#and I use quotes outside of context too this one just felt especially ironic

[alicentwhore]

Okay I don’t wanna sound like a dick cause it’s really not a big deal. But I guess because Medea as a play and character is like really important to me, there is kind of an amusing irony to the way I’ve seen so many edits and webweaves and stuff of Alicent with that “wretchedest of women” line from Medea (A line specifically about Medea choosing to kill her sons to avenge herself on Jason). Then those people being completely aghast and disgusted and pissed by the concept of Alicent sacrificing her sons. It means nothing It’s just kinda funny to me

[reginarubie]

I like your brutally honest thoughts on ship. Reading your thoughts I wanted to say something. You can disagree with this. I felt show Sansaery wrong in other ways. Sansa(14) and Sophie(16 I guess) were minor in s3. Marg might be 18-20 while Natalie was in her early 20s something. It was clear that Marg was manipulating Sansa more in lines with Olenna but she also was fond of her. Her line about Sansa could enjoy Tyrion in bed feels wrong to me even she said in good intention. Sansa was seen naive in the whole situation. Basically reminding me of how Cersei told her periods, babies and bedding. Then later Marg was shown to seducing Tommen with sex was icky to me. Many started shipping Sansaery because of the show. I feel it will have some grooming aspects considering Sansa age if they go along with it. Sorry for this long rant. I hope I don't sound rude. It's just I wanted to share opinion.

Ciao anon!,

First of all thank you! I am happy you like my brutally honest opinions!

post being referenced to, this one. In which I explained why I think Sansaery works only outside of canon, and not inside of it. It's true that most have started to ship them because of the show, tho, as I've said Sansa's book quote of “Margaery's kindness had been unfailing and her presence had changed everything” it's pretty potent one, but it also showers light over the fact that it's all a manipulation on Margaery's part for however fond of Sansa she may have grown, because Sansa had been treated like a social pariah after Ned's execution, and she is finally able to spend time outside of the Red Keep thanks to Margaery as well as being welcomed in a circle of girls around her age...

...even though even that is soured by her “they have no interest to know me” vibe, which is right, as it is all part of Margaery plan to give Sansa what she had lacked since she had been alone, an hostage in KL after Ned's execution.

Margaery's manipulation is a gentle one, but a manipulation it still is, no matter if the Tyrells actually grew fond of the Sansa, especially since Olenna had no problems framing Sansa for Joffrey's murder, no matter the consequences that could've taken place if LF had not been obsessed with her and Cat.

And even then, Olenna is a smart woman, I have no doubt she might have had a inkling of LF less than savory intentions toward her and what more she would not have relinquished the hold of the key to the North so easily. Possibly she had planned to use the Tyrell's influence to get Sansa to walk out of the trial innocent, at that point with Tyrion taken out of the equation the key to the North would be again free for the taking, and the Tyrells would have been looked at favorably as they had helped the girl and that would've meant gaining Sansa's gratitude and loyalty.

They treated Sansa as a coveted piece of their board game, they wanted her but had no remorse in using her as they saw fit. They may have grown fond of her, but were always ready to sacrifice her if it came to that.

Kindness can be a weapon as much as any other, especially when wielded for one's purposes, which is what the Tyrells (Margaery included) did. Never forget they had been aiming for the Iron throne long before Ned even stepped in KL, to the point Renly showed him a painting of Margaery asking him if she bore any resemblance to Lyanna Stark, in hope they might manage to uncover Cersei's lies and put Margaery on the throne representing a willing Lyanna Stark in Robert's mind.

The fact that they use kindness on the people they mean to use, sours all the more any genuine fondness that may have grown. Also, I don't doubt they would have treated Sansa well if she ever became a Tyrell and she might even fall in love with Willas and she would be the wife of the Lord of the Reach, so it was scarcely in those times a bad match especially in that context, still if we're talking of shipping there are too many shady points imo.

Also, I had not considered it that way, but yes...grooming in a way could also be applied as a definition to what Margaery did to Tommen in the show and to what she could've done to Sansa. In the books it's more nuanced, but still Cersei worries that Margaery is doing exactly that...Tommen is even younger in the books and Cersei realizes that Margaery manipulates him way better than she could have Joffrey, because he is more pliant and less dangerous.

So yeah, icky.

Don't worry! I enjoyed reading your opinion and never worry about expressing your opinion. I want my tumblr to be a safe heaven for anyone (whatever they ship and whatever their fav character) as long as we are polite and you certainly were. Nothing rude about your opinion, don't worry!

Anzi, thank you for sharing, nonny!, I had not considered that angle but it fits.

I hope you have an amazing day!

[darrowsrising]

Mustang

Anon: Hi! It’s the anon who was asking about the Cassius/Mustang plot point! Thank you for answering  my question so throughly and thoughtfully! I was kinda nervous to post anything and I thought your answer was really kind. And I hope you do like debates because I have an almost embarrassing amount of thoughts lol (it’s why I did the “submit a post” thing). 

I’ve read Golden Son a billion times — it’s one of my top 5 favorite books. It never occurred to me until after I wrote that first ask that Mustang might have been spying. I wish that was clearer in the book (if that is what Pierce intended). But if she was spying, it seems she missed a vital piece of intelligence; it didn’t seem like she knew the Bellona were going to murder her family at the gala. She clearly knew something was up, but there didn’t seem to be a plan in place to defend her family during the gala. Yes, the Howlers are on Luna, but it’s not clear to me if they were literally hovering outside the gala waiting for Mustang’s signal? I’d also argue that a lot of what she needed to know about the Bellona (you mentioned Julia’s hunger strike and Karnus killing Claudius) was public knowledge. I don’t think it’s clear whether she gained any key knowledge by dating Cassius. Also, I would argue that she does let her emotions overrule her logic, based on this line: “I felt a fraud. A wicked girl who’d contrived a reason to do something stupid.” I’ve always read that as her admitting, yeah, this whole thing wasn’t my best idea. (How do you read that line?) 

And I agree she seems to feel guilt over using Cassius based on that scene, but in her future interactions with him she’s pretty stone cold. I would think if she felt guilty she might want to at least tell him the truth about how she viewed their relationship? But she avoids talking to him until after he’s almost hanged (I wish we knew how that conversation went!). 

Here’s the thing. I think it’s fine if she made a bit of an error in judgement. In fact, I’d like her character more if this Cassius thing had been framed/viewed more as a mistake. She can still be brilliant and a genius and powerful and also mess up sometimes. 

One of the reasons I love the Red Rising series is all of the character arcs. Sevro struggles but eventually grows into his role as a leader. So does Darrow. Victra sees herself as a destructive monster but eventually realizes she can change and she deserves love. Cassius realizes he’s on the wrong side. 

I never felt that same type of arc with Mustang. In the book and in the fandom she seems to be viewed as beyond reproach. And that’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with perfect characters. But I think it’s the reason I never really connected with Mustang. I love the conversation you quoted from Golden Son. I think it’s one of the few times Mustang lets her guard down a little. I wish there was more of that. And I wish we could see her struggle and overcome something on a personal level. Like, I’ve always thought it would have been cool of Darrow’s mother was the one person in the whole book who didn’t immediately like Mustang, but then eventually Mustang wins her over by saving Darrow on the ice or something. 

I’m not here to hate on Mustang. I think she’s smart. I think she’s loyal. I think if she wanted to keep Pax from Darrow that’s her business and it’s not a betrayal. I like her and Darrow together. I don’t think she necessarily owes Cassius an explanation about anything. I just wish we got more insight into her character. Her getting a POV in Dark Age is super exciting to me for this reason. I want to know if she ever has doubts. I want to see her mess up. I want to see her put her trust in someone only to have it bite in her the butt (but then get out of the jam). 

Do you think Mustang has any character flaws? What do you hope to see from her in Dark Age? (I’m so sorry this ended up being a billion words long!) 

Astrea: Hi! Great thinking with the submission thing. Keep the debates going!

I’m happy to know your insights on Mustang more. I love it when people have different opinions on things, but debate about it friendly. The hate isn’t necessary at all and since I’ve been on the receiving end of hate in some fandoms for loving a character or the series as a whole, I’m sick of it and glad this fandom, with all its imperfection, has people like you. Though  have to mention that Virginia is my favorite female character so there is some bias to what I say even if I try not to be biased.

Now, I think that people interpret some things in certain ways. That is especially a thing since Darrow’s pov is subjective. We see the things his way so we make our own opinions about what is one and said. These are mine:

I know that I always reiterate how perfect Virginia au Augustus is, but to be honest, she is not. She just seems like she is. Look, there is a quote by Nietsche I adore that goes like this: “what is done for love is beyond good and evil”. What Virginia au Augustus did with the whole “dating Cassius” thing was beyond good and evil. She tried to keep her enemies closer to protect her father…now, Nero isn’t the most deserving guy to protect. She forgives a lot of things from her family and her self sacrificing isn’t a quality in this case. There is also the fact that she loses at Deimos and she gets desperate, anything to protect her child, which again, is justifyable and understable, but it walks that thin line. Add to that her political mistakes as Sovereign: she is a fair ruler, but thing is…she doesn’t rule anymore. The separation of power was done too fast, she gave up too much power and the Senate doesn’t have any kind of stop sign now (look at what they did with the immigration laws, the fact that hate speech is a normal occurance and they have no legislation to stop it or punish it etc.), Pax got kidnapped because she is seen as too weak and people-pleaser to crush the Syndicate, the fact that Sefi didn’t get punished for what happened on Luna when the Obsidians attacked innocents with her leading them is not ok and compromise or not. Her fight with Darrow before he left…he was wrong, but she wasn’t right either. You can’t force your beliefs on someone, you can’t force someone to not do something even if it’s for their own good. They have to choose. 

Again, no one is perfect and Virginia fits in that category too. Pierce Brown’s characters are very human and made of shades of grey. And he wrote Virginia like that too.

Getting back to GS, yes, she knew her father wasn’t seen in a bright light by Octavia, but it wasn’t common knowledge that she wanted him dead or that the gala was made to kill Nero. We find that out later. Virginia au Augustus might be strong, but the Sovereign was stronger, she ruled over the entire Milky Way with an iron fist. She needed to be sure before going against her, that’s why I believe she waited for Octavia to confirm the assassination plot. You can’t go against the Sovereign just on assumptions. Sevro confirms that he was brought back to the Core by Mustang. Kavax congratulated her on her plan of staying in Octavia’s graces. Yes, you might think that she didn’t gain much out of it, but she learnt a lot about Octavia, politics, Board of Quality Control, the law system. She knew how to bait her father into accepting her and Darrow’s plan (the one with taking Institute and Academy students) because she knew how to react to Octavia’s plans. Remember also that she kidnapped Lysander which isn’t at all a small feat to do.

I don’t think it’s fair to say that she didn’t evolve at all, she’s just flat character. She is a Reformer, but she defends her father who is a tyrant. She believes that Colors deserve basic human rights and interColor relationships legal and protected by law, she believes in another way than that of the Society, yet, she does what she does for her family. She does walk a line of rights and wrongs. Put in a position where she has to choose between what is right and her family it took awhile until she made up her mind. But she did. She chose what was right. She sentenced Adrius to the gallows. She fought for what was right. She, who was raised to choose her family above all else. It’s not a thing easy to brush off, because, she didn’t do it because she loved Darrow, she did it because she acknowledged that her family is wrong, that they are the enemy, that she can’t keep jumping to help them and step on her principles when people are dying and her loved ones are suffering.

When she says she felt like a fraud? My interpretation:She said it about herself in the context she was finding herself in that relationship. She told herself she could go on in a loveless relationship for the sake of the people she loves (she admits she didn’t love Cassius and I believe her), but when she saw Darrow again she felt like a fraud, a wicked girl. Why? Because she is using Cassius for her own interests. Because she isn’t like her father, she isn’t proud that she manipulates a good man and his family like that. Because she doesn’t love Cassius like he deserves to be loved, she still feels for Darrow. Because as much of a Pixie Cassius was for a time (a long time), he isn’t a bad person.

Because the whole thing is presented from Darrow’s point of view it seems like Mustang’s plan wasn’t the smartest tool in the box, but there is no way Darrow, Nero, Adrius and the rest would have gotten out of Luna alive. Ever! So it wasn’t that bad, not really a mistake. She isn’t really happy with what happened if that makes things right in your view. But it is what it is. I think Pierce wrote her outside of Darrow to show her moral lines, views and character unattached to his. Imagine that she and Darrow never broke up before he went to the academy. That means she might never have gone to Luna to be a political genius and make a career for herself (she led the Telemanuses, the Arcoses and allied with the Moon Lords and had their respect in MS and the Reformists looked up to her in GS so I think her work on Luna helped her achieve those), she might have never learn things about herself or experience a relationship or become a Reformist. She would have been another love interest, a character created just for the protagonist. Now that’s a stretch, but that’s the idea - she needed to be on her own. She needed to be written away from Darrow in a way or another. The way it was done is filled with drama, but if you look at the details of it, it isn’t that bad.

As for the whole ‘not talking to Cassius’? Honestly, I didn’t give a fuck about that. I was on Sevro’s side, Cassius was a Pixie in my eyes. He started to get likable towards the end of Morning Star. And I agree with the whole Virginia doesn’t owe Cassius shite, because she doesn’t. Cassius killed Fitchner, helped the Sovereign and the Jackal kill her father. She didn’t even love him…thank u, next! Now my pettiness aside, because Cassie is part of the top 10, thank u Iron Gold! She talked to him when she felt like it. There is nothing wrong with that. I think it was after Darrow showed Cassius that holo of his family getting killed at Octavia’s orders. (and yes, after he was hanged) I think it was to partially tell him the plan and partially to tell him the truth about their relationship, why she shot an arrow through his neck with no hesitation, because she owed him that much.

We’ll get probably more info in her pov, but we can give her a break on this subject because 1. she never got the chance to talk to him again in GS  with war and Triumphs and being pregnant and 2. they only re-met at the Peace Treaty, they talked only business and the whole thing got blown up by the Howlers before something could come of it.

Virginia au Augustus is an acquired taste really, so it just depends on how you read in between the lines Darrow’s pov. For me, she is a well written character. The amount of self-control, intelligence, kindness, teasing and confidence and vulnerability (it’s rare, but it’s more special for it, like that moment after Darrow and she talked to Adrius, when she cried and let herself be fragile in Darrow’s arms) she displays are very beautiful for me, especially after having a father like Nero (who had more mood swings than me on my period) and a brother like Adrius…and losing her mother and her best friend - Pax.

I am not trying to convince anyone to like her as much as I do. I’m just explaining how I see her…so these are my views.

We can debate other things too! Come by more often!

[litcomp-blog1]

Thoughts Entry: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao was a strikingly personal novel illustrating the helplessness people can fall into when they are placed into a group of society that gives them hardships. When people are members of a minority, as Oscar was Dominican in the United States, there are expectations that people both in and outside of the group have. One topic that came up multiple times was how people expected Oscar to be successful with romance and women. He was also considered to be a sci-fi nerd and overweight, which is portrayed by many people as unattractive and dislikable. Thoughts I have on this novel are that it displays the disadvantages people face (from their perspectives) in being a part of a group ridden with stereotypes, and in particular, shows how this can change one’s entire life experience, as well as causing experiences to just worsen with time instead of improving. The perspectives that seemed to be the main focus were that of being Dominican, a nerd, overweight, a woman, in a lower class, and being uneducated. I enjoyed gaining insight from many points of view I have not personally experienced. The following are passages that intrigued my interest and had evoked a reaction:

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (22)

The style of writing the author used in this footnote quote with alliteration in "oppressive" and "oppressed" and high diction in the word "alas" allows the quote to stick out in the writing and for the reader to think about it more. This idea is interesting to explore, where perhaps one could see it as the mindset of self-sustenance oppressed people are placed in which leads them to act in that way, even when this way of doing things may oppress others in its process.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (23)

This quote is a reference to All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury, which I enjoyed seeing because it was a literary reference that was relatable to my experience of reading, where much of the novel made references to sci-fi novels and comic books I had little to no knowledge of. The idea from All Summer in a Day in missing the sun appearing symbolizes how Oscar missing out on acting as a teenager is like missing a major phenomenon one can't see again in a lifetime.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (55)

The author’s use of counteraction between Lola and her mother on how each is treated highlights a quote that is relatable in how many teens crave reciprocated respect, especially from their parents, as they all age.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (57)

The symbolism from "shut [her] mouth" and "clenched [her] legs" reveal the horrid truth that Lola was a victim of sexual assault, and revealed in the latter of the quote, repressed her memory of it rather than speaking out. This evokes an emotion of anger towards Lola's mother Beli and sadness towards Lola's position from the reader.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (65)

I enjoy this quote, it's iconic. Lola's response to men who think they are complimenting her challenges their ideas and shows what a strong character she is. The reaction of one of the men “jumping to his feet” was satisfying in how it is very believable that Lola’s response was shocking to many.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (83)

I feel this quote, in particular, supports the idea that being in a minority causes one to be defensive in order to keep themselves safe. I like how the author had shown this by indicating white people at the school by describing their eyes as “pale eyes gnawing at [Beli’s] duskiness like locusts”, showing how much they were rightly seen as negative by Beli when they separated her from themselves. They were not part of a minority since generally speaking pale eyes are associated with being European. The quote shows her defensiveness in describing her as “defensive”, “aggressive”, and “overreactive”.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (88)

Reading this quote I liked it because the simile the author used was dramatic in how he displayed just how much to an extreme Beli no longer believed in love, as someone old with many misfortunes would no longer have faith in a higher power.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (93)

I liked how this sentence was written in a relatable, where I have experienced being honked at numerous times and the feeling of confusion in falling over myself. I partially did not like the quote only because the way Beli viewed flourishing as a woman was upsetting, where she had felt it was her fault to be growing physically and not the fault of the people who felt they had a right to honk at/harass her.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (100)

This quote was funny and likable because of the wordplay of an ass being on fire figuratively the represent the gangster getting in trouble, then literally for Beli directly following their joint sexual act.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (130)

The reference to the biblical story of Moses from La Inca and the neighbors was creative and funny. This compares Moses to Beli and Jesus to the gangster, where Moses claimed there was a shining savior (Jesus)--in which La Inca and the neighbors see as what Beli perceives the gangster to be.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (131)

This use of an obscene simile is humorous in how no one in their right mind would tell someone who has power over them a statement that would upset them emotionally. This is applied to the fact that Beli would tell men about her love for someone else. I think this is a sad idea because people should be able to share about their personal romantic relationships without the social expectation of someone hearing about it to act out of anger. Along with that, this comparison is illogical, because talking about your life shouldn’t be equated to making an obscene statement about someone else’s family member.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (172)

This thought in parenthesis is ironically funny because directly after making fun of Oscar for knowing Elvish, it is revealed that Junior knows Elvish as well by being able to tell what he was saying, so he is being hypocritical by bringing down Oscar.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (204)

This quote was a vague reminder of the idea that certain people are born into being chosen people, which I disagree with and dislike because it promotes the idea that people cannot be the creators of their own destiny and that making good decisions is moot.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (220)

This quote from Abelard was upsetting in how it revealed the blunt truth that women in that country (the Dominican Republic) grew up in an environment where being sexually abused/assaulted was practically inevitable.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (240)

The underlined paragraph was well written in how the author used run on sentences to exemplify how Abelard was talking very quickly in protest and out of fear. This was well done in connecting the situation’s circumstances to the reader.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (244)

A description in the footnotes that shows what a strong female figure Anacoana was, as well as a leader. She believed in making peace, but also would not allow someone to force her into marriage in order to obtain that. I like this because this makes her an iconic historical female figure in my mind.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (248)

This statement reminded me of what I have heard before that in Spanish-speaking cultures racism is heavily ingrained within society. The fact that in this time period that it was not too long ago that a family would disown a child because of her skin tone is abominable.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (250)

This abstract statement used to refer to moving someone to tears was very creative in how tears have salt in them, therefore removing salt from your eyes. The word choice of “wring” is very appropriate, where wringing is usually done when removing liquid from something, but in this context is a creative way of using the word--since one would not usually describe crying as wringing.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (256)

I liked how the author used a persona to directly talk to Charlton, and while doing this gave the reader a higher insight to how removed Charlton was from poverty, as well as how bad Outer Azua was, almost like “the End of the World” in Charlton’s mind.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (264)

This quote was sad because it had shown the extent of Oscar’s treatment for being a member of a minority and considered fat/nerdy affecting him past childhood into adulthood. Seeing young kids being treated the same way he had for the same reasons brought back the torturous feeling again for him.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (277)

The refrain of “mind-boggling poverty” in Oscar’s description from his perspective of the Dominican Republic emphasizes how poor the community in that region was, as well as how prominent it was in Oscar’s eyes. I didn’t particularly like it, but this writing style did get the point across.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (282)

I liked how the author used the imagery of calling Ybón occasionally late at night to lead into showing the reader that she could not handle very much commitment in any relationship.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (296)

The turn of events in the situation of this quote was a contrast to previous events for Oscar, where before he had been hurt over and over again for appearing to be meek and ugly, here in life and death he was spared a terrible beating because he was perceived as a meek slob by his captors. If they had not thought this, “he probably would have gotten shot right there.” I liked the way the author tied Oscar’s disposition back to this passage.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (300)

This revisit to (possibly the illusion of) the voice of an angel savior was enjoyable to read, where the same thing had saved his mother in a corn field. It was history repeating itself, instead this time Yunior was being led to Oscar in the corn field when he heard someone singing, and the previous time Oscar’s mother Beli was being led to the road outside of the field to an escape and rescue.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (311)

I liked this quote because it was a valid point that the “white kids invaded” and not only did that but also practiced yoga when yoga originally came from India when the white kids most likely didn’t have much knowledge about practicing yoga.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (322)

The most dramatic and saddening ending I have ever read, where even right before death Oscar died trying to answer a question as an intellectual would, but in reality it was a cruel way of the captors getting Oscar to, in a way, conduct his own death. He was the one to say “fire" to initiate his execution by a bullet. The ending was perfectly conducted, reminding readers of the cruelty Oscar faced throughout the book for socially being considered a lesser, unattractive person by many. Despite the sad ending, I felt this passage was appropriate and extremely well-written.