!['Proceeding to next position, over.' [pulls lever, tilts seat back] 'Position beta has been achieved, over.'](https://guildedage.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/gach47pg36.png "'Proceeding to next position, over.' [pulls lever, tilts seat back] 'Position beta has been achieved, over.'")
Annotated 47-36
FB: After the rousing musical number, a silent interlude…
There’s just a few more chess pieces to move into place before we start up our series of final conflicts.
Carol’s continuing decline probably speaks for itself at this point, and later scenes will clarify her internal life.
Since someone asked about it a little while back…we’ve seen the last that we’ll see of Rana. I realize his arc comes off as a bit unresolved, but that struck us as the least worst option in the tapestry of the series as a whole. If he was shown as getting over his loss in the time scale of the rest of the series, it’d feel too abrupt and not that true to the emotional devastation of his final scene. If he was shown as committing suicide by war after all, it’d make Penk look ineffective. Ultimately, I think the natural course of Rana’s arc is on a different time scale than almost everyone else’s…his story would take years to resolve. And while I love a good time-jump now and then (see Episode 50), even we have our limits.
In the end, though, could it be possible for Rana to get over his loss?
It’s impossible to say. How avian are Avians? And, what does that even mean? Different birds treat mating differently. Presumably they’re based on raptors? Or other, more intelligent, birds like parrots and corvids? From what I know, they all form lifelong bonds but don’t all treat the death of a “spouse” the same. Some of them will live out their days alone, others will form a new bond, still others will just pine themselves to death.
Even with that considered, Rana’s last pages show that he hasn’t come to actual terms with Yalaria’s death. He feels he needs to see it himself but also can’t bring himself to do so. Proving it real (should the evidence he can even find do so) will collapse his wished hope that she’s still out there, somewhere, alive. This doesn’t feel so much like an avian trait as an anthropomorphic one.
In his current state, I don’t think he could get over it. He’s completely shattered; his hope seems to be the one thing keeping him alive at the moment. His final outcome being unresolved only makes me think that he didn’t die in the war. Beyond that I guess it’s up to the reader if he gets back up or lets go.
»In his current state, I don’t think he could get over it.«
… not so sure. Rana’s still alive. And he came back to Penk and told his story. That means he’s still reflecting on his own thoughts to some extend. He also follows Penk’s advice to stay out of the battle.
Unless he killed himself right afterwards, I think that should be the start of his recovery.
As for “getting over his loss”: The consensus among psychologists is that nobody “gets over” that sort of loss. People learn to accept and live with it. It never quite stops hurting, but they can (re-)learn that the other aspects of their life also matter, even the funny ones, and that it’s possible to engage with those other aspects without forsaking the memory or diminishing the meaning of what was.
I think if he survives to see the triumph of the coalition, he has a good chance. That victory will represent a world changing, a cast off the shackles of old, a lifting of a veil of lies. More importantly, a redefinition of reality, including himself. The war is over, most of the perpetrators of the pain he suffered are dead or powerless and humiliated. There’s no need for champions or for avengers anymore. Having to find himself in that new reality will help him move on. Not that pain will ever entirely go away but maybe he’ll find a way to live a life that would have made his lover proud.
I agree regarding Rana.
Somewhat off-topic, but: Waveform Desertflower? So I guess we’re about to learn what Gravy’s human (or at least some version of him) used to be up to?
Row of questionmarks.
A character in Traveler, T’s webtoon.