In the fourteenth part of Small Gods, <\/i>Brutha learns of Vorbis\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s terrible plans. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read Discworld<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Trigger Warning: For gaslighting, torture, racial stereotypes (specifically Asian)<\/b><\/p>\n
This is so disturbing, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all.<\/p>\n
Angus<\/b><\/p>\n
WHO IS ANGUS? WHAT THE HELL<\/i>?<\/p>\n
Fundamental Truth<\/b><\/p>\n
It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s such an uncomfortable and upsetting experience to watch Vorbis try and gaslight Brutha. Normally, it would work without fail. Brutha was a much more loyal believer, one who never questioned what was told to him by any authority figure. But shortly after waking up and learning of what Vorbis has told everyone in the Citadel, Brutha knows that Vorbis is a liar. I mean\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 HE TOLD EVERYONE THAT HE IS THE EIGHTH PROPHET. The horrific irony is not lost on me, given that Brutha is the actual<\/i> Eighth Prophet. How? How could one person be so deceitful???<\/p>\n
Well, because they always get away with it.<\/p>\n
And so far, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s exactly what we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re seeing. Vorbis is using the existing system in order to put himself at the very, very top. That confrontation between Vorbis and Brutha is chilling because you can see Vorbis flex his power. He starts off \u00e2\u20ac\u201c as I predicted in the video \u00e2\u20ac\u201c bestowing Brutha with power of his own, in the form of archbishophood. Why? Because if he keeps Brutha interested and engaged in Church, then there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s less of a chance he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll stray. Of course, I think practically everything he says in this section is laced with a threat, so I view his actions through that lens. He challenges Brutha: I dare you to reject a position so coveted by others.<\/p>\n
Once no one else is around, though, Vorbis busts out his attempt to gaslight Brutha, to assure him that his perception of reality is utterly wrong:<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I am sure you have confused memories of our wanderings in the wilderness.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153No.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It is only to be expected. The sun, the thirst, the hunger\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153No, lord. My memory does not confuse readily.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh, yes. I recall.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153So do I, lord.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
CAN WE JUST ADMIT HOW AMAZING IT IS THAT BRUTHA FIGHTS HIM ON THIS??? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so subtle, so intense<\/i>, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a perfect demonstration that Brutha is not the same person he was at the beginning of the novel. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s aware, and that awareness is a tool he can use against Vorbis. Not outright, mind you, and Brutha spends the bulk of this section suffering quietly and privately. He has<\/i> to, because to speak openly against Vorbis at this point is certain death. How do I know that?<\/p>\n
Because of the turtle. I simply cannot imagine a more heinous act in this book than what Vorbis has had commissioned for the heretics who dare oppose him. An iron tortoise that people will be chained to while a fire burns underneath it.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153They speak poisonous gibberish about turtles, do they not? They think they live on the back of a Great Turtle. Well, let them die on one.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I hate Vorbis so much. SO MUCH.<\/p>\n
The Other<\/i> Turtle<\/b><\/p>\n
At least I got a good laugh out of what Urn, Simony, and Didactylos have planned. Clearly, the Discworld has a vested interest in humor. While Vorbis is plotting his own bit of terror with an iron turtle, the heretics have figured that a turtle\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shell is the perfect defense system for attacking the Citadel. Both sides are using turtles as symbols for their beliefs, though Vorbis is doing so ironically. I still have the same worry, though. What if Vorbis knows too much about their plans? What if their efforts are thwarted before they even get started?<\/p>\n
Sparing a Life<\/b><\/p>\n
Well, consider me surprised. I kept waiting for a big twist from Vorbis where he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d use his own particular brand of logic to send the informant below to visit the Quisition. But he does no such thing. He spares the life of the man who spied on the heretics, and he spares the man\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s father, too, ACTUALLY LETTING HIM OUT OF CUSTODY. What? Why<\/i>? Oh god, is there something I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m missing?<\/p>\n
Lu-Tze<\/b><\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been waiting to see if Lu-Tze would become a bigger part of the story. For the entirety of Small Gods<\/i> up to this point, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been a silent observer. He finally does interact with Brutha while the boy is at his lowest point in the story. In that sense, I imagine he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s playing the role of the mystical guide, though I worry about why<\/i> I assumed that. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m assuming he won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have a huge part in Small Gods <\/i>after helping Brutha, but I also think that Pratchett is quite liberally using a trope for Asian men without subverting it at all. Like, seriously, when your \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Asian\u00e2\u20ac\u009d character talks like this:<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ancient master say: \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThat boy there! What you eating? Hope you brought enough for everybody!\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Ancient master say: \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcYou bad boy! Why you no do homework?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Ancient master say: \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcWhat boy laughing? No tell what boy laughing, whole dojo stay in after school!\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 When remember these wise words, nothing seems so bad.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t help but cringe. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like a mash-up of poor stereotypes for the Japanese and<\/i> the Chinese, as if they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re interchangeable cultures. And the broken English? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just so bad<\/i>, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. What does this add to the story? To the character? If anything, all it does is provide us with a narrative shortcut so that Pratchett doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to do much work for us to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153get\u00e2\u20ac\u009d who Lu-Tze is. And it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lazy, honestly.<\/p>\n
Om<\/b><\/p>\n
I really think that Vorbis has<\/i> to be controlling that damn eagle. There are too many coincidences here! So, Om is still alive, but he was dropped over twenty miles outside of Omnia. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know how he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll survive the slow, tortuous walk back to the Citadel, but I know that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s serious when he worries that Brutha will die<\/i> if he goes up against Vorbis. No one\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been able to defeat the Church prior to this, so what makes anyone else think they<\/i> can do it?<\/p>\n
The original text contains use of the words \u00e2\u20ac\u0153mad,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u0153madness,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153insane.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=yuNTap9kPLY<\/p>\n
Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n
– I am now on Patreon<\/a><\/b>!!! MANY SURPRISES ARE IN STORE FOR YOU IF YOU SUPPORT ME<\/a>.
\n– The Mark Does Stuff Tour 2015 is now live and includes dates across the U.S. this summer and fall Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates \/ Appearances page.<\/a>
\n– My Master Schedule<\/a> is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often.\u00c2\u00a0My next Double Features for Mark Watches will be the remainder of\u00c2\u00a0The Legend of Korra<\/i>, series 8 of\u00c2\u00a0Doctor Who<\/i>, and Kings<\/i>. On Mark Reads, Diane Duane’s Young Wizards<\/i> series will replace the Emelan books.
\n<\/b>-\u00c2\u00a0Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook!<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the fourteenth part of Small Gods, Brutha learns of Vorbis\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s terrible plans. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read Discworld.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[451],"tags":[463,501,248],"class_list":["post-3542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-discworld","tag-mark-reads-discworld","tag-small-gods","tag-terry-pratchett"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3542","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3542"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3542\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}