#the fate of ten

[tbhcatsaresocute]

rereading united as one and i just forgot how much of an insane mental load was on ella. she died, came back to life, was one with a existential being for a period of time, still has some of that entity within her, can and has seen MULTIPLE futures, im just like wow

[ll-but-its-random]

Guess you know wat else I like now

[scorbleeo]

Book Review: The Fate of Ten

Lorien Legacies (Book 6) by Pittacus Lore

Source: Amazon

For years the Garde have fought the Mogadorians in secret, but now the invasion has begun. If the Garde can't find a way to stop the Mogs, humanity will suffer the same fate as the Lorien: annihilation.

When the Elders sent the Garde to Earth, they had a plan-one which the Garde are finally starting to understand. A group of the Garde travelled to an ancient pyramid in Mexico where they awoke a power that had been hidden for generations. Now this power can save the world or destroy it. It will all depend on who wields it.

ISBN: 9780718178383 (2015) | Source: Goodreads

Neither Good Nor Bad But At Least It Was Not Boring

I honestly was a little flabbergasted when, upon finishing The Fate of Ten, I realised this book literally penned down the happenings of two days. The good thing was, there was a lot of action, so much so that I really did not have room to complain it was boring because at least there was action to read. However, there really wasn't much going on in the book. You would think that considering we're already on the sixth book, we would have learnt everything we needed about all-things-Lorien but this book came and suddenly it was an information dump.

The biggest issue I have with this series is the amount of stories you have to get through before reaching the last book, I'm including the novellas and short stories. Of course, hand in hand with that issue is the planning and dividing of the books. With what I've read, this could easily have been a lesser books, lesser novellas series. Unfortunately, because there are so many instalments, sometimes it feels like a waste of time.

Didn't help that every time I got to read (who is my favourite Garde) Six's POV in The Fate of Ten, Marina was there too. Her identity or moral crisis was so annoying and very unneeded. Which brings me back to, waste of time.

Truth to be told, the only reason I am still going through this entire series is because of characters that are rarely highlighted in the books or are simply, side characters. First being Adam, I loved him since his first appearance but he's always the "side character" when the Garde is involved. I truly miss his novellas. Next, Mark James, his character development helped me decide to not give up on this series after that whole Five fiasco. And though this character does not appear in this book, I have to, I just have to bring more spotlight on Rex. Going through the Lorien Legacies series, I have come to a realisation I love the villains-turned-allies characters. Except Five, though I liked him a lot more than Marina in The Fate of Ten.

Oh well, I cannot believe I rambled so much. Regardless, I am absolutely delighted that the next book is the last book in this series.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5/5)

More on the Lorien Legacies series: I Am Number Four (#1) | The Power of Six (#2)

[demaparbat-hp]

No war au: first time meeting each other at a diplomatic event. zuko, crown prince of the fire nation kisses the hand of katara chief of the southern water tribe.

Beyond diplomacy.

[lesbocrocker]

The real cancel culture is Netflix cancelling every good show it can find.

[kori-senpai]

New Leokumi content in the lords year of 2024?? It's more likely than you think! (x)

[variousqueerthings]

the appeal for nine and rose for me, is that nine gets to reconnect with the wonders of the universe by seeing it through this young woman's eyes and rose gets to have a fantasy of being taken out of everyday life and see the wonders of the universe, as a simple fairytale/(re)introduction to the world for the audience

the appeal for ten and rose for me, is that they double-down on this premise because it's inevitably going to end and is constantly ticking down to that end throughout this story, and the only way for them to move through life now is to pretend that nothing ever ends which makes them increasingly detached from reality, and is in and of itself a tragedy

the appeal for ten and martha for me, is that ten is spiralling and martha is a doctor to her core, and both of them want to fix everything for everyone else except themselves and so they're mirrors of a similar self-destructive sacrificial drive that makes them orient around each other in an unhealthy coping-mechanism kind of way that martha eventually has to detach herself from, even though there were the wonders...

the appeal for ten and donna for me, is that donna is actually very level-headed, and in many ways very capable, even though she doesn't believe in herself she can make decisions that are healthier than either rose or martha could, and the doctor initially through wanting her to believe in herself forces themself outside of their bubble of despair, which somewhat breaks the cycle of the previous companions (although, not properly until a very long time later)

[aq2003]

really love how throughout a lot of smith and jones martha is really skeptical and apprehensive towards ten (+ one of my favorite exchanges between them - "what, people call you 'the doctor'?" "yeah?" "well, i'm not. far as i'm concerned, you've got to earn that title."), not taking everything he says at face value, even doubting the fact he's an alien until over halfway through the episode.. And like. i really truly think the thing that wins her over isn't him kissing her or any of the other insane mixed messages he manages to send, it's this scene here, where he /earns that title/ in her eyes:

(+ david's bit in the commentary, where he says: "[the doctor] has actually sacrificed himself, and - i would say, that that final act of selflessness is what finally, eventually, welds martha to him. [...] and she now returns it. she returns that act of selflessness.")

this is what their relationship is built on. it isn't about martha being the second-best replacement to rose or a rebound or whatever. bc it isn't really about rose. it's about doctor-in-training martha meeting someone (quite literally, "the doctor") whose ideals she aspires to, and doing her best to be the same person to him as he is to everyone else. it's about ten in return admiring her intelligence and inquisitiveness and how she cares for human life, recovering his compassion, letting himself lean on her for support - and then remembering at the most inopportune moments that he's supposed to not need anyone and be on his own forever. And around in their little nightmare loop they go where they save each other over and over until one of them breaks

i've seen ppl look at martha and go "why she does she admire/why is she so in love with ten if he acts like that to her?" or something along those lines and like. it's not just the fact she's in love with him (in fact i'd argue she actively tries to push it aside post-gridlock). it's the fact that she knows he's the kind of person to put everyone else's lives/well-being over his own. she trusts him to save her when she's in trouble even though it's been like two days at most that they've known one another bc she recognizes that same "deep all-encompassing drive to help others" in him. and she also recognizes, much much earlier than him, that he needs someone to save him, especially when he's unwilling to save himself. and yeah for a bit she thinks he returns her feelings and is just playing hard-to-get, but she realizes pretty early on that this probably isn't the case, and i think that realization fully solidifies here:

(this is when she's listening to ten talk abt gallifrey). And idk it might just be me but i think this expression isn't just her empathizing with his loss. it's also guilt, for wanting something from him that he's clearly unable to give when he's wracked with so much grief. (and you see it in the next episode, where tallulah asks if they're together and martha says for certain that they're not, and that he doesn't know about her feelings for him. she keeps everything to herself bc she now knows that when he shut her flirting down at the end of 3x01 it was the genuine reaction of someone who a) isn't interested and b) is scared of getting close with someone else again)

freema described their dynamic as "she's keener than him" and i think about this all the time. martha doesn't really take what ten throws at her. what she does instead is constantly poke holes in his already-failing front of "i will show someone the wonders of the universe so i can ignore what is wrong with me". what she does is stand up and fight him when he tries to go off on his own. what she does is put aside her well-being in favor of helping someone - just like what she saw him do for the people in the hospital when they first met. tldr, that's the doctor and his doctor and rip martha you would've loved who's gonna save u now by rina sawayama

[lesbianaelwen]

I've been wondering when they were going to look into Jace bc he helped the Abernants sneak into the school during prompocalypse to get the crown and that just never came up again lol

[couthbbg]

good morning happy friday what a great time to remember that auston matthews wore a number 16 jersey when he was drafted to the leafs

[livetogether--diealone]

"It was a little bit like I was looking at my younger self.”

@f1blrcreatorsfest -> week 3: creative layouts

[dailyfatefigures]

Yu Meiren by Outdoor Mokei-ten

[ll-but-its-random]

Five when Nine literally drove a sign post through his chest:

[gingermintpepper]

Hyacinthus: Some of you have been wondering how I tell Apollo and Achilles apart

Hyacinthus: I actually think it's quite simple, really

Hyacinthus: Achilles is the scourge of Sparta sent by the gods to sack our cities and murder our men.

Hyacinthus: and Apollo has gold-blue eyes and blond hair! Hope this helps.

[comparativetarot]

Ten of Wands. Art by Jonathan Vair Duncan, from Chromatic Fates Tarot.

[ace-and-the-rpg-horrors]

not Emurui casually reminding me that W x S used to be my fave unit just because of them