Ofic: Out, part 21

[maldoror_gw]

I'm still catching up with reviews, but I do have to say one more time, a great thanks to all of you who read and comment on my fics ^__^ It's what makes me stick to my writing schedule and post once a week when possible (I'm a great procrastinator usually) For me, writing is a little like exercising. It's fun, but only after I've been doing it for

Comments

[reflecttheother]

"Ryou was trying to shake off the mental image of an imperturbable English butler

[reflecttheother]

Caught a typo on a second, more coherent and less sleep-deprived run: ""What?" croaked Ryou, overly aware that the only walls separating them from a camp full of soldiers were made of canvans." Did you mean "the only walls separating them from a camp full of soldiers were made of canvas"?

[maldoror_gw]

Ah yes, thanks *fixes typo*

I was originally going to end it on Darius's question too, but then Darius and Ryou sulked about that, so I had to write a little more :P

Those puppies always know what's called for, whether it's ripping a man's lungs out or giving Ryou some fuzzy comfort ^_^;

[bumpgrrl]

"ineluctably"
Oooo, shiny new word for mah vocabulary.

me too! who'da thought the internets could be educational?

[maldoror_gw]

'Ryou is aware that his moralizing is all very logically shaky. It's so much nice than having a preachy character'

I'm glad some of the readers dig that. A lot of bamf characters tend to see the new world they're in in black and white, without any of the wooly cowardly thinking we all indulge in in the real world. It's wish fulfilment, rather than realism; in extreme situations, the moral compass of most humans gets more flexible, not less. Ryou's far from home and in an unstable uncontrollable situation right now, even if he's hanging onto anything he can with both hands. That's kicked his moral blocks out, so he'll accept some pretty horrible things out of necessity or moral cowardice and fatigue, while other things, considerably less bad on the unethical scale but easier to refuse, he'll not be able to justify to himself. It's messy thinking, it's human thinking, and this being RYou, of COURSE he's aware of it ^__^

[anonymous]

Um, forgetting about the nightmare? Bad. Very bad. Oi, Ryu, there's a dimensional-hopping beastie out there with a 'nose' full of your scent. It is very hungry, and you have absolutely no protection aside from a low-magic army, the bastard relative of a royal, and your own battered wits. GET YOUR BUTT TO SOMEONE WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY'RE DOING.

That being said. Rand is utter love. Does nothing ruffle that man's composure?

Nia

[maldoror_gw]

The day we see Rand get ruffled...you'll know something pretty bad is going down.

Ryou's going to need a clue at some point. Though his instincts are good in this instance; they're telling him he's safe for now, but that thinking about this critter too hard would be helping it find him. The one possible circumstance where the Ostrich Strategy might actually work (for now, anyway...)

[anonymous]

Ah, yes, the strategy wherein one sticks one's fingers in the ears, the head in the sand, and goes 'Lalala I can't hear youuuuu~!' And then whatever it is that you were trying to avoid eventually wanders by and bites you in the rump you left so temptingly exposed. This plan amuses me to watch. *sits back and considers making popcorn*

Nia

[askerian]

Bwee!

"I swore to my brother back when I was seventeen that I'd never mistreat another woman again, and every female in the Outlands from here to the Maurya Empire somehow knows it.
Another, huh? But LOL at every woman out here knowing he's a softie inside somehow. XD

I like Rand. I like that he was the one to catch Ryou putting on a woman's tunic XD anyone else might have laughed.

The nightmare was creepy. D: Nurgh. he really needs to get some training soon, or else he's gonna get eaten or something.

Yay for more of Ryou's family history! I love how much like real people they feel, that it's more of a sense of obligation than angel-like altruism that keeps them basically decent people. It's a complex reason and not exactly the ideal of nobility and "rightness" but ... Prr. I like the nuances.

...and n'awwwww Darius thinking he was a bad lover who doesn't respect the rules earlier. hon, Ryou doesn't even know your rules, it's okay. u.u

[cathedral_junki]

...and n'awwwww Darius thinking he was a bad lover who doesn't respect the rules earlier. hon, Ryou doesn't even know your rules, it's okay. u.u

true dat. Still can't wait for /that/ conversation. *snickers*

[maldoror_gw]

It had to be Rand who caught Ryou slipping on that Roman damsel outfit. It wouldn't have been half as funy otherwise ^__^

Ryou definitely needs to find a user's guide to dimension hopping and skip straight to the chapter on How Not To Bring Bad Things Home. His instincts are good, but they'll only take him so far...

I really did not want Ryou to be some moralizing core of righteousness and honour. People are messier than that, and in messy situations they get messier still. Ryou's too prosaic and logical to get on his high horse for every amoral thing he sees or is forced to do. So the things that'll trip him up will perforce be illogical ^__^

[cathedral_junki]

'Who the hell are you, how much did Darius tell you, and aren't you the least bit surprised I showed up in bed with your boss after you saw me off in the opposite direction this morning?!' Ryou internally ranted,

Bah, some times Ryou needs to stop being so damn polite and say these things *out loud* so that we can /all/ get some answers. >.<

I can't believe, after everything, the one thing that Ryou has trouble w/ is taking tribute. *shakes head*

Thank you so much for the up date, i assume that there will be more about how Darius got dropped into no man's land in addition to the strange beastie that is now stalking Ryou. And i cannot /believe/ he didn't tell Darius. Ok, well, i believe it, but that was not an intelligent move.

[bumpgrrl]

Bah, some times Ryou needs to stop being so damn polite and say these things *out loud* so that we can /all/ get some answers. >.<

Seconded!

Also, I can see that the taking of tribute would be the one small thing in the overwhelmingly different world of war that is "real" enough for Ryou to identify with (especially given his grandfather's story), and therefore the thing he can react to and respond to on an immediate level.

[maldoror_gw]

We'll find out who Rand is next chapter, patience ^__^

Bumpgrrl's comment is on the dot. In addition, when Ryou participated in Bad THings before, it was a matter of pure survival. Here, there's not that pressure. Other people in Ryou's situation would have already tossed the moral compass in the bin and wouldn't balk at anything anymore. Ryou being Ryou, he knows his sticking point is illogical, but in the moral wasteland the journey left him in, he's got to draw the line somewhere; something so trivial as a jewel vs. something Ryou was sensitive about finally tipped the weight. If Darius knew a bit of psychology, he'd feel warmed and flattered by the fact that his obvious affection and support for Ryou has made the latter comfortable enough where he can start drawing the lines of his identity back again.