#int 4

[star-wars-forever]

INT-4 Interceptor launching from an AT-AT in The Mandalorian and Grogu

[krixwell-liveblogs]

End of Interlude 4

holy shit that was adorable.

I love this Interlude, plain and simple. Brutus’ perspective was such a joy to read throughout the chapter, and so well written. And then there are the actual events of the chapter - the scentless man, who is probably the Undersiders’ boss and apparently knows Rachel in person; the lesson taught to the careless mother; the thrashing of the dog-fighting ring. All of it, coddamn fantastic.

Not to mention we finally got the answer to what actually happened to Rachel in Shell, and possibly found a plot error.

12 out of 10, would walkies again!

Huh, would ya look at that, a track called Dogfight (art contains Homestuck spoilers) just started playing over my head. This one is way more appropriate to this chapter, though.

Anyway, next chapter, we’re delving into Arc 5. I don’t know what to expect here... I guess it’ll take place during Taylor’s downtime and the Undersiders’ attempt to stay out of trouble for a bit. I’m not so sure that’ll last, though.

See ya then!

[krixwell-liveblogs]

“Brutus, sit, stay,” Master orders.  Brutus sits and stays while Master stands beside him.  Is good boy.  Gets scratched by Master.  Little female human is walking up to Brutus. Smaller than Brutus.  Pats at Brutus, pokes.  One poke in eye.  Brutus’ ears down, head down, tail between legs.  Not good scratches.  Little human laughs.  Poke again in Brutus’ side.

Ow! Stop that!

Brutus looks up at Master.  Pleading.  Master not saying anything so Brutus stays while being poked.  Little human grabbing Brutus’ fur on side and pulling too hard.

Why isn’t Rachel intervening here? Like, I’m not saying this girl needs to be punished or anything, but it doesn’t seem like Rachel to allow someone to mistreat her dog out of ignorance.

Like Angelica when Angelica was new to Master’s pack, biting and pulling and making Brutus bleed.  Bad memory.  Growl starts in Brutus’ throat.

“No, Brutus, off,” Master orders.  Brutus lowers head.  No more growling.  Still being poked.  Still being pulled at.

:(

Big female human that smells like the little human arrives.  Is walking fast.  Big female stops and laughs at Brutus and little human.

“Aren’t they cute?”  Another laugh.

Master doesn’t laugh.

“Well, kids will be kids.”

At least someone’s taking responsibility here. Except she isn’t.

Master speaks, her voice even but her body language is angry, “Watch your fucking child.”

That’s fair.

I suppose maybe she didn’t intervene because it could get an unfortunate reaction from the mother?

Brutus knows watch is order for Brutus to sit and stay and bark if anyone comes… but Master is talking to big female and not giving order to Brutus.

Yes, Master is telling big female to sit and stay and bark if anyone comes.

Other word Brutus knows is fucking which means Master is mad but Brutus isn’t the one she’s saying fucking to so it is okay.

I love that Brutus understands this.

[krixwell-liveblogs]

A whistle.  Brutus’ ears perk up.

Oh fuck yes. I think this is a chapter about Rachel. While I don’t exactly love her character, I’ve been wanting some answers for half an arc now, and I feel like we might be getting them now.

...if the entire chapter is written from Brutus’ perspective, that’s going to be amazing.

Already jumping off the bed as second whistle comes, just after the first.  Two whistles like that means come.  Master only asks for dogs to come to the front stairs if it is time for walkies!

Walkies are Brutus’ favorite thing!

It is! I’m loving this already. :D

(At least this part is, and Wildbow has yet to switch perspectives within a chapter.)

Other dogs are bumping shoulders with Brutus in hurry to get to Master.  Turn corner too fast, claws scratch at floor to get grip.  Fall a little.  Judas hesitates, sniffs, but Angelica is ahead of Brutus now.  Bad girl.

I love the fragmented, broken style this is written in, it’s perfect for this.

“Bad girl.”

Brutus snarls a little at Angelica, she backs away, drops behind.  Brutus is top dog.  Angelica should know that.  Brutus arrives at Master first, the way it should be.

So is Brutus top dog, or does he just think he is? :P 

I wonder what Judas has to say about that.

Brutus is top dog, but Master is alpha.  Leader of this pack.  Not leader of her people-pack but that is okay.

Interesting that Brutus has successfully analyzed the power dynamics among the Undersiders. Clever dog. :)

She bends down and scratches all over Brutus’ neck and shoulders, deep, rough.  Perfect scratches because they dig through Brutus’ thick fur.  Tail is wagging so hard that back paws are slipping on floor.  Fall over and turn belly up so Master can scratch it.  She does and it is ecstasy.

This is so damn adorable.

[krixwell-liveblogs]

Then Master tells big female, “He’s an abused dog, you know.  Before I owned him, he was mistreated.  Until he hurt someone so badly they needed amputation.  I rescued him before he was put down.  And you just let your kid walk up to him and start clawing at him.  Do you understand what could have happened?  That he could have killed or maimed your fucking mouthbreather of a child?”

This is a very valid point. You shouldn’t let her do that regardless of whether the dog has been abused, but there’s no way of knowing, and it’s good that Rachel is forcing the woman to consider the potential consequences.

Brutus only knows his own name and word kill.  Other words don’t mean anything to Brutus.

Uh-oh.

Kill is order to attack and not stop until that thing isn’t moving anymore.

I guess that’s one way of putting it.

Master only gives Brutus and Judas and Angelica order to kill with squirrels and racoons and once a horse.

At least he has shown awareness of whom Rachel is talking to and hopefully won’t consider her saying “kill” as an order to him.

Big female is on knees now and fear smell is all Brutus can smell right now.  Is good to be lower than Master and showing submission.  Big woman is saying things but Brutus can’t understand because she is talking and not stopping.

I think she might’ve learned her lesson.

“Brutus, off.  Come,” Master says and Brutus lets go of arm and walks to Master’s side.  Little human still howling.

Then Master tells big female same thing as before: “Watch your fucking child.”  Walkies begin again.  Get scratched.  Master says Brutus is good boy and Brutus is happy.  Tail wagging.

Hopefully the woman remembers this. The girl too, but with her the ignorance is more excusable.

[krixwell-liveblogs]

Master is hurt and hurting.  Brutus knows this.  When she bends down, she is moving more slowly, she is making little sounds as she makes bigger movements like bending down and standing up.  She smells like dried blood and stress and sweat in ways she usually doesn’t.

Ouch.

So this doesn’t seem to be a flashback. It sounds like it’s after Rachel’s return to the HQ, when she’s hurt from her altercations with the Anti-Bitch Brigade.

“Angelica, Judas, stay,” Master says, “Not taking you two.” Brutus doesn’t understand but Master sounds apologetic.

Huh. Never mind, it is a flashback. It raises further questions, though: Why was Rachel already hurt? Did she get attacked while out without her dogs, then go home to fetch Brutus and go out again?

Like when she was walking up stairs and accidentally kicked Brutus in chin because he was following too close behind her.

Aww.

She scratches each of them in turn.  Not enthusiastic scratches.  They are happy to be scratched but they aren’t coming for walkies.  Brutus’ tail stops wagging.  Is Brutus not coming for walkies?

Master picks up leash.  “Brutus, good boy.  Walkies?”

I wonder, is Rachel actually talking like this, or is this just how Brutus is parsing it? It could very easily be either.

I suppose Brutus would’ve had to pick up the word “walkies” from somewhere.

Tail is wagging crazy hard again.  Master tells Brutus to sit, Brutus sits.  Is good boy.

Good dog, best friend :)

Master puts plastic bags in back pocket, puts on backpack.  Backpack unusual.  Master doesn’t usually bring backpack for walkies.  Errand?

Hm, interesting.

[krixwell-liveblogs]

Cars that make howling sounds start to come from far away and Brutus makes little barks like Master taught him.

Sit and stay and bark if the police shows up.

Master gets up and takes Brutus into the car and gets in other door and the car starts moving.

Master opens and eats crinkly thing from pocket.  Master gives Brutus treat then rolls down window so Brutus can stick his head out in the wind and Brutus’ tail wags because Brutus knows he was a good boy.

Yes he was. He was a very good boy.

[krixwell-liveblogs]

Then Brutus is guarding door and people are running other way.  Reminds Brutus of squirrels and how squirrels run.  But people are not as fast or clever as squirrels and they don’t play unfair by running up trees.

Ahahaha!

“Brutus!  Attack!” Master shouts and Brutus obeys like a good boy.  Brutus uses paws and teeth and size to jump into the crowd of people who are running like squirrels and make them stop running.  Brutus knows it’s bad to shake people like Brutus shakes toys or shakes squirrels.  No shaking.  No chewing.  Bite arm and leg only.  No biting heads.

Basically: No killing.

Using paws is okay but claws aren’t which is hard

Cats have it way easier on that front.

so Brutus mostly bites and slams into people with head and body to knock them over and make them stop.  Sometimes uses tail which is new and fun.  Brutus doesn’t have tail when small.

Oh, that’s interesting, that the tail kind of grows back in hellhound form.

Or rather, he grows a hellhound tail.

Lots of people.  Every time Brutus thinks all people have stopped moving someone runs again.  Takes a long time.  Brutus’ tongue lolls out, panting.  Tail wags and boxes break and Master makes clucking noise like Brutus did something bad.  No more wagging tail.

Whack-a-mole.

Brutus seems to be having fun, at least.

People lying on floor whimpering.  Smell like blood and fear.  Nobody running like squirrel anymore.

Master shouts, “No more!”  and it is word for the people and not for Brutus.  Both are words Brutus knows.  No means bad and is for things Brutus shouldn’t do.  More is what Master says when giving treats or throwing balls or filling bowls with food.  Brutus doesn’t understand because one word is bad and the other is good.  But Master is alpha and Master knows so it is okay.

This is a nice short illustration of how Brutus parses speech: Word by word. Sentences are too advanced for him to understand, unless it’s a sentence he hears often enough to parse it as a single long word.