#and i simply do not feel like fighting photoshop today LMAO

[ishikawayukis]

hello 911

[my-chemical-friendzone]

Threes a Crowd: Book v Episode

Hello~! So recently I bought the novelization of Three’s a Crowd, and I just wanted to share some points and quotes that I thought were interesting :D There were also quite a few differences between the show and the book! Nothing big, but at least notable. 

First of all let me just say this book is THIN LMAO. I was maybe expecting a bit more girth, but it didn’t disappoint either way.

*In the beginning of the book there’s actually two or so pages dedicated to introducing the characters, and let me just say that the pictures they have of the 3D models (the same ones you see on the show) are crystal clear! I don’t know, it might just be me, but because the show does use certain textures, it can be hard to see small details on clothing and backgrounds. But the book doesn’t have the textures in the beginning pages and I was just impressed by how clear and smooth everyone looked (I finally saw that YES Pepper doesn’t have a tooth gap LOL). The rest of the images in the book have a sort of Photoshop filter on them, and they’re either from the episode or an edit of character models. Just wanted to mention that, but I digress. 

Jane’s rage: I know that my girl Jane is pretty angry and hotheaded (which I love because bitch me too LOL), but the book really adds to that level of rage in a more specific way. There’s a couple quotes here I really liked:

“Dragon and Gunther fell to the ground in a fit of hysterics. Even Rake started to laugh. But he stopped when he saw Jane’s expression, the one she reserved for naughty children and animals.” /Jane doesn’t like animals it seems? Only Dragon presumably./

“Jane glared at him. ‘It is. How did you know?’” 

“[Dragon] ‘Because you hands are on your hips. And you always put your hands on your hips when you are going to be boring and serious. You get it from your mother.’”

“‘I do not!’ But he was right. Her hands were crunched into fists and planted on her hips. Exactly like her mother.” /Dragon comparing Jane to her mother was--I think--the biggest burn he has ever made LOL. But I think we all knew that Jane was actually very much like her mother in a way./

[Scene after Merchant tricks Jane’s dad to pay more for work he isn’t going to do] ”Watching this horrible man cheat her father made Jane’s blood boil. Sometimes she wished she could break the law rather than uphold it. Just for once she would like to use her big green friend to teach this greedy bog weevil a lesson.” /I found this incredibly interesting! Because Jane is so hellbent on being honorable and just, but she gets angry to the point of wanting to throw all of that out the window and even use Dragon to threaten someone. It’s very human of her, and I like that a lot./

[After Gunther & Magnus discuss using Dragon for their chores] “Watching from her hiding place, Jane bubbled with anger. She could hardly believe it. No, that wasn't true. It was very easy to believe. She had never trusted Gunther.” /It’s funny to me how Jane can kind of not see that Gunther is somewhat hesitant to use Dragon? And he doesn’t really want to, and only does it because his dad persuades him to do it. But Gunther is also not trustworthy in general. But I’ll touch on this later too./

Pepper’s quote: Speaking of Gunther ~ There’s this small quote from Pepper when she’s talking with Jane in the kitchen that I thought was very telling. 

“Gunther needs good friends, Jane. He has a rough time with that father of his.” /OK FIRST OF ALL--MY HOME GIRL. LOOK AT HER LOOKING OUT FOR MY SON IN THIS WAY. MY EMOTIONS. SHAKEN. But no seriously--what? In the book it seems like everyone kind of knows that Gunther is being abused by his father. I know they make a reference to it in the show, but it’s in the very ‘ha ha’ joking kind of way. But the way Pepper says it in context, it sounds like she feels sympathy for Gunther. Which is bizarre because she’s probably one of the characters that’s gotten the fewest words exchanged with him. But I think it goes to show that not only is Pepper a very empathetic character, who’s more insightful than she leads on, but also that Gunther’s problem may be a village known matter. But no one is really doing anything about it (then again, it’s the Middle Ages so it’s not like anyone can or would do anything regarding the matter). Or perhaps they all just assume that Gunther is just overworked by his father, who also happens to be a big douche, but they don’t exactly suspect abuse per-se. They seem to make references to Gunther working a lot, but don’t really go beyond that. It’s very nuanced. Also, GUNTHER NEEDS GOOD FRIENDS./

Magnus & Gunther: I think the most surprising thing about reading the book was seeing how blatant Magnus’ abuse of Gunther was. In the show it’s far more discreet, but in the book Gunther is simply terrified of his dad! Magnus’ tone is also much harsher, not just his quiet, disapproving voice. 

“’Put your back into it, you lazy lump!’ Gunther’s father slammed the side of his wagon with a thick fist.”

“’Father, must all these barrels go today? I have duties at the castle.’

The Merchant scowled at him. ‘Your first duty is to me. Now get on with it!’”

[Gunther to Dragon] “’Go away,’ he whispered. ‘I’m busy. I still have to park the wagon around back and...and...Father will punish me if he finds you here.’” /holy hell/ 

“But Dragon ignored him. He flew over the house and disappeared.

Gunther shrank back as his father turned and fixed his anger on him. 

‘What did I tell you? That overgrown worm is nothing but a thief!’

Gunther began to apologize. But...” 

“Dragon watched him go and nudged Gunther. ‘So, what’s big and sulky and walks like a frog?’

‘Shhh, he can hear you,’ whispered Gunther. ‘Come on, I should go before he finds more jobs for me.’ /FFFFFFFFFFFF. This broke my heart because in the show Gunther actually snickers at the joke and elbows Dragon and I really love that moment but in the book he’s so freakin terrified that he can’t even bring himself to try to laugh!/ 

AND THEN THERE’S THIS LINE

“He [Magnus] slammed the door behind him. Gunther watched Dragon drop out of sight over the castle walls.

‘If only I could fly off like that,’ he thought.”

Gunther & Dragon: Gunther and Dragon are actually a lot meaner to Jane in the book! In the show they were actually NICE I’d say x’D Jane didn’t deserve half of the sass Gunther and Dragon gave her. Tbh Gunther did deserve to have his ass beat by her in the novelization. 

“’Wait for me,’ she yelled, hurrying to catch them. ‘I want to hear your jokes.’ 

Gunther dismissed her with a snort. ‘I doubt it, Jane. That would take a sense of humor, The last time I looked, yours had been stolen by villains.’” /Jane proceeds to make some very bad jokes. I cringed/ 

“‘A royal turd!’ said Jane.

‘Is that it?’ asked Dragon.

Gunther grinned and shook his head sadly.” /icri/

[Gunther to Jane after she threatens to expose him] “’Yes, Jane. What have you come to tell him? Another joke perhaps? A funny one this time? Oh, wait; I know. Tell Dragon the joke about the girl with egg on her face.’” /there’s a lot more of Jane getting wrecked in this book, from the both of them OTL/

Then Janther bants (BECAUSE I JUST HAVE TO): 

“’A poo-doll. Get it Jane?’ Gunther whispered so Sir Theodore wouldn't hear. ‘Oh wait. I forgot. You have no funny bone do you?”

‘I have plenty of bones, Gunther,’ she whispered back at him. ‘And right now all of them are waiting to dance rings around you. Are you ready for a whipping?’ /winks/

‘Now that really is a joke,’ hissed Gunther.”

“‘Is that the best you can do, Jane?’

‘No Gunther. I would never waste my best moves on you. But then I never have to.’“

Jane winning the fight: Jane doesn’t win the fight the way she does in the show. She actually ends up tripping Gunther after she’s got the advantage! Which is so unlike her but also just savage as hell LMAO.

“And with that she advanced, delivering a flurry of steady blows. Gunther was forced backwards, He managed a counter-move, lunging at Jane. But he overreached. Jane saw her chance. She sidestepped. Gunther lost his balance as Jane stuck out a foot to trip him headfirst into the dirt. 

‘Gunther. How can I keep scoring points if you lie around down there?’”

/RIP Gunther. You left the way you came./

Jane’s apology: Since we never actually got to see it in the show, here it is!

[She’s rehearsing it to Jester first] “’Gunther I have behaved badly. And not in the best tradition of the Knight's Code.’ She paused to check on Jester’s reaction. Her friend raised an eyebrow and said nothing. Jane carried on.’So it is with my most sincere apology that I ask for your forgiveness. And for the opportunity to regain your trust and your friendship.’” /Jester proceeds to laugh uncontrollably, thinking it’s a joke. LOL/ 

Dragon’s boulder: I’m not going to quote the whole conversation, but in the show it makes it seem like Dragon is going to drop the boudler on Gunther’s house, and that may kill someone but he doesn’t care. Still it just skirts over that it might kill someone, and he’s really looking to do some home damage, and kind of ruin Gunther’s life. BUT in the book dragon is VERY clear about wanting to kill Gunther. He is deadass like ‘I’m just going to smash him with this rock Jane wtf B)’ LOL. I was shook beyond belief. 

The ending scene: Oh boy so much to say! So in the show, what Dragon does is he kind of advances towards Magnus & Gunther with the boulder in his hand, but he doesn’t throw it, he just makes them stumble backwards and throws the boulder in the water. But in the book he just THROWS THE BOULDER AT THEM BOWLING BALL STYLE. LMAO. He just chucks it right at them. In the show, when Gunther sees Dragon coming towards them, he just moves out of the way and leaves Magnus behind (i laughed way too hard when I saw that), but in the book he SAVES HIS LIFE. HE PUSHES HIM OUT OF THE WAY THEN JUMPS.

HE. DOESN’T. DESERVE. YOU. GUNTHER.

Anyways! OF COURSE Magnus blames the whole thing on Gunther, but Gunther feels a sense of humor and relief, much like in the show, only much cuter. 

“Gunther stood up and grinned at the mess [there was herring everywhere]. ‘Well Father. That was a very good shot for such a stupid beast.’

Still sprawled on his stomach, the Merchant glared up at his son. ‘What is so funny, boy? This has cost us a month’s profit.’

But Gunther couldn’t help himself. The sight of his father on his knees, turning purple with rage, was too much for him. He burst into a fit of giggles and had to clamp a hand over his mouth. Jane and Dragon circled back overhead, and Gunther gave them a small wave. Then he ran off along the wharf before his giggles turned into a hopeless laughing fit.’”

/my sweet son/

Jane then says this: This is the point I wanted to make earlier. 

“‘Poor Gunther,’ said Jane. ‘He is going to have a list of jobs as long as his fahter’s face when this is over.’

‘Good,’ said Dragon. ‘He deserves it.’

‘Maybe. ...’ /I found this completely bizarre? Because on one hand Jane can’t stand Gunther let alone trust him or socialize with him, and then on the other, after knowing he was using Dragon, she feels bad for him? I think this goes back to the fact that everyone kind of knows something’s up with Gunther and his Father, and how Jane knows that whenever Magnus is angry, Gunther is going to be punished for it. So to an extent, Jane doesn’t really understand but to another she kind of does, and she sympathizes with him. Like she can sometimes tell it isn’t just him being that way, its his dad. It’s small moment of nuanced clarity like this that make this book (and the show) so interesting! 

Anyways, that’s all I had to say :D I hope you enjoyed it!