10 KiB
[RT][HF] A Practical Guide to Evil: Book 4: Chapter 61: Remonstration
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Author: u/Zayits *
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URL: https://practicalguidetoevil.wordpress.com/2018/09/26/chapter-61-remonstration/
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Score: 92
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Created: 2018-09-26T04:03:52
Post:
Comments:
u/Iwasahipsterbefore [+48] (31 minutes later)
You gave him such a searing purpose his own Name took away his need to sleep.
Fuuuck this is so well written.
u/cyberdsaiyan [+45] (36 minutes later)
This. This is the type of chapter that makes or breaks a story. For all the great combat, sassy one liners and plots, the "talks" between the characters are what's at the core of any work.
And this was magnificent.
u/None [+26] (5 hours later)
If she's handing out places in the Winter court, I hope Robber gets one.
u/Menolith [+30] Unworthy Opponent (12 hours later)
Lesser Footrest of the Chilly Afternoons
u/Iwasahipsterbefore [+3] (2 days later)
Wasn't it lesser lesser footrest? My memory is a bit fuzzy (also, that title is perfect.)
u/Menolith [+5] Unworthy Opponent (2 days later)
I think she promised a promotion at some point.
u/notagiantdolphin [+25] (2 hours later)
If she entitles Ivah before making her the next priestess of night, she'll be able to enforce Fae oaths on her and the Drow. Handy.
u/leakycauldron [+3] Imperium of Man (2 days later)
I was confused who you meant by "she" and "her". Do most people see Ivah as a she?
u/mojojo46 [+17] (4 hours later)
If you like the story, don't forget that you can support the author on Patreon. It's due to reader contributions that they can afford to update 3 times a week, which is honestly insanely fast even if there are a few typos.
u/Morghus [+11] (11 hours later)
I'm really impressed with the level of writing despite pumping out, what, three chapters per week now? And the series is simply not running out of steam. Like I wrote in another post, there's always a sense of tension and impending doom hanging around somewhere
u/MutantMannequin [+11] (a day later)
Disclaimer: I love this story; I deeply appreciate EE's talent, work ethic, and creativity; and I'd say that I enjoyed this chapter overall. It was nice to see Archer and Cat's relationship develop a bit, and to finally get a glimpse into Archer's mind. I couldn't write even this single chapter half as well if I tried. Now that's out of the way, the negativity.
Boy, am I tired of this chapter. It crops up every now and again, and it always goes the same. Most rational fics have their POV character(s) analyze their motives sometimes, but, as far as I can tell, PGtE is the only one that has devoted multiple, complete chapters to that almost exclusively. That's not a great thing. It's nice that it's delivered as conversation (almost always one-on-one) instead of an internal debate, but it's not nice enough that I want to keep reading Cat think herself in a circle. My feelings might be different if the issue being examined was ever unique, but it's always the same. Here are the pieces:
- Cat is doing something to secure a victory or advantage over her current enemy, but feels bad about it.
- Cat wonders if her actions might be exacerbating the current conflict.
- Cat wonders if a victory she secures might be worse for her side than simply losing.
- Cat questions why the one (1) peer in attendance follows her.
- Cat ignores any reassurances the peer provides.
- (Optional) Cat decides that agonizing over such issues is the only way to prevent her from tripping on a banana peel and accidentally becoming a monster.
- Cat resolves none of her concerns and continues to feel bad, but ultimately decides to change nothing, because she rarely has more than one option, and the alternative is to just give up.
It's annoying because because it's formulaic, but step 7 is where it gets bad, because it means the chapter didn't do anything. She consistently asks the same questions, which are always about her morals rather than her motives, and always fails to answer them. She never changes her goals as a result of the talk. She never discovers anything. She never even feels better. It makes sense from a Watsonian perspective for her to have doubts and talk to her friends, but from a Doylist perspective, they're just boring chapters.
There is actually one interesting reason for these talks, but I don't think Cat's manipulative enough to actually be doing it. Provided she's as uncertain about team cohesion as she sometimes seems, these one-on-one talks where she "opens up" on a pretty pointless script would be a good way to tease out how her team really feels about her and her cause. It's a natural evolution from her early career, when she was pretty blunt with everyone about asking what they wanted.
u/notokaycj [+6] (a day later)
It feels like a scene from a video game to me, like a side conversation you have in Mass Effect 2 before the big final mission.
I actually don't mind that at all, but it does do odd things to the pacing. I've been totally checked-out of this Drow arc until the Dwarves showed up.
u/Sparkwitch [+5] (a day later)
It's telling rather than showing. The same story goals could be achieved by having Cat step over lines via her actions, and then be slapped with the alternate plans and preferences of her companions. That has happened even, and tends within the story to have a more lasting effect.
Number seven is a big problem with a lot of serial fiction, however, from Dickens to Prestige TV. If the character changes too much, steps off the knife edge of desperation and uncertainty, the story ends because they either win or lose consistently. There's nothing left at that point but to watch the pieces resolve.
Personally, I think the writing here is good enough and the time investment small enough that I don't mind it. So long as the story isn't rubbing its protagonist's intransigence in my face on a regular basis I can let it go and enjoy the ride.
u/CouteauBleu [+2] We are the Empire. (2 days later)
(Optional) Cat decides that agonizing over such issues is the only way to prevent her from tripping on a banana peel and accidentally becoming a monster.
Haha, you nailed it.
Yeah, PGtE has inherited that tendency from Star Wars (and other fantasy stories) to treat becoming evil as something that can happen on accident. Like, defending my country, defending my country, fighting off invaders, whoops, just burned down an orphanage full of babies and kittens! Well, may as well keep doing it!
There is actually one interesting reason for these talks, but I don't think Cat's manipulative enough to actually be doing it. Provided she's as uncertain about team cohesion as she sometimes seems, these one-on-one talks where she "opens up" on a pretty pointless script would be a good way to tease out how her team really feels about her and her cause.
Yeah, I think that's the main reason for these talks, to have other characters tell Cat how awesome they find her. It's a little in-your-face, though. I mean, "character with self-worth issues who has her friends tell her she doesn't realize how great she is" is realistic, it's just not very fun on repeat.
I very much preferred when the Pilgrim or the footsoldiers were building her up, or when Thief was making a "she's a drunk and she keeps ogling everyone, but she's all we have" speech.
u/taichi22 [+18] (an hour later)
I always aspire to write this well.
May I one day reach the point where I look back and smile that the Practical Guide was written.
u/Ardvarkeating101 [+17] Father of Learning (12 minutes later)
That gave me serious chills.
u/CouteauBleu [+6] We are the Empire. (2 hours later)
Some self-promotion: I recently ran a RPG session in the Practicalverse. I wrote a report for those interested.
u/Nic_Cage_DM [+5] (2 hours later)
got damn, that was a good chapter.
u/King_of_Men [+4] (a day later)
Awesome chapter; I wonder if the title is a pun? Archer remonstrates with Catherine, that is to say, she makes a reproachful protest. But does she also "re-monster-ate" her, by restoring her drive and decision?
u/signspace13 [+2] (9 days later)
I love this chapter the longer I dwell on it, after a week of waiting for the next Cat chapter, I have been thinking about what this arc means, what Malicia has done and how it affects the story and the 'Story'.
Because y'see, Malicia and Black have made a mistake, they have been thinking that villians can't be heroes and still be villians, but Heroes have been getting away with it for years, the Lone Swordsman was far enough down the Anti-hero scale to torture and placing munitions as traps were a okay and the sword Saint is her own bad of cats, both still heroes.
But what cat has done is make herself a free agent, similar to archer and ranger, she doesn't have a 'Name' just her mantle (which definitely doesn't incline her towards peace and Heroism) but doesn't specifically come from down below, and Malicia has back her into a corner. This wouldn't be a problem if she was just a Villain, a villain in a corner is on the down and outs, maybe they take the hero with 'em (likely Malicia's hope) but it's over. Cat though, she is an orphan who was betrayed by her evil mentor at a crucial moment, having had to embrace terrible power in order to aid him, only to become the defacto queen of a wartorn nation, now she is struggling to make the best of the situation, after being reject by the good side she turns to the bad and is equally rebuffed, now she needs to turn to that neutral power that got her through last time. I think Malicia is going to be in for a rude awakening when Cat leaves those tunnels.
u/Sonderjye [+1] (16 hours later)
I'm not crying. You're crying.