Onyx Storm: Chapter 47
Apr. 24th, 2025 08:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
penwallaThe next chapter opens with Sawyer about to ride his dragon. He's brought Violet to help him.
This is great! Finally, some actual bonding between our only two disabled riders about that fact! Sawyer's modified his prosthesis and he wants Violet to give him feedback. He and his dragon have some...banter? In general our inability to hear any dragon besides Tairn and Andarna holds these books back in a big way, because all we see of the other dragons is roaring and snapping at their humans. So it ends up looking like they're all either mindless beasts or assholes, even though that's not the intention.
Violet has to catch him, and her shoulders pop but don't dislocate. And I just want everyone to know that joints popping does not really mean anything. Yeah, it can be associated with injury, but it can also just be a benign thing joints do.
Does this make sense? I mean...not really. But is it great? It kind of is! Violet's disability pretty much only comes up as flavor in Iron Flame and Onyx Storm. It's rare for it to actually present a problem--she always powers through somehow. But her being an expert on adaptations for dragon riders is something that makes complete sense for her character and is much more interesting than Yarros's depiction of smart as having a lot of facts memorized.
Sawyer is struggling, and it seems like his problem is that he doesn't want his dragon to have to help him at all, because that's dishonoring him. Sawyer's dragon, Sliseag, finally convinces him to let him make the huge sacrifice of slightly angling his leg, and Sawyer is able to mount his dragon and therefore rejoin his squad.
I joke but this is genuinely a good moment.
And Andarna is here, so she and Violet get a moment, too, where Violet encourages her to grieve. All three of our disabled characters getting to bond in one scene? Incredible.
The rest of the squad shows up. After a bit of banter, they all fly to Aretia. Xaden isn't there.
Dain and Bodhi are with them, and there's a moment where Dain tries to get them to hold formation and Violet overrules him because she wants Rhiannon to visit her family. I know Yarros has to do this to gaslight us into believing Dain being a rule follower isn't a character trait she made up for him halfway through Fourth Wing out of nowhere. But also, he's not wrong here? They're in the fucking army and it's reasonable that they should have to do their military shit before going off to visit family. And Rhiannon is also in a leadership position, so she should be on Dain's side.
They all head off to bed, and Violet, after some dithering about where she's going to sleep, goes to her and Xaden's room to sleep.
Brennan comes to see her. He tells her that they've been trying lots of stuff to fix Xaden and failing. Violet is happy to hear that Xaden is still trying to save himself, and the chapter ends.
Honestly I think this is a great chapter. No complaints from me this time!
This is great! Finally, some actual bonding between our only two disabled riders about that fact! Sawyer's modified his prosthesis and he wants Violet to give him feedback. He and his dragon have some...banter? In general our inability to hear any dragon besides Tairn and Andarna holds these books back in a big way, because all we see of the other dragons is roaring and snapping at their humans. So it ends up looking like they're all either mindless beasts or assholes, even though that's not the intention.
Violet has to catch him, and her shoulders pop but don't dislocate. And I just want everyone to know that joints popping does not really mean anything. Yeah, it can be associated with injury, but it can also just be a benign thing joints do.
Sawyer nods. “I wouldn’t try this if I couldn’t. My gait is off because I can’t quite get the flex right, and I’m just not nimble enough to run the full length of his leg like I used to.”
“We can work with that.” I nod. “How about you run just like you’d mount before, and right when you feel your momentum shift, like you’re about to fall back, kick the lever open. It should catch your foot just like you designed it to, and you climb the rest of the way.”
Sawyer looks down at me. “That’s how you did the Gauntlet, isn’t it?”
Does this make sense? I mean...not really. But is it great? It kind of is! Violet's disability pretty much only comes up as flavor in Iron Flame and Onyx Storm. It's rare for it to actually present a problem--she always powers through somehow. But her being an expert on adaptations for dragon riders is something that makes complete sense for her character and is much more interesting than Yarros's depiction of smart as having a lot of facts memorized.
Sawyer is struggling, and it seems like his problem is that he doesn't want his dragon to have to help him at all, because that's dishonoring him. Sawyer's dragon, Sliseag, finally convinces him to let him make the huge sacrifice of slightly angling his leg, and Sawyer is able to mount his dragon and therefore rejoin his squad.
I joke but this is genuinely a good moment.
And Andarna is here, so she and Violet get a moment, too, where Violet encourages her to grieve. All three of our disabled characters getting to bond in one scene? Incredible.
The rest of the squad shows up. After a bit of banter, they all fly to Aretia. Xaden isn't there.
Dain and Bodhi are with them, and there's a moment where Dain tries to get them to hold formation and Violet overrules him because she wants Rhiannon to visit her family. I know Yarros has to do this to gaslight us into believing Dain being a rule follower isn't a character trait she made up for him halfway through Fourth Wing out of nowhere. But also, he's not wrong here? They're in the fucking army and it's reasonable that they should have to do their military shit before going off to visit family. And Rhiannon is also in a leadership position, so she should be on Dain's side.
They all head off to bed, and Violet, after some dithering about where she's going to sleep, goes to her and Xaden's room to sleep.
Brennan comes to see her. He tells her that they've been trying lots of stuff to fix Xaden and failing. Violet is happy to hear that Xaden is still trying to save himself, and the chapter ends.
Honestly I think this is a great chapter. No complaints from me this time!
