Questions on Black as Night and Shadow

!!!!!!!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!! DO NOT READ THIS POST UNLESS YOU HAVE FINISHED ALL THREE BOOKS IN THE TRILOGY!

I wanted to make another topic for posting questions until we get the message board up (yes, a very kind and energetic fan is making one! More news soon!) for questions about Black as Night and Shadow of the Bear. Please post any questions here (as well as ones you may have sent me before that I forgot to answer).

I'll start with some from Clare:

In Black as Night at one point Bear and Blanche are talking on the phone and he mentions that he was angry about something but he didn't want to talk about it. My friends and I were talking about it and wondering if it was at that point that Bear knew about all the things that had happened to Fish while he was captured by Freet or did he already know before then?

Oooh, very good question! I think that it would be best to say that in this instance, Bear was angry at his father in a general sense, because something in his conversation with Blanche had inadvertently touched on that. But as you can see, Bear had a lot to forgive his father for, including forgiving him for everything that had happened to both brothers simply because their father was *not there* to help or protect them.

Also, Bear knew from the get-go what a nasty person Mr. Freet was and it didn't take long for him to get out of his brother what had happened to him. Both brothers tended to be very careful and protective of what they told the sisters.

Q: In Waking Rose, when Rose first finds out that Blanche is pregnant Blanche mentions that she and Bear were looking into maybe having a homebirth but later when Bear comes to Fish in the hospital and tells Fish that Benedict Michael was born and that they named him after him he never mentions if it was a homebirth or not. So I guess what i am asking is: was it?

A: Another good question. I believe that it was.

Comments

Anonymous said…
at the end of black as night, brother leon is being told he should consider becoming a priest, did he? and will we ever see the friars again? maybe in their own story, tho i don't know how that would work :)
thanks, dominique
Anonymous said…
me again, what happened to all the stuff [especially church stuff] mr. freet was hiding???
dominque
Anonymous said…
I hope it's okay to ask a question about the audio drama here. :) On the back of the case of the audio drama (or maybe on the inside, I'd have to go check), it lists you under additional voice parts. If that's correct, what part(s) did you voice?
Anonymous said…
I have a question:

In The Shadow of the Bear, when Blanche and Rose come across Mr. Freet in the flea market, it says that they saw Mr. Freet looking at something with interest, and in looking around for what he's looking at, Rose spots Bear. Was Mr. Freet looking at Bear, or something else? I always thought he caught sight of him and was watching because he knew the boys were "playing detective." But now I'm not so sure, as Rose didn't seem to realize that if he was looking in Bear's direction.

(I feel so incoherent. Am I making sense? The news about the upcoming message board had me mixing up words during our morning prayers, I was so excited. "Oh, my Jesus, through the Imaculate heart of the Mass...I mean - Augh!")
Anonymous said…
I was also wondering about that. Didn't Freet say something to Bear about him knowing that the boys were "playing detective"?
Anonymous said…
To all the other fans here...
Regarding names: If you could choose a name for a character, what would it be?


Since I asked the question, I'll add a few of my own.

For a girl character:
1. Sarah
2. Felicity
3. Holly
4. Jennifer
5. Maired
6. Maire
7. Aubrey/ Aubrielle/ Aubrianna
8. Evania/ Eaven (pronounced EE-vahn)
9. Ariadne/ Arianna
10. Darcy
(This could go on booklength, so I shall move on..)

For guys:
1. Seamus
2. Eamon (Gaelic)
3. Eoin (Gaelic pronounced O-wen)
4. David
5. Benedict is taken, which is on my top ten list, so I'll have to go with Rafael.
6. Everett
7. Edmund
8. Felix
9. Hugh
10. Lucius/ or Lucas
11. William
12. Rodney/ Riley
13. Zachary

That is it for now. Must stop!
regina doman said…
Q: At the end of black as night, brother leon is being told he should consider becoming a priest, did he?

A: Yes, he did, though not in time for Blanche's wedding. :)


Q: Will we ever see the friars again? maybe in their own story, tho i don't know how that would work :)

A: You know, I hadn't thought about that, but who knows? Maybe!


Q: What happened to all the stuff [especially church stuff] mr. freet was hiding???

A: It probably was all given to the police as evidence, and the sorting-out process probably took some time. Some of Mr. Freet's collection was actually really his: he had bought it. But Fish and Bear probably had to try to prove which vessels were stolen from Fr. Raymond. It was probably a horrendous legal headache. My guess is that Bear ensured that any of Fr. Raymond's vessels (aside from the three precious ones which he and Fish immediately repossessed) that the brothers could acquire from Freet were either donated to religious or churches that wanted them, or perhaps carefully sold to businesses who restore old churches. Good question!

Q:On the back of the case of the audio drama (or maybe on the inside, I'd have to go check), it lists you under additional voice parts. If that's correct, what part(s) did you voice?

A: I was the nasty teacher in detention who yells at the boys who are teasing Rose. :)


Q: In The Shadow of the Bear, when Blanche and Rose come across Mr. Freet in the flea market, it says that they saw Mr. Freet looking at something with interest, and in looking around for what he's looking at, Rose spots Bear. Was Mr. Freet looking at Bear, or something else?

A: This is actually the moment (though the reader doesn't realize it) where Freet realizes that the Denniston brothers still have the three vessels he killed Fr. Raymond for. I thought it was important for readers to see such a critical moment, but of course I couldn't really explain it.


Q:Didn't Freet say something to Bear about him knowing that the boys were "playing detective"?

A: He knew the boys were trying to find out who murdered Fr. Raymond, and when they got too close to figuring out it was him, he framed them for drug possession and thought that he had saved himself. After the brothers were out of prison, he noticed them sneaking around the drug crowd as well, and was careful to make sure they never got too close.

But he had no idea that they had the three vessels, so once he recognized that, he stopped trying to keep them at arm's length and began trying to reel them both into a trap.

And of course, he springs the first part of the trap the night of the prom.
Anonymous said…
Obsessed with names, did you mean to post your list on the new Midnight Dancers post, or did you purposely put them on this one? I just wanted to check before I re-typed all mine. I suppose it could move to the fan forum, but I would have to wait to add until I can get a Google Account, (have to ask). Let me know!
Anonymous said…
Hey, Lady Rose, I did actually intentionally put the name question on this post because it was the more recent. I didn't consider that I had started it in the old Midnight Dancers post.

I really can't move this over to the fan forums myself as yet because I don't have a blogger account and those type of things don't go over so well in my household for security reasons. I too would have to see.

Regina, do you have to have a blogger account in order to participate at the forum?
regina doman said…
You have to set up *an* account. I just checked: you need to give a username, password, valid email address, and birthday (birthday is to comply with US law: it doesn't need to be displayed on the forum).

I had thought that Google owned Proboards, and I know they also own Blogger, so that's why I assumed a Google password would work: but actually I needed to set up a new account myself.
Anonymous said…
Ha, ha, after I asked that question, I looked at the old MD post, and read your comment. *slaps forehead* As soon as I get the time, I will move my names. Thanks for answering!
Anonymous said…
oh this is fun!
I love these names....

Girls:
Evangeline or Eva
Abbie or Abigail
Sarah
Beth or Elizabeth
Martha
Emma
Barbara
Claire
Amanda
Leah

Boys:
Jared
Justin
Andrew
Robert (defiantly not bob!)
David
Anonymous said…
Hey, here are a few more names that I think are pretty.

Abigail (I see that Miss Fishy has preempted me there)
Alyss
Andrea
Adrielle
Alethea/Althea
Arianwynn
Anika/ Anya
Blair
Bridget
Chiara
Cecilia
Clare/ Claire
Demetria
Diana
Evelyn/ Eveleth
Ekaterina
Elspeth
Esme
Gianna
Gweneth
Immelda/ Immelia
Jessica
Josephine
Katriel
Kesare
Kendra/ Kendrae
Linnea
Lucienne
Mellesse (me-les-say)
Minerva
Miranda
Madeline (or any variation)
Nyssa
Natalia
Olivia
Phoebe
Penelope
Patricia
Vesper
Valera
Valancy
Varda

Well, that is it for now.
Anonymous said…
Ta da! Here are mine!
For guys:
Martin
Lawrence
David
Robert (if shortened, Rob, NOT Bob!)
Matthias
Peter
William
Ben
Alex
Philip
Luke
Kevin
Patrick

~*~

For girls:
Sabrina
Salina
Mariel
Sayna
Kiara
Alicia
Rose
Tessa
Anna
Eowyn
Teresa
Marianne
Katlyn
Christina
Veronica
Tatiana
Anonymous said…
what about robbie? ok, here's my list:)

Anna [pronounced with an Ah]
Bethlehem
Clare
Grace
Amy
Veronica
Cecilia
Victoria
Reghan
Josie
Philomena
Avila
Aubrie [did somebody already say that?]
Emmiliana

and boys names...
Justin
Jacob
Nathan
Kyle
Greg
William
Richard
Xavier
Ignatius
Matthew
Daniel
Andrew
John Paul
Benedict

ok... must stop now... :)
Anonymous said…
OK, here's one:

In Waking Rose, Rose has that whole scene where she's walking back from play practice and is freaked out; she hears someone following her, but can't see anyone. Who was following her? It can't have been Donna, because Rose didn't see anyone? What was it?
Anonymous said…
Here are just a few more...

Artemis
Eilonwy (EE-lawn-way)
Midea/ Medea
Hermione
Areth/ Arath

I'll do some more boys names later.
Anonymous said…
Obssessed with Names, I think you would have gotten along well with J.R.R. Tolkien, he was obsessed with names too!
The name Arianwyn, did you come up with that?

A few more to add to the list:
Galendil
Mara
Chrissa
Simonetta
Alyssa

I think I've run out of guys names that I really like, I am pretty picky as far as boy names go, but if I think of more, I will post. :)

God Bless!

How about, for added fun, everyone has to come up with a middle name to go along with their pre-posted first names. (Combinations of pre-posted names are excepted. ;) Or if you prefer a name you already posted as a middle name vs. a first name, that is fine too. I shall start with a few of mine.

Sabrina Elaine
Salina Christine
Sayna Eileen
Mariel Rose

Robert Edward
Joshua Lawrence
David Luke

That's it for now.
regina doman said…
If you want to play the name game for the Midnight Dancers, go ahead and post names on the forum in that section. Just in case that's why you're posting here... :)
regina doman said…
Anonymous -- I'll answer your question on the Waking Rose post. :)
Anonymous said…
Okay, I am only going to do eleven, because it is a school night.
1. Sarah Regina
2. Felicity Kiera
3. Holly Valancy (hard to find a good middle name for Holly. A one name sort of name to me. any suggestions?
4. Jennifer Immelia
5. Areth Eaven (EE-vahn)
6. Emily Alyss
7. Arianwynn Lilliara
8. Miranda Hermione
9. Ariadne Darcy
10. Arianna Medea
11. Eilonwy (EE-lawn-way) Katerina



Not inspired, but I'm tired.

And no, I did not make up Arianwynn. It is Welsh for "white silver" or "shining silver". Pretty though.

And Regina, I think that those of us who were still posting here were doing so because we aren't actually guessing names, so much as sharing and comparing them. Would you like us to take this over to the forum?
regina doman said…
I don't mind your doing it here! But if you want to join the guessing game, you can go to the forum - they only have five princess names left to guess, last I checked.
Anonymous said…
"Obsessed with Names" you really are obsessed! ;o)
There are more names that I like, but, people have already posted them!
Also, thanks "Anonymous" Veronica is my *real* name!!! ;o) I like it too!
"what about robbie?" I don't think it's so bad for a little boy!
Anonymous said…
obsessed w/ names- did you ever read the Obernewtyn Chronicles? The main character's name was Elspeth, and I decided I loved it!!!
Anonymous said…
Yes, I have read the "Obernewtyn Chronicles". I grew to dislike them as they got more complicated but did not actually go anywhere. And the anti-religion and post-apocolypse atmosphere got a bit oppressive by the fourth book.

Anyway, Elspeth is simply the Scottish form of Elizabeth and that is how I came to know of it. And I loved it! It would be a great alternative instead of Elizabeth since there seem to be so many.
Elizabeth said…
In the end of The Shadow of the Bear, Blanche says that Bear told her that she looks like his mother. However, in Black as Night, it plays a big part in the fact that Bear doesn't know she looks like his mother! What happened? (I have the second edition of The Shadow of the Bear, not the original "Snow White & Rose Red" or the 10th anniversary one.)
Anonymous said…
obsessed with names, hmm.... you already have almost all my fav. names here...... i have always thought greta is a cute name for a little girl. :) regina, where is the guessing game??? probably a dumb question but i cant find it any were, thanks :)

-booketgirl11
regina doman said…
It's at http://www.fairytalenovels.proboards76.com
under
Fairy Tale Novels :: Once Upon a Time...A place to discuss the Fairy Tale Novels :: The Midnight Dancers: Names Guessing Game
Anonymous said…
Okay, few more names...

Eowyn Marie
Kiara Elise
Katlyn Veronica
Tatiana Christine

Phillip Mark
Kevin Patrick

Gotta go!
Anonymous said…
how bout villian names? or evil minion names? i've got a few...

Sergius
Adamnan
Heliodorus
Akerman
Envy
Ulmar
Morge
Krog
Kitcher

oh and more good people names...
Asconna
Mireith
Anlise
Oberon
Anima
Ash
Jarrah
Perido
Zander
Breeze [i know this one sounds weird but its for a weird character]
Leta
Persis
Zorah
Elegie
Adrian
Maureen
Evangeline [did somebody already use this one?]
Anonymous said…
Oooh, I LOOOVE names! but I don't have time for many...

Boys:

Cyprian (Sih-pree-in)
Valerian (Vuh-lair-ee-in)
Pier Giorgio (As in Frassati :-D
Lael (Rhymes with vale)

Girls:

Evangeline
Ginny
Ginger
Locke

Obsessed with names: Have you ever read the Prydain Chronicles? (AMAZING books!) They have the name Eilonwy in there too, except it's pronounced differently. (Uh-lon-wee)

I love names! WEEEEEE!

But I don't want to read the "guessing game" post because I want to be surprised with the names.
Anonymous said…
Elizabeth said...
"In the end of The Shadow of the Bear, Blanche says that Bear told her that she looks like his mother. However, in Black as Night, it plays a big part in the fact that Bear doesn't know she looks like his mother! What happened? (I have the second edition of The Shadow of the Bear, not the original "Snow White & Rose Red" or the 10th anniversary one.)"
I was wondering the same thing, and actually have wanted to ask about that for a while...

My other question was this:
In the last chapter of the Shadow of the Bear, it said that "Bear put his one arm around her and kissed her (Blanche)" but then in the Black as Night when he was rescuing her from her coma, it said he "had never done this before, because he hadn't been sure it was the right time"
regina doman said…
Sorry it took me so long to get to this! (Elizabeth has been waiting FOR EVER to get this answer!)

Q: In the end of The Shadow of the Bear, Blanche says that Bear told her that she looks like his mother. However, in Black as Night, it plays a big part in the fact that Bear doesn't know she looks like his mother! What happened?

A: Very good question. It comes down to what most guys are capable of seeing in their own moms, versus what they see in their girlfriends. For instance, most guys would never think of their own mom as "good looking" or "cute" the way that an outsider would.

While Bear always knew that Blanche reminded him of his own mom (mostly because of her temperament and personality), he didn't really comprehend the striking physical resemblance of Blanche to his mother, when his mother was young.

To put it another way, he didn't realize that Blanche looked like a teenage version of his own mother - something that WOULD and DID strike Bear's dad, or the aging and jealous Elaine.

Of course Elaine was assigning ulterior motives to his choice of Blanche which also never crossed his mind.

But (sigh) I can see how it would be confusing.


Q: In the last chapter of the Shadow of the Bear, it said that "Bear put his one arm around her and kissed her (Blanche)" but then in the Black as Night when he was rescuing her from her coma, it said he "had never done this before, because he hadn't been sure it was the right time"

A: I believe you've put your finger on one of the significant changes between the original hardback Snow White and Rose Red: A Modern Fairytale and the paperback.

In the first paperback edition of Shadow and in the 10th anniversary edition currently in print, I make it clear that Bear kissed Blanche on the forehead. I put in that clarification because I knew by that time that the first kiss between Bear and Blanche more rightly belonged at the end of Black as Night. (I think I pointed this out someplace on the www.fairytalenovels.com website, but I'm not sure: I do know you're not the first person to notice!)
Anonymous said…
Anonymous, yes, I have read the Prydain Chronicles and I like them a lot. That is where I found the name Eilonwy, but before we found the correct Welsh pronounciation, we did our own when we would read the books out loud and so even after we found out, we kept ours because we liked how it sounded so much more. Plus, Lloyd Alexander said that you really could pronounce them however you like. I personally like knowing the real one, but being able to use mine.
Anonymous said…
I was wondering if it was a kiss on the forehead...thanks for clarifing!
I have the original hardcover book (with the yellow cover) of The Shadow of the Bear (it actually says, "Snow White and Rose Red a fairy tale retold")
Anonymous said…
Hey, while we are talking about names...
I just looked up the meaning of the name "Arthur" and while the meaning is not known for certain, it belived have been derived from the British 'art', meaning "bear", combined with 'viros', meaning "man". So Arthur possibly means "bear man"!
Elizabeth said…
Oh!! Thanks, Regina! It makes sense now! :)
Anonymous said…
Aubrey- Yeah, the books did get more complex. However I never read the fourth, which may be more of a downer with the lack of religion and the apocolypse and all... however I do have to say I loved the blind guy, he was awesome, and I thought Rushton was a good character..... Hey, do you like the name Rushton? he,he! I love all your names, by the way. :)
Anonymous said…
BTW- the names of all the sisters (and the stepmother!) in Midnight Dancers have been guessed over at the forum! So come check them out, if you're interested!

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