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dramaticviolincrescendo · 3 months ago

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BFSS vs. MYATB

I had some Thoughts(TM) after finishing “Blooming Flowers, Silent Sorrow” and thought I’d put them out into the universe.

I’m definitely glad that I read the book and plan to start “Jinbao Marries a Wife” after the extra episodes air. That being said, this is nevertheless one of the rare occasions where I actually preferred the show to the novel. I have already rewatched the series more times than I care to admit publicly, but I don’t really see myself reading the book again unless an official English translation is released to see the approved wording and whether anything was left out of the translation I read.

For anyone who plans to read and wants to avoid spoilers, I’ll hide the rest below the cut. If you loved the book, no worries—this won’t be a negative review!

The Story

I’m extremely impressed that the story is basically the same and, in parts where it isn’t, maintains full fidelity to the original plot and characters. Like MDZS and The Untamed, there were some plot points that got shuffled around in order to suit the medium of television rather than written narrative—and only twelve episodes of television, at that—but it didn’t alter the essence of the story or even the overarching plot at all. Some events were consolidated where it made sense (ex., finding Zongzheng Yuzhan’s dahlia and escaping with Xiaoyu), and others were fragmented in a manner that allowed us more time to get to know the characters (ex., Xiaobao delivering the medicine and their intimate moment in episode three being at two different times). Even Xiaobao’s illness, which was shortened to the spring rather than the following autumn, was still written and portrayed in such a way that you really felt the passage of time and how excruciating it could be when finding the dahlias before their window passed was at the fore of everyone’s minds.

There are a few points, however, where I feel like the show was able to add something to the narrative that I found I missed when reading the book, while I didn’t encounter anything while reading that I really wished had made it into the show. To be honest, given how few episodes they had to tell this story and how important pacing was as a result, that really surprised me. Here are some things that come to mind:

Toning down the non-con elements. While the show depicts those moments as almost more of a non-con initiation transforming into something more tacitly consensual as it progressed (or dubious consent due to drinking or drugging), the book really stuck to the non-con focus of their interactions. I was surprised how long it remained that way, as well as how much more Huai’en pushed it by trying to initiate things after the betrayal and poisoning. I know a lot of that is due to the medium—in a show of this nature, I’d have been more surprised if they’d kept it the same. It’s just something I preferred about how it was depicted in the show and felt made the romance a little more believable as it evolved so quickly.

More conversations between Xiaobao and Huai’en. As with the last point, it made the budding romance more believable for me, not to mention adding that extra bit of heartbreak when Huai’en betrayed Xiaobao. In the book, he doesn’t mention anything about his family history or his father after Jin Bao’s asthma crisis; much of what Xiaobao learns about Huai’en doesn’t come up until the latter is already gone. Sharing the truths (or what Huai’en thought were the truths) of his past added to the half-truths of what he’s doing in Jiangnan created a much deeper sense of manipulation for me and added to the weight of both what he does in episode six as well as how he still tries to keep the Jins alive in the aftermath.

The overall character growth. I’ll put more on this in the characters section, but I was left feeling a little disappointed at the end of the book in a way I wasn’t when I finished the show. It’s not that the growth was bad or missing, just that it didn’t feel as deep as the show for me. At the end of MYATB, Xiaobao is more mature and mindful of what his family needs and his own responsibilities in making that happen; in BFSS, he’s mostly acting like a young master again, gallivanting around with Huai’en and bemoaning how useless he can be. In MYATB, Huai’en grows to care about more than just Xiaobao, even though Xiaobao is still his true north; in BFSS, he’s seriously considering killing Xiaoyu out of jealousy in the last few chapters while rescuing her. In MYATB, Su Yin is angry at the situation, not with Xiaobao, and eventually comes to terms with the idea that Xiaobao has matured and can be trusted to make his own choices; in BFSS, we don’t really see the closure to that disagreement, which was one of my favorite scenes in the finale. Again, nothing wrong with how the book portrayed things, but I felt there was a certain growth in these characters in the show that I’d have liked to see mirrored there.

Xue Tong’en’s ubiquitous presence. She’s startlingly absent in the book while her presence in the show seems to be the backdrop to everything. Zongzheng Yuzhan’s obsession and even madness are palpable in the show, and his strange hatred for yet attachment to Huai’en is especially moving. All of that was absent in the book except for a couple of mentions in the overall narration and Zongzheng Yuzhan’s unwillingness to relinquish Xiaoyu. I just didn’t feel it like I did while watching MYATB.

Their strange but heartwarming little found family. My jaw dropped to see Zuoying and Youying peace out during the final battle, leaving Huai’en to fend for himself, and Zhaocai have an off-screen love interest he was determined to marry before he, too, caught a case of bisexuality. (His sentiment, not mine.) No tearful farewells after a year of huddling together for survival? No beautiful little scene of Huai’en’s two shadows keeping him alive until help arrived? No Zhaocai-Xiaoyu tag-teaming to interrupt Xiaobao and Huai’en at every turn? Don’t get me wrong—the two of them going off on their romantic road-tripping was satisfying, but… Well, as someone who sees platonic and romantic relationships as equally important, I was a little sad to see that it’s just…them.

First, the raid; next, the cure. Having Xiaobao’s remedy come last made Huai’en’s journey feel like there were higher stakes for me. In the book, it’s like tying up a loose end—“bring back Xiaoyu, and I’ll fully forgive you.” In the show, Huai’en gets to see what’s at stake and can make the conscious decision to inconvenience and further endanger himself by taking Xiaoyu away. He knows Xiaobao still loves him and has to just sit there helplessly while he continues to go through episodes that leave him unconscious for hours or days; he has to leave without saying goodbye, with no prompting from Xiaobao to bring Xiaoyu back or ultimatums on his forgiveness. And if he failed? In the show, that’s it for Xiaobao; in the book, it’s just whether his sister comes home, which Huai’en isn’t as bothered about even if he’s willing to die for it. For me, it read as a little more…transactional in the novel, so it wasn’t quite as emotionally stirring. Plus, waiting until later to heal Xiaobao meant Su Yin and Huai’en had to work together after everything that happened between them, which may have gone a long way towards that reconciliation I mentioned.

Li Gongxiang. …That’s it. ‘Nuff said.

All the little things that made the characters more real. Obviously, visual mediums are going to fill in personalities in ways that written narratives can’t, but MYATB did so in such a way that I deeply missed those details when they weren’t there. Zhaocai and Jinbao’s odd sleeping arrangements. Xiaobao and the dancer…and the guy in the restaurant… Shaoyu coming back to stake his claim only to get out-bratted by Xiaobao. Youying royally screwing up and putting the Jins on alert, necessitating an in-universe convoluted plot to make it seem like a random jianghu misunderstanding. None of it was necessary, no, but it was fun and made me care more about the characters as I watched. The only moment like this in the book that really stood out to me was Su Yin tickling Xiaobao into submission, which was honestly amazing. In any case, adding depth to the supporting characters that wasn’t there in the book added more to the main characters as well, so I missed those small details as I read.

The Characters

I know it seems like I covered that already, but there were a couple of specifics that really stood out to me regarding character choices and personalities in the book compared to the show. As with the story, there wasn’t much I felt hadn’t been incorporated from the book, while there were elements from the show that I did miss seeing as I read. Overall, I thought the show did a fantastic job of taking who the characters were on a fundamental level in the book and enhancing them with certain narrative choices.

Huai’en: I am unspeakably grateful for whoever decided to age him up to 20. It facilitated the conversations he had with Xiaobao that deepened their relationship and made the romance more believable. With that added maturity, his cold manipulation makes a lot of sense for his character rather than the angry and violent outbursts that the teenage Huai’en in the book was prone to. Even in MYATB, Huai’en experienced a few of those, but they only came at pivotal moments and, as a result, had more meaning to me. (Note: not morally right, but still meaningful.) On another note, I was mourning the loss of his scene with the emperor as I read. The majority was still there, namely the blood test, dahlia, and refusing his title. However, exonerating the Jins was a huge moment that contributed to his reconciliation with Xiaobao and their ability to live happily later. For me, it was more moving to see him take that initiative in the show rather than have it offered to him as an incentive for providing information that could free Prince Shen later in the book.

Xiaobao: …It’s the word “lecherous.” I just can’t get past it! In the show, we’re made aware that he’s frequented brothels in the past, and no further details are given. His attempts to woo “Miss Zheng” are slightly sleazy, but they hardly count as “lecherous,” which I really liked. It’s more of a wide-eyed “she could kick my ass in any context and I’d thank her for it” situation than…well, “lecherous.” (Nope, still can’t get past it even when I use it.) With an aged-up Huai’en, I think that having Xiaobao be more of an adorable wannabe player matched a bit better. He was still that way in the book, but the sexual element was a lot more prevalent (namely trying to switch positions), while MYATB moved him past that very quickly.

Su Yin: As I mentioned above, I really mourned the loss of their closure. In the show, we see a Su Yin who goes through hell trying to avenge Xiaobao only to learn that he needs to take a step back and trust that Xiaobao can take care of himself. He isn’t that same spoiled young master who needs Su Yin to constantly come to his rescue anymore by the end, and Su Yin has seen Huai’en’s sincerity even if he will never be able to forgive Huai’en’s indiscretions himself. Su Yin is very similar in much of the book, but I felt that their roads diverged some after Xiaobao went to warn Huai’en about the trap at Chifeng Cliff. In BFSS, we never really see him get over that, and his anger is truly at Xiaobao—he even insults him multiple times. MYATB shows it as concern with Xiaobao’s self-esteem and seeming willingness to degrade himself, shortly followed by understanding and acceptance, however hesitant. I loved that growth for both Su Yin and their relationship, so I was quite disappointed that it wasn’t the same in the book.

Que Siming: This was a case where expectations didn’t meet reality. I’d heard from people who read the book how he was the only one rooting for Huai’en and Xiaobao, but…that wasn’t entirely the vibe I got. It was still there, as it was in the show, but perhaps it was his personality that made it a bit difficult to see. In the show, Que Siming is eccentric, self-serving, and arrogant. However, there are moments when he displays genuine emotion towards Xiaobao’s suffering and Huai’en’s fate that show he really does care, even if his taste for gossip outweighs most other things a lot of the time. In the book, he was mostly just mean. The self-serving arrogance was there, but I didn’t really see much else. It could have been lost in translation, and I’m sure I’ll have a better grasp of him after “Jinbao Marries a Wife,” but on the whole I was left feeling like he was one of the only characters who was extremely different and far more likable in the show. Props to Kou Weilong!

Xiaoyu: She is one of the other characters who felt extremely different between the two mediums, and I vastly prefer the show’s version. In the book, Xiaoyu almost didn’t even seem like a kid of only about ten. Her dialogue read like a young woman, and I have to agree with the book version of Huai’en that her feelings about Xiaobao were…uh…wow. I definitely preferred Su Yin alluding to a marriage as merely a parting shot at Huai’en. Of course, the context is important: in the book, the Jins already decided Xiaoyu would run the family business, and she was also aware of what had happened to the Xues and that she wasn’t actually a Jin. In those circumstances, it makes sense that she would have been groomed to consider this eventuality without much thought given to their brother-sister relationship beyond just always being together. Still, uh…very glad they didn’t go that route. It also meant she could be more of a child in MYATB and wage a war for Xiaobao’s attention against Huai’en without that loaded underlying meaning.

Zongzheng Yuzhan: In MYATB, he seems to have gotten an upgrade. Even more than just being an oftentimes off-screen, absentee antagonist, he was a character foil for Huai’en. We are meant to see that Huai’en’s understanding of love is twisted, as Li Gongxiang said, because his only example is his foster father’s obsessive and possessive form of love. What makes Zongzheng Yuzhan monstrous is that he can’t change. What makes Huai’en human is that he can. He could have been a monster—a beast, as Xiaobao calls him in the book multiple times—but he takes a different road. That road leads to direct conflict with Zongzheng Yuzhan and emphasizes their differences in a dramatic and captivating way. In the book, that conflict really isn’t there. Zongzheng Yuzhan very easily lets go of Huai’en being Zongzheng Yunlian’s son and urges him to be free until he comes back for Xiaoyu. Perhaps that’s the Zongzheng Yuzhan we’d have seen if Huai’en had visited him in prison, but that steady escalation of their differences until it reached a boiling point made the stakes in the second half of the show that much more impactful for me.

In all, I enjoyed BFSS. It was worth reading and did add a lot of insight into certain scenes that couldn’t possibly include dialogue, especially Xiaobao’s thoughts during poison episodes and his quieter moments as Huai’en insisted on proving what a joke Su Yin’s security was to him. (I’m imagining Su Yin with a clown nose and wig asking, “Am I a joke to you?” Yes. Yes, you are. But I love you anyway.)

Perhaps I’d feel a little differently if I’d read the book before watching the show. Having gone the opposite direction, though, I’m left astounded at how well MYATB took a book with over a hundred chapters, adapted it for the screen, enhanced both the plot and characters, and told the story in twelve episodes with time to spare for an extra fluffy epilogue. There was a lot of love put into the show, and while I did enjoy the book, that may have made all the difference for me.

#blooming flowers silent sorrow #meet you at the blossom #myatb #myatb meta #long post #just my opinions feel free to ignore them but please don’t take offense to them #I really did like the book

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ink-of-fallen-stars · 11 months ago

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The Many Shades of Midnight

C. M. Debell

⭐⭐⭐✨ (3.5 stars)

Overall I thought it was a lot of excellent ideas, but not the best execution.

I loved the main characters, particularly Brivar—in the first section, he was honestly the only reason I kept reading—and the way their arcs were handled. The characters are flawed and are portrayed as such, but are incredibly relatable. The complexity of the cast, their backstories, and their relationships was gripping and made this a fascinating read.

The world-based conflict was also fascinating. While the setting is a rather standard medieval fantasy, the illness the plot is based around is such an interesting topic. I love the way it is set up and developed, though I wish this had been more consistently paced throughout. There were some things I as a reader would have liked to learn more about, particularly the religious side. And as much as I loved the illness, the book is a book about a fantasy disease with a doctor as a main PoV, so I was anticipating delving into that a little more. (This may just be because I was raised by a doctor and am going into medical editing if I can, so take this with a grain of salt.)

This book is very slow to get going, however. The beginning drags due to a combination of several things:

Consistently throughout the book, there are places where events are summarized rather than written out in scenes. In the beginning (and somewhat at the end), these summaries are events that would have been less confusing if written out as scenes, or omitted entirely. There's also places where it's the inverse—scenes that dragged and would have been more effective as summaries. This mostly happens in the beginning, and I was considering DNFing at several points until I hit part two.

After part two, things look up pacing-wise. This section acts on the setup of the first part (which was too long, in my opinion) and starts solving the problem. So the plot takes an incredibly long time to get moving, though once it's moving it's exciting. (I was up late for several nights in a row reading it.) The end felt like it could have been expanded on, and there were some parts that were too fast for me to keep up with, but it wasn't critical.

Some of the thematic elements of the story felt heavy-handed to me. Not exactly overemphasized, but not as well integrated as they could have been. Especially in the third section, honestly where I started feeling like things were rushed. There were also some plot points that felt like they were there for shock value, which rubbed me the wrong way. They certainly increased the stakes and forwarded the plot, but they didn't necessarily sit well with me personally.

Overall I enjoyed it! Would read another book by this author, especially to see if the problems are because of when this book was written (don't know if it's early or late in writing career or is a one-off), but probably not going to be a favourite any time soon.

#books #book review #fantasy #the many shades of midnight #january 2024 #non spoiler review #booklr

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cottonlemonade · 7 months ago

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Hello! Can I order a large chai latte for here with Sachiro Hirugami! I don't see much a fic of my baby😭 I fell inlove with him the moment I saw him on the anime🤣

Date Night

word count: 765 || avg. reading time: 3 mins.

pairing: post-time skip Hirugami x chubby!Reader

genre: suggestive fluff

warnings: mdni, nsfw, spoilers

request: fluffy-spicy, date night with husband Hirugami

“After you, madam.“

Your husband Sachiro opened the front door to your apartment with a little bow.

“Thank you, kind sir.“

As you walked past him, you cupped his cheek and he smiled contently.

After helping you out of your jacket you both b-lined to the kitchen, setting up camp in front of the open fridge, scavenging for food. As fun and romantic as the date at the observatory was, it had supremely lacked in snacks. You fed Sachiro a cherry tomato before tossing one into your own mouth.

After the third tomato he asked, “Pudding cups?” with a hopeful look in his eyes.

You dug around in the bottom shelf and produced two - one chocolate, one vanilla. A quick game of rock paper scissors decided that you (the winner) got to pick first and so you chose chocolate. Lounging around the kitchen, leaning against the counters, you talked about the exhibit and made plans what to have for dinner next week.

With a sweet vanilla flavored kiss he went off to take a shower, leaving you to wait in the bedroom, reading a few pages of your book.

Sachiro smoothed out the shirt he wore to bed and plopped down onto the sheets, when he heard the shower turning on and your distinct humming through the rushing water.

He scrolled through his phone, checking emails and his schedule for any upcoming surgeries at the vet clinic, when his eyes fell onto the cover of your book that was left pages down on your pillow to hold your place. He must have seen that cover a hundred times but apparently he never registered the seductive look of the very shirtless man who smirked up at him from the dust jacket.

With a curiously furrowed brow he picked it up and read a few lines while reaching for the glass of water on his nightstand.

He choked mid-sip, his eyes widening and cheeks flushing.

Okay, maybe it was just a crazy coincidence that he just happened to pick up the book at this scene. So he flipped a few pages back. Nope. The characters were at it again, this time in a restaurant bathroom. He thought back to the previous nights when he remembered you reading it before bed. With a completely straight face. How?!

When you came out of the bathroom, towel wrapped tightly around your body, you stopped in your tracks when you found your husband sitting with his back leaning against the headboard, your … “adult“ book in one hand, while the other was covering his mouth in a mixture of curious wonder and disbelief.

“Honey?“, he began without taking his eyes off the pages, “Would you have wanted me to get a bit more handsy at the observatory? Or-“, he turned to a previous page for reference, “follow you into the bathroom and-“

“Oh God, Sachiro, why are you reading that?“ Your voice came out in a high pitched, hysterical (and mortified) giggle and you jumped back into the en suite, hiding behind the door, only glancing through the slit in the frame at your husband, who - eyes still glued to the book - got up and sauntered over to you.

He offered a quick review. “The plot is … non-existent.”

That got you out of the corner.

“Now hold up, the plot is … it’s there!”

“Uh huh.”, he grinned and, remembering that he saw a couple of times that the male character liked to lean in doorways, he did the same, grinning at you with a raised brow.

Your face moved from tomato to beetroot red and you tried to move past him but channeling the book character he caught a corner of the towel and pulled ever so slightly. Originally, he just wanted to tease you and keep you in place but your determination to run away in embarrassment brought him the utter delight of his naked wife, still wet from the shower, reaching for the towel and in the process stumbling into his arms. He always loved the softness of your body and scolded you whenever you criticized your weight. He adored cuddling, kissing and touching every inch of you and he proved that as often as you’d let him.

He shut the book with a soft snap and you felt his arm tightening around your chubby waist, pulling you flush against him. Your mouth opened a little when you felt something hard pushing against your generous thighs.

“I also read that part you dog-eared, sweetheart.”, Sachiro said quietly, moving his hand lower, “Wanna give it a try?”

a/n: oh, one for Sachiro!! I’m so glad someone requested him 🌟 thank you and please enjoy!

inspired by this IG reel

for requests see here

#sunnys cozy cafe #hirugami x chubby reader #hirugami sachiro x chubby reader #hirugami sachirou x chubby reader #haikyuu x chubby reader #chubby reader #hirugami sachiro x reader #haikyuu smut #haikyuu x reader #hirugami sachirou #haikyuu hirugami #hq hirugami #hq smut #haikyuu fluff #haikyuu x curvy reader

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crazykuroneko · 6 months ago

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Next in IWTV: S2E02 "Do you know what it means to be loved by death?"

Firstly, a couple of news:

IWTV took a plummet in its cable live viewing ratings, like more than -50%. But TV rating has been declining and it's only one of all the factors they judge for renewal.

Apparently, AMC+ rejects non US credit card after the 7-day trial

The good news is, according to Flixtor, for the past four days, IWTV has been in top 3 for TV shows on iTunes in USA, top 10 worldwide, it also appears in Canada. IWTV is also top 2 TV show on Amazon (non Amazon Prime) and number 1 worldwide. It still tops AMC+ own rank as well.

Now, reminders:

The new episode will be dropped at 3 a.m. ET on AMC+ and broadcast at 9 p.m. on AMC channel. If you use Amazon, you may get it earlier based on your timezone. Do not forget to use #iwtv spoilers and add that to your muted words. Tweet about the episode with #InterviewwithTheVampire.

If you have cable, please put IWTV on your TV while it's on AMC channel. Or get your DVR ready. they record that number as well.

IWTV S2 is also available in UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Greece, Germany, MENA on various platforms. Check them here.

For anyone who has a non-American credit card and wants to help with the numbers, please wait until the season ends so you can get 7-days trial and binge watch on AMC+ 🙏 *whisper* or you can do this email trick

After watching the episode, please rate it on TV ratings platforms, such as IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes etc. This series tends to get a lot of haters; from book purists, homophobes, racists, you name it. S1 got review bombed.

Okay, that's it. Enjoy the new episode whenever you get it!

#interview with the vampire #iwtv #amc iwtv #amc interview with the vampire

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glossamerfaerie · 7 months ago

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Gwyn = future High Priestess?

This is an out-there theory, one that I’m only mildly attached to. But we’re going to wait a long time for the book, so why not indulge in wild speculation, haha. This was inspired by a headcanon I saw about Gwyn and Az being the reincarnation of High Priestess Oleanna (who dipped Gwydion into the Cauldron and gave it to Fionn to overthrow the Daglan) and Enalius (Illyrian warrior who possibly fought the Daglan at Ramiel; original wielder of TruthTeller). It’s a fun crack theory, but Oleanna got me thinking about High Priestesses. We learned a lot about them in ACOMAF due to Ianthe, but they’ve been a non-entity since ACOFAS.

Let’s review the facts. Spoilers for the entire series under the cut. It’s a long post, sorry!

There were 12 High Priestesses before Ianthe died. I don’t know how succession works or if that’s the maximum number possible. I’m inclined to think 12 total slots because it’s a nice round number. I doubt it’s tied to court lineage since they seem to operate independently (if occasionally collaborating with the High Lords). It’s unclear how they gain the position; we know that Ianthe (Tamlin’s childhood friend and a nobleman’s daughter) was the youngest High Priestess and lived in the Spring Court before Aramantha. She fled to Vallahan during the 50 years of tyranny.

Among the High Fae, the priestesses oversaw their ceremonies and rituals, recorded their histories and legends, and advised their lords and ladies in matters great and trivial… […] … Priestesses could marry, bear children, and dally as they would. It would dishonor the Cauldron’s gift of fertility to lock up their instincts, their inherent female magic in bearing life, Ianthe had once told me. So while the seven High Lords ruled Prythian from thrones, the twelve High Priestesses reigned from the altars, their children as powerful and respected as any lord’s offspring. — Feyre’s thoughts in ACOMAF

We later learn that Rhys dislikes Ianthe (for good reasons). But!! His dislike isn’t limited to her. He has an issue with all High Priestesses.

“I find the High Priestesses to be a perversion of what they once were—once promised to be. Ianthe among the worst of them.”

[…]

“The High Priestesses have burrowed into a few of the courts—Dawn, Day, and Winter, mostly. They’ve entrenched themselves so thoroughly that their spies are everywhere, their followers near-fanatic with devotion. And yet, during those fifty years, they escaped. They remained hidden. I would not be surprised if Ianthe sought to establish a foothold in the Spring Court.”

“You mean to tell me they’re all black-hearted villains?”

“No. Some, yes. Some are compassionate and selfless and wise. But there are some who are merely self-righteous … Though those are the ones that always seem the most dangerous to me.”— Feyre and Rhys in ACOMAF

Notice how Rhys talks about the High Priestesses. A perversion. They’re corrupt — he’s implying that they don’t serve the Mother’s will with good intentions.

The High Priestesses hid and escaped Aramantha’s wrath while the High Lords suffered. Like most organized religions, these High Priestesses seem power-hungry and selfish. It sounds like SJM was inspired by Dune’s Bene Gesserit. Their motivations have changed from the High Priestesses of Oleanna’s time. Rhys’s cynicism was warranted: we later learn that Ianthe was resentful of bowing down to the High Lords, allying herself with Hybern to gain influence.

But!!! Not all of them. Rhys himself says that some are compassionate. I wonder who he’s talking about?

“You speak rather informally of your high priestess.”

“Clotho does not enforce rank. She encourages us to use her name.” — Nesta and Gwyn in ACOSF

While we meet Clotho in ACOWAR, she is NOT referred to as a High Priestess. To be fair, Feyre is briefly introduced to her so she wouldn’t know unless someone said so. In Silver Flames, the High Priestess status is linked to Clotho’s name at least five times in the text. I presume that Clotho was a High Priestess before the attack that led her to live in the Library. The text implies that Clotho — along with Rhys and Mor — is the person who created the sanctuary.

Five days later, Cassian sat before the desk of the library’s high priestess and watched her enchanted pen move. He’d met Clotho a few times over the centuries—found she had a dry, wicked sense of humor and a soothing presence. He’d made a point not to stare at her hands, or at the face he’d only seen once, when Mor had brought her in so long ago. It had been so battered and bloody it hadn’t looked like a face at all. He had no idea how it had healed beneath the hood. If Madja had been able to save it in a way she hadn’t been able to save Clotho’s hands. He it didn’t matter what she looked like, not when she had accomplished and built so much with Rhys and Mor within this library. A sanctuary for females who’d endured such unspeakable horrors that he was always happy to carry out justice on their behalf. — Cassian in ACOSF

IMO, Clotho doesn’t have much communication or power over the High Priestesses or temple governance. They might know she lives in a Night Court Library with many vulnerable priestesses, but they likely don’t know the details or precise location (after all, the existence of Velaris was secret until recently). Clotho seems wholly focused on the Library and not the outside world.

Remember what Rhys said to Feyre?

“Some are compassionate and selfless and wise.”

Rhys is likely talking about Clotho, the anthesis of Ianthe’s character. He has to be. What other High Priestess is Rhys acquainted with where he can make that assessment? By his own account, they stick to Winter, Dawn, and Day. None of them were imprisoned Under the Mountain because they hid, so he wouldn’t have met them there.

Which brings me to this:

“At the Court of Nightmares. I allowed her to visit after she’d begged for years, insisting she wanted to build ties between the Night Court and the priestesses. I’d heard rumors about her nature, but she was young and untried, and I hoped that perhaps a new High Priestess might indeed be the change her order needed. It turned out that she was already well trained by some of her less-benevolent sisters.” — Rhys in ACOMAF

Before Aramantha, Rhys was interested in fostering a connection between the Night Court and the High Priestesses. He hoped that a brand-new High Priestess could change the organization. It didn’t go well. I’m not going to quote the entire passage (Chapter 21 in ACOMAF) because it’s a long flashback, but Ianthe shows up naked in Rhys’s bed, attempting to grab his genitalia without his consent. He doesn’t kill her because he doesn’t want to deal with the High Priestesses, but he uses his power to threaten her.

She’d hounded him relentlessly—stalked the other males, too. Azriel had left last night because of it.

[…]

Rhys leaned close to breathe into her ear, “Don’t ever touch me. Don’t ever touch another male in my court.” His power snapped bones and tendons, and she screamed again. “Your hand will heal,” he said, stepping back. “The next time you touch me or anyone in my lands, you will find that the rest of you will not fare so well.” — Rhys flashback in ACOMAF

We know that Ianthe is a grade-A bitch, for many other reasons I didn’t mention (poor Lucien). But you know what’s interesting about Ianthe now?

Ianthe is DEAD. Unless the High Priestesses appointed someone else to the twelfth position off-page, there are currently ELEVEN High Priestesses in Prythia. One spot is potentially open.

And… I wonder who can possibly take on that role? Someone pure of heart and devoted to the Mother. Someone who would mark a return to what High Priestesses OUGHT to be for the Fae. Someone who already has positive ties to the Night Court. Someone who would encourage Rhys to develop a relationship between the Night Court and the High Priestesses, something he wanted to do centuries ago. Maybe a certain teal-eyed Valkyrie priestess that we met in ACOSF.

Gwyneth Berdara

I know what you’re thinking: but Gwyn is already a Valkyrie and researcher at the Library?! She’s helping train the other priestesses! She might have relevancy in the Illyrian rebellion storyline with Emerie and Az! She doesn’t have the TIME to become a High Priestess!!

To which I say… excellent point, lol. It does seem like a lot of responsibility to shoulder. But I’m uncertain whether the High Priestess position needs to be a 24/7 gig. Clotho is at the Library and seemingly not that concerned with the outside world. To be honest, I’m unsure if the High Priestesses are even in frequent communication with each other post-Ianthe’s death. They might be scrambling with the High Lords back in power and unable to exploit the power vacuum anymore. Remember that Hybern attacked the temples and killed priestesses in order to steal the Cauldron parts; I imagine the High Priestesses are still grieving and recovering from that loss. They might be a perversion, but none outside Ianthe allied with Hybern. The High Priestesses aren’t a lost cause just yet. They simply might need someone (Gwyn) to set their priorities straight and refocus their goals in aiding Prythian and worshiping the Mother.

Clotho is compassionate and wise, but seems uninterested in untangling High Priestess politics. She can’t even control Merrill in her own library. I adore Clotho, but I don’t really see her confronting the other High Priestesses and enacting social reforms. Clotho will support Gwyn, but she won’t be the one to initiate change.

“Only Clotho can really make her fall in line, but Clotho lets her have her way, mostly because Merrill throws those windy tantrums that can send everyone’s manuscripts scattering.”— Gwyn in ACOSF

And honestly, maybe the High Priestess responsibilities are light for Gwyn. Maybe she just chills in the Night Court and oversees ceremonies/holidays for Rhys. That’s basically what Ianthe was doing for Tamlin’s Spring Court in ACOMAF/ACOWAR.

I also think it’s OK for the Valkyries to have other responsibilities. I see Nesta as a diplomat or emissary in other lands and courts. Emerie might take a central role back at home, training and helping Illyrian women. Just because they’re Valkyries first doesn’t erase their other identities.

Gwyn has been training as a priestess for her entire life. She’s experienced discrimination due to her nymph heritage, from Merrill and probably other priestesses in Sangravah. I believe Gwyn can enact real social change within the High Priestesses, advocating for species inclusivity and a return to their original duties (like in Oleanna’s time). No more power-hungry political schemes — the Mother and citizen wellbeing should be their #1 priority.

Aside from her personality, Gwyn is a good candidate for two reasons. First, Gwyn is foreshadowed to have strong magic (she glows while singing!). Gwyn’s voice inspires Nesta to have a vision of the Harp. Maybe Gwyn has fire magic from her Autumn grandfather. Maybe she has abilities from her nymph grandmother. Maybe she’s starborn. The possibilities are endless. The point is, Gwyn is magically powerful enough for the role of High Priestess.

Second, I suspect that she’s related to the Autumn Court and Eris. As a High Priestess, Gwyn would have the trust of two High Lords: Rhys and Eris (let’s assume Beron dies soon, lol). Per Rhys, the High Priestesses have mostly entrenched themselves in Winter, Day, and Dawn. That means Autumn (Eris) and Night (Rhys) currently have no connection to the High Priestesses. Gwyn would bridge that gap.

Assuming that Gwyn is Lucien’s grandniece or some other relation, Gwyn also has ties to the Day Court and Helion. I’m very sure that Gwyn and Helion will be fast friends over their love for pegasi. 😉 Having the ear of three High Lords would cement Gwyn’s status as a High Priestess.

***

Anyway… I wrote all this and now I’m not sure at all. 😅 What do you think about my theory? Too out there or a genuine possibility in the Gwynriel book?

#my acotar theories #gwynriel #pro gwyn #gwyn x azriel #gwyneth berdara #acotar #azriel #helion spell cleaver #rhysand #nesta archeron #emerie of illyria #emerie #feyre archeron #lucien vanserra #hofas spoilers

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tackletofset · 1 year ago

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If I had to choose one word to describe "Dark Heir," it would be 'OTHERWORLDLY.'

[There will be NO SPOILERS in this Review, only vague hints]

“Critiquing the idea of a classic hero and a reclaiming of the queer villain”

These words are written under the blurb of the very ARC. Sadly, most people are still missing the point.

Dark Rise is my true love in the form of a book series.

As a queer person who grew up sympathizing with villains (who are often queer-coded), this book series undoubtedly serves as a great form of escapism. I feel seen and understood. I found a home here.

Reading Dark Heir was a surreal experience, almost like a sudden storm hitting me all at once. It was like being pulled into a whirlwind. It is everything I could ever wish for!!!

I devoured this book in just TWO DAYS, which is unexpected given my typically SLOW reading pace. It's worth noting that Dark Heir is considerably longer than Dark Rise (with Dark Rise comprising 34 chapters and Dark Heir containing 51). It is also fueled by my eagerness to continue the story after a two-year wait, particularly following that cliffhanger!

Will has always been my favourite character since "Dark Rise," and this sequel only amplifies it. I perceive his struggles with the truth of his identity, as a metaphor for internalized queerphobia. Many queer youth, including myself, have been told that our queerness is evil and abhorrent, leading us to hide and deny our true selves in the pursuit of acceptance from others. Will's yearning for his friends' acceptance, especially from Violet, his best friend.

Many of us would be delighted to see that James has POV chapters in this book! It's great to see his perspective on not only his feelings about Will or Sarcean but also about his family history.

I'm equally excited about introducing the new character, Visander, and I'm thrilled that he can be interpreted as trans. Knowing that CS Pacat identifies as genderqueer/non-binary, I would like to see him writing more trans-coded characters. Visander is a character who fascinates me, as there are times when he can be both lovable and yet totally frustrates me.

Praise Pacat (again), who has been so generous to give us the “Surprise POVs” which made me scream and jump up and down at 2 a.m.

I seriously love the parts where we got to explore more of the Old World. The twists within them are both surprising and, in a way, expected. I've always held the belief that history was written by the victors, and as a result, the truth about the Dark King and the Betrayer was also lost in time. It was also very gratifying to see that the characters that were once hailed as the paragons of virtue were not so saint-like after all.

I hate classic heroes. I despise them and I won't even try to hide it.

Doubtlessly, the Old World chapters are my favourites. And I yearn to have even more of them in Book 3 because I want to know more details about how Sarcean came to power- and his downfall, and the full truth about his relationship with Anharion! I wouldn't mind the book stretching to 60+ chapters to accommodate it.

Pacat has indeed delivered on his promises to infuse this sequel with even more "on-page gay" content, so readers need not fret about the shortage of romance. They are plentiful, to say the least.

Now, returning to my initial point:

!!!Dark Rise is not a story about escaping an abusive male partner!!!

While numerous stories tackle this theme, and it is worth telling, this is not one of them.

This is a story about queer people reclaiming their identities. It speaks to those who have been vilified, demonized, alienated, and even disowned from a young age by the very individuals who should have shielded them—their parents and guardians.

They are continuously taught that their queerness is immoral, abhorrent, and despicable, leading them to believe they must conceal and deny their true selves, often feeling as though they are harbingers of evil and thus destined for condemnation. It sheds light on how queer youths grapple with internalized queerphobia due to an environment that refuses to accept them for who they are.

The accusations hurled at the "villainous figures" within this story mirror the stigma that the bigoted society frequently directs at queer individuals: that we’re lewd, vulgar degenerates, disease-spreaders and a danger to children.

Dark Rise and Dark Heir underscores our society’s twisted morality that the only available paths for queer individuals are either to deny their queerness or face the gravest consequences. In other words: be converted or unalived.

For those of us who have been demonized and alienated by the people who were supposed to protect us—we are not evil. We do not deserve the abuse directed at us, and it is not our fault. There is nothing wrong with us. We deserve happiness, love, safety, and acceptance.

We should all be unapologetic and unafraid of our true selves, like James.

And oH MY GOD. THAT ENDING!!! You think the prologue was crazy??? You wouldn’t LIVE to see that ending.

I have fantasized about *that* final line before, but I thought it was cheesy and that it might be something more like Prince Gambit's "The King! Damianos! He lives!" but it was not like that at all 🤣🤣🤣

It's my dream cheesy line 💜💜💜

#dark rise #dark heir #cs pacat #will kempen #james st clair #sarcean #anharion #violet ballard #cyprian #visander #captive prince #laurent of vere #damianos of akielos #dr theory #mine

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kaija-rayne-author · 12 days ago

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Dragon Age Veilguard wrap up review and final thoughts

So… I wrote that string of reviews (section one starts here) while I was playing the game. I’d write them either before or after logging in for the day, so I wouldn’t forget anything I wanted to mention.

Spoilers for Dragon Age Veilguard. Tried to keep them to a minimum, but they’re there.

My thoughts on breaking the media blackout I stayed under while I played Veilguard to completion.

A little about me. I’m an editor by trade. I’m an author and a reviewer. I’m a pretty heavily left leaning, queer as fuck, non-binary person, so I’m not one of the awful reviewers who are causing so many problems from what I’ve heard. No one paid me for a review or to write anything. I’ve played the game to completion and watched the credits all the way through to that awful last scene. These are just my thoughts and my knowledge. And honestly? My broken heart.

I’m just someone who has absolutely loved Dragon Age from the moment I first turned on DAO. Because I’m an editor and a writer… my reviews tend to be more in depth than an average person’s? Maybe? I have a medical background (Forensic Anthropologist) and I legitimately read encyclopedias for fun.

In case you haven’t guessed yet. I’m autistic/ADHD (AuDHD). Dragon Age has been a hyperfocus/special interest of mine for years. I’m absolutely a lore fiend. I probably know more about the lore than many people actually working at BioWare. Especially if Veilguard is anything to judge by.

Also, this is all my off the cuff writing. I haven't the time, energy, or desire to edit them.

The problem with Dragon Age Veilguard… well. There’re a lot of problems with it. I think what it really comes down to is poor adhesion to the established lore, a crappy fighting and levelling system, and poor writing. And with Trick Weekes as Lead Writer? I never in a million years would’ve thought I’d have to say that about Veilguard.

I’ve enjoyed Weekes’ writing for a few years now. Two of my favourite Dragon Age books are by them. I really wish I could write a positive review for Veilguard. But I just can’t.

There were some things I liked about it. I liked some of the mechanics. Ziplines and the Elven light puzzles were pretty awesome. I liked how some of the streamlining made the game better. I liked how the logs were a lot easier to walk across than they were in any of the previous games. Some of the characters grew on me despite their poor writing. I liked the map when I was at the Lighthouse. Being able to see when and where a companion wanted to talk to me was great. I liked the wardrobe and how nice and easy it made changing how your gear looked. There were probably a few other things I liked. I tried to be scrupulous in my review series on saying both the positive and the negative. So if you’ve got the time to read that long thing, it’s probably worth it if you’re on the fence about buying and playing it.

And if you had a hand in making that travesty of a CRPG? You really should read it. For professional development, if nothing else.

If you’re Solavellan? I’ll just flat out tell you not to. It’s not worth it. There is no happy ending for Solas and Inky. There’s no intimate scene. Every single thing most Solavellan’s have been hoping for… for ten bloody years? It’s not there. And in fact, they did Solas so dirty. There were memories of him. I wanted memories! I did not want memories of every awful thing he’d ever been forced to do as a rebel leader. They hammered home how awful Solas was with a freaking jackhammer.

As a diehard DA fan and a committed Solavellan? It was an outright painful game to play. It really hurt. And then to see his horrific wolf form (he honestly looks like a Chinese crested dog on a really bad day. I really wish I were joking.) And then to not have anything resembling a happy ending? It’s not worth your time, and it definitely isn’t worth your money. Fanfic writers will have to heal our broken hearts, because Weekes certainly did not.

No. Trick Weekes. That was not even a suggestion of a happy ending. And I will honestly never trust you again after you actually tweeted that to me. You gave me hope. And there was no reason to hope.

So… yeah. I’ll never be able to cover all the bad in Veilguard in a short (ish) review. I’m trying to keep this short!

I’m not good at that. For what it’s worth. XD.

The Lore.

There is so much Lore they had to use for inspiration. Three full games, five books, six comics, at least two coffee table/art books and probably stuff I don’t know about. They had all of that to use as inspiration. What little they did use? Was so twisted it was hardly recognizable. I went into more detail in the longer review series so I won’t here. But they hardly used the amazing amount of Lore at all. They shoved it under the rug of bad writing to make a very unsightly lump to anyone with eyes to see it.

It’s almost like they were so eager to shuffle Solas off so they could move on to writing a new game in a different age that they just… I don’t even know. Treated him poorly doesn’t begin to cover it. Screwed up the story by sidelining a plot-necessary character also doesn’t cover it. Which as both an editor and an author, I really do not understand. You don’t do that with such a plot heavy character. It leaves the consumers unhappy.

After the game play reveal. I honestly didn’t have a lot of hope. I knew Varric’s fate even before that. (It’s not good. In case you’re wondering.) Becoming an editor has absolutely ruined me by making it easy to guess what’s going to happen.

The Writing.

I’ve actually heard and seen the writers saying they were pleased with how the characters came out. Professionally? And as kindly as I possibly can? May I suggest you all learn how to write better? Most of those characters and the plot were just so poorly written. The romances were ridiculous. And I’m a romance author? So I kinda know what I’m talking about? At every juncture, you all chose the most basic, most puerile options. The only surprises for me in that game were how you completely ignored the Lore and how bad the writing was.

I think Veilguard would’ve been perfectly fine as a non-Dragon Age action RPG. And for anyone who loves it for that… I’m truly happy for you.

But that’s not how it was marketed. It had all the right Dragon Age voice actors, character names, location names… but that is not Dragon Age. You’d need to actually use the lore for that. They did not. Or if they used a little? It was heavily retconned and twisted out of recognition. The only thing even remotely close to being like a Dragon Age game were the settings, environments, and scenery. Those were phenomenal and the only thing that held that travesty of a game together. Everything else? Goddess. How do you fail so horribly at something when you have every resource you could possibly need to make it good?

Because it could actually have been good. It could’ve been phenomenal. If they’d actually written that game for Dragon Age fans? You know… us middle-aged or slightly younger/older gamers who’ve lusted for another DA game for years? If they’d paid attention even a little bit to the Lore? If they hadn’t side-lined a plot-important character? If they hadn’t retconned soooo much that I often felt like I had whiplash playing it? If they hadn’t stripped it down to the very bare bones of mediocrity? If they hadn’t basically made it for children? While condescending to them? (Heads up… kids hate being condescended to.)

If they hadn’t nerfed rogues so badly that I don’t know why they bothered to call them rogues at all? You cannot pick locks, hide in shadows, sneak, set or disarm traps, brew potions or bombs… absolutely none of the fun stuff that makes a rogue a rogue is in Veilguard. If you’re a rogue player? Skip it. You’ll just be as disappointed as I am.

Nor can you garden. You can’t make potions or bombs or… anything. You can’t craft anything yourself. You go to someone called The Caretaker at the Lighthouse and use everything you’ve collected by smashing far too many barrels (why… why with the barrels?) for them to upgrade your stuff. You can’t really dress up your companions in funny clothing or armour. They’ve scraped most of the detail out of Veilguard like they were carving a pumpkin and had to get the guts out. The problem is? Those guts are needed for any story. It’s called world building.

Get this. BioWare… BIOWARE removed blood splatter from Veilguard. There’s no toggle I can find that makes it even possible. They truly made this game for kids and not for the middle-aged gamers who… y’know… usually have money to spend on games. Do NOT ask me how that made any kind of sense. Their logo for at least two games was a blood splatter Dragon ffs. And now there’s no blood splatter option in game. I just absolutely cannot understand it.

The fighting system.

Dear gods. The fighting system. So first? They tied how often your companions get skill points to how high their bond is with you. You increase your bond with them by taking them with you (and you can only take two) and doing their quests, etc. But do you know what that means in functionality? If you’re not a tank player? You’re basically cream cheese. I’m not a professional gamer. But gaming is my number one form of entertainment. I play on hard/ultra hard for most games I play. And a lot of them are live-fighting types like DAV was trying to be.

Guess whose rogue had a permanent tattoo of ‘I have aggro please come eat me now’ on their forehead? Mine. I have a very intimate understanding of the inside animations of the dragon’s mouths. If they’re going to keep that crappy leveling system, the least they could do is let us all have the ‘no death’ toggle on every level. Won’t matter to me because I can’t imagine ever playing it again.

I lost 14 hours of my life with the crashing, glitching, and reloading I had to go through to get the damned thing to even run. (And it’s not my computer. It has an ssd. The video drivers are all updated and up to snuff. It’s around a little over midway between necessary and recommended specs. It’s just a shitty game.) It’s a shame I can’t charge BioWare for those lost hours of my life. How could they have possibly thought that this game was ready for release?

If you want to know the rest of the negatives (and a few more positives) the whole review series is where you’ll find them.

But between the actual craptastic showing of Veilguard and that last scene taking all the agency away from every character who ever came before? Oh, and with the bad guys from across the sea wearing something an awful lot like a burqa? You know… the long black robes and veils many Afghani people and other Muslims wear? Nah. I’m done. Finite. I may occasionally enjoy the first three games. But Veilguard does not exist for me. And anything they make going forward doesn’t exist for me. That last scene… WTAF were they thinking? I actually can’t believe out of all the people who must have worked on that game that no one else made that connection about maybe insinuating that people wearing black robes and veils who live on the other side of the sea are evil is maybe a bad thing!?

I just can’t anymore. If you’re looking for a no-brain needed, kid oriented, action RPG (they really did simplify this soooo much for children that it’s absolutely condescending) then you’ll probably be fine with it.

If you love the Lore as much as you love the world? If you play rated M games with romanceable companions for the intimate scenes and the romance? (You’ll be disappointed.) If you have a few thoughts on whether it’s a great idea to remove the agency of all previous characters in the entire series as being bad? If you think maybe it’s a bad idea to insinuate people in burqas are evil? If you play anything other than a tank? Veilguard is not a game for you.

#da veilguard #dragonage #veilguard #dragon age veilguard #solas #dragon age #bioware critical #bioware #Veilguard #Review #Dragon Age Veilguard Review #Game Review

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