Comments | kippurcritiques: Straw Men and Bandages

kippurbird in kippurcritiques

Straw Men and Bandages

Feb 24, 2012 19:47

Chapter Eight: The Price of Power.

Hey, so remember Emo-Chicken? Apparently Paolini does because Nasuada is finally taking off the bandages for those cuts. She hasn't looked at the cuts since they were first bandaged because they were so horrid. Since winning the Trial of the Long Knives, she had refused to look at her wounds; they had appeared ( Read more... )

inheritance book

Comments 21

falconwhitaker February 25 2012, 20:46:03 UTC

... you know, I just took five seconds to think up a good reason for having the scars described with so much detail. It won't happen, but it would be interesting. It's also similar to something I plan to put into a story.

For some reason, Nasuada goes missing. Galby then contacts Eragon, claiming to have taken Nasuada and he shows Eragon somebody who looks like her. Eragon asks to see this woman's arms, and the scars are wrong. He therefore knows that Galby is bluffing: it's not really Nasuada, but somebody pretending to be here.

See? Now that would make that paragraph worthwhile. And something interesting happen. And Galby an active character instead of a big bad looming name with no face.

kippurbird March 2 2012, 19:18:26 UTC

That would actually be clever.

Unlikely to happen because I can't see Paolini letting his characters get captured like that, but it would be clever.

radiantstardust February 26 2012, 22:36:31 UTC

Maybe I'm missing the point, but if these scars are so horrible that Nasuada can barely look at them: firstly, why do they get so much description? And secondly, why doesn't she just wear gloves? This just seems like sort of a contrived thing. I mean, I would understand if she was just vain, but you'd think since she got those scars defending her people, she'd be proud of them.

Not to mention, too, that scars fade over time. I used to have a scar on my ankle the size of an apple from where I burned myself on a motorcycle. Now it's so faint that you can barely see it. That was only about four or five years ago.

kippurbird March 2 2012, 21:59:33 UTC

Paolini likes describing things, that's the only reason why I can think of him doing such a thing.

Scars do fade over time! I can barely see the ones on my knee now. I can only find them because I know what to look for.

It's as if he's trying to create character development for Nasuada by giving her fake angst. Or if anything she may be able to cover them up but she'll still know they're there.

carakasla February 28 2012, 04:23:44 UTC

Now, I have a big scar on my stomach from when I was born and had life saving surgery. It's not faint, it still looks like--even over two decades later--like someone ripped a knife down my stomach. There is actually an indent. Kids use to be creeped out by my scar because it was so gnarly looking. It's a scar every vain person would absolutely hate ( ... )

kippurbird May 2 2012, 20:53:00 UTC

Because Nasuda waifs on accepting her scars, it means she regrets sticking up for her people.

Exactly this.

I believe he's trying to for character development, but it's not the development he's looking for.

hakorin February 29 2012, 08:44:20 UTC

Geez... Brisingr is getting more and more confusing. Paolini describes things in such detail that I had a hard time reading Eldest when he cranked it up a notch. Same thing in Brisingr and Inheritance. *head desk* Paolini seems to describe EVERYTHING in exquisite detail that I just want the plot to move along already ( ... )

kippurbird May 2 2012, 20:56:07 UTC

I think all the urgals joined. Iffin I recall correctly. And I think part of the conditions of them joining was that they get to be in the main battles.

Besides, even if they shouldn't know that the Urgals are there, it makes it more... dramatic... conflict causing... if they are.

Has Nasuada ever compromised? O_o

You know, I don't know. Maybe that would be bad leadership.

dove_cg March 2 2012, 06:32:11 UTC

Paolini doesn't seem to understand how marriage works in a semi-feudal period for a person who is of nobility or pseudo-nobility. Her beauty doesn't matter that much, if she's the ruler of a whole country. It's simply a plus. Marriage is to gain assets, strengthen power, and spread influence. He sort of tried to touch on that with the idea of marrying Orrin but the problem is she'd still have to find a PERSONAL method of keeping the reigns in her hands, as you noted ( ... )

kippurbird May 2 2012, 20:59:23 UTC

Exactly. Marriage for love is a recent thing. Before it was for gaining ... vast tracks of land.

Putting masks on the urgals would be undignified. Or something. I'm sure. They also have horns and are taller.

dove_cg May 18 2012, 17:17:39 UTC

*responding super late but oh well* So get helmets that have holes for the horns and they're fine. ;) As for the taller, it depends on how much taller. Giant-sized might be hard to pass off but if they're just in the tall end of a human's range, even if it's strange to see SO many tall warriors at once, it could still work. :P :)