Quotes from Mercedes Lackey

These are the contexts of the quotes tweeted from @sueannbowling between November 15 and November 21. All but the last are from The Fairy Godmother, by Mercedes Lackey.

“I will be me, on my own terms, by my own rules. With my own plans and my own decisions.” In the first three quotes, Elena is effectively dictating to the Tradition, trying to get it to take a new path. She wants love, but she does not want any of the Traditional paths (i.e, fairy-tale traditional.)

“What I have I’ll share, but I’ll not give over.”

“What I will be, I will be, by my own will and no other.”

“The carrot for the lowly, the stick for the mighty. It is quite astonishing how effective these things are, when applied in that particular order.” Something Elena remembers from Godmother Bella’s teachings.

“Cats, even the commonest barn and kitchen cats, had an affinity for magic.” Elena’s thought, when a cat immediately identifies her as a Godmother.

“Cats, as everyone knew, were perfectly capable of seeing spirits.” But this one does not see Elena, after she has set her spell of invisibility.

“How much could he do at once?” Bowling, Homecoming. Roi is trying simultaneously to protect a friend and himself from further injury while Healing that friend and calling for help telepathically, and he doesn’t really know how to Heal yet.

Quotes from Mercedes Lackey

All of the quotes tweeted from @sueannbowling last week (except the one this morning) were from The Fairy Godmother, by Mercedes Lackey.

“Being angry now would be like being angry at a thunderstorm because it happened to rain on you.” Elena, suddenly realizing that the Fairy Godmother who she thought neglected her was Fairy Godmother to the entire kingdom.

“It was as if wholesome bread were being taken, and a tastier bread made of sawdust used to replace it.” Refers to the actions of the more far-seeing of the evil magicians, gradually limiting “rights” and replacing them with meaningless privileges.

“With familiarity came, if not contempt, certainly a loss of urgency.” In Elena’s first successful use of magic her concentration was driven by fear, but in future me must learn to concentrate without that goad.

“Men. You never can depend on them not to play the fool when there’s a lot of them together.” The women of the village, speaking of their menfolk’s probable behavior during harvest.

“Only love could have turned rut into passion.” Elena is being jealous of Arachnia and her poet.

“You’re as ready as I was.” Madame Bella, as she hands over the job of Fairy Godmother to Elena and drives off with the Little Humpback Horse.

“People—and societies—don’t make decisions on logic.” Bowling, Rescue Operation. This is a work in progress, so I hardly expect anyone to identify the context of the quote. The speaker is Roi, arguing to the Council that slaving will not be accepted by Horizon.

Quotes from Mecedes Lackey

Mercedes Lackey again this week, except for the last quote which (as usual) is from one of mine. This time the first four Lackey quotes are from Intrigues, the second book in the Colloquium series, and the next two are from The Fairy Godmother, the first book in the Five Hundred Kingdoms series.

“Eyewitness tend to see what they expect to see.” Halleck explaining that the same is true of Foreseeing.

“There is a difference between a team and a group of the best, and a team will win every time.” Gennie (the team captain) to her team in the first Kirball game (which is modeled on Kipling’s “Maltese Cat.”)

“Everyone has darkness inside them.” Rolan to Mags, letting him know that the darkness within him is not unique.

“Think every move through before you do it.” Mags’ thoughts as he is getting out of the kitchen where he has been hiding.

“There are a great many things she could have done. None of them suited her.” Elena to Fleur and Blanche, after her stepmother and two spoiled stepsisters have absconded to avoid paying their debts, rather than cutting back on their style of living.

“Home. What a wonderful word that was.” Elena, when Godmother Bella says her home will be Elena’s, too, for as long as she wishes.

“Do fathers and mothers always fight over children?” Homecoming, Sue Ann Bowling. Roi to Elena (no connection with Lackey’s) when he is first coping with being a father, and finds Wif’s mother does not really want to share her son.