#ALSO. the detective's entire THING with being able to thwart the bidder's nest is what gives sin the catalyst to consider freedom from that

[fellhellion]

something i find really enjoyable about book 3′s antagonists is that Sin and Detective have mirrored struggles with helplessness in the face of the same opponent. Anwir/Cessir (?) don’t really matter because at the core of it, they’re simply a greedy, trafficking opportunist and there purposely isn’t depth beyond that. the point of tension within book 3 isn’t so much about conquering a specific foe as it is struggling with the feeling that you lack the ability to truly do anything to combat them. the emotional culmination to the auction is freeing those it dehumanises yes, but also coming face to face with a mirror of the helplessness experienced throughout the entire narrative