#senrid

[greatshell-rider]

oho autumn is here for time kids and not main squad hehe. love that. love when the main characters are not even the protagonists in their own story. they're side plot at best flfjfjdjdk

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i am weeping and mourning over this chapter with leander and senrid at the forest hide-out. leander has his suspicions about senrid because he can't trust any friendship that comes too easy, that's too good to be true. from his tests, he slowly puts together how senrid is more than he pretends to be, how much of his easygoing friendliness is a farce- to what end? protecting himself? posing a threat?

his final test, pushing senrid into the river, still as a half-joke. and senrid reflexively fighting to win, fighting so as to not lose, not die. he could've drowned leander then and there. political enemies, opposing kingdoms. but nah. senrid drags him back out. maybe to continue his friendly farce in order to keep gathering information. but also! welcome to the family now senrid you have a friend :] admit it you like it. you could get used to this. not being on your guard all the time. trust!

[greatshell-rider]

WEEPING ACTUALLY. so many similarities between senrid and inda. at least this first ship voyage for senrid is making me think an awful lot about inda. watching the defense drills, studying the sea charts, fuckin decking puddlenose for surprising him out of sleep in the EXACT same manner inda did to that one fellow, if under different circumstance. hellooooooo

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aw i didn't know senrid's middle name is indevan. i mean, that's no fuckin surprise but also. 🥺🥺

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oh thank fuck the marlovens are still doing the turn palm up to indicate agreement yessssss

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Fists to hearts. Senrid grinned, walking on, faster and faster, as everyone he encountered, from officers to guards to servants—all of them, without exception, saluted. Elation bloomed behind his ribs and he began to run. He knew smiling faces could conceal violent intentions; he knew his work was only beginning, that danger had not disappeared, it had only receded. But still he ran. He ran despite tiredness, and hunger, despite worries, he felt light as a bird, the bloom inside blossoming in his heart as joy, and laughter streamed behind him.

i know these books involving the mearsieans are all kinda focused on the concept of kid rulers, and most if not all of the kids express at some point how adults failed them, adults never listen, adults don’t think they’re smart or strong enough to solve problems, etc. the inclusion of the age-slowing spell to keep kids younger for longer functions as both a mechanical tool to keep the kids around long enough to write many books about them lmao, but it also says interesting things about how youth and growing up is perceived and practiced in sartorias-deles.

these kids, the mearsieans, senrid, and lerorans, have all played critical roles in many an adventure, and a fair number of them involving norsunder, all forms of abuse, murder of parents, and other traumatizing events. in short, childhood has not been kind to them. this is most noticeable in senrid and kyale, as they’re closest to said trauma, have had it happen most recently to them, and for the most part until the events of this book had little to no support from other people (in contrast, leander had his loyal woodsmen squad, and the mearsieans have found each other, rallied under clair and cj). senrid has all his anger issues, paranoia, and insecurity about being perceived weak over ethics and white vs black magic. kyale complains about not being the most special person in the room, is snobby about servants, common folk, etc., and reacts to the slightest criticism or guilty feeling with anger. gonna focus more on senrid for this bit. a lot of senrid’s issues comes from how he was denied autonomy as a kid, and that lack of control is manifesting itself as those less-than-desirable characteristics.

this theme of senrid being regarded and treated as a powerless, stupid kid is repeated a lot in the book, perhaps most often in his voice, how it’s high-pitched and when he’s sick, weak, wavery, and described as the sound of many an animal lol. also his round face, skinny short frame, and how easily he resembles “seven out of ten” of the kids in marloven hess lol. senrid enhanced his cheery, careless child persona when under his uncle’s control to protect himself, but even after when he’s trying to secure the throne for himself and win the people’s loyalty, that perception of him being weak because he’s a kid is used against him and is something he has to overcome. which is tricky, since he can’t make himself grow up faster, merely prove to adults that despite his youth he’s still capable of ruling.

which is what makes the youth/age-slowing spell so compelling to me. the series leans dramatically in the opposite way of “kids grow up quick to become capable adults”. rather, our protags retain their youth in DEFIANCE of that perception. the mearsieans use the spell, as well as leander, essentially to take back some of the childhood that was stolen from them. they continue to be kids longer, continue to rule their kingdoms, continue to have adventures, and disdain the adulthood slowly creeping up on them. a big ole fuck you to “you’ll understand when you’re older” yknow lmao. no, they understand now, they’ve been through the shit, but they’re not letting that shit steal even memories/experiences as youth. they’re not growing up just to forget what it’s like to be a kid. they’re gonna damn well enjoy being kids, no matter what the world throws at them.

and though senrid doesn’t have the youth spell on him (yet? don’t remember if he does get it done eventually), his arc still fulfills that attitude, as seen in the quoted paragraph way up yonder. rather than walk slow and proud, dignified as some other ruler might try to be, to convey strength and wisdom to their subjects, senrid grins at seeing the salutes. he runs! he runs and laughs as he runs through the castle, as he never could before, the very image of a young and carefree child. embracing that youth, celebrating it, rejoicing in being a kid AND having control of his kingdom. it’s the first time in the whole damn book that we see senrid simply happy, not even a bit of sarcasm, and it’s incredible to behold. he’s no longer afraid to be seen as a kid, because he is a kid, and doesn’t feel it necessary to smother that part of him just because adults might look down on him for it.

maybe i missed it in the books i read as a kid but as an adult now it feels particularly important to point it out and emphasize it. i’ve read those posts saying kids as the heroes in their story with the useless adults are problematic or unrealistic and stupid, as well as the counterarguments about how it’s important for kids to see themselves as active forces that can cause change yknow, and i think these books do a nice job of showing both of that. yeah, it’s fucked up that kids have to step up and do adults’ job for them. but it’s also, like. not too surprising? kids are people. they’re gonna do shit, go on adventures, solve problems, and have traumatizing things happen to them. that doesn’t mean their childhood is forever ruined or tarnished in some way and they’ve automatically jumped up to some sort of pseudo-adult. nah. they’re kids still, AND they pulled off those heroics, even if, like in kitty’s case, said heroics are mostly sticking around, giving messages, and not dying. in this (fictional and real) world? not dying is pretty damn fucking impressive. no small thing to sniff at. and life? even as still a kid? especially still as a kid? that’s something to CELEBRATE

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“Well done, Curly.” “Curly?” Kitty repeated from the opening into the tent. Senrid’s head jerked round, and Kitty gave a yelp of sheer joy when she saw the embarrassment in his face. Senrid groaned, wishing he’d hidden that reaction to the old nickname. Now he knew he’d be hearing it every time she opened her mouth.

“What’s a Pluquerta?” “Old Language. Means a short, loud, wretch. I looked it up just for you!”

siblings siblings siblings siblings

[greatshell-rider]

thank you for the horse lore smith it is everything to me actually