The fun thing about spending way too much time thinking about RotE over the past several months is that I can think of so many what ifs that would have changed the series. For better, for worse, or just for different varies, but there were a lot of things that could have gone in another direction in the Fitz books alone. Some I would find interesting:
Chivalry chooses to stay on as heir and let the scandal blow over (this would go very differently based on if he did or did not acknowledge Fitz)
Burrich was not beaten as a child for having the Wit, so he has a more balanced view of the Old Blood and tries to help Fitz handle it
The Piebald Prince was never overthrown in a coup so the “beast magic” taboo doesn’t exist
Verity takes Regals assassination of Kettrickens brother and attempt on his own life much more seriously (tbh it is insane that this was swept under the rug in canon)
Fitz never knocks up Molly (this has implications for him, Molly, and Burrich)
The Skill coteries attacks on Shrewd are discovered before they kill him
Desire dies before she can get Chivalry killed, and he outlived Regal. (Would he want to meet Fitz? More up in the air, would Fitz want to meet him after 15 years of knowing he existed but keeping his distance?)
Fitz remembers Chades lessons and does not take Rosemarys presence for granted, only speaking to Kettricken about their plans when he can verify that they’re alone or with the Fool or only communicating it in Kettrickens native language
Fitz makes the connection sooner about exactly what kind of interest the Fool has in him (crying and saying “when I remember how beautiful you were” and KISSING HIM ON THE MOUTH just goes right over his head)
Fitz doesn’t give his memories of Molly, his birth mother, and the dungeons to Girl on a Dragon, allowing him to process them in a more healthy way and not spending 17 years partially Forged
When Fitz and Nighteyes are traveling the world, they end up in Bingtown at the same time as Amber and join up with Team Paragon
The Six Duchies has a more neutral attitude toward homosexuality (before anyone thinks that’s just boring wish fulfillment, I think Fitzs deep rooted attachment issues are at the real root of his difficulty accepting the Fools love and are a much more interesting character trait than his internalized homophobia)
During the infamous confrontation over the Fools feelings, the two of them are not sick. Alternatively, they have been drinking
When the Fool tells Fitz to leave it and they can just keep going like they always have, Fitz agrees (tbh I think if he didn’t have a Skill hangover he would have given how he prefers to pretend sensitive topics don’t exist)
The Fool chooses not to tell Fitz about his impending death because he fears it will break the fragile peace between them
Fitz undoes Burrichs Skill block and is able to save him (still mad about this; HUGE implications and potential for drama with Fitz, Burrich, the Fool, Molly, and Nettle)
The Fool refuses Prilkops offer to return to Clerres due to his trauma and goes back to Buckkeep instead
The Fool refuses Prilkops offer to return to Clerres and asks Fitz to go to the Rain Wilds with him to continue to track the progress of the dragons
The Fool lets Fitz go with him and Prilkop to Clerres and Fitz becomes the Destroyer as well as the Unexpected Son
Fitz gets the Fools message on Winterfest and goes on a rescue mission, bringing him back in time for Bee to come into the picture
The Fool makes his way to Withywoods before the incident at the market
Lant actually is killed during the attack on Withywoods (how does Chade respond to this?)
Bee kills Vindeliar at the same time as Dwalia, meaning that Fitz is never injected with the Traitors Death
The Fool figures out how to use his Silvered fingers to free Fitz from the pillar. Though this is really only noticeably different if his worm infestation is discovered and destroyed early on by a Skill healing (I am especially curious how Bee would react to the Fools attempts to teach her if Fitz was still alive)
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So, I actually am curious about this.
I use quite a few different programs for editing my work, specifically I prefer using ProWritingAid but have also used Grammerly in the past too before I wanted something with more features and specialized.
Both ProWritingAid, Grammerly, and other editing software often have features that can reword sentences for you for numerous reasons, such as getting rid of a "passive voice," for clarity, or just to make it sound better.
I'm not entirely sure what sort of program is running to do this. Is it AI based? Perhaps. Or maybe an algorithm of some kind? I am not sure. I know very little about software.
Personally, I find it really helpful and it speeds up the line editing, which I hate doing. Content editing and rewriting? Fine. LINE EDITING? Ugh.
But what is everyone else's opinion on this?
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Just saw your post about the Mercy/John/Augustine whole thing and *chef's kiss* so I have this question that's been on the back burner for a while and thought I'd ask your take on it then, why for dios apate did they chose it to be Mercy and Augustine with John? Why not just one of them? I mean Mercy is an anatomy expert right, she probably could have done something by/on herself or Augustine
Well it's like in the post, right? Dios Apate Major had to be both Augustine and Mercy, because just one of them wouldn't have worked.
If one of them had started coming on to John, it would have put John on the spot and had a much higher chance of setting off his paranoia. Their seduction technique relied on the existing dynamic between the three of them, and played on one of John's most fervid desires: for his friends to get along and like him.
It goes like this: Augustine and Mercy start an old fight, and pull John in as mediator. They let John "succeed" at deescalating the argument, thereby making him feel good about himself, then pivot the remaining tension to sexual tension. John's already part of the argument, so it's easy enough to make it feel like a natural progression when they pull him into their exciting new method of making up. And there you go! John's seduced, their complicated power dynamic isn't upset, and John's none the wiser that it was all a scheme to gain access to his genetic code.
So long story short, just one of them showing new interest in John would have been suspicious. Showing new interest in one another and taking John along for the ride gets under his defences, because he wants so badly for them to get along.
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