Does the thought of one woman controlling another woman's mind thrill you beyond measure? Do your favorite dreams come wrapped in latex or rubber? How do you feel about robots? Here I am. I'm waiting.
Sometimes I'll be reading something and it will be so incredibly hot that it'll literally be hard for me to read - I have to keep looking away so as not to be overwhelmed. The bit with LeFebvre was one of those. So. freaking. hot. Every bit of it, from the contrast between his non-sleepwalking act and the moment right after to explaining about his fantasizing to his desperation to make other slaves for them, Just, the intensity of his feelings, the ecstasy of it- it's amazing.
(It also gave me interesting thoughts on variations in absolute devotion. It's a kink of mine, so I have characters with it too. For mine, the general thing has been that if their Focus wants them to do something they otherwise wouldn't want to, there'll still be the contrast between that and things they don't have that issue with, though they'll do it anyway because devotion. Here, however, it is exactly the other way around. The idea of doing things they otherwise wouldn't want to makes them even more excited, it's something they crave even more, because that's an even greater expression, proof, of their devotion. So that's really interesting!)
I also loved the planning sessions (devotion in the middle of doing practical things is great, as are interesting practical things), and Genelle's hacks, and Linda (it took me a moment to get that 'thank him' meant what it means here, but when I got it I really appreciated it), and them taking advantage of their knowledge of how things, including sleepwalkers, work to get what they need.
And Shara giving a report while having a superorgasm. (Though, damn, I was thinking before that the whole 'help the Resistence' thing was maybe rather shortsighted, in terms of risk. Can't blame them for not getting it - they live in this world, they were Resistors, of course they want to help. But, well).
And "They weren’t, though." is such a great line, the way it's used.
It wasn't me that was complaining of her being omnipotent.
And yes, there are multiple levels to the con, and right now only one of them has been revealed - that Paul's Awake. Shara's intel, by itself, doesn't prove anything more than that. Hawthorne will probably suspect that he's reverse-engineered Waker; what may not occur to her is that they've subverted the sleepwalker chips, or that they can imprint people without one. Both of these are exceedingly insidious and make any attempt at regaining control of the situation obscenely difficult.
thrall, what can i say? this novel has become a "must read" to me now, when you first announced it on your blog, i really didn't care for it at all, (after seeing what the storyline was about), because I'm not a fan of subversion/conversion through drugs/computer chips, but after reading the first 2 chapters, im hooked, this story is masterfully told...im a big fan of the FALLING SKIES TV show, & the conversions/subversion's in this story reminds me of how (KAREN) was a alien resistance fighter who was taken over by the alien parasitic neck harnesses, & she took over others with the alien parasitic eyeworms, i hope Shara is returned to normal like the wizard was, & that the "cliffhanger" was just that...a cliffhanger...Shara has become the (KAREN) of this story, it also ha elements of bodysnacthers in it , except no pods....keep it up ..love the story (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM40pXY0tCU) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgRNsSu8v-8) falling skies
Ok so, I did have to reread Wizard's hacking of her chip. *That* was some slick work there ;P.
As for LeFebvre, not *too* much sympathy for him.
I have a ton of other thoughts as this sinks in *but*, it seems like the giant alarm bell has rung, so I'm afraid the next chapter is *probably* a downer.
Not to say that Paul and co. *won't* be prepared in such a scenario, and Shara probably wouldn't even guess Wizard would be Awake so soon, or Lefebvre enslaved, but the world might come crashing down *pretty* hard.
magic9mushroom: No, I know it wasn't you who asked about Hawthorne being omnipotent; I just didn't remember off the top of my head who it was, but I thought you might have read the comment. You're right about there being multiple levels to the con, and how Hawthorne might guess some but not all of them...which, again, is because she's not omnipotent! ;-P You'll see that play out in the remainder of the story.
DIANA PRINCE: Thanks for the compliments. I'm always happy to know I've hooked someone who wasn't expecting to like a story. ;-) I haven't watched Falling Skies, but the things I've read about it on io9 make me wish I had more time so that I *could* watch it. I know it would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, too other things are up my alley as well, and I'd need another whole life to pursue them all. :-/ But I like the way you've mashed up/slowed down/repeated scenes in those YouTube clips. Very intriguing.
uzobono: Thanks! I hope that the way in which Wizard hacked her chip was clear. I had to rewrite that scene extensively in an attempt to *make* it clear. I think I succeed, but I'm not 100% sure. As for your other comments, I always enjoy predictions about the coming chapters. They're usually half right, half wrong, and your thoughts about Chapter 8 are no exception. ;-P
Hmm, I'll have to check out Diana's links because they sound pretty hot.
To be honest, this part didn't do a lot for me because I'm not interested in M/m of any flavor, but you did do it to move the plot forward so I commend you.
The real question now is what kind of flavor will the final battle turn into? Or will it even be a battle? Does Hawthorne or Paul have anything up their sleeves to us on each other? It's all quite mysterious at this point, but I'm sure it will all be revealed next week.
The big question in my mind is "does Hawthorne have Waker 1.0". Well, that and "what happens if you try to re-imprint someone who's already a sleepwalker".
Half Shim: Yes, I know a lot of people don't like M/m (I can hardly fault them since I feel the same way about M/f), but I'm satisfied when people who don't get off on that still read my own M/m passages.
Next week's chapter will be a mind-blower. };-) I've just polished it *yet one more time* and sent it off to Simon.
magic9mushroom: Hawthorne has no interest in Waker, and she made sure to arrest Paul before he completed it. She can't risk letting that into the wild.
I'm not sure why you'd want to re-imprint someone who's already sleepwalking. I suppose a sleepwalking geneticist might consider doing it as an experiment, but no one in this story tries it.
Oh, I see what you're saying. But that wouldn't work because it's the chip that directs a sleepwalker's loyalty, not the imprinting (Imprinting only affects the level of the sleepwalker). Charlotte reprogrammed her chip to make her loyal to the team, so the only way she could be made loyal to Hawthorne again is if some hacked her chip (which, heh, is a rather interesting concept...nudge nudge, wink wink).
The genetic basis for this method of MC means that there's no halfway point: characters are either sleepwalking or awake/Awake. The sleepwalking trait is dominant, so it only has to impact one gene of a pair in order to work. Waker turns that trait recessive, so it's still present but doesn't affect the carrier. But Charlotte made the trait dominant again when she took in a second dose of Dreamer. She's already sleepwalking, so if one of Hawthorne's people gave her a third dose, it wouldn't change anything.
13 comments:
Another story that ends with me say "God Damn it Shara", everything was going so well too.
Wizard's trick was genius to hack her own chip.
Great chapter, from a huge high to a sinking low. The idea that this is the second biggest cliffhanger scares the hell out of me.
There go Mount Weather's property values.
Hawthorne will be kicking herself over her ego trip with Paolo, that's for sure.
Sometimes I'll be reading something and it will be so incredibly hot that it'll literally be hard for me to read - I have to keep looking away so as not to be overwhelmed. The bit with LeFebvre was one of those. So. freaking. hot. Every bit of it, from the contrast between his non-sleepwalking act and the moment right after to explaining about his fantasizing to his desperation to make other slaves for them, Just, the intensity of his feelings, the ecstasy of it- it's amazing.
(It also gave me interesting thoughts on variations in absolute devotion. It's a kink of mine, so I have characters with it too. For mine, the general thing has been that if their Focus wants them to do something they otherwise wouldn't want to, there'll still be the contrast between that and things they don't have that issue with, though they'll do it anyway because devotion. Here, however, it is exactly the other way around. The idea of doing things they otherwise wouldn't want to makes them even more excited, it's something they crave even more, because that's an even greater expression, proof, of their devotion. So that's really interesting!)
I also loved the planning sessions (devotion in the middle of doing practical things is great, as are interesting practical things), and Genelle's hacks, and Linda (it took me a moment to get that 'thank him' meant what it means here, but when I got it I really appreciated it), and them taking advantage of their knowledge of how things, including sleepwalkers, work to get what they need.
And Shara giving a report while having a superorgasm. (Though, damn, I was thinking before that the whole 'help the Resistence' thing was maybe rather shortsighted, in terms of risk. Can't blame them for not getting it - they live in this world, they were Resistors, of course they want to help. But, well).
And "They weren’t, though." is such a great line, the way it's used.
Lygah: For what it's worth - and it wasn't intentional, but it's a funny coincidence, Chapter 2 begins with Shara saying, "Goddammit, Paul." ;-)
magic9mushroom: You might remember me saying a few chapters ago that Hawthorne is definitely not omnipotent. You'll see what I mean soon enough!
lyricalagony: I'm very, very flattered. Thanks! :-) And yes, seeing MC victims wallow in their degradation is a big kink of mine.
It wasn't me that was complaining of her being omnipotent.
And yes, there are multiple levels to the con, and right now only one of them has been revealed - that Paul's Awake. Shara's intel, by itself, doesn't prove anything more than that. Hawthorne will probably suspect that he's reverse-engineered Waker; what may not occur to her is that they've subverted the sleepwalker chips, or that they can imprint people without one. Both of these are exceedingly insidious and make any attempt at regaining control of the situation obscenely difficult.
thrall, what can i say? this novel has become a "must read" to me now, when you first announced it on your blog, i really didn't care for it at all, (after seeing what the storyline was about), because I'm not a fan of subversion/conversion through drugs/computer chips, but after reading the first 2 chapters, im hooked, this story is masterfully told...im a big fan of the FALLING SKIES TV show, & the conversions/subversion's in this story reminds me of how (KAREN) was a alien resistance fighter who was taken over by the alien parasitic neck harnesses, & she took over others with the alien parasitic eyeworms, i hope Shara is returned to normal like the wizard was, & that the "cliffhanger" was just that...a cliffhanger...Shara has become the (KAREN) of this story, it also ha elements of bodysnacthers in it , except no pods....keep it up ..love the story (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM40pXY0tCU) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgRNsSu8v-8) falling skies
Seriously, what.a.read!
Ok so, I did have to reread Wizard's hacking of her chip. *That* was some slick work there ;P.
As for LeFebvre, not *too* much sympathy for him.
I have a ton of other thoughts as this sinks in *but*, it seems like the giant alarm bell has rung, so I'm afraid the next chapter is *probably* a downer.
Not to say that Paul and co. *won't* be prepared in such a scenario, and Shara probably wouldn't even guess Wizard would be Awake so soon, or Lefebvre enslaved, but the world might come crashing down *pretty* hard.
magic9mushroom: No, I know it wasn't you who asked about Hawthorne being omnipotent; I just didn't remember off the top of my head who it was, but I thought you might have read the comment. You're right about there being multiple levels to the con, and how Hawthorne might guess some but not all of them...which, again, is because she's not omnipotent! ;-P You'll see that play out in the remainder of the story.
DIANA PRINCE: Thanks for the compliments. I'm always happy to know I've hooked someone who wasn't expecting to like a story. ;-) I haven't watched Falling Skies, but the things I've read about it on io9 make me wish I had more time so that I *could* watch it. I know it would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, too other things are up my alley as well, and I'd need another whole life to pursue them all. :-/ But I like the way you've mashed up/slowed down/repeated scenes in those YouTube clips. Very intriguing.
uzobono: Thanks! I hope that the way in which Wizard hacked her chip was clear. I had to rewrite that scene extensively in an attempt to *make* it clear. I think I succeed, but I'm not 100% sure. As for your other comments, I always enjoy predictions about the coming chapters. They're usually half right, half wrong, and your thoughts about Chapter 8 are no exception. ;-P
Hmm, I'll have to check out Diana's links because they sound pretty hot.
To be honest, this part didn't do a lot for me because I'm not interested in M/m of any flavor, but you did do it to move the plot forward so I commend you.
The real question now is what kind of flavor will the final battle turn into? Or will it even be a battle? Does Hawthorne or Paul have anything up their sleeves to us on each other? It's all quite mysterious at this point, but I'm sure it will all be revealed next week.
Great work with this story!
The big question in my mind is "does Hawthorne have Waker 1.0". Well, that and "what happens if you try to re-imprint someone who's already a sleepwalker".
Half Shim: Yes, I know a lot of people don't like M/m (I can hardly fault them since I feel the same way about M/f), but I'm satisfied when people who don't get off on that still read my own M/m passages.
Next week's chapter will be a mind-blower. };-) I've just polished it *yet one more time* and sent it off to Simon.
magic9mushroom: Hawthorne has no interest in Waker, and she made sure to arrest Paul before he completed it. She can't risk letting that into the wild.
I'm not sure why you'd want to re-imprint someone who's already sleepwalking. I suppose a sleepwalking geneticist might consider doing it as an experiment, but no one in this story tries it.
I;m guessing magic9mushroom was thinking of the possibility of, for example, someone working for the Cabs trying to re-imprint Charlotte.
Both taking away a resistance sleepwalker, as well as giving themselves another.
Though the point is rather moot if its confirmed not to happen in the story.
Oh, I see what you're saying. But that wouldn't work because it's the chip that directs a sleepwalker's loyalty, not the imprinting (Imprinting only affects the level of the sleepwalker). Charlotte reprogrammed her chip to make her loyal to the team, so the only way she could be made loyal to Hawthorne again is if some hacked her chip (which, heh, is a rather interesting concept...nudge nudge, wink wink).
The genetic basis for this method of MC means that there's no halfway point: characters are either sleepwalking or awake/Awake. The sleepwalking trait is dominant, so it only has to impact one gene of a pair in order to work. Waker turns that trait recessive, so it's still present but doesn't affect the carrier. But Charlotte made the trait dominant again when she took in a second dose of Dreamer. She's already sleepwalking, so if one of Hawthorne's people gave her a third dose, it wouldn't change anything.
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