Cat bargaining

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

Chapter Four: King Cat

So this was the chapter that was originally released as a preview. The fact that it is so drastically altered - he's no longer hallucinating people. Which is a good thing. I can't seem to find the bit I did on the preview chapter and I'm too lazy to look for it. It's still ridiculous.


We begin with Eragon, Nasuada and Jormundur are in the throne room of the late lord Bradburn. Okay, perhaps not late, but currently disposed of to parts unknown. Nasuada is wearing a green and yellow dress having gotten out of her armor moments before. Also She too had been marked during the fighting, as was evidenced by the linen bandage wrapped around her left hand.

OH NOES SHE WAS INJURED IN THE BATTLE CLEARLY SHE MUST HAVE BEEN IN THE THICK OF IT!!! SHE HAS AN INJURY AND ITS NEEDED A BANDAGE!!! IT CLEARLY MUST IMPAIR HER IN SOMEWAY SINCE IT'S ON HER HAND.

Yeah.


Using the word marked generally doesn't indicate a large injury. Injured may have been a better word to be used. And even still, it still doesn't look like an injury that must be remarked upon like it's been some GREAT BIG HINDRANCE.

Apparently the were cats were unexpected and Nasuada wonders what they can do to gain their support. Jörmundur says that they're nearly broke. GEE. MAYBE IF YOU HADN'T GIVEN KATRINA AND RORAN ALL THAT GOLD AND JEWELS FOR THEIR WEDDING MAYBE YOU MIGHT HAVE SOME MORE.

GEEE.

I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU MIGHT BE BROKE.

Idiots.

My cat can manage money better than you can and he just kicks it off the dresser. Irritating... but true.

Eragon suggests giving them cream. Because that's not at all condescending. Clearly since they're cats they all must want cream.

Three trumpets sound and I like how they've been able to set up court so quickly inside of the late Lord Bradburn's keep. The Varden's Standard is a white dragon holding a rose above a sword pointed down on a purple field. It feels like this is their own court room, no mention is made beyond the fact that Bradburn used to live here. It's forgotten beyond description. It's no longer important. Now we must deal with the king of the Were cats: His Most Exalted Royal Highness, Grimrr Halfpaw, King of the Werecats, Lord of the Lonely Places, Ruler of the Night Reaches, and He Who Walks Alone.

... I want to be Lord of The Space Behind Doors, Ruler of Hazy Afternoon Sunshine On LA Freeways, He Who Stops To Pet All the Dogs. This is my new name now: His Most Exceptionally Exalted Super Royal Highness, Kippur the Bird, King of all the Pigeons, Lord of The Space Behind Doors, Ruler of Hazy Afternoon Sunshine On LA Freeways, He Who Stops To Pet All the Dogs.

Out of all these titles, by the way, it's the "He Who Walks Alone" that Saphira pegs as strange. And then says that it must be well deserved. Why? We haven't seen ANYTHING about this king that indicates that he's someone who walks alone, beyond being a cat. Which is default for all cats really. Even when they're together, they're still walking alone, it just HAPPENS to be that there's someone else who HAPPENS to be going in the same direction as they are. But they're not together. They're totally alone.

And then there's this passage again:

The page stepped aside, and through the doorway strode Grimrr Halfpaw in the shape of a human, trailed by four other werecats, who padded close behind him on large, shaggy paws. The four resembled Solembum, the one other werecat Eragon had seen in the guise of an animal: heavy-shouldered and long-limbed, with short, dark ruffs upon their necks and withers; tasseled ears; and black-tipped tails, which they waved gracefully from side to side.
Grimrr Halfpaw, however, looked unlike any person or creature Eragon had ever seen. At roughly four feet tall, he was the same height as a dwarf, but no one could have mistaken him for a dwarf, or even for a human. He had a small pointed chin, wide cheekbones, and, underneath upswept brows, slanted green eyes fringed with winglike eyelashes. His ragged black hair hung low over his forehead, while on the sides and back it fell to his shoulders, where it lay smooth and lustrous, much like the manes of his companions. His age was impossible for Eragon to guess.

The only clothes Grimrr wore were a rough leather vest and a rabbit-skin loincloth. The skulls of a dozen or so animals—birds, mice, and other small game—were tied to the front of the vest, and they rattled against one another as he moved. A sheathed dagger protruded at an angle from under the belt of his loincloth. Numerous scars, thin and white, marked his nut-brown skin, like scratches on a well-used table. And, as his name indicated, he was missing two fingers on his left hand; they looked to have been bitten off.

Despite the delicacy of his features, there was no doubt that Grimrr was male, given the hard, sinewy muscles of his arms and chest, the narrowness of his hips, and the coiled power of his stride as he sauntered down the length of the hall toward Nasuada.

This is ... a very long, semi-sexual description, sort of like yea old male gaze. The noticing of the hips, the delicacy of his features, the no doubt that Grimrr was male (Why? Did he take a peek under the loincloth to make sure?) Oh god he took a peek under the loincloth. I knew it. How else could he definitely prove without a doubt that Grimmr was a male?

Um.

ah..hah...

SO! That rabbit skinned loincloth that Eragon looked under at some point, I don't know if you can tell it's made out of rabbits, beyond the fact that we're told it's made out of rabbits. I think you would need to get a good close look at it to know. I have a dragon puppet with fur on it and someone who was allergic to rabbit fur but interested in getting one of the puppets. So she wanted to know if the fur was made from rabbits. I told her I didn't know. She had to come up and pet the fur and sniff it to see if she could tell...

...Oh dear. I think I'm getting more and more proof that Eragon did look under Grimrr's loincloth.

I'm just saying, you know?

Does this also make him into furries?

Just... wondering.

OR it just could be that Paolini is saying "I need to describe Grimrr" and has forgotten that Eragon is not right up against him, exploring every bit of the werecat's flesh and body, inspecting what lies beneath his clothing and stroking it to see what he's made of...

I should stop now.

Paolini has forgotten that he's in 3rd person limited and keeps on dropping into 3rd person omniscient to give us details that only an omniscient narrator would know. If he had said something like "possibly made out of rabbit fur" which would give doubt to what Eragon knows and what he's guessing about Grimrr. Because narrow hips and sinewy muscles in the arm and chest and coiled power of his walk doesn't necessarily mean that you're male.

I wonder if werecats have multiple mammary glands...

What?!

This is a legitimate curiosity! Grimmr is wearing a vest so it's hard to know.

When he gets to Angela he bares his curved fangs at her. I checked my cat. He doesn't have curved fangs. At least they're not noticeably curved. When I think of curved fangs, I think of something like a snake's fangs. Also it's a really odd detail to pick up... and Eragon would have had to been pretty close to tell that they were curved wouldn't he? I mean he could tell they were fangs, but not really curved from afar.

SHUTUP.

Just SHUTUP.

*sulks*

Angela "cheep cheep"s at him causing him to get all pissy.

He arrives at the throne and He inclined his head ever so slightly, displaying with his bearing the supreme confidence, even arrogance, that was the sole province of cats, dragons, and certain highborn women.

That's just insulting. I totally go with the cats and dragons, but why are women the only ones who are supremely confident and arrogant? Does that make Eragon a woman? Because he's supremely confident and arrogant and being a dragon rider does make him a sort of noble, also his parents were apparently highborn.

Actually this kind of goes back to my theory of Eragon having gender identity issues that I came up with around book two and three using meat as a metaphor for masculinity and vegetarianism as a metaphor for femininity. After all, all the men - human males - that we've encountered and they're manly hairy males etc. eat meat. And LOTS of it. Meanwhile the elves who are 'feminine' looking are vegeitarians (hairless groin scene anyone?). In book two he becomes more elf like and takes on their attributes, even going through a sort of sex change through the magic dragon ceremony that heals him of his ailments and makes him a better person. He doesn't recognize himself in the mirror and people treat him as an elf, something that he wanted to become, because they're his ideal form.

In book three however, he slowly returns to eating meat, at first he does it to fit into society. He doesn't want to insult his hosts - the dwarves- but then he decides that maybe it's okay to do it sometimes. Eventually he tries to go back all the way to eating meat, however he can't get rid of the transformation so he's almost pretending that he is a man.

The fact that he only feels that women can be that arrogant and not men seems to indicate a disconnect to what men are and how they act.

I'm sure I could further this thesis even more but I don't think this is the right place for it.

Grimrr says that he wishes to suddenly join in the conflict against Galbatorix because of Eragon. Apparently they were oppressed by Galbatorix even if they were all scattered about the world with no society of their own really and considered to be mostly myth and legend.

He says the fact that Galbatorix doesn't want or try to kill Eragon and Saphira is a sign of weakness and so that means that he's weak enough to attack. Because if a wolf refuses to attack another wolf automatically means that it's vulnerable to other predators. And sure Galbatorix may not have attacked Eragon directly, but he has attacked him -see the Ra'zac, the kidnapping of Katrina, the sending of Thorn and Murtagh against him. It just hasn't been directly. We also know that Galbatorix doesn't want to kill Saphira because she is likely the ONLY FEMALE DRAGON LEFT ALIVE. IF YOU KILL HER THEN YOU'RE REALLY DOOMING THE SPECIES.

What he would like, I'm assuming, if I were him, is to breed Saphira to his dragon and produce eggs and dragons that he then could control. He's not stupid. At least, he seems to be one of the smarter people in this book. Even if we haven't seen him at all.

But apparently now is the time for all the races to stand together and prove that Galbatorix has not broken their will, etc. It just took them a hundred years to get around to it.

Eragon is impressed by the werecat's speech. But Eragon is easily impressed.

The King speaks for all the werecats and that all able bodied cats were there. Honestly, I wonder about the communication networks they have. And if they have teleporters or not. Because gather up all the ... because herding cats (sorry) is not an easy job.

(I always liked this commercial.)

Nasuada says that they could offer them cream - which is again sort of insulting and condescending. You could just ask what they require instead of assuming you know what they'd want.

Grimrr says that they don't want that. Instead:

Our terms are thus: Each of us will be given a dagger to fight with, if we do not already have one. Each of us shall have two suits of armor made to fit, one for when on two legs we stand, and one for when on four. We need no other equipment than that—no tents, no blankets, no plates, no spoons. Each of us will be promised a single duck, grouse, chicken, or similar bird per day, and every second day, a bowl of freshly chopped liver. Even if we do not choose to eat it, the food will be set aside for us. Also, should you win this war, then whoever becomes your next king or queen—and all who claim that title thereafter—will keep a padded cushion next to their throne, in a place of honor, for one of us to sit on, if we so wish.”

This food thing really bothers me. Especially since Nasuada agrees to it readily. She doesn't say "that would be a waste of food" or "how many warriors have you brought? I don't know if we could feed them all that". I mean they have to make sure they have enough food for their own army and now they're going to possibly throw away food like that? Of course they're having problems with money! They're wasting it!

Nasuada says that the cat bargains like a dwarf, but they didn't bargain at all! They said "this is what we want". Nasuada says, "well... okay then, but not two suits of armor."

There's no bargaining here. There's not the back and forth of "Give me this" "No, how about this" "No, but I'll take this instead." It's just the cat gives his demands and they say yes.

Bah. If you're going to engage in diplomacy and bargaining, at least make them work for it.

Finally Nasuada says okay but you have to let us read your minds first to make sure you're not working with Galby. You know, sometimes I wonder why he didn't just make a sleeper agent where they have no memory of it and can't be sensed by a scan. That would have been awesome.

But no, that's not going to happened and it is sad. Ah well.

Everything is agreed upon and they all cheer. Yay!

Wow. That went on a lot longer than I thought it would.

Comments

[mangraa.livejournal.com]

Fascinating little association you've made between meat and gender...all I will say at the moment, assuming you haven't already read the entire book or the group sporking being done, is keep that in mind for a particular part of a future scene and the word choice used. If this doesn't make sense when you get to it, perhaps I will point it out.

The whole give them cream line is kind of..well it's still a bit condescending, but he said it when the werecats weren't around, so whatever; but to actually SAY it to the werecats is absolutely deplorable. It feels like it's roughly equivalent to offering your African-American neighbour fried chicken and grapesoda when he or she asks for something to eat. I think that if ErrBegone had not sad it earlier as a borderline racist/speciest joke, it could maybe even have been passed off as an honest, albeit dim-witted, attempt to offer the werecats something they might like, not having any ideas except for prior experience with regular cats as a guide. But no, instead it feels like the kind of thing a dumb frat boy suggests to his friends to say to someone as an offensive joke, and then they actually say it to see what the reaction is.

I was saddened that ErrBegone didn't say something about the werecats's groin; hairless? furry? I got the feeling he was usually more observant concerning the hair-to_groin ratio of new species he encountered. Maybe it's in a later chapter along with the answer to your "two nipples or eight?" question.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

Fascinating little association you've made between meat and gender

It's great, isn't it? :D I have not been reading the group sporking because I want to keep myself relatively opinion free,nor have I read ahead for the same reason.

But I have no doubt that this association will come up again. It's been a prevalent theme in the books. Ridiculously prevalent theme. I really should write that essay ridiculously prevalent theme.

The creme thing would have been half as bad if Nasuada hadn't laughed at Eragon's suggestion earlier. If instead she looked thoughtful about it, like it might actually be legitimate. And the thing is, it's supposed to be funny when Eragon suggests it in private and a serious consideration when Nausada suggests it in public, the two events not being connected. Even though they are.

Eragon's attention to certain details tends to be a bit on the disturbing side. Especially in what he's supposed to be according to the narrator as opposed to his actions.

[mangraa.livejournal.com]

Mental note: work up psychological profile on Eragon. Or find someone week versed in child psychology to do so. Focus on mother and abandonment issues, narcissism, OCD, schizotypal, and gender issues. Sociopathic and potentially psychopathic leanings already documented.

He. It would prove to be an interesting revealing of Paol-er, Eragon...

[silverphoenixx.livejournal.com]

The biggest question I have is, how do these cats manage to have a king? This implies that they have a monarchy. But how does that work when there are so few of them and they live all over the place? Are there cat nobles and peasants as well? Does Paolini ever think at all about the world his story takes place in?

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

Apparently they chose a king when they need to go to war. So perhaps king is not the best word to use there. Maybe warlord is better.

How they get together to decided these things, I don't know. I mean they're cats.

[dove-cg.livejournal.com]

In that case, Chief or Chieftain might be a better word as well. Warlord definitely is more fitting if it's only for war (although how often do they go to war?) I think he chose the word King because it sounds more fantastic and impressive. Plus, in fairy tales it's semi-common, if I remember correctly. But that said, werecats and "real" fairy tale/folklore cats are two separate matters.

[lurkeriatipsos.livejournal.com]

Now I want the werecats' POV of going to join the Varden.

"I don't suppose their merchants will take imperial coin. What should we use for barter?"

"I dunno, bananas?"

[dove-cg.livejournal.com]

Heh heh heh. Okay, if he ever actually did that, after the cream thing, I'd forgive him for it. Maybe for other stuff too.

You know, this makes me wonder... what are the werecats and where did they come from? In a traditional sense, werecritters are originally human with some ability to transform. However, these werecats remind me more of the ones from White Wolf, particularly because in their games the weres can be descended from either humans, the animal, or their own kind (which typically has some stigma to it.) Werecats as a separate race really need more explanation than he has given us thus far.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

I think you would insult the Librarian with that sort of joke and then you don't want to know where those bananas are going to end up.

:D

[clio-1.livejournal.com]

"Maybe if we offered to pick lice off them?"

(Hi!)

[lurkeriatipsos.livejournal.com]

Just don't get them angry. You don't want to know what they use instead of bows and arrows!

(Why howdy, neighbor!)

[dove-cg.livejournal.com]

Your cat needs to be their financial adviser. ;)

Hell, my cat could be their financial adviser and she does the same kind of stuff. But she also likes to attack paper!

Anyway, I would say that Paolini is probably into furries. (Honestly, it's a pretty massive thing, even for people who aren't turned on by it, so I'm more willing to presume someone likes the concept of furries to some degree than to assume that they don't like them at all.) I'm not sure what to think of the description though. One the one hand, I think the idea of wearing the little skulls is cute and appropriate. Might have been even cooler if they had larger skulls hanging from a belt or a big animal skull for a helmet. Just as proof that he took down something bigger than himself or as big. Either another predator or prey. Like a wolf or deer skull or something. Which he would've taken down alone because they probably hunt alone. Instead Paolini just went out of his way to make them attractive instead of amazing. I mean, the tiny skulls are cute but they're just reminiscent of bells, really. I'd be mildly repulsed by the sight, in reality, but of course Eragon would never be. Then again, I suppose realistically anyone who hunts probably doesn't care. But eh...

I'm also wondering why the cats want armor and weapons. I could see this one guy carrying a dagger to try and look impressive. But cats work best when they use surprise. You know, guerrilla tactics. If you're going to fight toe-to-toe in the open, get a dog or maybe a horse. Hell, a bull would be better. Honestly, I think I'd rather see them team up with minotaurs. Not strictly that unique (Dragonlance beat them to it, not to mention the original minotaur was a deadly fighter/monster) but it'd make more sense in an army to me. I'd also be more intrigued to know how they came about and how they deal with life since they might or might not be predators (original minotaur ate flesh but actual cows don't normally.) Actually, I'd love to see that. I like what Donna Barr did with centaurs (another cool option in war.) I'd love to see what someone might do with a society of minotaurs or even werecattle. Hell, weresheep! Really, people don't use satyrs and minotaurs (any mythological part animal/part human people) enough and even rarer still try to work out a society for them. But then sometimes people do and it doesn't work out. Even so, more effort could be made and possibly succeed!

He inclined his head ever so slightly, displaying with his bearing the supreme confidence, even arrogance, that was the sole province of cats, dragons, and certain highborn women.

I think what happened here was two things. He was being cliche and sexist. It actually would have been appropriate and maybe interesting except that Eragon doesn't have a consistent history of being remotely chivalrous and/or intentionally chauvinist. I love your theories, don't get me wrong, and I'm sure you're right overall. But I do believe that this was simply an instance of Paolini trying to play a trope straight and failing at it. Also the simple fact that I don't believe Paolini has a clear idea what he's doing with regards to perspectives on nobility, even from a "former" peasant's POV! :P

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

Your cat needs to be their financial adviser. ;)

Hell, my cat could be their financial adviser and she does the same kind of stuff. But she also likes to attack paper!

Hah. Mine likes to help me balance my checkbook by sitting on the calculator. Clearly smarter.

The armor and weapons thing, yeah. That's a good point. Why would they need it? Especially metal armor. That would just slow them down as they're cats, they need to be agile and move. HIGH DEX! /D&D geek moment.

But I do believe that this was simply an instance of Paolini trying to play a trope straight and failing at it.

Oh, I'm sure he was trying to play it straight. It's just funnier my way. ^_^

[dove-cg.livejournal.com]

(Why? Did he take a peek under the loincloth to make sure?) Oh god he took a peek under the loincloth. I knew it. How else could he definitely prove without a doubt that Grimmr was a male?

Forgot to add, in any other case I'd say it's presumed dimorphism that is probably accurate but which could be proven wrong later. But this is Paolini and his weird narrative that we're talking about here.

Out of curiosity, have you checked to compare all of his male versus female descriptions? How long does he linger on one versus the other? I'm wondering myself but it seems to me that he typically lingers on the male characters more. Might just be a assumption on my part though.

[mangraa.livejournal.com]

Unless it is Arya, who I don't think Paolinigon necessarily wants to bonne-I think he wants to have her body. Seriously, it's like seeing a pretty car versus every detail of the car you want. How often are Arya's actions given such romantic treatment?

[borgseawolf.livejournal.com]

is this a dagger under your loincloth or are you just happy to see me?

Also, it took him four books to describe the Varden standard??

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

:D

I do believe so.

[clio-1.livejournal.com]

A cushion next to the throne? Really? That sounds like something out of Terry Pratchett.

Housecats, which werecats seem to be based on, do form groups in the wild. They are based on female cats and their kittens. Most common is a bonded pair of female cats, who hunt for each other and the kittens, and look out for any male cats who might come along to eat the kittens. Female cats usually get along a lot better with each other in households than male cats do with either female or male cats, though individual personality and training has a lot to do with that too.

So the leader of the cats shouldn't be a king, it should be a queen.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

Actually I thought of the Puss in Boots story that I read as a child (the poor book... that I scribbled in... ) where the cat demanded a seat by the king's side after the guy he was owned by was married to the princess.

The cat thing was something I was thinking of but I wasn't sure about it. Perhaps he was thinking of lions are kings... and stuff... or something. I don't know.

[mage-apprentice.livejournal.com]

I know I'm a little late to the party, but concerning Half-Paw's rabbit loin cloth, I always imagined that he made the basic cloth out of the hide and used the rabbit head as decoration, making the hide's origin obvious. So in my head, Half-Paw's groin is covered by a rabbit head. Nice image, isn't it?