The not so brilliant

Two things I am dissapomted in is that Clythian come across as a complete fools unable to both control his impulses and learn from past mistakes. He is more of a biggoted thug than brilliant strategist politically or otherwise. Secondly Empress SHirley Ann (forgot all the safe hold adjusted spellings) also comes accross as pretty dim with just the basic understandings of socio political issues that any High School cheerleader or safeholdian dynast instinctually has. After that I can't think of a single time where she truly shines like let's say Mike in the HH series. Now there is absolutely zero chance you can read that series and not come back thinking Mike is at least as smart as any of the other character but much smarter than most.

From his point of view they're not mistakes.

Sharleyan's skills showed up, for example, at the trials in Corisande. Working without notes, she recited the extenuating circumstances for those she pardoned, in detail.

Her statesperson-like comment immediately after the assassination attempt required remarkable self-discipline and skill.

Mhilgtx wrote:Two things I am dissapomted in is that Clythian come across as a complete fools unable to both control his impulses and learn from past mistakes. He is more of a biggoted thug than brilliant strategist politically or otherwise. Secondly Empress SHirley Ann (forgot all the safe hold adjusted spellings) also comes accross as pretty dim with just the basic understandings of socio political issues that any High School cheerleader or safeholdian dynast instinctually has. After that I can't think of a single time where she truly shines like let's say Mike in the HH series. Now there is absolutely zero chance you can read that series and not come back thinking Mike is at least as smart as any of the other character but much smarter than most.

I like Mike Henke a lot. I do however, find her intelligence has a tendency to be rather focused in areas where she has an interest. Sorry, I see a better comparison to QE III than to Mike. Sharleyan is not a warrior, but has kept her head in remarkable fashion during two very immediate and personal assassination attempts. This suggests to me someone unlike Mike Henke, that does not allow herself to become myopic in favor of her preferred topics/areas of expertise. Recall that Honor had to verbally bi**hslap Mike to get her to pay attention to politics when Mike was in her late forties.

Whereas Sharleyan delighted the Charisian Treasurer with her grasp of Finance during their first meeting. Delighting a Charisian Treasuerer in a conversation about Finance is no mean feat. Heck, her experience has been with and in the Chisholmian nobility that views such sordid things as fit for tradesmen not the vaunted nobility. Yet, Sharley studied and learned enough to more than hold her own amongst the nobility of shopkeepers.

Sharley a high school cheerleader? I am sure she would have loved to be have been one. Unfortunately, she began learning to become a ruler and a stateswoman before she could get into high school.

PeterZ wrote:Sharley a high school cheerleader? I am sure she would have loved to be have been one. Unfortunately, she began learning to become a ruler and a stateswoman before she could get into high school.

Do high schools even exist on Safehold?

I think the Church (either one these days)gives grade school education, but "high school" in Safehold would be apprenticeships, some university equivalent advanced education (probably run by the Church outside Old Charis proper) or more recently, beginning factory jobs with on the job training.

Hektor Alpyn started his officer training at... what? 12? 11?

evilauthor wrote:

PeterZ wrote:Sharley a high school cheerleader? I am sure she would have loved to be have been one. Unfortunately, she began learning to become a ruler and a stateswoman before she could get into high school.

Do high schools even exist on Safehold?

I think the Church (either one these days)gives grade school education, but "high school" in Safehold would be apprenticeships, some university equivalent advanced education (probably run by the Church outside Old Charis proper) or more recently, beginning factory jobs with on the job training.

Hektor Alpyn started his officer training at... what? 12? 11?

Of course high school cheerleaders exist on Safehold. How else does one drum up a frenzy for the Tellesberg Krackens?

Don

evilauthor wrote:

PeterZ wrote:Sharley a high school cheerleader? I am sure she would have loved to be have been one. Unfortunately, she began learning to become a ruler and a stateswoman before she could get into high school.

Do high schools even exist on Safehold?

I think the Church (either one these days)gives grade school education, but "high school" in Safehold would be apprenticeships, some university equivalent advanced education (probably run by the Church outside Old Charis proper) or more recently, beginning factory jobs with on the job training.

Hektor Alpyn started his officer training at... what? 12? 11?

Sort of. Early education is provided by the Church for free, and it's nominally supposed to be universal, but in practice, while it's universally available, it's not universally taken advantage of, especially on the Mainland.
Going beyond the basic education the Church provides outside of on the job training/apprenticeships is generally the province of special tutors (ie, effectively reserved for the nobility/wealthy merchants) or Church seminaries. I suspect that's changing somewhat in Charis, first with the College, and now with the planned naval academy, and the general influence of knowing about the Truth will push policies towards expanding education.

Expert snuggler wrote:From his point of view they're not mistakes.

Sharleyan's skills showed up, for example, at the trials in Corisande. Working without notes, she recited the extenuating circumstances for those she pardoned, in detail.

Her statesperson-like comment immediately after the assassination attempt required remarkable self-discipline and skill.

Didn't she have some tech at that point? Was she working from memory or a teleprompter?

Loren Pechtel wrote:

Expert snuggler wrote:From his point of view they're not mistakes.

Sharleyan's skills showed up, for example, at the trials in Corisande. Working without notes, she recited the extenuating circumstances for those she pardoned, in detail.

Her statesperson-like comment immediately after the assassination attempt required remarkable self-discipline and skill.

Didn't she have some tech at that point? Was she working from memory or a teleprompter?

She did have the earbug connecting her to OWL. But she did all of that from memory, without external prompts.

Expert snuggler wrote:From his point of view they're not mistakes.

Sharleyan's skills showed up, for example, at the trials in Corisande. Working without notes, she recited the extenuating circumstances for those she pardoned, in detail.

Her statesperson-like comment immediately after the assassination attempt required remarkable self-discipline and skill.

Loren Pechtel wrote:
Didn't she have some tech at that point? Was she working from memory or a teleprompter?

SWM wrote:She did have the earbug connecting her to OWL. But she did all of that from memory, without external prompts.

She also had the contacts at that point as well, so she didn't need to rely on Owl talking in her ear, she could have Owl set up a display of the relevant details overlaying her view of the room.
Either way, it would look (to everyone else in the room) like she was operating off of memory.

However, that's making good use of the tools available to let her do her job better.

Kytheros wrote:

Expert snuggler wrote:From his point of view they're not mistakes.

Sharleyan's skills showed up, for example, at the trials in Corisande. Working without notes, she recited the extenuating circumstances for those she pardoned, in detail.

Her statesperson-like comment immediately after the assassination attempt required remarkable self-discipline and skill.

Loren Pechtel wrote:
Didn't she have some tech at that point? Was she working from memory or a teleprompter?

SWM wrote:She did have the earbug connecting her to OWL. But she did all of that from memory, without external prompts.

She also had the contacts at that point as well, so she didn't need to rely on Owl talking in her ear, she could have Owl set up a display of the relevant details overlaying her view of the room.
Either way, it would look (to everyone else in the room) like she was operating off of memory.

However, that's making good use of the tools available to let her do her job better.

Yes I took it as she used the available tech. Although a good memory doesn't equal superior intellect just reflect on the comments about the Grand Vicars only skill is being able to give speeches,. I just don't see her shinning out and pulling disparate facts together to make large leaps.