#I don't like the use of shaman in this book ngl

[bijoumikhawal]

However, local shamanic activity went on despite the prohibitions. There is a biblical scene where we can watch a witch in action. She is called the Witch of Endor. Endor is the name of her town, and it also means "well of generations". This is a clue to the nature of the Hebrew shamaness: she is the keeper of the well of the ancestors. She has access to the wisdom of She'ol: the place deep within the earth where the dead sleep.

In 1 Samuel 28:3-25, the prophet Samuel has turned against King Saul, saying that God has rejected him. Saul consults dreams, divining tools, and prophets, all to no avail. Saul has passed a law forbidding mediums and witches, but in his distress, he ignores his own law and goes to a witch or shamaness, an eishet ba'alat ov, to ask for help. The word ov comes from the same word for av, father, and probably means an ancestor. This woman is a baalat ov, a keeper of an ancestor spirit.

Pg 93, the Hebrew Priestess

[taemcains]

I wonder if Lane was an anomaly or she's actually given second chance in life. Her story reminds me so much of ppl who wake up after years in coma. I think it's the latter but I know sm players believe the first one because no one could remember their birth except for Lane in ep. 4.

Also, I like how every characters in HSR has different ways to respond to their traumas. Lane's so desperate to be acknowledged by other ppl. How cold and withdrawn Dmitry is (although he can be nice). Anna can get really anxious sometimes. Kira's being emotional the WHOLE TIME (this girl is annoying as heck ngl). Noah is constantly complaining about his friend's death and eventually going berserk. Greg's trying to keep himself sane even if he knew he's stressed out by the loss of his stepsister and Nick. Cain is showing his guilt and anger everytime someone brings up his past. I like how mature this book is. Alexandra K. is great at fleshing out each character without doing too much. I like the way she's focusing on what part of the story need to be told on each episode. The first episodes she's more focused on the abominations, the zombies, and the book of Apocalyse. In June update, she put more details about the cults, the rituals, and just a bit about the shaman. This is one of those books I could enjoy even if I weren't dating anyone in the game. I think one of Alexandra's strongest suit is she's great at pacing her story and balancing every element in her story. If she kept this up until season 3, I think she's going to be one of the best RC writers.

Sorry for the long ask.

her backstory must've been mentioned for a reason so it's likely she was always meant to be here and be the one to decipher the book, but i agree with you. i'm tired of the chosen one trope too and with the themes of coming back to life/resurrection in hsr and lane thinking about why she's even holding onto life, it would be a great set up for her to be a random person given a second chance to save/doom her soul/humanity based off the path you choose.

omg i never thought of that?? lane's need to be useful came from being raised by parents that didn't want her. she had to try to earn their love by proving she was smart and worthy enough for all the pain her birth caused them ohhh my baby :((

since it's a book set during the apocalypse, it has to be plot driven but she's balancing it well with gradually revealing more about each character. it never overshadows the actual plot but all the subtle details she mentions adds up to give us a cast of characters who we know enough about to care for while still keeping the tension and mystery that's characteristic of this book.

yes!! if she'd immediately jumped into the cult aspect of the story, it would've been confusing. i liked that she took the time to set the stage, slowly increasing the scale of horror. this update was a lot darker than the previous eps and i wouldn't mind if it gets even worse bc she writes it well enough to deliver confusion and dread, without going overboard.

that's what i said too!! hsr can stand alone without the lis bc of how interesting and complex both lane and the plot are (although the routes with each li are compelling too). i really can't wait to see what she's cooking for the next update & season. i already trust her so much so i know that finale is going to decimate us next year 🙏

pls don't apologize omg i love hsr analyses bc everyone comes up with smth new !! i never even thought about the trauma thing wow