Random Fleets

[rthstewart]

The final observations (for now) by lady_songsmith 

Random & Fleeting Comments

I am rather fascinated by P's knowledge of bees. Talking Bees? N tends, as RR muses in the museum, to 'charismatic and mammalian' species for Talking Beasts, o I can't picture Bees. Does this knowledge come via Bears? Dryads? Centaur scholars?

 Definitely sympathize (and giggle every time I read it) with RR's desire to hand P upside down and shake him. There is quite a lot locked up in that brain, and for a scientist it must be an impossible temptation.

 I have to giggle at P's comparison of the Scotus essay to his warrior training. It does rather feel that way sometimes -- particularly the cudgel about the head part.

 The fact that MAR knows that people -- men especially -- around her study and teach M. Management: I love it. I almost want to hear her discussion of hips. Almost.

 Adore the L/E interaction ("in my room, on my floor..."); it captures wonderfully both decades of living in one another pockets and yet fitting into teenaged British life.

 I presume, reading this, that the actual letters were somewhat more fantastical and we are actually seeing through S's eyes with a Narnian overlay rather than reading them verbatim -- otherwise I think very little of the censors! I know, for the story purposes it had to be clear; please don't take that a criticism.

 Compared to pig intestines, grasshoppers, and fish eyes, the HK tea must have seemed practically mundane. MAR never stood a chance of discomfiting P, did she?

L and the Moose song!! Now -- did she know was P was reading or did E tell her to sing it just then?

 Just out of curiosity, did S ever use any of those treatments for drunk young men on her brothers?

 I cry so hard when E talks about Aslan's Country.

Eustace and the High... Peter. Poor lad, his worldview's really gone 180, hasn't it? Peter may have to get used to a new title.

 E's thoughts on P's vegetarianism -- I didn't get the impression that P had gone veg, only that he appreciated veg cuisine (other than boiled carrots ala H&A). Certainly the HK tea included meats, and I thought we saw him eating meat somewhere later as well. Did I miss some transition?

 Reverse psychology on the Otters -- nothing to say but SQUEE! Also in that chapter (set of chapters?), love P's mental notes on how to go about ensuring his decrees to the Songbirds will be enforced, by delegating to E and S.

 L getting three sets of marital advice is wonderful. I hope we'll see/hear more about Aidan. I'm very curious.

 E's -- or Harold's -- note from the LI is fantastic.

 S and P both had, in their Guard, someone who basically spoiled them for romance, as you address in TRG. (Once upon a time I was going somewhere with that thought, but I've totally lost the thread of it.) I desperately want to know the rest of Lambert's story.

 Polly and the English Maiden (ha!) aunts -- I have met a few women who would have made excellent English Maiden (ha!) Aunts (except for the slight problem of not being English), and Polly has the right of it. I would also add that a battalion of Jewish Grandmothers would give anyone pause, and in fact on further reflection I have to wonder if the reason men have spent centuries keeping women out of warfare is because the women are too damn terrifying and would end all wars in a single day or a bloodbath or both.

 I can't help but agree with P that unleashing L on England is a scary, scary thing. It's a shame she doesn't get the chance -- I won't rant, I won't -- but I suspect one Lucy the Valiant could but that battalion of English Maiden (ha!) Aunts to shame.

 On the subject of censored books, perhaps I'm too much a product of the 21st century, but I've read Chaucer and it's hardly what I'd call objectionable. Even the bawdiest bits aren't much worse than Shakespeare's comedies. I'm sure given the research you've put into this story, it was actually restricted, but I'm scratching my head over why. (Of course, I also agree with E that Lady Chatterly is pretty boring as erotica goes.)

E, possibly because of the association with Asim and the WW2/WW1 parallels, reminds me strongly of the character of Ramses from Elizabeth Peter's Amelia Peabody novels. If you've not read them -- this is a compliment, though from the perspectives of the other characters in both stories, probably a rather dubious one given the amount of mayhem that tends to accrue around such characters.

It has little bearing on the story, but as a point of my own curiosity and pondering, I wonder how you imagine magic in N to function? We have such tantalizing hints of its presence, regular and accepted, in N and yet so little evidence of its use, that one is hard-pressed to reconcile the existence of things like Hags and Cornelius's dabblings with the distrust of all but Divine Rich textmagic that laces the books. I see very few authors trying to address this discrepancy, so your mention of Eirene as a 'minor mage' and later reference to other Centaur mages intrigues me; I would love to hear your view on the subject.

...and that's all she wrote. For now.