The Last Daughter -- Dragon-Blooded Sorcery School Quest
- Thread starter Gazetteer
- Start date
- Fantasy
- Pronouns
- Reader
Yeah! Amiti is only 5 votes behind. Common people. Maia will get plenty of screen time from now on now that Ambraea's courting her, and so far we have only gotten to hear Amiti describe her death magic. Let's actually get a look at it for a change.
- Location
- Third planet from the star named Sol
- Pronouns
- He/They
Given how that last chapter ended, I think whoever gets brought along is going to get hurt.
[X] Maia
I might or might not want Ambrea to deal with guilt and shame over getting herlove friend injured because she did something dangerous again.
[X] Maia
I might or might not want Ambrea to deal with guilt and shame over getting her
[X] Amiti
It's pretty awkward because Maia was in the room, so not sure how the conversation went from "help me people I'm friends with" to "ok Maia you stay here, let's go Amiti" but I really want to see it
It's pretty awkward because Maia was in the room, so not sure how the conversation went from "help me people I'm friends with" to "ok Maia you stay here, let's go Amiti" but I really want to see it
- Location
- Nova Scotia
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Maia might be busy with something else, or it might line up better with Amiti's or Sola's skillset or interests. Or not, obviously, if you vote for her. I did think of that, though.
- Pronouns
- Reader
Um. This is a favor for L'nessa on behalf of Dart Fish. If anyone is going to feel guilt it's her, not that your suggestion seems all that plausible to me. I think it's far more likely for the work to be sabotaged regardless of who comes, and that whoever comes decides how they respond to whatever happens. L'nessa can handle social aspects and support magic, Ambraea is more than suited to combat and dealing with elementals. this leaves to a third character, and I think Amiti's death magic and knowledge of Theoretical arcane works will come more in handy than another fighter.
while Ambraea certainly won't feel nothing over what happens, realistically, given the tone thus far, it's more likely to be anger than guilt.
Eternal_0bserver
(Unverified Bookworm)
- Location
- Earth, Northern Europe
[X] Amiti
[X] Amiti
- Location
- Nova Scotia
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Don't worry, Amiti is used to being in second place. It's just like her childhood.
- Location
- Vermont
[X] Amiti
She might suck at climbing, but the tattered remnants of dead former classmates she can call up might be better!
Assuming they didn't die of falling, anyways!
On more serious stuff though-
She doesn't really seem to care about being traditional, or seen as childish, but she gets pretty mad when Ambrea calls her unwomanly, so I'm guessing she's trans.
She might suck at climbing, but the tattered remnants of dead former classmates she can call up might be better!
Assuming they didn't die of falling, anyways!
On more serious stuff though-
She doesn't really seem to care about being traditional, or seen as childish, but she gets pretty mad when Ambrea calls her unwomanly, so I'm guessing she's trans.
Hampsterpig
I write stuff.
- Location
- Somewhere in my own head
Here I was, confident in voting for Maia because she's adorable, and fuck the politics, let people love whoever. Then comes along the QM with a line like that. You cruel, cruel person. How dare you make a poignant comparison designed to tug on our heartstrings?
[X] Sola
- Location
- Nova Scotia
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I'm sorry! I'm not trying to manipulate you, I just thought it was funny.
[x] Amiti
Fayhem
Definitely not an escaped SCP
- Location
- At large
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Hmm. You make a point here... eh, fuck it. Time for my sudden yet inevitable betrayal (in honor of my problematic fave, Deiza).
[X] Amiti
Hm. Taken in the abstract, maybe, but I'm not sure this fits so well with the Realm's accepting attitude re: trans people. Especially since that acceptance is significantly predicated on the Empress' own personal marriage to a trans man back at the dawn of the Realm, and AFAICT based on her rant Deiza's issue is very much tied to Ambraea being a stand-in for the Empress and the Empress being a stand-in for traditional Realm values. And Ambraea is already friends with a trans woman (though, I guess to be fair Deiza might not know that about Sola).
I wouldn't call it totally out of left field if that turns out to be it, but from what we've got so far I'm pretty skeptical. Especially since Deiza's actual rant doesn't seem to connect to that idea in the least AFAICT:
That really seems to be much more some kind of inferiority complex/general chip on her shoulder towards her self-styled "betters" among more conventional Dynasts (such as Peleps Nazri, who we just met and immediately disliked). Ambraea, as the daughter of the Empress herself, would ostensibly be the most conventional and most socially elevated Dynast there is at the school. And Deiza, not really knowing Ambraea, seems to be projecting the attitudes of e.g. Peleps Nazri onto Ambraea as her assumed motive for not jiving with Deiza when really it's not about that at all.
It seems like Deiza simultaneously craves Ambraea's approval - having it would mean a lot for all the reasons not having it stings - but also can't bring herself to actually ask for it in any way. Possibly because what she really wants is the validation of having the Empress' daughter, who is also something of a sorcerous prodigy in her own right (something House Simendor in general cares about deeply to the point that mortal scions of the family who initiate as sorcerers can have higher standing in the house than Exalted who don't), accept her specifically as her unvarnished self with none of what Deiza seems to think of as "suck-up" behavior involved. And then when she's not getting it she's letting her preexisting insecurities and resentment do her assessment of motive for her.
Not the most socially functional behavior by any means, but I also suspect that Deiza is using her abrasive mannerisms and contempt for traditional niceties at least partially as a cover for and psychological defense against just not actually being very good at conventional socializing. Because it's not rejection or failure if it's because of something you're doing on purpose, right?
...Man, comparing her to Harrow from the Locked Tomb books actually seems like it works even better than I realized when I first said that.
I personally read it as Deiza being a closeted trans man (or eggy about it), and reacting badly at the implication of failing to Properly Perform Gender. I don't think Ambraea is being intentionally transphobic here.
Sorry about that - right after posting I'd concluded "actually, I'm misreading what's being said here, my post doesn't add anything to the conversation."
Fayhem
Definitely not an escaped SCP
- Location
- At large
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Right, I didn't think you were saying Ambraea was doing that; if I did I would have had a much more incredulous reaction, because that would be wildly out of line with Ambraea's demonstrated characterization. I did think that you were saying you thought Deiza was a trans woman who already transitioned though (and then reacting badly to the implication as you said here), so thanks for clarifying on that. I just don't think that links up particularly well to Deiza's actual dialogue and behavior compared to other possible interpretations.
mothematics
How wide is the concept of "you"?
- Location
- the bottom of a coffee cup
- Pronouns
- She/Her
i think given how gaz tends to handle gender and whatnot it makes a lot of sense to read the sequence as Deiza sublimating their gender feelings into general spite for Ambraea and class differences