Iron Flame Live Reactions: Chapters 13-14
Jun. 6th, 2024 08:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
penwallaChapter 13 opens with an ominous quote about how the final decision on any academic punishment lies with the commandant's office. Oh dear.
Violet is en route to Basgiath when Tairn gets notified that they're being summoned to the practice grounds. Violet's punishment is to repeatedly use her signet power to the point of exhaustion. As you may recall, this punishment is because Violet refused to produce Andarna for Varrish, the current Evil Military Guy of this novel. This is because Andarna needs to sleep as part of her growth process and also, I assume, because her physical transformation would reveal to humans that the feathertail dragons are actually dragon young. It is bizarre to me that this is a secret if every high ranking military officer has a dragon who they are telepathically bonded to. But okay.
Violet is exhausting herself and risking her life and by extension the life of her dragon and her dragon's mate and Xaden.
This is stupid.
This is so stupid.
Look, Varrish should not have the power to do this. Let's all remember, once again, the facts of this world as we know them: there is a shortage of available dragons to bond with Riders, the Riders are extremely difficult to replace because like two thirds of them die during training, and each of them have a unique and unpredictable power they gain from their dragon that means they literally cannot be replaced. And the nation is at war and has overall a shortage of military power.
It should be very difficult for Varrish to casually risk the lives of two Riders and two dragons, okay? At the very least we should have some sign that he had to go out of his way to punish Violet without his superiors knowing. Xaden is on the front right now! If he dies mid-battle, that's a problem! But wait, you might point out, Xaden and Violet are suspected traitors!
To which I say, then why bother with these fake-ass punishments from some jumped-up commanding officer sadist? This country is run by the military and has already put down one revolt! Just announce that they're traitors and have them executed!
Anyways, Violet loses control of her powers and starts uncontrollably pouring out lightning. She gets it under control eventually, but not without injuring herself pretty badly.
What a creep.
Tairn dunks Violet in a freezing river because signet overuse has given her hyperthermia, and then a bunch of her squad shows up to help her. They help Violet back to the dorms, though not really because she insists on walking unaided. Violet longs for Xaden a little, which I do think is a nice moment.
Next scene. Imogen and Violet are watching Sloane (dead Liam's sister) train. She still sucks. Curious to know if she'll improve over the course of the book somehow or if she'll turn out to have always been good secretly or something. She's approaching her first formal sparring match, the ones Violet poisoned her way through last year, and everyone's worried she'll get killed. Apparently after Xaden's success, the remaining rebel kids were not trained to fight by their foster families. It's wild to me that any of them were, to be honest.
Seems like Violet was only honest about what happened with Varrish with her rebel friends. Probably a smart move--she doesn't want anyone asking too many questions about Andarna, I assume. As they banter, we learn that another Rider has died after requesting something he shouldn't have from the archives. Violet suspects that her friend Jessina, the scribe, made a report that got him killed.
Violet almost stabs Ridoc for startling her, they start to walk to physics, and then--
well, before I tell you what happens, I will just say, there is something unsettling tense about this scene. Yarros does in fact control the mood pretty well here. I enjoyed that.
Next chapter.
Opens with a quote about how Riders and infantry inherently distrust each other. Great military y'all got there. So functional.
We then go to Violet, waking up confused, and her mental conversation with Tairn, which is confusing. I think that's going on is that they're coming up on the deadline of how long Tairn and Sgaeyl can be apart.
Okay, so this kidnapping is a joint navigation event, consisting of Riders, infantry, scribes, and healers. I don't really understand why the kidnapping was necessary, but whatever. We're immediately getting a bunch of names and descriptions thrown at us. I assume so that Yarros can kill a few of them off later. Oh, and the exercise starts with the professor drugging all the Riders to dampen their mental connection to their Riders.
Again, this is something that would be smarter to do with prior warning, as not to freak out the huge murder lizards. And I don't really know why it's being done this way--are we presuming the enemy will do the same thing? Won't they have access to their dragons in real life?
Oh, and they've been split into two groups, and will be hunted by the other group's dragons.
The infantry are all comically afraid of dragons, but they're already trained in land navigation, so the idea is that the two groups will share their expertise and work together. There's not actually anything the Riders can do about dragons, of course, since they've all been drugged and have no access to their magic.
There's some inter-branch bickering as they make their way, lots of Rider posturing that feels like the author bragging about how cool Violet is, and then...dragon.
Okay, I have another gripe. Violet starts giving everything advice about lowering their eyes and not showing fear, because Orangetails are unpredictable, but...the dragons are sentient creatures. I'm sure body language is still important, but come on. She's talking about the dragon like it's a wildcat.
Also, this dragon is Jack's old dragon. Evil Jack. Who Violet killed.
So obviously there's a grudge and fucking body language is irrelevant, and then Baide, the orange dragon, doesn't kill Violet anyway because she belongs to Tairn and it would create problems for her. Which should protect every Rider, actually, meaning they should all just be shielding the others with their bodies and not bothering with any "Orange dragons are unpredictable!" nonsense.
The one infantry member who ran is burned to death but everyone else survives this encounter.
Chapter end.
I don't know why Yarros bothers with this whole "dragon color=personality" bullshit when we know the dragons are sentient creatures with culture and government and organized society. Clearly it is more complicated and more nuanced than that. It feels like weird fantasy racism.
Violet is en route to Basgiath when Tairn gets notified that they're being summoned to the practice grounds. Violet's punishment is to repeatedly use her signet power to the point of exhaustion. As you may recall, this punishment is because Violet refused to produce Andarna for Varrish, the current Evil Military Guy of this novel. This is because Andarna needs to sleep as part of her growth process and also, I assume, because her physical transformation would reveal to humans that the feathertail dragons are actually dragon young. It is bizarre to me that this is a secret if every high ranking military officer has a dragon who they are telepathically bonded to. But okay.
Violet is exhausting herself and risking her life and by extension the life of her dragon and her dragon's mate and Xaden.
This is stupid.
“If she dies, you will summon the wrath of not only General Sorrengail but General Melgren. Her signet is the weapon generals dream of in this war.” Carr glances between Varrish and me. “And if that’s not enough to encourage a degree of caution, Vice Commandant, then remember her death will cost you two of the most powerful dragons on the Continent and Lieutenant Riorson’s irreplaceable ability to wield shadows.”
“Ah yes, that pesky mating bond.” Varrish clicks his tongue and cocks his head to the side, studying me like I’m nothing but an experiment for him to play with. “One more. Just to prove that you can listen to orders if your dragon will not.”
This is so stupid.
Look, Varrish should not have the power to do this. Let's all remember, once again, the facts of this world as we know them: there is a shortage of available dragons to bond with Riders, the Riders are extremely difficult to replace because like two thirds of them die during training, and each of them have a unique and unpredictable power they gain from their dragon that means they literally cannot be replaced. And the nation is at war and has overall a shortage of military power.
It should be very difficult for Varrish to casually risk the lives of two Riders and two dragons, okay? At the very least we should have some sign that he had to go out of his way to punish Violet without his superiors knowing. Xaden is on the front right now! If he dies mid-battle, that's a problem! But wait, you might point out, Xaden and Violet are suspected traitors!
To which I say, then why bother with these fake-ass punishments from some jumped-up commanding officer sadist? This country is run by the military and has already put down one revolt! Just announce that they're traitors and have them executed!
Anyways, Violet loses control of her powers and starts uncontrollably pouring out lightning. She gets it under control eventually, but not without injuring herself pretty badly.
Varrish examines the destruction I caused and turns toward me. “Fascinating. You’ll both be indispensable once you come to heel.” He turns then, his cloak billowing in the wind as he walks to Solas. “This is the only warning you’ll get, Cadet Sorrengail.”
What a creep.
Tairn dunks Violet in a freezing river because signet overuse has given her hyperthermia, and then a bunch of her squad shows up to help her. They help Violet back to the dorms, though not really because she insists on walking unaided. Violet longs for Xaden a little, which I do think is a nice moment.
Next scene. Imogen and Violet are watching Sloane (dead Liam's sister) train. She still sucks. Curious to know if she'll improve over the course of the book somehow or if she'll turn out to have always been good secretly or something. She's approaching her first formal sparring match, the ones Violet poisoned her way through last year, and everyone's worried she'll get killed. Apparently after Xaden's success, the remaining rebel kids were not trained to fight by their foster families. It's wild to me that any of them were, to be honest.
Seems like Violet was only honest about what happened with Varrish with her rebel friends. Probably a smart move--she doesn't want anyone asking too many questions about Andarna, I assume. As they banter, we learn that another Rider has died after requesting something he shouldn't have from the archives. Violet suspects that her friend Jessina, the scribe, made a report that got him killed.
Violet almost stabs Ridoc for startling her, they start to walk to physics, and then--
well, before I tell you what happens, I will just say, there is something unsettling tense about this scene. Yarros does in fact control the mood pretty well here. I enjoyed that.
“Now!” someone shouts from behind us.
Before I can react, a bag is thrown over my head, and with one breath, I’m unconscious.
Next chapter.
Opens with a quote about how Riders and infantry inherently distrust each other. Great military y'all got there. So functional.
We then go to Violet, waking up confused, and her mental conversation with Tairn, which is confusing. I think that's going on is that they're coming up on the deadline of how long Tairn and Sgaeyl can be apart.
My head buzzes as I sit up, stretching my legs in front of me, and immediately reach for Tairn. “What’s going on?”
My eyes are slow to adjust to the bright light, but it looks like we’re in some sort of forest.
“The course humans wouldn’t have to take if they would simply stay seated, known as RSC,” he growls with surprising frustration, like he’s the one whose just been drugged and dragged out of the quadrant.
Rhiannon, Sawyer, and Ridoc are on my right, all looking as confused as I feel. To my left are four second-year riders with Second Squad, Flame Section, Second Wing designations, looking around the forest in bewilderment. Nice to see we aren’t the only ones befuddled.
“At least it’s not an assassination attempt.” If it was, we’d be dead, especially as fuzzy as I feel.
“It will be if we aren’t back at Basgiath when Sgaeyl arrives tomorrow.”
Oh. Shit. “This can’t last longer than a day.” Can it? “If it does, you should fly back alone.”
Okay, so this kidnapping is a joint navigation event, consisting of Riders, infantry, scribes, and healers. I don't really understand why the kidnapping was necessary, but whatever. We're immediately getting a bunch of names and descriptions thrown at us. I assume so that Yarros can kill a few of them off later. Oh, and the exercise starts with the professor drugging all the Riders to dampen their mental connection to their Riders.
Again, this is something that would be smarter to do with prior warning, as not to freak out the huge murder lizards. And I don't really know why it's being done this way--are we presuming the enemy will do the same thing? Won't they have access to their dragons in real life?
Oh, and they've been split into two groups, and will be hunted by the other group's dragons.
The infantry are all comically afraid of dragons, but they're already trained in land navigation, so the idea is that the two groups will share their expertise and work together. There's not actually anything the Riders can do about dragons, of course, since they've all been drugged and have no access to their magic.
There's some inter-branch bickering as they make their way, lots of Rider posturing that feels like the author bragging about how cool Violet is, and then...dragon.
Okay, I have another gripe. Violet starts giving everything advice about lowering their eyes and not showing fear, because Orangetails are unpredictable, but...the dragons are sentient creatures. I'm sure body language is still important, but come on. She's talking about the dragon like it's a wildcat.
Also, this dragon is Jack's old dragon. Evil Jack. Who Violet killed.
So obviously there's a grudge and fucking body language is irrelevant, and then Baide, the orange dragon, doesn't kill Violet anyway because she belongs to Tairn and it would create problems for her. Which should protect every Rider, actually, meaning they should all just be shielding the others with their bodies and not bothering with any "Orange dragons are unpredictable!" nonsense.
The one infantry member who ran is burned to death but everyone else survives this encounter.
Chapter end.
I don't know why Yarros bothers with this whole "dragon color=personality" bullshit when we know the dragons are sentient creatures with culture and government and organized society. Clearly it is more complicated and more nuanced than that. It feels like weird fantasy racism.
