Eragon pt. seventeen

[kippurbird]

Chapter Of Reading and plots, Thieves in the castle.

Summary

Of the first chapter, nothing really of note happens except that Eragon learns how to read. In a week. He goes from completely illiterate to being able to slowly read a page without asking for Brom's help, in a week. The kid is that much of a fricking genius. Some other stuff happens in this chapter, like Brom coming up with a plan to get to the records and Eragon and Saphira not having enough quality time together. But really, Eragon learns how to become functionally literate. What else is there to say?

Eragon has a dream about a Mary Sue. That's what else there is to say:

"He saw a young woman, bent over by sorrow, chained in a cold, hard cell. A beam of moonlight shone through a barred window set high in the wall and fell on her face. A single tear rolled down her cheek, like a liquid diamond.

Eragon rose with a start and found himself crying uncontrollably before sining back into a fitful sleep."

If that's not straight out of a bad fan fic... I don't know my bad fic. This is a typical tragic Sue set up. She's not only in a cell, but she's chained into it. And she cries the signature crystal tear. And Eragon all of a sudden starts crying uncontrollably after seeing her. For no reason. No reason at all. He starts crying after seeing her in his dream. Who he dreams about for no known reason. It's even more random that that other dream he had. It's just... there. For no reason at all.

Now, if we remember correctly, Jeod said that it would take months to look through all the records to find out the right one about the oil. Months if they were lucky. It takes them a couple of hours to find it. Eragon is alerted by Serious Ass in his human form (that looks like a human boy... with a sprig of holly in his hair, for some reason) that guards were coming. Eragon lies how he knows this and they get out of the records room just in time. The guards, also coming from Evil Harry's minion school, helps them get away, not finding it all remotely suspicious that they were found right near the record's room and they were told that Brom, Eragon, and Jeod were there. Eragon even says to himself, "They're helping us get away!"

Then it's some boring stuff as they manage to make a guess where the Seithr oil went so they know where the Ra'zac went. They figure that they went to a place called Dras-Leona... where there's something called the Dark Gates. The evil creatures went to a place where there are things called the Dark Gates. Who'd of thunk?

Comments

[karma-kalisutah.livejournal.com]

The fortune teller said that Eragon's Twu Wuv would be a Mary Sue. The girl in Eragon's dream is a Mary Sue. Therefor, Eragon is dreaming about his Twu Wuv before he's even learned of her existence. Because they're both that special.

*sigh*

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

You'll find that you end up using the phrase, "They're/he's just that special" a lot in this book.

[ghostgecko.livejournal.com]

Have you ever read David Brin's excellent essay on the difference between ordianry people being heros and "destined" heroes, as if heroism was only possible if you were one of the "chosen elite"? If you haven't it's quite good and very relevant to Eragon's stressed specialness: http://davidbrin.com/tolkienarticle1.html

http://davidbrin.com/tolkienarticle1.html
This article on Romanticisim vs Enlightenment was the basis for my current novel-in-progress. What IF Sauron were not the bad guy he was made out to be, but the "champion of the common middle-earther" who was trying to give goblins and monsters a fair shake?

[kurai-hikari.livejournal.com]

That's an awesome article. Really, it is. Especially since I'm taking AP European History, and really, really, really like it. So that's pretty cool.

I want to read that story.

[ghostgecko.livejournal.com]

Yay, ONE person who wants to read it. Heh. Right now it's called "Strange Loves of the Voodoo Peacock" . . . but working titles rarely stick, thank goodness.

repost because HTML hates me

[anarchicq.livejournal.com]

Of Reading and plots
Is that seriously the title of the chapter? It's like Paolini is writing a to do list.
"Hmm...important things to put in this chapter.
1-..he reads.
2-...I need to focus on plot...
...writing a book is haaaaardd...*Whine*"

"Eragon's massive meatlog rose with a start and found himself it crying weeping uncontrollably before sining(?) back into a fitful flacid sleep."
FIXED!

Re: repost because HTML hates me

[indescane.livejournal.com]

You just made me get water up my nose.

Re: repost because HTML hates me

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

*laughs* That's like a cross between Terry Goodkind and... um... I don't know.

[behyper.livejournal.com]

Yo Sister-Sue-Insert. You forgot to define "epic romance."

If I remember correctly, Miss Sue leads Eragon on through the second book, insisting at the same time that she has ZERO INTEREST and Mister Stu ignores whatever she says and continues to run after her. And there is no subtlety involved. Sue comes right out and says "Hey you jerk, back off." Eragon says "But I love you blah blah love love love blah."

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

This is sort of like the whole bickering couple thing who say they don't like each other but by the end of the book/series they're soulmates or something.

[gjohnsonkoehn.livejournal.com]

If there's something called the 'Dark Gates' out there, and it's even remotely in line with the evil minions' path, why would you bother stopping to research their potential destinations? Just go to the damn Dark Gates! Even if that particular band of evil minions doesn't show up there, something evil is bound to!

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

Oh because they aren't fighting evil. They're out for revenge.

[gjohnsonkoehn.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but hey're out for revenge against evil things, so....

[delphinapterus.livejournal.com]

Forget the dark gates, the name Dras-Leona should be alerting our revenge seekers that it's a bad place. I really am enjoying your work on this fic book.