Annoyance with the Sibling

[Letryx13]

Something that's been bothering me since I read RoW was how the Sibling treated Dabid.  We never actually witness their conversations, but Dabid was acting under the impression that he was doing what he/she wanted in order to bond with the Sibling.  Does this bother anyone else?

The Sibling claims that he/she is done bonding with humans throughout RoW, and appears to bond Navani at the end mostly out of necessity.  But Dabid thought that the Sibling was going to bond him, even though he/she hadn't specifically said so.  It's possible that Dabid simply made the assumption that the Sibling intended to bond him, but it seems likely to me that the Sibling probably chose Dabid to act for him/her for that exact reason. It feels like the Sibling took advantage of Dabid.

During their conversations in RoW, the sibling complains repeatedly that humans are "so good with words", calling them manipulative.  But isn't what the Sibling did with Dabid extremely manipulative too? Stating that Dabid was injured when he was a baby and that's why he is the way he is and saying that a spren bond would heal him, strongly implying that the Sibling would bond him? Obviously the Sibling is angry with humans, both for the Recreance (out of ignorance) and for the imprisoning of spren in fibrials, and that's understandable.  However, he/she also seems to think less of humans for being "so good with words", despite being willing to be manipulative too. 

[mathiau]

Just now, Letryx13 said:

Dabid was acting under the impression that he was doing what he/she wanted in order to bond with the Sibling.

I don't remember that happening

[Letryx13]

Just now, mathiau said:

I don't remember that happening

It comes up during Dabid's conversation with Rlain during Dabid's POV chapter, chapter 85.

[mathiau]

15 minutes ago, Letryx13 said:

It comes up during Dabid's conversation with Rlain during Dabid's POV chapter, chapter 85.

I still don't see where the Sibling promised that. Dabbid understood he promised to heal him (which is different, he would just have to convince another Spren to bound Dabbid, or have Dabbid become a squire of their Radiant) and it's possible Dabbid just misunderstood.

Edited September 26, 2021 by mathiau

[Letryx13]

1 minute ago, mathiau said:

I still don't see where the Sibling promised that. Dabbid understood he promised to heal him (which is different, he would just have to convince another Spren to bound Dabbid, or have Dabbid become a squire of their Radiant) and it's possible Dabbid just misunderstood.

The Sibling didn't promise. Spren can't break promises. The chapter specifically mentions that the Sibling never actually said it would heal him, but it sure sounds like the Sibling made implications.  My point is that it took advantage of Dabid, knowing that he was mentally impaired.

[Honorless]

Yeah, the Sibling did seem to have been taking advantage of Dabbid. Not that the Sibling wasn't annoying in general with their "arguments" for why humans are untrustworthy and especially their devaluing of human life, the scene where those Darkeyes die protecting their pillar in particular. Though I think they'll get much more mature than the Stormfather, being less limited by their role and also that scene after the bonding, where they mention consequences for spren.

Edited September 26, 2021 by Honorless

[Frustration]

20 minutes ago, Letryx13 said:

The Sibling didn't promise. Spren can't break promises. The chapter specifically mentions that the Sibling never actually said it would heal him, but it sure sounds like the Sibling made implications.  My point is that it took advantage of Dabid, knowing that he was mentally impaired.

I think you're looking too far into this.

We know a few things here

1. Dabbid REALLY wants a bond
2. The Sibling doesn't want a bond, and has been very clear about that.
3. The reason the Sibling could influence Dabbid was due to his impairing
4. The Sibling told Dabbid that a bond could heal him.

I think the likeliest thing here is that Dabbid asked how the Sibling was talking to him, and the Sibling responded by pointing out his mental issues, at some point Dabbid asks if it can be healed, and the Sibling says yes. No promisise made, no hints, no implications, but Dabbid assumes that is the terms of their deal, because that's what he wants.

[RedBlue]

The Sibling didn’t promise to bond Dabbid in as many words, but their behaviour towards him did imply that things were headed in that direction. If an unbonded spren starts talking to one specific person and asking him to run errands, it’s totally understandable if the human assumes there’s a bond coming. 

But I’m not sure that this qualifies as the Sibling taking advantage, because to do that, they would have to understand that Dabbid has assumed the Sibling intends to bond him. It’s not clear whether the Sibling understands people enough to know what’s going on. It could have been a genuine misunderstanding.