. I’d complain. Of course, nothing would happen, because Oromis is the teacher and I’m the student, but still. Warn me.
Eragon released a shaky breath. I need to be more alert, he told Saphira. I would have been at his mercy if he were an enemy.
You’re at his mercy anyway, and he’s not an enemy. Your alertness, or lack thereof, won’t save you from a real attack. The only thing that’s saving you from being outright murdered is the fact you’re the self-insert of the author, and you’re the main character. If you die or are compromised, the story ends. Or we have a different story.
Saphira says something like “you’ll be just fine with me around” and that’s the end of that. Eragon opens the door, grabs the sword, and gets on Saphira’s back.
Saphira took flight with a rush of air, angling toward the Crags of Tel’naeír. From their high vantage point, they could see the damage that the storm had wreaked on Du Weldenvarden. No trees had fallen in Ellesméra, but farther away, where the elves’ magic was weaker, numerous pines had been knocked over. The remaining wind made the crossed branches and trees rub together, producing a brittle chorus of creaks and groans. Clouds of golden pollen, as thick as dust, streamed out from the trees and flowers.
So it’s still spring, then? If pollen is being released, it has to be spring. Although, I’ve never seen pollen “streaming” from trees and flowers. I’ve seen pollen being blown about on the wind, but not in huge clouds, which is what I’m imagining is happening here. And I’ve seen the aftermath, where the pollen is just clinging to everything, turning it yellow. But I’ve never seen it act as described here. “Clouds as thick as dust”, those are some thick clouds.
While they’re in transit, Eragon and Saphira exchange their memories from the day before - because, remember, they’re supposed to know what the other’s lesson was since they’ll be quizzed on it - and they somehow manage to succeed just before getting to Oromis’s place. And as expected, they’re quizzed, and the two of them are able to get every single answer correct. They’re praised for it, and then sent off for their respective lessons. Oromis shows some passing concern for Eragon and his issues, then heads off to go get his own sword and upon returning says they’re going to spar.
Eragon wanted nothing more than to refuse. However, he had no intention of breaking his vow or letting his resolve waver in front of Oromis. He swallowed his trepidation. This is what it means to be a Rider, he thought.
Well, no, being a Rider is far more complicated than just not breaking vows or not letting your resolve waver. Being a Rider means upholding the law even if you agree or disagree with someone’s actions. It’s standing for those who can’t protect themselves, and finding ways other than bloodshed to solve problems. It’s keeping the peace, even through the use of force. It’s taking scars onto your soul so that others don’t have to. It’s putting others before yourself, of sacrifice. To quote Chen Stormstout from the ending scene from the Mists of Pandaria cinematic: “Why do we fight? To protect home and family. To restore balance and create harmony. For my kind, the true question is, what is worth fighting for?”. That’s what a Rider ought to be about. Not this drivel.
Eragon protects the edge of Zar’roc with magic and then the two start doing the sword-fighting thing. Mary Sue Eragon is “an exemplary human swordsman” but he still can’t beat an elf because he’s too weak, too slow, too human. But he at least tries to win, even though it’s futile, and he knows it. So I’ll give him points on that one. Despite fighting so desperately, though, Eragon still has the wherewithal to observe Oromis and how he moves, and calls him “glorious” and “a perfect blend of control and untamed violence”. He also compares him to various animals - a cat, a heron, and a weasel - and I’m just like “Dude, you’re in a fight you’re trying to win, stop admiring your teacher and get with the fighting.” Anyway... in the middle of it all, this happens:
They had been sparring for almost twenty minutes when Oromis faltered, his narrow features clamped in a brief grimace. Eragon recognized the symptoms of Oromis’s mysterious illness and lashed out with Zar’roc. It was a low thing to do, but Eragon was so frustrated, he was willing to take advantage of any opening, no matter how unfair, just to have the satisfaction of marking Oromis at least once.
Ah, there he is! The Eragon that’s acts like a petulant brat when things don’t go his way, and the one who likes to mete out violence when he’s frustrated and angry. I was wondering where this one went. I mean, not two paragraphs ago Eragon was saying how he wasn’t going to let his resolve waver and the meaning of being a Rider and shit like that, and now that he can’t fight back against Oromis because he’s human and Oromis is an elf, he’s pissed off and angry that he can’t win. I mean, he can’t win even when he becomes an elf, so... I don’t see the point of getting pissed off. Well, other than a plot device so the other plot device can rear its ugly head.
Well, Eragon never has a chance to follow through on his bastardry because he suddenly has another attack and collapses. There’s a paragraph skip and then we’re told how much pain Eragon is in because he’s conscious through it all this time, and he’s quite eloquent for being in so much pain that he can’t move. Usually when I’m in that kind of pain, I’m crying or cussing or both and I can’t think beyond “ow ow ow ow ow ow ow motherfucker ow ow”. Or nothing at all. Most times it’s nothing at all, depending on out intense the pain is. There’s another time skip and Eragon is laying in the mud. Oromis is just sitting next to him on a stool, which tells me that Oromis watched Eragon go down, stared at him for a while, then went to go get said stool and made himself comfortable to wait. He didn’t bother to try to help Eragon. He didn’t bother to try to alleviate his pain. He just sat there and watched him.
And what happened to that promise he made about how he and the best elven healers were going to try to figure out how to solve Eragon’s back issue? Yeah, that never comes up again.
Anyway, Eragon sits up and is more grossed out by the fact his brand new elven clothes are covered in mud, and we’re told he had convulsions, which he can tell because the mud is everywhere. He realizes Saphira is in his mind and she’s been watching too. Just waiting for him to notice her, the text says. She asks him how he can continue on like this, it’ll destroy him.
Her misgivings undermined Eragon’s remaining fortitude. Saphira had never before expressed doubt that he would prevail, not at Dras-Leona, Gil’ead, or Farthen Dûr, nor with any of the dangers they had encountered. Her confidence had given him courage. Without it he was truly afraid.
She did change her tune pretty quick didn’t she? I remember before, she was encouraging him to do things despite his injury, saying that there was nothing he couldn’t overcome if he put his brain to it. And now all of a sudden, without any other context besides the attack the night before and this one, she’s terrified. Like his sudden bouts with epilepsy suddenly makes him less or incapable. Which is really the wrong message to send, FYI. Just because you have a disability or an injury doesn’t mean you’re suddenly useless and have to take a back seat while more able-bodied persons do the hard work for you. Like seriously, when do these people start taking responsibility for themselves? Oh, right, after the magical celebration that magically cures Eragon and makes him an elf.
Eragon waves her off, she stubbornly says that she ought to be with him, so he snaps at her to leave him alone. She does so, but remains at the very edges of his consciousness, whereupon the narrator helpfully tells us that it’s so Eragon is “vaguely aware” of Glaedr teaching her about this fireweed plant, which helps dragon digestion, apparently. There’s a random line where Eragon spits out blood and says he bit his tongue, and Oromis blandly asks him if he needs healing. Eragon says no, so Oromis says fine, go clean yourself up and go meditate. Yeah, no offering to help him to stand or offering to help him with anything else. Great teacher you are, Oromis. So there’s a time skip and we rejoin Eragon on his meditation stump, where he tells us that he can’t concentrate enough to meditate because he’s too focused on his injury and his emotions are turbulent. He also really isn’t interested in doing his exercise.
Still, the peaceful quality of his surroundings gradually ameliorated his resentment, confusion, and stubborn anger. It did not make him happy, but it did bring him a certain fatalistic acceptance. This is my lot in life, and I’d better get used to it because it’s not about to improve in the foreseeable future.
Vocabulary word of the day - ameliorated. Basically a fancy way of saying “making something bad or unsatisfactory better”. In other words, Eragon’s surroundings made him come to tolerate his lot in life and push aside his negative feelings. Which doesn’t make a lot of sense, in context, nor does it actually stick. He thinks this way for the moment, but he quickly forgets it in a couple of paragraphs/chapters and goes right back to being a resentful, petulant brat whose life isn’t fair. Also, more great foreshadowing! Now we know it’s going to get better in the future, because we can’t have our hero down in the dumps and unable to fulfill his destiny, right?
After a quarter of an hour, his faculties had regained their usual acuity, so he resumed studying the colony of red ants that he had discovered the day before. He also tried to be aware of everything else that was happening in the glade, as Oromis had instructed.
Well, told. Oromis does very little in the way of “instructing”. Like Eragon literally has no idea what to do here, or what to expect, so he doesn’t know what actual success at the lesson would be or feel like. He’s just... sitting on a stump trying to study his ants but also be aware of every other living organism in the vicinity. That is, to leave his mind open so that he can sense the thoughts of every creature around him, but have his eyes and thoughts focused on the task in front of him. Yeah, this lasts all for about one paragraph in practice and then is completely ignored for the rest of the series, unless it’s convenient for the characters to do so, or like in Eragon’s case, when he’s got the Deus Ex Machina to keep an eye out for him and protect him while he searches for a particular mind at the end of Book Four. I really don’t like that mechanics get introduced, used for a hot minute, then dropped like it’s actually hot, and never used again except as convenient contrivances to free the main character from the space between the rock and the hard place.
Anyway, Eragon finally does what he was told to do, but it doesn’t last long. His single-mindedness kicks in where he can only focus on one thing at a time before tossing it back and focusing on another, and only after realizing what he’s doing is he able to broaden his awareness. But it doesn’t last long and he goes straight back to staring at one thing to the exclusion of all else. And we get four paragraph about ants. This time the ants are fighting something that’s murdering their fellows. Eventually the ants win and Eragon says their feats are heroic enough to be sung about by bards. ...Right. Anyway, he’s so engrossed in what’s going on that when the ants win, he shouts out and startles the birds. Now he has to go check his ants out.
Out of curiosity, he returned his attention to his own body, then walked to the rosebush to view the dead monster for himself. What he saw was an ordinary brown spider with its legs curled into a fist being transported by the ants down to their nest for food.
Uh... what kind of animal planet is Paolini watching? This is... again right out of the middle of “what the fuck”, like the damn geese in the tree. If this was a certain kind of spider that hunted for its food, like the tarantula or something of that kind, okay, sure, I could get behind the thing hunting ants, especially if the spider was designed to hunt prey like ants. Okay, so I did some research. There are actually very few spiders that hunt ants, and all of them are venomous. The brown recluse, the jumping spider, Zodarion spiders, the black widow, and lynx spider are the only known species to prey on ants. Guess what they all have in common. An ordinary spider would not be able to survive while it tried to eat, and that’s not a good way to survive. So Paolini is completely wrong here. This spider would not have attacked these ants just because. Animals don’t attack, just because. Humans attack, just because. But this... this is just stupid.
Eragon’s all shocked about the ants, and if you’re expecting this bit to be like a sort of Aesop’s Fable and teach Eragon a lesson about something he’s going to encounter in his future, prepare to be disappointed. But then he realizes that he done fucked up, so he quickly scans the glade for something to tell Oromis, because he really doesn’t want to sit there anymore. He’s hungry and his hour is already gone. So he goes back and describes what he saw to Oromis but Oromis continues to be Disappointed. He tells Eragon he needs to work harder and put aside his personal shit so he can concentrate on the task he’s meant to perform. Eragon says he’s doing his best and Oromis says:
“No, this isn’t your best. We shall recognize your best when it appears.” He paused thoughtfully. “Perhaps it would help if you had a fellow student to compete with. Then we might see your best.... I will think on the matter.”
Well, maybe it would help if Eragon was actually taught instead of told and then ridiculed when he failed because he can’t grasp the lesson you’re supposed to be teaching him. Also, having another student to compete with is a great idea... if that other student was also human. Anyone Oromis pits against Eragon is going to be an elf. Which means they’re already going to be more powerful, more experienced, and better at everything than he is. Not only that, those who are close to his own age, relatively speaking, are so prejudiced against him, that they’d sooner hurt him or kill him than help him. Literally, everyone resents him for being chosen. They hate the fact that he’s human and he got picked, because to them, all humans are just like Galbatorix, and therefore should no longer be able to be Riders. But I personally think the elves are just as terrible, so, maybe Eragon was the lesser of two evils.
They settle in to have lunch and we’re told Eragon’s so sick of being vegan. He wants meat. Meat, Grommet, the meat! Because it’s all about what Eragon wants. Anyway, to distract himself, he asks Oromis why he wants him to meditate. Surely it can’t be just so he comes to understand the lives of animals and insects. Oromis replies:
“Can you think of no other motive?” Oromis sighed when Eragon shook his head. “Always it is thus with my new students, and especially with the human ones; the mind is the last muscle they train or use, and the one that they regard the least. Ask them about swordplay and they can list every blow from a duel a month old, but ask them to solve a problem or make a coherent statement and... well, I would be lucky to get more than a blank stare in return. You are still new to the world of gramarye— as magic is properly called—but you must begin to consider its full implications.”
Oh, god, another word just thrown in there just because. And forever from this point, the elves and Eragon will use the word “gramarye” for magic. It’s Paolini flexing his thesaurus. And I say that because the dictionary definition for “gramarye” is literally “magic”. So it isn’t that magic is “properly” called gramarye, it’s that they’re interchangeable. I really wish something like this would’ve popped up earlier and wasn’t smacked into our face with all the subtlety of a wet slimy fish.
“How so?”
“Imagine for a moment that you are Galbatorix, with all of his vast resources at your command. The Varden have destroyed your Urgal army with the help of a rival Dragon Rider, who you know was educated—at least in part—by one of your most dangerous and implacable foes, Brom. You are also aware that your enemies are massing in Surda for a possible invasion. Given that, what would be the easiest way to deal with these various threats, short of flying into battle yourself?”
I’m glad Oromis knows all this for fact. We never really get any hint that Galbatorix knows any of this. Other than what other characters say about him, we never hear from the man himself until Book Three, and even then barely. I’m glad Oromis seems more dialed in that our own perennial bad guy. And I enjoy that Oromis assumes Galbatorix even cares about all this information.
Eragon stirred his stew to cool it while he examined the issue. “It seems to me,” he said slowly, “that the easiest thing would be to train a corps of magicians—they wouldn’t even have to be that powerful—force them to swear loyalty to me in the ancient language, then have them infiltrate Surda to sabotage the Varden’s efforts, poison wells, and assassinate Nasuada, King Orrin, and other key members of the resistance.”
Why does it have to be a corps of magicians? Why can’t it just be a couple ordinary guys who know what the fuck they’re doing? Of course, awesome use of foreshadowing yet again. Now this becomes a thing, and Galby has a poor man’s version of the Black Hand, which as we find out later, was Morzan’s idea. Morzan only had the one - Selena, guess whose mom she is - whom he trained in magic and assassination and all that other terrible stuff. Turns out Galby thought that was a great idea and appropriated it, and made it into a huge organization that nobody ever knew about until now. And something that big would, you’d think, be huge news that everyone would know about and be afraid of. The villagers would’ve been afraid of something like that. An organization of assassins that you’d never know to be assassins until they murder you? Every unknown person could be working for the king and you’d never know it until it was too late.
Also, why would Galbatorix bother doing this? Why bother trying to sabotage efforts and poison wells and assassinate leaders? Like that shit is only going to make things worse and turn his own people against him. Right now, he’s the defender. Right now, he’s the role of the hero, protecting his kingdom from incursion by the Varden and Surda. And Surda seriously has little reason to attack Alagaesia and invade it, because they’re a major trading partner with Surda. Attacking your trading partner is asking for disaster, especially when their ruler is vastly more powerful than you. No, Galbatorix is doing these things because the good guys say he is, not because they know he is. Really, the guy could be sitting back watching Netflix and simply watching events unfold before he needs to put on his pants and go deal with this shit. You never actually see the bad guys in action; you’re only told they’re doing nefarious things, and you’re told this by the good guys. You have to believe them, right? They’re the good guys.
“And why hasn’t Galbatorix done this yet?”
“Because until now, Surda was of negligible interest to him, and because the Varden have dwelled in Farthen Dûr for decades, where they were able to examine every newcomer’s mind for duplicity, which they can’t do in Surda since its border and population are so large.”
“Because we have to have Galbatorix attack first,” Eragon said, “so that the Varden and Surda can look like the good guys simply defending themselves from the psychotic madman.” Like literally that’s the only reason shit is going down now. We need to kick this story into high gear, and make the push toward the traditional final battle at the end of the book. I mean, Eragon’s not wrong; all these things are true. But at the same time, if Galbatorix wanted them all gone, he could’ve just done it himself. He can still do it himself. But if he did we wouldn’t have this story.
“Those are my very conclusions,” said Oromis. “Unless Galbatorix forsakes his lair in Urû’baen, the greatest danger you’re likely to encounter during the Varden’s campaign will come from fellow magicians. You know as well as I how difficult it is to guard against magic, especially if your opponent has sworn in the ancient language to kill you, no matter the cost. Instead of attempting to first conquer your mind, such a foe will simply cast a spell to obliterate you, even though—in the instant before you are destroyed—you will still be free to retaliate. However, you cannot fell your murderer if you don’t know who or where he is.”
This doesn’t make any sense to me. Why is Eragon’s greatest danger fellow magic users? Just because there’re spells that exist that can blow him up with a single word? Why don’t we ever see that? Like they wouldn’t kill him, because that would kill Saphira, and Galby needs Saphira alive. So really, his greatest danger would come from some normal asshole who has extremely good accuracy with a knife or arrow. Also, this is not a thing I’ve ever read in fantasy stories with magic. There are rules you have to follow, and one of those rules is “do not kill with magic because it will rebound on to you”. Literally, you cannot cast a death spell without having that same spell rebound at you. That’s why wizards have death spells that cast at the moment of their death - they’re already dead when the spell comes back, so it can’t hurt them. This is just a convoluted method of introducing wards - magical shields that draw on the caster’s own strength to protect them from physical or magical blows that would maim and/or kill them. We didn’t see them in Book One, and we should have because the elves would’ve used them and therefore Durza’s plan wouldn’t have succeeded, but now they’ve suddenly become a thing. It’s stupid and unfair, both to the characters and to the readers.
Eragon questions the need to not take over your opponent’s mind in a duel, which I think negates what Brom told him about a wizard’s duel, and Oromis says sometimes you need to, but you really should avoid that risk. Now we get into the meat of the issue, which is how do you defend yourself from an invisible enemy who can protect themselves against physical attacks and kill with just a word? Eragon says he doesn’t know... unless he can be aware of all the consciousnesses around him, and then he could see if they meant him harm. golf clap By George, he got it in one!
Oromis appeared pleased by his answer. “Even so, Eragon-finiarel. And that’s the answer to your question. Your meditations condition your mind to find and exploit flaws in your enemies’ mental armor, no matter how small.”
Which is great... unless it never happens again after one instance. Literally, Paolini introduces this mechanic, uses it once, and then never utilizes it again. Suddenly it becomes “too dangerous” to even leave your mind unguarded - or even connected, in Eragon and Saphira’s case - and this entire conversation is swiftly forgotten. Even Eragon’s ability to be aware of people is missing, except when it’s convenient for it not to be, such as in Book Three, he becomes aware of soldiers riding toward him and Arya, but instead of hiding or using magic to somehow obscure themselves, they let the soldiers accost them and then have to fight and kill the soldiers. There’s no need for this violence, it adds nothing to the story save for highlighting Eragon’s sociopathy, and could be completely avoided. But no. Why? Because Paolini wanted that violent nonsense.
“But won’t another magic user know if I touch their mind?”
“Aye, they will know, but most people won’t. And as for the magicians, they will know, they will be afraid, and they will shield their minds from you out of their fear, and you will know them because of it.”
Wow, Oromis. Just repeat yourself a couple more times. I don’t think we understand that the mages will know he touched their minds and shield themselves, thus allowing Eragon to know who they are. Well, sort of. He’ll know their minds, but not their faces. So. Also, yay for subtle mind-rape. Seriously, if you’re touching their minds and they can feel it, that’s rape. The whole point of this exercise is so they don’t feel it. You’re eavesdropping, not knocking.
There’s some talk about it being dangerous to leave your mind unguarded and how it’s less dangerous to leave your mind unguarded than be blind to everything around you. Which is completely ignored in the later books, just saying. Eragon contemplates this for a moment, then says it feels wrong. Oromis demands he explains himself, so he does so, and talks about people’s mental privacy and what Brom taught him concerning all this stuff, and if it was so important to be aware all the time why didn’t Brom tell him or train him? Oromis says:
“Brom told you,” said Oromis, “what was appropriate to tell you under the circumstances. Dipping into the pool of minds can prove addictive to those with a malicious personality or a taste for power. It was not taught to prospective Riders—though we had them meditate as you do throughout their training—until we were convinced that they were mature enough to resist temptation.
So you thought. I mean, just because you’re convinced that they’re mature enough to resist temptation doesn’t mean they will. That’s why it’s called temptation. You want to believe they know right from wrong and will always choose right, but that doesn’t necessarily always happen. And if it’s as addictive as Oromis says it could be, why bother doing it? Believe me, it doesn’t always have to be someone with a malicious personality or a taste for power. It could be someone trying to do a good thing by doing a bad thing. The lesser evil. The “I know it’s wrong, but...” excuse.
“It is an invasion of privacy, and you will learn many things from it that you never wanted to. However, this is for your own good and the good of the Varden. I can say from experience, and from watching other Riders experience the same, that this, above all else, will help you to understand what drives people. And understanding begets empathy and compassion, even for the meanest beggar in the meanest city of Alagaësia.”
Yeah, that’s true - understanding begets empathy and compassion - but you don’t have to invade people’s minds to gain that understanding! You talk and listen and hear what people are saying and why they’re upset or unhappy. Invading their minds is only going to make things worse. Because now they know you can hear their thoughts and now they’re afraid of you. If this was how the Riders ruled, no wonder people had peace and prosperity. They were too afraid to do anything because the Riders would know it and act. Like that’s as much slavery as literal chains.
The conversation shifts then and Oromis wants Eragon to tell him what the most important mental tool is that someone can possess. Eragon’s first answer is “determination” and Oromis says he understands why Eragon came to that conclusion but he’s wrong. Then he clarifies himself by saying it’s a tool that is necessary to choose the best course of action in a situation.
This time Eragon treated the question as he would a riddle, counting the number of words, whispering them out loud to establish whether they rhymed, and otherwise examining them for hidden meaning. The problem was, he was no more than a mediocre riddler and had never placed very high in Carvahall’s annual riddle contest. He thought too literally to work out the answers to riddles that he had not heard before, a legacy of Garrow’s practical upbringing.
Now Carvahall has an annual riddle contest? Really? What the fuck Paolini? Why do we need these useless tidbits? They have nothing to do with the story, we never see them happen, and there’s no mention of them ever happening again! None of the other villagers ever mention something like this! Ever! And when do they take place? Who knows! Because this is just inane information that nobody needs! Is there a word quota he has to reach? Do we really need an explanation of why Eragon can’t solve riddles that any preschooler could solve? Did the paragraph look too naked without an extra line of exposition?
Eragon’s next answer is wisdom, but no, he’s wrong again. The answer Oromis is looking for is “logic”. He says logic can overcome any lack of wisdom, which is something one gains through age and experience. Eragon argues that having a good heart is more important than logic because pure logic can lead you to answers that are ethically wrong but if you’re moral and righteous, you won’t act shamefully. Lay on the Vulcan Philosophy a little thicker, will you? Also, I don’t fully agree here because people with “good hearts” have made bad decisions because they think what they’re doing is right, when it’s really not. Similarly, people who have just used “logic” to answer their questions often end up hurting more people than they save. Each has their applications, but humans aren’t really designed to use pure logic. We’re emotional beings. We choose with emotion more often than logic. Anyway, Oromis answers:
A razor-thin smile curled Oromis’s lips. “You confuse the issue. All I wanted to know was the most useful tool a person can have, regardless of whether that person is good or evil. I agree that it’s important to be of a virtuous nature, but I would also contend that if you had to choose between giving a man a noble disposition or teaching him to think clearly, you’d do better to teach him to think clearly. Too many problems in this world are caused by men with noble dispositions and clouded minds.
Give a man a fish and he’ll be full for a day. Teach the man to fish, and he will be full for eternity. Also, no one is ever logical, because we all think with our emotions and we invest ourselves in the task or decision we have to make. Sometimes we can be impartial, especially if we have to make a choice that’s going to affect many lives, but that’s not the norm. Also, I think Oromis is getting very preachy here for a guy whose race abandoned the field twice and allowed Galbatorix to rise to power uncontested. Like how logical was that? That was emotions ruling, and everybody else going along with it because hey, it’s their problem now, right? I really do like how Oromis touts logic but then doesn’t bother to remember that his own queen didn’t use it. Because, logically, she should’ve sent out people to look for the egg if she thought Arya was dead. She should’ve left her warriors with the Varden in the event Farthen Dur was compromised, which it ended up being. So where does Oromis get off on preaching logic to Eragon when there are way too many examples of nobody actually following this teaching? Or was it only the Riders that had to rule with logic? Seems like a universal trait everyone, including rulers, should have.
“History provides us with numerous examples of people who were convinced that they were doing the right thing and committed terrible crimes because of it. Keep in mind, Eragon, that no one thinks of himself as a villain, and few make decisions they think are wrong. A person may dislike his choice, but he will stand by it because, even in the worst circumstances, he believes that it was the best option available to him at the time.
Well, how about giving us some of those examples, Oromis? Seriously, we don’t know Alagaesia’s history, so we have no context for what Oromis is saying. We can compare our own history with what he’s saying, and yeah, there’s tons of bad shit that happens, but I wouldn’t say it was for good reasons. The people committing the atrocities might have said it was for good reasons, or thought it was for a good reason, but I really can’t pick out one thing in our own history where someone was convinced they were doing something right and committed an atrocity because of it. Anything I can look at - the massacre of native Americans, slavery, war - was all done for greed and the idea of one race being superior to another.
They talk more about logic and it’s very boring, mostly the idea that just being a good person doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll act like it, and Oromis says the most important line ever in this book: “Logic will never fail you, unless you’re unaware of - or deliberately ignore - the consequences of your deeds” which is exactly what every character in this book does. Does Eragon use logic when he kills that boy soldier begging for his life? No. He uses emotion and fear that the boy is going to blab about his location despite being miles away from any form of civilization. Does Nasuada use logic when she sieges Aroughs, an unimportant city in the grand scheme of things? No. Does anyone actually use logic in these books? No.
Anyway, they talk about how elves, being so logical, must always agree on what to do and Oromis laughs at him and says no way. It’s all about point of view and emotions. They talk about how Oromis is going to teach Eragon this logic thing, and Oromis smiles super wide and says they’re going to debate. Then he asks Eragon why he fights the Empire. Eragon says it’s because he wants to help everyone who suffers under Galby’s rule and for personal vengeance. This is somehow categorized as “humanitarian reasons”. Eragon doesn’t get it. So Oromis explains and Eragon’s like yeah, that’s it. That’s why I fight. Then Oromis points out that fighting Galby is only going to cause more suffering and Eragon’s all shocked that Oromis could even say that because Galby is evil and so the ends justify the means in his eyes, I guess. Eragon knows he’s right, he just doesn’t know how to prove it. So he asks Oromis if he doesn’t believe Galby needs to be overthrown. Oromis evades. Eragon persists, and then Oromis gives Eragon the cold shoulder by staying silent. Then Oromis asks if he upset Eragon, which he has. Oromis doesn’t seem to care, and the chapter ends with him telling Eragon to think of an answer, and it better be convincing.
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Date: 2020-11-04 06:02 pm (UTC)You know what? THIS. This makes me wonder if this is exactly how the rest of the elves treated Oromis after he became disabled. I mean... yeah, they all respect him and tons of pretty things, but have you noticed how Oromis goes on and on about how he's dying and all he can do is gaining time with tons of small spells, because he can't use strong magic? Well, why the FUCK doesn't the MOST IMPORTANT ELF AFTER THE QUEEN have tons of elves working to save/help him. These fuckers can cure cancer and put a plumbing system in a tree but and I am supposed to believe that no one was even able to stabilize his illness? That not a single elf offered to cast for him the spells he can't cast himself anymore?
No shit, I am 100% convinced that The Elf of the Apocalypse (because honestly, it's all HIS fault, the Fall and all the rest) acts like a piece of shit towards Eragon's disability because his whole race acted like a piece of shit towards his and just watched him suffer alone without bothering to help except for the bare minimum (donating energy for his sword, that takes a total 3 seconds and costs nothing).
Oromis: Logic is important or you will screw up.
Also Oromis: whaaaat? this 19 years old child just lost his dragon, half of his sould, almost died crossing alone the spine and is clearly not fine and desperate YES LET'S CALL HIM INSANE AND TREAT HIM LIKE SHIT HE WILL GET BETTER FOR SURE. UHU. #LOGIC
...Also, what Oromis does is not debate. Like, not at all. Debate means having a conversation, Oromis just wants the answer he wants to hear and that he believes to be the right one.
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Date: 2020-11-05 04:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-11-05 08:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-11-05 08:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-11-05 12:02 pm (UTC)All things that, btw, happen even between +14 years old.
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Date: 2020-11-05 12:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-11-05 12:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-11-06 05:02 am (UTC)Even with the Urgals, it is not maturity, it is always the world accomodating him and serving him a very convenient outcome he doesn't have to work for.
Fucking mindraping their leader so he can get over his prejudiced is goddamn vile. Thinking about it right now literally makes my skin crawl.
(I quitted the Sea of Stars after the genitalia part)
The period part? I signed up for that chapter, and I am going to rip it to shreds. News flash, WOMEN ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE IN CONSTANT PAIN DURING THEIR PERIODS. The Doctor doesn't even give her painkillers, or pills or anything. It's "deal with it or remove your organs"
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Date: 2020-11-06 08:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-11-06 09:24 am (UTC)It's not just gross and creepy but ridiculously unnecessary. There was no reason story- or character-wise for Paolini to go there. It's just thrown in and then forgotten.
I haven't finished reading the thing either. It's just so boring when it isn't actively pissing me off.
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Date: 2020-11-06 07:48 am (UTC)Yeah, no kidding. It gets especially loud and repetitive in the last book, when Ergy's trying to find his True Name and the whole revelation involved is to do with him going "I'm not the same person I used to be!", and then later on Arya rubs it in at the end by saying his True Name is a good one but "I don't think it's the one you had when you left Carp Hat", and he's all "yeah, I've had to grow up!". And the rest of us are sitting there going "Uh, when did THAT happen?" I mean FFS if anything he become more immature and childish as the series goes on, not less.
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Date: 2020-11-06 08:44 am (UTC)Yes, if anything Ergy just gained more magical trinkets. Not wisdom and experience. I mean WHEN did he gain experience? He was never challenged in the first place! For Christ's sake, *Vanir* has more personal growth: starts as a prick and end up becoming an ambassador to learn about other races and open his mind a bit. Eragon cannot even do that! If anything he becomes MORE racist - look at how his opinion of humans changes. He seems ashamed of being a human at the end and doesn't call himself one.
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Date: 2020-11-06 09:09 am (UTC)Please. That guy couldn't run the ice cream stall at the local primary school fete (and those stalls employ actual children). What the hell does he even know about teaching? What has he even learned that he has to pass on? "When things aren't going your way just whine a lot until someone comes along and fixes it for you?" "If someone opposes you, always use violence, killing and mental violation as your FIRST resort?" Bah. Any student of his would start rebelling in a matter of weeks.
...I need to get back to work on the next instalment of Sword and Shadow.
Never. You learn by making mistakes and having to deal with the consequences, and you learn from suffering, and you learn from sometimes bitter experience, and you learn from listening with humility. None of which ever happened to Eragon. He doesn't listen, he never faces consequences, he never suffers in any meaningful way, and he doesn't have to cope with bitter experience or any trial at all that he doesn't overcome in a few pages thanks to some cheap shortcut or other. He gets mixed up in a world changing war and physically transformed out of all recognition, and somehow manages to remain a sheltered, spoilt, coddled child.
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Date: 2020-11-06 09:37 am (UTC)As I need to keep working on "Shame on me". Unfortunately, I keep fixing the plot and eliminating redundant/unnecessary characters. Just decided to "fuse" two.
...Jesus, it's NaNoWriMo, I should really put my head in writing. How do you put text in italics btw?
Can you imagine Eragon as TEACHER? Jesus, he would SO mind-rape his students and forcefully submit them. At least Oromis had some ClassTM.
This fucker has 0 empathy, comprehension and is full "my way or the highway". His students will not even be allowed to express an opinion out of fear of repercussions. Imagine if a student will be as disrespectful as he was with Oromis. Pfff.
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Date: 2020-11-06 09:56 am (UTC)At the beginning of the word or sentence you want to italicise, put "< i >" without the spaces or the quote marks. At the end, put "< / i >". For boldface, replace the "i" with a "b".
Not at all. The guy would be either a bumbling incompetent or a high-handed, arrogant tyrant. Possibly both.
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Date: 2020-11-06 10:14 am (UTC)Oh, will have a rebellion against him in 3... 2... 1...
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Date: 2020-11-06 10:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-11-06 11:29 am (UTC)In Shame on me Oromis is equally stupid. Like, he never had any control over the human he *really* needs to control. Then by pure miracle he manages to win over a bit of trust and affection and the human has a bit of emotional conflict because yeah, maybe he is really trying maybe I was unfair judging him as a racist elitist bastard and I should give him a chance... And Oromis ruins everything as soon as he opens him mouth again. "Please, understand. These are affairs of paramount importance we cannot allow humans to meddle in".
Literally: thanks for solving my internal conflict for me, dude. And fuck you too, eh.
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Date: 2020-11-06 11:48 am (UTC)You and me both!
A classic mistake. I've given way too many douchebags second third and sometimes fourth chances they didn't deserve, and I usually ended up paying for it.
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Date: 2020-11-06 12:04 pm (UTC)"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me"
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Date: 2020-11-06 09:12 am (UTC)Yeah, I think if anything meaningful really does change about him, it's his level of arrogance and contempt for other people. In book one he occasionally showed at least some empathy and interest toward others, but by the end there's not a shred of that left. I mean just look at what he did to poor Galby. Yes, the guy was a threat, but seeing ANYONE suffer that horribly would make any halfway decent person cringe in sympathy. Eragon just stands there coldly refusing the guy's pleas for mercy and watches him die without a care in the world.
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Date: 2020-11-06 05:04 am (UTC)It gets tiresome, too. I've cussed when I've injured myself, but not casually. I also don't cuss in settings with strangers, like Kira and everybody else does.
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Date: 2020-11-06 05:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-11-06 05:51 am (UTC)Yeah. I mean, you don't have implants. Boo hoo. At the beginning of the book, she whines about Alan. Babe, you chose this job for a reason. Show some professionalism.
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Date: 2020-11-06 05:49 am (UTC)Oromis sighed when Eragon shook his head. “Always it is thus with my new students, and especially with the human ones;* the mind is the last muscle they train or use, and the one that they regard the least.*
WOAH. #Casualracism. Oromis just said that in front of his human student, insulting him on both a personal and racial level. Just wow. This says a lot about the elves, and none of it good.
*There’s a random line where Eragon spits out blood and says he bit his tongue, and Oromis blandly asks him if he needs healing. Eragon says no, so Oromis says fine, go clean yourself up and go meditate. Yeah, no offering to help him to stand or offering to help him with anything else. *
I sort of understand this. I tend to be very very oblivious when it comes to social cues, so when people tell me that they are fine, I take it at face value. However, Oromis is not like that.
Speaking of his disability, what if he was so surly because he was isolated from the elves, because they don't accept him fully because he's not perfect. He's not paying attention to Eragon either because he's used to it, or he's mad that Eragon immediately gets offered a fix and he didn't.
Now, however, Oromis is a thoughtless jerk.
So he goes back and describes what he saw to Oromis but Oromis continues to be Disappointed. He tells Eragon he needs to work harder and put aside his personal shit so he can concentrate on the task he’s meant to perform.
ORLY Mr. Apocalyse Elf, who literally hid for the hundred years since Galby took over. Oromis literally does the bare minimum. I bet he's hitting the bottle with Glaedr in his spare time.