«I hope you don’t mind me taking over like that?» – Oh, Seeker, Seeker, Seeker. You poor high-functioning idiot…
«You’ve seen me hurt before,» she said. A statement, not a question. – Time Lords. Always with the piecing information together and figuring things out. Brava.
He quirked an eyebrow, trying to stop a wry smile. – Points for the effort, and for trying to tailor the message to the audience. Probably still in deep trouble, though.
I would like to get you to a zero room – do you trust me enough for that?» A long look. – Perfect. After all, why should she?
but he knew her well enough to understand that the one did not lead automatically to the other – Yes. The inevitable and predictable thoughts in the immediate aftermath of the use of regeneration energy last chapter are one thing, but not a firm basis for going forward.
they were even happier when the Seeker volunteered to re-organise the planet on their behalf. – the beginning of, if not a beautiful friendship, at least a long-standing business relationship?
Although of course it would have been a lot simpler without all the people… – And it was ever thus, and ever thus will be…
or let himself and Roda attempt to reorganise their society – Still not sure why the Shadow Proclamation goes along with this. I mean, yes, it’s simpler for them, and they don’t get blamed if it goes wrong, but if they are the people in whom authority is vested (again, not sure by whom), delegating that power to freelancing contractors is either very topical or feels like an abdication of responsibility.
humans disliked change that inconvenienced them in any way, of that he was well aware – Again with the note of topicalia, inter alia…
He did his best to be polite, but he was, and always had been, best working on his own – I wonder if he’d grown up with people who could keep up with him instead of with twenty-first century humans he’d feel the same way. I would expect Roda to be an asset in this case and not an encumbering liability. Can he just not see her like that because he’s not used to having an equal to pair-plot with? (Okay, it’s addressed, at least, four paras on, I see that. Maybe I’m just lamenting the missed opportunity of seeing them working together both on all cylinders and trusting each other.)
he concluded that she trusted him with her own safety – the rest of the world, not so much. – This seems a perfectly reasonable attitude. We haven’t forgotten the god complex either, at this point…
the slowly unfolding nightmare that was their peace and reconciliation programme. – Reminds me that I still need to read up on the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Though there are continuing examples closer to home of us not getting this right either.
The impulse to snarl that they were all bloody primitives to him – “You’re all the same, you screaming kids.” An earned moment.
but so far he’d managed to avoid it. – and he definitely gets points for that.
He’d replied coldly that any human was free to go work in the mines, and the delegation he had been speaking with had walked out, incensed. – Oh, bravo. Has your stuff always been this frighteningly topical and I just haven’t noticed it before?
you say you bring us justice, but you don’t! Justice would be giving them our fate. They should be our slaves! Why do they not pay? Why do they not leave? They don’t belong here! – It’s a fair cop. If not the they should be slaves in turn bit, at least the they should leave bit. They came, they stole our resources, and now you’re letting them stay when you could just carry them all somewhere else instead? Of course, unless you find an uninhabited planet you’ll have the same problem over again…
Being aware of the conflict of interests, he noted down his preference and endeavoured to be as impartial as possible – Good self-awareness, that Time Lord.
Roda was good at speaking up for the humans. – Why is Roda speaking up for the humans? This seems like a reversal of her earlier position, let alone the fact that the Captain tried to kill her.
a thrilling new species with a culture all their own, and could have wept at the humans’ unfortunate landing… – but you’re a Time Lord, and if the human landing was a mistake surely you can change it? This is of course the problem with stories including time travel, and about here the classic series would babble quickly about the Blinovitch Limitation Effect and hope that the audience stopped thinking about it…
But, he discovered on his brief sojourn, they did sing. – Of course they did. And of course the humans couldn’t hear it and destroyed it.
If they had straight up admitted to being in the wrong, everything would have been much easier. – Here and at every other point in time and space, yes.
“Well, I must confess I’m beginning to understand how you feel. It is increasingly frustrating to help creatures with no sense of gratitude…” – “‘He has very nice manners,’ said Harriet. But the implication was too subtle. Miss Schuster-Slatt proceeded…”
The rest of the humans observed in silence, but he could tell they wished they could applaud their colleague. – This. Right here. So deafening is the desire to be in the right that one can’t hear anything else…
than the humans’ constant attempts at manipulation and machinations and the million and one hindrances they threw in his path – “nothing but propaganda and special pleading and ‘what do we get out of this?’ No time, no peace, no silence: nothing but conferences and newspapers and public speeches till one can’t hear one’s self think…”
But also, hurrah to the Seeker for growing from chapter 13 of Dating: “Apart from the fact that I’m my father’s son and that his legacy would follow me around everywhere, it would mean… bureaucracy. On every level. Following other people’s rules. And if I did go the whole way, I would just end up murdering my cabinet like dad did. Probably not on the first day, but I’d get there. Please - don’t ever suggest that again.”
You know, Dating will probably always be my sentimental favourite among your stories, because sunny afternoons in Cambridge are hard to beat, and the Seeker staring down a heckler with a “Non placet”… I will never have words for that. But this, this chapter particularly, is really quite amazing.
no subject
«I hope you don’t mind me taking over like that?»
– Oh, Seeker, Seeker, Seeker. You poor high-functioning idiot…
«You’ve seen me hurt before,» she said. A statement, not a question.
– Time Lords. Always with the piecing information together and figuring things out. Brava.
He quirked an eyebrow, trying to stop a wry smile.
– Points for the effort, and for trying to tailor the message to the audience. Probably still in deep trouble, though.
I would like to get you to a zero room – do you trust me enough for that?»
A long look.
– Perfect. After all, why should she?
but he knew her well enough to understand that the one did not lead automatically to the other
– Yes. The inevitable and predictable thoughts in the immediate aftermath of the use of regeneration energy last chapter are one thing, but not a firm basis for going forward.
they were even happier when the Seeker volunteered to re-organise the planet on their behalf.
– the beginning of, if not a beautiful friendship, at least a long-standing business relationship?
Although of course it would have been a lot simpler without all the people…
– And it was ever thus, and ever thus will be…
or let himself and Roda attempt to reorganise their society
– Still not sure why the Shadow Proclamation goes along with this. I mean, yes, it’s simpler for them, and they don’t get blamed if it goes wrong, but if they are the people in whom authority is vested (again, not sure by whom), delegating that power to freelancing contractors is either very topical or feels like an abdication of responsibility.
humans disliked change that inconvenienced them in any way, of that he was well aware
– Again with the note of topicalia, inter alia…
He did his best to be polite, but he was, and always had been, best working on his own
– I wonder if he’d grown up with people who could keep up with him instead of with twenty-first century humans he’d feel the same way. I would expect Roda to be an asset in this case and not an encumbering liability. Can he just not see her like that because he’s not used to having an equal to pair-plot with? (Okay, it’s addressed, at least, four paras on, I see that. Maybe I’m just lamenting the missed opportunity of seeing them working together both on all cylinders and trusting each other.)
he concluded that she trusted him with her own safety – the rest of the world, not so much.
– This seems a perfectly reasonable attitude. We haven’t forgotten the god complex either, at this point…
the slowly unfolding nightmare that was their peace and reconciliation programme.
– Reminds me that I still need to read up on the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Though there are continuing examples closer to home of us not getting this right either.
The impulse to snarl that they were all bloody primitives to him
– “You’re all the same, you screaming kids.” An earned moment.
but so far he’d managed to avoid it.
– and he definitely gets points for that.
He’d replied coldly that any human was free to go work in the mines, and the delegation he had been speaking with had walked out, incensed.
– Oh, bravo. Has your stuff always been this frighteningly topical and I just haven’t noticed it before?
you say you bring us justice, but you don’t! Justice would be giving them our fate. They should be our slaves! Why do they not pay? Why do they not leave? They don’t belong here!
– It’s a fair cop. If not the they should be slaves in turn bit, at least the they should leave bit. They came, they stole our resources, and now you’re letting them stay when you could just carry them all somewhere else instead? Of course, unless you find an uninhabited planet you’ll have the same problem over again…
Being aware of the conflict of interests, he noted down his preference and endeavoured to be as impartial as possible
– Good self-awareness, that Time Lord.
Roda was good at speaking up for the humans.
– Why is Roda speaking up for the humans? This seems like a reversal of her earlier position, let alone the fact that the Captain tried to kill her.
a thrilling new species with a culture all their own, and could have wept at the humans’ unfortunate landing…
– but you’re a Time Lord, and if the human landing was a mistake surely you can change it? This is of course the problem with stories including time travel, and about here the classic series would babble quickly about the Blinovitch Limitation Effect and hope that the audience stopped thinking about it…
But, he discovered on his brief sojourn, they did sing.
– Of course they did. And of course the humans couldn’t hear it and destroyed it.
If they had straight up admitted to being in the wrong, everything would have been much easier.
– Here and at every other point in time and space, yes.
“Well, I must confess I’m beginning to understand how you feel. It is increasingly frustrating to help creatures with no sense of gratitude…”
– “‘He has very nice manners,’ said Harriet. But the implication was too subtle. Miss Schuster-Slatt proceeded…”
The rest of the humans observed in silence, but he could tell they wished they could applaud their colleague.
– This. Right here. So deafening is the desire to be in the right that one can’t hear anything else…
than the humans’ constant attempts at manipulation and machinations and the million and one hindrances they threw in his path
– “nothing but propaganda and special pleading and ‘what do we get out of this?’ No time, no peace, no silence: nothing but conferences and newspapers and public speeches till one can’t hear one’s self think…”
But also, hurrah to the Seeker for growing from chapter 13 of Dating: “Apart from the fact that I’m my father’s son and that his legacy would follow me around everywhere, it would mean… bureaucracy. On every level. Following other people’s rules. And if I did go the whole way, I would just end up murdering my cabinet like dad did. Probably not on the first day, but I’d get there. Please - don’t ever suggest that again.”
You know, Dating will probably always be my sentimental favourite among your stories, because sunny afternoons in Cambridge are hard to beat, and the Seeker staring down a heckler with a “Non placet”… I will never have words for that. But this, this chapter particularly, is really quite amazing.