Comment by Obligatonym

Xira, you can't keep using mind over manners, this is why people think y'all are so creepy. I mean it's not like runewriters like Sev and Jonan have use their runewriting to get out of awkward conversations, is it?

Err... wait, no... actually Sev did just that in the first few pages. And Jonan's built an entire reputation around it. Huh?! Well, fair enough, I guess. Continue mindbending away, Xira.

(Also, as others mentioned, I'm kind of surprised by Xira's relative youth. His reckless use of mind majycks aside, he seems relatively mature.)

Reply by Wabbajack

I thought 15 was a mature age. OuO I'm younger than that and I behave pretty much the same way...

... Er. Minus the mind powers.

Reply by Asterai

Maturity is all a matter of perspective.

It's like your mind is still growing even after your body stops, but unlike your body, you can't just look at it to see how big it's gotten or whether it grew the way it was supposed to or how it compares to other peoples' minds.

For me, I know I matured absurdly fast in some ways and painfully slow in others. It's as if my arms grew all the way to full size before my legs did; the bits of me that were still underdeveloped held me back for a really long time. This seems to be very common; I've met people who are very good at taking care of themselves but don't know how to deal with things they can't change, or people who are brilliant at helping others get along but can't keep their personal relationships healthy. I figure I'm getting close to being a whole, balanced person, but maybe someday I'll look back and realize that some other piece of me still hadn't grown up at this point.

And beyond that, there's always room to get more mature, to get stronger and smarter, more agile and wise. At the age of fifteen, you look back at the kid you used to be and think you've matured a lot, and it's true. But I'm sitting about a decade on from there, looking back at the teenager I was and thinking hey, I sure have learned a lot and grown as a person since then, and it's true. And I'm pretty sure a lot of the older adults I know look at me and think they've matured a lot since they were my age, and for at least some of them, it is still very true. Some people stop growing, sure, and even seem to shrink in on themselves with age and bitterness. But others... some of the most badass people I know are computer-literate seventy-year-olds. People who never stopped learning, or thinking, or asking why they did the things they did.

So yeah. Fifteen can be mature. But if you're done maturing at that point, you'll probably miss out on a lot of good stuff.

Reply by Wabbajack

I wasn't talking about in terms of growth, I meant behaviour. But, you know, sometimes I think like a grownup and act like a 5-year-old. Depends on who you are, I suppose.

But this conversation is going off-topic. OTL i'll end it here, if that's all right.

Reply by Shazzbaa

( psssst, I'm pretty sure Asterai was talking about behaviour too, just comparing it to physical growth, since you can behave in a mature way in one aspect of life, but not in others! c: )

15 is.... a more mature age than the years that come before it? xD And I think it partially depends on culture, too -- if you're in a culture where you're kicked out of the house at 15 and expected to have your own life and get married at that point, then you're forced to psychologically mature a little faster. The fact that Tareth is 17 and still so dependent on her family is definitely not the norm.

That sort of thing affects the ages that all the characters come across as, I think. People have mentioned how much older Quentin looks, but being the leader of a weird and pretty far-reaching organisation/cult is probably going to wear on you a bit. He has a lot more responsibility than Severian, despite not being that much older. Meanwhile, Tareth could probably pass for 14 or 15 and acts like a kid who's never left her house without supervision, probably because she's never left her house without supervision.
So then you have Xira: he's in an element he's comfortable with, and claims to know the city well -- whether that's because he lives here or because he comes here often as a trader -- it's really easy for him to come across as a little more world-wise than you'd expect.

..........Also he reads minds.
That.... actually might make you a little more world-wise as well.

#talking too much about own characters

Reply by Wabbajack

The Tareth explanation sounds disturbingly like me. My mum even has to tell me what to wear, or when to take a shower. CX

Reply by Threnodi

This is awesome, I laughed XD

Reply by Shazzbaa

(omg I really like the phrase mind over manners)

Reply by Obligatonym

As much as I wish I could take credit for "mind over manners", I'm fairly sure I stole the phrase from TV Tropes.