C e r u l e a n
Exactly! It's nice to see other people know what I mean. My sister tried to give one of her clans the power to communicate telepathically with each other and when I said why, she said, "Because they can!" My expression was basically:
rolleyes , lol. But, regrading your theory, I would think that they can-that or find loop holes.
biggrin
What do you mean by 'Althalus moment?'
Actually, was quite surprised he didn't have a supportive father either. And now that you mention he is a middle child, wow, coincidence or fate XD? I actually debated for a while whether or not she should be a middle or youngest child. In the end, I figured that being a middle would work better. And no, her siblings are pretty much like they're dad. They're quite proud that their father thinks highly of them and can rely on them, unlike Ella. They often make fun of her for that. Which is why she has terrible social skills.
blaugh That would be my reaction, too! I guess it's because I like to learn about the history, culture, and even philosophy of people and places—I like learning about the world itself as much as the characters. And when you do things just because you "can," or because you "want to" at the time, it doesn't create a consistent, solidified world. And that can sometimes cause problems when you change your mind or want to incorporate something else.
The Redemption of Althalus, by David and Leigh Eddings. Good book! ^_^ (<— chock full of spoiler link, if you read anything past the first section or so)
Yeah, Reed's "father" hated him, flat out. Not just his personality, but his very existence. Reed had no clue when he was really young, but he discovered it (in very painful ways) when he got a little older—and so he decided to do all he could to rebel, basically. Rough times for him. But his siblings didn't really make fun of him—his older sister pretty much ignored him, and his younger brother actually looked up to him (though, Reed tried not to get too close to his younger brother, to avoid ruining his reputation). And because of all of that, Reed has terrible social skills, too! ^_^ Luckily, he's with his real father now (who isn't abusive at all)—and working on believing in himself and learning how to make friends. It's a challenge, sometimes, but I think he'll do all right. I think he worries about hurting people a lot more than he actually does.
But he really doesn't like to see people in any sort of situation like the one he experienced. Which is why he has a habit of butting into people's business: when he sees someone being hurt (physically or, perhaps even worse, emotionally), he has to do something about it. (Incidentally, he wouldn't much like Ella's father.
stare And he'd sympathize a lot with Ella. Heh—he loves to read, too! ^_^)