#i don’t care that this was a plot device i’m just obsessed with him

[mississpissi]

we know babygirl

[museenkuss]

The Goldfinch struggles as of page 340

I’ll allow that this character is obsessed with looking at people but I got so annoyed when he first started recounting conversations he overheard 14 years ago word for word. I doubt I would’ve even thought about it too hard, had the premise of “I remember these things because I obsessively people watch” not been used so obviously as a storytelling device (=excuse why the writer gets to describe random details that the reader would like to know but the narrator would have no reason to remember).

The ambiguously gay stuff was inevitable. Didn’t even roll my eyes because we all knew it was coming. And it’s not that I have a problem with women writing about men with homoerotic tendencies but in DT’s case ESPECIALLY it’s usually at the expense of the female characters. Other writers give as much love and attention to your female characters as you’re giving to your male characters challenge. Donna Tartt write a SINGLE female character 1) your character doesn’t hate 2) who has a personality challenge (impossible).

Omg just realised this guy remembers what a random father said to his child as they passed him on the street 15 years ago but on page 350 we have TWO female characters of some importance the main character can’t remember the name of. Donna Tartt start caring about women please just once. Please.

Still vaguely annoyed that I was tricked into reading a coming of age story. This all feels very Tom Sawyer and ambiguously Eastern European Huck Finn. I thought this was a novel about, I don’t know. Art theft.

On a vaguely related note: So far I’m not getting why this was Pulitzer price material. I don’t know much about contemporary literature or the American price-giving customs, plus I’m not even halfway in. But so far this doesn’t feel that different from, say Massive by Julia Bell. It just feels like edgy teen/young adult. Fiction for 13-17 year olds (and older) who need or want to read about struggling teenagers. Which isn’t bad. Just not what I expected.

Not really a full on complaint but this whole Las Vegas desert stuff really feels like she either reread Bret Easton Ellis or had a talk with him. Like the whole concept feels very “Donna Tartt does Bret Easton Ellis”.

This still feels like it’s mainly plot driven. That’s what I’ve been saying from relatively early on — it’s a very easy read, I continue reading because things happen, but those things don’t really inspire any deep thought. It’s not something that’s interesting because it offers things to think about, it’s just something that’s interesting because things happen and you’d like to know what happens next. Not a bad thing per se. I complained about it being too long, but I suppose I’ve settled in for this 3-5 hour long scrubs episode.

[whateven333]

What you prefer bonnie going dark with kai or kai being redeemed for bonnie?

I think, and forgive me, I feel like I’m always picking answers that are kind of in-between (I’m a “little” bit of an indecisive person lmao) but I like when they’re sort of a mix of both.

What I mean by that is like for Bonnie’s character, -I think she’s not as “good” as the show tries to convince us, and don’t get me wrong I think this is a positive because it makes for a more interesting/ complex character, -well it would have if the writers actually acknowledged it and did something with it, instead they kept her boxed away as some sort of “saint-like” figure (with none of the respect) but I think they did that in order to keep her away from any of the fun action in the show that the other leading ladies were allowed to be apart of, -like getting romantically/ sexually involved with villains, being careless/ misusing her powers for selfish reasons (like how the vamps in the show got to be reckless/ indulgent with their powers) without consequences, going to parties/ balls whatever and just being there to look pretty in a dress and have fun etc. and I think the writers liked to describe her like she’s “too good” as an excuse to leave her out of storylines that would allow more development for her character and to neglect writing for her character unless they needed to use her as a plot device.

But even though Bonnie is selfless etc, she’s still done plenty of morally questionable things in order to protect her friends (who are mostly killers) so the “too good” thing the writer’s tried to pin on her is pretty stupid and an obvious ploy to keep her away from being a part of more interesting storylines.

So because of that I think although Bonnie is kind of a mostly ‘good’ character, she’s also at least a little bit morally grey? As well as a little dark at times (considering her expression arc, -we know she’ll go to great extremes to do what she believes needs to be done).

Though with Kai I do think he brings out more of that darkness in her and that’s really fun (this concept has been explored in a lot of fantastic BK fanfics and I LOVE IT).

And with Kai, I think that he doesn’t need to be redeemed and actually I think this applies to other characters as well, -like should they even be redeemed ? Do we need to ? I think it’s perfectly fine for darker/ morally grey characters to exist without any sort of redemption arc. I’ve enjoyed redemption arcs before so I’m not against them or anything but I think on TVD it’s been done a lot (though I wouldn’t say they’ve done it well,- also TVD focussed on the ‘her lOvE redeemed him’ trope which I’m not really a fan of, I think it can be one of the reasons a character is redeemed but not the sole reason).

I liked that Post-merge Kai still seemed to have kept his pre-merge traits. I would have hated if they turned him into some sort of strangely good version of Luke, -even though some people insist that’s what he was post-merge and that’s why he was apologising to Bonnie, although that doesn’t make sense since the merge is not supposed to erase him- Kai’s meant to just be himself but with emotions now and Luke really did not have any serious connections to Bonnie to make him care that much about her.

One of the things I like about BK is the intense way they affected each other even when they didn’t want to be affected, even when they tried to act indifferent to the other it was obvious how they were still influenced by each other.

The type of redemption arcs that TVD focussed on had one person changing because of / for the other person. I think with BK they would change each other, both for the better and worse tbh, and that would be so delicious to watch -some of Bonnie’s good bleeding into Kai’s bad and vice versa.

And it would be an unwilling change for the both of them that they would probably try to fight tooth and nail, but regardless of what they want, their mutual obsession would inevitably lead them there.

So all that to say... I'd prefer them to mutually destroy each others perceptions of their own self-concepts and egos 💖

And I mean if that isn't ✨️True Romance✨️ then what is 💕

Thanks so much for the ask ! this was interesting to think about, I tried to answer this earlier but I couldn’t decide which I preferred and ended up kinda in the middle after all anyways… 😭

[heardchef]

Ok but Molly deserved better writing. I’m watching now and feeling like she’s just there and taking precious camera time away from people I care about while giving us so little. I don’t like seeing female characters used as a nothing plot device, especially since she’s such a good actress. We know she won’t last. But do you think it’s in Carmy’s characterization to do something like spend time with a girl over working on his restaurant? I just can’t imagine he would NOT be there 100% for his own place. Richie and fak doing work while he’s not there and blowing off Syd seem so out of character. What do you think about season 2 Carmy? I feel like the writing and directing was off compared to season 1 but I’m not done yet. The acting is so great though.

i'm not going to comment on the writing or directing because i'm a bozo so my opinion is invalid, and while i have some thoughts, i don't feel like opening another can of discoursio's.

i think it would be weirder if season 2 didn't feel so different. in season 1 we spent most of our time in the kitchen and even when we leave we never stray too far. it's chaotic and tense and while there are moments of humour they act like a moment to catch your breath before you dive back into the stress of it all.

in season 2, the world is opened to us and the crew. sure, we're still in the realm of everything culinary but we get to explore a bit. it's new for us and new for them.

do i think carmy would spend time with a girl over working on his restaurant? no. i think carmy has spent his life being devoted to his life as a chef to the point of obsession, to the point that everything outside of his life became non-existent. i think with claire he saw what life could be like if he opened himself up to something new, and something outside of the restaurant.

and that's weird and uncomfortable because that isn't the carmy we knew in season 1.

i expected some bumps in the road when it came to communication between him and syd, so blowing off syd—while annoying and definitely soft shitty bitch behavior, isn't a total surprise. but it feels like they're back to square one but somehow worse.

season 2 carmy is different. i think he's attempting to heal, to move forward, to open himself up to more outside of the kitchen. and, um, that just kind of doesn't work when you're literally trying get a restaurant running from the moldy ground up.

i (think) i get what they were trying to do but it just felt a bit off at points for me. i don't want carmy to exist solely as a traumatized emotionally volatile character but his journey to be something outside of that felt rushed*.

i wanted to savor it and felt like i didn't get the chance to before... you know.

*that's just like, my opinion, man

[rottentiger-art]

I’m a grown woman obsessed with Logan and Quinn suddenly again like a 12 year old after that trailer. And I have some thoughts. We have possible outcomes that I can see based on the limited scenes we got. The bad case: they get engaged off screen and announce it to Zoey over FaceTime like we saw in the trailer. Then Quinn does a runner on the wedding day (we do get a shot of her running in a wedding dress), and the wedding ends up being about chase and Zoey getting back together. We see Logan has a headset on in pretty much every shot, including when he’s standing at the alter (wtf Logan?). Maybe Quinn sees this, and panics, and thinks money and work will come before her so she runs. Eventually they end up back together, and we then get that shot of him proposing again and promising it won’t happen (with Zoey there, why 🙄) and we are left with the implication they’ll get married eventually. It’s also the 1 scene between the two of them where he isn’t wearing his headset which adds value to the whole he’s a workaholic thing and Quinn’s had enough. The thing that makes me confused is that Quinn is 100% already wearing her engagement ring in that shot, and Logan 100% has jewellery in that box. The better option: Logan is jokingly giving her some jewellery in a ring box, and her nodding is just a weird cut to something else he said (I.e., not accepting a proposal). That scene is weird as well because Zoey’s 2 best friends of almost 20 years are getting engaged, Quinn is nodding yes and Zoey looks confused and worried. The confusing thing about it is Quinn’s hair is short, but it is long for every other shot. Cause Quinn and Logan look different in that shot to the rest of the movie, I was hoping that perhaps it’s a flashback to when they got engaged many years ago and it has just been a really long engagement. So when they tell Zoey over FaceTime, it’s not about getting married it’s about them finally setting a date? But that doesn’t tie into why Quinn has an engagement ring on already. Regardless of how it happens I know they’ll 100% end up together but I don’t want them to be plot devices to Zoey and chase. I may be losing my mind over this. I need a break but had to share my obsessive thoughts with someone.

oh man, where do I start. I'm also a grown person obsessed with a ship from my childhood. I said it a lot of times heheh but Quogan was my first ship and the first fanfic I ever read was about them. I didn't know what a fanfic was and really thought that was some deleted scene or something XD.

I would hate to if they don't get married at the end, that would be so disappointing, but it would not ruin the ship for me, I'd simply not consider the movie canon and make/read a fic fixing that lol.

I am bothered by Zoey being there for the proposal/or whatever that was, because ugh can we, please, have something? without her? please? I never cared about her character (or anyone aside from Logan and Quinn, really) So I hope they don't make that moment about them.

I do hope it's a flashback, but like you said, the ring makes it not make sense.

I was also wondering about Logan's headset, I thought it was more of him being a bridezilla and controlling the whole wedding and making it all about himself, excluding Quinn unintentionaly lol.

I need to rewatch the show to refresh my memory about the characters, it's been years after all. I never saw Logan as the workaholic kind, but I could be wrong or he could have changed, idk.

Either way, all I hope right now is that they end up together. If they decide marriage is not for them, I'll accept it as long as they don't separate. God please don't let that happen. Tho I won't deny I would be pissed, since they are advertising this using their wedding as a bait and for them to not give us that at the end? very shady. We would be quoganbaited lol.

Speaking of that, I too don't want them to be a plot device for Zoey and Chase. I can't stress enough how much I don't care about them. And I understand the movie is about finally getting them together, but please, let us have Quogan in peace. The two ships can co-exist without overshadowing the other (despite one being clearly superior ehem)

feel free to keep sending asks or dm me if you wish, I love talking about quogan.

[zaraevee]

Zara watches Trek: TOS Episode 1:

The Man Trap

I’m going to do a new thing!

I originally wrote this down for my Trek-obsessed bestie @clinttbartton and didn’t intend to post it but I saw @noitsbecky127 do a similar thing and realized I could share it with everyone here even tho i’ve never done something like this before (and even if no one else cares, its a cool record for me)

To preface this let me say: before starting this I had a vague idea of who Kirk & Spock were because of pop culture and knew the names of some of the other main bridge crew. I knew almost nothing about the format of the show. I grew up watching Doctor Who (including some of the older stuff when my Dad persuaded me) so a lot of the obvious “60’s” stuff wasn’t completely alien to me (pun intended) but a lot of the Trek stuff was completely foreign as you will see

This is pretty long but here we go!

Point 1? What kind of date is that?

Spock’s in charge? Huh that’s unexpected

Ah Kirk narration~

Do all of them start with exposition? That’s a tried-and-true plot device and its kinda cool

Damn ok Kirk the ladies man

Who’s the third guy? (I was referring to the red-shirt)

I hate the shirt uniforms they look so flimsy and ugly

The music is definitely giving weird vibes to everything lol

Wait tf the lady looks different? For all of them?? Or just him?

Well the third guy’s probably going to die

Yess the iconic intro!

Ah so it is all 3 of them seeing a different one (edit after finishing the episode: this is a weird misleading thing because it implies its in their minds instead of a physical change that the others would also see… maybe its both? I could give it the benefit of the doubt)

Well he’s salty! (edit: LMAO perfect word choice)

He’s hiding something…

She definitely killed him

Lmao she’s (Uhura’s) flirting? with Spock? or just teasing him

Wow he just shut that right down

I wonder how long the crew’s been together

Is McCoy southern? I thought I heard a little bit of accent

They needed SALLLT!!

Bones is his nickname right?

Yes he CAN “just beam down” that’s his job

Was that prop supposed to be bread? Lol looked very fake

Oop he disappeared quick

“I’ve got salt” wtf

Its like he’s calling a wild animal

Oh shit more dead starfleet people

Oh fuck its *their* men

Why bring more people down?? Why would you do that??

SHAPESHIFTER???

Well answer them, you’re gonna get caught if you don’t act the part!

The little smirk that was actually good, I could see the female actress making that face

Well now its on the ship good job Kirk

Welp everyone in the elevator’s dead

Oh guess not

That poor blonde lady (Yeoman Rand) these guys are all creeps!

Ooh this room is fun

Its Sulu!!

I like this pink plant lol

Nooo Sulu be careful don’t let it get you!

Oh it just wants the salt lmao

Pink plant to the rescue? Or just scared?

“Gone Space happy”?? Lol

I like her she’s just got a powerful presence (referring to Uhura)

Ah creepy changed again!

Very presumptuous kick his ass girl!

Ooh speaking in a different language I like that

Gurl you in danger get awayyyyy!!

What’s her name? Ohura? Ahura?

These actors for the shapeshifter are doing a great job tho

Lol he snacking (my first thought was it looked like a sour patch kid lol)

Ooh what’s that uniform? Very spacey

Be carefulllll guys

Nooo leave Bones alone!

Oh yeah smart just let her in

Yeah because putting the doctor to sleep in the middle of a crisis where people are dying is a great idea!!

Referring to yourself in third person- very alien entity

Is she going to pretend to be him???

Ahhhh she didd

That’s actually really smart because as the doctor you can explain any death and make it not your fault!!

Kirk and Spock on a mission together here we go~

The professor’s just letting them find out??

Oh shit he shot at them… that was a lot

“Phasers on stun” is from Star Trek??!

Yep the ship is secured … EXCEPT ITS IN THE CONTROL ROOM NOW

Kirk belly crawling lmao

Ok Spock IS kind of attractive I guess I get it

Oh YES boys good job!

He just let the creature who killed his wife stay with him and protected it because it was the last one?? What the actual fuck

Kirk’s got that smart face on

I feel like he knows Bones well enough to know something’s up

Ooh Kirk’s intimidating I like it! He’s an angrier boi than I expected

Yes Spock is smart- don’t leave them alone!

But ofc now its him against two yikes

Yep that’s what I thought

Aww he ran there

Green blood! that’s right!

Oh wow it killed him too

Welp that’s that its just the creature now

Yay for Spock not being human

Kirk vs Bones oooh

“Oh shit!” (I actually said this out loud when they started fighting physically, I didn’t expect Star Trek to have physical violence for some reason)

Yeah she isn’t done CLEARLY

Jeez second instance of grabbing someone’s hand that has a gun in it that’s so DANGEROUS guys come on

Protective Spock!!

Oh SHIT he’s actually using violence! I didn’t expect that!

I know its a genderless creature but smacking a woman like that is giving me some Yikes vibes

I think you’re traumatizing Bones

Ooh she smacked him back!

But.. you proved your point

Ooooh real monster revealeddd

AUGH its ugly and fake looking

Oh jeez you ok Kirk?? That was quite a scream!

Aww poor Bones :(

I wonder what the different colored shirts mean?

Fondly comparing a killer alien to buffalo is just weird. Are buffalo extinct in present day? I should know this.. I hope they’re not

Do their windows look out the back?? That would be trippy af to ride backwards at Warp

End thoughts:

Yeah ok that wasn’t a fantastic episode but it was tolerable and i’ve seen worse

Introduced the gang!

tho had a few quite questionable scenes with the ladies (almost all of them now that I think about it) except with Uhura and even she was hit on creepily)

Is Spock the only man on this ship who respects women?? Come on! But he just seems respectful in general

Relatively simple plot, but drawn out like old Who always was

Script was ok, not noticeable either way (bad or good)

Tbh I think the creature looked better than early Who monsters so they get credit for that!

~~~~~~

So there you have it! My first forray into Trek documented! At the time of writing this, i’ve watched a few episodes of DS9 (the first few + Distant Voices because I love Bashir) and TNG (I think i’m in love with Data) and a few more of TOS (2-4 and Piece of the Action) as well as half the episodes of Star Trek Continues (White Irises made me fucking cry so hard and I haven’t even seen the episodes it was based on!)

(I didn’t do this for 2-4 or the others but I could absolutely go back and watch those in a while and i’m sure I’d remember what I was thinking!)

If you read this far you’re crazy and thank you! This is honestly mostly for me :)

[themidnightcircusshow]

It kind of gives me ‘women think, men do’ vibes. The women are the only ones who stop to care about the innocents who get hurt, but while they’re doing that the men have already done it. 

...that I don’t get. Surely the appeal of John Holland is an Evil is Sexy kind of thing. The two murders he’s been associated with aren’t even something you can poor little meow meow your way out of. I guess you can up the tragedy of Joan not getting her one wish before she died, but also... ma’am, your son isn’t worth it.

I think I just find it irksome that the situation with Hal is given more weight when deciding Richard’s character than the Mortimer boys or Glyndwr’s children is for the Henrys. Case in point--O’Brien does mention the Mortimer boys, and Joanna is concerned when they’re kidnapped, but other than that it’s just not a big deal even though they’re arguably in a worse situation.

I’m sure kids are annoying when you’re trying to write a grand historical romance, but surely there’s a way to include them in a way that’s believable. When We Were Gods did a perfectly fine job of showing Cleopatra’s relationship with her children even though the children weren’t heavily focused on by the plot. Just have a couple of moments where the parents actually act like parents, instead of using the children as inconsistent plot devices. 

Yeah, Shakespeare’s Henry V is deliberately made up of paradoxes and limiting it does it a disservice. It does get on my nerves how productions interact with British Colonialism through it though, because... yeah, Agincourt basically kick started the idea of England as this little nation that could (take over the world). But just saying Henry bad doesn’t actually engage with that history at all, It’s why I’m so obsessed with the staging that has Henry V as a play within a play being performed in a bomb shelter--it forces the beginning of England as empire to sit side by side with the end (though those two poles are arbitrary), and pushes the idealised war against the horrors of modern warfare. So many productions of Henry V are War Bad :( without ever questioning why War Bad in the first place. So they just make Henry a villain (or, in The King’s case, a moron) because war is just caused by a few men with bad ambitions but if there was ever a war with a good cause then it’d be a-ok! When Shakespeare goes with what I think is the most effective route for Henry V which is War Bad Because All of Your Accomplishments are Meaningless and Short-Lived so You and Everyone You Love Died for Nothing. 

The thing with Henry is we don’t even have many overt examples of propaganda during his lifetime, and what we do have mostly centers around the idea of him being a rebel turned king (specifically for other people to be compared to) and it’s like... in order for that to work he already needed to be popular. No one’s running around saying be like this guy we didn’t like but have decided is amazing because of one battle. Especially when Agincourt happened neither early nor late enough in his reign to be the deciding factor in how people viewed him. I don’t know if it’s better or worse that The King just made it so the masses are very pro-war because they’re too stupid to know better...

The Queen’s Choice by Anne O’Brien

The Queen’s Choice is a pretty average novel, with some good tidbits and some things that got under my skin. But it’s main problems aren’t bad history (though there is some of that), but bad writing. It has the same problem that a lot of historical fiction in the vein of Philippa Gregory has, where the heroine of the novel is not necessarily present at a lot of historically significant moments. The way to counteract this problem is by making her the focus of her own plot, so we aren’t left with nothing but a conspicuous absence. The Queen’s Choice goes in the opposite direction– almost every important plot element happens off screen. Even the choice the novel is named for happens only in exposition. Joanna’s imprisonment happens after a six year time skip, so it truly comes out of nowhere. The battle of Shrewsbury, the execution of Archbishop Scrope, most of Henry and Joanna’s marriage takes place in letters or single sentences that get cast aside. It conveys, perhaps more than Anne O’Brien intended, that Joanna was a Queen with nothing to do and no importance. Which makes it increasingly laughable every time Joanna is praised for her political knowledge and ability to give good counsel, when we never see her express either attribute and she gets shot down whenever she tries. This Joanna is ironically far less active than any of the information about her indicates, and her characterisation is too flat to give her any other impact.

To put it frankly, it reads like fanfiction– not just because it’s an easy read, but because it feels like a companion piece, the kind of fic you write about a side character you like but who isn’t very involved in the main plot. If you don’t already know this time period in depth, you won’t have any idea what is going on. 

Little Details I liked

Keep reading

[pluckyredhead]

Apparently DC is OBSESSED with giving long-established characters Surprise! New! Siblings! lately, so I have decided as a public service to rank them from worst to best, because I’m generous like that. You’re welcome.

5. Wonder Woman’s brother Jason: It was bad enough when DC decided to shove men into Diana’s backstory in 2011 by making her the daughter of Zeus, but giving WONDER WOMAN a brother in a desperate attempt to make her story more about a dude is a degree of tone deafness I remain truly astonished by six years after his debut. Is this asshole still alive? Is he in continuity? DC doesn’t know or care and neither do I. Let’s never speak of this again. Verdict: Offensively garbage.

4. Lois Lane’s brother Leo Lane, a.k.a. “the Daemon Rose”: Speaking of characters who absolutely do not need more pointless men stuffed into her life to make her interesting! (Not you, Clark, you’re an angel and we’re thrilled that you’re here.) Leo is less offensive than the “I have to put a man on Themiscyra or I’ll die!” instinct, but on the other hand he showed up in the middle of a multi-year, utterly incomprehensible storyline to spew empty Bendisisms that went nowhere before disappearing. He was an enormous bombshell that landed and instead of exploding, just sort of sat around like a turd until the event was  mercifully over. Also, the name “the Daemon Rose” is breathtakingly 90s and, as the kids say, cringe. Verdict: Less offensive than Jason, but still garbage.

3. Dick Grayson’s sister Melinda Zucco: “Dick finds out his father had an child with the wife of the man who would eventually murder both of Dick’s parents” is the kind of plot device that inspires a put-upon sigh, but Melinda herself is fine. Like, the whole idea makes me tired, but there’s at least the potential for some interestingly complicated stories to come out of it. I’ll allow it, begrudgingly. Verdict: Eh.

2. Damian Wayne’s brother Respawn: NOW THIS IS WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT! First of all, I one thousand percent buy that Ra’s al Ghul would make a clone out of Slade Wilson and Talia’s DNA just to be a petty little bitch. Second, watching Slade go bonkers insane over this kid because he’s projecting his guilt over Grant onto him is wildly entertaining. Third, the idea of Damian now being related to Rose and Joey is very intriguing, as is Respawn himself, because with that lineage he truly could go in any direction morally speaking and that’s fascinating. (I wonder if anyone’s ever going to get around to naming him? I vote...Jim.) But most importantly, spoiled youngest child Damian is now no longer the baby, and if you don’t find that absolutely hilarious, I’m sorry for you. Verdict: LOLOLOLOL.

1. Oliver Queen’s sister Emiko Queen: I love two things, and they are angry teen girl assassins, and Oliver Queen being befuddled by teenagers. Retconning away Shado’s post-Crisis history of sexually assaulting Ollie and replacing it with an affair with Ollie’s father was such a good choice, and the fact that it brought us my beloved Emi is a massive bonus. All I need now is for DC to publish a proper Green Arrow book so that Emi can meet Mia and Cissie and Ollie can never again know a moment’s peace. Verdict: Brilliant, incredible, showstopping, 10/10.

[ghostdrinkssoup]

hi hello tumblr dot com, can we unpack will and hannibal’s character introductions?

trick question and I don’t care: we’re unpacking this whether you like it or not <3

for the people who wanted to be tagged here you are: @forgivenessishisdesign @kitzual

so anyway last night I rewatched apéritif and now that I know how the series ends a lot of small details stuck out to me. there’s so much content to pick apart that I’m actually losing my mind a little so I’m gonna divide my thoughts into two parts because this is going to be long. first we’ll do will’s introduction, then in the next post I’ll write about hannibal’s

EDIT: you can find part two (hannibal’s introduction) here :)

with that being said, let’s get started

will:

as far as character introductions go, will’s is so perfect to me that I need to dedicate some time just to infodump about it. let it be known that I am obsessed with this scene. there is so much packed into literally only four or so minutes and it’s glorious

funnily enough it’s pretty simple: the scene opens with a flashback. will is depicted recreating a crime scene using his empathy disorder (although audiences are not aware of his empathy yet) and ends with him returning to the present, where he’s lecturing his students about psychoanalysing serial killers, using the case as an example. that’s it. but the scene does everything it needs to do

an effective opening should tell you:

1) the rules/qualities of the world (which can either be exceedingly normal or very bizarre depending on the nature of the story’s subtext and extended metaphor)

2) the protagonist’s worldview, thus foreshadowing the nature of their arc

3) depict theme and raise thematic questions

4) and set-up the climax of the story, which should ideally mirror the opening so that we’re left with a circular narrative

by opening with will’s empathy we are immediately shown that this is a normal part of the story-world even if it’s fantastical by nature. it’s something will can do and that’s just how it is. it’s important that this is the first thing we see because his empathy serves a plot, character, thematic, and genre purpose. it’s a device, as well as an integral part of the show’s subtext and extended metaphor. it automatically puts him on an axis between empathy and psychopathy, or rather, humanity and monstrosity. even before we’re introduced to hannibal himself this is clear through a study of visual contrasts, since in the same instance we’re introduced to the concept of “empathy”, will is taking on the role of the killer, coldly explaining how he murdered the victims bleeding out at his feet. this is the first murder we see in the show, meaning, by proxy, will is the first “killer” we see as well, even if he’s just recreating the scene. we never see who killed mrs marlow, and so the only impression we have of this killer is will’s face. this sets up the structure of s1, since each murder reveals more about will himself, but I digress

and sure, the precision of his empathy is exaggerated and unrealistic, but we believe it a) because it’s the first thing we learn about him and is an unquestionable part of the story-world and its logic and b) because it adheres to its genre (crime/gothic horror). the gothic horror aspect in particular justifies the phantasmagoric, almost supernatural nature of will’s empathy, as well as it’s visual aesthetic (it’s represented through a hypnotic, pendulum type swinging motion). the gothic deals with topics of transgression, the unnatural or unexplainable, and most importantly the unknown. even if the show’s gothic elements aren’t exactly clear yet, the opening certainly maintains this tone. it’s why when the show moves away from the standard crime procedural structure, it’s not exactly jarring or beyond audience expectations (even unconscious ones)

but in all honesty, what really stands out about this scene is what will tells his students after. there are five elements fixed into the few lines he says (which I’ve highlighted below) and it’s all that’s needed to tie the scene back to theme and the show’s main through line

the first thing will says after he’s finished recreating the crime scene, returning to the present and leaving the killer’s mind, is “everyone has thought about killing someone, one way or another.” if the initial flashback worked to place empathy and psychopathy on a conceptual axis, paradoxically blurring the line by contrasting what we know about will vs what we see of will, then the above dialogue blurs everything even further. according to will’s worldview he, and as a result normal people in general, all think monstrous things. therefore, we all have the capacity to understand monsters

to will, humanity is not divorced from monstrosity

this is immediately followed by “be it your hand or the hand of god” introducing a new dimension for us to work with: man vs monster vs god. this gives his initial worldview a righteous edge. here we have a character who understands humanity’s capacity for violent thought, but it’s rendered through a type of divine justice. for him, there must be reason and meaning behind violence. better still, he would prefer it to be righteous. this of course sets up much of his dynamic with hannibal. they talk about religion a lot in the show. lines that immediately come to mind are “killing must feel good to god, he does it all the time” “is this meal an act of god, will?” “did god feel good about that? (violence)” “he felt powerful” etc. I think there’s also something to be said about how by thematically juxtaposing humanity with god, the concept of fate and free will also becomes implicit. we all think about killing, sometimes we choose to do it ourselves and sometimes god does it for us. who has power here? when does it stop being righteous? can one take on the role of god when killing? and if one does take on the role of god, would all blame be erased?

after this is: “now think about killing mrs marlow. why did she deserve this?” now we’re directly tying will’s dialogue to the flashback. to will, the death must have meaning. not only that, but for the perpetrator this must be righteous in some way. why did she deserve it? this line also adheres to the show’s genre and its conventions: this is a crime show, which means we’re exploring justice and injustice. again, thematic opposites. but, as he’s done the entire time he’s been on screen so far, will keeps blurring the line between these distinctions

he then says “tell me your design” which, as we all know, is a significant motif in the show. he says this all the damn time, after every murder. again, this brings forth the idea that the murders must have some kind of deeper meaning, psychological or perhaps even creatively. after all, “design” is an interesting way to phrase this. it sounds artistic, purposeful, imbued with meaning. however, the exact meaning of this is only cemented when he follows it with “tell me who you are”

“tell me who you are” is arguably the most important part of this entire sequence because, first and foremost, this show is about identity, specifically will’s identity. he recontextualises everything he just said in that moment, as well as the flashback we watched moments earlier. the design, the intent, the act of murder, and whether it’s divine or monstrous or purely human, is all linked to one’s identity. by understanding the murder, we understand the man. further still, there lies hidden commentary on one’s moral choices, as well as how autonomy fuels self-empowerment: we will understand who will is once he makes a choice to secure his own autonomy and power, which he does in the wrath of the lamb

it’s why he struggles to make solid choices all throughout the show, and why the specific choices he makes are so important, because whatever he authentically chooses to do will reveal who he is, no matter how hard he tries to hide from himself. he chooses to kill hobbs. he chooses to warn hannibal and gets his stomach split open in the process. if he hadn’t been so indecisive, he would’ve chosen to run away with hannibal too. he chooses to follow him to italy. and finally, he chooses to break him out of prison. because ultimately, once cannot change their nature. you cannot reduce him to a set of influences. he’s not a product of anything. he has his own design

and in hindsight, the questions raised here concerning will’s nature is resolved the moment he chooses to take hannibal down with him. the ambiguity of the resolution recalls the conflict between fate and free will, justice and injustice, and humanity and monstrosity (as set up in the opening scene) since although will actively chooses to drag them down the cliff, and as a result chooses loving hannibal over everything else, something he can’t really control anyway, he simultaneously leaves their fate up to god. it’s an act of faith. in that moment, when will finally seizes power and recognises who he is, accepting hannibal as his natural equal, his hand becomes the hand of god. in a final coin toss, will puts their lives in his own hands, and hannibal lets him do it anyway

[autobots-and-their-crazy-kids]

Unpopular Transformers Opinion: 

I prefer the pink versions of Arcee, over TFP’s Blue Arcee...

I don’t hate TFP Arcee, I just like the Pink Arcees more and not because of the pink color... 

Why, you ask? 

Well... 

Most other Arcee know how to be kind and badass at the same time... 

G1 Arcee kicked butt and was also a loving second mother/big sister to Daniel!  

TFA Arcee might’ve became a plot device/damsel-in-distress, but she was very selfless, loyal and brave... She was willing to give up all her memories and her personality, so that the Decepticons wouldn’t destroy the Autobots with the war knowledge in her brain... Also, she probably defeated a lot of Decepticons before she lost her leg and the fact that she managed to escape the battlefield after she lost it and hide until Ratchet found her is super impressive!

Cyberverse Arcee has this optimistic and cute personality similar to G1 Arcee, plus she’s an animal lover! 

***

Meanwhile with TFP Arcee... she’s also a badass and still knows how to be kind sometimes... But she usually gives off the vibes of a grumpy and self-righteous person... 

She doesn’t truly feel like Arcee to me, she only has the name... 

TFP Arcee spends a lot of time on the show, either being a grumpy/sassy jerk or feeling sorry for herself and covering it with a mask of anger... 

I’m not saying that my fellow females aren’t allowed to be angry or sad... but there needs to be some more balance in TFP Arcee’s personality (and the same can be said for Miko’s personality as well), espically since there are not a lot of female characters in Transformers... 

If there was another main character female Autobot in TFP to be Arcee’s opposite, maybe that would’ve been enough to balance her... 

And TFP already has a grumpy Autobot: Ratchet... and I honestly find him a bit more sympathetic and likable then Arcee... 

You see, TFP Arcee’s tragic backstory is that she lost two random guys aka partners that look similar to each other... So many innocent lives were lost on Cybertron and she’s obsessed with getting revenge for two random similar-looking guys... 

Even TFP Bulkhead had more relationships with his fellow Autobots/Wreckers (who are also probably dead) and he has a cardboard personality, like TFP Bumblebee... 

You’d think a warrior would understand that people die in war like all the time, yet sometimes she acts like she’s the only one suffering from losing a loved one... 

I’m not victim blaming her, I just feel like they could’ve handled her tragic backstory and personality better... 

***

While with TFP Ratchet, he is also a grumpy jerk (and a little racist with organics/humans, although considering how stupid the human allies can be, it’s a bit hard to blame him sometimes)... 

But Ratchet is grumpy, because he wants to just end the war already and go back home to Cybertron...

He cares about all the lives that were lost as well as the Team he still has... 

He’s also cooped up in a small base almost all of the time, to handle the supercomputer, the groundbridges and make sure that everyone is healed/alive... 

I think he also secretly blames Optimus for Cybertron’s destruction, by letting Megatron always live (again, hard to blame him)... 

Like TFP Arcee, TFP Ratchet is flawed... But I find him more sympathetic because behind his grumpiness, he’s very selfless and his goals are bigger then himself or a desire for revenge... And he actually got over his racism then became a little less grumpy... 

Personally, TFP Ratchet is the only TFP Autobot that I truly enjoy... 

What is it with Transformers turning formerly pink bots (TFA Elita/TFP Arcee) into angry jerks? 

[dizzblaine]

Saints Row Reboot thoughts under the cut on the off chance anyone cares about spoilers and etc.

Gonna preface this by saying that while I’m not horrifically mad about it like some weirdos are, I’m definitely not going to sugarcoat what I think of the final product at least in terms of its story, themes, and just overall tone.

Alrighty then, here we go.

Right off the bat I’m just gonna say that this didn’t work as an origin story whatsoever. I know there has been a lot of talk about the main four and how they act, and if any of it feels like pandering, yadda yadda yadda. I honestly don’t really mind it all that much. I think they’re perfectly fine (at least everyone but The Boss). But if this is to work as an origin story then I don’t want to come in to an already-established dynamic between the four because it straight up feels like getting invited into a group chat that’s been going on for like a year or two, and you’re just soooo incredibly lost with it all.

Not having them as tight knit as they are at the start would have greatly benefited the apparent story they were going for. And that’s something else I feel like I need to address immediately. By the end of the game (final three or so missions) you’re suddenly given all this stuff about The Boss being told (or even thinking themselves) how shitty of a friend they are. How they could have been more supportive. So on and so forth. And it weirded me the hell out because it honestly came out of nowhere. No buildup. No prior discussion or even moment to reflect on their standing within the group. It’s like we’re missing a bunch of scenes.

And that’s actually a big thing about the game; it feels like a bunch of scenes are missing to beef up the plot or really give us anything of substance. The entirety of it feels like a general outline of what they wanted to do with the story, but then wound up forgetting to add really much of anything. Honest to god I wouldn’t be surprised if something behind the scenes kept them from focusing on it all that much. But that’s just a guess on my part. I have no concrete evidence or much information to tell me in the first place. It’s just a general feeling.

The lack of substance also affects the rival gangs and the “main antagonist’ as well. Little time is spent learning anything of note with the Panteros, the Idols, and Marshall. We have moments here and there to see how they work, how their leaders are, and to get at least the most basic of basic understanding. It’s really sad because while I won’t say that the original series really dove in that deep with some of their antagonists, the screentime each of them received is LEAGUES better than the tiny scraps we’re given throughout the reboot’s story.

And the same goes for the Nahualli. To me he’s a character that they could have done soooo much more with instead of reducing him to a pseudo plot device because we needed someone to be the “final boss”. The potential to have a sort of mentor character come in and show these kids how to really start running a criminal empire and become gangsters, only to then betray their leader and have that be the catalyst in making them an absolutely ruthless force of nature would have been decently solid!

But unfortunately all we get are a few missions to show him off cause before you know it, you’re already at the grand finale of the game and he’s like weirdly obsessed in wanting to take your friends and make them his own. Sloppiest heel turn ever. It’s such a shame and I feel like it takes away from the impact he could have had on the story and characters.

I wish I could go in deeper talking about the overall plot, but like I genuinely have nothing to work with here. Any potential discussion about late stage capitalism and its effects on younger generations is completely absent aside from some nods towards it and a few jokes. If anything the entire thing about being a broke grunt who barely scrapes by and has student loans to pay feels so trivial in the grand scheme of things. Especially when by the end of the game it’s almost completely forgotten about.

And don’t get me wrong. When it comes to the first two games any and all commentary is very surface level at best. But here’s the thing, it’s still there! You can see it plain as day! The reboot has really nothing to offer or show other than reminding us all that we have bills to pay and are probably in debt.

Like if you wanted to make a point about how these people in positions of power take advantage of others and ultimately ruin any sense of financial stability or even the ability to live in the first place, then do it! Go for broke! It doesn’t have to be particularly insightful. But at the very least use these rival gangs to showcase the different kinds of structures that all work in similar but varying ways in order to fuck over the little guy.

But by all means, if you go down that route then please make the Saints look like absolute bastards in their pursuit of personal freedom and the like. It’s another issue I have with the depiction of the gang and the main four themselves. They never truly had that moment where they started acting more and more like pricks. You can have them be friendly with each other and their crew since they’re all working under one banner. But they gotta be assholes. Do some morally grey shit (the actual kind). I don’t care. I just don’t want this feeling like the whole basis of forming a gang in this game is to have an excuse for the violence and chaos. It’s far too clean in my eyes. Almost feels like Border/lands in a way to me. Which I know sounds weird, but the way violence and the sort is depicted in those games always felt more glossed up in my eyes.

One other thing I want to quickly mention is the incredibly sparse use of Spaghetti Western themes across the game. It was almost to be expected given the setting that they would use this genre in some way or another. Sadly that only seems to be the case at the very end of the game where after sooooo long of a wait, they finally set the scene and let The Boss have a duel.

It’s nothing special. It’s very basic. Not even memorable in the least bit outside of the fact that someone probably went “oh yeah, shit. we should probably do that”.

Honestly, I’ve been working on this for a few hours now and seem to find myself losing the motivation to talk more about it. Like the plot’s just barely there and kinda sucks. What more can I add? It’s just a shame because I truly felt like they could have turned things around and make something that was worth my time investing into like I did playing SR2 all those years ago. Sadly that wasn’t going to be the case, whether due to production issues, a lack of focus on polishing things up, or who knows what.

All I can say is that I hope by any chance—a miracle, really—that they can pick things up if they ever get the greenlight to do a sequel. If anything I can at least use this as inspiration for my own ideas regarding the series.

Anyway, sorry if this was too much of a mess. I really had no idea how I wanted to structure this at all, except to just let loose and ramble off about everything I felt. There’s still DLC coming up in the future, so expect me to talk about that at some point or another. Till then I just wanna say thank you to anyone who might have read the entirety of this thing. I really do care about this series a lot and want it to do well. I truly do. Just a real shame to see things play out this way.

[house-of-slayterr]

Spoilers I guess if you’ve never seen Batman Begins…

TLDR: I don’t like this movie 😶

So I just watched the movie… what… the actual… fuck??? First of all, fuck Rachel right in the ass. I would rather eat glass, on a gravitron then ever see her boring ass on screen again. I was so mad that Crane didn’t kill her. She’s is by far the most boring, understated, and I’d love to say forgettable but I unfortunately cannot forget, character I’ve ever seen. Also that forced fucking kiss at the end 🤮 kill me.

Second off, who ever the fuck didn’t give Jon more screen time, I hope your pillow catches fire at night. Like that man is the best part of your movie, les Rachel, more Scarecrow!

If somone says Falcon-E one more time, I’m going to hire Victors Zsaz (yes that’s how they misspelled it the whole movie) to kill me. Why was he Bostonian, he’s supposed to be Italian! Like what was that accent? I wanted to ring his neck every time he opened his mouth. #notmyfalcone.

Also like, the entire movie I forgot Flass was even supposed to be a cop. Like he just looked like a random homeless man the whole time. He also had way to much screen time, like I could not care any less about this man.

Now to my biggest fucking issue, other than the annoying way everyone pronounced Ra’s Al Ghul the whole fucking movie. WHY THE EVER LIVING FUCK DID THEY CAST LIAM “I HAVE A PARTICULAR SET OF SKILLS” NEESON?!?!? LIAM NEESON!!!!!!! Ra’s is many things, but white is not one of them. Can we stop casting white people in Asian fucking roles? This being made in 2005 doesn’t make that any fucking better. Like I didn’t think anything could piss me off more than Finn Jones being cast as Iron Fist in the MCU. But this takes the cake.

Like I understand, maybe this is like the 500th Al Ghul cause it’s a title that can be bestowed upon people. But can we please just get actual representation? It’s not that hard to cast East Asian people. Like I’m sick of white washing.

When we talk about Bruce… oh boy. One I’m sick and tired of seeing Martha Wayne’s god damn pearls. Burn them. She makes pearls seem tacky. Like I shouldn’t be routing for the Wayne’s to be shot, but that was literally the best thing they did in the entire movie. First off, that casting choice…. I’m meant to believe Bruce came from that? Where? Also why do we need to show them die over and over, especially if you only show them bonding with Bruce for .5 seconds. There’s no suspense, no tension. Nothing is happening. Like I get Batman can’t exist without them dying. But just pick up the movie after they’re dead, skip the whole rushed sob story and just start with the actual fucking story.

Also his obsession with Rachel. What are you seeing Bruce? She’s a walking lamppost that keeps flickering in the middle of fucking nowhere. Hate to say it, but I don’t think Gotham would change if Rachel Dawes disappeared. She felt like a plot device to just be like “hey Bruce isn’t a playboy and has feelings” like the titular love interest. Like when it comes to Defence Attorneys, I want Laurel Lance on my case, not this wanna be girl boss.

Also why was Bruce being a “playboy” such a throw away gag in this. Alfred mentioned it so suddenly I actually had to pause, because we had previously seen no playboy bullshit. And then the next scene, dear god I’d rather be fear gased. It felt so forced and show boaty. Delete the whole scene, give me Loner Bruce Wayne who’s traumatised from his parents death. Give me Bruce Wayne who lashes out in fear and anger. Bruce Wayne who’s broken. Not Bruce I fuck bitches from Europe and don’t even remember their names Wayne.

Now go the things I liked about the movie:

CILLIAN FUCKING MURPHY!

More more more more more! I have never been happier than during this scene. His mannerism are mesmerising and Enticing. I wanna know more about the fear serum. I wanna see more of his experiments. I wanna see more of him in Arkham as a patient. Why have him as a side villain, when he had so much potential for a better storyline. Again, I think he should have just fucking killed Rachel. Like I want to see The Bat unleash his fury on Jon. I want to see him come back as scarecrow because he was doing an amazing job and it looked like he was having fun. Like I can’t express enough how much I am in love with this man. He did Scarecrow proud.

Next, Alfred. I will admit I am partial to Gotham’s Alfred. But this guy has a special place in my heart. I fell the same way about him that I do about Anthony Hopkins, Hannibal. And his South London accent is so endearing. I think it’s a bit odd that he just is ok with what Bruce is doing and joins him right away. But I love their relationship. I feel like he’d Ground Bruce if he went to far. He genuinely just wants to see this kid thrive. This man deserves all the kisses and hugs and complements on the planet. 10/10, I love all Alfred’s 🥺

Luscious mother fucking Fox!!!! Morgan Freeman did a fantastic job. Holy shit he made me love this man more than I thought possible. He’s such a good character and I feel like he doesn’t get enough love. Like I’d marry this man, no hesitation. Like pull up in vegas homie, let’s do this shit. I want to sit and talk to him about science for hours. I want to calm this man after a long stressful day. Love a black man from infinity to infinity! Give me more! 😍

Last but certainly not least, Bruce, I have autism, Wayne. Am I projecting? Most likely. But I think a lot of versions of Bruce have autism. His mannerism as so socially awkward, and he hates crows. Like that scene where he sent everyone away felt like he just stopped masking. The one thing Rachel got right, is he is Batman. Bruce Wayne doesn’t fucking exist. He’s the alter ego. Bruce is the most fake, forced man I’ve ever witnessed. He’s so much more comfortable as The Bat. His obsessive tendencies are obvious. His need for justice and struggling with revenge is just 10/10. Like he seems to have hyperempathy, even Ra’s points out how persistant his compassion is. His tone is incredibly flat most of the time, and the way he just leaves conversations unannounced. Bruce says it himself he doesn’t give a shit about his image or what people think about him. He just cares about justice for Gotham.

Bruce doesn’t have any real friends other than Rachel, and Luscious is getting there but he’s new. Like his fucking smile when talking to Rachel melted my heart. That boy was just so happy to be in the same room as her (i don’t understand why her but I’m happy if he’s happy) the way he just stands and pauses in conversations is so relatable. Like home boy really became the 🧍‍♂️emoji for so much of the movie. Again, probably projecting cause autistic Bruce would be way more interesting to me 😂. But he at least has C-PTSD and OCD. Also what kind of person is like “I’m terrified of this thing, let’s become this and use it as a symbol for hope.” Like Bruce, you could have legit become anyone else, why Batman? Are you a masochist? But over all, i enjoy this Bruce, he’s nice.

So overall rating. 3/10 would not watch the movie again. I’m hoping the next two are much better, I’m looking forward to finally seeing Heath Ledger’s Joker in action. I will also now be watching Scarecrow edits from now until forever. So if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be trying to forget this movie, and mentally preparing to watch more Batman films. There is a reason I avoided watching these for so long, but I just know I’m gonna love Rob’s Batman when I finally get to see it.

[diamond-coral]

Bargaining Chip

Hello! This is my first time posting on Tumblr ever:) I pulled this one-shot from a fic I posted on AO3 a few months ago but the plot is irrelavent and I changed it from first person to second as well as some details so it can be read as a stand alone. There’s some plot from the actual story but you really don’t need to know it at all.

There might be a few errors, especially because I changed the entire point of view and converted it to present tense from past tense so sorry:) 

Loki manages to get his hands on you and exchanges you and your body for his ticket to independence from the Avengers. Bucky gets to go first.

Dark!Bucky Barnes x Reader

Characters included: Loki, and a little bit of Tony, Steve, and Thor

WARNINGS: 18+ ONLY!!! SMUT (NON-CON TOUCHING, FORCED ORAL SEX (m receiving), KNIFE THREATS, DARK! AVENGERS, BUCKY’S AN ASSHOLE IN THIS, DEGRADATION, BASICALLY FORCED PROSTITUTION) READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

You awake in the passenger seat of your own car with only foggy memories of you and your partner before everything had gone dark. Your mission from the CIA...breaking and entering the motherfucking Avenger’s facility and managing to escape...you were so close. If it weren’t for him. In your haze, you look to see who could possibly have the audacity to be driving your car, and there sits Loki, the God of Mischief, who you had only scene on the news, driving one hand and inspecting something in his other.

“Good evening my lady. Sleep well?” he mocks without taking his eyes off the item in his hand which upon further inspection from you looks to be... a red leash?

What the hell?

“I do hope you like your outfit,” he continues. “I think I assembled quite the get up for you.”

Looking down, you let out a muffled scream that was cut off by a strip of duct tape. Your hands are bound in your lap, but that isn’t what horrifies you. It’s what’s underneath them. You take into account your bare legs, fully on display, with a black dress leaving little to the imagination. The top half is just as horrifying with it’s plunging neckline. Your legs end with a pair of strappy gold heels that ensures any chances of running away to be futile while your upper arms are adorned in golden bracelets accented with emeralds. Whether the emeralds were real or fake, you could care less. You have bigger problems to worry about.

“What the fuck?!”

Is what you try to say, but the gag only makes it come out as a mangled ball of muffled murmurs. Though the chuckle Loki lets out implies he understands your enraged speaking attempt.

“You, my dear, are going to be a bargaining chip. I heard about your little escapade at the Avenger’s facility last night. Impressive, I must say, but my brother and his little hero posse had been looking for you relentlessly after that. They are practically obsessed with catching the women that managed to break into their high security building.”

Loki takes a sharp turn into a parking garage, narrowly missing the wall. You squeal as your precious car runs over the curb.

“I forgot how much I hate mortal transportation devices. But Stark had to build this tower in the middle of New York to feed his ever-growing ego and now I’m the one that has to rely on a car to get me there,” he grumbles while pulling into a parking space. He takes a deep breath once the car is parked. “Now, I’m going to remove that gag out of your mouth, and if you scream, I will peel your skin off of your body in the slowest, most painful way imaginable. Understood?”

You nod frantically and he rips the tape off, extracting a whimper from your now stinging mouth. You open your mouth for him to take the wad of cloth out that was under the duct tape. As he extracts it, you snap your mouth shut in an attempt to bite him, but he’s quick to evade and grabs your jaw harshly.

“What did I say before?” he seethes. 

“You said not to scream. I didn’t scream. Now let go of my face.”

Loki roughly throughs your face to the side, letting go, and looks around the surroundings of the car, probably checking for any unwanted onlookers.

“Out of the car. Now,” he orders and you hastily oblige using your bound hands to open the door.

As you shut the door, you catch a glimpse of your own reflection and grimace. You look like a hooker. Aside from the skimpy outfit, your hair was pinned up and intertwined with gold strands. Your makeup is done as well. Sultry eye shadow and dark red lipstick.

“I didn’t know the God of Mischief was a makeup guru,” you jab.

He ignores you and harshly pushes you forward. “Walk.”

“Where’s my partner?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Loki replies. “She has other uses than the one I currently need you for.”

“And what use am I needed for?”

“I already told you. By the gods, you mortals are stupid. You are to be a bargaining chip, (Y/N).”

Your blood runs cold. “How do you know my name?” you ask.

“I know everything about you. Including your peculiar abilities.”

You stop dead in your tracks.

“Now, don’t worry,” he adds. “As amusing to me as it would be, I have no interest in enlightening the Avengers to your secret identity. As far as they will know, I am simply giving them the criminal that broke into their compound.”

“And what’s in it for you?” you ask as he guidesyou into an elevator.

After pushing a button, he goes to fix his dark green tie. “Clever girl now aren’t you?”

“Answer the question.”

“How about-no?” he muses and a soft ding resonates through the elevator.

The doors opened and, for a moment, you forget the predicament your in. Inside was the most beautiful penthouse you had ever seen. The opposite wall was made entirely out of glass allowing a view of the New York City night skyline. Everything little piece of furniture each looks as expensive as your car, but your focus becomes drawn to the minibar. The Avengers were all sitting there, laughing, and most were obviously drunk.

“Here James, try some of this,” Thor booms.

Bucky makes a face. “Why would I drink something from another planet meant for Gods?”

“Jeez Buck it’s the only thing that can get you and I drunk,” Steve slurs and claps Bucky on the shoulder. “It’s your birthday. Live it up a little.”

Bucky hesitates before grabbing the flask Thor offers him and throwing his head back, downing the flask in one go.

Loki seems to have enough of the party scene as he clears his throat to interrupt them.

“Gentlemen-”

Before Loki uttered another word all the Avengers clambered from their seats to grab their weapons, but their intoxicated state just makes it a comical sight. Captain America falls over in an attempt to reach for his shield below the table. Tony Stark’s iron man mask smacks him over the head as he fails to turn in time to catch it on his face. Sam Wilson chokes on his drink and falls backwards off his barstool in shock.

“I come bearing no ill tidings.” Loki spread his arms.

“Then why bother coming at all?” Thor growls, shifting his hammer to his right hand.

“I’ve come to make an offer.”

With that, Loki snatches your wrist and throws you towards him and the other men. You stumbled in you stilettos and let out a yelp as you land on the floor looking up at the 5 present Avengers: Thor, the Winter Soldier, Captain America, Iron Man, and the Falcon. They all look down on you with perplexed looks etched onto their faces.

“You guys have been so caught up and stressed about finding your security breaches that I was generous enough to do some finding myself,” Loki explains.

“And how do we know you didn’t just pluck some prostitute off the street?” Caps eyes rake up and down your body.

Loki scoffs. “Always the skeptic captain. Does this answer your question?” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a flash-drive.

Tony snatches it from his hands. “Jarvis, what’s on this drive?” he asks, holding the drive up to a scanner in the glasses he’s wearing.

“It appears to be the files you have been collecting the 2 vigilantes you have been tracking and-.”

“Okay thanks J!” Tony interrupts quickly before Jarvis could spill any more information. He proceeds to storm up to your cowering and kneeling form that hadn’t dared move and harshly grabs your jaw.

Jesus, what was with these men and your poor, bruised jaw?

“Why would you possibly need this information?” he asks calmly, but his eyes are feral. He studies you and his brows furrow. Did he manage to piece it all together that you were the alleged vigilante they had been hunting? He lets go of your jaw and throws you back on the floor. “What business do you have looking for them?”

Looking for them? You let out a sigh of relief.

“None of your business,” you spit.

“Anyways,” Loki continues, and the drive suddenly disintegrated in Tony’s hand while reappearing in Loki’s. “I will happily hand over this seemingly important information along with the girl for you to do with her as you please, but…” He pauses. “Only if you stop tracking my current whereabouts.”

“And why would we do that, Loki? You’re dangerous,” Steve notes.

“I was dangerous,” Loki interjects. “I have been a good boy haven’t I? I would like to lead a normal life without you imbeciles tailing my every move. If I slip, Thor here will know within the second if I’m involved with anyone wrong doings, won’t you brother dear?”

Thor grunts at that statement.

“Besides, Stark’s satellite can track any magical energy if I use it. Which I won’t.”

“Fine. Now hand over the drive,” Tony snaps and holds his hand out.

After Loki drops the small gadget into Tony’s hand, he hauls you up and spins you around to face him.

His voice is quiet and low. “Be glad I didn’t tell them about my plans for you friend. It would be a shame if they found out about her abilities...and yours.”

He spins you back around to face the 5 men whose eyes were now raking up and down your body. “Easy on the eyes isn’t she?” Loki mentions, hands falling on your waist making you squirm. “You know, I almost considered keeping her for myself. Her exotic beauty is that of a pleasure maiden on Asgard.” Your struggles are invigorated at his implications. “Enjoy your whore.” And with that, he gives you one final shove before vanishing.

It’s silent for half a minute before one of the men speak up.

“Alright who wants to take her for a spin?” Tony asks, clapping his hands together. “I vote the birthday boy gets first dibs. Huh, Buckaroo?”

You blanch at the idea. Were they really going to go through with what Loki wanted? What happened to the valiant heroes you saw on your screen?

“Wait Tony, you can’t be seriously considering Loki’s suggestion?” Sam Wilson sounds surprised.

Tony shrugs. “Why not, Birdie? It’s either this or high security prison and I don’t think she wants to rot in a cell.”

“She is standing right here and would rather rot in hell than do what Loki had in mind,” you hiss.

“Well it’s a good thing we weren’t asking for her opinion,” Tony says.

“Tony’s right, Sam,” Steve adds slowly. “We bust our asses out there. We deserve something nice.”

“Day after day we save this pathetic world, and no thanks are given. Just everyone saying what we did wrong. We should’ve left the world to fend for itself after they tried shoving those ridiculous accords down our throats,” Thor murmurs

Sam raises both of his hands up in defense. “Fine. Do what you want with her. I’m gonna head out.” And with that he leaves. Your heart sinks, watching the only glimmer of hope, your knight in shining armor, walk out the door. Your self-pity party is cut short by an arm snaking around your waist.

Bucky Barnes, trained assassin, mass murderer, and now current Avenger, puts his face in the crook of your neck and inhales deeply, sending shivers down your spine while you stand frozen like a deer in headlights. “What do you say, doll? Wanna finish what we started the other night?” His hand on your waist slowly drifts down to your ass.

You stomp your heel down on his foot eliciting a groan of pain. “Last time I checked, you were in the dirt, and I was driving away that night after a successful robbery. There’s nothing to finish.”

He moves quickly as he rips your hair out of what’s securing it up, using the opportunity to tangle his hand into the roots and drag you away to a separate room. He wrenches open and throws you in, leaving you to stumble and trip. A searing pain on your forehead signaled that you hit your head.

“How about we use that snarky mouth of yours for something better hmm?” His voice is ice cold with malice as he grips your hair and yanks you up.

You cry out in pain, tears pooling in your eyes.

“Not so tough now, are you?” he sneers down at you. Hearing the sound of a belt unbuckling and pants unzipping, you shut your eyes.

A tear escapes, cascading down your face, but his thumb gently wipes it away.

“Open your eyes, doll,” he coos.

You shake your head and screw them shut even tighter.

“I said...OPEN YOUR FUCKING EYES!” he roars and your eyes fly open only to see his member sticking out of his slacks right in front of your face. He’s almost fully hard as precum dribbles out of the tip. “Good girl,” he praises. “Now, since you can’t seem to keep your snarky mouth shut, let’s put it to better use. How bout that?”

You don’t move, and he sighed as you look down to the floor. You hear some shuffling, a small click, and suddenly something cold and sharp is pressing under your chin, tilting your gaze to his steel blue eyes.

“Let’s try this again.” He pushes the knife harder, digging it a little deeper, but not enough to draw blood. A knife. This dirty bastard has a knife. “Suck. My. Cock.”

Pushing all your pride aside, you direct your gaze to the task in front of you. Bucky lets out an approving hum and the knife is removed from your throat. You swallow before opening your mouth and dragging your tongue from his base to the tip before wrapping your lips around him and sucking lightly.

Bucky was no slacker down there, you had to give him that. You ease your mouth down his shaft and his head tilts back.

“Oh fuck that’s it,” he moans. “Take my dick down your throat.” He grunts. His metal hand fists your hair to push your head down, sliding a few more inches into your throat. “Oh-that’s a good whore,” he breathes.

A gag is torn from you and you slap your hands against his thighs to imply you couldn’t take much more. Bucky’s only response is another grunt as he jams the rest of his length down your throat leaving your only intake of oxygen to come from your nose which was now mashed right above the base of his thick cock. As quickly as he pushed you down before, he pulls you back off by your hair, letting you go to wretch, gasping for air and freedom. A strand of saliva still connects from his tip to my lips.

“I’m not done with you yet.” He snags your hair again. “Open wide, slut.”

You do just that and he begins to fuck your throat at his own pace, sliding his entire length down every time. Tears brim at your eyes, not just from the lack of oxygen, but the humiliation of the moment as well. The time passes much too slowly for your liking, minutes dragging on for eternity, before he begins to reach his climax.

“Fuck, I’m gonna cum.” His cock twitches in your mouth.He holds your head with both hands as he releases straight into your mouth, warm thick strands of his release coating the back of your throat. He pulls out  with a pop and smirks down at you. “Good little sluts swallow” he orders.

You glare up at him, making a show of not doing anything.

“Well?” he demands and raises a dark brow.

You spit his own climax onto his expensive shoes.

“Why you-!” He raises his hand, getting ready to send a smack to your face.

“Barnes!” A female voice comes from the doorway as the door flies open. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

There stood none other than the Black Widow.

[kathanisharmaa]

heyo! so as promised i'm bringing you my thoughts about kathony season two:

warning: this is a totally biased opinion of a kathony little bitch p.s. english is not my first language so be kind and let me know if(or better, when) you find any mistakes.

first of all, it was so great seeing the bridgertons together again (and, believe me or not, francesca included) and i can’t express this enough. they’re by far the best part of the show, it’s heartwarming seeing this big family interacting and i could just sit down and watch them all day, we can see how comfortable they are being part of this group of people who been living together for their whole existence and this is family ties are something i value way more than lady whistledown gossips.

and speaking of lady whistledown, what a fucking mess. from what i remember from the books, lady w was a gossip column but at the end of the day it served more like a writing device but in the show she’s just a way to a bitter girl attack and try to destroy the bridgertons season after season. i was highly annoyed by penelope’s acting as a victim and then being mean as fuck as lw and i could like her if she truly despised the ton but she is just mad that she’ll never be a diamond of first water. i adore seeing flaws on characters but i penelope’s whole personality it’s being obsessed with colin (i mean, him? from all the bridgertons? okay then…) and the bridgertons, and as lw she’s is just like cressida cowper.

as for the featheringtons sometimes i’m like “why we still seeing them?” i’m feeling stuck on featherington house when all i truly want is to go bridgerton house and spend the whole season watching bridgerton big brother, but i’ll be honest i like lady featherington and phillipa (who finally is a happily and truly in love married lady yaaay). the cousin jack plot was a big waste of time and i’ll happily skip all of his scenes if i’ll ever put myself through this path of suffering of rewatching season 2.

now quickly talking about the bridgerton siblings: how the fuck did they choose an actress who can’t be in the show to shoot the freaking scenes? bc i don’t even care about book francesca but it’s downrigth ridiculous how she’s ignored as a bridgerton. hyacinth is a perfect flower and together with gregory i’ll say right here i would give my life to protect my two babies, they’re the cutest (i loved so much seeing anthony interacting with them since he’s the paternal figure for gregory and hyacinth). benedict was charming as ever and even more funnier than in season one, i love every scene with him and i’ll never get over when he was high during dinner with his family! colin was… colin. i wasn’t interested in seeing him, to me the actor lacks of charisma and i don’t care about him and penelope at all, at least for now, and i’m hoping for some improvement bc they have high chances of being the most boring bridgerton couple. i have mixed feelings about eloise, her body language it’s so off and feels forced, and i’ll say she’s having way to much screen time and that time was stealed from kathony so this is unforgivable!!! (i can only expect to see A LOT of kathony in her season bc i’m this petty) i’m expecting she learn a thing or two bc so far she’s just a white and privileged girl who have means and time to pursue her interests and thinks she’s better than other women, using feminism to belittle her sisters (specially daphne who is very happy with marrying and having kids). daphne was adorable as aways, funny, perfect and a true princess (ALSO BABY AUGIE YOU GUYS 🥺🥺🥺) and a very pleasing surprise for me as she managed to be the smartest in the room everytime. anthony was a perfect character, jonny bailey delivered a deep character and i could see the ocean of emotions in his face all the time. i can’t think anyone better to play the viscount and he carries half of this season on his shoulders.

ranking my favorites from the bridgertons this season: 1. anthony 2. benedict 3. daphne 4. hyacinth and gregory 5. eloise 6. colin being 1, 2, 3 and 4 characters i love and 5 and 6, having a lot of room for improvement. and i'm not sure where should i put francesca since she was barely a part of the season…

violet was breathtaking this season and “edmund was the air that i breathed. and now there is no air” will forever remain as one of my favorite bridgerton quotes. all the flashback scenes were award worthy and her conversations with anthony got me in tears. as a big fan of her being so desperate to marry all her children, i amvery happy with her this season and got zero complains.

lady danbury was so different from season one! i hate so much how she acted towards kate!!! seriously, what a disappointment… sat down to watch expecting her to be an ally to kate and episode after episode she worked very hard to make kate feel bad about herself when she should be helding mary accountable. i’ll need time to forgive her after season 2.

will mondrich plot was badly handled, it was overall very disconected without the duke's presence and i was bored by his drama and felt like the writers lost de opportunity to use his club to give us more scenes from the three bridgerton brothers and also making his plot useful while serving more bridgerton content.

now, let’s talk about the sharmas.

first of all, what the actual fuck, bridgerton writers??? why did you take something perfect and felt the need to destroy it? why???? the sharmas were supposed to be a very close family but what i saw was mary and edwina being two spoiled and dumb aristocratic girls and kate was their maid, she was way more like a governess than part of the family and that hurted SO MUCH.

mary, i hope i never have to see your face again. i despise you and know that you’re the worst mother in the world and i’m not saying much more because everything i have to say about her it’s bad. i hate everyone that made kate feel so alone like she was this season and losing her husband is no excuse to treat bad one of your kids, take violet as example ffs. seriously guys, i can’t believe my baby kate lived 26 years like that and thank god now she have the bridgertons who clearly adore her as she deserves!

edwina is a brat, a spoiled child made to be hated, that’s the only explanation for everything i watched during the last eitgh episodes. she was sweet until page two and then i had to sit and watch her going against kate’s only advice “don’t go near viscount bridgerton”, act like a teenager obsessed (to the point the almost fucking marries anthony and says she is in love with him AND LOVE HIM) with being a viscountess to after having her fanfic destroyed throw a tantrum like a kid who lost her favorite toy. the episode six was pratically unberable to watch and after the whole wedding scene i felt in my heart i could never like her. it was heartbreaking seeing how kate was treated by her own family and yet the show kept trying to sell edwina’s pov as a innocent girl who was played by her bitter and jealous sister which makes zero sense. i hate her plot, i hate love triangles and i hate bridgerton writers for destroying a beautiful friendship between kate and edwina.

finally talking about kate!!!

she is the love of my life and i have no doubts about it. even being different from kate in the books, i loved her, i felt her pain, her insecurities, i understood her. i wouldn’t change a thing about kate sharma and can say with certain that she’s one of the best female characters on television these days.

it was unfortunately we lost time being her act as edwina’s mother when i wanted to see her exploring the world, talking with another girls (I WANT MORE KATE AND ELOISE!!! AND KATE WITH DAPHNE PLS), doing her own thing, actually talking and knowing more about anthony bc i feel like they have a lot in common even as friends.

and while we’re talking kate and anthony WHAT IS THIS CHEMISTRY BETWEEN THESE TWO, YOU GUYS??? I MEAN, I WAS LEFT OUT OF BREATH EVERYTIME THEY INTERACTED, JESUS CHRIST! i want to scream about how perfect they are and i need a whole season just showing kate and anthony living, just the two of them talking, sharing gossip about the ton, pushing each others buttons etc. episodes 7 and 8 weren’t enough to feed my emotional need for kathony. i already watched 10 times every single one of the scenes were they interact in the last 2 episodes and they never stop being everything i’ve always wanted to see.

final considerations:

bridgerton family moments 10/10 eloise treating very bad the poor boys approaching her -10/10 kate and anthony 10000/10 kate and anthony screen time -10/10 bridgerton writters: why do you guys hate so much kate sharma? i cannot put in words how much i dislike you all. i could say you’re tried to wrote a bad fanfic but that would be an insult to all of our amazing fanfiction writers that serving the best content we deserve. cvd: wtf man? how dare you saying kathony wedding happened at the end of episode 6? why are you so evil? who hurted you?

did i forget to mention anything? pls let me know!

[limeadelizard]

Plec putting Bonnie with Enzo is a funny case because it’s exactly what she said she didn’t want for Bonnie while also being exactly what she wanted for Bonnie.

If people were asking for BE back in season five or six, I’m confident that he would be another murderous vampire that Bonnie would have too much integrity to get with. At first, he had more of a relationship with Caroline. But she was wrapped up in another ship Plec cared more about, and as the show went on it became clear the writers were struggling with his storyline.

By all logic, Bonnie should have no reason to be interested in Enzo. He had hurt her and her friends, and now he’s siding with the people Bonnie wanted to protect herself from and pining after the woman she holds responsible for never being able to see Elena again. On top of that, Bonnie had just came out of a traumatic arc with another antagonist that lead to her wanting to put herself first. You would think he’d be the last guy she’d give a damn about.

But as loyal and good and moral as she may be, Bonnie’s true purpose in the show is to be the helper, to fix other people’s problems. And Enzo needed help.

Enzo wasn’t worse than other antagonists on the show and had moments of both evil and sympathy. He also had little backstory and relevance, which made him easy to basically rewrite after his epic make Stefan miserable plot failed, and our resident plot device just happened to be in need of a love interest after the departure of Jeremy and the rise of Bamon and Bonkai shippers. Given all this, it’s not hard to see why a pairing between these two characters would be convenient despite making little sense.

And BE could’ve been written decently, even if it was conceived to pair the spares. Enzo didn’t care about the MF gang, which could’ve been an interesting aspect to explore. Hell, Bonnie’s mistreatment by her friends is basically a key component in almost every Bonnie x villain ship story. But pairing her with him didn’t free her from them in the long run. It only kept her isolated, because Enzo was also isolated. Despite telling her she deserved better, he wasn’t able to help Bonnie truly grow as a character. Being with him didn’t give Bonnie a career, any hobbies (interestingly enough, we see her participate in his hobby but not the other way around), any more friends or connections, and she didn’t even have any magic (interestingly enough again, thanks to him). She still got stuck with the same “I’m dying but it’s okay I’m just happy to be with my bf” story.

Bonnie and Enzo aren’t the first enemies-to-lovers, redemptive romance on the show. However, compared to ships like DE and KC and even SE, there is a darkness, for lack of a better word, that I don’t see with BE. Now whether those ships were handled well or are really dark at all is debatable, but that side is there. Fans had long been waiting to see Bonnie date a vampire, and Enzo is a vampire. But despite the fact that witches and vampires are supposed to be enemies, the only times his vampirism is brought up is when she turns into the huntress and wants to kill vampires, which is something she has no control over, and when he suggests she turn so they can be together forever. In both cases it’s portrayed as something not significant, just like any other normal difference any couple would have to work out. In other ships, the male character’s wickedness does strain his relationship with his love interest, who he’s allowed to obsess over while still being murderous. But in Enzo’s case he’s just portrayed as a lonely misguided woobie who needs to be loved, and when he gets that from Bonnie his character development ends.

Then there’s the development of the relationship. Not only is Enzo in love with another woman first, but the writers have Bonnie giving him advice and telling him he deserves better and trying to understand him. They have had no substantial relationship, so she doesn’t even really know him much less have a reason to care, but she does it anyway. She’s the one who has to reach out first, and only after he is left with no one else and realizes how loyal she is to Damon (who abandoned both of them) does he reciprocate.

There’s no reason why their relationship had to be written this way unless it was being written with hatred for Bonnie, as if the writers wanted to say “we’ll give Bonnie what she deserves, but we’ll make her work for it and then we’ll take it away!” If Enzo had to be in love with Lily at all, they could’ve had him choose Bonnie over her, but instead they had to make it clear she didn’t want him and killed her off. They didn’t have to have Enzo make comments like “lovelorn witch” and say she’s never been fought over, unless they knew what they were doing. They have Bonnie be interested in finding a man, but we don’t see her going on any dates or any guys flirting with her or anything. She matches up with Matt on a dating site, and I guess it’s supposed to be funny because lol she’s having so much trouble she gets matched up with her friend (who gets his own new love interest), what a failure, right? Oh, but we know she’s going to get with Enzo so it’s okay, teehee, see what we’re doing here? :) Funny enough, we’ve seen Enzo flirt with and pursue people, and we’ve even seen Bonnie be flirted with, but when it comes to making a relationship between the two happen, he can’t be into her from the start? And if Bonnie had to spend another season helping people as she always does, why couldn’t Enzo be the one exception? Her relationship with him is really no different from her platonic ones.

All Bonnie and Enzo really have in common is being loyal to people who don’t care about them. That’s literally the basis for the ship, and at the end of the series, really all their characters amount to individually. Bonnie’s so beautiful and strong and has so much love to give, but it’s apparently unfathomable that anyone would see that without her having to see her prove herself first.

Say what you want about BD or BK, but at least those ships had some history. They were relationships that were playing out at the time, and fans were interested in how they would develop. There was material for people to speculate on and analyze. Contrast to BE, who only had a few scenes in season five and one at the end of season six. They had no real relationship, so while fans may have been open to it, this wasn’t something people were already passionate about.

Putting them together was a way of trying to curtail that excitement over other pairings that weren’t wanted by Plec and shift it to something that she had control over, and the flash forward was the perfect format for this. Their first moment is meant to make you go “whaaaat?” so you’ll have to keep watching to wait and see what happens. And of course it’s not until almost the end of the season that we see them actually become a couple... and it’s in a flashback.

BE might not make sense for the Bonnie who is too good for evil vampires, but it makes perfect sense for the Bonnie who is undesirable, who has to always put others first, and has to earn the tiniest amount of happiness for herself, and is fine with all of that.

[geek-and-destroy]

Wheel of Time - Sad Rand noises

This is post 13 in The Wheel of Time Read - see the previous post - covering the prologue and chapters 1-9

A few weeks ago, I started reading The Wheel of Time, Robert Jordan’s sprawling fantasy series. And because I have nothing better to do, I decided to post my thoughts on the internet, a few chapters at a time. Right now, I am at book three - The Dragon Reborn. This post talks about my first impressions of the prologue and chapters 1 (Waiting) through 9 (Wolf Dreams). Chapter summaries can be found here (I’m not putting links to the individual chapters, I don’t want to venture too far into the wiki).

Well. I'm back from my little break. I would've liked to say that I read a bunch of other books or picked up some new obsession. Instead, I rewatched my comfort shows, watched hours of lefty video essays and stared into empty spaces. Time to come back.

The prologue, as in the last two books, serves to inform us as to the larger picture of the setting, what's going on in the background to set things into motion, etc. before focusing on our protagonists and the stuff happening to them. This time, though, the events of the prologue have direct impacts on the MCs, a testament to the fact that these people have indeed been fully thrust into the larger world around them rather than having adventures in their own little quest-bubble with not much outside interaction.

... which is why I'm a bit let down by the fact that the DR camp was so isolated and did basically nothing until the attack. Sure, the Watsonian reasoning was sound enough. I'm pretty sure the Doylian of it was that it gave some breathing room to the characters to explore the ramifications of Rand declaring himself the Dragon. But this kind of stuff can get... idk, sort of tiring. It was alleviated a bit by the POV being Perrin rather than Rand - a layer of mystery as to his thought process at the moment was necessary.

Because let's be real, as much as I love Rand, I can't bear to imagine how badly the guy would give himself shit about being stranded in this place like a sitting duck, not being able to help even those close to him when Trollocs attack, let alone those far away who have declared for him. Even if he really couldn't have done anything about it. Add to that, he can't really control saidin yet, and also causes literal earthquakes, so it's safe to say my man isn't in the best of mental states. I really like the way there is implicit trust among him and Perrin. He's visibly more relaxed and allows himself to express at least a little of his thoughts when he's with Perrin.

That doesn't mean Perrin is just our outsider POV to Rand either. He's got his wolf stuff going on that he's trying to suppress, plus killing the two Whitecloaks still haunts him. His dreams are of wolves and various Forsaken, including Lanfear. Poor guy's got almost as much on his plate as Rand. The encounter with the dead Wolfbrother at Jarra only serves to compound his fears. Inevitably, his arc is going to be about embracing them instead of fighting them, but Perrin angst is always great to read. I've said it before, but Perrin is such a uniquely compelling character. You rarely get his kind as protagonists in most fantasy.

And it is through him that we learn about this book's plot device. It is a Significant Sword, of course, because we gotta tick that off in the fantasy bingo. I don't know if this counts as disturbing the purity of the Read or whatever (if anyone really cares about that) but I did see the cover for the last book, and Rand's holding a sword that matches the description of Callandor. If it is indeed that, it's safe to say that we are officially out of the introduction phase of the series and getting into the thick of the conflict.

Things got infinitely more interesting at Jarra. Rand ta'veren-ness making waves in the whole town. My guy can't even lay low in peace, he leaves a trail of weddings and Whitecloaks. No wonder all of you talk about the amount of trauma he goes through.

I really love the new dynamic between Perrin and Moiraine in this book. Moiraine remains the mom of the group, but her kids have got hormones now! She's probably annoyed as hell, thinking 'this is the mature one, dammit, can't imagine what I'll have to bear with the angry one'. At least she has Lan.

I'm really interested in the dynamics of this dream world that Perrin goes into. So far he's encountered Lanfear, the other Forsaken (did he mention his name?) as well as Hopper the wolf. There are also dangerous things in there, but Perrin still knows he's dreaming. Did Rand's dreams since book one happen in this sort of space? Do all dream worlds have the same mechanics? Are they even separate worlds, or are they the same world that whatever evil force wishes to use it to torment whatever unlucky schmuck? Hopefully, this stuff is answered.

We did get one little teeny weeny Rand POV of a paradigm-shifting character change caused by severe mental stress. You know, just another day. (I get a vibe that the stuff that happened there was in a dream, dunno why)

Also it's super funny how Whitecloak captain dude thinks the Two Rivers is a den of Darkfriends, kinda like a Satanic village. Oh man that place is in for some suffering, isn't it? Creepy dude who knows who the Emond's Fielders are is Creepy.