It does make sense, and I'm sorry for dragging you through it all. I appreciate it very, very much (especially after the day you've had). And even though you don't know as much of his canon, you still have a sense of him, I think, and I value your opinion.
There's something worth mentioning here, something which I think illustrates your point. I've used the metaphor before too, and it's particularly suited to what Oliver has seen. The post I used for Braxiatel's cracking was something I'd written back in September. I got the image in my head and wrote it all out.
But I didn't post it. One, because he hadn't been pushed that far. Two, because Escaping the Future came out and I felt massive pity for the poor bastard. But three, and most important, because I wondered if anyone could tell the difference. And that's the metaphor: if someone always wears a mask, how can you tell when he changes his face?
I think different people know how to push him harder, and I think certain characters are more attentive to the little cues he gives off. (In the thread with Oliver with the hallucinations, Oliver missed that the way Brax was holding his tea and the way he positioned himself to subtly block off Oliver were two signals that indicated how terrible he was feeling; in the more recent thread with Ten, Ten didn't notice that Braxiatel called him 'Doctor' instead of 'Thete,' and that he only switched over to 'Thete' to try to placate and calm him.) I admit that at times I feel awkward pointing out even in brackets what his gestures mean. I'd have felt very awkward if I'd said in the brackets that the way Braxiatel's fingers curled when he was talking to Oliver was his physical representation of the sudden loneliness he was feeling. So I'll try to look for ways to make it less awkward, and of course if you have any suggestions, I'm happy to hear them.
(I realize I didn't actually address the particular instances you brought up, because I take from what you're saying not that you are asking for my justification but would like to see more of it in the threads themselves. But I don't mind explaining and having those explanations open to question.)
no subject
There's something worth mentioning here, something which I think illustrates your point. I've used the metaphor before too, and it's particularly suited to what Oliver has seen. The post I used for Braxiatel's cracking was something I'd written back in September. I got the image in my head and wrote it all out.
But I didn't post it. One, because he hadn't been pushed that far. Two, because Escaping the Future came out and I felt massive pity for the poor bastard. But three, and most important, because I wondered if anyone could tell the difference. And that's the metaphor: if someone always wears a mask, how can you tell when he changes his face?
I think different people know how to push him harder, and I think certain characters are more attentive to the little cues he gives off. (In the thread with Oliver with the hallucinations, Oliver missed that the way Brax was holding his tea and the way he positioned himself to subtly block off Oliver were two signals that indicated how terrible he was feeling; in the more recent thread with Ten, Ten didn't notice that Braxiatel called him 'Doctor' instead of 'Thete,' and that he only switched over to 'Thete' to try to placate and calm him.) I admit that at times I feel awkward pointing out even in brackets what his gestures mean. I'd have felt very awkward if I'd said in the brackets that the way Braxiatel's fingers curled when he was talking to Oliver was his physical representation of the sudden loneliness he was feeling. So I'll try to look for ways to make it less awkward, and of course if you have any suggestions, I'm happy to hear them.
(I realize I didn't actually address the particular instances you brought up, because I take from what you're saying not that you are asking for my justification but would like to see more of it in the threads themselves. But I don't mind explaining and having those explanations open to question.)