8FOLD/ACRA: Orphans of Mars: To Bell The Cat # 4

[Tom Russell]

On Saturday, July 12, 2014 8:21:08 PM UTC-4, Andrew Perron wrote:
 
> >     "She was worried," says Petara. "You've been standing there,
> 
> > crying, for over a minute now."
> 
> 
> 
> GEE IT'S ALMOST AS IF SOMEONE DID SOMETHING SHITTY TO HER HUH >:/ LIKE 
> 
> SOMEBODY FUCKED HER UP A BIT

Well, Petara doesn't know it-- or at least, we don't know that she knows it. Nerrine does know, of course, and at least some of her concern for Ress might be motivated by guilt at what she's done.
 
> >     "It's a dangerous if," says Ress. "Too dangerous. In my opinion,
> 
> > Imperatrix. Anyone you send on this mission, you send to certain
> 
> > death, and certain failure. Life is the word you have chosen for us.
> 
> > So please, do not send anyone on this mission."
> 
> 
> 
> That is very good council.

<snip>

>
> > The only
> 
> > one Nerrine can count on, the only one she's ever counted on, is
> 
> > herself.
> 
> 
> 
> Ah, my.

So I think now that answers one of your questions from last time-- you were wondering how Ress's rex tracker plan would result in the removal of Nerrine.

> >     The falling creature stops falling in mid-air, instead soaring over
> 
> > her head. The pteranodon bears itself upwards with another screech.
> 
> >     "Bitches of shit!" sputters Nerrine. "It swims through the sky!"
> 
> > Like the creatures in children's stories. The dragons.
> 
> 
> 
> ...have they not seen any flying animals before this? o.o There wouldn't be 
> 
> birds yet... or bats... and I guess insects are different. Huh. Okay. I guess 
> 
> this is reasonable, then.

That was my line of thinking. There might have been insects on Mars as well, but anything living that would be bigger than that being airborne would be unheard of.

> >     In its claws, it clutches something.
> 
> >     The tracker.
> 
> 
> 
> D'oh!

As I think you've said of the Orphans before, They Are Really Bad At This (TM).

> > Ress watches her sister-lover sleep. There's something oddly
> 
> > satisfying about it. It's not that her scheme worked; her schemes
> 
> > always work, and especially where her idiot sister is concerned. Her
> 
> > favorite and most predictable puppet. Not so much a sister as an
> 
> > extension of her own will.
> 
> >     For some reason, this reflection is troubling, and she finds
> 
> > herself unable to look at Kellin. Or maybe it's not that at all, but
> 
> > that she can't bear the thought of Kellin looking at her. At seeing
> 
> > her. At knowing her for what she really is. Because if Kellin knew,
> 
> > wouldn't she pull away from Ress? Wouldn't she hate her? And Ress
> 
> > couldn't bear that.
> 
> >     But why? Why would it matter to Ress if Kellin should hate her?
> 
> 
> 
>   I just want to take you all and HUG you.

Thank you, Andrew. You don't know how much it means to me that Ress-- probably the least likeable of the Daughters-- elicits empathy from a reader.

It's a very tricky thing, trying to make a reader care about a character like Ress. It's definitely a challenge that I seem to be drawn to-- in both my work here on RACC, and in the films I've made, I've returned to this well again and again, with a very spotty record of success. That is, sometimes it seems to work (Ress in this case), and sometimes it doesn't (Anders from JOLT CITY, Leon from DOOMED ROMANCE).

> Andrew "NO .SIG MAN" "Juan" Perron, onward.

==Tom