Thank you for the review! I'm definitely writing longer pieces right now, and these form one part of a longer chapter if I envision the entire work as a full novel (which I do)
Thanks for your comment on the crimes, that's maybe something I could improve on in a rewrite. The justice system in Vellesca is not nuanced. So there's no real difference between say, a burglary of a dwelling or stealing from a market stall. Likewise, two men who get in a fight over a girl are equally to blame, but neither is guilty in the way that a man threatening Cal over his sexuality is (pre Tour scene, forthcoming!) Even if the Citadel has some notion of 'hate crime', Vellesca does not, so the labels are broad and punishments uniformly harsh or weak.
Yes, very important Honor backstory :D We will, when I get round to writing it, meet Holly.
The whole "selfish" thing bothers me, as does the "cowardly" slur people like to throw around. Isn't it just as selfish to keep someone alive and in pain or a vegetative state because you can't let go? Isn't it selfish to turn your back on your family by marrying and moving to the other side of the world and never seeing them again? Yet that's somehow an acceptable loss. Fic wise, Kat is labelled as selfish by many for not marrying and breeding an heir; her people want her to do things with her life and body that they think are right, regardless of the fact it would destroy the person she is, to give up on her most basic right of bodily autonomy. Of course I most strongly identify with Kat, but I did try to give alternate viewpoints from all sides, while stating outright that shaming suicides and their families is utterly cruel and counterproductive. I appreciate it is a contentious issue with multiple causes and social pressures, so I'm glad to hear you think I handled it well.
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Thanks for your comment on the crimes, that's maybe something I could improve on in a rewrite. The justice system in Vellesca is not nuanced. So there's no real difference between say, a burglary of a dwelling or stealing from a market stall. Likewise, two men who get in a fight over a girl are equally to blame, but neither is guilty in the way that a man threatening Cal over his sexuality is (pre Tour scene, forthcoming!) Even if the Citadel has some notion of 'hate crime', Vellesca does not, so the labels are broad and punishments uniformly harsh or weak.
Yes, very important Honor backstory :D We will, when I get round to writing it, meet Holly.
The whole "selfish" thing bothers me, as does the "cowardly" slur people like to throw around. Isn't it just as selfish to keep someone alive and in pain or a vegetative state because you can't let go? Isn't it selfish to turn your back on your family by marrying and moving to the other side of the world and never seeing them again? Yet that's somehow an acceptable loss.
Fic wise, Kat is labelled as selfish by many for not marrying and breeding an heir; her people want her to do things with her life and body that they think are right, regardless of the fact it would destroy the person she is, to give up on her most basic right of bodily autonomy.
Of course I most strongly identify with Kat, but I did try to give alternate viewpoints from all sides, while stating outright that shaming suicides and their families is utterly cruel and counterproductive. I appreciate it is a contentious issue with multiple causes and social pressures, so I'm glad to hear you think I handled it well.