(no subject)
First off, I know it's been years since I've updated this thing... I've mostly been commenting on and reading other people's journals; instead I've been writing journal entries in an Open Office Writer file-I'll be copy-and=pasting some of them over the next month or two.
Second off, I'll admit it's been a few months since I've read any of the books in Anne Bishop's Black Jewels series. Thus, I may get some of the details wrong...
What the hell is up with Jaenelle's left over power?
A quick recap: After the events of Queen of the Darkness, her body had to be essentially rebuilt after unleashing her full strength in order to cleanse the Blood. Her own dream of having “normal” levels of power meant she could no longer wear the Ebony after said rebuilding... in Kaeleer's Heart it's revealed there's webs of power in the abyss; these webs were the remains of her Ebony strength. It was strongly implied she access it again-but it would result in her death because her body could no longer tolerate being a vessel for that level of power. After her death though, those webs of power appear to be acting as an anchor for Daemon-so he doesn't go off the deep end; there's still something of her around in order to keep him balanced. But when did she get the idea to use her old power that way? Did the events of Kaeleer's Heart, The Shadow Queen and Shalador's Lady make her realize Daemon would always need her to remain human, and thus use those webs for that purpose? Did she use a tangled web to activate those “old” webs as the Singing in the Darkness? If so, it seems to have been activated either at the moment of her death or not long afterward. Does this mean there'll be be no more of that singing after Daemon finally dies and returns to the Darkness? What about others who will hold the Black and need someone to act as a balance?
Jaenelle as Witch - or maybe it was Witch as Jaenelle, I don''t know and don't remember which it was - still survives over a hundred years after the death of Jaenelle's body. How much of that is because of the tangled web she helped to weave for Surreal and Daemon? Jaenelle Saetien was also Witch because of that web Jaenelle wove, helped by the Arachnid/Arachnians/whatever the term is. Is it normal for the last Witch to hang around for the next Witch? Is that how Jaenelle Angelline found out she was Witch.
Anyway, it was a major plot point in Daughter of the Blood and Heir to the Shadows that Witch couldn't become demon-dead, so how did Witch survive for over a century? (Though I guess it could be said Witch is a ghost, not demon-dead...) Could this linked to the Ebony webs in the abyss? Is she using that power to fuel her as a ghost? Though she did say a part of her would always exist as long as Daemon lived...
What about 99% of Jaenelle's friends? They were just names attached to Territories, that was IT. Nothing else, very little (if any) hints of personality, no backstory, NOTHING. The only purpose they seemed to have is to prove how Loved By All Jaenelle was. (And if you didn't Love Her, you were - at best - a Misguided Fool. [See Theran Grayhaven.] Or out-and-out evil. [See Dorothea and Hekatah.])
Also, what about Terreille> That Realm's fallen to pieces and the only reason Dena Nehele/Shalador Nehele hasn't is because the SaDiablo family intervened. From what I recall of Twilight's Dawn they never really go back to Terreille after Cassidy and Grey die. They might-at most-go to Terreille's version of the Keep, but... Thing is Terreille needs healing as much as Kaeleer did; actually it needs the healing MORE. By the time of Jaenelle's death, the place would've been in ruins for nearly 70 years; by the time of Jaenelle Saetian... add another oh, 50-100 years. Who knows if Dena Nehele and Shalador Nehele still exist as they are? The darkest Blood there-a Warlord Prince named Talon-wears the Sapphire as his Jewel of rank. As Surreal, Cassandra, Phillip, Wilhelmina, Titian (who never made her Offering because she was broken as a 12 year old, but wore the Green-she probably would've worn the Gray like Surreal) Dorothea, Andulvar, Lia, Grizzelle, Karla, Ladvarian, Luthvian, Kaelas, Kartane and Hekata prove you don't need to be related to Saetan or Witchto be powerful-so other Blood in Terreille could wear the Red or darker... which means those 2 Territories could be in a lot of trouble once Cassidy, Grey and Theran are gone. I suppose that also works in their favor too though-it was implied Grey could've worn the Sapphire as well, and Theran wore the Green... so that might counterbalance Cassidy's Rose-given time and the occasional “jump” forward, their line could throw someone who wears the Gray, Ebon-Gray, or even Black as their Jewels of rank.
Why are there no females who wear the Ebon-Gray? Is the Ebon-Gray a male only Jewel? The closest is Jaenalle, who has an Ebon-Gray Jewel to practice with (mentioned in Daughter of the Blood like twice and then dropped like a hot potato), and the Ebon-Gray threads in Twilight's Dawn. Cassandra and Jaenalle are the strongest women in the series, Jewel strength-wise. The next is Surreal, Karla and the Gray Ladies of Dena Nehele- they all wear the Gray. Karla, at the very least, had the potential to drop to the Ebon-Gray, but nope.
...That's about it for right now. I can't think of anything else. >.<