The not so brilliant

Using the tech to her best advantage doesn't make her dim. It's not something to be used as evidence of brilliance, but neither is it an indicator of the absence of brilliance. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
Sharleyan is also the one who put Merlin onto the diea of concealing the comm hardware in something innocuous to keep them from being accidentally uncovered.


Maybe you should reread her interactions with Baron Seamount. When they first meet, they hit it off quite well.


However, her role is not that of an intelligence analyst or inventor. She reviews some data, sure, but she's got other priorities to spend her time on.

Kytheros wrote:
Maybe you should reread her interactions with Baron Seamount. When they first meet, they hit it off quite well.


However, her role is not that of an intelligence analyst or inventor. She reviews some data, sure, but she's got other priorities to spend her time on.

She does - when she can - enthusiastically brainstorm small arms advances with Baron Seamount. She's got plenty of native brainpower (probably more than her husband, who isn't slow); she hasn't had the opportunity to get much engineering experience or education, what with a country to rule and little things like that.

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.

Sharleyan dim?

What about the way she and Seamount interact?

She shines in Corisande on her first official visit and later with Irys on the way there again in MT&T.

And please, guys, no HH spoilers! I'm only in the third book and I've just encountered Mike Henke.

wingfield wrote:

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.

Sharleyan dim?

What about the way she and Seamount interact?

She shines in Corisande on her first official visit and later with Irys on the way there again in MT&T.

And please, guys, no HH spoilers! I'm only in the third book and I've just encountered Mike Henke.

I suppose nobody is smart at everything. But we really haven't been exposed to Sharleyan's weaknesses yet. Both her and Cayeb demonstrate near genius level performance at their jobs.

Don

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.

Dim? Maybe you need to reread the books again. As a young girl her father gets assassinated, in a totally male dominated society, and she takes control and does it well. Sure she had some help, but a son in that same position would need help as well.

I just assumed the title was directed at the post itself.

Isilith wrote:I just assumed the title was directed at the post itself.

So true

Hi Mhilgtx,

How did she survive for ~15 years after becoming an 11 year old queen, if she was a dim bulb?

Support your ignorant claim with textev before citing your opinion as proof, sir.

You have no evidence, because there is none.

I generally welcome newcomers, encouraging them to enjoy a simulated drink on the simulated forum, echoing the salute at Baen's Bar, but I can't help wondering if you've read all the books or are trying some kind of trolling, because of all the evidence against your claim.

Earl Gray Harbor, to cite just one example is a master of politics I hope you will admit, wonders if Sharleyan isn't smarter than Cayleb during the first cabinet meeting in BHD, while Merlin told Cayleb before he even sees Sharleyan that she's very smart besides being beautiful [which he should have already known from her probable portrait at the Chisholmian Embassy] and he should make her a pardner in BSRA, and if you didn't realise from her conversation about dynastic marriages and what they needed in Corisande after they conquered it, you were not paying attention then or in the rest of the books.

Dredging up all the examples isn't worth it until you back up your preposterous allegation.

Either go back and read them, or cite some proof before continuing this trolling.

L

Mhilgtx wrote:*quote="Kytheros"**quote="Expert snuggler"*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.*quote*
*quote="Loren Pechtel"*

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

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

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.

Hear Hear[

quote="lyonheart"]Hi Mhilgtx,

How did she survive for ~15 years after becoming an 11 year old queen, if she was a dim bulb?

Support your ignorant claim with textev before citing your opinion as proof, sir.

You have no evidence, because there is none.

I generally welcome newcomers, encouraging them to enjoy a simulated drink on the simulated forum, echoing the salute at Baen's Bar, but I can't help wondering if you've read all the books or are trying some kind of trolling, because of all the evidence against your claim.

Earl Gray Harbor, to cite just one example is a master of politics I hope you will admit, wonders if Sharleyan isn't smarter than Cayleb during the first cabinet meeting in BHD, while Merlin told Cayleb before he even sees Sharleyan that she's very smart besides being beautiful [which he should have already known from her probable portrait at the Chisholmian Embassy] and he should make her a pardner in BSRA, and if you didn't realise from her conversation about dynastic marriages and what they needed in Corisande after they conquered it, you were not paying attention then or in the rest of the books.

Dredging up all the examples isn't worth it until you back up your preposterous allegation.

Either go back and read them, or cite some proof before continuing this trolling.

L

Mhilgtx wrote:*quote="Kytheros"**quote="Expert snuggler"*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.*quote*
*quote="Loren Pechtel"*

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

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

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.

[/quote]

I apologize if I have personally insulted you in any way.

I don't quiet get the point of your post other than to blast me.

In Sharlleyayn s case my point is that we are often told she is brilliant yet I fail to see any evidence of that. Only in seamounts office I think in Herrisies Distressed do we see an example of her understanding the new tech. She may be very intelligent I just don't think it shows through as well as many of RFC's other characters. The examples you quote are not only explained by use of tech but elsewhere in the series discounted as a sign of intellect.

Where Hharold and Cayled and Nahrmon just to point out a few jump of the page as being insightful i don't get the feeling she does. In fact I get the feeling that she is more of a person that is politically savvy hence the cheerleader comparison vs policy savy like Caleb.

But then again every time I have to grind through a couple of pages of Caleb acting like a brat about going leading trroops is like nails on a chalk board due to its absolute stupidity.

As far as surviving on the throne, like I said she is politically savy.

She might be brilliant but I need something more concrete than reading off a TelePrompTer and calling Caleb her water. Bottle.

lyonheart wrote:Hi Mhilgtx,

How did she survive for ~15 years after becoming an 11 year old qyueen, if she was a dim bulb?

Support your ignorant claim with textev before citing your opinion as proof, sir.

You have no evidence, because there is none.

I generally welcome newcomers, encouraging them to enjoy a simulated drink on the simulated forum, echoing the salute at Baen's Bar, but I can't help wondering if you've read all the books or are trying some kind of trolling, because of all the evidence against your claim.

Earl Gray Harbor, to cite just one example is a master of politics I hope you will admit, wonders if Sharleyan isn't smarter than Cayleb during the first cabinet meeting in BHD, while Merlin told Cayleb before he even sees Sharleyan that she's very smart besides being beautiful [which he should have already known from her probable portrait at the Chisholmian Embassy] and he should make her a pardner in BSRA, and if you didn't realise from her conversation about dynastic marriages and what they needed in Corisande after they conquered it, you were not paying attention then or in the rest of the books.

Dredging up all the examples isn't worth it until you back up your preposterous allegation.

Either go back and read them, or cite some proof before continuing this trolling.

L

Mhilgtx wrote:*quote="Kytheros"**quote="Expert snuggler"*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.*quote*
*quote="Loren Pechtel"*

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

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

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.