gdp's Comments

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'Sandry's Book': Chapter 6

Thu, 23 Oct 2014 18:21:21 +0000

I haven't seen anyone mention it (but it might have come up) but: [Shatterglass spoilers] Avxb fnlf sbe Gevf gb gryy uvz vs fur 'frrf be urnef' nalguvat ba gur jvaqf. Jbhyqa'g or fhecevfrq vs n cneg bs uvz fhfcrpgrq sbe n juvyr gung Gevf pbhyq frr ba gur jvaqf; jura fur qvqa'g fpel ba gur jvaqf vg anghenyyl, ur cebonoyl frg vg nfvqr sbe n gvzr jura fur pbhyq unaqyr vg orggre.

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'Sandry's Book': Chapter 5

Wed, 22 Oct 2014 02:17:07 +0000

crap I forgot to post this. [Sandry's book spoilers] PURXUBI'F GUERNQ LBH UNIR AB VQRN UBJ VZCBEGNAG GUVF VF ZNEX

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'Sandry's Book': Chapter 5

Tue, 21 Oct 2014 20:56:53 +0000

You're in the fun part of Canada! YAY CANADA. *throws confetti*

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'Sandry's Book': Chapter 5

Tue, 21 Oct 2014 16:24:27 +0000

I was busy this weekend and the ORAS demo came out (yes pokemon all the time) so instead I shall post two rot13 things. First is about the book [Sandry's Book spoilers] Jura V jnf qbvat zl erernq V gubhtug Oevne jnf tbvat gb fgrny gur funxxna abj. Funxxna/Oevne BGC. Naq V gubhtug Znex jbhyq fgneg gb fuvc gur gjb va gur arkg puncgre jvgu gur hfr bs gur jbeq 'Ebfvr'. Nu jryy. V qba'g haqrefgnaq jung fgnegf gb trg crbcyr vagb fuvccvat guvatf va gur svefg cynpr. And, in honor of ORAS: POKEMON AU STUFF. [general series spoilers] Gevf: Jbhyq cebonoyl unir fbzr fbeg bs trareny abezny-glcr Cbxrzba orpnhfr bs ure zrepunag onpxtebhaq. Avpb jbhyq cebonoyl tvsg ure jvgu n Pnfgsbez, naq fur jbhyq cebonoyl trg n Gnvybj (sbe Fuevrx) nf jryy. Nsgre trggvat pregvsvpngvba, fur jbhyq cebonoyl raq hc jvgu fbzr avpr ryrzragny Cbxrzba. Yrtraqnevrf nffbpvngrq jvgu ure: gur Jrngure Gevb, boivbhfyl. Qnwn: Yvivat ba n obng, fur cebonoyl unq fbzr hfrshy Cbxrzba. Jvathyy frrzf boivbhf, naq znlor gurer jnf n crg Zrbjgu? Jura fur pbzrf gb Jvaqvat Pvepyr, fur ernyyl fgnegf gb nffbpvngr jvgu gur sver/zrgny eryngrq Cbxrzba ninvynoyr. Urngzbe, Gbexbny, rgp. Yrtraqnevrf nffbpvngrq jvgu ure: Urngena, znlor Zbygerf Oevne: Yvivat ba gur fgerrgf, ur ernyyl qvqa'g unir uvf bja Cbxrzba, ohg ur znqr nyyvnaprf jvgu guvatf yvxr Cheeybva naq Tevzre. V guvax jura ur yrsg jvgu Avxb, ur jbhyq cebonoyl qent bar bs gurz nybat. Ng Jvaqvat Pvepyr, ur fgnegf gb nffbpvngr zber jvgu Tenff Glcr Cbxrzba (svefg tbvat gbjneqf guvatf yvxr Gbegreen naq fghss, gur onqnff fghss) ohg fgvyy unf n fbsg fcbg sbe Qnex glcrf. Yrtraqnevrf nffbpvngrq jvgu uvz: Pryrov zvtug or na vagrerfgvat guvat sbe gur guvat va Oevne'f Obbx, ohg V chg qbja Ivevmvba nf jryy (zvtug or bxnl). Gurer nera'g gung znal Tenff glcr yrtraqnevrf, vagrerfgvatyl rabhtu. Fnaqel: Envfrq aboyr naq geniryvat n ybg, fur unq ure cvpx bs gur svarfg Cbxrzba. Fur fgvyy yrnarq gbjneqf gur Cbxrzba jub jrag jvgu ure vagrerfgf, gubhtu: Pvapvaab vf n zhfg sbe Fnaqel, gubhtu V pna vzntvar n Yvyyvchc sbe ure. Jura fur pnzr gb Jvaqvat Pvepyr, fur fgvyy fghpx jvgu Abezny Glcrf, zbfgyl, ohg fur cvpxrq hc fbzr Cbxrzba jub pbhyq or hfrshy ng jrnivat (Fcvanex? VQX). Yrtraqnevrf nffbpvngrq jvgu ure: guvf jnf uneqre, ohg V cvpxrq Perffryvn va gur raq.

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'Sandry's Book': Chapter 5

Tue, 21 Oct 2014 16:11:45 +0000

I'm in Washington state! *waves a tiny flag*

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'Sandry's Book': Chapter 4

Fri, 17 Oct 2014 16:10:25 +0000

I was trying to figure out one for Hindi. Never experienced the one you said personally, but I can definitely see how that works.

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'Sandry's Book': Chapter 4

Fri, 17 Oct 2014 15:45:33 +0000

*throws nuns safely everywhere after reading your comment* I'm glad that you're liking the book a lot! Emelan needs love.

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'Sandry's Book': Chapter 4

Fri, 17 Oct 2014 15:30:44 +0000

In chapter 4 any attempt to easily divide up the chapter into parts falls apart, making me sad. And we learn how much snark a little child can hold. Apparently it’s a large amount. Briar and Rosethorn Well… that was an interesting scene. I think there are two key points to get out of their interaction: Briar did something weird with the plants (which… Rosethorn might have done?) and Rosethorn isn’t evil incarnate when dealing with Briar. I mean, it’s obvious that she’s strict and sets very obvious boundaries; she does that even after the meal. But the way she deals with Briar… well, it’s not one where she uses fear to get him out of it, that’s for sure. I do wonder why she continues to look at him during the whole process. [general series spoilers] trareny Oevne naq Ebfrgubea srryf tb urerrrr. Jura fubhyq V zragvba gur fvzvynevgl va anzvat fpurzr? Tris I love you Tris, but why are you so bigoted? :( Another two key things come out of this chapter: first, that she can…. hear voices? Well. Someone who is more knowledgeable should probably deal with the issues of ableism if they apply to here. The second thing is that Tris is really invested in the social stratification of people. Like, everything has their place, proper actions, etc. I don’t know if we know enough about Tris yet to really understand why, but the most likely reason for why she acts like this is because of her upbringing. If she was being passed around for not being an appropriate child… maybe she internalized some bad ideas on what appropriate behaviors are. Sandry I don’t want to be the negative Sandry parade person, I don’t! Sandry is such a nice, positive character. I like her a lot. But the whole speech about how hard it was to interact with people who weren’t nobles makes me react the same way Daja does. While it helps her to be not a privileged jerk, she’s still really privileged? Um. What’s a good analogy for what I’m trying to say? Like, it’s kind of like a white person being annoyed that there’s a lot of resistance of them trying to making in-roads into a POC culture. Like, yes, it might be hard, but there’s a pretty valid reason for why the other group is resistant. Her interaction with Tris was very altruistic, though. Maybe if Tris had a different background, she would have been won over by this interaction. Maybe. The Mystery of Niko So he’s confirmed to be a mage who does stuff with his eyes or something. That’s all we know. Tris points out that he hasn’t left for his ‘errands’, whatever they were, and no one really knows if he had any ulterior motives for bringing the four to the Winding Circle (and we know that he had some plans about it from the one or two sentences he said in the last chapter, at least). Whatever he’s up to, it’s mysterious. Random Thoughts -While ‘kaq’ might be a rude word, I think a lot of not-majority cultures have words for the majority culture which kind of get a negative connotation to them. -I like how Lark is hinted at being a weaver with the first line she says. -The knives scene was iconic in the Full Cast Audio thing, take my word for it. -‘wild magic but for chlorophyll’ really awesome idea there, Mark.

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'Sandry's Book': Chapter 3

Wed, 15 Oct 2014 16:25:43 +0000

Wikipedia is right. They aren't the same sound. (I don't speak Arabic, but Hindi sometimes steals it for words, so I'm familiar with it) Even though I've heard the audiobook method, I'm still pronouncing it in the Hindi fashion (so somewhat-Arabic q sound, I guess, with short a) in my head. This is actually a problem for me; if I run into a word which isn't English I somehow end up pronouncing it in Hindi fashion, even if that's not right.

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'Sandry's Book': Chapter 3

Wed, 15 Oct 2014 16:11:02 +0000

Have you read the Emelan series? I don't want to mock you with rot13 stuff but,... [general series spoilers] Pbafvqrevat gung Avxb vagrenpgf n ybg jvgu Ebfrgubea naq Ynex, jub frrz gb or cerggl tbbq, naq ur vagrenpgf jvgu Zbbafgernz, jub vf nyfb tbbq, V guvax vg jnf uvz biretrarenyvmvat nobhg ubj npprcgvat crbcyr ner.

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'Sandry's Book': Chapter 3

Wed, 15 Oct 2014 15:50:27 +0000

V jbhyq gbgnyyl or hc sbe frrvat Fnaqel naq Qnwn'f snzvyl orsber gurl qvrq. Oevne'f naq Gevf'f? Abg fb zhpu. V nyernql unir rabhtu fnqarff va zl yvsr, gunax lbh.

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'Sandry's Book': Chapter 3

Wed, 15 Oct 2014 15:39:13 +0000

Briar Briar’s situation is kind of a mix of Daja’s and Tris’s, in a sense: he gets hated on by the people in his dorm (who think he steals thing) and the dedicate in charge (who’s a bit classist). I’ve been thinking about how wrong it is to assume that Briar is going to steal things. Unlike reformed-criminal characters common in books, Briar isn’t reformed yet. He hasn’t decided to go on the ~path of goodness~ or whatever that means. The reason he ended up in the temple is because it was a better option than dying. And he is stealing plants (which I think means he’s taking them from gardens because if they’re just growing in the ground it wouldn’t be stealing). But still, the boys’ reaction to him stealing something was overblown. No one deserves to get attacked when they’re sleeping. I did kind of laugh when Briar pulled out the knives. Did they really expect that a former street rat wouldn’t be prepared for an attack? The dedicate’s reaction was basically to blame Briar for the problem… even though it wasn’t his fault he got attacked because people were jerks. So yeah, I don’t like him. Though I do think his point about bringing knives into a dorm (even though I found it somewhat funny that the boys weren’t properly prepared to deal with a street rat) was valid, the first thing he said was not. Sandry and Daja, Sandry and Tris We also get our first interactions with two of the kids. Both of them involve Sandry. Not surprising, considering the book is named after her. Sandry and Daja’s interactions are the more positive ones. Sandry steps and tells Daja she can sit with her. She shows that she actually knows something about Trader culture by speaking in Trader talk, which is good, and she defends Daja from jerk nobles. Daja likes Sandry because of her interactions. I do think it’s interesting to note two things. First, when Daja hesitates, Sandry interprets that as ‘not understanding’ and pulls Daja to do what she says. I think that was more confusion than lack of understanding. That shows something about Sandry… I’m not sure what the right word is. And while that burn was such an epic burn, it was a burn really rooted in the class structures of Emelan. Sandry could make such an epic burn about her noble status… because of who her parents are. While I still like it, I find it a bit problematic. Sandry’s and Tris’s interactions are less positive. Immediately, Tris is wary about what Sandry is doing, because of the class system that is in place. And you know what? I think that’s somewhat valid, considering how we see other nobles act. While Sandry does act nice to Tris, Tris needs more than nice words to win her over because of how people treated her in the past. She isn’t the type to trust easily, and Sandry doesn’t do anything drastic to win her over. (aside: while the situations are quite different, the sick burn Sandry administered was to someone who was a merchant, which is what Tris’s class is) Discipline We also get introduced to Discipline. We don’t really know much about it, other than it’s not a punishment place, and it’s a place to live. However… that’s where all the four are going! Are fun times coming in the future? Who knows! (actually, I do. But nuns all around)

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'Sandry's Book': Chapter 3

Wed, 15 Oct 2014 15:38:13 +0000

In Chapter 3 of this book, I am shocked that apparently the more open-minded children of Winding Circle are… the worst jerks I’ve ever met. Like seriously. I cannot comprehend how horrible they can be. How can people be so horrible. So, let’s start with talking about the children in isolation before considering how they interact together in the scene. Sandry Out of all the children, Sandry probably has it the easiest. Being bored to tears by people is… unpleasant, but is there outright harassment and hatred of her? Not really. Sandry currently takes the position of the most privileged person of the four, based off how she was treated in this chapter. (Though really, one probably drew that conclusion based off what we knew about her background before now, anyway) Also interesting to note is that there is no canonical reason for why Sandry gets kicked out of her fancy dorm. She was probably kicked out for being too snarky with the nobles and attempting to start a social reform revolution or something. I think that’s the only way for a fancy dedicate to be freaked out by her. Daja Hey, look, more discrimination and harassment! I love (I MEAN HATE) people like that. First of all: I don’t understand hateful-child logic? Do they… not want to eat? Like, if she never sits down, you won’t eat. I just. I guess they want to push the blame onto her but they aren’t even being subtle about it??? So I don’t know if that would work. (Apparently the dedicate’s phrasing placed the blame on Daja. I did not catch that at all) But hey, good reason to get Daja and Sandry to meet. The next scene is kind of horrifying. I don’t really know what else to say. Daja gets attacked by a bunch of children because of who she is. I guess it’s good that she doesn’t get blamed for fighting back, and I think it’s also important to note that the culprits are probably going to get punished (even if it isn’t shown on scene). I’m not really sure how I feel about her being forced to move because of it because on one hand it isn’t her fault, but on the other, if she stays, she could be attacked even more. Tris Tris’s section actually shows a different aspect of … well, in her case calling it discrimination or harassment might be a bit of an overstatement, but anyway. Her section shows what it’s like when the people in charge are the ones who are against you. Sure, Staghorn might pretend that she’s doing it for Tris’s benefit (networking. for children. please stop) but she blames Tris for the situation (though I think Tris has valid reasons to avoid other people) and, when stuff starts to get weird, she thinks Tris might have made her sick. You’re such a nice person, Staghorn. We also get to see more magic from Tris, which is nice, I guess. Pretty sure she had something to do with the tree. [general series spoilers] V svaq vg vagrerfgvat gung Znex guvaxf Gevf vf gur crefba jub vf pnhfvat gur rnegudhnxrf. Bu, onol Znex, lbh unir ab vqrn ubj jebat lbh ner. (V’z cerggl fher Gevf vfa’g pnhfvat gur rnegudhnxrf naq vg’f orpnhfr bs gur crbcyr jub ner nggrzcgvat gb unearff gur cbjre bs gur rnegudhnxr, ohg vs V’z zvfgnxra, cyrnfr gryy zr).

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'Sandry's Book': Chapter 2

Mon, 13 Oct 2014 19:16:30 +0000

*nods in understanding* I've been following the discussion on that, and it's been quite interesting. Avpr gb frr gung crbcyr unir fvzvyne gubhtugf ba gur znggre, gbb.

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'Sandry's Book': Chapter 2

Mon, 13 Oct 2014 15:49:51 +0000

Briar So Briar thinks baths are bad. Briar, you need to take a nice bath. Baths are great. EMBRACE THE BATHS. I don’t have much to say about this section. Niko continues to bribe Briar with plants (which is kind of adorable) and food (which is less adorable since there’s a reason this works) and Briar keeps on biting the bait because… he likes his new life, even if there are a lot of complications. And even if he says that he’s going to run off eventually, unless something dramatic happens, I don’t think that’s going to happen. Tris Hello Tris. You held lightning in your hands and the worst thing which happened was your hair was frizzy. [general series spoilers] V org lbh’er unccl jura lbh trg lbhe oenvqf gb ubyq cbjre naq gurersber fgbc lbhe unve sebz sevmmvat gung zhpu, uhu? when are you going to admit you have magic baby??? Anyway, Tris verbally spars with Niko, who says something not trying to shape her mind [general Circle spoilers] naq jura qrnyvat jvgu onol nzovrag puvyqera, gung jnf n fzneg vqrn, Avxb. Gevf frrvat zntvp jnf dhvgr hfrshy va gur shgher. We learn that mimanders can tie winds into knots, which is chill, I guess. But the best thing about this chapter was Tris holding lightning and Niko handing her a comb after seeing it. I love your ability to stay calm. [Tris’s Book spoilers] V qvq abg ernyvmr gung Nzbel (be ubjrire vg’f fcryyrq) jnf zragvbarq va guvf puncgre. Cvrepr, lbh qebc cybg cbvagf WHFG YVXR GUNG. Naq vg znxrf zr fnq guvaxvat nobhg vg. Cbbe, cbbe Gevf :(. Reaction to Mark V qba’g xabj rabhtu nobhg gur Rzryna havirefr gb or noyr gb sbez rira gur gvavrfg bs gurbevrf, ohg fur pna pyrneyl qb zntvp (hapbagebyyrq naq va erfcbafr gb rzbgvbany fgvzhyv), naq gur tbqf unir fbzr fbeg bs vagrerfg va ure. [BM spoilers]... V qvq abg rkcrpg Znex gb tb guvf ebhgr ng nyy. Znxrf frafr pbafvqrevat ubj zhpu gur tbqf va Gbegnyy cynl n ebyr, ohg gur pybfrfg jr trg gb gung vf va Tlbatkr (jul ner gurfr anzrf uneq gb fcryy). Jvgu Oevne. Qbrfa'g frrz yvxr gur bgure tbqf ner arprffnevyl erny urer.

Mark Reads : Mark Reads 'Sandry's Book': Chapter 2

Mon, 13 Oct 2014 15:49:29 +0000

In Chapter 2, we get to see the aftermath of the traumatic (or… not so traumatic events) of the four children. And something in this chapter made me want a Pokemon AU for these four children. [possible spoilers?] Gevf unf n Pnfgsbez, boivbhfyl. Onwards! Sandry Let’s first give Pierce for props for skipping four months for Sandry. Considering she got blinded by probably somewhat normal light, the process of recovery would not be very pleasant to read. At all. And that’s excluding however much time it takes for her to get to Emelan in the first place. Sandry also is still scarred by the events; describing her as a ‘pale ghost’ makes it seemed like a part of her died there. It probably did, considering how not-fun the event were. We also get to meet Duke Vedris, who… is nice? We don’t get to know much about him, other than the fact that his wife is dead, his children are old, he doesn’t really do court stuff, and that he’s honest with Sandry about the situation. But even though he can’t give her the proper noble upbringing that is expected of her, it’s better than what’s being offered in Namorn. Niko, of course, comes up with a solution: send Sandry off to the Winding Circle, a place which could provide Sandry with a proper noblewoman’s education… and magical one, if she has magic. Which she doesn’t think she has. [WotE spoilers] Gurer ner cebonoyl NHf jurer Fnaqel tbrf gb Anzbea ng guvf lbhat ntr naq vf haqre gur jvat bs gur Rzcerff. Vs gurer ner nal tbbq barf, cyrnfr pbzzrag (ebg13’q boivbhfyl) jvgu gur hey. V’z vagevthrq. Ohg fur qbqtrq n irel ynetr ohyyrg jvgu ure qrpvfvba. Daja Daja gets exiled from her people. Like, that’s horrible. I couldn’t imagine being cut off from my culture in such a way. That’s such a traumatizing thing to happen, especially after such a traumatizing event. Daja just gets no slack at all :( Though apparently she was foretold to be tranqshi. Was that actual magic or superstition? I mean, I don’t think luck is contagious as all, so there’s definitely some superstition in play. I do want to contrast Niko’s role here than with the other three. Niko doesn’t tell Daja that she should go to the Winding Circle at the beginning. With Tris and Briar, well, there wasn’t really much of an option, but with Sandry, it’s a suggestion he mentions when they’re brainstorming. Niko doesn’t bring it up until after Daja has no option. And I think that’s important, because in a way, Niko doesn’t try to take Daja away from her culture. He lets her go through the process (even though both of them know that the chances of a good outcome was slim) so she could stay with her people. [general Circle spoilers, specific one for Daja’s Book] Lbh xabj, vs Qnwn jnfa’g qrpynerq genadfuv (nabgure terng NH bcgvba) V jbaqre vs fur pbhyq unir orpbzr gur zntr fur qvq haqre gur Genqre phygher. Fb, va n jnl, orvat qrpynerq genadfuv (naq ure cngu gb erqrzcgvba) jnf gur bayl jnl sbe ure gb orpbzr njrfbzr. Juvpu vf fnq. Ohg zvtug rkcynva gurve qrpvfvba, n ovg. Vs vg jnfa’g whfg fhcrefgvgvba.

Mark Reads : Mark Reads \'Sandry\'s Book\': Chapter 1

Fri, 10 Oct 2014 15:46:03 +0000

Hm. I would disagree at least for that book that the author attempts to hide the race, but then again, I came in knowing their race and I haven't read it for some time, so YMMV.

Mark Reads : Mark Reads \'Sandry\'s Book\': Chapter 1

Thu, 9 Oct 2014 18:21:02 +0000

V npghnyyl qba'g zvaq gur snpg gung Gunevbf qbrf n jbaqreshy pevgvdhr bs gur pnfgr flfgrz (gung jnfa'g jul vg jnf ba zl yvfg, npghnyyl, fbeel sbe gur pbashfvba). Vg jnf gur snpg gung jura V jnf orvat oberq naq ybbxvat hc guvatf nobhg Rzryna gung crbcyr pnyyrq Gunevbf Vaqvna-vafcverq jura gur bayl guvat ernyyl Vaqvna nobhg vg jnf gur pnfgr flfgrz. Vg xvaq bs sryg yvxr crbcyr nffhzrq vg jnf onfrq ba Vaqvn orpnhfr bs gung bar onq guvat, vs gung znxrf frafr? Ohg lrnu, rirelguvat ryfr lbh fnvq V trarenyyl nterr jvgu. Naq ncbybtvrf sbe gur cbffvoyr qrenvy nobhg sbervta pbhagevrf vs lbh srry yvxr gung'f n guvat.

Mark Reads : Mark Reads \'Sandry\'s Book\': Chapter 1

Thu, 9 Oct 2014 17:31:13 +0000

I hope you don't mind that I respond and put something which I've been thinking about recently. [lots of general series spoilers here] V trg jung lbh'er fnlvat. V qba'g ernyyl unir nalguvat gb fcrpvsvpnyyl nqq gb gung (V'z qrfv, whfg gb or pyrne) ohg lrnu, guvf vfa'g ernyyl n frevrf juvpu qrnyf jvgu enpvny vffhrf gung zhpu. Znlor fbzr fghss jvgu Riil va Fgerrg Zntvp? Ohg rira gura, gung zvtug or zber va yvar jvgu krabcubovn. Zrzbel'f abg gung tbbq. Vg qbrfa'g uryc gung... V'z abg fher ubj gb rkcynva vg. Qnwn trg guebja bhg bs ure phygher orpnhfr bs fhcrefgvgvba. Gunevbf qrfgeblf rivqrapr orpnhfr bs gurve bofrffvba jvgu pyrnayvarff naq gurve pnfgr flfgrz vf ubeevoyr. Lnawvat qbrfa'g nccneragyl gerng fgbarf gur evtug jnl. Tlbatkr (bu tbq V pnaabg fcryy vg V ncbybtvmr) naq gur crbcyr orvat nggnpxrq ner cbegenlrq cbfvgviryl, V thrff, ohg gura gurer'f guvf nfcrpg bs ~rkbgvp zntvpny cynpr~ gurer, vs gung znxrf frafr. Yvxr vg frrzf yvxr gur CBP/CBP onfrq phygherf ner n fgrc oruvaq gur 'znva phygher', juvpu vfa'g arprffnevyl gung terng.

Mark Reads : Mark Reads \'Sandry\'s Book\': Chapter 1

Thu, 9 Oct 2014 17:20:42 +0000

Uzz, cbffvoyl. Ohg vg'f fgvyy n ybg zber fhogyr guna gur bgure guerr.