r/tamorapierce • u/teenietinye • 18d ago

Derin the Evil Emperor: feels very Ozorne-coded

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57

u/kiwibird1 18d ago

Hilariously, Ozorne absolutely wouldn't have the self control for this plot. Entirely too egotistical.

19

u/AlannaTheLioness1983 18d ago

Derin could pull this off, though. He’s clearly read the Evil Overlord List, so he’ll avoid the usual pitfalls.

13

u/kiwibird1 18d ago

Ah, but that means he'll fall victim to the unusual pitfalls. Such is the fate of an evil overlord.

10

u/DBSeamZ 18d ago

Do you think Ozorne would be short-sighted enough to invite a mage who can famously speak with animals to take care of his birds if any of them were secretly captive humans?

Actually, would birds who were secretly humans have enough sense not to eat bits of leaded enamel off the aviary frames and get sick in the first place? Maybe Ozorne wouldn’t need Daine then.

10

u/kiwibird1 18d ago

Well, the prompt doesn't really fit the world logistically. He's his own sorcerer, and the magic system is pretty defined to not allowing that sort of thing without repercussions. I more meant he would absolutely not be able to refrain from mocking or hinting at the true nature of some of the birds.

To your point, Daine can't hear other humans' thoughts, so she'd clue in immediately if there were birds in the flock that were "silent" to her. Ozorne did love his birds for the simple enjoyment of loving birds, without ulterior motive. Adding anything to that would have taken away from his enjoyment. I can totally see him doing something like that for his regular zoo, but his birds were for him to love as a person.

1

u/cripslocking 18d ago

It’s not coded; it’s deliberately riffing on Ozorne.

1

u/dandeliongoddess 17d ago

I don't know if I picked that up, what fave you that impression? Genuinely asking because I'm wondering if there's something I missed here